Labour Law Group Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Labour Law Group Project - Assignment Example 1. Procedure in employment of Bob The first process in hiring Bob from UK will involve Abulaziz determining if he requires employment confirmation from the foreign country. After determining the requirement for an employment confirmation, he will be required to apply for the confirmation as he will hire Bob as a professional worker. The next step will involve application for a work permit from the country and wait for a port of entry after agreeing on the terms. 2. Employing a UEA national The process involved in hiring Noura will not be similar as the labor and employment of terms in Dubai considers the UEA National terms. The procedure will then be short as the employment of a foreign worker. 3. Features of a limited contract †¢ The contract has specific start and end dates †¢ The contract cannot have a term of more than 4 years but is renewable †¢ The employment is terminated at the end of contract 4. Specific information in Bob’s contract Nature of the contract Type of work Terms of the contract Wages and benefits of the contract Date of employment contract 5. Position of probation period in Law Probation period in the law should not be more than six months and Abulaziz is not allowed through the law to impose probation period more than once to Bob. 6. Difference between basic and total wages Basic wages are those that are stated in the employment contract and exclude allowances, travel, housing and accommodation. Total wages include wages that are in the contract with inclusion of allowances, travel, housing and accommodation.

Carbon tax and Cap-and-Trade Schemes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Carbon tax and Cap-and-Trade Schemes - Essay Example In defining cap and trade system, a government literally puts a cap or limit on the overall level of carbon pollution. As the cap declines each year, it cuts industrial green house emission to the limit of regulation. This way, the government creates and distributes pollution quotas, which in turn create an incentive for industries alike to reduce their emissions (Andrew 64). In comparing the two taxes, the cap-and-trade tax has more certainty than the carbon tax. The cap and trade tax in terms of certainty can be achieved as it sets firm limits on the acceptable amount of emissions, thus achieving the desired outcome in reduction of emissions. This scheme has been used for decades by the United States to reduce emissions responsible for acid rain. By using the cap and trade system has reduced acid rain forming by half. As for the carbon tax the amount of emissions depends on the rise and fall of energy. For this reason many industrialized countries have used carbon taxes to disco urage fossil fuel and promote clean energy. For example, in Sweden carbon tax has been estimated to cut emissions by 20 percent enabling the country to achieve 2012 target under the Kyoto protocol . Carbon tax creates a fixed incentive to curb emissions since it can fix price of the carbon emissions. In assessing the cost or damage associated with each unit in pollution and the cost associated with controlling pollution. In essence its essential for the tax level to be right, if the tax is too low then the industries and households may opt to pay tax other than reduce omissions. On the other hand, if it’s set too high then the cost may indirectly impact profits, jobs and the end consumers. Cap and trade lacks price certainty since emissions permit prices may fluctuate from year to year depending on the demand for energy. This means that while the maximum pollution quantity is set in advance trading price on permits

Virginia Hamilton Essay Example for Free

Virginia Hamilton Essay Virginia Esther Hamilton was born on March 12, 1934 in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She was the youngest of 5 children. She lived on a farm with her family ever since her grandfather Levi Perry was brought as a baby through the underground railroad. Virginia proved to be a wonderful learner, especially when it came to writing. She graduated as one of the best students from her high school. She then attended Antioch College, but soon decided to transfer to Ohio State University. Virginia dreamed of becoming an author and decided to major in literature and creative writing. Virginia soon moved to New York in 1958 where she worked as a museum receptionist, cost accountant, and nightclub singer. Even while doing all these activities, she kept on trying to become an author. She began to study at the New School for Social Research. In 1960 met Arnold Adoff, a teacher who loved poetry. They soon married. Since Arnold could now make money for them, Virginia kept her full attention on writing. However, her writing took a break when she gave birth to two children. Virginia and Arnold soon built their dream house back in Yellow Springs where they both focused on literature. Soon, Virginia became one of the most well known authors in the U. S. During her entire lifetime, she had published 41 extremely popular books. The genres of her books differed, but in them there was much feeling and emotion. Some of her stories described the lives  of African Americans. Virginia won many awards for youth literature. February 19th, 2002 was a sad day for America, as Virginia Esther Hamilton’s death had arrived. Breast cancer had done too much damage. However, the Hamilton family’s blood was still Virginia’s granddaughter Anaya Grace Adoff, was born on November 26, 2008 and is still living today. Virginia is still known as one of America’s most honored writers of children’s literature and will always be.

