Case Analysis ESRI

However, the software that SERIES provides is for a much more complex set of operations than merely looking up driving directions. In fact the software and services the company provides in the geographical information systems market, is so tailored to individual companies and firm that it cannot be catalogued with web based GIS such as Google Maps or Map Quest. Yes most of these systems now point out a great deal of geographical information, but is for the more common user. SERIES produces 40 products and related services for 40 different industries.As such, the company corner specific niche of the geographical information systems market that other more general web based systems would not be able to do without some extensive restructuring. Are the apparent problems the real problems or only symptoms of the real problems? The problem, if it can be called one is based on the human need to know about their world. Now, instead of looking at a paper map, the average consumer can find a we alth of information about literally any location, any. Here in the world. This was merely a logical progression of web based technology. In my analysis I found no problems with SERIES. The company has a strong foundation. It is not losing market share do to perceived competition, and its business strategy is sound. What are the characteristics of the environment in which the company operates? The characteristics of the company are of a firm that caters to a specific demographic that requires use of their products.It has only a few competitors, and is widely respected by competitor and customer alike What are the characteristics of the industry that the company is in and how is the industry changing over time? GIS is computer software that combines geographic location with point of interest information. This is done by producing electronic maps that have layers of information stacked upon each other to include visualization (ad graphics) with spatial analysis (combination of data and visualized information.The industry itself is comprised of large government agencies, utility companies, and large retail businesses such as store chains. What is the firm's strategy, in terms of the five strategy elements, for competing in this context? Arenas: Where will we be active? SERIES being a company that was started to field a specific variety of products or a specific number of industries that require complex geological information systems has chosen to remain in this niche market and not expand further.Vehicles: how will we get there? SERIES has chosen to arrive at their chosen destination by using sound financial management, concentration on R, customer relations, and choosing to not go public. Differentiators: How will we win in the marketplace? SERIES has chosen to differentiate itself by upgrading their products periodically, add touches requested by customers and by actually using information provided by customer surveys. Staging and Spacing: What will be our speed and sequence of moves?Through strategic planning, SERIES has shown that remaining in a niche market allows it to cater to the speed of requirement versus the speed of competition. Therefore, a great deal more time can be can be concentrated on R, customer relations, and company development. Economic logic: How will we obtain our returns? Because the company has chosen to remain private, all return on investment can be invested back into the company. There are no outlying expenses other than what the company itself generates. What are possible solutions to identified problems?The only solution was stated by the company's founder. Although not a requirement, SERIES could become more marketable by developing web based applications to make their information more accessible. Are there any possible problems with your suggested recommendations? What contingencies need to be accommodated? By making information more accessible, it also makes the company more public, which is not something t he company leadership wishes to do. Furthermore, it pushes the company into a broader market which inevitably creates more competition.

Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Strategy Case

Ford Motor Company, incorporated in 190 by Mr. Henry Ford, is one of the largest vehicle markers in the world today. This company employees more than 360,000 employees and has produced more than 260 million vehicles over its history. Since the 1970s, the auto industry has evolved from an industry with only a few large companies to one in which competition has become tough. Instead of two main competitors, Ford now faces foreign automakers in the marketplace. With the increased competition, car dealers are seeing more cars sit on lots for a longer period of time and are now offering a variety of incentives to get people to buy these products. Diagnosis In 1995, the CEO of Ford established an initiative called Ford 2000 in an effort to reduce costs and become more market competitive. This new initiative encompassed all of Ford's activities, such as product development, manufacture and marketing. Most of these projects were based around IT improvements. These improvements were done as an effort to bring Ford closer to all aspects of their supply chain, from their supplier to their customers. In 1998, Ford also opened the first of its Ford Retail Networks. This project was started to help the dealers compete with the real competition, such as GM and Chrysler instead of each other. It also brought Ford closer to the end customer. This Ford 2000 project was a major undertaking, but what is helping the company as a whole? Well, in 1998, the Ford 2000 initiative had raised Ford's profits, return on sales, and had made the company the industry leader in profit per vehicle. Ford had been named the most improved automaker in 1997 by JD Power Initial Quality Study and had become the world leader in trucks. They were making progress, but where still burdened with large inventories. Ford's Director of Supply Chain Systems began to research what Ford could do to decrease these inventories to become the industry leader and to increase shareholder wealth. She did some research into Dell Computers. This company was enjoying 55% per year growth at the time that Ford's growth was steady at about 6% a year. They were also seeing a 133% growth of their stocks while Ford was seeing at 33.4% growth. Dell had adopted a virtual integration business model. Within this model Dell uses the Internet for almost all business activities. Customers place an order specifying exactly what they want. This can be done over the Internet or over the phone. Dell then places an order for the components of this machine over an Internet based JIT ordering system. The parts are received assembled and shipped to the customer within 5-6 days. After much research, the director tried to determined if this same system could be used for Ford Motor Company. Analysis The Director found that there would be several challenges if they were going to implement this type of virtual integration system. First, Ford Motor Company is more than 100 years old whereas Dell was opened in 1984. Since the company is so old and has been doing business the same way for a long period of time, it will be harder to implement a large change such as virtual integration. For example, Ford's procurement process is not where it needs to be if the company is going to virtually integrate. Ford currently has a very large number of suppliers. Procurement personnel are highly involved with every aspect of the supplier relationship, while Dell uses a JIT ordering system. Ford's manual process is more apt to errors than an electronic process would be, but the procurement department has been so powerful for so long that it may be hard to convince those working in this department that this change will be beneficial. The implementation of an electronic ordering system could put some of these employees out of a job. These employees are also choosing suppliers on the basis of cost only. If Ford was going to implement a virtual integration system, procurement professionals would have to take other aspects into account, such as delivery time and willingness to partner. If Ford was going to implement an electronic system for ordering, they would also face some challenges while establishing Internet links with their suppliers. First, they would have to choose whom they would want to partner with in this fashion. Then they would have to determine if these suppliers have information technology systems that would support an Internet based communication system. Currently Ford has started to develop this type of system with their â€Å"tier one† suppliers who are their most advanced and largest suppliers. If they were to extend the electronic ordering to other suppliers who did not have the technology to support this type of system, Ford would be forced to decide if they would want to help their suppliers develop or acquire the technology needed for this interaction. Other issues such as what type of information would be shared and the security system they would use to make sure only those with the need to know would have access to this information would have to be addressed as well. Another challenge Ford Motor Company would face when trying to implement a virtual integration model like Dells is there are some major differences between the computer and automotive industries. An automobile is a more complex product and includes many more parts than a computer. If Ford were going to implement a virtual integration model they would have to manage a larger number of component parts suppliers than Dell is managing, which would add costs. Ford, if moving towards virtual integration, must also address their network of privately owned dealerships. Dell's model of virtual integration includes no dealers or retailers. If Ford were to adopt complete virtual integration, they would technically not have dealers. Having no dealers would not be possible for Ford. These dealerships are franchises that are owned legally by individuals. Also a person that is going to buy a car may not be receptive to ordering one off the Internet. Most people test-drive an automobile before they buy, which could not be done if cars were ordered strictly from the manufacturer. If Ford did not offer test-drives and other companies such as GM did, Ford would have a large disadvantage. Conclusion In order to implement the type of virtual integration model that Dell currently employs, Ford would have to overcome some obstacles. These obstacles come from every aspect of their current supply chain. They would have to partner with suppliers and provide these suppliers the infrastructure and training they would need in order to communicate over the Internet. They would also have to change the way their dealers worked with customers. Since most customers would not accept buying a car directly off the Internet, Ford would have to implement other methods of changing this aspect of their supply chain. Recommendations Although there are several differences between Ford and Dell, I do recommend that Ford implement some of Dell's virtual integration model. I recommend that they set-up an extranet, or extend their current system so that they may use JIT ordering with their suppliers. They could use some sort of incentive plan to encourage their supplier to invest in their technology systems so that they would be able to use this extranet for accepting orders. The amount of money Ford would save from the direct link they would have to their suppliers should supplement the investment they would have to make in developing an extranet. I also recommend that Ford make some changes in the way they interact with their customers. Ford could set-up some type of virtual showroom. This may encourage more customers to order direct from Ford instead of going to a dealer. They could also create an intranet, or enhance their current intranet, in which dealers could check the stock of other dealers for the vehicle a customer is looking for. If they could have this vehicle shipped from one dealer to the other it would not only reduce dealer inventory, but would also please the customer since the lead-time for them receiving their new vehicle would be reduced. Although Ford may never be able to virtually integrate to the extent that Dell has, the company will be able to see cost savings from their integration efforts. Ford should be able to reduce dealer inventories and should be able to move towards a pull strategy of manufacture if they implement these changes.

Blood Donation: Reasons to Donate

Q: Hav u ever donated ur blood? Y? MKT case from America's Blood Centers(ABC). It was founded in 1962 and is the national network of nonprofit, independent community blood centers. The members of it work for more than 125 million ppl and more than 3,100 hospitals. It carried out a survey nationwide via telephone interviews in order to encourage ppl to donate blood. Reasons for giving blood: umani'tarian reasons as their primary reason for donating blood; 4 out of 6 top reasons are al'truistic motives: helping the community and responding a blood shortage Wanting to help others 34% Responding to a blood drive 25% Helping the community 13% hearing about a shortage 7% Because I might need it someday 4% Helping a local child 2% Reasons for not donating blood 44% cite health issues as reason for not†¦this group is likely to be difficult to call up donating. risk health); however, ;half(52%) say other reasons: being scared of the process and unawareness never thought about it 17% too busy 15% scared of process 10% afraid of infection 4% don't know where/how to give 4% don't know anyone in need 2% !many reasons could be eliminated by some specific education about the ease,speed and safety of the process of the blood donation. and make ppl aware the need for blood. ABC gave some effective msgs to encourage blood donation. family member, frd or child is in need. 86% 92% extremely and compelling†¦(see in table 4. 3) In addition, it find out the ppl who donated 1-2 times, 18-34 yrs ones and ppl who said†never thought about it†as the reason for not donating are most likely to change mind to donate blood. while the target were asked twice about the question: whether someone is likely to donate blood in the next 12 months. The yes answer grows from 34% to 41% It turns out that roughly 8% of respondents switched to yes while only 2%.. no.

