The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 6~8

Six Catfish's Story Was 'bout fifty year ago. I was hoboing through the Delta, playin juke joints with my partner Smiley. He called Smiley cause he don't never get the Blues. Boy could play the Blues, but he never got the Blues, not for a second. He be broke and hungover and he still always smilin. Make me crazy. I say, â€Å"Smiley, you ain't never gone play no better'n Deaf Cotton, lessin you feels it.† Deaf Cotton Dormeyer was this ol' boy we used to play with time to time. See, them days, bunch of Bluesmen was blind, so they be called Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Jackson – like that. And them boys could play them some Blues. But ol' Cotton, he deaf as a stone, a little bit more of a burden than bein blind iffin you playing music. We be playing â€Å"Crossroads,† an' ol' Deaf Cotton be over on the side playin' â€Å"Walkin Man's Blues† and a-howlin like a ol' dog, and we stop, go down to the store, have us a Nabs and a Co-Cola, and Deaf Cotton just keep right on playin. And he the lucky one, 'cause he can't hear how bad he is. And didn't nobody have the heart to tell him. So, anyway, I says, â€Å"You ain't never gone play no better than ol' Deaf Cotton, lessin you get some Blues on you.† And Smiley say, â€Å"You gots to help me.† Now Smiley, he my friend from way back – my partner, see. So I says I will get the Blues to jump on him, but he got to promise not to get mad how I do it. So he say okay, and I say okay, and I sets to sic the Blues on him so we can go to Chicago and Dallas and makes us some records and get us some Cadillacs and so on like them boys Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker and them. Smiley, he had him a wife name of Ida May, sweet little thing. He keep her up there in Clarksville. And he always sayin how he don't have to worry 'bout Ida May when he on the road cause she love him true and only. So one day I tell Smiley they's a man down Baton Rouge got him a prime Martin guitar he gonna sell for ten dollars, and would Smiley go get it for me cause I got me a case of the runs and can't take the train ride. So Smiley ain't out of town half a day before I takes me some liquor and flowers and make my visit on little Ida May. She's a young thing, ain't much for drinkin liquor, but once I tells her that ol' Smiley done got hisself runned over by a train, she takes to drinkin like a natural (in between the screamin and cryin and all, and I had my own self some tears too, he being my partner and all, God rest his soul). And before you know it, I'm givin' Ida May some good lovin to comfort her in her time of grief and all. And you know when Smiley get back, he don't say a word 'bout my sleepin with Ida May. He say he sorry he can't find the man with the guitar, gives me my ten dollars, an' say he got to go home 'cause Ida May so happy to see him she been doing him special all day. I say, â€Å"Well, she done me special too,† and he say that okay, her being sad and me being his best friend. That boy was greased to the Blues, and they just wouldn't stick to him. So I borrowed a Model T Ford, drove over to Smiley's, and done run over his dog, who was tied up in the yard. â€Å"That dog was old anyways,† he say. â€Å"I had him since I was a boy. Time I get Ida May a puppy anyways.† â€Å"You ain't sad?† I say. â€Å"Naw,† he say. â€Å"That ol' dog had his time.† â€Å"You hopeless, Smiley. I gots to do some ponderin.† So I ponders. Takin me two days to come up with a way to put the Blues on ol' Smiley. But you know, even when that boy standing there over the smokin ashes of his house, Ida May in one arm and his guitar in the other, he don't do nothin but thank God they had time to get out without gettin burnt up. Preacher once told me that they is people who rises to tragedy. He says colored folk gots to rise to tragedy like ol' Job in the Bible, iffin they gonna get they propers. So I figures that Smiley is one of them who rises to tragedy, get stronger when bad things come on him. But they more than one way to get the Blues on you. Ain't just bad things happening, sometime it good things not happenin – disappointment, iffin you know what I mean? So I hears that down Biloxi way, round 'bout one of them salt marshes on the Gulf, they is a catfish big as a rowboat, but nobody can catch him. Even a white man down there will give five hundred dollars to the man bring that big ol' catfish in. Now you know people be trying to catch him, but they don't have no luck. So I tells Smiley I got me a secret recipe, and we gonna go get that catfish, get that money, and go up to Chicago and make us a record. Now I knows they ain't no catfish big as a rowboat, and iffin there was, he'd be caught by now, but Smiley need him a disappointment iffin the Blues gonna jump on him. So I spends the whole ride down there buildin up that boy's hopes. Cadillacs and big ol' houses ridin on the back of that catfish. We ridin in that ol' dog-killin Model T Ford, two hundred feet a rope and some shark hooks in the back with my secret catfish recipe. I figure we get us some bait on the way, and sho' nuff, I accidentally run me over two chickens got too close to the road. ‘For dark we down on the bayou where that ol' cat spose to live. Them days 'bout half the counties in Mississippi got signs say: NIGGER, DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOU IN THIS COUNTY, so we always plan to get where we goin' ‘for dark. My secret recipe a gallon jar of chicken guts I keep buried in the backyard for a year. I takes that jar and punches some holes in the lid and toss her out in the water. â€Å"A catfish smell them rotten guts, they be there lickety-split,† I tells Smiley. Then we hooks up one them chickens and throw it out there and we sits back and has us a drink or two, me all the time talkin trash 'bout that five hundred dollar and Smiley grinnin like he does. ‘For long Smiley doze off on the bank. I lets him sleep, thinkin he be more disappointed if he wake up and we ain't caught that catfish. Just to be sure, I starts to pull in the rope, and ‘for I got it pulled in ten feet, somethin grab on. That ol' rope start burning through my hand like they's a scared horse on't'other end. I musta yelled, cause Smiley woke up and goes running off the other way. â€Å"Watch you doin?† I yells, and that old rope burnin through my hands like a snake on fire. Well, that it, I think, and I lets go of the rope. (A Bluesman got to take care of his hands.) But when the rope come to the end, it tighten up like an E string and make a twang – throw moss and mud up into my face – and I looks round and see Smiley crankin up that Model T Ford. He done tied the rope on the bumper and now he drivin it back out the bayou, pullin whatever out there in the water as he go. And it ain't comin easy, that ol' Ford screamin and slidin and sound like it like to blow up, but up on the bank come the biggest catfish I ever seen, and that fish ain't happy. He floppin and thrashin and just bout buryin me in mud. Smiley set the brake and look back at what we catch, when that ol' catfish make a noise I don't know can come out a fish. Sound like woman screaming. Which scares me, but not as much as the noise that come back out the bayou, which sound like the devil done come home. â€Å"You done it now, Smiley,† I says. â€Å"Get in,† he say. Don't take more than that for me, cause somethin risin up out the bayou look like a locomotive with teeth, and it comin fast. I'm in that Model T Ford and we off, draggin that big catfish right with us and that monster thing coming behind. ‘For long we got us some distance, and I tells Smiley to stop. We gets out and looks at our five-hundred-dollar catfish. He dead now, dragged to death, and not lookin too good at that, but in a full moon we can see this ain't no ordinary catfish. Sho, he got his fins and tail and all, but down on his belly he growin things look like legs. Smiley say, â€Å"What that?† And I say, â€Å"Don't know.† â€Å"What that back there?† he say. â€Å"That his momma,† I say. â€Å"She ain't happy one bit with us.† Seven It has the soul-sick wail of the Blues, the cowboy tragedy of Country Western. It goes like this: You pay your dues, do your time behind the wheel, put in long hours on boring roads, your vertebrae compress and your stomach goes sour from too much strong coffee, and finally, just when you get a good-paying job with benefits and you're seeing the light at the end of the retirement tunnel, just when you can hear the distant siren song of a bass boat and a case of Miller calling to you like a willing truck stop waitress named Darlin', a monster comes along and fucks your truck and you are plum blowed up. Al's story. Al was drowsing in the cab of his tank truck while unleaded liquid dinosaurs pulsed through the big black pipe into the underground tanks of the Pine Cove Texaco. The station was closed, there was no one at the counter to shoot the bull with, and this was the end of his run, but for a quick jog down the coast to a motel in San Junipero. On the radio, turned low, Reba sang of hard times with the full authority of a cross-eyed redheaded millionaire. When the truck first moved, Al thought he might have been rear-ended by some drunk tourist, then the shaking started and Al was sure he was in the middle of the bull moose earthquake of the century – the big one – the one that twisted cities and snapped overpasses like dry twigs. You thought about those things when you towed around ten thousand gallons of explosive liquid. Al could see the tall Texaco sign out of the windshield, and it occurred to him that it should be waving like a sapling in the wind, but it wasn't. Only the truck was moving. He had to get out and stop the pump. The truck thumped and rocked as if rammed by a rhino. He pulled the door handle and pushed. It didn't budge. Something blocked it, blocked the whole window. A tree? Had the roof over the pumps come down on him? He looked to the passenger door, and something was blocking that one too. Not metal, not a tree. It had scales. Through the windshield he saw a dark, wet stain spreading over the concrete and his bladder emptied. â€Å"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.† He reached behind his seat for the tire thumper to knock out the windshield and in the next instant Al was flaming bits and smoking pieces flying over the Pacific. A mushroom cloud of greasy flame rose a thousand feet into the sky. The shock wave leveled trees for a block and knocked out windows for three. Half a mile away, in downtown Pine Cove, motion detector alarms were triggered and added their klaxon calls to the roar of the flames. Pine Cove was awake – and frightened. The Sea Beast was thrown two hundred feet into the air and landed on his back in the flaming ruins of Bert's Burger Stand. Five thousand years on the planet and he had never experienced flight. He found he didn't care for it. Burning gasoline covered him from nose to tail. His gill trees were singed to stumps, jagged shards of metal protruded between the scales of his belly. Still flaming, he headed for the nearest water, the creek that ran behind the business district. As he lumbered down into the creek bed, he looked back to the place where his lover had rejected him and sent out a signal. She was gone now, but he sent the signal anyway. Roughly trans-lated, it said, â€Å"A simple no would have sufficed.† Molly The poster covered half of the trailer's living room wall: a younger Molly Michon in a black leather bikini and spiked dog collar, brandishing a wicked-looking broadsword. In the background, red mushroom clouds rose over the desert. Warrior Babes of the Outland, in Italian, of course; Molly's movies had only been released to overseas theaters – direct to video in the United States. Molly stood on the wire-spool coffee table and struck the same pose she had fifteen years before. The sword was tarnished, her tan was gone, the blonde hair had gone gray, and now a jagged five-inch scar ran above her right breast, but the bikini still fit and muscles still raked her arms, thighs, and abdomen. Molly worked out. In the wee hours of the morning, in the vacant space next to her trailer, she spun the broadsword like a deadly baton. She lunged, and thrust, and leapt into the improbable back flip that had made her a star (in Thailand anyway). At two in the morning, while the village slept around her, Molly the crazy lady became, once again, Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland. She stepped off the coffee table and went to her tiny kitchen, where she opened the brown plastic pill bottle and ceremoniously dropped one tablet into the garbage disposal as she had every night for a month now. Then she went out the trailer door, careful not to let it slam and wake her neighbors, and began her routine. Stretches first – the splits in the high wet grass, then a hurdler's hamstring stretch, touching her forehead to her knee. She could feel her vertebrae pop like a string of muted firecrackers as she did her back stretches. Now, with dew streaking her legs, her hair tied back with a leather boot lace, she began her sword work. A two-handed slash, a thrust, riposte, leap over the blade, spin and slash – slowly at first, working up momentum – one handed spin, pass to the other hand, reverse, pass the sword behind her back, speeding up as she went until the sword cut the air with a whistling whirr as she worked up to a series of backflips executed while the sword stayed in motion: one, two, three. She tossed the sword into the air, did a back flip, reached to catch it in midspin – a light sweat sheeted her body now – reached to catch it – the sword silhouetted against a three-quarter moon – reached to catch it and the sky went red. Molly l ooked up as the shock wave rocketed through the village. The blade slashed the back of her wrist to the bone and stuck in the ground, quivering. Molly swore and watched the orange mushroom cloud rise in the sky over Pine Cove. She held her wrist and stared at the fire in the sky for several minutes, wondering if what she was seeing was really there, or if perhaps she'd been a little hasty about stopping her meds. A siren sounded in the distance, then she heard something moving down in the creek bed – as if huge rocks were being kicked aside. Mutants, she thought. Where there were mushroom clouds, there were mutants, the curse of Kendra's nuked-out world. Molly snatched the sword and ran into her trailer to hide. Theo The shock wave from the explosion had dissipated to the level of a sonic boom by the time it reached Theo's little cabin two miles out of town. Still, he knew that something had happened. He sat up in bed to wait for the phone to ring. A minute and a half later, it did. The 911 dispatcher from San Junipero was on the line. â€Å"Constable Crowe? You've had some sort of explosion at the Texaco station on Cypress Street in Pine Cove. There are fires burning nearby. I've dispatched fire and ambulance, but you should get over there.† Theo struggled to sound alert. â€Å"Anyone hurt?† â€Å"We don't know yet. The call just came in. It sounds like a fuel tank went up.† â€Å"I'm on my way.† Theo swung his long legs out of bed and pulled on his jeans. He snatched his shirt, cell phone, and beeper from the nightstand and headed out to the Volvo. He could see an orange corona from the flames in the sky toward town and billowing black smoke streaking the moonlit sky. As soon as he started the car, the radio crackled with the voices of volunteer firemen who were racing to the site of the explosion in Pine Cove's two fire engines. Theo keyed the mike. â€Å"Hey, guys, this is Theo Crowe. Anyone on scene yet?