Eleanor of Aquitaine Essay -- Queen Roalty Eleanor Aquitaine History P

Eleanor of Aquitaine Much has been written about the historical life of Eleanor of Aquitane. Her life, Undoubtedly reads like legend, at least in part because it is. It is fairly safe to say that the world had never seen a woman like Eleanor of Aquitane, and it is doubtful that there has been a woman since who could rival her power, intelligence, beauty and sheer force of will. Like many other women of her time Eleanor came from a long line of noble and royal blood. Her lineage can be traced back to the earliest kings of both England and France.(follow link to take a look at Eleanor’s very long family tree http://www.my-ged.com/db/page/scokin/12251) Her father William X was the son of France’s first troubadour, William IX and Eleanor’s early life was saturated with culture and learning. The court of her father and grandfather was thought to be the main culture center of the time. At age 15, with her father’s passing, Eleanor became the sole heiress and ruler of the largest duchy in France – Aquitane. Eleanor was then betrothed to Louis VII of France in order to unite their vast territories. In fifteen years however, Eleanor’s marriage and queenship were over. The pope on the pretext of close kinship ties annulled her unhappy marriage to Louis. At age 30 Eleanor had given up her throne and her daughters and returned to Aquitane to rule. Within a few years Eleanor was married to Henry Plantengent, the Duke of Normandy and ruler of the second most powerful duchy in France (second to her own Aquitane). In 1154 Henry was crowned King of England and Eleanor was now Queen of England, duchess of Aquitane and duchess of Normandy. Eleanor and Henry had eight children together, including Richard the Lionheart and John. In 1173, afte... ... paradigm of sexual empowerment. This empowerment comes in terms of both sexual freedom and gender freedom. Eleanor’s personal family history and her encounters with serious intellectualism as well as serious sexuality at an early age perhaps introduced her to the idea that sex and power were intimately woven together. As such she was raised in world which empowered her and let her loose on a world that demanded her submission. The result was that Eleanor realized part of women’s power lay not just in marrying well, but in embracing and controlling their sexuality. This in turn meant an early redefinition of where a woman’s place was. For Eleanor at least that was not simply in her husband’s bed. Works Cited 1. Main internet sources cited with a link in the paper 2. Weir Alison, Eleanor of Aquitane; a Life ; Ballantine Publishing, 1999, New York. Pgs 1-37 Eleanor of Aquitaine Essay -- Queen Roalty Eleanor Aquitaine History P Eleanor of Aquitaine Much has been written about the historical life of Eleanor of Aquitane. Her life, Undoubtedly reads like legend, at least in part because it is. It is fairly safe to say that the world had never seen a woman like Eleanor of Aquitane, and it is doubtful that there has been a woman since who could rival her power, intelligence, beauty and sheer force of will. Like many other women of her time Eleanor came from a long line of noble and royal blood. Her lineage can be traced back to the earliest kings of both England and France.(follow link to take a look at Eleanor’s very long family tree http://www.my-ged.com/db/page/scokin/12251) Her father William X was the son of France’s first troubadour, William IX and Eleanor’s early life was saturated with culture and learning. The court of her father and grandfather was thought to be the main culture center of the time. At age 15, with her father’s passing, Eleanor became the sole heiress and ruler of the largest duchy in France – Aquitane. Eleanor was then betrothed to Louis VII of France in order to unite their vast territories. In fifteen years however, Eleanor’s marriage and queenship were over. The pope on the pretext of close kinship ties annulled her unhappy marriage to Louis. At age 30 Eleanor had given up her throne and her daughters and returned to Aquitane to rule. Within a few years Eleanor was married to Henry Plantengent, the Duke of Normandy and ruler of the second most powerful duchy in France (second to her own Aquitane). In 1154 Henry was crowned King of England and Eleanor was now Queen of England, duchess of Aquitane and duchess of Normandy. Eleanor and Henry had eight children together, including Richard the Lionheart and John. In 1173, afte... ... paradigm of sexual empowerment. This empowerment comes in terms of both sexual freedom and gender freedom. Eleanor’s personal family history and her encounters with serious intellectualism as well as serious sexuality at an early age perhaps introduced her to the idea that sex and power were intimately woven together. As such she was raised in world which empowered her and let her loose on a world that demanded her submission. The result was that Eleanor realized part of women’s power lay not just in marrying well, but in embracing and controlling their sexuality. This in turn meant an early redefinition of where a woman’s place was. For Eleanor at least that was not simply in her husband’s bed. Works Cited 1. Main internet sources cited with a link in the paper 2. Weir Alison, Eleanor of Aquitane; a Life ; Ballantine Publishing, 1999, New York. Pgs 1-37

