Prejudices in Workplace Essay Example for Free

Partialities in Workplace Essay Part I Select three of the character classifications beneath and name or portray in any event 3 related generalizations for each: †¢ Race †¢ Ethnicity †¢ Religion †¢ Gender †¢ Sexual direction †¢ Age †¢ Disability |Category |Stereotype 1 |Stereotype 2 |Stereotype 3 | |Race | People say individuals of color are languid. |People state white individuals are savvy |People state Jews are modest however | |and blondies are stupid. |rich. | |Religion |Wiccan Pentacle Study, love the|Gothic individuals are odd and |Muslims are psychological militant and ladies | |devil. |violent.|are underneath them. | |Sexual Orientation |When somebody see a ladylike man |When somebody sees manly ladies |People state homosexuality isn't right | |and call him gay. |she is a lesbian. |and shameless. | Part II Answer each question in 50 to 100 words identified with those generalizations. Give references to all the sources you use. What are the positive parts of generalizations, assuming any? The parts of constructive generalizations can be sure if an individual know the distinction and have the information to comprehend what an individual might be expressing. In the event that we want to somebody as a â€Å"jock† we are recognizing that this individual is into sports. An individual that is known to be wanted to by â€Å"Gothic† or â€Å"Punk† is a direct result of the kind of music they tune in to and the sort of attire they wear. Generally nobody is annoyed by this since it is real and obvious and these are sure parts of generalizations. What are the negative parts of generalizations? The pessimistic parts of generalizations are the absence of comprehension, the numbness, and the marking of somebody to offend them as an individual or a gathering of individuals. An individual may see a female with a short hair style like a man and consider them a barrier without becoming acquainted with who that individual is and accepting this is the thing that they are. Part III Answer each question in 50 to 150 words identified with those generalizations. Give references to all the sources you use. Characterize generalizations and preference. What is the distinction among generalizing and bias? Use guides to show the distinctions. Generalization is something adjusting to a fixed or general example, a normalized mental picture that is held in like manner by individuals from a gathering and that speaks to a misrepresented conclusions, biased disposition, or uncritical judgment. Bias is prejudgment and adverse demeanor dependent on sex, race, age, sexual direction, nationality, financial status, and religion towards an individual or gathering of individuals. The contrast among generalization and preference is that generalization is normalized convictions about individuals dependent on some earlier suppositions. Preference is a kind of judgment or presumption about someone before having adequate information to decide with exactness. Case of generalization is all cops eat doughnuts. Case of partiality is an association that recruits more guys and reject females are known to be preference. What is the connection among generalizing and partiality? The connection among generalizing and partiality is that generalizing advances bias and that preference decrease relies upon generalization change. Partiality likewise impacts the degree of generalizing. The significant hypothetical custom places that this impact develops on the grounds that preference empowers the utilization of generalizations as a way to legitimize cultural imbalance (for example , Allport, 1954; Katz Braly, 1933; Lippmann, 1922). What should be possible to keep preference from happening? Bigotry comes from obliviousness and haughtiness this go connected at the hip and individuals need to comprehend and have the information not to pre-judge individuals. So as to keep preference from happening we have to start now with the manner in which we are bringing up our youngsters and show them not to be critical and assume individuals before we become more acquainted with somebody. Show them not to expect dislike somebody as a result of the shade of their skin or where they originate from. Individuals are individuals regardless of what they may resemble, becoming acquainted with an individual is significant and not to pass judgment flippantly. Have rallies of all race and culture so individuals can have a superior comprehension of others. It begins at home show your youngsters a superior way with the goal that they will comprehend life in a superior point of view. Reference: Voices. yippee. com/generalizing, Psychology. about. com, www. merriam-webster. com/word reference, azam. organization.

The Feudal System :: Medieval Civilization, The Middle Ages, Feudalism

Most of medieval human advancement was a period of effortlessness and minimal social turn of events. Feudalism was the structure that administered medieval society and came to speak to this timeframe. The congregation turned into the widespread image of medieval solidarity. Close to the furthest limit of the medieval period, be that as it may, town life and enormous scope exchange and trade were restored. Incredible changes occurred in the congregation encouraging another time and change. Feudalism was an arrangement of government that gave the structure to the political, social, and financial parts of medieval human advancement. It comprised of agreements between individuals from the honorability and less incredible aristocrats who filled in as their vassals. Financially it was an agreement between the serfs who cultivated that land and the aristocrats who claimed it. Feudalism was intricate and confounding somehow or another, yet it could likewise be taken a gander at as straightforward. It was built in a pyramid or chess board-like structure. Rulers were at the top in spite of the fact that they didn't have a lot of intensity, masters and vassals followed the lord and had control of the lesser aristocrats. The serfs were at the base of the pyramid. A house, also called the lord’s domain, was the place everybody lived and worked. In return for a spot to live, food, and for the most part insurance, the serfs cultivated the land. Agribusiness was the establishm ent of feudalism, where land and food was utilized to bargain for different things. There were diverse charges and places of unmistakable individuals on the house. This outlines the multifaceted nature of primitive life during the medieval ages. In the event that you take a gander at it as what the obligations were of every particular class you see the straightforwardness of feudalism. Every individual from medieval society had its own specific errands to perform. The serfs preformed the most work serious errands and regularly did likewise ordinary. The knights secured the house and the rulers were liable for dealing with everybody on their estate. The medieval framework could be contrasted with a cutting edge enterprise. The serfs could be taken a gander at as the laborers, the masters as the board, the knights to the security, and the lord would be the CEO of the organization. Feudalism was mind boggling in its association and basic it its execution. During a large portion of the medieval timespan the congregation was the focal point of society and was the tradition that must be adhered to. The congregation directed strategic approaches, had the ability to burden, controlled all individuals through the intensity of suspens ion and had impact on the stylish parts of life.

Waiting for the Bus free essay sample

The previous summer, I got myself  ­sitting on a love seat inverse a 38-year-old Filipino man named Peter who possessed a scent like stale fish, soil, and a fantasy conceded. â€Å"Where are you from?† I inquired. â€Å"Here.† â€Å"What made you homeless?† â€Å"I need my green card.† â€Å"Where do you remain and get food?† â€Å"I need my green card. I need †¦ my green card. I go clean the shopping center. I make arrangements for the future.† I later found, by conversing with the soup kitchen staff, that Peter is intellectually crippled. He moved to the U.S. at the point when he was five, however he despite everything had a complement. He most likely previously had his citizenship. This was an unusual method to investigate a social point. My best friend’s mother was the administrator at a destitute safe house, and their gathering pledges occasion was coming up. My companion was a film major at our school, and I was an auditorium major, so we pooled our gifts and made a narrative about the reasons for vagrancy and how the sanctuary had helped many discover directing, food, safe house, and showers. We will compose a custom exposition test on Hanging tight for the Bus or then again any comparative subject explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page I talked with; she shot. It immediately became clear that  ­Peter wasn’t the main vagrant with apparently impossible issues. There was Don, a 58-year-old expert alcoholic who had been in and out of recovery and prison the greater part of his life. He was a bright narrator †he reviewed in distinctive detail being there the first run through Ozzy Osbourne bit off a bat’s head. A weed stem was inked on his arm. At the point when he was 15, his companion began to ink the tattoo, however Don chose to stop part of the way through the procedure †a fitting similitude for his life. Each time he went into recovery, each time it looked as though he had discovered stable job, he quit partially through. At that point there was the lady basically known as the Bag Lady. A jumpy schizophrenic, she had amassed a  ­collection of garbage and kept it in a staple truck, never letting it out of her sight. She went through her days sitting tight for a transport that never came; she would examine every one that passed her stop, constantly concluding it was an inappropriate one. She kept all her garments layered on her body, in any event, during the severely sweltering and damp Georgia summers. At some point, she strangely attempted to take off her garments to scrub down at the  ­shelter. She couldn’t. Sweat and soil had put them to her body, and my friend’s mother needed to scam them her. She became insane when we requested to talk with her. As I helped set up the camera in the cafeteria to container over the room, I became overpowered watching everybody. Diminish petitioned God for his green card. Wear showed the tattoo that was rarely finished. The Bag Lady gazed out the window at her stop with the expectation that her transport would at last show up. I could just think about that fantasy conceded. My examinations in vagrancy proceeded with long after the camera quit rolling. I  ­conducted more meetings, this time for myself. A large portion of these individuals were tossed onto the roads in light of the fact that a  ­unexpected obligation had overturned their  ­already unpredictable check to-check presence, or on the grounds that they were addicts who had never discovered sufficient restoration, or in light of the fact that they had a psychological sickness. Understanding the delicacy of the line that isolates â€Å"person† from â€Å"homeless person† has helped me treat everybody with sympathy. Rather than addressing the destitute on not utilizing government assistance to purchase medications or embracing my tote as I speed by a recreation center seat, I set aside some effort to hear them out. This experience likewise helped when I worked for the Obama crusade. I enrolled a larger number of individuals to cast a ballot in one day than most understudies did in seven days, since I moved toward the individuals lying on park seats, the ex-criminals and vagrants who didn’t realize that they could cast a ballot in Georgia. One man cried as he rounded out the enlistment structure; the State of Georgia had taken his vote from him 20 years prior. From that point onward, the Savannah crusade held drives at all the destitute safe houses. Finding out about the situation of vagrants has made my reality somewhat more excellent. I took in the distinction between a mandolin and a guitar from a road performer named Guitar Bob. I found out about the historical backdrop of metal  ­music from Don. Al showed me how to weave a rose out of palm tree leaves. In particular, I discovered that these individuals are not government assistance leeches, tranquilize abusers, or society’s difficulty to shoulder. Vagrants have explicit issues that aren’t difficult to oversee, and with a smidgen of exertion and  ­ingenuity, maybe one day their transport will at last come.

