The Sinaloa Cartel Is Considered The Largest And...

The Sinaloa Cartel is considered the largest and wealthiest organized crime syndicate in the Western Hemisphere. Run by drug kingpin Joaquin â€Å"El Chapo† Guzman, the Sinaloa Cartel is the biggest player in the Mexican drug trafficking trade. â€Å"Mexican drug trafficking is estimated by analysts to be worth $13 billion US a year,† according to the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC, 2015, par. 2). Heavily involved in the production and distribution of marijuana, cocaine and opium, the Sinaloa Cartel is also operates prostitution rings and deals in human trafficking. According to CBC, â€Å"analysts estimate that since 2006, 70,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence.† The Sinaloa Cartel is the United States Government’s biggest obstacle in the international war on drugs and its diabolical leader is once again free. In order to understand the magnitude of the Sinaloa Cartel, it must be compared with other cartels from the past. In the 1970s and 80s, the marijuana and cocaine trades were dominated by the Columbians, most notably, the Medellin Cartel. Making its prominent rise under the direction of drug queen-pin Griselda Blanco, the Columbians reached their height of power while following the lead of the legendary drug trafficker Pablo Escobar. A Columbian, Blanco made her name on the streets of New York and Miami. She is responsible for an estimated 250 deaths. Many of the murders Blanco committed personally (McGasco, 2015, par. 12). In relation to the Medellin Cartel’sShow MoreRelatedDrugs in Society Study Guide Essay4299 Words   |  18 Pagesthe ages of 26 and 32 Findings by the Community Epidemiology Workgroup reveal that the types of drugs used in different cities vary. Which drugs seem to be more prevalent in western cities? Stimulants Which of the following is usually not considered to be an effect of the illegal drug crisis? Increased productivity According to the text, what factorshave been major contributors to the demise of the two-parent household? Unemployment and frequent drug use In recent years, more than two-thirds

Student Loan Programs - 1116 Words

Student Loan Programs The beginning of a college education is an eventful and exciting chapter for America’s youth. Beginning college is also when responsibilities begin to kick in as well. Students must plan ahead how they intend to finance their education during their time at college and after completing their academic careers. Almost seventy percent of college students nationwide take out loans to help finance their education. Like any other loan, student loans must be paid off in a timely manner to avoid hurting personal credit for future investments. The government has various student loan programs to assist students with not only paying for college, but also with paying off these loans after college. The most common type of†¦show more content†¦It may feel like free money to the pockets when receiving the refund checks, but all of it needs to be paid back at a point. This is a common mistake made by students during their college careers. Managing finances when in school is a crucial part of building a credit history because student loans tend to be the first type of credit for those in college. It is also the first type of real debt incurred by many. Late loan payments seriously harm credit records and ruin a credit history for years. This is why paying off these loans is the safest way to go when building a positive credit history. Late payments that add up often pose as obstacles when taking out auto loans and mortgages as well. This is only fair, because if a student fails to carry out the responsibility of paying back a student loan, then they are not proven responsible when it comes to other types of credit either. (smartmoney.com) Late loan payments indeed take a toll on an individual’s credit history. When a loan payment has not been made for two hundred seventy days after it was due, that student loan is considered to be in default. The defaulted loan is turned over to a collection agency, and the government notifies every credit bureau. This in formation remains on an individual’s credit report for seven years. Not paying the defaulted loan as soon as possible means having federal income tax refunds withheld and added toShow MoreRelatedThe Federal Student Loan Program Options Essay1009 Words   |  5 Pagesdiscusses the Federal Student Loan Program options currently offered, and attempts to recommend the President a feasible policy alternative to redress the program’s currently expensive budgetary expenses to the federal government. Executive Summary The Federal Government offers Student Loans for higher education through two different subsidized programs that are administered and funded in similar yet different ways: the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program guarantees loans made by private lendersRead MoreThe Student Loans Consolidation Programs1400 Words   |  6 Pages apply and get loans. Students do not even find it problematic and the need also urges them to obtain a number of loans. Besides covering the high cost of education, they have to take into account the expenses on books, accommodation and sometimes living expenditure also. After graduation it is the biggest problem that people face and find it confusing and crushing to pay off their loans. If you too are facing the same problem, consider suntech student loans consolidation programs. Suntech can beRead MoreStudent Loan Program Should Not Be Paid781 Words   |  4 PagesPresident Barack Obama s budget last month sparked growing concerns that student loan forgiveness - specifically for graduate school student debt - will cost taxpayers much more than originally estimated. As the Student Loan Ranger discussed previously, the president s budget shows a shortfall of approximately $21 billion for the federal student loan programs, in large part due to a projection of more borrowers taking advantage of loan forgiveness after making 10 to 25 years of income-based payments. AccordingRead MoreStudent Loan Consolidation Program And The Borrower1427 Words   |  6 PagesCollege students who have multiple loans in their names understand the nightmare involved in making the repayments once they finish off their studies. The government also understands the problem and hassle that the students have to face and so programs on student loans consolidation federal has been designed and created. Though student loan consolidation programs were always into existence, they have been simplified and made comfortable in the present day. These programs are designed and createdRead MoreFinding The Lowest Student Loans Consolidation Program1536 Words   |  7 PagesFinding the lowest student loans consolidation program is very important as this will decide your financial future. You should take this process very seriously and find out ways to search for the loan consolidation program that imposes lowest charges and interest rates. This will not only save you a lot of mone y but also help you lead a better life where you can pay attention to other necessities and luxuries of your life too. When a person is deep down in debt he does not think anything else unlessRead MoreFeedback and Evaluation for a Federal Program to Give Student Loans674 Words   |  3 Pagesunsubsidized student loans. However, over the years the cost of a college education has increased and has become a financial burden for some families as their debts began to rise. The U. S. Department of Education amended the Title IV of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 1965. Student loans are a form of financial aid that a student can receive while in college and consist of federal loans and private loans. The Internal and External feedback mechanisms A high number of students are graduatingRead MoreStudent Loan Is The Most Powerful Weapon1302 Words   |  6 Pagesso powerful, conventional weapons break down, fail, and can be taken while knowledge cannot be. Sadly student loan debts are increasing at an alarming rate. The days of working all summer or part-time throughout the school year in order to pay tuition are long gone and private student loans are the only viable answer for many students aspiring for a professional career. I believe that student loan forgiveness is an issue of the utmost importance in regards to making education more accessible and affordableRead MoreStudent Loan Program Has Good Intentions And An Honorable Aim1753 Words   |  8 Pagespoor Americans by providing more support and financial resources through student loans to lower-income students pursuing a higher education. Unfortunately, more than fifty years later, that divide continues to grow. Due to rising tuition costs and rapid increases in student loan burdens, the college aspirations of teenagers coming from working and middle-class families are progressively being discouraged. Student loan program has good intentions and an honorable aim: to provide an equal opportunityRead MoreOverview (Salinas):. Kean University Is A Public University1694 Words   |  7 PagesKean University offers many different services to their students enrolled, including one of the most popular department on campus, The Office of Financial Aid. The Office of Financial Aid is devoted to offering different services and information to students attending Kean. Located on first floor of the Administration Building, The Office of Financial Aid is open Monday through Saturday and offers phone hours Monday through Friday. Students can schedule an appointment, where they will have a chanceRead More The Importance of Budgeting to Avoid Defaulting on Student Loans2168 Words   |  9 PagesDefaulting o n Student Loans Students defaulting on their loans will always be a problem for the government as long as there are students taking out loans. There will always be a few that don’t pay off their loans. There are many reasons why students default on their student loans. According Ms. Farrell, the author of â€Å"Reducing Student Loan Defaults: A Plan for Action,† in the Office of Planning, Budget, and Evaluation Survey, said â€Å"The main reason that students default on their loans is that

Emma Clueless Free Essays

Intro: C appropriates E’s 19th Century context into a contemp. Beverley Hill’s society embedded in material availability and conspicuous consumption. o Austen’s PURPOSE not changed ( C ( satire of context and human nature ( C has other purp. We will write a custom essay sample on Emma Clueless or any similar topic only for you Order Now ( Question value and validity of texts ( POMO TRANSFORMATION THESIS: The transformation of a text helps develop and mold new meaning to its counterpart, and hence deepen the understanding of each text. However , it is important to note that for this meaning is to be conveyed, many of the themes within the original text must remain the same, it is the context and the values inherent within these themes that change. o Both texts present, deluded central character living in own upper-class microcosm. †¢ Emma living in C19th England ( ‘handsome, clever and rich’ woman of ‘one and twenty’ with ‘nothing much to distress or vex her’. ? Lives in a world based around inheritance, breeding, manners and respectability as means for social valuing. Cher is a 15 year old living in the ‘Noxema commercial’ ‘land of imagists’ that is Beverley Hills in the 1990’s. ? Social values based upon material availability, image and conspicuous consumption. o Both protagonists attempt to transform a protege of lower class and elevate them to their higher status. o Emma’s naive intention of transforming Harriet by refining manners and intelligence (not to mention elevating ego) = IRONIC. ( contradicts stagnant class mobility of C19th England. LINK ( sense of hierarchy retained in C. ? Cher introduces Tai to school cliques ‘Persian Mafia’ ( reflects sense of materialism and conspicuous consumption of society ( ‘you have to own a BMW to sit with them’. ( ALSO REFLECTED IN FIRST SCENE ( MONTAGE. o ‘Loadies that no respectable girl would date’ o LOADIES comment ironic because Cher tells Tai in the scene before that choosing a BF is a decision that ‘every girl has to make for herself’. o TAI ( her transformation is aesthetic (not like in E) through ‘Cher’s main thrill in life – a make-over†. ( reflects extent of importance placed on image and superficiality in modern context. When first presented with Tai she stands out dramatically wearing a flannel shirt, and with died red hair ( as opposed to everyone in gym scene wearing black and white ( she is an outsider, of another class. ? INTERESTING ( although she is supposedly moved up in class, she is always subtly dressed differently to Cher and Dionne ( collars, etc, o Ease with which Tai changes social status gives sense of social fluidity, as does fact that Tai talks back to Cher in confrontation ( â€Å"you’re a virgin who can’t drive†. LINK ((( more subtle in Emma where Harriet doesn’t confront Emma, but distances herself by communication through letters. (( Travis’ elevation of class also gives impression of social fluidity ( he gets off drugs, becomes serious about skateboarding and joins a rehabilitation program. THIS IS UNDERCUT BY COSTUMING IN WEDDING SCENE. AND ALSO THROUGH FINAL COUPLINGS IN FILM ( HECKERLING UPHOLDS AUSTEN’S SENSE OF HIERARCHY. ( TELEOLOGY REFUTED. o Although idea of ‘coupling’ in C does not lead to marriage (as in Emma), important to note fact that marriage, or at least a ‘wedding’ is the ideal and final goal for women. RE: final scene ‘I want sailor hats’ o In C weddings are deemed more important than marriage itself ( ‘you divorce wives, not children’; ‘husband number five’. o Although marriage is not equally valued in both contexts, the idea of DOMESTICITY is. In the C19th context of Emma, there was an up rise of the bourgeois and of their domesticity-based values. o This is also reflected in C WHEN Cher’s father values her for the menial tasks she performs in the home ‘ who takes care of the house? Who makes sure daddy’s had his orange juice? ’ LEADS BACK TO THE IDEAS OF FEMALE OPPRESSION AND THE REBUFFING OF THE NOTION OF TELEOLOGY. BOTH TEXTS ARE BILDUNGSROMANS o Both deal with the personal and character transformations of heroines. o Satirical social comment on composed contexts. o Transformation catalysed by male protagonist ( heroine has to submit to being wrong. CONTEXT CHANGED o Inherent themes same ( breakdown of high culture into POMO setting/society o COHERENT UNDERSTANDING OF E FOR SOCIETY EMBEDDED IN MATERIAL AVAILABILITY AND CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION. o CHANGE OF MOP ( reflective of context ( change of narrative voice to voice over o Omniscient 3rd person is visual language in CLUELESS o EG. Emma : ‘we’re just friends’ (in respect to Mr Elton o Omniscient 3rd person :’had it been 10x more, 10x less, her companions admiration for her would’ve remained the same’. o EG. Cher : ‘I have a way normal life for a teenager’ o Shot of her picking out her clothes from a motorised wardrobe. ? IRONY AND CONTRADICTION BETWEEN AURAL AND VISUAL. †¢ Both texts still satires of respective worlds. Conclusion. RE: POMO INTRO AND RELATE BACK TO QUESTION. ALL ABOUT VALUES AND ATTITUDES. HECKERLING IMAGINATIVE, ETC IN TRANSFORMATION OF TEXT BUT REMAINS TRUE TO AUSTEN’S PURPOSE ( TO QUESTION AND SATIRISE THE FOIBLES OF HUMAN NATURE. WHILST ADDING TO HER OWN; THROUGH THE TRANSFORMATION OF EMMA, HECKERLING HAS PROVEN THAT EVEN A ‘TEENPIC’ CAN BE VALUED, AND HENCE REINSTATES HER POST-MODERN BELIEFS WITHIN THE TEXT. EMMA AND CLUELESS CONTRIBUTE OT DEVELOPING AND RESHAPING THE VALUE OF EACH TEXT. EMMA ALLOWS CLUELESS TO BE VALUED, WHILST CLUELESS ALLOWS EMMA TO BE UNDERSTOOD AND ACCESSIBLE TO A COHORT GROUNDED IN A CONTEMPORARY CULTURE. How to cite Emma Clueless, Papers

