It’s raining – Creative Writing

It's raining. It hasn't rained this hard since the day she left me, the day she told me how she'd sold her ring. It took three months wages to buy that ring, three whole months and she just sold it to a complete stranger, told me she didn't love me anymore. She'll be leaving work soon, on her way home. Eleven-thirty, same time she does every night, only tonight is different. Tonight she won't be getting home. This is the last night those men will look at her. He's going to sort that out for me. He'll have to leave soon too; otherwise he'll miss her, but maybe that would be better. This could be the only chance to free me, I can't go on, when every move I make depends on her, I can't let her control my life anymore I need to break free. The world outside is looking even less inviting, full moon. Its overcast the stars are blurred. Well not just the stars, everything is blurred. Something's not right. This old leather armchair, and the bottom of my brandy bottle grows more comfortable still, the rains angry drops are hammering against the window pane, I don't think I can stare out the window any longer, this is eating me from inside, what was I thinking, I have to stop him, before it's too late, before I lose her completely. I'm going to go now, got my coat now I just need to step into the bitter cold New York winter. I haven't even shut the door properly, there isn't time. He'll be leaving now too, his wild scraggly hair will be blowing around in the wind his hands to tired to move it out the way, and I can picture him in my mind, only my vision of him is misty, over the years I have found myself losing touch. Still, he knows what he's doing, he's ready. He'll have no shame; I'll be the one who has to pick up the pieces. She smiles at me when I think of her, she told me she saved that smile for me, liar. I went to surprise her at work, on her birthday last week. Bought her flowers and everything, then I saw it. She smiled at them the same way; she had that twinkle in her eye for every man in that bar. That's when I saw him first, through the window of that place. We looked at each other for just a split second, but that was enough to know. She'd hurt him to. The rains pouring down harder still, even me thick trench coat can't stop it pounding down so hard on me. It's not pounding as much as my heart though, my hearts pounding like thunder, like a trapped animal, there's a storm raging inside me, I cant lose her. My feet are getting heavier after every step I take, I can feel a cold sweat rushing all over my body, my hands are gripped so tightly with fear, I can't run any faster. It's such a busy place, so full of people all the time, so full of life. Still I feel alone, empty without her. My heart beats faster still, I keep seeing him, first in front of me then behind, he's going to hurt her. How can it have come to this, why did she have to leave me, things were so perfect. I can see him properly no, there's no mistaking it he's just across the road. Weaving in and out of the yellow taxis I think I'm getting closer to him. I'm passing so many trees, the more I pass the less I can work out there shape, i'm losing all definition. Everything seems a blur. The smoky exhausts of the double-parked cars have made the air heavy. Yet even with all the traffic I still feel distant, this place that's been home for so long suddenly seems a whole new world to me. This is what I imagine it to be without her, lost forever in a world I'll never be able to clasp, she grounds me, helps me through life, well she is my life. The noise of the city is beginning to fade away as my path leads me away from the busy streets, he's here. I keep seeing him but then he's gone, maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. Between my footsteps and my loss of breath my mind is beginning to wonder, back to the day I first met her, when she wouldn't even notice me whatever I did, I think she changed when she met me, I don't know , but I can imagine. I think something changed in her after I met him too, it was as if she knew I knew about him. My heart shunted when I saw her, I froze for a second, her blonde hair blew gently in the wind, the full moon was shining through the branches of central park, casting eerie shadows on the path she was walking. She held her umbrella with one hand, while attempting to light a cigarette with the other, her black stiletto heels tapped steadily along the bridge. There he is, lying in wait. Now's my chance. She just looked right at him, I can see it in his eyes, she knew him, and she knows what he's going to do. He flicked out the knife that had been gripped in his hand so tightly all this way, he can see me in its reflection, he's smiling. She's dropped her cigarette onto the floor and is running, he's running after her, and I after him. Her heels are sinking into the wet ground, he's catching her, but I'm catching him. As he wrapped his tired hands around her neck I began to struggle with him, I begged him to stop, and so did she. Her body grew heavy with the dread of what was to come. The knife fell to the ground, I had control, I'd beaten him. I released her from my grip, brushed back my scraggly hair, grabbed her hand, tried to feel for a pulse. There wasn't one. Then I looked at her hand, it glistened at me, like her eyes used to, her ring she still had it on. Maybe she did still love me. I cried for her to come back to me, the end came anyway. Then I felt it, the ice-cold air flowing over me, around me and through me, she was dead, he had killed her, I had killed her.

