Mediation paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mediation paper - Essay Example fact about the case is that the pet is now fertilizer, the court has requested out-of-court settlement, and this presents an opportunity in my training to exercise mediation process. Certainly, this is a perfect opportunity to apply theoretical principles of the mediation process. Firstly, the case presents two persons, the claimant and the fertilizer company representative who are willing to settle the matter outside the court. Secondly, the claimant has no interest for money; this is a good premise for this case. Her legal pursuit was primarily motivated by her feelings of hopelessness and grief. In theory, facilitated negotiations involve a neutral party who has relinquished powers to make a decision, this should be a fundamental principle that will guide me throughout the mediation process. Folger & Bush (1996, pg. 264) identifies that satisfaction story is an important theoretical model in this case. Notably, the fertilizer representative and the claimant are interested in the settlement of the case. As a mediator, I will apply the satisfaction story in order to achieve four important goals of mediation. Firstly, the process should remain as informal as possible and not drive by any legal rules; this promotes satisfaction of both parties involved. Secondly, I satisfaction story, an important goal is to focus on the interest of the parties involved. In this case, the claimant is in pursuit for her emotional satisfaction on her loss of the pet while the company representative wishes to avoid litigation and court fines. Based on this case, my interest as a mediator will be to seek common ground that is acceptable to both parties. Besides, satisfaction story model will allow me to ensure that the parties arrive in a commitment in meeting the agreement. An important factor in the mediation process is the satisfaction. It is achieved after clear deliberation that strikes a balance of both parties interest (Folger & Bush 1996, pg. 266). Moreover, this model is

Ethical Challenges for Non-Profits Research Paper

Ethical Challenges for Non-Profits - Research Paper Example These organizations perform a vital function and oftentimes subject only the guidance of their benefactors. Their workers fight many fronts, in diverse fields, such as helping eliminate racial discrimination, poverty, diseases, hunger and political persecution, for example. They provide an important service which is often not very much appreciated and in many instances, overlooked because they work without much fanfare. A good example are religious organizations which provide food or soup kitchens, helping homeless people get a warm meal in the middle of winter. Their efforts cannot be underestimated for they fill in the gaps where the government and the private sectors fail at times. By working and aiding the marginalized sectors of society, they provide hope and meaning to many lives. There are many pitfalls and benefits to capitalism but one of the most egregious failures is that certain sectors of society can get left out. Globalisation has been increasing due to the big innovati ons in communications and technology which helped move people, goods and services much easier worldwide, as shown by higher flows of capital in foreign direct investments (FDI) but one drawback is that in some instances, some people ended up poorer instead of being richer. People with conscience are rightly concerned with this inequality and this gave rise to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and this paper takes a deeper look at one aspect of this issue. Discussion Corporate social responsibility had become a buzzword in business sectors because it is now considered a part of doing business; it is one form how an economic entity gives back to the community which has sustained it and is now generally conceded a part of continuing success. A good number of big or global organizations have adopted CSR as a part of their business model. It is now an integral part of doing business, and in this connection, many of them had developed their own models of doing so. The lofty goals of C SR evolved from its own attempts of having a good code of ethics in the wake of some previously questionable business practices; the goals are intended to make a company compliant with legal regulations, ethical and moral standards, and a good way to practice and embrace generally-accepted international norms of doing business. The prevalence of CSR today had been partly due to the active advocacies of nonprofit groups in the prior years which are now bearing the fruits of their work only today. A good CSR policy put in place guides the firm in making the best decisions for all stakeholders involved. A business firm can opt for several modes in how to go about implementing its CSR but three forms have been suggested within the context of this issue in which there are some nagging concerns on how best to execute a CSR policy in view of their profit motives as for-profit firms. A key issue involved is one of costs, in which funds and resources devoted to this policy can be evaluated i n terms of their efficiency and effectiveness. Activities and funds related to CSR must be maximized and the three options are to contribute (giving to charitable or nonprofit groups), to collaborate (by working closely and partnering with a chosen nonprofit organization) or lastly, to just build up an in-house program

