Database Administration -2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Database Administration -2 - Essay Example The database administrator would have the above given skills in order to perfectly perform his/her roles and responsibilities to manage the information system database in an organization. It is pertinent to mention here that these are the basic and fundamental skills of a database administrator; therefore, the database administrator must have these skills in addition to the specific skill set requirement of the organization (CWJOBS, n.d). The database is considered accurate if the values stored in the fields of the database are correct. As the organizations rely and presume that the information that is input into a database is faultless as well as accurate. Therefore, the design of the database should be accurate and reliable that will not only help to achieve new business ideas, but also play vital role in promoting the organizational goals. It is sure, if the data gathering and storing process is malfunctioning, the established data will be incorrect as well; this process is known to be as Garbage in Garbage Out (GIGO) (Rushinek & Rushinek, 1985). Updated and current data have been always important for any organization; therefore, the stored data has to be updated and current with respect to the requirements of the organization. The end users of the database have to be aware of any variation of a standard update schedule of the database. Real-time information is one of a key component of timeliness. A DBMS system contains metadata i-e data about data, in other words the data and a full explanation of the data. The explanation of the data includes: how data would be accessed, what are the data formats and record structures. On the other hand, the file processing approach is contrasted to this approach, whereas, the structure and format of data and records are required to be known to the application programs. The changes in the database i-e change in data format, change in index structure or entering a new field etc. are reflected in the catalogue; therefore,

Morality vs. Obedience Essay Example for Free

Morality vs. Obedience Essay Beliefs and knowledge are both dynamic concepts on all organizational levels of the human experience, from the individual to the global. Lets take for example the statement, â€Å"The Earth is flat. † Five hundred years ago, this statement was knowledge. Today, it’s knowledge that this statement is false. Knowledge changes based on the information and evidence available to us at any point in time. This is also true of beliefs but in a different way. When most of us were young, we believed in the Tooth Fairy. Why? Because someone told us she was real. However, this belief changed as we began to mature and rely more upon our own abilities to discern truth from fiction. Thus, we have established that both knowledge and belief are subjective but for different reasons. Belief requires no evidence, while knowledge requires evidence and/or experience. I would now like to make a comparative argument regarding morality and obedience. Simply put, morality is ‘doing what’s right, regardless of what anyone says’ and obedience is ‘doing what your told, regardless of what’s right. One can think of many examples regarding these concepts as they are defined but I will leave this to the reader’s imagination. There is a simple truth to defining obedience and morality in this manner that I find directly comparable to the examined quotation. Neither belief nor obedience require an individual or group to actively engage in an activity or thought process independently. There is no critical thinking involved and one must put their faith in the ‘rightness’ or ‘truth’ of another’s belief, knowledge or otherwise. Both knowledge and morality require active engagement. One cannot possess knowledge without having evidence to back it up and one cannot act morally without understanding what it is that makes a situation right or wrong in their eyes. This is especially true when acting morally requires someone to go against social norms or established laws. The point of this paper is to shed light on the fact that we are all responsible for ourselves to the extent that we can be. No one person can know everything about everything, so belief and obedience are often useful and easy fallbacks. For example, I don’t snowboard on black diamond slopes. This is not because I have knowledge of how hurt I will get but because I belief the sign posting and obediently board within my level to avoid possible injury. However, in every decision one makes there should be a component of knowledge and morality applied. In application to the snowboarding example, I know, from experience, that my snowboarding skills are not on par with a black diamond. I choose not to risk my health and the resources of first responders by making the moral decision to stay off of it, despite my desire to challenge myself.

Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on Plant Growth

Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on Plant Growth Nanoparticles are becoming increasingly used as materials in over 2000 consumer products due to their unique chemical, physical and electrical properties. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter and nanoparticles can be 1-100 nm in size. Silver nanoparticles are used for their antibacterial properties in many every day products such as food storage containers, air filtration systems and bandages. Nanomaterials are structures, devices, and systems at the nanometre scale. They are fast becoming an important material that can range from better and faster electronics to more efficient fuel usage, drug discovery and stronger, more resistant materials (Whatmore, 2006). The demand for engineered nanomaterials is a rapidly growing industry which was expected to reach a market size of approximately 2.6 trillion dollars by 2015 (Lee et al., 2010), however there is little knowledge on whether nanomaterials have an adverse effect on the environment or to human health and what the extent of these effects could be. Engineered nanoparticles have a wide range of chemical, physical and electrical properties such as conducting heat with low resistance and being stronger and lighter than other bulk materials (Tolaymat et al., 2017). The broad number of products that contain nanomaterials for consumers may lead to the release of an increased quantity of engineered nanoparticles in to the environment, which display different physiochemical properties than larger materials. (Geisler-Lee et al., 2012).  While the benefits of nanomaterials are broadcasted, their potential effects to the environment and to human health from their widespread use in consumer products are just becoming recognized. (Hoet et al., 2004). There are a number of ways that nanoparticles can be released in to the environment as shown in Figure 1. There are a number of different entry points for engineered nanomaterials into the environment, including wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, and WWTP sludge, however, it is difficult to estimate the relevant concentrations of nanoparticles that will be released in to the environment (Maurer-Jones et al., 2013). Once nanoparticles enter the environment there can be movement throughout the environment. One way this could happen is through food webs. If nanoparticles are consumed by organisms on a low trophic level thy may begin to accumulate in organisms at higher trophic levels. One of the challenges for working out the dangers associated with nanomaterial release in to the environment is the concern related to how clear our knowledge of how the properties of nanomaterials change once they interact with the environment. Also, nanoparticle properties can be affected by conditions, such as soil chemistry, pH, and organic matter. (Darlington et al., 2009) One of these effects to the environment could be the release of nanomaterials, through different pathways, in to bodies of water including lakes, rivers, and streams which could also cause run off in to soils and in to the air. Recent research (Das et al., 2012) showed that AgNPs rapidly but temporarily inhibited natural bacterioplankton production. Nanoparticles can affect biological behaviour at the cellular, subcellular and protein levels of a plant. The effect of nanomaterials on plant species is a topic that is being widely researched however there is still no conclusive answer on whether nanomaterials, specifically silver nanoparticles, have a negative impact on plant species, however metallic engineered nanoparticles may have stimulatory and inhibitory effects on plants. Arabidopsis thaliana is widely used in scientific research and was used in this study to further investigate the effects of silver nanoparticles on germination of seeds and also chlorophyll fluorescence after treatment with differing concentrations of nanomaterials. The silver nanoparticles used in this experiment were capped with PVP; this is because capped nanoparticles are less likely to aggregate in the solution over time and are more stable than uncapped nanoparticles (Tejamaya et al., 2012). Due to this a control of PVP had to be used to show that the capping had no effect on the plant species itself. Two mutations of A. thaliana seed were used in this experiment to test the effects of silver nanoparticles. The two sizes of silver nanoparticles were dissolved in distilled water which also meant that distilled water had to be used as a control to show that, on its own, it had no effect on the plant germination. Silver nitrate was also used at differing concentrations as a third control to show any differences between nanoparticles and as silver nitrates can be reduced, with PVP as a stabilizer, to synthesize silver nanoparticles (Samadi et al., 2010). As silver nanoparticles are smaller in size than silver nitrate particles, there will be a higher abundance of nanoparticles within the solution at a given concentration than silver nitrates. The effect of silver nanoparticles on plant species is important due to the many ways that nanoparticles can be dispersed in the environment. Relatively few studies have investigated the toxicological and environmental effects of engineered nanoparticles (Smita et al., 2012). However, the concentrations used in this experiment would generally be higher than the concentrations of these nanoparticles in the environment, although accurate concentrations in the environment are still not fully known. This is because their concentration in the environment will depend on factors such as the amount of the material released over time. The nanoparticles may become physically or chemically altered by environmental conditions such as temperature and salinity of water and also these factors may alter the form of the nanoparticles, exposure, and transport through the environment.   There is still concern over the potential impacts of engineered nanoparticles in the environment on aquatic and ter restrial organisms. Although some data indicates that current risks of engineered nanoparticles in the environment may be low, what we know of the potential impacts of engineered nanoparticles in the environment is still limited. There is still a demand for continued work to further understand the exposure levels for engineered nanoparticles in environmental systems and try and further our knowledge on the significance of these levels in terms of the environment which is what has been addressed in this project (Boxall et al., 2007). A similar study was carried out by (Obaid, 2016) which evaluated the impact of capped silver nanoparticles on terrestrial and aquatic plants, one of the terrestrial plants being A. thaliana . In this study chlorophyll fluorescence and gaseous exchange of the plants were measured to analyse the effects of the capped silver nanoparticles. The study showed that the capped silver nanoparticles displayed varying toxicity to the plants at higher concentrations, with particular interest to how they effected the germination of A. thaliana, with inhibition of germination at a concentration of 100mg/l of capped silver nanoparticles. The outcome of this study found that there are many factors that have significance on the toxicity of silver nanoparticles which includes exposure method, released ions, plant species, light intensity and growth mediums. However the concentrations used in the study by (Obaid, 2016),   much like the concentrations used in this project, are exaggerated and concentr ations as high as these will not be present in the environment as yet although it is important to test high concentrations due to large quantities of nanoparticles being used in every day products therefore such concentrations may be present in the environment in the very near future.

