Pritur

PRITUR Market – aggregate of people who as individuals or organizations have needs or services and who have the ability, willingness and authority to purchase such products Marketing – is all about finding out what guests wants and needs are, then providing them at a reasonable cost and profit. Sales- is an important part of marketing. Difference between marketing and sales. Marketing focuses on the guests Sales it focuses on products Environmental analysis – means studying the economic social, political and technological influences that could affect the hospitality business. Focuses on: 1.Economic impact – should not be underestimated. 2. Social analysis – demographic is a part of social analysis and this is the profile of society includes: Age, sex, household, income, family size, occupation, religion, race and nationality. 3. Political analysis – the political analysis will affect the hospitality in a number of ways like: employment regist ration, minimum wage, health care, taxes on the benefit package, tax deduction, and no smoking laws. 4. Technological analysis – to make work faster and easier. 5. Competitor analysis – analysing the strength and weakness of your competitor. Marketing process: 1.Market planning – it is the planning process that yields the decision on a business unit can best compete in the market. 2. Market assessment – to determine if there is a need for a product or service in the market encloses its potential. 3. Market demand – 4. Competitive analysis – assessment the strength and weakness of the company. 5. Positioning – to occupy a specific place or position to the target market. 6. Market goals or objectives – an objective must be planned for each goal. Any form of a business has its own goal. 7. Marketing Needs – is the combination of elements that you will use to market your product.The four P`s of marketing: 1. The place â€⠀œ location. 2. The product – the needs and wants of the target market. 3. The promotion – it include the technique for communicating the products. Advertising – is any form of paid or non personal communication used by an identified sponsor to persuade or to inform certain audience about a product. Form of advertising: 1. Personal selling – form of sales. 2. Sales promotion – include offering inducements to buyers. 3. Public relation – include all communication aimed at increasing goodwill in the user communities. Publicity – is the organization communication with the public. * Packaging – is when organization combines two or more items or activities. * Programming – a complete program of events is planned. 4. People – are the important part of marketing mix. this is considered to be the key service component of the tourism industry. 8. Action Plan – it creates action plan based on the 4 P`s. 9. Performanc e evaluation – evaluating actual operations against expected performance is an ongoing process and lets an organization how well it has done compared with how well it said it would to. budget vs. Actual expenses, investigate variants, take corrective actions. Market segmentation – is the marketing process of dividing a market into distinct subsets that behave in the same way or have similar needs. 1. Business to business – involves selling of product with other agencies. 2. Business to consumer – involves the selling of product directly to the costumer. Niche market – also called as specialty market is can be categorized as a consumer or industrialized market.

How firmly was the Tsar in control of Russia before 1905? Essay

Russia was an Autocracy before 1905 and the Tsar was Nicholas 2nd. Many people dispute over whether he was in control or not, the main factors being: The Tsar’s leadership, Opposition to the Tsar, Social and Economic conditions and finally means of control. It can be argued that some factors are more important than others, but they are all significant in how I believe the Tsar was losing control. The Tsar’s flaws as a leader were an extremely important reason as to why he was losing control of his country. Russia was an autocracy- this meant that the Tsar had full control of the country and had the final say in every decision. This could have been positive, but I think it was a negative thing. He was not a very decisive person, and he would not delegate to others (An example of this being, how he interfered in the appointments of local midwives.) While he was busy doing the wrong jobs he needed employees that were capable of the best. Another flaw of Nicholas’ was that he was extremely suspicious of those cleverer than him and fired many of his best workers (Count Witte) and preferred to hire only family and friends. This helped to weaken his control on Russia because not only did he lose respect from his people, but also he was not doing his job and as the only ruler of the country, Russia did not have a focused authority figure. The Tsar had a lot of opponents within Russia and he did not deal with them to the best of his abilities. This meant he was not firmly in control of Russia at all. The 4 main opposing groups were: The Liberals (Cadets), The Social Revolutionaries (SRs) and The Social Democratic Party (Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks) Although the different groups were all angry at different things, the one thing they had in common was that they were all unhappy about Russia’s Social and Economic Situation. In my opinion the Bolsheviks were the most dangerous group towards Tsar and the government, followed by the SRs then the Mensheviks finally the Liberals. Even though the Liberals had the most supporters, they were a peaceful group; they were not doing any damage to Russia. The Tsar did not believe they were a threat so chose to ignore them. However with the Bolsheviks they had a huge following (the working class.) Their approach to change was violence as was the SRs. The SRs managed to get close enough to the government to kill 2 of their officials. The Tsar dealt with the Bolsheviks and the SRs by killing them or exiling them. By exiling them he showed a lot of inexperience with how he dealt with these groups .All he did was send them away; this did not stop them from coming back! Siberia is in the east of the country (the opposite side as to where the Tsar was), but it is also a desert. This meant that the people the Tsar exiled became resentful towards him, as they had to live in a desert. An advantage to being exiled was that it was in the middle of nowhere. The organisations could discuss ideas and produce plans of future rebellions without the Tsar knowing what was going on. By not knowing this he lost an element of control because he did not know what his most violent organisations were doing. Every group in the Feudal system (except the aristocrats) had an organisation to rival the Tsar. This was bad because that meant at the very least only 1.5% of the population (aristocrats) were in full support of him. By not having the full support of his people the Tsar lost a lot of control because as a leader your people need to respect you but also have faith that you will do the right thing for the country in general (not just a specific group.) The monarchy was mostly made up of aristocrats, so was the government and army officials. By having only aristocrats in important positions the Tsar was not being fair, the 80% of the population that were peasants had a lot of reasons to despise the Tsar. This further allowed his control on Russia to loosen, it lost him support of people and the public started to realise that the Tsar was not the leader they needed to help them receive a better way of living. They needed someone that was not desperate for the power and someone who could hold control. Finally the fact the organizations even existed meant that he had lost some control already. If people respected him they would no t have started oppositions and formed plans. The groups all had plans. Whether they would work or not was a different issue. His weak leadership meant that he would not let anyone help him, he had resorted to last attempts by exiling people and had become desperate this shows how out of control he was and he knew it, because no one helped him he did not have a well thought out plan as to how to deal with the groups. The social and economic conditions in Russia would have made it hard for any leader to keep control, never mind the Tsar (a poor leader who had a lot of opposition.) 80% of Russia were peasants where as the aristocracy who owned 25% of the land and were only 1.5% of the population. This suggests that the gap between the rich and the poor was extreme. As the number of peasants moving to the city increased, more and more people started to realise how big this gap truly was and did not like it. Having to walk past lavish mansions on their way home, to rooms they probably shared with at least 1 other family created tension between the two social groups. The rich were getting richer and the poor poorer and nobody could move up the system. To make matters worse Russia spans 12 time zones and 60% of the population did not speak Russian. The Tsar lived in the far west so if a problem occurred in the east he would not be able to deal with it for days which meant his control of the situation decreased. If only 40% of you population speaks the national language it makes it harder for internal communication. The laws in Russia may have been harder to understand and those who did not speak the Tsar’s language would not have been as easy to control. The Tsar did not have as much domination as he thought he did because he could not control what was happening with some of the people and circumstances in the other end of his country. The Tsar used a lot of resources to try and keep his people under control, but to me it became apparent that the more resources he used the more the people refused to submit to his rules. One of his many means of control was the religious persecution of the Jews. All throughout history dictators have used specific groups of people (mostly the Jews) as scapegoats. Trying to pass the blame of the country onto someone else showed that the Tsar feared he would lose all of his control over the people if they thought it was his entire fault. Other means of control the Tsar used were: Secret police, regular police, prisons, and the army. In Leo Tolstoy’s letter to the Tsar in 1902 he says, â€Å"The numbers of regular police and of the secret police are continually growing.† This shows that the Tsar had started these policies but they were not working. People refused to be led by a man that was not objective to all groups in society and did not have the leadership required to be a successful Tsar. Overall I think that in the long-term it weakens his control but in the short term in strengthens his control. Showing the force he has the power to use might scare some of the population into behaving (but not for very long, I think they will see right through him.) However, having to rely on force (only at the point of a gun) shows his concern of the control he has over his country. The fact that the severity of the situation ended in armed forces patrolling the people, carrying live ammunition also shows his concern and ever shrinking clasp of control. After reviewing all of the evidence I believe that the Tsar was not in control of Russia before 1905. The Tsar’s poor qualities as a leader lost him respect from the people, as did the organizations opposing him. His desperation showed a lot in the decisions he made. If you are in control you are not desperate, you believe in the decisions you make, and the Tsar did not. Almost all of his forms of control failed in the long-term. The opposing groups managed to create plans and had a substantial number of followers. The social and economic situation made it ever harder to control Russia and his flaws isolated him from help and minimized the 1.5% of people that believed in him. The strongest evidence in my opinion is the opposition to the Tsar. All of the other facts contributed to the main point that he had opposition. If a leader has friction between him and his people he will always struggle to have control but the Tsar just had to many recurring problems to have control.

Ancient art Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ancient art - Research Paper Example The kind of art and culture that developed during this phase came to be known by the name of Cycladic Art. The next phase initiated around 1900 B.C.E. and continued its influence till 1375 B.C.E. This phase was known by the name of Minoan Art. The last cultural phase of the civilization was known by the name of Mycenaean Art and it developed and flourished between 1400 to 1100 B.C.E2. Since the evolution and unveiling of the Aegean civilisation and culture, the Aegean art has evolved out as a subject of obscurity. The first phase of the artistic movement or the trends inherent in the Cycladic art of the Aegean period are based on simple geometrical shapes. The prototype figurine of the Cycladic period represents a nude woman with a position where they fold their arms across their abdomen. These kinds of woman figurine have been widely discovered in graves and settlements equally. The sizes of the figures have also varied widely from few inches to almost life-like sizes which depict t he form of human body in a highly schematic manner. Simple triangles, large in size, dominate the form. The body of the idol projects out from the large head and is marked by broad shoulders to a decreasing width resulting in tiny feet. The pubis is present within the body in an incised form and also appears triangular in shape. For ages, there have been intense assumptions regarding the use of schematic large triangles in the female body and the use of the nude figurine for depicting a deceased person, based on the fact that many such Cycladic statues were discovered from graves. Even, the male statues as one discovered from the graves and settlements, appear with simple geometric shapes. Here also a typified figurine or form is noticed.... Since the evolution and unveiling of the Aegean civilisation and culture, the Aegean art has evolved out as a subject of obscurity. The first phase of the artistic movement or the trends inherent in the Cycladic art of the Aegean period are based on simple geometrical shapes. The prototype figurine of the Cycladic period represents a nude woman with a position where they fold their arms across their abdomen. These kinds of woman figurine have been widely discovered in graves and settlements equally. The sizes of the figures have also varied widely from few inches to almost life-like sizes which depict the form of human body in a highly schematic manner. Simple triangles, large in size, dominate the form. The body of the idol projects out from the large head and is marked by broad shoulders to a decreasing width resulting in tiny feet. The pubis is present within the body in an incised form and also appears triangular in shape. For ages, there have been intense assumptions regarding t he use of schematic large triangles in the female body and the use of the nude figurine for depicting a deceased person, based on the fact that many such Cycladic statues were discovered from graves. Even, the male statues as one discovered from the graves and settlements, appear with simple geometric shapes. Here also a typified figurine or form is noticed. Male statutes appear in a sitting posture and are depicted as musicians playing a Lyre for his self amusement or to entertain the deceased or people from after life.

