Human resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Human resource - Essay Example The limitations of this report would be the non-availability of the minute details of Google’s HR policies on account of sensitivity of the information. Our research, thus, would purely be based on available information. Let us begin by gathering a basic understanding about Human Resource Management (HRM). â€Å"The field of HRM is not one that exists in isolation. Rather, its part of a larger field of management. Reinforcing many new philosophies like that of work force diversity, downsizing, reengineering, total quality management (TQM), outsourcing and supporting this effort has made HRM an even more vital component of the management team. Similarly, the strategic nature of HRM continues to gain acceptance as more organizations look to ensure that they have the right number of the right people at the right time and in the right place.† (Sadarrudin, 2001) â€Å"The review of the HRM models emphasizes a number of differences between the ‘new’ HRM and traditional personnel management. These include: strategic planning, focus on the psychological contract, importance of learning in the workplace, focus on the individual (unitarism), importance of leadership and proactiveness, a focus on line managers and an attention to measuring HR performance outcomes.† (Bratton and Gold, 2003) â€Å"Co-founders Larry Page, president of Products, and Sergey Brin, president of Technology, brought Google to life in September 1998. Since then, the company has grown to more than 10,000 employees worldwide, with a management team that represents some of the most experienced technology professionals in the industry. Eric Schmidt joined Google as chairman and chief executive officer in 2001.† (Google, 2009) Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin named the search engine they built "Google," a play on the word "googol," the mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeros. (Page and Brin, 1998). The name reflects the immense volume of

Examine and evaluate the extent to which women in the twenty-first Essay

Examine and evaluate the extent to which women in the twenty-first century can be considered to be a reserve army of labour - Essay Example By the beginning of the 21st century, the prevalence of married women in the labor force had marginalized the traditional Marxist construct. Modern theories have illustrated that the modern notion of gender and its impact on the labor market has changed to reflect contemporary reality (Beechey, 1988). In her 1978 paper, â€Å"Women as a Reserve Army of Labour,† Irene Bruegel accords with certain precepts of a gender-based reserve labor army, such as the rigidity of the sexual division of labor. Bruegel concurs with the idea that â€Å"the segregation of women into women’s work is of such ideological importance that it cannot be breached, even where it would yield capital cheaper labour† (Bruegel, 3). Women have also been more vulnerable to the swings of economic Name 2 fortune, yet in Britain during the 1970s the number of women entering the work place increased by nearly 150,000 jobs, while the number of employed men fell by more than 300,000 (Bruegel, 5). This, Bruegel argues, was symptomatic of a long-term trend during which women infiltrated the labor market. This has helped insulate women against cyclical downturns in the economy, traditionally a stumbling block to female employment, in which â€Å"women’s work† tended to be the less stable, more volatile types of employment work addressed by Barron and Norris’ dual labor market division theory (Barron and Norris, 1976). While improvements in technology have lessened the significance of traditional gender differences, employed women remain vulnerable to job loss, particularly to unemployed men seeking to return to work. Bruegel insists that new strategies are needed to defend the integrity of women at work if true equality and the unemployment problem are to be improved (Bruegel, 9). Ann Oakley points to powerfully entrenched cultural factors to explain the relegation of women to the role of reserve labor. For Oakley, the tradition of women performing â€Å"womenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s work,† work that is perceived as more sensitive and connected to the â€Å"feminine mystique,† arises from persistent socio-cultural mores. â€Å"Male-dominated culture has designated as female all labours of emotional connectedness†¦The principal mode of developing this sensitivity in women is the gender-differentiated nuclear family. Women mother. Daughters are transformed into mothers. An autonomous sense of self†¦does not need to develop† (Oakley, 201). Despite the increase in female employment in the 1970s, Oakley maintains that the woman-as-individual versus woman- as-mother-and-wife dichotomy is as strong as ever, and precludes Name 3 the possibility of true labor equality. Oakley’s feminist view incorporates the lack of gender equity in the home, which also hampers the ability of many women to realize their potential in the labor market. For Oakley, this is another oppressive outgrowth of traditionally culture-based gender inequi ty. â€Å"Men create more housework than they do and, in many households, children do as much housework as men†¦Even in supposed paradises of gender equality, such as Sweden, 87 percent of couples do not share housework† (Oakley, 56). For some theorists, the patriarchal orientation of society has, over time, extended from the home into the political realm and the workplace. Sylvia Walby theorizes that when women won political citizenship

Total And Viable Counts Of Microorganisms Biology Essay

Total And Viable Counts Of Microorganisms Biology Essay The term microorganisms also called microbes refer to small tiny single celled organisms usually not visible to the naked eye. Microorganisms require magnification for proper visualization and resolution of their structure. These involve use of microscopes or magnifying lens with appropriate level of magnification (Tortora, Funke and Case 1995). Microorganisms are found in all living things all over the world i.e. plants and animals. They exist in a variety of habitats. They can live in air, on land or in water both fresh and salty. The three main classes of microorganisms are bacteria, fungi and viruses. Different microorganisms have different effects. Some are harmful while others are beneficial. Pathogenic and spoilage microbes cause diseases and food spoilage respectively thus referred to as harmful microorganisms. We also have others that are needed by living things to survive and they are termed as beneficial microbes (Tortora, Funke and Case 1995). Microbes are classified either by placing them in prokaryote or eukaryote group or by classifying them according to the temperature in their surrounding environment where they are classified as thermophilic microbes (thermophiles), mesophilic microbes (mesophiles) or psychrophilic microbes (psychrophiles). Thermophilic microbes are those microbes that grow well in high temperatures above the human body temperature. Mesophilic microbes are those that grow well in temperatures equal to that of human body while psychrophililic microbes are those that grow well in low temperatures below that of human body (Jaggi 1985). Like any other living organism, microbes reproduce for enhancement of their species. They reproduce by means of either sexual or asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction occurs by mating of a male and a female while asexual reproduction is by cell division either by mitosis, meiosis or binary fission. 3. Counting of microorganisms. Micro-organisms can be counted. They need to be detected first before being counted. There are several techniques involved when counting microbes. One or more of the following techniques may be used when counting microbes. Direct counting techniques can be used. The oldest of these is microscopy which involves magnification of individual cells to become visible to the naked eye. Direct counting techniques do not rely on cell population growth. A more recent of the direct counting techniques involves use of immunofluorescence and epifluorescence adaptations of cell labeling used in conjunction with cytometry. In both technologies, the trigger for a count is derived from single cells (Diaper et al. 1992). We also have culture techniques that rely on growth of microbes to a level where they are visible. This is done under specific conditions of temperature, oxygen, time and nutrients among others. The last technique employed is that of reporter assays which asses the population of microbes through their metabolic activities. The population does not necessarily have to be growing. Examples of such techniques include conductance, colorimetry, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and turbidometry (Bowden 1977). Counting of microorganisms can be done by different methods. In most cases the sample to be counted is first diluted to avoid overwhelming the whole counting procedure. However in some cases, the sample may be too dilute to give the required minimum count to be able to estimate the microbial population of that sample. In such cases, concentration of the sample is carried out. Counting can be done by use of a slide and a cover slip. A drop of the diluted sample is put on the slide with a suitable agent for proper visualization of the sample. It is then covered wit a cover slip and put under a microscope and observed at a suitable magnification. The centre area can be dimensioned with etched grids. The number of microbes in the grids is multiplied by the dilution factor to get the number in the original sample (Black 1996). The Petri dish count is where the sample is diluted to a point where the colonies will be statistically significant to be counted but not so many to overgrow each other. This method takes time for the individual cells to grow into colonies. The colonies counted are multiplied by the dilution factor to get the number in the original sample. The results here are expressed in colony forming units per milliliter i.e. CFU/ML. The time taken for the cells to grow into individual colonies is called the incubation period. Counting of microbes is important as it enables us estimate the microbial population in a variety of products (Breeuwer et al. 1994). 4. Total count. Total count is also termed as standard plate count or colony count. It gives the total number of microbes both viable and non-viable. All cells are counted. These include bacteria, yeasts and moulds. It is usually done by pour plate method. Total count generally requires employment of a microscope. For instance, when determining total microbial count in water by pour plate, a known volume of water is mixed with molten yeast-malt extract agar and given time to solidify. This is done on several plates. One set of plates are incubated at 37Â °C for about 24 hours and the other set of plates are incubated at 20-22Â °C for 3 days. You will find that most bacteria capable of growth in water do so well at 22Â °C than at higher temperatures. While the microbes that grow well at 37Â °C will not grow very well in water. This means that the two types of microorganisms need to be counted differently since they differ in their growth pattern. In this case, carrying out of total count on water is beneficial in several ways (Paulse, Jackson and Khan 2007). It helps to evaluate the efficiency of certain water treatment processes like coagulation, flocculation and disinfection. It also gives an indication of the level of cleanliness of the water distribution system. It can also be used it d etermine the suitability of water supply to firms where food and drinks are prepared on large scale. Total count is achieved either by use of direct or indirect counts. One method of direct count is the use of a haemocytometer. A haemocytometer is a specialized microscope slide important in cell counting. The central part of this slide has etched grids with precisely spaced lines to enable accurate counting. In order to get an accurate count in this method, the cell number should range between 40 to 70 cells in a one mm square. If this requirement is not met, necessary adjustments by either dilution or concentration are done as necessary (Rapposch, Zangerl and Ginzinger 2000). In indirect counts, one method is by use of a colorimeter. As the microorganisms grow with time, they make the agar more and more turbid. This turbidity can be measured by use of a colorimeter where optical density is measured. The greater the optical density the greater the number of microbes (Breeuwer et al. 1995). There is also a measure of dry weight. This method involves centrifugation followed by weighing to get the dry weight. The limitation of this method is that cells are destroyed The other indirect count method involves the use of a coulter counter. A coulter counter is a probe which measures variation in conductivity of a solution as a bacteria passes through a narrow gap (Daley 1979). The advantage of direct and indirect counts is that the process can be automated but the disadvantage is that they can not differentiate dead cells from living ones. 5. Viable count. Viable cont involves counting of colonies produced by only viable cells under favorable growth conditions. This can be accomplished by techniques like pour plating, spread plating and most probable number with an assumption that each and every viable cell gives rise to a pure colony. (Black 1996). In pour plating, the liquid media and the diluted sample are poured together in Petri dishes while still in liquid form and left to solidify. After solidifying, the Petri dishes are incubated at appropriate temperature for the required period of time during which the growth is realized. The plates are then removed and distinct colonies counted and expressed in colony forming units per ml. In spread plating, the media is prepared separately and poured in Petri dishes while still in liquid form. It is then left to solidify. After solidifying, a small known volume from the diluted sample is put to each Petri dish and with the help of a sterilized spreading rod, the sample is evenly spread over the media. The plates are then incubated at an appropriate temperature for a given period during which growth is realized. The plates are then taken for counting of colonies using magnifying lens (Black 1996). Colonies grown in Petri dishes by various methods excluding streaking method may be used to estimate the count of viable microbes since plate counts assume that every colony is founded by a single cell and that the cell must have been alive to grow and form that colony. Problems with plate counts are several. They require a long time of incubation to be able to visualize the colonies. Clumping of cells can lead to undercounting of viable cells. Cases of too many or too few colonies on a plate to accurately estimate viable count are common. Serial dilution is often required to prevent cases of overcrowding of cells. Too few cells require concentration by either centrifugation or filtration. In a case where too few colonies are present then the original culture must be concentrated before determining the plate count. Filtration is a method used to concentrate microorganisms by sieving microbes out of the medium. Centrifugation is also a separation method based on the density. This helps separate the microbes from the medium since both have different densities (Pettipher, Mansell, McKinnon and Cousins 1980). . In serial dilution, increments are made in 1000, 100, or 10. The number of dilutions to be done depends on the concentration of the original solution and the required concentration. The volume of the solution needed is also vital. If small quantities of solutions are needed then greater numbers of dilutions are necessary. Serial dilution allows small aliquots to be diluted instead of unnecessary big volumes of materials. When carrying out serial dilution, a small amount of original sample is removed to another container and its volume adjusted to original volume using a suitable buffer or distilled water e.g. if 1ml of the original solution is taken and 10Â µL removed and put in 990Â µL of media or water then we will have made a 1:100 dilution. If the original solution contained 5 x 106 cells/mL then we now have a concentration of 5 x 104cells/mL because we have divided the concentration by 100 (Pettipher, Mansell, McKinnon and Cousins 1980). Another method of determining approximate viable count is by use of most probable number. This method involves diluting the growth cultures and then growing the dilution cultures in broth tubes. This method is useful where it is beneficial to use broth other than solid media especially for highly motile organisms which are poor in forming colonies. The most probable number method is mostly used when the organism in question is not able to grow on solid agar or in situations where the microorganisms are too few to give reliable measure of population size by the standard plate count method (Black 1996). The advantage of viable count is that the method can be made very sensitive and that one can be able to count subsets of population. However the disadvantage is that sometimes the colony forming units may underestimate the number of cells because of clumping or chains of cells. It is also time consuming as the counts require at least few hours or overnight for incubation (Bowden 1977). Viable count of microbes is mostly applicable in food processing industries mostly dairy and meat processing plants where microbiology is most applicable. It helps in estimation of shelf life of processed food products as well as evaluation of sanitary conditions under which the products were manufactured. The efficiency of certain treatment processes like pasteurization, sterilization and cold storage done during production is also evaluated by viable microbial count. 6. Conclusion. Total and viable counts of microorganisms are important practices in microbiology applicable in fields of medicine, food among others. The main difference between the two is that total count determines the count of all cells both dead and alive while viable count estimate the number of viable or live cells only capable of growing into distinct colonies.

Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

Beowulf Beowulf was written during the Anglo-Saxon time period. Beowulf is a story about a young warrior and his quest through life. Some people consider Beowulf a tragic hero, and some people just consider him a hero period. Whether Beowulf is a tragic hero or not, he fights many great battles. The reason Beowulf fights stays basically the same but it changes a little. In the beginning of the book, Beowulf goes to help the Danes out by killing Grendel. Grendel is a ferocious monster that has been killing the Danes in the mead hall (115). During this time period, warriors will celebrate their victories and tell of their accomplishments by singing. This social gathering has started bothering Grendel because he can hear all the noise and happiness coming from the mead hall. This is making Grendel jealous because he is a descendant from Cain, and knows he will never feel happy (106). Grendel goes into the mead hall at night, and he begins killing everyone in there. News of how Grendel is murdering the Danes starts to spread all over. When Beowulf hears about Grendel, he feels that it is his obligation to stop Grendel from killing anymore. Beowulf leaves to go to Herot to kill Grendel. He is mostly being praised for his long journey to face this terrible monster. Beowulf says, "Grendel is no braver, no stronger than I am! I could kill him with my s word; I shall not" (677). Beowulf feels that he can defeat Grendel even without a weapon. The first night, they have a celebration in the mead hall, and the warriors fall asleep in the hall. Grendel makes his usual nightly visit and finds many victims waiting to be killed (725). To his surprise, he meets his match, which happens to be Beowulf (748). After a brief confrontation, Beowulf rips Grendel’s arm off, and Grendel runs away to die (823). Beowulf is considered a hero now for risking his life to stop Grendel from killing anymore Danes (837). Not only does Beowulf protect all the Danes, he also receives many rewards. Beowulf is doing a good thing, but all his motives are not the most honorable motives. This shows the Pagan values of the time. Materialistic things meant a lot to people during this time. The next day, there is a celebration of Grendel’s death. Beowulf and his group of warriors leave the mead hall to go sleep in their beds (1300).

Junk Science Essay

What led me to this decision based on Baloney Detection Method, the person writing this article did not list who they are, whether or not they have a degree in the matter that they are speaking of, nor do they list who or what company is sponsoring them. No reliable sources are listed in case the reader wants to verify any of the information is to be true. The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus – Baloney junk. Although this article list who are the writers of this article, it does not give any information if either student has received a degree in the information that they are discussing. It does not include what company or organization that is supporting the author. The sources that they listed are not credible. The article does not state whether this information has been reviewed nor verified by any expert, but only claims from a book, articles, and you tube videos. Environmental Effects of Genetically Modified Food Crops – Reliable Unlike the other two articles, this article reveals the name and the profession degree this person has for the matter that is been discussed. The article list who the author is with and who stands to benefit from the work. The article has a variety of reliable sources included if the reader has any questions or simply wants to verify the matter being discussed. This article list the research, written work, claims and field work that has been conducted by other experts. This article provides majority all of the information needed for the questions that are being asked to determine whether or not it is junk science.

Freud, Adler and Jung: Founders of Psychoanalytic Research Essay

Introduction: There are three well-known influential thinkers who are considered to be pioneers in the field of psychology. It could be argued that without †¦. , the emergence of psychology as we know it might not have ever happened, at least in its present form. Freud is considered by his modern-day counterparts to be the founding father of analytic psychology, as he is the first to have come up with an albeit rudimentary, but nevertheless valuable model of the human psyche. Prior to his groundbreaking work, the nature of human consciousness was largely debated and theorized by medical doctors and theologians. Then there is Adler, (who was the first to have suggested the societal impact on emotions and thought processes and vice-versa, arguing that consciousness and culture have what could be termed as a symbiotic relationship. He emphasized, too, the importance of self-esteem and was the first to say that without a healthy self-esteem, an individual would develop an inferiority/superiority complex which would in turn affect many aspects of life. Last but not least, Carl Jung, who was a respected colleague of Freud in his earlier years, focused on the spiritual aspects of consciousness and saw the value it played on thoughts and emotions. We will explore in this paper the commonalities between these founding fathers of psychology as well as their differences, and explore the strengths in their theories as well as the weaknesses. By understanding the founders of this very subjective field of scientific thought, we can gain a better picture of how psychology has evolved over the years and apply it to our own research and studies. Sigmund Freud: According to Freudian theory, the consciousness is composed of three opposing forces: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id (Freud used the German term Das es) which consists of our instinct-driven behavior. Governed by what he termed the â€Å"Pleasure Principle†, It is largely pleasure-seeking: when we are hungry, we seek to obtain relief from these feelings by eating. Because the id is a self-gratifying drive, it can, according to Freud, cause problems if left unchecked, since the person would have absolutely no self-control and wouldn’t be able to exercise the self-discipline necessary to function in society. In accordance with what Freud calls â€Å"The Reality Principle†, The ego (das ich) copes with the limitations of reality by putting into place coping mechanisms when one’s basest needs cannot be fulfilled. For instance, it is the ego which represses the needs of the id by waking up early for work when the id tells us to sleep in late. The Superego (uber ich) tries to rule over the ego and id with moral principles which are both conscious and unconscious. It can be described as one’s religious convictions and moral principles. The Superego can override the ego and id when something must be done â€Å"for the greater good†, i.e. for moral reasons. Another Fundamental element of Freudian theory is his stages of psychosexual development, which categorizes each stage as follows: The oral stage where a child seeks comfort from suckling, the anal stage where the child is toilet-trained, the phallic stage where a child’s awareness of a penis (or lack thereof) plays a crucial role in early development, the latent period, and finally the genital stage. In each of these stages (aside from the latent stage where it is believed no crucial psychosexual development takes place) if there is a disturbance in normal development, a â€Å"fixation† can occur. For instance, if a child is weaned from breastfeeding too early, he or she can have an â€Å"oral fixation† which would manifest itself as nail-biting or smoking later in life. Last but not least, Freud was the first to propose that when we face situations we cannot emotionally handle, we have certain defense mechanisms such as repression, suppression, denial, displacement, sublimation, intellectualization, and rationalization, regression, and reaction formation. These mechanisms can be considered normal, especially during grieving periods. Much later, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross made shock and denial one of the first stages of the grieving process, and it has been well-documented that denial can be very common if not normal as long as it doesn’t become permanent. Defense mechanisms can become very unhealthy if they don’t eventually give way to directly coping with the emotions which are being denied or repressed. These defense mechanisms, in their most extreme forms can be very difficult to understand for those who haven’t shared the same experience. For example, it is very possible for a woman to be so deep in denial of a pregnancy that she will continue to menstruate up until the time of delivery. She could also attribute the normal symptoms of pregnancy with other possible explanations, i. e. morning sickness being stomach flu and the baby’s kicks being gas. A typical example of displacement can be seen with people who abuse animals or children. If a person feels they cannot express anger or aggression to a parent or significant other for fear of repercussions, they will channel the anger and direct it to the family pet or their child, who cannot fight back. Regression can be another common defense mechanism, and it usually happens when an individual is overwhelmed with anxiety and feels they cannot directly face the source of their emotions. A very common scenario is for an adult to remain in bed all day and sleep to avoid painful feelings shortly after a loved-one dies. Another example is when a child is afraid to attend school because of a bully, and becomes extremely clingy with the parent when he or she was very independent prior to the problem. Carl Jung. Jung and Freud became friends in 1906, after Freud had read some of Jung’s writings and invited him for a meeting in Zurich. Their first conversation was said to have lasted for 13 hours, with the two men exchanging ideas and elaborating on their theories. Freud saw Jung as somewhat of a protege, referring to Jung as his â€Å"crown prince and successor†. Their correspondence and friendship lasted six years, but Jung eventually expressed dissent with Freud over the role the unconscious mind played in human behavior. While Freud saw the unconscious as somewhat of a repository of repressed memories which could be manifested unbeknownst to the conscious mind, Jung believed that the ability to tap into the unconscious mind was possible and could contribute to emotional well-being. And while he agreed that it was important to understand past trauma and its influence on present behavior, he also believed that the future didn’t necessarily need to be determined by such things. The role spirituality played in his psychoanalytic theories also made him a pioneer in his own rite, though it was never something he and Freud could agree upon. Alfred Adler. Alfred Adler was also a contemporary of Dr. Freud and even joined his analytic society in 1902. By 1911 however, he too expressed dissent with many of Freud’s opinions and left to form his own society, the ‘Society for Free Psychoanalytic Research’. It can be reiterated that while he agreed with Freud that psycho-social development could be affected by influential factors beginning early in life, he came up with theories of his own which contrasted with those of his colleague. For instance, he believed that a child feels inherently weak around his or her elders, and strives to become superior to them throughout the course of early life. This term, known as â€Å"striving for superiority†, states that if the need for personal accomplishment and success is not met, an inferiority complex can develop, causing many other problems later on. He also proposed the theory that birth order plays a crucial role in emotional development. For example, he stated that an oldest child has it the worst, as he or she starts off having both parents’ unlimited attention and time. Later on after other siblings are born, an oldest child isn’t given the same amount of attention and is left to wonder why. Childhood neglect and abuse also have a profound impact on psychosocial development according to Adler, and numerous case studies continue to arise which prove his theory to be valid even today. Conclusion While many of the theories of Freud, Adler and Jung have been either dispelled or refined by case studies and discoveries in the field of neuroscientific research, there is no doubt they were pioneers in the field of psychology. Freud’s concepts of defense mechanisms have withstood the test of time even though his theories of psychosexual development have been outmoded, and Jungian psychoanalysis is still relevant today. Adler’s views on self-esteem and childhood development have been verified by clinical research, even if some of the finer points of his research had been discarded. While there is continued debate and new findings which will always create dissent and result in new discoveries related to psychology, it is certain that the work of these three early founders will remain significant for decades to come. References: â€Å"Jungian Analysis: Frequently Asked Questions†, New York Association for Analytical Psychology http://www. nyaap. org/about-jungian-analysis#5 Friedman, Howard S. and Schustack, Miriam W. â€Å"Personality: Classic Theories and Modern Research† Fifth Edition retrieved 1/23/2013 Heffner, Christopher â€Å"Psychoanalytic Theory† (http://allpsych. com/personalitysynopsis/index. html) Published August 21, 2012 retrieved 1/23/2013 Adler,A. , & Fleisher, L. , (1988, December) The Child’s Inner Life and a Sense of Community. Individual Psychology: The Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research & Practice Vol. 44(4), p. 417. Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A History of Modern Psychology (3rd ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Expletives

Expletives Expletives Expletives By Jacquelyn Landis You’ve heard of indefinite pronounss include everybody, anything, someone, another, something, and a few others. Did you know, however, that there’s another kind of indefinite pronoun called an expletive? The English language has two such expletives: it and there. Consider the following sentences: It might rain tomorrow. There wasn’t enough money to pay the rent. In these sentences, it and there are not pronouns that refer to or replace any existing noun. Yet they’re necessary to fill in because each sentence syntactically requires a subject. Sometimes we can’t avoid using an expletive, but if you can recast a sentence to get around it, it’s good to do so. You can expand the sentence to give it a clear subject, or if the surrounding context identifies a previous noun, you can repeat it. The forecast calls for rain tomorrow. Doctor bills had bled the family’s reserves. They didn’t have enough money to pay the rent. If you have to struggle to eliminate an expletive, it’s fine to let it stand. It’s an innocuous part of speech that doesn’t jump out at readers or disrupt flow, and usually its meaning is clearly understood. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?For Sale vs. On SaleDissatisfied vs. Unsatisfied

Who to Ask for a Grad School Recommendation Letter

Who to Ask for a Grad School Recommendation Letter Recommendation letters are a non-negotiable part of every graduate school application. Nearly all applications to graduate school require at least 3 letters of recommendation from individuals who can discuss your competencies in a coherent way and recommend that you be admitted to graduate school. Many students find that it is not difficult to select one or two people to approach for letters of recommendation. Others arent sure of who to approach. Who Is the Best Choice?   Who can write the best letter? Remember the main criterion of the letter of recommendation: It must provide a comprehensive and positive evaluation of your abilities and aptitude. It should not be surprising that letters from professors are highly valued by admissions committees. However, the best letters are written by faculty who know you, from whom you have taken multiple classes and/or have completed substantial projects and/or have received very positive evaluations. Professors provide insight into your academic competencies and aptitude as well as personality characteristics that may contribute to your potential to succeed in graduate schools, such as motivation, conscientiousness, and timeliness. Should You Ask Your Employer for a Letter? Not always, but some students include a letter from an employer. Letters from employers are useful if you are working in a field that is related to that which you intend to study. However, even a letter from an employer in an unrelated field can be useful to your application if he or she discusses skills and competencies that will contribute to your success in graduate school, such as the ability to read and integrate information in order to draw conclusions, lead others, or carry out complex tasks in a timely and competent fashion. Essentially its all about spin- spinning the material so that it matches what committees are looking for. What Makes for an Effective Recommendation Letter? An effective recommendation letter is written by someone who meets some of the following criteria: Is aware of your field of interest and the schools you are applying to.Is able to evaluate your performance in your field of interest.Is able to discuss your personal characteristicsIs able to discuss your capacity to work with othersCan discuss your leadership skillsCan evaluate your level of professionalism (e.g., punctuality, efficiency, assertiveness)Can discuss your academic skills- not simply experience, but your potential to succeed in graduate-level studyEvaluates you positively relative to othersHas some recognition and whose judgment is highly valued within the field.Has the skills to write a helpful letter. Many students become nervous when they see this list. Remember that no one person will meet all of these criteria, so dont fret or feel bad. Instead, consider all of the people who you might approach and attempt to compose a balanced panel of reviewers. Seek individuals who will collectively fulfill as many of the above criteria as possible. Avoid This Mistake The biggest mistake most students make in the recommendation letter-phase of the graduate school application is to fail to plan ahead and establish relationships that lead to good letters. Or to not consider what each professor brings to the table and to instead settle for whoever is available. This is not the time to settle, choose the easiest path, or be impulsive. Take the time and make the effort to consider all of the possibilities- each professor you have had and all persons you have come into contact with (e.g., employers, internship supervisors, supervisors from settings in which you have volunteered). Dont rule anyone out at first, just make a long list. After you have created an exhausted list, rule out those who you know will not give you a positive recommendation. The next step is to determine how many criteria those remaining on your list might fulfill- even if you have not had recent contact with them. Continue evaluating each person to choose potential referees.

