HU300 unit 8 Journal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HU300 unit 8 Journal - Research Paper Example Let’s take an example of Chinese and Japanese films. These countries portray in their films a lot about their festivals and ceremonies. This tells us how festive these countries are. Chinese films also show the heroic struggle of the Chinese soldiers who reached their destination in the 1930s after the long march. An example of this is the Chinese movie named â€Å"The Long March†. The way Chinese films are made tells us that China has a strong film industry with talented actors. Russian films, like â€Å"Faust† by Alexander Sokurov, talk more about battles and wars, and portray the Russian history. Arabian films have their own special portrayal of beauty and culture. Moreover, if we talk about German films, most of them portray the humorous nature of the Germans which they are famous for. German comedy movies, like â€Å"Miss Congeniality 2 - Armed and Fabulous† and â€Å"The Edukators†, show the sense of humor Germans possess. Hence, keeping in mi nd that films portray cultures, they should not only be a source of entertainment but should also contain moral

Role Model Essay Example for Free

Role Model Essay Dr King is my role model because he fought to change my history. Dr King didn’t only want to see a change happen for his self and others but also for his family. He had a wife Coretta and four children; these were the people who he wanted to see change happen for the most. After King’s death is family wanted to keep his legacy alive because they knew he stood for a good cause. According to the article A king family tribute â€Å"Family and friends remember Dr. King as a role model and dedicate themselves to his mission. Watkins, Dr. Kings niece, has assembled their writings and excerpts from their speeches. All pay tribute to his spirit, abiding faith and dedication to the cause of civil rights, and they affirm their own commitment to following the path he walked, as his nephew, Derek B. King, states. Kings fathers remarks are excerpted from his autobiography. Dr King is my personal role model because is stood for what he believed in. Dr king helped shape my worldview because through his hard work he’s shown me that nothing worth fighting for comes easy. I think a lot of people look over the fact that Dr King wasn’t just trying to change the race problem it stood of many different social issues. In the article Martin Luther King Jr conception of freedom and radical democracy the author states that â€Å"king came to believe that the civil rights struggle needed to expand beyond just racial desegregation in this country, He began to raise his voice against racism militarism, and economic exploitation around the world†. This is another reason why I look up to him because he didn’t only focus on one hing that needed to be changed so saw the importance of these issues and wanted to change them. Dr. king had a career as a pastor which is why I feel he never gave up believing in what he thought was right. The article Martin Luther King cover story gives background on his life â€Å"King was a preacher who spoke in biblical cadences ideally suited to leading a stride toward freedom that found its inspiration in the Old Testament story of the Israelites and the New Testament gospel of Jesus Christ. Being a minister not only put King in touch with the spirit of the black masses but also gave him a base within the black church, then and now the strongest and most independent of black institutions†. Like Dr King I believe that everyone should have the right to freedom and equal rights ; However, I don’t know if I could have endured the things that Dr king had to. Once Dr King was thrown in jail because of his protest, I think if I knew I could go to jail because I was protesting I wouldn’t protest. On the other Dr King who have pathed the way for me to be able to use my freedom of speech. I would want to be brave and stand for what I believe in for myself and my family just as King did. Reference MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. A King Family Tribute. (2012). Kirkus Reviews, 80(24), 222. Orosco, J. M. (2001). Martin Luther King, Jr. ’s Conception of Freedom and Radical Democracy. Journal Of Social Philosophy, 32(4), 386-401. White, J. E. (1998). Martin Luther King. (Cover story). Time, 151(14), 160.

Teamwork And Leadership Skills Management Essay

Teamwork And Leadership Skills Management Essay An organization is a formal group of people with one or more shared goals. Organisation has people working for them with the sole motive of making profits for the company. It is rightly said by Lewis B. Ergen, The ratio of Wes to Is is the best indicator of the development of a team. According to Henry Ford Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. The concept of two or more people working collectively is called a team. It is also define by the Websters dictionary that teamwork is a combined action by a group of people who keep their personal interest and opinions aside for the unity and integrity of the group. Though this is a definition but it does not imply that the individual people in the organisation are not important unless they are in a group. Meaning or definition of teamwork, in general terms means that efficient and effective team efforts are always ahead of the individuals reach. The best result of teamwork is produced when all individual in the group are focused towards one common objective or goal. In order to inspire the employees to a greater level, companies need a Leader. I believe in the saying that Leaders are made not born. Anyone who has the willpower and the desire can be a potential leader. Leaders can be developed by proper education, experience over the years and the right training. Over the period of time, the leaders also have to keep them up-to-date by the process of continuous learning. Thus, leadership is a process which is used to motivate other people in order to achieve the desired goals and objectives of the company. A perfect example of a leader is Mahatma Gandhi, who fought the non-violence fight for the freedom of his nation, India, having the entire nation as his follower. ROLE OF TEAMWORK Over the years, teamwork has become an extremely important term for any company. It has been laid down in the culture at workplace and hence making it a major and crucial part of the selection process for many companies. All companies understand the importance and the wonders what team can do. Organisations believer that nothing is impossible if all great minds, work together. There is a very famous saying that there is no I in the word Team. Having teams can result in faster and efficient outputs with better decision making skills. The various advantages of teamwork for all organisations are: It improves profitability as well as productivity as all the employees are highly motivated and skilled. There is a major reduction in wastage which in turn reduces the cost. A team leader constantly keeps a regular check on the quality of the products. The level of motivation within employees is also increased due to development of the personnel by exchange of great thoughts and idea within teams. Recognition of individual members within teams also motivates member to put more efforts. It also leads to low turnover rate of absenteeism is also reduced as employees develop a sense of belonging towards the company. All complex issues or decision are handled in a better manner and at a faster rate. Therefore, the all critical issues of the company are dealt with greater variety of knowledge experience and skill. ROLE OF LEADERSHIP A leader needs to perform the following to remain on his position. Encourages the heart   A leader should enjoy all the moment of glory with the followers whereas try to restrict the sad news away from them. Enable others to act   It is extremely important for a leader to provide other with all possible tools and ideas at the leaders disposal to the members which could help in quicker decision making. Model the way   the basic difference between a manager and a leader is that a manager will tell others what to do and how to do it , whereas a leader will actually perform the task himself and then ask others to follow by doing the same. Challenge the process   A leader also brings about change in the organisation. Since the managers role is to guide what he has bee told by the top management but leader, initiates new developments and seeks things for improvement. Inspire a shared vision   A good leader should never hide anything from his followers. The leaders should share all his ideas and plans with the followers. Leadership theory models can explain more Bass Theory of Leadership In order to understand, how normal people can become Leaders, we can analyse Bass theory of leadership which says there are three major theories which can explain this phenomena: People are born with difference in traits or personalities that may naturally take the individual to perform leadership role. This theory is known as the trait theory. In case of a crisis or a deadly situation, the person who stands up on that moment which brings out the astonishing qualities in a normal man is called the Great Events theory. Some people can choose to become leaders and learn the required leadership skills. This theory is called the transformational or process theory of leadership. It is widely used theory these days, universities and colleges are having special courses and lecture to guide students who plan to become great leaders of the future. CHARECTORSTICKS OF A TEAM IN A WORKPLACE Leadership- it is important for all teams to have a leader who could provide them with right direction and guide them. The leader of the team should not consider himself above the team members, A team leaders is the one who work as a part of team, keeping all members joined together. Clear goal- all members of the team should have a clear idea of what has to be done. The objectives should be SMART, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound. Results-driven structure- the teams should be given some freedom from the management in order to try different ways in which they feel that the output can improve. The team leader should have enough authority to change things around a little. All competent team members- it is vitially important for any team to have good team members. One bad fish can dirty the entire pond, similarly, if one member is not contributing as expected of him, the work is divided among other member of the team. Unified commitment- the member should only have one common goal and not few separate individual goals as difference in motives might lead to conflicts within teams. Collaborative climate- A team must posses a climate that has clouds full of trust, respect and honesty among the team members for each other as well as the team leader. High standards- it is very important for the leader to set a high standard for the members as they should know what is expected from them. Just by having bold meeting and saying big words wont make any difference, the leader has to perform his duty and demonstrate how are things needed to be done. External support and encouragement- A team comprises of many individuals, all oh who are thirsty for appreciation and encouragement from their managers and leaders for the efforts. Motivation also plays a key role in better output of a team. CHARACTERISTIC OR FACTORS OF LEADERSHIP Leader- A team leader should be honest, intelligent, and understanding person, who should know his capabilities and capacity. The level of success of the leader is determined by the followers and not the leader himself therefore, in order to be a good and successful leader, the person should be able to convince his followers about the things he can achiever by their support and hard work. Followers- different companies require different kinds of leaders and their abilities. A company like Anita Rodricks Body Shop requires a leader to be human oriented, who could lead the team by motivating them at every step and consider the followers as a part of the business, whereas in companies like MacDonalds, a followers are normal part time staff members, who learn the job in a day and thus need a leader with close supervision. Communication- two-way communication is the key for any successful teamwork in any company. Communication forms a very basis of any team, mostly the non-verbal form. It is very important that the leader communicates his vision across to all the members and the members in return communicate their responses to the change and how can they contribute towards it. Situation- it is extremely important for a leader to be able to adapt him-self according to the changing situations on a daily basis. For instance a people-oriented leader, who usually tends to soft towards employees, has to take a firm decision of telling some one they cant go on leave due to high work pressures, and deadlines. The situation normally has more impact on the leaders act rather than his traits due to the fact that, leaders can stabilise their inner traits over a period of time but difference in situations is the real test for any leader. Due to this reason many authors have claimed the situational theory more effective than the process or the trait theory. BELBINS TEAM ROLES If a team wishes to have 100% success, the members should have one of the following eight roles formulated by Dr, Meredith Belbin, called as the Belbin team roles. These roles are: The MONITOR-EVALUATOR, one who contributes a specific study by the help of objectivity and stops. The PLANT is a member who has original ideas, solutions, suggestions and plans. TEAM WORKER performs even if other members fail to contribute their respective part of the work and works even under immense work pressures. The IMPLEMENTOR is the person who, implements the taken decision into meaningful information and implements the decision into manageable tasks. The RESOURCE INVESTIGATOR is a member who thinks out of the box and gathers information from all possible sources and starts the discussion e.g. sales people of the team. The CO-ORDINATOR is the one who combine all the other members together and reminds the member of their task and set objectives on a daily basis in order to lay down the daily agenda. The SHAPER provides direction and shape to the team and their efforts, but does not really interfere in the discussion. The FINISHER is the one who keeps reminding all the member of the deadline and the urgency being a bit hard. Thus, as discussed above, that different situations require different team members contribution. For instance- all new teams would require a good shaper, competitive situations would require an innovator, who could provide innovative ideas to have a differentiated product or service. CRITICAL REVIEW The main reason that affect any team is its- Purpose and mission The most important and the basic requirement for any team for be successful is to have clear purpose and mission of the company which explains the team, what they have to do and then they make their own short and long term goals in order to decide how to achieve them. We can illustrate motivation by a simple hypothetical situation. In a construction company project, there are group of electricians hired to perform all the work related to making cable terminals. The company assumed they would work together, after two months, all the electricians were about to leave the job on asking the reason, they explained that they were having issues with maintaining their focus as they could not maintain their interest in their jobs because some of them were conduit specialist, some being good at cable trays while other who did not directly work with cable terminals. Thus the company got the problem and realised that is the purpose of any job is different between members they will tend to have conflicts and result in lack of motivation as well. Along with clear purpose and mission, motivation has also be described as a key element of the driving factors behind a successful team. If the teams are not fully motivated by their leaders, how ever the big company is, whatever the money involved is, without inner drive or the urge to attain something is missing, nothing could be achieved. It it is the prime duty of the team leader to keep his team highly motivated and make them ready to crack and hard rock that comes on their way to success. PRATICAL EXAMPLE Leadership I work in Mark Spencer for the past two years in London; we have a busy retail outlet. Recently, during the Christmas period, our Sales Team leader/ supervisor in the store had to take a leave for 2 weeks. Being the most experienced member after him, I had to take the responsibility on my shoulders and ensure that the targets of the team werent hampered due to his absence. At the beginning it all seemed out of place, i)various tasks needed to be completed for Christmas ii) I was the youngest member of the team yet the leader of the lot. This is where my degree in Business management came to be applied, through application theories and techniques learnt at University, I was able to become the leader of the team, having an approach of management of commitment and not management of control, along with other management skills like planning, implementation, delegation, control I was able to run the store smoothly for those 2 weeks. Teamwork: Working in MS, we mostly have a team of 15 employees working in a shift, along with 2 supervisors and 2 line managers. We are always busy during special days like Valentines and Christmas day, during Christmas time, our store was really busy and we were also short of staff being the festival season. There was a team of 7 employees and 3 being new Christmas staff. I was the most experienced staff at that point of time and all my supervisors assigned me work, so I had to co-ordinate that work among my team members and I had to act as a team leader. I asked them to divide the task in different sections and try to finish it as soon as possible and then let me know when they were done and by this we reached are daily targets and the managers appreciated my work and contribution towards sales. CONCLUSION Thus, teamwork is an essential feature for all modern companies. They believe if all their employees are equipped with good teamwork skills, it can also lead to their competitive edge and hence teamwork has been laid down in the recruitment and selection process of the workforce in order to get the right man, for the right job at the right place and at the right time. Teamwork, without a leader is like boat in the middle of the sea but have no idea where to float. The leader along with providing direction also binds the team together and aligns all the members towards the companys goal. A good leader and a strong team is all a company needs in order to capture any market in the modern world. Thought not always all members get along well, the problems with teams are, many a times not all members contribute equally and like to pas the buck onto other shoulders, thinking that they would not be caught by anyone. But due this reason there are taken out of the team and new member is introduced. It is the duty of the leader to make sure all members in the team are happy with each other and performing to a level that will take them towards success.