Overview On Professional Ethics Acs Code Of Professional Conduct

Question: Discuss about theProfessional Ethicsfor ACS Code of Professional Conduct. Answer: Ethical Scenario The creation of code of ethics in an organization provides guidelines and acts as references to an individual when solving ethical dilemmas that may arise when carrying out the duties and responsibilities (Australian Computer Society, 2014). As a system analyst, I am supposed to uphold to the accepted ethical standards of an ICT professional before making any decisions. I will first analyze the accounts records and present them to the management. Next, I will have a discussion with management to persuade them to stop the deactivation process by explaining what may have caused them to be dormant in their engagement and participation with the organization. Deactivation of the account of the accounts is a risky step as we may end up losing some of the existing customers in our data records. Some of the customers maybe having genuine reasons as to why they are not active in the business programs. Such reasons may include personal challenges and financial problems that cause them to be do rmant for a long time. If the management accepts to implement my opinion of giving customers time to activate their accounts, I will contact and inform them about the situation and request them to frequently use their accounts to build a better customer relationship with the organization. If the management does not agree with my idea, I will move on with the deactivation process as instructed to avoid conflict of interest with the authorities. The main society value in the ACS document that have guided me in the situation is to be honest and impartial in every presentation, decision and action I take. Honesty facilitates the significance of reliable and credible knowledge and data presented to the management. The other ethical values include; professional development and competence, which enhances the respect and protects the stakeholders interest (Australian Computer Society, 2014). In this situation, competency skills to advice the management stop the deactivation of the accounts. Being ethical helps an ICT professional helps in promoting his/her moral behavior, prevents the negative effects that may applied on him due to misconduct and also assist one to uphold to the values of the organization and the society as a whole. In addition, observation of professional ethics facilitates accountability and integrity in the workplace. In addition, public trust in the ICT profession enhances public trust and encourage them to co ntinuously seek the services of this field (Australian Computer Society, 2014). References Australian Computer Society, (2014). ACS Code of Professional Conduct. Retrieved on Jan 7, 2017 from https://www.acs.org.au/.../acs/acs.../ACS%20Code-of-Professional-Conduct_v2.1.pdf Australian Computer Society, (2014). ACS Code of Ethics retrieved on Jan 7, 2017 from https://www.acs.org.au/content/dam/acs/acs-documents/Code-of-Ethics.pdf

Assembler Test Essay Research Paper Nick RobertsonAssembeler free essay sample

Assembler Test Essay, Research Paper Nick Robertson Assembeler Class: Take place trial 1.What are the four stairss of CPU executing are: 1 ) Fetch op codification or immeiate informations 2 ) increase IP 3 ) decode op and or put to death 4 ) travel to step 1 2.List all the 8086 registry province their prupose. Group them by general intent, indicating, and section. They are: General Registers: axAccumilator ( general purpose storage ) bxPointer to memory cxCounting ( input/output references ) dxData ( shop info about peripherals The chief intent of the above started registries is to incorporate the initaial information for, and the reslts of, arithmetic or logical instructions. Indicating Registers: diDdiestintaion index siSource index spstack arrow bpBase arrow The chief intent of the above stated registries is to indicate to other countries in memory. Segment- sc Code section dsData section ss Extra section The chief intent of the above stated registries is to keep sections of information. 3 ) List all the 8086 flags and province their intent. We will write a custom essay sample on Assembler Test Essay Research Paper Nick RobertsonAssembeler or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Group them by by province or control, they are: State Flags: State flags are so named becouse their values are influenced by the cherished intructions and reflect some pecularities as a consequence. AFAuxiliary CarryFlag CFCarry Flag OFOverflow Flag PDParity Flag SFSign Flag ZFZero Flag Control Flag: Control Flags are so named becouse their pupose is to command the executing of certain intructions. IFInterrupt Flag TFTrap Flag DFDirection Flag 4 ) Define Ram and Rom ROM # 8211 ; Read Merely Memory -Perminent non-volitale ( is kept at shut-down ) RAM # 8211 ; Random Access Memory -Changable -Volitable ( is non kept at shut-down ) 5 ) State and specify the three coachs used by the CPU. besides province if the coach is unidirectional or bidirectional. They are: Address-Bidirectional hardware Data -Bidirectional Sends info ( Carrys info every bit good ) Control-Unidirectional Mouse, Keyboard, etc # 8230 ; # 8230 ; 6 ) A plan that will take a individual figure numeric input from the computing machine, convert it to BCD, ass the figure, and end product the consequence to the proctor. .Model .stack 100h .code Start: mov ah, 01h Int 21h mov ax, 001h cmp Al, 09h Jnz convert ; jnz = leap non zero mov ax, 4C00h int 21h stop start Convert add ax, 01h ; add 1 if over 9 ret 7 ) State the difference between a macro and a process. Macro # 8211 ; Copies code a compilating / inserts Procedure # 8211 ; Jumps to in struction in memory 8 ) Give exaples of the following addresing manners: Register # 8211 ; mov ax, cx Indirect # 8211 ; mov ax, 6000h mov Ds, ax Direct # 8211 ; mov ax, [ 0123h ] Indexed # 8211 ; mov ax, [ bx + di ] 9 ) Specify the undermentioned assembly program directives: Extern # 8211 ; External to current codification Public # 8211 ; Can be called ( internal ) Global # 8211 ; Combination of both 10 ) For every # 8216 ; push # 8217 ; there is a # 8216 ; pop # 8217 ; 11 ) Write a plan that will code a twine by XORing one character with the following character in the twine. .Model tiny .Data grab dubnium # 8220 ; this # 8221 ; .code start: mov ax, @ information mov Ds, ax lea bx, grab lea Si, grab stinc: Iraqi National Congress Si xor [ bx ] [ Si ] ; [ T ] [ H ] Iraqi National Congress bx comp Si, 03h jne stinc mov ax 4ch int 21 stop start 12 ) Write a plan that will decode the plan you merely wrote. .Model tiny .Data grab dubnium # 8220 ; this # 8221 ; .code start: mov ax, @ information mov Ds, ax lea bx, grab lea Si, grab lea dx, toinc add bx, 04h add Si, 04h stinc December Si xor [ bx ] [ Si ] December bx cmp Si, dx jne stinc int 21 stop start 13 ) State the reference 5F32A of the following op-code as a metameric reference, a logical reference. Give the beginning reference and the section reference. 5F32and displacement to compensate 500000= F32A 14 ) List all the base-pointers registries and give the segmants that they can utilize. Label the default segmen register with each. Don # 8217 ; t bury about IP # 8211 ; Ip must partner off with Cs, sp with US Secret Service becouse these regiesters are involved in automatic CPU operations.Then you can partner off the all-purpose informations indicating registries BX, Di, and SI with the informations section registry DS # 8211 ; The IP offset register is ever buttockss to the CS section registry when turn toing codification memory. There is override available to the coder. # 8211 ; The BP or SP offset registry is automatically added to the SS section registry when stack opertions are in advancement. The coder may non overrule the automatic choice of SS with SP. The coder may overrule the automatic choice of the DS registry and utilize anyone of the other three section registries CS, ES, or SS. # 8211 ; Any offset measure utilizing registries BX, DI, and Si is automaticlly added to the DS base registry. The coder may overrule the automatic choice of the DS registry and utilize any one of the other three section registeres CS, ES, or SS. # 8211 ; The beginning registry DI is automaticlly used with the ES base registry when stringoperations are taking topographic point. The coder may non overrule the choice of Di with ES when threading operations are done. 15 ) Give an illustration of a struct that will hive away the informations for a individual age, tallness, and weight. HEALTH STRUCT age dw 0h height+dw 0h weight+dw 0h wellness terminals

The Battle of Waterloo essays

The Battle of Waterloo essays The Battle of Waterloo was the final and decisive action of the Napoleonic Wars that effectively ended the French domination of the European continent and brought about drastic changes in the political boundaries and power of Europe. Fought on June 18, 1814, near Waterloo, in what is now Belgium, the battle ranks as a great turning point in modern history. There are many reasons as to why Napoleon lost this battle. Most importantly it was due to his generals. Napoleon himself abandoned his troops and his throne after his defeat. The main problem as to why Napoleon lost the Battle of Waterloo is because he selected an ill-equipped group of generals to lead his army. He didnt have much control over this though. Berthier was dead; Mortier was ill; Andre Massena showed no interest in joining this conflict, and Baron Jomini was with the Allies. If this was not enough he placed the generals he had in places not suited for them. He put Soult as chief of staff, Ney on his left wing, and Grouchy on his right. A disastrous mistake was putting Ney in charge of the attack on Wellington. Napoleon seemed sluggish and waterloo and this was due to his illness. He failed to follow up on opportunities here and this was fatal due to his steady adversaries, Wellington and Blucher. Fault can be put to Napoleon too. He delayed in attacking Blucher at Ligny, failed to use Lobau in crushing him, neglected to pursue hi after he was beaten, been to attack Wellington on June 18, and failed to assign Ney the Imperial Guard as reinfor cements when they could have made a major difference. Soult had been a disaster as chief of staff, neglecting to coordinate the border crossing and, along with Napoleon, failed to send out orders to subordinates promptly and coherently. As well, Vandamme delayed at Gilly, Drouet wasted a day marching between Quatre Bras and Ligny, while Grouchys tortoise like pursuit of the Prussians was a ke ...

American Family and the Home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Family and the Home - Essay Example The results obtained from the 10 usable questionnaires are analyzed in this section. The data, represented in graphs and tables shows the perception of the respondents regarding American family and the home. The first question required the respondents to describe their families. The results indicated that the families are crazy; happy, funny and entertaining; big, loving, crazy and loud; dysfunctional; simple; large and crazy; small and successful; diverse; and divorced. Most of the families are crazy while a few are happy and successful. Most of the families are not very successful as they ought to be as some are dysfunctional.The second question asked: â€Å"What is the ethnic origin of your family?† The results were; Jamaican; Syrian, Native American; Italian, German, Irish, Puerto Rican; African-American; German/Irish; Caucasian; and White. This indicates that many of the families in America are of different origins with African-American, Italian and German/Irish tying at 20 percent.The third and fourth questions asked the role of the fathers and the mothers in the family. Results indicated that in more than 50 percent of the families. Fathers were the breadwinners and disciplinarians while mothers played the role of homemakers. Fathers play leadership roles while mothers are caregivers. Other respondents indicated that their fathers are absent possibly due to divorce thereby leaving mothers with the sole role of providing for the family, comforting them and leading them. Such mothers nurture the children.

Enterprise Resource Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Enterprise Resource Planning - Assignment Example "The ERP market showed solid organic growth in 2004 as IT spending improved," says Jim Shepherd, vice president of research at AMR Research. "The market was also affected by consolidation within the segment, as well as ERP vendors acquiring best-of-breed players to broaden their portfolios." The top ten ERP vendors by revenue are in the following order: SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft (acquired by Oracle December 28, 2004), Sage Group, Microsoft Business Solutions, SSA Global, Geac, Intentia, Lawson, Infor Global Solutions. The report, "The Market Analytix Report: Enterprise Resource Planning, 2004-2009", delivers revenue and growth rates for the top ERP players as well as growth forecasts through 2009. AMR Research expects the enterprise applications market to grow from $47.8 billion in 2004 to $64.8 billion by 2009. SAP has had a solid reputation and has been the market leader and its revenues grew from about $8 billion in 2003 to about $9.4 billion in 2004. That amounts to a 17 percent increase in revenue, with software licenses up by 20%. SAP reached these figures without any major acquisitions. Being a viable alternative to confused customers who were witness to the Oracle and PeopleSoft takeover saga, it benefited by luring their customers towards its products. When it is all said and done, SAP-owned 40 percent of the market for ERP software in 2004, says AMR, which predicts SAP will own 43 percent of the market by the end of 2005. To do this, SAP must grow revenues 11 percent this year to about $10.4 billion. The sap is growing very well and is expected to gain more than twice the revenue and market share of Oracle by the end of 2005.Before the hostile takeover of Peoplesoft by Oracle in 2003, PeopleSoft was the second largest ERP vendor with 13 percent of the market, and Oracle was a clos e third with about 12 percent of the market. In 2004, the combined market share of those two vendors dropped two percentage points to 22 percent, and in 2005, the combined Oracle-PeopleSoft will drop three more points to 19 percent of the market, according to AMR. Microsoft Business Solutions garnered a solid 13 percent from $683 million to $775 million, to claim 3 percent of the market. AMR sees the ERP division of the world's largest software company growing revenues by 15 percent in 2005, to $891 million, which would give it a 4 percent share.  