Understanding Mystery from the Perspectives of the Bermuda Triangle Research Paper

Understanding Mystery from the Perspectives of the Bermuda Triangle - Research Paper Example The mystery surrounding this busy sea-route derives from the fact that many ships, as well as airplanes, passing through this, have been reported to have disappeared without a trace. Thus, it becomes an intriguing proposition to evaluate the mystery that surrounds the Bermuda Triangle to understand the term mystery. The subject of the mystery is not the Triangle as such, which is naturally formed and is a physical place, not a figment of the imagination. Due to the mysterious incidents of disappearances that occurred in the area, some people also call it the Devil’s Triangle. No US government file has identified the location of Bermuda Triangle or for that matter, the Board of Geographic Names. However, the name continues to serve as a synonym for mystery, due to various instances of reported missing of ships entering the area of airplanes flying over the triangle. It adds to the element of mystery that no probable logical cause can be assigned to such disappearances. Thus, from the episodes of disappearances attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, which are beyond any reasonable explanation, it can be construed that a mystery is something that is beyond the scope of logical explanations. The geographical positioning of the Bermuda Triangle, as per existing interpretations, is off the Southeastern coast of the United States in the Atlantic Ocean, with its vertices touching Bermuda, Miami, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, roughly grounded in 500,000 square miles (Obringer, 2012). The name â€Å"Devil’s Triangle† is associated with Bermuda because once it has been known as â€Å"the Isle of Devils.† The reefs surrounding the area are quite tricky to the sailing ships, resulting in the wreckage of many and, thus, the place acquired the notoriety associated with its name.  

Entrepreneurship and Venture Creation Assessment Essay

Entrepreneurship and Venture Creation Assessment - Essay Example The business idea is to develop a business that connects buyers and sellers of any product, from clothing, kitchenware, electronic, cars, household items, and any other items that have market value. The idea aims to capitalise of individuals who have used items and hopes to make quick cash out of the sale. Unlike existing ideas that champions the capability of the seller has to meet the potential buyer, this idea will ensure both option of the two meeting or the seller decides to use the organisation’s sale representative to do the transaction on their behalf. The use of technology has made it possible to make online transactions. People can make secure purchase of items by just keying the details of their credit cards and select the mode of delivery and the destination to receive what they have purchased. The model will utilise these technological provisions to connect buyers and sellers of different items from different geographical locations. Other than making use of technology for efficient implementation of the model, the main source of this motivation is the strong marketing strategy, which will enable the idea get the wide coverage (Cromie, 2000). Besides, the realisation that most homes have used items that other people may find useful at a reduced pricing is the motivation guiding these ideas. In every household, there are items ranging from clothing to other assets that the owner can generate some quick cash by selling them using a platform that will not cost them lots of money. These ideas are realistic because the less fortunate community values second hand goods. For instance, charity organisations and other humanitarian organisations may wish to purchase less expensive goods but find it difficult to outsource for such items. The example given above is not the main source of the customers, but just a perspective to illustrate how realistic nature of the model. The main customer targeted by this

Mathematics and National Curriculum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Mathematics and National Curriculum - Essay Example This difference in the opinions enables the abstract mathematics intellect to perform mathematical operations for the sake of mathematics itself, and to use mathematics as a tool to actually resolve the real problems. According to Kister, mathematics has grown into a tremendous structure constituting more than sixty classes of mathematical activities (Kister, 1992). The ideologies of mathematics possess a distinctly extensive verve. For instance, the Babylonian explanation for quadratic equations holds the same significance as it had past 4,000 years (The Georgia Framework, 1996). In the vein of other sciences, mathematics imitates the decrees of the material vicinity around us and serves as an authoritative instructional implement for comprehending nature. Nevertheless, mathematics is yet again classified by its autonomy from the material world. The intangible behavior of mathematics gave rise in relic to the essential difference in opinions of mathematics as a substance of discours e and also as an element for implementation. Mathematical notions are long-lasting and keep on expanding with time. New mathematical notions are developed on the other, bigger mathematical notions or propositions (The Georgia Framework, 1996). Equivalence can be brought in to existence to incessant improvisation where recent practices can be enhanced upon, provided with innovative efforts and time. More often than not, improvisation does not take place without attempting, and it quintessentially doesn't crop up swiftly. Too often, the problems are resolved, and new-fangled arenas of mathematics produced by gaping at getting on problems in new ways. A centralized way of examination in abstract mathematics is recognizing in each field of study a small set of foundation notions and regulations from which all the other appealing ideologies and regulations in that area can be rationally inferred. In the vein of other scientists, mathematicians are meticulously delighted when the earlier disparate parts of mathematics happened to be derived from one another, or from some more common abstract. Fraction of the sense of aesthetic which many people have imagined in mathematics lies not in the location of the paramount elaborateness or intricacy but on the divergence, in locating the economy and straightforwardness in apex of delineation and testimony, with the progress of mathematics, supplementary associations have been found amongst the parts of it which have been growing dissimilarly. These uncanny associations allow the thoughtfulness to be developed in to the several parts so that they, collaboratively, reinforce the conviction in t he corrigibility and fundamental alikeness of the entire anatomy. According to Smith, the significance or importance of Mathematics is for its own sake, for the reason that it is a universal language and sagacious implement-kit for

Logistic and Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Logistic and Operation Management - Essay Example According to the paper in the last few years, the operations of logistics and transport sector have been modernized with the latest information and communication technologies, especially those which are associated with the Internet and e-business. Goods and materials have been transported through transportation means when people initially learnt about the logs float downstream. The ICT and next generation communication technologies have made it possible to construct communication links among corporations and for numerous organizations. In this scenario, the web based environment of businesses has highlighted the significance of ICT in global supply chain and logistics management areas. To sum up, the paper talks that information technology has changed the traditional practices of carrying out business activities. Now traditional business operations are replaced with modern ICT supported tools and processes. At the present, the majority of business organizations are adopting ICTs for automating their business operations. And the application of ICT for logistics management is one of the most attractive trends. This paper has presented a detailed overview of logistics management. This report has discussed the uses of ICT for the different components of logistic services. This report has also discussed the benefits and challenges of ICT logistic technology. This report has also outlined a real life case regarding ICT technology application for logistic management services. Technology Innovation in Logistics Sector In the last few years, the operations of logistics and transport sector have been modernized with the latest information and communication technologies, espe cially those which are associated with the Internet and e-business. Though, the idea of logistics and logistics management is not new. Additionally, there is nothing new in the areas of logistics. In fact, people have been maintaining and warehousing goods ever since the days of early Egyptian times. Goods and materials have been transported through transportation means when people initially learnt about the logs float downstream. Also, the storage has been in place since people initially revealed that, there was a way to live long and survive in cold winter (Consultrans, 2008; Somuyiwa & Adewoye, 2010; Nigel et al., 2010). In addition, currently the emergence of ICT and its application to logistics management is the similar token as the ancient transportation was done but slightly changed the associated b2b (business to business) transaction potential also changed the way in which business supply chain operates. In this scenario, the Internet has facilitated data and information ex change on an extraordinary level, frequently at a speed that is extremely quick for standard consumption. Therefore, businesses are at the present prepared to make efficient use of data, from warehouse management systems, which hold information on customer/supplier warehouse record levels and major client ordering outlines and transport management systems inside that data and information pertaining to the site of significant supply chain assets, for example as vehicles or products are

Assessing your Program of Study & Recommendations Essay

Assessing your Program of Study & Recommendations - Essay Example Prison populations are increasing not only because of an increase in media attention in regards to all crimes being violent, but also that in terms of a set of parameters for recidivism of violent crimes, the state and federal prisons are receiving less violent criminals and more parole violators and drug users. â€Å"Reversing a 20-year trend toward ever-tougher criminal laws, a number of states this year have quietly rolled back some of their most stringent anticrime measures, including those imposing mandatory minimum sentences and forbidding early parole† (Butterfield, 2001). Law enforcement workers can help these inmates get the services they need like rehabilitation. They can work as advocates for these incarcerated individuals, and be proactive in their advocacy. I am happy with the program generally. However, if I am to make a recommendation, it is that the courses focus more on ethics. The society in which the debate over police ethics, political and otherwise since politics is a reflection, sets the ethical code, in a sense, since it is at least theoretically there to determine a positive relationship between the individual and the society through models of good behavior that does not bring harm upon others, or socially positive behavior. The specific concept of noble case corruption refers to the tendency of police misconduct to have its origins in circumstances where the behavior in question may be justifiable, but only in the context of the means. Training in ethics, to many commentators, may be compared to some arguments about training in art—some argue that one either has artistic talent or doesn’t, and if one doesn’t, no amount of art classes are going to make them a talented successful artist. However, I donâ⠂¬â„¢t subscribe to this idea, and I think that ethics training should be a part of the curriculum.

Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Finance - Essay Example which often threaten businesses profitability due to unexpected cost, and if some businesses fail to comply with these regulations they faces penalties, and other stick regulatory problems and in short there is threat to their long term sustainability, so organization need to be serious while dealing with such regulatory issues, which are not often taken serious by most companies and at last faces huge financial liabilities Companies operating in Europe has entered into a new era of environmental risk management with regard to prevention and remedy of environmental damage as per a recent survey by Harvard Business Review Analytic services 60% of the companies are now concerned about the environmental risk and are serious about it, therefor lglo Group should conduct a complete study that this new investment should not bring such threats for which company may bear regulatory obligations that effect its profitability and bring long term sustainability of company into question, (sustainable, 2015) As for as long term business strategies are concerned lglo group need to be proactive regarding its strategic plans of either new installation or introduction of new ways power resources, that either all these activities have any environmental effect and if they have then are there any breach of regulation with regard to environmental regulation, because if such new changes affect these environmental regulations then it may harm companies long term sustainability. First of all in future it will reduce cost of production of lglo and other products also due low cost of power resource, hence it will affect production department costing, marginal cost of production reduces due to this low cost of production, so selling price would also be affected means marketing department would be affected, further external stake holders would also be affected like environmental agencies

Reflections on World's Leadership Research Paper - 3

Reflections on World's Leadership - Research Paper Example Prince Alwaleed bin Talal best known as one of the world's value investor. â€Å"Alwaleed’s Kingdom Holding Company, where he posses at least 95%, trading on the famous Saudi stock exchange, in addition he owns stakes in several hotel management companies the famous four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, moreover he has a stake in Savoy Hotel in London† (Lazaridis, 211). â€Å"Kingdom investment has billions of dollars of the U.S. and international equities, as well as shares of News Corp and Citigroup† (Myers, 21). â€Å"During the year 2012 he and the Kingdom investment purchased an approximated 3% stake in the social media Twitter through the secondary market for whopping $400 million. The same year February, Kingdom investments invested around $136 million in fast growing Chinese e-commerce company. In addition to other known investment he Prince posses far-reaching real estate plus other assets exterior of the Kingdom Holding† (Khan, 65). He is perhaps well i dentified internationally as the controlling shareholder of the Kingdom Holdings Company and the chairman, of the world’s most significant investment company. All through Middle East he is renowned as the proprietor of the Rotana, which is the Arab world’s largest leisure company. ... ifically directed towards supporting global cultural understanding, community development projects in Saudi Arabia, all around the world and Lebanon, women empowerment and disaster recovery. Key leadership qualities which drives me into considering him as a good leader in business According to (McGreevy, 209), â€Å"An Interview with HRH, Prince says that A successful businessman has to have an ultimate plan and a well stated objectives, in conjunction to a well defined mission statement†, he goes ahead to say that the leader has to have an audacity to make decisions which most of the time might not be emulated by others in the short run. He goes ahead to say that as a leader and sometimes he made decisions which are may not be appreciated by both young managers and the community. â€Å"Nevertheless, he just has to remain a one-man show. He established these traits at KHC sometimes back† (Myers, 21). Key Leadership Traits That Makes Prince To Stand Out As A Good Leader Has a clear vision; old adage "either stand something, or you might fall for everything." ( Sweeny, 79). Prince practically stood firm when it come to the implementation of the company's policies and procedures. More over as a leader, he has a clear way to communicate his vision and the company’s vision to the people such as his employees. Have passion in his word. He realized that his employees wanted passion; and that his employee would even go to the ends of earth as a result of it, die and live. He also realized that his passion inspired others to conquer new and dangerous challenges. â€Å"Great decision maker. He clearly understood his process for decision making. Take for example he talked to his management team† (McGreevy, 209). In addition to conducting a cost analysis. â€Å"He went ahead to even

