My First Experience

My First Experience Riding a Pedicab Alone I think we all have that kind of experience where we used to ride a vehicle with friends or family but because of dire emergencies, we are forced to go by ourselves. My experience with this kind of event was a bit nerve-wrecking yet I also had the feeling of great success. This happened on my early freshmen year in High School. I did not really prefer riding â€Å"pedicabs† alone especially at night yet I was forced to. However, this experience taught me that trying something in another way might be risky yet it shows surprising and rewarding results.It was already late in the afternoon and was getting darker when I waited for my dad to pick me up from school. I called him and he answered. However, he said â€Å"I’m sorry son but I can’t pick you up. You’ll have to ride a public transport to go home. You either ride a pedicab or an ‘easy-ride’. † I asked him why and he replied, â€Å"The car b roke had a problem so I left it in the repair shop. † Tired and depressed, I went out of the school and walked to the nearest waiting area alone because most of my friends and classmates had already gone home.I knew it would take me quite some time to wait for a passing pedicab. I had no experience signaling the driver properly because I usually let my companions do it. Thankfully, I have no problems talking to strangers or random people, so explaining my destination to the driver wasn’t a big deal. Then there was another problem that popped into my head. I was short on money and I had no idea how much the fair cost. That night did not go so well for me. Not long after I started waiting, I finally got a ride.It was the first time that I had nobody else to talk to except for the driver. The driver looked familiar but I could not put my finger on it. Being curious, I started a conversation with the driver. It just started as small chit-chats before I asked, â€Å"You loo ked familiar. Do I know you from somewhere? † He grinned and said, â€Å"Silly boy, I’m your neighbor from across the road. † That shocked me for a bit. He continued, â€Å"The reason you may not know me or see me is because I get up so early. † Embarrassed, I just nodded my head and smiled.As we arrive to our neighborhood, I was about to ask him for the price of the fair. He declined saying, â€Å"Since we are neighbors, and I had a great time conversing with you, you don’t have to pay me but only for now. † I was thankful upon hearing this as I waved good-bye for the night, hoping we cross paths again. That night, I had to take the risk of using a public transport which is rather unsafe considering it was night and I had no companion but with my determination, I was able to get home with a surprising reward.

Insecurity in Nigeria

INSECURITY IN NIGERIA This essay is written to give information on the causes and solution to the insecurity in Nigeria. From this, we see that it is expressly stated in our Constitution that the Government(s) is ultimately responsible for the security of lives, property, etc of the people of Nigeria. Internal security, or IS, is the act of keeping peace within the  borders  of a  sovereign state  or other  self-governing territories. This is done generally by upholding the national  law  and defending against internal security threats.Responsibility for internal security may range from  police  to  paramilitary  forces, and in exceptional circumstances, the  military  itself. (Wikipedia) Threats to Internal security Threats to the general peace may range from low-level  civil disorder, large scale  violence, or even an armed  insurgency. Threats to internal security may be directed at either the state's citizens, or the organs and infrastructure of  the state  itself, and may range from petty  crime, serious  organized crime, political or industrial unrest, or even domestic  terrorism.Foreign powers may also act as a threat to internal security, by either committing or sponsoring terrorism or  rebellion, without actually  declaring war. Forces and Agencies Governmental responsibility for internal security will generally rest with an  interior ministry, as opposed to a  defense ministry. Depending on the state, a state's internal security will be maintained by either the ordinary  police or law enforcement  agencies or more militarized police forces (known as  Gendarmerie).Other specialized internal security agencies may exist to augment these main forces, such as  border guards,  special police units, or aspects of the state's  List of intelligence agencies. In some states, internal security may be the primary responsibility of a  secret police force. The level of authorized force used by agencies and forces responsible for maintaining internal security might range from unarmed  police  to fully armed  paramilitary  organizations, or employ some level of  less-lethal weaponry  in between.For violent situations, internal security forces may contain some element of military type equipment such as  non-military armored vehicles. But enough of definitions and insinuations. What we are talking about is not merely petty crimes, armed robberies, etc, but terrorism and bombings, armed insurgency, e. g. the Niger Delta problem, which seemed to have died down a bit of recent, after all the hullabaloo of Amnesty, Jos ethnic/religious killings, Boko Haram massacres and bombings in Abuja, Maiduguri and other northern cities, etc.What every Nigerian should be doing is asking and demanding answers on what has been done so far since October 1st, 2010 Independence Day Twin Bombing in Abuja FCT. Not to mention numerous bombings in Maiduguri, Bauchi and Adamawa. Mind you, these a re not the first instances of such insecurity. Insecurity has been with us probably since we became a Republic, only we decided to turn blind eyes to it. When the CIA report of 2005 predicted the collapse of Nigeria in about 15 years time, patriots and critics alike reacted differently to the report.For me, as much as I wanted to dismiss it, something kept niggling my mind that this might be a true prophetic scrutiny of the state of Nigeria. Not because the CIA is dependable in its security analysis, after all, they didn't get it right to prevent 9/11 2001 from happening, but events in Nigeria seemed to suggest that while other countries in the sub-region were developing, Nigeria was retrogressing despite its claim to democracy.People expected the then Government of Obasanjo to take this warning as a chance for Nigeria to look inwards, engage with the report, and work on those predictive indices that could lead to the predicted failure. But, inopportunely, the Obasanjo government di smissed the report in its totality. In a way, the dismissal is not entirely a surprise, since our leaders, over the years, are prone to such habits of shielding the truth from their people, not caring as long as it does not happen in their time; are actually very ignorant of what is going on around them, and are obstinate and tyrannical in their nature.The current general state of insecurity in Nigeria has now lent weight to the report. It must be recalled that while the report was released at the advent of the so-called Niger Delta crisis, since then several acts of bombings and killings by the extremist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, the carnage between ethnic Birom and the Hausa/Fulani in Jos, and the political violence that followed immediately after the 2011 Elections results, mostly in the northern part of the country, have further cemented the insecure state of the country.Starting with the usual religious/ethnic oriented conflicts, to the Jos ethnic/religious/political conflict o f 2008, regrettably, the northern states have shown that security of persons and properties is still far from being realizable. However, the current crisis which started in Bauchi and has engulfed other states in the north has elements of theocratic opinionated ambitions in it. While the fundamentalist group – Boko Haram's – demand for the jettisoning of a western behavioral pattern and the imposition of strict Sharia law can be described as absurd to say the least, we should equally view it with all the seriousness it deserves.What the current trend of violence is imprinting on the psyche of Nigerians is that the government security apparatus is incapable of guaranteeing the safety and security of its people. This would, therefore, impact on the general human security of the people as the situation promotes fear, while at the same time limiting the peoples' ability to develop economically. At the same time, the state's capacity to attract investors becomes limited as a result of the insecurity.For instance, states like Enugu and Bauchi that have huge tourism potential would be losing out on this front On different terrorist attacks, listen to what leaders with political will had to say: On 9/11: â€Å"This is an act of war against the United States. We'll hunt down the terrorists. They can run but they can't' hide†¦ † – George Bush London Bombing: â€Å"We'll track down the terrorists and bring them to justice† – Tony Blair UN House Bombing: â€Å"Terrorism is a global phenomenon. May be it is Nigeria's turn. † – Goodluck Jonathan So what our supreme leader is saying is that, â€Å"why not, it’s our turn to start getting blown up†.How much more should we expect? That shows you the depth of intelligence and care of our leaders. Security was a driving issue in the last Presidential campaign following bomb blast by Niger Delta militants and attacks of police by members of the extremist Is lamic group, Boko Haram in the northern part of the country. President Jonathan campaigned very hard to convince Nigerians that his government was meeting those security challenges. But the rioting, mostly in the North, that followed immediately after his election raised questions, which are still unanswered, about security preparedness.At least 800 people were said to have been killed in these Muslim-Christian electoral violence. â€Å"As president, it is my solemn duty to defend the constitution of this country. That includes the obligation to protect the lives and properties of every Nigerian wherever they choose to live,† he said Challenges ; Proposed Solutions: Mr. President should acknowledge the failure of the security agencies hence there should be a complete overhaul of the Security Agencies in the county to pre-empt these security breaches. In particular, the failure of the intelligence services to contain the recurring security breaches.The spate of bombings has on ce more brought to limelight the need for a Sovereign National Conference. Until these structural distortions and anomalies are addressed, the monster of insecurity will loom large and Nigeria will once more be listed as a terrorist nation. Mr. President has to act decisively to execute his Office, and this can be achieved by implementing the anti-terrorism law and punish culprits of such heinous crimes capable of causing instability in the nation. This will vitiate the implementation of Mr. President's transformational agenda.The long-term effect is that the on-going terrorism will discourage potential investors in Nigeria. At the speed Nigeria is deteriorating, there is a strong desire for a  SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE  so that all ethnic  nationalities  can make their stand known  this amalgamated country. The way forward is for us to keep laying emphasis on the need for the evolution of six regions. The federation should stay but let every region grow at its own pac e. The Western region has clearly set the  pace going by the result of the  last election.All the Western states voted massively for the Action Congress party (ACN), a party that  is not sufficiently  different  in programmes from the Action Party of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Each region should have their own police Force. MOPOL and Interpol  could be transformed into the only Federal Police crack elite team. The rest members of the police force should be dismembered and directed to return to their regions. It is  the duty of the regions to now retrain, equip and pay them. Second, the judiciary is not helping matters at all. This institution  is heavily  compounding our problems.It has got to really sit up. Cases of corruption are not  meant to be compromised at all, let alone adjourning them endlessly. The judiciary ought to have, at this stage in our development, evolved time scales  for cases. There  ought to have been  a time to determine a case; time to c lose that case; and time to deliver  judgment and pass sentences. In Nigeria, cases that bother on corruption and insecurity have most often been compromised thus the law is no longer acting as a deterrent. What is happening in Jos is too gory to narrate.The endless killing going on in that city has made the demand for regional governmentt more pertinent. The country cannot just continue to toe the line of extinction. Most Nigerians  do not value human lives. They debase them. Most  have become conditioned to act of carnages, brigandage, looting, massacre,  butchery and bestiality. Thirdly, the Federal government should always be decisive on issues that bother on insecurity. We have never had strong leaders. From Shagari to Yar ‘Adua and now to Jonathan, what we have heard were leaders handpicked and imposed on the people.We have over the years been denied leaders that would bring us out of the woods. First were Awo in 1979 and, controversially, Abiola in 1993. We have never had it so bad. OBJ was an imposition by the Northern oligarchy. Corruption was commonplace under OBJ. Now under Jonathan, what we have is intertwined corruption and insecurity. Ethnic and the foregoing problems and criminal activities individually and collectively create insecurity and breach of the peace that are likely to or indeed affect legitimate social and economic activities in the country.These problems also have the very damaging consequence of giving the signal to the rest of the international community that Nigeria is not a safe and secure place and as such not suitable for economic investment and activities. This is particularly important in view of the efforts being made to create the desired atmosphere to attract foreign investment. Beyond the effects of security concerns on the economic fortunes of the country, the nature of the security challenges facing the country also have implications for the country's political system.As mentioned earlier, social cohesion among various groups and interests is important in the process of national political development. Therefore, the constituent parts of the country must be and indeed feel that they are being carried along in the process of national governance. Experience has shown that widespread discontent and loss of confidence in the system have ways of affecting national political stability. Invariably continuing escalation of violence and crises across the country will impinge on the survival of our democracy.Accordingly, there is the challenge to rethink and improve on policy and institutional means of dealing with security concerns arising in the country. At the political level, the federal, state and local governments should evolve programmes of cultural and political education and orientation that seek to enthrone the fundamentals of democracy so that the political contestants as well as the generality of the citizens imbibe principles and practices essential for sustainable democracy.Such programmes must also address specific tendencies that create security breach and concerns in the country. In addition, a process of legislative and constitutional review should be initiated to assess the country's constitution and amend or expunge as necessary areas that have been found to give rise to conflicts and security problems. The process should also introduce new provisions and legislations that will ensure better and more effective interplay of interests among all groups and stakeholders in Nigeria.Such exercise should also embrace ways of making the country's democratic space more open, free, fair and tolerant as exists in other democracies around the world. Among specific lingering political issues that should be addressed are: the laws relating to political parties and their activities; the establishment, funding and activities of the electoral body; local and state government relationship; allocation of national resources and revenue; citizenship rights; devolution of security powers to states and local governments.In addition, the legislative and constitutional review should also embody security sector reforms that will make the security agencies and institutions more effective in combating crimes and other threats to national security and make them accountable to the democratic political system and structures. These democratic structures include the states and local governments. I believe that we need to give a more concrete understanding to the definition of governors as the chief security officers of the state.In all, what we need is a good government, no more no less. And a good government is possible in as much as people who are put in positions of authority are allowed and are committed to discharge their duties without fear or favors; are determined to serve with zeal and patriotism; are not ready to sell out to international capital and are ready to stand by the truth and die for it.In all, there is no mono cultural theory that is a cure -all to the diverse nature of insecurity in Nigeria but I believed and stand by the theory that Nigeria should evolve into six regions, each region having its Premier or Governor, each region has a right to retain its states or to abolish- the choice is theirs in the region to make; each region should be in charge of its Education,  Security, Health, Agriculture, Housing, Transport and Energy policies.The Central Government should be in charge of the Army, Central Bank, Customs, Prisons and Immigration services, MOPOL and Interpol, ALL WORKING at the same time IN THE INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY. The objections to this Soveriegn National Conference are coming significantly from the core north unbeknownst to the people from that region that the fallout from that conference would sufficiently be in their favour. Pessimism is a social disease but in a society of rights, it is right! Insecurity in Nigeria INSECURITY IN NIGERIA Underlying the quest for national security in Nigeria is the issue of political morality, which focuses on the question of defining the relationship between the state and the various groups in the society. Political morality properly construed seeks to establish and sustain the essential conditions for the smooth functioning of the state and society. It is in this light that we identify the problem of the moral basis of Nigeria’s security to be a vital imperative of national reconciliation, national survival and national development in the new millennium.Our examination of the moral foundations of national security is all the more significant when we examine the trend of events in the history of military and economic growth in Nigeria, especially under the erstwhile military regimes of Abacha and Babangida. This essay is particularly concerned with showing the pattern of ethical degeneration that led to the systematic and institutionalised erosion of pers onal and collective peace, safety, stability and harmony within the Nigerian society.Also, the need for an examination of the ethical basis of human social existence in Nigeria is further highlighted by president Obasanjo (1999: 8) who 245National Security, Social Order†¦ in the October 1999 national day speech emphasized that there is a need to examine the moral foundations of all our actions and to continue to search for the conditions that will make Nigeria a just, free and wealthy society. Obasanjo’sstatement clearly implies that the country is yet to achieve the much desired level of ethical conduct and respect for human dignity that can ensure the maintenance of security, peace and order in the society.Indeed, the history of Nigeria shows that the practice of genuine moral conduct and the guarantee of adequate personal and national security for all segments of the society has been an illusive and futile project. An examination of the spectrum of national life revea ls the incidence of corruption in high and low places, conflicts and confusion in various communities and regions, greed and selfishness as the guiding principles of human social interaction, as well as a situation of pervasive lawlessness in the conduct of daily life .As aconfirmation of the problem of national security in Nigeria the Nigerian Bar Association [NBA] has stated that there is increasing national decay and insecurity, which is seen in the regressing economy, unviable hospital facilities and health services, lack of good pipe borne water, transportation and fuel problems that have overwhelmed the society (Nwankpa 2000: 8). We may also add that the problem of national security is seen in the increasing situation of lawlessness, violence and criminality that have become endemic in the nation.The evidence of the dismal state national security is seen in what Onyegbula (2000: 24) describes as the diminishing standard of living and the deteriorating social infrastructures an d educational system. For instance, the roads, refineries,hospitals and schools have not been functioning at their optimum levels. More so, the existence of a poorly trained police force, has compelled the abdication of the security of lives and property of Nigerians to the ethnic militia groups and other dubious civil defense and vigilante associations.Together, these civil and institutional security agencies and groups participate in the institutionalized brutalization, extortion and repression of the people. Thus, our argument is that the erosion of both the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of the social order, has ensured that the establishment of genuine national security in the nation has not been adequately guaranteed.More importantly, the earlier approaches, which have been adopted in the attempt to provide national security in Nigeria, have not been successful. Hence, there is a need to seek a new approach to the resolution of the problem of national security in Nigeria and a good point to start the discussion is to attempt a conceptual analysis of social order as a prelude to the examination of national security. Oham Ugochukwu This day Journalist OHAM UGOCHUKWU YEAR 10 ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Poetry Story

