Learning About Human Behavior And Organizational Culture,...

Learning About Human Behavior Human Behavior in Organizations is a five week course; however the information that is presented over the five weeks is difficult to absorb and assimilate into everyday life. The amount of knowledge I could gain from this course would take me a whole semester to actually process. I thoroughly enjoyed the topics, case studies, and trying to decipher if a certain action is ethical and moral. What really defines ethical and moral? Is it one’s own cultural beliefs that dictate this or possibly the United States Constitution, the Holy Bible, and written laws? The topics I will focus on are organizational culture, team culture, motivation, managing conflict, and negotiations. These are a few key topics that stood†¦show more content†¦The team culture can become negative when one or more of the employees does not have the same values, work ethic, and personality. This brings me back to the human resource department who has the sole responsibilit y of determining candidates who will fit well with the organizational and team cultures, which includes the emotional intelligence and motivating factors of the candidate (Bethel University, 2011). I feel it is really important for a person to understand their own emotional intelligence and even more so for managers to understand and be able to identify their employees emotional intelligence. Now, companies hire motivational speakers and testing firms to teach and identify employees who meet a certain criteria in whom the company can invest in; moreover to create leaders and better overall performance. The knowledge of emotional intelligence will assist all levels or managers in motivating his/her team(s) to achieve a higher level of success. However, when negative motivation is applied and is comes across as demeaning, the employees may feel fearful, threatened, or even spiteful. When this occurs the productivity will falter. Now, we have to look at Maslow’s Need Hierachy. H is theory starts with the human basic needs of food, shelter, water, and no bodily pain. Once, these are met thenShow MoreRelatedOL 125 Syllabus 11213 Words   |  5 PagesUndergraduate Course Syllabus OL 125: Human Relations in Administration Center: Online Course Prerequisites None Course Description This course explores the human relations and interaction skills necessary for effective human resource management and increased productivity. Skill areas include leadership, motivation, communications, group dynamics, organizational development, management by objectives, and stress and time management. 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ISBN 0-13-609019-2 or 978-0-13-609019-9Read MoreEssentials of Contemporary Management7571 Words   |  31 PagesKingdom and the United States. He specializes in strategic management and organizational theory and is well known for his research that applies transaction cost analysis to explain many forms of strategic and organizational behaviour. He is currently interested in strategy process, competitive advantage, and information technology issues. He is also investigating the relationships between ethics, trust, and organizational culture and studying the role of affect in the strategic decision-making processRead MoreOrganizational Change Models and Strategies1814 Words   |  8 PagesOrganizational Change Models and Change Strategies Martin H. Pham Amberton University To remain competitive in today’s economy companies must be ready to manage organizational change effectively and efficiently. With the pace of change continually increasing, everyone is affected by change. Organizational change models are used to assist in reorganizing and/or restricting a company. There are many change models that existRead MoreOrganizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts Essay4868 Words   |  20 PagesOrganizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts Organizational behavior In today’s challenges at work and an organization has become more than just a place where eight hours of a day is spent, but a place where behavior is a major contribution to the success behavior and what it means and the effects on the climate of an organization. of a company. In this paper we will discuss organizational â€Å"Organizational behavior is the study of human behavior in organizations. It is an academic disciplineRead MoreLeadership Behavior, Team Effectiveness And Conflict Management Skills3098 Words   |  13 PagesIntroduction Due to the inception of the study on leadership behavior, team effectiveness and conflict management skills, leaders now have valuable resources available at their fingertips to determine what need be done to create a high-performing team. Unfortunately, often times, leaders miss the point and find themselves with teams ridden in conflict and become stuck, leading to organizational ineffectiveness (Gostick Elton, 2012). 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Urban deprivation is one of the characteristics of large cities in all parts of the world Free Essays