Analyze the research methodology

Analyze the research methodology Introduction This work has chosen two research papers to critically analyze the research methodology and method used, as well as to compare and contrast the approaches of the two papers. The first paper (refer to paper one hereafter) is to contribute the understanding of organizational culture in Turkish construction industry. A case study (Oney-Yazici E., et al, 2007) about Organizational culture: the case of Turkish construction industry was conducted to examine the cultural profile of construction organization in terms of firm type, size and age within the context of Turkish construction industry in 15 countries. The second paper (refer to paper two hereafter) is to demonstrate the situation of claims management in construction section in Egypt from contractors perspective. A questionnaire survey (Hassanein A and Nemr W, 2008) of Claims management in the Egyptian industrial construction sector: a contractors perspective was taken to discuss the issues of claim management, change of order in particular, conducting on a sample collection in construction industry companies. Research design and research question Two basic types of research methodologies are divided into quantitative and qualitative methods (Kumar, 2005). Creswell (2009) further advanced three types of designs as qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. In order to overcome the disadvantage of qualitative and quantitative research, mixed methods research emerged trying to combine or associate both forms. It involves the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods to achieve greater strength of a study than using either alone (Creswell 2009). A mix method is defined by Crewell (2009) as an approach to inquiry that combines or associates both qualitative and quantitative forms. Thus, this method can synthesize either strength or weakness of both quantitative method and qualitative method (Fellows and Liu, 2008). The research of organizational culture in paper one was conducted with questionnaire, which has Part I and Part II. Part I is mainly categorical or nominal variables (age, gender and size etc) to find out the demographic characteristics of respondents and profile of their firms. Part II comprises of questions with 1-5 Likert scale to measure the organizational culture. Paper one is therefore a straight-forward quantitative research paper, which emphasizes on the quantification the data collection and the subsequent analysis of data (Brymen 2009). The quantitative research was also defined as a means for testing objective theories by examining the relationship among variables. These variables, in turn, can be measured on instrument, so that numbered data can be analyzed using statistical procedures (Creswell, 2009). The aim of paper one was to examine existing culture profile in the Turkish construction industry. Quantitative research is suitable for fact-finding based on evidence or records (Table 1, Naoum 1998). Therefore, the objective of paper one to find out the culture profile can be achieved by quantitative research. Thus it is appropriate in this case. However, if the objective is extended to further understanding as to why such a culture profile existed in Turkish construction industry, a qualitative research could be conducted with methods like interview to gather more data to comprehend the mentality behind the organizational culture, thus to supplement the finding from quantitative research since it has rich and deep data (Naoum 1998), and it places greater emphasis on understanding, rather than merely testing and verification (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2005). The objective of the paper two is to finding and improving the status of claims management in Egypt, particularly the change order claims. The research of claims management in paper two is also conducted by questionnaire but it is not the same type of quantitative questionnaire as in paper one. Rather, it has both closed-ended and open questions, hence with combination of quantitative and qualitative questions.. It was actually conducted by researcher in person as an interview, which the researcher admitted it last longer than expected due to gathering of the vast amount of information. A semi-structured interview is believed to be used in this case (Bryman 2008). The questionnaire in paper two has 7 questions. Questions 1-3 are all closed-ended and are concerned with categorical (Q1) or nominal (Q2 Q3) variables with purpose to determine the profile claims statement status in Egypt. Questions 4-7, however, are all open questions. Interestingly, question 4 in fact has three questions rather than one question for the remaining part of questionnaire. It therefore can be concluded that the research in paper two is using mixed method research because both quantitative and qualitative data are gathered concurrently and analyzed separately. It occurred to me that the concurrent embedded strategy (Creswell 2009) is used in paper two, which will be discussed later in this article. In my opinion, mixed method is acceptable to use for paper but I do not like the combination of three different questions as Question 4. These questions are concerned with procedure, communication and documentation. They are interlinked but they could be separately asked. Moreover, questions 5 is asking respondents that does the contract stipulate that all change orders must be written? It is a missed opportunity as it could ask more information from the respondents such as which version/edition of the contract they used, what are the terms and conditions related to the change orders, whether these terms and conditions require all orders to be in written form only. Data collection and sampling According to Kumar (2005), the two main types of data collection are primary data and secondary data. Literately, primary data is collected by researchers themselves and secondary data are available data from another source. In both paper one and paper two, primary data were gathered. However, data collection in paper one is purely quantitative with Likert-scale questionnaire while the data collection in paper two are for both quantitative and qualitative data with closed-end questions and semi-structured interview. In order to gather primary research data, quantitative method combining with structured questionnaire was conducted in both of the two reports. A questionnaire is defined by Kumar (2005) as a written list of questions, the answers to which are recorded by respondents. In a questionnaire, respondents read the question and then provide the answers according to the questions. It is clear that a questionnaire is less expensive and easy to understand for the respondents giving the answers. Sometimes, sensitive questions can list on the questionnaire as the respondents can answer in anonymity in less distressed way (Kumar, 2005). However, questionnaires have disadvantages including low response rate, limited to literate population only, biased self-selection of respondents, lack of opportunity to clarify questions to respondents and no allowance for spontaneous responses. As Bryman (2008) asserted that, the reason why a questionnaire belongs to quantitative method is that most of questions are structured and closed, though it can combine a few open questions. Closed-ended questions refer to possible answers are set out on the questionnaire, and the respondents ticks the best category the best describes the respondents answer, concurrently open-ended questions refers to possible answers are not given. In the case of a questionnaire, respondents write down the answers in their own words (Kumar, 2005). It is apparent that closed-ended and open-ended questions are presented in paper two of claims management. The questionnaire was formulated based on an extensive literature review of issues on claim management, change order claims in particular. Meanwhile, paper one designed a questionnaire which based on Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) with two major dimensions in which the first dimension emphasizes the organizational focus, whereas the second one distinguishes between the stability and control and the flexibility and discretion, which formulated by clan, adhocracy, market and hierarchy. All questions in questionnaire of paper one are closed-ended questions which are easier and faster to respond because all alternative answers have been given. However, lack of depth and variety could be a main disadvantage as answers were restricted in a given scope (Kumar 2005). In paper two, a semi-structured interview in person was conducted with engineers and managers who have more than 15 years working experiences. This interview was based on previous literature in order to get more