Human Nature Theories And Leadership Styles Management Essay

Human Nature Theories And Leadership Styles Management Essay When a manager is sent from his/her home country to manage either a culturally different or a highly diverse workforce, such a manager will most likely face some problems. Some of the problems are culturally contingent. This work looks at problems faced by an American manager when he relocates to Japan as a result of difference in their leadership styles. America managers relocating to Japan are being considered in this piece of work as a result of different reasons. Japan is regarded as one of the leading economies in the industrialized world. It is the second largest economy. Japan is regarded as Americas fourth largest export market and is the second largest foreign investor in America (U.S. Department of Commerce). Trade between America and Japan has had its ups and downs due to conflicts and tighter trade restrictions by Japan. However as a result of research done, The New York Times (1991) proposed that American companies operating in Japan now face fewer trade restrictions. Also, many companies were said to enjoy lucrative returns. American companies such as IBM, Bank of America and others were regarded as successful in Japan. Japanese companies such as Toyota operating in America also send American managers that are their employees to the head office in Japan to get more understanding of the corporate culture, processes, e.t.c. All these and more have necessitated the need to look at leadership styles of both countries and try to find a model that would work for the American manager and Japanese employees he would be leading in order to avoid conflicts, lack of cooperation, tension, lack of productivity that may result from incompatibility of the manager and the employees. The topic will As earlier stated, the problems faced by an American manager who has to relocate to a branch of the company in Japan will be examined and analyzed by looking at the different leadership styles, theories on leadership and role of culture in determining leadership styles. Leadership styles of America and Japan will be identified, analysis of the link between theories with practice will be done, the possible similarities/differences he will face, problems encountered and possible solutions to those problems will be identified before arriving at a conclusion. GENERAL OVERVIEW: Different definitions of leadership have been proposed overtime. According to Hogetts and Luthans (2003), leadership is the process of influencing people to direct their efforts towards achievement of some particular goals or goals. House et al (2004) defined leadership as the ability of a person to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members. Leadership style Overview The style of the leader is considered to be very important in achieving organizational goals as it can induce performance among subordinates (Barling;  Berson  and  Zacharatos). Different leadership styles have been proposed by various scholars. Two models will be considered in this work: Transformational and Transactional leadership styles proposed by James Macgregor Burns (1978) and, Directive, Supportive, Participative and Achievement-Oriented leadership styles developed by House (1971, 1974) but with focus on Houses model as this makes comparison between American and Japanese leadership styles easier. Transformational This leadership style has overtime demonstrated benefits over the transactional style in achieving organizational goals. (McColl-Kennedy and Andreson, 2002). Transformational leaders are those that lead by stimulating and inspiring their followers to achieve extraordinary outcomes and in the process, develop their own leadership capacity. (Bass and Riggio 2006). Transformational leaders inspire their followers to do more than they originally intended or thought possible. This transformation occurs through individual interactions between leaders and subordinates, especially through the manner in which transformational leaders communicate with subordinates. Transactional Transactional leaders, on the other hand, lead through social exchange. Transactional leaders offer or deny rewards for productivity or lack of it (Burns, 1978). They engage in a process of negotiation, offering subordinates rewards in exchange for the attainment of specific goals and completion of agreed-upon tasks (Bass, 1985). As earlier stated, focus will be on the different leadership styles developed by House (1971, 1974) in his path-goal theory. This was developed to explain how the behaviour of a leader affects the performance and satisfaction of subordinates. The following leadership behaviours/styles were identified: Directive Leadership: telling subordinates what to do, giving specific guidance along the way, scheduling and coordinating things to be done and, asking them to follow rules and procedures. (Yukl, 2002). This should be applied in environments where there is strong acceptance of hierarchies. (Mohr, 2010). This style increases the followers sense of security. Supportive Leadership: this involves giving consideration to the needs of subordinates, being concerned for their welfare and creating a friendly work environment (Yukl, 2002). Should be applied in environments with strong group orientation (Mohr, 2010). Participative: involves consulting with subordinates and taking their opinions and suggestions into account when making decisions (Yukl, 2002, Kreitner et al, 2002). Should be applied in environments with strong equality and individualism (Mohr, 2010). This approach works best when subordinates are experts in their fields and can give advice when needed. Achievement Oriented: involves setting challenging goals in work and self-improvement, seeking high standards and performance improvement. Also showing confidence in abilities of subordinates (Yukl, 2002). Should be used in environments with strong individualism and pragmatism where result-orientation and achievement are the main motivational factors (Mohr, 2010). LEADERSHIP THEORIES: Theories on leadership are philosophical assumptions that help leaders know how to direct their subordinates most effectively. There are various theories supporting the concept of leadership style. They aid explanation and proper understanding of leadership styles. Theories to be considered in this assignment are: McGregors Human nature theory ( Theory X and Y) Ouchis theory (Theory Z) Douglas McGregors Human Nature Theory (Theory X and Y): According to Hodgetts and Luthans (2003), Theory X and Y are two philosophical assumptions which Douglas McGregor labelled to understand the human nature. Theory X assumes that people are basically lazy and, coercion and threats of punishment are often necessary to get them to work. In this case, leadership style has to be controlling and monitoring. Specifically, the theory assumes that: By nature, people do not like to work and so avoid it whenever possible. The individual is evil and will always want to cheat. Workers have little ambition, try to avoid responsibility and want to be directed. The main need of employees is job security. To get people to attain organizational objectives, it is essential to use coercion, control and threats of punishment. The Theory Y is based on the assumption that under the right conditions, people will work hard and also seek increased responsibility and challenge. Specifically, the theory assumes that, Individuals want to respected, allowed to show initiative, and given autonomy and responsibility. Using physical and mental effort at work is as natural to people as resting or playing. External control and threats of punishment are not the only ways of getting people to work towards achieving organizational objectives: if people are committed to a goal, they will exercise self-direction and self control. Commitment to objectives is determined by rewards associated with their achievement. Under proper conditions, the average human being learns not only to accept but also to seek responsibility. The ability to employ a reasonably high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in the solution of organizational problem is widely distributed throughout the population. Under condition of modern industry life, the intellectual potential of the average human begin is only partly tapped. Ouchis Theory Z: The Theory Z approach to management simply suggests that involved workers are the key to increased productivity (Workman, 2008). Ouchis Theory Z recommends how employees should be motivated for increased productivity. (Woodman/Workman, 2008). This approach promotes participation in leadership. Involvement leads to the development of trust relationships and highly cohesive work groups (this tends to compel even greater involvement). Employees will be satisfied in the healthy social environment thus created. Detailed policies and rules to govern and slow employees behaviour at work will not be needed. Employees will be trusted to do the right thing and managers, to look out for employees welfare. The result will be a level of productivity superior to that achieved at similar non-Theory Z firms. ROLE OF CULTURE In looking at leadership styles, it is important to note that culture plays an important role in forming and understanding leadership styles/pattern. Therefore, a deeper understanding of American and Japanese culture is essential in the context of this work. There are cultural differences in America and Japan and, Hofstedes dimensions; Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism, Masculinity/Feminism (England, 1983) will be considered in understanding these differences and similarities. From his dimensions, the following index was developed: Values Country Individualism Long term orientation Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity America 91 29 40 46 62 Japan 46 80 54 92 95 Table 1: Showing the index of America and Japan using the Hofstedes dimension. Source: Adapted from Mohr, 2010. Comparator (dimension) America Japan Power distance Low High Individualism High Low Masculinity High High Uncertainty avoidance Low High Long term orientation Low High Table 2: Showing the variation between America and Japan using Hofstedes dimension. After looking at Hofstedes dimensions, main points of American and Japanese work culture will be highlighted. The table below points out the highlights of American organizational/work culture. American Work/Organizational Culture American Individualistic, self-reliant and allowed to take decisions on their own Materialistic goals take priority over spiritual values Fast work pace/tempo Opportunistic, take risks and want immediate profit Start meeting with humour, chatting and use first names Blunt, like to negotiate and get oral agreement at the first meeting Quick to hire and fire Status accorded on basis of merit/achievement and wealth. Age, seniority and gender is largely unimportant Ethnocentric and assume they are the best Specialists in their fields Japanese Work/Organizational Culture Japanese Culturally different from everyone else Have great power in conformity with Confucian hierarchy but little involvement in daily affairs of the organization On appropriate occasions, policies/ideas are initiated from the factory floor and passed up the company hierarchy for approval and ratification in what is known as ringi-sho consensus Collectivist and cant take decisions on their own. They have to refer back to their Head Office. As a result, dont make decisions in the first meeting Vague; not direct/blunt. Dont want to lose face or have their feelings hurt Life-long employment with organization Generalists, not specialists Life-long job rotation Table 3: Lewis (2006) After the review of leadership styles and theories, and culture of America and Japan (both generally and within the organization), leadership styles in America and Japan will now be analyzed: LEADERSHIP STYLE IN AMERICA American leaders have a unique leadership motivation style that integrates the features which most closely fit with their cultural characteristics. Their leadership style is participative (Bass, 1990. Mohr, 2010). This leadership style matches/is in line with the high individuality and low power distance found in Hofstedes dimensions. Also, elements of Theory Y (paternalistic) and theory Z (participative) can be found in their leadership style. LEADERSHIP STYLE IN JAPAN The management style in Japan is a mix of participative and directive approach as was found in the research carried out by Spicer and Fukushige (2007). This leadership style matches/is in line with the low individuality, high power distance, and high uncertainty avoidance found in Hofstedes dimensions. Elements of theory Z (participative) can be found in their leadership style. Japanese leaders use a blend of both task-centred and people-centred approaches to lead subordinates (Workman, 2008). However, in the research done by Fukushige and Spicer (2007), it was found that Japanese employees prefer the following leadership styles: Network leadership style Protective Gender Equality RELATIONSHIP (ANALYSIS OF LINK BETWEEN THEORIES PRACTICE) Theories America Japan Theory X _ _ Theory Y Since Americans are committed to goals, they exercise high self-control. No threats of punishment are required to ensure task completion Paternalistic Theory Y where there is a mutual, two-way flow of information and influence between boss and subordinates. Seek and accept responsibilities. _ Theory Z Americans are motivated by a powerful commitment to be part of a greater whole in general, and more specifically to their organization Though individualistic, Americans derive satisfaction while contributing to their companys success. Employees seek out responsibility and strive for opportunities to advance in an organization. Both leaders and subordinates are motivated by a strong sense of commitment to be part of a greater whole (the Japanese organization in which they work). People are -satisfied when they contribute to organizational success through teamwork. In return for the organizations long-term commitment to providing job security (often for life), workers develop strong bonds of loyalty towards their employer. Communication flows between leaders and subordinates Because Theory Z is participative, Japanese organizations show continuous interaction and exchange of information and influence between leader and subordinates, as well as among subordinates. The multidirectional flow of communication n the more project-oriented Japanese organizational culture is different from leader and subordinate behaviour Table 2: Showing factors that make up theories Y and Z in America and Japan. PROBLEMS FACED: The problems that an American manager will face in Japan will basically be on the issues raised based on the theory Y which are absent in Japan. The table above gives a general overview on some issues that could be conflicting between the two cultures. Some other problems likely to be faced include: Culture Shock Conflicts in interest of the manager and the subordinate (Americans seek job satisfaction and individuality while Japanese seek personal goals achievement and collectivism). Frustration on inability to make decisions and having less autonomy. Adaptation to Japanese work/organizational culture. Inability to hire efficient staff and fire non-performing ones. CAUSE and EFFECTS OF THE PROBLEM: The major cause of such problem however is cultural differences amongst this two country as the national cultural has direct impact on citizens and affects their leadership style and every part of their lives. As a result, difference in leadership style will also cause problems. Most important effect will be the impact on performance/productivity. Positive effects will lead to improved performance/productivity and negative effects, vice versa. (McColl-Kennedy and Anderson, 2002). POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS To solve problems associated with difference in leadership style, the American manager has to be trained to understand the Japanese culture, work culture and be aware of differences that exist between the two cultures before being deployed. The following should also be done: The manager should look at researches (particularly current ones) done about leadership/leading in Japan Learn leadership styles Japanese employees are used to; their preferred leadership style and incorporate both to his/her leadership style as House and Dessler (1974) found that only leadership behaviour seen to bring satisfaction or with future potential will be seen as acceptable to employees Ask for feedback on his performance/style from employees to where and when to make changes Incorporate Ouchis theory Z (Integration) designed to make doing business in Japan easier for Americans (England, 1983). Type Z (integration) Long-run employment Job rotation in particular areas Majority decisions Responsibility for group members Develop specialists and generalists Source: Adapted from Mohr, 2010 CONCLUSION: In conclusion, leadership styles and theories have been considered both generally and specifically as it pertains to this piece of work, the role of culture in determining leadership style has been considered, problems faced have been noted and possible solutions have been highlighted. In order to cope with the conflicts/problems, solutions highlighted above should be considered. The manager should also develop trust with his subordinates as he/she might still be ineffective if the subordinates do not accept him/her.

Blogs are Only a Fad :: Internet Online Communication Essays

Blogs are Only a Fad With the beginning of the 21st century well under way, we find ourselves in the midst of a digital revolution. New technology seems to be springing up every other day, and old ones are continuously being replaced by improved versions of their precursors, if not being replaced by something entirely new. The internet is probably one of the most influential inventions of our time, bringing about a whole slew of other technologies into our lives. One particular technology of interest is the weblog, more often referred to as "blog". Blogs are essentially online journals where one can write and post their thoughts, which then become available for be read by anyone with access to the internet. Blog software such as Movable Type allows one to easily publish their entries online with a few clicks of the mouse. The convenience and accessibility of using blogs are what have made them so popular, especially among the younger generation. Despite their advantages, however, blogs are simply a fad, and will make no significant impact on our society or the way we write, because ultimately, we desire more permanence in our writing than a mere sequence of binary codes. The primitive cavemen of the prehistoric era, the Sumerians of the Fertile Crescent and Shakespeare all have something in common - typography. The cavemen etched crude drawings on walls, the Sumerians pressed pictographic marks into clay tablets using a stylus, and Shakespeare wrote poetry using a quill pen and ink. Though their writings vary greatly in elegance or sophistication, each of them left their marks so that their history and contributions may forever be preserved. As William J. Mitchell points out in his essay, "In the thousands of years since, humankind has figured out innumerable ways to bind words permanently to matter...to carve them into clay and stone, to print them on paper, to form them out of unlikely things like neon tubes, and furtively to spray them onto walls" (Mitchell 2003). The fact that mankind has been practicing the act of writing for eons is proof that we, as human beings, desire to leave writing as records so that future generations may read them a nd know of our actions and thoughts. If we did not feel the need to preserve our knowledge permanently, it would be passed down orally, and we would not care to preserve what little writing that would be done out of necessity.

