Kite Runner by J. D. Sallinger - 1245 Words

The main character of the Kite Runner is an Afghan boy named Amir and his family, including his servants, Hassan and Ali. At the start of the book, Amir and Hassan are about 12 years old and live in a new, wealthier part of Afghanistan because Amir’s father (Baba) is a big business man in Afghanistan, so he is wealthier. Amir is a Pashtun, which means he is a Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara, which means he is a Shia Muslim. This means that the two would’ve been enemies most likely if they had not grown up together from the day they were born (not the same day, of course). Amir repeatedly says that Hassan is his brother because they were both nursed and breast fed by the same women, and that creates a special bond between two boys, even though Amir and Hassan are not biologically related in any way. Amir and Hassan grew up together the way that Baba and Ali (Amir’s father and Hassan’s father respectively) had a generation before them-they were brothe rs no matter the religion or history of violence between the two different groups of Muslims. Amir is literate and can read and write because he is Pashtun, while Ali and Hassan cannot because they are Hazara, so during the summer, spring, and fall months, Amir goes to school and Hassan stays home to do laundry, clean, and do other various chores. During the winter, it is kite flying season. Amir and Hassan used to build their own kites for the kite flying contests, but after they figured out that they weren’t really

The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Two Free Essays

string(26) " will take a bit of time\." Several hours later Grace was sitting in a chair in the corridor outside the dowager’s bedchamber. She was beyond weary and wanted nothing more than to crawl into her own bed, where she was quite certain she would toss and turn and fail to find slumber, despite her exhaustion. But the dowager was so overset, and indeed had rung so many times that Grace had finally given up and dragged the chair to its present location. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the last hour she had brought the dowager (who would not leave her bed) a collection of letters, tucked at the bottom of a locked drawer; a glass of warm milk; a glass of brandy; another miniature of her long-dead son John; a handkerchief that clearly possessed some sort of sentimental value; and another glass of brandy, to replace the one the dowager had knocked over while anxiously directing Grace to fetch the handkerchief. It had been about ten minutes since the last summons. Ten minutes to do nothing but sit and wait in the chair, thinking, thinking†¦ Of the highwayman. Of his kiss. Of Thomas, the current Duke of Wyndham. Whom she considered a friend. Of the dowager’s long-dead middle son, and the man who apparently bore his likeness. And his name. His name. Grace took a long, uneasy breath. His name. Good God. She had not told the dowager this. She had stood motionless in the middle of the road, watching the highwayman ride off in the light of the partial moon. And then, finally, when she thought her legs might actually function, she set about getting them home. There was the footman to untie, and the coachman to tend to, and as for the dowager – she was so clearly upset that she did not even whisper a complaint when Grace put the injured coachman inside the carriage with her. And then she joined the footman atop the driver’s seat and drove them home. She wasn’t a particularly experienced hand with the reins, but she could manage. And she’d had to manage. There was no one else to do it. But that was something she was good at. Managing. Making do. She’d got them home, found someone to tend to the coachman, and then tended to the dowager, and all the while she’d thought – Who was he? The highwayman. He’d said his name had once been Cavendish. Could he be the dowager’s grandson? She had been told that John Cavendish died without issue, but he wouldn’t have been the first young nobleman to litter the countryside with illegitimate children. Except he’d said his name was Cavendish. Or rather, had been Cavendish. Which meant – Grace shook her head blearily. She was so tired she could barely think, and yet it seemed all she could do was think. What did it mean that the highwayman’s name was Cavendish? Could an illegitimate son bear his father’s name? She had no idea. She’d never met a bastard before, at least not one of noble origins. But she’d known others who had changed their names. The vicar’s son had gone to live with relatives when he was small, and the last time he’d been back to visit, he’d introduced himself with a different surname. So surely an illegitimate son could call himself whatever he wanted. And even if it was not legal to do so, a highwayman would not trouble himself with such technicalities, would he? Grace touched her mouth, trying to pretend she did not love the shivers of excitement that rushed through her at the memory. He had kissed her. It had been her first kiss, and she did not know who he was. She knew his scent, she knew the warmth of his skin, and the velvet softness of his lips, but she did not know his name. Not all of it, at least. â€Å"Grace! Grace!† Grace stumbled to her feet. She’d left the door ajar so she could better hear the dowager, and sure enough, her name was once again being called. The dowager must still be overset – she rarely used Grace’s Christian name. It was harder to snap out in a demanding manner than Miss Eversleigh. Grace rushed back into the room, trying not to sound weary and resentful as she asked, â€Å"May I be of assistance?