Focus on Siemens AG Company

There is a state of ambivalence over bribery in organizations. Some people regard bribery as a type of pecuniary corruption since it involves the transfer of money or any form of gift aimed at altering the behaviour of the recipient (Dowling 2008). In deed the Black’s law Dictionary defines bribery as a form of crime that involves giving, offering, soliciting for or receiving any item that has value in order to manipulate the actions of a person or official performing a certain duty (Dowling 2008).In this case, what makes bribery bad is the fact that the person receiving the bribe may act in a manner that would be detrimental to other operations in an organizations or related organizations. Such operations may include substandard services in which the bribery is used to protect the parties involved (Dowling 2008). On the other hand, some people view bribery as an act that is part of development ambitions in organizations. For instance, Lemieux (2005) argues that many countries whose underground economies have grown could not be where they are today were it not for bribery.And this seems to be the secret behind many organizations such as Siemens AG, which have to deal with authorities in terms of taxation and other legal requirements. Along this line, Lemieux (2005) opines that it is often not possible, or it is very costly, for a company or an individual to escape the restrictions and other prohibitions that are prerequisites to operation of business. Lemieux (2005) also notes that bribery in organizations is a phenomenon that cannot be easily gotten rid of because it is perfectly impossible to enforce the measures required to maintain a bribery-free business environment.Instead, the stricter measures to stop bribery in many organizations only serve to amplify the phenomenon (Lemieux 2005). Cash bribes are often used as donations to many political parties, and non-cash bribes may also be used to seek support in certain business ventures. Thus, according to Lemieux (2005), there is a common dictum among organizations: bribe them (the authorities) if you want to do peaceful business. Siemens AG was a company of high repute as the largest engineering firm in Europe, but its image was clouded when it ventured into bribery in order to expand its operations (OECD 2005).As discussed in this paper, Siemens AG was involved in massive bribery deals both locally and internationally in a bid to maintain a good image of the corporation as a global leader in engineering (Economist. com). But as further discussed, bribery is not only expensive but also a phenomenon that can tarnish the name of a company given the fines that Siemens AG had to pay and the numerous apologies it had to make ( Economist. com). The company also had to suspend many of its staff who were allegedly involve in the bribery claims, thus slowing down its vigour in the market (Economist.com). This makes bribery a topic that is amenable to further discussion as to whether it is a mechanism to advance the operations of a business or it is a vice that should be abhorred by organizations if they want to be successful. The Siemens AG Bribery Scandals Siemens AG’s slogan â€Å"Be Inspired† of the mid-1990s was perhaps of the most inspiring slogans to have been used by leading organizations in the world (Economist. com). However, the inspiration later turned out to involve murky deals aimed at promoting the company globally.So did the managers of the company lack the inspiration to build the company or they were just inspired to build it using alternative means? Siemens AG’s managers were involved in mischievous ways of funnelling huge sums of money to corrupt leaders of many authorities and politician the world over (OECD 2005). The methods used in the bribery cases were just astounding. According to Economist. com, the company bribed its subjects with a lot of trust and candour that no one could figure out the vice in many business transa ctions.To facilitate the bribery operations, the company set up three â€Å"cash desks† in its offices from which the bribery operations were performed (OECD 2005). Company employees would bring empty suitcases to the desks, which would be filled with cash in a manner that could raise no suspicion. As a result of such deals, as much as â‚ ¬1 million or $1. 4 million was withdrawn at different times to facilitate securing of contracts for Siemens AG’s telecoms equipment division (OECD 2005).The cash desks for bribery deals operated on honour mechanisms and not many questions were asked about the operations, nor was proof documentation required (Economist. com). In addition, managers who made application for money from the company were allowed to approve their requests without following due procedures (Economist. com). In fact, by the year 1999 Siemens AG was openly claiming tax deductions to cater for bribes, and the dealings were recorded in accounts books as useful expenditure (Economist. com).In the context of the bribery deals, it is worthwhile to note that Siemens AG considered bribery as a business venture aimed at widening its scope of operations. As a matter of fact, Siemens AG spent about $67 million in â€Å"suitcases† between 2001 and 2004 (OECD 2005). Nevertheless, according to OECD (2005), the people involved in the bribery transactions felt confident about what they were doing and knew that there was nothing wrong. The point here is that bribery was considered as a normal activity that required no questioning.The seemingly conducive culture of bribery continued with illicit payments even after Germany had banned bribing of foreign officials in the year 1999 (Balzli, Deckstein & Schmitt 2007). Thus, when Siemens AG listed its shares on United States’ New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 2001 and it was subjected to stringent American anti-bribery measures, the managers desisted from counting cash in office (Balzli, Decks tein & Schmitt 2007). Instead, they turned to the use of cash cheques to perform the same operations.The cheques were deposited in various accounts but the company did not keep records in its own books so that it could make more nefarious payments (Balzli, Deckstein & Schmitt 2007). In order to disguise the underhand operations, Siemens AG managers outsourced most of its accounts works to â€Å"business consultants† so that no it would not be culpable in any secret operation would be unearthed (Economist. com). In bid to cover their operations further, the managers of the company used more eccentric mean to avoid being found (Balzli, Deckstein & Schmitt 2007).When they authorised the bribery payments, they used removable sticky notes, which would be easily destroyed to conceal all evidence of any transaction (Fernando & Bellamkonda 2007). The sums of money transferred by the managers of Siemens AG were staggering. According to Balzli, Deckstein and Schmitt (2007), a total of $805 million was handed over by the company to foreign officials in bribes. The money handed out was aimed at ensuring that Siemens won as many contracts as it could in many foreign markets (Economist. com).In other instances, the bribes were meant to woo labour representatives in supervisory areas to support Siemens AG policies when they would obviously need to rejected (Fernando & Bellamkonda 2007). Along this line, Fernando and Bellamkonda (2007) note that the German government’s stance on bribery was perhaps a contributing factor in Siemens AG’s underhand operations. This is because many companies understood that the German law and even the law in many other OECD countries permitted bribery and even offered subsidies to companies in order to enhance their operations in spite of the huge sums of money given out in form of bribes.Implications of the bribery cases When the Siemens AG bribe scandals were unearthed between 2006 and 2007, it was dubbed the â€Å"$2 bill ion bribes-for-business scandal† (Bushan 2008). When the details of scandal spilled out, German authorities raised siemens AG’ s offices in Germany an further investigations were initiated in countries such as the United States, Italy, Greece, and Switzerland where the company hand major investments (Bushan 2008). What followed were court suits, apologies, and a general decline in the company’s performance.The first reaction by the company managers was a fallout in which the CEO, Heinrich von Pierer and head of the company’s supervisory board, known as Klaus Kleinfeld, resigned in spite of the fact that they were not directly implicated (Bushan 2008). On December 15 2008, Siemens AG agreed with its host country Germany and the United States to pay them $1. 34 billion in response to bribe charges (Dowling et al 2008). This ended a two-year inquiry that had been made by the German Government to Siemens AG officials all over the world.In the agreement, Siemen s AG paid â‚ ¬395 million to settle to the German Government’s inquiry expenses and a further $800 million as the charges raised by the United States Security Exchange Commission (Dowling et al 2008). In addition, Siemens AG pleaded guilty to flouting the United States anti-bribery laws, which resulted into a penalty of a further $1. 36 billion (Dowling et al 2008). In an attempt to recover the massive losses, Siemens AG sued eleven of its former board executives led by Heinrich von Pierer and Klaus Kleinfeld (Dowling et al 2008).The new management of Siemens said that the action was meant to seek compensation from the former managers for damages that the company incurred as a result of their wanton actions (Dowling et al 2008). Some of the damages that were inflicted on Siemens and which the company would take time to recover from included a fall in the company’s share price by 23 cent to â‚ ¬47. 15 on the Frankfurt stock market. In addition, Siemens’s st ock in the market plummeted by 56 per cent in 2008 (Dowling et al 2008). What the Bribery Scandal in Siemens AG means about Bribery in OrganizationsGiven that the law in Germany and other OECD countries was somehow supportive of bribery, the efforts by the German Government to investigate the bribery claims can be considered to have been aimed at dignifying international laws on trade and laws against bribery (Dowling et al 2008). This is particularly true since other countries such as the United States, Greece, Italy and Switzerland were involved. According to Lemieux (2005), countries usually support corporations that have significant influence on the magnitude of their gross national product, as was the case of Siemens in Germany.Here, the fact that the German government provided subsidies to Siemens AG to facilitate its bribery payments cannot be gainsaid and is a clear pointer that even the though the government reacted, its officials had been well aware of the underhand operat ions. The Siemens AG bribery case also points out the weaknesses in governments when it comes to dealing with giant corporations. It is particularly worthy noting that Europe is still miles behind the United States when dealing with corruption cases particularly bribery (Georgiev 2008).According to a further analysis in Economist. com, Siemens invited group of lawyers from a United States firm called Debevoise & Plimpton to represent it with the hope that doing so would make it win sympathisers and have its name cleared from the bribery scandal. Nevertheless, this move made things even worse as the lawyers carried out a private investigation that cost the company a further â‚ ¬204 million. Thus, according to Economist. com, an investigation by German investigators would not have unravelled as much.Although Siemens AG paid many fines, the amount of money cannot equal the damage it did to markets both locally and at the international level. Considering the fact that Siemens AG was used to paying bribes, the fines were just meant to polish the name of the company. Nevertheless, other companies lost several contracts due to Siemens AG’s bribery (Balzli, Deckstein & Schmitt 2007). This perhaps is the worst effect of the bribery claims as companies that seemingly would have been more competent than Siemens AG were denied the chance to compete for tenders due to the bribe mask.This shows how unpopular companies are treated unfairly at the expense of pleasing giant companies, which have the ability to finance illegal operations. Siemens AG was able to influence market policies through bribery and this therefore leaves a question of whether the giant organizations of the world actually reach the top through excellent performance or through underhand deals as portrayed by firm. According to Economist. com, the confession by Siemens AG of involvement in bribery was triggered not by the fact that bribery is a vice in the organizational environment.Rather, it was due to the realization that the company was bound to lose a major market in the United States- which was firmly against the deals, as well as other markets in Greece, Italy, and Switzerland. A question that arises therefore is what would have happened had the bribery scandal not been raised in the public limelight. Would Siemens AG have been praised as a company that has roots all over the world and experiencing rapid growth to necessitate government subsidies, or would it have been criticised to have grown based on underhand operations?Probably the answer lies in viewing bribery a vice and not an incentive within organizations, and realizing that fair competition should not involve bribery. Conclusion Bribery in organizations is viewed with different standpoints depending on the effect it has on the respective organizations. For large organizations such as Siemens AG, bribery is seen as a mechanism to augment expansion since restrictions such as laws are avoided. Nevertheless, the adverse effects of bribery include massive fines against the organizations involved and a significant corporate damage as was realized in the case of Siemens AG. ReferencesBalzli, B, Deckstein, D & Schmitt J 2007, New Report Details Far-Reaching Corruption, Spiegel Online International, Available from http://www. spiegel. de/international/0,1518,462954,00. html (16 March 2009) Bhushan, A 2008, Bribes-for-Business: Siemens AG Sues 11 former management board executives, CEOWORLD Magazine, Available from http://ceoworld. biz/ceo/2008/07/31/bribes-for-business-siemens-ag-sues-11-former-management-board-executives/ (16 March 2009) Dowling, P; Welch, D E ; Festing, M & Engle A D 2008, International human resource management: managing people in a multinational context, Cengage Learning EMEA, New YorkEconomist. com, 17 Dec 2008, The stench of bribery at Siemens signals a wider rot in Europe, Available from http://www. economist. com/business/displaystory. cfm? story_id=12800474 (16 March 2 009) Fernando, R & Bellamkonda, B 2007, The Bribery Scandal at Siemens AG, Available from http://www. caseplace. org/d. asp? d=375 (16 March 2009) Georgiev, P K 2008, Corruptive patterns of patronage in SE Europe, VS Verlag, London Lemieux, P 2006, In defense of bribery, Available from http://mises. org/story/1884 (16 March 2009) OECD 2005, Fighting corruption and promoting integrity in public procurement, OECD Publishing, London

