American history from 1945 to present Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American history from 1945 to present - Essay Example tion.† This statement tells us that every action taken for a larger freedom and a more equal and spacious society is one more step toward the realization of what Herbert Croly once called ‘the promise of American life’† [Kennedy]. Throughout three eras, from 1945 to present, the progress of the Cold War, the Vietnam war, and the Civil Rights movement are showing that America is making progress toward realizing â€Å"the promise of American life†, by showing the lack of freedoms of conscience and equality in the early years, and by taking action for a larger freedom and a more equal society. In the era from 1945 to 1965, America certainly made a few mistakes and moved far away from â€Å"the promise of American life†. After World War II, the world formed two super powers, one was the United States, and the other the Soviet Union. The two started a 45 year long cold war due to their different historical experiences and different ideologies [Morris, 10]. America was once again trapped in a shadow of war soon after the World War II because of the looming Cold War between the and the Soviet Union. â€Å"The cold war had widened and intensified†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Americans were again at war in the Far East and were forced o live with the threat of nuclear annihilation† [Oakes, 808]. War is the one thing we want to avoid no matter if it is a cold war or a real war. History has taught us that war will only destroy a nation’s economy, and the people who suffer from it are the civilians of the countries that are involved in the war itself. This is represented not only in the Cold War, However, as the United States managed to start another war with Vietnam in 1950’s, lasting all the way through to 1975. Aside from the wars, African Americans had little to no rights during this time period, which goes against the statement of â€Å"the promise of American life†. By the end of World War II, â€Å"The transformation of the southern economy was undermining the system that segregated

Online Information system Essay Example for Free

Online Information system Essay Nowadays, technology has reached its highest level and is in the phase of developing more with the new innovations. Innovations that helps a lot of people to have a more convenient way to do enormous job to be done in a short period of time. Almost public high schools like Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School (BLMNHS) are still handling their student record by means of using file document in a manual manner. The grades of the student are computed and recorded manually which it took time for the teachers to be done. Especially when a high school’s population increases annually, the ease of data handling needs more effort to taken care off. The manual saving of files in BLMNHS needs more file cabinets in order to save their school records. There are cases that some files are being lost and never been find or have been misplaced. There are also incidents that teachers are having mistakes in writing their student grades and records and they have to make a way to reedit the data and give them a lot of time and effort. As one of the first web-based of information system in computer technology in education, Online Student Information System (OLSIS) is made for educational establishment to manage student data. It is a database controlling student records, information, schedules, subjects, and grades. Information System (IS) helps users to become instructive, which means making it easy for them to organize, analyze, search and use old information to create new ones. As an order, it focuses on exploring the interface between Information Technology (IT) and Computer Science (CS). Computer Science (CS) focuses on information technology which is a software development. While Information Technology (IT) is involved with the manipulation, storage of data and information, and management of computer systems with companies, universities, and other organizations. The developers chose Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School (BLMNHS) as their client because they need technology assistance. Since the populations of the students in BLMNHS are increasing yearly they decided to make this website to facilitate the keeping of records of each student. This project is an online student information system made for BLMNHS in order to manage their student data that should be handled for their school needs. The system helps especially those incoming first year students to inquire online. It also helps the faculty and the school administration in terms of handling of records. They can also upload their class and teacher schedules. The students can have their own account wherein they can view their grades, schedule and activities. Parents can also have an access of their child account. The faculty and the school administration can also have their own accounts for data handling. This online information system is created for schools that are in need of data handling. This project will benefit the school in terms of grade record handling for the teachers, accessible grade records for the student and their parents and other data that the school needed to be handled online. Project Context The developers decided to apply this web information system to BLMNHS because the purpose of the developers is to help them ease their job and to enhance the productivity of every person involved in school management. At present, the school management and it’s all procedures are done manually. It creates a lot of problems due to the wrong entries of adding data which causes duplication and redundancy of student record and grade setup. Since their data are stored in file cabinets, searching for data adds a lot of time for them to find it out. The developers proposed this system to maximize and minimize this kind of manual arrangement of data for the users to have a convenient way of handling their data. The system will solve the problem such as mistakes through proper checks and validation control methods in checking of student record, teacher’s record, grading reports. Purpose and Description The proposed system is an online school portal for BLMNHS that will help school teachers in handling their student’s data. It is a convenient way to access their data because it can be viewed over the internet. The confidentiality of their files is still maintained through the use of faculty no. and password in order to avoid from intruders. The privacy of the proposed system should also maintain for the school’s policies in the confidentiality of their school records. The students can also have an access in their school performances, school activities, health record and class schedules, these records can be viewed on their student profile. In this system, the parents have also their account wherein they can monitor their children’s records, like they can view their children’s grade, schedules, health record and their activities in school. The main purpose of the developed system is to give an ease of use in data handling in order to have a more efficient way of adding, deleting and editing of the data that should be managed and maintain. It woul help the client into a convenient way of accessing their data throughout the internet. This would benefit the students and teachers of Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School (BLMNHS), the parents, other public high schools. The users should also have the knowledge of browsing the internet especially the said website. The developers used a web designing software in order to build an interface and functionalities for the future users of the system. A Server is also used to view the created website over the internet. For data handling we use database software that could handle and manage a large amount of data. Objectives The main objective of the said project is to develop a web information system that will computerize and organize different modules in Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School (BLMNHS). Specifically it aims to: 1. Identify the present student information system used by BLMNHS in terms of: 1. 1 facilities and resources 1. 2 technology utilization 2. Provide a better service for the students and faculty of BLMNHS with the following features: 2. 1 Submission of grades 2. 2 Viewing of Schedules and Subjects 3. Determine the level of acceptance of the developed web services among faculty and students of Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School relative to: 3. 1 user interface 3. 2 compatibility functionality in terms of browser 3. 3 contents components 4. Perform beta testing on the developed web services. Scope and Limitation The developers would like to improve and build up the web information system for BLMNHS. The study will focus on the transformation of manual Online Student Information System of BLMNHS. The aim of the project is to concentrate on data handling of records of each student like grades, subjects, schedules, and medical record. Each student’s parent would also have their own account in which they could access their child’s grade records and schedules. Students are not able to edit or manipulate their records within the website, instead, the website administrator are the only one who can edit this data. Parents should register first their accounts via their child’s designated LRN, but they can create their own username and password in order to secure their accounts. Faculty could also have their own account wherein they are the one’s who record each of their student’s school performances, in terms of grades and class schedules. They could also upload their files but this data are only seen by their co-faculty members and also by the website administrator. The website administrator accesses all data that the website should maintain. It is also responsible for user requests wherever they could have problems in their profile. The entrance examination will not be covered by the study for the reason that the examination should not be taken online due to the possibilities that it may have leakage during the examination. Definition of Terms These terminologies were gathered by the researcher for better and clearer understanding about the study. It also sets as reference for each system’s functionalities. Backend. Backend is everything that happens before it gets to your browser. A backend can be very simple or very complicated. [1] It is hidden by a user and can only access by the administrator of the system. It is where the data are being stored and operated. Client-server. It describes the relationship between two computer programs in which one program, the client, makes a service request from another program, the server, which fulfills the request It serves as the administrator’s task to manipulate and control the system through peer-to-peer or network. [7] It is a correlation of program that fulfills request and delivers the response, and vice versa that creates a one line process. Database server. Database server is the term used to refer to the back-end system of a database application using client/server architecture. The back-end, sometimes called a database server, performs tasks such as data analysis, storage, data manipulation, archiving, and other non-user specific tasks. [4] It is a kind of internet service that provides databases for websites; it acts as the backend of the system. Data Flow Diagram (DFD). A data flow diagram (DFD) shows how data moves through an information system but does not show pogram logic or processing steps. [2] It also illustrates the data flow of each function of the system. It also shows on how each data has been processed and the corresponding end users of this system. Domain name. Provides the ability to refer to IP devices using names instead of just numerical IP addresses. Allows machines to resolve these names into their corresponding IP addresses. [2] It also serves as an identification name for the website. Frontend. It is the part of the web that you can see and interact with. The Frontend usually consists of two parts: the design and frontend development. [1] It also serves as the user interface of the system. It is accessed by the user. IP (Internet Protocol). A packet-switching technology that is deisgned to get packets from point A to B in whatever way is most effective, without the user necessarily having any ability to know what route will be taken. [3] It acts as the address number of each data from a computer that has been sent to another computer. It also sets as identification for each computer in the internet. Text Editor. A text editor is a computer program that lets a user enter, change, store, and usually print text It is a programming tool used for editing plain text files. [8] It is used mostly for webpage designing and integration. Web host. Hosting (also known as Web site hosting, Web hosting, and Webhosting) is the business of housing, serving, and maintaining files for one or more Web sites. [9] It is a kind of Internet service that allows orgranizations to make their website accessible via World Wide Web. CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED SYSTEMS In this chapter presents the related studies that have been done