Business Law Assignment-Immigrants as employees Essay

Business Law Assignment-Immigrants as employees - Essay Example As a result, there have been calls for on employers to take action and responsibility in properly vetting their non-citizen workers. However, this has proved to be a challenge with these immigrants using loopholes to gain permits and other important valid documents. This expose elucidates the role of the employer in the issue of illegal immigrant employees and the problem of selective enforcement of immigration laws. In addition, the expose further looks at the rights of those employees who have worked in the country for long as illegal immigrants. Finally, the expose examines there is a justification in the immigrants’ quest for a better life and failure to follow and enforce the law when helping citizens of other nations. There is no doubt that employers should play a role in the enforcement of the immigration laws. However, the issue whether the employer should be the focal point while enforcing immigration laws is in itself debate since it illustrates failure in the systems concerning implementation of the immigrations laws. Case in point, while conducting the raid at Swift & Co., some of the illegal immigrants who worked in the company had valid documents with them. These valid documents included legal social security numbers of United States residents used by the immigrants to acquire work permits and gain employment at Swift albeit illegally (Herridge). Hence, once the employer, Swift Co. in this case, identifies valid permits issued due to valid social security number there is no need of victimizing them since there are loopholes that the illegal immigrant used. The basic pilot program is a crucial tool to ensure that the employers play their role in identifying illegal immigrants while employing them. Essentially, the program enables employers verify electronically whether non-citizens employed, or seeking employment, in the company are eligible for employment. This tool effectively becomes a crucial and

Puma Ag Rudolf Dassler Sport Marketing Essay

Puma Ag Rudolf Dassler Sport Marketing Essay Introduction The Report presents a comprehensive analysis of NIKE INC. NIKE was founded in January 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight and incorporated in 1968 under the laws of the state of Oregon. Its worlds leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Product/Service Nike produces a wide range of Footwear, Apparel and Sports Equipments. Nikes Wholly-owned subsidiaries include Cole Haan, Converse Inc, Hurley International LLC and Umbro Ltd Target Market Nikes target market for their shoes, clothes and other accessories are males and females between 18 and 35 years old. It also targets active and sporty people as it provides products for all kinds of sports. Goals and Objectives Nikes goal is to  carry on his legacy of innovative thinking, whether  to develop products that help athletes of every level of ability reach their potential, or to create business opportunities that set Nike apart from the competition and provide value for our shareholders. Management Philip H. Knight, Chairman of the Board of Directors Mark Parker, President Chief Executive Officer, NIKE, Inc. Charlie Denson, President, NIKE Brand INTRODUCTION NIKE was founded in January 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight and incorporated in 1968 under the laws of the state of Oregon. Its worlds leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Nike became globally recognized for its swoosh logo and its trademark slogan Just do it. Nikes Wholly-owned subsidiaries include: Cole Haan which designs markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats. Converse Inc which designs markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. Hurley International LLC which designs markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. Umbro Ltd is leading United Kingdom based global football (soccer) brand. http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/nke/description http://invest.nike.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=100529p=irol-newsArticleID=1380811highlight= http://www.ehow.com/about_6465548_nike-uses-endorsements-sponsorships.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc. THE MARKET ENVIRONMENT Geographical Market Nikes world headquarters is located near Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of Portland.Today Nike operates in more than 160 countries around the globe like U.S, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Americas. http://www.nikebiz.com/?sitesrc=emealp Business Nike specializes in Footwear, apparels and equipments. In addition to its namesake Nike brand, the company also develops and markets footwear and apparel products under the Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley International, and Umbro Inc which are nikes owned subsidiaries. http://www.nikebiz.com/?sitesrc=emealp Pest-G Analysis Nike is an international organization and needs to focus on macro environmental factors. Macro environmental factors comprise Political, Economics, Society, and Technology. http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/free-business-essays/nike-business-essay/ BCG Matrix Nike is established within its markets from economies of scale. Hence places them in the Cash Cows category on the BCG Matrix. Cash cows market growth has slowed and hence the products hold a fairly stable market share. http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/free-business-essays/nike-business-essay/ THE COMPETITION Main Competitors The main competitors of Nike are:- Adidas AG New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/42/42602.html Sales and Profit trends Adidas AG During the first half of the year 2010, Adidas sales are à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 5590 millions and profit is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2727 millions. There is an increase of 11% of sales and an increase of 20.2% of profit in 2010. http://www.adidas-group.com/en/investorrelations/financial_data/income_statement/default.aspx New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc At the end of the year 2008, the total revenue was 1640.00 M. http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/42/42602.html PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport At the end of year 2009, the total revenue was 3526.70 M. http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/91/91292.html Market share Adidas AG Adidas acquires 6% of the global athletic apparel market and 16% of the global athletic footwear market. New balance Athletic Shoes Inc New Balance Athletic Shoes acquires 6% of the global athletic footwear market. PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport Puma acquires 2% of the global athletic apparel market and 7% of the global athletic footwear market. http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Share Target markets Adidas Adidass target market is mainly the urban youth with the brand position and the potential target market is the principal consumption centers like the metros. http://www.scribd.com/doc/8760709/Adidas New Balance Athletic Shoes Inc New Balance target young consumers with the same zeal of its rivals http://www.answers.com/topic/new-balance-athletic-shoe-inc Puma AG By shifting their brand proposition Puma broadened their target market from solely sport to lifestyle and even fashion. http://www.nundroo.com/archives/000008.html THE COMPANY Sales and profit trends During the year 2009, Nikes sales were $2,583 million whereas in 2010 it is $2741 million. The profits earned during the year 2009 were $2216 million whereas in 2010 it is $2434 million. There is an increase of 6% in profits and 10% in sales in the year 2010. http://invest.nike.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=100529p=irol-finReporting Market share Nike is the clear market leader with 31% of the global athletic footwear market and 7% of the global athletic apparel market. http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Share Business sectors Footwear Nike specializes in athletic footwear particularly in running, cross-training, basketball, and soccer. It also sells sport-inspired casual footwear like its Air Force Ones footwear line. Nikes Footwear sales increased by 14% in 2009 reaching about $10.3 billion. Hence 54% of revenue comes from the footwear sector. Apparel Nike also sells sports apparel such as running shorts, t-shirts, and licensed apparel (with logos of college and professional sports teams). Apparel sales totaled $5.24 billion in 2009, a 0.2% increase from a year earlier. Equipments Nike also sells sports equipment such as balls, protective equipment, and golf clubs. Sales of Nike branded equipment has reached $1.11 billion in 2009 which resulted in 9.5% increase from 2008. Others Nike also sells apparel and footwear under the Nike Golf, Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley International, and Umbro brand names. http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Sharen Project focus Since Nike is specialized and famous in athletic footwear, I have selected footwear sector as my project focus. SWOT analysis http://www.quality-assurance-solutions.com/swot-analysis-nike.html THE COMPANYS MARKETING STRATEGY Segmentation According to Philip Kotler Market Segmentation is the subdividing of market into homogeneous sub-set of customers, where any subset may conceivably be selected as market target to be reached with distinct Marketing Mix. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() Nike segments the international markets by geographic location; the United States, the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Targeting A target market or target audience is a group of customers that the business has decided to aim its marketing efforts and ultimately its merchandise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_market Nikes target market for their shoes, clothes and other accessories are males and females between 18 and 35 years old. It also targets active and sporty people as it provides products for all kinds of sports. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() Positioning The process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positioning_(marketing) Nike products are easily available in different retail and outlet stores all over the world such as Sun and Sand Sports. Nike products are also available at their own Nike store online and Nike town. Differentiation/Low Cost Leadership/Focus Low price compare to its high quality products. Edge cutting products. E.g. Nike + iPod Cushioning technologies in its shoes. Patents all its new technologies Growth Strategy To create innovative products, amazing brand experiences, and premium retail destinations wherever consumers connect with NIKE. -Mark Parker, President and CEO, NIKE, Inc http://www.nikebiz.com/media/pr/2010/09/23_FY11Q1Earnings.html Generic strategy Nike uses network structure Nike implemented Differentiation Strategies THE MARKETING MIX Product Nike is trying to meet the consumer needs. Nike realizes that the clients could be participating in more than one sporting event and they need a huge range of products to meet all their sporting needs. The Companys innovation has added great value to its products. For example, there are some Nike shoes that have been installed with radio devices to measure runners pace. Nikes quality products, loyal customer base and its great marketing techniques all contribute to make the shoe empire a huge success. Some of the Nike shoes are Nike Jordon, Nike air force classic, Nike air max, Nike Shox etc. http://www.pickyourshoes.com/size/nike_air_forces.htm http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 http://shopping.aol.com/articles/2008/05/12/nike-shoes/ Price Nike has designed to be competitive to other fashion shoe retailers. Nike targets the consumers who accept product intimacy and thus care less about the product. This enables Nike to set pretty higher prices than its competitors. This strategy helps to push product perceived product value. Once the consumers develop product intimacy, they come to associate their person with the product and will pay whatever price quoted on the product with Nike logo on it. Nike uses the vertical integration pricing strategy in which the steps involved in the production and/or distribution of a product or service are controlled by NIKE, in order to increase that companys or entitys power in the marketplace. http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 http://www.suite101.com/content/audit-on-nikes-marketing-strategies-a94404 Place Nike shoes are sold in multi-brand stores and the exclusive Nike stores across the globe. Nike sells its product to about 20,000 retail accounts in the U.S. and in almost 200 countries around the world (http://www.suite101.com/content/audit-on-nikes-marketing-strategies-a94404) . The Company sells its products directly or it uses subsidiaries and distributors. It also sells its products through internet as it has its own online Nike store and Nike town. Because the company is located all over the world and it also uses licensed distributors because it is rather difficult to reach all those parts of the globe. http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 Promotion Nike has a number of famous athletes that serve as brand ambassadors such as the Brazilian Soccer Team (especially Ronaldino, Renaldo, and Roberto Carlos), Lebron James and Jermane ONeal for basketball, Lance Armstrong for cycling, and Tiger Woods for Golf. Sponsoring of events is another great promotional technique for Nike. Web sites are a great promotional tool as they cover these events. Events like Hoop It Up and The Golden West Invitational. Nike make the websites exclusively for a sport such as nikebasketball.com, nikefootball.com, and nikegolf.com http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 EVALUATION OF COMPANYS STRATEGIES AND TACTICS Evaluation of companys current position Strong brand recognition. Top endorser. Global leader in athletic shoe market. The swoosh is nationally recognized by 97 percent of the American population. Nike is leading the U.S. marketplace in athletic footwear. Through aggressive advertising, endorsements by the leading professional athletes in nearly every major sport, and a high-quality product, Nike has been able to sustain a competitive advantage. They continue to show growth in the athletic footwear industry. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/17947394/With-adidas-and-Reebok-Combined_-Will-Nike-Still-Crush-the Evidence of companys success (refer to the graphs in appendix) The total revenue during 2010 was $19014 million, a little less than the previous year. EPS performance of Nike has increased from $3.03 in 2009 to $3.86 in 2010. Return on invested capital has also increased from 17.8% in 2009 to 20.7% in 2010. The gross profit has increased from $8,604,400 in 2009 to $8,800,400 in 2010. The net income has increased from $1,486,700  in 2009 to $1,906,700 in 2010. Revenue distributions of Nike in international markets have increased from 49% in 2009 to 53% in 2010. Increased stock performance by 90% in comparison of SP 500. Nike has always remained on the preference list of athletes and athletic footwear was indeed the first category of products launched by the company more than 30 years ago. Today, you can see the craze for its products, not only among athletes, but also among golfers and other sportspeople. http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/10/100529/nike-ar-20100804/index.html#select_financials Prospects for future growth/success. Offer economical price to variable consumers around the world. Open up more stores and franchise to reach maximum buyers. Have more communication with their customers and receive feedback from them to help create imagine that Nike care for its customers. Come up with more new ideas of designing the shoes. CONCLUSION Nike, Inc. is a company rooted in competition. From equipping athletes with the finest sports equipment in the world to continuously improving their financial performance, Nike dominates its competitors. Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman probably could not have imagined in 1962 to what degree their $500 investments would yield in 2010. They did know that product quality and innovation would help athletes to achieve greater goals. It is one that has helped athletes and stakeholders alike to realize athletic and financial greatness. Despite a changing marketplace for athletic footwear, Nike wants to expand their product lines and marketing reach to become a more powerful global brand. Nike has existed for more than 35 years and is still willing to travel a long distance of popularity. APPENDICES 400px-Footwear_market_shares.png400px-Apparel_market_shares.pnghttp://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Share chart-revenue.gif chart-eps.gifchart-roi.gif chart-stock.gif chart-distrib.gif http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/10/100529/nike-ar-20100804/index.html#select_financials

Essays --

Ernest Hemingway uses the various events in Nick Adams life to expose the reader to the themes of youth, loss, and death throughout his novel In Our Time. Youth very often plays its part in war, and since In Our Time relates itself very frequently to war throughout; it is not a surprise that the theme of youthful innocence arises in many of the stories. In â€Å"Indian Camp† the youthful innocence is shown in the last sentence of the story: â€Å"In the early morning on the lake sitting in the stern of the boat with his father rowing, he felt quite sure that he would never die.† (19) When this sentence and the conversation Nick and his father have before they get on the boat are combined in thought it shows that because of Nicks age at the time that he does not yet understand the concept of death. Throughout the book youth has a complicated relationship with aging. This can be seen in â€Å"Three-Day Blow† when Nick and Bill are drinking, acting childish and just having fun. They talk about each others’ fathers and about missed opportunities even though they cannot really understand what they are...