The Europeans Acceptance of Imperialism Essay -- Age of Imperialism

If we look at the world we live in today, we notice that it has changed dramatically over the years since the 1800’s. Many historical events from the past have changed the way we live today. It has turned our knowledge and our lifestyle into something so ordinary, that we are not even aware of it. For instance, our education system, since we were kids we were always taught to read the map a certain way so that when we grew up and started to draw and label the map of the world, we always put Europe in the center. Our teachings have taught us to view the world through such a Eurocentric perspective. Furthermore, it is important to understand that our ways of practicing various fundamentals of life regard the historical background we come from. In the past the European powers had an impact on majority of the world. These European powers adopted a policy of Imperialism. Imperialism is an act that takes place when one with greater dominance takes over another nation in order to co ntrol its economical, political cultural, industrial and social life. By adopting the policy of Imperialism, most of Europe held dominance over the majority of the world and for that reason the map is drawn that way, in order to show how superior Europe is than other nations, or so it is perceived to be. While talking about most of the European countries being the dominant nation, it is vital to understand that their superiority was achieved by their acceptance of the policy of Imperialism, and the factors that contributed in this were economic, political and religious causes. The European countries believed that by imperializing land it will give them more power and prestige than other countries. A belief that more nations they ruled over, the more powerf... ...2014. . "What are 5 main causes of imperialism?." - Yahoo Answers India. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. . "What is Imperialism." Party for Socialism and Liberation. Convio, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. . "Regents Prep Global History Imperialism: Introduction." [Regents Prep Global History] Imperialism: Introduction. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. . Books Cited Howarth, Tony, and Josh Brooman.Twentieth century history: the world since 1900. 2nd ed. London: Longman, 1987. Print. Lucas, Robert E.. Lectures on economic growth. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2002. Print.

Emancipation Proclamation in 1863

To what extent were African-American slaves â€Å"free† after the abolition of slavery by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863? What challenges did they face after their emancipation? This is a subject of continued interest. History is rife with records of decades of untold torture and harrowing experiences. African-American slaves suffered at the hands of their captors and masters. They were denied all natural rights as human beings and forced to live like animals. A slave was viewed as one-third of a person and the property of their owner(s) and treated as objects, mere things.One would therefore assume that after their emancipation, life would become significantly better because the slaves were free to move away from the torturous hands of their masters. Indeed these slaves were truly hopeful to live as free people in their new land of opportunities. Regrettably, many of them faced incredible opposition and discrimination even after emancipation. Being emancipated from sla very did not, for instance, make the former slaves enjoy equal treatment as the white population. Life continued to be unbearable for them. Thus by and large, the emancipation of the African-American slaves did not truly free them nor directly lead to an increased quality of life or standard of living. It was only the beginning of that dream. Investigation Over the course of many centuries the idea of freedom has been tossed back and forth, constantly being modified to fit the standards of those times. This ideology has also steadily progressed through history. As far back as history can tell us, freedom was virtually non-existent. People were under the absolute rule of kings and monarchs. As revolts and rebellions occurred against these monarchs the idea of freedom gradually evolved. Citizens began to recognize that they were equal as human beings and had rights, thus refused to blindly follow their incapable leaders any longer. With this change also came a revolution in the government. Other forms of leading a nation were being considered besides the ever so popular and rominent monarchy, such as a constitutional monarchy in which the people were given significantly greater freedom and involvement in decision making processes, which would eventually become a rough design for our modern day democracy. But in the case of African slaves in the United States, this hierarchy of absolute power and control appeared insurmountable. Forced to live terrible lives on plantations at the hands of their masters in horrendous conditions, being free someday was all they had to keep them going. This wish was fulfilled in 1863 with the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. The slaves were now free to become independent and lead their own lives. But emancipation, as a matter of fact, was only a large stepping stone for the slaves. But for a few ‘privileged’ slaves who served as house servants, the â€Å"sunrise-to-sunset† back-breaking jobs on farms and plantations became their vocation for which many were unaccustomed to. They were punished for any flimsy reason with a variety of objects and instruments including whips, knives, guns and field tools. They were hanged, forced to walk a treadmill, placed in chains and shackles or in various contraptions such as thick and heavy metal collars with protruding spikes that made fieldwork difficult and prevented the slave from sleeping while lying down. Even the most kindly and humane masters used the threat of violence to force these field hands to work from dawn to dusk. Runaways were also heavily punished, mercilessly flogged in the presence of all the slaves assembled from the neighboring plantations, chained with heavy weights round the neck, or chained to another person, sometimes of the opposite sex for an extended period and flogged repeatedly. As if that were not enough, the wounds of the slaves whipped were burst and rubbed with turpentine and red pepper. Enslaved black women were raped by their owners, members of their owner's families, or their owner's friends, and children who resulted from such rapes were slaves as well. Being pregnant did not spare a slave woman the whip or rod. A hole was dug for her to rest her belly while being whipped. They were also at constant risk of losing members of their families if their owners decided to sell them for profit, punishment, or to pay debts. Slavery indeed was dehumanizing in every sense of the word. The Declaration of Emancipation was monumental, and came with the renewed sense of hope that life after their emancipation would become significantly better. Being free, the former slaves envisaged being able to live with a sense of purpose and pride in a land ripe with a cornucopia of opportunities waiting to be capitalized on. Spirits were high and celebration took place as ideas and fantasies of a rich lifestyle with a good standard of living were being formulated. [1] For some ex slaves, their dreams became somewhat of a reality as their fight for survival during slavery helped them develop the wits needed to succeed in their new found world. Unfortunately, there were many tragic disappointments, as nearly all the slaves that were emancipated were forced to return back to their old masters after leaving the plantations, starving and diseased. [2] Many were not able to survive on their own. This came as a result of both internal and external forces – being somewhat trapped by their own helplessness, insecurities, lack of knowledge[3] and still viewed as slaves by the whites. Even though former slaves became free to travel throughout the south daring to leave the plantation to visit or search for loved ones from whom they had become separated was no small feat. Other challenges also included deciding on a name as well as the more elusive task of creating an identity with no sense of one's ancestry, making choices for themselves about where they labored and the type of work they performed, the use of public accommodations, providing for one's daily needs and pursuing an education. When one lives at the hands and mercy of a master who controls every aspect of one’s life, starting fresh in a ‘foreign country’ can prove to be a difficult task. For many of them, the dream was short-lived. In many respects, the slaves were not solely responsible for their burdens or inability to rise to freedom. Simply declaring that the slaves were free did not go far enough to enable them become self-determined. They needed the help and guidance of those in control not only to survive but also to thrive. Without much land, money, materials or no legal title to aid them, they soon became ‘freed’ in name only, rather than as legal citizens who were entitled to the most basic liberties. It was no wonder news about the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment in January 1865, was greeted with euphoria and relief. This new chapter in American history was to fully abolish slavery in the United States, ‘freeing’ four million African Americans. Men and women – black and white, and in the North and South began the work of rebuilding the shattered union and of creating a new social order called Reconstruction that would hold many promises. Many young blacks also joined the army upon encouragement from military generals, lured in by the prospect of earning money and the being accepted by the whites. [4] Furthermore, with the protection of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, citizenship was to be granted to all people born or naturalized in the United States and guaranteeing that no American (including the freed slaves) would be denied the right to vote on the basis of race. With that, the freed Southern black men began to exercise this right to vote and actively participate in the political process, many being elected to the United States Congress and local offices. Racial lines seemed to begin to diminish as coalitions of white and black Republicans passed bills to establish the first public school systems in most states of the South, although sufficient funding was hard to find. Freedom truly seemed to fill the air. They also met in annual conventions across the nation and issued heart-felt addresses to the people of the United States, to affirm their status as citizens and implore the support of fair-minded white people. In spite of the daunting challenges, former African-American slaves were determined to succeed in their new found freedom; and they did – making significant strides in establishing their own churches, towns and businesses. Their quest for equality, and the opportunity to live in harmony with any other ethnic group in the country[5] prompted their swift rejection of President Lincoln’s 1862 offer to segregate them to the District of Columbia, which they could colonize. Even with the winds of the Thirteenth Amendment on their backs, the ride to freedom was everything but smooth. Opponents of this progress soon rallied against the former slaves' freedom and began to find means for eroding the gains for which many had shed their blood. Some Whites were even skeptical in the first place, stating that the slaves should have – at least – been in some way educated or prepared for freedom, before it was so suddenly thrust upon them so they didn’t become an evil and menace to the welfare of the entire country. White supremacists sought to return blacks to their subordinate status under slavery. They resurrected barriers and enacted new laws to segregate society along racial lines. They limited black access to transportation, schools, restaurants and other public facilities. The groundbreaking advances of Reconstruction were quickly being reversed. Extreme racist Southerners hated them just as much if not more than before they were freed. Forming anti-black groups such as the Klu Klux Klan they continued to harass and persecute them with unimaginable acts of violence. As rioting increased by enraged white people against African Americans – whom they accused of stealing their jobs – millions of these former slaves began living in a constant state of anxiety and fear.. While most blacks were denied their right to keep and bear arms and therefore unable to protect themselves or their families, lynching increasingly became the weapon of white mob terror. A combination of similar acts of oppression such as fraud and intimidation were also employed to reduce black voting and regain control of state legislatures. Laws or provisions passed such as poll taxes, residency requirements and literacy tests made voter registration and elections more complicated which overwhelmingly disadvantaged blacks. Litigation to challenge such provisions at the state and national levels were to no avail as the Supreme Court upheld the states’ decisions. Their treatment and accommodations became inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages. Black soldiers for instance, were not given as much pay as their fellow white soldiers, and it was only until they appealed through a letter to Abraham Lincoln that this policy was changed to even the pay scale. [6] Segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly â€Å"separate but equal† was also mandated. Conclusion The crux of the Emancipation Proclamation – which advocated abolition of slavery – was easier said than done. It simply raised the hopes of many enslaved African Americans about the prospect of freedom only to leave them still despairing. African Americans continued suffer from segregation, lack of education, and political disenfranchisement. Freedom for them appeared to be superficial, if at all existent– only fulfilling their desire to truly make lives for themselves, while ignoring or depriving them of the means to achieve it. They were still unprotected from the brutal attacks suffered at the hands of anti-Negro groups[7] who still despised them, and granted no help in developing a new lifestyle. The lack of equality, legal or human rights made achieving anything remarkably unfair and near impossible. Life was just as it was under the bondage of slavery. Hence for all the good intentions for the abolition of slavery , the Declaration of Emancipation did not truly spell freedom and equality for all African-American slaves, nor did it directly lead to a lasting increased quality of life or standard of living. It was a huge step towards the beginning of a long, painful struggle for freedom – far longer and more difficult than anyone could realize. The ruling government could and should have done more to quell the uprisings the emancipation triggered, and worked towards helping the former slaves establish themselves while integrating them with other groups to live in peace. It was the thirteenth amendment passed after the end of the American Civil War which permanently abolished slavery and also paved the way for further amendments to the constitution that would brought complete freedom for the former slaves.

