A Dirty Job Chapter 23

23 A FUCKED-UP DAY It was a fucked-up day in the City by the Bay. At first light, flocks of vultures perched on the superstructures of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, and glared down at commuters as if they had a lot of goddamn gall to still be alive and driving. Traffic copters that were diverted to photograph the ranks of carrion birds ended up covering a spiral cloud of bats that circled the Transamerica pyramid for ten minutes, then seemed to evaporate into a black mist that floated out over the Bay. Three swimmers who had been competing in the San Francisco Triathlon drowned in the Bay, and a helicopter camera photographed something under the water, a dark shape approaching one of the swimmers from below and dragging him under. Numerous replays of the tape revealed that rather than the sleek shape of a shark, the creature had a wide wingspan and a distinctly horned head, unlike any ray or skate that anyone had ever seen before. The ducks in Golden Gate Park suddenly took to the wing and left the area, the hundreds of sea lions that normally lounged in the sun down at Pier 39 were gone as well, and even the pigeons seemed to have disappeared from the City. A grunt reporter who had been covering the overnight police blotter noticed the coincidence of seven reports of violence or missing persons at local-area secondhand stores, and by early evening the television stations were mentioning it, along with spectacular footage of the Book 'em Danno building burning in the Mission. And there were hundreds of singular events experienced by individuals: creatures moving in the shadows, voices and screams from the sewer grates, milk souring, cats scratching owners, dogs howling, and a thousand people woke up to find that they no longer cared for the taste of chocolate. It was a fucked-up day. Charlie spent the rest of the night fretting and checking locks, then double-checking them, then looking on the Internet for clues about the Underworlders, just in case someone posted a brand-new ancient document since he'd last checked. He wrote a will, and several letters, which he walked outside and put in the mailbox out on the street rather than with the outgoing mail on the counter of the store. Then, around dawn, completely exhausted yet with his Beta Male imagination racing at a thousand miles an hour, he took two of the sleeping pills Jane had given him and slept through the fucked-up day, to be awakened in early evening by a call from his darling daughter. â€Å"Hello.† â€Å"Aunt Cassie is an anti-Semite,† said Sophie. â€Å"Honey, it's six in the morning. Can we discuss Aunt Cassie's politics a little later?† â€Å"It is not, it's six at night. It's bath time, and Aunt Cassie won't let me bring Alvin and Mohammed into the bathroom with me for my bath, because she's an anti-Semite.† Charlie looked at his watch. He was sort of glad that it was six in the evening and he was talking to his daughter. Whatever happened while he was sleeping at least hadn't affected that. â€Å"Cassie is not an anti-Semite.† It was Jane on the other line. â€Å"Is too,† said Sophie. â€Å"Be careful, Daddy, Aunt Jane is an anti-Semite sympathizer.† â€Å"I am not,† Jane said. â€Å"Listen to how smart my daughter is,† said Charlie. â€Å"I didn't know words like anti-Semite and sympathizer when I was her age, did you?† â€Å"You can't trust the goyim, Daddy,† said Sophie. She lowered her voice to a whisper. â€Å"They hate baths, the goyim.† â€Å"Daddy's a goyim, too, baby.† â€Å"Oh my God, they're everywhere, like pod people!† He heard his daughter drop the phone, scream, and then a door slammed. â€Å"Sophie, you unlock this door this instant,† Cassie said in the background. Jane said, â€Å"Charlie, where does she get this stuff? Are you teaching her this?† â€Å"It's Mrs. Korjev – she's descended from Cossacks and she has a little residual guilt for what her ancestors did to the Jews.† â€Å"Oh,† Jane said, not interested now that she couldn't blame Charlie. â€Å"Well, you shouldn't let the dogs in the bathroom with her. They eat the soap and sometimes they get in the tub, and then – â€Å" â€Å"Let them go with her, Jane,† Charlie interrupted. â€Å"They may be the only thing that can protect her.† â€Å"Okay, but I'm only letting them eat the cheap soaps. No French-milled soaps.† â€Å"They're fine with domestic soap, Jane. Look, I drew up a holographic will last night. If something happens to me, I want you to raise Sophie. It's in there.† Jane didn't answer. He could hear her breathing on the other end. â€Å"Jane?† â€Å"Sure, sure. Of course. What the hell is going on with you guys? What's the big danger Sophie's in? Why are you being spooky like this? And why didn't you call earlier, you fucker?† â€Å"I was up all night doing stuff. Then I took two of those sleeping pills you gave me. Suddenly twelve hours are gone.† â€Å"You took two? Never take two.† â€Å"Yeah, thanks,† Charlie said. â€Å"Anyway, I'm sure I'll be okay, but if for some reason I'm not, you need to take Sophie and get out of the City for a while. I mean like up in the Sierras. I also sent you a letter explaining everything, as much as I know, anyway. Only open it if something happens, okay?† â€Å"Nothing better happen, you fuck. I just lost Mom, and I – why the hell are you talking like this, Charlie? What kind of trouble are you in?† â€Å"I can't tell you, Jane. You have to trust me that I didn't have any choice in the matter.† â€Å"How can I help?† â€Å"By doing exactly what you're doing, taking care of Sophie, keeping her safe, and keeping the hellhounds with her at all times.† â€Å"Okay, but nothing better happen to you. Cassie and I are going to get married and I want you to give me away. And I want to borrow your tux, too. It's Armani, right?† â€Å"No, Jane.† â€Å"You won't give me away?† â€Å"No, no, it's not that, I'd pay her to take you, it's not that.† â€Å"Then you don't think that gay people should be allowed to get married, is that it? You're finally coming clean. I knew it, after all – â€Å" â€Å"I just don't think that gay people should be allowed to get married wearing my tux.† â€Å"Oh,† Jane said. â€Å"You'll wear my Armani tux and I'll have to rent some piece of crap or buy something new and cheap, and then I'll go through eternity looking like a total dork in the wedding pictures. I know how you guys like to show wedding pictures – it's like a disease.† â€Å"By ‘you guys,' you mean lesbians?† Jane said, sounding very much like a prosecuting attorney. â€Å"Yes, I mean lesbians, dumbfuck,† said Charlie, sounding very much like a hostile witness. â€Å"Oh, okay,† Jane said. â€Å"It is my wedding, I guess I can buy a tux.† â€Å"That would be nice,† Charlie said. â€Å"I'm sort of needing the pants cut a little looser in the seat these days anyway,† Jane said. â€Å"Thatta girl.† â€Å"So you'll be safe and give me away.† â€Å"I'll sure try. You think Cassandra will let me bring the little Jewish kid?† Jane laughed. â€Å"Call me every hour,† she said. â€Å"I won't do that.† â€Å"Okay, when you can.† â€Å"Yeah,† Charlie said. â€Å"Bye.† He smiled to himself and rolled out of bed, wondering if this might be the last time he would ever do that. Smile. Charlie showered, ate a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, and put on a thousand-dollar suit for which he had paid forty bucks. He limped around the bedroom for a few minutes and decided that his leg felt pretty good and he could do without the foam walking cast, so he left it on the floor by the bed. He put on a pot of coffee and called Inspector Rivera. â€Å"It was a fucked-up day,† Rivera said. â€Å"Charlie, you need to take your daughter and get out of town.† â€Å"I can't do that. This is about me. You'll keep me informed, right?† â€Å"Promise you won't try to do anything stupid or heroic?† â€Å"Not in my DNA, Inspector. I'll call you if I see anything.† Charlie disconnected, having no idea what he was going to do, but feeling like he had to do something. He called Jane's house to say good night to Sophie. â€Å"I just want you to know that I love you very much, honey.† â€Å"Me, too, Daddy. Why did you call?† â€Å"What, you have a meeting or something?† â€Å"We're having ice cream.† â€Å"That's nice. Look, Sophie, Daddy has to go do some things, so I want you to stay with Aunt Jane for a few days, okay?† â€Å"Okay. Do you need some help? I'm free.† â€Å"No, honey, but thank you.† â€Å"Okay, Daddy. Alvin is looking at my ice cream. He looks hungry, like bear. I have to go.† â€Å"Love you, honey.† â€Å"Love you, Daddy.† â€Å"Apologize to Aunt Cassie for calling her an anti-Semite.† â€Å"‘Kay.† Click. She hung up on him. The apple of his eye, the light of his life, his pride and joy, hung up on him. He sighed, but felt better. Heartbreak is the natural habitat of the Beta Male. Charlie took a few minutes in the kitchen to sharpen the edge of the sword-cane on the back of the electric can opener he and Rachel had received as a wedding present, then he headed out to check on the store. As soon as he opened the door to the back staircase Charlie heard strange animal noises coming from the store. It sounded as if they were coming from the back room, and there were no lights on, although he could see plenty of light filtering in from the store. Was this it? Sort of solved the problem of what he was going to do. He drew the sword from his cane and crept down the stairs in a crouch, moving along the edge of each step to minimize squeakage. Halfway down he saw the source of the animal noises and he recoiled, leaping nearly halfway back up the staircase. â€Å"For the love of God!† â€Å"It needed to be done,† Lily said. She was astraddle Ray Macy, her plaid pleated skirt (mercifully) draped out over him, covering the parts that would have caused Charlie to have to tear his eyes out, which he was thinking about doing anyway. â€Å"It did,† Ray agreed breathlessly. Charlie peeked down into the back room – they were still at it, Lily riding Ray like he was a mechanical bull, one bare breast bouncing out of the lapel of her chef ‘s coat. â€Å"He was despondent,† she said. â€Å"I found him giving himself hickies with the shop vac. It's for the greater good, Asher.† â€Å"Well, stop it,† Charlie said. â€Å"No, no, no, no, no,† said Ray. â€Å"It's a charity thing,† Lily said. â€Å"You know, Lily,† Charlie said, covering his eyes, â€Å"you could exercise your charity in other ways, like Salvation Army Santa or something.† â€Å"I don't want to fuck those guys. Most of them are raging alcoholics, and they stink. At least Ray is clean.