How to write a methodology (2018) Dissertation Help

The most effective method to compose a methodologyDissertation Help To deliver how to compose a strategy, in the Methodology area of your exposition you need to legitimize and clarify your selection of strategies utilized in your exploration. You don’t anyway need to clarify the methodological methodologies that you could have utilized. As such, state why you picked the ones you did and don’t state why you didn’t pick the others that were at your disposal.How to compose a methodology?You may think about whether another person could without much of a stretch repeat your examination dependent on what you have remembered for this segment and in the reference sections. In this segment you need to clarify unmistakably how you showed up at your discoveries and state obviously why they are dependable and how they answer your examination questions or test the speculations on which your exploration was based.How to Structure the Methodology Chapter?Section I PhilosophyThis will manage the way of thinking which supports your exploration. You will set out the exploration worldview here. While there are a wide range of examination methods of reasoning you can embrace, three of the most well known are positivism, post-positivism and interpretivism. Each is appropriate for an alternate kind of study, and each includes various suspicions about the world (philosophy), how we realize that world (epistemology) and the idea of information. You may likewise be keen on: What is thesis and for what reason is it significant? The accompanying table summarizes key insights regarding every way of thinking, and should assist you with concluding which is generally valuable for your territory of study. PHILOSOPHYBRIEF DESCRIPTIONTYPE OF DATA/DATA COLLECTIONONTOLOGYEPISTEMOLOGY PositivismAims to reflect logical technique. Utilizations deductive thinking, observational proof and speculation testingQuantitative information, studies dependent on logical techniques, bigger example sets, numericThe world is goal and free of our emotional experienceThe world is comprehensible, and this information is transferable between operators InterpretivismAn way to deal with contemplating individuals, especially in sociologies, that begins from position that the topic is naturally unique in relation to non-human subjects.Qualitative information, abstract understanding, little quantities of respondents, nitty gritty assessments, textualThe world is reliant on the numerous abstract encounters of that world, and doesn't exist autonomously of experienceThere is no chance of ‘objective’ information on the world, the sum total of what we have are various encounters. Post-PositivismShares the principle presumptions of positivism, however takes a progressively relativistic perspectiveQuantitative, subjective, blended methodsThere is a goal world, yet information on it is sifted through the abstract understanding of people. Information is by its tendency halfway and limited by singular experienceSection II: ApproachHow to compose a technique Exploration Onion, Source: Saunders et al (2012) Here you should clarify the setting of your examination, its restrictions and explicitly answer the â€Å"w-† questions, which incorporate How, Why, What Where and WhenThe primary choice you are probably going to make is whether you will utilize subjective or quantitative strategies (or techniques which join both). Every strategy is related with an alternate way to deal with social occasion information. As a rule (there’s parcels progressively material accessible on the web in the event that you need to find out additional) you first need to choose whether you are going to work along comprehensively positivist, logical lines, beginning with a characterized speculation and testing this against the real world. Assuming this is the case, you are probably going to gather numerical information in sensibly huge amounts (at least 30) and running factual tests on this information. At the end of the day, you’ll be utilizing a quantitative way to deal with (do with gathering and controlling data).On the other hand, you may be progressively keen on investigating expansive territories, most likely to do with people’s encounters of, view of or enthusiastic responses to a subject, and glancing in detail at these reactions in the entirety of their wealth. By taking a gander at wide territories of premium, you are planning to create hypotheses about the zone you are researching. If so, you will embrace a subjective methodology (worried about examining printed reactions in detail).Finally, you should utilize a blend of the two strategies, and undoubtedly ‘mixed methods’ research is getting progressively well known. It’s especially valuable when you need to think about alternate points of view a subject, or put quantitative data into a vigorous true setting. Other Relevant Articles: 1. Would it be advisable for me to utilize Primary or Secondary Research? 2. The Steps associated with composing a Dissertation.Section III: Strategy and Research DesignIn this area you will diagram how you gathered your information; and you should clarify your decision for utilizing the techniques you did, for example, online studies, telephone reviews, up close and personal meetings, etc. How could you pick your sampleExplain the decision old enough gathering and ethnicity of your respondents. What inquiries did you pose and how have these contributed towards responding to your examination question or how did these test your theory which shaped the premise of your researchIt is in reality better to compose this toward the beginning of your exploration, with the goal that it very well may be changed if your strategies are not delivering the outcomes you need. Anyway as this isn't normally how theses are composed they are written looking back, at that point y ou should speak the truth about the imperfections in the plan. When composing or arranging this area, it’s great practice to allude back to your examination inquiries, points and destinations, and ask yourself whether what you are wanting to do is the most ideal approach to respond to the inquiries and accomplish the targets. It’s best to do this at a beginning period, instead of take a gander at the information you gathered and discover it doesn’t illuminate the points you needed to get some information about. Something else to recall is that you have to persuade the peruser that the outcomes you acquire are legitimate and solid. While talking about why you chose the strategies you did, you ought to be persuading that these techniques are the best ones accessible given what you need to achieve.Section IV: Data Collection and Analysis MethodsYou should clarify how the information was gathered (by what means) and afterward clarify the investigation devices you utilized. For instance, on the off chance that you were testing writings, or have a ton of subjective information are you utilizing semiotics examination, talk investigation, etc. In the event that you utilized programming instruments, at that point you should state what these were and why you decided to utilize these specific ones. In this segment you need to clarify obviously how you showed up at your discoveries and state unmistakably why they are solid and how they answer your exploration questions or test the theories on which your examination was based. . The decisions you made toward the start of your exploration study ought to have been helped by commitments from your chief. That being thus, composing the Methodology area will be the most straightforward piece of your dissertation.Section V: Ethics, Reliability, Validity, Generalizability and LimitationsFinally, your system ought to examine the accompanying: Morals †you have to clarify how you have considered the morals of your exploration, especially in the event that it incorporates human subjects. What steps did you take to ensure nobody included is hurt in any capacity (even minor ways) This conversation ought to incorporate how you managed issues of secrecy of information, and information assurance Reliability †that is, the degree to which your examination is dependable, in that the outcomes can be rehashed by different specialists at different occasions. To be educational, studies should be both dependable and substantial Validity †that is, does the investigation test what it sets out to testAre the measures you utilize ready to precisely evaluate what you need to take a gander at Generalizability †to what degree are the specific outcomes you acquired valid for other populationsNot all examinations are as generalizable as others, however you have to talk about how generalizable your outcomes are probably going t o be, and why. Confinements †at last, you have to recognize any manners by which the investigation was constrained. Was it limited to just a single nation, when information from different areas would be usefulOr were just individuals of a particular age met, when a progressively agent cross-segment of the populace would have yielded increasingly instructive outcomes Keep Reading: 1. Test Dissertation Methodology: Mixed Method Deductive Research 2. Step by step instructions to Structure a Dissertation: Chapters and Subchapters 3. Understanding Mixed Research Methods 4. Perfect Tips on Selecting your PhD Thesis Topic Outline Reviewer John-our site Admin Review Date 2017-08-20 Reviewed Item How to compose a methodologyDissertation Help Author Rating 5

Cottage Industries

Bungalow industry or home industry implies the assembling of products at home by hands, with little capital and taking things down a notch by the individuals from a family. Cabin enterprises are low maintenance or strengthening occupations. In the past house businesses assumed a significant job in the economy of our nation. They gave work to countless individuals. The annihilation of the cabin enterprises is one of the fundamental driver of destitution in our nation. Our own is a period of machine and huge scope industries.Yet even in the profoundly industrialized nation like Japan and Germany, a great extent of their enterprises are run in a ‘domestic' framework. In India bungalow businesses have a more significant part to play than some other nation. They can help a great deal in taking care of the issue of joblessness and destitution. For over four months in a year, our cultivators have no work to do. Bungalow ventures can give the cultivator helpful work during save time. T hat was the reason Mahatma Gandhi laid accentuation on restoring the withering house industries.Since Independence the nation, the administration also has been putting forth all potential attempts toward this path. Cabin enterprises have some genuine and viable focal points. They utilize lady work. They make the work cheerful and charming. There is no debasement and no misuse of the poor by the rich. In house Industries there is no dread of a fight between the work and plant proprietor. In far time Cottage Industries become the fundamental significance. Huge scope Industries give an obvious objective to the adversary planes for besieging Tom the air.Their annihilation may toss the entire financial structure of the nation out of the apparatus. Be that as it may, if Cottage Industries are efficient, the flexibly of the nation's needs can be kept up to enormous degree. House Industries can effectively finish with machine made merchandise, on the off chance that they are run on present day lines. Intermittent presentations of the great; produced by Cottage Industries and advancement of Co-employable framework are of extraordinary favorable position for their advancement. Co-usable framework can help in taking care of the issues of capital, crude material and showcasing then they would effortlessly withstand the opposition Large Scale processing plant creation.

No time for your stupid question.

