What Role Do Mobile Phones Play in Society?

1. What role do mobile phones play in society? Discuss the influence of technology on everyday life: relationships, social movements and education. Mobile phones have a major impact on modern society as they are increasingly useful social tools. In 2004, ‘there were almost two billion mobile subscribers world-wide’ Arminen 2007. The majority of worldwide businesses use this technology to communicate. Mobiles have changed the way people organise activities, meetings and social occasions, and generally the way people go about living everyday life. Mobile phones increase contact with peers, so a person can always know what’s going on with those close to them. They help people communicate more efficiently, anywhere on the planet. Mobile phones have developed multi-features they are more than just a phone and can be used for sending text messages, taking photos, surfing the internet, playing music, using a calculator, setting an alarm, playing games, sending email, checking the time, calendar, maps, GPS, banking, radio, business’s such as voice memos, and are capable of an amazing amount of functions and some have many more functions than a computer, have the added bonus of high portability. On the down side however mobile phones can break down personal barriers where a person can find it hard to have any personal time, or participate fully in their present environment without interruptions as the majority of people never turn off their phone, so there is always constant communication. Modern day society has formed a very strong reliance on mobile phones where most individuals cannot leave home without their mobiles and have developed a need to be constantly contacted. Overall mobiles have a very large influence on relationships. Mobile phones play a huge role specifically in adolescences relationships. Mobile phone technology allows us to communicate with social groups in new ways, and to reaffirm those relationships, regardless of distance. SMS connects individuals in a non intrusive way so time and physical location are no longer important boundaries to communication (Horstmanshof & Power, 2005) instead the shortness of the message is more important indicator of uptake giving rise to creative code. Horstmanshof and Power’s research looked at how the new communication was being taken up by what groups, and the rules, communication and social interaction of those groups. The results showed that SMS was mostly used to tighten close relationships. Mobile phones provide an easier way to communicate, and helps some shy adolescences become more social. Furthermore text message or SMS, help adolescences ‘check each other out’ (Cupples & Thompson 2010) without embarrassment of getting rejected by a potential partner. Mobile phones assist in taking away any awkwardness on the next appointment or date by getting to know a stranger or potential partner (Cupples & Thompson), by facilitating the asking of questions a person wouldn’t normally ask face to face. Despite their many positives mobile phones can have a negative side. All the availability leaves people with little personal uninterrupted. As Horstmanshof and Power describe ‘it's like you are inviting the whole world into your space’ at any time the mobile is on. The easily accessible, relatively cheap and individualised nature of mobile phones has increased their popularity to the point where they have changed the way people interact at work as well as at home (Geser 2010). Mobile phones are increasingly breaking down the boundaries between work and home. Mobiles have changed the way individuals make decisions from individual to more consultative, the way people report emergencies, the social messages of status or connectedness we send to others who witness our calls, the way people participate in the present with increasing interruptions, the way people keep social obligations and the way people can change appointments at short notice, the way we can access greater amounts of information, and importantly, the change from a specific, location based communication system (landline) to an individual recipient. Geser suggests mobiles allow an individual to carry the cocoon of another place to where we are at present which may be a different place emotionally as well as physically to our current location and we need to skillfully maneuver between the two. This is particularly important in the work home boundaries. We need to make new decisions about when we are interrupted and how to deal with the present social or work situations (Geser) which may result in more self control as well as more social control like requesting people turn off their phones before meetings. Geser also supports that with their great ease mobiles also raise some concerns about people but especially children being less independent, and about mobile phone use contributing to fracturing social cohesion through subgroups potentially challenging the norm and the lesser social influence of more formal networks to increasingly informal networks. Technology has evolved where a person can access almost anything on their mobile phone including the internet, so that information is very easily accessible. Mobiles can help students do calculations through the use of a calculator or using specific programs on a computer such as the SPSS program Swinburne University uses for statistics. Encyclopedias are readily accessed online mostly for free which helps a person access the information they need at any time regardless of library opening hours or physical location. Almost all information is available at a click of a button. There is also computer assistant learning programs (Cradler et. l 2002) such as ‘cogmed working memory training’ (a memory training used for individuals with short term memory difficulties) that can be accessed through the mobile. Individuals are also not limited to working on a farm if they live in regional parts of the world as there is university and high schools based online and accessible through mobiles. However there are consequences of having to much easily accessible information. People become too dependent on often superficial information and don’t research as thoroughly. Skills, such as spelling are often diminished as Microsoft Word corrects spelling mistakes and even helps with grammar. Less effort is required in modern day society where it can be argued people are fed information. It has also become easy to plagiarize (Snooks and Co, 2002) and copy other peoples work and pass it off as your own but also easily to be found out. References Arminen, I, 2007, ‘Review Essay, Mobile Communication Society? ’, Mobile Communication Society? , v. 53, no. 1 University of Tampere viewed 19 March 2010 http://asj. sagepub. com Cogmed, 1999 Karolinska Institute, viewed 6 April 2010, http://www. cogmed. com/ Cupples, J ; Thompson, L, 2010, ‘Heterotextuality and Digital Foreplay', Feminist Media Studies, v. 10, no. 1, pp. 1-17, Ebscohost viewed 19 March 2010 http://www. informaworld. com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a919196107 Geser, H, 2004, ‘Towards a Sociological Theory of the Mobile Phone’, ‘Sociology in Switzerland: Sociology of the Mobile Phone’, Google Scholar viewed 16 March 2010 http://socio. ch/mobile/t_geser1. pdf Horstmanshof, L, ; Power, MR, 2005, ‘Mobile phones, SMS, and relationships’, Humanities ; Social Sciences papers, v. 32, no. 1, pp. 33-52, Bond University viewed 16 March 2010 http://epublications. bond. edu. au/hss_pubs/75/ Snooks and Co 2002, Style manual for authors, editors and printers, 6th edn, John Wiley ; Sons, Milton, Qld. Published 2010

The Blue Sword CHAPTER SIX

She remembered little more of that day. She settled herself on a heap of cushions a little way from the long table while the king and his men talked; and if they spoke at all of her, she did not know it, but she did notice that none but Corlath ever allowed his eyes to rest on her. The feeling she had had earlier, before she had tasted the Water of Seeing, that the closeness among the king and his men in some way supported her, was gone; she felt lost and miserably alone, and she decided that when there were eighteen people pretending you didn't exist in a small enclosed area, it was worse than two people pretending you didn't exist outside under the sky. The shadows nickered strangely through the tent, and the voices seemed muffled. There was a ringing in her ears – a ringing not like the usual fear-feeling of one's blood hammering through one's body, but a real ringing like that of distant bells. She could almost discern the notes. Or were they human, the shifting tones of s omeone speaking, far away? The taste still on her tongue seemed to muffle her brain. And she was tired, so tired †¦ When his Riders left, Corlath stood looking down at his captured prize. She had fallen asleep, and no wonder; she was smiling a little in her sleep, but it was a sad smile, and it made him unhappy. However much formal honor he showed her, seating her at his left hand, setting his household to serve her as they served him – he grimaced – he knew only too well that by stealing her from her people he had done a thing to be ashamed of, even if he had had no alternative – even if she and the kelar she bore were to do his beloved country some good he could not otherwise perform. Perhaps she could learn to see something of what made the Hills and their people so dear to him as a man, not as a king – ? Perhaps her Gift would bind her to them. Perhaps she would hate them for her lost land and family. He sighed. Forloy's young wife had not wished to hate the Hills, but that had not helped her. Harry woke in the dark. She did not know where she was; the shapes beneath her were not of pillow and mattress, and the odor of the air had nothing in common with Residency air, or Homeland air. For a moment hysteria bubbled up and she was conscious only of quelling it; she could not think, not even to decide why she wished to bottle up the panic – her pride automatically smothered her fear as best it could. Afterward she lay exhausted, and the knowledge of where she was reformed itself, and the smell was of the exotic woods of the carven boxes in the Hill-king's tent. But as she lay on her back and stared into the blackness, the tears began to leak out of her eyes and roll down her cheeks and wet her hair, and she was too tired to resist them. They came ever faster, till she turned over and buried her face in the scratchy cushions to hide the sobs she could not stop. Corlath was a light sleeper. On the other side of the tent he opened his eyes and rolled up on one elbow and looked blindly toward the dark corner where his Outlander lay. Long after Harry had cried herself to sleep again, the Hill-king lay awake, facing the grief he had caused and could not comfort. When Harry woke again, the golden tent flap had been lifted, and sunlight flashed across the thick heavy rugs to spill across her eyes and waken her. She sat up. She was still curled on and around a number of fat cushions; the back of the hand her cheek had lain against was printed with the embroidered pattern of the pillow beneath it. She yawned and stretched, gingerly pulling the knots of midnight fears out of her muscles. One of the men with a mark on his forehead approached her, knelt, and set a small table with pitcher and basin and towels and brushes before her. She saw nothing of Corlath. The tent looked as it had when she had first entered it the day before; the low tables had been removed, and the peak lamp raised again. When she had washed, she was brought a bowl of an unfamiliar cereal, hot and steaming like Homelander porridge, but of no grain she recognized. It was good, and she surprised herself by eating it all with good appetite. She laid down her spoon, and one of the men of the household approached again, bowed, and indicated that she should go out. She felt crumpled, in the same garments she had slept in; but she shook them out as best she could, observed that they didn't seem to wrinkle horribly as Homelander clothing would have done, raised her chin, and marched out – to be met by another man with a pair of boots for her, and a folding stool to sit on while she fumbled with the lacing. She felt a fool, let loose, however involuntarily, in a highly organized community which now wished to organize her too: like the grain of sand that gets into an oyster's shell. What if the grain doesn't want to become a pearl? Is it ever asked to climb out quietly and take up its old position as a b it of ocean floor? Did she want to go back? What did she have to go back to? But what was Dickie thinking of her absence? She had no more tears at present, but her eyelids were as stiff as shutters, and her throat hurt. People were moving hastily across the open space before the king's tent; and as she watched, the outlying tents began to come down. They seemed to float down of their own accord; all was graceful and quiet. If anyone was doing any protracted cursing over the recalcitrance of inanimate objects, it was only under his breath. Her brother should see this. She smiled painfully. She blinked, her eyes adjusting slowly to the bright sunlight. The sky overhead was a cloudless hard blue, a pale metallic blue. It was morning again; she'd slept almost a full day. To the left rose a little series of dunes, so gradually that she only recognized their height by the fact that her horizon, from where she stood, was the tops of them. Somewhere in that direction lay the General Mundy, the Residency, her brother – and farther, much farther, in that same direction, over desert and mountain, plain and sea, lay her Homeland. She felt the sand underfoot, nothing like the springy firm earth of Home, no more than the queer soft boots she wore were like her Homeland boots; and the strange loose weight of her robes pulled on her shoulders. The king's tent was being dismantled in its turn. First the sides were rolled up and secured, and she saw with surprise that the rugs and lamps, chests and cushions, were already gone from inside; all that remained was the sand, curiously smoothed and hollowed from what it had borne. She wondered if they might have rolled her up like an extra bolster if she had not awakened; or if they would have packed up all around her, leaving her on a little island of cushions in a sea of empty sand. The corner posts and the tall central ones folded up on themselves somehow, and the roof sank to the ground with the same stateliness she had admired in the smaller tents. She counted ten of the household men rolling and folding and tying. They stooped as they worked, and the great tent in only minutes was ten neat white-and-black bundles, each a mere armful for one of the men. They walked to a line of horses who stood patiently as their high-framed saddles were piled with boxes and bundles such as t hose the king's tent made. She noticed how carefully each load was arranged, each separate piece secured and tested for balance before the next was settled. At