The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 14~15

Fourteen Molly Pine Cove was a decorative town – built for show – only one degree more functional than a Disneyland attraction and decidedly lacking in businesses and services that catered to residents rather than tourists. The business district included ten art galleries, five wine-tasting rooms, twenty restaur-ants, eleven gift and card shops, and one hardware store. The position of hardware clerk in Pine Cove was highly coveted by the town's retired male population, for nowhere else could a man posture well past his prime, pontificate, and generally indulge in the arrogant self-important chest-pounding of an alpha male without having a woman intercede to remind him that he was patently full of shit. Crossing the threshold of Pine Cove Hardware and breaking the beam that rang the bell was tantamount to setting off a testosterone alarm, and if they'd had their way, the clerks would have constructed a device to at-omize the corners with urine every time the bell tolled. Or at least that's the way it seemed to Molly when she entered that Saturday morning. The clerks, three men, broke from their heated argument on the finer points of installing a wax toilet seal ring to stare, snicker, and make snide comments under their breath about the woman who had entered their domain. Molly breezed past the counter, focusing on an aisle display of gopher poison to avoid eye contact. Raucous laughter erupted from the clerks when she turned down the aisle for roofing supplies. The clerks, Frank, Bert, and Les – all semiretired, balding, paunchy, and generally interchangeable, except that Frank wore a belt to hold up his double knits, while the other two sported suspenders fashioned to look like yellow measuring tape – planned to make Molly beg. Oh, they'd let her wander around for a while, let her try to comprehend the arcane func-tion of the gizmos, geegaws, and widgets binned and bubble-wrapped around the store. Then she would have to come back to the counter and submit. It was Frank's turn to do the condescending, and he would do his best to drop-kick her ego before finally leading the little lady to the appro-priate product, where he would continue to question her into full humili-ation. â€Å"Well, is it a sheet metal screw or a wood screw? Three-eighths or seven-sixteenths? Do you have a hex head screwdriver? Well, then, you'll need one, won't you? Are you sure you wouldn't rather just call someone to do this for you?† Tears and/ or sniffles from the customer would signal victory and confirm superior status for the male race. Frank, Bert, and Les watched Molly on the security monitor, exchanged some comments about her breasts, laughed nervously after five minutes passed without her surrender, and tried to look busy when she emerged from the aisle carrying a five-gallon can of roof-patching tar, a roll of fiberglass fabric, and a long-handled squeegee. Molly stood at the counter, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Bert and Les squinted into a catalog set on a rotating stand while concentrating on sucking in their guts. Frank manned the register and pretended he was doing something complex on the keyboard, when, in fact, he was just making it beep. Molly cleared her throat. Frank looked up as if he'd just noticed she was there. â€Å"Find everything you need?† â€Å"I think so,† Molly said, taking both hands to lift the heavy can of tar onto the counter. â€Å"You need some resin for that fiberglass fabric?† Les said. â€Å"And some hardener?† Bert said. Frank snickered. â€Å"Some what?† Molly said. â€Å"You can't patch a trailer roof with that stuff, miss. You live down at the Fly Rod, don't you?† They all knew who she was and where she lived. She was often the subject of hardware store gossip and speculation, even though she'd never set foot in there before today. â€Å"I'm not going to patch a roof.† â€Å"Well, you can't use that on a driveway. You need asphalt sealer, and it should be applied with a brush, not a squeegee.† â€Å"How much do I owe you?† Molly said. â€Å"You should wear a respirator when you work with fiberglass. You have one at home, right?† Bert asked. â€Å"Yeah, right next to the elves and the gnomes,† Les said. Molly didn't flinch. â€Å"He's right,† Frank said. â€Å"Those fibers get down in your lungs and they could do you a world of harm, especially with those lungs.† The clerks all laughed at the joke. â€Å"I've got a respirator out in the truck,† Les said. â€Å"I could come by after work and give you a hand with your little project.† â€Å"That would be great,† Molly said. â€Å"What time?† Les balked. â€Å"Well, I, um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'll pick up some beer.† Molly smiled. â€Å"You guys should come along too. I could really use the help.† â€Å"Oh, I think Les can handle it, can't you, Les?† Frank said as he hit the total key. â€Å"That comes to thirty-seven sixty-five with tax.† Molly counted her money out on the counter. â€Å"So I'll see you tonight?† Les swallowed hard and forced a smile. â€Å"You bet,† he said. â€Å"Thanks then,† Molly said brightly. Then she picked up her supplies and headed for the door. As she broke the doorbell beam, Frank whispered â€Å"Crazy slut† under his breath. Molly stopped, turned slowly, and winked. Once she was outside, the clerks made miserable old white guy attempts at trading high-fives while patting Les on the back. It was a hardware store fantasy fulfilled – much better than just humiliating a woman, Les would get to humiliate her and get her naked as well. For some reason they'd all been feeling a little randy lately, thinking about sex almost as often as power tools. â€Å"My wife is going to kill me,† Les said. â€Å"What she don't know won't hurt her,† the other two said in unison. Theo Theo actually felt his stomach lurch when he went into his victory garden and clipped a handful of sticky buds from his pot plants. They weren't for himself this time, but the reminder of how much this little patch of plants ruled his life made him ill. And how was it that he hadn't felt the need to fire up his Sneaky Pete for three days? A twenty-year drug habit suddenly ends? No withdrawal, no side effects, no cravings? The freedom was almost nauseating. It was as if the Weirdness Fairy had landed in his life with a thump, popped him on the head with a rubber chicken, bit him on the shin, then went off to inflict herself on the rest of Pine Cove. He stuffed the marijuana into a plastic bag, tucked it into his jacket pocket, and climbed into the Volvo for the forty-mile drive to San Junipero. He was going to have to enter the bowels of the county justice building and face the Spider to find out what he wanted to know. The pot was grease for the Spider. He would stop by a convenience store on the way down and pick up a bag full of snacks to augment the bribe. The Spider was difficult, arrogant, and downright creepy, but he was a cheap date. Through the safety-glass window, Theo could see the Spider sitting in the middle of his web: five computer screens with data scrolling across them illuminated the Spider with an ominous blue glow. The only other light in the room came from tiny red and green power indicator lights that shone through the darkness like crippled stars. Without looking away from his screens, the Spider buzzed Theo in. â€Å"Crowe,† the Spider said, not looking up. â€Å"Lieutenant,† Theo said. â€Å"Call me Nailgun,† the Spider said. His name was Irving Nailsworth and his official position in the San Juni-pero Sheriff's Department was chief technical officer. He was five-foot-five inches tall, weighed three hundred and thirty pounds, and had taken to wearing a black beret when he perched in his web. Early on, Nailsworth had seen that nerds would rule the world, and he had staked out his own little information fiefdom in the basement of the county jail. Nothing happened without the Spider knowing about it. He monitored and con-trolled all the information that moved about the county, and before anyone recognized what sort of power that afforded, he had made himself indis-pensable to the system. He had never arrested a suspect, touched a firearm, or set foot in a patrol car, yet he was the third-highest-ranking officer on the force. Besides a taste for raw data, the Spider had weaknesses for junk food, Internet porn, and high-quality marijuana. The latter was Theo's key to the Spider's lair. He put the plastic Baggie on the keyboard in front of Nails-worth. Still without looking at Theo, the Spider opened the bag and sniffed, pinched a bud between his fingers, then folded the bag up and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. â€Å"Nice,† he said. â€Å"What do you need?† He peeled the marshmallow cap off a Hostess Sno Ball, shoved it into his mouth, then threw the cake into a wastebasket at his feet. Theo set the bag of snacks down next to the wastebasket. â€Å"I need the autopsy report on Bess Leander.† The Nailgun nodded, no easy task for a man with no discernible neck. â€Å"And?† Theo wasn't sure what questions to ask. Nailsworth seldom volunteered information, you had to ask the right question. It was like talking to a rotund Sphinx. â€Å"I was wondering if you could come up with something that might help me find Mikey Plotznik.† Theo knew he didn't have to explain. The Spider would know all about the missing kid. The Spider reached into the bag at his feet and pulled out a Twinkie. â€Å"Let me pull up the autopsy.† His fat fingers flew over the keyboard. â€Å"You need a printout?† â€Å"That would be nice.† â€Å"It doesn't show you as the investigating officer.† â€Å"That's why I came to you. The M.E.'s office wouldn't let me see the report.† â€Å"Says here cause of death was cardiac arrest due to asphyxiation. Suicide.† â€Å"Yes, she hung herself.† â€Å"I don't think so.† â€Å"I saw the body.† â€Å"I know. Hanging in the dining room.† â€Å"So what do you mean, you don't think so? â€Å"The ligature marks on her neck were postmortem, according to this. Neck wasn't broken, so she didn't drop suddenly.† Theo squinted at the screen, trying to make sense of the data. â€Å"There were heel marks on the wall. She had to have hung herself. She was depressed, taking Zoloft for it.† â€Å"Not according to the toxicology.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"They ran the toxicology for antidepressants because you put it on the report, but there was nothing.† â€Å"It says suicide right there.† â€Å"Yes, it does, but the date doesn't corroborate the timing. Looks like she had a heart attack. Then she hung herself afterward.† â€Å"So she was murdered?† â€Å"You wanted to see the report. It says cardiac arrest. But ultimately, cardiac arrest is what kills everyone. Catch a bullet in the head, get hit by a car, eat some poison. The heart tends to stop.† â€Å"Eat some poison?† â€Å"Just an example, Crowe. It's not my field. If I were you, I'd check and see if she had a history of heart problems.† â€Å"You said it wasn't your field.† â€Å"It's not.† The Spider hit a key and a laser printer whirred in the darkness somewhere. â€Å"I don't have much on the kid. I could give you the subscription list for his paper route.