The inner city areas of many Global cities have an image of decay with poverty, pollution, crime, overcrowding, poor housing conditions and unemployment. Such problems are more prevalent in inner-city areas than in other areas of the city. Deprivation has been caused by old industries closing down and increasing the unemployment levels which are not tackled due to the old workers not being skilled enough to work in these new factories or line of jobs. We will write a custom essay sample on Urban deprivation is one of the characteristics of large cities in all parts of the world or any similar topic only for you Order Now This happens more in MEDC’s compared to LEDC’s where overpopulation and urbanization have cause the problems in the inner city. Counterurbanization has been another problem within MEDC’s as it has left houses derelict and the people would rather commute than live in the inner city. This has then led to out of town shopping centers being set up. In MEDC’s the inner city initiatives for reversing the decline of the inner city started back in 1945 with comprehensive redevelopment. This program involved large-scale clearance of old terraces in order to provide space for new housing and inner city environmental features. Over twenty years 1. 5 million properties wee knocked down in the inner city. Elswick and Kenton in Newcastle were two areas embarked for comprehensive redevelopment. Existing residents were moved either into new towns of Cramlington or to extensive council houses estates built in areas such as, Byker. Many local authorities followed identical planning and soon the landscape of the inner city was transformed with huge concrete and glass tower blocks separated by flat expanses of grass. At the time these high-rise flats were a great success architecturally however the policy failed due to redevelopment underachieving demolition. This gave a housing shortage and vast spaces of derelict land. This policy that lasted till 1967 also failed to tackle the social and economic problems. 1968 saw another scheme come into action; the Urban Aid programme gave grants to local authorities to expand services in deprived areas and to establish community development projects using self help. This scheme was a great deal more localized and it was unfortunate that the economic downturn limited the funds and therefore by 1977 the scheme had finished. The next year the new towns policy was abandoned in an effort to stop decentralization of people and businesses. For the first time inner cities were officially declared problem areas. In 1988 Margaret Thatcher introduced the â€Å"Action for cities† policy. From 1991 onwards-Local authorities were able to bid for funds for specific urban projects. An example is Sunderland; the money was used to redesign parts of the city center with a new shopping precinct. And bus station. A single government department, the end of the 1990’s had created the Urban Regeneration Agency. In Greater Manchester 4. 5 hectares of the city were destroyed with 30,000 homes left damaged form the bombing of World War II. By the end of the war 70,000 homes were deemed unfit for living mostly in the high density Victorian inner center. The plan for Manchester was launched in 1945 with the aim of clearing all Victorian housing. Following the repair of the war the Manchester Slum Clearance Programme restarted in 1954. Over five years 7500 properties were demolished mostly in the Miles Platting area. In 1961 the policy of comprehensive development took place with the clearance programme expanding in four main areas: Hulme, Beswick, Longsight and Harpurhey. Over 55,00 new houses, a mixture of low and high rise were built to replaced the cleared terraces reducing the housing density and population by up to 50% in some areas. The Hulme area was a typical Victorian area of Manchester and was tightly packed with terraces. Conditions were overcrowded and polluted with few housing having toilets. After the demolition of the terraces, shopping facilities were introduced in three areas. By 1972 the redevelopment of Hulme was completed with 5,000 new houses being built. Problems did arise with new properties leaking and then the heating bills were too high for the residents and many found the accommodation inappropriate. This area fell into a spiral of decline with growing unemployment, drugs and violence along with eh deteriorating environment. The Hulme city challenge was launched in 1992. This plan involved building of 3000 new homes, shops, roads, offices and community facilities to replace existing properties in a 60-hectare area. The funds of i200 million came from the government, local authority and private finance. Manchester faced other problems form the closure of the nineteenth century industries that left 24,000 jobs unavailable between 1974 and 1984. Plans included 2000 new houses and 375,000 square meters of industrial and commercial floor space to provide 10,000 jobs. In 1988 central Manchester was given n UDC to regenerate 200 hectares of land and buildings in the southern part of the city center. This area included six conservation areas, over ninety listed buildings, three universities, the Granada Studios Tour and the Museum of Science and Industry. However these were the areas of contaminated land, derelict warehouses, mills and canals. The IDC ended in 1996 and in the eight years of operation invested i420 million. Urban deprivation in the LEDC’s have been tackled in many ways however there have been schemes that have proven to be a lot more successful than the others. In Chennai there has been a rapid increase in population due to the rural to urban migration and the high birth rates. About one third of the population lives in the slums, mostly shantytowns. The planning solutions began with the building of four to six storey blocks however these largely failed due to high maintenance and lack of uptake as the tenants would be unable to afford the rent. If the rent were reduced the scheme would lose money. After this initial failure The Board took up a new idea of upgrading the slums. The aims set were providing one bath and one toilet per ten families; one public fountain per twenty families; one street light per forty meters of road and one pre school per two hundred families. Other initiatives required self-help financing after an initial investment had been made either by the World Bank or welfare organizations. These schemes encouraged greater community involvement. Some of the start up loans were gave to families to build their own homes. Site and service schemes were implemented with finance provided for the acquisition of land; purchase of building materials, road building and the provision of basic services such as, water and sewage. New owners were then responsible for building the property on their allocated land. The upgrading after that often led to the sale of homes to higher income groups. The generated some money for the poor families and allowed the Board to re-invest in new schemes. An area in the southern outskirts of Chennai was the location for a site and services scheme known as Velacheri. It provided fourteen hectares of land to house 2,640 families many of whom were being forced out of Chennai. Waiting for the new residents building their homes would have caused a delayed the rail building so contractors were used to begin the building of properties. Along with the roads, water supply, streetlights and many other services. These services did face problems with many being left unfinished and extra floors being added without regulation. Some families sold their home for profit and the poorest were unable to afford these houses. These are some example of the initiatives being taken in order to solve the problem of urban deprivation. However there have been many other schemes and one of the most successful was that of the Favelas in Brazil redevelopment that won several prizes such as, the famous Habitat Award from the United Nations. These have been more successful as it didn’t break up the families and kept the community spirit and the families could continue to access their place of employment. The similarities between the initiatives of the MEDC and LEDC worlds that have been undertaken for there reduction of urban deprivation are not all that similar. This is due to the fact that the MEDC’s have more finance so there are able to use other schemes to tackle their problems. Also the fact that the problems they face are of a different cause. In the LEDC’s it tends to be shanty towns are therefore have to look to house these people unlike the MEDC it not so overcrowding but unemployment due to the decline of the Industrial Revolution and recently Counterurbanization has left old Victorian buildings derelict and an eye-saw. How to cite Urban deprivation is one of the characteristics of large cities in all parts of the world, Papers

