Iron Age Hoplite Warfare and Democracy :: essays research papers fc

Iron Age Hoplite Warfare brings about the First antiauthoritarian Societies in Archaic Age Greece, Following the Role of Monarchy, Feudalism and the AristocracyAs per the coverage in our course, in the Persian War, a Greek rive from Athens set out to meet the invading Persian army at Marathon, and set them running. They were outnumbered by the Persians two to one, and the Persian army had been the biggest force the Greeks had perpetually seen. The majority of the killing took place while the Persians were hastily retreating to their ships. With only 192 dead, the Greeks reduced the Persian force by 7,000 men however, the remaining 13,000 soldiers were still a muscular threat if they should sail down and enter Athens proper, and so the Greek army hastily moved back to their city. The question of how they did this feat might be explained by the Greek theme that any Greek warrior could take on ten barbarians, but for our purposes the interesting question is why their involvement wi th what they were fighting for was adequate to(p) to give them the push to oust the invading empire. I surmise that the involvement in the state militarily and thus governmentally for the Athenians, which amounted to the beginning of democracy as we know it. As it is suggested by the book title, The Roots of the Western Tradition dig deep down into the ancient nuances. Greece is a unique, important and telling civilization to study for it reveals the beginning of systems in which we live that are still evolving.These Greeks had all voted together in assembly, and although assured by Persia that they could not meet the threat, they did not impart to a takeover. All the men who voted for war against Persia, an empire which frightened most other Greek Polis, including Sparta, from sending military aid to Athens, were the very men who would usurp their Hoplite armor, clash together shield to shield to form phalanxes, and defeat the Persians at Marathon. These men were motivated by their own interests and what they had to protect their prospering Polis of Athens, and their financial and political gains that came from fighting for it. The Greeks enjoyed a sharing of power, which in their view, was the antithesis of the monarch style powers held by the Absolute Leaders of the Great Empires developing in the Near East.

marketing rules Essay -- essays research papers

This is an introduction with insight on what Guerrilla Marketing is. The main idea of Guerrilla Marketing is to try and get the nearly out of advertising, by using the least expense. There was a statement that suggested using alternative plans rather than standard expensive plans discussed in textbooks. Most of those plans atomic number 18 developed for large corporations with a huge strike downing budget. Guerrillas dont have the same revenue to spend on large advertising campaigns. The best plan is to slang the most of the money that is available to the company. Technology is a huge benefit to business owners of today. In todays society this is something that must be pursued and leave similarly offer huge benefits to the Guerrillas. There also was general information about tomorrows customer. One aspect that stood out, was the fact that they will be less forgiving and will greatly appreciate warmth and attention. There was also a list of the fastest growing areas. These area s are Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Texas and Utah.Entrepreneurial marketing is to be very economic for the owner who wants to get it right the first time. This helps by focusing on the task at hand and trying to perfect the operation. The single most sound improvement a company can make, is reducing as many errors as possible. There also is a slim possibility that only a few customers are enough to run a business and make a profit. This is very important in understanding the way key customers spend at your company. 80/20 rules are very important to keep in mind. This is a rule that tells us that 80% of the profits come from 20% of the customers. There is also the key to try and make the most out of the money spent. One great example is how to use a business waggle effectively. The business greenback should have as much information as possible. This will help to get the entire guerilla effect. A business card can provide valuable information, but it can also be used as a resume. A smal l business also has the aspect to get up close and personal with its customers. This is a great tool for the Guerrilla that is willing to try and be involved with the customer. There are long dozen important marketing secrets. This is a list of secrets that are used by the guerillas in the marketing industry. The main secrets that stood out t... ...Guerilla that understands the thought process of the consumer and uses that understanding to break away the chances of the sale. This can be the use of the point of purchase displays or the way the music is played, and the overall feel of the area. It is good to create a human stupefy that will help to enforce the quality of the shopping experience. There are also language of change that will help the business. It is important to understand the aspects of the colors and how they affect the consumer. One of the best aspects is to use the name of the individual. This makes the consumer comfortable and will help them in repeating busin ess.How Guerillas win battles is very important in creating a marketing plan to be followed. This can be a very tough task and hard to implement. It is also very important to launch this in a slow motion. Take small steps to the goal and be sure to move slowly. This will allow for a comfort level to be developed. Another very important aspect is to measure the results. It is impossible to know how a marketing plan is if there is no data to compare the changes to.

John Fowles Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

John FowlesIts A Boy Robert and Gladys Richards Fowles give birth to a baby son on March 31, 1926, in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex County, England. The proud parents have high hopes for their son and send him to two prestigious schools, Alleyn Court School (1934-1939) and Bedford School (1939-1944), where he excels in scholarship and sports. After his primary education is complete, the family moves from London to the Devon countryside, to avoid the invasion of troops in World War II.After serving two days in the Royal Marines (I 945 -1947), John Robert Fowles studied literature at Oxford University, graduating in 1950. He greatly admired Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, both existentialist writers. After graduation Fowles taught at a number of institutions, including Anargyrios College (1951-1953) where he met and married his wife, Elizabeth Whitton. Here, he wrote poetry and several novels, though he did not submit any for publication at this time. Fowles go on to teach in London until h is writing enabled him to concentrate on a career as a writer.His first published novel in 1963, The Collector, was an present(prenominal) best seller. The vituperative acclaim and commercial triumph of the novel finally allowed Fowles to write full time. A collection of art and philosophical thoughts called The Aristos appeared in 1964. His around enduring work, The Magus, has become something of a popular cult novel in the United States. It involves the traditional quest narrative with elaborate twists and dilemmas resembling a detective story. In the 1970s Fowles began a line of projects, from a series of essays to a collection of poetry called Poems. Besides writing his own poems, short stories, screenplays, and novels, Fowles has translated Fr... ... resembles Victorian society while overly showing the reader the similarities to the present day. His attempts to demonstrate the double standards of all societies continue to be seen throughout his other works. The dualistic recurring theme penetrates the minds of the readers and keeps them coming acantha to Fowles work. The French Lieutenants Woman, because of its modem day comparisons and success with the public, is now a motion picture starring Meryl Streep in the title role.Fowles accomplishments in writing continue to gain him critical acclaim and popularity with readers. He continues to write today with his latest work, Wormholes, published in May, 1998. Certainly, Fowles success in his writing career has made his parents proud and confident of his success in the future.Work CitedFowles, John. The French Lieutenants Woman. Signet New York, 1969.

Separate Peace Essay: Analysis of Marxism -- free essay writer

A Separate Peace Analysis of Marxism A Separate Peace is an impeccable paradigm of lively mythology interpreted by philosophers such as Marx, Engels and Hegel. The philosophy of Marxism serves as a basis for genialism and communism and is explicitly demonstrated by means of power, the savvy of human nature, and alienation. Finny demonstrates endorsement and control over a l matchlessly, alienated friend Gene, however, unitedly they discover friendship through the individuality possessed by one another. Finny and Gene agonize with these eminent responsibilities and endeavor to uncover an midland peace within themselves as they evolve into young adults waking to the realities of life. Their entity follows the social formation of their lives, workforce enter into definite relations that are indispensable and dependant of their will, relations of production ...development of their material productive forces. (Tucker, 1978, pg.4) Therefore, by means of growth to maturity the ii y oung men exemplify the challenges of manhood. Power is an extremely dominant element that illustrates authority and control between the two young men Finny and Gene. Throughout society, the social power, i.e., the multiplied productive force, which arises through the co-operation of different individuals, since their co-operation is not voluntary but has come about naturally, not as their own united power.(Tucker, pg.161) Finny conducts himself as an authority figure, and an individualist with distinct and domineering characteristics. He emphasizes his power as a perfect individual that is not concerned what other people conceive of ... ...monstrates his prefer to take control over every individual without any sincere emotions of any kind. However, the companionship developed through the nature of man, although agonizing, has formed a supererogatory bond between the two boys. Gene, nonetheless contends with feelings of alienation and self-estrangement indirectly generated by Fin ny. The two young men persevere these responsibilities to initiate a sense of inner peace that transpires from adolescence to adulthood. Their experiences prove to be a symmetric accomplishment of manhood. Works Cited Knowles, John. (1959) A Separate Peace London Secker & Warburg Limited Tucker, Robert. (1978) The Marx-Engles referee (2nd ed.) New York W.W. Norton & Company Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99. 1998 Microsoft Corporation

Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Letters to Martha :: Charlotte Perkins Gilman Bibliography

Charlotte Perkins Gilman Letters to Martha In January 1890, after two and a half years of depression and mental illness, Charlotte Perkins Stetson began to keep her journal again. Basking in the steady windless weather of Pasadena and the support of her friend Grace Channing, Charlotte slowly regained her strength, ambition, and ability to write. C one timentrating on a sweet life on a new coast, her first brief entries express each days essential details. On January 20, she says only Began writing with Grace. Charlotte does not record that on that clear, sun-shot Californian day, her thoughts turned once more to frigid New England and a friend from a former life.Despite her exhaustion, Charlotte gathered up a pile of stationery and began to write in a refined version of her usual scrawl. Dear Martha, she wrote, You knew and loved me once. You do not know me now, and I am not sure that you would love me if you did I have grown and changed wildly, darkly, strangely, beyond a mother s recognition, beyond my own. Perhaps here Charlotte paused, raised her head, and, contemplating her moonlit grove of orange trees, pondered Marthas reaction to her bold statements. Although these words were painful, Charlotte would not soften them for the sake of her gentle, distant friend. Bound still by a pact of mutual understanding nine years old, Charlotte owed Martha complete honesty in word and deed. Nine years ago, before courtship, marriage, and childbirth, Mrs. Charles Lane of Hingham Massachusetts was simply Martha Luther and Charlottes dearest friend. Their friendship began in 1878 when Charlotte was seventeen and Martha was sixteen. Both girls lived on the einsteinium Side of Providence Charlotte on Manning Street and Martha on Arnold. They shared a love of reading, a desire to write, and had experienced a similar tragedy the breathing out of a father. Marthas father, John Luther, died when she was fourteen. During Charlottes childhood, her parents separation reduced her father to a mere correspondent and occasional provider. Charlottes numerous letters, diaries, and autobiography characterize her own mother as overly strict, disapproving, and physically distant. In her autobiography, The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Charlotte wrote that, denied affection from her mother as a child and adolescent, Martha became one of her first memories of loving any one.At seventeen, athletic and energetic Charlotte roamed the streets and hills of Providence. One day she would attend a class at the Rhode Island School of Design, the next she would stride down the hill to browse through and through the shops, or go for a rousing, giddy carriage ride in Roger Williams Park with a pack of friends.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Letters to Martha :: Charlotte Perkins Gilman Bibliography

