The Boy on the Left Had No Future. the One on the Righ

The one on the right Is a talented star pupil I have read a short story called The boy on the left had no future. The one on the right Is a star pupil'. I think It's a great Idea to take half criminal boy from the street and put him In a private school. The Film Company makes Ryan Williams, a very big favor and help to change. Such a change has changed Ryan's life completely. It has made him a much better person, a star student and captain of the rugby team.I think the elm company has made this program with good sense and really believe that they would like rectify these children's lives. Although I think their first thought with this TV show was to earn a lot of money. But after the first few shows, I think they found out how happy these kids were and how grateful they were. It can almost be compared to television program Extreme Makeover Home Edition, where they help families in need, and rebuilding their houses. I can almost imagine how excited these children were when they were a sked If they would participate.I can't Imagine that they ever had the thought not to participate, because It's a unique opportunity to get a good education. And when you're poor and you do not have very many money, then you have to grab the chance. This Is also a way to develop a lot of talented kids, and a way to develop children you wouldn't have thought would be somebody. And if we now take Ryan as an example, â€Å"He has shown what a talented person he is† said Membrane Hammed, the director of the programmer. And it's true. Now, if TV team had never gotten hold of him, so he never got so far.

Framing Carpentry

Have you ever built anything with your hands? Maybe a birdhouse? What about a model car or plane? We’ve all built a gingerbread house before; haven’t we? Well, no matter who we are, or where we come from, most of us have built, or helped to build, something with our bare hands. The satisfaction a person gets from completing something with their bare hands is an amazing feeling. Now, have you ever built a house before? Yes, I mean an entire house. Starting from what is basically a pile of sticks. Most people haven’t. Being a framing can give a person satisfaction that is not easily found. But this is not a job for the weak. Being a carpenter may be one of the hardest and most dangerous jobs a person can do on a daily basis. Framing is a job that anybody should be proud to do. Not only does is take a great amount of physical and mental strength, but it takes an artist’s touch as well. Whether you rent a home, or own your own, somebody put their blood, sweat, and/or tears into building the place you call home. Blood may not be as common as sweat, and tears even less so, but with the amount of physical energy that it takes to build a home, yours took at least one of them; more likely two. I’ve been working as a framing carpenter for a quarter of my life, so I hope you take my word when I say it can be flat out exhausting. An August day spent at the lake can drain a man. That same August day on top of a roof can reach 130+ degrees, and will push even the fittest men to their physical limits. People might say, â€Å"I hit the gym every night, I could handle it. † Okay, put on a tool belt and give it a shot. But remember, that tool belt weighs about ten pounds. Now factor in repeatedly, and I mean hundreds of times a day, lifting anywhere from two to one hundred and twenty pounds; and don’t forget the heat. I’ve personally seen this drain a man’s energy so much that in just one moment of exhaustion, he buried a saw (mind you a power saw) in his left thigh almost four inches deep. There was blood and tears, and for a moment I feared for his life. Of course this isn’t as common as a shooting yourself with a nail gun, slicing yourself on a strap, or stepping on a nail, but it happens. These lapses in judgment happen on some small scale everyday so you must always be mentally aware. There is so much more to building a house than being able to work hard. As much, and sometimes more energy can be spent on the mental process that takes place. I asked you earlier if you’d ever built a house from a pile of sticks. Essentially, that is what takes place. Imagine your house being sent out on the back of a truck. And it’s not like a Lego house that is ready to put together. Critical steps must be taken from the moment you set that first nail. A mistake in that took five seconds to make could take days to fix. I know a guy who built a 5,000 square foot building too tall. I know a guy who built every window in the house six inches to small. I know a guy that cut over 5,000 dollars worth of logs the wrong length. Sure these were stupid and costly mistakes, but if you can show me one person that hasn’t made a dumb mistake at work, I can show you a thousand who have. Being physically exhausted keeps your thought processes from working properly. Your body will take care of its physical needs first, and if you don’t have enough left it will shut down mentally. I believe this has happened to most of us at some point; studying perhaps? Keeping your mind fresh is most crucial when you get to the roof. Making four different roof lines come together harmoniously can be very difficult. Calculating multiple angles for each roof to blend perfectly can be a headache for even math majors. But when all is said and done, you can look back at your own little masterpiece with pride. Can you really consider framing a house†¦.. a masterpiece? Absolutely! Here in St George, UT we have an annual event known as the Parade of Homes. This is where local construction companies show of the skills of their trades, and what I believe you could call their artists touch. Many of us attend this annual event, and gawp at the beauty within these homes. We look at the intrinsic details of a fireplace or ceiling, but do not take much time to think about the work it took to build these. It once took me a day and a half to build fireplace; with a helper. The details were absurd. It was something that should have been built with foam, not wood. Six different radiuses, some of which had moon sliced openings with waves protruding on every surface, and a light bar that followed the last one. Now, did I feel like an artist upon completion? You better believe I did; I felt like Picasso. It wasn’t easy to build this with a power saw and nail gun from only a pile of sticks. But it is precisely these types of projects that leave me with an overwhelming sense of pride. After all of the houses I’ve built I still take pride in my work. It feels good to drive through a neighborhood, and to remember each house I’ve built. There are memories that come to mind with every house. I can picture the first house that I built as a grunt, as well as the first I built as a foreman. I remember how good my first house as a foreman felt, and how I sat in my truck when we were finished, and felt the pride of doing it my way. It’s always a good feeling to accomplish something that you take pride in, and everybody needs that feeling. Whether it was a million dollar home, or a track home that took three days, it’s always felt good to finish a home and admire it. It’s great to know that it was through my knowledge, skills, and strength that I took a pile of sticks, and built a house. This is why I think framing is a job to be proud of.

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

Art - Essay Example Just like the expression that ‘beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’, the appreciation for aesthetic value in art, lies in a more profound understanding of the beholder. The significance of studying art as a discipline is taken in the context that with greater knowledge of art, one gets the chance to be enriched, not only in theoretical knowledge of different works of art from various time frames; but more so, develop a more keen and analytical perspective in appreciating the intended meaning that the artists have relayed through their personal creation. Thus, more than just seeing or visualizing art works, the study of art has provided the improvement of skills in interpretation, in possessing a critical eye, as well as in understanding how art evolved through time using different media, elements, resources, and the application of creative skills and styles, as evident from one period to the other. In a particular work of art, for instance, one previously responds through interpreting the creation in its purely visual representation. This means that one gets to comment on the aesthetic quality: the vividness of the colors, the shading, and the images that are seen. Upon delving into a more in-depth understanding of art through the course, one recognized more elements of art could actually be evaluated as forming an integral part of the art work. For instance, one could analyze the juxtaposition of images and how it contributed to the overall unity and message of the work of art. In addition, one could discern, despite the abstract expression of an artist, the real meaning that was intended for the viewers through the use of colors, forms, and creative style. As such, when figuring out an art work that one plans to hang on the wall, the qualities that would be included in the selection process would not merely depend on the way the art work looks (visual qualities); but on the overall ability of the

Filling an ELP form Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Filling an ELP form - Assignment Example Towards this end, I have worked in a leading telecommunications company and have gained experience during my time there. I have a passion for computers and like to learn new skills related to the field. I hope to do well in my coursework and exams so as to enable me to complete the course. I have observed that there are lots of companies that pay good salaries to the computer engineers and my desire is to land a job that pays me anywhere between 1700 and 2000 pounds. During my internship or summer placement with the company, I learnt a lot about real world experience related to the computer industry and found what it takes to be a good computer engineer. Because of this experience, I have knowledge of what it takes to specialise in different courses related to computer engineering. The name of the post and recruiting organisation and source of job advert should be identified. If applying for industrial placement, summer project placement or professional practice identify an opportuntity. Or, if writing about self-employment, the business idea should be identified. From the following seven competency-based questions, select three that are most relevant to your career aspiration. The seven competencies can be related to all graduate roles including self-employment. You have identified a career aspiration and there is some evidence of description/opportunities connected with it. However, I would like to see more content, written much more clearly eg a description of the role, as you are well below the word count for the task. Overall, the grammar not up to the standard required. You may find it helpful to get a friend with a good command of English to read it through for you. Your examples seem as if they have potential to show that you understand the competencies. However, there is insufficient description for me to make this judgement as yet. You need to be more descriptive

MODERN FRENCH THINKERS-POLITICAL SCIENCE PHILOSOPHY Essay

MODERN FRENCH THINKERS-POLITICAL SCIENCE PHILOSOPHY - Essay Example His political science thus harnesses the new natural science of the Enlightenment to address despotism, which he deems mankinds fundamental problem in older and newer times and in every land. One of his novel means for overcoming this enduring obstacle to human civilization and liberty, thus providing for mankinds needs and wants in a humane way, is a powerful but disguised judiciary which can change both the manner and structure of political life for any people or government. The best, most humane kind of government will be one most imbued, though still imperceptibly, by a judges concern with due process and protecting individual security. Throughout this examination of Montesquieu’s judging power recourse will be had to one of the â€Å"principles† of his work - principles which, he claims, explain â€Å"the histories of all nations† (Preface, 229, xliii). This is moderation, by which he means a balance, or equilibrium, which avoids extremes, and it is the fundamental principle of Montesquieus new political science. One of its particular forms is a doctrine of constitutionalism for which he is justly famous, since in its application to human beings and politics Montesquieus moderation takes the form of separation of powers. This principle of balance or equilibrium deeply informs his noted study of the constitution of England: â€Å"it is an everlasting experience that any man who has power is led to abuse it; he continues until he finds limits †¦ So that one cannot abuse power, it is necessary that, by the disposition of things, power check power" (XI.4, 395, 155). Montesquieus more general and fundamental formulation of the principle of moderation, however, is the understanding of esprit (spirit) which informs the works title, namely a Newtonian equilibrium achieved in the relations between bodies in motion (inanimate and animate). This is clearly evident in Montesquieus notion of the â€Å"principle of each [type of] government:" the right "relation between the

UAE Labor law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UAE Labor law - Research Paper Example Employees worked for several hours and there was need to address some of the grievances that they had through legislation means and that commenced the labor law institution. In this regard, this paper attempts to address the following with reference to labor laws; As discussed above, labor laws refer to asset of legislations that tries to rationalize the needs of the employees and the employer so that there is a balance between the two parties. In most cases, the employees suffer the most when there are poor labor laws in an organization or within the trade unions. The labor laws thus tend to fight for the interest of the employee as compared to that of the employer. It stipulates clearly how and the extent within which the parties should associate by determining among other things salary and wages, working hours, health related issues at the work place, insurance of the employees, as well as the provision of the protective clothing where necessary (Keller, and Darby, 2005). Thus, labor laws are a set of legislations that provides for a realistic and harmonious relation between the two major players in the working environment- the employee and the employer. It ensures that no side is unduly considered in the play and that all are fairly represented and interest well noted. The labor laws are thus important in the event of a dispute between the employer and the employer in relation to other issues, which include unfair dismissal from work, discrimination, low wages, and long working hours than necessary (Mahdavi, 2011). The possible grievances that can be raised by the either parties are represented within the labor law and it can be used as the reference point for arbitration. It should also be noted that the laws are subject to editorial from time to time depending on the economic situation when it comes to the minimum wage that an employees