No time for your stupid question. Posthumous isnt the right word, but its among my favorite in the English language and Im so dedicated to you, gentle reader, that I would indeed write a posthumous entry if I had to. This is the number one song in heaven. Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending the Ig Nobel awards ceremony in H****** Square. The Igs, sponsored by a bunch of Mensa nerds actual Nobel Laureates from both H****** and MIT, celebrate nontraditional research in a variety of disciplines. This year, awards were bestowed upon ten leading researchers from four different continents for answering some of the following questions: 1. Do people swim faster in water or in syrup? 2. What internal pressures are observed upon penguin defecation? 3. Are neutered pets somehow less happy than regular pets? 4. What about Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is most appealing to a common cricket? 5. How can we best improve our nations economy? 6. Why bother to photograph and retrospectively analyze every meal youve eaten over a period of 34 years? and the best part of this adventure was that it was totally free courtesy of my dorms IFAF allotment. The culture of the dorm is more-or-less floor-basedusually money is allotted by floor, so you tend to have study breaks and go on trips mostly with your floor. Because, I mean, its actual free money. As a result, most people end up becoming great friends with their neighbors early on in their MIT experience. So, to encourage bonding between floors, the housemaster set up an inter-floor activity fund whereby the entire dorm gets $3000 a term to plan activities that integrate two or more floor. Since this is also literally free money, we have to stage a battle to the death at an ExecComm meeting in late September to allocate the preciously limited funding. This year, Conner 2 was crafty enough to procure about $1000 of the funding, $30 of which went toward buying me this awesome ticket specifically so I could blog it for you. But I digress. Want to know the answers to the nagging scientific questions above? Battle on, reader. 1. Do people swim faster in water or in syrup? Professor Edward Cussler won the Ig Nobel in Chemistry (move over, Schrock) for proving, along with 20 student volunteers from the University of Minnesota, that humans swim equally fast in syrup and water. Before you ask, rest assured that backstroke, breast stroke, freestyle, and whatever the other one is were all tested thoroughly. In his mercifully brief acceptance speech (speeches longer than 60 seconds in length were interrupted by Miss Sweetie Poo imploring, Please stop. Im bored. Please stop. Im bored.) Professor Cussler explained that the reasons for this are complicated and left the stage with a flourish. 2. What internal pressures are observed upon penguin defecation? Dr. Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow of Bremen, Germany found out and won the Ig Nobel prize in Fluid Dynamics for this paper, which I can understand embarrassingly well after 10.301. Its good to know that you can model parts of the process as a Newtonian Fluid. The laureate also wore a t-shirt bearing this helpful diagram from his paper. 3. Are neutered pets somehow less happy than regular pets? Of course they are. This led Gregg A. Miller to develop Neuticles, a prosthetic testicular implant available in three sizes and three degrees of firmness. Though, in his own words, it took him a few months to get the ball rolling on the venture, just three years later he became the proud recipient of the Ig Nobel prize in Medicine. From a simple man with a dog and a dream to Ig Nobel laureate truly, Mr. Miller has shown that only a tireless commitment to an abstract ideal can produce truly inspiring scientific research. 4. What about Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is most appealing to a common cricket? Darth Vaders TIE fighter. Not enchanted? You must not be a cricket. The Ig Nobel Peace Prize went to Claire Rind and Peter Newcastle University for electrically monitoring the activity of a locust brain cell while showing the cricket selected highlights from Star Wars. This might actually be the most scientifically valid Ig Nobel awarded this yearby determining how the cricket reacted to different shapes and velocities, the researchers did make substantial progress in understanding the visual processes of insects. But, of course, showing Star Wars to a cricket can only help promote inter-species peace. 5. How can we best improve our nations economy? Mitra has been bothered for the past few weeks that although the MIT community has been abuzz with news of Professor Schrocks Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Robert J. Aumanns (MIT PhD 1955) prize in Economics has cone mostly ignored. Well, I say, what about Gauri Nandas Ig Nobel in economics? Nanda, a student resaarcher in the media lab has designed an alarm clock that runs away from you until its absolutely sure your awake. The little bugger has recieved quite a lot of national press, and now its invaluable contribution to our nations economy (by ensuring that people actually get up and go to work, thus doing something economical) has been recognized. The cool thing about the media lab is that you can make an alarm clock that runs away or a piece of clothing that changes color or a bumper air hockey table and, like, get your PhD in doing that. 6. Why bother to photograph and retrospectively analyze every meal youve eaten over a period of 34 years? Well, Im not sure this one has a clear answer, really. Dr. Yoshiro Nakamats, winner of the Ig Nobel in Nutrition, delivered perhaps the most inspiring and concise acceptance speech at the Ig Nobel ceremony: Life is long should be longer speech should be shorter Good night. Or perhaps this profound, almost poetic summation of the human condition merely seemed to be a brief moment of clarity amidst an opera dedicated to counting to infinite, programs being folded into paper planes and thrown at the stage (sometimes during the speeches of actual Nobel Laureates) and 24/7 speeches on animal morphology, primate locomotion, the purpose of life. The lattermost of these consist of speeches of 24 seconds that convey everything there is to know about a topic and then 7 words that summarize it in a manner that is understandable to everyone. Anyway, all this commotion left me with quite a favorable impression of Dr. Nakamats. Then some other people on my floor went to the free Ig Informal lectures and discovered some more about Dr. Nakamats, as well as getting the distinguished scientist to autograph their program for him: The toppled thinker is, of course, the international symbol of Ig Nobel. I guess somebody who was actually there should describe this, but in the mean time you can get an idea of it by checking out the good Doctors amazing CV. Apparently he wrote MIT on the chalkboard and asked what it stood for, then made Zach 08 stand up when he got the wrong answer. What did MIT actually stand for? I dont know. He concluded much more curtly than at the ceremony I attended: I have no time for your stupid question. Goodbye. The rest I can only describe via hearsay, but you can extrapolate from the content of this interview. And these quotes: I have a special way of holding my breath and swimming underwater-thats when I come up with my best ideas. Ive created a Plexiglas writing pad so that I can stay underwater and record these ideas. I call it creative swimming. these are snacks Ive invented, which I eat during the day. Ive marketed them as Yummy Nutri Brain Food. They are very helpful to the brains thinking process. They are a special mixture of dried shrimp, seaweed, cheese, yogurt, eel, eggs, beef, and chicken livers-all fortified with vitamins. Twice a day I take thirty-minute naps in a special chair Ive designed-the Cerebrex chair. It improves memory, math skills, and creativity, and it can lower blood pressure, improve eyesight, and cure other ailments. Special sound frequencies pulse from footrest to headrest, stimulating blood circulation and increasing synaptic activity in the brain. An hour in my chair refreshes the brain as much as eight hours of sleep. [Rather than being 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration as Edison suggested, genius is] 1 percent perspiration and 99 percent ikispiration. Now, more than ever, we have to have ikispiration. This means I encourage myself to go through my three elements of creation: suji, the theory of knowledge; pika, inspiration; and iki, practicality, feasibility, and marketability. In order to be successful, you must go through all three stages and make sure that your ideas stand up to all of them, which is ikispiration. Also, these days, the computer saves time and cuts out the 99 percent perspiration. Im so glad I had the opportunity to be in the presence of this magnificent man, however briefly and distantly. By the way, I am somewhat more benevolent than Dr. Nakamats and do have time for your stupid question I mean, dont be discouraged from commenting. Next up: camping!

The Exorcist Movie Analysis - 1886 Words

The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you!!! ... Father MerrinFather Damien Karras from the movie -The Exorcist- This quote had been said like 10 times in quick succession in the movie The Exorcist and may have the right to be the most influental and memorable quote of the movie. Of course in order to underline the variety of exorcism, the director of the film William Friedkin had to feature this quote out, which is actually a quote from Bible. But not only this one but also the other quotes -especially the obscene ones- have right to be the most memorable quotes from the best horror movie in 70s, The Exorcist. But why do people think its the best horror movie†¦show more content†¦Regan has no father figure around her, mother behaves her like a friend. A spoiled girl, without no authority at home, moreover experiencing an adolescence period, where she is available to change any time, must be the best candidate for a demon or evil, whatever. There is a belief that demons love lonely and desperate people and they get in their lifes while they are unhappy or not enough happy. Also there is another believe that this evil things happens mostly to the people without no faith or religion. Regan MacNeil: Mother? Whats wrong with me? Chris MacNeil: Its just like the doctor said. Its nerves, and thats all. You just take your pills and youll be fine, really. Okay? Regans mother was obviously an agnostic or maybe an atheist. When she noticed that Regan has some problems, she immediately took her daughter to a physchologist. These physchologists offered to get Regan checked by psychiatrists also because they thought her problems are more serious. And finally when pshyciatrists told Chris that they cant help her, they adviced to see a priest, which was a nonsense advice for an agnostic mother who doesnt believe in that kind of religious things. Could a priest save her daughters life, could he change something? Desperate mother had to try this final solution whether she believes in God or not. And it worked actually. The demon inside Regan was pulled out by the help of exorcism, by the help of priests, by the help ofShow MoreRelatedThe Exorcist Defines the Horror Genre Essay1482 Words   |  6 Pagesthe air around Hal loween, the film industry likes to fill in the holes between its major grossing seasons by filling the audience with fear. However, it was Christmas of 1973 that defined the new age of Horror, when William Friedkin released The Exorcist. According to Julia Heimerdinger of Academia’s online journal, Horror, as a whole, can be identified by its heavy emphasis on evoking emotion; specifically those emotions that make the audience feel uncomfortable (panic, shock, disgust, fear, etc)Read MoreGrief, Loss, And Loss1329 Words   |  6 PagesLikewise, Amelia’s house furthers the feeling of isolation. As pointed out in the lecture, Amelia’s house sits across an empty lot, and is surrounded on the sides by plant overgrowth. In addition to this literal isolation, the color palette of the movie further enhances the sense of loneliness by giving the house a figurative isolation. The dirt in the empty lot had an almost reddish brown color, which made the terrain seem very ho stile and desert-like. Not only did the isolation (both figurativeRead MoreSatanic Cults In The Late 1900s1041 Words   |  4 Pagestoward anyone they wanted to demonize. Fictional Literature In the late ‘60s a series of books with Satanic overtones became popular and made into popular films. Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin in 1967 was the first of these big bestsellers. The Exorcist by William Blatty followed in 1971, and The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson in 1977. All were all huge bestsellers and hit movies. The first two were fiction, but The Amityville Horror claimed to be true, even though there were portions of the bookRead MoreHorror Genre Dissertation6741 Words   |  27 Pages4. History of the Horror Genre PG. 5 - 9 - 5. Slasher Films and the Gender roles PG. 9 - 13 - 6. Comedy Horror PG. 13 - 16 - 7. Postmodernism and the Horror Film PG. 16 - 18 - 8. Case Study: Scream Vs. Scary Movie PG. 18 - 22 9. Conclusion PG. 23 Bibliography PG. 25 - 27 1. Abstract Page I have researched on the Horror genre, looking at when it begun, the decline in popularity it has foreseen and how it has been able to recreateRead MoreThe Changing Nature of Family Life in Contemporary Society Essay3339 Words   |  14 PagesLife in Contemporary Society From first attempts to transfer Horror fiction from the page to the silver screen, there have been moral panics in response to the horror genre. In 1973, The Exorcist (directed by William Friedkin, US, 1973) provoked outrage, and sections of the movie had to be removed in response to worldwide complaints and panic as to the overtly sexual and violent nature of its content, not to mention accusations of religious blasphemy. Similarly, throughoutRead MoreEssay Witchcraft Portrayed in Films6180 Words   |  25 PagesWitch films, witches are approached from a documentary point of view, but in a closer, more in-depth and on location way than Witchcraft through the Ages, which for the most part involved a series of filmed clips. My project draws not only on my own analysis of the four main films, but briefly discusses others that are similar, and includes theories about media content and consumption as well as comment on how witches have generally been portrayed horror films from a range of textbooks. I have alsoRead MoreAnalysis on Conversation Features. Differenfes Between British and American English16034 Words   |  65 PagesIt usually takes place in an informal context. That is why contractions, double negation, and use of extended forms stated as incorrect by the prescriptive grammarians can be found. Also in this group would be included regional dialects. 2 ANALYSIS In this part we are going to analyze the two scripts we have chosen. We have counted and classified the conversational features. In order to support the results, some tables are included. Both texts have similar characteristics, so we have explained

Underrated Questions on Paper Help

Underrated Questions on Paper Help Each assignment is made especially for each customer, on their very own demand. Write my term paper services are offered at custom writing businesses and sites online. The process is extremely easy. The precise first thing you ought to do is always to place an order. Actually, there's no way to really get your money back if you weren't satisfied since they require that you let them revise this, then in the event that you take a look at their policy, when they revise it you are essentially approving the paper. Whenever you're ready to get a research or term paper from us, we'll be prepared to go, regardless of what time of the day it is. Regardless of what you have to write, online help is always available, and you are able it! There's also a group of expert writers who write wonderful academic papers for you, simply speaking, our company can supply you the very best paper writing help. The actual men and women highly praise our essay help site. Our staff of highly professional writers are likely to possess the capacity which will help you. Our staff of exceptionally professional writers are likely to get the capacity that will assist you. Through the web, students may identify and locate the different writing businesses and sites readily available online. Some students are worried about the originality of papers they buy online, while some fret about their privacy or high rates. Not to say that everyone who doesn't enjoy a white bit of paper are uncreative, because that's patently not true. If you order from us, you can secure a draft of your paper to ensure your writer is heading in the correct direction. Not everybody adores a blank bit of paper. Since the cost of the last paper mostly depends on the kind of assignment and its academic level, different tasks need different rates. Rather than making paper from new raw material, waste paper is easily utilized to create new paper of high quality. So, you may rest assured your term paper service is going to be delivered by means of a pro. The entire procedure for manufacturing paper also uses up plenty of water and energy. Writing quality essays is the principal purpose of our services. Even the teaching tools and devices are changed since there are increasingly more innovative techniques today, helping and guiding each student in a better method. If you obey my simple parts of advice you will definitely get the desired scholarship. Fantastic education is given to children in the eleventh grade as it is necessary for the learner to be well conscious of everything before stepping into the important phase of education. Professional writing companies have every one of the specialists and tools required for an ideal paper performing. Students have plenty of Best essay writing service will help you save completely free time and get much better grades. One of the main reasons why they are constantly stressed out is that they always get too many writing assignments. New Ideas Into Paper Help Never Before Revealed The decision of the business paper should follow. Any type of research paper has a specific structure that's based on few titles. All business paper needs to have a title. Reviewing your research paper one final time can be deceptively complicated, and making certain your paper is totally polished is needed. Things You Should Know About Paper Help There are several different forms of research papers, and knowing which kind you might be writing is crucial. You ought to be passionate in earning your research paper so you may conceive ideas that are useful to your research. It is also simpler to compare the write my term paper services sup plied by the various writing companies online. Each and each of them is devoted to giving you the greatest possible research paper help available. As soon as that you want to be sure you're very very likely to have a whole research paper which will be written with all professionals, you might have to take own time to assess from the selection of spots in that you're well ready to track down the research papers. Although a lot of students need academic aid, not all of these ask for it. If you would like to get a research paper, online writing service like ours is exactly what you will need. When you would like to be sure you're very likely to have a whole research paper that is very likely to be written together with professionals, you might have to simply take time to check in the selection of areas in that you're well ready to find the research papers well-written. The Paper Help Pitfall The organization delivers unique top-notch papers, always delivered punctually. Our clients aren't required to cover papers they haven't seen yet. When it regards academic papers, at times it can not be possible to fulfill all deadlines and stick to high academic standards. Naming a new company is always among the most exciting early milestones in developing a small business. Nobody could ever get bored with making their very own hand-made cards. Certainly, you should applynot just in the correct area, but in addition in the proper way. All you have to do is follow our simple three step procedure and we'll do the remainder of the job. Irrefutably, a couple of help will really do.