Fine Art Critique Paper

Germaine Armstrong Professor Hale MU2313 Critique Paper When I went home last weekend I attempted to go to the Arlington Museum of Art. Unfortunately the museum was closed due to the fact that they where changing exhibits and would not reopen until the following week. I returned back to San Marcos and decided I would go to The Wittliff Collections here on campus. To my surprise it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. Being on just one floor of a building I thought it would be a pretty limited museum but it is way bigger than expected. There are four exhibits on display in the museum.One is a permanent display in the museum. There are also a couple of smaller displays in an area in the museum. I couldn’t take any pictures in the museum due to the many signs up saying not to. The exhibit that is on permanent display is The Lonesome Dove Collection. Arguably the greatest western made is based on the Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. On display there ar e many things from scripts from the TV show to trail maps used to show the geography of the land on the show. The collection is pretty amazing to me and I am not really a fan of lonesome dove.There are so many small details of the show that you get to see. It really catches your attention. You get to see so many of the props from guns to the saddles they used on horses. Though this is the only permanent exhibit the other exhibits are equally as great. Another Exhibit on display is called Face to Face Portraits. This exhibit shows the work of over 30 photographers. From photos that included Willie Nelson and Texas State alumni George Strait to homeless men, women, and children from across the world. Two pieces from this exhibit really caught my attention.One of the pictures I found very interesting being that of an older gentlemen sitting in a chair that I thought to be pretty unique. The chair he is sitting in caught my eye as soon as I looked at the photo. The arms of the chair hav e been carved to look like the head of a cougar, with the legs the chair being cougar legs. The wood of the chair has many different shades of color. The man sitting in the chair is actually dressed cleanly but you can clearly see that he is a man of lower class. He has on old sneakers and looks like he is out in the sun for a good majority of his time.This one photograph made me ask myself many questions such as â€Å"is he wealthy or poor? † and â€Å"is that his chair or just used for the picture? † or maybe â€Å"did he make the chair and wants to sell it? † The photo really made me think more than any other in exhibit. The other photo or photos in the exhibit that caught my eye were those of Willie Nelson. He had several photos as well as other notable things such as one of his songbooks on display. Nelson had his very on little display case of many notable pictures and accomplishments of his. The reason I really like this is because I am a fan of Willieâ⠂¬â„¢s music.Not only am I a fan but also Willie actually owned a gas station and a house not even ten miles away from where I grew up. So I have gone and seen many notable things that have happened in his career as he put many things on display in his gas station. The most unique thing in the display was a songbook that Willie Nelson wrote when he was ten years old. Seeing more of his accomplishments was awesome. A third exhibit was Global Odyssey: From Texas to the world and back. It showcased many stories of Texas writers as they traveled the world. There are stories form men who severed in Vietnam.This was my least favorite exhibit of any not to say it was a bad one but it just did not catch my attention like the other exhibits. The final exhibit was Las Sombras The Shadows. This exhibit I thought was the coolest of them all. The Photograms by Kate Breakey are amazing. This was my most favorite because I am an animal lover. Many of the photos captured wild animals in their natur al environment. There are several rooms with pictures from this exhibit. One room had most of my attention. The room was all pictures taken from a video that was filmed by a camera left in the woods.Other photos where actually like the outline of many animals. The most intriguing photo to me was a picture of a wolf. The Wolf is actually walking right toward the camera and looking directly in to the lens with its head tilted a little to one side. I like this photo because it shows the wolf checking out its surroundings and actually examining something odd. It looks as if the wolf knows that the camera is not suppose to be there. In all the other photos the animals are either running or walking right by the camera. I am actually glad I went to the museum on campus and it’s the museum I choose to write about.If I did not have to do this critique and the museum in Arlington was not closed I probably would have never visited the museum on campus. Having went I really enjoyed mysel f. I thought it was worth every minute of my time and I could see myself visiting it many more times before I am don at Texas State. I went to the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth Texas to watch the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. I was sitting pretty high up but still had a great seat and could hear perfectly. Before going to watch the performance I read a couple of reviews online.Most of the reviews praised the orchestra for there performance in concerts earlier this year. The concert I attended would include pieces from three composers John B Hedges, Schumann, and Rimsky-Korsakov. I arrived to the concert pretty early and after I walked around for a little bit I found my seat, which turned out to be way better than, I expected when I first got there. When I first got to my seat I could see the stage fine but thought I might not be able to hear very well being so high up. Boy was I wrong when the members of the orchestra began to warm up I could hear everything crystal clear.Hav ing never being at one of these big concerts before I found it weird how everyone warmed up separately. With them warming up like that it sounded like a bunch of senseless noise. As it got closer to show time the senseless noise became certain people warming up together to whole sections warming up together and was pretty cool. The concert started out with a piece by John B Hedges called Slapdance. This piece of music was filled with a lot of life and energy. One of the reasons I really enjoyed this piece was because of the many percussion instruments used.I was in my high school band and my favorite pieces would always be the fast paced exciting music filled with percussion. This piece had me on the edge of my seat and really excited for the rest of the concert. The piece following Slapdance was a piece by Schumann by the name of Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129. This piece though not as exciting as the first piece was pretty good. It started out slow but it picked up as the song continued. This piece had a solo for a cello. The solo was played by a guest cellist Alban Gerhardt which I learned later is considered one of the great cellist of our time.Though this was my least favorite piece it was not because I did not like it but because I really liked the other two more. After the first two pieces there was an intermission. Most people got up and left the performance room but I stayed just to observe and see what the orchestra would be doing. To my surprise many of them got up and went backstage but a few of them stayed on the stage and seemed to practice he up coming piece. Seeing professional musicians stay on stage and continue to practice up to right before they played was pretty cool to see. After the 15 minute intermission every on returned to their seats.The entire orchestra came back to the stage for the final piece Scheherazade, Op. 35 written by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. Being the final piece it was the longest of the three selections. I really enj oyed this piece because it had many parts some parts where very slow but it had plenty of exciting parts. This piece actually tells many Indian-Arabian tales called A Thousand and One Nights. This piece even though written hundreds of years later is as well known as the stories. The performance hall where the concert was held was an amazing place to see. When I first arrived and saw the building I thought â€Å"this is the building. Not knowing that I actually wasn’t at the front of the building but the side. Once I got inside everything was extremely incredible. The building didn’t look nearly as large from the outside. When I walked into where the performance would be held I was in awe. The stage was set down at the bottom from where I was with four different levels of seats. Having never been to a place like it I thought it would be awesome to play music in a place like that. The Bass Performance is an amazing place. By attending this classical music concert I lear ned that I could actually enjoy this type of music.The cost for the concert was actually pretty cheap and the seat I had I think was pretty good. I feel like the concert was worth my money and my time. My high school football coach use to always tell me that going outside your comfort zone makes you broaden your mind on what you think is good and bad. Before going to the concert I would have never thought that I would enjoy the music as much as I did. Even though I enjoyed it I probably will not go to another one just to go. After going and my brother and I being the only two younger people there it felt a little uncomfortable.It is something I could see myself going to when I get older. For right now though I would rather go to something with more excitement and people my age. Picking a movie to critique for this paper was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I could not decide if I wanted to pick a movie I had never seen or one I have seen many times. Did I want to pick a movi e that I liked or one that I hated? I decide that I would pick a movie I did not like to see if me critiquing the movie would change how I viewed it or would my opinion stay the same.The movie I choose to critique was the movie Clueless written and directed by Amy Heckerling. The movie is based on a very popular girl in high school who along with her best friend helps the new nerdy kid that arrives at their school to fit in. By changing how the new kid dresses, talks, and trying to get her a boyfriend. Cher Horowitz the main character of the movie is at the top of her schools social scene. Her father is a rich lawyer so she has everything she has ever wanted. Going to high school in Beverly Hills she is obsessed with her fashion.She likes to think she is just as normal as a regular girl but has a closet that puts her outfits together. She is the typical example of â€Å"daddy’s little girl†. Even when given rules to follow she somehow always manages to find a loophole and does what she wants. She is your typical â€Å"brat†. The one thing she cannot seem to get is a boy. The movie is told from Cher’s point of view as she tries to help friends and ultimately help herself before the movie ends. Cher’s best friend is Dionne. Dionne understands Cher because she faces all the same popular girl problems.Dionne helps Cher with her fashion and trying to give the new kid a makeover. At first Cher is against Dionne and her boyfriend’s relationship but after a near accident Cher realizes that the two are in love and ends up envying their relationship. Tai Frasier is the ugly unpopular nerd that transfers to Cher and Dionne’s school. As soon as she arrives Cher makes it a point of hers to transfer the goofy nerd into one of the popular girls. Dionne is uneasy with the idea at first but Cher uses her charming ways to convince her to do it. Tai immediately falls behind Cher and Dionne and listens to everything the two says.Sh e is attracted to an unpopular boy but ignores him because Cher and Dionne says she should be dating one of the most popular boys at school. Mel Horowitz is the father of Cher. He is a very successful litigator who pays more attention to his work than to his daughter. He tries to discipline Cher throughout the movie but she manages to always find a way to get off easy. Josh Lucas is Cher’s ex-stepbrother. Her father used to be married to Josh’s mother. Josh has ambitions to be a lawyer and tries to learn many things from Mel. Josh and Cher flirt throughout the movie but when she sees josh and Tai flirting she becomes jealous.However Josh and Cher ends up falling for each other at the very end of the movie. When Cher realizes she cannot connect with any other boy because she loves him. Christian Stovitz is one of Cher’s main love interests in the movie until she finds out that he is gay. Christian arrives at midway trough the school year and immediately gets Cher ’s attention. She goes out with him several times and even tries to seduce him. When it does not work she thinks it as something to with herself. After complaining about it to Dionne and her boyfriend Cher is told he is gay and she now understands him more.Throughout the film Cher refers to herself as clueless many times. Even though she had many answers for others problems she often found herself clueless to her own. She helps many of her friends with fashion and boys. She is not able to get any boy she wants. She becomes aware of this and becomes depressed. Shopping helps her depression for a little while but she still finds herself down. She finally overcomes her depression when admits to herself that she loves Josh. After reading reviews on this movie it was actually a pretty big hit in 1995. The movie was much more popular than most expected.It is still a very popular movie because many girls can relate to the things that happen in it. This movie is not based on a true s tory but the events that happen I am sure are possible. Even though I went to a small high school I have seen many girls freak out over many silly things. All of the things Cher goes through sounds like typical girl problems. After seeing this movie several times and now critiquing it I still think that it is overly hyped and I do not think it is a movie I would watch just to watch. There would have to be a reason I would watch it. I think my opinion is like this because I cannot relate to the movie.

