Contribution Of Summitry To Diplomatic Practice Politics Essay

Contribution Of Summitry To Diplomatic Practice Politics Essay In 1919, diplomatic practice as the world had known it was about to change. This change would be brought about by a culmination of factors, including but not limited to: advances in communication and transportation technology, the ending of WWI and, most notably, the coming together of world leaders at the inaugural Paris Peace Conference in January 1919. Two precedents were set during this conference: the establishment of the League of Nations (precursor to the United Nations) and the invention of the summit as a way of engaging in international diplomatic negotiations (Finch, 1919, p. 161). In this paper I shall focus on the effect of the latter on diplomatic practice nowadays. The conference is a good starting point when examining the role of summits in modern day diplomacy. Yes, leaders of government and heads of state had been meeting for years (Goldstein, 1996, pp. 23-25), but many leaders and delegates congregating on a global scale was truly a new phenomenon, one that would c hange the practice of diplomacy forever. In order to truly analyze the contribution of summitry, or the practice of engaging in summits to negotiate important issues, first, I shall examine the history of modern day summitry from its early beginnings at the aforementioned Peace Conference as well as the rise and unprecedented growth of summits as an option to solve a diverse range of global issues. I will scrutinize select past summits to see if they illustrate the effects of summitry. Then I will look at the broad picture and explain summitrys overall contribution to diplomatic practice. In the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, which was a twin byproduct of Woodrow Wilsons 14 points speech and Germanys desire to negotiate, the shape of diplomacy and international governance was changed forever with the establishment of the United Nations. This overshadowed the real reason the conference had been held: negotiations between the allied powers and the losers of WWI (Finch, 1919, p. 161). The conference also had another unintended consequence: the creation of the summit. A summit is, by definition, a meeting of heads of government to negotiate important or pressing issues. Summits can be planned yearly occurrences or impromptu conferences or meetings in which political leaders (at the highest level) meet for political purposes (Dunn, 1996, p. 20). In the resolution to create the League of Nations the following article states: 3. The members of the League should periodically meet in international conference, and should have a permanent organization and secretariat to carry on the business of the League in the intervals between the conferences (Finch, 1919, p. 170). This shows a concerted effort towards the establishment of using an annual international conference (i.e., summit) to resolve issues between states and to facilitate negotiations on pertinent issues. While the conference set the precedent of a diverse group of states meeting to discuss multiple issues, it also served the major world powers at the time. Under the name of the Council of Four, the USA, France, Great Britain and Italy were the only delegates to be meeting constantly throughout the entire conference, regardless of other sessions going on (Finch, 1919, p. 176). This demonstrates that the international balance was going to be maintained no matter how many other countries were invited to participate. This small allowance of extra importance and ability afforded by the conference allowed the diplomatic process of the past its first introduction to the impending paradigm shift. Traditional diplomacy (that of diplomats meeting diplomats) would meet its future where, much more often than used to be the case, heads of state themselves would do the negotiating and would meet with other delegates and representatives. This was the precise situation at the Peace Conference with President Wilson (USA), President Poincarà © (French Republic), Prime Minister Lloyd George (Great Britain) and Prime Minister Baron Sonnino (Italy), the Council of Four all in attendance, and participating in the negotiation of multiple issues (Finch, 1919, p. 168). This Council became the precursor to the G-5 who would come to dominate not only international relations but also diplomatic practice in general. The rise of summitry since that initial conference in 1919 has been astounding. There have been uncountable summits since 1919; the commonplace nature of their use has grown along with their importance. Summits have covered a multitude of issues and spanned regions and countries across the globe. In fact, it did not take long for the idea of summitry to take hold. Spurned by the outstanding representation of the original countries delegates, a conference convened in the United States in 1921-22. Although not as successful as the Paris Peace Conference, it still paved the way for future summits (Goldstein, 1996, p. 32). President Franklin Roosevelt followed Wilsons lead and attended multiple summits abroad thereby establishing the precedent of leaders of government venturing out to change foreign policy personally through their own diplomacy (Goldstein, 1996, p. 33). These two were the first in a long line of world leaders who would, through their interactions, negotiations and conferences at many sites around the world, help to shape not only the content but the process of diplomacy. While the focus of summitry over the years tended to be on