Philosophy Vocabulary Essay

Individual:? single separate.? ? Existentialism:? a? philosophical? theory? or? approach? that? emphasizes? the? existence? of? the? individual? person? as? a? free? and? responsible? agent? determining? their? own? development? through? acts? of? the? will.? ? Consequentialism:? the? doctrine? that? the? morality? of? an? action? is? to? be? judged? solely? by? its? consequences.? ? Nihilism:? the? rejection? of? all? religious? and? moral? principles,? often? in? the? belief? that? life? is? meaningless.? ? Absurdity:? the? quality? or? state? of? being? ridiculous? or? wildly? unreasonable.? ? Hedonism:? the? pursuit? of? pleasure sensual? self? indulgence.? ? Objectivism:? the? belief? that? certain? things,? especially? moral? truths,? exist? independently? of? human? knowledge? or? perception? of? them.? ? Individualism:? the? habit? or? principle? of? being? independent? and? self? reliant.? ? Determinism:? the? doctrine? that? all? events,? including? human? action,? are? ultimately? determined? by? causes? external? to? the? will.? Some? philosophers? have? taken? determinism? to? imply? that? individual? human? beings? have? no? free? will? and? cannot? be? held? morally? responsible? for? their? actions.? ? Society:? the? aggregate? of? people? living? together? in? a? more? or? less? ordered? community.? ? Oppression:? prolonged? cruel? or? unjust? treatment? or? control.? ? Altruism:? the? belief? in? or? practice? of? disinterested? and? selfless? concern? for? the? well? being? of? others.? ? Utilitarianism:? the? doctrine? that? actions? are? right? if? they? are? useful? or? for? the? benefit? of? a? majority.? ? Biopower:? is? a? term? coined? by? French? scholar,? historian,? and? social? theorist? Michel? Foucault.? It? relates? to? the? practice? of? modern? nation? states? and? their? regulation? of? their? subjects? through? â€Å"an? explosion? of? numerous? and? diverse? techniques? for? achieving? the? subjugations? of? bodies? and? the? control? of? populations†.? ? Totalitarianism:? state? is? a? concept? used? by? some? political? scientists? in? which? the? state? holds? total? authority? over? the? society? and? seeks? to? control? all? aspects? of? public? and? private? life? wherever? possible.? ? Reciprocity:? the? practice? of? exchanging? things? with? others? for? mutual? benefit,? especially? privileges? granted? by? one? country?or? organization? to? another.? ? Socialism:? a? political? and? economic? theory? of? social? organization? that? advocates? that? the? means? of? production,? distribution,? and? exchange? should? be? owned? or? regulated? by? the? community? as? a? whole.? ? Communism:? a? political? theory? derived? from? Karl? Marx,? advocating? class? war? and? leading? to? a? society? in? which? all? property? is? publicly? owned? and? each? person? works? and? is? paid? according? to? their? abilities? and? needs.? ? Capitalism:? an? economic? and? political? system? in? which? a? country’s? trade? and? industry? are? controlled? by? private? owners? for? profit,? rather? than? by? the? state? ? Neoliberalism:? the? resurgence? of? ideas? associated? with? laissez? faire? economic? liberalism? beginning? in? the? 1970s? and? 1980s,? whose? advocates? support? extensive? economic? liberalization,? free? trade,? and? reductions? in? government? spending? in? order? to? enhance? the? role? of? the? private? sector? in? the? economy.? ? Neoconservatism:? relating? to? or? denoting? a? return? to? a? modified? form? of? a? traditional? viewpoint,? in? particular? a? political? ideology? characterized?  by? an? emphasis? on? free? market? capitalism? and? an? interventionist? foreign? policy.? ? Anthropocentrism:? the? belief? that? human? beings? are? the? central? or? most? significant? species? on? the? planet,? or? the? assessment? of? reality? through? an? exclusively? human? perspective.? ? Utopianism:? an? imagined? place? or? state? of? things? in? which? everything? is? perfect.? The? word? was? first? used? in? the? book? Utopia? (1516)? by? Sir? Thomas? More.? ? Deontology:? the? study? of? the? nature? of? duty? and? obligation.? Ontology:? the? branch? of? metaphysics? dealing?with? the? nature? of? being.? ? Epistemology:? the? theory? of? knowledge,? especially? with? regard? to? its? methods,? validity,? and? scope.? Epistemology? is? the? investigation? of? what? distinguishes? justified? belief? from? opinion.? View as multi-pages TOPICS IN THIS DOCUMENT Epistemology, Philosophy, Truth, Capitalism, Karl Marx, Classical liberalism, Communism, Political philosophy RELATED DOCUMENTS A Closer Look on the Effects of Reading to the Vocabulary Range of Readers and Non-Readers †¦ words. These words are called vocabulary words. Reading helps people improve their word range. Readers tend to search for the meaning of an unfamiliar word which improves their vocabulary. Readers are also able to widen their vocabulary when they use context clues. Readers have different vocabulary range. Most of the people have the impression that a bookworm have a wide range of vocabulary. But, in reality, not all†¦ 580   Words | 7   Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT Powerful Ways of Widening Vocabulary †¦ TS: I have learned four simple ways on which we can expand our vocabulary. I. Exercise wide independent reading. A. Through books B. Through magazines C. Through newspapers II. Keep tools for learning vocabularies handy. A. Such as pocket dictionaries B. Such as thesauruses C. Such as vocabulary notebooks III. Create a deep interest in word consciousness and awareness. A. By engaging in word play B. By†¦ 580   Words | 4   Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT Difficulties in Teaching Vocabulary †¦ language vocabulary. Two further distinctions in vocabulary are required to complete our model. We need to distinguish between a common core vocabulary known to all the members of a language community and specialized vocabularies, known only to special groups. We are of course primarily interested in the common core vocabulary.

