Analysis of Chapter 31 in Huckleberry Fin by Mark Twain Essay

Huckleberry Finn Chapter 31 Analysis In the story of Huckleberry Finn Huck is facing a constant battle within himself between following the laws of the land and doing what he knows is morally correct. There appears to be an underlying question of whether or not a person is born with morals and good character or if this is a learned behavior raised in the story. The circumstances of Huck’s upbringing were not ones that were conducive to him being a person with a good moral compass, in actually he should have been just the opposite, but he decided to go against the grain and do what he felt was morally correct which was befriend a runaway slave and try to set him free. Now we can questions his motives for wanting to help Jim, i.e., did he†¦show more content†¦He is realizing the deceitful plans of the two men and wants to be away from them. This shows Huck’s growth and development considering that in previous chapters he enjoyed games, trickery and deceit especially in the earlier part of the bo ok when he was part of a gang. When the King goes to feel out one of the towns to see if the people of that particular town has heard of the fraud of a show that he and the Duke had been putting on Huck is planning his and Jim’s escape. Huck at this point knows that the King is actually going into the town to look for more people’s houses to rob. The Duke is visibly agitated for some reason and Huck senses it. When Huck and the Duke go into the town to look for the King he is obviously drunk. Huck runs as soon as he sees an opportunity to lose the King and the Duke. Huck thinks he and Jim are finally free only to find that Jim is gone. When Huck realizes Jim is gone and he cannot find him he actually cries. We see the emotional attachment and bond that Jim has formed with Jim. When Huck comes across a young boy who tells him of how a runaway slave was caught and he learns that he was caught because the Duke and the King tricked them. Following this encounter Huck is upset. The first reason he seems upset is because he was turned in by the hands of people he thought he was helping but the most ironic reason for his anger

Accounting Essay - 1246 Words

Accounting Introduction The financial information is a very important matter in a company success. Allow them to see if they have been successful in the past, in the present and help them to predict a future performance of you company. The form, the use and the people involve with the financial and accounting information in a company is going to be developed in this report. Accounting Knowing the status of your company in every single area will allow you to improve your performance and developed strategies with a solid background for a successful operation. In the financial department of every company different kind of data and report to provide the information needed is used. Without that information financial manager,†¦show more content†¦You also can find that several transactions depend on accounting methods, judgments and estimates, so similar events may result in differing measurements of income at the end of a time period The balance sheet is a summary of a person or organizations assets, liabilities and Ownership equity on a specific date, such as the end of its financial year. A balance sheet is often described as a snapshot of a companys financial condition and indicates what the firms owns and how theses assets are financed in the form of liabilities or ownership interest (Williams, Jan R 2008). Intent to answer how much did the firm make or lose and what is a measure of its worth? (Block, Hirt 2005). A balance sheet is often presented alongside one for a different point in time (typically the previous year) for comparison. One of the limitations of the balance sheet is most of the values are stated on an original cost basis, and that could be a problem when plant, equipment and inventory may now be worth two or three times the original cost or may require many times the original cost for replacement. Statement of Cash Flows is the amount of cash being received and spent by a business during a defined period of time, sometimes tied to a specific project. The Cash Flow is often used to know the status orShow MoreRelatedAccounting1024 Words   |  5 PagesQuestion 1:   * Proficient-level:   * There are several important functions performed in an organization, among which accounting is one of them. Define the accounting function and discuss how it differs from double-entry bookkeeping. 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The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 30~31 Free Essays