Abortion Argument

The constant conflict over abortion in America has been a major social problem that started as an issue in our nation over two centuries ago. In the 1960's and 70's with the coinciding civil rights movement and women’s rights movement, abortion became the new national issue we still see today between two opposing sides. It is this struggle over whose deep rooted morals and beliefs are appropriate for our society that make the abortion issue such so controversial. First it is important to understand abortion and its history. Then to understand each side, their beliefs, the organizations tied to them, and their wishes for policies in our nation. We must look at the effects that both the mother and child must endure through the process. Then we must look at and understand the laws directed at abortion and why they were set in place. It is then with this information that we can acknowledge the effects and harm that abortion causes, and conclude an answer to this problem.On August 13th 2012 it was late term abortion day at Orlando Women’s Center. A woman arrived at the OWC to abort her twin baby girls. Her excuse was that she already had daughters and didn’t want have anymore. She was about twenty weeks along, but because it was twins, she was more than showing her progress. It only took a couple of hours for social media took hold of the situation. A man named John who original posted a photo of the woman began to get phone calls and emails from friends who had no idea abortions like these happen. Many offered financial help and many offered to adopt her babies.The woman ended up aborting the twin girls in her womb despite the generous help that was offered to her. She admitted that she didn’t want girls and that she had no compassion for the babies she was carrying. Through a two day process, she had to go into labor and deliver her babies into a toilet. Abortion like these happen all over the country every day, and it’s because of stories like this and a complete disregard for human life that abortion should be, in a sense, aborted itself. This essay considers whether the purpose of abortion is a solution by answering the following questions:1. What is abortion and who is involved? 2. How is the baby affected during the process? 3. How is the mother affected throughout the process? 4. What is our government doing about it?Understanding the history behind abortion, its process, and the effects of abortion to our women and children as well as our nation are very important. It highlights the complexity of abortion in the United States and the need for physicians, advocacy groups, and policymakers to implement the other choices woman can make to save lives, as well as enrich those around them. What is abortion and who is involved?It is important to know and understand abortion for what it is, to fully grasp the influence it can have on a woman. An abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus. There are several types of abortions: spontaneous, induced, therapeutic, elective or voluntary, unsafe, and medical abortion. Spontaneous abortion is the body naturally expelling the fetus because of complications produced in the stages of the egg needing to attach to the uterine wall. Induced abortion is a direct involvement by use of medical or surgical methods.Therapeutic abortion is considered necessary because of fetal anomalies, rape, or to protect the health of the mother whether it is physically or psychologically damaging to her. Elective or voluntary abortion which is the termination of the embryo by request for reasons other than physical or psychological damage, which is the same abortion that was described in the story at the beginning of this essay. Unsafe abortion is the termination of an unintended pregnancy by a person incapable of successfully continuing the pregnancy without harmful effects to the mother. Medical abortion is a non-surgical abortion th at uses drugs to terminate the pregnancy. (â€Å"Abortion,† 2013) There are several organizations that make it their goal to prove which side of the abortion argument is true.

the devil and miss. Prym essays

the devil and miss. Prym essays The Devil and Miss. Prym by Paulo Coelho Coelhos books has touched my soul. I can see all my guilt, fears, pain, and above all my love. His simple style leaves me questioning myself, do you follow the path of good or evil? The story ( told in third person ) takes place in Viscos, a village that is very far from civilization and unmarked on the map. A place where the people living know that they will be the last generation settled there. There are no children left, a place where every day is the same. All people from Viscos know that there is no chance to change anything in their monotonous day to day life. But change is on the horizon, Chantal Prym is young orphan girl who is working as waitress in local hotel. She is the youngest person in the town, with bright blue eyes, long brown hair and smile that never leaves her face. She is able to receive sympathy from everyone and her indecision made a lot of worries and problems for her. The character of Chantal showed me strategies on how to deal with serious life questions concerning how to decide which path I should chose to follow. For example, how do you judge people around you? How do live life easier than before? The story begins with old Berta. As the oldest inhabitant of the village she is always sitting outside her front door as she has done for fifteen years. She always had the ability to express her spiritual skills after the death of her husband but, for first time she has a feeling that something bad is going to happen. Berta has a terrifying premonition when she sees a stranger approaching the villages only hotel, not because he is alone but because he is accompanied by inner demons. As the stranger arrives he carries with him a backpack containing a personal notebook along with eleven gold bars. What his gift to the villagers is a choice between good and evil. The result is the paths chosen by the unassuming villagers once conf...

Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Symbolism with Examples Essay Example

Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Symbolism with Examples Essay Example Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Symbolism with Examples Paper Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Symbolism with Examples Paper Essay Topic: Literature Simile (Definition) Comparing things that at first dont seem similar using like or as or than Personification (Definition) Having a non-human object act like it is a person Metaphor (Definition) Saying one object IS something that it really cant be. Symbolism (Definition) Using a word to stand for something with a deeper meaning Metaphor (Example) Time is money. Personification (Example) The sun played hide and seek with the clouds. Simile (Example) She is as sweet as pie. Personification (Example) The stars in the sky blinked and winked. Metaphor (Example) She froze with fear. Symbolism (Example) Using a red rose to show love. Metaphor (Example) She has a bubbly personality. Symbolism (Example) Using a storm cloud to show something bad is about to happen. Simile (Example) The street felt as hot as the surface of the sun. Simile (Example) This pudding is as smooth as silk. Personification (Example) The leaves on the ground danced in the wind. Symbolism (Example) Using the sun coming out to show the bad times are over. Simile (Example) It flew as high as a kite. Metaphor (Example) The internet is the information super highway. Personification (Example) The teapot sang for me to take it off the stove Symbolism (Example) Using a road trip to show the protagonist is searching to find out about himself .

Impact of Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Impact of Business Ethics - Essay Example Most commonly, ethics affect the performance of business organizations by defining the extent to which they are trustworthy and honest, engage the community in making positive contributions to the community, and retain customer loyalty that contributes to the economic bottom line. In order to be successful in life, ethics plays a vital role. Companies who regularly partake in unethical business practices may be profitable for a season, but once word gets out that they have unscrupulous in many of the dealings, the public will likely abandon them. The issue, then, is for a business to clearly state their ethical code of conduct and then work hard to live up to those standards. The problem, however, is that large corporations often find it difficult to live up to the high expectations that its shareholders and the public have set for them. It is important, therefore, for concerned parties to understand sound business ethics in order to ensure and guard against failure in this area. According to Jennings (2012), corporate ethics provide pillars on which business operations are built upon. There are many different ways that a corporation can use sound ethical principles to contribute to their overall success. A product corporate social responsibility is one such way that this can take place. Corporate social responsibility involves a process of opening up and maintaining a solid manner of doing business that emanates from business ethics. Combined with this concept, it is way the corporation gets involved and participates in community issues. It has been determined that corporate social responsibility is an essential element in working to ensure the success of a business (Jennings, 2012). The reason why corporate social responsibility is a critical part of ethics in any given company rests in the fact it serves to strengthen the bond between the organization and society as a while. It works to gain the

Bank (money supply) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bank (money supply) - Essay Example Any government has the power and responsibility to regulate the economy of a country and not only does it regulate the economy, it has a vital role to ensure that the economic condition remains stable. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that all the aspects of economy maintain a stable level so that the country can grow and expand. Government regulates many things in an economy including inflation, exports and imports, prices of many vital commodities, and many important economic aspects. For example Government of England has entrusted the job of determining the monetary policy, in the hands of Bank of England. Bank of England looks into many other big issues. One of the most important issues is that of ensuring monetary stability in the economy, which can be achieved through a combination of stable prices of goods and services across the economy coupled with a low inflation level and level of confidence of the investors in the currency of the country. The Bank come s out with the monetary policy in order to ensure a certain key objectives like, delivering price stability with a low inflation level coupled with an objective to support the Government's economic objectives of growth and employment. Price stability is taken care of, by the Government's usual inflation target of 2%. There is a need to contemplate the crucial and critical role played by price stability in achieving the aforesaid economic stability, and in providing just the right conditions for a sustainable and longer living growth in output and employment. Chancellor of the Exchequer announces the Government's inflation target every year in the annual Budget statement. Though The 1998 Bank of England Act enables it to set interest rates independently, however, The Bank does hold accountability to the parliament and the wider public, which can not be refrained from. The legislation provides the government the power to instruct the bank on the interest rates issues for a limited per iod of time during emergency, for the sake of national interests. (How Monetary Policy Works) A target of 2% does in no way mean that inflation will be held at this rate constantly. That would be neither possible nor in any way desirable. Interest rates would be changing all the times, causing unnecessary volatility in the economy. Even then it would neither be possible nor feasible to keep inflation at any predetermined level, say 2% in each and every month continuously. Instead, the committee aims to set interest rates so that inflation can be brought back to target within a reasonable and imaginable span of time without creating undue instability and volatility in the economy. The government is also entrusted with the job of regulating property and commodity prices. To have a look into this in detail, we may need to analyze the factors that are generally responsibly for a rise in property prices. Before buying a house property, any buyer's first job is to assess the price of the property depending on the location, as location as a non-economic factor plays the biggest role in determining property prices all over the

Stockholder management versus stakeholder management Essay

Stockholder management versus stakeholder management - Essay Example Here, stockholders shell out the capital that the managers could use in order to realize specific goals. Friedman supports his arguments by certain important points. First, is that this classical view of stockholder management is in consonance with the free-enterprise system where a corporate executive is an employee of the stockholders and has responsibility â€Å"to conduct the business in accordance with their desires, which generally will be to make as much money as possible while conforming to the basic rules of the society.† (Friedman, p. 52) He stressed that a businessman who supports â€Å"social responsibility† in business is a mere rhetoric since it equates to an unadulterated form of socialism and against the concept of free-enterprise. Another salient point that Friedman elaborated on is that the managers of a corporation are just agents of the owners. â€Å"They are empowered to manage the money advanced by the stockholders, but are bound by their agency r elationship to do so exclusively for the purposes delineated by their stockholder principals.† (p. 66) Friedman’s essay is a treatise that discussed why it would be wrong for a particular managerial team to undertake social responsibility activities for the company since it is against the interest of the stockholders. The author underscored the fact that the company pays its dues to the society by paying taxes and whatever societal ills and deficiencies there are; it is the responsibility of a government. In A Stakeholder Theory of the Modern Corporation, Edward Freeman (1999) criticizes Friedman and his school’s arguments that a corporation must only take into consideration the profit of the stockholders because they own the company. His most important point is that the stockholder is not the only party who has a stake in the company and, hence, placing these other parties’ interest subordinate to