Asian Paints Hr Strategy

ASIAN PAINTS LIMITED CODE OF CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES Page 1 of 11 Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011 1. INTRODUCTION Asian Paints Limited (the Company) is committed to good corporate governance and has consistently maintained its organisational culture as a remarkable confluence of high standards of Professionalism, Growth, and Building Shareholder Equity with principles of Fairness, Ethics and Corporate Governance in spirit. 2. APPLICABILITY OF THIS CODE Ethical business conduct is critical to our business.As an organisation, we have taken it upon us to lay down this Code of Conduct for all our employees to uphold our commitment to ethical conduct. All the employees of the Company and the employees of its subsidiaries are therefore, expected to read and understand this Code, uphold these standards in day-to-day activities, and comply with: all applicable laws; rules and regulations; and all applicable policies and procedures adopted by the Company that govern the condu ct of its employees and to ensure that the various stakeholders of the Company are aware, understand and comply with these standards.Nothing in this Code or in any related communications (verbal or written) thereto shall constitute or be construed to constitute a contract of employment for a definite term or a guarantee of confirmed employment. All the employees of the Company shall affirm compliance with the code on an annual basis. 3. HONEST AND ETHICAL CONDUCT The Company expects all the employees to act in accordance with the highest standards of personal and professional integrity, honesty and ethical conduct, whenever the Company’s business is being conducted or at any place where such employees are representing the Company.The Company considers honest conduct to be conduct that is free from fraud or deception. The Company considers ethical conduct to be conduct conforming to the accepted professional standards of conduct. Ethical conduct includes ethical handling of ac tual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships. Page 2 of 11 Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011 4. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMPANY Conflict of Interest The employees of the Company shall not generally engage in any business, relationship or activity which might detrimentally conflict with the interest of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.The main areas of actual or potential conflicts of interest would include the following: †¢ Financial interest of employees or his relatives, including the holding of an investment in the subscribed share capital of any company or a share in any firm which is an actual or potential competitor, supplier, customer, distributor, joint venture or other alliance partner of the Company. (The ownership of up to 1 per cent of the subscribed share capital of a publicly held company shall not ordinarily constitute a financial interest for this purpose. ) †¢ A employee of the Company conducti ng business on behalf of his or her ompany, or being in a position to influence a decision with regard to his or her company's business with a supplier or customer of which his or her relative is a principal, officer or representative, resulting in a benefit to him/her or his/her relative. Notwithstanding that such or other instances of conflict of interest exist due to any historical reasons, adequate and full disclosure by the interested employees should be made to the Vice President – Human Resources before any business amounting to an actual or potential conflict of interest is conducted.It is also incumbent upon every employee to make a full disclosure of any interest which the employees or his/her immediate family relatives, (which would include parents, spouse and dependent children) may have in a company or firm which is a supplier, customer, distributor or has other business dealings with the Company before any business is conducted with such a supplier, customer, di stributor or business associate.Every such disclosure as mentioned above shall be done in writing and shall be submitted to the Vice President – Human Resources, who in consultation with the Company Secretary/ Compliance Officer and the Managing Director & CEO, will communicate to the concerned employee to take necessary action, as advised, to resolve/ avoid the conflict, if any. Any employee’s duty to the Company demands that he or she generally avoids conflicts of interest. If a conflict of interest exists, the Company demands that he/she discloses actual and apparent conflicts of interest in the aforesaid manner.It is a conflict of interest to serve as a director of any Company that competes with the Company. The Company’s policy requires that an employee obtain prior approval from the Board of Directors and the Company’s Audit Committee before accepting such a directorship. Prevention of Fraud Policy: This policy applies to any irregularity, or suspec ted irregularity, involving employees as well as vendors, contractors, customers and/ or any other entities having a business relationship with the Company. The term fraud comprises the use of Page 3 of 11Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011 deception with the intention of gaining an advantage, avoiding an obligation or causing loss or has the potential to cause loss to the company by one or more individuals viz. management, employees or third parties. Fraud may include such acts as deception, bribery, forgery, extortion, corruption, theft, conspiracy, embezzlement, misappropriation, false representation, leakage of confidential and sensitive information pertaining to the company, concealment of material facts and collusion.Any act of fraud or corruption in or against the Company or any abetment to such fraud/ corruption will not be tolerated. All employees are required to report frauds and suspicions of fraud. Knowing or wilful failure to report any such matter shall be construed as connivance and may invite disciplinary action. All employees are also required to take the responsibility of detecting and preventing fraud in their areas of work and co-operate fully in the internal checks and investigation of frauds. The Prevention of Fraud policy is available on Egloo at My HR Applications – HR Helpdesk.Receiving and Giving Gifts and Favours: All employees (including their immediate family member) shall not accept or give a gift or favour of any nature from any supplier, vendor, dealer, contractor, customer, competitor or any business associate. This prohibition does not apply to routine two way exchange of normal business courtesies, which might reasonably be expected to be exchanged in the ordinary course of business. These courtesies include business lunch/dinner and exchange of company diaries and calendars, pens with company logo and the like that are not lavish in any way.If a gift is inadvertently received it should be promptly retur ned with a polite note explaining that it is contrary to the Company policy. Any favour which is inadvertently received or extended is to be brought to the notice of the Vice President – Human Resources immediately. In case of any favour being received or extended in the context of an emergency (e. g. medical emergency), the event of such a favour being received or extended is to be brought to the notice of the reporting manager by the employee. A circular on policy regarding gifts has already been issued to all employees by Human Resources Department.The policy is available on Egloo at My HR Applications – HR Helpdesk. All employees shall conform to the gift policy of the Company. Corporate Opportunities: The employees may not exploit for their own personal gain opportunities that are discovered through the use of corporate property, information or position, unless the opportunity is disclosed fully in writing in the manner as prescribed under this policy. Recruitment of Relatives: Employees are prohibited from influencing the hiring/ recruitment of their relatives in any position with or without remuneration in the organisation.In the event of any relative seeking an opportunity to be employed with the organisation, the concerned employee shall inform the Vice President – Human Resources. The recruitment shall be done as per the rules laid down therein by the Company in conformance with the standards set for recruitment of employees in the Company. Page 4 of 11 Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011 Local Rules and Regulations: Employees are expected to follow all the rules and regulations laid down at their respective workplaces with regard to discipline, workplace timings, dress code, etc.These rules and regulations are made available to the employees at their respective locations. Other Situations: It would be impractical to attempt to list all possible situations. If a proposed transaction or situation raises any question s or doubts they must be resolved after consultation with the Vice President – Human Resources. 5. HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT The Company shall strive to provide a safe and healthy working environment and comply, in the conduct of its business affairs, with all regulations regarding the preservation of the environment of the territory it operates in.The Company shall be committed to prevent the wasteful use of natural resources and minimize any hazardous impact of the development, production, use and disposal of any of its products and services on the ecological environment. Company policy prohibits sexual harassment, harassment based on race, religion, national origin, ethnic origin, color, gender, age, citizenship, veteran status marital status or a disability unrelated to the requirements of the position or any other basis protected by the central, state or local law or ordinance or regulation.If you believe that you have been harassed, submit a complaint to your own o r any other company manager. In addition, if you believe you have been sexually harassed, you may submit a complaint to the Vice President – Human Resources. The policy on Prevention of Sexual Harassment is available on Egloo at My HR Applications – HR Helpdesk. 6. RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS The Company reiterates its belief in and adherence to the principles of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations and to act in accordance with the principles laid down in it.It will also respect and abide by the requirements, in this behalf, of the countries in which it operates. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations is available at the url: http://www. un. org/en/documents/udhr/ 7. ACCOUNTING AND PAYMENT PRACTICES All transactions should be fully and accurately recorded in the Company's books and records in compliance with all applicable laws. All required information shall be accessible to the company's a uditors and other authorized persons and government agencies.False or misleading entries, unrecorded funds or assets, or payments without appropriate supporting documentation and approval are strictly prohibited and violate Company policy and the law. There shall be no willful omissions of any company transactions from the books and records. Any willful material misrepresentation of and/or misinformation of the financial accounts and reports shall Page 5 of 11 Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011 be regarded as a violation of the Code apart from inviting appropriate civil or criminal action under the relevant laws.Additionally, all documentation supporting a transaction should fully and accurately describe the nature of the transaction and be processed in a timely fashion. Employees are required to ensure that they claims of reimbursement of expenses are based on actual spends and are supported by valid documents as required. Any misrepresentation of facts, false claim s or submission of invalid documents shall invite appropriate disciplinary action. 8. MAINTAINING AND MANAGING RECORDSThe purpose of this section is to set forth and convey the Company's business and legal requirements in managing records, including all recorded information regardless of medium or characteristics. These records include paper documents, CDs, computer hard disks, email, floppy disks, microfiche, microfilm or all other media. The Company is required by local, state, foreign and other applicable laws, rules and regulations to retain certain records and to follow specific guidelines in managing its records. Company records:The results of operations and the financial position of the Company must be recorded in accordance with the requirements of law and generally accepted accounting principles. It is Company policy, as well as a requirement of law, to maintain books, records and accounts that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the business transactions and disposition of assets of the Company. The integrity of the Company’s accounting and financial records is based on the accuracy and completeness of the basic information supporting entries to the Company’s books of accounts.The employees involved in creating, processing and recording such information are held responsible for its integrity. Every accounting or financial entry should reflect exactly what is described by the supporting information. There must be no concealment of information from (or by) management, or from the Company’s internal or independent auditors. No payment on behalf of the Company shall be approved or made with the intention or understanding that any part of such payment is to be used for any purpose other than that described by the documents supporting the payment.No false or misleading entries may be made in any books or records of the Company for any reason, and no fund, asset or account of the Company may be established, acquired or ma intained for any purpose unless such fund, asset or account is properly reflected in the books and records of the Company. No corporate funds or assets should be used for any unlawful or improper purpose. Revenue and expenses should be properly recognized on a timely basis. Assets and liabilities should be properly recorded and appropriately valued.Page 6 of 11 Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011 9. PROTECTING COMPANY’S ASSETS AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION Protecting company assets: The assets of the company should not be misused but employed for the purpose of conducting the business for which they are duly authorised. These include tangible assets such as equipment and machinery, systems, facilities, materials, resources as well as intangible assets such as patents, trademarks, proprietary information, relationships with customers and suppliers, etc.Confidential Information: The Company's confidential information is a valuable asset. The Company's confidential information includes product architectures; formulations, trade secrets, manufacturing plans, names of vendors, raw materials used, prices of raw materials, source codes; product plans and road maps; names and lists of customers, dealers, and employees; and financial information and any other information This information is the property of the Company and may be protected by patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws.All employees are prohibited from disclosing such information. In case need arises, all confidential information must be used for Company’s business purposes only. Every employee must safeguard it. This responsibility includes not disclosing the Company confidential information over the Internet or otherwise. The employees are also responsible for properly labeling any and all documentation shared with or correspondence sent to outside counsel as â€Å"Attorney-Client Privileged†.This obligation extends to confidential information of third parties , which the Company has rightfully received under NonDisclosure Agreements. Obligations of the employees with respect to Company Confidential Information are: †¢ Not to disclose this information to persons within the Company or outside of the Company without prior approval of the Compliance Officer or Vice – President – Human Resources. Not to use this information for the employee’s own benefit or the benefit of persons outside of Company. †¢Not to disclose this information to other Company’s employees except on a â€Å"need to know† or â€Å"need to use† basis and then only with a strong statement that the information is confidential. †¢ Company confidential information is not always of a technical nature. Such information can also include business research, new product plans, strategic objectives, any unpublished financial or pricing information, employee, customer and vendor lists and information regarding customer requirem ents, preferences, business habits and plans.This list, while not complete, suggests the wide variety of information that needs to be safeguarded. †¢ If any employee, his or her obligation to protect Company confidential information continues. Page 7 of 11 Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011 All employees shall not use or proliferate information which is not available to the investing public and which therefore constitutes insider information for making or giving advice on investment decisions on the securities of the Company on which such insider information has been obtained.Such insider information might include the following: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ acquisition and divestiture of businesses or business units; financial information such as profits, earnings and dividends; announcement of new product introductions or developments; asset revaluations; investment decisions/plans; restructuring plans; major supply and delive ry agreements’ raising finances The ‘Code of Conduct for Prevention of Insider Trading' is applicable to Designated Employees as per the SEBI (Prevention of Insider Trading) Regulations.Its objective is to ensure protection of unpublished price-sensitive information and to ensure that the insiders and those covered by the Code of Conduct for Prevention of Insider Trading, who are or are deemed to be in possession of such information, abstain from transacting in the securities of the Company before the same has been communicated in public. The Code of Conduct for Prevention of Insider Trading is available in Egloo at My HR Applications – HR Helpdesk. All employees are expected to read and understand the policy.The Designated Employees are required to read, understand and comply with the said policy and are also required to make necessary disclosures and declarations as specified in the policy. 10. DISCLOSURE TO THE STOCK EXCHANGES AND PUBLIC It is the Company†™s policy to provide full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that are to be filed with or submitted to the stock exchanges where the Company’s shares are listed, statutory authorities and in our other public communications.Accordingly, employees must ensure the compliance with such disclosure controls and procedures. All employees must also respect the confidentiality of information acquired in the course of one's work except when authorized or otherwise legally obligated to disclose. 11. RESPONDING TO INQUIRIES FROM THE PRESS AND OTHERS The requests for financial or business information about Company from the media, press, financial community, the Securities and Exchange Board of India or other regulators or the public must be referred to the Company Secretary/ Compliance Officer. Page 8 of 11Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011 12. COMPLIANCE WITH GOVERNMENT LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS All employees must comply wit h all applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations. The employees must acquire appropriate knowledge of the legal requirements relating to their duties sufficient to enable them to recognize potential dangers, and to know when to seek advice from the Legal Department. If the ethical and professional standards set out in the applicable laws and regulations are below that of the code, then the standards of the code shall prevail. 13.SHAREHOLDERS The Company shall be committed to enhance shareholder value and comply with all regulations and laws that govern shareholders' rights. The Board of Directors of the Company will duly and fairly inform its shareholders about all relevant aspects of the company's business, and disclose such information in accordance with the respective regulations. 14. FOSTERING COMPETITION The Company will fully support the development and operation of competitive open markets and will promote the liberalization of trade and investment in each country an d market in which it operates.The Company or its employee will not engage in restrictive trade practices, abuse of market dominance or similar unfair trade activities in order to secure commercial gain or advantage. The Company will support the development of laws that promote, encourage or result in fair competition. The Company expects all the employees to conduct themselves in accordance with the company’s commitment to foster competition. 15. WHISTLE BLOWER POLICYThe objective of this policy is to provide employees and Business Associates a framework and to establish a formal mechanism or process whereby concerns can be raised in line with the Company’s commitment to highest standards of ethical, moral and legal business conduct and its commitment to open communication. The Company shall provide protection to the employees from unethical work practices and irregularities as well as prevent discrimination or retaliation against employees and business associates who report irregularities and also the methods to encourage employees and Business Associates to report evidence of fraudulent activities.The employees can make Protected Disclosures to the Ethics Committee as per the procedure defined in the policy, on becoming aware of any wrongful conduct or activity within 30 days after becoming aware of the same. The identity of the Whistle Blower shall be kept strictly confidential. The Whistle Blower policy is available on Egloo at My HR Applications – HR Helpdesk. Page 9 of 11 Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011 16. VIOLATIONS OF THE CODE It is a part of the employee’s job, and his/her ethical responsibility to help enforce this Code.The employees should be alert to possible violations and report this to the Compliance Officer or the Vice President – Human Resources. The employees should cooperate in any internal or external investigations of possible violations. Actual violations of law, this code, or other C ompany policies or procedures, should be promptly reported to the Compliance Officer or the Vice President – Human Resources. The Company will take appropriate action against those whose actions are found to violate the Code or any other policy of the Company. 17.WAIVERS AND AMENDMENTS TO THE CODE The Company is committed to continuously reviewing and updating our policies and procedures. Therefore, this Code is subject to modification. Any amendment or waiver of any provision of this Code must be approved in writing by the Company’s board of directors and promptly disclosed on the Company’s website and in applicable regulatory filings pursuant to applicable laws and regulations, together with details about the nature of the amendment or waiver. Ernest Louis Vice President – Human Resources Page 10 of 11Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011 ACKNOWLEDGMENT FOR THE EMPOYEES I have received and read the Company's Code of Conduct and Ethics for e mployees. I understand and agree to comply with the standards and policies contained in the above mentioned Code of Conduct and understand that there may be additional policies or laws specific to my job. Name of the Employee Employee Code Designation Location Signature Date This form shall be made available online subsequently for you to acknowledge. Page 11 of 11 Asian Paints – Confidential 14 January 2011