Cinema Industry in Palestine Essay

Cinema Industry in Palestine Essay Cinema Industry in Palestine The cinema industry in Palestine is quite young as compared to the cinema industry in the Arab world. This is evidenced by the fact that most Palestinian movies are made with Israeli and European support. These movies may at times have a biased theme due to the origin of the support used in making of the given movie. Palestinian movies have developed through various stages. These include; The first period between 1935-48. The first period highlights the beginning of the Palestinian cinema industry. The first Palestinian film made in the Palestinian cinema industry was a documentary on the visit of King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia in 1935 to Palestine. The movie basically showed the kings visit to various locations in the Palestinian nation. This movie compiled by Ibrahim Hassan Sirhan, was not highly publicized and resulted to a low profile movie. This movie was followed by several other movies which were unfortunately lost when Jaffa was bombarded. Some movies lost include A storm at Home. The second period: The era of silence between 1948 to 1967. The Naqba (the massive migration of Palestinians) in 1948 was devastating to the Palestinian society. This included all industries and the nascent film industry was not spared. Cinematic activities required infrastructure, finance and well trained crew crews almost ceased operation for period not less than two decades. Palestinians participated in film-production in the neighboring countries. For example Sirhan was involved in the production of the Jordanian film, The Struggle in Jarash,(1957). During this period Palestinian cinemas were affected by lack of necessary infrastructure and negative attitude to what was viewed as a western idea clipping into Palestine. The 3rd period of cinema in exile, 1968-82. After 1967, the Palestinian cinema was found under the patronage of the PLO and sourcing their funds from Fatah and other many Palestinian organizations. This film festival held in 1973 in Baghdad was aimed at promoting the Palestinian cinema industry. Various organizations created archives for the newly produced Palestinian films with the largest archive being run by PLO's Film Foundation. In 1982, Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was forced out of Beirut resulting to loss of the archive under unclear circumstances. The fourth period: 1980 to the present. In the 1996 drama, the Chronicle of a Disappearance received international recognition and thus becoming the first Palestinian movie to receiving national release in the United States. A performing film for its kind, the movie won the "New Director's Prize" during the Seattle International Film Festival and the "Luigi De Laurent is Award". In 2008 international efforts were launched to reopen Cinema Jenin, a cinema company located in Jenin Refugee Camp. In 2010, the governing authority of the Gaza Strip Hamas, announced the completion of the film. The Great Liberation which depicts destruction of Israel by Palestinians. Currently, the cinema industry especially in the Gaza street faces major regulations from the governing authority with the requirement that the cinema produces items that only follow or support Hamas edicts.

Moving Beyond Simple Conflict of Interest

Moving Beyond Simple Conflict of Interest Introduction This paper discusses some issues related to the Greber case. Greber was a physician and was the owner of Cardio-Med, Inc. The company assisted physicians by making available certain medical equipments to record the cardiac details of patients.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Moving Beyond Simple Conflict of Interest specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The physicians were paid a certain amount for every patient that they referred. The case deals with out of the way payments made to physicians in order to get more referrals from them. Such payments were more than the actual worth of the jobs done. The case came to light and a case was lodged. How do criminal and civil law differ? Answer: The differences between criminal law and civil law pertain to the nature of crime, the person filing the lawsuit, the punishments awarded, and substantiating evidence. With regard to the nature of crime, criminal law rel ates to illegal conduct, whereas civil law relates to disagreements between two parties and where the complainants haven’t broken any law. With regard to the person filing the lawsuit, â€Å"In criminal cases, the government always files the litigation or lawsuit. In civil law, the plaintiff files the lawsuit and usually is a private party such as a person or corporation† (Main, 2012). With regard to the punishment awarded, in a criminal offence the punishment awarded may range from imposing fines, imprisonment, or capital punishment (depending on the severity of the crime). In civil offences, the loser is required to compensate the monetary or other losses of the winning party. With regard to the substantiating of evidence, in criminal offences, the prosecutor (most of the time) is responsible for providing the required evidence, whereas in civil cases, mostly the plaintiff has to provide evidence. However, in both cases sometimes the other party also may have to prov ide evidence. In what way did this differ from joint venturing? Answer: In joint venturing the parties involved have control over the business to the extent of their share. Moreover, the agreement is a legal binding for the parties involved. But in this case, there was no binding for either Medicare or the physicians. Medicare paid to the physicians as per the referrals received. The physicians had a free will to refer patients to other medical facilities from where they could get better deals. Also, there was no legal contract between the two parties. â€Å"The execution of a letter of intent (sometimes styled as a memorandum of understanding, term sheet, protocol, summary of terms, or other titles) is the first major undertaking of negotiating a successful joint venture† (Smith Southwell, 2012). In this case, there was no such understanding. Hence this case is different from joint venturing.Advertising Looking for case study on criminal law? Let's see if we can hel p you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Do you feel that any of the physicians involved dishonored their fiduciary relationship with their patients? If so how? Answer: Yes, I do believe that the physicians dishonored their fiduciary relationship with their patients. Fiduciary relationship relates to the trust that the patients have over their physicians; trust that makes the patients believe that they will not be cheated. But in this case, in order to earn money, the physicians referred them to such clinics that charged hefty amounts (including their commission). Pamela Bucy (2010) claims that â€Å"Cardio-Med’s payment amount exceeded that which Medicare would have paid the physicians for those services† (p. 40). Medicare paid the excess amount in order to bribe the physicians to send more referrals. So indirectly the patients became a part of this payment scam where payments were made more than what was actually required. This was a financ ial loss and it was definitely a breach of trust. Summarize and give your analysis of the verdict of the case employing your own opinion. Do you agree with the verdict? Why or why not? Answer: According to the court ruling, it was ruled that Medicare made the payments to the physicians in order to induce more referrals. The court also ruled that â€Å"If one purpose of the payment was to induce future referrals, the Medicare statute has been violated† (Bucy, 2010). Stephen Pierce claims that â€Å"The Medicare and Medicaid health care programs were created in the mid-1960s in an attempt to ensure that all Americans would receive high quality health care despite their inability to pay† (Pierce, 1986). But what happened in this case was totally in contrast to what was intended. So, yes, I agree with the verdict of the court. Conclusion: As per the ruling of the court, the payments made to the physicians were done in order to attract more clients to the medical facility. Moreover, the payments received from Medicare were diverted to the physicians; this was totally against the norms. The court ruled against Greber; Greber was found guilty. I am in favor of the judgment because it is not correct for someone to use, for profit, funds that are meant for other purposes. This case is an example of pure bribing in order to gain profits. References Bucy, P. (2010). Health care fraud: Enforcement and compliance. New York: Law Journal Press.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Moving Beyond Simple Conflict of Interest specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Main, K. (2012). What is the difference between criminal law and civil law? Web. Pierce, S. (1986). Comment: United States v. Greber and its effect on the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Web. Smith, B., Southwell, T. (2012). Joint Ventures: A Primer. Web.