the end all was checked for comfort, and the horse left with a pat on the nose or neck. Horses were the commonest animals in the camp; there were many more horses than people. Even the pack horses were tall and elegant, but she could pick out the riding-horses, for they were the finest and proudest, and their coats shone like gems. There were also dogs: tall long-legged dogs with long narrow beautiful skulls and round dark eyes, and long silky fur to protect them from the sun. Some were haltered in pairs, and all were members of three or four separate groups. Sight-hounds, Harry thought. The groups roamed as freely as the untethered horses, yet showed no more inclination than they to wander from the camp. She noticed with interest that a few of the pack horses were tied in pairs, like the dogs, and reflected that perhaps it was a training method, a younger beast harnessed to an older, which could teach it manners. There were cats too. But these were not the small domestic lap-sized variety; these were as lean and long-legged as the dogs. Their eyes were green or gold or silver, and their coats were mottled brown and amber and black. One animal looked almost spotted, black on brown, while the next looked almost striped, fawn-pale on black. Some wore collars, leather with silver or copper fittings, but no leashes, and each went its solitary way, ignoring any other cats, dogs, or horses that might cross its path. One came over to Harry where she stood; she held her breath and thought of tigers and leopards. It viewed her nonchalantly, then thrust its head under her hand. It was a moment before Harry recovered herself enough to realize that her hand was trembling because the cat was vibrating as it purred. She stroked it gingerly and the purr grew louder. The fur was short and fine and very thick; when she tried, delicately, to part it, she could not see the skin. The cat had very long blond eyela shes and it looked up at her through them, green eyes half closed. She wondered how all the animals got on together: were there ever any fights? And did the big cats ever steal one of the green-and-blue parrots that rode on a few of the Hillfolk's shoulders? The tents were all down, and she was amazed at the numbers of beasts and people that were revealed. She wondered if the people were all men but herself, thinking of the attempt by the men of the household to wait on her at her bath the evening before. She could not tell, now, by looking, for everyone wore a robe similar to her own, and most wore hoods; and only a few wore beards. â€Å"Lady,† said a voice she knew, and she turned and saw Corlath, and Fireheart followed him. â€Å"Another long ride?† she said, feeling a flush in her cheeks for being called lady by the Hill-king. â€Å"Yes, another long ride, but we need not travel so quickly.† She nodded, and a smile came and went on the king's face, so quickly that she did not see it, as he realized that she would not plead, nor ask questions. â€Å"You will need this,† he said, and handed her a hood like the one he and most everyone else were wearing. She stood turning it over helplessly in her hands, for it was little more than a long tapered tube of soft material, and not too plainly meant as one thing or another to someone who had never seen one before. He took it away from her again and put it on her, then produced a scarf and showed her how to wrap it in place. â€Å"It grows easier with practice,† he said. â€Å"Thank you,† she said. Another voice spoke behind them, and both turned; a man stood with another horse at his heels. This man was dressed in brown, and wore leggings and a tunic above his tall boots and bore a small white mark on his right cheek; and Corlath told her that so the men of the horse, the grooms, dressed; men of the hunt, who cared for the cats and dogs, were dressed similarly, but their belts were red, and they wore red scarves over their hoods and their white mark of office was on the left cheek. â€Å"I – I thought all the Hillfolk wore sashes,† Harry said hesitantly. â€Å"No,† Corlath answered readily enough; â€Å"only those who also may carry swords.† The brown-clad man turned to the horse he had brought them. â€Å"His name is Red Wind, Rolinin,† Corlath said; he was another red bay, though not so bright as Fireheart. â€Å"For the present, you will ride him.† She speculated, a little nervously, about the for the present. She was pleased at the idea of not bumping on somebody else's saddlebow, but as she looked up at the tall horse, and he looked kindly down on her, she collected her courage and said, â€Å"I – I am accustomed to bit and bridle.† She thought, I am accustomed to stirrups too, but I can probably cope without them – at least if nothing too exciting occurs. He looks like he'll have nice gaits †¦ Oh dear. â€Å"Yes,† said Corlath in his inscrutable voice, and Harry looked up at him in dismay. â€Å"Red Wind will teach you how we of the Hills ride.† She hesitated a minute longer, but couldn't think of anything further to say that wouldn't be too humiliating, like â€Å"I'm scared.† So when the brown man went down on one knee and cupped his hands for her foot, she stepped up and was lifted gently into the saddle. No reins. She looked at her hands as if they should be somewhere else, rubbed them briefly down the legs, and then laid them across the rounded pommel like stunned rabbits brought home from a hunt. Red Wind's ears flicked back at her and his back shifted under her. She closed her legs delicately around his barrel and he waited, listening; she squeezed gently and he stepped gravely forward; she sat back and he stopped. Perhaps they would get along. Corlath mounted while she was arranging her hands; I suppose they'll expect me to learn to mount without help too, she thought irascibly; when she looked up from Red Wind's obedient ears Fireheart moved off, and Red Wind willingly followed. They traveled for some days. She meant to keep count, but she did not have the presence of mind immediately to find a bit of leather or rock to scratch the days on as they passed, and somewhere around four or five or six she lost count. The days of travel continued for some time after the four or five or six; every muscle in her body ached and protested from the unaccustomed exercise, after months of soft living at the Residency and aboard ship. She was grateful for her weariness, however, for it granted her heavy sleep without dreams. She developed saddlesores, and gritted her teeth and ignored them, and rather than getting worse as she had expected, they eased and then went away altogether, and with them the aches and pains. Her old skill in the saddle came back to her; she did not miss the stirrups except while mounting – she still needed someone to be a mounting-block for her every day – and slowly she learned to guide her patient horse without reins. She could bind her boots to her legs and her hood round her head as deftly – almost – as though she had been doing these things all her life. She learned to eat gracefully with her fingers. She met four women who were part of Corlath's traveling camp; they all four wore sashes. She learned the name of the friendly cat: Narknon. She often found her keeping her feet warm when she woke up in the morning. Narknon also, for all her carnivorous heritage, had a taste for porridge. Harry continued to eat at the king's table for the evening meal, with the eighteen Riders and Corlath; she still sat at the king's left hand, and she was still politely served and equably ignored. She began to understand, or at least to suspect, that Corlath kept her near him not only because the Hillfolk were not accustomed to dealing with enemy prisoners, but more because he was hoping to make her feel like a respected guest – he was quick to answer her questions, partly perhaps because she did not abuse the privilege; and there was often almost diffidence in his manner when he offered her something: a new cloak, or a piece of fruit of a sort she had never seen before. He wants me to like it here, she thought. She still slept in the king's tent, but a corner was now modestly curtained off for her, and when she woke in the morning and put the curtains back, Corlath was already gone. One of the men of the household would see her, and bring her towels and water, and breakfast. She grew fond of the porridge; sometimes they made it into little flat cakes, and fried them, and put honey over them. The honey was made from flowers she had never seen nor smelled; the rich exotic fragrance of it set her dreaming. She never asked Corlath why she was here, or what her future was to be. In the mornings, after breakfast, while the camp was broken, or, if they were staying an extra day while messengers came from nowhere to talk to the king, she rode Red Wind and, as Corlath had told her, taught herself, or let the horse teach her, to ride as the Hillfolk rode. After her riding-lesson, if they were not traveling that day, she wandered through the camp, and watched the work going forward: everything was aired and washed or shaken out or combed, and the beasts were all brushed till they gleamed. No one, horse or dog or cat or human being, ever tried to stop the Outlander from wandering anywhere in particular, or watching anything in particular; occasionally she was even allowed to pick up a currycomb or polishing-cloth or rug-beater, but it was obvious that she was so permitted out of kindness, for her help was never needed. But she was grateful for the kindness. She spoke her few words of Hill-speech: May I? And Thank you, and the Hillfolk smiled at her and said, Our pr ivilege, slowly and carefully, back to her. Sometimes she watched the hunts ride out; the dogs hunted in their groups, the cats alone or occasionally in pairs. There did not seem to be any order to those who rode with them, other than the presence of at least one man of the hunt; and she never saw any return without a kill: desert hares, or the small digging orobog – Corlath told her the names – or the great horned dundi that had to be hung on a pole and carried between two horses. She was homesick in unexpected spasms so strong that Red Wind, who was a faithful old plug by Hill standards and could be trusted to children and idiots, would feel her freeze on his back, and toss his head uncomfortably and prance. She had not wept herself to sleep since her first night in the king's tent and she thought, carefully, rationally, that it was hard to say what exactly she was homesick for: the Homeland seemed long past, and she did not miss her months at the Residency in Istan. She recalled the faces of Sir Charles and Lady Amelia with a pang, and she missed her brother anxiously, and worried about what he must think about his lost sister. She found she also missed the wise patient understanding of Jack Dedham; but she thought of him with a strange sort of peacefulness, as if his feeling for his adopted country would transcend the seeming impossibility of what had happened to her, and he would know that she was well. That sickness of dislocation came to her most often w hen she was most at ease in the strange adventure she was living. She might be staring at the line of Hills before them, closer every day, watching how sharply the edges of them struck into the sky; Red Wind at Fireheart's heels, the desert wind brushing her cheek and the sun on her shoulders and hooded head; and suddenly she would be gasping with the thing she called homesickness. It would strike her as she sat at the king's table, cross-legged, eating her favorite cheese, sweet and brown and crumbly, listening wistfully to the conversation she still could not understand, beyond the occasional word or phrase. I'm missing what I don't have, she thought late one night, squirming on her cushions. It's nothing to do with what I should be homesick for – Jack would understand, the oldest colonel still active, looking across the desert at the Hills. It's that I don't belong here. It doesn't matter that I'm getting burned as dark as they are, that I can sit a horse all day and not complain. It doesn't matter even that their Water of Sight works in me as it does in only a few of their own. It is only astonishing that it would work in one not of the Hills; it does not make that one any more of the Hills than she was before. There was a certain bitter humor to lying awake wishing for something one cannot have, after lying awake not so long ago wishing for the opposite thing that one had just lost. Not a very useful sort of adaptability, this, she thought. But, her thought added despairingly, what kind of adaptability – or genius – would be useful to me? She traced her life back to her childhood, and for the first time in many years recalled the temper tantrums that she had grown out of so early it was hard to remember them clearly; but she did remember that they had frightened even her, dimly, still a baby in her crib, realizing there was something not quite right about them. They had scared two nursemaids into leaving; it had been her mother who had at last successfully coped, grimly, with her and them. That memory brought into focus another memory she also had pushed aside many years ago: the memory, or knowledge, of not-quite-rightness that grew up after the tantrums had passed; and with that knowledge had also grown an odd non-muscular kind of control. She had thought at the time, with a child's first wistfulness upon being faced with approaching adulthood, that this was a control that everyone learned; but now, lying in the desert dark, she was not so sure. There was something in her new, still inexplicable and unforeseeable life in the Hills that touched and tried to shape that old long-ignored sense of restraint; and something in her that eagerly reached out for the lesson, but could not – yet – quite grasp it or make use of it. There was, too, a reality to her new life that her old life had lacked, and she realized with a shock that she had never truly loved or hated, for she had never seen the world she had been used to living in closely enough for it to evoke passion in her. This world was already more vivid to her, exhilaratingly, terrifyingly more vivid, than the sweet green country, affectionately but indistinctly recalled, of her former lif e. She did not have much appetite for breakfast the next morning, and fed hers to Narknon, who gave a pleased burp and went back to sleep again till the men of the household routed her out when they took down the king's tent. They were nearly to the foothills by the time they halted that evening. The scrub around them had begun to produce the occasional real leaf, and the occasional real leaf was green. For the first time, there was an open stream that ran past their camp, instead of the small secret desert springs; and Harry had a real bath in the big silver basin for the first time since her first evening with the camp, for there had been little water to spare since then. This time the men of the household left towels and a clean yellow robe for her, and left her, as soon as her bath was