Ethical and Legal Challenges in Professional Practice Essay Example for Free

Ethical and Legal Challenges in Professional Practice Essay The American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics is available to clarify the ethical responsibilities for professional counselors and future professional counselors. According to the ACA (2005), â€Å"the code serves as an ethical guide designed to assist members in constructing a professional course of action that best serves those utilizing counseling services and best promotes the values of the counseling profession.† As a graduate student striving to achieve a Master’s Degree in Counseling, it is crucial, not only to know and understand the ACA Code of Ethics, but also to understand any challenges that I may have in upholding them as well as ways to address these challenges effectively. In this paper I examine a section of the ACA Code of Ethics that I find personally challenging, risk management strategies used to resolve this potential ethical conflict, and a section of the ACA Code of Ethics that will not present a challenge. Personally Challenging Ethics Code According to the ACA Code of Ethics (2005), section C.2.g Impairment, counselors are alert to the signs of impairment from their own physical, mental, or emotional problems and refrain from offering or providing professional services when such impairment is likely to harm a client or others. The ACA Code of Ethics (2005) section C.2.g Impairment also states that counselors seek assistance for problems that reach the level of professional impairment, and, if necessary, they limit, suspend, or terminate their professional responsibilities until such time it is determined that they may safely resume their work. Personal Relevant History In 2005, during my senior year of undergraduate school at The University of  Arizona, I was on the fast track to law school. I was on a full scholarship, earning a 4.0 grade point average, a resident assistant for the dorms, and a member of a co-ed pre-law fraternity. I had just completed my internship working for senator John McCain and had finished the scary LSAT. This is what my friends and family saw. In the background, I was struggling. During the weekends I was â€Å"hosting† parties, or rather people would just show up and throw their own parties at my residence. I was struggling to get out of bed in the morning and often came back home to take naps and miss my next few classes of the day. My grades were slipping and so was my ambition. I took it upon myself to see a psychiatrist and was prescribed anti-depressants. This medication changed my life for the worst. I did not even notice that things were spinning out of control as I maxed out my credit cards (I would just get new cards later) and making impulsive and risky decisions. I was losing sleep as I was either out socializing or home cleaning like a madwoman, and often had bouts of irritability. My boyfriend at the time (my current husband) called my parents and asked that I come home to Phoenix and receive help. So I had a medical withdrawal from school, returned home, and was provided with psychiatric help. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and informed that by taking antidepressants I was experiencing a manic episode. As stated by Griswold and Pessar (2000, p. 1347) while referring to bipolar disorder, â€Å"the use of tricyclic antidepressants should be avoided because of the possibility of inducing rapid cycling of symptoms.† So with a new diagnosis the process of trial and error with psychotropic and mood stabilizing medications and their unavoidable side effects began. Once I was on a stable medication and dosage, I felt like myself again. I got a job at a residential treatment center to work with adolescents that have mood disorders and had gotten into trouble with the law. I found my passion. It was a few years before I could return to school with a purpose. I was graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Family Studies and Human Development in May 2011 and the future goal of becoming a therapist. Future Considerations and Risk Management  Strategies I believe that under the Impairment ethics code, mood disorders are considered a mental or emotional problem that may impair the counselor affecting the way in which a counselor provides treatment to clients. Bipolar disorder does not disappear once one takes the necessary medication. â€Å"Medication alone is often inadequate to restore and maintain physical health and quality of life† (Rheineck Steinkuller, 2009, p. 339). Rheineck and Steinkuller (2009) recommend that those with bipolar disorder participate in therapy in conjunction with taking their effective medication. It would be myopic of me to assume that bipolar disorder will never affect me as a therapist. If I am not aware of my moods while I am having either a depressive or manic episode I may become irritable with or place my own perceptions onto a client. Ethically, to manage the risks involved with being a therapist who has bipolar disorder, I need to do more than take medication and participate in therapy. According to Biegel, Brown, Shapiro (2007), a therapist should practice self-care, including self-awareness and self-regulation or coping. I think that when I am practicing, it will be self-awareness that will assist me most in terms of risk management. As an unbiased observation of my inner experience and behavior, self-awareness could also serve as an alarm to signal that I need to take appropriate actions whether to notify my supervisor, limit, or suspend my professional responsibilities. When referring to self-awareness Corey, Corey, Callanan (2008, p. 44) state that without it â€Å"mental health professionals are likely to obstruct the progress of their clients as the focus of therapy shifts from meeting the client’s needs to meeting the needs of the therapist.† To assist with my self-awareness, I plan to utilize mindfulness. Mindfulness, as defined by Campbell and Christopher (2012, p. 215), â€Å"refers to a state of being aware, with acceptance, of thoughts, emotions, and sensations as they arise.† I currently practice various mindfulness exercises in therapy to assist with my mood disorder and coping strategies. To be a positive and healthy professional counselor I will continue with mindfulness exercises throughout my career and my life. I plan on practicing this daily, on my own time, so that I will be able to recognize when I am having moods or episodes that need to be addressed.  Mindfulness will be additionally useful, as â€Å"counselors need to be immediately cognizant of signs of stress and burnout and address these immediately to practice counseling ethically† (Bradley, Brogan, Brogan, Hendricks, 2009, p. 358). By being mindful and self-aware I will be able to identify the symptoms of stress and burnout as well as any number of potentially harmful feelings. Ethics Code that Does Not Present a Challenge According to the ACA Code of Ethics (2005), section C.2.f Continuing Education, counselors recognize the need for continuing education to acquire and maintain a reasonable level of awareness of current scientific and professional information in their fields of activity. The ACA Code of Ethics (2005) section C.2.f Continuing Education also states that counselors take steps to maintain competence in the skills they use, are open to new procedures, and keep current with the diverse populations and specific populations with whom they work. Personal Relevant History In my experience while working in behavioral health, training always has been emphasized and mandated yearly. During the four years that I spent working at a residential treatment center, I had accumulated more than 500 hours of training. While working at a group home for a year, I had gone through more than100 hours of training. In the past year while working as a youth and family specialist I have completed an additional 60 hours of training. Although I found many of the training sessions over the years to be fairly repetitive, there were also several trainings providing completely new knowledge to me and therefore effective to assisting me while working with clients. Examples of recent effective trainings include crisis prevention intervention, compassion fatigue, cognitive behavioral therapy for children and adults, and behavioral health documentation. Future Considerations According to the ACA Code of Ethics (2005), Preamble, inherently held values that guide our behaviors or exceed prescribed behaviors are deeply ingrained in the counselor and developed out of personal dedication, rather than the mandatory requirement of an external organization.† To me this statement means that as a professional counselor I will further my education  and knowledge of skills because I want to and not because an agency I work at mandates it. I do not believe that when one finishes school, they have completed learning, especially if they work in behavioral health. There are always new diagnoses, methods, and forms of treatment coming out that I want to be learn to better meet the needs of my future clients. In a mail-in survey study of 1000 licensed professional counselors conducted in 2009 pertaining to counseling grief stricken clients, Granello, Ober, Wheaton (2012) found that the majority of the participants stated they were unprepared when it came to speci fic skills and lacked knowledge to address those with grief. â€Å"Counselors who received training rated themselves as more competent than those who did not, with more training related to higher levels of self-perceived competence† (Granello et al., 2012, p. 158). Another study conducted by Jameson, Poulton, and Stadter (2007), involved 38 therapists and evaluated the effect of a two-year continuing education program on their knowledge, skills, and application. â€Å"The majority (74%) felt the training helped them think clearly and specifically, both about assessment issues and specific interventions† (Jemeson et al., 2007, p. 113). It is clear when reading these findings that further training can only help a professional to work with more specific needs of their clientele. Although all agencies have mandatory trainings, I have observed that there are hundreds of additional trainings offered yearly for any counselors who want to attend voluntarily. I plan to be a counselor who takes the opportunities offered to further educate myself, in order to improve myself and to provide my clients with a better and more knowledgeable version of me. Conclusion In summation, I have examined a potentially personally challenging section of the ACA Code of Ethics, risk management strategies that I plan to utilize, and a section of the ACA Code of Ethics that aligns with my personal beliefs. Examining my personal experiences and traits that may conflict with the ACA Code of Ethics, I am better preparing myself to prevent any effects they may have had toward my future clients. It is important to me that I continue to learn and apply the knowledge I gain in graduate school and additional educational settings to improve myself as a person and as a professional counselor. References American Counseling Association (2005). ACA Code of Ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author. Biegel, G.M., Brown, K.W., Shapiro, S.L. (2007). Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 1(2), 105-115. Bradley, L.J., Brogan, W.C., Brogan, C., Hendricks, B. (2009). Shelly: a case study focusing on ethics and counselor wellness. Family Journal, 17(4), 355-359. Campbell, J.C., Christopher, J.C. (2012). Teaching mindfulness to create effective counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 34(3), 213-226. Corey, G., Corey, M.S., Callanan, P. (2008). Issues and ethics in the helping professions ( 8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Granello, D.H., Ober, A.M., Wheaton, J.E. (2012). Grief counseling: an investigation of counselor’ training, experience, and competencies. Journal of Counseling and Development, 90(2), 150-159. Griswold, K.S., Pessar, L.F. (2000). Management of bipolar disorder. American Family Physician, 62(6), 1343-1353. Jameson, P., Poulton, J., Stadter, M. (2007). Sustained and sustaining continuing education for therapists. Psychotherapy, 44(1), 110-114. Rheineck, J.E., Steinkuller, A. (2009). A review of evidence-based therapeutic interventions of bipolar disorder. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 31(4), 338-350.

The Story Of Adam And Eve Theology Religion Essay

The Story Of Adam And Eve Theology Religion Essay Faithful Christians all around the globe believe in the same story that is presented in the book of Genesis in the Holy Bible; The Story of Adam and Eve. This story supports the creation of the first two humans to walk on earth and why we have the ability to sin. Not everyone believes this though, throughout the years there have been many different interpretations of the Adam and Eve story. The main types of differences in interpretations are: some people believe in the story, some think the story has no value, and some think there is another meaning to the story instead of the one we all describe now. With this taken into consideration, there are many interpretations of the story of Adam and Eve in Christianity that gives different insight to the story. Starting with the creation of this story, it is located in the book of Genesis. The story was created by the Samarians who passed it down to the Babylonians. The story states that there were two humans, Adam and Eve, who were created by God. God first created Adam. One day Adam told God he was lonely and wanted a companion. God then created animals to keep Adam company to take care of them. Adam again said he was still feeling lonely, so God took one of Adams ribs to create Eve. They were told to live in a garden called The Garden of Eden. This was a beautiful garden where everything was supplied for them to live and prosper. God had one rule only for them, to not eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, if they did there would be serious consequences. As Adam and Eve explore their new home Eve finds a serpent in the tree of knowledge, this serpent represents the devil. The serpent convinces Eve to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. Eve could have thought it was car eless fun and nothing bad would come of it. Giving into temptation may be fun at first, but the consequences are never worth it.(Campus Life,2001)Suddenly Eve starts to see the consequences of her action. Adam and Eve do not know they are naked at this time, but Eve soon realizes Adam and she are naked. She convinces Adam to eat the fruit with her and they both now have disobeyed God. God returns and finds Adam and Eve hiding in a bush. He asks them why they are hiding from him. Adam and Eve reply they are naked and need to cover themselves. God knows that they had eaten from the forbidden tree. God punished them by having each child born from Adam and Eve to be born with original sin. God also had them banished from The Garden of Eden and to live among the animals. This story has been around for thousands of years, meaning there are plenty of ways to interpret this tale. This shows that What we have sought to affirm through the centuries in pointing to the Genesis  storyƚ  is human solidarity.(Arraj Tumulty, pp.21) The literal interpretation of the story is one the most believed and most taught around the world. It states many things, first it says God created Adam and Eve in his own image. This is self explanatory since it is stated almost exactly like that in the text. As God takes the rib from Eve it shows that they will be joined together forever as God creates Eve in his own image. Once Eve was created she was considered the mother of all things living and Adam was considered the father. Basically, the story is saying they started all of humanity. Another literal meaning from the story is that Eve was deceived by the serpent who was the devil. This showed that the devil is always trying to tempt us to go his way instead of towards God. As we Christians move away from doing good works they are reenacting when Eve took the forbidden fruit. Once this was discovered God banished the devil from the Garden of Eden, therefore overcoming the serpent. In the end Jesus came and saved the Christians from sin by overcoming the serpent.This interpretation of the story is what people get from the text without going into greater detail of the meaning through the eyes of a faithful Christian. Some argue that the stories in the Bible are just for spiritual growth and comfort. Regarding the story of Adam and Eve, there are multiple signs that give people spiritual comfort. With the creation of Adam and Eve we were created in the image of God, showing that we are all equal and beautiful in the eyes of God. To show God our thanks Christians worship him in church, which also has come from God. Just like Adam, God , figuratively speaking, took one of his ribs and created a church. Which is now church considered Gods home, or the Mother of Spirits, and was built for our spirits to be forgiven. This directly relates to Eve who is the mother of mankind. As she was deceived by the devil so was the church. This made it harder for the Church to be spiritually reborn. Then Jesus arrived and overcame the devil and the church was reborn. This meaning is what is suppose to be taken from the story according to the Bible. The Bible warns us not to be literalistic. We should serve in the ne wness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. (Romans 7:6) (What The Bible Says About) Everything from the Bible is spiritual and good lessons of ways to live life. Spiritual and literal interpretations of the story of Adam and Eve both have valid points. Each gives a background taught to Christians around the world. One type of interpretation we dont hear often is how this story could be a story commemorating the two people who formed their first society. It seems Adam and Eve story in Garden of Eden could be an actual and normal event, and not the Creation story of Adam and Eve as the first couple on the surface of the earth, but rather the first couple who founded a tribe which their decedents were remembering them.(Gollestani, The Truth Shall) This makes sense, showing that Adam and Eve could have been nomads wandering until they found the perfect spot to develop a community. With a community comes rules and regulations. God could have been a nomadic leader or king that set the first ground rules of civilization. For example, no killing, no stealing, and a judgment before a prosecution must be held. Now the story of Adam and Eve was found ma nly from Mesopotamian tablets and the holy Bible. So the Mesopotamian people could have been the ones telling a story to show there thanks to Adam and Eve for the creation of their community. These show that this story could have actually been to thank the creators of a nation instead of having a true moral meaning. With science being one of the biggest phenomenons of the modern day, it helps us decide what is possible and what is not possible. Can science overtake the way people believe in religions today? Many scientists do believe this and even have a say in the story of Adam and Eve. As already known, people who are strict believers in only scientific means think that the world was created by the big bang theory and everything evolved from evolution. This is already against popular belief of most people in the world, since Christianity is believed by 2.1 billion people. Adam and Eve were created by God, in the image of God, and to start all mankind stated by Christian beliefs. As stated in an article by Christianity Today, Reports claim of recent genetic research that the human race did not emerge from pre-human animals as a single pair, as an Adam and an Eve. The complexity of the human genome, we are told, requires an original population of around 10,000.(Christianity Today, pp.61) This i nterpretation has no belief of religion or faith just the justification of science. Its hard not to believe in facts that have been scientifically proven. People have started to believe more and more in science and religion that they even started a new one called Scientology. Scientology believes in pure scientific means of religious beliefs. All Christians and other religions that believe in God, whole heartedly believe God is everything and would never do anything to harm us. In this interpretation of the Adam and Eve story , it seems that God setup Adam and Eve. The part of the story where God is explaining to Adam and Eve that they are not allowed to eat from the tree of knowledge, it makes it seem as if God wants them to eat from it. He plants this special tree in the middle of the gardenà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬on display.(Emerging Truths, 2011) It shows that God says not to eat from it but in reality he really wants Adam and Eve to eat from it. There is a point as stated by Emerging Truths that says God winked at the reader saying watch they will eat it right now. Continuing the story, the serpent was thrown in there to have someone tempt Eve into eating from the tree, if the serpent was not in the story then the curiosity of Adam and Eve would have gotten the better of them and they still would have eaten from the tree. Even though it is somewhat bizarre to hear that God was trying to purposely trick Adam and Eve into eating the fruit, it is another way to view a legendary story with many interpretations. The story of Adam and Eve will stay alive for as long as this earth is still spinning. As one of the cornerstones of the human race, it is hard to forget something like that. Five interpretations for this story are very little compared to the amount of information and opinions out there. The truth of the matter is we will never know what the true meaning of this story was. It is good to have different views on the story so everyone can use it for self improvement and entertainment. The people who created it have a meaning and it is up to us to take it how we want. As the Bible stated, do not take the stories literally. The story of Adam and Eve will always be around to interpret by generations to come.