† â€Å"I don't mean do one, I mean be one. Ring the bell with the little red kettle. Jeez.† â€Å"I am clean,† said Ray. â€Å"You shut up,† Charlie said. â€Å"She's young enough to be your daughter.† â€Å"He was suicidal,† Lily said. â€Å"I may be saving his life.† â€Å"She is,† Ray said. â€Å"Shut up, Ray,† Charlie said. â€Å"This is pathetic, desperate pity sex, that's all it is.† â€Å"He knows that,† Lily said. â€Å"I don't mind,† said Ray. â€Å"I'm doing this for the cause, too,† Lily said. â€Å"Ray was holding out on you.† â€Å"I was?† said Ray. â€Å"How?† Charlie said. â€Å"He found a woman who was buying all the soul vessels. She was with the clients you missed. Somewhere in the Mission. He wasn't going to tell you about her.† â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about,† Ray said. Then added, â€Å"Faster, please.† â€Å"Tell him the address,† Lily said. â€Å"Lily,† Charlie said, â€Å"this isn't really necessary.† â€Å"No,† Ray said. There was a loud smack. Charlie opened his eyes. They were still there, doing it, but Ray's right cheek was bright red and Lily was winding up to slap him again. â€Å"Tell him!† â€Å"It's on Guerrero Street, between Eighteenth and Nineteenth, I don't know the number, but it's a big green Victorian, you can't miss it. Three Jewels Buddhist Center.† SMACK! â€Å"Ouch, I told him,† Ray whined. â€Å"That's for not getting the address, BITCH!† Lily said. Then to Charlie: â€Å"There you go, Asher. I want a prime position when you take over the Underworld!† Charlie thought that one of the first things he was going to change when he took over was expanding The Great Big Book of Death to include how to handle situations like this. But instead he said, â€Å"You got it, Lily. You'll be in charge of dress code and torture.† â€Å"Sweet,† Lily said. â€Å"‘Scuse me, Asher, I have to finish this.† Then to Ray: â€Å"Hear that? No more flannel shirts for you, grommet!† SMACK! The grunts coming from Ray increased in frequency and intensity. â€Å"Sure,† Charlie said. â€Å"I'll just go out the other door.† â€Å"See ya,† Ray said. â€Å"I'm never going to look either one of you in the eye again, okay?† â€Å"Sounds good, Asher,† Lily said. â€Å"Be careful.† Charlie crept back up the steps, went out the front door of his apartment and down the elevator to the street entrance, suppressing his gag reflex the whole way. On the street he flagged down a cab and rode into the Mission, trying to wipe the image of his shagging employees out of his mind. The Morrigan had followed the gift souls that had escaped through the drains to a deserted street in the Mission. Now they waited, watching the green Victorian building from storm-drain grates at either end of the street. They were more cautious now, their rapacious nature having been dampened somewhat by having been severely blown up the night before. They called them the gift souls because the little patchwork creatures brought the souls right to them in the sewers – the gifts showing up in the Morrigan's weakest moment. After the accursed Boston terrier had chased them through miles of pipelines, leaving them battered and exhausted on a high ledge at a pipe junction, along marched twenty or so of the darling little nightmares, all dressed up in finery and carrying just what they needed to heal their wounds and replenish their strength: human souls. And thus renewed, they were able to scare away that obnoxious little dog. The Morrigan were back – not to the strength they'd achieved before the explosion, maybe not even enough to fly, but certainly enough to venture Above once again, especially with so many souls at hand. No one was out on the streets tonight except the junkies, the hookers, and the homeless. After the fucked-up day in the City, most everyone had decided that it was just a better idea to stay in, safer. To the Morrigan (for all they cared), they were safer in their homes the same way a tuna fish is safer in a can, but no one knew that yet. No one knew what they were hiding from except Charlie Asher, and he was getting out of a cab right in front of them as they watched. â€Å"It's New Meat,† said Macha. â€Å"We should give him a new name,† said Babd. â€Å"I mean, he's really not that new anymore.† â€Å"Hush,† hushed Macha. â€Å"Hey, lover,† Babd called out of her drain. â€Å"Did you miss me?† Charlie paid the cabbie and stood in the middle of the street looking at the big jade-green Queen Anne. There were lights on in the turret upstairs and in one window downstairs. He could just make out the sign that read THREE JEWELS BUDDHIST CENTER. He started to step toward the house and saw movement in the lattice under the porch – eyes shining. A cat maybe. His cell phone rang and he flipped it open. â€Å"Charlie, it's Rivera. I have some good news; we found Carrie Long, the woman from the pawnshop, and she's still alive. She was tied up and thrown in a Dumpster a block from her store.† â€Å"That's great,† Charlie said. But he wasn't feeling great. The things that had been moving under the porch were coming out. Moving up the stairs, standing on the porch, lining up and facing him. Twenty or thirty of them, a little more than a foot tall, dressed in ornate period costumes. Each had the skeletal face of a dead animal, cats, foxes, badgers – animals Charlie couldn't identify, but just the skulls – the eye sockets empty, black. Yet they stared. â€Å"You won't believe what she said put her there, Charlie. Little creatures, little monsters, she said.† â€Å"About fourteen inches tall,† Charlie said. â€Å"Yeah, how'd you know?† â€Å"Lots of teeth and claws, like animal parts stuck together, all dressed up like they were going to a grand costume ball?† â€Å"What are you telling me, Charlie? What do you know?† â€Å"Just guessing,† Charlie said. He unclipped the latch on his sword-cane. â€Å"Hey, lover,† came a female voice from behind him. â€Å"Did you miss me?† Charlie turned. She was crawling out of the drain almost directly behind him. â€Å"The bad news,† Rivera said, â€Å"is we found the junk dealer and the bookstore guy from Book 'em Danno – pieces of them.† â€Å"That is bad news,† Charlie said. He started moving up the street, away from the sewer harpy and the porch full of Satan's sock puppets. â€Å"New Meat,† came a voice from up the street. Charlie looked to see another sewer harpy coming out of the drain, her eyes gleaming black in the streetlight. Behind him he heard the clacking of little animal teeth. â€Å"Charlie, I still think you should leave town for a while, but if you don't, and don't tell anyone I told you this, you should get a gun, maybe a couple of guns.† â€Å"I think that would be a great idea,† Charlie said. The two sewer harpies were moving very slowly toward him, awkwardly, as if their nerves were short-circuiting. The one closest to him, the one from the alley in North Beach, was licking her lips. She looked a little ragged compared to the night she'd seduced him. He moved up the street away from them. â€Å"A shotgun, so you won't need to learn to shoot. I can't give you one, but – â€Å" â€Å"Inspector, I'm going to have to get back to you.† â€Å"I'm serious, Charlie, whatever these things are, they are going after your kind.† â€Å"You have no idea how clear that is to me, Inspector.† â€Å"Is that the one who shot me?† said the closest harpy. â€Å"Tell him I'm going to suck his eyeballs out of the sockets and chew them in his ear.† â€Å"You get that, Inspector?† Charlie said. â€Å"She's there?† â€Å"They,† Charlie said. â€Å"This way, Meat,† said the third sewer harpy, coming out of the drain at the far end of the block. She stood, extended her claws, and flicked a line of venom down the side of a parked car. The paint sizzled and ran where it hit. â€Å"Where are you, Charlie? Where are you?† â€Å"I'm in the Mission. Near the Mission.† The little creatures were coming down the steps now, down the walk toward the street. â€Å"Look,† said a harpy, â€Å"he brought presents.† â€Å"Charlie, where exactly are you?† said Rivera. â€Å"Gotta go, Inspector.† Charlie flipped the phone closed and dropped it in his coat pocket. Then he drew the sword from the cane and turned to the harpy from the alley. â€Å"For you,† he said to her, whipping the sword in a flourish through the air. â€Å"That's sweet,† she said. â€Å"You always think about my needs.† The 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was the perfect show-off of death machines. It consisted of nearly three tons of steel stamped into a massively mawed, high-tailed beast, lined with enough chrome to build a Terminator and still have parts left over – most of it in long, sharp strips that peeled off on impact and became lethal scythes to flay away pedestrian flesh. Under the four headlights it sported two chrome bumper bullets that looked like unexploded torpedoes or triple-G-cup Madonna death boobs. It had a noncollapsible steering column that would impale the driver upon any serious impact, electric windows that could pinch off a kid's head, no seat belts, and a 325 horsepower V8 with such appallingly bad fuel efficiency that you could hear it trying to slurp liquefied dinosaurs out of the ground when it passed. It had a top speed of a hundred and ten miles an hour, mushy, bargelike suspension that could in no way stabilize the car at that speed, and undersized power brake s that wouldn't stop it either. The fins jutting from the back were so high and sharp that the car was a lethal threat to pedestrians even when parked, and the whole package sat on tall, whitewall tires that looked, and generally handled, like oversized powdered doughnuts. Detroit couldn't have achieved more deadly finned ostentatia if they'd covered a killer whale in rhinestones. It was a masterpiece. And the reason you need to know all that, is that along with the battle-worn Morrigan and the well-dressed chimeras, a '57 Eldorado was rapidly approaching Charlie. The bloodred lacquered Eldo slid around the corner, tires screaming like flaming peacocks, hubcaps spinning off toward the curb, engine roaring, spewing blue smoke out of the rear wheel wells like a flatulent dragon. The first of the Morrigan turned in time to take a bumper bullet in the thigh before she was dragged and folded under the car and spit out the back into a black heap. The headlights came on and the Caddy veered toward the Morrigan nearest Charlie. The animal creatures scurried back up the sidewalk and Charlie ran up onto the hood of a parked Honda as the Eldo smacked the second Morrigan. She rag-doll-whipped over the hood as the car's brakes screamed, then flew twenty yards down the street. The Caddy peeled out and hit her again, this time rolling over her with a series of thumps and leaving her tossing down the tarmac, shedding pieces as she rolled. The Caddy blazed on toward the final Morrigan. This one had a few seconds on her sisters and started running up the street, her shape changing, arms to wings, tail feathers trying to manifest, but she didn't seem able to make the transformation in time to fly. The Eldo plowed over her, then hit the brakes, reversed, and burned rubber on her back. Charlie ran up on the roof of the Honda, ready to leap away from the street, but the Caddy stopped and the blacked-out electric window wound down. â€Å"Get the fuck in the car,† said Minty Fresh. Minty Fresh hit the final Morrigan again as he speeded off down the block, took two screeching lefts, then pulled the car to the curb, jumped out, and ran around to the front. â€Å"Oh, goddamn,† said Minty Fresh (damn on the downbeat, with pain and sustain). â€Å"Goddamn, my hood and grille are all fucked up. Goddamn. I will tolerate the rising of darkness to cover the world, but you do not fuck with my ride.