The Blue Sword CHAPTER NINE

She felt caught as she stared at the dark Hill-king astride his red horse, caught by the sky, by the stars winking into the new-fallen darkness, by the sand and encircling Hills; they seized her and held her down. She was a figure in some story other than her own, an embroidered shape in a Hill tapestry, a representation of something that did not exist in her Homeland. Then the crowd gave a roar and surged inward; she closed her eyes. But they were patting her ankles, her legs, her back, making her human again, with human bewilderment and human luck. She began to distinguish words in the roar: they were shouting, â€Å"Harimad-sol! Laprun minta! Minta – musti! Harimad-sol!† Tsornin and Isfahel were driven together, and they stood patiently while the crowd rose and foamed around them. Isfahel turned his head and Tsornin turned his, till their flared nostrils touched briefly in a salute. Out of the corner of her eye Harry saw Corlath blot the drop of blood at his mouth with the back of his hand. The crowd fell away from its center, breaking into smaller eddies that laughed and swung each other by arms and hands and shoulders. Sungold and Fireheart edged away from each other, their riders silent and motionless. Harry could not look at Corlath. He reached out one hand toward her, perhaps to touch her, but Tsornin sidled just one step farther and Corlath's hand dropped away. Mathin appeared on Harry's far side and touched her elbow, and Harry smiled gratefully at his familiar face. Mathin did not speak to her, but turned away, and she slid off Sungold and the two of them followed him, walking slowly, permitted their due of weariness at last. Mathin stopped where two taris were already set up, and knelt down to build a fire, companionably ignoring his two pupils; and Harry was glad to lay aside the glory of laprun-minta. The headache haze and sense of displacement began to ebb as she mechanically stripped off Sungold's saddle and rubbed him down. The smell of Mathin's cooking crept to greet her and cheer her, and remind her who she was, or who she had become. She was the Daughter of the Riders. Harry ate too much that night. She ate till her stomach hurt – Mathin had kept them on strict rations during training – but she was only half aware of what she was eating. Many of the lapruni she had faced today came to her, to touch her hand and offer what seemed a sort of fealty; they materialized at the edge of the firelight, as indistinct as they had seemed to her that afternoon: they wore red robes and blue robes and brown robes and black, for none wore a sash, and their swords hung in scabbards by their sides instead of drawn against her. And they called her Harimad-sol, and laprun-minta, and their voices were hushed and reverent. Harry ate too much because it made her feel more real. As the evening progressed other taris were set up nearby: she had noticed that Mathin was using a pot larger than the one for the two of them she had seen every night for six weeks. Soon she found they were sharing their fire and supper with Innath and Faran and Forloy and Dapsim, and others of the king's Riders. They watched without comment as the lapruni came to show themselves to the Daughter of the Riders, who kept putting more food on her plate as they appeared and vanished. Once when Harry looked up she saw Mathin handing Corlath a plate. The king slouched down, cross-legged, and began to eat. Harry would have liked to ask why the lapruni were saluting her, for it seemed beyond a simple acknowledgment of the loser to the victor, but she did not ask. Mathin had taught her patience, and she had known all her life how to be stubborn. It seemed a bit unfair to complain, she thought, as it – or as I – have turned out; but couldn't I have been told a little more beforehand? She looked into the eyes of those who sought her and called her Harimad-sol, and tried to think of them as individuals, and not as robes and tunics and fallen sashes. The lapruni all went away without her having to speak to them, for they did not seem to expect her to answer them with anything but her presence. This was both restful and unnerving. One laprun was a woman. For her Harry did have a question. â€Å"What is your name?† The girl's robe was blue, and Harry suddenly recognized her as the rider on the bay mare. â€Å"Senay,† she replied. â€Å"Where is your home?† Senay turned to face northwest. â€Å"Shpardith,† she said. â€Å"It is there,† and she pointed into the blackness. â€Å"Twelve days on a fleet horse.† Harry nodded, and the girl left to return to her own fire, and others came to speak to the laprun-minta who sat with the Riders and the king. When she looked around again she realized that there were eighteen dark figures besides herself and the king; all the Riders, from wherever they had been, had returned. And Narknon reappeared, and Harry hugged her eagerly, for she felt in need of something to hug. She offered her bits of meat, which Narknon graciously accepted, although she attempted to nose through Harry's plate herself, to make sure Harry wasn't keeping back any of the best bits for herself. Harry slept dreamlessly, her hand on the hilt of her sword; when she awoke and found this so, she stared at her hand as if it did not belong to her. She crept out of the tari and looked around. The sky was light; yet most of the taris still had bodies in them, and there were more blanket-swathed figures motionless around banked or burned-out fires. Mathin's lips moved as he rebuilt their fire. She turned to look behind her. Corlath was gone; there was only a small ripple in the sand where he had lain, or it might be only the wind. Mathin handed her a cup of malak. It was reheated from last night, and bitter. Harry shrugged into her stiff grimy surcoat, hoping there would be bathing sometime today, and thinking wistfully of the little valley behind her, and its green pool. Her split sash lay beside her, where she had stuffed it through the tari's open flap the night before. She picked it up and, after a moment's thought, wrapped it around her waist again, tucking torn edges underneath till it would stay fixed. She did not do it very well, and she thought of asking Mathin for help, but chose not to. After the wildness of the night before, this morning everyone went quietly about the business of packing up and returning, it seemed, to where they had come from. A few lingered: Harry and several of the Riders, for many of them had vanished with Corlath, and perhaps a dozen riders she did not recognize, and a few of the lapruni. She looked for Senay hopefully, but did not see her. The wind whispered over the bare land. But for the black hollows of dead fires, there was nothing to show that several hundred people had spent the last three days here. Mathin turned Windrider east, east where the City lay just beyond one of the enigmatic rockfaces before them. Tsornin fell into step beside Windrider; Viki came along behind them, still grumbling to himself; and the others, some thirty riders, strung out behind them. Harry peered over her shoulder several times, watching the procession winding behind her, till she caught Mathin's expression of restrained amusement when he glanced over at her. After that she looked only straight ahead. Narknon padded softly among them all. There was another big hunting-cat with them, a handsome spotted-mahogany male an inch or two taller than Narknon; but she scorned him. Tsornin strode out like a yearling having his first sight of the world beyond his paddock. Harry tried to keep her back straight and her legs quiet. Yesterday she had been glad of her perfectly fitted saddle, for it gave her suppleness and security; today she was glad of it because it told her where her legs were supposed to be even when they felt like blocks of wood. Her shoulder hurt, and her head felt woolly, and her right wrist was as weak as water, and she had a great purple bruise on her left calf. My horse is ignoring me, Harry thought. Or maybe he's trying to cheer me up. She had gone over him with great care the evening before, and again this morning, and applied salve to the few small scrapes he had collected. He had no suspicious swellings, no lameness, and his eyes were bright and his step buoyant. He made her feel woollier. â€Å"Are you trying to cheer me up?† she said to his mane, and he cocked a merry ear at her and strutted. They had just begun to step upward off the plain into the Hills when they rounded another abrupt shoulder of rock like the one she and Mathin had passed for her first view of the laprun fields; and here was a wide highway mounting steeply to massive gates not far away. There lay the City. They passed through the gates, borne beneath an arch two horse-lengths thick, their horses' hooves echoing hollowly. There was a cold grey smell, as if of caves, although the gates had stood for a thousand years. They walked down a broad avenue where six horsemen might walk abreast. It was stone-paved, laid out in huge flat cobbles, some grey or white or red-veined black; it had edges of earth where slender grey trees grew. Behind them were stone walkways where children played; and beyond them were stone houses and shops and stables and warehouses; stone flower-pots stood in doorways and on window ledges. The green-and-blue parrots Harry had seen in the traveling camp were perched on many shoulders, and some of them joined, gay and noisy, in the children's games. Often with a flirt of wings one would carry off the stone counter or mark a group of children was using, while the children shrieked at them, and occasionally threw pebbles at them, but only very small ones. â€Å"Is there no wood?† said Harry. â€Å"Nothing but stone?† She looked up at the roof and walls and gables mounting up the hillside behind the gates, tiers of stone, multi-colored stone, no shingles or slats or carved wooden cornices, or shutters or window frames. â€Å"There is wood here,† said Mathin, â€Å"but there is more stone.† Innath rode up on Harry's other side. â€Å"Mathin cannot see the strangeness of this place,† he said; â€Å"his village is just as stony as the City, only smaller. Where I come from we cut down trees and plane them smooth and slot them together, our houses and barns are warm and weathered, and do not last forever and haunt you with the ghosts of a thousand years.† â€Å"We use wood,† said Mathin. Innath made a dismissive gesture. â€Å"The grand receiving-rooms here have wooden paneling – you'll see some of them at the castle – and parlors, where people really live, often have wooden screens as ornaments.† â€Å"There are wooden chairs and tables and cupboards,† said Mathin. â€Å"There are more stone chairs and tables and cupboards,† said Innath. â€Å"They don't often rearrange the furniture here.† Harry looked around. She saw doors so well hung on their hinges that they were opened and closed by a child's touch, yet made of stone slabs so heavy she wondered how they had been wrestled into their places to begin with. Free-standing walls, she saw, were often as wide as the reach of her two arms; yet often too the inner wall facing on a courtyard encircled by tall houses was so fine and delicate, cut into filigree work so complex, it looked as though it must tremble in the lightest breeze; as if one might roll it up like a bolt of silk and store it on a shelf. â€Å"To be either a stonemason or a carpenter is to be respected,† Mathin said. â€Å"The best of them are greatly honored.† â€Å"Hear the horse-breaker,† said Innath. Mathin smiled. The children began calling: â€Å"The lapruni are here! And the Riders – and the laprun-minta!† â€Å"Harimad-sol,† Innath called to them, and Harry blushed. â€Å"Harimad-sol,† agreed the children; and people came out from the houses and down the narrower ways off the wide central way to look. Harry tried to look around her without catching anyone's eye, but many of the onlookers sought hers; and when one succeeded, he – or she – would touch right wrist to forehead and then hold the flat empty palm out toward her. â€Å"Harimad-sol,† she heard, and eagerly they added, â€Å"Damalur-sol.† The children danced in front of Tsornin's feet to make her look at them, and clapped their hands; and she smiled and waved shyly at them, and Tsornin was very careful with his hooves. They rode on. At first the Hills rose up behind the low buildings, but as they went farther in, the buildings grew taller and taller and seemed part of the Hills themselves; and the trees that lined the way grew larger, till the shade of them could be felt as one passed beneath. Then another gate rose up before them, the wall around it running into the flanks of the mountains as if wall and gate had been formed with the mountains at the beginning of time. They went through this gate too, and entered a wide flat courtyard of polished stone. This stone was mirror-white, and it blazed up fiercely in the morning sunlight, and Harry felt as if she had emerged from underground. She blinked. Before her stood Corlath's castle; no one had to explain to her what this huge stone edifice must be. She tipped her head back to see the sharp points of the turrets, brilliant as diamonds. It was itself a mountain, proudly peaked, seated among its brothers; its faces glittered dangerously. The shadows it threw were abrupt and absolute; one wall reflected white, another black. The central mass was taller than the Hill crests here; the road they had climbed had reached near the summit of the dark Hills, and like an island in the crater lake of an extinct volcano, the castle stood in its stone yard that shone as bright as water in the sun. Harry sighed. Men of the horse were approaching them in the swift but unhurried way she remembered from the days on the desert in the traveling camp; and she felt a sudden sharp stab of memory, as if that were a time many years past, and the present were sad and weary. She slipped down from Tsornin's back and he suffered himself to be led away when one of the brown men spoke to him gently by name and laid a hand in front of his withers. Narknon sat down neatly at Harry's feet; Harry could feel her tail twitching at her ankles. Those who had ridden with her began now to go purposefully in their own individual directions. Mathin said to her, ‘†It is here I am to leave you. Perhaps it may be permitted that we ride against each other again and you may practice your skills upon me, Daughter of the Riders.