Book Emperor Of The Air English Literature Essay

Book Emperor Of The Air English Literature Essay Throughout many of his stories in his book â€Å"Emperor of the Air† author Ethan Canin explores the theme of happiness in relation to his characters. Depending on which source one uses, happiness ranges from the â€Å"quality or state of being happy† to â€Å"a state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy† and according to the Oxford English Dictionary â€Å"Good fortune or luck in life or in a particular affair; success, prosperity†. Based on this, happiness is subjective to the individual. Every story in the book deals with the theme in its various forms but the three pieces I will examine each deal with this subject and its various definitions in their own ways, and I feel are the best representations of â€Å"happiness†. In his second story â€Å"The Year of Getting to Know Us† Canin introduces the idea of happiness directly and very matter-of-factly. Canin first questions the happiness of Lenny while he is at the counselors when he is asked â€Å"You sound as if you don’t want to let people near youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Right?† and Lenny responds with â€Å"I’m a reasonably happy man† (Canin 26). After reading this, we get a sense that maybe Lenny is lying, that he is holding something back. How can someone be happy, going through what he has, and will continue to go through? The events that are explained further in the story: his fathers death and his wife’s affair, impose on this question further. On the very next page Lenny goes on to talk about his life saying â€Å"I am struck by the good fortune of my life† (Canin, 1988). Perhaps Lenny truly is happy, as he early states an exact definition of the word in his thought of â€Å"good fortune†. Despite all that has happened in his life, he remains optimistic, and believes himself to be happy, and maybe he is. The opposition to Lenny’s apparent happiness is the nearly consta nt â€Å"nagging† he receives questioning his emotions and ability to feel anything at all. Canin mentions such an instance immediately after mentioning Lenny’s good fortune in life when he states â€Å"Anne says that I don’t feel things† (Canin 27). Lenny never questions whether or not if he is able to â€Å"feel†, but also never goes out of his way to show any emotion other than stating that he is indeed happy. Even after witnessing his wife’s affair firsthand, the only way Lenny can express himself is by writing down on a napkin â€Å"you are a 40 year old man with no children and your wife is having an affair† (Canin, 1988). Lenny’s apparent lack of any emotion that would come naturally to anyone in the same circumstance is quite intriguing and leaves the reader questioning his feelings, if he has any. Another moment where Lenny’s feelings are under fire comes when he is a child and his mother asks him if he is angry and he responds with â€Å"I don’t know† (Canin, 1988). This shows the reader that even though he was young, Lenny was indecisive about his feelings, and whether or not he felt anything. Canin leaves the decision of whether or not this character is happy or if he can feel, up to the reader.

Strategy, Information Systems (IS) and Knowledge Management Essay

Strategy, Information Systems (IS) and Knowledge Management - Essay Example However, it is crucial to understand why competitive advantage is of significant value. The paramount reason is that it allows a business to hold a superior status in the market. Having a dominant position implies that a business can have cost leadership, where it dictates the prices of products by partnering with suppliers in a monopoly-like manner. This is not sustainable over the long run; subsequently, business must create unique value around their products to draw out the largest market share. Hence there arises two ways of gaining competitive advantage, through cost or through differentiation. Either way, a business should seek this as it allows creation of profits that exceed their competitors. These excess profits in turn, can be used to further market the business by promoting its products and services, and boosting its image. In addition, the business can set aside money for continual assessment of its strategies, which involves research that ensures it is always up-to-date with trends within the industry (Worth, 2009). One of the core competencies that all businesses have or can easily acquire is information. Businesses need to create an environment that allows for dynamic use of information, to maintain high levels of performance, continuous growth and facilitate approaching of beneficial risks. To achieve these results from information effectively, there needs to be a shift in thinking from the traditional perspective to a dynamic one. Organizations need to think about information in three different ways, in order to leverage information systems to gain competitive advantage. These are recognizing the various sources of information within a business, acknowledging the purposefulness of a well-informed business solution and going over the overall IT situation to ensure it supports the business needs as and when they occur (Hurwitz and Kaufman, 2007). Recognizing the various sources of information involves looking at non-traditional sources of inform ation, in the sense of original point. That is, managers should seek information from emails, custom applications and reports as opposed to conventional sources such as content management systems e.g. ERM and customer databases. Of significance with this aspect is that quality of information will be high, and decision-makers can make timely decisions as they will recognize this information and act on it prudently. Managers should not ignore these sources as gaining competitive advantage necessitates leveraging all kinds of relevant information, as this will enable establishment of sustainable strategies (Hurwitz and Kaufman, 2007). Acknowledging purposefulness of a well-informed business solution is reliant on the infrastructure currently adopted by business. This means that a business solution will have a certain modularity and level of flexibility depending on the structures and systems in place. Modularity and flexibility implies that linkages between rigid information systems an d structures, and applications can be adjusted to meet the changing needs of a business as dictated by the environment. An effective business solution should unify the metadata such that for instance; characteristics that describe how to locate, access and utilize data will be maintained. Essentially, all relevant informat

Branding, Pricing and Distribution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Branding, Pricing and Distribution - Assignment Example Based on psychographic variables, BEVRET offers a drink not just to quench thirst but as a lifestyle beverage. Thus the beverage should be promoted as a drink that stirs imagination. The tagline for the brand should be Drink fresh; Live life! Or, we love to see you live! This is meant to attract people who want to really live and not just exist! Brands are sold through feelings and the brand should be able to create an emotional link between the consumer and the brand (Moorthi, 2004). The logo should be trendy and carry the flavor of the new age and be futuristic. It should feature in all points of communication. Since most popular brands in Europe have been selling for a long time, BEVRET should create a point of differentiation in packaging. This differentiation is essential as the product will sit on the shelf with probably ten other products. It should use neon colors in packaging because color is the first touch point with the customer. Color influences emotion and the first poi nt of interaction is shaped by color. About 60-80% of the purchase decision is based on product color (Markowitz, 2010). Neon colors are bright and attract immediate attention. Apart from color, packaging should also focus on the container in which beer is sold. If the container can be made of a material that can be used to drink beer as well, small package containing one serving of beer, it would serve multi-purpose, benefit the customer, benefit the environment and also be cost-effective for the company. To enhance branding, BEVRET should have strong activity on the social media. Europeans are sport lovers and hence sponsorship of sports can enhance brand value. In addition, as the social media is the most popular promotional tool, BEVRET should invite online discussions on short documentaries created on sports personalities. Its tagline and logo should be included in all its mails that go viral. The tagline should become the point of identification for the brand. In addition, the brand should associate with leading restaurants and pubs, and participate in events such as Valentine’s Day. Promotion material can take the form of messages made viral through the social media. The events should be promoted through the social media and special beer offers should be made for those purchasing coupons through the social media. Promotional brochures should also be placed at all convenience stores, at the local gyms, pubs and social clubs. These brochures can carry limited validity coupons as a market entry strategy, offering discounts. Initially for the first few months, the company can distribute free t-shirts with BEVRET logo and tagline with a certain amount of purchases. Pricing Pricing decision includes profit margins, discounts, margin for retailers and wholesalers. It also has to be based on product demand and competitor pricing. Competition is high and the beer market is concentrated and hence the pricing has to consider competition pricing. When the br and value increases, pricing can be increased but initially to capture a sizeable market, pricing should be kept low. At the same time, discounts can be offered in markets closer to breweries as the transportation costs would be low or negligible. Within Europe beer prices differ across regions and countries. The variation in prices can be considerable and these variations occur because of cost variations as well as the ability of the brewers to price discriminate (EconomicsOnline, 2011). If certain necessary conditions are

Law & Ciminology, Victimisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Law & Ciminology, Victimisation - Essay Example imple words, no act can be considered a crime, irrespective of how immoral or damaging it may be, unless it has been made criminal by state legislation. This conceptualisation appears straightforward enough. However, it tells us very little about the processes through which certain harmful acts and victims usually come to be identified and recognised as part of the crime problem while others remain hidden. A critical approach to the study of crime and its impact on individuals and society hence requires a reflection on the exact definition of crime, construction of legal conceptions and its victims. Apparently, victims play a major role in initiating the criminal justice process. Without them, much of the work of the criminal justice process would come to a halt. Shapland (1986) asserts that â€Å"the numbers and types of cases entering the system and thereby eventually providing the workload for the courts, prison service and other conventional agencies, appear largely to be determined by the reporting behaviour of victims and witnesses, not action initiated by the police† (p. 210). The fact that only a fraction of crime is reported to and recorded by the police, combined with low clear-up rates, means that only a small proportion of offences ever reach the court. In all these cases, victim experiences can be prolonged and complex. An incident that occurred in perhaps a few minutes can become the subject of a series of inquiries that may last months or years after the event. Victims who come to court expecting that a trial will be an assertion of their wrongs can find that their probity is on trial as well. In Britain, the role of victims within the criminal justice process is mainly confined to reporting the crime and/or providing evidence. The significance of the victims role in these areas is compounded by the fact that the vast majority of offences come to police attention through a victims report rather than through patrolling activities.

Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Argument - Essay Example The Galaxy Tab S ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3Kjj2ca4oQ is an example of an ad that uses sexual imagery, consumers’ love for reality and capitalizes on panic and paranoia to manipulate the audience into buying products which they apparently do not need. Moreover, advertisers use sexual imagery to chemically hook up the consumers. Naturally, after seeing someone attractive, the body’s natural response is to produce hormones. Subconsciously, the mind then associates the positive feelings with the product or service on the screen. This is why the designers of the Galaxy Tab S ad had to include a beautiful woman in the commercial and create an environment that instantly makes one think of love and romance even though the tab has got nothing to do with affection and amorousness. The cuddling, inclusion and mentioning of pregnancy all serve to create an emotional appeal that the audience can hardly resist. The creation of emotional appeal has served as an impeccable way of reflexively manipulating consumers considering the importance that they attach to the opposite sex. Taking the consumers away from the world of reality into the world of fantasy is significant as it makes them humorous and regaled. Unsympathetically, some commer cials evidently infringe ethics and norms by posting nude images just to entice the consumer. Such commercials erode morals while escalating the profits of the marketers. Slowly, the once moral society is closely being replaced with impunity, treachery and deception. Marketers are aware of the ostensible fact that consumers care about their health. One aspect that arouses panic and paranoia in consumers is the issue of their health as virtually all of them desire good health and a healthy tomorrow. They create ads that target specific audiences such as travellers, aficionados, expectant women

The Different Source of Law in England and Wales Essay

The Different Source of Law in England and Wales - Essay Example The parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The two houses usually consist of eight hundred and six hundred and fifty members respectively (Slorach 2013, p.47). Common law, on the hand, is where higher appellate courts’, namely the Court of Appeal and the Supreme court, judgments are set as precedence that are to be followed by all the subordinate courts to make future judgments on similar cases. This is often done to create unity and consistency in making judgments. European Union Laws are laws that are created by the European Union (EU) to which Wales and England are members. Since the EU is greater than the two countries, EU laws often precedence over UK laws (Slapper & Kelly 2011, p.83). The Human Rights Act 1998, which was ratified by member states of Council of Europe to later become known as European Convention on Human Right (ECHR), also serves as a major source of law for the two countries. This is because UK is a signatory to its statute. This, therefore, binds all courts in the two countries to protect human rights using the set conventions as noted in the ECHR. England and Wale’s sources of law are often categorized as either internal or external. The internal sources include the statutory laws and the common law. The external law includes the ECHR and the EU laws. Internal laws are the laws that are created by the law-making organs of the two countries. On the other hand, statutory laws are created by the legislature while common laws are drawn from precedencies set by the two senior most appellate court namely the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court (Reinsch 2004, p.50). The citizens of the two countries uniformly recognize all these organs. External sources of law, on the other hand, are as a result of the ratification of agreed on convention by the European blocks that come together to pursue a common good (Reinsch 2004, p.51).  

Gene One Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gene One - Essay Example The success that Gene One has had in eight short years has presented a quandary concerning the strategic path Gene One's future. Should Gene One execute of strategy of constancy and continuity Will this type of strategy keep Gene One's competitors from gaining ground on Gene One's share of the market place over the next several years After careful consideration of these perplexing questions, the leadership of Gene One has decided an alternate strategy, as Gene One has not achieved all that they have by continuity alone. Gene One has taken risks that were founded on sound strategy and faith that intelligent men and women with innovative ideas and unsurpassed drive and passion cannot be stopped. These type of people are winners and they accomplish their goals. These factors set the stage for constantly evolving ideas that provided multiple benefits that were accomplished in record time. Seldom has this type of success been achieved in the biotech industry which is considered a risky bu siness in some cases. That said, the Gene One leadership has decided that Gene One must be given an opportunity to experience its maximum growth potential before some piggy back organization with lucrative investors siphon off strategic market areas previously held by Gene One. As with any strategy, there are risks involved. ... As with any strategy, there are risks involved. However, due to Gene One's financial stability, strong leadership and growth potential, these risks are just obstacle that can be turned into positive opportunities. Please note the following: Economic Packages (founders of Gene One, board members and essential personnel) While IPO capital is of extreme importance concerning Gene One's preparations to go public, this topic can not be considered if it does not include job security and economic packages that reward the founders, board members and essential personnel at Gene One for their contributions that have led to the meteoric rise of Gene One over an eight-year timeframe. This is not a difficult problem to solve due to the strategy that will restructure and diversify Gene One while maintaining its technological and competitive edge over the competition. IPO Capital The following is a brief bio of Charles Jones, Gene One's marketing officer: "Two years after Gene Ones's start-up, Don Ruiz, Chief Executive Officer for Gene One, recruited 35-year-old Charles because of his reputation for "smart" risk taking and his biotechnology connections. Don saw him as the perfect person to develop and implement Gene One marketing strategy. Self-confident and moral, Charles easily garners trust for himself and the company." Ruiz, Gene One Company Overview Report Gene One 4 The Gene One leadership feels that while Charles is limited in his abilities to personally design and implement a marketing infrastructure, his overall talents and track record suggests that

The Different Source of Law in England and Wales Essay

The Different Source of Law in England and Wales - Essay Example The parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The two houses usually consist of eight hundred and six hundred and fifty members respectively (Slorach 2013, p.47). Common law, on the hand, is where higher appellate courts’, namely the Court of Appeal and the Supreme court, judgments are set as precedence that are to be followed by all the subordinate courts to make future judgments on similar cases. This is often done to create unity and consistency in making judgments. European Union Laws are laws that are created by the European Union (EU) to which Wales and England are members. Since the EU is greater than the two countries, EU laws often precedence over UK laws (Slapper & Kelly 2011, p.83). The Human Rights Act 1998, which was ratified by member states of Council of Europe to later become known as European Convention on Human Right (ECHR), also serves as a major source of law for the two countries. This is because UK is a signatory to its statute. This, therefore, binds all courts in the two countries to protect human rights using the set conventions as noted in the ECHR. England and Wale’s sources of law are often categorized as either internal or external. The internal sources include the statutory laws and the common law. The external law includes the ECHR and the EU laws. Internal laws are the laws that are created by the law-making organs of the two countries. On the other hand, statutory laws are created by the legislature while common laws are drawn from precedencies set by the two senior most appellate court namely the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court (Reinsch 2004, p.50). The citizens of the two countries uniformly recognize all these organs. External sources of law, on the other hand, are as a result of the ratification of agreed on convention by the European blocks that come together to pursue a common good (Reinsch 2004, p.51).  