evidence to examine the claim management in Egypt, change order claims in particular. Open questions in paper two, with contrast of closed-ended questions used in paper one, could get more in-depth information, and allows respondents to freely express what they intended to say (Kumar 2005, Fellows and Liu 2008). Even closed-ended questions 1-3 in paper two have provided opportunity for respondents to write down their own answers (if other specify). However, the analysis of data from open questions could be more complex and difficult because respondents can say anything. Meanwhile, the chances are that these questions could have biases from interviewees. According to Kumar (2005), sampling can be divided into probability random sampling, non-probability non-random sampling and mixed sampling design. Stratified random sampling collection was used in in paper two, and non-random judgmental sampling was employed in paper one. As Kumar (2005) and Fellows and Liu (2008) asserted that there is an equal chance of selection for each member of the population in random sampling. Stratified sampling is one of the probability random sampling and appropriate where the population occurs in distinct, groups or strata (Fellows and Liu, 2008). In CM, the sample was selected among major companies in construction industry in Egypt and seven of the main companies were collected in this research. Using stratified random probability sampling method, the inferences drawn from the samples can be generalized to the whole population (Kumar, 2005). Judgmental sampling that called Purposive sampling as well, was conducted in Organizational Culture with the crit eria of nationality, firm size and market share. Thus, 134 in 351 firms participated in the research study. In judgmental sampling, researcher can gather case and information in those people who meet requirement of the sample chosen criteria, and this sampling method is extremely useful when the researcher want to describe a phenomenon and develop something about which only is a little known (Kumar, 2005 and Bryman, 2008). However, there can be bias when the sampling was chosen. The random sampling can be influenced by human preference unconsciously. On the other hand, the sample frame may not cover all the features of the whole population. In addition, the sample can not represent all the population, so that the conclusion can only be inferred from the samplings (Kumar, 2005). In paper one, the population is the whole Turkish construction industry. The stratified random sampling were used to gathered from 826 respondents, who are working for 107 contracting and 27 architectural firms, with male/female ratio of 74.9%/25.1%. The absolute size of sample of 826 is quite impressive and is significant in terms of sample size. The male/female ratio is not balanced, however, it may be the fact that most people working in architectural/contracting industry are dominantly male. The response rate is 38.18%, with 134 participated from 351 firms contacted. The sample selection in paper two are targeting at the middle to large size contracting firms that are more then LE 50 million in industrial work turnover and LE 100 million in cumulative construction work turnover. Due to limited number of firms fall into the category, seven major companies in Egypt were chosen and 21 industrial projects from them were the sample for the research. However, the actual data collection was conducted by the interview to the senior managers in these firms, but exact number of interviewee was not revealed in the paper. Therefore, when the data analysis present the data as percentage, there is no way for reader to know exactly how many respondents chose a particular answer. My guess is there might be at least 21 respondents since there are 21 industrial projects. If the respondents is only 7 (there are 7 companies chosen), the sample would be questionable due to limited sample size. The research in paper two have omitted small contracting firms and inexper ienced site manager/site engineers. Only medium and large contracting firms and hugely experienced personnel are invited for the interview. This may paint a rosier picture than the reality. Inexperienced site manager/site engineers tend to be worse in terms of contract administration, understanding procedures, using documentation. The main aims to select sample are to achieve maximum precision in the estimates within a sample size and avoid the bias in the selection of sample (Kumar, 2005). In this case, I believe that paper one has done pretty well to using a large representative sample, while paper two, on the other hand, use a relative smaller number of interviewee and the exact number of interviewee is unknown or unspecified. Reliability and Validity Another important process in a social research is the issues of reliability and validity. Reliability means concern with the results can be retested and can get the same result, time after, time in different conditions (Fellows and Liu, 2008). In Organizational culture paper, reliability coefficients (Cronbach alpha) were calculated with 0.89 for the clan and adhocracy cultures, and 0.86 for the market and hierarchy cultures. Both values indicate good internal consistency reliability for the fairness of all culture types because values above 0.7 are considered acceptable and above 0.8 are preferable (Pallant 2007). Meanwhile, despite of the statistical data display, there is no statistical test in the survey of Claims Management paper, hence the reliability of the data is not mentioned. Validity means the integrity of the conclusions that are generated from a piece of research. It is to determine if the research question is properly answered by the research. Internal validity refers to the causality relationship and external validty criterion refers to the generalization from research findings. (Yin, 1994; Amaratunga, 2002). Both papers are trying to generalize the situation. It can be concluded that both research are valid. Data Analysis In paper one, the questionnaire consists of 6 relevant questions to key dimensions of organizational culture and each statement has four alternative statements, therefore representing 24 questions. All questions are 1-5 Likert scale, with 5 as completely true. The average score was calculated to determine the overall cultural profile of a particular firm. The results of the questionnaire carried out have been presented in table II in paper one. Independent sample t-tests and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to examine the differences of organizational culture by firm size and age. A post hoc Scheffe test was used to explore difference among subgroups. The results have been presented in table III. When it comes to firm type, independent sample t-tests was used on the overall scores of each culture types to compare architectural and contracting firms. in order to have the equal sample sizes (107 contracting firms vesus 27 architectural firms), items were randomly selected from them. An Independent sample t-test is used to compare the mean score for two different groups on same continuous variable (Pallant 2007). The research suggest that Market has more influence to Contracting firm than Architectural firm. The average score of randomly selected 32 Contracting firms is 3.37 while the 27 Architectural firms is 2.93, with t=3.849, p Comparing with Independent-sample T-test which use to compare in two groups and conditions, One-way ANOVA is used to determine whether there are significant differences in the mean scores on the dependent variables between more than two groups (Pallant, 2007). ANOVA test is based on the statistical F-test which is the ratio of the between-groups variance to the within-groups or error variance (Fellows and Liu, 2008). According to Pallant (2007), the significance of F-value indicates the evidence to reject the null hypothesis, which states that the population means are equal. In other words, the larger the F-value is, the more the independent variables influence on dependent variables. In the Table II of paper one under firm size, the value under four culture types for small and medium firms are all greater than those for large firms. Our of four culture types, three culture types have found that the difference is significant to reject the null hypnoses (p Paper one further had with k-means cluster analysis to group firms with similar cultural characteristics, together with Wards method and squared Euclidean distance. Three underlying patterns of cultural types among sampled firms were found from the results of hierarchy cluster analysis, and this formed as basis for the non-hierarchical k-means analysis. Hierarchical Data clustering algorithms care to find successive clusters with already-established clusters. To select a distance