Foreign Policy on Pakistan-India Relation

An aggressive, liberal and a pro-active foreign policy makes way for improved ties with the nations of the world. Predictably, the regional scenario of South Asia, particularly of the region encompassing the countries of Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Central Asian States is likely to remain volatile in the near future. Pakistan is a stakeholder in the scenario and regional instability is inadvertently going to have a decelerating influence on the country road to peace and progress.With Pakistan and Indian's relation being strengthened via the tools of negotiations ND diplomacy, it can be expected that inter-regional cooperation will be catcalled. Thus, better ties between the two most significant neighbors in the region, Pakistan and India, symbolize enhanced cooperation in the South Asian region on the whole. The document sets out a two-faceted goal, Short-Term and Long-Term and bridges the proposed solutions to the principal issues between Pak istan and India, through a road-map.Cotton is charged at RSI. 108/kilogram; Tariff on the Dairy Products is from 40-60%, Garments are charged at RSI. 85/piece, Agriculture Items at a Tariff of 35%. These rates are generally considered to be unfairly high. [It must be mentioned that Pakistanis high-quality products like Cotton/Lawn Fabric and Bed Linens are in popular demand in the Indian markets] (g) Pakistani exporters complain that India continues to exercise country-specific Imitation Import Barriers in Pakistanis case, (h) India argues that these NTIS (Non- Tariff Barriers) are the same for all of its trading partners, I) Pakistan itself does not have a standardized import regime.Indian exporters, therefore, have to deal with fewer restrictions of product quality and specifications, O) In August 2012, India lifted its ban on Pakistani businessperson to invest in India. Proposed Solution: Trade between Pakistan and India has the potential to reach US $ 10 Billionaire, thus: (a) P akistan should upgrade its manufacturing industry and improve the value- addition processes of exportable items. Better-Quality products are more likely to have greater access to the Indian markets, (b) Pakistani manufacturers and businessperson are at a disadvantage because Indian exporters have fewer product restrictions in Pakistan while Pakistani exporters have to deal with strict product-quality specifications in India.Pakistan should regulate its import regime and maintain better standards for the quality of import items, (c) Pakistan should urge India to abide by the 3 landmark trade agreements (signed in February 2012) and simplify the following trade requirements: – ) Custom Documentation formalities, – ) Tariff Structure, – ) The whole procedure of obtaining and renewing the Bureau of India Standards (IBIS) License, (d) Pakistan should also urge India to ease the requirement of agricultural permits ND automobile licenses on imports coming from Pakistan , (e) State Bank of Pakistan and Reserve Bank of India should open cross-border branches on the basis of mutual benefits, (f) Both countries should work towards the opening of the Nabob-Cockroach Route (in Kinds, Pakistan) as a feasible trade route, (g) Pakistan and India should finalize liberationists in the Visa Regime, including Multiple-Entry and Greater-Duration Visas for businessperson. Indian Home Ministry has agreed to relax its previous stance that it will not allow relaxations in the business and civilian visa regime, unless Pakistan takes action against the Iambi 6/11 terrorists], (h) Visa relaxations will help Pakistani rice exporters in learning technical expertise for rice cultivation. Pakistani automobile (specifically tractor industry) and cement industry can have strong potential in Indian markets if Pakistani manufacturers will themselves visit India frequently and explore the market of 1. 2 billion people, (I) The Economic Zone between Karts (Pakistan) and Amorist s (India) should be established, O) Pakistan must go ahead with granting the MFC Status to India on 3 conditions: – ) That Pakistan will maintain a well-prepared ‘Sensitive List' for items which can not be imported from India.This will ensure the safeguard of Pakistanis local industry, – ) That India will reciprocate by reducing its ‘Sensitive List' on items which can not be imported from Pakistan, including tariff relaxations on Pakistanis Textile, – ) That India should lift its ban from Indian investors on investing in Pakistan. (II) SIR CREEK Out of all other bilateral disputes between Pakistan and India, the Sir Creek Dispute can be expected to have a relatively quick solution. The settlement of this dispute can be used as an important Confidence-Building Measure to build on to resolve other pending disputes. Sir Creek is a 96 km strip of water. It is made up of marshes which makes it water-logged for most of the year. It runs in the Ran of Ketch area.The Ran of Ketch area lies between the south of Kinds in Pakistan and the State of Gujarat in India. Historical evidence (specifically the 1908 Imperial Gazetteer of India) clearly indicates that during the British Rule in India, the Ran of Ketch was part of Kinds. Later, when India was partitioned in 1947, Kinds became a part of Pakistan (therefore Sir Creek also became a part of Pakistan). According to Paragraphs 9 and 10 of the ‘1914 Bombay Resolution' (which was signed teen the Government of Bombay and the Ruler of Ketch), the ‘Green Line' as indicated in the map clearly demarcated the boundaries of Sir Creek and included the whole of it in Kinds.India then argued that from the technical aspect, the ‘Green Line' is not a boundary but Just an ‘indication of a boundary. India claimed that the boundary of Sir Creek lies manhandle into the water and that exactly half of Sir Creek is part of India. To validate this claim, India endorses the ‘Thales Principle'. In 1965, Indian forces unfairly attempted to seize Sir Creek because India wanted to establish its naval base n the Gulf of Ketch. As a result, India gained control off part of Sir Creek. When the prospect of important mineral resources (oil/gas) was discovered in the subsurface of Sir Creek, Pakistan and India became more serious about their respective claims.Both countries now realize that if they loose one kilometer of Sir Creek on ground, it would subsequently mean a loss of hundreds of square nautical miles of the resourceful economic zone under-water. Indian's current stance is that boundaries should first be marked under-water and according to the under-water boundaries, the land boundaries shall be demarcated. Pakistanis current stance is to first demarcate on the ground and then under-water. Pakistan wants the adoption of the 1914 Bombay Resolution. Pakistan was willing to invite international arbitration because it believes it has a strong case. But India alwa ys wanted to keep this issue bilateral.Proposed Solution-1914 Bombay Resolution: (a) Indian's endorsement of ‘Thales Principle' is not applicable in the case of Sir Creek because Sir Creek is Water-logged and not navigable' for most part of the year. The Thales Principle holds applicable only for navigable areas. (b) The demarcation of land boundaries shall be done first. The demarcation of the under-water maritime boundaries will then follow. (c) Indian's unreasonable argument that demarcation shall first be done under-water will have to be countered. Hydrosphere from both Pakistan and India have declared that environmental changes have occurred over the years and it is not possible anymore to distinguish between territorial waters without demarcating the land area first. D) During the process of demarcation, the ‘1991 Pakistan-India Agreement on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Maneuvers and Troop Movement' will be strictly followed by both sides to ensure peace a long the coastline of Sir Creek. E) After demarcating Sir Creek, both countries will submit their respective boundary limits to the ‘Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLC). The CLC will consider and evaluate the data submitted by each country. (f) Here, Pakistan will automatically have a stronger case because according to the rules of CLC, India can not mention Sir Creek as a part of its continental shelf in the documents which it will submit to CLC. (g) 3 factors will further strengthen Pakistanis case. First, Sir Creek was a major water distributors of River Indus and Pakistan has an undisputed right over River Indus.Second, the ‘Green Line' shown in the maps of 1914 Bombay Resolution clearly brings Sir Creek in Pakistanis territorial domain. Third, the tail of Sir Creek terminates in Baden which is a district in Pakistan. (h) Pakistanis claims are very strong and it is very likely that the CLC will eventually favor Pakistan. According to the United Na tions Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLES), both countries are time-bound to resolve this dispute because unless this dispute is resolved, neither side will be eligible to exploit their respective Exclusive Economic Zones in the sea. (Ill) PRISONERS The settlement of Sir Creek Dispute can be followed with another important Confidence-Building Measure. The area of Sir Creek is concentrated with fishermen.Since territorial borders in water (and on land) are not properly marked, fishermen from both sides end up mistakenly trespassing into each other's territorial waters. They are then arrested. The laws which are used by Pakistan and India to govern their seas and arrest these fishermen have not been conformed by UNCLES. Pakistani fishermen are arrested by India under the ‘Maritime Zones of India Acts, 1976 and 1981'. India is a signatory of he UNCLES but its maritime zone acts do not conform to the United Nations Convention on Law of the Seas (UNCLES). The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (AMPS) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICC) shall resume the negotiations which were called off after the Iambi attacks. These negotiations will ensure: a.That whenever Pakistani fishermen are detained in India, the Indian maritime agencies will immediately inform the Pakistani maritime agencies and vice versa. B. That the ships and boats of the detained Pakistani fishermen will be handed over to the Pakistani maritime agency by the Indian maritime agencies and vice versa. Two concrete steps can be taken: a. Joint Judicial Commission on Prisoners, 2007: Recommendations of this Commission (which was constituted by both governments and comprises of 4 superior retired Judges from each side) must be given immediate consideration and implemented. This Joint commission (if adequately empowered) can almost resolve the issue of prisoners. B.Agreement of Counselor Access, 2008: Under this Agreement, prisoners (in both, Pakistan and India) must be provided access to a Counselor i mmediately after being arrested. The major role of the counselor is to verify the nationality of the prisoner. This process, however, often gets delayed unnecessarily. Often, this delay is from the country to which the prisoner belongs. Interior/Home Ministries, Foreign/External Ministries and the High Commissions of Pakistan and India must therefore promptly strive to avoid any delays in the verification of the nationality of their respective citizens present in each other's Jails. In June 2012, Pakistan released 311 Indian fishermen. There are 21 deaf, mute and mentally unstable Pakistani prisoners in Indian Jails. These prisoners have also completed their sentences.The Indian Supreme Court is coking into the matter of their release but it is encountering a lot of technical hurdles. Likewise, there are 18 Pakistani Prisoners of War (of 1965 and 1971) still in Indian jails. The next round of talks between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries is expected from September 7 to 9 (2012). There, the return of these 39 prisoners should be a top priority on Pakistanis agenda. If the Sir Creek issue is resolved, it becomes a moral binding on both parties to simultaneously release ALL those prisoners, who were arrested on the charges of ‘Mistaken Trespassing'. THE WATER ISSUE Between the two countries, it is India which is the upper-riparian state.And therefore, in this case it is India which is required to take sensible decisions to protect our peace negotiations from untimely termination. [The Water ‘Issue' must not be treated as a ‘Dispute' because calling it a dispute will have its own repercussions. The solution is already in place in the form of ‘Indus Water Treaty, 1960' and only a re-interpretation of the treaty is required] The ISSUE: (a) sass's Indus Water Treaty gave 3 western rivers to Pakistan. India was allowed to use some water from these 3 rivers before they enter into Pakistan. B) India was permitted to use the water for h ydrophone generation. The condition was that Indian usage must not alter the natural timing of flow and the quantity of these waters as they enter Pakistan. C) With Indian hydrophone projects, the only concern for Pakistan is the timing of flow because hydrophone does not ‘consume' water so the quantity remains unaltered. The timing of the flow is critically important for agriculture in Pakistan. (d) In the 1960 Treaty, India was only allowed limited water storage. This was applied to all the dams which India will build on Jelled and Chance. E) The problem began with the installation of ‘physical gates'. India was allowed to install these gates to flush out the silt/waste (coming from glaciers), but India began using it to unfairly ‘stop' and unfairly ‘release' water into Pakistan. (f) The problem will get more severe when India will complete the construction of Bursar Dam, Shanghaiing Dam, Peaceful Dam, Kowalski Dam, Deal Hustle Dam.In case India decides to go for ‘Cumulative Storage' or ‘Cumulative Release' of water from these dams, Pakistan will be completely vulnerable to mass destruction (which was allegedly the case with the 2010 floods). Words of John Brioche (World Banks Senior Water Advisor and Neutral Expert on Baggier Dam case) must be cited for reference : He says, â€Å"A Journalist colleague in Delhi told me that the Indus Treaty is considered an integral part of Kashmir and when it comes to Kashmir, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs instructs newspapers on what they can and cannot say, and often tells them explicitly what it is they are to say†. Proposed Solution-Negotiations and Negotiations: Pakistan will have to diplomatically assert the right amount of pressure on India for the re-interpretation of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty.Right amount of pressure' on India can be exerted by Pakistan in the form of legal hurdles and calls for international arbitration for Indian power projects being built o n rivers Jelled and Chance. If the two countries can keep ego aside, there can be numerous ways in which the 1960 Treaty can be implemented to benefit both sides. A Joint monitoring system can also be formulated to ensure timely discharge of water from India to Pakistan. But this is only possible when relations are more cordial and more trust has been developed on both sides. In fact, India has the potential to ‘increase' this flow during difficult planting seasons n Pakistan. This is not an unrealistic suggestion.India does have this potential and can do it without effecting its own power generation. But focuses, this can only be made possible when relations between both countries are friendlier. Joint Power Projects (a) Indian's power outage of 31st July 2012 affected 670 Million Indian citizens, and has considerably reduced the Foreign Direct Investment coming to India. (b) This scenario can trigger further collaborations and can get India on board for the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project. (c) USA is particularly interested to normalize relations between Pakistan and India so hat Pakistan can retreat its forces from its Eastern border and redeploy them on the Western borders along Afghanistan. D) On the other hand, why India is reluctant to rejoin the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project (which was called Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project until India backed of is because India is a close ally of the USA and the USA did not want India to be a part of this project because of its own concerns with Iran's nuclear program. (e) But now, Pakistan can seek an advantage from USA. (f) Pakistan shall diplomatically convey this to America that the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project is very essential, not only to address the acute power shortage in both Pakistan and India but also very specifically to enhance developmentalcollaboration between the two countries. (g) After this, it will be America's call to realize that it must not continue to become an unfa ir player between Pakistan and India. Assuming that USA decides to stop exerting pressure on India, it will then entirely be Indian's decision whether or not to pursue the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project. H) After the episode of Indian's biggest power failure (dated July 31 , 2012), chances are hat India will now be willing to resume talks on the IP Gas Pipeline Project. (I) Also, India aspires to become the regional power-house of South Asia and in the long term, it aspires to out-do China in this quest. If India actually aspires to become the regional power, it should start acting like one and must play its part in enhancing regional collaborations. This, is another reason why India should be more willing to pursue the IP Gas Pipeline Project. KASHMIR Kashmir Stance: In the words of Mir WAIS Muar Faro (Chairman All Parties Hurray Conference), â€Å"Kashmir is not a bilateral issue between Pakistan and India, but a trilateral one which also involves the people of Kashmir† .SELF Momma Kashmir Liberation Front) Chairman Yak's Mali believes that the option of a deep freeze (that is, to freeze the matter in its current position for a few years before relations become stronger between Pakistan and India) is not feasible, without stopping the Indian operation in the Indian-occupied Kashmir. India can not afford to ‘deep-freeze' the matter because of the suspicion that the freedom movement will take over as soon as the Indian operation is stopped. Three-e-Hurray Chairman Seed All Shah Gelling strongly advocates Kashmir ‘Right of Self-Determination' and purports Kashmir alliance with Pakistan. However, he once said: â€Å"Pakistan has morally, diplomatically and politically supported the struggle of the people of Jam & Kashmir, but this does not mean Pakistan can take a decision on our behalf†.APPC (All Parties Hurray Conference) Chairman Miramar Muar Faro demands: a) ‘Armed Forces Special Powers Act (PAPPAS, 1990)' shall be repealed (UN has called it ‘A Violation of International Law and has asked India to revoke it), b) Indian troops shall be withdrawn from populated areas of the Valley, c) Political Detainees shall be leased, if India wants a peaceful resolution of the dispute. International Community Stance: The International Community wants to resolve the dispute of Kashmir because it sees it as a threat to regional stability in South Asia if two nuclear states, Pakistan and India, are involved in such a tense dispute and are not engaging in economic collaborations with each other.Indian's Stance: India has a two-fold agenda on Kashmir: a) Propagate that unrest in Kashmir is basically ‘Pakistanis Proxy War' and Pakistan is logistically supporting the Kashmir Freedom Fighters, ) Make the Line of Control (LoC) the international border between Pakistan and India. India is intelligently floating the LoC-Solution in the international community; U. S and U. K are also supporting Indian's stance as th e ultimate solution for Kashmir. By proposing the LoC-Solution, India is suggesting that both Pakistan and India should enjoy sovereignty over their respective part of Kashmir and that the Kashmir people can be allowed to travel between both parts more freely.Proposed Solution-plebiscite: (l) If Pakistan wishes to avoid the situation in which the International Community egging exercising diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to accept the Indian formula to settle the Kashmir Dispute, it must come up with more realistic alternatives that take into consideration the popular demands of the people of Kashmir. (II) Pakistan believes that the main issue is not the territorial control' of the land of Kashmir but the ‘right of self-determination' of the Kashmir people. Pakistan should continue to advocate this stance. (Ill) Pakistan should use the global forums to remind its international partners that Indian forces deployed in Kashmir, are violating the very basic human rights by imaging i n acts of rape and child molestation. ‘V) Pakistan should also use the global forums to remind its international partners that so far, the Indian Government has been unable to get any political set-up accepted by the Kashmir people. (V) Pakistan should reiterate its support for the All Parties Hurray Conference (APPC) as the most prominent representation of the Kashmir people. Pakistan should also remind the international community that the APPC comprises not only of Islamic fundamentalists but also of liberal and progressive factions like Jam Kashmir Liberation Front GOLF) and the Miami Action Committee. VI) Pakistan strongly condemns Indian's accusations that the Kashmir freedom struggle is sponsored by Pakistan.In order to counter these allegations, we invite Indian's consent on requesting the United Nations to deploy more international observers along the Line of Control. (VI') Pakistan should counter Indian's LoC-Solution by terming it a ‘military solution which doe s not serve the purpose of the freedom movement. Pakistan believes that even after LoC is made the international border between Pakistan and India, the Kashmir people will not stop their freedom struggle. (VI†) Series of Bilateral & Trilateral Talks: Pakistan should be proactive in the current on-going negotiations between Islamabad and Delhi and should diplomatically ensure that these talks do not come to any momentary halts.Pakistan believes that time is of essence and the bilateral dialogue with India should not be allowed to be influenced and stopped by other factors that govern the relation between the two countries. (a) Pakistan would like to begin the Series with Secretary-Level Talks between the Foreign Secretaries, and then, the Defense Secretaries of the two countries. (b) The Indian Government shall commit to freeze the military operation in the Unanticipated Kashmir for the duration of this Series. (c) The next level of talks will include the Political Leadership ( Government + Opposition) of Pakistan, of India and of Kashmir. (d) To ensure the true representation of the people of Kashmir, an election shall be conducted under international monitoring, to choose the political leadership from all states of Jam & Kashmir.This political leadership will then represent the territory at the negotiation table. (e) Pakistan strictly reaffirms that it will simply not entertain any third-party other than the United Nations, for the role of a mediator between Pakistan and India. In the unlikely scenario that India proposes to invite the U. S on board as the thirdly, Pakistan will rule it out by proposing the name of China. Pakistanis argument is that the U. S is not a neutral choice because it already favors Indian's LoC-Solution on the matter and has greater strategic interests with India. China, on the other hand, is the regional power-house and is a greater share-holder in South Asia.Chances are, that India will not agree to the name of China. Eventual ly, in case of a deadlock, both parties will retreat to the name of United Nations] (XX) Pakistanis principal stance is to vive the Right of Self Determination to Kashmir people via a Plebiscite. This stance will be achieved by implementing UN Resolution 47, according to which: (a) Pakistan will withdraw its nationals (if any) from Kashmir, (b) India will withdraw the excessive military personals from Kashmir, (c) UN observers will be deployed to ensure that withdrawal from both sides, is of a reasonable proportion, (d) Once the withdrawal process is completed, the ‘Owen Dixon Model' will be adopted.This model divides Kashmir into 2 zones: – ) Kashmir Valley + Muslim Areas of Jam + Muslim Areas of Ladder + Muslim Areas of Cargill, – ) Remaining Districts of Jam, Ladder and Lee. (e) Once the Owen Dixon Model is adopted, Plebiscite can be conducted under United Nation's trusted supervision. The people will vote either in favor of Pakistan or India, (f) A 3rd option of ‘Complete Independence' can be included in the Plebiscite. [This option is favored by some Kashmir freedom parties, like Manually Khan's SELF. However, both Pakistan and India are reluctant about the inclusion of this option because that will ignite demands of independence from various areas within India