† He smiled. â€Å"We will meet again at the king's table, here in the City.† Harry looked up toward the castle when Mathin left her, feeling a little forlorn; and it was Corlath himself who walked to meet her. She swallowed rather hard, and blessed the sunburn that would prevent her fierce blush from showing as clearly as it would on an Outlander's pale skin. â€Å"We meet again, Harimad-sol,† Corlath said. There was a tiny scab at one corner of his mouth; he looked down at her with a cold dignity, she thought; he is the master of this place, and what am I? Even Daughter of the Riders could not comfort her as Corlath stood before her with his castle shining savagely behind him. But then he spoiled the effect – or perhaps the effect was all in Harry's eyes to begin with – by saying, â€Å"So that's where the thrice-blasted cat disappeared to. I should have guessed it.† He did not look very majestic while glaring at a cat; so Harry said crossly, â€Å"I wish I knew what was going on.† Corlath looked at her thoughtfully, and Narknon, with customary feline charm, stood up and went to twine herself around Corlath's legs. Corlath's face softened and he rubbed her ears. Harry could hear her purr; she could almost feel it through the soles of her boots on the white stone. Narknon was a champion purrer. â€Å"And don't tell me that no one knows what is going on and that it is for the gods to decide, either.† Corlath's face wavered and then broke into a smile, although whether at Harry or the big cat, Harry didn't know. â€Å"Very well,† he said. â€Å"I won't. I will tell you that you are the First of the laprun trials, laprun-minta, which you already know, and as such the most important of the lapruni, the untried.† Corlath's hand lay motionless on Narknon's head. â€Å"The army marches, to do what it can, in less than a fortnight's time. You and the best of the lapruni will ride with us.† Narknon bumped Corlath's hand violently and the fingers stirred and began scratching again. In a lighter tone Corlath continued, â€Å"In other years that the laprun trials are held, there is a week's celebration at their end, and a great many songs are sung, and lies about one's own prowess told, and all the minta of past years claim that their year was the best, and much wine and beer is drunk, and it is all very cheerful. This year we have not the time, and many of those who would be part of it are far away, and those who are here are busy, and the work they do is melancholy.† He paused as if hoping she would say something, or at least raise her eyes from Narknon's sleepy face and look at him; but when she did finally look up, he immediately squinted up at the sky. â€Å"But tonight there will be a feast in your honor. You are not the least of those who have been laprun Firsts. There are many who will come tonight merely to look at you.† Harry stopped smiling at the cat. â€Å"Oh,† she said. â€Å"Come. I will show you where you will stay till we leave the City.† She followed him across the smooth courtyard and around one wing of the castle; as they rounded the tip, set back from the edge and guarded by the castle's great bulk was a wall that at first seemed low; but it was fully ten feet high as they approached. It curved back on itself as if it protected something within that was very precious. In the wall was a door, the height of a tall man. Corlath opened it, and looked around for her. She stepped in first, Narknon crowding at her heels, with the odd feeling that he was watching her anxiously for her reaction. It was very beautiful. Here the courtyard was not stone, but green grass, and a stream ran through it from one end to the other, with a fountain at the center, and a stone horse reared in the midst of the falling spray. On either side of the stream was a path of paving-stones, grey and blue, that went all the way around the fountain. There were curved stone seats on either side of the fountain, with the stream running between them. Beyond all this was what Harry thought of instantly as a palace, for all its diminutive size; it was no bigger than the gateman's cottage on her father's – now Richard's – estate, back Home. But this cottage had slender peaked towers at each of its five corners, and a cupola at the center of the slanting roof, with a delicate fence surrounding it. But for the cupola, it was only one story high, and the windows were tall and thin. The walls and roof were a mosaic of thousands of small flat blue stones, with colors from aquamarine to turquoise to sapphire, but Harry had no idea what these stones might be, for they were opaque, and yet they gleamed like mother of pearl. She sighed, and then to her horror she felt her eyes filling with tears; so she ran forward. It seemed as though even her leather riding-boots made no sound on the stone here, and she plunged her hands into the water of the fountain, and put her face under the spray. The coldness of it quieted her, and the drops danced around her. Narknon climbed up on one of the benches and lay down. Corlath followed them through the door in the wall and then went on to the little mosaic palace. There was no door in the arched entrance. Harry stepped slowly inside. Here the stream had slipped around behind and entered by some back way, for in the center of the front room was another fountain, and the stream ran in under the rear wall; but here the stone horse stood on all four legs and bowed his head to drink from the pool at his feet. There were tapestries on the walls, and rugs and cushions on the floor, and one low table, and that was all. Corlath opened the stone door beside the place where the stream came under the wall. She looked in. The stream entered over a tiny falls of three stone steps under the far wall, to run under the near wall and out to the fountain in the front room. The water tinkled as it fell. The floor of this room was thick with carpets, and against the wall opposite the stream was the long bolster-like object she had learned to recognize in the traveling camp as the Hill idea of a bed, although she had entertained higher hopes of the furnishings of the City. There were pillow-sized cushions at one end, and body-sized rugs folded up at the other end. She went back into the bigger room and looked around again. There was another door between two long blue-and-green tapestries. She walked over to it and opened it, wondering if she would find a dragon breathing fire from a heap of diamonds, or merely a bottomless chasm lined with blue stones, but instead it was only a bit more of the grassy courtyard, and a few steps away was a door in the wall surrounding this magic place into what she thought vaguely must be the castle itself. She closed the door and turned back; Corlath was dangling his fingers in the pool just in front of the horse's stone nose. He looked as if he were thinking very hard about something. Harry leaned back against the door behind her and stared at him, wondering what he was looking at, and waited for him to remember her. He looked up finally, and met her eyes. She didn't think she flinched. â€Å"Do you like it?† he said. She nodded, not quite sure of her voice. â€Å"It has been a long time since this place sheltered anyone,† he said; she wanted to ask how it came to be here at all, who had built it so lovingly and why; but she didn't. Corlath left her there. He walked out past the fountain of the rearing horse, and at the door where they had first entered he paused and turned back toward her. She had followed him from the small jeweled cottage, and stood next to the low bench where Narknon lay at her ease. But he said nothing, and turned away again, and closed the door behind him. She went to the little back room with the bolster and took off her surcoat. Her hands met her torn sash; her fingers curled around it and then she pulled it off in her two hands and tossed the pieces away from her. They fluttered to the floor. She lay down by degrees, leaving the lower half of her left leg h anging over the edge of the bolster, where the bruise need not come in contact with anything, and carefully arranged her sore shoulder. A young woman woke her, but she was dressed as the men of the household were dressed, in a long sashless white robe, and had the same mark they did on her forehead. â€Å"The banquet will begin soon,† said the girl, and bowed; and Harry nodded and sat up stiffly, and yawned, and contemplated her bruises, which seemed to be spreading. She unfolded herself, and weaved to her feet. She put on her blue robe but left the sash lying, and followed the girl out of the mosaic palace and through the castle door into an antechamber. She looked to the left and saw a room with tables, high tables, and real chairs: not chairs like the ones she had known at Home, but still chairs, with legs and backs, and some with armrests. The girl guided her to the right and into an immense bathroom, with the bath itself sunk into the floor, the size of a millpond, and s teaming. The girl helped her out of her clothes, and Harry sat for a moment at the edge of the lake and dabbled her tired feet in it. Her attendant hissed with sympathy over the bruises. Once she was fairly in and wet all over, two more young women appeared, and one of them presented her with a cake of white soap. The third young woman unbound her wet hair – now that it was wet, it smelled terribly of horse – and started rubbing shampoo into it. The shampoo smelled like flowers. She thought, I bet Corlath's shampoo doesn't smell like flowers. She would rather have climbed out of her own clothes – in spite of the aches and pains – and washed her own hair. The young woman who had given her the soap washed her back with a scratchy sponge, and Harry repressed the urge to giggle; she hadn't had anyone wash her back for her since she was five years old. She was clean at last and wrapped in towels, and sat quite patiently while the young woman who had washed her hair now tried to work the tangles out of it. It was long and thick and hadn't been combed properly smooth for weeks. Better her than me, Harry thought cheerfully; there are advantages to servants, perhaps; and this girl is very gentle †¦ Harry caught herself dozing. I'm going to be less than a success at my own banquet if I can't even stay awake, she thought. I suppose the last six weeks are all catching up with me now, and Mathin's grey dust. She tumbled off her stool at last, the towels removed, and a heavy white shift dropped over her head. They put velvet slippers on her feet and a red robe around her shoulders, and twisted a gold cord around her hair but let it hang down behind her so she had to flick the end of it aside when she sat down. At Home, one never wore one's hair loose when one was no longer a child; at night it was braided, during the day it was tied up. Harry shook her hair; it felt funny. These last weeks she had tied and pinned it fiercely under her helmet, where it couldn't get caught in anything, like the branch of a tree, or Mathin's sword, or under her own saddle. The young woman who had awakened her had rubbed salve into her shoulder and leg before they dressed her, and Harry found that she could move more freely, and the weight of the robe didn't bow her down, nor the sleek surface of the shift rub her like sandpaper. The three girls ushered her across the anteroom to the room with the chairs, and they all three bowed, and looked shyly at her with smiles hovering in their eyes, so she grinned at them and flapped the edges of her clean scarlet robe at them, and they smiled happily and left. Harry sat down tentatively in one of the queer crook-legged chairs, and leaned back luxuriously. Rugs and cushions and stools can be very comfortable, but they are inevitably backless, and it was apparently not done to lean against a tent wall; no one else did it, at least, so she hadn't tried. The shift billowed around her as she shrugged farther into the chair: No sash, she thought. There was a long hall she could see through an open door; and after a few minutes Mathin appeared through another door at the far end of it and came toward her. In his hand was a bit of maroon cloth; and when he came through the door, the air that swept in with him smelled of flowers. Harry smiled. â€Å"Well met, Daughter of the Riders,† said Mathin, and unrolled what he had in his hand. It was her old sash, washed clean. The smile left Harry's face, and when Mathin held the sash out to her, still in its two pieces, as if he would tuck it around her waist, she backed up a step. He stopped, surprised, and looked at her face, white under the tan. â€Å"I think,† he said slowly, â€Å"that you do not understand.† He held his arms out to his sides, and the hand indicated a line on his own dark green sash. â€Å"Look here.† Harry looked and saw a similar tear, but carefully mended, with tiny exact stitches of yellow thread. â€Å"All the Riders wear them so. Many of us won the slash at the hand of the king after being First at the laprun trials – as I did, many years ago. It was Corlath's father gave me this cut. Two or three of us have won them at other times. Any one lucky enough to have a sash cut off by a sol or sola will wear the mended sash ever after.