full. They made camp behind a ridge that ran into what was certainly itself a hill. The tents were pitched around a clear space at the center, with the king's tent at one edge of it. That clear space always held a fire in the evenings, but tonight the fire was built up till it roared and flung itself taller than the height of a man; and as everyone's duties were completed, all came and sat around it till they ringed it. The dogs' pale coats turned red and cinnamon in the firelight; the cats' shadowy pelts were more mysterious than ever. The wall of the king's tent facing the fire was rolled up, and Harry and the king and his Riders sat at the open edge and stared at the fire with the rest. After a time no more dark figures came to join the circle; the fire shadows fell and sidled and swam so that Harry could not guess how many people there were. The fire itself began to burn down till it was no more than the kind of glorious bonfire she and her brother had had now and again when they were children and the weather and their parents' mood had conspired together in their favor. Then the singing began. There were several stringed instruments like lutes, and several wooden pipes for accompaniment and harmony. She recognized ballads even when she could not understand the words, and she wished again that she could understand, and fidgeted on her rug, and glanced at Corlath. He looked back at her, intercepting her frustration, and while there was nothing particularly encouraging about that look, still there was nothing particularly discouraging about it either – as was usual with the looks he gave her now; as was also usual, there was an edge of wistfulness, or sheepishness, in his glance. He had either lost or, as she thought more likely, learned to restrain the slightly resentful puzzlement she had seen the night she had drunk the Water of Sight. She stood up and went over to him and sat down beside him, and pulled up her knees and put her chin on them and stared at the fire, and listened to the words she could not understand. She knew that there had to be at least one more person in the camp who spoke Homelander, the man who had acted as Corlath's interpreter – and, as Peterson had guessed, unnecessarily – at the Residency, but she had never learned who that man was. Someone else who might have spoken to her, and taught her some more Hill words, that she might be able to talk to those around her – might be able to translate the words of the songs they were singing now. But someone who had chosen not to make himself known to her; someone who liked his skill so little that he felt no pity for her isolation: she, an Outlander, who did not belong to the desert and the Hills. Corlath was watching her face as these thoughts went through her mind, and perhaps he read something of them there, for he said without prompting: â€Å"They sing of what is past, hundreds of years past, when the possession of kelar was so common it was hardly thought a Gift, any more than the length of your nose is a Gift. â€Å"Those given the kelar are far fewer today than they were then. I – we – believe that we are soon to learn at our gravest cost the worth of what we have lost.† He thought, wearily, looking at her and unable to read her expression, What does she see? What do we look like to her? And with a flash of anger he thought, Why is it so arranged that I must hope for the comprehension of an Outlander? Why must it be an Outlander who carries so precious a Gift? A Gift she may choose to repudiate or – or use against us, who need the strength so sorely? Harry hugged her knees closer, and for a moment she saw again a bright narrow thread of riders trotting up a mountain way. So I have the Gift, she thought, but of what use is it to see uninterpretable visions? She came back to herself as Corlath said: â€Å"We sing because we have returned to our Hills; tonight is the first night we sleep again in their shadow. â€Å"Listen. They will sing a ballad of Lady Aerin, Dragon-Killer.† Harry listened, listened hard, with the muscles of her back and of her thighs, as if the Hill-speech were a fractious horse she might tame; and out of the firelight came a figure, wavering with the leap and flicker of the flames, and with hair that was fire itself. A tall broad-shouldered figure with a pale face, and in its right hand it held a long slim blade that glittered blue. Harry stared till her eyes felt as dry as sand, and then the figure's face swam into focus, and it was a woman's face, and it smiled at her. But it didn't smile, it grinned, the wry affectionate grin of an elder sister; and Harry's head swam with love and despair. Then the woman shook her head gently, and her aureole of hair flamed and rippled about her, and she reached out her empty left hand, and Harry found herself on her hands and knees, reaching her hand back. But a gust of wind came from nowhere and whipped the fire as though it were an unruly dog, and the figure vanished. Harry fell where she had knelt, and pressed her face to the earth. One real dog sat up and howled. Corlath picked her up as gently as if she were a baby, fallen down after its first steps; and she found there were tears running down her face. He stood up, holding her in his arms, and she cared nothing but that Lady Aerin, Firehair and Dragon-Killer, had come to her and then left her again, more alone than she had ever been before. She threw her arms around the Hill-king's neck and buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed. And Corlath, holding her, her tears on his neck, felt his resentment waver and dim and fall to ashes; and he felt pity instead for the Outlander, as he had felt pity when she tasted the Meeldtar. The Gift had been a hard enough thing for him, he who had grown up with it, had always known it existed and been trained from childhood in its use, or at least its acceptance. He had had his father to tell him what to expect, and his father had not scorned him when he wept as the Outlander now wept; had, in fact, cradled and comforted him and soothed the headaches the kelar brought. He would help this girl now, as much as he might, stranger and thief as he might be to her. He would do what he could. Harry woke up the next morning in her usual corner, behind the usual curtains, her face still smudged with dirt and tears, and she remembered what she had done rather than what she had seen, and she went hot with shame and swallowed hard, wondering if she dared show herself outside her curtains, even for water to wash in. She could not think about seeing Corlath again at all. She thought, He must have laid the sleep on me again, as he did when he first took me away; put me to sleep like an unruly child because I behaved like an unruly child. Narknon didn't care; she walked up Harry's legs and rubbed her head against Harry's smudgy face, and Harry blinked hard and petted her fiercely. She put back her curtains with an effort, and washed her face, and ate her breakfast as she might have eaten wood chips, silent and stony-faced. A voice broke in on her sorry reflections, and she looked up, surprised, and was still more surprised to see one of the Riders: the short square grim man she had noticed during her first meal in the king's tent: the one man who had tasted the Water and made no sign. He spoke to her again. Whatever the words were, they had the inflection of â€Å"Good morning,† so she said, â€Å"Good morning.† Some expression passed lightly over his face, and still he looked at her till she began to wonder if â€Å"Good morning† in their language sounded like a terrible insult and he was now considering whether to strike her dead on the spot or spare her ignorance. Maybe he was only musing on how best to handle an unruly child. But he spoke to her again, slowly, patiently, and she was distracted from her shame of the night before. He broke his words down into syllables; so she took a deep breath and said them back to him. This time the flicker of expression was definitely kin to a smile, although she would never have seen it if she had not been watching his face so closely. He corrected her accent, and she said the phrase again, and this time apparently she said it properly; for next he bowed, laid a hand upon his chest, and said, â€Å"Mathin.† She said â€Å"Mathin† back at him, and she knew his name already from Corlath's speaking it and his answering. Then he stretched his hand out till the tips of his fingers did not quite touch her collarbone. â€Å"Harry,† she said, thinking that the two-syllable version of her impossible name would keep them both out of trouble; and Richard wasn't there to disapprove. â€Å"Hari?† he said, a little taken aback; and she nodded, and made hi m a small bow. It must have been a long day for Mathin. She knew he was one of the eighteen Riders, yet he did nothing till sunset but take her around the camp and touch various objects and speak their names. She also learned some useful all-purpose verbs, and the names – or at least she heard the names and tried to remember them – of about half of the men who sat around Corlath's table. She knew Faran and Innath already, for she had picked out their names from Corlath's calling of them, as she had Mathin's. They met her eyes as they were introduced, and quietly bowed, as if she had nothing to do with the awkward baggage their king had taken from the Outlander town in their company a few weeks ago; as if they were seeing her for the first time. Forloy was the man with the scar on his chin; Dapsim rode the black mare who won the horseraces often held in the evenings, till the other riders would no longer let her run. She did not see Corlath that day, nor the next. The camp remained whe re it was, in the shadow of the Hills, though the evening fires were small again, and there was no more singing. The hunting-beasts went out every day, and returned laden with a far wider variety of wildlife than the desert had offered. Harry learned that Narknon hunted alone, and was famous for permitting no other beast near her; she occasionally made friends with a human being, but she was very choosy about such friendships. Harry felt flattered. As the days passed, lean faces and flanks grew a bit plumper on men and beasts; but Narknon still begged for her porridge. Mathin came for Harry after breakfast each morning. By the end of the third day she was speaking in sentences, simple, painful, and ungrammatical ones; but she found that certain Hill words were creeping into her Homelander vocabulary and staying there; and the few people besides Mathin she tried to speak to stopped to listen to her and to answer. She was no longer invisible, and that was the best of all. She was fascinated by the specialties of the language she was learning; there were, for example, a number of kinds of tent. The king's great tent, with its internal grove of poles to hold it up, was called a zotar, the only one in this traveling camp. The smaller tents, where most of the people were housed, were called the barkash; the stable tents were pituin. Then there were several terms she didn't have quite straightened out yet that referred to how the thing was made, how many corners it had, made of what material, and so on. A dalgut was a cheap, poorly made tent; there were no dalguti in the king's camp, and to refer to another man's tent as a dalgut, if it wasn't one, was a profound insult. She woke up earlier than usual on the morning of the fourth day of Corlath's absence, and, despite Narknon's protests, went outside to stare at the eastern greyness that heralded the swift desert dawn. She heard the desert lark's song, a little speckled brown bird the Hillfolk called a britti. The camp was astir already; several of the men whose names she could recall hailed her as Hari-sol. She'd heard this the last two days and wondered if it was a term of respect, of definition, or a way of spinning out a name she could see did not meet with unqualified approval. As the early light flowed down into the mountains, she saw the trees and rocky ridges pick themselves out of the shadows and assert their individuality. She didn't notice till they rode into the center of camp that Corlath and three companions had returned. She turned around on her heel as she heard his voice, but her attention was distracted at once. Corlath still sat on Fireheart, who stood as still as a great red rock; and beside them stood another horse, riderless, as tall as Fireheart and a stallion like him, but golden, a chestnut as gold as the kicking flames of the bonfire three nights ago. She walked toward them silently, her bare feet in the still-cool sandy earth, but the chestnut horse turned his head and looked at her. She heard Corlath murmur something as she drew near, and at his words the horse took a step toward her, and lowered his head till she was looking into a calm, mahogany-brown eye. She raised her hands and cupped them, and she felt his warm breath, and his s oft nose touched her fingers. Corlath spoke aloud and a man of the horse appeared at once, carrying a saddle, golden leather only a few shades darker than the horse, with red stitching; and he set it delicately on the chestnut's back. The horse ignored him, not even shuddering his golden skin as the saddle settled into place; but he lipped Harry's fingers, and leaned his cheek against her shoulder. â€Å"I brought him back for you,† Corlath said, and she raised her eyes and found his resting on her; â€Å"I seem to have chosen well,† he said, and he smiled. The brown-clad man had girthed up the saddle and stood watching her expectantly. â€Å"Come, we will try his paces,† said Corlath. It wasn't till she was tossed into the saddle and felt the great horse quiver under her as her legs found their places against the long supple flaps of the saddle that she realized that Corlath had spoken to her in the Hill tongue. It was a glorious morning; more glorious than any she'd known since she had awakened as a disheveled huddle on the lee side of a scraggy little dune – more glorious than any since she'd set sail from the Homeland. â€Å"His name is Sungold,† Corlath told her, and this he translated. â€Å"Sungold,† she said. â€Å"Tsornin.