measurement is a vital step in clustering, from which how the similarity of two elements is calculated. The shape of the clusters will be influenced as as some elements may be close to one another according to one distance and farther away according to another (Huang 1998, Lu 2004). In paper two, the data from question 1 about the causes of claims are presented in Figure 1, which is a pie chart showing the percentage of various causes. The result validated with other research which indicated that change order claims is the main reason of claims in most projects while the owner factor ranked second. The result confirmed the necessity to evaluate change order claims in particular (this suggest that the research is valid in terms of the research purpose). In claims notification status related question, the results showed that notifications were tied to a contract clause in 67% of projects. But the research did admit the interviewee bias and its limitation because respondents tend to answer this question optimistically. In general claims documentation status related questions, the researcher undertook to categorize the answers into seven groups by using pattern matching for qualitative data analysis, which is one of the most desirable strategies (Yin, 1994). However, this method is under criticism for the subjective risk of interpretive discretion of the researchers (Yin 1994, Amaratunga 2002). This suggests that different researcher may group the data and interpret them differently. In change order document questions, pie chart is used again in figure 2 to highlight that documentation should be improved to better records management of the project. The research used explanation building strategy to explain and discuss the results of remaining questions. The researcher went further from these results to suggest solutions to improve change orders. In the conclusion paper, the research summarized the findings as well as the recommendations based on these findings. REFERENCE: Amaratunga D. et al, (2002) Quantitative and qualitative research in the built environment: application of mixed research approach, Work Study Vol. 51 No. 1, pp.17-31 Bryman, A. (1998) Quantity and Quality in Social Research. Unwin Hyman. Bryman, A. (2008) Social Research Methods, 3rd edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford Creswell, J. (2009) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches, Sage. Hassanein A and Nemr W, (2008) Claims Management in the Egyptian industrial construction sector: a contractors perspective, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management Vol. 15 No.5, pp. 456-469 Huang, Z. (1998). Extensions to the K-means Algorithm for Clustering Large Datasets with Categorical Values. Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, 2, p. 283-304. Kumar R. (2005) Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners, SAGE, London Lu Y, et al (2004), FGKA: A Fast Genetic K-means Algorithm, in Proc. of the 19th ACM Symposium on Applied Computing, pp. 162-163, Nicosia, Cyprus Fellows R and Liu A, (2008), Research Methods for Construction 3rd edition, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford Oney-Yazici E, et al (2007), Organizational culture: the case of Turkish construction industry, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management Vol.14 No.6, pp.519-531 Pallant J, (2007), A step-by-step guide to data analysis using SPSS version 15 SPSS Survival Manual Third Edition, Open University Press Yin, K. (1994), Cast Study Research: Design and Methods, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA.

The American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death of a Salesman

The American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Within the tragic play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman destroys himself trying to achieve a dream. Yet, the dream that destroys Willy is not one that he has chosen. Willy Loman does not choose this destructive dream because he does not know himself, Willy Loman does not choose a dream at all, one is forced upon him by society. Willy Loman spends the expanse of the play trying to achieve wealth, fame, and the like of others. These ideas epitomize the American Dream, to become a successful, well-liked businessman. Willy's true dream, however, was very different from this. Throughout the play you can see evidence that Willy feels trapped by this dream that he feels obligated to fulfill. Society has dictated to Willy that the American Dream is "the" dream, and no other dream is acceptable. Because of this dictation, Willy abandons his true dream of living on his own, in the country, where he can support himself by farming, and living from the land. The proof of Willy's true dream appears in short scattered bits. "God, timberland! Me and my boys in those great outdoors! Yes, Yes! Linda, Linda!" he cries exuberantly at the idea of moving away from the city. By the idea is quickly killed by the society surrounding him. "You wait, kid, before it's all over we're gonna get a little place out in the country, and I'l l raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens..." once again, society surrounding Willy crushes this dream, his true dream, forcing it back into the subconscious of Willy's mind, where it remains for the duration of the play, only surfacing at a few times, when the dream that Willy is trying to fulfill becomes so horrible that he remembers that he had another dream, or when the false dream is looking as if it might be coming to a close, and he will be able to move on to take on his real dream. In the climax of the play, when Willy realizes that he is loved by his sons, a slight awakening occurs in Willy's mind. He begin to understand that his true dream, of living in the country, is identical to that of his beloved son, Biff. Biff has never been able to follow his dream because of his father pushing him into the false dream of being a businessman.

Drinking and Driving Essay -- Drunk Driving, DUI, Alcohol

â€Å"Have one drink for the road† was, until recently, a commonly used phrase in American culture. It has only been within the past 20 years that as a nation, we have begun to recognize the dangers associated with drunk driving (Sutton 463). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this year 519,000 people, or one person per minute, will be injured in alcohol-related accidents. 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes this year – that is one death every 50 minutes. The heartbreaking part is, every injury and lost life due to driving after drinking can be prevented. Drinking while driving â€Å"accidents† are not merely â€Å"accidents.† Getting in a vehicle after consuming alcohol, which severely affects the function of the brain, is not an accident. It is lack of responsibility. Individuals that consume alcohol irresponsibly must begin to take responsibility for themselves and for other innocent drivers on the road. Unfort unately, in spite of great progress, alcohol-impaired driving remains a serious national problem that tragically affects many victims annually (Hanson). It is time that laws and consequences for drinking while driving strengthen and people begin to think twice before driving a vehicle after drinking. Individuals who make the decision to drive after consuming alcohol, not only put themselves in a dangerous situation, they also put an entire community at risk. Current laws, which are not strict or powerful enough, must be increased in order to keep our neighborhoods around the nation safe. Although many people think current drinking while driving limits and laws are strict enough, the rising number of individuals who continue to make an irresponsible decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle ... ...king & Driving." WWW2 Webserver. State University of New York Sociology Department. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. Lightner, Candy. "Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving." Mothers Against Drunk Driving. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. Saunders, Carol Silverman. "'It's suicide.'(Drinking and Driving)." Current Health 2, a Weekly Reader publication Feb. 1996: 26+. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. Sutton, Amy L. "Drinking and Driving." Alcoholism Sourcebook. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2007. 463. Print. "Update: Drunk Driving." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 21 Sept. 2007. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. Wagner, Heather Lehr. Alcohol. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2003. Print. "What Is a Drink?" Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), Arizona Highway Patrol - State of Arizona. 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.