the United States and the concessions that they intended to bring to the table, Europe has played a big part in the growth of summitry as a whole. In fact, the May 1960 Paris Summit between Russia, France and the USA focused on future European expansion issues and the direction and structure of NATO. It resolved key issues between America and Russia and led to drastic changes in Franco-American and Russo-American attitudes (Varat p. 102). The obstinate behavior and actions of Eisenhower, Khrushchev and de Gaulle, caused the eventual drastic failure of the negotiations, but despite this the summit itself would help to shape the history of diplomacy. The following passage describes what happened before the con ference closed: On 16 May, however, Khrushchev delivered the killing stroke to both the current summit and future ones when he launched into an overwrought tirade against American perfidy, berating Eisenhower for violating Soviet sovereignty and accusing him of wanting to start World War III (Varat, 2008, p. 105). The Hague Summit, December 1969, had an important impact on the future direction of summitry in Europe and is notable because it ratified summitry as a successful policy tool. Among other things, this summit was responsible for the creation of the European Monetary Union, negotiations on the enlargement of the European Union, and European political cooperation (Redmond, 1996, p. 54). This summit led to the decision, eventually to be brought forth and instituted at the Paris Summit in 1974, that it should institutionalize and regularize EU summits and hold them three times per year [although I should note that this practice was ended in 1985] (Redmond, 1996, p. 55). At the same time that European summitry was starting to stamp its influence on the diplomatic world, the then- recently un-colonized continent of Africa was beginning to recognize and utilize the process as well. From 1963 onwards, there has been a summit of African nations at least once a year, used to show unity on the continent and also to negotiate issues of importance to African states. This first conference in 1963 was held in Ethiopia, and is considered the most important African conference of the time, with 27 heads of government present and also creating the Organization of African Unity (Hodder-Williams, 1996, p. 136). Although, as Richard Hodder-Williams points out, there had been many meetings and groupings of African leaders dating back to 1918, this Organization and conference in 1963, showed the changing leadership and political dynamics in Africa as a whole (1996, p. 137). From these early beginnings until now, where summits cover a wide range of international problems (non state and state issues), the rise of involvement of summits in the area of international diplomatic negotiations and interactions has been phenomenal. The precursor to the present conference on Climate Change (in Copenhagen in December 2009) was the Earth Summit which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June of 1992. It was, at the time, the biggest summit ever held, with 183 countries and over 40,000 observers and delegates participating in the process. The United Nations sponsored the event and the goal was to bring together as many world leaders as possible to help come to grips with, and hopefully put in place universal measures to tackle the problem, environmental degradation and destruction (Lanchberry, 1996, p. 222). The ability of leaders of many countries to come together (mind you with lots of advanced planning and negotiations) and recommend solid policy proposals (sometimes) for the world to adopt should not be underestimated when considering the effect of summitry in the diplomatic process (Lanchberry, 1996, p. 235-239). The Earth Summit is representative of many of the summits that take place every year and which cover a multitude of issues. Most notably, the way in which the media, world leaders, NGOs, and others attempted to come together for a common goal, even if the results appear watered down or dont go far enough when translated to policy, shouldnt alter the fact that leaders were able to coordinate their efforts, however briefly, to negotiate (or attempt to negotiate) binding policy. Two cases which help illustrate some of the highs and lows of the process of summitry are the International Landmine Treaty Ban and the G7/G8 failed summit in Hokkaido, Japan in 2008. The first illustrates the successes that can be achieved by summitry and some of the good decisions and processes that can occur along the way, while the other shows that sometimes diplomacy should be left to diplomats, not inexperienced negotiators (aka world leaders) who in the end just make a royal mess of things. In the span of just under five years, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) went from being an NGO awareness group, to being the key catalyst in the signing of a worldwide treaty to ban landmines (as well as the coordinator, Jody Williams, receiving the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts) (Leguey-Felliux, 2009, p. 122). The non-profit group used intuition and keen planning to pressure the international community to enforce the changes that needed to be made. The UN landmine conference in Geneva in April of 1996, helped to initiate momentum towards the final end goal of a worldwide treaty as well as provide a platform from which NGOs and future governments could use to conduct the delicate negotiations needed to bring about the treaty (Leguey-Felliux, 2009, p. 124). The ICBL and the international