The eNotes Blog 10 Books You Wont Believe WerePublished

10 Books You Wont Believe WerePublished and the reviewers who actually read them. 1. People Who Dont Know Theyre Dead:  How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It Author Gary Leon Hill tells of his familys work luring dead spirits from the bodies of very alive people theyve held hostage. There are actually quite a few Goodreads reviews of this one, and it seems to generate love-hate (but mostly hate) reactions: Anita Dalton  rated it  1 of 5 stars Unusual beliefs make the world more interesting. But there are times when bad, bad writing combine with bad, dangerous information, and I am left with nothing but snark. If Penn Jillette read this book, he would s#@* blood. Alternatively, Heather  rated it  5 of 5 stars Anyone with an open mind should explore the pages of this non-fiction journey. Itll make you think about things that you wouldnt naturally consider. I loaned this to a co-worker and havent seen it since! Maybe the spirits took it? 2. How to Avoid Huge Ships The kicker with this one is that its labeled as the Second Edition. Its hard to imagine what the first edition might have left out. Unsurprisingly, Poets Writers  hailed it as the worst book ever  back in 2011, despite its $131 price tag and huge underground following. They also rounded up some of its snarkiest  Amazon reviews, which are well worth a read: Reads like a whodunnit!, December 21, 2010 By  Citizenfitz  (The salt grainery) –  See all reviews I bought How to Avoid Huge Ships as a companion to Captain Trimmer’s other excellent books: How to Avoid a Train, and How to Avoid the Empire State Building. These books are fast paced, well written and the hard won knowledge found in them is as inspirational as it is informational. After reading them I haven’t been hit by anything bigger than a diesel bus. Thanks, captain! TOO Informative., December 25, 2010 By  Dan  (Ontario Canada) –  See all reviews Read this book before going on vacation and I couldn’t find my cruise liner in the port. Vacation ruined. 3.  Living with Crazy Buttocks According to the blurb for this 348 page book, No ones got a wickeder eye for the absurdities of contemporary culture than Kaz Cooke. In Living with Crazy Buttocks she sets her sights on Barbie, NASA, celebrities, firemen, archbishops, cosmetic surgery, internet gurus, The Bill and Ben-Hur. She even takes a long, hard look at Ricky Martins bottom. We still have no idea what this book is about, and neither does its only Amazon reviewer: 4.0 out of 5 stars  Title alone deserves a Pulitzer  March 27 2010 To be fair I have to say I have no idea whats between the front and back covers of this book, but to be honest, WHO CARES!? Just having a book with this title in your Library instantly will take your collection from Drab and ordinary to exciting and racy, go ahead and take the plunge, you know you want to. BTW werent those belt vibrator Jiggy exercise machines dangerous to your internal parts, I thought I heard that somewhere? 4.  The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification Look out for this field guide in an Urban Outfitters near you: A must-have for anyone with a passion for shopping carts and a love of the great outdoors. In  The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America  author Julian Montague has created an elaborate classification system of abandoned shopping carts, accompanied by photographic documentation of actual stray cart sightings. Ravens review 4 of 5 stars bookshelves:  social-commentary This is an absolutely amazing, weird, odd, thought provoking,interesting book. Its a quick read, being made up of primarily photographs, but it will make you look at shopping carts in a whole new way. Very interesting. 5. Managing a Dental Practice: The Genghis Khan Way Genghis Khan is one of historys most charismatic and dynamic leaders and you will need all his skill, strength and tenacity to succeed in both dentistry and business. This how-to book on survival and empire-building in the dentistry business is ideal for anyone who owns, aspires to own, or is involved in managing a practice. Curiouser and curiouser I imagine the chapter marked The practice manager as problem solver does not include advice on planning wholesale massacres of entire civilian populations, but who knows? Unfortunately there are no reviews online to tell us anything for certain. 