† The dowager was sitting up in bed – well, not quite sitting up. She was mostly lying down, with just her head propped up on the pillows. Grace thought she looked terribly uncomfortable, but the last time she had tried to adjust her position she’d nearly got her head bit off. â€Å"Where have you been?† Grace did not think the question required an answer, but she said, nonetheless, â€Å"Just outside your door, ma’am.† â€Å"I need you to get me something,† the dowager said, and she didn’t sound as imperious as she did agitated. â€Å"What is it you would like, your grace?† â€Å"I want the portrait of John.† Grace stared at her, uncomprehending. â€Å"Don’t just stand there!† the dowager practically screamed. â€Å"But ma’am,† Grace protested, jumping back, â€Å"I’ve brought you all three of the miniatures, and – â€Å" â€Å"No, no, no,† the dowager cried, her head swinging back and forth on the pillows. â€Å"I want the portrait. From the gallery.† â€Å"The portrait,† Grace echoed, because it was half three in the morning, and perhaps she was addled by exhaustion, but she thought she’d just been asked to remove a life-sized portrait from a wall and carry it up two flights of stairs to the dowager’s bedchamber. â€Å"You know the one,† the dowager said. â€Å"He’s standing next to the tree, and he has a sparkle in his eye.† Grace blinked, trying to absorb this. â€Å"There is only the one, I think.† â€Å"Yes,† the dowager said, her voice almost unbalanced in its urgency. â€Å"There is a sparkle in his eye.† â€Å"You want me to bring it here.† â€Å"I have no other bedchamber,† the dowager snapped. â€Å"Very well.† Grace swallowed. Good Lord, how was she going to accomplish this? â€Å"It will take a bit of time. You read "The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Two" in category "Essay examples"† â€Å"Just drag a chair over and yank the bloody thing down. You don’t need – â€Å" Grace rushed forward as the dowager’s body convulsed in a spasm of coughing. â€Å"Ma’am! Ma’am!† she said, bringing her arm around her to set her upright. â€Å"Please, ma’am. You must try to be more settled. You are going to hurt yourself.† The dowager coughed a few last times, took a long swallow of her warm milk, then cursed and took her brandy instead. That, she finished entirely. â€Å"I’m going to hurt you,† she gasped, thunking the glass back down on her bedside table, â€Å"if you don’t get me that portrait.† Grace swallowed and nodded. â€Å"As you wish, ma’am.† She hurried out, sagging against the corridor wall once she was out of the dowager’s sight. It had begun as such a lovely evening. And now look at her. She’d had a gun pointed at her heart, been kissed by a man whose next appointment was surely with the gallows, and now the dowager wanted her to wrestle a life-sized portrait off the gallery wall. At half three in the morning. â€Å"She can’t possibly be paying me enough,† Grace mumbled under her breath as she made her way down the stairs. â€Å"There couldn’t possibly exist enough money – â€Å" â€Å"Grace?† She stopped short, stumbling off the bottom step. Large hands immediately found her upper arms to steady her. She looked up, even though she knew who it had to be. Thomas Cavendish was the grandson of the dowager. He was also the Duke of Wyndham and thus without question the most powerful man in the district. He was in London nearly as often as he was here, but Grace had got to know him quite well during the five years she’d acted as companion to the dowager. They were friends. It was an odd and completely unexpected situation, given the difference in their rank, but they were friends. â€Å"Your grace,† she said, even though he had long since instructed her to use his given name when they were at Belgrave. She gave him a tired nod as he stepped back and returned his hands to his sides. It was far too late for her to ponder matters of titles and address. â€Å"What the devil are you doing awake?† he asked. â€Å"It’s got to be after two.† â€Å"After three, actually,† she corrected absently, and then – good heavens, Thomas. She snapped fully awake. What should she tell him? Should she say anything at all? There would be no hiding the fact that she and the dowager had been accosted by highwaymen, but she wasn’t quite certain if she should reveal that he might have a first cousin racing about the countryside, relieving the local gentry of their valuables. Because, all things considered, he might not. And surely it did not make sense to concern him needlessly. â€Å"Grace?† She gave her head a shake. â€Å"I’m sorry, what did you say?† â€Å"Why are you wandering the halls?† â€Å"Your grandmother is not feeling well,† she said. And then, because she desperately wanted to change the subject: â€Å"You’re home late.† â€Å"I had business in Stamford,† he said brusquely. His mistress. If it had been anything else, he would not have been so oblique. It was odd, though, that he was here now. He usually spent the night. Grace, despite her respectable birth, was a servant at Belgrave, and as such privy to almost all of the gossip. If the duke stayed out all night, she generally knew about it. â€Å"We had an†¦exciting evening,† Grace said. He looked at her expectantly. She felt herself hesitate, and then – well, there was really nothing to do but say it. â€Å"We were accosted by highwaymen.† His reaction was swift. â€Å"Good God,† he exclaimed. â€Å"Are you all right? Is my grandmother well?† â€Å"We are both unharmed,† Grace assured him, â€Å"although our driver has a nasty bump on his head. I took the liberty of giving him three days to convalesce.† â€Å"Of course.† He closed his eyes for a moment, looking pained. â€Å"I must offer my apologies,† he said. â€Å"I should have insisted that you take more than one outrider.† â€Å"Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault. Who would have thought – † She cut herself off, because really, there was no sense in assigning blame. â€Å"We are unhurt,† she repeated. â€Å"That is all that matters.