over the past years. This includes the foreign studies, local studies and the technical background which includes the software that will be used throughout the process of creating the study. Related Systems The Degif developed the system â€Å"School Management System† for KokebeTsebah Secondary School†. It has been shown that the system effectively registers students along with parental information, easily retrieves information about a student and generates the required reports such as transcript, report card and timetable. In addition to generating a feasible master timetable it produces a timetable for each teacher. Furthermore it has been shown that the web application of the system helps attendance recording by the homeroom teacher and parents can view the status of their children using the Internet or Intranet of the school. Most educators like the systems if they work smoothly and help students learn, according to teachers and teacher-union representatives. Brian Lewis, chief executive of the International Society for Technology in Education, a Eugene, Ore. , professional group, says the systems can foster a strong home-school connection and allow busy parents to be involved—and let them step in early if a child is struggling. Bill Erneste, a math teacher for 20 years, says one of the biggest advantages these systems have over paper grade books is that parents and teachers are communicating without even a phone call. At Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Mo. , where he teaches, he likes posting links to instructional materials that students and families can use at home. Plus, teachers say online reporting makes it easier to collaborate and share information. Other teachers, however, regard posting grades and assignments as an administrative burden, especially for inexperienced educators who often need to spend more time planning lessons and managing their classrooms. Some parents misuse the systems by trying to micromanage their childrens work or overreacting to minor missteps, creating extra work for teachers. Also, problems arise when schools use multiple programs that dont share data, requiring teachers to enter data more than once. [10] The developers found out that there are related systems that exist outside the country so it is a proof that â€Å"Online Student Information System for Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School† is convenient to use and lastly, it can improve the services of the school to its students. The Student Information system Via-Wapsite was developed to provide a system in wap-based information retrieval system of student. The system has also provided an alternative, efficient and reliable system that provides an easier way to access student information system and verify grades through mobile phones. And also the developers want to provide a system that has a key access and menu-driven interface for students and also for the administrator. [11] On the other study the developers developed the online submission of grades of the faculty to the registrar and the online viewing of student’s grades. It will diminish the hassles in walking right through the registrar office. The system developed only in authorized persons. [12] The Online Student Information System for F. L Vargas College Tuguegarao City cited that maintaining student’s records manually is a very difficult task and time consuming. The said school are still using filling cabinet to store their files, there are some incident that some of the files are lost. [13] The Student Information System of Southgate Institute of Malvar is specifically about the arrangement of different modules into one whole school system. One of the objectives of this study is to remove the deficiencies of current system and build up new computerized system, it shall be faster and will able to produce results of various queries. [14] The developers found out that the system has its potential to provide greater conveniences and accessibility to the students since student can access information despite of their location and time at their convenience. All these systems are related in the sense that systems aimed to lessen the problems encountered by the students, faculty and other respondent during enrollment and school days. The preceding review shows the transition from a manual system into a computerized system. As similar applications for the enlistment process have not been implemented yet in Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School the results of this study may provide additional information on the subject and may become an effective tool to push the computerization of many transactions done in school. The study shows that the proposed system is feasible and had a chance to be implemented. The proposed system was developed and concentrated only in high school. The difference of the proposed system from other system that has been done is that it is made exclusively for a certain High School. Nowadays the existing school online websites services are made only for tertiary levels. The developers want to bring the benefits of technology to high schools in which students can have their own accounts and also for their parents. Teachers, administration and staff have their own accounts also for their school monitoring activities, updates and grade records. The system is comprised of a newer networking technology technique, thus a faster and real time online student information system. Technical Background In building a website there are different softwares that can be used in which it should includes programming language, database and server. Here are the programs that are used in order to build the Online Student Information System of Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School. The PHP Hypertext Preprocessor allows web developers to create dynamic content that interacts with databases. (Mike Chapple, 2008). The proponent used this language for the ease of making website. The language was one of the most recommended in terms of making websites. PHP is also great for creating database-driven Web sites. Most web hosting providers support PHP for use by their clients. It is originally designed to create dynamic web pages. PHP is very fast and lightweight. MySQL It is an open source RDBMS package for back end tool for managing the database as this allows users to manage the database very efficiently and controls data redundancy and inconsistency. It allows enforcing various data integrity constraints on the data being entered into the tables. Database can be accessed using GUI provided by the system (Angela Bradley, 2006). MySQL serve as the database of the system. The proponents believe that MySQL was the most reliable to managing database because most of the web developer used it. Database can be accessed using GUI provided by the system. MySQL helps the proponents to accumulate the appropriate records in the database. It helps to handle the whole data and information in the certain school. Apache Server is a web server software program notable for playing a key role in the initial growth of the World Wide Web. Apache was the first viable alternative to the Netscape Communications Corporation web server (currently named Oracle iPlanet Web Server). Typically Apache is run on a Unix-like operating system, and was developed for use on Linux. Apache is developed and maintained by an open community of developers under the auspices of the Apache Software Foundation. The application is available for a wide variety of operating systems, including UNIX, FreeBSD, Linux, Solaris, Novell NetWare, OS X, Microsoft Windows, OS/2, TPF, and ComStation. Released under the Apache License, Apache is open-source software. (Robert McCool, February 2013) Apache Server was the most popular server software on the Web so that the researcher decided to use this server. This server serves as the temporary server for our websites. It enables a computer to host one or more websites that can be accessed over the Internet using a Web browser. It supports PHP so the developers use this as server. Apache is popular when it comes in Web Hosting because it is open source and free to use. CHAPTER III DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY This chapter presents the methodological study for creating the proposed system. It includes the methodologies, requirement specification, user interfaces, software interfaces, performance requirements, system overview, and system architecture. System Analysis and Design The Online Student Information system of Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School access the student and faculty school information. It also improves the user’s accessibility in their information, and convenience in data handling and manipulation. System Design The following diagrams are the system design followed by the developers in order to achieve the necessary data that should be processed on the system. Figure 1 shows the general flow of the data accommodated within the system. It is compose of four entities wherein it sets as the user of the system, in each entity there are several operations that should be undergone. These processes are the functions of the system to imply on the actual operation of the system. Figure 1. Context Flow Diagram Figure 2 shows the registration process of a user to the IS wherein the system admin generates the newly registered user’s to its database. The users can have their own account. Figure 2. DFD of User Registration Figure 3 illustrates the data flow diagram of the grading system of BLMNHS that can handled by the system. The grades of the student to be computed by their teachers are from their assignments and their examinations. The grade that has been computed can be view by the student’s profile and also to their parent’s profile. Figure 3. DFD of Grading System Figure 4 shows the data flow on handling the student’s health record. The BLMNHS’s P. E. teacher is the one who is in charge of handling the health record of the students. Figure 4. DFD of Student Health Record Figure 5 shows the flow of submitting of schedule. The admin will submit the schedules in both teachers and student. And the teachers and students can view their schedules on the web, the same with the parents they can view the schedule of their children. Figure 5. DFD of Schedule System Implementation The Online Student Information System for BLMNHS was deployed over the web through a web server. The system’s main feature was implemented only for BLMNHS student, parents and faculty. The developers used web hosting for their system to be accessed via online by the students. The administrator is the one who maintain and update the system. The users of the site should have internet access in order to explore the said system. Project Concepts To meet the needs of the proponents in data handling specially the developers sets an objective in order to achieve a goal in creating the system. Figure 10 shows the Homepage of the Web Page. The users can see the Announcements, history, and admission policies of the school. Figure 10. Homepage Figure 11 shows the login page in order to have security on their profiles. Their student’s Information should be confidential and to avoid from intruders. For newly registered users they have to fill up some important details to fulfill the information that are needed by the school. The information that entered by the users can remain confidential generated by the system administrator. Figure 11. Log in Page Figure 12 shows the Student’s profile wherein they can view their grade record, Class schedule, school activities uploaded by their teachers; they can also submit their assignment. Their health record and status can also view on their profile. This data are manipulated by their P. E. teachers who are in charge in their health maintainability. The student account record can be view by the system. Figure 12. Student Profile Figure 13 shows the teachers’ profile that has the authority to view their student profile. They are also the one who upload schedules, school activities, student grades and class standings. Teachers can also compute their student’s grade on the website and sent it throughout the designated profile. Figure 13. Teacher’s Profile Figure 14 shows the Parent’s portal that have an access to their child’s class standing, grades, schedule, and health record. They can view the school activies of the school of their child. They can also send a message to the system admin. Figure 14. Parent’s Portal Figure 15 shows Rapid Application Development (RAD) whereby, it is use mostly by information systems and website to describe the process of building the system. The first phase is to define the problems of the school that we are using for our study. The developers also identify the possible solutions for the problem and how to help them in the most convenient way of data handling. The second phase is Analyze wherein the developers analyze the software to be use to create the system. The developers will also analyze the flow of the system throughout the operation of the system. The next phase is Design developers will now formulate design for the data flow of the system and also the design of the user interface that the user will view on the proposed system. This will help the users to easily understand and explore the system on the