Professional Values and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Professional Values and Ethics - Essay Example There must be a changeless entity to perceive the change. We can not experience the motion of the earth since we are part of it. We need to be apart to notice the change. Since I am noticing the changes in my body, mind and intellect, I cannot be any of these. Then who am I Revealing this mystery will be the ultimate source to experience the absolute bliss within. The real progress is advancement towards the source. The world is in a state of constant flux and everything is in the struggle to acquire its original state. The greatest of scientific discoveries confirm that the object will remain in motion till it regains its original status. In the light of the above, without exception, we are in constant pursuit of happiness in and from the world. If we are seeking absolute peace and permanent happiness, than we are peace and happiness personified. But this is easier said than done. In a way we are living in spiritual slums and the higher degrees of happiness, ecstasy and bliss elude us.. A thought always precedes the action. It is not vice versa. So to improve the quality in action we must improve the quality of thoughts. An action is only the manifestation of the thought, and not only that, the thought lends the very strength to the action. In fact there can be no action without a thought behind. "As we think, so shall we become" is the applicable law. We are aspiring for a better world, but unconsciously the means applied are not constructive. Reforming the world beyond any doubt is required but, remember, charity begins at home. Subjectively reformations will be more effective. Since the world is the projection of the mind, and if the world is needed to be improved to enhance the quality of experiences, we should sanitize our minds. We should work on the projector for a change in the projection. We have to have a clam mind to be serene. We should not agitate the world and at the same time get agitated by the world. We should not be carried away by the apparent names and forms at the expense of underlying common reality. For me every body is a God playing a fool, simply because God being omnipresent. Where is any room for superiority or inferiority when no body is less than God and no one is more than God. Spirit is the core of human personality, like spoke in a wheel, which must regulate the other personality layers - intellectual, emotional and physical. It can not be other way round. Involve! We can not solve! It is but natural to be carried away by the whims and fancies of mind. Objectivity should not be lost and smile should not be compromised. We should be vigilant enough for the massive demand of smile and limited source of supply in the world. Let me be the hub or centre for the supply chain. Smile costs nothing; and being infectious and can do wonders. We always seek the expert opinion in different spheres of our life, like we have so many specialists for different ailments. But when it comes to our mind we lack the awareness. Why should we not, then, seek the expert opinion to run the affairs of mind which is actually the seat of joy or sorrow. The only way to educate the mind is by picking up the higher values which will result in dropping the lower ones. It is rightly said that old habits die hard. We can not renounce our old practices,

ANALYZING 3 STORIES FOR THEIR USE OF IRONY Essay

ANALYZING 3 STORIES FOR THEIR USE OF IRONY - Essay Example al irony here is that a young married couple expected to be in love with each other and aware of each others’ emotional needs, and to all appearances are well-matched, are actually not so, especially from the woman’s point of view. The protagonist Louise Mallard who, according to conventional expectations should be grieving her husband’s reported sudden death, instead rejoices in her freedom, but only when she begins to comprehend the implications after a short spell of crying and ostensible sorrow. The situation is reversed when her husband Brently Mallard walks in as if nothing had happened. He had not even heard of the railroad disaster in which he was assumed to have been killed. Since the story opens with a statement that ‘Mrs Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble’ it is logically acceptable that she dies in the end of ‘heart disease’ on seeing her husband’s unexpected return. However, the dramatic irony is when the doctors conclude that she died of joy at seeing her husband, when the reader knows that it is more likely to be the opposite. She is denied the freedom she enjoyed momentarily, when she believed that she was to be free of her domestic duties and responsibilities to a husband who expected her subservience implicitly. The story also has instances of verbal irony. Even the very first sentence partly quoted in the above paragraph contains the indefinite article ‘a’ before heart trouble. It is a vague, unexplained form of heart ‘disease’ (the word disease is only used at the end of the story) which could be an emotional, or psychosomatic reaction to Mrs Millard’s day to day life ‘under the thumb’ of her husband. One must remember the story was written in the 19th century, well before the feminist movement and a substantial degree of equality achieved over the subsequent years by women. Another instance of verbal irony is when she ‘breathed a quick prayer that life might be long’. She repeats ‘with a shudder

Jurassic Park Summary Report Essay Example for Free

Jurassic Park Summary Report Essay Jurassic Park Summary Report Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton is a thrilling, science fiction novel. It tells the story about the cloning of dinosaurs, which are to be controlled in a theme park, however one mans greed, drove the park into devastation and destruction. I consider the plot to be complex. The novel is based upon a theme park featuring dinosaurs, which are created from prehistoric DNA. The novel begins with bizarre attacks from bird like creatures. John Hammond a wealthy, elderly man establishes this park. However, before the ark is to be opened, Hammond invites three scientists to come visit the island to approve of it. They are Alan Grant a Paleontologist, Ellie Sattler a Poleobotanist, and Ian Malcolm a Mathematician. Hammond also invites his two eager grandchildren, Tim and Lex, to come explore the park. While they are visiting they separate into groups to take a tour of the park. They depart in electric-run land cruisers. While they are examining the surroundings around them Tim and Lex notice raptors leaving on a boat to go to the mainland. Meanwhile, a rival company is paying a disgruntled employee at the park, Dennis Nedry, a million and half-dollars to steal dinosaur embryos. After Nedry has followed through with the plans the security system is shut down leaving the electricity shut off. Grant and the rest of his company are now stranded in the park. Their land cruisers break down on the perimeter of the tyrannosaurus padlock. The group is terrified to find that the fences are not electrified and that the t-rex has escaped. The t-rex attacks the vehicle with the children in it and the remainder of the people are killed r manage to escape. Grant, Lex, and Tim are unfortunately now trapped in the park together. While they are in the park they have to hide and run from many dangerous predators. Whilst trying to reach safety Grant observes eggshells. This causes him to anticipate that the dinosaurs in the park are breeding. Grant was told that this could not be possible considering the park had only female dinosaurs in it. Grant brings the eggshells with him to provide evidence that they are in fact breeding. Grant believes that when inosaurs are all of the female gender and therefore dont have any one to mate with, they are capable of randomly changing their sex. The people who survive their visit to Jurassic Park are taken off the island to safety. there are a dozen frozen embryos still in existence, the possibility still remains for more dinosaurs to be produced. The theme greed is distinctively revealed in Jurassic Park. I strongly agree with the message that Michael Crichton is trying to portray. The message itself shows that the motivation of greed does not guarantee success in life. John Hammond the owner of Jurassic Park demonstrates an excellent example of greed. Hammonds greed was motivated by his desire for wealth. This ultimately led to nor only his own desire, but many other lives were ruined and the reality of the park was destroyed. The plot was very intense; it had many events that were suspenseful though forceful. I enjoyed the plot, in general I considered it to be clear, exciting, and reasonably interesting. I thought Michael Crichton overall did a superior Job on the plot. The events I found were well structured, and generally simple to follow. I considered the plot to be believable and as I read I found myself questioning whether the cloning of dinosaurs could actually take place. I wondered if scientists had actually tried to take prehistoric DNA from mosquitoes and try to recreate prehistoric creatures. I imagine that Michael Crichton had to put a lot of consideration into creating the plot so it would make the novel become alive. I thought the novel was exhilarating and most amusing to read. I believe that Jurassic Park was extremely well written. I would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone.