† â€Å"ETA one minute, Theo† came back at him. â€Å"Ambulance is on scene.† An EMT from the ambulance came on the radio. â€Å"The Texaco is gone. So's the burger stand. Doesn't look like the fire is spreading. I don't see anyone around, but if there was anybody in those two buildings, they're toast.† â€Å"Delicate, Vance. Very professional,† Theo said into the mike. â€Å"I'll be there in five.† The Volvo bucked over the rough dirt road. Theo's head banged on the roof and he slowed enough to buckle his seat belt. Bert's Burger Stand was gone. Gone. And the minimarket at the Texaco, gone too. Theo felt an empty rumbling in his stomach as he pictured his beloved minimarket nachos going black in the flames. Five minutes later he pulled in behind the ambulance and jumped out of the Volvo. The firefighters seemed to have the fire contained to the as-phalt area of the Texaco and the burger stand. A little brush had burned on the hill behind the Texaco and had charred a few trees, but the firemen had drenched that area first to keep the fire from climbing into the residential area. Theo shielded his face with his hands. The heat coming off the burning Texaco was searing, even at a hundred yards. A figure in fire-fighting re-galia approached him out of the smoke. A few feet away he pulled up the shield on his helmet and Theo recognized Robert Masterson, the volunteer fire chief. Robert and his wife Jenny owned Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines. He was smiling. â€Å"Theo, you're gonna starve to death – both your food sources are gone.† Theo forced a smile. â€Å"Guess I'll have to come to your place for brie and cabernet. Anyone hurt?† Theo was shaking. He hoped Robert couldn't see it by the light of the fire and the rotating red lights of the emergency vehicles. He'd left his Sneaky Pete pipe on the nightstand. â€Å"We can't locate the driver of the truck. If he was in it, we lost him. Still too hot to get close to it. The explosion threw the cab two hundred feet that way.† Robert pointed to a burning lump of metal at the edge of the parking lot. â€Å"What about the underground tanks? Should we evacuate or something?† â€Å"No, they'll be fine. They're designed with a vapor lock, no oxygen can get down there, so no fire. We're going to have to let what's left of the minimart just burn out. Some cases of Slim Jims caught fire and they burn like the sun, we can't get close.† Theo squinted into the flames. â€Å"I love Slim Jims,† he said forlornly. Robert patted his shoulder. â€Å"It'll be okay. I'll order some for you, but you can't tell anyone I'm carrying them. And Theo, when this is all over, come see me at the shop. We'll talk.† â€Å"About what?† Robert pulled off his fire helmet and wiped back his receding brown hair. â€Å"I was a drunk for ten years. I quit. I might be able to help you.† Theo looked away. â€Å"I'm fine. Thanks.† He pointed to a ten-foot-wide burned strip that started across the street and led away from the fire in a path to the creek. â€Å"What do you make of that.† â€Å"Looks like someone drove a burning vehicle out of the fire.† â€Å"I'll check it out.† Theo got a flashlight from the Volvo and crossed the street. The grass was singed and there were deep ruts cut into the dirt. They were lucky this had happened after the rainy season had started. Two months earlier and they would have lost the town. He followed the track to the creek bed, fully expecting to find a wrecked vehicle pitched over the bank, but there was nothing there. The track ended at the bank. The water wasn't deep enough to cover anything large enough to make a trail like that. He played the flashlight around the bank and stopped it on a single deep track in the mud. He blinked and shook his head to clear his vision, then looked again. It couldn't be. â€Å"Anything over there?† Robert was coming across the grass toward him. Theo jumped down onto the bank and kicked the mud until the print was obliterated. â€Å"Nothing,† Theo said. â€Å"Must have just been some burning fuel sprayed out this way.† â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"Stomping out the last of a burning squirrel. Must have gotten caught in the flames and ran over here. Poor guy.† â€Å"You really need to come see me, Theo.† â€Å"I will, Robert. For sure I will.† Eight The Sea Beast He knew he should return to the safety of the sea, but his gill trees were singed and he didn't relish the idea of treading water until they healed. If he'd known the female was going to react so violently, he would have re-tracted his gills into the folds beneath his scales where they would have been safe. He made his way down the creek bed until he spotted a herd of animals sleeping above the bank. They were ugly things, pale and graceless, and he could sense parasites living in every one of them, but this was no time to be judgmental. After all, some brave beast had to be the first to eat a mastodon, and who would have thought that those furballs would turn out to be the tasty treats that they were. He could hide among this wormy herd until his gills healed, then perhaps he'd take one of the females on a grateful hump. But not now, his heart still ached for the purring female with the silvery flanks. He needed time to heal. The Sea Beast slithered up the bank into an open space among the herd, then curled his legs and tail under his body and assumed their shape. The change was painful and took more effort than he was used to, but after a few minutes he was finished and he quietly fell asleep. Molly No, this wasn't what she had planned at all. She had stopped taking her meds because they had been giving her the shakes, and she'd been willing to deal with the voices if they came back, but not this. She hadn't counted on this. She was tempted to run to her kitchen area and gulp down one of her blue pills (Stelazine – â€Å"the Smurfs of Sanity,† she called them) to see if it could chase the hallucination, but she couldn't tear herself from the trailer window. It was too real – and too weird. Could there be a big, burnt beast lumbering out of the creek? And if so, had she just watched it turn into a double-wide trailer? Hallucinations, that was one of the five symptoms of schizophrenia. Molly kept a list of all the symptoms. In fact, she'd stolen a desk drawer version of the DSM-IV – The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the book psychiatrists use to diagnose mental illness – from Valerie Riordan. According to the DSM-IV, you had to have two of the five symptoms. Hallucinations were one; okay, that was a possibility. But delu-sions, no way; she wasn't the least bit deluded, she knew she was having hallucinations. Number three was disorganized speech or incoherence. She'd give it a try. â€Å"Hi, Molly, how the heck are you?† she asked. â€Å"Not well, thank you. I'm worried that my speech may be disorganized,† she answered. â€Å"Well, you sound fine to me,† she said, by way of being polite. â€Å"Thanks for saying so,† she replied with genuine gratitude. â€Å"I guess I'm okay.† â€Å"You're fine. Nice ass, by the way.† â€Å"Thanks, you're not too bad yourself.† â€Å"See, not disorganized at all,† she said, not realizing that the conversation was over. Symptom four was grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior. She looked around her trailer. Most of the dishes were done, the videotapes of her movies were arranged chronologically, and the goldfish were still dead in the aquarium. Nope, nothing disorganized in this place. Schizo 1, Sanity 3. Number five, negative symptoms, such as â€Å"affective flattening, alogia, or avolition.† Well, a woman hits her forties, of course there's a little affect-ive flattening, but she was sure enough that she didn't have the other two symptoms to not even look them up. But then there was the footnote: â€Å"Only one criterion required if delusions are bizarre or hallucinations consist of a voice keeping up a running commentary on the person's behavior or thoughts.† So, she thought, if I have a narrator, I'm batshit. In most of the Kendra movies, there had been a narrator. It helped tie a story together that was supposed to take place in the nuked-out future when, in fact, it was being filmed in an abandoned strip mine near Barstow. And narration was easy to dub into foreign languages because you didn't have to match the lips. So the question she had to ask herself, was: â€Å"Do I have a narrator?† â€Å"No way,† said the narrator. â€Å"Fuck,† said Molly. Just when she'd settled into having a simple personality disorder, she had to learn to be psychotic all over again. Being schizo wasn't all bad. Being diagnosed schizo ten years ago had gotten her the monthly disability check from the state, but Val Riordan had assured her that since then her status had changed from schizophrenic: paranoid type, single episode, in partial remission, with prominent negative symptoms, persecutory-type delusions, and negative stressors (Molly liked to think of the negative stressors as â€Å"special sauce†) to a much more healthy, post-morbid shizotypal personality disorder, bipolar type (no â€Å"special sauce†). To make the latter you had to fulfill the prerequisite of at least one psychotic event, then hit five out of nine symptoms. It was a much tougher and more subtle form of batshit. Molly's favorite symptom was: â€Å"Odd be-liefs or magical thinking that influences behavior and is inconsistent with subcultural norms.† The narrator said, â€Å"So the magical thinking – that would be that you believe that in another dimension, you actually are Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland?† â€Å"Fucking narrator again,† Molly said. â€Å"You're not going away, are you? I don't need this symptom.† â€Å"You can't really say that your ‘magical thinking' affects your behavior, can you?† the narrator asked. â€Å"I don't think you can claim that symptom.† â€Å"Oh hell no,† Molly said. â€Å"I'm just out practicing with a broadsword at two in the morning, waiting for the end of civilization so I can claim my rightful identity.† â€Å"Simple physical fitness regimen. Everyone's trying to get into shape these days.† â€Å"So they can hack apart evil mutants?† â€Å"Sure, Nautilus makes a machine for that. Mutant Master 5000.† â€Å"That's a crock.† â€Å"Sorry, I'll shut up now.† â€Å"I'd appreciate that. I really don't need the ‘voices' symptom, thanks.† â€Å"You've still got the monster-trailer hallucination outside.† â€Å"I thought you were going to shut up.† â€Å"Sorry, that's the last you'll hear from me. Really.† â€Å"Jerk.† â€Å"Bitch.† â€Å"You said†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Sorry.† So without voices all she had to deal with was the hallucination. The trailer was still sitting there, but admittedly, it just looked like a trailer. Molly could imagine trying to tell the shrink at county about it when they admitted her. â€Å"So you saw a trailer?† â€Å"That's right.† â€Å"And you live in a trailer park?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"I see,† the shrink would say. And somewhere between those two little words the judgment would be pronounced: crazy. No, she wasn't going to go that route. She would confront her fears and go forward, just as Kendra had in The Mutant Slayer: Warrior Babes II. She grabbed her sword and left her trailer. The sirens had subsided now, but she could still see an orange glow from the explosion. Not a nuclear blast, she thought, just some sort of accident. She strode across the lot and stopped about ten feet away from the trailer. Up close, it looked – well, it looked like a damn trailer. The door was in the wrong place, on the end instead of the side, and the windows were frosty, as if they'd iced over. There was a thin patina of soot over its entire length, but it was a trailer. It didn't look like a monster at all. She stepped forward and ventured a poke with her sword. The aluminum skin of the trailer seemed to shy away from the sword point. Molly jumped back. A warm wave of pleasure swept through her body. For a second she forgot why she had come out here and let the wave take her. She poked the trailer again, and again the pleasure wave washed over her, this time even more intense. There was no fear, no tension, just the feeling that this was exactly where she should be – where she should always have been. She dropped her sword and let the feeling take her. The frosty layer on the trailer's two end windows seemed to lift, revealing the slitlike pupils of two great golden eyes. Then the door began to open, not from side to side, but splitting itself in the middle and opening like a mouth. Molly turned on her heel and ran, wondering even as she went why she hadn't just stayed there by the trailer where everything felt so good. Estelle Estelle was wearing a leather fedora, a pair of dark sunglasses, a single lavender sock, and a subtle and satisfied smile. Sometime after her husband had died – after she'd moved to Pine Cove and started taking the antide-pressants, after she'd stopped coloring her hair or giving a damn about her wardrobe – Estelle had vowed that no man would ever see her naked again. At the time, she considered it a fair trade: carnal pleasures, of which there were few, for guilt-free cookies, of which there were many. Now, having broken that vow and lying in her feather bed next to this sweaty, stringy old man, who was teasing her left nipple with his tongue (and who didn't seem to mind that said nipple was leading her breast over her arm rather than jutting skyward like the cupola on the Taj Mahal), Estelle felt like she understood, at last, the Mona Lisa's smile. Mona had been getting some, and she had her cookies too. â€Å"You are some storyteller,† Estelle said. A spidery black hand crawled up her thigh and parked an index finger moistly on her pleasure button – just settled there – and she shuddered. â€Å"I didn't finish,† Catfish said. â€Å"You didn't? Then what was all that ‘Hallelujah, Lord, I'm comin home!' followed by the barking?† â€Å"I didn't finish the story,† Catfish said, his enunciation remarkably clear, considering he didn't miss a lick. Harmonica player, Estelle thought. She said, â€Å"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me.† And she didn't. One minute they were sipping spiked tea and the next there was an explosion and she had her mouth locked over his, moaning into him like a saxophonist playing passion. â€Å"You didn't see me fightin you,† Catfish said. â€Å"We got time.† â€Å"We do?† â€Å"Sho', but you gonna have to pay my way now. You done chased the Blues off me and I feels like they ain't never comin back. I'm out a job.† Estelle looked down to see Catfish grinning in the soft orange light and grinned herself. Then she realized that they hadn't lit any candles, and she didn't have any orange lights. Somewhere in the tussle between the kitchen and the bedroom, amid the tossing of clothes and groping of flesh, they had turned the lights out. The orange glow was coming through the window at the foot of the bed. Estelle sat up. â€Å"The town is on fire.† â€Å"It is in here,† Catfish said. She pulled the sheets up to cover herself. â€Å"We need to do something.† â€Å"I got an idea a somethin we can do.† He moved his spidery fingers and her attention was taken away from the window. â€Å"Already?† â€Å"Seem soon to me too, girl, but I'm old and this could be my last one.† â€Å"That's a cheery thought.† â€Å"I'm a Bluesman.† â€Å"Yes, you are,† she said. Then she rolled over on him and stayed there, off and on, until dawn.