Industrial tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Industrial tourism - Essay Example One of the things that Abbey hates most about modernity is the construction of highways and access roads through or into wildernesses and national parks, whether it is to connect distant places or to make them more accessible. According to him, the roads and highways reduce the â€Å"old magic† of real, genuine amusement that comes from using less-motorized means to explore the wild such as walking on foot or using bicycles. He strongly accuses the notion that the purpose of the roads is to enhance accessibility so that more people can experience nature in lesser time. To him, accessibility is just a curtain to blind the people of modernity’s real intention, which to him is making money. His argument is that no place is inaccessible if one is willing to, and that accessibility does not make sense since people have been too extreme regions of the world unaided by heavy motorized mechanisms. â€Å"What does accessibility mean? ...even Mount McKinley, even Everest, have b een summoned by men on foot †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Abbey 47). The second reason why Abbey is against modernity is that whatever it claims to be doing for the people is not true, claiming that the industrialization of tourism is merely for monetary gain. From his perspective, the motels, automotive industries, oil corporations, gas retailers, road constructors, and all other parties involved in the modernization of nature are all in the industry to make money, and that they care for neither the people nor nature itself. In addition, he reveals that in addition to being big business, it is a well-organized cartel inspired by the politics of the land. As he puts it, â€Å"Industrial Tourism is a big business. It means money †¦ and are represented in Congress with strength far greater than is justified†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (48). Abbey offers some corrective measures to change the attitudes of people from the ones already stained by modernization. For one, people should not take automobiles to n ational parks or in the wilderness. Just like they are not taking them to churches for their being â€Å"holy† so be it with parks as they are also holy. He suggests that people should be more natural: use their feet or enter the parks on animal backs. Second, he recommends that further construction of roads in the parks should stop, and the already existing roads to remain for use by those on bicycles. Lastly, he says that park rangers should do their work; to go out into the parks to guard and guide visitors, and not sit behind desks in booths selling tickets. Abbey adds that these measures will bring back the good old days of hiking, camping, and enjoying the wild in its natural form, not to mention that it is cheaper than using motorized assistance. He argues quite sensibly. If one forecasts the future, in the days when the population will have expanded, then it means the need for constructing more roads to connect more cities and towns that will have come up will grow. T his means more roads will appear in the wild. In addition, if we do not respect the natural parks and the wilderness, it means our population will lead to our encroaching on the natural geographies to create more dwelling places. Therefore, his argument for the monitoring of the growing population is very true. Abbey however chips in a little acknowledgement

Changing organizations is as messy as it is exhilarating, as Essay - 1

Changing organizations is as messy as it is exhilarating, as frustrating as it is satisfying, as muddling-through and creative a process as it is a rational one - Essay Example It is complex in its paradigm and encompasses myriad issues which directly or indirectly impact organizational performance. Palmer et al., (2009) argue that changing organization is ‘as messy as it is exhilarating, as frustrating as it is satisfying and as creative a process as it is a rational one’ which actually sums up the challenges of meeting them successfully. The paper would be analysing the statement from myriad perspectives and would look at the change per se because they bring with them the paradoxes that are confusing but pose challenge for the managerial leadership to identify new opportunities in them (McMillan, 2008; Osborne & Brown, 2005). Indeed, they are exhilarating experience for the leadership as they would like it to change into facilitators of success. Thus, businesses make efforts to identify drivers of change to anticipate them and exploit them for not only competitive advantage but also for survival. Changes become important factors that serve as motivation for management to introduce new ways to improve and improvise performance. Organizations need to change mainly because of pressures from external and internal factors that significantly impact organizational performance and credibility (Morgan, 2006). The major drivers of change are described as below: Scholars have defined globalization as ‘the diffusion of goods, services, capital, technology, and people (workers) across national borders’ (Sirgy et al., 2004: 253). The movement of people across geographical borders has been important paradigm that has redefined social structure and considerably influenced business dynamics in terms of inter-dependency of resources. People have become key elements of business necessitating understanding of human psychology in a multicultural society. Diversity has become a reality and business needs to utilize their competencies for improved outcome. At the same time, globalization has considerably expanded the scope of business with

Chapter summaries 1 page each chapter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chapter summaries 1 page each chapter - Essay Example by scholars, it has not be written for scholars.1 The chapter seeks to inform a wider audience on how to go about interpreting the Old Testament and this chapter is especially set for students, pastors, and the general public regardless of their level of education. A correct understanding of any written or spoken information depends on the context. If such statements are taken out of the context, this deprives the information its true meaning, and leads to misinformation.2 The meaning of the passages depends on the context of the message and the paragraph. The meaning of such a passage would thus depend on the grammatical form of the word, and the role of the word or phrase in relation to the sentence. This is what amounts to an immediate context. The scripture is best understood by considering the literary form, which is a middle level context. In addition is the distant context that is also referred to as the theological context. The latter requires consideration of the canon of the scripture to understand. There is a need to consider the genre as a critical step in interpretation. The literary form of the Old Testament has been ignored by many, and this has led to lack of a holistic understanding of the context among the general audience. The bible in both the new and the Old Testament use different forms of communication, which include stories, music and homiletics. These forms of communication have to be analyzed according to their own genre. Owing to the overreliance of story forms in writing the Bible, the narrative becomes the ideal essence in Bible revelation, and this makes narratives to be the essential part for all bible interpreters.3 The literary forms becomes essential in understanding the Bible, as the Bible is entirely written in literary form. Therefore, the correct interpretation of narratives would largely depends on the appreciation of the plot as it entirely describe the beginning, the middle and the end of both the single and complex

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 105

Discussion - Essay Example Also, before forwarding a message, obtain permission from the sender, who may have intended the message for you only† (p. 370). As such, disclosing any privileged information that was accidentally received would be tantamount to a violation of trust and would be detrimental to one’s image, or it could even put at risk the security of one’s job. Presentation*. You are preparing for a presentation with a short deadline. You find perfect wording and great graphics on the Internet. Should you lift the graphics and wording but change a few words? You figure that if it is on the Internet, it must be in the public domain. Any information taken from other sources, written by other people, should not be copied. If they are to be used, even paraphrased or copied verbatim, these sources should be cited and properly referenced. Lifting the graphics and paraphrasing, without acknowledging the source is tantamount to plagiarism. As emphasized, â€Å"to avoid plagiarism, you must use material from outside sources properly. You can integrate outside material into your paper in three ways: by quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing† (Gurak & Lannon, 2013, p. 429). Thus, in no instance should any material be lifted and copied without acknowledging the source, as

Carnival Cruise Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Carnival Cruise - Case Study Example The company currently has 21 ships in active service, with one more under construction. On a trivial note, all of their ships have names ending in "of the Seas". The company also operates the well-known Celebrity Cruises line, Pullmantur Cruises, and Azamara Cruises among others. They are famous for building the largest cruise ships in the world, highlighted by their Freedom and upcoming Genesis class of ships. The Freedom of the Seas is currently the world's largest cruise ship in operation, accommodating over 4,300 passengers and 1,300 crew. Royal Caribbean offers a comprehensive line of activities which augment the entire cruise experience. These include rock climbing, ice-skating shows, and a specially built "Flowrider", a wave simulator where one can learn to surf. There is also an on-board casino, several bars and lounges, a 400-foot mall, and even scuba diving to boot. A sample itinerary for a trip to the Caribbean would include climbing Jamaica's Dunn's River Falls, mountain biking in Costa Rica's rain forests, snorkeling with stingrays, horseback riding on the beaches of St. Thomas, diving 800 feet below see level to a research submarine, exploring the Hato Caves in Curacao, and exploring Mayan ruins. The company's biggest strength is that it has a tremendous marketing arm, and it is very effective in leveraging off the publicity it gains with its high-profile cruise ships. Even the construction of "Freedom of the Seas" was featured on the Discovery Channel. This attests to their very effective strategies in increasing overall market share through word of mouth and mass media. The cruise's main weakness is that if you are a person who likes privacy, it is not exactly the best choice. Its cruise ships are the largest in the world, and it is teeming with people. If one would like a nice, relaxing time by the pool, this is most likely a remote possibility as many others would most likely be doing the same. Its clientele and target market include upper middle to high net worth individuals. It is considered very expensive by some quarters. Their clientele has an average age of 42, 7 years younger than the industry average. Another major player in the cruise ship industry is Star Cruises. It is the third-largest cruise line in the world behind Carnival Cruises and Royal Caribbean. It dominates the Asia-Pacific Market with a combined fleet of 22 ships and over 35,000 berths, and is credited as the primary catalyst for the industry in the region. The cruise line was founded in 1993 under the Genting Group of Malaysia, with its corporate headquarters in Hong Kong. In 2000 it acquired Norwegian Cruise Line, and became the first global cruise line in the process It had a net revenue of $337 million in 2007, up 15.4 % from the previous year Activities onboard include a multi-million dollar production show, superstar musicians for entertainment, and a murder mystery game. For further entertainment and leisure there is also a golf driving range, a jet current exercise pool, a basketball court, a wine shop, a card room, and