community danced back and forth over the issue, by way of multiple conferences, all centered on the issue of banning landmines from the worlds stage. It was through the pressure of the NGOs present at these conferences acting under the coordination of the ICBL, coupled with the media pressure that caused lobbying and negotiations to turn into signatures on a treaty. With the world watching, and with more names (countries) being added to the treaty as the years passed and the conferences were convened, the pressure would slowly build on the remaining leaders to change their position and get with the times. The final summit was convened in the first week of December 1997 in Ottawa, Canada. It served the dual purpose of not only adding the final necessary and desired signatures to the treaty, but also helped fundraise and plan the implementation stages for the actual removal of landmines (Leguey-Felliux, 2009, p. 128). This was quite a feat considering that it started with an NGO using an opportune moment to seize upon the chance to remedy a serious social problem, and ended with government officials and heads of state negotiating po licies that would allow the world to not only ban landmines but also start removing the existing ones. This summit showed not only coordination of different groups and countries, but also global governmental cooperation and negotiation on an important issue. But this summit could be viewed as an exception, and was chosen as an example specifically because of the incredible tangible results that it managed to achieve. At the exact opposite end of the spectrum in terms of output or tangible results I have chosen to examine the G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan in July 2008 as a good example of hype and bluster beforehand not quite equaling results afterward. In the run up to the summit, there was optimism abounding from journals, economists and academics alike. A press briefing ahead of the Presidents trip to Japan as well as a report issued by the World Bank in preparation for the conference help to illustrate this optimism. The President of the United States prepared for the Hokkaido summit by using the briefings given by his senior economic, Asian and environmental advisors to explicitly lay out the agenda of the summit as well as the individual bilateral meetings and the working lunches that would take place with many countries at the table (Press Briefing 7/1/2008). Some of the key issues that needed focusing on were climate change, HIV/AIDS and poverty; the working lunches and bilateral meetings were to provide the setting for the international negotiations needed to solve these truly international problems. The Presidents advisors were not the only ones preparing briefings before the summit to help formulate a path to successful negotiations and outcomes, however; the World Bank along with others was also drafting pre-summit reports. The World Bank chose a different path from that chosen by the President. In their report Double Jeopardy: Responding to High Food and Fuel Prices, the World Bank illustrated the specific link between food prices and high oil prices and their effect on poverty by introducing a 10 point plan for the G8 to adopt (World Bank Report, July 2, 2008, p. 2). In this thorough report (which itself is evidence of the importance placed on this summit by the World Bank), there are specific policy recommendations as well as statistics illustrating the correlation between poverty, fuel and food prices (World Bank Report, July 2, 2008, pp. 2-5, 21-27). Using these two different entities preparedness and seriousness as a barometer the outlook for the summit should have been positive. So what actually happened? The title of The Economists review of the summit pretty much says it all: they came, they jawed, they failed to conquer (A mountain-top gabfest provided a spectacular show and a long guest list but few answers to the woes of the world) (Economist, 7/12/2008, p. 68-69). The summit proved to be rather futile in the end, but served the minimal purpose that most summits now serve, as a preparatory meeting for the next summit, sometime in the future. In the case of the Climate Change portions of the Hokkaido summit, some useless platitudes and posturing indicated that everyone was waiting for the Copenhagen Summit on in 2009. This is the new evolved summit: an opportunity for world leaders to sit face to face for a somewhat extended period of time, under media pressure to plan for another meeting in the future. This endless future planning is not actually useless; it should be thought of as one long protracted negotiation. The issue at hand will be resolved or policies produced to find solutions sometime in the future, at some future summit. It has been ninety years since the Peace Conference in Paris and the idea and practice of summitry has evolved drastically as well as becoming interwoven into the practice of diplomacy. The summit is seen as a negotiating arena, a useful public relations tool, and a chance to renew and reaffirm relationships with other states; more than this it has been a platform for further negotiations on some extremely important global issues. Summits can be successful sometimes and unsuccessful other times, but whichever outcome materializes in the end, the foundation for future negotiations will be laid. The summit pervades the world of diplomacy and its effects are seen in the conduct, preparedness, and seriousness of NGOs, world leaders, and other delegates in regards to their relationship with summitry.

