Second Foundation 4. Two Men and the Elders Free Essays

The Elders of this particular region of Rossem were not exactly what one might have expected. They were not a mere extrapolation of the peasantry; older, more authoritative, less friendly. Not at all. We will write a custom essay sample on Second Foundation 4. Two Men and the Elders or any similar topic only for you Order Now The dignity that had marked them at first meeting had grown in impression till it had reached the mark of being their predominant characteristic. They sat about their oval table like so many grave and slow-moving thinkers. Most were a trifle past their physical prime, though the few who possessed beards wore them short and neatly arranged. Still, enough appeared younger than forty to make it quite obvious that â€Å"Elders† was a term of respect rather than entirely a literal description of age. The two from outer space were at the head of the table and in the solemn silence that accompanied a rather frugal meal that seemed ceremonious rather than nourishing, absorbed the new, contrasting atmosphere. After the meal and after one or two respectful remarks – too short and simple to be called speeches – had been made by those of the Elders apparently held most in esteem, an informality forced itself upon the assembly. It was as if the dignity of greeting foreign personages had finally given way to the amiable rustic qualities of curiosity and friendliness. They crowded around the two strangers and the flood of questions came. They asked if it were difficult to handle a spaceship, how many men were required for the job, if better motors could be made for their ground-cars, if it was true that it rarely snowed on other worlds as was said to be the case with Tazenda, how many people lived on their world, if it was as large as Tazenda, if it was far away, how their clothes were woven and what gave them the metallic shimmer, why they did not wear furs, if they shaved every day, what sort of stone that was in Pritcher’s ring – The list stretched out. And almost always the questions were addressed to Pritcher as though, as the elder, they automatically invested him with the greater authority. Pritcher found himself forced to answer at greater and greater length. It was like an immersion in a crowd of children. Their questions were those of utter and disarming wonder. Their eagerness to know was completely irresistible and would not be denied. Pritcher explained that spaceships were not difficult to handle and that crews varied with the size, from one to many, that the motors of their ground-cars were unknown in detail to him but could doubtless be improved, that the climates of worlds varied almost infinitely, that many hundreds of millions lived on his world but that it was far smaller and more insignificant than the great empire of Tazenda, that their clothes were woven of silicone plastics in which metallic luster was artificially produced by proper orientation of the surface molecules, and that they could be artificially heated so that furs were unnecessary, that they shaved every day, that the stone in his ring was an amethyst. The list stretched out. He found himself thawing to these naive provincials against his will. And always as he answered there was a rapid chatter among the Elders, as though they debated the information gained. It was difficult to follow these inner discussions of theirs for they lapsed into their own accented version of the universal Galactic language that, through long separation from the currents of living speech, had become archaic. Almost, one might say, their curt comments among themselves hovered on the edge of understanding, but just managed to elude the clutching tendrils of comprehension. Until finally Channis interrupted to say, â€Å"Good sirs, you must answer us for a while, for we are strangers and would be very much interested to know all we can of Tazenda.† And what happened then was that a great silence fell and each of the hitherto voluble Elders grew silent. Their hands, which had been moving in such rapid and delicate accompaniment to their words as though to give them greater scope and varied shades of meaning, fell suddenly limp. They stared furtively at one another, apparently quite willing each to let the other have all the floor. Pritcher interposed quickly, â€Å"My companion asks this in friendliness, for the fame of Tazenda fills the Galaxy and we, of course, shall inform the governor of the loyalty and love of the Elders of Rossem.† No sigh of relief was heard but faces brightened. An Elder stroked his beard with thumb and forefinger, straightening its slight curl with a gentle pressure, and said: â€Å"We are faithful servants of the Lords of Tazenda.† Pritcher’s annoyance at Channis’ bald question subsided. It was apparent, at least, that the age that he had felt creeping over him of late had not yet deprived him of his own capacity for making smooth the blunders of others. He continued: â€Å"We do not know, in our far part of the universe, much of the past history of the Lords of Tazenda. We presume they have ruled benevolently here for a long time.