Until When essays

Until When essays The 2000 Presidential election has brought much attention to itself. While a slew of lawyers try to cheat their respective political figurehead into the White House, the topics discussed during the debates have been put aside. Affirmative action and education touch upon a delicate subject, which hinders the fundamental progress of our nation. Racism is nothing new to this country. In fact, much of the early development in America is the result of slavery. In this paper I will attempt to use the African American people as an example of how the deep roots of racism, like anything else, has evolved over time and has all but escaped America. Everyone is aware of the problems slavery has caused in the United States. It caused the nation to divide, as was the case in the Civil War. The wars conclusion granted the slaves freedom. Emancipation didnt necessarily end racism or better the African Americans situation. Now they had to fend for themselves with no economic support, education, or rights. As a whole, the development of the African American community had been suppressed and left a few steps behind. The Great Depression seemed to even out the economic side of things, making hardship more uniform for all. This led to the emergence of government assistance programs ( Mullings 1986: 41). The economic crisis that affected the United States during the Great Depression became the stage for the creation of many social programs geared towards providing economic relief to American families. The New Deal relief programs emerged in the 1930s. Racial discrimination insured that in many communities black families received smaller grants than white families. They were also excluded from many of the employment programs ( Bremner 1992: 11). Welfare at first seemed to be the opportunity to achieve financial security not dependence. After World War II, the economy improved and the majority of middle and upper class white Americ...

Depreciate vs. Deprecate

Depreciate vs. Deprecate Depreciate vs. Deprecate Depreciate vs. Deprecate By Maeve Maddox The words depreciate and deprecate are from different Latin originals, but the difference in meaning between them is being eroded in popular usage. Depreciate is from Latin depretiare, a combination de (from) and pretium (price). â€Å"To depreciate† is to become less in value. Example: â€Å"It’s often said that a car depreciates as it is driven off the dealer’s lot.† Depreciate is used transitively with the meaning, â€Å"to lower the value of.† Example: â€Å"The latest crisis depreciated the currency.† Figuratively, depreciate means, â€Å"to belittle or disparage.† For example, â€Å"No matter what I do, he depreciates my efforts.† Deprecate is from Latin deprecari, a combination of de (from, away) and precari (to pray). â€Å"To deprecate† something was to â€Å"pray it away.† The word entered English in the 17th century with the meaning, â€Å"to pray against evil, to pray for deliverance from.† For example, one might go to church to â€Å"deprecate God’s judgment,† that is, pray that it might be averted. Deprecate has the secular meanings â€Å"to plead earnestly against† and â€Å"to express earnest disapproval of.† For example, â€Å"We deprecate the harsh action taken against the local population.† Speakers do not always see a difference between depreciate (to belittle) and deprecate (to disapprove of). Because the distinction is a fine one, the words have become mixed up. As a plain verb, deprecate is not as common as it was in the 19th century, but its present participle form occurs in the popular adjective self-deprecating. As defined at the online Oxford Dictionaries site, self-deprecating means â€Å"modest about or critical of oneself, especially humorously so.† Here are two recent examples of the usage: The iconic comedian [Joan Rivers]  passed away today at 81, but she leaves behind a legacy of unrestricted humor and self-deprecating wisdom. â€Å"Humor is an amazing quality to have,† Kunis told  Glamour. I like sarcasm, satire, self-deprecating humor.† In researching this post, I found several depreciatory comments directed at speakers who write self-depreciating instead of self-deprecating. The sarcasm that accompanies some of these comments is misplaced. According to the Ngram Viewer, self-depreciating predates self-deprecating by 20 years. For about 100 years, beginning in 1845 and continuing until the 1940s, self-depreciating is the more common term; then, self-deprecating soars to its modern ascendency and self-depreciating plummets. Etymologically speaking, self-depreciating is the better choice, but self-deprecating has triumphed in standard speech; self-deprecating is the version to use if you don’t want to seem ignorant. Merriam-Webster, by the way, defines self-deprecating as â€Å"given to self-depreciation.† Computer science has found a new use for deprecate: deprecated (adjective): Used typically in reference to a computer language to mean a command or statement in the language that is going to be made invalid or obsolete in future versions. Examples of deprecated in the context of computer science: A program element annotated @Deprecated is one that programmers are discouraged from using, typically because it is dangerous, or because a better alternative exists. Compilers warn when a deprecated program element is used or overridden in non-deprecated code. Apple has officially deprecated Java, the cross-platform runtime environment developed by Sun and now owned by Oracle, and the company has decided not to include Adobe Flash technology on its new super-slim MacBook Air notebook computers. Bottom line: to deprecate is â€Å"to disapprove,† but in â€Å"self-deprecating,† it means, â€Å"to belittle.† In the world of computing, deprecated means â€Å"phased out† or â€Å"soon to be phased out.† Depreciate is for talking about loss of monetary value. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Grammar Mistakes You Should Avoid8 Writing Tips for Beginners20 Slang Terms for Law Enforcement Personnel