Professional Development Plan Essay Example for Free

Proficient Development Plan Essay The gathering individuals from Learning Team D 3 took a Disk appraisal test to decide their character styles, qualities and shortcomings, and zones that need upgrade. The gathering individuals are (Antonia, Brenda, Matthew, Robin, Steven). The Professional Development Plan will give a portrayal of the qualities, and shortcomings every character styles, distinctions every style offer, and attributes that may cause strife, and how every style can cooperate for the improvement of the association. Just as to show how I, the supervisor can improve my capacities to lead from each colleague. The Disk appraisal produced two character types inside the gathering: Cautious, and Dominance. Three out of the five individuals from the gathering including my-self are named as Cautious. The Cautious qualities involves freedom, trustworthy, great audience members, pose various inquiries over basic data, and are acceptable at finish, they need flawlessness, and will in general be tense with themselves as well as other people when under tension, they have a characteristic interest in individuals, and are worried about what individuals anticipate, think, and feel, they have solid expressions of love to their own advantages, underestimating the time required to finish errands, being instinctive and attentive about circumstances and individuals, they will in general partner their self-esteem with their work achievements, and are charmed by ideas, thoughts and procedures. They are known for being assessors and will in general have solid suppositions about individuals and gatherings with whom they don't concur or recognize. Their shortcomings of Cautious are they will in general work at a moderate pace, not at all like The Dominance character types who are objective situated, quick paced, take authority, and ready to challenge obsolete reasoning and thoughts. Strength shortcomings are what make them stand apart from Cautious character type. Strength isn't reluctant to twist the principles; they become irritated with postponements, and want to request pardoning than request consent to settle on certain choice on assignments. All together for each gathering part to cooperate as a group; it is critical to initially see each member’s qualities and shortcomings and use them as an apparatus for the groupâ to achieve their objective. Assessing the diverse character types I’ve arrive at the resolution that Dominance and Cautious sorts are compar ative in character attributes, they are both issue solvers, effective, beneficial, free, and have a similar feeling of disturbances. The main contrasts between these two kinds are the pace where they decide to work. The Cautious style wants to work at a more slow pace while, the Dominance style likes to work at quicker pace. Therefore, seeing every character styles, the qualities of every part, and what each gathering shares for all intents and purpose. We presently need to use every one of these attributes and use them as an apparatus to achieve our objectives. For instance, if our gathering was working for a money related association, the Cautious kinds would be best spot in a Human Resources position or even in the Marketing division. Those positions require people that have such qualities as being thorough, autonomous laborers, and finish on particular kinds of assignments. Predominance type would be more prominent in administrative situations, for they like to assume responsibility, and are agreeable in a quick paced condition; they are happy to take on difficulties head on, and don’t mind facing challenges. All together for the association to run easily every one of these positions need each other so as to get effective, and to function as a group. Despite the fact that my character style is Cautious I feel a decent pioneer is normally enthusiastic about the association and their work, oozes trust in their capacities, can composes and understands complex circumstances, keeps up exclusive expectations and moves others to do likewise, can propel and motivate representatives, and is commonly turned upward to as an individual of vision (Hill, 2009). This is a statement I feel emphatically about and would need to put together my administration style with respect to. I concur with the entire proclamation it communicates, and feel I can be persuasive with my gathering and persuade them to achieve our objectives. As a pioneer, I anticipate learning the aptitudes that are required so as to improve as a pioneer/chief. The Disk appraisal has demonstrated the various attributes every character styles have. There are various characteristics each type shared, and a not many that could cause clashes, we should discover that we are on the whol e various people who have diverse learning styles and qualities, therefore, we much gain from one another so as to develop and turn out to be better people, and need to help each other to be better people whether in work or instructive condition. It is imperativeâ that each gathering part have a comprehension on the most proficient method to depend on one another despite the fact that there is uneasiness with the different sorts of characters. My ability to lead the group will be founded on my readiness to gain from each colleague and to comprehend that we should function as a group and not as a free individual on a task. The entirety of the data gave above arrangement will be directed intently, with occasional gatherings sorted out so as to permit representatives to give their perspectives, conclusion and worries about different themes, that way it will assist with guaranteeing that full consistence is being accomplished. I trust it is basic that customary (week after week) observing is performed to ensure that the association remains on target on all assignments, and concerns are being talked about, this will help guarantee the drawn out accomplishment of the association, and perceiving each individual’s style, just as their qualities, and shortcomings will allow an increasingly close to home and individualized methodology taken with respect to group elements and objective accomplishment. Reference Alessandra, Tony, Ph.D., and Michael J. O’Connor, Ph.D. 1996. The Platinum Ruleâ ®. New York, NY: Warner Books. Circle Test and Disk Assessment: Explained. (2013). Recovered from https://www.discinsights.com/whatisdisc#.VBMXGGOEzSg Hill, C. (2009). NY Daily News. Recovered from http://www.nydailynews.com/2.1353/compelling pioneer article-1.372028 Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A. (2013). Hierarchical Behavior (fifteenth ed.). : Pearson. College of Phoenix. (2014). Plate Assessments [Multimedia]. Recovered from University of Phoenix, LDR531 site.

Puerto Rico Court System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Puerto Rico Court System - Research Paper Example There are different shortcomings that could be recognized out of the current legal frameworks and this is as recorded by Griffin and Abbot (2006). Understanding the qualities and the shortcomings would without a doubt go far in illuminating what should comprise an attractive legal framework. One of the solid focuses in Griffin and Abbot (2006) is that they build up a similar way to deal with legal frameworks, and this methodology is worthwhile in light of the fact that it doesn't just give instances of defects by and by that ought to be tended to yet additionally a few qualities that could be embraced, for example, by recently settled states. As indicated by Griffin and Abbot (2006), U.S legal framework is established in a government way whereby each state inside the league has an alternate legal framework. Under the state court framework, one is respected honest until demonstrated liable. This suggests the weight to demonstrate one’s honesty lies with the state and not the individual being denounced. The framework is made more grounded on the grounds that it is the duty of the state to see somebody as blameworthy along these lines making an individual idealistic about their blamelessness winning. Another part of this legal procedure is that a criminal is guaranteed of a reasonable, snappy preliminary just as appreciate the benefit of being decided by legal advisers. This implies not a solitary appointed authority can settle on one’s destiny as it is the situation in different nations. It likewise infers that an individual who is honest has all the proof assessed before making the sentence. These components are without a doubt the solid purposes of legal frameworks and illuminate any benchmark to comprise an alluring court framework, for example, for a recently settled state... These components are without a doubt the solid purposes of legal frameworks and illuminate any benchmark to comprise an alluring court framework, for example, for a recently settled state. Nonetheless, there is a confinement to this as in a great part of the proof might be suspended because of the method. A cop gathering proof must do as such as indicated by set down resolutions else they should be possible away with. For this situation, proof on tape can't be mulled over if the charged didn't know that a chronicle was occurring as he was being cross examined by the police. This has prompted blameworthy individuals leaving without any penalty for wrongdoings they have submitted. This is on the grounds that the death of sentence is suggested by a similar board of legal scholars who decided their case the procedure turns out to be reasonable. Besides, the procedure gives makes a decision about a ton of opportunity while condemning crooks. Reeves (2008), refers to instances of situation s where two individuals get distinctive time spans when they have submitted a similar lawful offense. That will in general be one of the weaknesses of the state legal procedure. The article proposes one rule, neither ought to there be least nor most extreme sentence.Unfortunately, segregation when passing greatest sentence is by all accounts bound to dark guys, as most of the populace gets reasonable sentencing.â

When Econ Comes to Life

When Econ Comes to Life During your first day at MIT, after you check in for Orientation, theres usually a table in the back of the room thats piled full of helpful handouts. Although Ive since forgotten what most of the papers were, theres always big white poster entitled One Hundred and One Things to Do Before You Graduate. Its a shame that I actually misplaced my poster and have to rely on the copy that my friend Anna has hanging up in her room. At last count (beginning of the year this year), Ive done just over half of all the items on that chart. One item that I particularly remember, however, is Attend a Nobel Laureate Lecture. I think it was in the comments of these very blogs that I remember a poster saying, I cant wait until I get to MIT and brush shoulders with Nobel Prize laureates and study their theories in the lab. Although at last count, theres 7 active Nobel laureates* on the MIT faculty, its definitely possible to run into esteemed faculty who have won National Medals of Science**, Pulitzer Prize***, and other prestigious honors in the Infinite, at Stata Center, or more commonly, in lecture halls. (* Professor Robert Horvitz, who won the 2002 Nobel Prize for Medicine for his work with the genetics of C. elegans, works in the lab right next to my UROP with the same worm. I attended a couple of Horvitz lab meetings! ** Professor Robert Weinberg, co-professor of the fall introductory bio class, 7.012, and Robert Langer, head of the huge Langer Lab on campus (where many undergrads such as Paul worked at for UROPs), won the National Medal of Science in 1997 and 2006, respectively. (why are these distinguished scientists all Robert/Bobs?) *** Professor Junot Diaz, associate professor in Course 21W (Writing and Humanistic Studies), was awarded the Pulitzer Prize just this year for his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.) To date, I had attended three lectures given by Nobel Prize laureates, and I had the pleasure of attending another such lecture on Thursday afternoon, given by Harvard Professor Gregory Mankiw (but MIT PhD. 84) and Professor Emeritus Robert Solow (Nobel Laureate in Economics, 1987 another Robert!!). Photo credit: MIT News Office. Professor Mankiw is on the far left and Professor Solow is on the far right. I especially wanted to blog about this because: -Im very interested in Economics (or Course 14), and I am considering it as a minor or a potential double major. -The world is going through a global financial crisis, and its a dynamic time to be studying economics. -Both Mankiw and Solow are now extremely familiar names to me through studying Macroecon (14.02) this semester. So heres the deal: Mankiw is the person that wrote my 14.02 textbook, and Solow is the person that developed the Solow Growth Model which dominated Chapters 7 and 8 of the said book. Anyhow, it was quite exciting to be in such distinguished company since it was like a omg-I-cant-believe-these-people-are-live! kind of feeling (kinda like a kid seeing Mickey Mouse the first time at Disneyland, if you get my gist =p). The seminar itself was pretty interesting. Its helpful to know that actually Mankiw is a Republican, and was one of President Bushs economic advisers from 2003 to 2005. While Solow, on the other hand, explicitly stated that he didnt even consider voting for anyone other than Obama. Its also interesting to note that Mankiw was a MIT grad who spent his teaching career at Harvard, while Solow was a Harvard grad who spent his teaching career at MIT (this comment brought hearty laughter from the audience). Both professors opened the session by providing a 20-minute outline of issues and topics that would be of concern in the future Obama administration, while taking questions from the audience for the remaining 20. Both professors, in their initial discourse, discussed the current financial crisis, with Mankiw pointing out that the financial crisis precipitated from a mis-management in the housing market. Solow followed this up by saying that now, what is most important for the US to do is to prevent the loss of total output which is inherent in a recession (for example, like what happened during the Great Depression the theory is that as long as productivity levels do not decrease, the economy isnt truly in a recession and theres still ways to alleviate the problem). Also, since Fed chairman Bernanke had already loaned where no man had loaned before, this crisis cannot be resolved solely through monetary policy, since that channel has already been exhausted. Furthermore, Solow calls for the distribution of large federal grants to state/local governments, extending unemployment insurance, and promoting infrastructural spending as pointers for the new government. However, the challenge is doing all of these while closing the national deficit. He directly pointed out that the reason why the United States has such a big deficit is because the public doesnt save, but the government consumes a lot. In addition, both professors discussed the increasingly controversial topic of health care, with Mankiw supporting the $5000 tax credit plan proposed by McCain through the campaign (McCain promised a return of $5000 in tax credit to individuals for the use of items such as health care), while Solow pointed out that $5000 hardly covers the aggregate cost of medical treatment nowadays for any significant disease. Instead, he proposed a bottom-up approach seeking an alternative of creating an external agency in evaluating the pricing of new medical products in an effort of keeping medical costs down, in the same way that Great Britain had attempted to deal with its health care. Solow further calls for a growing recognition of the problem of increased inequality in the current American society. Especially, he calls for the government to stop favoring the high income earners because what is essentially happening in America now is that the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. Mankiw agrees, stating that the current system which strongly favors the income of the financial sector is not going to resolve the wealth disparity. In Q/A section at the end, one interesting question that was posed was whether the government should bail out General Motors, in the same way that the government intervened with Wall Street. Solow stated that there isnt a point pouring money into a system thats already broken whats important is getting to the root of the problem in the system and fixing it. Mankiw replied in the affirmative to the question posed, but given that private investors would be willing to sponsor the action, since theres also no point in investing in a company that had already lost its investment return viability. Again, I think this is one of the most amazing things about MIT that classroom learning doesnt just occur in the classes, but also carries over to current issues in the field. You see it everywhere students doing UROP work on cutting-edge research topics just like any other researcher in the field, colloquiums featuring outstanding scientists from around the world discussing their research (that is, if you can even understand the extent of their work), and accomplished faculty taking time away from their research to teach undergraduate classes (just last week I discovered the lecturer for 7.03, Professor Fink, is actually one of the worlds most renowned yeast geneticists!). I guess I really have to work harder. ^_____^