Establishing Excellence Essay -- American History, Colonists

The year 1620 marked the beginning of a new nation. Regardless of where they lived, the early colonists seemed to have one thing in common a tough, rugged individualism characterized by an independent nature and a desire for self-government Emigrants from England set forth across the Atlantic Ocean, on the Mayflower, embarked on their quest for better life. The Pilgrims founded the Plymouth colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts in December of that year. Fear and danger masked their hopes and dreams while conquering obstacles such as starvation, disease, and harsh winters. Despite the fatalities at sea, the unexpected dangers of the new land killed nearly half of the original crew. The 53 who remained witnessed the first ever Thanksgiving the following autumn in 1621. William Bradford succeeded John Carver in 1622 as governor of Plymouth Colony. Finding themselves in an intolerable circumstance, some members separated from the Church of England and sought reform. The groups, known as the Pilgrims and Puritans soon found their way into the New World. The ostensible Puritans wished to purify their faith by applying the principles set by the Protestant Reformation (Settling for determinism, 2011, para. 1). They chose to remain within the Church of England and work for reform, and supported the belief of setting an example of biblical righteousness in and out of church. Their leaders, highly trained scholars knowledgeable of the Scriptures, sought to bring the Church of England to a state of purity that matched Christianity in the same way Christ had (Settling for determinism, 2011, para. 3). The Puritans strongly emphasized the communal righteousness of their entire congregation before God. Although the Puritans came to America for relig... ...dom he longs for. Irving’s piece incorporates many elements of the new American romanticism: an emphasis on imaginations and emotions, an exultation of the common man, and an appreciation for external nature. â€Å"The Declaration of Independence† focuses on the oppressions of the tyrannical king. Through the whimsical and fictionist tale, Irving parallels the real struggles of the American Revolution. This found freedom accentuates the maturing and development of America whereas Rip stays the same good-natured, whimsical fellow. Oliver Wendell Holmes' figurative poem entitled "Old Ironsides", written in 1830, strikes a chord with the patriotic masses of a young America. Within this poem, Holmes patriotically protests the decision of the Secretary of Navy to destroy the fighting ship the USS Constitution, popularly known as Old Ironsides. Establishing Excellence Essay -- American History, Colonists The year 1620 marked the beginning of a new nation. Regardless of where they lived, the early colonists seemed to have one thing in common a tough, rugged individualism characterized by an independent nature and a desire for self-government Emigrants from England set forth across the Atlantic Ocean, on the Mayflower, embarked on their quest for better life. The Pilgrims founded the Plymouth colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts in December of that year. Fear and danger masked their hopes and dreams while conquering obstacles such as starvation, disease, and harsh winters. Despite the fatalities at sea, the unexpected dangers of the new land killed nearly half of the original crew. The 53 who remained witnessed the first ever Thanksgiving the following autumn in 1621. William Bradford succeeded John Carver in 1622 as governor of Plymouth Colony. Finding themselves in an intolerable circumstance, some members separated from the Church of England and sought reform. The groups, known as the Pilgrims and Puritans soon found their way into the New World. The ostensible Puritans wished to purify their faith by applying the principles set by the Protestant Reformation (Settling for determinism, 2011, para. 1). They chose to remain within the Church of England and work for reform, and supported the belief of setting an example of biblical righteousness in and out of church. Their leaders, highly trained scholars knowledgeable of the Scriptures, sought to bring the Church of England to a state of purity that matched Christianity in the same way Christ had (Settling for determinism, 2011, para. 3). The Puritans strongly emphasized the communal righteousness of their entire congregation before God. Although the Puritans came to America for relig... ...dom he longs for. Irving’s piece incorporates many elements of the new American romanticism: an emphasis on imaginations and emotions, an exultation of the common man, and an appreciation for external nature. â€Å"The Declaration of Independence† focuses on the oppressions of the tyrannical king. Through the whimsical and fictionist tale, Irving parallels the real struggles of the American Revolution. This found freedom accentuates the maturing and development of America whereas Rip stays the same good-natured, whimsical fellow. Oliver Wendell Holmes' figurative poem entitled "Old Ironsides", written in 1830, strikes a chord with the patriotic masses of a young America. Within this poem, Holmes patriotically protests the decision of the Secretary of Navy to destroy the fighting ship the USS Constitution, popularly known as Old Ironsides.