Forward the Foundation Chapter 28

27 It was a lovely day, neither too warm nor too cold, not too bright nor too gray. Even though the groundskeeping budget had given out years ago, the few straggly perennials lining the steps leading up to the Galactic Library managed to add a cheerful note to the morning. (The Library, having been built in the classical style of antiquity, was fronted with one of the grandest stairways to be found in the entire Empire, second only to the steps at the Imperial Palace itself. Most Library visitors, however, preferred to enter via the gliderail) Seldon had high hopes for the day. Since he and Stettin Palver had been cleared of all charges in their recent assault and battery case, Hari Seldon felt like a new man. Although the experience had been painful, its very public nature had advanced Seldon's cause. Judge Tejan Popjens Lih, who was considered one of, if not the most influential judge on Trantor, had been quite vociferous in her opinion, delivered the day following Rial Nevas's emotional testimony. â€Å"When we come to such a crossroads in our ‘civilized' society,† the judge intoned from her bench, â€Å"that a man of Professor Hari Seldon's standing is made to bear the humiliation, abuse, and lies of his peers simply because of who he is and what he stands for, it is truly a dark day for the Empire. I admit that I, too, was taken in-at first. ‘Why wouldn't Professor Seldon,' I reasoned, ‘resort to such trickery in an attempt to prove his predictions?' But, as I came to see, I was most grievously wrong.† Here the judge's brow furrowed, a dark blue flush began creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. â€Å"For I was ascribing to Professor Seldon motives born of our new society, a society in which honesty, decency, and goodwill are likely to get one killed, a society in which it appears one must resort to dishonesty and trickery merely to survive. â€Å"How far we have strayed from our founding principles. We were lucky this time, fellow citizens of Trantor. We owe a debt of thanks to Professor Hari Seldon for showing us our true selves; let us take his example to heart and resolve to be vigilant against the baser forces of our human nature.† Following the hearing, the Emperor had sent Seldon a congratulatory holo-disc. On it he expressed the hope that perhaps now Seldon would find renewed funding for his Project. As Seldon slid up the entrance gliderail, he reflected on the current status of his Psychohistory Project. His good friend-the former Chief Librarian Las Zenow-had retired. During his tenure, Zenow had been a strong proponent of Seldon and his work. More often than not, however, Zenow's hands had been tied by the Library Board. But, he had assured Seldon, the affable new Chief Librarian, Tryma Acarnio, was as progressive as he himself, and was popular with many factions among the Board membership. â€Å"Hari, my friend,† Zenow had said before leaving Trantor for his home world of Wencory, â€Å"Acarnio is a good man, a person of deep intellect and an open mind. I'm sure he'll do all that he can to help you and the Project. I've left him the entire data file on you and your EncyIopedia; I know he'll be as excited as I about the contribution to humanity it represents. Take care, my friend-I'll remember you fondly.† And so today Hari Seldon was to have his first official meeting with the new Chief Librarian. He was cheered by the reassurances Las Zenow had left with him and he was looking forward to sharing his plans for the future of the Project and the Encyclopedia. Tryma Acarnio stood as Hari entered the Chief Librarian's office. Already he had made his mark on the place; whereas Zenow had stuffed every nook and cranny of the room with holo-discs and tridijournals from the different sectors of Trantor, and a dizzying array of visiglobes representing various worlds of the Empire had spun in midair, Acarnio had swept clear the mounds of data and images that Zenow had liked to keep at his fingertips. A large holoscreen now dominated one wall on which, Seldon presumed, Acarnio could view any publication or broadcast that he desired. Acarnio was short and stocky, with a slightly distracted look-from a childhood corneal correction that had gone awry-that belied a fearsome intelligence and constant awareness of everything going on around him at all times. â€Å"Well, well. Professor Seldon. Come in. Sit down.† Acarnio gestured to a straight-backed chair facing the desk at which he sat. â€Å"It was, I felt, quite fortuitous that you requested this meeting. You see, I had intended to get in touch with you as soon as I settled in.† Seldon nodded, pleased that the new Chief Librarian had considered him enough of a priority to plan to seek him out in the hectic early days of his tenure. â€Å"But, first, Professor, please let me know why you wanted to see me before we move on to my, most likely, more prosaic concerns.† Seldon cleared his throat and leaned forward. â€Å"Chief Librarian, Las Zenow has no doubt told you of my work here and of my idea for an Encyclopedia Galactica. Las was quite enthusiastic, and a great help, providing a private office for me here and unlimited access to the Library's vast resources. In fact, it was he who located the eventual home of the Encyclopedia Project, a remote Outer World called Terminus. â€Å"There was one thing, however, that Las could not provide. In order to keep the Project on schedule, I must have office space and unlimited access granted to a number of my colleagues, as well. It is an enormous undertaking, just gathering the information to be copied and transferred to Terminus before we can begin the actual work of compiling the Encyclopedia. â€Å"Las was not popular with the Library Board, as you undoubtedly are aware. You, however, are. And so I ask you, Chief Librarian: Will you see to it that my colleagues are granted insiders' privileges so that we may continue our most vital work?† Here Hari stopped, almost out of breath. He was sure that his speech, which he had gone over and over in his mind the night before, would have the desired effect. He waited, confident in Acarnio's response. â€Å"Professor Seldon,† Acarnio began. Seldon's expectant smile faded. There was an edge to the Chief Librarian's voice that Seldon had not expected. â€Å"My esteemed predecessor provided me-in exhaustive detail-an explication of your work here at the Library. He was quite enthusiastic about your research and committed to the idea of your colleagues joining you here. As was I, Professor Seldon†-at Acarnio's pause, Seldon looked up sharply-â€Å"at first. I was prepared to call a special meeting of the Board to propose that a larger suite of offices be prepared for you and your Encyclopedists. But, Professor Seldon, all that has now changed.† â€Å"Changed! But why?† â€Å"Professor Seldon, you have just finished serving as principal defendant in a most sensational assault and battery case.† â€Å"But I was acquitted,† Seldon broke in. â€Å"The case never even made it to trial.† â€Å"Nonetheless, Professor, your latest foray into the public eye has given you an undeniable-how shall I say it?-tinge of ill repute. Oh yes, you were acquitted of all charges. But in order to get to that acquittal, your name, your past, your beliefs, and your work were paraded before the eyes of all the worlds. And even if one progressive right-thinking judge has proclaimed you faultless, what of the millions-perhaps billions-of other average citizens who see not a pioneering psychohistorian striving to preserve his civilization's glory but a raving lunatic shouting doom and gloom for the great and mighty Empire? â€Å"You, by the very nature of your work, are threatening the essential fabric of the Empire. I don't mean the huge, nameless, faceless, monolithic Empire. No, I am referring to the heart and soul of the Empire-its people. When you tell them the Empire is failing, you are saying that they are failing. And this, my dear Professor, the average citizen cannot face. â€Å"Seldon, like it or not, you have become an object of derision, a subject of ridicule, a laughingstock.† â€Å"Pardon me, Chief Librarian, but for years now I have been, to some circles, a laughingstock.