string(32) " shall head into the back room\." Thirty Theo â€Å"Listen,† Theo said, cocking his ear toward the cave mouth. â€Å"Vehicles. The SWAT team is here. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 30~31 or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Molly glanced to the back of the cave. From the light of the colors Steve was flashing she could see that the pilgrims had surrounded the Sea Beast and were stroking his scales. She turned back to Theo. â€Å"You’ve got to stop the helicopters. Call them and stop it.† â€Å"Molly, it’s not the news helicopters that will hurt him, or us. It’s those guys who just pulled up.† Theo peeked out the mouth of the cave and saw two four-wheel-drives parking down on the marine terrace, about a hun-dred yards from the cave mouth. Of course, he thought, they still think they need cover. Molly brandished her broadsword, holding it only inches from Theo’s stomach. â€Å"If he’s hurt, I’ll never forgive you, Theo Crowe. I’ll track you down to the ends of the earth and kill you like the radioactive scum that you are.† â€Å"That Kendra or Molly talking?† â€Å"I mean it,† she screamed, almost hysterical now. Steve roared from the back of the cave. â€Å"Don’t go nuts on me, Molly. I’m doing my best. But the only thing your pal seems likely to do is eat me. He doesn’t seemed real motivated by anything else.† Molly slumped to her knees and hung her head as if someone had sucked the energy out of her through a valve in her boot. Theo fought the urge to comfort her, afraid that if he even touched her shoulder the Sea Beast might attack him. Then it hit him. He flipped open his cell phone and dialed the Head of the Slug. Mavis Mavis Sand had spent a lifetime making mistakes and learning from them, and that perspective made her feel as if she knew what was good for people better than they knew themselves. Consequently, Mavis was a meddler. Most of the time she was content to use information as her tool of choice and rumor as her means of delivery. What someone knew – and when they knew it – controlled what they did. (The Spider, pulling digital strings from his basement web, had exactly the same philosophy.) Today she’d had a heap of problems dumped on her, none of them directly hers, and she had been pondering them all morning without much luck in coming up with a way to manipulate the information to solve them. Then the call came from Theo, and it all clicked: Theo was right, they could use the monster’s instincts to get them out of the cave, but if she played the mix right, she could solve a couple of other problems as well. She put down the phone and Catfish said, â€Å"Who that?† â€Å"It was Theo.† â€Å"That ol’ dragon ain’t et him yet? Boy must be livin a charmed life.† Mavis leaned over the bar, close to Catfish, took his hand in hers, and began squeezing. â€Å"Sweetie, put on your friendly persuasion hat. I need you to run down to the pharmacy and pick up something for me.† â€Å"Yes, ma’am,† Catfish said, wincing as the bones in his fingers compressed under her grip. When the Bluesman was gone, Mavis made a quick phone call, then went to the back room and dug through boxes and filling cabinets until she came up with what she was looking for: a small black box attached to a long cord with a cigarette lighter plug on the end. â€Å"Don’t worry, Theo,† she said to herself. â€Å"I put my life in the hands of machinery a long time ago, and I’m doing just fine.† She giggled and it came out sounding like the starter cranking on a fuel dry Ford. Catfish A Bluesman hates to be told what to do. Authority rankles him, inspires his rebellion, and plays to his need to self-destruct. A Bluesman doesn’t take to having a boss unless he’s on a chain gang (for the chain gang boss ranks below only a mean old woman and a sweet young thing in the hier-archy of the Blues Muse, followed closely by bad liquor, a dead dog, and the Man). Catfish had a boss who was a mean old woman: a distinct and disconcerting turn of the Blues screw that might have driven a lesser Bluesman to shoot hisself, get shot, get hold of some bad liquor, or bust up his guitar and take a job down to the mill. But Catfish hadn’t taken nigh unto eighty trips around that cruel, cruel sun without gaining some per-spective, so he would go to the pharmacy as he was told. He would talk to the fish-fucking white boy with the combed-over hair that waved in the air like the sprung lid on a bean can. And when he was done, he would pick up his pay from the mean old w oman who was holding it hostage and he would get his wrinkly Black ass out of this town and go nurse his heartbreak on the moving trap that was, is, and always shall be the road. So Catfish strolled a rolling Delta moonwalk of a stroll (redolent of sas-safras and jive) into Pine Cove Drug and Gift, and the four blue-haired chicken women behind the counter nearly tumbled over each other trying to get to the back room. Imagine it: a person of the Dark persuasion in their midst. What if he should ask for a vial of Afro-Sheen or some other ethnic-ally oriented product with which they were totally unfamiliar? Why, the smoke alarms would melt, screaming like dying witches, when their col-lective minds steamed to a stop. Do we look like thrill-seekers? Wasn’t it enough that we had to put up that sign reading NO HABLA ESPANOL and acknowledge the existence of thirty percent of the population, even in the negative? No, we shall err on the side of safety, thank you, and in lieu of sand in which to bury our heads, we shall head into the back room. You read "The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 30~31" in category "Essay examples" Winston Krauss, who was counting fake Zolofts behind his glass wall, looked up and saw Catfish coming down the aisle toward the counter and immediately regretted that he hadn’t installed bulletproof glass. Still, Winston was a man of the world, and you don’t indulge the fantasy of molesting dolphins without becoming familiar with the ways of people of color, for that is who dolphins prefer to hang out with, when they aren’t hanging out with the Cousteaus, or so it appeared on the Discovery Channel. He stepped out of his booth and met Catfish as he reached the counter. â€Å"Good day, me brother-mon, ye,† Winston said in his best island dialect. â€Å"What can I be gettin for ye?† And there was that welcoming smile, only a dreadlock and a white sand beach short of a travel poster. Catfish squinted, removed his fedora, ran a hand over his shining scalp, stepped back, turned his head to the side and studied the pharmacist for a moment, then said, â€Å"I will slap the shit out of you. You know that?† â€Å"Sorry,† Winston said, coughing somewhat, as if trying to dislodge the errant Jamaican from his throat. â€Å"What can I do for you, sir?† â€Å"Mavis down to the Slug sent me up to ax you somethin.† â€Å"I’m familiar with her medical records,† Winston said, â€Å"You can have her call me if she has a question.† â€Å"Yeah, she don’t want to call you. She want you to come down to see her.† Winston adjusted his bolo tie. â€Å"I’m sorry, but you’ll have to have her call me. I can’t leave the store.† Catfish nodded. â€Å"That what she thought you’d say. She say to ax you if she can have a big jar of them sugar pills you selling instead medicine.† Winston glanced at the back room where his staff was huddled like Anne Frank and family, peering out through the crack in the door. â€Å"Tell her I’ll be right over,† Winston said. â€Å"She said to wait and come with you.† Winston was visibly sweating now; oily beads rose on his scalp. â€Å"Let me tell the staff where I’ll be.† â€Å"Hurry up, Flipper. I ain’t got all day,† Catfish said. Winston Krauss shuddered, hitched up his double knits, and waddled around the counter. â€Å"Ladies, I’ll be back in few minutes,† he called over his shoulder. Catfish leaned over the counter to where he could see the row of eyes peering out of the crack and said, â€Å"I be back in a few minutes my own self, ladies. I needs some medicine what can help me with this huge black dick I have to carry around. The weight of it like to break my back.† There was a collective intake of breath so abrupt that the drop in pressure sprung the barometer on the wall and made Catfish’s ears pop. Winston Krauss turned and scowled at Catfish. â€Å"Was that really necessary?† â€Å"Man’s got to look after his reputation,† Catfish said. The Sheriff Burton had them cover him while he moved down through the rocks and across the marine terrace to the Blazers. He found Sheridan crouched behind the fender, his M-16 trained on the cave entrance. â€Å"Rough morning, Sheriff?† Sheridan said, showing a hint of a smile at Burton’s disheveled suit. Burton looked around at the other team members, who were all staring through rifle scopes at the cave entrance. â€Å"So we only have five?† â€Å"Morales is coaching Pee-Wee Football today. The others are on regular duty. We couldn’t pull them off.† Burton scowled. â€Å"As far as I know, they only have the one weapon, but it’s a fully automatic AK. I want two men on either side of the cave mouth, one down in that crevice where I was pinned down can deliver the gas, followed by concussion grenades. I’ll stay here with a sniper rifle to take out anyone who gets past the entry crew. Shoot anything that moves. Let’s go, five minutes. On my mark.† â€Å"No gas,† Sheridan said. â€Å"What?† â€Å"No gas and no concussion. You wanted us here without checking in. That stuff is kept in the locker at County Justice. We just have the body armor and our own personal weapons.† Burton looked around at the other men again. â€Å"You guys all have your own personal M-16s, but no grenades?† â€Å"Yes, sir.† â€Å"So I have a standoff? I had a standoff before, Sheridan. A standoff doesn’t do me any good. Come with me.† He pushed a fresh clip into his 9 mm. and turned to the others. â€Å"Cover us.† Burton led the SWAT commander to a spot in the rocks just below the cave mouth. â€Å"Crowe?† Burton called. â€Å"You’ve had enough time to consider my offer!† â€Å"Offer?† Sheridan asked. Burton shushed him. â€Å"I haven’t decided yet!† Theo shouted. â€Å"We’ve got thirty people in here to discuss it with and they’re not being cooperative.† Sheridan looked at Burton. â€Å"Thirty people? We can’t shoot thirty people. I’m not shooting any thirty people.† â€Å"Five minutes, Crowe,† Burton said. â€Å"Then you have no more options.† â€Å"What’s the offer?† Sheridan whispered to the sheriff. â€Å"Don’t worry about it. I’m just trying to get the subject separated from the hostages so we can take him out.† â€Å"Then we’d better have a description of the suspect, don’t you think?† â€Å"He’s the one in handcuffs,† Burton said. â€Å"Well, aren’t you the fucking hero?† Sheridan shot back. Skinner Skinner watched from the front seat of the Mercedes as the Food Guy was loaded into the back of the Suburban with the cage in it. The Bad Guys hadn’t even left the windows cracked. How would the Food Guy breathe? He wouldn’t be able to sit in the front seat and put his head out the window either. Skinner was sad for the Food Guy. He crawled in the backseat of the Mercedes and lay down to nap away his anxiety. The Head of the Slug The first thing Catfish saw when he came through the doors of the Head of the Slug was Estelle standing at the bar, and he could feel the crust peeling off his heart like old paint. Her hair was down. Brushed out, it hung to her waist. She was wearing a pair of pink overalls that had been splattered with paint over a man’s white T-shirt – his T-shirt, he realized. She looked to him like what he always thought home was supposed to look like, but as a Bluesman, he was bound by tradition to be cool. â€Å"Hey, girl, what you doin’ here?† â€Å"I called her,† Mavis said. â€Å"This is your driver.† â€Å"What I need a driver for?† â€Å"I’ll tell you.† Estelle took his hand and led him to a booth in the corner. Winston Krauss came through the door a second later and Mavis waved him over to the bar. â€Å"Son, I’m about to make you the happiest man in the whole world.† â€Å"You are? Why?† â€Å"Because I like to see people get what they want. And I have what you want.† â€Å"You do?† Mavis stepped up to the bar and in low, conspiratorial tones, began telling Winston Krauss the most titillating, outrageously erotic tale that she had ever told, trying the whole time to remember that the man she was talking to wanted to have sex with marine animals. Over in the corner booth, Catfish’s modicum of cool had melted. Estelle was smiling, even as tears welled up in her eyes. â€Å"I wouldn’t ask you to do it if I thought it would put you in danger. Really.† â€Å"I know that,† Catfish said, a gentleness in his voice that he usually reserved for kittens and traffic cops. â€Å"It just that I been runnin from this my whole life.† â€Å"I don’t think so,† Estelle said. â€Å"I think you’ve been running to this.† Catfish grinned. â€Å"You gonna take them old Blues off me for good, ain’t you?† â€Å"You know it.† â€Å"Then let’s go.† Catfish stood up and turned to where Mavis and Winston stood. â€Å"We ready? Y’all ready?† He noticed that the front of Winston’s trousers had become overly tight. â€Å"Yeah, you ready. You sick, but you ready.† Mavis nodded, a slight mechanical ratcheting noise coming from her neck, â€Å"Take the second turn out, not the first,† Mavis said to Estelle. â€Å"From there it hugs the coast, so there’s no hills.† â€Å"I have to go get my mask and fins,† wailed Winston. Thirty-one Molly â€Å"Has it been five minutes yet?† Molly was sitting cross-legged, her sword held across her knees. Theo jumped as if he’d been poked with an ice pick, then checked his watch. He crouched by the cave mouth, listening for the sound of either salvation or death. â€Å"About a minute left. Where the hell are they? Molly, maybe you should find some cover.† â€Å"What cover?† She looked around the cave. It was an open chamber; the only cover would be the darkness in the back of the chamber. â€Å"Get behind Steve.† â€Å"No,† Molly said. â€Å"I won’t do that.† She heard a voice come from the back of her mind. â€Å"Get to cover, you daffy broad. What, do you have a death wish?† â€Å"I have abandonment issues. I’m not going to turn around and abandon someone else,† Molly said. â€Å"What?† Theo said. â€Å"I wasn’t talking to you.† â€Å"Fine, die. What do I care?† said the narrator. â€Å"Bastard,† Molly said. â€Å"What?† said Theo. â€Å"Not you!† â€Å"Molly, how did you get those guys to come out and drag me into the cave before?† â€Å"I just told them to.† â€Å"Well, take their clothes back to them and tell them to get dressed.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Just do it. And tell them to hang on to Steve’s sides and not let go, no matter what he does.† â€Å"Now who’s nuts?† â€Å"Molly, please, I’m trying to save him.† The Sheriff Burton checked his watch. â€Å"That’s it. Get into position. We’re going in.† Sergeant Sheridan wasn’t so sure. â€Å"They have thirty hostages and we don’t have any recon of their positions and we don’t have a full team. You want to take this guy out with thirty witnesses?† â€Å"Goddamn it, Sheridan, get your men in position. We go on my signal.† â€Å"Sheriff Burton.† Theo’s voice from the cave. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I’ll take your offer,† Theo said. â€Å"Give me five more minutes and I’ll come out. We can all leave together. The others will come out after you’re gone.† â€Å"You just want him anyway, right?† Sheridan said. â€Å"He’s the only one that can hurt the operation.† Burton turned it over in his mind. He’d been determined to take out the constable and the woman, but now he had to rethink things. If he could get Crowe away from the others, he could dispose of him with no witnesses. Burton’s cell phone rang. He flipped it open. â€Å"Burton,† he said. â€Å"You shouldn’t have made disparaging comments about my weight, Sheriff,† the Spider said. â€Å"Nailsworth, you piece of sh – † The line went dead. Suddenly the sound of a wailing Blues guitar came screaming over the marine terrace. Burton and the SWAT team turned to see an old white station wagon driving along the edge of the terrace, next to where it dropped to the beach. An inhuman roar rose up out of the cave, and when Burton looked back to the cave all he saw was a huge reptilian face coming at him. Winston Krauss Winston sat in the back of the station wagon, steadying the Marshall amplifier that was screaming out the notes from Catfish’s Stratocaster. The amp was plugged into Mavis’s black box and a cord ran over the seats into the cigarette lighter, next to where Catfish was playing. After the first few notes, Winston’s hearing had shut down due to temporary deafness, but he didn’t care. He could hardly believe his luck. Mavis had promised him the biggest sexual thrill of his life, and he had doubted her. But now he saw it. It was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen. Steve The feelings of self-pity, jealousy, and heartbreak were new to him, but the response that welled up in him when he heard the sound of his enemy was more deeply imprinted on his lizard brain and it displaced all the newer feelings with rage and the imperative to attack. He stormed out of the cave with pilgrims hanging on his back by the ridge of armored plates that ran down his spine. Two layers of protective covering slid over his eyes, shortening his vision, but it was the sound that guided him anyway, the sound that carried the strongest association with the enemy. He flashed bright crimson and yellow as he charged over the rocks, kicking aside the vehicles and shedding pilgrims as he made his way to his enemy at the shore. Theo Molly stood in the cave entrance, screaming for Steve to stop. Theo grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away just as the Sea Beast, dangling pilgrims, charged past them. She elbowed Theo in the forehead, stunning him for a second, and she made for the cave entrance. Theo caught her outside on the rocks and held her. â€Å"No!† Theo wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her side, and lifted her off the ground, then held her kicking as he braced for gunfire. But none came. Burton was climbing to his feet just below them, focused on the Sea Beast as it passed. â€Å"Shoot that thing! Shoot it! Shoot it!† The SWAT commander had rolled out of the way and come up with his weapon ready, but with people hanging all over the beast, he didn’t know where to shoot, so instead let his weapon fall to his side as he stared in amazement. Burton drew a pistol and began running after the Sea Beast. Below, two of the SWAT team had already broken into a run from behind the Blazers just as the Sea Beast bowled them over. The other two were pinned underneath one of the crushed vehicles. As they fell, each pil grim jumped to his feet and ran after the Sea Beast, who was making a beeline across the grassy terrace toward the white station wagon. Theo watched as the car stopped, Blues slide notes still screaming out of the back, and Estelle Boyet crawled out of the driver’s seat and ran around to the back. The guitar playing stopped for a second as the passenger side opened, and out stepped Catfish Jefferson, holding a Fender Stratocaster. â€Å"Let me go!† Molly screamed. â€Å"I’ve got to save him! I’ve got to save him!† Theo yanked her back toward the cave. When he was able to look again, someone he didn’t immediately recognize had crawled out of the station wagon, and Catfish handed him the guitar. Sheriff Burton was running after the Sea Beast, waving his weapon around, trying to get an angle to shoot without hitting one of the pilgrims. He stopped, dropped to one knee, steadied his aim, and fired. The Sea Beast roared and whipped around, throwing the last of the pilgrims into a tumble in the grass. Molly whipped her head back into Theo’s chin at the same time she drove a heel into his knee. Theo let go of her and she rushed over the rocks and down toward the monster. Catfish Estelle had brought the car right to the edge of the drop-off to the rocky beach. Catfish looked at the surf beating on the rocks below, then at his guitar cords coiled in the front seat, then at the rocks again. They just might be long enough. But the dragon was going to get to them before he could find out. â€Å"Hurry!† Estelle shouted. Catfish stood mesmerized by the charging monster, not a hundred yards away. â€Å"Go,† he said weakly, â€Å"get yourself out of here.† â€Å"No!† said Winston Krauss. â€Å"You promised.† There was a gunshot and the Sea Beast whipped around in his tracks, bringing Catfish to his senses. â€Å"Let’s go,† he said to Winston. Then he looked at Estelle over the top of the car and winked. â€Å"You go on. This ain’t your time.† Catfish played a few notes on the Stratocaster and then ambled after Winston to the surf. The pharmacist ran into the water up to his knees, then turned around. Catfish was having trouble climbing over the rocks to the water while keeping the guitar cord from catching. â€Å"That’s far enough,† Catfish said. He walked into the surf and stood next to Winston, keeping the guitar high to keep any spray off of it. â€Å"Give it,† Winston demanded. â€Å"You ain’t got a lick a sense, do you?† â€Å"Give it,† Winston repeated. Catfish played four bars of â€Å"Green Onions† on the Strat, the notes still blaring out of the amp in the station wagon, then draped the strap around Winston’s neck and handed him a guitar pick. â€Å"Have fun,† Catfish said. â€Å"Oh, I will,† Winston said, a lascivious grin crossing his face. â€Å"You know I will.† â€Å"Play!† Catfish said as he turned and ran up the beach. He saw Estelle already making her way away down the shore away from the commotion. Behind him, the sour, rattling notes began to emanate from the amp in the station wagon as gunshots filled the air. Molly The sheriff fired three more times as he backed away from the Sea Beast, missing not only the monster but the entire North American continent. Molly threw herself sideways from a full run into the back of Burton’s knees and cut his legs out from under him. She came up in a crouch, putting herself between Burton and the Sea Beast. The sheriff thought he heard the song â€Å"Green Onions† and shook his head to clear a hallucination. The Sea Beast roared again and the sheriff vaulted into a crouch, ready to fire, but instead of a sea monster in front of him, he saw a woman in a leather bikini. He looked over his shoulder and watched the Sea Beast snap up the white station wagon in its jaws and toss it aside. The guitar sounds stopped and the Sea Beast slid over the bluff to the beach. Seeing that the danger was gone, he trained his sights on the woman. People were streaming by him on either side after the monster, wailing like a crowd of banshees. Molly looked over her shoulder and saw Steve going into the water, then turned back to Burton. â€Å"Go ahead, you prick. I don’t care.† â€Å"You got it,† Burton said. Winston Krauss He was just beating on the guitar strings now, but it didn’t matter. The amplifier wasn’t working anymore and this beautiful creature was coming to him. Winston was so turned on he thought he’d explode. She was coming to him, his dream lover, and he yanked the guitar from around his neck, ready to receive her. â€Å"Oh, come on, baby. Come to papa,† he said. The Sea Beast charged into the water, throwing spray fifty feet in the air, then snapped his jaws over Winston, severing the pharmacist’s body into two sleazy pieces. The Sea Beast swallowed Winston’s legs and roared, then snapped up the remaining piece and dove under the sea. The Sheriff â€Å"I don’t think so, Sheriff,† Sheridan said. Burton looked over his shoulder without taking the gun off Molly. Sheridan had his M-16 trained on the sheriff’s back. â€Å"Don’t fuck with me, Sheridan. You’re in this with me.† â€Å"I’m not in this. Lower your weapon, sir.† Burton lowered the pistol and turned toward Sheridan. Molly started to leap forward and the SWAT commander pointed the M-16 at her. â€Å"Right there,† he said. She stopped. The pilgrims were all standing at the shore now, wailing as they looked out. Molly gestured in that direction and Sheridan nodded. She ran toward the shoreline. â€Å"What now?† Burton asked. â€Å"I don’t know,† said Sheridan, â€Å"but no one has been shot here, and I have a feeling that there’s going to be a lot of attention around this event, so no one is going to get shot.† â€Å"You wimp.† â€Å"Whatever,† Sheridan said. â€Å"Hey, Burton!† Theo Crowe was running down the hill toward them. â€Å"You hear that?† When they looked up, Theo ducked behind one of the wrecked Blazers and pointed toward the southern sky. â€Å"Film at eleven.† Burton could hear them now: helicopters. He looked to the south and saw the two dots coming over the horizon. Two of the SWAT team members were topping the next hill. They had started running when the monster first came out of the cave. The other two were still pinned under one of the overturned Blazers. He turned back to Sheridan. The big cop was watching the approaching helicopters. â€Å"Game over,† Sheridan said. â€Å"Guess it’s time to start thinking about my deal with the D.A.† Burton shot him in the face, then broke for the far side of the rocks to his Eldorado before the others had time to figure out what had happened. Theo Theo came up behind Molly and touched her lightly on the shoulder. When she turned, he could see tears streaming down her cheeks. Then she re-turned to staring out to sea with the others. She said, â€Å"All I ever wanted is to feel special. To feel like something set me apart.† Theo put his arm around her. â€Å"Everyone wants that.† â€Å"But I had it, Theo. More by having Steve in my life than when I was making movies. These people felt it, but not like me.† The two helicopters were coming in close now and Theo had to speak right into her ear to be heard over the thumping blades. â€Å"No one’s like you.† There was a stirring in the water just past the surf line, and something was rising in the kelp bed. Theo could see the purple gill trees standing out on the Sea Beast’s neck. He was heading toward shore. Theo tried to pull Molly closer, but she broke loose from him, jumped off the bluff, and ran into the surf, scooping up two baseball-sized rocks as she went. Theo went after her and was halfway across the beach when she turned and looked at him with eyes filled with such pleading and desperation that it stopped him in his tracks. The helicopters were hovering only a hundred feet over the beach now. The wash from the blades kicked up sand in the faces of the onlookers. As the Sea Beast approached shore, only his eyes and gills above the water, Molly threw one of the stones. â€Å"No, go away! Go!† The second stone hit the Sea Beast’s eye, and he stopped. â€Å"Don’t come back!† Molly screamed. Slowly the Sea Beast sank below the surface. The Sheriff The speedometer on the Eldorado was approaching sixty when Burton topped the last hill before the cattle guard. He had to get to the airport and use the open ticket in his briefcase to join his money in the Caymans before anyone could figure out where he had gone. He’d planned for this all along, knowing he might have to make a run for it at some point, but what he hadn’t planned was that there would be two Suburbans and a Mercedes parked just over the top of the hill. Before he could stop himself, he hit the brakes and wrenched the wheel to the left. The tires dug into the pasture and sent the Eldorado up on two wheels, then over. There was none of the slowing of time or compression of events that often happens in accidents. He saw light and dark, felt his body being beaten around the Caddy, and then the crash of smashing metal and breaking glass. Then there was a pause. He lay on the ceiling of the overturned Eldorado, peppered with pieces of safety glass, trying to feel if any of his limbs were broken. He seemed okay, he could feel his feet, and it didn’t hurt when he breathed. But he smelled gas. It was enough to remind him to move. He grabbed the briefcase with his escape kit and slithered out the broken back window to find the Eldorado half-perched, half-smashed over the front of a white Suburban. He climbed to his feet and ran to the truck. It was locked. Sheridan, you prick, you would lock your truck, he thought. He didn’t notice the people handcuffed inside the K-9 cage in the back. The Mercedes was his last chance. He ran around it and yanked opened the driver’s side door. The keys were in the ignition. He climbed in and took a deep breath. He had to calm down now. No more mistakes, he told himself. He started the Mercedes and was turning to back it down the hill when the dog hit him. How to cite The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 30~31, Essay examples

