What advantages or disadvantages are there of having a telephone mast at your school?

I deliberated in finding you a result, never the less I will give you an unbiased view point and give you a pragmatic answer†¦ Consequently I have prepared a list of bullet points for and against for the answer†¦ For * Good phone signals are in place so a teacher can easily contact others (via mobile phone) if the conditions are stormy. * If a phone mass was put into place, company's across the country would manufacture there businesses nearby so all employees could conveniently access strong phone signals meaning Clayton would be popular village meaning a boost in local economy†¦ * People would see Clayton as a more business friendly town, meaning more leisure prospects because companies might set up major offices and buildings†¦ * Small towns may be transformed into a thriving city because a brilliant signals†¦ * May bring protesters although they would need transport and accommodation therefore it puts money into the economy again†¦ * If major company's construct big offices near by other people may be persuaded to create other things nearby to cater for the business men's every need for example coffee shops and luxury outlet stores for rich people who work in the offices†¦ * If thriving company's start up in the town other buildings will come as well, for example the company may want a building nearby were they can host there website (lots of servers) so they don't have to travel far to maintain equipment, meaning that they will buy more land leading to estate agents and nearby people gaining lots of money, which will further more be pumped back into the economy†¦ * If major company's set up in the nearby town, big companies such as BT etc will feel pressured not to have a office in the town because the town will be popular full of people†¦ * More shops would appear because the town would be so popular meaning lots of people would buy products from there shop†¦ * There is no real evidence to suggest that the EM radiation used in cellular communications is harmful. Against * There are fears that mobile phone masts present a threat to health, these fears begin with the warming of the brain direct from mobile phones, this leads onto the possible causes of cancer that come from phone masts e.g. brain tumours, this is the cause of microwave radiation. * You might have trouble sleeping as time goes on and you could be at risk from catching a brain tumour. Also if someone was to stand near a phone mast they might be at risk of catching the flu. * Seven different studies had concluded that mobile phones could increase the chances of both malignant and benign brain tumours'. * Can be seen as unattractive for example, if there is elegant view around the town the mast would instantly destroy it†¦ Meaning that if the town is seen as a rural, it is no instantly transformed as an urban town†¦ * Newcastle is aimed at older people (London is aimed at younger people) Therefore they will be against the change†¦ How it works Mobile phones work using radio signals in a similar way to radio and television. The system is based on geographic areas known as cells. When you make a call, your mobile phone sends a signal to the nearest base station that controls a cell. The base station then transmits the signal through mobile and fixed line networks to connect you. Cells vary in size depending on location and demand. A large base station may be able to carry 100 to 150 calls simultaneously while a smaller one may only be able to carry around 30 calls. More base stations will be needed in areas where lots of people want to use their mobile phones. There are around 51,000 base stations in the UK, two-thirds of which are integrated into the design of existing buildings or structures. Conclusion This is a very debateable subject, however I hope the bullet points I have willingly provided have made it easier for me to make a strong decision†¦ If I was put in charge of making this decision I would be for the telephone mast because it would bring major companies to Newcastle-under-Lyme which would be excellent for the economy, There are about 70 million mobile phones in use in the UK which of whom need to base stations, this is why one should be made in Newcastle because they have to be made! People may protest and rebel about this although this wouldn't matter too much because after a while people will forget†¦If we did put a telephone mast in Newcastle there is a chance that Newcastle under Lyme could be completely transformed for the best! Some major disadvantages would be that it could cause harm towards the civilians and that the change could anger the more older public because they might not like thriving city's and prefer the quite villages†¦

Case Study on Pneumonia

Case Study: Pneumonia and Pressure Ulcer Prevention in an Elderly MICU Patient June 6, 2012 Case Study: Pneumonia and Sepsis in an Elderly MICU Patient L. M. is a 75-year-old female who suffers from severe dementia and lives in a SNF. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005 and as a result had a right upper and middle lobectomy. She also has a history of severe emphysema. L. M. has had several pneumonic infections and has an allergy to Pneumovax. She has a recurrent aspiration risk and received a tracheostomy and a PEG tube in January 2012. On Aril 25, 2012, L.M. was found to be increasingly fatigued, somnolent, and had shortness of breath accompanied with tachycardia as witnessed by the staff at the SNF. When she arrived at the emergency department, she was tachycardic with a heart rate in the 130-140’s and tachypnic with a respiration rate in the 30-40’s. L. M. , who normally depends on 2 liters of oxygen at home, desaturated to 88% requiring oxygen support increas ed to 4 liters. Her baseline systolic blood pressure is 100-110 and it was measured in the low 90’s in the ED. She also had an increased temperature of 38. degrees Celsius. As a result of L. M. ’s increase in temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate accompanied with pneumonia, the emergency department treated her for sepsis. Labs drawn showed an increase in white blood cells and lactic acid, as well as an increase in PC02 and a decrease in PO2. She was aggressively resuscitated with IV boluses as necessary followed by maintenance normal saline. She was also administered Vancomycin, Cefepime, Azithromycin, and Metronidazole. In addition, her chest x-ray illustrated a near complete opacification of the right lung field.She was diagnosed with sepsis secondary to pneumonia complicated by a right lower lung collapse due to mucus plugging. I assumed care of L. M. in the MICU ten days after her admission in the ED. She had been intubated and put on a mechanical ventilato r. She was put on pressure support mode at a rate of 10, PEEP of 5, Fi02 of 40%, and her tidal volumes averaged around 230. She had three bronchoscopies, however, there was still evidence of mucous plugs and L. M. was unable to clear lung secretions. Respiratory therapy attempted to decrease the pressure support on the ventilator but L.M. showed increased signs of respiratory distress. At the point that I took over care for the patient, my goals were: prevent aspiration and further spread of infection and improve ventilation and perfusion. Interventions for my patient to prevent aspirations and decrease risk of further infection included suction contaminated secretions, raise the head of the bed, and use of Chlorexidine wash. Protocol for suctioning an intubated patient in the MICU is every 4 hours or more frequently if necessary depending on the patient. L. M. ad a history of recurrent aspirations and was at risk for increased infection because she was on a ventilator. â€Å"Closu re of the glottis prevents aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions. When a patient is intubated with an endotracheal tube, the glottis remains open, leaving only the inflated cuff for protection against aspiration (Bennett, Bertrand, Penoyer, Sole & Talbert, 2011). † Therefore, routine suctioning helps to eliminate the pooling of secretions above the cuff of the endotracheal tube, where aspiration is most likely to occur.In addition, raising the head of the bed to 30-45 degrees decreases aspiration and the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia. â€Å"The single most cost-free intervention found to reduce the incidence of VAP is elevation of the HOB (Stonecypher, 2010). † Although my patient was already diagnosed with pneumonia, it was important to prevent the spread of the infection to the healthy portion of her lungs or have a recurrence of sepsis. Chlorehexidine is an antiseptic that has been proven to inhibit dental plaque formation and gingivitis.I swabbed my patie nt’s mouth with Chlorhexidine once a shift as a protocol in her plan of care. The use of an antiseptic solution helps to decrease the amount of bacteria in the oral mucosa and thus prevents the colonization of bacteria in the respiratory tract (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2012). Another important intervention was to maintain the head of the bed at 30-45 degrees and position L. M. ’s left lung into a dependent position to improve ventilation and perfusion. L. M. ’s O2 was decreased to 63 and her CO2 was increased to 50.According to the IHI, it is recommended to elevate the bed to 30- 45 degrees to improve ventilation. Patients that lay in the supine position have lower spontaneous tidal volumes on pressure support ventilation compared to those laying at more of an angle (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2012). In regards to positioning, when the least damaged portion of the lung is placed in a dependent position it receives preferential blood flow. This redistribution of blood flow helps match ventilation and perfusion, therefore, improving gas exchange (Lough, Stacy & Urden, 2010).Implementing these interventions combined with respiratory therapy, significantly improved the blood gas values for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. â€Å"Pressure ulcers are key clinical indicators of the standard and effectiveness of care (Elliott, Fox & McKinley, 2008). † L. M. was at high risk for pressure ulcers for multiple factors such as immobility, poor nutrition, age, and health. Therefore, I used the Braden Scale as a quality indicator in order to assess the risk of pressure ulcers and also to initiate prevention.The Braden Scale assesses pressure sore risks by examining certain criteria: sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and fiction and shear. Each category is rated on a scale of 1-4, with the exception of the friction and shear category that is rated on a scale of 1-3. There is a possible score of 23. If a patient has a higher score, they are less susceptible to development of a pressure ulcer and vice versa. In the category of sensory perception, I rated L. M. at a 2 because she only responded to painful stimuli but could not communicate discomfort with the exception of restlessness.I scored her at a 2 in the moisture criteria because she was often diaphoretic because of increased heart rate, increased respirations, and her linens had to be changed once a shift. In terms of activity, she was a 1 because she was confined to a bed both at the hospital and at the SNF she lived in. L. M. was very limited in her mobility and would only make occasional slight changes in her body position; therefore, I assessed her to be a 2. I rated her nutrition at a 2 because she weighed 84 pounds and was on tube feeding that seemed inadequate o meet her nutritional needs. In the last category, friction and shear, I gave her a 1 since she required maximum assistance in moving. She would frequently slide down in her hospital bed and required frequent repositioning. L. M. ’s cumulative score was a 10, which is considered a high risk for developing a pressure ulcer. â€Å"Prevention of pressure ulcers is a fundamental aspect of intensive care nursing, and quality improvement methods are arguably the most cost-effective and intuitive approach to addressing this potentially serious problem (Elliott, Fox & McKinley, 2008). One of the interventions I implemented in order to prevent pressure ulcers in my patient was the use of support surfaces. The use of a pressure-redistributing mattress and pillow supports under bony prominences, assist in relieving pressure that the patient’s body weight has on the skin when lying in bed for a pro-longed amount of time. If the pressure is not alleviated it can lead to impaired circulation, damage to the skin, and eventually tissue death (Gill, Reddy & Ronchon, 2006).In order to further promote patient care, it is necessary to educa te the patient, family, and/or caregivers. There are several different factors that could help to ensure a better quality of life for L. M. Consistent trach care and good oral hygiene can reduce the risk of bacteria entering the airways and causing recurrent respiratory infections. It is important for L. M. to maintain an elevation of the head of the bed to prevent aspiration and improve ventilation. Furthermore, frequent repositioning and the use of supportive devices is imperative to maintain skin integrity.It will also be crucial to monitor L. M. ’s vital signs to be able to recognize a recurrence of pneumonia or sepsis. References Bennett, M. , Bertrand, M. , Penoyer, D. A. , Sole, M. L. , & Talbert, S. (2011). Oropharyngeal secretion volume in intubated patients: The importance of oral suctioning. American Hournal of Critical Care, 20(6), 141-145. Elliott, R. , Fox, V. , & McKinley, S. (2008). Quality improvement program to reduce the prevalence of pressure ulcers in an intesive care unit. American Journal of Critical Care, 17(4), 328-334.Retrieved from http://ajcc. aacnjournals. org/content/17/4/328. full Gill, S. S. , Reddy, M. , & Ronchon, P. A. (2006). Preventing pressure ulcers: A systematic review. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 296(8), Retrieved from http://jama. jamanetwork. com/article. aspx? volume=296&issue=8&page=974 Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2012). Ihi ventilator bundle: Daily oral care with chlorhexidine. Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Retrieved from http://www. ihi. org/knowledge/Pages/Changes/DailyOralCarewithChlorhexidine. spx Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2012). Ihi ventilator bundle: Elevation of the head of the bed. Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Retrieved from http://www. ihi. org/knowledge/Pages/Changes/ElevationoftheHeadoftheBed. aspx Lough, M. E. , Stacy, K. M. , & Urden, L. D. (2010). Critical care nursing. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Stonecypher, K. (2010). Ventilato r-associated pneumonia: The importance of oral care in intubated adults. Crtitical Care Nursing Quarterly, 33(4), 339-347.