Mother's day Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mother's day - Essay Example â€Å"I cannot think of a more thankless job. I hate to even call it a job, but it is work, with long hours, no vacations and no pay. In the end if things don’t go the way they are suppose to then it is mom’s fault† (The importance of mother’s day, 2010). Even grown up people is taking shelter in their mother’s company when they face severe challenges in their life. Mother’s soothing words often act as a medicine to the children in getting rid of their problems. This paper briefly analyses importance of mother’s day to me and why my mother is so special to me. I was not much aware of the importance of mother’s day during my childhood. However, when I was 15 years old, one of my friends told me that she is going to present her mother with a gift in order to mark her respect and love towards her mother. She also told me that the mother’s day is celebrating all over the world and in UAE it is celebrating in every March 21 st . I loved my mother very much and my friend’s comments stimulated thoughts about giving a gift to my mother. I had not enough money with me during that time and I decided to save some money to purchase a gift for my mother. Being a child of 15 years, it was difficult for me to collect more money from father. Even then, I started to save the pocket money I received from my father for two years. I succeeded in saving around 650 dollars in two years time and decided to purchase a gift worth $ 650 for my mother. Parris Gallery one of the popular gift shops in Dubai. It is located in City Centre, Deira, Dubai. Expensive perfumes, flowers, fashionable items etc are available in Paris Gallery. UAE is an extremely hot country and I was staying around 100 kilometers away from Dubai. If I use a taxi, I could have reached there within 35 minutes. However, my parents were not ready to allow me to go out alone. My elder brothers and sisters were too busy and they also did not hear my requ est. It was impossible for me to walk 100 kilometers alone in extreme hot climatic conditions. I was very much worried since my dreams of giving a gift to my beloved mother were not fulfilled. The mother’s day was approaching rapidly. I shared my sorrows and feeling s with my friends and one of my friends asked me to check whether any home delivery option is available with Paris Gallery. I have gone through the telephone directory and succeeded in collecting their telephone number. To my utmost surprise, they informed me that they can deliver the items anywhere in UAE and that also in a day’s time. I have ordered a costly perfume and asked them to pack it in good manner to present it as a gift. They asked me my name and my mother’s name and contact details. They also asked me about the credit card details and I told them that I do not have a credit card and I can pay cash on delivery. They agreed that and delivered the perfume in the evening itself. My mother wa s not aware of my efforts. When I presented the gift to her on mother’s day, she was surprised. She never received such a gift in her life. None of my brothers and sisters so far gave her any gifts. So when she received my gift her eyes were filled with tears and she embraced me with lot of love and care. My mom is a special person to me and I do believe that honoring her in proper manner is the duty of me. My mother helped me a lot during my childhood and even now I am approaching her whenever I confused with something. My mother has a loving character and she never punished me or used any rash

Organizational Personnel Policy Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Refrigeration cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Refrigeration cycle - Essay Example The cycle is very important since it affects many areas of our lives. As said earlier, it is used in refrigerators and freezers that allow food preservation. Refrigerated boats and fishing boats allow the preservation of the catch (Brain & Elliott, 2015). In addition, trucks that transport perishable vegetables, as well as other types of perishable products such as meat, are fitted with refrigerators for preservation. The cycle is also used in air conditioners that are fitted in houses and automobiles such as cars and planes. Air conditioners help in altering air properties such as temperature and humidity to more comfortable conditions (Brain & Elliott, 2015). Basically the main aim of the conditioned air is to enhance thermal comfort, as well as indoor air quality In addition, the cycle is very important in the medical procedures that require lowering of body temperatures. Vapor compression refrigeration is used in industries to chill as well as condense chemicals that fail to possess the ability to be condensed at ambient temperatures. Moreover, Refrigeration cycles are also used in cryogenics, which is the study of the behavior of materials at low temperatures. Cryogenics subject various materials to very low temperatures by the use of ammonia refrigerators in their study Homes are also fitted with heat pumps that use vapor-compression pump cycles. These heat pumps allow household heating since they allow heat transfer from the cooler outside environment into the warmer inside. These pumps are often used in moderate climate areas since they remain efficient compared to electrical resistors given that the outside temperatures do not drop to very low levels (N.A, 2010). Since the equipment, as well as the working fluid, is very light, they are used as air conditioners in passenger aircrafts. Moreover, they are also used in cargo planes that transport perishable products such as fruits and vegetables. However, thermoelectric

Comparative Analysis of Altarpieces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Comparative Analysis of Altarpieces - Essay Example The San Marco Altarpiece (Madonna and Saints) This piece is the work of early Italian renaissance artist, Fra Angelico. It is currently in Florence, France at the San Marco Museum. Its estimated time of creation is around 1438 to 1443. It is tempera on wood and is a panel artwork, with a main panel accompanied by nine other predella panels although only the main panel remains today. The main panel has an illustration of the enthroned virgin and child with saints and angels surrounding them. There is a curtained panel standing on two pillars overlapping a landscape with trees forming the background (Woods 204). The Merode Altarpiece (The Annunciation) Renaissance artist Robert Campin did this piece in the period 1427 to 1432 and it is currently in the Metropolitan Museum, USA. It oil on oak with three panels. It has a main (center) panel in between two smaller panels. The main panel shows the moment just before the annunciation of Mary. She is sitting on the floor reading a bible and is looking down. To her left is an angel she is not aware of, with an oval table separating them. A small figure of Jesus is flying towards Mary holding a crucifix. The right panel has Saint Joseph in a carpentry workshop where he is making mousetraps with a townscape appearing behind him in an open window. The right panel has two figures called the donors waiting to go inside an open door (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Similarities The scenarios appearing in both paintings depict religious themes. In The San Marco Altarpiece, there is Virgin Mary who is holding baby Jesus around saints and angels, which is a scenario in Christian beliefs. The same case applies in The Merode Altarpiece where the same Virgin Mary is in the same room with an angel and a perception of Jesus flying in. much of the iconography is therefore religious. On another note, both paintings are renaissance panel altarpieces that Italians made in the 1300’s to 1400’s. Altarpieces consist of wooden pan els covered with cloth that is plastered with gesso paste to create a smooth painting surface (D'Elia 19). Both have several panels that make up a complete work under the same theme. Another similarity between the two is the exclusion of the crucifix with Christ on it from the main idea of the picture. According to Casa Santa Pia, the Dominican order of those days only allowed painted or sculpted crucifixes on altarpieces. In The San Marco Altarpiece, Angelico uses a special optical illusion to include the crucifix in the main picture but still it appears as a unique piece on top of the bigger painting. In The Merode Altarpiece, Campin uses an almost similar tactic. The crucifix is not easy to spot but it is in a miniature size above the angel’s head and appears as a small figure (representing Jesus) flying down towards Mary clutching onto a crucifix. There is also a similarity in the use of a single color to highlight subjects in both paintings. In The Merode Altarpiece, the highlight color is red. In the left panel, the color red attracts the eyes to reveal a tiny figure in the extreme background. In the main panel where the most red is, the eye concentrates on