An author writes a book or novel to have the whole story put right out for you with a clear cut beginning middle and end. A poet can write a â€Å"novel† in very minimal lines or a few verses. They tell a story but give the rest for you to think and ponder about A poet uses multiple literary devices in one single poem. When reading a poem you have to decode or decipher what the poet is really trying to say. They may use metaphors, Irony and much more, In the poem â€Å"l Finally managed to speak to her†, the poet, Hal Sorority uses both of these literary devices.The first literary device that is used in this poem is a metaphor. The poem â€Å"l finally managed to speak to her† is about a young man sitting across from a young girl on a bus. They are driving through New York City, and he would like to talk to her. He says â€Å"The trees look so much greener is this part of the country. In New York City everything looks so drab. † Although he is referring to the trees, Sorority uses the trees as a metaphor for him. Despite the fact that he has written about the trees you have to look deeper and the meaning and decipher what Is trying to be said.Since the metaphor is really talking about him rather than the trees it really brings out the meaning of the poem. In an interview Sorority said â€Å"she was too self-involved. Or to put it in nicer terms, she wasn't into me. â€Å"(lengthier) When he said this what I got is that when he wrote that she said â€Å"when you find another one let me know† Is that she didn't really want to talk to him so she Is finishing the conversation. The metaphors in this poem are outstanding and really give you a glimpse into the author's life. Till you actually really take a deeper look into the poem and realize what he Is trying to say you may think that he Is literally talking about the trees In different parts of the country. The second literary device that Sorority uses in his poem â€Å"l final ly managed to speak to her† is irony. Irony is used in Sorority poem â€Å"l Finally Managed to Speak to Her because originally reading the poem you blatantly see that he is talking to a girl on the bus about trees. While you reread the poem you start to realize that It Is not just the trees he is talking about, it is her.Even though you want to think one thing there are multiple ways to look at this poem. This is where the irony comes in. Is it Ironic that he says â€Å"everything looks so drab†? If he is trying to talk about her is he trying to refer to every other girl being drab so that she can feel special? Despite the fact that we can look at this many ways Sorority says, â€Å"l wanted her to see me rather than the differences in the trees. † (Interview) It is very ironic that the author is using Reese to talk about a love life that never happened.It's like he is trying to put the trees and the girl he Is talking to out there for others to realize that yo u may get turned down every now and then but don't give up. The literary devices Hal Slowly used in his poem, â€Å"l finally Managed to Speak to Her was metaphor and irony. He used them in two similar ways but when you look at them they are completely different. The way he uses his metaphors Is astonishing. The irony that Is put Into this poem Is all around noteworthy.The way he makes you think about what your reading, and does not just give it to you. Although it is a little more work for the reader it is worth it. When you are just reading It for what is written you will never get the tulle story. Weather you are a girl or boy you can relate to this story because almost every person in the world has been turned down once in their life time and that is what makes this poem over the top, almost everyone can relate to it. Works Cited: Sorority, Hal. â€Å"†I Finally Managed to Speak to Her†Ã¢â‚¬  E-mail interview. 10 Par. 2013

SWOT Analysis of Hewlett Packard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SWOT Analysis of Hewlett Packard - Essay Example HP has the ability to manufacture new designs and innovations of personal computers and accessories such as printers at affordable costs. Moreover, the company’s after sales services provide the best services to their customers hence increasing their loyalty. After sales service centers and helplines reduce many customer problems (Kern et al, 23). Weaknesses Hewlett Packard’s lack of presence in some major market segments limits its profitability in some countries. In spite of its outstanding portfolio, HP does not have significant production of software products as compared to major competitors such as IBM. Some of its competitors produce smart software products and offer extensive consultation services to their customers. A substantial percentage of its income (29%) is obtained from its personal systems division. Therefore, it does not command the market of industrial and large organizations that use highly sophisticated computing devices. The company mostly develops personal computers is already encountering competition from new players in the industry such as Lenovo. It has poor presence in the tablets market where many of its competitors are gaining ground. It is also facing competition in the manufacture of printers from other companies including Epson and Samsung.