† He sighed. â€Å"What did they take?† Grace swallowed. She couldn’t very well tell him they’d stolen nothing but a ring. Thomas was no idiot; he’d wonder why. She smiled tightly, deciding that vagueness was the order of the day. â€Å"Not very much,† she said. â€Å"Nothing at all from me. I imagine it was obvious I am not a woman of means.† â€Å"Grandmother must be spitting mad.† â€Å"She is a bit overset,† Grace hedged. â€Å"She was wearing her emeralds, wasn’t she?† He shook his head. â€Å"The old bat is ridiculously fond of those stones.† Grace declined to scold him for his characterization of his grandmother. â€Å"She kept the emeralds, actually. She hid them under the seat cushion.† He looked impressed. â€Å"She did?† â€Å"I did,† Grace corrected, unwilling to share the glory. â€Å"She thrust them at me before they breached the vehicle.† He smiled slightly, and then, after a moment of somewhat awkward silence, said, â€Å"You did not mention why you’re up and about so late. Surely you deserve a rest as well.† â€Å"I†¦er†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There seemed to be no way to avoid telling him. If nothing else, he’d notice the massive empty spot on the gallery wall the next day. â€Å"Your grandmother has a strange request.† â€Å"All of her requests are strange,† he replied immediately. â€Å"No, this one†¦well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Grace’s eyes flicked up in exasperation. How was it her life had come to this? â€Å"I don’t suppose you’d like to help me remove a painting from the gallery.† â€Å"A painting.† She nodded. â€Å"From the gallery.† She nodded again. â€Å"I don’t suppose she’s asking for one of those modestly sized square ones.† â€Å"With the bowls of fruit?† He nodded. â€Å"No.† When he did not comment, she added, â€Å"She wants the portrait of your uncle.† â€Å"Which one?† â€Å"John.† He nodded, smiling slightly, but without any humor. â€Å"He was always her favorite.† â€Å"But you never knew him,† Grace said, because the way he’d said it – it almost sounded as if he’d witnessed her favoritism. â€Å"No, of course not. He died before I was born. But my father spoke of him.† It was clear from his expression that he did not wish to discuss the matter further. Grace could not think of anything more to say, however, so she just stood there, waiting for him to collect his thoughts. Which apparently he did, because he turned to her and asked, â€Å"Isn’t that portrait life-sized?† Grace pictured herself wrestling it from the wall. â€Å"I’m afraid so.† For a moment it looked as if he might turn toward the gallery, but then his jaw squared and he was once again every inch the forbidding duke. â€Å"No,† he said firmly. â€Å"You will not get that for her this evening. If she wants the bloody painting in her room, she can ask a footman for it in the morning.† Grace wanted to smile at his protectiveness, but by this point she was far too weary. And besides that, when it came to the dowager, she had long since learned to follow the road of least resistance. â€Å"I assure you, I want nothing more than to retire this very minute, but it is easier just to accommodate her.† â€Å"Absolutely not,† he said imperiously, and without waiting, he turned and marched up the stairs. Grace watched him for a moment, and then, with a shrug, headed off to the gallery. It couldn’t be that difficult to take a painting off a wall, could it? But she made it only ten paces before she heard Thomas bark her name. She sighed, stopping in her tracks. She should have known better. The man was as stubborn as his grandmother, not that he would appreciate the comparison. She turned and retraced her steps, hurrying along when she heard him call out for her again. â€Å"I’m right here,† she said irritably. â€Å"Good gracious, you’ll wake the entire house.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Don’t tell me you were going to get the painting by yourself.† â€Å"If I don’t, she will ring for me all night, and then I will never get any sleep.† He narrowed his eyes. â€Å"Watch me.† â€Å"Watch you what?† she asked, baffled. â€Å"Dismantle her bell cord,† he said, heading upstairs with renewed determination. â€Å"Dismantle her†¦Thomas!† She ran up behind him, but of course could not keep up. â€Å"Thomas, you can’t!† He turned. Grinned even, which she found somewhat alarming. â€Å"It’s my house,† he said. â€Å"I can do anything I want.† And while Grace digested that on an exhausted brain, he strode down the hall and into his grandmother’s room. â€Å"What,† she heard him bite off, â€Å"do you think you’re doing?† Grace let out a breath and hurried after him, entering the room just as he was saying, â€Å"Good heavens, are you all right?† â€Å"Where is Miss Eversleigh?† the dowager asked, her eyes darting frantically about the room. â€Å"I’m right here,† Grace assured her, rushing forward. â€Å"Did you get it? Where is the painting? I want to see my son.† â€Å"Ma’am, it’s late,† Grace tried to explain. She inched forward, although she wasn’t sure why. If the dowager started spouting off about the highwayman and his resemblance to her favorite son, it wasn’t as if she would be able to stop her. But still, the proximity at least gave the illusion that she might be able to prevent disaster. â€Å"Ma’am,† Grace said again, gently, softly. She gave the dowager a careful look. â€Å"You may instruct a footman to procure it for you in the morning,† Thomas said, sounding slightly less imperious than before, â€Å"but I will not have Miss Eversleigh undertaking such manual labor, and certainly not in the middle of the night.† â€Å"I need the painting, Thomas,† the dowager said, and Grace almost reached out to take her hand. She sounded pained. She sounded old. And she certainly did not sound like herself when she said, â€Å"Please.