Grocery, Inc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Grocery, Inc - Case Study Example Thus Masterpiece argued that it had done so in the best interests of both the parties involved. John W. Ralls in "Subcontractor May Pursue Claim for Breach of the Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing in Contract but May Not Pursue a Cardinal Change Theory." June 11, 2001 explains a similar case in Wyoming. Grocery argued that it was not mentioned that the contract would not be handed over to a sub-contractor without the consent of both the parties because the agreement was signed by a trainee, who was not even a major and had no idea or experience about the subject. Thus, the validity of the agreement itself was in question. Also, the quality of construction of the building was very poor, thus putting Grocery's reputation at stake. Grocery is a renowned brand all over the US and is known for its stores and products. The major argument, however was that Masterpiece failed to inform Grocery about the subcontracting of the work to Build To Fall, which was a breach of trust. The Hon'ble court gave the judgment that Masterpiece had indeed resorted to a breach of trust and ordered Masterpiece to redo the whole job, without any extra compensation and within a time-period of four months; or else pay a damage claim of $ xyz. "The parties agree that this is a case of first impression in Missouri as Missouri courts have not specifically addressed whether a creditor is obligated to apply proceeds from a foreclosure sale to all loans in default secured by the same collateral pursuant to a master or umbrella loan agreement. Both parties claim the resolution of the matter is governed by section 400.9-601(a), which provides in pertinent part, (a) After default, a secured party has the rights provided in this part and, except as otherwise provided in section 400.9-602, those provided by agreements of the parties. A secured party: (1) May reduce a claim to judgment, foreclose, or otherwise enforce the claim, security interest, or agricultural lien by any available judicial procedure; and section 400.9-615(a), which provides in pertinent part, (a) A secured party shall apply or pay over for application the cash

Geography of Latin America, European Influence Essay Example for Free

Geography of Latin America, European Influence Essay Like many of the other realms we learned about, the Latin American realm, made up of Middle America and South America, is not a realm that was safe from European invasion. Europeans played a big role in the history of the economic, political, and cultural geography of Latin America and left long-lasting evidence of their influence in the realm. Although colonization left the realm fragmented politically and economically the regions are showing signs of breaking the cycle of poverty and moving towards equality and urbanization. A map of the realm before Europeans would look much different than it does now. On arrival the Spanish conquered the Inca of South America and continued down the western coast taking over land and exploiting the natives and their mineral deposits. Evidence of the wealth that the Spanish gained from their exploitation can be seen in the city of Lima, which soon became one of the richest cities in the world at the time. The arrival of Spanish to the north in Middle America went much like it did in the south. The Aztecs were defeated and Amerindians were enslaved to deforest the realm for the benefit of the European colonizers. The deforestation started by the invaders began a devastating trend and today there is only about 10 percent of the indigenous vegetation left. Around the same time the Spanish were colonizing western South America and Middle America the Portuguese had arrived in what is now Brazil and began their move westward. As the arrival of Spanish colonizers left the Portuguese with a limited work force to exploit, immoral improvisation lead to a cultural impact that would change South America forever. Millions of African slaves were brought to the realm to work for the Europeans. Almost half of all of the slaves brought to the Americas arrived on the Brazilian coast and today Brazil has South Americas largest African population. Slavery and natural destruction aren’t the only things that Europeans brought to the realm. Possibly the biggest impact of colonizers was their effect on the native population. Within years of arrival in South America an estimated 90 percent of Amazonians perished and disease in Middle America killed millions of Amerindians. The Amerindians were moved off much of their land into towns laid out by colonizers and forced to learn Spanish and the Roman Catholic Religion. Although Spanish and Portuguese are dominant, the native culture still survives as the majority in some areas of the realm. With such serious impacts on the culture one may be concerned about the economic disparities that exist in South America but the realm has been shaping up since the independence of some major countries almost two centuries ago and economic improvement continues. Today the Latin American realm is in transition and shows signs of pulling out of the cycle of poverty inherited from European colonization. Mexico has benefited from NAFTA and the Middle American Realm has successfully come together in CAFTA recently. The islands eastward have also developed CARICOM, leading to slow economic change in the Caribbean. Belize is transforming its economy through the production of commercial crops and seafood processing. By taking advantage of its pristine natural environment, Belize has been able to profit a lot from ecotourism. Honduras, the third-poorest country in this realm, has also taken aim at ecotourism and will hopefully simulate the success of Belize because of the uncommon level of biodiversity natural to the country. Even the small-island developing economies are showing positive signs. Though many of the eastern islands have benefitted largely through tourism Trinidad and Tobago seem to have the most momentum with large reserves of natural gas. As the world’s leading exporter of ammonia and methanol and the largest liquefied natural gas supplier to the United States the future looks very bright for Trinidad and Tobago. However, Industrial Development is certainly not restricted to the Central Americas. Brazil is considered one of the biggest emerging markets exporting oil, steel, and Embraer aircraft. Brazil has large oil reserves and is growing rapidly; as a result it is expected to be center stage for the beginning of the twentieth century and has been largely successful in its movement to eliminate poverty and maintain growth in the process. Peru, the fifth largest producer of gold in the world, has extensive mineral deposits as well as oil reserves and a thriving fishing industry because of its extreme coastal exposure. Agriculture is also a contributor to the booming economy of Peru; some of their most profitable exports include asparagus, olives, and lettuce. In Argentina industrial development such as better transportation and more efficient agricultural machinery has led to highly profitable meat and grain production. Thanks to the riches accumulated Argentina, with 91 percent of its population urbanized, is one of the realms most urbanized countries and is even more urbanized than the U. S or Western Europe. In addition to the economic transition that most of the realm is embarking on, political reform is also on the rise. Recently in Chile a new president was elected after two decades of the same ruling party. This new leader led the country with success and made Chile the richest economy in South America. Even in Bolivia, a country with a history of harsh Amerindian mistreatment, new leadership is nationalizing the countries resources and contributing to what is now being called the Amerindian reawakening. Political reform and religious reform are the biggest contributors to the growing awareness of the mistreatment of Amerindians and the decimation that occurred on European arrival and the liberation theology movement of the 1950s is an example. With European colonization having such a huge impact on the realm it is nearly impossible to tell what may have happened if they never arrived. Almost a whole realm of people and culture were lost in years. Some of the native culture survives and lives on, in poverty, as a result of the system left behind by their oppressors. But since the end of the colonial era much progress has been made. Most countries in the realm are on their way to if not already having a strong economy. Brazil and Chile are two examples of South American success already. As the other countries continue to climb economically the countries worse off are showing signs of a better future. The future may be bright for Mexico and Belize, and hopefully the political reform and movement towards economic equality continues in Bolivia as this realm is showing strong signs that it will overcome the major cultural and economic setbacks left over from colonial times.

Tamoxifen Undergoes Optimization Essay -- Medical Drug

Tamoxifen Undergoes Optimization Abstract Computer programs like GaussView and Gaussian 03W are some of the advanced tools that can be used by scientists to design and optimize new designed drug. Using the exact same tools as scientists today, I am going to take a known drug, Tamoxifen, and create few analogs similar to its structure. Before I can create some analogs in GaussView, I am going to study and examine the structure of Tamoxifen to understand the chemistry that involves in this structure. For example, the bonds between molecules and the interactions between the drug and estrogen receptor complex site. After I design an analog of Tamoxifen, I will then use the Gaussian 03W program to optimize the analog. As for the last step in determining if an analog is a good candidate for a new designed drug, I am going to use a special computer program called OpenEye Software to help me make that prediction. Introduction Breast Cancer is the most common type of cancer known among women in the US. It is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths. More than 180,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. In 2006, out of all of these women, 40,000 died. Although breast cancer mainly affects women, data shows that men can also be affected as well; each year more than 1,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer 3. This information shows that cancer can affect anyone regardless of an individual’s gender, ethnicity, etc. It is important that everyone knows about breast cancer and helps friends or family members with breast cancer to find way to diagnose it. In nowadays, scientists are learning more about cancer and are exploring new ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat this deadly disease 1. .. ...c., 1997. 3. Corey, E. J., Barbara Czako, and Laszlo Kurti. Molecules and medicine. New Jersey: John Wiley &Sons, Inc., 2007. 4. Jordan, V., ed. Long-Term Tamoxifen Treatment for Breast Cancer. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1994. 5. Oxford University Press. "Figure 18.44: Tamoxifen." Online Resource Centre. 29 Jul. 2008. tamoxifen.jpg>. 6. Wikipedia. "Tamoxifen." Wikipedia. 29 Jul. 2008. . 7. Wiseman, Helen. Tamoxifen-Molecular Basis of Use in Cancer Treatment and Prevention. England: John Wiley &Sons Ltd, 1994. 8. Nolte, RT. "Crystal structure of Estrogen Related Reecptor-3 (ERR-gamma) ligand binding domaind with tamoxifen analog GSK5182." Protein Data Bank. 29 Jul. 2008. .