International trade and finance law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International trade and finance law - Essay Example The crisis also played an important part in the decrease of consumer wealth and poor economic activity ultimately leading to the global economic recession experienced between 2008 and 2012. Various causes of the 2008 economic crisis have been identified. These causes have been assigned weights by various economists in order to offer a comprehensive understanding of the event. According to a report presented to the U.S. senate on the financial crisis, the main causes were identified as poor regulatory systems, failure of rating agencies and high risk products among other cumulative effects2. By considering the financial crisis, we find that various questions need to be answered. First, what reasons resulted in the vulnerability of banks to problems in the credit market? What roles does the effectiveness of current international and national regulatory frameworks play on this vulnerability and finally, what changes are needed in the regulatory framework to prevented any future occurren ce of a global financial crisis. Looking at the situation preceding and following the financial crisis, we conclude that the main cause of the financial crisis included poor implementation with regards to corporate governance and risk management, poor design of regulatory frameworks and weaknesses in risk assessment and reporting. ... The main trigger of the financial crisis was the collapse of the U.S. housing bubble that begun in the late 1990s and peaked in 20073. According to Bullard (2009), the rapid demand for housing and the resulting increase in prices can be attributed to rare low interest rates, fast income growth, improvements in the mortgage market and large capital influx. During the housing bubble, there was a rapid increase in the offering of nonprime mortgage loans especially those with unusual terms. According to research, there was a 40% increase of nonprime mortgage loans between the year 2001 and 20064. Most of these loans were given to consumers with poor credit histories, marginal down payments and other deficiencies precluding them from prime loans5. The rise in subprime lending was accompanied by a fast increase in the percentage of subprime loans that lenders sold to banks. Firms such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac played a crucial part in the development of lending, which they funded throu gh selling of bonds in the capital markets. Ultimately, Government Sponsored Enterprises that were tasked with policing mortgage originators and maintaining underwriting standards were forced to relax these standards in order to compete with private banks6. When the bubble burst and there was a sharp fall in house prices, most borrowers realized that their loans exceeded what their houses were worth. This resulted in the inability of most borrowers to refinance their mortgages ultimately creating the motivation for defaults. Due to this, loan defaults and foreclosures increase sharply as can be seen in Figure 1 Fig 1: The U.S. Housing Bubble7 The failure of the mortgage market was also accompanied by the explosion and subsequent collapse of shadow banking.

Philosophy, Politics and Economy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy, Politics and Economy - Term Paper Example This happened immediately after the end of the civil war. The expansion reached its peak during the civil rights era in which the government’s presence was all over the country. Indeed, the activities during the civil rights movement contributed to the expansion of the federal authority. The government bodies established have brought governance closer. Consequently, the federal government has an autonomous presence in the entire country. This piece focuses on the growth of the federal government as seen in the period characterizing the civil era. Federal government expansion Political structures President Abraham Lincoln spearheaded the expansion of the American authority by signing into law acts that supported the expansion of a democratic government. According to Holcombe (2002), the amendments to the constitution expanded the government’s presence; thus, an alteration to the political structure in America. Introduction of taxation by the federal government propelled the growth of the federal authority during the progressive era. The income tax enhanced the government’s capability to control expenditure. This was a way of expanding the federal government size to cushion the citizens against political uncertainties. Lincoln initially advocated for a strong government that had the interest of people at heart. The expansion of the Congress to its current size is attributable to the laws initiated by Lincoln after the civil war. The Supreme Court has also witnessed an expansion in its activities throughout the States. According to the civil rights activist, the government is the defendant of the rights of citizens. As such, the activists advocated for the expansion of authority during the civil rights era (Holcombe, 2002). The activists expected the government to secure their rights in their quest for justice in America. Their activities led to the ratifications that allowed the government to spearheaded most of democratic processes in the co untry. Some quarters of the population praised the expansion of the judicial authorities. The civil rights era altered the entire political structure of the American government. The political setting was changed to conform to the wishes of the majority. The people advocated for the expansion of government through establishment of bodies that championed their rights. However, the expansion of the federal government has compromised on accountability by the authorities. Interestingly, the establishment of the Electoral College in the United States has contributed to the expansion of authority. Social structures Liberalization of laws after the civil war led to the establishment of Unions. The government catered for such groups by paying for their pensions. This guided the interest groups that were to follow the war veterans unions (Boyer, 2006). It was the hallmark of the establishment of groups and federal programs in the society. For instance, the enactment of Sherman antitrust act l ed to the growth of the federal government. More regulatory laws were introduced in the civil era that affects the relationship among individuals. To some extent, government has control on the social structures on the society using bodies such as environment protection agency. â€Å"Federal Trade Commission† and the â€Å"Food, and Drug Administration† were the bodies created following the world war era by

Final Assignment - Critical thinking Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final - Critical thinking - Assignment Example Besides, critical thinking enables people to demonstrate the importance and relevance of their ideas and reflect on their justifications of values and beliefs (Nukui, 2007). Therefore, critical thinking guides decision-making process and enables human being to construe concerns from possible actions. Critical thinking course is a crucial component of the curriculum and student development. The course curriculum enhances cognitive values and nurtures skills in decision-making. The course equips and enriches interpersonal skills and conflict resolution aids. Therefore, critical thinking course facilitates a proper training on the importance of rational behavior in the pursuit of sustainable global development. The critical thinking course sets apart peoples future professionalism. Notably, the course advanced students knowledge to embrace diversity and challenges. Besides, benefits of critical thinking course evidences in peoples analytical skills, nature of arguments presentations, and judiciousness in attempting academic puzzles. The clear understanding of barriers to communication and critical thinking further stamps the significance of the course to the school life. In regards to dealing with arguments, the course provided a precise analysis of the types of cases. Critical thinking enhances analysis of reasons, application of standards and making of conclusive decisions based on sound reasoning and premises. Arguments are good or bad depending on the context, premises of thoughts and applied strategies. They include statements by individuals on a given topic or issue of debate. Good arguments comprise of inductive and deductive arguments. Good deductive arguments provide the basis for truth in conclusions while good inductive arguments guarantee probable suppositions (Nukui, 2007). A bad argument refers to the fallacious or misleading arguments. The type of case usually facilitates persuasive conclusions through illicit procedure of argumentation.

Financial Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Financial Analysis - Essay Example Over the past five years the Home Retail Group company has had ups and downs trend in terms of its profits but the gap between the profits is very small, for example the difference in profits between 2012 and 2011 is less than 1% this is an indication that the company maintains its standards of high performance over the period. For example the percentage gross profit for 2010 and 2011 is 45.45%, this was seen in both years, an indication of financial health for the company although not at a very good standards, but it shows that the HRG Company is capable of paying for the operational expenses without financial constraints. There is an increase in percentage of profit margin from 0.11%to 0.055% in the year 2011 and 2012 respectively this an indication that sales are increasingly contributing to the bottom line of the company. This measures how effectively a companys assets are being used to generate profits. It is majorly considered when evaluating the success of a business. A higher number reflects a well managed company with a healthy return on assets. The percent rate of return on assets for Home Retail Group is 0.022% in 2012 although there is a slight increase, there is still a need for improvement in this area to ensure the company can remain competitive and continue to operate successfully. This shows the rate of return on equity capital employed and also measures the ability of a companys management to realize an adequate return on the capital invested by the owners in a company. A higher number is preferred for this ratio. The percent rate of return on equity for Home Retail Group is 0.055% in 2012 and 0.0275% in 2010 there is a slight increase an indication that the management may not be effectively managing the profits earned based on the owners investment in the company. The management should utilize budgets to track expenses on a regular basis, and identify those that are out of line. Assign

Economic Practice Coursework Essay Example for Free

Economic Practice Coursework Essay My choice of article is the one relating to the oil crisis in Libya, and how it affects the economy of other countries. The article discusses the impacts of the oil cut of Libya, supplying it no more. It starts off by talking about the impact on shares and the price of oil barrels, which is the fastest and direct impact of the oil cut. As supply from Libya territory stops, supply to the entire world is crippled, as Libya is one of the countries that supply most worldwide used oil. As it stops supplying, it shifts the supply and demand graphs completely. In a short term, supply shifts to the left, as it is less. In doing so, for the same amount of oil, the price has gone to a higher figure. By doing that, the shares index of the western countries, such as European countries and the US have dropped, because of the adjustment via disposable income. That happens because of the effects of the shifting of the supply curve. As the price goes higher, the general public have less money to spend on the economy and firms, decreasing the firms profit, damaging that countries economy. Thats the reason for the index to go down, and thats an example of mid-term effects of the oil crisis. In the midterm effect, the demand for oil will decrease, as people will cut back on the oil, and look for alternative routes. On the long term, the demand for the cars will decrease, as people will not want to buy cars, and try to sell their cars. This will affect the economy drastically, as the car companies are a big part of that countries economy. The general public will search for alternative routes to travel, as oil prices are higher. The car companies will have to spend much more money on researching alternatives such as hybrids and electric cars which are starting to appear. The public transport system will benefit from this situation, as more people would want to travel via train or bus, as it is much cheaper and faster. The government would get more money from this, so it would improve as much. The oil companies would want to drill and search for oil in more remote areas, causing more deforestation, and much more money spending by the companies and time. Thus some small oil companies will be closed down due to the high demand of oil, as they cant compete with the oil monopolies. The oil monopolies will also be affected, as some major companies oil supply relies a lot on Libyas supply. Regarding the oil companies, they had to pull out staff from troubled countries, not only Libya, but other countries that are getting affected by that state, and are choosing to cut off supply as well, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. As they do this, the productivity drops to zero in those countries, and there is a high chance of the companies losing contact with their oil. The unrest in Libya may affect the Saudi Arabia, and that concern is affecting a huge majority of stock holders and companies, specified before, changing the stock markets, especially the European and Asia. Relating to airlines, as the supply and demand graphs change, the oil supply for airplanes gets crippled, so more money has to be spent to get the same amount of oil, making the costs bigger, resulting in a bigger price for the customer for the same flight compared to before the whole situation. There is also a chance of investors backing out from the airline business, resulting in smaller profits for the companies and much more monetary issues.