† The same Elder who spoke before, answered. In a soft, automatic way he had become spokesman. He said: â€Å"Not the grandfather of the oldest can recall a time in which the Lords were absent.† â€Å"It has been a time of peace?† â€Å"It has been a time of peace!† He hesitated. â€Å"The governor is a strong and powerful Lord who would not hesitate to punish traitors. None of us are traitors, of course.† â€Å"He has punished some in the past, I imagine, as they deserve.† Again hesitation, â€Å"None here have ever been traitors, or our fathers or our fathers’ fathers. But on other worlds, there have been such, and death followed for them quickly. It is not good to think of for we are humble men who are poor farmers and not concerned with matters of politics.† The anxiety in his voice, the universal concern in the eyes of all of them was obvious. Pritcher said smoothly: â€Å"Could you inform us as to how we can arrange an audience with your governor.† And instantly an element of sudden bewilderment entered the situation. For after a long moment, the elder said: â€Å"Why, did you not know? The governor will be here tomorrow. He has expected you. It has been a great honor for us. We†¦ we hope earnestly that you will report to him satisfactorily as to our loyalty to him.† Pritcher’s smile scarcely twitched. â€Å"Expected us?† The Elder looked wonderingly from one to the other. â€Å"Why†¦ it is now a week since we have been waiting for you.† Their quarters were undoubtedly luxurious for the world. Pritcher had lived in worse. Channis showed nothing but indifference to externals. But there was an element of tension between them of a different nature than hitherto. Pritcher, felt the time approaching for a definite decision and yet there was still the desirability of additional waiting. To see the governor first would be to increase the gamble to dangerous dimensions and yet to win that gamble might multi-double the winnings. He felt a surge of anger at the slight crease between Channis’ eyebrows, the delicate uncertainty with which the young man’s lower lip presented itself to an upper tooth. He detested the useless play-acting and yearned for an end to it. He said: â€Å"We seem to be anticipated.† ‘Yes,† said Channis, simply. â€Å"Just that? You have no contribution of greater pith to make. We come here and find that the governor expects us. Presumably we shall find from the governor that Tazenda itself expects us. Of what value then is our entire mission?† Channis looked up, without endeavoring to conceal the weary note in his voice: â€Å"To expect us is one thing; to know who we are and what we came for, is another.† â€Å"Do you expect to conceal these things from men of the Second Foundation?† â€Å"Perhaps. Why not? Are you ready to throw your hand in? Suppose our ship was detected in space. Is it unusual for a realm to maintain frontier observation posts? Even if we were ordinary strangers, we would be of interest.† â€Å"Sufficient interest for a governor to come to us rather than the reverse?’ Channis shrugged: â€Å"We’ll have to meet that problem later. Let us see what this governor is like.† Pritcher bared his teeth in a bloodless kind of scowl. The situation was becoming ridiculous. Channis proceeded with an artificial animation: â€Å"At least we know one thing. Tazenda is the Second Foundation or a million shreds of evidence are unanimously pointing the wrong way. How do you interpret the obvious terror in which these natives hold Tazenda? I see no signs of political domination. Their groups of Elders apparently meet freely and without interference of any sort. The taxation they speak of doesn’t seem at all extensive to me or efficiently carried through. The natives speak much of poverty but seem sturdy and well-fed. The houses are uncouth and their villages rude, but are obviously adequate for the purpose. â€Å"In fact, the world fascinates me. I have never seen a more forbidding one, yet I am convinced there is no suffering among the population and that their uncomplicated lives manage to contain a well-balanced happiness lacking in the sophisticated populations of the advanced centers.† â€Å"Are you an admirer of peasant virtues, then?† â€Å"The stars forbid.† Channis seemed amused at the idea. â€Å"I merely point out the significance of all this. Apparently, Tazenda is an efficient administrator – efficient in a sense far different from the efficiency of the old Empire or of the First Foundation, or even of our own Union. All these have brought mechanical efficiency to their subjects at the cost of more intangible values. Tazenda brings happiness and sufficiency. Don’t you see that the whole orientation of their domination is different? It is not physical, but psychological.† â€Å"Really?† Pritcher, allowed himself irony. â€Å"And the terror with which the Elders spoke of the punishment of treason by these kind hearted psychologist administrators? How does that suit your thesis?