Coraline a Wizard of Earthsea the Sense of Self Essay

If you see a wallet on the ground and discover there is an enormous amount of money in it, what would you do? Do you think you’d return it, or possibly keep the money for yourself? How would you feel about it emotionally afterward? For the sake of an argument let us say you would keep the money. How would you then feel if someone you hate also had the same circumstance happen to them? Would you feel like them keeping the money would further prove why you dislike that person? Did you not also keep the money yourself? In the book Psychoanalysis Terry Eagleton states that â€Å"Lacan permits us to explore the relations between the unconscious and human society†¦ the unconscious is not some kind of†¦ private region ‘inside’ us, but an effect of our relations with one another†(Eagleton 150). The unconscious is part of your â€Å"self† and can be negative or positive; the negative side that we produce is part of our ego. Ego is defined as â€Å"the complex factor to which all conscious contents are related† the ego is only one half of a whole and that whole is the â€Å"self† (Jung 139). Our ego is broken into three sections and the section most apparent in this case is the shadow. The reason why your peer keeping the money creates resentment in you is because of the shadow, it is a part of you that you keep in your unconscious, a part you don’t like and when it is revealed to you through someone else you exchange the inward hatred and replace it with outward disdain for the person that has committed the act. Self is best described as the combination of your conscious and unconscious becoming one in a balanced state. In Coraline by Neil Gaimen and A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin the shadow becomes a physical thing, an actual entity. The genre itself, fantasy, has its own identity crisis which further adds to the lack of self in the novels. This should not make these stories any less real, the premise of both stories, of battling the shadow and overcoming the lack of identity to find the self is still a very real thing as explained by J.R.R. Tolkien â€Å"fairystories deal largely†¦ with simple or fundamental things, untouched by fantasy, but these simplicities are made all the more luminous by their setting† (Tolkien 20). The self being fragmented by not knowing one’s unconscious is a recurring theme in both stories. The shadow becoming and entity in the stories further explains the concept of your conscious latching on to an outward vessel to express disdain for. The conscious and unconscious meld together to form one’s identity, the conscious mind uses one’s life experiences and natural behavior as an identifier while the unconscious mind creates the ego and the shadow, both of which create the idea of self. In order to gain an identity you much overcome and accept your shadow as part of you, then and only then will you truly discover your â€Å"self†. In Coraline a lonely and ignored little girl is an only child of two, negligent, parents. She has just moved into a new house and while exploring her new home she finds a door which sometimes, and progressively more while the story continues, leads her into an alternate world where her desire for excitement is fulfilled. While in this world the narrator states, â€Å"There were all sorts of remarkable things in there she’d never seen before†¦ this is more like it, thought Coraline† (Gaimen 30). This is Coraline’s conscious self, her excitement, her explorer, the one that doesn’t mind a new world, a girl who accept the oddities just so that she can discover all of them herself. This world was created by the other mother, a witch, who at this point has not revealed herself to Coraline as a soul consuming entity. Her brand new home put up an image of perfection that clouded her judgment. These illusions created by the other mother make it harder for Coraline to discover herself because she is only seeing what the other mother is allowing her to see through the filter of Coraline’s conscious. Jung states that â€Å"The more projections are thrust in between the subject and the environment [the other world in Coraline’s case], the harder it is for the ego to see through its illusions† (Jung 147). Because of this, Coraline’s newly found freedom into the other world is nothing more than an attempt by the other mother to keep her in the dark while thinking she is in control. This false sense of security doesn’t allow for Coraline to discover her own self. The main plot point of the story is the more Coraline realizes she’s being held back and the more she feels her sense of self coming to fruition the more the illusions put in front of her begin to dwindle until the world is revealed to her for what it really is. Although it is the other mother’s world and she created it, it is the fact that Coraline hasn’t come to terms with her shadow or better yet hasn’t been forced to face it that allows her to succumb to the illusion, â€Å"it is an unconscious factor [the shadow] which spins the illusions that veil [the] world† (Jung 147). As Jung states here, the shadow, and this other world that has been created is her unconscious being warped through the eyes of the other mother, and her warped vision is the veil that the world hides beneath. Coraline’s conscious mind is her adventurous side â€Å"her first two weeks in the house [were spent] exploring the garden and the grounds† this is the basis of the other world, a place full of wonder and excitement, a place full of adventure (Gaimen 6). The shadow that Coraline must face is her fear. Coraline’s conversation with her guardian, the cat, is about her confusion of bravery and being naive. Coraline thinks that she is very brave without knowing what bravery actually is. She tells the story of her father who gets stung by a nest of hornet’s and in the process discovers true bravery, which she embodies as her father going back for his glasses, â€Å"it wasn’t brave because he wasn’t scared†¦ going back again to get his glasses, then he knew the wasp were there, when he was really scared. That was brave†¦ when you’re scared and you still do it anyway, that’s brave† (Gaimen 58-59). Once she goes through this point the world shifts for her, she sees everything for its eerie similarities of the real world but with a malicious twist. The final proof of the discovery of self in Coraline is the fact that once everything is said and done she goes back to her life exactly the way it was. Her parents still pay no mind to her and her life is just as dull now as it was when the story started but her perspective changed. She is no longer oppressed by her status because she defeats the other mother and overcomes her shadow, becoming whole. She is complete, by learning, understanding, and overcoming her unconscious she finds her â€Å"self†. The beginning of her journey is much the same as Ged in A Wizard of Earthsea, looking for her self and being too naive to find it. Ged is a boy who discovers his divine talent for witchcraft at an early age. From the moment that he saves his village from being decimated by savages he was told that he would be a great and powerful wizard by one of the great wizards, Ogion, â€Å"I send you one who will be greatest of the wizards of Gont† (Le Guin 48). This creates Ged’s conscious self, which is a hero complex, thinking that he can do whatever he wishes without consequence. Ged although very powerful is very arrogant and prideful, in an attempt to impress a women he learns to summon a dark spirit from the dead that almost kills him. He once again out of anger and pride summons the spirit of the dead in a competition of strength with a boy, jasper, one year his senior. The shadow is shown to him in many forms, these forms are of his character flaws, â€Å"Like a clot of black shadow, quick and hideous†¦ it was like a black beast, the size of a young child† the young child reflecting back on him when he first revealed himself to the darkness, while the beast is Ged’s vengeful personality taking shape (Le Guin 85). The shadow was born out of Ged’s arrogance, pride and narcissism. He constantly becomes angry at himself for not being stronger and as he succumbs to his anger the shadow becomes stronger, â€Å"it rankled at his heart he should die, spitted on a Kargish lance, while still a boy†¦ raged at his weakness, for he knew his strength† (Le Guin 11). His fear and his constant flaws give the shadow its strength putting those he knows in danger and further hiding his self from him. As Ged tries to run away for the last time the shadow manages to kill Ged’s pet. This is the last straw for Ged and he, as Coraline did, discovers his unconscious, his identity and seeks out to defeat the shadow. He begins to chase the shadow and becomes stronger from it, facing his inner demons and overcoming his fear. Ged learns of the connection he has with the shadow in order to defeat it, â€Å"it wills to work evil through you. The power you had to call it gives it power over you: you are connected. It is the shadow of your arrogance, the shadow of your ignorance, the shadow you cast. Has a shadow a name† (Le Guin)? By being told this and through all the trials Ged faces he becomes humble and learns his way through the barriers he has put up on his darkness. Through the hunt Ged finally realizes what the shadow is and even though it has his misguided qualities it has brought out the good qualities in him. Ged finally spoke the shadows name and the shadow repeated it, Ged and the shadow became one and Ged became one with his unconscious and becomes aware of his self, â€Å"I am whole, I am free† (Le Guin). Coraline and Ged went through hardships in order to become one. Coraline learned true bravery and defeated her other mother and though her life did not change she accept herself and her life for what it was. Ged through his hardship lost his arrogance, his pride, his ignorance and actually physically became one with his shadow. Through the hunt of their shadow they found themselves. They stopped running away from who they always were and just embraced and learned to become what they were trying to run away from. Coraline’s ignorance and Ged’s pride were defeated by the hunt for their unconscious. Their true enemy was themselves and the only thing that could defeat that was their new found sense of â€Å"self†.

Legal Issues Essay

From both a spiritual and an ethical perspective Benji Watson should not sign the contract being offered at New Gen Health Sciences. Completely understanding that he is newly out of college, most likely with student loans and upcoming bills he is responsible for, an extremely decent salary of $80,000 looks very ideal for him. In this day and poor economy the average graduated student would jump at the opportunity to accept a high ranked position like this. It is not everyday one gets invited to attend a weekend long event with a company like New Gen. To be lavished by free merchandise for like an iPad and polo shirts. One of my favorites quotes is, â€Å"They best things in life are free.† For many that would have finalized the deal, but money is not everything. In the Holy Bible Jesus teaches us about money. â€Å"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.† (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV) Jesus makes it clear that having the wrong treasures leads to our hearts being in the wrong place. What we treasure the most ends up controlling us. Statistics show that young Americans who possess a college degree struggle at mediocre paying jobs all across the United States. I do not know Benji’s financial situation, whether or not he desperately needs this job in order to survive but should he compromise his spiritual and ethical beliefs for this job? I truly do not think it’s worth losing self-dignity. God said that he would provide all of our needs, so regardless I think Benji should rest on that promise. My spiritual mind is telling me that one should never exploit their beliefs for a company’s gain. Spiritually speaking I believe in the faith I have in Jesus Christ. I feel as though if Benji accepts this position he would be settling. If New Gen offered a nice salary plus bonuses, I am sure they are more ethical companies out there willing to hire a well-educated college graduate such as Benji. The fact this company willingly falsely advertised their company for consumers discredits it as a whole for me. Putting up a facade shows the lack of integrity New Gen shows. Business ethics is the study of what makes up good and bad conduct as related to business actions and values. (Kubasek, 2012) In the business world CEO’s and top leaders decide whether or not they’ll follow good ethics  for there company. Clearly Benji sees the dark route New Gen is taking. Not only are they dishonest with investors and distributors, who poured into the company leading to profits, but also consumers. What disturbed me most as a Christian was when the CEO placed himself on such a high pedestal addressing the large crowd at the pep rally. Disrespecting the Christian faith, using the word salvation in a negative way to hype the crowd bothered me. â€Å"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. â€Å" (Galatians 6:7-8 NIV) As a believer I would not be comfortable working for a man who disrespected and took my faith so lightly and used it for personal gain. Furthermore the company showed mixed messages in regard to the possible hiring of Benji. New Gen Health Services made it seem like they didn’t interview him based on his Master’s degree, but because they assumed he was a Christian who could â€Å"talk the talk† to hoard new distributors in. Why would anyone want to work for a company who just wants to exploit you in order to increase the company’s profits and to potentially negatively hurt these lured distributors in the long run? God calls us to do good and live like Jesus. â€Å"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.† (Matthew 7:12 NIV) I feel another big reason why Benji shouldn’t sign the contract is because the true motivation for New Gen is corrupt. It is the motivation for the action that determines whether the act is fundamentally ethical or economic. (Dobson, 2012) There is a clear distinction of what form of ethic New Gen chose to do. They went the strategic-ethic path, aiming for the best monetary results for them. The economic benefits to be derived from superficially ethical behavior can be significant. (Dobson, 2012) If Benji did consider signing the contract with New Gen he may have felt that this is how all businesses are run in the real world. The scheme â€Å"Get rich quick!† is popular among many. It is common to familiarize such with corporate culture which is defines as a set of characteristics that define a business. It involves employee attitudes, standards (policy and procedures),  and rites and rituals. Though I believe that this is true and common, I know that they are plenty of businesses choose to do differently. Lastly Benji should avoid signing that contract because he’ll have to deal with his conscience. Would God be pleased with his decision to join such a corrupt company? Would Benji himself be content and comfortable waking up everyday to work for people who truly don’t care about anyone but themselves? I believe the answer to those questions are â€Å"no†. They are so many opportunities for Benji, he just needs to grasp them! In conclusion I am certain Benji is better off working for a company who truly acknowledges good business and spiritual ethics. References (1997) Life Application Study Bible. New International Version. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc (2013) What is Corporate Culture? Retrieved on November 19, 2013 from http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-corporate-culture.htm Kubasek, N. K., Brennan, B. A. & Browne, M. N. (2012). The legal environment of business: A critical thinking approach (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