Article on a Person I Admire Essay Example for Free

Article on a Person I Admire Essay Depressed bulimic is a role model However inadequate to being a role model a depressed person struggling with bulimia might seem, our history holds an unquestionably notable one. Married to The Prince of Wales, Diana Frances became the first high-profile celebrity to be photographed touching an HIV-infected child and at once the most loved Princess of all times. Her life and activities had a significant impact on changing people’s attitudes and making the world a better place, for which I admire her greatly. The first Englishwomen married into the Royal Family had it not downhill, but no sooner had she been allowed to speak for herself irrespective of the Palace opinions than she became immersed in numerous charitable causes including getting involved in the AIDS research, which was strongly disapproved of by the Royals. Despite all criticism Lady Di continued throughout her marriage to patronise over one hundred nonprofit organisations. Increasing public awareness of the land mines issue and its dreadful consequences is also an achievement we should ascribe to The Princess of Wales. Doing all the charity stuff is, one may say, one thing and changing people’s lives is another, but still we have to give credit where credit is due, and the „Queen of Hearts† sure deserves one. Having problems as serious and discomforting to talk about as the rest of the nation (loveless marriage, bulimia, depression) and openly talking about them brought her closer to people than any other prominent figure has ever been. Her strength and confidence while overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles inspired others and encouraged them to make the best of a bad job. Although it has been over a decade since her death, Princess Diana is still looked up to and thought of as a women who was at once a royal personage and a compassionate friend. She would use all the media attention she was being given due to her position, status and fame to help those in need, especially the victims of diseases, poverty and social intolerance. (337)

The Rake and the Coquet in Restoration Literature Essay Example for Free

The Rake and the Coquet in Restoration Literature Essay Going by definitions alone, a rake is merely a disreputable character, and ought to serve nothing other than a villain in literary endeavor. But when we come to consider the ‘Restoration rake’ we encounter complexity and richness, which needs further analyze. The same must be said of the Restoration coquet. To call such figures anti-heroes would be too simplistic. A more complete account would be to depict the Restoration rake, as well as the coquet, as instruments of reaction against the excesses of Puritanism. In this sense it is not pure evil that is projected, rather we should see such depictions as reflecting the quest for individual liberty and control. At the time the evolution of European society was in the direction of increasing individualism, a trend which was reflected in literature. In many respects literature itself was agent in the evolution. The literary rake and coquet figures were, from this point of view, instrumental in defining and furthering individualism. According to Johnson, a rake is â€Å"loose disorderedly vicious, wild, gay, thoughtless fellow; a man addicted to pleasure†. This description seems hardly strong enough to describe the sort of rake that trod the planks of Restoration theatre. Generally the entire cast was rakish to an extent, in a play like The Country Wife by William Wycherley. But the prize rake in this play is Harry Horner, whose one aim in life is to make cuckolds of as many upper class husbands as possible. He first spreads a rumor that he is impotent, which makes his task much easier, and he is then shown womanizing with abandon. But this is my no means a one dimensional figure of evil and lustful designs, as we would expect from a villain character. As Harold Weber points out, â€Å"the rake is too complex and enigmatic a figure to be reduced to a sexual machine: his love of disguise, need for freedom, and fondness for play all establish the complexity of the rakish personality† (3). To understand rationale behind such a depiction we must consider the backdrop to the Restoration age. Restoration meant the overcoming of Puritanism, which may be described as overzealous Protestantism. It may also be described as individualism in its religious guise, for the Puritan’s one goal is personal communion with God. Puritans zeal proscribed all display of sensuality, and under Cromwell’s Protectorate all forms of theatre were banned, and the general tenor of life was suffocatingly austere. The Restoration meant that all these trends would be reversed, and the task was made all the easier because the new king Charles II was a consummate rake in his own right. He was a womanizer and a hedonist, and he gathered in his court like-minded wits, who practiced the letters with his libertine philosophy in mind. An avid theatre goer, he patronized and shaped the new theatre much to his own taste, encouraging the likes of Wycherley. From this perspective the theatrical rake is far more than just a villain, and we recognize in him a violent reaction against Puritanism. He is projecting the ideal of worldly individualism as against the religious type. Indeed we should be able to detect a fervor akin to religion in the vigor and enthusiasm of Horner’s sensual ways. In this regard Weber says, â€Å"[T]he rake represents the initial attempts of English culture to transfer control of sexuality from the divine to the secular world† (Weber 10). Alexander Pope gives us the typical coquette in his mock epic poem The Rape of the Lock. The poem depicts the decadence of the Georgian upper classes, where vanity and affectation have become rampant. Johnson describes a coquette as one whose â€Å"appearance is fundamental†, and who is playfully adventurous in her sexual exploits. Belinda has four guardian angels protecting her chastity, which is in truth her vanity, for her one goal is to marry into fortune. When an admirer snips a lock of her hair, it is taken as violation of the highest order, because it is her appearance that has been violated. She tells the offender: â€Å"Oh, hadst thou, cruel! been content to seize / Hairs less in sight, or any hairs but these!† (Pope 49). The ‘hairs less in sight’ are suggesting pubic hairs. The gist is therefore that sexual violation, and therefore loss of virginity, is of less consequence then spoiling her appearance. Even though Pope is critical of Belinda’s vanity, it is conveyed in a lighthearted and playful manner, and so retains echoes of Restoration drama. In this mood, both the rake and the coquet are representative of individualism and freedom, rather than of vice. In conclusion, the rake and the coquette, as depicted in Restoration drama and Augustan literature, are not true villains, but have a sympathetic aspect. The must be seen as reactions against Puritan zeal, and therefore as projecting worldly individualism. Works Cited Johnson, Samuel. Johnsons Dictionary: A Modern Selection. London: Gollancz, 1963. Pope, Alexander. Selected Poetry. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1998. Weber, Harold. The Restoration Rake-Hero: Transformations in Sexual Understanding in Seventeeth-Century England. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1986. Wycherley, William. The Country Wife and Other Plays. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Cerebral Autoregulation Mechanism | Report

