Georges Marvellous Medicine Essay

Roald Dahl is an imaginative writer and does create vivid images in the readers mind. i do agree with this statement. Roald Dahl has used many narrative techniques such as imagery, vocabulary and humours illustrations. Georges Marvellous Medicine should be read by all students, because of all the techniques and key features used. Georges Marvellous Medicine is a story about a young boy who’s tempted to do â€Å"something† about his so called â€Å"grandmother†, and by something he means searching around the house collecting all kinds of horrible ingredients that will make grandma disappear, but instead, of disappearing she gets bigger !.The story affects on themes such as groth, family, good people, bad people, understanding people jealousy and greed. An important theme is good people because, being evil / bad, doesn’t pay out later, what goes around comes around an example would be grandma to George. Roald Dahl was the best storyteller in the 20thcentury. He used fantastic plots that matched by the extraordinary events in his life. He played with the vocabulary, and invented his own words. Roald Dahl stories have brought delight to millions of people.He was born in Llandaff, Wales on September 13th 1916. His parents were Norwegian and he was the only son of a second marriage. His father Harald and his elder sister Astri died when Roald was only three. He remembered his mother as â€Å"a rock, a real rock, always on your side whatever you’d done. Roald Dahl died on the 23rd of November 1990. An interesting narrative technique Roald Dahl used to make his stories entertaining and creative were his own words / vocabulary. An example of them would be: Squigglers, jacky jumpers, heigh – nonny- no and spissing.These words present imagery which makes all Roald Dahl’s stories imaginative and entertaining. Italics is also another narrative technique style Roald Dahl used to emphasise a word. An example of an italic would be: No wonder, good. He slants these words, to make their voices have expression, for example, sarcasm. No wonder : Obviously he had left something out of the medicine. The illustrations by Quentin Blake are another narrative technique, used by Roald Dahl in his novel, Georges Marvellous Medicine. The illustrations help the reader to picture the key events and storyline.These illustrations are quick sketches, in black ink which support the fast rate in the storyline. An example would be, when Grandma hops out of her chair once George hands her the medicine. This book cover Georges Marvellous Medicine created and designed by Quentin Blake is effective as a visual text as it illustrates the key ideas in the novel. This book cover aims to target at children promoting a light and comical storyline and themes. For example, the childish font in the cream coloured box has forms of abstract and vector lines which would attract children’s attention.The large saucepan is a salience im age because of the size of the pan. It makes you wonder the many ingredients put into it and the power of this potion. The ladle on which George is holding, guides the viewers eyes around the book cover. This is a form of vector lines. In conclusion, Roald Dahl is an imaginative writer and does create vivid images in the readers mind. Roald Dahl’s novel Georges Marvellous Medicine is an entertaining and imaginative novel with its made up vocabulary and humorous illustrations.Quentin Blake, the creative illustrator of this novel. is one of the finest illustrators in children’s literature. His illustrations are original and easy to follow. Once again, Georges Marvellous Medicine, by Roald Dahl is an entertaining novel and should be read by all students because of all the key features used. The moral / coda of the book Georges Marvellous Medicine, is that grandma had learnt her lesson for being so cruel and wicked to George, as they say, what goes around comes around.

Global Mindset

Global Mindset Student: Althea A. Tulloch [email  protected] com Program: Bachelors in Organizational Management Nyack College November 30, 2011 Introduction What does it mean to have a global mindset? . Advancements in technology, especially the Internet for e-commerce, have led to globalization, where different economies, societies and cultures of the world are integrated through a global network . It is the capability to operate a business within various cultures. Globalization has affected the world in many different ways including, Industry, Financial arkets, Economically and Diversity where respectively there has been an increase of worldwide markets where countries now have better access to foreign products and raw materials for production and finished goods exportation, different economies of the world have better access to loans and an increase in job opportunities in underdeveloped countries thereby reducing poverty . It has increased the competition among different count ries, and has opened the world to better communication and understanding among people. With the growth in globalization individuals and organizations are forced to develop a lobal mindset to keep abreast of the times. Having a global mindset, to me, is having the ability to analyze, appreciate and utilize the beliefs, customs, behaviors and business practices of individuals and organizations from different parts of the world, to influence global success in the marketplace. It is necessary that global leaders hone this skill as they â€Å" require both business – related and culture-related competencies to operate effectively on a global basis† (Terrell, 2010, p. 2). There are five characteristics of an effective global leader, according to Goldsmith et al 2003): 1. thinking globally 2. appreciating cultural diversity 3. developing technological savvy 4. building partnerships and alliances 5. sharing leadership. Without first acquiring a global mindset, a global leader will not be as effective as he or she should be in the diverse cultural arena. These skills are all required in addition to those typically associated with general leadership which involves managing, strategizing and decision-making. Having a global mindset gives a global organization a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Cultural intelligence (CQ) provides a research-based model for becoming a more effective leader in culturally diverse and cross- cultural settings and is the core of developing a global mindset . This is a necessary skillset for every manager who deals with diverse teams of employees and customers. According to Van Dyne et al (2009) CQ is a person’s capability to understand and adapt effectively to new cultural contexts. Its structure is comprised of cognitive, motivational and behavioral elements. As CQ is relevant to the increasingly global and diverse workplace, it s a requirement in developing a global mindset. However, it is insufficient to rely on awareness through experience and thought, to attain the high CQ necessary to become a superior global leader, responsible for managing multinational teams. According to Shapiro et al (2005, p. 14) â€Å" Knowledge of self is insufficient for high CQ because awareness does not guarantee flexibility †. Flexibility of self- awareness is highly desired as cultures are evolving, and reshaping one’s outlook is necessary for a better understanding. Sowell (1994) states in regard to culture that cultural competition is what dvances the human race, as there are transfers of cultural advances from one group to another. Culture affects decision-making, as well, and the required decision model needs to be determined on an individual nationality basis. According to Wilson (2010) some of the relevant categories to determine which model a nation’s culture falls under are: rational / classical: making presumptions that each group member has common goals and can reach desired conclusions by identifying and assessing problems emotional: exhibiting feelings like mood and verconfidence political / coalitional: a behavioral attitude with emphasis on negotiation, cooperation, or often chaotic but works out in the end garbage can: appease the majority of stakeholders through consensus By understanding decisi on-making models which guide decisions more successfully, leaders are more effective and can better influence problem solutions across cultures. What behaviors are necessary that allows a leader to develop a truly global mindset? A leader can develop a truly global mindset by learning from experience, whether this nvolves learning the language and customs of the countries within which he or she works, by participating in diverse meetings and communicating with a diverse group of business leaders or by living in or frequently visiting global countries or by attending training programs or similar to the ones offered at the Thunderbird Institute. Dr. Mansour Javidan’s programs offer assessments and suggestions on improvement to achieve superior global leadership qualities. The programs focus on three concepts, or capitals: 1. Intellectual Capital – how much one knows about global industries and governments in ther parts of the world 2. Psychological Capital- which influen ces the emotions, and questions how willing a person is to put himself / herself in uncomfortable situations 3. Social Capital – how able is someone to build relationships with people from different countries An organization has a responsibility, as well, in developing the global mindset of the leader by communicating its strategic intent and interest of being a global company. It can also provide clarity on the kinds of skills needed for global executives. Conclusion An organization that intends to expand globally must develop a global mindset if it is to recognize and capitalize on opportunities in the marketplace. Cross-cultural training is imperative for organizations that expand globally. Managers need to get more involved with activities that are diverse in order to learn more about cultures and how we are similar or unique. The organization should have a foundation of openness and dedicate itself to becoming well informed on different cross-cultural issues, values and systems and different assumptions regarding reality. Additionally, it should accept diversity as natural (as the world gets closer through high technology), and also as a source of opportunity and strength. . References: Goldsmith, M. , Greenberg, C. , Robertson, A. , & Hu-Chan, M. (2003). Global leadership:the next generation. Financial Times Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ. Javidan, M. (2011). Global mindset. Macguire graduate school of Management. Shapiro, D. L. , Von Glinow M. A. Y. , Cheng, J. L. , & Hitt, M. A. (2005). Managing Multinational Teams: global perspective. Advances in International management, 18(1). Elsevier Ltd : San Diego, CA. Sowell, T. (1994). AWorldview. In Race and culture: A worldview (pp. 1-31). Retrieved from: http://www. tsowell. com/spcultur. html Terrell, S. (2010) How global Leaders develop: a phenomenological study of global leadership development. Retrieved from http://www. proquestllc. com Van Dyne, L. , Ang, S. , Livermore, D. (2009). Cultural intelligence: a pathway for leading in a rapidly globalizing world. Ccl casebook-cq chapter. Wilson, J. H. (2010). Closing the deal: influencing a decision in two cultures. Leadership Advance online. Issue xx.