The Consequences of World War I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Consequences of World War I - Essay Example Although that might not get you a very high grade on a history test, many modern scholars perceive WWII as a continuation of WWI, just after a short reprieve. The First World War is often remembered as one of the bloodiest of wars fought; bloodier than what was experienced during the American Civil War. In fact, it is fair to say that no one is Europe, Asia, and the United States, nor the rest of the world, believed that this war would be so destructive, caused so much death, or last so long (Keylor 1). The events of WWI and those that occurred directly after led to consequences that changed the societal structures, national economies, and, ultimately, led to the start of WWII 20 years later. History Prior to WWI the United States had not been involved in any wars since the turn of the century. Things in Europe were going quite differently. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of the Austrian Emperor, along with his wife while vacationing had outraged the Austrians. Serbia was held responsible. However, while waiting to be certain that they had the support and backing of Germany, gave the Serbians time to guarantee the backing and support of Russia. War was declared, approximately a month later, in July of 1914. The Central Powers included Germany, Austrio-Hungary, and Turkey opposing the Allies, which included Russia, France, Serbia, Great Britain, Japan, Belgium, and later the United States (Keylor 1). Trench warfare began. However, it was not long before troops and financing began to dwindle. It was not until 1917 that the United States entered and declared war on Germany. This was a direct reaction to the German’s sinking the British Ship the Lusitania, which killed a number of American passengers, and a telegram sent by Germany offering Untied States lands to Mexico if they would join them in opposing the United States. The war would rage throughout until 1919. In total, More than 9 million sailors, soldiers, and pilots were killed, 5 million civilians were caught in the crossfire of war, and then another 7 million men returned home injured and/or permanently disabled. There were also huge costs involved in the length of the world, billions of dollars spent across the 28 different countries (Mintz 1). Discussion The consequences of WWI saw the United States begin to rise as dominate economic and political power in the world, mostly because many of the nations of Europe were so depleted. For Europeans the consequences were quite harsh. The political, economic, and social orders of European society, in some cases, came â€Å"crashing down.† It saw the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Germany, Austrio-Hungary, and Russian empires (Keylor 1). New nations were emerging as borders began to change, ethnic tensions were heightening, and an inability to recover from the losses suffered due to the war. As a response many leaders sought to establish a â€Å"new international system† that would help repair damage in Europe and lead to a more productive future for all of the nations. Delegates from these nations met in Paris, France in 1919 to discuss the â€Å"Treaty of Versailles.† However, the major powers, in the treaty discussions were left to Britain, France, Italy, and the United States. It was during this time that the â€Å"league of Nations† was established which would ideally aid in preventing other armed warfare in the future. Although, Germany felt slighted by the treaty, but did not lose territory and therefore signed the treaty. Also, many felt that the Germans were responsible for the majority of WWI, and therefore cost them dearly. Ultimately, the United State

Reseach Workoholics Essay Example for Free

Reseach Workoholics Essay Is a 40-hour work week too much? Should there be a mandatory cap on the number of hours a person can work? Should there be changes in employment laws to give Americans more relaxation time? A workaholic definition is a noun a person who compulsively works hard and long hours. But the definition in a workaholics eyes is a person who â€Å"values work over any other activity, according to careercast.com. Merriam-webster.com says its a compulsive worker (Productivity) The reasons for someone to become a workaholic are some people dont feel their lives are fulfilled unless theyre engaged in constructive activities. The more they work, the happier they are. Its addictive. Where in the world can they be productive and reap the rewards of their labor but at their job? Workaholics cant be idle. They need to be constantly working. Proving their value Children who were raised in dysfunctional families, or by perfectionist parents, and were made to feel like their best was never good enough can grow up to be workaholics. Spending their adult lives immersed in their work is a way for them to constantly prove themselves and their worth. Escaping problems and negative feelings another reason why people become workaholics is because they lack a sense of control in their lives. They have problems at home they cant fix, or they dont want to deal with, for example. Being at work all the time allows them to escape painful, negative feelings. It also gives them a sense of control they cant find otherwise. Adrenaline rush working non-stop provides an adrenaline rush to some people. Being extremely busy, rushing to meet unrealistic goals, and pushing themselves beyond their limits gives them that intense feeling they crave. That same adrenaline rush- the increased heart rate, the burst of energy, the heightening of their senses- comes from roller coaster rides and other thrilling activities. In 1965, a U.S. Senate subcommittee predicted that as a result of increasing labor productivity from automation and â€Å"cybernation† in other words, the computer revolution. Americans would be working only about 20 hours a week by the year 2000, while taking seven weeks or more of vacation a year. By the mid-1970s, and especially after 1980, median wages weren’t keeping pace with increases in our capacity to produce. But flattening incomes didn’t derail the consumption train. Americans continued to buy more, in part by going deeper into debt, by having more members of the family enter the workforce and by working additional overtime. By the boom times of the late 1990s, Americans worked more than the notoriously workaholic Japanese. To answer the question of limiting the number of hours you can work I think we would have a happier and healthier society if we worked a little less. As of right now, some jobs require a lot of time and energy. Legalizing mandating the number of hours worked is an interesting idea. It would see a drop in stress levels, more family time and participation and healthier workers. This probably wouldnt make too many people happy at first, though, and it would take some getting used to. It is a way to raise healthier families and having less levels of stress that are exhibited in really tough jobs, like ER doctors and nurses, and other highly stressful occupations. American work-life balance according to the Center for American Progress on the topic of work and family life balance, â€Å"in 1960, only 20 percent of mothers worked. Today, 70 percent of American children live in households where all adults are employed.† I don’t care who stays home and who works in terms of gender (work opportunity equality for all – it’s a family choice). Either way, when all adults are working (single or with a partner), that’s a huge hit to the American family and free-time in the American household. The U.S. is the ONLY country in the Americas without a national paid parental leave benefit. The average is over 12 weeks of paid leave anywhere other than Europe and over 20 weeks in Europe. Zero industrialized nations are without a mandatory option for new parents to take parental leave. That is, except for the United States. Lets say someone make $60k/year. Excluding benefits, employee taxes, etc., lets consider this equivalent to $30/hour. ($30/hour x 40 hours x 50 weeks = $60k). Now they want to figure out the hourly number that he/she use to decide if its worth it to do something. For example, if he/she owe a fine on something he/she dont think they should owe, but its only a $5 fine, its not worth spending an hour ($30) to contest it. BUT, its not clear to me if he/she should use $30/hour for this number, because Im only working 8 hours/day. Like, if someone is willing to pay me for 40 hours/week at $30/hour, presumably he/she could get one or two more such jobs. Or should she/he divide that by 3 to get $10/hour because really for every 24 hours, they’re only able to earn $30/hour for a third of them? Because some of these activities he/she would be doing in my off-hours (e.g., theyd have to dispute that fine after work). Or is it something in between?

Information technology for pims pumps Essay Example for Free

Information technology for pims pumps Essay Analysis section 1 Background/to identification of problem Pims Pumps are an industrial pumping company which are involved in the distribution, installation and maintenance of industrial pumping units. The company has a large fleet of vans and many specialised tools and lots of equipment. Currently all of the equipment is logged in and out of the workshop and vans and this information is stored on paper. Analysis section 2 identification of the prospective user(s) The prospective users are the managers of the business all of whom are computer literate and are already using a computer system for other aspects of the business. The company have a small network of computers installed and all involved are competent in opening and using Microsoft access 2000 Analysis section 3 identification of user needs and acceptable limitations The system needs to be able to store large amounts of data about the whereabouts of equipment, it must be able to search through the data for any specified criteria, it must be able to be edited, it must be secure and user friendly. Interview Example documents from user Observation The proposed system can only be tested to a certain extent on being able to store large amounts of data. Analysis section 4 realistic appraisal of the feasibility of potential solutions. Analysis section 5 justification of chosen solution I have chosen to use this system because Analysis section 6 description of current system data sources and destinations The current system involves the user logging in and out equipment to vans and back into the warehouse. The user must enter his/her name, the date and time, the registration of the vehicle they are taking it to, the name of the piece of equipment and the serial number of the piece of equipment. At the end of each week the logbook except for the most recent page is taken to the admin office and stored in a filing cabinet in date order. When a piece of equipment is missing, needed of has been damaged the user can then refer back to the log book to find out who if anyone still has the piece of equipment and who else has used it recently. This can be very time consuming, as the user has to visually scan through the logbooks until he comes to the entry, which could be anything up to 15 pages. This could easily result in human error and is a big waste of time Analysis section 8 data flow diagram of current system. At current there is no flow of data as the information is simply logged and referred to if needed in the future. Analysis section 7 objectives of the project Input tasks (Data entry / Modification / View) The system will provide a user-friendly simple interface with the initial user allowing them to enter the same information as they usually do just on a keyboard. This should avoid all complications. The user interface for the initial user will be very secure to try and prevent accidental damage to the system however the management features will be able to be accessed by the management team through a password. There will be a user guide and a trouble shooting section to try and solve any potential problems. The system will be presented in form view with a main menu and various forms for different functions Output tasks (Reports) The system will be able to produce a report showing the location of any piece of equipment, or all the equipment one member of staff has recently used or all the equipment currently in a particular van. The system must be able to search through all the records for any criteria and produce a report for each one Processing tasks. The system must be able to process the information and sort it into any order that the user wishes. Quantitative performance considerations The system is going to be run over a long period of time and so will need to be able to store a very large amount of data. This s one thing I will not be able to test to its full extent however I can estimate through hardware performance whether the system is adequate or not. Qualitative evaluation criteria Data security of the new system The system will have security passwords and all obvious features that would allow the user to enter restricted areas of the system would be disabled. The system will prompt the user to save changes or automatically save changes on exit anyway. Analysis section 9 Data flow diagram of new system Analysis section 10 E-R Model Project stage 2 : design Design section 1 Overall system design The system will involve a series of tables, queries, reports and forms all linked together to provide a user-friendly system capable of all of the system requirements. I will have tables for vans, equipment, warehouse and users and will link these together and display them on one form. There will be a menu form giving the user options and security passwords for management to access and edit existing data or to view existing data. All of the data entry will be validated and the tables will be set to certain data types to try and ensure the user is entering the correct information. There will be four main tables related to bookings, employees, equipment and vehicles. There will also be four forms based upon these tables and then a main menu form for easy navigation of my database system Design section 2 Description of modular structure of system. The system will be based around 4 main tables. These are TblEmployees, which contains information about the employees that work at the company. TblEquipment, which lists equipment, details about it, its current location and a list of who has recently used it. TblVehicles will contain a list of all of the vans that Pims Pumps use and contain a list of all the equipment that is currently in each van. TblBookings will record all the bookings in an out that a piece of equipment makes and records the equipment and employee ID numbers. These tables will all be linked together in an entity relationship diagram. Design section 3 Definition of data requirements The database will have to store relevant information about the employees using the booking system information about the companys vehicles and equipment information. The fields I will store in my equipment table are as follows: 1. Equipment ID A unique number assigned to each piece of equipment. 2. Description a brief description of the piece of equipment 3. Service interval The next date when the piece of equipment is due to be serviced The fields I will store in my employee table are as follows: 1. Employee name full name of the employee 2. Employee ID a unique number assigned to each employee The fields I will store in my vehicles table are as follows: 1. Registration The registration number of my vehicle 2. Vehicle ID A unique number assigned to each vehicle I will also have a bookings table, which will store the employee and equipment ID for each booking of equipment, and the date on which the booking was made. This will enable me to run a query to find out for example what equipment any employee has used or what equipment is currently in a certain van etc. Design section 4 Identification of storage requirements and media Development hardware I can design my system on any hardware running Microsoft Windows 95 or later and that is capable of running Microsoft Access at speed. I do not require any additional specific hardware for designing my database. End-user hardware The end user already has hardware capable of running my database and all the staff are familiar with Microsoft based programs. Development software I will design the database in Microsoft Access as this is very flexible and powerful enough to undertake all or the required tasks End-user software The end user will also have to use Microsoft Access as that is the only program that my database will run on I will design the database to be user friendly and limit access to all of its functions to try and prevent accidental damage to the system. Design section 5 Identification of suitable algorithms for data transformation Queries Macros Visual basic code Design section 6 identification of any validation required I have several input masks throughout my tables however no validations are needed. The input masks that ii have used are simply in place to ensure that the user is entering the correct information or at least information that is in the correct format. Design section 7 overall user interface design Here is a plan of the layout of my main menu; Design section 8 Sample of planned data capture and entry (e. g. forms Design section 9 sample of planned data validation Design section 8 Description of record/database structure normalisation Normalisation Tables design Design section 11 Sample of planned valid output (e. g. reports). I will produce reports based on queries related to different things however the format will remain the same. Below is an example of what a report would look like if the user queried for what equipment an employee has recently used: Design section 12 Database design including relations, foreign keys, and primary keys. Entity-relationship diagram List and describe all relations separately 1. There is a one to many relationship from Equipment ID in the Equipment table to Equipment ID in the booking table. This enables there to be many pieces of equipment logged in the bookings table. 2. There is a one to many relationship from Employee ID in the Employees table to Employee ID in the Bookings table. This enables there to be many employees listed in the bookings table of that one employee can have many bookings. Indicate all primary and foreign keys for each table TblEquipments primary key is Equipment ID and it contains no foreign keys TblBookings primary key is Booking ID and it contains Equipment ID and Employee ID as foreign keys TblVehicles primary key is Vehicle ID and it contains no foreign keys TblEmployees primary key is Employee ID and it contains no foreign keys Design section 13 Planned measures for security and integrity of data Design section 14 Planned measures for systems security Design section 15 Overall test strategy Project stage 3 : Technical solution Project stage 4 : System testing Test section 1- Design of test plan strategy Test section 2 Minimal test data Test section 3 Expected results for typical test data Test section 4 Erroneous data (Check forms reject invalid data) Test section 5 Expected results for extreme data. Check that data just within range is accepted and stored Check that calculations using extreme data works Test section 6 Hard copy of representative samples of test runs Project stage 5 : Maintenance Maintenance section 1 System overview Maintenance section 2 Summary of features used Maintenance section 3 -Sample of detailed algorithm design using a recognised methodology Maintenance section 4 Annotated listings of program code, macro code tailoring Maintenance section 5 Screenshots (Mainly from design view) Table screenshots. Reports screenshots Query screenshots Macros screenshots Visual basic code Maintenance section 6 List/description of package items developed Project stage 6 : User manual User manual Brief introduction User manual Samples of actual screen displays in situ User manual Samples of error messages and/or error recovery procedures Project stage 7 : Appraisal Appraisal section 1 Comparison of project performance against objectives Evaluation of end-user requirements Evaluation of the qualitative criteria Evaluation of the quantitative criteria.