† Corlath sent Fireheart forward at a long-striding trot, as though they would leap into the dawn; and as soon as her legs closed against the big chestnut's sides he surged forward to follow. She was, for the first few minutes, fearful of her own lack of skill, and of the strength of the big horse; but she found that they understood each other. She felt half grateful, half ashamed, of the time and patience the good Red Wind had spent on her; and at the same time she felt almost uneasy that it was too simple, that she understood too readily. But she was too caught up in the beauty of it to wish to doubt it long. If she thought of it at all, she drove it out of her head at once: didn't she deserve something for all her bruises, of both body and spirit, over the last weeks? She could think of nothing better than the feel of Sungold's mane as it washed over her hands. When the sun was almost overhead, and its rays were dazzling when they reflected off Tsornin's bright neck, and the emptiness of her stomach was beginning to force itself into her attention despite everything, Corlath said, â€Å"Enough,† and wheeled Fireheart back toward camp. Sungold waited for her signal, and she stood a moment, first looking at Fireheart's quarters jogging away from them and then up, where a brown hawk swung on an updraft, high overhead. Just to test the magnificence of her power, she kneed her horse a half-turn to the left and shot him off at a gallop; and just as he reached the peak of his speed she brought him back to a gentle canter, circled once, and sent him after Corlath, who had paused and was watching her antics. They stopped beside Fireheart and his rider, and the two stallions nodded to each other. Harry expected a lecture on frivolity, or something, and lowered her eyes to Sungold's withers; but Corlath said nothing. She looked up again as she heard the ring of metal on metal; Corlath had drawn the sword that hung at his side. She watched, surprised, as he held it, point up, and the sun glared fiercely on it. She remembered that this morning, as he rode into camp, he had been carrying it, the first time she had ever seen him armed with anything more ostentatiously threatening than a long dagger, or the slim short knives all the Hillfolk carried to cut up their food and perform any minor tasks where something with a sharp point was necessary. She'd forgotten about it as soon as she'd noticed Sungold; and now that she saw it more closely she decided she didn't much like the look of it. This was obviously a war-sword; it was much too unwieldy for anything but serious hacking and hewing. Corlath took the deadly thing in his left hand and handed it to her, hilt first. â€Å"Take it.† She grasped it, warily, and when Corlath let go it did not knock her out of the saddle, but it tried. â€Å"Lift it,† he said. And as she tried, â€Å"You've never held a sword.† â€Å"No.† She lifted it as if it were a snake that would crawl up its own tail and bite her. Corlath edged Isfahel out of harm's way as her arm and shoulder experimented with this new thing. She swung it in a short half-arc, and Tsornin came suddenly to life, and bounced forward on his hind legs, neighing. â€Å"Ouch,† she said, as he came to earth again; his ears were tipped back toward her, and all his muscles were tense. â€Å"Sungold's a war-horse,† Corlath said mildly. â€Å"You're giving him ideas.† She turned to glower at him, and he rode up beside her and took the sword back. There was a gleam of humor in his eye as he returned her glower; and they turned back toward camp together. He said something that she didn't quite catch, and as she turned to him to ask him to repeat it, Fireheart leaped forward into a gallop that flattened out to full stretch at once. After a moment's shock she recognized the challenge, and Sungold bolted after them, and gained ground till her face was flicked by Fireheart's streaming tail, and then Sungold's nose drew even with Corlath's toe; and then they were sweeping into the camp, and the horses steadied down to a canter, and then a walk. Their nostrils showed red as they breathed, and Sungold turned away from the camp, asking for more; but Harry said, â€Å"I don't think so,† and Sungold heaved a sigh and followed docilely at Fireheart's heels. It was only when she dismounted that she realized she was still barefoot. Corlath and Harry had b reakfast together, on one square of the long table. Harry did not speak, except to Narknon, who was inclined to be sulky; and Corlath's attention was for the men who came to speak with him, about the minor things that had gone wrong in his absence, and about messages they had received for him; and Harry understood much of what they said, and wondered if Corlath cared that it was no longer entirely safe to talk secrets around his Outlander. After they had eaten, a man of the household entered the zotar and handed the king a long thin bundle wrapped in linen. He bowed and retired; and Corlath shook the thing free of its covering and held up another sword. This one was appreciably smaller than the one he himself wore, but Harry still watched it with dislike. Corlath ran a quick hand over the scabbard with the linen cloth and then offered her, again, the hilt. She took it reluctantly, and rather than drawing it smoothly out, she backed up awkwardly, so that it rang free with a sullen cl unk. â€Å"You'll have to do better than that,† said Corlath; and she was sure that he was amused. â€Å"Why?† she said, anger beginning to uncoil itself somewhere deep inside her and make its way to the surface. â€Å"Why? What have swords and – † she gulped, for she loved Sungold already – â€Å"war-horses to do with me?† He came a step or two closer to her as she stood with the point of the sword unhandily dug into the heaped carpets, and her arm out, as if to keep the undesired object as far from her as she could; and he looked, thoughtfully, into her eyes. â€Å"It is because of what you have seen,† he replied. â€Å"When you tasted the Water of Sight you saw a war-party coming to battle; I and all my Riders heard you cry out what you saw – in the ancient tongue of our forebears here, the tongue that was spoken when Damar was one land, a great and green land, before †¦ â€Å" Before my people came, she thought, but she was not going to say it aloud if he was not. â€Å"And several days past the entire camp saw the Lady Aerin come out of the fire to greet you, carrying the Blue Sword, Gonturan, with which she won back the Hero's Crown and defeated the armies of the North.† He hesitated. â€Å"Aerin had not been seen since my father's father's day; and yet she has always looked after her country well, since she first rode out to face the Black Dragon, before Gonturan had come to her hand; and our dearest legends speak of her.† The bright bubbles of anger in her eyes burst and disappeared. She bowed her head; then bent her elbow and brought the sword under her eyes. The long wicked edge of it winked at her. It had a silver handle, nearly plain, with a few faint graceful scrolls on the underpart of the hand-guard, where it met the hilt. She stared at them unhappily: the sweep and arch of them seemed to her a more likely ornament for a church pew than a sword. Her wrist began to quiver with the unaccustomed weight. He said, as gently as he could: â€Å"Here, anyone who is granted the Gift of Seeing is given to what they see; it is thought to be a guide, a direction, a help sent by the gods; or by the heroes of our past greatness, who still care what happens to their children's children. Children now sip the Water when they meet their tenth birthday, in the hope that they may be told what apprenticeship they are most fit for. Many see nothing, for, as I have told you, the Water does not work for many people; and then the simpler considerations of parentage and availability are allowed to decide. But all our priests were given Sight of the priesthood on their tenth birthday; each of my Riders saw himself carrying a sword †¦ many of them will only choose a war-horse the color they saw themselves riding in the vision.† She broke out frantically: â€Å"But this is nothing to do with me. I am an Outlander, not of your Hills at all. If it is war I have seen, my people have feared war too; it is not strange that even I should feel it. This thing you have done to me, I – † She choked off, for she had heard herself speaking: Outlander she had instinctively said, and she was speaking swiftly in the Hill tongue that she had only – or so she had thought and now desperately was not sure – begun to learn, haltingly, a few days before. She heaved a breath that had she been a year younger might have been a sob; but it was not. She stood, trembling, holding the sword, waiting for it to speak to her too, to tell her her awful destiny. Corlath took her right wrist in his hand and then turned her around till she was standing next to him; he rearranged her fingers on the hilt, curled her thumb under it for her. She felt at once, wearily, that this was the way it was supposed to be held; and wondered if swordsmanship, like riding a war-stallion and speaking a language strange to her, was suddenly going to awaken in her blood like a disease. â€Å"Lady,† Corlath said over her shoulder, his right hand still supporting her wrist, â€Å"I know it is difficult for you. Perhaps this may make it easier: you have given my people hope by your presence, by your visions, by your very foreignness. It is the first hope we have had since we knew that the Northerners would come. We need that hope, my lady. It is so nearly the only thing we have.† She pulled away from his hand on her arm so that she could turn and look up at him. She stared, appalled, and he looked gently down at her. A frown collected slowly on his brow. â€Å"What is it they call you – Hari? That cannot be your name.† She grimaced. â€Å"No. it's a – † She did not know the Hill term for nickname and her mysterious sixth sense didn't seem to want to provide it for her. â€Å"It's a short-name. I don't like my real name.† â€Å"And it is?† There was a pause. â€Å"Angharad,† she said finally. He turned this over on his tongue a few times. â€Å"We will call you Harimad,† he said. â€Å"Harimad-sol, for you are of high rank. Few See so clearly that others too may see, as all saw Aerin-sol come out of the fire. â€Å"Try to have faith: even in these things that are strange to you. My kelar told me to bring you here, and your kelar speaks through you now. Lady, I know no more of your fate than that; but I believe, as do all the people in this camp, that your fate is important to us. And Aerin, who has long been the friend of her people, has given you her protection.† That does not make Aerin my friend, she thought sourly, but when she remembered the elder-sister grin Aerin had given her, she could not believe ill of her. And Corlath's kelar told him to bring me here. Oh dear. I suppose that explains something. Harimad. Mad Harry. I wish Aerin would stay long enough to talk to me – tell me what is going on. She looked up at him and tried to smile. It was a gallant effort; it was even almost a smile. But Corlath's gold-flecked brown eyes saw more than just the gallantry, and his heart went out to her; and he turned away from her and clapped his hands, and a man of the household b rought the hot brown drink Harry had first tasted behind a scrubby small sand hill, barefoot and in her Homelander dressing-gown, and that she had learned since to call malak. That evening Corlath and the Riders and Harimad-sol ate a great dinner of many dishes, and Harry made first acquaintance with the Hill mustard made of the jictal seeds, which burned out not only her mouth and tongue, but her throat and stomach lining; and the front of the zotar was rolled up, and outside much of the rest of the camp sat on rugs before small low tables and ate also, under the moon and the white stars. Harry began pulling nervously at her sleeves and twiddling the ends of her belt as the end of the meal approached; there was a tension hanging over the camp that she did not like, and she hoped that the tooled leather bag was not to put in an appearance tonight. It did not, but she suspected Corlath of eyeing her nervousness wryly. The conversation went too quickly for her to catch all of it – or perhaps her sixth sense had overstrained itself and was resting – but she understood that the purpose of the journey they had been on was to discover how well, or ill, prepared the many small mountain villages, north, south, and east of the great central desert, were for holding off Northerners; and how many horses, arms and warriors, supplies and supply transport, each could provide. It had not been a very cheerful journey, not least for the western excursion into Outlander territory, where a stubborn and pompous old man had refused to listen to the truth; but Corlath had expected what he found and – she thought – saw no use in being discouraged. They were near the end of their trek now: in the Hills before them, although still several days' journey hence, was Corlath's city, where his palace lay, and where what there was of a standing army was quartered. Harry rather thought, from the way they referred to it, that â€Å"the City† was the only city in Corlath's realm; his people were not much interested in building and maintaining and living in cities, beyond the king's own, which had the advantage of being thick with kelar. But the Hillfolk were an independent lot; they preferred to hold their own bits of land and work them, and neither cities nor positions in a regular army appealed to them. As she heard the word often, Harry was beginning to understand better what the word kelar indicated. It was something like magic; a Gift was the specific manifestation of kelar in a particular human being. Kelar was also something like a charm or a sorcery that hung in the air in a few places in the Hills; and one of those places was the City, where certain things might happen and other things be forbidden to happen, in ways quite unlike the usual physical laws. When all else was lost, the Hillfolk could retreat to the City; if the Northerners took or laid waste to all else, a few might live still in the City, for in it was some of the strength of the Damar of old. She began to speculate about the City, to look forward to seeing it. Around her the Riders and their king spoke of repairs to be made, and new forging to be done, and the best blacksmiths – dhogos – and leatherworkers – parisi – in the Hills. Narknon had her front half in Harry's lap, and was purring to rattle the bones of them both. It was very late. The Riders stared at their empty cups, the men outside stared at the stars; Harry was falling asleep, still listening to the hum in the air, and still unable to account for it. â€Å"Mathin,† said Corlath, and Harry twitched and woke up. Mathin looked up the table, and his eyes rested briefly on the golden-haired girl in the maroon robe before he looked at his king. â€Å"The laprun trials will be held six weeks from tomorrow on the plains before the City.† Mathin knew this perfectly well, but out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl look up at Corlath, puzzled, and then glance down the table at her patient language teacher. â€Å"Harimad-sol will ride in them.† Mathin nodded; he had expected this, and, having taken some measure of Hari in the days past, was not displeased. Harimad-sol herself swallowed rather sharply, but found she wasn't too surprised either; and after a day of war-horses and swords could guess the sort of thing the trials (what was a laprun?) would prove to be. Poor Mathin. She wondered what he thought of the idea-six weeks to knock the rawest of beginners, even if kelar-guided, into shape – and resigned herself to not knowing. â€Å"We will ride out two hours before dawn tomorrow,† said Mathin. Six weeks, thought Harry. How much can you learn in six weeks, even if Aerin is keeping an eye on you?