Teaching Philosophy Statement Essay -- Education Teaching Teachers Ess

Teaching Philosophy Statement â€Å"Teaching is not a profession; it’s a passion. Without passion for your subject and a desire for your students to learn and be the best in the world, then we have failed as a teacher and failure is not an option.† –John F. Podojil. In my opinion, this quotation is very true. If you do not have the passion to teach your students what is right in the world and what makes them be the best they can be, then you are not really teaching your students or you have failed and failure is not an option. I want to not only teach my students important subject manner but be an inspiration to my students as well. I want to be the teacher that students will come back to in ten or fifteen years and say, â€Å"You have inspired me in more ways than one. Not only did you inspire me to be a better person, but you inspired me to do better academically as well.† This is when I know for sure that I have made a difference in a child’s life. If I can have an impact on one child’s life, then I feel that I have fulfilled my duties as a teacher. One of the major influences that pushed me towards a career in teaching is that that I will impact a child’s life in more than one way. As a student’s teacher you are their role model and I feel that I will make a very acceptable role model to most if not all of my students. I have talked to my past teachers about the â€Å"role model† topic. Most people find it odd that I do not want to teach higher grades; such as a high school class for instance, just because of the fact that not many males want to teach in the early elementary grades. I feel that as a teacher I will be a father figure to the boys and girls in the classroom that are from single mother... ...duty not to wait for someone else to help change the world, one person at a time. Students are the world’s future and how we influence our students will impact the world as we know it forever. From my standpoint, we can have a bunch of people grow up to be criminals or we can have most of our population become good citizens just by teaching them the difference between what is right and wrong in our world and society today. Teaching is not just standing up in front of a classroom full of students and teaching them a pre-planned lesson plan; you’re influencing the way they feel about themselves and the world. One of my teachers had a magnet on her desk that said, â€Å"Teachers make a world of difference!† I feel this quotation is right; teachers do make a world of difference and I have seen it happen in classrooms here and throughout the world; I plan to do the same.

Thorn Queen Chapter Twenty

Tim surfaced the next morning after some liaison or another, and I decided not to mention that our wards had been broken. He handled my array of paranormal activities fairly good-naturedly, but that was largely because they usually didn't follow me home. So, I called the witch who'd originally laid the wards and asked her to come back and discreetly redo them, scheduling a time when I knew Tim would be out. After that it was off to the first shamanic job I'd had in a while, fighting a nixie who'd taken up residence in some poor family's swimming pool. The ease with which I dispatched her was a bit alarming. Earlier in the year, Dorian and I had fought off a group of them that Jasmine had sent. Dorian had done the fighting, and at the time, they'd seemed overwhelming. Now, with my magic becoming more and more instinctual, fighting a water creature like this was ridiculously simple. Admittedly, I still banished her the old-fashioned way, not wanting to rely on magic more than I had to. I didn't agree with Roland about its use-though my fight with him still stung-but it was exhilarating recalling how easily I'd fought the water elemental. If I could only summon water creatures like Jasmine could, my life would be easier still. And speaking of Jasmine, I summoned Volusian away from her later that evening. I was going to the Thorn Land shortly and felt confident that she wouldn't get knocked up before then. Well, I hoped so, at least. Volusian appeared in the darkest corner of my bedroom, scaring off one of the cats that had been sleeping on my bed. â€Å"My mistress calls,† he said in his monotone. â€Å"I have a job for you.† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"I need you to go to Yellow River and check out the house of a shaman there. Do not let him see you-or sense you, if you can help it.† My vibe from Art was that while he could fight Otherworldly creatures, he didn't possess the same sensitivity I did. â€Å"And what would my mistress like me to do once I am there?† â€Å"Look around. Tell me if there's anything suspicious going on-particularly in regard to any gentry girls. Make sense?† Volusian's look was scathing. â€Å"Certainly it makes sense. Do not confuse me with the other underlings who serve you.