Presentation of the Kite Runner Essay

INTRODUCTION This paper copes with the analysis of Hosseini’s Kite Runner using Marxism approach. Marxist theory mainly deals with the literary works and evaluates the works by the examining of its historical, social and economical background. Marxism evaluates the work how it is influenced by the time in which it was produced as well as social, political, economical sphere (Chowdhury, 2011). Thus, this paper will focus on: (1) The Marxist Approach To The Kite Runner; (2) The relationship among characters as a representation of the differences between social classes; (3) The relationship between Baba and Ali serve as a representation materialism versus spirituality; (4) Baba as the representation of economic power in his society in the period of time; and (5) Cultural and political hegemony as representation of situation in Afghanistan. 1.The Marxist Approach To The Kite Runner The marxist approach to literature is based on the philosophy of Karl Marx, a German philosopher and economist. His major argument was that whoever controlled the means of production in society controlled the society—whoever owned the factories â€Å"owned† the culture. This idea is called â€Å"dialectical materialism,† and Marx felt that the history of the world was leading toward a communist society. From his point of view, the means of production (i.e., the basis of power in society) would be placed in the hands of the masses, who actually operated them, not in the hands of those few who owned them. It was a perverted version of this philosophy that was at the heart of the Soviet Union. Marxism was also the rallying cry of the poor and oppressed all over the world (Kurtz). To read a work from a Marxist perspective, one must understand that Marxism asserts that literature is a reï ¬â€šection of culture, and that culture can be affected by literature (Marxists believed literature could instigate revolution). Marxism is linked to Freudian theory by its concentration on the subconscious—Freud dealt with the individual subconscious, while Marx dealt with the political subconscious. Marx believed that oppression exists in the political subconscious of a society—social pecking orders are inherent to any group of people. The four main areas of study are economic power; materialism versus spirituality; class conï ¬â€šict; art, literature, and ideologies. 2.The relationship among characters as a representation of the differences between social classes On the beginning of the novel, Hosseini briefly contrasted the high class layer from low class layer in several ways. a.From physical appearance of the characters. Baba and Ali. Baba and Ali are much different. Baba was a strong, and powerful man. â€Å"It was Rahim Khan who first referred to him as what eventually became Baba’s famous nickname, _Toophan agha_, or â€Å"Mr. Hurricane.† It was an apt enough nickname. My father was a force of nature, a towering Pashtun specimen with a thick beard, a wayward crop of curly brown hair as unruly as the man himself, hands that looked capable of uprooting a willow tree, and a black glare that would â€Å"drop the devil to his knees begging for mercy,† as Rahim Khan used to say. At parties, when all six-foot-five of him thundered into the room, attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun† (ch.3). Ali was a weak, flawed and men. â€Å"But polio had left Ali with a twisted, atrophied right leg that was sallow skin over bone with little in between except a paper-thin layer of muscle†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (ch.2), in other hand, the novel states that â€Å"Ali’s face and his wa lk frightened some of the younger children in the neighborhood. But the real trouble was with the older kids (ch.2). Amir and Hasan Physically, Amir and Hassan were different. Though Amir was older than Hassan, but Hassan was stronger than Amir. Hassan can run faster than Amir. When they were running to catch the kite one day, Amir looked very tired. â€Å"They called him â€Å"flat-nosed† because of Ali and Hassan’s characteristic Hazara Mongoloid features. â€Å"For years, that was all I knew about the Hazaras, that they were Mogul descendants, and that they looked a little like Chinese people† (ch.2) Sofia Akrami and Sanaubar Sofia Akrami, Baba’s wife (Amir’s mother) was from a rich family. â€Å"When people scoffed that Baba would never marry well–after all, he was not of royal blood–he wedded my mother, Sofia Akrami, a highly educated woman universally regarded as one of Kabul’s most respected, beautiful, and virtuous ladies. And not only did she teach classic Farsi literature at the university she was a descendant of the royal family, a fact that my father playfully rubbed in the skeptics’ faces by referring to her as â€Å"my princess† (ch.3). Sanaubar, Ali’s wife, was a beautiful woman. â€Å"†¦ a beautiful but notoriously unscrupulous woman who lived up to her dishonorable reputation. Like Ali, she was a Shi’a Muslim and an ethnic Hazara. She was also his first cousin and therefore a natural choice for a spouse. But beyond those similarities, Ali and Sanaubar had little in common, least of all their respective appearances. While Sanaubar’s brilliant green eyes and impish face had, rumor has it, tempted countless men into sin, Ali had a congenital paralysis of his lower facial muscles, a condition that rendered him unable to smile and left him perpetually grimfaced. It was an odd thing to see the stone-faced Ali happy, or sad, because only his slanted brown eyes glinted with a smile or welled with sorrow. People say that eyes are windows to the soul. Never was that more true than with Ali, who could only reveal himself through his eyes†¦. â€Å"I have heard that Sanaubar’s suggestive stride and oscillating hips sent men to reveries of infidelity† (ch.2). b.Tribe’s difference. Hosseini exposes two different tribes between Pasthuns and Hazara in some points of view. ï‚ §Oppression of Pasthuns to Hazara. Pasthuns is a high class layer while Hazara is a low class layer. This can be shown from the citations as follow: â€Å"An entire chapter dedicated to Hassan’s people! In it, I read that my people, the Pashtuns, had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras. It said the Hazaras had tried to rise against the Pashtuns in the nineteenth century, but the Pashtuns had â€Å"quelled them with unspeakable violence.† The book said that my people had killed the Hazaras, driven them from their lands, burned their homes, and sold their women. The book said part of the reason Pashtuns had oppressed the Hazaras was that Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, while Hazaras were Shi’a’ (ch.2). The insulting to Hazara. As it has been pointed out that Hazara was low class layer, Hazara’s people were placed as a minority and they were mostly insulted by people around them. Ali, who belongs to Hazara, was chased by children around. â€Å"They chased him on the street, and mocked him when he hobbled by. Some had taken to calling him _Babalu_, or Boogeyman† (ch.2). Hassan, who was known as Ali’s son, was very often insulted by his neighbours when he walked with Amir. Amir says that â€Å"It also said some things I did know, like that people called Hazaras _mice-eating, flat-nosed, load-carrying donkeys_. I had heard some of the kids in the neighborhood yell those names to Hassan. Amir’s teacher even said that â€Å"That’s the one thing Shi’a people do well,† he said, picking up his papers, â€Å"passing themselves as martyrs.† He wrinkled his nose when he said the word Shi’a, like it was some kind of disease (ch.2). Assef really hated Hazara people. In another occasion, when he met Amir dan Hassan, Assef strictly said to Hassan: His blue eyes flicked to Hassan. â€Å"Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan. They dirty our blood.† He made a sweeping, grandiose gesture with his hands. â€Å"Afghanistan for Pashtuns, I say. That’s my vision† (ch.5). Amir and Hassan, on one day walked around and met Assef on the way. Assef says to Amir â€Å"How can you talk to him, play with him, let him touch you?† he said, his voice dripping with disgust. Wali and Kamal nodded and grunted in agreement. Assef narrowed his eyes. Shook his head. When he spoke again, he sounded as baffled as he looked. â€Å"How can you call him your ‘friendâ₠¬â„¢?† _But he’s not my friend!_ I almost blurted. _He’s my servant!_ Had I really thought that? (ch.5). 3.The relationship between Baba and Ali serve as representation materialism versus spirituality. Materialism refers to desire for wealth and material possessions, while spiritualism refers to a philosophic doctrine, opposing materialism, that claims transcendency of the divine being (Empi, 2009). Hosseini opposites two characters between Baba and Ali. Baba is materialism as stated in the novel that Baba says that â€Å"If there’s a God out there, then I would hope he has more important things to attend to than my drinking scotch or eating pork. Now, hop down. All this talk about sin has made me thirsty again† (ch. 3). Baba also just only interested to talk about business, politics and football as the central topics on conversation with his friends in his room one day as stated that â€Å"Baba and his friends reclined on black leather chairs there after Ali had served dinner. They stuffed their pipes–except Baba always called it â€Å"fattening the pipe†Ã¢â‚¬â€œand discussed their favorite three topics: politics, business, soccer† (ch.2). When Amir told Baba about religious teaching of Islam at school that they learnt about Qur’an, Baba said to Amir that â€Å"I see you’ve confused what you’re learning in school with actual education,† he said in his thick voice (ch.3). Baba also said to Amir that â€Å"You’ll never learn anything of value from those bearded idiots† (ch.3). In contrast, Ali is a religious man who had memorized the Koran†¦. (ch.3). In addition, it is cited that â€Å"Hassan’s father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get. He would wag his finger and wave us down from the tree. He would take the mirror and tell us what his mother had told him, that the devil shone mirrors too, shone them to distract Muslims during prayer. â€Å"And he laughs while he does it,† he always added, scowling at his son† (ch.2). Furthermore, Ali and Hassan were religiously to Islamic Teaching, and he never left for praying. One day Amir got up late and found â€Å"Hassan had already washed up, prayed the morning _namaz_with Ali†(ch.4). Hassan never missed any of the five daily prayers. Even when we were out playing, he’d excuse himself, draw water from the well in the yard, wash up, and disappear into the hut (ch.4) 4.Baba as the representation of economic power in his society in the period of time. In Marxist’ theory society is divided into two classes based economical point of view. They are the upper class/bourgeoisies and the lower class/labors/proletarians (Darma, 2013). Hosseini exposes the economic power characters in the novels in several points. ï‚ §Hoseini symbolizes Baba and Ali as the bourgeoisies and proletarians. Baba was a rich man. He has the most beautiful house in Kabul, while Ali’s house is small. It is stated in the novel that â€Å"Everyone agreed that my father, my Baba, had built the most beautiful house in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, a new and affluent neighborhood in the northern part of Kabul. Some thought it was the prettiest house in all of Kabul† (ch.2). On the contrary, Ali was a poor man which worked only for Baba as a servant. His house was small and lied behind Baba’s house. The novel states that â€Å"On the south end of the garden, in the shadows of a loquat tree, was the servants’ home, a modest little mud hut where Hassan lived with his father. (ch.2) ï‚ §Baba was a successful businessman. When people around doubted him on his success, he run a business and he became a successful merchant in Kabul as stated that â€Å"Baba proved them all wrong by not only running his own business but becoming one of the richest merchants in Kabul†¦ Baba and Rahim Khan built a wildly successful carpet-exporting business, two pharmacies, and a restaurant† (ch.3). Baba also built an orphanage by his own money to show his economic power. The novel stated that â€Å"In the late 1960s, when I was five or six, Baba decided to build an orphanage. I heard the story through Rahim Khan† (ch.3) â€Å"Baba paid for the construction of the two-story orphanage, just off the main strip of Jadeh Maywand south of the Kabul River, with his own money (ch.3). Bourgeoisies way of life was identical to hedonism. It was stated in the novel that â€Å"In 1933, the year Baba was born and the year Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan, two brothers, young men from a wealthy and reputable family in Kabul, got behind the wheel of their father’s Ford roadster. High on hashish and _mast_ on French wine, they struck and killed a Hazara husband and wife on the road to Paghman (ch.4). 5.Cultural and political hegemony as representation of situation in Afghanistan. According to Encarta English Dictionary (2009), hegemony is authority or control: control or dominating influence by one person or group, especially by one political group over society or one nation over others. Hosseini describes the hegemony in culture and politics was presented in several way of his work’s The Kite Runner. a.Cultural Hegemony. The Pasthuns controlled Hazara by forbidding them to come to school. Hazara’s people were identical with iliteral and servant of Pasthuns. This was represented in the novel that Hassan will do anything whatever Amir asked him. Amir was very often asked Hassan to do something impossibly. It stated in the novel that â€Å"Eat dirt if I told you to,† I said† (ch.6). In addition, most Hazara people were servants, Amir says that â€Å"I remember one kid, Ahmad, who lived across the street from us. His father was some kind of doctor, I think. †¦Every morning , I watched from my bedroom window as their Hazara servant shoveled snow from the driveway, cleared the way for the black Opel† (ch.6). Afghans were independent people. Pasthuns controlled Hazara in all aspects. b.Political hegemony. This was represented in Assef statement that â€Å"â€Å"I’ll ask the president to do what the king didn’t have the quwat to do. To rid Afghanistan of all the dirty, kasseef Hazaras† (ch.5). In addition, Assef also ever told Amir that â€Å"For a lot of Hazaras, Iran represented a sanctuary of sorts–I guess because, like Hazaras, most Iranians were Shi’a Muslims. But I remembered something my teacher had said that summer about Iranians, that they were grinning smooth talkers who patted you on the back with one hand a nd picked your pocket with the other† (ch.6). REFERENCES: Chowdhury, M. A. U. (2011). The Kite Runner in the light of Marxism. Retrieved 25 January, 2013, from http://jottify.com/works/the-kite-runner-in-the-light-of-marxism/ Darma, Budi. (2013). Handout of Literary Criticism on Marxism. Presented on the P2TK class on Program Pasca Sarjana UNESA. Empi, Varun. (2009). Materialism Vs Spiritualism. Retrieved on January 24, 2013, from http://www.slideshare.net/varun_empi/varun-materialism Hosseini, K. (2003). The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books. Kuntz, K. Teaching Khaled Hosseini’s from Multiple Critical Perspectives. Retrieved on January 24, 2013 from http://www.prestwickhouse.com/PDF/SAMPLE/305052.pdf Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