Linguistics structure and meaning in literary discourse Essay - 1

Linguistics structure and meaning in literary discourse - Essay Example The main terms used in the analysis are literary discourse, structure and cultural environment. The main sub issues involved in each point are gender relations and colonialism as a part of meaning in literary discourse. The structure of the chapter, dialogues and short remarks represents a unique meaning of the text, its linguistic peculiarities and cross cultural significance. Thesis The chapter reflects phonological, syntactic, morphological and semantic uniqueness of the text and its meaning. The chapter under analysis reflects complex syntax as a marker of literary discourse. The stereotypical hierarchy of superior western literature/inferior postcolonial literature dominates most literary study and it is clear that the establishment of Afrocentric criteria poses an important challenge to the traditional patterns. On this view, generalizations about syntactic structure are statable independently of considerations about interpretation or use. Meanings are composed of semantic primitives, e.g. concepts like 'banana' and 'eat', that are members of particular conceptual categories like Thing and Action. Moreover there are correspondence rules that map representations at one level into representations at another. Syntactic structures are explicit, more or less well understood, and relatively easy to specify and manipulate. It is possible to state generalizations, both true and false ones, in terms of the properties of the syntactic representation.

NURSING- PALLIATIVE CARE FOR A PATIENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

NURSING- PALLIATIVE CARE FOR A PATIENT - Essay Example These emotions are a part of adjustment and grieving to the loss. Patients who are in terminal stages of life need to be managed in a holistic manner keeping in mind the emotional distress they are going through. Such a care is known as palliative care. According to the World Health Organization (2009), palliative care is â€Å"an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual." In this essay, one of the important components of palliative care, the spiritual care, will be discussed with reference to a case scenario in the context of holistic care. 55 year old Marina, a known patient of hypertension and diabetes, was diagnosed to have breast cancer in December 2008. She had consulted her gynecologist because she felt a mass in the left breast. Mammography and biopsy results established the diagnosis of stage-2 breast cancer of the left breast. The very diagnosis of breast cancer upset Marina and her family members. She underwent left mastectomy with removal of left axillary lymph nodes. Since testing for hormone receptors revealed suitability for hormone therapy, Marina was started on tamoxifen therapy. Despite aggressive anti-cancer management, the woman developed metastases over few months and became terminally ill within a year. She developed metastases in the liver and bone subsequent to which she became very ill, pale and sick looking. Having enjoyed a contentful life with full of love, happiness and luxury, Marina pleaded the treating oncologist to provide care which allowed her to live in peace for the few remaining day s in her life. The team of doctors, after consultation with the her husband and other family members initiated palliative care. The main issue that was dealt with in this

Vulnerable Population and Self- Awareness Research Paper

Vulnerable Population and Self- Awareness - Research Paper Example Primarily, intellectual disability is associated with many stereotypes and myths by many individuals. The culture has engraved some biases and stereotypes on the condition, as well as on the individuals suffering from the condition. Moreover, some families are reluctant to seek medical intervention for fear of being stigmatized by the rest of the community, while other families have resulted in uncouth way of dealing with the sufferers. The result of this is that the sufferers of intellectual disabilities have agonized in this condition, which can otherwise be managed, treated or even reversed. One of the biases associated to intellectual disability sufferers is that they have a lower life expectancy compared to other normal people. However, studies have shown that there is no clear link between severity of intellectual disability and survival of individuals. In addition, research shows that â€Å"the average life expectancy were found to be 74.0, 67.6, and 58.6 years for people with mild, moderate, and severe levels of handicap† (Bittles, et al. 2001). On the other hand, the mild cognitive disability is said to be three times common than the other types. Moreover, there are diseases that are linked with people with mental retardation they include cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, vision, and hearing impairments and hyperactivity disorder. The number of people living with ID, getting married and raising a family has been rising in the recent years. This is unlike in the past when people with cognitive disability where thought to be unfit for this role, especially parenting; however, â€Å"with proper support, adequate education, counseling programmes, social and government support they can sustain meaningful enriching relationships† (May, 2000, p. 121). Despite this happening, compared to normal people, the couples with ID generally have lower family sizes, with

Business communication Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business communication - Coursework Example Considering that communication takes place either verbally or non-verbal such as office memos, reports, legal documents; our choices of words and phrases, tone of the speaker’s voice, as well as our gestures, facial expression and body movements when we communicate with other people reflect our own personality. The same theory and concept applies in business communication. Basically, the use of short paragraphs that is well organized and logical reflects the speaker’s characteristics in terms of being a very organized and logical person. In case the speaker is found of using positive words, the audiences will have the impression that the speaker is optimistic in life. For example: A business communicator who does not have the ability to discuss the subject matter straight to the point is likely to send message to his/her audiences that he/she does not have a clear idea on what he/she is discussing. As a result, the audiences are expected to lose their trust and loyalty with the business

Intellectual property law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Intellectual property law - Essay Example The case was viewed as critical to the search engine’s business model that had been built around the system. The ECJ also added that the Cour de Cassation, France’s highest court would have finality on other cases, case-by-case. The court also contended that its decision on whether the search engine company was liable over stored client data should be left in the hands of the French courts (Hill, 2012: p19). Google, it said, could not be held liable if at all it possessed a neutral role that was passive, automatic, and technical, pointing to a lack of data control or knowledge (Smith, 2012: p72). Previously, Google used to stop advertisers from buying the brand names of others as keywords, although, this policy was altered in 2004 for the North American market before the extension into Ireland and Britain four years later. An interim legal opinion in September of 2009 delivered by the European Court of Justice contended that Google had not infringed on any trademark law s or rights, via allowing the buying of keywords by advertisers in correspondence to registered trademarks. Several trademark lawyers, such as Fiona McBride of Withers & Rogers, described the European Court of Justice’s ruling with regards to an ad’s origin as perplexing (Stim, 2010: p34). ... Consequently, very rarely will users of the internet be able to ascertain that his or her services or goods’ origin, as well as making it easier for advertisers to navigate the law and utilize trademarks from third parties as key words (Wherry, 2012: p77). This translates to advertisers being able to secure commercial advantages by taking a piggy ride on other trademark’s reputations. This paper seeks a critical evaluation of the development of the trademark infringement law in relation to ad-words, as well as the implications of the European Union Court of Justice’s ruling pertaining to the use of key words in advertising over the internet (Wild, 2011: p22). Development of the Law in Trade Mark Infringement relating to ‘Ad-words’ As the analysis of the Louis Vuitton vs. Google Inc. above has indicated, trademarks are valuable assets to top corporations. In cases where these trademarks are exploited correctly, they endow their proprietors with increa sed benefits, distinctiveness, and fame (Bainbridge, 1999: p45). Therefore, the respective proprietors of these trademark rights, via contemplation of their significance and value, as well as devotion of material efforts towards their evolution in the future, can invest vast sums in attempts to protect them. During the past decade, proprietors of various trademarks have begun to turn their attention to violation of their trademarks that are occurring over the internet. The internet has shown a tremendous rate of growth over the past decade, which has led to new economic models developing, as well as novel methods of advertising (Colston & Galloway, 2010: p45). The internet has made, within the context of a new economic

Toyota Motors Internal Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Toyota Motors Internal Business - Research Paper Example From this paper it is clear that Toyota Motor Company supplies its cars to the U.S., East Africa and Japan, but faces intense competition it is endeavor to expand its market to countries such as China.This study highlights that  the market system is a system that allows individuals and firms to make their own decisions about who gets what and the means used to get it. While the market system deals with individual decisions, the government deals with collective decisions. In the United States, the market system and the government make decisions concerning the economy. The U.S. economy is made up of individual people, social institutions and business and labor organizations. The United States constitution is the basis of the United States’ legal system. The U.S. legal system gives the freedom to own private property. The law gives U.S. citizens a right to own property and use it in the lawful manner they choose. The market system affects the distribution and sales of Toyota ve hicles because the decision of using them is made by people and organizations that may want the products. The U.S. government does not control the individual buying and using the vehicle. It is the duty of the Toyota Motor Company to convince its customers of the benefits of using the products as opposed to other related products. It is the duty of Toyota Motor Company to offer the vehicles that the customers might need at prices that they are willing to pay and which it can afford to sell. The Motor Company price will determine who will be able to purchase the products. Political risks in a country may be instituted by the political decisions in regard to the expected outcome and value of any given economic action. Macroeconomic and socials policies are the key effects of political risks. In the U.S., political risk can be caused by government participation in private enterprise. A financial crisis may also be the possible source for a political risk in a country. For instance, in 2009 investors in the US were concerned about political risk after the government played a great and controversial role in private enterprise due to the economic problems that were experienced at the time (Graybow, 2009). Toyota Motor company’s products are luxuries and not basic needs. Therefore, in case of a political risk the demand for its products will reduce. To avoid losses in situations of political risks the company should consider broadening its markets. When one market is affected by the problem, it can utilize time on other markets as it waits for the affected country to revert to stability. The Toyota management should ensure that it does not rely on one market. In case there is a political risk in one country its sales and other operations will not be paralyzed when it adopts this strategy. Preparing strategies in advance will make the company more prepared to tackle political risks in the future. Toyota motors code of conduct includes observing local laws, respecting societal norms and company ethics, engaging in fair corporate activities and complying with the expectations of its stakeholders. In raising individual awareness of compliance, Toyota promotes initiatives through corporate ethics committee and other internal organizations. They always check activities to enhance compliance with their codes. The Toyota code of conduct describes the values to be observed by the people of the global Toyota organization. The codes are aimed at creating a harmonious

INTRODUCTION TO THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT Assignment