† Harry, faintly in the back of her mind, heard Beth saying: â€Å"They come in those long robes they always wear – over their faces too, so you can't see if they're smiling or frowning; and some of them with those funny patched sashes around their waists.† Mathin said: â€Å"I will teach you to mend yours; you must do it yourself, as you clean your own sword and pay your own homage.† He looked at her slyly and added: â€Å"All those sashes you lopped off their owners you may be sure will be saved and mended; and the cuts will be bragged of, given by the damalur-sol whose prowess was first seen when she was First at the laprun trials.† Harry suffered Mathin to put the maroon sash around her waist again. He did not tuck it together, as she had, so that the slash did not show; instead it went in front, proudly – Harry gritted her teeth – and was fixed by a long golden pin. Then she silently followed him down the corridor. There were pillars reaching up three stories to meet the arched ceilings; the floors were laid out in great squares, two strides' length, but within each black-and-white border were scenes drawn in tiny mosaic tiles. Harry tried to look at them as she walked over them, and saw a great many horses, and some swords, and some sunrises and sunsets over Hills and deserts. She had her eyes so busily on the floor that when Mathin stopped she ran into him. They stood under one of the three-story arches the pillars made, but on either side of them the spaces between the tall columns were filled in, and tapestries hung on these walls, and they stood in the doorway to an immense room. It too was three stories high, and a chandelier was let down from the ceiling on a chain that seemed hundreds of feet long. Mathin and she went down six steps, across a dozen strides of floor, and up nine steps to a vast square dais; around three sides of the square was a white-laid table. At the one edge of this dais where there was no table were three more steps up to a long rectangular table on a smaller dais; and around this table sat Corlath and seventeen Riders. There were two empty seats at Corlath's right. Chairs, Harry thought happily. Chairs seem quite commonplace in the City, even if they don't understand beds. They sat, and the men and women of the household brought food, and they ate. Harry cast a sharp eye over those bearing the dishes; it seemed that those of the household here in the City were about equally divided, men and women. Harry turned impulsively to Mathin and said, quietly so that Corlath would not hear, â€Å"Why were there no women of the household with us in the traveling camp?† Mathin smiled at his leg of fowl. â€Å"Because there were so few women riding with us.† Corlath said, â€Å"There will be some to go with us in ten days' time, if you wish it; for even an army on its way to war needs some tending.† Harry said stiffly, â€Å"If this wish of mine is not a foolish one, it would please me to see women of the household come with us.† Corlath nodded gravely; and Harry thought of that first banquet she had attended, still dizzy and frightened from her ride across the desert, bumping on Corlath's saddlebow. She was still dizzy and frightened, she thought sadly, and touched the gold pin in her sash; it was cold to her fingers.. There was talk over the food of the laprun trials just past and of how so-and-so's son had ridden well or poorly; all the Riders had been watching the trials with an attention made more acute by the nearness of the Northerners. Mathin mentioned that a young woman named Senay had done well; a place should be offered to her when the army was ready to march. The kysin had ranked her high, and so she was still in the City, hoping for such a summons. â€Å"Where is her home?† Corlath asked. Mathin frowned, trying to remember. â€Å"Shpardith,† Harry said. â€Å"Shpardith?† Mathin said, surprised. â€Å"She must be old Nandam's daughter. He always said she'd grow into a soldier. Good for her.† â€Å"Mathin's growing into a billitu, do you think?† said Innath, and a ripple of laughter went around the table. Harry turned to look at Mathin, and thought he was looking even more stolid than usual. â€Å"I choose only the best,† said Mathin firmly, and everyone laughed again. A billitu is a lady-lover. Harry smiled involuntarily. No one mentioned the brilliant performance of the youngster on the big chestnut Tsornin who had had the luck to carry off the honors, and Harry began to relax as the meal progressed, although, she thought, staring into her goblet, the wine was probably helping. All was cleared away at last, and then came a pause so measured and expectant that Harry knew before she saw the man bearing the leather sack that they would bring out the Water of Seeing. This time she could understand when the Riders spoke of what they saw: war was in almost everyone's eyes, war with the Northerners, who were led by someone who was more than a man, whose sword flickered with a light that was the color of madness, and terror filled the heart of anyone who rode against him. Faran laughed shortly and without mirth and said that what he saw was no use to anybody; Hantil saw his own folk riding grimly toward the City bearing a message he did not know. Hantil came from a village in the mountains that were the northern border of Damar. â€Å"I do not like it,† said Hantil; â€Å"I have never seen my father look so stern.† Innath sighed over his Sight. â€Å"I see the Lake of Dreams,† he said, â€Å"as if it is early spring, for the trees are in bud. The Riders ride along its edge, but our number is only fifteen.† Mathin tipped a swallow of the Water into his mouth, and stared into the distance; and it was as though he were turned to stone, a statue in the stone City; but his face broke into a sweat, and the drops rolled from his forehead. Then he moved, became human again, but the sweat still ran. His voice was rough when he spoke: â€Å"I am on fire. I know no more.† As soon as Harry's hands closed around the neck of the flask, a picture swam before her; in the brown leather of the bag, among the fine tooling, there was another image placed there by no leather worker. She saw Tsornin standing on the desert, and his rider carried a white flag, or a bit of white cloth tied to the end of a stick. â€Å"What do you see?† asked Corlath gently, and she told him. She could not see the rider's face, for there was a white cloth pulled over nose and chin; but she shivered at the thought of seeing her own face so eerily: and worse yet, what if it were not her face? Tsornin broke into a canter and then a gallop, and Harry saw what he approached: the eastern gate of the General Mundy. Then the picture faded, and she was looking at the curiously tooled leather of the Water bag again. She raised it to her lips. Something like an explosion occurred in her head as she tasted the Water. She shuddered with the shock. Her right arm was numb to the shoulder, and it was her left hand's grasp on the neck of the bag that prevented her from dropping it. Then she felt another shock like the first, and realized that Tsornin was between her legs, and he screamed with rage and fear. The sky seemed to be black, and there were shouts and shrieks all around her, and they echoed as in a high-walled valley. One more of those shocks and she would be out of the saddle. She felt it poised to fall on her – and her vision cleared, and there was the table again. She looked at her right hand; it was still there. She looked up. â€Å"I don't – I don't know exactly what I saw. I think I was in a battle and – I seemed to be losing.† She smiled weakly. Her right arm was still not working properly, and Corlath lifted the bag out of her left hand. He took a sip in his turn; and Harry, watching, saw his eyes change color till they were as yellow as they had been the first time she had seen him in the Residency's courtyard. Then he closed them, and she saw the muscles in his face and neck and the backs of his hands tense till she thought they would burst through the skin; and then it was all over, and he opened his eyes, and they were brown. They moved to meet hers, and she thought she saw something of his vision still lingering there, and it was something like her own. â€Å"I have seen our enemy's face,† Corlath said calmly. â€Å"It is not pretty.† Then the man came to carry the Water away, and the wine was brought back, and the shadows were chased away for a little. The Riders began looking expectantly toward Corlath, but this was a happier expectancy than that which had predicted the Meeldtar, and Harry caught the eagerness herself, though she knew not what it was for, and looked around for clues. They had eaten their meal alone in the vast hall, and their few voices ran up into the ceiling like live things with wills of their own. But after the Water bag had been taken away, people had begun to appear around the small dais where the king and his Riders sat; they entered from all directions and settled on cushions or chairs. Some of them mounted the lower dais and sat around the great table that surrounded the Riders. More of the folk of the household appeared, some bearing trays and some low tables, and set out more food, or passed it among the increasing audience. There was a murmur of talk, low but excited. Harry rubbed her fingers up and down the length of the gold pin in her sash till it was no longer cold. One of the men brought Corlath his sword, and he stood up and slung the belt of it around him. Harry wondered sourly how many years it took to learn to sling oneself into a sword as easily as yawn; and then wondered if she wanted to spend so many years that way. Or if she would have the choice. She had not liked waking up to find herself clutching her sword hilt as a child might clutch a favorite toy. Perhaps it was as well to have to think of shoulder and waist, belt and buckle. Another man came in, carrying another sword. Corlath took this one too, and held the scabbard in his left hand, letting the belt dangle; and he pulled it free and waved it, gleaming, under the light of the candles in the great chandelier. There was a blue stone set in its hilt, and it glared defiantly in the light. This was a shorter lighter sword than Corlath's, but the suppleness of it, and the way it hung, waiting, in the air, gave it a look of infinite age, and sentience, as if it looked out at those who looked at it. â€Å"This is Gonturan,† said Corlath, and a murmur of assent and of recognition went around the hall; the Riders were silent. â€Å"She is the greatest treasure of my family. For a few years in his youth each son has carried her; but she was not meant for a man's hands, and legend has it that she will betray the man who dares bear her after his twentieth year. This is the Lady Aerin's sword; and it has been many a long year since there has been a woman to carry it.† Harry was staring at the blade, and barely heard Corlath's words; she was watching a flame-haired woman riding in a forest that seemed to grow against the flat of the shining sword; in her hand was another sword, and the hilt sparkled blue. All the other Riders were standing up, and Corlath reached down and seized her wrist. â€Å"Stand up, disi,† he said. â€Å"I'm about to make you a Rider.† She stood, dazed. A disi was a silly child. There was another who rode with the woman who carried the Blue Sword; he rode a few paces behind her. â€Å"A Rider?† Harry said. â€Å"A Rider,† Corlath replied firmly. She dragged her eyes away from the winking sword edge and looked at him. Another man of the household set a small flat pot of yellow salve at Corlath's right hand. The king dipped the fingers of that hand in it, then drew them to smear the ointment across his palm. He had shifted Gonturan to his left hand; now he seized the blade near the tip with his right, and gave it a quick twist. â€Å"Damn,† he said, as the blood welled between his fingers and dripped to the floor. He picked up a napkin and squeezed it. â€Å"Take my sword, Harimad-sol,† he said, â€Å"and do the same – but not so enthusiastically. I think, though, that Katuchim has not the sense of humor that Gonturan does, so do not fear him.† She dipped her fingers in the salve, and touched them gently to her palm; reached out and, as awkwardly as if she had never learned one lesson from Mathin, dragged Corlath's sword from its scabbard. It was so long she had to brace the hilt against the table to get a reasonable angle on the edge. She closed her fingers around it, thought about something else, and felt the skin of her palm just part. She opened her hand, and three drops of blood only sprang from the thinnest of red lines across her skin. â€Å"Well done!† said Mathin over her shoulder, and the Riders cheered; and the whole hall picked it up, shouting. Corlath grinned down at her, and she could not help smiling back. â€Å"There have been more graceful kings and Riders since the world began, but we'll do,† said Corlath to her, quietly, below the roar around them. â€Å"Take your sword, and mind you treat her well. You will have Aerin's shade to answer to, else.† Harry's fingers closed round the blue hilt and she knew at once that she would handle this sword very well indeed – or it would handle her. For a moment she found herself wishing that she had been carrying Gonturan the day of the trials, and at this a slow sly smile spread across her face. She raised her eyes to Corlath's face – he had taken his own sword back and sheathed it, and one of the Riders was tying the napkin around the wounded hand and saying something sardonic; but Corlath only laughed, and turned back to watch her. Such was the slow sly smile he offered her in return that she rather thought he knew just what she was thinking. â€Å"Damalur-sol!† the people cried. â€Å"Damalur-sol!†