Charlotte Perkins Gilman Letters to Martha In January 1890, after two and a half years of falloff and mental illness, Charlotte Perkins Stetson began to keep her journal again. Basking in the steady windless weather of Pasadena and the support of her friend Grace Channing, Charlotte slowly regained her strength, ambition, and ability to write. Concentrating on a new life on a new coast, her first brief entries express each days essential details. On January 20, she says only Began writing with Grace. Charlotte does non record that on that clear, sun-shot Californian day, her thoughts turned once more to frigid New England and a friend from a former life.Despite her exhaustion, Charlotte gathered up a pile of stati wizardry and began to write in a refined version of her usual scrawl. Dear Martha, she wrote, You knew and loved me once. You do not know me now, and I am not sure that you would love me if you did I have grown and changed wildly, darkly, strangely, beyond a mothers rec ognition, beyond my own. Perhaps here Charlotte paused, raised her head, and, contemplating her moonlit orchard of orange trees, pondered Marthas reaction to her bold statements. Although these words were painful, Charlotte would not soften them for the sake of her gentle, distant friend. Bound still by a pact of mutual understand nine years old, Charlotte owed Martha complete honesty in word and deed. Nine years ago, before courtship, marriage, and childbirth, Mrs. Charles Lane of Hingham Massachusetts was simply Martha Luther and Charlottes dearest friend. Their acquaintance began in 1878 when Charlotte was seventeen and Martha was sixteen. Both girls lived on the East Side of Providence Charlotte on Manning Street and Martha on Arnold. They shared a love of reading, a desire to write, and had experienced a similar tragedy the loss of a father. Marthas father, John Luther, died when she was fourteen. During Charlottes childhood, her parents separation reduced her father to a m ere correspondent and occasional provider. Charlottes numerous letters, diaries, and autobiography characterize her own mother as overly strict, disapproving, and physically distant. In her autobiography, The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Charlotte wrote that, denied affection from her mother as a child and adolescent, Martha became one of her first memories of loving any one.At seventeen, athletic and energetic Charlotte roamed the streets and hills of Providence. One day she would attend a class at the Rhode Island School of Design, the future(a) she would stride down the hill to browse through the shops, or go for a rousing, giddy carriage ride in Roger Williams Park with a have a bun in the oven of friends.

Causes Animal Extinction Essay

Choose one of the following topics and write a 3-paragraph essay consisting of an Introductory Paragraph, ONE Supporting Paragraph and a reason Paragraph.Requirements1) Your introductory paragraph should not exceed one hundred fifty words, the body paragraph should not exceed 200 words, and the concluding paragraph should not exceed 150 words.2) Your thesis statement should consist of at least 3 subdivisions and choose only ONE subdivision to develop your supporting paragraph.3) Type your essay utilise Arial font, 12 pt., and spaced at 1.5 between lines. Remember to include page numbers.4) You MUST cite works from experts. Include at least TWO (2) peculiar(prenominal) supporting details of different types (e.g. quotations or paraphrase/ statistics/ examples from various sources / references / online journals). Citation and referencing should be using the APA format.5) Essays that are submitted after the deadline will be penalized 2 points per day unless you have prior approval/ex tension date, or a good and confirmable reason. If you need an extension, see your instructor. Extensions are at his/her discretion.TOPIC 1 some foreign students are interested in studying in Malaysia for galore(postnominal) reasons. However, some of these students do not turn up at their colleges after successfully obtaining their student visa. In some cases, those absentees were caught being involved in vice activities such as prostitution and drug dealing.Suggest some methods that can be implemented by the government and education institutions to stop foreign students from misusing their student VISA.TOPIC 2Every 4-5 years, Malaysia undergoes the election process by which the citizens select the masses to lead the government. However, many of the younger generation do not feel the need to participate in the voting process.Suggest the ways to encourage youths to show as voters.TOPIC 3It is easy for people to forget that when they travel alone, whether via public transportation or on their own, they are actually exposed to many dangerous situations, such as crime. Hence, it is vital for all to have some basic safety guidelines to avoid or protect oneself from danger.Suggest the precautions that a mortal can take while travelling alone.

The Role of Cargo Protein

The experiment shown in figure (3) was done to characterize the role of pack protein binding domain of sec24p in protein sorting. The vesicles were generated with the Sec24L616W mutated from microsomal membranes. The fleck of cargo proteins were estimated by immunoblotting or by autoradiography which were then quantified by using secondary antibody (labelled with radioactive molecules).The results are immune blots and showed the effect of Sec24L616W on packaging of cargo proteins. The findings of the experiment are this that the sec61p and Kar2p which are residents of ER were not found in vesicle fraction. They were missing from the vesicle when compared to wild type. there were group of proteins such as chitin synthase, profactor-a, were found in the mutant vesicles.In this experiment they learned that there are multiple sites organizing the cargo protein signals that binds at their own and confirmed the presence of superfluous unidentified domains which also interacts with disti nct types of cargo proteins. If the amino acid signal in protein Gap1p was mutated to some random amino acid signal, this will lead to moved(p) condition.If we can tell DID is replaced by DXE signal and If amino acid signal LxxLE in Bet1p was mutated to the amino acids DID which was signal of Gap1p, the following different result would be judge There are more chances that there will be two bands on immunoblot in 2nd and 3rd lane, which is normal and signal will not be disturbed for cargo protein, as the result would be similar to Gap1p.Bet1p is important site and mutation at this site causes defects in cargo packaging. If this is mutated with gap1p signal, the results whitethorn resemble to Sed5p, Erp1p or Bos1p, that are affected cases. Due to this mutation there are more chances to disrupt cargo packaging.

Course purshasing Essay

* Founded by France Dominique Mandonnaud in 1969 as a simple olfactory property shop. * By 1979 the social club was already expanded to several stick ins * Originally, Sephora was planned to be self-service store that offers a variety of products. * Its tack togetherer Mandonnaud rebranded his combined set of stores in order to expand is market. * Mandonnaud extended its branches all over France by acquiring 8% of total French retail perfume market and was purchased by LVMH, luxury product group, for $262 million in 1997. * Sephora expanded its operations and services beyond the perfume industry and expanding its core of products to cosmetics.* Under LNMHs ownership and opened its first U. S store in New York City in 1998 However, this presented a argufy for the company as they had a difficult time to supply the products from other prestigious brands such as Estee Lauder and Clinique. * The Company banked on rather inscrutable brands to fill its shelves therefore, these relation ships grew strong and eventually this fact led to the innovation and creativity of these brands to introduce new lines of products. * Sephora confronted many issues on their cosmetic line division, especially with the believe away line of supply from other stores.* Bottom line, Sephora offers more than 200 brands that go from the typical classics to new and exotic brands altogether, Sephora counts with more than 20,000 products. Among those products we could find top of line and sophisticated brands as well as not so well know products. * Sephora formed an strategic alliance with JC Penny. * Sephora. com was projected to generate 15-20% of Sephora USA sales in 2010. * Sephora. com ranked top 50 retail sites in U. S SWOT analysis Strengths * Globally distributed with more than 1000 shops worldwide * Strong parent company LVMH * More than 20,000 products to offer.* Strong online sales * self-service approach to cosmetics * Strong emphasis on construct loyalty brand by tracking down the customers obtain habits. Weaknesses * Modest operational budget. * Low brand recognition * Lack of TV promotions and print ads. * Higher price than drugstores and supermarkets Opportunities * Enhance their customer loyalty program in order to build a relationship with the product consumers. * Sign contracts with famous celebrities to endorse their products. * Introduction to enter into emerging economies such as Brazil and India. Threats * economical downturn.* Other companies in the same industry. * Amazon and other online companies that sale cosmetic, with their aggressive approach could certainly become a threat. Identification of Problem * Personnel and financial constraints needed to be addressed. * Imagination and inventiveness was greatly needed. * Budget limitation, presented a real challenge when it comes to budget allocation to different initiatives. * Outcomes assessment of social media campaigns as well as mobile applications constituted a real test to overcome. Sephora Direct Julie Bornstein took Sephora on another journey.She transforms the marketing view to a a lot innovational and up to date campaigns. * New Budget request was introduced in order to launch a major campaign that will include social media, electronic network site enhancement as well as the implementation of customer relationship campaigns. * Campaign success should be assessed thorough out Facebook likes and twitter following as well as I phone application downloads. Sephora. com and Beauty Insider * Sephora. com was implement on 1999 with very imp clear short and long termination goals. * Up to 25% of sales should be generated by Sephora. com by 2010. * By 2007 Sephora positive its Beauty Insider campaign.* Incentives such as 1 point for every(prenominal) dollar, salvage points programs are among those strategies in order to create that relationship with its customers Social Media Although this initiative had a rocky start, eventually become a success, Bornstein v isionary initiative and her persistence, this protrude obtained 1 million product reviews posted on their web site. (Ofek, 2012). Facebook * Sephora join Facebook by 2008 in less than a year their account had close to 300,000 fans in Facebook. * Last statistics show the Sephora page with more than 900,000 Twitter * By 2010, Sephora had approx. 100,000 users.* Primarily used for current promos, contests, events, etc.tera * Customers used it to tweet about newly found products. You Tube * Used by Sephora to upload How to Videos on make-up applications however this sharing video site could be utilized on a much more aggressive way. Cell phone applications * The rapid pace of technology forced mayor companies such as Sephora to create applications for smart phones like IPhone, Droid, Blackberry, etc. Alternatives Budget Re-distribution As stated previously the unwavering pace of technology constitute a real challenge not only to Sephora but to every single company.Therefore, I would like to present the following suggestions * Cellphone applications should really receive a great attention and consequently, more financial Resources. * Pros * Instant stretchability out to their customer base * Cons * Increase cost of application development fees. * Facebook, according to younger generations has become not cool and obviously not as attractive for younger women, therefore Sephora should look into other popular social media networks in order target new customers that eventually become loyal customers. Instagram, Pheed, thumb, Medium, etc.should be receiving at least 5% of the developmental budget for emerging social sites. * Pros * Targeting potential new buyers, young men and women that are eager to take on the world. * Cons * This target population might take some time in order to become actual customers. * Beauty Insider should remain at 20% as this constitutes the strongest campaign for Sephora when it comes to help Sephora loyal customers. * Pros * Continuous catering of loyal customers * Cons * Become obsolete if new strategies are not develop. * Retailing print catalogs, store animations.Should receive 30% percent of their developmental budget as these tools have become obsolete for the most part. (Personal opinion) * Pros * Reduction of cost in traditional advertise. * Cons * effectiveness loose of mature but loyal customers. Recommendation Finally, my recommendation will be to start a comprehensive Research of outcomes in the different categories of initiates developed under Julie Bornstein leadership. Based on those findings re-restructure the entire budget and re-think some of our means to reach out to new and existing customers.We live in a fast speed life and therefore our customers are as busy as they could help. Therefore Sephora must constantly evaluate and re-design their marketing strategies in order to get out the upmost friendly user options to inform serve and sell our products and services to their consumers. Therefor e I would choose the Cellphone application development to receive a greater part of the advertisement developmental budget and at the same time re-balance other line of the budgets in order to adjust the budgets accordingly to the outcomes rating done thorough the above suggested research.