Comparison of Vietnamese and English Language: Idioms

Comparison of Vietnamese and English Language: Idioms Abstract Language is a system of communication of a nation. Every nation has their own historical, civilized, cultural, climatic characteristics, so every nation has their own language. However, different nations have similarities and differences in expressing their ideas. Studying similarities and differences between idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese is liable to help the researcher to affirm that. Moreover, making some comparisons is a good way to memorize English idioms of comparison effectively and enjoyably. Hence, translation skill can be improved thanks to more knowledge about idioms. In addition, making comparisons between English and Vietnamese idioms can help the researcher to understand more about cultures of both of countries since similarities and differences in culture reflect coincidences and dissimilarities in ways of thinking and looking at the world of English and Vietnamese people. Idioms of comparison in Vietnamese and English:  A Contrastive Analysis Introduction Idioms of comparison are applied frequently in literature and in daily life. It serves as a tool to make the language more graphic. However, every language has differences in ways of expressing the same idea using idioms of comparison. The goal of the study is to discover some common types of comparison used in English and Vietnamese idioms. In addition, the study chiefly aims at finding out some similarities and differences between comparison idioms in both English and Vietnamese. Because there are so many comparison idioms in both languages, it is impossible to include all of them in the study. The study can just explore comparison idiomatic expressions which play an important part in the purpose of the study. Theoretical Framework Theoretical background of idioms in English Definition of idioms in English The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defines idioms as: A group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words (Hornby, 2006, p.740). The viewpoint is supported in A Dictionary of Linguistics Phonetics. The author regards an idiom as a term used in grammar and lexicography to refer to a sequence of words which us semantically and often syntactically restricted, so that they function as a single unit (Crystal, 1985, p.225). According to A Dictionary of Linguistics, an idiom is any expression peculiar to a language, conveying a distinct meaning, not necessarily explicable by, occasionally even contrary to, the general accepted grammatical rules (Pei Gaynor, 1954, p.95). Feature of English idioms When mentioning semantic features of idioms, we had better focus on the figurative meaning of idioms. It is the most important characteristic of idioms to know whether an expression is an idiom or not. According to Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary: A idiom is a group of words which, when they are used together in a particular combination, has a different meaning from the one they would have if you took the meaning of the individual words in the group. (Sinclair, 1987, p.718) Smiley Goldtein (1998) also suggest that idioms are certainly more than the sums of their parts (p.76). That means the meaning of components of an idiom is different from the meaning of the whole idiom. That we can guess the meaning of an idiom or not depends on open or closed classes. As Yong and Peng (2007) suggest: In open class combinations, individual components are freely recombination and are used in a common literal sense. As co-occurrence of individual components is expected of this class of combinations, both their meaning and structures are predictable amenable to analysis. (p.178) For instance, we can guess the meaning of the idiom turn over a new leaf. Turn over means to make something change position so that the other side is facing towards the outside or the top and a new leaf is a leaf which is more beautiful, more perfect. Therefore, the meaning of the idioms can be guessed as to change your way of life to become a better, more responsible person. However, in close class combinations, we cannot guess the meaning of idioms. That is because they are characterized by semantic opaqueness, syntactic restrictions and structural stability (Yong Peng, 2007, p.178). For example, the idioms spread oneself too thin or for the birds. Idioms have a fixed form that usually cannot be changed (Heacock, 2003, p.ix). However, Heacock (2003) also claims: Not all fixed phrases are idioms. For example, close your eyes is a common fixed phrase, but not an idiom because each word in it is used in its standard meaning. The phrase keep your skirt is an idiom, however, because the phrase does not mean do not take off your skirt it means stay calm. (p.ix) Idioms can be divided into six different forms or structures: + Idioms located at noun entries such as in addition to', for the birdsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + Idioms located at verb entries such as look forward to, take off, hear aboutà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + Idioms located at adjectival entries such as in short, hot under the collarà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + Idioms located at adverbial entries such as once again, worse off à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + Idioms located at pronominal entries such as give it up, come to nothingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + Idioms located at numeral entries such as give a hundred percent, one by oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Its really important to know that modifying any components and functional words can lose the idiomatic meaning (Yong Peng, 2007). Theoretical background of idioms in Vietnamese Definition of idioms in Vietnamese According to Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « Ä ià ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™n Thà  nh Ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ và   Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥c Ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ Vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡t Nam: Thà  nh ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ Tià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿ng Vià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡t là   nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £p tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹nh cà ³ cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥u trà ºc tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « hoà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·c cà ¢u nhÆ °ng hoà  n toà  n thuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢c phà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡m trà ¹ cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥p tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ «, Ä‘Æ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £c mà £ hà ³a hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ §u hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ u cà ³ tà ­nh chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t cà ¡ch Ä‘ià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡u nghà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ thuà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­t, và   chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ° là  m mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t thà  nh phà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ §n trong cà ¢u nà ³i. (Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n, 2010, p.5) As Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n (2007) has noted in his book, thà  nh ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ là   tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­p hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £p tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹nh Ä‘Ã £ quen dà ¹ng mà   nghÄ ©a cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §a nà ³ thÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ng khà ´ng thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™ già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £i thà ­ch Ä‘Æ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £c mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t cà ¡ch Ä‘Æ ¡n già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £n bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng nghÄ ©a cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §a cà ¡c tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ « tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡o nà ªn nà ³ (p. 8). Features of Vietnamese idioms Idioms are characterized by figurative and metaphorical meanings. Therefore, its too difficult to comprehend although we know the meanings of all their components. For example, là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y thà ºng à ºp voi, gà   Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã†â€™ gà   cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥c tà ¡c, Ä‘i guà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœc trong bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥ngà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Especially idioms are originated from fairy tales, folk talesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦such as ba que xà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  là ¡, thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t cà £i thà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng khià ªng, nà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £ nhÆ ° chà ºa Chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¢m, sÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ­ Hà   Ä Ãƒ ´ngà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n, Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n Phan, 2009). Idioms usually consist of more than 3 components whose counterpoint, alliteration and rhyme are combined with each other in many different ways. There are some idioms of comparison such as nà ³ng nhÆ ° là ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ­a, khà ³c nhÆ ° mÆ °a, nhanh nhÆ ° chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºpà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Also, there are some idioms which are created according to counterpoint, alliteration such as tai to mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·t là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºn, mià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ng hà ¹m gan sà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©a, cà ¹ng hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢i cà ¹ng thuyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ n, ong bÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºm là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ lÆ ¡ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Besides, some idioms are originally spoken words in everyday speech which are usually used again and again for a long time and then develop figurative meanings to become idioms, for instance chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §i và ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  rà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ «ng, theo voi hà ­t bà £ mà ­a, nÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºc chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £y chà ¡Ã‚ »- trÃ…Â ©ng, Ä‘i guà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ Ëœc trong bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥ngà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n et al, 2009). Theoretical background of English idioms of comparison At first, we should find out the definition of idioms of comparison which are also called similes. There are a lot of definitions of simile. According to Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, simile is a word or phrase that compares sth to sth else, using the words like or as, for example a face like a mask or as white as snow; the use of such words and phrases (Hornby, 2006, p.1369). An idiom of comparison is also defined as: the comparison of two nouns with different meanings, using the words like or as to make the connection. Friendship is like ice cream, fear moved like lighting, and leaves feel as slippery as fish are examples of similes. (Tucker, 2002, p.41) There is also a similar but shorter definition in The Challenge of Effective Speaking: A