From Heaven To Hell Essay Example For Students

From Heaven To Hell Essay In the United States we often look to European and African countries for examples of dictatorship, civil war, inequality and genocide. In the 1990s, several countries experienced mass exodus, civil war, race war, religious war, and genocide. Yugoslavias Serbian population attempted to cleanse itself of Muslims and Croats, in Rwanda the Hutu population exterminated almost the entire Tutsi population, while in East Timor and several other countries refugees fled from the tyranny of their government. Less often however do we look, or even realize that our neighbors to the south are experiencing remarkably similar acts of violence, hate, and misuse of power. Bordered mostly by Mexico, Belize, and Honduras Guatemala is known for its volcanoes, exquisite beaches, gorgeous landscapes, ancient Mayan ruins, and a unique culture. However, it is also a country tainted by oppression, injustice, servitude, racial inequality, and genocide. Andrew Miller, a Penn State University student describes G uatemala: Guatemala, it has been said, is a country of extremes. Within can be witnessed the riches of breathtaking scenery, natural resources and cultural diversity. Simultaneously, however, one sees extreme poverty and exploitation of indigenous peoples which characterize the countrys history. Another view, by Jean-Marie Simon, describes the Guatemalan dark side, the reality of all Guatemalans. Guatemala is a place where the political, economic, and social panorama is unfairly skewed in every possible way. In Guatemala, life gets better for a minority, at the expense of millions of others. After centuries of race and class wars, Guatemala teetered between peace and war during the ten years of spring, or ten years of democracy. Unfortunately, Guatemala finally plunged into complete darkness and genocide followed. Guatemalas genocide now serves humanity, along with all other occurrences of genocide, as a reminder that we are all capable of committing acts of horror. History is the only reference that humanity has to use to answer the unanswerable questions that surround any genocide. The questions include why and how could this have ever happened, and what makes humans capable of terror? Through understanding and studying the causation and actual genocide in Guatemala, it may be possible to shed some light on the questions that humanity faces. What, one may ask, causes a country with such obvious beauty and potential to recess into a shadow of hate, racism, and classism that can only lead to one result, genocide? Guatemala was not always teetering between genocide and no genocide. Rather the genocide that occurred in Guatemala happened as a result of a sort of evolution from a dictatorship to a largely peaceful revolution to conditions embracing hate, violence, and finally genocide. Several factors influenced this transition from relative peace to extreme violence. Economic issues regarding land and labor fueled the fire, as did political issues. In fact, the United States of America greatly contributed to the violence by training Guatemalan police in torture tactics in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Between 1956 and 1963 annual U.S. military assistance to Guatemala multiplied by tens times. Conflicts between races and classes also contributed to the evolution. However, what remains amazing about Guatemalas genocide is th at it followed ten years of a relatively peaceful revolution from 1944 when Ubico was overthrown to 1954 when President Arbenz resigned (due to a coup led by the United States). In his history of Guatemala, Gift of the Devil Jim Handy, a Central America historian describes those ten years as Ten Years of Spring. Nevertheless, and while generally peaceful, the national revolution between 1944 and 1954 provided Guatemala with a foundation for decades of racial injustice, economic and political inequality, and the worst genocide in the Americas since the first arrival of the Europeans.General Jorge Ubico, who Handy describes as the archetype of Guatemalan dictators, led the dictatorship that existed before the ten years of spring. To many Guatemalans, the rule of Jorge Ubico too closely resembled the European and Japanese fascist dictatorships they were now joined in struggle against. During the last years of Ubicos reign, from the late 1930s to the early 1940s, Guatemala experienced a growth of workers, small businessmen, professionals, and students. While the indigenous and poor workers of Guatemala were the most involved in the opposition to Ubico, all of these groups of Guatemalans proved critical to the revolution as they led the desire for reform. They sought a new leader as well as economic and social reforms. Finally in 1944, students, workers, professionals, intellectuals, and young military officers overthrew Ubico. A year later, in 1945, a teacher was appropriately named president, Juan Jos? Ar?valo. Juan Jos? Ar?valo wanted to create a capitalist economy while leading a democratic and nationalistic revolution that was sympathetic to the working man and woman. In his inaugural speech he proclaimed, Now we are going to begin a period of sympathy for the man who works in the fields, in the shops, on the military bases, in small business. This is a monumental proclamation. In Guatemala it was and remains rare for any political figure with power to openly support the indigenous majority. For decades, the white minority had ruled with an iron fist creating barely bearable living conditions for the working man, woman, and child. Ar?valo sought to change all this, and began by signing into law the 1945 Constitution. The 1945 Constitution reflected Ar?valos first four political reforms. First, the constitution created new voting regulations. This is a substantial reform because it allowed illiterate men and literate women the right to vote. As well, the new voting regulations allowed Guatemala to catch up in voting rights with fully developed democratic nations. In the United States the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote in 1920, the 15th Amendment granted black men the right to vote in the US in 1870. The second major provision of the 1945 Constitution attacked Guatemalas history of dictatorships. It prevented the re-election of any president. This, in theory, ensured that Guatemala would no longer be subjugated to dictatorial rule and ensured democracy for the future. Thirdly, the new Constitution required the military to be apolitical and uphold the 1945 Constitutional decrees. Making the military apolitical is another device that Ar?valo used to prevent future dictatorships. An ap olitical military is only a tool for the government, and cannot act as the government in any way, thus preventing a man like General Jorge Ubico from taking power. Finally, the 1945 Constitution paid tribute to the students who had fueled Ubicos overthrow. The Constitution allocated money to the University of San Carlos and granted it autonomy and the right of association. This of course ensured that there would always be students and intellectuals to counter aspirations of dictatorial rule. Ar?valo did not stop his reformation of Guatemala with the 1945 Constitution; in fact, he almost immediately embarked on creating health and social reforms for Guatemala. Truly revolutionary, the health and social reforms instituted under Ar?valo targeted the poor and working class individual. The first four reforms focused on health and safety issues, while the fifth and sixth reforms were social in nature. Ar?valo first instituted rural health clinics, and then projects to provide potable water in isolated villages. White Cross-clinics were also set up and the infrastructure improved in the poor neighborhoods of the cities. To ensure a healthier lifestyle Ar?valo set up sewage systems in poor neighborhoods as well. The social reforms included a higher income (wage reform) and freedom for unions to organize and operate, which Ubico did not allow during his dictatorship. In 1946, Ar?valo also instituted the Social Security Law and began his school reform that would last until 1950. The Social Security Law did several things for Guatemala to ensure good health and prosperity. It establish the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS) and provid injur y compensation, maternity benefits and health care. The school reforms Ar?valo created from 1946 to 1950 also did several things to ensure future prosperity for Guatemala and all its citizens. Ar?valo allocated more money to schools for the expansion and improvement of the schools, and instituted literacy campaigns. By 1950 the Ar?valo government was spending over $7 million on educational projects. Never before had the Guatemalan government cared for or spent so much on the education of not just the white minority but also the indigenous and