5 Things Nobody Tells You About Query Letters

5 Things Nobody Tells You About Query Letters In this video, we discuss five things about writing query letters that nobody tells you.Now that youve written a book or an article and you want to get it published. But how do you make that happen?First, dont mention money or payment. The purpose of a query letter is to request that an agent, publisher or editor consider your writing to be included in their publication. Just like you wouldnt ask a prospective employer exactly how much they are going to pay you before you discuss your qualifications, neither should you inquire about payment when writing your query letter.Second, keep it under a page (single-spaced) and half a page is better. Remember the simple point of writing a query letter is to let to the publisher or editor know what you have written and why they should want to read it.Third, mention publishing credits or writers awards, but only if they are significant. If your only publishing credential is a guest post on your best friends blog, its best to leave that off of t he query letter- unless your best friends blog has thousands of readers.Fourth, make it personal and tell the reader why youve sent it to him or her specifically. The best way to find publications that cater to a niche audience is to look through the publications website- particularly the about and media kit sections. This research on your end will give you details concerning the publications audience, reach, goals, and vision.Fifth, if you have a regular writing platform or social media account focused on your writing, mention it briefly, along with a link and stats related to your audience. The reason for doing this is very simple: publishers (or agents or editors) understand that an audience is an important thing. For them, audience numbers and statistics translate into dollar signs. Its just that simple.Remember- you only get one chance to make a great first impression. So do your research and make it count.

Greek Civilization essays

Greek Civilization essays A. Decline of the Minoan Civilization In 2000 B.C.E, the Greeks settled the lands that were surrounded by the waters of the Aegean Sea and created a culture that shaped Western heritage forever. The Greeks made history when they settled in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Asia Minor, and Syria-Palestine. The first cultures in Greece arose in the later 3rd and 2nd millennia: the Minoans on Crete and the Mycenaeans on the mainland. These are the cultures that were the source of later Greek myths, and whose religious and social structures influenced so much of later Greece and Europe. The great palaces, fortifications and tombs are testimony to the achievements of these people. Most of what we know about both cultures has been gained through archaeology. Though both were literate, Minoan texts are still almost unreadable, and the Mycenaean tablets are mostly bureaucratic inventories. Thus material evidence is critical for understanding and reconstructing these fascinating cultures. About 725 B.C.E, Sparta embarked on a path that made it Greeces most respected military power. The state wanted all of its men to be superb soldiers, and it persuaded them to sacrifice privacy and comfort to physical conditioning, military training, and discipline. Athens evolved slower then Spartan society. Years of consistent cultivation diminished the Athenian fields, which lead them to slavery. Athenians were sold abroad. During the Bronze Age period, Greek civilization was evolving in the Aegean World. The Aegean World was divided into three developing parts: on the island of Crete, on the smaller islands of the Aegean Sea, and on the mainland of Greece. Aegeans first civilization was on Crete, which was a bridge between the older civilization of the East and settled land by the Greeks. Crete was inhabited from the sixth millennium B.C, but it was later, probably around the late fourth-early third millennium that immigra...

Positive Replacement Behaviors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Positive Replacement Behaviors - Essay Example 1). For reinforcements to effectively work, it was emphasized that students need to be deprived of whatever tool is planned to be used by educators as reinforcers. The crucial role of deprivation was initially thought of implied in early reinforcement theories, but as Bourbon disclosed, â€Å"if a child has all of the attention he or she needs or wants, then a teacher cannot use attention to "reinforce" the child’s behavior. No deprivation, no control of behavior. No control of behavior, no discipline program† (Bourbon: Deprivation and Positive Reinforcers, 1997, par. 6). Positive reinforcement was, therefore, defined as â€Å"a process in which a stimulus is presented following a particular behavior, thereby strengthening that behavior. The stimulus is referred to as a ‘reinforcer’ and is roughly synonymous with the word ‘reward’† (JRank Articles, 2012, par. 2). Simply put, positive reinforcement is a process that educators could implem ent in teaching students to act in a particular way and rewarding the students for manifesting correct behavior. On the other hand, negative reinforcements were described as â€Å"a process that involves the removal or reduction of a negative or unwanted stimulus after a behavior occurs, thereby strengthening that behavior. ... For example, students who are assessed to be sensitive to loud noises or instructional materials that could distract their attention could be provided with more conducive and accommodating learning environments, such as sitting them away from noisy areas, providing quiet learning spaces, and even providing some students with earphones which minimize noises and distractions and assist in focusing on the activities at hand. Plan for Students with Emotional Disabilities 1. Problem Behavior: Student A is identified to manifest "passive-aggressive" behavior by seeking attention and intermittently expressing anger indirectly through the use of manipulative behavior such as exhibiting cruelties, stubborn refusals to cooperate, being excessively loud with violent tendencies or exhibiting passive listening and being always out of the student’s seat. 2. Possible Explanations: Lack of support from members of the nuclear family; demographic profile (cultural background, income level, soci al support); history of abuse or violence; trauma from past events; academic failure; peer pressure; frustration. 3. Replacement Behavior: to appropriately deal with passive-aggressive behavior by: (1) asking assistance from a teacher or peer when he feels maladjusted behavior; (2) he will focus on clearly defined positive learning goals to assist in developing optimistic perception in life. 4. Goals: to apply positive reinforcement through (a) assessing the signs of passive-aggressive behavior together with Student A; (2) to recognize that positive behavior would be exhibited by cooperative learning, active listening and focused attention to learning activities; (3) to realize that there are support groups (teachers, peers) who she can tap in cases where maladjusted behavior tends to

Fordism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fordism - Essay Example Moreover, the essay discusses the strengths and limitations of each form of work process for employers and employees. Lastly, it critically examines whether these theories are relevant to the work in the contemporary organization. Fordism refers to a notion of modern social systems and economic growth. It bases its concept on industrialization and a standard form of production for the sustainability of population growth. It gives emphasizes on the change in working conditions of workers. It is a form of production used in automotive industries to increase production (Fincham and Rhodes 2005, p. 231). It focuses on producing goods at low costs giving its workers' decent wages. For the mass production to occur it uses special purpose machinery. The form of production applied the three principles to enhance the mass production. First, they employed special machines, which operate on an assembly line (Buchanan and Huczynski 2010, p. 121). These machines did not require skilled employees because one employee did one task repeatedly. Second, standardization of products, this is to say that nothing was hand-made. All their products were made using machines (Fincham and Rhodes 2005, p. 121). Third, they focused on the welfare of the workers. The workers were paid high wages so that they can afford the products they made; this was to avoid theft cases. In his principle, Henry Ford the founder of Fordism simplified work-using assembly lines. This is where a worker did a certain task repeatedly. Research shows that, Henry Ford was not the original founder of assembly lines he increased its efficiency. This form of production increased affordability to the average consumer. Increase in wages reduced worker absenteeism increasing the production turnover to 400 percent annually. This form of production encouraged specialization within the organization hence quality in the production of goods. Fordism as a form of work process has different strengths. First, the use of assemb ling lines as a form of production encouraged specialization. This is because one worker did the same task repeatedly hence specialization. Specialization results for quality and quantity production. Thus, the goods produced, were quality thus attracting a wide market (Lister 2010, p.51). This led to more profits on the part of employers. In addition, the high wages given to the workers encouraged them to give quality service. As stated above the production increased by 400 per cent because of the high wages given to employees (Buchanan and Huczynski 2010, p. 121). Theft cases did not occur among the employees because of the high wages and they could afford the goods, which they produced. Even though the work was tedious, the employees had a sense of security for their work because of the presence of the industrial unions, which bargained for their wages. On the other hand, Fordism had its own limitations. This particularly resulted in the onset of development of Post- Fordism by An tonio and Bonanno (Lister 2010, p. 95). They said that this form of production was not efficient because the population had reduced due to the effects of World War II. The goods produced remained that means that the demand had reduced making this form of production ineffective. This form of production was rigid and did not encourage the introduction of new ways of production. With the monotonous work, the workers got bored with time and they stopped providing quality services. Due to