Palm Island in Dubai Free Essays

The Palm Islands are artificial islands in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on which major commercial and residential infrastructure will be constructed. They are being constructed by Nakheel Properties, a property developer in the United Arab Emirates, who hired Belgian and Dutch dredging and marine contractor Jan De Nul and Van Oord, some of the world’s specialists in land reclamation. The islands are the Palm Jumeirah, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira. We will write a custom essay sample on Palm Island in Dubai or any similar topic only for you Order Now Each settlement will be in the shape of a palm tree, topped with a crescent, and will have a large number of residential, leisure and entertainment centers. The Palm Islands are located off the coast of The United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf and will add 520 kilometres of beaches to the city of Dubai. The first two islands will comprise approximately 100 million cubic meters of rock and sand. Palm Deira will be composed of approximately 1 billion cubic meters of rock and sand. All materials will be quarried in the UAE. Among the three islands there will be over 100 luxury hotels, exclusive residential beach side villas and apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities and health spas. The creation of the Palm Jumeirah began in June 2001. Shortly after, the Palm Jebel Ali was announced and reclamation work began. The Palm Deira, which is planned to have a surface area of 46. 35 square kilometres, was announced for development in October 2004. Construction was originally planned to take 10–15 years, but that was before the impact of the global credit crunch hit Dubai. The Palm Islands are artificial peninsulas constructed of sand dredged from the bottom of the Persian Gulf by the Belgian company Jan De Nul and the Dutch company Van Oord. The sand is sprayed by the dredging ships, which are guided by DGPS, onto the required area in a process known as rainbowing because of the arcs in the air when the sand is sprayed. The outer edge of each Palm’s encircling crescent is a large rock breakwater. The breakwater of the Palm Jumeirah has over seven million tons of rock. Each rock was placed individually by a crane, signed off by a diver and given a GPS coordinate. The Jan De Nul Group started working on the Palm Jebel Ali in 2002 and had finished by the end of 2006. The reclamation project for the Palm Jebel Ali includes the creation of a four-kilometre-long peninsula, protected by a 200-metre-wide, seventeen-kilometre long circular breakwater. 210,000,000 m3 of rock, sand and limestone were reclaimed (partly originating from the Jebel Ali Entrance Channel dredging works). There are approximately 10,000,000 cubic metres of rocks in the slope protection works. The first thing comes to my mind about all the wonders of the world is the amazing ability of the engineers and architects involved in their constructions to come out with something which finally turns to wonder of the world. I also think that they might be built to let people from all around the world know about the country or state where they are situated. Let us take Dubai as an example. This UAE state became so significant when we talk about superb modern construction since the launching of it’s famous Burj Al-Arab, a luxurious 7-star rated hotel. Then the name of Dubai continuously becoming well-known with numbers of modern constructions especially the unbeaten world’s tallest building,the 162-stories Burj Khalifa with 828-meter height which is almost twice the height of our Petronas Twin Tower, and also the unbelievable Palm Ireland. The Palm Ireland project was firstly thought as something impossible by some groups of people but the credibilities of the project planners are now proven with its accomplishment. The amazing ideas of constructing these crazy stuffs had drastically brought Dubai to world’s attention and this is a big bonus to it’s tourism sector. Hence, wonders of the modern world can be said as the tourist attraction to the country or state where they are situated. However, sometimes I do feel that it’s such a tragic obsession when Islamic countries and states like Malaysia and the famous Dubai are spending too much money on these constructions while Muslims in many regions of the world are suffering from the violence of the Jews. So, I think it should be a limit for these crazy projects and let us start focusing the nation’s wealth to show our concern to Palestinians and all discriminated Muslims from various countries. How to cite Palm Island in Dubai, Essay examples

Substance Abuse in the Workplace

As statistics by the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration show, workplace substance abuse is one of the primary problems that has greatly affected the productivity and spending of most organizations. Of the estimated more than 17.2 million substance abusers in 2005, more than 74.8 % were individuals belonging to the working class, a figure that keeps on increasing annually.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Substance Abuse in the Workplace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The increasing number of accidents caused by substance abusers has made the scenario worse, because of the nature of monetary losses associated with compensating accident victims, hiring of new employees, and reduction in the general productivity of an organization. As research findings show, almost 20% of workplace accidents are caused by substance abusers, as most substance abusers are more susceptible to occup ational injuries. In any working scenario, maintenance of accuracy and alertness is one of the factors that determines the success of any endeavors hence, the necessity of ensuring workplaces are free from substance abuse. Of all the abused drugs in workplaces, alcohol is one of the most common abused substances, because of its legality. Alcohol abuse is one of the most prevalent problem that posses many challenges to the success of most organizations, in the present cooperate world. As research studies show, annually, U.S. organizations loose more than $ 100 billion in form of compensations to alcohol other substance abuse related accident cases hence, leading to increased insurance premiums, and loosing of productive labor. The cost is even worse, when organizations add the costs incurred in diverting of organizational resources to functions that are not beneficial to the wellbeing of an organization. In addition to economic loses, alcohol costs organizations other expenses that a re hard to evaluate in monetary terms, for example, reduction in employee’s levels of motivation (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010, p.1). Considering this, it is very crucial for organizations’ management teams to formulate workable methodologies of dealing with the problem, it being the only way of ensuring such organizations remain competent, increase productivity, and protects its workers from effects of substance abuse. Of the approximated 17.2 million working substance abusers, approximately 15 million are alcohol abusers. Majority of these are heavy drinkers and are in full time occupations hence, a clear show of how much organizations suffer, because of substance abusing workers who perform poorly in their duties.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Most of heavy drinkers rarely attend work as required, as most of them are late for work either or completely ab sent because of intoxication (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010, p.1). For example, in the previous financial year, as reports by the human resource department show, almost 10% of all workers in my current organization attended work irregularly (because of alcohol intoxication) and almost 6% attended work while drunk. Closely associated with absenteeism is the rate in which alcohol abusers changed their occupations within short time spans. Job changes are a common practice among most alcohol abusers, as alcohol incapacitates them from maintaining the competence required in maintaining their current offices. Such job changes have greatly affected the general productivity of the organization, because from time to time the company has lost a cohort of productive workers to alcoholism. One funny thing with most alcohol abusers is that, they know what they are doing hence, once they discover the management knows their problem, most of them lay themselves off, before the management can devel op any measures to save them from their addiction. In addition to decreased productivity and losing of a productive cohort of workers, over the recent past the number of conflicts between managements and employees has risen steadily hence, causing very many managerial problems. As compared to the last financial year, over the recent past there has been a 34% increase in the number of conflicts between most drunk workers with supervisors hence, causing management problems, as most of these individuals are hard to deal with or handle. Another effect that has resulted from the ever-increasing number of drunken employees is the number of accidents caused by alcohol-intoxicated employees. Majority of alcohol-intoxicated employees perform poorly in their duties and do many faults hence, greatly affecting the level and quality of work output. Closely associated with poor performance is the increasing number of accidents resulting from carelessness, lack of adherence to instructions, and la ck of alertness of alcohol-intoxicated workers. Of all the accidents reported in the last financial year, 75% were cause by alcohol-intoxicated employees, making the organization to loose a substantial amount of revenues inform of insurance claims and replacing of broken machine parts. Generally, alcohol impairs individual’s ability to concentrate in their duties, perform work to desired standards, and attend work as required.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Substance Abuse in the Workplace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Considering this, it is crucial for an organization to formulate and implement strategies of helping its workers to avoid the vice, in an endeavor to ensure an organization achieves its desired goals as well as help its employees deal with their problems (Lemon, 2010, p.1). In an endeavor to safeguard an organization’s interests, it is important for an organization to formulate a nd implement a set of policies or laws to tame the vice. In formulating such policies, it is important to include all management teams, workers’ organizations and both the affected and not affected employees, regardless of their level in an organization. One primary factor that such policies should emphasize is the need for a safe and healthy working environment hence, the need to clearly define preventive actions that an organization can use to tame the vice. There is also need to define the duties and responsibilities of each worker as far prevention and avoidance of substance abuse is concerned. In addition, it is important for all individuals in an organization to note that, alcohol abuse affects every worker in one way or another, whether they are abusers or not. In formulating the policies, it is important for management teams to establish the real cause of any case of alcohol abuse in their organization, as this will set the foundation of solving the problem. Apart fro m other external factors for example, family stress that may make individuals to abuse alcohol, internal organizational factors may make workers to engage themselves in alcohol abuse. Some of these factors include isolation, lack of supervision, job stress, job satisfaction, and uncertainty in working periods. On the other hand, an organization should collaborate with the government and worker organizations when formulating any laws governing the handling of substance abusers. This should include the nature of penalties to be suffered by any individual who comes to work drunk, or boycotts work, because of alcoholism. Therefore, in formulating policies of taming the vice, it is also important for managements to ensure they consider all primary causes behind the practice, as this is the only mechanism of ensuring any adopted policies achieve desired results (Ghodse, 2009, p.1). In addition to policy formulation, organizations should develop education programs, whose primary goal shoul d be to familiarize supervisors and workers with clear facts about alcohol abuse.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There is need for any education program implemented to emphasize the significance of safeguarding one’s health, because of the importance of a sound mind individual to the wellbeing of individual, fellow workers, and an organization. Further, any educational program developed should help employees to formulate relevant intervention measures in case they are tempted to abuse alcohol or it should impart in employees intervention measures, which may be crucial in helping their comrades involved in the practice. It is important for all management teams to remember that, the working of an education program primarily depends on the laid down policies. This is because, without rules and regulations to be followed by employees, an education program may achieve little, because in an organizational setting, finding deviants is inevitable. Education programs can take many orientations, for example, employee assisted programs, and organized sensitization programs. Managements should ensu re that, all employees have the chance of accessing support systems, as this is one of the primary ways of ensuring that employees acquire the real facts and support, when dealing with alcohol related problems (Roman Terry, 2002, p. 1). Another mechanism that an organization can use to minimize cases of substance or alcohol abuse is by providing a good working environment. As research studies show, job stress, long working hours, and lack of job satisfaction are some of the primary reasons that make individuals to abuse drugs or engage in alcoholism. Organizations should create good working policies and practices, which should help to eliminate predatory factors that may make individuals to engage in alcohol abuse. Although management teams should give organizational goals the first priority when formulating any working schedules, it is important for management teams to remember that, the success of any working schedule depends on its acceptance among workers. It is important form all work schedules to accommodate employees needs, as this is one of the primary mechanisms of motivating employees. On the other hand, it is crucial for managements to adopt appropriate mechanisms of reducing likelihood of occupational accidents occurring, as this will ensure that, incase supervisors are not able to detect any drunk employees, the prevailing conditions can minimize chances of such an employee causing an accident. Generally, structuring of the working environment should involve the formulation of a corporate culture, whose main goal should be to minimize with any drug abuse habit (United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, International Labour Office, 2003, pp. 24-57). For the affected, although they may have made an organization to loose some revenue due to their addictions, it is important for an organization to have rehabilitation opportunities to these workers. This should the case because; various workers are alcohol abusers due to different r easons. Hence, denying them a rehabilitation opportunity means that, organizations are less concerned with their workers’ welfare, a fact that may lead to low motivational levels among workers. In addition, there should be no biases in provision of healthcare services to all employees, whether they are addicts or not. To ensure that these workers receive the required medical and psychological help, there is need for organizations to allow them to have paid sick leaves, and improved insurance coverage. As an employer promises job security to workers with no alcohol abuse problems, they should also promise job security to the affected class of workers, as this might help them to recover fast or quit their unethical practices. It is important for all employers to remember that, although substance abusers may have genuine reasons for engaging in alcohol abuse, such employees should not be exempted from any punishment once they violate any set rules governing substance abuse in an organization (Buck, Teich et al, 199, pp. 67-78). Adoption of appropriate workplace policies is of great significance when it comes to ensuring an organization achieves all its set targets. Appropriate measures of dealing with alcohol addiction can play a crucial role as far as promoting of workers’ level of confidence and motivation is concerned. In addition to promoting workers motivational levels, adoption of appropriate policies can help to reduce the level of work absenteeism hence, increase the level of work output and productivity. Such policies also give an organization a chance of offering a hand in solving communal problems hence, creating of a good relationship with surrounding communities. Such relationships are good for the wellbeing of an organization, as this will create a favorable environment necessary for any business to thrive. On the other hand, the working of any policies adopted can help an organization to reduce its medical burden, as the numbers of ac cident cases are likely to reduce hence, increasing the viability competitiveness of an organization (Institute of Alcohol Studies, (n.d), pp.4-11). In conclusion, it is the duty of any organization to formulate and implement necessary measures of taming any likelihood of any case of alcohol abuse occurring. This is possible through an organization clearly defining rules or working policies that all employees must follow. In addition, to ensure all employees are well informed on the hazards of substance abuse, an organization should develop a system of educating or sensitizing its employees about the effects of their practices both to themselves and the an organization as a whole. Failure can be very detrimental to the wellbeing of an organization, because of the high levels of accidents, poor performance, and low level of motivation associated with alcohol abuse. Reference List Buck, J. A., Teich, J. L., et al.   (1999).  Behavioral Health Benefits In Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, 1997. Health Affairs, 18(2): 67-78. Ghodse, Hamid. (2009). Drugs and alcohol in the workplace. Web. Institute of Alcohol Studies. Alcohol and the workplace. IAS.  Web. Lemon, K. (2010). The effects of substance abuse in the workplace. Web. Roman, P. M., Terry, B. C. (2002). The work place and alcohol problem prevention.   National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Web. United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, International Labour Office. (2003). Alcohol and drug problems at work. Genà ¨ve: International Labour Office. Web. U.S. Department of Labor. (2010). Workplace substance abuse. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  Web. This essay on Substance Abuse in the Workplace was written and submitted by user Fletcher K. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Case Of Ufo On Earth Essays - Ufology, Roswell UFO Incident