College Education is the Best Investment Essay example -- College Educ

The Value of a College Education Why is it important to achieve a college degree, certificate or diploma? Generally speaking, what is the importance of having a college education? This is a question that I have been debating and fighting with myself for the past five years. Is it because with a college education a person can get a better job, earn more money and ensure himself of a better life? Or is the whole concept of college a fraud and a scam to manipulate individuals in feeling inferior without it? In this paper, I am going to enlighten you of the pros and cons of having a valid college education and what it means to me. Senator John Kerry said in a 2004 presidential debate that â€Å"Our college students represent only 20 percent of our population, but they are 100 percent of our future. They are our greatest investment, and we must help them understand the importance of investing in their selves.† Today a college education is something to be treasured. In both earning potential and learning potential, a college education is worth every dime and penny. Just like any investment, a college education requires planning, saving, and perhaps some sacrifice. But it is an investment that will continue to pay you back for a lifetime. Individuals with a college education have better job opportunities, earn more money and develop skills and knowledge that can never be taken away. So in agreeing with Senator Kerry, making the investment of a college education is the greatest investment we will ever make. By attending college, students guarantees themselves a better job that the average Joe. Because the world is changing rapidly, and many jobs rely on new technology, more jobs require education beyond high school. With a college education, an individual will have more jobs from which to choose. In addition to obtaining a better job, people who go to college usually earn more money than those who do not. College furnishes you with proper credentials and documents to land high-level jobs. Figures from an A&E television program on ‘The Working Class’ show that in 2004 the average earnings were $23,895 for a high school graduate and $41,478 for individuals with a bachelor’s degree. Getting a college education is simply a stepping stone in ensuring yourself with a good start in life. Some may agree that college students are open minded and knows exactly how to expre... ...tion was only for the rich and powerful. Now it is available to everyone, this will have many advantages for our country, our people, and even our world. I definitely believe that it is impossible to be overeducated. The more people are educated, the better the world will be, because people will be able to discuss and exchange ideas. Another pro is that people with degrees have many more opportunities. They can take a wider variety of jobs and do what they enjoy doing, instead of being forced to take a job they dislike. Finally, although there are undoubtedly some problems with college as a business, I feel strongly that each and every individual can excel and gain from having a college education. A college education is the most valuable tool we can use; it’s a foundation that will carry anyone through a successful life. Remember Senator Kerry’s words on making a college investment your most important investment. We may only be 20 percent of the population today, bu t what we do and the choices we make are going to determine the future. And to me, a college education is a sound investment. An investment that with great dedication and determination will reap the very best rewards!

Wasteland by TS Eliot :: essays papers

Wasteland by T.S. Eliot The driving force of all life is procreation and re-birth. For mankind, vegetation, the animal kingdom, the survival of the species is the dominant factor and only the fittest survive. For millennia, different races have believed that the fertility of the land depended on the sexual potency of their ruler or favour of their gods. Pagan, Roman, Greek and other gods have been invented who were believed to control the fertility of the land, such as Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, on which the survival of their populations has been believed to have depended. Various superstitions and religions have further developed and become significant factors in the lives of billions of the world's population. The Waste Land takes these themes and portrays a dead land that lacks the fertility and sexual potency needed to sustain and progress life. A land void of what is needed for re-birth. The 4 life-giving elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Earth is sterile; Air is turned to "brown fog"; Fire burns; Water drowns. The sexual imageries are unproductive: sex is present as a lustful functional device but lacking of the necessary fertility. Superstitions are turned to by the society in search of the answer in the form of Tarot cards and religion is a constant thread as evidenced by the recurring Biblical references and themes. In The Burial of the Dead we see that he gives us an image of the Earth as sterile, instead of being the foundation of vegetation. It is only a repository for the dead. Earth is the 1st. of the 4 natural elements. These 4 opening lines echo the "April", "root", "Lilac/flower", and "rain/shower" imagery of the 4 opening lines of The General Prologue of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. These lines are reflecting the image of life and death. Rain usually nurtures and strengthens plants and sustains them, but here we see that life even with water is slowly dying and wasting away. He later goes on to say that the trees will give no shelter and the crickets, no relief. This line comes from Ecclesiastes 12:5-7: "Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets. Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