Elizabeth Gaskell Essay

After Helen died things didn’t get much better. The farm workers started to look down upon him and ‘hardy waited till my father’s back was turned rated the stepson’, even his own brother looks down upon him unintentionally ‘I sometimes repeated the disparaging words I heard†¦ Without fully understanding their meaning’. This makes us feel a lot of sympathy towards Gregory and we feel sorry for him. There seems to be a close link between Gregory life and his Mother life. No matter what happens, they try to make the best of things and get on with it. Preston maintains and feeds his hatred of Gregory instead of repressing it; he ‘cherished his feeling of alienation’ he had from Gregory. He lived the save type of life as her, one of suffering and one full of sorrow, death seems like a better place for him he is along side the one and only person who loved him. Preston holds a grudge on Gregory right from the very start. But we must admire Gregory for not begrudging him or any other person who treats him badly even if they have just been nasty to him, he would ‘do a kind turn for anyone, even if they had been scolding him’. He is parallel to his mother. This helps us to warm to him as a character. Gregory is stoical and endures things with uncomplaining patience which’s helps us to admire him. Gaskell creates a character that speaks highly of Gregory. Nearly every one of the farm workers has a bad thing to say about him apart from old Adam. Gregory is sent out onto the hills as a Shepard with along with Adam who trains him. Adam is the only person apart from Gregory’s mother who has not got a bad word to say about him, but indeed praises him. This is likely to the fact that Adam was ‘almost the first person who had a good opinion of Gregory’ and even told this to his boss, Preston. Later in the story when the narrator goes missing, Gregory goes out in the thick snow to look for his half brother risking in his own life and not even thinking about it. This also seems parallel to Helen who had done similar for Gregory by putting Gregory first and looking out for him without even thinking about it. When Gregory manages to find the narrator, Gaskell makes us feel even more admiration for him. In the freezing snow, he gives his brother the Maud (woollen shawl) that he is wearing so that the narrator can stay just a little bit warmer. This makes us warm to Gregory, because of the fact he is suffering for the sake of his brother. Gaskell evokes admiration from the readers, Gregory died for his brother, and someone he barely knew and did not even complain about it. Gaskell creates a character that many of the readers may take a disliking to and manages to get ambivalent responses from the readers. Preston is described as being ‘an old bachelor†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ long past forty’ and ‘one of the wealthiest farmers thereabouts†. Helen agrees to marry him solely on that the fact that he ‘promised to take good charge of her boy, and let him want for nothing, neither in way of keep nor in education’. This almost seems a purely business agreement. He uses Gregory as an excuse in order to marry Helen. Gaskell makes our response to Preston more complex than any other of the characters; she manages to get a complicated reaction to Preston through a short story. With the other main characters, it is obvious how Gaskell is trying to portray them but it is not obvious in Prestons case. We are suspicious of him at the start. At the start of â€Å"The Half Brothers† Preston is made out to be a horrible man, but by the end of the story our feelings have softened against him. He is very impatient, he does not wait for Helen to love him ‘Perhaps love would have come in time’. Preston begrudges Gregory as child for the attention he receives from Helen. He is jealous of him, and cannot stand Helen loving Gregory more than him. Preston is dehumanised. He does not love Gregory at all, but hates him. But later on we see that Preston is humanised, ‘glad and proud his son was born’. He becomes ‘sorry for his poor wife’s state’, but still blames it on Gregory and holds him responsible for Helens death even though it is his own fault for arguing with her. After Helens death Preston honours the agreement for which they were married under, to look after Gregory. But he makes no attempt to love him, only to give him material things that money can buy, nothing emotional. Even Preston is hurting Gregory’s dog, just because it belongs to Gregory, he has a real dislike to anything that Gregory owns or anything to do with. Even Preston’s own son thinks he is to hard on Gregory ‘I believe that my father cherished his feeling of alienation to my brother as a duty, than strove to repress it’ But towards the end of â€Å"The Half brothers† Gaskell makes us feel differently towards him. There is a sense of deep regret from Preston on his deathbed about the way that he treated Gregory throughout his life â€Å"God forgive me my hardness of heart towards the fatherless child! † After his death he knows that Helen loved Gregory more and so as a sign of repentance had ‘desired that he might lie at the foot of the grave, in which, by his desire, poor Gregory had been laid with our mother. ‘ Preston is very grateful and thankful to Gregory for saving his sons life â€Å"I would have given him half my land†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ I would have blessed him as my son†. He even tries to be kind to the dog, but it won’t let him near it. Gaskell is very good at creating and holding suspense for long periods of time through the story. At the start of the story, just after Helen’s husband dies suspense starts to build up as we become worried about Helen’s future and continues to hold the suspense until she marries Preston. When the narrators gets lost, the fact that ‘night came on quicker’ makes us feel unnerved that night is overtaking him and that he may get stuck there all night. An eerie atmosphere is created which intensifies the suspense even further ‘some wild boggy moor†¦ ‘ Tautology is used to emphasis how dark it and adds to the suspense ‘noiseless expansion of black darkness’. Gaskell’s use of language also helps to create suspense. ‘Suddenly the air was filled†¦ ‘, suddenly is placed at the beginning of the sentence to show how quickly and unexpectedly the snow fell. We start to become worried for the narrator and the suspense is built up even further by the emotional language used ‘I shouted – terrible, wild shouts for bare life’ and ‘choked with tears†¦ desolate, helpless death I was to die’ – shows how extreme the situation is, how isolated and lonely the narrator must have felt. The narrator starts to give up hope and we start to feel very sorry for him and then just as all hope is gone, lassie comes to his rescue, we now see that he saved and is going to get home safely as he has been found. Just as soon as we feel relief that he has been found, there poses as even bigger problem, instead of one person being lost, there are two – the suspense is deepened even further than before. As the two try to find their way home, it is apparent that they are not going to get home and could die out there. All of this creates suspense and makes the reader want to read on to see if the pair gets home all right. The suspense reaches it climax near the end of the story. When the narrator determined to sleep and doesn’t care if he dies. When the pair realise that they can go no further, they stop as a last resort – they know that they are going to die and sent lassie back to get help. The suspense is mounted to see whether or not lassie can get back to the ranch before the pair die of the cold. Then the narrator ‘fell asleep’. We think is the end, he has fallen asleep he will die. But then a sense of relief comes over us when we find that the narrator has been found just time and survives, but Gregory is not so lucky. Through out the story â€Å"The Half Brothers† Gaskell evokes and manipulates many of our feelings. But some readers, including myself find that some of the story mawkish and trying to push at our emotional buttons in an unsophisticated way. Gaskell style of writing helps to manipulate our feelings. The way she portrays Helen’s and Gregory’s lives makes us feel a lot of sympathy towards them but we admire the way they put up with everything without complaining. She creates a character, which seems to be the bad guy of the story and evokes complex feelings for him from us. Some readers including myself may find that Preston is an horrid man and continue to think the same even when Gaskell tries to soften his image by saying that he has become ‘humanised’, but others may feel that he is a good man at heart and this is portrayed at the end of the story when he is deeply regretful. Gaskell is very good at creating suspense and makes us worried about the characters and makes us want to read on. So overall Gaskell is very good at manipulating our feelings.

Hiroshima Diary Essay

First of all, I would like to say that you have an overall good paper in my opinion. The first thing that I can suggest is a better hook. My attention wasn’t drawn into the paper. I suggest a quote by a scientist or other survivor, and/or a statistic – something that will make a reader think about the paper more. Another thing that I can recommend is to add a little bit more background on the two narratives, but just very brief (a couple sentences). Also I’d like to point out some things that you could use to improve your thesis. The essay is about â€Å"cause and effect† so it has to be mentioned in your thesis. Also mention the 2 things you will compare between the two stories so the reader has an idea where the paper will be going. Other things I noticed that sounded awkward are the way you used quotes. Introducing quotes is a better strategy than just using the quote as a sentence (paragraph 2) as it gives a better flow and gives a better explanation for your argument. Also in my opinion you could expand more on your analysis of both paragraphs and connect your argument to the thesis and to each other so you have a better evaluation of the discussed topic. There are several other small issues that I found. In paragraph 3 you used a long quote, which is 4+ lines, and it should be in a block format and indented. Also you used very short sentences such as, â€Å"Here are the quotes for the effect.† Using more complex sentences gives a better flow and a more professional look to your essay. You also had some good things in your essay. You provided very concise summary to inform a reader about the story and point out the most important information. You point. Also you have very good topic sentences introducing the argument of that paragraph. From your topic sentences I was able to know what they paragraph would be about, and you were consistent with it. After reading your essay and compared it to my own, I figured that I need to include a better summary. I do not give sufficient background information to be enough for my analysis. Junjie, you did a great job at providing accurate citations, great summary and good analysis. However, you could work on expanding your synthesis and evaluation of the argument in your body paragraph. Otherwise, good job.

Inflation Targeting

Inflation Targeting Free Online Research Papers In order to achieve price stability in New Zealand, the monetary policy Inflation Targeting was adopted in 1990. With the growth and success of this new strategy, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain and many other counties followed suit in the subsequent years ahead. Inflation targeting is an economic policy in which a monetary authority such as the European Central Bank publicly announces what they are going to do in regards hiring or lowering the inflation rate. They estimate a percentage such as 2 percent a year and make a target inflation rate, then attempt to move the actual inflation rate toward that rate. Through the use of interest rate changes and other monetary tools inflation targeting is possible. Although inflation targeting has many advantages, some countries for see the many disadvantages of low economic growth and too much rigidity. Many criticize the idea of inflation targeting and how there are disadvantages to this policy. An inflation target lacks the ability to send signals immediately to the public and then to the markets, therefore delaying signaling. The belief that inflation targeting imposes rigid rules on policymakers makes economics think there is too much rigidity. Low employment and the low growth in the economy is also a concern of some economists. Yet, the prime concern of inflation targeting does not solely focus on inflation and the potential for increased output fluctuations. Along side to the validity of these criticisms there are several advantages to inflation targeting. The stability between inflation and money is not the primary success of this policy. It is with the central bank increasing its accountability; the transparency of the policy associated with inflation targeting has made the central bank vastly accountable to the public and the government. The primary advantage of inflation targeting is keeping the inflation rate low. The countries that adopted inflation targeting have drastically reduced their rate of inflation and have kept it down till this day. By not focusing completely on inflation and keeping the inflation rate low, critics can see both sides of the advantages and disadvantages of inflation targeting. With over ten counties using this monetary policy of inflation targeting for now over twenty five years it is clear that advantages and disadvantages will arise and critics will have their say on what they think is best. Research Papers on Inflation TargetingThe Mechanics of Grading Grading SystemsAmerican Central Banking and OilDefinition of Export QuotasSexually Transmitted DiseasesInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesA Marketing Analysis of the Fast-Food RestaurantThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationGene One the Transition from Private to PublicBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe

Euthanasia Death and Euthanasia Essay

Euthanasia Death and Euthanasia Essay Euthanasia: Death and Euthanasia Essay Research Essay – Euthanasia Euthanasia is a serious moral and ethical issue in today’s world. Rightly so. Approximately 1.2million people in the United States and about 564,600 Americans annually – more than 1,500 people per day are suffering from terminal illnesses (Growthhouse). However, most people think that euthanasia is murdering, even if they believe that suffering is a horrible thing. Being bed-ridden in pain because of a disease or sickness is completely horrifying. Interestingly, someone came up with an act that is known as â€Å"Euthanasia† which allows people to kill themselves due to pain or suffering. Often, it is confused with the term â€Å"assisted suicide† which means someone, normally a physician, voluntarily helps the patient to end his or her life. Euthanasia is the act of someone ending the life of a terminally ill person by injection or medical treatment. This is a topic that consists of countless opinions and much controversy as to whether euthanasia should b e legalized or not. Even though I have never known a person that has an incurable disease or sickness, if a loved one or I were diagnosed, for instance, with a terminal illness like cancer, I would definitely choose euthanasia as an option to end the suffering and pain in my life. If there were no other way to cure the disease and take away the agony, patients would not want to live a painful life and die a tormented death. Instead, being helped by someone to take away the pain sooner, even if that meant dying, would be a better option. Though some may not choose euthanasia or physician assisted suicide. At least, by having the right to choose euthanasia, one has hope of making the pain end. Therefore, I agree with the practice of euthanasia and strongly believe that everyone has the right to decide whether they want to end their own life or not. First of all, deciding to live or die should be a personal decision to be made by everyone. However, many people support legalizing Euthanasia. Author Sidney Hook is one of these people. In his article â€Å"In Defense of Voluntary Euthanasia,† he believes that â€Å"each one should be permitted to make his/ her choice especially when no one else is harmed by it† (Hook, 242-245). I strongly agree with his philosophy that people have the right to choose to live or die because I think people who live their lives enduring pain and suffering because of a sickness are already facing so much and, furthermore, they wouldn’t want to be a lifelong liability to their family. This question often arises: â€Å"Where do the sick people go when there is no medical help available and the disease in question is incurable? Are they expected to go on with their life until the pain kills them? That is absolutely brutal! If a patient has no hope to live a comfortable life any longe r because he is suffering from unbearable pain, why should the law or the patient’s family have the right to make the decision whether he/she should live or die? It should be the patient’s right to decide if they want to end their life by euthanasia. This may help the suffering patients to die a less painful death (Rottenberg, â€Å"You Live Your Life, I’ll Take Mine!†) and maybe end their own life with some happiness. Euthanasia should be seen as a ray of hope for a suffering person. Then again, it shouldn’t be perceived as an answer to every illness. Only a patient who is terminally ill or is suffering in extreme anguishing pain should have the right to choose if he prefers to end his life by the practice of euthanasia. It should not be determined by anyone else how long a person’s pain should continue. There should not be a law that denies someone the hope to put an end to his or her pain. How could there exist a law that states that euthanasia cannot be legal in any case? It is not right for other people, for instance, a doctor or an intellectual, to decide if it is immoral to practice euthanasia. They don’t understand the pain and suffering of the patient in such

Avogadros Number To Calculate Mass of a Single Atom

Avogadro's Number To Calculate Mass of a Single Atom Avogadros number is one of the most important constants used in chemistry. It is the number of particles in a single mole of a material, based on the number of atoms in exactly 12 grams of the isotope carbon-12. Although this number is a constant, its experimentally determined, so we use an approximate value of 6.022 x 1023. So, you know how many atoms are in a mole. Heres how to use the information to determine the mass of a single atom. Avogadro's Number Example Problem: Mass of a Single Atom Question: Calculate the mass in grams of a single carbon (C) atom. Solution To calculate the mass of a single atom, first look up the atomic mass of carbon from the periodic table.This number, 12.01, is the mass in grams of one mole of carbon. One mole of carbon is 6.022 x 1023 atoms of carbon (Avogadros number). This relation is then used to convert a carbon atom to grams by the ratio: mass of 1 atom / 1 atom mass of a mole of atoms / 6.022 x 1023 atoms Plug in the atomic mass of carbon to solve for the mass of 1 atom: mass of 1 atom mass of a mole of atoms / 6.022 x 1023 mass of 1 C atom 12.01 g / 6.022 x 1023 C atomsmass of 1 C atom 1.994 x 10-23 g Answer The mass of a single carbon atom is 1.994 x 10-23 g. Applying the Formula to Solve for Other Atoms and Molecules Although the problem was worked using carbon (the element upon which Avogadros number is based), you can use the same method to solve for the mass of an atom or molecule. If youre finding the mass of an atom of a different element, just use that elements atomic mass. If you want to use the relation to solve for the mass of a single molecule, theres an extra step. You need to add up the masses of all of the atoms in that one molecule and use them instead. Lets say, for example, you want to know the mass of a single atom of water. From the formula (H2O), you know there are two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. You use the periodic table to look up the mass of each atom (H is 1.01 and O is 16.00). Forming a water molecule gives you a mass of: 1.01 1.01 16.00 18.02 grams per mole of water and you solve with: mass of 1 molecule mass of one mole of molecules / 6.022 x 1023 mass of 1 water molecule 18.02 grams per mole / 6.022 x 1023 molecules per mole mass of 1 water molecule 2.992 x 10-23 grams

Course Project - Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Course Project - Report - Assignment Example energy needs. 4) To give a personal opinion regarding the hydraulic fracturing process and the laws that should be instituted. INTRODUCTION Hydraulic fracturing refers to a process used to extract gas or oil from beneath the earth’s surface by pumping liquid at high pressure to the subsurface rocks. The pressure in this liquid is enough to fracture the rocks thus establishing interconnected networks of fractures that are then used as pores for the oil and gas to move to the bored well. It is from this well that the final extraction is done. The process has been so far effective and efficient in so far as extraction of oil and natural gas is concerned (Wilber, 2012). Nonetheless, various legal and environmental issues have been raised regarding the process. Its impacts on the environment have not augured well with a majority of the environmentalists. Similarly, various legal concerns have been raised and they vary from one state to the next. In this paper, I seek to present a r eport on the hydraulic fracturing process, the legal and environmental issues, as well as offer some of recommendations regarding the process. DISCUSSION Hydraulic fracturing process raises various issues both legally and environmentally. The water contamination by the chemicals used during the fracking process has brought out legal issues of strict liability where individuals have asserted harm from such contaminated water. In a Pennsylvanian case of Fiorentino v. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., No. 09-cv-2284 (M.D. Pa. November 15, 2010), the plaintiff seeks action to be taken against the oil and gas company. This follows the alleged contamination of the plaintiff’s water by methane and other toxins. The court refused to dismiss this case and hence opened a look into allowing plaintiff come up with a claim of strict liability against the hydraulic fracturing companies (U.S. ENVTL. PROT. AGENCY, 2009). The other legal issue presented by the hydraulic fracturing is who is to be held r esponsible in cases of harm occasioned by the process. From the Fiorentino v. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.case, it appears that it becomes an issue to the courts to determine the liability of the fracturing company and hence seeks to follow up and develop a rule suitable for this situation. Strict liability seems to have been inapplicable in such issues from the way the defendant presents his case in these proceedings. While various states are embracing this process in gas and oil extraction, other states have banned it and hence are an illegal process. However, some states have left the discretion to the local leaders to decide whether the process should be permitted or not. Permitting such a process is done after various considerations depending on the local leaders take on the public health and safety in case of a flag to engage in the extraction process. The environmental concerns so raised by the hydraulic process are vast and alarming. First, there is a threat of contamination of the underground water brought about by the spillage of the gases and oil extracted. Most of this underground water is a source of drinking water to many, both human and the animals. In an event of contamination of the drinking water then the vast population is affected. Secondly the use of a lot of water from the ground water and the surface water during drilling and the hydraulic fracturing brings a lot of stress to these water suppliers. The drilling and fracturing

A movie that deals in some way with human development or psychological Essay

A movie that deals in some way with human development or psychological issues - Essay Example She is not sure what is going to happen to her, or why, and she is subjected to a process of institutionalization. It turns out that her treatment involves talking therapy with a psychologist called Dr Wick. The film shows how Susanna responds to various female characters in different ways, starting with her suspicion of all staff and patients, and gradually leading to more acceptance and understanding of them. Dr Wicks is patient and kind, drawing out what Susanna has experienced in the past and helping her to find better ways of dealing with things. The African American nurse on the ward thinks that Susanna is just another stupid teenage girl who is not really ill, but just exaggerating. The film shows how Susanna begins to identify with the other patients, seeing herself as one of them, and thus being mentally ill starts to appear to be â€Å"normal† to her. While she is in hospital Susanna meets a number of other patients, many of whom are considerably more ill than she is . One of the most seriously ill patients is Lisa (played by Angelina Jolie) and a friendship forms between Susanna and Lisa which results in the two young women getting into trouble and resisting the authoritarian orderlies and hospital authorities. They run away and are brought back by the police. In the end Susanna is released from the hospital, but Lisa and the others remain. There are many developmental and psychological issues in this film but two of them are particularly important: peer influence in adolescence, and definitions of mental illness. The first is important because the main character in the film appears to be very impressed by Lisa, who is a sociopath, and bonds very quickly with most of the other patients. In standard psychology text books this shift from attachment to parents to close friendships with peers is a normal part of adolescence and an important stage in the development of a separate identity outside the immediate family circle. (Baron and Kalsher, 2004 ) Dramatic gestures like Susanna’s aspirin overdose, and Daisy’s self-harming by cutting herself need not necessarily be a sign of serious mental illness, since there is an element of mimicry and attention-seeking in all adolescent behaviour. The film illustrates what behavioral theory would call modelling and reinforcement as the teenagers drift into patterns of behaviour that are common in their peer group, regardless of societal norms or parental example. (Heilbron and Prinstein, 2008) Susanna feels good when she resists the establishment, and she accords Lisa high status, which she wishes to share. By taking the sociopath Lisa as a role model, Susanna risks sinking deeper into maladaptive patterns and worsening her own mental health. Working with the therapist, Susanna learns to unpackage these assumptions and begin thinking things out for herself. One of the interesting plot lines in the film is the fact that the viewer is never quite sure whether Susanna is ill o r not, and this causes the viewer to reflect on the nature of mental illness and how it is defined. A simple application of the standard diagnosis aids such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (1994) should in theory resolve this question, but in the case of Susanna’s diagnosis, namely borderline personality disorder, the definition appears to be so vague as to apply to almost anyone. DSM IV criteria define borderline personality disorder in terms as â€Å"unstable self-image,†

The Order and Robert Mathews, its history Term Paper

The Order and Robert Mathews, its history - Term Paper Example The Order (also known as Bruders Schweigen, or Silent Brotherhood) drew its members from the National Alliance, Aryan Nations, and various Klan splinter groups. As a blueprint for its "revolution," The Order relied upon William Pierces novel The Turner Diaries and many of the crimes for which Order members were convicted resembled terrorist acts described in the book. â€Å"Robert Jay Mathews, was born in Marfa, TX, United States on 16-Jan-1953,† (Robert Mathews). He was an average student in school and was interested in history and politics. The book called ‘Which Way Western Man?’ by William Gayley Simpson, attracted, and influenced him a lot. He was in absolute agreement with the content of the book, the dangers faced by the  white race, and he began an effort to attract white families. His ability to deliver attractive speeches received many standing ovations. Gradually he assembled a group of eight other men and formed a group which he called ‘Silent Brotherhood’, later known as ‘The Order’. The main aim of the Order was to establish an Autonomous White Homeland in the Northwest United States and also to fight against the Jewish supremacies. They engaged in different types of campaign to create the revolutionary structure required to gain White independence, and self-determination. As per the plan drafted by Mathews, the first aim of the gang was to find money for the operations. â€Å"In its first year, The Order began accumulating a war chest for its real-life revolution when three members stole $369 from a Spokane, Washington store. Soon thereafter the group launched a counterfeiting operation at the Aryan Nations compound in Hayden Lake, Idaho,. Before the end of 1983, Robert Matthews robbed the Seattle City Bank of $25,000†. Order members diverted police by exploding a bomb in a Seattle theater while other members robbed an armored car parked outside a department store, seizing $500,000.