† Grace glanced at Thomas. He looked uneasy. â€Å"Tomorrow,† he said. â€Å"First thing, if you wish it.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"No,† he interrupted. â€Å"I am sorry you were accosted this evening, and I shall certainly do whatever is necessary – within reason – to facilitate your comfort and health, but this does not include whimsical and ill-timed demands. Do you understand me?† They stared at each other for so long that Grace wanted to flinch. Then Thomas said sharply, â€Å"Grace, go to bed.† He didn’t turn around. Grace held still for a moment, waiting for what, she didn’t know – disagreement from the dowager? A thunderbolt outside the window? When neither was forthcoming, she decided she could do nothing more that evening and left the room. As she walked slowly down the hall, she could hear them arguing – nothing violent, nothing impassioned. But then, she’d not have expected that. Cavendish tempers ran cold, and they were far more likely to attack with a frozen barb than a heated cry. Grace let out a long, uneven breath. She would never get used to this. Five years she had been at Belgrave, and still the resentment that ran back and forth between Thomas and his grandmother shocked her. And the worst part was – there wasn’t even a reason! Once, she had dared to ask Thomas why they held each other in such contempt. He just shrugged, saying that it had always been that way. She’d disliked his father, Thomas said, his father had hated him, and he himself could have done quite well without either of them. Grace had been stunned. She’d thought families were meant to love each other. Hers had. Her mother, her father†¦She closed her eyes, fighting back tears. She was being maudlin. Or maybe it was because she was tired. She didn’t cry about them any longer. She missed them – she would always miss them. But the great big gaping hole their deaths had rent in her had healed. And now†¦well, she’d found a new place in this world. It wasn’t the one she’d anticipated, and it wasn’t the one her parents had planned for her, but it came with food and clothing, and the opportunity to see her friends from time to time. But sometimes, late at night as she lay in her bed, it was just so hard. She knew she should not be ungrateful – she was living in a castle, for heaven’s sake. But she had not been brought up for this. Not the servitude, and not the sour dispositions. Her father had been a country gentleman, her mother a well-liked member of the local community. They had raised her with love and laughter, and sometimes, as they sat before the fire in the evening, her father would sigh and say that she was going to have to remain a spinster, because surely there was no man in the county good enough for his daughter. And Grace would laugh and say, â€Å"What about the rest of England?† â€Å"Not there, either!† â€Å"France?† â€Å"Good heavens, not.† â€Å"The Americas?† â€Å"Are you trying to kill your mother, gel? You know she gets seasick if she so much as sees the beach.† And they all somehow knew that Grace would marry someone right there in Lincolnshire, and she’d live down the road, or at least just a short ride away, and she would be happy. She would find what her parents had found, because no one expected her to marry for any reason other than love. She’d have babies, and her house would be full of laughter, and she would be happy. She’d thought herself the luckiest girl in the world. But the fever that had struck the Eversleigh house was cruel, and when it broke, Grace was an orphan. At seventeen, she could hardly remain on her own, and indeed, no one had been sure what to do with her until her father’s affairs were settled and the will was read. Grace let out a bitter laugh as she pulled off her wrinkled clothing and readied herself for bed. Her father’s directives had only made matters worse. They were in debt; not deeply so, but enough to render her a burden. Her parents, it seemed, had always lived slightly above their means, presumably hoping that love and happiness would carry them through. And indeed they had. Love and happiness had stood up nicely to every obstacle the Eversleighs had faced. Except death. Sillsby – the only home Grace had ever known – was entailed. She’d known that, but not how eager her cousin Miles would be to assume residence. Or that he was still unmarried. Or that when he pushed her against a wall and jammed his lips against hers, she was supposed to let him, indeed thank the toad for his gracious and benevolent interest in her. Instead she had shoved her elbow into his ribs and her knee up against his – Well, he hadn’t been too fond of her after that. It was the only part of the whole debacle that still made her smile. Furious at the rebuff, Miles had tossed her out on her ear. Grace had been left with nothing. No home, no money, and no relations (she refused to count him among the last). Enter the dowager. News of Grace’s predicament must have traveled fast through the district. The dowager had swooped in like an icy goddess and whisked her away. Not that there had been any illusion that she was to be a pampered guest. The dowager had arrived with full retinue, stared down Miles until he squirmed (literally; it had been a most enjoyable moment for Grace), and then declared to her, â€Å"You shall be my companion.