Siddhartha Definition Essay Example for Free

Siddhartha Definition Essay Siddhartha, in the awakening, learns that the life of pleasure isn’t always the best life. In fact the life of pleasure can always bring you pain and sometimes more suffering. Siddhartha had to learn that the hard way because he felt disgusted in himself of what he had become. Just as Siddhartha was about to suicide he heard a voice. He heard the ancient holy word â€Å"Om†. Just from that word his whole life changed. Siddhartha also learned that there was more to the world then having pleasure and goods and that that the world was a beautiful piece of work. Siddhartha learned from the river who he really was and that he shouldn’t just give up because of a mistake, Siddhartha learned that he has to learn from it and take his mistake as an experience. The only way to succeed in life is to have experiences and learn from your mistakes. Although Siddhartha learned something from the river, he still needs to learn more and he does as he meets the ferry man. Siddhartha learned to love the river and treat the river with respect. The river saved him from his death and Siddhartha shall be with the river at all times. The river taught him how to become patient again and helped him awaken from his bad period of time. The river was also Siddhartha’s turning point in because Siddhartha was about to give up and just throw away his goal but he realized his mistake and became a new Siddhartha. The river was a similar to a teacher, it taught Siddhartha more and more about the world so much that his knowledge on the world expanded even more. Siddhartha took things more serious because everything the river taught him, he didn’t judge like his old teachers, he listened and trust the river’s knowledge. Siddhartha taught me a lot of new knowledge and wisdom. Although all the chapters taught me something, the one that taught me the most was the awakening. The Awakening taught me that making a mistake is one thing, but learning from it is another thing and that it is the key to success in life. How I learned this is that Siddhartha had to do all those things to reach Nirvana. Siddhartha also taught me that listening and patience can help you in life because if u can’t listen or be patient, then you won’t get anywhere in life. This novel taught me that you can’t learn anything, if you haven’t tried it out. Meaning if you want become good at a game, you have to try it out. Although the life of pleasure is beneficial, it’s not always the best idea because it  can bring you much pain and suffering because once you lose it, you won’t be able to get it back and that you have to learn how to live without it. When Siddhartha was about to give up and die, but learned from his mistake, it inspired me because it taught me that I shouldn’t give up without a fight. Meaning that even if times are worst, I shouldn’t give up without trying because I would never know the result if I did tried. It also inspired me because it means that I should try harder and harder in school and become successful when I grow up. Another chapter that taught me something is â€Å"The Son†. It taught me that I should act like a spoil little brat and shouldn’t disrespect my parents, because my parents have to go through a lot to keep me who I am and how I live today. Siddhartha reminds me of my dad, although he yells and put me down, he does it because he loves me and wants me to become successful. If my dad didn’t do all those things, I would become another Siddhartha Jr. but worst. This novel inspired me to read more and more novels like this, because there are always morals and lessons that are being taught throughout the story. I hope we read more novels like Siddhartha because it keeps me thinking and it keeps motivated to try harder in life and school.

Globalisation small firms and government intervention

Globalisation small firms and government intervention It is believed that the history of globalisation process first began with the movement of people out of Africa into other parts of the world, and because of this movement of people, goods, ideas and customs today we find adaptations of influences from other parts of the world today in many areas of the world. Today however, we the integration of many different markets and economies of the world including the telecommunication industry and this has made the world into what is now called the Global Village. It is in this vein that governments are beginning to protect their firms or industries (mainly the infant or young firms) from the threats and stronger competitive forces of demand and supply working in the international markets which we will look at in details later. It is also critically important to understand the fact that these forces can only be limited up to a certain time before hand the government will realize the need to get involved in international business. The world is moving away from self contained economies towards interdependent and integrated global economic system. UNDERSTANDING GLOBALISATION What is globalisation? By definition globalization means: The act of economies moving away from self contained entities, isolated by from each other by barriers to cross border trade and investment; by distance, time zones, and language; and by national differences in government regulation, culture, and business systems. And now moving towards a world in barriers to cross border trade and investment are declining. From our definition above its important to understand that globalization has two facets; Globalization of markets more of the economic integration and growing interdependences worldwide. Globalization of Production which refers to the sourcing of goods and services around the world with a few to reduce cost but obtain quality. Charles W. L. Hill International Business, Competing in the global market place 7th edition Dimension of market globalisation As a wide subject globalization has been investigated from various angles including economics, history, anthropology, political science, sociology, and technology. On the other hand when looking at market globalization we will be looking at the consequences of economic, technological and government policy trends. With this we can focus on the dimensions pushing the world market identified by Cavusgil et al (International Business -strategy, management and the new realities, Pearson Intl Edition Integration and interdependence of national economies: countries in themselves are said not to be self reliant thus the need to depend on other nations for the resource not in their reach. The internationally active companies make the government in some way realize the need for international trade. The internationally active firms devise multi country operations through trade, investment, geographic dispersal of company resources, integration and coordination of value chain activities. The sequence of value adding activities performed by these firms in developing, producing, marketing, and servicing a product, the aggregate of these activities will give rise the economic integration and interdependence of national economies. Rise of regional economic integration blocs: these are coming as far as the 1950s, the like of the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation group (APEC), in Africa we have groups like the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA), and Southern Africa Development Corporation (SADC). These groups promote the idea of trade and investment among member countries through reduced trade and investment barriers. In more advanced arrangements like common markets barriers to the factors of production are eliminated. Growth of global investment and financial flows: as a result of conducting international business transactions, firms and governments buy and sell large volumes of national currencies (such as dollar, euro, yen etc). Also the globalization of capital around the world has brought about the interconnectedness of world, especially in the commercial and banking global industry. Convergence of consumer lifestyle and preference: a check around the world has shown that there is an increasing similarity in consumer spending activities. Lifestyle and preferences are speedily converging. Consumers in various areas have shown similar preferences of household, automobile and electronic goods. Major brands in the world have enjoyed a worldwide following, the likes of Nokia phones, Samsung products; the demand of certain car brands is also actively similar around today. All this similarity has been attributed to the result of international travel and exposure to different cultures. However it is also important to note that this has led to loss of culture and national values. Globalisation of production: international global rivalry among the firms has pushed a lot companies to area of low cost production and marketing. Companies are struggling to increase their economies of scale, standardization of product and reduction of costs of production or operation at all cost. We see I.T companies moving into areas like India, textile companies into China, and Mexico in the attempt because of low labour costs. THE DRIVING FORCES OF GLOBALISATION Under this subject we shall look at the forces or factors leading towards market globalization; Liberalization and adoption of free markets: The fall of the Berlin wall among many other things is what led to the fall of command economies into global economies. We also saw a lot East Asian countries embarking on ambitious market based reforms. India also followed suit in 1991, this was followed by privatization of state owned companies to private ownership and this attracted a lot foreign capital investment to these countries like China, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and India. Generally this is focusing on how governments around the world are becoming less strict. Reduction of barriers to trade and investment: Because of the formation of national economic blocks governments are getting into agreements to reduce or simply eliminate trade barriers so as to improve trade relationships between them and neighboring countries. This also being a key dimension in the theory of market globalization. Industrialization: Due to economic growth and the move towards modernization around we see many emerging markets with fast growing economies a focus on the Asia, Latin America and Europe clearly depicts this. Also countries like Brazil emerging to leadership in the aircraft industry, Czech Republic in automobile and India in computer software. Because of Industrialization, economic development and modernization the standard of living have been positively impacted through the gross national product of various countries Merging world financial markets and technology: As the world is merging in most its activities business transactions are becoming more and more simplified, international firms can now can source for funds internationally and involve themselves in foreign currency transactions. The international banks are willing to offer these foreign currency transactions with easy within provided guidelines. Information technology has been critical in these international transactions between buyers and sellers will not even have to move but send money electronically once they receive their goods and service from foreign suppliers or customer. The benefits of globalisation Briefly before we can look at the threats posed by globalisation we will just look at some of the benefits that come from globalization; Increased Investment: As we have alluded to the fact that companies are able to expand due to the fact that they can source for finance globally, they can therefore easily expand to other countries of desire through different strategic alliances. With this move places which are considered feasible by the organization receive a lot of investments. These could either be short term or long term investment. Government can benefit from taxes that the multinational/international companies will be paying. Increased competition: Increased competition has led to improved standards of goods and services. As a result competition from international companies abroad the local markets begin to fear loss of their market to the international firms and to prevent this they will start to embark on project like the New Product Development, Innovation, Research and Development in order to compete more effective. This results in better products being offered at both the local and international markets. Focusing on your comparative advantage: Because of globalisation countries can focus on the goods and services they can produce without being over strained and this improves the economic welfare of a national. Creation of employment: Despite the fact that globalization can lead to labour drain it can create employment for the locals through international investments which could Foreign Direct Investments or Joint ventures. Threats Posed by Globalisation Cavusgil et al in International Business management acknowledges the following factors as threats that may come with globalisation; Offshoring and the flight of Jobs Offshoring is the relocation is the relocation of manufacturing and other value-chain activities to cost effective areas. Despite the fact that globalisation creates countless of jobs and opportunities around the world it also has cost many people their jobs. With the need to maximize on the scale economies many firms have transferred some of their jobs. General Motors (USA), Ford, and Volkswagen have transferred thousands of jobs from their factories in Germany to countries in the eastern part of Europe. Offshoring Has brought about job losses in numerous mature markets. Loss of national sovereignty Countries are losing the ability to control internal affairs, the activities of multinational companies can have an effect on the economic, social and political structures of a nation. Some multination companies have internal economies that are bigger than the economies of some countries and these organizations have been able to direct or exert influence on governments through their huge contributions. The only way out for government survival is to allow a market liberalized economy to control forces on the market. Effects on the poor It is believed that the poor are becoming poorer and the rich are getting richer in developing economies, this is because low wage pays, poor working conditions, and the employment of child labour among many thing present a negative effect. The International Labour Organization statics are showing that over 250 children are in full time employment however intervening to stop may worsen the living standards in the lives of many who maybe related to these children though at the same time this is at the expense of child education. On the hand these conditions seem to be in other countries, the footwear industries are paying well in the Vietnams; countries that were once being exploited for low labour cost are now experience a tremendous economic growth rate which is evident on their GDP. These are countries like Chile and India. Effects on National culture Dilution of culture, because of globalisation nations that may not have very strong cultures like the one existing among the Muslim world (have a strong standing cultural value); nations are at risk of losing their culture or it becoming diluted as foreign companies will bring their global brands, unfamiliar products and new values. In this view we see children around the world behaving almost in the same manner and have about the same everywhere among these has been the demand for iPods among young people Specific Threats to smaller firms (SME) Intense Competition (Rivalry): International firms have enough resources, capital, skilled and talented people who can design products tailored to customer needs. Shake Outs or Loss of business customers: The smaller local firms may fail to compete and the end result maybe to close up the business because they have lost their customers who are the focal point in any business. Loss of skilled and experienced employees: International firms have enough money to pay anyone they know who has an understanding of the market and is skilled enough to be an asset for the company and these will come from the local competitors causing high labour turnovers in the industry. Threat of takeover possibilities: The other feel is the local and government may have is that International may takeover some big firms and start running the industries that governments may also be depending on and not only for taxes. In our summary to these threats what we can say is that globalisation exposes the smaller firms to intense rivalry or competition in the local market, this being mainly because the international firms are enjoying reduced operation costs, advanced technology, can leverage skills and labour around the world more easily, have enough resources or capital to compete effectively and at an international level. 4. GOVERNMENT AND SUPRANATIONAL AUTHORITIES SUPPORT The oxford dictionary defines government as, a group of people who rule a state. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines government as the continuous process governing, controlling or direction. It also defines supranational as the organization or movement that transcends national boundaries, authorities though they have limited power. The most practical examples being the United Nation, European Union in Europe, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank these are some among the most outstanding supranational authorities. There basically for major reasons that justify why government should intervene in international trade as identified by Cavusgil et al in our Pearson international business edition of strategy, management and the new realities we have the following: Protection of the National Economies: This mainly came from the labour activists who were against the outsourcing of jobs from Europe and the united states to India and where asking for government intervention to curtail the import of cheap products and increase trade barriers. Protection of Infant Industries: This is our focus of the report. Emerging industries, companies are often inexperienced and lack the technology and skill to compete with already established global firms and industries. National Security: Nations impose trade barriers on products that they deem critical to national defense and security; these could be in the form of military technology and computers. These trade barriers can be used to boost local production and capacity. National Culture and Identity: Sometimes governments wants to protect some occupations, industries, public assets that are central to national culture and identity as we shall look at later. Methods and Techniques used to protect small firms (How they can protect small firms) Trade Barriers Government can impose some trade barriers to ensure the infant industries are protected until such a time when they can effectively compete. Government will present trade barriers like the Quotas (being the restriction on the quantity of products that a country can import for a specified period of time). Tariffs can be another technique government can use, increased would mean the products of imports would become more expensive than the local products or services people might end up resenting these products. Investment Barriers These are investment restrictions in particular industries or being able to acquire a local firm. These restrictions are common in industries such as broadcasting, air transportation, financial services, military technology, and the oil industry. These are left to enable the infant industries to grow until such a time when they can compete. Most of these laws were very prevalent in India, and Mexico. Subsidies This id monetary aid or resource support from the government to the smaller firms to help them with production and other services that they need to help them grow. This is in the effort to reduce import by all means and encourage exports and therefore subsidies can also take the form of tax breaks, actual cash or services at reduced prices. Reduced Investment barriers within the bloc For the firms within the bloc such the European Union the countries within the bloc ensure that trade and investment barriers are reduced and this also allows currency flow within the bloc. Membership to such supranational organizations also fosters a huge market for export within the bloc. Cavusgil et al, International Business -Strategy, Management and the new realities, Pearson intl edition. The government and supranational bodies can encourage the following emphasize on high value adding industry activities especially on the value chains, taking advantage of the monetary and fiscal policies, be a member of a bloc as already alluded to as this brings out more exposure to export market and protection. In summary what we can say is the smaller firms should try by all means to take advantage of the support and protection from the government and supranational organizations. With time international firms will finally break through different regions and free trade zones and begin to offer competition. It is important to note that managers can use the support to gather resource and competitive advantage on an international level. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS Finally we can recommend that it is important for the government and other supranational bodies to protect their local industries as this builds their economies, and makes their firms strong enough to contend with the firms in the international market. This also builds the trust of the people or citizens in these regions as they know that their government or organizations are willing to support and thus see the need to keep them in power. On the other hand global firms despite the barriers that may exist still manage to breakthrough into protected industries and blocs using different strategies developed by their managers. International firms can also prove to be very beneficial sources of income generation for the government inform of taxes and economic development as they increase competition this results in excellence and more professionally managed industries at a global level.