Adult Development and Adult Learning Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Adult Development and Adult Learning - Article Example It is, therefore, worthwhile to note that the characteristics of development of adult learners need to  influence  the strategies of teaching and  learning  that are under implementation. This article provides an overview on the various aspects of adult development, how they affect adult learning, and the major issues surrounding adult development. The article also explores the theories of adult learning including andragogy, self directed learning, and transformational learning. Adult development Growth is the  physical  change that results from an increase in cell size or numbers. Growth can be quantitatively measured using the  growth  indicators such as  weight, height, dentition, and the size of bones. On the other hand,  development  can be defined as a modification or change in the capacity if an individual to  function, or the  process  of skill  progress  or enhancement. It is the  capacity  of an individual to  adapt  to his surroundin g environment and, therefore, regarded as the behavioral growth  aspect (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2010). The characteristics of adult development are in the forms of physical, cognitive, social and emotional domains present in an  individual’s lifespan. There are three stages of life that  occur  in adulthood which include young, middle and older adulthood. These stages have characteristics that are unique and are  evident  in every stage of the four human development domains. For instance, the developmental characteristics of older adulthood include social characteristics such as loss of key family members and  significant  friends, prioritizing engagements and social activities, and beginning of transition to retirement. The physical aspects of  growth  include slowing down of reaction time, increase in the  instance  of chronic disease, decline in the sensory systems and physical abilities. Emotional development  is signified  with an increase in attem pts to maintain personality traits along with reflection, ability to resolve conflict by applying  integrity  instead of despair. The  last  domain  is cognitive development whereby an individual develops memory lapses, slower learning abilities, or mental abilities sufficient for accomplishing their daily chores (Jarvis, 2004). Maturation  is  mainly  characterized  nervous system changes and the brain, and aids in the stimulation of cognitive and physical or motor skills. The patterns of maturation are  innate  and programmed in the genetic code. During adulthood, people experience  various  challenges that affect their ability to go about their daily duties.   Development begins in a  concrete  or straightforward manner, and proceeds to the complex mechanisms. Problem solving and reasoning abilities  are inspired  from the  language  and development of cognitive skills. For instance, the ability to  classify  or  relate  similar ite ms implies the acquisition of cognitive skills. Concrete thoughts  are usually manifested  in the initial  level  of thinking which describes or gives a  functional  relationship between two subjects. Further advancement in the development of cognitive skills is manifested by a more complex or advanced  understanding  of the comparisons  being made, as well development of a high  capability  of classifying objects (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2010). Issues surrounding adult development and their influence on adult learning Development  is categorized  as a continuous process in which the development of an  individual  signifies  addition  of new skills to the ones already acquired, thus forming a basis for further

Assignment Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assignment Reflection - Essay Example With such manoeuvres, it is more likely to attract many more customers in the market. However, a stagnant business that rarely makes changes in the management, service delivery and customer care will rarely make positive growth. In counter reactions to such situations, Nestle employs the â€Å"four pillarâ€Å"solution. This includes innovations and renovations, operational efficiency, consumer communications and delivery of goods. The case study was practically knowledgeable as it shed light on the following activities in a business. The first approach in case study on Nestle was directed at observing the current operational excellence and evaluate its effects on the business (Jackson, 2008:11). The management is concerned about all activities that are in the business and how they are conducted. This will give the people in control information on all the activities of the business and how each of the activities is affecting the business (Hitt, Duane and Hoskisson, 2012: 43). For e xample, the company is not interested in the short term profits that could jeopardise the firm’s performance in the long run (Chopra, 2009:12). This is a serious problem that could jeopardize the performance of the business (Moran, Braaten and Walsh, 2013:16). Since this is the initial stage, the manager should keenly watch the processes of supplying products and time taken before the products are dispatched to the market. In ensuring there is concrete observation of all the activities that are taking place, a manager should conduct a personal observation on all these activities (Rubin and Babbie, 2010:19). This will give first hand information. In such a manoeuvre, the manager will have unbiased information on the activities that are taking place in the business (Samii, 2004:12). In strengthening the information that is collected, the manager should then embark on collecting information from the line managers. This includes horizontal ad vertical line managers in the firm (P aul, 2011:21). This is by collecting information from the people that work in the stated departments in Nestle. Gathering such information will give concrete information that is reliable. After the observations, the manager should then try to analyze the situation. This is a situation that is affecting the supply of products and services and must have a negative impact to the business (Saunders, 2003:18). First, it is a setback to the businesses since the market will be affected in the long run (Dolley, 2011: 20). Secondly, the Nestle firm is to make a positive impact in the market. However, when the short term goals are vitalized, the company will not meet its long term goals. In such a case, the business is at a risk of losing some of its customers. After analysis the situation, a manager should look at the causative factors (Marschan-Piekkari and Welch, 2011:11). This includes focusing on the supply of materials, technological mishaps and transport preparation. Similarly, the man ager has to analyze the number of employees working on the delivery of finished goods. This will be followed by slotting various solutions and changes that could be used to rectify the problem. When the manager in Nestle comes up with various solutions to the problem, it is a preparation to ensure the situation does not affect the business (Wall and Rees, 2004:32). For example, the manager could come up with options of increasing the number of emp