Exhibits Of Liam Gillick Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exhibits Of Liam Gillick - Research Paper Example It is the light color wood work in a marvelous way to utilize the maximum space of the hall while maintaining the hall as the best discussion place. Following are the 5 snapshots of the â€Å"installation in the German Pavilion† in diversified angle to visualize the beauty of placement of meeting discussion table and shelves: Colorful discussion bench platforms with a group of reflecting colors on top was a master piece of Gillick, displayed in 2010. Discussion Bench Platform exhibition took 40 days to put forward the marvelous art. Comprising of series of a structure with a well composed top theme with a flat bench, visual and aesthetic sense of the artist is depicted in the light of applied modernism along with the functional beauty of the platform. Benches have aluminum varnishing in powder form which is indeed a pragmatic addition in open minded discussion platform. Following are the five views of the discussion bench platform in diversified angle to visualize the beauty o f placement and color combinations: Liam Gillick is one of his own kinds in its diversifying art structure ranging from graphic design, music, film, sculpture, curatorial project, critical themes to deep writing. A wide variety of evasions, tangents, distractions, and diversions are there in his art work that adds to the beauty of his projects. Instead of focusing on the relational aesthetic and principles of abstraction, Gillick put emphasis on the productive social interaction and the discussed themes portray the same cause in a practical way.

Knowledge in the Natural Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Knowledge in the Natural Law - Case Study Example Natural law and Natural Rights, on which the modern Jurisprudence exists to a very large extent, are as old as human race, and form the fundamental base of Human Rights. Natural law is based on the good feeling, on the wellbeing of people around us. It is directly connected with the original form of human life closely knitted with nature and nature is knowledge. Understanding nature is understanding right and wrong, knowing which action leads to which results, and having intricate knowledge of actions and reactions in nature that would eventually reflect on the welfare of humans. It is also knowledge about all natural forms, lives, organisms, animals and the natural right of all species to be allowed to live without being harmed. This basic principle of natural law depends heavily on the knowledge of values, compassion, fellow feeling, and celebration of life. There is no Natural law or Natural Rights in the absence of this basic knowledge and reasoning. Natural law is believed to be the closest that law could get to divinity. "For they are not of human position purely or simply, but are laws of God or Nature clothed with human sanctions. As obtaining at all times and obtaining at all places, they are styled by the classical jurists jus gentium, or jus omnium gentium," (Hart (19712). We hear that our unedu... According to Finnis, knowledge stems from basic value and basic practical principle. He argues that knowledge of human conduct is necessary to evaluate it against values and good principles. Another point is that with the background of sound knowledge, the principle application becomes self-evident, and unquestionable. This particular knowledge is not attained by exalted pursuit of the most intricate information. On the contrary, it is attained by compassion, understanding, friendliness and a desire to do justice against odds. It also owes its existence to the moral ethics, impartiality and consideration of other humans' feelings and rights to exist. It is acknowledgement of basic human rights. It is knowing how to preserve natural innocence. Ultimately it is the knowledge and acknowledgement of the truth and an ardent desire to establish it against negative circumstances. When knowledge becomes the basic aspect of a human being, that individual could be assessed as a complete person. Here Finnis agrees with Bentham and Kant, even though he does not touch the high morality prescribed by them. "The purity exacted by both Bentham and Kant consists in imitating qualities of the divine. For Bentham, the quality of benevolence takes precedence, but it turns out that the theory demands the divine attribute of omniscience as well.however different their paths may be, Bentham and Kant share the Enlightenment impulse of grounding a moral theory in attributes of the human condition," (Fletcher, 19963). Finnis goes on to argue that it should be the good knowledge, and not an unpleasant one that could be of no use to the person's surroundings. He reflects on the natural human compulsion of curiosity and insatiable inquisitive desire to know which will lead

Employee Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Employee Relations - Essay Example The Union disagreed with the Company’s decision to use a different criteria of determining eligibility for promotion and transfers instead of the one agreed upon during the collective bargaining agreement. The third grievance was about a discriminatory action by the company on its allocation of the parking lots. The union argued that the plant workers were allocated the farthest lots from the entrance. 2. What sections of the Wagner Act are in question here? Explain In all the three grievances touched a number of Wegner act sections particularly with regard to the regulation of collective bargain agreement engagements. For example, section 8(a) 3 of the act prohibits employees against discriminatory acts such as assigning them less desirable conditions as was witnessed in the allocation of parking slots in the company. The section also stipulates that matters of promotion or transfers should be solely based on seniority, merit and other criteria of determining eligibility sign ed in the collective bargaining agreement (Budd, 234). In this regard the second grievance will also be handled using section 2 of the act. ... In my opinion, all the three grievances of the union against the company were genuine. In the first grievance, I would rule that the company breached the contract by making changes in the time schedules prior to a mutual agreement. In the second grievance, the company also violated the collective bargaining agreement by using different criteria of eligibility in giving a temporary transfer to a Janitor instead of Mr. Burn who best suitable according to the provisions of the collective bargain agreement. Finally, allocating park workers the farthest car park slots was also discriminatory since it ensured that the workers spent more time between the parking lot and their working stations and this reduced the amount of their monthly bonus. Case 2__ Does the Duty to Bargain Preclude Unilateral Wage Increases? In the case study, Winn Dixie Stores Company effected unilateral changes in the wages of the workers arguing that there was no impasse during the negotiations (Budd, 260). On the ot her hand, the Union’s position of argument was that the Company violated the provisions of section 8(a) 5 and 8(a)1 of Wagner act which states that it is an unfair labor practice for employers to refuse to bargain collectively with the employee representatives when making changes to the wage rates and other terms of employment. Questions 1. You are an administrative law judge who has to decide on this case. Which party do you agree with and why? As an administrative law Judge presiding over the case, I would support the position of the employee Union that the company’s action amounted to unfair labor practice as stated in section 8 of the

Mass marketing and Targeted marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mass marketing and Targeted marketing - Essay Example It includes Radio, Television, Newspapers and even the internet. According to Jakacki (2001), some of the products that are suited for this marketing strategy include drinking juice, furniture, automobiles as well as mobile phones. An example of a company that has used this strategy with a good measure of success is Coca Cola. Other food manufactures such as Nestle and electronics giants like Sony have also used this strategy to reach a world wide market. The major advantage of this strategy is economies of scale since production is in large quantities. At the other opposite end of mass marketing is targeted marketing or better still Niche marketing. Targeted marketing is aimed at a given market segment. A segment in this case may be a given geographic area, demographic profile such as the youth or behavioral segment based on variables such as income status or level of brand loyalty. There has been a shift from mass marketing to targeted marketing occasioned by a number of factors. Changing consumer patterns, the need to position products differently from competitors and the importance of being an expert in a given area. Jakacki (2001) says that today's consumers have diverse needs. For instance there is a segment that is keen on losing weight, and another one which wants to avoid sugar. This has led to the emergence of products such as Coke diet to cater for this unique segment. At the same time intense competition has led companies to produce products that are unique to a given segment hence setting the product significantly apart from those of the competitor. A phone company will therefore manufacture mobile phones with a music player in order to tap the youth market. This makes their products unique and leads to more sales in the specific market segment. The shift to targeted marketing can also be attributed to the fact that emphasis on one area makes you an expert in that particular field. A company is more likely to stand out from the crowd if only it is viewed as an expert in a given area by the consumer. For instance a food manufacturing company may get more mileage if it concentrates its effort in the manufacture of baby products only. Since it is the expert in this field then a good number of mothers are likely to buy its products. Using practical examples, explain how an integrated marketing communications strategy might enable marketers to more effectively reach target customers Integrated marketing communication is a new approach in marketing that is aimed at blending all marketing communication efforts of a company. (Moschis 1994) The ultimate goal is to make the various communication tools used by a company to compliment each other rather than work in isolation. It is based on the idea that the combined effect of the various communication tools is way much better than the sum of their individual effects. This helps in creating synergy in the company's communication effort. Moschis (1994) points out that a company can reach its customers using a number of communication tools. It can be through advertising, sales promotion or direct marketing. Now, integrated marketing communication aims at integrating all these tools so as to reach the

Methodology (just theories) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Methodology (just theories) - Essay Example It provides an appropriate insight to study a particular phenomena and the method of data collection required for the study. The philosophy behind a research guides the researcher about various aspects of producing valid knowledge. ["A" level sociology A resource based learning approach, n. d] The three trends of philosophy involved in sociological research methodologies are Positivism, Realism and Interpretivism. Positivism mainly deals with proposing natural laws based on observation. [Samuel- Ojo, 2005]. Realism states that whatever appears to be real to an individual is a consequence of one's behavior. ["A" level sociology A resource based learning approach, n. d]. Interpretivism is mainly based on idealism that the various phenomena occurring in the world are interpreted through mind. [Interpretivism, n. d] The research philosophy of positivism mainly prevailed in the nineteenth and the twentieth century. This concept is most popular in the field of natural science. The origin of this ideology evolved due to the study of various phenomena in the world through human knowledge rather than dogma of religion. In order to attain fact about a particular aspect of study, observations are made related to that field of study. This methodology of research through observation is called empirism. Therefore, positivism developed based on certainty and universal explanations about particular phenomena. [Samuel- Ojo, 2005]. The major strengths of positivism are that the knowledge attained through this methodology is certain since it is not based on any speculations. It provides a logical end to any research. Contrary to this, since ideology of positivism mainly deals with observations it rules out the existence of unobservable phenomena or occurrences. [Rusbult, 1997] Realism is a research philosophy that "seeks to understand, the existence of an external and objective reality that influences people's social interpretations and behaviors but which may not be perceptible to them. It recognizes that people themselves are not objects to be studied in the style of natural science. "[Glossary, n. d]. Realism believes that phenomena can occur in spite of not observing its occurrence. It also believes that an object has certain properties associated with it that are independent of theoretical conceptions. These are some of the major strengths of realism. One major drawback of this research philosophy is that it is based on plausible doctrines rather than knowledge based on facts. The knowledge attained through this philosophy is skeptical and not certain since it is based on unobservable. [Boyd, 2002] Interpretive research philosophy states that the social world cannot be described without understanding the experience of the people and gives importance to human actions. This ideology produces scientific accounts of social life depending on the concepts and inferences drawn by the people. It generates theories based on the descriptions and experiences of people. Hence, this ideology is purely based on the understanding of the people about a particular concept and its interpretation by the researcher. It provides an in depth understanding of the blind beliefs and practices of daily life. There are structured procedures followed to understand the perception and beliefs of the people abo