† Before Grace had a chance to accept or decline, the dowager had turned and left the room. Which just confirmed what they all knew – that Grace had never had a choice in the matter to begin with. That had been five years ago. Grace now lived in a castle, ate fine food, and her clothing was, if not the latest stare of fashion, well-made and really quite pretty. (The dowager was, if nothing else, at least not cheap.) She lived mere miles from where she had grown up, and as most of her friends still resided in the district, she saw them with some regularity – in the village, at church, on afternoon calls. And if she didn’t have a family of her own, at least she had not been forced to have one with Miles. But much as she appreciated all the dowager had done for her, she wanted something more. Or maybe not even more. Maybe just something else. Unlikely, she thought, falling into bed. The only options for a woman of her birth were employment and marriage. Which, for her, meant employment. The men of Lincolnshire were far too cowed by the dowager to ever make an overture in Grace’s direction. It was well-known that Augusta Cavendish had no desire to train a new companion. It was even more well-known that Grace hadn’t a farthing. She closed her eyes, trying to remind herself that the sheets she’d slid between were of the highest quality, and the candle she’d just snuffed was pure beeswax. She had every physical comfort, truly. But what she wanted was†¦ It didn’t really matter what she wanted. That was her last thought before she finally fell asleep. And dreamed of a highwayman. How to cite The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Two, Essay examples

The Life Legacy of Rosa Parks free essay sample

The woman who started a movement to end Jim Crow and allow African-Americans to have the same rights as any other American. The woman’s name is Rosa Parks. Thesis: This African-American civil rights activist’s refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus helped spark the civil rights movement of the 1950s. Preview: Today I’ll tell you about Rosa Park’s life before the bus boycott, what she did during the boycott, how her actions fueled the civil rights movement, and then the personal cost she paid for her actions. Credibility: Much of my information I’ll give you today came from Herbert Kohl’s book entitled â€Å"She would not be moved† as well as a Washington Post article called â€Å"Alabama teacher laid groundwork for civil rights activism. † (Transition: Just last week, America lost a brave woman whose impact began the civil rights movements. We will write a custom essay sample on The Life Legacy of Rosa Parks or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Yet her story began in Tuskegee, Alabama. ) Body: I. Life before the bus boycott A. Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1913 B. Parks said, â€Å" Back then we didn’t have any civil rights. It was just a matter of survival, of existing from one day to the next. I remember going to sleep as a girl, hearing the Klan riding at night and hearing a lynching and being afraid that the house would burn down. † C. She attended Alabama State Teacher’s College D. She held a variety of jobs, in 1943 became one of the first women to join the Montgomery Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (also known as the NAACP) Parks wanted blacks to have opportunities that were not available to her, and in 1955 she did a simple act that shook a stronghold of segregation. ) II. The bus incident A. On Dec. 1, 1955 this unknown seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama refused to give up her bus seat in the middle of the bus to a white passenger. B. This was during the age of Jim Crow when front bus rows were for whites only. 1. Jim Crow also meant separate water fountains for white and colored people. 2. It also meant that blacks couldn’t eat at cer tain white restaurants. C. There were laws that required blacks to leave their seats when all the seats in the front rows were taken so that whites could sit down D. Parks refused to give up her seat to a white and so was arrested and fined for Violating a city ordinance requiring whites and blacks to sit in separate rows on buses. III. The Movement (Parks allowed black leaders to use her arrest to spark a boycott of the bus system. ) A. A young Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was chosen president of an organization to run the bus boycott. B. Parks was surprised so many people felt like her- they were sick and tired of being treated like second-class citizens. C. For more than a year, 382 days to be exact, thousands of blacks refused to ride Montgomery buses. D. Blacks learned that when they supported each other, they had a voice. E. The boycott ended when the U. S. Supreme Court declared segregated seating on buses was unconstitutional. (But this landmark legal victory would not come without a personal cost to Rosa Parks) IV. After the Movement A. Parks lost her job as a seamstress as a result of the Montgomery boycott. B. She was heralded as a troublemaker by some, and heroine by others. C. In 1999 she was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. D. She died Oct. 24 of this year. (In conclusion†¦) In conclusion, most historians date the beginning of the civil rights movement in the U. S. to the day, December 1, 1955 when a petite woman named Rosa Parks did a simple, but courageous act. This is why she’s called â€Å"the mother of the civil rights movement. Her contribution to help African Americans and in turn, all Americans to be treated fairly has been recognized throughout the world. Her funeral was attended by presidents and world leaders. In fact, she was the first woman in American history to lie in state at the Capitol, an honor usually reserved for presidents of the U. S. So if you ever wonder whether one person can make a difference, think of the 38-year-old seamstress who sparked the civil rights movement and you’ll know the answer. Rosa Parks’ life proves that one person can make a difference and shape the course of a nation.