The Anatomy Lesson Essay Example for Free

The Anatomy Lesson Essay Tulp is a 1632 oil painting by Rembrandt housed in the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, the Netherlands. Dr. Nicolaes Tulp is pictured explaining the musculature of the arm to medical professionals. Some of the spectators are various doctors who paid commissions to be included in the painting. The painting is signed in the top-left hand corner Rembrant. f[ecit] 1632. This may be the first instance of Rembrandt signing a painting with his forename (in its original form) as opposed to the monogramme RHL (Rembrant Harmenszoon of Leiden), and is thus a sign of his growing artistic confidence. The event can be dated to 16 January 1632: the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons, of which Tulp was official City Anatomist, permitted only one public dissection a year, and the body would have to be that of an executed criminal. [1] Anatomy lessons were a social event in the 17th century, taking place in lecture rooms that were actual theatres, with students, colleagues and the general public being permitted to attend on payment of an entrance fee. The spectators are appropriately dressed for a solemn social occasion. It is thought that, with the exception of the figures to the rear and left, these people were added to the picture later. citation needed] One person is missing: the Preparator, whose task it was to prepare the body for the lesson. In the 17th century an important scientist such as Dr. Tulp would not be involved in menial and bloody work like dissection, and such tasks would be left to others. It is for this reason that the picture shows no cutting instruments. Instead we see in the lower right corner an enormous open textbook on anatomy, possibly the 1543 De humani corporis fabrica (Fabric of the Human Body) by Andreas Vesalius. Medical specialists have commented on the accuracy of muscles and tendons painted by the 26-year-old Rembrandt. It is not known where he obtained such knowledge; it is possible that he copied the details from an anatomical textbook. However, in 2006 Dutch researchers recreated the scene with a male cadaver, revealing several discrepancies of the exposed left forearm compared to that of a real corpse. [2] The surgically astute will notice that the origin of the exposed forearm muscles would seem to indicate that the flexor compartment originates at the lateral epicondyle, when it is, in fact, the medial epicondyle. It is the common extensor origin that originates at the lateral epicondyle.

The Crimean War :: European Europe History

The Crimean War The Crimean War started because France and Russia wanted control over the Middle East and surrounding areas. The war lasted from 1856 to 1858, just under two years. The more important parts of the war are the causes and events that led up to it, the battle of the Alma, the naval wars of various seas and Sevastopol, the heavily fortified base of the Russian fleet. MLV Ffrench Blake states that the main cause of the war was "Russia's desire for territorial expansion, particularly towards a port in the Mediterranean." (Blake 1). He also believes that the inevitable drift into the war was aggravated by the back and forth nature of the rulers of the opposing countries and bad diplomacy. The immediate excuses of the war were for protection of oppressed minorities and retaliation against the death of nationalists in religious riots. Philip Warner believes that the main cause of the war was that Britain and Russia were both large countries and only one of them would be able to prevail. At the time, Britain was a country that stretched all the way to India and they couldn't afford to have line of communication through the Middle East cut. Russia spanned an entire eight million square miles. "However, the looseness and backwardness of their territories did not stop the Russians from wishing to extend their influence." (Warner 5). Albert Seaton believes that the Tsar Nicholas did not want war, but it was part of his political strategy to bring Europe to the brink of hostilities in order to intimidate those who opposed him. "He would undoubtedly have taken even greater risks if only France and Turkey had been involved, but he was worried by the close interest taken by the British in the Middle East, for the islanders were already openly assessing the armed strengths there and did not conceal their low opinion of the value of the Black Sea Fleet." (Seaton 42). Philip Warner believes that the battle of the Alma occurred because Sebastopol, Russia's heavily fortified base, had no proper defences and it was decided that the part of the Russian army would be sent to completely stop or at least slow down the Allied Army at Alma. The Russians and the Allies both set up very planned out and strategic formations, but they just ended up attacking each other head on. For some reason, Menschikov, the commander of the Russian army, didn't bring in his reserves.