rest of the system operation. Develop is the fourth phase to follow by the developers, here the system’s design, operation and processes are being develop in order to improve the system’s performance. Here the user interface of the system and the functions should be developed to have a more efficient system to be use. It will also identify the possible risk that system will undergo. The next phase is to test the system if it is functional and can be used by the actual users. It will also test the website if it is effective and the other functions are usable. The last phase is support, as the system has been test and has no possible malfunction that has been identified it is now ready for the users to use throughout the net. The maintainability of the system should be operated in order to have a well created system. It will limit the system future risk within the operation. Development Model Figure 15. Rapid Application Development Development Approach The developers are referring to use the top-down approach. In this approach the developers has the overview of the system wherein it focuses on the formulation of the system. Top-down approach breaks down some parts of the system into categories which is essential for the developers. The IS are consisting of different divisions on different function that will be used by the users of the system. Each division should be identified to know the functionalities of each system for the appropriate users. Software Development Tools The developer prefered using open source software tools, since it is more accessible and free than using proprietary softwares. For front end software tools, we use html and css for the website interfaces. For the special website functionalities we use javascript. In order to code these softwares we use a text editor for the entire coding operation of the system. For the backend of the system, we use PHP for website conditions and also functionalities, in order to implement database within the website we use MySql. At first the developers worked offline in order to test the website’s effectivity with the use of XAMPP. For the live implementation of the website, the developers prefer to buy domain name, web host, and the database server. For the users who can access the website faster than using free web hosting sites that might commits problems in accessing the website. The developers also use Filezilla to import the files and links that has been use for the website within the net. Project Teams and their Responsibilities Each team members actively participated in every task all throughout with their own responsibilities in developing a web system. Some specified partitions of project task are as follows: Irish Opena is responsible in designing and development of the project. Angelica Montero is responsible for congregation of information, data and other related facts that would help in the development of the study. Lester Cueva is responsible for organizing group meetings, places, times, dates, communication requirements, etc Budget Cost Management Plan Table 9 shows the expense that has been used for the system. These are suggested to be bought in order to have an easier and accessible website for the user. Domain name is an identification string for the website so that it would be easier to be search by the web. Web host is a web service wherein it helps the website to be accessed by the users. Database server is a computer program that provides database services for the website that allows handling the data within the web. These preferences are bought to make a website implemented throughout the World Wide Web. Table 9 Budget Cost Verification, Validation and Testing Plans The system will test its functionalities with the use of server to test if it is actually works throughout the internet. As this test has been done, it will now evaluated by the faculty, parents and students of Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High school. Questionnaire. Preparation and construction of the questionnaire were done by reviewing concepts related from books, journals, theses and electronic resources. The responses provided by the respondents were given weights of 0 to 5 with 0 as lowest to 5 as highest rate. Corresponding verbal descriptions were also proided in different areas. The following scale was used to interpret and analyse the results: RateVerbal Interpretations 5 Exemplary 4Good 3Satisfactory 2 Needs Improvement 1 Poor 0 Unaacceptable/Absent, N/A A total of (40) respondent evaluated the system having number (5) as the highest possible rating and number (0) as the lowest. The scale used has the corresponding values such as 5 for exemplary, 4 for good, 3 for satisfactory, 2 for needs improvement, 1 for poor and 0 for unacceptable. The total points of the evaluation has corresponding verbal equivalent rating the system’s performace for the user. The respondents in the conducted survey were the faculty and students in Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School (BLMNHS) and parents for they are the target user of the proposed system. In testing the system, the proponents used the content testing which involves checking of the human-interface of the web. In our system we check errors in font types, screen layout, colors, graphic resolutions and other features that may affect the end-user experience. Next is the white- box testing which is said to be very applicable in testing web architecture web. This type of testing is used to find navigational and structural structures in the system. Lastly, testing the end-user environment or the browser compatibility testing web [3] (Glenford J. Myres, Art of Software Testing. Second Edition. John Wiley Sons Inc, New Jersey, 2004). In this part of testing, the proponents focused in configuring the compatibility of the browser, operating system, and the programming language used in the system. Table 10 present’s respondents profile based on gender where in female got the highest frequency of 24 and having a percentage of 56% while male having a percentage of 44% and got the lowest frequency of 16. Table 10 Respondents Profile in terms of Gender Gender Frequency Percentage Male 16 44% Female 24 56% Total 40 100% CHAPTER IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This chapter will discuss the result and analysis of the development and testing of the program in tabulated format. Screenshots of the system are also included in this chapter. Observation 1. The proponents have collected the desirable information from Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School (BLMNHS) which was used in developing the system suited in the need of the said school. The proponents noticed that the school had a problem in their record management method. They manually handled the files and information they have and sometimes they are having hard time in accessing it. Figure 16 shows the homepage of the website. It is divided into 4 major portals, the Student, Parent, Faculty, and Admin. Figure 16. Homepage To solve the problem, the proponents had designed and developed the system that can be used to manage and record the information of the students. Hereby, the developers identify the present student information system used by Bernardo Lirio Memorial National High School in terms of: 1. 1 facilities and resources As the system has been tested and evaluated the developers observed that the facility of staff should be increased in order to better serve the student population. It also decreases the time required to access and deliver student records. 1. 2 technology utilization By means of the new technology, the said institution offers more convenient transactions contrasting in their manual system beforehand. 2. Provide a better service for the students and faculty of BLMNHS with the following features: 2. 1 Submission of grades Submission of grades is more convenient than the manual system of grades. Figure 17 the subject to be graded. The faculty can choose the subject that they would like to upload the grade of their students. As they choose their designated subjects they can now search their students name a

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Input technology †¢ Keyboard †¢ Mouse †¢ Scanner †¢ Touch screen Output technologies †¢ Printer †¢ Speaker †¢ Monitor †¢ Liquid Crystal display (LCD) Communications and Networking technologies †¢ Intranet †¢ Internet Input technology 1. Keyboard ïÆ'Ëœ It is a text base input device that allows the user to input alphabets, numbers and other characters. It consists of a set of keys mounted on a board. ïÆ'Ëœ Allow user to key in data into computer. For example, sales managers key in the amount of food that retailer would like to purchase from our company ïÆ'Ëœ The price of a keyboard is around Rm 30. 2. Mouse ï  ¶ Mouse used to move the cursor on the screen to issue commands and make icon and menu selections. By moving the mouse on a desktop or pad, an icon will display on the screen. ïÆ'Ëœ Company use mouse to click in information or to control information. For example, HR manager can see the working hours of the staff by just clicking into it. ïÆ'Ëœ There are 2 types of mouse in the market, wireless mouse and non wireless mouse. Wireless mouse is using Bluetooth to connect with computer and its cost around Rm70 for a normal wireless mouse. Non wireless mouse connect to computer using wire. It is much cheaper than wireless mouse. With around Rm25, user can get a non wireless mouse. 3. Scanner ïÆ'Ëœ Scanner is an input device used for direct data entry from the source document into the computer system. It converts the document image into digital form so that it can be fed into the computer. Capturing information like this reduces the possibility of errors typically experienced during large data entry. ïÆ'Ëœ To help company’s staff keep document in the computer instead of hardcopy, to prevent lost. Paper w... ...unication and networking technologies 1. Intranet ïÆ'Ëœ A private network work within an organization . Intranet makes company information accessible to employees and facilitate in group. It lets people in the same company to share or provide information to employees. ïÆ'Ëœ Managers can now share business file to other managers. Besides, different department managers use intranet to discuss information. ïÆ'Ëœ To have Intranet, organization only needs to create a company webpage. It is free of change. 2. Internet ïÆ'Ëœ Can mail anywhere in the world in a moment with the fastest mailing service of the world called "email". And transfer files to anywhere in the world. It also helps organization to spread the message quickly. ïÆ'Ëœ HR can select best qualified person for position by searching database of application. . ïÆ'Ëœ There is no change for internet. Essay -- Input technology †¢ Keyboard †¢ Mouse †¢ Scanner †¢ Touch screen Output technologies †¢ Printer †¢ Speaker †¢ Monitor †¢ Liquid Crystal display (LCD) Communications and Networking technologies †¢ Intranet †¢ Internet Input technology 1. Keyboard ïÆ'Ëœ It is a text base input device that allows the user to input alphabets, numbers and other characters. It consists of a set of keys mounted on a board. ïÆ'Ëœ Allow user to key in data into computer. For example, sales managers key in the amount of food that retailer would like to purchase from our company ïÆ'Ëœ The price of a keyboard is around Rm 30. 2. Mouse ï  ¶ Mouse used to move the cursor on the screen to issue commands and make icon and menu selections. By moving the mouse on a desktop or pad, an icon will display on the screen. ïÆ'Ëœ Company use mouse to click in information or to control information. For example, HR manager can see the working hours of the staff by just clicking into it. ïÆ'Ëœ There are 2 types of mouse in the market, wireless mouse and non wireless mouse. Wireless mouse is using Bluetooth to connect with computer and its cost around Rm70 for a normal wireless mouse. Non wireless mouse connect to computer using wire. It is much cheaper than wireless mouse. With around Rm25, user can get a non wireless mouse. 3. Scanner ïÆ'Ëœ Scanner is an input device used for direct data entry from the source document into the computer system. It converts the document image into digital form so that it can be fed into the computer. Capturing information like this reduces the possibility of errors typically experienced during large data entry. ïÆ'Ëœ To help company’s staff keep document in the computer instead of hardcopy, to prevent lost. Paper w... ...unication and networking technologies 1. Intranet ïÆ'Ëœ A private network work within an organization . Intranet makes company information accessible to employees and facilitate in group. It lets people in the same company to share or provide information to employees. ïÆ'Ëœ Managers can now share business file to other managers. Besides, different department managers use intranet to discuss information. ïÆ'Ëœ To have Intranet, organization only needs to create a company webpage. It is free of change. 2. Internet ïÆ'Ëœ Can mail anywhere in the world in a moment with the fastest mailing service of the world called "email". And transfer files to anywhere in the world. It also helps organization to spread the message quickly. ïÆ'Ëœ HR can select best qualified person for position by searching database of application. . ïÆ'Ëœ There is no change for internet.