buy custom The Historical development of labor Management movement essay

buy custom The Historical development of labor Management movement essay Developing a clear labor management systems have been an important tool for the effective management of work force, as well as continuous improvement of any given organizations. The need of labor management can be traced back to start of labor movements, where people came together to campaign for their rights from respective governments or employers. As noted from Ballot (1996), in most instances the turning point in labor management especially in US have been associated to instances of economic hardships. The great depression witnessed the establishment of a comprehensive federal legislations designed at protecting the rights of workers. The labor history describes history of organized labor and general history of working of people in US among other states across the world. The pressure that have dictated by the power and nature of the organized labor includes power and evolution of the corporation, private agencies aimed at controlling or limiting the unions, and the efforts of emp loyees (Commons, 2006). As a response to this, labor federations and organized unions have evolved, competed, merged or split against backdrop of the changing periodic federation interventions and social philosophies (Kovach, 2010). This paper critically traces the history of labor management movements in the chronological order 18th 19th 20th to the present. Labor management movements in 18th and 19th century The success of labor movements in US attributable to progressive movements, which attempted to cure most of ills faced by the society during great spurt of the industrial growth, especially in last quarter of 9th century. Later, some of the progressions included La Follette progressive of 1920s, Roosevelt progressives, Henry Wallace progressive among others (Commons, 2006). It is also worth noting that late 18th century witnessed increased state interventions on labor protests, thus leading to raised labor injunctions .First, there was Tudor Industrial Code that was a culmination of programs initiated in middle ages in assuring an adequate supply of skilled workforce, as well as good quality in manufacturing products (Kovach, 2010). In US, Local Trade Union of men first formed in late 18th century, while women organizations launched in 1820s. In 1827, The Mechanic Union of Trade found in Philadelphia was one of the trade unions, which were intended to tackle the hard working conditions for most of working class in Philadelphia. In 1843, some representatives from various trade unions were convened at NTU (National Trade Unions) convections that marked first substantial efforts of creating National labor organization in US (Forbath, 2001). In 1867, regional order of Knight founded and claimed more than 60,000, thus making it one of the largest unions in US, although it was poorly organized and soon it declined. By 1870s, there was a rapid consolidation and growth of large railway systems, leading to a union covering the whole nation (Ballot, 199). The key unions entails BLED (Brother of Locomotive Engineers), Brotherhood Railroad Trainmen among other notable groups. All these groups were not members of AFL (Americ an Federation of Labor) and fought off radical rivals, like Knight of Labor in 1880s and America Railroad Union in 1890s. In 1890, the US Federal Government developed the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 aimed at limiting monopolies and cartels. Later, in 1914, the US government passed the Clayton Antitrust Act, and added to the country antitrust law regimes seeking to avoid anticompetitive practices in US incipiency (Paterson, 2002). The act prohibited certain conduct, some of them were the three level enhancement schemes, remedial measures, the exemptions among others legislations. These competition acts were further enhanced by The National Recovery Administration, established by Franklin Roosevelt. It main purpose was to eliminate cutthroat competition, though bringing labor, government and industry to set fair prices and fair practices (Kovach, 2010). In the current times, the act still form basis for most of the litigation in US Federal Government. Later, there was creation of WMF (Western Federation of Miners) in 1893 (Commons, 2006). The union was frequently in competition with American Federation of Labor, thus spawned to several federations, such as Western Labor Union, IWW (Industrial Workers of the World). In 1893, there was development of NCF ( National Civil Federation), which favored modest progressive reforms, as well as resolving disputes that arises between organized labor and industries (Kovach, 2010). On 1914, Henry Ford announced a five-dollar salary plan to all the eligible employees, who were working for eight hours on daily basis. The Ford plan was viewed as a better plan to the employees, while most of employers viewed ford as a reckless person (Forbath, 2001). Organized labor between 1920-30s It is worth noting that 1920 marked periods of decline for labor movements in US. In 1919, approximately 21% of the work force (about 4 million workers) participated in 3500 countrywide strikes. In contrast to this, 1929 witnessed approximately 1.2 % of the work force stage only 890 strikes (Commons, 2006). Union activities and membership fell greatly in face of economic prosperities (Ballot, 1996). This was due to lack of leaderships within these movements and the anti-union sentiments from government and employer as well. Despite the back drop of economic prosperity, employers across US led a successful campaign against these unions (Paterson, 2002). It was known as American plan and sought to depict these unions as aliens to US individual spirits. In addition to this, some of employer such as NAM (National Association of Manufacturer) used tactics, such as Red Scare in