Early Childhood...learning through play Assignment

Early Childhood...learning through play - Assignment Example Generally, play performs an important role in children development. Role of play in Child Development According to Johnson et al., (2004), play is necessary in development because it generates cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of children. Through play, children employ their creativity in developing their imagination, skills and physical, emotional, and cognitive powers. Children participate and interact in the world around them via play. In addition, play enables children to discover and generate ideas that they can master by practicing adult roles without fear (Ginsburg, 2007). Children’s development needs such as enhanced self-confidence and resiliency for future challenges are obtained through play as they posses knowledge about practical issues. Play enables children develop teamwork through learning how to participate in groups and to share. Play enhances children’s ability to learn how to settle and resolve conflicts, and understand self-advoca cy abilities. However, Ginsburg, (2007) argue that if play is permitted to be self-driven, children perform decision-making skills, establish their own areas of interest, and involve themselves in the passions they desire to practice in future. Moreover, play also builds energetic and healthy bodies. Development needs such as speech and language skills are met through child play. Play also gives opportunities for children to practice listening. However, children reinforce their language skills by replicating other children and adults. Considering that, the play is companion based, children talk and listen to each other in the course of playing. Social interaction skills and competence are developed through play. Johnson et al., (2004) claim that imaginative play and role-playing assist in brain development. Play facilitates brain development by inspiring the brain through configuration of connections between nerve cells. Children who participate in plays exhibit high levels of inter action than those who do not. Play is critical in children’s academic environment. Ginsburg, (2007), argues that play makes certain that school setting focus on social, emotional and cognitive development. Children are able to adjust to the school settings and develop their learning readiness and behaviors through play. Use and Value of Play within the Program Play is valued and used in early childhood development program by having child advocates who should consider all the factors, which interfere with optimal development and establish situation that enable children benefits of play since every child deserves the right to their exceptional prospective (Ginsburg, 2007). Play enhances children problem-solving skills for example, children playing games and puzzles boost their problem-solving abilities. In addition, children learn several roles of family members through play. For example pretending to be the father or mother in a play role enables the children understand the ro le of father and mother in a family. Role of the Environment in Support of Play Environment facilitates children development through learning and play. According to Malone et al., (2003), the best play environments for children are those established considering children’s natural play needs and play behavior involved in at diverse developmental eras, involving social, physical, and cognitive types of play. The method in which the environment is designed and configured manipulates children’

First Time in College Essay Example for Free

First Time in College Essay College is extremely different from high school – creating new friends, dealing with more school work, and being responsible. In some ways it can be a good thing but it can be a frightful thing as well. It is one of the biggest challenges most teenagers will encounter to be successful in life. After all those four years of high school, it is now the time to join the ranks of the high school graduates who have chosen to achieve a higher education. Some might think it is very exciting while others might have a different opinion about it. Regardless of how they feel, being able to attend college is the primary step to the real world. As what Jason Rich, author of The Everything College Survival Book, has mentioned, â€Å"This is the time when you are making that life transition from living at home with your parents to becoming an adult.† It is most likely that these intimidating words will haunt a high school graduate’s mind until the first day of college. Still, there are plenty of ways to deal with the hardships a student may face while walking into college the first time. One of the foremost things on any student’s mind is that you do not know anyone, unless you have a couple of friends that decided to take the same program as you. The thing is, so does everyone else! You can see this as the perfect opportunity to meet and make new friends that can help you get through this last chapter of your studying days. Like everybody else, many students are nervous and no one talks to anyone on the first day of classes. However, students try to overcome that fear and take a risk. In the end it will all be worth it and as each semester passes by, most of them might become the best of friends or even roommates if they live away from home. If for some reason it does not work out during the first week, try to attend on-campus events or sign up for extracurricular activities. This way you can meet and connect with a bunch of great people, not only from your program but also from the entire school. Another difficulty many students may deal with is feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work they may receive during the first month. During those 30 days, the course load is much harder compared to the amount of work in high school. For example, on the first day, the professor has already designated an assignment that will be due in the next couple of classes. In addition to that, another instructor from a different class might say there will be a test on the same day the assignment is due. Hearing this right after a long summer break will definitely overwhelm a student’s mind, especially if he has come directly out of high school. Therefore, before the stress keeps piling up, students may have to find a way to make adjustments to their old study habits. A great deal of effort must be put in each of their work and must not waste time. After all, no one would spend a huge amount of money on college just to fail. In addition, going to college will expose you to brand new freedoms that require a higher level of maturity and responsibility. In comparison to high school, no one is going to check if you have done your homework or if you have studied for a major test. If the instructor says when the due date is going to be, that is the only day you can submit your work and there will be no exceptions; unless there is an emergency then that will be a different story. There is a very limited opportunity that an instructor will take his time assisting hundreds of students. Although college life is about meeting new people, it is extremely important to know your boundaries and do not let your social life interfere with your studies. Managing your time well and being able to organize properly will be a great help to be able to go through college without a problem. As previously mentioned, there are various differences between high school and college. Attending classes could become more difficult due to the unusual atmosphere and having more independence. However, despite the numerous challenges that come with having a fresh start in college, believing that you belong is the best way to overcome them. Given the time to adjust to all the changes, sooner or later, students will start to feel right at home in the new environment. College will be a way to help students shape their individuality and prepare them for the worst possible scenarios in the competitive world. Thus, high school graduates that decided to cross the bridge to attend college are one step closer to become successful in life.

International Business Essay Example for Free

International Business Essay In present time and age globalisation has gained much more importance then what it had about thirty years ago. No doubt globalisation started ever since human being existed on this planet, but it is observed that in this era geographical boundaries has a very little part to play, when it comes to trade, culture, travelling and communication. Effects of this integration of different economies will have its outcomes and many of them can be seen already. In most countries however due to Globalization one can see the growing concern regarding employment and income distribution (Lee Vivarelli 2006, p. 168). Based on qualative and quantative analysis this paper would come with the conclusion to suggest wether globalisation is beneficial for everybody or the complete opposite. Globalisation means increasing flows of trade, finance and factors of production across the border, with the help of faster transportation and effective communications set up. It is globalisation which is compeletly responsible for making this world a global village. With globalisation, international bonds develop not just amongst specific groups of countries but across a wide global network in which factors of production or finished goods can move freely. The second era of globalisation that we are now living has come as a outcome of a numerous factors, not only because of of internet (which has allowed the speedy flows of massive volumes of information) but also because of intense changes in institutional environments. The economic ideas of the 1970s promoted moves towards financial liberalisation and deregulation within a large number of OECD countries during the 1980s and 1990s, the policy approaches of the Bretton Woods institutions were also modified with the Washington Consensus being built upon the promotion of economic severity, privatisation and liberalisation Stiglitz and Gualerzi (cited in Baddeley 2006, p 392). Furthermore, Baddeley claims that this deregulation has made the movement of capital and factors of production across national boundaries, contributing to the globalisation process In most countries, however, the current wave of globalization has been accompanied by increasing concern about its impact in terms of employment and income distribution (Lee Vivarelli 2006). Evidence has been provided from group studies to explain that globalisation does promotes growth by Dreher (cited in Baddeley 2006, p 393). However, it has been argued that the benefits do not essentially help to alleviate poverty. Krugman and Venables( cited in (cited in Baddeley 2006, p 393) emphasize that globalisation has the potential to benefit less-developed nations but at the start globalisation will worsen world inequality but then it will reduce it down. For example—as transport costs fall below a threshold, developing nations suffer real income declines. Falling transport costs allow core nations to exploit greater economies of scale in manufacturing to the loss of manufacturing sectors in developing economies. Labour demand will fall in peripheral nations and rise in core nations as a consequence. Milanovic (cited in Baddeley 2006, p. 394) completely discards the view of globalisation as something that would benefit any economy, he also provides evidence that, since 1870, globalisation has worsen international inequality with particularly prominent increases in inequality during the 1978–1998 globalisation era. He argues that the blow on less developed countries have been severe which means per capita GDP has not increased in Africa and a number of less developed countries are in a financial crisis and many transition economies are facing extraordinary levels of debt. The point worth mentioning here is that globalisation has increased the level of business activity all around the world but to be honest for many developing countries this is of very little use rather it is to the their detriment. Now when the host country provides its labour and resources, it is just like other economies eating away host countries resources. Plus all the profits are gone somewhere else. And the story does not end here, on the other side developing countries have always been forcing all the countries to reduce the amount of tariff and import duties and talking about how good free trade is. Now the rich countries enjoy economies of scale therefore the imported goods in some poor countries are cheaper than their own home base industry products. This discourages the economy of developing countries and does not allow it to become self sufficient. (Kaplinsky 2001, p. 60) When we look at the labour market outcomes, (Wood 1998, p. 1463) explains that there have been gaps between skilled and unskilled labour both in terms of wages and in terms of unemployment rates and claims that globalisation is the most likely cause for this rising inequality. Feenstra 1998, p. 37) adds outsourcing into the reasearch to prove that the outcomes of globalisation on employment and wages will be comparable to the outcomes of skills-biased technological innovation. Which means demand for skilled labour in less developed countries will rise but the demand for unskilled labour will fall contributing to wage inequality. Even though globalisation has encouraged factor price equalisation, it has been at the expense of lower incomes for low-skilled workers. (Williamson 1997, p. 5) explains that factor-price convergence in the earlier stages of globalisation improved conditions for unskilled workers in Europe but made the situation worse for poor unskilled workers in the new global village. As per the concept of comparative advantage, trade and FDI both should take advantage of the cheap and readily available amount of labour in developing countries and so generate a movement of specialization in domestic labour intensive Activities and, ultimately, an expansion in local employment (Lee Vivarelli 2006, p. 170) On the contrary Heckscher-Ohlin recent research leads to the conclusion that the employment impact of increasing trade is not necessarily positive for a developing country. In a developing country, the final employment impact of increasing trade depends on the interaction between productivity growth and output growth both in traded-goods sectors and in non-traded sectors. The final outcome cannot be assessed for different reasons. On the one hand, export may involve demand-led economic and employment growth, but on the other hand – imports may displace previously protected domestic firms, inducing labour redundancy. Moreover, in the presence of supply constraints (lack of infrastructure, scarcity of skilled labour, under-investment, labour market inefficiencies), productivity growth may exceed output growth even in the exporting sectors, to the detriment of job creation Fosu and Reddy (Lee Vivarelli 2006, p. 171). Finally, lucky sectors of the domestic economy e. g. agriculture, public administration, construction, non-traded services may act as labour sinks, often implying hidden unemployment and underemployment in the informal labour market . Shifting the center of attention from trade to FDI inflows, when a developing country opens its borders to foreign capital, FDIs generate positive employment effects directly and indirectly through job creation by suppliers and retailers. They also produce a tertiary employment effect by generating extra incomes and in that way increasing total demand (Sanjaya 2004, p. 91). By comparing the labour intensities of exported, imported and non-traded goods, it is sorted out that in 21 out of 39 sampled developing country which is an increase in the level of trade resulted in an increase in employment. In the remaining group of 18 countries, however, increased integration in the global economy produced a reduction in employment which is the opposite of (Heckscher-Ohlin theorem). In reality inequality comes from a bunch of other sources: corruption, the overextended power of states, technological change, demographic change and diseases, the spread of AIDS in Africa etc. Globalisation, engagement with the wider changes in the world, is as crucial for the less developed countries as it is for the more developed ones. No country which has cut itself off from the wider world has prospered. Take a look at North Korea or Burma to see what happens to a country which tries to simply isolate itself from the world economy. Future is not in regionalism or dull protectionism. That does not mean you should simply accept free trade. Industries should only be opened up to markets when certain favourable conditions prevail. Nonetheless, you do need to tackle with the wider global economy. â€Å"The main challenge for poorer countries is to find what circumstances of that engagement are† (Giddens 2000) People on both sides of this debate have been very swift to draw conclusions about the Impacts of â€Å"globalization† from their measured poverty numbers. The title of a book published recently by the International Forum of Globalization asks: â€Å"Does globalization help the poor? † and the book confidently answers the question with a big â€Å"no. † The back cover of Bhalla (2002) asks: â€Å"Who has gained from globalization? † and answers with equal confidence: the poor. However, readers of neither book will become any wiser about the answer to these questions than when they started. Actually neither book contains the sort of analysis that would be needed to convincingly allow acknowledgment of the claimed changes in poverty and inequality to â€Å"globalization. † I am not given any evidence that would allow me to identify the role played by greater openness to external trade in the distributional changes observed, against other factors such as rising agricultural productivity, demographic factors, changes in the distribution and returns to education and internal policy reforms (Ravallion, p. 15). Globalisation is like a fire, a form of force which is bad if not controlled but useful if channelled responsibly.