The Case Of Ufo On Earth Essays - Ufology, Roswell UFO Incident The Case Of Ufo On Earth UFOs and Aliens on Earth If you had mentioned seeing a Unidentified Flying Object (UFO), or spaceship from another planet 100 years ago, you would probably be thought of as a raving lunatic. If you had mentioned one 50 years ago, the case would be thought about, but with much suspicion. Today, many people would believe you, and, if you had evidence to prove it, the government would take a very close interest in your case, yet many people would call you an idiot. Despite all the evidence that indicates UFO's exist, there are still many people who will not listen to any evidence, and the government covers up evidence and alters news releases on the subject. The Roswell case is one of the best documented, and most controversial UFO cases ever. In July of 1949, at a small airforce base in Roswell, New Mexico, a small, brightly glowing object was observed to crash land at about 11:30 P.M. There were many people who had seen the crash, and they had described that it was brighter, and fell much slower than any meteors they had ever seen. At St. Mary's Hospital in Roswell, two Catholic nuns, saw the crash, directly north of them, and logged the crash to have occurred on July 4, between 10:00 and 11:30 PM. Southwest of the base, Corporal E. L. Pyles looked to see what at first he thought was a shooting star, only it seemed to be to large to be one. He testifies that the crash happened about 11:00 PM also. There were many Military officers in the area who had seen the object as well. The object was appearing on military radars for many days before the crash. Before the crash, on July 1, all of the officers and technicians at the base had been tracking an unidentified object on their radars. Starting on July 2nd, Steve MacKenzie, who was stationed at Roswell, was ordered to report to the White Sands Proving Ground radar sites and report directly to the brigadier general at the base. The Brigadier General's orders were to inform him of all the movements the object made. At White Sands, there had been doubt as to whether this object was a malfunction of radar equipment, or, if it was in fact, real. So , the airforce had other radar sites in Albuquerque and Roswell look at the area on their radars. It was shown that they had, in fact, a real object. During the evening of July 4, the object changed. It was growing bigger, then shrinking back to it's original size, the blip was pulsating, then the blip grew quite large, and disappeared from the screen. Because sites in Albuquerque, White Sands and Roswell were tracking the object, the airforce had a vague location about where it crashed. The airforce then decided to launch a comprehensive search the following morning. The airforce, however, was the last to arrive at the site. A group of archaeologists being led by Dr. W. Curry Holden, had arrived earlier. One of the students recorded the object as a crashed wingless plane, with a flat fuselage. The archaeologists then left to inform local authorities of an aircraft accident. When the airforce arrived at the Roswell crash site, there were two other people exploring, a man named Ragsdale and a woman named Truelove. They had been collecting pieces of metal from the site, tossing it into their jeep . But, what they saw after that was much more significant. There were bodies, lying about. There were several of them, about four or five feet long. There were five in total, obviously not human. There were three dead bodies, one in critical condition, and one, apparently fine. They threw the debris clear of their jeep when the airforce started driving up, and got out of there as fast as they could because of fear of being arrested. When the airforce arrived, they looked around, and they saw the large craft in the side of the mountain, partly buried, leaning at about a 30 degree angle, with large pieces of debris scattered about. After the airforce had searched and photographed the area, they began cleaning up. The bodies

French Passive Constructions

French Passive Constructions Passive constructions are those in which a verbs action is performed on the subject, rather than the subject performing the action as in active (normal) constructions. The passive voice is the most common French passive construction, but there are a couple of others to watch out for as well. Other French Passive Constructions Passive Infinitive: Even though the French infinitive translates as to verb, the French infinitive sometimes needs to be preceded by a preposition. This is the case with the passive infinitive, which is commonly used with indefinite and negative words, such as Il ny a rien manger - Theres nothing to eat.Passive Reflexive: In the passive reflexive construction, a normally non-reflexive verb is used reflexively in order to express the passive nature of the action, as in Ça se voit - Thats obvious.Reflexive Causative: The reflexive causative (se faire infinitive) indicates something that happens to the subject, either per someone elses implied action or wish or unintentionally. Passive Reflexive in Detail In French (and English) it is preferable to avoid the passive voice. French has numerous constructions which are commonly used in place of the passive voice, one of which is the passive reflexive. The French passive reflexive is used in place of the passive voice in order to avoid naming the agent of a verb. The passive reflexive is formed with a noun or pronoun, then the reflexive pronoun se, and finally the appropriate verb conjugation (third-person singular or plural). In essence, this construction uses a non-reflexive verb reflexively in order to demonstrate the passive nature of the action. The literal translation of the French passive reflexive (something does something to itself) is strange to English ears, but its important to recognize this construction and understand what it actually means. Ça se voit. - Thats obvious.Ça saperà §oit peine. - Its hardly noticeable.Cela ne se dit pas. -  That isnt said.Ce livre se lit souvent. - This book is often read.Comment se prononce ce mot  ?  - How is this word pronounced?Comment à §a sà ©crit  ? (informal) - How is that spelled?Un homme sest rencontrà © hier. - A man was found yesterday.Un coup de tonnerre sest entendu. - A crash of thunder was heard.Les mà »res ne se vendent pas ici. - Blackberries are not sold here.Ce produit devrait sutiliser quotidiennement. - This product should be used daily.

America's Richest Men and Their Impact in the Country Research Paper

America's Richest Men and Their Impact in the Country - Research Paper Example Rockefeller soared to be the richest man in U.S due to the growing importance of kerosene and gasoline (Chernow, 1998, pp. 10) In 1853, his relatives shifted to Strongsville where he took a ten week course on book keeping and in 1856, he got his initial job as an assistant bookkeeper at the Hewitt & Tuttle firm. He worked long hours in that firm as he was delighted and was skillful in accounting and calculating the transport costs which later helped him in his career (Chernow, 1998, pp. 46-47). He earned $50 at the end of the month and donated 6% of these proceeds to charity. This donation later rose to 10% when he joined the Baptist church (Chernow, 1998, pp. 50) With his partner, Maurice B. Clark, in 1859, Rockefeller went into manufacturing commission trade where they raised a capital of $4000. From this, Rockefeller went into business gradually where he made money with each year (Segal, 2001, pp. 25). Together with his partner, they ventured into oil business where they first bui lt their company first in 1863 in â€Å"The flats† then moved it to the Cleveland’s growing Industrial area. The commercial oil trade by this time was in its young growing stage. Whale Oil was the only oil that was available and was very expensive and an alternative needed to be sought, a cheaper and all- purpose lighting fuel was needed (Chernow, 1998, pp. 73-74) Rockefeller later bought the Oil Company, which had started out as a partnership, in an auction. The company had started out as a partnership between him and the Clark brothers. He positioned his business and himself well to take advantage of the post –civil war successfulness and the large expansion of the territory westward which was nurtured by the constructions of the railway lines and a oil-fueled economy. He then sought for financing and reinvested the profits he gained and adjusted quickly to the changing markets (Segall, 2001, pp. 32, 35) In the 1890’s he flourished into iron ore and ore transportation. This then forced a conflict between him and his competitor steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Then he later went on a huge buying fling where he acquired leases for crude oil production in Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia (Segall, 2001, pp. 84) From his first salary, Rockefeller tithed 10%of his proceeds to the church and he increased his giving with increase in wealth. He gave to the benefit of learning and communal health causes, fundamental science and the arts too (Ordway, 2009, p 107). Together with his consultants he discovered the conditional funding, which necessitated the beneficiaries to establish the organization in the interest of many people and that thereafter the recipient may be relied on to achieve the people’s interests and their cooperation (Fosdick, 1989, pp. 88). He funded heavily a College in Atlanta for African-American women and also gave appreciable contributions to Denison University and other Baptist Colleges. This then shows that Rockef eller supported education in US. He even founded a General Education Board in 1903 to endorse learning in the country. This played an important role in improving the living conditions of society around him (Jones-Wilson, 1996, pp.184) Rockefeller then established the Rockefeller institute for Medical Research in New York City which would still make him one of the immense beneficiaries of

International finance case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International finance case study - Essay Example The will help the company gain competitive advantage over the global competitors. Though these benefits will exist but the company will face some financial issues that will be discussed in this report. Ruritania is a politically stable and economically developing country, but the currency of the country is not very stable. Four years ago, when the Crown, Ruritania’s currency, was allowed to float freely by the government, there was a large drop in its value. In the past, the Crown had a centrally managed exchange rate. This caused the currency to have a fixed rate against the foreign currencies. The value of the currency dropped sharply when it was allowed to float freely in the foreign market. This is the evidence that a very low demand for the Crown existed in the foreign market. A floating exchange rate is self-correcting, as it fixes the exchange rate according to its demand. Although the currency has shown stability now, but there is a risk of a drop in currency value in the future. This would cause the imports for the company to get expensive. If the company decides to purchase anything from foreign market, it will have to pay higher costs. If the company is importing raw material from another country, the price of the raw material will go up and the company will lose out. The final product of the company will also be priced higher because of the higher cost of raw material. This will cause the local competitors to gain a higher market share because they will be offering lower prices. The Crown faces risk in the international market right now because only one and a half year has passed since it has been stable against the major international currencies. Eighteen months is not a very long period to determine the stability of currency of a country. Therefore this lack of a hard currency will restrict the ability of the company to import raw material from the headquarters in UK. The country