A Comparison of Quality and Business Excellence Programs in the World Assignment

A Comparison of Quality and Business Excellence Programs in the World - Assignment Example ms are organized for specific missions such as best practice sharing, continuous management and quality initiatives, promotion, recognition of top performers, understanding performance excellence requirements, etc. Core values and concepts related to awards keeps on changing with companies. There are certain common core values like social responsibility, leadership, customer, people, management, learning, innovation, etc (Miguel, 2005). Awards have specific categories for individuals and this helps them to remain competitive in long run. In sessions there has been discussion on quality management and its significant benefits. Quality management is not only related to enhanced machinery productivity but is also closely knitted with overall organizational productivity. Team members are motivated through award programs and this even helps to upgrade corporate image. The criteria categories indicate dimensions of award programs like customer, information and data, performance and measurement, people, resources, processes, society, results and strategies. Award level is distinct in different geographical regions. European award level has categories such as award winner, finalist, prize winner, etc. On the other hand, Wales’s quality award has levels like gold, platinum, bronze and silver. The article analyzed the different criteria’s for awards across the globe. Process improvement, benchmark and performance excellence are key objectives of award programs. This statement has been well supported by varying criteria’s across award programs. Figure 3 clearly indicates that communication and best practice sharing are common objectives or award mission. This proves that there is a common ground for designing award programs. These criteria’s are aligned with Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Business excellence depends on certain quality dimensions as described in figure 6. These dimensions are customer, people, leadership, strategies, results and

Leadership discussion broad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Leadership discussion broad - Essay Example On the other hand, firms which are stuck in the middle of the two strategies make the lowest returns because they can neither build their image of the product of products or services of the highest quality or distinct features consistently nor that of a cost effective provider consistently. A cost leader selects product differentiation at a low to moderate level. Differentiation incurs more cost as more resources are required to be spent in making the product unique. Therefore, a cost leader goes for differentiation which is not markedly inferior to its competitors competing through differentiation, but is achievable at a low cost. A cost leader does not add a unique feature until it is wanted by the customers or it has been done by the competitors (Hill and Jones, 2008, p. 121). A cost leader attracts the customers by charging them a lower price compared to what they are charged by the competitors, but this tendency to charge the lower price is jeopardized when the cost leader also tries to become a differentiator. Consequently, revenues are

Monopoly and AntitrustPolicy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Monopoly and AntitrustPolicy - Assignment Example What would happen if the law preventing competition in this market was removed? Explain your answer. According to Foldvary (2010), â€Å"A "natural monopoly" is defined in economics as an industry where the fixed cost of the capital goods is so high that it is not profitable for a second firm to enter and compete. There is a "natural" reason for this industry being a monopoly, namely that the economies of scale require one, rather than several, firms. Small-scale ownership would be less efficient.† The USPS is a natural monopoly. Costs would go up if competition was allowed in this market. With natural monopolies, one firm can control an entire industry and still achieve the lowest price. 4. Patents are granted every 20 years. However, drug companies don’t have patents on new drugs for this long a time because it takes several years for FDA approval. In your opinion, should drug patents be extended for 20 years? Who would benefit? Who would not benefit? I do not believe that drug patents should be extended for 20 years simply because of the high cost of new drugs. Many people cannot afford their medication unless it is generic. The consumer would not benefit, but the drug companies

Find a dataset of your own choosing. The dataset can be from your own Essay

Find a dataset of your own choosing. The dataset can be from your own place of work, your own country, or connected to your MSc, although it does not have to be Financial or monetary data - Essay Example In the current complex business environment, dataset is widely used in several forms to analyse and interpret data and to draw up meaningful conclusions. With the recent developments in the computing technology, it is easy for individuals or businesses to prepare datasets and transform them into meaningful information. Today, MS Excel is widely used to develop datasets because even a non-tech savvy person can use this programme for arranging the relevant data in the form of a dataset. It is important to note that a data set must not necessarily contain financial or monetary data but it may contain any other form of data that can create a deep understanding of the given topic. This paper will analyze a dataset prepared by IC Insights about the sales performance of top 12 smartphone companies during the 2011-2013 fiscal periods. The paper will provide an explanation of the dataset, identify the meaning of the variables, and comment on its overall purpose and limitations. The dataset chosen for this project contains the data of smartphone sales of leading 12 companies for the three consecutive years beginning from 2011. Samsung, Apple, LG, Lenovo, ZTE, Huawei, Sony, Yulong/Coolpad, Nokia, HTC, RIM, Google/Motorola are the companies discussed in this dataset. In addition to presenting the sales data of smartphone sales, the dataset provides percentage change of increase/decrease in sales from year to year under consideration and also the industry ranking of these companies during the same period. An analysis of this dataset may assist the reader to form a clear understanding of the market growth of each company over the 2011-2013 period. From the dataset, it is clear that Samsung was at the #1 position of the global smartphone industry for the three consecutive years with convincing increases in sales each year. The company’s sales rose from 95 million units in 2011 to 218 million units in 2012, achieving 129% increase in sales. In 2013, the

The contemporary issues in India Research Paper - 1

The contemporary issues in India - Research Paper Example The country is suffering from the problem of corruption and this is restricting the human development efforts in the country. Human trafficking is also an issue that is tarnishing the reputation of the country and many people are being trafficked from India into other countries. The increasing population of India is also a major problem the country is facing. All these issues will be discussed in great detail in the essay. Corruption, human trafficking, and increasing population are the three issues that will be discussed in the essay. Corruption is one of the most major issues India is facing today. Many institutions of the country like politics, bureaucracy, and law enforcement institutions all are suffering from the deadly disease of corruption (Express India, p.1). India became an independent state in 1947, before then it was a British colony. In more than half of a century the institutions of the country have not developed enough and this is why the problem of corruption exists in the country. The lack of infrastructure in the country may also be responsible for corruption because people working for the civil services know that they will not be caught while taking bribes. This lack of fear of conviction is one of the major reasons of growth of corruption in India. India is facing corruption problems at the grass root level. It is not just the institutional level of corruption that is haunting India. Lower level civil employees have developed a habit of taking bribes from the ordinary citizens. It is common for very small restaurant owners to pay bribes even to stay open for longer hours (Burke, p.1). This level of prevalence of corruption is extremely dangerous because eradicating it becomes impossible. Top level corruption can be controlled by changing the management of the country through effective leadership but lower level of corruption means that the

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Essay

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra - Essay Example At the same time, the novel depicts the contradictory state of Spain, which was at that time engulfed by the uneasiness of a period of change, and Cervantes correspondingly attempted in "Don Quixote" to ponder over issues of human nature and morality during this time (Cascardi, 2002, pp. 58-79). Even though a new European literature emerged after the Renaissance, romances about chivalry, with stories about the defense of the weak, romantic women, and, of course, brave errant knights and their good and fantastic deeds, were still much popular at the time of Cervantes, who opens his narration with the establishment of this fact: ". . . there lived . . . one of those gentlemen who keep a lance in the lance-rack, an ancient shield . . ." (Cervantes, 1999, p.13). In this regard, from one side "Don Quixote" contains a powerful parody of such romances, as Don Quixote seeks to establish ideals of chivalry. During his 'battles' for chivalric principles he mentions romantic ideals even in his most absurd undertakings. At the same time, the story of Don Quixote nevertheless offers a certain standard of honor which could be applicable for Spain that had to face wars and results of its own development. From this point of view, Cervantes offers these values to a society that had abandone d them. Thus, Cervantes not only correlates his work with a literary tradition of his time, but also employs numerous debates about literature, poetry, etc. contained in the novel as a means to uncover the shifts in the contemporary intellectual milieu. In general, "Don Quixote" undertakes an in-depth examination of the potential of literary narration. Indeed, the initial part of the book parodies the genre of romance, the second section of the First Part pretends to be a historic document, and the Second Part of the book is again different because it is composed as a traditional novel. Here Cervantes, along with a fictional historian Benengeli, is present in the novel as a character. This complex narrative composition tends to confuse readers who may find it difficult to differentiate between the plot itself and the alleged factual base. However, this approach of the author very well supports another important theme that permeates the book and concerns the problem of sanity, as it is perhaps impossible to fully understand the mixture of madness and sanity of Don Quixote who on one hand could impress us as a very intellectual man as ". . . he relished . . . complicated arguments . . . like: The ability to reason the un-reason which has afflicted my reason saps my ability to reason. . . " (Cervantes, 1999, p.13), and who on the other hand was demonstrating throughout the novel the inability to understand the simplest facts of life. In this regard, he stays mysterious throughout the story so that for readers it is hard to find a proper way to interpret Don Quixote as a character. Moreover, Cervantes at some points suggests that in fact Don Quixote is really aware of the real state of things around him, but he rather had chosen to neglect the world and to ignore possible results of his often pernicious deeds. When in the end Don Quixote unexpectedly claims to be sane, one may suspect that throughout the story he was at least to some degree only pretending to be insane. Alternatively, this controversy may serve as a precaution that even intelligent