Crime Is a Social Construct Essay Example for Free

Crime Is a Social Construct Essay Crime is a social construct Discuss. This composition will look at crime and its different criminological interpretations. Crime is an umbrella word which covers a diverse range of issues and is dependant upon the theoretical stand point of the writer. Although the wordings of the explanations differ, the implications are consistent (Newburn, 2007. Doherty, 2005). Mclaughlin et al (2006) seems the most relevant for the purpose. They separate crime into three key constituent parts. These are harm, social agreement and the official societal reaction. There are different theoretical interpretations of crime. The product of culturally-bounded social interaction is crime; which is the violation of the social contract (Newburn, 2007. Young, 1995). Societal responses are different dependant upon the society. Theft in the UK may result in caution or non-custodial sentence for a first offence; whereas in Saudi Arabia the offender would lose a hand. Deviance can be perceived as being actions or behaviour which although may not be criminal in nature are at odds with the social norms of the society. Promiscuity is legal, though is perceived as deviant (particularly in females due to patriarchal societal values). Homosexual behaviour, which was previously illegal, has undergone a shift in the moral attitudes of society. The moral’s of society regarding certain activities is not set in stone and it alters over time. This is the view rule-relativists have of crime, as what is appropriate to the society at any given moment in time and may change due to alterations in societal values. Social constructs are the institutions, agencies, judicial bodies and any other mechanisms that are produced to implement social order. These social constructs are not natural phenomena; they are created by the hegemony. Behaviour or activities that offend the social codes practices of a particular community. These codes and practices may be different due to cultural differences. Legal and social codes are not always identical. Laws are the mortar that binds societies and implement its norms. A Muslim man may marry more than one wife in certain countries. In the USA a Mormon may also marry more than one wife. He may bring both wives into this country with both having legal rights as his wife. However even though his culture would allow him to marry another wife, in this country he wouldn’t be allowed to. A man in the UK would not be allowed more than one wife. If he did marry a second wife he would be charged with bigamy. This crime doesn’t harm anyone; however it is classed as being against the social norms of British society. A number of crimes are made due to the state acting as a moral guardian to its community. At the present in Indonesia it is illegal to chew chewing gum, conversely in the UK this would not be seen as a reasonable criminal offence. Governments are not beyond contravening their own statutes, as in the case of prisoners that have been transferred to Guantanamo bay and the acknowledgement that water boarding (a form of torture) had been used upon a few of these prisoners. As well as the state justice there are systems which provide social control, such as private security etc. â€Å"They comprise the numerous forms of social control of crime and deviance that are part of group life† (Henry, 1994). There are informal modes of social control from local communities, such as being â€Å"sent to Coventry! The legal standpoint is simply what is enacted by society as criminal. On the issue of harm Lord Denning’s ruling in Donoghue v Stevenson holds â€Å"what would the man on the Clapham omnibus think†. Legally in addition to the criminal act there has to be a guilty mind, mens rea as well as the criminal act, actus reus. There has to be a legal capacity to commit crime, Doli incapax means that thos e less than eleven years of age and those suffering from mental illness are seen as not being capable of committing crimes. There are also mitigating circumstances; reasons why a criminal act may be seen as reasonable. This can be observed as being the contextual component; evidence of this can be seen in the case of the mignonette (Morrison, 2005). The classicist classification of crime is activities which have a negative impact upon the individuals and upon their property of the state’s electorate. Classicists do not take into account that there might be other factions with conflicting aims or moral codes. This can be perceived prior to the break up of the former Yugoslavia, where each faction had separate societal views. The conservative view of crime is that anything that threatens the social order should be criminal. This follows the classicist view insofar as that but they also include crimes which damage the integrity and morals of society. Those dealing with new deviance theory assert that there needs to be two separate parties. One party behaves or commits certain actions that another party who has differing morality categorizes that party as deviant. The factions in society with greater power impose their moral codes (Young, 1995). With new deviance theory the faction with the most power controls the morals; this doesn’t necessarily translate to being the majority of society. The Marxist viewpoint on crime is from of class and the intensification of social control of society. This viewpoint perceives capitalist societies as being breeding grounds for criminal activities. Theorists believe that only socialist societies can have any expectation of being without crime. Sheptycki (2006) states that â€Å"the roots of crime lie in the social structural inequalities of wealth and power. Capitalist societies promote individual interests over social welfare. The radical left criminological theory is that the nature of an advanced industrial society with its class system and its natural patriarchy is the cause of the prevalence of crime. They furthermore view crime as being more of a predicament for the poor. The way laws have been created can be shown in the disparity in sentencing for property theft when compa red to white-collar crime. Positivist criminology views crime and criminal activity as explainable through the natural sciences. Positivist criminologists look for specific causes for crime through scientific methodology. Whether this is because of biological, psychological and sociological disciplines to be able to quantify criminal behaviour. Positivists deem that there is a â€Å"consensus of value in society that can be scientifically ascertained† (Young, 1995). To bring to a close crime is a social construct. Crime is in addition a component of the larger issue of deviance. It is a consequence of social norms which the government has enacted into laws. The state has the infrastructure to enforce the society’s behavioural codes. By means of these criminological schools all of any given states laws can be identified. Having observed these, the new deviance theory was the most rational, building as it does on previous schools of thought. This holds that the faction with the greater societal power holding the reins to society’s moral codes. At the present time this looks to be direction in which western societies are on the face of it is heading. The Iraq war was implemented by the powerful elite of society.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Moral :: Kill Mockingbird essays

To Kill A Mockingbird - Moral In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author intends the reader to learn that you shouldn't judge people by there race. Later on I will be telling you about a life as the Cunningham's, Bob Ewell, and Atticus. So if you listen up and pay attention you will almost be as smart as me. The Cunninghams were the poor family they were so poor they couldn't afford shoes for the family and they also never had any food. "Walter Cunningham's face told everybody in the first grade he had hookworms. His absence of shoes told us how he got them." Page 19. This quote shows that the Cunningham's don't have a lot of money at all. This quote also shows that the Cunningham's are so poor they cant even afford a pair of shoes. "Walter Cunningham was sitting there lying his head off. He didn't forget his lunch, he didn't have any. He had none today nor would he have any tomorrow or the next day. He had probably never seen three quarters together at the same time in his life." Page 20. This quote shows that the Cunningham's are so poor they can't even take care of there own child. This quote also shows that the Cunningham's never have any money and they cant afford food. The Cunningham's would be a very hard family to be, because you would have nothing you own right now, you would be flat broke. Mr. Bob Ewell was a lazy man, and not very many people like him. "The first thing was that Mr. Bob Ewell acquired and lost a job in a matter of days and probably made himself unique in the annals of the nineteen-thirties: he was the only man I ever herd of who was fired from the WPA for laziness." Page 248. This quote shows that Bob Ewell is a really lazy man. This quote also shows that Bob Ewell doesn't try anything hard, not even for money. "First thing you can do, Ewell, is get your stinkin' carcass off my property. You're leanin' on it an' I cant afford fresh paint for it, second thing you can do is stay away from my cook or I'll have you up for assault-" Page 249.