Film review for empire Magazine Essay Example For Students

Film review for empire Magazine Essay Film Review for Empire Magazine for The Italian Job (2003) In a Nutshell: A re -working of Peter Collinsons classic action -packed film The Italian Job. But can the remake really top the original? This film still has the excitement of the last, and the thrilling adventure really kicks off when $35,000,000 worth of gold bars are stolen by a group of thieves in Venice. It all goes to plan, but of course there is a twist in the story when a member of the group betrays his friends and runs of with the lot. The leader of the group is shot by the crook, and the rest of the gang set out to seek revenge and to steal back the fortune. The Full Review: This remake of the 1969 Italian Job was brought out just as the new mini coopers were reissued, so not only was the film a re-release of a popular film, but it also advertised the new minis. The plot of this film was obviously well thought out and includes lots of unexpected twists that are guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. The script has also been very well thought out; there are a lot of links towards the end of the film to things that have been said near the beginning -this helps things to fall into place. There are also a lot of little jokes throughout the film which makes it that much more enjoyable. The storyline is quite clever in the way that you never quite know what is going to happen next, and I think this is one of the Italian jobs best qualities. The Italian Job 2003 was released with some other major films, so maybe it would have done better if it was released a little later as more of the focus would have been on this film. However the film was still a success; it has a little bit of something for everyone -an adventure, action, crime and thriller, all in one! The film was quite popular at the cinema and I think that most people would have been attracted to going to see it due to the success of the first. This film was very expensive to make; 32 minis were used, 3 of which were specially built electric cars, Hollywood Boulevard and Highland were closed for 7 days and the Metro tunnel set was so big it wouldnt fit in any sound stage -it had to be built in the hangar used for the space shuttle. This was all to help with the films special effects. I think that the special effects were definitely worth it, as it makes he film that much more realistic. I think that the casting was well chosen in this film. Edward Norton (who plays Steve) plays the bad guy well and looks the part, and Mark Wahlberg (who plays Charlie) makes a great gang leader and main character. All of the characters interact well, and you can see throughout the film how Stella and Charlies friendship and trust grows and they even end up getting married. Each of the main characters in the film have their own, different personality and assets to their gang, e. g. Lyle is the computer expert, Stella is the safe lock -picker, and this makes them all together a great team. In my opinion, the most successful element of the film is the way that the film grasps your attention, and makes you feel sympathy, scared and happy for the characters during the film. However, I think that there is still something in the first film that the second lacksmaybe the second is more predictable for the people who have already seen the first and know the rough plot. Any Good? All in all, this film is definitely worth seeing and has a good storyline that you can really follow, without getting bored. I found that this film made me laugh, scared and kept me on the edge of my seat. Thats what to me makes an enjoyable film. I would rate this film 7/10 as although I enjoyed it and I would watch it twice, I still think that it does not beat the first.