Arab spring Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arab spring - Annotated Bibliography Example The authors argue that todays students require an altogether different training than the students who preceded them. They say that the 21st Century education is of low standard, The article analyse a person desires yearnings, academics, disposition, values, convictions, social life, attitude and governmental issues, this book paints a faultless representation of todays people. The book offers advice on how to handle current students. The authors of the article Tarek al-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian road seller who sets himself ablaze on 17 December 2010, in challenge of the appropriation of his wares and the badgering and mortification that he reported was delivered on him by a metropolitan authority and her helpers. His protest turned into an impetus for the Tunisian Revolution and the more extensive Arab Spring, actuating shows and mobs all around Tunisia in dissent of social and political issues in the nation. General societys resentment and roughness strengthened emulating Bouazizis passing, heading then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to venture down on 14 January 2011, following 23 years in power. This source was useful because it inspired protests in several other Arab countries, plus several non-Arab countries. The young Tunisian man acts as a role model in fight for human rights and freedoms. According to this article The Worlds Muslims: Unity and Diversity, Pew Forum estimates that 87-90% of the world’s Muslims are Sunnis, while 10-13% are Shias. This new study of Muslims by Pew explores the religious practices and beliefs of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims. While there is broad agreement on core tenets of Islam, the study also finds that Muslims differs significantly on the importance of religion in their lives and on the groups and practices they accept as part of Islam. The survey was conducted in 39 countries or territories with substantial Muslim populations and

Just Desert Essay Example for Free

Just Desert Essay â€Å"Just Deserts† is simply defined as the morally reassuring allocation of happy and unhappy, virtuous and the vicious characters respectively and are usually at the end of a narrative or dramatic work. (Liberman, Peter 2006). Just desert is an idiom coined by Thomas Rhymer in 1968 from the word just and desert. Just is being honorable and fair in one’s dealings and actions whereas desert is what one deserves rightly. However there are many arguments from those who are in favor and those who are against â€Å"Just Deserts†. Those in favor argue that people who work hard deserve the fruits of their labor while whose who break the rules deserve to be treated in the same way that they voluntarily choose to treat others that is if you behave well, you are entitled to good treatment from others. The central idea they put forward is that the offender gains unfair advantages through his/her behavior and punishment will set that imbalance right/straight. Citizens should enjoy the benefits of the rule of law and anyone who seeks those benefits without willing to make the necessary sacrifice of self restraint wants to be a free rider by helping himself to unfair advantages and the society/state needs to prevent this to preserve the rule of law. This is because in the event of wrong doing one who merits certain benefits loses them while one who doesn’t deserve them gains them and therefore punishment removes the underserved benefits by imposing a penalty that in some sense pays for the harm inflicted by the offense. Just desert aims to restore both victim and offender to their appropriate positions relative to each other justifying the punishment is a warranted response to past events of injustice or wrong doing and acts to reinforce ruler that have been broken and balance the scales of justice. They believe that since conflict often involves violence and many involve genocide, racial discrimination, rape, murder and torture. The perpetrators should be brought to justice and this is only accomplished through international courts or tribunals that carry out war crimes adjudication. Consequently they feel that retributive justice gives those who violate human rights law or commit crimes against humanity their â€Å"just deserts† and that punishment will reinforce the rules of international law add that it denies those who have violated those rules any unfair advantages. However, there are those who are against â€Å"just deserts† completely since they are convinced that there is a tendency to slip from retributive justice to an emphasis on revenge which is a matter of retaliation they feel that revenge will only focus on personal hurt involved and will typically rotate around anger, hatred, bitterness and resentment. Such emotions are very destructive since they lead to overreaction and therefore the resulting punishments can be excessive and might cause antagonism. In addition, punishments which usually dictated by revenge will automatically not satisfy the principles of proportionality or consistency (Rachels, James. , (1997). This is because vengeance leads to punishment and vary according to the degree of anger provoked. This will ultimately mean that wrongs that do not provoke anger will receive no response while those acts that provoke a great deal of anger will on the other hand provoke and overly intense response. These responses which are dictated by emotions usually may lead to reciprocal acts of violence. This are normally thought to occur mostly in regions where there were past injustices done to the locals who re otherwise living together in harmony and if punishments which are dictated by vengeance are given resentments of past injustices may motivate people who otherwise live peacefully engage in torture and slaughter of neighbors identified are members of groups who committed past atrocities. This will provoke devastating inter group violence in the form of mass killing which further leads to more harm and downward spiral of violence. Overly harsh punishments brings/evokes feelings of hatred, increases the level of harm done, additionally, in an atmosphere of heightened violence, the room for forgiveness and apologies is closed or very little. In this event many of those who oppose â€Å"just deserts† believe that the victims should not seek revenge since this will in turn make them new victimizers but instead they should forgive the offenders and in the end cycle of the offence is discontinued. Furthermore, they feel that forgiveness does not and will not take the place of justice or punishments, nor does it rule out giving the wrong doer his/her â€Å"just deserts†. In summary, both arguments for and against â€Å"just deserts† suggest that punishments should fit the errors that is like cases be treated alike and that the wrong doer wholly deserves blame and punishment proportionate to the harm inflicted. However, thou against feel that formal institutions with trained judiciaries are best equipped to carry out just retribution and that such institution can effectively bring the offenders to justice by giving them punishment they deserve. They continue to say that truth and reconciliation commissions play an integral role especially trials for war crimes can convert the desire for revenge into state managed punishment that is proportional and fair. However, they warn that incases of large scale violence such trials are ineffective but propose restorative justice through reparations and compensation. References: Gragg, Wesley (1992). The practice of punishment towards a theory of restorative justice (New York, Routledge, 15. Liberman, Peter 2006. An eye for an eye public support for war against evil doers. International organization Rachels, James (1997) â€Å"punishment and Desert† in ethics in practice, ed Hugh Lafollette Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers,

The Ethics of Torture Essay Example for Free

The Ethics of Torture Essay Torture is causing pain and suffering to gain information and confessions. It’s a traditional, historical, well-understood term. Waterboarding is a form of torture in which a bound, gagged prisoner is forced to breathe in water. There are several techniques but all produce the same effects, a physical sensation of drowning and a psychological sensation of panic, fear and loss of control. Calling it anything other than torture is absurd. You wouldn’t call a bank robbery a â€Å"cash gathering technique,† even if the president said it was so. There are no such things as â€Å"enhanced interrogation methods. † That is the euphemism the Bush administration used in 2002 when they were redefining torture so the president could authorize it. There is never an excuse to torture a person, not even during war. It undermines our cause, endangers our soldiers on the battlefield by encouraging reciprocity, and it breeds more enemies of the United States than coercive interrogation methods will ever allow us to capture. As recently as November 12th of this year, Herman Cain and Rep. Michele Bachmann said during a Republican presidential debate in South Carolina that they would approve waterboarding of prisoners to extract information. They denied that waterboarding is torture, even though it’s been classified as such since the Spanish Inquisition. â€Å"Very disappointed by statements at S. C. GOP debate supporting waterboarding,† Senator John McCain wrote on Twitter two days later. â€Å"Waterboarding is torture. † This is a man who was a POW during the Vietnam War. Having been tortured at the hands of the North Vietnamese, he knows first-hand what that kind of treatment can do to a human being. If we truly believe ourselves to be a model for the world and an example for all of history, then why would we practice torture? When you pour water onto someone until he gasps for air and feels as if he’s drowning, you’re not enhancing your interrogation. You’re putting him through a hell as physical as it is psychological. You’re torturing him, by any sane definition of the term. When we deny any sort of justice or due process to individuals in the name of protecting America, we become the ultimate hypocrites. How can we as a nation, hold other nations to standards that we’re not meeting ourselves? In 2009, Dick Cheney told Fox News that, Those interrogations were involved in the arrest of nearly all the Al Qaeda members that we were able to bring to justice. Cheney’s statement begs the question, how many innocent people were imprisoned and tortured in our fanatical hunt for possible terrorists? Well, out of about 775 detainees held at GITMO, 420 were released without being charged. Less than 10 were ever convicted of terrorist activities. The abuse of prisoners can occasionally produce good intelligence but more often produces bad intelligence, Under torture a person will say anything he thinks his captors want to hear — true or false — if he believes it will relieve his suffering. Often, information provided to stop the torture is deliberately misleading. Senator McCain has said that while being tortured, he was asked for the names of all the men in his regiment. He gave his captors the names of the Green Bay Packers offensive line instead. The most obvious thing we can do is stand as an example of a nation that holds an individual’s human rights as superior to the will of the majority. Write your congressmen and tell them that the sanctioned use of torture by the government is wrong. If we as a nation build a wall of fear with the rest of the world, it’s a decision with far-reaching negative consequences. Through the violence, chaos and heartache of war, through deprivation and cruelty and loss, we are always Americans, and different, stronger and better than those who would destroy us.