Food Preservative Essay

Food Industry is one of the complexes which involve a vast global collection of many businesses that come together to avail food energy consumed throughout the world population. Those farmers who merely depend on food that they plant are not considered to be part of food industry in these modern days. The food industry includes the following: – Regulations- These regulations range from local to international rules and regulations which govern food production and sales, food quality and safety, and general industry lobbying activities (David, Grotton, 1979, pg417). – Education- This can be academic which results to professional in food production, vocational which involves basic training or consultancy which deals on consultation regarding different food products. – Research and development- This involves food technology in order to invest various ways of food production which does not exist in the market. – Financial services which include insurance and credit services. – Manufacturing- Food industry involved in manufacturing of Agro-chemicals, seeds, farm machinery and supplies of agricultural construction. – Agriculture- This is a basic area in food industry since it deals with raising of crops, livestock and also sea foods which are the main raw material used in food industries. – Food processing- This involves preparing fresh products for sale in markets and also it involves manufacture of already prepared food products. – Marketing- This deals with promotion of new products in market. It also gets views from public opinion by advertising packaging and public relation. – Wholesale and distribution- This is done in warehouses, transportation and logistics. – Retails- Food products are basically sold in supermarkets, stones, direct con. Summer restaurants and other food services centers. Therefore, food industry basically covers all aspects of food production and sales. All transactions between productions of food up to the time food is taken to the market are taken care of. The industry size of food production is quite wide since it covers worldwide population and it’s approximately US $3. 2 trillion in 2004. For example, in United State they spend about US $ 1 trillion annually for food or almost ten percent of their gross domestic product (Harratio, 2007, pg 370). This industry due to its diversity and great need to expand it has around 16. 5 million people who are employed in the industry. Food industry regulations are very vital in every stage from production to consumption. These stages include production, processing, distribution, retail, packaging and labeling of all food products. All these are governed by a mass of laws, regulations, code of practice and guidance. There are general food laws which must be followed by everyone whether one is working in a food business or he or she is involved in consumption of the food productions. This deals mainly with registration of foods which are either imported or exported, the safety of food, labeling, product withdrawals and recall (Brown, 2001, pg 439). For example, the main food laws which are used in United Kingdom are:- – Food safety act of 1990 which involved registration of general food registration in Great Britain. – General food law regulation 178/2002. – General food regulations 2004. This incorporated imposition of penalties to those who breaks food regulation. Some of the food safety and consumer protection offenses include – Rendering foods which can injure one’s health by either: I ) Adding something harmful to food. ii) Using harmful ingredients in production of food. iii) Removing any food constituent which can benefit the consumer iv) Passing food through processes which are no recommended. – Selling product to purchaser which is not of the nature, substance or quality demanded by the buyer. – Using false descriptions or presentation of foods in order to entice customers. – Commission of defense is due to the act of default of another person, the other person is guilt of the offense. – In European countries, Food imported to these countries must comply with all their Food safety regulations or else they should enter into an agreement with the exporting countries for those requirements. – Exportation by European countries demands that food should meet the required food law, not unless the importing country demands otherwise as per their laws. – The safety standards of food should be followed strictly this is passed by the law that states: Food shall not be placed in market if it’s unsafe. Food can be regarded as unsafe if its-injurious to one’s health. – Unfit for human consumption. – The labeling, advertising, presentation and setting of food product for consumer should be done in such a way that it would no mislead the consumer. – For traceability purposes, operators of business need to keep accurate records of food, food substances and producing animals supplied to their businesses and also records of suppliers where they buy their commodities which should ensure that this information shall be made available to authorities on demand. – Food business operator can withdraw food which is not complying with safety standards incase it has left their control and recall food incase it has reached the consumer. In case any company breakdown any of these offenses, the company is liable to penalties laid down by general food regulation (Windsor, 1959, pg 37). Food law guide is a process which needs to be updated each and every time in order to comply with food standard every time. In food industry, there should be regulatory impact assessment team which its main duty is assessment of costs, benefits and risks of regulations laid down which could adversely affect the business in one way or another. These teams are either produced by government or agencies which have statutory powers for making laws. The government is trying to put up better regulatory initiatives which will work with food standard agency which is a statutory body which protects public health and consumer’s other interest related to food and drinks. Deregulation can lead to food safety coming to a critical condition since it opposes most of the regulation acts imposed in food production till marketing time. These deregulations may include:- – Free trade agreement. Due to free trade agreement the safety standards of food during export and import times are looked down upon and this can lead to harmful consumption of food. For any successful company to grow well, merging with other companies is quite essential since it enables diversity and acquisition of new methods and formulas which the merging company has. Merging stimulate growth and expression of ideas to give a wide range of products to be produced. The main aim of encouraging merging and acquisition of businesses is to reduce the number of firms operating on one same thing and consequently they increase concentration since the number of firms have lessen and therefore management can focus on something substantial since they are concentrating on a smaller area than before. Also through merging and acquisition companies promote anticompetitive pricing behavior since operations will be taking place on one company which can set standard prices for each items (Manley, 1940, pg 83). In food industry, they have focused merging as something that can bring great impact in economy since it basically changes employment structures. Therefore merges and acquisition results to workers dislocation since the companies will be fewer than before which lead to retrenchment of some workers. The food industry had two distinct mergers and acquisition involved in eight different food industries. These occurred from 1977 to 1982 and from 1982 to 1987. This mergers and acquisitions did not necessary portray the processes causing workers dislocation and lost wages. During the acquisition and mergers, small plants in food industries were added workers during the first merge wave but not during the second one. Mergers and acquisition had small but positive effect on wage during the first merger of 1977-1982 while little effect was felt during the second merger period. Mergers and acquisition also enables many plants to exit their industries during the 1977-82 period and facilitated closure of some firms during the period during 1982-1987. Therefore productivity can be increased and profitability of industry enhanced by actively participating in acquisition and merging of industries. Joint venture by different companies helps the businesses to grow increasingly and therefore increases business interest. Joint ventures also help the business to diversify its products and it basically operates like mergers and acquisition (Zhouying, 2005, pg317). Food technology has greatly advanced in many food companies through invention of new ways of production and marketing of food produce. Food supply chains in any food industry must give way to dynamic supply network and elaborate food technology that drive them. Technology enables high volumes of distributed transactions which take place between different members of supply chain in a rapid and low cost manner. Food technology should be used even during marketing to fit to a variety of transactions.

Harmonization of Commercial Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Harmonization of Commercial Law - Essay Example 1. Preamble Law is vital to dealing with any disputes that arise out of human interaction. Over the centuries, laws have been developed to facilitate human activities in myriad spheres including business and commercial transactions. In the earliest days such laws were generally confined to regional borders and other such boundaries where a single government had enough authority to enforce such laws. However, increasing human interaction necessitated the expansion of trade to beyond frontiers where any one government operated thus leading to a certain liquidity in international business and commerce. On the one hand such liquidity has helped businesses to grow and expand into newer markets and on the other hand these interactions have resulted in disputes that are not covered by the regular cover of law. The historical evolution of laws in various nations and cultures has meant that laws are differentiated around the world. Hence, national laws may not be able to provide legal cover i n transnational and international commercial interactions. In order to deal with this problem there has been talk and action to develop a harmonised set of laws that govern international commercial transactions. ... In order to boost enforceability there has been a teeming move to harmonise such laws so that each nation or other such territorial or other such distinction has uniform laws. This approach to commercial international law has resulted in yet more unique circumstances than ever before. Nations and other such entities have begun framing laws to govern international commercial transactions which are merely similar in nature. It has been argued that these laws are more of a problem in themselves rather than a solution to the predicament at hand. The laws dealing commercial international transactions are seen to be inherently flawed in the manner that they are drafted and enforced in leading to more problems than before. In order to deal with this dilemma it has been suggested that the more appropriate approach would be to devise methods that would encourage states to draft and enforce private dispute laws in the context of international commercial transactions. The current approach relie s heavily on delineating various rights, roles and responsibilities of parties involved in international commercial transactions rather than dealing with dispute resolution upfront. It has been suggested that international commercial law can be simplified if the enforcing government concentrates on dispute resolution than delineating rights because it would allow involved parties to make better contractual choices. This text will attempt to analyse this claim in relation to international commercial law by looking at how harmonisation is supposed to function in principle and how it is actually being used. The shortcomings in current law harmonisation techniques will be looked into fully including drafting and enforcing laws. This will be taken further into

Constitution Timeline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Constitution Timeline - Essay Example The document played a significant role in the creation of the United States constitution. This is clearly seen in the United States bill of rights. This spells out various rights of the people and curtails the government powers (Historic Documents, n.d.). For example, the bill says each person must enjoy all rights with the right practice of law being followed (Historic Documents, n.d.). This is clearly seen in the fifth and ninth amendments. This document is also a source of many fundamental concepts of the law (Historic Documents, n.d.). In fact, the concept of the constitution stems from this document. Colonist wrote the mayflower compact before occupying Plymouth colony. This was a consensus of the new settlers arriving at the Plymouth in November 1620 (Foster, 1992). The voyage was on the ship Mayflower. The settlement was drafted on fairness and justice ideals and the choice of the majority (Foster, 1992). This was necessitated by recognition of passengers that the new world settlers failed due to lack of government. This deal was meant for their own survival. They believed the settlement would be honored between god and man, and between each other (Foster, 1992). It calls for treatment of one another as equal in the sight of god (Foster, 1992). This compact had a profound contribution to the United States constitution. Firstly, it was an influential document for the founding fathers as they created the United States constitution. Secondly, it led to the making of a fresh self-governing nation. Moreover, the United States constitution was also formed on similar bases of equalit y. The declaration of independence was ratified by the Second Continental congress on July 4, 1776 (Department of State, n.d.). Thomas Jefferson drafted this declaration with minor changes made by the committee (Department of State, n.d.). The declaration was because of sore relationship that existed between the

Classroom of Future Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Classroom of Future - Research Paper Example (Shahril, 2011) The classroom is an important environment that transforms many students’ different fields of proffessionalism.Recent research has proved that there is a relationship between their performance and the classroom facilities. Normally, the classroom facilities affect students’ attendance and academic performance. Therefore, taking care of classroom facilities improve the level of student performance in the classroom. Additionally, the classroom often reflects the correlation between the students and their teachers. (Schneider, 2002) According Shahril (2011), he stated that it is important to understand not only what is coming next but also where classrooms started. Throughout history, classrooms have undergone much of technological changes. The purpose of this paper therefore is to describe those changes and then visualize the future changes of the classroom. The classroom has changed a lot since the past. There are three main periods from the early days that helped build the education system that we currently have. The first colonial period was between the 1600’s to 1700’s. The second period was from the American Revolution to the Civil War which was approximately a 70 year period from 1791-1861. (Anderson, 1962).The Information age came next from mid 1900s to the early 2000s. (Lackney &Tanner, 2006) In the colonial period the classroom were very small and only consisted of a single roomed building most likely with log walls, a dirt floor and wax windows. For chairs they would split a log in half and attach branches to the bottom to create a chair. Educational equipment was very scarce and expensive, most of them were homemade consisting of quill pens and boil down bark to make ink. (Anderson, 1962) Between the American Revolution and the civil war, the classroom transformed and became better since classrooms had blackboards, slates and maps. The furniture and architecture also improved greatly. During

Labor Unions Differences could Affect Company Operations Essay

Labor Unions Differences could Affect Company Operations - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that power distance in a country like the USA and the UK is small, compared to the power difference in countries like Japan and France. This being the case, while it would be easier for the workers in nations such as the UK and the USA to interact openly with the managers and discuss issues affecting them, the works in nations such as Japan and France may not go to the management to discuss their matters. What this simply means is that; while it would be easier to resolve the labor issues in countries like the UK and USA through direct management involvement, it may be a bit of a challenge to address such issues in countries like France and Japan, which will most often result to labor union actions, as opposed to direct involvement with the management. The subordinates in countries like Japan and France always perceive the superiors in a different light and for that reason may not seek to engage with them directly. Therefore, the management might experienc e more labor union problems in countries like Japan and France, as opposed to the USA and the UK. In this respect, it would be more appropriate for the management to adapt a more autocratic management system in a country like Japan, while adapting a more open and participatory management style in countries like the USA, UK and France, to avoid the possible labor and labor union problems associated with the power.