peasant majority. The ten years of spring also saw major attempts at labor and wage reform under Ar?valo. In 1947, the Ar?valo government passed into law the Labour Code. The Labour Code took steps towards providing economic equality and dignity for all Guatemalans. This is significant because it attempted to bridge the gap between the elite minority and poor majority. The Labor Code first provided workers with the right to strike. Before the Ar?valos Labor Code workers who went on strike faced serious punishments including torture, imprisonment, and even death. While the Labour Code did not completely abolish such acts of employer violence, it at least made them illegal and punishable under the law. The Labour Code also gave workers the right to collective bargaining, which is a tool for unions. In addition, the code set minimum wages, restricted child and female labor, and legislated working hours. Finally, the Labour Code created labor courts. Designed to deal with labor-management problems the lab or courts often reimbursed for lost wages if a strike was found to be the fault of management. In addition, in 1947, the Ar?valo government created the Agrarian Studies Commission. The government designed the commission to evaluate the use and ownership of Guatemalas lands and to study agrarian reform in other countries, with the intent of producing a report with recommendations for agrarian reform in Guatemala. Ar?valo also in 1947 abolished the Vagrancy Law and adopted Law(s) of Forced Rental. Eric Repas EssayDuring the Mendez Montenegro presidency the peak of the counter insurgency occurred, in which FAR was wiped out. The elections of 1966 marked the beginning of the end for the guerrilla forces of that era. Taking advantage of the guerrillas unofficial truce, the army unleashed a brutal counter-insurgency under the command of Colonel Carlos Arana Osor?o. As well, 1966 and the Mendez presidency saw the formation of death squads. The first death squad to appear was Mano Blanca, or white hand. The government and Mario Sandoval Alarc?n, a right-wing political leader of the National Liberation Movement (MLN) organized Mano Blanca. By 1967, a year after its formation, Mano Blanca was accompanied by over 20 other death squads that targeted over 500 individuals whose names appeared on the lists. The death squads that came into being during this time consisted mainly of off duty police officers and soldiers who acted as a sort of vigilante. During this time, the United States became even more involved with Guatemalan politics. The counterinsurgency was a campaign that included the use of U.S. advisers and American pilots flying napalm attacks on suspected guerrilla strongholds from the U.S. base in Panama.In the four years of the Mendez presidency, over 30,000 Guatemalans lost their lives. The indigenous peoples, during this time, were murdered, disappeared, tortured, raped, and beaten. A decade earlier the people of Guatemala lived in relative peace, now they lived in state of terror. Between 1966 and 1970, on the pretext of eliminating communism, some 10,000 non-combatants were killed in order to assassinate an estimated 300 to 500 guerrillas who retreated to the northern Pet?n jungle to recover and regroup. While the guerrilla movement had virtually stopped by 1970 when Carlos Arana Osorio took office disappearances, which most often led to death not only continued but also according to Amnesty International peaked during the 1970s. Between 1970 and 1 974, 15,325 Guatemalans ?disappeared.' Nevertheless, peasant organizations began to form during the mid-1970s. Much of the organization of peasant groups and unions was due to the Christian Democrat arty and the Catholic Church. Two prominent unions emerged at this time, the National Workers Confederation (CNT) and the Autonomous Trade Union Federation of Guatemala (FASGUA). As well by 1974 when Laugerud Garc?a was inaugurated the guerrilla movement had regrouped and grown. In addition to the previous guerrilla groups a new one emerged, the Guerrilla Army of the Poor (EGP). The Guatemalan government and military responded forcefully to the growing guerrilla groups. Under the Laugerud Garc?a government, army penetration of the rural countryside began, establishing in many areas the groundwork for later occupation. In 1976, Guatemala received another blow; this one however came from Mother Nature. On February 4, 1976 an earthquake, that registered 7.5 on the Richter Scale, hit Guatemala. It killed 22,000 people, injured 77,000, and left one million peasants homeless. Nevertheless opposition gro ups and recouped continued to grow, and on May 1, 1978 the Committee for Peasant Unity, or CUC, publicly announced its existence. Rigoberta Mench?, an indigenous peasant woman from Guatemala turned human rights activist, explains how her father, a political prisoner and other peasants started the CUC. So my father came back very proudly and said, ?We must fight the rich because they have become rich with our land, our crops. That was when my father started to join up with other peasants and discussed the creation of the CUC with them. A lot of peasants had been discussing the Committee but nothing concrete had been done, so my father joined the CUC and helped them understand things more clearly. Thats how the CUC began to form as such. It organized the peasants both in the Altiplano and on the coast. It wasnt a formal organization with a name and all that : more like groups of communities, at the grass roots, that sort of thing, (emphasis added). Nevertheless, while peasant and student organizations grew along with guerrilla groups the repression continued. Massive violence began during the last year of the Laugerud Garc?a government, with mounting selective assassinations in Guatemala City and large-scale army repression in the countryside.Such violence continued into the Lucas Garc?a government. An example of this repression and violence is apparent in the Panz?s massacre of 1978. The governments scorched earth campaign against isolated peasant villages believed to support the opposition carried a deadly toll, with a massacre at Panz?s in May 1978 being perhaps the best known military operation of this type. On May 29, 1978, 500 to 700 Kekch?, an indigenous Mayan group from Guatemalas highlands, gathered in Panz?s to protest their expulsions from their land to the Mayor and an official of INTA. Once in the central square the military ringed the square and opened fire killing over 100 protestors. The dead were put into mass graves, supposedly dug beforehand. The government later asserted that the Indians had started the violence, and only admitted to killing 38 people. The violence and repression did not end unfortunately with the Lucas Garc?a government either. While Rios Montt declared in 1982 after a coup that he led, that there would be no more assassinations and fair trials from those who violated the law, rural repression soared immediately after the coup, and continues, though in lesser amounts, today. Since 1982 Guatemala has lived through two presidential elections, two military coups, two states of alert, two Constitutions, an eleven-month state of siege, a three month state of emergency, at least four amnesty periods, and four heads of state ? three of them army generals. Could all of this and the genocide of Guatemala been prevented during the ten years of spring? Possibly if Arbenz and Ar?valo had restricted union organization to non-communist unions, which would have, in theory prevented U.S. involvement. However it remains unlikely that this would have been enough. The UFCO and United State could have found, or created other reasons for the coup, which ultimately destroyed the democracy and peace in Guatemala. Now Guatemala is left with the remnants of genocide, oppression, and political instability. Terror remains a driving force in Guatemalan society, and to think it all could have been avoided if the United States had not led the coup on the Arbenz administration. BibliographyAndrew Miller: http://www.west.net/~tmiller/gh/Simon, Jean-Marie. Guatemala: Eternal Spring ? Eternal Tyranny. Pgs. 16-17. Handy, Jim. Gift of the Devil. USA: South End Press, 1984. Pg. 156. Handy. Handy, pg. 106. Handy, pg. 107. Handy, pg. 108. Handy, pg. 108. Handy, pg. 108. Handy, pg. 109. Handy, pg. 110. Handy, pg.110. Handy, pg. 113. Handy. Handy, pg. 115. Handy, pg. 115. Handy, pg. 115. Handy, pg. 115. Handy, pg. 116. Simon, pg. 21. Simon, pg. 23. Andrew Miller: http://www.west.net/~tmiller/gh/Jim Handy: Gift of the Devil: A History of GuatemalaJim Handy: Gift of the Devil: A History of GuatemalaSimon, pg. 25. Simon, pg. 25. Simon, pg. 28. Simon, pg. 28. Burgos-Debray Elisabeth, ed. I Rigoberta Mench?: An Indian Woman in Guatemala. Trans. Ann Wright. London: Verso, 1984. Pg. 115 and pg. 159. Simon, pg. 29. Handy. Simon, pgs. 109-110. Simon, pg. 14.

