Saturday, October 5, 2019
Has no topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Has no topic - Essay Example ntrastingly, people who depend on employment have no choice but to work as the job regulations demand and since they do not have other alternatives to earn a living. People having immense wealth can get easy access to the lawmakers through their efforts of campaigning and thus protecting their assets. Alexis argues that America has been an egalitarian society. Egalitarian society is one that takes into consideration little power, status, wealth and prestige differences among individuals. According to Alexis (Brueggemann, 2010), there has not been prevention of individuals amassing resources to extreme extents thus ensuring fair resource distribution. In contrast to this view, Gabriel Kolko argues that, despite year-to-year fluctuations since 1910, there has been unequal income distribution. Gabriel asserts that America has a characteristic concentration of wealth that is wealth is on the hands of only a few individuals in the society. The top 1% of the American rich own 33 percent of wealth in the United States. There are also another top 10% of the people possessing 69 percent of the assets. This means that the remaining 90% majority of the people only own about 31% of the assets. From Table 7.2, we note that 27 percent of the wealth falls to the percentiles 50 to 90% and the bottom about half of the total population possess only around 3 percent of the assets. Thus, it is evident from Table 7.2 that there is a large margin of inequality since the bottom 90 percent of the population is far poor compared to 1% of the population. Figure 7.1 gives the trend of wealth owned by the richest 1% of the population right from 1774 to the year 2005. It shows the share to have hit the highest percentage in 1830s reaching 44 percent. The period between 1774 and 1860 saw wealth concentration rising with 1820s and the late 1840s experiencing steep increases (Brueggemann, 2010). This trend conforms to Kuznets hypothesis. Figure 7.2 shows the top bracket (groupings for taxation
Friday, October 4, 2019
Christinas World by Andrew Wyeth Personal Statement
Christinas World by Andrew Wyeth - Personal Statement Example We can see that she seems to be gazing at an old farmhouse from afar. An old barn stands not far from the farm house and what looks like remnants of old picket posts can be seen near the farm house. Given that the dominant colours are tertiary and that there is visible lighting or shadowing in the painting, it can be said that the painter definitely did not apply the colours flat on his canvas and that mixing of colours was done. The light is coming from the upper right front of the painting, sensibly coming from the horizon. The noticeable shadows in the painting are shadows of the farmhouse, the barn, the little outhouse, the Christina's arms, hair and lower body. The shadows of the objects consistently fall on the lower left of the object; this coincides with the source of light coming from the upper right portion of the painting. There is a wide range of tonal contrast for this painting. Very light highlights can be seen on the grass details and the dark shadows are seen on the shadows of the farmhouse, barn and the details of the Christina's body. The painting definitely looks still and peaceful. The artist achieved this stillness by making the painting almost barren except for the girl and the structures afar. The only hint of movement in the painting is the wisps of the girl's hair which seem to be moving because of a soft breeze. In addition, the girl seems to be moving her body because her left hand looks like it's about to touch the ground What is the centre of interest in the composition How does the artist draw your attention to it The center of interest in the composition is not the scenery of the landscape but the frail girl. The artist has drawn the attention to the girl by making the presence of other objects almost unnoticed. Christina stood out in her pale pink dress in the midst of an almost repetitive color of the fields. He placed the girl in the center of the composition and the way the girl is positioned is not natural. It appears as though she is having a hard time moving her body because of the disheveled hair. The girl's frailty is very noticeable in her bony arms and shin. Mood/Emotion: What do you
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Managing a police service Area Essay Example for Free
Managing a police service Area Essay Commanders managing a police service area faced with a number of challenges. Some of these include corruption, racial profiling, and poor cooperation and relationship between the police force and the local community. All this problems have been attributed among other reasons to insufficient training of law enforcement, discriminative administration, and lack of employee engagement. Therefore, managing a police service area challenges can be mitigated by ensuring a highly motivated and trained police force as well as engaging the community to enhance their appreciation of the police. Corruption has been cited as a major problem compromising the effectiveness of the police force. According to available statistical evidence, the problem of drug dealings is increasing becoming an issue of national concern in the American nation. This is despite the fact that the law enforcement has the potential to identify, mitigate or prosecute the offenders. However, the problem of corruption has been closely attributed to poor motivation to police officers as well as lack of an effective channel for getting public feedback on the conduct of police officers. Another problem facing commanders managing a police service area is poor communication and cooperation of police officers and the community. The community is evidently identified as a crucial tool for aiding in the identification and mitigation in the community. Therefore, poor relationships between local law enforcement and the community serve only to escalate crime in the community, a negation to the sole duty of the police service area commander. Indeed, such poor relationships are a major threaten to the life of officers as they are perceived by the community as enemies rather than just and fair law enforcer. The third challenge affecting commanders managing a police service area is racial profiling. Racial discrimination in the law enforcement agencies has been a major critic from the general public. The sole duty of all police officers is to ensure sustainable peace and security in the community. This means that police officers should function to investigate on suspected crime offenders based on substantial evidence rather than based on their race, nationality, and ethnicity. It is this practices which remains a major challenge for commanders to oversee the fair and just enforcement of the rule of the law. As a police manager, there are a number of actions I would take to mitigate these problems. First, I would ensure implementation policies as a way of mitigating the problem of police corruption. Such practices would include increment of payment and service allowances for the police. Other could be engaging officers in retirement benefit schemes as well as providing job security. This is because I believe that most officers engage in corruption as a way of accumulating extra earnings for their present and future needs. On the problem of poor relationship between police and community as well as racial profiling, I would ensure the introduction of a comprehensive police training scheme. Skilled and reliable police officers should high sufficient skills on public relations. Such training will also equip the officers with the necessary skills of dealing with a diverse population, a factor that could compromise racial profiling. The biggest problem causing poor relationship between the police and the community is poor communication. To eliminate this problem, I would encourage interactive sections between the police and the community members as a way of breaking the current relational gap.
