Drugs And Crime Essays (3258 words) - , Term Papers

Drugs And Crime Drugs, Crime and Prohibition Do drugs really cause crime, or is it our governments way of controlling the communities? Many people blame drugs for every problem in our society, but is it the true evil in our society? No one person can answer that question. There are only opinions and supposed theories on this issue. We have been taught over the years that drugs were bad and that they only affected the poor and less fortunate, and turned them into crazy criminals, but this isnt true to any extent. The laws controlling and prohibiting drugs are the true culprit. Would our crime levels decline if drugs were legalized to some extent, or would we just increase the destruction of our country? Over the past fifty years, prohibition has been proven to actually increase crime and drug use instead of its intended purpose, which was to extinguish the use of illicit drugs in the United States. We constantly here of prison over crowding, and why is that? Most of our prisons are filled with drug offenders, ranging from use to distribution of supposed illicit drugs. What is our country coming to? The purpose of this research paper is to view the advantages and disadvantages of the legalization of illicit drugs in the United States. I will examine each side of this major problem plaguing our fine country from past to present. People wake everyday to their normal and monotonous life without even thinking about what they are doing. They do not realize that they have been conditioned by the government and its laws to obey and follow the supposed norm of society. What is the norms of society, and who set the guidelines for them? No one can explain how these norms came about, they only know that they must follow them, or they could get in trouble with the law. We are going into the twenty first century, and we still follow laws that were passed hundreds of years ago. Why is this? We are a highly advanced country, but we spend time, lives and money on abiding by laws that were around before the automobile was even invented. I will begin with the history of our drug control policies, which have failed miserably, and examine the drug-crime connection. Policy History Drugs have been in this country since the beginning of time in some shape or form, which was used for personal and medicinal use. Usage of marijuana has been reported to date back to the founding of Jamestown (1). George Washington himself cultivated and used to relieve the pain of an aching tooth. Opium was accessible to anyone who wanted to purchase it, as Tylenol is today. People were able to obtain these drugs at any pharmacy or grocery store that stocked them. It was socially acceptable to use and sell drugs, but the addictive properties were not known at this time in history. In the beginning of the twentieth century, the Progressive movement wanted some form of drug regulation (1). There were a few factors that affected the change in public opinion. First, the US acquired the Philippine Islands, which gave the US a legal supply of opium to supply addicts. Second, was the concern over the affects that drugs had on people. Journalist at that time, who were highly influenced by t he government, published many fictional articles about crazy drug addicts, who raped and killed because of their drug use. Third, drugs were associated with blacks and Chinese immigrants, and this caused panic through the white communities( 1 ). In the early 1900s, President Roosevelt appointed three men, Rev. Charles Brent, an Episcopal bishop, Dr. Hamilton Wright, and Charles Tenney, a China missionary, to represent America at The Hague International Opium Convention of 1912. At this conference, the modern movement for abolitioning narcotics trafficking was began with the US involvement in the Philippines (2). Although there was regulations abroad, there was no legislation protecting the United States. In 1913, New York Representative Francis Harrison introduced two bills into Congress. One was to prohibit use and importation of opium, and the other was to regulate the manufacturing of smoking opium within the US. It was recognized as a revenue bill,

Discuss the Assertion that Market System is not Able to Allocate Resources Efficiently

Discuss the Assertion that Market System is not Able to Allocate Resources Efficiently According to wikipedia, a market may be of a variety of different systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby persons trade and goods and services are exchanged, forming part of the economy. The basic concept of market is any structure that allows the exchange of goods, services and information. In market there are the buyers and the sellers. Markets vary. There are financial markets, prediction markets, and so on. Market can be seen in two ways: as a study of abstract mechanism whereby supply and demand meet and deals are made. And second it is used as a symbol of an integrated and cohesive capitalist world economy.Market system is any systematic process enabling many market players to bid and ask. They help bidders and sellers interact and make deals. Because a market system relies on the assumption that players are unequally enabled, a market system is distinguished specifically from a voting system where candidates seek the support of voters on a less regular basis.English: supply demand 1An economic system is a system used to allocate resources because resources are limited. An economic system can be defined as a basic means of achieving economic goals which is inherent in the economic structure of a society (B.B.G Dictionary of Business Terms, 1987).The major function of an economic system is to work out the basic economic problems which are; *What is to be produced, *How is it to be produced, *For whom to produce and *How efficient is the use of resources. These economic problems are caused by the fact that resources are limited but human wants are unlimited. Therefore, every country desires to adopt an appropriate system which will result in efficient allocation of resources so as to avoid scarcity.There are three major systems adopted which are; Command Economic System,

The book called Brave New World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The book called Brave New World - Essay Example The first chapter tends to introduce the responder to the society portrayed in Brave New World, as the Director tries to make the students familiar with Bokanovskification, an utterly scientific world; it immediately creates the impression that this highly scientific and sophisticated world is utterly oblivious to the natural considerations and the natural world. The hallmark of the society depicted in Brave New World is to give way to a human form that is starkly divested of its inner urges and yearnings and merely acts as an organic receptacle to the generalized social norms and practices. Thereby in Brave New World the intention of Aldous Huxley is to convey that considering the current direction in which the modern society is advancing, it will eventually distort and alter the human nature itself. Brave New World tends to offer a satirical vision of a future that is sans any flavor and happens to be innately sterile. In that context this science fiction novel happens to be anti-u topian or dystopian in its form and intent. The novel unravels a world that is not only starkly stultified by a marked lack of originality, but is also immensely oppressive in terms of the control that the authorities tend to exercise over the common people. Though the novel deals with a futuristic dystopia, yet it has marked links to the modern history in the sense that it resorts to a profuse usage of irony and paradox to bring out the bleak consequences of the scientific and technological development wrought by mankind in the last few decades. The theme of the novel is the impact of scientific development on mankind and the human interaction with nature that eventually gives way to a regimented world where the denizens are homogenized and categorized as five casts that are Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon, each cast fixed in its own set ways and incapable of any impromptu and impulsive inclinations and yearnings. This abominable strict social regimentation gets reflected in the feelings of Bernard, â€Å"The mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling an outsider he behaved like one. †¦ A chromic fear of being slighted made him avoid his equals, made him stand, where his inferiors were concerned, self-consciously on his dignity (Huxley 65).† Brave New World presents a society that essentially accepts the incompatibility between a shallow and drab sense of happiness and the reality that the human beings are required to contend with on a daily basis by legalizing the consumption of a research drug that is ‘Soma’ that is used by the inhabitants of this futuristic world to escape the drabness and challenges marking the real world. In that sense it is indeed intriguing and disturbing to see that Mustapha Mond, the most intelligent and most accomplished benefactor of the world state regards the drug soma as an immaculate tool to assure social harmony and peace. His thoughts regarding soma become obvious in his conversation with Jo hn where he assures John that the world state will rescue him from the dire consequences of an interaction with reality by giving him doses of soma. The soma is shown to be having the power to induce a pacific state in the people inhabiting the world state at the cost of depriving them of their individuality and innate personality. It is the cherished and legalized panacea in the