American Success in Achieving Independence Essay

Introduction The British military was considered the strongest in the world at the outreach of fighting between England and the American colonies in 1775. Britain had just defeated France and the Indians in the Seven Years War and had attained its prominence as a world’s superpower. Yet despite Britain’s overpowering military dominance, the British found themselves unable to subdue General Washington and the American colonies. The American’s success in achieving independence during the American Revolution was not due to General Washington’s strategic skill but by numerous British blunders. The British mistakes during the Revolutionary war are: they never had an overall strategy; they failed to identify the Center of Gravity, shifting from offensive strategy to a defensive strategy and diverting the war to the Southern colonies. Overall strategy The British never had an overall strategy for winning the Revolutionary War. They acted vigilantly at points when authoritative and serious attacks could have undermined the Continental army. The British assumed that American rebellion would disintegrate when British troops lands on American shores. They believed that the Continental Army was amateurish and unable to fight a interminable war against an organized British military force. Not until after the Battle of Bunker did the British even begin to consider in terms of war rather than simply rebellion. Britain certainly not intended for a lengthy war and constantly expected for the one pivotal victory. The Continental Army was fighting a domestic war while the British had to ship their troops from across the Atlantic. Fighting against their own countrymen was also both a psychological and emotional handicap for the British soldiers. The British military regularly made mistakes, especially General Howe. His indolence to take action at the start of the war made it probable for General Washington and the Continental Army to survive. Occurrences of poor communication and collaboration between British commanders resulted in squandered occasions as well in Saratoga and Yorktown. The component of period unceasingly handicapped British maneuvers. Communications both across the Atlantic and within the colonies were dawdling and useless. Some commanders took matters into their own hands and followed strategies that they felt best suited their immediate goals. The indecision surrounding responses frequently led to unwarranted caution, unnecessary delays, or unforeseeable prospects in strategic situations, which eventually demonstrated to be costly. Because of the length of time it took for communications, field conditions continually changed. Failure to identify the Center of Gravity The Americans had no discernable central government and the British could not determine a truly decisive Center of the Gravity (COG). The COG is the hub of all power and movement, on which everything depends (Clausewitz, pp. 595-596). There was no COG that Britain could seize and end the war. There was no one that the British military could defeat that would quickly bring about the abandonment of the entire colonist opposition. Throughout the campaign, General Howe continued to allow the Continental Army to withdraw from the field without entirely destroying them. General Howe’s unwillingness to conduct a forceful pursuit and destroy General Washington’s Continental Army saved the Americans from a defeat that could have possibly ended the American Revolution. General Howe did not take into account that the Continental Army was the life of the rebellion and should have been considered as the COG. The British dissipated an opportunity to inflict a destructive defeat on the Continental army at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775. Although they strained the insurgents from the elevated field, the British army missed their chance to deal the rebellion a possibly disastrous blow from the start. Another chance of destruction of the Continental Army came in August 1776. General Washington and the Continental Army had been routed in the Battle of Long Island and withdrew to the defenses of Brooklyn Heights, which left them confined between Hessian and British troops and the East River. General Washington was able to keep the revolution alive by maintaining the Continental Army in the field. Shifting from offensive strategy to a defensive strategy Without French assistance, it is uncertain that the American colonies could have been a match over Britain’s sizeable and well-equipped military. France clandestinely provided the American colonies with supplies and money, and upon formally declaring war on England in June 1778, also committed soldiers and naval fleets. With the French joining the naval war, Britain switched from an offensive strategy to a defensive