Analysis of Daffodils by William Wordsworth

Wandered Lonely as a Cloud' Poem William Wordsworth wrote Daffodils on a stormy day in spring, while walking along with his sister Dorothy near Ullswater Lake, in England. He imagined that the daffodils were dancing and invoking him to join and enjoy the breezy nature of the fields. Dorothy Wordsworth, the younger sister of William Wordsworth, found the poem so interesting that she took ‘Daffodils' as the subject for her journal. The poem contains six lines in four stanzas, as an appreciation of daffodils. Analysis of Daffodils I wander'd lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vale and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden daffodils: Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Rhyming Scheme The ‘Daffodils' has a rhyming scheme throughout the poem. The rhyming scheme of the above stanza is ABAB ( A – cloud and crowd; B – hills and daffodils) and ending with a rhyming couplet CC (C – trees and breeze). The above stanza makes use of ‘Enjambment' which converts the poem into a continuous flow of expressions without a pause. Figures of Speech Used in the Poem I wander'd lonely as a cloud – The first line makes nice use of personification and simile.The poet assumes himself to be a cloud (simile) floating in the sky. When Wordsworth says in the second line ‘I' (poet as a cloud) look down at the valleys and mountains and appreciate the daffodils; it's the personification, where an inanimate object (cloud) possesses the quality of a human enabling it to see the daffodils. The line â€Å"Ten thousand saw I at a glance† is an exaggeration and a hyperbole, describing the scene of ten thousand daffodils, all together. Alliteration is the repetition of similar sounds, is applied for the word ‘h', in the words – high and hills. Title and Theme of the PoemThe title, ‘Daffodils' is a simple word that reminds us about the arrival of the spring season , when the field is full of daffodils. Daffodils are yellow flowers, having an amazing shape and beautiful fragrance. A bunch of daffodils symbolize the joys and happiness of life. The theme of the poem ‘Daffodils' is a collection of human emotions inspired by nature that we may have neglected due to our busy lives. The daffodils imply beginning or rebirth for human beings, blessed with the grace of nature. The arrival of daffodils in the month of March is welcome and an enjoyable time to appreciate them!Imagery The poem paints images of lakes, fields, trees, stars in Ullswater. Wordsworth continuously praises the daffodils, comparing them to the Milky Way galaxy (in the second stanza), their dance (in the third stanza) and in the concluding stanza, dreams to join the daffodils in their dance. The poem uses descriptive language throughout the stanzas. The poet cannot resist himself from participating in the dance of the daffodils. The wording is simple and melodious. Isn't Daf fodils, a great gift idea of William Wordsworth that celebrates happiness of nature amongst .