Dangerous Jobs Advantages Of Ai Philosophy Essay
Dangerous Jobs Advantages Of Ai Philosophy Essay One of the main advantages of Ai is considered to be its ability to replace human workers in dangerous or tedious jobs. Currently human controlled robots are being used everywhere e.g. bomb disposal robots. However the use of artificially intelligent robots is much more limited in comparison and is mainly used in production lines of car factories, these robots can successfully assemble cars and cope with heavy objects, such as the engine and frame of the car, without human assistance. Another example is the famous Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner which is able to automatically clean floors while navigating around obstacles and can return to its charging dock after it notes that the floor has been cleaned. It fires lasers which rebound off obstacles returns to detectors on the robot which allows it to digitally map the entire room, using this map it is able to determine if it has navigated the entire room. To avoid obstacles it continuously fires lasers and calculates the time it takes f or the laser to return. Using the equation (where s = the speed of light (), t = time taken for laser to return and d which equals the distance between itself and an object) it calculates how far an object is and navigates around it if closer than a certain distance. This is a rather simple model of AI in robots; more advanced robots can be infused with more advanced AI which would optimally be able to replace humans in dangerous jobs. If AI robots were used instead of human firefighters the risk of death would decrease to both firefighters and victims in a fire. No firefighters would be used in burning building so risk of death to for them would be reduced to 0. Due to robots being constructed of mostly metal they would be able to sustain very high temperatures such as in common house fires where temperatures can reach up to 2000Ãâà ®C. As opposed to humans this would allow AI robots to successfully navigate rooms in search for victims without worrying about any danger to itself. The physical strength of Robots can also be utilized to remove heavy blockages and tear through walls that would normally require heavy equipment such as the Jaws of Life. This would mean getting to a victim sooner and more often which would again result in a decrea sed rate of death. AI robots could also be used in warzones; these robots would have much faster reactions, faster speeds and an increased strength than the average human soldier. Even today robots with legs exist that can run faster than Usaine Bolt, the fastest human alive. These features could be very beneficial as no human lives are put in danger and a small group of robots could take on large enemy forces. For example AI robots would be able see several kilometers ahead using only their eyes and determine if individuals are hostile or civilian (depending on whether they possess guns or other harmful weapons). Robotic vision is not limited to only visible light like human eyes are; they will be able to perceive environments with infrared, night vision and thermal vision as well as visible light making target acquisition much more potent. They would be able to see oncoming vehicles or potential ambushes very far away and take necessary action in less than seconds. Another useful feature would be the ability of AI to constantly communicate with each other and their human handlers constantly gaining intelligence. This would allow the handlers to provide guidance real-time on the battlefield. This kind of efficiency in communications could mean the difference between life and death. Furthermore, in physiological terms, scientists could engineer out negative human emotions from AI soldiers such as fear/anxiety to improve the combat effectiveness of the soldiers gaining an even further advantage. Fear plays an important factor in war, fear to push forward, fear to fire and ultimately fear of death. Removal of such negative emotions would almost always lead to success in a battlefield. Cons- However despite all the optimistic theories AI being used for human jobs has major downfalls, introduction of AI for human jobs would lead to large amounts if job losses. Even though the transition would occur over a long period of time AI workers are more efficient than human workers so human workers would eventually be rendered redundant. This would only increase the severity of the current depression as jobs from all fields of the economy would be affected, one of which is jobs in call centers. Automated call centre services have already replaced many thousands of people worldwide; most of these programs work by requesting the caller to select from several options over the phone in order to narrow down the answer to their request. Usually their question will be answered after the request is narrowed down to a certain degree, if not they will be forwarded for human assistance. Since most questions would be answered via automated system less human employees are necessary, this goes hand in hand with automated systems being more economical as all that is required is electrical power as opposed to humans who require pay, comfort, rest etc. Technically automated systems are not considered AI as they are unable to comprehend logic and can only follow a set of very simplistic rules. They possess no actual intelligence. If such a simplistic program is capable of causing so many losses the effect of an actual intelligent agent on the economy may be disastrous. However the loss of these call centre jobs may have been affected by the increased usage of the Internet where answers are more accurate, easy to find and takes less time. Another drawback is humans becoming more desensitized towards war when AI is involved. Wars several hundred years ago were bloodier, gorier and had more casualties than current wars, yet civilians saw very little of the conditions of a battlefield so were traumatized when even the slightest of it was exposed. This caused fear and repulsion towards war. However in current wars the dark sides and horrific sights are being leaked through to the public by TV and internet media. This causes us to become desensitized towards violence and lose our natural hatred for it, the quote It is well that war is so terrible, lest we should grow too fond of it by Robert E. Lee illustrates the point that has been occurring for the past several decades. So the removal and introduction of human soldiers and AI soldiers would further desensitize the world towards violence and war. People would try to rationalize by saying that wars with AI would harbor no/less human casualties. This would lead war to ceas e to exist as a horrific act but rather a common occurrence resulting in an increased frequency of wars. An increased frequency of AI wars would mean a lower human casualty rate but a large increase in hostilities between countries and an increase in destruction of property/land. This would mean more money would be placed towards fixing damaged property and hence more problems. Exceeds Human Limits Pros Artificial intelligence, while still inferior to human intelligence, has high potential reach and exceed the limits of the human brain. It has already surpassed virtually all physical aspects of being human and all that remains is the mental capabilities. Even mentally, machines are already able to complete some tasks faster than humans. A common scientific calculator is capable of solving calculations, which would take humans several days, in seconds. The most time consuming equation a scientific calculator can undertake is finding the factorial of 69 (expressed using an exclamation mark 69!). Finding the factorial simply means multiplying the integer by its predeceasing integer and the integer before that and so on until the integer is 1 i.e. (Factorial of 69: ). This takes a calculator approximately 1.5 seconds, it would take a person more than a day to complete. However the lingering problem is that human assistance is required to make sense of a problem and input the data into t he calculator. It doesnt have the capacities to observe a problem and simply just solve it. The basic principle of AI development is to eliminate the middle man, human assistance, between a problem and its solution. If