Critical Thinking Skills, Emotional Intelligence, and Employee Essay

Critical Thinking Skills, Emotional Intelligence, and Employee Engagement - Essay Example The process of critical thinking involves evaluating, analyzing or synthesizing the data that has been gathered through observation, reflection, communication, experience or reasoning (Foundations for Critical Thinking 1). The process is guided by the information gathered, a set of beliefs and the intellectual commitment to apply such skills to shape behavior in an organization. Critical thinking is very applicable in the daily running of the organization and can be applied in decision-making, yielding very positive results. Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, is the ability of to handle one’s emotions and control them, in order to relate well with other people in the organization (Cherry 1). Emotional intelligence entails perceiving emotions, reasoning with them, understanding them and managing the emotions. The concept of emotional intelligence is very essential in the management of an organization. It enables a manager to relate well with the employees, and apply the concept of diversity. A manager who exercises emotional intelligence works with the understanding that, all people are different. Thus, each should be listened to, and understood. Employee engagement is another very pivotal element in the running of the organization. Employee engagement refers to the emotional commitment that the workers of an organization attach to the organization and its aims (Kruse 2). In essence, employee engagement means that the workers care about the services they deliver to an organization. The concept is very relevant to the organization. An engaged employee contributes immensely to the positive growth of the organization. The three concepts of employee engagement, critical thinking and emotional intelligence are almost equally important in an organization. Without each of them, there will be dire consequences for the management of the

The Solar System Planets Orbiting other Stars Essay

The Solar System Planets Orbiting other Stars - Essay Example 1 However the origin of our solar system is explained questions still remain unanswered and are the focus of research by scientists around the globe. Are there other planets outside of our solar system If there are, are they able to sustain life What techniques have been employed to study these planets and other heavenly bodies when they are light years away from us These are just a few of the crucial questions that scientists try to answer since Galileo Galile' invented the telescope in the early 1600s. How does one differentiate a planet from an asteroid or from any other celestial body In an article by Samantha Harvey posted at the NASA e-magazine, planets have been defined as "a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit." At the same time, new moons are also being discovered, both around existing planets and within these mysterious new worlds. Once the existence of a moon is confirmed and its orbit determined, the moon is given a final name by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the organization that assumed this task since 1919.2 Though space has always been there, it was only in 1957 that a spacecraft was actually sent into space to measure what it is like. Until 1991, only the planets in our solar system are the only known planets. Nevertheless, astronomers did not believe that our Sun's environment was the only planet producer in the universe. Yet they had no evidence of planets outside our solar system. Not until 1991 that radio astronomers detected the first extrasolar planets orbiting a dying pulsar star. This extrasolar planet is a remnant of a supernova explosion in the constellation Virgo hence is not able to sustain life because of the deadly radiation it emits. Then, in 1995, Swiss astronomers found another extra-solar planetary candidate. This star, found in the constellation of Pegasus, is much more like our Sun with respect to its temperature, size, rotation speed and emitted radiation. Although this is also considered not a good candidate to sustain life, it was the first ever evidence of an extrasolar planet around a Sun-like star.3 Other concern in studying extrasolar worlds is whether life may exist there. Variables like size, distance and temperature will serve as indicators that a particular extrasolar planet may be considered a life-bearing planet. Basic techniques being employed to accomplish such