Irony in Act 1 Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

Irony in Act 1 Romeo and Juliet Essay Example Irony in Act 1 Romeo and Juliet Paper Irony in Act 1 Romeo and Juliet Paper 1. Act 1 Scene 2 Line 39 The ironic event is between Capulet and the Serving man. Capulet gives the Serving man a list of names of people that are invited to his party. Capulet instructs the Serving man to tell the people on the list to come to his party. The irony is that Capulet doesn’t know that the Serving man is illiterate. The Serving man can’t read, so he can’t tell anyone on the list about the party. This ironic event actually leads to another ironic event. 2. Act 1 Scene 2 Line 61 After the one previously mentioned: The Serving man doesn’t know what to do.He has to give the list to someone who can read and have him or her read it to him. That is when Romeo and Benvolio stroll in. In desperate need of help, the Serving man gives them the list. The irony is that Romeo is a Montague, an enemy of the Capulets. This event also helps to progress the story. Romeo finds out that Rosaline, his one true love is going to attend that party. So he decides to c rash the party in order to meet her. Irony is being used as a way to progress the story. 3.Act 1 Scene 5 Line 48 (falls in love w/Juliet here) Romeo is in love with Rosaline at the opening of the story. He sees Juliet at a party and falls in love with her. Benvolio is unaware of this. An example of dramatic irony. 4. Act 1 Scene 5 Line 51 In this scene, Romeo falls in love with Juliet when he first sees her. The irony is that he came her to see his â€Å"true love† Rosaline, yet he fell in love with another girl. Also, Romeo says many times that Rosaline would be his only love, yet on line 60, he complete disregards his love for Rosaline.He says,† For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night. † He’s saying that he has not seen true beauty before, until he saw Juliet. This is also an important event because this is where Romeo and Juliet’s relationship starts. 5. Act 1 Scene 5 Line 148 Go ask his name: if he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed. This is said by Juliet to the nurse in regard to Romeo after first meeting him. She is stating that if he is married or unavailable to her, than she would just die in anguish because she has fallen completely and utterly in love with him.This is ironic because although she does not know it, Juliet will die if she DOES marry him. The audience are aware of this because the prologue states that they will both die- we have an insight into the ending of the play. This increases the irony and also touches on the idea of fate which plays a huge part in the play and in Elizabethan times. We know what is to happen, we can do nothing to change that. This creates numerous opportunities for dramatic irony as shown throughout the play.

European colonialism is often depicted as a force of greed that Essay

European colonialism is often depicted as a force of greed that exploited the African people for financial gain however, one cou - Essay Example Europeans used guns and bombs. This was described as spiritual or religious war, as the Africans hoped for immunity from the bullets, offered to them by their gods. However, the evils of the war have been discussed over and over, with little focus on the benefits the war had on Africans and the Europeans. This paper seeks to find out the benefits of the war to both Africans and Europeans, especially through moral changes. As earlier noted, Africans used bows and arrows, swords and shields to wage their war against the American soldiers. However, during the progressive days of the war, they adopted the Europeans style of fighting, and embraced the use of guns and bullets. Although these arms were not legally acquired as the African militants staged ambush on the American army and stole away their guns and ammunition, they helped improve their fight against the American soldiers significantly. The realization that their forms of fighting could not be comparable to that of the Americans quashed their naivety and they started embracing the importance of modernized forms of fighting. To this modern day, the Africans import guns and ammunition for war and internal security. The African disorganized form of fighting always gave advantage to the Europeans soldiers. They did have any form of training in fighting skills. This made the European army to have an advantage over the Africans. With time, they learnt the art of organized fight which greatly improved in their fighting tactics. At times they surprise that Americans soldiers and won in a number of battles. Most of the African and European gains from colonization were long term. Various changes were experienced by Africans, but also enjoyed by the Europeans. Effects of colonialism are felt in the African continent even to this day, years after the rule ended and the continent became independent. The Europeans gained economically through the raw materials that they acquired from Africa. The Europeans borrowed the sh ield used by the Africans in the war to form a basis for a number of games played by the Europeans. Some of the African games were adopted by the Europeans with minimal changes to suit the European children. Other games played by the European children based their ideas from the African games. Although most of the Africans consider the colonial rule to have been bad, evidence shows that they benefited handsomely from the rule. Some countries that were not been colonized when they lagged behind other countries that had undergone the colonial rule, they attributed this to the lack of the colonial rule in their country. An example is Ethiopia, a country that was not colonized by and foreign power. Emperor Haile Selassie declared that at one time, the county was too poor because it had not experienced the colonial rule like its African counterparts. For example, most of the Africans before the colonial era were culturists. They did not have a formal religion and mostly thought that their gods lived in the forests, in caves or in the mountains. However, with colonization, Europeans brought religion to the Africans. They taught them the values of Christianity and the importance of the bible. The Europeans introduced Christianity to the Africans, and thus changed their way of life and understanding of Christianity. Many at times, the Africans would offer rituals and sacrifices to their gods, but when the Europeans

Remove Uncertainty for Iraqi Translators Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Remove Uncertainty for Iraqi Translators - Essay Example Tariq informed that after withdrawal of the US forces, he prefers to stay at home and spends most of his time in cultivating hobbies such as gardening, until the time he receives his visa to migrate to the US. Tariq is much dismayed at the delay in getting the visa and he feels that senior officers in the command that he worked for are also helpless in speeding up the visa process because of the several formalities and processes that have to be completed. Despite the validity of an American law that provides for expedited visas under provisions of the Special Immigrant Visa Program to almost 20,000 Iraqi citizens that worked for the US in Iraq, not much headway has yet been made in making it possible for these Iraqis to relocate to the US (US Immigration, 2011). Tariq is disappointed because despite having excellent recommendations from the US army officers with whom he worked, the State Department simply takes the plea that it is helpless because a number of security checks have to be carried out by several departments. During the talk on the radio, Marie from Rhode Island was the first to join in. Marie informed she too was in Baghdad for about one year and was required to work with interpreters. She was in agreement that interpreters often received threats and informed that two of them were shot dead while she was in Baghdad. She was aware that there is a great deal of paper work and red tape involved in getting these interpreters to migrate to the US, which is obviously very depressing.

List the four polymers from which hydrogels can be made, and, for each Assignment

List the four polymers from which hydrogels can be made, and, for each one, list the advantages and disadvantages of each.at least one different possible application for each hydrogel - Assignment Example It has emulsifying and adhesive properties making it suitable for glue manufacturing. Its ability to form films makes it useful in making contact lenses and envelope seals (Gnanou & Fontanille 24). The surfactants in detergents, found in Sodium Polyacrylate are efficient in binding hard water elements such as, calcium and magnesium making them a choice Sequestering agent in detergents. Sodium polyacrylate is also used in making diapers and some brands of sanitary towels owing to their super absorbent ability (Gnanou & Fontanille 34). They have a thermoplastic ability that makes it possible for them to be processed as a melt at high temperatures. They have elastomeric ability. This enables it to regain its original shape even after stretching (Gnanou & Fontanille

Individual essay on values Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Individual on values - Essay Example nt of an organisation has been given fiduciary responsibility on the economic resources of the society that comprise of both human and natural resources. It is important for every organisation to consider the social, economic and environmental systems in which it is operating; the corporations that develop a long-term vision for their business along with their responsibilities towards the society are able to sustain their development in economy (Albareda, 2008; Crane et al., 2008). Considering the environment in which the organisation is operating is important so that all organisation functions are running in the right perspective and in an ethical manner. When the organisations accept their right of controlling economic resources of the society, the management agrees to take the duty of being accountable about using the assets. This level of accountability needs to be conducted on fair grounds and in a sincere manner by the organisation. Even if the organisation faces losses, it should realise that it needs to be accountable for the situation rather than indulging in false excuses. As the individuals in the management department are looking for a model that can help them in fulfilling their societal responsibilities, the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ (TBL) concept was presented (Park & Stoel, 2005). The introduction of this concept acted as a vehicle for proper reporting about the articulation of the corporation’s environmental, economic and social performance (Ketola, 2009). Performances related to the environment and social concerns can be monitored with the help of the TBL concept. TBL has grown in popularity as it assists an organisation in determining the extent to which it is successfully meeting its responsibilities towards the community. The concept of TBL has given a direction to the management of organisations in developing the goals and objectives of the organisation according to the business environment. By following the guidelines specified in TBL,

Investigation of the june 3, 2006, collapse of Grandview triangle Essay

Investigation of the june 3, 2006, collapse of Grandview triangle bridge in Kansas City, MO (crane accident) - Essay Example The bridge deck was manufactured of nine concrete and a thick slab. The bridge had 12 spans of different length, whereby, the central girders were held in place by bents. The bents used to hold girders in place were made up of concrete. There were 11 bents in place connecting from east to west. On the other hand, girders were situated between flanges United (States Department of Labour, 2006). The picture below indicates that the bridge was made in such way that it appears as non-disjoint beam. As part of the Grandview Triangle development plan, the Montessori Department of Transport was awarded contract to vandalize old bridge including their bents. Further, the contract involved constructing new bridges as soon as the old ones were demolished. The Track Hoe Crane Company were the manufacturer of Track hoe Crane that was involved the accident on 3rd June 2006 accident at Kansas City during demolition process of the old buildings. The track hoe crane had an approximate height was estimated to be eighty five percent above the old bridge that was being demolished. On the contrary, the crane used in this demolition was weighing approximate seventy two thousand and eight hundred pounds. In addition, the load of the hoe crane had a capacity of 18percent during the collapse of the bridge (States Department of Labour, 2006). Various factors were involved in this accident. The following are the factors involved in the accident; the location of the hoe crane, the girder, expertise of the construction engineers who were involved in the demolition of the old bridges. It can be observed that the location of the crane was an important factor that contributed to the accident. The crane was placed located at the midst of the bridges, such location and the pressure that was being employed by the cranes led to the accident as the force was not uniformly distributed. Further, the pressure of above eighteen percent above the strength of the yield was quite

Blogs seem to be helping reorganize political debate along more Essay

Blogs seem to be helping reorganize political debate along more partisan lines - Essay Example Today, not only do those central to the leadership of America participate in the practice, including politicians like Howard Dean and Wesley Clark, but the mainstream media in an attempt to grow stronger connections with its audience, and give the news a seemingly interactive feel. Blogs allow individuals who otherwise would not have a voice to express their opinions and provide more effective feedback to their leaders. However, blogs, with their phenomenal success, have also created a situation where Americans are becoming more aware of their political views, and thus are becoming more polarized. In America’s liberal democracy, this may not be the best course proceeding forward into uncertain times. Ultimately, blogs which focus expressly on political matters have a greater power to polemicize and polarize than to unify and unite—making it questionable whether the benefits that blogs bring to political discourse are really worth the costs of such influence in the long run. Bloggers are regularly courted by politicians for endorsements for their ability to shape election news (Sappenfield). But given the enormous rise in the popularity of blogs, until recently there was surprisingly little information on those who actually use them. Lately, a study found that roughly thirty-four percent of Americans read blogs, with fourteen percent of those respondents saying that they have particular interest in political blogs. The study found the following facts about that subset of the population: that they (1) are more likely to have a college degree, (2) are more likely to identify with one side of the political spectrum, (3) are more likely to vote, and (4) are more likely to support candidates either monetarily or in conversing with others. Of that subset, almost nine-tenths of them read fewer than five blogs, and almost ninety-four read only blogs that come from one side of the political