GYM PAPER :: essays research papers

Why I signed up for aerobics fitness and what it has done for me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I decided to sign up for aerobics/fitness because I thought it would do more for me physically and mentally than normal gym would. Personally I believe that normal gym is boring and if you’re not good at some sports like me it can be difficult to concentrate or even really care about gym class. When I took gym I personally didn’t care or really try hard. Now to this day it makes me disappointed, I wish I would have tried harder in what we were doing or what sport we’d be playing but I always felt no interest or left out. I liked some of the sports don’t get me wrong†¦ for example I really enjoyed and tried when we would play Soccer, Basketball, and volleyball. Yet then again I didn’t favor too much Baseball, track, and swimming. I always felt uncomfortable in normal gym to. I was never really comfortable with the people whom I was in class with. But this year everything, my thoughts and ideas about a diff erent kind of gym changed. I singed up for aerobics fitness because I thought it would help me in what I wanted to accomplish. I didn’t want to play sports I wanted to build my muscles. This year singing up for aerobics fitness was one of the best ideas I ever had. I can really say that I enjoyed this class more than most others. Aerobics fitness has helped me physically. I can run with out getting winded right away and I can lift weight I never thought I could lift. I can already tell a difference in my body. My legs are stronger and more muscular along with my arms. I am more active at home. I lost weight thanks to the class. Aerobics fitness has changed me in a couple ways. It though me to try harder in what I do. It thought me to set more goals for my self and beat them. I liked my classmates this year, which I think, helped me with being comfortable with the class. In this class I really enjoyed swimming. The game days are alright but I really like the way we rotate from weight lifting on the benches and on the different machines to the videos, the videos help a lot because after there done some times the next day you can feel it in your legs and arms.

Shakespeares Tempest - A Tired and Dated Work? :: Shakespeare Tempest

The Tempest: Immortal Classic or Tired and Dated Work? Why do educators hold the works of Shakespeare in such high regard? Should The Tempest be considered an "immortal classic"? Indeed Shakespeare's works had great significance in the evolution of English literature, but these works, including The Tempest are mostly devoid of significance and literary value in the present day. One can expect to gain little appreciation for fine literature from the reading of Shakespeare's works for reasons enumerate. First of all, the colorful and sophisticated metaphoric vernacular style of the language utilized is archaic; even the speech of intellectually refined individuals and other respected literary works do not imploy of this rich style of speech. The poemic composition of The Tempest does not increase one's ability to appreciate distinguished literature because the refined and respected works of most other classical writers are in novel form and thus differ highly from Shakesperian works in the literary devices and mannerisms from which th ey are comprised. The Tempest was written in early seventeeth century England. At this period of history and country the English language was quite different from what it is today in many ways. First, standard, formal vocabulary was different at this time. An great example is found in the line "...you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog!" (act 1 sc. 1, p. 9). In this line, the word incharitable is the modern equivalent of the word uncharitable. The standard dictionary word has changed prefixes somewhere througout the centuries. Another thing that would have made a further gap between the vernacular in the play and modern English is Shakespeare's deployment of common language,or slang (although I have no proof because I don't speak sixteenth century slang). "A pox o' your throught..." (act 1 sc.1, p. 9) and "...give o'er..."(act 1 sc. 1, p. 9). These phrases seem to be slang therms because they are so deviant from there modern english equvalents, "curses on" and "give up", respe ctiveley. What value does learning the archaic vernacular give to the reader. Surely it does not increase thier word power or sophisticate their vocabulary, for nowhere, not even in among people of high intellectual refinement such as venerable college professers, is this dead language used. Another distinctive trait of the vernacular used in The Tempest is the heavy use of metaphor. This use of metaphor is so heavy and outlandish that it becomes extrodinarily difficult to interpret and causes the words to fall into chaotic ambiguity. Shakespeare's Tempest - A Tired and Dated Work? :: Shakespeare Tempest The Tempest: Immortal Classic or Tired and Dated Work? Why do educators hold the works of Shakespeare in such high regard? Should The Tempest be considered an "immortal classic"? Indeed Shakespeare's works had great significance in the evolution of English literature, but these works, including The Tempest are mostly devoid of significance and literary value in the present day. One can expect to gain little appreciation for fine literature from the reading of Shakespeare's works for reasons enumerate. First of all, the colorful and sophisticated metaphoric vernacular style of the language utilized is archaic; even the speech of intellectually refined individuals and other respected literary works do not imploy of this rich style of speech. The poemic composition of The Tempest does not increase one's ability to appreciate distinguished literature because the refined and respected works of most other classical writers are in novel form and thus differ highly from Shakesperian works in the literary devices and mannerisms from which th ey are comprised. The Tempest was written in early seventeeth century England. At this period of history and country the English language was quite different from what it is today in many ways. First, standard, formal vocabulary was different at this time. An great example is found in the line "...you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog!" (act 1 sc. 1, p. 9). In this line, the word incharitable is the modern equivalent of the word uncharitable. The standard dictionary word has changed prefixes somewhere througout the centuries. Another thing that would have made a further gap between the vernacular in the play and modern English is Shakespeare's deployment of common language,or slang (although I have no proof because I don't speak sixteenth century slang). "A pox o' your throught..." (act 1 sc.1, p. 9) and "...give o'er..."(act 1 sc. 1, p. 9). These phrases seem to be slang therms because they are so deviant from there modern english equvalents, "curses on" and "give up", respe ctiveley. What value does learning the archaic vernacular give to the reader. Surely it does not increase thier word power or sophisticate their vocabulary, for nowhere, not even in among people of high intellectual refinement such as venerable college professers, is this dead language used. Another distinctive trait of the vernacular used in The Tempest is the heavy use of metaphor. This use of metaphor is so heavy and outlandish that it becomes extrodinarily difficult to interpret and causes the words to fall into chaotic ambiguity.