To know oneself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

To know oneself - Essay Example The â€Å"know thyself† phrase by Socrates is engraved in the entrance of the Apollo temple at Delphi in order to illustrate the importance of knowing one’s self (qtd. in Hergenhahn 44-45). Socrates believes that the essence of something is necessary in order to understand an individual’s self. Essence for Socrates is a definition or a concept that is universally accepted and acknowledged. In relation to this, Rene Descartes believes that a person exist because he or she is thinking (qtd. in E. Paul, Miller, and J. Paul 76-79). Therefore, the ability for a person to think is the greatest manifestation of self and existence. Descartes strongly believes that the only manifestation of the self is the capacity to think. The universe that he believes in may be just a creative hallucination, but the fact that he thinks of hallucinating is a proof of his self and existence. Self, the ability to think, is not relatively related to the parts of a person’s body. Des cartes believes that self, so long as the brain functions, is present even without legs. Therefore, Descartes's argument can be put into simpler sense that a self, which is considered as the personal identity, is the same mind and body. This argument is the same with John Locke; he considers that consciousness, which is the ability to sense and perceive, is the ability of a person to think. He also suggests that no matter what type of body a person has, his or her self will always be the same all throughout his or her existence. The identity will always be the same no matter he or she changes a body. In this manner, a person’s understanding is formed through thinking. As latter stated, self exists because a person thinks, and when this happens, he or she perceives and is able to use his or her senses. Therefore, if a person thinks that he or she exists, then he or she is conscious and can understand. In the light of understanding, David Hume (qtd. in Traiger) and John Locke a ssume that it is consistent from the past to the present. Understanding through the person’s sense and perception is constant similar to one’s self. Immanuel Kant (qtd. in Kitcher) suggests that a person is rational and free if he or she is conscious of his or her self. This consciousness will allow an individual to identify the presence of things in the universe. A person can trust what he or she knows because he or she can identify the objects presented to him or her. The presence of self also opens the door of a person to be fully aware of the presence of things or the knowledge surrounds him or her. Therefore, self manifest knowledge and the presence of knowledge manifest the consistency of things that are known. It can then be inferred that the universal knowledge, truth, or facts that a person know can be trusted to be the universal knowledge, truth, or facts for others. Therefore, knowing and trusting one’s self and knowledge encompass the person’s ability to have a constant self. In summation, according to Descartes, a person’s essence is his or her ability to think. As the argument goes back to Socrates, knowing a person’s self is the ability to know the essence of him or her. Therefore, it can be concluded that once a person thinks, self is present. As a person thinks, the act of sensing his or her surrounding and the act of perceiving are also done. Thinking is simultaneous to the latter acts, which will bear knowledge to the self. For this reason, the knowledge

I will get back to you on this. If you come up with an idea let me Essay

I will get back to you on this. If you come up with an idea let me know - Essay Example The emphasis would be on identifying the causal factors causing depression and evaluating the role of each of them. The thesis statement of the paper is that there are genetic predispositions to depression among children of specific age groups as well as catalyzing factors like absence of a father figure, societal pressures to conform and peer-pressure from other children to perform at school. Hence, the paper attempts to answer the thesis question: Is Depression among children caused by genetic factors or environmental factors or a combination of both with catalyzing factors playing a major role. The problem description is that of children in the age groups of 2 to 6 and teenagers showing symptoms of adjustment to the world around them and hence can be classified as troubled or depressed. The point here is that the paper tries to address the â€Å"nature vs. nurture† question as it relates to depression among children. While many experts have pointed to the genetic predisposition that causes mental health disorders, there are others who have insisted that this is nothing more than â€Å"blaming the brain† as an excuse to not look deeply at the environmental factors that cause depression. The line taken in this paper is that while there are enough grounds for genetic factors being at the root of the issue of depression among children, there is enough evidence to indicate that environmental factors act as â€Å"catalysts† in precipitating depression. Hence, what is being argued in this paper is that while nature might predispose certain children towards psychological disturbances, the other factors like home and family environment and social norms do indeed catalyze the inherent tendency towards depression making the children the victims of depression and other psychological disorders. We all have good genes and bad genes and most of us get through life without

Profile the general biotechnology development in the USA Essay

Profile the general biotechnology development in the USA - Essay Example The government has increased its funding to the research and development field through the ministry of agriculture. The overall funding has been steadily increasing in the past four decades, for example in the year 1986, the total funding was estimated at USD 4.4 million, an amount that grew the following year to USD 5.7 million. Majority of the funds allocated are thus used in the development of newer technologies like recombinant DNA which help in the creation of genetically engineered organisms and other products that are highly financially viable (United States Office of Technology Assessment, Congress, 1984, p. 118). Since its inception in the 1980s, the biotechnology industry has also enjoyed a heavy support from friendly and protective policies and laws. The US is known for its long history of regulating both the public and the private sectors. These regulations are meant to ensure safety of the public health while maintaining a good public health (Just, Alston, & Zilberman, 2006, p. 59). Such regulations include the regulation of the type of products that are produced as a result of the technology. The laws demand that any nascent product should be tested extensively to ascertain its toxicity and efficacy (Just, Alston, & Zilberman, 2006, p. 243). The rational regulation of products of the transgenic technology is anchored in the fact that the risks that are posed by the product are far outweighed by the benefits (Just, Alston, & Zilberman, 2006, p. 243). The biotechnology field is also heavily supported by the heavy labor force that is present from experienced research scientists and other scholars. Majority of the funds that are allocated in the research and development field are channeled into the field for employing new workers with experience and skills. Historically, records show that the field has employed the most innovative and well trained personnel and entrepreneurs in the research,

Four hours with the CSPD Essay Example for Free

Four hours with the CSPD Essay I want to express my gratitude and share my ride-a-long experience. The first thing I had to do was contact the Colorado Springs Stetson Hills Area Command to schedule my ride-along. I read the departments ride-along program policy and I received instructions on what I had to do to fulfill the necessary program requirements. Once the initial paperwork was done, a few signatures, a waiver and a criminal background check, I was ready to go. On the day of my ride-along while in the waiting room I met another person who was on a ride-along for class credit as well. After newly hour of waiting I finally met my officer. The officer that was chosen to allow me to ride-along was a female officer. Following her introduction we headed out to the Charger. I was giving a walkie-talkie with an earpiece so that I could listen to the communication from the dispatch. We entered the vehicle, buckled up and started on our way. In the cruiser the officer had logged into her laptop to check her files and looked at any updates on her calls. I was informed that my experience would vary just as much as the calls that the officers went out on from day to day. Some of my responsibilities were that I had to be self-sufficient, be able to think ahead, have the ability to know where I was and most importantly enjoy myself. Our first call was about an attempted shoplifting at a Safeway store. I had the opportunity to drive around the neighborhood and see homes were suspected criminal activity was believed to be. We also responded to a runaway from home. The last thing we did was make a traffic stop for an expired license plate registration. The great thing about the day was that I was able to ask her questions about how police procedures work and how they operate. My hope after this experience is that more people will carry themselves in the manner I observed during my ride-along and recognize what an asset and a delight our officers are to our city. I am now a huge fan of law enforcement because all the officers I saw or had contact with were kind, helpful and efficient. They often work alone, in remote areas. What was interesting to me was the amount of conservation the Officer engaged in. It was revealed through the ride-a-long that Officers do much more than enforce laws. An Officers job is much more than writing tickets. They conduct ongoing public relations. What a wonderful experience for me to see officers respond to incidents involving citizens and watch them handle situations in the same way I believe I would. I now have a completely different outlook and understanding of what our men and women in law enforcement must do every day to keep us safe. I was very impressed with the way they all conducted themselves while performing their duties. They were professional and tactful in the way he interacted with the people they had contact with throughout my ride-along. Each person was treated with the same level of respect. Watching the officer perform her duties made me feel completely safe as she showed complete competence. I found this experience to be informative and I saw a side of law enforcement that most of us never see. I recommend that others in our community spend time with our officers, as I did. My ride alone ended up after four hours and it was certainly eye-opening experience. I sympathize so much with the police officers now. Also I think that everyone should go do a ride-along program at least once in their lifetime, it will change the way you think about them. By the time we finished, I didnt witness any arrests or have the opportunity to blow through any red lights with blaring sirens but I was still impressed. For me it was a pretty fulfilling shift. I got to participate in the Colorado Springs Police Departments Ride-along program and I got to ride shotgun with one of the Springs finest. She even offered to let me stay on until her shift ended if I wanted to. The officer said that this ride-along was a pretty run-of-the-mill shift. Fortunately, there was no major violence during my ride. My hope, after this experience, is that more people will do a ride-along and recognize what an asset and a delight our officers are to our city.

Comparison Of Domestic Logistics With International Logistics Information Technology Essay