Gene Expression of Mitochondrial Enzymes from Exercise

Gene Expression of Mitochondrial Enzymes from Exercise Induced Change in Gene Expression of Mitochondrial Enzymes as a Result of Intense Exercise Abstract Exercise-induced changes in gene expression of mitochondrial enzymes has become a leading target for sports medicine research. Previous indirect testing of delayed-onset muscle soreness and changes in rotation of motion do not provide a sufficient explanation of the induced changes to the genome (Hubal, et al., 2010). Biomarker testing has allowed for detecting levels of proteins within a sample. Blood and serum levels, taken before and after exercise, have been analyzed and tested for changes in protein activity. Calf-raises show an increase in creatine kinase (CK) and aldolase (ALD) activities (Kanda, et al., 2014). MicroRNA arrays along with telomere extension mRNA arrays and quantitative real-time PCR on RNA taken from white blood cells have shown to down-regulate telomeric repeat binding factor 2 (Chilton, et al., 2014). Biochemical testing at the genomic level will provide a better understanding of the long-term effects of intense exercise. Knowing these high-intensity induced gene expressions in mitochondrial DNA aids in knowing what causes diseases such as Rhabdomyolysis. Introduction Centuries ago staying physically fit was accentual to stay alive. Those that were not fit were not able to kill prey and therefore would be less likely to survive. In today’s world, being physically fit is not a necessity, but rather something that many people strive for to live a healthy lifestyle. Living an active life lowers the chance of many diseases, such as kidney and Alzheimer’s, and cancers, such as colon and breast. It is therefore crucial to understand the biochemistry behind exercise as a helpful preventative measure for health problems. When exercising, the body is put through tasks that disrupt homeostasis. The body wants to eliminate wide spread deviants of homeostasis. However, after and during exercise the body needs more oxygen and energy to be able to complete the tasks one is putting on the body. These demands, the increase in affinity for oxygen and energy, require metabolic responses that disrupt homeostasis. To test these metabolic responses, many scientists use biomarker testing on whole blood and serum samples rather than pieces of skeletal muscle. Biomarkers are used to measure the presence of a physiological state. These markers have biological properties that measure the blood and serum. There are many different changes in the mitochondrial genome during and immediately following exercise. This paper will focus on an overview of some endurance training biomarkers, but will mainly focus on high intensity exercise and the induced gene expression in the mitochondrial genome. It is important to study the effects of exercise on gene expression to know at what levels of various genes, like lactate dehydrogenase, aldose, etc., come dangerous to human health as to prevention diseases such as Rhadomyolysis (Heled, et al., 2005). Proliferator-activated Receptors association with Exercise-Induced Mitochondrial Biogenesis Transcriptional cofactors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PGC) regulate gene expression (Lin, et al., 2005). PGC-1a regulates gene expression in the mitochondrial genome. This coactivator interacts with other proteins to regulate contraction. Overexpression of PGC-1a results in an increase in mitochondrial gene function (Lin, et al., 2002). Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent kinase 2 (CaMKII), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and nitrogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) all have important signaling that help regulate PGC-1a (Hawley, et al., 2010). Calcium is important for energy due to its role in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Contractions of skeletal muscle are dependent on high levels of calcium. The calcium then binds to troponin, which moves the myosin fibers resulting in muscle contractions. Calcium also plays a major role in calcium-calmodulin-dependent kinases. Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent kinase 2 (CaMKII) activation increases the transport of glucose in skeletal muscle (Rose, A. and Hargreaves, M., 2003). AMPK and MAPks activate PGC-1a, Figure 1, by phosphorylating transcription factors myocyte enhancer factor 2 and ATF-2, respectively (McGee and Hargreaves, 2010). Figure 1. Schematic of the Major Signaling Pathways Involved in the Control of Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy and Mitochondrial Biogenesis (Hawley, et al., 2010). The right side of this figure shows the correlation of the AMPK, CAMK, SIRT1, MAPK pathways that effect PGC-1a which regulates mitochondrial biogenesis. Another inhibitor of PGC-1a is a deactelyase silent mating type-information regulation 2 homolg 1 (SIRT1) (HIgashida, et al., 2013). Since SIRT1 is NADà ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ º-dependent, Figure 1, changes in concentration of NADà ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ º change the SIRT1 activity in the cell (Gurd, 2011). Many studies have shown that the protein content of SIRT1 and the activity are independent, and that because of that it is thought that the SIRT1 activity is what subsidizes to PGC-1a activity (Gurd 2011). Test For Correlation between SIRT1 and PGC-1a. The following experiment was performed by Chabi and coworkers to examine SIRT1’s role in muscle during muscle use (Chabi, et al., 2009). Rats were placed into a control group and a running group. The running group were able to run on a loaded wheel. Weight was added to the wheel during weeks one through four, but maintained a 200 g weight from weeks five through eight. The plantaris (PL) and soleus (SOL) muscles were taken as well as the tibialis anterior (TA) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) for analysis. Once the proteins were extracted, the SIRT1 activity and deacetylase was found by fluorescence. A cycling assay was used to determine the NAD nucleotides. Immunoblotting was done to test expression of PGC-1a, cytochrome c, SIRT1 and GAPDH. SIRT1 expression showed to be the highest in the liver and slow-twitch muscle while PGC-1a immunoreactivity was highest in the heart muscle. This experiment did not show a correlation between SIRT1 and PGC-1a expression, like the scientists hoped, but it did bring up the question if SIRT1 activity is altered by acute exercise instead of high-intensity. Eccentric Exercise and Muscle Damage Markers The following was performed by Kazue Kanda and coworkers to see if eccentric exercise affects muscle damage markers (Kanda, et al., 2014). Participates in this study each performed right calf-raises on a force plate to add 0.5 Hz to each lift. With 3 min for rest, forty repetitions for 10 sets were completed with half of their weight along with the added force. Immediately following these muscle contractions, the medial and lateral gastrocnemius and soleus were measured for tenderness using a FP meter. The meter rated based on a visual analogue scale from no pain to extremely sore. The ankle was tested for range of motion (ROM) along the dosiflexion position (-20 ) to the plantar flexion position (15). Both of tenderness of the calf and the ROM was tested at 24 h increments until 168 h after the repetitive muscle contractions. After 72 h the tenderness of the right calf increased significantly (p Subsequently, samples from the blood and urine were taken both before and at various times after the exercise. Various proteins, creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), aldolase (ALD) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were tested from the serum. An Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to test for fatty acid-binding proteins (FABP). The activities of CK and AST increased significantly post 72 h. The activities of ALT and ALD also increased for each sample, however, it was not significant. LDH activity had a significant increase at 96 h after exercise, but not really before. The results for ALD did correlate with the tenderness of the medial gastrocnemius at the 72 h mark and could suggest that ALD might be a better muscle damage indicator because the other proteins tested did not correlate with tenderness. The ELISA testing on FABP resulted in no detectable changes. This experiment used two methods of testing muscle damage and had correlated results for ALD. Exercise-Induced biochemical changes in Quadriceps and Gastrocnemius in Mice The following was performed by L. Toti and coworkers to see the changes in blood lactate as well as mitochondrial enzymes as a result of two different exercises; intense activity with recovery periods and moderate activity with no recovery periods (Toti, et al., 2013). Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the two muscle groups, the quadriceps and gastrocnemius, to see expression of enzymes correlated with oxidative metabolism. Mice were divided into three different groups based on similar maximal velocities. Mice with higher maximal velocities partaked in the intense activity: running at 90% for 2 min followed by 1 min of recovery. The mice with lower mamximal velocities partaked in continuous running at 60% velocity. Data was collected for 40 sessions, where each mouse ran a distance of 1000 meters. Blood samples were taken at sessions 1, 20 and 40. Blood lactate was tested and showed a decrease in both groups by session 40, with the higher-velocity group measuring significantly lower than the lower-velocity group. Immunochemistry testing resulted in an increase in response for the high-velocity mice for both the quadriceps and the gastrocnemius. This experiment showed that high-intensity training impacted the biochemistry more so than the low-velocity training. MicroRNA Expression and Telomere-Associated Genes After Acute Exercise The following was performed by W. Chilton and coworkers to see mechanisms the correlation between white blood cell (WBC) telomere length and exercise (Chiltion, et al., 2014). Participants in this study ran on a treadmill for 30 min at 80% of maximum oxygen uptake. Blood samples were taken before and immediately following the running as well as an hour post-running. MicroRNA expression arrays that could measure a whole genome, were used on the samples. TERT mRNA expression levels were then tested by qPCR. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) mRNA and Sirtuin-6 (SIRT6) were two of the genes tested. This experiment was able to show supporting evidence that the transcriptional regulation of key telomeric genes can be affected by exercise. TERT mRNA was upregulated as well as the SIRT6. The qPCR testing on TERT and SIRT6 showed the increase in binding miRNA. Chilton did express that the increases in both the SIRT6 and the TERT mRNAs could have been upregulations from the extra-telomeric pathways instead of just the telomeric roles since there was no definitive way to differentiate between the two in this experiment. It is important to understand exercise’s effects on telomeres and its corresponding proteins to gain an insight on how physical health improves telomere homeostasis, keeping the telomeres from getting too short and the cell dying. Chemokine Polymorphisms Association with Skeletal Muscle Damage The following experiment was performed by M. Hubal and coworkers to see if chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and chemokine receptor 2 (CCR 2) are associated with biomarkers after exercising (Hubal, et al., 2010). CCL2 is important because it recruits necessary items, such as memory T cells, dendritic cells, and monocytes, to inflammation sites in injured tissue. CCR2, the receptor molecule for CCL2, mediates with calcium mobilization. It is suggested that CCL2 and CCR3 play major roles in the repair of skeletal muscle damage. Participants performed two, 25 contractions, sets of elbow flexor muscle contractions in the non-dominant arm. It was crucial that the participants had constant maximal effort and stayed hydrated the 10 days following the exercise. Blood samples were taken and sent for genotyping. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) known to influence the level of CCL2 proteins were analyzed using PCR. There were four SNPs from CCL2 and three from CCR2 that should high phenotype associations. The minor allele found in the SNPs was correlated with an increase in damage. This study was able to show that variations of the CCL2 and CCR2 genes are related to muscle damage markers caused by exercise. Molecular and Metabolic Changes of High-intensity Interval Training The following experiment was performed by J. Little and coworkers to assess the molecular and metabolic changes of high-intensity interval training (Little, et al., 2010). Participants performed six cycling training sessions over the course of two weeks. Each session consisted of approximately 30 min of high intensity intervals. By the last sessions, the subjects were completing 12 intervals of 60 s high-intensity cycling followed by 75 s low intensity for recovery. Biopsies from the leg were taken before and after the two week training. The muscle lysates were taken for Western blotting and enzyme activity testing. Western blotting was used to test for glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4), PGC-1a, and SIRT1while the mitochondrial enzyme activity was tested on cytochrome c oxidase (COX). The subjects improved in both time and power, about 10%, for cycling during the two week training session. COX activity increased by 29%. PGC-1a increased by approximately 24%, however, the protein itself was did not have any genetic changes. GLUT4 content increased by 119%, while SIRT1 increased by approximately 56%. This experiment showed some changes, due to exercise, in regulators that are important in mitochondrial biogenesis. Conclusion There are many induced changes in the mitochondrial genome during and after exercise. These changes occur to help maintain cell homeostasis while the body is being put through stress during intense exercise. Blood and serum samples along with tissue extractions have provided a way to examine these changes and see how one is correlated with another (Figure 1). PGC-1a helps muscle contractions by regulating gene expression in mitochondria biogenesis. However, PGC-1a has many cofactors helping it. CaMKII, AMPK, and MAPKs all help in providing energy to the skeletal muscles by impacting the activation of PGC-1a. Although SIRT1 deactelyation inhibits PGC-1a, it still impacts the biochemistry of the body during workouts due to deactelyation. LDH activity was shown to increase hours after high-intensity exercise because LDH it is released as pyruvate is converted into lactate. ALD, which converts sugar into energy, was found to be a good indicator because in the calf-raises experiment the results from the biomarker testing as well as the tenderness testing correlated with each other. CCL2 and CCR2 were found to have changes in SNPs that corresponded to the high-intensity exercise and most likely aide in the recruiting of the memory T cells and dendritic cells to the injured tissue. High-intensity exercise, without time for recovery, would keep the body maintained at a stressful state of trying to bring it back to homeostasis. As proven in the calf-raise experiment, LDH levels decreased as the participants were able to come accustom to the exercises. The bodies were no longer in shock. If the bodies were did not become accustom, or the body was not given any time for recovery, the chances of obtaining diseases such as Rhabdomyolysis increases. Future experiments need to focus on what levels of these regulators will become dangerous. Research should be down to further understand the relationship between SIRT1 and PGC-1a. References Chabi, B., Adhihetty, P.J., O’Leary, M.F., Menzies, K.J., and Hood, D. (2009) Relationship between sirt1 expression and mitochondrial proteins during conditions of chronic muscle use and diuse. J. Appl. Physiol. 107(6):1730-1735. Chilton, W., Marques, F., West, J., Kannourakis, G., Berzins, S., O’Briend, B., and Charchar, F. (2014) Acute Exercise Leads to Regulation of Telomere-Associated Genes and MicroRNA Expression in Immune Cells. PLoS ONE. 9, 1-13. Gurd, B. (2011) Deacetylation of PGC-1a by SIRT1: importance for skeletal muscle function and exercise-induced mitochondrial biogenesis. App. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 36:589-597. Hawley, J., Hargreaves, M., Joyner, M., and Zierath, J. (2010) Integrative Biology of Exercise. Cell 159, 738-749. Heled., Y., Zarian., A., Moran., D., and Hadad, E. (2005) Exercise induced rhabdomyolysis – characteristics, mechanisms and treatment. Harefuah 144(1):34-8. Hubal, M., Devaney, J., Hoffman, E., Zambraski, E., Gordish-Dressman, H., Kerns, A., Larking, J., Adham, K., Patel, R., and Clarkson, P. (2010) CCL2 and CCR2 polymorphisms are associated with markers of exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage. J of App Physicol 108(6), 1651-1658. Kanda, K., Sugama, K., Sakuma, J., Kawakami, Y., and Suzuki, K. (2014) Evaluation of serum leaking enzymes and investigation into new biomarkers for exercise-induced muscle damage Exerc Immunol Rev. 20, 39-54. Lin, J., Wu, H., Tarr, P., Zhang, C., Wu, Z., Boss, O., Michael, L., Puigserver, P., Isotani, E., Olson, E., Lowell, B., Bassel-Duby, R., and Spiegelman, B. (2002). Transcriptional co-activator PGC-1 alpha drives the formation of slow-twitch muscle fibres. Nature 418, 797-801. Lin, J., Handschin, C., and Spiegelman, B. (2005). Metabolic control through the PGC-1 family of transcription coactivators. Cell. Metab. 1, 361-370. Little, J.P., Safdar, A., Wilkin, G.P., Tarnopolsky, M.A., and Gibala, M.J. (2010) A practical model of low-volume high intensity interval training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle: potential mechanisms. J. Physiol. 588(6):1011-1022. McGee, S., Hargreaves, M. (2010). AMPK-mediated regulation of transcription in skeletal muscle. Clin. Sci. 118, 258-263. Rose, A.J., and Hargreaves, M. (2003). Exercise increases -calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity in human skeletal muscle. J. Physiol. 265, E380-E391. Toti, L., Bartalucci, A., Ferrucci, M., Fulceri, F., Lazzeri, G., Lenzi, P., Soldani, P., Gobbi, P., La Torre, A., and Gesi, M. (2013) High-intensity exercise training induces morphological and biochemical changes in skeletal muscles. Biol Sport 30(4), 301-309. Alissa Christian