simile is a direct comparison of dissimilar things using the word like or as (Verderber, Verderber Sellnow, 2008, p.197). The meanings of similes are figurative. Take the simile as tall as a tree as an example. When you say: Minh is as stubborn as a mule, you mean Minh is so stubborn, not Minh is as stubborn as a mule. Therefore, the simile as stubborn as a mule is considered figurative. Learners can sometimes be confused between similes and metaphors but they are really different: A metaphor, like a simile, is a comparison between two essentially unlike things. In contrast to a simile, however, where an explicit comparison is made (The eye is like a lamp for the body), the metaphor makes an implicit comparison (The eye is lamp of the body). (Robert H. Stein 15) Huff (2004) asserts that the only difference between simile and metaphor is that metaphor does not use the words like or as to make the comparison (p.98). In other words, two distinctly different things in a simile are connected by like or as while a metaphor is an implied but in many ways even more direct than comparison because the reader is expected to identify the comparison without the word like or as (Osborne, 1997, p.124). However, because similes merely join two disparate ideas or images, they are generally less fertile than metaphors, which can evoke additional and fresh shades of meaning (Ehrenhaft, 2008, p.145). Theoretical background of Vietnamese idioms of comparison In Vietnamese, there are 2 kinds of idioms of comparison: one employs the word nhÆ °, tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ±a, tà  y, bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng, tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ±a nhÆ ° or cÃ…Â ©ng nhÆ ° and one doesnt. Based on similarities of characteristics of 2 things, 2 phenomena, 2 actions, the Vietnamese create a large number of idioms which use A to name or to modify B. Eg: Mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·t trà ¡i xoan: oval-shaped face. Star: a famous and talented person (usually in art, sport, culture). (Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n, 2010) The other kind of idioms of comparison includes the word bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ±ng, tà  y, tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ±a, sà ¡nh, nhÆ ° or cÃ…Â ©ng nhÆ ° which divides an idiom into 2 parts. Both of parts can be a noun, verb, phrase or clause. The second part whose function is predicating and complementing the first part is counted from comparative word. Eg: In the idiom tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢i tà  y Ä‘Ã ¬nh, tà  y Ä‘Ã ¬nh is the complement of the noun tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢i. In the idiom chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡y nhÆ ° bay, nhÆ ° bay is the complement of the verb chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡y. (Nguyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦n, 2010) A contrastive analysis of comparison idioms in English and Vietnamese Quantity comparison There are about 700 idioms of comparison in English, for example, as warm as sunbeam, to follow like a shadow, to work like a Trojan,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ There are a similarity in the number of idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese. Some examples of Vietnamese idioms of comparison are là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡nh nhÆ ° tià ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ n, xanh nhÆ ° tà  u là ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Similarities of idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese Although the culture of two nations is different, ways of thinking and looking at the world of English and Vietnamese is somehow similar. Hence, both Vietnamese and English express ideas and concepts in the same way. In fact, a large number of Vietnamese idioms of comparison are similar with English idioms of comparison in terms of both concept and image to express. English idioms Vietnamese idioms As black as coal Ä en nhÆ ° than As black as crow Ä en nhÆ ° quà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡ As black as ink Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi Ä‘en nhÆ ° mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ±c As sweet as sugar Ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ t nhÆ ° Ä‘Æ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ng As black as soot Ä en nhÆ ° bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å" hà ³ng As brief as a dream Ngà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯n nhÆ ° mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥c mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢ng As bright as day Sà ¡ng nhÆ ° ban ngà  y As brilliant as stars Sà ¡ng nhÆ ° sao As changeable as the weather Hay thay Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i nhÆ ° thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i tià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As cold as ice Là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡nh nhÆ ° băng As cheerful as a lark Vui nhÆ ° sà ¡o As cunning as a fox Xà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £o quyà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡t nhÆ ° cà ¡o As dark as midnight Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi nhÆ ° nà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ­a Ä‘Ã ªm As dumb as a an oyster Cà ¢m nhÆ ° hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿n As fair as a rose Xinh nhÆ ° hoa As fast as a hare Nhanh nhÆ ° thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  As fat as a pig Mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­p nhÆ ° heo As fierce as a tiger Dà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ nhÆ ° cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ p As firm as rock Và ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¯ng nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ¡ As fleet as the wind Nhanh nhÆ ° già ³ As fresh a rose TÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i nhÆ ° hoa As gay as a lark Vui nhÆ ° sà ¡o As gruff as a bear Hà ¡Ã‚ »-n nhÆ ° gà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥u As good (valuable) as gold Quà ½ nhÆ ° và  ng As green as a leaf Xanh nhÆ ° tà  u là ¡ As heavy as an elephant Nà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·ng nhÆ ° voi As hard as a stone Cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©ng nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ¡ As heavy as lead Nà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·ng nhÆ ° chà ¬ As hot as fire Nà ³ng nhÆ ° là ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ­a As keen as a razor Sà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯c nhÆ ° dao cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡o As light as down Nhà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¹ tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ±a là ´ng hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"ng As light as a feather Nhà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¹ tÆ °a là ´ng hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"ng As mum as an oyster Cà ¢m nhÆ ° hà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿n As pretty as a picture Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¹p nhÆ ° tranh As quick as lightning Nhanh nhÆ ° à ¡nh sà ¡ng As quick as a flash Nhanh nhÆ ° chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp As red as blood Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  nhÆ ° mà ¡u As red as a beetroot Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  nhÆ ° gà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥c As sharp as a razor Sà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯c nhÆ ° dao cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡o As silly as a calf Ngu nhÆ ° bà ² As sour as vinegar Chua nhÆ ° già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥m As stink as a polecat Hà ´i nhÆ ° chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"n As swift as lightning Nhanh nhÆ ° chà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºp As smooth as velvet Mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹n nhÆ ° nhung As slow as a snail Chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ­m nhÆ ° sà ªn As swift as an arrow Nhanh nhÆ ° tà ªn bà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯n As steady as rock Cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©ng nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ¡ As timid as a rabbit/ hare Nhà ¡t nhÆ ° thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿ As thick as ants Ä Ãƒ ´ng nhÆ ° kià ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿n As transparent as glass Trong suà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœt nhÆ ° thà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §y tinh As yellow as saffron Và  ng nhÆ ° nghà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ As wet as a drowned mouse Æ ¯Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºt nhÆ ° chuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t là ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t As white as snow Trà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯ng nhÆ ° tuyà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As white as a sheet NhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  già ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y trà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯ng Like father like son Cha nà  o con nà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥y To fight like cat and dog NhÆ ° chà ³ và ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºi mà ¨o To stick like a leech Bà ¡m dai nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ °a To stick like glue Dà ­nh nhÆ ° keo To cry like a baby Khà ³c nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ©a trà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ » To follow like a shadow Theo nhÆ ° hà ¬nh và ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºi bà ³ng To swim like fish BÆ ¡i nhÆ ° cà ¡ Differences of idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese The same content but different images to express Images of idiomatic comparisons in twp nations are different result from differences in culture. Vietnam has the cultural tradition of the wet rice production. Therefore, animals have a strong attachment to Vietnamese daily life. Thats why Vietnamese idioms of comparison consist of images related to buffaloes which are an animal familiar with rice production agriculture. Buffaloes pull ploughs, work very hard everyday to help farmers in their farming. As a result, wanting to mention strength, people often refer to buffaloes. In fact, to talk about someone very strong, the Vietnamese have the idiom khà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ e nhÆ ° trà ¢u while the English have the idiom as strong as a horse. Thats because English people prefer horses to buffaloes. Horses can not only pull ploughs but also transport and entertain. They are really energetic and strong enough to help people in life. In spite of that, it doesnt mean that English people dont consider buffaloes strong animals or Vietnamese people dont regard horses as strong animals. That results just from the difference in culture. Also, dragons are a kind of animal which is very close in fertile imagination of Vietnamese people. Because of that, the image as a dragon appear in the Vietnamese idiom of comparison ăn nhÆ ° rà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å"ng cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœn to talk about eating large quantities of food while the image of a horse is used in the idiom to eat like a horse. Lamp, butter are so familiar with English life while sweet potatoes, pig are familiar with Vietnamese life, as a result there are differences in images to express their ideas of gentleness and fatness: English idioms Vietnamese idioms As gentle as a lamp Hià ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ n nhÆ ° cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ § khoai As fat as butter Bà ©o nhÆ ° là ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £n Besides, the differences in the ways of thinking and observing the world make differences in the images of idiomatic comparisons. Take some following examples to illustrate that: English idioms Vietnamese idioms As easy as ABC