Comparison Of Domestic Logistics With International Logistics Information Technology Essay Logistics is the management of business  operations, such as the acquisition, storage, transportation and delivery of goods along the supply chain. The key elements of the logistics are discussed in the report to make the process effective. There should be a good strategy to make the logistics effective. The NAF clothing company have retail stores in every major city in UK. It has decided to open new branches in all over the world. The logistics operations will differ in every country. So the best transportation method and the logistics system are to be analyzed before opening the branches in the other countries. Companies always have the threat of global competition so they must always be analysing their competitors if their focus is selling or manufacturing overseas. Now the domestic components of the business turn to be a part of the large global supply chain. This involves a lot of tactics in the local operations. There are many things that are to be considered in the supply chain they are feasibility, technology and visibility. These are needed to be employed in order to form a supply chain that functions efficiently, technology is becoming upgraded day by day and hence they will allow different alternatives of systems to communicate and share information. Visibility means to identify where the goods are. This is very critical for companies to in order for companies to manage their supply chain by identifying the important points throughout the supply chain so that they can reduce the risk of delays. In regard to flexibility companies need to integrate the alternate locations to switch d estinations both domestic and global in order to get the goods to their ultimate destination. At global level companies need to collect large amount of data and transform it to useful information to streamline their operations and to reduce inventory. Managing the supply chain is thus regarded as managing information than moving goods. Also globally operational differences come into picture. Though the concept is the same the out show is different between domestic and global logistics but international trade is more complicated than domestic as it requires different modes of transportation and multiple hand changes. Also the skills and knowledge needed to manage differs from a global to the domestic structure. Globally logistics industry has grown to a high degree of sophistication far in the westernised countries than Asia and Africa. Thus information is not well recognised in Asia and other developing countries. Thus there are chances of missing the information flow and ultimately customers cant be confident of what they will receive when the shipment actually arrives as th ere will be gaps in the visibility. In global logistics there are three main operations i.e., getting the goods to the port of the country of origin, shipping from the port to the destination port. 2.1. Inventory holding: In a distribution system it is important for a company to hold stocks at adequate level and not in a higher level. It is very important to hold stock as it is necessary to balance between demand and supply as there is always a difference between the volumes of supply and demand. The other important reasons are To lower the total production costs To regulate the variations in demand To control the different supply times To lower buying costs and to have an advantage of bulk buying To be aware of seasonal variations To help in the smooth functioning of the production and operating systems To minimise delays in production due to out of stock of spare parts. To facilitate the availability of work in progress. There are a number of types of inventory positions held at different strategy positions in a company mainly at the point with customers and suppliers. They are Work in progress stocks Finished products Pipeline stocks General stores Spare parts Consumables Rotatables and repairs It can also be classified as Working stock Cycle stock Safety stock 2.2. Inventory replenishment system An effective inventory replenishment system aims at balancing the cost of holding stock and the service provided to the customers. The inventory replenishment system was designed to minimise the effect of the high or low level of stock outcomes and to identify the most appropriate level of inventory for all the products that are to be stocked. The negative aspect of low level of stock is that the supplies cannot be made at the specified date and there for e it might lead to a loss of the existing business as well as future business opportunities. And since goods have to be ordered now and then frequently this will increase the cost of purchase as it may involve huge ordering and delivery expenses. On the contrary high stock level are also a major disadvantage as the capital is locked up with the stock and it cannot be used up anywhere else and would tend to remain idle for a long time. Also the goods might become outdated or expired and hence may result in loss and the last disadvant age is that there may be a need to provide and maintain large storage space thus involving more expenses. It is always difficult to calculate the amount of demand based on the available next level of demand. So companies need to hold a higher level of transparency in maintaining information to suppliers and stock holding and demand all through the supply chain. 3. Different types of transportation modes: The mode of transportation is defined by which a shipment is moved from point A to point B, such as by air, rail, road, or sea. The transportation modes vary for both national and international distribution. The transportation modes inside the UK are mostly by land. The Land transportation includes road transportation and Rail transportation. Road Transportation: Road transportation mode is better than rail transportation modes. The Road transportation mode is the mode that has expanded over the last 50 years. The road transportation is made by trucks. The trucks are used for the distribution of goods from the warehouse to the local stores. This transportation mode is easy if the roads are good and the trucks have the large capacity of storage. The goods are distributed from the manufacturing unit to the distribution centres. The goods are then distributed from the distribution centres to the local stores. Road transportation modes have some advantages. They are This method is cost effective. The capital cost of the vehicle is low. The low vehicle costs make the company to expand the road transportation. Fast Delivery Easy to monitor the location of goods. Easy to communicate with the driver Ideal for short distances Rail Transportation: Rail transportation is another transportation method used for long-distance shipping. This offers the same speed as the trucks. This is also in-expensive like road transportation. The rail transportation is used to move the goods which are heavy and to move for a long distance. The good are then moved to another truck to get into the local shops. Due to this, for so many transportations the rail transportation is not used. But to move a long distance the rail transportation is the best method. The Rail transportation is the transportation method after the road transportation method in UK. So the Trucking is the best mode of transportation for the NAF clothing company. The roads are good and also can get product anywhere through the trucks. So the communication with the driver is easy and the other advantages are given above. So the trucking is the best transportation method in the national transportation. International transportation modes: International logistics modes are used to distribute the goods throughout the world. The international transportation modes are by Air and Sea. The services in the International ocean transportation are through linear ships and tramp ships. The Linear ships travel on a regular voyage and it has a pre established schedule with the determined ports. The Tramp ships service do not operates on a regular schedule. It travels to the place wherever the company wants the cargo to be delivered. Different types of vessels are used in this. They are container ships, Roll-on/Roll-off ships, Combination ships, Break bulk ships, Crude carriers, Lash ships, Dry bulk carriers and Gas carriers. Different types of containers are General purpose container, Reefer container, Tank container and Dry bulk container. In shipping mode, there is a competition between the conference shipping and the non-conference shipping. The conference shipping is the group of shipping companies operating vessels in the same trade lanes and they agree not to compete in price and they charge the same price for all same type of cargos. This is reliable and will be useful at the time of entering into the international logistics transportation. The non conference shipping is provided by the other members who are not in the conference. They offer different rates for the same type of cargo. So a newly entered person cannot get into that immediately. It takes time to analyze the cost and quality of different services provided by them. The Air transportation is the next method in the international transportation. The Air transportation is expensive but it will be suitable for immediate delivery. The goods which are to be delivered quickly for emergency purpose Air transportation is the best way. There are different types of air crafts in the international Air transportation. They are Passenger air planes, Combis, Air freighters and Charters. So the Air transportation is the best transportation for the food products but for the clothing industry The Air transportation is expensive. So for the NAF clothing company, the Shipping transportation is the best transportation method for the international transportation. The shipping transportation is in-expensive and also can get more profit from the goods. The developing countries like India and China will choose the shipping transportation is the best method. The Air transportation is expensive but it will be suitable for the food products and for immediate delivery. So the shipping transportation is the best transportation method for international Logistics. Monitoring and Control system in Logistics: Monitoring and control process is the procedure to obtain the detailed information about the process used. There are some approaches used in the process control monitoring. The main two approaches are balanced scorecard and the SCOR model. The SCOR model is one which is suitable for taking supply chain strategic decisions: The supply chain operations reference model (SCOR) is a management tool used to address, communicate, and improve supply chain management decision within a company and also with the customers and suppliers of the company. This model says the business process should satisfy the customer requirements. This is the best model for the supply chain strategic decision making. This integrates business concepts of bench marking, measurement and process re-engineering into its framework. This focuses on the five main areas of the supply chain management. Those five areas are plan, source, make, deliver and return. These are the areas which repeat again and again for every process. Plan: The planning comes first in every model. The demand and supply planning management has to be included first in this. The resources for the entire supply chain have to be planned and determined in the first stage. This also includes business rules to improve the efficiency of the supply chain. Source: This includes how to manage the inventory, supplier agreements, supplier performance and supplier network. This also deals with things like when to receive the goods, verify the goods and when to transfer the product. This also describes material acquisition, procurement unit cost and vendor lead time. Make: This includes production activities, packaging, stocking and releasing. This also includes managing the production activities, facilities and equipment requirement. This includes production management also. Deliver: This step includes order management, warehousing techniques and transportation modes. This involves managing product lifecycles, transportation, inventories, assets, importing and exporting requirements. Return: Companies have to be prepared to handle the return of defective products, packages or containers. This includes managing assets, return inventory, transportation and regulatory requirements. The benefits of the SCOR model are (1) It includes every step in the supply chain process. (2) Most of the companies prove that this model has identified the problems in the supply chain. (3)This model enables a two to six times of return on investment. The operation of control systems starts with setting the objectives. Collect the data and compare with the objectives. Find the differences between the current data and the objectives. Then take the corrective action to attain the objectives. These are tre basi operations of the control system. Tracking and tracing technologies: There are different types of tracking and tracing technologies used in the Logistics transportation systems. The efficient technology will provide the details of the product at every stage. The main technologies are discussed below one by one. Electronic Data Interchange: Electronic Data Transmission is the transmission of data between organizations from one computer system to another computer system. The EDI is used for electronic fund transfer between the financial institutions. The companies use EDI to increase efficiency and to save cost. The communication can occur in less time with fewer errors. There is no labour cost in EDI. The data accuracy is more when compare to the paper documents. So EDI makes suppliers attractive to other companies and retailers. Bar Codes: Every product has a bar code in it. The bar code reader is used to scan the bar code in the product. The Bar code reader consists of a scanner, decoder and a cable that connects reader to the computer. When a product is scanned the details of the product stored in the database. The details already stored in the database. But after scanning that there is a confirmation that the product has reached the destination. Radio Data Terminals: Radio data terminals are very effective in the control and monitoring applications. The hand held Radio Data Terminal is very useful because its portable and handy. It is used in many industries where an information is needed while on the movement of products from one place to another place. This has an internal rechargeable battery pack and an integral antenna. This also has a keypad with 20 programmable keys. This has so many features which help to communicate quickly. Radio Frequency Identity technology: Radio frequency Identification technology (RFID) is a technology that used to communicate between a reader and an electronic tag attached to the object. This is used to track the location of an object. There are three types of RFID tags. They are passive RFID tags. They are passive RFID tags, active RFID tags and also batter assisted passive (BAP) RFID tags. The passive RFID tags have no power source and active RFID tags contain a battery. The battery assisted passive RFID tags requires an external source to wake up and provides a greater range and has a high forward link capability. These are the technologies used to track the goods in the industries. By these methods we can know about where the product is moving. NAF clothing company plc has to follow SCOR model for the better performance. The effective mode of transport to be used for national requirement is through Trucking Freight and inters modal freight. For Global Distribution air freight is expensive but less in use, so Sea transportation is the better one. This must have control on stock, maintaining stock. So the company must follow the global logistic process for expanding its market world-wide.