American History X

In the scene where Dr. Sweeney visited Derek in prison to update him of Danny's regression in school, it signified that despite their contradicting racial roots both still agreed to forward a common cause which is to secure a better future for Danny. Meanwhile, in the opening scene of the movie, Danny and Dr. Sweeney where having a confrontation about Danny's racist paper. This particular scene showed that Dr. Sweeney who is perceived by Danny as an enemy because of his color and position as an authority figure can initiate change to a person who is closed-minded.Though Danny and Derek have the same genes and grew up in the same environment, both characters have developed contrasting point of views at the latter part of the movie. This illustrated that personal convictions and mind-set can be altered once a person is exposed to a new condition or situation. As for the symbolic interaction between Derek and Murray, similarities in race does not guarantee a harmonious relationship. Der ek's animosity with Murray is not rooted on discrimination but it was based on his desire to protect his family and preserve his father's image.2. How would differential association explain the progression from conformity to deviance for (A) Derek (B) Danny. Prior to the tragic death of their father, Derek and Danny were normal in the sense that they did not have any erroneous feelings towards other people. This incident was exploited by a supremacist who preached about the domination of the white race. Because Derek and Danny would mostly hang out with other people who have the same ideals as a supremacist, they changed their ideology and lifestyle dramatically.The modification in their behavior from being carefree to being a racist and selective have pushed them to commit racial crimes like thrashing a convenient store of a foreign immigrant and mercilessly killing a black man. Derek from being a typical suburban boy became a leader of a racist group. As for Danny, he acquired his dislike for minority groups from his brother. He looked up at Derek like he was his father. Since Danny idolized his brother, he imitated all his actions and beliefs regardless of whether it is right or wrong. 3. What was communicated from Derek to Danny?Derek greatly influenced his brother. When he tried to change the world by degrading other people, Danny supported him. But when Derek tried to undo what he had done to his brother, Danny was hesitant. However, at the end of the movie, Danny made a conclusion through his paper that differences should not impose conflict because in the end people are all the same and the idea of coexisting harmoniously is not far fetched because every human being has his/her innate good nature. 4. Derek is progressing out of deviance while Danny is becoming deviant.Why? (Use differential association to explain) According to Edwin Sutherland, a criminologist, deviance is manifested when a person sees a specific situation as a suitable opportunity to break the law or conventional beliefs. More so, through a person's personal historical accounts based on previous associations with other people, a situation is defined (cited in Florida State University, 2008, â€Å"Differential Association Theory†). In the movie, Derek changed from being a racist to an open-minded person because of his experiences in jail.His preconceived notions about supremacist ideals were not upheld inside the dog eat dog world of the penal system. In his dismay, he fostered a close relationship with a black man and realized that the color of the skin of a person does not dictate one's capabilities and traits. Since Derek's awakening, he changed his attitude and focused more on eminent issues such as the reconstruction of his broken family. When Derek's was having an enlightenment, Danny was immersing himself to a deviant life.This was made possible because Danny's life revolved around an exclusive group whose ideals were centered on racism. His knowled ge of what is right or wrong and good or bad were based on the activities that happened within his group. Since most of his friends saw every situation as a chance to violate laws and the norms, they committed several crimes. By mere association, Danny is engulfed in the deviant system of his group. References â€Å"Differential Association Theory. † 2008. Florida State University. 19 March 2008 .

Yhhh

This age is called the age of science, yet' we can’t deny the importance of literature in our lives. Literature is called the mirror of life; it is also called a mode of the expression of feelings and emotions. As long as human beings do have emotions and feelings, literature will be created and literature will be read. It gives a way to one's thought, modifies and brings new dimensions. It relaxes you when you are tense' enlightens your dark mind and lightens your heavy heart. This age is called the age of science, yet' we can’t deny the importance of literature in our lives.Literature is called the mirror of life; it is also called a mode of the expression of feelings and emotions. As long as human beings do have emotions and feelings, literature will be created and literature will be read. It gives a way to one's thought, modifies and brings new dimensions. It relaxes you when you are tense' enlightens your dark mind and lightens your heavy heart. â€Å"Roselilyâ₠¬  by Alice Walker, is one of the literatures that I really liked. In the short story Roselily, Alice Walker tells two stories in one.The most obvious story is the one about the Black American woman Roselily, who stands before the alter, just about to marry a muslim, while she thinks about her past, wonders about the future and is questioning whether she is making the right choice. The other, hidden story is the story about Black American women in general, their history and their ongoing search for something better. The way I understand the short story, Roselily`s story is, as it is presented to the reader through Roselily’s thoughts as she is in the middle of her wedding, a reflection of Black Americans` and women in particular situation around the 1960s.At this time, Blacks are free Americans with the equal rights as other Americans, in theory. Roselily is an independent woman of her time, but being a single mother of four children, working long hours for most likely lousy wages in a sewing plant, she is far from free. The Blacks are no longer slaves in the cotton fields, they are now paid slaves in the refinement industry. Roselily is most aware of her situation, and she is willing to leave her past and start a new life with a new man. She has probably been searching for a better life for quite some time, by being with different men, who all could give her a child, but not a new life.I am sensing an urge in Roselily, to move on, symbolized by all the cars described in the short story: They are constantly moving from one place to another, they give you mobility, prevent you from being stuck somewhere you do not want to be. Roselily knows that she does not want to stay in the sewing plant, she knows that she wants to move on to something better, but she does not know what better is, and she certainly doubts if what she has chosen will be better than what she had. Her divided personality is like the different groups of Blacks in the civil rights moveme nts.Some Blacks wanted segregation, some wanted their own nation, some wanted to be more African, some wanted to live like the White Americans, some were Muslims and some were Christians. They all agreed that their current situation was not acceptable, but they did not know how to improve it. At the same time as Roselily wants to start a new life, she is afraid of losing her roots. She pictures her children  «exalted on a pedestal, a stalk that has no roots », and  «She wonders how to make new roots ».Alice Walker here describes Black Americans and probably also her own search for identity. Which heritage is the right one; the one from their Black American ancestors, or the one from the African ancestors? As Roselily is about to marry, about to go to Chicago and start a new life with her husband, she is starting to regret her decision and faces the truth: Just like Black Americans went from the slavery in the cotton fields to paid slavery in the sewing plants, she is now mov ing to the slavery of Islam. She thinks of his religion and sees ropes, chains, handcuffs.She thinks of Chicago, her new home, and realizes that all she knows about the place is Lincoln, the president. President Lincoln abolished the slavery, but that did not free the Black Americans. Alice Walker shows feminism in this literature. Most of her works depicts racism, sexism, feminism, troubled relationships, and isolation. Alice Walker was the eighth child of sharecroppers. Despite the economic hardships of her family, she was remarkably dedicated to her education and graduated with degrees from both Sarah Lawrence and Spelman College.While attending school, Walker became frustrated with the lack of literature on the culture and history of the black experience, so she challenged educational institutions to create a representative curriculum. In the 1960s, she became involved in the civil rights movement. Her experiences became the basis for her excellent novel Meridian. Her best-known work, however, is The Color Purple. Critics and audiences alike have praised its richly drawn female characters and seemingly effortless use of black vernacular. Although she has written six novels, Walker remains very active politically, championing women’s issues and women’s work.

Les

Les On the most exciting and memorable time of my lifte was when my son Leslie A. Taylor graduated from Miles College. This event was and still is an important event in our family. Les was the first born grandchild and the first grandchild to finish college. Matter of fact he accomplished something that neither my siblings or I accomplished.Les has always been a quiet child and I never thought he would be the one to stand out and lead the family into higher education. During junior high and high school days he struggle with school and some bad choices. Les never like doing homework or studying and always tried to find ways to get out doing them. As a matter fact Les went to summer school from the ninth grade to his senior year. School to his was not important and I promised him and myself that he would graduate no matter what it would take.Miles College

How to Study for a Law School Exam

How to Study for a Law School Exam In most instances, your grade in a course will depend entirely on one law school exam. If that sounds like a lot of pressure, well, quite frankly, it is, but theres good news! Some people in your class have to get As, so you might as well be one of them. The following five steps will help you ace any law school exam: Difficulty: Hard Time Required: Three months Heres How: Study all semester long.Be a diligent student throughout the semester by doing all the assigned reading, taking great notes, reviewing them after each week, and participating in class discussions. Law professors love to talk about seeing the forest for the trees; at this point you should focus on those trees, the main concepts your professor is covering. You can place them in the forest later.Join a study group.A great way to be sure youre understanding key concepts throughout the semester is to go over the readings and lectures with other law students. Through study groups, you can prepare for future classes by discussing assignments and fill in gaps in your notes from past lectures. It may take you a little while to find fellow students you click with, but its worth the effort. Not only will you be more prepared for the exam, youll also get used to talking out loud about cases and conceptsparticularly great if your professor uses the Socratic Method.Outline.Leading up to the readin g period, you should have a good grasp of major concepts, so now its time to pull them all together into the forest, if you will, in course outlines. Organize your outline based on the syllabus or your casebooks table of contents and fill in blanks with information from your notes. If you dont want to leave this until just before the exam, do it gradually throughout the semester; start a document with the major concepts, leaving large blank areas that you can fill in with information as you review it from your notes at the end of each week. Use past exams of professors to prepare.Many professors put past exams (sometimes with model answers) on file in the library; if your professor does so, be sure to take advantage. Past exams tell you what your professor considers the most important concepts in the course, and if a sample answer is included, be sure to study the format and copy it as best you can when you attempt other practice questions. If your professor offers review sessions or office hours, be sure to come prepared with a good understanding of past exams, which are also great for study group discussion.Improve your test-taking skills by learning from your past exams.If youve already been through a semester or more of law school exams, one of the best ways to improve your performance is by studying your past performances. If you can get copies of your exams, look at your answers and the model answers carefully. Note where you lost points, where you did the best, and also think back to how and when you preparedwhat worked and what may have been a waste of your time. Also be sure to analyze your exam-taking techniques as well, for example, did you use your time wisely during the test? What You Need: CasebookNotesOutlineTime