discrediting the unions and connecting them to the communism activities. The courts in US were not hospital to th e union activities, as some forced to sign yellow-dog contracts, which indicated that they could not join, until these contracts were outlaweed in 1932 (Paterson, 2002). Labor management movements The Federal Government initially guaranteed the rights to bargain and organize the railroad workers with passage of Railway Labor Act of the 1926 (Ballot, 1996). NIRA (The National Industrial Recovery Act) was a part of new deal policies of the era of great depression aimed at protecting workers rights to unionize. The controversial part of Wagner Act was the section eight that prohibited unfair labor practices on part of the employees (Paterson, 2002). Under this section, employers could not have fired a worker legally for joining a union. Due to its shortcomings, NLRB (The National Labor Relations Board) was established in order to administer Wagner Act and remains a key agency in regulating labor relations in US (Commons, 2006). In 1930, there was formation of United Auto workers, which was labor union that represented workers in Puerto Rico and US. This union played a major role of anti-communist and civil rights movements among other notable duties. In 1933, there was creation of NLB (National Labor Board) with a sole purpose of handling disputes taking place under NIRA (Forbath, 2001). In 1947, the Traft-Hartley Act was established to revise the Wagner Act to take account of restrictions on the unions and general management. This was in line with response to demands for action, especially after wartime and post-war strikes in the Auto-Steel, among other notable industries. They were perceived to damage the US economy and threatened railroad called off prior to shutting down national economy (Kovach, 2010). The Act referred as Labor Management Relations Act amended the Wagner Act, thus known as National labor Relations Act of 1935 (Commons, 2006). In 1959, the labor management Reporting and Disclosure Act was developed by US government (Paterson, 2002). It was aimed at regulating internal affairs of labor unions, as well as relations with the employees. This highly helped to settle industrial cases amicably as win-win situation was upheld. With shutdown in economic growth coupled with intensified global competitions after the really 1970, a larger number of labor management cooperations program advocated for improved efficiencies of most of they US organizations (Forbath, 2001). In the early 1990s, Clintons administration established a commission to look at the future of workers management relations aimed at addressing broad range of issues. Some of them included labor management corporation programs and reforms of the United States labor laws. Conclusion From above information, it is evident that labor management through plans, such as five-dollar plans by Ford among others, has been vital for the success of labor movements across the world. Across the globe, labor movements have led to formation political parties, such as in Australia and United Kingdom. These political parties are largely popular due to their efforts to fight for the rights of workers in those countries. 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Helicoprion Facts and Figures

Helicoprion Facts and Figures Name: Helicoprion (Greek for spiral saw); pronounced HEH-lih-COPE-ree-on Habitat: Oceans worldwide Historical Period: Early Permian-Early Triassic (290-250 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 13-25 feet long and 500-1,000 pounds Diet: Marine animals; possibly specialized in squids Distinguishing Characteristics: Shark-like appearance; rolled-up teeth in front of jaw About Helicoprion The only surviving evidence of the prehistoric shark Helicoprion is a tight, curled-up coil of triangular teeth, a bit like a fruit roll-up, but considerably deadlier. As far as paleontologists can tell, this bizarre structure was attached to the bottom part of Helicoprions jaw, but exactly how it was used, and on what prey, remains a mystery. Some experts think the coil was used to grind away the shells of swallowed mollusks, while others (perhaps influenced by the movie Alien) think Helicoprion unfurled the coil explosively like a whip, spearing any unfortunate creatures in its path. Whatever the case, the existence of this coil is proof that the natural world can be stranger than (or at least as strange as) fiction! A recent fossil analysis, conducted with the aid of a high-resolution CT scanner, appears to have solved the Helicoprion enigma. Apparently, this creatures whirled teeth were actually housed inside the bone of its lower jaw; the new teeth gradually unfurled into Helicoprions mouth and pushed the older ones further away (indicating either that Helicoprion replaced its teeth unusually rapidly, or that it subsisted on soft-bodied prey like squids). In addition, when Helicoprion closed its mouth, its distinctive tooth whorl pushed food further into the back of its throat. In this same article, the authors argue that Helicoprion was not, in fact, a shark, but a prehistoric relative of the cartilaginous fish known as ratfish. Part of what makes Helicoprion such an exotic creature is when it lived: all the way from the early Permian period, about 290 million years ago, to the early Triassic, 40 million years later, at a time when sharks were only beginning to obtain a tentative toehold (or finhold) on the undersea food chain, competing as they did with comparably fierce marine reptiles. Amazingly, the early Triassic fossil specimens of Helicoprion indicate that this ancient shark somehow managed to survive the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event, which killed a whopping 95 percent of marine animals (though, to be fair, Helicoprion only managed to struggle on for a million years or so before succumbing to extinction itself).