Dà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ nhÆ ° trà ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ bà  n tay As easy as pie Dà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ nhÆ ° trà ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ bà  n tay As easy as anything Dà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ nhÆ ° trà ¡Ã‚ »Ã… ¸ bà  n tay As smooth as butter MÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ £t nhÆ ° nhung As pale as a ghost Xanh nhÆ ° tà  u là ¡ As lazy as a lizard LÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ i nhÆ ° hà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §i As soft as wax Mà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ m nhÆ ° bà ºn As merry as a cricket Vui nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As cheerful as the birds Vui nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As glad as a fly Vui nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As happy as a child Vui nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As happy as a clam Vui nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As dark as midnight Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ªm ba mÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i As black as midnight Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi nhÆ ° Ä‘Ã ªm 30 As dark as midnight Tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœi nhÆ ° hÃ…Â © nà ºt As close as herrings Chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·t nhÆ ° nà ªm As soundly as a log (Ngà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ §) say nhÆ ° chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿t As cold as marble Là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡nh nhÆ ° tià ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ n As dry as a biscuit Khà ´ nhÆ ° ngà ³i As red as lipstick Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  nhÆ ° gà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥c As thin as finger Gà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ §y nhÆ ° bà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢ xÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡ng khà ´ As weak as a kitten Yà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿u nhÆ ° sà ªn As weak as a baby Yà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¿u nhÆ ° sà ªn As black as a stack of black cats Ä en nhÆ ° cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t nhà   chà ¡y As black as the ace of spades Ä en nhÆ ° cà º sà ºng As round as a barrel Trà ²n nhÆ ° quà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ £ bà ³ng As old as the hills XÆ °a nhÆ ° trà ¡i Ä‘Ã ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¥t As hot as mustard Cay nhÆ ° à ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºt Like hot cake Ä Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯t nhÆ ° tà ´m tÆ °Ãƒâ€ Ã‚ ¡i As silent as the dead Im là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·ng nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  As silent as the grave Im là ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ·ng nhÆ ° tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  What is more, the differences in human make differences between English and Vietnamese idioms. For example, in Vietnam, there is the idiom ghen nhÆ ° Hoà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡n ThÆ ° to refer to a person who is dreadfully jealous. However, in English, the idiom as jealous as Othello is used to talk about a ones jealousy. Another example is sÆ °Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ºng nhÆ ° tià ªn and as happy as a king. Indeed, Vietnamese people consider a fairy the happiest one while English people consider a king the happiest one. The same components but the dissimilar content Every so often, some images of comparison can appear in both Vietnamese and English idioms but the meaning of the two whole idioms are quite different. Thats because the meaning of components differs in culture. Indeed, using the idiom rà µ nhÆ ° ban ngà  y, the Vietnamese want to indicate a event which has nothing fishy. Meanwhile English people use the idiom as bright as day to describe a light room. Besides, when the weather is fine and sunny with good natural light, English people say: Its as bright as day. Besides, wanting to compliment someone on his or her beauty of eyes, Vietnamese people say: Mà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯t cà ´ sà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯c nhÆ ° dao cà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¡o. Still, English people use the idiom as sharp as a razor to refer to ones brainpower. What is more, whilst Vietnamese people apply the idiom chà ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¯c nhÆ ° Ä‘inh Ä‘Ã ³ng cà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢t to something steady, as hard as nails in English idiom means a person who is quite strict. Also, when Vietnamese people say: Nà ³ tà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœt nhÆ ° và  ng, they mean its worth buying the object because of its good quality. In contrast, as good as gold cannot be used to compliment an object. In other words, English people never say: Its as good as gold but The person is as good as gold. The person can be an assiduous and submissive child or a well-behaved adult. Pedagogical Implications for Teaching English Idioms of comparison Learning English idioms is one of steps so as to help learners master English. English idioms of comparison are frequently used in daily life. Therefore, teachers should help their students learn idioms most effectively. Firstly, its advisable for teachers to raise students awareness of similarities and differences between Vietnamese and English idioms of comparison. When teachers teach their students a certain English idiom of comparison, they should let them guess the Vietnamese idiom which is equivalent to that idiom, making a comparison and explain why they are similar or different. Its really useful for them to have a long-term memory about that idiom of comparison. Secondly, idioms of comparison as well as other idioms are taught and practiced in classroom but students rarely apply them to their daily speech. Thats why teachers should encourage students to use idioms of comparison in their daily life as frequently as possible. Learners will memorize idioms better if idioms of comparison are put into communicative contexts. Dont make them learn by heart. Thirdly, teachers should draw students attention to idioms of comparison which are most useful and most frequent. As there are so many idioms of comparison in English culture, about 700, students arent liable to memorize and apply all of them in their daily life. Students should be taught to know what idioms of comparison they should learn. Conclusion There are both similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese idioms of comparison. The same or different image can bear resemblance in the meaning of English and Vietnamese idioms of comparison. In addition, there are some idioms of comparison which have the same components but the meaning are quite different. Great as have the researcher made an attempt to do the research, there are some restrictions on the research out of the limited time and other unexpected factors. The researcher hopes that the research will a useful material for learners and teachers to learn or teach most effectively.

Q. Tarantinos Use of Different Film Elements in Kill Bill and Pulp Fic

Q. Tarantino's Use of Different Film Elements in Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino has used the lightning, colour, sound, camera, mise-en-scene, iconography, speed of editing and special effects in Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction to make the audience want to carry on watching. These film elements have been used very effectively by the director in the openings of both films to build audience interest. The first aspect – lightning was very helpful in building interest in Kill Bill. The opening scene of Kill Bill is in black and white. It was originally coloured but the critics have decided that the blood which appears in this scene is too offensive and have censored it. The best way to make the blood ‘less visible’ without remaking the beginning of the film was to use black and white. It has a dramatic and disturbing effect on the audience because of the negative atmosphere the scene gets them into – the audience feels danger, suspense. In the opening scene lightning has been used to characterise the woman. The light is natural; it comes from the windows in the church where the scene is set. The woman’s face is half lit but the other half is black. This was probably shown to symbolise her two sides: good and bad. It gives the audience an insight into the woman’s character – it tells them that she does have an evil side. At this point the audience might have a good reason to keep on watching – to find out those two sides of the woman they have just met. The first scene of Kill Bill confronts the audience’s idea on what wedding should look like. The woman, which is heavily beaten up is wearing... ... it interesting, full of iconography, dynamic effects, original sound etc. the director built himself a great tool for keeping the audience until the whole plot is justified. A non-linear plot is also ‘unique’ to films directed by Quentin Tarantino, by whom this style has been developed. If I was Quentin Tarantino, I would call my new film ‘Contradiction’. I think that it would fit the ‘Tarantino style’ of things in the wrong order. It links with the theme of paradox, for example one thing denies another, but that other thing seems true. The same can be spotted in Tarantino films – the end is at the beginning and the beginning at the end, so what is the beginning and what is the end in reality? Although the narrative is non-linear, in Tarantino’s films there is always a clear key, consequence that justifies the plot.

Poverty and Voting in America Essay -- American United States Politics

Review of the Literature: For my topic of research, the dynamics of poverty and voting in America, I used a vast number of sources in an attempt to produce the most accurate and broad discussion possible. The sources I believe to be the most reliable were: 1) the scholarly works (Friedman; Raskin), which were purely scientific and did not include political biases, but rather examined the facts from as neutral a point of view as possible; 2) the government reports (DeNavas-Walt; Dept. of Commerce; Dept. of Labor, McNeil), which also appeared to be politically neutral and created in a scientific fashion. These two types of sources mainly provided statistics on voting and poverty numbers through charts and graphs. The next set of sources came from less reliable media (â€Å"Election†; Loughlin; Wetherell), but still were purely observational and not opinionated. They came from online news sites, so they cannot be considered as academic as the first set, but the type of articles they are leaves little for the author’s own opinion. They also weren’t intentionally targeting a specific political party or ideology. The following set of sources hint of bias in the way they present their information, but the information itself seems scientific (Cervantes; Drum; Piven). These sources integrate some liberal opinions of the information into the material; however, they give seemingly accurate facts. â€Å"America,† James, and Wicker make up the next group of sources, which aren’t necessarily biased, but are more opinionated than factual. Facts are provided, but the authors’ ideas play a large part in these works. They are fairly neutral politically, however, and look at government more as a whole; both political parties are criticize... ...rg. 2005. Center for Community Change. 1 March 2006 . ProjectVote.org. 2004. Project Vote. 1 March 2006 . Raskin, Jamin B. â€Å"Race, Poverty and the ‘Wealth Primary.’† Poverty & Race. 6.2 (1997): 1-5. Shipler, David K. The Working Poor: Invisible in America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Sood, Suemedha. â€Å"You don’t need a home to vote.† Alternet.com. 26 August 2004. Independent Media Institute. 1 March 2006 . Wetherell, Derrick. â€Å"The Bush 100: Center Releases Report on Bush’s Top Appointees.† Publicintegrity.org. 14 January 2002. The Center for Public Integrity. 12 February 2006 . Wicker, Tom. â€Å"Delivering the Vote.† New York Times. 15 August 1971, E15 (1 page).