Are Capital Asset Pricing Model Useful Finance Essay

Are Capital Asset Pricing Model Useful Finance Essay The CAPM model has generally been attributed to William Sharpe, but John Lintner and Jan Mossin also made similar individual derivations in 1960s. As a result of the model is even known as Sharpe-Lintner-Mossin (SLM) capital asset pricing model. The CAPM explains the relationship that should exist between the securities expected return and their risk about security returns. It is a direct extension of the portfolio models developed by Markowitz and Sharpe. CAPM derives the relationship between required rate of returns and the systematic risk of individual securities and portfolios. The model explains how different securities or assets in the capital market are priced. The CAPM provides an explicit measure of the risk premium. The CAPM can be expressed as follows: The portfolio that contains all the securities in the economy is called the market portfolio and it plays a crucial role in CAPM. The CAPM is the theoretical relationship that should hold for all securities and portfolios, both efficient and inefficient. The CAPM when plotted on a graph gives a line as depicted: The graphical version of CAPM is also known as Security market line (SML). The SML represents the relationship between beta factor and the expected rate of return f a security. This is also called risk-free rate. In equilibrium, all securities and portfolios plots should lie on the CAPM line. Capital asset pricing model has the following implications: Risk-return relationship for individual asset/securities. Identification of under and overvalued assets traded. Pricing of assets which have not yet traded in the market. Effect of leverage on cost of equity (rate of return required by equity shareholder) Capital budget decisions and cost of capital. (Source: Capital asset pricing model; Portfolio management from ICFAI publication page no.91) The CAPM has a variety of applications. Capital asset pricing model used for decisions relating to portfolio evaluation, capital expenditure, financing etc. The CAPM determines the cost of capital for discounting of future cash flows. CAPM is even assist in risk implications of mergers and acquisitions, product mixes and many more. CAPM has been the most widely used method in finance. Since the 1990s the CAPM has been started to be used in the calculation of risk-adjusted discount rate which has been a major contribution for capital budgeting. Capital budgeting is a key input for any organization so as to know the cost of capital for which companies use CAPM as they need market risk premium for calculating cost of capital. At present all MBA courses teach CAPM so as to calculate cost of capital. However the classic method for capital budgeting is to take Net Present Value (NPV). (Source: Bierman, H.J., 1993, Capital Budgeting:A Survey, Financial Management 22, 24) Investors should be cautious when applying the model to estimate assets returns and to evaluate investment performance. Empirical appraisal of CAPM The CAPM was developed on the basis of a set of unrealistic assumptions as the assumptions are not correct in their entirety. The CAPM must be tested empirically and validated before it can be used with any real confidence. The empirical test should look for the key results first, the positive relationship between returns and systematic risk and should appear to be linear. Second, test should attempt to assess the importance of market and company specific risk. Third, whether research questions on CAPM is conceptually possible. AT last CAPM if valid will assist in financial decisions. However, when analysis of bond is done, they do not plot on the SML. (Source: 80 International Research Journal of Finance and Economics Issue 4 (2006))Empirical analysis is done to evaluate the assets, their risk, analyze and to be placed in respective place. Then only hurdle rates can be calculated for the project to be undertaken. (Jagannathan and McGrattan [1995]. Limitations of CAPM CAPM is a useful model in dealing with the risk. However, it suffers from many Limitations firstly; the calculation of beta factor is very tedious as lot of data is required. The beta factor can be found by examining the securitys historical returns relative to the return of the market portfolio. Further, the beta factor may or may not reflect the future variability of returns. The assumptions of CAPM are hypothetical and are impractical. For example, the assumption of borrowed and lending at the same rate is imaginary and not practical. In practice the borrowing rates are higher than the lending rates. Secondly the earlier tests showed positive relation between returns and betas. However, the relationship was not strong as predicted by CAPM. All empirical studies testing CAPM have a conceptual problem. CAPM is an ex-ante model; that is data on expected prices are taken to test CAPM. Unfortunately, in practice the researchers or analyst have to work with the actual past (ex-post) dat a which will put up bias in the empirical results. (Source: capital asset pricing model www.ezinearticles.com)Third; beta is used as a measure for the securitys future risk. However there is no future data or information is available with the investors to calculate the beta. Hence, these investors take the help of past data to estimate the future prices of shares and the market portfolio. Thus, investors estimate beta using the historical data. One cannot expect the beta factor to be constant over time. It must be updated frequently. And at the same time CAPM is unable to capture the risk just only with the help of beta. (Source: capital-asset-pricing-model, www. professional-edu.blogspot.com)Fourth; CAPM assumes that the returns on the investments are tax free. However in todays life the assumption is wrong as investments are subject to capital gain taxes and further adding transaction costs. And the taxes depends on the amount of return higher the return higher the tax and lower t he return and lower the tax. Fifth; The CAPM has the assumption that the transaction costs are zero but it is not as such. In the capital market there is transaction cost for every transaction done, some investments hover below or above line which is discouraged due the transaction costs. And many investments involve significant transaction costs such as acquiring a business or real estate. (Stambaugh, R. F. 1999. Predictive regressions. Journal of Financial Economics 54) Doubt began to arise when taking a close look at the assumptions and these are reinforced by the empirical tests. The model focuses on market rather than total risk is clearly a useful way of thinking about the riskiness of assets in general. We do not know precisely how t measure any of the inputs required to implement the CAPM. This input should be ex ante but we only have ex post info available. The estimates used in the CAPM are subject to large errors. Debate The CAPM has been attractive in measuring the risk and return relation since three decades. With the help of CAPM the rate of return on different securities can be compared by the investor. With the comparison of expected rate of return on different securities investors/firms can wisely decide to invest in portfolio so as to maximize the return with minimizing the risk. (Source: CAPM from Book Financial Management by I M Pandey. But unfortunately, the empirical record is too poor to validate the way it to be used. The models problems may be due to theoretical failing or the unrealistic assumptions and the difficulties faces in applying the valid model. The model has been 1959 and since decades concerns have been raised on the number of studies about the model. There has been no historical relationship between returns and the risk i.e. the betas. (Source: Fama and French 1992) The conclusion interpreted from the statistical findings. The data are noisy to invalidate the CAPM. (Source: Christensen and Mendelson [1992] and Black [1993]. Despite criticisms, the general reaction has been to focus on alternative asset pricing models. (Fama and French [1992]. The economist show lack of empirical support for the CAPM which may be due to inappropriateness of assumptions made to facilitate the empirical test. For example, the return on stock market indices is good proxy for return on market portfolio but do not capture all assets in the economy such as human capital. Beta calculated for diversified portfolios are more accurate than that of the individual securities as grouping shrink beta range and hence reduces statistical power. To improve the empirical testing of CAPM numerous changes had been done in the past overcome the limitations or even to look for the subsequent alternate model to validate. At the same time the researchers and practitioners have began to look for multi-beta models that overcome the shortcomings of the CAPM. Fama and French (1992) and Fama and MacBeth (1973) use the same procedure but the results are totally different from each other. The former has no relation at one hand and the later has a positive relation between return and risk. Everyone is in a debate of whether to follow CAPM model or not? Where the companies even use CAPM for their capital budgeting process. But still some academic feels that those who choose the CAPM will actually not be getting worthless advice. (Source: Eugene F. Fama and Kenneth R. French, Journal of Finance, Vol. 47, 1992, 427-465)The model is often used for looking the performance of mutual funds and other portfolios. One of the big problem is forming p ortfolio by sorting stocks on the basis of price ratios but the average returns do not relate to market betas. ((Lakonishok, Shleifer and Vishny, 1994, Fama and French, 1996, 1998).) At NYSE, NASDAQ from 1963 to 2003 the average return on the book to market equity ratio portfolio rises monotonically from 10.1% p.a. to 16.7% for ten portfolios in U.S. securities but the positive relation between beta and return predicted by the model was absent. Whereas all NYSE stocks between 1931-1965 estimated that the results were consistent with the CAPM model. (Black, Jensen and Scholes 1972) Conclusion CAPM has been facing a lot of criticism in the recent times still it remains a useful tool for many i.e. for estimating the cost of capital, investment performance evaluation and efficient market event studies (Moyer et al 2001:204; Campbell et al 1997:183). In some of the recent empirical studies CAPM is said to be invalid. The CAPM is stated in terms of ex ante parameters, ex post tests cannot be accepted as an ultimate rejection of the CAPM and its parameters (Levy 1997:147). The CAPM should be judged on the basis of insights it provides into the risk/return relationship. Without the CAPM, the knowledge of the capital market and the market conditions would have been very limited (Karnosky 1993:56). Every three out of four CFOs use CAPM model to estimate the cost of capital. (Source: Graham and Harvey (2001). Corporate managers in U.S. confirmed in a survey the use of CAPM as a key tool for capital budgeting. Current MBA aspirant are taught to use CAPM for estimating cost of capita l. The CAPM should be continued with both individual tests and multi-factor models joint tests such as APT. Such testing will help understanding of the stock market pricing mechanism and the risk/return relationship. The capital asset pricing model has been employed in a wide variety of academic and institutional applications such as measuring portfolio performance, testing of market efficiency, identifying under and overvalued securities, capital budgeting etc. Apart the model have also been used in business by analyst, researchers and firms. CAPM has been the basis for modern capital market theory since 30 years, but with the emergence of new equity markets around the world during the last few years, accumulating research has increasingly created doubt on the models ability due to many cases arising where the model is not able to explain the correct movement of assets return. Despite its limitations and shortcomings, the CAPM model is a popular tool in the investment analysis. The simplicity of the model towards description of the equilibrium has made it quite popular among the users even today. There are other factors i.e. taxes, inflation, liquidity, and market capitalization and price earnings ratios apart from beta which affect required returns What believed is CAPM have significantly contributed to the security pricing theory, but applied in practice has got some defects and for which an extended CAPM should be applied or have to look for a new better model which should not have any deficiencies. The CAPM model is f or sure here to stay and attempts will continue to improve the model and to make it more useful.