INTRODUCTION TO THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT - Assignment Example 2. According to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the highest court in England is now the Supreme Court (previously the House of Lords). It ranks the highest in heirarchy, followed by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and then the Senior Courts of England and Wales which include the Court of Appeal, High Court and the Crown Court respectively. The doctrine of precedent makes any decision of the Supreme Court binding on itself and all courts inferior it, which include the Privy Council, Court of Appeal, High Court and the Crown Court. Decisions of the Court of Appeal would be binding on the High Court and below, and so on. As such, decisions of the Senior Courts do not form binding precedent on the Supreme Court but may be considered by it. 3. Ratio Decidendi literally means the reason for the decision. When a judgement is delivered, the judge puts together rules of law and principles which were followed that led to that decision. This essentially forms the reason for tha t judgement, or ratio decidendi. The ratio decidendi of a judgement becomes part of the binding precedent on future cases for similar or inferior courts. ... 4. Reversing, overruling and distinguishing all relate to verdicts in relation to cases cited as authorities within them. A case is reversed when, on appeal to a higher court, the judge allows the appeal thereby reversing the decision of the lower court. In exceptional cases, the higher court may reverse its own judgement on appeal, such as that seen in Re Pinochet (1999) where the House of Lords allowed an appeal due to a conflict of interest that arose with respect to the judicial panel. Overruling occurs when a higher court repeals a principle laid down previously by a lower court or by itself in order to account for new developments in law and societal circumstances. An example is the case of Hedley Byrne v Heller (1964), where the original authority on the liability arising out of negligent misstatements, Candler v Crane (1951), was overrruled. Distinguishing applies to a case in the context of facts or law. A case may be distinguished on the facts on a similar principle or law from an earlier decision (regardless of court heirarchy) in order to reach a different verdict. This is a device used by judges to avoid following controversial decisions. 5. In contract law, an offer is a a statement which expresses the intention of the offeror to abide by the terms made explicit within it as soon as the offeree signifies their acceptance. An offer normally includes the price but mere mention of price does not give rise to an offer (Harvey v Facey (1893)). Once the offer is made which has not been revoked, upon communication of acceptance by the offeree, the parties enter into a binding agreement or contract enforceable at law. An invitation to treat is not an offer but an invitation to the other party to make an offer. It does not

Complete the Critical Response Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Complete the Critical Response Paper - Assignment Example The rule of the majority is indeed the very premise of democracy and this is the reason why it is successful. The different kinds of democracy are representative and direct. Direct democracy deals with a political system where citizens can have their say through voting in public affairs while the indirect form of democracy is that form of the democratic government which sees that the people elect their representatives to rule for their own interests and hence participate in elections to select a government of their own (Sen 1999). One should believe that the democracy that exists within America is more representative than being direct as they hold fast on to the adage of democracy more than any other alternative. The element of consensus exists within democracy which is known as consensus democracy. Direct democracy is actually referendum while representative democracy is through elected representatives. References Sen, A (1999). "Democracy as a Universal Value". Journal of Democracy , 10 (3): 3–17

The novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk Essay Example for Free

The novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk Essay The novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is a Generation X classic, so it makes sense that the film became one as well.   Starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt as the two sides of the same brain, director David Fincher takes a critical look at the rampant consumerist world that drains the humanity from its victims and replaces them with robotic automatons.   The way the characters in the film deal with this problem, besides going crazy, is through violent confrontation with each other, in an attempt to purge their demons and cleanse their souls. Rather than just a slick film about a violent subculture, Fight Club is the interrelated critique of capitalism and its dehumanizing effects.   The central protagonists in the film, Jack and Tyler, represent two opposing views on consumerism. Jack is representative of a generation of men condemned to corporate toadyism, with emotional lives and investments mediated through the allure of commodities and goods.   No longer a producer of goods, Jack exemplifies a form of domesticated passivity, alienated, and without ambition.   On the other hand, Tyler represents an embodied freedom that refuses the seductions of consumerism, while fetishizing self sufficient production from soaps to explosivesthe ultimate negative expression of which is chaos and destruction, both products of late capitalism (Giroux 12). Consumerism in Fight Club is criticized primarily as an ideological force and existential experience that weakens and domesticates men, robbing them of their primary role as producers and relegating them to mere tools of forces that control them.   The importance of this is not lost on director David Fincher, but the director is less interested in fighting oppressive forms of power than he is in exploring the ways in which men yield to it. Freedom in Fight Club is not simply preoccupied with the de-politicized self, it also lacks a language for translating private troubles into public rage, and as such succumbs to the cult of immediate sensations in which freedom degenerates into collective impotence.   Moreover, consumerism, for David Fincher, can only function with the libidinal economy of repression, particularly as it rearticulates the male body away from the visceral experiences of pain, coercion, and violence to the more â€Å"feminized† notions of empathy, compassion, and trust.   Hence, masculinity is defined in opposition to both femininity and consumerism while simultaneously refusing to take up either in a dialectical and critical way. When not making a political statement, Fight Club functions less as a critique of capitalism than as a defense of authoritarian masculinity wedded to the immediacy of pleasure sustained through violence and abuse.   Survival of the fittest becomes the clarion call for legitimating dehumanizing forms of violence as a source of pleasure and sociality. Pleasure in this context has little to do with justice, equality, and freedom than with hyper modes of competition mediated through the fantasy of violence.   More specifically, this particular rendering of pleasure is predicated on legitimating the relationship between oppression and misogyny, and masculinity gains its force through a celebration of both brutality and the denigration of the feminine.   Fight Club’s vision of liberation and politics relies on gendered and sexist hierarchies that flow directly from the consumer culture it claims to be criticizing. The anti-consumerist theme and violent escapism of the film is described by New York Times critic Janet Maslin who says: â€Å"Fight Club watches this form of escapism morph into something much more dangerous.   Tyler somehow builds a bridge from the anti-materialist rhetoric of the 1960s†¦into the kind of paramilitary dream project that Ayn Rand might have admired.†Ã‚   The over-the-top rejection of enslavement to consumerism manifests itself in a dark, sometimes pointless orgy of violence. But, there is a point to it all and a method to the madness – freedom.   The ultimate goal of the narrator, Tyler, Project Mayhem is to liberate themselves from the bonds of conformity to a culture they view as shallow and erroneous.   Though this opinion may be shared by many Generation X’ers and children of the 60s, the methods used in Fight Club are cultural rebellion to the extreme.   The freedom they achieve is largely an illusion, but justified in the words of Tyler:   â€Å"Its only after weve lost everything that were free to do anything† (Fight Club).   The movie takes two hours of stark, violent, often sexist action to reveal its message of simplicity.   However, a viewer must look past the blood, acid burns, and bone-crunching punches to find it. Works Cited:    Fight Club. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. 1999. DVD. Twentieth Century Fox, 2000. Giroux, Henry. â€Å"Private Satisfactions and Public Disorders.†Ã‚   Penn State University.  Ã‚   (July 2000).   February 15, 2006.   http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed253a/FightClub Maslin, Janet.   â€Å"Fight Club: Such a Very Long Way From Duvets to Danger.†   The New York Times.   October 15, 1999.   February 15, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/101599fight-film-review.html.