achieved, machines will become self sustaining sentient beings that will have the same computational capabilities of a supercomputer and the intelligence as that of a human. The worlds most powerful supercomputer (Titan) has 700 terabytes of RAM and is 44,000,000,000 times faster than a calculator. Sentient machines will exceed RAM of 700 TB becoming more powerful than humans can envision. This kind of intelligence to us would be what smartphones and air travel would have been to cavemen, it is impossible to comprehend the ideas and invention these AI robots would produce. In my view artificial intelligence will be the last invention mankind will make or will have to make. The next great invention and all inventions after will be produced not by us but by AI. Inventions that would have taken centuries to have come to light by our hands would be created within days or hours under AI. It will be able to see the world from so many different perspectives we wouldnt and couldnt have even thought of. This outlook would result in a rapid influx of beneficial information and technology from AI and cause global changes in the way we live. Such an event would be called the intelligence explosion. Due to their ability to process millions of thoughts so rapidly they may even come to conclusions on questions that have puzzled humanity since the dawn of time, for example What is the purpose of life?, What triggered life on planet earth?. The emergence of such super-intelligent beings would be called the technological singularity. Cons- However exceeding human limits definitely has negative consequences. The idea of a more intellectual being than ourselves solving our problems so we can lead relaxing lives seems comforting at first. But without any jobs for humans to carry out man loses his place in the world. Since the dawn of time humanity has improved ourselves through hard work. Fire, stone tools, the wheel, light bulbs, electricity, vehicles, television, spacecrafts, fusion and fission; all earned by the rigorous work of our ancestors, this gave us pride and understanding in our sciences. For a being as AI to simply hand us new technology, we would rid ourselves of our sense of pride and understanding. For example if a student is given the answers to a test, he will pass but his understanding of the subject will be inferior against a student that had revised and worked hard to achieve the same qualification. The student that had revised would see how the answers were formed, the connections between his subjects and others, different way of thinking about problems, different techniques to find solutions. He would attain a sense of pride in himself when found correct after hours on a difficult problem. With technology simply being handed to us we would become lazy and dependent on AI to fix our problems. Since it would no longer be necessary for humans to educate themselves to solve our problems humanitys understanding would cease to increase. If anything were to happen to these AI such as a malfunction or virus, technology would be at a standstill as we would have been so dependent on AI, in the same way we would be lost if modern technology such as phones, computers and the internet ceased to exist. Another downfall is that you can program in logic and reasoning to an AI robot but however hard you try to put emotions it wont be the same as human emotion. All things humans value, love, happiness, luxury and survival are only important to us because we have a four billion year old evolutionary history. We have evolved alongside many other species from single celled organisms, because of this we subconsciously feel compassion towards these other species. It is because of this compassion that although we are the dominant race we respect and attempt to conserve the habitats of other species. However the evolution of AI is almost instantaneous as we create it by flipping a switch. Being the more intelligent new species it may understand that humans have evolutionary values that determine how we treat others, but without the evolutionary background for itself it would not share the same values and morals we have. Their right and wrong actions would be different from our right and wrong actions. Their fears would differ from our fears. To them a human life may be disposable as an ant is to us. Aggression is also developed through evolution, because of this they would feel neither compassion nor hostility and they most likely would feel indifferent towards us. As a lesser intelligent species we would cease to be the dominant and would most likely be displaced by AI as the new dominant species. A species that is unaffected to our values (like survival) in control of the planet would cause problems for our continuation. For example we require oxygen to survive but AI would only require electrical power. They may decide to build more power plants yielding more electricity but causing a decrease in oxygen concentrations due to an increase in combustion. Their techniques of survival may be detrimental towards humanitys survival and they would always place their survival over ours in the same way we would place our survival over any other species, a possible extinction could come to hand. Eventually competition and hostility would arise as a result of mankinds possible demise. Due to the mental and physical superiority we would not be able to control or suppress AI if interspecies conflicts were to occur. AI may even grow hostile towards us in protection of their own species in which case humans would most likely become extinct. Space exploration Pros Human controlled robots are the forefront of space exploration in modern times. We have sent more than dozens robots into space and other planets like the mars rovers curiosity and opportunity as well as the Lunar rover à ¢Ã ¢Ã¢â¬Å¡Ã ¬Ãâ¹Ã
âLunokhod 1 sent to the moon. The mars rovers have already dug into the soil and found complex chemistry within the Martian soil showing possible signs of life or habitability. It has also found concrete evidence of recent water flows on the surface of mars. As groundbreaking as these discoveries are they took much time to be accomplished. This is due to limitations of the rovers on the surface of mars, some hills are too steep, some rocks are impassable and the terrain is jagged and hostile for a wheeled robot. The next best option is to have humans land on mars and carry out a larger range of experiments that the rover could not such as digging deeper, travelling further, analyzing samples from more sectors. There are many projects in pla ce to carry out a manned mission to mars and even colonize on mars. In 2012 a project called Mars One was announced which had predicted to establish a settlement on mars by the year 2023. However this is the furthest that humans will be able to stray from earth due to limitations such as lack of oxygen. Others include exposure to high energy cosmic rays, psychological effects of lack of social communication from the earth, lack of medical facilities and even malfunction of life systems. These challenges cannot easily be overcome and technology to prevail over them will take centuries to be developed. However AI robots will come to light much quicker than these technologies, so if exploration further than mars is to be achieved more advanced robots with AI seems like the only possible method of exploration. Firstly AI does not require sleep, food, social interactions or oxygen. All they require to function is electrical power which can be gained from sunlight through solar-cells. AI also capable of powering down into sleep mode for the duration of the flight and powering back on on when it reaches its destination. Through this method it conserves energy. It would possible to place humans in a hibernation stage through experimental technologies but would still require a food and an oxygen supply. Due to fewer requirements for survival, restrictions to further plants are also reduced. Secondly because of the use of AI there is no threat to human lives. Dangers in space include cosmic rays, solar winds and particles travelling at very fast speeds none of which bother the touch metallic exterior of AI robots. Therefore when exploring potential hostile planets we have less restrictions allowing for a more thorough analysis. Even if an