Reflections on Social Work Essay

Social work is a profession that requires commitment to improving the lives of others as well as the community around you. As a social worker, the NASW Code of Ethics which states the mission you have as a social a social work professional. The mission â€Å"is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.† (NASW, 2008). By following these ethics, social workers are leading by example and showing that they have respect for not only their responsibilities as a social worker but more importantly, their clients. The Code of Ethics contains four major sections that make it up as a whole. The most important part of the Code may very well be the six core values: 1. Service, 2. Social justice, 3. Dignity and worth of a person, 4.Importance of human relationships, 5. Integrity, and 6. Competence. These six values outline the essence of what it means to be a social worker. By demonstrating these values through your actions as a social worker, you are showing compassion, trustworthiness, and integrity. These are just a few of the key characteristics that are essential to this profession. Although it can be hard at times, you must keep a non-biased attitude towards your clients’ situation in order to handle a situation in the most professional manner possible. Social work unique from other helping professions in that you are not only improving the life of a client, group, or family, but working hand in hand with the community around you. It is important to embrace these values in order to successfully improve the welfare of everyone involved in your profession. From a young age I believe that I have always had a passion for helping others. Helping professions also run in my family; my mother is a preschool teacher and one of the most compassionate women I know. My father has a business degree but he has surprisingly been my biggest inspiration to pursue a career in social work. In his spare time, my father is a very active member of our church and does everything he can to help with fundraisers and goes into the city every month to feed the homeless. He is also a member of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Baltimore and even won â€Å"Big Brother of the Year.† He is selfless and puts in time for these things even  with his busy career. He has encouraged me to make the most of my college years and to pursue a degree that makes me happy, not necessarily one that paid the most. In high school, at the time, I thought that my calling was to be a veterinarian and help animals. I began my college career at a small school in Pennsylvania but soon after figured out that the school and the path to being a veterinarian was not for me. When I transferred to Shepherd, I switched my major to elementary education. After the first semester, I had a chance to job shadow and take an education course but again I did not feel this major was quite the right fit. I thought long and hard about what major I could pursue that would fulfill my passion for working with children as well as help them. That is when I realized that social work was the perfect match for me. Over the past few summers, I have worked at a YMCA summer camp as a counselor. In my position, I worked with the age group of five and six year olds. However, my job went deeper than just simply supervising kids and planning activities. An aspect of my job that I never thought would affect me were the parents. Every day when the kids would get dropped off at camp I would get a chance to speak with the parents and also get a small feel for what this child’s life was like at home. It fascinated me that by just the parents I could get a glimpse of why a child behaved the way they did. It really got me thinking about how I could positively impact the lives of these children by simply making their summer at this camp a wonderful experience. It occurred to me that some of these children do not get to spend any time with their parents because they work all day every day and this is why they are at camp. It made me sad for these kids but at the same time motivated me to be the best counselor possible. As a social worker, I hope to have a profession that involves helping children; being a school guidance counselor, a therapist, or p ossibly even being a social worker in the pediatric ward of a hospital. Social work will be a good fit for me as a helping profession because I believe I have a passion for seeing and helping people improve. Some important characteristics I possess that will help me reach my potential in this profession are good listening skills, integrity towards others, compassion, and most importantly willingness to help others. A key aspect that sets social work apart from other helping professions is putting other people before yourself. This is not say that you should completely disregard your own feelings and more importantly gut feelings  about a situation, but you must be willing to put your biases aside in order to fully assist your clients. I have always been good at listening to others when they are having problems and just need a shoulder to lean on. I think that listening is extremely important, maybe even more important than giving advice. Sometimes you do not need to give your opinion or advice, but by simply listening, you are helping someone take that weight of what they were feeling off of their shoulders. Some expectations that I have of the social work profession that it will not a lways be easy and that there is potential for emotional burnout and stress. Some reservations that I have about being a social worker is that I may become too emotionally involved with a client’s situation. I know it is important to stay as impartial as possible and stay focused on helping your client in the best way you know how. It is also important to have a good relationship with your clients but at the same time you need to remain professional and unbiased. Since I want to have a job that involves working with children, it may be difficult at times to not get emotionally connected. It is harder with children because they are helpless in their living and family situations. For example, if a child is being abused at home it might be hard to not get upset and want to reach out and help that child. You are helping the child but you must do it in a way that is looking out for the child’s best interest and without getting too emotionally and personally involved. A practice setting that I would be attracted to working in would be a school or a ho spital setting. Working in a school setting, I could work face to face and individually with children as well as even groups and classrooms of children. Being a guidance counselor or just a school social worker in general, I could educate children as well as help them with their individual problems. In a hospital setting I would want to work in a pediatric setting. Working in this setting would allow me to help children who are recovering or going through traumatic sicknesses. Being able to help children who are probably scared in the hospital, I would be able to help them alongside with their families to make the experience of being in a hospital as painless as possible. A setting that does not appeal to me would be working with the geriatric population. I have visited nursing homes a handful of times to see relatives that were sick or no longer able to take care of themselves and I do not like the atmosphere. The thought of growing old and death are things that I  am not very comfortable with. However I think it is important to keep my options open and maybe later on I will develop more interest in this area after taking more social work courses. An aspect of social work that appeals to me is that no matter what work setting you are in, you are able to work alongside other professions as well to reach a common goal. Although this was only an introduction course and a small glimpse into the social work profession, I can see that that there are endless possibilities with a social work degree. It opened my eyes to so many career options that I never even knew about before and even sparked new interests. I hope that one day I have a fulfilling and rewarding career as a social worker and make a difference in the world, even if it is small.