Forward the Foundation Chapter 28

27 It was a lovely day, neither too warm nor too cold, not too bright nor too gray. Even though the groundskeeping budget had given out years ago, the few straggly perennials lining the steps leading up to the Galactic Library managed to add a cheerful note to the morning. (The Library, having been built in the classical style of antiquity, was fronted with one of the grandest stairways to be found in the entire Empire, second only to the steps at the Imperial Palace itself. Most Library visitors, however, preferred to enter via the gliderail) Seldon had high hopes for the day. Since he and Stettin Palver had been cleared of all charges in their recent assault and battery case, Hari Seldon felt like a new man. Although the experience had been painful, its very public nature had advanced Seldon's cause. Judge Tejan Popjens Lih, who was considered one of, if not the most influential judge on Trantor, had been quite vociferous in her opinion, delivered the day following Rial Nevas's emotional testimony. â€Å"When we come to such a crossroads in our ‘civilized' society,† the judge intoned from her bench, â€Å"that a man of Professor Hari Seldon's standing is made to bear the humiliation, abuse, and lies of his peers simply because of who he is and what he stands for, it is truly a dark day for the Empire. I admit that I, too, was taken in-at first. ‘Why wouldn't Professor Seldon,' I reasoned, ‘resort to such trickery in an attempt to prove his predictions?' But, as I came to see, I was most grievously wrong.† Here the judge's brow furrowed, a dark blue flush began creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. â€Å"For I was ascribing to Professor Seldon motives born of our new society, a society in which honesty, decency, and goodwill are likely to get one killed, a society in which it appears one must resort to dishonesty and trickery merely to survive. â€Å"How far we have strayed from our founding principles. We were lucky this time, fellow citizens of Trantor. We owe a debt of thanks to Professor Hari Seldon for showing us our true selves; let us take his example to heart and resolve to be vigilant against the baser forces of our human nature.† Following the hearing, the Emperor had sent Seldon a congratulatory holo-disc. On it he expressed the hope that perhaps now Seldon would find renewed funding for his Project. As Seldon slid up the entrance gliderail, he reflected on the current status of his Psychohistory Project. His good friend-the former Chief Librarian Las Zenow-had retired. During his tenure, Zenow had been a strong proponent of Seldon and his work. More often than not, however, Zenow's hands had been tied by the Library Board. But, he had assured Seldon, the affable new Chief Librarian, Tryma Acarnio, was as progressive as he himself, and was popular with many factions among the Board membership. â€Å"Hari, my friend,† Zenow had said before leaving Trantor for his home world of Wencory, â€Å"Acarnio is a good man, a person of deep intellect and an open mind. I'm sure he'll do all that he can to help you and the Project. I've left him the entire data file on you and your EncyIopedia; I know he'll be as excited as I about the contribution to humanity it represents. Take care, my friend-I'll remember you fondly.† And so today Hari Seldon was to have his first official meeting with the new Chief Librarian. He was cheered by the reassurances Las Zenow had left with him and he was looking forward to sharing his plans for the future of the Project and the Encyclopedia. Tryma Acarnio stood as Hari entered the Chief Librarian's office. Already he had made his mark on the place; whereas Zenow had stuffed every nook and cranny of the room with holo-discs and tridijournals from the different sectors of Trantor, and a dizzying array of visiglobes representing various worlds of the Empire had spun in midair, Acarnio had swept clear the mounds of data and images that Zenow had liked to keep at his fingertips. A large holoscreen now dominated one wall on which, Seldon presumed, Acarnio could view any publication or broadcast that he desired. Acarnio was short and stocky, with a slightly distracted look-from a childhood corneal correction that had gone awry-that belied a fearsome intelligence and constant awareness of everything going on around him at all times. â€Å"Well, well. Professor Seldon. Come in. Sit down.† Acarnio gestured to a straight-backed chair facing the desk at which he sat. â€Å"It was, I felt, quite fortuitous that you requested this meeting. You see, I had intended to get in touch with you as soon as I settled in.† Seldon nodded, pleased that the new Chief Librarian had considered him enough of a priority to plan to seek him out in the hectic early days of his tenure. â€Å"But, first, Professor, please let me know why you wanted to see me before we move on to my, most likely, more prosaic concerns.† Seldon cleared his throat and leaned forward. â€Å"Chief Librarian, Las Zenow has no doubt told you of my work here and of my idea for an Encyclopedia Galactica. Las was quite enthusiastic, and a great help, providing a private office for me here and unlimited access to the Library's vast resources. In fact, it was he who located the eventual home of the Encyclopedia Project, a remote Outer World called Terminus. â€Å"There was one thing, however, that Las could not provide. In order to keep the Project on schedule, I must have office space and unlimited access granted to a number of my colleagues, as well. It is an enormous undertaking, just gathering the information to be copied and transferred to Terminus before we can begin the actual work of compiling the Encyclopedia. â€Å"Las was not popular with the Library Board, as you undoubtedly are aware. You, however, are. And so I ask you, Chief Librarian: Will you see to it that my colleagues are granted insiders' privileges so that we may continue our most vital work?† Here Hari stopped, almost out of breath. He was sure that his speech, which he had gone over and over in his mind the night before, would have the desired effect. He waited, confident in Acarnio's response. â€Å"Professor Seldon,† Acarnio began. Seldon's expectant smile faded. There was an edge to the Chief Librarian's voice that Seldon had not expected. â€Å"My esteemed predecessor provided me-in exhaustive detail-an explication of your work here at the Library. He was quite enthusiastic about your research and committed to the idea of your colleagues joining you here. As was I, Professor Seldon†-at Acarnio's pause, Seldon looked up sharply-â€Å"at first. I was prepared to call a special meeting of the Board to propose that a larger suite of offices be prepared for you and your Encyclopedists. But, Professor Seldon, all that has now changed.† â€Å"Changed! But why?† â€Å"Professor Seldon, you have just finished serving as principal defendant in a most sensational assault and battery case.† â€Å"But I was acquitted,† Seldon broke in. â€Å"The case never even made it to trial.† â€Å"Nonetheless, Professor, your latest foray into the public eye has given you an undeniable-how shall I say it?-tinge of ill repute. Oh yes, you were acquitted of all charges. But in order to get to that acquittal, your name, your past, your beliefs, and your work were paraded before the eyes of all the worlds. And even if one progressive right-thinking judge has proclaimed you faultless, what of the millions-perhaps billions-of other average citizens who see not a pioneering psychohistorian striving to preserve his civilization's glory but a raving lunatic shouting doom and gloom for the great and mighty Empire? â€Å"You, by the very nature of your work, are threatening the essential fabric of the Empire. I don't mean the huge, nameless, faceless, monolithic Empire. No, I am referring to the heart and soul of the Empire-its people. When you tell them the Empire is failing, you are saying that they are failing. And this, my dear Professor, the average citizen cannot face. â€Å"Seldon, like it or not, you have become an object of derision, a subject of ridicule, a laughingstock.† â€Å"Pardon me, Chief Librarian, but for years now I have been, to some circles, a laughingstock.† â€Å"Yes, but only to some circles. But this latest incident-and the very public forum in which it was played out-has opened you up to ridicule not only here on Trantor but throughout the worlds. And, Professor, if, by providing you an office, we, the Galactic Library, give tacit approval to your work, then, by inference, we, the Library, also become a laughingstock throughout the worlds. And no matter how strongly I may personally believe in your theory and your Encyclopedia, as Chief Librarian of the Galactic Library on Trantor, I must think of the Library first. â€Å"And so, Professor Seldon, your request to bring in your colleagues is denied.† Hari Seldon jerked back in his chair as if struck. â€Å"Further,† Acarnio continued, â€Å"I must advise you of a two-week temporary suspension of all Library privileges-effective immediately. The Board has called that special meeting, Professor Seldon. In two weeks' time we will notify you whether or not we've decided that our association with you must be terminated.† Here, Acarnio stopped speaking and, placing his palms on the glossy, spotless surface of his desk, stood up. â€Å"That is all, Professor Seldon-for now.† Hari Seldon stood as well, although his upward movement was not as smooth, nor as quick, as Tryma Acarnio's. â€Å"May I be permitted to address the Board?† asked Seldon. â€Å"Perhaps if I were able to explain to them the vital importance of psychohistory and the Encyclopedia-â€Å" â€Å"I'm afraid not, Professor,† said Acarnio softly and Seldon caught a brief glimmer of the man Las Zenow had told him about. But, just as quickly, the icy bureaucrat was back as Acarnio guided Seldon to the door. As the portals slid open, Acarnio said, â€Å"Two weeks, Professor Seldon. Till then.† Hari stepped through to his waiting skitter and the doors slid shut. What am I going to do now? wondered Seldon disconsolately. Is this the end of my work? 28 â€Å"Wanda dear, what is it that has you so engrossed?† asked Hari Seldon as he entered his granddaughter's office at Streeling University. The room had been the office of the brilliant mathematician Yugo Amaryl, whose death had impoverished the Psychohistory Project. Fortunately, Wanda had gradually taken over Yugo's role in recent years, further refining and adjusting the Prime Radiant. â€Å"Why, I'm working on an equation in Section 33A2D17. See, I've recalibrated this section†-she gestured to a glowing violet patch suspended in midair in front of her face-‘taking into consideration the standard quotient and-There! Just what I thought-I think.† She stepped back and rubbed her eyes. â€Å"What is it, Wanda?† Hari moved in closer to study the equation. â€Å"Why, this looks like the Terminus equation and yet†¦ Wanda, this is an inverse of the Terminus equation, isn't it?† â€Å"Yes, Grandpa. See, the numbers weren't working quite right in the Terminus equation-look.† Wanda touched a contact in a recessed wallstrip and another patch sprang to life in vivid red on the other side of the room. Seldon and Wanda walked over to inspect it. â€Å"You see how it's all hanging together fine now, Grandpa? It's taken me weeks to get it this way.