E2F1 is crucial for E2F-dependent apoptosis Coursework

E2F1 is crucial for E2F-dependent apoptosis - Coursework Example These proteins have the ability to function at all parts of the cell. These genes also lead to the discovery of familial cancer syndromes. About 50 tumor suppressor genes were catalogued and pRb and p53 proteins were found to have preeminent importance in the human tumor pathogenesis. pRb is closely co ordinate with the cell cycle. pRb hyperphosphorylation occurs when the cells pass the M/G1 transition at the R point. pRb contains atleast 16 different sites for phosphorylation. Thus it proves that pRb is the molecular governor of the R point transition. After the findings that the DNA tumor-virus encoded oncoproteins can disrupt the regulation of cell growth, the importance of learning pRb became important. It was also found that 3 DNA tumor virus oncoproteins, though they are structurally unrelated, they targeted the pRb. pRb inactivation can be done in four pathways. Interaction with viral proteins, phosphorylation, gene mutation and caspase mediated deregulation. The binding of th e onco proteins at the site of pRb also promote cellular proliferation. The cell cycle dependent transcription was associated with the co ordination of the pRb and the E2F as the central mechanism. The pRB which are also called as rocket proteins helps to silence the E2F regulated promoters. The complexes between the pRb and the E2F family members were found to be formed at various phases of the cell cycle. The pRb/E2F complex helps to regulate growth arrest and cell cycle reentry. This association is released by phosphorylation of the pRb by the cyclin dependent kinase. In the absence of pRb protein, the cell death was found to be higher. Hence the effect of pRb on the apoptosis was studied. The E2F protein and the pRb complex formation and dissociation was extensively studied. Apoptosis in the absence of the pRb was found to be dependent on the activity of E2F1. The cell cycle progression is dependent upon the release of the E2F mediated by the phosphorylation of pRb. The E2Fs con tain a distinct domain at the C terminus which is more important for protein binding. The E2F1 mediated apoptosis is ascribed to two mechanisms both p53- dependent and p53- independent. When there occurs any DNA damage during the G0 and G1 phases, the p 53 tumor suppressor proteins induces apoptosis. E2F1 can proliferate and arrest the cell cycle at any stage. Thus it acts as both positive and negative regulator. The hypophosphorylation of pRb binds to the E2Fs and activates it through negative regulation. Thus E2Fs expression on regulated genes increases. Since E2F1 and E2F3 loss can induce apoptosis, this became the key factor in the study of human cancer. E2F transcription factor are associated with a number of promoters on the cell cycle at G1. These E2Fs are bound by many pocket proteins. These pocket proteins are the pRb proteins. When these pRbs undergo hyperphosphorylation, they lose their grip on E2Fs and they stimulate the transcription of the genes. The viral onco protein s target the pRb and they mimic pRb hyperhosphorylation and prevent pRb from binding to the E2Fs. E2Fs is a heterodimeric protein composed of E2F1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 sub units. In this report, the ability of E2F3 to trigger apoptosis in vivo was analyzed and concluded that E2F3 deregulation will trigger apoptosis. It was also concluded that E2F1 and E2F3 association is required for

Comparing a North American Native civilization with a European's Essay

Comparing a North American Native civilization with a European's - Essay Example Furthermore, both groups supplemented foraging and hunting/fishing with the planting and harvesting of crops. Additionally, Europe like America at the time was split into thousands of small (tribe-like) warring factions with a host of political, religious, linguistic and ethnic divisions. Interestingly, though the text and the lecture notes make the emphasis of the level of equality that Native American women enjoyed as compared to their European counterparts, this is not necessarily the same story with the northern European Vikings. Due to the fact that the Vikings were semi-nomadic and often engaged in expeditions of conquest and wealth acquisition, the women who remained at home were responsible for ensuring that the civilization continued to operate in the absence of a great many of the men. As such, a type of matriarchal authority structure was not uncommon in Viking settlements during times of conquest. Likewise the Arakaris engaged in a semi-nomadic lifestyle that was anchored by their dependence on the crops of maize, squash, and beans. Interestingly, both of these groups are examples of societies in transition between nomadic hunter/gatherers and a more advanced stationary civilization.

The Advantages of Paying Cash Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Advantages of Paying Cash - Essay Example It should be noted that compared to credit cards, cash payments make an individual more conscious of his expenditures, exempt him of annual charges, and motivates the individual to save.As opposed to cash payments, credit cards allow an individual to spend more than the money that he actually has. For example, when shopping a person with credit card tend to spend more on items that he does not necessarily need. With cash, a person will be constrained by the amount that he carries.Secondly, without credit cards, an individual is exempt from paying annual fees and other interest charges. The $200 charge by companies annually is often enough to purchase some necessities. Also, interest charges are additional expenses which one doesn't want to shoulder.Lastly, cash payments motivate a person to save. It should be noted that since you only spend what you have, you are not tempted to allot money for unnecessary purchases. This together with the absence of financial charges motivates you to save money.If I am faced with the important decision of choosing the place where I want to spend all my life, I will choose to stay in the city. Away from the solace and the boredom of the small town, a city provides a quality of life which will enable me to develop my strengths to the fullest. The big city often offers the best schools in the country, the more exciting and challenging job opportunities, and the best companies to work for. I always believe in developing my competencies through education which can be best secured by a huge and reputable university in the city. Universities in big cities often invest so much in the quality of the education that they offer thereby allowing their students to be the best in their respective fields. Secondly, there are more job opportunities in the city. In a small town, jobs are limited and are often non-challenging to an adventurous person like me. In a big city, jobs require the completion of tasks which are more exciting. Having these tasks will enable me to learn more. Big cities also house the best companies to work for. Recognizing the quality of the people that they have, these companies offer huge compensation together with nonfinancial rewards. Working with the best company also has the advantage of working with the best in the industry. A big city represents the life that I choose for myself. As opposed to the small, quiet town it provides opportunities of growth for me. In the big city, I can be equipped with better education, work more challenging jobs, and can be a part of the world's best organizations. How to Do Your Laundry Who says that you always need to bring your dirty clothes in the laundry shops for cleaning It is often disappointing to find out that people are relying so much and paying for these services when washing clothes is just an easy task. Doing your laundry can be done in three major steps namely, the pre-washing preparations, the actual washing, and drying. In order make washing easier, it is best to always separate the colored from the whites. This way, the colors will be maintained and color fast clothes are also protected. Before putting them in the washing machine, all foreign objects such as clips, pens, wallets, and other should be removed from the clothes. Also, it is best to prepare the machine by following the manufacturer's instructions. During the actual washing, the procedure of the washing machin

The Routines of Decision Making Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Routines of Decision Making - Math Problem Example 2. The maximum purchase price for the pair of bindings is $10.00, as this is the cost of production that differs between the alternatives. In case if the price is higher, the company will be realizing a loss. 3. If the production increases from 10.000 units to 12.500, the fixed costs that change between the alternatives allocated to a pair of skis would be the following: 10.000 / 12.500 = $0.8. The fixed cost of 100.000 should be considered when making the decision, as it does not differ between the alternatives. Since all the rest of the production costs remain unchanged, we can simply add the net change in fixed cost from the total cost of production that varies between the alternatives in order to receive the cost of production for a pair of bindings under the new circumstances: 10.00 + 0.8 = 10.80. When considering the long run (30,000 sales form by the end of the third year), the fixed overhead that varies between the alternatives per pair of bindings is only $0.33 (10.000/30.000). Under this sales volume the company should produce the bindings itself.

Relationships between climate and river flow in the Alps Essay

Relationships between climate and river flow in the Alps - Essay Example annual totals of river flow (discharge) in the Massa, which drains from Grosser Aletschgletscher, measured at Blatten-bei-Naters, for the same months ( x 106 m3 )(C). Annual totals of river flow in the Gornera, which drains from Gornergletscher, measured 0.75 km from the glacier terminus, for the months June through September( x 106 m3 )(D), and annual totals of precipitation (mm) between October (year-1) through May of the given year at Grà ¤chen (E), often called P10-5. Both of the glaciers are in tributary valleys of the upper Rhone basin in Kanton Wallis, Switzerland hence are likely to have had very much the same pattern of climatic events over the 30-year period. Hence, runoff from the two basins is likely to be strongly correlated. The Swiss Alps lie within Switzerland and the north is drained by Inn, Rhine and Rhone rivers, which empty into Black and Mediterranean seas whereas the south is drained by Ticno River, which empties into Adriatic Sea. The pattern for Gornera river flow is uniform over the 30 years period with the highest flow being at around 1993. The flow for river Massa is however not keeps changing at quite big margins over the period. Both rivers however have the highest flow at around the same period, which is in 1993. (5) Calculate the Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient between the two series. [Choose an empty cell on the spreadsheet – say G1 – and clickthere. In the text bar type = and then select CORREL from the drop down menu. Correlation coefficients are usually reported to two decimal places. Format cell number, decimal places 2, enters]. How well are the two series correlated? Are there any periods when the series are not moving in tandem? The Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient shows the correlation between two variables. (6) Summer discharge from glacierised basins is likely to fairly strongly influenced by energy availability for melting snow and ice. Plot the xyscattergrams