The Jazz Movement - Free Essay Example

Jazz is a style of music inspired from African rhythms and European harmonies. Jazz music primarily came from West Africa when slaves came to the south of the US. Slaves would sing jazz songs while working on plantations. Later on jazz was merged with European styles of music, which changed the style a bit (Schuller). The spread of jazz music mixed French, Spanish, Anglo, and African cultures (Ciment 307). Jazz music is characterised by rhythms, ensemble playing, improvisation, etc. A lot of classical composers such as Aaron Copland, John Alden Carpenter, and Igor Stravinsky began playing and making jazz music because of the unique rhythms, melodies, and articulations. That made jazz music begin to spread more. (Schuller). Jazz was played before the 1920s but the popularity grew absurdly during that time, especially after World War I, since many jazz musicians moved to big northern cities during that time (The Jazz Age). Jazz music is constantly evolving so there is no limit as to what can be done with it, which is why it’s so hard to define. Different composers use various styles of jazz, and have different definitions for it. Jazz was played in speakeasies and nightclubs and oftentimes owners would pay to have the police ignore the clubs, since they were illegal at the tim (The Jazz Age). Jazz music had a big impact on American culture as it crossed racial lines in the 1920s since white audiences would listen to African American jazz musicians (Ciment 308). Tension between races began to lessen a bit since cultures mixed, but there was still plenty of racial prejudice during the time. For example, white jazz musicians were given more airtime than African American jazz musicians due to racism in radio stations (The Jazz Age). On a more positive note, jazz music opened new job opportunities for the women of the 1920s in the entertainment industry. However, they were not very well known until the 1930s (The Jazz Age). The persistence these female musicians had made it easier for other female artists who dreamed of making it in the entertainment world. Unfortunately, the relaxed and fun times created by the jazz age didnt last long, since it was then followed by the stock market crash that led to the great depression during the 1930s, which caused panic and hard times for Americans (The Jazz Age).

Female Spies in World War I and World War II

While almost every nation yet prohibits women in combat, a long history of female involvement in warfare reaches all the way back to ancient times. Extensive documentation exists covering the role of women working undercover or otherwise involved in intelligence work in each of the two world wars. World War I Mata Hari If asked to name a female spy, most people would probably be able to cite Mata Hari of World War I fame. Real name Margaretha Geertruida Zelle McLeod, the woman the world would come to know as Mata Hari was born in the Netherlands. Her cover was that of an exotic dancer from India. While there is little doubt regarding the legitimacy of Mata Haris life as a stripper and sometimes-prostitute, some controversy surrounds whether she was ever actually a spy. Famous as she was if Mata Hari was a spy, she was fairly inept at it. She was caught following contact with an informant, tried and executed as a spy by France. It later came to light that her accuser was, himself, a German spy, effectively casting doubt on her true role in World War I espionage. Edith Cavell Another famous spy from World War I was also executed as a spy. Edith Cavell was born in England, growing up to become a nurse by profession. When World War I erupted, she was working in a nursing school in Belgium. Although she was not a spy as we generally view them, Edith worked undercover to help transport soldiers from France, England, and Belgium to escape from the Germans. She worked as matron of a hospital and, while doing so, helped at least 200 soldiers to escape. When the Germans realized Cavells role in what was happening, she was put on trial for harboring foreign soldiers rather than espionage, and convicted in two days. She was killed by a firing squad in October of 1915 and buried near the execution site despite appeals from the United States and Spain to return her body to her homeland. After the war, her body was transported back to England. Edith Cavell was finally buried in her native land, following a Westminster Abbey service presided by King George V of England. A statue in her honor was erected in St. Martins Park bearing the simple but apt epitaph, Humanity, Fortitude, Devotion, Sacrifice. The statue also carries the quote she gave to the priest who gave her communion the night before her death, Patriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred or bitterness toward anyone. Edith Cavell had, in her lifetime, cared for anyone in need regardless of which side of the war they fought out of religious conviction. She died as valiantly and honorably as she lived. World War II Two main oversight organizations were responsible for intelligence activities in World War II for the Allies. These were the British SOE, or Special Operations Executive, and the American OSS, or Office of Strategic Services. The SOE was active in virtually every occupied country in Europe along with native operatives in enemy countries, aiding resistance groups and monitoring enemy activity. The American counterpart, the OSS, overlapped some of the SOE operations and also had operatives in the Pacific theater. In addition to traditional spies, these organizations employed many ordinary men and women to covertly provide information on strategic locations and activities while leading apparently normal lives. The OSS eventually became what is now known as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Americas official spy agency. Virginia Hall An American heroine,  Virginia Hall came from Baltimore, Maryland. From a privileged family, Hall attended fine schools and colleges and wanted a career as a diplomat. Her aspirations were thwarted in 1932 when she lost part of her leg in a hunting accident and had to use a wooden prosthesis. Having resigned from the State Department in 1939, Hall was in Paris at the start of World War II. She worked on an ambulance corps until the Henri Philippe Petain-led Vichy government took over, at which point she moved to England, volunteering for the newly-founded SOE. SOE training completed, she was returned to Vichy-controlled France where she supported the Resistance until complete Nazi takeover. She escaped on foot to Spain through the mountains, continuing her work for the SOE there until 1944, when she joined the OSS and asked to return to France. Returned to France, Hall continued to help the underground Resistance by, among other things, providing maps to Allied forces for drop zones, finding safe houses and providing intelligence activities. She assisted in training at least three battalions of French Resistance forces and continuously reported on enemy movements. The Germans recognized her activities and made her one of their Most Wanted Spies, calling her the woman with a limp and Artemis. Hall had many aliases including Agent Heckler, Marie Monin, Germaine, Diane, and Camille. She managed to teach herself to walk without a limp and employed many disguises, foiling Nazi attempts to capture her. Her success in evading capture was as remarkable as the prodigious work she accomplished. Still active as an operative in 1943, the British quietly awarded Hall the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). Later, in 1945, she was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by Gen. William Donovan for her efforts in France and Spain. Hers was the only such award to any civilian woman in all of WWII. Hall continued to work for the OSS through its transition to the CIA until 1966. At that time she retired to a farm in Barnesville, MD until her death in 1982. Princess Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan A childrens book author may seem an unlikely candidate for international spy induction, but Princess Noor defied any such expectation. The great-niece of Christian Science founder  Mary Baker Eddy  and daughter of Indian royalty, she joined the SOE as Nora Baker in London and trained to operate a wireless radio transmitter. She was sent to occupied France under the code name Madeline, carrying her transmitter from safe house to safe house, maintaining communications for her Resistance unit,  with the Gestapo trailing her all the way. Khan was captured and executed as a spy in 1944. She was posthumously awarded the George Cross, the Croix de Guerre and the MBE for her valor. Violette Reine Elizabeth Bushell Violette Reine Elizabeth Bushell was born in 1921 to a French mother and British father. Her husband Etienne Szabo was a French Foreign Legion officer killed in battle in North Africa. After her husbands death, Bushell was recruited by the SOE and sent to France as an operative on two occasions. On the second of these visits, she was caught giving cover to a Maquis leader. She killed several German soldiers before finally being captured. Despite torture, Bushell refused to give the Gestapo classified information, so was sent to  the concentration camp  Ravensbruck, where she was executed. She was posthumously honored for her work with both the George Cross and the Croix de Guerre in 1946. The Violette Szabo Museum in Wormelow, Herefordshire, England honors her memory as well. She left behind a daughter, Tania Szabo, who wrote her mothers biography,  Young, Brave Beautiful: Violette Szabo GC. Szabo and her highly decorated husband were the most decorated couple in World War II, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Barbara Lauwers Cpl. Barbara Lauwers, Womens Army Corps, received a Bronze Star for her OSS work, which included using German prisoners for counterintelligence work and cobbling fake passports and other papers for spies and others. Lauwers was instrumental in Operation Sauerkraut, an operation which mobilized German prisoners to spread black propaganda about  Adolf Hitler  behind enemy lines. She created the League of Lonely War Women, or VEK in German. This mythical organization was designed to demoralize German troops by spreading the belief that any soldier on leave could display a VEK symbol and get a girlfriend. One of her operations was so successful that 600 Czechoslovak troops defected behind Italian lines. Amy Elizabeth Thorpe Amy Elizabeth Thorpe, early code name Cynthia, later Betty Pack, worked for the OSS in Vichy, France. She was sometimes used as a swallow—a woman trained to seduce the enemy into sharing secret information—and she participated in break-ins. One daring raid involved taking secret naval codes from a safe within a locked and guarded room. Another involved infiltration of the Vichy French Embassy in Washington D.C., taking important codebooks. Maria Gulovich Maria Gulovich fled Czechoslovakia when it was invaded, emigrating to Hungary. Working with Czech army staff and British and American intelligence teams, she assisted downed pilots, refugees, and resistance members. Gulovich was taken by the KGB and maintained her OSS cover under fierce interrogation while assisting in the Slovak rebellion and rescue efforts for Allied pilots and crews. Julia McWilliams Child Julia Child  was up to much more than gourmet cooking. She wanted to join the WACs or the WAVES but was turned down for being too tall, at a height of 62. Following this rejection, she opted to work in research and development out of the OSS Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Among the projects with which she was involved: a workable shark repellent used for downed flight crews later used for US space missions with water landings and supervising an OSS facility in China. Julia Child handled countless top-secret documents before gaining television fame as The French Chef. Marlene Dietrich German-born  Marlene Dietrich  became an American citizen in 1939. She volunteered for the OSS and served both by entertaining troops on the front lines and by broadcasting nostalgic songs to battle-weary German soldiers as propaganda. She received the Medal of Freedom for her work. Elizabeth P. McIntosh Elizabeth P. McIntosh was a war correspondent and independent journalist who joined the OSS shortly after  Pearl Harbor. She was instrumental in the interception and rewriting of postcards Japanese troops wrote home while stationed in India. She intercepted and detected orders of numerous sorts, chief among them a copy of the Imperial Order discussing terms of surrender which was then disseminated to Japanese troops. Genevieve Feinstein Not every woman in intelligence was a spy as we think of them. Women also played significant roles as cryptanalysts and code breakers for the Signal Intelligence Service (SIS). Genevieve Feinstein was one such woman, having been responsible for creating a machine used to decode Japanese messages. After WWII, she continued to work in intelligence. Mary Louise Prather Mary Louise Prather headed the SIS stenographic section. She was responsible for logging messages in code and preparing decoded messages for distribution. Prather was primarily credited with having uncovered a previously-unnoticed yet distinct correlation between two Japanese messages which led to the decryption of a pivotal new Japanese code system. Juliana Mickwitz Juliana Mickwitz escaped Poland during the Nazi invasion of 1939. She became a translator of Polish, German and Russian documents and worked with the Military Intelligence Directorate of the War Department. She went on to translate voice messages. Josephine Baker Josephine Baker  was a singer and dancer best known at the time as the Creole Goddess, the Black Pearl or the Black Venus for her beauty. But Baker was also a spy working undercover for the French Resistance, smuggling military secrets written in invisible ink on her sheet music  into Portugal from France. Hedy Lamarr Actress Hedy Lamarr made a valuable contribution to the intelligence division by co-producing an anti-jamming device for torpedoes. She also devised a clever way of frequency hopping that prevented the interception of American military messages. Famous for the Road movies with Bob Hope, everyone knew she was an actress but few were aware she was an inventor of military importance. Nancy Grace Augusta Wake New Zealand-born Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, AC GM, was the most decorated servicewoman among Allied troops in WWII. Wake grew up in Australia, working early on as a nurse and later as a journalist. As a journalist, she watched the rise of Hitler, well aware of the dimension of the threat Germany posed. Living in France with her husband at the start of World War II, Wake became a courier for the French Resistance. Among the Gestapos Most Wanted Spies, she was in constant danger, having her phone tapped and her mail read. Nazi Germany eventually put a five million franc price on the head of the woman they called the White Mouse. When her network was uncovered, Wake fled. Forced to leave her husband behind, the Gestapo tortured him to death trying to obtain her location. She was briefly arrested but released and, after six attempts, fled to England where she joined the SOE. In 1944 Wake parachuted back into France to assist the Maquis, where she participated in training highly effective Resistance troops. She once bicycled 100 miles through German checkpoints to replace a lost code and was reputed to have killed a German soldier with her bare hands to save others. After the war she was awarded the Croix de Guerre three times, the George Medal, the Mà ©daille de la Rà ©sistance, and the American Medal of Freedom for her undercover achievements. Afterword These are only a few of the women who served as spies in the two great world wars. Many took their secrets to the grave and were known only to their contacts. They were military women, journalists, cooks, actresses, and ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times. Their stories demonstrate that they were ordinary women of extraordinary courage and inventiveness who helped to change the world with their work. Women have played this role in many wars over the ages, but we are fortunate to have records of quite a few of those women who worked undercover in World War I and World War II, and we are all honored by their accomplishments. Sources and Further Reading The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of Americas Greatest Female Spy  by Judith L. Pearson, The Lyons Press (2005).Sisterhood of Spies  by Elizabeth P. McIntosh, published by the Naval Institute Press.Young, Brave Beautiful: Violette Szabo GC  by Tania Szabo.