† â€Å"How did you do it?† asked Hari, admiring the equation's lines, its logic, its elegance. â€Å"At first, I concentrated on it from over here only. I blocked out all else. In order to get Terminus to work, work on Terminus-stands to reason, doesn't it? But then I realized that I couldn't just introduce this equation into the Prime Radiant system and expect it to blend right in smoothly, as if nothing happened. A placement means a displacement somewhere else. A weight needs a counterweight.† â€Å"I think the concept to which you are referring is what the ancients called ‘yin and yang.' â€Å" â€Å"Yes, more or less. Yin and yang. So, you see, I realized that to perfect the yin of Terminus, I had to locate its yang. Which I did, over there.† She moved back to the violet patch, tucked away at the other edge of the Prime Radiant sphere. â€Å"And once I adjusted the figures here, the Terminus equation fell into place as well. Harmony!† Wanda looked pleased with herself, as if she'd solved all the problems of the Empire. â€Å"Fascinating, Wanda, and later on you must tell me what you think it all means for the Project. But right now you must come with me to the holoscreen. I received an urgent message from Santanni a few minutes ago. Your father wants us to call him immediately.† Wanda's smile faded. She had been alarmed at the recent reports of fighting on Santanni. As Imperial budget cutbacks went into effect, the citizens of the Outer Worlds suffered most. They had limited access to the richer, more populous Inner Worlds and it became more and more difficult to trade their worlds' products for much needed imports. Imperial hyperships going in and out of Santanni were few and the distant world felt isolated from the rest of the Empire. Pockets of rebellion had erupted throughout the planet. â€Å"Grandfather, I hope everything's all right,† said Wanda, her fear revealed by her voice. â€Å"Don't worry, dear. After all, they must be safe if Raych was able to send us a message.† In Seldon's office, he and Wanda stood before the holoscreen as it activated. Seldon punched a code on the keypad alongside the screen and they waited a few seconds for the intragalactic connection to be established. Slowly the screen seemed to stretch back into the wall, as if it were the entrance to a tunnel-and out of the tunnel, dimly at first, came the familiar figure of a stocky powerfully built man. As the connection sharpened, the man's features became clearer. When Seldon and Wanda were able to make out Raych's bushy Dahlite mustache, the figure sprang to life. â€Å"Dad! Wanda!† said Raych's three-dimensional hologram, projected to Trantor from Santanni. â€Å"Listen, I don't have much time.† He flinched, as if startled by a loud noise. â€Å"Things have gotten pretty bad here. The government has fallen and a provisional party has taken over. Things are a mess, as you can imagine. I just put Manella and Bellis on a hypership to Anacreon. I told them to get in touch with you from there. The name of the ship is the Arcadia VII. â€Å"You should have seen Manella, Dad. Mad as anything that she had to go. The only way I was able to convince her to leave was to point out that it was for Bellis's sake. â€Å"I know what you're thinking, Dad and Wanda. Of course I would have gone with them-if I could have. But there wasn't enough room. You should've seen what I had to go through just to get them onto the ship.† Raych flashed one of his lopsided grins that Seldon and Wanda loved so much, then continued. â€Å"Besides, since I'm here, I have to help guard the University-we may be part of the Imperial University system, but we're a place of learning and building, not of destruction. I tell you, if one of those hot-headed Santanni rebels comes near our stuff-â€Å" â€Å"Raych,† Hari broke in, â€Å"How bad is it? Are you close to the fighting?† â€Å"Dad, are you in danger?† asked Wanda. They waited a few seconds for their message to travel the nine thousand parsecs across the Galaxy to Raych. â€Å"I-I-I couldn't quite make out what you said,† the hologram replied. â€Å"There's a bit of fighting going on. It's sort of exciting, actually,† Raych said, breaking into that grin again. â€Å"So I'm going to sign off now. Remember, find out what happened to the Arcadia VII going to Anacreon. I'll be back in touch as soon as I'm able. Remember, I-† The transmission broke off and the hologram faded. The holoscreen tunnel collapsed in on itself so that Seldon and Wanda were left staring at a blank wall. â€Å"Grandpa,† said Wanda, â€Å"what do you think he was going to say?† â€Å"I have no idea, dear. But there is one thing I do know and that is that your father can take care of himself. I pity any rebel who gets near enough for a well-placed Twist-kick from your dad! Come, let's get back to that equation and in a few hours we'll check on the Arcadia VII.† *** â€Å"Commander, have you no idea what happened to the ship?† Hari Seldon was again engaged in intragalactic conversation, but this time it was with an Imperial navy commander stationed at Anacreon. For this communication, Seldon was making use of the visiscreen-much less realistic than the holoscreen but also much simpler. â€Å"I'm telling you, Professor, that we have no record of that hypership requesting permission to enter the Anacreonic atmosphere. Of course, communications with Santanni have been broken for several hours and sporadic at best for the last week. It is possible that the ship tried to reach us on a Santanni-based channel and could not get through, but I doubt it. â€Å"No, it's more likely that the Arcadia VII changed destination. Voreg, perhaps, or Sarip. Have you tried either of those worlds, Professor?† â€Å"No,† said Seldon wearily, â€Å"but I see no reason if the ship was bound for Anacreon that it would not go to Anacreon. Commander, it is vital that I locate that ship.† â€Å"Of course,† the commander ventured, â€Å"the Arcadia VII might not have made it. Out safely, I mean. There's a lot of fighting going on. Those rebels don't care who they blow up. They just train their lasers and pretend it's the Emperor Agis they're blasting. I tell you, it's a whole different game out here on the fringe, Professor.† â€Å"My daughter-in-law and granddaughter are on that ship, Commander,† Seldon said in a tight voice. â€Å"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor,† said an abashed commander. â€Å"I'll be in touch with you as soon as I hear anything.† Dispiritedly Hari closed the visiscreen contact. How tired I am, he thought. And, he mused, I'm not surprised-I've known that this would come for nearly forty years. Seldon chuckled bitterly to himself. Perhaps that commander had thought he was shocking Seldon, impressing him with the vivid detail of life â€Å"on the fringe.† But Seldon knew all about the fringe. And as the fringe came apart, like a piece of knitting with one loose thread, the whole piece would unravel to the core: Trantor. Seldon became aware of a soft buzzing sound. It was the door signal. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Grandpa,† said Wanda, entering the office, â€Å"I'm scared.† â€Å"Why, dear?† asked Seldon with concern. He didn't want to tell her yet what he had learned-or hadn't learned-from the commander on Anacreon. â€Å"Usually, although they're so far away, I feel Dad and Mom and Bellis-feel them in here†-she pointed to her head-â€Å"and in here†-she placed her hand over her heart. â€Å"But now, today, I don't feel them-it feels less, as if they're fading, like one of the dome bulbs. And I want to stop it. I want to pull them back, but I can't.† â€Å"Wanda, I really think this is merely a product of your concern for your family in light of the rebellion. You know that uprisings occur all over the Empire all the time-little eruptions to let off steam. Come now, you know that chances of anything happening to Raych, Manella, or Bellis are vanishingly small. Your dad will call any day to say all is well; your mom and Bellis will land on Anacreon at any moment and enjoy a little vacation. We are the ones to be pitied-we're stuck here up to our ears in work! So, sweetheart, go to bed and think only good thoughts. I promise you, tomorrow, under the sunny dome, things will look much better.† â€Å"All right, Grandpa,† said Wanda, not sounding entirely convinced. â€Å"But tomorrow-if we haven't heard by tomorrow-we'll have to-to-â€Å" â€Å"Wanda, what can we do, except wait?† asked Hari, his voice gentle. Wanda turned and left, the weight of her worries showing in the slope of her shoulders. Hari watched her go, finally allowing his own worries to come to the surface. It had been three days since the hologram transmission from Raych. Since then-nothing. And today the naval commander at Anacreon denied ever having heard of a ship called Arcadia VII Hari had tried earlier to get through to Raych on Santanni, but all communication beams were down. It was as if Santanni-and the Arcadia VII-had simply broken off from the Empire, like a petal from a flower. Seldon knew what he had to do now. The Empire might be down, but it was not out. Its power, when properly wielded, was still awesome. Seldon placed an emergency transmission to Emperor Agis XIV. 29 â€Å"What a surprise-my friend Hari!† Agis's visage beamed at Seldon through the holoscreen. â€Å"I am glad to hear from you, although you usually request the more formal personal audience. Come, you've piqued my interest. Why the urgency?† â€Å"Sire,† began Seldon, â€Å"my son, Raych, and his wife and daughter live on Santanni.† â€Å"Ah, Santanni,† the Emperor said as his smile faded. â€Å"A bunch of misguided wretches if I eve -â€Å" â€Å"Sire, please,† broke in Seldon, surprising both the Emperor and himself with this flagrant breach of Imperial protocol. â€Å"My son was able to get Manella and Bellis onto a hypership, the Arcadia VII, bound for Anacreon. He, however, had to remain. That was three days ago. The ship has not landed at Anacreon. And my son seems to have disappeared. My calls to Santanni have gone unanswered and now the communication beams are broken. â€Å"Please, Sire, can you help me?† â€Å"Hari, as you know, officially all ties between Santanni and Trantor have been severed. However, I still hold some influence in selected areas of Santanni. That is, there are still a few loyal to me who have not yet been found out. Although I cannot make direct contact with any of my operatives on that world, I can share with you any reports I receive from there. These are, of course, highly confidential, but considering your situation and our relationship, I will allow you access to those pieces that might interest you. â€Å"I am expecting another dispatch within the hour. If you like, I'll recontact you when it arrives. In the meantime, I'll have one of my aides go over all transmissions from Santanni for the past three days to look for anything pertaining to Raych, Manella, or Bellis Seldon.† â€Å"Thank you, Sire. I thank you most humbly.