Cerebral Autoregulation Mechanism | Report From: Biose Ifechukwude Joachim Introduction Cerebral autoregulation (CA) is the multifactorial vascular mechanism that maintains a constant cerebral blood supply in spite of fluctuations in the cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) (Lassen, 1959; Tiecks et al., 1995). This mechanism thrives for CPP values within the range of 50-150 mmHg (Lassen, 1959; Paulson, Strandgaard and Edvinsson, 1990; Panerai, 1998) (Fig. 1). The vascular response involved in CA is rapid and so robust that hypertension (Eames et al., 2003; Serrador et al., 2005; Zhang et al., 2007) and aging (Eames et al., 2003; Fisher et al., 2008; Liu et al., 2013; Oudegeest-Sander et al., 2014) does not alter its physiological role. However, CA is compromised following pathologic conditions such as traumatic brain injury, intracerebral haemorrhage, stroke, hyper-perfusion syndrome, and subarachnoid haemorrhage (Diedler et al., 2009; Atkins et al., 2010; Budohoski et al., 2012; Saeed et al., 2013; Buczek et al., 2013). Fig. 1. Cerebral autoreglation in relation to vascular response. Within the upper and lower boundaries of the autoregulatory range (dotted lines), blood flow remains constant (blue line with beads). As Pressure falls below the lower limit, vascular smooth muscle relaxes to allow dilatation, while constriction of vessels (red circles) ensues to reduce blood flow as pressure approximates the upper limit. Adapted from Pires et al., 2013. Classification Based on factors affecting cerebral blood flow (CBF), CA can be classified into two categories, metabolic autoregulation (MA) and pressure autoregulation (PA). Mainly due to changes in brain tissue pH (Cotev and Severinghaus, 1969; Betz and Heuser, 1967; Raichle, Posner and Plum, 1970), MA is the principal regulatory mechanism of CBF according to metabolic demand. This implies that MA responds to local or global ischemia and hypoxia which increases pH by increasing CBF via vasodilatation (Ekstrom-Jodal et al., 1971; Raichle and Stone, 1971).While PA is the vascular response to maintain blood flow following changes in perfusion pressure, achieved by varying the degree of vasoconstriction or vasodilatation of the cerebral vasculature. Mechanism In adults and under normal conditions, provided CPP falls within the boundary of 50-150 mmHg, CBF is preserved at approximately 50 mL per 100 g of brain tissue per minute (McHenry et al., 1974; Strandgaard et al., 1976; Paulson, Strandgaard and Edvinsson, 1990). Outside this range of CPP, CA is impaired and CBF becomes directly dependent on mean arterial pressure (MacKenzie et al., 1976; Heistad and Kontos, 1979; Baumbach and Heistad, 1985; Paulson et al., 1990). More so, should CPP falls below the lower boundary of CA, blood flow reduces and ischemia sets in (Hossmann, 2006). The precise mechanism of CA is currently elusive; however, it is believed to be subject to the interaction of neurogenic, metabolic and myogenic factors (Czosnyka et al., 2009; Novak and Hajjar, 2010). Intrinsic innervation is touted to be directly involved in the mechanisms of CA (Goadsby and Edvinsson, 2002) and extrinsic pathway is implausible, since CA is unimpaired following sympathetic and parasympathetic denervation in experimental animals (Busija and Heistad, 1984). The perikarya within the subcortical region of the brain, precisely those from the nucleus basalis, locus ceruleus and raphe nucleus project to cortical microvessels for the control of local blood flow by release of neurotransmitters (ACH, norepinephrine and 5HT) (Hamel, 2006). These released neurotransmitter substances interact with the receptors on smooth muscle, endothelium, or astrocytes to cause constriction or dilation, thus regulating blood supply according to the metabolic demand (Iadecola, 2004; Hamel, 2006; Drake and Iadecola, 2007). Also, metabolic by-products released by the brain during CBF decrease are important for CA (Paulson, Strandgaar and Edvinsson, 1990). These substances, potassium, adenosine, and hydrogen ion triggers vasodilatation. Another important component of the CA mechanism is the myogenic response of the cerebrovascular smooth muscle in regulating vascular tone. Constriction of the cerebral vasculature due to smooth muscle contraction ensues during pressure fluctuations at the upper boundary of the autoregulatory range of CPP, thus blood flow is not excessive (Fig. 1). Conversely, fluctuations at the lower limit of CPP is followed by vasodilatation (Fig.1) (Kontos, 1978,Busija and Heistad, 1984; Mellander, 1989; Osol et al., 2002). Furthermore, the direct contact between astrocytes and the parenchymal arterioles of the brain have been shown to play a role in CA (Rennels and Nelson, 1975; Cohen, Molinatti and Hamel, 1997; Iadecola, 2004; Hamel, 2006; Drake and Iadecola, 2007; Zlokovic, 2008). Most microvessels at the subcortical level have astrocytic end-feet at the interface between them and neurons (Kulik et al., 2008), thus, under the direct influence of the vasoactive factors released by astrocytes (Murphy et al., 1994). Interestingly, the type of cerebral vasculature may also contribute to CA in an unexpected manner, with respect to their response to blood flow changes. While basilar artery dilates in response to increased blood flow, MCA constricts Koller and Toth, (2012). Under Anaesthesia Anaesthesia puts the brain in a state of reduced neuronal activity, as a result CBF decreases in light of neurovascular coupling (Attwell et al., 2010). Also, in their studies in rats, Jones et al., (2002) reported that anaesthesia reduces the CCP levels below the lower limit of CA. More importantly, anaesthetics have significant impact on CA as they affect the vasculature of the brain, directly or indirectly. Under the influence of volatile anaesthetics, calcium entry via voltage gated Ca2+ channels on vascular smooth muscle cells is reduced significantly, causing the vasculature to dilate (Bosnjak et al. 1992), thereby, directly overriding CA. Also, anaesthetics cause profound respiratory depression in spontaneously breathing animals, consequently PaCO2 increased. Given that the vasculature of the brain is highly sensitive to changes in CO2, an increase value of PaCO2 stimulates cerebral vasodilatation (Kuschinsky, 1997; Willie et al., 2014); correspondingly CBF increases (Figure 2). These effects of anaesthetics lead ultimately to the failure of CA in mammals. However, certain anaesthetics for example Ethomidate, preserves CA (Wang et al., 2010). This is mainly due to their ability to keep PaCO2 nearly constant within the nomal range without artificial ventilation (Lacombe et al. 2005; Joutel et al., 2010). Fig. 2. Cerebral blood flow with respect to arterial pressure of CO2. CBF increases as PaCO2 level increases beyond the level of 25 mmHg. However, at 80 mmHg blood vessels are maximally dilated and CBF remains constant with a further increase in PaCO2 values. Adapted from Adapted from Hill and Gwinnutt, no date. Stroke During arterial occlusion, as in the case of ischaemic stroke, local cerebral perfusion pressure falls below the normal CA range while MAP does not change. With persistent occlusion, autoregulation fails (Reinhard et al., 2008; Reinhard et al., 2012; Immink et al., 2005; Atkins et al., 2010) and regional CBF further decreases. For this reason, blood pressure changes, high or low, results in poor outcome (Castillo et al, 2004; Aslanyan et al., 2003; Sandset et al., 2012). However, this is not entirely due to the failed autoregulatory capacity of the vessels during ischemia, but perhaps their normal vasodilatory capacity has reached a maximal limit (Petersen et al., 2015). The impaired autoregulatory response following acute stroke has been observed both in the affected and contralateral hemispheres (Cupini et al., 2001; Dawson et al., 2000; Dawson, Panerai and Potter, 2003; Fieschi et al., 1988; Gelmers, 1982; Lisk et al., 1993; Hakim et al., 1989). References Aslanyan S, Fazekas F, Weir CJ, Horner S and Lees KR (2003). GAIN International Steering Committee and Investigators: Effect of blood pressure during the acute period of ischemic stroke on stroke outcome: a tertiary analysis of the GAIN International Trial. Stroke. 34: 2420–2425. Atkins ER, Brodie FG, Rafelt SE, Panerai RB and Robinson TG (2010). Dynamic cerebral autoregulation is compromised acutely following mild ischaemic stroke but not transient ischaemic attack. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 29: 228–235. Attwell D, Buchan AM, Charpak S et al. (2010). Glial and neuronal control of brain blood flow. Nature. 468: 232–43. Baumbach GL and Heistad DD (1989). Remodeling of cerebral arterioles in chronic hypertension. Hypertension. 13: 968–972. Betz E and Heuser D (1967). Cerebral cortical blood flow during changes of acid-base equilibrium the brain. J. Appl. Physiol. 23: 726-733. Bosnjak ZJ, Aggarwal A, Turner LA, Kampine JM and Kampine JP (1992). Differential effects of halothane, enflurane, and isofluurane on Ca2 + transients and papillary muscle tension in guinea pigs. Anesthesiology. 76: 123–131 Buczek J, Karlin ´ski M, Kobayashi A, BiaÅ‚ek P and CzÅ‚onkowska A (2013). Hyperperfusion syndrome after carotid endarterectomy and carotid stenting. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 35: 531–7. Budohoski KP, Czosnyka M, Smielewski P, Kasprowicz M, Helmy A, Bulters D et al. (2012). Impairment of cerebral autoregulation predicts delayed cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage: a prospective observational study. Stroke. 43: 3230–3237. Busija DW and Heistad DD (1984). Factors involved in the physiological regulation of the cerebral circulation. Rev. Physiol. Biochem. Parmacol. 101: 161–211. Castillo J, Leira R, Garcà ­a MM, Serena J, Blanco M and Dà ¡valos A (2004). Blood pressure decrease during the acute phase of ischemic stroke is associated with brain injury and poor stroke outcome. Stroke. 35: 520–526. Cohen Z, Molinatti G and Hamel E (1997). Astroglial and vascular interactions of noradrenaline terminals in the rat cerebral cortex. J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 17: 894–904. Cotev S and Severinghaus JW (1969). Role of cerebrospinal fluid pH in management of respiratory problems. Anesth. Analg. 48: 42-47. Cupini LM, Diomedi M, Placidi F, Silvestrini M and Giacomini P (2001). Cerebrovascular reactivity and subcortical infarctions. Arch. Neurol. 58: 577–581. Czosnyka M, Brady K, Reinhard M, Smielewski P and Steiner LA (2009). Monitoring of cerebrovascular autoregulation: facts, myths, and missing links. Neurocritical Care. 10: 373–86. Dawson SL, Blake MJ, Panerai RB and Potter JF (2000). Dynamic but not static cerebral autoregulation is impaired in acute ischaemic stroke. Cerebrovasc. Dis.10:126–132. Dawson SL, Panerai RB and Potter JF (2003). Serial changes in static and dynamic cerebral autoregulation after acute ischaemic stroke. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 16:69–75. Diedler J, Sykora M, Rupp A et al. (2009). Impaired cerebral vasomotor activity in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Stroke. 40: 815–9. Drake CT and Iadecola C (2007). The role of neuronal signalling in controlling cerebral blood flow. Brain Lang. 102: 141–152. Ekstrom-Jodal B, Haggendal E, Linder LE and Nilsson NJ (1971). Cerebral blood flow autoregulation at high arterial pressures and different levels of carbon dioxide tension in dogs. Eur. Neurol. 6:6-10. Fieschi C, Argentino C, Toni D and Pozzilli C (1988). Calcium antagonists in ischemic stroke. J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol. 12(6): 83–85. Fisher JP, Ogoh S, Young CN, Raven PB and Fadel PJ (2008). Regulation of middle cerebral artery blood velocity during dynamic exercise in humans: influence of aging. J. Appl. Physiol. 105: 266–273. Goadsby PJ and Edvinsson L (2002). Neurovascular control of the cerebral circulation, Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Philadelphia, Pa, USA. Gelmers HJ (1982). Effect of nimodipine (Bay e 9736) on postischaemic cerebrovascular reactivity, as revealed by measuring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Acta Neurochir. (Wien). 63: 283–290. Hakim AM, Evans AC, Berger L, Kuwabara H, Worsley K, Marchal G, Biel C, Pokrupa R, Diksic M and Meyer E (1989). The effect of nimodipine on the evolution of human cerebral infarction studied by PET. J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 9: 523–534. Hamel E (2006). Perivascular nerves and the regulation of cerebrovascular tone. J. Appl. Physiol. 100: 1059–1064. Heistad DD and Kontos HA (1979). In: Handbook of Physiology: The Cardiovascular System III, Berne RM, Sperelakis N (Eds.). Bethesda, MD: American Physiological Society.  137–182. Hossmann KA (2006). Pathophysiology and therapy of experimental stroke. Cell Mol. Neurobiol. 26: 1057-1083. Iadecola C (2004). Neurovascular regulation in the normal brain and in Alzheimer’s disease. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 5(5): 347–360. Immink RV, van Montfrans GA, Stam J, Karemaker JM, Diamant M and van Lieshout JJ (2005). Dynamic cerebral autoregulation in acute lacunar and middle cerebral artery territory ischemic stroke. Stroke. 36: 2595–2600. Jones SC, Radinsky CR, Furlan AJ et al. (2002). Variability in the magnitude of the cerebral blood flow response and the shape of the cerebral blood flow pressure autoregulation curve during hypotension in normal rats [corrected]. Anesthesiology. 97: 488–96. Joutel A, Monet-Lepretre M, Gosele C, Baron-Menguy C, Hammes A, Schmidt S, Lemaire-Carrette B, Domenga V, Schedl A, Lacombe P and Hubner N (2010). Cerebrovascular dysfunction and microcirculation rarefaction precede white matter lesions in a mouse genetic model of cerebral ischemic small vessel disease. J. Clin. Invest. 120: 433–445. Koller A and Toth P (2012). Contribution of flow-dependent vasomotor mechanisms to the autoregulation of cerebral blood flow. J. Vasc. Res. 49: 375–389. Kontos HA, Wei EP, Navari RM, Levasseur JE, Rosenblum WI and Patterson JL, Jr (1978). Responses of cerebral arteries and arterioles to acute hypotension and hypertension. Am. J. Physiol. 234: H371–H383. Kulik T, Kusano Y, Aronhime S, Sandler AL and Winn HR (2008). Regulation of cerebral vasculature in normal and ischemic brain. Neuropharmacology. 55: 281–288. Kuschinsky W (1997). Neuronal-vascular coupling. A unifying hypothesis. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 413: 167–176. Lacombe P, Oligo C, Domenga V, Tournier-Lasserve E and Joutel A (2005). Impaired cerebral vasoreactivity in a transgenic mouse model of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy arteriopathy. Stroke. 36: 1053–1058. Lassen NA (1959).Cerebral blood flow and oxygen consumption in man. Physiol. Rev. 39: 183–238. Lassen NA (1974). Control of cerebral circulation in health and disease. Circ. Res. 34: 749–760. Lisk DR, Grotta JC, Lamki LM, Tran HD, Taylor JW, Molony DA and Barron BJ (1993). Should hypertension be treated after acute stroke? A randomized controlled trial using single photon emission computed tomography. Arch. Neurol. 50:855–862. Liu J, Zhu YS, Hill C, Armstrong K, Tarumi T, Hodics T, Hynan LS and Zhang R (2013). Cerebral autoregulation of blood velocity and volumetric flow during steady-state changes in arterial pressure. Hypertension 62: 973– 979. MacKenzie ET, Strandgaard S and Graham DI et al. (1976). Effects of acutely induced hypertension in cats on pial arteriolar caliber, local cerebral blood flow, and the blood-brain barrier. Circ. Res. 39:33-41. McHenry LC, Jr., West JW, Cooper ES, Goldberg HI and Jaffe ME (1974).Cerebral autoregulation in man. Stroke. 5: 695-706. Mellander S (1989). Functional aspects of myogenic vascular control. J. Hypertens. 7(4): S21–S30. Murphy S, Rich G, Orgren KI, Moore SA and Faraci FM (1994). Astrocyte-derived lipoxygenase product evokes endothelium-dependent relaxation of the basilar artery. J. Neurosci. Res. 38: 314–318. Novak V and Hajjar I (2010). The relationship between blood pressure and cognitive function. Nature Reviews Cardiology. 7: 686–98. Osol G, Brekke JF, McElroy-Yaggy K and Gokina NI (2002). Myogenic tone, reactivity, and forced dilatation: a three-phase model of in vitro arterial myogenic behavior. Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol. 283: H2260– H2267. Oudegeest-Sander MH, van Beek AH, Abbink K, Olde Rikkert MG, Hopman MT and Claassen JA (2014). Assessment of dynamic cerebral autoregulation and cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity in ageing by measurements of cerebral blood flow and cortical oxygenation. Exp Physiol. 99: 586–598. Panerai RB (1998). Assessment of cerebral pressure autoregulation in humans—a review of measurement methods. Physiol. Meas. 19: 305–338. Paulson OB, Strandgaard S and Edvinsson L (1990). Cerebral autoregulation. Cerebrovasc. Brain Metab. Rev. 2: 161-192. Petersen NH, Ortega-Gutierrez S, Reccius A, Masurkar A, Huang A and Marshall RS (2015). Dynamic Cerebral Autoregulation Is Transiently Impaired for One Week after Large-Vessel Acute Ischemic Stroke. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 39: 144–150. Pires PW, Dams Ramos CM, Matin N and Dorrance AM (2013). The effects of hypertension on the cerebral circulation. Am. J. Physiol. Heart. Circ. Physiol. 304: 1598–1614, Raichle ME and Stone HL (1971). Cerebral blood flow autoregulation and graded hypercapnia. Eur. Neurol. 6: 1-5. Reinhard M, Wihler C, Roth M, Harloff A, Niesen WD, Timmer J et al. (2008). Cerebral autoregulation dynamics in acute ischemic stroke after rtPA thrombolysis. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 26: 147–155. Reinhard M, Rutsch S, Lambeck J, Wihler C, Czosnyka M, Weiller C et al. (2012). Dynamic cerebral autoregulation associates with infarct size and outcome after ischemic stroke. Acta  Neurol. Scand.125: 156–162.   Rennels M and Nelson E (1975). Capillary innervation in the mammalian central nervous system: an electron microscope demonstration (1). Am. J. Anat. 144: 233–241. Saeed NP, Panerai RB and Robinson TG (2013). The carotid artery as an alternative site to the middle cerebral artery for reproducible estimates of autoregulation index. Ultrasound Med. Biol. 39: 735–741. Sandset EC, Murray GD, Bath PM, Kjeldsen SE and Berge E (2012). Scandinavian Candesartan Acute Stroke Trial (SCAST) Study Group: Relation between change in blood pressure in acute stroke and risk of early adverse events and poor outcome. Stroke. 43: 2108–2114. Serrador JM, Sorond FA, Vyas M, Gagnon M, Iloputaife ID and Lipsitz LA (2005). Cerebral pressure-flow relations in hypertensive elderly humans: transfer gain in different frequency domains. J. Appl. Physiol. 98: 151–159. Strandgaard S (1976). Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in hypertensive patients. The modifying influence of prolonged antihypertensive treatment on the tolerance to acute, drug-induced hypotension. Circulation. 53: 720-727 Tiecks FP, Lam AM, Aaslid R and Newell DW (1995). Comparison of static and dynamic  Cerebral autoregulation measurements. Stroke. 26: 1014–1019. Wang Z, Schuler B, Vogel O, Arras M and Vogel J (2010). What is the optimal anesthetic protocol for measurements of cerebral autoregulation in spontaneously breathing mice? Exp. Brain Res. 207: 249–258. Willie CK, Tzeng YC, Fisher JA and Ainslie PN (2014). Integrative regulation of human brain blood flow. J. Physiol. 592: 841–859. Zhang R, Witkowski S, Fu Q, Claassen JA and Levine BD (2007). Cerebral hemodynamics after short- and long-term reduction in blood pressure in mild and moderate hypertension. Hypertension. 49: 1149–1155. Zlokovic BV (2008). The blood-brain barrier in health and chronic neurodegenerative disorders. Neuron. 57: 178–201.