Music Analysis Of Bluegrass Music Essay

Music Analysis Of Bluegrass Music Essay Bluegrass is a word which came into being after its adoption by musicians and radio disc-jockeys in the early 1950s. Denoting a form of American country or hillbilly music yet, distinguishing it from other types of similar genres, which were popular throughout the Kentucky and greater Appalachia even before the turn of the century. Due to the demographics of the settlers in the region, bluegrass is a music built on strong southern traditions and was originally played primarily by the white working class. Although it is still somewhat debated, it is generally accepted that Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys played the first of what we now call bluegrass music in 1945. (International Bluegrass Music Association, 2001) The banjo came to the fore as it had not done previously accompanied by multiple vocal parts and a now familiar line-up of bass; mandolin; fiddle and guitar. The argument against, rebukes not the talent of Bill Monroe or his style, but the pre-inception of a less formali sed bluegrass genre. No matter which side of the debate one falls on, Monroe is accredited with the commercialisation and formalisation of the characteristics which differentiates the music from other strains of so-called hillbilly music such as country-western, rockabilly, and other forms of western-swing. (Smith, 1965) Both the immigration of the Scotch-Irish settlers during the latter part of the nineteenth century and subsequent emigration of the second and third generations from the region play distinct roles in the social and economic background of the music itself. Celtic fiddling styles played in the home and songs of heritage were commonplace. Monroe fondly recalls his mother walking through the house singing, and playing the fiddle as she prepared the dinner. His uncle, who he first witnessed at the age of about six years old playing this style of fiddle on the front porch at his family home captured the young Monroes imagination. He got the wonderful Scotch-Irish sound out of it, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..and if wed have supper of a night, wed sit around the fireplace and hed play the fiddle. Most musicians of the time allude to fathers, grandfathers, and uncles who fiddled and mothers who played the organ, it seems everyone sang. Mechanically reproduced music and radio was therefore a luxury not many of these impoverished farmers at the time possessed, and although by the early 1900s, some rural settlers may have had experienced the radio, it was not as pervasive as it was to later become. It is for this reason we can refer to these strains as a form of vernacular music. (Rosenberg, 2005) During the late 1930s however, these types of technologies had come to the fore allowing greater access to music and film. The film industry in particular had made singing cowboys a popular trend and this was being reflected in the rise of western swing outfits such as Bob Wills and Bill Boyd. Other influences began to seep into the old time style, as country music began to move closer to the popular music of the era rather than the folk music of its distinct roots. (Rosenberg, 2005) George D. (Judge) Hay, a former news reporter, turned disc jockey with a popular Saturday night show titled The Grand Ole Opry, was adamant within his circle to keep these influences at bay and began to promote his radio show as authentic-hill country music. Urging his musicians to stay true to their roots and keep it close to the ground,(Rosenberg, 2005) he fought for years keeping drums off the Opry stage and very much discouraged the attempts to introduce electric style instruments, instead insisting on the musicians authenticity. It was subsequently the first country music styled show to gain a reputation on a national scale. His hatred of the word hillbilly and refusal to use it on his show gained him a respect from one Bill Monroe who tried out for the show in 1938. Cleo Davis who accompanied Monroe at the audition recalls; Bill and I did à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. a duet yodel, fast as white lightening. [And were told] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦if you ever leave the Opry, itll be because youve fired yourself(Rosenberg, 2005) Two of the immediate differences Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys brought to the Opry, and anything that had gone before were the sheer speed that they performed their songs and the key they performed in. Even slow or medium paced favourites were faster than usual, highlighting the skill that was required to maintain the instrumental dexterity and vocal accuracy if these up-tempo performances were to retain their precision. Along with a speed heretofore unnatural, was the use of unconventional keys. Monroe is accredited with saying; We was the first outfit to ever play in B-flat or B-natural and E. Before that it was all C, D, and G. Fiddle men had a fit. (Rosenberg, 2005) Accompanying these alterations was a slightly unusual musical practice whereby all instruments were tuned a half-step above standard pitch. This elongation and tightening of the strings served a multipurpose, gaining both in volume and achieving a brighter tone which subsequently served to suit the vocals better than it had previously. (Rosenberg, 2005) These musical alterations coincided with arguably the most significant social, political, and cultural movement of the entire century, the Second World War. During this period many economic sectors, including the music and recording industries, were in a state of decline. But despite this lull of music sales, the sale of hillbilly records grew exponentially. (Rosenberg, 1967) The major reasons for this were, a population shift, incorporating a migration of southern workers to northern cities, and a mass growth in the popularity of the genre within the armed forces, where many were exposed to these strains for the first time. Military service resulted in long standing members having to leave their post for the war effort. This resulted in an array of performers playing different roles for the following war years. Retaining his slot on the Grand Ole Opry, and gaining his own tent show, Monroe continued to perform with a roulette wheel of differing musicians, yet still managed to contin uously be the most sought-after performer on the circuit. It is about this time that the real elements of bluegrass started to form with the addition of extra musical elements, and it was at this stage Robert Russell (later to be renamed Chubby Wise) joined the fray. A co-composer of Orange Blossom Special a song which Monroe and his boys had covered on many an occasion had heard of Howdy Forresters depart, leaving the band without a fiddle player. Having approached Monroe backstage he joined the Opry tour. Although the musician roulette continued for a time