Nissan Altima Electric Mode Hybrid Car Question

Hello Christine and Scott, I was very relieved to find your pages under About.com and find out I could email you. A few weeks ago we purchased a 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid and recently we noticed something that has us worried: the gasoline engine kicks on a few seconds after starting the car and while the car is still in PARK. It stays on EV MODE for only the first few seconds. This is not what we expected! We thought (from research) that the high voltage battery would have total control at startup, low speeds, and when not moving (at a stop sign /red light). In other words, NO GASOLINE being used at these times. EV MODE the whole time! We also observed: 1. After we shift to D, DRIVE, it happens again every time the vehicle comes to a full stop while at a stop sign or red light and were not moving for more than a few seconds. 2. The engine stays on for at least a minute and then shuts off, EV MODE resumes and all is quiet until I start moving and accelerating. 3. This behavior seems to happen when the engine is cold, in other words, when it hasnt been used for hours (e.g. first drive in the morning) and keeps happening for about 1/2 hour or so during that first drive. After 1/2 hour or so, this stops happening. In other words, the EV MODE sign comes on and STAYS ON the whole time the car is stopped (idle) at a stop sign/red traffic light or while the car is in PARK but still on. This is what we thought would ALWAYS happen! 4. There is one exception to what I just said in item 3 above. Today for the first time, while at a red light, and after the car went into EV MODE, the engine kicked on even though I had just driven the car for at least one hour at high speeds on highway. Is something wrong with my car? I noticed on your website that you own your own 2008 Nissan Hybrid. Please tell me whats happening with yours. At first my husband thought that this was due to the cold weather (under 40 degrees). But today, the temperature was at 48 degrees and it still didnt stay in EV MODE at startup. Please help. I am afraid this might be a defective car. Dora PS. Yesterday I drove the car to the dealer and the salesperson that sold us the car told us that he has seen it happen before and that it is normal. He even had me drive another hybrid (2007) that had not been sold yet and sure enough, seconds after the car started, the EV MODE signal disappeared and the engine started EVEN THOUGH I was still in park mode. I dont know whether to believe him or not. I also dont find any info on manual to either identify this behavior as normal or not normal. Hey Dora, Thanks for writing - good questions. We understand your concerns. No worries – it sounds as if your 2008 Altima Hybrid is working perfectly normally. Your husband is right - it does have a lot to do with the cold temperatures, and there actually are several conditions that will make the engine on your car run, regardless of your input. They are: State of battery charge Temperature of the engine and hybrid components Ambient air temperature When you start the car, it will usually start the engine after just a few seconds, even if its been only a few hours since youve last driven it. The computer does this automatically to warm the engine, hybrid battery and associated hybrid components. Under mild weather conditions, the engine should shut off after just a few minutes, but when it’s colder out, it could take substantially longer—it also depends upon the amount of charge left in the hybrid battery. If it’s on the low side, the engine may continue running to charge the battery up to full capacity. Also, and this is especially true in the winter (and if you are using the heater and/or the defroster a lot), the engine will run longer. The engine has to run to warm the cabin—and the higher you have the heat set (and the longer it’s on), the more the engine will run. If you have electrically heated seats, using those can help minimize the need to heat the cabin air as much, thus minimizing t he engine running time also. Even if you are stopped for a minute or more at a traffic light and the car is in EV mode, if any of these conditions come up (low battery, car needing heat), the engine will start. Again, all of this is normal. You’ll notice as we get into spring and early summer (and you won’t be needing the heat/defroster as much), everything will come up to operating temperature quicker and the Altima Hybrid will stay in EV mode much longer. In the summertime when it gets really hot and you’re using the AC a lot, you could notice that it runs the engine more. The AC compressor runs off electricity, so you may find the engine kicks on more often to keep the battery charged. Just bear in mind that this is a hybrid electric car and is reliant upon the gasoline engine to keep the entire system up and running. Even though you can drive in electric mode, it’s still more of an assistant than a main power source. Your Altima uses Toyota’s Synergy Drive System—in our opinion, it is the best one available. As you get used to this car, we bet you’ll not only be able to maximize the EV mode driving (and fuel economy), but come to love it as well. For your reference, here’s an article we wrote about hybrids and cold temps, and some info about obtaining the best mileage from your hybrid via hypermiling. (Yep, Scott hypermiled in the Altima Hybrid—look what it can do. Thanks for visiting our site and writing—please feel free to let us know if you have any more questions. Best regards, Christine Scott

What Is Denatured Alcohol

Denatured alcohol is ethanol (ethyl alcohol) made unfit for human consumption by adding one or more chemicals (denaturants) to it. Denaturing refers to removing a property from the alcohol (being able to drink it), not to chemically altering or decomposing it, so denatured alcohol contains ordinary ethyl alcohol. Why Is Alcohol Denatured? Why take a pure product and make it toxic? Basically, its because alcohol is regulated and taxed by many governments. Pure alcohol, if it was used in household products, would offer a much less expensive and readily available source of ethanol for drinking.  If alcohol wasnt denatured, people would drink it. What Denatured Alcohol Looks Like In some countries,  denatured alcohol must be colored blue or purple using an aniline dye, in order to distinguish it from consumption-grade ethanol. In the United States, for example, denatured alcohol need not be colored, so you cant tell whether alcohol is pure or not simply by looking at it. What Happens If You Drink Denatured Alcohol? Short answer: nothing good! In addition to the effects  of  the alcohol, youd experience effects from the other chemicals in the mixture. The exact nature of the effects depends on the denaturing agent. If methanol is the agent, possible effects include nervous system and other organ damage, increased risk of cancer, and possibly death. Other denaturing agents carry risks, plus many products also contain perfumes and dyes not intended for human consumption. Some of these toxic compounds can be removed by distilling the alcohol, but others have boiling points close enough to ethanol that its unlikely an inexperienced distiller could remove them to the point where the product would be safe for human consumption. However, the distillation  of a fragrance-free, dye-free product might be a viable option if alcohol is to be used  in  laboratory situations. Denatured Alcohol Chemical Composition There are hundreds of ways ethanol is denatured. Denatured alcohol that is intended for use as a fuel or solvent typically contains 5% or more methanol. Methanol is flammable and has a  boiling point close  to that of ethanol. Methanol is absorbed through the skin and is highly toxic, so you really shouldnt  use denatured alcohol for making perfume or bath products.   Examples of Products Containing Denatured Alcohol Youll find denatured alcohol in reagent alcohol for use in labs,  hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, and fuel for alcohol lamps. Its also found in cosmetics and other personal care products. Denatured Alcohol for Cosmetics and Labs Denatured alcohol for use in cosmetics often contains water and a bittering agent (Bitrex or Aversion which are denatonium benzoate or denatonium saccharide), but other chemicals are sometimes used. Other common additives include (but are not limited to) isopropanol, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, pyridine, benzene, diethyl phthalate, and naphtha. Now that you know about denatured alcohol, you may be interested in learning about the  ingredients in rubbing alcohol  or  how you can purify alcohol  yourself using the simple process of distillation.

An Article From The Claremont Institute Recovering The...