Domain Bacteria Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Domain Bacteria - Research Paper Example The relatedness between any two given metazoans such as a human and a slug is often much more than the relation between two bacteria species. They appear in a variety of shapes (rods, spirals, spheres, blogs and helical among others) and sizes ranging between 0.5 and 5.0 microns. Most bacteria are of one of three typical shapes, which include round/ball-shaped (coccus), rod-shaped (bacillus) and spiral-shaped (spirillum), with an additional group, vibrios, that appear as incomplete spirals. Scientists also characterize bacteria by their growth patterns such as the chains formed by streptococci. While some bacteria, mainly the spirillum and bacillus forms, are motile or swim about by whip-like movements of flagella, others have pili, rigid rod-like protuberances, which serve as tethers. Pili join pairs of bacteria together facilitating transfer of DNA between them. Some bacteria have short, hair-like, proteinaceous projections called fimbriae at the cell ends or over the entire surface, which enable the bacteria to adhere to surfaces. Depending on the bacteria species, flagella may be set in any of four ways, which includes the monotrichous form with a single flagellum at one end, the amphitrichous with a single flagellum at each bacterium end, the lophotrichous with two or more flagella at either or both bacterium ends and the peritrichous form with flagella distributed over the entire cell. Bacterial cells can exist as discrete individual cells or may group together in chains as in the case of rods and cocci. Cocci forms can also aggregate in clusters. They contain a cell envelope comprising of a capsule, the cell wall and a plasma lemma or plasma membrane and a cytoplasmic region, which contains the cell genome, ribosomes and various cell inclusions. Most bacteria have a rigid cell wall, which consists of a polymer of disaccharides that are cross-linked by peptides (short amino acid chains) forming a

Chocolat Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chocolat - Movie Review Example ns for its spread in the entire community and would give people something to cherish and enjoy in a strictly held environment of religious associations. The timing of the mega event is of high significance and it is related and dropped at a time that coincides with the local locality’s religious beliefs. The two chose Easter Sunday for the festival which is the last thing the mayor and other opponents of the idea could have expected. The chocolate coated message in the movie: The movie is indication and message conveyer of empathy and love and cherishing the moments and living the life as it should be lived. The entire idea about the confectionery and chocolate business is to bring about joy and happiness in the lives of people of the incumbent society who are pressed by the recluse in the name of theological beliefs imposed on them in form of orthodox social factors. The coining in of the chocolate concept makes it softer to digest and leaves an impact in a gentle way. While the mayor and other officials are skeptical of the entire idea, the locals receive the entire idea warmly and see it as a breath of fresh air in an environment and society that was restricted previously in the name of religious practices. It is the strong presence of chocolate and its ability to make way and find place in the hearts of people of the local scene that its practices and confectionery operation is allowed. This very act sets the precedence for more relaxation and more power and freedom of people in the society which was a scarcity in past and people had to live under curbed circumstances. Director’s cut: Lasse Hallstrom has lived up to his name and has delivered what he is expected of and is known for. With this movie and deliverance he has extended his legacy as one of the fine... The movie is indication and message conveyer of empathy and love and cherishing the moments and living the life as it should be lived. The entire idea about the confectionery and chocolate business is to bring about joy and happiness in the lives of people of the incumbent society who are pressed by the recluse in the name of theological beliefs imposed on them in form of orthodox social factors. The coining in of the chocolate concept makes it softer to digest and leaves an impact in a gentle way. It is the strong presence of chocolate and its ability to make way and find place in the hearts of people of the local scene that its practices and confectionery operation is allowed. This very act sets the precedence for more relaxation and more power and freedom of people in the society which was a scarcity in past and people had to live under curbed circumstances. The script conveys a loud message in a very subtle way and through the most feasible and flexible tool of confectionery that hits the sense of taste in the sweetest of manners. It has pointed out to a old custom that was oppressive and against the nature of free society and free people, yet the message has been conveyed in the most harmonized manner without hurting anyone’s feelings. The director has various other movies and fine pieces under his belt which make him the established, renowned for his artistic work in cinematic corridors. The movie is well coherent and structured in bits. Each segment complements other in its own way, while the first phase is a build up and relatively slow, second is well carried along and the third is relatively fast paced as per need since it had more activity to it.

Discussion Questions Essay Example for Free

Discussion Questions Essay DQ #1: Select a small business that you may want to start. What is strategic management and planning? Why would a strategic plan be important to the success of this business? How are the four functions of management relative to creating and implementing a strategic plan? I want to start an e-commerce sales business. The strategic management and planning guidelines for this kind of business include the following: Planning As an owner, I will analyze the direction the organization will go and create core objectives for the business. The objectives will help the company stay on track and assist in any unexpected developments that may arise down the road and short-term and long-term goals are designed. Organizing We will analyze our resources and determine the volume of products to purchase and the individual cost to generate profits. We will also review how many employees will be needed. Directing Our managers will be tasked with the responsibility of encouraging positive behavior from employees to create production that leads to higher profitable margins. Managers will implement a reward system for consistent high producers. Controlling The entire team will survey the operation and gauge areas that may require improvements or adjustments to maximize sales volumes. The team will also use the same goals and objectives that were previously established to review any issues or concerns and confirm that any negative feedback that may have been received is addressed. A strategic plan would be very necessary and important for this business to solidify a position in the e-commerce industry where customers can shop for quality products and the company will earn profits, while instilling great customer service. The four functions of management are relative to creating and implementing a strategic plan so all areas are balanced and functioning in conjunction with the expectations of the business. DQ #2: What is the difference between mission and vision statements? What factors must be considered to produce an appropriate mission and vision statement for an organization? Vision and mission statements various phrases that a company uses to describe or state their values, direction, integrity position, beliefs and style. The difference between the vision and mission statement is that the mission statement defines the purpose, goals and objectives of a business. The mission statement also explains the impact the business will have on the community. The vision statement speaks more to the values of the organization, explains the purpose of the achievements, and outlines how things should be done as the goals and objectives are being followed. In order to produce an appropriate mission and vision statement the business should focus on elements that build trust among potential consumers that will help them to understand the primary facets from which the business plans to operate. Some key variables are the quality of products and services that will be delivered, the contribution to the community, and the ethical position that will be the foundation of good business behaviors