Womens Progression In The Workforce History Essay

Womens Progression In The Workforce History Essay As our country entered WWII, the workforce consisted primarily of men. Women made up only twenty-six percent of the workforce during this time. During World War II, the percentage of women in the workforce nearly doubled as a result of men being drafted into the war.  [1]  Immediately following the war many women were fired from their jobs, but this did not stop seventy-five percent of women from wanting to work outside of the home.  [2]  Women progressed in the workforce drastically during WWII, and the years that followed as a result of the war, economic challenges, congressional legislation, and changes in the dynamics of the workforce. World War II affected the workforce in many different ways. The major way that WWII altered the workforce is that men were drafted into the military. This drafting left women to step into the jobs vacated by the men. Women soon found themselves being homemakers as well as doing things such as working long hours in factories. Women were able to demonstrate that they could perform at the same level as men in industrial roles.  [3]  They did not always receive equal pay and benefits as their male counterparts may have had, but the ability to do the work at hand was equal. Women also found themselves becoming members of the military. One example of this is Betty Budde, of Concord, who, during WWII was able to see the world as a member of the Womens Air Force Service Pilots.  [4]  These jobs outside of the home caused women to gain a since of independence from the typical roles of the time of a working husband, and a stay at home wife. The media also encouraged women to be a part of the war effort through magazine and advertisements such as Rosie the Riveter. In some ways, the domestic circumstances of the war fostered the roots of the womens rights movement that built on it.  [5]  Toward the end of the war, the advertisements started to change, reminding women that they would soon return to their homemaking.  [6]  The response from women was different though. Surveys showed that women wanted to continue working outside of the home after the war ended. In 1945, many of the men that had been off in the war returned home, and many women were fired and forced out of their jobs. Some women even voluntarily left their jobs. One woman, Mrs. Neffe, stated that she left her job at a naval depot in Tacoma because her husband wanted a wife, not a career woman.  [7]  The number of women in the work force dropped from 20.3 million down to 15.9 million between 1945 and 1947.  [8]  Even though women were forced out of the industrial line of work, many sought the clerical and service jobs that were becoming available that men returning from the war did not want to take. After the war ended, America expected women to go back to the same roles they were in before the war started. While the country attempted to create a new and exciting future, womens roles changed, leading to feelings of isolation and worthlessness.  [9]  There was also a baby boom that followed the mens return.  [10]  This baby boom caused women to stay at home and tend to their children and the domestic duties of life. The same media before that had encouraged women to join the war effort and work outside the home was now showing the proper gender roles of men and women by showing the ideal family being a stay at home mom, and a father who went to work. Also, mens wages were higher than ever before, making it possible for the first time in U.S. history for a substantial number of middle class families to live comfortably on the income of one breadwinner .  [11]  With all these factors working against them, the setbacks did not keep seventy five percent of those women fro m continuing to want to work outside of the home.  [12]   As time passed, these determined women did not let go of hope of one day working outside of the home once again. The economy was changing so much that it was becoming almost impossible to live off of one single income. Social and economic pressures were causing families to spend more money and come to realize that they needed more income for the family. Living off of one income to create a heightened lifestyle was a struggle so it left it up to women to pick up a job outside of the home to help support the family, and its wants and needs. Yet, women still felt the social pressure to stay at home.  [13]  Industries were making it easier for women to do their typical duties at home, such as invention of the microwavable television dinner. Housewives became more and more dissatisfied with staying home as the skills for being a housewife decreased.  [14]  At the same time, many women were obtaining a higher education compared to earlier years. This higher education was preparing women for better jobs in the workplace than the clerical and service jobs that few were working after the war. Many women were starting to wonder if their higher education would benefit them, and not just their husbands career. By the 1960s, the previous social pressures of being a stay at home wife were overcome. The number of married women in the workforce at the beginning of the sixties was higher than at any previous time in American history.  [15]  During this time, cultural changes led many women to fight for equal pay for equal work done in the workplace.  [16]  Gradually, Americans came to accept some of the basic goals of the Sixties feminists: equal pay for equal work, an end to domestic violence, curtailment of severe limits on women in managerial jobs, an end to sexual harassment, and sharing of responsibility for housework and child rearing.  [17]  This was a major change in the roles of women in comparison to earlier in the century. Women were starting to move up the in the working world, even though Americans were still attempting to stop them. Some historians believe womens entry into industrial jobs during World War II hastened societal and economic changes already occurring in the American landscape and that it may have lit a fuse that contributed to the womens rights movements that were occurring.  [18]  These movements led to the acceptance of many women in jobs that would not have been imagined to be obtained before. The 1970s also led to an influx of women into the workforce. This influx happened because (page 4 of RAND) By 1980, forty three percent of the workforce consisted of women.  [19]   Many women who lived through World War II came to want different lives for their  daughters.  [20]  

Renaissance Country House Poetry Essay examples -- Poem Poetry Poet Es

Renaissance Country House Poetry Country house poetry is a sub-genre of Renaissance poetry and was first written during the seventeenth century. It was closely linked to patronage poetry, in which poets (sometimes outrageously) flattered patrons in order to gain sponsorship and status. At this time, many houses were built in the countryside as a display of wealth, and as a retreat for the courtier when overwhelmed by the court and city life. Country houses were not, originally, just large houses in the country in which rich people lived. Essentially they were power houses - the houses of a ruling class. As such they could work at the local level of a manor house, the house of a squire who was a little king in his village and ran the county. They could work at a local and national level as the seat of a landowner who was also a member of parliament. Basically, people did not live in country houses unless they either possessed power, or, by setting up in a country house, were making a bid to possess it. Country house poems generally consisted of complimentary descriptions of the said country house and its surrounding area which often contained pastoral detail, and praised cultivated nature. The purpose of the central part of this essay is to assess the effectiveness of Renaissance 'country house' poetry as social criticism. Country house poems were written to flatter and please the owner of the country house. Why did poets do this? Until the nineteenth century the wealth and population of England lay in the country rather than the towns; landowners rather than merchants were the dominating class. Even when the economic balance began to change, they were so thoroughly in control of patronage and legislation, so strong throu... ...ely that people read country house poetry to be provided with political or social insights, so it is likely that many of the allusions were lost on the majority of readers. Endnotes 1 The Penguin Book of Renaissance Verse 1509-1659, p.420 2 Ibid. p.420 3 Life in the English Country House, Mark Girouard, p.7. 4 The Penguin Book of Renaissance Verse 1509-1659, p.420 5 Ibid.p.421 6 Ibid.p.421 7 Ibid.p.421 8 Ibid.p.421 9 Ibid.p.422 10 Ibid.p.422 11 Ibid.p.422 12 Ibid.p.422 13 The Description of Cooke-ham, Renaissance Verse, p.414. 14 The Penguin Book of Renaissance Verse 1509-1659, p.417 15 Ibid.p.418 16 Marvell's "Upon Appleton House", Robert Markley, p.91. Bibliography Mark Girouard. Life in the English Country House, Yale University Press, 1978. Maclean, Landry and Ward. The Country and the City Revisited, Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 62~64