Foundation and Empire Acknowledgments

The date was August 1, 1941. World War II had been raging for two years. France had fallen, the Battle of Britain had been fought, and the Soviet Union had just been invaded by Nazi Germany. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was four months in the future. But on that day, with Europe in flames, and the evil shadow of Adolf Hitler apparently falling over all the world, what was chiefly on my mind was a meeting toward which I was hastening. I was 21 years old, a graduate student in chemistry at Columbia University, and I had been writing science fiction professionally for three years. In that time, I had sold five stories to John Campbell, editor of Astounding, and the fifth story, â€Å"Nightfall,† was about to appear in the September 1941 issue of the magazine. I had an appointment to see Mr. Campbell to tell him the plot of a new story I was planning to write, and the catch was that I had no plot in mind, not the trace of one. I therefore tried a device I sometimes use. I opened a book at random and set up free association, beginning with whatever I first saw. The book I had with me was a collection of the Gilbert and Sullivan plays. I happened to open it to the picture of the Fairy Queen of lolanthe throwing herself at the feet of Private Willis. I thought of soldiers, of military empires, of the Roman Empire – of a Galactic Empire – aha! Why shouldn't I write of the fall of the Galactic Empire and of the return of feudalism, written from the viewpoint of someone in the secure days of the Second Galactic Empire? After all, I had read Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire not once, but twice. I was bubbling over by the time I got to Campbell's, and my enthusiasm must have been catching for Campbell blazed up as I had never seen him do. In the course of an hour we built up the notion of a vast series of connected stories that were to deal in intricate detail with the thousand-year period between the First and Second Galactic Empires. This was to be illuminated by the science of psychohistory, which Campbell and I thrashed out between us. On August 11, 1941, therefore, I began the story of that interregnum and called it â€Å"Foundation.† In it, I described how the psychohistorian, Hari Seldon, established a pair of Foundations at opposite ends of the Universe under such circumstances as to make sure that the forces of history would bring about the second Empire after one thousand years instead of the thirty thousand that would be required otherwise. The story was submitted on September 8 and, to make sure that Campbell really meant what he said about a series, I ended â€Å"Foundation† on a cliff-hanger. Thus, it seemed to me, he would be forced to buy a second story. However, when I started the second story (on October 24), I found that I had outsmarted myself. I quickly wrote myself into an impasse, and the Foundation series would have died an ignominious death had I not had a conversation with Fred Pohl on November 2 (on the Brooklyn Bridge, as it happened). I don't remember what Fred actually said, but, whatever it was, it pulled me out of the hole. â€Å"Foundation† appeared in the May 1942 issue of Astounding and the succeeding story, â€Å"Bridle and Saddle,† in the June 1942 issue. After that there was only the routine trouble of writing the stories. Through the remainder of the decade, John Campbell kept my nose to the grindstone and made sure he got additional Foundation stories. â€Å"The Big and the Little† was in the August 1944 Astounding, â€Å"The Wedge† in the October 1944 issue, and â€Å"Dead Hand† in the April 1945 issue. (These stories were written while I was working at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia.) On January 26, 1945, I began â€Å"The Mule,† my personal favorite among the Foundation stories, and the longest yet, for it was 50,000 words. It was printed as a two-part serial (the very first serial I was ever responsible for) in the November and December 1945 issues. By the time the second part appeared I was in the army. After I got out of the army, I wrote â€Å"Now You See It-† which appeared in the January 1948 issue. By this time, though, I had grown tired of the Foundation stories so I tried to end them by setting up, and solving, the mystery of the location of the Second Foundation. Campbell would have none of that, however. He forced me to change the ending, and made me promise I would do one more Foundation story. Well, Campbell was the kind of editor who could not be denied, so I wrote one more Foundation story, vowing to myself that it would be the last. I called it â€Å"-And Now You Don't,† and it appeared as a three-part serial in the November 1949, December 1949, and January 1950 issues of Astounding. By then, I was on the biochemistry faculty of Boston University School of Medicine, my first book had just been published, and I was determined to move on to new things. I had spent eight years on the Foundation, written nine stories with a total of about 220,000 words. My total earnings for the series came to $3,641 and that seemed enough. The Foundation was over and done with, as far as I was concerned. In 1950, however, hardcover science fiction was just coming into existence. I had no objection to earning a little more money by having the Foundation series reprinted in book form. I offered the series to Doubleday (which had already published a science-fiction novel by me, and which had contracted for another) and to Little-Brown, but both rejected it. In that year, though, a small publishing firm, Gnome Press, was beginning to be active, and it was prepared to do the Foundation series as three books. The publisher of Gnome felt, however, that the series began too abruptly. He persuaded me to write a small Foundation story, one that would serve as an introductory section to the first book (so that the