with instruments such as the jug, accordion and harmonica making appearances, the seeds that would comprise the latter sound were beginning sprout. (Rosenberg, 2005) In 1945, debatably the most influential member was auditioned for the line-up. A young banjo player named Earl Scruggs made an impact with a song titled Dear Old Dixie, showcasing his ability to do things you could hardly believe, with Monroe reportedly saying hire him, get him whatever it costs(Rosenberg, 2005). For the first time the band had a banjo player who was not a comedian, but instead had the ability to play solos on songs where all previous players could not. Lester Flatt, a mandolinist and tenor singer was also taken aboard at this time, returning to his guitar and singing lead vocals to accommodate the Blue Grass Boys. Much of the music was actually too fast for Flatt to keep rhythm on the guitar, but he remedied this by using a guitar run at the end of phrases. The run began as an F# on the lower sixth string and ended with an open G. Runs of this type were common in previous country guitar styles, but became so synonymous with Flatt and bluegrass music that it is still referred to as the Lester Flatt G-run.(Malone and McCulloh, 1975) Both were extremely popular with fans, with Scruggs solos demanding encores from the boy from North Carolina who makes the banjo talk (Malone and McCulloh, 1975) Scruggs used a three finger picking style adapted from other north Carolina banjo players such as Wade Mainers two-finger style. His solos on the Opry from 1945-48 resulted in almost instantaneous star status as a country music instrumentalist. Monroes Blue Grass Boys now consisted of a mandolin; played by Monroe himself, a guitar; a banjo; a fiddle and a bass, a construct that is now the presently accepted make-up of the traditional bluegrass band. The sound they produced together had evolved substantially from the days Bill and his brother Charles Monroe entertained locally in Kentucky, and yet, with the early guidance of Judge Hay in Bills career, managed to keep true to the roots of the music. Scruggs and Flatt left the Blue Grass boys line-up late in 1948, due to the strain of being on the road. They still played together however forming the Foggy Mountain Boys. While in this line-up they decided to include the resophonic guitar, (or Dobro) in their band and as a result it is often included in some bluegrass bands today.(International Bluegrass Music Association, 2003) By this time there were other groups mimicking the style set by their outfit, most notably The Stanley Brothers. Monroe had replaced Scruggs with a play er similar to Scruggs own banjo style, and after setting the precedent it became the norm to describe a good banjo player as playing just like Earl Scruggs. (Malone and McCulloh, 1975) Robert Cantwell describes the relative speed in which bluegrass music permeated the psyche as he recalls an appearance from the Eller Brothers in 1980. They began with an old song entitled On and On, but could not remember where it had originated or who had written the piece. It was the work of one Bill Monroe and had apparently been inducted, along with those songs brought across the Atlantic, into the realms of tradition at the tender age of twenty-seven. A tradition according to Cantwell, that was violently foreshortened by radio (2003) The durability of bluegrass has proven this apparent presumption correct however, as the genre grows not only in the Americas but internationally, owing much of its success to the adaptability of the music through other genres, and the capacity to reach wider audiences through the growing medium of technology. The 1960s saw the birth of a new concept, the bluegrass festival. As bands seemed to be competing for the same audience, it was more product ive for all parties involved to put them on the same bill, appearing at festivals around America. These festivals are now internationally common with attendances growing annually. (International Bluegrass Music Association, 2003) Monroes most famous contribution Blue Moon of Kentucky has transcended multiple genres and been re-recorded by artists such as Patsy Kline, Elvis Presley, Rory Gallagher, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and Paul McCartney among others. Scruggs and Flatt as mentioned continued recording, and wrote songs that appeared on the soundtracks of the cult movie Bonnie and Clyde and the Beverly Hillbillies television show. Bluegrass was once again shot to the forefront of consciousness when Eric Weissberg traded banjo phrases with Steve Mandels guitar in the film Deliverance, and audiences were once again reintroduced to bluegrass as the soundtrack for one of the Coen brothers cinematic ventures O Brother, Where art Thou? went triple platinum. (International Bluegrass Music Association, 2003) Bluegrass is still providing additives, foundations and inspiration in artists today, as Bà ©la Fleck (possibly the most recognisable banjo player worldwide presently), describes his most powerful memory on first hearing the music during an interview for the popular American network PBS: My most powerful memory was hearing Earl Scruggsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.as a five or six year old. That sound just blew me away, shook my head up. (PBS, 2001) Fleck has attained international fame for his ingenuity with his own band the Flecktones and for his fusion of a fast paced picking style with the jazz and blues undertones of the Dave Matthews Band, an outfit he makes regular appearances with. Once again keeping bluegrass firmly in the minds of the masses. The three audio files chosen represent three differing aspects of the bluegrass genre; The original bluegrass sound, the rise of the genres popularity through the prismatic scope of media, and its gradual evolution as these strains enevitably are influenced by other facors. The first, played by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass boys is a recording from 1946 entitled Rocky Top. It showcases the finger-picking style of banjo thoroughly referenced throughout this essay, while emphasising the vocal layers and dexterity by using choral harmonics. The lyrics themselves reference Rocky Top Tennessee a domesticated hometown scence which much of the country bluegrass music was concerned with, the norm generally being a migration or a return to homelands. The second track was chosen for a number of purposes. Sang by Alison Krauss an extreemely successful country/bluegrass singer with accompaniment by Union Station, it is entitled Man of Constant Sorrow originally performed by the Soggy Bottomed Boys. My reasoning for choosing Krauss version is simple, she transcends genres. Recently dueting with Robert Plant the famed Led Zeppelin front man, she epitomises the durability and versatility bluegrass has sustained in revealing itself to new audiences. It is also featured prominently in the Coen Brothers classic film O, Brother where Art Thou?, reinforcing the previous point and illustrating the gains achieved through differing aspects of the media. The final track is from the aforementioned Bela Fleck, performing with the self explanotory New Grass Revival. The song itself called Steam Powered Aeroplane conveys a movement away from a homeland setting and can be constrewed as having migratory conontations, but more immediately, there is a movement towards the new. Containing the same basic principles, Scruggs-style picking and Flatts G-runs are evident. Vocals are also sung in different parts giving a layered effect, yet held secondary to the lead banjo and a commanding base line seems to keep the overwhelming speed in check. But there is a distinct modern feel as the instuments are very slightly amplified. In more recent years Fleck establishes the Flecktones and keeping this style joins a group containing a drumguitar infusing African beats with blues licks. (See The Flecktones: Next)