The Feudal System And Society

The Feudal System And Society Feudalism was the prevailing form of political organization in the western and central Europe. It was a system which was managed well with a small number of people; where order was able to stand its ground in the local environment. Unfortunately it didnt favor such a large number of people. Loyalty was only kept between the government and those individuals who had the military power and wealth. This could be seen as partial to the rest of the society because they were considered less important than those in authority. The Feudal System and the Feudal society Introduction According to Platt and Matthews (2000), Feudalism is a military and political system based on personal loyalty and kinship. It was the type of government that existed in some parts of Europe where political power is exercised locally by private individuals rather than through the bureaucracy of a centralized state. Feudalism was adopted in the early middles ages under the Franks to help stabilize Western Europe and expanded under Charlemagne. It is seen as a transitional stage which may follow the collapse of a unified political system. The term has been used to describe political practices in various areas and times in world history for instance in ancient Egypt and in twelfth-century Japan, but the most famous of all feudal patterns emerged in France following the collapse of Charlemagnes empire (Platt and Matthews, 2000). The Feudal System Over the generations, feudalism became a complex web of agreements, rituals and obligations. In general, there are two tiers in the feudal system namely, the lord and the vassal. A written agreement outlined the duties and obligations of the lord and vassal. Typically, the former gave military protection to his vassals and settled disputes among them. The latter in turn offer financial and military aid to the lord. The former usually has massive feudal wealth that includes lands, manor houses and the serfs, collectively called the feudal estates (fief). The feudal lord gives the vassals the feudal estates to supervise as one of the obligations of vassalage. The contract entered into by lord and vassal was usually considered sacred and binding upon both parties (Platt and Matthews, 2000). Origin and Foundation of the Feudal System Feudalism was founded on the relationship between the lord and the vassal, even though the form of the institution varied geographically. The first type of feudalism was observed in northern France, around Paris. The various parts of Europe that practiced this feudal system of government adopted the French version and modified it to fit their local needs. Those who profited from feudalism retained the institution as long as possible, so that well into the twentieth century its vestiges were evident in central Europe and Russia (Platt and Matthews, 2000). Feudalism existed in those areas until the emergence of revolution wiped it off. The chivalric code In the early eleventh century, the chivalric code was used to define the hierarchical feudal social order. The chivalry was a warrior code that was rooted in Christian values. It was an ideal that urged the vassals respect one another and honor their lord. The vassals were expected to be brave, strong and honest and to protect the weak from danger. However, the French clergy modified the code by initiating the Peace of God, a call for an end to fighting at specified times. The clerics also advised the vassal to treat women and peasants carefully. Both the Peace of God and the notion of protected classes were incorporated into the heart of a refined version of the chivalric code by the twelfth century (Platt and Matthews, 2000). The Peasants Chivalry and feudalism protected the interests of the peasants, who constituted the vast majority of the population. The peasants were divided into two categories namely: the serfs and the slaves. The latter was considered to be the personal belongings of the lord, whereas the former was not. In order to live on the lords land, the serfs worked for him. Nevertheless, the serfs had a few legal rights, especially in France and England (Platt and Matthews, 2000). The teachings of the church on the inhumanity of slavery in the eleventh-century Europe helped abolish the practice, but serfdom was deep-rooted. Conflict with the Feudal System Towards the beginning of High Middle Ages, a new trend started to oppose the dominance of the feudal system. Free individuals from many parts of Europe began to pursue their economic goals in various towns. A lot of Europeans migrated to the new urban areas and the population there increased over time. As the towns grew larger and urban life became competitive, the residents formed associations, called guilds, for example, the artisan and crafts guilds. The primary role of these groups is to protect the interests of the town dwellers. The vibrant urban economic life gradually started to clash with the interest of the feudal system. With the objective of preventing the intrusion of the feudal system, urban dwellers founded self-governing towns, called communes. The political independence of the towns stimulated economic growth. Conclusion Feudalism was adopted in the early middles ages under the Franks to help stabilize Western Europe and expanded under Charlemagne. The feudal system was divided mainly into the lord and the vassal. The duties and obligations of the lord and vassal were outlined by a written agreement. Feudalism itself was founded on the relationship between the lord and the vassal. Feudalism was first observed in northern France, around Paris. The chivalry was a warrior code that was rooted in Christian values; it was an ideal that urged the vassals respect one another and honor their lord. This code was later modified by the French clergy in order to pronounce a call to end of fighting. The peasants were a group of people that constituted a large part of the population; they were divided into serfs and slaves and their interests were protected by Chivalry and feudalism. As the towns grew larger and urban life became competitive, the residents formed groups and the primary role of these groups was to protect the interests of the town dwellers. Gradually the feudal system started to vanish as well as the lively economic life the urban had which later gave birth to political independence in the towns.

Broadcast Journalists and The Inverted Pyramid Style of Presenting the

In 1965, American broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow stated, â€Å"We cannot make good news out of bad practice.† Although this quotation was originally in response to critics who wanted him to ignore racial problems to promote a better public image abroad, it can also be applied to the importance of presenting a quality newscast. In America, news media is considered the forth branch of the United States government. This concept stems from a belief that it is the news media's responsibility to deliver clear and accurate information to the populace in a compelling manner. Considering the effect the news has on society, as journalism scholars we need to ask why clarity and attention are important in a newscast and what can be done to ensure clarity and attention is used in a news video or news broadcast? Using the 2010 textbook Broadcast News Handbook and personal experiences from Digital News class, we will analyze the following questions. To do so, we will examine the importance of clarity and attention in a newscast, and then finally take a look at three aspects to ensure clarity and attention is in a news video or news broadcast. First, there is the importance of clarity and attention in a newscast. The history of delivering news has evolved throughout the years. From exchange information via radio to have a having a television channel’s primary objective be producing news, the news media have grown in the methods notifying the public. However, a couple of things that hasn’t change are the media’s goal of delivering clear and engaging products. As Assistant Professor Dave Cupp of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explained in a 2010 article, â€Å"Today the world remains as confusing as ever, and new technolog... ... a report remember to record scenes that involve some sort of action, the viewer will be persuade to pay attention because the are interested in what the people are doing. CONCLUSION By understanding why clarity and attention are important in a newscast and observing three ways to ensure these functions are used in a news video or news broadcast, we can see the responsibility the forth branch has to society. Edward R. Murrow attempted to accomplish these traits in all of his broadcasts. Canadian educator Marshall McLuhan’s contention is that â€Å"the medium is the message.† However, the authors of the textbook believe that the message is the message and the medium is simply a means to get that message to an audience. Regardless which statement you agree with, the main point is that the message is important and we, as reporters, have an obligation to present it.

legalize :: essays research papers

Cannabis is one of the most widely used drugs throughout the world. The psychoactive constituent of cannabis, delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC), produces a myriad of pharmacological effects in animals and humans. Marijuana has been in use for over 4,000 years as a therapeutic and as a recreational drug. It can have both stimulant and sedative properties. In usual intoxicating doses, it produces a sense of well-being, relaxation, a loss of temporal awareness, slowing of thought processes, impairment of short term memory, and a feeling of achieving special insights. At high dosed marijuana can induce panic, toxic delirium, and not often, psychosis. Marijuana is the term used to describe the leaves and flowering tops of the Cannabis sativa plant. Like other herbal medicines, the Cannabis plant plays host to a number of chemicals. The plant houses approximately 460 known compounds. Sixty of these are unique to the Cannabis plant and are called cannabinoids. The primary psychoactive cannabinoid is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) interacts with cannabinoid receptors to trigger dopamine relase from the mesolimbic reward system. Chemically the cannabinoids are classed as terpenoid (terpene-like). These compounds occur as essential oils within many plants and some are involved in vitamin, steroid and pigment formation. There are two known endogenous cannabinoid receptors named CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are found primarily in the brain. They are most prevalent in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. CB1 receptors in the hippocampus mediate effects on short-term memory. CB2 receptors are also found in the brain, but more so expressed by cells of the immune system, especially B cells. The CB receptor is a G protein mediated receptor that affects primarily calcium and potassium channel activation (Howlett et al, 1995). Both receptors are G protein linked, decrease adenyl cyclase activity, inhibit calcium N channels, and disinhibit potassium channels. Functional changes are most notable in neuronal excitability and neurotransmitter release. Both receptor types selectively bind THC, the active principle in marijuana, and anandamide, an endogenous cannabimimetic eicosanoid (Felder et al, 2000). As was just mentioned, there is also an endogenous cannabinoid system, the brain’s own marijuana, capable of activating these cannabinoid receptors functionally. These endocannabinoids are synthesized by neurons and inactivated by reuptake systems and enzymes in both neurons and glia. Initially, the receptors were considered orphaned receptors meaning that there were no endogenous ligands. Subsequent research turned up two endogenous cannabinoid ligands, anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol, that not only bind to the receptors but also mimic many of the biological actions of plant-derived cannabinoids.

Show how these poets illustrate different aspects of love in their Essa

Show how these poets illustrate different aspects of love in their poems. How do the poets communicate thoughts and feelings by the words and the images they use? The poems I have read are: Porphyria's Lover; by Robert Browning, The Lady Of Shalott; by Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Eve Of St. Agnes; by John Keats, A Trampwoman's Tragedy; by Thomas Hardy. A. - It is evident that in the four poems I have read, there are different aspects of love shown in each. In 'Porphyria's Lover', Browning puts across some rather dark kinds of love; obsessive, jealous and possessive love. I use the word dark, because in the poem, a clearly insane man kills his lover Porphyria, to secure all her love for himself, "And give herself to me forever". The man is besotted with Porphyria, but in an extremely selfish way. He thinks that she is seeing someone else, so he kills her to preserve her love for him forever, "That moment she was mine, mine, fair, Perfectly pure and good: I found A thing to do, and all her hair In one long yellow string I wound Three times her little throat around, And strangled her." This theme of tainted love is continued in 'A Trampwoman's Tragedy', with jealous love also occurring in this poem. The trampwoman's boyfriend became jealous after she started to flirt with 'jeering' John. Consequently, the boyfriend stabbed and killed John. "Then up he sprung, and with his knife - And with his knife He let out jeering Johnny's life," In this poem, the jealous love is basically the same as in the last. A character is worried about their lover betraying them for someone else. In 'A T. 's Tragedy', this is shown by the line, "my lover's dark distress." Teasing about love is also addressed... ..., "Burned like one burning flame together". Keats, in 'The E. Of St. A.', uses a metaphor, "Music's golden tongue", to describe how loud and far reaching the music is to the beadsman. You can tell he feels sad that he is out in the cold, and people nearby are dancing and having fun. Keats also uses alliteration in describing the food Porphyro gets for Madeline, making it sound tasty, "jellies soother than the creamy curd". In 'A T.'s T.', Hardy blends in some symbolism, which adds an extra sense of sadness to the end of the poem. It helps to describe the trampwoman's unhappiness and loneliness, after losing all of her friends, "The red moon low declined". Although all the poems are based around love, and most have this linked with death, they are all subtly different. Each highlights a different aspect of love, which affect people in different ways.