62 Like Clockwork Spies Malink found the old cannibal in a small clearing in the jungle, urinating on a young banana tree. â€Å"I brought you food.† Malink dropped the basket and sat down under a tree. Sarapul seemed to be taking a long time at his task. â€Å"Sometimes it's hard,† Malink said. â€Å"Sometimes I can't go at all,† Sarapul said. â€Å"It hurts.† He shuddered and turned around with a grin, smoothing down his thu. â€Å"But not today.† He sat down next to Malink and reached into the basket for a hunk of fish. â€Å"I heard the music last night,† Sarapul said. â€Å"The white bitch comes more often now.† He offered Malink a piece of fish and the chief took it. â€Å"There are three chosen in only ten days. I think they won't come back sometimes. Vincent says that she is not the Sky Priestess. The pilot said she will kill us.† â€Å"Then we must fight.† â€Å"Knives against guns? You remember the war.† â€Å"I remember. Come.† He got up and led Malink through the underbrush to a hollow log. He reached in and pulled out a long bundle wrapped in oiled sharkskin. â€Å"A man must take the strength of his enemies. If he cannot eat him and take his strength, he must take his weapon.† Sarapul unwrapped the bundle to reveal a World War II vintage Japanese bolt-action rifle. He had obviously been visiting this spot because the rifle was covered with a thin coat of fish oil and gleamed like new. â€Å"I cut off his head and took his gun.† Malink remembered the wrath of the Japanese on his people after the solider disappeared. â€Å"You did that? You were the one?† â€Å"It was a long time ago,† Sarapul said. He reached into the bundle again and pulled out three shining cartridges. â€Å"But I saved these.† â€Å"They have machine guns,† Malink said. â€Å"She doesn't.† The call came a little after midnight. Tuck had slept since he got to the hotel, stuffing toilet paper in his ears to block out the noise of the television and Sepie talking back to it. â€Å"Take a cab to general aviation at the airport,† Jake said. â€Å"The hangar you want says Island Adventures on the side. I'll be waiting.† Tuck climbed out of bed and turned off the television. â€Å"Hey,† Sepie said. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor about a foot from the screen. Tuck crouched and took her face in his hands. â€Å"Tomorrow at six you take the tickets and go downstairs. Tell the man at the desk you want to go to the airport. The bus will take you.† â€Å"I know this,† she said. â€Å"Just listen. A tall man with long hair will be there.† â€Å"Right. Jake,† Sepie said. â€Å"I know this.† â€Å"If he's not there, go to one of the men in the blue hats and tell him you need help getting on your plane. He'll help you. When you get to Houston, go into the airport and call this number. Tell the woman who answers that I told you to call. She'll help you.† â€Å"And you will come and get me soon, right?† â€Å"I'll try.† â€Å"What about Roberto?† They hadn't seen the fruit bat since the mascara bombing. â€Å"Roberto will be fine. He'll live here, but I have to go.† He kissed her on the forehead and before he could pull away she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips so hard he thought he might have cut his lip. â€Å"You come get me.† â€Å"I will.† He stood and went out the door. A few seconds later he heard Sepie call to him from down the hall. â€Å"Hey!† Tuck turned. â€Å"How come you don't try to sex me?† â€Å"I will.† â€Å"Okay,† she said, and she went back into the room. Jake was waiting for him at the Island Adventures hangar. A Hughes 500 helicopter with its doors removed sat on a pad by the hangar. â€Å"I rented it for an hour. I fuck it up and we owe Mary Jean five grand for the deposit.† Tuck looked at the helicopter sitting on the pad like a huge black dragonfly and he began to get a very bad feeling. â€Å"You don't want me to do what I think you want me to do, do you?† â€Å"I'll put the skid right over the hatch. You just step out of one aircraft onto another. No problem. It can't be half as bad as what I had to do to get the hatch left open.† Tuck began to protest, but Jake was already walking to the helicopter. Tuck climbed into the helicopter and slipped on the headset. Jake threw the switches and the turbine began to whine. In a few seconds the blades slowly began to rotate. Tuck keyed the intercom mike on his headset so Jake could hear him over the blades. â€Å"You'll never get past the tower.† â€Å"I've done it before,† Jake said. â€Å"I had to repo a Jet Ranger for a guy once.† â€Å"They'll never clear you.† â€Å"There's no traffic. Besides, you think they're going to clear you? It's Captain Midnight's rock ‘n' roll express from here on out, big guy.† Jake pulled the collective lever by the side of his seat and the helicopter lifted into the air. Within seconds, Tuck heard the tower jabbering over the radio, warning the Hughes 500 to wait for clearance. Jake brought the helicopter up just high enough to clear the top of the hangar and flew in a low wide circle around the airport, then began his own jabber. â€Å"Honolulu Tower, this is Helicopter One, approaching from the west on Runway Two. I have a problem with my tail rotor. Requesting emergency landing.† The tower came back: â€Å"Helicopter One, didn't you just take off without clearance?† â€Å"Negative, Tower. I'm in from Maui. Request emergency clearance.† Of course, Tuck thought. Jake flew the circle below the radar and without the running lights. They have no idea whether this is the same helicopter that just took off. Jake sent the helicopter into a horizontal spin that moved it closer to the planes by the hangars with every rotation, just as it moved Tuck closer to throwing up. Jake stopped the spin for a second and nodded toward a United 747. â€Å"That's your baby. Get out of your harness and get ready. They won't know you're there. Get inside and wait two hours before you start your taxi. I don't want them to connect the helicopter with the jet. By the way, how're you going to get your natives on board?† â€Å"They've got ladders,† Tuck said. â€Å"I hope.† Tuck hung his headset behind the seat and unsnapped his harness just as Jake resumed his spin. Tuck grabbed on to the seat to keep from being thrown out the open door. What looked like an out-of-control aircraft was, in fact, a pretty elementary move called a pedal turn. Tuck found no comfort in that knowledge as he watched the tarmac spin below. Jake pulled the helicopter up just in time to miss the tail of the 747, then leveled it off and crept forward along the length of the huge aircraft. The tail would obscure the view from the tower. â€Å"You ready?† he shouted. Tuck shook his head violently. He could see the line of the hatch he was supposed to go through. He stepped out on the skid. Jake brought the helicopter down and the skid touched the top of the jet. â€Å"Now!† Tuck stepped off onto the plane and ducked instinctively below the blades. He looked back at Jake, shrugged, and shouted, â€Å"That was easy.