How technology (textting) has affected our language How it affects the Research Paper

How technology (textting) has affected our language How it affects the way we process information - Research Paper Example 28-29) describes how spoken language and written language have traditionally been seen as entirely different variations, each with their own set of rules. He explains that speech is â€Å"time-bound, dynamic and transient†, and most often occurs in face to face situations where there is both the chance to use non-verbal means like facial expressions and gestures, and the opportunity for speakers to modify their output depending on reactions coming from the listener. Written language, on the other hand, is â€Å"space-bound, static and permanent† and it is more formal because the writer does not always the person or persons who will be reading it, and must make more effort to clarify the context and anticipate what the reader might be thinking. This traditional view of language sees spoken language as more suited to emotional expressions in a social context, and written language more suited to factual purposes such as recording information or learning about something. When we look at examples of spoken language it is clear that grammar rules are used less rigorously, and there is more tolerance of errors, contractions, imperfect sentence structures, for example someone might say Think it’ll work? and the answer might be No way! The full written version of these sentences would be Do you think it will work? and No, there is no way that this could work! or No, I can think of no way in which this would work! The subject of the sentence is obvious in the spoken context, and the tone of voice conveys that there is a question and answer routine going on here, whereas in a written text these elements need to be made clear for the reader. An interesting study by Barron (2000) looks at the way all language develops and changes as new technologies arrive, for example when manuscripts gave way to printing in fifteenth century England there was immediately a much greater volume of written material available, and also a need for standardization. (Barron, 2000, p.57)