This is a critique of an article from the Claremont Institute Recovering the American Idea, A Golf Story, By: Thomas D. Klingenstein, Posted: April 17, 2011, this article appeared in: Vol. XI, Numbers 1 2 - Winter/Spring 2010/11. Barry Mills, the president of Bowdoin College, in his assembly address raised an imperative worry, he said, various parents are unwilling to send their kids to Bowdoin or to its sister schools in light of the fact that they are seen to be excessively liberal, and too withdrawn with standard America. To do this he recounted a golf anecdote about the article s writer. The article’s writer defends himself against statements he says he never said. The writer according to Mills states, I would never support†¦show more content†¦In general, he took Mill s golf story to be a withdrawal of his expressed longing to expand the differing qualities of perspectives on grounds. Expressing that Mills continued in this withdrawing manner all through his loc ation: first saying that the absence of assorted qualities of perspectives on grounds is an issue, then actually presuming that it wasn t generally an issue all things considered. The author points out that Mill’s admits that Bowdoin is a liberal school, and that they need more diversity however the author does not think Mills has an answer to the problem pointing out more contradictions that Mr. Mills makes. The author then empowers Mills and the Bowdoin family to consider important their objective of expanding the assorted qualities of perspectives on grounds. The writer’s fundamental purpose of this article was that Mills doesn t have the response to the absence of scholarly assorted qualities at Bowdoin. The writer contended that there was insufficient celebration of our regular American personality. He contended against ideological consistency, on the grounds that it deprived students of the intellectual diversity for the advancement of critical thinking. He contends that Bowdoin has various courses that deal with some group aspect of America, yet for all intents and purposes none that deals with America all in all. That the school concentrates on social or social history that takes a gander at the world through theShow MoreRelatedProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 Pagesleadership. His research and consulting activities focus on project management. He has published numerous articles on matrix management, product development, and project partnering. He has been honored with teaching awards from both the Oregon State University MBA program and the University of Oregon Executive MBA program. He has been a member of the Portland, Oregon, chapter of the Project Management Institute since 1984. In 1995 he worked as a Fulbright scholar with faculty at the Krakow Academy of Economics