American Involvement in Vietnam War

The novel â€Å"Morning Glories among the Peas† was written by James D. Seddon, a mechanic and expert surveillance personnel of the US army. He was one of the US soldiers who was involved in the Vietnam War. In this novel, he wrote some of his experiences albeit fighting and surviving in Vietnam. Nevertheless, he also offered some political issues that he thinks should be addressed by the US government. The Vietnam War was both a military and ideological war. When Vietnam was divided into two parts: North and South Vietnam, tensions were rising between the two nations.North Vietnam had a Communist government supported by both the Soviet Union and Red China. It was headed by Ho Chi Minh who defeated the French during the Vietnamese war of independence. South Vietnam was democratic in government. A duly constituted government was elected by the South Vietnamese under the terms of its constitution. South Vietnam was supported by the United States. When the North Vietnamese army i nvaded South Vietnam, call for its defense was alerted by the United States. Allied nations of the United States responded and began sending troops to South Vietnam.The United Nations Security Council called for the deployment of troops in South Vietnam to relieve the pressure from the South Vietnamese army trapped in the invasion. The United States, under the presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson sent troops to Vietnam without the formal declaration of War. Hence, the Vietnam War came to its early phase of battle. The book was about a Vietnam War veteran who saw the horrible events in the war: the bloody massacre of villages by US troops suspected of hiding North Vietnamese, the frequent ambush of US marines in the jungles of Vietnam, and many other events narrated in the book.Since the book is non-fiction, it guarantees a wide range of historical discourse on policies on war and political ideological struggles. Nevertheless, the wide array of schematic dialogues and conjunctures bet weens characters provide the audience the atmosphere of intense conflict, of which, the most pervasive is the reality of war as politics and of politics as war. The Vietnam War was the longest war involving the United States (1961-1975), yet it was only the war in which the United States was defeated.The intense realities of the war which the author was trying to convey in his novel was a blanch or result of ideological struggle between the US and the Communist bloc. It was often argued that the United States fought a war of non-sense, but policy-makers at that time were not concerned of practicality, but only of necessity. Vietnam was strategic since it holds the key to the numerous bodies of water surrounding the newly-born democratic republics of Southeast Asia. If Southeast Asia fell to the Communists, what are then the chances for the United States to maintain its ideological dominance?The implication of the author’s argument may hold the key to the very purpose of sendi ng expeditions to South Vietnam. Soldiers were sent to a land where they have no affinities. They were serving a war that does not suit their interests. Added to that, the war seemed to be a reflection of their nation’s stance to maintain world leadership at all costs, by all means. Hence then, the experiences of the veteran in the novel were a reflection of the credulity of the insistence of the United States to maintain its ideological dominance in the form of a genuine â€Å"defense of democracy.† It was in many ways irresponsible, unconcerned, and strategic from the point of view of those who fought in the battle fronts. As for the author, his experiences of senseless massacres of villages, poisoning of wells, senseless killings of soldiers, indiscriminate bombings of cities and towns, were the direct results of this desire: the desire for ideological and military dominance. It was even implied in the title of the novel. Do morning glories really found among peas?D oes this serves as an allegory of the conflicting conditions in Vietnam and the United States? Or does this indicate a struggle for ideological dominance? Or simply a way of reiterating the realities of war brought by the things mentioned above? It seems that the novel covered these issues presented, although some of them may be highlighted and some cast aside. The realities presented by the author (who was a veteran of the war) were, in my interpretation, the embodiment of the war policies of the United States.These were policies that prioritize ideology rather than human dignity. The novel also presented the decay of human dignity brought about by the Vietnam War. Human dignity is generally found in the ability of humans to live comfortably without the interference of foreign powers, that is, free development under the term of a just legal standard. The intrusion of the United States into the lives of the South Vietnamese brought them anguish and despair.The United States also suf fered because it lost almost 500, 000 men in the war. Nevertheless, it lost the pride and status achieved decades ago. It was generally an unwarranted war. The novel is generally a good source of historical information about the war in Vietnam. It also gives a thorough and clear description of Vietnam; its people, goals, and achievements. Nevertheless, it should be noted that there are some form of biases in the novel; sometimes favoring the United States; sometimes attacking its war policies.For instance, to describe the North Vietnamese as â€Å"senseless killing machines† is generally unacceptable especially for educated men who view these people as freedom-loving. Nevertheless, it can also be argued that the book also suffered from the credulities of a simplistic master piece. Although it accurately describes reality, the author was unable to highlight his literary style in the novel (novice). Reference Seddon, James D. 1990. Morning Glories among the Peas: A Vietnam†™s Veteran Story. Iowa State. e-bay bookstore download. http://worldcat. org//22181821?

Managing Diversity & Equal Opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Diversity & Equal Opportunity - Essay Example Provide a list of actions you would need to take as a manager to resolve this issue and also justify your answer. Introduction: Diversity is concerned with recognizing and valuing difference in cultures and ethnicities in the broadest sense. The thing that matters here is to create a working culture and related practices that recognize, respect, value and harness differences for the benefit of the organization as well as the individuals. Trust is an equal opportunities employer, which means that it is the Trust’s policy that there should be no discrimination, harassment, unfair treatment or victimization of any employee, job applicant, customer, provider of services or member of the public, neither directly nor indirectly on the grounds of race, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, marital or family status. Equality means creating a fairer society where everyone can participate and each individual has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential. It is backed by legisl ations designed to address unfair discrimination based on membership of a particular group. Body: As an HR manager it is my responsibility and so I have the right to stop and prevent harassment and discrimination. Some of the ways in which I can fulfill my task is as follows: Supporting management by developing center policy and procedures for preventing and stopping ill and unfair treatment. Educating staff, particularly through induction and retraining, including specialized training for line managers. Helping the management to establish avenues of assistance at all duty stations for staff members who have experienced harassment or discrimination. Providing direct support and guidance to people involved in such issues Providing guidance to committees investigating harassment and discrimination complaints. Under the current situation, I have come to notice that in the organization some employees in my department are indeed upset, and I have found the reason to be an employee who is racially offensive towards individuals of non-white ethnic origins and discriminated as well as harasses them. As an HR manager, I am responsible for eradicating discrimination and harassment, which is the key to establishing a work place of dignity. To facilitate such an environment, I will ensure that All new appointees, including contractors and consultants, particularly, line managers and supervisors have relevant policies explained to them as part of their induction, early at the time of appointment. Appropriate retraining is given to the workforce from time to time, staffs are reinforced to understand the purpose, ramifications and implications for sustaining a workplace of dignity. Line managers receive specialized training on harassment and discrimination issues as they are the first line of defense and, therefore, must be made thoroughly aware of harassment and discrimination issues. They must act as role models, be alert to the emergence of such mistreatment problems in t heir workgroup and be aware of their responsibilities as they are empowered to act expeditiously and appropriately. It is my duty to solve this problem and as a solution, I would brief the alleged employee to stop his discrimination and to concentrate on the work assigned to him. If he still fails to understand the need to treat his colleagues with respect and

Duvall & Hays Chapter 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Duvall & Hays Chapter 5 - Essay Example For example is the book of Ecclesiastes wherein it says that life is meaningless in the first chapter. If one would only consider the scripture and not the historical-cultural context, there might be misunderstanding that life is indeed meaningless where in truth, it specifies that life is meaningless without God. Another example is the parable of Good Samaritan in New Testament. The reader would more appreciate it if the reader knows how dangerous and a lengthy walk is Jerusalem to Jericho (Duvall and Hays, 2008). Bible offers a lot of learning but sometimes hidden in its words that are most of the time based on old language like Latin and Greek. In this time wherein people want immediate applications, it is easy to bypass some hidden meanings of the scripture due to time availability. However, if providing some guidebooks or introductions to the Bible books would encourage people to read historical-cultural context of the scriptures (Duvall and Hays, 2008). Providing some everyday schedule would also attract people to give time in reading scripture because of organization in

See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

See below - Essay Example The active participation of the legislature started from the (DPP v Myers, 1965 AC 1001) case, where the House of Lords, stated, that the no uniform principles were being followed, in the current scenario and the future determination of exceptions to hearsay should be left to the legislature. At the very onset, we should state that the Dictionary defines, ‘hearsay’ as ‘second-hand information’. Speaking in legal terms, Hearsay refers to the testimony given by a witness not about what they personally saw or heard but about something, someone else saw or said they heard. In legal cases, the use of hearsay has been resorted to include evidence that under other circumstances would not have been admissible in court. However at all times it must be borne in mind that Hearsay must not include, any form of gossip or rumours. To state it in a more simple form, hearsay is according to Sir Auld, â€Å" an assertion other than one made by a person while giving oral evidence in the proceedings as evidence as any fact asserted.† However, Hearsay is an exclusionary rule of Evidence Law albeit subject to a multitude of statutory and Common Law exceptions. Tracing the origin of the concept of ‘hearsay’ leads us to the trial of Sir Walter Raleigh, 1603 where wrongful judgement passed, based on hearsay evidence. It was this wrongful judgement that led the English Jurists to devise hard and fast rules with reference to hearsay evidence. Subsequently, all hearsay evidence was banned on the pretext that they were the admissions of a third party to whom neither the defendant nor the prosecution were privy to. It is obvious that the hearsay rule is intricately interwoven with the concepts of â€Å"truth† and â€Å"proof† and with the credibility, reliability and the memory of the witness in question. Hearsay contains within its womb a very high degree of implication and this implication weighs very heavily on the minds of the jury before they deliver a verdict.