Argumentative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Argumentative - Essay Example Reasonably, there are numerous feminisms, for example, socialist feminism, liberal feminism, standpoint feminism, socialist feminism and standpoint feminism. Nevertheless, there are several philosophies general to all feminist viewpoints. One philosophy is that sex is socially formed instead of being spontaneously created. This is by keeping in mind that hominids are genetic beings, where our genetic system affects who we are as men and women. Nonetheless, from a women's libber view, there exist a composite interaction between culture and biology and genetic attributes may be transformed by social or environmental settings. Feminism describes gender as arrange of social anticipations that are replicated and transmitted via an aspect of social acquiring. This paper entails an argumentative essay on feminism as social movement. (A-2) A second women's movement philosophy is that gender is a crucial organizing aspect within the social domain. Gender is entrenched in social interactions a nd processes of daily life along with all social establishments. At the organizational level, gender is molded by the economic and political structure of a society. In all societies, specific forms of gender norms prevail, and these norms can differ from community to community consequently more substantiation that gender is fashioned socially. Conferring to the feminist standpoint no sex is intrinsically superior to another. Conversely, the ethnicity of a civilization may instill one sex with a superior significance than another sex. For example in the Western and most other societies, masculinity (of traits and behaviors related to being male) is esteemed more hellish than feminineness (of traits and behaviors related to being female). The men, hence, are bestowed grander access to rewards and resources in these communities, solely because they stand out as (masculine) men. Therefore, discrepancy valuing produces gender bias (Curran 47). A common misunderstanding concerning feminis m is that it centers only on womenfolk or "females' issues." (B-1)Feminism's chief objective, from a theoretical outlook, partakes to review and refine the status of womenfolk in community, mostly since womenfolk and the traits and behaviors related to them have been ignored or devalued in the past. However, feminism distinguishes that male folk have gender, as well, and that even though virtually all men profit in a certain way through gender privileges. Some factions of men though, are underprivileged by other societal factors (Beauvior 2008). (A-3) The third protocol of feminism entail that gender discrimination does not represent the same outcomes for all men and women. This philosophy from a feminist view point scrutinizes how sex bias interconnects with other kinds of bias such as racism, heterosexism, social class bias, ageism, and discriminations built on mental and physical abilities that affect multiple factions of men and women differently. For example, a man who acts eff eminately is regarded as queer and is chastised for this peculiarity in various ways that incorporate social banishment; discrimination in occupation, housing, in addition to other areas, and at times even brutality. Correspondingly, deprived men folk of color hold less accessibility to societal rewards and resources than white respectable women do, since the undesirable consequences of social class and racism injustice around them overshadow the rewards of gender opportunity (Curran 67). (A-4) Since

Pacifism and Violence Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pacifism and Violence - Term Paper Example Pacifists seek long life proactive moral commitment in their nonviolent moral commitment (Gould, 2010). Pacifists try their best to avoid war where it is warranted and even in the case of self defense. The critics of pacifisms have termed them as cowards because they fear violence and physical engagement in seeking justice and peace (Gould, 2010). On the other hand, those who seek violence in promoting justice argue that war is inevitable, and that peace is preceded by war. They argue that peace attained after war has value because it has costed lives. Western tradition and other civilizations have termed heroic courage which leads to violence as an embodiment of moral strength and, thus, as central to morality (Cheyney, 1994). In this essay, I argue that pacifism and violence are depended on the situation one is in and while it should be the last option; the extremes of both can lead to no moral commitment. The pacifists On 31st March 1968, the US President Lyndon Johnson delivered a historic speech ‘On Vietnam and Not Seeking Reelection’ (Lyndon, 1968). The speech was a response to the American concern about his mounting escalation on the bombardment of the northern Vietnam. The Americans were against the government’s decision to bomb North Vietnam in February 1965, and they were advocating for peaceful negotiations instead of violence. Most critics of President Lyndon and political analysis held that, at the time, the support of the war had seen popular and political erosion. In 1965, Alice Hertz had burned herself in protest against the Vietnam War, and she sacrificed her life so that the war might be stopped (Cheyney, 1994). In the same year, an ardent pacifist, Norman Morrison, traveled to Washington and burned himself to death at the Pentagon to protest against the escalation of Vietnam War (Sallie, 2000). On May 16, 1967, Nhat Chi Mai, allay disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh, burned herself to death outside Tu Nghiem temple in an effort to compel the US government to deescalate Vietnam War (Sallie, 2000). She wrote a letter to the US government stating that she offered her body as a torch to waken love among men and give peace to Vietnam (Sallie, 2000). These are just few examples of pacifists who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam war, and the first was the venerable Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc who acted by burning himself to death on June 11, 1963, for the same cause (Sallie, 2000). For ages, it seems that pacifists are ready to give the ultimate sacrifice to pacify violence and seek peaceful options for conflict resolution. At this point, it will be somehow difficult to agree with Gould (2010) when he holds â€Å"†¦pacifists still suffers under the shadow of cowardice† (p. 19). The moral commitment in sacrificing oneself for the sake of others is valid provided the act is intended to awaken the humanity in the combating parties. However, Gould is right to argue that by placing themselves in the way of harm, these pacifists erode their moral commitment. Sometimes, their action bears no fruits and the war continues without them. At this point, there is no one to advocate for peaceful negotiations or de-escalation of violence. With regard to the pacifists actions demonstrated above, Gandhi in his contribution about Satyagraha asked: â€Å"Wherein is courage required? In blowing others to pieces from behind a cannon, or with a smiling face to

Business service management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business service management - Assignment Example On the similar context, ‘Business Service Management’ is considered as a dynamic approach that assists the organisation to support its Information Technology (IT) operations in relation to its business functions (Darmawan & Et. Al., 2004). The paper studies the purpose of Business Service Management with respect to its importance and purposes in the organisations with due consideration to the service concept, customer segmentation and customer expectations and perceptions. Service management can be defined as the management of IT infrastructure including software systems, hardware systems, documentations, communication techniques and facilities, as well as skills which enable the organisation to provide and maintain high quality in their services. Business Service Management can also be considered as the application of service management principles with an intention to enhance the quality of the services provided by the organisation. IT operations are required to maintain proper organisational infrastructure which further supports the systematic functioning of the business as stated in the application of service level agreements (Darmawan & Et. Al., 2004). Business Service Management is dedicated to holistic approach of changing and improving the service function of the organisation with due consideration to service concept, customer segmentation and customer expectations. In addition, Business Service Management helps in measuring and maintaining the service quality provided by the organisation. The main purpose of Business Service Management is to assist in improving operational efficiency in every dimension of the organisation and maintaining the quality of services offered. The major contribution of it can be observed in reducing and controlling the extra incurred expenses by integration and automation procedure (Meyer, 2008). Emergence of IT and its inclusion in the business operation are the smart ways adopted by the organisation to deliver the

Pacifism and Violence Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pacifism and Violence - Term Paper Example Pacifists seek long life proactive moral commitment in their nonviolent moral commitment (Gould, 2010). Pacifists try their best to avoid war where it is warranted and even in the case of self defense. The critics of pacifisms have termed them as cowards because they fear violence and physical engagement in seeking justice and peace (Gould, 2010). On the other hand, those who seek violence in promoting justice argue that war is inevitable, and that peace is preceded by war. They argue that peace attained after war has value because it has costed lives. Western tradition and other civilizations have termed heroic courage which leads to violence as an embodiment of moral strength and, thus, as central to morality (Cheyney, 1994). In this essay, I argue that pacifism and violence are depended on the situation one is in and while it should be the last option; the extremes of both can lead to no moral commitment. The pacifists On 31st March 1968, the US President Lyndon Johnson delivered a historic speech ‘On Vietnam and Not Seeking Reelection’ (Lyndon, 1968). The speech was a response to the American concern about his mounting escalation on the bombardment of the northern Vietnam. The Americans were against the government’s decision to bomb North Vietnam in February 1965, and they were advocating for peaceful negotiations instead of violence. Most critics of President Lyndon and political analysis held that, at the time, the support of the war had seen popular and political erosion. In 1965, Alice Hertz had burned herself in protest against the Vietnam War, and she sacrificed her life so that the war might be stopped (Cheyney, 1994). In the same year, an ardent pacifist, Norman Morrison, traveled to Washington and burned himself to death at the Pentagon to protest against the escalation of Vietnam War (Sallie, 2000). On May 16, 1967, Nhat Chi Mai, allay disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh, burned herself to death outside Tu Nghiem temple in an effort to compel the US government to deescalate Vietnam War (Sallie, 2000). She wrote a letter to the US government stating that she offered her body as a torch to waken love among men and give peace to Vietnam (Sallie, 2000). These are just few examples of pacifists who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam war, and the first was the venerable Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc who acted by burning himself to death on June 11, 1963, for the same cause (Sallie, 2000). For ages, it seems that pacifists are ready to give the ultimate sacrifice to pacify violence and seek peaceful options for conflict resolution. At this point, it will be somehow difficult to agree with Gould (2010) when he holds â€Å"†¦pacifists still suffers under the shadow of cowardice† (p. 19). The moral commitment in sacrificing oneself for the sake of others is valid provided the act is intended to awaken the humanity in the combating parties. However, Gould is right to argue that by placing themselves in the way of harm, these pacifists erode their moral commitment. Sometimes, their action bears no fruits and the war continues without them. At this point, there is no one to advocate for peaceful negotiations or de-escalation of violence. With regard to the pacifists actions demonstrated above, Gandhi in his contribution about Satyagraha asked: â€Å"Wherein is courage required? In blowing others to pieces from behind a cannon, or with a smiling face to