hoes and bitches :: essays research papers

Fuck, sittin' up lettin' these motherfuckerz know, though You're my pimp buddies, my boy Sean Dogg, you on a mission (Yeah, baby!) Creep Dogg, I know you trippin' (I feel you) Ya heard me? (um-hm) [murmur] We just sittin' up in here droppin' game about these motherfuckin'...HOS (HOS?!) That's right, hos, and that what the topic is today on the show: hos (Why you always gotta talk about 'em?) I mean, cause if you gotta blame it on somebody You might as well blame it on a motherfuckin ho.... [beat kicks in] You feel me, Meech (Now that I think about it...) It was all on a motherfuckin' ho (Ya heard me?) That the topic today: Hos Live here, Snoop Dogg, and uh..what I'm gonna do right here [inhales] besides smokin' this weed...I'm a holla at 'chy'all... It was all on a ho, in one minute or two it, too cause I know I got it like that...y'knahmsayin? It was all on a ho (Ho, ho, ho) ["Now that I think about it?" echoes] Shiit, niggaz straight feelin' like Bobby Womack is in this motherfucker tonight...y'knahmsayin? That's the way I feel about 'cha...hm hm..it was all on a ho... But uh...it's Nineteen-motherfuckin'-Ninety Eight And I believe today is uh...October 31st, if I ain't...wrong...right, nigga? Yeah, yeah there, so uh... as they say in Halloween world or... White world or just a world, in general: Trick or Treat, bitch (Ha ha!) Ya feel me? (Ya heard me?) We puttin' this Space-Age pimpin' Full ?Fledge? pimpin' right here...y'know? Right now, bitch can't even look at me Bitch you under arrest for "Reckless Eyeballs" We just doin' this real P-Im right about now, ya feel me? (That's it...that's it...) Because...I mean, I got a big grip...a BIG, BIG memory, cuz I remember a whole lot of bitches didn't wanna give no nigga no title "Playa" Bitches wouldn't even look at me, y'knahmsayin? (Yeah you!) They just want a nigga to bust a rap about 'em, y'know (Yeah you!) Buy 'em sometin' to eat from...IHOP, y'know Go get 'em a Big Mac value pack or sumthin'... But uh...I'm a tell you what I really remember the most about these bitches, cuz (What chu remember, dawg?) [Snoop raps] I remember Rachel, Tina, Lisa, and Grace cause every single one of them had a special place in my heart From the start, see I was just a young puppy A young dummy, panties, bitches to fuck with me Now that I grew up and blew up, I look back and thanked [thought] on these hos, they straight to' up, know what? I'm in effect for the nine-eight

Black America and the American Nightmare :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Black America and the American Nightmare "The Myth of Sisyphus" parallels the lack of an "American Dream" in black America. In " The Myth Of Sisyphus, " Albert Camus describes the tragedy of Sisyphus, forever punished by the gods to push a rock up a mountain, watch the rock roll down the mountain, and then push it up the mountain again. In the words of Camus, "there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor." The "American Dream" is still alive for white Americans. They still dream of large houses, big paychecks, and hard work leading to a comfortable retirement. However, like an animal battling to fight extinction, the "American Dream" is on its last breath in black America . . . " Uh, you know that stuff we told you about apple pie and equal opportunity, spacious skies and rags to riches and making more money than your parents did? Well, uh, we forgot to tell you something. That was only supposed to apply to white people." Does the "American Dream" really exist in the black community or do blacks labor under the false impression that our lives will be better in the future? Am I wasting my time paying for a degree from college in a country where I have to put my skin color on every form I sign my name to? Sisyphus intrigues Camus because he questions Sisyphus' thoughts about his fate. " At that subtle moment when man glances backward over his life, Sisyphus returning toward his rock, in the sight pivoting he contemplates that series of unrelated actions which becomes his fate, created by him, combined under his memory's eye and soon sealed by his death." As Sisyphus returns to his rock, does he question his fate? Unlike blacks in America, Sisyphus created his own fate. Sisyphus is aware that he will labor in futility until the end of time. He is not under any false impressions that the gods will call his punishment off because of good behavior. He knows his fate and has accepted it. Do blacks also labor in futility, hoping that someone will go back and change history? Sisyphus accepts the rock as his future. This absurd form of acceptance is the only thing that keeps Sisyphus from going crazy. He is superior to his fate because he survives despite it. Do blacks in America also accept their fate?

Deon Sanders :: essays research papers

Deion Sanders is an American professional football and baseball player. He is one of the few athletes in history to succeed in two professional sports. Deion Luwynn Sanders was born on August 9, 1967 in Fort Meyers, Florida, where he grew up with his mother and stepfather. His parents got divorced when he was really young. Deion loved almost all sports and he was good at all of them. When he was 8 years old he started playing football and even though he was very young, he still was a star. He was even playing teams with kids older than him and still did very well. Another sport he played was baseball and he played that just as well as football. You might think that Deion didn’t have any religion in his past life, but he did. He grew up going to church with his mother. He has never drank or smoked. Since both of his fathers were addicted to those things, he made a commitment to stay away from that. One day he was with some friends in a car and they were smoking pot. He told them that he didn’t do that stuff and they left him alone. Throughout his high school years he played all different kinds of sports. He played football, baseball, basketball and ran track. He was one of the best in all those sports. When he played for his high school basketball team he was the leading scorer, and earned the name â€Å"Prime Time.† After his four years playing for his high school team, it was time to start looking for a college. Since he wanted his mother to come see him play, his first pick of colleges was Florida State. He had great careers in all the sports he played in. Before his senior year at Florida State University (FSU), the Yankees took him, so he played professional baseball while in college. While he was in college he decided he would stay away from cursing. So every time he cursed he would pay someone 5 bucks. In 1989 he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round. In 1996 when he was playing for the Cowboys and Reds he felt miserable, he said, †After scoring touchdowns and dancing in the end zone, after a stadium full of cheering fans had finally gone home, I was still empty inside.† Nothing was making him happy, he tried money, women, and just about everything.