† â€Å"Were they the objects of the punishment? They speak of punishment only of others. It is as if knowledge of punishment has been so well implanted in them that punishment itself need never be used. The proper mental attitudes are so inserted into their minds that I am certain that not a Tazendian soldier exists on the planet. Don’t you see all this?† â€Å"I’ll see perhaps,† said Pritcher, coldly, â€Å"when I see the governor. And what, by the way, if our mentalities are handled?† Channis replied with brutal contempt: â€Å"You should be accustomed to that.† Pritcher whitened perceptibly, and, with an effort, turned away. They spoke to one another no more that day. It was in the silent windlessness of the frigid night, as he listened to the soft, sleeping motions of the other, that Pritcher silently adjusted his wrist-transmitter to the ultrawave region for which Channis’ was unadjustable and, with noiseless touches of his fingernail, contacted the ship. The answer came in little periods of noiseless vibration that barely lifted themselves above the sensory threshold. Twice Pritcher asked: â€Å"Any communications at all yet?† Twice the answer came: â€Å"None. We wait always.† He got out of bed. It was cold in the room and he pulled the furry blanket around him as he sat in the chair and stared out at the crowding stars so different in the brightness and complexity of their arrangement from the even fog of the Galactic Lens that dominated the night sky of his native Periphery. Somewhere there between the stars was the answer to the complications that overwhelmed him, and he felt the yearning for that solution to arrive and end things. For a moment he wondered again if the Mule were right – if Conversion had robbed him of the firm sharp edge of self-reliance. Or was it simply age and the fluctuations of these last years? He didn’t really care. He was tired. *** The governor of Rossem arrived with minor ostentation. His only companion was the uniformed man at the controls of the ground-car. The ground-car itself was of lush design but to Pritcher it appeared inefficient. It turned clumsily; more than once it apparently balked at what might have been a too-rapid change of gears. It was obvious at once from its design that it ran on chemical, and not on atomic, fuel. The Tazendian governor stepped softly on to the thin layer of snow and advanced between two lines of respectful Elders. He did not look at them but entered quickly. They followed after him. From the quarters assigned to them, the two men of the Mule’s Union watched. He – the governor – was thickset, rather stocky, short, unimpressive. But what of that? Pritcher cursed himself for a failure of nerve. His face, to be sure, remained icily calm. There was no humiliation before Channis – but he knew very well that his blood pressure had heightened and his throat had become dry. It was not a case of physical fear. He was not one of those dull-witted, unimaginative men of nerveless meat who were too stupid ever to be afraid – but physical fear he could account for and discount. But this was different. It was the other fear. He glanced quickly at Channis. The young man glanced idly at the nails of one hand and poked leisurely at some trifling unevenness. Something inside Pritcher became vastly indignant. What had Channis to fear of mental handling? Pritcher caught a mental breath and tried to think back. How had he been before the Mule had Converted him from the die-hard Democrat that he was. It was hard to remember. He could not place himself mentally. He could not break the clinging wires that bound him emotionally to the Mule. Intellectually, he could remember that he had once tried to assassinate the Mule but not for all the straining he could endure, could he remember his emotions at the time. That might be the self-defense of his own mind, however, for at the intuitive thought of what those emotions might have been – not realizing the details, but merely comprehending the drift of it – his stomach grew queasy. What if the governor tampered with his mind? What if the insubstantial mental tendrils of a Second Foundationer insinuated itself down the emotional crevices of his makeup and pulled them apart and rejoined them? There had been no sensation the first time. There had been no pain, no mental jar – not even a feeling of discontinuity. He had always loved the Mule. If there had ever been a time long before – as long before as five short years – when he had thought he hadn’t loved him, that he had hated him – that was just a horrid illusion. The thought of that illusion embarrassed him. But there had been no pain. Would meeting the governor duplicate that? Would all that had gone before – all his service for the Mule – all his life’s orientation – join the hazy, other-life dream that held the word, Democracy. The Mule also a dream, and only to Tazenda, his loyalty- Sharply, he turned away. There was that strong desire to retch. And then Channis’ voice clashed on his ear, â€Å"I think this is it, general.