Federal emergency grant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Federal emergency grant - Essay Example This outage affected the fire department’s emergency radio for a while (Thomson, 2009). Activation of the city’s emergency operation center during the power outage helped the city restore most of the vital services in a short time. Since then, measures to deal with emergencies in San Marcos are continually under implementation. Some are already in use include the emergency radio station (San Marcos 1610 AM) set up in 2011 which serves the purpose of informing residents on emergency incidents. It is also a long-term traffic advisory for the community and comes handy in giving notifications. It has become a vital part of the community and its integration to the system has been smooth and efficient. The department of fire, in this case, has been proactive on the weed abatement program. This program ensures that there is defensible space between the urbanized populated area and the wild land in case of wildfires. Property owners have been supportive in helping the fire department clear the hazardous vegetation on their property. The fire department responded to over seven thousand emergency calls of which seventy percent were medical related. After receiving the message from dispatch, the department took an average of four minutes and some seconds to arrive. The federal emergency grant that San Marcos has been receiving made all these improvements possible (Thomson 2009). San Marcos district has a remarkably well laid out plan for emergencies. The council encourages people to take self-help classes in order to teach themselves how best to respond to an emergency. The community also provides information on handling any emergency. This is available to the public through the internet and media. The fire department has been more involved in emergency response and prevention than many other departments in the district. It recently held any open day to educate the public on fire prevention techniques. The

Russia`s Motives in Relations with Central Asia and the Caspian Region Essay

Russia`s Motives in Relations with Central Asia and the Caspian Region - Essay Example This essay discusses the relevance between economic power and military power of Russia in relation to the its interests in maintaining good relationship with Central Asia and the Caspian Region. To secure Russia’s economic and political influence over the Caspian region, the Russian government is preparing and maintaining its military power in the Caspian region Considering the economic and military power of Russia, this study discusses the history behind the Caspian Flotilla. As part of going through the main discussion, some real-life current events that are taking place between Russia, the Caspian region, and the central Asia are used as concrete evidences in proving the point of the research. Located on the northern part of Iran and surrounded by the Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and the Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea is a point of political argument and fight between the Azerbaijan, Britain, and Russia because of its 20 to 40 billion barrels of proven oil reserves Similar to case of the Caspian region, one of the main reasons why Russia is maintaining a good relationship with the Central Asia is because of the oil business. Since most of the Russian oil pipelines are controlled by Moscow, the Russian government has to maintain its political partnership with Central Asia to keep the flow of oil business transaction between Russia and other nearby countries in Asia normal. Since a lot of countries in Central Asia have weak political power in the world market, Russia is also enjoying a lot of economic and political advantages there.

Freedom Fighter or Terrorist Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Freedom Fighter or Terrorist - Research Paper Example Many resistance organizations have been put on the official list of terrorist organizations of the United States and among these are Hezbollah and Hamas. Among Palestinians, members of these organizations are considered to be freedom fighters who are fighting for the liberation of their homeland. Hezbollah and Hamas have been fighting against Israel for decades and this has mainly been because of Jewish occupation of lands that are believed to be legitimately Palestinian. As a result, these organizations have come to gain a reputation of being the only legitimate defenders of Palestinian interests in a world which many Palestinians believe has abandoned them. Hezbollah is based in Lebanon and has been an active participant in the affairs of this country for decades as a representative of the Shia sect. with massive funding from Iran, this organization has been able to develop an armed wing which is extremely competent and has managed to hold its own against the far superior Israeli a rmy (Saad-Ghorayeb 168). This can be attested through its performance in the 2006 Israel-Lebanese war where Hezbollah played a significant role in ensuring that the Israeli military did not get a foothold in Lebanon. In some cases, Hezbollah has been praised for ensuring that, according to some analysts, that the war became so costly for Israel that it had to withdraw from Lebanon. It was after this war that Hezbollah’s credibility within Lebanon in the twenty first century was firmly established in the political sphere where this organization has become an active participant. While Hezbollah is still considered to be a terrorist organization by some western states, especially the United States, it has managed, through its popularity, to successfully field candidates in Lebanese elections. A result of its involvement in politics has been

Research design and methodlogy Essay Example for Free

Research design and methodlogy Essay This chapter presents and discusses the method of research used and the procedures utilized by the researcher in this study. It likewise includes the sources of data and the treatment of data. Methodology of the study This investigation adopted the compare and contrast qualitative research method as this is the most appropriate way in determining the effect the type of business to the success of the business. In addition, the quantitative approach was included to complement the qualitative part of this research. The Archival Research is defined by Bordens, Kenneth S. , and Abbott, Bruce B. , (1999) as a non-experimental strategy that involves studying existing records. These records can be historical account of events, census data, court records, police crime reports, or any other archived information. This qualitative study is divided by two parts. They are: 1. Compare Motherhood and Feminism in Beloved 2. Contrast Motherhood and Feminism in Beloved. And, the quantitative study focused on interviewing twenty persons who have read the Beloved novel. The researcher took pains in reading, searching and analysis of the different parts of this study. The researcher examined the comparison and contrast of Motherhood and Feminism in Beloved. The historical background is one of the main focus of this study including their success. The final phase was the analysis, presentation and the drawing of the conclusions and the recommendation. RESEARCH INSTRUMENT The primary research instrument and technique was used in the gathering of data for this study. In addition, the researcher used secondary sources taken from books and journals. These secondary sources had guided the researcher to broaden the point of understanding specifically the effect of Motherhood on Feminism in Beloved. The analysis of variance was used to compare the different topics found in Beloved and the respondents answers grouped according to Age, Gender and Highest Educational Attainment. The formula for Analysis of Variance includes Y i = e i where e i is N(0, ? 2 ) [2. 1] RESEARCH PROCEDURE The researcher seeks the primary as well as secondary materials as the best way to examine the effect of Slavery on Motherhood and Feminism in the Beloved Novel. After a through studying, reading and scrutinizing the different data, it is best to use the secondary sources as a basis for company business analysis and then coming up with the output – Results of the Effect of Slavery on Motherhood and Feminism in the Beloved Novel. Chapter IV PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA This chapter puts forward the presentation, analysis and interpretation of the data collected. The questions identified in the problem are used as the bases for the presentation. The sequence of the structure includes table, analysis and interpretation of the data of the current study. PRESENTATION OF THE STUDY PART I 1. Compare Slavery to Feminism in the Beloved novel. There are similarities between slavery and feminism in the Beloved novel. 1. 1 Both slaves and women have responsibilities in the Beloved Novel. The slaves must clean the homes and even be the unwilling sex toys of their owners. The women have the responsibility to take care of the children in the Beloved Novel. Here, the Nation Journal states about Morrisons intentions in writing Beloved, â€Å"What is this absolute obsession with violence? I mean, violence is two things. First of all, it takes a certain amount of courage, physical courage, but it also requires a certain laziness of intellect. So its both easy and hard. Its such a childs view, as is the puny language that accompanies it. I guess I shouldnt dump that on children, but it certainly is not adult. † The language of literature that is bellicose, that is warlike, is the prized language 1. 2 Both slaves and women have feelings. For, both the slaves and the women can feel both sad and happy. Sethe was sad to feel that her child, Beloved would grow up a slave like her. Sethe felt sad when she knew she would never see her husband again. Here, Toni Morrison has conjured a way to bring back the past to the readers of this novel where slaves too have feelings . 2. Contrast Slavery to Feminism in the Beloved novel. There are differences between Slavery and Feminism in the Beloved novel. 2. 1 Slaves are the property of the owners but Women are not the property of their husbands. For the slave owners feel that they have the right to rape the women slaves because they feel that slaves as their property. The wives cannot be forced to have sex with their husbands or anyone else against their will . 2. 2 Slaves can not own their children but free women can own their children. Sethe killed Beloved because she did not want her to grow up and suffer as a slave like her. She is too possessive of her children. Women who are free, includes freed African Americans, can own their children. Beloved flirts with Paul D. because she wants to have a child of her own. She plans to take care of the child until it grows old. She wants to give her child the love and caring that her mother, Sethe, was too selfish to give her . 2. 3 Slaves have no freedom to do what they want whereas free women are free to do what they want anytime provided it does not violate the rights of others. The slaves are classified as animals in Beloved and have to right or privilege. However, free women a right to fall in love and to roam anywhere they want. This is the reason why Sethe ran away from her owners. This is also the main reason why Sethe’s husband, Paul D. and Stamp paid ran away from their owners. Sethe’s mother in law, Baby Suggs feels that she is now happy for being free to stay at her home to do whatever she wants . Being an African American herself, Toni Morrison â€Å"Historically, women in Africa have dominated the use (and instruction) of literary forms that include proverbs and folk- tales. In consequence, it is important to determine the scope of the narrative traditions in black womens literature and to specify the nature of this relationshipto discuss olktales, for example, in conjunction with the voices of/in the tales. The tellers, the mode of telling, the complications and sometimes obfuscations of telling become critical not only to the folkloric traditions, but to the larger narrative traditions as well† PART II This quantitative essay was done in order to know how people feel about the Beloved story by African American Toni Morrison which was published recently in 1987. For the society changes and humans evolve both in mind and in spirit. The environment where one lives is called reality. And literature evolves or alters its role, its action, its form of practice just like the environment of which it is a part. The people reading the book will cherish their past where their grandparents were once slaves or owners of slaves. 4. 0Frequency 4. 1 Age Table 1 AGE of Respondents Age Range Frequency Percent Rank. 15- 24 11 55 1 25- 34 5 25 2 34- 44 3 15 3 45- above 1 5 4 Total 20 100 The above table shows that there are eleven respondents belong to the 15 -24 age level. This group represents fifty five percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 1 in the above table based on their percentage. Also, there are five respondents belonging to the 25 -34 age level. This group represents twenty five percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 2 in the above table based on their percentage. There are three respondents belonging to the 35- 45 age level. This group represents fifteen percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 3 in the above table based on their percentage. Lastly, there is only one respondent belonging to the 45 and above age level. This group represents five percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 4 in the above table based on their percentage. There are more respondents belonging to the 15- 25 age level. 4. 2 Gender Table 2 GENDER of Respondents Gender Frequency Percent Rank F 14 70 1 M 6 30 2 Total 20 100 The above table shows that there are fourteen respondents belong to the Female Gender. This group represents seventy percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 1 in the above table based on their percentage. Also, there are six respondents belonging to the Males Gender. This group represents Thirty percent of the entire respondent population. This group level is ranked 2 in the above table based on their percentage. There are more respondents belonging to the Female Gender. 4. 3 Education.