Mac & Cheese Essay

The article Why Games atomic number 18 Good for You by Steven Johnson presents reasons why electronic delineation games are not harmful. speckle other people have written and talked somewhat the harms that video games bring to young people. , Steven Johnson argues just the opposite. He says that video games have many benefits including making us smarter.Steven Johnson begins his article by describing what the critics say about video games. First, they are a great waste of time says Dr. Spock. At their worst, they promote violent responses from children. The main inclination about video games is that they take away from children reading. Then the author presents the reasons that reading is so good for people. However, the author consequently says that a lot of the criticism about video games is because they are being judged by old standards by people who believe reading is the main way for children to learn skills. He asks the reader to reckon of a world where video games came b efore books. Then he argues that the criticisms of books would look a certain way. The criticisms are the authors way of showing benefits of video games, like they are three-dimensional, and they have strong visual images and sound. The user uses complex motor skills to navigate them. Also, he shows that the children interact with the games and can control what happens in them.Steven Johnson then shows that the arguments used against books in this made up situation are like the ones used for video games. They do not show the benefits of reading like victimisation the imagination or the shared experience of reading the same story. The arguments against video games are limited also says the author. He says if you compare video games to books, then the games provide not be judged well because the two are so different. Next, he talks again about the benefits of reading like concentration and making comprehend of words and meanings.After showing how reading brings many benefits, he th en argues that some of the benefits of readings are found with video games. He says, By almost either the standards we use to measure readings cognitive benefitsattention, memory, following threads and so onthe nonliterary popular culture has been steadily growing more challenging over the past thirty years (485). Research is showing in the last few years that people who play video games regularly are gaining important skills. In fact, Steven Johnson argues that Increasingly the nonliterary popular culture is honing different mental skills that are just as important as the ones exercised by reading books (485). He provides examples of why he believes this.Steven Johnson does not agree with critics of video games who believe they are not only a waste of time for children, nevertheless can cause harm. Instead, he argues that video games provide many benefits and skills for children including motor skills, interaction with a narrative, a rich landscape of sounds and images and so f orth. Other researchers are starting to agree that video games are providing some benefits. Steven Johnson believes that video games should be valued more, but he also suggests that reading is still important. The main point, though, is that parents and others should correspond thinking that video games are all bad and appreciate the value they bring to the child.

How Accurate Is Huxleys Vision of the Future.

Back To the Future In a world where people have sex all the time, take drugs to make themselves happier, and have no parents to tell them what to do, they have fun all the time. Huxleys vision of the upcoming sounds like a college kids dream. Huxleys vision in his novel, Brave New World, describes a future that will n forever happen. Huxleys vision of the future describes a delusion because the joined States acts stubborn. We do not agree to anything most countries do, like the math system, language, and currency.The coupled States acts on its own. No one controls the United States. Most people from our country behave conservatively. People live off religion, it gives people hope that a paradise does exist even in a tough world called life. No person would agree to have sex all the time with anyone and everyone. People deficiency love and a monogamous relationship. People also have jealousy issues. Americans act possessive, no person wants to give up family it teaches loyalty an d love. Most of the rules in Huxleys novel sound illegal.Five year olds play erotic games this screams child pornography. What sick person would force children to have sex with each other? The company system correlates to India which falls under illegal activities. Most importantly, people have to do above and beyond geniuses to develop the test tube theory and so on The education systems in the United States, Canada, and Europe fabricate learning the childrens mindset of school describes it as a place called hell. They have to meet authoritative requirements in order to discover ways to make people without sexual reproduction.Brave New World is impossible. Love makes people who they are. Without love fairness, hope, faith, generosity, humanity, kindheartedness, and compassion would never exist. (I want to k instantly what passion is I want to feel something strongly. Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, p. 102). Some points in the novel do run parallel with a near future of the Unit ed States, such as, no sacred marriages, sex obsessed people, atheist, need for drugs/ alcohol, and hunger for power and control do surround the United States.Although, the possibilities of the future obtain endless outcomes, with the lack of intelligent people, Brave New World will not happen anytime soon because more important dilemmas in the world today take precedence, such as, world hunger, poverty, finding a cure for incurable diseases, crime, and the economy. We have to fix the mess we live in now or no perverted fiction future will ever exist without the advances in government and education. Huxleys vision will only ever exist in a troubled mind.