Softball Paper

The History of Softball PHEC 202 Table of Contents 1. History of Softball 2. How to play Softball 3. Equipment needed to play a game. 4. Diagram of a Softball field 5. Bibliography Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Softball is one of America’s favorite pastimes. Softball is now a very popular game that originated in Chicago, but it didn’t become popular over night. The game is said the be invented by a man named George Hancock, by him creating this game it has now become of the most played games in America. In this essay I will discuss the history of softball, the basic rules, and the necessary equipment needed to play the game.Softball was started on Thanksgiving Day in 1887. It all began when a group of men gathered in a gym to hear the score of football game, after the score was announced and all bets were settled one of the men threw an old boxing glove at another man who hit it with a pole. George Hancock, said to be the inventor of the game took the boxing glove and tied it so it would look like a ball, took chalk and drew a diamond on the floor, broke a broom handle to use it as a bat and began to play the first game of baseball. This was also the beginning of softball.Hancock’s game was a smaller version of baseball and was played indoors. Within a week’s time Hancock created an oversized ball and a bat with a rubber tip that he used to play the game. He also returned to the gym to make permanent foul lines on the floor. He then wrote the rules and named the game Indoor Baseball. This new sport quickly became a hit and became international. In the same year, 1897, the Indoor Baseball guide was published, explaining the rules of the game and how to play. Ten years later the game was moved outdoors.It was then known as indoor-out door. This game also caught on very quickly and a set of rules was published for this version of the game in 1889. Although Chicago is the birthplace of this game through the years it took on some mod ification in Minneapolis around 1895. It is said that a Fire Department officer by the name of Lewis Rober Sr. used his versions of the game to keep is men in shape and occupied. It is also said that he had no prior knowledge of Hancock’s version of the game. Rober’s version of the game was played in a vacant lot next to the fire house.In 1896 Rober was moved to a new unit and in charge of coaching another team. This team called themselves the kitten and in honor of their name the game was called Kitten League Ball in 1900. The name was later shortened to Kitten Ball. In 1895 the women’s softball team was formed in Chicago at West Division High School. Although the team was started they did not start competing until1899. As the game grew more popular more people began to pay more attention the women’s game and in 1904 the Spalding Baseball Guide was published.This publication of the rules dedicated a substantial amount of the book to the women’s ga me of softball. In 1933 there was the Chicago National Tournament. This was the first tournament where both male and female champions were honored in the same way. This tournament help lead to the International World Championships in 1965, by allowing women to compete in such tournaments this helped this sport to become international and helped it move on to the Pan-American Games and the Olympics. Softball at this time was now a professional league and contracts ranged from $1,000 to $3,000 dollars per year.In 1980 due to financial hardship the league was broken up. Although the league was broken up softball is still a popular game today. There is now an Amateur Softball that registers more than 260,000 fastpitch softball teams and slowpitch is gradually growing. Although compared to baseball, softball is simple to play and is also played on a smaller scale. There a 9 players on a softball team. The playing field it is divided into the infield and the outfield. The infield is the p ortion of the field which is connected by the bases. Each base is set between 55 and 65 feet apart.When the bases are joined they take on the shape of a diamond and the infield is considered the portion inside the baseline. Outside the baseline but inside the playing field is the outfield. While in a game if the ball goes outside the 1st or 3rd base it is considered a foul ball. If this occurs the runner cannot go to the next base and the batter gets another chance, however if the ball is caught in the air outside the line the batter is then consider out. An official softball game has 7 innings. An inning is when both teams has a had a chance to bat.This is how a game of softball is played. What makes softball different from baseball is the pitch. In softball the ball must be thrown underhand. In order to pitch the pitcher must have both feet on the pitchers rubber and both hands must be on the ball at the start of the pitch. When the pitcher throws the ball it’s going to bat ter. When batting, the team must have the same order of batters throughout the entire game. The batter will stand in the batter’s box which is the box marked with chalk near home plate that a batter must stay within while batting. The batter is onsidered out when and if three strikes are called, a fly ball is caught, or if the batter does not stand in the batter’s box. A strike occurs when a ball is swung at and missed or is called when the ball enters the strike zone and is not swung at all. The strike zone is the area between the batter knee’s and armpits. A fly ball is a ball that is hit in to the air in the infield. If any of these things occur the batter is then out. If that batter hits the ball the next step is running. When running the runner must touch each base. Runners can only over run one base and can be tagged out if they are not on the base.While on base the runner can only run when the ball leaves the pitchers hand. If the runner is on base when a fly ball is hit and caught the runner must remain at their original base and cannot move on to the next base. While running all batters that have made to a base must stay in that order when returning to home plate. Stealing bases are not allowed in softball. A runner is considered out if they are tagged out before reaching a base, if the ball gets to 1st base before the runner, or if the runner runs more than three feet out of the baseline to avoid being tagged out.These are the rules that runners must follow. In order to play this game the following equipment is needed: a bat, when standing next to bat that you are going to use the bat should come to your wrist and it should be light enough for you to swing comfortably. Also while batting a batter may use a batting helmet to protect their head while up to bat. Next is the ball, softballs range from 11 which are used by children ages 10 and under, to 12 inches which are used by everyone ages 12 and above. After the ball is the glov e.The only positions that have a specific glove designed especially for their position is the first base men and the catcher, all other use the same type of glove depending on which hand you catch with. If you use you right hand the most you would put the glove on your left have so you would be able to throw with your right hand and vice versa for the left hand. In this essay I have explained the history of softball, how to play the game and the necessary equipment need in order to play the game. Although the were some hang ups that could have stopped the growth of softball its popularity continued to grow.Softball is still a popular game with millions of people who still play it today. [pic] Bibliography Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA). (2012). Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA). Retrieved October 7, 2012, from http://www. asasoftball. com/about/asa_history. asp History of Softball. (2000). History of Softball. Retrieved October 7, 2012, from http://www. so ftballperformance. com/softball-history/ Lynch, W. (2011, May 26). Rules on How to Play Softball. LIVESTRONG. COM. Retrieved October 7, 2012, from http://www. livestrong. com/article/426838-rules-on-how-to-play-softball/

Relationship between the three arms of government

The American government as a democratic government functions under the guidance of three government arms. The role of each arm of government is clearly spelt under the doctrine of power separation that sought to offer clear guidelines to allow the smooth and effective execution of government affairs. Bernas (1997) however claims that there are several government departments within these separate arms of government that have overlapping roles and that one certain issues it is hard to decide which arm the jurisdiction of such a controversial issue falls.However, it is argued that the founders of the nation sought to ensure the independence of all branches to ensure their supremacy in dealing with their particular spheres. However, it is necessary to note therefore that the functions of these arms of governments must adhere strictly to the constitution raising the question of who should be charged with the responsibility of enforcing those provisions. The executive arm of the government is fundamentally important to carry out the day to day running of the country. This power is usually vested upon the president and any person that the president deems fit to have power delegated to him.Therefore, the constitution mandates a duly elected president to appoint such individuals as he may see fit subject to the approval of congress. This paper in essence tries to focus on this relationship whereby a particular of the government is subject to the oversight of another in carrying out its duties. It therefore becomes necessary for the president to appoint such individuals as qualified to handle their respective duties and such individuals must hold high integrity for them to get the necessary legislative backing.The president enjoys immense powers under the constitution among which includes the responsibility of defending the constitution and protecting the United States from attacks. For this purpose it is important that his powers be subject to some form of oversight in order for it not to be misused to the detriment of ordinary Americans. The legislature is a basic necessity in any democratic nation and the United States is a pillar of freedom and hence the United States congress is the custodian of law formulation in the nation.The legislative wing consists of two separate houses expected to ensure effective and just formulation of laws to the benefit of society. The legislature is also charged with the responsibility of formulation laws regarding tax and authorizing various government expenditures. Furthermore the senate has complete authority to authorize the signing of treaties involving the nation bringing to the question of whether the executive has any true autonomous powers. It is also important to note at this juncture that it is not only congress that has influence on the executive but also the executive has considerable influence over the legislature.Most committee chairmen are appointed by party leaders, plus the fact the party leader also appoints a majority leader in congress to spear head party agendas in congress. In this regard the executive has considerable influence on the direction of congress even in ignoring the fact that the president has veto power over bills passed in congress. The other arm is the judiciary charged with the administration of justice based on equality, equity and integrity. The courts are the grounds through which conflicts are to be resolved and injustices either compensated or punished.In these solemn corridors of justice civil and criminal proceedings are initiated and the process of establishing guilt or innocence cleverly and impartially established. The court is also charged with the important duty of interpreting the constitution and establishing whether certain statues are constitutional or not. The appointment of judges is however left to the hands of the executive on the confirmation of the legislature. The judiciary is also charged with the duty to protect the rights and f reedoms of the American citizens against the exploitation of both the executive and the legislature.In this regard, the court is mandated to provide guidance and authority to the executive on the application of certain statutes that might infringe on the rights of the citizens. In this regard the court acts as the oversight authority on the excesses of the both the executive and the legislature by putting the interest of the citizens before all else. There are those who feel that oversight over government branches should be left to the masses. However, such a claim becomes rather untenable since there are no clear mechanisms to identify breach of constitution since most people lack the technical expertise to interpret the constitution.Furthermore, even when such a breach might be on the public domain there are no mechanisms for the public to stop legislation or the enforcement of the same. There fore, it becomes necessary to allow the court since it has been charged with matters per taining to the administration of justice and the upholding of the constitution. The court has the technical and legal mandate to interpret the constitution and therefore has the moral authority to rule on matters regarding the constitutionality of matters pertaining to changes or issues related to the constitution (Coxe, 2005).Opponents of the judicial power of review would seem to be lost in the fallacious belief that the authority of the judiciary to review legislations enacted by congress and senate as an interference of the role of the legislature. It can be argued if the status of other countries like the U K that bars courts from reviewing primary bills was to be taken into consideration that indeed the judiciary might have exceeded its jurisdiction. However, it is necessary and the constitution clearly stipulates that any law that is contrary to the constitution is null and void.Therefore, it is simply logical that the judiciary in exercising its role of constitutional interp retation make rulings on the constitutionality of bills passed by the legislative wing of government. This is because law makers might if no oversight exists make laws that are in their favor even if they are in contravention of the constitution. This is possible since the constitution might be subject to misinterpretation and due to its impartial nature, the judiciary can be trusted to enforce the provisions of constitution against the partisan interests of politicians.The status quo has not always been so since the various arms of government did not infringe on the operations of the other. The courts oversight on the constitutionality of legislations emanated from the ruling of the case, William Marbury v. James Madison, secretary of state of the United States. The court had ruled that Marbury’s petition to the court under the judicial act of 1789 to compel the secretary of sate to deliver his commissioning document was unconstitutional (Marshal, 1803). However, it is clear that since the three branches serve as one government, they cannot function without relating and providing oversight to each other.This creates accountability and checks against power abuse which might disadvantage the very people they are sworn in to serve. The legislator serves as an oversight against the executive and so the court must serve as and oversight on the legislature. Therefore, the present relation ship between the three branches is vital for the necessary functioning of the country and in the observance of the supremacy of our constitution. References Bernas, J. (1997). Constitutional structure and powers of Government. Manila: Rex books. Coxe, B.(2005). An essay on judicial power and unconstitutional legislation 2005. Da carpo press. Marshal, C. J. (1803). William Marbury V. James Madison, Secretary Of State Of The United States . Retrieved 1 May 2009, from http://www. law. umkc. edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/marbury. HTML. The United States Constitution. (200 9). The executive: presidential powers. Retrieved 2 May 3, 2009 from http://www. usconstitution. net/const. html. Steven, S. (1999). The American Congress: Roles of the legislature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Coyote Blue Chapter 10~11