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 11 Sacratorium

AURORA-†¦ A mythical world, supposedly inhabited in primordial times, during the dawn of interstellar travel. It is thought by some to he the perhaps equally mythical â€Å"world of origin† of humanity and to be another name for â€Å"Earth.† The people of the Mycogen (q.v.) Sector of ancient Trantor reportedly held themselves to be descended from the inhabitants of Aurora and made that tenet central to their system of beliefs, concerning which almost nothing else is known†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica 50. The two Raindrops arrived at midmorning. Raindrop Forty-Five seemed as cheerful as ever, but Raindrop Forty-Three paused just inside the door, looking drawn and circumspect. She kept her eyes down and did not as much as glance at Seldon. Seldon looked uncertain and gestured to Dors, who said in a cheerful businesslike tone of voice, â€Å"One moment, Sisters. I must give instructions to my man or he won't know what to do with himself today.† They moved into the bathroom and Dors whispered, â€Å"Is something wrong?† â€Å"Yes. Raindrop Forty-Three is obviously shattered. Please tell her that I will return the Book as soon as possible.† Dors favored Seldon with a long surprised look. â€Å"Hari,† she said, â€Å"you're a sweet, caring person, but you haven't the good sense of an amoeba. If I as much as mention the Book to the poor woman, she'll be certain that you told me all about what happened yesterday and then she'll really be shattered. The only hope is to treat her exactly as I would ordinarily.† Seldon nodded his head and said dispiritedly, â€Å"I suppose you're right.† Dors returned in time for dinner and found Seldon on his cot, still leafing through the Book, but with intensified impatience. He looked up with a scowl and said, â€Å"If we're going to be staying here any length of time, we're going to need a communication device of some sort between us. I had no idea when you'd get back and I was a little concerned.† â€Å"Well, here I am,† she said, removing her skincap gingerly and looking at it with more than a little distaste. â€Å"I'm really pleased at your concern. I rather thought you'd be so lost in the Book, you wouldn't even realize I was gone.† Seldon snorted. Dors said, â€Å"As for communications devices, I doubt that they are easy to come by in Mycogen. It would mean easing communication with tribespeople outside and I suspect the leaders of Mycogen are bound and determined to cut down on any possible interaction with the great beyond.† â€Å"Yes,† said Seldon, tossing the Book to one side, â€Å"I would expect that from what I see in the Book. Did you find out about the whatever you called it†¦ the temple?† â€Å"Yes,† she said, removing her eyebrow patches. â€Å"It exists. There are a number of them over the area of the sector, but there's a central building that seems to be the important one.-Would you believe that one woman noticed my eyelashes and told me that I shouldn't let myself be seen in public? I have a feeling she intended to report me for indecent exposure.† â€Å"Never mind that,† said Seldon impatiently. â€Å"Do you know where the central temple is located?† â€Å"I have directions, but Raindrop Forty-Five warned me that women were not allowed inside except on special occasions, none of which are coming up soon. It's called the Sacratorium.† â€Å"The what.† â€Å"The Sacratorium.† â€Å"What an ugly word. What does it mean?† Dors shook her head. â€Å"It's new to me. And neither Raindrop knew what it meant either. To them, Sacratorium isn't what the building is called, it's what it is. Asking them why they called it that probably sounded like asking them why a wall is called a wall.† â€Å"Is there anything about it they do know?† â€Å"Of course, Hari. They know what it's for. It's a place that's devoted to something other than the life here in Mycogen. It's devoted to another world, a former and better one.† â€Å"The world they once lived on, you mean?† â€Å"Exactly. Raindrop Forty-Five all but said so, but not quite. She couldn't bring herself to say the word.† â€Å"Aurora?† â€Å"That's the word, but I suspect that if you were to say it out loud to a group of Mycogenians, they would be shocked and horrified. Raindrop Forty-Five, when she said, ‘The Sacratorium is dedicated to-‘, stopped at that point and carefully wrote out the letters one by one with her finger on the palm of her hand. And she blushed, as though she was doing something obscene.† â€Å"Strange,† said Seldon. â€Å"If the Book is an accurate guide, Aurora is their dearest memory, their chief point of unification, the center about which everything in Mycogen revolves. Why should its mention be considered obscene? Are you sure you didn't misinterpret what the Sister meant?† â€Å"I'm positive. And perhaps it's no mystery. Too much talk about it would get to tribespeople. The best way of keeping it secret unto themselves is to make its very mention taboo.† â€Å"Taboo?† â€Å"A specialized anthropological term. It's a reference to serious and effective social pressure forbidding some sort of action. The fact that women are not allowed in the Sacratorium probably has the force of a taboo. I'm sure that a Sister would be horrified if it was suggested that she invade its precincts.† â€Å"Are the directions you have good enough for me to get to the Sacratorium on my own?† â€Å"In the first place, Hari, you're not going alone. I'm going with you. I thought we had discussed the matter and that I had made it clear that I cannot protect you at long distance-not from sleet storms and not from feral women. In the second place, it's impractical to think of walking there. Mycogen may be a small sector, as sectors go, but it simply isn't that small.† â€Å"An Expressway, then.† â€Å"There are no Expressways passing through Mycogenian territory. It would make contact between Mycogenians and tribespeople too easy. Still, there are public conveyances of the kind that are found on less developed planets. In fact, that's what Mycogen is, a piece of an undeveloped planet, embedded like a splinter in the body of Trantor, which is otherwise a patchwork of developed societies.-And Hari, finish with the Book as soon as possible. It's apparent that Rainbow Forty-Three is in trouble as long as you have it and so will we be if they find out.† â€Å"Do you mean a tribesperson reading it is taboo?† â€Å"I'm sure of it.† â€Å"Well, it would be no great loss to give it back. I should say that 95 percent of it is incredibly dull; endless in-fighting among political groups, endless justification of policies whose wisdom I cannot possibly judge, endless homilies on ethical matters which, even when enlightened, and they usually aren't, are couched with such infuriating self-righteousness as to almost enforce violation.† â€Å"You sound as though I would be doing you a great favor if I took the thing away from you.† â€Å"Except that there's always the other 5 percent that discusses the never-to-be-mentioned Aurora. I keep thinking that there may be something there and that it may be helpful to me. That's why I wanted to know about the Sacratorium. â€Å"Do you hope to find support for the Book's concept of Aurora in the Sacratorium?† â€Å"In a way. And I'm also terribly caught up in what the Book has to say about automata, or robots, to use their term. I find myself attracted to the concept.† â€Å"Surely, you don't take it seriously?† â€Å"Almost. If you accept some passages of the Book literally, then there is an implication that some robots were in human shape.† â€Å"Naturally. If you're going to construct a simulacrum of a human being, you will make it look like a human being.† â€Å"Yes, simulacrum means ‘likeness,' but a likeness can be crude indeed. An artist can draw a stick figure and you might know he is representing a human being and recognize it. A circle for the head, a stalk for the body, and four bent lines for arms and legs and you have it. But I mean robots that really look like a human being, in every detail.† â€Å"Ridiculous, Hari. Imagine the time it would take to fashion the metal of the body into perfect proportions, with the smooth curve of underlying muscles.† â€Å"Who said ‘metal,' Dors? The impression I got is that such robots were organic or pseudo-organic, that they were covered with skin, that you could not easily draw a distinction between them and human beings in any way.† â€Å"Does the Book say that?† â€Å"Not in so many words. The inference, however-â€Å" â€Å"Is your inference, Hari. You can't take it seriously.† â€Å"Let me try. I find four things that I can deduce from what the Book says about robots-and I followed up every reference the index gave. First, as I say, they-or some of them-exactly resembled human beings; second, they had very extended life spans-if you want to call it that.† â€Å"Better say ‘effectiveness,' † said Dors, â€Å"or you'll begin thinking of them as human altogether.† â€Å"Third,† said Seldon, ignoring her, â€Å"that some-or, at any rate, at least one-continues to live on to this day.† â€Å"Hari, that's one of the most widespread legends we have. The ancient hero does not die but remains in suspended animation, ready to return to save his people at some time of great need. Really, Hari.† â€Å"Fourth,† said Seldon, still not rising to the bait, â€Å"there are some lines that seem to indicate that the central temple-or the Sacratorium, if that's what it is, though I haven't found that word in the Book, actually-contains a robot.† He paused, then said, â€Å"Do you see?† Dors said, â€Å"No. What should I see?† â€Å"If we combine the four points, perhaps a robot that looks exactly like a human being and that is still alive, having been alive for, say, the last twenty thousand years, is in the Sacratorium.† â€Å"Come on, Hari, you can't believe that.† â€Å"I don't actually believe it, but I can't entirely let go either. What if its true? What if-its only one chance out of a million, I admit-it's true? Don't you see how useful he could be to me? He could remember the Galaxy as it was long before any reliable historical records existed. He might help make psychohistory possible.† â€Å"Even if it was true, do you suppose the Mycogenians would let you see and interview the robot?† â€Å"I don't intend to ask permission. I can at least go to the Sacratorium and see if there's something to interview first.† â€Å"Not now. Tomorrow at the earliest. And if you don't think better of it by morning, we go.† â€Å"You told me yourself they don't allow women-â€Å" â€Å"They allow women to look at it from outside, I'm sure, and I suspect that is all we'll get to do.† And there she was adamant. Hari Seldon was perfectly willing to let Dors take the lead. She had been out in the main roadways of Mycogen and was more at home with them than he was. Dors Venabili, brows knitted, was less delighted with the prospect. She said, â€Å"We can easily get lost, you know.† â€Å"Not with that booklet,† said Seldon. She looked up at him impatiently. â€Å"Fix your mind on Mycogen, Hari. What I should have is a computomap, something I can ask questions of. This Mycogenian version is just a piece of folded plastic. I can't tell this thing where I am. I can't tell it by word of mouth and I can't even tell it by pushing the necessary contacts. It can't tell me anything either way. It's a print thing.† â€Å"Then read what it says.† â€Å"That's what I'm trying to do, but it's written for people who are familiar with the system to begin with. We'll have to ask.† â€Å"No, Dors. That would be a last resort. I don't want to attract attention. I would rather we take our chances and try to find our own way, even if it means making one or two wrong turns.† Dors leafed through the booklet with great attention and then said grudgingly, â€Å"Well, it gives the Sacratorium important mention. I suppose that's only natural. I presume everyone in Mycogen would want to get there at one time or another.† Then, after additional concentration, she said, â€Å"I'll tell you what. There's no way of taking a conveyance from here to there.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Don't get excited. Apparently, there's a way of getting from here to another conveyance that will take us there. We'll have to change from one to another.† Seldon relaxed. â€Å"Well, of course. You can't take an Expressway to half the places on Trantor without changing.† Dors cast an impatient glance at Seldon. â€Å"I know that too. It's just that I'm used to having these things tell me so. When they expect you to find out for yourself, the simplest things can escape you for a while.† â€Å"All right, dear. Don't snap. If you know the way now, lead. I will follow humbly.† And follow her he did, until they came to an intersection, where they stopped. Three white-kirtled males and a pair of gray-kirtled females were at the same intersection. Seldon tried a universal and general smile in their direction, but they responded with a blank stare and looked away. And then the conveyance came. It was an outmoded version of what Seldon, back on Helicon, would have called a gravi-bus. There were some twenty upholstered benches inside, each capable of holding four people. Each bench had its own doors on both sides of the bus. When it stopped, passengers emerged on either side. (For a moment, Seldon was concerned for those who got out on the traffic side of the gravi-bus, but then he noticed that every vehicle approaching from either direction stopped as it neared the bus. None passed it while it was not moving.) Dors pushed Seldon impatiently and he moved on to a bench where two adjoining seats were available. Dors followed after. (The men always got on and got off first, he noticed.) 51. â€Å"For instance,† she said and pointed to a smooth boxed-off area on the back of the bench directly before each of them. As soon as the conveyance had begun to move, words lit up, naming the next stop and the notable structures or crossways that were nearby. â€Å"Now, that will probably tell us when we're approaching the changeover we want. At least the sector isn't completely barbaric.† â€Å"Good,† said Seldon. Then, after a while, leaning toward Dors, he whispered, â€Å"No one is looking at us. It seems that artificial boundaries are set up to preserve individual privacy in any crowded place. Have you noticed that?† â€Å"I've always taken it for granted. If that's going to be a rule of your psychohistory, no one will be very impressed by it.† As Dors had guessed, the direction plaque in front of them eventually announced the approach to the changeover for the direct line to the Sacratorium. They exited and again had to wait. Some buses ahead had already left this intersection, but another gravi-bus was already approaching. They were on a well-traveled route, which was not surprising; the Sacratorium was bound to be the center and heartbeat of the sector. They got on the gravi-bus and Seldon whispered, â€Å"We're not paying.† â€Å"According to the map, public transportation is a free service.† Seldon thrust out his lower lip. â€Å"How civilized. I suppose that nothing is all of a piece, not backwardness, not barbarism, nothing.