General Overview Of Ecommerce Information Technology Essay

General Overview Of Ecommerce Information Technology Essay Electronic commerce is the term used for any type of business or commercial transaction that involves the transfer of products, services and information over electronic systems such as the internet and other computer networks. The trader and customer are not face to face at any point during these transactions, the business being conducted remotely, regardless of location. E-commerce covers a range of different types of businesses, from consumer based retail sites, through auction or music sites, to business exchanges trading goods and services between corporations. It is one of the most important aspects of the Internet to emerge. Almost all big retailers are present on the World Wide Web. Although most electronic commerce involves the physical transportation of items in one way or another, a large percentage of e-commerce is conducted entirely electronically for virtual items, such as access to certain information on a website, purchasing software or other on-line services. E-business is a superset of e-commerce  [1]  , as it is generally considered to be the sales aspect of e-business. The financing and payment aspects of business transactions are facilitated by the exchange of data. E-commerce can be mainly divided into Business-to-Business electronic commerce (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer electronic commerce (B2C). B2B implies that both sellers (suppliers) and buyers are business corporations, while B2C implies that buyers are individual consumers. Business-to-business e-commerce differs significantly from business-to-consumer e-commerce. Most B2B commerce is done through negotiated contracts which allow the seller to anticipate and plan for amount a buyer will purchase; while B2C merchants, on the other hand, sell on a first-come, first serve basis. 1.1.1. B2B e-commerce B2B e-commerce does not just consist of the transaction via the Internet, but also the exchange of information before and the service after a transaction. From the purchasing companys point of view, B2B e-commerce is a medium for facilitating procurement management by reducing the purchase price and the cycle time.  [2]   The key players in a B2B e-commerce transaction usually include selling and buying companies, deliverers, and often some type of electronic intermediaries, or third-party service providers. This type of business transaction may take many forms, yet most fall into three categories. They classified depending on who controls the marketplace: the supplier, the buyer or the intermediary: (a) In a Supplier-Oriented Marketplace: many buyers face few suppliers. (b) In a Buyer-Orientated Marketplace: few buyers face many suppliers. (c) In an Intermediary-Oriented Marketplace: many buyers face many suppliers. A) Supplier-Oriented Marketplace In a Supplier-Oriented Marketplace customers are offered a wide variety of products and services which support them in their own businesses. The markets involve property, exchanges, auctions and bid systems. Suppliers are offered new market channels in marketing and distribution by using Supplier-Oriented Marketplaces, as products may be sold directly to customers without the use of intermediaries. Successful examples of this type of business model are Dell and Cisco.  [3]  Both companies sell their products via the internet. However, there are thousands of other companies that use the Supplier-Oriented model as well. Ciscos mainly provides electronic support using the internet. Its main applications include software downloads, defect tracking and technical advice. Cisco also sells routers, switches and other network interconnect devices. Since the company first began providing electronic support online in 1994 its productivity had increased by about 200 to 300 percent per year. What is more, the online technical support made it possible for Cisco to reduce technical support staff costs by approximately US $125 million. The internet Product Center also allows its customers to purchase any product over the internet, saving time for both Cisco and its customers. Cisco has estimated that by putting its application online, the company saves over US $360 million per year as a result of almost completely eliminating distribution, packaging, duplication and printing costs. B) Buyer-Oriented Marketplace When using a Supplier-Oriented Marketplace, buyers have to search electronic stores and malls to find and compare suppliers and producers. As this could be a very costly and time consuming operation for buyers, especially those who purchase thousands of items over the internet, they prefer to open their own marketplace, which is known as a Buyer-Oriented Marketplace.  [4]  An example of such a marketplace is GEs electronic bidding site which boosts the companys purchasing process.  [5]  These types of bidding sites allow suppliers to download project information from the internet and submit bids for projects. Buyers can more easily evaluate a suppliers bid and thus may negotiate electronically. As a result, a buyer will accept a bid that best meets their requirements. By doing so, they can identify and build partnerships with suppliers worldwide. Their specifications and information can be rapidly distributed to suppliers and consequently, bids are quickly received and compar ed from a large number of suppliers as to negotiate better prices. C) Intermediary-Oriented Marketplace The Intermediary-Oriented Marketplace, as its name suggests, is established by an intermediary company which runs a marketplace where business buyers and sellers can meet. There are two types of such business models: horizontal and vertical marketplaces. While vertical marketplaces concentrate on one industrial sector, horizontal marketplaces offer services to all industrial sectors. The Intermediary-Oriented Marketplace is a neutral business platform which offers classical economical functions of a usual market; the only difference is that the participants are not physically present. This business model contains catalogues which present information on products and prices. Consequently, the marketplace makes possible the comparisons and the transparency of the products. Such marketplaces can also offer auctions, which can be organized by sellers (where products are sold) or by buyers (in this case, orders are sold). In addition, electronic functions are offered so as participants can negotiate in real time.  [6]   An example of an Intermediary-Oriented Marketplace is Buzzsaw  [7]  which is a vertical electronic marketplace which concentrates on the building industry. A construction project involves many different parties, such as building contractors, builders, architects, merchants and the owner of the building many of which are regional sellers. The software that Buzzsaw offers can improve the planning process as well as the communication between the parties involved. Alongside the software, detailed information about the building industry is provided, such as news affecting the building sector or a local weather forecast. Given that the marketplace also provides the option to do business, all relevant products for the building industry can be traded. The Web site also offers search engines so as to find wanted products and buyers and sellers can insert offers and requests on the marketplace. 1.1.2. B2C e-commerce B2C e-commerce is basically a concept of online marketing and distributing of products and services over the internet. Many businesses prefer this method because they can reach more customers, service them better and make more sales while spending less to do so. For the consumer, it is relatively easy to appreciate the importance of e-commerce. Many prefer not to waste time fighting the very crowded supermarkets, and shop on-line at any time in virtual Internet shopping malls, and have the goods delivered home directly, all from the comfort of their own homes. B2C e-commerce is conducted essentially by three types of business models  [8]  : (a) Direct Sellers are online retailers that sell directly to customers only over the Internet. There are two types of direct sellers: e-tailers and manufactures. E-tailers, such as Amazon.com, ship the products directly to the consumer, wholesaler or manufacturer for delivery, upon receiving an order. They do not have traditional stores that customers can visit and they do not sell offline. Manufacturers, sell to consumers directly via the internet. They remove intermediaries and establish a direct relationship with the customer. These types of retailers are present on the Web as well as have traditional stores or sell offline through catalogues or mail-order. They are called brick-and morter retail businesses because they are merchants with multi-channel distributions supported by online stores. This process has been used for years, for example, catalogue companies such as Dell.com. (b) Online Intermediaries are companies that bring together sellers and buyers to complete a business transaction, in exchange for a percentage of the transactions value. Presently, these types of businesses make up the largest category of B2C companies. There are two types of online intermediaries: brokers and informediaries. Brokers facilitate transactions between sellers and buyers online. Orbitz.com is an example of a popular B2C online broker, which acts an intermediary between a consumer and multiple suppliers of airline carriers, hotel chains, automobile rentals, and other such companies. Informediary is a non-biased intermediary between those who supply information and those who want it. It can be any business that provides information based products and services within a supply chain. For example, an informediary may gather, store and sell information about a Web site. The information is considered to be valuable to organizations for target marketing, price setting, negotiations, advertising and market research. (c) A Portal provides the means of electronic access to Web content, resources and services. A portal typically has a search engine which is the central point to the services provided. The most popular search portal Web sites are Google.com, Yahoo.com and MSN.com. They have a large number of consumers and businesses utilizing their services each day around the world. Other services included on these types of websites include e-mail, chat as well as news and entertainment links. 1.2. A Brief History of E-commerce E-commerce and its meaning have changed a lot over the past 40 years. At first, the term e-commerce meant the performance of commercial transactions electronically, using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), the electronic exchange of business documents and information form one computer to another. EDI originated in the mid 1960s and by the mid 1970s was formalized by the Accredited Standards Committee.  [9]  The new technology allowed business companies and organizations to send commercial documentation electronically, such as purchase orders or invoices. It was in 1991 that E-commerce became possible, when the internet was opened to commercial use. Since then, e-commerce has experienced a rapid intensification; thousands of businesses have started online companies and provide online services. Although, it wasnt until 1994 that the internet began to gain popularity among the general public, and by the year 2000 a large number of companies from around the world had already started to offer their services on the World Wide Web. By then, people had given another meaning to electronic commerce: the process of purchasing goods and services over the internet using electronic communication.  [10]   Among the first internet company to allow electronic transactions, Amazon and E-bay are the most notable as they continue to be successful to this day. According to study conducted by internetretailer.com in 2009, the top 10 most famous worldwide internet retailers are: Amazon, Otto, Staples, Office Depot, Dell, Arcandor, Hewlett Packard, Tesco, OfficeMax and Apple.  [11]  According to all-rankings.com, the top ten most purchased products online are: travel tickets, holidays, books, concert/theatre/festival tickets, clothes, electrical goods, CDs, cinema tickets, DVDs and music downloads.  [12]  

Oedipus :: Greek Gods

Oedipus, the ruler of Thebes, approaches a group of unhappy citizens, represented by a priest, and asks them what is wrong. They answer that the city is dying and that they are sick and poor. Oedipus sympathizes and tells them that, as their ruler, he is also troubled by the sickness of the city, and has already taken steps to see that something be done about it. The first step he has taken was to send Creon to Apollo's shrine to see what the god recommends they do. As Creon appears, he tells them that the god, Apollo, said that there is bad blood in Thebes, and that until this blood is expelled Thebes will be a sick city. This bad blood is the blood of the person who killed Laios. When Oedipus asks why the case was not investigated, as he had not come to Thebes at that point, the people answer that they were too busy trying to solve the Sphinx's riddle. Oedipus says that no matter what the cost is, he will get to the bottom of it, both because it harms Thebes, and because Laios was noble and loyal. The elders say that they do not have any knowledge of the murder, and suggest that Oedipus call Tiresias, a blind prophet, to help and advise him. Oedipus says that he has already done this, and Tiresias arrives promptly. Although reluctant to speak, Oedipus forces Tiresias to reveal what he knows. Tiresias says that Oedipus is Thebes' pollution and that he killed his father and sleeps with his mother, and that this is the truth. Oedipus accuses Tiresias of lying on Creon's behalf so that Creon can kill Oedipus and take over the position of ruler of Thebes. Creon enters and says that Oedipus is not making any sense-of course he did not collaborate with Tiresias, because he also owns a third of Thebes but chooses not to rule it, leaving Thebes to Oedipus, which shows that he is not interested in ruling at all. Iokaste enters and stops the two men from arguing. When Creon leaves, she asks Oedipus what happened and he explains the whole story to her. She tells him not to believe the words of the oracle, as an oracle once predicted that her son would kill his father and share her bed, and this has never happened. She bore a son with Laios, but Laios had the feet of the child bound and had the child tossed in the wilderness.

Hacking :: science

Hacking Describe a negative aspect of ICT’s impact on the information society. Describe how ICT has brought this about and what society is has done in response to it. Abstract Hacking has been and still disease different societies suffer from. The essay aims to provide the reader with knowledge regarding the effects hacking caused to our society, and how the society responded and tried to solve or minimize those effects. Different issues regarding hacking are discussed, such as the motivations that were behind guiding hackers who were at first computer professional to perform unauthorized activities, at the same time a discussion about the types of attacks can be found. The society response to hacking attacks lacks till this moment the ability to stop or completely prevent attacks from happening because as long as security tools are developed, more sophisticated hacking attacks are invented. That’s why we should start to think about hacker’s psychology as the main way to prevent and stop attacks by understanding their needs or desires. Introduction The Oxford English Dictionary defines hacking as â€Å"cut or chop roughly; mangle: cut (one’s way)†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ to its present definition as â€Å"gain unauthorized access (to data in a computer)†. Banks (1997:11) defines hacking as â€Å"something that boring mainframe computer operators did to improve performance and battle boredom.† Here banks focuses on boredom as the reason of hacking. A more technical definition of hacking according to Digital Guards data base (2001) is â€Å"unauthorized use, or attempts to circumvent or bypass the security mechanisms of an information system or network.† Darlington (2001) believes hacking is not limited to accessing data or information but also includes an attack on the privacy of all people. Almost all different opinions agree on the illegality of hacking. On the other hand the word hacker is the agent of hack or hacking and it was defined as a person who enjoys accessing files whether for fun, imposing power or the interest related to the accessed files or data according to Taylor (1999). While Marotta (in Taylor, 1993) has a negative view of the hacker as a data lord, a barbarian who takes what he wants. Himanen (2001) defines hacker as any person who performs illegal actions whether they were related to computer or not which means the usage of a device apart from its functionality. Seems hacking according to Himanen is related to any illegal or unauthorized action. Seebach (1999) finds hacker as a person who feels delighted and full of joy when being able to access a system and break the security utilities but Himanen (2001) doesn’t consider hacker as a thief.