6.  Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality With chapters titled Psychotherapy of the Dead and  The Scale of Mental Abilities Requiring Thinking Somewhat (SMARTS), this book is (thankfully) a parody of psychology journals and not the dry academic study its title suggests. Still, with a critics review  calling it  For the Jung at heart! this book lands firmly in the WTF section of your local bookstore. Gayle Gordon  rated it  4 of 5 stars Shelves:  non-fiction Ever wonder how to cure childhood? Why dead people dont pay their bills? How to diagnose a patients mental disorder by how he parks? This is the book for you! You dont have to be a psychologist or psychiatrist to appreciate this book, but it probably helps! Im no shrink, but I thought it was a riot! 7.  Cheese Problems Solved Your burning questions about cheese, answered. Arranged in practical question and answer format, Cheese Problems Solved provides responses to more than 200 of the most commonly asked questions about cheese. Mike Lesters review bookshelves:  to-read Finally! Hope for the rest of us. Now on to the Arab/Israeli conflict. Traci  marked it as best-titles-ever Cheese Problems. Solved. There is a market for people who have problems with Cheese that can only be solved by a book. My world expands every day, even when I dont leave my office. 8. Do-It-Yourself Coffins: For Pets and People Whats creepier  than a DIY book on how to craft your own coffin? That it has 17 customer reviews on Amazon. And that the author refers to them as special boxes. Here is one project you will not want to put off till tomorrow. How true, in matters of decay youre really in a race  against time. Unfortunately, this book probably wont do you any favors in that department: Blah! By  moyer  on May 14, 2013 End product lacks that wow factor everyone wants in a quality coffin. I personally wouldnt be caught dead in one of these Zero Stars! By  Eric Garwood  on July 31, 2000 I have built one of the coffins following the directions in the book. Some measurements are missing, and some are not correct. This cost me in materials and time. Beware! 9.  Knitting With Dog Hair Better A Sweater From A Dog You Know and Love Than From A Sheep Youll Never Meet. Because why waste all that precious fluff at the bottom of your vacuum cleaner? But before you judge, its worth noting that 12 out of 14 reviewers gave this book 5 stars. Here are a few  standouts: 5.0 out of 5 stars  How much is that doggy in the window?  Aug. 16 2000 By  Mary Z. Cox Golden retriever scarves, Grand Pyranees hats, Siamese socks,and Samoyed sweaters! I have to admit that if I ever seek another dog, Im going to be looking at the silky haired retrievers instead of short haired varieties that offer little more than dander and love. No more bulldogs or boxers for meI want a dog that I can brush, spin, and knit big soft golden retriever sweaters. Truly a breakthrough in pragmatic thought! 5.0 out of 5 starsFInally, a book to recycle something I have more of than any  Oct. 18 1999 5.0 out of 5 stars  Good Reading  Sept. 12 2001 By  Cheri Provenzano It has made me more comfortable to know that there are others who do this and not that I am just spending too much time in the woods (As I have been accused of by neighbors). If this is what the dog lovers are up to, I dont even want to guess the crazy uses cat-people have come up with for their hairballs. 10.  Bombproof Your Horse To be fair, this is just a really poor title for a very practical book on horse training. But that doesnt mean  we cant all still point and laugh. Laura  rated it  4 of 5 stars I cant say my horse is cured yet, but this book has given me some great ideas! Traci  marked it as best-titles-ever I dont feel so strange dressing my dog in a hazmat suit anymore. 4.0 out of 5 stars  fun for horse and human By  A. MacNeil I dont believe that it is truly possible to bomb-proof any horse. Do you have a ridiculous book on your bookshelf? Tell us the craziest titles youve uncovered in a comment below.