first part of the Foundation series was the last written). In 1951, the Gnome Press edition of Foundation was published, containing the introduction and the first four stories of the series. In 1952, Foundation and Empire appeared, with the fifth and sixth stories; and in 1953, Second Foundation appeared, with the seventh and eighth stories. The three books together came to be called The Foundation Trilogy. The mere fact of the existence of the Trilogy pleased me, but Gnome Press did not have the financial clout or the publishing knowhow to get the books distributed properly, so that few copies were sold and fewer still paid me royalties. (Nowadays, copies of first editions of those Gnome Press books sell at $50 a copy and up-but I still get no royalties from them.) Ace Books did put out paperback editions of Foundation and of Foundation and Empire, but they changed the titles, and used cut versions. Any money that was involved was paid to Gnome Press and I didn't see much of that. In the first decade of the existence of The Foundation Trilogy it may have earned something like $1500 total. And yet there was some foreign interest. In early 1961, Timothy Seldes, who was then my editor at Doubleday, told me that Doubleday had received a request for the Portuguese rights for the Foundation series and, since they weren't Doubleday books, he was passing them on to me. I sighed and said, â€Å"The heck with it, Tim. I don't get royalties on those books.† Seldes was horrified, and instantly set about getting the books away from Gnome Press so that Doubleday could publish them instead. He paid no attention to my loudly expressed fears that Doubleday â€Å"would lose its shirt on them.† In August 1961 an agreement was reached and the Foundation books became Doubleday property. What's more, Avon Books, which had published a paperback version of Second Foundation, set about obtaining the rights to all three from Doubleday, and put out nice editions. From that moment on, the Foundation books took off and began to earn increasing royalties. They have sold well and steadily, both in hardcover and softcover, for two decades so far. Increasingly, the letters I received from the readers spoke of them in high praise. They received more attention than all my other books put together. Doubleday also published an omnibus volume, The Foundation Trilogy, for its Science Fiction Book Club. That omnibus volume has been continuously featured by the Book Club for over twenty years. Matters reached a climax in 1966. The fans organizing the World Science Fiction Convention for that year (to be held in Cleveland) decided to award a Hugo for the best all-time series, where the series, to qualify, had to consist of at least three connected novels. It was the first time such a category had been set up, nor has it been repeated since. The Foundation series was nominated, and I felt that was going to have to be glory enough for me, since I was sure that Tolkien's â€Å"Lord of the Rings† would win. It didn't. The Foundation series won, and the Hugo I received for it has been sitting on my bookcase in the livingroom ever since. In among all this litany of success, both in money and in fame, there was one annoying side-effect. Readers couldn't help but notice that the books of the Foundation series covered only three hundred-plus years of the thousand-year hiatus between Empires. That meant the Foundation series â€Å"wasn't finished.† I got innumerable letters from readers who asked me to finish it, from others who demanded I finish it, and still others who threatened dire vengeance if I didn't finish it. Worse yet, various editors at Doubleday over the years have pointed out that it might be wise to finish it. It was flattering, of course, but irritating as well. Years had passed, then decades. Back in the 1940s, I had been in a Foundation-writing mood. Now I wasn't. Starting in the late 1950s, I had been in a more and more nonfiction-writing mood. That didn't mean I was writing no fiction at all. In the 1960s and 1970s, in fact, I wrote two science-fiction novels and a mystery novel, to say nothing of well over a hundred short stories – but about eighty percent of what I wrote was nonfiction. One of the most indefatigable nags in the matter of finishing the Foundation series was my good friend, the great science-fiction writer, Lester del Rey. He was constantly telling me I ought to finish the series and was just as constantly suggesting plot devices. He even told Larry Ashmead, then my editor at Doubleday, that if I refused to write more Foundation stories, he, Lester, would be willing to take on the task. When Ashmead mentioned this to me in 1973, I began another Foundation novel out of sheer desperation. I called it â€Å"Lightning Rod† and managed to write fourteen pages before other tasks called me away. The fourteen pages were put away and additional years passed. In January 1977, Cathleen Jordan, then my editor at Doubleday, suggested I do â€Å"an important book – a Foundation novel, perhaps.† I said, â€Å"I'd rather do an autobiography,† and I did – 640,000 words of it. In January 1981, Doubleday apparently lost its temper. At least, Hugh O'Neill, then my editor there, said, â€Å"Betty Prashker wants to see you,† and marched me into her office. She was then one of the senior editors, and a sweet and gentle person. She wasted no time. â€Å"Isaac,† she said, â€Å"you are going to write a novel for us and you are going to sign a contract to that effect.† â€Å"Betty,† I said, â€Å"I am already working on a big science book for Doubleday and I have to revise the Biographical Encyclopedia for Doubleday and -â€Å" â€Å"It can all wait,† she said. â€Å"You are going to sign a contract to do a novel. What's more, we're going to give you a $50,000 advance.† That was a stunner. I don't like large advances. They put me under too great an obligation. My average advance is something like $3,000. Why not? It's all out of royalties. I said, â€Å"That's way too much money, Betty.