† But Dors nudged him and whispered, â€Å"Your rule is broken. We're being watched. The man on your right.† 52. Seldon's eyes shifted briefly. The man to his right was rather thin and seemed quite old. He had dark brown eyes and a swarthy complexion, and Seldon was sure that he would have had black hair if he had not been depilated. He faced front again, thinking. This Brother was rather atypical. The few Brothers he had paid any attention to had been rather tall, light-skinned, and with blue or gray eyes. Of course, he had not seen enough of them to make a general rule. Then there was a light touch on the right sleeve of his kirtle. Seldon turned hesitantly and found himself looking at a card on which was written lightly, CAREFUL, TRIBESMAN! Seldon started and put a hand to his skincap automatically. The man next to him silently mouthed, â€Å"Hair.† Seldon's hand found it, a tiny exposure of bristles at his temple. He must have disturbed the skincap at some point or another. Quickly and as unobtrusively as possible, he tugged the skincap, then made sure that it was snug under the pretence of stroking his head. He turned to his neighbor on his right, nodded slightly, and mouthed, â€Å"Thank you.† His neighbor smiled and said in a normal speaking voice, â€Å"Going to the Sacratorium?† Seldon nodded. â€Å"Yes, I am.† â€Å"Easy guess. So am I. Shall we get off together?† His smile was friendly. â€Å"I'm with my-my-â€Å" â€Å"With your woman. Of course. All three together, then?† Seldon was not sure how to react. A quick look in the other direction showed him that Dors's eyes were turned straight ahead. She was showing no interest in masculine conversation-an attitude appropriate for a Sister. However, Seldon felt a soft pat on his left knee, which he took (with perhaps little justification) to mean: â€Å"It's all right.† In any case, his natural sense of courtesy was on that side and he said, â€Å"Yes, certainly.† There was no further conversation until the direction plaque told them they were arriving at the Sacratorium and Seldon's Mycogenian friend was rising to get off. The gravi-bus made a wide turn about the perimeter of a large area of the Sacratorium grounds and there was a general exodus when it came to a halt, the men sliding in front of the women to exit first. The women followed. The Mycogenian's voice crackled a bit with age, but it was cheerful. He said, â€Å"It's a little early for lunch my†¦ friends, but take my word for it that things will be crowded in not too long a time. Would you be willing to buy something simple now and eat it outside? I am very familiar with this area and I know a good place.† Seldon wondered if this was a device to maneuver innocent tribespeople into something or other disreputable or costly, yet decided to chance it. â€Å"You're very kind,† he said. â€Å"Since we are not at all familiar with the place, we will be glad to let you take the lead.† They bought lunch-sandwiches and a beverage that looked like milk-at an open-air stand. Since it was a beautiful day and they were visitors, the old Mycogenian said, they would go to the Sacratorium grounds and eat out of doors, the better to become acquainted with their surroundings. During their walk, carrying their lunch, Seldon noted that, on a very small scale, the Sacratorium resembled the Imperial Palace and that the grounds around it resembled, on a minute scale, the Imperial grounds. He could scarcely believe that the Mycogenian people admired the Imperial institution or, indeed, did anything but hate and despise it, yet the cultural attraction was apparently not to be withstood. â€Å"It's beautiful,† said the Mycogenian with obvious pride. â€Å"Quite,† said Seldon. â€Å"How it glistens in the daylight.† â€Å"The grounds around it,† he said, â€Å"are constructed in imitation of the government grounds on our Dawn World†¦ in miniature, to be sure.† â€Å"Did you ever see the grounds of the Imperial Palace?† asked Seldon cautiously. The Mycogenian caught the implication and seemed in no way put out by it. â€Å"They copied the Dawn World as best they could too.† Seldon doubted that in the extreme, but he said nothing. They came to a semicircular seat of white stonite, sparkling in the light as the Sacratorium did. â€Å"Good,† said the Mycogenian, his dark eyes gleaming with pleasure. â€Å"No one's taken my place. I call it mine only because it's my favorite seat. It affords a beautiful view of the side wall of the Sacratorium past the trees. Please sit down. It's not cold, I assure you. And your companion. She is welcome to sit too. She is a tribeswoman, I know, and has different customs. She†¦ she may speak if she wishes.† Dors gave him a hard look and sat down. Seldon, recognizing the fact that they might remain with this old Mycogenian a while, thrust out his hand and said, â€Å"I am Hari and my female companion is Dors. We don't use numbers, I'm afraid.† â€Å"To each his†¦ or her†¦ own,† said the other expansively. â€Å"I am Mycelium Seventy-Two. We are a large cohort.† â€Å"Mycelium?† said Seldon a bit hesitantly. â€Å"You seem surprised,† said Mycelium. â€Å"I take it, then, you've only met members of our Elder families. Names like Cloud and Sunshine and Starlight-all astronomical.† â€Å"I must admit-† began Seldon. â€Å"Well, meet one of the lower classes. We take our names from the ground and from the micro-organisms we grow. Perfectly respectable.† â€Å"I'm quite certain,† said Seldon, â€Å"and thank you again for helping me with my†¦ problem in the gravi-bus.† â€Å"Listen,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two, â€Å"I saved you a lot of trouble. If a Sister had seen you before I did, she would undoubtedly have screamed and the nearest Brothers would have bustled you off the bus-maybe not even waiting for it to stop moving.† Dors leaned forward so as to see across Seldon. â€Å"How is it you did not act in this way yourself?† â€Å"I? I have no animosity against tribespeople. I'm a scholar.† â€Å"A scholar?† â€Å"First one in my cohort. I studied at the Sacratorium School and did very well. I'm learned in all the ancient arts and I have a license to enter the tribal library, where they keep book-films and books by tribespeople. I can view any book-film or read any book I wish to. We even have a computerized reference library and I can handle that too. That sort of thing broadens your mind. I don't mind a little hair showing. I've seen pictures of men with hair many a time. And women too.† He glanced quickly at Dors. They ate in silence for a while and then Seldon said, â€Å"I notice that every Brother who enters or leaves the Sacratorium is wearing a red sash.† â€Å"Oh yes,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two. â€Å"Over the left shoulder and around the right side of the waist-usually very fancily embroidered.† â€Å"Why is that?† â€Å"It's called an ‘obiah.' It symbolizes the joy felt at entering the Sacratorium and the blood one would spill to preserve it.† â€Å"Blood?† said Dors, frowning. â€Å"Just a symbol. I never actually heard of anyone spilling blood over the Sacratorium. For that matter, there isn't that much joy. it's mostly wailing and mourning and prostrating one's self over the Lost World.† His voice dropped and became soft. â€Å"Very silly.† Dors said, â€Å"You're not a†¦ a believer?† â€Å"I'm a scholar,† said Mycelium with obvious pride. His face wrinkled as he grinned and took on an even more pronounced appearance of age. Seldon found himself wondering how old the man was. Several centuries?-No, they'd disposed of that. It couldn't be and yet, â€Å"How old are you?† Seldon asked suddenly, involuntarily. Mycelium Seventy-Two showed no signs of taking offense at the question, nor did he display any hesitation at answering, â€Å"Sixty-seven.† Seldon had to know. â€Å"I was told that your people believe that in very early times everyone lived for several centuries.† Mycelium Seventy-Two looked at Seldon quizzically. â€Å"Now how did you find that out? Someone must have been talking out of turn†¦ but its true. There is that belief. Only the unsophisticated believe it, but the Elders encourage it because it shows our superiority. Actually, our life expectancy is higher than elsewhere because we eat more nutritionally, but living even one century is rare.† â€Å"I take it you don't consider Mycogenians superior,† said Seldon. Mycelium Seventy-Two said, â€Å"There's nothing wrong with Mycogenians. They're certainly not inferior. Still, I think that all men are equal.-Even women,† he added, looking across at Dors. â€Å"I don't suppose,† said Seldon, â€Å"that many of your people would agree with that.† â€Å"Or many of your people,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two with a faint resentment. â€Å"I believe it, though. A scholar has to. I've viewed and even read all the great literature of the tribespeople. I understand your culture. I've written articles on it. I can sit here just as comfortably with you as though you were†¦ [tit].† Dors said a little sharply, â€Å"You sound proud of understanding tribespeople's ways. Have you ever traveled outside Mycogen?† Mycelium Seventy-Two seemed to move away a little. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Why not? You would get to know us better.† â€Å"I wouldn't feel right. I'd have to wear a wig. I'd be ashamed.† Dors said, â€Å"Why a wig? You could stay bald.† â€Å"No,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two, â€Å"I wouldn't be that kind of fool. I'd be mistreated by all the hairy ones.† â€Å"Mistreated? Why?† said Dors. â€Å"We have a great many naturally bald people everywhere on Trantor and on every other world too.† â€Å"My father is quite bald,† said Seldon with a sigh, â€Å"and I presume that in the decades to come I will be bald too. My hair isn't all that thick now.† â€Å"That's not bald,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two. â€Å"You keep hair around the edges and over your eyes. I mean bald-no hair at all.† â€Å"Anywhere on your body?† said Dors, interested. And now Mycelium Seventy-Two looked offended and said nothing. Seldon, anxious to get the conversation back on track, said, â€Å"Tell me, Mycelium Seventy-Two, can tribespeople enter the Sacratorium as spectators?† Mycelium Seventy-Two shook his head vigorously. â€Å"Never. It's for the Sons of the Dawn only.† Dors said, â€Å"Only the Sons?† Mycelium Seventy-Two looked shocked for a moment, then said forgivingly, â€Å"Well, you're tribespeople. Daughters of the Dawn enter only on certain days and times. That's just the way it is. I don't say I approve. If it was up to me, I'd say, ‘Go in. Enjoy if you can.' Sooner others than me, in fact.† â€Å"Don't you ever go in?† â€Å"When I was young, my parents took me, but-he shook his head-â€Å"it was just people staring at the Book and reading from it and sighing and weeping for the old days. It's very depressing. You can't talk to each other. You can't laugh. You can't even look at each other. Your mind has to be totally on the Lost World. Totally.† He waved a hand in rejection. â€Å"Not for me. I'm a scholar and I want the whole world open to me.† â€Å"Good,† said Seldon, seeing an opening. â€Å"We feel that way too. We are scholars also, Dors and myself.† â€Å"I know,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two. â€Å"You know? How do you know?† â€Å"You'd have to be. The only tribespeople allowed in Mycogen are Imperial officials and diplomats, important traders, and scholars-and to me you have the look of scholars. That's what interested me in you. Scholars together.† He smiled delightedly. â€Å"So we are. I am a mathematician. Dors is a historian. And you?† â€Å"I specialize in†¦ culture. I've read all the great works of literature of the tribespeople: Lissauer, Mentone, Novigor-â€Å" â€Å"And we have read the great works of your people. I've read the Book, for instance.-About the Lost World.† Mycelium Seventy-Two's eyes opened wide in surprise. His olive complexion seemed to fade a little. â€Å"You have? How? Where?† â€Å"At our University we have copies that we can read if we have permission.† â€Å"Copies of the Book?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I wonder if the Elders know this?† Seldon said, â€Å"And I've read about robots.† â€Å"Robots?† â€Å"Yes. That is why I would like to be able to enter the Sacratorium. I would like to see the robot.† (Dors kicked lightly at Seldon's ankle, but he ignored her.) Mycelium Seventy-Two said uneasily, â€Å"I don't believe in such things. Scholarly people don't.† But he looked about as though he was afraid of being overheard. Seldon said, â€Å"I've read that a robot still exists in the Sacratorium.† Mycelium Seventy-Two said, â€Å"I don't want to talk about such nonsense.† Seldon persisted. â€Å"Where would it be if it was in the Sacratorium?† â€Å"Even if one was there, I couldn't tell you. I haven't been in there since I was a child.† â€Å"Would you know if there was a special place, a hidden place?† â€Å"There's the Elders' aerie. Only Elders go there, but there's nothing there.† â€Å"Have you ever been there?† â€Å"No, of course not.† â€Å"Then how do you know?† â€Å"I don't know that there's no pomegranate tree there. I don't know that there's no laser-organ there. I don't know that there's no item of a million different kinds there. Does my lack of knowledge of their absence show they are all present?† For the moment, Seldon had nothing to say. A ghost of a smile broke through Mycelium Seventy-Two's look of concern. He said, â€Å"That's scholars' reasoning. I'm not an easy man to tackle, you see. Just the same, I wouldn't advise you to try to get up into the Elders' aerie. I don't think you'd like what would happen if they found a tribesman inside.-Well. Best of the Dawn to you.† And he rose suddenly-without warning-and hurried away. Seldon looked after him, rather surprised. â€Å"What made him rush off like that?† â€Å"I think,† said Dors, â€Å"it's because someone is approaching.† And someone was. A tall man in an elaborate white kirtle, crossed by an even more elaborate and subtly glittering red sash, glided solemnly toward them. He had the unmistakable look of a man with authority and the even more unmistakable look of one who is not pleased. 53. Hari Seldon rose as the new Mycogenian approached. He hadn't the slightest idea whether that was the appropriate polite behavior, but he had the distinct feeling it would do no harm. Dors Venabili rose with him and carefully kept her eyes lowered. The other stood before them. He too was an old man, but more subtly aged than Mycelium Seventy-Two. Age seemed to lend distinction to his still-handsome face. His bald head was beautifully round and his eyes were a startling blue, contrasting sharply with the bright all-but-glowing red of his sash. The newcomer said, â€Å"I see you are tribespeople.† His voice was more high-pitched than Seldon had expected, but he spoke slowly, as though conscious of the weight of authority in every word he uttered. â€Å"So we are,† said Seldon politely but firmly. He saw no reason not to defer to the other's position, but he did not intend to abandon his own. â€Å"Your names?† â€Å"I am Hari Seldon of Helicon. My companion is Dors Venabili of Cinna. And yours, man of Mycogen?