Education should be a right not a privilege

Introduction Education should be a right not a privilege. This argument stems from a basic understanding of a right. If something is a right, then its removal should cause negative consequences. However, if people treat it as a privilege, then its negation should cause neutral repercussions. The removal of education can cause severe consequences, so this illustrates that education ought to be a right.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Education should be a right not a privilege specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Arguments The United Nations recognizes education as a basic right as outlined in its charter. It argues that every child is entitled to free basic or fundamental education in Article 26. Many believe that this will contribute towards the betterment of society. Education is required to foster societal development; if it is made into a privilege, then societies will not prosper. Such an approach will unde rmine economic, social and political development in the nation. Education is an avenue for teaching young people about the importance of discipline, respect for authority and rules. These things can be taught easily when education is a right. However, if it is a privilege, then the prerogative will be on parents and guardians, yet some of them may not do this very well. Education also facilitates the detection of dangerous situations like abuse and neglect in homes. It is imperative to make schooling a right in order to address these concerns. Making education a right would cause adults to invest in their future professionals. Members of society require the services of doctors, lawyers, mechanics, and electricians. When schooling is a right, society would contribute towards the creation of such important members of society, so it should be treated as such. Lastly, education creates an intelligent society that is highly democratic. In fact, former dictators (like Hitler) have tried t o undermine education so as to oppress their followers. If education is turned into a privilege, then the democratic principles that this country boasts about would be severely undermined.Advertising Looking for assessment on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Impact of rights on education Students’ rights play a tremendous role in education because it is their needs that ought to be protected through schooling. Concerns about their ability to control or safeguard their lives have caused most stakeholders to advocate for compulsory schooling. Family rights also come into play because some households lack the financial capability of paying for their children’s education. This means that an external structure ought to come into place in order to safeguard their rights. Lastly, societal rights contribute to education because one must consider the developmental and social needs of society. These can only be a ccommodated if all of society has access to at least a basic form of schooling. The role of choice Choice should come into play when free education starts to become ineffective or when parents need to safeguard their children against the pitfalls of the public system. Sometimes making education a right can lead to resource shortages, hence poor educational outcomes (Herbst, 2006). Parents should have the choice of taking their children to private schools if this is the case. Sometimes parents may wish to teach their children certain values or focus on certain areas of specialty; this is where charter schools or private schools come into play. For instance, they may take their children to Catholic schools in order to teach them those religious values. Therefore, parents should have a choice when they wish to pursue greater efficiency or specialty. Reference Herbst, J. (2006). School choice and school governance: a historical study of the United States and Germany. New York, NY: Palgr ave Macmillan. This assessment on Education should be a right not a privilege was written and submitted by user Elliott Tran to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Family Paper Essays

Family Paper Essays Family Paper Paper Family Paper Paper Family Paper NURS 3304 Professional Nursing Practice October 6, 2011 Introduction The movie we chose to review is My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The film portrays a large family with strong cultural beliefs. Family relatives include Tula Portokalos, Gus Portokalos, Maria Portokalos, Athena Portokalos, Yiayia, Aunt Voula, Nick Portokalos, Uncle Taki, Athena, Foci, Cousin Nikki, Cousin Angelo, Yianni, Cousin Jennie, Aunt Frieda, Cousin Marianthi, Aunt Lexy, Aunt Nota, and Paris Miller. The cast also includes a priest. Opposite the Portokalos family is Ian Miller and his small traditional family made up of Harriett and Rodney Miller. Also in the plot is Ian’s friend, Mike. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is about a traditional Greek family who wants their 30 year old daughter, Toula Portokalos, to be married. While working in the family restaurant, Dancing Zobra’s, Toula meets Ian Miller with whom she falls in love. Ian Miller is not Greek but in order to marry Toula, he agrees to embrace the Greek culture and Orthodox Greek religion. In turn the Portokalos family must accept Ian and he struggles to embrace the traditions of the Greek family to which he now belongs. Family Cultural Assessment The family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding is large. : Each family function is attended by the entire immediate family. This includes thirteen cousins and assorted aunts and uncles. Despite its size, the family is very tight knit. Members of the Portokalos family are strong believers in the Greek tradition and do everything together. The Greek culture is traditionally centered on the Greek Orthodox Church. These are very religious and cultural people. The tenants of their Greek Orthodox faith permeate all facets of their lives. They value strong family ties and follow the guidelines of a patriarchal family structure. With the father at the top of this family, the mother is the home maker. The father works while the mother stays at home cooking and cleaning to provide for the large family. Mixed marriages are not encouraged in the Greek culture. Greek girls are encouraged to choose equally strong cultured Greek men for their husband. A primary goal of Greek parents is to facilitate the marriage of their daughters to Greek men. According to Nixon (1980), â€Å"The ethnic back ground of one’s friends is an indicator of prospective mates from which one will choose† (p 48). Greek families are very clannish. The extended family is always included along with the immediate family when there are Greek family gatherings. Each family gathering is thought to be an important factor in maintaining strong ties within the larger Greek community. It is also very common for ageing grandparents to live with their children. This is portrayed in My Big Fat Greek Wedding when Gus’ mother comes to live with the family. Ian comes from a small traditional American family. His extended family consists of only two cousins. His relatives are well to do and more sophisticated that those in Toula’s family. It is difficult for Toula to explain her large family unit to Ian when they first meet. Ian understands the importance of Greek culture in Toula’s life and accepts the large task of meeting and trying to assimilate with the large Portokalos family. On the part of Ian’s family, it takes some significant adjustment to accept the fact that Ian is marrying into such a strong willed Greek family. Foutoula â€Å"Toula† Portokalos is 30 years old, her father is Kostas â€Å"Gus† Portokalos and her mother is Maria Portokalos. Her younger brother is Nick Portokalos and her older sister is Athena. Voula is Toula’s aunt. Yiayia is Toula’s grandmother, Gus’ mother. Cousins include Athena Portokalos, Nick Portokalos, Foci, Cousin Nikki, Angelo, Yianni, Cousin Jennie, Cousin Marianthi. Also part of the Portokalos family are Uncle Taki, Aunt Frieda, Aunt Lexy, Aunt Nota. Ian Miller is now part of the Portokalos family along with his mother and father, Harriet and Rodney Miller. Six years after Toula and Ian marry, their daughter Paris is introduced into the movie. They tell her she can marry anyone but they do require her to attend Greek school. Erikson’s Developmental Stages According to Jarvis, â€Å"Growth is continuous and change is perpetual throughout the life cycle (Jarvis, 2008). For Tula Portokalos, the battle between a strict Greek upbringing and the readiness to embark on one’s own path haunts her daily. Like many who are experiencing the developmental tasks of a young adult, Tula is faced with the psychological conflict of intimacy versus isolation (Jarvis, 2008). When growing up, Tula always knew that she was different, but when she reached the age of 30 and was still not yet married, her family began to worry. As a young adult, her task was to find what everyone in her age group was looking for, and that was love. Ian, who is also facing the Early Adulthood stage of development, meets Tula at a restaurant where he sweeps her off her feet (Jarvis, 2008). The developmental task for choosing a mate is an even bigger task for Ian, who is faced with the loud and stubborn Greek family that believes Greeks are only meant to marry other Greeks. Ian, who is concerned with the psychological conflict of intimacy versus isolation, falls in love with Tula, where they begin to learn and cooperate with in-laws and a new martial relationship (Jarvis, 2008). Gus, Tula’s father, who is not too fond of Greeks marrying outside the Greek culture, believes only in two things: that non-Greeks should be taught how to be Greek, and that Windex cures everything. The developmental task and psychological conflict that Mr. Gus faces is the resolution of generativity versus stagnation (Jarvis, 2008). Tula’s father is concerned with the tasks of Middle Adulthood. Gus must accept Tula’s decision of marriage and learn to cope with an empty nest at home or he may risk the negative outcomes of stagnation and sorrow (Jarvis, 2008). Maria, Tula’s mother, is very understanding and explains to Tula that although man is the head of household, the woman is the neck and can turn the head in any direction she wants too. Maria is also in the development stage of Middle Adulthood (Jarvis, 2008). Her tasks include accepting and relating to her spouse and developing leisure activities such as cooking and gasping (Jarvis, 2008). Tula’s sister Athena represents the ideal Greek woman. She married a Greek man, had Greek babies, and fed everyone in the Greek family. Athena’s stage of development is Early Adulthood. At this stage, she was focused to learn the roles of parenting. Athena’s focus as a young adult was primarily based on setting up one’s own household and raising a family (Jarvis 2008). Another young adult in this crazy Greek family is Tula’s brother Nick. Nick’s task as a young adult is focused on forming a meaningful philosophy about life (Jarvis, 2008). He tells Tula not to let the past dictate who she is, but to let it be a part of who she will become. This philosophy is developed in Early Adulthood and governs how people make decisions about life and curtain morals. Coping Resources-Problem Solving and Stressors The Portokalos family seems to cope with stress quite well. When dealing with a new situation or stress in the family, the coping mechanisms that are involved include eating, cooking, and drinking. In an event where stress may play a role, the whole family comes together and works to fix the problem. This family consists of a strong support system that encourages individuals to express their emotions, resulting in loud and over exaggerated behavior. The Greeks hold nothing back, saying and expressing exactly what is on their minds. For Ian, coping with stress is handled quite differently. To adapt to the Greek standards, Ian made the decision to be baptized in the Orthodox Church. His ability to cope to the stressful demands of the Portokalos family eventually pays off when he is finally accepted as one of their own. The scholarly journal, â€Å"Are Greek-Americans Likely to Seek Psychotherapy†, addresses the skepticism that Greek-Americans have in seeking care for stress (Bagourdl, 2010). Although the resources are available to these immigrants, the unwillingness to seek help for this particular issue is uniform though out this culture. Eleni Bagourdl, the author of the journal, explains that although Greek-Americans do not completely reject the idea, the majority feel a uniform disinterest in seeking professional psychological help (Bagourdl, 2010). That when dealing with mental issues such as stress or conflicting problems, the Greek-American community look to family and friends for comfort and relief (Bagourdl, 2010). An individual’s willingness to seek professional help is greatly influenced by one’s culture (Bagourdl, 2010). According to the journal, immigrants rarely seek psychotherapy, but as a result therapists are becoming more interested in minority issues and coping strategies that are culturally orientated (Bagourdl, 2010). Integrity Process The Portokalos are a Greek family who consist of a combination of Greeks who immigrated to America and their children, who were born in America. They practice familism which, according to Rodriguez Mira, Paez, and Mira (2007), has â€Å"three dimensions: importance of family, family support, and family conflict with acculturation† (p 61). Familism places the family’s needs above the individuals. In this system, the patriarch of the family, Kostas Gus Portokalos, is in charge. He migrated to America when he was a young boy, yet he did not acculturate to the American way of life and has strict adherence to his heritage consistency and is very â€Å"Old Country†. He holds an ethnocentrism view about Greek culture that is recurrent throughout the film. An example used multiple times throughout the film is his belief that every word has its root in the Greek language. Toula is at a crossroads in her life because she is thirty years old and single. She was born and raised in America, and has been acculturated to the American way of life, but is still expected to live by her father’s Greek way of life. She plays a subservient role in her family due to familism, but she also yearns to be able to do what she wants to do, and doesn’t want to live a prearranged life. The most glaring example of her heritage inconsistency is when she begins to date a man who is not Greek. This is heartbreaking to her father because he believes nice Greek girls are supposed to do three things in life. According to Toula, they are â€Å"marry Greek boys, make Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day we die† (Zwick, 2002). This is a direct conflict of acculturation between the two. Toula’s mother, Maria, is more understanding of her situation than her father. She also wants Toula to marry a Greek man, but she understands that things are different in America and that love knows no bounds. She uses her wisdom to comfort both Toula, who is having a hard time dealing with breaking her father’s heart, and Gus, whose heart is broken because her daughter is breaking away from tradition by marrying a non-Greek. She practices both heritage consistency and inconsistency throughout the story. The Portokalos are practicing Greek Orthodox. They are very religious, as this was evidenced a few times in the movie. The first time was when Toula introduced the family to Ian at the Greek Orthodox Easter celebration. The other major time this was evidenced when Ian had to convert to Greek Orthodox in order to marry Toula. This was very important to Gus because it showed that Ian was attempting to assimilate into their family, and the Greek culture. Health Processes The Portokalos family interacts with each other on a daily basis. Because of this, they would be able to notice if one of them were to be in bad health, and could persuade them to go see their medical provider. According to Arends-Toth and Van de Vijver (2008), â€Å"the family can promote health-protective behaviors as family networks aid people in recognizing symptoms and seeking medical care in case of a suspected illness† (p 470). When the Portokalos extended family gets together, it centers around food. This is most evidenced when Toula is bringing Ian and his parents over to meet her parent. When they show up, the entire family is out in the front yard, with Gus roasting a lamb. When they go inside the house, food is sitting on every table. They do not eat in moderation, and every meal that the Portokalos are shown eating appears to be a feast. Their eating habits are a risk factor that could lead to obesity and health problems associated with obesity. The Portokalos also like to drink Ouzo, a popular liquor from Greece. Whenever there is a celebration, they breakout bottles of it and drink it throughout the celebration. They often drink this liquor in excess during the celebration. This abuse of alcohol could have very serious consequences to their health. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD)- and particularly cirrhosis- has long been one of the most prevalent and devastating conditions caused by alcohol consumption and is one of the leading causes of alcohol-related death (Mandrekar and Szabo 2010 p. 270). The Portokalos do not appear to be daily abusers of alcohol, however their reckless attitude towards drinking at celebrations, which appear to be often, could cause significant harm to their bodies. Family System Strengths The Greek family at the center of My Big Fat Greek Wedding is very influenced by their traditional heritage and values. While assessing the characteristics of their family system that promote health and stability, it is apparent that the family is grounded in tradition. The effect that this has is that there is no question what the family members’ roles and expectations are. This lack of confusion about what is expected offers a stable foundation for growth and discovery. Another quality that is displayed in this family’s system that is notable is the direct communication between family members. This quality comes across as a bit abrasive at first glance; however, upon considering the net effect of this quality, it is obviously better than lack of communication. The way that the Portakalos family is structured, each family member knows where they stand in relation to the other family members. Having such a firm grasp on your place in the world and where you come from can be quite an asset in forming one’s own identity. The consistent set of values combined with knowing your place in the family fosters a well rounded outlook that allows Toula to be aware of the impact of breaking tradition while having the courage to stand by her decision to marry outside of her Greek culture. The healthy dynamic that this family practices comes full circle when in the end when Toula’s family changes their tone, and become more supportive of Toula’s marriage to Ian. Toula’s family, even her headstrong father, is flexible enough to reassess their values and become open to, and even supportive of changes in tradition. Another aspect of this families practices that could be described as healthy is the way that the family listens to Gus rant and rave about all things Greek, even bending the truth a bit to convey his deep seeded pride in his native culture. They display tolerance by allowing Gus to explain how everything has Greek origin, while maintaining a more realistic sense of things that actually do have Greek origins, show that there is a balance that this family displays between things that warrant a confrontation and allowing a family member to be who they are. This shows that the Portakalos’ style of communication is healthy and stable. Toula’s family has a healthy family system in place in order to promote a healthy family structure. As stated by Barnhill (2001), â€Å"The themes of a healthy family include positive management of identity processes, change, information processing and role structure†(p 33). Toula’s family has a system in place that guides the family to an overall healthy environment. In conclusion, the family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding illustrates many of the components that make up a healthy and stable family. Their family structure is traditional to their culture. As with most families we see developmental stages matching their age perfectly as well as some late bloomers. Coping resources, as well as integrity fall into a wide range, from appropriate to less than appropriate. Health values seem to get trampled by tradition, and their family system seems to bring all of these components together to make up a typical happy family. References Arends-Toth, J. , Van de Vijver, F. (2008). Family relationships among immigrants and majority members in the Netherlands: the role of acculturation. Applied Psychlogy: An International Review, 57(3), 466-487. doi:10. 1111/j. 1464-0597. 2008. 00331. x Bagourdl, E. , Valsman-Tzachor, R. (2010). Are Greek-Americans Likely to Seek Psychotherapy?. Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, 13(1), 36-41. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Greena, A. and Vryonides, M. (2005). Ideological Tensions in the Educational Choice Practices of Modern Greek Cypriot Parents: The Role of Social Capital. British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 26, No. 3 (Jul. , 2005), pp. 27-342. Jarvis, Carolyn. (2008). Eriksons Developmental Stages. (2008). Physical Examination and Health Assessment. St . Louis, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier. Likeridou, K. , Hyrkas, K. , Paunonen, M. , ; Lehti, K. (2001). Family dynamics of child-bearing families in Athens, Greece: A pilot study. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 7(1), 30-37. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Nixon, R. (1982). Understanding the Greek Orthodox Church vol 107 issue 12, p 1230. Rodriquez, N, Mi ra, C, Paez, N, ; Myers, H. (2007). Exploring the complexities of familism and acculturation: central constructs for people of Mexican origin 3(1/2) 61-77. doi: 10. 1007/s10464-007-9090-7 Scourby, A. (1980). The Generations of Greek Americans: A study in Ethnicity. International Greek Interview p 43-52. Szabo, G, ; Mandrekar, P. (2010). Focus on:alcohol and the liver. Alcohol Research and Health, 33(1;2), Retrieved from http://pubs. niaaa. nih. gov/publications/arh40/toc33-1_2. htm Hanks, T. (Producer) ; Zwick, J. (Director). (2002). My Big Fat Greek Wedding [Motion Picture]. United States of America: Gold Circle Films.