† â€Å"I told you,† Jake shouted. He pulled the helicopter into the sky and started his spin toward the Island Adventures pad. Tuck got on his knees, dug his fingers into the seal around the hatch, and pulled it open. He jumped into the dark plane, sealed the hatch behind him, then sat in the pilot's seat and began to study the controls. He clicked on the nav computer and punched in the longitude and latitude for Alualu, which he knew by heart, then pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and put in the coordinates for his second destination. He put on a headset and turned on the radios. The frequency was already set for the Honolulu tower. Jake was receiving the official FAA ass-chewing of the century, but there wasn't a word about anyone dropping to the top of a United jet. He had just taken off the headset to settle down for the wait when he heard a scratching sound outside the escape hatch. He opened it and Roberto plopped inside. 63 No Frills The Sky Priestess was drunk. She and the Sorcerer had made two million dollars in the last ten days and she couldn't even buy a pair of shoes. The new pilot, Nomura, was a heavily tattooed, taciturn prick who spoke marginal English and looked at her like he'd rape her in a second, not for the pleasure of the violence, but to put her in her place. Since his arrival, even the ninjas had started to get cocky, joking in Japanese and laughing raucously when her back was turned. Even the Shark People seemed to be losing their fear of her. The last time she had appeared to them the children were left in the village. So the Sky Priestess was watching television in a torn T-shirt and some sweatpants and she was drunk. The intercom beeped and she let it. If it hadn't run on batteries, she would have unplugged it. Instead, she threw it through the french doors, where it beeped the beach for two more minutes, then stopped. The next time she saw it Sebastian was standing in the door holding it like a prosecutor exhibiting a murder weapon to the jury. â€Å"I suppose you think this is funny.† â€Å"Not particularly. Now if it had hit you in the head, that would be funny.† â€Å"We have an order, Beth. A Kidney.† â€Å"Oh, good. I'm in great shape to assist a surgery. Let's do both kidneys. Give the buyer a bonus. What do you say?† She sloshed her tumbler of vodka. Sebastian picked up the empty Absolut bottle from the end table. â€Å"This isn't going to work, Beth. You can't appear as the Sky Priestess like that.† He seemed more afraid than angry. â€Å"You are absolutely correct, ‘Bastian. The goddess has taken the night off.† Sebastian paced back and forth in front of her, rubbing his chin. â€Å"We could stall. We could put you on some oxygen and amphetamines and you could be ready in an hour.† She laughed. â€Å"And ruin this buzz? I don't think so. Tell them to find another source for this one.† He shook his head. â€Å"I don't think I can do that. Nomura's been on the phone with them. He told them we could deliver in six hours.† She hissed. â€Å"Nomura's a fucking grunt. He does what we say. This is our operation.† â€Å"I'm not so sure, Beth. I really don't want to tell him no. Please take a shower and make some coffee. I'll be back in a minute with an oxygen cylinder.† â€Å"No, ‘Bastian,† she whined. â€Å"I don't want to spend six hours in a plane with that asshole.† â€Å"You won't have to, Beth. They've requested that we send him alone this time.† She sat up. â€Å"Alone? Who's going to watch him?† Suddenly she felt very sober. â€Å"No one needs to watch him, Beth. He works for them, remember? You were right. We shouldn't have gotten a pilot from them.† An hour and forty minutes after he dropped through the hatch, Tuck started the procedure to power up the 747. He'd never actually flown anything this big – or anything nearly this big – but he had done twenty hours in a simulator in Dallas and only crashed twice. All planes fly the same, he told himself and he started the first engine. Once it had spooled up, he had the power to start the other three. He put on the headset and looked out the side window to make sure he had room to turn the plane and taxi it to the runway. As soon as it started moving, the tower began to chatter, trying first to get him to identify himself, then to stop. Roberto, who was hanging from the straps on the flight officer's seat beside Tuck, barked twice and let loose a high-pitched squeal. â€Å"You're cookin' with gas, buddy,† came over the radio. Jake was close enough to see the big jet. â€Å"Where are you, Jake?† â€Å"Out of the way, buddy, but thanks for using my name on the radio. Just thought you ought to know that you're going to need fifty-one hundred feet of runway to get that thing off the ground at your destination – and that's with full flaps, so save your fuel now. You'd better tell them what you're doing unless you've got collision insurance on that thing.† Tuck keyed the mike button on the steering yoke. â€Å"Honolulu Tower, this is United Flight One requesting immediate clearance for emergency takeoff on Runway Two.† â€Å"There's no such thing as an emergency takeoff,† the controller said. Tuck could tell he was close to losing it. â€Å"Well, Tower, I'm taking off on Two, and if you've got anything headed that way, I'd say you've got an emergency on your hands, wouldn't you?† The tower guy was almost screaming now. â€Å"Negative on the clearance! Clearance denied, United jet. Return to the terminal. We have no flight plan for a United Flight One.† â€Å"Tower, United Flight One requesting you chill and be a professional about this. Clear to ten thousand. I am starting my takeoff.† â€Å"Negative, negative. Identify yourself†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"This is Captain Roberto T. Fruitbat signing off, Honolulu Tower.† Tuck clicked off the radio, pushed the throttles up, and watched the jet exhaust pressure gauges. When they got to 80 percent of maximum thrust, he re-leased the ground brakes and one hundred and seventy thousand pounds of aircraft rolled down the runway and swept into the sky. At ten thousand feet he began his turn toward Alualu. The fighters joined him a hundred miles north of Guam. Evidently, they had found out that United did not employ a Captain Fruitbat. One of the F-18 fighters came in close and Tuck waved to him. The pilot signaled for Tuck to put on his headset. Why not? Tuck assumed they would be broadcasting across a number of frequencies. â€Å"Yo, good morning, gents,† Tuck said. â€Å"United 747, change your course and land at Guam Airport or we will force you down.† Tuck looked out the window at the sidewinder air to air missiles hanging menacingly under the wings of the fighter. â€Å"And how, exactly, do you propose to do that, gentlemen?† â€Å"Repeat, change your course and land in Guam immediately or we will force you down.† â€Å"That would be fine,† Tuck said. â€Å"Go ahead, force me and my hundred and fifteen passengers down.† Tuck let off the mike button and turned to Roberto. â€Å"Okay, you go in the back and pretend to be a hundred and fifteen people.