Mass Hesteria in Massachusetts (Again) :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Mass Hesteria in Massachusetts (Again) In 1986, a Massachusetts day-care worker named Gerald Amirault was convicted of sex crimes against children -- crimes so hideous they almost defied description. Also convicted were his mother, Violet, who owned the Fells Acres Day School, and his sister, Cheryl, who also worked there. Yesterday, after 17 years behind bars, Mr. Amirault was finally granted parole. Soon he will be a free man again. Of all the miscarriages of justice committed during the era of hysteria over child sex abuse, the Amirault case is by far the worst. The evidence that convicted him was preposterous. The methods used to browbeat tiny tots into producing it have been thoroughly discredited. His innocence has been obvious for years. Yet a succession of prosecutors, judges and state governors (to say nothing of the media) did their best to keep him rotting. Fells Acres was started by Gerald's mother, who, over 20 years, built it into a solid family business. Thousands of pre-school children passed through its doors. Gerald, a soft-spoken, gentle man, was good with the kids. He was a husband and father himself. But there was a new social panic in the air. Across North America, day-care workers were being accused of mass child sex abuse. Social workers sensed a cause, and ambitious prosecutors sensed an opportunity. The children, badgered to come up with lurid tales, obliged. Sympathetic juries were exhorted to believe the children. Hundreds of preschools closed; many people went to prison before their sentences were overturned. The Amirault family's troubles began when a four-year-old boy wet his pants. Gerald cleaned him up, gave him fresh pants, and sent his wet underwear home in a plastic bag. Several months later, the boy's mother, whose marriage was falling apart, phoned a child-abuse hotline and complained that Gerald had taken her son into a secret room and molested him. Two days before his third child was born, Gerald was arrested on rape charges. An usual sequence of events ensued. Police and social workers came and handed out a laundry list of "abuse symptoms" to the anxious parents of every child in the school. Then they began asking leading questions of the kids, and offering rewards for the right answers. Soon they had identified no fewer than 19 victims, who had, they said, been raped with broomsticks and forced to drink urine. The children testified that Violet cut the leg off a squirrel and tied a naked boy to a tree in front of the school while teachers and children watched.

Plot Summary Catch Me If You Can Essay

In 1963, teen-aged Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) lives New Rochelle, New York with his father Frank Abagnale, Sr. (Christopher Walken), and French mother Paula (Nathalie Baye). When Frank Sr. is denied a business loan at Chase Manhattan Bank due to unspecified difficulties with the IRS, the family is forced to move from their large home to a small apartment. Paula carries on an affair with Jack (James Brolin), a friend of her husband. Meanwhile, Frank poses as a substitute teacher in his French class. Frank’s parents file for divorce, and Frank runs away. When he runs out of money, he begins to rely on confidence scams to get by. Soon, Frank’s cons grow bolder and he even impersonates an airline pilot. He forges Pan Am payroll checks and succeeds in stealing over $2. 8 million. Meanwhile, Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), an FBI bank fraud agent, begins to track down Frank. Carl and Frank meet in a hotel, where Frank convinces Carl his name is Barry Allen of the Secret Service. Frank leaves, Carl angrily realizing his mistake just as it is too late. Later, at Christmas, Carl is still working when Frank calls him, attempting to apologize for duping Carl. Carl rejects his apology and tells him he will soon be caught, but laughs when he realizes Frank actually called him because he has no one else to talk to. Frank hangs up, and Carl continues to investigate, suddenly realizing (thanks to a waiter) that the name â€Å"Barry Allen† is from the Flash comic books and that Frank is just a teenager. Frank, meanwhile, has not only changed to becoming a doctor and a lawyer, but has fallen in love with Brenda (Amy Adams), to whom he eventually admits the truth about himself and asks her to run away with him. Carl tracks him to his engagement party where Frank has left Brenda, asking her to meet him two days later so they can elope. Frank sees her waiting for him two days later, but also sees agents in disguise. He realizes he has been set up and escapes on a flight to Europe. Seven months later, Carl shows his boss that Frank has been forging checks all over western Europe and asks permission to go to Europe to look for him. When his boss says no, Carl brings Frank’s checks to printing professionals who deem that the checks were printed in France. Carl remembers from an interview with Frank’s mother that she was born in Montrichard, France. He goes there and finds Frank, and tells him that the French police will kill him if he does not go with Carl quietly. Frank assumes he is lying at first, but Carl promises Frank he would never lie to him, and Carl takes him outside, where the French police escort him to prison. The scene then flashes forward to a plane returning Frank home from prison, where Carl informs him that his father has died. Consumed with grief, Frank escapes from the plane and goes back to his old house, where he finds his mother with the man she left his father for, as well as a girl who Frank realizes is his half-sister. Frank gives himself up and is sentenced to 12 years in prison, getting visits from time to time from Carl. When Frank points out how one of the checks Carl is carrying as evidence is fake, Carl convinces the FBI to offer Frank a deal by which he can live out the remainder of his sentence working for the bank fraud department of the FBI, which Frank accepts. While working at the FBI, Frank misses the thrill of the chase and even attempts to fly as an airline pilot again. He is cornered by Carl, who insists that Frank will return to the FBI job since no one is chasing him. On the following Monday, Carl is nervous that Frank has not yet appeared at work. However, Frank does show up and they discuss their next case. The ending credits reveal that Frank has been happily married for 26 years, has three sons, lives in the Midwest, is still good friends with Carl, has caught some of the world’s most elusive money forgers, and earns millions of dollars each year because of his work creating unforgeable checks.

Tradition v.s Common Sense

Traditions are a very Important aspect of human life. They are seen as another way of life. Many traditions teach things of value to children, things which parents hope will be passed on to future generations. In many societies however, traditions have taken over the common sense of the people.Nowadays, humans blindly follow traditions, not knowing or even acknowledging what they are really doing. Whether It Is a celebratory tradition or a tradition that has been followed since ancient times, unmans will not question the motives behind it; they will just continue to follow it. In the short story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, villagers blindly follow their annual tradition, one that claims a life every year.All the villagers take part in this event knowing that there will be death yet no one dares to stop and question It, Even when some people do stop and question the reasons that began the tradition, they will not do anything about it because it is a tradition that ha s been followed countless and they do not want to be the only ones to question it or even worse, not follow it. This shows that human beings will tolerate acts of evil and Injustices In traditions, making them unable to step out of that circle and see what is really going on because of their preference of tradition over common sense.It does not matter if the tradition FIFO Traditions have been around for thousands of years, even before civilized human life began. They have been performed all over the world, in all points of time. In the overview by Joyce Moss and George Wilson, it is explained that ancient cultures believed sacrifices were necessary to benefit the community. In fact, during ancient times a tradition similar to â€Å"The Lottery' was such â€Å"a highly regarded mean of decision-making that eventually most civic matters were resolved by. † Joyce Moss & George Wilson) This is because traditions were among the main parts or sections of ancient human life.Even n ow, traditions are still a big part of human life. Many traditions around the world are a huge thing for humans. They will make special foods, decorations, and even rituals. However, many of these traditions are performed without thought. Many traditions are followed because it has been done before, no one has questioned it before, and so there is no reason to stop it now. In â€Å"The Lottery' one can analyze that the original meaning and aspects of the tradition have indeed been lost and that the tradition is followed Just because.The analysis made on study mode suggests that â€Å"Substituting slips of paper for chips of wood, a recital prior to the lottery, and a salute to address each person† are some of the aspects that have changed prior to the original lottery, the first one that began everything. (Analysis of the Tradition in Shirley Jackson's â€Å"The Lottery') It also mentions that the actual tradition has remained a routine. This leads to the conclusion that th e lottery is no longer continued because of the tradition, but because it has been done for so long it Just feels right to continue to follow it.In many societies, rituals are part of the traditions. Many believe these rituals are performed because of religion or a similar idea. What people do not know is that not all rituals are needed or performed because of religion. Many rituals are Just performed because of tradition. It does not matter if the ritual is harmful and has a active impact on society; many societies will still perform them Just to keep the tradition going. The short story, â€Å"The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson, shows a perfect example of this.The people of the town still perform the ritual because of the tradition held every year. They do not care if someone they love or care for dies; they just want to follow the tradition. Even the own family members participate in the ritual, which is stoning one of their own family members to death. These types of rituals are i ncredible acts of evil but humans still participate in them. In the last section of the overview by Jennifer Hicks, she explains very thoroughly the tradition of stoning. In it she explains that it was a standing ritual.She does mention that the â€Å"original paraphernalia for the lottery has been lost long ago. † (Hicks) There is a part in the story where old man Warner stated, â€Å"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. † This refers to human sacrifices benefiting the community with food, which is something that by the time the story takes place, which is around the 1700 to sass, should be known that it is not real. So why do they continue to do this? It is the simple reasons of following a tradition. There are many concerns on why human beings follow traditions that are inhumane instead of using their common sense.Most of the issues are due to the fact that many rituals followed by humans consist of bloodshed or even death. In many societies, traditions play a big r ole, causing more and more people to be a part of them. The main dilemma is why people accept traditions that sense that traditions that involve bloodshed and death can be no good to societies, especially societies filled with children. Traditions like these will only poison the minds of the young with the idea that a tradition must be followed no matter what. The reason people do not stop them is because they do not want to stand out.In the book â€Å"Shirley Jackson† by Friedman Lineman, it explains that Shirley Jackson was new to a small town when she moved. She did not really know anybody so she did not participate in the town's traditions. This caused other towns people to look at her weird, like an outsider. This can reflect on her short story of â€Å"The Lottery', in which the analysis can be made that Mrs.. Hutchinson was an outsider, not so much of Ewing new but the type that does not do what everyone else does, in this case, the tradition of the lottery.It is clea r that these traditions have taken over the common sense of the people. Now, people do not think before acting. They Just follow traditions to the letter. They do no stop to think about their traditions and if they are beneficial or plain out dangerous. They Just do not want to stand out; they want to be the same as everyone else. It is around these thoughts that the main concern revolves around. Humans will argue that traditions are needed when the reality is that they are not. They have gotten surrounded so much by traditions; it is like a second language to them.The short story â€Å"The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson explains how human beings in the village have been blinded by a tradition, which is the lottery. With careful analysis, it is easy to spot all blind actions carried out by the villagers. Everybody seems nice and Joyful throughout the story until the very end. â€Å"It seems as though Jackson is making a statement regarding hypocrisy and human evil. † (Analysis of the Tradition in Shirley Jackson's â€Å"The Lottery') What Shirley Jackson wants us to realize y writing this story is that people are so blinded by traditions; they might kill someone thinking it is alright.Shirley Jackson uses ideas similar to these to suggest that there is an underlying evil and weakness in human beings. The village, having performed such an act for so many years, continues on with it, with no complaints or questions being asked, and the main purpose being to carry on the tradition. In the story, it states, â€Å"There's always been a lottery says Old Man Warner. â€Å"Nothing but trouble in that,† he says of quitting the event. (122) However, almost all the villagers how some type of anxiety or fear toward the tradition.Comments like â€Å"Don't be nervous Jack† (122) and â€Å"Get up there Bill† (123) indicate that the people may not be entirely comfortable with the lottery. Yet everyone still goes along with it. Nobody openly express es or shows their fear toward the lottery. Shirley Jackson may be trying to show the reader that many individuals are not strong enough to go against or stand up to their disapproval for the fear of being rejected by their own society. Instead, the villagers will continue to risk not only their lives, but the lives of their Emily members as well.She makes suggestions that human beings are not always who they seem and can turn their back on you at any time for the sake of their beliefs, or in this case, tradition. Throughout history, humans have made the choice to choose their traditions over their common sense. They do not think of the effects that will be caused because of their actions. Nowadays, people in societies continue to follow traditions or â€Å"trends† side to watch an argument, accident or incident, rather than stepping in and doing something about it.They do not step in because they do not want to stand out in front of everybody else; they do not want the spotli ght on them. They are frightened that they will be rejected later on. It is the same thing with traditions. Human beings do not care if there is death in the tradition, they will continue to follow it as long as they do not stand out and are not rejected or looked down on. This shows that human beings will tolerate acts of evil and injustices in traditions, making them unable to step out of that circle and see what is really going on because of their reference of tradition over common sense.People need to stop and think about the effects caused by traditions instead of Just blindly following the traditions of their ancestors. If this is not stopped, future generations will continue to make blind choices as well, due to the lack of common sense. Works Cited â€Å"Analysis of the Tradition in Shirley Jackson's â€Å"The Lottery†. † Studded. Com. Studded. Com, 2008. Web. 2008.. Friedman, Lineman. Shirley Jackson. Boston: Twenty Publishers, 1975. Print. Hicks, Jennifer. â €Å"Overview of the Lottery. † Short Stories for Students. Detroit: Gale, 2002.