Chapter 11 The Firebolt Free Essays

Harry didn’t have a very clear idea of how he had managed to get back into the Honeydukes cellar, through the tunnel, and into the castle once more. All he knew was that the return trip seemed to take no time at all, and that he hardly noticed what he was doing, because his head was still pounding with the conversation he had just heard. Why had nobody ever told him? Dumbledore, Hagrid, Mr. We will write a custom essay sample on Chapter 11 The Firebolt or any similar topic only for you Order Now Weasley, Cornelius Fudge†¦why hadn’t anyone ever mentioned the fact that Harry’s parents had died because their best friend had betrayed them? Ron and Hermione watched Harry nervously all through dinner, not daring to talk about what they’d overheard, because Percy was sitting close by them. When they went upstairs to the crowded common room, it was to find Fred and George had set off half a dozen Dungbombs in a fit of end-of-term high spirits. Harry, who didn’t want Fred and George asking him whether he’d reached Hogsmeade or not, sneaked quietly up to the empty dormitory and headed straight for his bedside cabinet. He pushed his books aside and quickly found what he was looking for — the leather-bound photo album Hagrid had given him two years ago, which was full of wizard pictures of his mother and father. He sat down on his bed, drew the hangings around him, and started turning the pages, searching, until †¦ He stopped on a picture of his parents’ wedding day. There was his father waving up at him, beaming, the untidy black hair Harry had inherited standing up in all directions. There was his mother, alight with happiness, arm in arm with his dad. And there†¦that must be him. Their best man†¦Harry had never given him a thought before. If he hadn’t known it was the same person, he would never have guessed it was Black in this old photograph. His face wasn’t sunken and waxy, but handsome, full of laughter. Had he already been working for Voldemort when this picture had been taken? Was he already planning the deaths of the two people next to him? Did he realize he was facing twelve years in Azkaban, twelve years that would make him unrecognizable? But the Dementors don’t affect him, Harry thought, staring into the handsome, laughing face. He doesn’t have to hear my Mum screaming if they get too close — Harry slammed the album shut, reached over and stuffed it back into his cabinet, took off his robe and glasses and got into bed, making sure the hangings were hiding him from view. The dormitory door opened. â€Å"Harry?† said Ron’s voice uncertainly. But Harry lay still, pretending to be asleep. He heard Ron leave again, and rolled over on his back, his eyes wide open. A hatred such as he had never known before was coursing through Harry like poison. He could see Black laughing at him through the darkness, as though somebody had pasted the picture from the album over his eyes. He watched, as though somebody was playing him a piece of film, Sirius Black blasting Peter Pettigrew (who resembled Neville Longbottom) into a thousand pieces. He could hear (though having no idea what Black’s voice might sound like) a low, excited mutter. â€Å"It has happened, My Lord†¦the Potters have made me their Secret-Keeper† and then came another voice, laughing shrilly, the same laugh that Harry heard inside his head whenever the Dementors drew near†¦. â€Å"Harry, you — you look terrible.† Harry hadn’t gotten to sleep until daybreak. He had awoken to find the dormitory deserted, dressed, and gone down the spiral staircase to a common room that was completely empty except for Ron, who was eating a Peppermint Toad and massaging his stomach, and Hermione, who had spread her homework over three tables. â€Å"Where is everyone?† said Harry. â€Å"Gone! It’s the first day of the holidays, remember?† said Ron, watching Harry closely. â€Å"It’s nearly lunchtime; I was going to come and wake you up in a minute.† Harry slumped into a chair next to the fire. Snow was still falling outside the windows. Crookshanks was spread out in front of the fire like a large, ginger rug. â€Å"You really don’t look well, you know,† Hermione said, peering anxiously into his face. â€Å"I’m fine,† said Harry. â€Å"Harry, listen,† said Hermione, exchanging a look with Ron, â€Å"you must be really upset about what we heard yesterday. But the thing is, you mustn’t go doing anything stupid.† â€Å"Like what?† said Harry. â€Å"Like trying to go after Black,† said Ron sharply. Harry could tell they had rehearsed this conversation while he had been asleep. He didn’t say anything. â€Å"You won’t, will you, Harry?† said Hermione. â€Å"Because Black’s not worth dying for,† said Ron. Harry looked at them. They didn’t seem to understand at all. â€Å"D’you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me?† Ron and Hermione shook their heads, looking apprehensive. â€Å"I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you’d heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn’t forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her –â€Å" â€Å"There’s nothing you can do!† said Hermione, looking stricken. â€Å"The Dementors will catch Black and he’ll go back to Azkaban and — and serve him right!† â€Å"You heard what Fudge said. Black isn’t affected by Azkaban like normal people are. It’s not a punishment for him like it is for the others.† â€Å"So what are you saying?† said Ron, looking very tense. â€Å"You want to — to kill Black or something?† â€Å"Don’t be silly,† said Hermione in a panicky voice. â€Å"Harry doesn’t want to kill anyone, do you, Harry?† Again, Harry didn’t answer. He didn’t know what he wanted to do. All he knew was that the idea of doing nothing, while Black was at liberty, was almost more than he could stand. â€Å"Malfoy knows,† he said abruptly. â€Å"Remember what he said to me in Potions? ‘If it was me, I’d hunt him down myself†¦I’d want revenge.'† â€Å"You’re going to take Malfoy’s advice instead of ours?† said Ron furiously. â€Å"Listen†¦you know what Pettigrew’s mother got back after Black had finished with him? Dad told me — the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Pettigrew’s finger in a box. That was the biggest bit of him they could find. Black’s a madman, Harry, and he’s dangerous –â€Å" â€Å"Malfoy’s dad must have told him,† said Harry, ignoring Ron. â€Å"He was right in Voldemort’s inner circle –â€Å" â€Å"Say You-Know-Who, will you?† interjected Ron angrily. â€Å"– so obviously, the Malfoys knew Black was working for Voldemort –â€Å" â€Å"– and Malfoy’d love to see you blown into about a million pieces, like Pettigrew! Get a grip. Malfoy’s just hoping you’ll get yourself killed before he has to play you at Quidditch.† â€Å"Harry, please,† said Hermione, her eyes now shining with tears, â€Å"Please be sensible. Black did a terrible, terrible thing, but d-don’t put yourself in danger, it’s what Black wants†¦Oh, Harry, you’d be playing right into Black’s hands if you went looking for him. Your mum and dad wouldn’t want you to get hurt, would they? They’d never want you to go looking for Black!† â€Å"I’ll never know what they’d have wanted, because thanks to Black, I’ve never spoken to them,† said Harry shortly. There was a silence in which Crookshanks stretched luxuriously flexing his claws. Ron’s pocket quivered. â€Å"Look,† said Ron, obviously casting around for a change of subject, â€Å"it’s the holidays! It’s nearly Christmas! Let’s — let’s go down and see Hagrid. We haven’t visited him for ages!† â€Å"No!† said Hermione quickly. â€Å"Harry isn’t supposed to leave the castle, Ron –â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, let’s go,† said Harry, sitting up, â€Å"and I can ask him how come he never mentioned Black when he told me all about my parents!† Further discussion of Sirius Black plainly wasn’t what Ron had had in mind. â€Å"Or we could have a game of chess,† he said hastily, â€Å"or Gobstones. Percy left a set –â€Å" â€Å"No, let’s visit Hagrid,† said Harry firmly. So they got their cloaks from their dormitories and set off through the portrait hole (â€Å"Stand and fight, you yellow-bellied mongrels!†), down through the empty castle and out through the oak front doors. They made their way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the glittering, powdery snow, their socks and the hems of their cloaks soaked and freezing. The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been enchanted, each tree smattered with silver, and Hagrid’s cabin looked like an iced cake. Ron knocked, but there was no answer. â€Å"He’s not out, is he?† said Hermione, who was shivering under her cloak. Ron had his ear to the door. â€Å"There’s a weird noise,† he said. â€Å"Listen — is that Fang?† Harry and Hermione put their ears to the door too. From inside the cabin came a series of low, throbbing moans. â€Å"Think we’d better go and get someone?† said Ron nervously. â€Å"Hagrid!† called Harry, thumping the door. â€Å"Hagrid, are you in there?† There was a sound of heavy footsteps, then the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes red and swollen, tears splashing down the front of his leather vest. â€Å"You’ve heard?† he bellowed, and he flung himself onto Harry’s neck. Hagrid being at least twice the size of a normal man, this was no laughing matter. Harry, about to collapse under Hagrid’s weight, was rescued by Ron and Hermione, who each seized Hagrid under an arm and heaved him back into the cabin. Hagrid allowed himself to be steered into a chair and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, his face glazed with tears that dripped down into his tangled beard. â€Å"Hagrid, what is it?† said Hermione, aghast. Harry spotted an official-looking letter lying open on the table. â€Å"What’s this, Hagrid?† Hagrid’s sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter toward Harry, who picked it up and read aloud: Dear Mr. Hagrid, Further to our inquiry into the attack by a Hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident. â€Å"Well, that’s okay then, Hagrid!† said Ron, clapping Hagrid on the shoulder. But Hagrid continued to sob, and waved one of his gigantic hands, inviting Harry to read on. However, we must register our concern about the Hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your Hippogriff at the Committee’s offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the Hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated. Yours in fellowship †¦ There followed a list of the school governors. â€Å"Oh,† said Ron. â€Å"But you said Buckbeak isn’t a bad Hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he’ll get off.† â€Å"Yeh don’ know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o’ Dangerous Creatures!† choked Hagrid, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. â€Å"They’ve got it in fer interestin’ creatures!† A sudden sound from the corner of Hagrid’s cabin made Harry, Ron, and Hermione whip around. Buckbeak the Hippogriff was lying in the corner, chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor. â€Å"I couldn’ leave him tied up out there in the snow!† choked Hagrid. â€Å"All on his own! At Christmas.† Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another. They had never seen eye to eye with Hagrid about what he called ‘interesting creatures’ and other people called ‘terrifying monsters.’ On the other hand, there didn’t seem to be any particular harm in Buckbeak. In fact, by Hagrid’s usual standards, he was positively cute. â€Å"You’ll have to put up a good strong defense, Hagrid,† said Hermione, sitting down and laying a hand on Hagrid’s massive forearm. â€Å"I’m sure you can prove Buckbeak is safe.† â€Å"Won’ make no diff’rence!† sobbed Hagrid. â€Å"Them Disposal devils, they’re all in Lucius Malfoy’s pocket! Scared o’ him! Ad if I lose the case, Buckbeak –â€Å" Hagrid drew his finger swiftly across his throat, then gave a great wail and lurched forward, his face in his arms. â€Å"What about Dumbledore, Hagrid?† said Harry. â€Å"He’s done more’n enough fer me already,† groaned Hagrid. â€Å"Got enough on his plate what with keepin’ them Dementors outta the castle, an’ Sirius Black lurkin’ around.† Ron and Hermione looked quickly at Harry, as though expecting him to start berating Hagrid for not telling him the truth about Black. But Harry couldn’t bring himself to do it, not now that he saw Hagrid so miserable and scared. â€Å"Listen, Hagrid,† he said, â€Å"you can’t give up. Hermione’s right, You just need a good defense. You can call us as witnesses –â€Å" â€Å"I’m sure I’ve read about a case of Hippogriff-baiting,† said Hermione thoughtfully, â€Å"where the Hippogriff got off. I’ll look it up for you, Hagrid, and see exactly what happened.† Hagrid howled still more loudly. Harry and Hermione looked at Ron to help them. â€Å"Er — shall I make a cup of tea?† said Ron. Harry stared at him. â€Å"It’s what my mum does whenever someone’s upset,† Ron muttered, shrugging. At last, after many more assurances of help, with a steaming mug of tea in front of him, Hagrid blew his nose on a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth and said, â€Å"Yer right. I can’ afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull meself together†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Fang the boarhound came timidly out from under the table and laid his head on Hagrid’s knee. â€Å"I’ve not bin meself lately,† said Hagrid, stroking Fang with one hand and mopping his face with the other. â€Å"Worried abou’ Buckbeak, an’ no one likin’ me classes –â€Å" â€Å"We do like them!† lied Hermione at once. â€Å"Yeah, they’re great!† said Ron, crossing his fingers under the table. â€Å"Er — how are the flobberworms?† â€Å"Dead,† said Hagrid gloomily. â€Å"Too much lettuce.† â€Å"Oh no!† said Ron, his lip twitching. â€Å"An’ them Dementors make me feel ruddy terrible an’ all,† said Hagrid, with a sudden shudder. â€Å"Gotta walk past ’em ev’ry time I want a drink in the Three Broomsticks. ‘S like bein’ back in Azkaban –â€Å" He fell silent, gulping his tea. Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched him breathlessly. They had never heard Hagrid talk about his brief spell in Azkaban before. After a pause, Hermione said timidly, â€Å"Is it awful in there, Hagrid?† â€Å"Yeh’ve no idea,† said Hagrid quietly. â€Å"Never bin anywhere like it. Thought I was goin’ mad. Kep’ goin’ over horrible stuff in me mind†¦the day I got expelled from Hogwarts†¦day me dad died†¦day I had ter let Norbert go †¦Ã¢â‚¬  His eyes filled with tears. Norbert was the baby dragon Hagrid had once won in a game of cards. â€Å"Yeh can’ really remember who yeh are after a while. An’ yeh can’ really see the point o’ livin’ at all. I used ter hope I’d jus’ die in me sleep. When they let me out, it was like bein’ born again, ev’rythin’ came floodin’ back, it was the bes’ feelin’ in the world. Mind, the Dementors weren’t keen on lettin’ me go.† â€Å"But you were innocent!† said Hermione. Hagrid snorted. â€Å"Think that matters to them? They don’ care. Long as they’ve got a couple o’ hundred humans stuck there with ’em, so they can leech all the happiness out of ’em, they don’ give a damn who’s guilty an’ who’s not.† Hagrid went quiet for a moment, staring into his tea. Then he said quietly, â€Å"Thought o’ jus’ letting Buckbeak go †¦tryin’ ter make him fly away†¦but how d’yeh explain ter a Hippogriff it’s gotta go inter hidin’? An’ — an’ I’m scared o’ breakin’ the law†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked up at them, tears leaking down his face again. â€Å"I don’ ever want ter go back ter Azkaban.† ****** The trip to Hagrid’s, though far from fun, had nevertheless had the effect Ron and Hermione had hoped. Though Harry had by no means forgotten about Black, he couldn’t brood constantly on revenge if he wanted to help Hagrid win his case against the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. He, Ron, and Hermione went to the library the next day and returned to the empty common room laden with books that might help prepare a defense for Buckbeak. The three of them sat in front of the roaring fire, slowly turning the pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they ran across something relevant. â€Å"Here’s something†¦there was a case in 1722†¦but the Hippogriff was convicted — ugh, look what they did to it, that’s disgusting –â€Å" â€Å"This might help, look — a Manticore savaged someone in 1296, and they let the Manticore off — oh — no, that was only because everyone was too scared to go near it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors, and by Christmas Eve, it had grown so strong that even Scabbers poked his nose out of the shelter of Ron’s pocket to sniff hopefully at the air. On Christmas morning, Harry was woken by Ron throwing his pillow at him. â€Å"Oy! Presents!