† Once he had the address, he disappeared in that way of his, and I sighed. It might be worth enslaving another minion destined for the Underworld. It was easy enough for me, particularly if I got one who wasn't too strong. I didn't have a huge amount of respect for Volusian, but he'd been right about one thing. He was so powerful that his skills were better suited to protection and battle. A lesser spirit would suffice for all these errands I seemed to be sending him on lately. That was a thought for another day. For now, it was back to the Thorn Land. I planned on spending the night there since I wanted to get an early start on our demon hunting. Kiyo had said he'd come at sunrise, and I didn't want to miss a moment of being with him. When I arrived at my castle, I was a bit surprised to see a party going on. Well, not a true party, but Shaya, Rurik, and a few of the other head servants were hanging out in one of the parlors, drinking wine and laughing. Girard was still around and had joined them. Even Ysabel was there, looking happy for a change. None of them seemed to have expected me that night and most leapt up like naughty children. Shaya started to stammer something like an apology, but I silenced her with a gesture. â€Å"No, no. Keep having fun.† I somehow always thought of them as utilitarian fixtures around here, but of course, they were only human-well, figuratively speaking-and entitled to their downtime. After a few uneasy moments, they settled back down, and Rurik offered me a glass of wine. I shook my head. â€Å"You know,† he said, â€Å"that your minion disappeared.† â€Å"Yeah, I know. I sent him on a task.† â€Å"I doubled the guards on her when I heard.† â€Å"Good. Let's hope she's managed to keep her clothes on in this short of time.† â€Å"You should have killed her,† Ysabel noted darkly. I ignored that and turned away, leaving them to their party. â€Å"I'm going to check on her myself.† The bedroom Shaya had assigned Jasmine was one floor up and very cleverly chosen-not that I'd expect any less from Shaya. It was spacious and furnished but not so large that the guards within couldn't see her most of the time-the bathroom excluded. The room's one window was only a tiny slit, too small for anyone to get out of. Four guards stood on duty outside and four within. To my relief, Jasmine simply lay on her bed, reading one of the books I'd sent. Girard's new cuffs had a longer, thinner chain that gave her much more range of motion but was packed with iron. Those blue-gray eyes looked up at my approach, but the rest of her didn't move. â€Å"Oh. You.† I sat down on a narrow wicker bench and sent the guards outside with a curt nod. â€Å"I came to check on you.† â€Å"Right. Because you care so much.† â€Å"I do. Well, kind of.† â€Å"The only things you care about are having the heir yourself and forcing me to get rid of your monsters.† â€Å"Demons,† I corrected. â€Å"And believe me, the last thing I want is to have the heir.† â€Å"I heard the guards talking. They said you've been hanging out with Dorian a lot. Why else would you do that? No one else would rather have our father's grandson. Well, except Aeson.† A grimace fell over her face at the mention of her old lover. â€Å"Dorian's just my friend, something you'll understand when you're older.† Oh, Eugenie, you are such a hypocrite. â€Å"And you're better off without Aeson.† Her eyes returned to her book. â€Å"I loved Aeson. You have no idea what love is.† â€Å"Oh, I do. I know that it's the best high and the worst hurt all at the same time-not to mention confusing as hell.† Jasmine looked back at me, still sullen but with a new sort of consideration. â€Å"What do you want? Are you just here to babysit me until that fucking imp comes back? God, I hate him.† I started to tell her to watch her language and then decided there was no point. â€Å"I came to tell you we're going to take out those demons tomorrow.† â€Å"At gunpoint.† â€Å"I don't have a choice. They're terrorizing people. How can you not understand how serious that is?† She shrugged with her typical apathy and pushed some of that long blond hair out of her face. â€Å"Your problem. Not mine.† Self-centered brat. She frowned for a moment, though. â€Å"Are they still taking girls?† She sounded almost concerned. Almost. â€Å"I don't know,† I admitted. â€Å"I don't know if this group's connected or not. I actually think there are humans involved.† The book slipped to her lap, forgotten. â€Å"Why would they do that? That doesn't make any sense.† â€Å"I'll tell you when you're older,† I said dryly, which was silly considering all that she'd been through. â€Å"And you're certain†¦you're certain the group chasing you wasn't human?† â€Å"Yes, for like the hundredth time. They were shining ones.† â€Å"You said they were soldiers†¦.† A startling thought came to me. â€Å"Leather armor? Red shirts?† â€Å"That's how soldiers dress, isn't it? Well, maybe not the red shirt. Depends on who they work for, I guess. I don't remember the color.