strategy since their naval superiority is contested. Operations in America became secondary to defense of the British Isles and larger economic interests in the Caribbean. The ministry decided to defend and strike the French in West Indies, which was regarded as more valuable than the American colonies. The British militaries had to be dispersed in several theaters and spread so thin across the Atlantic and no longer concentrated on the colonies, which consequently lost the war in America (Middlekauff, p. 438). Britain’s failure to identify key locations to concentrate her Navy led to not able to secure their most strategically located territories and did not have enough military resources to continue the war in America. â€Å"With the defense thus concentrated, England’s great weapon, the Navy, should have been vigorously used on the offensive† (Mahan, p. 394). Diverting the war to the southern colonies During the initial years of the American Revolutionary War, the initial military battles were in the north. The British changed their strategy to focus on the southern colonies as the leadership felt that the south was home to many loyalists where they could enlist their support and assistance. England felt loyalists in the South were oppressed by the revolutionary government and would flock to them in support (Mahan, p. 516). Britain constantly pursued and hoped for Loyalist support but was never received. Moreover, Britain also definitely did not do what was needed to gain and sustain the Loyalists’ support because they inclined to disregard the help that the Loyalists contributed. In addition, the British Parliament assumed that loyalists would be a more intimidating force and play a more effective position in the war. The British was successful in most conventional battles fought in that region, but American generals in the south turned to irregular and hit-and-run combat that ultimately thwarted the British military. The British should have focused most of their forces on the Continental Army in the north instead of taking the south. Counter-Argument Some argue American independence might not have won without the leadership of General George Washington. He was honest, brave, and sure that the America and its Continental Army can win. He certainly not gave up faith that he would reach that object. His first military victory resulted in the British evacuating Boston in March 1776. General Washington reevaluated the wisdom of the tactical defensive and thereafter avoided confrontations with large concentrations of enemy forces after unsuccessful defense of New York and next Philadelphia. General Washington came to realization that it was far more critical for him to maintain the army as an entity than it was to win any particular battle or campaign (Weigley, p.12). Instead of trying to defeat the British in one decisive action, General Washington instinctively realized that the revolution would survive as long as the Continental army survived. Washington had to remain not only on the strategic defensive, but frequently on the tactical defensive, as well. He correctly understood that, by keeping his army intact, he could keep the revolution alive. If he could maintain the war long enough, Britain would exhaust her resources and struggle across the Atlantic and independence would be gained. Although General Washington lacked major victories in the Revolutionary war, his noted two tactical successes, at Trenton and Princeton, were conducted against smaller concentrations of an enemy force. But, General Washington made a number of excellent decisions at crucial times throughout the conflict. Conclusion Britain had an enormous military advantage at the beginning of the American Revolution with vastly superior naval power and a professional military with far greater financial resources. The British fought a much weaker enemy yet failed to accomplish its military and political objectives. General Washington recognized that the Continental Army was the backbone of the revolution, the Center of Gravity, where the British failed to identify. Another reason was the assistance the Americans received from the French. The British military were remarkably unmatched and clearly the superior army, and had the French not provided aid, it seems unlikely that General Washington and the Continental Army could have defeated the British. They pulled together and were able to capitalize on the British’s blunders. Bibliography 1. Clausewitz, C. On War. Michael Howard and Peter Paret, eds. and trans. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989 2. Mahan, A. T. The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783. New York: Dover, 1987. 3. Middlekauff, R. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. 4. Weigley, R. F. The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1977.