† The eyes narrowed in displeasure, but he too could recognize an air of authority when he felt it. â€Å"I am Skystrip Two,† he said, lifting his head higher, â€Å"an Elder of the Sacratorium. And your position, tribesman?† â€Å"We,† said Seldon, emphasizing the pronoun, â€Å"are scholars of Streeling University. I am a mathematician and my companion is a historian and we are here to study the ways of Mycogen.† â€Å"By whose authority?† â€Å"By that of Sunmaster Fourteen, who greeted us on our arrival.† Skystrip Two fell silent for a moment and then a small smile appeared on his face and he took on an air that was almost benign. He said, â€Å"The High Elder. I know him well.† â€Å"And so you should,† said Seldon blandly. â€Å"Is there anything else, Elder?† â€Å"Yes.† The Elder strove to regain the high ground. â€Å"Who was the man who was with you and who hurried away when I approached?† Seldon shook his head, â€Å"We never saw him before, Elder, and know nothing about him. We encountered him purely by accident and asked about the Sacratorium.† â€Å"What did you ask him?† â€Å"Two questions, Elder. We asked if that building was the Sacratorium and if tribespeople were allowed to enter it. He answered in the affirmative to the first question and in the negative to the second.† â€Å"Quite so. And what is your interest in the Sacratorium?† â€Å"Sir, we are here to study the ways of Mycogen and is not the Sacratorium the heart and brain of Mycogen?† â€Å"It is entirely ours and reserved for us.† â€Å"Even if an Elder-the High Elder-would arrange for permission in view of our scholarly function?† â€Å"Have you indeed the High Elder's permission?† Seldon hesitated the slightest moment while Dors's eyes lifted briefly to look at him sideways. He decided he could not carry off a lie of this magnitude. â€Å"No,† he said, â€Å"not yet.† â€Å"Or ever,† said the Elder. â€Å"You are here in Mycogen by authority, but even the highest authority cannot exert total control over the public. We value our Sacratorium and the populace can easily grow excited over the presence of a tribesperson anywhere in Mycogen but, most particularly, in the vicinity of the Sacratorium. It would take one excitable person to raise a cry of ‘Invasion!' and a peaceful crowd such as this one would be turned into one that would be thirsting to tear you apart. I mean that quite literally. For your own good, even if the High Elder has shown you kindness, leave. Now!† â€Å"But the Sacratorium-† said Seldon stubbornly, though Dors was pulling gently at his kirtle. â€Å"What is there in the Sacratorium that can possibly interest you?† said the Elder. â€Å"You see it now. There is nothing for you to see in the interior.† â€Å"There is the robot,† said Seldon. The Elder stared at Seldon in shocked surprise and then, bending to bring his lips close to Seldon's ear, whispered harshly, â€Å"Leave now or I will raise the cry of ‘Invasion!' myself. Nor, were it not for the High Elder, would I give you even this one chance to leave.† And Dors, with surprising strength, nearly pulled Seldon off his feet as she stepped hastily away, dragging him along until he caught his balance and stepped quickly after her. 54. It was over breakfast the next morning, not sooner, that Dors took up the subject-and in a way that Seldon found most wounding. She said, â€Å"Well, that was a pretty fiasco yesterday.† Seldon, who had honestly thought he had gotten away with it without comment, looked sullen. â€Å"What made it a fiasco?† â€Å"Driven out is what we were. And for what? What did we gain?† â€Å"Only the knowledge that there is a robot in there.† â€Å"Mycelium Seventy-Two said there wasn't.† â€Å"Of course he said that. He's a scholar-or thinks he is-and what he doesn't know about the Sacratorium would probably fill that library he goes to. You saw the Elder's reaction.† â€Å"I certainly did.† â€Å"He would not have reacted like that if there was no robot inside. He was horrified we knew.† â€Å"That's just your guess, Hari. And even if there was, we couldn't get in.† â€Å"We could certainly try. After breakfast, we go out and buy a sash for me, one of those obiahs. I put it on, keep my eyes devoutly downward, and walk right in.† â€Å"Skincap and all? They'll spot you in a microsecond.† â€Å"No, they won't. We'll go into the library where all the tribespeople data is kept. I'd like to see it anyway. From the library, which is a Sacratorium annex, I gather, there will probably be an entrance into the Sacratorium.† â€Å"Where you will be picked up at once.† â€Å"Not at all. You heard what Mycelium Seventy-Two had to say. Everyone keeps his eyes down and meditates on their great Lost World, Aurora. No one looks at anyone else. It would probably be a grievous breach of discipline to do so. Then I'll find the Elders' aerie-â€Å" â€Å"Just like that?† â€Å"At one point, Mycelium Seventy-Two said he would advise me not to try to get up into the Elders' aerie. Up. It must be somewhere in that tower of the Sacratorium, the central tower.† Dors shook her head. â€Å"I don't recall the man's exact words and I don't think you do either. That's a terribly weak foundation to- Wait.† She stopped suddenly and frowned. â€Å"Well?† said Seldon. â€Å"There is an archaic word ‘aerie' that means ‘a dwelling place on high.' â€Å" â€Å"Ah! There you are. You see, we've learned some vital things as the result of what you call a fiasco. And if I can find a living robot that's twenty thousand years old and if it can tell me-â€Å" â€Å"Suppose that such a thing exists, which passes belief, and that you find it, which is not very likely, how long do you think you will be able to talk to it before your presence is discovered?† â€Å"I don't know, but if I can prove it exists and if I can find it, then I'll think of some way to talk to it. It's too late for me to back out now under any circumstances. Hummin should have left me alone when I thought there was no way of achieving psychohistory. Now that it seems there may be, I won't let anything stop me-short of being killed.† â€Å"The Mycogenians may oblige, Hari, and you can't run that risk.† â€Å"Yes, I can. I'm going to try.† â€Å"No, Hari. I must look after you and I can't let you.† â€Å"You must let me. Finding a way to work out psychohistory is more important than my safety. My safety is only important because I may work out psychohistory. Prevent me from doing so and your task loses its meaning.-Think about it.† Hari felt himself infused with a renewed sense of purpose. Psychohistory-his nebulous theory that he had, such a short while ago, despaired ever of proving-loomed larger, more real. Now he had to believe that it was possible; he could feel it in his gut. The pieces seemed to be falling together and although he couldn't see the whole pattern yet, he was sure the Sacratorium would yield another piece to the puzzle. â€Å"Then I'll go in with you so I can pull you out, you idiot, when the time comes.† â€Å"Women can't enter.† â€Å"What makes me a woman? Only this gray kirtle. You can't see my breasts under it. I don't have a woman's style hairdo with the skincap on. I have the same washed, unmarked face a man has. The men here don't have stubble. All I need is a white kirtle and a sash and I can enter. Any Sister could do it if she wasn't held back by a taboo. I am not held back by one.† â€Å"You're held back by me. I won't let you. It's too dangerous.† â€Å"No more dangerous for me than for you.† â€Å"But I must take the risk.† â€Å"Then so must I. Why is your imperative greater than mine?† â€Å"Because-† Seldon paused in thought. â€Å"Just tell yourself this,† said Dors, her voice hard as rock. â€Å"I won't let you go there without me. If you try, I will knock you unconscious and tie you up. If you don't like that, then give up any thought of going alone.† Seldon hesitated and muttered darkly. He gave up the argument, at least for now. 55. The sky was almost cloudless, but it was a pale blue, as though wrapped in a high thin mist. That, thought Seldon, was a good touch, but suddenly he missed the sun itself. No one on Trantor saw the planet's sun unless he or she went Upperside and even then only when the natural cloud layer broke. Did native Trantorians miss the sun? Did they give it any thought? When one of them visited another world where a natural sun was in view, did he or she stare, half-blinded, at it with awe? Why, he wondered, did so many people spend their lives not trying to find answers to questions-not even thinking of questions to begin with? Was there anything more exciting in life than seeking answers? His glance shifted to ground level. The wide roadway was lined with low buildings, most of them shops. Numerous individual ground-cars moved in both directions, each hugging the right side. They seemed like a collection of antiques, but they were electrically driven and quite soundless. Seldon wondered if â€Å"antique† was always a word to sneer at. Could it be that silence made up for slowness? Was there any particular hurry to life, after all? There were a number of children on the walkways and Seldon's lips pressed together in annoyance. Clearly, an extended life span for the Mycogenians was impossible unless they were willing to indulge in infanticide. The children of both sexes (though it was hard to tell the boys from the girls) wore kirtles that came only a few inches below the knee, making the wild activity of childhood easier. The children also still had hair, reduced to an inch in length at most, but even so the older ones among them had hoods attached to their kirtles and wore them raised, hiding the top of the head altogether. It was as though they were getting old enough to make the hair seem a trifle obscene-or old enough to be wishing to hide it, in longing for the day of rite of passage when they were depilated. A thought occurred to Seldon. He said, â€Å"Dors, when you've been out shopping, who paid, you or the Raindrop women?† â€Å"I did of course. The Raindrops never produced a credit tile. But why should they? What was being bought was for us, not for them.† â€Å"But you have a Trantorian credit tile-a tribeswoman credit tile.† â€Å"Of course, Hari, but there was no problem. The people of Mycogen may keep their own culture and ways of thought and habits of life as they wish. They can destroy their cephalic hair and wear kirtles. Nevertheless, they must use the world's credits. If they don't, that would choke off commerce and no sensible person would want to do that. The credits nerve, Hari.† She held up her hand as though she was holding an invisible credit tile. â€Å"And they accepted your credit tile?† â€Å"Never a peep out of them. And never a word about my skincap. Credits sanitize everything.† â€Å"Well, that's good. So I can buy-â€Å" â€Å"No, I'll do the buying. Credits may sanitize everything, but they more easily sanitize a tribeswoman. They're so used to paying women little or no attention that they automatically pay me the same.-And here's the clothing store I've been using.† â€Å"I'll wait out here. Get me a nice red sash-one that looks impressive.† â€Å"Don't pretend you've forgotten our decision. I'll get two. And another white kirtle also†¦ to my measurements.† â€Å"Won't they think it odd that a woman would be buying a white kirtle?† â€Å"Of course not. They'll assume I'm buying it for a male companion who happens to be my size. Actually, I don't think they'll bother with any assumptions at all as long as my credit tile is good.† Seldon waited, half-expecting someone to come up and greet him as a tribesman or denounce him as one-more likely-but no one did. Those who passed him did so without a glance and even those who glanced in his direction moved on seemingly untouched. He was especially nervous about the gray kirtles-the women-walking by in pairs or, even worse, with a man. They were downtrodden, unnoticed, snubbed. How better to gain a brief notoriety than by shrieking at the sight of a tribesman? But even the women moved on. They're not expecting to see a tribesman, Seldon thought, so they don't see one. That, he decided, augured well for their forthcoming invasion of the Sacratorium. How much less would anyone expect to see tribespeople there and how much more effectively would they therefore fail to see them! He was in fairly good humor when Dors emerged. â€Å"You have everything?† â€Å"Absolutely.† â€Å"Then lets go back to the room, so you can change.† The white kirtle did not fit her quite as well as the gray one did. Obviously, she could not have tried it on or even the densest shopkeeper would have been struck with alarm. â€Å"How do I look, Hari?† she asked. â€Å"Exactly like a boy,† said Seldon. â€Å"Now let's try the sash†¦ or obiah. I had better get used to calling it that.† Dors, without her skincap, was shaking out her hair gratefully. She said sharply, â€Å"Don't put it on now. We're not going to parade through Mycogen with the sash on. The last thing we want to do is call attention to ourselves.† â€Å"No, no. I just want to see how it goes on.† â€Å"Well, not that one. This one is better quality and more elaborate.† â€Å"You're right, Dors. I've got to gather in what attention there is. I don't want them to detect you as a woman.† â€Å"I'm not thinking of that, Hari. I just want you to look pretty.† â€Å"A thousand thanks, but that's impossible, I suspect. Now, let's see, how does this work?† Together, Hari and Dors practiced putting their obiahs on and taking them off, over and over again, until they could do it in one fluid motion. Dors taught Hari how to do it, as she had seen a man doing it the day before at the Sacratorium. When Hari praised her for her acute observations, she blushed and said, â€Å"Its really nothing, Hari, just something I noticed.† Hari replied, â€Å"Then you're a genius for noticing.† Finally satisfied, they stood well apart, each surveying the other. Hari's obiah glittered, a bright red dragonlike design standing out against a paler field of similar hue. Dors's was a little less bold, had a simple thin line down the center, and was very light in color. â€Å"There,† she said, â€Å"just enough to show good taste.† She took it off. â€Å"Now,† said Seldon, â€Å"we fold it up and it goes into one of the inner pockets. I have my credit tile-Hummin's, really-and the key to this place in this one and here, on the other side, the Book.† â€Å"The Book? Should you be carrying it around?† â€Å"I must. I'm guessing that anyone going to the Sacratorium ought to have a copy of the Book with him. They may intone passages or have readings. If necessary, we'll share the Book and maybe no one will notice. Ready?† â€Å"I'll never be ready, but I'm going with you.† â€Å"It will be a tedious trip. Will you check my skincap and make sure no hair shows this time? And don't scratch your head.† â€Å"I won't. You look all right.† â€Å"So do you.† â€Å"You also look nervous.† And Seldon said wryly, â€Å"Guess why!† Dors reached out impulsively and squeezed Hari's hand, then drew back as if surprised at herself. Looking down, she straightened her white kirtle. Hari, himself a trifle surprised and peculiarly pleased, cleared his throat and said, â€Å"Okay, let's go.†