Components Of A Petrol Engine Engineering Essay

Components Of A Petrol Engine Engineering Essay Introduction: Petrol Engine was developed by the German engineers Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler in 1885. This invention was considered to be one of the greatest achievements in the automotive industry. A petrol engine uses petrol typically known as gasoline in the United States, as a fuel. Inside the engine, the burning of fuel coupled with air forces the hot gases to expand against various parts of the engine and cause them to move. Hence, petrol engines are termed as internal-combustion engines. Additionally, petrol engines are highly compact and lightweight for the power produced by them. The rate at which it generates work is typically computed in horse power or watts  [1]  . In essence, a petrol engine is seen as a composite piece of machinery that comprises of as much as 150 moving parts. Moreover, it is a reciprocating piston engine, wherein a multiple pistons are seen moving up and down within cylinders. For the working of the petrol engine, a mixture of air and petrol is introduced into space surrounding the piston and is then ignited. Then, the gases produced push the pistons down, thereby producing power. This engine-operating cycle repeats itself after every four strokes, either downward or upward movement of the piston, and this is termed as the four-stroke cycle. Further, the movement of the pistons causes the crankshaft to rotate, which has a heavy flywheel attached at its terminal. From the flywheel the power is transmitted to the cars driving through the transmission of clutch, gear system, and final drive  [2]  . The primary purpose of this report is to provide a profound knowledge about lightweight petrol engines. The study outlines the use of various components used for the manufacturing and the production of lightweight petrol engines. It discusses the properties that make these materials most appropriate for constructing lightweight engines. The following section focuses on the primary components of the lightweight petrol engine Parts of a Petrol Engine: The major components of the petrol engine can be categorized into a number of systems: The Fuel System: The fuel system is responsible for pumping fuel from the petrol tank into the carburettor, where it mixes with air and gets sucked into the engine cylinders. Further, with the help of electronic fuel injection, it traverses directly into the cylinders from the tank through an electronic monitor. The ignition system: This system supplies the sparks in order to ignite the fuel mixture within the cylinders. It boosts the 12-volt battery voltage by means of an ignition coil and contact breaker, up to the rates of 18,000 volts or greater. Through a distributor, these pulses then travel to the spark plugs inside the cylinders, where they can produce the sparks. Due to the ignition of the fuel inside the cylinders, temperatures of approximately 700 or more are produced, when the engine must be cooled to avoid overheating  [3]  . Water-cooling system: Almost all engines nowadays have a water-cooling system, which allows circulation of water through channels within the cylinder block, thereby extracting the heat. The water flows through pipes within a radiator, which is cooled by fan-blown air. Most motorcycles and cars are air-cooled, where the cylinders are surrounding by several fins to offer a large surface area for the air. The Lubrication system: This system also reduces some amount of heat; however, it main job is keeping the moving parts of the engine coated with adequate oil, which is continuously pumped under pressure to the crankshaft, valve-operating gear as well as the camshaft  [4]  . The underlying principle behind the working of any reciprocating internal combustion engine is that if a small amount of high-energy fuel such as gasoline is placed in a small, enclosed space and ignited, it produces an incredible amount of energy in the form of expanding gas. This released energy can be used to propel a potato 500 feet. For such cases, the energy is converted into potato motion. This energy can also be used for more productive purposes, such as if one creates a cycle which allows explosions to set off like hundreds of times per minute, and if that energy is harnessed is a profitable way, then you have the core of the car engine  [5]  . Figure 1: Parts of a Petrol Engine Most cars today use what is commonly known as a four-stroke combustion engine, as aforementioned, in order to translate gasoline into motion. Further, the four-stroke approach is also called as Otto cycle, as invented by Nikolaus Otto in 1867  [6]  . The four basic strokes for working of a petrol engine are: The intake stroke The compression stroke The combustion stroke, and The exhaust stroke As shown in the figure below, a device known as piston replaces the potato of the potato cannon. As depicted, the piston is attached to a crankshaft by means of a connecting rod. Every time the crankshaft revolves, it has the impact of resetting the cannon  [7]  . When the piston starts at the top, it opens the intake valve and pushes the piston down to let the engine fill in air and gasoline, thereby making the intake stroke. Just the smallest drop of gasoline is mixed into the air for the intake stroke to take place. Next, the piston rotates back up in order to compress this fuel and air mixture. This compression stroke tends to make the explosion more powerful. When the piston reaches the peak of its stroke, a spark is produced by the spark plug for igniting the gasoline  [8]  . Then, the gasoline charge within the cylinder explodes, forcing the piston to move down. As soon as the piston reaches the bottom of its stroke, the exhaust valve is forced open and the exhaust eventually leaves the cylinder to exit from the tail pipe  [9]  . The engine is now ready to start the next cycle, hence it intakes yet another charge of gas and air. It can be noted that the movement coming out of an internal combustion engine is rotational, whereas the movement generated by a potato cannon is linear. This linear motion in an engine is translated into rotational motion by the crankshaft. Further, the rotational motion is appropriate since a car driver plans to turn or rotate the wheels of the car with it anyway. The force exerted from the expansion stroke travels through the axis of the rotor; it would not cause the rotor to rotate. But, it also passes via the centre of the eccentric portion of the main shaft and the resultant moment leads to the rotation of the shaft and as the rotor locks with the fixed pinion, it should also turn. The role of the shaft hence matches with that of the crankshaft within a reciprocating piston engine  [10]  . Perhaps, the design of the engine becomes complex that the aforesaid simplified description. Furthermore, efficient sealing arrangements taking place between the rotor and its housing are highly indispensible, with respect to the differential thermal expansion of the rotor and its housing. In addition, the construction of appropriate sealing systems was in use since the beginning period of petrol engines. These sealing systems or grids comprise of apex seals in order to keep the leakage of gas from one chamber to the other past the apices of the rotor, preferably attached to side seals in order to prevent any leaks from the side faces of the rotor and its end covers. However, experiences have indicated that apex seal lubrication is a complete loss system  [11]  . Earlier oil was added into the fuel but nowadays, it is more common to meter oil into the induction pipe with a separate pipe. Additionally, lubrication of the bearings, gears, and so on, of engine parts that have oil co oled rotors, is done using the oil circulating through the rotor. Engines that have charge cooled rotors contain the oil mist carried by the charge lubricate these parts  [12]  . Cylinder lies at the core of the engine, where the piston moves upwards and downwards in it. A four-stroke internal combustion engine consists of just one cylinder, which is typically used by most lawn mowers, but almost every car has more than one cylinder, commonly four, six and eight in number. An engine having multiple cylinders has its cylinders arranged in any of the three ways, namely inline, V or flat, as depicted in the diagram below. In an inline engine, the cylinders are arranged in a line in a single bank. Figure 2: Inline cylinders, where cylinders are arranged horizontally in a single line within a single bank In a V engine, cylinders are arranged in two banks set at an angle to one another. Figure 3: V shaped, where cylinder are placed in two banks set at a certain angle to each other In a flat engine, the cylinders are arranged in two banks on opposite sides of the engine. Figure 4: Flat shaped, where cylinders are placed within two banks set on opposite sides of the engine Different configurations are associated with different benefits and limitations in terms of manufacturing costs, smoothness, and shape features. Such advantages and disadvantages decide the appropriateness of the engine for specific vehicles. Internal combustion engines are comprised of a variety of parts, and every part holds its own location and function which may stimulate the functionality of other parts. The following section discusses the engine parts in detail:  [13]   Cylinder Block The Cylinder block is the bore of the cylinder where the fresh charge of air/fuel mixture is ignited, compressed by the piston and finally expanded to give the desired power to the piston. Cylinder Head Here, the inlet and the exhaust valve are carried. It admits the fresh charge of mixture through inlet valve and exhausts the burnet gas from the exhaust valve. A spark plug, in case of petrol engine and an injector for a diesel engine is mounted on cylinder head Spark plug The spark plug is responsible for supplying the spark for igniting the air-fuel mixture to enable the combustion to take place. The spark must occur at just the right instant of time for things to work accurately. Valves The intake and exhaust valves are opened at the perfect moment to let in air as well as fuel and to let out exhaust. It can be noted that both these valves are shut throughout compression and combustion so as to seal the combustion chamber  [14]  . Piston As aforesaid, the piston is a cylindrical metallic piece which moves up and down within the cylinder Piston Rings Piston rings offer a sliding closure between the external edge of piston and the internal edge of the cylinder. The piston rings have the following functions: The avoid leakage of the fuel-air mixture and the exhaust of the cylinder chamber, into the sump on compression and combustion processes Secondly, they also prevent the oil in the sump to leak out into the combustion area, in which it is burnt and lost  [15]  . Almost every car that burns oil and must need a quart added every 1,000 miles burn it since the engine is old enough and the rings do not seal anything properly  [16]   Connecting Rod The connecting rod acts as a connection between the piston and the crankshaft. Additionally, the rod can rotate at both ends so as to enable flexibility when its angle changes with the movement of the pistons and as the crankshaft rotates. Crankshaft The crankshaft converts the up and down motion of the piston into uniform circular motion similar to a crank in a jack-in-the-box does. Sump The sump is placed around the crankshaft and contains come quantity of oil that collects at the base of the sump. Carburettor The carburettor does the job of converting petrol in fine spray and mixing with air in proper ratio as demanded by the engine Fuel Injector The fuel injector is used only in diesel engines and gives out fuel in fine spray under pressure  [17]  . Manufacturing Processes: The aggregation of the design and manufacturing process is driven by implementations. These processes vary in detail in every manufacturing company. From the perspective of te turnkey industry, the following is the representation of that process: Conceptual Design: also termed as functional design or preliminary design, this process focuses not only on the aesthetic matters such as styling, but also on practical matters like simulation and industrial design to enable the overall manufacturing process. This stage involves an extensive use of paper and pencil, oils and brush, and sculptors clay as the primary tools of the conceptual designer in the automotive industry. Nowadays, modernized CAD/CAM systems offer the designer more and more powerful and robust tools which release him of the need to construct physical models and demonstrations. Companies such as Aries, Cognition, etc. have witnessed an opportunity to offer design engineers totally new and modern, computerized ways to look at the design engineering process, thereby providing methods and schemes which are way ahead of the conventional techniques and enable engineers to use much greater freedom of exercising their creativity  [18]  . In essence, photorealistic delivery output is gaining increasing popularity and is becoming a significant capability for conceptual design. In addition to allowing management to see the design as it would look after being manufactured, it also allows designers to try out different versions of the design without the need to have additional investments in effort and cost which conventional prototyping methods traditionally demand. Analysis and Refinement: A variety of high-level capabilities fall under this category. This technique is loosely termed as CAE, or just engineering,. Furthermore, processes like Finite Element Modelling and Analysis is effectively carried out as part of this engineering procedure. This stage of the refinement process that is purported to discuss a fundamental design to real-world limitations as well as to iterate on a given design until its behaviour is acceptable. Even in the constricted discipline of FEM and FEA, there exist several specialized disciplines. And these specialized can be fatigue analysis, and thermal, vibration and magnetic analysis. However, plastics, iso-plastics, as well as composites tend to make the analysis more complex. Indeed, the practice of finite-element analysis and modelling can be considered as one of the more practical applications upon which an existing design can be subjected; however there are a large number of others as well  [19]  . Additionally techniques or other disciplines of analysis such as interference analysis, mass properties, complying with safety and/or corporate regulations and standards, structure design and enforcement of local codes are all considered to be the requirements for a design to be satisfying, and typically, that design should successfully pass these analyses prior to being considered for construction or manufacturing. During the designing phase of an automobile, for instance, a primary issue which could hinder between the processes is the stress analysis, which is only related to major parts of the engine or body. More time-consuming and less cost-effective is the bio-technical design of windshields, panels of equipments and instrument, seats, and so on. A modern engine for water pump should not only be effective and generate a defined volume of water per minute; however, it must also be capable of fitting comfortably inside the various other components which constitute the engine. Design for Manufacture: This stage can also be termed as design modeling, and it another step in reality design. Usually, an alleged finished design is considered impractical to manufacture. Further, factors such as setup costs, coherency with current manufacturing techniques or excessive complexity can rule out the consideration of an otherwise good design, thereby causing that design to undergo significant modification. Essentially, a large number of applications are there which clearly satisfy this prerequisite. For instance, the lifetime of a stamping tool may tend to have a significant impact on the longer-term productivity of a segment that manufactures press parts; this prerequisite alone can have a great influence on its design. Furthermore, for the plastic injection process, a number of designs are immediately made infeasible because of their inability to be used for the realistic flow properties of the liquid plastic which is being injected within them at greater temperatures and pressures. Even a small difference of 5% in the injection process and cooling time for a complex mould is likely to a drastic difference among profitability and loss to an organization that functions with very little room to spare  [20]  . For any given practical availability of real machine equipments, pedestrian considerations including the planning and design of clamps for holding parts when they are being machined as well as machine-to-fit tolerances are accounted for make-or-break decisions for any manager or executive to make. And in addition to this area are component design, assembly verification, and mechanical and electronic design. Drafting and Documentation: In this world of AutoCAD, any efficient engine manufacturing process requires state-of-the-art documentation and drafting; however, this area depicts a relatively smaller portion of a mid-scale manufacturers CAD/CAM universe. Further, in-depth drafting is not a requirement more than one-third of the requirement. For this stage, technical demonstrations, schematics and diagrams, and layout are equally essential. Even before the days when geometrical models did not exist, in-depth drafting was used for representing the meat of any practical design. Because of the substantial limitations of existing design systems, most of the detail drafting might not appear across a geometric model. Consider the example of fillets and chamfers which can appear only as characteristics of models and can never be depicted as actual geometric models. If taken as a practical issue, it is relatively simpler to represent a fillet with the help of a symbol on a drawing, and then to removing a cut out by means of a single path from a ball-end mill, next is to go through the complex mathematics needed for representing it geometrically. And this is something known to and used by practical designers  [21]  . Several other aspects of the detail drafting process in engine manufacture is closely related to what we consider as drawing creation, and which has a primary purpose of aiding the final downstream machining process. Even though factors such as surface finish features, tolerance constraints, detail magnification, as well as other similar factors of detail drafting are not taken to be part of the geometrical model, yet they tend to become part of the entire depiction of the design by virtue of the accessibility offered to draftsmen, to the original model and the ability to work directly on a local presentation of it, although they are restricted to modify it. Therefore, draftsmen can be experts in drafting and drawing creation, without the need of being expert designers. Toolpath Creation Machining: This stage is also termed as manufacturing engineering, and it is one of the most complex and demanding processes. Framed equally with manufacturing preparation together with manufacturing simulation, most of the companies spend heavy budgetary amounts of their CAD/CAM budget. Further, manufacturing preparation involves design of tool, pattern nesting, designing of fixture, development of sheet metal, quality control analysis, as well as the actual NC programming itself  [22]  . Moreover, manufacturing simulation involves coordination of measuring machines, NC flame cutting, NC tube welding and bending, wire EDM, milling and drilling, off-line robotics, turning, and the most crucial portion of NC toolpath verification process. Although machining is essentially done directly off the model geometry, yet it cannot be considered as automatic by any means as per the demonstrations of it imply  [23]  . By most designers and industry experts, N/C is seen more of an art from rather than science; even old-fashioned schemes of creating machined parts have not been ignored. Construction of geometry is typically the simplest face of the N/C process. Because of the shortcoming witnessed in the algorithms provided by most vendors, work-arounds always have to be introduced, such as the power of the user to straight away edit the tool path that is being created. The main intention of Toolpath simulation is to let the user to have a look at the form of the completed portion which will emerge out of the machining process, and to directly correct any problems which are detected. Furthermore, the development and maintenance of postprocessors that convert geometric toolpath demonstrations into a language that can be understood by each machine tool, is an industry in itself. Installing the Rest of the Parts The various parts of engine are installed in the following way: Engines are made and installed at the manufacturers Engine shop. Castings of engine blocks, crankshafts as well as heads are obtained from suppliers and are machined into the vehicle with its exact specifications. More than 150 computer-controlled machines conduct precision cuts to such engine parts. In addition, a highly sophisticated test lab performs precision computer computations in order to ensure the machining procedure cuts and drills the metallic pieces to desired approximations. Once the machining and the precision measurement testing are done, the engine parts are placed across a conveyor system onto engine assembly at which team members go about detailing the procedure in order to assemble the pieces of the engine together  [24]  . In essence, all engines are initially cold-tested for determining any leaks, then, hot-tested by igniting the engine to make sure it adheres to the manufacturing specifications. The vehicle transmission is then married to the newly assemble d engine for completing the assembly process. Followed by final quality check, the engine is sent across on a trestle towards the chassis section where it is accompanied with the drive train and the remaining vehicle  [25]  . Firstly, the camshaft is installed followed by the accurate lining up of the timing marks. Then, the camshaft is forced up against the valves in order to force them open. Next, the rocker rods/arms and pushrods are installed. These pushrods and rocker arms will present the amount of torque specifications over the rocker arms, depending on the kind of engine. Further, the intake multiplier makes use of RTV across their gaskets in order to hold them firmly at their places. Lastly, the valve covers are laid across and the engine is placed within given the vehicle by means of bolts for protecting it into the engine compartment. Followed by this step, the remaining accessories are gradually installed, including the fuel injector, carburettor and the fuel pump  [26]  .