Speaking Skill free essay sample

Some speaking situations are partially Interactive, such as when gluing a speech to a live audience, where the convention Is that the audience does not interrupt the speech. The speaker nevertheless can see the audience and judge from the expressions on their faces and body language whether or not he or she is being understood. Some few speaking situations may be totally non-interactive, such as when recording a speech for a radio broadcast . Micro-skills Here are some of the micro-skills involved in speaking.The speaker has to: renounce the distinctive sounds oaf language clearly enough so that people can distinguish them. This includes making tonal distinctions. 0 use stress and rhythmic patterns, and intonation patterns of the language clearly enough so that people can understand what is said. 0 use the correct forms of words. This may mean, for example, changes in the tense, case, or gender. 0 put words together in correct word order. We will write a custom essay sample on Speaking Skill or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Use vocabulary appropriately. Use the register or language variety that is appropriate to the situation and the allegations to the conversation partner.C] make clear to the listener the main sentence constituents, such as subject, verb, object, by whatever means the language uses. 0 make the main ideas stand out from supporting ideas or information. Make the discourse hang together so that people can follow what you are saying. Speaking Skill By Jan_Anton There are three kinds of speaking situations in which we find ourselves: interactive, partially interactive, and 0 non-interactive Interactive speaking situations include face-to-face conversations and telephone alls, in which we are alternately listening and speaking, and in which we have a partner. Some speaking situations are partially interactive, such as when giving a speech to a live audience, where the convention is that the audience does not interrupt the speech. The speaker nevertheless can see the audience and Judge from 0 pronounce the distinctive sounds oaf language clearly enough so that people can 0 use vocabulary appropriately. 0 use the register or language variety that is appropriate to the situation and the relationship to the conversation partner.

10 Tips Every Freshman needs to Know for Back to School Season by EssaySupply.com

10 Tips Every Freshman needs to Know for Back to School Season 10 Tips To Know Before School Season As you get ready to begin your first year of college, there are probably dozens of things you have done to prepare yourself. You’ve most likely shopped for dorm room furnishings, purchased a new laptop for studying and entertainment, taken a tour of the classroom, introduced yourself to your new dorm mate, and more. Hopefully, you are as prepared as you can be. However, if you aren’t feeling as confident about the start of the school year as you should be, don’t worry. We have compiled a list of ten tips for new college freshmen that you won’t hear in any orientation. 1. Create an Open and Honest Relationship with Your Roommate Here is the deal. Unless something extreme happens, you and your roommate will be together for one semester at a minimum before your RA will even entertain the thought of making a move. Try getting together and setting up a few ground rules around issues such as visitors, cleaning, and food. Then, agree to approach each other honestly when there are issues and avoid being passive aggressive. 2. Grades Aren’t Everything Here’s a shocking revelation. Many of your future employers will care less about your GPA. They’ll care that you graduated. They’ll care about research projects, whether or not you’ve been published, internships, work experience, and relevant activities. So, study hard, but take the time to be a well-rounded student. 3. Party Wisely Let’s be realistic. You will go to parties. Just be safe and use some common sense. Go to parties with friends and leave with friends. Make sure there is one person in the group that will not be drinking. Don’t binge drink or accept drinks from anybody you do not trust explicitly. Leave enough time in your schedule for sleep and studying. 4. Scope out Places Near Campus that Serve food all Night Every college student needs a go-to diner, cafà ©, or greasy spoon to hit late at night when they have the munchies. These are great places to go for a burger, a cup of coffee, or just a quiet late night study spot. 5. Say Hi to Your Professors If you have questions, a comment on a lecture, or a concern about an upcoming assignment stop by your instructor’s office. They will be more than happy to hear from you. If you have nothing to say, just pop your head in the door to say hello. 6. It’s okay to Befriend Upper Classmen This isn’t high school where upper classmen would never lower themselves to hang with a ‘frosh’. Friendships in college tend to be founded around common interests, not grade level or age. 7. There are more ways to get Help than you are told You have many options for getting help with school work on campus. This is great, but sometimes that help isn’t what you need. If you need real help with writing assignments, look into a service like where you can buy essay online that are custom written and quality-guaranteed. 8. Print Everything the Night Before The biggest mistake you can make is to finish your homework and then plan to print it out before class. It is almost guaranteed that you will run into problems. Leave yourself plenty of time to get things printed out. Also, don’t forget to upload your writing assignments to turnitin.com or your instructor’s web portal. 9. Find a Place to Study Outside of your Room Your dorm room has your roommate, visitors, and a ton of electronics. Then, there’s also the temptation to sleep or clean. Find a nice quite spot on or off campus to do your studying. 10. Keep Healthy Snacks on Hand You won’t always have time to get a proper meal. Carry healthy snacks to munch on during the day, and you won’t be tempted to pig out at night.