† As Tuck had calculated, the fighters backed off while they waited for instructions. They were not about to shoot down an American passenger jet without very specific orders, whether it was stolen or not. He believed his biggest advantage was that the FAA and United would insist that no one could steal a 747. That sort of thing just didn't happen. Nice of them to give him an escort, though. He punched some buttons and the nav computer told him he was only half an hour from Alualu. He started his descent. He checked the position of the fighters and hit the mike button. â€Å"This is the UFO calling the F-18s.† â€Å"Go ahead, United.† â€Å"Are you guys both listening?† â€Å"Go ahead.† Tuck affected a singsong teasing tone: â€Å"Neener, neener, neener, you can't get me.† Then he locked the microphone in the on position and began singing an off-key version of â€Å"Fly Me to the Moon.† Malink, I hope you built those ladders, he thought. Malink had been awakened early by the Sorcerer's jet taking off and he was on his way to the beach for his morning bowel movement when Vincent appeared to him. â€Å"Morning, squirt,† the flyer said. Malink stopped on the path and fought to catch his breath. â€Å"Vincent. I build the ladders.† â€Å"You did good, kid. Now get everyone together – and I mean everyone – and tell them to go to the airstrip. Take the ladders. I'm sending a plane for you.† Malink shook his head. â€Å"You send cargo?† Vincent laughed. â€Å"No, kid, I'm taking the Shark People to the cargo. You'll need the ladders to get on the plane. Don't be afraid. Just get everyone.† â€Å"The Sky Priestess has three who have been chosen. One has just come back to the village.† Vincent looked at his feet. â€Å"I'm sorry, kid. You'll have to leave them. Go now. You don't have very long. I'll see you again.† And he disappeared. 64 Deliverance Beth and Sebastian Curtis were cleaning the operating room and sterilizing instruments when they first heard the jet. â€Å"That sounds low,† Sebastian said casually. Then the fighters, running ahead of the 747, passed over the island. â€Å"What in the hell was that?† Beth said. She dropped a pan of instruments and headed for the door. â€Å"Probably just military exercises, Beth,† Sebastian called after her. â€Å"It's nothing to be concerned about.† He was glad to have help cleaning up and didn't want to lose it. Usually, at this point, she was on the plane heading for Japan. â€Å"‘Bastian, come here!† she called. â€Å"Something's up!† Sebastian shoved the last of the surgical draperies into a canvas bag and hurried outside. The sound of jet engines seemed to be everywhere. Outside he found Beth staring at some coconut palms. The guards were standing outside their quarters, looking in the same direction. â€Å"Look.† Beth pointed to the north. â€Å"What? I don't see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then he saw movement behind the palms and a 747 coming toward the island at entirely too low an angle. â€Å"It's landing,† Beth said. Sebastian's gaze was caught by more movement in his peripheral vision. He looked across the runway. The Shark People were coming out of the jungle. All of the Shark People. From the 747 the airstrip looked smaller than he had remembered. To conserve runway Tuck wanted to touch down as close to the near end as possible. He pulled full flaps and checked his descent rate. The Shark People were moving toward the plane in a wave. Some of the men carried long ladders. As all sixteen tires hit the runway, Tuck slammed the levers that reversed the engines and they screamed in protest. Immediately, he hit the ground brakes and watched the brake temperature gauge zoom into the red as the jet screamed toward the ocean at the far end of the runway at a hundred and fifty miles per hour. â€Å"Did you see the ladders?† Roberto said, but this time it was Vincent's voice coming from the bat. â€Å"Ya fuckin' mook, I told you they were makin' ladders.† â€Å"You must come,† Malink said. He crouched at the edge of the jungle where the old cannibal was hiding. â€Å"Vincent said all of our people must go.† Sarapul watched as the huge jet slowly turned at the end of the runway. â€Å"No. I am too old. This is my home. They don't want me where you are going.† â€Å"We don't know where we are going.† â€Å"Your people didn't want me here. Would they want me in this new place? I will stay.† Malink looked to the runway. â€Å"I have to go now.† Sarapul waved him off with a bony hand. â€Å"Go. You go.† He turned and walked into the jungle. Malink ran into the open and began shouting orders to the men with the ladders. The Shark People poured onto the runway and surrounded the jet like termites serving their swollen queen. Beth Curtis saw the first of the doors on the 747 open and immediately recognized Tuck. A tall ladder was thrown against the plane and the Shark People started climbing. â€Å"He's taking them away!† she screamed. Sebastian Curtis stood stupefied. Beth shouted to the guards, â€Å"Stop them, you idiots!† The guards had been spellbound by the landing of the jet as well, but her harpylike scream brought them to action. They were in and out of their quarters in seconds, running toward the airstrip with their Uzis. Beth Curtis ran behind them, screeching like a tortured siren. All six doors of the 747 were open now, and the Shark People were streaming up the ladders, mothers carrying children, the strongest men helping the old. The other guards piled up behind Mato while he unlocked the gate. He fumbled with the key, then finally sent it home and pulled the chain from around the bars. Beth Curtis hit the chain-link and curled her fingers though it like claws as she watched her fortune piling into the plane. â€Å"Shoot!† she screamed. â€Å"Shoot that son of a bitch!† The guards had no idea who she meant, but they understood the command to shoot. The first one through the gate pulled up and pointed his Uzi at the crowd of natives waiting to get up the ladder. There was a fat one who seemed to be giving orders. He aimed for the center of his back. A bullet took the guard high in the chest, knocking him back off his feet. His Uzi clattered on the runway. The other guards pulled up, looking for the source of the shot.. â€Å"Kill them all, you fucking cowards!† Beth Curtis yelled. â€Å"Shoot!† The guards crouched to make themselves into smaller targets as they scanned the edge of the jungle for movement. There was a roar and the guards looked up to see two fighter jets coming in low over the runway. Their decision was made. They ran for the cover of the compound as Beth Curtis screamed at their backs. She ran out to the dead guard, picked up his Uzi, and pointed it at the 747. A gunshot came from the jungle and a bullet ricocheted off the concrete next to her. She turned the Uzi toward the trees and pulled the trigger. It roared for three seconds, the recoil pulling her sideways as the bullets chopped a pattern in the vegetation like a remotecontrol Cuisinart. She brought the gun back around on the plane and pulled the trigger, but the clip was empty. She threw the gun to the ground and stood shaking as the last of the ladders was thrown away from the plane and the doors were pulled shut.