† â€Å"Does it happen a lot?† I asked, recalling past thoughts about the similarities between the two of us. â€Å"Are guys coming after you a lot to†¦you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Get me pregnant? Yeah, sometimes.† There was a sad look in her eyes, a very vulnerable one. â€Å"But†¦you don't always give in†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Jesus Christ, Eugenie. I won't sleep with anyone. What kind of a slut do you think I am?† A considerable one, actually. But I didn't say so, and I wondered if she'd ever been raped. â€Å"Sorry. You just seem so anxious to have that baby.† â€Å"Yeah, well, not with just anyone. And certainly not through rape.† She held her head up, a fierce look in her eyes. â€Å"No one does that to Storm King's daughter. It's an insult to our father's awesomeness.† Try as she might to deny her heritage, only the human part of her could have pulled up â€Å"awesomeness† to refer to a tyrannical fairy warlord. â€Å"You know I don't quite share the same regard for him that you do.† â€Å"I know,† she said. â€Å"Which is why you have such bad taste in men. You wouldn't catch me sleeping with a kitsune. I need someone worthy†¦like Aeson.† I started to argue again that Aeson had been a despotic asshole but knew logic and love rarely worked together-particularly if my own life was any indication. I was saved from further commentary when a coldness settled into the room and Volusian appeared. â€Å"Fuck,† said Jasmine. Man, did she have a mouth on her. I stood up, crossing my arms and trying to look imposing. It was a common attitude I kept around Volusian so there would be no question of my control. â€Å"Did you go to Art's house?† â€Å"Yes, mistress.† â€Å"And? Did you find anything?† â€Å"No, mistress. I could not enter.† â€Å"What do you mean? Did he invite you out back for beer too?† Volusian didn't blink. â€Å"The house was warded.† â€Å"The house was warded,† I repeatedly flatly. â€Å"And you couldn't cross it?† â€Å"They'd have to be some serious wards if he couldn't,† said Jasmine. â€Å"Thanks, Little Miss Stating the Obvious.† I racked my brain, thinking of the local witch network. I didn't know them well enough, not like I knew the shamans. â€Å"Where the hell would he find someone that strong?† â€Å"The wards were not the usual type found in the human world. They were laced with magic from this world as well,† continued Volusian. â€Å"What? How would Art get gentry help to lay wards-especially if he's abducting them?† â€Å"Maybe he put a gun to their head,† said Jasmine, in a fair imitation of my own dry tone. Another family trait, perhaps. â€Å"I've got to get into that house,† I muttered. â€Å"I guess that's gotta wait like everything else, though. Well, thanks for trying, Volusian.† â€Å"I neither require nor desire your gratitude, mistress. I want nothing in these worlds save your death.† Jasmine laughed. â€Å"Well, I'm sure you guys'll have a great time together.† I opened the door and beckoned the guards back in. With Volusian back, only two needed to be inside. â€Å"I'll see you both in the morning for demon hunting.† After that, I considered joining the others for their impromptu party but decided that would be the same as a boss crashing her employees' happy hour. Instead, I made my way to my own room but was intercepted by Girard. â€Å"Your majesty.† He swept me a bow in that flourish-filled way of his, making his cloak flare out dramatically. â€Å"I've made considerable progress on the project you requested.† â€Å"Already?† I knew he had magic for this kind of thing, but still. He smiled. â€Å"The queen asks, and I obey.† From within the folds of his cloak, he produced a rolled-up piece of parchment, which he opened up for me. On it was a detailed diagram of a sword, and scrawled all around it were assorted technical notes about weight and composition. Those meant little to me. Mostly I noticed the sword's beauty, particularly its hilt. â€Å"This is lovely,† I said. â€Å"I should hope so. Fit for a king.† In spite of myself, I smiled back. Dorian had left me in a miasma of emotions, but I'd been trying hard not to let that interfere with the honest favors he'd done me. And when he'd mentioned needing a new sword, I'd gotten the idea yesterday to have Girard make one. By all accounts, there were few more skilled, and his ability to touch iron made him particularly gifted. Girard traced the line of the sword's blade and tapped the end. â€Å"I can work iron into the tip here, and it shouldn't harm the Oak King so long as he's holding the hilt. It also shouldn't affect his ability to control the rest of the blade.† As a master of the earth and its contents, Dorian could infuse copper and sometimes bronze blades with magical heat. â€Å"But the tip will be deadly to his enemies,† I said. The idea to work iron into it had been mine. â€Å"Considerably. I can begin production right away, but I'll need to get an understanding of his current sword's balance before I can finalize this one.