Othello by William Shakespeare | Summary and Analysis

Othello by William Shakespeare | Summary and Analysis Othello, is a very known playwright written by the famous writer William Shakespeare. If you are a person who have read many of his works you would know that his writings are based on love, triumph and tragedy also. Just by reading Othello I can tell that the story is about jealously and betrayal of lovers, and someone ends up dead because of the drama involved with it. Unluckily I will not tell of the summary of the playwright, nor tell about or give an simple analysis of the characters involved in the story. I will give you an examination of the racial connections in the playwright Othello, and relate it to the racial prejudices of Jacobean England. I will be honest, when I first read Othello, I did not quite understood how race was placed into the playwright, and why it had anything to do with Othello, because the theme of the story was basically about betrayal and jealously between two lovers who were separated over jealously. When I did research about Othello and racism, and rea d Othello continuously, I slowly began to realize that race did have some kind of involvement into it. Racism seemed to be a big issued in the days of Shakespeare and others. Some writers wrote their stories based on the society they was in and made it quite recognizable in their story, England and other nations had problems with race just as we did in America Othello is a story that made that obvious, Shakespeare puts in different racial stereotypes into the dialogues, giving them to characters like Iago, Roderigo and Branbantio. In the 17th century, People of England attitudes toward non-Europeans like North Africans and others were said to be shaped by policies and stories by travelers. The term moor came from a country that was used to refer to people from North Africa. People of North and West Africa who was living in the Elizabethan England was put out because of their unusual style of dress, behaviors and culture customs. Moors were also talked about and was put in the category of being sexually overactive and being a more jealous people. Queen Elizabeth gave the moors full recognition out of quick niceness for their help in defeating Spain, but unluckily that was quickly turned over fast and she deported the North Africans or Moors because of bad and unusual behavior and the fear of if she let them stay in England than there would end up being an overpopulation of black people and she seemed to definitely not want that. Back in that time period in England blacks were not associated with the slavery tim e period that we all know of, because the slave time period started late in the 17th century. One part in Othello that opened up my eyes and made me realize that race it was an issue, was when they spoke of different cultures like the Turkish culture and the Vietnamese culture. In Othello it stated that the people in Othello had celebrated the destruction of the Turkish force, I realized that there were some kind of cultural division in the playwright Othello. As I went on with my research and read some of the sources that helped me completely understand the issue, I understood that racism was one of the issues in Othello. One of my sources that I read named Shakespeare and Race discussed that some of the racial issues in Othello also probably had something to do with Shakespeare and the society that he was in, not just the racism acted on the Vietnam society in the play Othello. I also learned that the character Othello who was Desdemonas love was an African or an Moor in the story. A moor is once again defined as an member of a nomadic people, who civilization flourished in North Africa between the 8th and the 15th centuries. Othello seemed to be culturally divided and assorted. In order to answer the question and understand why racism was a big topic in Othello and why Shakespeare incorporated it into Othello, I had to dig deep and go back to the history and the real world outside of the playwright Othello. It also appeared to that the story was written during the time of great racial tensions in England. As I went on I discovered that Shakespeare disguised the white and the black people in Othello. He made the white people seem evil and the black people seem as the good ones. It seemed like Shakespeare was trying to make a point, a point of no matter what color a person is, we are all humans. Mainly because this was true, back then, whites seemed to be over people of color, while people of color was so called inferior under white people. Queen Elizabeth also made contributions to racism in England ,this might have stemmed off to racism in Othello. In the book English Ethnicity and Race in Early Modern Drama it stated that When Queen Elizabeth ruled England she exiled ten Africans from her country, then afterwards Queen Elizabeth traded the Africans for the imprisoned English men held in Spain and Portugal.(pg5 English Ethnicity and Race.) . This was similar to what I stated earlier. After the end of Elizabeths ruling Elizabethan England became Jacobean England and was under the rule of King James. Not like his other works, Shakespeare did not reserve the playwright or story of Othello to an earlier time period. Historians also stated that by the time William Shakespeare wrote Othello, England had already been exposed to Africans or blacks. Terri Vaughn an History Professor of Columbia University stated that by the year 1555, there were books in England describing the Africans or as they say the Moors of Africa.(Vaugh n). I also learned from my research that in the sixteenth century the meaning of the color black was defined as deeply stained with dirt or being dirty. Writers such as William Shakespeare and others referred to any dark person from North African as a Moor or a black moor. I also learned that white people or light skinned blacks that was from Africa wasnt considered an moor because they couldnt tell if they was from Africa or not. When I started to read and understand Othello more I realized that Othello was about a relationship between a black man and a white woman. Usually back in the slavery days if a black man was in a relationship with a white woman he would face some kind of punishment for that. It would have been like an offense or an rule that was broken by the black man. Maybe no connections or association with other nations or countries made it to be that way. England people who went outside of their race were viewed as barbarians. those who fell outside the borders of the know n, white world were viewed as â€Å"barbarians, which means a member of a culture thats uncivilized and its sometimes considered offensive. Michael Neil states in an article that was written by him called Race in Literature†. The term moor probably have existed as a description in terms of color, but not necessarily in terms of its position to the white civilized world .Othello is a play with a lot of racial feeling in it.† writes scholar Michael Neill(1985). In the article called Shakespeare and Race, written by John Stows. it greatly emphasizes that to the Elizabethans the appearance and conduct of the moors was a complete outrage, saying that here was a big difference between themselves and the moors. The article also explained that when William Shakespeare chosed an African or an moor as an hero or general, he wasnt really confused or had lack of knowledge bout racial thought or racism, but was more aware of his society who made the divisions of black and white world a big issue. The character named Iago in the story made races remarks about Othello calling him a black ram. Othello is treated unequally in the story because he is black and not white, if Othello was a white man, Im pretty sure he would have been treated fairly with no names and racial slurs called out at him. Comments of racial remarks are said all through out the story. Emilia also made a racial remark toward Othello, She called him an blacker devil, when she found out that he killed Desdemona. There were other characters who were racist towards Othello like Iago, Emilia, Brabinto, and Roderigo. Iago made the racial comment about Othello, because he simply didnt like the fact that he made lieutenant and that he was married to Desdemona. Iago also made a racist comment to Desdemonas Dad about Othello and Desdemona. He states, Even now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Iago had it in for Othello he simply tried to turn every one against Othello, even Desdemonas dad. Many rac ist comments like thick lips was said about Othello. Yet they were very messy because they never said it in his face. It seemed as if Shakespeare wanted race to be known to his readers of his stories, he wanted people to see that there wasnt just whites in the world, there were other races in the world also and that people of other races was good also and people of Caucasian decent made blacks and others look like negative entities. Shakespeare wrote three other plays with non whites and moors in it, They are The Merchant of Venice, Titus Andronicus and of course Othello. Many think that you will find honest straight up racism and racist sayings and language in Othello. Many also consider that many plays like Othello can examine tools of racism and racist views, with thin an historic setting and both within an historical setting and existing context. historic and a contemporary cultural or spiritual context. Some say that Othello is also an very racist play and that it has an racist theme. I think that its not really that racist because Shakespeare shows a woman and a man of enemy races and puts the m together. The only thing racist about the play is the racist comments that the characters say to Othello. It seemed as if racist comments was said when only angered. It seems like it was just depicting the society of that time. Before we had freedom blacks was considered to be under and lower than whites. But jealousy is more likely to be the theme of Othello. Othello is an historical reading that explores race in other countries and in Literature. It portrayed one of the first love stories of an interracial couple who is destroyed and broken up over hatred and jealous by people who didnt want an accomplished black man to survive and make out in a good situation. Even though William Shakespeare might have lived in an racist place and was surrounded by racist people it showed that he personally wasnt an racist person. Maybe William Shakespeare himself did approve of an relationship of an white woman and black man. Maybe he wanted to show that he was a good person and wasnt like others that was around him at the time. Ruth Cowhig wrote in an exert called Othello and Racism. In the excerpt, Ruth Cowhig provides a simple background on blacks in England during William Shakespeares time. She simply states that the character Iagos racism is the main source of his hatred towards Othello. He gives off an prejudice energy toward other characters in the story to turn them against Othello the Moor also (Cowhig, R). Ruth Cowhig emphasize that William Shakespeare continuously examines stereotypes with his story of Othello. I think the opening of the play presents an opportunity to discuss a variety of issues and stereo typing including interracial marriage. Othello gives us a lesson and something to think about, especially in society today and things that seemed to happen in the past.