† He jumped back in the car, threw it into gear, and screeched around the next corner. â€Å"Where are you going?† â€Å"I'm going to run over the bitches again. You do not fuck with my ride.† â€Å"Well, what did you think would happen when you ran them over?† â€Å"Not this. I never ran over anyone before. Don't act like that's a surprise.† Charlie looked at the gleaming interior of the car, the bloodred leather seats, the dash fitted with walnut burl and gold-plated knobs. â€Å"This is a great car. My mailman would love this car.† â€Å"Your mailman?† â€Å"He collects vintage pimp wear.† â€Å"So what are you trying to say?† â€Å"Nothing.† They were already on Guerrero Street and Minty floored it as they approached the target block. The first Morrigan he had hit was just getting to her knees when he hit her again, knocking her over two parked cars and into the side of a vacant building. The second one turned to face them and bared her claws, which raked the hood as he rolled over her with a drumroll of thumps, then he ran over the third one's legs as she was crawling back into the storm sewer. â€Å"Jeez,† Charlie said, turning and looking out the back window. Minty Fresh seemed to turn his full attention to driving safely now. â€Å"What the hell are those things?† â€Å"I call them sewer harpies. They're the things that call to us from the storm sewers. They're a lot stronger now than they used to be.† â€Å"They're scary is what they are,† said Minty. â€Å"I don't know,† Charlie said. â€Å"Have you gotten a good look at them? I mean, they got the badonkadonk out back and some fine bajoopbadangs up front, know what I'm sayin', dog? Buss a rock wid a playa?† He offered his fist for Minty to buss him a rock, but alas, the mint one left him hangin'. â€Å"Stop that,† Fresh said. â€Å"Sorry,† Charlie said. â€Å"Talk Like a Playa in Ten Days or Less – Stone Thug Edition?† Minty asked. Charlie nodded. â€Å"We got the CD into the store a couple of months ago. I practice in the van. How am I doing?† â€Å"Your Negro-osity is uncanny. I had to keep checking to make sure you're still white.† â€Å"Thanks,† Charlie said, then, as if a light went on: â€Å"Hey, I've been looking for you – where the hell have you been?† â€Å"Hiding out. One of those things came after me on the BART a few nights ago when I was coming back from Oakland.† â€Å"How'd you get away?† â€Å"Those little animal things, a bunch of them attacked her in the dark. I could hear her screaming at them, tearing them to ribbons, but they held her off until the train pulled into the station, which was full of people. She bolted back into the tunnel. There were pieces of the animal creatures everywhere in the train car.† Minty turned onto Van Ness and started heading toward Charlie's side of town. â€Å"So they helped you? They're not part of the Underworlders trying to take over?† â€Å"They don't appear to be. They saved my ass.† â€Å"So you know some of the Death Merchants have been killed?† â€Å"I didn't know. It wasn't in the paper. I saw where Anton's shop burned up last night. He didn't make it out?† â€Å"They found pieces of him,† Charlie said. â€Å"Charlie, I think I caused this.† Minty Fresh turned and really looked at Charlie for the first time, his golden eyes looking forlorn. â€Å"I failed to collect my last two soul vessels, and all of this started.† â€Å"I thought it was me,† Charlie said. â€Å"I missed two as well. But I don't think it's us. My two clients are alive, I think they're in that house where I was going when you saved me: the Three Jewels Buddhist Center. There's a woman there who's been buying up soul vessels, too.† â€Å"Cute brunette?† Minty asked. â€Å"I don't know. Why?† â€Å"She bought some from me, too. Tried to disguise herself, but it was her.† â€Å"Well, she's in that house back there. I've got to go back there.† â€Å"I don't want anything to do with those bitches with the claws,† Minty said. â€Å"True dat,† Charlie said. â€Å"I had a thing with one of them.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Yeah, she got all up in my grille and shit – had to cut da ho loose.† â€Å"Stop that.† â€Å"Sorry. Anyway, I've got to go back.† â€Å"You sure? I don't think they're dead. Doesn't look like they can be dead.† â€Å"You could run over them again. By the way, how did you know where to find me?† â€Å"After I heard about Anton's place burning, I tried to call him and got a disconnected message, so I went to your store. I talked to that little Goth girl you have working for you. She told me where you went. Talked to her for about ten minutes. She knows about me – I mean us? The Death Merchants?† â€Å"Yes, I told her a long time ago. Wasn't she, uh, busy when you got there? With a guy, I mean.† â€Å"No. She seeing anyone?† â€Å"I thought you were gay?† â€Å"I never said that.† â€Å"Yeah, but you didn't go out of your way to deny it either.† â€Å"Charlie, I run a music store in the Castro, I'd do more business as a gay Death Merchant than a straight shopkeeper.† â€Å"Good point. I never thought of that.† â€Å"Color me surprised. So, she seeing anyone?† â€Å"She's half your age and I think she's a little twisted – sexually, I mean.† â€Å"So is she seeing anyone?† â€Å"She's like a little sister to me, Fresh. Don't you have employees like that?† â€Å"Have you never met anyone who works in a record store? There's no greater repository of unjustified arrogance in the world. I'd poison my employees if I thought I could find replacements.† â€Å"I don't think she's seeing anybody, but since the world is about to be taken over by the Forces of Darkness, you may not have time for dating.† â€Å"I don't know. She seems like she might have an in with the Forces of Darkness. I like her, she's funny in a sort of macabre way, and she likes Miles.† â€Å"Lily likes Miles Davis?† â€Å"You don't know that about your little sister?† Charlie threw his hands up. â€Å"Take her, use her, throw her away, I don't care, she's only part-time. You can date my daughter, too. She's going to be six and probably loves Coltrane for all I know.† â€Å"Calm down, you're overreacting.† â€Å"Just turn around and take me back to that Buddhist center. I've got to stop this thing. It's all on me, Fresh. I'm the Luminatus.† â€Å"You are not.† â€Å"I am,† Charlie said. â€Å"You're the Great Death – with a capital D? You? You know this to be true?† â€Å"I do,† Charlie said. â€Å"I knew there was something different about you, but I thought that the Luminatus would be – I don't know – taller.† â€Å"Don't start with that, okay.† Minty swung the car off Van Ness into a hotel turnaround. â€Å"Where are you going?† Charlie said. â€Å"To run over some sewer harpies again.† â€Å"Back to the Buddhist center?† â€Å"Uh-huh. You have any weapons besides that stupid sword?† â€Å"My cop friend told me I should get a gun.† Minty Fresh reached into his moss-green jacket and came out with the biggest pistol Charlie had ever seen. He placed it on the seat. â€Å"Take it. Desert Eagle fifty-caliber. It'll stop a bear.† Charlie picked up the chrome-plated pistol. It weighed like five pounds and the barrel looked big enough to stick your thumb in. â€Å"This thing is huge.† â€Å"I'm a big guy. Listen, it holds eight shots. There's a round in the chamber. You have to cock it and release the safety before you fire. There and there.† He pointed to the safety and the hammer. â€Å"Hold on to it if you have to shoot. It will knock you on your ass if you're not ready.† â€Å"What about you?† Minty patted the other side of his coat. â€Å"I have another one.† Charlie turned the gun in his hand and watched the streetlights playing off its chromed surface. (Beta Males, who inherently feel they are always at a competitive disadvantage, are suckers for showy equalizers.) â€Å"You have a lot going on under the surface, Mr. Fresh. You are not just the run-of-the-mill seven-foot-tall Death Merchant in a pastel-green suit.† â€Å"Thank you, Mr. Asher. Very kind of you to say.† â€Å"My pleasure.† Charlie's cell phone rang and he flipped it open. Rivera said, â€Å"Asher, where the hell are you? I've been circling the Mission and there's nothing here but a lot of black feathers flying in the air.† â€Å"Yeah, it's okay. I'm okay, Inspector. I found Minty Fresh, the guy who owns the music store. I'm in the car with him.† â€Å"So you're safe?† â€Å"Relatively.† â€Å"Good. Lay low and I'll call you, okay? I want to talk to your friend tomorrow.† â€Å"You got it, Inspector. Thanks for coming to help.† â€Å"Careful, Asher.† â€Å"Gotcha. I'm laying low. Bye.† Charlie snapped the phone shut and turned to Minty Fresh. â€Å"You ready?† â€Å"Absolutely,† said the fresh one. The street was deserted when they pulled up in front of the Three Jewels Buddhist Center. â€Å"I'll go around to the back,† Minty said. Well, cars suck, I can tell you that,† said Babd, trying to keep herself together as the Morrigan limped back to the great ship. â€Å"Five thousand years, horses are fine, all of a sudden we have to have paved streets and cars. I don't see the attraction.† â€Å"I'm not even sure that we need to rise and let Darkness rule,† said Nemain. â€Å"Apparently darkness isn't qualified yet. Speaking as an agent of Darkness, I think it needs more time.† She had been crushed into a half-woman, half-raven form and was shedding feathers as they limped through the pipe. â€Å"It's like that New Meat has someone watching over him,† said Macha. â€Å"Next time Orcus can deal with him.† â€Å"Yeah, let's get Orcus to go after him,† Babd said. â€Å"See what he thinks of cars.†