The Economic Role of R & D Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Economic Role of R & D - Essay Example However, behind all these, Canada seems to have been a very quiet spectator seeming lagging on the development bandwagon. The country seems to have been a very quite neighbour, dwarfed by the gigantic research and development machinery of the United States. Sancton1 abhors the seemingly backwardness and lack of initiative on the Canadian government to invest in research and development comparing the cities’ innovations that are left wanting as well as the seemingly lack of political will to support such investments that will lead to economic development. However, it is quite unfair to match the two nations evenly since there is a large difference between the dollars allotted by Americans to research and development than Canadians. Hence, it is only fair for any country with lesser resources to allocate these much more intelligently and therefore focus of the much needed improvements that are essential for the betterment of their constituents. Thus, even governments and non-pro fit organizations have adopted the use of the balanced scorecard (BSC) postulated by Kaplan and Norton in order to be able to have a more strategically planned allocation of these resources. Of course these institutions work on a limited funding whereby there are the limitations of taxes and grants respectively2. Hence, in light of the aforementioned limitations, Canada cannot go toe-to-toe with its giant neighbour in terms of research spending. However, as Clark brings forward, the country has more consciously focused their research efforts in order to have more impact and to be able to bring in more economic developments given the limited amount of funding available3. A Parallel Flux There has been an increasingly similarity though on the forces that affect the two countries. The impact of the forces has steadily been having the same effect on the US and Canada whereby there has been an increasing similarity in the responses of the two countries as the effects of such forces affec t the two countries in almost the same way. However, as mentioned, the capability of the latter seem wanting as compared to the former4. Indeed, Canada needs to step up on the research and development area since the competition globally has likewise become stiffer. Of course Canadians will want to enjoy the same economic prosperity by the other countries, especially its peers among the advanced economies. There have been improvements that have crept at towards the close of the last century5. However, these changes have not moved fast when the speed of the global economy shifted to a higher gear when the technological innovations kicked in during the past decade. Indeed, the only effect of the housing crisis of the US in Canada was the dampening in the demand for housing needs, particularly lumber, which goes to show the extent to the disparity between the neighbouring economies. Focused Improvement In effect, the country has to really focus its efforts to improve their research and technology. Basically, economics is about allocating scarce resources and Canada knows that compared to its giant neighbour, their resources are indeed lacking. However, research truly involves more than funding since it also involves the intelligence of researchers and of course their creativity which cannot always be calibrated. But, given the realities, the

Internship report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Internship report - Essay Example The intern was also able to participate in market campaigns for the different products sold by Unilever. The intern performed duties such as communicating with agents and following up their progress in the market, emailing customers and sales agents, and helping in the daily activities of the department. The purpose of the internship was to expose the student to real life situations where one would be able to apply the theoretical principles learned in class. They were also expected to be creative and innovative and help the marketing department in designing market research and product promotion techniques. An intern was also supposed to apply reasoning and show high sense of responsibility. Marketing is both a theoretical and practical skill. After getting the theoretical concepts related to marketing and the market, it is important that someone gets access to a real market and apply the skills learned in class. This is very important and helps one to develop decision-making skills and get to know the challenges in marketing. This report covers the activities conducted by an intern during the internship period at Unilever Company. It covers what was accomplished during the internship period and the learning outcomes that were met during the internship period. This report also gives recommendations on what the company can implement to increase its sales and operations. It also gives tips that the company can adopt to give better internship to future interns. The report is basically based on the marketing of Dove and the related challenges as seen in the market. It gives the strategies used by Unilever to ensure high sales volume in their products. It also covers the str ategies used by Unilever to ensure that they compete favorably in the market. A number of marketing campaigns have been highlighted to show the activities the intern participated to boost sales and track