Electronic Methods of Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Electronic Methods of Communication - Essay Example By thoroughly discussing these four questions, we can come to a more critical and intellectual viewpoint on this subject matter. The aim of this paper is to thoroughly discuss all of this, as well as any key elements which are in relation to this issue. This is what will be dissertated in the following. A virtual office is a location which allows many people doing business to share an office address and business machines, and is a facility which often includes such things as receptionists, mail support, telephone banks, fax machines, copiers, computers, and sometimes even call answering services. With the technology currently available, business can be conducted easily from basically anywhere. The virtual office is considered as being easily one of the most important applications of the Internet, although its recognition is surely lacking. The Internet is easily the most popular communication tool which is completely changing the entire concept of what it means to be an agency. "The key to making an office virtual is enabling everyone in the agency to be able to work together as smoothly as they would if they were all physically in the same place. The Internet is beginning to make this type of integration possible because it allows rapid, low-cost communication between individual u sers and businesses." (Anderson, 2000). The virtual office is certainly a thing of popularity and efficiency; however, not everyone is a candidate for working in a virtual environment. This type of setting requires a special type of person in order to function properly; the person has to be able to work from home, and a special kind of manager is also required to effectively manage virtual employees. Largely as a result of the falling price of telecommunications and the increased sophistication of such things as relevant technology, all businesses, regardless of size, are suddenly able to take advantage of global efficiencies that were once available only to large corporations and multi-nationals. "There are a number of implications of decentralization. The integrity of corporate data can be compromised in the absence of strong data management and storage policies. The inevitable proliferation of duplicated data sent over public networks to individuals or offices in remote locations also presents significant security risks. The management of outsourced services (with well defined service level agreements) requires a different approach to those supplied from in-house, and is likely to be even more challenging when services are undertaken in a different country. Differences in culture, time zone, standards, legislation and language are the obvious ones. Deficiencies in any of these areas can lead to reputation risks as well as increasing the costs of compliance." (Evans, 2006). Is Personal Contact Even Necessary at This Point In regards to technologically speaking, it appears rather obvious that personal contact is in fact unnecessarily in most cases. However, a matter of a related issue is that of is

Model for the Up-gradation of the E-mail System Essay

Model for the Up-gradation of the E-mail System - Essay Example You would agree that a large project management team definitely requires managerial capabilities. The model again fails to address soft skills which again is a necessity for any management function. There are other project management bodies like the PMI, each with their own body of knowledge. Currently there is no shared version of bodies of knowledge among them and there could exist conflicts among these models. "The intent in making these points is not to argue that one BoK is "better" than another - hopefully the different models will slowly converge - but that as it stands the PMI model is unnecessarily, and even dangerously, delimiting the scope of the discipline." (Morris, P.12). These are three major shortcomings attributed to the PMBOK model. As you may be aware, the model was introduced in 1987 and due to its inadequacy, again modified in 1988 under the guidance of Professor Alan Stretton. Even this model has not been found to be satisfactory be the Project Management Instit ute. Newer and more efficient models have been developed in the last decade and two of them are discussed here. This model was developed by Kevin Forsberg, Hal Mooz, and Howard Cotterman in the late 1990's. This model was developed in consultation with hundreds of project managers and consultants. The advantage of this project is that concepts of management are also integrated into the model, something which was lacking in the PMBOK model. A graphical representation of the model is given here. (Project management models in the new century). It can be seen that almost all aspects that go into a project is represented here. It also shows that executive support is essential by showing this aspect as the platform on which the whole project is resting. The model is shown as a wheel with and axle. Four essential elements are incorporated into the model. "These four elements are: a common vocabulary, teamwork, the sequential project life cycle, and management elements." (Project management models in the new century). The wheel has the following elements namely, Project Requirements, Organizing Options, Project Team, Project Planning, Opportunity and Risk, Project Control, Project Visibility, Project Status, and Corrective Action. Leadership is given an important role and is shown as the rim of the wheel. In other words, it is the leadership rim that holds the project together. The concept here is that, as the wheel rotates, it moves forward on the axle. The axle contains the following elements namely, User, Concept, System, Plan, Sourcing, Implementation, Deployment, Operations, and Deactivation. This is the actual process by which a project will move forward. So as the project wheel turns (begins) it moves along the process until it is completed (deactivation). Three more essential elements are shown in the axle namely Technical, Business, and Budget aspects of the project. Another important feature of this model is that the axle and the wheel rest on two pillars teamwork and common vocabulary. As mentioned earlier the whole structure rests on the platform of executive support. Almost all respects of a project is shown here in simple and lucid manner. Most importantly this model