An exploration of the way Shakespeare presents Claudius to the audience Essay

The title of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, would at first suggested its eponymous hero, Hamlet, is the major character. However, in a sense the whole play evolves around the character and actions of Claudius. Shakespeare has presented Claudius in a phrase as a â€Å"smiling damned villain†, whose greed and selfishness lead the way to his tragic killing of the King. This sums up Claudius excellently, as he has two sides to him, one the public side, â€Å"smiling† and the other the private side â€Å"damned villain†. Claudius starts his opening speech as king by saying, â€Å"Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death† (Act I Scene II, Line1) which creates the impression that his brother’s death upsets him, but later it is revealed that he was the cause of it. This links in with the theme of â€Å"seeming and being†, where it appears that he is grieving but is actually not. Shakespeare has used â€Å"seeming and being† repeatedly to show the audience that, deception is one of the major parts of the play: â€Å"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below words without thoughts never to heaven go. † (Act III Scene V, Lines 97-8), This is Claudius’ confession where he tricks the audience and Hamlet into believing he wants forgiveness, but then find out it is not true. This is further highlighted when Claudius is speaking to Hamlet: â€Å"here in the cheer and comfort of our eye†(Act I Scene II, Line116). Again it appears as though Claudius is being caring and wants to look after him, in a way like a father would, but he has said this very cleverly and in reality implies that he wants to keep an ‘eye’ on him. By using the Pritesh Kotecha Greenford High School words ‘comfort’ and ‘cheer’, Claudius is seen to be passionate and genuine, and the way Shakespeare has presented him to be this skilled politician is essential to his character, as he uses his wit to get himself out of awkward situations. Claudius in several parts of the play uses the word ‘our’ to manipulate people. In this case, it seems as though he means for him and Gertrude to keep and eye on Hamlet, but in reality he could perhaps be implying, if Hamlet was to do something wrong the whole state could be a witness. Claudius very cleverly uses the term ‘our’ again at the end of the play: â€Å"our son shall win†(Act V Scene II, Line 190), which gives the impression that Hamlet and Claudius have settled their problems. He has very cleverly switched his attitude from ‘your son’ to ‘our son’ as the play progresses, purely because of his public appearance. Also he could have perhaps said this so that when Hamlet dies he would not be a suspect, as he seems so genuine and loving towards Hamlet. When Claudius says ‘your son’, he usually says it when he has done something wrong, and implies â€Å"it is your son your problem†. The image of heaven and God is often related to Claudius, not referring to him as a God, but Hamlet uses his father to make bold Claudius’ lustful character when he says: â€Å"so excellent a king, that was to this Hyperion to a satyr. † (Act I Scene II Line 139 and 140) Here Hamlet very precisely sums up Claudius in comparison to his father because a Hyperion was a glorious sun-god of classical mythology; a satyr was a creature half man half goat. Pritesh Kotecha Greenford High School. The fact that Hamlet refers Claudius to a goat is effective because the goat is seen to be a very lusty animal, and this information along with a lot of other quotes: â€Å"incestuous and adulterous beast†, (Act I Scene V Line 42) â€Å"a serpent stung me† (Act I Scene V, Line 36) gives the audience an animalistic perception of him. The fact that Shakespeare has said ‘serpent stung’ is ironic as a serpent cannot sting and this makes the quote stand out, as it is eye-catching and alliteration is used here, and the image of a snake or reptile immediately comes to mind. Also, the sibilance here is a ‘s’, which is a connotation of evil. Claudius is again compared with God, when Polonius is talking to Claudius, he says: â€Å"I hold my duty as I hold my soul, both to my God and my gracious king. † (Act II Scene II, Line 44 and 45), because he uses God’s name in the same sentence as the king’s is ironic because in the past the king was seen to be appointed by God, therefore anything a king was to say had to be obeyed. This is ironic because, in this situation Claudius did not inherit the throne the natural way, and had to commit a vile murder of his own brother to get it. This once more shows his greed and selfishness, as he killed his brother to inherit his possessions: â€Å"My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen† (Act III Scene III, Line 55). He has worded this sentence, mentioning his crown first, implying it means the most to him, and then at the end his queen, which shows he doesn’t care as much about her however it does show that he has some feelings for her even though he is portrayed as this selfish character. Repetition is used here, and this sentence stands out and shows Claudius’ greed as all he is saying is ‘my, my, my’. Pritesh Kotecha Greenford High School Shakespeare uses repetition a great deal in Claudius’ speech, and in this case he uses it to outline Claudius’ intelligence, like any politician, he uses rhetoric as a way to manipulate people: â€Å"your father lost a father, that father lost† (Act I Scene II, Line 89 and 90), here he is trying to persuade Hamlet that it’s all part of the circle of life. This is important as it outlines his guilt that Hamlet is grieving for his father so much, and in a way is trying to make him stop mourning to make himself feel better. He even digs so low as he says to Hamlet, you grieving so much is a sin: â€Å"’tis a fault to heaven, a fault against the dead, a fault to nature† (Act I Scene II, Line 101 – 2). Moreover, he again gives himself away unconsciously as he tries so hard to make Hamlet stop grieving. Shakespeare has presented Claudius as a skilled politician in this sentence because again he structures it in three parts, and again repetition is used, to make bold the main point he is trying to get across; your grieving is wrong. Claudius also uses Hamlet’s vulnerability as a chance to show his power. He refers to Hamlet as being weak and fragile: â€Å"A heart unfortified, a mind impatient, An understanding simple and unschool’d† (Act I Scene II, Line 96 and 97). The fact that he has used the words ‘unfortified’ and ‘impatient’, makes this sentence more interesting because he shows his power and intelligence by degrading Hamlet. He says he lacks patience and is very weak, and is not educated. Claudius is portrayed by Shakespeare, to exploit all situations with his language. In this case, he uses very negative words and the effect is it shows him in power over Hamlet. Pritesh Kotecha Greenford High School His power is also shown in his opening speech as king. Here Shakespeare has showed him as very powerful and in control by dealing with all his issues one-by-one. This is a very structured speech and it creates a strong impression on the audience as they see him as a man of control. â€Å"What wouldst thou beg, Laertes that shall not be my offer not thy asking? â€Å"(Act I Scene II, Line 45 and 46) Here he is just showing off his power saying what can you ask for that I will not already offer. Shakespeare has added this part in to make him seem passionate and a loyal king. Again, appearance and reality comes into play, as it seems as thought he is doing it to help Laertes, but could perhaps be doing it to show his power. The theme of seeming and being again reoccurs as Claudius is confessing, where he is seen to be legitimate, but again says things he doesn’t mean: â€Å"My words fly up my thoughts remain below, words without thoughts never to heaven go. † (Act III Scene V, Line 97 and 98) Claudius’ deceit is portrayed here, as he is asking for forgiveness but he does not mean it, he cannot even be truthful whilst in prayer. This could have been an act of fright from Claudius as he is now aware that Hamlet knows the truth. This scene is very significant because it shows Claudius for his true colours, a coward. His character is now becoming more apparent to the audience, who now have something to build upon. Rhyming couplets is used here, and Shakespeare uses this a lot at the end of long speeches or scene’s and is used as a sort of cue point, to let the other characters aware of when to come in. This line can be shown in many different ways. In the Kenneth Branagh version, Claudius is in a catholic confession box, with some low Pritesh Kotecha Greenford High School melancholy music in the background, and the camera is slowly zooming in on his face. Which creates a more dramatic effect and a more personal tone, and when this line is due, he does not say it but thinks it. In the Franco Zefereli version he is in front of a cross. Franco Zaferelli similarly uses a cross symbolising the same religious meaning as the confessional. Claudius’ change in character is again shown through his confession speech. A different side to him is shown, perhaps because he is now aware that Hamlet knows the truth, and now asks for forgiveness. â€Å"Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens to wash it white as snow? â€Å"(Act III Scene V, Line 46) The language in this sentence is very powerful as Claudius uses natural elements, ‘rain’ and ‘snow’, to outline his sin. Claudius’ graphic description of his sin is strong evidence, and his desire to temptation leaves him tormented by his guilty conscience. Also, because Claudius uses the colour white, it makes him seem more pure and guilty, as white is a connotation of purity, and a blank slate. In the Branagh version, he whispers this line and the audience see him as being honest and this effect is it makes him seem more apologetic. Although Claudius is portrayed as this corrupted villain, his character is wide open to interpretation. In a sense that although he killed his brother to marry Gertrude, he still has strong feelings for her: â€Å"She is so conjunctive to my life and soul That, as the star moves not but in his sphere, I could not buy her†(Act V Scene VII, Line 14-16). Here Claudius uses the earth and the planets to state his love for Gertrude, and implies that without her he would not be able to do anything. Although Shakespeare has Pritesh Kotecha Greenford High School. presented him to have strong feelings towards Gertrude, his greed and selfishness overrule his love for her: â€Å"Gertrude do not drink†¦ [aside] It is the poison’d cup. It is too late. â€Å"(Act V Scene II, Lines 294†¦ 296) Just because he wants to get his own way, he jeopardizes her life and throughout the play, his actions lead to the death of seven innocent people, because he cannot resist his temptation and has to cover up his crime. In conclusion, Claudius is portrayed as a good king with bad qualities. Although he does have some good aspects as king, him being intellectual and powerful, his bad qualities over weigh his good. In a sense that, he is greedy and selfish, putting his own desire first, and going to any limits to reach his goal. Shakespeare has presented him excellently, â€Å"with witchcraft of his wit†(Act I Scene V, Line 43) allowing him to conceal his true colours, except for when he repented and confessed to God. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses one good quote to define his character as; â€Å"smiling damned villain†(Act I Scene V, Line 106), as it shows that he has two sides to him in every way, public and private, caring and selfish, and cleaver but not very wise.