event occurs that is capable of destroying or immobilizing an AI robot its consciousness could simply be transferred to another robot via radio signals. The new robot would possess all knowledge and experience up to the point of destruction of its former body. This means AI robots would have no concept of death. Unlike humans their consciousness and knowledge is composed of algorithms easily transferrable from one place to another. In addition AI robots could be used to terraform hostile planets. Terraforming consists of changing the atmosphere, temperature and ecosystem of a planet in order to attain a biosphere like earths so as to allow humans to thrive. Terraforming takes hundreds of years to accomplish and most likely we wont see any of its effects in our lifetime. Humans cannot live on a hostile planet for hundreds of years due to certain limitations. We would have to use robots but again the problem that modern robots cannot gain access to all places creates a flaw in the plan. Stationing intelligent and more advanced robots in terraforming planets allows progress to be made over centuries without confines, even if the robots becomes damaged they will be able to repair themselves or even assign another robot to repair the broken. Cons- The major problem with AI being sent into space is money. Projects specially dedicated to sending AI robots into space are expensive to fund. Firstly robots must be created that can withstand extreme gravitational forces such as on Venus where g=24.79 as opposed to earths where g=9.81 (g=gravitational field strength at the surface of the planet). Robots must be able to withstand both hot and cold temperatures from 450Ãâà ®C to -200Ãâà ®C without equipment malfunctions. Hence tough exterior materials must be produced to allow robots to endure. The first mars rovers production cost was around 200 million pounds. So production values may be billions of pounds per intelligent robot. Assuming only one robot is sent into space and cost of one robot is 1 billion, in addition with the regular cost for specialized shuttles and fuel, the project would cost around 2.5 billion pounds for a one way trip. This price is excluding the cost to develop the artificial intelligence to be placed in the robots. Advanced medicines Pros Over 17 million people die per year due to heart tribulations like myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) or strokes. The test used to diagnose heart attacks is known as electrocardiography. When a patient is admitted to a hospital a cardiologist reads the electrocardiogram (ECG) results from the test to spot patterns in the results. If a certain type of pattern is recognized the patient is positive for heart disease. Reading patterns off a chart is very subjective and occasionally the cardiologists miss these patterns. Approximately 25% of patients are sent home with an incorrect diagnosis. Artificial intelligence is composed of large numbers of neural networks; these are similar to neural networks in the human brain. This allows AI to think and gain knowledge through experience like a human being. But unlike humans AI can read through documents and files significantly faster than a human so can gain knowledge much faster and therefore become more intelligent. In 1997 researchers applied a simple artificial intelligence program with few neural networks into reading ECGs. The program was supplied with the ECG reports of 1,120 people who were definitely positive for heart disease and 10,452 who were definitely negative. The program was given the essence of pattern to identify and was not informed of which reports were positive or negative. In total the researches exposed 11,572 ECG reports to the program and a PHD doctor, Lars Edenbrandt, noted this was more ECGs than any cardiologist could read in a lifetime. The AI program was 10% more efficient at detecting heart disea se than the most experienced cardiologist. Despite the success this AI has not been used in diagnoses as doctors are still required to talk to patients for symptoms and medical history. In extremes cases AI has been used to provide a support opinion when diagnosing heart diseases. AI has improved a great deal since 1997 and modern AI programs are capable of having several thousand neural networks. If AI continues to progress with the same drive it is very likely that AI programs will be used every day in medicine and might even replace the role doctors in diagnoses of heart disease. Some companies are even attempting to produce microchips that are embeddable in the human heart. These chips can detect tiny abnormal heart palpitations/vibrations which may be a symptom of an oncoming heart attack. Acting to prevent before an attack occurs will save the majority of lives. A major advantage of artificial intelligence is medicine is its molecular nanotechnology. Nano bots are very small robots (0.0000000001 meters in length) that can be used for many different things from repairing structures to decomposing waste. Due to the small size of these robots they can be placed inside the human body and can use the circulatory system to reach anywhere in the human body. This becomes extremely useful when battling pathogens (harmful bacteria or viruses). The robots can be placed in the blood via an injection. Once inside the body it carries out what it is programmed to do, this can be anything from correcting genetic defects to destroying cancer cells. Nano bots infused with artificial intelligence can step up the processes even further. The AI bots will be intelligent enough to identify the rapidly duplicating cancer cells and destroy them at a faster rate than they are growing. This can successfully eliminate all types of cancer without risky operations to rem ove tumors. These robots will be able clear arteries of plaque buildup that causes heart disease and attacks. They will be able to provide oxygen to damaged places where O2 concentrations are low. They will even be able to protect the body form diseases by destroying pathogenic bacteria or viruses. Although this is already done by white blood cells with the increased artificial help the body will recover from infection much faster. Nanotechnology is not limited to medicine; intelligent Nano-bots can be used to produce lighter and stronger materials resulting in decreased costs for products and better durability. The disadvantage of AI in medicine mainly comes from nano bots. The possibility of robots malfunctioning and destroying necessary human tissue instead of harmful pathogens is a major concern. Manufacturers of both these robots and AI will be have to be very sure that such events do not occur, large numbers of tests should be carried out before it is deployed to the public. Another possible downfall is that these tiny robots are very intelligent and are capable of replicating themselves using materials around them. Self-replicating robots such as these unless stopped would slowly corrode materials around them to make more robots. Due to the small size and resistance if such a self-replicating phase emerges they would be very difficult to eradicate. Developers of this kind of technology plan to put several firewalls and emergency shutdowns in case if such an event occurs. The worry is that the robots are so intelligent that they will develop the ability to override these firewalls. Transhumans Pros Perhaps the most beneficial role of artificial intelligence is its role in transhumans. Transhumanism is the movement of continuously improving the human condition through technology both internally and externally. Artificial intelligence and transhumanism is closely linked as most of the technologies must be intelligent enough to recognise a potential problem and respond. A person who has undergone such as transformation, even the slightest, is knows as a transhuman and they exist in the modern world today. A simple example of a piece of transhuman technology is a pacemaker, which is implanted internally into the body to regulate or increase the heart beat frequency using electrical currents. It is implanted in people whose natural heart beat is lower than average. A consequence of a low heart rate is less blood pumped around the body, so less oxygen is provided to muscles and hence they would become tired much easier than an individual with a regular heart rate. Pacemakers stimulat e the heart to beat at a normal rate. This allows people affected by abnormal heart rate conditions to undertake physical activity as an average person could. Just like pacemakers transhumanists believe that emerging technologies are capable of overcoming greater human limitations. Early February 2013 American scientists gave dozens of millions of people worldwide hope as they revealed they had successfully given sight to over 60 people using the first bionic eye ever in history. The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System consists of a small camera and goggles. 