† Pritcher turned again. An Elder had opened the door silently and stood with a dignified and calm respect upon the threshold. He said, â€Å"His Excellency, Governor of Rossem, in the name of the Lords of Tazenda, is pleased to present his permission for an audience and request your appearance before him.† â€Å"Sure thing,† and Channis tightened his belt with a jerk and adjusted a Rossemian hood over his head. Pritcher’s jaw set. This was the beginning of the real gamble. The governor of Rossem was not of formidable appearance. For one thing, he was bareheaded, and his thinning hair, light brown, tending to gray, lent him mildness. His bony eye-ridges lowered at them, and his eyes, set in a fine network of surrounding wrinkles, seemed calculating, but his fresh-cropped chin was soft and small and, by the universal convention of followers of the pseudoscience of reading character by facial bony structure, seemed â€Å"weak.† Pritcher, avoided the eyes and watched the chin. He didn’t know whether that would be effective – if anything would be. The governor’s voice was high-pitched, indifferent: â€Å"Welcome to Tazenda. We greet you in peace. You have eaten?† His hand – long fingers, gnarled veins – waved almost regally at the U-shaped table. They bowed and sat down. The governor sat at the outer side of the base of the U, they on the inner; along both arms sat the double row of silent Elders. The governor spoke in short, abrupt sentences – praising the food as Tazendian importations – and it had indeed a quality different if, somehow, not so much better, than the rougher food of the Elders – disparaging Rossemian weather, referring with an attempt at casualness to the intricacies of space travel. Channis talked little. Pritcher not at all. Then it was over. The small, stewed fruits were finished; the napkins used and discarded, and the governor leaned back. His small eyes sparkled. â€Å"I have inquired as to your ship. Naturally, I would like to see that it receives due care and overhaul. I am told its whereabouts are unknown.† â€Å"True.† Channis replied lightly. â€Å"We have left it in space. It is a large ship, suitable for long journeys in sometimes hostile regions, and we felt that landing it here might give rise to doubts as to our peaceful intentions. We preferred to land alone, unarmed.† â€Å"A friendly act,† commented the governor, without conviction. â€Å"A large ship, you say?† â€Å"Not a vessel of war, excellency.† â€Å"Ha, hum. Where is it you come from?† â€Å"A small world of the Santanni sector, your excellency. It may be you are not aware of its existence for it lacks importance. We are interested in establishing trade relationships.† â€Å"Trade, eh? And what have you to sell?’ â€Å"Machines of all sorts, excellency. In return, food, wood, ores.†*** â€Å"Ha, hum.† The governor seemed doubtful. â€Å"I know little of*** these matters. Perhaps mutual profit may be arranged. Perhaps, after I have examined your credentials at length – for much information will be required by my government before matters may proceed, you understand – and after I have looked over your ship, it would be advisable for you to proceed to Tazenda.† There was no answer to that, and the governor’s attitude iced perceptibly. â€Å"It is necessary that I see your ship, however.† Channis said distantly: â€Å"The ship, unfortunately, is undergoing repairs at the moment. If your excellency would not object giving us forty-eight hours, it will be at your service.† â€Å"I am not accustomed to waiting.† For the first time, Pritcher met the glare of the other, eye to eye, and his breath exploded softly inside him. For a moment, he had the sensation of drowning, but then his eyes tore away. Channis did not waver. He said: â€Å"The ship cannot be landed for forty-eight hours, excellency. We are here and unarmed. Can you doubt our honest intentions?† There was a long silence, and then the governor said gruffly, â€Å"Tell me of the world from which you come.† That was all. It passed with that. There was no more unpleasantness. The governor, having fulfilled his official duty, apparently lost interest and the audience died a dull death. And when it was all over, Pritcher found himself back in their quarters and took stock of himself. Carefully – holding his breath – he â€Å"felt† his emotions. Certainly he seemed no different to himself, but would he feel any difference? Had he felt different after the Mule’s Conversion? Had not everything seemed natural? As it should have been? He experimented. With cold purpose, he shouted inside the silent caverns of his mind, and the shout was, â€Å"The Second Foundation must be discovered and destroyed.