A Game of Thrones Chapter Eleven

â€Å"My fellow magisters have doubled the size of the city guard,† Illyrio told them over platters of honey duck and orange snap peppers one night at the manse that had been Drogo’s. The khal had joined his khalasar, his estate given over to Daenerys and her brother until the wedding. â€Å"Best we get Princess Daenerys wedded quickly before they hand half the wealth of Pentos away to sellswords and bravos,† Ser Jorah Mormont jested. The exile had offered her brother his sword the night Dany had been sold to Kbal Drogo; Viserys had accepted eagerly. Mormont had been their constant companion ever since. Magister Illyrio laughed lightly through his forked beard, but Viserys did not so much as smile. â€Å"He can have her tomorrow, if he likes,† her brother said. He glanced over at Dany, and she lowered her eyes. â€Å"So long as he pays the price.† Illyrio waved a languid hand in the air, rings glittering on his fat fingers. â€Å"I have told you, all is settled. Trust me. The khal has promised you a crown, and you shall have it.† â€Å"Yes, but when?† â€Å"When the khal chooses,† Illyrio said. â€Å"He will have the girl first, and after they are wed he must make his procession across the plains and present her to the dosh khaleen at Vaes Dothrak. After that, perhaps. If the omens favor war.† Viserys seethed with impatience. â€Å"I piss on Dothraki omens. The Usurper sits on my father’s throne. How long must I wait?† Illyrio gave a massive shrug. â€Å"You have waited most of your life, great king. What is another few months, another few years?† Ser Jorah, who had traveled as far east as Vaes Dothrak, nodded in agreement. â€Å"I counsel you to be patient, Your Grace. The Dothraki are true to their word, but they do things in their own time. A lesser man may beg a favor from the khal, but must never presume to berate him.† Viserys bristled. â€Å"Guard your tongue, Mormont, or I’ll have it out. I am no lesser man, I am the rightful Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. The dragon does not beg.† Ser Jorah lowered his eyes respectfully. Illyrio smiled enigmatically and tore a wing from the duck. Honey and grease ran over his fingers and dripped down into his beard as he nibbled at the tender meat. There are no more dragons, Dany thought, staring at her brother, though she did not dare say it aloud. Yet that night she dreamt of one. Viserys was hitting her, hurting her. She was naked, clumsy with fear. She ran from him, but her body seemed thick and ungainly. He struck her again. She stumbled and fell. â€Å"You woke the dragon,† he screamed as he kicked her. â€Å"You woke the dragon, you woke the dragon.† Her thighs were slick with blood. She closed her eyes and whimpered. As if in answer, there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire. When she looked again, Viserys was gone, great columns of flame rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turned its great head slowly. When its molten eyes found hers, she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She had never been so afraid . . .. . . until the day of her wedding came at last. The ceremony began at dawn and continued until dusk, an endless day of drinking and feasting and fighting. A mighty earthen ramp had been raised amid the grass palaces, and there Dany was seated beside Khal Drogo, above the seething sea of Dothraki. She had never seen so many people in one place, nor people so strange and frightening. The horselords might put on rich fabrics and sweet perfumes when they visited the Free Cities, but out under the open sky they kept the old ways. Men and women alike wore painted leather vests over bare chests and horsehair leggings cinched by bronze medallion belts, and the warriors greased their long braids with fat from the rendering pits. They gorged themselves on horseflesh roasted with honey and peppers, drank themselves blind on fermented mare’s milk and Illyrio’s fine wines, and spat jests at each other across the fires, their voices harsh and alien in Dany’s ears. Viserys was seated just below her, splendid in a new black wool tunic with a scarlet dragon on the chest. Illyrio and Ser Jorah sat beside him. Theirs was a place of high honor, just below the khal’s own bloodriders, but Dany could see the anger in her brother’s lilac eyes. He did not like sitting beneath her, and he fumed when the slaves offered each dish first to the khal and his bride, and served him from the portions they refused. He could do nothing but nurse his resentment, so nurse it he did, his mood growing blacker by the hour at each insult to his person. Dany had never felt so alone as she did seated in the midst of that vast horde. Her brother had told her to smile, and so she smiled until her face ached and the tears came unbidden to her eyes. She did her best to hide them, knowing how angry Viserys would be if he saw her crying, terrified of how Khal Drogo might react. Food was brought to her, steaming joints of meat and thick black sausages and Dothraki blood pies, and later fruits and sweetgrass stews and delicate pastries from the kitchens of Pentos, but she waved it all away. Her stomach was a roil, and she knew she could keep none of it down. There was no one to talk to. Khal Drogo shouted commands and jests down to his bloodriders, and laughed at their replies, but he scarcely glanced at Dany beside him. They had no common language. Dothraki was incomprehensible to her, and the khal knew only a few words of the bastard Valyrian of the Free Cities, and none at all of the Common Tongue of the Seven Kingdoms. She would even have welcomed the conversation of Illyrio and her brother, but they were too far below to hear her. So she sat in her wedding silks, nursing a cup of honeyed wine, afraid to eat, talking silently to herself. I am blood of the dragon, she told herself. I am Daenerys Stormborn, Princess of Dragonstone, of the blood and seed of Aegon the Conqueror. The sun was only a quarter of the way up the sky when she saw her first man die. Drums were beating as some of the women danced for the khal. Drogo watched without expression, but his eyes followed their movements, and from time to time he would toss down a bronze medallion for the women to fight over. The warriors were watching too. One of them finally stepped into the circle, grabbed a dancer by the arm, pushed her down to the ground, and mounted her right there, as a stallion mounts a mare. Illyrio had told her that might happen. â€Å"The Dothraki mate like the animals in their herds. There is no privacy in a khalasar, and they do not understand sin or shame as we do.† Dany looked away from the coupling, frightened when she realized what was happening, but a second warrior stepped forward, and a third, and soon there was no way to avert her eyes. Then two men seized the same woman. She heard a shout, saw a shove, and in the blink of an eye the arakhs were out, long razor-sharp blades, half sword and half scythe. A dance of death began as the warriors circled and slashed, leaping toward each other, whirling the blades around their heads, shrieking insults at each clash. No one made a move to interfere. It ended as quickly as it began. The arakhs shivered together faster than Dany could follow, one man missed a step, the other swung his blade in a flat arc. Steel bit into flesh just above the Dothraki’s waist, and opened him from backbone to belly button, spilling his entrails into the dust. As the loser died, the winner took hold of the nearest woman—not even the one they had been quarreling over—and had her there and then. Slaves carried off the body, and the dancing resumed. Magister Illyrio had warned Dany about this too. â€Å"A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is deemed a dull affair,† he had said. Her wedding must have been especially blessed; before the day was over, a dozen men had died. As the hours passed, the terror grew in Dany, until it was all she could do not to scream. She was afraid of the Dothraki, whose ways seemed alien and monstrous, as if they were beasts in human skins and not true men at all. She was afraid of her brother, of what he might do if she failed him. Most of all, she was afraid of what would happen tonight under the stars, when her brother gave her up to the hulking giant who sat drinking beside her with a face as still and cruel as a bronze mask. I am the blood of the dragon, she told herself again. When at last the sun was low in the sky, Khal Drogo clapped his hands together, and the drums and the shouting and feasting came to a sudden halt. Drogo stood and pulled Dany to her feet beside him. It was time for her bride gifts. And after the gifts, she knew, after the sun had gone down, it would be time for the first ride and the consummation of her marriage. Dany tried to put the thought aside, but it would not leave her. She hugged herself to try to keep from shaking. Her brother Viserys gifted her with three handmaids. Dany knew they had cost him nothing; Illyrio no doubt had provided the girls. Irri and Jhiqui were copper-skinned Dothraki with black hair and almond-shaped eyes, Doreah a fair-haired, blue-eyed Lysene girl. â€Å"These are no common servants, sweet sister,† her brother told her as they were brought forward one by one. â€Å"Illyrio and I selected them personally for you. Irri will teach you riding, Jhiqui the Dothraki tongue, and Doreah will instruct you in the womanly arts of love.† He smiled thinly. â€Å"She’s very good, Illyrio and I can both swear to that.† Ser Jorah Mormont apologized for his gift. â€Å"It is a small thing, my princess, but all a poor exile could afford,† he said as he laid a small stack of old books before her. They were histories and songs of the Seven Kingdoms, she saw, written in the Common Tongue. She thanked him with all her heart. Magister Illyrio murmured a command, and four burly slaves hurried forward, bearing between them a great cedar chest bound in bronze. When she opened it, she found piles of the finest velvets and damasks the Free Cities could produce . . . and resting on top, nestled in the soft cloth, three huge eggs. Dany gasped. They were the most beautiful things she had ever seen, each different than the others, patterned in such rich colors that at first she thought they were crusted with jewels, and so large it took both of her hands to hold one. She lifted it delicately, expecting that it would be made of some fine porcelain or delicate enamel, or even blown glass, but it was much heavier than that, as if it were all of solid stone. The surface of the shell was covered with tiny scales, and as she turned the egg between her fingers, they shimmered like polished metal in the light of the setting sun. One egg was a deep green, with burnished bronze flecks that came and went depending on how Dan y turned it. Another was pale cream streaked with gold. The last was black, as black as a midnight sea, yet alive with scarlet ripples and swirls. â€Å"What are they?† she asked, her voice hushed and full of wonder. â€Å"Dragon’s eggs, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai,† said Magister Illyrio. â€Å"The eons have turned them to stone, yet still they burn bright with beauty.† â€Å"I shall treasure them always.† Dany had heard tales of such eggs, but she had never seen one, nor thought to see one. It was a truly magnificent gift, though she knew that Illyrio could afford to be lavish. He had collected a fortune in horses and slaves for his part in selling her to Khal Drogo. The khal’s bloodriders offered her the traditional three weapons, and splendid weapons they were. Haggo gave her a great leather whip with a silver handle, Cohollo a magnificent arakh chased in gold, and Qotho a double-curved dragonbone bow taller than she was. Magister Illyrio and Ser Jorah had taught her the traditional refusals for these offerings. â€Å"This is a gift worthy of a great warrior, O blood of my blood, and I am but a woman. Let my lord husband bear these in my stead.† And so Khal Drogo too received his â€Å"bride gifts.† Other gifts she was given in plenty by other Dothraki: slippers and jewels and silver rings for her hair, medallion belts and painted vests and soft furs, sandsilks and jars of scent, needles and feathers and tiny bottles of purple glass, and a gown made from the skin of a thousand mice. â€Å"A handsome gift, Khaleesi,† Magister Illyrio said of the last, after he had told her what it was. â€Å"Most lucky.† The gifts mounted up around her in great piles, more gifts than she could possibly imagine, more gifts than she could want or use. And last of all, Khal Drogo brought forth his own bride gift to her. An expectant hush rippled out from the center of the camp as he left her side, growing until it had swallowed the whole khalasar. When he returned, the dense press of Dothraki gift-givers parted before him, and he led the horse to her. She was a young filly, spirited and splendid. Dany knew just enough about horses to know that this was no ordinary animal. There was something about her that took the breath away. She was grey as the winter sea, with a mane like silver smoke. Hesitantly she reached out and stroked the horse’s neck, ran her fingers through the silver of her mane. Khal Drogo said something in Dothraki and Magister Illyrio translated. â€Å"Silver for the silver of your hair, the khal says.† â€Å"She’s beautiful,† Dany murmured. â€Å"She is the pride of the khalasar, † Illyrio said. â€Å"Custom decrees that the khaleesi must ride a mount worthy of her place by the side of the khal.