What do you understand by the own-price elasticity of demand for a good

What do you understand by the own-price elasticity of demand for a good? 1. (a) What do you understand by the own-price elasticity of demand for a good? (b) Will a linear (straight line) demand curve have a constant own-price elasticity of demand? Explain your answer. (c) Following the terrorists attacks in the USA on 11 September, there was a marked fall in business travel. In respomse, many hotels cut their prices to business travellers; for example the Hyatt Hotel group offered discounts of up to 50 per cent off regular room rates. Under what circumstances would this lead to increased revenue for these hotels? Before we define the meaning of the own-price elasticity for a good we must understand elasticity and its concept in general. Elasticity is basically a comparison between the sizes of change in the quantity demanded, in the case of the own-price elasticity, of a certain good and in the variable that caused this change. According to Mankiwelasticity is a measure of the responsiveness of quantity demanded or quantity supplied to one of its determinants. The law of demand implies that an increase in a price of a good will subsequently lead to a fall in the quantity demanded for that good. The formulae which calculates this amount is the division of the percentage of change in quantity demanded by the percentage of change in price. The sign of price elasticity of demand, and elasticity as well, is always going to be negative due to the fact that quantity and price demanded are usually in opposite directions. Elasticity is going to be negative as well since neither the percentage change in price nor the the percentage change in quantity ar... ...sequent repurcusion this had in economy as a whole brought a downfall in business travelling. The hotels in order to manage this crisis effectively reduced their prices and offered discounts in order to increase the quantity of customers visiting them. If we consider the law of demand in this case, hotel reservations should increase in this period as well as the total revenue of the business but this would happen when the price elasticity of demand is elastic. This happens when the percentage change in quantity is larger than the percentage change in price. Concluding, we would easily say that it is assume that the hotels would increase their total revenue with discounts and better prices but this is not always the case. There are other factors influencing customer behaviour after these terrorist attacks that would not be easily predicted or affluenced.

Essay --

During the experiment the researcher explained the subject that first they will do a test, followed by a warm up and after they will repeat the same test. The participants were very receptive, following carefully what the researcher told them. When the test has started all the participants lined up, being ready to perform. The timer has started and each and every subject did their best. After the first test has ended, a warm up came next, where the subjects had to do jogging for two minutes, high knees both ways of the court, heel flicks, sidewalk running, jumping jacks, and sprints starting from a low to a high intensity. Some of the participants seemed very tired, saying that will have a bad result the second time and some participants said they did not need the warm up because second time will make sure to have a better score. It can be seen from the results that almost everyone has a better score than the first time, except one person. 7. From the results found in this experiment people can see that warm up has a good effect on athletes. What most of the researchers wrote in thei...

Discrimination of black people and white people Essay

This story, Black Boy is a great book that describes how the author, Richard Wright, suffered in the South of the United States during the time when there was still a lot of discrimination throughout the country. Since the author explained many of his horrible experiences in the past, this book cannot be written in a thin book. This thick book is full of his great experiences that wanted to be read by many people in the world in order to let everybody know the disasters of racism. This racism affected Richard Write a lot and he had to adapt to the environment that he was in, although he didn’t know how he should act in front of white people in the beginning of the story. There are not many examples in the beginning of the story since Richard was a little boy, and he still didn’t know about racism. He did know that something was different between black and whites, but he wasn’t able to understand it since he was too young. He even talks to himself in Pg. 49 that â€Å"I had heard that colored people were killed and beaten, but so far it all had seemed remote. There was, of course, a vague uneasiness about it all, but I would be able to handle that when I came to it. It would be simple. If anybody tried to kill me, then I would kill them first. † After this, he realized the harshness of racism around his society when Uncle Hoskins got shot by a white man when he was at the saloon. And the reason is just because a black man was earning a lot of money and the white man became jealous. Also after this scene, there is an another example in Pg. 172 where he met his classmate, Ned Greenley who had lost his brother since the whites shot him for a specific reason. Ned said, â€Å"Th-they said he was fooling with a white prostitute there in the hotel. † Richard was shocked since he could be in those kinds of situations at any time. Richards starts to think of really going to North soon as possible now. In Chapter nine, there is a scene that is really harsh where Richard sees it, but could do nothing. This scene is at the clothing store for black people where Richard worked. The black employees were treated like slaves in the store; the white owners would push, kick, or slap the blacks. Although Richard saw this scene many times, he never got used to it. Another big thing is the time when Richard sees a black woman getting raped by two white men. This is a part from the book that describes how evil this time of period was. On Pg. 179, it says, â€Å"White people passed and looked on without expression. A white policeman watched from the corner, twirling his night stick; but he made no move. I watched out of the corner of my eyes, but I never slackened the strokes of my chamois upon the brass. After a moment or two I heard shrill screams coming from the rear room of the store; later the woman stumbled out, bleeding, crying, holding her stomach, her clothing torn. When she reached the sidewalk, the policeman met her, grabbed her, accused her of being drunk, called a patrol wagon and carted her away. † When I read this scene, it really hurt my heart. I couldn’t believe that the police didn’t do anything at all and although the policeman knew that the black woman was raped, he accused her of being drunken. Richard could have thought of saving the woman, but if he did something to the whites, he could be killed. Therefore, Richard wasn’t able to do anything. All he could do was to feel sorry for the lady. This doesn’t mean that Richard didn’t worry about the woman, it was the way how he had to act in the South. After Richard realizes the social cycle between the whites and the blacks at his work place, he sacrifices his morals to save more money. He begins to bootleg liquor to sell to white prostitutes in the hotel that he worked at. After that, he involves in a ring for scamming tickets. Then, he quickly amasses enough money to move out to the North. Although Richard was working earnest, he quits it because it was very hard to collect money if he had worked earnestly. Since Richard Write had an experience that he does not want to experience anymore, he was able to write this book, which would tell all the readers that discrimination or racism is not a good thing to do. He explained how he had to act as a black man; if he didn’t act like a black man, he might have not gotten the chance of writing this book. Richard Write had explained how blacks should act as a black, and although many horrible things were occurring around him, he wasn’t able to change it since he was just a black man. I feel that Richard really wanted to resist against the white men but if he did, he knew that he was going to be dead. Although in the beginning of the story, he said that, â€Å"If anybody tried to kill me, then I would kill them first†, as a result he wasn’t able to disobey the whites because he was scared of death. Since he was able to adapt to the society that he was in, he was able to earn money and was able to go to the North to have a better life.