Technology Infrastructure Essay Example for Free

Technology Infrastructure Essay Information Technology Infrastructure is the integrated framework upon which networks operate. The infrastructure is the physical hardware used to interconnect computers and users or in some cases it is viewed as everything that supports the flow and processing of information, the transmission media, which includes telephone and cable television lines and also the routers, repeaters and other devices that control transmission paths. The software used to send, receive and manage the signals that are transmitted is also part of the infrastructure and should be managed and designed accordingly in other to have an effective network. In this final paper I will assess, compile, update and synthesize all the information that I have collected throughout the 10 weeks. A proposal will then be written to address some problems and deficiencies which were uncovered in the network and what my proposed solution is. Part 1: Network Assessment  The network that I have been characterizing is a small local area network for an Accounting firm in downtown Manhattan. The network will be made up of 14 workstations where 8 will be used for invoice billing, 1 for the manager, 2 for the IT department, 1 for reception the 2 others will be left unused just in case employees from other offices are there on business and need to access work related files. The LAN is being designed with the hope of expansion to another floor in the coming months so provision is made with this in mind. Considering the size of the organization I chose to design a LAN because of it is cost effective, because of the connectivity and communication which allows users to communicate be email with each other, Data Sharing lets the networked computers share data with each other and because Data Security and Management allows the administrator to manage the data better. I also kept in mind that instead of installing software and updates to each individual computer the software can be uploaded to the entire network and dispatched to all computers on said network eliminating time and expenses. Designing this network called for effective Information Technology planning which is a key ingredient in achieving strategic business success when implanting a network or any type of information technology infrastructure. Because the network is comprised of 10 workstations and the manger as well as the CEO will be using laptops I have chosen to use fiber optic instead of regular cable especially due to the amount of noise present in cable communication media with a DSL / Digital Subscriber Line internet connection while incorporating wireless service for laptops and visiting employees as well as those who work from home. Though Fiber-optic seem to be a bit pricy my decision to go with Laser Fiber Optic was based the company needing the computers to be up and running all day and making sure that the lines are secured. Secondly because the company is thinking of expanding to another floor we need the transmission range to maximize, so 100 kilometers as far as transmission range is important. The only other alternative media that I would consider is the thick coaxial cable but we would need to incorporate the use of repeaters after a 100meters when the company is ready to expand. The main issue to consider is how secure this line is which is the reason why Fiber-optic would be the most trusted and efficient. My third reasoning behind choosing fiber again is the potential noise issues which could slow down the network and cause disturbances. Two specific points where I think noise will be present are when employees are working from home trying to connect through the VPN connection in windows XP there can be attenuation issues which is loss of signal strength. The VPN connections allow window XP clients to connect to a VPN remote access server by using PPTP and LT2P network protocols. Secondly with the wireless network infrastructure implemented if too many users are trying to use the same channel (not enough bandwidth to go around) and the adapter settings are not done properly then there are bound to be interruptions with the data transmission, any form of signal issue is a potential for noise. My recommendation to eliminate this issue would be keeping the routers in an area central to the rest of the devices that will be connecting and changing the wireless channel on the router associated with the wireless connection. The key devices needed to put the network together are 2 servers, (one will be used for backup although we are using cloud computing) CAT6 cable, 2 wireless routers / wireless switches, a network adapter and a repeater. All these devices together links up all the local and remote network segments with each other to make data communication flow better. Because of the size of the network there are a number of peripheral, devices applications and data that will be shared by users on the network. Some of the peripheral devices include the router and modem which will be used to connect all the computers, the printers and copiers, scanners for scanning documents and file and folder sharing. Some of the application software shared will be emails, internet and the web browser. Everyone on the network will also share the same operating system which will be windows 7. The document sharing will be shared among the users on the same network because they all will be connected to the main server. When updates need to be made it won’t be sent to individual computers instead it will be sent through the network and server so all computers are updated automatically. Although a license has to be purchased for every user who is using the software on their individual computers everyone will be able to share and use the same program or software on the network as long as they are connected. Because of the partial wireless nature of the network, there are a number of protocols with needed to be implemented. The two protocols that are implemented are PPPoE and PPP. PPPoE stands for Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet and PPP stands for Point to Point Protocol which is a member of the TCP/IP suite of network protocols. PPP is usually used over serial communications like dial-up modem connections. The advancement of technology has brought hackers and cyber-attack at an all-time high, so securing the network deemed a bit challenging especially due to the wireless part which possess security and technical challenges. Some of the security issues include viruses, worms, denial or service, hackers and the list goes on. To secure the data on the LAN I will be implementing Data Encryption Standard which is a commonly used encryption method used to send and receive secure transactions. To avoid and intercept viruses and worms I implemented an antivirus called the Symantec Endpoint Protection. Symantec Endpoint Protection offers great performance and support for virtual environments; antivirus scans are reduced because of layering technologies like insight which lowers the risk of cyber criminals. The third form of security that I have implemented is the use of a firewall. A firewall is a system or combination of systems that supports an access control between two networks so in this case it would be between my LAN and the WAN which is the World Wide Web. A firewall limits users on the internet from accessing certain portions of a corporate network and can limit internal users from accessing various parts of the internet. This is where access control would play a part. Firewalls come in two basic types, packet filters and proxy servers. Packet filters examines all incoming and outgoing transmissions and filter out those transmissions that are deemed illegal. Proxy’s on the other hand are computers running at the entrance to a computer network and acting as a gatekeeper. Finally because of the wireless part of my network I will need to make sure that there is wireless security implemented by making sure that a password is used to long in. The use of WAP (Wi-Fi Protected Access) will be used as the encryption key to keep the wireless segment protected and secured. In relation to physical security I recommend always locking up the server rooms, turning them off will save on power but won’t avoid unauthorized persons from tampering, ensuring that there are good locks on the server door is crucial. Secondly disconnecting and removing computers that are not being used and locking them up is a way to prevent hackers from accessing unsecured computers that are connected to the network. Employees who are out to lunch should also lock their computer to avoid the fellow employee from accessing files that they are not authorized to see. The third physical security option is disabling the drives; If you want to prevent your employees from copying information to a removable media disabling or removing floppy drives, USB ports and any means of connecting to external drives is important. Disk locks can be inserted into floppy drives on the computers that are restricted. The forth physical security I would install is a backup server, not at the current location but somewhere away from the office. In case there is a fire in any of the office or someone messes with any of the computers, the files will be stored at a secure location outside of any of the offices that the company in question has. Network security starts at the physical level, having firewalls won’t deter an intruder who is able to gain physical access to your network and computers’ so locking up well is the key. Although every aspect of the network was addressed there were some issues that came up towards the end of the project right when the company was about to lunch the new system. The 2 deficiencies that came up were related to the hardware which was associated with the physical structure of the network as well as performance issues. Part B: Proposal Document Project Justification: The LAN has the potential to be a great network because it has the potential of expanding into a WAN, so to address the problems which were just discovered I have put together a proposal which is guaranteed to eliminate the hardware and performance issues associated with the connection on the network. It is important that the hardware issues which includes the printers, telephone lines and VPN connectors are dealt with before the new network is completely lunched because not only is invoicing done for clients in the New York, but the office in Tokyo needs to access the same files and need to be able to send documents to the printer/ fax machines with no encumbrance. The current infrastructure’s VPN connection was not configured correctly so during testing it was brought to my knowledge that anyone who would be working from home would have issues getting a connection. Secondly with the installation of the VoIP telephones we realized that the connection was not clear and any long distance calls which went over 5 minutes would be disconnected. The performance issues which had been a problem from conception stemmed from me not taking into consideration the applications that were going to run on the network and the use of a hub instead of a switch.

Ultimate leadership styles that the managerial grid deems to be ideal