† Drogo stepped forward and put his hands on her waist. He lifted her up as easily as if she were a child and set her on the thin Dothraki saddle, so much smaller than the ones she was used to. Dany sat there uncertain for a moment. No one had told her about this part. â€Å"What should I do?† she asked Illyrio. It was Ser Jorah Mormont who answered. â€Å"Take the reins and ride. You need not go far.† Nervously Dany gathered the reins in her hands and slid her feet into the short stirrups. She was only a fair rider; she had spent far more time traveling by ship and wagon and palanquin than by horseback. Praying that she would not fall off and disgrace herself, she gave the filly the lightest and most timid touch with her knees. And for the first time in hours, she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever. The silver-grey filly moved with a smooth and silken gait, and the crowd parted for her, every eye upon them. Dany found herself moving faster than she had intended, yet somehow it was exciting rather than terrifying. The horse broke into a trot, and she smiled. Dothraki scrambled to clear a path. The slightest pressure with her legs, the lightest touch on the reins, and the filly responded. She sent it into a gallop, and now the Dothraki were hooting and laughing and shouting at her as they jumped out of her way. As she turned to ride back, a firepit loomed ahead, directly in her path. They were hemmed in on either side, with no room to stop. A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly her head. The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings. When she pulled up before Magister Illyrio, she said, â€Å"Tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind.† The fat Pentoshi stroked his yellow beard as he repeated her words in Dothraki, and Dany saw her new husband smile for the first time. The last sliver of sun vanished behind the high walls of Pentos to the west just then. Dany had lost all track of time. Khal Drogo commanded his bloodriders to bring forth his own horse, a lean red stallion. As the khal was saddling the horse, Viserys slid close to Dany on her silver, dug his fingers into her leg, and said, â€Å"Please him, sweet sister, or I swear, you will see the dragon wake as it has never woken before.† The fear came back to her then, with her brother’s words. She felt like a child once more, only thirteen and all alone, not ready for what was about to happen to her. They rode out together as the stars came out, leaving the khalasar and the grass palaces behind. Khal Drogo spoke no word to her, but drove his stallion at a hard trot through the gathering dusk. The tiny silver bells in his long braid rang softly as he rode. â€Å"I am the blood of the dragon,† she whispered aloud as she followed, trying to keep her courage up. â€Å"I am the blood of the dragon. I am the blood of the dragon.† The dragon was never afraid. Afterward she could not say how far or how long they had ridden, but it was full dark when they stopped at a grassy place beside a small stream. Drogo swung off his horse and lifted her down from hers. She felt as fragile as glass in his hands, her limbs as weak as water. She stood there helpless and trembling in her wedding silks while he secured the horses, and when he turned to look at her, she began to cry. Khal Drogo stared at her tears, his face strangely empty of expression. â€Å"No,† he said. He lifted his hand and rubbed away the tears roughly with a callused thumb. â€Å"You speak the Common Tongue,† Dany said in wonder. â€Å"No,† he said again. Perhaps he had only that word, she thought, but it was one word more than she had known he had, and somehow it made her feel a little better. Drogo touched her hair lightly, sliding the silver-blond strands between his fingers and murmuring softly in Dothraki. Dany did not understand the words, yet there was warmth in the tone, a tenderness she had never expected from this man. He put his finger under her chin and lifted her head, so she was looking up into his eyes. Drogo towered over her as he towered over everyone. Taking her lightly under the arms, he lifted her and seated her on a rounded rock beside the stream. Then he sat on the ground facing her, legs crossed beneath him, their faces finally at a height. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"Is that the only word you know?† she asked him. Drogo did not reply. His long heavy braid was coiled in the dirt beside him. He pulled it over his right shoulder and began to remove the bells from his hair, one by one. After a moment Dany leaned forward to help. When they were done, Drogo gestured. She understood. Slowly, carefully, she began to undo his braid. It took a long time. All the while he sat there silently, watching her. When she was done, he shook his head, and his hair spread out behind him like a river of darkness, oiled and gleaming. She had never seen hair so long, so black, so thick. Then it was his turn. He began to undress her. His fingers were deft and strangely tender. He removed her silks one by one, carefully, while Dany sat unmoving, silent, looking at his eyes. When he bared her small breasts, she could not help herself. She averted her eyes and covered herself with her hands. â€Å"No,† Drogo said. He pulled her hands away from her breasts, gently but firmly, then lifted her face again to make her look at him. â€Å"No,† he repeated. â€Å"No,† she echoed back at him. He stood her up then and pulled her close to remove the last of her silks. The night air was chilly on her bare skin. She shivered, and gooseflesh covered her arms and legs. She was afraid of what would come next, but for a while nothing happened. Khal Drogo sat with his legs crossed, looking at her, drinking in her body with his eyes. After a while he began to touch her. Lightly at first, then harder. She could sense the fierce strength in his hands, but he never hurt her. He held her hand in his own and brushed her fingers, one by one. He ran a hand gently down her leg. He stroked her face, tracing the curve of her ears, running a finger gently around her mouth. He put both hands in her hair and combed it with his fingers. He turned her around, massaged her shoulders, slid a knuckle down the path of her spine. It seemed as if hours passed before his hands finally went to her breasts. He stroked the soft skin underneath until it tingled. He circled her nipples with his thumbs, pinched them between thumb and forefinger, then began to pull at her, very lightly at first, then more insistently, until her nipples stiffened and began to ache. He stopped then, and drew her down onto his lap. Dany was flushed and breathless, her heart fluttering in her chest. He cupped her face in his huge hands and looked into his eyes. â€Å"No?† he said, and she knew it was a question. She took his hand and moved it down to the wetness between her thighs. â€Å"Yes,† she whispered as she put his finger inside her. A Game of Thrones Chapter Eleven â€Å"My fellow magisters have doubled the size of the city guard,† Illyrio told them over platters of honey duck and orange snap peppers one night at the manse that had been Drogo’s. The khal had joined his khalasar, his estate given over to Daenerys and her brother until the wedding. â€Å"Best we get Princess Daenerys wedded quickly before they hand half the wealth of Pentos away to sellswords and bravos,† Ser Jorah Mormont jested. The exile had offered her brother his sword the night Dany had been sold to Kbal Drogo; Viserys had accepted eagerly. Mormont had been their constant companion ever since. Magister Illyrio laughed lightly through his forked beard, but Viserys did not so much as smile. â€Å"He can have her tomorrow, if he likes,† her brother said. He glanced over at Dany, and she lowered her eyes. â€Å"So long as he pays the price.† Illyrio waved a languid hand in the air, rings glittering on his fat fingers. â€Å"I have told you, all is settled. Trust me. The khal has promised you a crown, and you shall have it.† â€Å"Yes, but when?† â€Å"When the khal chooses,† Illyrio said. â€Å"He will have the girl first, and after they are wed he must make his procession across the plains and present her to the dosh khaleen at Vaes Dothrak. After that, perhaps. If the omens favor war.† Viserys seethed with impatience. â€Å"I piss on Dothraki omens. The Usurper sits on my father’s throne. How long must I wait?† Illyrio gave a massive shrug. â€Å"You have waited most of your life, great king. What is another few months, another few years?† Ser Jorah, who had traveled as far east as Vaes Dothrak, nodded in agreement. â€Å"I counsel you to be patient, Your Grace. The Dothraki are true to their word, but they do things in their own time. A lesser man may beg a favor from the khal, but must never presume to berate him.† Viserys bristled. â€Å"Guard your tongue, Mormont, or I’ll have it out. I am no lesser man, I am the rightful Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. The dragon does not beg.† Ser Jorah lowered his eyes respectfully. Illyrio smiled enigmatically and tore a wing from the duck. Honey and grease ran over his fingers and dripped down into his beard as he nibbled at the tender meat. There are no more dragons, Dany thought, staring at her brother, though she did not dare say it aloud. Yet that night she dreamt of one. Viserys was hitting her, hurting her. She was naked, clumsy with fear. She ran from him, but her body seemed thick and ungainly. He struck her again. She stumbled and fell. â€Å"You woke the dragon,† he screamed as he kicked her. â€Å"You woke the dragon, you woke the dragon.† Her thighs were slick with blood. She closed her eyes and whimpered. As if in answer, there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire. When she looked again, Viserys was gone, great columns of flame rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turned its great head slowly. When its molten eyes found hers, she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She had never been so afraid . . .. . . until the day of her wedding came at last. The ceremony began at dawn and continued until dusk, an endless day of drinking and feasting and fighting. A mighty earthen ramp had been raised amid the grass palaces, and there Dany was seated beside Khal Drogo, above the seething sea of Dothraki. She had never seen so many people in one place, nor people so strange and frightening. The horselords might put on rich fabrics and sweet perfumes when they visited the Free Cities, but out under the open sky they kept the old ways. Men and women alike wore painted leather vests over bare chests and horsehair leggings cinched by bronze medallion belts, and the warriors greased their long braids with fat from the rendering pits. They gorged themselves on horseflesh roasted with honey and peppers, drank themselves blind on fermented mare’s milk and Illyrio’s fine wines, and spat jests at each other across the fires, their voices harsh and alien in Dany’s ears. Viserys was seated just below her, splendid in a new black wool tunic with a scarlet dragon on the chest. Illyrio and Ser Jorah sat beside him. Theirs was a place of high honor, just below the khal’s own bloodriders, but Dany could see the anger in her brother’s lilac eyes. He did not like sitting beneath her, and he fumed when the slaves offered each dish first to the khal and his bride, and served him from the portions they refused. He could do nothing but nurse his resentment, so nurse it he did, his mood growing blacker by the hour at each insult to his person. Dany had never felt so alone as she did seated in the midst of that vast horde. Her brother had told her to smile, and so she smiled until her face ached and the tears came unbidden to her eyes. She did her best to hide them, knowing how angry Viserys would be if he saw her crying, terrified of how Khal Drogo might react. Food was brought to her, steaming joints of meat and thick black sausages and Dothraki blood pies, and later fruits and sweetgrass stews and delicate pastries from the kitchens of Pentos, but she waved it all away. Her stomach was a roil, and she knew she could keep none of it down. There was no one to talk to. Khal Drogo shouted commands and jests down to his bloodriders, and laughed at their replies, but he scarcely glanced at Dany beside him. They had no common language. Dothraki was incomprehensible to her, and the khal knew only a few words of the bastard Valyrian of the Free Cities, and none at all of the Common Tongue of the Seven Kingdoms. She would even have welcomed the conversation of Illyrio and her brother, but they were too far below to hear her. So she sat in her wedding silks, nursing a cup of honeyed wine, afraid to eat, talking silently to herself. I am blood of the dragon, she told herself. I am Daenerys Stormborn, Princess of Dragonstone, of the blood and seed of Aegon the Conqueror. The sun was only a quarter of the way up the sky when she saw her first man die. Drums were beating as some of the women danced for the khal. Drogo watched without expression, but his eyes followed their movements, and from time to time he would toss down a bronze medallion for the women to fight over. The warriors were watching too. One of them finally stepped into the circle, grabbed a dancer by the arm, pushed her down to the ground, and mounted her right there, as a stallion mounts a mare. Illyrio had told her that might happen. â€Å"The Dothraki mate like the animals in their herds. There is no privacy in a khalasar, and they do not understand sin or shame as we do.