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER ELEVEN SAYSHELL

SAYSHELL Janov Pelorat watched, for the first time in his life, as the bright star graduated into an orb after what Trevize had called a â€Å"micro-Jump.† The fourth planet – the habitable one and their immediate destination, Sayshell – then grew in size and prominence more slowly – over a period of days. A map of the planet had been produced by the computer and was displayed on a portable screening device, which Pelorat held in his lap. Trevize – with the aplomb of someone who had, in his time, touched down upon several dozen worlds – said, â€Å"Don't start watching too hard too soon, Janov. We have to go through the entry station first and that can be tedious.† Pelorat looked up. â€Å"Surely that's just a formality.† â€Å"It is. But it can still be tedious.† â€Å"But it's peacetime.† â€Å"Of course. That means we'll be passed through. First, though, there's a little matter of the ecological balance. Every planet has its own and they don't want it upset. So they make a natural point of checking the ship for undesirable organisms, or infections. It's a reasonable precaution.† â€Å"We don't have such things, it seems to me.† â€Å"No, we don't and they'll find that out. Remember, too, that Sayshell is not a member of the Foundation Federation, so there's certain to be some leaning over backward to demonstrate their independence.† A small ship came out to inspect them and a Sayshellian Customs official boarded. Trevize was brisk, not having forgotten his military days. â€Å"The Far Star, out of Terminus,† he said. â€Å"Ship's papers. Unarmed. Private vessel. My passport. There is one passenger. His passport. We are tourists.† The Customs official wore a garish uniform in which crimson was the dominating color. Cheeks and upper lip were smooth-shaven, but he wore a short beard parted in such a way that tufts thrust out to both sides of his chin. He said, â€Å"Foundation ship?† He pronounced it â€Å"Foundaysun sip,† but Trevize was careful neither to correct him nor to smile. There were as many varieties of dialects to Galactic Standard as there were planets, and you just spoke your own. As long as there was cross-comprehension, it didn't matter. â€Å"Yes, sir,† said Trevize. â€Å"Foundation ship. Privately owned.† â€Å"Very nice. – Your lading, if you please.† â€Å"My what?† â€Å"Your lading. What are you carrying?† â€Å"Ah, my cargo. Here is the itemized list. Personal property only. We are not here to trade. As I told you, we are simply tourists.† The Customs official looked about curiously. â€Å"This is rather an elaborate vessel for tourists.† â€Å"Not by Foundation standards,† said Trevize with a display of good humor. â€Å"And I'm well off and can afford this.† â€Å"Are you suggesting that I might be richified?† The official looked at him briefly, then looked away. Trevize hesitated a moment in order to interpret the meaning of the word, then another moment to decide his course of action. He said, â€Å"No, it is not my intention to bribe you. I have no reason to bribe you – and you don't look like the kind of person who could be bribed, if that were my intention. You can look over the ship, if you wish.† â€Å"No need,† said the official, putting away his pocket recorder. â€Å"You have already been examined for specific contraband infection and have passed. The ship has been assigned a radio wavelength that will serve as an approach beam.† He left. The whole procedure had taken fifteen minutes. Pelorat said in a low voice. â€Å"Could he have made trouble? Did he really expect a bribe?† Trevize shrugged. â€Å"Tipping the Customs man is as old as the Galaxy and I would have done it readily if he had made a second try for it. As it is – well, I presume he prefers not to take – a chance with a Foundation ship, and a fancy one, at that. The old Mayor, bless her cross-grained hide, said the name of the Foundation would protect us wherever we went and she wasn't wrong. – It could have taken a great deal longer.† â€Å"Why? He seemed to find out what he wanted to know.† â€Å"Yes, but he was courteous enough to check us by remote radioscanning. If he had wished, he could have gone over the ship with a hand-machine and taken hours. He could have put us both in a field hospital and kept us days.† â€Å"What? My dear fellow!† â€Å"Don't get excited. He didn't do it. I thought he might, but he didn't. Which means we're free to land. I'd like to go down gravitically – which could take us fifteen minutes – but I don't know where the permitted landing sites might be and I don't want to cause trouble. That means we'll have to follow the radio beam, which will take hours – as we spiral down through the atmosphere.† Pelorat looked cheerful. â€Å"But that's excellent, Golan. Will we be going slowly enough to watch the terrain?† He held up his portable viewscreen with the map spread out on it at low magnification. â€Å"After a fashion. We'd have to get beneath the cloud deck, and we'll be moving at a few kilometers per second. It won't be ballooning through the atmosphere, but you'll spot the planetography.† â€Å"Excellent! Excellent!† Trevize said thoughtfully, â€Å"I'm wondering, though, if we'll be on Sayshell Planet long enough to make it worth our while to adjust the ship's clock to local time.† â€Å"It depends on what we plan to do, I suppose. What do you think we'll be doing, Golan?† â€Å"Our job is to find Gaia and I don't know how long that will take.† Pelorat said, â€Å"We can adjust our wrist-strips and leave the ship's clock as is.† â€Å"Good enough,† said Trevize. He looked down at the planet spreading broadly beneath them. â€Å"No use waiting any longer. I'll adjust the computer to our assigned radio beam and it can use the gravities to mimic conventional flight. So! – Let's go down, Janov, and see what we can find.† He stared at the planet thoughtfully as the ship began to move on its smoothly adjusted gravitational potential-curve. Trevize had never been in the Sayshell Union, but he knew that over the last century it had been steadfastly unfriendly to the Foundation. He was surprised – and a little dismayed – they had gotten through Customs so quickly. It didn't seem reasonable. The Customs official's name was Jogoroth Sobhaddartha and he had been serving on the station on and off for half his life. He didn't mind the life, for it gave him a chance – one month out of three – to view his books, to listen to his music, and to be away from his wife and growing son. Of course, during the last two years the current Head of Customs had been a Dreamer, which was irritating. There is no one so insufferable as a person who gives no other excuse for a peculiar action than saying he had been directed to it in a dream. Personally Sobhaddartha decided he believed none of it, though he was careful not to say so aloud, since most people on Sayshell rather disapproved of antipsychic doubts. To become known as a materialist might put his forthcoming pension at risk. He stroked the two tufts of hair at his chin, one with his right hand and the other with his left, cleared his throat rather loudly, and then, with inappropriate casualness, said, â€Å"Was that the ship, Head?† The Head, who bore the equally Sayshellian name of Namarath Godhisavatta, was concerned with a matter involving some computer-born data and did not look up. â€Å"What ship?† he said. â€Å"The Far Star. The Foundation ship. The one I just sent past. The one that was holographed from every angle. Was that the one you dreamed of?† Godhisavatta looked up now. He was a small man, with eyes that were almost black and that were surrounded by fine wrinkles that had not been produced by any penchant for smiling. He said, â€Å"Why do you ask?† Sobhaddartha straightened up and allowed his dark and luxuriant eyebrows to approach each other. â€Å"They said they were tourists, but I've never seen a ship like that before and my own opinion is they're Foundation agents.† – Godhisavatta sat back in his chair. â€Å"See here, my man, try as I might I cannot recall asking for your opinion.† â€Å"But Head, I consider it my patriotic duty to point out that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Godhisavatta crossed his arms over his chest and stared hard at the underling, who (though much the more impressive in physical stature and bearing) allowed himself to droop and take on a somehow bedraggled appearance under the gaze of his superior. Godhisavatta said, â€Å"My man, if you know what is good for you, you will do your job without comment – or I'll see to it that there will be no pension when you retire, which will be soon if I hear any more on a subject that does not concern you.† In a low voice, Sobhaddartha said, â€Å"Yes, sir.† Then, with a suspicious degree of subservience in his voice, he added, â€Å"Is it within the range of my duties, sir, to report that a second ship is in range of our screens?† â€Å"Consider it reported,† Godhisavatta said irritably, returning to his work. â€Å"With,† said Sobhaddartha even more humbly, â€Å"characteristics very similar to the one I just sent through.† Godhisavatta placed his hands on the desk and lifted himself to his feet. â€Å"A second one?† Sobhaddartha smiled inwardly. That sanguinary person born of an irregular union (he was referring to the Head) had clearly not dreamed of two ships. He said, â€Å"Apparently, sir! I will now return to my post and await orders and I hope, sir†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes?† Sobhaddartha could not resist, pension-risk notwithstanding. â€Å"And I hope, sir, we didn't send the wrong one through.† The Far Star moved rapidly across the face of Sayshell Planet and Pelorat watched with fascination. The cloud layer was thinner and more scattered than upon Terminus and, precisely as the map showed, the land surfaces were more compact and extensive-including broader desert areas, to judge by the rusty color of much of the continental expanse. There were no signs of anything living. It seemed a world of sterile desert, gray plain, of endless wrinkles that might have represented mountainous areas, and, of course, of ocean. â€Å"It looks lifeless,† muttered Pelorat. â€Å"You don't expect to see any life-signs at this height,† said Trevize. â€Å"As we get lower, you'll see the land turn green in patches. Before that, in fact, you'll see the twinkling landscape on the nightside. Human beings have a penchant for lighting their worlds when darkness falls; I've never heard of a world that's an exception to that rule. In other words, the first sign of life you'll see will not only be human but technological.† Pelorat said thoughtfully, â€Å"Human beings are diurnal in nature, after all. It seems to me that among the very first tasks of a developing technology would be the conversion of night to day. In fact, if a world lacked technology and developed one, you ought to be able to follow the progress of technological development by the increase in light upon the darkened surface. How long would it take, do you suppose, to go from uniform darkness to uniform light?† Trevize laughed. â€Å"You have odd thoughts, but I suppose that comes from being a mythologist. I don't think a world would ever achieve a uniform glow. Night light would follow the pattern of population density, so that the continents would spark in knots and strings. Even Trantor at its height, when it was one huge structure, let light escape that structure only at scattered points.† The land turned green as Trevize had predicted and, on the last circling of the globe, he pointed out markings that he said were cities. â€Å"It's not a very urban world. I've never been in the Sayshell Union before, but according to the information the computer gives me, they tend to cling to the past. Technology, in the eyes of all the Galaxy, has been associated with the Foundation, and wherever the Foundation is unpopular, there is a tendency to cling to the past, except, of course, as far as weapons of war are concerned. I assure you Sayshell is quite modern in that respect.† â€Å"Dear me, Golan, this is not going to be unpleasant, is it? We are Foundationers, after all, and being in enemy territory†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's not enemy territory, Janov. They'll be perfectly polite, never fear. The Foundation just isn't popular, that's all. Sayshell is not part of the Foundation Federation. Therefore, because they're proud of their independence and because they don't like to remember that they are much weaker than the Foundation and remain independent only because we're willing to let them remain so, they indulge in the luxury of disliking us.