† Theo realized that he had gotten all he was going to get on Bess Leander. â€Å"I have that. How about giving me any known baby-rapers in the area?† â€Å"That's easy.† The Spider's fingers danced over the keyboard. â€Å"You think the kid was snatched?† â€Å"I don't know shit,† Theo said. The Spider said, â€Å"No known pedophiles in Pine Cove. You want the whole county?† â€Å"Why not?† The laser printer whirred and the Spider pointed through the dark at the noise. â€Å"Everything you want is back there. That's all I can do for you.† â€Å"Thanks, Nailgun, I appreciate it.† Theo felt a chronic case of the creeps going up his spine. He took a step into the dark and found the papers sitting in the tray of the laser printer. Then he stepped to the door. â€Å"You wanna buzz me out?† The Spider swiveled in his chair and looked at Theo for the first time. Theo could see his piggy eyes shining out of deep craters. â€Å"You still live in that cabin by the Beer Bar Ranch?† â€Å"Yep,† Theo said. â€Å"Eight years now.† â€Å"Never been on the ranch, though, have you?† â€Å"No.† Theo cringed. Could the Spider know about Sheriff Burton's hold over him? â€Å"Good,† the Spider said. â€Å"Stay out of there. And Theo?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Sheriff Burton has been checking with me on everything that comes out of Pine Cove. After the Leander death and the truck blowing up, he got very jumpy. If you decide to pursue the Leander thing, stay low-key.† Theo was amazed. The Spider had actually volunteered information. â€Å"Why?† was all he could say. â€Å"I like the herb you bring me.† The Spider patted his shirt pocket. Theo smiled. â€Å"You won't tell Burton you gave me the autopsy report?† â€Å"Why would I?† said the Spider. â€Å"Take care,† Theo said. The Spider turned back to his screens and buzzed the door. Molly Molly wasn't so sure that life as Pine Cove's Crazy Lady wasn't harder than being a Warrior Babe of the Outland. Things were pretty clear for a Warrior Babe: you ran around half-naked looking for food and fuel and occasionally kicked the snot out of some mutants. There was no subterfuge or rumor. You didn't have to guess whether or not the Sand Pirates ap-proved of your behavior. If they approved, they staked you out and tortured you. If they didn't they called you a bitch, then they staked you out and tortured you. They might release starving radioactive cockroaches on you or burn you with hot pokers, they might even gang-rape you (in foreign-release directors'cuts only), but you always knew where you stood with Sand Pirates. And they never tittered. Molly had had all the tittering she could handle for the day. At the pharmacy, they had tittered. Four elderly women worked the counter at Pine Cove Drug and Gift, while above them, behind his glass window, Winston Krauss, the dolphin-molesting pharmacist, lorded over them like a rooster over a barnyard full of hens. It didn't seem to matter to Winston that his four hens couldn't make change or answer the simplest question, nor that they would retreat to the back room when anyone younger than thirty entered the pharmacy, lest they have to sell something embarrassing like condoms. What mattered to Winston was that his hens worked for minimum wage and treated him like a god. He was behind glass; tittering didn't bother him. The hens started tittering when Molly hit the door and broke titter only when she came to the counter with an entire case of economy-sized Neosporin ointment. â€Å"Are you sure, dear?† they kept asking, refusing to take Molly's money. â€Å"Perhaps we should ask Winston. This seems like an awful lot.† Winston had disappeared among the shelves of faux-antidepressants when Molly entered the store. He wondered if he should have ordered some faux-antipsychotics as well. Val Riordan hadn't said. â€Å"Look,† Molly finally said, â€Å"I'm nuts. You know it, I know it, Winston knows it. But in America it is your right to be nuts. I get a check from the state every month because I'm nuts. The state gives me money so I can buy whatever I need to continue being nuts, and right now I need this case of ointment. So ring it up so I can go be nuts somewhere else. Okay?† The hens huddled and tittered. â€Å"Or do I need to buy a case of those huge fluorescent orange prelubricated condoms with the deely-bobbers on the tip and blow them up in your card section.† You never have to get this tough with Sand Pirates, Molly thought. The hens broke their huddle and looked up in terror. â€Å"I hear they're like thousands of tiny fingers, urging you to let go,† Molly added. Between the four of them it only took ten minutes more to ring up Molly's order and figure her change within the nearest dollar. As Molly was leaving, she turned and said, â€Å"In the Outland, you would have all been made into jerky a long time ago.† Fifteen Steve Getting blown up had put the Sea Beast in a deep blue funk. Sometimes when he felt this way, he would swim to the edge of a coral reef and lie there in the sand while neon cleaner fish nipped at the parasites and algae on his scales. His flanks flashed a truce of color to let the little fish know that they were safe as they darted in and out of his mouth, grabbing bits of food and grunge like tiny dental hygienists. In turn, they emanated an electromagnetic message that translated roughly to: â€Å"I won't be a minute, sorry to bother you, please don't eat me.† He was getting a similar message from the warmblood that was ministering to his burns, and he flashed the truce of color along his sides to confirm that he understood. He couldn't pick up the intentions of all warmbloods, but this one was wired differently. He could sense that she meant him no harm and was even going to bring him food. He understood that when she made the â€Å"Steve† sound, she was talking to him. â€Å"Steve,† Molly said, â€Å"stop making those colors. Do you want the neighbors to see? It's broad daylight.† She was on a stepladder with a paintbrush. To the casual observer, she was painting her neighbor's trailer. In fact, she was applying great gobs of Neosporin oint ment to the Sea Beast's back. â€Å"You'll heal faster with this stuff on you, and it doesn't sting.† After she had covered the charred parts of the trailer with ointment, she draped fiberglass fabric on as bandages and began ladling roof-patching tar over the fabric. Several of her neighbors looked out their windows, dismissed her actions as more eccentricities of a crazy woman, then went back to their afternoon game shows. Molly was spreading the roofing tar over the fiberglass bandages with a squeegee when she heard a vehicle pull up in front of her trailer. Les, the hardware guy, got out of the truck, adjusted his suspenders, and headed toward her, looking a little nervous, but resolved. A light dew of sweat shone on his bald head, despite the autumn chill in the air. â€Å"Little lady, what are you doing? I thought you were going to wait for me to help you.† Molly came down from her ladder and stood with the squeegee at port arms while it dripped black goo. â€Å"I wanted to get going on this before dark. Thanks for coming.† She smiled sweetly – a leftover movie star smile. Les escaped the smile to hardware land. â€Å"I can't even tell what you're trying to do here, but whatever it is, it looks like you mucked it up pretty bad already.† â€Å"No, come here and look at this.† Les moved cautiously to Molly's side and looked up at the trailer. â€Å"What the hell is this thing made of anyway? Up close it looks like plastic or something.† â€Å"Maybe you should look at it from the inside,† Molly said. â€Å"The damage is more obvious in there.† The hardware clerk leered. Molly felt him trying to stare through her sweatshirt. â€Å"Well, if that's what you think. Let's go inside and have a look.† He started toward the door of the trailer. Molly grabbed his shoulder. â€Å"Wait a second. Where are the keys to your truck?† â€Å"I leave 'em in it. Why? This town is safe.† â€Å"No reason, just wondering.† Molly dazzled him with another smile. â€Å"Why don't you go on in? I'll be in as soon as I get some of this tar off of my hands.† â€Å"Sure thing, missy,† Les said. He toddled toward the front door like a man badly in need of a rest room. Molly backed away toward Les's truck. When the hardware clerk laid a hand on the door handle, Molly called, â€Å"Steve! Lunch!† â€Å"My name isn't Steve,† Les said. â€Å"No,† Molly said, â€Å"you're the other one.† â€Å"Les, you mean?† â€Å"No, lunch.† Molly gave him one last smile. Steve recognized the sound of his name and felt the thought around the word â€Å"lunch† Les felt something wet wrap around his legs and opened his mouth to scream just as the tip of the serpent's tongue wrapped his face, cutting off his air. The last thing he saw was the bare breasts of the fallen scream queen, Molly Michon, as she lifted her sweatshirt to give him a farewell flash before he was slurped into the waiting maw of the Sea Beast. Molly heard the bones crunch and cringed. Boy, sometimes it just pays to be a nutcase, she thought. That sort of thing might bother a sane person. One of the windows in the front of the dragon trailer closed slowly and opened, a function of the Sea Beast pushing his meal down his throat, but Molly took it for a wink. Estelle Dr. Val's office had always represented a little island of sanity to Estelle, a sophisticated status quo, always clean, calm, orderly, and well appointed. Like many artists, Estelle lived in an atmosphere of chaotic funk, taken by observers to be artistic charm, but in fact no more than a civilized way of dealing with the relative poverty and uncertainly of cannibalizing one's imagination for money. If you had to spill your guts to someone, it was nice to do it in a place that wasn't spattered with paint and covered with canvases that beckoned to be finished. Dr. Val's office was an escape, a pause, a comfort. But not today. After being sent in to the inner office, before she even sat down in one of the leather guest chairs, Estelle said, â€Å"Your assistant is wearing oven mitts, did you know that?† Valerie Riordan, for once with a few hairs out of place, rubbed her temples, looked at her desk blotter, and said, â€Å"I know. She has a skin condition.† â€Å"But they're taped on with duct tape.† â€Å"It's a very bad skin condition. How are you today?† Estelle looked back toward the door. â€Å"Poor thing. She seemed out of breath when I came in. Has she seen a doctor?† â€Å"Chloe will be fine, Estelle. Her typing skills may even improve.† Estelle sensed that Dr. Val was not having a good day and decided to let the assistant in oven mitts pass. â€Å"Thanks for seeing me on such short notice. I know it's been a while since we've had a session, but I really felt I need to talk to someone. My life has gotten a little weird lately.† â€Å"There's a lot of that going around,† Dr. Val said, doodling on a legal pad as she spoke. â€Å"What's up?† â€Å"I've met a man.† Dr. Val looked up for the first time. â€Å"You have?