† â€Å"No, it isn't,† she said. â€Å"Doubleday will lose its shirt,† I said. â€Å"You keep telling us that all the time. It won't.† I said, desperately, â€Å"All right. Have the contract read that I don't get any money until I notify you in writing that I have begun the novel.† â€Å"Are you crazy?† she said. â€Å"You'll never start if that clause is in the contract. You get $25,000 on signing the contract, and $25,000 on delivering a completed manuscript.† â€Å"But suppose the novel is no good.† â€Å"Now you're being silly,† she said, and she ended the conversation. That night, Pat LoBrutto, the science-fiction editor at Doubleday called to express his pleasure. â€Å"And remember,† he said, â€Å"that when we say ‘novel' we mean ‘science-fiction novel,' not anything else. And when we say ‘science-fiction novel,' we mean ‘Foundation novel' and not anything else.† On February 5, 1981, I signed the contract, and within the week, the Doubleday accounting system cranked out the check for $25,000. I moaned that I was not my own master anymore and Hugh O'Neill said, cheerfully, â€Å"That's right, and from now on, we're going to call every other week and say, ‘Where's the manuscript?'† (But they didn't. They left me strictly alone, and never even asked for a progress report.) Nearly four months passed while I took care of a vast number of things I had to do, but about the end of May, I picked up my own copy of The Foundation Trilogy and began reading. I had to. For one thing, I hadn't read the Trilogy in thirty years and while I remembered the general plot, I did not remember the details. Besides, before beginning a new Foundation novel I had to immerse myself in the style and atmosphere of the series. I read it with mounting uneasiness. I kept waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever did. All three volumes, all the nearly quarter of a million words, consisted of thoughts and of conversations. No action. No physical suspense. What was all the fuss about, then? Why did everyone want more of that stuff? – To be sure, I couldn't help but notice that I was turning the pages eagerly, and that I was upset when I finished the book, and that I wanted more, but I was the author, for goodness' sake. You couldn't go by me. I was on the edge of deciding it was all a terrible mistake and of insisting on giving back the money, when (quite by accident, I swear) I came across some sentences by science-fiction writer and critic, James Gunn, who, in connection with the Foundation series, said, â€Å"Action and romance have little to do with the success of the Trilogy – virtually all the action takes place offstage, and the romance is almost invisible – but the stories provide a detective-story fascination with the permutations and reversals of ideas.† Oh, well, if what was needed were â€Å"permutations and reversals of ideas,† then that I could supply. Panic receded, and on June 10, 1981, I dug out the fourteen pages I had written more than eight years before and reread them. They sounded good to me. I didn't remember where I had been headed back then, but I had worked out what seemed to me to be a good ending now, and, starting page 15 on that day, I proceeded to work toward the new ending. I found, to my infinite relief, that I had no trouble getting back into a â€Å"Foundation-mood,† and, fresh from my rereading, I had Foundation history at my finger-tips. There were differences, to be sure: 1) The original stories were written for a science-fiction magazine and were from 7,000 to 50,000 words long, and no more. Consequently, each book in the trilogy had at least two stories and lacked unity. I intended to make the new book a single story. 2) I had a particularly good chance for development since Hugh said, â€Å"Let the book find its own length, Isaac. We don't mind a long book.† So I planned on 140,000 words, which was nearly three times the length of â€Å"The Mule,† and this gave me plenty of elbow-room, and I could add all sorts of little touches. 3) The Foundation series had been written at a time when our knowledge of astronomy was primitive compared with what it is today. I could take advantage of that and at least mention black holes, for instance. I could also take advantage of electronic computers, which had not been invented until I was half through with the series. The novel progressed steadily, and on January 17, 1982, I began final copy. I brought the manuscript to Hugh O'Neill in batches, and the poor fellow went half-crazy since he insisted on reading it in this broken fashion. On March 25, 1982, I brought in the last bit, and the very next day got the second half of the advance. I had kept â€Å"Lightning Rod† as my working title all the way through, but Hugh finally said, â€Å"Is there any way of putting ‘Foundation' into the title, Isaac?† I suggested Foundations at Bay, therefore, and that may be the title that will actually be used 1. You will have noticed that I have said nothing about the plot of the new Foundation novel. Well, naturally. I would rather you buy and read the book. And yet there is one thing I have to confess to you. I generally manage to tie up all the loose ends into one neat little bow-knot at the end of my stories, no matter how complicated the plot might be. In this case, however, I noticed that when I was all done, one glaring little item remained unresolved. I am hoping no one else notices it because it clearly points the way to the continuation of the series. It is even possible that I inadvertently gave this away for at the end of the novel, I wrote: â€Å"The End (for now).† I very much fear that if the novel proves successful, Doubleday will be at my throat again, as Campbell used to be in the old days. And yet what can I do but hope that the novel is very successful indeed. What a quandary!