Why is Nancy such an important character in the novel Oliver Twist? Ess

Why is Nancy such an important character in the novel Oliver Twist? {1837-1839} Oliver Twist was probably one of the most popular novels of its time. Within Oliver Twist the characters were the central main focus of the novel. Oliver: the main c... Why is Nancy such an important character in the novel ‘Oliver Twist’? {1837-1839} Oliver Twist was probably one of the most popular novels of its time. Within ‘Oliver Twist’ the characters were the central main focus of the novel. Oliver: the main character is made to appeal to the reader’s sense of sympathy. Meanwhile Fagin is loathed by the reader. Nancy is seen as not so important by the reader but actually is the most important character after Oliver. So just why is Nancy such an important character in the novel ‘Oliver Twist’? The first mention of Nancy is when she comes to see Fagin, along with Bet, and she is described from Oliver’s point of view as not so pretty, with a great deal of hair but it wasn’t very neatly. They were untidy and dirty below the waist. Their stockings and shoes were also very dirty. â€Å"Oliver thought them very nice girls indeed.† This shows that Oliver’s first impression of Nancy is quite a good one which then shows that she might be influential to him later on in the novel. This is because he is easily led by Fagin and his gang because he thinks they are nice people. And he will be easily led by Nancy who he thinks is also a very nice person too. A long time afterwards they left when Master Bates said, that it was time to pad the hoof. Next Nancy is mentioned when she has to go and find out what happened to Oliver! At first when Fagin asks Bet, she declines and when he asks Nancy, she also declines! But the... ...) who tried to rob them which shows Nancy is on the same side as them( the side of good). So why is Nancy such an important character in the novel Oliver Twist? The main reason Nancy is such an important character is because she risks her life to save Oliver and goes through many hardships and brutalities to ensure that Oliver stays alive and doesn’t get dragged into the criminal underworld that she hates and doesn’t wish to be part of! It is a typical ‘good VS evil’ scenario and when good prevails the reader really enjoys this. This is what is happening with Nancy, she represents good in a struggle with Fagin and Sikes who represent evil. She dies but for a just cause, when she frees Oliver from the criminal underworld and lets him know about his undiscovered riches. So that is why Nancy is such an important character in the novel ‘Oliver Twist’.

Analysis of Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw Essay -- Plays Geo

Analysis of Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw "Arms and the Man" starts with gunfire on a dark street in a small town. The romantic and willful Raina is about to begin her true-life adventure by sheltering the handsome fugitive Bluntschli, enemy of her equally handsome fiancà © Sergius The setting of the play is in war-torn Bulgaria, and focuses not only on the romance between the young people of the play, but the atrocities that go on during war times and the ability of people not so very far removed from these atrocities to ignore them completely. Shaw's purpose in this play is to attack the romantic notion of war by presenting a more realistic depiction of war, devoid of the idea that such death and destruction are both noble and romantic. These deconstructions make "Arms and the Man" a satirical comedy about those who would glorify the horrors or war. Shaw develops a perfectly ironic contrast between the two central male characters form the beginning to the end. At the start of the play we are given an account of Major Sergius Saranoff’s, a handsome young Bulgarian officer, victory in a daring cavalry raid, which turned the war in favor of the Bulgarians over the Serbs. In contrast, Captain Bluntschil, a professional soldier from Switzerland, acts like a coward. He climbs up to a balcony to escape capture, he threatens a woman with a gun, and he carries chocolates rather than cartridges because he claims the sweets are more useful on the batt...

International Trade :: essays research papers

International Trade International trade or world trade affects the entire American economy. The early industrial years of American the economy was based entirely on the exporting goods to other countries, and these exports created the revenue need to sustain the country. America would export more products than it needed this created a surplus in the GDP. This began to change in the 1930’s when the trade began to change and the country began to import more products. This downward trend led the GDP its lowest point in history. In today’s world trade market America’s import percentage is somewhere in the mid-60%. The balance of trade in America today is running in a deficit. The U.S. government has created trade agreements the various countries that allow free trade between these countries. This means there are no tariffs, fees or taxes applied toward the good being imported or exported between the countries in the agreement. These countries include Mexico and Canada that create the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and Israel. These agreements are not limited to free trade, but other countries such as Jamaica, that need assistance in order to grow economically American has lessened the amount of tariffs need to import good into America. International trade provides resources that the U.S. does not produce enough of to sustain the country. One of the major imports needed in the U.S. today is oil. This is one of the reasons America has a free trade agreement with Israel. This allows oil to be imported without tariffs. Other products such as cars imported from Japan create import taxes that the government spends on the U.S. economy. Additionally, the U.S. has imposed restrictions on foreign countries to reduce the flood of goods into the market place. These items include textiles imported from countries that produce these items a much cheaper cost.

How Far Did the Position of Black Americans Improve in the Years 1945-1955?