† Dany looked away from the coupling, frightened when she realized what was happening, but a second warrior stepped forward, and a third, and soon there was no way to avert her eyes. Then two men seized the same woman. She heard a shout, saw a shove, and in the blink of an eye the arakhs were out, long razor-sharp blades, half sword and half scythe. A dance of death began as the warriors circled and slashed, leaping toward each other, whirling the blades around their heads, shrieking insults at each clash. No one made a move to interfere. It ended as quickly as it began. The arakhs shivered together faster than Dany could follow, one man missed a step, the other swung his blade in a flat arc. Steel bit into flesh just above the Dothraki’s waist, and opened him from backbone to belly button, spilling his entrails into the dust. As the loser died, the winner took hold of the nearest woman—not even the one they had been quarreling over—and had her there and then. Slaves carried off the body, and the dancing resumed. Magister Illyrio had warned Dany about this too. â€Å"A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is deemed a dull affair,† he had said. Her wedding must have been especially blessed; before the day was over, a dozen men had died. As the hours passed, the terror grew in Dany, until it was all she could do not to scream. She was afraid of the Dothraki, whose ways seemed alien and monstrous, as if they were beasts in human skins and not true men at all. She was afraid of her brother, of what he might do if she failed him. Most of all, she was afraid of what would happen tonight under the stars, when her brother gave her up to the hulking giant who sat drinking beside her with a face as still and cruel as a bronze mask. I am the blood of the dragon, she told herself again. When at last the sun was low in the sky, Khal Drogo clapped his hands together, and the drums and the shouting and feasting came to a sudden halt. Drogo stood and pulled Dany to her feet beside him. It was time for her bride gifts. And after the gifts, she knew, after the sun had gone down, it would be time for the first ride and the consummation of her marriage. Dany tried to put the thought aside, but it would not leave her. She hugged herself to try to keep from shaking. Her brother Viserys gifted her with three handmaids. Dany knew they had cost him nothing; Illyrio no doubt had provided the girls. Irri and Jhiqui were copper-skinned Dothraki with black hair and almond-shaped eyes, Doreah a fair-haired, blue-eyed Lysene girl. â€Å"These are no common servants, sweet sister,† her brother told her as they were brought forward one by one. â€Å"Illyrio and I selected them personally for you. Irri will teach you riding, Jhiqui the Dothraki tongue, and Doreah will instruct you in the womanly arts of love.† He smiled thinly. â€Å"She’s very good, Illyrio and I can both swear to that.† Ser Jorah Mormont apologized for his gift. â€Å"It is a small thing, my princess, but all a poor exile could afford,† he said as he laid a small stack of old books before her. They were histories and songs of the Seven Kingdoms, she saw, written in the Common Tongue. She thanked him with all her heart. Magister Illyrio murmured a command, and four burly slaves hurried forward, bearing between them a great cedar chest bound in bronze. When she opened it, she found piles of the finest velvets and damasks the Free Cities could produce . . . and resting on top, nestled in the soft cloth, three huge eggs. Dany gasped. They were the most beautiful things she had ever seen, each different than the others, patterned in such rich colors that at first she thought they were crusted with jewels, and so large it took both of her hands to hold one. She lifted it delicately, expecting that it would be made of some fine porcelain or delicate enamel, or even blown glass, but it was much heavier than that, as if it were all of solid stone. The surface of the shell was covered with tiny scales, and as she turned the egg between her fingers, they shimmered like polished metal in the light of the setting sun. One egg was a deep green, with burnished bronze flecks that came and went depending on how Dan y turned it. Another was pale cream streaked with gold. The last was black, as black as a midnight sea, yet alive with scarlet ripples and swirls. â€Å"What are they?† she asked, her voice hushed and full of wonder. â€Å"Dragon’s eggs, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai,† said Magister Illyrio. â€Å"The eons have turned them to stone, yet still they burn bright with beauty.† â€Å"I shall treasure them always.† Dany had heard tales of such eggs, but she had never seen one, nor thought to see one. It was a truly magnificent gift, though she knew that Illyrio could afford to be lavish. He had collected a fortune in horses and slaves for his part in selling her to Khal Drogo. The khal’s bloodriders offered her the traditional three weapons, and splendid weapons they were. Haggo gave her a great leather whip with a silver handle, Cohollo a magnificent arakh chased in gold, and Qotho a double-curved dragonbone bow taller than she was. Magister Illyrio and Ser Jorah had taught her the traditional refusals for these offerings. â€Å"This is a gift worthy of a great warrior, O blood of my blood, and I am but a woman. Let my lord husband bear these in my stead.† And so Khal Drogo too received his â€Å"bride gifts.† Other gifts she was given in plenty by other Dothraki: slippers and jewels and silver rings for her hair, medallion belts and painted vests and soft furs, sandsilks and jars of scent, needles and feathers and tiny bottles of purple glass, and a gown made from the skin of a thousand mice. â€Å"A handsome gift, Khaleesi,† Magister Illyrio said of the last, after he had told her what it was. â€Å"Most lucky.† The gifts mounted up around her in great piles, more gifts than she could possibly imagine, more gifts than she could want or use. And last of all, Khal Drogo brought forth his own bride gift to her. An expectant hush rippled out from the center of the camp as he left her side, growing until it had swallowed the whole khalasar. When he returned, the dense press of Dothraki gift-givers parted before him, and he led the horse to her. She was a young filly, spirited and splendid. Dany knew just enough about horses to know that this was no ordinary animal. There was something about her that took the breath away. She was grey as the winter sea, with a mane like silver smoke. Hesitantly she reached out and stroked the horse’s neck, ran her fingers through the silver of her mane. Khal Drogo said something in Dothraki and Magister Illyrio translated. â€Å"Silver for the silver of your hair, the khal says.† â€Å"She’s beautiful,† Dany murmured. â€Å"She is the pride of the khalasar, † Illyrio said. â€Å"Custom decrees that the khaleesi must ride a mount worthy of her place by the side of the khal.† Drogo stepped forward and put his hands on her waist. He lifted her up as easily as if she were a child and set her on the thin Dothraki saddle, so much smaller than the ones she was used to. Dany sat there uncertain for a moment. No one had told her about this part. â€Å"What should I do?† she asked Illyrio. It was Ser Jorah Mormont who answered. â€Å"Take the reins and ride. You need not go far.† Nervously Dany gathered the reins in her hands and slid her feet into the short stirrups. She was only a fair rider; she had spent far more time traveling by ship and wagon and palanquin than by horseback. Praying that she would not fall off and disgrace herself, she gave the filly the lightest and most timid touch with her knees. And for the first time in hours, she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever. The silver-grey filly moved with a smooth and silken gait, and the crowd parted for her, every eye upon them. Dany found herself moving faster than she had intended, yet somehow it was exciting rather than terrifying. The horse broke into a trot, and she smiled. Dothraki scrambled to clear a path. The slightest pressure with her legs, the lightest touch on the reins, and the filly responded. She sent it into a gallop, and now the Dothraki were hooting and laughing and shouting at her as they jumped out of her way. As she turned to ride back, a firepit loomed ahead, directly in her path. They were hemmed in on either side, with no room to stop. A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly her head. The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings. When she pulled up before Magister Illyrio, she said, â€Å"Tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind.† The fat Pentoshi stroked his yellow beard as he repeated her words in Dothraki, and Dany saw her new husband smile for the first time. The last sliver of sun vanished behind the high walls of Pentos to the west just then. Dany had lost all track of time. Khal Drogo commanded his bloodriders to bring forth his own horse, a lean red stallion. As the khal was saddling the horse, Viserys slid close to Dany on her silver, dug his fingers into her leg, and said, â€Å"Please him, sweet sister, or I swear, you will see the dragon wake as it has never woken before.† The fear came back to her then, with her brother’s words. She felt like a child once more, only thirteen and all alone, not ready for what was about to happen to her. They rode out together as the stars came out, leaving the khalasar and the grass palaces behind. Khal Drogo spoke no word to her, but drove his stallion at a hard trot through the gathering dusk. The tiny silver bells in his long braid rang softly as he rode. â€Å"I am the blood of the dragon,† she whispered aloud as she followed, trying to keep her courage up. â€Å"I am the blood of the dragon. I am the blood of the dragon.† The dragon was never afraid. Afterward she could not say how far or how long they had ridden, but it was full dark when they stopped at a grassy place beside a small stream. Drogo swung off his horse and lifted her down from hers. She felt as fragile as glass in his hands, her limbs as weak as water. She stood there helpless and trembling in her wedding silks while he secured the horses, and when he turned to look at her, she began to cry. Khal Drogo stared at her tears, his face strangely empty of expression. â€Å"No,† he said. He lifted his hand and rubbed away the tears roughly with a callused thumb. â€Å"You speak the Common Tongue,† Dany said in wonder. â€Å"No,† he said again. Perhaps he had only that word, she thought, but it was one word more than she had known he had, and somehow it made her feel a little better. Drogo touched her hair lightly, sliding the silver-blond strands between his fingers and murmuring softly in Dothraki. Dany did not understand the words, yet there was warmth in the tone, a tenderness she had never expected from this man. He put his finger under her chin and lifted her head, so she was looking up into his eyes. Drogo towered over her as he towered over everyone. Taking her lightly under the arms, he lifted her and seated her on a rounded rock beside the stream. Then he sat on the ground facing her, legs crossed beneath him, their faces finally at a height. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"Is that the only word you know?† she asked him. Drogo did not reply. His long heavy braid was coiled in the dirt beside him. He pulled it over his right shoulder and began to remove the bells from his hair, one by one. After a moment Dany leaned forward to help. When they were done, Drogo gestured. She understood. Slowly, carefully, she began to undo his braid. It took a long time. All the while he sat there silently, watching her. When she was done, he shook his head, and his hair spread out behind him like a river of darkness, oiled and gleaming. She had never seen hair so long, so black, so thick. Then it was his turn. He began to undress her. His fingers were deft and strangely tender. He removed her silks one by one, carefully, while Dany sat unmoving, silent, looking at his eyes. When he bared her small breasts, she could not help herself. She averted her eyes and covered herself with her hands. â€Å"No,† Drogo said. He pulled her hands away from her breasts, gently but firmly, then lifted her face again to make her look at him. â€Å"No,† he repeated. â€Å"No,† she echoed back at him. He stood her up then and pulled her close to remove the last of her silks. The night air was chilly on her bare skin. She shivered, and gooseflesh covered her arms and legs. She was afraid of what would come next, but for a while nothing happened. Khal Drogo sat with his legs crossed, looking at her, drinking in her body with his eyes. After a while he began to touch her. Lightly at first, then harder. She could sense the fierce strength in his hands, but he never hurt her. He held her hand in his own and brushed her fingers, one by one. He ran a hand gently down her leg. He stroked her face, tracing the curve of her ears, running a finger gently around her mouth. He put both hands in her hair and combed it with his fingers. He turned her around, massaged her shoulders, slid a knuckle down the path of her spine. It seemed as if hours passed before his hands finally went to her breasts. He stroked the soft skin underneath until it tingled. He circled her nipples with his thumbs, pinched them between thumb and forefinger, then began to pull at her, very lightly at first, then more insistently, until her nipples stiffened and began to ache. He stopped then, and drew her down onto his lap. Dany was flushed and breathless, her heart fluttering in her chest. He cupped her face in his huge hands and looked into his eyes. â€Å"No?† he said, and she knew it was a question. She took his hand and moved it down to the wetness between her thighs. â€Å"Yes,† she whispered as she put his finger inside her.