Role of the MP in Representation

Role of the MP in Representation What is the role of an MP as a constituency representative in theory and practice? Abstract There is a debate as to the exact role of an MP as a constituency representative and whether that role may differ in theory from practise. This dissertation will explore the differing interpretations of the representative role that MPs perform. There are differing theories as to how that role should be performed and the ways that role is performed in practice. As shall be discussed the theories as to the constituency representative role of an MP have developed over several centuries and the practice has evolved along the same time period. Factors that affected the theory and practice of an MP’s constituency representative role include the development of modern political parties, the extension of the electoral franchise and the influence of the media on the political agenda or the expectations of the electorate. Originally MPs were elected as individual representatives of their constituencies based on very narrow electorates. Some MPs were returned without having to face electi on whilst others brought their seats or had them brought for them. The rationale of this work is to examine the way that constituency representative role has changed to reach its present theoretical and practical positions. The relative positions of MPs will also be explored; for instance MPs happy to be backbenchers or those that wish to gain ministerial positions. Introduction From Parliament’s beginning in the mid 13th century an MP would almost exclusively have represented the rich merchants or the land owning classes from which they themselves were nearly always drawn from. They would tend to represent the concerns of their peers within the constituencies as neither the nobility, neither the clergy nor the poor could vote for them. Parliament was subordinate to the monarchy with the House of Lords dominating the House of Commons except in the area of taxation were the Lords did not wish to accept the unpopularity that setting taxes caused (Morgan, 1993, p.172). Attention will be paid to the roles assigned to MPs by tradition, inclination and ideological differences. Over the centuries there have been arguments and debates as to who has the right to choose an MP and who exactly that MP should represent. Finally there is the debate as to the conduct of an MP, do they have the right to do as they wish or do they have to follow the wishes of the peop le that elected them (Birch, 2001, p. 93). From the start the House of Commons main purposes was to give the king taxes in times of war or when the country was threatened whilst also passing legislation to improve the administration of the country. Although the House of Commons was less important than the House of Lords even then there were the notion that MPs represented their constituencies and raised their constituents concerns in Parliament. Whilst the House of Lords represented the upper strata of feudal England, MPs represented the middle strata of the English nation (Silk and Walters, 1998, p.1). The development of the constituency representative role Through evolution, revolution, design and accident Parliament in general and the House of Commons in particular would greatly increase in significance and power making the theory and practice of an MP’s constituency representative role more contentious as well as more important. The man widely credited with inadvertently making the role of MPs as constituency representatives and the House of Commons more important was Henry VIII. Henry used Parliament to break with Rome and establish the Church of England. His chief minister Thomas Cromwell proved highly skilled at managing the House of Commons and may have understood the consequences of the change more. Even then potential conflicts between an MP being an effective constituency representative or merely there to do the government’s bidding could be detected (Schama, 2000, p.308). The political turmoil caused by the Reformation eventually led to the civil war and the Glorious Revolution. As a result of those events Parliament became politically dominant and the forerunners of modern political parties, the Whigs and the Tories emerged. Prior to the emergence of these parties MPs were elected as independent individuals free to vote or act in any way that they considered apt. They may have represented ver y small numbers of voters yet that was because the franchise was restricted as well as the criteria for standing as an MP. Even now MPs are elected as individuals even if the vast majority of voters pick who they vote for on the basis of political parties rather than on personal merit or views. MPs have the right to change their party membership after being elected although they cannot expect to be re-elected (Silk Walters, 1998, p.10). All MPs had to have their own wealth or have wealthy supporters, as they were not paid for being an MP. Lack of a salary meant there could always be the suspicion that MPs could accept bribes or incentives to represent other people aside from their constituents and thus act against their constituency interests or the national interests. British democracy was tightly restricted, women were completely barred from voting whilst the vast majority of men could neither vote or be elected. So this meant that nearly all MPs were not representing the people in their constituency even if they more representatives of the small number of voters. Britain in fact only obtained full universal adult suffrage in 1928 after more than a century of campaigns for electoral reform (Coxall, Robins Leach, 2003, p.7). Despite attempts at occasional radical reforms by Liberal and Labour governments changes to democracy have been like the approach preferred by the Conservative party, reform or change by evolu tion rather than revolution (Comfort, 1993, p. 122). As already mentioned prior to the emergence of a party system and the extension of the electoral franchise, MPs that in theory if not always in practice had more freedom in their parliamentary actions or voting. Although free to act in any way they saw fit MPs would often form groups with like-minded colleagues. Governments would also try to manage the House of Commons so the monarch could get the legislation or the taxes they needed approved. Loose parties or groups were often formed of those MPs that supported or opposed the government. Kings such as Edward I regarded MPs as two-way representatives. As well as representing their constituency they represented the government and the king in their constituency. Should any conflict arise between an MP’s role as a constituency representative and their position as a servant of the crown then the crown usually took precedence. If an MP had any doubts about that the government would force or persuade them to conform to its wishes (B irch, 2001, p. 102). Governments were at that point still run by the monarch in fact as well as in name. A strong monarch equated to strong government with Parliament used as or when it was needed. Whilst MPs did not have the same social, economic and religious status of the nobility, abbots and bishops that sat in the House of Lords they were part of the elite within society and were supposed to be representing that groups interests. At no point were they supposed to represent the common people. Henry VIII may have used parliament to increase his own power yet his policies altered the role and importance of parliament. The dissolution of the monasteries not only removed abbots from the House of Lords it was also the largest redistribution of wealth and land in English history that most benefited MPs, their relatives and friends yet sowing the seeds of future conflict between monarch and parliament (Morgan, 1993, p.284). The legislation associated with the reformation greatly increased the power of the monarch and even today any legislation that increases government power significantly or without just cause are still referred to as ‘Henry VIII powers’ (Silk Walters, 1998, p.152). Governments still needed majorities in parliament to pass legislation and the Tudors would resort to bribery, cajoling, making concessions and personal appeals to get what they wanted. Whilst the Tudors avoided serious conflicts with Parliament Charles I and his policies would lead to civil war and his overthrow. The commonwealth witnessed written constitutions military rule and a purely nominated parliament. In the end it was decided that a constitutional monarchy offered the best means of stable government. The 17th Century saw the start of political groups that would develop into parties, it also saw the failure of democratic movements, personal rule by the monarch and military rule (Morgan, 1993, p.374). The 18th Century saw the further emergence of the party system and a new position that of Prime Minister. With Prime Ministerial government came an increase in the number of MPs that were government ministers. Taking up a ministerial position reduced the amount of time that an MP could spend representing their constituents with however the gaining of power and prestige as an incentive to accept office. Parliament remained unreformed and the electoral franchise was actually narrower than it had been under the Tudors. No government made any attempt to reform the Pocket Boroughs were MPs happened to be picked by the rich and powerful to represent them or do exactly as they told. There were at least 300 such Pocket Boroughs in the general election of 1807. MPs elected by such means were not in a hurry to reform the House of Commons as this would more than likely lead to them losing their seats (Gardiner and Wenborn, 1995, p. 604). Rotten Boroughs were even more notorious for their corrup tion, the majority of them having no voters at all, only having voters on election days or voters bribed to vote for a certain candidate. Such practices meant some MPs had reality no constituents to represent and could act without restraint or fear of losing their seat. If the government happened to control the Pocket and Rotten Boroughs it meant they could not lose its parliamentary democracy (Gardiner and Wenborn, 1995, p. 664). After 1688 Britain had been dominated by Whig governments with a Tory opposition yet neither party wished to make the country more democratic. However there were radicals such as Thomas Paine that wanted democracy and therefore electoral reform plus an overhaul of parliament. Although Paine could not bring about reform in Britain he did influence the ideas of the American and French Revolution. Those who were opposed to reform contended that Britain had its own revolutions in 1642 and 1688 with Parliament dominating the constitutional monarchy and effectively representing the nation further revolution was not needed (Hobsbawm, 1962, p. 54). Prior to the French Revolution, the Tories sometimes argued the case for parliamentary reform and extending the franchise. Such reforms would not have changed the theory and practice of an MP role as a constituency representative but it offered pragmatic advantages for the Tories. Reforms were suggested both as a means to make elections fairer wit h elections less corrupt and as a means of breaking the Whig domination of government. Some considered the reforming of seat boundaries just as important for representative government as extending the franchise. After all the last redrawing of boundaries had taken place during the Commonwealth and had been abandoned with the Restoration (Gardiner and Wenborn, 1995, p.584). The French Revolution increased the divisions between the Whigs and the Tories with the former being more liberal and the latter more conservative. However both parties had a fear of Parliamentary reform leading to radicals taking over the country, better to have a well balanced responsible government elected by the few rather than a radical irresponsible government influenced if not directly controlled by the masses. The French Revolution gave an impetus to demands for democratic reform. The reformers arguing that MPs could hardly be effective constituency representatives when the majority of people could not vote for or against them. Reformers also pointed out that the archaic boundaries made a mockery of the claim that MPs were representatives of their constituents when some represented hundreds or thousands of voters and other MPs represented a handful of voters. In reality both parties were opposed to and feared radical democratic reforms as they did not believe that Britain sho uld become fully democratic. Democratic reforms were not enacted with enthusiasm but when Parliament believed there was no other option, it was better to adopt piecemeal controllable reform than suffer revolution (Eatwell Wright, 2003, p.54). The political elite in Britain especially the Whigs were more interested in protecting property rights and laissez faire economics than political reform or actually representing the poor and the working classes. The Tories were not keen on altering British society and economy either yet would gain greater benefit from electoral reform and extensions of the franchise than their liberal counterparts. That explains the reluctance of both parties to extending the franchise and making MPs more representative of the population as a whole and more willing to represent the interests of all or most of the people in their constituencies. As far as they were concerned MPs best served the nation’s interests by serving the interests of its social and elite to which they either belonged or aspired to join. For liberals governments were solely there to allow the capitalist market and system to function unhindered. Individuals were responsible for their own success or failure; they did not ne ed or deserve the right to vote if they failed. MPs should only represent the successful (Eatwell Wright, 2003, p.27). Some Liberals along with Conservatives were afraid that universal suffrage would lead to the majority of the masses ruling over the minority, if that minority knew better (Coxall, Robins and Leach, 2003, p. 228). Such attitudes were similar to those of Edmund Burke who believed that MPs should be left to govern or be in opposition to the government in the House of Commons, representing but not subservient to their constituents (Held, 1991, p.185). The extension of the franchise would eventually lead to changes in the theory and practice of an MP’s constituency representative role. Parliament was able to resist demands for its reforms and an extension to the electoral franchise until 1832. The political establishment had managed to avoid reform following the French Revolution in 1789. Yet the Great Reform Act of 1832 was enacted following the reform movements that sprang up after the 1830 revolution in Paris that threatened the establishment. Three years earlier, Catholic Emancipation allowed Roman Catholics to vote and stand for parliamentary election provided they met the monetary and property criteria for doing so (Hobsbawm, 1962, p.110). The 1832 Act also started the process of reforming the constituency boundaries to increase the number of MPs for expanding towns such as Birmingham and Manchester as well as London. The emerging and expanding towns were still represented by only two MPs whilst some of the old constit uencies had retained their two seats even if they now had only a tiny number of voters. Increasing the number of urban constituencies meant that winning those seats became more important to any political party wishing to gain and maintain political power. As towns expanded into cities their populations had increasing expectations of what their MPs should do for them. Urban expansion and industrialisation meant that the nature of the constituency and its population changed meaning practical if not theoretical changes to the constituency representative role of an MP. The role of an MP as a constituency representative therefore developed further as Britain’s society and economy developed and progressed. An MP particularly of an urban