The US military involvement in WW2 was to have a lasting effect on civil rights and racist attitudes. The conflict brought on many changes that would highlight African American civil rights, for example it created many jobs for black people, not only in the defence industry but also to meet growing labour demand. Although between 1945-1955 there was indefinitely progress made for the position of black Americans, there were also limitations to that progress. The population of cities in the north such as Detroit grew dramatically as black people migrated during the war. Although there was a lot more availability of employment for African American’s, they would often find they were discriminated against, for instance not receiving equal pay to white workers. Employers would usually use the principle ‘Last to be hired, first to be fired. ’ It was a rarity for African Americans to be promoted as when they it would follow with walk outs and riots from white workers. In order to prevent the march on Washington movement, President Roosevelt agreed to set up the Fair Employment Practices Commission in order to accommodate equal opportunities for black people in defence industry jobs. This also led to increase in labour jobs, there was a 25% increase in African Americans working in the iron and steel industry. The numbers employed in government service increased from 50,000 to 200,000. However it had its limitations, railroads usually refused to hire black people and in the Deep South prejudice remained on employment issues. The NAACP campaigned to challenge the ‘Plessy v. Ferguson’ doctrine. Inequality was easily spotted in education. For example research showed that the pupil-teacher ratio was 20% better in white schools than in back, in addition to this white teachers generally receiveda much larger salary in comparison to a black teacher. The NAACP proceeded to sue on behalf of black students, which eventually resulting in the ‘Brown v. Board of Education’ legal case. Following the Brown case, Earl Warren who was the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, agreed that not only was segregation in education demoralising for African Americans, but segregation in general too. However this stirred up protest in the south. The White Citizens council formed the ‘Southern Manifesto’ in order to fight the brown case. There was also slow progress to the integration of public schools as The Supreme Court had not set a time limit, instead it had stated progression to e done with ‘deliberate speed. ’ There was also no action enforced by President Eisenhower who was reluctant to avoid stirring further opposition. Altogether, there was progress in economic status for African Americans. Due to the creation of trade unions and activist groups, something was finally being done about inequality for Blacks. However this gentle action was often faced with forceful opposition, or simply not enough being done, therefore hindering progress.

Are Homosexuals the only sexual abusers of boys Essay

I do not agree with the idea that only homosexuals sexually abuse boys. This is a myth that has been instilled in people hence people grow up with the notion that male children can only be abused by homosexuals. Sexual abuse in boys has become common although in most cases it is unreported, under-treated or under-recognized. There is little knowledge concerning sexual abuse in boys which can be attributed to the few studies which are carried in this area. Although it is not clear on the exact number of boys who are at risk of being sexually abused, it is estimated that one in every 6 boys is likely to be a victim of sexual abuse by the age of 16 years (Gartner, 2005). According to research, most male sexual abusers are likely to be males who are close to the victim but are not related to the victim. These perpetrators usually carry out the abuse away from their victim’s homes, do it repeatedly and often involve some kind of penetration. But sometimes, the perpetrators can be female. It is said that there are higher chances of boys being abused by female perpetrators as compared to girls. When female perpetrators are involved, they tend to persuade them rather than using force as opposed to the male perpetrators who often use force. Therefore, one cannot rule out the possibility of female perpetrators abusing male children because these cases do exist (Michele, 1993). According to Spiegel (2003), people tend to look down upon homosexual as the only male sexual abusers because of the way they are brought up by the society. Most societies believe that all homosexuals must have sex with boys and mostly small boys. Therefore, children are made to fear homosexuals because they are seen as child sexual abusers. Considering this socially conditioned situation, it is difficult to change the opinion of the people about sexual abuse in male children. Hence, it is important for the society to start looking at the matter from different points of view such as: female can also sexually abuse young boys. Majority of these victims do not come to the limelight. In most instances, boys are sexually abused by women in parenting roles like mothers, aunts and grandmothers. This kind of abuse usually goes unreported because of the bond and royalty that exist between them. Such abuses can also occur when a son is given the role of husband. The son is usually made to feel aligned to the mother and becomes protective such that he constantly wants to care for and please his mother. The mother may put the child in a protective position which eventually leaves the child feeling ineffectual and inadequate. Because of the protection from the father’s abuse, the abuse from the mother may seem less threatening compared to the father’s. Despite that, this kind of abuse finally has significant psychological effects to the child (Dorais & Meyer, 2002). According to a study that was carried out by Dr. William C. Holmes about sexual abuse in small boys, it reveled that although majority of male sexual abusers are male, almost 90 %, there is also a significant number of female abusers with adolescent baby sitters accounting for almost half the population of female perpetrators. It is therefore important for proper measures to be put in place to ensure that boys are protected from sexual abuse from both male and female perpetrators because they are both involved in the abuse.