Classification and Marine Biodiversity Essay Example for Free

Classification and Marine Biodiversity Essay Important Background Information that you need to know and understand: (Understand the Key Concepts) Key words: binominal system of naming; science of classification is taxonomy; species; levels of classification (know them); dichotomous identification key; 5 kingdoms; etc†¦ CLASSIFICATION Our oceans have a great variety of life forms. Thousands of new species are discovered each year. We need to identify, name, and know the biology of all the marine species. To understand this huge array of species, a simple classification system is used to produce some order out of chaos. Example: this class has persons of all sorts of shapes, sizes, colour, eye colour, finger shape size, etc†¦.what criteria would you use to separate us all out? HISTORY Historically, we group things according to their likeness or use. There were grouping such as edible, poisonous, or medicinal. In your own dialect, you have local names for the edible things on the reef but there is no name for sponges, ascidians, and nudibranchs which you have no use for. There are only general names for corals, sharks, etc. In Fiji, we have no names for the deepsea snappers because we never caught and eat them but in Hawaii and Kiribati, you have different names for different deepsea snappers because you have caught them for generations. Fiji have large lagoonal areas and never needed to fish off-shore.. 25 years ago, Fijian students knew the local names of fish. Today, many students have lost that knowledge because they rarely go back to the village. Aristotle is the first scientist to classify all living things. John Ray developed keys to identify animals. Linnaeus (1707-1778), a Swede invented a simple naming system which we still use today (binominal nomenclature) made up of 2 Latinized words (genus species). e.g. Homo sapiens (in italics or underlined with the first letter in the genus is in capital). The genus or species may be descriptive or named after a person or place. Using scientific names shows scientific exactness as compared to common names which can be very general. Example: Siganus uspi Woodland and Gawel, 1974. Genus, species, describers, year they described it in. METHODS Members of a group share many characters. We use characters which do not change e.g. structure and method of reproduction. Characters can be countable (number of fins) or expressed as a % of total length (head length etc); Characters can be absent or present. Colour can be used as a secondary character as it can change with the environment (and fade after preservation). Fossil records are used to find out about the evolution of groups of organisms. DNA is now used to separate species too. TAXONOMY The science of classification is taxonomy. A person who classifies things is a taxonomist. 5 kingdoms: animalia; plantae; fungi; protista; monera. Protista have distinct nucleus, monera has indistinct nucleus. See kingdom of living things on page 207. You may wish to break your classification into vertebrates and invertebrates. The categories are (classifying you) Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Sub Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Genus: Homo Species: sapiens What is a species: A species is a group of organisms (basically alike) and can interbreed under natural conditions to produce fertile off spring. Consider a mule (horse x donkey); a liger (lion x tiger). Infertile off springs. Butterfly fishes can hybridize. Marine Biodiversity Biodiversity refers to the number and variety of earth’s life forms (remember the 5 kingdoms). KNOW THE Importance of biodiversity 1. If you care about the environment, you must feel strongly that other living things have a right to survive alongside each other. Other organisms do not need to benefit humans directly to have a right to exist. 2. By protecting the earth’s biodiversity, we are ensuring my own survival. As we learn about the amazing complexity of earth’s biodiversity, we will discover more and more direct benefits. 3 types of diversities 1. genetic biodiversity (refer to genetic variety and variability within each species – genes vary between individuals within a species). Use your class as an example and see the differences – not only in colour but body shape and sizes, eye color, hair colour, skin color, shapes of hands etc. Marine species also show variability in shape and colour. 2. species biodiversity (refer to the number of different species living on earth) 1.8 million species has been discovered and described by scientists. We think there may be between 5 and 100 million species. Disappearing species- serious loss of biodiversity due to overfishing for food/use as well as increased nutrient levels caused by from pollution from the land. Old timers tell you about the amount of marine life off Suva 30 years ago-if we don’t start conserving biodiversity, we may only see them in marine parks or preserved as a specimen in museums. Endemic species-only found in a certain country e.g. Siganus u spi (USP rabbitfish) only found in Fiji. 3. ecosystem biodiversity- refer to variety in the combination of species that form ecosystems such as ponds, coral reefs, forests, or grassland. It is the variety of ecosystem types that is ecosystem diversity. An ecosystem can be as large as the Great Barrier Reef or as small as the back of a spider crab (that allows sponges, algae and worms to grow on the shell). Biodiversity in the ecosystems is not just the number of different species; it is the variation within them and the different roles they have in forming the ecosystems. Ecosystems are complex because they are formed by a variety of interactions between species. One interaction is food web; provide an attachment base for others; alter current and light patterns; provide camouflage, shelter or compete for space. Ecosystems are functional units of the marine world. Small worms are just as important as large whales because each have a vital role to play in the ecosystem. Humans interfere and the naturally-balanced ecosystem becomes unbalanced (if we take all the herbivorous fish, the algae would grow vigorously and push out the corals on the coral reef). Ecosystems are dynamic†¦changed by physical and biological processes (tides, storms, succession, humans). An ecosystem applies interactions over large and over small scale. Fish from the lagoon ecosystem depend on the mangrove ecosystem (as juvenile nursery ground) and on coral reef ecosystem (as a feeding ground). Ecosystems can be classified at different scales using parameters such as geology, coastal landforms, water temperature’ salinity, currents, upwellings, wave exposure, depth, and patterns of major life forms (e.g. seagrass). Proper functioning of the marine environment is dependent on its ecological integrity (all components are present, operational and ecological viable). Marine ecosystems are continually changing to meet the changing conditions. Biogeography Biogeography is the name given to the study of the distribution of life on earth. We may look at the windward side and leeward side of the Fiji group. The marine environment on the windward side is affected by the tradewinds which bring strong currents which in turn wash away the sediments. It is more rainy too. The leeward side has less wind and less wave action so sediments stay around. Nutrients from the land do not get disperse quickly. We can also look at the northern areas of Fiji and Rotuma (hotter) and the southern areas including Kadavu and Minerva Reef (cooler). Because the conditions are different, the organisms living there may differ too. Biodiversity and Marine Life Plankton The text book does not cover this topic. Plankton (all animals and plants that live in the water but drift about at the mercy of wind and currents). (Nekton can swim against the current e.g. fish). Those organisms that spend all their lives in the plankton are called holoplankton. Those that spend only part of their lives in the plankton are called meroplankton. Plankton are usually small but they can be up to 1.5m across e.g. large jellyfish. Phytoplankton are plant plankton and zooplankton are animal plankton. Plankton is collected by plankton nets (either by a horizontal tow or a vertical tow). Plankton are important because many are the larval stages of marine animals we see. Plankton provides food for many of the filter feeders in the marine environment (from whales to invertebrates to other plankton). Phytoplankton also produces oxygen to release into the atmosphere. Plankton support major fisheries. They recycle nutrients in the microbial loop. Examples of Phytoplankton: diatoms and dinoflagellates (causes fish poisoning). Examples of Zooplankton: copepods, jellyfish. Sunfish, arrow worms. To keep afloat (stay in the epipelagic zone) plankton swim weakly, have body fluids which are less dense than seawater, actively exude heavy ions, have gas filled sacs, use oils and fats (diatoms and fish eggs have oil), have parachute like forms (slow their sinking rate) or growing spiny appendages (also makes them harder to eat), or have watery tissue (jelly-like). Moffatt, B; Ryan, T; and Zann, L 2003. Marine Science for Australian Students. pp608. Wet Papers Publications.