3 Hit Rammstein Songs Translated From German

3 Hit Rammstein Songs Translated From German Rammstein is a famous German band whose music is best described as dark, heavy rock. They are somewhat political and often take on social issues in their songs and that has led to controversy. Whatever your take on Rammsteins political views, the bands lyrics are also a lesson in German. If you are studying the language, you might find these lyrics and the English translations to three of their most popular songs helpful. An Introduction to Rammstein Rammstein was formed in 1993 by six men who grew up in East Germany  and were all born after the Berlin Wall went up. They took their name from the American Ramstein air base near Frankfurt (adding an extra m). The bands members are  Till Lindemann (b. 1964), Richard Z. Kruspe-Bernstein (b. 1967), Paul Lander (b. 1964), Oliver Riedel (b. 1971), Christoph Schneider (b. 1966), and Christian Flake Lorenz (b. 1966). Rammstein  is a unique German band in that it has managed to become popular in the English-speaking world by singing almost exclusively in German. Most other German artists or groups (think the Scorpions or Alphaville) have sung in English in order to reach the English-language market or they sing in German and remain virtually unknown in the Anglo-American world (think Herbert Grà ¶nemeyer). Yet, Rammstein has somehow turned their German lyrics into an advantage. It certainly can become an advantage for learning German. Rammenstein Albums Herzeleid  (1995)Sehnsucht  (1997)Live aus Berlin  (1998, also a  DVD)Mutter  (2001)Lichtspielhaus  (2003, DVD)Reise, Reise  (2004) The Controversy That Surrounds Rammstein Rammstein has also stirred up controversy on their road to fame.  One of the most famous incidents occurred in 1998. It involved their use of clips from the work of the Nazi  filmmaker  Leni Riefenstahl  in one of their music videos. The song, Stripped, was a cover of a  Depeche Mode song and the films used spurred protests against what some saw as a glorification of Nazism. Even before that well-publicized incident, their lyrics and images had given rise to the criticism that the band has neo-Nazi or far-right tendencies. With German lyrics that are often far from politically correct, their music was even linked to the Columbine, Colorado school shooting in 1999. Some British and American radio stations have refused to play Rammstein songs (even if they dont understand the German lyrics). There is no real evidence that any of Rammsteins six eastern German musicians themselves hold such right-wing beliefs. Yet, some people are either a little naive or in denial when they claim that Rammstein has done nothing to lead people to suspect the band of fascist leanings. The band itself has been a bit coy in their claims of why would anyone accuse us of such things? In light of some of their lyrics, they really should not pretend to be so innocent. The band members themselves have admitted they intentionally make their lyrics ambiguous and full of double entendre (Zweideutigkeit). However... we refuse to join those who totally reject artists for their supposed or actual political views. There are people who wont listen to Richard Wagner  operas because he was antisemitic (which he was). For me, the talent evident in Wagners music  rises above other considerations. Just because we condemn his antisemitism doesnt mean we cant appreciate his music. The same goes for Leni Riefenstahl. Her former Nazi connections are undeniable, but so is her cinematic and photographic talent. If we choose or reject music, cinema, or any art form only for political reasons, then we are missing the point of art. But if youre going to listen to Rammsteins lyrics and their meaning, dont be naive about it. Yes, you can learn German through their lyrics, simply be aware that those lyrics may have offensive overtones of a political, religious, sexual,  or social nature that people have a right to object to. Keep in mind that not everyone is comfortable with lyrics about sadistic sex or the use of the f-word - even if its in German. If Rammsteins lyrics make people think about issues from fascism to misogyny, then thats for the good. If listeners also learn some German in the process, so much the better. Amerika Lyrics Album: â€Å"Reise, Reise† (2004) Amerika is a perfect example of Rammsteins controversial style and it is also one of their best-known songs worldwide. The lyrics include both  German and English and it includes countless references about how America reigns over world culture and politics- for good or bad. As you can tell by the last verse (recorded in English, so no translation is needed), this song was not written with the intent of idolizing America. The music video is filled with clips of American influence throughout the world and the overall feel of the song is rather dark. German Lyrics Direct Translation by Hyde Flippo Refrain:*Were all living in America,America is wunderbar.Were all living in America,Amerika, Amerika.Were all living in America,Coca-Cola, Wonderbra,Were all living in America,Amerika, Amerika. Refrain:Were all living in America,America is wonderful.Were all living in America,America, America.Were all living in America,Coca-Cola, Wonderbra,Were all living in America,America, America. Wenn getanzt wird, will ich fhren,auch wenn ihr euch alleine dreht,lasst euch ein wenig kontrollieren,Ich zeige euch wies richtig geht.Wir bilden einen lieben Reigen,die Freiheit spielt auf allen Geigen,Musik kommt aus dem Weien Haus,Und vor Paris steht Mickey Maus. When Im dancing, I want to lead,even if you all are spinning alone,lets exercise a little control.Ill show you how its done right.We form a nice round (circle),freedom is playing on all the fiddles,music is coming out of the White House,and near Paris stands Mickey Mouse. Ich kenne Schritte, die sehr ntzen,und werde euch vor Fehltritt schtzen,und wer nicht tanzen will am Schluss,wei noch nicht, dass er tanzen muss!Wir bilden einen lieben Reigen,ich werde Euch die Richtung zeigen,nach Afrika kommt Santa Claus,und vor Paris steht Mickey Maus. I know steps that are very useful,and Ill protect you from missteps,and anyone who doesnt want to dance in the end,just doesnt know that he has to dance!We form a nice round (circle),Ill show you the right direction,to Africa goes Santa Claus,and near Paris stands Mickey Mouse. This is not a love song,this is not a love song.I dont sing my mother tongue,No, this is not a love song. * This refrain is used throughout the song, at times it is only the first four lines. In the last refrain, the sixth line is replaced with Coca-Cola, sometimes WAR,. Spieluhr (Music Box) Lyrics Album: Mutter (2001) The Hoppe hoppe Reiter phrase, repeated often in Spieluhr comes from a popular German nursery rhyme. The song tells the dark story about a child who pretends to be dead and is buried with a music box. It is the music box song that alerts people of the childs presence. German Lyrics Direct Translation by Hyde Flippo Ein kleiner Mensch stirbt nur zum Scheinwollte ganz alleine seindas kleine Herz stand still fr Stundenso hat man es fr tot befundenes wird verscharrt in nassem Sandmit einer Spieluhr in der Hand A small person just pretends to die(it) wanted to be completely alonethe small heart stood still for hoursso they declared it deadit is buried in wet sandwith a music box in its hand Der erste Schnee das Grab bedeckthat ganz sanft das Kind gewecktin einer kalten Winternachtist das kleine Herz erwacht The first snow that covered the gravewoke the child very gentlyin a cold winter nightthe small heart is awakened Als der Frost ins Kind geflogenhat es die Spieluhr aufgezogeneine Melodie im Windund aus der Erde singt das Kind As the frost flew into the childit wound up the music boxa melody in the windand the child sings from the ground Refrain:*Hoppe hoppe Reiterund kein Engel steigt herabmein Herz schlgt nicht mehr weiternur der Regen weint am Grabhoppe hoppe Reitereine Melodie im Windmein Herz schlgt nicht mehr weiterund aus der Erde singt das Kind Refrain:*Bumpety bump, riderand no angel climbs downmy heart does not beat any longeronly the rain cries at the graveBumpety bump, ridera melody in the windmy heart does not beat any longerand the child sings from the ground Der kalte Mond in voller Prachthrt die Schreie in der Nachtund kein Engel steigt herabnur der Regen weint am Grab The cold moon, in full magnificencehears the cries in the nightand no angel climbs downonly the rain cries at the grave Zwischen harten Eichendielenwird es mit der Spieluhr spieleneine Melodie im Windund aus der Erde singt das Kind Between hard oak boardsit will play with the music boxa melody in the windand the child sings from the ground Hoppe hoppe Reitermein Herz schlgt nicht mehr weiterAm Totensonntag hrten sieaus Gottes Acker diese Melodieda haben sie es ausgebettetdas kleine Herz im Kind gerettet Bumpety bump, ridermy heart does not beat any longerOn Totensonntag** they heard thismelody from Gods field [i.e., a cemetery]then they unearthed itthey saved the small heart in the child * The refrain is repeated after the next two verses and again at the end of the song. *  *Totensonntag  (Dead Sunday) is a Sunday in November when German Protestants remember the dead. Du Hast (You Have) Lyrics Album: Senhsucht (1997) This Rammstein song plays on the similarities of the conjugated forms of the verbs  haben  (to have) and  hassen  (to hate). It is a good study for anyone learning the German  language. German Lyrics Direct Translation by Hyde Flippo Dudu hast (hat)*du hast mich(4 x)du hast mich gefragtdu hast mich gefragtdu hast mich gefragt,und ich hab nichts gesagt Youyou have (hate)you have (hate) me*(4 x)you have asked meyou have asked meyou have asked meand I have said nothing Repeats twice:Willst du bis der Tod euch scheidettreu ihr sein fr alle TageNein, nein Repeats twice:Do you want, until death do you part,to be faithful to her for all your daysNo, no Willst du bis zum Tod der Scheide,sie lieben auch in schlechten TagenNein, nein Do you want until the death of the vagina,to love her, even in bad timesNo, no * This is a play on two German verbs:  du hast  (you have) and  du haßt  (you hate), spelled differently but pronounced the same way. The German  lyrics are provided for educational use only. No infringement of copyright is implied or intended. The literal, prose translations of the  original German  lyrics by Hyde Flippo.