or industrialised constituency became involved with different issues than one represented a rural or rural constituency even if they belonged to the same party. Those opposed to radical reforms would stress that an MP not only represented his constituents he used his greater intellect and judgement to make the best decisions for them. Edmund Burke whose ideas strongly influenced modern conservatism stated that a bad or weak MP was one that sacrificed his views for those of his constituents that lacked his political knowledge or sound judgement. Burke who lived in an age when the party system was less developed would no doubt felt that MPs had the right if not a duty to go against their party if they believed that is the best course of action (Comfort, 1993, p.66). It became harder to ignore the working classes and the poor within any given constituency even if an MP did not have to gain their support as they had no voting rights for much of the 19th century. An MP would have to represent more of the people within their constituency than before. Industrial and economic development made the practice of an MP as a constituency representative altered as they wished to promote prosperity, employment and health amongst their constituents. The industrial revolution may have made the capitalist classes richer yet it also promoted political unrest, epidemics such as cholera, slum housing and industrial strife. In effect it made the business of government and representation more complex. These economic and social changes led to MPs and governments taking a greater role in monitoring or industrial safety. Even before the advent of the welfare state governments became increasingly keen on improving public health, housing and education provision. Constitue nts would increasingly encourage their MPs to use their representative role to grab bigger slices of government spending to improve their constituencies. From a cynical point of view it could be argued that an MP would happily take part in such measures as part of their role as a constituency representative. Promoting the prosperity and well being of their constituency is just doing their job and if they do it well it improves their chances of re-election at the next general election. Limits to the constituency representative role On the other hand it could be argued that an MP should be a constituency representative to everybody in that constituency whether or not they voted for that MP or even if they voted against them. At the end of the day MPs are there to improve the lives of their constituents as well as to represent them. In theory an MP should stand up for their constituency’s best interests and represent them as strongly as possible in Parliament. MPs are generally supposed to follow their official party line when debating or voting in Parliament. Some MPs believe that they should be able to vote anyway they believe to be right and they should not be forced to vote for measures or acts that are contrary to their conscience or the interests of their constituency. Left wing Labour MPs referred to such defiance of the party whip as the ‘conscience clause’ when defying or considering defying the party leadership. Defiance was usually against plans to cut public spending, changes to th e National Health Service or Britain having nuclear weapons (Comfort, 1993, p. 121). In practice how well they look after their constituency interests on whether they are part of the governing part and how much influence they can have on policy formation. In practice the government’s budget is finite and hard choices or bargaining can determine whether a constituency gets a new hospital, better schools or no public help when a local factory or business closes down. Governments will often look after the interests of the constituencies represented by their MPs first even if they proclaim that they are serving the whole country’s interests. MPs from the governing party can be highly susceptible to a government being unpopularity so it is in their best interests (Birch, 2001, p. 102). For present day MPs it is a serious decision as to whether to vote against the party line when a party whip is in operation. Not only are MPs subject to internal party discipline they have been elected by their constituents to be their representative as a Labour or Conservative MP for example. Constituents can therefore regard their MP as being not only disloyal to his or her party they may regard it as a betrayal of their loyalty too. MPs have voted against their party line when their conscience could not support party policy. Some MPs will even be prepared to oppose or vote against party policies that contradict the perceived interests of the constituencies that they represent. Often in such a situation MPs will seek a workable compromise so that they have represented their constituents best interests as best they could whilst remaining loyal to their party. Labour MPs in the past for instance have voted against or frequently disputed the leadership’s decision to keep Britai n’s nuclear deterrent contending that it was not needed, it is too expensive with the additional problem of making Britain and not just their constituencies a target. The internal disputes over unilateral nuclear disarmament when combined with other divisions contributed to the party spending 18 years in opposition after 1979. The minority status of the 1976-79 Labour government made it particularly vulnerable to back bench revolt or dissent although it its failure to keep its promise over changing the electoral system and introduce devolution in Scotland and Wales that lost the parliamentary support of the Liberals and Scottish Nationalists. Its downfall came after public spending brought about the public sector strikes dubbed the ‘winter of Discontent’. Perhaps if Labour had introduced a system of proportional representation it would not have spent so many years in opposition or then go on to win three consecutive terms in office (Coxall, Robins and Leach, 2003 , p.41). Ironically enough the Labour leadership suffered its worst back- bench revolt when it was in opposition. If all the Labour, MPs had voted against during the EEC treaty debate then the Heath government would have been defeated. For Benn alongside other MPs joining the EEC was a mistake as it reduced the sovereignty of Parliament and meant that MPs would see their influence decline (Benn, 1988, p.313). Labour MPs have tended to stress their commitment to being constituency representatives and helping as many of their constituents as possible. As originally set up the Labour Party believed it represented the people in Parliament. The Labour Party was there to run the country for the people and make it a better place for all. The Labour Party was founded in 1900 from the Independent Labour Party, the Fabian Society and the Social Democratic Federation with funding from the Trades Union Congress (Rodgers Donoughue, 1966, p.46). The aim of the Labour Party was to fully represent the working class in Parliament. Not all working class men had received the vote after the latest reform of 1884. The Representation of the People Act of 1918 gave all working class men and women aged over 30 the vote. Universal adult suffrage was not achieved until 1928 by which time the Labour Party was well on the way to replacing the Liberals as the second party in British politics. The first Labour government of 1923-24 was a minority government and too weak to attempt any socialist measures. The Labour government elected in 1929 had to deal with the effects of the Wall Street Crash which made the chances of even the modest socialist measures impossible. Prime Minister Ramsey McDonald split the party by forming the National Government and cutting unemployment benefit during the worst recession anybody had ever seen. The majority of Labour MPs, members and voters felt bitterly betrayed. As far as they were concerned Ramsey McDona ld had gone against everything Labour meant to its members and to its constituents. The 1931 general election saw the party reduced to a rump of 51 MPs, the dreams of the ‘People’s Party’ seemed to be in tatters (Morgan, 1993, p.610). Yet for many years of the modern era the most successful political party has been the Conservative Party. The basic instinct of the party may have been to conserve the best of the country and make everything else better through evolutionary change. The Conservatives to a certain extent saw themselves as a caring parent representing the best interests of the people. The Conservatives also seemed to be remarkably successful in winning power when it might have been assumed that first the Liberals and then Labour would have been the natural party of government. Despite massive electoral defeats in 1906, 1945 and 1966 the Conservatives were able to regain power within relatively short periods of time. Following in the traditional view of Edmund Burke. Conservative MPs were happy to represent their constituents yet unwilling to be told by the electors what to say or do in Parliament. The Conservatives had not actually lost out with the extension of the franchise to all adults attracting en ough votes from women and working class men to be able to win general elections. The Conservatives were noted for their pragmatism rather than their ideological outlook. Unlike the Liberal and the Labour parties they always seemed to be a united party with MPs that constituents knew would work for stability and evolutionary progress. The Conservatives did not overturn the reforms of the Liberals of 1906-14 or Labour governments of 1945-51. The Liberals introduced the first unemployment benefit and pensions whilst Labour brought in the welfare state plus the NHS (Gardiner Wenborn, 1995, p.193). All this changed when Margaret Thatcher became party leader and then Prime Minister. Far from pragmatism she advocated neo-liberal policies that broke the post-war consensus. The radical policies pursued by the Thatcher governments raised questions about how the electoral system allowed such large majorities to governments supported by a minority of the electorate. This system is not represented at all and has had critics since the 19th century (Held, 1991, p.186). Some of the theoretical and practical theories of how an MP should represent their constituents has evolved over the centuries. The evolution of theory and practice has meant the representative role of an MP has developed into some contradictory directions. The ideals of an MP being in a constituency representative can be traced back to the first Parliament of 1265. MPs had a dual representative role, to the constituents that elected them and to the country they assisted in governing. Whilst MPs were independent elected individuals there was no real conflict or contradiction or roles or interests. For the MPs elected by pocket or rotten boroughs there was little conflict on interests as they did the bidding of those that had got them into Parliament. The contradiction of representing both constituencies and the country was further complicated by loyalty to political parties and positions within the government. MPs have essentially always been elected by a simple plural system, the ca ndidate with the most votes win, they don’t need a majority of votes, just a single vote more than their nearest rival. Therefore a political party that receives a majority of the votes nationally due to the vagaries of the system end up losing the election. That happened to Labour in 1951 and the Conservatives in February 1974 (Held, 1991, p.174). One drawback with the way that the theory and practice of an MPs constituency representative role has developed was that they can have little ability to stop governments introducing unpopular or ill considered policies. For instance MPs did not stop and only a minority protested against the poll tax or Britain’s involvement in the invasion of Iraq. However MPs could argue that most political parties only enact that they have promised in their election manifestos and if the people don’t want such policies then they should not vote for that party in the first place. Other events are reactions to incidences outside of the government’s control such as the Margaret Thatcher’s reaction to the invasion of the Falklands Islands, the response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait or Britain’s involvement with the war on terror. Such events have a tendency to happen between elections leaving the electorate without the chance to approve or protest against government actions. Governments would counter claims that they were ignoring public protests or opinion by saying that sometimes they need to make important decisions quickly and do what they believe is best for the country rather than what they think is best for winning elections. Thus Margaret Thatcher’s decision to re-invade the Falkland Islands contributed to her general election victory in 1983 whilst for Tony Blair the decision to invade Iraq was blamed for the loss of more than 100 seats in the 2005 general election (Coxall, Robins and Leach, 2003, p.200). A method of ensuring that general election results would be fairer would be to switch from the first past the post system to a form of proportional representation. Using a proportional representation system would tend to make the governments more moderate as they would be coalition governments and radical policies would be less likely to be adopted. However, such a move could have a great impact on the theory and practice of an MPs constituency representative role. Depending on which system of proportional representation was adopted there might not even be a link between MPs and constituents at all. If the Additional Member System used in Germany were adopted then a strong link would be retained with a weaker link if the Single Transferable Vote as used in the Republic of Ireland were used. PR was first considered for adoption with the Liberals not keen on it. However once they had been reduced to a small third party they were much keener (Madgwick, 1994, p. 280). The general electio n results of 1974 and 1983 showed the unfairness of first past the post. With greater levels of tactical voting, the Liberal Democrats actually gained more seats in the general election of 1997, 2001,and 2005 with fewer votes that the Liberal / SDP Alliance received in 1983. Unless there is a hung Parliament similar to 1974 than it is unlikely that Proportional Representation will be introduced as both Labour and Conservatives always believe they can win an overall majority. Should Proportional Representation ever be adopted that some MPs would have greater influence than others would, mainly those in the smaller coalition parties could in theory and practice hold the largest parties to ransom (Coxall, Robins and Leach, 2003, p. 90). Conclusions To conclude the theory of an MP being a constituency representative has changed very little over the centuries. The theory of the constituency representative role is fairly straightforward. An MP is simply elected by a majority of their constituents and is the constituency representative for the term of the whole parliament. Once elected an MP is in theory bound to represent their constituency interests to the best of their ability and to participate with or oppose the government depending of whether they belong to the governing party or the opposition. In theory whether they belong to the governing party or the opposition they should scrutinise government policy and legislation. In theory MPs are still elected to Parliament as constituency representatives as if they were independent individuals rather than as members of political parties. An MP is free to switch political party they belong to whilst still sitting in the House of Commons. In reality MPs are primarily elected because of the political party they belong to and that they are the candidates for. In other words they are elected to represent their constituency as the Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrat etc MP rather than as an individual. Once they have b