Why Evolution Is True Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Why Evolution Is True - Term Paper Example Most religions believe in a common concept of creation by a Supernatural Being. A commonly accepted account of this theory is found in the Bible, which is inscribed that God created the earth and all its content in five days and by words and on the sixth day He created man from mud. Despite the shortage of evidence to support this claim, the theory was, and it still is widely accepted by people. According to Coyne 2009, â€Å"if we came across a watch lying on the ground, he said, we would certainly recognize it as the work of a watchmaker. Likewise, the existence of a well adapted organism and their intricate features surely implies a conscious, celestial designer- God (p. 17). A different theory that got publicity was the theory of spontaneous generation; this theory suggests that living organisms rise suddenly and spontaneously from no-living matter (Lennox, 1982). For example, crocodiles were believed to originate from logs of wood in the water. This theory was widely accepted in ancient Greek and Egypt. The theory was supported by many famously known scientists and philosophers including Aristotle, Descartes and Galileo. However, this theory was disapproved in the 19th century by Louis Pasteur, who through several experiments, proved that life had to originate from other living organisms. Another theory explaining the origin of life is the theory of Panspermia. This theory proposes that living organisms like bacteria exists throughout the entire universe and that through meteoroids, asteroids and other heavenly bodies; they travel randomly until they find planets with ideal conditions for growth. Earth was one of the planets with these conditions and when heavenly bodies carrying living organism collided, life began. Some forms of the panspermia hypothesis suggest that life commenced elsewhere in the universe and arrived here on earth through comets, meteorites or planetary collision (Andrulis, 2011).   

Constructive critical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Constructive critical analysis - Essay Example Obtaining a Swedish personal identity number, or being a card holder of the European Health Insurance Card, entitles one to health care at the standard patient fee, with some exceptions depending on tax payer status. Dental care, however, is not fully subsidized and therefore relatively expensive in Sweden. Both systems are devolved. Both are financed largely through the tax payer’s money. They both have primary and secondary care. Primary care is delivered by General practitioners, surgeons among others. Primary health care center you can receive health care for medical problems and illnesses that are non-urgent and not life-threatening (Holtz, 2013). both systems provide for private and public health care facilities, private health care offers the same services as their public counterparts, however, the patients in the private care generally pay through private health insurance whose premiums are paid by employers or the individual themselves. In Sweden there is an agreement that guarantees patients under private care are covered under the same regulations and fees that are applied to municipal care facilities. Every patient has a right to choose between a private and public provider in primary care (Quaye, 2007). The health care system in Sweden is organized and managed on three level in the country that include the national level, regional and local levels. Therefore, health and medical care responsibilities in Sweden is shared by the central government, county councils and municipalities. The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs provides for principles and guidelines for care at the national level, to set the political agenda for health and medical care, supervise the lower level activities, allocate grants and evaluate services to ensure correspondence to national goals periodically. At the regional level responsibility is on the county council who ensure that there is efficient health care delivery,

Nuclear Power Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nuclear Power - Research Paper Example The usage of various kinds of natural resources for various purposes which includes the power generation and transportation means, have contributed towards the global warming in a considerable amount. With global warming clouds looming over the modern day society there is a need for an environment friendly energy generation source, nuclear power plants can be considered as the appropriate alternative that can help the environment in a considerable amount. Alternatives are being thought of to minimize the damages to the environment. Nuclear power plants are thought to be safe in this regard and provide a better option as an alternative of energy source against various other sources of energy. Besides the environmental aspect, hydro powers demand a pre installed infrastructure in form of dams and canals and rivers in the line. Large amount of capital needs to be invested in case of a thousand plus mega watt power generator source. The construction costs are a debatable issue at times, and more often it takes considerable amount of time constructing a large scale dam which can meet the requirements of a large segment of population. The irrigation means have to be brought into action to establish a chain of flow of water from various rivers into the dam and reservoirs. Nuclear power plants are operational in many parts of the world and are producing electricity on large level and fulfilling the requirements that would otherwise be met by the sources which are fewer environments friendly. Another advantage of it is the readiness with which it can be prepared. Unlike dams, it does not need a massive infrastructure establishment. Nuclear sources of energy production do not pose any direct threat to the environment; however, they have their own considerations to be taken into account. Though they do not result in direct damages to eco system, the carbon dioxide concern is buried to large extent since it does not result in direct carbon dioxide emission, however they ar e little dangerous to handle and failure can result in catastrophes. Many incidents have come to forefront where the nuclear power plants have gone wild and resulted in total devastation. The damages so incurred are far intensive than any other source of energy generation. Japan came across the worst form of reaction from nuclear power plants in recent times, when tsunami struck its cities and resulted in leakage of Fukushima Nuclear power plant in March 2011 and it resulted in melting of layers and hence leakage of radioactive material on a massive scale. This resulted in large scale evacuation of the locals from the neighborhood of the nuclear site (Bryan, Sutton, & Centorino, 2011). Another similar incident took place in late 20th century in former U.S.S.R and present day Ukraine in the Chernobyl Nuclear power plant. It resulted in large amount of human life loss and nearly 30 people died because of this incident. Later on the improper design of the power plant was termed as the reason for its destruction. Besides its direct implications, large number of skin diseases and various other dysfunctional syndromes were reported in the area (Agranovski, 2011). Considerations need to be taken in to account when it comes to the wastes disposition. The wastes should be properly handled and should not be exposed to outside elements in the environment since the nuclear reactor material are mostly radio active in nature and can impact not just

Cocoa Commodity Essay Example for Free

Cocoa Commodity Essay Background Cocoa beans are seeds of the cacao tree, which is a member of the Sterculiaceae family. Contained in a cucumber like fruit; these yellowish, reddish to brownish fruits are divided into five compartments each containing up to 10 seeds (Service). As the fruit begins to ripen, the partitions break down and the seeds are found around the central funicle in a whitish pulp. The cocoa seed (i.e. bean) consists of the seed coat which contains the cocoa kernel. The cocoa kernel is the principal component for the production of cocoa products. There are about 20 known varieties of the Cacao plant, but only two are commonly used in producing cocoa products (Canizaro). The two varieties commonly used are: * High Grade or Criollo Cocoa; which are large, roundish and brown in color. They have a delicately bitter, aromatic flavor and are easily processed. * Common Grade or Forastero Cocoa; which are small, flattened on the side and have a dark reddish-brown to violet color. They have a sharper flavor and account for nearly 90% of the world’s cocoa harvest. The main areas of cultivation of the cacao tree falls within a narrow belt 10 ° north and south of the equator because the trees grow well in humid tropical climates with consistent rainfall and a short dry season (Cadbury). Cocoa trees need an even temperature between 21 to 23 degrees centigrade, with a rainfall of 1,000 to 2,500 mm per year to produce cocoa seeds. The main producers of cocoa are: * West Africa Region—Ghana, Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire. * South America Region—Brazil and Ecuador. * Asia—Malaysia and Indonesia. Production Process Cocoa trees begin to bear fruit when they are around 3-4 years old. Each tree will yield 20-30 pods per year, each pod containing 20-40 seeds which when dried are the cocoa beans of commerce. The harvesting of the cocoa pod is very labor intensive; workers cut the high pods from the trees with large knives attached to poles. The pods are then split open by hand and seeds (i.e. beans) are removed ready to undergo a two part curing process. The two part process includes fermentation of the bean and then they go under a drying process. Methods of fermentation can vary from country to country, but usually only two methods are used; the Heap method or the Box Method. Here is a diagram using either method to illustrate: Heap Method The Heap Method is traditionally used on farms in West Africa. Wet cocoa beans, including the pulp, are piled on banana or plantain leaves which have been spread out in a circle on the ground. More leaves are the piled on top to cover the heap and it is left for five to six days, turning the pile to ensure fermentation (Cadbury). During this fermentation process the pulp and astringency of the beans are removed as the sugar in the pulp turns to alcohol, which drains away causing the bean to develop its true chocolate flavor. When fermentation is complete the wet mass of beans is dried usually by being spread out on mats under the sun. Box Method In the West Indies, Latin America and in Malaysia the box method is used on plantations. It involves the use of strong wooden boxes with drainage holes or gaps in the slats in the base of the box. This enables the passage of air and the removal of liquid products of fermentation. This process usually takes six to eight days during which the beans are mixed twice. After fermentation is complete the beans are dried by means of special drying equipment. Quality The quality of cocoa is based by the quality of the raw cocoa. Fully ripened cocoa beans that have properly fermented consist of a brown to dark red color and have a very fragile kernel with a bitter flavor. Including the bean’s appearance and odor the beans must also be undamaged, un-germinated and must include no foreign matter or mold. They also can’t be infested with insects or have suffered wetting damage. Nor can they smell sour, musty or smoky. Poor quality cocoa beans that have not been fermented properly are purple in color (under-fermented) or very dark in color (over-fermented). They also have a solid kernel and a very astringent taste. The quality of cocoa beans is assessed according to the following criteria: * Good Qualities * Fully ripe, correctly fermented * Firm beans of uniform size with a dry weight of no less than 1g. * Loose and undamaged shell * Light to dark reddish-brown color * Readily crumbled, fragile Kernel * Bad Qualities * Unripe and poorly fermented * Moldy * Strong violet color as a result of under-fermentation * Purple color as a result of over-fermentation * Firm Kernel * Insect infested * Germinated * Smoky odor due to excessively long drying Mode of Transport After the cocoa has been harvested and quality has been assessed, the product should be shipped shortly after harvest, as extended storage (past 6 months) may result in losses due to the high relative humidities in the tropics. Cocoa beans should be placed in bags of jute or sisal usually of a (gross) weight of 60 65 kg, rarely of up to 100 kg (Service). Cocoa beans can be transported by ship, truck or railroad. When transported in a container, the cargo needs to be in a ventilated container so it is in compliance with lower limits for the water content of goods, packaging and flooring. The wooden flooring of the containers must be absolutely clean and dry. Water content should be 12%, corresponding to a lumber equilibrium moisture content of 70%, so that the flooring does not constitute an additional source of water vapor to dampen the cocoa cargo and container atmosphere (Service). The cocoa beans may also be covered with paper which readily absorbs any moisture. Also given the high value of cocoa, a two layer anti-condensation film should be used to provide addition protection against dripping sweat. Another option is by transporting on flat racks in ventilated holds. This option is a more cost effective alternative to the costly ventilated containers. Uses of Cocoa Primary Use of Cocoa Secondary Use Possible Substitute When people think of cocoa, the first things that may come to mind is chocolate or in the spirit of colder weather, hot chocolate. Chocolate and confectionary sweets are the most common uses of cocoa, but many do not know that cocoa can be a great source for dietary reasons. The processed chocolate bars will not give the same effect for dietary purposes but it has been proven that the darker the chocolate, the healthier it is. Raw cocoa beans are sometimes eaten for their flavonoids which according to studies conducted by Eric Dung can improve cardio vascular health. North America has undergone many changes in the last decade especially placing an emphasis on healthy living. Cocoa has been proven to help lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, and reduce the risk for heart disease according to Suzanne Steinbaum; director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital. Cocoa also reduces cravings for those attempting to diet and want to reduce the amount of food one may be eating. The smell of cocoa is so rich and aromatic that it actually helps satisfy hunger cravings. Cocoa can help repair skin as well according to dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD. Cocoa is loaded with antioxidants that help repair skin cells and neutralize harmful radicals. Cocoa has also made its way into pharmaceuticals. The oils extracted from cocoa beans become a solid at room temperature but melts within the body so this oil has been used to encapsulate certain drugs. Cosmetics have also found the wonders of cocoa. There exists within cocoa a natural compound that naturally prevents anything it is used with from