† And the emotion that accompanied it was honest hate. There was not as much as a hesitation involved in it. And then it was in his mind to substitute the word â€Å"Mule† for the phrase â€Å"Second Foundation† and his breath caught at the mere emotion and his tongue clogged. So far, good. But had he been handled otherwise – more subtly? Had tiny changes been made? Changes that he couldn’t detect because their very existence warped his judgment. There was no way to tell. But he still felt absolute loyalty to the Mule! If that were unchanged, nothing else really mattered. He turned his mind to action again. Channis was busy at his end of the room. Pritcher’s thumbnail idled at his wrist communicator. And then at the response that came he felt a wave of relief surge over him and leave him weak. The quiet muscles of his face did not betray him, but inside he was shouting with joy – and when Channis turned to face him, he knew that the farce was about over. How to cite Second Foundation 4. Two Men and the Elders, Essay examples

Research Methods for Survey Methods in Social - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theResearch Methods for Survey Methods in Social. Answer: The questionnaire will be distributed to the people of Hometown, located in the United States. The population of Hometown is around fifty thousand. In order to gain all the information that are necessary from this survey, information from the whole population cannot be collected as the task would be extremely tedious. For the analysis, a random sample of the whole population will be selected. In order to get 95 percent accuracy of the results, a minimum sample of 150 persons has to be collected. In case of random sampling, the units of the sample, that is, the residents of Hometown were selected randomly. In his case, no favoritism is given to any specific subjects and all the respondents have an equal chance of being selected in the sample (Moser and Kalton 2017). With the help of this method, the target population is represented most appropriately and there is minimum sampling bias (Rossi, Wright and Anderson 2013). Roxanne was unable to receive the amount of business that she expected for. For this reason, she conducted this survey. Her main aim was to determine the amount of business hometown offers. The awareness among the people of Hometown about the company Canterbury Travels and the services offered by it also has to be determined. The information that is necessary to determine the problems stated above will be obtained from the designed questionnaire. References Moser, C.A. and Kalton, G., 2017.Survey methods in social investigation. Routledge. Rossi, P.H., Wright, J.D. and Anderson, A.B. eds., 2013.Handbook of survey research. Academic Press.

The Devil in Massachusetts by Marion Starkey Essay Example For Students

The Devil in Massachusetts by Marion Starkey Essay Hale, meanwhile, is undergoing an internal crisis. He clearly enjoyed being called to Salem because it made him feel like an expert. His pleasure in the trials comes from his privileged position of authority with respect to defining the guilty and the innocent. However, his surprise at hearing of Rebeccas arrest and the warrant for Elizabeths arrest reveals that Hale is no longer in control of the proceedings. Power has passed into the hands of others, and as the craze spreads, Hale begins to doubt its essential justice. The revelation of Reverend Parriss greed over money and material goods that he, as a priest should have given up any thought of, must of come as another shock to him. John told him about the gold candlesticks, for twenty week he preach nothing but golden candlesticks. The golden candlesticks have not been mentioned before in the book but there are other occasions which show his greed. It also comes as another shock to him to find out that everything Abigail has envisioned was all a fai ade. John tells him, Mr Parris discovered them sportin in the woods. We will write a custom essay on The Devil in Massachusetts by Marion Starkey specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now They were startled and took sick. Hale was obviously deeply shocked, and the audience would notice it too as if you look down the page youll see it says: (His eyes wide): Abigail Williams told you it had naught to do with witchcraft! If the actor of Hale is a good one, he will show the audience how shocked he is to find out his new piece of information through his facial expression and his tone of voice. This scene is the turning point in the book this is when John decides to show his fury upon the court of justice, like an ocean falling upon the rocks is how he will fall upon the court. Hale realises what really is going on in the village of Salem is not witchcraft but Vengeance. John sees how much of a manipulative bitch Abigail can really be. This is the scene where everything takes a nosedive into the pit of Gehenna. Hale summed it up earlier when he said on page 58 If Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothings left to stop the whole green world from burning. Hales meaning was that if Rebecca was convicted of being a witch then nothing in the world would stop hell taking over earth.