The Hard Nut Essay -- Drama

The Hard Nut ============ The Hard Nut Is Based On The Nutcracker and Mouse King by ETA Hoffmann, the dance company they used was the Mark Morris Company and the music is by Tchaikovsky. The director of the Hard Nut has not been original, as he has used the same music from the original Nutcracker. The video is a live recording. Act 1 The opening scene starts with three people on the stage dressed as young children, they have their backs to the audience and are dressed in a black and white style, and the curtains are drawn. The curtains go up and Act One Begins. The scenery is black and white there is also a big door bigger than the characters on the stage. The three main characters on the stage are children we can tell this by the way they are acting and the facial expressions they pull. The director is dealing with gender issues a lot of the women are played by men. The dance style they are using is ballet. The huge door opens and the set changes to a living room style setting. It is around Christmas we can tell this, as there is a Christmas tree in the corner of the stage. The characters are dressed in green and red which are the colours of Christmas. In the days were the musical is set they did not have coloured televisions the television starts to go colour and the music starts to be multipurpose as if there is a fire. Throughout the play the use of humour is quite big. The three children are now obviously in their Christmas suits the oldest girl showing off all dressed up whilst the other is quiet and dressed in pink different from the rest, she is overlooked by people very sensible and very shy. Everybody on the stage pairs up and are dancing in duets apart from the youngest child who is in the pink, she is being ignored but is trying hard to involve herself. The girl then notices a man coming into the house she makes a fuss and everybody notices and acts surprised. The man appears to be a joker always wants to be the centre of attention and loves the quiet girl. He brings in two life size presents and the young girl and boy open them, two giant toys come out and begin a duet but they are using the people around them to do the duet including the children. They are using sharp isolated movements acting like robots, using different motifs. The family then get back into partners and begin the duets again... ... look on their faces and start running around in circles and the kiss again! The characters start to run diagonally across the stage in duets and form a huge circle. The use lots of pirouettes all at the same time and then exit the stage with leaps. It leads to the girl and the nutcracker again, showing that they are deeply in love. They perform another duet and kiss again and again. They use movements to show they are in love like smooth runs and turns. They travel away from each other and come back together showing they are reaching for each other’s love! The music becomes grand and they both take centre stage, a new drop down sheet comes down with all different toys on and the music gets faster and faster. They run of and the black and white scene from the start comes back. The stage is now back to the opening scene with the television programme on. The maid comes in going mad and turns the television off. The audience start clapping as the characters come on in duets bow and go through the door apart from the girl and the nutcracker. They finally come on last and the curtain goes up all the characters are in positions and the girl and nutcracker join them.

islam :: essays research papers

In last couple of years I have studies very hard trying to reach to the truth. I have found an answer to my quest and I remembered how there are people who can go away from the path but just needs some guidance to reach it. As a Muslim I am enjoined to use eloquent, intelligent, and polite words to invite a fellow man to the one and only truth. So I am writing you to ask you to inquire if my writings and sayings have any feeling in your heart.... One time some questions came to my head. Is GOD present or science prevails GOD? Did the miracles preached in the Bible and Quran actually happened even though science claims otherwise? If it did happen, why were they shown to mankind? Why can't we have one now? Why are we here? How come things happen to us that are so unfair, such as poverty, hatred, betrayal etc? Will there ever be an ultimate justice for all the wrongs that happen to us and or others? Or is this life it and the unfortunate people will always remain unhappy because there is no real justice? I needed to see something to make myself happy and not go down in despair. These are the questions I came to pondering. I needed to see something to make myself happy and not go down in utter loss. I asked that, if there is God please help me see the light and make me become a firm believer and not just a blind believer. I wanted to use logic and reason to believe. Thanks to God, the most compassionate and merciful, out of His infinite mercy he let me get some light. Now I want to share the light with you so no matter what happens to you in this world you will never despair or lose hope ever again because you will be guided by the only eternal truth and stay happy in this world and in the hereafter. Then when I was searching for some answers I found a website. www.submission.org/miracle.html It assured me of GOD and explained his miracles. I am ordered to preach the religion of God and do so as the way He showed. It all started with a single verse [74:30]; â€Å"Over it are 19†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ------Do not argue with the people of the scripture (Jews, Christians, and Muslims) except in the nicest possible manner - unless they transgress - and say, "We believe in what was revealed to us and in what was revealed to you, and our god and your god is one and the same; to Him we are submitters.