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 2 Flight

TRANTOR-†¦ The capital of the First Galactic Empire†¦ Under Cleon I, it had its â€Å"twilight glow.† To all appearances, it was then at its peak. Its land surface of 200 million square kilometers was entirely domed (except for the Imperial Palace area) and underlaid with an endless city that extended beneath the continental shelves. The population was 40 billion and although the signs were plentiful (and clearly visible in hindsight) that there were gathering problems, those who lived on Trantor undoubtedly found it still the Eternal World of legend and did not expect it would ever†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica 6. Seldon looked up. A young man was standing before him, looking down at him with an expression of amused contempt. Next to him was another young man-a bit younger, perhaps. Both were large and appeared to be strong. They were dressed in an extreme of Trantorian fashion, Seldon judged-boldly clashing colors, broad fringed belts, round hats with wide brims all about and the two ends of a bright pink ribbon extending from the brim to the back of the neck. In Seldon's eyes, it was amusing and he smiled. The young man before him snapped, â€Å"What're you grinning at, misfit?† Seldon ignored the manner of address and said gently, â€Å"Please pardon my smile. I was merely enjoying your costume.† â€Å"My costume? So? And what are you wearing? What's that awful offal you call clothes?† His hand went out and his finger flicked at the lapel of Seldon's jacket-disgracefully heavy and dull, Seldon himself thought, in comparison to the other's lighthearted colors. Seldon said, â€Å"I'm afraid it's my Outworlder clothes. They're all I have.† He couldn't help notice that the few others who were sitting in the small park were rising to their feet and walking off. It was as though they were expecting trouble and had no desire to remain in the vicinity. Seldon wondered if his new friend, Hummin, was leaving too, but he felt it injudicious to take his eyes away from the young man who was confronting him. He teetered back on his chair slightly. The young man said, â€Å"You an Outworlder?† â€Å"That's right. Hence my clothes.† â€Å"Hence? What kind of word's that? Outworld word?† â€Å"What I meant was, that was why my clothes seem peculiar to you. I'm a visitor here.† â€Å"From what planet?† â€Å"Helicon.† The young man's eyebrows drew together. â€Å"Never heard of it.† â€Å"It's not a large planet.† â€Å"Why don't you go back there?† â€Å"I intend to. I'm leaving tomorrow.† â€Å"Sooner! Now!† The young man looked at his partner. Seldon followed the look and caught a glimpse of Hummin. He had not left, but the park was now empty except for himself, Hummin, and the two young men. Seldon said, â€Å"I'd thought I'd spend today sight-seeing.† â€Å"No. You don't want to do that. You go home now.† Seldon smiled. â€Å"Sorry. I won't.† The young man said to his partner. â€Å"You like his clothes, Marbie?† Marbie spoke for the first time. â€Å"No. Disgusting. Turns the stomach.† â€Å"Can't let him go around turning stomachs, Marbie. Not good for people's health.† â€Å"No, not by no means, Alem,† said Marbie. Alem grinned. â€Å"Well now. You heard what Marbie said.† And now Hummin spoke. He said, â€Å"Look, you two, Alem, Marbie, whatever your names are. You've had your fun. Why don't you go away?† Alem, who had been leaning slightly toward Seldon, straightened and turned. â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"That's not your business,† snapped Hummin. â€Å"You're Trantorian?† asked Alem. â€Å"Also not your business.† Alem frowned and said, â€Å"You're dressed Trantorian. We're not interested in you, so don't go looking for problems.† â€Å"I intend to stay. That means there are two of us. Two against two doesn't sound like your kind of fight. Why don't you go away and get some friends so you can handle two people?† Seldon said, â€Å"I really think you ought to get away if you can, Hummin. It's kind of you to try to protect me, but I don't want you harmed.† â€Å"These are not dangerous people, Seldon. Just half-credit lackeys.† â€Å"Lackeys!† The word seemed to infuriate Alem, so that Seldon thought it must have a more insulting meaning on Trantor than it had on Helicon. â€Å"Here, Marbie,† said Alem with a growl. â€Å"You take care of that other motherlackey and I'll rip the clothes off this Seldon. He's the one we want. Now-â€Å" His hands came down sharply to seize Seldon's lapels and jerk him upright. Seldon pushed away, instinctively it would seem, and his chair tipped backward. He seized the hands stretched toward him, his foot went up, and his chair went down. Somehow Alem streaked overhead, turning as he did so, and came down hard on his neck and back behind Seldon. Seldon twisted as his chair went down and was quickly on his feet, staring down at Alem, then looking sharply to one side for Marbie. Alem lay unmoving, his face twisted in agony. He had two badly sprained thumbs, excruciating pain in his groin, and a backbone that had been badly jarred. Hummin's left arm had grabbed Marbie's neck from behind and his right arm had pulled the other's right arm backward at a vicious angle. Marbie's face was red as he labored uselessly for breath. A knife, glittering with a small laser inset, lay on the ground beside them. Hummin eased his grip slightly and said, with an air of honest concern, â€Å"You've hurt that one badly.† Seldon said, â€Å"I'm afraid so. If he had fallen a little differently, he would have snapped his neck.† Hummin said, â€Å"What kind of a mathematician are you?† â€Å"A Heliconian one.† He stooped to pick up the knife and, after examining it, said, â€Å"Disgusting-and deadly.† Hummin said, â€Å"An ordinary blade would do the job without requiring a power source.-But let's let these two go. I doubt they want to continue any further.† He released Marbie, who rubbed first his shoulder then his neck. Gasping for air, he turned hate-filled eyes on the two men. Hummin said sharply, â€Å"You two had better get out of here. Otherwise we'll have to give evidence against you for assault and attempted murder. This knife can surely be traced to you.† Seldon and Hummin watched while Marbie dragged Alem to his feet and then helped him stagger away, still bent in pain. They looked back once or twice, but Seldon and Hummin watched impassively. Seldon held out his hand. â€Å"How do I thank you for coming to the aid of a stranger against two attackers? I doubt I would have been able to handle them both on my own.† Hummin raised his hand in a deprecatory manner. â€Å"I wasn't afraid of them. They're just street-brawling lackeys. All I had to do was get my hands on them-and yours, too, of course.† â€Å"That's a pretty deadly grip you have,† Seldon mused. Hummin shrugged. â€Å"You too.† Then, without changing his tone of voice, he said, â€Å"Come on, we'd better get out of here. We're wasting time.† Seldon said, â€Å"Why do we have to get away? Are you afraid those two will come back?† â€Å"Not in their lifetime. But some of those brave people who cleared out of the park so quickly in their eagerness to spare themselves a disagreeable sight may have alerted the police.† â€Å"Fine. We have the hoodlums' names. And we can describe them fairly well.† â€Å"Describe them? Why would the police want them?† â€Å"They committed an assault-â€Å" â€Å"Don't be foolish. We don't have a scratch. They're virtually hospital bait, especially Alem. We're the ones who will be charged.† â€Å"But that's impossible. Those people witnessed the fact that-â€Å" â€Å"No people will be called.-Seldon, get this into your head. Those two came to find you-specifically you. They were told you were wearing Heliconian clothes and you must have been described precisely. Perhaps they were even shown a holograph. I suspect they were sent by the people who happen to control the police, so let's not wait any longer.† Hummin hurried off, his hand gripping Seldon's upper arm. Seldon found the grip impossible to shake and, feeling like a child in the hands of an impetuous nurse, followed. They plunged into an arcade and, before Seldon's eyes grew accustomed to the dimmer light, they heard the burring sound of a ground-car's brakes. â€Å"There they are,† muttered Hummin. â€Å"Faster, Seldon.† They hopped onto a moving corridor and lost themselves in the crowd. 7. Seldon had tried to persuade Hummin to take him to his hotel room, but Hummin would have none of that. â€Å"Are you mad?† he half-whispered. â€Å"They'll be waiting for you there.† â€Å"But all my belongings are waiting for me there too.† â€Å"They'll just have to wait.† And now they were in a small room in a pleasant apartment structure that might be anywhere for all that Seldon could tell. He looked about the one-room unit. Most of it was taken up by a desk and chair, a bed, and a computer outlet. There were no dining facilities or washstand of any kind, though Hummin had directed him to a communal washroom down the hall. Someone had entered before Seldon was quite through. He had cast one brief and curious look at Seldon's clothes, rather than at Seldon himself, and had then looked away. Seldon mentioned this to Hummin, who shook his head and said, â€Å"We'll have to get rid of your clothes. Too bad Helicon is so far out of fashion-â€Å" Seldon said impatiently, â€Å"How much of this might just be your imagination, Hummin? You've got me half-convinced and yet it may be merely a kind of†¦ of-â€Å" â€Å"Are you groping for the word ‘paranoia'?