Administration and Procurement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Administration and Procurement - Essay Example Procurement systems can be categorized as: Project management is excluded as it is considered that a project manager could be applied to any procurement method. In other words, to dispel a common misconception, project management is not a procurement method (Bennett, 1986, p. 5).The following criteria can be used to examine client requirements and 'experts' preferences for the performance of each procurement method. NEDO (1985), Skitmore and Marsden (1988) and Singh (1990) suggest employing the following criteria to establish a profile of the clients' requirements:NEDO (1985) relates the characteristics of the most popular procurement methods used to a list of nine client priorities or needs. This technique, while useful as a guide in terms of eliminating unsuitable procurement methods from the available alternatives, is insufficiently sophisticated to enable a final decision to be taken as to the method appropriate for a building project (Masterman, 1992). Franks (1990) uses a rating system based on the ability of each procu rement system to meet seven common satisfying criteria. A scale of 1-5 is used, where 1 is the minimum and 5 is the maximum. Masterman (1992) states that the use of this technique in determining clients' needs is valid but is flawed with subjectivity. Skitmore and Marsden (1988) and Singh (1990) used the multi-attribute approach, which is a technique applied to measure a degree of objectivity to subjective areas. Both studies adapted the procurement path decision chart from NEDO (1985) to aid the decision-making process. Bennett and Grice (1990) have undertaken similar work. Furthermore, Skitmore and Marsden (1988) applied concordance analysis and discriminant analysis to their theoretical framework. Concordance analysis is used to measure the consistency of experts' ranking for each procurement against a set predetermined criterion. Discriminant analysis examined data collected under a set of criteria that are characteristics on

Comparative Public Sector Administration Assignment

Comparative Public Sector Administration - Assignment Example Based on Northouse's (2007) definition, of leadership — Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal – we gather that a leader’s style of functioning can have significant implications for the employees as well as the goals. In examining the case of Albert Dunlap, we can identify how this seems to occur. Albert Dunlap served as the Chief Executive officer at Sunbeam Corporation using a managerial style that was both ruthless and rigorous. The emphasis seems to have been on profit-making; to the extent that ethical behavior was deeply compromised to that end. There is supposed evidence of tampering with the revenue books; which if true, would be evidence of a selfish motivation to the ruthless attempt at making profits. Such behavior shows a marked lack of consideration for the staff’s needs or their due. According to Blake and Mouton’s (1957) model, these are signs of low concern for people and a high concern for tasks. Such a pattern of leadership is described as the ‘Authoritarian Leadership. The Authoritarian leader is focused on the task to exclusion of the people involved in completing the task. In the case of Albert Dunlap, this ‘task’ was creating as much profit as possible, and siphoning much of it into personal desires. This kind of leader views people as means to an end, and communicates only what s/he believes is essential to the task.

Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing - Essay Example A problem statement is a concise and clear description of all issues that are going to be addressed by a problem solving team or an individual researcher in a feasibility report or in a proposal before attempting to solve the problem. It simply describes or defines the active challenges faced by a researcher or a practitioner by outlining the problem that will be addressed in the study. A problem statement should fully describe a problem so that other people can know that there is indeed a problem and how it has been addressed by the researcher. Narrowing a problem statement involves making it to focus on a particular issue or issues. It entails shifting the attention of the problem to a more specific and precise issue and narrowing the problem area into a specific hypothesis rather than addressing issues in general. It takes digging deeper into a problem and then stating only the exact area of concern that will be addressed. There are difficulties that may be experienced when narrowing a problem statement. One problem is that the researcher will have to narrow the scope of research. It is also difficult to narrow the problem statement and still ensure that it remains substantive, original and not so obvious. The problem statement should not lead a reader into obvious results. Narrowing them down without careful thought may make them too obvious and not original because most narrow topics tend to be obvious and have already been researched on unless extreme care is exercised. There are also a lot of problems that may be encountered with narrowing a problem statement when the topic is still relatively unfamiliar. Another problem with narrowing a problem statement comes about when trying to make the problem statement narrow enough to be able to arrive at a conclusion and solution, yet broad enough for a significant study. Question Two: What are the characteristics of problems that are significant to nursin g and thus merit research? Identify at least one problem worthy of research and one problem that would not be worthy of research. Justify your examples. The problems in the field of nursing which require research have common characteristics. One common characteristic of nursing problems that merit research is that they are meant to lead to the improvement in nursing care and the field of nursing in general. Nursing problems that merit research are generally meant to inform nursing caregivers, practitioners and educators on new nursing practices, health beliefs and how to solve pre-existing and emerging problems. The general characteristics of nursing problems that merit research are that it is aimed to build a body of nursing knowledge by finding solutions to nursing problems. Nursing problems are aimed at validating improvements within the nursing field and making healthcare effective and efficient. One problem worthy of research in nursing is the issue of race, culture and ethnici ty. This problem is worthy of a research because the practice of nursing entails dealing with different people from different races and ethnicities. Nurses interact with patients from culturally diverse backgrounds who have varied beliefs and practices that need to be taken into consideration when they are giving nursing care. It is therefore necessary to find out what these differences are and to know the best ways to handle them so as to avoid any conflict from arising. It is difficult to determine a problem that is not worthy of research in the field of nursing. Any research that will lead to finding of useful solutions to the field of nursing and improve the field of nursing is worthy of research because it will provide useful insight about the field. Problems that may not be worthy of research, if any, are those that have had too many researchers deal with them and are therefore too common such as attitudes of nurses to patients. Question Three: What are some of the advantages to your organization or practice to

Effective Leadership And Management Styles

Effective Leadership And Management Styles According to Ward S (2010) Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act in a specific way towards achievement of a common goal. A leader therefore is a person who has a combination of skills and personality that will make people want to follow his or her direction. The leader should have the ability to manage all the resources under his or her disposal. Successful leadership as a discipline involves communicating, supervising and inspiring people under his or her leadership. On the other hand, Management is the organization and co-ordination of the activities of an enterprise in accordance with certain policies and achievement of certain pre-defined objectives. As a discipline, it involves formulation of policies, organizing, planning, controlling and directing firms resources towards achievement of the policy objectives. According to Reh .J. (2010) a manager is a person who plans and directs the work of other individuals by monitoring their work and taking corrective action when necessary. Skills are the capacities and abilities obtained through deliberate and sustained efforts to carry out complex activities or job functions. It involves use of ideas (cognitive skills), interacting with people (interpersonal skills) and doing things (technical skills). Qualities are the attributes that define the degree of excellence. Something of quality is that which is free from deficiencies and ineffectiveness. Knowledge is the expertise acquired by a person through education or practice. Ability is the acquired or natural capacity, competence or talent that enables an individual to perform a particular job or task successfully any time. This paper will analyze the specific skills, knowledge, qualities and abilities that an individual will need to develop to become an effective leader and manager. MAIN BODY There is an argument that there is a difference between a leader and a manager. Indeed it is true that all leaders must be managers first but not all managers are leaders. There are several theories put forward to distinguish between leaders and followers. According to Cherry K (2010) there are several leadership theories. These include: Great man theory: It postulates that great leaders are born and not made. Leaders in this group are heroic, mythic and their destiny is to rise to leadership whenever needed. Trait theory: This theory assumes that people inherit certain traits and qualities that enable them to be best suited for leadership. The theory identifies particular personality and behavioral characteristics which are common for all leaders. Contingency theories: This theory focuses on variables related to the environment that determine the leadership style to be used in different situations. Thus leadership styles will have to be changed according to the situation. Success therefore depends on various variables like the situation in question, the qualities of followers, number of variables and leadership style. Situational theories: Leaders will choose leadership styles depending on the situation. Different leadership styles may be more appropriate for certain decision making than others. Behavioral theory: This theory is based on the belief that great leaders are made and not born. According to the theory people can learn to be leaders through observing and learning. Participative theory: In this style the output of others is taken into account in decision .Leaders will therefore encourage participation and contribution of the group members and make the members to feel more relevant and committed to the decision making process. Management theory: This theory is based on the system of reward and punishment. In this case, when employees succeed, they are rewarded and when they fail they are punished. The role of the manager is thought to be focused on supervision, organization and group performance. Relationship theory: This theory focuses on the connection between followers and leaders. Leaders motivate and inspire followers by helping the group members to see the importance of the task. Leaders in this group will have high moral standards because they are focused on performance of group members and they want everyone to fulfill his or her potential. Effective leadership An effective leader must have followers because the essence of leadership is to convince people to act the way you want. Therefore, a leader must have the ability to convince people to pull people towards his direction. This will entail good communication in order to explain goals clearly to the followers. This will bring about better results because the followers understand the goals to be achieved well. According to Walker .C.A. (2005) effective leadership must be built on a solid foundation which is in turn dependent on the qualities of integrity and humility. He goes further and defines integrity as firmness of character, honesty, uprightness, sincerity and good moral character. Integrity not only influences the goals that leaders chose but also the type of followers that they get. It means therefore that, high integrity builds trust, honor, respect and loyalty among followers. Humility on the other hand, has the effect of avoiding arrogance in the work place and also allows you to share glory and celebrate success with followers. Thus, to be successful as a leader, you should build your personal and organizational code of conduct on humility and integrity. According to White B. (2010), a good leader has several qualities that characterize him or her. These qualities can be summarized as: Availability: A leader should be available and in touch with the people he leads. This means that he should be sensitive to the needs of people and respond in time. Maintaining good relationship: Successful business leaders know the importance of good relationships. They will therefore prioritize on minimizing conflict and lack of harmony. Self motivation and development: Successful leaders will do anything acceptable to ensure that their skills and knowledge base is kept on track because they know the importance of personal and professional development. They therefore set and use goals for motivating themselves and others. Appropriate use of authority: Good leaders use their authority with wisdom and sensitivity to different circumstances. Authority should therefore not be used in gratifying or promoting oneself or even controlling or dominating others. Understanding of group dynamics: Successful leaders are good at using both the strengths and weaknesses of a group to achieve the best results. They also have the ability of bringing groups together by leading them without conflict and minimizing harmony. Having incentives and building team spirit: A result orientated leader will give his juniors incentives in order to improve their performance and maintain quality results. According to Burger (2004), there are certain abilities that a good leader should have several vital abilities. According to him, leaders are born leaders and develop according to their environment and education. Management on the other hand, can be learnt and obtained by sufficient training, education and acquiring additional skills. Leaders are necessary to drive the vision home and making sure that the drive stays alive in the hearts of the staff, members and contributors. The abilities which are very critical for leaders are: Encouraging workers to be creative and contribute: This is achieved by setting guidelines and encouraging them to participate at their level. People are individuals: Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the members of your group, listen to their fears and encourage them to achieve their aspirations. Lead by example: A leader should have the ability to build up a team to support him or her and this means that the leader should first volunteer. Therefore the example that is set by the individual is followed by the rest of the team. Effective Management According to Francis M (2007) the quality of a manager and effective management styles determine the culture of the organization, productivity of its staff and the ultimate success of the organization. As such a manager should striver to use the best Management styles. A manager should have the ability to direct supervise, encourage, inspire and co-ordinate and as a result facilitate action and guide change. In doing this the manager should develop his qualities and those of others. Managers use planning, Organizational and communication skills. There are certain other skills which must be possessed by effective managers. These skills are: Creative problem solving skills-A good manager should have the ability to describe and analyze a problem critically. During the analysis, there is need for a good manager to identify the causes of the problems in question and identify the best options and the best courses of action to take. The manager should then implement and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of his actions. Communication Skills-A good manager should be able to listen to the juniors and any other ideas from that may be of importance to the organization. He should also be able to make good presentations, give feedback on issues relating to running of the business and be able to write good reports. Conflict management skills.-The manager should have the ability to identify the sources of conflict in the organization and understand the personal style of conflict resolution. He should also develop the best strategy of dealing with the conflict and promote positive conflict in the organization. Negotiation Skills -The ideal manager should develop rational thinking in negotiation. By doing so, he will avoid various mistakes in negotiation and develop an effective skill in negotiation that assists both parties. Self-awareness and improvement-The manager should understand the importance of emotions in work and self-development. In addition, the manager should attempt to understand the importance of self-motivation and how to effectively manage self-learning and change. Successful managers must have certain qualities which should be able to define them. They should therefore be: Enthusiastic: This means that the manager should always be positive about everything because it helps to motivate those under them. Enthusiastic managers are committed to their goals because they express this through their optimism. Good communicator: The best managers who have good communication skills support individual and team achievements by creating guidelines for accomplishing tasks and career advancement for team members. Competence: Managers should have the ability to successfully lead others by having a past winning track record. A competent manager has expertise in management skills which enables him to inspire encourage, challenge and model. Ability to delegate: The way a manager checks and controls the work of others demonstrates his ability to delegate. A good manager should leave the other team members to participate in the work actively. Help employees set goals: Talking to employees assists in enabling them to understand the overall goals of the business. The manager should then help them to set individual goals which are geared towards achieving the long term business goals. Positively talking with employees and allowing them to participate in goal setting will motivate the workers to work harder. Effective management styles Managers are those people who can make the most out of their employees through their inspiration. According to the tutor2u business site (2010) Managers use different types of management styles according to the preference of the individual manager. These management styles are discussed below: Autocratic management style: There is close supervision and control of employees and all decisions are made by the manager. Workers are not trusted. They are just given orders which they are expected to follow to the latter. It means that in this style communication is one way. This style is very important when dealing with large number of semi-skilled workers who can not make certain decisions on their own. It may also be appropriate in time of crisis when fast decisions must be made. Paternalistic management style: Managers using this style give more importance to the social needs and view of workers. Decisions are therefore made in the best interests of workers. In addition, managers consult employees over issues and they listen to their feedback and opinions. Democratic Management style: Managers using this style trust their employees and will delegate to them some of the duties and encourage them to make some decisions. This requires two way communication and listening to employees advice. This means that the managers should encourage democratic discussion groups which form the basis of useful ideas. This style is only effective when decisions are made based on the major views of most workers. According to Vercillo K. (2010), there are ten traits that an effective business manager should have. These are: Self motivation: The manager should understand the goals of the business and develop individual strategies for achieving the goals. As such, he should be capable of doing the job with minimum supervision. Great customer service skills: An effective manager should be effective in dealing with customers and /or clients. He should thus be effective in handling problems which may occur with the customers. This means that the manager should be capable of making even the difficult customers happy in order to retain the customer and ensure business growth. Be a team player: The manager should be interested in making the business to grow. This means he should be ready to work with a team of people for the improvement of the overall business. Conflict resolution abilities: The manager should serve as a middleman between the lower employees and the company. He should therefore make an effort to solve any disputes that may arise between employees themselves or employees and the management. Knowledge of the industry: The manager should be able to answer all questions asked by customers, clients and even staff members. The manager should not only have advanced or specialized experience in the fields but should also have a thirst for more knowledge about the industry. CONCLUSION Although there are some people who still argue that leaders are the same as managers, there are some differences between the two concepts which can not be ignored. Managers have subordinates unless the title is honorary. This means that managers are paid to get things done and can therefore be said to be subordinates of other people. On the other hand, leaders have followers and it therefore means that when somebody is leading, he or she has to give up formal authoritative control because leading is majorly about voluntary work. There are however some attributes that must be possessed by both managers and leaders. For instance both the leader and the manager must have good communication skills to be able to clarify issues for attainment of overall best results. According to Clemmer J (1996), both management and leadership are important for a high performing organization. It is therefore important to understand the similarities and differences between the two concepts. This will help us to balance and improve the two roles. It is for instance important to understand that you can only lead people and manage people. According to Kotelnikov V (2001), leaders strive to seize opportunities and amplify strengths while managers avert threats and reduce weaknesses. As the old proverb says, leadership is doing the right thing while management is doing things right. However you should not dwell so much on the differences because both roles are required for corporate growth since the risk of leadership creates opportunities while the strictness of management turns them into tangible results. It means therefore, to be successful in business one must be both a good leader and manager because you will have to get followers who can easily listen to you and put the set goals into action .Proper management of organizational resources will minimize losses and in the long run maximize the value of the firm. Excessive use of managerial authority may deter the workers from doing their work well because they will be executing their duties with fear. The managers should thus device good communication mechanisms that will ensure that they are able to understand the fears of the workers and in turn help solve their problems in time. In conclusion, good management and leadership skills should be used effectively for the betterment of the organization because the two are inseparable and in most organizations leaders are the managers.