Foundation PART IV THE TRADERS

1. TRADERS†¦ and constantly in advance of the political hegemony of the Foundation were the Traders, reaching out tenuous fingerholds through the tremendous distances of the Periphery. Months or years might pass between landings on Terminus; their ships were often nothing more than patchquilts of home-made repairs and improvisations; their honesty was none of the highest; their daring†¦ Through it all they forged an empire more enduring than the pseudo-religious despotism of the Four Kingdoms†¦ Tales without end are told of these massive, lonely figures who bore half-seriously, half-mockingly a motto adopted from one of Salvor Hardin's epigrams, â€Å"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right!† It is difficult now to tell which tales are real and which apocryphal. There are none probably that have not suffered some exaggeration†¦. ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA Limmar Ponyets was completely a-lather when the call reached his receiver which proves that the old bromide about telemessages and the shower holds true even in the dark, hard space of the Galactic Periphery. Luckily that part of a free-lance trade ship which is not given over to miscellaneous merchandise is extremely snug. So much so, that the shower, hot water included, is located in a two-by-four cubby, ten feet from the control panels. Ponyets heard the staccato rattle of the receiver quite plainly. Dripping suds and a growl, he stepped out to adjust the vocal, and three hours later a second trade ship was alongside, and a grinning youngster entered through the air tube between the ships. Ponyets rattled his best chair forward and perched himself on the pilot-swivel. â€Å"What've you been doing, Gorm?† he asked, darkly. â€Å"Chasing me all the way from the Foundation?† Les Gorm broke out a cigarette, and shook his head definitely, â€Å"Me? Not a chance. I'm just a sucker who happened to land on Glyptal IV the day after the mail. So they sent me out after you with this.† The tiny, gleaming sphere changed hands, and Gorm added, â€Å"It's confidential. Super-secret. Can't be trusted to the sub-ether and all that. Or so I gather. At least, it's a Personal Capsule, and won't open for anyone but you.† Ponyets regarded the capsule distastefully, â€Å"I can see that. And I never knew one of these to hold good news, either.† It opened in his hand and the thin, transparent tape unrolled stiffly. His eyes swept the message quickly, for when the last of the tape had emerged, the first was already brown and crinkled. In a minute and a half it had turned black and, molecule by molecule, fallen apart. Ponyets grunted hollowly, â€Å"Oh, Galaxy!† Les Gorm said quietly, â€Å"Can I help somehow? Or is it too secret?† â€Å"It will bear telling, since you're of the Guild. I've got to go to Askone.† â€Å"That place? How come?† â€Å"They've imprisoned a trader. But keep it to yourself.† Gorm's expression jolted into anger, â€Å"Imprisoned! That's against the Convention.† â€Å"So is the interference with local politics.† â€Å"Oh! Is that what he did?† Gorm meditated. â€Å"Who's the trader'? Anyone I know?† â€Å"No!† said Ponyets sharply, and Gorm accepted the implication and asked no further questions. Ponyets was up and staring darkly out the visiplate. He mumbled strong expressions at that part of the misty lens-form that was the body of the Galaxy, then said loudly, â€Å"Damnedest mess! I'm way behind quota.† Light broke on Gorm's intellect, â€Å"Hey, friend, Askone is a closed area.† â€Å"That's right. You can't sell as much as a penknife on Askone. They won't buy nuclear gadgets of any sort. With my quota dead on its feet, it's murder to go there.† â€Å"Can't get out of it?† Ponyets shook his head absently, A know the fellow involved. Can't walk out on a friend. What of it? I am in the hands of the Galactic Spirit and walk cheerfully in the way he points out.† Gorm said blankly, â€Å"Huh?† Ponyets looked at him, and laughed shortly, â€Å"I forgot. You never read the ‘Bood of the Spirit,' did you?† â€Å"Never heard of it,† said Gorm, curtly. â€Å"Well, you would if you'd had a religious training.† â€Å"Religious training? For the priesthood?† Gorm was profoundly shocked. â€Å"Afraid so. It's my dark shame and secret. I was too much for the Reverend Fathers, though, They expelled me, for reasons sufficient to promote me to a secular education under the Foundation. Well, look, I'd better push off. How's your quota this year?† Gorm crushed out his cigarette and adjusted his cap, â€Å"I've got my last cargo going now. I'll make it.† â€Å"Lucky fellow,† gloomed Ponyets, and for many minutes after Les Gorm left, he sat in motionless reverie. So Eskel Gorov was on Askone and in prison as well! That was bad! In fact, considerably worse than it might appear. It was one thing to tell a curious youngster a diluted version of the business to throw him off and send him about his own. It was a thing of a different sort to face the truth. For Limmar Ponyets was one of the few people who happened to know that Master Trader Eskel Gorov was not a trader at all; but that entirely different thing, an agent of the Foundation! 2. Two weeks gone! Two weeks wasted. One week to reach Askone, at the extreme borders of which the vigilant warships speared out to meet him in converging numbers. Whatever their detection system was, it worked and well. They sidled him in slowly, without a signal, maintaining their cold distance, and pointing him harshly towards the central sun of Askone. Ponyets could have handled them at a pinch. Those ships were holdovers from the dead-and-gone Galactic Empire but they were sports cruisers, not warships; and without nuclear weapons, they were so many picturesque and impotent ellipsoids. But Eskel Gorov was a prisoner in their hands, and Gorov was not a hostage to lose. The Askonians must know that. And then another week a week to wind a weary way through the clouds of minor officials that formed the buffer between the Grand Master and the outer world. Each little sub-secretary required soothing and conciliation. Each required careful and nauseating milking for the flourishing signature that was the pathway to the next official one higher up. For the first time, Ponyets found his trader's identification papers useless. I Now, at last, the Grand Master was on the other side of the Guard-flanked gilded door and two weeks had gone. Gorov was still a prisoner and Ponyets' cargo rotted useless in the holds of his ship. The Grand Master was a small man; a small man with a balding head and very wrinkled face, whose body seemed weighed down to motionlessness by the huge, glossy fur collar about his neck. His fingers moved on either side, and the line of armed men backed away to for a passage, along which Ponyets strode to the foot of the Chair of State. â€Å"Don't speak,† snapped the Grand Master, and Ponyets' opening lips closed tightly. â€Å"That's right,† the Askonian ruler relaxed visibly, â€Å"I can't endure useless chatter. You cannot threaten and I won't abide flattery. Nor is there room for injured complaints. I have lost count of the times you wanderers have been warned that your devil's machines are not wanted anywhere in Askone.† â€Å"Sir,† said Ponyets, quietly, â€Å"there is no attempt to justify the trader in question. It is not the policy of traders to intrude where they are not wanted. But the Galaxy is great, and it has happened before that a boundary has been trespassed unwittingly. It was a deplorable mistake.† â€Å"Deplorable, certainly,† squeaked the Grand Master. â€Å"But mistake? Your people on Glyptal IV have been bombarding me with pleas for negotiation since two hours after the sacrilegious wretch was seized. I have been warned by them of your own coming many times over. It seems a well-organized rescue campaign. Much seems to have been anticipated a little too much for mistakes, deplorable or otherwise.† The Askonian's black eyes were scornful. He raced on, â€Å"And are you traders, flitting from world to world like mad little butterflies, so mad in your own right that you can land on Askone's largest world, in the center of its system, and consider it an unwitting boundary mixup? Come, surely not.† Ponyets winced without showing it. He said, doggedly, â€Å"If the attempt to trade was deliberate, your Veneration, it was most injudicious and contrary to the strictest regulations of our Guild.† â€Å"Injudicious, yes,† said the Askonian, curtly. â€Å"So much so, that your comrade is likely to lose life in payment.† Ponyets' stomach knotted. There was no irresolution there. He said, â€Å"Death, your Veneration, is so absolute and irrevocable a phenomenon that certainly there must be some alternative.† There was a pause before the guarded answer came, â€Å"I have heard that the Foundation is rich.† â€Å"Rich? Certainly. But our riches are that which you refuse to take. Our nuclear goods are worth† â€Å"Your goods are worthless in that they lack the ancestral blessing. Your goods are wicked and accursed in that they lie under the ancestral interdict.† The sentences were intoned; the recitation of a formula. The Grand Master's eyelids dropped, and he said with meaning, â€Å"You have nothing else of value?† The meaning was lost on the trader, â€Å"I don't understand. What is it you want?† The Askonian's hands spread apart, â€Å"You ask me to trade places with you, and make known to you my wants. I think not. Your colleague, it seems, must suffer the punishment set for sacrilege by the Askonian code. Death by gas. We are a just people. The poorest peasant, in like case, would suffer no more. I, myself, would suffer no less.† Ponyets mumbled hopelessly, â€Å"Your Veneration, would it be permitted that I speak to the prisoner?† â€Å"Askonian law,† said the Grand Master coldly, â€Å"allows no communication with a condemned man.† Mentally, Ponyets held his breath, â€Å"Your Veneration, I ask you to be merciful towards a man's soul, in the hour when his body stands forfeit. He has been separated from spiritual consolation in all the time that his life has been in danger. Even now, he faces the prospect of going unprepared to the bosom of the Spirit that rules all.† The Grand Master said slowly and suspiciously, â€Å"You are a Tender of the Soul?† Ponyets dropped a humble head, â€Å"I have been so trained. In the empty expanses of space, the wandering traders need men like myself to care for the spiritual side of a life so given over to commerce and worldly pursuits.† The Askonian ruler sucked thoughtfully at his lower lip. â€Å"Every man should prepare his soul for his journey to his ancestral spirits. Yet I had never thought you traders to be believers.† 3. Eskel Gorov stirred on his couch and opened one eye as Limmar Ponyets entered the heavily reinforced door. It boomed shut behind him. Gorov sputtered and came to his feet. â€Å"Ponyets! They sent you?† â€Å"Pure chance,† said Ponyets, bitterly, â€Å"or the work of my own personal malevolent demon. Item one, you get into a mess on Askone. Item two, my sales route, as known to the Board of Trade, carries me within fifty parsecs of the system at just the time of item one. Item three, we've worked together before and the Board knows it. Isn't that a sweet, inevitable set-up? The answer just pops out of a slot.† â€Å"Be careful,† said Gorov, tautly. â€Å"There'll be someone listening. Are you wearing a Field Distorter?† Ponyets indicated the ornamented bracelet that hugged his wrist and Gorov relaxed. Ponyets looked about him. The cell was bare, but large. It was well-lit and it lacked offensive odors. He said, â€Å"Not bad. They're treating you with kid gloves.† Gorov brushed the remark aside, â€Å"Listen, how did you get down here? I've been in strict solitary for almost two weeks.† â€Å"Ever since I came, huh? Well, it seems the old bird who's boss here has his weak points. He leans toward pious speeches, so I took a chance that worked. I'm here in the capacity of your spiritual adviser. There's something about a pious man such as he. He will cheerfully cut your throat if it suits him, but he will hesitate to endanger the welfare of your immaterial and problematical soul. It's just a piece of empirical psychology. A trader has to know a little of everything.† Gorov's smile was sardonic, â€Å"And you've been to theological school as well. You're all right, Ponyets. I'm glad they sent you. But the Grand Master doesn't love my soul exclusively. Has he mentioned a ransom?