† Harry reached for his glasses and put them on, squinting through the semi-darkness to the foot of his bed, where a small heap of parcels had appeared. Ron was already ripping the paper off his own presents. â€Å"Another sweater from Mum†¦maroon again†¦see if you’ve got one.† Harry had. Mrs. Weasley had sent him a scarlet sweater with the Gryffindor lion knitted on the front, also a dozen home-baked mince pies, some Christmas cake, and a box of nut brittle. As he moved all these things aside, he saw a long, thin package lying underneath. â€Å"What’s that?† said Ron, looking over, a freshly unwrapped pair of maroon socks in his hand. â€Å"Dunno†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry ripped the parcel open and gasped as a magnificent, gleaming broomstick rolled out onto his bedspread. Ron dropped his socks and jumped off his bed for a closer look. â€Å"I don’t believe it,† he said hoarsely. It was a Firebolt, identical to the dream broom Harry had gone to see every day in Diagon Alley. Its handle glittered as he picked it up. He could feel it vibrating and let go; it hung in midair, unsupported, at exactly the right height for him to mount it. His eyes moved from the golden registration number at the top of the handle, right down to the perfectly smooth, streamlined birch twigs that made up the tail. â€Å"Who sent it to you?† said Ron in a hushed voice. â€Å"Look and see if there’s a card,† said Harry. Ron ripped apart the Firebolt’s wrappings. â€Å"Nothing! Blimey, who’d spend that much on you?† â€Å"Well,† said Harry, feeling stunned, â€Å"I’m betting it wasn’t the Dursleys.† â€Å"I bet it was Dumbledore,† said Ron, now walking around and around the Firebolt, taking in every glorious inch. â€Å"He sent you the Invisibility Cloak anonymously†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That was my dad’s, though,† said Harry. â€Å"Dumbledore was just passing it on to me. He wouldn’t spend hundreds of Galleons on me. He can’t go giving students stuff like this –â€Å" â€Å"That’s why he wouldn’t say it was from him!† said Ron. â€Å"In case some git like Malfoy said it was favoritism. Hey, Harry –† Ron gave a great whoop of laughter — â€Å"Malfoy! Wait ’til he sees you on this! He’ll be sick as a pig! This is an international standard broom, this is!† â€Å"I can’t believe this,† Harry muttered, running a hand along the Firebolt, while Ron sank onto Harry’s bed, laughing his head off at the thought of Malfoy. â€Å"Who–?† â€Å"I know,† said Ron, controlling himself, â€Å"I know who it could’ve been — Lupin!† â€Å"What?† said Harry, now starting to laugh himself â€Å"Lupin? Listen, if he had this much gold, he’d be able to buy himself some new robes.† â€Å"Yeah, but he likes you,† said Ron. â€Å"And he was away when your Nimbus got smashed, and he might’ve heard about it and decided to visit Diagon Alley and get this for you –â€Å" â€Å"What d’you mean, he was away?† said Harry. â€Å"He was ill when I was playing in that match.† â€Å"Well, he wasn’t in the hospital wing,† said Ron. â€Å"I was there, cleaning out the bedpans on that detention from Snape, remember?† Harry frowned at Ron. â€Å"I can’t see Lupin affording something like this.† â€Å"What’re you two laughing about?† Hermione had just come in, wearing her dressing gown and carrying Crookshanks, who was looking very grumpy, with a string of tinsel tied around his neck. â€Å"Don’t bring him in here!† said Ron, hurriedly snatching Scabbers from the depths of his bed and stowing him in his pajama pocket. But Hermione wasn’t listening. She dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus’s empty bed and stared, open-mouthed, at the Firebolt. â€Å"Oh, Harry! Who sent you that?† â€Å"No idea,† said Harry. â€Å"There wasn’t a card or anything with it.† To his great surprise, Hermione did not appear either excited or intrigued by the news. On the contrary, her face fell, and she bit her lip. â€Å"What’s the matter with you?† said Ron. â€Å"I don’t know,† said Hermione slowly, â€Å"but it’s a bit odd, isn’t it? I mean, this is supposed to be quite a good broom, isn’t it?† Ron sighed exasperatedly. â€Å"It’s the best broom there is, Hermione,† he said. â€Å"So it must’ve been really expensive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Probably cost more than all the Slytherins’ brooms put together,† said Ron happily. â€Å"Well†¦who’d send Harry something as expensive as that, and not even tell him they’d sent it?† said Hermione. â€Å"Who cares?† said Ron impatiently. â€Å"Listen, Harry, can I have a go on it? Can I?† â€Å"I don’t think anyone should ride that broom just yet!† said Hermione shrilly. Harry and Ron looked at her. â€Å"What d’you think Harry’s going to do with it — sweep the floor?† said Ron. But before Hermione could answer, Crookshanks sprang from Seamus’s bed, right at Ron’s chest. â€Å"GET — HIM — OUT — OF — HERE!† Ron bellowed as Crookshanks’s claws ripped his pajamas and Scabbers attempted a wild escape over his shoulder. Ron seized Scabbers by the tail and aimed a misjudged kick at Crookshanks that hit the trunk at the end of Harry’s bed, knocking it over and causing Ron to hop up and down, howling with pain. Crookshanks’s fur suddenly stood on end. A shrill, tinny, whistling was filling the room. The Pocket Sneakoscope had become dislodged from Uncle Vernon’s old socks and was whirling and gleaming on the floor. â€Å"I forgot about that!† Harry said, bending down and picking up the Sneakoscope. â€Å"I never wear those socks if I can help it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Sneakoscope whirled and whistled in his palm. Crookshanks was hissing and spitting at it. â€Å"You’d better take that cat out of here, Hermione,† said Ron furiously, sitting on Harry’s bed nursing his toe. â€Å"Can’t you shut that thing up?† he added to Harry as Hermione strode out of the room, Crookshanks’s yellow eyes still fixed maliciously on Ron. Harry stuffed the Sneakoscope back inside the socks and threw it back into his trunk. All that could be heard now were Ron’s stifled moans of pain and rage. Scabbers was huddled in Ron’s hands. It had been a while since Harry had seen him out of Ron’s pocket, and he was unpleasantly surprised to see that Scabbers, once so fat, was now very skinny; patches of fur seemed to have fallen out too. â€Å"He’s not looking too good, is he?† Harry said. â€Å"It’s stress!† said Ron. â€Å"He’d be fine if that big stupid furball left him alone!† But Harry, remembering what the woman at the Magical Menagerie had said about rats living only three years, couldn’t help feeling that unless Scabbers had powers he had never revealed, he was reaching the end of his life. And despite Ron’s frequent complaints that Scabbers was both boring and useless, he was sure Ron would be very miserable if Scabbers died. Christmas spirit was definitely thin on the ground in the Gryffindor common room that morning. Hermione had shut Crookshanks in her dormitory, but was furious with Ron for trying to kick him; Ron was still fuming about Crookshanks’s fresh attempt to eat Scabbers. Harry gave up trying to make them talk to each other and devoted himself to examining the Firebolt, which he had brought down to the common room with him. For some reason this seemed to annoy Hermione as well; she didn’t say anything, but she kept looking darkly at the broom as though it too had been criticizing her cat. At lunchtime they went down to the Great Hall, to find that the House tables had been moved against the walls again, and that a single table, set for twelve, stood in the middle of the room. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick were there, along with Filch, the caretaker, who had taken off his usual brown coat and was wearing a very old and rather moldy-looking tailcoat. There were only three other students, two extremely nervous-looking first years and a sullen-faced Slytherin fifth year. â€Å"Merry Christmas!† said Dumbledore as Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached the table. â€Å"As there are so few of us, it seemed foolish to use the House tables†¦Sit down, sit down!† Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down side by side at the end of the table. â€Å"Crackers!† said Dumbledore enthusiastically, offering the end of a large silver noisemaker to Snape, who took it reluctantly and tugged. With a bang like a gunshot, the cracker flew apart to reveal a large, pointed witches hat topped with a stuffed vulture. Harry, remembering the Boggart, caught Ron’s eye and they both grinned; Snape’s mouth thinned and he pushed the hat toward Dumbledore, who swapped it for his wizard’s hat at once. â€Å"Dig in!† he advised the table, beaming around. As Harry was helping himself to roast potatoes, the doors of the Great Hall opened again. It was Professor Trelawney, gliding toward them as though on wheels. She had put on a green sequined dress in honor of the occasion, making her look more than ever like a glittering, oversized dragonfly. â€Å"Sibyll, this is a pleasant surprise!† said Dumbledore, standing up. â€Å"I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster,† said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest, most faraway voice, â€Å"and to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate? I at once hastened from my tower, and I do beg you to forgive my lateness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Certainly, certainly,† said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. â€Å"Let me draw you up a chair –â€Å" And he did indeed draw a chair in midair with his wand, which revolved for a few seconds before falling with a thud between Professors Snape and McGonagall. Professor Trelawney, however, did not sit down; her enormous eyes had been roving around the table, and she suddenly uttered a kind of soft scream. â€Å"I dare not, Headmaster! If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!† â€Å"We’ll risk it, Sibyll,† said Professor McGonagall impatiently. â€Å"Do sit down, the turkey’s getting stone cold.† Professor Trelawney hesitated, then lowered herself into the empty chair, eyes shut and mouth clenched tight, as though expecting a thunderbolt to hit the table. Professor McGonagall poked a large spoon into the nearest tureen. â€Å"Tripe, Sibyll?† Professor Trelawney ignored her. Eyes open again, she looked around once more and said, â€Å"But where is dear Professor Lupin?† â€Å"I’m afraid the poor fellow is ill again,† said Dumbledore, indicating that everybody should start serving themselves. â€Å"Most unfortunate that it should happen on Christmas Day.† â€Å"But surely you already knew that, Sibyll?† said Professor McGonagall, her eyebrows raised. Professor Trelawney gave Professor McGonagall a very cold look. â€Å"Certainly I knew, Minerva,† she said quietly. â€Å"But one does not parade the fact that one is All-Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, so as not to make others nervous.† â€Å"That explains a great deal,† said Professor McGonagall tartly. Professor Trelawney’s voice suddenly became a good deal less misty. â€Å"If you must know, Minerva, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware, himself, that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him –â€Å" â€Å"Imagine that,† said Professor McGonagall dryly. â€Å"I doubt,† said Dumbledore, in a cheerful but slightly raised voice, which put an end to Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawney’s conversation, â€Å"that Professor Lupin is in any immediate danger. Severus, you’ve made the potion for him again?† â€Å"Yes, Headmaster,† said Snape. â€Å"Good,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"Then he should be up and about in no time†¦Derek, have you had any of the chipolatas? They’re excellent.† The first-year boy went furiously red on being addressed directly by Dumbledore, and took the platter of sausages with trembling hands. Professor Trelawney behaved almost normally until the very end of Christmas dinner, two hours later. Full to bursting with Christmas dinner and still wearing their cracker hats, Harry and Ron got up first from the table and she shrieked loudly. â€Å"My dears! Which of you left his seat first? Which?† â€Å"Dunno,† said Ron, looking uneasily at Harry. â€Å"I doubt it will make much difference,† said Professor McGonagall coldly, â€Å"unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the Entrance Hall.† Even Ron laughed. Professor Trelawney looked highly affronted. â€Å"Coming?† Harry said to Hermione. â€Å"No,† Hermione muttered. â€Å"I want a quick word with Professor McGonagall.† â€Å"Probably trying to see if she can take any more classes,† yawned Ron as they make their way into the Entrance Hall, which was completely devoid of mad axe-men. When they reached the portrait hole they found Sir Cadogan enjoying a Christmas part with a couple of monks, several previous headmasters of Hogwarts and his fat pony. He pushed up his visor toasted them with a flagon of mead. â€Å"Merry — hic — Christmas! Password?† â€Å"Scurvy cur,† said Ron. â€Å"And the same to you, sir! roared Sir Cadogan, as the painting swung forward to admit them. Harry went straight up to the dormitory, collected his Firebolt and the Broomstick Servicing Kit Hermione had given him for his birthday, brought them downstairs and tried to find something to do with the Firebolt; however, there where no bent twigs to clip, and the handle was so shiny already it seemed pointless to polish it. He and Ron simply sat admiring it from every angle, until the portrait hole opened, and Hermione came in, accompanied by Professor McGonagall. Though Professor McGonagall was Head of Gryffindor House, Harry had only seen her in the common room once before, and that had been to make a very grave announcement. He and Ron stared at her, both holding the Firebolt. Hermione walked around them, sat down, picked up the nearest book and hid her face behind it. â€Å"So that’s it, is it?† said Professor McGonagall beadily, walking over to the fireside and staring at the Firebolt. â€Å"Miss Granger has just informed me that you have been sent a broomstick, Potter.† Harry and Ron looked around at Hermione. They could see her forehead reddening over the top of her book, which was upside-down. â€Å"May I?† said Professor McGonagall, but she didn’t wait for an answer before pulling the Firebolt out of their hands. She examined it carefully from handle to twig-ends. â€Å"Hmm. And there was no note at all, Potter? No card? No message of any kind?† â€Å"No,† said Harry blankly. â€Å"I see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"Well, I’m afraid I will have to take this, Potter.† â€Å"W — what?† said Harry, scrambling to his feet. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"It will need to be checked for jinxes,† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"Of course, I’m no expert, but I daresay Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will strip it down –â€Å" â€Å"Strip it down?† repeated Ron, as though Professor McGonagall was mad. â€Å"It shouldn’t take more than a few weeks,† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"You will have it back if we are sure it is jinx-free.† â€Å"There’s nothing wrong with it!† said Harry, his voice shaking slightly. â€Å"Honestly, Professor –â€Å" â€Å"You can’t know that, Potter,† said Professor McGonagall, quite kindly, â€Å"not until you’ve flown it, at any rate, and I’m afraid that is out of the question until we are certain that it has not been tampered with. I shall keep you informed.† Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and carried the Firebolt out of the portrait hole, which closed behind her. Harry stood staring after her, the tin of High-Finish Polish still clutched in his hands. Ron, however, rounded on Hermione. â€Å"What did you go running to McGonagall for?† Hermione threw her book aside. She was still pink in the face, but stood up and faced Ron defiantly. â€Å"Because I thought — and Professor McGonagall agrees with me — that that broom was probably sent to Harry by Sirius Black!† How to cite Chapter 11 The Firebolt, Essay examples