Ownership Structure and Financial Performance Essay

Ownership Structure and Financial Performance - Essay Example The paper talks about the measurement of the ownership structures with respect to financial performances and finally generates an understanding of US and UK based companies by distinguishing them on the basis of ownership identities and level of concentration. The development in corporate governance practices and regulations pertaining to disclosures of ownership are also discussed. Various measures of financial performance are highlighted and discussed in relation with the research topic. It has been concluded that ownership structure has an impact on financial performances, but with varying interests as there are other internal and external factors that may play a vital role in reducing or increasing productivity. It has been identified in this report that the relationship between ownership structure and financial performance of firms is not observed to have a similar trend in different countries. Corporate governance comprises of control mechanisms through which corporations are governed and directed to perform their duties effectively. The ownership structure needs to be directed by corporate governance because lack of transparency of ownership structure may have an adverse impact on financial performances. In other words, it can be said that ownership structure shows the types and compositions of different shareholders that have an influence on company’s key decisions areas so they need to be administered by corporate governance in order to carry out their processes in ethical and transparent manner. The purpose of this paper is to generate an understanding of the relationship of ownership structure and company’s performance. In this regard, investigation of UK and United companies is carried out in this paper.

Sea Level Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sea Level - Assignment Example Humans, animal life and natural resources face the direct effects of sea level change, global warming and climate change at large. The California Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for the development, implementation and enforcement of the states environmental protection laws (Ferrey 143). Cal/EPA aims to minimize air, water and land pollution. Therefore, the concerns addressed by the Cal/EPA are tailored towards the realization of human, animal and natural resource welfare, amid environmental hardships in the contemporary times. In this regard, sea level change and its impacts on human population, animal life and natural resources falls in the Cal/EPA docket. While the impacts of sea level change are both positive and negative, the need to address the causes of sea level change cannot be ignored. This is due to the fact that this scenario is being experienced as a result of climate change, characterized by persistent climate change. The threats posed by sea level change at all aspects of the state are significant to account for. In fact, this is not only a local, regional and national matter, but also an international undertaking. The Cal/EPA, through you and all its personnel is at a better position to quicken environmental advocacy in relation to sea level change. This is because, while outcome of sea level change may be devastating, this phenomenon continues to receive less than adequate attention across social, economic and political

Do Computers and Other Information Communication Technologies Increase Essay

Do Computers and Other Information Communication Technologies Increase or Decrease Social Connection - Essay Example Their mobile phones may have a way of binding the Japanese together, but the same gadgets serve only a divisive purpose outside of their area of the world. Let us not forget that alongside the innovative Smart TV sets that are being marketed these days, the Smart House is also being developed in some corners of the world. Bill Gates, one of the most prolific technological inventors of the modern era, already claims to be living in a Smart House. Yet somehow that does not seem like a hopeful thought for most people. The more gadgets we create in the pursuit of excellence in entertainment, socializing, and the like, the more it seems like we are developing ways and means to eliminate social contact with other people while in the past, we thrived as society in terms of social interaction. This is evidenced by the proliferation of coffee machines these days. These machines have taken over the functions of your favorite coffee barista of yesteryear: Does your cappuccino-maker always make perfect cappuccinos? How much time does it take? Does your neighborhood cafe make perfect cappucinos? If you had the time where would you prefer to have your cappucino? Is your neighborhood cafe run by a computer? Would it be better if it was? Where did you meet your wife (husband, lover)? (Gold) Most people these days are so on the go that even the formerly trendy social interaction of going to the nearest Starbucks for that cup o' Joe in the morning has almost been totally banished to oblivion. These days, the barista machines exist to make cheaper and faster coffee for everyone. Just pop in a coffee table and hit the button, presto, coffee perfect-o! You are ready to jump into your car and start your day. You just skipped the need to interact... This essay stresses that alongside the innovative Smart TV sets that are being marketed these days, the Smart House is also being developed in some corners of the world. Bill Gates, one of the most prolific technological inventors of the modern era, already claims to be living in a Smart House. Yet somehow that does not seem like a hopeful thought for most people. The more gadgets we create in the pursuit of excellence in entertainment, socializing, and the like, the more it seems like we are developing ways and means to eliminate social contact with other people while in the past, we thrived as society in terms of social interaction. This is evidenced by the proliferation of coffee machines these days. This paper makes a conclusion that most people these days are so on the go that even the formerly trendy social interaction of going to the nearest Starbucks for that cup o' Joe in the morning has almost been totally banished to oblivion. These days, the barista machines exist to make cheaper and faster coffee for everyone. Just pop in a coffee table and hit the button, presto, coffee perfect-o! You are ready to jump into your car and start your day. You just skipped the need to interact with real people – first thing in the morning which normally would provide you with a much needed natural energy boost as you talk to your friends or co-workers who happen to be in the same line at the coffee shop. That is definitely another technological innovation that successfully helped isolate us from the others in our social circle.