† â€Å"All right, I am. This may be some strange paranoid notion of yours.† Hummin said, â€Å"Think about it, will you? I can't argue it out mathematically, but you've seen the Emperor. Don't deny it. He wanted something from you and you didn't give it to him. Don't deny that either. I suspect that details of the future are what he wants and you refused. Perhaps Demerzel thinks you're only pretending not to have the details-that you're holding out for a higher price or that someone else is bidding for it too. Who knows? I told you that if Demerzel wants you, he'll get you wherever you are. I told you that before those two splitheads ever appeared on the scene. I'm a journalist and a Trantorian. I know how these things go. At one point, Alem said, ‘He's the one we want.' Do you remember that?† â€Å"As it happens,† said Seldon. â€Å"I do.† â€Å"To him I was only the ‘other motherlackey' to be kept off, while he went about the real job of assaulting you.† Hummin sat down in the chair and pointed to the bed. â€Å"Stretch out, Seldon. Make yourself comfortable. Whoever sent those two-it must have been Demerzel, in my opinion-can send others, so we'll have to get rid of those clothes of yours. I think any other Heliconian in this sector caught in his own world's garb is going to have trouble until he can prove he isn't you.† â€Å"Oh come on.† â€Å"I mean it. You'll have to take off the clothes and we'll have to atomize them-if we can get close enough to a disposal unit without being seen. And before we can do that I'll have to get you a Trantorian outfit. You're smaller than I am and I'll take that into account. It won't matter if it doesn't fit exactly-â€Å" Seldon shook his head. â€Å"I don't have the credits to pay for it. Not on me. What credits I have-and they aren't much-are in my hotel safe.† â€Å"We'll worry about that another time. You'll have to stay here for an hour or two while I go out in search of the necessary clothing.† Seldon spread his hands and sighed resignedly. â€Å"All right. If it's that important, I'll stay.† â€Å"You won't try to get back to your hotel? Word of honor?† â€Å"My word as a mathematician. But I'm really embarrassed by all the trouble you're taking for me. And expense too. After all, despite all this talk about Demerzel, they weren't really out to hurt me or carry me off. All I was threatened with was the removal of my clothes.† â€Å"Not all. They were also going to take you to the spaceport and put you on a hypership to Helicon.† â€Å"That was a silly threat-not to be taken seriously.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"I'm going to Helicon. I told them so. I'm going tomorrow.† â€Å"And you still plan to go tomorrow?† asked Hummin. â€Å"Certainly. Why not?† â€Å"There are enormous reasons why not.† Seldon suddenly felt angry. â€Å"Come on, Hummin, I can't play this game any further. I'm finished here and I want to go home. My tickets are in the hotel room. Otherwise I'd try to exchange them for a trip today. I mean it.† â€Å"You can't go back to Helicon.† Seldon flushed. â€Å"Why not? Are they waiting for me there too?† Hummin nodded. â€Å"Don't fire up, Seldon. They would be waiting for you there too. Listen to me. If you go to Helicon, you are as good as in Demerzel's hands. Helicon is good, safe Imperial territory. Has Helicon ever rebelled, ever fallen into step behind the banner of an anti-Emperor?† â€Å"No, it hasn't-and for good reason. It's surrounded by larger worlds. It depends on the Imperial peace for security.† â€Å"Exactly! Imperial forces on Helicon can therefore count on the full cooperation of the local government. You would be under constant surveillance at all times. Any time Demerzel wants you, he will be able to have you. And, except for the fact that I am now warning you, you would have no knowledge of this and you would be working in the open, filled with a false security.† â€Å"That's ridiculous. If he wanted me in Helicon, why didn't he simply leave me to myself? I was going there tomorrow. Why would he send those two hoodlums simply to hasten the matter by a few hours and risk putting me on my guard?† â€Å"Why should he think you would be put on your guard? He didn't know I'd be with you, immersing you in what you call my paranoia.† â€Å"Even without the question of warning me, why all the fuss to hurry me by a few hours?† â€Å"Perhaps because he was afraid you would change your mind.† â€Å"And go where, if not home? If he could pick me up on Helicon, he could pick me up anywhere. He could pick me up on†¦ on Anacreon, a good ten thousand parsecs away-if it should fall into my head to go there. What's distance to hyperspatial ships? Even if I find a world that's not quite as subservient to the Imperial forces as Helicon is, what world is in actual rebellion? The Empire is at peace. Even if some worlds are still resentful of injustices in the past, none are going to defy the Imperial armed forces to protect me. Moreover, anywhere but on Helicon I won't be a local citizen and there won't even be that matter of principle to help keep the Empire at bay.† Hummin listened patiently, nodding slightly, but looking as grave and as imperturbable as ever. He said, â€Å"You're right, as far as you go, but there's one world that is not really under the Emperor's control. That, I think, is what must be disturbing Demerzel.† Seldon thought a while, reviewing recent history and finding himself unable to choose a world on which the Imperial forces might be helpless. He said at last, â€Å"What world is that?† Hummin said, â€Å"You're on it, which is what makes the matter so dangerous in Demerzel's eyes, I imagine. It is not so much that he is anxious to have you go to Helicon, as that he is anxious to have you leave Trantor before it occurs to you, for any reason-even if only tourist's mania-to stay.† The two men sat in silence until Seldon finally said sardonically, â€Å"Trantor! The capital of the Empire, with the home base of the fleet on a space station in orbit about it, with the best units of the army quartered here. If you believe that it is Trantor that is the safe world, you're progressing from paranoia to outright fantasy.† â€Å"No! You're an Outworlder, Seldon. You don't know what Trantor is like. It's forty billion people and there are few other worlds with even a tenth of its population. It is of unimaginable technological and cultural complexity. Where we are now is the Imperial Sector-with the highest standard of living in the Galaxy and populated entirely by Imperial functionaries. Elsewhere on the planet, however, are over eight hundred other sectors, some of them with subcultures totally different from what we have here and most of them untouchable by Imperial forces.† â€Å"Why untouchable?† â€Å"The Empire cannot seriously exert force against Trantor. To do so would be bound to shake some facet or other of the technology on which the whole planet depends. The technology is so interrelated that to snap one of the interconnections is to cripple the whole. Believe me, Seldon, we on Trantor observe what happens when there is an earthquake that manages to escape being damped out, a volcanic eruption that is not vented in time, a storm that is not defused, or just some human error that escapes notice. The planet totters and every effort must be made to restore the balance at once.† â€Å"I have never heard of such a thing.† A small smile flickered its way across Hummin's face. â€Å"Of course not. Do you want the Empire to advertise the weakness at its core? However, as a journalist, I know what happens even when the Outworlds don't, even when much of Trantor itself doesn't, even when the Imperial pressure is interested in concealing events. Believe me! The Emperor knows-and Eto Demerzel knows-even if you don't, that to disturb Trantor may destroy the Empire.† â€Å"Then are you suggesting I stay on Trantor for that reason?† â€Å"Yes. I can take you to a place on Trantor where you will be absolutely safe from Demerzel. You won't have to change your name and you will be able to operate entirely in the open and he won't be able to touch you. That's why he wanted to force you off Trantor at once and if it hadn't been for the quirk of fate that brought us together and for your surprising ability to defend yourself, he would have succeeded in doing so.† â€Å"But how long will I have to remain on Trantor?† â€Å"For as long as your safety requires it, Seldon. For the rest of your life, perhaps.† 8. Hari Seldon looked at the holograph of himself cast by Hummin's projector. It was more dramatic and useful than a mirror would have been. In fact, it seemed as though there were two of him in the room. Seldon studied the sleeve of his new tunic. His Heliconian attitudes made him wish the colors were less vibrant, but he was thankful that, as it was, Hummin had chosen softer colors than were customary here on this world. (Seldon thought of the clothing worn by their two assailants and shuddered inwardly.) He said, â€Å"And I suppose I must wear this hat.† â€Å"In the Imperial Sector, yes. To go bareheaded here is a sign of low breeding. Elsewhere, the rules are different.† Seldon sighed. The round hat was made of soft material and molded itself to his head when he put it on. The brim was evenly wide all around, but it was narrower than on the hats his attackers had worn. Seldon consoled himself by noticing that when he wore the hat the brim curved rather gracefully. â€Å"It doesn't have a strap under the chin.