† The trader's eyes narrowed, â€Å"He hinted barely. And he also threatened death by gas. I played safe, and dodged; it might easily have been a trap. So it's extortion, is it? What is it he wants?† â€Å"Gold.† â€Å"Gold!† Ponyets frowned. â€Å"The metal itself? What for?† â€Å"It's their medium of exchange.† â€Å"Is it? And where do I get gold from?† â€Å"Wherever you can. Listen to me; this is important. Nothing will happen to me as long as the Grand Master has the scent of gold in his nose. Promise it to him; as much as he asks for. Then go back to the Foundation, if necessary, to get it. When I'm free, we'll be escorted out of the system, and then we part company.† Ponyets stared disapprovingly, â€Å"And then you'll come back and try again.† â€Å"It's my assignment to sell nucleics to Askone.† â€Å"They'll get you before you've gone a parsec in space. You know that, I suppose.† â€Å"I don't,† said Gorov. â€Å"And if I did, it wouldn't affect things.† â€Å"They'll kill you the second time.† Gorov shrugged. Ponyets said quietly, â€Å"If I'm going to negotiate with the Grand Master again, I want to know the whole story. So far, I've been working it too blind. As it was, the few mild remarks I did make almost threw his Veneration into fits.† â€Å"It's simple enough,† said Gorov. â€Å"The only way we can increase the security of the Foundation here in the Periphery is to form a religion-controlled commercial empire. We're still too weak to be able to force political control. It's all we can do to hold the Four Kingdoms.† Ponyets was nodding. â€Å"This I realize. And any system that doesn't accept nuclear gadgets can never be placed under our religious control† â€Å"And can therefore become a focal point for independence and hostility. Yes.† â€Å"All right, then,† said Ponyets, â€Å"so much for theory. Now what exactly prevents the sale. Religion? The Grand Master implied as much.† â€Å"It's a form of ancestor worship. Their traditions tell of an evil past from which they were saved by the simple and virtuous heroes of the past generations. It amounts to a distortion of the anarchic period a century ago, when the imperial troops were driven out and an independent government was set up. Advanced science and nuclear power in particular became identified with the old imperial regime they remember with horror.† â€Å"That so? But they have nice little ships which spotted me very handily two parsecs away. That smells of nucleics to me.† Gorov shrugged. â€Å"Those ships are holdovers of the Empire, no doubt. Probably with nuclear drive. What they have, they keep. The point is that they will not innovate and their internal economy is entirely non-nuclear. That is what we must change.† â€Å"How were you going to do it?† â€Å"By breaking the resistance at one point. To put it simply, if I could sell a penknife with a force-field blade to a nobleman, it would be to his interest to force laws that would allow him to use it. Put that baldly, it sounds silly, but it is sound, psychologically. To make strategic sales, at strategic points, would be to create a pro-nucleics faction at court.† â€Å"And they send you for that purpose, while I'm only here to ransom you and leave, while you keep on trying? Isn't that sort of tail-backward?† â€Å"In what way?† said Gorov, guardedly. â€Å"Listen,† Ponyets was suddenly exasperated, â€Å"you're a diplomat, not a trader, and calling you a trader won't make you one. This case is for one who's made a business of selling and I'm here with a full cargo stinking into uselessness, and a quota that won't ever be met, it looks like.† â€Å"You mean you're going to risk your life on something that isn't your business?† Gorov smiled thinly. Ponyets said, â€Å"You mean that this is a matter of patriotism and traders aren't patriotic?† â€Å"Notoriously not. Pioneers never are.† â€Å"All right. I'll grant that. I don't scoot about space to save the Foundation or anything like that. But I'm out to make money, and this is my chance. If it helps the Foundation at the same time, all the better. And I've risked my life on slimmer chances.† Ponyets rose, and Gorov rose with him, â€Å"What are you going to do?† The trader smiled, â€Å"Gorov, I don't know not yet. But if the crux of the matter is to make a sale, then I'm your man. I'm not a boaster as a general thing, but there's one thing I'll always back up. I've never ended up below quota yet.† The door to the cell opened almost instantly when he knocked, and two guards fell in on either side. 4. â€Å"A show!† said the Grand Master, grimly. He settled himself well into his furs, and one thin hand grasped the iron cudgel he used as a cane. â€Å"And gold, your Veneration.† â€Å"And gold,† agreed the Grand Master, carelessly. Ponyets set the box down and opened it with as fine an appearance of confidence as he could manage. He felt alone in the face of universal hostility; the way he had felt out in space his first year. The semicircle of bearded councilors who faced him down, stared unpleasantly. Among them was Pherl, the thin-faced favorite who sat next to the Grand Master in stiff hostility. Ponyets had met him once already and marked him immediately as prime enemy, and, as a consequence, prime victim. Outside the hall, a small army awaited events. Ponyets was effectively isolated from his ship; he lacked any weapon, but his attempted bribe; and Gorov was still a hostage. He made the final adjustments on the clumsy monstrosity that had cost him a week of ingenuity, and prayed once again that the lead-lined quartz would stand the strain. â€Å"What is it?† asked the Grand Master. â€Å"This,† said Ponyets, stepping back, â€Å"is a small device I have constructed myself.† â€Å"That is obvious, but it is not the information I want. Is it one of the black-magic abominations of your world?† â€Å"It is nuclear in nature, admitted Ponyets, gravely, â€Å"but none of you need touch it, or have anything to do with it. It is for myself alone, and if it contains abominations, I take the foulness of it upon myself.† The Grand Master had raised his iron cane at the machine in a threatening gesture and his lips moved rapidly and silently in a purifying invocation. The thin-faced councilor at his right leaned towards him and his straggled red mustache approached the Grand Master's ear. The ancient Askonian petulantly shrugged himself free. â€Å"And what is the connection of your instrument of evil and the gold that may save your countryman's life?† â€Å"With this machine,† began Ponyets, as his hand dropped softly onto the central chamber and caressed its hard, round flanks, â€Å"I can turn the iron you discard into gold of the finest quality. It is the only device known to man that will take iron the ugly iron, your Veneration, that props up the chair you sit in and the walls of this building and change it to shining, heavy, yellow gold.† Ponyets felt himself botching it. His usual sales talk was smooth, facile and plausible; but this limped like a shot-up space wagon. But it was the content, not the form, that interested the Grand Master. â€Å"So? Transmutation? Men have been fools who have claimed the ability. They have paid for their prying sacrilege.† â€Å"Had they succeeded?† â€Å"No.† The Grand Master seemed coldly amused. â€Å"Success at producing gold would have been a crime that carried its own antidote. It is the attempt plus the failure that is fatal. Here, what can you do with my staff?† He pounded the floor with it. â€Å"Your Veneration will excuse me. My device is a small model, prepared by myself, and your staff is too long.† The Grand Master's small shining eye wandered and stopped, â€Å"Randel, your buckles. Come, man, they shall be replaced double if need be.† The buckles passed down the line, hand to hand. The Grand Master weighed them thoughtfully. â€Å"Here,† he said, and threw them to the floor. Ponyets picked them up. He tugged hard before the cylinder opened, and his eyes blinked and squinted with effort as he centered the buckles carefully on the anode screen. Later, it would be easier but there must be no failures the first time. The homemade transmuter crackled malevolently for ten minutes while the odor of ozone became faintly present. The Askonians backed away, muttering, and again Pherl whispered urgently into his ruler's ear. The Grand Master's expression was stony. He did not budge. And the buckles were gold. Ponyets held them out to the Grand Master with a murmured, â€Å"Your Veneration!† but the old man hesitated, then gestured them away. His stare lingered upon the transmuter. Ponyets said rapidly, â€Å"Gentlemen, this is pure gold. Gold through and through. You may subject it to every known physical and chemical test, if you wish to prove the point. It cannot be identified from naturally-occurring gold in any way. Any iron can be so treated. Rust will not interfere, not will a moderate amount of alloying metals† But Ponyets spoke only to fill a vacuum. He let the buckles remain in his outstretched hand, and it was the gold that argued for him. The Grand Master stretched out a slow hand at last, and the thin-faced Pherl was roused to open speech. â€Å"Your Veneration, the gold is from a poisoned source.† And Ponyets countered, â€Å"A rose can grow from the mud, your Veneration. In your dealings with your neighbors, you buy material of all imaginable variety, without inquiring as to where they get it, whether from an orthodox machine blessed by your benign ancestors or from some space-spawned outrage. Come, I don't offer the machine. I offer the gold.† â€Å"Your Veneration,† said Pherl, â€Å"you are not responsible for the sins of foreigners who work neither with your consent nor knowledge. But to accept this strange pseudo-gold made sinfully from iron in your presence and with your consent is an affront to the living spirits of our holy ancestors.† â€Å"Yet gold is gold,† said the Grand Master, doubtfully, â€Å"and is but an exchange for the heathen person of a convicted felon. Pherl, you are too critical.† But he withdrew his hand. Ponyets said, â€Å"You are wisdom, itself, your Veneration. Consider to give up a heathen is to lose nothing for your ancestors, whereas with the gold you get in exchange you can ornament the shrines of their holy spirits. And surely, were gold evil in itself, if such, a thing could be, the evil would depart of necessity once the metal were put to such pious use.† â€Å"Now by the bones of my grandfather,† said the Grand Master with surprising vehemence. His lips separated in a shrill laugh, â€Å"Pherl, what do you say of this young man? The statement is valid. It is as valid as the words of my ancestors.† Pherl said gloomily, â€Å"So it would seem. Grant that the validity does not turn out to be a device of the Malignant Spirit.† â€Å"I'll make it even better,† said Ponyets, suddenly. â€Å"Hold the gold in hostage. Place it on the altars of your ancestors as an offering and hold me for thirty days. If at the end of that time, there is no evidence of displeasure if no disasters occur surely, it would be proof that the offering was accepted. What more can be offered?† And when the Grand Master rose to his feet to search out disapproval, not a man in the council failed to signal his agreement. Even Pherl chewed the ragged end of his mustache and nodded curtly. Ponyets smiled and meditated on the uses of a religious education. 5. Another week rubbed away before the meeting with Pherl was arranged. Ponyets felt the tension, but he was used to the feeling of physical helplessness now. He had left city limits under guard. He was in Pherl's suburban villa under guard. There was nothing to do but accept it without even looking over his shoulder. Pherl was taller and younger outside the circle of Elders. In nonformal costume, he seemed no Elder at all. He said abruptly, â€Å"You're a peculiar man.† His close-set eyes seemed to quiver. â€Å"You've done nothing this last week, and particularly these last two hours, but imply that I need gold. It seems useless labor, for who does not? Why not advance one step?† â€Å"It is not simply gold,† said Ponyets, discreetly. â€Å"Not simply gold. Not merely a coin or two. It is rather all that lies behind gold.† â€Å"Now what can lie behind gold?† prodded Pherl, with a down-curved smile. â€Å"Certainly this is not the preliminary of another clumsy demonstration.† â€Å"Clumsy?† Ponyets frowned slightly. â€Å"Oh, definitely.