Business Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Business Research Methods - Essay Example The research will have an interpretivist approach as the data collected do not address the subject fully and lack some information regarding luxury sells in emerging markets. The aim of the research will be to recognise these and investigate how the brands conduct their business to attract the target market to be brand loyal. Furthermore, this investigation will have an academic value adding to the limitation in material that is currently available around the subject. Key words Luxury Brands Internet E-commerce Emerging Market China Online Selling The Objective and Purpose of the Project The research will be created around the topic of fashion luxury brands and sale of products online. Currently the literature does not sufficiently address the strategy problem, brands deals with when expanding into other regions (such as emerging markets) online. The objective is therefore to gain an understanding of adaptations that the luxury fashion segment does online when enlarging to these coun tries. Therefore, there is a need to obtain first hand information in the form of interviews from luxury brands that are expanding towards emerging markets. That will be the feasibility in the dissertation. ... At first, luxury brands and the Internet do not seem to be a perfect match due to the fact that the internet is a mass communication medium whereas luxury tries to stay within a niche market and does not want to lose its appeal of exclusivity. Recently the internet has deeply changed the anatomy of branding and the overall marketing communications strategy of the fashion industry, from fast moving ones such as M&S and Zara to luxury brands such as Burberry and Hermes (Riley and Lacroix, 2003). Perterson et al argue that the internet is extremely efficient at building a sustainable brand identity and providing a forum giving consumers knowledge about the brand and its products. Additionally it is also necessary to point out that the internet provides a platform to build long lasting relationships with consumers. Traditionally brand management relied upon several media outlets such as TV advertising, print media and product placement on TV and movies. Marketing strategies focused on ma rket research, segmentation and positioning in order to create the perfect marketing mix. (Chaffey, 2000). Riley and Lacroix (2003) focus on the changes that online marketing brought to the marketing strategies of luxury industry. Access to information has become much quicker and consumers have become extremely demanding over the last 2 decades. Luxury brands used to have very stringent control over their brand, with an allure of exclusivity that would not allow â€Å"non-members† to enter. With the advent of internet and consequently, social networks, brand management has essentially changed in order to adapt to the new requirements of online marketing and its operational system. It is essential to any luxury company to

Apush Constitution Essay Example for Free

Apush Constitution Essay The Federalists, on the other hand, maintained as broad constructionists who argue that government should do whatever that is not forbidden on the Constitution. However, throughout the course of 1801 to 1817, both parties failed to stay consistent with their original principles and adopted whichever interpretation of the Constitution that serves them best. Politically, the War of 1812, also known as â€Å"Mr. Madison’s war† with Britain, stirred the most controversy in Federalist and Republicans. Madison supported the war because of the seemingly auspicious terms he can get out of the war. War of 1812 promised several things: more land for settlement, completely elimination of Britain’s presences in America and Canada, and most importantly, it promised to restore unity in U. S. Federalists, now acting as strict constructions, demands word by word justification of declaring war on Britain. For example, Daniel Webster argued that â€Å"†¦Where is it written in the Constitution, in what article or section is it contained, that you may take children from their parents, and parents from their children, and compel them to fight the battles of any war in which the folly or the wickedness of the government may engage it? † Many Federalists felt declaring war with the country of their origin is unfaithful to the Canon Laws which they obey in churches. Furthermore, they view France as America’s real enemy since it seized more cargo from American merchants than Britain. Economically, both Jefferson and Madison shift their constructionist policies and contradict with their former ideologies about the interpretation of Constitution. For example, prior to Jefferson’s presidency, he firmly addressed his belief that the power of government comes from what is given from the Constitution in lines â€Å"I believe [we] shall obtain†¦a majority in the legislature of the United States, attached to the preservation of the federal Constitution, according o its obvious principles and those rights unquestionably remaining with them;† (Doc A). However, he contradicted his belief in strict constructionism with Louisiana Purchase, since Constitution didn’t grant him the power to make such purchases. Many Federalists now shifted their stances to strict constructionist who demands justification of whether such expenditure is constitutional or not. Jefferson, acting as loose constructionist now, supports the purchase because it opens lands for settlement and strengthens his popularity in South and West. The loose constructionism of the Jeffersonian Republicans is also shown in the Embargo Act of 1807 and Non-intercourse Act. Both acts restricted American ships from engaging foreign trade between the years of 1807 to 1812 especially to England and France. To Federalists in New England, who profited from supplying Britain and French during Napoleonic war, the two acts placed by Jefferson is an abuse of power by the Federal government. They felt the constitution did not provide government the power to place embargo, and believe that the government is dragging the nation’s economy back (Doc C). Jefferson once again loosely interprets and Constitution and validates these acts by claiming these acts as protection of American interests and avoid warfare. The Protective Tariff of 1816, which designs to benefit domestic economy, further accentuates the Jeffersonian Republicans’ shift from strict constructionism. Several strict constructionists in Democratic Republican Party pointed out that â€Å"†¦ the present government renounces the true republican principle†¦ its principle now is old Federalism†¦it would be unjust, to aggravate the burdens of the people for the purpose of favoring manufactures†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Many Democratic Republicans felt the imposition of tariffs on citizens overrides the original republican belief that the government shall have no power to interdict actions that Constitution didn’t specify (Doc. B) and therefore, the strict constructionists in the Republican Party felt cheated by Jefferson and Madison. In general and Jeffersonian Republicans and Federalists are more than willing to compromise their originals principles for national and sometimes self-serving interests whenever they feel necessary. Jefferson, later in 1816, addresses that â€Å"†¦the laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightens, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also and keep pace with the times. † (Doc. G)

The Role of the Supernatural in Thomas Hardys Writing :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Role of the Supernatural in Thomas Hardy's Writing As a child, Thomas Hardy heard various stories of supernatural occurrences from the family servants, rustics from the village, and his own mother who believed she once saw a ghost. Thus, Hardy learned to believe in the supernatural and to accept the superstitious ways of the rustic people. During an interview with William Archer, Hardy expressed, "when I was a younger man, I would cheerfully have given ten years of my life to see a ghost, - an authentic, indubitable spectre". Because of the superstitious influence of his upbringing and his own desire to believe, elements of weirdness, superstition, and magic play an interesting role in Hardy's works. Specifically, Hardy incorporated aspects of superstition and witchcraft into his writings. Such elements provide the reader with an understanding of how Hardy perceived his world. Many small aspects of superstition exist within the writings of Hardy. In Return of the Native, the reader is introduced to Diggory Venn, the Reddleman. A reddleman unearths red clay which is used as a dye for sheep's wool. Because the reddleman works so much with this substance, his skin takes on a reddish hue and thus, red associating him with the devil, he becomes the "boogeyman " of the rustic people. Other examples of superstition include the evil eye, the magic of a sixpence, and dairy witchcraft. In his 1901 interview with Archer, Hardy stated that "The belief in the evil eye subsists in full force." Johnny Nunsuch of The Return of the Native felt safe as he carried his sixpence because the coin was supposed to bring good luck and protect against witchcraft. Johnny becomes frightened when he happens upon Diggory Venn, the Reddleman, because the child realizes that he has lost his guardian sixpence. The country people held many superstitions regarding the production of milk and cheese. The "magic" that these superstitions are based on is known as dairy witchcraft. For example, in Tess of the d'Urbervilles after Tess arrives at Talbothays, the cows cease to produce milk. The milkers blame this unexplainable phenomena on the newcomer, believing that the milk went directly to the horns of the cows. They thus resort to song as a device to start the cows milking again. Hardy uses slight witch imagery when describing his strong female characters because, according to Gayla Steel, he is hiding his examination of their independence and sexuality within these images.

Pros and Cons of Home Schooling Essay -- Education Classroom Teaching

Pros and Cons of Home Schooling Every parent is faced with the decision of whether or not to home school their child. While some families may find home schooling as being very helpful and beneficial to their child’s education, others may find that it is crucial their child be sent to a normal school. Some parents are hesitant to send their children to public school because of crime and lack of discipline and also because they fear that the quality of education is declining. Parents may also feel that sending their child to school will aid in their social development. Home schooling has both advantages and disadvantages which aid parents in this difficult decision. Home schooling has been proven to result in higher test scores for students. This could possibly be a result of a more individualized learning environment where personal attention is always given. According to two Time reporters, â€Å"the average SAT score home schoolers in 2000 was 1100, compared with 1019 for the general population† (Cloud and Morse). The amount of time a child has been home schooled has a direct correlation with their performance on standardized tests. â€Å"Home-schooled pupils who took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills outscored public school students by 37 percentile points.† â€Å"On the Stanford Achievement Test, the advantage was 30 percentile points.† (Viadero) It is clear that home schooling does not hinder a child’s education. While home schooled children may achieve academically ...