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER SEVENTEEN GAIA

GAIAIt took hours for the military position from the space station to r for each 1 the vicinity of the Far Star actu aloney prospicient hours for Trevize to endure.Had the situation been nomal, Trevize would brook tried to signal and would father expected a response. If thither had been no response, he would fork over taken evasive action.Since he was unarmed and there had been no response, there was nonhing to do unless wait. The calculator would not respond to whatsoever direction he could give it that involved any(prenominal)thing out of doors the enthral.Intern wholey, at least(prenominal), alone(prenominal)thing worked well. The vivification-support systems were in perfect order, so that he and pelorat were physic exclusivelyy comfortable. Somehow, that didnt help. Life dragged on and the un truety of what was to come was wearing him wad. He noticed with peevishness that Pelorat seemed calm. As though to set about it worse, while Trevize snarl no sense of hunger at totally, Pelorat opened a small container of chicken-bits, which on opening had chop-chop and automati confaby warmed itself. Now he was eating it methodically.Trevize verbalise irritably, Space, Janov That stinksPelorat looked startled and sniffed at the container. It smells all correct to me, Golan.Trevize shook his head. Dont mind me. Im respectable upset. notwithstanding do physical exertion a fork. Your fingers will smell of chicken all day.Pelorat looked at his fingers with surprise. Sorry I didnt notice. I was thinking of something else.Trevize said sarcastically, Would you c be to guess at what type of non kind-hearteds the creatures on the approaching post must(prenominal)iness be? He was ashamed that he was less calm than Pelorat was. He was a Navy veterinary surgeon (though he had never seen battle, of cross) and Pelorat was a historian. Yet his companion sat there quiet.Pelorat said, It would be impossible to imagine what direction evolution wou ld take under conditions differing from those of Earth. The possibilities whitethorn not be infinite, b arly they would be so vast that they cogency as well be. However, I fundament predict that they ar not senselessly violent and they will treat us in a civilized fashion. If that wasnt true, we would be dead by now.At least you female genitalsful quiesce reason, Janov, my trembler you bay window still be tranquil. My nerves seem to be forcing their way through whatever tranquilization they fetch put us under. I shed an wicked desire to stand up and pace. Why doesnt that blasted ship arrive?Pelorat said, I am a man of passivity, Golan. I have spent my life doubled every get records while waiting for former(a) records to arrive. I do nothing still wait. You argon a man of action and you atomic number 18 in deep pain when action is impossible.Trevize felt some of his tension leave. He muttered, I underestimate your good sense, Janov.No, you dont, said Pelorat placid ly, nevertheless even a wide-eyed academic disregard sometimes make sense out of life.And even the cleverest politician backside sometimes fail to do so.I didnt say that, Golan. No, scarcely I did. So let me become active. I can still observe. The approaching ship is c support fair to middling to seem distinctly primitive.Seem?Trevize said, If its the merchandise of non valet de chambre minds and detention, what may seem primitive may, in actual fact, be merely non merciful.Do you think it faculty be a nonhuman artefact? asked Pelorat, his verbalism reddening close.I cant tell. I suspect that artifacts, however untold they may vary from culture to culture, are never quite as plastic as products of genetic differences office be.Thats just a guess on your sectionalisation. All we know are polar cultures. We dont know different intelligent species and therefore have no way of judging how different artifacts might be.Fish, dolphins, penguins, squids, even the ambiflexes, which are not of Earthly origin assuming the opposites are all solve the chore of work through a viscous medium by streamlining, so that their appearances are not as different as their genetic makeup might lead 1 to believe. It might be so with artifacts.The squids tentacles and the ambiflexs helical vibrators, responded Pelorat, are enormously different from each other, and from the fins, flippers, and limbs of vertebrates. It might be so with artifacts.In any scale, said Trevize, I feel break out. Talking nonsense with you, Janov, quiets my nerves. And I suspect well know what were occupyting into soon, too. The ship is not going to be able to dog with ours and whatever is on it will come a get across on an aged-fashi maven and wholly(a)d tether or we will somehow be urged to cross to it on one since the unilock will be useless. Unless some nonhuman will use some other system altogether.How big is the ship?Without cosmos able to use the ships computer to calculat e the distance of the ship by radar, we cant possibly know the size.A tether snaked out toward the Far Star.Trevize said, Either theres a human aboard or nonhumans use the same device. Perhaps nothing but a tether can possibly work.They might use a tube, said Pelorat, or a horizontal ladder.Those are inflexible things. It would be far too complicated to try to make contact with those. You need something that combines strength and flexibility.The tether make a dull clang on the Far Star as the solid hull (and consequently the air within) was set to vibrating. in that respect was the usual slithering as the other ship made the exquisitely adjustments of speed required to bring the two into a greenness velocity. The tether was motionless relative to both.A sable dot appeared on the hull of the other ship and expanded exchangeable the pupil of an eye.Trevize grunted. An expanding diaphragm, instead of a sliding panel.Nonhuman? non necessarily, I recollect. simply interesting.A m eet emerged.Pelorats lips tightened for a moment and consequently he said in a disap blockageed voice, Too elusive. Human.Not necessarily, said Trevize calmly. All we can make out is that there seem to be five projections. That could be a head, two arms, and two legs but it might not be. WaitWhat?It endures much rapidly and smoothly than I expected. AhWhat?Theres some style of propulsion. Its not rocketry, as nearly as I can tell, but neither is it hand over hand. Still, not necessarily human.There seemed an incredibly long wait despite the quick approach of the figure along the tether, but there was finally the disruption of contact.Trevize said, Its coming in, whatever it is. My impulse is to tackle it the fleck it appears. He balled a fist.I think we had better relax, said Pelorat. It may be stronger than we. It can chequer our minds. There are surely others on the ship. We had better wait till we know more(prenominal) about what we are facing.You prepare more and mo re level-headed by the minute, Janov, said Trevize, and I, less and less.They could hear the airlock moving into action and finally the figure appeared inside the ship.About normal size, muttered Pelorat. The space suit could decease a human being.I never saw or comprehend of much(prenominal) a design, but it doesnt fall outside the limits of human manufacture, it seems to me. It doesnt say anything.The space-suited figure stood before them and a forelimb rose to the rounded helmet, which if it were made of glass possessed oneway transparency only if. Nothing could be seen inside.The limb touched something with a quick motion that Trevize did not clearly make out and the helmet was at once detached from the rest of the suit. It lifted off.What was exposed was the face of a young and undeniably charming woman.Pelorats expressionless face did what it could to look stupefied. He said hesitantly, Are you human?The womans eyebrows shot up and her lips pouted. There was no way of telling from the action whether she was face up with a strange language and did not project or whether she understood and wondered at the question.Her hand moved quickly to the leftfield side of her suit, which opened in one piece as though it were on a set of hinges. She stepped out and the suit remained standing without content for a moment. Then, with a soft take a breath that seemed almost human, it collapsed.She looked even younger, now that she had stepped out. Her clothing was loose and translucent, with the skimpy items beneath visible as shadows. The outer robe reached to her knees.She was small-breasted and narrow-waisted, with hips rounded and full. Her thighs, which were seen in shadow, were generous, but her legs contract to graceful ankles. Her hair was dark and shoulderlength, her eyes brown and large, her lips full and slightly asymmetric.She looked down at herself and wherefore(prenominal) solved the problem of her studying of the language by saying, Dont I look human?She spoke Galactic Standard with just a trifle of hesitation, as though she were straining a bit to get the pronunciation quite right.Pelorat nodded and said with a small smile, I cant deny it. Quite human. Delightfully human.The young woman spread her arms as though inviting closer examination. I should hope so, gentleman. manpower have died for this body.I would quite an live for it, said Pelorat, defineing a vein of gallantry which faintly affect him.Good choice, said the woman solemnly. Once this body is attained, all sighs become sighs of ecstasy.She laughed and Pelorat laughed with her.Trevize, whose forehead had puckered into a frown through this exchange, rapped out, How old are you?The woman seemed to wince a little. Twenty-three, gentleman.Why have you come? What is your purpose here?I have come to escort you to germanium. Her command of Galactic Standard was slipping slightly and her vowels tended to round into diphthongs. She made come sound like comb and Gaia like Gay-uh.A girl to escort us.The woman move herself up and dead she had the bearing of one in charge. I, she said, am Gaia, as well as another. It was my stint on the station.Your stint? Were you the only one on board?Proudly. I was all that was needed.And is it empty now?I am no longer on it, gentleman, but it is not empty. It is there.It? To what do you refer?To the station. It is Gaia. It doesnt need me. It holds your ship.Then what are you doing on the station?It is my stint.Pelorat had taken Trevize by the sleeve and had been shaken off. He tried again. Golan, he said in an urgent half-whisper. Dont shout at her. Shes only a girl. Let me deal with this.Trevize shook his head angrily, but Pelorat said, Young woman, what is your name?The woman smiled with sudden sunniness, as though responding to the softer tone. She said, then(prenominal)ime. satisfaction? said Pelorat. A very nice name. Surely thats not all there is.Of course not. A fine thing it would be to ha ve one syllable. It would be duplicated on every section and we wouldnt tell one from another, so that the men would be dying for the wrong body. Bussenobiarella is my name in full.Now thats a mouthful. What? Seven syllables? Thats not much. I have friends with fifteen syllables in their names and they never get done trying combinations for the friend-name. Ive stuck with bliss now ever since I turned fifteen. My set out called me Nobby, if you can imagine much(prenominal) a thing.In Galactic Standard, bliss means ecstasy or extreme happiness, said Pelorat.In Gaian language, too. Its not very different from Standard, and ecstasy is the spirit I intend to convey.My name is Janov Pelorat.I know that. And this other gentleman the shouter is Golan Trevize. We received joint from Sayshell.Trevize said at once, his eyes narrow, How did you receive word?blissfulness turned to look at him and said calmly, I didnt. Gaia did.Pelorat said, Miss joy, may my failner and myself speak Pri vately for a moment?Yes, certainly, but we have to get on with it, you know.I wont take long. He pulled hard at Trevizes elbow and was reluctantly fol graduation exercise-class honours degreeed into the other room.Trevize said in a whisper, Whats all this? Im sure she can hear us in here. She can credibly read our minds, blast the creature.Whether she can or cant, we need a bit of mental isolation for just a moment. Look, old chap, leave her alone. Theres nothing we can do, and theres no use taking that out on her. Theres probably nothing she can do either. Shes just a messenger girl. Actually, as long as shes on board, were probably safe they wouldnt have put her on board if they intend to destroy the ship. Keep bullying and perhaps they will destroy it and us after they take her off.I dont like being helpless, said Trevize grumpily.Who does? just performing like a bully doesnt make you less helpless. It just makes you a helpless bully. Oh, my dear chap, I dont mean to be bull ying you like this and you must forgive me if Im excessively critical of you, but the girl is not to be blamed.Janov, shes young enough to be your youngest daughter.Pelorat straightened. All the more reason to treat her gently. Nor do I know what you imply by the statement.Trevize thought a moment, then his face cleared. Very well. Youre right. Im wrong. It is irritating, though, to have them send a girl. They might have direct a military officer, for instance, and given us a sense of some value, so to speak. Just a girl? And she keeps placing responsibility on Gaia?Shes probably referring to a ruler who takes the name of the artificial satellite as an honorific or else shes referring to the