† Pherl folded his hands and nudged them gently with his chin. â€Å"I don't criticize you. The clumsiness was on purpose, I am sure. I might have warned his Veneration of that, had I been certain of the motive. Now had I been you, I would have produced the gold upon my ship, and offered it alone. The show you offered us and the antagonism you aroused would have been dispensed with.† â€Å"True,† Ponyets admitted, â€Å"but since I was myself, I accepted the antagonism for the sake of attracting your attention.† â€Å"Is that it? Simply that?† Pherl made no effort to hide his contemptuous amusement. â€Å"And I imagine you suggested the thirty-day purification period that you might assure yourself time to turn the attraction into something a bit more substantial. But what if the gold turns out to be impure?† Ponyets allowed himself a dark humor in return, â€Å"When the judgement of that impurity depends upon those who are most interested in finding it pure?† Pherl lifted his eyes and stared narrowly at the trader. He seemed at once surprised and satisfied. â€Å"A sensible point. Now tell me why you wished to attract me.† â€Å"This I will do. In the short time I have been here, I have observed useful facts that concern you and interest me. For instance, you are young-very young for a member of the council, and even of a relatively young family.† â€Å"You criticize my family?† â€Å"Not at all. Your ancestors are great and holy; all will admit that. But there are those that say you are not a member of one of the Five Tribes.† Pherl leaned back, â€Å"With all respect to those involved,† and he did not hide his venom, â€Å"the Five Tribes have impoverished loins and thin blood. Not fifty members of the Tribes are alive.† â€Å"Yet there are those who say the nation would not be willing to see any man outside the Tribes as Grand Master. And so young and newly-advanced a favorite of the Grand Master is bound to make powerful enemies among the great ones of the State it is said. His Veneration is aging and his protection will not last past his death, when it is an enemy of yours who will undoubtedly be the one to interpret the words of his Spirit.† Pherl scowled, â€Å"For a foreigner you hear much. Such ears are made for cropping.† â€Å"That may be decided later.† â€Å"Let me anticipate.† Pherl stirred impatiently in his seat. â€Å"You're going to offer me wealth and power in terms of those evil little machines you carry in your ship. Well?† â€Å"Suppose it so. What would be your objection? Simply your standard of good and evil?† Pherl shook his head. â€Å"Not at all. Look, my Outlander, your opinion of us in your heathen agnosticism is what it is but I am not the entire slave of our mythology, though I may appear so. I am an educated man, sir, and, I hope, an enlightened one. The full depth of our religious customs, in the ritualistic rather than the ethical sense, is for the masses.† â€Å"Your objection, then?† pressed Ponyets, gently. â€Å"Just that. The masses. I might be willing to deal with you, but your little machines must be used to be useful. How might riches come to me, if I had to use what is it you sell? well, a razor, for instance, only in the strictest, trembling secrecy. Even if my chin were more simply and more cleanly shaven, how would I become rich? And how would I avoid death by gas chamber or mob frightfulness if I were ever once caught using it?† Ponyets shrugged, â€Å"You are correct. I might point out that the remedy would be to educate your own people into the use of nucleics for their convenience and your own substantial profit. It would be a gigantic piece of work; I don't deny it; but the returns would be still more gigantic. Still that is your concern, and, at the moment, not mine at all. For I offer neither razor, knife, nor mechanical garbage disposer.† â€Å"What do you offer?† â€Å"Gold itself. Directly. You may have the machine I demonstrated last week.† And now Pherl stiffened and the skin on his forehead moved jerkily. â€Å"The transmuter?† â€Å"Exactly. Your supply of gold will equal your supply of iron. That, I imagine, is sufficient for all needs. Sufficient for the Grand Mastership itself, despite youth and enemies. And it is safe.† â€Å"In what way?† â€Å"In that secrecy is the essence of its use; that same secrecy you described as the only safety with regard to nucleics. You may bury the transmuter in the deepest dungeon of the strongest fortress on your furthest estate, and it will still bring you instant wealth. It is the gold you buy, not the machine, and that gold bears no trace of its manufacture, for it cannot be told from the natural creation.† â€Å"And who is to operate the machine?† â€Å"Yourself. Five minutes teaching is all you will require. I'll set it up for you wherever you wish.† â€Å"And in return?† â€Å"Well,† Ponyets grew cautious. â€Å"I ask a price and a handsome one. It is my living. Let us say, for it its a valuable machine the equivalent of a cubic foot of gold in wrought iron.† Pherl laughed, and Ponyets grew red. â€Å"I point out, sir,† he added, stiffly, â€Å"that you can get your price back in two hours.† â€Å"True, and in one hour, you might be gone, and my machine might suddenly turn out to be useless. I'll need a guarantee.† â€Å"You have my word.† â€Å"A very good one,† Pherl bowed sardonically, â€Å"but your presence would be an even better assurance. I'll give you my word to pay you one week after delivery in working order.† â€Å"Impossible.† â€Å"Impossible? When you've already incurred the death penalty very handily by even offering to sell me anything. The only alternative is my word that you'll get the gas chamber tomorrow otherwise.† Ponyet's face was expressionless, but his eyes might have flickered. He said, â€Å"It is an unfair advantage. You will at least put your promise in writing?† â€Å"And also become liable for execution? No, sir!† Pherl smiled a broad satisfaction. â€Å"No, sir! Only one of us is a fool.† The trader said in a small voice, â€Å"It is agreed, then.† 6. Gorov was released on the thirtieth day, and five hundred pounds of the yellowest gold took his place. And with him was released the quarantined and untouched abomination that was his ship. Then, as on the journey into the Askonian system, so on the journey out, the cylinder of sleek little ships ushered them on their way. Ponyets watched the dimly sun-lit speck that was Gorov's ship while Gorov's voice pierced through to him, clear and thin on the tight, distortion-bounded ether-beam. He was saying, â€Å"But it isn't what's wanted, Ponyets. A transmuter won't do. Where did you get one, anyway?† â€Å"I didn't,† Ponyets answer was patient. â€Å"I juiced it up out of a food irradiation chamber. It isn't any good, really. The power consumption is prohibitive on any large scale or the Foundation would use transmutation instead of chasing all over the Galaxy for heavy metals. It's one of the standard tricks every trader uses, except that I never saw an iron-to-gold one before. But it's impressive, and it works very temporarily.† â€Å"All right. But that particular trick is no good.† â€Å"It got you out of a nasty spot.† â€Å"That is very far from the point. Especially since I've got to go back, once we shake our solicitous escort.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"You yourself explained it to this politician of yours,† Gorov's voice was on edge. â€Å"Your entire sales-point rested on the fact that the transmuter was a means to an end, but of no value in itself, that he was buying the gold, not the machine. It was good psychology, since it worked, but† â€Å"But?† Ponyets urged blandly and obtusely. The voice from the receiver grew shriller, â€Å"But we want to sell them a machine of value in itself, something they would want to use openly; something that would tend to force them out in favor of nuclear techniques as a matter of self-interest.† â€Å"I understand all that,† said Ponyets, gently. â€Å"You once explained it. But look at what follows from my sale, will you? As long as that transmuter lasts, Pherl will coin gold; and it will last long enough to buy him the next election. The present Grand Master won't last long.† â€Å"You count on gratitude?† asked Gorov, coldly. â€Å"No on intelligent self-interest. The transmuter gets him an election; other mechanisms† â€Å"No! No! Your premise is twisted. It's not the transmuter, he'll credit it'll be the good, old-fashioned gold. That's what I'm trying to tell you.† Ponyets grinned and shifted into a more comfortable position. All right. He'd baited the poor fellow sufficiently. Gorov was beginning to sound wild. The trader said, â€Å"Not so fast, Gorov. I haven't finished. There are other gadgets already involved.† There was a short silence. Then, Gorov's voice sounded cautiously, â€Å"What other gadgets?† Ponyets gestured automatically and uselessly, â€Å"You see that escort?† â€Å"I do,† said Gorov shortly. â€Å"Tell me about those gadgets.† â€Å"I will, ?if you'll listen. That's Pherl's private navy escorting us; a special honor to him from the Grand Master. He managed to squeeze that out.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"And where do you think he's taking us? To his mining estates on the outskirts of Askone, that's where. Listen!† Ponyets was suddenly fiery, â€Å"I told you I was in this to make money, not to save worlds. All right. I sold that transmuter for nothing. Nothing except the risk of the gas chamber and that doesn't count towards the quota.† â€Å"Get back to the mining estates, Ponyets. Where do they come in?† â€Å"With the profits. We're stacking up on tin, Gorov. Tin to fill every last cubic foot this old scow can scrape up, and then some more for yours. I'm going down with Pherl to collect, old man, and you're going to cover me from upstairs with every gun you've got just in case Pherl isn't as sporting about the matter as he lets on to be. That tin's my profit.† â€Å"For the transmuter?† â€Å"For my entire cargo of nucleics. At double price, plus a bonus.† He shrugged, almost apologetically. â€Å"I admit I gouged him, but I've got to make quota, don't I?† Gorov was evidently lost. He said, weakly, â€Å"Do you mind explaining'?† â€Å"What's there to explain? It's obvious, Gorov. Look, the clever dog thought he had me in a foolproof trap, because his word was worth more than mine to the Grand Master. He took the transmuter. That was a capital crime in Askone. But at any time he could say that he had lured me on into a trap with the purest of patriotic motives, and denounce me as a seller of forbidden things.† â€Å"That was obvious.† â€Å"Sure, but word against simple word wasn't all there was to it. You see, Pherl had never heard nor conceived of a microfilm-recorder.† Gorov laughed suddenly. â€Å"That's right,† said Ponyets. â€Å"He had the upper hand. I was properly chastened. But when I set up the transmuter for him in my whipped-dog fashion, I incorporated the recorder into the device and removed it in the next day's overhaul. I had a perfect record of his sanctum sanctorum, his holy-of-holies, with he himself, poor Pherl, operating the transmuter for all the ergs it had and crowing over his first piece of gold as if it were an egg he had just laid.† â€Å"You showed him the results?† â€Å"Two days later. The poor sap had never seen three-dimensional color-sound images in his life. He claims he isn't superstitious, but if I ever saw an adult look as scared as he did then, call me rookie. When I told him I had a recorder planted in the city square, set to go off at midday with a million fanatical Askonians to watch, and to tear him to pieces subsequently, he was gibbering at my knees in half a second. He was ready to make any deal I wanted.† â€Å"Did you?† Gorov's voice was suppressing laughter. â€Å"I mean, have one planted in the city square.† â€Å"No, but that didn't matter. He made the deal. He bought every gadget I had, and every one you had for as much tin as we could carry. At that moment, he believed me capable of anything. The agreement is in writing and you'll have a copy before I go down with him, just as another precaution.† â€Å"But you've damaged his ego,† said Gorov. â€Å"Will he use the gadgets?† â€Å"Why not? It's his only way of recouping his losses, and if he makes money out of it, he'll salve his pride. And he will be the next Grand Master and the best man we could have in our favor.† â€Å"Yes,† said Gorov, â€Å"it was a good sale. Yet you've certainly got an uncomfortable sales technique. No wonder you were kicked out of a seminary. Have you no sense of morals?† â€Å"What are the odds?† said Ponyets, indifferently. â€Å"You know what Salvor Hardin said about a sense of morals.†