† â€Å"Yes, but only to some circles. But this latest incident-and the very public forum in which it was played out-has opened you up to ridicule not only here on Trantor but throughout the worlds. And, Professor, if, by providing you an office, we, the Galactic Library, give tacit approval to your work, then, by inference, we, the Library, also become a laughingstock throughout the worlds. And no matter how strongly I may personally believe in your theory and your Encyclopedia, as Chief Librarian of the Galactic Library on Trantor, I must think of the Library first. â€Å"And so, Professor Seldon, your request to bring in your colleagues is denied.† Hari Seldon jerked back in his chair as if struck. â€Å"Further,† Acarnio continued, â€Å"I must advise you of a two-week temporary suspension of all Library privileges-effective immediately. The Board has called that special meeting, Professor Seldon. In two weeks' time we will notify you whether or not we've decided that our association with you must be terminated.† Here, Acarnio stopped speaking and, placing his palms on the glossy, spotless surface of his desk, stood up. â€Å"That is all, Professor Seldon-for now.† Hari Seldon stood as well, although his upward movement was not as smooth, nor as quick, as Tryma Acarnio's. â€Å"May I be permitted to address the Board?† asked Seldon. â€Å"Perhaps if I were able to explain to them the vital importance of psychohistory and the Encyclopedia-â€Å" â€Å"I'm afraid not, Professor,† said Acarnio softly and Seldon caught a brief glimmer of the man Las Zenow had told him about. But, just as quickly, the icy bureaucrat was back as Acarnio guided Seldon to the door. As the portals slid open, Acarnio said, â€Å"Two weeks, Professor Seldon. Till then.† Hari stepped through to his waiting skitter and the doors slid shut. What am I going to do now? wondered Seldon disconsolately. Is this the end of my work? 28 â€Å"Wanda dear, what is it that has you so engrossed?† asked Hari Seldon as he entered his granddaughter's office at Streeling University. The room had been the office of the brilliant mathematician Yugo Amaryl, whose death had impoverished the Psychohistory Project. Fortunately, Wanda had gradually taken over Yugo's role in recent years, further refining and adjusting the Prime Radiant. â€Å"Why, I'm working on an equation in Section 33A2D17. See, I've recalibrated this section†-she gestured to a glowing violet patch suspended in midair in front of her face-‘taking into consideration the standard quotient and-There! Just what I thought-I think.† She stepped back and rubbed her eyes. â€Å"What is it, Wanda?† Hari moved in closer to study the equation. â€Å"Why, this looks like the Terminus equation and yet†¦ Wanda, this is an inverse of the Terminus equation, isn't it?† â€Å"Yes, Grandpa. See, the numbers weren't working quite right in the Terminus equation-look.† Wanda touched a contact in a recessed wallstrip and another patch sprang to life in vivid red on the other side of the room. Seldon and Wanda walked over to inspect it. â€Å"You see how it's all hanging together fine now, Grandpa? It's taken me weeks to get it this way.† â€Å"How did you do it?† asked Hari, admiring the equation's lines, its logic, its elegance. â€Å"At first, I concentrated on it from over here only. I blocked out all else. In order to get Terminus to work, work on Terminus-stands to reason, doesn't it? But then I realized that I couldn't just introduce this equation into the Prime Radiant system and expect it to blend right in smoothly, as if nothing happened. A placement means a displacement somewhere else. A weight needs a counterweight.† â€Å"I think the concept to which you are referring is what the ancients called ‘yin and yang.' â€Å" â€Å"Yes, more or less. Yin and yang. So, you see, I realized that to perfect the yin of Terminus, I had to locate its yang. Which I did, over there.† She moved back to the violet patch, tucked away at the other edge of the Prime Radiant sphere. â€Å"And once I adjusted the figures here, the Terminus equation fell into place as well. Harmony!† Wanda looked pleased with herself, as if she'd solved all the problems of the Empire. â€Å"Fascinating, Wanda, and later on you must tell me what you think it all means for the Project. But right now you must come with me to the holoscreen. I received an urgent message from Santanni a few minutes ago. Your father wants us to call him immediately.† Wanda's smile faded. She had been alarmed at the recent reports of fighting on Santanni. As Imperial budget cutbacks went into effect, the citizens of the Outer Worlds suffered most. They had limited access to the richer, more populous Inner Worlds and it became more and more difficult to trade their worlds' products for much needed imports. Imperial hyperships going in and out of Santanni were few and the distant world felt isolated from the rest of the Empire. Pockets of rebellion had erupted throughout the planet. â€Å"Grandfather, I hope everything's all right,† said Wanda, her fear revealed by her voice. â€Å"Don't worry, dear. After all, they must be safe if Raych was able to send us a message.† In Seldon's office, he and Wanda stood before the holoscreen as it activated. Seldon punched a code on the keypad alongside the screen and they waited a few seconds for the intragalactic connection to be established. Slowly the screen seemed to stretch back into the wall, as if it were the entrance to a tunnel-and out of the tunnel, dimly at first, came the familiar figure of a stocky powerfully built man. As the connection sharpened, the man's features became clearer. When Seldon and Wanda were able to make out Raych's bushy Dahlite mustache, the figure sprang to life. â€Å"Dad! Wanda!† said Raych's three-dimensional hologram, projected to Trantor from Santanni. â€Å"Listen, I don't have much time.† He flinched, as if startled by a loud noise. â€Å"Things have gotten pretty bad here. The government has fallen and a provisional party has taken over. Things are a mess, as you can imagine. I just put Manella and Bellis on a hypership to Anacreon. I told them to get in touch with you from there. The name of the ship is the Arcadia VII. â€Å"You should have seen Manella, Dad. Mad as anything that she had to go. The only way I was able to convince her to leave was to point out that it was for Bellis's sake. â€Å"I know what you're thinking, Dad and Wanda. Of course I would have gone with them-if I could have. But there wasn't enough room. You should've seen what I had to go through just to get them onto the ship.† Raych flashed one of his lopsided grins that Seldon and Wanda loved so much, then continued. â€Å"Besides, since I'm here, I have to help guard the University-we may be part of the Imperial University system, but we're a place of learning and building, not of destruction. I tell you, if one of those hot-headed Santanni rebels comes near our stuff-â€Å" â€Å"Raych,† Hari broke in, â€Å"How bad is it? Are you close to the fighting?† â€Å"Dad, are you in danger?† asked Wanda. They waited a few seconds for their message to travel the nine thousand parsecs across the Galaxy to Raych. â€Å"I-I-I couldn't quite make out what you said,† the hologram replied. â€Å"There's a bit of fighting going on. It's sort of exciting, actually,† Raych said, breaking into that grin again. â€Å"So I'm going to sign off now. Remember, find out what happened to the Arcadia VII going to Anacreon. I'll be back in touch as soon as I'm able. Remember, I-† The transmission broke off and the hologram faded. The holoscreen tunnel collapsed in on itself so that Seldon and Wanda were left staring at a blank wall. â€Å"Grandpa,† said Wanda, â€Å"what do you think he was going to say?† â€Å"I have no idea, dear. But there is one thing I do know and that is that your father can take care of himself. I pity any rebel who gets near enough for a well-placed Twist-kick from your dad! Come, let's get back to that equation and in a few hours we'll check on the Arcadia VII.† *** â€Å"Commander, have you no idea what happened to the ship?† Hari Seldon was again engaged in intragalactic conversation, but this time it was with an Imperial navy commander stationed at Anacreon. For this communication, Seldon was making use of the visiscreen-much less realistic than the holoscreen but also much simpler. â€Å"I'm telling you, Professor, that we have no record of that hypership requesting permission to enter the Anacreonic atmosphere. Of course, communications with Santanni have been broken for several hours and sporadic at best for the last week. It is possible that the ship tried to reach us on a Santanni-based channel and could not get through, but I doubt it. â€Å"No, it's more likely that the Arcadia VII changed destination. Voreg, perhaps, or Sarip. Have you tried either of those worlds, Professor?