Top 5 Websites for Your Job Search Over the Holidays

Top 5 Websites for Your Job Search Over the Holidays Most job seekers conduct their search by applying for positions posted on various job search websites. They might look on LinkedIn, monster, indeed, or one of many industry-specific sites and identify appropriate jobs. While this tactic is an essential part of every job search, and while some people find jobs this way, the competition is enormous. If you saw the job online, so did hundreds or thousands of other qualified candidates who are also throwing their hat in the ring. For many, a more fruitful job search strategy is to identify companies where you want to work, then approach them regarding what you have to offer. This â€Å"hidden job search† strategy has been effective for thousands of professionals who have created their dream job. To conduct a â€Å"hidden job search,† the first step is to create a list of target companies. This practice, which requires a lot of research, allows you to take control of your search instead of letting the internet dictate what jobs you apply for. The next step is to identify the people you are connected with at those companies and to contact them to start conversations. The holidays are a perfect time to do some valuable research on what companies you might want to work for. Here are my 5 top recommended websites for your job search over the holidays: 1.   LinkedIn.com. LinkedIn is probably the best site for discovering your connections at any company. First, search for companies using the search bar and dropping down to Companies. Type in your keywords or the company name to get a list of companies that fit your target. Once you choose a company you want to research, go to the company page where you will be informed of â€Å"How You’re Connected† to the people at that company. For instance, when I go to the Dell page, I am informed that I have 5 first-degree connections (including the Talent Acquisition Senior Advisor in Phoenix) and 4,406 second-degree connections there. If I wanted to know what it’s like to work at Dell, I’d have quite a few people to reach out to!   On the company page for most mid- to large-sized companies, you can look at the Careers tab to find out what jobs are available there. And if you want to get the company’s news, click on Follow to get their updates.   Challenge: There is no â€Å"Advanced Search† available for Companies, so you are not able to search based on location or other more refined terms. 2.   CareerCloud.com. This site collects news articles (newspaper headlines, online media, and press releases) that indicate company expansion and restructuring. In other words, it saves you the work of doing a google search to find out what jobs might be opening up in your industry. From the home page, click on the Hidden Jobs app and you will be able to choose any U.S. state to see who’s hiring in that state. Then click on â€Å"view source† to read the news. It’s free! Challenge: No ability to search by city, only state; and you don’t know what level of position might be available until you read the source material. 3.   Manta.com. From the bottom section of Manta’s home page, you can search for both U.S. and   non-U.S. companies by either industry or location. You can then filter your results by Company Revenue, Number of Employees, Type of Ownership (Public or Private), and Location Type (Headquarters, Branch or Single Location). Within any given industry, you can browse by location as well. You will get the company’s website and snail mail address and you’ll have the option to â€Å"Follow company† (an option that requires you to set up a free account). Challenge: Although manta is a great tool for research, I don’t see the value of building a network here if you have a robust LinkedIn network. Without a network, you won’t find a lot of information about people who work at any given company. 4.   ZoomInfo.com. From ZoomInfo’s home page, scroll down to the section that says â€Å"Browse ZoomInfo’s company directory†¦Ã¢â‚¬  You can search in the US or Canada for companies by industry and then by city. You can then click on any of the search results to found out a company’s address, web address, revenue and number of employees; look a bit further to discover title and contact information of key employees. With a free profile (Community Edition), you can view up to 80 contacts per month. Challenge: Some of the information on this site is out of date. Links to companies often do not work. Also, the initial list of companies is merely alphabetical and does not have any filtering options, so you may find yourself clicking on company names rather blindly. 5.   Glassdoor.com. If you’re looking for inside information on any company, this is the site for you. Click on the Companies tab, enter the name of a company and its location, and you’ll get an overall company rating by company employees, a list of salary ranges for various positions (a magic bullet for that dreaded â€Å"Salary Requirements† question!), reviews by employees including pros, cons, advice to senior management, and whether the person would recommend the company to a friend, and information about the company’s interview process and questions. For full functionality, you’ll need to create an account. I’d say it’s worth it for the interview and salary information alone! The site also has job listings. Challenge: The site is more integrated with Facebook than LinkedIn so you might not be able to find your professional connections at a company without logging in separately to LinkedIn. Also, it’s hard to tell whether information provided by company employees could be skewed. Using a combination of all these resources for your research will give you a remarkable amount of information and will put you worlds beyond the average job seeker in terms of your confidence and preparedness in your job search. Isn’t getting this kind of ammunition worth spending a bit of time during the holidays? Please let me know what sites you’ve found the most useful for your job search research. And have a wonderful holiday! Category:Job SearchBy Brenda BernsteinDecember 23, 2013