Individual essay on values Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Individual on values - Essay Example nt of an organisation has been given fiduciary responsibility on the economic resources of the society that comprise of both human and natural resources. It is important for every organisation to consider the social, economic and environmental systems in which it is operating; the corporations that develop a long-term vision for their business along with their responsibilities towards the society are able to sustain their development in economy (Albareda, 2008; Crane et al., 2008). Considering the environment in which the organisation is operating is important so that all organisation functions are running in the right perspective and in an ethical manner. When the organisations accept their right of controlling economic resources of the society, the management agrees to take the duty of being accountable about using the assets. This level of accountability needs to be conducted on fair grounds and in a sincere manner by the organisation. Even if the organisation faces losses, it should realise that it needs to be accountable for the situation rather than indulging in false excuses. As the individuals in the management department are looking for a model that can help them in fulfilling their societal responsibilities, the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ (TBL) concept was presented (Park & Stoel, 2005). The introduction of this concept acted as a vehicle for proper reporting about the articulation of the corporation’s environmental, economic and social performance (Ketola, 2009). Performances related to the environment and social concerns can be monitored with the help of the TBL concept. TBL has grown in popularity as it assists an organisation in determining the extent to which it is successfully meeting its responsibilities towards the community. The concept of TBL has given a direction to the management of organisations in developing the goals and objectives of the organisation according to the business environment. By following the guidelines specified in TBL,

Blogs seem to be helping reorganize political debate along more Essay

Blogs seem to be helping reorganize political debate along more partisan lines - Essay Example Today, not only do those central to the leadership of America participate in the practice, including politicians like Howard Dean and Wesley Clark, but the mainstream media in an attempt to grow stronger connections with its audience, and give the news a seemingly interactive feel. Blogs allow individuals who otherwise would not have a voice to express their opinions and provide more effective feedback to their leaders. However, blogs, with their phenomenal success, have also created a situation where Americans are becoming more aware of their political views, and thus are becoming more polarized. In America’s liberal democracy, this may not be the best course proceeding forward into uncertain times. Ultimately, blogs which focus expressly on political matters have a greater power to polemicize and polarize than to unify and unite—making it questionable whether the benefits that blogs bring to political discourse are really worth the costs of such influence in the long run. Bloggers are regularly courted by politicians for endorsements for their ability to shape election news (Sappenfield). But given the enormous rise in the popularity of blogs, until recently there was surprisingly little information on those who actually use them. Lately, a study found that roughly thirty-four percent of Americans read blogs, with fourteen percent of those respondents saying that they have particular interest in political blogs. The study found the following facts about that subset of the population: that they (1) are more likely to have a college degree, (2) are more likely to identify with one side of the political spectrum, (3) are more likely to vote, and (4) are more likely to support candidates either monetarily or in conversing with others. Of that subset, almost nine-tenths of them read fewer than five blogs, and almost ninety-four read only blogs that come from one side of the political

Clinton in diplomatic coup on Journalists release Essay Example for Free

Clinton in diplomatic coup on Journalists release Essay Former President Bill Clinton scored a diplomatic coup when he brought back to the United States on Wednesday two convicted women television reporters. The journalists release was a result of what was tagged officially by a member of Obama administration as a humanitarian trip and personal visit to North Korean President Kim Jong-Il. White House hailed the Clinton-led effort and denied it as a bargaining chip in the nuclear standoff between the said two countries. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told White House reporters that the Clintons trip was purely a humanitarian effort undertaken by the latter and not for and in behalf of the American government. A CNN report said the release of the journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, was made after President Kim granted them pardon for illegally entering North Korea early this year (Quijano, Moore Sosa par. 4). They were meted in June with 12 year jail sentence of hard labor for the alleged crime committed (par.11). Ling and Lee were on assignment from Current TV, a media venture owned by former US Vice President Al Gore. Al Gore himself was reported to have tried to get the release of the two but was rejected by North Korea. They were on assignment to document alleged trafficking of North Korean women to China. After reunited with families at Bob Hope Airport, an emotional Ling said at a media conference that â€Å"We feared at any moment that we could be sent to a hard labor camp† (Quijano, Moore Sosa par. 2) but the two were later informed they will attend a meeting. As they saw President Clinton waiting at them, â€Å"We were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end,† added Ling (Quijano, Moore Sosa pars. 5-6). The statement of Gibbs was seen by political observers as a White House attempt to stress it was not making any concession to North Korea which is presently at odds with the United States on the issue of nuclear build-up and atomic research among others. But President Obama himself hailed Clinton and Gore for the successful release and bringing back the two on the former President’s return flight through Los Angeles. Upon learning of the return of Clinton and the two journalists, President Obama said â€Å"We are relieved† (Obama par. 1). The President further told media at the White Houses South Lawn that â€Å"My hope is that the families who have been reunited can enjoy the next several days and weeks, understanding that because of the efforts of (former) president Clinton and (former vice president) Gore, they are able to be with each other once again† (Obama par 4). At Nairobi, Kenya, U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was also relieved after learning the release from her husband. Both Clinton and Gore expressed happiness for the journalists release. A statement from his office quoted Clinton saying â€Å"I am very happy that after this long ordeal, Laura Ling and Euna Lee are now home and reunited with their loved ones. † Gore also showed his gratitude to President Obama and Clinton for joining the â€Å"humanitarian effort† (Quijano, Moore Sosa par. 10) Amidst claims of apology allegedly conveyed by Clinton but which North Korea said it knew nothing about, Press Secretary Gibbs clarified that there was no truth to Clinton conveying Obamas message. The White House spokesman also stressed that Clinton went on a humanitarian and private mission and that the release was definitely not a bargaining issue on nuclear standoff between U. S. and North Korea (Gibbs). The above-reported statements of Obama and Gibbs were posted at the White House website under the Press Briefing Room. For confirmation or verification of the said details stated by the President and Press Secretary, the office may be contacted at the following phone numbers: 202-456-1111 for comments; 202-456-1414 for Switchboard and 202-456-2461 for fax. Works Cited Gibbs, Robert. â€Å"Press Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and the Vice Presidents Chief Economist, Jared Bernstein. † The Briefing Room. 8 June 2009 http://www. whitehouse. gov/the_press_office/Briefing-by-Press-Secretary-Robert- Gibbs-with-Jared-Bernstein-the-Vice-Presidents-Chief-Economist-6-8-09/. Obama, Barrack. â€Å"Statement by the President on the Release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee. † The Briefing Room. 5 August 2009 http://www. whitehouse. gov/the_press_office/Statement-by-the- President-on-the-release-of-Laura-Ling-and-Euna-Lee/. Quijano, Elaine; Moore, Charlie Sosa, Ninette. â€Å"Freed journalist: We are so happy to be home. CNN. com International/US. 6 August 2009 http://edition. cnn. com/2009/US/ 08/05/nkorea. journalists/index. html.