A PESTEL Analysis of the Republic of China

A PESTEL Analysis of the Republic of China China, also called Republic of China. Political framework for China is dual leadership system which exercised through the communist party of China and the central peoples government. In china, peoples Congress members at the county level are elected by voters. For every five year term, China president and vice president will be elected by peoples congress. Meanwhile, for the state council will be appointed by peoples congress as well. To obtain nationality of china is difficult according the nationality law. As a China citizens who are not allow to hold a multiple citizenship. In the aspect of motivation by government, China maintains a well diplomatic relationship with other foreign country. It participate many international organization participation such as World Trade Organization (WTO), Group of 77 (G-77) and many so on. Inter-country attitude was stable and no war occurs between other. This will leads to encourages many other foreign country invest to China. Currently, China faced some territorial disputes before. Taiwan is one of the examples which successful obtain by China. Taiwan people desire to build up the linkage such as direct transportation system with mainland China for extends their Taiwanese business. As overall for political factor, China government leadership and structures are well being currently. The political trends of China became better as before revolution. Economic factor Economic factor is the most crucial factor part determines the overall environment. For chinas economic growth, it economic keep growing rapidly due to their open for outside world which are welcome other foreign country to investment (large scale capital investment such as opening its banking sectors) and productivity growth. Besides that, Chinas governments are investing into developing the education and technology aspect. This enhances the sector of technology changes. Last but not least, China tend toward urbanization which became an important driver among the globalization market demand and produced a low cost market for other foreign country tend toward invest in China. China is the bigger population in the world which around 1.3 billion people (Wikipedia, 2010). This population factor influence the spending levels. Compare with other country, China government are invest a huge capital in technology factor and at the same times, people purchasing power are strong as well. China average annual growth about 6 percents and next of the 20 years will allow China revolution became high income nation (Lou, 2010). In the taxation part, China implements those basic taxes such as business tax and income tax. For the international taxation, China is corporate with 46 countries which sign up the double taxation agreement. Chinas trade pattern continues to grow dramatically, the size of the export and imports keep increasing. China is one of the ASEAN members so that for the tarries and barriers within the country will reduce. The top trading partners for China are European, United State, Japan, and Hong Kong. Nowadays, China GDP slows to 9.6% in the third quarter of the year 2010. The unemployment rate in China was last reported at 4.20 percent in March of 2010 and the inflation rate increase to 3.60 percent in September of 2010 (Trading economics, 2010). Social factor China demographics Overpopulation problem causes many economic crises like lack of food, water and other basic amenities. As a result of its aging population, Chinas government introduces the one child campaign due to the ever growing population of China. Government is trying to control the population by allowing just one child per family. It controls family size and the overpopulation problem. As estimated, population will shift in future which decline from 9 in 2006 to 2.5 by year 2050 according to the Washington. For the healthcare, recently Chinas healthcare system has improvement slowed. For example, China spends 5.8 percent of its GDP as compare other developing country such as South Africa (8.7 percent), Brazil (7.9 percent) and India (6.1 percent). Yet, healthcare expenditures as a percentage of GDP have been increasing in China. By iimproving the healthcare system is important to raise living standards, therefore the lifestyle changes and the living standard increase in China. This is because that China toward the urbanization. Furthermore, Chinas economic growth rapidly recently years. Besides that, governments invest to the education industry boost up the individual became knowledgeable. This will increase the opportunity of working for an individual. On the other hand, many foreign direct investments in China provide more opportunity of occupation for Chinas citizen. From this, the high income nation will achieve in future, so that individual purchasing power will increase to enjoy a more quality lifestyle. Technology factor Technology changes rapid throughout the world. Innovation with technology compliance will increase