Foundation and Empire 25. Death Of A Psychologist

After that there were only two weeks left to the life of Ebling Mis. And in those two weeks, Bayta was with him three times. The first time was on the night after the evening upon which they saw Colonel Pritcher. The second was one week later. And the third was again a week later – on the last day – the day Mis died. First, there was the night of Colonel Pritcher's evening, the first hour of which was spent by a stricken pair in a brooding, unmerry merry-go-round. Bayta said, â€Å"Torie, let's tell Ebling.† Toran said dully, â€Å"Think he can help?† â€Å"We're only two. We've got to take some of the weight off. Maybe he can help.† Toran said, â€Å"He's changed. He's lost weight. He's a little feathery; a little woolly.† His fingers groped in air, metaphorically. â€Å"Sometimes, I don't think he'll help us muchever. Sometimes, I don't think anything will help.† â€Å"Don't!† Bayta's voice caught and escaped a break, â€Å"Torie, don't! When you say that, I think the Mule's getting us. Let's tell Ebling, Torie – now!† Ebling Mis raised his head from the long desk, and bleared at them as they approached. His thinning hair was scuffed up, his lips made sleepy, smacking sounds. â€Å"Eh?† he said. â€Å"Someone want me?† Bayta bent to her knees, â€Å"Did we wake you? Shall we leave?† â€Å"Leave? Who is it? Bayta? No, no, stay! Aren't there chairs? I saw them-† His finger pointed vaguely. Toran pushed two ahead of him. Bayta sat down and took one of the psychologist's flaccid hands in hers. â€Å"May we talk to you, Doctor?† She rarely used the title. â€Å"Is something wrong?† A little sparkle returned to his abstracted eyes. His sagging cheeks regained a touch of color. â€Å"Is something wrong?† Bayta said, â€Å"Captain Pritcher has been here. Let me talk, Torie. You remember Captain Pritcher, Doctor?† â€Å"Yes- Yes-† His fingers pinched his lips and released them. â€Å"Tall man. Democrat.† â€Å"Yes, he. He's discovered the Mule's mutation. He was here, Doctor, and told us.† â€Å"But that is nothing new. The Mule's mutation is straightened out.† In honest astonishment, â€Å"Haven't I told you? Have I forgotten to tell you?† â€Å"Forgotten to tell us what?† put in Toran, quickly. â€Å"About the Mule's mutation, of course. He tampers with emotions. Emotional control! I haven't told you? Now what made me forget?† Slowly, he sucked in his under lip and considered. Then, slowly, life crept into his voice and his eyelids lifted wide, as though his sluggish brain had slid onto a well-greased single track. He spoke in a dream, looking between the two listeners rather than at them. â€Å"It is really so simple. It requires no specialized knowledge. In the mathematics of psychohistory, of course, it works out promptly, in a third-level equation involving no more – Never mind that. It can be put into ordinary words – roughly – and have it make sense, which isn't usual with psychohistorical phenomena. â€Å"Ask yourselves – What can upset Hari Seldon's careful scheme of history, eh?† He peered from one to the other with a mild, questioning anxiety. â€Å"What were Seldon's original assumptions? First, that there would be no fundamental change in human society over the next thousand years. â€Å"For instance, suppose there were a major change in the Galaxy's technology, such as finding a new principle for the utilization of energy, or perfecting the study of electronic neurobiology. Social changes would render Seldon's original equations obsolete. But that hasn't happened, has it now?† â€Å"Or suppose that a new weapon were to be invented by forces outside the Foundation, capable of withstanding all the Foundation's armaments. That might cause a ruinous deviation, though less certainly. But even that hasn't happened. The Mule's Nuclear Field-Depressor was a clumsy weapon and could be countered. And that was the only novelty he presented, poor as it was. â€Å"But there was a second assumption, a more subtle one! Seldon assumed that human reaction to stimuli would remain constant. Granted that the first assumption held true, then the second must have broken down! Some factor must be twisting and distorting the emotional responses of human beings or Seldon couldn't have failed and the Foundation couldn't have fallen. And what factor but the Mule? â€Å"Am I right? Is there a flaw in the reasoning?† Bayta's plump hand patted his gently. â€Å"No flaw, Ebling.† Mis was joyful, like a child. â€Å"This and more comes so easily. I tell you I wonder sometimes what is going on inside me. I seem to recall the time when so much was a mystery to me and now things are so clear. Problems are absent. I come across what might be one, and somehow, inside me, I see and understand. And my guesses, my theories seem always to be borne out. There's a drive in me†¦ always onward†¦ so that I can't stop†¦ and I don't want to eat or sleep†¦ but always go on†¦ and on†¦ and on-â€Å" His voice was a whisper; his wasted, blue-veined hand rested tremblingly upon his forehead. There was a frenzy in his eyes that faded and went out. He said more quietly, â€Å"Then I never told you about the Mule's mutant powers, did I? But then†¦ did you say you knew about it?† â€Å"It was Captain Pritcher, Ebling,† said Bayta. â€Å"Remember?† â€Å"He told you?† There was a tinge of outrage in his tone. â€Å"But how did he find out?† â€Å"He's been conditioned by the Mule. He's a colonel now, a Mule's man. He came to advise us to surrender to the Mule, and he told us – what you told us.