Fundamental of portfolio management

The equity risk premium is the excess return required by investors to compensate risks of holding a stock rather than holding a â€Å"risk free† asset. Jason ,2011) Under the Capital Asset Pricing model: , risk free investments involve borrowing and lending among investors and borrowing positions offset by lending positions, therefore let Y = and representative investor's risk aversion be . (Bodied, Kane and Marcus, 2011). We rearrange this equation , indicating the equity risk premium is influenced by average risk aversion and variance of the market portfolio.It's obvious that when risk aversion of investors and variance of market portfolio increase the equity risk premium will goes up, and vice-versa. There are many empirical evidences show that during the Global Financial Crisis the volatilities of market increase, for example Chewer (AAA) have recognized the increase of volatilities in stock markets during financial crisis. Besides, according to the research of Steven, Mic hael and Bob (2011) derived from trades in options on the S&P/ASX 200 index showed that the implied volatility climb up during the SGF and reach the peak in 2009.The increase of stock market volatilities not only represent the increase of risks (Karol 2011 and Brooks 2001) but also have negative relationship with risk aversion. (Chewer 1989 and Carney 2000). There are some events can be summarized in mention of an increase in risk aversion, for example after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy in September 2008 the stock market price hardly dropped and the bank lending dramatically decreased, consistent with this there was a overshooting of risk aversion. Paolo, John and Chairs,2011) In conclusion, during the SGF both average risk aversion and risks of market increased, therefore the equity risk premium went up. Part D The keenness in the distribution of returns has became important in asset pricing because the traditional mean-variance measurement cannot fully characterize return behavi ors (Samuelsson 1970,Campbell and Hence 1992;Circler and Huber 2007).This report will discusses the importance of keenness in returns in asset pricing with he respects of investors' preference for positive keenness and aversion to negative keenness, which asset pricing factors may be a proxy for keenness, the distinction between keenness and co-keenness in returns, and some researches include behavioral finance researches will be provided. What is keenness and why it's important Keenness is a measure of the asymmetry of probability distribution around its mean.Positive keenness has more probability distribution towards positive value, while negative keenness has more probability distribution towards negative value. The skewed distribution of asset returns was first point out by Dominant(1985), and it caused by the asymmetrical reactions of investors to goods news and bad news from companies. Chem.., Hong and Stein (2001) argued that there was another reason The main reason for the i ncreasing importance of keenness in returns is that the unrealistic assumptions of traditional mean-variance framework.The mean-variance measurement assumes the returns are normally distribute and quadratic preference, however it rarely happened in real word, therefore the insemination of expect returns and risks may exhibit. According to the finding of Roll(1977) and Ross( 1977) that the portfolio used as a market proxy is inefficient, the Sharper's CAMP have been suggested as invalid. It's also supported by Bernard and Allotted(2000) that the (unadjusted) mean-variance measurement Sharpe ratio can lead misleading conclusions.For overcoming this bias Parka's and Bear (1986) and Leland (1999) have developed performance measure incorporating keenness. Besides, Harvey and Suicide (2002) and Krause and Litterbug (1976) have recognized the importance of keenness that systematic keenness and conditional keenness are important to asset pricing since hey characterize the true distribution of asset returns. Furthermore, in traditional mean-variance framework such as Capital Asset Pricing Model there is only a single efficiency risky asset portfolio.While accounting for the mean-variance-keenness in returns, there are multiple efficient portfolios, which could be considered to provide diversification portfolios. (Harvey and Suicide,2000) Investor's preference for positive keenness and aversion to negative keenness The positive skewed distribution has a longer tail on the higher-return side of the curve, while the negative skewed distribution has a longer tail in the lower-return did.The asset with negative skewed returns distribution has greater risks that the returns will decrease than what the standard deviation measures, and for positive skewed distribution there are fewer risks the returns will decrease (Mini, 2011) Theoretically, investors have preference toward positive keenness and aversion toward negative keenness, since increasing positive keenness will decrea se possibility of large negative rate of returns.There are many literally evidences show the preference of positive keenness, for example in 1967 Aridity presented that rational investors with reasonable utility functions should prefer positive keenness in the distribution of investment returns†. Following Aridity (1976),Chinchilla et al. (1997) and Parka's