Coyote Blue Chapter 3~5

CHAPTER 3 The Machines of Irony Bring Memory Santa Barbara After Sam's secretary gave him the address of his appointment he hung up the cellular phone and punched the address into the navigation system he'd had installed in the Mercedes so he would always know where he was. Wherever Sam was, he was in touch. In addition to the cellular phone he wore a satellite beeper that could reach him anywhere in the world. He had fax machines and computers in his office and his home, as well as a notebook-sized computer with a modem that linked him with data bases that could provide him with everything from demographic studies to news clippings about his clients. Three televisions with cable kept his home alive with news, weather, and sports and provided insipid entertainments to fill his idle hours and keep him abreast of what was hot and what was not, as well as any information he might need to construct a face to meet a face: to change his personality to dovetail with that of any prospective client. The by-gone salesman out riding on a shoeshine and a smile had been replaced by a shape-shifting shark stalking the sale, and Sam, having buried long ago who he really was, was an excellent salesman. Even as some of Sam's devices connected him to the world, others protected him from its harshness. Alarm systems in his car and condo kept criminals at bay, while climate control kept the air comfortable and compact discs soothed away distracting noise. A monstrous multi-armed black machine he kept in his spare bedroom simulated the motions of running, cross-country skiing, stair climbing, and swimming, while monitoring his blood pressure and heart rate and making simulated ocean sounds that stimulated alpha waves in the brain. And all this without the risk of the shin splints, broken legs, drowning, or confusion that he might have experienced by actually going somewhere and doing something. Air bags and belts protected him when he was in the car and condoms when he was in women. (And there were women, for the same protean guile that served him as a salesman served him also as a seducer.) When the women left, protesting that he was charming but something was missing, there was a numb er that he could call where someone would be nice to him for $4.95 a minute. Sometimes, while he was getting his hair cut, sitting in the chair with his protections and personalities down, the hairdresser would run her hands down his neck, and that small human contact sent a lonesome shudder rumbling through him like a heartbreak. â€Å"I'm here to see Mr. Cable,† he said to the secretary, an attractive woman in her forties. â€Å"Sam Hunter, Aaron Assurance Associates. I have an appointment.† â€Å"Jim's expecting you,† she said. Sam liked that she used her boss's first name; it confirmed the personality profile he had projected. Sam's machines had told him that James Cable was one of the two main partners who owned Motion Marine, Inc., an enormously successful company that manufactured helmets and equipment for industrial deep-sea diving. Cable had been an underwater welder on the rigs off Santa Barbara before he and his partner, an engineer named Frank Cochran, had invented a new fiberglass scuba helmet that allowed divers to stay in radio contact while regulating the high-pressure miasma of gases that they breathed. The two became millionaires within a year and now, ten years later, they were thinking of taking the company public. Cochran wanted to be sure that at least one of the partners could retain controlling interest in the company in the event that the other died. Sam was trying to write a multi-million-dollar policy that would provide buy-out capital for the remaining partner. It was a simple partnership deal, the sort that Sam had done a hundred times, and Cochran, the engineer, with his mathematical way of thinking, his need for precision and order, his need to have all the loose ends tied up, had been an easy sale. With an engineer Sam simply presented facts, carefully laid out in an equationlike manner that led to the desired answer, which was: â€Å"Where do I sign?† Engineers were predictable, consistent, and easy. But Cable, the diver, was going to be a pain in the ass. Cable was a risk taker, a gambler. Any man who had spent ten years of his life working hundreds of feet underwater, breathing helium and working with explosive gas, had to have come to terms with fear, and fear was what Sam traded in. In most cases the fear was easy to identify. It was not the fear of death that motivated Sam's clients to buy; it was the fear of dying unprepared. If he did his job right, the clients would feel that by turning down a policy they were somehow tempting fate to cause them to die untimely. (Sam had yet to hear of a death considered â€Å"timely.†) In their minds they created a new superstition, and like all superstitions it was based on the fear of irony. So, the only lottery ticket you lose will be the winning one, the one time you leave your driver's license at home is the time you will be stopped for speeding, and when someone offers you an insurance policy that only pays you if you're dead, you better damn well buy it. Irony. It was a tacit message, but one that Sam delivered with every sales pitch. He walked into Jim Cable's office with the unusual feeling of being totally unprepared. Maybe it was just the girl who had thrown him, or the Indian. Cable was standing behind a long desk that had been fashioned from an old dinghy. He was tall, with the thin, athletic build of a runner, and completely bald. He extended his hand to Sam. â€Å"Jim Cable. Frank told me you'd be coming, but I'm not sure I like this whole thing.† â€Å"Sam Hunter.† Sam released his hand. â€Å"May I sit? This shouldn't take long.† This was not a good start. Cable gestured for Sam to sit across from him and sat down. Sam remained standing. He didn't want the desk to act as a barrier between them; it was too easy for Cable to defend. â€Å"Do you mind if I move this chair over to your side of the desk? I have some materials I'd like you to see and I need to be beside you.† â€Å"You can just leave the materials, I'll look them over.† Technology had helped Sam over this barrier. â€Å"Well, actually it's not printed matter. I have it in my computer and I have to be on the same side of the screen as you.† â€Å"Okay, I guess that's fine, then.† Cable rolled his chair to the side to allow Sam room on the same side of the desk. That's one, Sam thought. He moved his chair, sat down beside Cable, and opened the notebook computer. â€Å"Well, Mr. Cable, it looks like we can set this whole thing up without any more than a physical for you and Frank.† â€Å"Whoa!† Cable brought his hands up in protest. â€Å"We haven't agreed on this yet.† â€Å"Oh,† Sam said. â€Å"Frank gave me the impression that the decision had been made – that this was just a meeting to confirm the tax status and pension benefits of the policy.† â€Å"I didn't know there were pension benefits.† â€Å"That's why I'm here,† Sam said. It wasn't why he was there at all. â€Å"To explain them to you.† â€Å"Well, Frank and I haven't gotten down to any specifics on this. I'm not sure it's a good idea at all.† Sam needed misdirection. He launched into the presentation like a pit bull/Willy Loman crossbreed. As he spoke, the computer screen supported his statements with charts, graphs, and projections. Every five seconds a message flashed across the screen faster than the eye could see, but not so fast that it could not nibble on the lobes of the subconscious like a teasing lover. The message was: BE SMART, BUY THIS. Sam had designed the program himself. The BE SMART part of the message could be modified for each client. The options were: BE SEXY, BE YOUNG, BE BEAUTIFUL, BE THIN, BE TALL, and Sam's personal favorite, BE GOD. He'd come up with the idea one night while watching a commercial in which six heavily muscled guys got to run around on the beach impressing beautiful women presumably because they drank light beer. BE A STUD, DRINK LIGHT. Sam finished his presentation and stopped talking abruptly, feeling that he had somehow forgotten something. He waited, letting the silence become uncomfortable, letting the conversation lay on the desk before them like a dead cat, letting the diver come to the correct conclusion. The first one to speak loses. Sam knew it. He sensed that Cable knew it. Finally, Jim Cable said, â€Å"This is a great little computer you have. Would you consider selling it?† Sam was thrown. â€Å"But what about the policy?† â€Å"I don't think it's a good idea,† Cable said. â€Å"But I really like this computer. I think it would be smart to buy it.† â€Å"Smart?† Sam said. â€Å"Yeah, I just think it would be a smart thing to do.† So much for subliminal advertising. Sam made a mental note to change his message to: BE SMART, BUY THE POLICY. â€Å"Look, Jim, you can get a computer like this in a dozen stores in town, but this partnership policy is set up for right now. You are never going to be younger, you'll never be in better health, the premium will never be lower or the tax advantage better.† â€Å"But I don't need it. My family is taken care of and I don't care who takes control of the company after I'm dead. If Frank wants to take a policy out on me I'll take the physical, but I'm not betting against myself on this.† There it was. Cable was not afraid and Sam knew no way to instill the fear he needed. He had read that Cable had survived several diving accidents and even a helicopter crash while being shuttled to one of the offshore rigs. If he hadn't glimpsed his mortality before, then nothing Sam could say would put the Reaper in his shaving mirror. It was time to walk away and salvage half of the deal with Cable's partner. Sam stood and closed the screen on the computer. â€Å"Well, Jim, I'll talk to Frank about the specifics of the policy and set up the appointment for the physical.† They shook hands and Sam left the office trying to analyze what had gone wrong. Again and again the fear factor came up. Why couldn't he find and touch that place in Jim Cable? Granted, his concentration had been shot by the morning's events. Really, he'd done a canned presentation to cover himself. But to cover what? This was a clean deal, cut and dried. When he climbed back into the Mercedes there was a red feather lying on the seat. He brushed it out onto the street and slammed the door. He drove back to his office with the air conditioner on high. Still, when he arrived ten minutes later, his shirt was soaked with sweat. CHAPTER 4 Moments Are Our Mentors Santa Barbara There are those days, those moments in life, when for no particular reason the senses are heightened and the commonplace becomes sublime. It was one of those days for Samuel Hunter. The appearance of the girl, the wanting she had awakened in him, had started it. Then the Indian's presence had so confused him that he was fumbling through the day marveling at things that before had never merited a second look. Walking back into his outer office he spied his secretary, Gabriella Snow, and was awed for a moment by just how tremendously, how incredibly, how child-frighteningly ugly she was. There are those who, deprived of physical beauty, develop a sincerity and beauty of spirit that seems to eclipse their appearance. They marry for love, stay married, and raise happy children who are quick to laugh and slow to judge. Gabriella was not one of those people. In fact, if not for her gruesome appearance, an unpleasant personality would have been her dominant feature. She was good on the phone, however, and Sam's clients were sometimes so relieved to be out of her office and into his that they bought policies out of gratitude, so he kept her on. He'd hired her three years ago from the resume she had mailed in. She was wildly overqualified for the position and Sam remembered wondering why she was applying for it in the first place. For three years Sam had breezed by her desk without really looking at her, but today, in his unbalanced state, her homeliness inspired him to poetry. But what rhymed with Gabriella? She said, â€Å"Mr. Aaron is very anxious to talk to you, Mr. Hunter. He requested that you go right into his office as soon as you arrived.† â€Å"Gabriella, you've been here three years. You can call me Sam.† Sam was still thinking about poetry. Salmonella? â€Å"Thank you, Mr. Hunter, but I prefer to keep things businesslike. Mr. Aaron was quite adamant about seeing you immediately.† Gabriella paused and checked a notepad on her desk, then read, â€Å"‘Tell him to get his ass in my office as soon as he hits the door or I'll have him rat-fucked with a tire iron. â€Å" â€Å"What does that mean?† Sam asked. â€Å"I would assume that he would like to see you right away, sir.† â€Å"I guessed that.† Sam said. â€Å"I'm a little vague on the rat-fucked part. What do you think, Gabriella?† Gabriella, Gabriella, As fair as salmonella. â€Å"I'm sure I don't know. You might ask him.† â€Å"Right,† Sam said. He walked down the hall to Aaron Aaron's outer office, composing the next line of his poem along the way. It wouldn't surprise me in the least If you were mistaken for a beast. Aaron Aaron wasn't Aaron's real name: he had changed it so his insurance firm would be the first listed in the yellow pages. Sam didn't know Aaron's real name and he had never asked. Who was he to judge? Samuel Hunter wasn't his real name either, and it was certainly less desirable alphabetically. Aaron's secretary, Julia, a willowy actress/model/dancer who typed, answered phones, and referred to hairdressers as geniuses, greeted Sam with a smile that evinced thousands in orthodontia and bonding. â€Å"Hi, Sam, he's really pissed. What did you do?† â€Å"Do?† â€Å"Yeah, on that Motion Marine deal. They called a few minutes ago and Aaron went off.† â€Å"I didn't do anything,† Sam said. He started into Aaron's office, then turned to Julia. â€Å"Julia, do you know what rat-fuck means?† â€Å"No, Aaron just said that he was going to do it to you for sucking the joy out of his new head.† â€Å"He got a new head? What's this one?