The Argumentr Regardingf The Decriminalization Of Cannabis Essay

The Argument Over the Decriminalization of Cannabis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The majority of Americans choose the same issues as the most threatening to the nation. Invariably among these one will see â€Å"drugs† as a major concern of most Americans. There is speculation that this is due to a perceived association between drugs and crime (Inciardi 1). A good deal of the argument over government policy towards drugs centers on the least unhealthy and most socially accepted of the illegal drugs, marijuana.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marijuana, scientifically known as Tetrahydrocannabinol, belongs to its own group among other legal and illegal drugs. It is neither a narcotic, such as heroin, nor a stimulant, such as caffeine or tobacco, nor a depressant, such as alcohol. The cannabis plant is thought to have grown originally in Asia, though it was also discovered upon the settling of North America. Its leaves, when smoked, instigate physiological reactions. When the active chemical in cannabis, THC, enters the bloodstream through the lungs and reaches the brain, it triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that induces pleasure (Gettman). This causes several effects upon the user, such as increased sensitivity of the senses, a dry mouth, the inability to keep a train of thought, and fits of laughter, among others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cannabis remains a legal though partially restricted substance in several countries. The Netherlands, for example, has mostly decriminalized cannabis. Portugal and Spain recently partially decriminalized the possession and use of recreational cannabis. However, in the United States, the possession of cannabis or any paraphernalia is expressly illegal. While no major legislation has been proposed to decriminalize the recreational use of cannabis, the United States government has commissioned several studies regarding the properties of cannabis and its effects, and also has considered bills permitting the medicinal use of marijuana.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cannabis was prevalent in America for much of the 18th and 19th centuries. Many apothecaries and doctors proscribed medications containing cannabis. Until 1941, cannabis was part of the United States pharmacopoeia. However, in the early 20th century, public opinion swung and cannabis was characterized as an evil and ... ...a will certainly continue longer than that. However, the fact remains that a drug recognized as physically safer and more beneficial than nicotine and alcohol has caused millions of imprisonments, billions of federal dollars, and several lives. However, we are only left to wonder if the prohibition of marijuana today will one day seem as trivial is our prohibition of alcohol was during the early 20th century. Works Cited Baggins, David Sadofsky. Drug Hate and the Corruption of American Justice. Westport, CT : Praeger, 1998. Fish, Jefferson M. How to Legalize Drugs. Northvale, NJ : Jason Aronson, Inc., 1998. Gettman, Jon. â€Å"Physiological Effects of Cannabis Consumption†. The Medical Feasibility of Marijuana. 8 Dec. 2000. Whitman College. . Gieringer, Dale. â€Å"NORML Report on Marijuana Prohibition†. National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Homepage. 8 Dec. 2000. NORML. . Inciardi, James A. The Drug Legalization Debate. Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications, 1999. Rubin, Vera. Cannabis and Culture. The Hague : Mouton Publishers, 1975.

Erwin Rommel :: essays research papers

Erwin Rommel Jr. was born on November 15, 1891 in a small WÃ ¼rtemburg town of Heidenheim. His father Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel was a local schoolmaster and former artillery officer. His mother Helena von Luz was the daughter of the local Regierungs-Prasident. Rommel was one of five children, though his brother Manfred had died at an early age. As a child, he was reasonable and very gifted academically and athletically. He was educated at TÃ ¼bingen, a military school in Stuttgart. Rommel planned to apply to the Zeppelin works at Friederichshafen; his father did not approve, and advised him to enter the army. In July 1910, Rommel became a cadet in the 124th WÃ ¼rtemburg Infantry Regiment in the 26th Infantry Division of the German Imperial Infantry. He served as a cadet until March 1911, then began attending the prestigious military academy Konigliche Kriegsschule in Danzig. His eight-month course ended in November 1911, in which time he rose to Lieutenant: Corporal in October and Sergeant at the end of the year. While at the academy he met his future wife Lucie Mollin whom he wrote to everyday during both World Wars, and married in 1916. In January 1912 Rommel rejoined the 124th WÃ ¼rtemburg Infantry. In summer 1914, he served as artillery attachment in drilling practices near Ulm. On July 28, 1914 Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria, was assassinated. The assassination was a major cause of World War I, Rommel’s first true combat tests. Rommel’s first battle was at Longwy after twenty-four hours of marching and riding. He believed that the only successful way to deploy his troops was to be at the front of them. On August 22, 1914, Rommel spotted a group of fifteen to twenty French soldiers. Rommel and his three-man reconnaissance team opened fire in the town of Bleid. Shortly after, eight hundred yards northeast of Bleid at freshly dug trenches, he charged the French with parts of his regiment. Then assisted by two other men Rommel drove off a whole French column, after all the action Rommel passed out from lack of sleep. The battle of Longwy caused a loss of 15% of Rommel’s men and 25% of his officers. Medical doctors informed Rommel after the battle, that he was suffering from food poisoning, but Rommel would not leave the field.

Events That Led to the United States Involvement In World War II Essay

Events That Led to the United States Involvement In World War II World War II was a war that proved to the world the awesome power of the United States. Many events led up to the U.S. involvement in the war, topped off by the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor. Many great people contributed to leading the United State to victory in the war. They include General Douglas MacArthur, General Dwight Eisenhower, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. World War II also consisted of many major events including Operation Overlord and the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Overall the United States played a major role in World War II and displayed their power through strong generals and their initiative and strong leadership in major events. Before the United States entered WW II, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a series of documents known as the Neutrality Acts. These acts were passed and followed between the years 1935 and 1941 and were used to keep the U.S. out of the war.1 The Neutrality Acts limited weapons sales to countries not involved in the war, gave the U.S. power to keep its citizens off of ships of, or travelling to nations involved in the war, and outlawed loans to countries currently in war and countries who had not paid back previous loans.2 These acts also outlawed American ships to carry weapons to nations in the war. The U.S. believed that if a nation in war knew that a ship had weapons on it, this ship would be a prime target for that country, therefor drawing the U.S. into another war. The Neutrality Acts helped keep the U.S. out of WW II until the bombing of Pearl Harbor, at which point the U.S. helped the British through a "Lend-Lease Program". The Lend-Lease Program allowed the U.S. to give ar ms and... ...e Bomb Pearl Harbor. http://historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/pearl.htm (4 Mar. 2000). "Sequence of Events." "Sequence of Events." "Sequence of Events." World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945. World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945. World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945. World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945. World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945. World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945. World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945. World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945. World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945. World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945. "The Atom Bomb." http://www.rnv.u-net.com/ (5 Mar. 2000). "The Atom Bomb."

Religion Terms Chapter 3 (Social Justice)

1. Praxis: Living according to one’s belief, not just in private, but also in a way that affects the world. a. Through this critical appropriation critical praxis becomes a possibility.2. Circle of faith in action: The approach to doing justice that we will examine, which borrows the aspects of the circle of praxis and A Call to Action. b. People all around are called to follow the circle of faith in action to help make the world a better place.3. Awareness: Seeing, hearing, and knowing the world in a spirit of friendship, as God does. c. We are called to spread awareness of the problems people are facing in the world, so we can help them.4. Worldview: The beliefs that guide the way someone relates to the world. d. People around the world have different worldviews on how things may affect them, good or bad.5. Culture: All of the shared values, beliefs, and ways of relating and living together that characterizes a particular group of people. e. Understanding another’s cu lture is one way to bring people closer.6. Respect: To look beyond the outer appearances and first impressions to see the goodness that is the foundation of all God’s creation f. If we want to be respected, we must first respects ourselves.7. Analysis: The process of understanding how people’s lives are affected by the relationships that shape the society in which they live. g. Before we try to approach the problem, we must first go through the process of analysis.8. Interdependent: Depending on one another for our existence. h. We live in an interdependent world where everyone need one another.9. Relationship map: Shows the connection between people that shape our society. i. Everyone’s relationship can be seen in the link of the relationship map. 10. Social structure: The patterns that shape any society. j. Many people say that the social structure of out society are somewhat corrupted.11. Structure of sin: The individuals’ decisions that contribute to the social structure that block justice. k. Our bad decisions are the structures of sin.12. Power: God-given ability everyone has to affect their own lives; lives of others, and the world around them in either positive or negative ways. l. Everyone thirsts for power over others, but little do they know that sometimes is brings pain to them.13. Power-over: The belief that human beings are the source of their own power recalls the Original Sin of the first humans, who believe that they could become their own God. (If power is given, it can also be taken) m. Many corporations long for power-over, because they are always fighting to become the top company in the world.14. Power-with: Everyone has God-given power, because we live in an interdependent world, that power is mean t to be shared in relationships with others. n. God wants his creations to have power-with instead of longing to have all the power to their selves because power-with can help bring the relationship between everyone stronger.15. Boycott: Withdrawal from commercial or social relations with (a country, organization, or person) as a punishment or protest. o. Throughout history, there have been many boycotts regarding because people have been treated unfairly.16. Strike: Refusal to work as a form of organized protest, typically in an attempt to obtain a particular concession or concessions from their employer. p. Many strikes have taken place because employees are not happy with the way they are treated by their employers,17. Action: To change the situation in a way that allows all the people who are involved to experience the good life that the Creator planned for them. q. People should take the action of helping to increase peace and health in the world.18. Direct action: Action that occurs on the level of individual relationships and is aimed at meeting an immediate need. r. When we do direct action, we can immediately help those in need.19. Social action: Action that occurs on a level of social structure. s. When social action is taking place, we can spread the awareness of the problem to people who pay no attention to such horrors in the world.20. Basic ecclesial communities: Small groups of Christians who gather to celebrate the liturgy, hear the Scripture, discuss problems they face in society, and find solutions through inspiration of the Gospel. t. Basic ecclesial communities gather together to help those in need through ideas from the Gospel.21. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Took seriously Jesus’ instructions to love the enemy; developed own ideas about how to act on Jesus’ teachings. u. M.K. Gandhi was a very influential man from India.22. Non-violent non-cooperation: Gandhi’s approach of protesting, striking, and boycotting. v. Gandh i’s non-violent non-cooperation was a way of protesting without aggression of the protestors that may start violence.23. Civil disobedience: intentionally breaking laws that are unjust. w. Civil disobedience can be seen as breaking a law but not actually breaking a law because it was already broken in the first place.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Fifty-five