et al. (2003) have recognized investors' preference for positive keenness as well. What's more, investors show their preference toward positive keenness in gambling, lotteries and entrepreneurship (Thomas, Jose and LU-Santos, 2009).Nevertheless, some investors exhibit preference for negative keenness in real life, here investor is not only represent individual but also economic agent. Prefer repertory investment is a an example of negative keenness preference, which with reasonable average yields but a small chance of heavy losses, to the opportunity of recouping the original cost(Maker, Nicholas, Dominic and Raymond additi on, economic agents facing a stream of stochastic monetary payoffs will show preference for negative keenness (Nazism, 2004).This also supported by Richard â€Å"economic agents may prefer negative keenness under some certain conditions† (Richard, 2010). From the research of Harvey and Suicide (2000) we can know that negative keenness receive higher return. In their research they assumed investors require payment for negative keenness, and excess returns could be result from the market inefficiency. The higher return of negative keenness may be a reason that in some circumstance investor will prefer negative keenness.Although investors expect the returns of asset exhibit positive skewed distribution, commonly the returns are negatively skewed distribution, since investors react to good news and bad news from corporations asymmetrically. It's explained by Dominant (1985) who first pointed out the skewed distribution of asset returns, and he reposed that the increase of stock p rice caused by good news is to some extent offset by the increase in the risk premium, which is required by higher volatility.For the decreased stock price caused by bad news is amplified further by the increased in the risk premium. Which asset pricing factors may act as a proxy for keenness The traditional mean-variance CAMP use beta to measure the systematic risks, and there are lots of studies suggest that the beta can't fully capture the systematic risks. Ban (1981) suggested market capitalization ,and Fame and French (1992) proposed kook- to-market ratio have relationship with the cross-section of stock returns(Chi- Hoist ,2006).There are many debates about whether asset pricing factors such as size and book-to market ratio may be acting as a proxy for keenness. The SMB factor measures the spread in asset returns between small and large size firms, and the HIM factor measures the spread asset returns between high book-to-market ratio and low book-to-market ration assets. In th e research of Harvey and Suicide(2000) they found that when adding keenness alone or Jointly with HIM and SMB to portfolios had similar results, therefore they lamed that book market ratio (HIM) and size (SMB) factors can be act as a proxy for keenness.Recently, Chunk Johnson and Shill (2007) also proposed that SMB and HIM are proxies for higher-order moments, and the Fame and French factors could be superior. However, there were some probabilities of errors in variables in their research. Conversely, Smith (2007) applied the condition three-model factor, which was proposed by Harvey and Suicide (2000), he argued that there was little impact on the price of market beta after adding the size(SMB) and the book-to-market(HIM) actors when the conditional keenness has already included in the model.The study of Jail(2004) showed that the conditional keenness plays an important role in stock market (HIM) factors. Even though there are many arguments about the extent those SMB and HIM asset s pricing factors act as a proxy for keenness, as least from the studies of Chunk Johnson and Shill (2007) and Jail (2004) we can conclude that the SMB and HIM those non-market factors can't completely act as a proxy for keenness.Distinction between keenness and co-keenness in returns Keenness is a measure of the asymmetry of probability distribution around its mean or a single asset, while co-keenness measures the symmetry of a variable's probability distribution in relation to another variable's probability distribution symmetry, which provide estimation of risks of assets connect to market risks. Theoretically, investors show their preference towards positive conciseness that present the asset has higher possibility of extreme positive returns than market returns.Thus, jocoseness also plays an important role in asset pricing, and there are many studies support it. The studies of Harvey and Suicides (2000), Smith (2005) and Errand and Sys (2005) provided evidence that the conditio nal jocoseness can help explain the cross-section of stock returns. Baron-Ideas (1985) and Limit (1989) suggested the pricing of jocoseness. Moreover, jocoseness extends capital asset pricing theory to some extent.The study by Krause and Litterbug provided the evidence that jocoseness can be regarded as a supplement to the covariance measurement of risks in explaining the returns on individual NYSE stocks and in the process to interpret the other discrepancies between returns, and the returns when take the NYSE stocks on the whole. Conclusion In conclusion, keenness in returns plays an important role in asset pricing, and there are many researches can provide evidence for it. For example, the studies conducted by Campbell and Hence (1992) and Harvey and Suicide (2000).