the China own productivity and reduce the exports of growth. By implement advance technology, more information can be gain by the country and will discoveries more new advantages like manufacturing advances, new research, and transportation infrastructure can be more convenience by using high technology implement. Science aspect like energy fuels usages, bio-tech, genetics, agri-tech all can be benefit through this factor. Many country advocate save the world by recycling. By using advance technology, goods can be done by using those used product and process a new product to the society. At the same time, recycling can be done. Most of the company will choose China as the production plant, so that, advance technology will be imports in China and at the same time, new technology able help to save much cost. Environment factor There many external factor been catogories in enviromental factor such as change of weather, and climate changes, which might impact many industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance. Furthermore, increasing awareness of these potential impacts of climate changes are changing how a company operates. The enviromental factor are can not be amendment by China itself. It depend other external enviroment like the enviromental regulation swhich is the rules or regulation that set by other country like tariff and quota. However, there are some country will do protection onward their own product. The  Environmental Performance Index  (EPI) is a way in quantifying benchmarking the  environmental performance of a countrys policies.  According to 2010 environmental performance index, China score 49.8% of EPI and 58.7% of environmental health. Among the Asia country, China get the 18th places of its. One of the major reasons due to many industry factories builds at their effect the environment health. The air pollution of environmental health in China is at the 40.07% (Environmental Performance Index  ranking among Asia and pacific, 2010) Legal factor Legal factor include regulatory of the country. Company which analysis by this PESTEL analysis is to determine the strategy should be implementing on that. As china, employment rate fluctuant small. Employer will choose to have a factory at China that might due to low cost labor if compare with other country. Major Law in employment law is the labor law which is to protect labor benefits. According that, included all penalty, the standard working hours and the overtime minimum payment for ensure employee able get the benefits that should obtain. Furthermore, many companies decided invest their business in China and built up their industry and factory.Therefore the industry specific regulation to protect Chinas industry. Competitive regulation such as implement the taxes on foreign good to protect own good comparison. There are some functions and Powers of Organizations existence with Consumer Protection Responsibilities such as Consumers Association of China (CAC), State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) and State Bureau of Quality Technical Supervision (SBQTS).

Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) :: essays research papers

Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) Table of Contents (Clicking on the links below will take you to that part of this article) * Life * Philosophical Writings * Theology Life The father of medieval scholasticism and one of the most eminent of English prelates was born at Aost Piedmont in 1033. Anselm died at Canterbury, England on April 21, 1109. While a boy he wished to be a monk, but his father forbade it. When he was about twenty-three Anselm left home to live in Burgundy and France. After three years he went to Bec in Normandy where his celebrated countryman, Lanfranc, was prior. Here he became a monk (1060). He succeeded Lanfranc as prior in 1063, and became abbot in 1078. The abbey had possessions in England, which called Anselm frequently to that country. He was the general choice for archbishop of Canterbury when Lanfranc died (1089). However, the king, William Rufus, preferred to keep the office vacant, and apply its revenues to his own use. In 1093 William fell ill and, literally forced Anselm to receive an appointment at his hands. He was consecrated December 4 of that year. The next four years witnessed a continual struggle between king and ar chbishop over money matters, rights, and privileges. Anselm wished to carry his case to Rome, and in 1097, with much difficulty, obtained permission from the king to go. At Rome he was honored and flattered, but he obtained little practical help in his struggle with the king. He returned to England as soon is he heard of the death of William in 1100. But a difficulty arose over lay investiture and homage from clerics for their benefices. Thought a mild and meek man, Anselm had adopted the Gregorian views of the relation between Church and State, and adhered to them with the steadiness of conscientious conviction. The king, though inclined to be conciliatory, was equally firm from motives of self-interest. He had a high regard for Anselm, always treated him with much consideration, and personal relations between them were generally friendly. Nevertheless there was much vexatious disputing, several fruitless embassies were sent to Rome, and Anselm himself went thither in 1103, remaini ng abroad till 1106. His quarrel with the king was settled by compromise in 1107 and the brief remaining period of his life was peaceful. He was canonized in 1494. Back to Table of Contents Philosophical Writings As a metaphysician Anselm was a realist, and one of his earliest works, De fide Trinitatis, was an attack on the doctrine of the Trinity as expounded by the nominalist Roscelin.