A Guide to Nouns

A Guide to Nouns A Guide to Nouns A Guide to Nouns By Mark Nichol A noun was traditionally described as â€Å"a person, place, or thing,† but some definitions further specify what can constitute a thing, including an action, an idea, a quality, or a state of existence. This post discusses types of nouns and other issues related to nouns. Classes of Nouns Abstract and Concrete Nouns Abstract nouns are those that refer to concepts or ideas, such as justice or evolution. By contrast, concrete nouns represent physical entities that can be observed by one or more senses; examples include apple, dog, and house. Some nouns have both abstract and concrete meanings- for example, a pillar is a column that serves as a commemorative object or a structural support, but by extension, the word refers to a figurative concept related to the latter sense: a principle, for example, that is part of the identity of an organization. (In addition, a person may be referred to as a pillar of the community, but although person is concrete, the person does not literally provide structural support for an edifice.) Collective Nouns A collective noun is one that, despite the lack of plural inflection, refers to a group (as in the case of committee) or to an entity consisting of multiple members (for example, government or police). In American English, such terms take a singular verb form unless the emphasis is clearly on the constituents of the collective, as in â€Å"The staff were pleased to hear about the new workplace policy,† though many writers (and editors) are more comfortable with a revision that more explicitly focuses on the individuals, such as â€Å"Members of the staff were pleased to hear about the new workplace policy.† Compound Noun A compound noun is one that consists of two or more words. Compound nouns may be closed (warlord), hyphenated (mind-set), or open (â€Å"post office†). Generally, a compound of more than two words is hyphenated, as in jack-in-the box, but a proper name consisting of more than two words is almost always open (â€Å"Royal Canadian Mounted Police†). Countable and Mass Nouns Countable nouns are those that may take an indefinite article (a or an) or a plural form, or be combined with a numeral (such as three) or a counting quantifier (such as several). Countable nouns include car, finger, and event. Mass, or uncountable, nouns, are those that do not have these properties, such as blood, equipment, and information. Many nouns have senses as both countable and mass nouns. For example, rain is an uncountable phenomenon, but one can refer to a succession of rains. Proper Nouns A proper noun is one that denotes a unique entity, such as a specific person (John), place (Earth), or thing (iPhone). Writers frequently err in capitalizing generic descriptions thought to be specific. For example, a person might be described as â€Å"a Marketing Director†; though the person does in fact hold that job title, it is not unique to that person (although it is capitalized as part of the entity description â€Å"Marketing Director John Smith,† which is unique). Similarly, one might be said to have â€Å"earned a Master’s Degree†; although the diploma that documents conferring of the degree is unique, a degree demonstrating mastery of a particular academic discipline is distributed to numerous people, and thus the word is generic. In addition, words that, as part of a specific appellation, are capitalized are sometimes erroneously capitalized in isolation, as in â€Å"the Committee.† This style is common in content published by institutions and organizations (and sometimes codified in their house style guides) that refers in shorthand to a particular committee, and it is a tradition in legal text, but in most other contexts it is considered an error. Considerations About Nouns Nominalization and Conversion Avoid the jargonistic overuse of noun forms of verbs in place of the verbs themselves, itself known jargonistically as nominalization, to make sentences more concise, direct, and accessible. (For example, â€Å"effect a transposition† is easily replaced by transpose.) A related issue is conversion, by which a verb becomes a noun (as in the use of take in â€Å"We filmed the scene in one take† or â€Å"What’s your take on that?†). Many conversions are unobjectionable in isolation, but take care not to let them overwhelm your prose. Noun Plagues One obstacle to clarity, prevalent in business content, is the use of multiple nouns as adjectives describing a terminal noun, as in â€Å"The topic of the webinar is compliance risk management program governance.