Stem Cell Research essays

Stem Cell Research essays Scientists have been injecting cells into the spinal cords of monkeys who have Lou Gehrigs- like disease. The point of this new experiment is to find out if stem cells in human embryos and fetuses can regrow healthy neutrons. If successful, it may be a way to treat Lou Gehrigs in humans. If it works then the FDA may one day let scientist test on desperate patients. Public funding would help to speed up the process of this testing and form of therapy. Anti-abortion activists say that it is immoral to use the cells from discarded embryos from abortion clinics. Both congress and President Bush say that taking cells from discarded embryos is wrong and should not be federally funded. The NIH says that they will only fund for research with already grown cells so that researchers never touch actual embryos. Even though congress and President Bush do not want funding for this scientists are eager to move forward with the testing. Hopkins and Harvard researchers tested this on parti! ally paralyzed mice who were dying and their life span dramatically increased. Snyder, one of the researchers says, Our job is to get the biology done. If we do our job correctly the story will be so compelling the government and the population will see this is biologically effective...and a lot of the ethical issues will simply go away. Were not going to have to keep going back and getting new embryos or fetuses. ...

Opposition to the DREAM Act Legislation

Opposition to the DREAM Act Legislation Imagine for a moment that you are a teenager: you have a group of close friends whove been with you since elementary school; youre one of the top students in your class; and your coach tells you that if you keep it up, you could have a shot at a scholarship, which you really need since your dream is to go into medicine. Unfortunately, you wont be able to fulfill your dream because of your parents undocumented status. As one of the 65,000 undocumented students in the U.S. who graduate from high school each year, you are barred from higher education and cannot legally obtain employment after graduation. Worse yet, there are people who in the U.S. who believe that all undocumented immigrants should be deported. Through no fault of your own, you could be forced to leave your home and move to a foreign country. Why Do People Think the Dream Act Is Bad for the U.S.? Does that seem fair? The DREAM Act, legislation that would provide a way for undocumented students to gain permanent residency through education or military service, is taking a hit from anti-immigrant groups, and in some cases, migrant advocates. According to the Denver Daily News, anti-illegal immigration advocate and former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo said the bill should be renamed the NIGHTMARE Act because it will increase the number of people who come to the United States illegally. FAIR thinks the DREAM Act is a bad idea, calling it amnesty for illegal aliens. The group echoes many anti-DREAMers saying that the DREAM Act would reward undocumented immigrants and encourage continued illegal immigration, it would take education spots away from American students and make it more difficult for them to obtain tuition assistance, and passage of the DREAM Act would put additional strain on the country since the students could eventually petition for their relatives residency. Citizen Orange explains that the military provision within the DREAM Act is a cause for concern for some migrant advocates. The author says that because many undocumented youth are underprivileged, joining the military could be their only path to leg al status. Its a concern that depends on a persons view of military service: whether it is seen as being forced to risk your life, or an honorable way to serve your country. There will always be differing views and opinions on any type of legislation, but especially so when it comes to a controversial topic like immigration. For some, the debate is as simple as whether or not to make children suffer because of the actions of their parents. For others, the DREAM Act is only one small part of comprehensive immigration reform, and the effect of such legislation would be widespread. But for the DREAMers - the undocumented students whose futures depend on the outcome - the outcome of the legislation means much, much more.

A path is made by walking on it. Mart.coms plan for implementation of Essay

A path is made by walking on it. Mart.coms plan for implementation of Category Management - Essay Example In recent years both large and small organizations are seeking to define an appropriate operating model, to establish a strong foundation for execution. The two key dimensions in defining an operating model are process standardization and process integration. As described in Ross et al (Ross 2006), 4 general types of operating models are 1. Diversification (low process standardization, low process integration) 2. Coordination (low process standardization, high process integration) 3. Replication (high process standardization, low process integration) 4. Unification (high process standardization, high process integration) Mart.com’s decision to implement Category Management reflects a significant organizational change in its Procurement process, a strategic decision made by Senior Management, to effectively compete in global market. The focus of this paper is on organizational change and management of the same, when a business undergoes, a significant process change as a result of corporate strategic decision (in our case Category Management). In this paper, we define ‘Category Management’, and its impact on Procurement in the organization’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) process. We briefly define and describe what is under the scope of this study and what primary processes and activities are of importance. We conclude this paper by defining the fundamental principles behind effective Category Management practice, and the process Mart.com need to undergo.... the fundamental principles behind effective Category Management practice, and the process Mart.com need to undergo, considering its current state and what management expects by implementation of Category Management process. Category Management In the overall Source To Pay process, Sourcing has two components – Category Management RFP and contracting In the context of this paper our focus is on Category Management, and what its impact on contracting. RFP process is not in scope for this discussion. As organizations have grown in scale and have become more global, need for Category Management arose from repetitive purchase of products and services with common characteristics. Category Management was introduced as part of strategic procurement needs for the global organization to remove inefficiencies from tactical procurement done by local divisions of an organization. The basic motivation for implementing global sourcing is to achieve synergy in purchasing. This synergy is achi eved when two or more business units combine their buying of similar items to gain higher purchase volumes, better prices and, as a result, competitive advantage through cost efficiency. Synergy is realized as business units exploit their interrelationships, share know-how and resources, coordinate strategies and pool negotiating power (Faes et. al. 2000, Vizjak 1994). The main question in achieving purchasing synergy is how to manage and organize purchases on a corporate level, without losing the proximity benefits of decentralized purchasing. There is a need for balanced approach which takes into consideration the need for having problem-solving capabilities close to where problems occur, cost containment in profit centers, and close relationships in selected collaborative supplier