Hallo Money and its impact on the on the accounting workplace Essay

Hallo Money and its impact on the on the accounting workplace - Essay Example Make sure it is either about to happen or is just getting underway. Be specific. Answers such as â€Å"technology† will earn you a failing grade on this essay. WORKPLACE CHANGE: Hallo Money and its impact on the on the accounting workplace Hello Money is a mobile baking service that allows Barclays Bank customers to carry out execute financial transactions by using mobile devices such and personal digital assistant or mobile phone (Barclays, 2012). It is worth noting that Hello Money, like other mobile banking services, is different from the mobile payments, which entail the use of the mobile devices to pay for goods. Hello Money is performed through mobile web or SMS. The service has been particularly facilitated by the evolution of an array of technologies, such as smart phones and web based technologies, which create the allowance for installation of special features that support mobile banking. Currently, the popularity Hello Money continues to grow as many customers are i ncreasingly using it. Its full implementation implies the adoption of the automated accounting systems and this would significantly change the way accountants work. 2. Identify a primary and secondary stakeholder and explain why they qualify as stakeholders. Use the â€Å"Choosing a Stakeholder Decision Matrix,† located in Lesson 15, to identify a high influence/high importance stakeholder, as well as a secondary stakeholder who is either high influence,/low importance, or low influence/high importance. ... These have been pivotal in making the crucial decisions about Barclays Bank (Barclays, 2009). They have been behind the full implementation of the Hello Money mobile banking service. These stakeholders are high influence/low importance. SECONDARY STAKEHOLDERS: my secondary stakeholder is Mr. Harold, a close friend and an accountant at one of the Barclays Bank local branches. Mr. Harold has a lot to gain or lose from the introduction of the Hello Money service because the service prompt adjustments in the accounting systems. Mr. Harold does not have an authority to make decision for Barclays Bank, yet he is important to the firms operations. Mr. Harold is high importance/low influence stakeholder. 3. Describe the vested interest of these stakeholders in the issue you chose. Explain any current events or trends that may be currently affecting your stakeholder’s interests. This is the interests of the primary stakeholders, who include the senior managers and the executive committ ee members, is to enable the firms reach great heights of success. These vested interests have been informed by various advantages associated with mobile banking. First, mobile banking is expected to cut down the costs of service delivery to customers. For instance, it has been cited that the costs of conducting a mobile transfer is cheaper than teller transfer by about fifty times and ATM transfer by about ten times (Delloitte 2010; p 4). In addition, they are convinced that mobile banking comes with a lot of flexibility, both to customers and the firm itself. For instance, the service makes it easy for the bank to combine and sell other services and products that are offered in the bank, such as credit cards and loans, with relative ease.

Solid Mechanics Assignment Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Solid Mechanics Assignment - Lab Report Example After the model was imported to ALGOR FEA the log was checked to ensure that there were no import errors or missing geometry. Then a fixed boundary condition was applied to the internal surface of the larger cylinder after which a normal force of 500 N was applied to the internal surface of the smaller cylinder. The application of a fixed boundary condition to one area of the model meant that the model was constrained from moving within that axis of rotation or translation. The model could either rotate on the longitudinal axis of the constrained cylinder or it could translate in either three directions (x, y and z). Implementing a fixed boundary condition indicates that the model is unable to move in any direction at all. Generally a fixed boundary condition can be considered analogous to a welded piece that is unable to move but can bend or flex under applied force. Though this may not simulate the actual conditions one on one (where the crank actually rotates though it does not tr anslate at all), but it does provide a satisfactory numerical investigation model. Furthermore the application of a normal force to the other cylinder’s internal surface indicates the application of normal average force when the crank will be in use. This application of force assumes that the pin attached to the smaller cylinder of the crank will be able to transmit the applied force at the pedal completely and uniformly all across the surface of the cylinder and that this force will be normal to the provided surface. However practically this is not going to be possible as the pin will bear some kind of clearance to ensure free rotation and the clearance in turn will mean that the pin will contact the cylinder non-uniformly. Moreover the pin’s contact will produce a normal force at areas with complete contact while they will produce slightly skewed forces where the cylinder only partially contacts the subject surface. This method of applying a force to the model is non ideal yet the approximation is tolerable enough because what will take place inside the cylinder is similar. Any differences in force will not be very significant so using normal force’s application is a viable technique. The model was given a material of Steel 4130 which was present in the software’s library. After this the model was meshed using default settings. After meshing the model was simulated for calculating the developed stress and for the FOS (factor of safety) calculations. The results for the first run are shown below. The mesh was redefined for element size (which was lowered) although the mesh was still based on a 4 point Jacobian approach. The newly meshed model was then simulated in order to see the effects of a changed mesh size on the numerical investigation. The results from the re-meshed run are shown below. The results above clearly indicate that the stress distribution levels and the FOS distribution did not change at all indicating that the pr evious mesh control was providing a mesh independent solution. Therefore for the purpose of this analysis and optimisation the previous mesh controls were re-implemented as a mesh independent solution had been achieved. The results above clearly show that the lowest FOS is very high which indicates a rather overdesigned scenario. The current situation dictates that the FOS ought to be around 3:1 for a viable design. In order to achieve a more suitable FOS the design was optimised for a

GMO foods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GMO foods - Essay Example For instance, GMO foods are harmful to human beings to some extent. Some of the opposing views of GMOs are discussed in subsequent paragraphs. First, GMOs are unhealthy since numerous studies have found that they can leave materials inside the human body hence causing long-term problems (IRT 2). Because of this, doctors advise their patients to take or consume non-GMO diets because they have no effects. For instance, there are pieces of evidence that genes inserted into GM soy can transfer into the DNA of a bacteria living in a human being (IRT 2). Moreover, GMO food increases food allergies among individuals making it unsafe for consumption. Secondly, GMO foods are sourced from herbicides seeds, which are very harmful (IRT 4). GM crops are engineered to be herbicide tolerant hence not prone to weed attack and can survive. Because of this, they contain high chemical concentration, which causes harm to the environment. Moreover, GM food has higher residues of toxic herbicides, which is linked to several defects in the body. For instance, high concentration of herbicides and other chemicals increases one’s chances of getting sterility, hormone disruption, cancer, as well as birth defects when continuously used (IRT 4). Thirdly, GMO involves mixing of genes from different unrelated species making it unleash unpredictable side effects not intended (IRT 6). Many researchers do not know some of the genes inserted or mixed with others to produce the quality that is needed. Therefore, the process of creating or developing a GM plant can result in a collateral damage by producing new toxins, as well as nutritional deficiencies. The natural plants that produce food are naturally modified and have a balanced makeup to provide all the desired nutrients (IRT 6). However, GM foods does not contain balanced nutrient since the composition of the species may differ to interfere with the desired

Successful traits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Successful traits - Essay Example Even if the subject of discussion was boring, his ridiculous accent and style made it interesting. X chose to be in the company of the most capable students in the class. Most of the time, he would be with A, B, and C who used to score the first three positions. In the start, X was very bad at studies. Then X did combined study with A, B, and C who were also friends with one another. With the passage of time, X’s grades started to improve. He was respected in the class because of his company. Now that we have graduated, B has taken X abroad with him and has offered him accommodation so that X can easily manage the expenses of his further studies. I bet that had X not been friends with B, his future would have been much different and most probably, not as good as it is now. X chose the right friends at the right time who helped him find the right path for him. Thus, X was destined to be successful!

Market Imperative and Popular culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market Imperative and Popular culture - Essay Example So how is it connected with market imperative And what really is market imperative Market imperative is basically an economic concept that states that the consistent need of producers to seek new markets forces them to cross national boundaries and exploit foreign markets. In other words, the need to seek new frontiers might push national boundaries to the extent that there is little difference left in national and foreign markets. When a country's producers push their own boundaries, they create new boundaries and thus embrace foreign land into their own scope of influence. This is a logical concept but due to rapid globalization, this concept has become a curse for the world. America stands at the very center of this heated debate about national boundaries extension. If a country that seeks to extend its control to other countries chooses to market its products and services to foreign lands, it automatically gains access to their social and moral fabric. And while it may be trying to only sell its products but it intentionally or unintentionally also manages to sell its values and norms to other countries thus triggering a process of homogenous culture.

Compare and contrast Judaism and Christianity Term Paper

Compare and contrast Judaism and Christianity - Term Paper Example Usually, the Christ’s statutes are prevalent in both Testaments that act as a prediction of the coming of the Christ (Spencer, 2007). The faith has various denominations: the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Protestants. Though there are small diversities in their beliefs, they adhere to the same statutes. Christians hold the notion of Eternity reserved for the upright and perpetual damnation as a reprimand for unrighteous life on earth (Doerfler, 2011). Judaism versus Christianity Judaism is a Jewish creed that that sticks to the statutes unraveled to Moses by God. The main belief of Judaism is the notion that persons of all denominations are God’s children (Taubes et al., 2010). They believe in equality before God. The Jews do not acknowledge Jesus is the Messiah; they usually contend with argument that their Messiah, the real one, will emerge when the entire world attains peace. Christians embrace Christ as their Messiah and liberator (Taubes et al., 2010). The Jews normally claim they are God’s elect and live in accordance to His directives contrary to other nations. This argument emanates from the old patriarchs whom they emulate. Though their creed normally refers to them as â€Å"forefathers† due to their astuteness, statutes they adhered to are irrefutable and attained them from the Almighty (Spencer, 2007). Since the time epoch of the forefathers, much time has elapsed; Jews, however, are not ready to abandon their teaching as they refute other doctrines and consider them fake. Despite the Messiah having emanated from their land and been rejected by their ancestors, they think that those who believe in him have false convictions (Taubes et al., 2010). ... The Christians claim that they sinned, so God sent Jesus for their liberation. Some Christian denominations like the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church utilize statues to portray Christ and the saints. Conversely, Judaism seldom allows the use of statues because it perceives them as idolatry (Spencer, 2007). Argument behind the statutes is that they are tools that remind the faithful of heavenly things in diverse occasions. Catholics are notorious with this style where the images are constituted of saints or remarkable events that occurred in the past (Taubes et al., 2010). Additionally, there are medals which bear significant implications such as protection by saints or angels. Conversely, this belief is nonexistent in Judaism since it is God who is the doer of everything and certain entities cannot assume His place (Spencer, 2007). The Christian and the Judaic creeds are alike in that they both worship one superlative being, though people mistake Christians for portraying Trin ity (Spencer, 2007). Christians perceive Judaism as an incomplete creed for it does not acknowledge Christ as the Messiah. They also contend that Islam and Buddhism form false religions (Taubes et al., 2010). Jews hold the notion that Christians believe in the false Messiah. The rationale is that the world has not attained the rightful age of 6000 years. These religions amidst them do have diverse and acute differences that they normally protect or argue fiercely when one raises any criticism against them. For example, Jews fail to recognize Muhammad as a spiritualist of the Islamic belief (Taubes et al., 2010). The Protestants refute that Holy Mary through prayer can

Mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mind - Essay Example I certify that, except where cited in the text, this work is the result of research carried out by the author of this study. The main content of the study which has been presented contains work that has not previously been reported anywhere. This written report is for an assignment about software for collaborative work and phenomenological analysis. The assignment is divided into two activities. Activity 1 deals with the evaluation of the software Timbuktu, which is a remote control and secure encrypted connection software that is used for network management on large and distributed networks. Activity 2 of the assignment presents a brief discussion about phenomenological analysis under the Activity 2 for this part. The software Timbuktu is desktop-to-desktop remote control software for use with computers that have the Windows or the Macintosh operating systems. This software is useful for large distributed networks in which hundreds of computers are linked together over a network that has a substantial spatial spread. Because of the spatial spread, it is likely to be difficult for network maintenance or administrative staff to traverse substantial distances to troubleshoot computers or to load files onto the machines. Timbuktu makes it possible for remote computers to be manipulated through network interconnection with a local computer. This is a great help when very many computers have to be looked after, but it must be noted that at the time of writing, Timbuktu is not available specifically for the Vista operating system, although it is likely that the capability of Vista to run legacy software systems will permit Timbuktu to be used on machines with this operating system. Complimentary media can be considered as being a communications media which is capable of replacing the established or the traditional or which is capable of providing support for

American Me Essay Example for Free

American Me Essay The film; American Me is an epic depiction of 30 years of Chicano gang life in Los Angeles, California. The movie focuses on the life of a 1950s teen named Montoya Santana, who forms a gang with his close friends. The gang is arrested for a break-in, and sentenced to time in juvenile hall. Santana finds trouble on his first night in juvenile hall and goes from juvenile hall to prison for 18 years. There he created and led a powerful gang that operated both inside and outside the prison. When released from Folsom Prison, he tries to make sense of the violence in his life, in a world that has changed greatly. Inspired by a true story, the film provides a fictionalized account of the founding and rise to power of the Mexican Mafia in the California prison system from the 1950s into the 1980s. The story opens by taking the viewer on a journey back in time to the Zoot Suit era of World War II before the birth of Montoya Santana. Santana’s parents were Zoot Suitors. It is here that Santana’s destiny began. Because of the wartime labor shortage of this era, the American and Mexican governments agreed to a program by which braceros (contract laborers) were admitted to the United States for a limited time to work at specific jobs.. Mexican Americans were the second largest group of migrants after Black Americans in the 1940s. The influx of Mexican Americans created societal change. â€Å"The sudden expansion of Mexican American neighborhoods created tensions and some conflicts within white society and governmental bodies. White residents of Los Angeles became alarmed at the activities of Mexican American teenagers, most of whom were joining street gangs. Zoot Suits became popular (baggy pants, long loose jacket, the big collar, the long watch chain, the slicked back hair, broad-brimmed hats), which became a symbol of rebellion against conventional white society† (www. stuffliketaht. org, 2010). Thus the term, Zoot Suit was born. â€Å"In Mid-1943, a four-day riot in LA broke out because of the hatred toward the Zoot-suitors. White sailors invaded Mexican American communities and attacked Zoot Suitors. The city police did nothing to restrain the sailors, who grabbed the Hispanic teenagers, tore off and burned their clothes, cut off their hair, and beat them. However, when Hispanics tried to fight back, the police moved in and arrested them. After the Zoot Suit riots, LA passed a law prohibiting the wearing Zoot Suits† (www. stufflikethat. org, 2010) It was during these riots that Santana’s parents Pedro and Esperanza were attacked. After being beaten, Pedro was arrested by local police for being a Zoot Suitor. Violently raped, Esperanza had her clothes torn off by a multitude of Caucasian sailors. The film brings the viewer forward in time to 1959 with Santana as a young man of 16 growing up in the barrios with his friends and fellow gang members Mundo and JD. After being arrested and sent to juvenile hall, Santana has his â€Å"manhood† taken from him on the first night and murders the man who sodomized him. The power and respect that killing this man brought from his peers was intoxicating; his act also brought him a long prison sentence. During many years of incarceration, Santana and his gang affiliates grew their business and their numbers both inside and outside the prison. Upon his release from prison, he was surprised how much life and the barrios had changed. Santana struggled as he observed the power plays between the Italian mafia, the Black Guerillas, and the Aryan Brotherhood. They all wanted more territory and more business. This created internal conflict for the main character as the roots of his belief about his gang Por Vida (for life) was to lift and strengthen the Chicano communities. . His associates saw this internal struggle as weakness. Santana’s challenges in society were appropriate socialization and healthy behavior in romantic relationships. After a short time on the outside, Santana is arrested, and returned to prison. It is here that Santana’s life ends. He is brutally murdered by his gang associates for not going along with a decision. The Santana family lived in the same home in the barrios (ghetto) of East Los Angeles for some 30 years, their economic status described as poor working class. Santana’s’ parents were Mexican American. Santana’s ethnicity is partially unknown, as he was born as a product of his mothers’ rape. Some of Santana’s strengths were his strong family and neighborhood ties, his abilities to organize and lead people, his loyalty, and pride. He also had a very sensitive side to him, which was deep, poetic, and soulful. The primary presenting issues of the character Santana are: He comes from a background of poverty, lacking education and job skills. His neighborhood role models and leaders were gangbangers or Zoot Suitors. He spent most of his life institutionalized in prison and lacks socialization skills, such as knowing how to buy a pair of shoes or how to go about build relationship with a woman. He has never had a healthy sexual relationship and his sexual and relational development was largely thwarted by living in prison. The main character would be well served with supports in assessing and developing career skills and opportunities for continuing education as well. A human service worker could best help assist Santana by having knowledge of the culture background, local cultural competency support and resources, pertinent cultural information and have certain skills that are common to assisting with minority individuals and groups. These common skills include communication, access to interpreters, assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation, drawing upon a range of theories of human and group behavior, knowledge of individual differences and the minority identity development model and stages for change, and an awareness of the larger social context of Santana’s. â€Å"To be an effective human service worker, it is important to apply various skills with an understanding of relevant theories and minority identity models and be able to choose appropriate intervention strategies and methods for particular situations. There is no substitute for working with individuals or groups; an important part of enhancing a workers intervention skills is obtaining hands-on experience† (Human services Interventions, 2002). Some culturally competent local support services and agencies suggested for Santana are as follows: â€Å"Friends-CARE is a nonprofit organization designed to break the cycle of generational crime. Its purpose is to raise awareness regarding the children and families of the incarcerated. Friends-CARE does provide services, intervention, community resources, and programs for these families and supports the appropriate relationships between inmates and their families upon returning to the community† (www. friends-Care. org, 2010). California Gangs Anonymous (CGA) â€Å"CGA is a twelve step program for criminals and gang members both inside and outside the prison system. Participants attend meetings regularly and express the genuine details, past and present of their lives, CGA is a place to let our emotions out freely in a safe environment. CGA is about honesty, hope, solutions, and alternatives to living a happier life† (www.cganon. com 2010). Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services – â€Å"Adult Education program provides unique learning opportunities to adults at no cost in a supportive, highly personalized and non-judgmental environment. Education is provided in the classroom setting as well as through one-on-one tutoring and appointments. All services are free to the community and open to adults over the age of 18. Educational services include tutoring in literacy, math, reading and writing, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, assistance with job searches, resume building workshops, computer basics classes in English and Spanish† (www.sfbfs. org, 2010). After evaluation of Santana’s background and presenting issues, the assessors recommend an intervention treatment plan consisting of the above-mentioned community resources Criminals/Gang Members Anonymous for working through what it means to be gang affiliated, Friends-CARE as an external support including participating in a program intended to build/re-build family relationships after incarceration. As these family relationships may serve as strong supports as the client moves away from gang related activities and individuals. Additionally, the SFBFS Adult Education Program, where Santana can build his English-speaking skills, acquires an education, job skills, and takes computer classes. Socialization and sexual socialization therapy is strongly suggested. The founding and rise of the Mexican mafia in 1950s East Los Angeles was inevitable. The wartime indecencies to the previous Mexican American generation known as the Zoot-suitors caused a community to want to stand strongly as a people. A natural and inherent part of Mexican culture is to gather, to band together as family and friends in strength and celebration. Perhaps a Mexican gang is a distorted extension of this natural inclination to gather and join in strength caused by acculturation present within white society. References CGA (n. d. ). CGA. Retrieved August 30, 2010, from www. cganon. org (n. d. ). History Review Sheet. Retrieved August 30,2010, from www. stufflikethat. org/minorities Human Service Interventions (2002). Working with Individuals or with Groups. Retrieved August 31, 2010, from http://www. cpcs. umb. edu/support/studentsupport/red_book/humser_intervention_one. htm Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. (). SFBFS [Brochure]. Sacramento, CA: Author. Universal (Producer), Olnos, E. J. (Director).