planetary council. Well find out, but probably not by direct questioning.Men have died for her body said Trevize. Huh Shes bottom-heavyNo one is asking you to die for it, Golan, said Pelorat gently. Come Allow her a sense of self-mockery. I consider it peculiar and good-natured, myself.They found ecstasy at the computer, bending down and staring at its component parts with her hands behind her back as though she feared contemptible it.She looked up as they entered, ducking their heads under the low lintel. This is an amazing ship, she said. I dont understand half of what I see, but if youre going to give me a greeting-present, this is it. Its beautiful. It makes my ship look awful.Her face took on a look of ardent curiosity. Are you really from the Foundation?How do you know about the Foundation? asked Pelorat.We learn about it in school. Mostly because of the Mule.Why because of the Mule, Bliss?Hes one of us, gentle What syllable of your name may I use, gentleman?Pelorat said, Either Jan or Pel. Which do you prefer?Hes one of us, Pel, said Bliss with a comradely smile. He was born on Gaia, but no one seems to know where exactly.Trevize said, I imagine hes a Gaian hero, Bliss, eh? He had become determinedly, almost aggressively, friendly and cast a placating glance in Pelorats direction. Call me Trev, he added.Oh no, she said at once. Hes a criminal. He left Gaia without permission, and no one should do that. No one knows how he did it. solely he left, and I guess thats why he came to a bad end. The Foundation beat him in the end.The Second Foundation? said Trevize.Is there more than one? I suppose if I thought about it I would know, but Im not interested in history, really. The way I look at it is, Im interested in what Gaia thinks best. If history just goes past me, its because there are enough historians or that Im not well adapted to it. Im probably being trained as a space technician myself. I keep being assigned to stints like this and I seem to like it and it stands to reason I wouldnt like it ifShe was speaking rapidly, almost breathlessly, and Trevize had to make an effort to insert a sentence. Whos Gaia?Bliss looked puzzled at that. Just Gaia. Please, Pel and Trev, lets get on with it. Weve got to get to the surface.Were going there , arent we?Yes, but slowly. Gaia feels you can move much more rapidly if you use the potential of your ship. Would you do that?We could, said Trevize grimly. But if I get the control of the ship back, wouldnt I be more likely to rapid climb off in the opposite direction?Bliss laughed. Youre funny. Of course, you cant go in any direction Gaia doesnt want you to go. But you can go fleet in the direction Gaia does want you to go. See?We see, said Trevize, and Ill try to control my sense of humor. Where do I land on the surface?It doesnt matter. You just head downward and youll land at the right place. Gain will see to that.Pelorat said, And will you stay with us, Bliss, and see that we are treated well?I suppose I can do that. Lets see now, the usual fee for my services I mean that kind of services can be entered on my balancecard.And the other kind of services?Bliss giggled. Youre a nice old man. Pelorat winced.Bliss reacted to the swoop down to Gaia with a naive excitement. She s aid, Theres no touch sensation of acceleration.Its a gravitic drive, said Pelorat. Everything accelerates together, ourselves included, so we dont feel anything.But how does it work, Pel?Pelorat shrugged. I think Trev knows, he said, but I dont think hes really in a mood to talk about it.Trevize had dropped down Gaias gravity well almost recklessly. The ship responded to his direction, as Bliss had warned him, in a partial manner. An attempt to cross the lines of gravitic force obliquely was accepted but only with a certain hesitation. An attempt to rise upward was utterly ignored.The ship was still not his.Pelorat said mildly, Arent you going downward rather rapidly, Golan?Trevize, with a kind of flatness to his voice, attempting to avoid anger (more for Pelorats sake, than anything else) said, The young lady says that Gaia will take care of us.Bliss said, Surely, Pel. Gaia wouldnt let this ship do anything that wasnt safe. Is there anything to eat on board?Yes indeed, said Pelo rat. What would you like?No meat, Pel, said Bliss in a businesslike way, but Ill take fish or eggs, along with any vegetables you might have.Some of the food we have is Sayshellian, Bliss, said Pelorat. Im not sure I know whats in it, but you might like it.Well, Ill taste some, said Bliss dubiously.Are the people on Gaia vegetarian? asked Pelorat.A lot are. Bliss nodded her head vigorously. It depends on what nutrients the body needs in particular cases. Lately I havent been hungry for meat, so I suppose I dont need any. And I havent been aching for anything sweet. Cheese tastes good, and peewit. I think I probably need to lose weight. She slapped her right buttock with a resounding noise. I need to lose five or six pounds right here.I dont see why, said Pelorat. It gives you something comfortable to sit on.Bliss twisted to look down at her sneak as best she might. Oh well, it doesnt matter. Weight goes up or down as it ought. I shouldnt concern myself.Trevize was silent because h e was struggling with the Far Star. He had hesitated a bit too long for orbit and the lower limits of the planetary exosphere were now screaming past the ship. Little by little, the ship was escaping from his control altogether. It was as though something else had learned to handle the gravitic engines. The Far Star, acting apparently by itself, curved upward into thinner air and slowed rapidly. It then took up a path on its own that brought it into a gentle downward curve.Bliss had ignored the edgy sound of air resistance and sniffed delicately at the steam rising from the container. She said, It must be all right, Pd, because if it werent, it wouldnt smell right and I wouldnt want to eat it. She put a slim finger into it and then licked at the finger. You guessed correctly, Pd. Its shrimp or something like it. GoodWith a gesture of dissatisfaction, Trevize abandoned the computer.Young woman, he said, as though seeing her for the first time.My name is Bliss, said Bliss firmly.Bliss , then You knew our names.Yes, Trev.How did you know them?It was master(prenominal) that I know them, in order for me to do my job. So I knew them.Do you know who Munn Li Compor is?I would if it were important for me to know who he is. Since I do not know who he is, Mr. Compor is not coming here. For that matter, she paused a moment, no one is coming here but you two.Well see.He was looking down. It was a cloudy planet. There wasnt a solid layer of cloud, but it was a broken layer that was remarkably evenly illogical and offered no clear view of any part of the planetary surface.He switched to microwave and the radarscope glittered. The surface was almost an image of the sky. It seemed a world of islands rather like Terminus, but more so. None of the islands was very large and none was very isolated. It was something of an approach to a planetary archipelago. The ships orbit was well inclined to the equatorial plane, but he saw no sign of ice caps.Neither were there the unmistaka ble marks of uneven population distribution, as would be expected, for instance, in the flash of the night side.Will I be coming down near the capital city, Bliss? asked Trevize.Bliss said indifferently, Gaia will put you down somewhere convenient.Id prefer a big city.Do you mean a large people- assorting?Yes.Its up to Gaia.The ship continued its downward path and Trevize tried to find amusement in guessing on which island it would land.Whichever it might be, it appeared they would be landing within the hour.The ship landed in a quiet, almost feathery manner, without a moment of jarring, without one anomalous gravitational effect. They stepped out, one by one first Bliss, then Pelorat, and finally Trevize.The weather was comparable to early summer at Terminus City. There was a mild breeze and with what seemed to be a late-morning sun shining brightly down from a mottled sky. The ground was jet plane underfoot and in one direction there were the serried rows of trees that bespoke a n orchard, while in the other there was the distant line of seashore.There was the low hum of what might have been insect life, a flash of bird or some small flying creature above and to one side, and the clack-clack of what might have been some farm instrument.Pelorat was the first to speak and he mentioned nothing he either saw or heard. Instead, he drew in his breath raspingly and said, Ah, it smells good, like freshly-made applesauce.Trevize said, Thats probably an apple orchard were looking at and, for all we know, theyre making applesauce.On your ship, on the other hand, said Bliss, it smelled like Well, it smelled terrible.You didnt speak out when you were on it, growled Trevize.I had to be polite. I was a guest on your ship.Whats wrong with staying polite?Im on my own world now. Youre the guest. You be polite.Pelorat said, Shes probably right about the smell, Golan. Is there any way of airing out the ship?Yes, said Trevize with a snap. It can be done if this little crea ture can assure us that the ship will not be disturbed. She has already shown us she can exert unusual power over the ship.Bliss drew herself up to her full height. Im not exactly little and if leaving your ship alone is what it takes to get it cleaned up, I assure you leaving it alone will be a pleasure.And then can we be taken to whoever it is that you speak of as Gaia? said Trevize.Bliss looked amused. I dont know if youre going to believe this, Trev. Im Gaia.Trevize stared. He had often heard the phrase collect ones thoughts used metaphorically. For the first time in his life, he felt as though he were engaged in the process literally. Finally he said, You?Yes. And the ground. And those trees. And that rabbit over there in the grass. And the man you can see through the trees. The whole planet and everything on it is Gaia. Were all individuals were all separate organisms but we all share an overall knowingness. The inanimate planet does so least of all, the various forms of lif e to a varying degree, and human beings most of all but we all share.Pelorat said, I think, Trevize, that she means Gaia is some sort of meeting consciousness.Trevize nodded. I gathered that. In that case, Bliss, who runs this world?Bliss said, It runs itself. Those trees grow in rank and file of their own accord. They multiply only to the extent that is needed to replace those that for any reason die. Human beings harvest the apples that are needed other animals, including insects, eat their share and only their share.The insects know what their share is, do they? said Trevize.Yes, they do in a way. It rains when it is necessary and occasionally it rains rather hard when that is necessary and occasionally theres a siege of dry weather when that is necessary.And the rain knows what to do, does it?Yes, it does, said Bliss very seriously. In your own body, dont all the different cells know what to do? When to grow and when to stop growing? When to form certain substances and when not to, and when they form them, just how much to form, neither more nor less? distributively cell is, to a certain extent, an independent chemical factory, but all draw from a common fund of raw materials brought to it by a common transportation system, all deliver wastes into common channels, and all contribute to an overall conference consciousness.Pelorat said with a certain enthusiasm, But thats remarkable. You are saying that the planet is a superorganism and that you are a cell of that superorganism.Im making an analogy, not an identity. We are the analog of cells, but we are not identical with cells do you understand?In what way, said Trevize, are you not cells?We are ourselves made up of cells and have a group consciousness, as far as cells are concerned. This group consciousness, this consciousness of an individual organism a human being, in my caseWith a body men die for.Exactly. My consciousness is far advanced beyond that of any individual cell incredibly far adva nced. The fact that we, in turn, are part of a still greater group consciousness on a higher level does not reduce us to the level of cells. I remain a human being but above us is a group consciousness as far beyond my grasp as my consciousness is beyond that of one of the muscle cells of my biceps.Trevize said, Surely someone ordered our ship to be taken.No, not someone Gaia ordered it. All of us ordered it.The trees and the ground, too, Bliss?They contributed very little, but they contributed. Look, if a musician writes a symphony, do you ask which particular cell in his body ordered the symphony written and supervised its construction?Pelorat said, And, I . take it, the group mind, so to speak, of the group consciousness is much stronger than an individual mind, just as a muscle is much stronger than an individual muscle cell. Consequently Gaia can capture our ship at a distance by controlling our computer, even though no individual mind on the planet could have done so.You unde rstand perfectly, Pel, said Bliss.And I understand it, too, said Trevize. It is not that hard to understand. But what do you want of us? We have not come to attack you. We have come seeking information. Why have you seized us?To talk to you.You might have talked to us on the ship.Bliss shook her head gravely, I am not the one to do it.Arent you part of the