CSR initiative and its correct perspective Essay

CSR initiative and its correct perspective - Essay Example He has the reputation of being a tough official to deal with and the one who gives quick decisions, if convinced about the merit of the proposal. My project related to the grant of $100000 to a NGO that managed a half-way-home for women inmates released from prisons. The NGO supported them for one year from the date of release or till such time they were assimilated in the society, by assisting them to get proper employment, whichever was earlier. â€Å"I have just one question,† the HRD Manager asked in a firm tone, â€Å"Why should we help the criminals? They were put behind the bars after the due process of law, for having committed crimes. They do not deserve sympathy.† I had anticipated the question. I said, â€Å"Sir, no one is a born criminal. By helping a woman to lead a normal life, we not only help one individual, but save a generation. Dire circumstances make one a criminal and many crimes are committed on the spur of the moment. Crime-free world is in the i nterest of the business establishments.† My project caught his imagination and he sanctioned the grant saying, â€Å"Alright boy, you’re up.† 2. What you do is important in business, but how you do what you do is more important: The showroom of this distributor and the premises where he kept stocks stood devastated.

Evolution of Art forms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evolution of Art forms - Essay Example Baroques artistic style was most influential art form which spreads its features entire Europe. The artifacts used to depict simple, robust and well format meaning in each art form. Baroques were initially used to proliferate much of the religious and spiritual conscience in Europe. The art forms exhibited artistic grandeur of high society to the external world. The roman empire which has been decentralized with the efforts from people like Martin Luther king have demanded for more precise religious expansion from Roman church elite. Roman Catholic Church society has evolved steps to move the catholic religious into the people by depicting the features of important aspects in art form. Bernini was one of most acclaimed artist of this era who carved a "cornaro chapel" with Saint Theresa as a focal attraction. As time passed the religious importance was condemned in future eras mostly in neoclassic era. Neoclassicism is a period where the art form depicted the historical events with more clarity and distinctiveness .The art forms were extended to contemporary issues. The art forms were derived from rich historical basics which were well accepted and molded in new artistic form. The neoclassic art were implicated from famous artifacts. The neoclassic artists tried to carry the glory of the baroques and rococo in their works.

Business organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business organisation - Essay Example 2007)†. Scientific management principals and tools were developed by emphasizing on extensive research and studies to provide a management solution to the managers who are considered as major stakeholders in the wellbeing of an organization. Fredrick W. Taylor is considered the pioneer in developing scientific management theories. He worked on the application of scientific methods to the labour management to improve their productivity. â€Å"He spent more than two decades passionately pursuing the ‘one best way’ for each job to be done (Robbins & Coulter, 2002)†. Scientific management call for the need of application of maximization of worker’s productivity by the application of appropriate and efficient work methodologies in the light of science, especially ergonomics. The industries at that time were production oriented and mass production, Fordism, and they required practices and procedure that were scientifically designed to optimize their work activities. Fredrick Taylor, who is called the father of scientific management, was a self-made man with his professional career spent in working within a labour intensive environment. Prior to scientific management, â€Å"Taylor worked as an apprentice to a pattern-maker, and as a machinist. He later joined the Midvale steel company as a labor rising in eight years to chief engineer (Hartman S.W. 2007)†. He worked in that environment observing efficiencies in work practices and thus created a desire to work upon the improvement of working methods. Taylor worked for years to develop optimal work methods and developed four principles, called principles of scientific management. Later Gantt and Gilbreth made some alterations in his theory but the basic theme remained the same. In addition, the idea was to break the tasks into simple and small parts and each part to be assigned to a particular person who has the capability and

Evolution of Art forms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evolution of Art forms - Essay Example Baroques artistic style was most influential art form which spreads its features entire Europe. The artifacts used to depict simple, robust and well format meaning in each art form. Baroques were initially used to proliferate much of the religious and spiritual conscience in Europe. The art forms exhibited artistic grandeur of high society to the external world. The roman empire which has been decentralized with the efforts from people like Martin Luther king have demanded for more precise religious expansion from Roman church elite. Roman Catholic Church society has evolved steps to move the catholic religious into the people by depicting the features of important aspects in art form. Bernini was one of most acclaimed artist of this era who carved a "cornaro chapel" with Saint Theresa as a focal attraction. As time passed the religious importance was condemned in future eras mostly in neoclassic era. Neoclassicism is a period where the art form depicted the historical events with more clarity and distinctiveness .The art forms were extended to contemporary issues. The art forms were derived from rich historical basics which were well accepted and molded in new artistic form. The neoclassic art were implicated from famous artifacts. The neoclassic artists tried to carry the glory of the baroques and rococo in their works.

Carter Unsuccessful Re-Election 1980s Essay Example for Free

Carter Unsuccessful Re-Election 1980s Essay Why was Carter unsuccessful in his attempt to secure re-election in 1980? Jimmy Carter was the first elected President in half a century who failed to win a second term. His election in 1976 was set during the period of time when people had lost their faith in the presidency. After Nixon’s humiliation considering Watergate scandal and Ford’s simplistic and unenthusiastic govern, people were looking for someone outside Washington’s corruption. Carter seemed a perfect decision , governor of a small state, he appealed to people as the best solution. Nevertheless, as they got what they wanted it turned out to be wrong. They got a person from the outside that had no idea how Washington worked. People believed he was error prone and inexperienced. Carter soon became a joke and was criticized by the society that was not willing to give their votes for his re-election. Carter made several crucial mistakes during his power. From the beginning of his presidency he was accused of micro-management. This was one of his strategic errors, he tried to do too much too quickly and paid attention to small details forgetting the big picture and failing to grasp the complexity of the plans that he proposed. It is said that he managed the rota for the White House personally. An NSC member said: â€Å"If Carter saw a problem he wanted to solve it, and there was all there was to it – no prioritizations†. His short sight pushed the voters away. People were not eager to vote for someone who would get absorbed in small things, rather than looking at serious problems like inflation, which Carter had inherited. His other mistake was rejecting all the help, including Congress’s. Carter had originally run on an anti- Washington platform, of course that was the reason he got elected; nevertheless it is hard to run a country when you have tension between the President and Congress. Therefore Carter never developed a solid base of supporters on Capitol Hill. Speaker Tip O’Neil was willing to help, however Carter who said that he had been a governor and knew how to deal with legislation rejected his proposal. Carter’s poor communication with Congress got him nowhere. Carter failed to get cooperation from Congress to pass certain legislations, such as his energy program. Americans understood that a stubborn President wouldn’t bring any good to the country; Carter’s personal loyalties made voters doubt his wisdom and retrieve their votes for someone better. His other failure overshadowed everything that he has done as a president. The â€Å"Billygate† scandal had harmed Carters reputation and even lowered his chances of being re-elected. He won his first election in 1976 because people thought he was unaffected by Washington’s corruption, however this scandal highlighted Carters use of presidential power in his own benefit. Carter’s older brother Billy was a redneck; who, in July 1980, registered as a foreign agent and received a $220,000 loan from the Libyan government. It raised a political storm and later on through the investigation it was revealed that Carter used Billy’s Libyan contacts to free the Iranian hostages. President Carter was accused of nepotism however public decided that he was incompetent rather than corrupt but this scandal cost Carter his popularity rating and votes. Nonetheless, some of the negative events that occurred during Carters presidency were not his fault yet he got the blame. A first example would be the energy crises, which was beyond Carters control. Increase of car use, one harsh winter and poor relationship with Middle East were the reason for it, but still Carter was accused. Carter attempted to propose energy legislation, however Congress changed it beyond recognition. The only conclusion was to raise the price for the fuel but people were unwilling to go that far. Voters were unimpressed by the President’s handling of this situation, which soon got even worse and caused even more dissatisfaction from people. The second example is the economy, which was the problem throughout Carter’s presidency yet was a mere question of luck. He inherited inflation, unemployment and rising aging population. 63 per cent of the Americans believed that inflation was their greatest concern yet Carter was not managing it; only 32 per cent approved of his actions. The unemployment was rising to 8.2 million and businesses feared that Carter’s energy proposal would damage the industry. Carter did not know how to handle these types of situation; being all his life a governor of small Georgia he now faced a major crisis. Carter was at the top and therefore blamed, he was simply unlucky. Yet this blame and dissatisfaction cost him votes. Carter also displeased the voters with the way he handled foreign policy. As a President, Carter decided that it was morally right to give Panama Canal over to Panama. He did it with little resistance, which displeased voters and Congress. His other mistake was accepting 125,000 Cuban refugees who were dissatisfied with Communist regime, although March 1980 Refugee Act said that no more than 19,000 were allowed to enter. It was morally right to let the people in and perhaps he would have been accused if he closed the doors for them, yet politics sometimes tend to forget about moral rules in times of crisis. With inflation and unemployment, new citizens were only burdens and caused further disagreement with Carter’s way of running the country. His final concern that had taken all Carter’s attention until his last day as a President was the 60 American hostages in Iran. Many Americans felt powerless and 50 per cent of them thought Carter was too soft with Iran. Carter had a choice; either to take hostages back with violence or with negotiation. He chose a more diplomatic way not wanting to risk lives, however back than people disapproved of this act. When finally Carter agreed on the rescue mission, helicopters that were sent into Iran failed. Eight Americans died, one helicopter was lost in sand storm another failed and set the others on fire. Technical and weather problems were not Carter’s fault yet his failed rescue mission caused Carter’s defeat and helped Republican to use the hostage crisis for votes. The final reason for Carters defeat was his opposition. Ronald Reagan was underestimated by Carter, yet adored by the people. The way he presented himself was the way a true President had to be. His lighthearted jokes and charisma made him come across warmer to voters than Carter. Reagan’s rhetorical question â€Å"is America better off than it was four years ago?† was highly effective and the polls showed that he won the debate. Back in 1980, people believed that Carter was one of the worst presidents they had, yet as the years past people began to justify his acts. He was not great but he did what he could, he was just unlucky. His failures were because Washington was unknown to him and he did things how he usually used to do the back in his state. His big mistake was â€Å"Billygate† and economical crisis, which was not under his control. Reagan compared to Carter presented a true picture of successful presidency. Unfortunately Carter was not what people wanted and some of his failed actions cost him his re-election.