† â€Å"He's a musician. A Bluesman. He's been playing at the Slug. I met him there. We've been, well, he's been staying at my place for the last couple of days.† â€Å"And how do you feel about that?† â€Å"I like it. I like him. I haven't been with a man since my husband died. I thought I would feel like, well, like I was betraying him. But I don't. I feel great. He's funny, and he has this sense of, I don't know, wisdom. Like he's seen it all, but he hasn't become cynical. He seems sort of bemused by the hardships in life. Not at all like most people.† â€Å"But what about you?† â€Å"I think I love him.† â€Å"Does he love you?† â€Å"I think so. But he says he's going to leave. That's what's bothering me. I finally got used to being alone, and now that I found someone, he's going to leave me because he's afraid of a sea monster.† Valerie Riordan dropped her pen and slumped in her chair – a very unprofessional move, Estelle thought. â€Å"Excuse me?† Val said. â€Å"A sea monster. We were at the beach the other night, and something came up out of the water. Something big. We ran for the car, and later Catfish told me that he was once chased by a sea monster down in the Delta and that it had come back to get him. He says he doesn't want other people to get hurt, but I think he's just afraid. He thinks the monster will come back as long as he's on the coast. He's trying to get a gig in Iowa, as far from the coast as he can get. Do you think he's just afraid to commit? I read a lot about that in the women's magazines.† â€Å"A sea monster? Is that a metaphor for something? Some Blues term that I'm not getting?† â€Å"No, I think it's a reptile, at least the way he describes it. I didn't get a good look at it. It ate his best friend when he was a young man. I think he's running away from the guilt. What do you think?† â€Å"Estelle, there's no such thing as sea monsters.† â€Å"Catfish said that no one would believe me.† â€Å"Catfish?† â€Å"That's his name. My Bluesman. He's very sweet. He has a sense of gallantry that you don't see much anymore. I don't think it's an act. He's too old for that. I didn't think I would ever feel this way again. These are girl feelings, not woman feelings. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I want to have his grandchildren.† â€Å"Grandchildren?† â€Å"Sure, he's had his days with the booze and the hos, but I think he's ready to settle down.† â€Å"The booze and the hos?† Dr. Val seemed to have gone into some sort of fugue state, working on a stunned psychiatrist autopilot where all she could do was parrot what Estelle said back in the form of a question. Estelle needed more input than this. â€Å"Do you think I should tell the authorities?† â€Å"About the booze and the hos?† â€Å"The sea monster. That Plotznik boy is missing, you know?† Dr. Val made a show of straightening her blouse and assuming a controlled, staid, professional posture. â€Å"Estelle, I think we may need to adjust your medication.† â€Å"I haven't been taking it. But I feel fine. Catfish says that if Prozac had been invented a hundred years ago there wouldn't have been any Blues at all. Just a lot of happy people with no soul. I tend to agree with him. The antidepressants served their purpose for me after Joe died, but I'm not sure I need them now. I even feel like I could get some painting done – if I can find some time away from sex.† Dr. Val winced. â€Å"I was thinking of something besides antidepressants, Estelle. You obviously are dealing with some serious changes right now. I'm not sure how to proceed. Do you think that Mr., uh, Catfish would mind coming to a session with you?† â€Å"That might be tough. He doesn't like your mojo.† â€Å"My mojo?† â€Å"Not your mojo in particular. Just psychiatrist's mojo in general. He spent a little time in a mental hospital in Mississippi after the monster ate his friend. He didn't care for the staff's mojo.† Estelle realized that her vocabulary, even her way of thinking, had changed over the last few days, the result of immersion in Catfish's Blues world. The doctor was rubbing her temples again. â€Å"Estelle, let's make another appointment for tomorrow or the next day. Tell Chloe to add it on at the end of the day if I'm booked up. And try to bring your gentleman along with you. In the meantime, assure him that my practice is mojo-free, would you?† Estelle stood. â€Å"Can that little girl write with those oven mitts on?† â€Å"She'll manage.† â€Å"So what should I do? I don't want him to go. But I feel like I've lost a part of myself by falling in love. I'm happy, but I don't know who I am anymore. I'm worried.† Estelle realized that she was starting to whine and looked at her shoes, ashamed. â€Å"That's our time, Estelle. Let's save this for our next appointment.† â€Å"Right. Should I tell the constable about the sea monster?† â€Å"Let's hold off on that for now. These things have a way of taking care of themselves.† â€Å"Thanks, Dr. Val. I'll see you tomorrow.† â€Å"Good-bye, Estelle.† Estelle left the office and stopped at Chloe's desk outside. The girl was gone, but there were animal noises coming from the bathroom just down the hall. Perhaps she had caught one of the oven mitts on her nose ring. Poor thing. Estelle went to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. â€Å"Are you okay in there, dear? Do you need some help?† The answer came back in high moan. â€Å"I'm fine. Really fine. Thanks. Oh my God!† â€Å"You're sure?† â€Å"No, that's all right!† â€Å"I'm supposed to make an appointment for tomorrow or the next day. The doctor said to pencil it in late if you have to.† Estelle could hear thumping noises coming from the bathroom, and it sounded as if the medicine cabinet had dumped. â€Å"Oh wow! Wow! Oh wow!† The scheduling must really have been tight. â€Å"I'm sorry. I won't bother you anymore. Call me to confirm, would you, dear?† Estelle left Valerie Riordan's house even more unsettled than she had come in, thinking that it had been quite some time, half a day anyway, since she had had her skinny Bluesman between the sheets. Dr. Val Val had a break between appointments, time in which to reflect on her suspicion that by taking everyone in Pine Cove off antidepressants, she had turned the town into a squirrel's nest. Estelle Boyet had always been a tad eccentric, it was part of her artist persona, but Val had never seen this as unhealthy. On the contrary, the self-image of an eccentric artist seemed to help Estelle get over losing her husband. But now the woman was raving about sea monsters, and worse, she was getting involved in a relationship with a man that could only be construed as self-destructive. Could people – rational adult people – still fall in love like that? Could they still feel like that? Val wanted to feel like that. For the first time since her divorce, it occurred to her that she actually wanted to be involved again with a man. No, not just involved, in love. She pulled her Rolodex from the desk drawer and thumbed through it until she found the number of her psychiatrist in San Junipero. She had been in analysis all through med school and residency, it was an integral part of the training of any psychiatrist, but she hadn't seen her therapist in over five years. Maybe it was time. What sort of cynicism had come over her, that she was interpreting the desire to fall in love as a condition requiring treatment? Maybe her cynicism was the problem. Of course she couldn't tell him about what she had done to her patients, but perhaps†¦ A red light blinked on the tiny LED panel on her phone and the incoming call, screened by Chloe, who had obviously taken a short break from her self-abuse, scrolled across the screen. Constable Crowe, line one. Speaking of squirrels. She picked up the phone. â€Å"Dr. Riordan.† â€Å"Hi, Dr. Riordan, this is Theo Crowe. I just called to tell you that you were right.† â€Å"Thank you for calling, Constable. Have a nice day.† â€Å"You were right about Bess Leander not taking the antidepressants. I just got a look at the toxicology report. There was no Zoloft in her system.† Val stopped breathing. â€Å"Doctor, are you there?† All her worries about the drugs, this whole perverse plan, all the extra sessions, the long hours, the guilt, the friggin' guilt, and Bess Leander hadn't been taking her medication at all. Val felt sick to her stomach. â€Å"Doctor?† Theo said. Val forced herself to take a deep breath. â€Å"Why? I mean, when? It's been over a month. When did you find this out?† â€Å"Just today. I wasn't given access to the autopsy report. No one was. I'm sorry it took so long.† â€Å"Well, thank you for letting me know, Constable. I appreciate it.† She prepared to ring off. â€Å"Dr. Riordan, don't you have to get a medical history on your patients before you prescribe anything?† â€Å"Yes. Why?† â€Å"Do you know if Bess Leander had any heart problems?† â€Å"No, physically she was a very healthy woman, as far as I know. Why?† â€Å"No reason,† Theo said. â€Å"Oh yeah, I never got your thoughts on the information I shared at breakfast. About Joseph Leander. I was still wondering if you had any thoughts?† The whole world had flip-flopped. Val had stone-walled up to now on Bess Leander because she had assumed that her own negligence had had something to do with Bess's death. What now, though? Really, she didn't know much about Bess at all. She said, â€Å"What exactly do you want from me, Constable?† â€Å"I just need to know, did she suspect her husband of having an affair? Or give you any indication that she might be afraid of him?† â€Å"Are you saying what I think you are saying? You don't think Bess Leander committed suicide?† â€Å"I'm not saying that. I'm just asking.† Val searched her memory. What had Bess Leander said about her hus-band? â€Å"I remember her saying that she felt he was uninvolved in their family life and that she had laid down the law to him.† â€Å"Laid down the law? In what way?† â€Å"She told him that because he refused to put the toilet seat down, he was going to have to sit down to pee from now on.† â€Å"That's it?† â€Å"That's all I can remember. Joseph Leander is a salesman. He was gone a lot. I think Bess felt that he was somewhat of an intrusion on her and the girls' lives. It wasn't a healthy relationship.† As if there is such a thing, Val thought. â€Å"Are you investigating Joseph Leander?† â€Å"I'd rather not say,† Theo said. â€Å"Do you think I should be?† â€Å"You're the policeman, Mr. Crowe.† â€Å"I am? Oh, right, I am. Anyway, thanks, Doctor. By the way, my friend Gabe thought you were, uh, interesting, I mean, charming. I mean, he enjoyed talking with you.† â€Å"He did?† â€Å"Don't tell him I said so.† â€Å"Of course. Good-bye, Constable.† Val hung up and sat back in her chair. She had unnecessarily put an entire town in emotional chaos, committed a basketful of federal crimes as well as breaking nearly every ethical standard in her field, and one of her patients had possibly been murdered, but she felt, well, sort of excited. Charming, she thought. He found me charming. I wonder if he really said â€Å"charming† or if Theo was just making that up – the pothead. Charming. She smiled and buzzed Chloe to send in her next appointment.