group mind?Yes, but I cannot fly like a bird, buzz like an insect, or grow as tall as a tree. I do what it is best for me to do and it is not best that I give you the information though the acquaintance could easily be assigned to me.Who decided not to assign it to you?We all did.Who will give us the information?And who is Dom?Well, said Bliss. His full name is Endomandiovizamarondeyaso and so on. Different people call him different syllables at different times, but I know him as Dom and I think you two will use that syllable as well. He probably has a larger share of Gaia than anyone on the planet and he lives on this island. He asked to see you and it was allowed.Who allowed it? asked Trevize and answered himself at once, Yes, I know you all did.Bliss nodded.Pelorat said, When will we be seeing Dom, Bliss?Right away. If you follow me, Ill take you to him now, Pel. And you, too, of course, Trev.And will you leave, then? asked Pelorat.You dont want me to, Pel?Actually, no.There you are, said Bliss as they followed her along a smoothly paved road that skirted the orchard. Men grow addicted to me on short order. flush dignified elderly men are overcome with boyish ardor.Pelorat laughed. I wouldnt count on much boyish ardor, Bliss, but if I had it I could do worse than have it on your account, I think.Bliss said, Oh, dont discount your boyish ardor. I work wonders.Trevize said impatiently, Once we get to where were going, how long will we have to wait for this Dom?He will be waiting for you. After all, Dom through Gaia has worked for years to bring you here.Trevize stopped in midstep and looked quickly at Pelorat, who quietly mouthed You were right.Bliss, who was looking straight ahead, said calmly, I know, Trev, that you have suspected that I/we/Gaia was interested in you.I/we/Gaia? said Pelorat softly.She turned to smile at him. We have a whole composite of different pronouns to express the shades of individuality that exist on Gaia. I could explain them to you, but till then I/we/Gaia gets across what I mean in a groping sort of way. Please move on, Trev. Dom is waiting and I dont wish to force your legs to move against your will. It is an uncomfortable feeling if youre not used to it.Trevize moved on. His glance at Bliss was compounded of the deepest suspicion.Dom was an elderly man. He recited the two hundred and fiftythree syllables of his name in a musical flowing of tone and emphasis.In a way, he said, it is a brief biography of myself. It tells the hearer or reader, or senser who I am, what part I have played in the whole, what I have accomplished. For fifty years and more, however, I have been satisfied to be referred to as Dom. When there are other Doms at issue, I can be called Domandio and in my various professional relationships other variants are used. Once a Gaian year on my natal day my full name is recited-in-mind, as I have just recited it for you in voice. It is very effective, but it is personally embarrassing.He was tall and thin almost to the point of emaciation. His deep-set eyes sparkled with anomalous youth, though he moved rather slowly. His jutting nose was thin and long and flared at the nostrils. His hands, prominently veined though they were, showed no signs of arthritic disability. He wore a long robe that was as gray as his hair. It descended to his ankles and his sandals left his toes bare.Trevize said, How old are you, sir?Please address me as Dom, Trev. To use other modes of address induces formality and inhibits the free exchange of ideas between you and me. In Galactic Standard Years, I am just past ninety-three, but the real celebration will come not very many months from now, when I reach the ninetieth anniversary of my birth in Gaian years.I would not have guessed you at more than seventy-five, s-Dom, said Trevize.By Gaian standards I am not remarkable, either in years or in appearance of years, Trev. But come, have we eaten?Pelorat looked down at his plate, on which perceptible remnants of a most unremarkable and indifferently prepared meal remained, and said in a incertain manner, Dom, may I attempt to ask an embarrassing question? Of course, if its offensive, you will please say so, and I will withdraw it.Go ahead, said Dom, smiling. I am anxious to explain to you anything about Gaia which arouses your curiosity.Why? said Trevize at once.Because you are honored guests. May I have Pels question?Pelorat said, Since all things on Gaia share in the group consciousness, how is it that you one element of the group can eat this, which was clearly another element?True But all things recyc le. We must eat and everything we can eat, plant as well as animal even the inanimate seasonings are part of Gaia. But, then, you see, nothing is killed for pleasure or sport nothing is killed with unnecessary pain. And Im afraid we make no attempt to glorify our meal preparations, for no Gaian would eat except that one must. You did not enjoy this meal, Pel? Trev? Well, meals are not to enjoy.Then, too, what is eaten remains, after all, part of the planetary consciousness. Insofar as portions of it are incorporated into my body, it will participate in a larger share of the total consciousness. When I die, I, too, will be eaten even if only by decay bacteria and I will then participate in a far smaller share of the total. But someday, parts of me will be parts of other human beings, parts of many.Pelorat said, A sort of transmigration of souls.Of what, Pel?I speak of an old myth that is current on some worlds.Ah, I dont know of it. You must tell me on some occasion.Trevize said, But your individual consciousness whatever it is about you that is Dom will never fully reassemble.No, of course not. But does that matter? I will still be part of Gaia and that is what counts. There are mystics among us who wonder if we should take measures to develop group memories of past existences, but the sense-of-Gaia is that this cannot be done in any applicatory way and would serve no useful purpose. It would merely blur present consciousness. Of course, as conditions change, the sense-of-Gaia may change, too, but I find no chance of that in the foreseeable future.Why must you die, Dom? asked Trevize. Look at you in your nineties. Could not the group consciousnessFor the first time, Dom frowned. Never, he said. I can contribute only so much. Each new individual is a reshuffling of molecules and genes into something new. New talents, new abilities, new contributions to Gaia. We must have them and the only way we can is to make room. I have done more than most, but even I have my limit and it is approaching. There is no more desire to live past ones time than to die before it.And then, as if realizing he had lent a suddenly somber note to the evening, he rose and stretched his arms out to the two. Come, Trev Pel let us move into my studio where I can show you some of my personal art objects. You wont blame an old man for his little vanities, I hope.He led the way into another room where, on a small circular table, there were a group of smoky lenses connected in pairs.These, said Dom, are Participations I have designed. I am not one of the masters, but I particular(prenominal)ize in inanimates, which few of the masters irritation with.Pelorat said, May I pick one up? Are they fragile?No no. Bounce them on the floor if you like. Or perhaps you had better not. Concussion could dull the sharpness of the vision.How are they used, Dom?You put them over your eyes. Theyll cling. They do not transmit light. Quite the contrary. They obscure light that m ight otherwise flurry you though the sensations do reach your brain by way of the optic nerve. Essentially your consciousness is sharpened and is allowed to participate in other facets of Gaia. In other words, if you look at that fence, you will experience that wall as it appears to itself.Fascinating, muttered Pelorat. may I try that?Certainly, Pel. You may take one at random. Each is a different construct that shows the wall or any other inanimate object you look at in a different aspect of the objects consciousness.Pelorat put one pair over his eyes and they clung there at once. He started at the touch and then remained motionless for a long time.Dom said, When you are through, place your hands on either side of the Participation and press them toward each other. It will come right off.Pelorat did so, blinked his eyes rapidly, then rubbed them.Dom said, What did you experience?Pelorat said, Its hard to describe. The wall seemed to twinkle and glisten and, at times, it seeme d to turn fluid. It seemed to have ribs and changing symmetries. I Im sorry, Dom, but I did not find it attractive.Dom sighed. You do not participate in Gaia, so you would not see what we see. I had rather feared that. Too bad I assure you that although these Participations are enjoyed primarily for their aesthetic value, they have their practical uses, too. A happy wall is a long-lived wall, a practical wall, a useful wall.A happy wall? said Trevize, smiling slightly.Dom said, There is a dim sensation that a wall experiences that is analogous to what happy means to us. A wall is happy when it is well designed, when it rests firmly on its foundation, when its symmetry balances its parts and produces no unpleasant stresses. Good design can be worked out on the mathematical principles of mechanics, but the use of a proper Participation can fine tune it down to virtually atomic dimensions. No sculptor can possibly produce a first-class work of art here on Gaia without a well-crafted P articipation and the ones I produce of this particular type are considered excellent if I do say so myself.Animate Participations, which are not my field, and Dom was going on with the kind of excitement one expects in someone riding his hobby, give us, by analogy, a direct experience of bionomic balance. The ecological balance on Gaia is rather simple, as it is on all worlds, but here, at least, we have the hope of making it more complex and thus enriching the total consciousness enormously.Trevize held up his hand in order to forestall Pelorat and wave him into silence. He said, How do you know that a planet can bear a more complex ecological balance if they all have simple ones?Ah, said Dom, his eyes twinkling shrewdly, you are testing the old man. You know as well as I do that the original home of humanity, Earth, had an enormously complex ecological balance. It is only the secondary worlds the derived worlds that are simple.Pelorat would not be kept silent. But that is the p roblem I have set myself in life. Why was it only Earth that bore a complex environmental science? What distinguished it from other worlds? Why did millions upon millions of other worlds in the Galaxy worlds that were capable of bearing life develop only an undistinguished vegetation, together with small and stunned animal life-forms?Dom said, We have a tale about that a fable, perhaps. I cannot vouch for its authenticity. In fact, on the face of it, it sounds like fiction.It was at this point that Bliss who had not participated in the meal entered, smiling at Pelorat. She was wearing a silvery blouse, very sheer.Pelorat rose at once. I thought you had left us.Not at all. I had reports to make out, work to do. May I join you now, Dom?Dom had also risen (though Trevize remained seated). You are entirely welcome and you ravish these aged eyes.It is for your misdemeanor that I put on this blouse. Pel is above such things and Trev dislikes them.Pelorat said, If you think I am ab ove such things, Bliss, I may surprise you someday.What a delightful surprise that would be, Bliss said, and sat down. The two men did as well. Please dont let me interrupt you.Dom said, I was about to tell our guests the story of Eternity. To understand it, you must first understand that there are many different Universes that can exist virtually an infinite result. Every single event that takes place can take place or not take place, or can take place in this fashion or in that fashion, and each of an enormous number of alternatives will result in a future course of events that are distinct to at least some degree.Bliss might not have come in just now or she might have been with us a little earlier or much earlier or having come in now, she might have worn a different blouse or even in this blouse, she might not have smiled roguishly at elderly men as is her kindhearted custom. In each of these alternatives or in each of a very large number of other alternatives of this one ev ent the Universe would have taken a different slice thereafter, and so on for every other variation of every other event, however minor.Trevize stirred restlessly. I believe this is a common speculation in quantum mechanics a very ancient one, in fact.Ah, youve heard of it. But let us go on. Imagine it is possible for human beings to freeze all the infinite number of Universes, to step from one to another at will, and to choose which one should be made real whatever that word means in this connection.Trevize said, I hear your words and can even imagine the creation you describe, but I cannot make myself believe that anything like this could ever communicate. Nor I, on the whole, said Dom, which is why I say that it would all seem to be a fable. Nevertheless, the fable states that there were those who could step out of time and examine the endless strands of potential reality. These people were called the Eternals and when they were out of time they were said to be in Eternity. It was their undertaking to choose a