An Analysis of the Declaration of Independence and Its Use

An Analysis of the Declaration of Independence and Its Use American history is recorded in various literature materials, such as biographies, books, articles, newspapers, and even statues. Although some of the events are directly stated in the sources, some information about the socio-political and economic issues can be inferred from them. Also, a lot of material on the peoples living statuses, their ideologies, needs, and wants can be gleaned from them. This is the case with the document The Declaration of Independence. It is a useful text that covers a myriad of historical happenings, the drive behind its making, and the authors ideologies and beliefs. Summary of the Declaration of Independence Having been fed up with the colonial system and governance of the British over America, a group of native legislators from thirteen states in the United States of America met to state their position on the matter. These individuals, led by John Adams from the state of Massachusetts, chose Thomas Jefferson to come up with a writing that detailed their grievances, their determination to be free, and the decision to declare that they will no longer be under the oppressive rules of the colonial government. Thus, Jefferson drafted these particular claims and put it before the committee of five congressmen to review and vary the contents where possible. The main tenets of The Declaration of Independence are two-faceted: the need to enjoy certain rights and the reasons for refusing to continue being governed by Great Britain. These forms are the basis for the preamble, which states that every man is equal and has particular inherent rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and the right to be happy; truths, which must not be denied. On the other hand, The Declaration of Independence narrates the ordeals that the Americans experienced. They include being forced to use foreign laws, forced taxation, extrajudicial killings, use of natural resources, and military forces to benefit the colonizer rather than the colonies and the refusal for the natives to have their own representatives in the legislature. The Analysis of the Document The Declaration of Independence was thus a response to the tyrannical British rule and the need to be free from its powers. During 1774, people had started to realize that no human being was less than the others through Enlightenment. In this sense, they wanted to be as free and independent as the colonizers, with the ability to make their own governing rules including their legislations. As a result, Americans needed to remove the barriers to their freedoms and violators of their human rights. One of the ways in which the Enlightenment affected the Declaration was in the need to have Americans making their own laws and defending their right to life, liberty, and making own social choices in place of those imposed on them by the British. These ideas are put in the form of the facts and reasons that brought the thirteen states together. For instance, a part of the Declaration states that He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected the State r emaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within (UShistory.org 1). Moreover, the main author of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in giving the document its content, power, voice, and shape as it is. Being the leader of people, he voiced his discontentment about how Americans were denied the right to choose their own leaders into the parliament. This is constitutional rights that ensure that democracy is practiced. Also, human rights are protected by legislators who make them. As a consequence, when Jefferson saw that these rights were being infringed upon, he ensured that he find ways of allowing the subjects to enjoy them. That is why he included their violation as one of the grounds for defying colonial rule through the Declaration. Besides, the Declaration clearly shows that Americans were oppressed. They were paying mandatory and exorbitant taxes; they were forced to serve in the army for the benefit of the British government; their people were killed at the slightest opportunity, and the laws governing their existence were made by the British who neither knew nor understood the American peoples needs and wants. All these information is laid down in the Declaration in the form of facts submitted to a candid world (UShistory.org 1). Here, the facts are summaries of the sufferings and the need to be independent from the colonial rule. Contrarily, although The Declaration of Independence was framed by the need to have American political representation, freedom, and equality for every citizen, it sidelined some sections of the population, which were the women and minorities (Wade 1). These group of people was the most affected by the colonial rule, which forced them to provide labor for little or no pay at all. There is no portion of the declaration that states anything about their torture and mistreatment by the colonial regime (Wade 3). Therefore, it is always assumed that the only people who faced mistreatment and sufferings were men who served in the army, the American leaders who were denied the opportunity to make their own laws suitable for Americans needs, and the men who paid taxes as the heads of their families. In summary, The Declaration of Independence is an important source of American history, which was influenced by socio-political and economic ideologies. The main author, Thomas Jefferson, applied his political knowledge and experience to draft the text, which gave the citizens an opportunity to exercise constitutional rights of equality, right to life, and right of liberty as against the colonizers. Also, the document was shaped by the Enlightenment ideas, which called for human treatment of all human beings. Nonetheless, the source was exclusive of women and minorities plights as it completely failed to mention how they were oppressed.

10 Activity (Speech) Reports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

10 Activity (Speech) Reports - Essay Example He also worked alongside United States President Barack Obama, serving on the Presidential Transition Team where he served as the economic agency review group head. He has worked extensively on international law policy and has also authored a number of books that discuss the relationship and impacts of foreign economics such as In China’s Shadow: The Crisis of American Entrepreneurship where there is a direct impact that since a lot of business and manufacturing has shifted to China, it directly impacts the United States because of lost jobs and wages for the people in America. Firestone is the executive director of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and has worked extensively on how new communications policies models are important. With globalization of the economy, it is necessary for all people to remember to be aware of other cultures, their technologies, and ability to communicate and be socio-economic when dealing with other countries. As an attorney, he worked at the Federal Communications Commission as well. He has also penned several books including Digital Broadcasting and the Public Interest and Television and Elections. Hundt and Firestone delivered a message that discussed that the network economy is part of the economy in which it is part of the society of information. Nothing is localized anymore. Especially with communication through social media, there is information available to people at any given time, all across the world. Of course, with Firestone’s background as an attorney, he offered information discussing the different policies across the world. Although each country may be working together, each one may have different policies in regards to the economy. Every country has its own set of laws and it is important to be mindful of them. In this discussion, it was quite informative that in regards to a

Global warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Global warming - Essay Example Heating up and increasing the levels of our oceans has many ill consequences the most obvious of it are storms, hurricanes, droughts, chilly winter and extended rainy season that we experience. In addition to extreme weather patterns, global warming also harms our food source as it also kills many organism in our oceans which disrupts our ecosystem3. This harms our food source because it would mean lesser catch of fishes in the ocean. This is bothersome because our food source is diminishing while our population continue to increase creating a vicious cycle of increased number of people polluting the environment that causes global warming while food supply continues to diminish as our population grows4. The alarming effects of global warming made many writers to take up the cause to sound the alarm bell before it is too late. Their approach in educating and warning the public takes in several forms. There is Michael Pollan who wrote several books, articles and novels such as The Omnivores Dilemma that warns us about the global warming and its effects. Another author who writes in scientific journals is Antipas Massawe who confronted the issue by informing us how global warming is caused and that it requires collective effort to address it. Then there is the former Vice-President of the United States who was among the pioneers in raising public consciousness about global warming with his documentary The Inconvenient Truth. WWF on the other hand is a Non-government organization that reminded us that global warming also affects our food source. At the rate that we are still spewing carbon gases into the atmosphere, it will not be long that our planet will no longer be habitable because of the apocalyptic consequence of global warming. All the signs of an impending apocalypse are already present with our storms getting stronger, hurricanes getting fierce, with floods that already kills and

Auditing and Accounting Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Auditing and Accounting Ethics - Essay Example lient. Loebbecke, A., (2000) mentioned that a self-review threat occurs when any product or judgment of a previous assurance engagement or non-assurance engagement needs to be re-evaluated in reaching conclusions on the assurance engagement. When a member or member of the assurance team was previously a director or officer of the assurance client or was an employee would be in a position to exert direct and significant influence over the subject matter of an assurance engagement. Examples of circumstances that may create this threat include, but are not limited to: a member or member of the assurance team being, or having recently been, a member or member of the assurance team being, or having recently been, performing services for an assurance client that directly affect the subject matter of the assurance engagement. Mintz S. M. ... Examples of circumstances that may create this threat include, but are not limited to: dealing in, or being a promoter of, shares or other securities of an assurance client; and acting as an advocate on behalf of an assurance client in litigation or in resolving disputes with third parties. Hayes, R., Dassen R., et al (2005) also noted that a familiarity threat occurs when, by virtue of a close relationship with an assurance client, its directors, officers or employees, a member, firm or member of the assurance team becomes too sympathetic to the client's interests. Examples of circumstances that may create this threat include, but are not limited to: a member or member of the assurance team having an immediate family member or close relative who is a director member of the assurance team having an immediate family member or close relative who, a former partner of the firm being a director or officer of the assurance client or an employee in a position to exert direct and significant influence over the subject matter of the assurance engagement, and acceptance of gifts or hospitality, unless the value is clearly insignificant, from the assurance client, its directors, officers or employees. An intimidation threat occurs when a member or member of the assurance team may be deterred from acting objectively and exercising professional skepticisms by threats, actual or perceived, from the directors, officers or employees of an assurance client. Examples of circumstances that may create this threat include but are not limited to: threat of replacement due to a disagreement with the application of an accounting principle; and pressure to reduce inappropriately the extent of work performed in order to

Monopoly Is against Public Interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Monopoly Is against Public Interest - Essay Example The rigid requirements of pure monopoly make it rare in the real world. It has a number of unfavorable features due to which whenever the government sees that monopolization may occur, they intervene to prevent it or to limit monopolist’s pricing decision. Following is the comparison of different forms of market ATTRIBUTES OF DIFFERENT FORMS OF MARKET Market Form Number of Firms in the Market Frequency in Reality Entry Barriers Public Interest Results Long Run Profit Equilibrium condition Perfect Competition Very many Rare (if any) None Good Zero MC = MR = AC = AR = P Pure Monopoly One Rare Likely to be High Outputs not optimal May be high MC = MR Monopolistic Competition Many Widespread Minor Inefficient Zero MC = MR AC= AR Oligopoly Few Produces large share of GDP Varies Varies Varies Varies Source: Baumol William J., Blinder Alan S., 2007. Microeconomics: Principles and Policy, 10th ed., OH: Cengage Learning. In this table, the attributes of pure monopoly appear to be again st public interest in comparison to other forms of market hence this idea will be discussed in further detail. Monopoly and Public Interest The reason of monopoly of a particular firm might be legal protection such as copyrights, patent or license. There could be higher barriers of entry or distinguished factors of production that are possessed by a particular firm only or economies of scale; higher volume of production make firms more efficient through cost advantage. In such cases, we may say that the firm has a natural monopoly (Braun 2003). Once a firm becomes big enough in comparison to the size of the market of the product, its cost advantage may drive other firms out of competition. In this way, it is the size of the firm relative to the total market demand for the product that creates monopoly of a particular firm. For example, a bank or a petrol pump or gas station located in a rural area may be natural monopolies due to its presence in a location where there is no competit ion (Eisenach, Lenard, Progress & Freedom Foundation (U.S.) 1999). Whether it is pure monopoly or natural monopoly the question arises, what might be the public interest? Theoretically, consumers want to get maximum benefit from their money or want to pay relatively the lowest price to get relatively highest benefit. Consumers also seek higher quality of products and consumption. They also look for a range products and manufacturers. Consumers may fail to rule the market as in monopoly they have only little or no alternatives available. Conventionally, monopoly is considered as a harmful market structure that brings unfavorable consequences to consumers and the economy at large. Competition is always encouraged in the market. The monopoly power of firms threatens the public interest. Monopolistic power is defined as the ability of a firm to earn higher profit by elevating and keeping the price of their products considerably above the levels at which those products would be offered i n competitive market. Firm with monopolistic power always enjoys market dominance irrespective of the fact that they are pricing their products really high as they have no competitors to grab their share of market. The reason that goes against public interest in monopoly is always the higher level