Black House Chapter Twenty-one

21 â€Å"SOPHIE.† Still holding her hand, he gets to his feet, pulling her up with him. His legs are trembling. His eyes feel hot and too large for their sockets. He is terrified and exalted in equal, perfectly equal, measure. His heart is hammering, but oh the beats are sweet. The second time he tries, he manages to say her name a little louder, but there's still not much to his voice, and his lips are so numb they might have been rubbed with ice. He sounds like a man just coming back from a hard punch in the gut. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Sophie.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Sophie.† â€Å"Yes.† There's something weirdly familiar about this, him saying the name over and over and her giving back that simple affirmation. Familiar and funny. And it comes to him: there's a scene almost identical to this in The Terror of Deadwood Gulch, after one of the Lazy 8 Saloon's patrons has knocked Bill Towns unconscious with a whiskey bottle. Lily, in her role as sweet Nancy O'Neal, tosses a bucket of water in his face, and when he sits up, they â€Å"This is funny,† Jack says. â€Å"It's a good bit. We should be laughing.† With the slightest of smiles, Sophie says, â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Laughing our fool heads off.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Our tarnal heads off.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I'm not speaking English anymore, am I?† â€Å"No.† He sees two things in her blue eyes. The first is that she doesn't know the word English. The second is that she knows exactly what he means. â€Å"Sophie.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Sophie-Sophie-Sophie.† Trying to get the reality of it. Trying to pound it home like a nail. A smile lights her face and enriches her mouth. Jack thinks of how it would be to kiss that mouth, and his knees feel weak. All at once he is fourteen again, and wondering if he dares give his date a peck good-night after he walks her home. â€Å"Yes-yes-yes,† she says, the smile strengthening. And then: â€Å"Have you got it yet? Do you understand that you're here and how you got here?† Above and around him, billows of gauzy white cloth flap and sigh like living breath. Half a dozen conflicting drafts gently touch his face and make him aware that he carried a coat of sweat from the other world, and that it stinks. He arms it off his brow and cheeks in quick gestures, not wanting to lose sight of her for longer than a moment at a time. They are in a tent of some kind. It's huge many-chambered and Jack thinks briefly of the pavilion in which the Queen of the Territories, his mother's Twinner, lay dying. That place had been rich with many colors, filled with many rooms, redolent of incense and sorrow (for the Queen's death had seemed inevitable, sure only a matter of time). This one is ramshackle and ragged. The walls and the ceiling are full of holes, and where the white material remains whole, it's so thin that Jack can actually see the slope of land outside, and the trees that dress it. Rags flutter from the edges of some of the holes when the wind blows. Directly over his head he can see a shadowy maroon shape. Some sort of cross. â€Å"Jack, do you understand how you â€Å" â€Å"Yes. I flipped.† Although that isn't the word that comes out of his mouth. The literal meaning of the word that comes out seems to be horizon road. â€Å"And it seems that I sucked a fair number of Spiegleman's accessories with me.† He bends and picks up a flat stone with a flower carved on it. â€Å"I believe that in my world, this was a Georgia O'Keeffe print. And that † He points to a blackened, fireless torch leaning against one of the pavilion's fragile walls. â€Å"I think that was a † But there are no words for it in this world, and what comes out of his mouth sounds as ugly as a curse in German: † halogen lamp.† She frowns. â€Å"Hal-do-jen . . . limp? Lemp?† He feels his numb lips rise in a little grin. â€Å"Never mind.† â€Å"But you are all right.† He understands that she needs him to be all right, and so he'll say that he is, but he's not. He is sick and glad to be sick. He is one lovestruck daddy, and wouldn't have it any other way. If you discount how he felt about his mother a very different kind of love, despite what the Freudians might think it's the first time for him. Oh, he certainly thought he had been in and out of love, but that was before today. Before the cool blue of her eyes, her smile, and even the way the shadows thrown by the decaying tent fleet across her face like schools of fish. At this moment he would try to fly off a mountain for her if she asked, or walk through a forest fire, or bring her polar ice to cool her tea, and those things do not constitute being all right. But she needs him to be. Tyler needs him to be. I am a coppiceman, he thinks. At first the concept seems insubstantial compared to her beauty to her simple reality but then it begins to take hold. As it always has. What else brought him here, after all? Brought him against his will and all his best intentions? â€Å"Jack?† â€Å"Yes, I'm all right. I've flipped before.† But never into the presence of such beauty, he thinks. That's the problem. You're the problem, my lady. â€Å"Yes. To come and go is your talent. One of your talents. So I have been told.† â€Å"By whom?† â€Å"Shortly,† she says. â€Å"Shortly. There's a great deal to do, and yet I think I need a moment. You . . . rather take my breath away.† Jack is fiercely glad to know it. He sees he is still holding her hand, and he kisses it, as Judy kissed his hands in the world on the other side of the wall from this one, and when he does, he sees the fine mesh of bandage on the tips of three of her fingers. He wishes he dared to take her in his arms, but she daunts him: her beauty and her presence. She is slightly taller than Judy a matter of two inches, surely no more and her hair is lighter, the golden shade of unrefined honey spilling from a broken comb. She is wearing a simple cotton robe, white trimmed with a blue that matches her eyes. The narrow V-neck frames her throat. The hem falls to just below her knees. Her legs are bare but she's wearing a silver anklet on one of them, so slim it's almost invisible. She is fuller-breasted than Judy, her hips a bit wider. Sisters, you might think, except that they have the same spray of freckles across the nose and the same white line of scar across the back of the left hand. Differ ent mishaps caused that scar, Jack has no doubt, but he also has no doubt that those mishaps occurred at the same hour of the same day. â€Å"You're her Twinner. Judy Marshall's Twinner.† Only the word that comes out of his mouth isn't Twinner; incredibly, dopily, it seems to be harp. Later he will think of how the strings of a harp lie close together, only a finger's touch apart, and he will decide that word isn't so foolish after all. She looks down, her mouth drooping, then raises her head again and tries to smile. â€Å"Judy. On the other side of the wall. When we were children, Jack, we spoke together often. Even when we grew up, although then we spoke in each other's dreams.† He is alarmed to see tears forming in her eyes and then slipping down her cheeks. â€Å"Have I driven her mad? Run her to lunacy? Please say I haven't.† â€Å"Nah,† Jack says. â€Å"She's on a tightrope, but she hasn't fallen off yet. She's tough, that one.† â€Å"You have to bring her Tyler back to her,† Sophie tells him. â€Å"For both of us. I've never had a child. I cannot have a child. I was . . . mistreated, you see. When I was young. Mistreated by one you knew well.† A terrible certainty forms in Jack's mind. Around them, the ruined pavilion flaps and sighs in the wonderfully fragrant breeze. â€Å"Was it Morgan? Morgan of Orris?† She bows her head, and perhaps this is just as well. Jack's face is, at that moment, pulled into an ugly snarl. In that moment he wishes he could kill Morgan Sloat's Twinner all over again. He thinks to ask her how she was mistreated, and then realizes he doesn't have to. â€Å"How old were you?† â€Å"Twelve,† she says . . . as Jack has known she would say. It happened that same year, the year when Jacky was twelve and came here to save his mother. Or did he come here? Is this really the Territories? Somehow it doesn't feel the same. Almost . . . but not quite. It doesn't surprise him that Morgan would rape a child of twelve, and do it in a way that would keep her from ever having children. Not at all. Morgan Sloat, sometimes known as Morgan of Orris, wanted to rule not just one world or two, but the entire universe. What are a few raped children to a man with such ambitions? She gently slips her thumbs across the skin beneath his eyes. It's like being brushed with feathers. She's looking at him with something like wonder. â€Å"Why do you weep, Jack?† â€Å"The past,† he says. â€Å"Isn't that always what does it?† And thinks of his mother, sitting by the window, smoking a cigarette, and listening while the radio plays â€Å"Crazy Arms.† Yes, it's always the past. That's where the hurt is, all you can't get over. â€Å"Perhaps so,† she allows. â€Å"But there's no time to think about the past today. It's the future we must think about today.† â€Å"Yes, but if I could ask just a few questions . . . ?† â€Å"All right, but only a few.† Jack opens his mouth, tries to speak, and makes a comical little gaping expression when nothing comes out. Then he laughs. â€Å"You take my breath away, too,† he tells her. â€Å"I have to be honest about that.† A faint tinge of color rises in Sophie's cheeks, and she looks down. She opens her lips to say something . . . then presses them together again. Jack wishes she had spoken and is glad she hasn't, both at the same time. He squeezes her hands gently, and she looks up at him, blue eyes wide. â€Å"Did I know you? When you were twelve?† She shakes her head. â€Å"But I saw you.† â€Å"Perhaps. In the great pavilion. My mother was one of the Good Queen's handmaidens. I was another . . . the youngest. You could have seen me then. I think you did see me.† Jack takes a moment to digest the wonder of this, then goes on. Time is short. They both know this. He can almost feel it fleeting. â€Å"You and Judy are Twinners, but neither of you travel she's never been in your head over here and you've never been in her head, over there. You . . . talk through a wall.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"When she wrote things, that was you, whispering through the wall.† â€Å"Yes. I knew how hard I was pushing her, but I had to. Had to! It's not just a question of restoring her child to her, important as that may be. There are larger considerations.† â€Å"Such as?† She shakes her head. â€Å"I am not the one to tell you. The one who will is much greater than I.† He studies the tiny dressings that cover the tips of her fingers, and muses on how hard Sophie and Judy have tried to get through that wall to each other. Morgan Sloat could apparently become Morgan of Orris at will. As a boy of twelve, Jack had met others with that same talent. Not him; he was single-natured and had always been Jack in both worlds. Judy and Sophie, however, have proved incapable of flipping back and forth in any fashion. Something's been left out of them, and they could only whisper through the wall between the worlds. There must be sadder things, but at this moment he can't think of a single one. Jack looks around at the ruined tent, which seems to breathe with sunshine and shadow. Rags flap. In the next room, through a hole in the gauzy cloth wall, he sees a few overturned cots. â€Å"What is this place?† he asks. She smiles. â€Å"To some, a hospital.† â€Å"Oh?† He looks up and once more takes note of the cross. Maroon now, but undoubtedly once red. A red cross, stupid, he thinks. â€Å"Oh! But isn't it a little . . . well . . . old?† Sophie's smile widens, and Jack realizes it's ironic. Whatever sort of hospital this is, or was, he's guessing it bears little or no resemblance to the ones on General Hospital or ER. â€Å"Yes, Jack. Very old. Once there were a dozen or more of these tents in the Territories, On-World, and Mid-World; now there are only a few. Mayhap just this one. Today it's here. Tomorrow . . .† Sophie raises her hands, then lowers them. â€Å"Anywhere! Perhaps even on Judy's side of the wall.† â€Å"Sort of like a traveling medicine show.† This is supposed to be a joke, and he's startled when she first nods, then laughs and claps her hands. â€Å"Yes! Yes, indeed! Although you wouldn't want to be treated here.† What exactly is she trying to say? â€Å"I suppose not,† he agrees, looking at the rotting walls, tattered ceiling panels, and ancient support posts. â€Å"Doesn't exactly look sterile.† Seriously (but her eyes are sparkling), Sophie says: â€Å"Yet if you were a patient, you would think it beautiful out of all measure. And you would think your nurses, the Little Sisters, the most beautiful any poor patient ever had.† Jack looks around. â€Å"Where are they?† â€Å"The Little Sisters don't come out when the sun shines. And if we wish to continue our lives with the blessing, Jack, we'll be gone our separate ways from here long before dark.† It pains him to hear her talk of separate ways, even though he knows it's inevitable. The pain doesn't dampen his curiosity, however; once a coppiceman, it seems, always a coppiceman. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because the Little Sisters are vampires, and their patients never get well.† Startled, uneasy, Jack looks around for signs of them. Certainly disbelief doesn't cross his mind a world that can spawn werewolves can spawn anything, he supposes. She touches his wrist. A little tremble of desire goes through him. â€Å"Don't fear, Jack they also serve the Beam. All things serve the Beam.† â€Å"What beam?† â€Å"Never mind.† The hand on his wrist tightens. â€Å"The one who can answer your questions will be here soon, if he's not already.† She gives him a sideways look that contains a glimmer of a smile. â€Å"And after you hear him, you'll be more apt to ask questions that matter.† Jack realizes that he has been neatly rebuked, but coming from her, it doesn't sting. He allows himself to be led through room after room of the great and ancient hospital. As they go, he gets a sense of how really huge this place is. He also realizes that, in spite of the fresh breezes, he can detect a faint, unpleasant undersmell, something that might be a mixture of fermented wine and spoiled meat. As to what sort of meat, Jack is afraid he can guess pretty well. After visiting over a hundred homicide crime scenes, he should be able to. It would have been impolite to break away while Jack was meeting the love of his life (not to mention bad narrative business), so we didn't. Now, however, let us slip through the thin walls of the hospital tent. Outside is a dry but not unpleasant landscape of red rocks, broom sage, desert flowers that look a bit like sego lilies, stunted pines, and a few barrel cacti. Somewhere not too far distant is the steady cool sigh of a river. The hospital pavilion rustles and flaps as dreamily as the sails of a ship riding down the sweet chute of the trade winds. As we float along the great ruined tent's east side in our effortless and peculiarly pleasant way, we notice a strew of litter. There are more rocks with drawings etched on them, there is a beautifully made copper rose that has been twisted out of shape as if by some great heat, there is a small rag rug that looks as if it has been chopped in two by a meat cleaver. There's other stuff as well, stuff that has resisted any change in it s cyclonic passage from one world to the other. We see the blackened husk of a television picture tube lying in a scatter of broken glass, several Duracell AA batteries, a comb, and perhaps oddest a pair of white nylon panties with the word Sunday written on one side in demure pink script. There has been a collision of worlds; here, along the east side of the hospital pavilion, is an intermingled detritus that attests to how hard that collision was. At the end of that littery plume of exhaust the head of the comet, we might say sits a man we recognize. We're not used to seeing him in such an ugly brown robe (and he clearly doesn't know how to wear such a garment, because if we look at him from the wrong angle, we can see much more than we want to), or wearing sandals instead of wing tips, or with his hair pulled back into a rough horsetail and secured with a hank of rawhide, but this is undoubtedly Wendell Green. He is muttering to himself. Drool drizzles from the corners of his mouth. He is looking fixedly at an untidy crumple of foolscap in his right hand. He ignores all the more cataclysmic changes that have occurred around him and focuses on just this one. If he can figure out how his Panasonic minicorder turned into a little pile of ancient paper, perhaps he'll move on to the other stuff. Not until then. Wendell (we'll continue to call him Wendell, shall we, and not worry about any name he might or might not have in this little corner of existence, since he doesn't know it or want to) spies the Duracell AA batteries. He crawls to them, picks them up, and begins trying to stick them into the little pile of foolscap. It doesn't work, of course, but that doesn't keep Wendell from trying. As George Rathbun might say, â€Å"Give that boy a flyswatter and he'd try to catch dinner with it.† â€Å"Geh,† says the Coulee Country's favorite investigative reporter, repeatedly poking the batteries at the foolscap. â€Å"Geh . . . in. Geh . . . in! Gah-damnit, geh in th â€Å" A sound the approaching jingle of what can only be, God help us, spurs breaks into Wendell's concentration, and he looks up with wide, bulging eyes. His sanity may not be gone forever, but it's certainly taken the wife and kids and gone to Disney World. Nor is the current vision before his eyes apt to coax it back anytime soon. Once in our world there was a fine black actor named Woody Strode. (Lily knew him; acted with him, as a matter of fact, in a late-sixties American International stinkeroo called Execution Express.) The man now approaching the place where Wendell Green crouches with his batteries and his handful of foolscap looks remarkably like that actor. He is wearing faded jeans, a blue chambray shirt, a neck scarf, and a heavy revolver on a wide leather gun belt in which four dozen or so shells twinkle. His head is bald, his eyes deep-set. Slung over one shoulder by a strap of intricate design is a guitar. Sitting on the other is what appears to be a parrot. The parrot has two heads. â€Å"No, no,† says Wendell in a mildly scolding voice. â€Å"Don't. Don't see. Don't see. That.