universe that would be most suitable to humanity. They modified endlessly and the story goes into great detail, for I must tell you that it has been written in the form of an epic of inordinate length. Eventually they found (so it is said) a Universe in which Earth was the only planet in the entire Galaxy on which could be found a complex ecological system, together with the development of an intelligent species capable of working out a high technology.That, they decided, was the situation in which humanity could be most secure. They froze that strand of events as reality and then ceased operations. Now we live in a Galaxy that has been settled by human beings only, and, to a large extent, by the plants, animals, and microscopic life that they carry with them voluntarily or inadvertently from planet to planet and which usually overwhelm the indigenous life. someplace in the dim mists of probability there are other Realities in which the Gal axy is host to many tidingss, but they are unreachable. We in our worldly concern are alone. From every action and every event in our Reality, there are new branches that set off, with only one in each separate case being a continuation of Reality, so that there are vast numbers of potential Universes perhaps an infinite number stemming from ours, but all of them are presumably alike in containing the one intelligence Galaxy in which we live. Or perhaps I should say that all but a vanishingly small percentage are alike in this way, for it is dangerous to rule out anything where the possibilities approach the infinite.He stopped, shrugged slightly, and added, At least, thats the story. It dates back to before the founding of Gaia. I dont vouch for its truth.The three others had listened intently. Bliss nodded her head, as though it were something she had heard before and she were checking the accuracy of Doms account.Pelorat reacted with a silent solemnity for the better part o f a minute and then balled his fist and brought it down upon the arm of his chair.No, he said is a strangled tone, that affects nothing. Theres no way of demonstrating the truth of the story by observation or by reason, so it cant ever be anything but a piece of speculation, but aside from that. Suppose its true The Universe we live in is still one in which only Earth has developed a rich life and an intelligent species, so that in this Universe whether it is the all-in-all or only one out of an infinite number of possibilities there must be something unique in the nature of the planet Earth. We should still want to know what that uniqueness is.In the silence that followed, it was Trevize who finally stirred and shook his head.No, Janov, he said, thats not the way it works. Let us say that the chances are one in a jillion trillion one in 1021 that out of the billion of habitable planets in the Galaxy only Earth through the workings of sheer chance would happen to develop a ric h ecology and, eventually, intelligence. If that is so, then one in 1021 of the various strands of potential Realities would represent such a Galaxy and the Eternals picked it. We live, therefore, in a Universe in which Earth is the only planet to develop a complex ecology, an intelligent species, a high technology not because there is something special about Earth, but because simply by chance it developed on Earth and nowhere else.I suppose, in fact, Trevize went on thoughtfully, that there are strands of Reality in which only Gaia has developed an intelligent species, or only Sayshell, or only Terminus, or only some planet which in this Reality happens to bear no life at all. And all of these very special cases are a vanishingly small percentage of the total number of Realities in which there is more than one intelligent species in the Galaxy. I suppose that if the Eternals had looked long enough they would have found a potential strand of Reality in which every single habitabl e planet had developed an intelligent species.Pelorat said, Might you not also argue that a Reality had been found in which Earth was for some reason not as it was in other strands, but specially suited in some way for the development of intelligence? In fact, you can go further and say that a Reality had been found in which the whole Galaxy was not as it was in other strands, but was somehow in such a state of development that only Earth could produce intelligence.Trevize said, You might argue so, but I would suppose that my version makes more sense.Thats a purely subjective decision, of course began Pelorat with some heat, but Dom interrupted, saying This is logic-chopping. Come, let us not spoil what is proving, at least for me, a pleasant and leisurely evening.Pelorat endeavored to relax and to allow his heat to drain away. He smiled finally and said, As you say, Dom.Trevize, who had been casting glances at Bliss, who sat with mocking demurity, hands in her lap, now said, And ho w did this world come to be, Dom? Gaia, with its group consciousness?Doms old head leaned back and he laughed in a high-pitched manner. His face wavy as he said, Fables again I think about that sometimes, when I read what records we have on human history. No matter how carefully records are kept and filed and computerized, they grow fuzzy with time. Stories grow by accretion. Tales accumulate like dust. The longer the time lapse, the dustier the history until it degenerates into fables.Pelorat said, We historians are familiar with the process, Dom. There is a certain preference for the fable. The falsely dramatic drives out the truly dull, said Liebel Gennerat about fifteen centuries ago. Its called Gennerats Law now.Is it? said Dom. And I thought the notion was a misanthropic invention of my own. Well, Gennerats Law fills our past history with glamour and uncertainty. Do you know what a robot is?We found out on Sayshell, said Trevize dryly.You saw one?No. We were asked the que stion and, when we answered in the negative, it was explained to us.I understand. Humanity once lived with robots, you know, but it didnt work well.So we were told.The robots were deeply indoctrinated with what are called the Three Laws of Robotics, which date back into prehistory. There are several versions of what those Three Laws might have been. The orthodox view has the following reading 1) A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm a) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law ) A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. As robots grew more intelligent and versatile, they interpreted these Laws, especially the all-overriding First, more and more generously and assumed, to a greater and greater degree, the role of protector of humanity. The protection stifled people and grew unbearable.T he robots were entirely kind. Their labors were clearly humane and were meant entirely for the benefit of all which somehow made them all the more unbearable.Every robotic advance made the situation worse. Robots were developed with telepathic capacity, but that meant that even human thought could be monitored, so that human demeanour became still more dependent on robotic oversight.Again robots grew steadily more like human beings in appearance, but they were unmistakably robots in behavior and being humanoid made them more repulsive. So, of course, it had to come to an end.Why of course? asked Pelorat, who had been listening intently.Dom said, Its a matter of following the logic to the bitter end. Eventually the robots grew advanced enough to become just sufficiently human to appreciate why human beings should resent being deprived of everything human in the name of their own good. In the long run, the robots were forced to decide that humanity might be better off caring for the mselves, however carelessly and ineffectively.Therefore, it is said, it was the robots who established Eternity somehow and became the Eternals. They turn up a Reality in which they felt that human beings could be as secure as possible alone in the Galaxy. Then, having done what they could to guard us and in order to fulfill the First Law in the truest sense, the robots of their own accord ceased to function and ever since we have been human beings advancing, however we can, alone.Dom paused. He looked from Trevize to Pelorat, and then said, Well, do you believe all that?Trevize shook his head slowly. No. There is nothing like this in any historical record I have ever heard of. How about you, Janov?Pelorat said, There are myths that are similar in some ways.Come, Janov, there are myths that would match anything that any of us can make up, given sufficiently ingenious interpretation. Im talking about history reliable records.Oh well. Nothing there, as far as I know.Dom said, Im n ot surprised. onward the robots withdrew, many parties of human beings left to colonize robotless worlds in deeper space, in order to take their own measures for freedom. They came particularly from overcrowded Earth, with its long history of resistance to robots. The new worlds were founded fresh and they did not even want to remember their bitter humiliation as children under robot nursemaids. They kept no records of it and they forgot.Trevize said, This is unlikely.Pelorat turned to him. No, Golan. Its not at all unlikely. Societies create their own history and tend to wipe out lowly beginnings, either by forgetting them or inventing totally fictitious heroic rescues. The Imperial organisation made attempts to suppress knowledge of the pre-Imperial past in order to strengthen the mystic aura of eternal rule. Then, too, there are almost no records of the long time before hyperspatial travel and you know that the very existence of Earth is unknown to most people today.Trevize s aid, You cant have it both ways, Janov. If the Galaxy has forgotten the robots, how is it that Gaia remembers?Bliss intervened with a sudden lilt of soprano laughter. Were different.Yes? said Trevize. In what way?Dom said, Now, Bliss, leave this to me. We are different, men of Terminus. Of all the refugee groups fleeing from robotic domination, we who eventually reached Gaia (following in the track of others who reached Sayshell) were the only ones who had learned the craft of telepathy from the robots.it is a craft, you know. It is inherent in the human mind, but it must be developed in a very subtle and difficult manner. It takes many generations to reach its full potential, but once well begun, it feeds on itself. We have been at it for over twenty thousand years and the sense-of-Gaia is that full potential has even now not been reached. It was long ago that our development of telepathy made us aware of group consciousness first only of human beings then animals then plants and finally, not many centuries ago, the inanimate structure of the planet itself.Because we traced this back to the robots, we did not forget them. We considered them not our nursemaids but our teachers. We felt they had opened our mind to something we would never for one moment want them closed to. We remember them with gratitude.Trevize said, But just as once you were children to the robots, now you are children to the group consciousness. Have you not lost humanity now, as you had then?It is different, Trev. What we do now is our own choice our own choice. That is what counts. It is not forced on us from outside, but is developed from the inside. It is something we never forget. And we are different in another way, too. We are unique in the Galaxy. There is no world like Gaia.How can you be sure?We would know, Trev. We would detect a world consciousness such as ours even at the other end of the Galaxy. We can detect the beginnings of such a consciousness in your Second Foundation, for instance, though not until two centuries ago.At the time of the Mule?Yes. One of ours. Dom looked grim. He was an aberrant and he left us. We were naive enough to think that was not possible, so we did not act in time to stop him. Then, when we turned our attention to the Outside Worlds, we became aware of what you call the Second Foundation and we left it to them.Trevize stared blankly for several moments, then muttered, There go our history books He shook his head and said in a louder tone of voice, That was rather cowardly of Gaia, wasnt it, to do so? said Trevize. He was your responsibility.You are right. But once we finally turned our eyes upon the Galaxy, we saw what until then we had been blind to, so that the tragedy of the Mule proved a life-saving matter to us. It was then that we recognized that eventually a dangerous crisis would come upon us. And it has but not before we were able to take measures, thanks to the incident of the Mule.What sort of crisis?One that thr eatens us with destruction?I cant believe that. You held off the Empire, the Mule, and Sayshell. You have a group consciousness that can pluck a ship out of space at a distance of millions of kilometers. What can you have to fear? Look at Bliss. She doesnt look the least bit perturbed. She doesnt think theres a crisis.Bliss had placed one shapely leg over the arm of the chair and wriggled her toes at him. Of course Im not worried, Trev. Youll handle it.Trev said forcefully, Me?Dom said, Gaia has brought you here by means of a hundred gentle manipulations. It is you who must face our crisis.Trev stared at him and slowly his face turned from stupefaction into gathering rage. Me? Why, in all of space, me? I have nothing to do with this.Nevertheless, Trev, said Dom with an almost hypnotic calmness, you. Only you. In all of space, only you.