Dracula and the blizzard Essay Example

Dracula and the blizzard Essay Example Dracula and the blizzard Essay Dracula and the blizzard Essay they still have no idea of what the problem is. Lumley fails to pick up on this panic and dismisses the tension by asking Tookey and Booth if they have seen a ghost. Tookey reacts by saying very seriously no ghosts in the Lot, mister as if ghosts would be preferable to what really is in Jerusalems Lot. When Booth tries to use the telephone, he finds that it is dead. This adds to the tension and suspense as it means that the three people in the bar are completely cut-off and isolated from any help if something were to go devastatingly wrong. Tookey and Booth are very reluctant to go and rescue Lumleys wife and daughter, which Lumley can not understand. Tookey and Booth obviously know a lot more about Jerusalems Lot than they are letting on. They are very anxious and scared about the Lot, which adds to suspense as they are the heroes of the story and are not supposed to get frightened. In the next few paragraphs, there are various and numerous references to Christianity and religion. Tookey and Booth mention crucifixes and Bibles. Booth says that most folks who live around the Lot wear something crucifix, St Christophers medal, rosary, something, which makes it seem that religion and faith in God is the only weapon against whatever it is that is in Jerusalems Lot. The phrase the Lot went bad creates a lot of tension and suspense because it confirms that readers fears that there is something very unpleasant in the Lot. Booth then tells the story of Jerusalems Lot to the reader, but even this tale does not prove that there is something unnatural in the Lot. This is when the word vampire is mentioned for the first time, but it is mentioned among the intoxicated ramblings of a drunken man called Richie. Suspense is created when Booth says that Richie never came back after saying he was going to Jerusalems Lot. Richie mocked the idea of vampires and was never seen again. This creates tension because the reader has probably been ridiculing the idea of vampires themselves. Tookey and Booth decide that they have to at least try to rescue Lumleys wife and daughter at which point Booth admits that he never felt so old or so scared in his life. This produces tension because it reiterates the vulnerability of the heroes of the story. Booth asks the reader questions about the Maine blizzard, which gives the impression that he is digressing from the real issue of what they are about to face in the Lot. When the three men eventually get in the car and begin the six-mile journey to the Lot, Booth says that they hadnt met a single car. This emphasises the isolation encountered by the three men. Ten minutes into the journey, they see a strange slumped form, with red eyes. This incident is never explained. When the rescuers reach the turn-off for Jerusalems Lot, Tookey says that they are only rescuing the wife and daughter if they are in the car. If they are not, then they will turn around and go home. There is no debate from Booth but Lumley is still very confused and getting rather frustrated at all the secrecy between Booth and Tookey surrounding the Lot. When they reach the car, the women are gone and all that is left is the little girls parka. This creates suspense because it is very cold outside and if the wife and daughter got out of the car voluntarily, the girl would have been wearing her parka. This means that they have been taken from the car in a hurry and against their will . Lumley at this point gets very angry. He, along with the reader, wants to know what is going on. Lumley runs into the Lot looking for his family. Tookey, Booth and the reader know that he is running towards danger, but all Lumley cares about is his family. When Tookey finally tells Lumley that the Lot contains vampires, Lumley thinks that they are lunatics and doesnt want to hear their stories. Booth says that even he thinks that Tookey did look like a bit loony. Maybe he doesnt even believe himself. The pure fear shown by Booth when Lumleys wife appears makes it obvious to the reader that maybe she is not all she seems. Under normal circumstances, Booth should be thrilled to see the lady, but he says that the sound of her voice turned his heart cold as ice in a cistern. The wifes is odd because she is described as beautiful, but she should be cold and shivering and probably looking a right mess. Lumley is seduced by the evil wife and runs to her, to the horror of Tookey and Booth. Tookey and Booth ran like rats, which would usually be a simile used to describe cowardice, but here, the reader understands why they flee. Lumleys daughter has also been turned into a vampire and tension and suspense is created as the reader sees Booth being lulled by the girls innocence and apparent vulnerability. For a moment, Booth is so taken by the little girls evil seduction that he almost wants to become a part of the vampire world within Jerusalems Lot. Booth no longer has the will power to resist her. Tookey has to rescue Booth from the little girl from hell by throwing his Bible at her. The epilogue of the story still manages to create suspense by ending by saying that the little girl is still out there, waiting for her goodnight kiss.  Both of the horror stories that we looked at use similar methods and techniques to build tension and suspense. They both avoid mentioning the real danger at first, but often hint at it, making the reader really think about what dangers could emerge. Dracula lulls Harker and the reader into a false sense of security by being very charming and courteous which is the main cause of tension and suspense in the extract of Dracula. In One for the Road, Booth convinces the reader that the real danger in Maine is the weather, and only hints at anything more. Both stories use a lot of description and require the reader to use their imagination. Because of this, the appearance of Dracula and the blizzard in Maine are probably exaggerated in the mind, which would create suspense and tension.