Catelyn It was too far to make out the banners clearly, but even through the drifting fog she could see that they were white, with a dark smudge in their center that could only be the direwolf of Stark, grey upon its icy field. When she saw it with her own eyes, Catelyn reined up her horse and bowed her head in thanks. The gods were good. She was not too late. â€Å"They await our coming, my lady,† Ser Wylis Manderly said, â€Å"as my lord father swore they would.† â€Å"Let us not keep them waiting any longer, ser.† Ser Brynden Tully put the spurs to his horse and trotted briskly toward the banners. Catelyn rode beside him. Ser Wylis and his brother Ser Wendel followed, leading their levies, near fifteen hundred men: some twenty-odd knights and as many squires, two hundred mounted lances, swordsmen, and freeriders, and the rest foot, armed with spears, pikes and tridents. Lord Wyman had remained behind to see to the defenses of WhiteHarbor. A man of near sixty years, he had grown too stout to sit a horse. â€Å"If I had thought to see war again in my lifetime, I should have eaten a few less eels,† he'd told Catelyn when he met her ship, slapping his massive belly with both hands. His fingers were fat as sausages. â€Å"My boys will see you safe to your son, though, have no fear.† His â€Å"boys† were both older than Catelyn, and she might have wished that they did not take after their father quite so closely. Ser Wylis was only a few eels short of not being able to mount his own horse; she pitied the poor animal. Ser Wendel, the younger boy, would have been the fattest man she'd ever known, had she only neglected to meet his father and brother. Wylis was quiet and formal, Wendel loud and boisterous; both had ostentatious walrus mustaches and heads as bare as a baby's bottom; neither seemed to own a single garment that was not spotted with food stains. Yet she liked them well enough; they had gotten her to Robb, as their father had vowed, and nothing else mattered. She was pleased to see that her son had sent eyes out, even to the east. The Lannisters would come from the south when they came, but it was good that Robb was being careful. My son is leading a host to war, she thought, still only half believing it. She was desperately afraid for him, and for Winterfell, yet she could not deny feeling a certain pride as well. A year ago he had been a boy. What was he now? she wondered. Outriders spied the Manderly banners—the white merman with trident in hand, rising from a blue-green sea—and hailed them warmly. They were led to a spot of high ground dry enough for a camp. Ser Wylis called a halt there, and remained behind with his men to see the fires laid and the horses tended, while his brother Wendel rode on with Catelyn and her uncle to present their father's respects to their liege lord. The ground under their horses' hooves was soft and wet. It fell away slowly beneath them as they rode past smoky peat fires, lines of horses, and wagons heavy-laden with hardbread and salt beef. On a stony outcrop of land higher than the surrounding country, they passed a lord's pavilion with walls of heavy sailcloth. Catelyn recognized the banner, the bull moose of the Hornwoods, brown on its dark orange field. Just beyond, through the mists, she glimpsed the walls and towers of Moat Cailin . . . or what remained of them. Immense blocks of black basalt, each as large as a crofter's cottage, lay scattered and tumbled like a child's wooden blocks, half-sunk in the soft boggy soil. Nothing else remained of a curtain wall that had once stood as high as Winterfell's. The wooden keep was gone entirely, rotted away a thousand years past, with not so much as a timber to mark where it had stood. All that was left of the great stronghold of the First Men were three towers . . . three where there had once been twenty, if the taletellers could be believed. The Gatehouse Tower looked sound enough, and even boasted a few feet of standing wall to either side of it. The Drunkard's Tower, off in the bog where the south and west walls had once met, leaned like a man about to spew a bellyful of wine into the gutter. And the tall, slender Children's Tower, where legend said the children of the forest had once called upon their nameless gods to send the hammer of the waters, had lost half its crown. It looked as if some great beast had taken a bite out of the crenellations along the tower top, and spit the rubble across the bog. All three towers were green with moss. A tree was growing out between the stones on the north side of the Gatehouse Tower, its gnarled limbs festooned with ropy white blankets of ghostskin. â€Å"Gods have mercy,† Ser Brynden exclaimed when he saw what lay before them. â€Å"This is Moat Cailin? It's no more than a—† â€Å"—death trap,† Catelyn finished. â€Å"I know how it looks, Uncle. I thought the same the first time I saw it, but Ned assured me that this ruin is more formidable than it seems. The three surviving towers command the causeway from all sides, and any enemy must pass between them. The bogs here are impenetrable, full of quicksands and suckholes and teeming with snakes. To assault any of the towers, an army would need to wade through waist-deep black muck, cross a moat full of lizard-lions, and scale walls slimy with moss, all the while exposing themselves to fire from archers in the other towers.† She gave her uncle a grim smile. â€Å"And when night falls, there are said to be ghosts, cold vengeful spirits of the north who hunger for southron blood.† Ser Brynden chuckled. â€Å"Remind me not to linger here. Last I looked, I was southron myself.† Standards had been raised atop all three towers. The Karstark sunburst hung from the Drunkard's Tower, beneath the direwolf; on the Children's Tower it was the Greatjon's giant in shattered chains. But on the Gatehouse Tower, the Stark banner flew alone. That was where Robb had made his seat. Catelyn made for it, with Ser Brynden and Ser Wendel behind her, their horses stepping slowly down the log-and-plank road that had been laid across the green-and-black fields of mud. She found her son surrounded by his father's lords bannermen, in a drafty hall with a peat fire smoking in a black hearth. He was seated at a massive stone table, a pile of maps and papers in front of him, talking intently with Roose Bolton and the Greatjon. At first he did not notice her . . . but his wolf did. The great grey beast was lying near the fire, but when Catelyn entered he lifted his head, and his golden eyes met hers. The lords fell silent one by one, and Robb looked up at the sudden quiet and saw her. â€Å"Mother?† he said, his voice thick with emotion. Catelyn wanted to run to him, to kiss his sweet brow, to wrap him in her arms and hold him so tightly that he would never come to harm . . . but here in front of his lords, she dared not. He was playing a man's part now, and she would not take that away from him. So she held herself at the far end of the basalt slab they were using for a table. The direwolf got to his feet and padded across the room to where she stood. It seemed bigger than a wolf ought to be. â€Å"You've grown a beard,† she said to Robb, while Grey Wind sniffed her hand. He rubbed his stubbled jaw, suddenly awkward. â€Å"Yes.† His chin hairs were redder than the ones on his head. â€Å"I like it.† Catelyn stroked the wolfs head, gently. â€Å"It makes you look like my brother Edmure.† Grey Wind nipped at her fingers, playful, and trotted back to his place by the fire. Ser Helman Tallhart was the first to follow the direwolf across the room to pay his respects, kneeling before her and pressing his brow to her hand. â€Å"Lady Catelyn,† he said, â€Å"you are fair as ever, a welcome sight in troubled times.† The Glovers followed, Galbart and Robett, and Greatjon Umber, and the rest, one by one. Theon Greyjoy was the last. â€Å"I had not looked to see you here, my lady,† he said as he knelt. â€Å"I had not thought to be here,† Catelyn said, â€Å"until I came ashore at White Harbor, and Lord Wyman told me that Robb had called the banners. You know his son, Ser Wendel.† Wendel Manderly stepped forward and bowed as low as his girth would allow. â€Å"And my uncle, Ser Brynden Tully, who has left my sister's service for mine.† â€Å"The Blackfish,† Robb said. â€Å"Thank you for joining us, ser. We need men of your courage. And you, Ser Wendel, I am glad to have you here. Is Ser Rodrik with you as well, Mother? I've missed him.† â€Å"Ser Rodrik is on his way north from White Harbor. I have named him castellan and commanded him to hold Winterfell till our return. Maester Luwin is a wise counsellor, but unskilled in the arts of war.† â€Å"Have no fear on that count, Lady Stark,† the Greatjon told her in his bass rumble. â€Å"Winterfell is safe. We'll shove our swords up Tywin Lannister's bunghole soon enough, begging your pardons, and then it's on to the Red Keep to free Ned.† â€Å"My lady, a question, as it please you.† Roose Bolton, Lord of the Dreadfort, had a small voice, yet when he spoke larger men quieted to listen. His eyes were curiously pale, almost without color, and his look disturbing. â€Å"It is said that you hold Lord Tywin's dwarf son as captive. Have you brought him to us? I vow, we should make good use of such a hostage.† â€Å"I did hold Tyrion Lannister, but no longer,† Catelyn was forced to admit. A chorus of consternation greeted the news. â€Å"I was no more pleased than you, my lords. The gods saw fit to free him, with some help from my fool of a sister.† She ought not to be so open in her contempt, she knew, but her parting from the Eyrie had not been pleasant. She had offered to take Lord Robert with her, to foster him at Winterfell for a few years. The company of other boys would do him good, she had dared to suggest. Lysa's rage had been frightening to behold. â€Å"Sister or no,† she had replied, â€Å"if you try to steal my son, you will leave by the Moon Door.† After that there was no more to be said. The lords were anxious to question her further, but Catelyn raised a hand. â€Å"No doubt we will have time for all this later, but my journey has fatigued me. I would speak with my son alone. I know you will forgive me, my lords.† She gave them no choice; led by the ever-obliging Lord Hornwood, the bannermen bowed and took their leave. â€Å"And you, Theon,† she added when Greyjoy lingered. He smiled and left them. There was ale and cheese on the table. Catelyn tilled a horn, sat, sipped, and studied her son. He seemed taller than when she'd left, and the wisps of beard did make him look older. â€Å"Edmure was sixteen when he grew his first whiskers.† â€Å"I will be sixteen soon enough,† Robb said. â€Å"And you are fifteen now. Fifteen, and leading a host to battle. Can you understand why I might fear, Robb?† His look grew stubborn. â€Å"There was no one else.† â€Å"No one?† she said. â€Å"Pray, who were those men I saw here a moment ago? Roose Bolton, Rickard Karstark, Galbart and Robett Glover, the Greatjon, Helman Tallhart . . . you might have given the command to any of them. Gods be good, you might even have sent Theon, though he would not be my choice.† â€Å"They are not Starks,† he said. â€Å"They are men, Robb, seasoned in battle. You were fighting with wooden swords less than a year past.† She saw anger in his eyes at that, but it was gone as quick as it came, and suddenly he was a boy again. â€Å"I know,† he said, abashed. â€Å"Are you . . . are you sending me back to Winterfell?† Catelyn sighed. â€Å"I should. You ought never have left. Yet I dare not, not now. You have come too far. Someday these lords will look to you as their liege. If I pack you off now, like a child being sent to bed without his supper, they will remember, and laugh about it in their cups. The day will come when you need them to respect you, even fear you a little. Laughter is poison to fear. I will not do that to you, much as I might wish to keep you safe.