becoming rancid. Makeup and soaps use cocoa in their products to keep the product from spoiling and can last for years. Demand The demand for cocoa has increased from new markets for cocoa products and increased sales in existing markets. The reduction of tariffs to places like Korea and Peru make it easier to compete in the market to hold and increase market share. Other influencing factors include the climate to grow cocoa, resources, technology and sustainable practices in parts of the world with little to no education. There has been a lot of attention given to child labor practices and the need to improve the process and quality of life of cocoa farmers. As sales have increased over the years, cocoa yields are not growing fast enough has motivated big chocolate manufactures to protect their interests and invest in the future of cocoa. Chocolate sales reached over $100 billion in 2011. While sales have been increasing the disparity between cocoa yields and the world’s need for cocoa will only be exacerbated if nothing is done. Farmers face various challenges in growing this crop that directly impa ct their ability to meet demand. The World Cocoa Foundation states that farmers are dealing with aging trees that aren’t producing as much as well as a loss of 30 to 40 percent of their crop due to infestation and disease. These aren’t big industrialized farms that one can see in America; almost 90 percent of cocoa comes from small farms in Africa, Asia and the Americas. For these farmers to help reach the demand for manufacturers active involvement from these companies is needed to ensure sustainability. According to the Fair Trade Foundation the demand for cocoa has been rising approximately 3 percent a year for the last 100 years (3). Production for the 2011/2012 grow season was 3,987 million tons (World Cocoa, 2). By 2020 there will be an estimated 1.5 million ton shortage of cocoa (Bloudoff-Indelicato, Climate Wire, 1). One of the reasons for the increase in demand can be attributed to the rising wealth in China. According to Agrimoney.com there has been a â€Å"growing shift towards Western-style diets and cocoa powder-based products such as ice creams, biscuits and other confectionary†. As the country’s lifestyle and culture changes with the increase in disposable income, the middle class are developing a taste for chocolate. China’s chocolate sales are expected to grow 19 percent to $1.2 billion this year (CNNFreedom Project). China isn’t the only Asian country hungry for chocolate. Falling just below China is Indonesia with a 25 percent increase to $1.1 billion and India will most likely see a 7 percent increase as well. If Asian markets keep growing as predicted they could very well have 20 percent of the global market by 2016 (CNN Freedom Project). Changes in export costs also make it more profitable and easier to ship cocoa products to various countries. President Obama’s National Export initiative plans to double U.S. exports within 5 years. To help achieve this goal the negotiation of free trade agreements aid American companies to meet the growing demand for cocoa products. Korea is the third largest exporter for U.S. candies with U.S. brands accounting for 16 percent of the chocolate sector. However American companies are at a disadvantage due to the FTA agreement that was signed to incrementally reduce tariffs and are still paying between 5 to 8 percent tariffs. Some other global competitors seemed to have negotiated better free trade agreements and have seen a decrease on tariffs into Korea. Currently the U.S. companies have paid duties in excess of $18 million since the agreement was signed in 2008 (National Confectioners Association, 2). This will make it difficult for American companies to compete with global competitors because their costs of getting their product to market are greater. However, with the free trade agreements signed with various other countries will enhance exports into Korea to meet the increasing demand of chocolate. In 2011, imports of chocolate and other candies were up 30 percent from 2010 totaling $339 million (Korea Product Brief). The dramatic increase in imports is promising for chocolate manufacturers to try and increase their customer base in a rapidly expanding market. Starting October 31, 2012, Panama is eliminating tariffs on more than 86 percent of U.S. consumer and industrial goods (Poe). This includes chocolates and cocoa inputs which will help American companies continue to hang onto their 42 percent ($27 million) market share for candy, gum and chocolate exports. Panama’s growing economy is expected to keep growing 5 to 8 percent each year through 2017 in conjunction with the implementation of the free trade agreement Panama could become an important importer of cocoa products for American companies. Changes in cocoa production While fair trade and organic cocoa represent a small portion of the cocoa market at 0.5 percent there has been some growth in these sectors. Fair trade cocoa is cocoa from farmers that are compensated a fair amount for their product according to faritadeusa.org they also teach farmers sustainable processes and assist in quality of life improvement. Global sales have seen an uptick in fair trade cocoa from 14,000 tons in 2009 to 35,000 in 2010. This increase is attributed to the growth in the United Kingdom. The United States has also shown an increase of fair trade cocoa imports by 67 percent from 2009 to 2010 (fairtrade cocoa review, 8). With the looming cocoa shortage in the near future, cocoa users are realizing how important it is to be an active partner in sustainable cocoa practices. Manufacturers around the world want to protect their cocoa interests and ensure that there will be enough cocoa to keep up with the rising desire for cocoa products. Various companies have announced their plans and involvement in supporting sustainable cocoa practices as well as providing the farmers the assistance and education needed to ensure a bright cocoa future. According to their company websites the following companies have announced their commitments to provide the cocoa industry a promising future in the years to come. * Mars – 14.6% global market share in 2010 * 2020 – all cocoa will come from certified cocoa * 2011- purchased 10% of cocoa used from certified sources * Nestle – 12.6% global market share in 2010 * Invest 110 million in sustainability, farmer training, social conditions, plant expertise * Commitment to purchase sustainable products * Kraft – 8.3% of global market share in 2010 * 5 year partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve cocoa production and supply chain efficiency in West Africa * 2011 largest buyer of cocoa beans from certified Fairtrade farms and Rainforest Alliance Certified Farms * Ferrero – 7.3% of global market share in 2010 * In 2011 pledged to use only sustainable cocoa by 2020 * Hershey – 6.7% of global market share in 2010 * Over the next 5 years will invest $10 million in West Africa to improve farming processes and communities * In 2012 U.S. consumers will be able to purchase Bliss products that are produced with 100 percent certified cocoa Implications of shortage Cocoa shortages would have a huge impact globally. It will affect every member in the cocoa supply chain. Farmers will produce less and receive even less money to be able to live off of. The farmers will have even less to invest into their trees continuing to increase the deficit in cocoa production versus demand. The incentive to continue cocoa farming would decrease and may drive farmers to cities to seek other employment or pursue more lucrative farming opportunities. In an effort to combat the drug war in Columbia, farmers were enticed with trading coca (cocaine plant) growing for cocoa partly due to the high prices cocoa was selling for in the late 2000s (cocoa was selling for $3,520/ton in 2010 according to indxmundi.com). It is hard to convert coca farmers to start producing cocoa if the opportunity cost of growing cocoa is less than the opportunity cost of not growing cocaine plants. Not only does a cocoa shortage have a direct impact on the farmer’s lives, but also on their community because the monies from coca plants helps guerilla groups that the government has been fighting for years ( Weissmann). Companies that are dependent on cocoa for their income will face challenges in trying to make quality products that consumers have come to expect at a certain price. Some of the increase in purchasing costs will most likely trickle down to the consumer in order to protect the companies’ profit margin. Also companies may look elsewhere to save money, which can result in less cocoa production jobs. There are close to 50 million people that depend on cocoa for their source of income if nothing is done to help increase cocoa production it will take its toll on many people’s lives and their countries’ financial stability (Fairtrade and cocoa, 2). Supply The world of cocoa beans is centralized in none other than West Africa. In fact the top 5 cocoa bean producing countries are all located in West Africa; countries being The Ivory Coast (Cote d Ivoire), Indonesia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon in that particular order. The Ivory Coast has been the dominant producer of cocoa beans with production totaling nearly 1,242,300 metric tons of cocoa beans. This equates to about 29.3% of the world’s total cocoa beans. Indonesia is nowhere near the Ivory Coast in production, only totaling about 810,100 metric tons of cocoa beans a year accounting for about 19.1%. Ghana is close behind, producing about 632,037 metric tons of cocoa beans accounting for 14.9% of the world’s total. Nigeria follows with 427,800 metric tons accounting for 10.1%. Cameroon rounds out the top 5 accounting for 6.2% of the world cocoa bean total producing about 264,077 metric tons a year. All these countries producing cocoa beans have experienced increases in production with the exception of Ghana who faced a decline in productivity from the year before. Those countries in West Africa account for nearly two-thirds of the world are the leading producers in terms of metric tons distributed to other companies for processing. With nearly two-thirds of the world’s cocoa producers in West Africa, they are close to monopolizing the cocoa industry. Processors of cocoa beans can find the best producers of cocoa beans in one area and these producers are more than willing to supply at the right price. Over forty percent of the world’s cocoa is consumed in Europe and the remaining percent is distributed across the world globally. Cocoa is the main ingredient in what is universally known as the world’s most popular sweet, chocolate. There are about five-six million cocoa farmers worldwide, many in West Africa. 40-50 million people depend on cocoa for their livelihoods as people especially in West Africa depend on the jobs that cocoa farms provide for the people who live in the area. The economics behind cocoa production is th e livelihood for millions of West Africans. If the cocoa tree is taken away then the locals in West Africa may resort to the coca plant which is a base root for cocaine production. This may also lead into more complications resulting in food riots from people not being able to feed themselves, and drug trafficking which can also have implications for human trafficking as well. There are certain conditions that may hinder or halt cocoa bean production. Like many commodities, cocoa is considered a soft commodity; we can only continue to produce if we are careful with our product. Overharvesting is a major issue in the world of cocoa beans. In the early days of cocoa production, less cocoa beans were used to create milk and white chocolate was highly desired in the less conscientious health world of the mid to late 1900’s. In recent years there has been a major switch in preferences by consumers becoming more health conscientious. Most particularly in the Europe and North American markets has the demand for darker, healthier chocolate become more apparent. Due to these changes there has been an unprecedented cocoa consumption as more cocoa beans are being u sed to create dark chocolate in the last 5 years or so. In a study done by the Scientific American news article, a study revealed that further climate changes can cause West Africa to become too hot to grow cocoa beans. If this were to occur, domestic and international economies would be impacted immensely. The cocoa production farms have attributed to lowering the spikes in poverty, drug trafficking, and food riots by providing many with a legitimate means of making money and providing for themselves and their families. It has been projected that by 2060 over half the cocoa producing countries will become too hot. The cocoa industry is valued around $5.1 billion and with West Africa housing the top 5 producers. This includes the top two producers in the Ivory Coast, and Indonesia which account for more than half of the three million tons sold annually according to the World Cocoa Foundation. In 2020, predictions indicate a 1.5 million ton shortage. Weather predictions believe that El Nino could cause more problems for producers, consumers, and those who rely on the cocoa farms. As cocoa shortages increase, there are bound to be increases in demand for cocoa as more and more markets continue to buy into the commodity. In recent years, Europe and North America have been the largest buyers of cocoa. New countries however, are beginning to see the potential in cocoa and have begun to make their moves and are buying into a commodity that maybe wasn’t as sought after before. China and South Korea are buying into the commodity, which will make it harder for buyers to contract the amount desired if shortages continue and weather proves to be the deciding factor impacting West Africa. The hope now is that scientists can come up with a drought resistant strain of cocoa bean able to withstand the heat; however farmers are taking it upon themselves to develop farming techniques to help the cocoa beans survive harsher conditions. Re-creating optimal conditions is such as temperature is easy, however re-creating the taste is nearly impossible. Change the landscape, or geographical location of where the cocoa beans are harvest, and the taste changes considerably. The need to keep cocoa producers in West Africa has become an important issue for many of West Africa’s population who depend on cocoa production for their livelihoods. West Africa currently holds the best location for cocoa production in terms of elevation, climate, and temperatures that give the cocoa beans its distinct look, taste, and aroma that attracts so many. Moving the production to another country such as Asia or Russia, who generally have cooler temperatures can impact the taste and quality of the overall product. West Africa’s location is great because it is near the equator which keeps the temperatures and weather conditions relatively warm. Conditions like these are difficult to find, if not impossible to find anywhere else. Also child labor has been a constant issue in West Africa. This is especially true in regards to the production of cocoa. This issue has been predominantly an issue in the Ivory Coast, who is the leading supplier of cocoa to many different companies in Europe, and North America. With