Chile Political Parties And Organizations Essay Example For Students

Chile Political Parties And Organizations Essay Taking a look at Chile’s government and institutions it gives the idea that the average person is represented. Chilean people have a history of strong political ties and many private associations and organizations. This has been helpful in taking care that many interests and needs are expressed within the government. Perhaps even more helpful is the development of many different political parties, whom, for the most part represent many of these organizations and associations in the government. In order to evaluate these institutions a closer look must be taken at each to understand fully the amount of organization that is in place. In the 1990’s Chile had a strong, ideological based multiparty system with a clear division between the parties of the right, center, and left. Traditionally the parties have national in scope penetrating into other more remote regions. Party affiliation had been had served as the organizing concept in many leadership contests in universities and private associations, such as labor unions and professional associations. Political tendencies are passed from generation to generation and constitute an important part of an individual’s identity. By the middle of the twentieth century, each of Chile’s political tendencies represented one-third of the electorate. The left was dominated by the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista) and the Communist Party of Chile (Partido Communista de Chile), the right by the Liberal Party (PartidoLiberal) and the Conservative Party (Partido Conservador), and the center by the anticlerical Radical Party (Partido Radical) which was replac ed as Chile’s dominant party by the Christian Democratic Party (Partido Democrata Cristiano) in the 1960s. The Communist Party of Chile (PPCh) is the oldest and largest communist party in Latin America and one of the most important in the West. Tracing it’s origins to 1912, the party was officially founded in1922 as the successor to the Socialist Workers’ Party. It achieved congressional representation shortly thereafter and played a leading role in the development of the Chilean labor movement. Concern over the party’s success at building a strong electoral base, combined with the onset of the Cold War, led to its being outlawed in 1948, a status it had to endure for almost a decade. However by midcentury it had become a genuine political subculture with its own symbols and organizations and the support of prominent artists and intellectuals. The PPCh’s strong stand against registration of voters and participation in elections alienated many of its own supporters and long-time militants who understood that most of the citizens supported a peaceful return to de mocracy. The dramatic failure of the PCCh’s strategy seriously undermined its credibility and contributed to the growing withdrawal from its ranks. The party was also hurt by the vast structural changes in Chilean society, the decline of traditional manufacturing and extractive industries and the weakening of the labor movement in particular. The collapse of the Soviet Union and its East European allies represented the final blow. The Socialist Party (PS), formally organized in 1933, had its origins in the incipiant labor movement and working-class parties of the earlier twentieth century. The Socialist Party was far more mixed than the PCCh, drawing support from the blue-collar workers a well as intellectuals and members of the middle-class. Throughout most of its history, the Socialist Party suffered from a large number of factions. Resulting from rivalries and fundamental disagreements between leaders advocating revolution and those willing to work within the system. The Socialist Party’s greatest moment was the election of Salvador Allende to the presidency in 1970. Allende represented the moderate wing of a party that had veered sharply to the left. The Socialist Party’s radical orientation contributed to continuous political tension as the president and the PCCh argues for a more gradual approach to change and the Socialists sought to press for immediate conquests for the middle class. Prior to the 1988 election, the Socialists launched the Party for Democracy (Partido por la DemocraciaPPD) in an effort to provide a broad base of opposition to Pinochet. Led by Lagos, an economist and former university administrator, the PPD was supposed to be an instrumental party that would disappear after the defeat of Pinochet. But the partys success in capturing the imagination of many Chileans led Socialist and PPD leaders to keep the party label for the subsequent congressional and municipal elections, working jointly with the Christian Democrats in structuring national lists of candidates. The success of the PPD soon created a serious dilemma for the Socialist Party, which managed to reunite its principal factions the relatively conservative Socialist Party-Almeyda, the moderate Socialist Party-Nez renewalists, and the left-wing Unitary Socialistsat the Social Party congress in December 1990. Previously an instrument of the Socialists, the PPD became a party in its own right, even though many Socialists had dual membership. Although embracing social democratic ideals, PPD leaders appeared more willing to press ahead on other unresolved social issues such as divorce and womens rights, staking out a distinct position as a center-left secular force in Chilean society capable of challenging the Christian Democrats as well as the right on a series of critical issues. As the PPD grew, leaders of the Socialist Party insisted on abolishing dual membership for fear of losing their capacity to enlarge the appeal of the Socialist Party beyond its traditional constituency. By 1993 both parties, working together in a somewhat tense relationship, had comparable levels of popular support in opinion. The Christian Democratic Party (PDC), was formally established in 1957. It adopted its present name after uniting with several other centrist groups. It elected Frei to the Senate while capturing fourteen seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The party polled 20 percent of the vote in the presidential race in 1958, with Frei as standard-bearer. In 1964, with the support of the right, which feared the election of Allende, Frei was elected president on a platform proclaiming a third way between Marxism and capitalism, a form of communitarian socialism of cooperatives and self-managed worker enterprise. In the aftermath of the military regime, the PDC emerged as Chiles largest party, with the support of about 35 percent of the electorate. The PDC had been divided internally by a series of ideo;ogical, generational, and factional rivalries. The PDC, however, retained a commitment to social justices while embracing the fre-market policies instituted by the military government. Although the Ay lwin administration was a coalition government, the PDC secured ten of twenty cabinet seats. In the 1989 elections, the Christian Democrats also obtained the largest number of congressional seats, with fourteen in the Senate and thirty-eight in the Chamber of Deputies. In October 1991, in a major challenge to President Aylwin and the traditional leadership of the party, Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle was elected PDC president, placing him in a privileged position to run for president as the candidate of the CPD. Another party that could be classified as centrist was the Radical Party, whose political importance outweighed its electoral presence. The Radical Party owed its survival as a political force to the binomial electoral law inherited from the military government and the desire of the Christian Democrats to use the Radical Party as a foil against the left. It was to the Christian Democrats advantage to provide relatively more space to the Radicals on the joint lists than to their str onger PPD partners. The Radicals succeeded in electing two senators and five deputies in 1989 and were allotted two out of twenty cabinet ministers, despite polls reporting that they had less than 2 percent support nationally. It remained to be seen if, over the long run, the Radical Party could compete with Chiles other major parties, particularly the PPD, which had moved closest to the Radical Partys traditional position on the political spectrum. In 1965, following the dramatic rise of the Christian Democrats, primarily at their expense, Chiles two traditional right-wing parties, the Liberal Party and Conservative Party, merged into the National Party (Partido NacionalPN). Their traditional disagreements over issues such as the proper role of the Roman Catholic Church in society paled by comparison with the challenge posed by the left to private property and Chiles hierarchical social order. The new party, energized by the presidential candidacy of Jorge Alessandri in 1970, helpe d the right regain some of its lost electoral ground. The National Party won 21.1 percent of the vote in the 1973 congressional elections, the last before the coup. The National Party was at the forefront of the opposition to the Allende government, working closely with elements of the business community. National Party leaders welcomed the coup and, unlike the Christian Democrats, were content to accept the military authorities injunction that parties go into recess. Until 1984 the National Party remained failing, with most of the party leaders concerning themselves with private pursuits or an occasional embassy post. With Pinochets defeat, the National Renewal partys prestige rose considerably. In the aftermath of the plebiscite, National Renewal worked closely with the other opposition parties to propose far-reaching amendments to the constitution. The National Renewal party, however, could not impose its own party president, having to concede the presidential candidacy of the ri ght to the UDIs B?chi. After the 1989 congressional race, the National Renewal party emerged as the dominant party of the right, benefiting strongly from the electoral law and electing six senators and twenty-nine deputies. Its strength in the Senate meant that the Aylwin government had to compromise with the National Renewal party to gain support for key legislative and constitutional measures. The National Renewal party saw much of its support wane in the wake of party scandals involving its most promising presidential candidates. While the RN drew substantial support from rural areas and traditional small businessmen, the UDI appealed to new entrepreneurial elites and middle sectors in Chiles rapidly growing modern sector. The UDI also made inroads in low-income neighborhoods with special programs appealing to the poor, a legacy of the Pinochet regimes urban policy. The assassination of UDI founder Senator Jaime Guzm?n Err?zuriz on April 1, 1991, was a serious blow, depriving the party of its strongest leader. Chileans have a remarkable facility for forming organizations and associations. In contrast to North Americans, however, Chileans usually take a formal approach to creating organizations. In addition to electing a president, a treasurer, a secretary, and perhaps a few officers, they prefer to discuss and approve a statement of purpose and some statutes. This is a ritual even for organizations that need not register legally, obtaining what is called a juridical personality that will enable them to open bank accounts and to buy and sell properties. Observers of Chilean society are rapidly struck by the density of its organizational life and the relatively high degree of continuity of its organizations and associations In any Chilean community of appreciable size can be found sports clubs, mothers clubs, neighborhood associations, parent centers linked to schools, church-related organizations, youth groups, and cultural clubs, as well as Masonic lodges a nd Rotary and Lions clubs. Virtually all of the nations fire fighters are volunteers, with the exception of members of a few fire departments in the largest cities. Government statistics greatly understate the number of community organizations because they refer mainly to those having some contact with one or another state office. According to the official estimate for 1991, there were about 22,000 such organizations, the main ones being sports clubs neighborhood councils, mothers clubs, and parent centers. Government publications do not report membership figures for these organizations. Most of the important urban areas in Chile also include a broad sample of the local chapters of a wide variety of occupational associations. These include labor unions and federations, public employee and health worker organizations, business and employers associations, and professional societies of teachers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, dentists, nurses, social workers, and other occupational group s. Membership in labor unions, which declined significantly under the military government, has been growing rapidly since the late 1980s, a change directly related to the transition to democracy. Affiliation with organizations recognized as unions in labor legislation was officially estimated in 1990 at 606,800, a 20 percent increase over 1989. That figure did not include individuals affiliated with public employee associations (including health workers). But these two groups usually have been closely tied to the labor movement through the national confederations of labor. Thus, about 19 percent of a total labor force of 4,459,600 was linked to unions or union-like associations in 1990. With the continuing increases in union affiliations, which are especially significant in rural areas, a conservative estimate is that the unionized population (in legal as well as de facto organizations) stood in 1992 at between 22 percent and 24 percent of the labor force. The most important union c onfederation, which encompasses the great majority of the nations unions and union-like organizations, is the United Labor Federation (Central ?nica de TrabajadoresCUT). CUT is the heir to a line of top labor confederations that can be traced back through various reorganizations and name changes to at least 1936, and perhaps to 1917. There are numerous business and employer associations in Chile. They collectively claim to speak for about 540,000 proprietors of businesses of all sizes. The most important business organization, the Business and Production Confederation, encompasses some of the very oldest ongoing associations in Chile: the National Agricultural Association, founded in 1838, groups the most important agricultural enterprises, includes large wholesale and retail commercial enterprises; the National Association of Mining, founded in 1883, affiliates the main private mining companies; the Industrial Development Association, founded in 1883, organizes the principal manufa cturing industries; the Association of Banks and Financial Institutions, founded in 1943, is the main banking-industry group; and the Chilean Construction Board, founded in 1951, organizes construction companies. Another important confederation of business groups is the Council of Production, Transport, and Commerce. In contrast to Coproco, this organization groups primarily medium-sized to small businesses, including many self-employed individuals who do not hire nonfamily members on a regular basis. Its main components are the Trade Union Confederation of Business Retailers and Small Industry of Chile, founded in 1938, and the Confederation of Truck Owners of Chile, founded in 1953. Professional societies are also well established. The largest ones, aside from the teachers organization noted previously, are those for lawyers, physicians, and engineers. Affiliation figures for most of the more than thirty professional societies were unavailable, but there are at least 100,000 membe rs in such associations aside from teachers. If these figures are added to those for membership in business groups and unions, it appears that about a third of the labor force is involved in occupationally based associations. The organized groups of Chilean society have long played an important role in the nations political life. The elections in some of themfor example, in major labor federations, among university students, or in the principal professional societies usually have been examined carefully for clues to the strength of the various national political parties. Most of the nations university and professional institute students belong to student federations. The various associations also make their views known to state or congressional officials when issues of policy that affect them are debated. Some associations traditionally have been identified with particular political parties. This was the case, to a greater or lesser extent, with Masons, fire fighters, teachers feder ations, and the Radical Party; union confederations and the parties of the left; employer associations and the parties of the right; the Roman Catholic Church, as well as its related organizations with the Conservative Party; and, in recent decades, the Christian Democratic Party. Many of the most militant party members have also been active in social organizations. In addition, party headquarters in local communities often have served as meeting places for all kinds of activities. The Radical clubs of small towns in the central south are especially active, often sponsoring sports clubs as well as the formation of fire departments. Social organizations did not fare well under the military government. Those that were perceived to be linked, however loosely, to the parties of the left were subjected to sometimes severe repressive measures. This was particularly the case with labor unions, whose activities were suspended for more than six years. They were only permitted to reorganize u nder new legislation beginning in 1979. Moreover, most associations, including those of business groups, were hardly ever consulted on policy matters, and, in the absence of normal democratic channels for exerting influence, they found their opinions and petitions falling on deaf ears. Eventually, the most prominent social organizations joined in voicing their discontent with the military government through what was called the Assembly of Civility (Asamblea de la Civilidad), and their efforts contributed to the defeat of President Augusto Pinochet Ugarte (1973-90) in the 1988 plebiscite. The only organizations that thrived under the military government were the womens aid and mothers clubs, which were supported by government largesse and headed at the national level by Pinochets wife, Luc?a Hiriart. With the return to democracy, social organizations recovered the ability to pressure Congress and the national government. The new government opted for explicit solicitation of the opini ons of important interest associations on some of the policies it was considering. It also fostered negotiations between top labor and business leaders over issues such as labor law reforms, minimum wage and pension levels, and overall wage increases for public employees. These negotiations led to several national agreements between state officials and business and labor leaders, thereby inaugurating a new form of top-level bargaining previously unknown in Chile. Political Issues