† â€Å"You have my thanks, Mother,† he said, his relief obvious beneath the formality. She reached across his table and touched his hair. â€Å"You are my firstborn, Robb. I have only to look at you to remember the day you came into the world, red-faced and squalling.† He rose, clearly uncomfortable with her touch, and walked to the hearth. Grey Wind rubbed his head against his leg. â€Å"You know . . . about Father?† â€Å"Yes.† The reports of Robert's sudden death and Ned's fall had frightened Catelyn more than she could say, but she would not let her son see her fear. â€Å"Lord Manderly told me when I landed at White Harbor. Have you had any word of your sisters?† â€Å"There was a letter,† Robb said, scratching his direwolf under the jaw. â€Å"One for you as well, but it came to Winterfell with mine.† He went to the table, rummaged among some maps and papers, and returned with a crumpled parchment. â€Å"This is the one she wrote me, I never thought to bring yours.† Something in Robb's tone troubled her. She smoothed out the paper and read. Concern gave way to disbelief, then to anger, and lastly to fear. â€Å"This is Cersei's letter, not your sister's,† she said when she was done. â€Å"The real message is in what Sansa does not say. All this about how kindly and gently the Lannisters are treating her . . . I know the sound of a threat, even whispered. They have Sansa hostage, and they mean to keep her.† â€Å"There's no mention of Arya,† Robb pointed out, miserable. â€Å"No.† Catelyn did not want to think what that might mean, not now, not here. â€Å"I had hoped . . . if you still held the Imp, a trade of hostages . . . † He took Sansa's letter and crumpled it in his fist, and she could tell from the way he did it that it was not the first time. â€Å"Is there word from the Eyrie? I wrote to Aunt Lysa, asking help. Has she called Lord Arryn's banners, do you know? Will the knights of the Vale come join us?† â€Å"Only one,† she said, â€Å"the best of them, my uncle . . . but Brynden Blackfish was a Tully first. My sister is not about to stir beyond her Bloody Gate.† Robb took it hard. â€Å"Mother, what are we going to do? I brought this whole army together, eighteen thousand men, but I don't . . . I'm not certain . . . † He looked to her, his eyes shining, the proud young lord melted away in an instant, and quick as that he was a child again, a fifteen-year-old boy looking to his mother for answers. It would not do. â€Å"What are you so afraid of, Robb?† she asked gently. â€Å"I . . . † He turned his head away, to hide the first tear. â€Å"If we march . . . even if we win . . . the Lannisters hold Sansa, and Father. They'll kill them, won't they?† â€Å"They want us to think so.† â€Å"You mean they're lying?† â€Å"I do not know, Robb. What I do know is that you have no choice. If you go to King's Landing and swear fealty, you will never be allowed to leave. If you turn your tail and retreat to Winterfell, your lords will lose all respect for you. Some may even go over to the Lannisters. Then the queen, with that much less to fear, can do as she likes with her prisoners. Our best hope, our only true hope, is that you can defeat the foe in the field. If you should chance to take Lord Tywin or the Kingslayer captive, why then a trade might very well be possible, but that is not the heart of it. So long as you have power enough that they must fear you, Ned and your sister should be safe. Cersei is wise enough to know that she may need them to make her peace, should the fighting go against her.† â€Å"What if the fighting doesn't go against her?† Robb asked. â€Å"What if it goes against us?† Catelyn took his hand. â€Å"Robb, I will not soften the truth for you. If you lose, there is no hope for any of us. They say there is naught but stone at the heart of Casterly Rock. Remember the fate of Rhaegar's children.† She saw the fear in his young eyes then, but there was a strength as well. â€Å"Then I will not lose,† he vowed. â€Å"Tell me what you know of the fighting in the riverlands,† she said. She had to learn if he was truly ready. â€Å"Less than a fortnight past, they fought a battle in the hills below the Golden Tooth,† Robb said. â€Å"Uncle Edmure had sent Lord Vance and Lord Piper to hold the pass, but the Kingslayer descended on them and put them to flight. Lord Vance was slain. The last word we had was that Lord Piper was falling back to join your brother and his other bannermen at Riverrun, with Jaime Lannister on his heels. That's not the worst of it, though. All the time they were battling in the pass, Lord Tywin was bringing a second Lannister army around from the south. It's said to be even larger than Jaime's host. â€Å"Father must have known that, because he sent out some men to oppose them, under the king's own banner. He gave the command to some southron lordling, Lord Erik or Derik or something like that, but Ser Raymun Darry rode with him, and the letter said there were other knights as well, and a force of Father's own guardsmen. Only it was a trap. Lord Derik had no sooner crossed the Red Fork than the Lannisters fell upon him, the king's banner be damned, and Gregor Clegane took them in the rear as they tried to pull back across the Mummer's Ford. This Lord Derik and a few others may have escaped, no one is certain, but Ser Raymun was killed, and most of our men from Winterfell. Lord Tywin has closed off the kingsroad, it's said, and now he's marching north toward Harrenhal, burning as he goes.† Grim and grimmer, thought Catelyn. It was worse than she'd imagined. â€Å"You mean to meet him here?† she asked. â€Å"If he comes so far, but no one thinks he will,† Robb said. â€Å"I've sent word to Howland Reed, Father's old friend at Greywater Watch. If the Lannisters come up the Neck, the crannogmen will bleed them every step of the way, but Galbart Glover says Lord Tywin is too smart for that, and Roose Bolton agrees. He'll stay close to the Trident, they believe, taking the castles of the river lords one by one, until Riverrun stands alone. We need to march south to meet him.† The very idea of it chilled Catelyn to the bone. What chance would a fifteen-year-old boy have against seasoned battle commanders like Jaime and Tywin Lannister? â€Å"Is that wise? You are strongly placed here. It's said that the old Kings in the North could stand at Moat Cailin and throw back hosts ten times the size of their own.† â€Å"Yes, but our food and supplies are running low, and this is not land we can live off easily. We've been waiting for Lord Manderly, but now that his sons have joined us, we need to march.† She was hearing the lords bannermen speaking with her son's voice, she realized. Over the years, she had hosted many of them at Winterfell, and been welcomed with Ned to their own hearths and tables. She knew what sorts of men they were, each one. She wondered if Robb did. And yet there was sense in what they said. This host her son had assembled was not a standing army such as the Free Cities were accustomed to maintain, nor a force of guardsmen paid in coin. Most of them were smallfolk: crofters, fieldhands, fishermen, sheepherders, the sons of innkeeps and traders and tanners, leavened with a smattering of sellswords and freeriders hungry for plunder. When their lords called, they came . . . but not forever. â€Å"Marching is all very well,† she said to her son, â€Å"but where, and to what purpose? What do you mean to do?† Robb hesitated. â€Å"The Greatjon thinks we should take the battle to Lord Tywin and surprise him,† he said, â€Å"but the Glovers and the Karstarks feel we'd be wiser to go around his army and join up with Uncle Ser Edmure against the Kingslayer.† He ran his fingers through his shaggy mane of auburn hair, looking unhappy. â€Å"Though by the time we reach Riverrun . . . I'm not certain . . . â€Å" â€Å"Be certain,† Catelyn told her son, â€Å"or go home and take up that wooden sword again. You cannot afford to seem indecisive in front of men like Roose Bolton and Rickard Karstark. Make no mistake, Robb—these are your bannermen, not your friends. You named yourself battle commander. Command.† Her son looked at her, startled, as if he could not credit what he was hearing. â€Å"As you say, Mother.† â€Å"I'll ask you again. What do you mean to do?† Robb drew a map across the table, a ragged piece of old leather covered with lines of faded paint. One end curled up from being rolled; he weighed it down with his dagger. â€Å"Both plans have virtues, but . . . look, if we try to swing around Lord Tywin's host, we take the risk of being caught between him and the Kingslayer, and if we attack him . . . by all reports, he has more men than I do, and a lot more armored horse. The Greatjon says that won't matter if we catch him with his breeches down, but it seems to me that a man who has fought as many battles as Tywin Lannister won't be so easily surprised.† â€Å"Good,† she said. She could hear echoes of Ned in his voice, as he sat there, puzzling over the map. â€Å"Tell me more.† â€Å"I'd leave a small force here to hold Moat Cailin, archers mostly, and march the rest down the causeway,† he said, â€Å"but once we're below the Neck, I'd split our host in two. The foot can continue down the kingsroad, while our horsemen cross the Green Fork at the Twins.† He pointed. â€Å"When Lord Tywin gets word that we've come south, he'll march north to engage our main host, leaving our riders free to hurry down the west bank to Riverrun.† Robb sat back, not quite daring to smile, but pleased with himself and hungry for her praise. Catelyn frowned down at the map. â€Å"You'd put a river between the two parts of your army.† â€Å"And between Jaime and Lord Tywin,† he said eagerly. The smile came at last. â€Å"There's no crossing on the Green Fork above the ruby ford, where Robert won his crown. Not until the Twins, all the way up here, and Lord Frey controls that bridge. He's your father's bannerman, isn't that so?† The Late Lord Frey, Catelyn thought. â€Å"He is,† she admitted, â€Å"but my father has never trusted him. Nor should you.† â€Å"I won't,† Robb promised. â€Å"What do you think?† She was impressed despite herself. He looks like a Tully, she thought, yet he's still his father's son, and Ned taught him well. â€Å"Which force would you command?† â€Å"The horse,† he answered at once. Again like his father; Ned would always take the more dangerous task himself. â€Å"And the other?† â€Å"The Greatjon is always saying that we should smash Lord Tywin. I thought I'd give him the honor.† It was his first misstep, but how to make him see it without wounding his fledgling confidence? â€Å"Your father once told me that the Greatjon was as fearless as any man he had ever known.† Robb grinned. â€Å"Grey Wind ate two of his fingers, and he laughed about it. So you agree, then?† â€Å"Your father is not fearless,† Catelyn pointed out. â€Å"He is brave, but that is very different.† Her son considered that for a moment. â€Å"The eastern host will be all that stands between Lord Tywin and Winterfell,† he said thoughtfully. â€Å"Well, them and whatever few bowmen I leave here at the Moat. So I don't want someone fearless, do I?† â€Å"No. You want cold cunning, I should think, not courage.† â€Å"Roose Bolton,† Robb said at once. â€Å"That man scares me.† â€Å"Then let us pray he will scare Tywin Lannister as well.† Robb nodded and rolled up the map. â€Å"I'll give the commands, and assemble an escort to take you home to Winterfell.† Catelyn had fought to keep herself strong, for Ned's sake and for this stubborn brave son of theirs. She had put despair and fear aside, as if they were garments she did not choose to wear . . . but now she saw that she had donned them after all. â€Å"I am not going to Winterfell,† she heard herself say, surprised at the sudden rush of tears that blurred her vision. â€Å"My father may be dying behind the walls of Riverrun. My brother is surrounded by foes. I must go to them.†