Perceptions of Organized Crime Groups Essay

The United States is run by a democratic government that has laws in place to ensure order and organization. However, there are certain people and groups that wish to compromise and profit personally from breaking these laws. According to Understanding Organized Crime (2007), organized crime can be defined by the members and the activities of a group. There are many crimes in which organized crime might be involved, but what separates individual crime from crimes committed by groups of people is the term organized or organization. Organization has been described as a group of people who cooperate to accomplish objectives or goals. Organized crime has been around for centuries; from Outlaw gangs in the western days that robbed stage coaches, the pony express, and passengers of trains to today’s Blood and Crip gangs that dominate public streets for power over territories and drug sales. Gangs have been around for a long time imposing on the lives and liberties of law abiding cit izens that wish to obey laws. Law abiding citizens have to live in imminent fear that their lives are not disrupted by the actions of these criminal organizations that wish to indulge in crime. In this paper, we will explore the various definitions, perception, characteristics of organized crime, and explore some high profile groups that indulge in different types of crimes. Perception of Organized Crime A University of Phoenix student named ————– was asked how she defined organized crime. ———–’s perception of organized crime has some of the dynamics right such as profit, power, and hatred, but the reading further states that organized crime has no real black and white meaning, besides a group of people uniting for a common goal. Her answer was simple; she stated that organized crime is when a group of people break laws and/or violate others in order to gain power, profit, or promote hatred. Organized crime groups incarcerated within the prison system such as Nuestra Familia and Mexican Mafia, break laws to gain power that lead to some form of profit; depending on what they need such as drugs, cigarettes, or privileges from others. Drug Cartels as the Shower Posse and Spangler Posse of Jamaica, involved themselves in organize crime to profit from illegal drug activity, and groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Aryan Bro therhood are driven by hatred. Author’s Perception Compare to the Definitions in the Readings The author’s perception of the definition in the reading is similar in the meaning of criminal organization, but the book states that crime can be defined by the members and the activities of a group. This means that crime is what each club sees it to be. This is an interesting point, but very true. Many people (e.g. club members) in society commit crimes for different reasons. Some feel it is necessary to break laws due to their limited necessities in life. It does, in no means make it right, but it is the perception of many. The prisons are filled with individuals/criminals that feel they were doing what they needed to do to defend themselves, take care of themselves, or just was presented with opportunity. Some of them sit in prison for years and still feel that their actions of breaking the law were justified. This is the mentality of most organized crime gangs. All they care about is what they want at the time, and not what the implications of breaking the law ca n lead to, until it hits home. ———has personal knowledge of different biker groups and 2 Outlaw Motorcycle Gang’s (OMG’s) and was raised in and around the biker atmosphere, but none of those groups that are mentioned in the book. She has heard the mentality of the OMG’s as opposed to regular Biker Clubs. The 1% clubs run their clubs totally different with no regard for breaking the law, indulging in violence, or starting trouble. 1% Outlaw Biker Gangs One of the clubs that she knows of is called the Chosen Few. The Chosen Few is a 1% motorcycle gang that ———-has first-hand knowledge of. She has known some of their members for a long time and has witnessed how their club is run, aside from other biker clubs that do charitable work in and around their communities, such as toy runs, mentorships, feeding, and clothing the homeless and disable children. In a recent article, from 2010, the Chosen Few M.C. was involved in 3 murders. After this incident, law enforcement officials began to keep a close eye on them and found even more illegal affiliations. The article by Chris Vogel (2011), points out several incidents with Chosen Few members that had negitive run-ins with the law. The article states that agents used confidential informants to buy drugs and guns from members, a member was arrested with more than a kilo of coke, police discovered that a DMV worker was making fake identifications for club members to use i n order to buy guns, and a member was arrested with a gallon of PCP – which led federal agents to Detroit, where another six gallons of PCP were seized. (Feds Catch Chosen Few Motorcycle Club Members Selling Guns & PCP, 2011) According to the characteristics of organized crime with Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMG’s) the Chosen Few, fits the criteria. Characteristics Associated with Organized Criminal Behavior There are certain characteristics of organized criminal behaviors that range from commitment to eminent structure. Commitment is an oath and allegiance to what these clubs, good or bad stand for. It is needed to protect and serve the honor of the organization and all its secrets. Along with this it comes with a sense of power, pride, and protection. Survival is a trait that many organized crime member’s exhibit. It is sometimes used to partake in illegal activities to sustain the worldly goods that obtained. For OMG’s, it may consist of the clubhouse, due paying members, and motorcycles. Punishment is a characteristic that is prevalent in discouraging members from disloyalty, disobedience, or dishonor. These punishments can be in the form of death, beat downs, or in the case of OMG’s fines or snatching of colors. Structure is the final characteristic that needed for an organize crime group to be successful. Like a business is run with a CEO, CFO, and other people in place to ensure order, organized crime groups are ran alike. With a chief officer in place and other members in position to handle different aspects of business to make sure there is no breakdown in with members. In conclusion, organize crime has unique characteristics that has been in place for centuries, and although law enforcement has been investigating the structures of this organizations, it is too many to stop. They are intricate organizations with different reasons as to why they chose to break the law. This is why there is no clear cut definition of organize crime. Mallory, S. (2007). Understanding Organized Crime. Retrieved from University of Phoenix. Vogel, C. (2011). Feds Catch Chosen Few Motorcycle Club Members Selling Guns & PCP. Retrieved from http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/07/black_biker_gang_chosen_few.php

Philosophy of Nursing Leadership Essay

I have worked in healthcare for over thirteen years both as new scare nurse and as an informal leader and as an appointed manager. Throughout this process I have experienced many different feelings towards my managers and experienced several different types of management styles as related to our recent management concept learning. A prior class text book definition states â€Å"Philosophy looks at the nature of things and aims to provide the meaning of the nursing phenomena. Philosophies are the broadest in scope and provide a broad understanding† (Blaise & Hayes 2002 p. 98). Combining a defined leadership theory with my own personal nursing philosophy engages a higher level of understanding about personal concepts and ideas of my past experiences and the possibility for growth as a leader. Peter Drucker’s theory in regards to involving the entire organization in planning and establishing the management process has been implemented for many years at my current employmen t, to include weekly staff meetings with open discussions and an anonymous â€Å"drop box† for problems or ideas to be shared with upper management. We also give one-hundred dollar bonus to any employee who presents a new idea or plan and the hospital corporation agrees to use it. This form of staff participation in leadership by Peter Drucker was used to advise the heads of General Motors, Sears, General Electric, W.R. Grace and IBM, among many others. Often times Drucker offered his management advice to non-profits like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Drucker’s theory in the health care setting encourages individual autonomy and embraces the ideal of leaders not being born but can should be taught and encouraged to use their best judgments for every unique situation. Drucker is quoted as stating â€Å"Leadership is something scientific but has artistic expression.† Artistic expression is individualized and when an organization encourages this individuality of its member’s the results can in turn provided broader solutions and opportunity for growth.  This form of collaboration of many different unique perspective and special skills are imperative in today’s health care system as specifically outlined by the American Nurses Association (ANA) â€Å"recognition of the expertise of others within and outside the profession, and referral to those other providers when appropriate† (2003, p.8) The increasing competitive nature of health care and ever changing technology and change make it imperative for a health care organization to work together as a team for the betterment of the patient outcomes and a hospital’s long term viability. Personal Growth as a Nurse Leader With review of my personal experiences in my nursing career, I can now see the obvious management transitions that took place at the facility I worked at. When I first started working, I basically felt like a â€Å"warm body† only there to perform certain tasks at certain times and felt of no real value to actual hospital’s overall revenue or outcome. Looking back at the management style from that time, I felt no real structure or individual importance toward the outcome of the hospital I worked for. The hospital was a non-profit, government owned facility and the resulting management style is easily related to the Laissez-faire leadership form. With this â€Å"hands off† (Finkleman, p6) form of management comes a great lack of feeling of security or capability to grow and learn as a nurse. Three year after working there a new company bought out our hospital and many extreme changes happened. Computer charting came in, new managers, new rules, new standards and m any people left because of these changes. Not because they were bad changes but because they simply did not want to accept change. With these changes emerged a new management technique that follow the Drucker philosophy of encouraging staff participation, goal setting and leadership learning with in the hospital. I will never forget the first time the hospital administrator came up to me, shook my hand and simply asked how everything on my nursing unit was going. If I had any problems or concerns. This form of management encouraged professional growth and self-esteem. I became more familiar with small skills such as intravenous access, medications, equipment and general patient involvement, I began to find myself more interested in the art of health care and learning. Challenges and learning became my journey and led me to a management position in the  emergency room department. I grew as a person and as a nurse. I learned so many things about health care and genuinely cared for my co-workers. Their input was invaluable and helped us create new policies and systems to give our patients better care. I learned mostly about myself and who I wanted to be as a person and a leader or example to other nurses. I became very confident after ten years in this department and enjoyed the teamwork of this area and wanted to be able to do more with this invaluable acquired knowledge. I came to an understanding of a nurse’s ability to provide their perspectives and past experiences to help other care for the patients. In conclusion, with the educational advancements and experience I hope to continue to learn how to be an effective leader. I would like to see our organization encourage some the emotional intelligence theory philosophy into our practice to encourage stronger relationships between all staff. As stated in (Finkelman, 2011 p 10), â€Å"emotional intelligent leadership is key to creating a working climate that nurtures its employees and encourages them to do their best with enthusiasm, in turn this pays off in improved business performance.† I believe that all people inherently want to be recognized for what they do and need positive reinforcement. With future leadership roles I hope to incorporate both of these leadership theories of including the employees in the organizations plans, group problem solving and building good leaders along with stronger emotional relationships built on encouragement and positive reinforcement to provide an open positive learning environment with s trong inter employee relationships. References Blais, K., & Hayes, J. (2002). Professional nursing practice. (2011 ed., Vol. 6, pp. 2, 27-29, 268). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Retrieved from http//www.pearsonhighered.com Finkelman, A.(2006).Leadership and Management for Nurses. (2011 2nd ed., pp. 5-13).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Retrieved from http//www.pearsonhighered.com Nursing Times. (2011) Leadership Skills for Nurses. Retrieved from http://www.nursingtimes.net/Journals/2011/j/n/i/Leadership-Skills-for-Nurses. pdf