The Sole Proprietorship And Partnership Forms Business Essay

The Sole Proprietorship And Partnership Forms Business Essay When I doing this assignment I know that Business environment is that which surrounds a business. It affects a business. It is dynamic in the sense it keeps changing. Since it is composed of many factors, it is important for a company to study and monitor its environment carefully. This is so that the business does not go wrong in its planning process for its current and future plans. The changes in the environment may be good or bad for a particular business. They can affect the business in a positive or a negative way. It becomes essential to monitor the environment, especially the external, uncontrollable part of the environment. Since there are innumerable components that make up the total environment, a careful understanding of each and the implications of the changes of each factor need to be done. This facilitates the strategic planning process. Just as a human being take decisions based on his or his surrounding environment, example: parent, siblings, peer group, teachers, ro le models, health, attitude, socio-economic status. Other than that, when I doing this assignment I understand that Sole Proprietorship and Partnership. I also know that A business owned by a single owner is referred to as a sole proprietorship. The owner of a sole proprietorship is called a sole proprietor. A sole proprietor may obtain loans from creditors to help finance the firms operations, but these loans do not represent ownership. The sole proprietor is obligated to cover any payments resulting from the loans but does not need to share the business profits with creditors. Typical examples of sole proprietorships include a local restaurant, a local construction firm, a barber shop, a laundry service, and a local clothing store. About 70 percent of all firms in the United States are sole proprietorship. But because these firms are relatively small, they generate less than 10 percent of all business revenue. The earnings generated by a sole proprietorship are considered to be personal income received by the proprietor and are subj ect to personal income taxes collected by the Internal Revenue Service. Introduction of Business When I study this subject, I understand the importance of business. I know that, business can be defined as a person, partnership, or cooperation that seeks to provide goods and services to others at a profit. Besides that, this course can have a major impact on your career direction and future success regardless of whether you major in business, the sciences, or the liberal arts. Whatever you major may be, you are likely to end up pursuing a career in a business setting. For example, if you major in science, you may work for a biotechnology firm and can benefit from an understanding of business concepts such as managing an organization, working with employees, and managing employees. If you select journalism as a major, you may work for a media or publishing firm and, therefore, can benefit from an understanding of business concepts such as providing a product desired by consumers. Business concepts such as creating ideas, leadership, teamwork, and quality control are relevant to al most everyone, no matter what career is chosen. An Introduction to Business course provides the foundation of business knowledge that can enable you to utilize your talents in the business world. It also provides you with an overview of many different business worlds. It also provides you with an overview of many different business topics, allowing you to determine the specific field of business. Introduction of Business Environment Business environment is that which surrounds a business. It affects a business. It is dynamic in the sense it keeps changing. Since it is composed of many factors, it is important for a company to study and monitor its environment carefully. This is so that the business does not go wrong in its planning process for its current and future plans. The changes in the environment may be good or bad for a particular business. They can affect the business in a positive or a negative way. It becomes essential to monitor the environment, especially the external, uncontrollable part of the environment. Since there are innumerable components that make up the total environment, a careful understanding of each and the implications of the changes of each factor need to be done. This facilitates the strategic planning process. Just as a human being take decisions based on his or his surrounding environment, example: parent, siblings, peer group, teachers, role models, health, attitude, socio-econom ic status. 1.2 The Economic and Legal Environment People are willing to start new businesses if they believe that the risk of losing their money isnt too great. Part of that risk involves the economic system and how government works with or against businesses. Government can do a lot to lessen the risk of starting businesses and thus increase entrepreneurship and wealth. For example, a government can keep taxes and regulations to a minimum. Another way for government to actively promote entrepreneurship is to allow private ownership of businesses. In some countries, the government owns most businesses, and theres little incentive for people to work hard or create profit. All around the world today, however, governments are selling those businesses to private individual to create more wealth. One of the best things the governments of developing countries can do is to minimize interference with the free exchange of goods and services. 1.3 The Technological Environment Technological factors sometimes pose serious problems. A firm that unable to cope with technological changes may not be survived. Further, the differing technological environment of different markets or countries may be called for product modifications. Besides that, Technology also is the most important elements of the macro environment. Furthermore Technology is the human being innovation and it literally wonder Technology helps to human being go to the moon, travelling the spaceships, other side of the globe with few hours. Advances in the technologies have facilitated product improvements and introduction of new products and have considerably improved the marketability of the products. The fast changes in technologies also create problems for enterprises as that render. Plants and product obsolete. Today adopt changers in technology to achieve successful in business and industry. Internet and telecom system also is the important part of technological development in the world. These things today changed whole world. It changes people and business operation. It leads to many new business opportunities apart from the many existing systems. Technological environment characteristics are outlined: The find of technological change Opportunities are arising out of technological developments. Risk and uncertain is the major feature of the technological developments. Research and development role to country Technology and business activities are to be highly considerable, interrelated and interdependent. Technology output/fruits available to society through business activities in this way improve the quality of life in the society. Therefore, technology nurtured by business. 1.4 The Social Environment Demography is the statistical study of the human population with regard to its size, density, and other characteristics such as age, race, gender, and income. The particularly interested in the demographic trends that most affect business and career choices. Managing Diversity has come to mean much more than recruiting and keeping minorities and women. Many more groups are now included in diversity efforts. For example, the list of 26 diversity groups identified by Federated Department Stores includes seniors, the disable, homosexuals, atheists, extroverts, introverts, married people, singles, and the devout. 1.5 The Global Environment The global environment may affect all firms directly or indirectly. Some firm rely on foreign countries for some of their supplies or sell their products in various countries. They may even establish subsidiaries in foreign countries where they can products and sell to them. Even if a firm is not planning to sell its products in foreign countries, it must be aware of the global environment because it may face foreign competition when it sells its product locally. Furthermore, global economic conditions can affect local economic conditions. It economic condition weaken in foreign countries, the foreign demand for U.S. products will decrease. Consequently, sales by U.S. firms will decrease, and this may result in some layoffs. The general income level in the United state will decline, and U.S. consumers will have less money to spend. The demand for all products will decline, even those that are sold only in the United States. Thus, even firms that have no international business can be affected by the global environment. 1.5.1 How Global Changes Affect You As businesses expand to serve global markets, new jobs will be created in both manufacturing and service industries. U.S. exports are expected to continue to increase under new trade agreements that will lead to expansion of the job market both in the United States and globally. Global trade also means global competition. The students who will prosper are those who are prepared for the markets of tomorrow. That means that you must prepare yourself now to compete in a rapidly changing worldwide environment. Conclusion Introduction of Ownerships When entrepreneurs establish a business, they must decide on the form of business ownership. There are three basic forms of business ownership: sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation. The form that is chosen can affect the profitability, risk, and value of the firm. The business ownership decision determines how the earnings of a business are distributed among the owners of the business, the degree of liability of each owner, the degree of control that each owner has in running the business, the potential return of the business, and the risk of the business. These types of decisions are necessary for all business. Sole Proprietorship A business owned by a single owner is referred to as a sole proprietorship. The owner of a sole proprietorship is called a sole proprietor. A sole proprietor may obtain loans from creditors to help finance the firms operations, but these loans do not represent ownership. The sole proprietor is obligated to cover any payments resulting from the loans but does not need to share the business profits with creditors. Typical examples of sole proprietorships include a local restaurant, a local construction firm, a barber shop, a laundry service, and a local clothing store. About 70 percent of all firms in the United States are sole proprietorship. But because these firms are relatively small, they generate less than 10 percent of all business revenue. The earnings generated by a sole proprietorship are considered to be personal income received by the proprietor and are subject to personal income taxes collected by the Internal Revenue Service. Characteristics of Sole Proprietors Sole proprietors must be willing to accept full responsibility for the firms performance. The pressure of this responsibility can be must greater than any employees responsibility. Besides of this, Sole proprietors must also be willing to work flexible hours. They are on call at all times and may even have to substitute for a sick employee. Other than that, their responsibility for the success of the business encourages them to continually monitor business operations. They must exhibit strong leadership skills, be well organized, and communicate skill well with employees. Many successful sole proprietors had precious work experience in the market in which they are competing, perhaps as an employee in a competitors firm. For example, restaurant managers commonly establish their own restaurant. Experience is critical to understanding the competition and the behavior of customers in a particular market. Advantages of a Sole Proprietorship Easy Organization Establishing a sole proprietorship is relatively easy. The legal requirements are minimal. A sole proprietorship need not establish a separate legal entity. The owner must register the firm with the state, which can normally be done by mail. The owner may also need to apply for an occupational license to conduct a particular type of business. The specific license requirements vary with the state and even the city where the business is located. Complete control Having only one owner with complete control of the firm eliminates the chance of conflicts during the decision on the menu, the prices, and the salaries paid to employees. Lower Taxes Because the earnings in a proprietorship are considered to be personal income, they may be subject to lower taxes than those imposed on some other forms of business ownership. Total Decision-Making Authority Because the sole proprietor is in total control of the operations, he or she can respond quickly to changes, which is an asset in a rapidly shifting market. The freedom to set the companys course of action is a major motivational force. For those who thrive on the enjoyment of seeking new proprietors thrive on the feeling of control they have over their personal financial futures and the recognition they earn as the owners of their business. Disadvantages of a Sole Proprietorship The Sole Proprietor Incurs All Losses Just as sole proprietors do not have to share the profits, they are unable to share any losses that the firm incurs. For example, assume you invest $10,000 of your funds in a lawn service and borrow an additional $8,000 that you invest in the business. Unfortunately, the revenue is barely sufficient to pay salaries to your employees, and you terminate the firm. You have not only lost all of your $10,000 investment in the firm but also are liable for $8,000 that you borrowed. Since you are the sole proprietor, no other owners are available to help cover the losses. Unlimited Liability A sole proprietor is subject to unlimited liability, which means there is no limit on the debts for which the owner is liable. If a sole proprietors is sued, the sole proprietor is personally liable for an judgment against that firm. Limited Skills A sole proprietor has limited skills and may be unable to control all parts of the business. For example, a sole proprietor may have difficulty running a large medical practice because different types of expertise may be needed. Limited Funds A sole proprietor may have limited funds available to invest in the firm. Thus, sole proprietors have difficulty engaging in airplane manufacturing, shipbuilding, computer manufacturing, and other business that require substantial funds. Sole proprietors have limited funds to support the firms expansion or to absorb temporary losses. A poorly performing firm may improve if given sufficient time. But if this firm cannot obtain additional funds to make up for its losses, it may not be able to continue in business long enough to recover. Partnership A business that is co-owned by two people or more than two people is referred to as a partnership. The co-owners of the business are called partners. The co-owners must register the partnership with the state and may need to apply for an occupation license. About 10 percent of all firms are partnerships. Besides of this, in a general partnership, all partners have unlimited liability. That is, the partners are personally liable for all obligations of the firm. Conversely, in a limited partnership, the firm has some limited partners, or partners whose liability is limited to the cash or property they contributed to the partnerships. Limited partners are only investors in the partnership and do not participate in its management, but because they have invested in the business, they share its profits or losses. A limited partnership has one or more general partners, or partners who manage the business, receive a salary, share the profits or losses of the business, and have unlimited liab ility. The earnings distributed to each partners represent personal income and are subject to personal income taxes collect by the IRS. Disadvantages of Partnerships Lack of Continuity If one partner dies, complications arise. Partnership interest is often nontransferable through inheritance because the remaining partner may not want to be in a partnership with the person who inherits the deceased partners interest. Partners can make provisions in the partnership agreement to avoid dissolution due to death if all parties agree to accept as partners those who inherit the deceaseds interest. Control is shared The decision making in a partnership must be shared. If the partners disagree about how the business should be run, business and personal relationships may be destroyed. Some owners of firms do not have the skills to manage a business. Unlimited Liability General partners in a partnership are subject to unlimited liability, just like sole proprietors. Profits Are Shared Any profits that the partnership generates must be shared among all partners. The more partners there are, the smaller the amount of a given level of profits that will be distributed to any individual partner. Conclusion Of my opinion I would like to choose Sole Proprietors, because it is better than Partnerships. Besides that, it is lower taxes because the earnings in a proprietorship are considered to be personal incomes, they may be subject to lower taxes than those imposed on some other forms of business ownership. Other than that, Sole Proprietors make us easy and quickly do decision and making authority. Because the sole proprietor is in total control of the operations, he or she can respond quickly to changes, which is an asset in a rapidly shifting market. The freedom to set the companys course of action is a major motivational force. For those who thrive on the enjoyment of seeking new proprietors thrive on the feeling of control they have over their personal financial futures and the recognition they earn as the owners of their business. Other than that, Sole proprietors is much more better than Partnerships because of Partnerships much more disadvantages then Sole Proprietors. If one partn er dies, complications arise. Partnership interest is often nontransferable through inheritance because the remaining partner may not want to be in a partnership with the person who inherits the deceased partners interest. Partners can make provisions in the partnership agreement to avoid dissolution due to death if all parties agree to accept as partners those who inherit the deceaseds interest.