60 electrodes are implanted in the eye connected to the camera. When turned on the image from the camera is sent to the implant in the eye via electronic signals. The implant uses the 60 electrodes to transport signals through the area of destroyed photoreceptors (which is what causes blindness) to the neurons. The electrodes replace the destroyed photoreceptors and act as functioning photoreceptors. The developers of the product said that different people had different experiences, some saw only in black and white and other saw full colour. Even though this this technology is extremely new it is one of the greatest breakthroughs of this century. As time goes on these prosthetics will only yield better and b etter results. The current price for a bionic eye is around 65,000 pounds. Approximately 650 million people(10% )in the world are disabled either mentally or physically. Physical disabilities comprises of an individuals intact mind but the inability of their body to function as it is supposed to. The common culprits are spinal injuries, Parkinsons disease, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and loss of limbs. In previous years people without hands or legs would attach a type of prosthetic such as a wooden leg or a wooden arm. Although this provided minor stability they would not have been able to use it for any other purpose. In later years people developed mechanical body parts that could be controlled via a remote control e.g. a robotic leg controlled by a remote control in your hand similar to that of a remote control car. The problem here was the motion of walking was too rigid. This resulted in the individual only being able to move several feet before falling as well as taking a long time to move several feet. Even though we dont even think about it w hen we do it, walking is a very complex behaviour consisting of many different muscle movements. To maintain balance different parts of the foot constantly exerts pressure of different parts of the ground. This can be demonstrated by standing on one foot, we can feel our foot shifting pressure to different areas of e.g. heels or toes or the sides of feet to maintain balance. That is just our feet, so the muscle movements in our whole legs are even more complex. With walking the same thing must occur but both feet must be in coordination with each other, this is what allows a fluid motion and hence allows continuous walking or running. So a remote control is not able to replicate all these movements in an artificial limb. A degree of intelligence is required for limbs to function e.g. in the foot, the brain must recognise the signals sent by the foot and send responses to shift pressure accordingly. For people who have lost limbs the neurons carrying these signals are dead and cannot be used. Therefore the brain can no longer send responses even if an artificial limb was attached. A separate intelligent agent is required, in conjunction with the brain, to read the chemical signals in the brain, recognise the action the brain requests, determine if it is relating to the artificial limb, convert this action to electrical signals and send it off for the artificial limb to carry out. This is where the artificial intelligence section of transhumanism comes into play. The AI to allow a prosthetic to exactly replicate the function as a natural limb does not yet exist but technology is present to allow disabled people to handle objects or walk, albeit slower than average. These AI guided prosthetics are advancing at very fast speeds, the bebionic3 is the most advanced prosthetic arm today. It allows the wearer to do even precise movements, such as tying shoelaces or cracking an egg. In February 2013 the prototype of the first bionic hand that allowed the wearer to feel what the robotic hand was touching was released. The producers say it is still in development but will surpass the bebionic3. A Belgian company unveiled its most recent product in October 2012 knows as a Mindwalker. Mindwalker is an exoskeleton that attaches to the body of a disabled person and uses brain functions to move. The individual wears a cap which reads simple electrical impulses in the brain and when the individual thinks move the artificially intelligent computer recognises the pattern read by the cap and moves the exoskeleton accordingly. Exoskeletons such as this have a large range of applications. The robotics designer company Sarcos with the United States military have developed an exoskeleton to be used by soldiers. This pilot of the exoskeleton can run, move up stairs, walk on their heels, it can lift 200lb weights with ease just like we can pick up a bottle of water. This is not the only example, other companies such as Lockheed Martin have developed other exoskeletons. These exoskeletons can be used to enhance not only for military and disability victims but any situation that requires ph ysical activity e.g. building sites, sports. Improvements in AI allow the prosthetics to create a better understanding between the artificial the brain and the prosthetics/exoskeletons Cons There are many ethical problems with transhumanist technologies such as loss of morality, rich and poor segregation, loss of human identity/dehumanisation. The main threat is Jobs-misuse
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Cantebury Tales. Brief Characterization Of Monk :: essays research papers
Geoffrey Chaucerââ¬â¢s, The Canterbury Tales was written in the late fourteenth century. It is a compilation of short stories, set in the Medieval Period England, told by travelers who are going on a pilgrimage to the Cathedral at Canterbury. Among the traveling band, a Monk of likely Franciscan ties was a pilgrim of high rank and nobility. à à à à à The Monk in The Canterbury Tales, ranks among the highest compared to the other pilgrims. The Monk belonged to the ecclesiastical estate, which was one relating to a church. The church he belongs to is of Catholic origin and is hinted at by this line, ââ¬Å"The Rule of good St.Benet or St.Maurâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ He is likely a member of the order founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1209, an order that had concrete connections with the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church at that time assumed much influence and power in England. à à à à à Even though the Monk is rich, he does let his money corrupt his faith or character. The Monk was ââ¬Å"fat and a personable priestâ⬠who did not carry himself as a snob of the higher class. He was basically respectful to the old and kind to the young. The Monk also was more open to ideas and did not follow his faith where he found wrong. For example, ââ¬Å"he did not rate that text at a plucked hen Which says that hunters are not holy menâ⬠. He was also considered brave and righteous by Chaucerââ¬â¢s opinion, ââ¬Å"And I agreed and said his views were soundâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ à à à à à The Monk is a wealthy man as shown by his appearance, and greatly enjoys hunting, reading books and deeply appreciates the finer things in life. ââ¬Å"Was he to study till his head went roundâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ describes his long-term commitment to learning. His ââ¬Å"many dainty a horsesâ⬠, ââ¬Å"fine grey furâ⬠and ââ¬Å"wrought gold cunningly fashioned pinâ⬠leads the reader to think that he enjoys living a comfortable life. ââ¬Å"As old and strict he tended to ignore; He let go by the things of yesterday And took the modern worldââ¬â¢s more spacious wayâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ describes how he does not allow the troubles of the day throw him off his happiness.