Ultimate leadership styles that the managerial grid deems to be ideal This is the ultimate leadership styles that the managerial grid deems to be ideal. This leader encourages teamwork while focuses on result and output simultaneously without compromising either. The leader is dominant enough to make the followers feel that they are constructive parts of the company and so make the most out of their capabilities. Research has helped us identify this leadership styles as Charismatic leadership or transformational leadership. Charismatic leadership is defined as a social influence process that involves the formulation and articulation of an evocative vision, provides inspiration to motivate collective action, demonstrates sensitivity to environmental trends, and displays unconventional and personal risk-taking behavior. These behaviors result in leaders being role models for followers who become committed to the leader and the vision, experience task meaningfulness, and make sacrifices for the collective cause (Conger Kanungo, 1998; Shamir et al., 1993) . Shamir, House, Arthurs (1993) self-concept based theory presents two core dimensions of charismatic leadership. These dimensions are inspirational motivation and idealized influence. Inspirational motivation involves communicating high performance expectations through the projection of a powerful, confident and dynamic presence. Such behaviors evoke powerful emotional responses from followers that energize them to exert extra effort.( Sosik Dinger, 2007) Idealized influence involves the display and attribution of role modeling for followers through exemplary personal achievements, character strengths and/or behavior. (Sosik Dinger, 2007) According to Bass Avolio, (1997) both these core behaviors help create a strong emotional bond between the follower and the leader. Inspirational motivation and idealized influence are also considered as charismatic components of transformational leadership. . (Sosik Dinger, 2007) Previous research suggests that transformational leadership co ntributes to the success of an organization by motivating employees to go beyond self interest and be passionate to achieve given targets and goals. Ross Gray (2006) chose transformational leadership when researching on teacher leadership and student achievement because according to them, it is compatible with broadly based trends of teacher empowerment, multiple stakeholder participation in school decisions, and reduced support for top down change theories. In addition, substantial evidence exists that transformational leadership is a stronger predictor of teacher beliefs and practices than transactional leadership (e.g., Koh, Steers, Terborg, 1995). Transformational leadership is said to contribute to collective teacher efficacy (Bandura,(1986). Collective teacher efficacy regards to the perceptions of the teachers in a school that the collective efforts of the teachers will positively contribute to student achievement. (Goddard, Hoy, Hoy, 2000) Produce, Dictatorial or Perish Style This is a very task oriented leader who has high concern for the fulfillment of goals and responsibilities and minimum or low concern for the welfare, comfort or interaction of the employees. His solution to a non productive worker is simply to punish him or replace him. This leader has a dictatorial style and his focus is on planning, coordinating work, scheduling and providing the necessary resources for task accomplishment (e.g., Likert,1967). People who tend to act on extremes of this leadership style tend to become petty tyrants or abusive leaders Hornstein (1996) describes an abusive leader as one whose primary objective is the control of others, and such control is achieved through methods that create fear and intimidation (Hornstein, 1996). Ashforth (1994) describes a petty tyrant as someone who uses their power and authority oppressively, capriciously, and perhaps vindictively Tyrannical leadership falls in the domain of this leadership style. This leadership style hampers motivation, job contentment or welfare of the followers. Tyrannical leaders may behave in accordance with the goals, tasks, missions and strategies of the organization, but they typically obtain results not through, but at the cost of subordinates (Ashforth, 1994; Tepper, 2000). While dictatorial leaders are least concerned about their followers and keep minimum interaction with them, tyrannical leaders act aggressively towards their subordinates and believe that doing so will increase work effort. Most of the literature on tyrannical leadership considers it harmful for organizations especially in the long run. (Bies Tripp, 1998; Tepper, 2000; Lombardo McCall, 1984) Nevertheless Brodsky (1976), argues that tyrannical leaders, despite of harassing followers, may perform well on other work related duties. They may also have strong technical skills that somewhere down the line are contribu ting to the overall success of the organization. Ma et al. (2004) call this, the paradox of managerial tyranny, arguing that tyrannical leadership may lead to extraordinary performance, even when subordinates suffer. So we can argue that the behavior of this leader can be evaluated differently by upper management as compared to the subordinates. Another style that can be discussed here is the instructional leadership style. Research on teacher leadership argues that supervisory leadership is a characteristic of instructional leadership (Hulpia Devos, 2010). Previously it has been discussed that the instructional leader plays a key role in controlling, monitoring and directing in schools (Bamburg Andrews, 1990; Hallinger Murphy, 1985). However, it empirical research shows that autocratic leaders reduce the stability, satisfaction and feelings of motivation within a group of followers. (Van Vugt, Jepson, Hart, De Cremer, 2004). As discussed above, these leaders fall low on the axis of the grid that presents concern for people. So their priority for satisfaction, motivation and comfort of the followers is minimum reducing effectiveness in performance. (Judge et al., 2004). In a study where followers motivation and satisfaction were two dependent variables checked against autocratic leadership, it was found that people do not favor autocratic leaders(Cremer, 2006). According to the study this was so because autocratic leaders donot give sufficient attention to followers and so fail to motivate them to participate, exhibit loyalty, or contribute positively towards the group. The Impoverished or the Indifferent Style. Leaders who fall in this category have low concerns for both people and production. They either adopt a very lazy approach or simply try to avoid getting into any trouble. The main concern of this leader is not to be held responsible for any mistakes and in that course he/she tends to be unproductive, disorganized and they lack effective leadership qualities. Up to date, there has been little effort to research or study this leadership style, instead literature on leadership is concentrated of effective and ideal leadership styles. (Kelloway, Mullen, Francis, 2006). Although destructive leadership is not a synonym for the impoverished leader but it can fall within the domain of this leadership style. Destructive leadership behavior is defined as the systematic and repeated behavior by a leader, supervisor or manager that violates the legitimate interest of the organization by undermining and/or sabotaging the organizations goals, tasks, resources, and effectiveness and/or the motivation, well-being or job satisfaction of his/her subordinates. (Einarsen, Aasland, Skogstad, 2007) According to this definition the leader does not deliberately harm the subordinates or doesnt intend to do so rather he is thoughtless, incompetent as well as ignorant.( Einarsen, et al. 2007). According to the presented definition a leader will be practicing a destructive style if he is violating the legitimate laws of an organization. Any behavior that opposes a legitimate decision, goal or strategy of the firm, is to be regarded as destructive from the moment these decisions, goals or strategies are enforced. . ( Einarsen, et al. 2007) For example, if a school decides to give extra attention to weaker students and instructs all teachers to do so, and some teachers fail to abide by this decision, this behavior can be characterized as destructive teacher leadership. Country Club Style These leaders are extra cautious about the welfare and comfort of the followers. They take care of their followers at the expense of the welfare of the organization often by interacting with them on a personal level, or by giving them favors and rewards that are not part of the organizations judgment. The main goal of task or goal attainment is undermined while violating the legitimate interest of the organization. (Einarsen, et al. 2007) these leaders may be giving more benefits to the subordinates than they are obliged to and this is done at the cost of the company. They may be stealing resources in form of time or finance from the work place. (Altheide et al., 1978; Ditton, 1977). They are of the opinion that if the employees are happy, they tend to be more motivated to work hard and achieve organizational efficiency. The research work of Einarsen, et all.2007, shows that a category of leaders called supportive disloyal leaders is very similar to Blake and Moutons country club style. It is argued in their article that both the styles show overriding concern to establish good relations with the subordinate. These leaders lack strategic competence and so support values and beliefs that are not consistent with those focused by the organization. Irrespective of that, they may be able to maintain a good relationship with the followers. Such leaders easily gain popularity amongst their followers and are often considered them by as good leaders. It is also argued in previous studies that the intention of supportive disloyal leaders is not to harm the organization; they just believe acting in the particular way discussed above will bring benefit to it. (Mars, 1994) Another concept that falls in the same domain is that of Laissez faire leadership. This leader avoids getting into trouble, make any decision or try solving a problem. (Bass Avolio, 1997), Middle of the road or the status-quo style This leadership style lies in the middle of Blake Moutons grid. His focus is equally divided between concern for production and concern for people. It is argued that he tries to keep a balance between the two.(Bartol, Tein, Mathews, 1994. p405) These leaders are regarded to be average or mediocre leaders. They are not pioneers nor are failures. Also, this approach puts considerable emphasis on the leader, his characteristics and attributes. However, not much attention is paid on the attributes of the subordinates, or the circumstances within which the leader and followers are interacting.( Hitt, Black, Porter, 2006. P 418) The above discussion was aimed to present multiple leadership styles considered effective or otherwise so previous research may be highlighted. I find it important to point out here that there is no ideal leadership style, rather the effectiveness of a leadership style is dependent upon the choice of leadership style adopted in a particular situation. According to the contingent approach to leadership, leader effectiveness doesnt only depend on a leader but also on situational characteristics. So a leader will only be effective if he adopts his leadership style according to the situation.(liu, et all, 2003) The contingency approaches to leadership dominated by the path goal theory: House, 1971 all argue that situational characteristics influence the effectiveness of a leader. Also, it is argued culture is an important situational factor that influences leadership style. (Hofstede, 2001) According to Hofstede (2001) leaders in collectivistic cultures aspire more for traditional values and they follow standard methods, and do not support followers initiative. People treat their leaders with respect and are obedient towards them in many collectivistic cultures, where paternalistic leadership is traditionally seen (Dickson, et al., 2003; Dorfman et al., 1997).The directive and supportive leadership styles collectively make up this paternalistic style. So in this leadership style close supervision of employees is combined with high concern for the well being of the follower. Paternalistic Leadership is widespread in non-western cultures (Dickson et al., 2003). Directive leadership in general, is a less common practice and is not much of a consideration when an appropriate leader behavior is considered in individualistic (Western) countries, as it is in the case of collectivist societies (Hofstede, 2001; Dickson et al., 2003). Similarly, supportive leadership is more comm on in collectivistic cultures as compared to individualistic cultures. (Wendt, 2004)