CHAPTER 10 Over Easy, Politically Correct Santa Barbara Sam spent most of the night cleaning up the debris from Josh Spagnola's shooting exhibition. Exhausted from the overall strangeness of his day, he went to bed early, but lay awake until well after midnight, first worrying, then trying to understand what was happening to him, and finally fantasizing about the girl. Amid the misery he retained hope, although he could not logically figure out why. She was, after all, just a girl – the goofiest girl he had ever met. Still, the thought of seeing her again made him smile, and he was able to escape into dreamless sleep. When he awoke the next morning, the world seemed a much kinder place, as if during the night the calamities of the previous day had become distant and harmless. Order had returned. At one time he might have met such a day by looking to the rising sun and thanking the Great Spirit for returning his harmony with the world, as Pokey had taught him. He would have looked for rain clouds, felt the promise of the day's winds, smelled the dew and the sage, listened for the call of an eagle, the best of good-luck signs, and in that short time he would have confirmed that he and the world were of one spirit, balanced. Today he missed the rising sun by three hours. He met his day in the shower, washing his hair with shampoo that was guaranteed to have never been put in a bunny's eyes and from which ten percent of the profits went to save the whales. He lathered his face with shaving cream free of chlorofluorocarbons, thereby saving the ozone layer. He breakfasted on fertile eggs laid by sexually satisfied chickens that were allowed to range while listening to Brahms, and muffins made with pesticide-free grain, so no eagle-egg shells were weakened by his thoughtless consumption. He scrambled the eggs in margarine free of tropical oils, thus preserving the rain forest, and he added milk from a carton made of recycled paper and shipped from a small family farm. By the time he finished his second cup of coffee, which would presumably help to educate the children of a poor peasant farmer named Juan Valdez, Sam was on the verge of congratulating himself for single-handedly saving the planet just by getti ng up in the morning. He would have been surprised, however, if someone had told him that it had been two years since he had set foot on unpaved ground. He was writing a note to himself to put a new subliminal message on his computer, SAVE THE WORLD, BUY THIS POLICY, when Josh Spagnola called. â€Å"Sam, did you hear what happened at the association meeting last night?† â€Å"No, Josh, I've been cleaning up my place.† â€Å"The place, Sam. I think this will be an easier transition if you start referring to it as the place.† â€Å"You mean they voted to buy me out? Without even asking me? I can't believe it.† â€Å"I was actually very surprised myself. People seem to dislike you in the extreme, Sam. I think the dog was just their excuse for a general fuck-over.† â€Å"You told them it wasn't my dog, didn't you?† â€Å"I told them, but it didn't matter. They hate you, Sam. The doctors and lawyers hate you because you make enough money to live here. The married guys hate you because you're single. The married women hate you because you remind their husbands that they aren't single. The old people hate you because you're young, and the rest just hate you because you aren't Japanese. Oh, yeah, one bald guy hates you because you have hair. For a guy that maintains a low profile, you've built quite a little snowball of resentment.† Sam had never given his neighbors a second thought, never even spoken to most of them, so now the realization that they hated him enough to take away his home was a shock. â€Å"I've never done anything to hurt anybody in this complex.† â€Å"I wouldn't take it personally, Sam. Nothing brings people together like hate for profit. You didn't have a chance against the clay tennis courts.† â€Å"What does that mean? We don't have clay tennis courts.† â€Å"No, but when they buy your townhouse for what you paid for it, then sell it to someone more suitable at the market rate, the association will have enough profit to build clay tennis courts. We'll be the only complex in Santa Barbara with clay courts. Should raise the value of the property at least ten percent. Sorry, Sam.† â€Å"Isn't there anything I can do? Can't I bring legal action or something?† â€Å"This isn't an official call, Sam. I am calling as your friend and not on behalf of the association, so let me give you my best advice on taking legal action: it's suicide. Half the guys that voted you out are lawyers. In six months you'd be broke and they'd be drinking your blood over backgammon. The time for legal advice was eight years ago when you signed that agreement.† â€Å"Great. Where were you then?† â€Å"I was stealing your Rolex.† â€Å"You stole my Rolex? That was you? My gold Rolex? You dick!† â€Å"I didn't know you then, Sam. It was a professional thing. Besides, the statute of limitations has run out. It's time to forgive and forget.† â€Å"Fuck you, Josh. You'll get a bill for the damage you caused.† â€Å"Sam, do you know how concerned I am about your bill? I don't give a decaying damn, I don't-â€Å" Sam hung up on the security guard. The phone immediately rang and Sam stared at it for a minute. Should he let Josh get the satisfaction of the last word? He looked at the shattered remains of his television, picked up the phone, and shouted, â€Å"Look, you wormy little fuck, you're lucky I don't come down there and pop your head like a pimple!† â€Å"Sam, this is Julia, down at the office. I have Aaron on the line for you.† â€Å"Sorry, Julia, I was expecting someone else. Hang on a second.† He sat down on the couch and held the receiver to his chest while he tried to regain his composure. Too much change, too fast. He couldn't let Aaron catch him with his guard down. His good friend Aaron, his partner, his mentor. And Josh Spagnola was supposed to be his friend, too. What was the deal with Josh? He'd turned on Sam overnight. Why? Sam lit a cigarette and took a long drag, then blew the smoke out in a slow stream before speaking into the phone. â€Å"Julia, you caught me in the shower. Tell Aaron I'll be in the office in an hour. We'll talk then.† He hung up before she could respond. He dialed the number of the Cliffs' security office. Josh Spagnola answered. â€Å"Josh, this is Sam Hunter.† â€Å"Very rude, Sam. Hanging up when I am telling you how little I care is very rude.† â€Å"That's why I'm calling, Josh. I've heard your little speeches before. I want to know what you've got on me.† â€Å"Then you haven't seen the paper this morning?† â€Å"I told you before, I've been patching holes all fucking morning. What goes?† â€Å"Seems that Jim Cable, the diving mogul, was attacked by an Indian outside of his office and had a heart attack. They said he had just finished an appointment with an insurance agent.† â€Å"So, what's your point, Josh?† â€Å"The point is, Sam, that after I ran out of your place yesterday, I went through the apartment next door and ran out on the deck. I thought I could come in from behind the dog and get a shot at it. But when I got there I saw an Indian vaulting over the rail of your deck. The Indian was wearing black, just like the one they described in the paper. Interesting coincidence, huh?† Sam didn't know what to say. Spagnola had half the complex under his thumb for one reason or another, but Sam didn't know how the burglar used his information other than as a license to be rude. Sam didn't want to bring up blackmail when Spagnola might just be in this to watch him squirm. Sam had watched a thousand clients squirm under his own manipulation, but he wasn't sure how to go about it himself. He decided to take a direct approach. â€Å"Okay, Josh,† he said. â€Å"I'm squirming. Now what?† â€Å"Sammy, I love you, kid. You and I are like peas in a pod. You, me, and that Aaron guy at your office.† â€Å"You know Aaron?† â€Å"Just spoke to him this morning when I called your office. Your secretary said that you were no longer with the firm and Mr. Aaron was taking all your calls from now on. Aaron and I had a long talk.† â€Å"Did you tell him about the Indian?† â€Å"No, he told me. Strange thing, Sam, he seems to want you out of the business pretty badly, but not just for the profit. I think he's afraid of the attention you're going to get if it turns out that you're associated with the Indian who attacked Cable. Who do you think has more to lose: you or Aaron?† â€Å"Neither of us is losing anything, Josh. This whole thing is a mistake. I don't care what you saw, I don't know anything about any Indian, and I resent the veiled threat.† â€Å"No threat, Sam. Just information. It's the cleanest commodity, you know? No fingerprints, no fibers, no serial numbers. It's kind of ethereal – religious in a way. People will pay for something that they can't smell, or taste, or touch. It's fucking glorious, isn't it? I should have been a spy.† Sam listened to Spagnola sigh, then to the breathing over the line. Here it was again, the standoff. How many times had he backed down over the years? How many times had fear of discovery caused him to lie low and play the role of the victim? Too damn many. He always seemed to be running from the past and avoiding the future, but the future came anyway. Very softly, barely speaking over a whisper, Sam said, â€Å"Josh, before you become too enraptured, remember the information you don't have.† â€Å"What's that, old buddy?† â€Å"You have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of.† There was a silence on the line, as if Spagnola was considering what Sam had said. â€Å"Good-bye, Josh,† Sam whispered. He hung up the phone, grabbed his car keys, and headed out the door to the Mercedes. As he disarmed the alarm and climbed in the car he realized that he also had no idea who he was or what he was capable of, and for the first time in his life it didn't frighten him. In fact, it felt good. Coyote Gets His Powers One day, a long time ago, before there were any men or televisions, and only animal people walked the Earth, Great Spirit, the first worker, decided that he would give everyone a new name. He told the animal people to come to his lodge at sunrise and he would give each one a new name with all the powers that went with it. â€Å"To be fair,† Great Spirit said, â€Å"names will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.† The Earth was a pretty fair place in those days as long as you showed up on time. Coyote had a problem with this method, however. He liked to sleep until lunchtime and lie around thinking up tricks until late afternoon, so getting up at sunrise was a problem, but he really wanted to get a good name. â€Å"Eagle would be good,† he thought. â€Å"I would be swift and strong. Or if I take the name of Bear I will never be defeated by my enemies. Yep, I got to get me a good name even if I have to stay up all night.† When the sun went down Coyote looked all over for a good espresso bar, but even in those days they were full of pretentious pseudointellectual animal people who sat around in open-toed moccasins and whined about how unfair the world was, which it wasn't. â€Å"I don't have the stomach for that,† said Coyote. â€Å"I think I'll just score some magic wake-up powder and stay wired that way.† Coyote went to see Raven. It was well known among the animal people that Raven had a connection with a green bird from South America and was always good for some wake-up powder. â€Å"I'm sorry Coyote, my friend, but I cannot extend you any credit. I'll need three prairie dogs, up front, if you want the product. And remember, I like my prairie dogs squashed real flat.† Raven was a greasy little prick who thought he was cool because he wore sunglasses all the time, even at night. Who was he to act so high and mighty? Coyote was insulted. â€Å"Look, man, I'll have a new name tomorrow. I'm going to go for Eagle. Just advance me the gram now and I'll give you six prairie dogs in the morning.† Raven shook his head. Coyote slunk away. â€Å"I can stay awake without magic,† Coyote said. â€Å"I just have to concentrate.† Coyote tried to stay awake, but by the time the moon was high in the sky he started to doze off. â€Å"This isn't working,† he said. â€Å"I can't keep my eyes open.† Talking to himself often gave Coyote ideas, which was a good thing, because hardly anyone else would talk to him. He broke a couple of thorns from a cactus and used them to prop his eyes open. â€Å"I'm a genius,† he said. Then he fell asleep anyway. When Coyote finally awoke the sun was directly overhead. He rushed to Great Spirit's lodge and burst through the door flap. â€Å"Eagle! I want Eagle,† he said. His eyes were dry and cracked from being propped open and his fur was matted with blood where the thorns had pierced his eyelids. â€Å"Eagle was the first to go,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"What happened to you? You look like hammered shit.† â€Å"Bad night,† Coyote said. â€Å"What's left? Bear? Bear would be good.† â€Å"There's only one name left,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"Nobody wanted it.† â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"Coyote.† â€Å"You're shitting me.† â€Å"Great Spirit is not a shitter.† Coyote ran outside where the other animal people were laughing and talking about their new names and powers. He tried to get them to trade names, but even Dung Beetle told him to get lost. Great Spirit watched Coyote from his lodge and felt sorry for him. â€Å"Come here, kid,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"Look, you're stuck with a lousy name, but maybe I can make up for it. You have to keep the name, but from now on you are Chief of the Without Fires. And from now on you can take on any shape that you choose and wear it as long as you wish.† Coyote thought about it for a minute. It was a pretty good gift; maybe he should work this pity angle more often. â€Å"So that means that everyone has to do what I say?† â€Å"Sometimes,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"Sometimes?† Coyote asked. Great Spirit nodded and Coyote figured he'd better leave before Great Spirit changed his mind. â€Å"Thanks, G.S., I'm outta here. Got to see someone about some sunglasses.