Personal Identity And The Soul

Personal Identity And The Soul The idea of personal identity is a concept we are consciously living but one we are never quite aware of. Our actions are determined by the anticipation of our future pleasures and future pains. This anticipation is shaped by instances in our past where a particular behavior or action on our part creates a result that we find desirable or undesirable. Our soul is that underlying thread that makes a connection between a situation we are faced with in our present lives to what we have lived through from the vast reservoir of our personal experience. Of the different types of personal identity; the Soul Theory, Memory Theory and Brain Theory, I think the soul theory offers the most complete explanation. We are at any given time, the sum total of our collective life experience that includes the people we have met, the situations we have lived through and the stories we have heard of through the people we encounter about others and their life experiences. For there to exist a connection between an individual at one point in their lives and their selves in another point in their lives, these two versions would have to exhibit traits that cannot be acquired through any other means but personal life experience; i.e. actually living through it. Evidence for such traits is evident in the existence of idiosyncratic individual memories and the logic behind setting goals. If an individual were to lock themselves in a room with no windows, furniture or technology, and they were to write on the palm of their left hand the word red, a day later there is no way for anyone else to know what happened inside the room unless that individual were to divulge those details themselves. A day later then, this individual would be the only one to retain the memory of themselves inscribing red onto their left palm, and this individual memory and the inscribed characters prove beyond reasonable doubt that the individual inside that room a day earlier, and the individual who retains the memory the next day are one and the same person. The evidence for this connection is not physical, but a referenced memory. While the letters can be erased, the memory is not as easy to remove. Hence the continuity between these two versions is not physical, but mental. It cannot be quantified or measured physically, and neither can the soul, but its presence in our lives is overwhelming. Our logic when we make decisions in every aspect of life is based on memories of sitiuations that we reference where we were able to obtain a result we find desirable or to avoid a situation at we find undesirable. Our soul, or our conscious self within our body, examines the experiences readily available in our mind at any given point of our lives and chooses a path that would help us attain what we want. Therefore the soul is the chief navigator for our actions and behaviors for the past, present and future. This notion gains even more prominence because the concept of the soul exists independently of religion. It is not dependent of the existence of God. Those who argue against the soul theory may say that the individual traits that are displayed by an individual before and after in the room experiment, exist independently in the body and not the soul. This objection lacks credibility because is fails to account for those that are identical in their physical makeup but have diametrically opposite personality traits. If personality traits were dependent on our physical selves, that would allude to a scenario where people with identical bodies, if put through the exact same situations for long periods of time would develop similar personality traits. Another version of this statement would argue that people with similar physical makeups would react to stress and other highly emotionally demanding situations in similar ways. But there is no evidence for either of these last two statements to gain any credence. The existence of different and even diametrically opposite personality traits amongst survivors in holocaust camps in Nazi Germa ny disproves this objection to the soul theory. Many of these survivors suffered the same horrors and were worn down to similar body types, but the way their conscious selves dealt with those inhumane conditions differed tremendously. The existence of a wide variety of behaviors to combat those inhumane times proves that there was something within each of these bodies that differentiated them from one another. And this difference was the entity of the soul. When thinking of personal identity, we must look at the body and soul as two pieces of the same whole. The sum total of our sensory organs helps us to see, touch, feel and smell every single life experience that we encounter. But without the soul, which is our conscious self, we have no way of classifying this incoming information and relate them to our lives. Such catharsis happens as a result of the soul, which defines our personal identity. Our soul shapes our perspective, and helps us identify what behaviors and actions we should implement when faced with any situation in our lives. We compare what we are experiencing or what we want with other similar situations from our past and look for some residual pattern that can justify an action or behavior that we deem suitable as a response to that individual situation or experience. The body serves as the vessel that aides the soul by providing it a wealth of information, and the soul in turn helps the body navigate through the waters of life. By providing a link between individual versions of each one of us at different times of our lives, the soul theory most completely offers an explanation for personal identity. Personal identity is the notion that each one of us displays certain idiosyncratic traits or identifiers that exist only within ourselves. These identifiers differentiate us from those around us. Since the creation of these identifiers, which are in effect actions/behaviors and personality traits that we pick up through our life experience, is dependent on our conscious thinking during which we weigh the pros and cons of each action/behavior and trait in terms of their effectiveness to get us a desirable result in similar situations in the past, they cannot exist in the absence of a soul. Therefore, the soul theory is indispensible when thinking of personal identity.

The Awakening :: essays research papers fc

Suicide in The Awakening 	What is suicide? "(Suicide is) the act of self-destruction by a person sound in mind and capable of measuring his (or her) moral responsibility" (Webster 1705). "No one really knows why human beings commit suicide. Indeed, the very person who takes his (or her) own life may be least aware at the moment of decision of the essence of his (or her) reasons and emotions for doing so. At the outset, it can be said that a dozen individuals can kill themselves and "do" (or commit) 12 psychologically different deeds" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 385). Suicide is written about in a variety of novels, short stories, and movies. Suicide moves like an undercurrent in the sea of themes of The Awakening. The possibility of suicide and even the idea of death darkens the story, making Edna's emotional ups and downs dangerous - her occasional misery leads her to subconsciously think of suicide. She holds the hopelessness at bay by moving out and getting her own apartment, while trying to find a man who will accept her, but in the end she succumbs. 	Edna's closest physical brush with death occurs one night at the beach, when the summer residents decide to take a midnight swim. Despite having had a hard time learning to swim, she realizes her ability and swims farther out than she ever had before. She overestimates her power and almost doesn't make it back. She has a "quick vision of death". The experience scares her, but she has tested her limits and survived the sea for a while. Metaphorically, she has come close to death but resisted it. 	Falling asleep can be associated with the idea of death as well. Whenever Edna falls asleep, it is noted in the story; across the bay at church and the first night once her husband has left are examples. Each time there is a suggestion of drifting off to sleep and never waking up. When she is across the bay, once she wakes up, she likens her nap to a hundred years' sleep. However, each time Edna does awaken; it is only at the very end when she finally drifts away. She could have chosen sleeping pills as her method of death, but she returns to the beach because of its memories of the summer, and the men in her life. Her near-death experience in the summer left an impression on her that influences her choice of escape from life.

Essay --

Kassidy Hause CWL 320-06, Fall 2013 Dr. Talar Chahinian Final Paper 12-10-13 Ways of Dying, Violence, Fantasy & Comedy Zakes Mda was born in 1948 in Herschel, South Africa and is known for being a novelist, poet, activist, playwright and cultural theorist. Ways of Dying by Zakes Mda is a novel from western form. Literature that was written by Black South African writers between the 1948 and 1994 really captures the oppression and tragic violence that characterized the lives of Blacks under the apartheid. The apartheid or â€Å"apartness† as some Afrikaans call it, describes a system of laws and policies of complete and total racial segregation in South Africa that began in 1948 when the national party came to power. The apartheid did not end until 1994 when Nelson Mandela was elected president in the first democratic elections. The horrific deaths that are portrayed throughout Zake Mda’s novel Ways of Dying, were all true ways of dying that Zakes Mda, saw himself, read about in the newspaper or read when he was doing research. The very true deaths that he portrays in the novel really p aint a picture of the structural and political violence that was going on in South Africa during the apartheid. This violence and oppression really creates a tragic background for the novel however, Zakes Mda challenges the norm of violence and finds a way to portray it as something somewhat idiotic, which in turn makes Ways of Dying quite comical. He also combines fantasy and magic to the novel, which emulates all the spectacular and wonderful parts of South African beliefs and traditions. Zakes unique way of combining the depiction of how ridiculous it is that death has become so normalized in South Africa and magic and fantasy makes Ways of Dying an ... ... Magic and fantasy is also a central theme for this book because magic gives a sense of hope and belief in people and a strength that people never knew they had. The biggest example is the garden, a magic garden of beauty that still stands among all the horrible things that Toloki and Noria are living in. The garden gives them hope that magic and beauty still exist in the world. In this part of the novel the readers are laughing and smiling because they feel hope and happiness and sense of magic that they are going to get through their issues and be okay. Ways of Dying is a spectacular novel by Zakes Mda, written during the apartheid era, which was a horrific time for South Africans who were abused and murdered by their corrupt government. Zakes Mda was able to provide a sense of history, comedy and hope all into one novel and that any reader would enjoy to read.

Jamaica’s Troubled Past Essay -- A Level Essays

Jamaica’s Troubled Past ‘The Maroons’ Jamaica’s fighting spirit can be seen even in its early days with the Maroons. The fighting spirit is not uncommon with people who are oppressed or forced against their will. The Maroons came in two waves, the first are slaves that fled during the Spanish rule, the second wave was during British control. The Maroons used the highlands of Jamaica to seek refuge, establish colonies and attack plantations when needed. Even today the beliefs and herbal practices of the Maroons are still evident in Jamaican culture. Their trouble past has made their life difficult but even today they are a presence in Jamaica. The First Deserters The idea of runaways did not take long in the Caribbean islands. Jamaica was not the only island experiencing runaways, Haiti, Cuba, and many Latin American countries were all falling victim to these guerilla style warfare tribes. During the first years of Spanish control the island of Hispaniola (Spanish Jamaica) experienced many problems with slaves. Columbus suggested to King Ferdinand in the first letter from his voyage of discovery, "I can bring slaves that are captured people, as many as are wanted." Disease and overwork killed many of the peaceable, indigenous Arawaks. Others hanged themselves, drank poisonous cassava juice, murdered and aborted their children rather than be enslaved. A few, the first Maroons, escaped into the craggy hills. (Olson, pg.234) Recent excavations at Nanny Town, the most important early Maroon settlement, support Maroon oral traditions that the first African refugees found accommodation among the Arawak. (Olson, pg.234) Correspondence from the last decade of the sixteenth century also suggests that Spanish colonial officials w... ...keth. Obeah; Witchcraft in the West Indies. Negro Universities Press. Westport, Connecticut. 1970. Buckley, Roger. Slaves in Red Coats. Yale University Pess, New Haven, CT. 1979. Campbell, Marvis. The Maroons of Jamaica 1655-1796. African World Press, Inc. Trenton, NJ. 1990. Drescher, Seymour. Econocide British Slavery in the Era of Abolition. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA. 1977 Hall, Gwendolyn. Social Control in Slave Plantation Societies. The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, Maryland. 1971. Olson, Eric. (Feb 2000). Mountain Rebels: The Flight from Slavery of Jamaicas’s Maroons. World and I v15:2, p234. Available: Expanded Academic Research. Reidell, Heidi. (Jan-Feb 1990). The Maroon culture of endurance. (history of Jamaica's runaway slaves) Americas (English Edition) v42 n1, p46(4). Available: Expanded Academic Research.