Analysis of the Effects of Modernism and Post-modernism on Management Practice Essay

The concepts â€Å"modem† and â€Å"post-modern† have become common currency in intellectual debates regarding organizational theory. Within such debates, the postmodern is perceived as an epoch, a perspective, or an entirely new paradigm of thought (Callas 1999, p. 649). Such a conception of the aforementioned term stems from its rootedness in the conception of the modern. Chia (1995) notes that what distinguishes the postmodern from the modem is â€Å"a style of thinking which eschews the uncritical use of common organizational terms such as ‘organizations’, ‘individuals’, ‘environment’, ‘structure’, and ’culture’, etc† (p. 79). These terms refer to the existence of social entities and attributes within a modernist conception of organizational cultures. The rationale behind this lies in the ontological conception of being which privileges thinking in terms of discrete phenomenal states, static attributes and sequential events. As opposed to such an ontological conception of reality, the postmodern stands as the champion of weak forms of ontology that â€Å"emphasize a transient, ephemeral and emergent reality† (Chia 1995, p. 579). If such is the case, it thereby follows that a postmodernist perspective of reality adheres to thought styles wherein reality is deemed to be continuously in flux and transformation and hence unrepresentable thereby impossible to situate within a static conception of reality. Within the sphere of organizational management, an adoption of a post-modernist perspective of reality thereby leads to a rethinking of the modern conceptions of organizations since adherence to postmodernist perspectives lead to the de-emphasis on organizations, organizational forms and organizational attributes. Such a conception of reality, however tends to emphasize the importance of local forms of organizational methods, which collectively define a social reality. In a sense, the shift from a modern to a postmodern conception of organizations thereby leads to the re-definition of existing ontological conceptions of reality that determine the various forms of intellectual priorities as well as theoretical stipulations in the study and conception of organizations. In lieu of this, this paper’s will provide a contextualization of the implications of such perspectives within organizational structures. The analysis of such will be determined through the analysis of the effects of such perspectives in relation to management practices. An example of the application of the postmodernist perspectives within the field of organizational theory is evident in the Foucauldian analysis of human resource systems. Edward Baratt (2003) notes that a Foucauldian conception of organizational structures has enabled the formation of â€Å"a conceptual architecture and a method for exploring and problematizing Human Resource Management† (p. 084). Baratt notes, a Foucauldian conception of organizations has enabled the formation of conditions wherein all members of an organization may engage in â€Å"the practice of critical truth telling† (p. 1085). The importance of such may be fully understood if one considers its effects in relation to the two dominant paradigms that dictate Human Resource Management discourse: managerialist and critical evaluative positions. Jacques (1999) notes, â€Å"Managerialist and critical evaluative positions in binary opposition to each other constitute the main sites from which we can speak academically about HRM† (p. 200). The distinction between the two positions are evident if one considers that in one line of argument has been an emphasis on the production of an enterprising subject dependent on practices designed to engage an employee’s psyche. The possibility of such lies in the formation of managerial practices that opt for the continuous subjectification of the subject [in this sense the employee]. Within such managerial practices, the subject is placed within various forms of practices of subjectification that leads to the development of different form of competencies that further lead to the continuous embeddedness of the subject within the organization. The difficulty within such a managerial method lies in its creation of a fabricated subject. The pragmatic aspect involved within such a method, however, may be traced to its ability to create productive subjects [productive employees]. As opposed to such a totalizing form of managerial methodologies, alternative arguments [of the postmodernist kind] emphasize the possibility of enabling the co-existence and interrelationships between human resource technologies of the self and other disciplinary practices specifically those situated within the grounds of technological and accounting controls (Baratt 2003, p. 1084). A popular theme of such methodologies gives emphasis on the intensification and sophistication of surveillance and control method [through technological and accounting measures]. Within these method, management methods are thereby perceived as enabling the formation that determine the relationships within the workplace by taking control of indeterminate relationships [amongst the members of the workplace] through the imposition of increase surveillance methods that â€Å"impose order on the inherently undecidables† conditions of the workplace. Such a methodology thereby adheres to a postmodernist conception of human relations and social reality as it opts to clarify the indeterminate variables within organizations through the use of â€Å"effective instruments for the formation and accumulation of knowledge-methods of observation, techniques of registration, procedures for investigation and research, apparatuses of control† (Foucault 1980, p. 102). Within such a scheme, the function of management systems [and hence of managers] lies in ensuring the maintenance of â€Å"the precarious local orchestration of material, technical and social relationships which give rise to relatively stabilized configurations† (Chia 1995, p. 601). The heads of the management of organizations, in this sense, are thereby tasked with ensuring the implementation as well as the continuous development of more efficient production practices within the surveillance scheme of management systems. Analytic evaluation schemes used in forming job evaluations will thereby be created so as to ensure the ordering of a population. Managerial positions, in this sense, may be seen as the roles that enable the implementation of the surveillance scheme that enables the continuous effectiveness of a human resource management system. In summary, the effects of the tenets of both modernism and postmodernism are evident within the workplace [or within organizational theories of management and hence management itself] as they influence the historical means of constructing the relations within the workplace. The modernist conception, which perceives reality as bound by static relations, failed to account for the indeterminate variables resulting from the complexity of power relations within the workplace. Such a complexity, however, was accounted for by a postmodernist perspective of organizations due to its recognition of the fluidity of social relations as a result of their embeddedness within the discourse of power and knowledge that define the conditions within any sphere [in this context the public sphere]. Within the field of Human Resource Management, the construction of knowledge operates through rules of classification, ordering, and distribution evident in the definitions of activities and the formation of rules of procedure, which determines a particular institution’s management discourse. The importance of postmodernist perspectives lies in its promise of the possibility of autonomy within such a predefined and hence rigid sphere. The possibility, in this sense, may be attained through enabling the co-existence and interrelationships between human resource technologies of the self and other disciplinary methods. In line with the postmodernist [specifically Foucauldian discourse], the postmodernist has thereby enabled the development of Human Resource Systems and hence Management systems that enable the formation of an understanding regarding the means in which various individuals may be formulated so as to create a system which allows the creation of objectivity amidst the grounds of subjective wills.