The Blue Sword CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The next morning they left the Madamer Gate, to go back down the mountain as they had come. The little troop was less than half what it had been the morning before, and it moved more slowly, from weariness, wounds and †¦ a slight feeling of anticlimax, Harry thought. She had a foul headache. Every step Sungold took struck like a mallet behind her eyes, and her vision sparkled with it. â€Å"Does one always feel a bit lost, the day after a battle?† she asked Jack, who was riding somewhat stiffly at her side. Draco had suffered a cut over his poll, and the headpiece of the bridle was paddled with a bit of blue cloth. â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"Even when you win.† They rode gently but steadily all that day. That evening Harry said to Kentarre: â€Å"You may leave now, if you wish, to go home. I – we're all grateful for your help. It's very likely we would not have held them off even long enough for – for Gonturan to drop the mountains on them, without you. And,† Harry said more hesitantly, â€Å"it is also good to find another friend and ally.† Kentarre smiled. She smiled much more easily now than she had when she and her archers first stepped out of the trees to pledge to Harimad-sol; and Harry didn't think it was only because the threat of the Northerners had been halted. â€Å"It is good to find a friend, lady, as you say, and it is ill to lose one too soon. We would follow you still, and see your king, and give you a little more glory at your return. I think perhaps we filanon have held alone in our woods too long; and without you, Harimad-sol, we would have no homes now to go back to. We were Damarians not so very long ago, and our fathers called Corlath's fathers king. We would go with you.† Four of her archers had materialized out of the firelight to stand beside her when she began to speak, and they nodded. One wore a white rag around his forehead, and it covered one eyebrow, which gave him a puzzled uncertain look; but there was no uncertainty in his sharp nod. Harry looked unhappily at her hands. â€Å"I – I'm not sure it would be wise of you to come to Corlath on my heels, calling me sol. I came here – left him and his army and his battle plans – expressly against his wishes, and I think it more than likely that I'm riding into trouble, as I choose to go back. I – er – applaud the idea that you should declare yourselves as Damarians again, but I – well – highly recommend that you make your own path to Corlath, without me.† Kentarre did not seem surprised by Harry's words; but then Terim or Senay must have told her the story. â€Å"Your Corlath I think is not a fool, and it would be foolish to treat with less than great honor the one who buried Thurra and thousands of his army. We will come with you, and if he turns you away, we will still come with you. You are welcome here,† Kentarre said with a wave of her hand and a faint musical clatter of the blue beads around her wrist. â€Å"You need not go into exile homeless.† Harry said nothing. She found that she was too tired to argue, and too grateful for their loyalty, for she was simply afraid of what she was returning to – afraid mainly because she realized how desperately she wanted to be able to go back. It was true, Corlath would be forced to honor her as the cause of Thurra's downfall, for he was no fool and he was a very honorable king; but she did not want him forced. â€Å"Very well,† she said at last; â€Å"let it be as you wish.† Kentarre bowed, a brief graceful sweep. â€Å"Thank you,† said Harry. â€Å"It is my honor to follow Harimad-sol,† said Kentarre. Jack smiled at Harry as she knelt down again by their fire, and was swarmed over by Narknon, who seemed in her own way to be as shaken by the mountains' falling as the human beings had been. â€Å"We cling to you like leeches,† he said, and she looked at him in surprise. â€Å"Or so I believe was the gist of your conversation just now.† Harry nodded. â€Å"So perhaps this is a good time to warn you that Richard and I and our lot are planning to come too – throw ourselves at the mercy of your Hill-king. There's nothing at home for us. And um – † he turned his hands over to warm the backs of them by the fire, and stared at his callused palms – â€Å"we'd like to.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"You'll only be able to talk us out of it with an extraordinary amount of effort, because any reason you may come up with we will immediately assume has to do with your praiseworthy desire to spare us pain or trouble, and we are quite selfishly set on riding east on your heels. And we none of us have the strength for protracted arguing anyway, yourself included. And I may be old and stiff and sore, but I'm wonderfully stubborn.† There was a pause. â€Å"Very well,† said Harry. Richard, at Jack's left hand, poked the fire with a stick. â€Å"That was easier than I was expecting,† he said. Jack smiled mysteriously. They came to Senay's village the next day, and they were met with a feast. Senay's father explained: â€Å"We felt the mountain fall three days ago, for the earth shook under us and ash blew over us. The air felt brighter afterward, and so we knew it had gone well for you.† â€Å"The dust was blue,† said Rilly. â€Å"And it is a three days' ride to the Gate from here, so we expected you,† the young woman, Rilly's mother and Senay's father's second wife, explained; and Senay's father, Nandam, said: â€Å"Hail to Harimad-sol, Wizard-Tamer, Hurler of Mountains.† â€Å"Oh dear,† said Harry in Homelander, and Jack snorted and coughed, and Richard demanded to be let in on the joke. But when the platters, heavy and steaming, were passed, she decided that fame had its advantages. She had not eaten so well since she had sat at the banquet that made her a Rider †¦ with Corlath †¦ The next morning, to her dismay, Nandam appeared with a tall black horse with one white foot. â€Å"I will come with you,† he said. â€Å"This leg has made me useless in battle, but I am not without honor, and Corlath knew me of old, for Senay is not the first to ride to the king of the City from my family and my mountain. I will ride in your train too, Wizard-Tamer.† Harry winced. â€Å"But – † It was her favorite word of late. â€Å"I know,† said Nandam. â€Å"Senay told me. It is why I will come.† They avoided the fort of the Outlander town, lying peacefully in the sun, untroubled by the tiresome tribal matters of the old Damarians. The Outlanders had known all along there were too few of the Hillfolk to make serious trouble; and if the earth had shivered slightly underfoot a few days ago, it must be that the mountains were not so old as they thought, and were still shifting and straining against their place upon the earth. Perhaps a little volcanic activity would crack a new vein of wealth, and the Aeel Mines would no longer be the only reason the Outlanders went into the Ramid Mountains. Jack looked rather broodingly toward the iron-bound wall inside which he had spent most of the last eighteen years. He caught Harry looking at him and said: â€Å"Anything there waiting for me is something on the order of ‘Confine yourself to quarters while we decide what to do with you – poor man, the desert was too much for him and he finally went bonkers.' I'm not going back.† Harry smiled faintly. â€Å"I botched it, you know. If I'd known what I was doing, I could have gone alone, quietly dropped half a mountain range where it would do the most good – â€Å" â€Å"And ridden off into a cloud, never to be heard of again,† said Jack. â€Å"I sometimes think the blind devotion – or the press of numbers – of your loyal followers is all that is sending you back to your king at all.† Harry stared unseeingly at the horizon of her beloved Hills, and she remembered Aerin's words, and that Dickie had called her back to this world just a little too soon. â€Å"Is he really such an ogre?† Jack went on. â€Å"Don't you want to go back?† Harry turned and looked back at the smudge on the golden-grey sands that was Istan. â€Å"No, he is not an ogre. And, yes, I want to go back – very much. That is why I am afraid.† Jack looked at her; she could feel his gaze on her, but she would not meet his eyes. The trip back, Harry thought unhappily less than three days later, seemed a lot shorter than the trip away; and this in spite of the fact that they were moving slowly for the sake of their wounded, who had resisted staying in Nandam's village to be healed and demanded to come with them. â€Å"They don't want to miss out on any of the fun,† Jack said apologetically, as if it were all his fault. â€Å"Fun?† she said, exasperated. â€Å"Your attitude is perhaps a little unnecessarily rigorous,† suggested Jack. Harry muttered something that was better not said aloud, and added, â€Å"They take honor and loyalty very seriously here, you know, you Damarian-mad Homelander.† Jack shrugged. â€Å"And if they throw us out on our collective ear – even that is fun of a sort, I believe.† He paused, and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. â€Å"But I'm afraid I have the same optimistic outlook as the rest of Harry's bandits.† Harry protested, â€Å"But I know more about it!† â€Å"Ignorance is bliss,† replied Jack. They had no difficulty finding their way to the camp of the Hill-king. Harry never thought about it, beyond the simple word â€Å"east.† But although â€Å"east† covers a great deal of territory, she had pointed Sungold's nose as surely as if she were a route-rider, covering the same path she had traveled for years. She wished now she weren't quite so accurate. She could see the king's tent looming in the twilight before them, the sunset fading behind them, and their long shadows beginning to dissolve in the ripples of the grey sand underfoot. She knew that they were marked by the king's guard, but no one hailed them. She could well believe that she and Sungold and Gonturan were immediately recognizable, but she was surprised that even if she were not to be taken prisoner on sight the very obvious presence of twelve armed Outlanders in her train was exciting no comment. Since she did not know what else to do, she rode reluctantly but directly to the king's tent; it rose from the center of the other tents, the black-and-white banner flying from its peak. Still no one stopped or questioned her; but several offered her silent hand greeting, the kind a king's Rider might expect, and this comforted her a little. But she wished she would see someone she knew well enough to talk to – Mathin or Innath by choice – to ask what sort of welcome she might expect. There was little sign that this army had fought a desperate battle against the odds only days before; and she suddenly realized that it had never occurred to her that Corlath might lose. She was learning to believe what the backs of her eyelids told her. The tents were all neatly and precisely pitched, and the horses she saw were sleek and fit. There was a hum of tension about the camp, though, which she could feel; the silence had a stretched quality to it, and those people she saw hurrying from tent to tent looked as though their errands might be about life and death. Sungold's steps fell too quickly. She saw no other Rider, and at the door to the king's tent she paused, and her company came up behind her, and fanned out into a little court around their captain. The gold-sashed guard saluted her, just as he had done half a year ago; she thought it was even the same man, although he looked much older, almost as old as she felt. She stayed in the saddle; she wanted to stay there forever; at very least it made her taller than a man on foot – even Corlath. What was she to say? â€Å"The prodigal has returned? The mutineer wishes to be reinstated? The subordinate, having gone to a great deal of trouble to prove her commander wrong, has come back and promises to be a good little subordinate hereafter, or at least until the next time?† Then Corlath put back his golden silk door and stood before her, and she stared down at him, and she could not have gotten out of the saddle then even if she had wanted to. She realized why, when her kelar had shown him to her in battle some days ago, she had not at first recognized him, that his sash was the wrong color. He was wearing her sash. â€Å"Hari,† he said; then â€Å"Harimad-sol,† as he walked to Sungold's side; stiffly he moved, she thought, and her heart failed her at the thought that he might have been wounded. She stared down at him still, and could not move, and then, shyly, he put his hand around her dusty leather ankle and said, carefully, â€Å"Harry.† She pulled her leg over the withers and slid down Sungold's shoulder as she had once slid down Fireheart's, and put her arms around her king and hugged him fiercely; and his arms closed around her and he murmured something, but her blood was ringing in her ears, and she could not hear what it was. It is not very comfortable, holding someone close who is wearing a sword and various unyielding bits of leather armor, and it is less comfortable yet if both parties are so accoutered. Harry and Corlath dropped their arms after a short time and looked at each other, and each distantly thought that the other one was wearing a rather silly smile, and Harry noticed that Corlath's eyes were the color of gold. â€Å"You are unhurt?† she said; her voice sounded tinny in her hot ears. â€Å"I am unhurt,† he said. â€Å"And you?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry, still looking at his golden eyes. â€Å"Or no. I am not hurt.† â€Å"I am glad,† her king said, and his voice was still low and shy, â€Å"to see you – here – and still – † he hesitated – â€Å"still of the Hills?† Harry took a deep breath. â€Å"I will be of the Hills till I die, but what are you going to do to me for going off like that? And it's not their fault,† she went on hurriedly, gesturing behind her, â€Å"but they would come with me even though I warned them how it was with me. Whatever you say, I will obey, but – what is it?† She stopped, for as she tried to make her apologies, or her amends, or whatever they were, she remembered that she and Corlath were not alone, and that she was a deserter. She looked up and around, but her company were only dark figures to her, dim in the fading light. â€Å"I will return to you your sash,† Corlath said, but his hands did not move to untie it from around his waist. â€Å"You should not have lost it – for I assume you lost it. If you had not, but flung it away deliberately, it would be a sign that you denied me, and Damar, and were making yourself an exile forever.† â€Å"Oh no,† said Harry, horrified; and the slightly foolish and uncertain smile on Corlath's face grew into a real smile, one unlike any Harry had ever seen on the Hill-king's face before. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"I hoped not.† Harry whispered: â€Å"You have done me much honor – since the beginning.† Corlath replied: â€Å"I did only what I must, for the kelar gave me no choice; but I – I came to believe in you, and I did not care what the kelar said.† â€Å"Did you believe in me then, when I rode away and left you, my king, and I a king's Rider, against your orders?† The smile faded, but his eyes were still bright yellow. â€Å"I did,† he said. â€Å"Luthe †¦ warned me you would do something mad – and I †¦ feared something else, for thus a man makes a fool of himself, and will not accept the wisdom the gods send him. I did not realize what Luthe had told me – I had forgotten what the kelar had told me – till you had gone.† â€Å"Something else?† said Harry. â€Å"What did you fear?† Her heart beat more rapidly as she waited for his reply, and she hoped he would ask her such a question, that she might answer it as her heart bade her. But Corlath looked around them. â€Å"The Outlanders you bring to my camp are not your escort home?† Harry shook her head violently. â€Å"They are my escort home only insofar as they would bear me company in my home, in the Hills, if you will have them.