† â€Å"No,† said Seldon wearily, â€Å"but I see no reason if the ship was bound for Anacreon that it would not go to Anacreon. Commander, it is vital that I locate that ship.† â€Å"Of course,† the commander ventured, â€Å"the Arcadia VII might not have made it. Out safely, I mean. There's a lot of fighting going on. Those rebels don't care who they blow up. They just train their lasers and pretend it's the Emperor Agis they're blasting. I tell you, it's a whole different game out here on the fringe, Professor.† â€Å"My daughter-in-law and granddaughter are on that ship, Commander,† Seldon said in a tight voice. â€Å"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor,† said an abashed commander. â€Å"I'll be in touch with you as soon as I hear anything.† Dispiritedly Hari closed the visiscreen contact. How tired I am, he thought. And, he mused, I'm not surprised-I've known that this would come for nearly forty years. Seldon chuckled bitterly to himself. Perhaps that commander had thought he was shocking Seldon, impressing him with the vivid detail of life â€Å"on the fringe.† But Seldon knew all about the fringe. And as the fringe came apart, like a piece of knitting with one loose thread, the whole piece would unravel to the core: Trantor. Seldon became aware of a soft buzzing sound. It was the door signal. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Grandpa,† said Wanda, entering the office, â€Å"I'm scared.† â€Å"Why, dear?† asked Seldon with concern. He didn't want to tell her yet what he had learned-or hadn't learned-from the commander on Anacreon. â€Å"Usually, although they're so far away, I feel Dad and Mom and Bellis-feel them in here†-she pointed to her head-â€Å"and in here†-she placed her hand over her heart. â€Å"But now, today, I don't feel them-it feels less, as if they're fading, like one of the dome bulbs. And I want to stop it. I want to pull them back, but I can't.† â€Å"Wanda, I really think this is merely a product of your concern for your family in light of the rebellion. You know that uprisings occur all over the Empire all the time-little eruptions to let off steam. Come now, you know that chances of anything happening to Raych, Manella, or Bellis are vanishingly small. Your dad will call any day to say all is well; your mom and Bellis will land on Anacreon at any moment and enjoy a little vacation. We are the ones to be pitied-we're stuck here up to our ears in work! So, sweetheart, go to bed and think only good thoughts. I promise you, tomorrow, under the sunny dome, things will look much better.† â€Å"All right, Grandpa,† said Wanda, not sounding entirely convinced. â€Å"But tomorrow-if we haven't heard by tomorrow-we'll have to-to-â€Å" â€Å"Wanda, what can we do, except wait?† asked Hari, his voice gentle. Wanda turned and left, the weight of her worries showing in the slope of her shoulders. Hari watched her go, finally allowing his own worries to come to the surface. It had been three days since the hologram transmission from Raych. Since then-nothing. And today the naval commander at Anacreon denied ever having heard of a ship called Arcadia VII Hari had tried earlier to get through to Raych on Santanni, but all communication beams were down. It was as if Santanni-and the Arcadia VII-had simply broken off from the Empire, like a petal from a flower. Seldon knew what he had to do now. The Empire might be down, but it was not out. Its power, when properly wielded, was still awesome. Seldon placed an emergency transmission to Emperor Agis XIV. 29 â€Å"What a surprise-my friend Hari!† Agis's visage beamed at Seldon through the holoscreen. â€Å"I am glad to hear from you, although you usually request the more formal personal audience. Come, you've piqued my interest. Why the urgency?† â€Å"Sire,† began Seldon, â€Å"my son, Raych, and his wife and daughter live on Santanni.† â€Å"Ah, Santanni,† the Emperor said as his smile faded. â€Å"A bunch of misguided wretches if I eve -â€Å" â€Å"Sire, please,† broke in Seldon, surprising both the Emperor and himself with this flagrant breach of Imperial protocol. â€Å"My son was able to get Manella and Bellis onto a hypership, the Arcadia VII, bound for Anacreon. He, however, had to remain. That was three days ago. The ship has not landed at Anacreon. And my son seems to have disappeared. My calls to Santanni have gone unanswered and now the communication beams are broken. â€Å"Please, Sire, can you help me?† â€Å"Hari, as you know, officially all ties between Santanni and Trantor have been severed. However, I still hold some influence in selected areas of Santanni. That is, there are still a few loyal to me who have not yet been found out. Although I cannot make direct contact with any of my operatives on that world, I can share with you any reports I receive from there. These are, of course, highly confidential, but considering your situation and our relationship, I will allow you access to those pieces that might interest you. â€Å"I am expecting another dispatch within the hour. If you like, I'll recontact you when it arrives. In the meantime, I'll have one of my aides go over all transmissions from Santanni for the past three days to look for anything pertaining to Raych, Manella, or Bellis Seldon.† â€Å"Thank you, Sire. I thank you most humbly.† And Hari Seldon dipped his head as the Emperor's image faded from the holoscreen. Sixty minutes later Hari Seldon was still sitting at his desk, waiting to hear from the Emperor. The past hour had been one of the most difficult he had ever spent, second only to the hours after Dors's destruction. It was the not knowing that did Hari in. He had made a career of knowing-the future as well as the present. And now he had no idea at all about three of the people most precious to him. The holoscreen buzzed softly and Hari pressed a contact in response. Agis appeared. â€Å"Hari,† began the Emperor. From the soft slow sadness in his voice, Hari knew this call brought bad news. â€Å"My son,† said Hari. â€Å"Yes,† replied the Emperor. â€Å"Raych was killed, earlier today, in a bombardment on Santanni University. I've learned from my sources that Raych knew the attack was coming but refused to desert his post. You see, a good number of the rebels are students and Raych felt that if they knew that he was still there, they would never†¦ But hate overcame all reason. â€Å"The University is, you see, an Imperial University. The rebels feel they must destroy all things Imperial before rebuilding anew. The fools! Why-† And here Agis stopped, as if suddenly realizing that Seldon did not care about Santanni University or the plans of the rebels-not right now, at least. â€Å"Hari, if it makes you feel any better, remember that your son died in defense of knowledge. It was not the Empire Raych fought and died for but humanity itself.† Seldon looked up out of tear-filled eyes. Weakly he asked, â€Å"And Manella and little Bellis? What of them? Have you found the Arcadia Hl?† â€Å"That search has proved fruitless, Hari. The Arcadia VII left Santanni, as you were told. But it seems to have disappeared. It may have been hijacked by rebels or it may have made an emergency detour-at this point, we just don't know.† Seldon nodded. â€Å"Thank you, Agis. Although you have brought me tragic news, at least you have brought it. Not knowing was worse. You are a true friend.† â€Å"And so, my friend,† said the Emperor, â€Å"I'll leave you to yourself now-and your memories.