s Paradox

Consumerism, Society’s Paradox! Consumerism, a term likely unfamiliar to many, describes a condition which dramatically impacts our very existence. Consumerism interferes with the workings of society by replacing the normal desire for an adequate supply of life’s necessities, community life, a stable family, and healthy relationships, with an artificial ongoing and instable quest for things and the money to buy them with little regard for the actual product purchased. Countless people, in many of the world’s industrialized nations, spend the vast majority of their lives toiling through mounds of work, all to achieve one common reward, Money. All of these hours are spent in the name of leisure or a better way of life yet this is the very experience that it deprives from us. To better understand the true cause and effect of this monster that is consumerism, we need to take a look at what it is. In a sense, consumerism is that new CD that you have got to buy or the new car that if you are not able to get, you simply will not be able to continue. When you desire a non-essential product marketed in the leisure arena, you contribute to the escalation of consumerism. The United States, with only six percent of the world’s total population, consumes in excess of thirty percent of its resources (Enough, Campaign). When you have something that you absolutely want, and the key word here is want, what do you do? The average person, when in such a situation, reacts by simply working longer hours or taking on some other type of work to supplement their income. This altered work style leads to the perpetuation of a materialistic society that rapidly forgets the fundamental values which civilization has been based on for many years. The age-old question is: ca n money buy you happiness? This is the fundamental subject that corporate America plays on in its drive to expand a dwindling market place. Consumers tend to underestimate the real pow... 's Paradox Free Essays on Consumerism, Society\'s Paradox Consumerism, Society’s Paradox! Consumerism, a term likely unfamiliar to many, describes a condition which dramatically impacts our very existence. Consumerism interferes with the workings of society by replacing the normal desire for an adequate supply of life’s necessities, community life, a stable family, and healthy relationships, with an artificial ongoing and instable quest for things and the money to buy them with little regard for the actual product purchased. Countless people, in many of the world’s industrialized nations, spend the vast majority of their lives toiling through mounds of work, all to achieve one common reward, Money. All of these hours are spent in the name of leisure or a better way of life yet this is the very experience that it deprives from us. To better understand the true cause and effect of this monster that is consumerism, we need to take a look at what it is. In a sense, consumerism is that new CD that you have got to buy or the new car that if you are not able to get, you simply will not be able to continue. When you desire a non-essential product marketed in the leisure arena, you contribute to the escalation of consumerism. The United States, with only six percent of the world’s total population, consumes in excess of thirty percent of its resources (Enough, Campaign). When you have something that you absolutely want, and the key word here is want, what do you do? The average person, when in such a situation, reacts by simply working longer hours or taking on some other type of work to supplement their income. This altered work style leads to the perpetuation of a materialistic society that rapidly forgets the fundamental values which civilization has been based on for many years. The age-old question is: ca n money buy you happiness? This is the fundamental subject that corporate America plays on in its drive to expand a dwindling market place. Consumers tend to underestimate the real pow...