† â€Å"Then the Mule knows we're here? I must hurry – Where's Magnifico? Isn't he with you?† â€Å"Magnifico's sleeping,† said Toran, impatiently. â€Å"It's past midnight, you know.† â€Å"It is? Then – Was I sleeping when you came in?† â€Å"You were,† said Bayta decisively, â€Å"and you're not going back to work, either. You're getting into bed. Come on, Torie, help me. And you stop pushing at me, Ebling, because it's just your luck I don't shove you under a shower first. Pull off his shoes, Torie, and tomorrow you come down here and drag him out into the open air before he fades completely away. Look at you, Ebling, you'll be growing cobwebs. Are you hungry?† Ebling Mis shook his head and looked up from his cot in a peevish confusion. â€Å"I want you to send Magnifico down tomorrow,† he muttered. Bayta tucked the sheet around his neck. â€Å"You'll have me down tomorrow, with washed clothes. You're going to take a good bath, and then get out and visit the farm and feel a little sun on you.† â€Å"I won't do it,† said Mis weakly. â€Å"You hear me? I'm too busy.† His sparse hair spread out on the pillow like a silver fringe about his head. His voice was a confidential whisper. â€Å"You want that Second Foundation, don't you?† Toran turned quickly and squatted down on the cot beside him. â€Å"What about the Second Foundation, Ebling?† The psychologist freed an arm from beneath the sheet and his tired fingers clutched at Toran's sleeve. â€Å"The Foundations were established at a great Psychological Convention presided over by Hari Seldon. Toran, I have located the published minutes of that Convention. Twenty-five fat films. I have already looked through various summaries.† â€Å"Well?† â€Å"Well, do you know that it is very easy to find from them the exact location of the First Foundation, if you know anything at all about psychohistory. It is frequently referred to, when you understand the equations. But Toran, nobody mentions the Second Foundation, There has been no reference to it anywhere.† Toran's eyebrows pulled into a frown. â€Å"It doesn't exist?† â€Å"Of course it exists,† cried Mis, angrily, â€Å"who said it didn't? But there's less talk of it. Its significance – and all about it – are better hidden, better obscured. Don't you see? It's the more important of the two. It's the critical one; the one that counts! And I've got the minutes of the Seldon Convention. The Mule hasn't won yet-â€Å" Quietly, Bayta turned the lights down. â€Å"Go to sleep!† Without speaking, Toran and Bayta made their way up to their own quarters. The next day, Ebling Mis bathed and dressed himself, saw the sun of Trantor and felt the wind of Trantor for the last time. At the end of the day he was once again submerged in the gigantic recesses of the library, and never emerged thereafter. In the week that followed, life settled again into its groove. The sun of Neotrantor was a calm, bright star in Trantor's night sky. The farm was busy with its spring planting. The University grounds were silent in their desertion. The Galaxy seemed empty. The Mule might never have existed. Bayta was thinking that as she watched Toran light his cigar carefully and look up at the sections of blue sky visible between the swarming metal spires that encircled the horizon. â€Å"It's a nice day,† he said. â€Å"Yes, it is. Have you everything mentioned on the list, Torie?† â€Å"Sure. Half pound butter, dozen eggs, string beans – Got it all down here, Bay. I'll have it right.† â€Å"Good. And make sure the vegetables are of the last harvest and not museum relics. Did you see Magnifico anywhere, by the way?† â€Å"Not since breakfast. Guess he's down with Ebling, watching a book-film.† â€Å"All right. Don't waste any time, because I'll need the eggs for dinner.† Toran left with a backward smile and a wave of the hand. Bayta turned away as Toran slid out of sight among the maze of metal. She hesitated before the kitchen door, about-faced slowly, and entered the colonnade leading to the elevator that burrowed down into the recesses. Ebling Mis was there, head bent down over the eyepieces of the projector, motionless, a frozen, questing body. Near him sat Magnifico, screwed up into a chair, eyes sharp and watching – a bundle of slatty limbs with a nose emphasizing his scrawny face. Bayta said softly, â€Å"Magnifico-â€Å" Magnifico scrambled to his feet. His voice was an eager whisper. â€Å"My lady!† â€Å"Magnifico,† said Bayta, â€Å"Toran has left for the farm and won't be back for a while. Would you be a good boy and go out after him with a message that I'll write for you?† â€Å"Gladly, my lady. My small services are but too eagerly yours, for the tiny uses you can put them to.† She was alone with Ebling Mis, who had not moved. Firmly, she placed her hand upon his shoulder. â€Å"Ebling-â€Å" The psychologist started, with a peevish cry, â€Å"What is it?† He wrinkled his eyes. â€Å"Is it you, Bayta? Where's Magnifico?† â€Å"I sent him away. I want to be alone with you for a while.† She enunciated her words with exaggerated distinctness. â€Å"I want to talk to you, Ebling.† The psychologist made a move to return to his projector, but her hand on his shoulder was firm. She felt the bone under the sleeve clearly. The flesh seemed to have fairly melted away since their arrival on Trantor. His face was thin, yellowish, and bore a half-week stubble. His shoulders were visibly stooped, even in a sitting position. Bayta said, â€Å"Magnifico isn't bothering you, is he, Ebling? He seems to be down here night and day.