Logistic management report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Logistic management report - Essay Example different logistics activities that can add significant value to a humanitarian emergency aid response in terms of form, place and time utility, diverse challenges along with the factors that can help in overcoming these challenges has been taken into concern. Moreover, a humanitarian organisation i.e. UNICEF has been considered in order to demonstrate the different logistics activities such as warehousing, transportation and coordination amid others that can add significant value to a humanitarian emergency aid response in terms of place, form and time utility. The significance of logistics management is incessantly mounting in different fields due to increased level of globalisation as well as nationalisation. Logistics management is fundamentally described as an imperative part of supply chain procedure that intends to plan, employ as well as control the flow of services along with information and storage of goods for the purpose of meeting the requirements of the customers. The conception of logistics management has been proved to be quite beneficial especially for dissimilar industries, which supports them to optimise their distribution procedure which ultimately results in raising their effectiveness as well as competitiveness by a significant level (Tseng & et. al 2005). The governments belonging to diverse nations have recognised the significance of execution of en effective logistics management procedure that can impose considerable impact upon their respective economies (Australian Government n.d.). In this similar context, the co nception of humanitarian logistics refers to a specialised network that is generally created through effectual flow of services, information and finances between different suppliers and beneficiaries among others with the intention of delivering physical support to them. It has been apparently observed that the idea of humanitarian logistics not only enhances the different logistics activities that occur at every phase of

CLINICALLY DISCUSS THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED FOR NURSING Essay

CLINICALLY DISCUSS THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED FOR NURSING LEADERSHP IN AN INTERPERSONAL TEAM - Essay Example The mental health care sector in United Kingdom has in the last few years focused on transformational leadership as it seeks to improve the quality of service and patients outcome ((Allen, Gilbert & Onyett 2009). Some of the fundamentals of leadership include interpersonal relationship skills, empowerment of individuals, ability to instill confidence in others and ability to apply the problem-solving process. In today’s rapidly changing practice environment, nurse leaders are challenged to exert effective leadership in order to promote effective organization and increase individual productivity. The nurse leadership in UK mental institutions is expected to develop strategies capable of enabling followers to cope with inevitable changes within the mental healthcare setting as well as adapt to such changes in a positive way (Allen, Gilbert & Onyett 2009). This paper explores the knowledge and skills required for nursing leadership in an interpersonal team. Leadership Theories an d Models Effective nurse leadership requires knowledge of various leadership theories, principles and the use of such theories to guide all actions within the healthcare setting. ... Creative leadership can be demonstrated by ability to apply professional knowledge, personal power, and cultivation of appropriate personal values in the process of delivering care. The need for creative leadership has been triggered by increased diversity of staff and clients, significant shift from formal leadership to self-managed teams, and emergence of nurse leaders who serve as team leaders, internal consultants as well as sponsors. Owing to such changes, nurse leaders should demonstrate several competencies including effective, innovative and creative problem solvers, change makers, technology masters, team players, effective communicators, and ambassadors (Clark 2008). These competencies have become a necessity in the current highly dynamic mental health care setting in UK. The common leadership styles or models include the autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire leadership styles. Autocratic leadership styles involves making of decisions at the leadership or individual leve l without consulting other stakeholders within the healthcare setting. This form of leadership has been associated with several negative impacts including bad feelings among other workers, undercover retaliations, increased resistance, conflicts, low morale and low productivity. On the other hand, the democratic approach entails involvement of other people in the decision making process although the final decision may finally come from the leadership after consultations. A democratic leadership style takes into consideration ideas of other stakeholders and factors in such ideas in coming up with the final decision (Nagelkerk 2005). This way, followers are made to feel that they are part of

Law And Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law And Society - Essay Example His programs were collectively called the New Deal. The New Deal projects by President Roosevelt suffered massive drawbacks at the courts. Most of them were frustrated by the supreme courts issuing verdicts that they were unconstitutional (Himmelberg, p19). The statues and provisions in the new deal programs that were struck down by the courts include the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which supported financially staple farmers, the National Industrial Recovery Act, which approved the cartelization of industries, and the Railroad Retirement Act. According to Leuchtenburg, these sudden changes precipitated a constitutional crisis. They posed a difficult challenge to the conventional dogma of the Supreme Court leading to a constitutional revolution (Leuchtenburg p213). Frustrated by the courts actions, President Roosevelt reacted by announcing his reorganization of the judiciary. This was infamously known as the â€Å"court packing† plan (Mannino, p293). Several writers argue that the courts struck down numerous important laws in the twentieth century. The two pertinent reasons fronted for this precedence were; the laws were hastily and poorly drafted during the emotional hundred days of Roosevelt in office and that they were badly defended in the courts. It must be noted that these two arguments were found with flaws. One law in New York drafted by the best law practitioners in United States was a casualty in this period. This reason amongst others weakened the reasoning held at that time (Leuchtenburg p234). The court packing plan, for instance, according to Leuchtenburg had frightened the courts and posed a danger to them. This to him might have had some effect relative to jurisprudence. However, the interpretation of the constitutional revolution in the 1930s is diverse. Several law scholars have cited different Court cases of the twentieth century to support their stand on which case actually represented a constitutional revolution. In this term paper, the cases West Coast Hotel vs. Parrish, argued for by Leuchtenburg and Wickard vs. Filburn argued for by Cushman will be analyzed. As a result, determine which authors interpretations of the cases amount to a revolutionary case. In the case West Coast Hotel vs. Parrish (1937), the Supreme Court judgment upheld the constitutionality of legislation on minimum wage passed by Washington State. It overturned the trials court decision that was based on the precedent of Adkins vs. Children’s Hospital (Leuchtenburg, p164). This decision is believed to have ended the era in which the Supreme Court had a penchant for quashing legislation intended at regulating enterprise. Leuchtenburg argues that, this case marked a notable divide in the history of the courts. It also had a significant consequence on the destiny of President Roosevelt Court packing plan. In addition, Elsie Parrish case prompted a constitutional revolution in the United States Supreme Court (Leuchtenburg p163). Her case appeared to be heading for defeat since for a decade; the Supreme Court had ruled that a minimum wage act for women was unlawful since it violated the liberty of contract that the Court assumptions were guaranteed by the Constitution. Against all odds, Elsie Parrish was resolute in her quest for justice. Following the precedent of Adkins, her case was never watertight in the eyes of legal practitioners. Even at the time, the finest law practition

Roles that political parties and interest groups play in mobilizing Essay

Roles that political parties and interest groups play in mobilizing electoral participation in contemporary U.S. society - Essay Example There are other minor parties within the system such as the Libertarian Party and the Reform Party. For the past century, political parties have played an important role in resolving political conflicts in the US. Political parties play an important role to a democratic society such as the US. It is clear that legislative politics may not be steady without political parties. Therefore, if legislators wish to achieve something and those that want to push their policies can do so using a political party (Ginsberg et. al 69). Consequently, it can be stated that political parties facilitate efficiency within democratic organizations. It can be stated that political parties mobilize voters that have similar interests towards voting in a particular way. Political parties perform a couple of important functions. They pool together the demands and interests of the voters and channel them to the appropriate authorities. It is important to note that political parties approximate the citizens to the government. Political figures are elected into power through parties and therefore take advantage of the party label for reasons of strategic voting as well as information economization (Ginsberg et. al 123). The party candidates belongs to enables voters to make more informed decisions on how their leaders are likely to behave while elected in power. Since national parties are viewed as vehicles of political competition, a limited market is left for the candidates. It has become clear that voters make their decisions based on political parties instead of candidates as they are afraid of wasting their votes. This is what has been taking place in the US since the start of the democratic political system. Voters have never considerably changed their decisions with regards to the choice of parties. They have repetitively adhered to the two party system (de facto). Even if there have been some attempts to integrate other parties into the political system, most of them have

Time Management in the Workplace Research Paper

Time Management in the Workplace - Research Paper Example Time management can be applied to your personal life in order to reduce stress and improve productivity (Clinic). A lot of people waste a lot of time during their daily routine. Identifying areas to streamline your daily habits can help people gain a lot of valuable time. For instance if a person stays in the shower one hour everyday, then this individual could reduce his bathing time to save water and cut time. A different individual may spend over three hours a day talking on the phone. Increase exposure to cellular phones may cause cancer (Cancer). The person would benefit from the application of time management to reduce phone usage. The time spend away from the phone can help this person enjoy more quality time with his family. . The managers of organizations can greatly benefit from the use of time management. Since managers are responsible for the performance of their employees it is in their best interest for their subordinates to use time efficiently at work. Managers can in fluence the way people do their jobs at work. The implementation of a new process can allow a worker to produce more units during a shift. Managers can also help their workers by authorizing training and development to increase the skills and capabilities of the staff. ... Time can be better managed by executives when they are organized and perform proper planning. Managers must forecast the work labor hours required to produce the demand for its products and services. Increasing labor efficiency by reducing waste can enhance the production of a company. Time management can benefit the work output of all types of employees independent of their position. The janitor can become more efficient at his job by finding ways to reduce the time to perform tasks. Salesmen can benefit from the use of multi-tasking tools in order to reduce the time of performing different tasks in their daily routine. Barbers can increased their productivity by shortening the time it takes to finish a hair cut and by socializing less with the clients and other employees during labor hours. The use of technology can be applied in the workplace to improve the time management of the enterprise. A simple technology that can save time in administrative work is to purchase an electronic card puncher. Instead of using a time card the employees can check in by putting a pin number in the machine. The electronic data can save accountants and HR people a lot of work in determining the hours worked by the employees to prepare the payroll. Another technology that can be used to improve the productivity of businesspeople when working outside the office is smartphones. Smartphones such as the Iphone 5 have the capability of connecting to the internet which enables workers to interchange data, information, and to instantly communicate with each other saving valuable time. The proliferation of cellular technology has improved communication worldwide. There are approximately 5.9 billion cellular subscriptions worldwide (Plunkettresearchonline). Capital