Child Soldier Creative Writing

I am holding a gun to my head. On the verge of death I look back at how it escalated to this to convince not to make the wrong choice as I had done before. That memory among many other dark ones remained as clear as see through water. Five years ago†¦ Sierra Dianas. Thoughts flooded my mind as I clutched the gun harder and harder. I faced an atrocious, inescapable decision. A war befell in my head, a death match between my consciousness and my fear. As one callously stabbed the other, the tip of my finger pressed harder against the trigger.Time was ticking. I shut my eyes as I hoped to disconnect the vision of a girl slouched in front of me, so defenceless yet so fearless. Her face wasn’t completely visible but judging by her figure she was no more then 15. She showed no fright, demonstrating her disgust towards bowing down to the rebels: she remained her posture straight and her head help up high. She looked down upon us even though she was the one on the floor. Her face captured complete hatred. Her attempts to resist were hopeless as two older men forced her down onto the ground.Her arms were tied behind her back so any chance of action towards escape was restricted. I bit my battered lip to remind myself of what I face if I disobey my master’s orders again: agonizing inexorable pain. I pressed harder against the trigger. My vision started to blur and lose its focus and my swollen eyelids did not help. I tried to slay these monstrous thoughts invading my brain, telling me to shoot her and spare myself the pain. I pressed harder. I tried to stop devilish thoughts terrorising my brain with illusionary words but no success: l pressed harder.My consciousness whispered in my ear but the demon inside my soul drowned it heartlessly in my homesick sorrow. The silence waited to be heard. I pressed harder. The trigger clicked. A loud profound bang pierced through the air as the bullet fired cogently. I could hear my sanity slip away, all in the spac e of a millisecond. Regret and notoriety backfired at me as I saw my childhood flash by me; I shot her. I could almost hear her pulse drain as she gasped for air. Another life wasted. Her blood leaked.My demons smothered in a pool of dark red and danced in murderous pride as my master gave me a smirk of praise but behind it hid the look of mutual remorseful experience. That night I was ranked the chief of other child soldiers for my righteous decision or in other words for being heartless enough to kill another of my own race; it would serve them well in the war. In a way I feel as if seeing us become monsters soothes their guilt. It made them less lonely. Even monsters need company. You would think killing again would ease the pain. Think again.Every time it doubled, magnified, intensified, and deepened until the peak where it was unbearable: living with these mental images and mind overflowing with blood. Every fibre of my body grieved for the dead and me: the dyeing. I was chaine d to the everlasting circles of depression unable to experience happiness. Everywhere I went the sun followed me with a hateful glare cursed me silently. I almost melted in his heavy breaths. He launched tense fireballs at me boiling with rage and disappointment, wishing to suffocate me. The sky spit at me in disgrace and shame.The clouds demanded to show me how many tears were cried for the people I have killed. Every rain drop was a reminder of my failure and cowardness. It fell on my skin, ice cold, yet again reminding me of what my heart was bound to become. The sound as they continuously hit the flour resembled a fire’s blazing sparkles. The wind slapped me across my face over and over again. It whispered in my ear. So quit yet such poignant stabbing accusations. It broke into my hut and overawed my body with needle-like numbness from the shuddering chill.The whispers grew into exasperating screams until I could not sleep. It slammed doors and raised the sand from the gr ound, commanding it to attack me. Stop! I wanted it to stop! No more torture. I fell hopelessly upon my knees and screamed at the top of my lungs, begging god for help, for forgiveness. ‘Have I gone mad? ’  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚   I asked the clear blue staring back at me blankly. I repeated the phrase over and over again until my defenceless sobs and weeps merged the words. I could not stop crying. I clutched the soil between my fingers for some feeling of control as if to grasp hold of myself.The salty tears kept rolling and as they came in contact with my torn, scared skin a shiver of sharp pain would emerge. God didn’t reply. God wasn’t there. Only the devil. I asked him what I should do and the answer was simple: stop caring. Let myself be tamed by the evil because the good can never be happy. He stretched out a hand to me but as I reached it for help to get up I simultaneously shook it as an agreement to a deal. I sold my soul. The next morning I woke up with the feeling of enlightenment. I killed people with no remorse, no guilt, no regret nothing except the feeling of power.I fed on it and I breathed it in with the stench of the dead. It felt good. For a moment I felt almost happy in an illusionary way, as a smoked in the white power-like substance, which my master had let me share with him as a sign of approvement as if welcoming me. To what, I wasn’t sure. That night I danced with a bottle of alcohol in the middle of a fire we set to the village. I trod on dead bodies or some even alive but eventually they would be dead, they couldn’t escape. I raped countless women. Daughters, maybe sisters, maybe mothers, who cares?Not the puppets on the other side of the world, that’s for sure; drinking their coffees and stirring their teas, with their diamond necklaces worn as a ‘fashion statement’ because it resembles the one worn by a celebrity. Completely oblivious. Most of them incapable of doing anything ot her than follow footsteps. We, however, refused to follow or live in someone else’s master plan. That’s why we’re called rebels. The rebels. Our motto was to join us or die. If we didn’t see much use in then it was die or die more painfully (it mostly came down to our mood). We declared war with authorities because they had power et we still suffered in hunger, poverty and disease. This was if we were willing to perform back-breaking labour for the rest of our lives. Otherwise death would catch up on you in days, if you’re lucky you might last a year maximum. It seemed as if the government was not based on democracy but rather the fear of death. The devils reign over my mind lasted for a long time or more perceptively it lasted over 1000 deaths by my own hands until the blood dried underneath my finger nails was would not wash away. The only way out of this mad world is death. Now is the time. Now.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 24~26