Chemistry-soaps And Detergents :: essays research papers

Cleaning with soap and soapless detergents. Detergent comes from the Latin word detergere meaning to clean, it is defined as a cleansing agent. Therefore, water itself is a detergent. This essay looks at soap and soapless (or synthetic) detergents. Both substances we use everyday and have a big market commercially, they effect everyone. Soaps are made from natural products and soapless detergents are produced chemically, each having advantages and disadvantages. Soap has a much longer history than it’s relatively new synthetic version. There is evidence of soap made in Mediterranean countries around 2500 years ago. The basic process has not changed much although now the chemistry is understood. Soap is made from the process called saponification, the alkaline hydrolysis of fats and oils. It is essentially the reverse of esterification. O O R-C-O-R’ + NaOH ---- R-C-O-Na+ + R’OH Ester(fat) + base(caustic soda) ---- salt of fatty acid(soap) + alcohol(glycerol). Caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) can be used instead of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide)but is more expensive. The base used to come from wood ash containing potassium carbonate which formed potash as this was not plentiful it made soap a luxury. The cheapest source of the ester is animal and vegetable fats and oils. H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H O H-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H O-Na+ This is an example of a soap molecule. The hydrocarbon end is non polar and hydrophilic (water hating) and the carboxylate end is polar and hydrophilic (water loving). This the property which allows it to clean, it acts as an emulsifying agent. The soap disperses in water to form miscelles where a negatively charged surface is formed and hydrocarbon chains are in the centre. These miscelles surround droplets of dirt or grease suspending them in the water so they can be washed away. In soft neutral water soap works very well. However in hard water those containing ions (calcium and magnesium ions) the soap reacts with the ions forming insoluble salts, scum which settles on fabrics and around the bath. A scum is also the result when soap is used in acidic water. Soap is also affected by the nature of the dirt, for example perspiration breaks down the soap reducing the washing power. There are other disadvantages of soap, it deteriorates on storage lacks cleaning power and doesn’t rinse out completely. The production of synthetic detergents are an example of a standard chemical approach. If a useful substance has some undesirable properties an attempt is made to make a near copy synthetically which will perform better.

Commanding Heights :: essays research papers

The role that the government played in chapter two, â€Å"The Curse of Bigness,† of Commanding Heights in relation to the rest of the world was to create regulations. The New Deal was what was created to establish the rules and regulations in the United States, in regards to the stock market. It also created jobs by using government programs such as TVA. The TVA program was initiated in order to create jobs, which they were hoping would help boost up the stock market. Luckily as they had planed it did in fact create more job availability which did in turn boost the stock market thus helping the entire economy, as it was trying to crawl out of the depression. By the late nineteenth century the United States was on its way to becoming an industrial nation. This is due to the creation of the interstate commerce commission (ICC). The ICC was the first major attempt by the government to control the economy. The economy at this time was based on the railroads across the country and the ICC was created to regulate the railroads. The ICC regulated rates as well as required just treatment of shippers and communities. The ICC became the model for future regulatory commissions. The government found regulation necessary only after the local newspapers bashed the country because of its industrial setting. The term â€Å"muckrakers† was use by President Theodore Roosevelt in order to insult the media that was bashing America’s image. The majority of the government regulation was focused on one issue. The issue the government was worried the most about was bigness and monopolies. The monopolies appeared to have only one intention and that one intention was to extinguish the atomistic world of small, family-owned enterprises. The monopolies were referred to as â€Å"the red hot event.† What the muckrakers were saying by this is that the number one focus at this time of the economy was definitely the monopolies. President Roosevelt felt that not all monopolies were bad. He separated the monopolies into â€Å"good trust and bad trust.† He felt that monopolies should be scrutinized under the publics’ eye.

Dream House Essays -- essays research papers fc

My Dream House   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ever since I was ten years old I have known what kind of house I wanted to live in. A house that is on the lake and after I start a family it will be considered a loving home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most important details about a house is the location. My house will be located where it is quiet and peaceful. My house will be located on a small private lake, but about two hundred yards off the edge of the lake. The best location for this would have to be in Minnesota. Minnesota has beautiful lakes with great houses around them. If it would happen to rain a lot, I would want my house to be far enough away that it will not get damaged.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I want my house to be located where it is warm in the summer and cold in the winter. I think the best state for that to happen is Pennsylvania. It is just so beautiful there all the time. The structure of a house is a very important part of construction of the house. The house is going to have two stories and a full basement. There will be windows with shutters on each side of the house. There will also be windows in the basement where some of the ground has been dug out so light can get into the basement. There will be a deck facing the lake around the first and second floor of the house. The purpose of having the deck in that position is so anybody can go out there relax, and watch all the people in boats go by. There will be double sliding glass doors...

To the Young Women of Malolos

The issues discussed in the famous letter of Rizal entitled, â€Å"To the Young Women of Malolos,† are the inequality between men and women, slavery done by the Spaniards because of ignorance, fraud religious beliefs brought by the friars, the role of mothers in the family, tyranny of some because of the cowardice and negligence on the part of others, unreligious acts of the friars towards the Filipinos, education not given to other Filipinos by the Spaniards, and lastly, the abuse of the Spaniards because of the hospitality of the Filipinos.In this letter, Rizal addresses all kinds of women – mothers, wives, the unmarried, and expresses everything that he wishes them to keep in mind. Jose Rizal was greatly impressed by the fighting spirit that the young women of Malolos had shown. His letter is his own way of recognition for them as brave Filipinas who are no longer blinded by the fraud religious beliefs brought by the friars. In his letter, he expresses great joy and satisfaction over the battle they had fought.Rizal also emphasizes in the letter his desire for women to be offered the same opportunities as those received by men in terms of education. Education is indeed important not just for men but as well as for women and everyone has the right to education. Under his letter he also mentioned about our own freedom as individual human beings that we must have our own judgment of what is right and wrong. Rizal stipulates a number of important points in this portion of his letter to the young women of Malolos.The central idea here, however, is that whatever a mother shows to her children is what the children will become also. As the saying goes, a fruit would grow the same as of its tree. In his letter, Rizal enumerates the qualities Filipino mothers have to possess: Be a noble wife, rear her children in the service of the state – here Rizal gives reference to the women of Sparta who embody this quality, set standards of behavior for men around her.Women are fragile and can be easily influenced because of ignorance and lacked of knowledge of her rights. The friars took advantage of the kindness and meekness of this youth and brag about it with its fellow Spaniards. If only the Filipinas were like the women of Spartan who have power over their men, maybe no one would dare to touched or harassed a woman. Jose Rizal also points out to unmarried women that they should not be easily taken by appearances and looks, because these can be very deceiving. Instead, they hould take heed of men’s firmness of character and lofty ideas, which is indeed very true especially today; wherein most women were easily deceive by good looks of men not even knowing their true identity and their true self.I’m a little bit disappointed and discourage though, because some would easily judge a book by its cover, without even knowing its contents yet and as for me, it doesn’t really matter if a guy is really good looking, wh at matters for me is his attitude and values as well as his weird principles in life I guess, and most especially the different kind of feeling that I would feel whenever we are with each other.To sum it all, Rizal wanted to make his people open their eyes and to avoid ignorance of freedom. Ignorance is the cause of slavery during their time and this is what we must not let to happen again. He did not want its people to live without a religious belief but he just wants them apprehend not to be deceived by the exploitations done by the friars under their robes. The teachings made must be put into action not just in words.