† â€Å"No, no, no! Not at all. Why, I don't mind him. He is silent and never disturbs me. Sometimes he carries the films back and forth for me; seems to know what I want without my speaking. Just let him be.† â€Å"Very well – but, Ebling, doesn't he make you wonder? Do you hear me, Ebling? Doesn't he make you wonder?† She jerked a chair close to his and stared at him as though to pull the answer out of his eyes. Ebling Mis shook his head. â€Å"No. What do you mean?† â€Å"I mean that Colonel Pritcher and you both say the Mule can condition the emotions of human beings. But are you sure of it? Isn't Magnifico himself a flaw in the theory?† There was silence. Bayta repressed a strong desire to shake the psychologist. â€Å"What's wrong with you, Ebling? Magnifico was the Mule's clown. Why wasn't he conditioned to love and faith? Why should he, of all those in contact with the Mule, hate him so. â€Å"But†¦ but he was conditioned. Certainly, Bay!† He seemed to gather certainty as he spoke. â€Å"Do you suppose that the Mule treats his clown the way he treats his generals? He needs faith and loyalty in the latter, but in his clown he needs only fear. Didn't you ever notice that Magnifico's continual state of panic is pathological in nature? Do you suppose it is natural for a human being to be as frightened as that all the time? Fear to such an extent becomes comic. It was probably comic to the Mule – and helpful, too, since it obscured what help we might have gotten earlier from Magnifico.† Bayta said, â€Å"You mean Magnifico's information about the Mule was false?† â€Å"it was misleading. It was colored by pathological fear. The Mule is not the physical giant Magnifico thinks. He is more probably an ordinary man outside his mental powers. But if it amused him to appear a superman to poor Magnifico-† The psychologist shrugged. â€Å"In any case, Magnifico's information is no longer of importance.† â€Å"What is, then?† But Mis shook himself loose and returned to his projector. â€Å"What is, then?† she repeated. â€Å"The Second Foundation?† The psychologist's eyes jerked towards her. â€Å"Have I told you anything about that? I don't remember telling you anything. I'm not ready yet. What have I told you?† â€Å"Nothing,† said Bayta, intensely. â€Å"Oh, Galaxy, you've told me nothing, but I wish you would because I'm deathly tired. When will it be over?† Ebling Mis peered at her, vaguely rueful, â€Å"Well, now, my†¦ my dear, I did not mean to hurt you. I forget sometimes†¦ who my friends are. Sometimes it seems to me that I must not talk of all this. There's a need for secrecy – but from the Mule, not from you, my dear.† He patted her shoulder with a weak amiability. She said, â€Å"What about the Second Foundation?† His voice was automatically a whisper, thin and sibilant. â€Å"Do you know the thoroughness with which Seldon covered his traces? The proceedings of the Seldon Convention would have been of no use to me at a as little as a month ago, before this strange insight came. Even now, it seems – tenuous. The papers put out by the Convention are often apparently unrelated; always obscure. More than once I wondered if the members of the Convention, themselves, knew all that was in Seldon's mind. Sometimes I think he used the Convention only as a gigantic front, and single-handed erected the structure-â€Å" â€Å"Of the Foundations?† urged Bayta. â€Å"Of the Second Foundation! Our Foundation was simple. But the Second Foundation was only a name. It was mentioned, but if there was any elaboration, it was hidden deep in the mathematics. There is still much I don't even begin to understand, but for seven days, the bits have been clumping together into a vague picture. â€Å"Foundation Number One was a world of physical scientists. It represented a concentration of the dying science of the Galaxy under the conditions necessary to make it live again. No psychologists were included. It was a peculiar distortion, and must have had a purpose. The usual explanation was that Seldon's psychohistory worked best where the individual working units – human beings – had no knowledge of what was coming, and could therefore react naturally to all situations. Do you follow me, my dear-â€Å" â€Å"Yes, doctor.† â€Å"Then listen carefully. Foundation Number Two was a world of mental scientists. It was the mirror image of our world. Psychology, not physics, was king.† Triumphantly. â€Å"You see?† â€Å"I don't.† â€Å"But think, Bayta, use your head. Hari Seldon knew that his psychohistory could predict only probabilities, and not certainties. There was always a margin of error, and as time passed that margin increases in geometric progression. Seldon would naturally guard as well as he could against it. Our Foundation was scientifically vigorous. It could conquer armies and weapons. It could pit force against force. But what of the mental attack of a mutant such as the Mule?† â€Å"That would be for the psychologists of the Second Foundation!† Bayta felt excitement rising within her. â€Å"Yes, yes, yes! Certainly!† â€Å"But they have done nothing so far.† â€Å"How do you know they haven't?† Bayta considered that, â€Å"I don't. Do you have evidence that they have?† â€Å"No. There are many factors I know nothing of. The Second Foundation could not have been established full-grown, any more than we were. We developed slowly and grew in strength; they must have also. The stars know at what stage their strength is now. Are they strong enough to fight the Mule? Are they aware of the danger in the first place? Have they capable leaders?