† â€Å"Of course not. That's advanced fashion for young lanks.† â€Å"For young what?† â€Å"A lank is someone who wears things for their shock value. I'm sure you have such people on Helicon.† Seldon snorted. â€Å"There are those who wear their hair shoulder-length on one side and shave the other.† He laughed at the memory. Hummin's mouth twisted slightly. â€Å"I imagine it looks uncommonly ugly.† â€Å"Worse. There are lefties and righties, apparently, and each finds the other version highly offensive. The two groups often engage in street brawls.† â€Å"Then I think you can stand the hat, especially without the strap.† Seldon said, â€Å"I'll get used to it.† â€Å"It will attract some attention. It's subdued for one thing and makes you look as if you're in mourning. And it doesn't quite fit. Then, too, you wear it with obvious discomfort. However, we won't be in the Imperial Sector long.-Seen enough?† And the holograph flickered out. Seldon said, â€Å"How much did this cost you?† â€Å"What's the difference?† â€Å"It bothers me to be in your debt.† â€Å"Don't worry about it. This is my choice. But we've been here long enough. I will have been described, I'm quite certain. They'll track me down and they'll come here.† â€Å"In that case,† said Seldon, â€Å"the credits you're spending are a minor matter. You're putting yourself into personal danger on my account. Personal danger!† â€Å"I know that. But it's my free choice and I can take care of myself.† â€Å"But why-â€Å" â€Å"We'll discuss the philosophy of it later.-I've atomized your clothes, by the way, and I don't think I was seen. There was an energy surge, of course, and that would be recorded. Someone might guess what happened from that-it's hard to obscure any action when probing eyes and mind are sharp enough. However, let us hope we'll be safely away before they put it all together.† 9. They traveled along walkways where the light was soft and yellow. Hummin's eyes moved this way and that, watchful, and he kept their pace at crowd speed, neither passing nor being passed. He kept up a mild but steady conversation on indifferent topics. Seldon, edgy and unable to do the same, said, â€Å"There seems to be a great deal of walking here. There are endless lines in both directions and along the crossovers.† â€Å"Why not?† said Hummin. â€Å"Walking is still the best form of short-distance transportation. It's the most convenient, the cheapest, and the most healthful. Countless years of technological advance have not changed that.-Are you acrophobic, Seldon?† Seldon looked over the railing on his right into a deep declivity that separated the two walking lanes-each in an opposite direction between the regularly spaced crossovers. He shuddered slightly. â€Å"If you mean fear of heights, not ordinarily. Still, looking down isn't pleasant. How far does it go down?† â€Å"Forty or fifty levels at this point, I think. This sort of thing is common in the Imperial Sector and a few other highly developed regions. In most places, one walks at what might be considered ground level.† â€Å"I should imagine this would encourage suicide attempts.† â€Å"Not often. There are far easier methods. Besides, suicide is not a matter of social obloquy on Trantor. One can end one's life by various recognized methods in centers that exist for the purpose-if one is willing to go through some psychotherapy at first. There are, occasional accidents, for that matter, but that's not why I was asking about acrophobia. We're heading for a taxi rental where they know me as a journalist. I've done favors for them occasionally and sometimes they do favors for me in return. They'll forget to record me and won't notice that I have a companion. Of course, I'll have to pay a premium and, again of course, if Demerzel's people lean on them hard enough, they'll have to tell the truth and put it down to slovenly accounting, but that may take considerable time.† â€Å"Where does the acrophobia come in?† â€Å"Well, we can get there a lot faster if we use a gravitic lift. Not many people use it and I must tell you that I'm not overjoyed at the idea myself, but if you think you can handle it, we had better.† â€Å"What's a gravitic lift?† â€Å"It's experimental. The time may come when it will be widespread over Trantor, provided it becomes psychologically acceptable-or can be made so to enough people. Then, maybe, it will spread to other worlds too. It's an elevator shaft without an elevator cab, so to speak. We just step into empty space and drop slowly-or rise slowly-under the influence of antigravity. It's about the only application of antigravity that's been established so far, largely because it's the simplest possible application.† â€Å"What happens if the power blinks out while we're in transit?† â€Å"Exactly what you would think. We fall and-unless we're quite near the bottom to begin with-we die. I haven't heard of it happening yet and, believe me, if it had happened I would know. We might not be able to give out the news for security reasons-that's the excuse they always advance for hiding bad news-but I would know. It's just up ahead. If you can't manage it, we won't do it, but the corridors are slow and tedious and many find them nauseating after a while.† Hummin turned down a crossover and into a large recess where a line of men and women were waiting, one or two with children. Seldon said in a low voice, â€Å"I heard nothing of this back home. Of course, our own news media are terribly local, but you'd think there'd be some mention that this sort of thing exists.† Hummin said. â€Å"It's strictly experimental and is confined to the Imperial Sector. It uses more energy than it's worth, so the government is not really anxious to push it right now by giving it publicity. The old Emperor, Stanel VI, the one before Cleon who amazed everyone by dying in his bed, insisted on having it installed in a few places. He wanted his name associated with antigravity, they say, because he was concerned with his place in history, as old men of no great attainments frequently are. As I said, the technique may spread, but, on the other hand, it is possible that nothing much more than the gravitic lift will ever come of it.† â€Å"What do they want to come of it?† asked Seldon. â€Å"Antigrav spaceflight. That, however, will require many breakthroughs and most physicists, as far as I know, are firmly convinced it is out of the question. But, then, most thought that even gravitic lifts were out of the question.† The line ahead was rapidly growing shorter and Seldon found himself standing with Hummin at the edge of the floor with an open gap before him. The air ahead faintly glittered. Automatically, he reached out his hand and felt a light shock. It didn't hurt, but he snatched his hand back quickly. Hummin grunted. â€Å"An elementary precaution to prevent anyone walking over the edge before activating the controls.† He punched some numbers on the control board and the glitter vanished. Seldon peered over the edge, down the deep shaft. â€Å"You might find it better-or easier,† said Hummin, â€Å"if we link arms and if you close your eyes. It won't take more than a few seconds.† He gave Seldon no choice, actually. He took his arm and once again there was no hanging back in that firm grip. Hummin stepped into nothingness and Seldon (who heard himself, to his own embarrassment, emit a small squeak) shuffled off with a lurch. He closed his eyes tightly and experienced no sense of falling, no feeling of air movement. A few seconds passed and he was pulled forward. He tripped slightly, caught his balance, and found himself on solid ground. He opened his eyes, â€Å"Did we make it?† Hummin said dryly, â€Å"We're not dead,† then walked away, his grip forcing Seldon to follow. â€Å"I mean, did we get to the right level?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"What would have happened if we were dropping down and someone else was moving upward?† â€Å"There are two separate lanes. In one lane everyone drops at the same speed; in the other everyone rises at the same speed. The shaft clears only when there are no people within ten meters of each other. There is no chance of a collision if all works well.† â€Å"I didn't feel a thing.† â€Å"Why should you? There was no acceleration. After the first tenth of a second, you were at constant speed and the air in your immediate vicinity was moving down with you at the same speed.† â€Å"Marvelous.† â€Å"Absolutely. But uneconomic. And there seems no great pressure to increase the efficiency of the procedure and make it worthwhile. Everywhere one hears the same refrain. ‘We can't do it. It can't be done.' It applies to everything.† Hummin shrugged in obvious anger and said, â€Å"But we're here at the taxi rental. Let's get on with it.† 10. Seldon tried to look inconspicuous at the air-taxi rental terminus, which he found difficult. To look ostentatiously inconspicuous-to slink about, to turn his face away from all who passed, to study one of the vehicles overintently-was surely the way to invite attention. The way to behave was merely to assume an innocent normality. But what was normality? He felt uncomfortable in his clothes. There were no pockets, so he had no place to put his hands. The two pouches, which dangled from his belt on either side, distracted him by hitting against him as he moved, so that he was continually thinking someone had nudged him. He tried looking at women as they passed. They had no pouches, at least none dangling, but they carried little boxlike affairs that they occasionally clipped to one hip or another by some device he could not make out. It was probably pseudomagnetic, he decided. Their clothes were not particularly revealing, he noted regretfully, and not one had any sign of dcolletage, although some dresses seemed to be designed to emphasize the buttocks. Meanwhile, Hummin had been very businesslike, having presented the necessary credits and returned with the superconductive ceramic tile that would activate a specific air-taxi. Hummin said, â€Å"Get in, Seldon,† gesturing to a small two-seated vehicle. Seldon asked, â€Å"Did you have to sign your name, Hummin?