Front Office Management paper Essay

Abstract: This report is aimed to discuss the need for clear procedures to be set for the pre-arrival stage of the guest cycle. The pre arrival stages in a guest cycle entail services that are executed by people or other relevant systems (like software) to deliver the best to the guests. Reservations are an important stage in pre-arrival of all guests. An effective service delivery will ensure the guests get satisfied from the very primary stages. Vital preparations have to be made for the arrival of all guests by the front office department. Records have to be kept. Computers are essential in this process for they play an important facilitation role. Discuss the need for clear procedures to be set for the pre-arrival stage of the guest cycle Introduction The main function of front office management is to welcome the guest and make all transactions smooth for the guest. According to Bakers, Huyton and Bradley (2000), a hotel system can be divided into four categories forming the guest cycle notably: the pre-arrival, arrival, occupancy, and departure. This report aims to review the pre arrival stages of guest cycle in a guest cycle by focusing on front office section. The report begins with introduction and background to pre arrival stages of guest cycle and front office management. It will discuss the activities that are partaken when a guest arrives to the front desk of a given hotel in the main body. Then, the conclusion is drawn at the final part. Background In hospitality industry, it is necessary for the service deliverer to give out his/her best services; this is because the clients have nothing to carry home at the end of the transaction (Ismail, 2002). The most important thing is the experience they get from a given hotel. As earlier noted, the front office provides most reputation of a given hotel. The servers need to make great effort to ensure the delivery is up to the required standards. Different writers have similar views of the prospects that take place in the front office more so the pre arrival stage as will be discusses in the following section. According to Hai-yan and Baum (2006), most popular stages that have been identified in pre arrival of guests include: Reservation Registration Occupancy services Check-out and history The pre arrival stages in a guest cycle entail services that are executed by people or other relevant systems (like software) to deliver the best to the guests. The next section is the main body which analyse the activities that are partaken in the pre-arrival stage of the front desk of a hotel. Main body According to Powers et. Al (1999), the stages involved in the pre-arrival need to be distinct and specific. The environment and rooms need to be presentable to ensure the delivery is maximized in all situations. Bakers et. al. (2000) classified the guest cycle in the pre-arrivals, arrivals, occupancy and departure. They believe the pre arrival section mainly comprise the booking doe by the clients and all events that will facilitate arrival of the guest. The front office is tasked with handling a large number of tasks in the guest cycle, they may include making reservations, check-in and registration, mail and information management, handling luggage’s, communication services, handling the accounts for guests, checking out and settlement of bills (Bardi, 2011). The services here can be classified further to three main categories. These include  electronic-mechanical, indirect personal and face to face transactions. The employees in the front desk are trained to employ these services to ensure maximum utility of the clients (Waryszak and Bauer, 1993). The guest cycle stages can be classified into sub-categories depending on different factors. A stage process divides the cycle into presale, sale and post-sale services. The presale services will be discussed into details in this part. Of importance are the reservation services the clients can access from a given Hotel. The reservation stage will be vital for it provides the very initial interaction with the client. The hotel management is obliged to ensure that the staff in this category are very familiar with the activities at this stage and they deliver their best (Ismail, 2002). Use of computers has been of great help for they simplify the process, provide accuracy and speed, this makes the services look professional. The main source of information for reservations include Telephone calls Emails Letters Fax Personal requests The clients will always check in for these services. The service providers will always check if the customer is black listed or not. Black listed customers are offered no chances for various security reasons. Upon confirming a valid customer, the client is offered the rooms available according to his/her priority. If the priority of the clients is important and alternatives are given only when specific rooms are not available (Hai-yan and Baum, 2006). The booking is then confirmed and recorded appropriately in the booking diaries or booking charts. The relevant documents are then filled and the process terminated. These processes are computer enabled to facilitate accuracy. The following considerations are essential when making reservations: Front desk staffs should always offer alternatives to prevent closing the transactions Sale staffs should always use upselling and suggestive selling.  Front desk staffs need to be proactive in delivery Provide satisfying feedbacks to clients Confirm all details to guests and keep up-to-date records Be appreciative to all clients All reservations need to be effectively recorded to ease communication and reference. The main details captured during reservations in pre arrival stage include: guest name, address or the billing address, telephone number, origin or company, dates of arrival and departure, any special notes, and reservation type. It is also vital to note whether front desk staffs are dealing with a group or single persons. To make the reservation via computers, one would run the required software, run the rate plan query command, check for rate availability grid, look up for rate reservation screen, move to the profile screen, and finalize noting the reservation number (Bardi, 2011). The required details are filled into the computers at every given stage and clients informed of any necessary information. Conclusion In as much as the front office is not the main center or hub of a hotel, it is a vital department that makes the first and last impression to the guest. It is important as most guests will approach this department to seek clarification thus essential in retaining clients’ loyalty and reputation of a given hotel. Reservations are a vital stage in pre-arrival of all guests. An effective service delivery will ensure the clients get satisfied from the very initial stages. Vital preparations have to be made for the arrival of all guests by the front office department. Records have to be kept. Computers are essential in this process for they play an important facilitation role. References Baker, S., Huyton, J. & Bradley, P. (2000). Principles of hotel front office Operations. London: Continuum. Bardi, J.A. (2011). Hotel Front Office Management. John Wiley and Sons, USA. Hai-yan, K. and Baum, T. (2006). Skills and work in the hospitality sector: The case of hotel front office employees in China, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 18. No. 6, pp.509 – 518. Ismail, A. (2002). Front Office Operations and Management. Cengage Learning, UK. Kasavana, M.L. and Brooks, R.M. (2012). Managing Front Office Operations (AHLEI). Prentice Hall PTR,USA. Powers, T. & Barrows, C.W. (1999). Introduction to the Hospitality Industry (4th Edition). John Wiley & Sons, Canada. Waryszak, R.Z. and Bauer, T.G. (1993). Front-office Staff Selection Techniques. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 5. No. 4.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Forty-five