Project Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Project Management - Research Paper Example In this, they prepare the initial timeline of the project and determine the preliminary costs of the project. Either in the conception phase, the management can establish the project user participation and the possible sources of funds. Finally, the management may decide if to continue with the project or alter (Lewis, 2007). Therefore, the initiation phase forms the most crucial stage of the project than all the other stages. It is the foundation stone laying stage that without it the progress of the project is futile. The second phase is the project-planning phase. Here, the management commences setting out the project plan. This involves reviewing of objectives and goals of the project. Besides, the management considers the strategies needed to achieve these goals and objectives (Lewis, 2007). In this, they think each activity is leading to the sequencing of activities that will open up to be the required project. In the planning phase, the management allocates time to sequencing activities and develop a risk management plan (Lewis, 2007). Either, they evaluate on the resources needed and their cost. Finally, in planning, they allocate budget to individual resources to ensure that the project will run efficiently. The third phase is the project launch or execution phase. This stage involves Performance of activities and tasks as planned. Management evaluates the overall performance to ensure that the project meets the set quality standards (Lewis, 2007). Besides, there is development individual and team skills aimed to enhance project performance. In addition, the information about the project is distributed to the stakeholders to attract the needed investors (Lewis, 2007). In this phase, also the management may select potential partners and outsource vendors. Then there is the project performance control. This is responsible for coordination of the change control across the entire project. It involves verification of the scope of the

Managing Organizational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managing Organizational Change - Essay Example It would allow me to take decisions that are conclusive and have a far reaching impact on the domains of the organization in the long run. The individual information would only help the cause of the people on their respective levels while the group related information is handier and has a much more meaningful proposition. The best source of getting this information would be through the media as well as the organization’s own channels which would facilitate in its long term image building and establishing of ties with its local publics (Thomas 2005). The media choices would be in the form of television, the print and the outdoors which will greatly speed up the organizational change elements that have come to the fore. The worst way of getting this information is through the same media though in a negatively publicized way which will not prove to be a helpful agent in essence. As a manager of change, I will use these insights to shape up my ideology of my organization’s future media communications strategy as I would have gained solid know-how of how things are managed on an organizational level and how these are tackled in the wake of impending issues. References Thomas, S (2005). Successfully Managing Change in Organizations

The relationship between landlord and tenants in relation to Essay

The relationship between landlord and tenants in relation to assignment of leases and recovery of rent arrears - Essay Example The relationship between landlord and tenants in relation to assignment of leases â€Å"not to be on unreasonably withheld† & the legal and softer approach to dealing with rent arrears bearing in mind a proactive management approach Introduction Question one : Case scenario The first question deals with assignment of a lease by the tenant whereby the lease agreement permits for assignment, but with the consent of the tenant. In this case, the consent of the tenant cannot be unreasonably withheld. One of the shop is used by a hairdresser who wish to assign the lease to another hairdresser in the town. Shelagh (the other hairdresser) is considered a better covenant than existing tenant since she has a more profitable business than the current tenant.Although, I dislike Shelaghm, the lease permits the tenant to assign the premises with my consent. In this case, I cannot withhold the consent unreasonably. In the above case scenario, I cannot simply say no to the assignment of the lease. There are numerous laws that govern the landlord and tenant relationship with regard to the assignment of the lease. The Amendment of law of property Act 1925, provides the procedure for discharging or modifying any covenants including leaseholds (Pawlowski, 2002). The lease is of a commercial property and entails a covenant that is legally binding to the landlord and tenant. The tenant has the right to assignment lease to another tenant. Accordingly, the covenant requires the tenant to make an assignment only with the consent of the landlord.... Accordingly, the landlord must notify the tenant of any conditions attached to the consent or reasons for withholding the consent (Karp and Klayman, 2003). In addition, section 19(1) a of the landlord and tenant ACT1927, makes it clear that a landlord cannot unreasonably withhold his consent in a qualified covenant (Karp and Klayman, 2003). Accordingly, section 19 (1A) of the landlord and tenant Act 1927 allows both the landlord and tenant to agree of certain conditions that will apply while granting the consent of assignment (Pawlowski, 2002). In this case, the landlord will not unreasonably withhold his consent if he withholds the consent due to a specific circumstance that attaches to the assignment. In the above case, it is the legal duty of the landlord to grant the consent of assignment or provides reasons for the withholding of the consent (Karp and Klayman, 2003). Ideally, the main issue that arises in the grant of assignment consent is financial capability of the proposed ne w tenant. The landlord can ask for the financial accounts of the proposed tenant and enlist the services of a credit rating agency in determining the creditworthiness of the proposed tenant (Pawlowski, 2002). In the above case, Shelagh has a more profitable business and thus more credit worth than the current tenant. Accordingly, the landlord is entitled to take in to full consideration of the attaching property interests in the whole property such as good estate management reasons (Karp and Klayman, 2003). The landlord will seek satisfaction that the proposed new tenant is capable of complying with the lease covenants after the assignment and require for additional securities such as rent deposit and guarantees. In addition, the

Environmental and Consumer Influence Essay Example for Free

Environmental and Consumer Influence Essay External factors such as political, legal, social, ecological, cultural, technological and business ethics will be discussed. MAC Cosmetics slogan reads, â€Å"Professional makeup artist quality cosmetics† (MAC Cosmetics). This slogan allows the consumer to know that MAC makeup is so good makeup artist use it. It allows the consumer to connect the dots between makeup artists to celebrities to the consumer and the consumer using celebrity worthy products. With so many other makeup brands MAC Cosmetics is known for being bold and colorful; from their products to the celebrities they use to advertise and market their products. For example, Nicki Minaj, a well-known music rapper known not only for her controversial lyrics but her unique form of dress. She is the flashy and different exactly what MAC Cosmetics attempts to portray their products to be. Before Nicki Minaj there was Lady Gaga, another example of an over-the-top music artist. When describing the psychological and social factors involved in consumer purchase of this product; MAC Cosmetics much like every product marketer have researched and studied these factors under a microscope, figuratively speaking. It is important to understand every aspect of a consumer’s behavior factor to receive a clearer picture on how to market the product. When speaking of consumer psychological and social factors we are speaking of the consumer’s motives, perception, and attitudes. When analyzing a consumer’s motives, a motive is defined as a reason for doing something (Merriam-Webster). When comparing one consumer to another the motives may not be all the same. Motives can range from simply needing a makeup refill to wanting to use a highly advertised product. Wanting to use a popular product such as MAC can then be a psychological factor. When speaking of a psychological factor we then have to take into consideration the needs of this particular consumer. Perhaps this product is used by everyone he or she knows and they merely would like to fit in. But this example is most likely take place in a younger consumer, maybe a high school or college student. Another motive that can be introduced is the consumer may feel good wearing this product. Not only because this product does what it advertises but because the consumer likes how they look wearing it. As discussed above, how the consumer feels when wearing the product may allow them to give the perception of flawless skin. The perception goal given by the models and celebrities used to market the MAC Cosmetics products, they want consumers to feel like they can look just like them. To be realistic everyone has some flaw they would like to cover or camouflage and when told by a celebrity who is admired and continuously looks flawless, that will affect the decision of the consumer’s perception of that particular product. It may also play an important role in which influences the consumer to purchase this product. The perception given by the advertisement then becomes a motive for the consumer to purchase a product they may have had no intention in purchasing. Attitude also plays an important role in purchasing a product like MAC Cosmetics. Attitude is defined as a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state (Merriam-Webster). A consumer’s attitude may have several factors. A consumer’s personality, family, and simply a dislike of someone or something may influence a consumer’s attitude. The perception MAC marketers attempt to portray in MAC Cosmetics is that their product is used by celebrities and models. And for example, Nicki Minaj, as previously stated above she is a music rapper who seems to have a strong opinion about everything and everyone. Using her as the spokesperson could be safe to say that her attitude describes MAC Cosmetics. Consumers then may translate that and assume that by using this product they too can feel strong and outspoken. Social class also has a lot to do with the purchase of MAC Cosmetics. Unlike some well-known makeup brands, for example Cover Girl or Maybelline, MAC is not found in grocery stores or drug stores. MAC Cosmetics is found in higher end department stores such as Nordstrom and Macys and some cities have the MAC Cosmetic stores. The price of the cosmetics is a bit higher than the examples listed above. Which means someone on a budget may not be willing to fork up the extra cash to purchase MAC products. Not saying that you will have to mortgage off your home to purchase MAC Cosmetics but it is definitely a social class factor. Consumers who are or consider themselves in this social class will purchase MAC Cosmetics because like previously discussed, it is not utterly available and is more expensive than others. The psychological and social factors all play and important influential role in a consumer. The factors of motives, perception, attitudes, personality, family, social class, and reference group all play important roles and each tie into each other in one or many forms. Marketers are fully aware of these factors and ensure their products are able to trigger a consumer’s sensation in order to have them purchase the product. But along with psychological and social factors there are also external factors to consider. For example there are political, legal, social, ecological, technological, and business ethic external factors that affect a consumer’s behavior. Some external factors that may influence consumers to purchase the MAC Cosmetic products are social, ecological, and business ethical. As previously discussed a social factor can be influenced by simply allowing the purchaser to seem as if they are a part of an unspoken club. MAC Cosmetics allows their consumers to feel that they are receiving only the best money can buy. By MAC only selling their products at high end departments stores it allows the consumer of only those stores to have access to the product. For example because MAC Cosmetics is not found just any where consumers who shop at Wal-Mart would not have access to MAC Cosmetics. This allows consumers in this social bracket to purchase MAC products. Another external factor that maym influence MAC Cosmetics purchases is the ecological factor. These days, many beauty companies are setting an eco-friendly example and MAC Cosmetics is one of them. MAC Cosmetics is offering refillable packaging and compacts, with refills often old for slightly less money (Pollack Boyer). MAC Cosmetics also rewards for being environmentally thrifty by handing out free lipsticks to customers who return five or six empty product containers (Pollack Boyer). Consumers may be incline to support and purchase products from MAC Cosmetics because they are supporting the environment through earth-sustaining and earth-fri endly practices. Another external factor that may influence a consumer behavior to purchase MAC Cosmetics is business ethics. For MAC Cosmetics business ethics and ecological factors play hand-in-hand. Along with their ecological practices MAC Cosmetics contribute to the fair trade and community. Fair trade means paying a fair price for outsourced labor, while community trade creates long-term economic initiatives to ensure sustainability within the communities in which ingredients are extracted (Pollack Boyer). MAC Cosmetics and other companies are not only transforming their own products, but also supporting others who are helping the environment (Pollack Boyer). As discussed above the analysis of consumers behaviors have many different factors and each consumer situation is different. MAC Cosmetics may not be for everyone but they try hard to be for everyone. Marketers ensure to stimulate all aspects of consumers psychological and social factors and their external factors. Some examples were given for each factor in order to better understand a consumer and their reasons for purchasing the MAC Cosmetics products. MAC Cosmetics advertises to have â€Å"more than 100 shades for eyes, lips, and face, everything a makeup addict cannot live without†, you be the judge. REFERENCES Bagozzi, R. P. , Gurhan-Canli, Z. , Priester, J. R. (2002). The Social Psychology of Consumer Behaviour. Philadelphia, PA: Pearson. MAC Cosmetics. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. maccosmetics. com/index. tmpl Merriam-Webster. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://east. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/attitude? show=0t=1369245814 Merriam-Webster. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://east. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/motive? show=0t=1369886515 Pollack, J. and Boyer, D. (n. d. ), Green Cosmetics Companies we love: Yves Rocher, MAC, The Body Shop and Aveda. (n. d. , Fall). Canadain Living . Retrieved from http://www. canadianliving. com/life/green_living/green_cosmetics_companies_we_love_yves_rocher_mac_the_body_shop_and_aveda. php