† And Hari Seldon dipped his head as the Emperor's image faded from the holoscreen. Sixty minutes later Hari Seldon was still sitting at his desk, waiting to hear from the Emperor. The past hour had been one of the most difficult he had ever spent, second only to the hours after Dors's destruction. It was the not knowing that did Hari in. He had made a career of knowing-the future as well as the present. And now he had no idea at all about three of the people most precious to him. The holoscreen buzzed softly and Hari pressed a contact in response. Agis appeared. â€Å"Hari,† began the Emperor. From the soft slow sadness in his voice, Hari knew this call brought bad news. â€Å"My son,† said Hari. â€Å"Yes,† replied the Emperor. â€Å"Raych was killed, earlier today, in a bombardment on Santanni University. I've learned from my sources that Raych knew the attack was coming but refused to desert his post. You see, a good number of the rebels are students and Raych felt that if they knew that he was still there, they would never†¦ But hate overcame all reason. â€Å"The University is, you see, an Imperial University. The rebels feel they must destroy all things Imperial before rebuilding anew. The fools! Why-† And here Agis stopped, as if suddenly realizing that Seldon did not care about Santanni University or the plans of the rebels-not right now, at least. â€Å"Hari, if it makes you feel any better, remember that your son died in defense of knowledge. It was not the Empire Raych fought and died for but humanity itself.† Seldon looked up out of tear-filled eyes. Weakly he asked, â€Å"And Manella and little Bellis? What of them? Have you found the Arcadia Hl?† â€Å"That search has proved fruitless, Hari. The Arcadia VII left Santanni, as you were told. But it seems to have disappeared. It may have been hijacked by rebels or it may have made an emergency detour-at this point, we just don't know.† Seldon nodded. â€Å"Thank you, Agis. Although you have brought me tragic news, at least you have brought it. Not knowing was worse. You are a true friend.† â€Å"And so, my friend,† said the Emperor, â€Å"I'll leave you to yourself now-and your memories.† The Emperor's image faded from the screen as Hari Seldon folded his arms in front of him on his desk, put his head down, and wept. 30 Wanda Seldon adjusted the waistband of her unisuit, pulling it a little tighter around her middle. Taking up a hand hoe, she attacked some weeds that had sprung up in her small flower garden outside the Psychohistory Building at Streeling. Generally Wanda spent the bulk of her time in her office, working with her Prime Radiant. She found solace in its precise statistical elegance; the unvarying equations were somehow reassuring in this Empire gone so crazy. But when thoughts of her beloved father, mother, and baby sister became too much to bear, when even her research could not keep her mind off the horrible losses she'd so recently undergone, Wanda invariably found herself out here, scratching at the terraformed ground, as if coaxing a few plants to life might somehow, in some tiny measure, ameliorate her pain. Since her father's death a month ago and the disappearance of Manella and Bellis, Wanda, who had always been slim, had been losing weight. Whereas a few months ago Hari Seldon would have been concerned over his darling granddaughter's loss of appetite, now he, stuck in his own grief, seemed not to notice. A profound change had come over Hari and Wanda Seldon-and the few remaining members of the Psychohistory Project. Hari seemed to have given up. He now spent most of his days sitting in an armchair in the Streeling solarium, staring out at the University grounds, warmed by the bright bulbs overhead. Occasionally Project members told Wanda that his bodyguard, a man named Stettin Palver, would badger Seldon into a walk out under the dome or try to engage him in a discussion of the future direction of the Project. Wanda retreated deeper into her study of the Prime Radiant's fascinating equations. She could feel the future her grandfather had worked so hard to achieve finally taking shape, and he was right: The Encyclopedists must be established on Terminus; they would be the Foundation. And Section 33A2D17-in it Wanda could see what Seldon referred to as the Second, or secret, Foundation. But how? Without Seldon's active interest, Wanda was at a loss as to how to proceed. And her sorrow over the destruction of her family cut so deep that she didn't seem to have the strength to figure it out. The members of the Project itself, those fifty or so hardy souls who remained, continued their work as well as possible. The majority were Encyclopedists, researching the source materials they would need to copy and catalogue for their eventual move to Terminus-when and if they gained full access to the Galactic Library. At this point, they were working on faith alone. Professor Seldon had lost his private office at the Library, so the prospects of any other Project member gaining special access were slim. The remaining Project members (other than the Encyclopedists) were historical analysts and mathematicians. The historians interpreted past and current human actions and events, turning their findings over to the mathematicians, who in turn fit those pieces into the great Psychohistorical Equation. It was long painstaking work. Many Project members had left because the rewards were so few-psychohistorians were the butt of many jokes on Trantor and limited funds had forced Seldon to enact drastic pay cuts. But the constant reassuring presence of Hari Seldon had-till now-overcome the difficult working conditions of the Project. Indeed, the Project members who had stayed on had, to a person, done so out of respect and devotion to Professor Seldon. Now, thought Wanda Seldon bitterly, what reason is left for them to stay? A light breeze blew a piece of her blond hair across her eyes; she pushed it back absentmindedly and continued her weeding. â€Å"Miss Seldon, may I have a moment of your time?† Wanda turned and looked up. A young man-she judged him to be in his early twenties-stood on the gravel path next to her. She immediately sensed him to be strong and fearsomely intelligent. Her grandfather had chosen wisely. Wanda rose to speak with him. â€Å"I recognize you. You are my grandfather's bodyguard, are you not? Stettin Palver, I believe?† â€Å"Yes, that's correct, Miss Seldon,† Palver said and his cheeks reddened slightly, as if he were pleased that so pretty a girl should have given him any notice. â€Å"Miss Seldon, it is your grandfather I'd like to talk to you about. I'm very worried about him. We must do something.† â€Å"Do what, Mr. Palver? I am at a loss. Since my father†-she swallowed hard, as if she were having difficulty speaking-â€Å"died and my mother and sister disappeared, it is all I can do to get him out of bed in the morning. And to tell you the truth, it has affected me very deeply as well. You understand, don't you?† She looked into his eyes and knew that he did. â€Å"Miss Seldon,† Palver said softly, â€Å"I am terribly sorry about your losses. But you and Professor Seldon are alive and you must keep working at psychohistory. The professor seems to have given up. I was hoping that maybe you-we-could come up with something to give him hope again. You know, a reason to go on.† Ah, Mr. Palver, thought Wanda, maybe Grandpa has it right. I wonder if there truly is any reason to go on. But she said, â€Å"I'm sorry, Mr. Palver, I can think of nothing.† She gestured toward the ground with her hoe. â€Å"And now, as you can see, I must get back to these pesky weeds.† â€Å"I don't think your grandfather has got it right. I think there truly is a reason to go on. We just have to find it.† The words struck her with full force. How had he known what she had been thinking? Unless-â€Å"You can handle minds, can't you?† Wanda asked, holding her breath, as if afraid to hear Palver's response. â€Å"Yes, I can,† the young man replied. â€Å"I always have, I think. At least, I can't remember not doing it. Half the time I'm not even consciously aware of it-I just know what people are thinking-or have thought. â€Å"Sometimes,† he continued, encouraged by the understanding he felt emanating from Wanda, â€Å"I get flashes of it coming from someone else. It's always in a crowd, though, and I can't locate whoever it is. But I know there are others like me-us-around.† Wanda grabbed Palver's hand excitedly, her gardening tool tossed to the ground, forgotten. â€Å"Have you any idea what this might mean? For Grandpa, for psychohistory? One of us alone can do only so much, but both of us together-† Wanda started walking into the Psychohistory Building, leaving Palver standing on the gravel path. Almost to the entrance she stopped and turned. Come, Mr. Palver, we must tell my grandfather, Wanda said without opening her mouth. Yes, I suppose we should, answered Palver as he joined her. 31 â€Å"Do you mean to say I have been searching Trantor-wide for someone with your powers, Wanda, and he's been here with us for the past few months and we never knew it?† Hari Seldon was incredulous. He had been dozing in the solarium when Wanda and Palver shook him awake to give him their amazing news. â€Å"Yes, Grandpa. Think about it. I've never had occasion to meet Stettin. Your time with him has primarily been away from the Project and I spend the majority of my time closeted in my office, working with the Prime Radiant. When would we have met? In fact, the one time our paths did cross, the results were most significant.† â€Å"When was that?† asked Seldon, searching his memory. â€Å"Your last hearing-before Judge Lih,† Wanda replied immediately. â€Å"Remember the eyewitness who swore that you and Stettin had attacked those three muggers? Remember how he broke down and told the truth-and even he didn't seem to know why. But Stettin and I have pieced it together. We were both pushing Rial Nevas to come clean. He had been very steadfast in his original claim; I doubt that either one of us would have been able to push him alone. But together†-she stole a shy glance at Palver, who was standing off to the side-â€Å"our power is awesome!† Hari Seldon took all this in and then made as if to speak. But Wanda continued. â€Å"In fact, we plan to spend the afternoon testing our mentalic abilities, separately and together. From the little we've discovered so far, it seems as if Stettin's power is slightly lower than mine-perhaps a five on my rating scale. But his five, combined with my seven, gives us a twelve! Think of it, Grandpa. Awesome!† â€Å"Don't you see, Professor?† Palver spoke up. â€Å"Wanda and I are that breakthrough you're looking for. We can help you convince the worlds of the validity of psychohistory, we can help find others like us, we can help put psychohistory back on track.† Hari Seldon gazed up at the two young people standing in front of him. Their faces were aglow with youth and vigor and enthusiasm and he realized it did his old heart good. Perhaps all was not lost, after all. He had not thought he would survive this latest tragedy, the death of his son and the disappearance of his son's wife and child, but now he could see that Raych lived on in Wanda. And in Wanda and Stettin, he now knew, lived the future of the Foundation. â€Å"Yes, yes,† agreed Seldon nodding forcefully. â€Å"Come you two, help me up. I must get back to my office to plan our next step.†

The Holy Bible: the Ultimate Ufo Encounter?