† – â€Å"I fear it will still be unpleasant, then,† said Pelorat despondently. â€Å"Not at all,† said Trevize. â€Å"Come on, Janov. I'm talking about the official attitude of the Sayshellian government. The individual people on the planet are just people, and if we're pleasant and don't act as though we're Lords of the Galaxy, they'll be pleasant, too. We're not coming to Sayshell in order to establish Foundation mastery. We're just tourists, asking the kind of questions about Sayshell that any tourist would ask. â€Å"And we can have a little legitimate relaxation, too, if the situation permits. There's nothing wrong with staying here a few days and experiencing what they have to offer. They may have an interesting culture, interesting scenery, interesting food, and – if all else fails – interesting women. We have money to spend.† Pelorat frowned, â€Å"Oh, my dear chap.† â€Å"Come on,† said Trevize. â€Å"You're not that old. Wouldn't you be interested?† â€Å"I don't say there wasn't a time when I played that role properly, but surely this isn't the time for it. We have a mission. We want to reach Gaia. I have nothing against a good time – I really don't – but if we start involving ourselves, it might be difficult to pull free.† He shook his head and said mildly, â€Å"I think you feared that I might have too good a time at the Galactic Library on Trantor and would be unable to pull free. Surely, what the Library is to me, an attractive dark-eyed damsel – or five or six – might be to you.† Trevize said, â€Å"I'm not a rakehell, Janov, but I have no intention of being ascetic, either. Very well, I promise you we'll get on with this business of Gaia, but if something pleasant comes my way, there's no reason in the Galaxy I ought not to respond normally.† â€Å"If you'll just put Gaia first†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I will. Just remember, though, don't tell anyone we're from the Foundation. They'll know we are, because we've got Foundation credits and we speak with strong Terminus accents, but if we say nothing about it, they can pretend we are placeless strangers and be friendly. If we make a point of being Foundationers, they will speak politely enough, but they will tell us nothing, show us nothing, take us nowhere, and leave us strictly alone.† Pelorat sighed. â€Å"I will never understand people.† â€Å"There's nothing to it. All you have to do is take a close look at yourself and you will understand everyone else. We're in no way different ourselves. How would Seldon have worked out his Plan, and I don't care how subtle his mathematics was – if he didn't understand people; and how could he have done that if people weren't easy to understand? You show me someone who can't understand people and I'll show you someone who has built up a false image of himself – no offense intended.† â€Å"None taken. I'm willing to admit I'm inexperienced and that I've spent a rather self-centered and constricted life. It may be that I've never really taken a good look at myself, so I'll let you be my guide and adviser where people are concerned.† â€Å"Good. Then take my advice now and just watch the scenery. We'll be landing soon and I assure you you'll feel nothing. The computer and I will take care of everything.† â€Å"Golan, don't be annoyed. If a young woman should†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Forget it! Just let me take care of the landing.† Pelorat turned to look at the world at the end of the ship's contracting spiral. It would be the first foreign world upon which he would ever stand. This thought somehow filled him with foreboding, despite the fact that all the millions of inhabited planets in the Galaxy had been colonized by people who had not been born upon them. All but one, he thought with a shudder of trepidation/delight. The spaceport was not large by Foundation standards, but it was well kept. Trevize watched the Far Star moved into a berth and locked in place. They were given an elaborate coded receipt. Pelorat said in a low voice, â€Å"Do we just leave it here?† Trevize nodded and placed his hand on the other's shoulder in reassurance. â€Å"Don't worry,† he said in an equally low voice. They stepped into the ground-car they had rented and Trevize plugged in the map of the city, whose towers he could see on the horizon. â€Å"Sayshell City,† he said, â€Å"the capital of the planet. City – planet – star – all named Sayshell.† â€Å"I'm worried about the ship,† insisted Pelorat. â€Å"Nothing to worry about,† said Trevize. â€Å"We'll be back tonight, because it will be our sleeping quarters if we have to stay here more than a few hours. You have to understand, too, that there's an interstellar code of spaceport ethics that – as far as I know – has never been broken, even in wartime. Spaceships that come in peace are inviolate. If that were not so, no one would be safe and trade would be impossible. Any world on which that code was broken would be boycotted by the space pilots of the Galaxy. I assure you, no world would risk that. Besides†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Besides?† â€Å"Well, besides, I've arranged with the computer that anyone who doesn't look and sound like one of us will be killed if he – or she tries to board the ship. I've taken the liberty of explaining that to the Port Commander. I told him very politely that I would love to turn off that particular facility out of deference to the reputation that the Sayshell City Spaceport holds for absolute integrity and security – throughout the Galaxy, I said – but the ship is a new model and I didn't know how to turn it off.† â€Å"He didn't believe that, surely.† â€Å"Of course not! But he had to pretend he did, as otherwise he would have no choice but to be insulted. And since there would be nothing he could do about that, being insulted would only lead to humiliation. And since he didn't want that, the simplest path to follow was to believe what I said.† â€Å"And that's another example of how people are?† â€Å"Yes. You'll get used to this.† â€Å"How do you know this ground-car isn't bugged?† â€Å"I thought it might be. So when they offered me one, I took another one at random. If they're all bugged – well, what have we been saying that's so terrible?† Pelorat looked unhappy. â€Å"I don't know how to say this. It seems rather impolite to complain, but I don't like the way it smells. There's an – odor.† â€Å"In the ground-car?† â€Å"Well, in the spaceport, to begin with. I suppose that's the way spaceports smell, but the ground-car carries the odor with it. Could we open the windows?† Trevize laughed. â€Å"I suppose I could figure out which portion of the control panel will do that trick, but it won't help. This planet stinks. Is it very bad?† â€Å"It's not very strong, but it's noticeable – and somewhat repulsive. Does the whole world smell this way?† â€Å"I keep forgetting you've never been on another world. Every inhabited world has its own odor. It's the general vegetation, mostly, though I suppose the animals and even the human beings contribute. And as far as I know, nobody ever likes the smell of any world when he first lands on it. But you'll get used to it, Janov. In a few hours, I promise you won't notice.† â€Å"Surely you don't mean that all worlds smell like this.† â€Å"No. As I said, each has its own. If we really paid attention or if our noses were a little keener – like those of Anacreonian dogs – we could probably tell which world we were on with one sniff. When I first entered the Navy I could never eat the first day on a new world; then I learned the old spacer trick of sniffing a handkerchief with the world-scent on it during the landing. By the time you get out into the open world, you don't smell it. And after a while, you get hardened to the whole thing; you just learn to disregard it. – The worst of it is returning home, in fact.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Do you think Terminus doesn't smell?† â€Å"Are you telling me it does?† â€Å"Of course it does. Once you get acclimated to the smell of another world, such as Sayshell, you'll be surprised at the stench of Terminus. In the old days, whenever the locks opened on Terminus after a sizable tour of duty, all the crew would call out, ‘Back home to the crap. ‘† Pelorat looked revolted. The towers of the city were perceptibly closer, but Pelorat kept his eyes fixed on their immediate surroundings. There were other ground-cars moving in both directions and an occasional air-car above, but Pelorat was studying the trees. He said, â€Å"The plant life seems strange. Do you suppose any of it is indigenous?† â€Å"I doubt it,† said Trevize absently. He was studying the map and attempting to adjust the programming of the car's computer. â€Å"There's not much in the way of indigenous life on any human planet. Settlers always imported their own plants and animals – either at the time of settling or not too long afterward.† â€Å"It seems strange, though.† â€Å"You don't expect the same varieties from world to world, Janov. I was once told that the Encyclopedia Galactica people put out an atlas of varieties which ran to eighty-seven fat computer-discs and was incomplete even so – and outdated anyway, by the time it was finished.† The ground-car moved on and the outskirts of the city gaped and engulfed them. Pelorat shivered slightly, â€Å"I don't think much of their city architecture.† â€Å"To each his own,† said Trevize with the indifference of the seasoned space traveler. â€Å"Where are we going, by the way?† â€Å"Well,† said Trevize with a certain exasperation, â€Å"I'm trying to get the computer to guide this thing to the tourist center. I hope the computer knows the one-way streets and the traffic regulations, because I don't.† â€Å"What do we do there, Golan?† â€Å"To begin with, we're tourists, so that's the place where we'd naturally go, and we want to be as inconspicuous and natural as we can. And secondly, where would you go to get information on Gaia?† Pelorat said, â€Å"To a university – or an anthropological society – or a museum. – Certainly not to a tourist center.† â€Å"Well, you're wrong. At the tourist center, we will be intellectual types who are eager to have a listing of the universities in the city and the museums and so on. We'll decide where to go to first and there we may find the proper people to consult concerning ancient history, galactography, mythology, anthropology, or anything else you can think of. – But the whole thing starts at the tourist center.† Pelorat was silent and the ground-car moved on in a tortuous manner as it joined and became part of the traffic pattern. They plunged into a sub-road and drove past signs that might have represented directions and traffic instructions but were in a style of lettering that made them all-but-unreadable. Fortunately the ground-car behaved as though it knew the way, and when it stopped and drew itself into a parking spot, there was a sign that said: SAYSHELL OUT-WORLD MILIEU in the same difficult printing, and under it: SAYSHELL TOURIST CENTER in straightforward, easy-to-read Galactic Standard lettering. They walked into the building, which was not as large as the facade had led them to believe. ft was certainly not busy inside. There were a series of waiting booths, one of which was occupied by a man reading the news-strips emerging from a small ejector; another contained two women who seemed to be playing some intricate game with cards and tiles. Behind a counter too large for him, with winking computer controls that seemed far too complex for him, was a bored-looking Sayshellian functionary wearing what looked like a multicolored checkerboard. Pelorat stared and whispered, â€Å"This is certainly a world of extroverted garb.† â€Å"Yes,† said Trevize, â€Å"I noticed. Still, fashions change from world to world and even from region to region within a world sometimes. And they change with time. Fifty years ago, everyone on Sayshell might have worn black, for all we know. Take it as it comes, Janov.† â€Å"I suppose I'll have to,† said Pelorat, â€Å"but I prefer our own fashions. At least, they're not an assault upon the optic nerve.† â€Å"Because so many of us are gray on gray? That offends some people. I've heard it referred to as ‘dressing in dirt. ‘ Then too, it's Foundation colorlessness that probably keeps these people in their rainbows – just to emphasize their independence. It's all what you're accustomed to, anyway. – Come on, Janov.† The two headed toward the counter and, as they did so, the man in the booth forsook his news items, rose, and came to meet them, smiling as he did so. His clothing was in shades of gray. Trevize didn't look in his direction at first, but when he did he stopped dead. He took a deep breath, â€Å"By the Galaxy – My friend, the traitor!†