† â€Å"A wild boar he shot last year. The taxidermist delivered it this morning.† â€Å"Thanks Julia, I'll be sure to notice it.† â€Å"Good luck.† Julia smiled, then held the smile while she checked herself in the makeup mirror on her desk. Walking into Aaron's office was like stepping into a nineteenth-century British hunt club: walnut paneling adorned with the stuffed heads of a score of game animals, numbered prints of ducks on the wing, leather wing-back chairs, a cherry-wood desk clear of anything that might indicate that a business was being conducted. Sam immediately spotted the boar's head. â€Å"Aaron, it's beautiful.† Sam stood in front of the head with his arms outstretched. â€Å"It's a masterpiece.† He considered genuflecting to appeal to the latent Irish Catholic in Aaron, but decided that the insincerity would be spotted. Aaron, short, fifty, balding, face shot with veins from drink, swiveled in his high-backed leather chair and put down the Vogue magazine he had been leafing through. Aaron had no interest in fashion; it was the models that interested him. Sam had spent many an afternoon listening to Aaron's forlorn daydreams of having a showpiece wife. â€Å"How was I to know that Katie would get fat and I would get successful? I was only twenty when we got married. I thought the idea of getting laid steadily was worth it. I need a woman that goes with my Jag. Not Katie. She's pure Rambler.† Here he would point to an ad in Vogue. â€Å"Now, if I could only have a woman like that on my arm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"She'd have you surgically removed,† Sam would say. â€Å"Sure, be that way, Sam. You don't know what it's like to think that getting a little strange could cost you half of what you own. You single guys have it all.† â€Å"Stop romanticizing, Aaron. Haven't you heard? Sex kills.† â€Å"Sure, suck the joy out of my fantasies. You know, I used to look forward to sex because it was fifteen minutes when I didn't have to think about death and taxes.† â€Å"If you do think about death and taxes it lasts half an hour.† â€Å"That's what I mean, I can't even get distracted with Katie anymore. Do you know what someone with my income has to pay in taxes?† The question came up in every one of their conversations. They had worked together for almost twenty years and Aaron always treated Sam as if he were still fifteen years old. â€Å"I know exactly what someone with your income is supposed to pay in taxes, about ten times what you actually pay.† â€Å"And you don't think that that weighs on me? The IRS could take all this.† Sam rather liked the vision of a team of IRS agents loading large dead animal heads into Aaron's Jag and driving off with antlers out every window while Katie stood by shouting, â€Å"Hey, half of those are mine!† No matter how much Aaron attained, he would never let go of his fear of losing it long enough to enjoy it. In his mind's eye, Sam imagined Aaron mournfully watching as they carried the wild boar head out by the tusks. â€Å"This thing is gorgeous,† Sam said. â€Å"I think I'm getting a woody just looking at it.† â€Å"I named it Gabriella,† Aaron said proudly, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be angry. Then he remembered. â€Å"What the fuck did you just pull over at Motion Marine? Frank Cochran is talking lawsuit.† â€Å"Over a little subliminal advertising? I don't think so.† â€Å"Subliminal advertising! Jim Cable fainted after that stunt you pulled. They don't even know what happened yet. It could be a heart attack. Are you out of your fucking mind? I could lose the agency over this.† Sam could see Aaron's blood pressure rising red on his scalp. â€Å"You thought it was a great idea last week when I showed it to you.† â€Å"Don't drag me into this, Sam, you're on your own with this one. I've pulled some shit in my time to push the fear factor, but I never had a client attacked by an Indian, for Christ's sake.† â€Å"Indian?† Sam almost choked. He lowered himself very gently into one of the leather wing-backs. â€Å"What Indian?† â€Å"Don't bullshit me, Sam. I taught you everything you know about bullshitting. Right after you left his office Jim Cable walked out of the Motion Marine building and was attacked by a guy dressed up as an Indian. With a tomahawk. If they catch the guy and he tells that you hired him, it's over for both of us.† Sam tried to speak but could find no breath to drive his voice. Aaron had been his teacher, and in a twisted, competitive way, Aaron was his friend and confidant, but he had never trusted Aaron with his fears. He had two: Indians and cops. Indians because he was one, and if anyone found out it it would lead to policemen, one of whom he had killed. Here they were, after twenty years, paralyzing him. Aaron came around the desk and took Sam by the shoulders. â€Å"You're smarter than this, kid,† he said, softening at Sam's obvious confusion. â€Å"I know this was a big deal, but you know better than to do something desperate like that. You can't let them see that you're hungry. That's the first rule I taught you, isn't it?† Sam didn't answer. He was looking at the mule deer head mounted over Aaron's desk, but he was seeing the Indian sitting in the cafe grinning at him. Aaron shook him. â€Å"Look, we're not totally screwed here. We can draw up an agreement signing all your interest in the agency over to me and backdate it to last week. Then you would be working as an independent contractor like the other guys. I could give you, say, thirty cents on the dollar for your shares under the table. You'd have enough to fight the good fight in court, and if they let you keep your license you'll always have a job to come back to. What do you say?† Sam stared at the deer head, hearing Aaron's voice only as a distant murmur. Sam was twenty-six years and twelve hundred miles away on a hill outside of Crow Agency, Montana. The voice he was hearing was that of his first teacher, his mentor, his father's brother, his clan uncle: a single-toothed, self-proclaimed shaman named Pokey Medicine Wing. CHAPTER 5 The Gift of a Dream Crow Country – 1967 Sam, then called Samson Hunts Alone, stood over the carcass of the mule deer he had just shot, cradling the heavy Winchester.30?C30 in his arms. â€Å"Did you thank the deer for giving its life up for you?† Pokey asked. As Samson's clan uncle, it was Pokey's job to teach the boy the ways of the Crow. â€Å"I thanked him, Pokey.† â€Å"You know it is the Crow way to give your first deer away. Do you know who you will give it to?† Pokey grinned around the Salem he held between his lips. â€Å"No, I didn't know. Who should I give it to?† â€Å"It is a good gift for a clan uncle who has said many prayers for your success in finding a spirit helper on your vision quest.† â€Å"I should give it to you, then?† â€Å"It is up to you, but a carton of cigarettes is a good gift too, if you have the money.† â€Å"I don't have any money. I will give you the deer.† Samson Hunts Alone sat down on the ground by the deer carcass and hung his head. He sniffed to fight back tears. Pokey kneeled beside him. â€Å"Are you sad for killing the deer?† â€Å"No, I don't see why I have to give it away. Why can't I take it home and let Grandma cook it for all of us?† Pokey took the rifle from the boy, levered a cartridge into the chamber, then let out a war whoop and fired it into the air. Samson stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. â€Å"You are a hunter now!† Pokey cried. â€Å"Samson Hunts Alone has killed his first deer!† he shouted to the sky. â€Å"Soon he will be a man!† Pokey crouched down to the boy again. â€Å"You should be happy to give the deer away. You are Crow and it is the Crow way.† Sam looked up, his golden eyes shot with red and brimming with tears. â€Å"One of the boys at school says that the Crow are no more than thieves and scavengers. He said that the Crow are cowards because we never fought the white man.† â€Å"This boy is Cheyenne?† Pokey said. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Then he is jealous because he is not Crow. The Crow gave the Cheyenne and the Lakota and the Blackfoot a reason to get up in the morning. They outnumbered us ten to one and we held our land against them for two hundred years before the white man came. Tell this boy that his people should thank the Crow for being such good enemies. Then kick his ass.† â€Å"But he is bigger than me.† â€Å"If your medicine is strong you will beat him. When you go on your fast next week, pray for warrior medicine.† Samson didn't know what to say. He would go to the Wolf Mountains next week for his first vision quest. He would fast and pray and hope to find a spirit helper to give him medicine, but he wasn't sure he believed, and he didn't know how to tell Pokey. â€Å"Pokey,† the boy said finally, very quietly, his voice barely audible over the hot breeze whistling through the prairie grass, â€Å"a lot of people say that you don't have no medicine at all, that you are just a crazy drunk.† Pokey put his face so close to Samson's that the boy could smell the cigarette-and-liquor smell coming off him. Then, softly, in a gentle, musical rasp he said, â€Å"They're right, I am a crazy drunk. The others are afraid of me 'cause I'm so crazy. You know why?† Sam sniffed, â€Å"Nope.† Pokey reached into his pocket and pulled out a small buckskin bundle tied with a thong. He untied the thong and unfolded the buckskin on the ground before the boy. In it lay an array of sharp teeth, claws, a tuft of tan fur, some loose tobacco, sweet grass, and sage. The largest object was a wooden carving of a coyote about two inches tall. â€Å"Do you know what this is, Samson?† Pokey asked. â€Å"Looks like a medicine bundle. Ain't you supposed to sing a song when you open it?† â€Å"Don't have to with this one. Nobody ever had medicine like this. I ain't never showed it to anyone before.† â€Å"What are those teeth?† â€Å"Coyote teeth. Coyote claws, coyote fur. I don't tell people about it anymore because they all say I'm crazy, but my spirit helper is Old Man Coyote.† â€Å"He's just in stories,† Sam said. â€Å"There isn't any Old Man Coyote.† â€Å"That's what you think,† Pokey said. â€Å"He came to me on my first fast, when I was about your age. I didn't know it was him. I thought it would be a bear, or an otter, because I was praying for war medicine. But on the fourth day of my fast I looked up and there was this young brave standing there dressed in black buckskins with red woodpecker feathers down his leggings and sleeves. He was wearing a coyote skin as a headdress.† â€Å"How did you know it wasn't just somebody from the res?† â€Å"I didn't. I told him to go away and he said that he had been away long enough. He said that when he gave the Crows so many enemies he promised that he would always be with them so they could steal many horses and be fierce warriors. He said it was almost time to come back.† â€Å"But where is he?† Samson asked. â€Å"That was a long time ago and no one has seen him. If he was here they wouldn't say you were crazy.† â€Å"Old Man Coyote is the trickster. I think he gave me this medicine to make me crazy and make me want to drink. Pretty Eagle, who was a powerful medicine man then, told me how to make this bundle and he told me that if I was smart I would give it to someone else or throw it in the river, but I didn't do it.† â€Å"But if it is bad medicine, if he is your spirit helper and doesn't help you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Does the sun rise just for you, Samson Hunts Alone?† â€Å"No, it rises all over the world.† â€Å"But it passes you and makes you part of its circle, doesn't it?† â€Å"Yeah, I guess so.† â€Å"Well maybe this medicine is bigger than me. Maybe I am just part of the circle. If it makes me unhappy then at least I know why I am unhappy. Do you know why you are unhappy?† â€Å"My deer†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"There will be other deer. You have your family, you are good in school, you have food to eat, you have water to drink. You can even speak Crow. When I was a boy they sent me off to a BIA school where they beat us if we spoke Crow. Next week, if your heart is pure, you will get a spirit helper and have strong medicine. You can be a great warrior, a chief.† â€Å"There aren't any chiefs anymore.† â€Å"It will be a long time before you are old enough to be a chief. You are too little to be unhappy about the future.† â€Å"But I am. I don't want to be Crow. I don't want to be like you.† â€Å"Then be like you.† Pokey turned away from the boy and lit another cigarette. â€Å"You make me angry. Give me your knife and I will show you how to dress this deer. We will throw the entrails in the river as a gift to the Earth and the water monsters.† Pokey looked at Samson, as if waiting for the boy to doubt him. â€Å"I'm sorry, Pokey.† The boy unsnapped the sheath on his belt and drew a wickedly curved skinning knife. He held it out to the man, who took the knife and began to field-dress the deer. As he drew the blade down the deer's stomach he said, â€Å"I am going to give you a dream, Samson.† Samson looked away from the deer into Pokey's face. There were always gifts among the Crow – gifts for names, Sun Dance ceremony gifts, powwow gifts at Crow Fair, naming ceremony gifts, gifts for medicine, gifts to clan uncles and aunts, gifts for prayers: tobacco and sweet grass and shirts and blankets, horses and trucks – so many gifts that no one could ever really be poor and no one ever really got rich. But the gift of a dream was very pure, very special, and could never be repaid. Samson had never heard anyone give a dream before. â€Å"I dreamed that Old Man Coyote came to me and he said, ‘Pokey, when everything is right with you, but you are so afraid that something might go wrong that it ruins your balance, then you are Coyote Blue. At these times I will bring you back into balance. This dream that I dreamed I give to you, Samson.† â€Å"What does that mean, Uncle Pokey?† â€Å"I don't know, but it is a very important dream.† Pokey wiped the knife on his pants and handed it to Samson, then hoisted the deer up on his shoulders. â€Å"Now, who are you going to give this deer to?†