† He lowers his head and once more begins trying to cram the batteries into the handful of paper. The shadow of the newcomer falls over Wendell, who resolutely refuses to look up. â€Å"Howdy, stranger,† says the newcomer. Wendell carries on not looking up. â€Å"My name's Parkus. I'm the law 'round these parts. What's your handle?† Wendell refuses to respond, unless we can call the low grunts issuing from his drool-slicked mouth a response. â€Å"I asked your name.† â€Å"Wen,† says our old acquaintance (we can't really call him a friend) without looking up. â€Å"Wen. Dell. Gree . . . Green. I . . . I . . . I . . .† â€Å"Take your time,† Parkus says (not without sympathy). â€Å"I can wait till your branding iron gets hot.† â€Å"I . . . news hawk!† â€Å"Oh? That what you are?† Parkus hunkers; Wendell cringes back against the fragile wall of the pavilion. â€Å"Well, don't that just beat the bass drum at the front of the parade? Tell you what, I've seen fish hawks, and I've seen red hawks, and I've seen goshawks, but you're my first news hawk.† Wendell looks up, blinking rapidly. On Parkus's left shoulder, one head of the parrot says: â€Å"God is love.† â€Å"Go fuck your mother,† replies the other head. â€Å"All must seek the river of life,† says the first head. â€Å"Suck my tool,† says the second. â€Å"We grow toward God,† responds the first. â€Å"Piss up a rope,† invites the second. Although both heads speak equably even in tones of reasonable discourse Wendell cringes backward even farther, then looks down and furiously resumes his futile work with the batteries and the handful of paper, which is now disappearing into the sweat-grimy tube of his fist. â€Å"Don't mind 'em,† Parkus says. â€Å"I sure don't. Hardly hear 'em anymore, and that's the truth. Shut up, boys.† The parrot falls silent. â€Å"One head's Sacred, the other's Profane,† Parkus says. â€Å"I keep 'em around just to remind me that â€Å" He is interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps, and stands up again in a single lithe and easy movement. Jack and Sophie are approaching, holding hands with the perfect unconsciousness of children on their way to school. â€Å"Speedy!† Jack cries, his face breaking into a grin. â€Å"Why, Travelin' Jack!† Parkus says, with a grin of his own. â€Å"Well-met! Look at you, sir you're all grown up.† Jack rushes forward and throws his arms around Parkus, who hugs him back, and heartily. After a moment, Jack holds Parkus at arm's length and studies him. â€Å"You were older you looked older to me, at least. In both worlds.† Still smiling, Parkus nods. And when he speaks again, it is in Speedy Parker's drawl. â€Å"Reckon I did look older, Jack. You were just a child, remember.† â€Å"But â€Å" Parkus waves one hand. â€Å"Sometimes I look older, sometimes not so old. It all depends on â€Å" â€Å"Age is wisdom,† one head of the parrot says piously, to which the other responds, â€Å"You senile old fuck.† † depends on the place and the circumstances,† Parkus concludes, then says: â€Å"And I told you boys to shut up. You keep on, I'm apt to wring your scrawny neck.† He turns his attention to Sophie, who is looking at him with wide, wondering eyes, as shy as a doe. â€Å"Sophie,† he says. â€Å"It's wonderful to see you, darling. Didn't I say he'd come? And here he is. Took a little longer than I expected, is all.† She drops him a deep curtsey, all the way down to one knee, her head bowed. â€Å"Thankee-sai,† she says. â€Å"Come in peace, gunslinger, and go your course along the Beam with my love.† At this, Jack feels an odd, deep chill, as if many worlds had spoken in a harmonic tone, low but resonant. Speedy so Jack still thinks of him takes her hand and urges her to her feet. â€Å"Stand up, girl, and look me in the eye. I'm no gunslinger here, not in the borderlands, even if I do still carry the old iron from time to time. In any case, we have a lot to talk about. This's no time for ceremony. Come over the rise with me, you two. We got to make palaver, as the gunslingers say. Or used to say, before the world moved on. I shot a good brace of grouse, and think they'll cook up just fine.† â€Å"What about † Jack gestures toward the muttering, crouched heap that is Wendell Green. â€Å"Why, he looks right busy,† Parkus says. â€Å"Told me he's a news hawk.† â€Å"I'm afraid he's a little above himself,† Jack replies. â€Å"Old Wendell here's a news vulture.† Wendell turns his head a bit. He refuses to lift his eyes, but his lip curls in a sneer that may be more reflexive than real. â€Å"Heard. That.† He struggles. The lip curls again, and this time the sneer seems less reflexive. It is, in fact, a snarl. â€Å"Gol. Gol. Gol-den boy. Holly. Wood.† â€Å"He's managed to retain at least some of his charm and his joi de vivre,† Jack says. â€Å"Will he be okay here?† â€Å"Not much with ary brain in its head comes near the Little Sisters' tent,† Parkus says. â€Å"He'll be okay. And if he smells somethin' tasty on the breeze and comes for a look-see, why, I guess we can feed him.† He turns toward Wendell. â€Å"We're going just over yonder. If you want to come and visit, why, you just up and do her. Understand me, Mr. News Hawk?† â€Å"Wen. Dell. Green.† â€Å"Wendell Green, yessir.† Parkus looks at the others. â€Å"Come on. Let's mosey.† â€Å"We mustn't forget him,† Sophie murmurs, with a look back. â€Å"It will be dark in a few hours.† â€Å"No,† Parkus agrees as they top the nearest rise. â€Å"Wouldn't do to leave him beside that tent after dark. That wouldn't do at all.† There's more foliage in the declivity on the far side of the rise even a little ribbon of creek, presumably on its way to the river Jack can hear in the distance but it still looks more like northern Nevada than western Wisconsin. Yet in a way, Jack thinks, that makes sense. The last one had been no ordinary flip. He feels like a stone that has been skipped all the way across a lake, and as for poor Wendell To the right of where they descend the far side of the draw, a horse has been tethered in the shade of what Jack thinks is a Joshua tree. About twenty yards down the draw to the left is a circle of eroded stones. Inside it a fire, not yet lit, has been carefully laid. Jack doesn't like the look of the place much the stones remind him of ancient teeth. Nor is he alone in his dislike. Sophie stops, her grip on his fingers tightening. â€Å"Parkus, do we have to go in there? Please say we don't.† Parkus turns to her with a kindly smile Jack knows well: a Speedy Parker smile for sure. â€Å"The Speaking Demon's been gone from this circle many the long age, darling,† he says. â€Å"And you know that such as yon are best for stories.† â€Å"Yet â€Å" â€Å"Now's no time to give in to the willies,† Parkus tells her. He speaks with a trace of impatience, and â€Å"willies† isn't precisely the word he uses, but only how Jack's mind translates it. â€Å"You waited for him to come in the Little Sisters' hospital tent â€Å" â€Å"Only because she was there on the other side â€Å" † and now I want you to come along.† All at once he seems taller to Jack. His eyes flash. Jack thinks: A gunslinger. Yes, I suppose he could be a gunslinger. Like in one of Mom's old movies, only for real. â€Å"All right,† she says, low. â€Å"If we must.† Then she looks at Jack. â€Å"I wonder if you'd put your arm around me?† Jack, we may be sure, is happy to oblige. As they step between two of the stones, Jack seems to hear an ugly twist of whispered words. Among them, one voice is momentarily clear, seeming to leave a trail of slime behind it as it enters his ear: Drudge drudge drudge, oho the bledding foodzies, soon he cummz, my good friend Mun-shun, and such a prize I have for him, oho, oho Jack looks at his old friend as Parkus hunkers by a tow sack and loosens the drawstring at the top. â€Å"He's close, isn't he? The Fisherman. And Black House, that's close, too.† â€Å"Yep,† Parkus says, and from the sack he spills the gutted corpses of a dozen plump dead birds. Thoughts of Irma Freneau reenter Jack's head at the sight of the grouse, and he thinks he won't be able to eat. Watching as Parkus and Sophie skewer the birds on greensticks reinforces this idea. But after the fire is lit and the birds begin to brown, his stomach weighs in, insisting that the grouse smell wonderful and will probably taste even better. Over here, he remembers, everything always does. â€Å"And here we are, in the speaking circle,† Parkus says. His smiles have been put away for the nonce. He looks at Jack and Sophie, who sit side by side and still holding hands, with somber gravity. His guitar has been propped against a nearby rock. Beside it, Sacred and Profane sleeps with its two heads tucked into its feathers, dreaming its no doubt bifurcated dreams. â€Å"The Demon may be long gone, but the legends say such things leave a residue that may lighten the tongue.† â€Å"Like kissing the Blarney Stone, maybe,† Jack suggests. Parkus shakes his head. â€Å"No blarney today.† Jack says, â€Å"If only we were dealing with an ordinary scumbag. That I could handle.† Sophie looks at him, puzzled. â€Å"He means a dust-off artist,† Parkus tells her. â€Å"A hardcase.† He looks at Jack. â€Å"And in one way, that is what you're dealing with. Carl Bier-stone isn't much an ordinary monster, let's say. Which is not to say he couldn't do with a spot of killing. But as for what's going on in French Landing, he has been used. Possessed, you'd say in your world, Jack. Taken by the spirits, we'd say in the Territories â€Å" â€Å"Or brought low by pigs,† Sophie adds. â€Å"Yes.† Parkus is nodding. â€Å"In the world just beyond this borderland Mid-World they would say he has been infested by a demon. But a demon far greater than the poor, tattered spirit that once lived in this circle of stones.† Jack hardly hears that. His eyes are glowing. It sounded something like beer stein, George Potter told him last night, a thousand years ago. That's not it, but it's close. â€Å"Carl Bierstone,† he says. He raises a clenched fist, then shakes it in triumph. â€Å"That was his name in Chicago. Burnside here in French Landing. Case closed, game over, zip up your fly. Where is he, Speedy? Save me some time h â€Å" â€Å"Shut . . . up,† Parkus says. The tone is low and almost deadly. Jack can feel Sophie shrink against him. He does a little shrinking himself. This sounds nothing like his old friend, nothing at all. You have to stop thinking of him as Speedy, Jack tells himself. That's not who he is or ever was. That was just a character he played, someone who could both soothe and charm a scared kid on the run with his mother. Parkus turns the birds, which are now browned nicely on one side and spitting juice into the fire. â€Å"I'm sorry to speak harsh to you, Jack, but you have to realize that your Fisherman is pretty small fry compared to what's really going on.† Why don't you tell Tansy Freneau he's small fry? Why don't you tell Beezer St. Pierre? Jack thinks these things, but doesn't say them out loud. He's more than a little afraid of the light he saw in Parkus's eyes. â€Å"Nor is it about Twinners,† Parkus says. â€Å"You got to get that idea out of your mind. That's just something that has to do with your world and the world of the Territories a link. You can't kill some hardcase over here and end the career of your cannibal over there. And if you kill him over there, in Wisconsin, the thing inside will just jump to another host.† â€Å"The thing ?† â€Å"When it was in Albert Fish, Fish called it the Monday Man. Fellow you're after calls it Mr. Munshun. Both are only ways of trying to say something that can't be pronounced by any earthly tongue on any earthly world.† â€Å"How many worlds are there, Speedy?† â€Å"Many,† Parkus says, looking into the fire. â€Å"And this business concerns every one of them. Why else do you think I've been after you like I have? Sending you feathers, sending you robins' eggs, doing every damned thing I could to make you wake up.† Jack thinks of Judy, scratching on walls until the tips of her fingers were bloody, and feels ashamed. Speedy has been doing much the same thing, it seems. â€Å"Wake up, wake up, you dunderhead,† he says. Parkus seems caught between reproof and a smile. â€Å"For sure you must have seen me in the case that sent you running out of L.A.† â€Å"Ah, man why do you think I went?† â€Å"You ran like Jonah, when God told him to go preach against the wickedness in Nineveh. Thought I was gonna have to send a whale to come and swallow you up.† â€Å"I feel swallowed,† Jack tells him. In a small voice, Sophie says: â€Å"I do, too.† â€Å"We've all been swallowed,† says the man with the gun on his hip. â€Å"We're in the belly of the beast, like it or not. It's ka, which is destiny and fate. Your Fisherman, Jack, is now your ka. Our ka. This is more than murder. Much more.† And Jack sees something that frankly scares the shit out of him. Lester Parker, a.k.a. Speedy, a.k.a. Parkus, is himself scared almost to death. â€Å"This business concerns the Dark Tower,† he says. Beside Jack, Sophie gives a low, desperate cry of terror and lowers her head. At the same time she raises one hand and forks the sign of the Evil Eye at Parkus, over and over. That gentleman doesn't seem to take it amiss. He simply sets to work turning the birds again on their sticks. â€Å"Listen to me, now,† he says. â€Å"Listen, and ask as few questions as you can. We still have a chance to get Judy Marshall's son back, but time is blowing in our teeth.† â€Å"Talk,† Jack says. Parkus talks. At some point in his tale he judges the birds done and serves them out on flat stones. The meat is tender, almost falling off the small bones. Jack eats hungrily, drinking deep of the sweet water from Parkus's waterskin each time it comes around to him. He wastes no more time comparing dead children to dead grouse. The furnace needs to be stoked, and he stokes it with a will. So does Sophie, eating with her fingers and licking them clean without the slightest reserve or embarrassment. So, in the end, does Wendell Green, although he refuses to enter the circle of old stones. When Parkus tosses him a golden-brown grouse, however, Wendell catches it with remarkable adroitness and buries his face in the moist meat. â€Å"You asked how many worlds,† Parkus begins. â€Å"The answer, in the High Speech, is da fan: worlds beyond telling.† With one of the blackened sticks he draws a figure eight on its side, which Jack recognizes as the Greek symbol for infinity. â€Å"There is a Tower that binds them in place. Think of it as an axle upon which many wheels spin, if you like. And there is an entity that would bring this Tower down. Ram Abbalah.† At these words, the flames of the fire seem to momentarily darken and turn red. Jack wishes he could believe that this is only a trick of his overstrained mind, but cannot. â€Å"The Crimson King,† he says. â€Å"Yes. His physical being is pent in a cell at the top of the Tower, but he has another manifestation, every bit as real, and this lives in Can-tah Abbalah the Court of the Crimson King.† â€Å"Two places at once.† Given his journeying between the world of America and the world of the Territories, Jack has little trouble swallowing this concept. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"If he or it destroys the Tower, won't that defeat his purpose? Won't he destroy his physical being in the process?† â€Å"Just the opposite: he'll set it free to wander what will then be chaos . . . din-tah . . . the furnace. Some parts of Mid-World have fallen into that furnace already.† â€Å"How much of this do I actually need to know?† Jack asks. He is aware that time is fleeting by on his side of the wall, as well. â€Å"Hard telling what you need to know and what you don't,† Parkus says. â€Å"If I leave out the wrong piece of information, maybe all the stars go dark. Not just here, but in a thousand thousand universes. That's the pure hell of it. Listen, Jack the King has been trying to destroy the Tower and set himself free for time out of mind. Forever, mayhap. It's slow work, because the Tower is bound in place by crisscrossing force beams that act on it like guy wires. The Beams have held for millennia, and would hold for millennia to come, but in the last two hundred years that's speaking of time as you count it, Jack; to you, Sophie, it would be Full-Earth almost five hundred times over â€Å" â€Å"So long,† she says. It's almost a sigh. â€Å"So very long.† â€Å"In the great sweep of things, it's as short as the gleam of a single match in a dark room. But while good things usually take a long time to develop, evil has a way of popping up full-blown and ready-made, like Jack out of his box. Ka is a friend to evil as well as to good. It embraces both. And, speaking of Jack . . .† Parkus turns to him. â€Å"You've heard of the Iron Age and the Bronze Age, of course?† Jack nods. â€Å"On the upper levels of the Tower, there are those who call the last two hundred or so years in your world the Age of Poisoned Thought. That means â€Å" â€Å"You don't have to explain it to me,† Jack says. â€Å"I knew Morgan Sloat, remember? I knew what he planned for Sophie's world.† Yes, indeed. The basic plan had been to turn one of the universe's sweetest honeycombs into first a vacation spot for the rich, then a source of unskilled labor, and finally a waste pit, probably radioactive. If that wasn't an example of poisoned thought, Jack doesn't know what is. Parkus says, â€Å"Rational beings have always harbored telepaths among their number; that's true in all the worlds. But they're ordinarily rare creatures. Prodigies, you might say. But since the Age of Poisoned Thought came on your world, Jack infested it like a demon such beings have become much more common. Not as common as slow mutants in the Blasted Lands, but common, yes.† â€Å"You speak of mind readers,† Sophie says, as if wanting to be sure. â€Å"Yes,† Parkus agrees, â€Å"but not just mind readers. Precognates. Teleports world jumpers like old Travelin' Jack here, in other words and telekinetics. Mind readers are the most common, telekinetics the rarest . . . and the most valuable.† â€Å"To him, you mean,† Jack says. â€Å"To the Crimson King.† â€Å"Yes. Over the last two hundred years or so, the abbalah has spent a good part of his time gathering a crew of telepathic slaves. Most of them come from Earth and the Territories. All of the telekinetics come from Earth. This collection of slaves this gulag is his crowning achievement. We call them Breakers. They . . .† He trails off, thinking. Then: â€Å"Do you know how a galley travels?† Sophie nods, but Jack at first has no idea what Parkus is talking about. He has a brief, lunatic vision of a fully equipped kitchen traveling down Route 66. â€Å"Many oarsmen,† Sophie says, then makes a rowing motion that throws her breasts into charming relief. Parkus is nodding. â€Å"Usually slaves chained together. They â€Å" From outside the circle, Wendell suddenly sticks his own oar in. â€Å"Spart. Cus.