Analysis Of A Drawing For Art His Class Essays - Art History

Analysis Of A Drawing For Art His Class Essays - Art History Analysis Of A Drawing For Art His Class Analysis of 'Chance Meeting' by Martin Lewis 'Chance Meeting' is a dry point etching print by Martin Lewis and was created in the early 1930's. The subjects are two figures, male and female, who have happened upon each other in the setting of a public sidewalk at the entrance of a storefront. It may be a dichotomy in terms to call the piece, Idealized Urban Realism, though Lewis' work does harmonize well with the Urban Realist movement surfacing in this period with artists such as Edward Hopper. It also has a very idealized and stylistic quality not unlike the work of artists like Roy Liechtenstein in a much later time period. At a glance, 'Chance Meeting' is a simple work intended to tell a story with minimal detail and it is difficult to distinguish any definite pattern in the composition. With careful inspection however, the viewer can discover an order in the placement of objects, the existence of symmetry, and perhaps a much deeper meaning to the piece through the interpretation of symbolism. The palate used in the piece is simply black and white, with the exception of the illusion of shades of gray created with the shading technique, cross-hatching. This intensifies the use of light and shadow in what definitely could be called chiaroscuro. The presence of a single, intensely bright directional light creates areas of extreme contrast that could be called tenebrism. An extreme variety of lighting techniques can be found, as some objects are lit from the side, and others are almost completely backlit, creating more of a silhouette than a distinguishable three-dimensional shape. Shadows in the recesses of the male figure's face starkly oppose highlights upon his brow and jaw line. Lewis seems to be experimenting with what might be realistic lighting conditions at night on a typical city street, and exaggerating the results in the interest of style. An area of focus is created in the foreground by the intensity of light falling off abruptly as distance increases. Balance in lighting is achieved with the occasional splash of light in a reflective surface, and the existence of smaller, less accentuated lights in the background of the print. The piece derives a lot of its realism from the textures on the surfaces of objects. The pavement has a pattern in it that it possibly the result of its cement tiles being cast in wooden molds, leaving behind the impression of the grain. Some of the tiles are cracked and stained, giving the effect of a partially worn and aged public sidewalk. The glass in one of the structures is evidently glossy as the reflections of street lamps and automobile headlights can be seen in its surface. Cloth in the canopies on the buildings and the clothing of the subjects is very naturally wrinkled in relaxed areas and creased where it is pulled taught. These more organic shapes and textures help to balance the strict geometry and texture of the almost completely architectural background. A variety of very accurately portrayed objects fill the space with interesting, yet not distracting detail. The signage in and around the shops is not only visible, but also legible. It is actually possible to read some of the signs. The book cart in front of the shop bears a hand drawn sign that appears to be a square of cardboard torn out of a box and is precariously seated at an off angle to it's makeshift base. All of this meticulous attention to detail aids in creating a sense of realism in the print. In the print's era, these objects also probably served to create a sense of familiarity for the viewer, who was probably used to seeing similar signage and objects in the physical world. In retrospect, the antiquity of these artifacts adds a degree of interest to the scene and perhaps a bit of nostalgia for some. A sense of depth and space is created by the use of one point linear perspective. The orthogonals lead off of the picture plane to the left with the vanishing point out of sight by a considerable distance. Multiple lines that define the architecture widen to the right creating a

Marketing in Hospitality Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing in Hospitality - Assignment Example Customer’s needs are different and segmenting a target market makes the company more efficient and can achieve higher performance. Performance  is seen through  indicators such as revenue or sales. Another reason for market segmentation is the fact that customers have different disposable incomes. Thus, their sensitivity to price is different (Boundless, 2014). A  business that  segments their  target market  by  offering their products at various prices, can cater to a larger section of a given market. This results in enhanced profits for the company. Market segmentation can be used by a company to position a product. Customers can be encouraged to start using a particular product if it is offered at a low price. After gaining that  low-price  market, a company can then growth the company through built up sales revenue that is reinvested back into the enterprise. A benefit of market segmentation as a marketing strategy is that it can be used to maintain a share of a market segment. A business without a strong lead will find it hard to maximize profitability due to larger brands. Large brands maximize scale of economies in production and marketing and leverage their relationship with distributors and retailers to deliver an extremely differentiated product to the end consumer. Small companies may find it harder to find a particular segment of the market to satisfy. Marketing mix refers to a marketing strategy that involves combining  factors that can be controlled by a business, to achieve its objectives of marketing a product to a particular target market segment (Chong, 2003). The reason for this is that these factors are essential aspects of marketing activities. Market planning can then be better translated into practice. The basic components of a marketing mix are the product, price, place, and promotion. Other components may include people, process, and

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 67

Assignment Example The drought affected the economy very badly and reduced grain production levels. On top of that, the ‘financial bondage’ was imposed by the IMF and World Bank, although this term is not used in the article. In league with other Western powers and the media, they engaged in lies about Zimbabwe that made matters difficult for the country. Together with the land issue re-erupting after war veterans demanded compensation, these circumstances led to Zimbabwe’s financial woes in 1997 and more troubled years ahead. The land issues have roots in the 1930 Land Appropriation Act, which restricted the native black people’s access to land under British colonial rule in favor of the white settlers. This put pressure on the limited land available to blacks in tribal reserves. After independence, the Lancaster House Agreement only postponed resolving the problem by protecting white owners for another decade. The 1985 Land Acquisition Act did try to alleviate the problem through land redistribution, but problems such as racial tensions and overcrowding persisted. Then the demands of the war veterans only added to the pressure. President Mugabe took a bold step by forcefully taking land back from whites and distributing it among the majority blacks, but favoritism and corruption were evident, and therefore, ordinary Zimbabweans continue to suffer. Zimbabwe is in dire need of addressing issues of inequality, ensuring self-sustenance, protection from outside exploitations, elimination of corrupt and the implementation of fair practices, and above all good governance if it is to prevent a total Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 223 Assignment Example His second argument was based on and backed by observations made by fellow astronomer, Adriaan van Maanen. Van Maanen claimed to have observed he Pinwheel Galaxy rotate. For this to be possible, it would mean that it was revolving at a speed faster than the speed of light, which was impossible. Andrew Mackellar was unfortunate to lose the prize. He made his discovery at a time that World War II was at its peak. All efforts were towards winning the war and there wasn’t an opportunity for him to present his findings to fellow scientists at a