Eddard Pain is a gift from the gods, Lord Eddard,† Grand Maester Pycelle told him. â€Å"It means the bone is knitting, the flesh healing itself. Be thankful.† â€Å"I will be thankful when my leg stops throbbing.† Pycelle set a stoppered flask on the table by the bed. â€Å"The milk of the poppy, for when the pain grows too onerous.† â€Å"I sleep too much already.† â€Å"Sleep is the great healer.† â€Å"I had hoped that was you.† Pycelle smiled wanly. â€Å"It is good to see you in such a fierce humor, my lord.† He leaned close and lowered his voice. â€Å"There was a raven this morning, a letter for the queen from her lord father. I thought you had best know.† â€Å"Dark wings, dark words,† Ned said grimly. â€Å"What of it?† â€Å"Lord Tywin is greatly wroth about the men you sent after Ser Gregor Clegane,† the maester confided. â€Å"I feared he would be. You will recall, I said as much in council.† â€Å"Let him be wroth,† Ned said. Every time his leg throbbed, he remembered Jaime Lannister's smile, and Jory dead in his arms. â€Å"Let him write all the letters to the queen he likes. Lord Beric rides beneath the king's own banner. If Lord Tywin attempts to interfere with the king's justice, he will have Robert to answer to. The only thing His Grace enjoys more than hunting is making war on lords who defy him.† Pycelle pulled back, his maester's chain jangling. â€Å"As you say. I shall visit again on the morrow.† The old man hurriedly gathered up his things and took his leave. Ned had little doubt that he was bound straight for the royal apartments, to whisper at the queen. I thought you had best know, indeed . . . as if Cersei had not instructed him to pass along her father's threats. He hoped his response rattled those perfect teeth of hers. Ned was not near as confident of Robert as he pretended, but there was no reason Cersei need know that. When Pycelle was gone, Ned called for a cup of honeyed wine. That clouded the mind as well, yet not as badly. He needed to be able to think. A thousand times, he asked himself what Jon Arryn might have done, had he lived long enough to act on what he'd learned. Or perhaps he had acted, and died for it. It was queer how sometimes a child's innocent eyes can see things that grown men are blind to. Someday, when Sansa was grown, he would have to tell her how she had made it all come clear for him. He's not the least bit like that old drunken king, she had declared, angry and unknowing, and the simple truth of it had twisted inside him, cold as death. This was the sword that killed Jon Arryn, Ned thought then, and it will kill Robert as well, a slower death but full as certain. Shattered legs may heal in time, but some betrayals fester and poison the soul. Littlefinger came calling an hour after the Grand Maester had left, clad in a plum-colored doublet with a mockingbird embroidered on the breast in black thread, and a striped cloak of black and white. â€Å"I cannot visit long, my lord,† he announced. â€Å"Lady Tanda expects me to lunch with her. No doubt she will roast me a fatted calf. If it's near as fatted as her daughter, I'm like to rupture and die. And how is your leg?† â€Å"Inflamed and painful, with an itch that is driving me mad.† Littlefinger lifted an eyebrow. â€Å"In future, try not to let any horses fall on it. I would urge you to heal quickly. The realm grows restive. Varys has heard ominous whispers from the west. Freeriders and sellswords have been flocking to Casterly Rock, and not for the thin pleasure of Lord Tywin's conversation.† â€Å"Is there word of the king?† Ned demanded. â€Å"Just how long does Robert intend to hunt?† â€Å"Given his preferences, I believe he'd stay in the forest until you and the queen both die of old age,† Lord Petyr replied with a faint smile. â€Å"Lacking that, I imagine he'll return as soon as he's killed something. They found the white hart, it seems . . . or rather, what remained of it. Some wolves found it first, and left His Grace scarcely more than a hoof and a horn. Robert was in a fury, until he heard talk of some monstrous boar deeper in the forest. Then nothing would do but he must have it. Prince Joffrey returned this morning, with the Royces, Ser Balon Swann, and some twenty others of the party. The rest are still with the king.† â€Å"The Hound?† Ned asked, frowning. Of all the Lannister party, Sandor Clegane was the one who concerned him the most, now that Ser Jaime had fled the city to join his father. â€Å"Oh, returned with Joffrey, and went straight to the queen.† Littlefinger smiled. â€Å"I would have given a hundred silver stags to have been a roach in the rushes when he learned that Lord Beric was off to behead his brother.† â€Å"Even a blind man could see the Hound loathed his brother.† â€Å"Ah, but Gregor was his to loathe, not yours to kill. Once Dondarrion lops the summit off our Mountain, the Clegane lands and incomes will pass to Sandor, but I wouldn't hold my water waiting for his thanks, not that one. And now you must forgive me. Lady Tanda awaits with her fatted calves.† On the way to the door, Lord Petyr spied Grand Maester Malleon's massive tome on the table and paused to idly flip open the cover. â€Å"The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, With Descriptions of Many High Lords and Noble Ladies and Their Children,† he read. â€Å"Now there is tedious reading if ever I saw it. A sleeping potion, my lord?† For a brief moment Ned considered telling him all of it, but there was something in Littlefinger's japes that irked him. The man was too clever by half, a mocking smile never far from his lips. â€Å"Jon Arryn was studying this volume when he was taken sick,† Ned said in a careful tone, to see how he might respond. And he responded as he always did: with a quip. â€Å"In that case,† he said, â€Å"death must have come as a blessed relief.† Lord Petyr Baelish bowed and took his leave. Eddard Stark allowed himself a curse. Aside from his own retainers, there was scarcely a man in this city he trusted. Littlefinger had concealed Catelyn and helped Ned in his inquiries, yet his haste to save his own skin when Jaime and his swords had come out of the rain still rankled. Varys was worse. For all his protestations of loyalty, the eunuch knew too much and did too little. Grand Maester Pycelle seemed more Cersei's creature with every passing day, and Ser Barristan was an old man, and rigid. He would tell Ned to do his duty. Time was perilously short. The king would return from his hunt soon, and honor would require Ned to go to him with all he had learned. Vayon Poole had arranged for Sansa and Arya to sail on the Wind Witch out of Braavos, three days hence. They would be back at Winterfell before the harvest. Ned could no longer use his concern for their safety to excuse his delay. Yet last night he had dreamt of Rhaegar's children. Lord Tywin had laid the bodies beneath the Iron Throne, wrapped in the crimson cloaks of his house guard. That was clever of him; the blood did not show so badly against the red cloth. The little princess had been barefoot, still dressed in her bed gown, and the boy . . . the boy . . . Ned could not let that happen again. The realm could not withstand a second mad king, another dance of blood and vengeance. He must find some way to save the children. Robert could be merciful. Ser Barristan was scarcely the only man he had pardoned. Grand Maester Pycelle, Varys the Spider, Lord Balon Greyjoy; each had been counted an enemy to Robert once, and each had been welcomed into friendship and allowed to retain honors and office for a pledge of fealty. So long as a man was brave and honest, Robert would treat him with all the honor and respect due a valiant enemy. This was something else: poison in the dark, a knife thrust to the soul. This he could never forgive, no more than he had forgiven Rhaegar. He will kill them all, Ned realized. And yet, he knew he could not keep silent. He had a duty to Robert, to the realm, to the shade of Jon Arryn . . . and to Bran, who surely must have stumbled on some part of the truth. Why else would they have tried to slay him? Late that afternoon he summoned Tomard, the portly guardsman with the ginger-colored whiskers his children called Fat Tom. With Jory dead and Alyn gone, Fat Tom had command of his household guard. The thought filled Ned with vague disquiet. Tomard was a solid man; affable, loyal, tireless, capable in a limited way, but he was near fifty, and even in his youth he had never been energetic. Perhaps Ned should not have been so quick to send off half his guard, and all his best swords among them. â€Å"I shall require your help,† Ned said when Tomard appeared, looking faintly apprehensive, as he always did when called before his lord. â€Å"Take me to the godswood.† â€Å"Is that wise, Lord Eddard? With your leg and all?† â€Å"Perhaps not. But necessary.† Tomard summoned Varly. With one arm around each man's shoulders, Ned managed to descend the steep tower steps and hobble across the bailey. â€Å"I want the guard doubled,† he told Fat Tom. â€Å"No one enters or leaves the Tower of the Hand without my leave.† Tom blinked. â€Å"M'lord, with Alyn and the others away, we are hard-pressed already—† â€Å"It will only be a short while. Lengthen the watches.† â€Å"As you say, m'lord,† Tom answered. â€Å"Might I ask why—† â€Å"Best not,† Ned answered crisply. The godswood was empty, as it always was here in this citadel of the southron gods. Ned's leg was screaming as they lowered him to the grass beside the heart tree. â€Å"Thank you.† He drew a paper from his sleeve, sealed with the sigil of his House. â€Å"Kindly deliver this at once.† Tomard looked at the name Ned had written on the paper and licked his lips anxiously. â€Å"My lord . . . â€Å" â€Å"Do as I bid you, Tom,† Ned said. How long he waited in the quiet of the godswood, he could not say. It was peaceful here. The thick walls shut out the clamor of the castle, and he could hear birds singing, the murmur of crickets, leaves rustling in a gentle wind. The heart tree was an oak, brown and faceless, yet Ned Stark still felt the presence of his gods. His leg did not seem to hurt so much. She came to him at sunset, as the clouds reddened above the walls and towers. She came alone, as he had bid her. For once she was dressed simply, in leather boots and hunting greens. When she drew back the hood of her brown cloak, he saw the bruise where the king had struck her. The angry plum color had faded to yellow, and the swelling was down, but there was no mistaking it for anything but what it was. â€Å"Why here?† Cersei Lannister asked as she stood over him. â€Å"So the gods can see.† She sat beside him on the grass. Her every move was graceful. Her curling blond hair moved in the wind, and her eyes were green as the leaves of summer. It had been a long time since Ned Stark had seen her beauty, but he saw it now. â€Å"I know the truth Jon Arryn died for,† he told her. â€Å"Do you?† The queen watched his face, wary as a cat. â€Å"Is that why you called me here, Lord Stark? To pose me riddles? Or is it your intent to seize me, as your wife seized my brother?† â€Å"If you truly believed that, you would never have come.† Ned touched her cheek gently. â€Å"Has he done this before?† â€Å"Once or twice.† She shied away from his hand. â€Å"Never on the face before. Jaime would have killed him, even if it meant his own life.† Cersei looked at him defiantly. â€Å"My brother is worth a hundred of your friend.† â€Å"Your brother?† Ned said. â€Å"Or your lover?† â€Å"Both.† She did not flinch from the truth. â€Å"Since we were children together. And why not? The Targaryens wed brother to sister for three hundred years, to keep the bloodlines pure. And Jaime and I are more than brother and sister. We are one person in two bodies. We shared a womb together. He came into this world holding my foot, our old maester said. When he is in me, I feel . . . whole.† The ghost of a smile flitted over her lips. â€Å"My son Bran . . . â€Å" To her credit, Cersei did not look away. â€Å"He saw us. You love your children, do you not?† Robert had asked him the very same question, the morning of the melee. He gave her the same answer. â€Å"With all my heart.† â€Å"No less do I love mine.† Ned thought, If it came to that, the life of some child I did not know, against Robb and Sansa and Arya and Bran and Rickon, what would I do? Even more so, what would Catelyn do, if it were Jon's life, against the children of her body? He did not know. He prayed he never would. â€Å"All three are Jaime's,† he said. It was not a question. â€Å"Thank the gods.† The seed is strong, Jon Arryn had cried on his deathbed, and so it was. All those bastards, all with hair as black as night. Grand Maester Malleon recorded the last mating between stag and lion, some ninety years ago, when Tya Lannister wed Gowen Baratheon, third son of the reigning lord. Their only issue, an unnamed boy described in Malleon's tome as a large and lusty lad born with a full head of black hair, died in infancy. Thirty years before that a male Lannister had taken a Baratheon maid to wife. She had given him three daughters and a son, each black-haired. No matter how far back Ned searched in the brittle yellowed pages, always he found the gold yielding before the coal. â€Å"A dozen years,† Ned said. â€Å"How is it that you have had no children by the king?† She lifted her head, defiant. â€Å"Your Robert got me with child once,† she said, her voice thick with contempt. â€Å"My brother found a woman to cleanse me. He never knew. If truth be told, I can scarcely bear for him to touch me, and I have not let him inside me for years. I know other ways to pleasure him, when he leaves his whores long enough to stagger up to my bedchamber. Whatever we do, the king is usually so drunk that he's forgotten it all by the next morning.† How could they have all been so blind? The truth was there in front of them all the time, written on the children's faces. Ned felt sick. â€Å"I remember Robert as he was the day he took the throne, every inch a king,† he said quietly. â€Å"A thousand other women might have loved him with all their hearts. What did he do to make you hate him so?† Her eyes burned, green fire in the dusk, like the lioness that was her sigil. â€Å"The night of our wedding feast, the first time we shared a bed, he called me by your sister's name. He was on top of me, in me, stinking of wine, and he whispered Lyanna.† Ned Stark thought of pale blue roses, and for a moment he wanted to weep. â€Å"I do not know which of you I pity most.† The queen seemed amused by that. â€Å"Save your pity for yourself, Lord Stark. I want none of it.† â€Å"You know what I must do.† â€Å"Must?† She put her hand on his good leg, just above the knee. â€Å"A true man does what he will, not what he must.† Her fingers brushed lightly against his thigh, the gentlest of promises. â€Å"The realm needs a strong Hand. Joff will not come of age for years. No one wants war again, least of all me.† Her hand touched his face, his hair. â€Å"If friends can turn to enemies, enemies can become friends. Your wife is a thousand leagues away, and my brother has fled. Be kind to me, Ned. I swear to you, you shall never regret it.† â€Å"Did you make the same offer to Jon Arryn?† She slapped him. â€Å"I shall wear that as a badge of honor,† Ned said dryly. â€Å"Honor,† she spat. â€Å"How dare you play the noble lord with me! What do you take me for? You've a bastard of your own, I've seen him. Who was the mother, I wonder? Some Dornish peasant you raped while her holdfast burned? A whore? Or was it the grieving sister, the Lady Ashara? She threw herself into the sea, I'm told. Why was that? For the brother you slew, or the child you stole? Tell me, my honorable Lord Eddard, how are you any different from Robert, or me, or Jaime?† â€Å"For a start,† said Ned, â€Å"I do not kill children. You would do well to listen, my lady. I shall say this only once. When the king returns from his hunt, I intend to lay the truth before him. You must be gone by then. You and your children, all three, and not to Casterly Rock. If I were you, I should take ship for the Free Cities, or even farther, to the Summer Isles or the Port of Ibben. As far as the winds blow.† â€Å"Exile,† she said. â€Å"A bitter cup to drink from.† â€Å"A sweeter cup than your father served Rhaegar's children,† Ned said, â€Å"and kinder than you deserve. Your father and your brothers would do well to go with you. Lord Tywin's gold will buy you comfort and hire swords to keep you safe. You shall need them. I promise you, no matter where you flee, Robert's wrath will follow you, to the back of beyond if need be.† The queen stood. â€Å"And what of my wrath, Lord Stark?† she asked softly. Her eyes searched his face. â€Å"You should have taken the realm for yourself. It was there for the taking. Jaime told me how you found him on the Iron Throne the day King's Landing fell, and made him yield it up. That was your moment. All you needed to do was climb those steps, and sit. Such a sad mistake.† â€Å"I have made more mistakes than you can possibly imagine,† Ned said, â€Å"but that was not one of them.† â€Å"Oh, but it was, my lord,† Cersei insisted. â€Å"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.† She turned up her hood to hide her swollen face and left him there in the dark beneath the oak, amidst the quiet of the godswood, under a blue-black sky. The stars were coming out.