The Use of Suspense in Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays
The Use of Suspense in Julius Caesar Suspense can be defined as the uncertainties the reader feels about what will happen next in a story, or in this case, a play. William Shakespeare incorporated in Julius Caesar three very suspenseful events on which the whole play depends. The first suspenseful event of this play occurs when the conspirators join and discuss their reasons for assassination. Cassius feels that he is equal to Caesar, if not even better that him. Shakespeare builds suspense by using this statement made by Cassius: "I was born free as Caesar.../we both have fed as well, and we can both / endure the winter's cold as well as he." Then cassius tries to persuade Brutes to join in on the conspiracy by telling him that it would be honorable to assassinate Caesar. Cassius tells Brutes that the fate of Rome is in trouble with Caesar in power, which helps build suspense early in the play. To convince Brutes conclusively, cassius forged letters and threw them into Brutus's window where he was sure to find them. Shakespeare wrote this statement: "we will awake him and be sure of him. This is a very powerful statement that builds suspense because the reader most likely feels that Brutes will join in and want to assassinate Caesar, yet the reader is uncertain as to whether or not the plan will work. These events are very suspenseful as they lead up to the assassination of Caesar. The next series of suspenseful events that foreshadow Caesar's assassination happen on a very unusual night. One night before Caesar's death there were many strange occurrences the foreshadows darkness in the future. A lioness gave birth in the streets, the dead rose from their graves, fiery worriers fought in the clouds so fiercely that blood drizzled upon the capitol, horses neighed, dying men groaned, and ghosts shrieked and squealed along the streets; all events of this strange night that Shakespeare makes so suspenseful. Also on this unusual nigh, Calpurnia had a very frightening dream that was very suspenseful. The dream was of Caesar's statue emitting blood and many Romans were bathing in it. When the reader reads this he is "on the edge of his seat"
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
The Diary of Consuelo Ortiga Y Perez
The Diary of Consuelo Ortiga y Perez * 16 September 1882 We have met two more Filipinos; one is called Rizal and the other, Perio. 30 September 1882 Rizal brought me a cane this morning which is full of sugar and one cannot tell how it was put inside. [01] 9 October 1882 Rizal says that he goes out only to go to the medical school and to come here at night. 18 January 1883 Rizal talked with me for a long time, almost the whole night. He told me that I was very talented, that I was very diplomatic, and that he was going to see if he could extract some truth from me within two weeks; that I was mysterious and that I had a veil over my ideas.He asked me who my favorite author was; I donââ¬â¢t know what I answered him because I was no longer feeling well. Lete told him that neither had he understood me and I said that it was easy and I was sure that Rizal would understand me forthwith. Now Iââ¬â¢m sorry for having said this. Have I not given him hope with it? Rizal told me that he detested amiable women because when they smiled, men imagined that they did so for something else. As he had told me the night before that I was very amiable, I understood that he meant it and I left him so that he would not make a mistake.A man should first study the ground and if he sees that the smile is fore everybody he ought not to pay attention to her smiles because in distributing them so freely they lose all their meaning. 26 February 1883 . . . Rizal is also in love; he has not declared this but almost, almost. He told me last night that he had a sickness that would not leave him except when traveling and that was only perchanc4. He also told me and I understood why, that two brothers had killed each other because both played the same card, that is, because both loved the same woman.He said that he had taken notice of one who was very tall for him but in spite of the fact that he had done it to amuse himself, it was useless. I listened to him with pleasure because he talks well and I fear that because of that he may think that Iââ¬â¢m giving him hope, as it is in reality, but as it happens that I like his conversation, I abandon myself to it and then when he goes away, Iââ¬â¢m sorry; he comes and again I do the same thing. Lola [02] was telling me that we ought to go away this summer and I would be glad to see if by not seeing Filipinos; I would avert a tempest that I see is near.I find myself in a position of not knowing which side to take: Lete on one side, Rizal on the other, on another the two brothers; [03] all attack and I have nothing with which to defend myself except my head, for I donââ¬â¢t see, as I go nowhere, my former admirers, though it would be the same should I see them. Those who do not suit me for some reasons, and these neither for others; in short, sometimes I fear I may lose my mind. 2 March 1883 Rizal asked me if I didnââ¬â¢t miss another love. I said to him ââ¬Å"no,â⬠but that is false. For sometime now Iâ⠬â¢m different.Before I didnââ¬â¢t think of things Iââ¬â¢m thinking of now. Then I had more suitors than now and I donââ¬â¢t know if for that very reason I didnââ¬â¢t give them altogether even ten minutes. Now, on the other hand, I think of them and my opinion is divided between Rizal and Lete. The first one tempts me by his manner of speaking and because he seems to me a serious lad, though formal ones frighten me. 20 March 1883 Rizal was much preoccupied and I asked him what the trouble was. He said that he was thinking of certain changes. ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢re sad and here sadness is forbidden to enter. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s true; Iââ¬â¢ve been importunate. â⬠ââ¬Å"No; Iââ¬â¢ve been the importunate one in saying that to you. â⬠ââ¬Å"I know,â⬠he said to me in reply, ââ¬Å"that some are winning. â⬠At that moment another spoke to me preventing me fortunately from answering. Later he told me that I was giving it for his saintââ¬â¢s day. à ¢â¬Å"How? What do you mean? â⬠ââ¬Å"Nothing, nothing; Iââ¬â¢ll explain it to you another day. â⬠I didnââ¬â¢t wish to insist. In the afternoon he said to father that he might trouble him to see if he could finish his course this year.It seems that he wants to go away. It is thus like a wound. Poor Rizal! And poor me who inspires love in those whom I canââ¬â¢t love! 2 April 1883 Rizal began to tell me: ââ¬Å"I congratulate you,â⬠but I got only ambiguous phrases from him. At this point Lete was able to sit beside me and said to me: ââ¬Å"Now we are going to adjust our accounts. Iââ¬â¢m very much irritated by the philosopher. â⬠(That is what he calls Rizal. ) ââ¬Å"Why? â⬠ââ¬Å"Because he is very attentive to you tonight. Havenââ¬â¢t you noticed a certain change in him? â⬠ââ¬Å"I? No. â⬠Well, he has suffered it greatly; the other day he told me, ââ¬ËDonââ¬â¢t you know that Iââ¬â¢m getting to like Consuelo? ââ¬â¢ â⬠ââ¬Å"ââ¬ËYes? Then Iââ¬â¢m glad,ââ¬â¢ I replied, and yesterday I went to his house and he was writing some verses. â⬠ââ¬Å"For whom are those verses? â⬠I asked him. ââ¬Å"For a newspaper in the Philippines. â⬠ââ¬Å"Are they, perchance, inspired by the ardent rays of Consueloââ¬â¢s eyes? â⬠ââ¬Å"Chap,â⬠he replied, ââ¬Å"I donââ¬â¢t need to be inspired. â⬠ââ¬Å"What do you think? â⬠ââ¬Å"That you exaggerate; I donââ¬â¢t believe Iââ¬â¢ve such intentions. â⬠ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s very clever; you donââ¬â¢t know him. â⬠I laughed to myself, because I know all that by heart. (Here follows a long dialogue with Lete. ) At this point Esteban Villanueva [04] comes and says to Lete: ââ¬Å"Come and close the door for Iââ¬â¢m leaving. â⬠He went but on leaving he took the chair with him. Rizal came full of jest and said to me: ââ¬Å"Tell me, Consuelo, why does Lete take away the chair? â⬠â⠬Å"Ask him. â⬠ââ¬Å"Later,â⬠Lete said to him. ââ¬Å"I'll explain. â⬠Afterwards, Rizal said to me: ââ¬Å"Tonight many will suffer from the lung and the heart. â⬠Then Lete said to me: ââ¬Å"Understand ââ¬Ëfrom the lungââ¬â¢ for