† â€Å"I will have them, and be honored,† said Corlath, and his eyes lingered on Jack, who sat Draco quietly between Richard and Terim, â€Å"they who stood at Madamer Gate and watched the mountain fall on Thurra. This tale they will tell, I hope, and tell often.† â€Å"And I hope I will never have to do anything like that again,† said Harry, and for a moment she could not see Corlath's yellow eyes, but a demon-thing that had once been human on a white stallion with the teeth of a leopard. Corlath looked down at the top of her bent head. â€Å"For you I hope that you do not either; the kelar strength is not a comfortable Gift. â€Å"I saw – I watched the mountain fall. I heard you call me and knew then who it was you faced – and thus why it was that I had not seen him before me: why we were able to throw the Northerners back, for all that they outnumbered us. They did not, I think, expect us to be so strong, or Thurra would not have divided his army as he did; for Thurra's demon blood had told him that only the demon Gifts are strong. â€Å"I was proud of you – and I was glad that it was I you called upon.† His voice died away to a murmur, but then he spoke loudly: â€Å"There is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years, to Aerin and Tor, that we do not often see today, for there have been few women warriors of late, till Gonturan rode to battle again. But tradition is that a betrothed pair may exchange sashes, and thus they pledge their honor to each other, for all to see. I will return you your sash if you choose, for I have no right to wear it, as you have not granted me the right. But I have been honored to wear it, in my people's eyes, till you returned – for as I had had so little faith in you despite Luthe's words to me, so I decided to have faith that you would return, to the Hills and to me, and to hope that your answer might justify me.† Harry said clearly, that all might hear: â€Å"My king, I would far rather you kept my sash as you have kept it for me in faith while I was gone away from you, and gave me your sash to wear in its place. For my honor, and more than my honor, has been yours for months past, but I saw no more clearly than did you till I had parted from you, and knew then what it would cost me if I could not return. And more, I knew what it would cost me if I returned only to be a king's Rider.† Then a cheer went up from many throats, and not only from those of Harry's company; for many of the camp had gathered in the center court before the king's zotar to hear how this meeting would go, for they had seen Harimad-sol's sash around their king's waist, and those who remembered the tradition had told of it to those who did not. And there was no surprise, in those who had followed Harry or in those who had fought with Corlath, and there was much joy; and the echoes of those cheers must have come even to the city boundaries of the Outlander town called Istan, and the barred gate of the General Mundy. And the Outlanders who had followed Jack Dedham when he decided to follow the young Harry Crewe, who had become Harimad-sol and the Hill-king's Rider, and who did not know the Hill tongue, looked around them, and at the two tall figures before them standing beside the chestnut stallion, and they cheered too; and Jack, in a lull, said to them: â€Å"In case you would like to be sure what you're cheering, our Harry is going to marry this chap. He's the king, Corlath.† Under the cover of the shouting Corlath drew Harry closer to him and said: â€Å"I have loved you long, though at first I did not know it; but I knew it when I sent you into the Hills with Mathin and Tsornin for your teachers, for I saw then how I missed you. And when in the City I found that Narknon had followed you, I was jealous of a cat, who could go where she wished.† Harry said, softly, that only his ears might hear: â€Å"You might have spoken.† Corlath smiled wryly. â€Å"I was afraid to tell you, for I had stolen you from your people, and the awakening of your kelar might make you hate me, for she whose blood gave you the Gift left the Hills long ago. When you knew what it was that this heritage gave you, it might drive you back all the more strongly to your father's people, to a fate the Hills had no part of. The Gift is not a pleasant burden. â€Å"But when I saw you were gone I looked to the west, for I knew where you must be going, and I vowed that if we both lived, when we met again I would tell you that I loved you, and ask you to stand by me not as Rider but as queen; for suddenly it seemed worth the risk, and I could not bear it that you might never know.† Harry said: â€Å"I love you, and it has haunted me that for my disobedience I would be exiled, not from the people I have claimed as my own, though this were punishment enough, but from you that I loved best of anything and best of all. I think I knew you could not exile me, for the victory Gonturan had won for you and your Hills; but I knew that for you to have turned against me for leaving as I did, it would have been the bitterest exile, even if I sat at your left hand as Rider all my life.† It was Innath who grabbed her away at last and danced her around, for Innath had no dignity, and Corlath and Harry seemed able to ignore the tumult around them indefinitely. Then Jack took her away from him, and then she was embraced and knocked about and swung back and forth till she was dizzy; but she laughed and was happy, and thanked everyone who touched her. But there was one face in particular that she looked for and could not find, and its absence troubled her. At last they let her go to Corlath again, and her happiness was shaken for the face she could not find, and she seized his arm anxiously and said, â€Å"Where is Mathin?† Corlath, who had been dancing too, went very still. â€Å"He is not dead?† she said, and her voice rose till it broke; but when he shook his head it gave her no comfort. He took her hand in his and said, â€Å"Come,† and led her away, through the tents. Now she could see the traces of battle, for by lantern light she saw blood-stained gear and unidentifiable bits and tatters moving mournfully in the evening breeze, and some few people, bandaged, limping, or lying by campfires, gently tended by those who were unhurt. Corlath led her to a long low tent and drew her inside, and the smell of death struck her at once, although the figures lying on rugs and blankets and cushions were well cared for and cleanly bandaged, and their chests still rose and fell with breathing, and there were many nurses watching over them and bringing drink and thin invalid food. Corlath brought her to the far end of the narrow tent, and the figure there turned its head toward them. Harry threw herself on her knees, weeping, for here was Mathin. â€Å"I knew you would return,† said Mathin, and one hand moved a few inches to close weakly around Harry's; and Harry gulped and nodded, but still her tears flowed and she could not stop them. â€Å"And you will marry our king?† he went on, in what would have been a conversational tone if it had not been so faint, and Harry nodded again. â€Å"I wanted you to toast us at the wedding, my old friend and horse-breaker and teacher,† she said. Mathin smiled. â€Å"I leave my honor in good hands, best of daughters,† he said gently. â€Å"No,† said Harry, and while her tears still fell her voice gained strength. â€Å"No.† As she knelt, Gonturan dug a hole between her ribs, and she stood up impatiently and unbuckled her and let her fall; and as she bent down again a few of her tears fell on her own hand, and they were hot, scalding hot, and left red marks where they touched the skin; and she realized that her eyes and cheeks burned with them. She drew the blanket away from Mathin's chest and belly, where a long mortal wound oozed through its wrappings; the blood was almost black, and green-tinged, poisoned, and there was an unhealthy smell. â€Å"In Aerin's day,† murmured Harry, â€Å"kelar was good for things. It didn't only hurt things, and make trouble.† Corlath came to stand behind her. Mathin looked up at his king and said, â€Å"Aerin – â€Å" Harry felt Corlath's hands on her shoulders, and twisted where she knelt, and seized his hands. â€Å"Help me,† she said. â€Å"You helped me on that mountaintop. It was as though you held me up, held me by the shoulders as you did the first evening when I tasted the Water of Sight.† Her eyes, wide open, were going blind; it was like the golden war-rage, only worse; it would split her skin, she would wither and blacken in the heat of it. Corlath said, as if against his will, â€Å"Mathin fell, guarding me, while I was far away on a mountaintop; if it had not been for him, I would have had no body to return to.† Harry shivered and the heat plucked at her nerves and ate up her strength, and blindly she reached out one hand to touch Mathin, and her fingers touched the bare skin of his upper arm, and she felt him shudder, and his breath hissed between his teeth. Whatever it was thundered through her veins and filled her lungs and stomach, her hands and mouth; and she let go of Mathin and turned to the next bed, and scrabbled with the bedclothes, for she could see nothing but the golden storm and feel nothing but one of Corlath's hands tight in one of hers, and she touched the throat of the occupant of the pallet next to Mathin. She groped her way down the long length of that tent, stumbling, almost crawling but for Corlath, touching foreheads and hands and shoulders, and the nurses turned back the bedding, and the eyes of the dying looked into her blind eyes and hoped for her touch but feared it, and none but Corlath who were themselves whole came near enough even to brush the hem of her tunic, for it was hard just to breathe if she, with the power that was in her, was too near. The fire rose through her and crackled in her ears, so that she was deaf as well; but at last they came to the door, and Corlath led her out, her feeble feet not sure where they would find the earth with each step; and she felt the evening breeze, and the fire began to subside, reluctantly at first. But as it drained out of her, back to where it had come from, it took with it the marrow of her bones and the elastic of her muscles, for such was the fire's fuel, and she leaned against Corlath. He put his arms around her, and when the fire flickered at last and went out and she crumpled, he picked her up and carried her back to his zotar, and she lay in his arms as limp a burden as when he had put the sleep on her, the night he stole her from the Residency. Harry woke up feeling as if she had been sick for a year and was now approaching convalescence. She stared at the peaked roof of the zotar and slowly realized where she was. Even her thoughts were too weak to entertain the idea of moving. Narknon, by some extra feline sense, knew when she opened her eyes, and without moving from her sprawl across Harry's legs, began to purr. With the purr came Corlath, who had been sitting just beyond the curtain that had been hung by Harry's bed to give her peace from the comings and goings of the king's tent. He put back the curtain when he heard Narknon. He was himself weary, for much of the strength Harry had used the evening before was his; and he had not been able to sleep that night for watching her. He watched her sleeping, hoping only that she would awaken and still be Harry. His heart was in his mouth as he dropped down beside her. The look on his face brought Harry more strongly back to herself, and she sat shakily up; and he put an arm around her shoulders, and she was happy to rest her head against his chest and be silent. She did not want to ask, but she could not help herself, so at last she said: â€Å"Mathin?† His voice sounded deeper than ever with her ear against his chest when he spoke. â€Å"He will carry a handsome scar, but he will carry it lightly, and he will be strong enough to sit on Windrider when we leave this place to return to the City, in a few days' time; although his right arm still pains him somewhat, from the long raw burn near the shoulder, as though a fire had scorched him.† Harry remembered how she had known the fire was eating her, that it would leave nothing of her; and she opened her right hand, the hand that had touched Mathin. It looked as it always had, but for the small white mark across the palm, which was only two months old. â€Å"And the others?† â€Å"None will die, and while none is as quick to recover as Mathin, none either bears the mark of where Harimad-sol touched them.† â€Å"And – my people? Jack, and Kentarre, and those who follow them? And Nandam, and – and Richard? Have you met my brother Richard?† â€Å"Your Jack has introduced us.† Corlath had remembered Colonel Dedham when he saw him standing in the twilight behind Harry; remembered him as the one man who had seemed to listen to what Forloy said, and believe that the men of the Hills might be speaking the truth, even to Outlanders. It was that sight of the man who had offered the Hill-king his loyalty while standing on the Residency verandah that had given Corlath the courage to declare his love for Harry the night before. It had seemed a fine bold thing to him at the time to bind her sash around himself and wear it openly; it hadn't occurred to him till he saw her with her company at her back, and her pale eyes fixed on him with an expression he could not read, that it would force him to face her with it and what it meant immediately, whenever he saw her again – if he saw her again. It would doubtless have been kinder or more courteous – and less dangerous – to choose his time and place; and not make such a public display of it. But then, without the sash around his waist and his people watching eagerly for the outcome, it was so extremely possible that his courage would have failed him again, for all his noble words about risk-taking. All these things he would tell Harry later. â€Å"But Richard has the face of your family, though he has not the eyes, and I would have guessed who he must be.† â€Å"Jack would like better than anything in the world to ride a Hill horse.† Harry heard the beginning of his laugh far inside him before it burst out into the air; and she raised her head and looked inquiringly into his face. He shook his head at her and said, â€Å"My heart, your Jack shall have a hundred of our horses, and welcome,† and then he bent his head and kissed her, and she drew him down beside her. A few minutes later Narknon, with an offended growl, climbed off the bed and stalked away. Mathin was a trifle paler than usual when Corlath's army mounted and set their faces to the east, but he sat easily on Windrider and looked all around him as if reminding himself of what he thought he had lost; but most often he looked at Harimad-sol, riding at the king's right hand. The army moved slowly, for there were litters to carry, and they need not hurry. Even the desert sun overhead seemed glorious rather than relentless, and their king was to marry the damalur-sol who bore Gonturan the Blue Sword, and the Northerners had been defeated, at least for their time, and probably for their children's time, and perhaps even their grandchildren's; and Damar was still theirs. And it was as well also that the army was moving slowly for the sake of Jack Dedham and Richard Crewe, who were riding Hill horses, and finding Hill horsemanship a little more difficult than Harry had, and were dismayed at the idea of being able to stop a horse at full gallop simply by sitting down a little hard er in the saddle. Harry, when she was not with Corlath, rode circles around them and teased them and made Sungold do all sorts of fancy passes and turns, not really to annoy them but only because she could not contain herself for happiness. Sungold bucked and bounced till even Harry had to clutch at his mane to stay on – Jack had the temerity to laugh – and behaved not at all like a well-schooled war-horse, and seemed just as happy as she.