The Masterpiece in Public Enemys Hip Hop Track Essay

The Masterpiece in Public Enemys Hip Hop Track - Essay Example The essay "The Masterpiece in Public Enemy’s Hip Hop Track" discusses the Public Enemy’s Hip Hop Track â€Å"Fight the Power†, one of the greatest musical works in history. The track features a hard, intense sound – one that is clearly different from the other hip-hop songs produced earlier. Produced in June 1989 as a single, at the request of Spike Lee, the track was to be used as the theme song to the movie ‘Do The Right Thing’. The movie focused on the racial tension that was then being experienced in Brooklyn, New York and in the rest of the United States of America. Contrary to what the title of the song literally suggests, â€Å"Fight the Power† was not about fighting the authorities that reigned at the time but rather it had all to do with fighting the abuse of powers by them. The abuse of power by white authorities led to oppression and violation of human rights. This song came at a very significant point in the history of the black people in America. Because after the Civil War of the 1960s that were believed to have ended racism, the song revealed the situation on the ground. It was believed that racism did not exist in the 1980s - a notion that is very far from the truth as racism had only taken another form. During the 80s, racism hurt mor e because most of the black people knew their rights and still experienced its harsh effects. According to the song, being black made one an enemy of the public. If a crime was committed in the U.S. during the 80s, the first suspects were the African Americans. Accusations against people were simply based on their race. The blacks were effectively considered to be guilty until proven innocent in spite of the fact that the law stated that one is innocent until proven guilty. The song urged people to talk against racism and make use of their right to freedom of speech (Lyrics Depot par. 1). The song noted that it was time to do the right thing; talk against all forms of racism. The right to freedom of speech for the black community had long been a foreign concept. The song urged the blacks to fight for their constitutional right to be respected unto death. The lyrics of the song state that â€Å"Our freedom of speech is freedom or death† (Lyrics Depot par. 1). The song also vie wed everybody as equal regardless of race, age and neighbourhood. The song â€Å"Fight the Power† addresses the issue of Blacks’ history. For a long time, it had been assumed in the U.S. that Blacks did not have a history, this in spite of the fact that they had been in existence for a long time. The heroes that were being recognized in one way or another and their pictures featuring on the stamps are the very ones that the Blacks could not relate with. In the song, one example of such heroes is Elvis who was considered to be the king of rock and roll (Lyrics

Beatles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Beatles - Essay Example A simple percussion that is consistent throughout does not dominate but simply backs the moderate tempo of the song. However, the changing progressions and phrasing throughout the song gives the illusion of a changing tempo and time signature. The instrumentation is built on top of a bass line that is an "Oom pah" sound reminiscent of a military march or civic band. In the first half of the song, this is accompanied with a strummed acoustic guitar that compliments the percussion. In the last verse, Harrison introduces a picked instrument, probably a 12 string guitar, that plays counter melody and gives the song a Mediterranean or Eastern sound not unlike the sitar used in later works. "Girl", like many of the songs on the album, was mixed with all the vocals on one channel and the instruments on the other. This was a move toward greater use and experimentation in the studio. Many of the elements of "Girl" would be expanded on and would show up on their subsequent recordings.

A Discussion of Obamacare Essay Example for Free

A Discussion of Obamacare Essay Over the course of my paper I shall discuss the piece of legislation known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more informally known as Obamacare. The issue currently debated with this piece of legislature focuses on its constitutionality, its purpose as a tax hike, and whether or not it should be passed. Is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act unconstitutional? From what I have studied in the article â€Å"Is Obamacare unconstitutional? †, at debatetopics. net, and from what I know of the act, I would say that it is certainly unconstitutional. Does the act serve as a tax hike? According to â€Å"Voters consider ObamaCare a tax hike, poll shows† at foxnews. com, it does. Should the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act be passed? From everything I have learned of the act and from what knowledge I have gained from â€Å"Patterson: State leaders should refuse to allow Obamacare to localize† at masnbc. com, I personally would not allow the act to pass. The act is unconstitutional as it was passed under a false premise. It was upheld as constitutional by justifying the individual mandate as a tax. However, it would never have been passed if it had been upfront in regards to creating a new personal tax. The means used to justify the act as constitutional are inconsistent with the original wording of the bill and therefore unconstitutional. The act is also passed under a false premise as it creates a new tax and is therefore a tax bill. Those living in the country illegally are exempt from buying health insurance and get it for free. Those individuals who are currently considered â€Å"entitled† and receive government aid are also exempt. These illegal immigrants and entitled persons will receive free healthcare and the rest of the country will have to pay for it. The act is also unconstitutional in regards to the individual mandate itself. It is not up to the government to make its citizens purchase health insurance, nor should they pay for the health insurance of others. It is up to no other person to give a given individual anything. There should never a case in which one group of people is forced to care for others because those others refuse to do anything with themselves and their lives. The act is clearly unconstitutional as it forces the average United States citizen to purchase a service from a private firm or be penalized for not doing so. The fine attached to not purchasing health insurance is also only considered constitutional under Congress power to tax. A main way of denying Obamacare is to refuse to establish state-level health exchanges. Exchanges are basically government sanctioned cartels where only a few government approved insurers can sell government approved health insurance, including all subsidies, exemptions and mandates that they apply. When agreeing to establish an exchange, a given state agrees to operate a massive government program which would be run according to federal rules and mandates. The federal government would control the doctors and providers allowed, the health insurance plans and benefits, the subsidies and exemptions. The state would do the work of the federal government and bear the cost of the program and would also act as an IRS enforcer as it would be required to give the names and taxpayer identification numbers of people who have changed employers and lost coverage as well as those who have terminated their coverage or simply choose not to purchase insurance. On top of all of this, the state would be responsible for enforcing the individual mandate. Overall, the Patient Protection and affordable care act is unconstitutional, serves a tax hike and should not be passed under any circumstance. Bibliography: â€Å"Is Obamacare Unconstitutional? †,2012, â€Å"Voters consider ObamaCare a tax hike, poll shows†,2012, â€Å" Patterson: State leaders should refuse to allow Obamacare to localize†,2012,