Can We Hold Macbeth Fully Responsible For The Evil Deeds In The Play? :: essays research papers

In the play there are many evil deeds that Macbeth committed. These include the murders of Duncan and Banquo, Lady Macduff and her son. Macbeth is also responsible for Scotland's disorder. Macbeth plays the main role in each incident, with the other characters being only minor and undeveloped; acting as vehicles for Macbeth's actions. It is possible that it is not entirely Macbeth's fault for the evil deeds in the play. In Act II, Scene II Macbeth is patented as a hero, when he defeated Norway in war for his country. 'O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman' Initially, the Elizabethan audience consider Macbeth as a respectable and well like character. We do however learn that appearances can be deceptive which corresponds with the main theme; 'Fair is foul, Foul is fair' which is referred to a lot throughout the play. This theme is first introduced in Act I, Scene I where the witches foretell the struggle between the forces of evil and good in which Macbeth is to be involved. It is also an indication that all will not be as it seems. This portrays a character as being much worse if the audience's first impressions of that character were positive. Macbeth's meeting with the witches brings a prediction which symbolises the beginning of Macbeth's downfall. FIRST WITCH: All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Glamis SECOND WITCH: All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor. THIRD WITCH: All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter. Macbeth is startled when he hears this prophecy. He believes that his title is still Thane of Glamis; yet here he has just been told that he shall be King. He does not know Macdonwald who has been sentenced to death for betraying his country. The witches plant the idea of being King into Macbeth's mind, which has encourages Macbeth to consider his future. In his soliloquy, the audience learn about Macbeth's initial plan to murder Duncan so that he shall have power and position earlier, thus destroying the natural order. 'My thought, whose murther is yet but fantastical.' Macbeth sent a letter to Lady Macbeth outlining the witches' prophecy. He also consults her concerning his plans. This is how Macbeth reduces some of the responsibility of the incident of the murder by accepting her guidance and advice. It becomes apparent that Macbeth is somewhat of a moral coward. This could be seen as a positive attribute as it shows the weaknesses of Macbeth, and asks could Macbeth be fully responsible if he is not totally independent?