It tells the story of the birth and death of a savior (God's son, Jesus Christ) and the many miracles he performed wrought his life. However, to some people it is so much more. Some people claim that the Bible disguises a history of something that many people fall to recognize. Vehicles in the sky, angels, and even strange abductions are all detailed within the pages of the Holy Bible, and they reveal a fascinating possibility; the possibility that it is not only the sacred text of Christianity, but also documented evidence of the world's very first unidentified flying object (OF) and alien encounters.One of the most interesting aspects of the Bible is the dozens of passages that meme to Indicate some sort of â€Å"vehicle† In the sky, or what might now be referred to as a OF. One of the most notable stories in the Bible is that of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Exodus 13:21-13:22 describes a mysterious â€Å"pillar of cloud† that guides the Israelites on th eir Journey, stating â€Å"By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and Wagner 2 by night In a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (The Holy Bible New International Version) Imagine being from biblical times and trying to describe a OF without having the modern words to do so. One might describe a large object hovering overhead as being kind of like a cloud. However, clouds do not lead people to safety, and they do not emit a fire-like glow by night, so it is clear that these verses are not referring to a literal cloud.By realizing that this object hovering above the Israelites and leading them to safety could not have been a literal cloud, it must be considered that there was some kind of advanced technology assisting them on their Journey. In biblical runes, this type of advanced technology was certainly not of earthly origin, and that can lead to only one conclusion; If there was, In fact, some kind of object hovering above the Israelites, lighting their way, and leading them to safety, the technology had to have come from a planet other than Earth.In the book of Ezekiel, there Is again a reference too â€Å"cloud. † Ezekiel describes his encounter in verse 1:4 by saying â€Å"l looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north-?an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by a brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal†¦ He continues in verse 1 6 describing â€Å"This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysalises, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. (The Holy Bible New International Version) In these passages Ezekiel has seen a huge metallic looking cloud surrounded by bright flashing lights which appears to be a â€Å"wheel intersecti ng a wheel†. Toys Wagner 3 In comparing what Ezekiel witnessed with a modern day OF sighting, the similarities are astounding. The normal description off OF is pretty standard. Eyewitness counts usually focus on the high rate of speed at which the object travels; the bright, flashing lights; the shiny, silvery, or metallic color; its large size; and the shape as being disc shaped with a round center.By comparing eyewitness descriptions such as this with the description that Ezekiel gave, it is clear that the two descriptions are uncannily similar. Buffo's travel at a high rate of speed; the â€Å"cloud† that Ezekiel saw came out of the north like a â€Å"windstorm. † Buffo's have bright, flashing lights; Ezekiel â€Å"cloud† had â€Å"flashing lightning† and was â€Å"surrounded by a brilliant light. † A OF is metallic in appearance, Just like the â€Å"glowing metal† of Ezekiel â€Å"cloud. † A OF is disc-shaped with a round ce nter, or one might describe it as â€Å"a wheel intersecting a wheel. † In this passage, Ezekiel has seen something that he has no word for.The object that he saw was something that he could not identify, so he has to describe it to the best of his ability instead. The object that he saw was also clearly flying out of the north like a â€Å"windstorm†. Therefore, by definition, Ezekiel has seen a OF. One of the most well known stories in The Bible is the birth of Jesus Christ and the here wise men who followed a star to Bethlehem to see the newborn King. Matthew 2:9 says that â€Å"After they had heard the King, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star they were overjoyed. (The Holy Bible New International Version) Stars do not move and stop, Just as clouds do not lead people to safety. Looking up at the night sky if is often very easy to mistake an air plane for a star. However, they obviously did not have airplanes in biblical times, Wagner 4 o whatever was leading the wise men to baby Jesus had to have been something that was not of this world. The Holy Bible also includes passages that tell of God's angels visiting earth to bring messages to our biblical ancestors. To many these accounts of angels descending from the heavens act as further proof of alien existence. â€Å"By definition angels are otherworldly.Angels are extraterrestrials. They're not from this planet. So really, by definition, E. It's and angels are the same. Now our modern conceptions of E. It's have changed, but go back thousands of years when angels lived among our biblical ancestors. They didn't call them E. It's. They called them angels, but they knew they were not of this world†¦ Not of this planet. † (Barnes) Bill Bribes, author and publisher of OF magazine said in an interview on the History Channel's series Ancient Aliens. When asked to desc ribe an angel most people would describe a being that looks very much like a human with wings on its back.However, the actual biblical text rarely describes angels as having bird-like appendages, which causes many people to wonder where this depiction of angels as having wings originated. Jason Martial, author of Knowledge Apocalypse, revises an interesting theory. â€Å"If they saw someone, a human being or humanoid, flying in the skies they could only give it a natural review†¦ Giving it wings. I don't think they actually had wings. It was ancient man's way of saying they had the power of flight† (Martial) he states in an interview for an episode of Ancient Aliens.Erich Von Daniel, author of Chariots of the Gods? Adds â€Å"Use the word extraterrestrials Instead AT ten word AT angel . Use ten word AT a leader AT extraterrestrials Instead AT archangel. If you change a few words in the old text, a few key words, you change the ensue of the old text. † (Daniel) Peo ple in biblical times did not speak the way we do in this modern day and age, not to mention the fact that details Wagner 5 sometimes get lost in translation. By understanding this it becomes quite clear that the words angels and aliens could quite possibly be referring to the same thing.The Bible also includes accounts of â€Å"fallen angels†. Genesis 6:1-6:3 states â€Å"When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. (The Holy Bible New International Version) The book of Enoch, found among the Dead Sea scrolls in the late sass's, gives a similar account. Enoch 6:1-6:3 states â€Å"And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters.And the angels, the children of heaven, saw them and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us chose us wiv es from among the children of men and beget us children. † The book of Enoch also refers to these angels as â€Å"watchers† or â€Å"guardians of the sky' (Ancientness. Org). The children born from these unions of the sons of God and the daughters of man produced the Oenophile, which the book of Enoch and the Bible both refer to as a race of giants. However, the word Oenophile has also been translated to mean â€Å"mighty men† (Dictionary. Com).Ancient astronaut theorists agree. They suggest that the term refers not to the Nephritis's size, but to their super- human abilities. Giorgio A. Outclass, publisher of Legendary Times magazine presents the question â€Å"Were they giants or is that the wrong word and the correct word should be extraterrestrial? Because then, in my opinion, it makes more sense cause so far I have not seen an original fossil of a giant bone. † (Outclass) The fact that these fallen angels, or â€Å"watchers† were obviously not from this planet is already proof that, by definition, they are aliens.By considering the possibility that the translation of â€Å"mighty men† Wagner 6 refers not to the physical size of these beings, but to their super-human strength or intelligence it can only further substantiate this claim. Enoch himself, it seems, had many interactions with these angels, and with God. Chapter 5 of Genesis is a written account of the lineage from Adam to Noah. It also states how old each person lived to be before they died, all except for Enoch. The account of Nosh's life in chapter 5 of Genesis is very different from the accounts of his ancestors and predecessors.Genesis 5:21-5:24 states â€Å"When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. † (Th e Holy Bible New International Version) The first lien abduction case is widely reported to be that of Betty and Barney Hill in 1964. However, ancient astronaut theorists disagree. They point to this passage in Genesis as proof that Enoch was the very first alien abduction case.Chapter 5 of Genesis makes it quite clear that Enoch did not die like his other relatives. It is also clear that he did not Just go missing. He walked with God, and then God took him away. In 2nd Kings, chapter two there is again mention of a person being taken away without along. Verse 11 AT chanter two tells ten story AT Elijah Delving taken up to nave Ana ascribes that as Allies and Elijah were â€Å"walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to Heaven in a whirlwind. (The Holy Bible New International Version) Again, in biblical times they did not have a word for this â€Å"chariot of fire† that descen ded down from the skies and took Elijah away. Wagner 7 They could only describe what they saw in their terms, so they called it a chariot, meaning a So clearly, what is being described in this passage is a OF; it was an object that they could not identify flying through the skies, and it took Elijah p into Heaven. In the book of Psalms there is a very interesting description of God. Chapter 18 gives the account of how God saved David from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.Verse 18:6 states â€Å"In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. † Verses 18:7-18:10 continues by saying â€Å"The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He m ounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. (The Holy Bible New International Version) These passages provide a description that sounds astoundingly similar to that of some kind of aircraft. â€Å"The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook†; the aircraft is landing, vibrating the earth as a helicopter or airplane landing would. â€Å"Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it†; a picture of a space shuttle taking off depicts the very same image scribed here, only in this case it is happening during landing. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet†; again there is a reference to a cloud, and God was apparently on this â€Å"cloud†, or vehicle. â€Å"He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind†; one definition of Wagner 8 cherubim is â€Å"a celestial being†, so the description here is quite clear. God mounted this celestial vehicle and flew up into the sky. The Holy Bible was written as a true account of what our biblical ancestors witnessed. These are not fairy tales or made- p stories.The ancient people who wrote the books of the Bible fully believed in everything they were writing, Just as modern man would Journal his own experiences as accurately as possible. However, our biblical ancestors did not have the modern terminology to explain the things that they saw as we would today. They explained what they saw as accurately as they could using terms that made sense to them. As author and ancient astronaut theorist Erich Von Daniel said â€Å"If you change a few words in the old text, a few key words, you change the sense of the old text. Daniel)† Our biblical ancestors did not know the word OF.Instead, they described a strange pillar of cloud which followed them, lit their way by night, and led a nation to safety. They described a star that led them too savior. They tell of a strange metallic â€Å"wheel intersecting a wheel† that descends from the heavens like a â€Å"whirlwind†. Just as they did not know the word OF, they did not know the word extraterrestrial alter. I nesses Delves Tanat ascended Trot ten sky on great clouds and in great chariots of fire were clearly much, much more advanced than them, so ancient man felt that they had to be Gods, angels, guardians of the sky, or watchers.