Proposal Argument Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Argument - Research Proposal Example Indeed, looking at the recent trends in the healthcare industry, one is forced to raise the question: Are good hospitals really accessible/ affordable to the poor? In the changing economic scenario, guaranteed employment is not a feasible option. In the recent years, increasing number of Americans have inadequate or have no health insurance cover because of unemployment. According to Enthovan ‘more than 45 millions U.S. residents do not have access to health care (Enthoven, 2003). Lack of public funding and the increasing cost of healthcare deliverables has become a huge concern. Falling sick has become a luxury that very few people are able to afford. Deckard says that ‘compared to other industrialized nations, the United States has shown the greatest reluctance to move into a unified publicly owned and financed healthcare system’ (Deckard, 2006) which has adversely affected the socio-economic outcomes of the nation. Bradford Kirkman-Liff, professor of health policy and biotechnology at Arizona State University has elaborated on the cause and factors of the deteriorating healthcare system in United States (Bradford, video). Interesting, the increasing numbers of baby boomers have become the major beneficiaries of the patchy public funded healthcare resulting in ‘increased use and... we won’t be able to assure baby boomers that high-quality health care †¦ nor will we be able to assure the generation paying for this care that we won’t bankrupt it in the process’ (Ganim & Reinhardt, 2004). Hence, the need for comprehensive feedback of delivery system and a careful consideration to all the various pros and cons of the developing situations in the public health care has become the need of the hour. In the last few decades, United State has seen a marked shift in the healthcare which has moved from public driven policies to market funded paradigms. According to scholars, the migration of healthcare

Developing Management skills - 8th edition david a Whetten & Kim s Essay - 2

Developing Management skills - 8th edition david a Whetten & Kim s cameron - Essay Example ensation rewards and organizational goals will make employees take full control of their jobs hence improving their efforts and overall job performance. According to Navistar Internationals incentive plan, the plain aims at enabling the organization and its affiliated company subsidiaries to attract and retain employees with high qualifications and skills. Additionally, the company’s incentive plan aims at attracting consultants and non-employee directors who have exceptional skills in the operation of the company (Whetten and Cameron 90). The company is focused on providing its key employees occupying major positions an opportunity to earn incentive awards in line with the quality of their individual performance and achievement of performance goals. In line with the above mentioned organizational goals, the company has designed a number of compensations for its different categories employees. The company has different levels of employees defined by their tasks and responsibilities (Whetten and Cameron 95). The awards for performance depend on the performance of employees and their level of employment as stated earlier on. The objective of the company is attracting and retaining exceptional talent through attractive compensation packages. The incentive plan for the company is designed in such a way that employees with greater responsibility receive higher compensation compared to employees with less responsibility. This is because employees with greater responsibility have higher skills and talents and the organization is keen in attracting and such a group of employees in order to improve and maintain good performance. The organization’s incentive plan is based on pay-for-performance. The organization provides for the establishment of a committee that is responsible for the evaluation of employee performance and recommendation for compensation. Since the organization aims at attracting and retaining exceptional talent and skills, the pay-for-performance

Baking pastry Essay Example for Free

Baking pastry Essay Cake decorating is referred to as one of the sugar arts in the world of baking. Cakes are decorated for many people and their special occasions. Many remember the birthday cakes and wedding cakes that went along with creating such fond memories of the events. The success of certain cake decorating shows like Cake Boss, Amazing Wedding Cakes, and Ace of Cakes have taken cake decorating from ordinary and boring to an extraordinary and marvelous level. There are also many new textures and flavors of frosting that have been conjured up over the years. The varieties of frosting have been created to compliment the many creations of cake flavors. The craft has evolved into a form of art over the years using different tips and techniques. It is now a craft which requires a lot of new skills, techniques, and education. One might even pursue a four year or two year college degree in Culinary Arts from a school such as, The Culinary Art Institute. There are also many new textures and flavors of frosting that have been conjured up over the years. The varieties of frosting have been created to compliment the many creations of cake flavors. If you are not easily impressed you might still be amazed at the number, variety and creativity of cakes. Some intricate designs appear to defy gravity. The secret, Patrick says, is judicious use of inedible props, such as Styrofoam (Decorating Lane 58). Sculpted animals are popular. However, theyre at most only cake. Decorating cakes depending on the designing and style tends to be pricier. If the customer tends to ask for a sculpted cake that can make an impressive centerpiece may cost approximately 200 or more. Cakes that are decorated some special way could get good publicity and get good business. Having to sculpt the cake is highly visible and correctly and profitable. Color and dimension is what most people want to see when they order the cake. An if the customers like the work they might come back. However, the cakes must truly be memorable. . One may ask, what does it really take to be a great cake decorator and most importantly where did it all start? Decorating skills and techniques have developed greatly since three-tiered wedding and candled birthday cakes. The process has evolved to this day presenting beautiful towers of deliciousness. These unique creations also take us on an interesting trip through decorating history. As most know, cake is a term with an elaborate history and a subject with many aspects. Cake denotes a baked flour connection sweetened with sugar, honey, eggs and milk. It has a distinct texture created by mixture rising during the cooking process. Cakes found in â€Å"Swiss Lake Villages† were made from roughly crushed grains, moistened, compacted, and cooked on hot stone. Obviously cake techniques have progressed since then. As time passed, over many centuries by trial and error, baking techniques began to improve due to influence from other countries and cultures (Kroskey). Work Cited Decorating in the fast lane. Bakery Production and Marketing 24 Jan. 1992: 58. Culinary Arts Collection. Web. 14 Aug. 2013. Kroskey, Carol Meres. Color and dimension add profits to cakes. Bakery Production and Marketing 24 June 1991: 74+. Culinary Arts Collection. Web. 14 Aug. 2013. Kroskey, Carol Meres. Complementing cakes with color. Bakery Production and Marketing 24 Sept. 1991: 106+. Culinary Arts Collection. Web. 14 Aug. 2013. Kroskey, Carol Meres. Create an illusion. Bakery Production and Marketing 24 June 1993: 56+. Culinary Arts Collection. Web. 14 Aug. 2013. Kuyper, Frances. Making your own decorations in advance. Bakery Production and Marketing 24 Sept. 1991: 112. Culinary Arts Collection. Web. 14 Aug. 2013.

Affirmative action in the United States Essay Example for Free

Affirmative action in the United States Essay Tanglewood may have difficulty filling their vacancies in the future because the company has a very large shortage with their sales associates. Even though Spokane has a high unemployment rate and they are able to supply a lot of people with jobs, the chances of closing the gap that is needed to fill the vacancies aren’t likely. Since the sales associates move up to shift leader, department manager, assistant store manager and then store manager then the company can fill the higher level vacancies easier. This then creates the huge shortage with sales associates. As time goes on Tanglewood will have difficulty filling vacancies just because there won’t be enough people that fits the requirements in order to be hired by Tanglewood as sales associates. Tanglewood should engage in a more specific strategy to change their recruiting and promotion practices so that they can target more women and minorities. Spokane doesn’t have a high number of minorities but if Tanglewood changes promotion and recruiting practices then this will help attract the minorities that do live in Washington. There is a high number of females so the company shouldn’t have trouble recruiting females but designing a new affirmative action will help solidify a higher number of female employees. I do believe that if the company promotes different and targets certain regions and areas through secondary schools and other employment agencies then the company can meet their affirmative action goals in a year. Pros and cons of using internal promotion versus external promotion would be that when you use internal promotion you are relying on your employees to produce the qualified candidates that fit the mold that your company is looking for. If you use external promotion then you are going to be able to do a lot more and find more people that have the qualifications. If you use internal promotion is may not take as long as  external promotion because you can give the employees an incentive to bringing in new employees. External promotion may take longer because it is based on who replies to the recruitment or who the employment agencies inform you of. There may not be as many females that aren’t already working in within the company that are going to meet the qualifications of a supervisory position. If the company looks to promote externally they may be hiring more white males into a management position over females and minorities. They may already have some females within the company that can be promoted to that level. 4. I believe that each individual store should continue to create an environment that allows the employees to bring innovation and their own voice to upper management. Each store should work well as a team and want to see each other succeed in order to meet the overall goal for the company as a whole. By incorporating an Affirmative Action plan and changing the Equal Employment Opportunity to better suit the company I feel as if each store will benefit greatly by bringing in people from a different background. The store managers should be responsible for focusing on the applicants qualifications in order for the company to continue the affirmative action. This should be followed up through training and when promotion is to be considered. Once this is set in motion the company will be able to fill the gaps in each position.