The Burkean Parlor Essay Example for Free

The Burkean Parlor Essay In an ideal world, a Burkean Parlor writing center, whether the collaborative type or in its own pure or hybrid form should be capable of seamlessly merging with the control kind and even harmlessly synthesized with the Storehouse and Garret models. In contrast with the pure Storehouse and Garret models, or the individual and the exterior genre, a Burkean Parlor is dreamed to be an open-ended knowledge center where there is individuality of the genius as there are collaborative knowledge processes. It can also be the interior type blending perfectly well with its own anti-thesis – the Storehouse exterior concept. This is the new hybrid Burkean Parlor writing center – a composite of the Storehouse and the Garret models metamorphosing both as a collaborative and control knowledge center. The knowledge and writing center as envisioned here recognizes and anticipates the varying needs and psyche of the scholar. The current pragmatic and philosophical needs of the writers everywhere demand the most motivating atmosphere that will encourage a spontaneous, prolific and imaginative flow of creativity. This flow of knowledge, although extremely fluid as it is rigid, demands a new form of writing center. Call it a hybrid Burkean Parlor or a new form of intellectual hub where every genius can be his own individual or in collaboration as well as in caution as a control button; where knowledge can be both sourced internally and externally. This neo-Burkean Parlor can be ideally called the Hub. Andrea Lunsford would be glad to join it as she must admit that in the scheme of linearity, her Burkean model could be slowly being rendered redundant and restrictive the way it did with the Storehouse and Garret models. It is as open as any knowledge center and can be as private as a virtual online writing domain. The Hub recognizes the various forces within the universe that creates or brings knowledge constructs to those who become congruent with the forces that make writers write well and thinkers think well. The Hub in any university is the brain as well as the heart of the intellectual interfacing with the school community or anyone who happens to exude the radio frequency of the Hub. It is the former student lounge as well as the internet cafe without the walls that divide the knowledge of the elite or the masa, the common man. It is equipped with the latest communication gadgets and circuitry that shames the traditional classroom: in fact, the Hub is the reason to come to school (Glasser. 1990). Its emptiness is a reason to move out of the school to find another Hub elsewhere. In the Hub, one can commune with oneself and bring out the most intriguing electronic autobiography for every one to read and develop a sense of belonging. As most schools turn to exclusivity, the Hub recognizes no special talents – it is an inclusive school; only for those with a clean heart to write and the need to discover knowledge without the academic compulsion to do so. Freedom is the pervasive atmosphere, but discipline is sharp and vigilance foremost. Here, order is non-existent but the Hub is not chaotic. The Hub graduates students as many times as the students want, as well as it elevates writers to the next level of knowledge and writing. The Hub would look like heaven on earth. Each one talks the same language despite the highly diverse backgrounds with each move and gesture of the writer giving a message of peace and quiet to allow knowledge and scholarly work to evolve in pure immaculate fashion – plagiarism free. The place is a real hub – teachers freely imparting knowledge and learners interfacing with other learners to collaborate and accumulate knowledge from within and without. It is freedom without the control and there is control without the pressure. New learners develop as they are inspired by the oneness in the Hub. While there are many voices, there is only one song sung in the Hub – creative writing? The Hub would hire only people who believe in the richness of culture, the phenomenon of collaboration, the variedness of the sources of knowledge whether the internal Garret type or the Storehouse kind. Here, the manager is the chief motivator, the philosopher of the writing center and the only person therein who can write the best about the smallest thing on earth and lead the reader to strongly believe that it is the biggest thing on earth. Lunsford would have loved the place to tickle her into creating the new Burkean Parlor once more. Inside the Hub, the students would be taught on stabilizing ethics even in the most trying times; on critical thinking without the excesses of rhetorics; writing skills that can move the heart to tears and chuckles no end; and, an on sustaining an imaginative mind to create a peaceful written or online virtual world where the ideal is just a pen stroke away. The lessons here are endless and borderless. Everyone is welcome to be one among them. It is a university within a university. No encroachment here; only an existence arising out of another’s existence: a university creating another university: a university that has not lost its soul. (Lewis, 2006) The Hub will make sure that students are guided into maturity and wisdom without the painful experiences of everyday life. For them, life is both pain and pleasure and one cannot exist without the other. Acceptance here is academic, hence pain is predictable but bearable, but it becomes truly excruciating as he beings to write. Here, the students are given a tour of life itself, and the crossroads available to each. Everything is there: the experiences, all of them, at the push of a button. The student is given the rare experiences of his lifetime: in physical as well as virtual realities. Inside the Hub, there is no difference between virtual pain and physical pain. Both are felt. The writers and knowledge worker in the Hub learns to be surprised at his own writing skill – able to grapple with the exact word and the best adjective fit for the scenario. Indeed, the Hub is a writers’ paradise where awareness (Clark, 2002) is knowledge itself It would not be difficult to relate to the students because the Hub creates the mood for the writer. Anyone can come at any phase of the activity within without feeling like a stranger and still come out with all the stories that abound. List of References Lewis, H. R. Excellence without a soul: How a great university forgot education. NEW York, Perseus Books, 2006. Glasser, W. , The quality school: Managing students without coercion. New York, Harper and Row Publishers. 1990. Clark, R.. Global awareness: thinking systematically about the world. New York. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc. , 2002. Glasser, W. The quality school: Managing students without coercion, New York: Harper Row Publishers, Inc. 1990. Villa, R. , Thosuand, J.. Creating an inclusive school, Alexandria, Virginia, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1995.