cocoa prices remaining relatively low, the need to lower labor costs becomes a necessity as production struggles to survive; thus children are employed to work the crops for cheap. According to the International Cocoa Organization, it has been estimated that more than 109,000 children work in the Ivory Coast’s cocoa industry and are working under the worst conditions. Not only are the conditions terrible by traditional standards but many as 10,000 of these kids are victims of human trafficking or enslavement. In 2010, a 10 million dollar program was given to the world’s top cocoa growing region in the Ivory Coast and Ghana who share a common cash crop. This program intended to prevent and stop the use of child labor on cocoa farms but faces many difficulties in its pursuit to end child labor in West Africa. By giving these companies the money to boost their revenue they can afford to not have child labor as a way to mitigate costs. Children are put to work carrying heavy loads, spraying toxic chemicals, and in danger of severely hurting themselves in the process of producing and harvesting crops. In a recent report in 2011 by BBC News, there was little change to the situation with child labor on the Ivory Coast. Companies who buy from the Ivory Coast and any production plant in West Africa are being asked to take more responsibility and getting more involved with the production from which they are buying from. Simply paying for cocoa beans is not enough. The emphasis here is corporate social responsibility. West Africa is undoubtedly in need of development and European and North America companies are the best possible source for development in West Africa. Roads, schools, hospitals, and social areas for the youth to gather would significantly help the people of West Africa. Companies such as Kraft foods, Mars Inc., Nestle, Ferrero Group, and Hershey Foods Corp are all major players in the cocoa industry who buy and process the cocoa beans into chocolate. The main distribution channel for the cocoa industry is the retail channel. Cocoa beans are harvested and sold by the metric tons to companies such as Kraft, Nestle, Ferrero, and Hershey’s. These companies then process the beans and manufacture the final chocolate product in their factories which are then distributed to retail stores across the country. A primary value driver for chocolates and other confectionary sweets is taste. Despite the recent recession, the cocoa and chocolate industry continued to grow and expand. People love chocolate and demand for chocolate has continued to grow. This demand and love for chocolate is beginning to make its way into highly populated areas such as China and India where the middle class is large, strong, and growing. Chocolate has been considered an affordable luxury. Despite rising health concerns chocolate is still in high demand, more specifically dark chocolate. The producers of cocoa beans like the Ivory Coast produce a commodity that is in high demand due to its versatility. Chocolate has many uses including, foods like desserts, sweets, and candy, medicine, and cosmetics. Dark chocolate has been proved to be part of a healthy diet. It is known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and has eight times the antioxidants of strawberries. In the chocolate and confectionary sweets industry, there are many long standing traditions that make chocolate such a strong industry. For decades, chocolates have been a staple of gift giving, like flower shops who focus on the sale of flowers, themed chocolates and delivery. Companies such as Costco, who sell in bulk, sell assortments of chocolate and charge by the pound. Premium or high end chocolate has been increasing in sales since the economy has been making strikes in recovery from the recession. On site baking has become more popular now as the smell of chocolate acts as free advertising. The chocolate and cocoa industry has remained strong and resilient from effects of the economy and the recent recession. Cur rently West Africa is producing cocoa under unstable political conditions. The turmoil and civil war on the Ivory Coast has left the country divided and suffering. Despite accusations that the Ivory Coast production of cocoa beans has been providing weapons and funding for both sides of the civil war, the production has been a ray of hope for the country. Due to the jobs provided for the people living in West Africa, crime rates and drug trafficking has declined, allowing people to work for a living that provides them the opportunity to live a life free of drugs and violence that has torn the land apart. The turmoil from the civil war on the Ivory Coast has caused prices to rise. Despite the rise in prices, companies continue to buy but at some point in the rise in prices, companies will pass. In January the price for a ton of cocoa was a little over $2,300. In September prices peaked at the highest it has ever been this year at just over $2,600. The price fell just slight at $2,463.54 a ton in October. With the turmoil in West Africa causing unstable political governments and civil war tearing the country apart, prices are expected to rise. This data was courtesy from the international cocoa organization. Strategy to reduce cost and/or assure supply With any commodity in the 21st century, constant usage and harvesting are issues that if not monitored can lead to shortages in supply, or possibly depletion of the commodity. There are bound to be problems somewhere along the timeline that can affect the condition of the commodity. Cocoa is no different in that there is constant threat of the commodity becoming scarce globally. Regardless of the recent recession and the recovering economy, cocoa is one of the few commodities around that wasn’t affected to a great extent as other commodities. To begin the 2012 year cocoa per ton cost buyers a little over $2,300. From January through August, the price of cocoa faced many ups and down but never going any lower than the price point in January. In September the price peaked at its highest price point for U.S. companies’ purchasing cocoa beans per ton at over $2,600. Since then it has dropped slightly but is expected to rise according to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO). Here is a graph illustrating the price changes for the year (Data courtesy of International Cocoa Organization). According to the scientific American news, the cocoa industry is already reporting a 1.5 million ton shortage within the next 10 years or so. What could this potentially do to the price of cocoa in the coming months? Years? If shortages continue to increase than prices can only go up with each coming month. Now while the supply of cocoa decreases, global demand has been projected to rise for a commodity that is becoming more valuable and scarce by the order. The cocoa industry has a strong position in the market as a commodity that is versatile in its uses. The cocoa industry deals with futures contracts which basically means that the buyer agrees to pay for the shipment based on the price of the product the day the contract was made official. Commodity pricing constantly fluxuates monthly, therefore a futures contract protects both parties from any undue damage from prices increasing or decreasing. Reports from several sources including the Huffington Post, and commodity help HQ, have high hopes for the future of cocoa in terms of it being able to sustain itself. Numbers at this time last year are up and there isn’t a reason to really worry about the state of the cocoa industry. Placing an order for cocoa is very similar to writing a math equation. A simple cocoa contract consists of many key specifications. Each contract must state the ticker symbol, contract size or how much cocoa is being ordered; usually in metric tons, deliverable grades which depends on the growth of the country or climate and is divided into three grades. Countries such as the ones in West Africa; Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone are the main crops and receive a grade A classification. Classifications of B or C are smaller and cheaper, such as Venezuela, Malaysia and Haiti. Next the trader or buyer must specific contract months, which are specified by letter coding for each month; for example May is coded K. Next the trading hours must be specified, last trading day, last delivery day, price quotes, tick size which indicates what the size of the order is, and daily price limits. An example formula can read â€Å"CC8K @ 1363†. The CC is the ticker symbol, the 8 indicates the year (2008), K tells us the month which is May, and the numbe r indicates the dollar amount per metric ton. Say the order size was 10 metric tons, the size would be multiplied by the dollar amount per ton. When it comes to possibilities of making cocoa in house, for many companies it becomes a daunting task and nearly impossible to simulate the conditions that allow cocoa trees to grow optimally. It is nearly impossible to produce the same cocoa beans as the beans grown in West Africa. Near the equator where it’s optimally warm, the conditions are right, the soil is ripe to grow cocoa beans in which give the bean a distinct taste. Moving production anywhere else may change the taste and alter the quality. Temperatures for healthy growth range from 69-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures lower than 59 can become fatal for the plant. Also adding to the tough conditions is that cocoa trees need no more than 2000 millimeters of annual rainfall. These conditions can leave the tree vulnerable to climate changes. In a study done by the Scientific American news site, scientists are predicting that by 2060 half of the cocoa producing countries may become too hot. The heat is not the only problem in this situation; it’s the pollinators of the trees that become affected as well. Bees and butterflies are common pollinators and cocoa flowers can be pollinated by midges, small flies or by hand. However these climate shifts in temperature could leave the country without bee colonies. In 1983-1984, cocoa production had reached a respectable level of 1.5 million tons. In twenty years this number doubled. The troubling fact to be considered here was that the number hadn’t doubled because of any technological advancement but because more land was acquired. The Ivory Coast is one of the most unstable countries in the world not just politically but economically. Civil war has divided the landscape and because of the lack of growth the country has remained third world. Lack of education, jobs, and healthy outlets have left many West Africans to turn to drug dealing and human trafficking. With the extra land acquired for the cocoa trees, labor was short and there were plenty of children to put to work. The world is looking to put an end to child labor in cocoa producing countries. The cocoa industry has quite the road ahead of them towards recovery as an industry and as a nation for which they work in. Realistically there is no suitable substitute for this commodity. With nearly 70% of the world’s cocoa produced in West Africa, which includes the Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon. With climate changes making weather conditions too hot, which will indefinitely affect the top three producers of cocoa beans in the Ivory Coast and Indonesia, and Ghana, it will become difficult for countries to get their cocoa. Before when it was just Europe and North America, supplies could take such a hit; but with developing middle class countries like China, and South Korea coming into the mix it will be tougher to acquire what is needed. Shortages lead to price increases, and at some point companies will simply pass on the commodity and move onto other things until prices fall. There are several solutions to the problems environmentally, politically, and agriculturally in West Africa. Corporations who buy cocoa from these countries may need to step in to help the growth of the country by providing access to education, hospitals, all the essentials that help societies grow. Corporations may give money to these countries to help production and attempt to prevent child labor practices but it will never be enough. Political instability , civil war, and child labor are all issues connected to the well being of communities tied to West Africa. Another solution is possibly a pipe dream but a realistic attempt at countering climate changes that could affect the cocoa trees. Scientists are working on creating heat resistant beans to counter the rise in temperatures so that crops can be more resilient and yield more. Moving crops to cooler climates in Russia and Asia have also been considered to balance the additional heat. One other solution is to help the farmers directly. Teach the farmers techniques; show them methods that they can use on their farms. Help provide proper and modern tools and technology to make the entire farming process easier for everyone. It is difficult to say what is right and what is wrong in this instance but something needs to be done if European and American companies wish to satisfy a rising demand with such a versatile commodity. Commodity HQ, a trading a commodity research site predicts that the futures for cocoa is strong and has been soaring compared to last year’s performance. Cocoa is one of the most popular soft commodities in the market. Regardless of the drop in futures and the effects of the most recent recession, cocoa has remained strong and resilient to any effects. By the end of 2011, cocoa futures have experienced a 41% drop. Comparing this year’s numbers to last year there is already a 7.6% increase and this number for this year has continued to soar. When looking at the production of cocoa, the Ivory Coast is the leader as they double the production of their next best competitor in Indonesia. The clientele who buy cocoa from West African countries like the Ivory Coast and Indonesia are modern, well developed countries like the U.S. whereas West Africa is still very much third world. As demand continues to grow as demonstrated with China and South Korea entering the cocoa market along with the U.S. and Europe, this list is only going to grow as the commodity becomes more popular. As weather conditions affect the production of cocoa, civil war on the Ivory Coast, child labor, and over harvesting effect the commodity, shortages will occur. When shortages occur, prices rise exponentially, which leaves one to wonder how far can the price increase before companies around the world decide to call it quits and pull out of the cocoa industry? People love chocolate, and that is not an understatement. Cocoa, cocoa powder, chocolate, and cocoa butter are all variations of the original plant. The future of cocoa looks very bright. The only external factors that may affect the commodity are the political strife’s, climate changes, and practices in production. Works Cited Cadbury. Cocoa and Chocolate. 2012. 26 October 2012 http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treesandmarkets/inaforesta/documents/cocoa%20and%20chocolate/cocoa%20and%20chocolate.pdf. Canizaro, Mark. All About Chocolate. 2002. 26 October 2012 http://www.xocoatl.org/variety.htm. Service, Transport Information. Cocoa Beans. 2012. 26 10 2012 http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/ware/genuss/kakao/kakao.htm.