Becoming a Better Leader

â€Å"You can’t polish a sneaker – an ugly sneaker is an ugly sneaker. † When applied to a leader, some people might think that a good leader is born. However, history has shown that leaders are not exactly born. While observers are inclined to believe that every individual has innate capabilities of becoming a leader, not everybody is able to develop them.Biographies of great leaders show that their willingness and creativity in addressing the demands of their environment helped develop their capabilities.A classic example was Gandhi of India who did nothing grand but was able to move millions of his countrymen to action. By simply staying at home and using his loom to weave his clothing materials, he was able to show that it was possible for India to develop its own industry and become independent of Great Britain (Blagg and Young, 2001).A good leader should not only learn to say no and â€Å"I don’t know. † He or she should have the courage to te ll people the hard realities no matter how adverse, but should be able to help them cope with such realities.As John Kotter once said, â€Å"Great leadership does not mean running away from reality†¦Sometimes the hard truths might just demoralize the company, but at other times sharing difficulties can inspire people to take action that will make the situation better† (Blagg and Young, 2001).Leadership, therefore, involves meeting issues head-on and calling a spade a spade. It is true that a good leader attracts criticisms. He who is never criticized is not doing anything substantial or creative.Who was it who said that â€Å"One can’t please everybody? † Since harsh criticisms come from people who were not pleased or were threatened by one’s actions, surely others must have been satisfied or gratified. It might be a cliche but it is true that a coin has two sides.In like manner, an expert at the Harvard Business School was once quoted as saying that â€Å"There are lots of people who look and act like managers, who have excellent managerial skills, and who don’t make a lot of noise.Nobody is writing cover stories about them† (Joseph Badaracco as cited in Blagg and Young, 2001). An individual who is never censured, reproached, or appreciated, even if he or she is a manager is not a leader.He is somebody who is not exceptional – someone who is simply mediocre. Reference Blagg, D. & Young, S. (2001). What Makes A Good Leader. Harvard Business School Bulleting. Retrieved February 17, 2008 from http://www. alumni. hbs. edu/bulletin/2001/february/leader. html

The Malaysian Sibu Pasar Malam

Judging by the popularity of the Malaysian night market or pasar malam, it’s safe to say that this form of trading is here to stay despite the surge of shopping malls in the country. Markets of any kind are often representative of a country’s culture and the way of life of its citizens. Markets essentially bring together traders, ordinary people and children, either for a simple errand or a journey to discover delicious food and local goods. Some of the more well-known night markets are in Taiwan and Hong Kong, but Malaysians believe their country offers some of the best night markets – known locally as the pasar malam – to rival their counterparts in Asia. The Sibu Pasar Malam Survivors in the concrete jungle One would think that shopping at night markets would lose its appeal in a country where shopping malls are fast emerging. But judging from the crowds, the pasar malam is here to stay. Bangsar Baru’s night market is one of many examples of how a pasar malam survives in a rapidly developing city. Hundreds of Bangsar residents and tourists flock to this night market weekly, to buy groceries, have a meal or simply soak in the colourful atmosphere. The term night market does not necessarily mean that the market operates solely during nightfall. As early as three in the afternoon, access to main roads are closed, so that stall owners or hawkers can start setting up their stalls, umbrellas, tables and flourescent lights, and start displaying their goods and produce. The stall owners start this early and trade late into the night, sometimes till 11pm or midnight. Sunday is a popular day for the pasar malam, simply because it’s a day off and people have the time to window shop and run their weekly errands. Popular spots include Bangsar, Paramount Garden and Batu Feringghi in Penang. Some night markets open daily such as the one in Taman Connaught in Cheras. The pasar malam on Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman is believed to be the largest one in Kuala Lumpur, trading only on Saturdays. Sometimes, depending on the popularity of the markets, one residential area would hold two night markets in a week, taking turns to capture the attention of shoppers. SS2 is an example. On Mondays, the stalls are set up around the playground in the central area of SS2?s commercial area, attracting hundreds of patrons each week. On Thursdays, the area near the Cheow Yang shops are closed off for the second night market. Plenty to choose from: Tourists surveying the mouth-watering food at a pasar malam. Trinkets, treasures and a whole lot more Night markets attract people from all ages and all walks of life. Produce and goods such as vegetables, fruits, snacks, toys, clothes and all types of household ornaments are for sale at these night markets. Patrons will always tell you that goods are slighty cheaper at the pasar malam compared with produce and goods from the supermarkets or shopping malls. The novelty of shopping at the night markets is that patrons have the opportunity to haggle and bargain for lower prices with traders. Tourists are also advised that pasar malam offers them a chance to practice their bargaining skills with the local business community. Treasures are in abundance in the night market, depending on what is sought. For example, in Sarawak’s Lembangan night market, patrons could possibly find jungle fruit and ferns, snakes or snails. First time visitors to night markets are told to expect noisy, jostling crowds, and as such, are not for the claustrophic or the shopping mall addict. The colour, smells and conversations at a pasar malam offer a wonderful opportunity for locals and travellers to enjoy Malaysia’s cultures and diverse communities.