Analysis Of Ted Hughes Poems

Analysis Of Ted Hughes Poems As the title suggests, this poem is about wind and the destructive effects that it has on both the landscape and people that live in a isolated house. The narrator tells us how the inhabitants of the house struggle against a powerful and violent weather. However, in spite of the efforts no human is strong enough to resist the extreme forces of nature. Therefore the relationship between Man and Natures power is the key theme in Wind. 3. MUSIC AND LANGUAGE This house/ has been / far out/ at sea/ all the night Many poems have precise patterns to follow as rhyme and meter. But Hughes doesnt follow any pattern since he wants to create the sense of chaos as the extreme weather does in the poem. Then writing in a free verse he rejects all the conventional poetic rules. Likewise is necessary to take a look to how the rhythm influences the poems meaning. According to this we can see that he uses an iambic pentameter because we can notice five beats in each verse with alternating unaccented and accented syllables. This iambic pentameter creates an intermittent rhythm giving a vitality to the poem that emphasizes the winds features. Also he uses alliterations such as wind wielded blade-light (6) that reminds the blow of the wind and at the same time suggests that the wind could strike at any time. There is more alliteration in the line black back gull bent like an iron bar slowly (16) that conveys a slow reading that reflects in some way the crushing puff of the wind. The poems language is full of words with a particular sound pattern. He uses words wich denote strength to describe the power of the wind such as bang or flung that turns the wind into a frightful and violent nature force, unlike for instance the words quivering and cry used to the peoples description and which give to them a connotation of weakness. 4. STRUCTURE Wind has a linear narrative structure in which each of six stanzas conformed by four lines each one. The structure of the poem seems quite simple, but if we pay attention to the end of the verses we can see that some of them lacks of punctuation. The punctuation is one of the formal aspect that makes easier the understanding of a text, avoiding ambiguous meanings and difficulties to interpret it. Therefore I think that in Wind the poet breaks all the formal conventions starting the lines with capital letter and using the punctuation as he wants in order to emphasize the effects of the wind. He alters the punctuation conventions provoking disorder, confusion and chaos as the wind does in the landscape and people of the poem. 5. IMAGERY AND FIGURES Imagery and figures are remarkable techniques that must be highlighted in this poetry essay. They can be found through the whole poem in order to increase the strength of the wind and they help the reader to imagine every event in a more realistic way. In the first stanza he is speaking about the devastate force of the wind. He uses in this stanza many metaphors and personifications emphasizing the extraordinary power of nature. In the first line of the poem this house has been far out at sea all night (1) we can see the metaphor of the house far out at sea as it was a boat lost in the middle of nowhere struggling against the sea as the house struggles against the wind. The second stanza shows an evident contrast with the first one. After the emphatic use of personification to enhance the power and ruthlessness of the wind , he portrays a still countryside with an orange sky (5). Following with the same line till day rose (5), we can notice that he is giving to the day human attributes once again. The third stanza the poet uses the first person narration. He uses this device to create familiarity in the reader. For instance when it says that he scaled along the house side (9) we can imagine the man facing with nature and we put ourselves in his place feeling empathy for him. In the fourth stanza he portrays the landscape as being fearful of the wind as he says the fields quivering, the skyline a grimace (13) personifying fields and sky in order to emphasize upon the sense of power of the wind. The line The wind flung a magpie away and a black gull bent like an iron bar (15) is another contribution to the sense of power of the wind because it can even fling a magpie away. In the following line he uses a simile to describe the wind strength saying that it can bend a black gull like an iron bar (16). The fifth stanza speaks about the house in terms of weakness describing it as fine green goblet (17) under the fierce wind, while the hearts of inhabitants are gripping and they try to face the elements, but they are so scared that even cannot entertain book, thought or each other (20). The last stanza feel the roots if the house move (22) can have a double meaning, at first glance we can think that the wind is so strong that can even move the house, but also it can be related to the roots of the family, his heritage and tradition. The house that so much effort they employed to build it and where all the family traditions and values were settled. The poem ends with the cry of the stones, meaning that something so strong and almost unbreakable as a stone is also fearful because of the storm. 6. CONCLUSION There is a great control of language and imagery in this poem. Through his masterful use of figures and images clearly related to its theme and structure he gives to the wind the personality of an enormous and powerful beast making this poem a breathtakingly poem. Hughes captures the power of the wind in phrases full of a wild and insatiable energy achieving a great power of expression in every line of the poem.

The Many Ways that Educational Technology Can Help Students Essay

The Many Ways that Educational Technology Can Help Students Abstract There are many ways that educational technology can help students develop literacy. First, reading programs, such as the Reading Computer-Assisted Tutoring Program can provide students with effective reading remediation, even when the schools cannot. Students can work with paraprofessional tutors and the Reading CAT, in order to receive necessary specialized instruction, which schools could not otherwise afford to provide. Second, educational technology is a powerful tool for motivating students to develop literacy. Students are able to actively construct their own learning, which has been proven to make learning more intrinsically motivating. Third, Electronic stimuli of sound text and visuals, and the wide variety of enjoyable literacy games, grab students’ attention and motivates them to read. There is also a wide variety of software that makes literacy easier and therefore motivational. Students can use talking books to follow along and listen to, at the some time that the books are read aloud. Also, students can use reading assistant programs, which alert students to mistakes they have made, by pronouncing misread words correctly. There is also computer software that can be used to assist in developing comprehension, vocabulary and writing. Fourth, educational technology can help remediate dyslexia through extended practice, which targets the phonological, and word decoding skills areas i n which students with dyslexia are most deficient. Lastly, English as Second Language Students can use educational technology to increase verbal interaction, and to develop phonetic reading, comprehension, vocabulary and writing skills. There are many w... ...1998). Turn on to Reading Through Technology. Library Talk, 11 (4), 16-18. Fawcett, A., Lynch, L., & Nicholson, R. (2000). Computer-Assisted Reading Intervention in a Secondary School: An Evaluation Study. British Journal of Educational Technology, 31 (4), 333-349. Green & Ybarra. (March, 2003). Using Technology to Help ESL/EFL Students Develop Language Skills. Retrieved on October 11, 2002, from: http://iteslk.org/Articles?ybarra-Technology.html Lafferty, I. (2002). Ready, Set, Read! Technology and Learning, 23 (2), 20-27. Lalas, J., & Wilson, T. (1993). Focus on Multicultural Schools: New Technologies for ESL Students. Media and Methods, 29 (4), 18-20. Quenneville, J., (2001). Tech Tools for Students with Learning Disabilities: Infusion into Inclusive Classrooms. Preventing School Failure, 45 (4), 167-170.

Discrimination Against the Deaf Culture Essay -- Discrimination Again

The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online transcript,â€Å"Through Deaf Eyes† (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. â€Å"Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class† (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). In today's times, it is possible for a deaf family to characterize themselves as an all American family. For many centuries hearing people classified deafness as a horrendous misfortune. As reported by a historian at the University of Iowa, Doug Baynton, in the early 1800's most of the deaf people in America lived in segregated rural areas from one another, and with little communication with the people around them. â€Å"They also had a limited understanding of what they could do – of their own possibilities. People with deaf children really had no idea of what their children could achieve† (Baynton, D., 2007). There... ...eline of hearing devices and early Deaf education [Fact sheet]. Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO: Author Gallaudet University. (1997). Public relations Gallaudet University: The beginnings. Gallaudet University, 1-17. Retrieved from http://pr.gallaudet.edu/ Halpern, C. (1996). Halpern: Listening in on deaf culture. University of Colorado Journals, 1-6. (Original work published 1995). Retrieved from http://www.colorado.edu/ National Institute of Health. (2011). National Institute on Deafness and other communication disorders: Improving the lives of people who have communication disorders. National Institute on Deafness and other communication disorders,2-2. Retrieved from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/ (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc. (2007). Film transcript: Through Deaf Eyes. PBS, 1- 69. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/

Sigmund Freud: His Life And His Work Essay -- essays research papers

Sigmund Freud was born on May 6th 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia, which is now in Czech Republic. He is the eldest of eight children born to Jacob and Amalie Freud. Because of the anti-semetic riots who were ragging in Freiberg , Freud’s father, who was a wool merchant, lost his business and the whole family had to move to Leipzig (1859) and shortly after to Vienna where Freud spend most of his life. When he lived in Vienna, Freud had, once more, to come accross anti-semetism : jewish people had been persecuted in Europe for hundreds of years and they would often be attacked on the streets or called names. Freud was a very intelligent and hard working student, but when he left school, he was not sure of what he wanted to do. At first, he decided to become a lawyer. Then, he decided to study medicine and to become a doctor, for this reason, he enrolled in the medical school of the University of Vienna (1873) and he often came top of the class. To the eyes of Freud, working hard and wanting to find out about things were the two most important qualities in life. In his 3rd year at the University, he started a reasearch work on the central nervous system in a phisiological laboratory under the direction of Ernst Wilhelm von Brucke. During this period of reasearch, Freud neglected his courses and as a result, he remained in medical school 3 years longer than it was normally required to qualify a physician. He received his medical degree in 1881 . He spend three years working at the General Hospital of Vienna - working successively to psychatry, dermatology and to nervous diseases -. In the year 1885, he is given a government grant enabling him to spent 19 weeks in Paris to work with French neurologist Jean Charcot - director of the mental hospital, The Salpetriere - who tried to understand and treat nervous disorders, and most especially hysteria. Charcot used hypnosis to prove that the real problem of his patients was a mental one. From this demonstration, Freud realised the power that the mind had on the body, and he came back from Paris, determined to make a name for himself in this new field of study. When he came back from Paris, Freud immediately married his sister’s friend Martha Bernays. At first, the other doctors laughed at him and noboby baught his books. He was therefore very poor and in addition, he had a growing family to support. His only friend, Wi... ...pose of having a child with him. At this stage, the mother becomes the object of rivalry and jealousy. For the girls, the castration complex comes first ( in opposition to the boys case ) and then they desire to kill the mother and marry the father and have a baby. If for the boys the castration complex ends the Oedipus complex, and creates the unconscious and the superego, what happens with the girls ? Freud says that the oedipal cathexis in girls may be repressed or abandonned. The result is that women never really create a very strong superego. He is also not quite sure of how women’s unconscious is formed, since they do not have the castration anxiety as the motive to repress their incestuous wishes, some sort of repression might happen but Freud is not entirely clear on how it happens. Freud succeeded in finding clear solutions for many human problems with the help of psychoanalysis : he demonstrated the existence of the unconscious and created a totally new approach to the understanding of a person’s personality. Although he was never accorded full recognition during his lifetime, today, Freud is acknowledged as one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century.