The Blue Sword CHAPTER TEN

Harry had trouble falling asleep that night; she listened to the gentle sound the water made walking down the three stone steps, and often she stretched out her hand to touch the hilt of the blue sword that lay beside her, carefully laid upon a small carpet of blue and green and gold that she had found in a corner of a hall on her way back to her mosaic palace after the feast. She had appropriated it, rolled it up, tucked it under her arm, and glared at the woman of the household who was conducting her. The woman dropped her eyes, but did not seem unduly disturbed. Who would grudge a damalur-sol a little rug? Harimad-sol thought airily. But each time she touched the blue sword it was as if a shock ran through her, and she listened to the quiet night, hearing the echoes of sounds that had rung themselves to silence hundreds of years ago. Her restlessness made Narknon grumble at her, although the cat did not offer to leave the bed and sleep elsewhere. At last Harry tucked her hands firmly beneath her chin and fell asleep, and in her sleep she saw Aerin-sol again, and Aerin smiled at her. â€Å"Gonturan will do well for you, I think, child, as she did well for me. You can feel it in the way she hangs in your hand, can you not?† Harry, in her dream, nodded. â€Å"Gonturan is far older than I am, you know; she was given me with the weight of her own years and legend already upon her. I never knew all she might lead her bearer into – and as it was, I learned more than enough. â€Å"Gonturan has her own sense of honor, child. But she is not human, and you must not trust her as human; remember it. She is a true friend, but a friend with thoughts of her own, and the thoughts of others are dangerous.† Aerin paused, and the dream began to fade; her face was pale, and half imagined, like a cloud on a summer's dawn, with her hair the sunrise. â€Å"What luck I had, may it go with you.† Harry woke up, and found the sword gleaming blue in a light that seemed to come from the blue mosaic walls, from the blue stone in the hilt, even from the silver water of the stream. Several days passed, while some of the Riders went forth on errands; but the newest Rider did not. She spent long hours in the mosaic palace, staring at the air, which hung, or so it seemed to her, like tapestry around her; and in that tapestry was woven all of history – her own, her Homeland's, as well as Damar's. Sometimes she saw a little bright shimmer like someone tossing back a fire-red mane of hair; and sometimes she saw the glint of a blue jewel – but that was no doubt only some chance reflection from the glossy walls around her. But most of all, she slept. Mathin had been right about the sorgunal. For several days she was content to sleep, and waken to do nothing in particular, and sleep again. Narknon enjoyed it as much as she did. â€Å"I'm sure Mathin did not put any of that stuff in the porridge,† Harry said to the cat; â€Å"there's no excuse for you.† On the fourth morning Mathin came to her, and found her pacing from fountain to fountain and from wall to wall. â€Å"This is not a cage to enclose you, Hari,† he said. She turned, startled, for she had been deep in her thoughts and had not heard his approach. She smiled. â€Å"I have not felt caged. I have †¦ slept a great deal, as you warned me. It is only today I have begun to †¦ think again.† Mathin smiled in return. â€Å"Is it so ill, this thinking?† â€Å"Why am I a Rider?† she replied. â€Å"There is no reason for Corlath to make an Outlander girl, even the laprun minta, a Rider. Riders are his best. Why?† Mathin's smile twisted. â€Å"I told you, long ago – long ago, more than a week since. It is a good thing for us to have a damalur-sol. It is a good thing for us to have something to look to, for hope. Perhaps you do yourself too little honor.† Harry snorted. â€Å"Has a laprun ever been made a Rider before?† Mathin took a long time to answer. â€Å"No. You are the first to bear that burden.† â€Å"And an Outlander at that.† â€Å"You Outlanders are human, for all of that – as the Northerners are not. It is not impossible that some Outlander might have †¦ a Gift, kelar, like ours, as you do – for you do. There is something in you we recognize, and we know it is there, for Lady Aerin has chosen you herself. Corlath makes you a Rider to †¦ to take advantage of whatever it is you carry in your Outlander blood that has made you Damarian, even against your will.† Harry slowly shook her head. â€Å"Not against my will. At least not any more. But I do not understand.† â€Å"No; nor do I. Nor even does Corlath. He – † Mathin stopped. Harry looked sharply at him. â€Å"Corlath what?† The faint smile drifted across Mathin's face again. â€Å"Corlath did not steal you of his own free will. His kelar demanded it.† Harry grinned. â€Å"Yes; I had guessed, and once he told me – something of the sort. I saw dismay on his face often enough, those early days.† Mathin's face was expressionless when she raised her eyes again to his. â€Å"You have not seen dismay there for a long day since.† â€Å"No,† she agreed, and her eyes went involuntarily to the mosaic walls around her. Mathin said, â€Å"You are a token, a charm, to us, Daughter of the Riders and Rider and Damalur-sol.† â€Å"A mascot, you mean,† Harry said, but without bitterness; and still she looked at the mosaic walls. She asked timidly, not certain of her own motives, â€Å"Does Corlath have no family? I see here, in the castle, the people of the household, and the – us – Riders, but no one else. Is it only that they are cloistered – or that I am?† Mathin shook his head. â€Å"You see all there is to see. In Aerin's day the king's family filled this place; some had to live in the City, or chose to, for privacy. But kings in the latter days †¦ Corlath's father married late, and Corlath is his queen's only surviving child, for she was a frail lady. Corlath himself has not married.† Mathin smiled bleakly. â€Å"Kings should marry young and get heirs early, that their people may have one thing less to worry about. There has been no one in generations whose kelar is as strong as Corlath's; it is why the scattered folk along our borders and in the secret hearts of our Hills, who have acknowledged no Damarian king for many years, rally now to Corlath. Even where he does not go himself his messengers are alight with it.† After Mathin left her, Harry thought of taking another nap, but decided against it. Instead she rode out on Sungold, Narknon deigning to accompany them. She found at the back of the stone castle and beyond the stone stables a practice ground, stepped into the sides of the Hill, for those wishing to practice horsemanship and war. It was deserted, as though the menace of the Northerners was too near to permit of practice. But she jogged slowly around the empty field, Sungold stepping up or down as they came to each edge, and decided to practice anyway: she who was laprun victor, who had never held a sword till a few weeks ago, who was suddenly a Rider: she felt, a little wildly, that she needed all the practice she could get. She was wearing Gonturan, a little self-consciously, but she had felt somehow that it would be impolite to leave her behind. She unsheathed her and wondered if the ancient sword had ever been used to hack at straw figures and charge at dangling wooden tiles. She galloped Tsornin over poles laid on the ground, piles of stone and wooden logs, and up and down turfed banks, and over ditches. She felt a little silly; but Tsornin made it plain that he enjoyed it all, whatever it was and however humble, and Gonturan always struck true. Harry took Tsornin back to his stable and put him away with her own hands, studiously ignoring the brown-clad groom who hovered near her. Hers was the first human face she had seen since she rode out. The stables were on the same scale as the castle: large and grand, the loose-boxes the size of small fields. There were over a hundred stalls – Harry lost count when she tried to multiply them out in her head – in the barn Sungold was quartered in, and two other barns as big stood on either side of it. Sungold's stable was nearly full; sleek curious noses were thrust out at them as they left and returned. Harry saw no other men or women of the horse; they must reappear at some point, she thought, to tend the horses. Unless Hill horses can be trained to take care of themselves – it wouldn't surprise me. The silence was uncanny. Tsornin's hoofs had echoed around the practice field; and when she thanked the brown woman and said no, she needed nothing, her voice sounded strange in her ears. Over the next few days she rode out again and again, and spent some hours slaying straw men with the Dragon-Killer's sword, and then some hours riding out from the stone ring of the castle, and into the stone City, down the smooth roads. She saw mostly women and young children, but even of them there were rarely more than a few. The women watched her timidly, and smiled eagerly if she smiled at them first; and the children wanted to pet Sungold, which he was good enough to permit, and Narknon, who usually eluded them; and sometimes they brought her flowers. But the City was as empty as the castle was; there were people, but far fewer than its walls might hold. Some of this, she knew, was because the army was massing elsewhere – on the laprun fields, before the City; messengers came and went swiftly, and the gathering of forces hung heavily in the air. But most of it was because, as the king's family had dwindled, so had the king's people; there were few Damarians left. She thought again of the mounting strangenesses of her recent life; and she wished, if she was to be given to Damar, as apparently she was, that she would be given no more long pauses of inaction in which to brood about it all. One of the young women who had assisted her at her bath brought her food, in the blue front room with the fountain, or outside in the sunshine where the other fountain played; and she managed to convince her and the other women sent to wait upon her that, at least as long as there were no more banquets requiring special preparations, she might bathe herself. For three more days she slept and watched the shimmering of the air and rode Tsornin and played with Narknon. There was a friendship between the horse and the hunting-cat now, and they would chase one another around the obstacles of the practice field, Narknon's tail lashing and Sungold with his ears back in mock fury. Once the big cat had hidden behind one of the grassy banks, where Harry and Sungold could not see her; and as they rode by she leaped out at them, sailing clean over Sungold and Harry on his back. Harry ducked and Sungold swerved; and Narknon circled and came back to them with her ears back and her whiskers trembli ng in what was obviously a cat laugh. And Harry polished Gonturan and tried not to brood, and looked often at the small white scar in the palm of her hand. But with all her inevitable musings she found that a certain peace had come to her and made its way into her heart. It was not like anything she had known before, and it was only on that third day that she found a name for it: fate. Yet she wished that the business of war were not so all-consuming, that she might have someone to talk to. On the fourth day when the woman came with her afternoon meal, Corlath came with her; and evidently he was expected, although not by Harry, for there were two goblets and two plates on the tray, and far more food than she could eat alone. She was sitting on the flagstones beside the fountain in the sunshine, watching the prisms that the falling drops threw into the air; and Narknon was washing Harry's face with her razored tongue, and Harry was trying not to mind. She was trying not to mind with such concentration that she did not realize till she looked up, still dazzled by tiny intricate colors, that he was there; and she remained sitting, blinking up at him, as the woman set down her tray and retired. â€Å"May I eat with you?† he said, and Harry thought that he seemed ill at ease. â€Å"Of course,† she said. â€Å"I would – er – be honored.† She pushed Narknon's head away and started to scramble to her feet, but Corlath dropped silently down beside her, so she settled back again, grateful that her bones decided not to creak. He gave her a plate and took his own; and then sat staring into the fountain much as she had done, and she wondered, watching him, if he felt any of the queer peacefulness that crept into her with the same looking; and if he would call it by the name she had discovered. â€Å"Eight days,† she said, and his eyes drew back from the water spray and met hers. â€Å"Eight days,† she repeated. â€Å"You said less than a fortnight.† â€Å"Yes,† he replied. â€Å"We are counting the hours now.† He made a swift sweeping motion with his right hand, and Harry said suddenly: â€Å"Show me your hand.† Corlath looked puzzled for a moment, but then he held his right hand out, palm up. There was one short straight pale mark across it, obviously new; and many small white scars; she didn't have to count them to know there would be eighteen of them, the still-fresh – and longest – cut a nineteenth. She studied the hand a moment, cupping it in her own, not thinking that she was poring over a king's hand; then she looked at her own right palm. One tiny straight line looked back at her. He closed his hand and rested it on his knee. â€Å"They don't fade,† Harry said. â€Å"The old ones don't disappear.† â€Å"No,† said Corlath. â€Å"It is the yellow salve, before we make the cut; it is made of an herb called korim – forever.† She studied her own palm again for a moment. The scar cut through the lines a fortune-teller would call her life line and her heart line; and she wondered what Damarian fortune-tellers might see in her hand. She looked up at Corlath, who absently put a piece of bread in his mouth and began to chew; he was staring into the fountain again. He swallowed and said: â€Å"There is a story of one of my grandfather's Riders: the Northern border was restless then – but only restless, and this man had gone North to see what he might learn. But they caught him, and recognized him as from Damar; but he knew they would find him a little before they did, and he slashed his hand that they might not find the mark and hold him for ransom – or torture; for the Northerners, if they wish, can torture with a fine prying magic that no mind can resist.† Harry thought: If the Northerners know about the Riders' mark, they must be a bit slow not to wonder about a spy caught with a cut-up hand. Corlath continued after a moment: â€Å"He had traveled dressed as a merchant, so when he knew they would find him he freed his horse and sent it home, and took off his boots, and began to climb the near-perpendicular face of one of the Hills that is the boundary between our land and theirs. When they found him he was half mad with sunstroke and his hands and feet were as tattered as autumn leaves. They decided they had not caught a prize at all, and after they had beaten him a bit, they let him go. He finished climbing the mountain with his hands and feet, because he remembered that much of what he was doing; and just over the summit, just inside the border of Damar, his horse was waiting for him, and she took him home. He recovered from the sunstroke, but he never held a sword again.† Harry swallowed a lump of bread that didn't want to go down, and there was silence for a bit. â€Å"What happened to the mare?† she said at last. â€Å"Your Tsornin's dam is a daughter of his mare's line,† Corlath said, but it was as if he were tracing some thought of his own. â€Å"The mare lived till she was almost thirty, and dropped a foal every year till the last. Many of our best riding-horses are descended from her.† Corlath looked at her, coming back from wherever he had been. â€Å"That mare's line is called Nalan – faithful. You can see it in Tsornin's pedigree.† Harry asked lightly: â€Å"And is there a name for the line of the kings of Damar?† Corlath said, â€Å"My father's name, and his father's, and mine, is Gulkonoth: stone.