James Watt :: essays research papers

JAMES WATT James Watt, the son of a merchant, was born in Greenock, Scotland, in 1717. At the age of nineteen, Watt was sent to Glasgow to learn the trade of a mathematical-instrument maker. After spending a year in London, Watt returned to Glasgow in 1757 where he established his own instrument-making business. Watt soon developed a reputation as a high quality engineer and was employed on the Forth & Clyde Canal and the Caledonian Canal. He was also engaged in the improvement of harbours and in the deepening of the Forth, Clyde and other rivers in Scotland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1763 Watt was sent a Newcomen steam engine to repair. While putting it back into working order, Watt discovered how he could make the engine more efficient. Watt worked on the idea for several months and eventually produced a steam engine that cooled the used steam in a condenser separate from the main cylinder. James Watt was not a wealthy man so he decided to seek a partner with money. John Roebuck, the owner of a Scottish ironworks, agreed to provide financial backing for Watt's project. When Roebuck went bankrupt in 1773, Watt took his ideas to Matthew Boulton, a successful businessman from Birmingham. For the next eleven years Boulton's factory producing and selling Watt's steam-engines. These machines were mainly sold to colliery owners who used them to pump water from their mines. Watt's machine was very popular because it was four times more powerful than those that had been based on the Thomas Newcomen design. Watt continued to experiment and in 1781 h e produced a rotary-motion steam engine. Whereas his earlier machine, with its up-and-down pumping action, was ideal for draining mines, this new steam engine could be used to drive many different types of machinery. Richard Arkwright was quick to importance of this new invention, and in 1783 he began using Watt's steam-engine in his textile factories. Others followed his lead and by 1800 there were over 500 of Watt's machines in Britain's mines and factories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1755 Watt had been granted a patent by Parliament that prevented anybody else from making a steam-engine like the one he had developed. For the next twenty-five years, the Boulton & Watt company had a virtual monopoly over the production of steam-engines. Watt charged his customers a premium for using his steam engines.

Physical and Behavioral Responses to Starvation and Famine in Warsaw Gh

Physical and Behavioral Responses to Starvation and Famine in Two Populations Introduction Famine is an event in which food and resources are inaccessible and the majority of a population is endangered (Shipton, 1990). When applied to starvation this definition is accurate with one additional idea: starvation is the result of inaccessibility to resources. Many factors contribute to the progression of famine and the resulting starvation. One of the key factors to consider is the delineation between naturally occurring and man-made starvation and famine. Naturally occurring famine is the result of agricultural or environmental causes such as lack of rainfall or poor soil conditions. Man-made famine is the deliberate denial of food to people â€Å"with the aim of starving them into submission† (De Waal 1991:77). Man-made famine and the resulting starvation will be the basis for this paper. The purpose of this paper is to examine and compare the physical and behavioral responses to starvation and famine in residents of the Warsaw Ghetto during Nazi occupation and the citizens of famine-prone areas of the West African Sahel region. The location of the two regions discussed can be found on the maps (Figure 1 and Figure 2) at the end of this paper. The connections and contrasts of the two populations will be demonstrated through review and presentation of models from literature, a brief background on the populations to be discussed, examples of the populations as they fit the models and a brief discussion of limitations and opportunity for further study. Literature Review: Physical and Behavioral Response Models Physical Response The comparison between the Warsaw Ghetto and the West African Sahel region can best be exa... ...ntainer Institute, United States Army. Tushnet L. 1966. The uses of adversity. South Brunswick, New Jersey: Thomas Yoseloff. Page 18 17 Watts M. 1991. Entitlements or empowerment? famine and starvation in Africa. Review of African Political Economy, 51:9-26. Whitney, E. and Rady Rolfes S. 2005. Understanding nutrition, 10 th ed. Belmont, California: Thomson Wadsworth. WHO. Health conditions aggravate southern Africa famine. (August 4, 2002); http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/who63/en/. Page 19 18 Figure 1. Map of Warsaw, Poland and location of the Warsaw Ghetto. Britannica Student Encyclopedia: Warsaw." 2008. (March 2, 2008); http://www.student.britannica.com/eb/art-55185/Warsaw-Poland. Page 20 19 Figure 2. Map of Sudan, Ethiopia and the West African Sahel Region. Adapted from: http://z.about.com/d/worldnews/1/7/U/1/-/-/sudan_map.jpg.

My Life with Thoreau Essay example -- How Education Has Changed My Life

It was my high school teacher, Anna Shaughnessy, who introduced me to Henry David Thoreau. His Walden was not part of the course of study. She asked whether I knew of this Massachusetts writer. I didn't. Without scaring me off by proclaiming how great he was, she said he had lived and died in obscurity. But not like some romantic poet in a dusty garret. He had done all kinds of work for a living-been a schoolteacher, surveyor, pencil-maker, gardener, carpenter, mason, lecturer, naturalist, as well as keeper of a personal journal into which he wrote two million words. "Thoreau was born in 1817, about a hundred years before you," Miss Shaughnessey said. "But I think, when you read him, you'll find his ideas, his way of looking at life, will mean as much to you as if he were born yeste...