Calypso and Circe, Important Women of Homers Odyssey :: Homer Odyssey womody

Calypso and Circe, Important Women of Homer's Odyssey Of all the themes in the Odyssey, the one that seems to stand out is Odysseus's struggle to return home. There are many reasons why his journey is deterred, the most obvious being the women he encounters. Of the women, their are two that truly represent "the different aspects of creative and destructive feminiinty." (Taylor, 571) Calypso is a woman who carries the "true appeal" of a woman, beauty. She offers Odysseus eternal life, and an end to physical suffering. With her, he will be able to keep his identity as a man and enjoy the different pleasures she can offer. She seems like the most tempting offer for Odysseus besides his wife, but he denies her offer. "Odysseus refuses Calypso's offer of bodily immortality for the same reasons that he resists bodily death: in neither case could be preserve his whole being as Odysseus." (Taylor, 571) I found his refusal to be quite commendable, though his excuse was not. Circe's charms are also directed towards the same place, but not as blatently as Calypso's. She drugs Odysseus's men to make them forget their homes and then she turns them into pigs. Taylor describes this sequence of events as "significant because it represents the metamorphosis as a collary of forgetting one's native land. The transformation of man to animal is a vivid image of the lessening of human consciousness which forgetting one's origings implies." (Taylor, 572) He also states that the story suggests that "men who let themselves be drugged into a lower level of awareness by the destructive power of the enchantress, become no more than animals to be kept as the woman's pet." (Taylor, 572) I found this quote to be quite interesting. It made me think of how this could relate to our own societies "fallen men" and also women. Many people today consume alcohol or recreational drugs and let it control their actions, even though if they were sober, they would not be behaving this way. Our society today is weak, just like in the story, to different "potions" that can affect their mental capacity to think straight.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. :: essays research papers

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very important leader of the American Civil Rights movement as well as a Nobel Prize winner. He proved that Civil Disobedience was an effective weapon against depression. King’s challenges to segregation and racial discrimination in the 1950’s and 1960’s helped convince many white Americans to support the cause of Civil Rights in the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. King was born into the American Civil Rights movement in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. His grandfather was the founder of the Atlanta Chapters of the NAACP, and his father was the Pastor of the Eboniza Baptist Church where he worked as a Civil Rights Leader. Dr. King attended Morehouse College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1948. Dr. King married Coretta Scott King in 1953. After graduating with honors from Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania in 1951, he went to Boston University where he earned a PHD in Divinity in 1955. After graduating from Boston University, Dr. King became the Pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama where he began the activities that would make him an American Civil Rights Leader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In many states, African Americans were denied voting rights and access to schools, buses, and other public facilities that were segregated. They were also denied accommodations in hotels that were for whites only. Discrimination was openly practiced and in some places sanctioned by law. Dr. King’s goal was to protest segregation until it was declared unconstitutional. In 1955 Rosa Parks was ordered by a bus driver to give up her seat to a white passenger. When she refused, she was arrested and taken to jail. King started the Boycott of the Montgomery Bus System. In 1956 the Supreme Court declared Segregation Laws unconstitutional which ended Bus Segregation. King learned Civil Disobedience from Gandhi and proved that peaceful non-violent protests, such as marches, boycotts, and sit-ins, were an effective weapon against depression. In 1957 Dr. King and other ministers formed the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) which fought for the Civil Right s of all Americans. In 1959 King returned to Atlanta, Georgia, the headquarters of the SCLC, to assist his dad and work for Civil Rights. In August of 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King gave his â€Å"I Have A Dream† speech during the March on Washington. Later in the spring of 1963 President JFK introduced the Civil Rights Act (the single most important piece of Civil Rights Legislature) which was passed by President Johnson.

Parents in Islam Essay

All the praise and glory belongs to Allah swt who is the Sustainer and Cherisher of the worlds. The closest meaning of the word ‘Rab’ is sustainer and cherisher. Allah swt is ‘Rab’ in the global sense. He is the ‘Rab’ of every living and non-living particle of any size that exists in this whole universe. All the sovereignty of heaven and earth belongs only to Him. Allah swt at various places in the Holy Quran invites, dictates and warns the people of all religions and races to love, respect and to be compassionate with the Parents. He educates the mankind a special sense of dignity, honor and respect to be given to the parents. Undoubtedly He is the ultimate authority and the cherisher but in order to show the importance of the parents He goes on to say in Sura-e-Kahf (17:24) â€Å"Qul rabbir ham huma kama rabbayani saghira†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which means He instructs the mankind to pray for them by calling ‘O my Lord! Have mercy on them (my parents) as they cherished me when I was little’. Here He wants the mankind to understand the magnitude of dignity, honour and respect that parents deserve by calling them as a cherisher even after the fact that He being the ultimate cherisher. He elevated their position to a very high degree by explaining to mankind that the parents share what I do in terms of sustaining and cherishing the children when they are little. Although the word ‘Rab’ used here is in a specific sense and to show the high degree of importance of the parents to the mankind, He is actually commanding mankind to honor and respect their parents exactly in the same manner as one would honor and respect Allah swt himself. This obedience is only in terms of honor & respect and not in terms of prostration and prayers (ibadat). The prayer (ibadat) is only done specific to Allah swt. There are many places in Holy Quran & traditions of Masoomeen (a.s.) that addresses the issue of special honor and respect to be given to the parents and they uphold a special and elevated position in the eyes of Islam. There is an authentic hadith that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said: â€Å"Paradise is under the feet of the mothers!† In another tradition he reinforced:†The pleasure of parents is the pleasure of Allah, and the anger of parents is the anger of Allah.† Amirul Momineen Imam Ali (a.s.) explained: â€Å"Honoring parents is one of the noblest characteristics.† Imam Sadiq (a.s.) explained: â€Å"If a person desires a long life and blessings, he must honor his parents and stay in contact with kin.† Imam Reza (a.s.) said: â€Å"The Almighty Allah commands that thanks be given to Him and to parents. Whoever fails to thank his parents does not thank Allah.† The divine Imams (a.s.) even warned us from misbehavior and disobedience to the parents. The sixth Imam Sadiq (AS) said: â€Å"Disobedience towards the parents is a heinous sin, for Allah has made the disobedient one rebellious and hard.† He also warned, â€Å"The mildest form of ill conduct towards parents is â€Å"uff†, and if Allah knew something lesser than that, He would have forbidden it.† While explaining the verse, â€Å"And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy† (Al-Quran 17:24), sixth Imam (a.s.) said: â€Å"When you look at them, do not fill your eyes with anything else but mercy and sympathy, and do not raise your voice above their voice, and do not put your hand above theirs, and do not go in front of them!† Commenting upon the ayat, â€Å"And say kind words unto them,† Imam al Sadiq (a.s.) said: â€Å"If they strike you, say to them: May Allah forgive you both.† Thus, it is incumbent on us to abide by the teachings of Holy Quran and to be steadfast & follow the teachings of Ahlu’l-Bayt (a.s.). Disobeying parents is disobeying the verses of Holy Quran & denying the teachings of Masoomeen (a.s.). This is making mockery of Allah’s commands and Allah swt warns those people: â€Å"The warning not to take the communications of Allah for mockery†, Baqarah, 2:231 â€Å"Evil was the end of those who rejected the communications of Allah and mocked at them†, Room 30:10 â€Å"Do not sit with people who mock at the communications of Allah otherwise you will end in Hell with them†, Nisa, 4:140 Thus it is very important to abide by the command of Allah swt that says, ‘Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and be kind to parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, do not say ‘uff’ to them or chide them, but speak to them in terms of honor and kindness. Treat them with humility, and say, ‘My Lord! Have mercy on them, for they did care for me when I was little’ (17:23)