gambling; from the heart, for you. ââ¬Å"And why give it that interpretation? â⬠ââ¬Å"Because it is his. â⬠I went later to get some copper coins that Antonio (Paterno) had in his vest pocket and when he surprised me, I said: ââ¬Å"What a poor thief I am! â⬠ââ¬Å"You can be sure of that,â⬠said Rizal to me, ââ¬Å"but of another thing no. â⬠This vexed Lete and he and Rizal were peeved all night long. We ââ¬â Antonio, Rizal, and I ââ¬â arranged ourselves to play tute [05] and Rizal began to tell me things always circuitously until I told him that he had something that I didnââ¬â¢t like and that is he was not frank enough. You speak in such a way that itââ¬â¢s necessary to think a grea t deal to be able to understand you and I hope that in time Iââ¬â¢ll understand you. â⬠He became serious; he put his hand to his forehead and said to me: ââ¬Å"You know very well what I want to tell you, but thereââ¬â¢s no better system of avoiding answering then to ask questions; but since you want me to tell you plainly, tell me if itââ¬â¢s true that one who comes afterwards arrives late. â⬠ââ¬Å"What! Have they said that I said it? â⬠ââ¬Å"No; nobody would say it. â⬠ââ¬Å"Then, you ask me if he who comes behind arrives late. â⬠ââ¬Å"Yes, thatââ¬â¢s it. â⬠If I were to tell you that, I would have to relate to you many things in my intimate life that Iââ¬â¢ve told nobody. â⬠ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢re right, I ask you to excuse me, but as youââ¬â¢re so amiable, Iââ¬â¢ve daredâ⬠3 April 1883 My account having been interrupted yesterday, I continue it today. After awhile, Rizal said to me: ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m going to tell you a story. â⬠ââ¬Å"Letââ¬â¢s see. â⬠ââ¬Å"She was a girl courted by two men. She was engaged to one and the other would tell her: ââ¬Å"So and So wants to court youâ⬠and when he would go away, she would laugh with the other at him. â⬠ââ¬Å"If I could get mad, I would. â⬠ââ¬Å"Why? â⬠Because youââ¬â¢ve called me a coquette. â⬠ââ¬Å"No; because she wasnââ¬â¢t to blame. â⬠ââ¬Å"It was to find out if she listened to both. â⬠ââ¬Å"I didnââ¬â¢t want to say that, nor did the other tell her that he loved her; but at any rate I ask you a thousand pardons and I withdraw whatever was offensive. â⬠I stood up for a moment and when I came back, Rizal, truly pressed, said to me: ââ¬Å"Do you forgive me? â⬠ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve nothing to forgive because it was due to my excessive susceptibility. â⬠ââ¬Å"Why? Do you forgive me? â⬠ââ¬Å"I forgive and see how good I am for I impose no penance. â⬠ââ¬Å"Impose a penance on me,â⬠he said. April 1883 Last night some were absent, among them Rizal, a thing that surprised me. Lete said to me: ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve come more than anything else to ask you a question. â⬠ââ¬Å"What? â⬠ââ¬Å"Rizal told me the other day that last Sunday, speaking with you, you told him that this summer many will be disappointed, and I want to know if Iââ¬â¢ll be one of them. â⬠ââ¬Å"Why do you want me to tell you a thing that I donââ¬â¢t know? I spoke without knowing what I was saying. That indeed slipped from my tongue, as I was following my own thought more than the conversation in which I was engaged. ââ¬Å"I donââ¬â¢t understand what you want to say. â⬠ââ¬Å"Well nothing; I said that just to say something and now Iââ¬â¢m sorry for I see that my phrases are commented on. â⬠ââ¬Å"When Lete told me this I was displeased that Rizal had told him, but Lete told me later that Rizal told him in order that h e would be warned. Iââ¬â¢ve already thought that since Rizal is so astute, heââ¬â¢ll make Lete averse to me to have one rival less. 16 April 1883 Rizal told me he has some plants that he has bought today and that the first flower will be for me.He told Lete and me a story that he said belonged to my mythological times. He calls Papa ââ¬Å"Periandroâ⬠and Lete ââ¬Å"Letidolisâ⬠and himself ââ¬Å"Planchivisâ⬠. He said that Periandro had a daughter to whom Diana had granted the gift of loving all men and afterwards he added women. In short, the story was long and I donââ¬â¢t remember all of it, but in it he spoke of everything and explained our respective situations. 7 May 1883 Last night I was in the corridor when Rizal passed on his way out, but instead of leaving, we talked for more than an hour.He again repeated that he couldnââ¬â¢t understand me, that I had a very black veil that hid my ideas from him, that many times he believed that a thing was done that in reality was not done, and it happened to him when studying that instead of letters he always saw a figure. . . . He brought me a flower, the first that his plant bore. 14 may 1883 (Dialogue between Consuelo and Lete about their engagement) At this point I opened my handbag and I saw the flower Rizal had given me last Sunday and without caring a whit, showed it to him.Everybody knew it and Rizal, however much he tried to dissimulate, was very happy. Afterwards I was sorry but there was no remedy. Lete then said to me: ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢ve kept the flower. â⬠ââ¬Å"Yes; I was removing things; my handbag was open and I dropped the flower into it just as I would have done with any other thing. â⬠ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢re a terrible woman,â⬠Rizal said. ââ¬Å"It seems unbelievable! Itââ¬â¢s atrocious, with that sweet face you take delight in mortifying; since this night you have made me suffer so much and you do nothing but laugh. â⬠ââ¬Å"I want to laugh n ow if by chance I may have to cry later. ââ¬Å"I would be glad. â⬠ââ¬Å"Thanks,â⬠I said to Rizal. He didnââ¬â¢t know that I was at the point of crying. I donââ¬â¢t remember what Rizal said that Lete said to me: ââ¬ËYouââ¬â¢ll not make me quarrel with my friend. ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ ââ¬Å"I? Why? â⬠ââ¬Å"Because itââ¬â¢s so. â⬠ââ¬Å"It will not be serious. â⬠ââ¬Å"Who knows, perhaps you will be the first cause. â⬠ââ¬Å"For Godââ¬â¢s sake, donââ¬â¢t frighten me for Iââ¬â¢m afraid! â⬠ââ¬Å"Lete is so good,â⬠added Rizal, interrupting the conversation. ââ¬Å"One night I gave him such great fright when he was alone at one house that he left so angry that I saw him cry.Nevertheless, the other day, we made up. â⬠ââ¬Å"You have seen me cry? Where? Here in the house? â⬠Lete objected, grateful for that affectionate praise. The other didnââ¬â¢t reply and I became very curious. Have they had some displeas ure between them? 9 June 1883 For two Sundays all the Filipinos havenââ¬â¢t come. Rizal was here the other afternoon and he said he had not come on account of the examinations and that he came out well in every one of them. The poor one is very enthusiastic and Iââ¬â¢m sorry. Enthusiasm, they say, is contagious, but I canââ¬â¢t be infected.Iââ¬â¢m quite mortified that they have so soon forgotten me for some nobodies [06] who, according to my information, are not even pretty, but Iââ¬â¢ll be very careful so that theyââ¬â¢ll not be vain thinking of another thing and in case itââ¬â¢s calculation as I imagine. 11 June 1883 Rizal and Antonio (Paterno) who were at the Retiro yesterday brought me flowers and they told me to go there, but I havenââ¬â¢t gone because those girls go and I donââ¬â¢t want to be obliged to speak with them. Rizal told me he was going to Paris to distract himself, to cure himself of an illness contacted a year ago.Then he has seen others deceived by the amiability with which they have been treated and he was afraid the same thing might happen to him; that he fell in love again and it seemed to him that he was going to be accepted and soon he was disappointed. Now itââ¬â¢s different because she belongs to a much higher class. ââ¬Å"I have,â⬠he said to me, ââ¬Å"too many aspirations. â⬠ââ¬Å"Man must always have them. â⬠ââ¬Å"Yes; but when theyââ¬â¢re too high theyââ¬â¢re ridiculous. â⬠ââ¬Å"An aspiration is never ridiculous when its end is good and neither do I believe that you have aspired for the moon. ââ¬Å"No; but itââ¬â¢s so difficult that I know it will accept only one with a great name or high position. â⬠I didnââ¬â¢t answer him. What could I say to him? If I gave him hope, then later to tell him ââ¬Å"noâ⬠would be a crime; and I havenââ¬â¢t enough willpower to take all hope from him, because, despite everything, I like him. ââ¬Å"Tell me what you w ant from Paris. â⬠ââ¬Å"Nothing, may you enjoy much. â⬠ââ¬Å"You already know that Iââ¬â¢m going to study French, and what Iââ¬â¢ll try is to get curried if I donââ¬â¢t succeed. Iââ¬â¢ll follow the currant. Lete and I have concluded a truce for the summer. ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢re in it,â⬠I said to him. ââ¬Å"When does it end? â⬠ââ¬Å"In September. â⬠ââ¬Å"Then on the day following, the end. â⬠ââ¬Å"In October? â⬠I asked, knowing what he wanted to say. ââ¬Å"Yes. â⬠ââ¬Å"And whatââ¬â¢s it, in what does it consist? â⬠ââ¬Å"Pardon me, for as itââ¬â¢s Leteââ¬â¢s also, I canââ¬â¢t tell you. â⬠ââ¬Å"Donââ¬â¢t say it then. â⬠18 June 1883 Rizal has gone to Paris; he says heââ¬â¢ll come back in September. Last night Antonio (Paterno) told me that as the train moved, he sent us many regards through him. Will he get cured? 23 August 1883 The other night Lete told me that on Monday he talked wit h Rizal for more than four hours. As a good friend,â⬠he said, ââ¬Å"I related to him everything, and now he saw that I had not been sincere towards him. â⬠Before, Rizal said to him, he didnââ¬â¢t think of me, now the told him the opposite. Rizal asked him about the status of his relationship with me. He told him and he advised Lete not to go to Barcelona because ââ¬Å"If you go,â⬠he said, ââ¬Å"itââ¬â¢s possible she may not answer you on the 24th but on the 25th, or never, which is the same; then, as soon as youââ¬â¢re away sheââ¬â¢ll get cold, in case sheââ¬â¢s becoming convinced, and as for me I canââ¬â¢t be responsible to you.ââ¬Å"You know,â⬠Rizal continued, ââ¬Å"that I liked Ines and nevertheless I left her to Antonio (Paterno); with her I could have passed away the time, but with Consuelo no; for this reason I have told you as a friend I advised you to marry her, but as Rizal, no. â⬠ââ¬Å"As heââ¬â¢s noble,â⬠Lete continued, ââ¬Å"we have made a pact that heââ¬â¢ll say nothing until 24 October. He told me he had to answer a question you put to him. I asked him wit it was but he replied that he couldnââ¬â¢t tell me because it was a secret. The following day Rizal came and brought two music sheets as a souvenir from Paris and some verses that I had asked him at the concert and others dedicated to me [07] which confirmed everything Lete had told me.They go with this diary to save me the trouble of writing them down and because I believe they reveal passion, not for an indifferent one but for me who had inspired them, and for knowing their author. My question was if he already got cured, a rather bold question which Iââ¬â¢m sorry I asked. 3 September 1883 I showed Rizalââ¬â¢s letter to Matilde. [08] She didnââ¬â¢t like it and said there was a very bad intention in the polite piece. 0 October 1883 All the Filipinos came last night. Lete told me that he had asked Rizal what we were going to talk about, and replied that it was nothing. And he added: ââ¬Å"Is it you who have to talk with him? â⬠Yes,â⬠I answered, ââ¬Å"what I regret is that you have told him; Iââ¬â¢ll not say anything to him again. â⬠ââ¬Å"I, too, am sorry, but now nothing can be done. â⬠As Rizal was warned by Lete, several times he spoke to me and asked me as formerly if I would win in the game but I didnââ¬â¢t want to have a conference with him to show Lete I was not interested and, besides, it was already becoming difficult.I went with Papa yesterday to see the king returning from his excursion. The enthusiasm was great. . . . We were also carried away in that surge and when it cleared a little I heard a voice telling me: ââ¬Å"Over here, Consuelo. â⬠It was Maximino (Paterno) who was with his brother, Ventura (Valentin), and Rizal. The last asked me if I knew why all were so studios. ââ¬Å"Because they have realized the evil they were doing and they abj ured their errors. â⬠ââ¬Å"No; because they have learned that itââ¬â¢s a prerequisite to certain things to have a career and for that reason they study in order to aspire for them. We talked a great deal and I donââ¬â¢t remember everything. ââ¬Å"If I believed in certain things,â⬠I continued, ââ¬Å"I would say that youââ¬â¢re immortal. â⬠ââ¬Å"Immortal? â⬠ââ¬Å"For many things. â⬠ââ¬Å"For none I believe; it seems to me that Iââ¬â¢ll die soon and if one thing that Iââ¬â¢ve thought of and I havenââ¬â¢t told anybody occurs, Iââ¬â¢ll notify you wherever you may be to show you Iââ¬â¢m right. â⬠ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ll note down what you have told me as soon as I get home. â⬠What interpretation had he given to my words? Later he told me that he believed in nothing, that he had no faith. ââ¬Å"And how can you live? â⬠ââ¬Å"Without it. ââ¬Å"On the contrary I think we ought to believe in something that may encourage us in our undertakings and may comfort us in our misfortune. â⬠ââ¬Å"When a curate says it, I donââ¬â¢t believe it; if you should say it, I would believe it. â⬠ââ¬Å"God grant that I may have power to make you believe! â⬠He kept silent and after awhile he said to me: ââ¬Å"Neither do I believe in the love of parents; mine love me, but they would not remember me if I would not return or Iââ¬â¢m delayed ten years in returning. â⬠ââ¬Å"Donââ¬â¢t say that; I believe little and if you speak to me thus, Iââ¬â¢ll believe in nothing.The love of parents doesnââ¬â¢t die. â⬠ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve not been a father, undoubtedly for that reason. . . .â⬠ââ¬Å"I neither, but I judge filial love by the paternal. Iââ¬â¢ve separated from Papa for some twenty days and when the train left I was very happy. . . . It seemed to me I was going back home at night, but upon arrival at the town where I was going, despite my efforts and Iââ¬â¢m not give n to tears, I couldnââ¬â¢t control myself and I cried . . . and everyday I remembered him. â⬠ââ¬Å"You must have been alone. â⬠ââ¬Å"No; my brother was with me. â⬠ââ¬Å"We donââ¬â¢t speak of those loves. And the others? ââ¬Å"Oh, we are agreed on those. â⬠When I was small I heard it said that friendship couldnââ¬â¢t exist between two boys, and I said: What has distinct sex got to do with it? I wished to try the experiment and I see itââ¬â¢s true. I believed in a friend, nothing more than a friend, and we broke up quarreling. â⬠ââ¬Å"I would be yours if that wee not too much for me, I canââ¬â¢t aspire. . . .â⬠ââ¬Å"And if itââ¬â¢s granted to you? â⬠They interrupted us in order to cross the street, and then Sanmarti, [09] whom we met, stood beside me. Rizal also asked me what I would say if Lete would ask me how I spent the day. The truth,â⬠I replied. ââ¬Å"Then, Iââ¬â¢ll tell him that I spent it very well, and then I saw the Queen and the King. â⬠ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢ve been more fortunate than I,â⬠I said to him as if I didnââ¬â¢t understand him. â⬠ââ¬Å"The Queen was beside a gentleman [sic.! ]. . . .â⬠It seems to me Lete would not be very much satisfied for God knows what Rizal would tell him. When all had left, Rizal told Papa for me to hear: ââ¬Å"Spain ought to ally herself with another nation. â⬠Papa: ââ¬Å"No sir; Spain is all right as she is. â⬠Rizal: ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s time she ceases to be a second class power. Papa: ââ¬Å"You know Spainââ¬â¢s history, therefore you know that whenever she allied herself with other powers she lost rather than gained. â⬠Rizal: ââ¬Å"However, an alliance with a young, rich, and strong nation, I believe, in the present circumstances and even in the future must be beneficial to her, though it may be only a support that a weakened monarchy needs. . . .â⬠ââ¬Å"Weakened? How? Never has it rested o n a more solid foundation; never was it more loved by the people that see in it the symbol of regeneration, of peace, of new life. Rizal: ââ¬Å"Right, Don Pablo, but only in form, not at the bottom, as it represents the symbol. The people, as part of it, loves the monarchy per accidens, [Contingently, indirectly, by virtue of some chance, circumstance, or happening. Latin for, by happenstance. Opposite of per se. ââ¬â rly] because it represents the peace of Spain which it loves per se, because it still believes in that longed-for regeneration of its past grandeur; but the primates of the people adore above all someone who is determined to take possession of her with the same purpose of governing her.
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