AP Language Adversity Essay Essay

Adversity causes people to act differently. Some may choose to concede and run away from their problems. Others may try to fight and overcome the obstacle in front of them. According to the poet Horace, adversity will cause a person to reveal their true colours. However, there are also cases where adversity will impede one’s actions. I believe that adversity can cause one to rise to the occasion, but also can lead to one’s downfall. We can look at famous handicapped individuals and the struggle they got through to reach success. Terry Fox is an example of a person who faced adversity and achieved something amazing. Terry Fox was diagnosed with bone cancer and eventually had his leg amputated and replaced by a prosthetic leg. By refusing to give in to his cancer, Terry Fox was able to raise millions of dollars to support cancer research and prevent cancer cases like his own. Another prime example is Helen Keller. Helen Keller was blind and deaf, so it would seem like her life was a mess. However, Helen Keller didn’t want to give up, and she overcame many obstacles, and became the first blind and deaf person to obtain a bachelors of arts degree. Without the illnesses that Terry Fox and Helen Keller contracted, they wouldn’t have had an incentive to do what they did, thus they wouldn’t be able to reach such heights. While adversity can indeed help people discover themselves, there are times when adversity won’t. During the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, the protestors had to face a huge obstacle: the Chinese government. The protests were led by students and were increasingly popular for a while before 1989. To stop the protests, the Chinese government decided to use force. They had hundreds of thousands of troops and a number of tanks across areas of Beijing, arresting protestors and in some cases, protestors were killed in the process, however the Chinese government claims there were no deaths. The â€Å"failed† protests and â€Å"massacre† of Tiananmen Square, depict that in some cases, adversity can be a slippery slope to failure. After looking at both sides of the argument, the conclusion is that Horace’s statement sometimes holds true. While it is true that adversity influence people to do great things, we can also see how adversity can inhibit one’s  ability to create change. Thus, I believe that adversity can indeed reveal one’s true abilities, but copious and extreme amounts of adversity can have the opposite effect and prevent the discovery of dormant abilities.

Biography of Dolley Madison, Bipartisan First Lady

Born Dolley Payne, Dolley Madison (May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was first lady of the United States as the wife of James Madison, the country’s fourth president. Over the course of her tenure as first lady, she was instrumental in forging friendly and social relationships between members of different political parties. Fast Facts: Dolley Madison Full Name:  Dolley Payne Todd MadisonOccupation: First lady of the United StatesBorn: May 20, 1768 in New Garden, North CarolinaDied: July 12, 1849 in Washington, D.C.Known For: As first lady, Dolley Madison influenced bipartisan efforts and was known for her grace and charm as a hostess.Spouses: John Todd (m. 1790-1793), James Madison (m. 1794-1836)Children: John Payne Todd (1792-1852), William Temple Todd (1793-1793) Quaker Childhood Dolley was the first daughter of Mary Coles Payne and John Payne Jr., Virginian transplants to North Carolina. Her mother was a lifelong Quaker, and her father joined the faith upon marrying Mary in 1761. In 1769, the Paynes returned to Virginia, where they raised their children on the family plantation. As a child, Dolley was very close to her mother’s family. The Paynes had four daughters (including Dolley) and four sons. As Quakers, the family was somewhat anti-slavery, and in 1783, they emancipated all their slaves. That same year, when Dolley was fifteen, the family moved again, this time to Philadelphia, where John Payne started a business as a starch merchant. Unfortunately, his business failed by 1791, resulting in his expulsion from the Quaker community. He died in 1792. First Marriage In 1790, when she was 22 years old, Dolley married John Todd, a Quaker lawyer whom she met in Philadelphia. They soon had two sons: John Payne Todd (named for Dolley’s father) and William Temple Todd (born in 1793). Her sister, Anna Payne, also moved in to help with the children.   Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755-1828). Dolley Dandridge Payne Todd Madison, 1804. Oil on canvas. White House Historical Association (White House Collection) Tragedy struck in 1793, when a yellow fever epidemic tore through Philadelphia, killing more than five thousand people over the course of four months. Dolley lost her husband, her son William, and her in-laws to the epidemic. In the aftermath, she was stuck dealing not only with her grief and raising her surviving son, but with the legal limitations placed on women inheriting. Because her brother-in-law was the executor of her husband’s will, he was able to withhold her inheritance from her until forced to retract after a lawsuit. At the time, laws around women’s financial rights left many women in positions like Dolley’s. Because women were severely limited in their ability to earn money or own any property, they were almost entirely financially dependent on male relatives, under a system known as coverture—the