† â€Å"He'll be here tomorrow. You can talk to him then.† Dorian too had offered to help oust my demons. â€Å"Excellent. And Mistress Shaya tells me you have the materials here that I could use, if I have your permission to do so. Otherwise, I can return to my workshop in the Rowan Land.† I shook my head. â€Å"No, no. Use whatever you need here.† His lips twitched in a wry smile. â€Å"That's probably just as well. Were I to return home†¦well, I suspect my lord prince would spend days asking me about you.† I sighed. â€Å"Is he still upset about that?† â€Å"He was, forgive me, quite heartbroken over your rejection of the gift and of him.† â€Å"I didn't want that. I liked him-still do. I just wanted us to be friends.† â€Å"In my experience, your majesty, men and women often have difficulty with that. It's not impossible-but not always easy.† I thought about Dorian. â€Å"That's for damned sure. Well, thank you for this, and let me know if there's anything I can do to help with it. But seriously-don't go work on it now. Go back to that party. Drink up. Flirt with Shaya. She could use a good guy.† Girard erupted into laughter. It was a rich, honey-filled sound. â€Å"I treasure my neck too much to risk the captain of your guards wringing it.† It took me a moment to catch on. â€Å"Who, Rurik? He doesn't like Shaya†¦not that way, at least. She's too, I don't know, refined. He only goes after trashy kitchen girls.† Girard merely shrugged. â€Å"I'm serious!† I wasn't sure why this astounded me so much. â€Å"They might seem close, but it's because they work together. They're just friends.† Girard flashed another grin. â€Å"Didn't you just hear what I said about men and women being friends?† He dared a wink and bowed again. â€Å"Until tomorrow, your majesty.† I watched him go, that flamboyant red cape swirling around him. I was still in disbelief. Shaya and Rurik? No, it was ridiculous. I was certain she had no interest in him, and if he did want her, it was only for the same cheap reasons he wanted any woman. She was too smart for that. â€Å"You give my lord gifts yet still claim no interest.† I turned and saw Ysabel standing near a corner in the hall. She'd apparently overheard my conversation with Girard. Did this woman have nothing to do except lurk in halls and wait for me? â€Å"He's done a lot of favors for me lately. It's the only way I can really repay him.† â€Å"No doubt there are other ways you could repay him,† she said snidely. I started to give the â€Å"friends† line but had already had enough of that with Girard. â€Å"Please, I don't want to go through this same old song and dance. And you know, we both fulfilled our side of the deal with Dorian. I let you teach me. You're free. He's coming here tomorrow to help with the demon problem. Go home with him afterward.† Those big blue eyes widened in surprise. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Why what?† â€Å"Why would you let me go?† â€Å"Because you don't want to be here. You gave me the foundation of what I need to know, and I've been building on it pretty quickly.† With a shiver, I recalled how I'd nearly suffocated that gentry in my yard. That had been intentional. I had no accident excuses as I'd had with her. It was probably something I shouldn't mention to her quite yet. As it was, she looked troubled enough. â€Å"Yes†¦you have learned quickly. The magic burns so strongly in you, I don't think it needs much of an excuse to burst out. You really are like Storm King.† â€Å"Did you know him?† I asked curiously. I was always conflicted on hearing about him. Part of me wanted nothing to do with him, yet the other part longed to know more. â€Å"I wouldn't say ‘know,'† she mused. â€Å"My father was one of his bodyguards, so I saw Storm King a few times. He was†¦terrifying. Terrifying and awe-inspiring.† She tried to hide her fear but shuddered anyway. â€Å"From what I hear, that's the reaction most people have.† Kiyo too had seen Storm King in his youth, and I'd once had a flashback of my own brief meeting with my father. â€Å"The power you try to summon†¦he was able to bring it about in a heartbeat. He had only to think about a storm and the world would tremble with its force.† â€Å"Well, I guess everyone can rest easy. I'm a long ways from that.† â€Å"Do you know why?† she asked. â€Å"Practice?† She shook her head and pursed her lips. â€Å"Because for all your titles and regard and impressive use of magic so far†¦you are still human in your heart.† Human, by her tone, was a very ugly thing to be. â€Å"Not according to my stepfather.† It didn't seem like I'd ever fit anyone's expectations. â€Å"You think like one. You want to divide everything up logically. The way you approach magic, it's very†¦scientific.† Not a word gentry used very often. â€Å"You treat it coldly. You parcel up each fragment of air and categorize it. Magic requires control, yes, but at its heart, it is tied to your emotions. You said you'd summoned lightning accidentally. What was going on?