† Avoid such strings of nouns-cum-adjectives before a noun, which many people may read haltingly because even if they are familiar with the terms that constitute the phrase, they will not know until they reach the actual noun that they have come to the end of it. Revise the phrase to reflect a more relaxed syntax so that it can be read with relative lack of effort: â€Å"The topic of the webinar is governance of programs pertaining to compliance risk management.† Plural Forms English is maddeningly inconsistent, especially in forming plurals. For example, the plural of avocado is avocados (avocadoes is a variant), while tomato is rendered tomatoes in its plural form. (These words derive from the same language, Nahuatl, and as in the case of the name of the language, the ending sound of both native words is l, but they took different paths through Spanish.) Other problematic words include those ending in y and some words adopted from Greek and Latin; for example, plural endings for some Latin words (such as antenna and index) vary depending on sense. Another complicating category is compound nouns (such as fathers-in-law). When in doubt, consult a dictionary. (And, to be safe, when not in doubt, consult a dictionary.) Other types of nouns that may require writers to consult with a dictionary (or a style guide) so that plural forms are correctly rendered include plurals of proper nouns and for abbreviations, letters, and numerals. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! 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Neurotheology in Review (Brain & Heart) part 2 Essay

Neurotheology in Review (Brain & Heart) part 2 - Essay Example An attempt to understand these mechanisms, ultimately calls for basic understanding of the mechanisms about how different systems work in our body. Physiology is the study of vital processes of living organisms, particularly at the level of organs and organ systems and at the level of the organism as a whole. Physiological processes, in turn, are dependent on anatomical and biochemical factors and constitute the physical basis of behavior (Abram et al., 2007). But with the existing knowledge, it is difficult to explain, as Eiser (2005) has pointed out how out of the structure and function or anatomy and physiology, a novel psychological entity representing the individual arise (Eiser, 2005). Questions keep coming on this hitherto unexplored area of the science. What people think, what they say, what they do, what they feel, and why they think, say, act, and feel in these ways are plainly of the greatest interest to all of us. The interface between psychology, religion, and spirituality has been of great interest to scholars for a century (Tartaro, Luecken, and Gunn, 2005). Taking into account that religious consciousness arises out of functional aspects of brain, it is not irrational to assume that the origin of such consciousness is from an emotion, and there must be a harmonious mechanism occurring in our body that leads to such emotions, hence physiologic effect out of some anatomic structures (Saver and Rabin, 1997). Are the sayings, "my heartfelt love", "from the core of my heart" and so on and so forth, just the sayings, or there exists some relationship in reality between the mind and the heart, or emotion and physiologic function. The anatomically determined theory of emotion or consciousness indicates emotion is like other somesth etic or special senses (McEachrane, 2009) similar to pain, temperature, and vision, emotional experience was accorded a thalamic nucleus and thalamocortical cortical relay (Compton, 2003). As

Foster Parenting and Foster Care in Louisiana Research Paper

Foster Parenting and Foster Care in Louisiana - Research Paper Example Foster parents need to develop for the child a ‘family-like environment’ (Department of Children and Family Services, Foster Parenting 2012), ensuring that the vital needs of the child, in terms of food, clothing, health and education, are fully covered. Foster parents also need to support the personal development and growth of the child (Department of Children and Family Services, Foster Parenting 2012). It should be noted that foster parents do not have parental rights, at least not at the same level as the birth parents; for this reason, foster parents need to cooperate with the local authorities and the birth parents for identifying the needs of the child in terms of daily care. The above rules are common in foster parenting schemes developed across USA. In Louisiana, authorities have focused on the support of foster parents so that the care provided to the children, in the context of foster parenting, to be as appropriate as possible. In 2003, the number of children in foster care in Louisiana has been estimated to 4,541 (Foster Care Month Organization 2005). Among those children, 53 are male, while the average age of children in foster care is 10 years (Foster Care Month Organization 2005). As of September of 2003, the average period that a foster child stays in a foster family has been estimated to 29 months, which can be characterized as rather long (Foster Care Month Organization 2005). In 2004, the number of certified foster homes in Louisiana was estimated to 2,822 (Foster Care Month Organization 2005). In order for a family to provide foster care, it has to ask for a foster care certification. The requirements of this certification are the following ones: a) provision of information to foster family in regard to the needs and the demands of the program, b) the submission of a relevant application, c) fingerprints are provided by all members of the foster family, meaning those members who are