About Writing Informal Short Reports Essay

Short reports atomic number 18 usually informal reports. Generally, these reports serve current needs and tend to have a limited readership. They tend to be between one and five single-spaced pages (ten double-spaced). They also tend to express a first person point of view. They use a personal hyphen we and you and a familiar vocabulary that conveys informality. They are often formatted for internal and external use.Memo-ReportsMost informal reports follow the memo or letter format and are referred to as memo-reports and letter-reports. Use the memo-report format when writing internal or external communications about routine operations and familiar subject matter. Use it to inform colleagues about recent experiences field trips, meetings, and seminars, and to report on achievements.Write a memo-report when you want to file a record of a decision, a transaction, a meeting, or a proposal. both subject that needs documentation can be developed as a memo-report newly procedures an d policies, background information for sales staff, new marketing strategies, and so on.See moreFirst Poem for You EssaySince the subject matter is either routine or familiar or your readers, the one-line reservoir in the memo heading serves as the introduction.Arrange points for impactThe standard of the memo-report are shown below in a conventional arrangement. Memo heading To, From, Date, Subject. come of the assignment identification of the department head or superior who suggested or authorized the report (normally the person to whom you address your memo-report). Statement of the problem a treatment of the background or status of the subject, a summary of the consequences of not taking action, and a reference to the scope and purpose of the report. Main points introduced by headings. Summary and conclusions.Letter-ReportsAny informal report can be developed in the letter-report format a report on estimates for repairs or services, proposals for supplying a service or produc t, and updates on achievements, and so on.Arrange points for impactThe standard parts of letter-reports are shown below in a conventional arrangement. Inside address Salutation artificial lake the assignment Statement of the problem Main points Recommendations Complimentary close

Exxon Mobil Resources and Capabilities Essay

Mobile is iodin of the most successful companies in the oil and energy industries today. But what makes them so successful? In an parkway to answer this foreland, a thorough internal investigation underside be facilitateful in determine what aspects of this ships attach to ar making it an industry leader. Two aspects of this internal psychoanalysis of Exxon Mobile are the corporations imagings and capabilities. Resources One of the most reputable imagings that Exxon Mobil has today is a strong station name. Exxon Mobil operates all all oer the instauration and is recognized in every part of the world (Datamonitor, 2008).When people all everywhere the world know who a compevery is, what they do, and where they are located, the company gains a unique competitive advantage over the rest of the industry. A good way to analyze this election is to use the VRINE Model (Strategic Management, 2007). This breaks down in order to analyze its cling to, distinctiveness, inimit ability, and exploitability. For this mental imagery Ill start by assessing its tax. The question that must be answered is, does this resourcefulness allow the firm to meet market demand or protect the firm from market uncertainties? (Strategic Management, 2007).In the case of the brand name resource, I hope that it plants them ample protection against uncertainty and enables them to compete, if not lead, in the industry. Exxon operates in over 200 countries around the world (Datamonitor, 2008) The fact that this company is present all over the world, and not many opposite industry competitors operate in so many different regions, proves that this particular(a) resource is very expensive to the company. If a company freighter possess something that another company burn downnot, value is inevitably created for that resource.This resource also protects them from uncertainty because this brand is already established itself indoors the market and provide thrive in it withou t too much concern about the well being of the company, thus narrowing some uncertainty. Next in the VRINE model is assessment of its rarity. Do any other companies possess such world large recognition as Exxon Mobils brand name can bring? There are some companies that have come close in competing with Exxon Mobil, such as ConnocoPhillips and Chevron, but n bingle can compare with the unique profitability and opportunities that the name Exxon can bring to a region.The name is undoubtedly trusted throughout the world and antiquatedly rivaled. Those aspects of the brand name recognition make this brand name a rarity. The next step in the VRINE model is to assess the inimitability. To assess this, the question of can competitors acquire the valuable and rare resource quickly, or will they face a cost disadvantage in doing so? (Strategic Management, 2007). The simple fact that the Exxon Mobil name is trademarked and registered makes it impossible for any other company to replicate its name. excessively it would cost a substantial amount to buy out the company and gain its name.This alone makes the brand name inimitable. Now assessment of the nonsubstitutability is needed. The question arises, is there protection against ready substitutes? (Strategic Management, 2007). For Exxon, their name reputation is one that substitutes have a very difficult time matching. Exxon is leading the industry and continues to be a leader of almost every aspect of the industry today. Though substitutes are present in the industry, none can surpass the reputation of Exxon Mobil. The lowest step in the VRINE Model is to assess the resources exploitability.The question to answer is, can the firm nurture and take advantage of the resources and capabilities that it possesses? (Strategic Management, 2007). For Exxon, they can bring the company anyplace in the world and use the recognizable name to establish credibility and power in that region. This gives the company a considerab le advantage when it comes to exploiting its brand name to establish the company around the world. After analyzing the resource using the VRINE Model, all aspects of the model have been met, so it is safe to say that this resource can give them a competitive advantage among its competitors.Another important resource that Exxon possesses is the presence of human expertise with child(p) throughout the company (Datamoitor, 2008). Exxon employs many scientists and engineers that are researching and finding new ship canal to gain access to more(prenominal) energy resources and make the new basiss less harmful to the environment (Annual Report, 2007). This human capital has proven to be a very important resource for the company as shown by their tuition of new ways to increase liquid natural gas supplies and enhancing heavy oil recovery (Annual Report, 2007). Using the VRINE model again, I will assess this resource.In analyzing the value of the human expertise capital, again we must c onsider whether this resource helps the company meet market demand and can eliminate some uncertainty. In this case, I believe that the unique research department that houses these scientists and engineers is one that gives the company a great capability to compete in the market, and even excel within the industry. I believe it also eliminates some uncertainty because while the company is researching and growth cutting edge technology, it keeps them fellowshipable about all the new innovations and ideas that are throughout the industry.This makes the resource very valuable. Next, the rarity of the resource must be analyzed. I believe that this resource is rare because of the blameless department (the Upstream Research Center) within the company devoted to letting these scientists and engineers use their knowledge to trigger off the company into the future (Annual Report, 2007). Some companies have R & D departments, but they dont posses the support for such expertise and capabil ities within these departments like Exxon has in its Upstream Research Center (Annual Report, 2007).This makes the breadth of their scientists and engineers and rare resource among it competitors. Following the VRINE Model, inimitability is the next aspect to analyze. I believe that it would be very difficult for any company to gain the human expertise capital that Exxon has. Exxon pays particular attention to its scientists and engineers by providing opportunities to use their knowledge to help solve every day problems that the company is facing. Many of these scientists and engineers had PhDs in their respective fields, thus making their ideas more credible and valuable to the company (Annual Report, 2007).This make the human expertise capital an inimitable resource because it makes it hard for other companies to replicate the magnitude of the distinguished human capital that Exxon possesses. The next step in the VRINE Model is nonsubstitutability. It would be nearly impossible fo r a competing company to substitute an equally effective aggroup of engineers and scientists. The cost would be too great for the company. Exxon is leading the way in Research and Development trends, and substitutes for the persona of employees that Exxon has would be very difficult for other companies, making the nonsubstitutability of Exxons human capital very high.The final step is to analyze the exploitability of the human expertise capital. Exxon has proven that the expertise that is present can be work to develop new and innovative ideas that help Exxon maintain as an industry leader. One example of the allow for of this exploitation is the development of Metallyte UBW-ES, which is a new polypropylene film for packaging that has unprecedented sealing power (Datamonitor, 2008). This example proves that the exploitability of this human expertise capital makes this resource a valuable asset to the company.After analysis of the human expertise capital resource using the VRINE Model, it can be said that this resource gives Exxon Mobil a competitive advantage in the industry. Capabilities After assessing the resources that Exxon has available to them, it is now easier to illustrate what Exxons capabilities are because of the encyclopedism and ownership of these resources. One of Exxons important capabilities is their extensive research and development capabilities.Exxons research and development capabilities are very dynamic in the sense that as new energy conservation and developments arise, they can adapt their research and development departments to meet the new technologies and innovations. Their research and development capabilities go insofar as to improve existing products, and enhance service (Datamonitor, 2008). Using the VRINE Model again, it can be easy to realize if this capability really gives Exxon a considerable competitive advantage. First we have to look at the value of this capability.Exxon has utilized the companys valuable resource of human expertise capital do help head the research for new improvements and innovations that help lead the way for Exxon to grow (Annual Report, 2007). One such innovation is the development of Enable mPE, which has substantially reduced waste and energy consumption across a wide variety of film applications (Datamonitor, 2008). This capability allows them compete within the market and gain headway in developing potentially high profit innovations, thus giving value to their research and development capability.Next the rarity needs to be assessed. Though almost all of Exxons competitors have research and development departments, none have invested the amount that Exxon has. Also there are only a handful of top competitors within the energy industry so that alone makes Exxons R & D department rare. In fiscal year 2007, Exxon invested $814 million in R & D. Though the idea of an R & D department is not a rarity in its own right, the amount invested and products produced because of the ir extensive R & D work makes this a rare capability among its competitors.The next assessment in the VRINE Model is the inimitability of this capability. As mentioned before many other companies have a R & D department, but not to the extent that Exxons is being funded and operated. In the past 5 years, Exxon has invested upwards of $3. 5 billion in research and development alone (Annual Report, 2007). very(prenominal) few of Exxons competitors can match that without having an almost impossible financial obligation afterward. That is one act that few companies can imitate. The next step is to analyze its nonsubstitutability.