24 Valhalla: From the Runyonese Vincent Bennidetti was sitting at an oversized table dealing five-card draw to five other guys and relating the story of the crash landing of the Sky Priestess in hopes that the tale would distract his opponents from his creative shuffling. â€Å"So the squirt says to me, he says, ‘I'm Malink, chief of the Shark People,' and he puffs up his little chest like I'm supposed to be impressed and drop down and kiss his ring, except he ain't wearing any ring; in fact, he ain't wearing nothing but a loincloth and a little hat made of palm leaves, so I says, ‘Honored and charmed I'm sure, Chief.' And I gives him a grade A Hershey bar as a peace offering to assure that the kid doesn't get any ideas about ventilating me with his spear. Although I have a roscoe handy in my flight suit, in Manhattan it is considered very bad luck indeed to shoot a kid unless he deserves it, so I am trying to take the diplomatic route. â€Å"So the squirt chief takes the sweet and slaps a lip over a morsel and his little mug splits in a grin so big that I'm figuring I know now how his tribe gets named Shark People. And before I know it the kid yells something to his pals and they vamoose to the jungle while I watch the squirt's spear and he keeps a peeper peeled at the Sky Priestess like any minute she's gonna jump off the plane and do the bump and grind across the airstrip. â€Å"Now we are sure that Sky Priestess is not burning or blowing up, Sparky goes back in and sings Mayday on the radio until I am thinking that even Marconi is sorry he ever invented the machine (another distinguished Italian genius, if I may point out, and it would be impolite for anyone, at this juncture, to mention Mussolini, as I will have to delay the game whilst I pop him in the beezer, thank you), and finally HQ comes back on and requests more than somewhat sternly that we cease broadcasting our position, as they will send someone as soon as they can unless the Japs find us first, in which case it has been an honor serving with us. â€Å"Call and raise a buck. â€Å"So the squirt asks me do I kill Japs? And I tell him that I am killing so many Japs I have to come rest on his island for a few days to give the Japs a chance to send in reinforcements for me to kill, when out of the jungle comes a whole platoon of native guys, mostly real old guys, carrying baskets of fruit and coconuts and dried fish which they are laying at my feet after doing enough bowing and chanting to fill a year of encores on Broadway. â€Å"And the kid says, ‘You more powerful than Father Rodriquez. Japs kill him.' From which I figure where the kid learns to speak English and why I am seeing no young guys, because it is well known that the Japs have killed any missionaries they find and have taken most of the able-bodied native guys which they do not kill off to build airstrips and boat landing ramps and other Jap military stuff. â€Å"‘Yeah,' I tells the kid, ‘too bad about Father Rodriquez, and all the other guys that don't make it, but Vincent and the Sky Priestess is here now and you got nothing to worry about.' Then I inquire as to if there are any available dolls on the island and the kid jabbers something to one of the old guys, who wobbles off and comes back about ten minutes later with a line of young native dolls who are wearing skirts on their bottom but are nothing but bounce and bosoms on the top, except for the odd garnish of flowers here and there for fragrance and color. â€Å"I swear on my mother's grave (should she pass away before I get home) that I am looking at more brown curves than I have seen since I fly over the Mississippi at ten Gs, and they are by no means an unpleasant sight, but as soon as I pick out one of the young dolls and give her my best Tyrone Power wink, she starts bawling like I have broken her heart and runs into the jungle followed, posthaste, by the other lovelies until the airstrip is, once again, strictly stag. â€Å"‘What goes?' I ask the kid. And he explains that because I am a god the dames are most frightened that I will destroy them. Then the squirt starts bawling himself, and I am beginning to feel very low indeed, as I can see that the little guy has taken my god action and it is six to five that he thinks he is on the destruction express along with the dames, and some explanation and consolation are then needed to caulk the kid's waterworks and generally ease his mind. â€Å"So I sits down with the kid under the wing of the Sky Priestess and by and by along comes an old native guy with a jug of the local hooch, of which I am somewhat dubious and which tastes like matchheads mixed with dishwater but smooths out considerably after the first four or five belts, and soon the mood becomes most festive and a good time is had by all (except for Sparky, who is bending over the runway looking at everything he drinks for the second time). â€Å"Now all of this time I am thinking that the kid is running a game on me about being chief until he explains that the Japs killed his father and his older brother as examples and he is next in line, so he is chief whether he likes it or not. And now he is worried that his people will not have enough to eat, as the Japs have taken most of the fruit and coconuts and destroyed all the canoes and cargo, like rice, which the late Father Rodriquez brings in, and my heart is breaking for the kid, who should be playing stickball and stealing candy and other assorted kid activities instead of worrying about a whole population of citizens. So I look at my guys eating all the food the kid gives us, and my heart is feeling very heavy indeed, so I tell him not to worry, as Vincent and the Sky Priestess will see that his people get everything they need and I gives the kid a pack of Luckys and my Zippo to seal the promise. Then, as soon as Sparky finishes doing the rainbow yawn, I tells him t o get on the radio to a friend of mine who is in the quartermaster corps, and I gives him a list of things to place on the PT boat which is coming to get us. â€Å"So as the evening wears on, the kid is telling me stories of how the island was made by a dame from Yap who rides on a turtle with a basketful of dirt which she dumps in the ocean, making the island, which must have been quite some basket, and she tells all the children she is having on the island (although the kid says nothing about her having an old man) that she isn't going to give them a good reef for fishing, so they are going to be eating sharks. And although the people of all the other islands are afraid of sharks, here the sharks are afraid of the people. ‘They will be called the Shark People,' the dame with the dirt says. â€Å"And I says, ‘Yeah, I know that dame.' That, in fact, I take her to the races one day and she is such good luck that I win the trifecta for five Gs. And I can see the kid is most impressed, even though he wouldn't know a G from a G-string. So I begins to lay it on a bit thick and by the time we have consumed all of the local bug juice and most of the fruit and fish, the kid is convinced that if I am not the Second Coming, I am at least pinch-hitting that day. â€Å"By now I am feeling I am in serious need of female company and I mention this to the kid, who says maybe there is something he can do, as there is one doll in the village whose job it is to change the oil of the unmar-ried native guys (I am at once reminded of a costume optional dancer named Chintzy Bilouski, who performs a similar service for myself and many other unmarried male citizens in the Broadway district) and it seems that this native doll has been short of work of late, as all of the young un-married guys are either killed or taken away. And the kid says he will ap-proach this doll on my behalf if I promise that she will not burst into flames or be otherwise harmed and as long as I keep it quiet. As these are similar terms I agree to with Chintzy Bilouski (and a sawbuck cheaper, in fact), I tell the kid to lead the way, which he does. And soon we are in a big grass house by the beach, which he calls the bachelors' house, and which is clearly intended to house many ci tizens, but is currently only the home of one doll, who is by no means hard on the peepers and who proceeds immedi-ately to catch up on any work she has been missing in a most enthusiastic and friendly manner, if you know what I mean. â€Å"So, to make a long story short, the guys and I spend three more days telling stories to the kid and drinking bug juice and creeping to the bachel-ors' house until the PT boat shows with some mechanics and welders and all the supplies I have requested from my pal the quartermaster. And the islanders all line up while I pass out many machetes and knives and chocolate bars and various other luxuries from Uncle Sam. And that night they throw a big party in my honor with much drinking and dancing and a swell time is had by one and all. But as we are ready to leave, the kid chief comes up all leaky-eyed, asking why am I leaving and will I come back and what will his people do without me. So I promise him I will be back soon with many wonderful things and to save me a spot in the bach-elors' house, but until then, every time he sees a plane, he and his people will know that me and the Sky Priestess are looking out for them. â€Å"Then when we are back at base I am working something with the colonel to run a recon mission to inspect the airstrip for emergency use. No bombs. I am thinking we will fill the Sky Priestess up with medicine and supplies for the Shark kid and his people as soon as permission comes through. And I'm fully intending to come through, as I gives the kid my word and he believes it, but how am I to know that on our very next bombing run a squadron of Zeros will surprise us and fill the Sky Priestess with all manner of cannon and machine gun slugs, sending us down in a ball of flames and killing me and everyone aboard quite dead.† The guy with the beard cleared his throat and said, â€Å"That was a swell story the first dozen times we heard it, Vinnie, but are you going to talk or play cards?† â€Å"Bite me, Jewboy, it ain't like we haven't had to fight the yawns through your loaves and fishes epic a hundred fuckin' times.† Then Vincent flashed him a feral grin. â€Å"And since it is now your bet, I will advise you to fold, as I am now holding a hand that is so hot it is about to burst into flames like the proverbial bush.† The guy with the beard held up a punctured palm to silence Vincent. â€Å"You're holding a pair of eights, Vinnie.† â€Å"I hate fuckin' playing with you,† Vincent said. 25 We Ask the Gods for Answers and They Give us Questions Tucker Case heard the beating of wings above his head and suddenly there was a familiar little face in front of him. Roberto was hanging upside down from the harness ropes around Tuck's chest. He never thought he'd be glad to see the little vermin. â€Å"Roberto! Buddy!† Tuck smiled at the bat. Roberto squeaked and bent forward to lick Tucker's face. Tucker sputtered. He could smell papaya on the bat's breath. â€Å"How about climbing up there and gnawing through these ropes, little guy?† Roberto looked at him quizzically, then laid a big lick on him, right across the lips. â€Å"Ack! Bat spit!† Tuck heard a weak voice from above. â€Å"He no gnaw rope. His teeth too little,† Kimi said. Roberto took flight and landed on Kimi's head and began licking and clawing him ecstatically. Kimi was suspended about two feet above Tucker and about five feet away. It hurt his neck, but he could see the navigator dangling if he stretched. â€Å"You're alive!† Tucker said. â€Å"I thought you were dead.† â€Å"I am bery thirsty. Why you put us in tree?† â€Å"I didn't. It was an old island guy. I think he's going to eat us.† â€Å"No, no, no. No cannibal in these islands for many years.† â€Å"Good. You tell him that when he comes back.† Kimi struggled against his bonds and set himself spinning. â€Å"These ropes hurt on my arms. Someone put us in crab harness.† â€Å"I figured that out,† Tuck said. He craned his neck and eyed Kimi's harness. â€Å"Maybe I can swing to you and catch on to your harness. If I can get hold of it, I might be able to untie you.† â€Å"Good plan,† Kimi said. â€Å"Yankee know-how, kid.† As Tuck started to swing his arms and legs, he felt the harness tighten around his chest. Soon he was swinging in a wide elliptical pattern that brought him within a foot of Kimi, but the harness was so tight he could barely breathe. Weakened from lack of food and water, he gave up. â€Å"I can't breathe,† he gasped. â€Å"That good plan, though,† Kimi said. â€Å"Now I have Roberto bring that knife over by door of house and I cut the ropes. Okay?† â€Å"Roberto can fetch?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Why didn't you say so?† â€Å"I want to see Yankee know-how.