“Changes” by Tupac Shakur Essay

The song that I chose to analyze is â€Å"Changes† by Tupac Shakur. The late Tupac Shakur was an African American rapper who was shot dead years ago. His powerful lyrics have impacted the rap industry to this day, because he spoke the truth. His lyrics directly related to his everyday struggles, and how being a successful African American is not an easy task to achieve. Rap usually talks about events of everyday life, and the song â€Å"Changes† talks about racial profiling, poverty, and how racism affects the everyday life of African American people. Note that this song came out in about 1996 where things were different, however the lyrics of this song still ring in the ears of people who are affected by the evil of racism. The song starts off with the line â€Å"I see no changes†. The changes I believe he is referring are the changes that supposedly occurred after the Civil Rights Movement. My interpretation of what Tupac says is that, even though African American people are supposed to have more freedoms since the movement, he doesn’t see many changes at all. In the first stanza Tupac talks about how the police do not really care about the black man, and that no one is going to help them but themselves. They need to start looking out for each other instead of killing each other. He talks about how no one cares that drugs and guns are being brought into the lives of African Americans everyday, and that when they die its just â€Å"one less hungry mouth on the welfare†. The second stanza starts off with â€Å"I see no changes. All I see is racist faces.† This conveys the same thing I stated earlier. There are not many changes that have been made, and people are still just as racist as they were. He also talks about how the majority of the people in jail are blacks, but that is because they keep doing the things that are putting them there. They have no other way to get money, so they resort to selling drugs. He realizes that this is the reason African Americans are not succeeding but there is nothing else they can do. At the end of the stanza he states this clearly when he says â€Å"Well hey, well that’s the way it is.† In the final stanza, Tupac finally tries to convey that changes really do need to be made. He says â€Å"It’s time for us a people to start makin’ some  changes. Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He is trying to tell the people of the African American community that there is hope. The way that his people have been trying to survive has not been working, so he say’s â€Å"You see the old way wasn’t working so it’s on us to dowhat we gotta do, to survive.† He then talks about how he wants peace in the streets. He then calls for a war on poverty, instead of on drugs. He lets the people know that if they do see a successful black man, they will be jealous, but if they get that money the right way the cops will not be able to do anything about it. He ends the song by saying, as long as he is black he is going to stay strapped, which means that no matter what he does he is going to have to prot ect himself in someway, because someone is always going to be out to get him because of the color of his skin.

Mark Twain Research Paper

Name — Professor Reber English 1113 10 October 2012 Mark Twain Mark Twain was a world renowned novelist and a beloved American Writer. He wrote things about what was happening in the world around him and is also a huge part of American Literature. Although Mark Twain is a famous novelist his home life, background/achievements, and greatest accomplishments are what made him who he is today. Mark Twain was more than the man we all know.For one thing, he was born as Samuel Langhorn Clemens on November thirtieth eighteen thirty-five and given the nickname â€Å"Little Sam. † In addition, his birthplace was â€Å"a two-room frame house in Florida†¦Missouri† (Cox, 7) to a John and Jane Clemens. After reaching the age of eighteen he took on an occupation in Philadelphia. Incidentally, he started working â€Å"as a cub and later as a captain for four years† (Lasky, 25) on a ship. In time, he achieved a certificate for being a Mississippi Pilot.When the Civil War broke out, Twain somewhat became a part of it. Likewise, he joined a group of friends, although none having any knowledge about fighting, war, or of the military, to fight â€Å"on the Confederate side with a small militia called Marion Rangers† (Lasky, 26). By the way, Twain was twenty-five when he moved back to Hannibal to be a part of the Militia. Mark Twain, even having little achievements, had quite the background. The root of where all this started wasn’t just at his birth, but also in his home life.Thus, Twain and â€Å"his family moved to†¦Hannibal, Missouri† (Biography of Mark Twain, 1) where he befriended slaves of his dad and uncle. As a result, this had started Twain’s negativity towards slavery when he grew older. Twain loved his family though he wasn’t so fortunate of the mishaps that were to come. For instance, he lost his father when Twain was eleven and his brother, age twenty, was â€Å"fatally scalded†¦ [when Twain ] found him on a mattress† (Cox, 43) on the Pennsylvania after the steam boat exploded killing one hundred fifty people, his brother included.On the other hand, Twain married lovely Olivia Langdon on February second eighteen seventy which follows his quote,† when you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain† (Brainyquotes, 2). Twain and Olivia, just like any happily married couple, also had children of their own. That is, little Langdon was their first child, born prematurely and with brittle bones, only lived nineteen months and second daughter Olivia Susan (Susy) even living up to age twenty-four had unfortunately â€Å"died from spinal meningitis† (News, 1).Twain always had problems with his middle daughter Clara, who overtime became distant to her family, and his youngest daughter, who he had the most struggles with, suffered from epilepsy (nearly trying to kill the maid during her attacks) and died at the age of twenty-nine from a heart attac k. Some things that happened in Twain’s home life marked as either turning points or became the center for some of his works. Mark Twain, unlike any other famous novelist/writer, has his very own accomplishments. The two of his greatest accomplishments is what everyone knows him famous for.The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as being his greatest and most popular works were also to quickly become his greatest accomplishments. Likewise, both books corresponded with the other about adventures of both low class, Huck Finn, and middle class, Tom Sawyer, had together and of their friendship. Another believed greatest accomplishment was his hidden eulogy that hadn’t surfaced until about two years ago. Furthermore, about his daughter Susy â€Å"a passionate eulogy† (News, 1) is guessed to have been written around the time of her death.In addition, this eulogy shows the fondness he had towards his daughter, ultimately showing she was his favorite daughter, he described â€Å"her as being ‘full of fire’† (News, 1). His occupation changed later on in his life. Therefore, he had begun to write his works â€Å"under the pen name of Mark Twain† (Synopsis, 1). In addition to all his greatest accomplishments, he had obtained the title of a sailboat pilot, novelist, journalist, lecturer, entrepreneur, and inventor. Among everything, his greatest accomplishment was him himself.Today, Twain is known for his popular works, or greatest accomplishments, thus making him a huge character for American Literature. What made him so great is through his experiences growing up, his background, and what he achieved that made up his motivation and within his works he writes of some of his incidents, his opinions, and similar adventures. All-in-all, Mark Twain may have believed his novels were his greatest achievements, but the true answer to that is what he created as himself – a legend. Works CitedBiogr aphy. CMG Solutions, 5 Jul. 2006. cmgww. com. 26 Sept. 2012. Web. Biography of Mark Twain. The Mark Twain House & Museum. marktwainhouse. org, n. d. 26 Sept. 2012. Web. Cox, Clinton. Mark Twain. New York: Scholastic Inc, 1995. Print. Lasky, Kathryn. A Brilliant Streak: The Making of Mark Twain. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company. 1998. Print. Mark Twain. A+E Television Networks, LLC, 2012. biography. com. 26 Sept. 2012. Web. Mark Twain. Xplore Inc, 2012. brainyquote. com. 26 Sept. 2012. Web.

Midsummer Night’s Dream as a Comedy Essay

Q. In what ways is A Midsummer Night’s Dream a Shakespearean comedy? A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a classic Shakespearean romantic comedy. A genre, that attempts to catch the viewer’s heart with the combination of love and humor. It is light-hearted and usually places the protagonists in a humorous situation. It is one of the many kinds of comedy which dates back to the 16th century stage in England and it has an identifiable formula. It has a main plot and a subplot. In the main plot an eligible man and woman fall in love with each other but cannot marry for some reason. Then some external agency like the disclosure of a secret or a trick by others brings the lovers together. While many romantic comedies are chided for their predictable plotlines, it was William Shakespeare who first created these well-known story arcs. His comedies are known to strike a balance between expectation (the formula) and yearning (the fantasy). The following characteristics will summ arise the reasons of this play being treated as a romantic comedy: Light, humorous tone: The play features fairy magic (like Oberon’s love potion), silly pranks (like the transformation of a guy’s head into that of a jackass), and the botched performance of a play-within-the-play by a bunch of wannabe actors. Clever dialogue and witty banter: Shakespeare is a huge fan of puns and snappy word play, so naturally, his characters know how to get their witty repartee on. Shakespeare reserves some of the best dialogues for his warring lovers, especially Oberon and Titania, and even the â€Å"rude mechanicals† manage to wow us with their clever banter. Deception and disguise: Hermia and Lysander try to sneak away from Athens to elope (behind Egeus’s back). Also, Titania and the young lovers have no idea they’ve been drugged by Oberon and his magic love juice. Mistaken identity: Titania mistakes Bottom for a creature who is worthy of her love and affection. The same can be said of the other lovers who are dosed with Oberon’s magic love potion. Multiple plots with twists and turns: There are several lines of action in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Shakespeare invites us to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. The first plot involves Theseus and Hippolyta’s upcoming wedding. The second plot line involves the young Athenian lovers who run around the wood in confusion. The third plot follows Oberon’s tiff with his wife, Titania. As a fourth plot line, Shakespeare works in a bunch of craftsmens (the Mechanicals), who plan to perform a play at Theseus’s big fancy wedding. Love overcomes obstacles: From the play’s very beginning, Shakespeare beats us over the head with this idea. The only reason Theseus is even engaged to Hippolyta is because he conquered her people (the Amazons) and basically won her in battle. Just a few moments after we hear about Theseus and Hippolyta, we learn that Hermia and Lysander must also overcome a major obstacle if they want to be together because Hermia’s dad wants her to marry someone else. Never mind the fact that we’ve got a bunch of mischievous fairies running around the wood sloshing magic love juice into the eyes of hapless humans, causing them to fall in and out of love with the first creature that comes into view. In the end, though, love wins out and Theseus and each of the four young lovers hooks up with a steady partner. Marriage: No matter what else happens, Shakespeare’s comedies ALWAYS end with one or more marriages (or the promise of marriage). This is Shakespeare’s way of restoring social order to the world of his plays (after turning order on its head for a few hours). At the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theseus finally gets to marry Hippolyta and spend the night with her (which he’s been talking about since the play’s opening lines). As for the four humans who have been chasing each other around the forest and falling in and out of love, they finally settle down and hook up with a steady partner: Hermia weds Lysander and Demetrius gets hitched to Helena. Family drama: Hermia and her dad Egeus go toe-to-toe about who she should and shouldn’t marry. Egeus is so worked up about his daughter’s disobedience that he wants Duke Theseus to uphold the Athenian law that says daughters have to do what their fathers’ say or else they get sentenced to death. It’s a good thing A Midsummer Night’s Dream isn’t a tragedy, otherwise, this ugly little domestic dispute would end badly. (Re)unification of families: Egeus would rather see his daughter dead than witness Hermia marry Lysander. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy so Egeus eventually backs down and gives in to the idea that Hermia is going to marry for love. We should point out that Egeus only changes his mind after Duke Theseus orders him to back off but still, Egeus sticks around for his daughter’s wedding so we’re counting that as a family reunion.