Unemployment In Jamaica Cause and Effect

Unemployment In Jamaica Cause and Effect This project is consisting of information on unemployment in Jamaica and what can be done to improve employment. Unemployment is macroeconomics There are different types of unemployment such as frictional unemployment this is a type of voluntary unemployment that arises because of the time needed to match job seekers with job openings, structural unemployment this happens when a large amount of unemployed workers (labor force) isnt qualify for a large amount of labor force demand. seasonal unemployment, this is when persons are employed temporary for reasons such as a hotel or supermarket needing extra help because of a season (Christmas, summer) but will cut loose those workers when that season period is finish and cyclical unemployment this is used to refer to the fluctuation in unemployment that is incurred by business cycles, more specially, the unemployment caused by economic recessions. In this project you will find information on this problem and why it is consider being an ec onomic one, the theories and model pertaining to unemployment, recommend economic concepts and inventions that can be employed to correct unemployment and the benefits of applying these concepts and inventions. What is the economic problem? Unemployment in Jamaica Unemployment Spikes to 14.1% with 23,000 Jobs lost Unemployment is one of the main problems affecting Jamaica. According to Streetdirectory, Unemployment refers to the condition and extent of joblessness within an economy, and is measured in terms of the unemployment rate, which is the number of unemployed workers divided by the total civilian labor force. (Sinha, 2012) According to The Gleaner, published Friday May 18, 2012, Some 23,000 jobs were lost last year after the current survey was done. In January 2012, The Labor force Survey release in May put the unemployment rate at 14.1 per cent compared to last year, which was at 12.9 per cent. The labor force has grown to 177,200 and the latest survey shows that some 9,300 people dropped out of the labor force, cutting the pool from 1.27 million to 1.26 million. The Gleaner also stated that The result for the January 2012 survey, which was conducted over the period December 18-24, estimate that there are 686,900 males and 573,700 women in the labor force. The employed pool totaled 1.08 million, of which was 56.7 per cent or 614,800 are men and 468,600 or 43 per cent are women. The Gleaner also states that, The spike in unemployment is heavily skewed towards females among whom the unemployment rate is 18.3 per cent, while for men it is 10.5 per cent. Sectors with the largest jobs cuts over one year included construction, 10,900 jobs lost, and professionals, senior officials and technician, 10,200 cuts. Statin estimates that the persons seeking work in the January 2012 survey as increased by 4.3 per cent. The effects unemployment has on Jamaica Unemployment affects majority of our Jamaicans especially the inter city areas and in particular the youth of this area. Unemployment creates many problems such as crime and violence, lowering of ones self-esteem, and poverty. Etc. Crime and Violence comes to present because when unemployed person are in need and cannot assist themselves or other, they turn to robbing and killing others to satisfy their needs and wants. The lowering of ones self-esteem may occur when they see another working and being able to assist themselves while he/she cant do the same. This can lead to crime and violence. Poverty is a big issue in today economy and most unemployed person are the one facing this situation. When person cant work and afford things, this lead to financial problems, divorce, children losing their education and health, hunger, fights and more which then can lead to poverty. Why consider unemployment to be an economic problem? 1. Unemployment is an economic problem due to the fact that when the economy is not doing well, businesses begin to lay off workers 2. It affects consumer confidence in terms of consumers that are employed will start to devote their money more in savings than to spend it on unnecessary items because of the fear of them losing their jobs. 3. High unemployment creates pressure on the government budget. High unemployment reduces the total taxation receipts the government receives because people without an income wont be able to pay their income tax. This will then place a drain on the government funds as the unemployed claim the job search allowance. 4. Unemployment reduces the output of goods and service that could otherwise have been produced by unemployed labor force. If unemployment rate is very high, an economy will produce below its potential. Etc Question 2 Economic Theories and model pertaining to this problem Classical economic theory 1. According to the lead authors, Global Development and Environment Institute, Neva R. Goodwin, Julie A. Nelson, Frank Ackerman, Thomas Weisskopf classical economic theory, unemployment is seen as a sign that smooth labor market functioning is being obstructed in some way. The classical approach assumes that markets behave as described by idealized supply-and-demand model. The labor market is seen as though it were a single, static market, characterized by perfect competition, spot transaction, and institutions for double auction bidding (Global Development and Environment, 2006). Resume help for Unemployed Assess the Gap 2. According to Teena Rose, director of resume-writing firm ExpertResume.com, the best way to address an employment gap depends on how long one has been out of work. She states that if one is unemployed for a year or less, then the best thing to do is to not say anything. This is not necessary to place on resume (Kim Isaacs, 2012). 3. Short Run Phillip Curve The short run Phillips curve shows the inverse relationship between unemployment and inflation rate. According to theory, when there is high unemployment, producers can set lower wages and still attract labor. When unemployment level is low, firms will have to pay high wages in order to attract labor as there wouldnt be much competition between them. This theory contradicts with two of the four main aims of the government low/stable inflation rate and low unemployment level. Question 3 Economic concepts or intervention that can be used to correct unemployment 1. According to Kimberly Amadeo and About.com Guide, the solution for unemployment is obviously to create new jobs. They state that a healthy economic growth rate of 2-3% is enough to create the 150,000 new jobs needed to keep unemployment from rising. (Kimberly Amadeo, 2012) 2. According to Answers, the solution for unemployment can be correct in many ways, such as, a) cutting in real wage, cutting in real wage are a reaction to the view that through their demands for higher wages, some groups of workers have priced themselves out of a job. b) Unemployment agencies could tighten their job search and acceptance requirement. c) Improving the education and training provided to young people, with a greater focus on vocational skills. d) Government support to struggling industries in order to try and save jobs. e) The government needs to try and create demand in economy. This could give grant to businesses to produce goods, have projects such as road building, cut interest rates to encourage spending and cut income tax to encourage spending. f) Countries need to ensure that their welfare systems do not provide disincentives to workers. (Answers, 2012) 3. Phillip curve Its a large believe that unemployment could be solve using the Phillips curve. This involves increasing inflation to reduce unemployment by fooling workers into accepting jobsat at a lower rate than they would otherwise have done, due to the declining value of money. 4. Demand side supplies Monetary policy and fiscal policy can both be used to increase short-term growth in the economy, increasing the demand for labor and decreasing unemployment. The demand for labor in an economy is derived from the demand for goods and services. As such, the demand for labor will increase, increasing employment and wages. 5. Supply side policies Minimum wages and union activity keep wages from falling, which means too many people want to sell their labor at the going price but cannot. Supply-side policies can solve this by making the labor market more flexible. This includes removing the minimum wage and reducing the power of unions, which act as a labor cartel. Other supply side policies include education to make workers more attractive to employers. Cutting taxes on businesses and reducing regulation, creates jobs and reduce unemployment. (curve) Question 4 What are the benefits of applying the economic concept above? 1. Creating new jobs Creating new jobs accommodates employment, growth in GDP, develop infrastructure, help to reduce depts and more. Having a job is essential in living life and retiring at a comfortable age and this is something that all individual looks forward to and without them having a job this may lead to crime and violence. The concept of creating new job will increase employment and decrease unemployment. 2. A. Cut in wage Not cutting the real wage can allow persons to keep their job instead of pricing themselves out. B. Unemployment agencies could tighten their acceptance requirement and job search. Job agencies tightening their acceptance requirement and job search could lead to more persons that are not fully qualified or have the right requirement to have the chance to be employed instead of them being unemployed. C. Improving the education and training provided to young people, with a greater focus on vocational skills. Improving the education and training of young adult will help them to be better equipped for the working world. One way is to train them by actually allowing them to do the work instead of teaching them orally and from them writing. This will help them to better understand and to have gained some experience. D. The government needs to try and create demand in economy. Government creating demand in the economy will also workers to produce more goods and interest rate will be cut which will then produce more spending of consumer. E. Government support to struggling industries in order to try and save jobs. Government supporting struggling industries and trying to save jobs will help in building the economy, reduce unemployment and more. 3. Supply side policies Inputting supply side policies will allow wage and union to not fall to a lower price so a lot of person will be able to sell their labor at a going price. This can make the labor market more flexible by removing the minimum wage and reducing the power of union, which act as a labor cartel. 4. Demand side supplies Monetary policy and fiscal policy can both be used to increase growth in the economy. This can increase the demand for labor and decrease unemployment, the demand for economy is derived from the demand for goods and services so the demand for labor will increase which will increase employment and wages. Recommendation I would strongly recommend that the government of Jamaica try to find new ways to implement strategies that can produce employment in Jamaica because with so many person unemployed, it is affecting the economy and also affecting the citizens. With so many persons being out of job it affects their daily life which leads to disaster such as robbery, crime and violence, lack of education to children and young adult and more. Conclusion It has been concluded that unemployment have a major effect on Jamaica economy. With unemployment rate increasing each year, it affects families, students and others. Unemployment is an economic problem due to the fact that when the economy is not doing well, businesses begin to lay off workers, It affects consumer confidence in terms of consumers that are employed will start to devote their money more in savings than to spend it on unnecessary items because of the fear of them losing their jobs and more.

Romeo And Juliet- Fate Essay example -- essays research papers

The events of Romeo and Juliet are heavily influenced by fate, as oppose to the actions of the characters. To be precise, occurrences in the play are not always as a result of conscience choices that characters make. Rather, chance occurrences (or predestination, depending on one’s opinion) cause events to take place; these events seriously alter the course of the play. Fate affects us all every single day, but the sheer number of occurrences related to fate, as well as the powerful affect these events have on the plot creates a specific connection between the play of Romeo and Juliet and fate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare makes it very clear to us that Romeo and Juliet are subject to fate. Before the play even begins, Shakespeare outlines the play for us in the prologue. The prologue summarizes the plot, this seems odd, but this was because Shakespeare’s audience was already familiar with the story and the play was a portrayal of the well-known story. Importantly, Shakespeare establishes immediately within the prologue that Romeo and Juliet’s plot includes heavy elements of fate. â€Å"A pair of star-crossed take their life.† (Shakespeare, Act 1 Prologue L.6) Shakespeare refers to Romeo and Juliet as â€Å"star-crossed†, referring to the belief of predestination (fate) and its connection with the constellations. Additionally, the prologue indicates a second time that the plot is influenced by fate; â€Å"The fearful passage of their death-marked love.† (Act 1 Prologue L.9) The love of Romeo and Juliet is â€Å"death-marked†, mea ning that it is destined to result in death. This evidence suggests that the tragedy occurs as a result of predestination instead of chance, but nonetheless, this is fate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fate has such a large roll in Romeo and Juliet that it influences not only the overall story, but also nearly every character in the play. Romeo is affected greatly by fate, arguably more so than any other character. Instances of Romeo being affected by fate abound in the play, from initial coincidences all the way up to his final dramatically ironic death. Romeo’s involvement with Juliet in the first place is based on fate. â€Å"God gi’ go-den. I pray, sir, can you read?† (Act 1 Sc.2 L.58) The illiterate servant that Romeo stumbles upon gives Romeo the opportunity to attend the Capulet party, if this incredibly unusual event had not taken place... ...nd Juliet happened as a result of their sin, â€Å"passion†. This opinion is also a valid interpretation of Shakespeare’s instances of fate in Romeo and Juliet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Encyclopedia Britannica’s section on Shakespeare comments on this issue, backing up one of the opinions, â€Å"There has been some debate among modern historians as to Shakespeare’s religious affiliation, but it is widely accepted that he did not recognize as Calvinist and did not accept predestination. Divine reward and punishment explains Shakespeare’s infatuation with what seems like destiny in his plays. Romeo and Juliet’s tragic demise was due to their transgression, their ‘passion’.† (Encyclopedia Britannica, â€Å"Shakespeare†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However one accepts fate to be taking place in Romeo and Juliet, it is clear that certain events are taking place, and they aren’t as a result of direct conscience decisions by characters. These events of fate have immeasurable affect on the characters and story. Among the lessons of love and hate in this play, this message, that we are not always in control of what happens to us, is very important and relevant.