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 5-7

5 AUGUSTUS BRINE He was an old man who fished off the beaches of Pine Cove and he had gone eighty-four days without catching a fish. This, however, was of little consequence because he owned the general store and made a comfortable enough living to indulge his passions, which were fishing and drinking California wines. Augustus Brine was old, but he was still strong and vital and a dangerous man in a fight – although he had had little cause to prove it in over thirty years (except for the few occasions when he picked up a teenage boy by the scruff of the neck and dragged him, terrified, to the stockroom, where he lectured him alternately on the merits of hard work and the folly of shoplifting from Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines). And while a weariness had come upon him with age, his mind was still sharp and agile. On any evening one might find him stretched out before his fireplace in a leather chair, toasting his bare feet on the hearth, reading Aristotle, or Lao-tzu, or Joyce. He lived on a hillside overlooking the Pacific, in a small wooden house he had designed and built himself, so that he might live there alone without having his surroundings seem lonely. During the day, windows and skylights filled the house with light, and even on the most dismal, foggy day, every corner was illuminated. In the evening three stone fireplaces, which took up whole walls in the living room, bedroom, and study, warmed the house. They offered a soft, orange comfort to the old man, who burned cord after cord of red oak and eucalyptus, which he cut and split himself. When he considered his own mortality, which was seldom, Augustus Brine knew he would die in this house. He had built it on one floor with wide halls and doorways so that if he were ever confined to a wheelchair he might remain self-sufficient until the day when he would take the black pill sent to him by the Hemlock Society. He kept the house neat and orderly. Not so much because he desired order, for Brine believed chaos to be the way of the world, but because he did not wish to make life difficult for his cleaning lady, who came in once a week to dust and shovel ashes from the fireplaces. He also wished to avoid acquiring the reputation of being a slob, for he knew people's propensity for judging a man on one aspect of his character, and even Augustus Brine was not above some degree of vanity. Despite his belief that the pursuit of order in a chaotic universe was futile, Brine lived a very ordered life, and this paradox, upon reflection, amused him. He rose each day at five, indulged himself in a half-hour-long shower, dressed, and ate the same breakfast of six eggs and half a loaf of sourdough toast, heavily buttered. (Cholesterol seemed too silent and sneaky to be dangerous, and Brine had decided long ago that until cholesterol gathered its forces and charged him headlong across the plate with Light Brigade abandon, he would ignore it.) After breakfast, Brine lit his meerschaum pipe for the first time of the day, crawled onto his truck, and drove downtown to open his store. For the first two hours he puffed around the store like a great white-bearded locomotive, making coffee, selling pastries, trading idle banter with the old men who greeted him each morning, and preparing the store to run under full steam until midnight, under the supervision of a handful of clerks. At eight o'clock the first of Brine's employees arrived to man the register while Brine busied himself ordering what he called Epicurean necessities: pastries, imported cheeses and beers, pipe tobacco and cigarettes, homemade pasta and sauces, freshly baked bread, gourmet coffees, and California wines. Brine believed, like Epicurus, that a good life was one dedicated to the pursuit of simple pleasures, tempered with justice and prudence. Years ago, while working as a bouncer in a whorehouse, Brine had repeatedly seen depressed, angry men turned to gentleness and gaiety by a few moments of pleasure. He had vowed then to someday open a brothel, but when the ramshackle general store with its two gas pumps had been put up for sale, Brine had compromised his dream by buying it and bringing pleasure of a different sort to the public. From time to time, however, a needling suspicion arose in his mind that he had missed his true calling as a madam. Each day when the orders were finished, Brine selected a bottle of red wine from his shelves, packed it in a basket with some bread, cheese, and bait, and took off for the beach. He passed the rest of the day sitting on the beach in a canvas director's chair sipping wine and smoking his pipe, waiting for the long surf-casting rod to bend with a strike. On most days Brine let his mind go as clear as water. Without worry or thought he became one with everything around him, neither conscious nor unconscious: the state of Zen mushin, or no-mind. He had come to Zen after the fact, recognizing in the writings of Suzuki and Watts an attitude he had come to without discipline, by simply sitting on the beach staring into an empty sky and becoming just as empty. Zen was his religion, and it brought him peace and humor. On this particular morning Brine was having a difficult time clearing his mind. The visit of the little Arab man to the store vexed him. Brine did not speak Arabic, yet he had understood every word the little man had said. He had seen the air cut with swirling blue curses, and he had seen the Arab's eyes glow white with anger. He smoked his pipe, the meerschaum mermaid carved so that Brine's index finger fell across her breasts, and tried to apply some meaning to a situation that was outside the context of his reality. He knew that if he were to accept the fluid of this experience, the cup of his mind had to be empty. But right now he had a better chance of buying bread with moonlight than reaching a Zen calm. It vexed him. â€Å"It is a mystery, is it not?† someone said. Startled, Brine looked around. The little Arab man stood about three feet from Brine's side, drinking from a large styrofoam cup. His red stocking cap was glistening, damp with the morning spray. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Brine said. â€Å"I didn't see you come up.† â€Å"It is a mystery, is it not? How this dashing figure seems to appear out of nowhere? You must be awestruck. Paralyzed with fear perhaps?† Brine looked at the withered little man in the rumpled flannel suit and silly red hat. â€Å"Very close to paralyzed,† he said. â€Å"I am Augustus Brine.† He extended his hand to the little man. â€Å"Are you not afraid that by touching me you will burst into flames?† â€Å"Is that a danger?† â€Å"No, but you know how superstitious fishermen are. Perhaps you believe that you will be transformed into a toad. You hide your fear well, Augustus Brine.† Brine smiled. He was baffled and amused; it didn't occur to him to be afraid. The Arab drained his cup and dipped it into the surf to refill it. â€Å"Please call me Gus,† Brine said, his hand still extended. â€Å"And you are?† The Arab drained his cup again, then took Brine's hand. His skin had the feel of parchment. â€Å"I am Gian Hen Gian, King of the Djinn, Ruler of the Netherworld. Do not tremble, I wish you no harm.† â€Å"I am not trembling,† Brine said. â€Å"You might go easy on that seawater – it works hell on your blood pressure.† â€Å"Do not fall to your knees; there is no need to prostrate yourself before my greatness. I am here in your service.† â€Å"Thank you. I am honored,† Brine said. Despite the strange happenings in the store, he was having a hard time taking this pompous little man seriously. The Arab was obviously a nuthouse Napoleon. He'd seen hundreds of them, living in cardboard castles and feasting from dumpsters all over America. But this one had some credentials: he could curse in blue swirls. â€Å"It is good that you are not afraid, Augustus Brine. Terrible evil is at hand. You will have to call upon your courage. It is a good sign that you have kept your wits in the presence of the great Gian Hen Gian. The grandeur is sometimes too much for weaker men.† â€Å"May I offer you some wine?† Brine extended the bottle of cabernet he had brought from the store. â€Å"No, I have a great thirst for this.† He sloshed the cup of seawater. â€Å"From a time when it was all I could drink.† â€Å"As you wish.† Brine sipped from the bottle. â€Å"There is little time, Augustus Brine, and what I am to tell you may overwhelm your tiny mind. Please prepare yourself.† â€Å"My tiny mind is steeled for anything, O King. But first, tell me, did I see you curse blue swirls this morning?† â€Å"A minor loss of temper. Nothing really. Would you have had me turn the clumsy dolt into a snake who forever gnaws his own tail?† â€Å"No, the cursing was fine. Although in Vance's case the snake might be an improvement. Your curses were in Arabic, though, right?† â€Å"A language I prefer for its music.† â€Å"But I don't speak Arabic. Yet I understood you. You did say, ‘May the IRS find that you deduct your pet sheep as an entertainment expense,' didn't you?† â€Å"I can be most colorful and inventive when I am angry.† The Arab flashed a bright grin of pride. His teeth were pointed and saw-edged like a shark's. â€Å"You have been chosen, Augustus Brine.† â€Å"Why me?† Somehow Brine had suspended his disbelief and denied the absurdity of the situation. If there was no order in the universe, then why should it be out of order to be sitting on the beach talking to an Arab dwarf who claimed to be king of the Djinn, whatever the hell that was? Strangely enough, Brine took comfort in the fact that this experience was invalidating every assumption he had ever made about the nature of the world. He had tapped into the Zen of ignorance, the enlightenment of absurdity. Gian Hen Gian laughed. â€Å"I have chosen you because you are a fisherman who catches no fish. I have had an affinity for such men since I was fished from the sea a thousand years ago and released from Solomon's jar. One gets ever so cramped passing the centuries inside a jar.† â€Å"And ever so wrinkled, it would seem,† Brine said. Gian Hen Gian ignored Brine's comment. â€Å"I found you here, Augustus Brine, listening to the noise of the universe, holding in your heart a spark of hope, like all fishermen, but resolved to be disappointed. You have no love, no faith, and no purpose. You shall be my instrument, and in return, you shall gain the things you lack.† Brine wanted to protest the Arab's judgment, but he realized that it was true. He'd been enlightened for exactly thirty seconds and already he was back on the path of desire and karma. Postenlightenment depression, he thought. 6 THE DJINN'S STORY Brine said, â€Å"Excuse me, O King, but what exactly is a Djinn?† Gian Hen Gian spit into the surf and cursed, but this time Brine did not understand the language and no blue swirls cut the air. â€Å"I am Djinn. The Djinn were the first people. This was our world long before the first human. Have you not read the tales of Scheherazade?† â€Å"I thought those were just stories.† â€Å"By Aladdin's lamplit scrotum, man! Everything is a story. What is there but stories? Stories are the only truth. The Djinn knew this. We had power over our own stories. We shaped our world as we wished it to be. It was our glory. We were created by Jehovah as a race of creators, and he became jealous of us. â€Å"He sent Satan and an army of angels against us. We were banished to the netherworld, where we could not make our stories. Then he created a race who could not create and so would stand in awe of the Creator.† â€Å"Man?† Brine asked. The Djinn nodded. â€Å"When Satan drove us into the netherworld, he saw our power. He saw that he was no more than a servant, while Jehovah had given the Djinn the power of gods. He returned to Jehovah demanding the same power. He proclaimed that he and his army would not serve until they were given the power to create. â€Å"Jehovah was sorely angered. He banished Satan to hell, where the angel might have the power he wished, but only over his own army of rebels. To further humiliate Satan, Jehovah created a new race of beings and gave them control over their own destinies, made them masters of their own world. And he made Satan watch it all from hell. â€Å"These beings were parodies of the angels, resembling them physically, but with none of the angels' grace or intelligence. And because he had made two mistakes before, Jehovah made these creatures mortal to keep them humble.† â€Å"Are you saying,† Brine interrupted, â€Å"that the human race was created to irritate Satan?† â€Å"That is correct. Jehovah is infinite in his snottiness.† Brine reflected on this for a moment and regretted that he had not become a criminal at an early age. â€Å"And what happened to the Djinn?† â€Å"We were left without form, purpose, or power. The netherworld is timeless and unchanging, and boring – much like a doctor's waiting room.† â€Å"But you're here, you're not in the netherworld.† â€Å"Be patient, Augustus Brine. I will tell you how I came here. You see, many years passed on Earth and we remained undisturbed. Then was born Solomon the thief.† â€Å"You mean King Solomon? Son of David?† â€Å"The thief!† The Djinn spat. â€Å"He asked for wisdom from Jehovah that he might build a great temple. To assist him, Jehovah gave him a great silver seal, which he carried in a scepter, and the power to call the Djinn from the netherworld to act as slaves. Solomon was given power over the Djinn on Earth that by all rights belonged to me. And as if that was not enough, the seal also gave him the power to call up the deposed angels from hell. Satan was furious that such power be given to a mortal, which, of course, was Jehovah's plan. â€Å"Solomon called first upon me to help him build his temple. He spread the temple plans before me and I laughed in his face. It was little more than a shack of stone. His imagination was as limited as his intelligence. Nevertheless, I began work on his temple, building it stone by stone as he instructed. I could have built it in an instant had he commanded it, but the thief could only imagine a temple being built as it might be built by men. â€Å"I worked slowly, for even under the reign of the thief, my time on Earth was better than the emptiness of the netherworld. After some time I convinced Solomon that I needed help, and I was given slaves to assist me in the construction. Work slowed even more, for while some of them worked, most stood by and chatted about their dreams of freedom. I have seen that such methods are used today in building your highways.† â€Å"It's standard,† Brine said. â€Å"Solomon grew impatient with my progress and called from hell one of the deposed angels, a warrior Seraph named Catch. Thus did his troubles begin. â€Å"Catch had once been a tall and beautiful angel, but his time in hell, steeping in his own bitterness, had changed him. When he appeared before Solomon, he was a squat monster, no bigger than a dwarf. His skin was like that of a snake, his eyes like those of a cat. He was so hideous that Solomon would not allow him to be seen by the people of Jerusalem, so he made the demon invisible to all but himself. â€Å"Catch carried in his heart a loathing for humans as deep as Satan himself. I had no quarrel with the race of man. Catch, however, wanted revenge. Fortunately, he did not have the powers of a Djinn. â€Å"Solomon told the slaves who worked on the temple that they were being given divine assistance and that they should behave as if nothing was out of the ordinary, so the people of Jerusalem might not notice the demon's presence. The demon threw himself into the construction, honing huge blocks of stone and hauling them into place. â€Å"Solomon was pleased with the demon's work and told him so. Catch said that the work would go faster if he didn't have to work with a Djinn, so I stood by and watched as the temple rose. From time to time great stones dropped from the walls, crushing the slaves below. While the blood ran, I could hear Catch laughing and shouting ‘Whoops' from the top of the wall. â€Å"Solomon believed these killings to be accidents, but I knew them to be murder. It was then that I realized that Solomon's control over the demon was not absolute, and therefore, his control over me must have its limits as well. My first impulse was to try to escape, but if I were wrong, I knew that I would be sent back to the netherworld and all would be lost. Perhaps I could persuade Solomon to set me free by offering him something he could attain only through my power to create. â€Å"Solomon's appetite for women was infamous. I offered to bring him the most beautiful woman he had ever seen if he would allow me to remain on Earth. He agreed. â€Å"I retreated to my quarters and contemplated what sort of woman might most please the idiot king. I had seen his thousand wives and found no common thread among their charms that revealed Solomon's preferences. In the end I was left to my own creativity. â€Å"I gave her fair hair and blue eyes and skin as white and smooth as marble. She was all things that men wish of women in body and mind. She was a virgin with a courtesan's knowledge in the ways of pleasure. She was kind, intelligent, forgiving, and warm with humor. â€Å"Solomon fell in love with the woman as soon as I presented her to him. ‘She shines like a jewel', he said. ‘Jewel shall be her name.' He spent an hour or more just staring at her, captivated with her beauty. When finally his senses returned, he said, ‘We will talk later of your reward, Gian Hen Gian.' Then he took Jewel by the hand and led her to his bedchamber. â€Å"I felt a strength return to me the moment I presented Jewel to the king. I was not free to escape, but for the first time I was able to leave the city without being compelled by some invisible bond to return to Solomon. I went into the desert and spent the night enjoying the freedom I had gained. It was not until I returned the next morning that I realized that Solomon's control over me and the demon depended upon the concentration of his will, as well as the invocations and the seal given to him by Jehovah. The woman, Jewel, had broken his will. â€Å"I found Solomon in his palace weeping one moment, then screaming with rage the next. While I had been away Catch had come to Solomon's bedchamber, not in the form that Solomon recognized, but in the form of a huge monster, taller than two men and as wide as a team of horses, and the slaves could see him as well. While Solomon watched in horror, the demon snatched Jewel from the bed with a single, talonlike hand and bit her head off. Then the monster swallowed the girl's body and reached for Solomon. But some force protected the king, and Solomon commanded the demon to return to his smaller form. Catch laughed in his face and skulked off to the wives' quarters. â€Å"Through the night the palace was filled with the screams of terrified women. Solomon ordered his guards to attack the demon. Catch swatted them away as if they were flies. By dawn the palace was littered with the crushed bodies of the guards. Of Solomon's thousand wives only two hundred remained alive. Catch was gone. â€Å"During the attack Solomon had called upon the power of the seal and prayed to Jehovah to stop the demon. But the king's will was broken, and so it did no good. â€Å"I sensed