† Sarapul tried to run back to his hut, but the pain in his ancient knees wouldn't allow him to move faster than a slow amble. If only he could ab-sorb the power of an enemy or two, perhaps the pain would subside and his strength would return along with his courage. It was courage he needed now. Instead, he had questions. Why, if Malink dreamed a message from Vincent, did the white bitch say that he did not? And if Vincent had sent a pilot, why did the Sky Priestess not know about him? And if Vincent had not sent a pilot, who is hanging in the breadfruit tree? In the old days Sarapul would have asked the turtle, his clan animal, for an answer to his questions. Then he would have watched the waves and listened to the wind for an answer, perhaps he would have gone to a sor-cerer for an interpretation. But he was too deaf and blind to see a sign now. And the only sorcerer left was the white man who lived behind the big fence and gave medicine to the Shark People: Vincent's Sorcerer. Sarapul didn't believe in Vincent any more than he believed in the god Father Rodriquez had worn around his neck on a chain. Father Rodriquez had said that the old ways – the taboos and the totem animals – were lies and that the skinny white god on the cross was the only real god. Sarapul was prepared to believe him, especially when he offered everyone a piece of the body of Christ. But Christ tasted like dried pounded taro and Father Rodriquez lost the old cannibal as a convert when he said that you would be thrown into fire forever if you ate anyone besides the stale starchy god on the cross. Then the Japanese came and cut off Father Rodriquez's head and threw his god on a chain into the sea. Sarapul knew for sure then that the Father had been lying all along. The Japanese raped and killed his wife and made his two sons work building the airstrip until they became sick and died. He asked the Turtle why his family had been taken away, and when the sign came in the form of a cloud shaped like an eel, the sorcerer said that it had happened because the Shark People had broken the taboos, had eaten their totem animals and taken fish from the forbidden reef: They were being punished. The next night Sarapul killed a Japanese soldier and built an oom to bake him in, but none of the Shark People would help him. Some were afraid of the god of Father Rodriquez and the rest were afraid of the Japanese. They took the body and fed it to the sharks who lived at the edge of the reef. In the morning the Japanese lined up the old sorcerer and a dozen children and machine-gunned them. And Sarapul lost his mind. Then the American planes came, dropping their bombs and fire from the sky for two days, and when the explosions stopped and the smoke cleared, the Japanese left, taking with them all the coconuts and breadfruit on the island. A week later Vincent arrived in the Sky Priestess. Sarapul still had the machete that the flyer had given him. It was more than he had ever gotten from Father Rodriquez's god, but the cannibal did not believe that Vincent was a god. Even if Vincent had scared away the Japanese and brought the food that saved the Shark People, Sarapul had angered the old gods before and he would not do it again. When the white Sorcerer arrived, he too talked of the god on the cross and although the Shark People took the food and medicine he gave them and even attended his services, they would not forsake Vincent, their savior. The god on the cross had let them down before. Eventually, the white Sorcerer turned to Vincent too. But Sarapul clung to the old ways, even when the Sky Priestess returned with her red scarf and explosions. It was all just entertainment: Christ was just a cracker, Vincent was just a flyer, and he, Sarapul, was a cannibal. Still, he did not blame Malink for banishing him or for clinging to Vincent's promises. Vincent was the god of Malink's childhood, and Malink clung to him in the same way that Sarapul clung to the old ways. Faith grew stronger when planted in a child. Sarapul knew that. He was mad, but he was not stupid. Until now he had never put an ounce of faith in Vincent, but this dream of Malink's vexed him. He would have to figure things out before he ate the man in his breadfruit tree. He had to talk to Malink now. The cannibal took the path that led into the village. He crept between the houses where the sweet rasp of snoring children wafted through the woven grass walls like the sizzle of frying pork, through the smoke of dying cook fires, past the bachelors' house, the men's house, and finally to the beach, where the men sat in a circle, drinking and talking softly, the moon spraying their shoulders with a cold blue light. The men continued to talk as Sarapul joined the circle, politely ignoring the creak and crackle of his old joints as he sat in the sand. Some of the younger men, those who had grown up with the disciplinary specter of the cannibal, subtly changed position so they could reach their knives quickly. Malink greeted Sarapul with a nod, then filled the coconut shell cup from the big glass jug and handed it to him. â€Å"No coffee or sugar for a month,† Malink said. â€Å"Vincent is angry.† Sarapul drained the cup and handed it back. â€Å"How about cigarettes?† â€Å"The Sorcerer says that cigarettes are bad.† â€Å"Vincent smoked cigarettes,† Sarapul pointed out. â€Å"He gave you the lighter.† The young men fidgeted at the firsthand reference to Vincent. It disturbed them when the old men spoke of Vincent as if he was a person. Malink reached inside the long flat basket where he kept the lighter along with his other personal belongings. He touched the Zippo that Vincent had given him. â€Å"Cigarettes aren't good for us,† he repeated. â€Å"Then they should give us cigarettes for punishment,† Sarapul insisted. Malink pulled a copy of People magazine from his basket, drawing everyone's attention away from the cannibal. The old chief tore a small square from the masthead page and handed it to Abo, a muscular young man who tended the tobacco patch for the Shark People. â€Å"Roll one,† Malink said. Abo began filling the paper with tobacco from his basket. Malink opened the magazine on the sand in front of him and squinted at the pages in the moonlight. Everyone in the circle leaned forward to look at the pictures. â€Å"Oprah's skinny again,† Malink pronounced. Sarapul scoffed and the men angrily looked up, the young ones looking away quickly when they saw who had made the noise. Abo finished rolling the cigarette and held it out to Malink. The chief gestured to Sarapul and Abo gave the smoke to the old cannibal. Their hands brushed lightly in the exchange and Sarapul held the young man's gaze as he licked his finger as if tasting a sweet sauce. Abo shuddered and backed to the outside of the circle. Malink lit the cigarette with the sacred Zippo, then he returned to his magazine. â€Å"There will be no more People for a while, not with the Sky Priestess mad at us.† A communal moan rose up from the men and the drinking cup was filled and passed. â€Å"We are cut off,† Malink added. Sarapul shrugged. â€Å"All the people in this book, they shit. It does not matter. They die. It does not matter. If we put them all in a big boat and sank it, you would not even know for six months when the Sky Priestess gives you her old copy, and it still would not matter. This is stupid.† â€Å"But look!† Malink pointed to a picture of a man with unnaturally large ears, â€Å"This man is a king and he wishes to be a tampon. It is quoted.† Sarapul scrunched up his face, his wrinkles folding over each other like venetian blinds, while he tried to figure out what, exactly, a tampon was. Finally he said, â€Å"I was a tampon once, back in the old days, before you were born. All warriors became tampons. It was better then.† â€Å"You have never been a tampon,† Malink stated, although he couldn't be sure. â€Å"Only a king may be a tampon. And now, without People, we will never know if this man who would be a tampon succeeded. It has been a dark day.† The cup had come around again to Sarapul and he drained it before answering. â€Å"Tell me of this dream you had.† â€Å"I should not speak of it.† Malink pretended to be engaged in the magazine. Sarapul pushed on. â€Å"The Sky Priestess said that Vincent spoke to you of a pilot. Is that true?† Malink nodded. â€Å"It is true. But it is only a dream or the Sorcerer would have known.† Sarapul was torn now. This was his chance to discredit the Sorcerer and his white bitch, but if he told Malink about the man in the tree, then he would lose his chance to taste the long pig again. Then again, he found them first, and he was willing to share the meat. â€Å"What if your dream was true?† â€Å"It was just a dream. Vincent speaks to us only through the Sky Priestess now. She has spoken.† â€Å"Vincent smoked and she says smoking is bad. Vincent was an enemy of the Japanese and now she has Japanese guards inside the fence. She lies.† Some of the men moved away from the circle. It was one thing to drink with a cannibal, but it was quite another to tolerate a heretic. (Of the twenty men in the circle, three of the elders were named John, four who had been born during Father Rodriquez's tenure were named Jesus [Hey-zeus], and three of the younger men were named Vincent.) They were a group that honored the gods, whoever the gods might be that week. â€Å"The Sky Priestess does not lie,† Malink said calmly. â€Å"She speaks for Vincent.† Sarapul pinched the flame of his cigarette with his ashy fingers, then popped the stub into his mouth and began to chew as he grinned. â€Å"Your dream was true, Malink. I have seen the pilot. He is on Alualu and he is alive.† â€Å"You are old and you drink too much.† â€Å"I'll show you.† Sarapul leaped to his feet to show that he was not drunk, and in doing so scared the hell out of the younger men. â€Å"Come with me,† he said. 26 Swing Time Kimi had freed his hands and feet with the knife, only to find that he could not reach the rope suspending him from the middle of his back. Now he was forced to follow Tuck's plan of swinging like a human pendulum until he could grab the pilot's rope and cut him down. Roberto hung upside down from a nearby branch, wondering why his friends were behaving like fighting spiders. Tucker found he could only hold his head up for a few seconds at a time before dizziness set in, so he watched the navigator's swinging shadow to gauge his distance. â€Å"One more time, Kimi. Then grab the rope.† It bothered him some that when he was cut loose he would fall six feet and land face-first in the coral gravel, but he was learning to take things as they came and figured he would deal with that on the way down. â€Å"I hear someone,† Kimi said. On the apex of his arc, he grabbed for Tuck's rope, missed, and accidentally raked the knife across the pilot's scalp. â€Å"Ouch! Shit, Kimi. Watch what you're doing.† Tuck braced himself for the next attack, which never came. He looked up to see that Kimi's arc had been stopped in mid-swing. A rotund gray-haired native had caught the navigator around the waist and was prying the knife out of his hand. Tuck felt the hope drain out of him. The leathery old cannibal stood amid a group of twenty men. All of them seemed to be waiting for the fat guy to say something. It was time for a last-ditch effort. â€Å"Look, you motherfuckers, people are expecting me. I'm supposed to be flying medical supplies for a big-time doctor, so if you fuck with me you're all going to die of the tropical creeping crud and I won't give you so much as a fucking aspirin.† The native released Kimi into the hands of two younger men and regarded Tuck. â€Å"You pilot?† He said in English. â€Å"Damn right I am. And I'm sick and infected and stuff, so if you eat me you're going to die like a gut-shot dog – and in addition I would like to add that I don't taste anything like Spam.† Tuck was breathless from the diatribe and he was starting to black out from trying to hold his head back. The native said something in his own language, which Tuck took to be â€Å"Cut him down,† because a second later he found himself falling into the arms of four strong islanders who lowered him to the ground. Tucker's arms and legs burned as the blood rushed back into them. Above him he saw a circle of moonlit brown faces. He managed to grab enough breath to squeak, â€Å"Soon as I'm on my feet, your asses are mine. You all might as well just go practice falling down for a while so you'll be used to it. Just order the body bags now 'cause when I'm done, you're going to look like piles of chocolate pudding. They'll be cleaning you up with shovels – you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Tuck's breath caught in his throat and he passed out. Malink looked at his old friend Favo and smiled. â€Å"Excellent threat,† he said. â€Å"Most excellent threat,† Favo said. Sarapul pushed his way through the kneeling men. â€Å"He's dead. Let's eat him.† â€Å"He no like that,† Kimi said. â€Å"Not even for free.† The Sorcerer heard the lab door open and turned from his microscope just in time to catch her as she ran into his arms. â€Å"Did you see, ‘Bastian? Was I great or what?† He held her for a second, smelling the perfume in her hair. â€Å"You were great,† he said. When he released her, there were two pink spots on his lab coat from the rouge she had rubbed on her nipples. She skipped around the lab like a little girl. â€Å"Malink was shaking in his shoes,† she said. Well, not in his shoes, but you know what I mean.† She stopped and looked into the microscope. â€Å"What's this?† He watched a delicate line of muscle run down the back of her thigh and postulated what kind of genetics went into preserving a body like that on Chee-tos and vodka. He thought a lot about genetics lately. â€Å"I'm doing the last of the tissue typing. I should be finished in a couple of days.† She said, â€Å"Did you like ‘String of Pearls' better than ‘In the Mood'?† High Priestess of the nonsequiter, Sebastian thought. â€Å"It was perfect. You were perfect.† She moved away from the microscope and paced around the table, frowning now, as if she was working on an equation in her head. â€Å"I've been thinking about ‘Pennsylvania 6-5000,' putting the ninjas in top hats and tails in kind of a chorus line. You know, they could carry me across the runway and pause and shout the chorus. There's no singing on the re-cording; they would just have to shout. I mean, if we have to have them around, they might as well do something.† She stopped pacing and turned to him. â€Å"What do you think?† It took Sebastian a second to realize that she was serious. â€Å"I'm not sure that would be a good idea. The Shark People are suspicious of the nin – , the guards. I wish Akiro would have listened to me and found some non-Japanese. This business with Malink's dream is a sign that our credibility is slipping.† â€Å"That's what I'm saying. If we show that they're under the control of the Sky Priestess – â€Å" â€Å"I don't think it's a good idea, Beth.† She dismissed the thought with a wave. â€Å"Fine. We can talk about it later.† Sebastian wanted to stop himself before he ruined her ebullient mood, but he pressed on despite himself. â€Å"Don't you think that no coffee or sugar for a month was a little harsh?† â€Å"You really don't get it, do you? I'll give it all back after a week, ‘Bastian, and they'll love me for it. Generosity of the gods: The Sky Priestess taketh away and the Sky Priestess giveth back. It's how these things work. You put a few people on a boat, then you drown every living creature on the planet – the people on the boat are pretty goddamn grateful.† She flipped the end of her red scarf over her shoulder. â€Å"I wish you wouldn't talk like that.† â€Å"You make the rules and you play the game, ‘Bastian. What's wrong with that?† He turned from her and pretended to go through some notes. â€Å"I guess you're right,† he said, but he felt acid rising from his stomach. She was calling it a game. She came up behind him, pushed her breasts into his back, and reached around inside his lab coat. â€Å"Poor baby. You still feel like you did the right thing by burning your Beatles records.† â€Å"Beth, please.† She unzipped his khakis and snaked her hand in his fly. â€Å"Deep down, you feel like John Lennon got what he deserved, don't you, sweetheart? Saying he was more popular than Jesus. That loony-toon Chapman was the instrument of God, wasn't he?† He whirled on her and grabbed her shoulders. â€Å"Yes, dammit.† His face had gone hot. He could feel the veins pulse in his forehead, in his crotch. â€Å"That's enough, Beth.† â€Å"No, it's not.† She ripped open the front of his trousers and fell back on the lab table, pulling him on top of her. â€Å"Come on, show me the wrath of the Sorcerer.†