† Harry looked at his right hand resting quietly on his knee. He paused and added as if inconsequentially, â€Å"There are other names for the king. One of them is Tudorsond. Scarred hand.† â€Å"Does the korim scar the foreheads of the household, and the faces of the hunt and the horse as well?† And Corlath said, â€Å"Yes.† There was a silence again, and Harry wondered how many other questions she might be able to gain answers for. She said, â€Å"Once in the mountains before the trials, Mathin said to me that he could teach me three ways of starting a fire, but that you knew a fourth. He would not tell me what the fourth was.† Corlath laughed. â€Å"I will show you one day, if you wish. Not today. Today it would give you a headache.† Harry shook her head angrily, her feeling of contentment gone. â€Å"I am tired of having things only half explained. Either I am damalur-sol, when it is convenient, or I am to be quiet and sit in a corner and behave till it is time to bring me out and show me to the troops again. Did you choose Mathin to teach me because he is close-mouthed?† Corlath looked a little abashed, and Harry guiltily remembered how much Mathin had told her, although – she defended herself – it was not enough. Never enough. But she could not help remembering his answer when she had asked him why he had been chosen for her training. â€Å"I chose Mathin because I thought he would teach you best; there are none better than he, and he is patient and tireless.† And kind, thought Harry, but she would not interrupt when she might learn something. â€Å"We of the Hills – I suppose we are all, as you say, close-mouthed; but do you think you have learned so little of us?† And Corlath looked at her – wistfully. â€Å"No,† she said, ashamed of herself. There was a pause, and she said, â€Å"Could you perhaps, please, tell me why Mathin would not tell me any of the legends about the Lady Aerin? They are a part of your lives that all of you share – and it is her sword you have given me – and the legends, why, there are a few sung even at the spring Fairs in the west, where Outlanders can hear them.† Corlath tapped his fingers, one-two-three, one-two-three, on the brim of the fountain. â€Å"Aerin is a part of your destiny, Harimad-sol. It is considered unlucky to †¦ meddle with destiny. Mathin would feel that he was doing you a disservice, speaking much of Aerin to you, and I – I find, now, that I feel the same.† Tap-tap-tap. â€Å"If you had grown up †¦ here, you would have heard them. But you did not. And if you had, perhaps you would not now be what you are. â€Å"I am sorry.† He turned and looked at her. â€Å"If – after we have met the Northerners, and the gods have decided between us, if you and I are left alive, I will tell you all the stories I know of Aerin Dragon-Killer.† He tried to smile. â€Å"I even can sing a few.† â€Å"Thank you.† Corlath's smile became more successful. â€Å"There are a very great many of them – you may not wish to hear them all.† â€Å"I do wish to hear them all,† said Harry firmly. Corlath took his hand away from the stone brim and began to shred a chunk of bread into fragments on his plate. â€Å"As for the first question,† he said, â€Å"watch.† He blinked a few times, closed his eyes, and a shudder ran through him; then he opened his eyes again and gave a hot yellow glare to the little heap of bread crumbs, which burst into flame, crackled wildly for a few minutes, and subsided into black ash. â€Å"Oh,† said Harry. Corlath looked up; his eyes were brown. They stared at one another. Harry found herself saying hastily, in a voice that was a little too high-pitched, â€Å"What is this place – here – ?† and she jerked her eyes away, and waved to the mosaic walls. â€Å"I have seen nothing else like it anywhere in the City.† Corlath shook his head. â€Å"Nor will you.† He got slowly to his feet, and looked around, and cupped his scarred hand under the fountain, and drank from it. â€Å"My father built it for my mother just after he married her. She was fond of the color blue – and I think he wanted to tell her that he did not mind that she would never carry the Blue Sword, the greatest treasure of his family, the woman's sword.† He looked down at her inscrutably, but his eyes did not focus on her. Then he turned and left her, going through the door into the castle. Two days later the army rode away from the City. Corlath and his Riders rode together down the highway from the castle to the gates of the City, with men and women of the household and the hunt and horse, and pack horses behind them; and the people of the City lined the streets and silently watched them go, although many raised their hands to their foreheads and flicked the fingers as they rode by. Harry had not seen so many before; some were refugees from northern Damarian villages, and farmers from the green lands before the Bledfi Gap. And they rode down to the plain where the army Harry had not seen, for she had not left the City since she rode into it, lay before them; and behind her she heard a sound no Damarian had heard in generations: the City's stone gates closing, heavily, mournfully. Tsornin was restless. Now, with the ranks upon ranks of the Hill army drawn up upon it, the plain looked like some other place than the plain where Harry and Tsornin had fought with blunt staves and sword points. Tsornin was too well bred to do more than fidget slightly in place; but his shoulder, when she ran her hand down it, was warmer than the morning air deserved. The muscles under the golden skin were hard; she felt that if she rapped her knuckles against his shoulder ridge it would ring like iron. She stood, a little awkwardly, in the group of Riders, only a little way into the plain from the end of the City highway. They were on a little rise of land, so they looked out and down over the rest of the company, and Harry felt unnecessarily conspicuous. â€Å"Why couldn't you be liver chestnut or something?† she whispered to Tsornin, who bowed his golden head. A new helm fitted closely down over her bound-up hair, and there were new boots on her legs, with tops that rolled up and lashed into place for battle; and she felt Gonturan hanging expectantly at her knee. Ten days were not enough to accustom herself to being a Rider, however hard she had driven herself and Tsornin round the lonely practice fields with their stiff wooden silhouettes of enemy swordsmen; and while the Riders themselves – particularly one or two: Mathin, and the merry (for a Rider) young Innath – closed ranks around her and accepted her as one of them, she could not believe that they did not themselves wonder, a little, about her presence among them. Sungold blew impatiently and began to dig a hole with one front foot. She booted his elbow with her toe and he stopped, but after a moment he lowered his head and blew again, harder, and she could feel him shifting his weight, considering if she might let him dig just a small hole. She looked around: the other horses were showing signs of stress as well. Mathin stood next to her; Windrider, although rock still, unlike the younger Tsornin, wore a dark sheen of sweat down her flank. Corlath's Fireheart was standing on his hind legs again; the king could bring him down as he chose, but Harry rather thought the horse was expressing the mood of both of them. Narknon, so far as Harry could see, was the only one of their company who remained undisturbed. She sat in front of Sungold, just beyond the reach of pawing forefeet, and washed her chest and combed her whiskers. They marched west. They crossed the low but steep ridge of mountains between the City and the desert plain that stretched far away, up to the back door of the Outlander Residency in Istan. They retraced Harry and Mathin's route, going in single endless file through the narrow paths; and they came to the desert edge at the end of the second day. Beyond the ridge they turned north. All the spies – those still living, for the North had caught a few – that Corlath had sent out in the last several years had come back in the last few months, in a rush, all with the same word: the waiting was over, the Northerners were moving. The last man of them had returned not six days before; it had taken him so long because they knew about him, and he had dodged and fled and scrambled to get away from their creeping tracking magic. His tale was that their army was only days behind him, and that it was many thousands strong. He had delayed and delayed to take a fairer tally of the total; and yet, he said, even as the army marched south, hundreds and more hundreds appeared as if out of the air to march with it. Out of the air, Harry thought, and wondered if the phrase was more than just a manner of speaking. She had been included in the council of Riders that heard the man's tale; and the candlelight seemed to cast more shadows when he was through. Yet there was no thing to be done; the army that would stand for Damar was already gathered; the plans to face the Northerners were already laid. Of the Northerners' dread captain no spy was sure; no Damarian dared get that close, for the uncanny way he was said to smell foreign blood. There were hundreds of mounted men and women now following Corlath's word; and as they rode with the eastern Hills at their right hand, they looked a great many. A few hundreds more would join as the southern army made its way to the wide plain before the Gap. But that was all. Innath, riding at her elbow, said conversationally, â€Å"Less than half of the Northern army will be mounted; and not many of them will be riding horses; and very few of their horses will match the poorest of ours. One can double our tally at least, just for our horses; for they are Damarians and will fight for Damar as fiercely as we human beings, for all that we are the only ones who talk about it.† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry, her voice only a little muffled. Noontimes they stopped briefly, loosening girths to let the horses breathe, and eating bread and dry meat and water. At night they camped behind ridges of shale and scrub, and lit fires enough to boil the terrible dry meat to a slightly more edible consistency, and rolled up in their blankets to sleep where they sat. A few of the hunting-cats and a dozen dogs were with them; but they could not spare the time at present to use them. Narknon continued at Harry's heels and, as she had done once before, began hunting on her own, and brought back some of her grisly victories to lay at Harry's pillow. As the days passed and Mathin's stew pot became generally known as the only one reliably containing fresh meat, it grew very popular. The nights were clear and quiet, and the weather-casters among them promised no sudden windstorms; the edges of the Damarian Hills were known for their unpredictable weather, where mountain storms bottled up by the steep slopes might suddenly find their way to the flatter lands where they could rage and riot as they chose. Corlath was not trying to strike at once for the center of the northern mountains and the Bledfi Gap. After the Hill army crossed the narrow range behind which the City lay, they worked their way around the curve of the mountains, trotting through the sandy sour grass and broken rock at their feet. At first this made them ride almost due north, then in an increasing arc to the west; and the sun moved across the sky before them. Often in the mornings when the mist was still lying around them, trailing from the mountains' shoulders into their camp, a little group of riders, or even a solitary figure on horseback, would loom up at them from nowhere; but Corlath always seemed to be expecting them, and they always knew what to say to the guards that they might pass; and in this way the army a little swelled its ranks. Occasionally Harry heard a woman's voice among the strangers, and this made her glad; and often she'd rub a finger over the blue gem in the hilt of Gonturan and think of the sword no man could carry. Mathin said to her once: â€Å"We did not think to see so many women – few have fought with us within any man's memory, although in Aerin's day it was different. But I think many fathers are letting their daughters join us who had not thought to till they heard of Harimad-sol, and that Gonturan went to war again.† Many of these women she met; particularly after Mathin had spoken to her, for then she began to feel a little uneasily responsible for them. Senay she saw several times – and saw too that she was wearing a sewn-together sash as if she were proud of it. Harimad-sol asked the names of the women when she had a chance, and they answered gravely; and they often gave her the back-of-hand-to-forehead gesture of respect, and none ever asked her her name, even when she was not carrying Gonturan and ought to look – she thought – like any other disheveled soldier. Most of those who came thus late to join Corlath's army did not carry a sword, and wore no sash; these were men and women who had spent their lives in their own villages, on their own farms and in their own shops, and had never attended laprun trials, nor felt the lack that they had not. One evening they rode into a hollow where nearly a hundred strangers, all mounted, and with several pack horses and hunting-beasts besides, waited for them; and Corlath rode forward with a great hearty cry of welcome, a sound nearer happiness than any Harry had heard from him since they began their march north. A rider at the head of the group rode to meet him, and they seized each other by the shoulders while their horses bumped uneasily together and rolled their eyes at each other. A third man then detached himself from the new group and joined Corlath and his friend. â€Å"Murfoth and his son, Terim,† said Mathin in Harry's ear. â€Å"Murfoth was one of the old king's friends, though he's not much more than ten years older than our king. He might have been a Rider, had he wished, but he chose instead to stay at home and look after his lands; and a good job he's made of it too. Some of our best horses now come from him, and grain to feed many more.† â€Å"We Riders,† said Innath from her other side, â€Å"as you may have noticed, tend to be fourth sons or otherwise penniless – or incurable wanderers like Mathin here – but Murfoth now, when he comes to ride with his king, can bring eighty men with him.† Innath's voice, for all its careless pride, sounded almost wistful. Harry found herself remembering her father's words to her – it seemed decades ago: â€Å"You haven't a penny, you know.† Terim was Harry's age, and when he and his father came to sit at the king's fireside he came to her and sank down beside her, folding up his long legs as all the Hillmen did. She looked at Terim and he looked at her; his look was eager and a little, to her embarrassment, reverent. â€Å"I was First at my laprun trials three years ago,† he said; â€Å"but when I took my turn against Corlath my sash was on the ground before I had a good grip on my sword.† He thumped the hilt of his sword, which jangled as it bit into the ground. â€Å"My father gave me Teksun here anyway, he said no one ever got a grip on a sword against Corlath. You did, though.† His eyes shone in the firelight. Harry ran a meditative finger over the careful seam in her sash, which she had put in under Mathin's promised tutelage. â€Å"I didn't know it was he – I never thought. And he allowed me to cross swords with him; and when I realized how much of it was allowing, I got †¦ mad.† She paused. â€Å"I was surprised too.† She frowned, remembering the awful headache she'd had for most of that day, and then the more awful sick lurch that seemed to start behind her eyes, where the headache was, and quiver all the way through her body, when she saw the face behind the scarf she had just removed. No one had called her baga for the cut at the corner of Corlath's mouth, though. She met the boy's eyes somewhat ruefully and said, â€Å"It wasn't as pleasant an experience as you might think.† Terim gave a little snort of laughter and said, â€Å"Yes, I believe you,† and Harry looked across to where Corlath sat with Terim's father and found him watching her. She wondered if he had heard what she had just said.