then that I might escape Solomon's control altogether, and live free, but even the idiot king would eventually make the connection and my fate would lie in the netherworld. â€Å"I bade Solomon allow me to bring Catch to justice. I knew my power to be much greater than the demon's. But Solomon had only the building of the temple by which to judge my powers, and in that example the demon appeared superior. ‘Do what you can,' he said. ‘If you capture the demon, you may remain on Earth.' â€Å"I found Catch in the great desert, wantonly slaughtering tribes of nomads. When I bound him with my magic, he protested that he had planned to return, for he was enslaved to Solomon by the invocation and could never really escape. He was only having a little sport with the humans, he said. To quiet him, I filled his mouth with sand for the journey back to Jerusalem. â€Å"When I brought Catch to Solomon, the king commanded me to devise a punishment to torment the demon, so that the people of Jerusalem might watch him suffer. I chained Catch to a giant stone outside the palace, then I created a huge bird of prey that swooped on the demon and tore at his liver, which grew back at once, for like the Djinn, the demon was immortal. â€Å"Solomon was pleased with my work. During my absence he had regained his senses somewhat, and thereby his will. I stood before the king awaiting my reward, feeling my powers wane as Solomon's will returned. â€Å"‘I have promised that you shall never be returned to the netherworld, and you shall not,' he said. ‘But this demon has put me off of immortals more than somewhat, and I do not wish that you be allowed to roam free. You shall be imprisoned in a jar and cast into the sea. Should the time come when you are set free to walk the Earth again, you shall have no power over the realm of man except as is commanded by my will, which shall be from now to the end of time the goodwill of all men. By this you shall be bound.' â€Å"He had a jar fashioned from lead and marked it on all sides with a silver seal. Before he imprisoned me, Solomon promised that Catch would remain chained to the rock until his screams burned into the king's soul – so that Solomon might never lose his will or his wisdom again. He said he would then send the demon back to hell and destroy the tablets with the invocations, as well as the great seal. He swore these things to me, as if he believed the fate of the demon meant something to me. I didn't give a camel's fart about Catch. Then he gave me a last command and sealed the jar. His soldiers cast the jar into the Red Sea. â€Å"For two thousand years I languished inside the jar, my only comfort a trickle of seawater that seeped in, which I drank with relish, for it tasted of freedom. â€Å"When the jar was finally pulled from the sea by a fisherman, and I was released, I cared nothing about Solomon or Catch, only about my freedom. I have lived as a man would live these last thousand years, bound by Solomon's will. Of this Solomon spoke truly, but about the demon, he lied.† The little man paused and refilled his cup in the ocean. Augustus Brine was at a loss. It couldn't possibly be true. There was nothing to corroborate the story. â€Å"Begging your pardon, Gian Hen Gian, but why is none of this told in the Bible?† â€Å"Editing,† the Djinn said. â€Å"But aren't you confusing Greek myth with Christian myth? The birds eating the demon's liver sounds an awful lot like the story of Prometheus.† â€Å"It was my idea. The Greeks were thieves, no better than Solomon.† Brine considered this for a moment. He was seeing evidence of the supernatural, wasn't he? Wasn't this little Arab drinking seawater as he watched, with no apparent ill effects? And even if some of it could be explained by hallucination, he was pretty sure that he hadn't been the only one to see the strange blue swirls in the store this morning. What if for a moment – just a moment – he took the Arab's outrageous story for the truth?†¦ â€Å"If this is true, then how do you know, after all this time, that Solomon lied to you? And why tell me about it?† â€Å"Because, Augustus Brine, I knew you would believe. And I know Solomon lied because I can feel the presence of the demon, Catch. And I'm sure that he has come to Pine Cove.† â€Å"Swell,† Brine said. 7 ARRIVAL Virgil Long backed out from under the hood of the Impala, wiped his hands on his coveralls, and scratched at his four-day growth of beard. He reminded Travis of a fat weasel with the mange. â€Å"So you're thinking it's the radiator?† Virgil asked. â€Å"It's the radiator,† Travis said. â€Å"It might be the whole engine is gone. You were running pretty quiet when you drove in. Not a good sign. Do you have a charge card?† Virgil was unprecedented in his inability to diagnose specific engine problems. When he was dealing with tourists, his strategy was usually to start replacing things and keep replacing them until he solved the problem or reached the limit on the customer's credit card, whichever came first. â€Å"It wasn't running at all when I came in,† Travis protested. â€Å"And I don't have a credit card. It's the radiator, I promise.† â€Å"Now, son,† Virgil drawled, â€Å"I know you think you know what you're talking about, but I got a certificate from the Ford factory there on the wall that says I'm a master mechanic.† Virgil pointed a fat finger toward the service station's office. One wall was covered with framed certificates along with a poster of a nude woman sitting on the hood of a Corvette buffing her private parts with a scarf in order to sell motor oil. Virgil had purchased the Master Mechanic certificates from an outfit in New Hampshire: two for five dollars, six for ten dollars, fifteen for twenty. He had gone for the twenty-dollar package. Those who took the time to read the certificates were somewhat surprised to find out that Pine Cove's only service station and car wash had its own factory-certified snowmobile mechanic. It had never snowed in Pine Cove. â€Å"This is a Chevy,† Travis said. â€Å"Got a certificate for those, too. You probably need new rings. The radiator's just a symptom, like these broken headlights. You treat the symptom, the disease just gets worse.† Virgil had heard that on a doctor show once and liked the sound of it. â€Å"What will it cost to just fix the radiator?† Virgil stared deep into the grease spots on the garage floor, as if by reading their patterns and by some mystic mode of divination, petrolmancy perhaps, he would arrive at a price that would not alienate the dark young man but would still assure him an exorbitant hourly rate for his labor. â€Å"Hundred bucks.† It had a nice round ring to it. â€Å"Fine,† Travis said, â€Å"Fix it. When can I have it back?† Virgil consulted the grease spots again, then emerged with a good-ol'-boy smile. â€Å"How's noon sound?† â€Å"Fine,† Travis said. â€Å"Is there a pool hall around here – and someplace I can get some breakfast?† â€Å"No pool hall. The Head of the Slug is open down the street. They got a couple of tables.† â€Å"And breakfast?† â€Å"Only thing open this end of town is H.P.'s, a block off Cypress, down from the Slug. But it's a local's joint.† â€Å"Is there a problem getting served?† â€Å"No. The menu might throw you for a bit. It – well, you'll see.† Travis thanked the mechanic and started off in the direction of H.P.'s, the demon skulking along behind him. As they passed the self-serve car-wash stalls, Travis noticed a tall man of about thirty unloading plastic laundry baskets full of dirty dishes from the bed of an old Ford pickup. He seemed to be having trouble getting quarters to go into the coin box. Looking at him, Travis said: â€Å"You know, Catch, I'll bet there's a lot of incest in this town.† â€Å"Probably the only entertainment,† the demon agreed. The man in the car wash had activated the high-pressure nozzle and was sweeping it back and forth across the baskets of dishes. With each sweep he repeated, â€Å"Nobody lives like this. Nobody.† Some of the overspray caught on the wind and settled over Travis and Catch. For a moment the demon became visible in the spray. â€Å"I'm melt-ing,† Catch whined in perfect Wicked Witch of the West pitch. â€Å"Let's go,† Travis said, moving quickly to avoid more spray. â€Å"We need a hundred bucks before noon.† JENNY In the two hours since Jenny Masterson had arrived at the cafe she had managed to drop a tray full of glasses, mix up the orders on three tables, fill the saltshakers with sugar and the sugar dispensers with salt, and pour hot coffee on the hands of two customers who had covered their cups to indicate that they'd had enough – a patently stupid gesture on their part, she thought. The worst of it was not that she normally performed her duties flawlessly, which she did. The worst of it was that everyone was so damned understanding about it. â€Å"You're going through a rough time, honey, it's okay.† â€Å"Divorce is always hard.† Their consolations ranged from â€Å"too bad you couldn't work it out† to â€Å"he was a worthless drunk anyway, you're better off without him.† She'd been separated from Robert exactly four days and everybody in Pine Cove knew about it. And they couldn't just let it lie. Why didn't they let her go through the process without running this cloying gauntlet of sympathy? It was as if she had a big red D sewed to her clothing, a signal to the townsfolk to close around her like a hungry amoeba. When the second tray of glasses hit the floor, she stood amid the shards trying to catch her breath and could not. She had to do something – scream, cry, pass out – but she just stood there, paralyzed, while the busboy cleaned up the glass. Two bony hands closed on her shoulders. She heard a voice in her ear that seemed to come from very far away. â€Å"You are having an anxiety attack, dear. It shall pass. Relax and breathe deeply.† She felt the hands gently leading her through the kitchen door to the office in the back. â€Å"Sit down and put your head between your knees.† She let herself be guided into a chair. Her mind went white, and her breath caught in her throat. A bony hand rubbed her back. â€Å"Breathe, Jennifer. I'll not have you shuffling off this mortal coil in the middle of the breakfast shift.† In a moment her head cleared and she looked up to see Howard Phillips, the owner of H.P.'s, standing over her. He was a tall, skeletal man, who always wore a black suit and button shoes that had been fashionable a hundred years ago. Except for the dark depressions on his cheeks, Howard's skin was as white as a carrion worm. Robert had once said that H.P. looked like the master of ceremonies at a chemotherapy funfest. Howard had been born and raised in Maine, yet when he spoke, he affected the accent of an erudite Londoner. â€Å"The prospect of change is a many-fanged beast, my dear. It is not, however, appropriate to pay fearful obeisance to that beast by cowering in the ruins of my stemware while you have orders up.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Howard. Robert called this morning. He sounded so helpless, pathetic.† â€Å"A tragedy, to be sure. Yet as we sit, ensconced in our grief, two perfectly healthy daily specials languish under the heat lamps metamorphosing into gelatinous invitations to botulism.† Jenny was relieved that in his own, cryptically charming way, Howard was not giving her sympathy but telling her to get off her ass and live her life. â€Å"I think I'm okay now. Thanks, Howard.† Jenny stood and wiped her eyes with a paper napkin she took from her apron. Then she went off to deliver her orders. Howard, having exhausted his compassion for the day, closed the door of his office and began working on the books. When Jenny returned to the floor, she found that the restaurant had cleared except for a few regular customers and a dark young man she didn't recognize, who was standing by the PLEASE WAIT TO BE SEATED sign. At least he wouldn't ask about Robert, thank God. It was a welcome relief. Not many tourists found H.P.'s. It was tucked in a tree-lined cul-de-sac off Cypress Street in a remodeled Victorian bungalow. The sign outside, small and tasteful, simply read, CAFE. Howard did not believe in advertising, and though he was an Anglophile at heart – loving all things British and feeling that they were somehow superior to their American counterparts – his restaurant displayed none of the ersatz British decor that might draw in the tourists. The cafe served simple food at fair prices. If the menu exhibited Howard Phillips's eccentricity in style, it did not discourage the locals from eating at his place. Next to Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines, H.P.'s Cafe had the most loyal clientele in Pine Cove. â€Å"Smoking or nonsmoking?† Jenny asked the young man. He was very good-looking, but Jenny noticed this only in passing. She was conditioned by years of monogamy not to dwell on such things. â€Å"Nonsmoking,† he said. Jenny led him to a table in the back. Before he sat down, he pulled out the chair across from him, as if he were going to put his feet up. â€Å"Will someone be joining you?† Jenny asked, handing him a menu. He looked up at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. He stared into her eyes without saying a word. Embarrassed, Jenny looked down. â€Å"Today's special is Eggs-Sothoth – a fiendishly toothsome amalgamation of scrumptious ingredients so delicious that the mere description of the palatable gestalt could drive one mad,† she said. â€Å"You're joking?† â€Å"No. The owner insists that we memorize the daily specials verbatim.† The dark man kept staring at her. â€Å"What does all that mean?† he asked. â€Å"Scrambled eggs with ham and cheese and a side of toast.† â€Å"Why didn't you just say that?† â€Å"The owner is a little eccentric. He believes that his daily specials may be the only thing keeping the Old Ones at bay.† â€Å"The Old Ones?† Jenny sighed. The nice thing about regular customers is she didn't have to keep explaining Howard's weird menu to them. This guy was obviously from out of town. But why did he have to keep staring at her like that? â€Å"It's his religion or something. He believes that the world was once populated by another race. He calls them the Old Ones. For some reason they were banished from Earth, but he believes that they are trying to return and take over.† â€Å"You're joking?† â€Å"Stop saying that. I'm not joking.† â€Å"I'm sorry.† He looked at the menu. â€Å"Okay, give me an Eggs-Sothoth with a side order of The Spuds of Madness.† â€Å"Would you like coffee?† â€Å"That would be great.† Jenny wrote out the ticket and turned to put the order in at the kitchen window. â€Å"Excuse me,† the man said. Jenny turned in midstep. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"You have incredible eyes.† â€Å"Thanks.† She felt herself blush as she headed off to get his coffee. She wasn't ready for this. She needed some sort of break between being married and being divorced. Divorce leave? They had pregnancy leave, didn't they? When she returned with his coffee, she looked at him for the first time as a single woman might. He was handsome, in a sharp, dark sort of way. He looked younger than she was, twenty-three, maybe twenty-four. She was studying his clothes and trying to get a feel for what he did for a living when she ran into the chair he had pushed out from the table and spilled most of the coffee into the saucer. â€Å"God, I'm sorry.† â€Å"It's okay,† he said. â€Å"Are you having a bad day?† â€Å"Getting worse by the minute. I'll get you another cup.† â€Å"No,† he raised a hand in protest. â€Å"Its fine.† He took the cup and saucer from her, separated them, and poured the coffee back into the cup. â€Å"See, good as new. I don't want to add to your bad day.† He was staring again. â€Å"No, you're fine. I mean, I'm fine. Thanks.† She felt like a geek. She cursed Robert for causing all this. If he hadn't†¦ No, it wasn't Robert's fault. She'd made the decision to end the marriage. â€Å"I'm Travis.† The man extended his hand. She took it, tentatively. â€Å"Jennifer-† She was about to tell him that she was married and that he was nice and all. â€Å"I'm not married,† she said. She immediately wanted to disappear into the kitchen and never come back. â€Å"Me either,† Travis said. â€Å"I'm new in town.† He didn't seem to notice how awkward she was. â€Å"Look, Jennifer, I'm looking for an address and I wonder if you could tell me how to find it? Do you know how to get to Cheshire Street?† Jenny was relieved to be talking about anything but herself. She rattled off a series of streets and turns, landmarks and signs, that would lead Travis to Cheshire Street. When she finished, he just looked at her quizzically. â€Å"I'll draw you a map,† she said. She took a pen from her apron, bent over the table, and began drawing on a napkin. Their faces were inches apart. â€Å"You're very beautiful,† he said. She looked at him. She didn't know whether to smile or scream. Not yet, she thought. I'm not ready. He didn't wait for her to respond. â€Å"You remind me of someone I used to know.† â€Å"Thank you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She tried to remember his name. â€Å"†¦Travis.† â€Å"Have dinner with me tonight?† She searched for an excuse. None came. She couldn't use the one she had used for a decade – it wasn't true anymore. And she hadn't been alone long enough to brush up on some new lies. In fact, she felt that she was somehow being unfaithful to Robert just by talking to this guy. But she was a single woman. Finally she wrote her phone number under the map on the napkin and handed it to him. â€Å"My number's on the bottom. Why don't you call me tonight, around five, and we'll take it from there, okay?† Travis folded the napkin and put it in his shirt pocket. â€Å"Until tonight,† he said. â€Å"Oh, spare me!† a gravely voice said. Jenny turned toward the voice, but there was only the empty chair. To Travis she said, â€Å"Did you hear that?† â€Å"Hear what?† Travis glared at the empty chair. â€Å"Nothing,† Jenny said, â€Å"I'm starting to go over the edge, I think.† â€Å"Relax,† Travis said. â€Å"I won't bite you.† He shot a glance at the chair. â€Å"Your order is up. I'll be right back.† She retrieved the food from the window and delivered it to Travis. While he ate, she stood behind the counter separating coffee filters for the lunch shift, occasionally looking up and smiling at the dark, young man, who paused between bites and smiled back. She was fine, just fine. She was a single woman and could do any damned thing she wanted to. She could go out with anyone she wanted to. She was young and attractive and she had just made her first date in ten years – sort of. Over all of her affirmations her fears flew up and perched like a murder of crows. It occurred to her that she didn't have the slightest idea what she was going to wear. The freedom of single life had suddenly become a burden, a mixed blessing, herpes on the pope's ring. Maybe she wouldn't answer the phone when he called. Travis finished eating and paid his bill, leaving her far too large a tip. â€Å"See you tonight,† he said. â€Å"You bet.† She smiled. She watched him walk across the parking lot. He seemed to be talking to someone as he walked. Probably just singing. Guys did that right after they made a date, didn't they? Maybe he was just a whacko? For the hundredth time that morning she resisted the urge to call Robert and tell him to come home.