† He pauses, frowning, then tries it again. â€Å"Spart-a-cus.† â€Å"What's he on about?† Parkus asks, frowning. â€Å"Any idea, Jack?† â€Å"A movie called Spartacus,† Jack says, â€Å"and you're wrong as usual, Wendell. I believe you're thinking about Ben-Hur.† Looking sulky, Wendell holds out his greasy hands. â€Å"More. Meat.† Parkus pulls the last grouse from its sizzling stick and tosses it between two of the stones, where Wendell sits with his pallid, greasy face peering from between his knees. â€Å"Fresh prey for the news hawk,† he says. â€Å"Now do us a favor and shut up.† â€Å"Or. What.† The old defiant gleam is rising in Wendell's eyes. Parkus draws his shooting iron partway from its holster. The grip, made of sandalwood, is worn, but the barrel gleams murder-bright. He has to say no more; holding his second bird in one hand, Wendell Green hitches up his robe and hies himself back over the rise. Jack is extremely relieved to see him go. Spartacus indeed, he thinks, and snorts. â€Å"So the Crimson King wants to use these Breakers to destroy the Beams,† Jack says. â€Å"That's it, isn't it? That's his plan.† â€Å"You speak as though of the future,† Parkus says mildly. â€Å"This is happening now, Jack. Only look at your own world if you want to see the ongoing disintegration. Of the six Beams, only one still holds true. Two others still generate some holding power. The other three are dead. One of these went out thousands of years ago, in the ordinary course of things. The others . . . killed by the Breakers. All in two centuries or less.† â€Å"Christ,† Jack says. He is beginning to understand how Speedy could call the Fisherman small-fry. â€Å"The job of protecting the Tower and the Beams has always belonged to the ancient war guild of Gilead, called gunslingers in this world and many others. They also generated a powerful psychic force, Jack, one fully capable of countering the Crimson King's Breakers, but â€Å" â€Å"The gunslingers are all gone save for one,† Sophie says, looking at the big pistol on Parkus's hip. And, with timid hope: â€Å"Unless you really are one, too, Parkus.† â€Å"Not I, darling,† he says, â€Å"but there's more than one.† â€Å"I thought Roland was the last. So the stories say.† â€Å"He has made at least three others,† Parkus tells her. â€Å"I've no idea how that can be possible, but I believe it to be true. If Roland were still alone, the Breakers would have toppled the Tower long since. But with the force of these others added to his â€Å" â€Å"I have no clue what you're talking about,† Jack says. â€Å"I did, sort of, but you lost me about two turns back.† â€Å"There's no need for you to understand it all in order to do your job,† Parkus says. â€Å"Thank God for that.† â€Å"As for what you do need to understand, leave galleys and oarsmen and think in terms of the Western movies your mother used to make. To begin with, imagine a fort in the desert.† â€Å"This Dark Tower you keep talking about. That's the fort.† â€Å"Yes. And surrounding the fort, instead of wild Indians â€Å" â€Å"The Breakers. Led by Big Chief Abbalah.† Sophie murmurs: â€Å"The King is in his Tower, eating bread and honey. The Breakers in the basement, making all the money.† Jack feels a light but singularly unpleasant chill shake up his spine: he thinks of rat paws scuttering over broken glass. â€Å"What? Why do you say that?† Sophie looks at him, flushes, shakes her head, looks down. â€Å"It's what she says, sometimes. Judy. It's how I hear her, sometimes.† Parkus seizes one of the charred greensticks and draws in the rocky dust beside the figure-eight shape. â€Å"Fort here. Marauding Indians here, led by their merciless, evil and most likely insane chief. But over here † Off to the left, he draws a harsh arrow in the dirt. It points at the rudimentary shapes indicating the fort and the besieging Indians. â€Å"What always arrives at the last moment in all the best Lily Cavanaugh Westerns?† â€Å"The cavalry,† Jack says. â€Å"That's us, I suppose.† â€Å"No,† Parkus says. His tone is patient, but Jack suspects it is costing him a great effort to maintain that tone. â€Å"The cavalry is Roland of Gilead and his new gunslingers. Or so those of us who want the Tower to stand or to fall in its own time dare hope. The Crimson King hopes to hold Roland back, and to finish the job of destroying the Tower while he and his band are still at a distance. That means gathering all the Breakers he can, especially the telekinetics.† â€Å"Is Tyler Marshall â€Å" â€Å"Stop interrupting. This is difficult enough without that.† â€Å"You used to be a hell of a lot cheerier, Speedy,† Jack says reproachfully. For a moment he thinks his old friend is going to give him another tongue-lashing or perhaps even lose his temper completely and turn him into a frog but Parkus relaxes a little, and utters a laugh. Sophie looks up, relieved, and gives Jack's hand a squeeze. â€Å"Oh, well, maybe you're right to yank on my cord a little,† Parkus says. â€Å"Gettin' all wound up won't help anything, will it?† He touches the big iron on his hip. â€Å"I wouldn't be surprised if wearin' this thing has given me a few delusions of grandeur.† â€Å"It's a step or two up from amusement-park janitor,† Jack allows. â€Å"In both the Bible your world, Jack and the Book of Good Farming yours, Sophie dear there's a scripture that goes something like ? ®For in my kingdom there are many mansions.' Well, in the Court of the Crimson King there are many monsters.† Jack hears a short, hard laugh bolt out of his mouth. His old friend has made a typically tasteless policeman's joke, it seems. â€Å"They are the King's courtiers . . . his knights-errant. They have all sorts of tasks, I imagine, but in these last years their chief job has been to find talented Breakers. The more talented the Breaker, the greater the reward.† â€Å"They're headhunters,† Jack murmurs, and doesn't realize the resonance of the term until it's out of his mouth. He has used it in the business sense, but of course there is another, more literal meaning. Headhunters are cannibals. â€Å"Yes,† Parkus agrees. â€Å"And they have mortal subcontractors, who work for . . . one doesn't like to say for the joy of it, but what else could we call it?† Jack has a nightmarish vision then: a cartoon Albert Fish standing on a New York sidewalk with a sign reading WILL WORK FOR FOOD. He tightens his arm around Sophie. Her blue eyes turn to him, and he looks into them gladly. They soothe him. â€Å"How many Breakers did Albert Fish send his pal Mr. Monday?† Jack wants to know. â€Å"Two? Four? A dozen? And do they die off, at least, so the abbalah has to replace them?† â€Å"They don't,† Parkus replies gravely. â€Å"They are kept in a place a basement, yes, or a cavern where there is essentially no time.† â€Å"Purgatory. Christ.† â€Å"And it doesn't matter. Albert Fish is long gone. Mr. Monday is now Mr. Munshun. The deal Mr. Munshun has with your killer is a simple one: this Burnside can kill and eat all the children he wants, as long as they are untalented children. If he should find any who are talented any Breakers they are to be turned over to Mr. Munshun at once.† â€Å"Who will take them to the abbalah,† Sophie murmurs. â€Å"That's right,† Parkus says. Jack feels that he's back on relatively solid ground, and is extremely glad to be there. â€Å"Since Tyler hasn't been killed, he must be talented.† † ? ®Talented' is hardly the word. Tyler Marshall is, potentially, one of the two most powerful Breakers in all the history of all the worlds. If I can briefly return to the analogy of the fort surrounded by Indians, then we could say that the Breakers are like fire arrows shot over the walls . . . a new kind of warfare. But Tyler Marshall is no simple fire arrow. He's more like a guided missile. â€Å"Or a nuclear weapon.† Sophie says, â€Å"I don't know what that is.† â€Å"You don't want to,† Jack replies. â€Å"Believe me.† He looks down at the scribble of drawings in the dirt. Is he surprised that Tyler should be so powerful? No, not really. Not after experiencing the aura of strength surrounding the boy's mother. Not after meeting Judy's Twinner, whose plain dress and manner can't conceal a character that strikes him as almost regal. She's beautiful, but he senses that beauty is one of the least important things about her. â€Å"Jack?† Parkus asks him. â€Å"You all right?† There's no time to be anythin' else, his tone suggests. â€Å"Give me a minute,† Jack says. â€Å"We don't have much t â€Å" â€Å"That has been made perfectly clear to me,† Jack says, biting off the words, and he feels Sophie shift in surprise at his tone of voice. â€Å"Now give me a minute. Let me do my job.† From beneath a ruffle of green feathers, one of the parrot's heads mutters: â€Å"God loves the poor laborer.† The other replies: â€Å"Is that why he made so fucking many of them?† â€Å"All right, Jack,† Parkus says, and cocks his head up at the sky. Okay, what have we got here? Jack thinks. We've got a valuable little boy, and the Fisherman knows he's valuable. But this Mr. Munshun doesn't have him yet, or Speedy wouldn't be here. Deduction? Sophie, looking at him anxiously. Parkus, still looking up into the blameless blue sky above this borderland between the Territories what Judy Marshall calls Faraway and the Whatever Comes Next. Jack's mind is ticking faster now, picking up speed like an express train leaving the station. He is aware that the black man with the bald head is watching the sky for a certain malevolent crow. He is aware that the fair-skinned woman beside him is looking at him with the sort of fascination that could become love, given world enough and time. Mostly, though, he's lost in his own thoughts. They are the thoughts of a coppiceman. Now Bierstone's Burnside, and he's old. Old and not doing so well in the cognition department these days. I think maybe he's gotten caught between what he wants, which is to keep Tyler for himself, and what he's promised this Munshun guy. Somewhere there's a fuddled, creaky, dangerous mind trying to make itself up. If he decides to kill Tyler and stick him in the stewpot like the witch in â€Å"Hansel and Gretel,† that's bad for Judy and Fred. Not to mention Tyler, who may already have seen things that would drive a Marine combat vet insane. If the Fisherman turns the boy over to Mr. Munshun, it's bad for everyone in creation. No wonder Speedy said time was blowing in our teeth. â€Å"You knew this was coming, didn't you?† he says. â€Å"Both of you. You must have. Because Judy knew. She's been weird for months, long before the murders started.† Parkus shifts and looks away, uncomfortable. â€Å"I knew something was coming, yes there have been great disruptions on this side but I was on other business. And Sophie can't cross. She came here with the flying men and will go back the same way when our palaver's done.† Jack turns to her. â€Å"You are who my mother once was. I'm sure of it.† He supposes he isn't being entirely clear about this, but he can't help it; his mind is trying to go in too many directions at once. â€Å"You're Laura DeLoessian's successor. The Queen of this world.† Now Sophie is the one who looks uncomfortable. â€Å"I was nobody in the great scheme of things, really I wasn't, and that was the way I liked it. What I did mostly was write letters of commendation and thank people for coming to see me . . . only in my official capacity, I always said ? ®us.' I enjoyed walking, and sketching flowers, and cataloging them. I enjoyed hunting. Then, due to bad luck, bad times, and bad behavior, I found myself the last of the royal line. Queen of this world, as you say. Married once, to a good and simple man, but my Fred Marshall died and left me alone. Sophie the Barren.† â€Å"Don't,† Jack says. He is surprised at how deeply it hurts him to hear her refer to herself in this bitter, joking way. â€Å"Were you not single-natured, Jack, your Twinner would be my cousin.† She turns her slim fingers so that now she is gripping him instead of the other way around. When she speaks again, her voice is low and passionate. â€Å"Put all the great matters aside. All I know is that Tyler Marshall is Judy's child, that I love her, that I'd not see her hurt for all the worlds that are. He's the closest thing to a child of my own that I'll ever have. These things I know, and one other: that you're the only one who can save him.† â€Å"Why?† He has sensed this, of course why else in God's name is he here? but that doesn't lessen his bewilderment. â€Å"Why me?† â€Å"Because you touched the Talisman. And although some of its power has left you over the years, much still remains.† Jack thinks of the lilies Speedy left for him in Dale's bathroom. How the smell lingered on his hands even after he had given the bouquet itself to Tansy. And he remembers how the Talisman looked in the murmuring darkness of the Queen's Pavilion, rising brightly, changing everything before it finally vanished. He thinks: It's still changing everything. â€Å"Parkus.† Is it the first time he's called the other man the other coppiceman by that name? He doesn't know for sure, but he thinks it may be. â€Å"Yes, Jack.† â€Å"What's left of the Talisman is it enough? Enough for me to take on this Crimson King?† Parkus looks shocked in spite of himself. â€Å"Never in your life, Jack. Never in any life. The abbalah would blow you out like a candle. But it may be enough for you to take on Mr. Munshun to go into the furnace-lands and bring Tyler out.† â€Å"There are machines,† Sophie says. She looks caught in some dark and unhappy dream. â€Å"Red machines and black machines, all lost in smoke. There are great belts and children without number upon them. They trudge and trudge, turning the belts that turn the machines. Down in the foxholes. Down in the ratholes where the sun never shines. Down in the great caverns where the furnace-lands lie.† Jack is shaken to the bottom of his mind and spirit. He finds himself thinking of Dickens not Bleak House but Oliver Twist. And, of course he thinks of his conversation with Transy Freneau. At least Irma's not there, he thinks. Not in the furnace-lands, not she. She got dead, and a mean old man ate her leg. Tyler, though . . . Tyler . . . â€Å"They trudge until their feet bleed,† he mutters. â€Å"And the way there . . . ?† â€Å"I think you know it,† Parkus says. â€Å"When you find Black House, you'll find your way to the furnace-lands . . . the machines . . . Mr. Munshun . . . and Tyler.† â€Å"The boy is alive. You're sure of that.† â€Å"Yes.† Parkus and Sophie speak together. â€Å"And where is Burnside now? That information might speed things up a bit.† â€Å"I don't know,† Parkus says. â€Å"Christ, if you know who he was â€Å" â€Å"That was the fingerprints,† Parkus says. â€Å"The fingerprints on the telephone. Your first real idea about the case. The Wisconsin State Police got the Bierstone name back from the FBI's VICAP database. You have the Burnside name. That should be enough.† Wisconsin State Police, FBI, VICAP, database: these terms come out in good old American English, and in this place they sound unpleasant and foreign to Jack's ear. â€Å"How do you know all that?† â€Å"I have my sources in your world; I keep my ear to the ground. As you know from personal experience. And surely you're cop enough to do the rest on your own.† â€Å"Judy thinks you have a friend who can help,† Sophie says unexpectedly. â€Å"Dale? Dale Gilbertson?† Jack finds this a little hard to believe, but he supposes Dale may have uncovered something. â€Å"I don't know the name. Judy thinks he's like many here in Faraway. A man who sees much because he sees nothing.† Not Dale, after all. It's Henry she's talking about. Parkus rises to his feet. The heads of the parrot come up, revealing four bright eyes. Sacred and Profane flutters up to his shoulder and settles there. â€Å"I think our palaver is done,† Parkus says. â€Å"It must be done. Are you ready to go back, my friend?† â€Å"Yes. And I suppose I better take Green, little as I want to. I don't think he'd last long here.† â€Å"As you say.† Jack and Sophie, still holding hands, are halfway up the rise when Jack realizes Parkus is still standing in the speaking circle with his parrot on his shoulder. â€Å"Aren't you coming?† Parkus shakes his head. â€Å"We go different ways now, Jack. I may see you again.† If I survive, Jack thinks. If any of us survive. â€Å"Meantime, go your course. And be true.† Sophie drops another deep curtsey. â€Å"Sai.† Parkus nods to her and gives Jack Sawyer a little salute. Jack turns and leads Sophie back to the ruined hospital tent, wondering if he will ever see Speedy Parker again. Wendell Green ace reporter, fearless investigator, explicator of good and evil to the great unwashed sits in his former place, holding the crumpled foolscap in one hand and the batteries in the other. He has resumed muttering, and barely looks up when Sophie and Jack approach. â€Å"You'll do your best, won't you?† Sophie asks. â€Å"For her.† â€Å"And for you,† Jack says. â€Å"Listen to me, now. If this were to end with all of us still standing . . . and if I were to come back here . . .† He finds he can say no more. He's appalled at his temerity. This is a queen, after all. A queen. And he's . . . what? Trying to ask her for a date? â€Å"Perhaps,† she says, looking at him with her steady blue eyes. â€Å"Perhaps.† â€Å"Is it a perhaps you want?† he asks softly. â€Å"Yes.† He bends and brushes his lips over hers. It's brief, barely a kiss at all. It is also the best kiss of his life. â€Å"I feel like fainting,† she tells him when he straightens up again. â€Å"Don't joke with me, Sophie.† She takes his hand and presses it against the underswell of her left breast. He can feel her heart pounding. â€Å"Is this a joke? If she were to run faster, she'd catch her feet and fall.† She lets him go, but he holds his hand where it is a moment longer, palm curved against that springing warmth. â€Å"I'd come with you if I could,† she says. â€Å"I know that.† He looks at her, knowing if he doesn't get moving now, right away, he never will. It's wanting not to leave her, but that's not all. The truth is that he's never been more frightened in his life. He searches for something mundane to bring him back to earth to slow the pounding of his own heart and finds the perfect object in the muttering creature that is Wendell Green. He drops to one knee. â€Å"Are you ready, big boy? Want to take a trip on the mighty Mississip'?† â€Å"Don't. Touch. Me.† And then, in a nearly poetic rush: â€Å"Fucking Hollywood asshole!† â€Å"Believe me, if I didn't have to, I wouldn't. And I plan to wash my hands just as soon as I get the chance.† He looks up at Sophie and sees all the Judy in her. All the beauty in her. â€Å"I love you,† he says. Before she can reply, he seizes Wendell's hand, closes his eyes, and flips.