Coyote Blue Chapter 30~31

CHAPTER 30 Like Flies They heard the bikers before they saw them: raucous laughter and Lynyrd Skynyrd from a boom box. They followed the road around a long, gradual curve that descended into a valley, stepping carefully to avoid the deep puddles. The trees were thinning out now and Sam could make out the light of a huge bonfire below them in the valley, and figures moving around the fire, a lot of them. Someone fired a pistol into the air and the report echoed around the valley. â€Å"Do they have sentries or something?† Sam whispered to Calliope. â€Å"I don't remember. I was pretty drunk when I was here before.† â€Å"Well, we can't just walk in.† â€Å"This way,† Coyote said, pointing to a path that led away from the road. They followed the trickster up the path, through thick undergrowth, and up onto a ridge that looked down on the clearing. From the top of the ridge they could see the entire camp. The fire was burning in the center of the camp with perhaps a hundred bikers and women gathered around it, drinking and dancing. The bikes were parked by the road leading in. There was a stand of tents and smaller campfires on the opposite side of the camp, with two pickup trucks parked nearby. Lynyrd Skynyrd sang â€Å"Gimme Back My Bullets.† â€Å"I don't see Grubb,† Calliope said. â€Å"Or the woman,† Coyote said. â€Å"Wait,† Calliope said. â€Å"Listen.† Amid the din of rock and roll, laughter, shouts, screams, and gunfire, they heard the sound of a baby crying. â€Å"It's coming from the tents,† Coyote said. â€Å"Follow me.† Coyote led them further down the ridge until they were about fifty yards from the tents and could see four women sitting around a campfire drinking and talking. One of them was holding Grubb. â€Å"There he is,† Calliope said. She started down the ridge and Sam caught her arm. â€Å"If you go down there that woman will call for Lonnie and the others.† â€Å"What can I do? We have to get him.† â€Å"Take off your clothes,† Coyote said. Sam sneered at the trickster, â€Å"I don't think so.† â€Å"Here, take this,† Coyote said, handing something to Sam. Sam couldn't make out what it was in the dark, but it felt warm and soft. He recoiled and dropped it. â€Å"Ouch,† Coyote said, his voice soft now, feminine. â€Å"Is that any way to treat a lady?† Sam looked, moved closer to the trickster, and saw that he was no longer a he. Still in his black buckskins, he had changed into a woman. â€Å"I don't believe it,† Sam said. â€Å"You're lovely,† Calliope said. â€Å"Thanks,† Coyote said. â€Å"Give me your clothes. These don't fit me now.† He started undressing. In the dim moonlight that filtered through the trees, Sam watched the women undress. Calliope was right, the trickster was gorgeous, a perfect female mirror of the male Coyote, an Indian goddess. Sam felt a little sick at the thought and looked away. Coyote said, â€Å"I'll go down and get the child. Be ready to run. And pick that up, I'll need it.† He pointed to the ground where Sam had dropped his penis. Sam picked up the member in two fingers and held it out as if it would bite him. â€Å"I'm not comfortable with this.† â€Å"I'll hold it,† Calliope said, now dressed in the black buckskins. â€Å"No you won't!† Sam said. â€Å"Well.† She cocked a hip and waited for him to make a decision. Sam put the penis in his jacket pocket. â€Å"I'm not comfortable with this, I want you to know.† â€Å"Men are such babies,† Coyote said. He hugged Calliope, girl to girl, and made his way down the hill. Sam watched the trickster move away from them toward the fire. Unable to look away, he became nervous with his own thoughts. Calliope patted his shoulder. â€Å"It's okay,† she said. â€Å"In my jeans he really does have a great ass.† -=*=- Tinker lay in the bed of the pickup sulking, listening to the nearby women going on about how badly they were treated by their men and how cute the baby was. The little bastard had been crying for an hour. What the fuck had Lonnie been thinking, bringing a crumb-snatcher to a rally? From time to time Tinker sat up and looked over the edge of the pickup to pick out which of the women he would fantasize about getting a blow job from. Fat chance, stuck here in the truck. Fucking Bonner and his military discipline. â€Å"This is a business trip,† Bonner had said. â€Å"A business trip we wouldn't be taking if Tinker would have taken care of business. So Tink, you guard the truck. No partying.† What was the point rallying with your bros if you couldn't get fucked up and start a few fights? Fuck this action. At least it had stopped raining. Tinker peeked over the edge of the truck to see a new chick coming up to the fire. What a piece she was! Right out of Penthouse or something. She looked Indian, long blue-black hair. What a fucking body. He watched her fawn over the baby and touch Cheryl's face. Lonnie had fucked her up, bad. Tink wondered what it was like to hit a chick. He was getting hard thinking about it. The Indian chick was holding the baby now, walking around the fire rocking it. She walked behind one of the tents, then ducked down. Tinker saw her shoot out the other side in a crouch, headed up the hill with the baby. Two people were coming down to meet her. â€Å"Hey, bitch!† Cheryl yelled. The other women were on their feet, yelling – going after the Indian chick. Tinker jumped out of the truck and started to circle around and up the hill to head off the Indian chick. As he ran he drew his Magnum from his shoulder holster. He slipped, fell to one knee, and drew down on the Indian chick. No, fuck it. If he hit the rug-rat Bonner would have his ass. He climbed to his feet and lumbered across the hill, watching the Indian chick hand the rug-rat to a blond chick. They were on the path at the top of the ridge. Gotcha! He'd take the lower path and be waiting for them. They had to come out at the road. As Tinker made his way up the dark path he heard scooters firing up below him. Good. Bonner would get there and he would already have it handled. He'd be out of the doghouse. He reached the spot where the two paths intersected and stopped. He could hear them coming up the path, the baby still crying. He leveled his Magnum down the path and waited. If the dude showed first he'd waste him without a word. He saw a shadow, then a foot. Tinker cocked the Magnum, put the sight where the chest would appear. A rush went through him, waiting, waiting. Now! A vise clamped down over the gun and he felt it wrenched out of his hand, taking skin with it. Another clamp locked down on his neck and he looked up into the eyes of his deepest fear. He felt his face come down on something hard and the bones of his nose crush. His head was wrenched back and slammed down again, then it went dark. -=*=- â€Å"Shade!† Coyote said. Minty Fresh threw Tinker's unconscious body aside and looked up at the Indian woman. â€Å"Who are you?† Sam said, â€Å"M.F., what are you doing here?† â€Å"The name is Minty Fresh.† He held Tinker's Magnum out to Sam, then let it drop. â€Å"I'm learning how to sneak up on people.† He saw the baby and smiled. â€Å"You got him.† â€Å"It was a fine trick,† Coyote said. â€Å"Who are you?† Minty insisted. â€Å"It's your old buddy Coyote.† Coyote cupped his breasts. Minty stepped back from the woman to get a better look. â€Å"Something's different, right? Haircut?† â€Å"We have to go,† Calliope said. â€Å"To where?† Minty said. Calliope looked at Sam, panicked, confused. Sam had no answer. Coyote said, â€Å"Montana. The Crow res. Come with us, shade. It'll be fun.† Minty turned to the roar of bikes behind him. â€Å"They're coming up the road,† he said. â€Å"I'll block them as long as I can with the limo.† They made their way down the path to where the Z was parked. The limo was parked in front. â€Å"I'll drive,† Sam instructed. â€Å"Cal, you and Grubb in the back.† They got in the car as lights from the Harleys broke through the woods. Minty got in the limo, started it, and pulled it forward to make way for the Z. Sam pulled the Z into the road, careful not to spin the wheels in the mud. You guys okay?† he said to Calliope, who had curled herself around Grubb. â€Å"Go,† she said. The bikers broke into view, Lonnie Ray in front. Minty hit the brights on the limo, hoping to blind them. He checked the mirror to see the Z pulling away, then started to back the limo up, careful to keep it in the middle of the road to block the bikes. As Lonnie approached the limo he drew a pistol from his jacket and leveled it at Minty through the windshield. Minty ducked and hit the gas. The limo revved and stopped, the back wheels of the heavy car buried in the mud. Lonnie jumped off his bike onto the hood of the limo and braced himself on the roof as he aimed and fired at the Z. At the sound of the shot Minty looked up to see the barrel of Lonnie's pistol pointing at him through the windshield. The other bikers, unable to get past, moved up around the limo. â€Å"You're finished, spook,† Lonnie hissed. He cocked the pistol. â€Å"Move the car out of the road.† â€Å"I don't think so,† Minty said. Lonnie jumped off the hood of the Lincoln and stuck the pistol through the window into Minty's temple. â€Å"I said move it.† â€Å"You move it,† Minty said. He pushed the limo door open, knocking Lonnie to the ground. Two bikers yanked him from the car and rode him to the ground. Minty felt a boot in his kidney, then a fist in the stomach, then the blows fell on him like rain. He heard Calliope's Z downshifting in the distance and smiled. -=*=- Sam pulled the Z back onto the pavement and floored it. â€Å"Everyone okay?† Grubb was still crying. Sam shouted, â€Å"Calliope, are you okay?† Coyote turned in the passenger seat and reached back. â€Å"She's hit. There's blood.† â€Å"Oh fuck, is she-â€Å" â€Å"She's dead, Sam,† Coyote said. Part 4 Home Coyote Hears His Heart It is an old story, from the time of the animal people. Coyote was in his canoe, and had paddled all day and all night, only to find that he didn't know where he wanted to go. He sat in his canoe, drifting for a while, thinking that something was wrong. He wanted to do something, but he didn't know what it was, so he made some mountains and gave them names. But that didn't make him happy. He tried to think, but he wasn't very good at it, and he kept hearing a thumping noise that bothered him. â€Å"Where should I go? What should I do? How can I think with all this noise?† Coyote was becoming sad because he could not think, so he called out to the Old Mother, who was the Earth. â€Å"Old Mother,† he said. â€Å"Can you stop this thumping noise so I can figure out where I am supposed to be?† Old Mother heard Coyote and laughed at him. â€Å"Silly Coyote,† she said. â€Å"That thumping noise is the sound of your own heart beating. Listen to it. It is the sound of the drums. When you hear your heart you must think of the drums – the sound of home.† â€Å"I knew that,† Coyote said. CHAPTER 31 There Are No Orphans Among the Crow It was five hours from Sturgis to Crow Agency, and Coyote, back in his black buckskins, drove the whole way. Sam sat in the passenger seat, dazed, staring but seeing nothing, holding Grubb, rocking the baby in a rhythm to a pulsing emptiness in his chest and trying not to look at Calliope's lifeless body in the back. Mercifully, there was no thinking or remembering – his mind had shut down to protect him. Coyote was quiet. As they drove through town an old warning sounded deep in Sam's mind and he mumbled, â€Å"I shouldn't be here. I'm in trouble.† â€Å"You have to go home,† Coyote said. â€Å"Okay,† Sam said. He thought he should protest but he couldn't think clearly enough to remember why. â€Å"When we get there, no tricks, okay? Act human for a while, please.† â€Å"For a while,† Coyote said. A mile out of town Coyote pulled the Z into the muddy driveway of the Hunts Alone house. â€Å"Stay here,† Coyote said. He got out of the car and went up the cement steps to the door. Sam looked around, seeing the house like a memory. It hadn't changed much. The house had been painted and peeled a couple of times and there were two horses, a paint and a buckskin, in the back field. An old Airstream trailer was parked by the sweat lodge and there were a couple more abandoned cars rusting in the side lot. It all felt wrong, to have run so long to end up back where he had started – the danger that he had run from was still here, and now, with Calliope dead, he felt even weaker than the fifteen-year-old who had left so many years ago. As frightening as it had been to leave, it had been a beginning, full of hope and possibility. This felt like the end. Coyote knocked on the door and waited. A Crow woman in jeans and a sweatshirt, about thirty, answered. She was holding a baby. â€Å"Yes?† Coyote said, â€Å"I've brought your cousin home. We need help.