† â€Å"I was scared.† It had also happened, I realized, when I was aroused. â€Å"And, um, excited.† â€Å"You were lost in your emotions, and the power seized you. But you'll never be able to do that regularly, never by choice. You repress your emotions. You don't give in to them.† Her smile turned triumphant. â€Å"And that is why my lord will never love you like he does me.† Of course. I should have known there was a barb waiting at the end of this lesson. I wondered what she'd think if she knew her lord had been pretty willing to love me up yesterday. â€Å"Well, thanks for the pep talk, but I'm going to my room now. I meant what I said. Go with Dorian tomorrow and love him as much as you want. I'll carry on without you somehow.† No point in hiding the sarcasm I felt. Ysabel gave me a sickeningly sweet smile. â€Å"You're presuming you'll come back.† I jerked around and gave her a sharp look. â€Å"Are you threatening me?† â€Å"Certainly not. I have nothing to do with your adventure tomorrow. But you're going to face demons. Anything can happen. And if you don't return, I won't weep.† Great. Nothing like a good omen to go into battle with.

Capital Punishment The Death Penalty - 3362 Words

Societies in the past accepted and practiced the death penalty, otherwise known as capital punishment, for those who were found guilty of committing capital offenses. In today’s society there are mixed opinions on the subject. Capital punishment is argued by the people to be a just or an unjust way of sentencing someone who is found guilty of a capital offense. Many people argue that capital punishment is wrong, because there are many factors in a case that could be over looked. Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, eighty-two inmates have been freed from death row. That is one death row inmate found to be wrongfully convicted for every seven who were executed. Earl Charles was one of these inmates. He spent three years on a Georgia death row for murders he did not commit. If he had faced a system where the death penalty was to be carried out faster, then we would bemoaning the court’s error (1). Many people believe that the application of the death penalty tends to be based on random choice, rather than any reason or system. Serial killers such as Gary Ridgway, who admitted killing forty-eight prostitutes and runaways got life in prison. A nurse in New Jersey admitted to killing seventeen people also got life in prison. However, ill and impoverished murderers who could not afford good lawyers were given the death penalty with no second thoughts. David Hocker, murdered his boss was executed after a one day trial. Hocker, like the others, also admitted to his crimeShow MoreRelatedCapital Punishment : The Death Penalty1482 Words   |  6 PagesMrs. McElmoyl 12/12/14 Capital Punishment As stated by former governor of New York, Mario M. 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The death penalty has been practiced byRead MoreCapital Punishment : The Death Penalty1410 Words   |  6 PagesCapital Punishment in America In 1976 the Supreme Court of the United States of America ruled the Death Penalty constitutionally permissible. The debate over capital punishment has always been a topic of great controversy. Before the Supreme Court ruling in 1976 America had been practicing capital punishment for centuries. At the current time some states enforce the death penalty, while some do not. There are differences of opinion’s relating to whether or not the death penalty is the proper wayRead MoreCapital Punishment And The Death Penalty991 Words   |  4 PagesCapital Punishment Imagine your having a normal morning, eating breakfast doing your normal routine. Suddenly your phone rings and when you answer you hear the worst news possible. One of your family members has just been murdered in cold blood. You cry, mourn, then become angry. 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Capital punishment may be defined as the â€Å"[e]xecution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense† (Capital Punishment). Up until 1846, when Michigan became the first to abolish the death sentence, all states allowed legal practice of capital punishment by the government (States). Currently, there 32 states still supporting the death penalty and 18Read MoreThe Death Penalty Of Capital Punishment1480 Words   |  6 Pagesjustice system, such as the death penalty. Capital punishment has been used many times in history all around the world, and it was quite popular. Many people argue that capital punishment is useful in deterring crime and that it is only fair that criminals receive death as punishment for a heinous crim e. On the contrary, others see the death penalty as a violation of the 8th amendment. It restricts excessive fines, and it also does not allow cruel and unusual punishment to be inflicted upon criminals