Lord Of The Flies Essays (910 words) - English-language Films

Lord Of The Flies Essays (910 words) - English-language Films Lord Of The Flies All humans have free will. All the major characters in Lord of the Flies are human! And to take it one step further they are children. I think this is reason enough to explain why there are significant weaknesses in their personalities, which in the end lead to develop chaos on the island. Most of these weaknesses are exposed through out the book by temptation. When on this island the boys lose sight of sense and being rescued by taking up practices and adventures such as hunting and tribal dances. Take Jack for example, in our modern day society, the kind of child that Jack is would simply be labeled a little snot. He is a arrogant, power thirsting boy who craves stature and knows how to reach the top; he could be compared to a ruthless businessman of our times. If we were to label his personality weaknesses I would easily make the word length requirement for this essay, but when summarized they all come down to evil. In the Lord of the Flies, Jack is indeed responsible for a majority of bad events and trickery. Whether it is stealing fire, even though it would have been given, or leading people away from the one person who wants to help them and get them saved. This to me shows a comparison to Satan and Jesus. In the bible we are told that in order to be saved, (rescued) we are to stay with Jesus. Satan then comes and lures people away with trickery and adventures and makes Jesus despised and a outcast. Jack much like Satan tempted the children to join his camp through games, meat and hunting. Also Ralph much like Jesus offered a stable but fulfilled life through shelters, rules and regulations. Ralph does not impose these rules to be cruel and mean, but so things run in order and everyone is benefited. When comparing Ralph to Jesus it is only in the fact that in order for people to be saved they should follow Ralph, but Jack tempts them and they leave. Because Ralph himself although a better and fairer leader is not at all perfect and has significant weakness in his personality as well. Ralph to falls victim to the temptation of hunting and savagery and on page 188 he joins in with the murder of Simon. Jack invites everyone to his camp for a feast of meat that they gained through a bloody death of a sow. Ralph goes to have a look and is curious through this temptation and then gets caught up in the dance and murder frenzy. In the Lord of the Flies Piggy seems to take up the role of a disabled person, he can never join in and is constantly teased for this reason of simply being different. This creates a extremely low self-esteem problem and this brings out his personality weaknesses. Piggy always has a suggestion at the assemblies and always gives his point of view, by doing this I believe he makes himself venerable and the others take advantage. When Ralph made up the rules of the conch on page 43, Piggy is the first boy to take the conch out of Ralphs hand and say something. To me this shows that for Piggy to gather up confidence he needs to look outside of himself for a source of power. This is shown in chapter 5, Best on Water, when Ralph made a remark about Piggy sticking up to Jack, and Piggy says I had the conch, I had the right to speak without this right I doubt that Piggy would stand up for himself. Piggy lives for the rules and is the only one who truly lives by them and I think this is symbo lized by it being smashed when the massive boulder kills Piggy. Although the Island itself cant be described as a character it is in a way similar. It at first seems perfect like the Garden of Eden and all things function perfectly, or do they? For example in what sort of paradise would the fruit give diarrhea and stomach cramps. Also every time the boys venture inside the jungle it is mentioned that

Gettsyburg essays

Gettsyburg essays During 1863, the Civil War continued to wage on between the two extremely divided factions. In the first two years of the Civil War, neither side had gained any real advantage. Thirty-three conflicts occurred leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg, some major and some minor, but none had the effect that Gettysburg had on the course of the Civil War. This decisive battle occurred during the first three days of July 1863, which changed the course of the Civil War and determined the fate of the United States. Gettysburg was a small market town of 2400 at this time, in southern Pennsylvania, located at a spot where a number of small roads converged. Although neither commander of the armies was prepared for, nor wanted to fight in this region, it proved to be a pivotal point in the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg was ultimately the turning point in the Civil War because it put the South on the defensive for the rest of the war and definitively ended in the defeat of the Confed erate States. Although the location and timing of the Battle of Gettysburg was almost an accident, the fact that a huge battle took place in Pennsylvania in July 1863 was certainly no accident. General Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, had chosen a course that meant a major battle was almost unavoidable. Two months earlier, General Lee found himself at a dilemma. He had recently defeated the federal Army of the Potomac, in a daring example of superior generalship at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Although Chancellorsville had been a decisive victory for the Confederacy, Lee himself knew that all he had really accomplished was buying a little more time. The battle had succeeded in repelling the Federals from much of Virginia, which contained the important capital of the Confederacy at Richmond. However, Lee knew it wold only be a matter of time before the powerful Federal host moved south again. Lee...

Five Things You Dont Know About Africa

Five Things You Don't Know About Africa 1. Africa is not a country Okay. You do know this, but people frequently refer to Africa as though it were a country. Sometimes, people will actually say, â€Å"Countries like India and Africa†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , but more often they simply refer to Africa as though the entire continent faced similar problems or had similar cultures or histories. There are, however, 54 sovereign states in Africa plus the disputed territory of Western Sahara. 2. Africa is not all poor, rural, or overpopulated Africa is an incredibly diverse continent politically, socially, and economically. To get an idea of how people’s lives and opportunities differ across Africa, consider that in 2013: Life expectancy ranged from 45 (Sierra Leone) to 75 (Libya Tunisia)Children per family ranged from 1.4 (Mauritius) to 7.6 (Niger)Population density (people per square mile) ranged from 3 (Namibia) to 639 (Mauritius)GDP per capita in current US dollars ranged from 226 (Malawi) to 11,965 (Libya)Cell phones per 1000 people ranged from 35 (Eritrea) to 1359 (Seychelles) (All above data from the World Bank) 3. There were empires and kingdoms in Africa long before the modern era The most famous ancient kingdom, of course, is Egypt, which existed in one form or another, from roughly 3,150 to 332 B.C.E. Carthage is also well known due to its wars with Rome, but there were numerous other ancient kingdoms and empires, including Kush-Meroe in present-day Sudan and Axum in Ethiopia, each of which lasted for over 1,000 years. Two of the more famous states of what is sometimes referred to as the medieval era in African history are the Kingdoms of Mali (c.1230-1600) and Great Zimbabwe (c. 1200-1450). These were both rich states involved in intercontinental trade. Archeological digs at Zimbabwe have revealed coins and commodities from as far away as China, and these are but a few examples of the wealthy and powerful states that flourished in Africa before European colonization. 4.  With the exception of Ethiopia, every African country has English, French, Portuguese, or Arabic as one of their official languages Arabic has long been spoken widely in northern and western Africa. Then, between 1885 and 1914, Europe colonized all of Africa with the exception of Ethiopia and Liberia. One consequence of this colonization was that after independence, the former colonies kept the language of their colonizer as one of their official languages, even if it was a second language for many citizens.The Republic of Liberia was not technically colonized, but it had been founded by African-American settlers in 1847 and so already had English as its official language.This left the Kingdom of Ethiopia as the only African kingdom not to be colonized, though it was briefly conquered by Italy in the lead-up to World War II. Its official language is Amharic, but many students study English as a foreign language in school. 5. There are currently two female Presidents in Africa Another common misconception is that women are oppressed across Africa. There are cultures and countries where women do not have equal rights or receive respect equal to that of men, but there are other states where women are legally equal to men and have broken the glass ceiling of politics – a feat the United States of America has yet to match. In Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has served as president since 2006, and in the Central African Republic, Catherine Samba-Panza was selected the Acting President leading into the 2015 elections. Previous female heads of state include, Joyce Banda (President, Malawi), Sylvie Kinigi (Acting President, Burundi), and Rose Francine Ragombà © (Acting President, Gabon).