† â€Å"Come in,† she said. Coyote went into the house and came back to the car a few minutes later. He opened the door, startling Sam. â€Å"Let's go inside,† Coyote said. â€Å"I told the woman inside what happened.† He helped Sam out of the car and pointed him to the door where the woman waited. Sam walked stiffly up the steps and past the woman into the house. He stood in the center of the living room, rocking Grubb. Coyote came in the door behind him. â€Å"Can I bring her in?† he asked the woman. The woman looked horrified at the thought of a dead body in the house. Sam turned suddenly. â€Å"No, not in the house. No.† Coyote waited. The woman looked uncomfortable. â€Å"You could put her in the trailer out back.† Coyote went back out. The woman came to Sam and pulled the blanket away from Grubb's face. â€Å"Has he eaten?† â€Å"I?CI don't know. Not for a while.† â€Å"He needs a change. C'mon, give.† She put her own baby on the couch and coaxed Grubb out of Sam's arms. She spread the blanket on the coffee table and laid Grubb down on his back. â€Å"I've heard about you,† she said. â€Å"I'm Cindy. Festus is my husband.† Sam didn't answer. She took Grubb's dirty diaper off him and set it aside. â€Å"He's at work now, with his dad. They have their own shop in Hardin. Harry works with them too.† â€Å"Grandma?† Sam said. She looked up and shook her head. â€Å"Years ago, before I met Festus.† She brightened, trying to change the subject and the mood. â€Å"We have three other kids. Two other boys and a girl. They're in school – the little one in Head Start.† Sam stared over her head at the elkhorn hat rack hung with baseball caps, an old Stetson, and a ceremonial headdress. An obsidian-point buffalo lance hung beside it, next to an old Winchester and a Sports Illustrated swimsuit calendar. â€Å"He's a strong baby,† Cindy said, grabbing Grubb's fidgeting fists. Sam looked back at her. â€Å"Pokey?† He looked down and away, a wave of grief washing over him. He walked to the kitchen doorway and stared at the ceiling, the first tears stinging as they welled up. â€Å"Pokey's okay,† Cindy said. â€Å"He went into the clinic last week. He almost – He was real sick. They wanted to move him to the hospital in Billings but Harlan wouldn't let them.† Cindy finished diapering Grubb and propped him up on the couch next to her own baby. â€Å"I'll fix him a bottle.† She walked past Sam into the kitchen. He turned away from her as she went by. â€Å"Do you want some food? Coffee?† Sam turned to her. â€Å"She never hurt anybody. She just wanted her baby back.† He covered his face. Cindy moved to him and put her arms around him. Coyote came in the front door. â€Å"Sam, we have to go.† Sam took Cindy by the shoulders and gently pushed her away, then turned and looked at Grubb, who was dozing on the couch. â€Å"He'll be okay,† Cindy said. â€Å"I'll watch him.† Sam didn't move. â€Å"Sam,† Coyote said, â€Å"let's go see Pokey.† -=*=- Heading back through Crow Agency to the clinic, Sam noticed the new, modern tribal building and the new stadium behind it. Wiley's Food and Gas was still across the highway, just as it had been before. Kids were still hanging around outside the burger stand. Two old men shared a bottle outside the tobacco store. A mother led a pack of kids out of the general store, each carrying a bag of groceries. â€Å"I shouldn't be here,† Sam said. Coyote ignored him and kept driving. The clinic was housed in an old two-story house at the far end of town. A line of people – mostly women and kids – waited outside. Coyote pulled into the muddy parking lot next to a rusted-out Buick. They crawled out of the car and walked up to the door. Some of the kids whispered and giggled, pointing at Coyote. An old man who was wheeling an oxygen cylinder behind him said, â€Å"Crow Fair ain't 'til next summer, boy. Why you dressed for a powwow?† â€Å"Be cool,† Sam said to Coyote. â€Å"Don't scare him.† Coyote shrugged and followed Sam into the waiting room, a ten-by-ten parlor with a checked linoleum floor and mint-green walls hung with racks of pamphlets. Twenty people sat in folding chairs along the walls, reading old copies of People or just staring at their shoes. Sam approached a window where a Crow woman was absorbed in scribbling on index cards, intent on not looking at those who waited. â€Å"Excuse me,† Sam said. The woman didn't look up. â€Å"Fill this out.† She handed a form and a stick pen over the counter. â€Å"When you hand it in – with the pen – I'll give you a number.† â€Å"I'm not here for treatment,† Sam said, and the woman looked up for the first time. â€Å"I'm here to see Pokey Medicine Wing.† The woman seemed annoyed. â€Å"Just a minute.† She got up and walked through the door into the back. In a moment a door into the waiting room opened and everyone looked up. A young, white doctor poked his head out, spotted Sam and Coyote, and signaled for them to come in. Everyone in the waiting room looked back down. Inside the door the doctor looked them up and down, Sam in his dirty windbreaker and slacks, Coyote in his buckskins. â€Å"Are you family?† â€Å"He's my clan uncle,† Sam said. The doctor nodded to Coyote. â€Å"And you?† â€Å"Just a friend,† Sam said. â€Å"You'll have to wait outside,† the doctor said. Sam looked at Coyote. â€Å"Keep it under control, okay?† â€Å"I said I would.† The trickster went back into the waiting room. â€Å"He should be in a real hospital,† the doctor said. â€Å"He was technically dead, twice. We brought him back with the defibrillator. He's stable now, but we don't have the staff here to watch him. He should be in an ICU.† Sam hadn't heard a word of it. â€Å"Can I see him?† â€Å"Follow me.† The doctor turned and led Sam down a narrow hallway and up a flight of steps. â€Å"He was severely dehydrated and suffering from hypothermia. I think he'd been drinking even before he went on the fast. It leached all the fluids out of his body. His liver is shot and his heart sustained some damage.† The doctor stopped and opened a door. â€Å"Just a few minutes. He's very weak.† The doctor went in with Sam. Pokey was lying in a hospital bed, tubes and wires connecting him to bottles and machines. His skin was a brown-gray color. â€Å"Mr. Medicine Wing,† the doctor said softly, â€Å"someone is here to see you.† Pokey's eyes opened slowly. â€Å"Hey, Samson,† he said. He smiled and Sam noticed that he still hadn't gotten false teeth. â€Å"Hey, Pokey,† Sam said. â€Å"You got bigger.† â€Å"Yeah,† Sam said. Seeing Pokey was breaking through his fog, and he was starting to hurt again. â€Å"You look like shit,† Pokey said. â€Å"So do you.† â€Å"Must run in the family.† Pokey grinned. â€Å"You got a smoke?† Sam shook his head. â€Å"I don't think that would be a good idea. I hear you're still drinking.† â€Å"Yeah. I went to some meetings. They said I needed to get a higher power if I wanted to quit. I told them that a higher power was why I was drinking in the first place.† â€Å"He's outside now. Waiting.† Pokey nodded and closed his eyes. â€Å"I had a couple of visions about you meeting up with him. All those years he's quiet, then I get a bunch of visions. I thought you was dead until I had the first one.† â€Å"I couldn't come home. I shouldn't have†¦.† Pokey dismissed the thought with a weak wave of his hand. â€Å"You had to go. Enos would've killed you. He checked on us for years, lookin' in our mailbox for letters, watching the house. He drove himself plumb crazy. He give up on you when Grandma died and you didn't come home.† Sam had listened to the last part of the speech sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to Pokey. His knees had given out at the news that Enos was alive. He stared at the door. â€Å"I don't feel anything,† he said. â€Å"You okay?† Pokey said, trying to grab his nephew's arm. â€Å"There's nothing. I'm not even afraid.† â€Å"What's wrong?† Sam looked over his shoulder at Pokey. â€Å"I thought I killed him.† â€Å"You busted him up real good. Broke both his legs and an arm sliding down the face of the dam. Tub a lard didn't even have the manners to drown.† â€Å"I been running for nothing. I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I should of never give you that Coyote medicine,† Pokey said. His breath was starting to come in rasping gasps. â€Å"I thought if I got rid of it I wouldn't be crazy no more.† â€Å"It's okay.† Sam patted Pokey's arm. â€Å"I don't think you had a choice.† Pokey continued to breathe heavily. â€Å"I saw a shadow that said you were going where there was death. I didn't know where to find you. I told Old Man Coyote. He said he knew.† Pokey gripped Sam's arm. â€Å"He said he knew, Samson. You got to get away from him.† â€Å"Calm down, Pokey.† Sam stood and put his hands on Pokey's shoulder. â€Å"It's okay, Pokey. It wasn't my death. Do you want the doctor?† Pokey shook his head. His breathing started to calm. Sam took a pitcher of water from the bedside table and poured some into a paper cup. He held it while Pokey drank, then helped the old man lie back. â€Å"Whose death?† Pokey asked. Sam put the cup down. â€Å"A girl.† He looked away. â€Å"You loved her?† Sam nodded, still looking away. â€Å"She had a baby. Cindy's watching him.† â€Å"When did it happen?† â€Å"This morning.† â€Å"Was Old Man Coyote with you when it happened?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Ask him to bring her back. He owes you that.† â€Å"She's dead, Pokey. She's gone.† â€Å"I been dead twice in the last two days. I ain't gone.† â€Å"She was shot, Pokey. A bullet went through her spine.† â€Å"Samson, look at me.† Pokey pulled himself up on the bed so he could look Sam in the eye. â€Å"He owes you. There's a story that Old Man Coyote invented death so there wouldn't be too many people. There's another story that his wife was killed and he went into the Underworld to get her. There was a shade there that let her go as long as Coyote promised not to look at her until he got back to the world, but he looked, so now no one can come back.† â€Å"Pokey, I can't do this right now. I can't listen to this.† â€Å"He stole your life, Samson.† Sam shook his head violently. â€Å"This just happened to me. I didn't make any of it happen.† â€Å"Then make it happen now!† Pokey shouted. Sam stopped. â€Å"In the buffalo days they said that a warrior who had counted coup and had an arrow bundle could move in and out of the Underworld. He could hide there from his enemies. Go, Samson. Old Man Coyote can help you find your girl.† â€Å"She's dead, Pokey. The Underworld is just old superstition.† â€Å"Mumbo jumbo?† Pokey said. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Crazy talk?† â€Å"That's right.† â€Å"Voodoo?† â€Å"Exactly.† â€Å"Like Coyote medicine?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well?† Sam didn't answer. He was gritting his teeth, glaring at his uncle. Pokey smiled. â€Å"You still hate it when I talk about the old ways. Try it, Samson. What do you have to lose?† â€Å"Nothing,† Sam said. â€Å"There's nothing at all.† The doctor opened the door and said, â€Å"That's enough. He needs to rest.† â€Å"Fuck off, paleface,† Pokey said. Sam said, â€Å"Just one more minute, please.† â€Å"One minute,† the doctor said, holding up his finger as he backed out of the room. Sam looked at Pokey. â€Å"‘Fuck off, paleface'?† He laughed. It felt good. â€Å"Be nice, Squats Behind the Bush. I'm sick.† Sam felt something moving through him as he grinned at Pokey – something warm, like hope. â€Å"Now, quick, before you die again, you old fuck. Where do I get an arrow bundle?† -=*=- Sam came striding out of the clinic and grabbed Coyote by the arm, pulling him away from a group of kids he was lying to. What had been a paralyzing grief had changed to purpose. Sam felt incredibly alive. â€Å"Let's go. Give me the keys.† â€Å"What's going on?† Coyote said. â€Å"Why the hurry? Did the old man die?† Sam climbed into the Z and fired it up. â€Å"I've got to get to a phone, and I've got to get some clothes.† â€Å"What happened in there?† â€Å"You knew she was going to be killed, didn't you?† â€Å"I knew someone would.† â€Å"Pokey says that you can go in and out of the land of the dead?† â€Å"I can? Oh, the Underworld! Yeah, I can. I don't like to, though.† â€Å"We're going.† â€Å"It's depressing. You won't like it.† â€Å"Pokey thinks you can bring Calliope back.† â€Å"I tried that once; it didn't work. It's not up to me.† â€Å"Then we're going to talk to whoever it's up to.† â€Å"Aren't you afraid?† â€Å"I'm a little past that.† â€Å"Why do you need clothes?† â€Å"We're going to Billings first, to get something.† â€Å"It's depressing. You won't like it. There's a big cliff in Billings that was a buffalo jump, but our people never drove the herds over it. The buffalo used to go up to the edge and say, ‘Oh, no, it's Billings, then they'd just jump over out of depression. Nope, you don't want to go to Billings.† Sam pulled into the Hunts Alone driveway, shut off the car, and turned to Coyote. â€Å"What's in the Underworld? What are you so afraid of?†