† â€Å"But if they follow Seldon's plan, then the Mule must be beaten by the Second Foundation.† â€Å"Ah,† and Ebling Mis's thin face wrinkled thoughtfully, â€Å"is it that again? But the Second Foundation was a more difficult job than the First. Its complexity is hugely greater; and consequently so is its possibility of error. And if the Second Foundation should not beat the Mule, it is bad – ultimately bad. It is the end, may be, of the human race as we know it.† â€Å"No. â€Å"Yes. If the Mule's descendants inherit his mental powers – You see? Homo sapiens could not compete. There would be a new dominant race – a new aristocracy – with homo sapiens demoted to slave labor as an inferior race. Isn't that so?† â€Å"Yes, that is so.† â€Å"And even if by some chance the Mule did not establish a dynasty, he would still establish a distorted new Empire upheld by his personal power only. It would die with his death; the Galaxy would be left where it was before he came, except that there would no longer be Foundations around which a real and healthy Second Empire could coalesce. It would mean thousands of years of barbarism. It would mean no end in sight.† â€Å"What can we do? Can we warn the Second Foundation?† â€Å"We must, or they may go under through ignorance, which we can not risk. But there is no way of warning them.† â€Å"No way?† â€Å"I don't know where they are located. They are ‘at the other end of the Galaxy' but that is all, and there are millions of worlds to choose from.† â€Å"But, Ebling, don't they say?† She pointed vaguely at the films that covered the table. â€Å"No, they don't. Not where I can find it – yet. The secrecy must mean something. There must be a reason-† A puzzled expression returned to his eyes. â€Å"But I wish you'd leave. I have wasted enough time, and it's growing short – it's growing short.† He tore away, petulant and frowning. Magnifico's soft step approached. â€Å"Your husband is home, my lady.† Ebling Mis did not greet the clown. He was back at his projector. That evening Toran, having listened, spoke, â€Å"And you think he's really right, Bay? You think he isn't-† He hesitated. â€Å"He is right, Torie. He's sick, I know that. The change that's come over him, the loss in weight, the way he speaks – he's sick. But as soon as the subject of the Mule or the Second Foundation, or anything he is working on, comes up, listen to him. He is lucid and clear as the sky of outer space. He knows what he's talking about. I believe him.† â€Å"Then there's hope.† It was half a question. â€Å"I†¦ I haven't worked it out. Maybe! Maybe not! I'm carrying a blaster from now on.† The shiny-barreled weapon was in her hand as she spoke. â€Å"Just in case, Torie, just in case.† â€Å"In case what?† Bayta laughed with a touch of hysteria, â€Å"Never mind. Maybe I'm a little crazy, too – like Ebling Mis.† Ebling Mis at that time had seven days to live, and the seven days slipped by, one after the other, quietly. To Toran, there was a quality of stupor about them. The warming days and the dull silence covered him with lethargy. All life seemed to have lost its quality of action, and changed into an infinite sea of hibernation. Mis was a hidden entity whose burrowing work produced nothing and did not make itself known. He had barricaded himself. Neither Toran nor Bayta could see him. Only Magnifico's go-between characteristics were evidence of his existence. Magnifico, grown silent and thoughtful, with his tiptoed trays of food and his still, watchful witness in the gloom. Bayta was more and more a creature of herself. The vivacity died, the self-assured competence wavered. She, too, sought her own worried, absorbed company, and once Toran bad come upon her, fingering her blaster. She had put it away quickly, forced a smile. â€Å"What are you doing with it, Bay?† â€Å"Holding it. Is that a crime?† â€Å"You'll blow your fool head off.† â€Å"Then I'll blow it off. Small loss!† Married life had taught Toran the futility of arguing with a female in a dark-brown mood. He shrugged, and left her. On the last day, Magnifico scampered breathless into their presence. He clutched at them, frightened. â€Å"The learned doctor calls for you. He is not well.† And he wasn't well. He was in bed, his eyes unnaturally large, unnaturally bright. He was dirty, unrecognizable. â€Å"Ebling!† cried Bayta. â€Å"Let me speak,† croaked the psychologist, lifting his weight to a thin elbow with an effort. â€Å"Let me speak. I am finished; the work I pass on to you. I have kept no notes; the scrap-figures I have destroyed. No other must know. All must remain in your minds.† â€Å"Magnifico,† said Bayta, with rough directness. â€Å"Go upstairs!† Reluctantly, the clown rose and took a backward step. His sad eyes were on Mis. Mis gestured weakly, â€Å"He won't matter; let him stay. Stay, Magnifico.† The clown sat down quickly. Bayta gazed at the floor. Slowly, slowly, her lower lip caught in her teeth. Mis said, in a hoarse whisper, â€Å"I am convinced the Second Foundation can win, if it is not caught prematurely by the Mule. It has kept itself secret; the secrecy must be upheld; it has a purpose. You must go there; your information is vital†¦ may make all the difference. Do you hear me?† Toran cried in near-agony, â€Å"Yes, yes! Tell us how to get there, Ebling? Where is it?† â€Å"I can tell you,† said the faint voice. He never did. Bayta, face frozen white, lifted her blaster and shot, with an echoing clap of noise. From the waist upward, Mis was not, and a ragged hole was in the wall behind. From numb fingers, Bayta's blaster dropped to the floor.