Coyote Blue Chapter 1~2

Part 1 Epiphany CHAPTER 1 Life Will Find You Santa Barbara, California While magic powder was sprinkled on the sidewalk outside, Samuel Hunter moved around his office like a machine, firing out phone calls, checking computer printouts, and barking orders to his secretary. It was how he began every business day: running in machine mode until he left for his first sales appointment and put on the right persona for the prospect. People who knew Sam found him hardworking, intelligent, and even likable, which is exactly what he wanted them to find. He was confident and successful in business, but he wore his success with a humility that put people at ease. He was tall, lean, and quick with a smile, and people said he was as comfortable in a Savile Row suit before a boardroom of businessmen as he was lounging in jeans at Santa Barbara's wharf, trading stories and lies with the fishermen. In fact, the apparent ease with which Sam mastered his environment was the single disturbing quality people noticed in him. How was it that a guy could play so many roles so well, and never seem uncomfortable or out of place? Something was missing. It wasn't that he was a bad guy, it was just that you could never get close to him, you never got a feel for who he really was, which is exactly how Sam wanted it. He thought a show of desire, of passion, of anger even, would give him away, so he suppressed these emotions until he no longer felt them. His life was steady, level, and safe. So it happened that on an autumn-soft sunny day, not two weeks after his thirty-fifth birthday, some twenty years after he had run away from home, Samuel Hunter stepped out of his office onto the sidewalk and was poleaxed by desire. He saw a girl loading groceries into an old Datsun Z that was parked at the curb, and to the core of his being, Sam wanted her. Later he would recall the details of her appearance – a line of muscle on a tan thigh, cutoff jeans, the undercurve of a breast showing below the half shirt, yellow hair tied up haphazardly, tendrils escaping to brush high cheekbones and wide brown eyes – but her effect on him now was like a long, oily saxophone note that started somewhere in that lizard part of the brain where the libido resides and resonated down his body to the tendons in his groin and back into his stomach to form a knot that nearly doubled him over. â€Å"You want her?† The question came from beside him, a man's voice that startled him a bit, but not enough for him to tear his eyes from the girl. The question came again. â€Å"You want her?† Already off balance, Sam turned toward the voice, then stepped back in surprise. A young Indian man dressed in black buckskins fringed with red feathers sat on the sidewalk by the office door. While Sam tried to regain mental ground, the Indian dazzled a grin and pulled a long dagger from his belt. â€Å"If you want her, go get her,† he said. Then he flipped the dagger across the sidewalk into the front tire of the girl's car. There was a thud and a high squealing hiss as the air escaped the tire. â€Å"What was that?† the girl said. She slammed the hatchback and moved to the front of the car. Sam, in a panic, looked for the Indian, who had disappeared, and then for the knife, which had vanished as well. He turned and looked through the glass door into his outer office, but the Indian wasn't there either. â€Å"I can't believe I manifested this,† the girl said, staring at the flattened tire. â€Å"I've done it again. I've manifested failure.† Sam's confusion blossomed. â€Å"What are you talking about?† The girl turned and looked at him for the first time, studied him for a second, then said, â€Å"Every time I get a job I manifest some kind of tragedy that ruins my chances of keeping it.† â€Å"But it's just a flat tire. You can't manifest a flat tire. I saw the guy that did this. It was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sam stopped himself. The Indian in black had triggered his fears of being found out, of going to prison. He didn't want to relive the shock. â€Å"It was probably some glass you picked up. You can't avoid that sort of thing.† â€Å"Why would I manifest glass in my tire?† The question was in earnest; she searched Sam's face for an answer. If he had one, he lost it in her eyes. He couldn't get a grip on how to react to any of this. He said, â€Å"The Indian-â€Å" â€Å"Do you have a phone?† she interrupted. â€Å"I have to call work and tell them I'll be late. I don't have a spare.† â€Å"I can give you a ride,† Sam said, feeling stupidly proud of himself for being able to speak at all. â€Å"I was just leaving for an appointment. My car's around the corner.† â€Å"Would you do that? I have to go all the way to upper State Street.† Sam looked at his watch, out of habit only; he'd have driven her to Alaska if she had asked. â€Å"No problem,† he said. â€Å"Follow me.† The girl grabbed a bundle of clothes from the Datsun and Sam led her around the corner to his Mercedes. He opened the door for her and tried not to watch her get in. Whenever he looked at her his mind went blank and he had to thrash around looking for what to do next. As he got in the car he caught a glimpse of her brown legs against the black leather seat and forgot for a moment where the ignition slot was. He stared at the dashboard and tried to calm himself, even as he was thinking, This is an accident waiting to happen. The girl said, â€Å"Do you think that the Germans make such good cars to atone for the Holocaust?† â€Å"What?† He started to look at her, but instead turned his attention to the road. â€Å"No, I don't think so. Why do you ask?† â€Å"It doesn't matter, I guess. I just thought it might bother them. I have a leather jacket that I can't wear anymore because when I have it on I have to drive miles out of my way to avoid going by cow pastures. Not that the cows would want it back – zippers are hard for them – but they have such beautiful eyes, it makes me feel bad. These seats are leather, aren't they?† â€Å"Vinyl,† Sam said. â€Å"A new kind of vinyl.† He could smell her scent, a mix of jasmine and citrus, and it was making driving as difficult as following her conversation. He turned the air-conditioning on full and concentrated on timing the lights. â€Å"I wish I had calf eyes – those long lashes.† She pulled down the visor and looked in the vanity mirror, then bent over until her head was almost at the steering wheel and looked at Sam. He glanced at her and felt his breath catch in his throat as she smiled. She said, â€Å"You have golden eyes. That's unusual for someone with such dark skin. Are you an Arab?† â€Å"No, I'm†¦ I don't know. I'm a mongrel, I guess.† â€Å"I never met a Mongrel before. I hear they were great horsemen, though. My mother used to read me that poem: ‘In Xanadu did Kublai Khan a stately pleasure dome decree†¦. I don't remember the rest. Someone told me that the Mongrels were like the bikers of their time.† â€Å"Who told you that?† â€Å"This person who's a biker.† â€Å"Person?† Sam knew there was some reality to grab on to somewhere, a position from which he could regain control, if only he could get a straight answer. â€Å"Do you know where the Tangerine Tree Cafe is on upper State? That's where I work.† â€Å"Just tell me a block or so before we get to it.† Even after twenty years Sam found it impossible to distinguish one area of Santa Barbara from another. Everything was the same: white stucco with red tile roofs. The city had been partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1925, and since then the city planners had required all commercial buildings to be built in the Spanish-Moorish style – they even dictated the shade of white that buildings were painted. The result was a beautifully consistent city with almost no distinctive landmarks. Sam usually spotted his destination just as he passed it. â€Å"That was it back there,† the girl said. Sam pulled the car to the curb. â€Å"I'll go around the block.† She opened the car door. â€Å"That's okay, I can jump out here.† â€Å"No! I don't mind, really.† He didn't want her to go. Not yet. But she was out of the car in an instant. She bent back in and offered her hand to shake. â€Å"Thanks a lot. I work until four. I'll need a ride back to my car. See ya.† And she was gone, leaving Sam with his hand still extended and the image of her cleavage burned onto his retinas. He sat for a moment, trying to catch his breath, feeling disoriented, grateful, and a little relieved, as if he had looked up just in time to slam on the brakes and avoid a collision. He took his cigarettes from his jacket and shook one out of the pack, but when he reached for the lighter he noticed the bundle of clothes still lying on the seat. He grabbed the clothes, got out of the car, and headed down the street to the cafe. The doors to the cafe were the big, heavy, hand-carved, pseudo-Spanish iron-banded variety common to almost all Santa Barbara restaurants, but once through them the decor was strictly Fifties Diner. Sam approached a gray-haired woman in a waitress uniform who was manning the cash register at the head of the long counter. He didn't see the girl. â€Å"Excuse me,† he said. â€Å"The girl that just came in here – the blonde – she left these in my car.† The woman looked him up and down and seemed surprised at his appearance. â€Å"Calliope?† she said, incredulously. Sam checked his tie for spots, his fly for altitude. â€Å"I don't know her name. I just gave her a ride to work. She had a flat tire.† â€Å"Oh.† The woman seemed relieved. â€Å"You didn't look like her type. She went to the back to change. I guess she won't get far without these.† The woman took the clothes from him. â€Å"Did you want to speak to her?† she asked. â€Å"No, I guess not. I guess I'll let her get to work.† â€Å"It's no problem, that other guy is waiting for her too.† The woman nodded down the counter. Sam followed her gaze to where the Indian was sitting, smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke in four directions with each drag. He looked up at Sam and grinned. Sam backed away from the counter and through the doors, tripping on the step down to the sidewalk, almost falling, but catching himself on the wrought-iron railing. He leaned on the railing feeling as if he had just taken a hard shot to the jaw. He shook his head and tried to find some sort of order to what was happening. It could be some kind of setup; the girl and the Indian in it together. But how could they know who he was? How did the Indian get to the cafe so fast? And if it was blackmail, if they knew about the killing, then why be so sneaky about it? As he climbed back into the Mercedes he tried to shake off the feeling of foreboding that was creeping over him like a night fog. He'd just met the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and shortly he would see her again. He had come to her rescue; what better first impression? Even if he hadn't planned it. The Indian was a coincidence. Life was good, right? He started the car and put it into gear only to realize that he couldn't remember where he was going. There had been an appointment when he left the office. He drove several blocks trying to remember the appointment and who he was going to be when he got there. Finally he gave up and pressed the autodialer on his cellular phone. As the phone beeped through the numbers to his office it hit him: the source of his discomfort. The Indian had had golden eyes. In the time it took for his secretary to answer, twenty years of his life, of denial and deception, was pulled away in a stinging black undertow, leaving him feeling helpless and afraid. CHAPTER 2 Montana Medicine Drunk Crow Country, Montana Black Cloud Follows thundered across the dawn silence of a frost-glazed Little Bighorn basin, out of Crow Agency, under Highway 90, and into the gravel parking lot of Wiley's Food and Gas. A 77 ocher-colored Olds Cutlass rattletrap diesel, Black Cloud Follows stopped, coughed, belched, and engulfed itself in a greasy black cloud of exhaust. When the cloud moved on, wafting like a portable eclipse through the golden poplar and ash trees on the Little Bighorn's banks, Adeline Eats stood by the Cutlass twisting the baling wire that held the driver's door shut. Adeline's blue-black hair was layered large and lacquered into a flip. A hot-pink parka over her flannel shirt and overalls added a Michelin Man concentric-circle symmetry to her oval shape. As the Cutlass chugged and bucked – the thing that refused to die – Adeline lit a Salem 100, took a deep drag, then delivered a vicious red Reebok kick to Black Cloud Follows's fender. â€Å"Stop it,† she said. Obediently, the car fell silent and Adeline gave the fender an affectionate pat. This old car had been indirectly responsible for getting her a husband, six children, and a job. She couldn't bring herself to be mean to it for long. Walking around to unlock the back door, she noticed something lying in a tuft of frost-covered buffalo grass: something also frost covered, that looked very much like a body. If he's dead, she reasoned, he can wait until I've made some coffee. If he ain't, he'll probably want some. She let herself into the store and waddled around turning on lights and unlocking doors, then started the coffee and went out to unlock the laundromat, another of the cinder-block buildings in the Wiley's Food and Gas complex, which also included an eight-room motel. Crunching back through the grass, she looked at the body again, which hadn't moved. But for the frost, Old Man Wiley would have been out at dawn setting gopher traps all over the grounds and would have taken care of the body problem. He would have also given Adeline no end of shit about Black Cloud Follows, which he had been doing for fifteen years. It had been Wiley, a white man, who had named the car in the first place. It was not the Crow way to name cars or animals, but Wiley missed no chance to get in a dig at the people from whom he made his living. Maybe, Adeline thought, a morning of peace was worth dealing with a body. When the coffee was finished, she filled two large Styrofoam cups (one for her and one for the body) and poured a generous amount of sugar in each. The body had long braids, so she assumed he was Crow and would probably take sugar if he was alive. If he was dead Adeline would drink his, and she definitely wanted sugar. Back in the buffalo days, the Cheyenne prophet Sweet Medicine had seen a vision of men with hair on their faces who would come bringing a white sand that was poison to Indians. The prophecy had come true, the white sand was sugar, and Adeline blamed the white man for poisoning her right up to two hundred pounds. She took the coffee, butt-bumped through the back door, and crunched through the grass to where the body lay. He was facedown and his Levi jacket and jeans were crystalline blue with frost. Adeline nudged him in the ribs with her foot. â€Å"You froze?† she asked. â€Å"Nope,† the body said into the ground; a little dust came up with the steam. â€Å"You hurt?† â€Å"Nope.† More dust. â€Å"Drunk?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"You want coffee?† Adeline sat one of the cups by his head. The body – she was still thinking of him as the body – rolled over and she recognized him as Pokey Medicine Wing, the liar. Creaking, Pokey sat up and tried to pick up the coffee, but couldn't seem to get his frozen hand to work. Adeline picked up the cup and handed it to him. â€Å"I thought you was dead, Pokey.† â€Å"I might have been. Just had me a medicine dream.† As he raised the cup to his lips the shakes set in and he had to bite the edge of the cup to steady it. â€Å"I died twice before, you know†¦.† Adeline ignored the lie and pointed to one of his braids, which had fallen into his coffee cup. Pokey pulled the braid out and wiped the beaded band around it on his jacket. â€Å"Good coffee,† he said. Adeline shook a Salem out of her pack and offered it to him. â€Å"Thanks,† he said. â€Å"You gotta offer a prayer after a medicine dream.† Adeline lit his cigarette with a Bic lighter. â€Å"I'm a Christian now,† she said. She really hoped he wouldn't use the cigarette to carry a prayer. She'd only been a Christian for a few weeks and the old ways made her a little uncomfortable. Besides, Pokey was probably lying through his tooth – he had only one – about the medicine dream. Pokey squinted up at her and grinned, but did not pray. â€Å"I saw my brother Frank's boy, the one with the yellow eyes who threw that cop off the dam. You remember?† Adeline nodded. She really didn't want to hear this. â€Å"Maybe you should tell a medicine man.† â€Å"I am a medicine man,† Pokey said. â€Å"Just no one believes me. I don't need no one else to tell me about my visions. I saw that boy with Old Man Coyote, and there was a shade with 'em that looked like Death.† â€Å"I got to go to work now,† Adeline said. â€Å"I need to find that boy and warn him,† Pokey said. â€Å"That boy's been gone for twenty years. He's probably dead. You was just dreaming.† Pokey was a liar and Adeline knew that there was no reason that she should let his ravings bother her, but they did. â€Å"If you're okay, I got to go to work.† â€Å"You don't believe in medicine, then?† â€Å"Mr. Wiley will be coming in soon. I got to open the store,† Adeline said. She turned and started back toward the store. â€Å"Is that a screech owl?† Pokey shouted after her. Adeline dropped her coffee, fell into a crouch, and scanned the sky in a panic. In the old tradition the screech owl was the worst of omens; vengeful ghosts lived in screech owls; seeing or hearing one was like hearing the sound of your own death. Adeline was terrified. Pokey grinned at her. â€Å"I guess not. It must just be a hawk.† Adeline recovered and stomped into the store, praying to Jesus to forgive Pokey for his sins, but adding to her prayer a request for Jesus to beat the shit out of Pokey if He had the time.