† â€Å"Of course not. They know me here and don't stand on ceremony.† â€Å"What do they think you're doing?† â€Å"They didn't ask and I volunteered no information.† He inserted the tile and Seldon felt a slight vibration as the air-taxi came to life. â€Å"We're headed for D-7,† said Hummin, making conversation. Seldon didn't know what D-7 was, but he assumed it meant some route or other. The air-taxi found its way past and around other ground-cars and finally moved onto a smooth upward-slanting track and gained speed. Then it lifted upward with a slight jolt. Seldon, who had been automatically strapped in by a webbed restraint, felt himself pushed down into his seat and then up against the webbing. He said, â€Å"That didn't feel like antigravity.† â€Å"It wasn't,† said Hummin. â€Å"That was a small jet reaction. Just enough to take us up to the tubes.† What appeared before them now looked like a cliff patterned with cave openings, much like a checkerboard. Hummin maneuvered toward the D-7 opening, avoiding other air-taxis that were heading for other tunnels. â€Å"You could crash easily,† said Seldon, clearing his throat. â€Å"So I probably would if everything depended on my senses and reactions, but the taxi is computerized and the computer can overrule me without trouble. The same is true for the other taxis.-Here we go.† They slid into D-7 as if they had been sucked in and the bright light of the open plaza outside mellowed, turning a warmer yellow hue. Hummin released the controls and sat back. He drew a deep breath and said, â€Å"Well, that's one stage successfully carried through. We might have been stopped at the station. In here, we're fairly safe.† The ride was smooth and the walls of the tunnel slipped by rapidly. There was almost no sound, just a steady velvety whirr as the taxi sped along. â€Å"How fast are we going?† asked Seldon. Hummin cast an eye briefly at the controls. â€Å"Three hundred and fifty kilometers per hour.† â€Å"Magnetic propulsion?† â€Å"Yes. You have it on Helicon, I imagine.† â€Å"Yes. One line. I've never been on it myself, though I've always meant to. I don't think it's anything like this.† â€Å"I'm sure it isn't. Trantor has many thousands of kilometers of these tunnels honeycombing the land subsurface and a number that snake under the shallower extensions of the ocean. It's the chief method of long-distance travel.† â€Å"How long will it take us?† â€Å"To reach our immediate destination? A little over five hours.† â€Å"Five hours!† Seldon was dismayed. â€Å"Don't be disturbed. We pass rest areas every twenty minutes or so where we can stop, pull out of the tunnel, stretch our feet, eat, or relieve ourselves. I'd like to do that as few times as possible, of course.† They continued on in silence for a while and then Seldon started when a blaze of light flared at their right for a few seconds and, in the flash, he thought he saw two air-taxis. â€Å"That was a rest area,† said Hummin in answer to the unspoken question. Seldon said, â€Å"Am I really going to be safe wherever it is you are taking me?† Hummin said, â€Å"Quite safe from any open movement on the part of the Imperial forces. Of course, when it comes to the individual operator-the spy, the agent, the hired assassin-one must always be careful. Naturally, I will supply you with a bodyguard.† Seldon felt uneasy. â€Å"The hired assassin? Are you serious? Would they really want to kill me?† Hummin said, â€Å"I'm sure Demerzel doesn't. I suspect he wants to use you rather than kill you. Still, other enemies may turn up or there may be unfortunate concatenations of events. You can't go through life sleepwalking.† Seldon shook his head and turned his face away. To think, only forty-eight hours ago he had been just an insignificant, virtually unknown Outworld mathematician, content only to spend his remaining time on Trantor sight-seeing, gazing at the enormity of the great world with his provincial eye. And now, it was finally sinking in: He was a wanted man, hunted by Imperial forces. The enormity of the situation seized him and he shuddered. â€Å"And what about you and what you're doing right now?† Hummin said thoughtfully, â€Å"Well, they won't feel kindly toward me, I suppose. I might have my head laid open or my chest exploded by some mysterious and never-found assailant.† Hummin said it without a tremor in his voice or a change in his calm appearance, but Seldon winced. Seldon said, â€Å"I rather thought you would assume that might be in store for you. You don't seem to be†¦ bothered by it.† â€Å"I'm an old Trantorian. I know the planet as well as anybody can. I know many people and many of them are under obligation to me. I like to think that I am shrewd and not easy to outwit. In short, Seldon, I am quite confident that I can take care of myself.† â€Å"I'm glad you feel that way and I hope you're justified in thinking so, Hummin, but I can't get it through my head why you're taking this chance at all. What am I to you? Why should you take even the smallest risk for someone who is a stranger to you?† Hummin checked the controls in a preoccupied manner and then he faced Seldon squarely, eyes steady and serious. â€Å"I want to save you for the same reason that the Emperor wants to use you-for your predictive powers.† Seldon felt a deep pang of disappointment. This was not after all a question of being saved. He was merely the helpless and disputed prey of competing predators. He said angrily, â€Å"I will never live down that presentation at the Decennial Convention. I have ruined my life.† â€Å"No. Don't rush to conclusions, mathematician. The Emperor and his officers want you for one reason only, to make their own lives more secure. They are interested in your abilities only so far as they might be used to save the Emperor's rule, preserve that rule for his young son, maintain the positions, status, and power of his officials. I, on the other hand, want your powers for the good of the Galaxy.† â€Å"Is there a distinction?† spat Seldon acidly. And Hummin replied with the stern beginning of a frown, â€Å"If you do not see the distinction, then that is to your shame. The human occupants of the Galaxy existed before this Emperor who now rules, before the dynasty he represents, before the Empire itself. Humanity is far older than the Empire. It may even be far older than the twenty-five million worlds of the Galaxy. There are legends of a time when humanity inhabited a single world.† â€Å"Legends!† said Seldon, shrugging his shoulders. â€Å"Yes, legends, but I see no reason why that may not have been so in fact, twenty thousand years ago or more. I presume that humanity did not come into existence complete with knowledge of hyperspatial travel. Surely, there must have been a time when people could not travel at superluminal velocities and they must then have been imprisoned in a single planetary system. And if we look forward in time, the human beings of the worlds of the Galaxy will surely continue to exist after you and the Emperor are dead, after his whole line comes to an end, and after the institutions of the Empire itself unravel. In that case, it is not important to worry overmuch about individuals, about the Emperor and the young Prince Imperial. It is not important to worry even about the mechanics of Empire. What of the quadrillions of people that exist in the Galaxy? What of them?† Seldon said, â€Å"Worlds and people would continue, I presume.† â€Å"Don't you feel any serious need of probing the possible conditions under which they would continue to exist.† â€Å"One would assume they would exist much as they do now.† â€Å"One would assume. But could one know by this art of prediction that you speak of?† â€Å"Psychohistory is what I call it. In theory, one could.† â€Å"And you feel no pressure to turn that theory into practice.† â€Å"I would love to, Hummin, but the desire to do so doesn't automatically manufacture the ability to do so. I told the Emperor that psychohistory could not be turned into a practical technique and I am forced to tell you the same thing.† â€Å"And you have no intention of even trying to find the technique?† â€Å"No, I don't, any more than I would feel I ought to try to tackle a pile of pebbles the size of Trantor, count them one by one, and arrange them in order of decreasing mass. I would know it was not something I could accomplish in a lifetime and I would not be fool enough to make a pretense of trying.† â€Å"Would you try if you knew the truth about humanity's situation?† â€Å"That's an impossible question. What is the truth about humanity's situation? Do you claim to know it?† â€Å"Yes, I do. And in five words.† Hummin's eyes faced forward again, turning briefly toward the blank changelessness of the tunnel as it pushed toward them, expanding until it passed and then dwindling as it slipped away. He then spoke those five words grimly. He said, â€Å"The Galactic Empire is dying.†