† Coyote loped off. CHAPTER 11 The God, the Bad, and the Ugly Santa Barbara During the short drive to his office Sam decided that if Gabriella gave him the least little bit of shit he would fire her on the spot. If his life was going to fall apart before his eyes there was no reason to suffer the slings and arrows of ungrateful employees. There were also twenty younger agents who worked under him, and as long as he held partnership in the agency he held the power to hire and fire. Let one of them mouth off, he thought. Let one of them look sideways at me and they're going to be a distant memory, taillights on the horizon, gone, out, shit-canned, pink-slipped, instantly unemployed. He walked into his office with his temper locked, loaded, and ready to fire, but was immediately disarmed when he saw Gabriella tilted back in her chair, skirt thrown up around her waist, her legs spread wide and high heels alternately pumping in the air and digging into the back of the naked Indian, who was on his knees in front of her, wheeling her chair back and forth, thrusting into her with greedy abandon and yipping with each stroke as counterpoint to the monkey noises that escaped Gabriella in rhythmic bursts. â€Å"Hey!† Sam shouted. Gabriella looked over the Indian's shoulder at Sam and held one finger in the air as if marking a point, then pointed to the message pad on the desk. â€Å"One call,† she gasped. The Indian pulled her to him in a particularly violent thrust and Gabriella grabbed his shoulder with both hands, popping her press-on nails off and across the room like tiddlywinks. Sam shook off his shock, ran forward, and caught the Indian around the neck in a choke hold. The Indian pumped wildly in the air as Sam dragged him off Gabriella and across the outer office. He fell over backward into his office with the Indian still squirming in his grasp and it occurred to him that unless things turned quickly to his advantage he was in serious danger of being humped. He rolled the Indian over on the carpet and pinned him, facedown, while he looked around for a weapon. The only thing in reach was the big multi-line phone on his desk. Sam released the choke hold and lunged for the phone, catching it by the cord. He swung around with it just in time to hit the Indian in the face as he was rising to his hands and knees. The phone exploded into a spray of electronic shrapnel and the Indian fell forward onto his face, unconscious but twitching against the carpet in petit-mal afterhumps. Sam looked at the broom of colored wires at the end of the cord where the phone used to be, then dropped it and staggered to his feet. Gabriella was standing by the door, smoothing her skirt down. Her lipstick was smeared across her face and her hair was spiked into a fright wig of hair spray and sweat. She started to speak, then noticed that one of her breasts was still peeking out of her dress. â€Å"Excuse me.† She turned and tucked herself in, then turned back to Sam. â€Å"I'll hold your calls,† she said officiously, then she pulled the door closed, leaving Sam alone in the office with the unconscious, naked Indian. â€Å"You're fired,† Sam whispered to the closed door. He looked down at the Indian and saw a bloodstain spreading around his head on the carpet. He didn't seem to be breathing. Sam fell to his knees and felt the Indian's neck for a pulse. Nothing. â€Å"Fuck, not again!† Sam paced around the desk four times before he fell back in his leather executive chair and clamped his hands on his temples as if trying to squeeze out a solution. Instead he thought of police and prison and felt hope running through his fingers like liquid light, leaving him dark with despair. A growling noise from the floor. Sam looked over the desk to see the body of the Indian moving. He started to breathe a sigh of relief when he realized that the body wasn't moving at all, it was changing. His eyes went wide with terror as the arms and legs shortened and grew fur, the face grew into a whiskered muzzle, and the spinal column lengthened and grew into a bushy tail. Before Sam could catch his breath again he was looking at the body of a huge black coyote. The coyote got to its feet and shook its head as if clearing its ears of water, then it leapt on the desk and growled at Sam, who rolled his chair back until it hit the wall behind his desk. Sam pushed himself up by the chair arms until he was almost standing against the wall, desperately trying to put even a millimeter more between himself and the snarling muzzle of the coyote. The coyote crawled forward on the desk until its face was only inches from Sam's. Sam could feel the coyote's moist breath on his face. It smelled of something familiar, something burnt. He wanted to turn his head away and close his eyes until the horror went away, but his gaze remained locked on the coyote's golden eyes. He wanted to scream but there was no breath for it and he found his jaw was moving but no sound was coming out. The coyote backed away and sat on the desk, then raised its lowered ears and tilted its head to the side as if perplexed. Sam felt himself take a breath and the strange urge to say â€Å"Good doggie† came over him, but he remained rigid and quiet. The coyote began to shake and Sam thought it would attack, but instead it threw back its head as if to howl. The skin on the coyote's neck began to undulate and surge and took on the shape of a human face. The fur receded from the face, then away from the front legs, which became arms, then down the back legs, which lengthened into crouching human legs. As the fur peeled it lost its black color, turning the burnt tan of a normal coyote. It was as if a human was literally crawling out of a cocoon of coyote skin, the black color becoming black buckskins trimmed with red feathers. A minute passed in what seemed a year as the transformation took place. When it was finished the Indian was crouched on Sam's desk wearing a coyote-skin headd ress that had once been his own skin. â€Å"Fuck,† Sam said, falling back into the chair, his eyes trained now on the golden eyes of the Indian. â€Å"Woof,† the Indian said with a grin. Sam shook his head, trying to get the image to go away. His mind was still rattling around in chaos trying to put this into some sort of meaningful context, but all he could do was wish that he would pass out and that his kneecaps would stop jumping with adrenaline. â€Å"Woof,† the Indian repeated. He jumped from the desk, adjusted the headdress that moments ago had been his skin, then sat in the chair opposite Sam. â€Å"Got a smoke?† he said. Sam felt his mind lock on to the request. Yes, he understood that. Yes, he could do that. A smoke. He reached into his shirt pocket for his cigarettes and lighter and fumbled them out, lost his grip, and sent them skittering across the desk. He was scrambling for them when the Indian reached out and patted his hand. Sam screamed, the high-pitched wail of a little girl, and jumped back into his chair, which rolled back until his head snapped against the wall. The Indian turned his head to the side quizzically, the same way the coyote had, then took the cigarettes from the desk and lit two with the lighter. He held one out to Sam, who remained pushed back in the chair. The Indian nodded for Sam to take the cigarette, then waited while Sam inched forward, snatched it out of his hand, and quickly retreated to his position by the back wall. The Indian took a deep drag on the cigarette, then turned his head and blew the smoke out in rings that crept across the desk like ghosts. Sam had curled into the fetal position in his chair and looked up only to cast a sideways glance at the Indian when he took a drag from his own cigarette. It occurred to him that he should feel silly, but he didn't. He was still too frightened to feel silly. When his cigarette was half gone he started to calm down. His fear was draining away, being replaced with indignant anger. The Indian sat calmly, smoking and looking around the office. Sam put his feet on the floor, scooted the chair back under the desk, and set what he hoped was a hard gaze on the Indian. â€Å"Who are you?† he asked. The Indian smiled and his eyes lit up like an excited child's. â€Å"I am the stink in your shoe, the buzz in your ear, the wind through the trees. I am the-â€Å" â€Å"Who are you?† Sam interrupted. â€Å"What is your name?† The Indian continued to grin while smoke trickled between his teeth. He said, â€Å"The Cheyenne call me Wihio, the Sioux, Iktome. The Blackfeet call me Napi Old Man. The Cree call me Saultaux, the Micmac, Glooscap. I am the Great Hare on the East Coast and Raven on the West. You know me, Samson Hunts Alone, I am your spirit helper.† Sam gulped. â€Å"Coyote?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"You're a myth.† â€Å"A legend,† the Indian said. â€Å"You are just a bunch of stories to teach children.† â€Å"True stories.† â€Å"No, just stories. Old Man Coyote is just a fairy tale.† â€Å"Should I change shapes again? You liked that.† â€Å"No! No, don't do that.† Sam had guessed the Indian's identity the day before when he'd opened the medicine bundle, but he had hoped it would all go away and he would find himself the victim of a childhood superstition. Religion was supposed to be a matter of faith. Gods were not supposed to jump on your desk and snarl at you. They weren't supposed to sit in your office smoking cigarettes. Gods didn't do anything. They were supposed to ignore you and let you suffer and die having never known whether your religion was a waste of time. Faith. Sure, the gods were a badly behaving lot in stories – jealous, impatient, selfish, vengeful, smiting whole races of people, raping virgins, sending plagues and pestilence – and even as gods went, Coyote was a particularly bad example, but they were supposed to stay in the damn stories, not show up and hump your homely secretary until she made monkey noises. â€Å"What are you doing here?† Sam asked. â€Å"I'm here to help you.† â€Å"Help? You ruined my business and got me kicked out of my home.† â€Å"You wanted to scare the diver so I scared him. You wanted the girl so I gave her to you.† â€Å"Well what about all the cats at my condo complex? What about my secretary? How did that help me?† â€Å"If I was not meant to have ugly women and cats they would not be so easy to catch.† It was the kind of backward, perverse logic that had irritated Sam as a child. Pokey Medicine Wing had been a master at it. It seemed to Sam at times as if the entire Crow Nation was trying to define a silicon-chip world with a Stone Age worldview. Sam thought he had escaped it. â€Å"Why me? Why not someone who believes?† â€Å"This is more fun.† Sam resisted the urge to leap over the desk and choke the Indian. It was still â€Å"the Indian† in his head. He hadn't yet accepted that he was talking to Coyote, Chief of the Without Fires. Even with the overwhelming evidence of the supernatural, he searched for a natural explanation for what was happening. A lifetime of disbelief is not easily shed. He tried to find some parallel experience that would put things in order, something he'd read or seen on PBS. Nothing was forthcoming, so he speculated. How would Aaron react if faced with this situation? Aaron didn't acknowledge his Irish heritage any more than Sam admitted his own Crow roots. What if a leprechaun suddenly appeared on Aaron's desk? He'd affect a brogue and try to talk the little fucker into putting his pot o' gold into tax-deferred annuities. No, Aaron was not the person to think of in a spiritual emergency. Coyote smiled as if he had read Sam's thoughts. â€Å"What do you want, Samson Hunts Alone?† Sam didn't even hesitate to think. â€Å"I want my old life back to the way it was before you fucked it up.† â€Å"Why?† Now Sam was forced to think. Why indeed? Every time Sam hired a new agent he glorified his and Aaron's lifestyles. He would take a bright, hungry young man for a ride in the Mercedes, buy him lunch at the Biltmore or another of Santa Barbara's finer restaurants, flash cash and gold cards and expensive suits – plant the seed of greed, as Aaron called it – then give the kid a means to pursue his germinating dream of material bliss while Sam collected ten percent on everything he sold. It was part of the show, one of the many roles he played, and the car, the clothes, the condo, and the clout were merely props. Without the props the show could not go on. â€Å"Why do you want your life back?† Coyote asked, as if Sam had forgotten the question. â€Å"It's safe,† Sam blurted out. â€Å"So safe,† Coyote said, â€Å"that you can lose it in a day? To be safe is to be afraid. Is that what you want: to be afraid?† â€Å"I'm not afraid.† â€Å"Then why do you lie? You want the girl.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I will help you get her.† â€Å"I don't need your help. I need you gone.† â€Å"I am very good with women.† â€Å"Like you're good with cats and couches?† â€Å"Great heroes have great horniness. You should feel what it is like to pleasure a falcon. You lock talons with her in the sky and do it while you both are falling like meteors. You would like it; they never complain if you come too fast.† â€Å"Get out of here.† â€Å"I will go, but I will be with you.† Coyote rose and walked to the door. As he opened it he said, â€Å"Don't be afraid.† He stepped out of his office and closed the door. Suddenly, Sam leapt to his feet and headed after him. â€Å"Stay off my secretary!† he shouted. He ripped open the door and looked into the outer office where Gabriella, her composure regained, was typing up a claim form. Coyote was gone. Gabriella looked up and raised a disapproving eyebrow. â€Å"Is there a problem, Mr. Hunter?† â€Å"No,† Sam said. â€Å"No problem.† â€Å"You sounded frightened.† â€Å"I'm not frightened, goddammit!† Sam slammed the door and went to the desk for a cigarette. His cigarettes and lighter were gone. He stood there for a moment, feeling a flush of anger rise in him until he thought he would scream, then he fell back into his chair and smiled as he remembered something Pokey Medicine Wing had once told him: â€Å"Anger is the spirits telling you that you are alive.†