A Dragons Egg

â€Å"Oink oink!† grunted the hungry pigs as I filled their trough with last nights leftovers. They plunged their fat heads into the soggy spaghetti bolognaise as I turned to stop myself from being sick. â€Å"Next stop the cows,† I spoke aloud. With a sigh of dread, I hopped over the gate and began milking the six feet black and white beasts. â€Å"M-u-m I'm h-o-m-e,† I shouted upstairs. No answer. â€Å"Mum†, I repeated, still no answer. My face turned red in anger and it felt like steam blew out of my nostrils. â€Å"Mum!† I screamed as loud as possible. â€Å"What†, my mum replied, finally hearing me. My tonsils throbbed so I climbed up the stairs instead of shouting and peered into my Sister Lilly's bedroom, she was lying there with a thermometer dangling from her mouth and she was plastered in red spots. â€Å"Ha, ha, ha, ha,† I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Lilly shot back a mean look and Mum gave me a lecture on how I should care for my Sister instead of hating her. â€Å"You'll have to do the Chickens today John†, ordered my Mother. My name is John and Lilly is my very, very, very annoying Sister. â€Å"But I hate Chickens,† I protested, â€Å"their scrawny crooked legs, scagged feathers and their beady eyes, not to mention their gimpy, dorky head.† My mum gave me a stern look and handed me the chicken feed. I headed out the door and the country smell of cow dung hit me like a brick wall, the sun peeped out of the clouds and blistered down on my angry face. In the distance I heard the sound that made my hair stand on end and made me shudder all over. You see when I was young five chickens chased and pecked me all the way around the cows field, the pests. Now the sound became clearer and closer, it went like this: – Buck-Buck-Buck-Buck-Buckok!, I cringed and shivered as the noise approached closer and closer and closer and closer until †¦. â€Å"Yuck, oh, Yuck!, Chicken poop eeew!† I wailed. I glanced up, a circle of chickens surrounded me, one of them squawked and the rest of them charged towards me and began pecking â€Å"AARRRGHH!† I bellowed as I impersonated Superman flying into the chicken shed. I dumped the chicken feed in a pile on the floor and darted out dodging and jumping any obstacles in my way, including those pesky chickens. I stopped to catch my breath, I panted like a thirsty dog and gave a mean stare to the chickens who had spread themselves in a line as if to guard their territory. Despicable feathery fluff-buckets they all are I thought to myself. I climbed to my hands and knees when I spotted, â€Å"WOW! Amazing, brilliant,† I cried aloud, it was a huge egg almost as big as the chickens. I stared at it in pure disbelief, I was baffled, well I thought to myself, forget double yolkers, then a sly grin spread across my face, â€Å"well its pretty solid maybe the chickens can hatch it by sitting on it,† I decided, I threw the gigantic egg directly at the centre chicken, it caused panic among the flock, they flapped their wings and squawked high pitched screeches and all I could do was laugh. Suddenly silence fell over the flock and they advanced, gradually picking up the pace. I backed off easy at first but in the end I yelled â€Å"RETREAT,† and scarpered all the way home. â€Å"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!† screeched the cockerel. â€Å"Damn cockerel waking me up at six each morning, I wish I had a shotgun, I'd blow his head off,† I muttered and I moaned about life all the way down to the kitchen until, â€Å"ummm!, Pop Tarts, where have you been all my life.† I took a bite but then my Mum burst in to spoil the moment. â€Å"No time for that those chickens need feeding,† she told me, I carried on munching until â€Å"NOW!† startled I spilt my breakfast all over the floor. My mother growled and I knew that it was time for me to depart. â€Å"Hello! chickens,† I cried. I couldn't hear the slightest of sounds and I was right next to the pen, they must be making a battle plan. I decided to poke my head through the door. Nothing, except, the super egg had hatched, weird I thought. I stepped inside and to my horror a two-foot long dragon burped and chicken feathers were dispersed from his mouth, I gulped and fainted. When I finally woke up I was greeted by the unpleasant smell of dragon's breath and slobber. I pushed him aside and he hung his head low and said â€Å"please don't hurt me, sorry about the chickens I was a bit peckish ha, ha!† Once again I collapsed in a heap on the ground, and was awakened by the same foul smell. â€Å"How-How-How- Wha-What-What,† I stuttered, â€Å"that's quite a long name you have there, my names Herbert the dragon, say I do hope I'm not intruding but do you have a cage I could possibly stay in? you see it's rather nippy out yer.† I was caught in some funny kind of trance and obeyed his every command, my eyes ablaze like a demon. As I reached my bedroom I had finally calmed down, I gripped the red scaly dragon firmly around the waist as he chatted along. I already realised he had a bad case of verbal dihorea. â€Å"Oh no,† I said sarcastically â€Å"there's not a spare cage,† both of us stared at the interesting array of different species of reptiles. Herbert began to lick his lips â€Å"which ones my supper,† questioned Herbie. â€Å"None,† I replied â€Å"You'll be sleeping in my sock drawer.† â€Å"What are you crazy, the smell will over come me, I'll suffocate, I'll †¦ SLAM! the drawer slammed shut and at last Herbie shut up. â€Å"John, John,† cried my mother awaking me â€Å"it's nine am, the dopey cockerel overslept.† â€Å"No I think you'll find Herbie ate him,† I replied. â€Å"WHAT!† she screamed. â€Å"Oh! Uh nothing,† I said hoping she wouldn't start asking questions about what I'd said. â€Å"Listen! you'll have to do your breakfast yourself and don't forget those chickens, right!† â€Å"Gulp† â€Å"uh yeah sure.† I rose from my bed and opened my drawer â€Å"burp†, â€Å"oh yuck, dragons breath,† the foul aroma filled the room, â€Å"well it's not me it's your socks.† â€Å"My socks, where are they?† I asked. â€Å"A dragons got to eat kiddo.† â€Å"Why I ought to,† I threatened, but the dragon put on those puppy eyes so I threw him on the bed and took the lid off my prize possession, my Chameleon, Bob, he was about three feet long but his cage was a massive ten-foot longer. I placed him on my bed next to Herbie and turned back round to smooth out the sawdust on the bottom of Bob's cage but then Herbie pulled the final straw, as I turned back round to see Bob's legs disappear into Herbie's open mouth, my face was so mean looking now the spots would jump off any leopard. Herbie stared up at me and said â€Å"you know, if you pull that face you might get stuck like it,† I growled and started strangling Herbie, but suddenly he became three times the size that he was before, he was now eight feet long and weighed a ton, I dropped him in the cage, he struggled for breath. I gave him one last stern look and padlocked him inside and left to do my daily chores. â€Å"ARRRGHH!† I shouted, my tonsils on fire, my heart pounding like a drum. Herbie had exploded out of his cage, gobbled up all the lizards and was now fifteen feet long. â€Å"GET OUT N-O-W!† I bellowed and cried at the red lump of lard. â€Å"But where can I go, what can I do, what can I eat?† Herbie fired the questions at me like a machine gun until he finally ceased. I offered him the garden shed. † I have no choice,† answered Herbie weeping as he waddled outside. I met Herbie five minutes later; he'd just managed to squeeze his obese figure through the door. Now he led there with a face as if he'd lost a pound and found a penny. I hadn't had the chance to talk man-to-man, well boy-to-dragon so I accepted this opportunity to do so. â€Å"Uh so Herbie where do you come from?† â€Å"China,† he replied, â€Å"and your parents are where?† â€Å"Southern Hemisphere I suppose, that's our targeted destination but I must have been dropped from my mum's pouch during the flight.† â€Å"Hey wait a minute, how do you know this if you were an egg?† â€Å"Read it in your book on top of Bob the Iguanas cage.† â€Å"Oh come on you can't believe a kiddies book, they're most probably looking for you right now.† Trying to soothe Herbies sorrows was very hard, so in the end the only solution was to invite Herbie into the guestroom. â€Å"Thank you, thank you,† Herbie danced joyfully around the garden with his red scaly tail wagging, as I led him to his room. â€Å"Now listen Herbie my Mother, Sister and I have to make a short journey to the pharmacy and Gran's so go to sleep, be good and please don't grow.† I turned out of the light and worriedly walked to the car. We returned about ten PM that night to see Herbie's head poked out to the chimney, his four legs through the downstairs windows, his tail through the back door and now he had wings that shattered either side of the roof. I glanced around to see my Mother and Sister had now fainted and were sprawled out on the floor. Suddenly a spectacular sight I was glad to see, Herbie's family had parked themselves in our back yard. The biggest one spoke first, â€Å"thanks for looking after my son,† and with that they floated up, up and away as a shower of fairy dust reformed our decapitated house. â€Å"Thanks† boomed Herbie, my pleasure I thought. I turned to my Mum and Sister who were in a daze. â€Å"Hows about some cakes and cocoa,† I suggested, then disaster, a gigantic egg landed on the doorstep.