Iron Crowned Chapter 14

â€Å"This isn't what I had in mind when I said we should go out on a date.† It took me a few days to get in to see Enrique Valdez, and Kiyo had decided to accompany me. While waiting for my appointment, I'd checked in once with the Thorn Land, only to find the whole experience frustrating. Though no one openly said it – well, except for Jasmine – they all thought me breaking up with Dorian was the worst idea ever. I also learned from Shaya that arrangements for a war meeting were getting bogged down. Dorian insisted all three monarchs meet in person. Katrice wanted to send her nephew. There was also the matter of which kingdom would host because several others wanted to, most likely in the hopes of getting in good with one or all of us. I told Shaya I didn't care about the details and to simply do whatever it took to finish this war quickly. When Kiyo and I reached Enrique's address, we found it was in a small, sad-looking office building in one of the more rundown areas of downtown Tucson. I eyed it askance as we stood outside and waited for him to buzz us up. â€Å"I don't get why it took us three days to get in,† I said. â€Å"It doesn't really seem like he's got that much business.† The door buzzed, and Kiyo opened it. â€Å"Maybe it's a cover,† he said. We walked up to the second floor, where Enrique's office was located. â€Å"Maybe he wants to hide how successful he is.† â€Å"That's ridiculous – â€Å" I stopped when the office door opened before we knocked. Even with Enrique standing in the doorway, I could see beautiful, expensive furnishings. â€Å"Well, I'll be damned,† I muttered, entering at Enrique's gesture. He was shorter than me, with deeply tanned skin and black hair starting to gray. I put him somewhere in his mid to late forties. His attire didn't quite match the office's opulence. In fact, it looked like stereotypical P.I. clothing from some old detective noir film, complete with a fedora. â€Å"Markham's girl, huh?† he asked, voice laced with a faint Spanish accent. His eyes fell on Kiyo. â€Å"And a bodyguard?† â€Å"A friend,† I said sharply. â€Å"I don't need a bodyguard.† â€Å"Right.† Enrique didn't sound like he believed that. He pointed us to some plush leather chairs while he sat in an even bigger one across from us. A huge cherry desk was situated between us. It gleamed deep red in the late afternoon light and didn't look like the kind of thing you'd find at IKEA. I stared around at the rest of the office, still amazed at how it contrasted with the exterior. Books – ranging widely from Moby Dick to Arizona state law – lined shelves that matched the desk, and small pieces of art – paintings, statues, et cetera – adorned the room. â€Å"So,† began Enrique. â€Å"What's his name, and why do you think he's cheating on you?† â€Å"I – huh?† I jerked my head from a sculpture that looked like some Mayan god and stared at Enrique in astonishment. â€Å"What are you talking about? Is that what Roland told you?† â€Å"No, he didn't tell me anything. I just figured that's why you were here. That's usually what women come in for.† Kiyo made a small sound beside me that I think was a laugh. â€Å"That's ridiculous,† I exclaimed, unsure if I should be offended or not. â€Å"I need you to investigate a murder.† Enrique arched an eyebrow. â€Å"That's what the police are for.† â€Å"They already investigated it. And actually, they declared it a suicide.† â€Å"And you need me because †¦?† â€Å"Because I don't think it was,† I said. â€Å"I think it was a murder and that the victim's family might be in danger.† Enrique made no attempt to hide his skepticism. â€Å"Do you have any evidence to support this †¦ theory?† I took a deep breath, hoping Roland had been right about this guy. â€Å"The victim's, um, ghost said she didn't kill herself.† â€Å"Her ghost,† he repeated. As though on cue, Deanna materialized in the room, though Enrique couldn't see her. Kiyo and I could with our Otherworldly senses, but neither of us gave any indication of her arrival. I nodded. â€Å"Roland said you – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, yeah,† said Enrique. â€Å"I know about that hocus pocus he deals with. I'm also guessing suicide might be so traumatic that afterward, maybe a ghost blocked out what she actually did.† â€Å"That's not true!† exclaimed Deanna. I supposed it wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but I'd explore all other options first. â€Å"I don't think that's the case. I think she really was murdered. If that's true, we need to make sure no one else in her family gets hurt.† â€Å"If she was murdered,† countered Enrique, â€Å"then statistics say someone in her family probably did it.† â€Å"That's not true either!† I ignored Deanna's second outburst and stayed fixed on Enrique. â€Å"Well, one way or another, I need to know.† He leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on his desk and crossing his arms behind his head. If he'd called me ‘dame,' I wouldn't have been surprised. â€Å"The police take all this into consideration, you know. What makes you think I'd find something they haven't?† â€Å"I thought guys like you were smarter than the police,† said Kiyo. â€Å"Figured you had connections and channels above the law. That you didn't play by the same rules.† â€Å"That's true,† said Enrique, seeming pleased at the compliment. I swore, he was also taking Kiyo more seriously than me. â€Å"I can look into it, I suppose. But it's not like I'll do it for free, just because you're cute.† That was directed back at me. I repressed a scowl. â€Å"I didn't expect you to. I can pay.† He considered this and finally gave a nod, straightening back up in his chair. â€Å"Okay. Tell me what you know, and I'll get to it when I can.† â€Å"What!† cried Deanna. â€Å"This is kind of time sensitive,† I said. Mostly because I wasn't sure how much more of Deanna I could handle. Enrique gestured to a stack of folders on a table. â€Å"So are these. I'm drowning in paperwork. Can't keep half of these straight.† â€Å"We'll pay for you to expedite it,† said Kiyo. I shot him a look of astonishment, not thrilled that he'd speak for me – especially considering my income was lower than it used to be. Nonetheless, it got Enrique's attention. â€Å"Expediting it is, then.† I gave him all the details I'd recently learned from Deanna, and to his credit, Enrique diligently wrote them all down and asked pertinent questions that reaffirmed my faith in his legitimacy. The price he named didn't cheer me up as much, but there was nothing to be done for it. When Kiyo and I finally got up to leave, I couldn't resist asking the obvious. â€Å"You seem to be doing pretty well †¦ so why's your office in a dump like this?† Enrique didn't look offended so much as scornful that I'd ask such a ridiculous question. â€Å"Do you know how much office rent is lately? I'm saving tons of money.† â€Å"Maybe you should put that surplus toward a secretary instead of statues,† I pointed out, nodding toward the tower of folders. â€Å"I don't trust anyone,† he said bluntly. â€Å"Especially when ghost clients show up.† He opened the door. â€Å"I'll be in touch.† â€Å"Charming,† I said, once Kiyo and I were on the road again. â€Å"The only thing I'm convinced that guy can do is help in the regression of women's rights.† Kiyo tried to hide a smile and failed. â€Å"He was right about you being cute, though. And I don't know †¦ something tells me that despite the attitude, he's pretty competent. Crappy building aside, he couldn't afford that office if he wasn't achieving results. Besides, Roland wouldn't recommend anyone incompetent.† â€Å"Unless he was trying to sabotage me.† Kiyo's smile faded. â€Å"Do you really think he'd do that to you?† I stared out the passenger seat window. â€Å"No. He wouldn't.† â€Å"I'm sorry, you know. I really am. About Roland.† â€Å"I don't want to talk about it,† I said. My mood plummeted each time Roland's name came up. â€Å"Okay, then. You want to salvage this ‘date' and get some lunch?† I didn't have faith in the change of subject. I didn't think anything could really distract me, certainly not the crappy Mexican restaurant Kiyo took us to. â€Å"Are you serious?† I asked. Felipe's Fiestaland was the cheesiest restaurant in town, figuratively speaking. In a place like Tucson, where you could get amazingly authentic Southwestern cuisine, Felipe's was for tourists and suburbanites who didn't know any better. â€Å"Are you saying a margarita wouldn't do you good?† he asked, getting out of the car. â€Å"I would never say that. But there are better places with better margaritas.† â€Å"They still use tequila in theirs. Isn't that what really matters?† â€Å"Fair point.† We were greeted by a hostess who sounded like she'd taken one semester of Spanish in high school. Pi;atas hung from the ceiling, and bad mariachi music blasted from speakers. I scanned the drink menu as soon as we sat down and was ready when the waiter came by. â€Å"I'll have your Double Platinum Extra Premium Margarita,† I told him. â€Å"Grande or super grande?† asked the waiter. â€Å"Super.† Kiyo looked impressed. â€Å"I'll have the same.† When we were alone, he asked, â€Å"What is that exactly?† I propped an elbow on the table, resting my chin on my palm. â€Å"I'm not sure, but it sounded like it had the most alcohol in it. Places like this tend to drown their drinks in mixers.† â€Å"Spoken like a pro.† â€Å"Stating the obvious. You and I both know Roza's has the best margaritas.† Kiyo smiled at that, flashing me a warm and knowing look. I had a feeling he was thinking about a memory that had come to me too, back from when we'd dated. We'd gone out to Roza's – which really did have the best margaritas in town – and gotten so drunk that neither of us could drive home. So, we'd used the car for the only thing we could: sex. Twice. The drinks arrived and were about the size of fishbowls. They were also about half-mixer, as suspected, but at least that still left a reasonable quantity of alcohol. I drank mine down quickly as we waited for our food. Alcohol numbed my shamanic powers a little bit and sometimes let me forget my problems. Not so much today. â€Å"Do you think Enrique might be right?† I asked. â€Å"That Deanna did commit suicide and blocked it out?† The ghost had left us once we departed from the office. â€Å"I don't know. I don't know if she'd believe it, even if he turned up a film or something.† I grimaced and downed more of the drink. â€Å"I hope not. It's nothing I'd want to watch. I'm tired of bloodshed.† â€Å"I know,† he said gently. â€Å"And no matter what I said before †¦ and how upset I was when this war started †¦ well, I have to admit. You've handled it as best you could. Word gets around. I know you've made some tactical moves that minimized casualties – and not just for your own people.† â€Å"‘Tactical.' ‘Casualties.'† I shook my head, eyeing my low margarita. â€Å"Those are terms I never thought I'd use. And really, I don't have much to do with that planning. Rurik does.† â€Å"But you give the okay,† Kiyo pointed out. â€Å"Not many rulers would. Most would do whatever it took to crush their enemies quickly.† â€Å"I've certainly wanted to.† Dorian had as well, and the few disagreements we'd had during our wartime partnership had been over civilian collateral damage. â€Å"Can we talk about something not Otherworldly? And not about suicide?† â€Å"Sure.† Our waiter suddenly appeared with the plate of Mile High Muy Bueno Nachos we'd ordered. Kiyo flashed him a grin. â€Å"She'll have another margarita. Also, it's her birthday.† I shot Kiyo a look of horror as the waiter scurried off. â€Å"Are you out of your mind? You don't say something like that in a place like this!† But it was too late. Because in a matter of minutes, the entire waitstaff of Felipe's Fiestaland had surrounded our table. Someone put a sombrero on my head and a candlelit piece of flan in front of me. The whole group then launched into an out-of-tune rendition of â€Å"Cumpleaà ±os Feliz,† set to equally bad out-of-rhythm clapping. I stared at Kiyo the whole time and mouthed I will kill you. It only made his smile grow. â€Å"You don't look a day older,† he told me, once the mob had dispersed. â€Å"I can't believe you did that.† I jerked off the sombrero and dove into the new margarita. â€Å"Do you know how humiliating that is?† â€Å"Hey, it got your mind off everything else, didn't it? Plus, check it out. Free flan.† I blew out the candle and hesitantly poked the gelatinous mass below it. â€Å"It looks like it's been sitting around a while.† â€Å"Don't worry,† he said, dragging the plate over to his side of the table. â€Å"With all the preservatives in it, I'm sure it's fine.† â€Å"I'm going to get you back for this,† I warned, narrowing my eyes. The look he gave me was knowing. â€Å"I hope so,† he said. â€Å"I certainly hope so.† I can only blame the margaritas for what happened next, because as soon as we'd paid our bill and were back in the car, we attacked each other. â€Å"See?† he said, trying to pull my shirt over my head. â€Å"Who needs Roza's?† â€Å"It was dark out then,† I reminded him, my own hands fumbling for his pants. â€Å"We're in the back of the lot,† he argued. â€Å"And the sun's going down.† He had a point, and when he brought one of my nipples to his mouth, I kind of let the subject drop. We really were out of sight, and there were more important matters to take care of. We reclined and pushed the seat back as far as it would go, then finally managed to get each other's jeans off. I brought my hips down, taking him into me. â€Å"See?† I gasped. â€Å"You're sorry now.† â€Å"Very,† he managed to say. Our awkward positioning kept my breasts pretty close to his face, and he was taking advantage of it with his hands and mouth. As for me, I was just thrilled at the feel of being on top of him. After always playing submissive with Dorian, I suddenly exalted in this sense of power – especially since Kiyo had definitely been the one in control the last time we had sex. Now, it was all me, and I took a fair amount of satisfaction in taunting him, alternately increasing the speed of my movement and then slowing down when he got close to coming. â€Å"Eugenie,† he begged at last. â€Å"Enough. Please †¦ do it†¦.† I leaned toward him like I might kiss him – and then pulled back when his lips sought mine. With a grin, I straightened up as much as I could and rode him hard, finally letting him have the release he'd begged for. His body bucked up as he came, his hands holding tightly to my hips as though I might leave before he finished. After that, I guess we were kind of dating again. The next week or so passed in an easy pattern. I saw Kiyo almost every day, and we slipped back into our old routines. I started taking more jobs, much to Lara's relief, while Kiyo alternately worked at the vet clinic and checked in with the Otherworld. At night, he and I were always together, either at my place or his. My body began to remember what it was like being in a relationship, and slowly, my heart did as well. I only crossed into the Otherworld once during that time, both from Thorn Land withdrawal and curiosity over the war proceedings. No progress was being made with Katrice. I was grateful for the lack of fighting, but the hoped-for peace talks still seemed a ways off. It was frustrating. â€Å"She's being difficult,† said Shaya, when I asked about it. Understandably, she looked weary. â€Å"These are delicate matters. They take time.† I left it at that, feeling impatient, but figuring she knew better than me. Back in Tucson, I also got sporadic updates of another sort: Enrique's. To his credit, he called almost every day to report what he'd done or investigated. At first his attitude remained the same, full of that cockiness and irritability that said this was a waste of his time. Then, one day, things changed. â€Å"I think,† he said. â€Å"You might be right.† I'm not sure who was more surprised by this: him or me. I'd honestly started to believe he wouldn't turn up anything at all as evidence of either a suicide or a murder. I gripped the phone tightly. â€Å"What? That someone killed her?† â€Å"Yeah †¦ I found a couple things. Did you know her husband has a girlfriend?† â€Å"Deanna told me. She seemed okay with his moving on.† It had been a few months since her death, too soon to start dating in my book, but still a semi-respectable time frame. According to Deanna, he'd begun seeing someone a few weeks ago. â€Å"Yeah, well, he moved on before she was dead. The girlfriend? His alibi.† I frowned. â€Å"Seriously?† Deanna's husband had been removed from suspicion because he'd had a solid witness to his whereabouts when she'd been killed. He'd been at a real estate agent's office; the agent was helping him with a vacation home for their family. â€Å"Maybe their relationship started after Deanna died †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Not if a witness I found is reliable. I also might have a lead that proves Deanna wasn't the one who bought the gun.† â€Å"If that's true †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn't finish right away. Deanna acquiring the gun that had killed her had been one of the most damning pieces of evidence for suicide. â€Å"If you can prove that, then it could reopen everything.† â€Å"Yes,† said Enrique matter-of-factly. â€Å"Yes, it could. I'll be in touch.† We disconnected, and I suddenly wished he hadn't been quite so good at his job. If he was right about all this and turned up the evidence he needed †¦ well, someone was going to have to break the news to Deanna that her husband had murdered her. And that someone would be me. She currently believed some crazed killer had done it, one that was after her family now. The thought of it all sickened me. As I sat there in my room, an Otherworldly presence made my skin tingle. For half a second, I thought Deanna was appearing unsummoned – something I wasn't ready to deal with. I'd essentially given her a â€Å"don't call me, I'll call you† directive. But, no. It wasn't her. It was Volusian, his red eyes as malevolent as always. Lately, his appearance meant news from the Otherworld. I hoped it would be good. â€Å"What's up?† I demanded. â€Å"Shaya requests your presence immediately.† Something good at last. â€Å"The peace talks?† â€Å"No. She needs you because the Oak King is at your castle, demanding to see you.†