Nora Helmer in Ibsens A Doll House Essay -- A Doll’s House Essays

In 1879, Henrik Ibsen published the play A Dolls House. However, to much of his displeasure the portrayal of the third act was considered erroneous to critics and audiences of that time frame. This controversy centered on the play’s conclusion in Nora's decision to leave her marriage and abandon her children. Critics labeled this decision appalling and unrealistic, since at that time in history no true woman would ever make such a choice. This uproar forced Ibsen to write a second ending where Nora instead decides that the children need her more than she needs her freedom. Thus, leaving critics and audiences contently satisfied. Since then, though times have changed and ideas and beliefs of the past have been altered, maybe the critics had it right about Nora’s departure. Perhaps Ibsen’s original ending is better left unsaid. Therefore, other than the alternative ending that Ibsen produced, how might the character of Nora deal with the situation at hand differently, based on what can be determined about her from the text? For starters, how about confronting the title of the story? Just who is the Doll? Many may claim that the doll is automatically Nora, for the reasons that she has been molded by her father and then toyed around with by her husband. To those individuals, Nora may seem like she is the victim, the poor little girl who can not comprehend who she is, the sweet â€Å"sky-lark† who had to leave her family for the findings of her true inner being†¦Or on a different note, Nora is the master and the controller of all that is functioning in the Helmer household. Although her husband, Torvald, may refer to her as a sky-lark, squirrel, or singing bird, it can be viewed in the text that Nora does not object to these remarks but r... ...a man who loves her and abandoning her children. Point in taking: Nora served no sense of accomplishment and only declared her egotism in a single selfish act. In the end, Nora’s greatest strength became her greatest weakness and it lead to her vindicated defeat. If only Nora used her powerful gift of control to step up to society instead of blocking it out, would she been able to save herself, her family, and her characters reputation as a feminine heroine, instead of a controversial role. But perhaps the controversy over Nora’s character is what we cherish so deeply because it is beyond our understanding. The idea that she is someone who is eternally captivating but can never fully be defined completely. Works Cited Kennedy, X.J. and Gioia, Dana. Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. 778-843. Nora Helmer in Ibsen's A Doll House Essay -- A Doll’s House Essays In 1879, Henrik Ibsen published the play A Dolls House. However, to much of his displeasure the portrayal of the third act was considered erroneous to critics and audiences of that time frame. This controversy centered on the play’s conclusion in Nora's decision to leave her marriage and abandon her children. Critics labeled this decision appalling and unrealistic, since at that time in history no true woman would ever make such a choice. This uproar forced Ibsen to write a second ending where Nora instead decides that the children need her more than she needs her freedom. Thus, leaving critics and audiences contently satisfied. Since then, though times have changed and ideas and beliefs of the past have been altered, maybe the critics had it right about Nora’s departure. Perhaps Ibsen’s original ending is better left unsaid. Therefore, other than the alternative ending that Ibsen produced, how might the character of Nora deal with the situation at hand differently, based on what can be determined about her from the text? For starters, how about confronting the title of the story? Just who is the Doll? Many may claim that the doll is automatically Nora, for the reasons that she has been molded by her father and then toyed around with by her husband. To those individuals, Nora may seem like she is the victim, the poor little girl who can not comprehend who she is, the sweet â€Å"sky-lark† who had to leave her family for the findings of her true inner being†¦Or on a different note, Nora is the master and the controller of all that is functioning in the Helmer household. Although her husband, Torvald, may refer to her as a sky-lark, squirrel, or singing bird, it can be viewed in the text that Nora does not object to these remarks but r... ...a man who loves her and abandoning her children. Point in taking: Nora served no sense of accomplishment and only declared her egotism in a single selfish act. In the end, Nora’s greatest strength became her greatest weakness and it lead to her vindicated defeat. If only Nora used her powerful gift of control to step up to society instead of blocking it out, would she been able to save herself, her family, and her characters reputation as a feminine heroine, instead of a controversial role. But perhaps the controversy over Nora’s character is what we cherish so deeply because it is beyond our understanding. The idea that she is someone who is eternally captivating but can never fully be defined completely. Works Cited Kennedy, X.J. and Gioia, Dana. Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. 778-843.

Negative effect of Computer on Children Essay

Topic sentence: Regular use of computer can have negative effect on children. Cause 1: Danger of headache and vision problem * exposer to screen bright light * effect on vision and head Cause 2: long use of computer deprived children from outdoor activities -gain weight and obesity Cause 3: Use of computer may lead children to topics that are beyond their imagination -unreal world -world created by technology In conclusion, excessive use of computer may cause overweight, headache, and vision problem. Regular use of computer can have some negative effects on children. First, children who use the computer for a long time may be at the danger for developing headache and vision problem. According to Anttila (2002), â€Å"It is often observed to tense and tender in children with headache.†(p.17).Second, most of children gain weight when they use computer for a long time because they are deprived from outdoor activities. In addition, Burke, Beilin, Durkin, Hougton and Cameron (2006) reveals that â€Å"television viewing and computer use are widely considered to contribute to the current increase in overweight and obesity in children †¦to fatness in most reported studies.†(Television, computer use, physical activity, diet and fitness in Australian adolescents, p.1) One of the most serious negative effects of computer on children is the exposure to topics that are beyond their understanding .Furthermore, Peter Mansbride points out that â€Å"the simplicity of the past is gone, replaced by a realism easily created by the latest technology† (The bloody bad games, para.1).In conclusion, excessive use of computer may cause overweight, headache, and vision problem. References 1. Tornoe,B.&Skov,L.(2012) Computer animated relaxation therapy in children between 7 and 13 years with tension-type headache: A pilot study.37(1),35- 44,10p. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=71671677&site=ehost-live&scope=site 2. Burke,V.,Beilin,L.Durkin,K.stritzke,W.G.K.,Houghton,S.&Camron , C.A. (2006) Television, computer use, physical activity, diet and fatness in Australian adolescents.1(4)248-225,8p. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=23220041&site=ehost-live&scope=site 3. Mansbridge,P.(2003)The bloody bad games,116(50)20-20.2/3p. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=11642732&site=ehost-live&scope=site

The Blue Sword CHAPTER TEN

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