Create, Parse and Manipulate XML Documents With Delphi

Create, Parse and Manipulate XML Documents With Delphi What is XML? Extensible Markup Language is a  universal language for data on the Web. XML gives developers the power to deliver structured data from a variety of applications to the desktop for local computation and presentation. XML is also an ideal format for server-to-server transfer of structured data. Using an XML parser, software evaluates the hierarchy of the document, extracting the structure of the document, its content, or both. XML is in no way limited to Internet use. In fact, XMLs main strength organizing information makes it perfect for exchanging data between different systems. XML looks much like HTML. However, whereas HTML describes the layout of content on a webpage, XML defines and communicates data, it describes the type of content. Hence, extensible, because it is not a fixed format like HTML. Think of each XML file as a self-contained database. Tags   the markup in an XML document, offset by angle brackets delineate the records and fields. The text between the tags is the data. Users  perform operations like retrieving, updating and inserting data with XML using a parser and a set of objects exposed by the parser. As a Delphi programmer, you should know how to work with XML documents. XML with Delphi For more information about pairing Delphi and XML, read: Learn how to store TTreeView component items to XML preserving the Text and other properties of a tree node and how to populate a TreeView from an XML file. Simple Reading and manipulating RSS feeds files with DelphiExplore how to read and manipulate XML documents with Delphi using the TXMLDocument component. See how to extract the most current In The Spotlight blog entries (RSS feed) from the About Delphi Programming  content environment, as an example. Create XML files from Paradox (or any DB) tables using Delphi. See how to export the data from a table to an XML file and how to import that data back to the table. If you need to work with dynamically created TXMLDocument component, you might get access violations after you try to free the object. This article offers a solution to this error message. Delphis implementation of the TXMLDocument component, which uses Microsoft XML parser by default, does not provide a way to add a node of the ntDocType (TNodeType type). This article provides a solution to this problem. XML in Detail XML W3CPeruse the full XML standard and syntax at the W3C site. XML.comA community website where XML developers share resources and solutions. The site includes timely news, opinions, features and tutorials.

International Logistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Logistics - Essay Example The grocery retail chain market in UK has become mature enough due to the presence of several potential organizations. The distribution strategy of Morrison is quite unique among the other retail players within the UK market. It is the only largest retail chain supermarket that owns and operates healthy and fresh food production and processing facilities. The organization has implemented vertical integrated distribution operation in the food category. This vertically integrated operation has helped Morrison to produce, distribute and retail enormous bulk of its fresh and unsullied meat and dairy requirements (Doole and Lowe, 2005, p.131). Moreover, this distribution structure helps the organization to process and package the fresh vegetables and fruits effectively. The organization has expanded and strengthens its manufacturing and distribution infrastructure in the fiscal year 2006 (Ruddick, 2013, p.1). In terms of manufacturing, Morison has expanded its in-house baking effectively and capacity by acquiring Rathbone’s 80% stake. The abattoir operation of Morrison was started to expand in the year 2005 by acquiring second facility in Scotland. The organization also has extended fruit processing and packing facility in Northamptonshire. Moreover, the organization has introduced a new warehouse in Rushden in order to package the vegetables. The organization has opened a fresh and new regional dedicated distribution centre at Kettering in the year 2005 (Furrer, 2010, p.233). It was estimated that this centre may save almost 70 nearby stores in UK. The global recession and European financial crisis in 2008 has affected international distribution and logistics structure of Morrison. Moreover several unfavourable reasons have resulted the fall in sales (plunkett, 2009, p.49). Despite of an extra trading date in the year 2011, the organization has reported 2.5pc sales drop. It is feasible that, the organization has implemented vertical integration strategy in t heir distribution channel (Mangan, Lalwani and Butcher, 2008, p.130). The major concern for Morrison is that, the sales figure has declined since the Christmas, whereas the other competitors, such as Sainsbury and Tesco have performed relatively well comparing to Morrison. According to Philips, limited numbers of convenience stores is affecting the business performance of Morrison. The organization has only 12 convenience stores. On the other hand, the other large competitors of Morrison have strong presence in the UK grocery retail market with numerous existing convenience stores. It is indicating that, the organization has limited access to growing division of the international grocery retail market. It is expected that, the organization may face several difficulties if they try to introduce new convenience stores in near future. According to Morrison, selling the grocery food products and vegetables through convenience store will be costly comparing to the selling food products i n traditional supermarket. Therefore, it is feasible that, the limited number of convenience store is hurting the sales of the organization. On the other hand it is affecting less to the business profit margins of Morrison. Moreover, the shareholders of Morrison are backing this particular old traditional sales strategy. The declined Christmas sales figure may create huge threat for the future perspective of Morrison. The organization is still utilizing supermarket chain model in order to sell their products. It is discussed earlier that, this

Marketing and Management Critical Assessment Research Paper

Marketing and Management Critical Assessment - Research Paper Example The paper has taken into consideration the history of the company along with its past situation and present situation. In analyzing the present situation, PESTEL, porters five force, its target market, posting, and branding strategies have been analyzed and it has reached into the conclusion that the brand has been performing well but still faces certain challenges such as global financial crises, environmental issues which need to be catered in order to sustain...n its sustainability and global pressure. Contents Executive Summary 2 4 Introduction 5 History 6 Present Analysis 8 Target market 8 Differentiation & Positioning 8 Micro Environment 9 SWOT Analysis 10 Macro Environment 11 PESTEL Analysis 11 Overall corporate/business/marketing strategy 12 The 4P’s 13 Life Cycle 14 Y Axis 15 X Axis 15 Brand strategies 15 Online presence 16 Relevance of Corporate and Social Responsibility 17 Future of the brand 18 Reference 19 Introduction In the recent years, the luxury industry has been facing increased pressure due to the rise in Euro currency against dollar which has resulted in the reduction of the global consumer expenditure (Riley, Lomax & Blunden, 2004, p. 40). Luxury can be defined as an indulgence on goods or services that are not essential for daily existence and is directly proportional to economic affluence. The marketers are trying to invent new terms in order to quantify the concept of luxury which in return has created confusion with regards to the term luxury. Luxury is not only trade or restricted to indulgence on cars or fashionable accessories but a very different way of understanding the needs of the customer and manages the business in an effective manner. The term luxury is often dealt with confusion as everyone tends to understand it but there are hardly people who can agree on the meaning of luxury. The concept of luxury is a relative group and not an absolute category. It can be said that with time span the concept and meaning of luxury keep on changing, a luxury today can become an essential item in future. A luxury what is it today will have an absolutely different meaning and value in the future (Kapferer & Bastien, 2009, p.39). The luxury industry is one of the global multi-billion sectors which comprises of brands which are of high relevance and are also among the most influential brands globally. Despite the fact that the luxury industry is among the largest sectors but the SBU of the luxury industry has been experiencing a slow growth rate. The reason behind this was that the brands were managed mainly through the traditional methods of business where decisions were taken through intuition and also on trial basis. Thus in the environment of global business, the luxury sector has been undergoing certain changes in the process of management. Changes such as valuation of brand assets, brand equity along with the need of e-business have been taken place in the luxury sector. Other factors which have also emerge d over the years include the expansion of luxury sector for the consumer market so to target a broader market; increasing competition from other brands; reinterpretation of the concept of luxury by the consumers and with the emerging new markets in the luxury sector such as India, China and Russia have opened up new outlook and opportunities for the fashion luxury sector.