doctrine that essentially subsumed all of a woman’s rights into her husband’s upon marriage. Mrs. Madison Dolley was a young widow, only 25 years old, and was considered a very beautiful woman. Living in Philadelphia, the temporary capital of the new United States, resulted in Dolley encountering many of the elite figures of the time. Dolley was staying at a boarding house, where the lawyer Aaron Burr was also living. Burr had attended college with James Madison, who was then representing Virginia as a congressman in the House of Representatives. Reportedly, it was Burr’s idea to introduce his old friend and his neighbor. In early 1794, Burr introduced the two, and they apparently hit it off quickly. Although Dolley would have been aware of the necessity of remarriage in order to support herself and her son, she and Madison did apparently care deeply for each other—despite an age gap of seventeen years. They married that September, resulting in Dolley’s expulsion from the Quaker community for marrying outside her faith; she adopted James’ Episcopal faith instead. Drawings of the coin honoring Dolley Madison from the U.S. Mints First Spouse Gold Coin Program are displayed in the East Room of the White House November 19, 2007 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images Madison served eight years in the House of Representatives before retiring from politics in 1797. Their family returned to Virginia, where Dolley helped her husband expand their house on his estate of Montpelier. However, the retirement didn’t last long. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson won the presidency, and he asked Madison to take the post of Secretary of State. Madison accepted, and he and his family moved to Washington. Because Jefferson was a widower, Dolley stepped in to fulfill some of the traditional functions of the first lady, as set out by Martha Washington. She assisted in furnishing the White House and served as hostess on several state occasions, while also befriending the wives of many international diplomats. During this era, she gained a reputation for her charm and graciousness. First Lady and Later Legacy Madison was the nominee of the Democratic-Republican Party in the 1808 election and won the presidency; he was reelected four years later as well. She functioned as the official hostess of the administration, smoothing over political tensions with her grace and social finesse. It was her social events, in fact, that helped bring together politicians of different parties. During her tenure as first lady, Dolley also participated in the advances of the ages: she was the only first lady given an honorary seat on the floor of Congress, and the first American to receive and reply to a telegraph message. Illustration shows American First Lady Dolley Madison (1768 - 1849) as she holds aloft the Declaration of Independence, as British soldiers approach the White House, Washington DC, August 24, 1814. Though Madison did save a number of documents from the White House, Gilbert Stuarts portrait of George Washington was the most historically important item she saved, and this image, which even includes a cracked display case in the background, is a fictional representation of the events. Stock Montage / Getty Images Dolley’s most famous action came in 1814—and, technically, it wasn’t even hers. During the War of 1812, British forces attacked Washington and burned much of the relatively new city. As the presidential staff hurried to depart, Dolley ordered that a painting of George Washington, a copy of the famous Lansdowne portrait, be taken down and saved. In popular culture, Dolley was depicted as the one who saved the painting, in reality, it was the house’s servants (or, more accurately, slaves) who did the saving. After Madison’s tenure as president ended in 1817, the family returned to Montpelier, where they enjoyed retirement. James Madison died on June 28, 1836, and Dolley spent the next year organizing and copying his papers for their records and for publication. She then returned to Washington, along with her sister Anna, in 1837. The Montpelier plantation was left in the care of her son, Payne Todd, but he suffered from alcoholism and other illnesses and was unable to carry out his duties properly. Instead, Dolley sold off Montpelier and the plantation’s remaining slaves to pay off her family’s debts. In her later years, Dolley Madison remained a fixture in Washington, as one of the last remaining members of the prominent Revolutionary War families. Over the years, her finances were intermittently shaky, and she sold the rest of her husband’s papers to help support herself. She passed away at the age of 81 at her home in Washington in 1849, and was first buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, then reinterred alongside James at Montpelier. Along with other early presidential wives such as Martha Washington and Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison defined the role of the first lady and used social gatherings to work towards bipartisan cooperation in a chaotic era. Sources Allgor, Catherine. A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation. New York: Henry Holy Co., 2006.â€Å"First Lady Biography: Dolley Madison.† National First Ladies Library, http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography4.Howat, Kenna, ed. â€Å"Dolley Madison.† National Women’s History Museum, https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/dolley-madison.