† The Emperor's image faded from the screen as Hari Seldon folded his arms in front of him on his desk, put his head down, and wept. 30 Wanda Seldon adjusted the waistband of her unisuit, pulling it a little tighter around her middle. Taking up a hand hoe, she attacked some weeds that had sprung up in her small flower garden outside the Psychohistory Building at Streeling. Generally Wanda spent the bulk of her time in her office, working with her Prime Radiant. She found solace in its precise statistical elegance; the unvarying equations were somehow reassuring in this Empire gone so crazy. But when thoughts of her beloved father, mother, and baby sister became too much to bear, when even her research could not keep her mind off the horrible losses she'd so recently undergone, Wanda invariably found herself out here, scratching at the terraformed ground, as if coaxing a few plants to life might somehow, in some tiny measure, ameliorate her pain. Since her father's death a month ago and the disappearance of Manella and Bellis, Wanda, who had always been slim, had been losing weight. Whereas a few months ago Hari Seldon would have been concerned over his darling granddaughter's loss of appetite, now he, stuck in his own grief, seemed not to notice. A profound change had come over Hari and Wanda Seldon-and the few remaining members of the Psychohistory Project. Hari seemed to have given up. He now spent most of his days sitting in an armchair in the Streeling solarium, staring out at the University grounds, warmed by the bright bulbs overhead. Occasionally Project members told Wanda that his bodyguard, a man named Stettin Palver, would badger Seldon into a walk out under the dome or try to engage him in a discussion of the future direction of the Project. Wanda retreated deeper into her study of the Prime Radiant's fascinating equations. She could feel the future her grandfather had worked so hard to achieve finally taking shape, and he was right: The Encyclopedists must be established on Terminus; they would be the Foundation. And Section 33A2D17-in it Wanda could see what Seldon referred to as the Second, or secret, Foundation. But how? Without Seldon's active interest, Wanda was at a loss as to how to proceed. And her sorrow over the destruction of her family cut so deep that she didn't seem to have the strength to figure it out. The members of the Project itself, those fifty or so hardy souls who remained, continued their work as well as possible. The majority were Encyclopedists, researching the source materials they would need to copy and catalogue for their eventual move to Terminus-when and if they gained full access to the Galactic Library. At this point, they were working on faith alone. Professor Seldon had lost his private office at the Library, so the prospects of any other Project member gaining special access were slim. The remaining Project members (other than the Encyclopedists) were historical analysts and mathematicians. The historians interpreted past and current human actions and events, turning their findings over to the mathematicians, who in turn fit those pieces into the great Psychohistorical Equation. It was long painstaking work. Many Project members had left because the rewards were so few-psychohistorians were the butt of many jokes on Trantor and limited funds had forced Seldon to enact drastic pay cuts. But the constant reassuring presence of Hari Seldon had-till now-overcome the difficult working conditions of the Project. Indeed, the Project members who had stayed on had, to a person, done so out of respect and devotion to Professor Seldon. Now, thought Wanda Seldon bitterly, what reason is left for them to stay? A light breeze blew a piece of her blond hair across her eyes; she pushed it back absentmindedly and continued her weeding. â€Å"Miss Seldon, may I have a moment of your time?† Wanda turned and looked up. A young man-she judged him to be in his early twenties-stood on the gravel path next to her. She immediately sensed him to be strong and fearsomely intelligent. Her grandfather had chosen wisely. Wanda rose to speak with him. â€Å"I recognize you. You are my grandfather's bodyguard, are you not? Stettin Palver, I believe?† â€Å"Yes, that's correct, Miss Seldon,† Palver said and his cheeks reddened slightly, as if he were pleased that so pretty a girl should have given him any notice. â€Å"Miss Seldon, it is your grandfather I'd like to talk to you about. I'm very worried about him. We must do something.† â€Å"Do what, Mr. Palver? I am at a loss. Since my father†-she swallowed hard, as if she were having difficulty speaking-â€Å"died and my mother and sister disappeared, it is all I can do to get him out of bed in the morning. And to tell you the truth, it has affected me very deeply as well. You understand, don't you?† She looked into his eyes and knew that he did. â€Å"Miss Seldon,† Palver said softly, â€Å"I am terribly sorry about your losses. But you and Professor Seldon are alive and you must keep working at psychohistory. The professor seems to have given up. I was hoping that maybe you-we-could come up with something to give him hope again. You know, a reason to go on.† Ah, Mr. Palver, thought Wanda, maybe Grandpa has it right. I wonder if there truly is any reason to go on. But she said, â€Å"I'm sorry, Mr. Palver, I can think of nothing.† She gestured toward the ground with her hoe. â€Å"And now, as you can see, I must get back to these pesky weeds.† â€Å"I don't think your grandfather has got it right. I think there truly is a reason to go on. We just have to find it.† The words struck her with full force. How had he known what she had been thinking? Unless-â€Å"You can handle minds, can't you?† Wanda asked, holding her breath, as if afraid to hear Palver's response. â€Å"Yes, I can,† the young man replied. â€Å"I always have, I think. At least, I can't remember not doing it. Half the time I'm not even consciously aware of it-I just know what people are thinking-or have thought. â€Å"Sometimes,† he continued, encouraged by the understanding he felt emanating from Wanda, â€Å"I get flashes of it coming from someone else. It's always in a crowd, though, and I can't locate whoever it is. But I know there are others like me-us-around.† Wanda grabbed Palver's hand excitedly, her gardening tool tossed to the ground, forgotten. â€Å"Have you any idea what this might mean? For Grandpa, for psychohistory? One of us alone can do only so much, but both of us together-† Wanda started walking into the Psychohistory Building, leaving Palver standing on the gravel path. Almost to the entrance she stopped and turned. Come, Mr. Palver, we must tell my grandfather, Wanda said without opening her mouth. Yes, I suppose we should, answered Palver as he joined her. 31 â€Å"Do you mean to say I have been searching Trantor-wide for someone with your powers, Wanda, and he's been here with us for the past few months and we never knew it?† Hari Seldon was incredulous. He had been dozing in the solarium when Wanda and Palver shook him awake to give him their amazing news. â€Å"Yes, Grandpa. Think about it. I've never had occasion to meet Stettin. Your time with him has primarily been away from the Project and I spend the majority of my time closeted in my office, working with the Prime Radiant. When would we have met? In fact, the one time our paths did cross, the results were most significant.† â€Å"When was that?† asked Seldon, searching his memory. â€Å"Your last hearing-before Judge Lih,† Wanda replied immediately. â€Å"Remember the eyewitness who swore that you and Stettin had attacked those three muggers? Remember how he broke down and told the truth-and even he didn't seem to know why. But Stettin and I have pieced it together. We were both pushing Rial Nevas to come clean. He had been very steadfast in his original claim; I doubt that either one of us would have been able to push him alone. But together†-she stole a shy glance at Palver, who was standing off to the side-â€Å"our power is awesome!† Hari Seldon took all this in and then made as if to speak. But Wanda continued. â€Å"In fact, we plan to spend the afternoon testing our mentalic abilities, separately and together. From the little we've discovered so far, it seems as if Stettin's power is slightly lower than mine-perhaps a five on my rating scale. But his five, combined with my seven, gives us a twelve! Think of it, Grandpa. Awesome!† â€Å"Don't you see, Professor?† Palver spoke up. â€Å"Wanda and I are that breakthrough you're looking for. We can help you convince the worlds of the validity of psychohistory, we can help find others like us, we can help put psychohistory back on track.† Hari Seldon gazed up at the two young people standing in front of him. Their faces were aglow with youth and vigor and enthusiasm and he realized it did his old heart good. Perhaps all was not lost, after all. He had not thought he would survive this latest tragedy, the death of his son and the disappearance of his son's wife and child, but now he could see that Raych lived on in Wanda. And in Wanda and Stettin, he now knew, lived the future of the Foundation. â€Å"Yes, yes,† agreed Seldon nodding forcefully. â€Å"Come you two, help me up. I must get back to my office to plan our next step.†