Final Assignment - Critical thinking Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final - Critical thinking - Assignment Example Besides, critical thinking enables people to demonstrate the importance and relevance of their ideas and reflect on their justifications of values and beliefs (Nukui, 2007). Therefore, critical thinking guides decision-making process and enables human being to construe concerns from possible actions. Critical thinking course is a crucial component of the curriculum and student development. The course curriculum enhances cognitive values and nurtures skills in decision-making. The course equips and enriches interpersonal skills and conflict resolution aids. Therefore, critical thinking course facilitates a proper training on the importance of rational behavior in the pursuit of sustainable global development. The critical thinking course sets apart peoples future professionalism. Notably, the course advanced students knowledge to embrace diversity and challenges. Besides, benefits of critical thinking course evidences in peoples analytical skills, nature of arguments presentations, and judiciousness in attempting academic puzzles. The clear understanding of barriers to communication and critical thinking further stamps the significance of the course to the school life. In regards to dealing with arguments, the course provided a precise analysis of the types of cases. Critical thinking enhances analysis of reasons, application of standards and making of conclusive decisions based on sound reasoning and premises. Arguments are good or bad depending on the context, premises of thoughts and applied strategies. They include statements by individuals on a given topic or issue of debate. Good arguments comprise of inductive and deductive arguments. Good deductive arguments provide the basis for truth in conclusions while good inductive arguments guarantee probable suppositions (Nukui, 2007). A bad argument refers to the fallacious or misleading arguments. The type of case usually facilitates persuasive conclusions through illicit procedure of argumentation.

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and New Stadium Essay Example for Free

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and New Stadium Essay Tottenham Hotspurs, Plc. This certain case has many different possibilities for evaluation which gives it much complexity and much liberty while evaluating it. The soccer business sure has a certain relation with the performance and their revenues which makes it highly unstable when speaking of forecasted income of the club. We must first value the firm at its current position in order to be able to value as compared to acquiring the new stadium and obtaining a new goal scorer. In order to do so we must evaluate the company by creating a Discounted Cash Flow analysis projecting the expected future revenues in the same current strategy which they are in. We would then lay out the future expected cash inflows with no initial cash out flow laid out due to the fact that they have already covered their initial expenses. We must take into account the growth rates that are expected for our liabilities such as capital expenditures, player salaries, depreciation, and such. We must then evaluate the growth rates for the cash inflows for the revenues expected due from increased ticket prices, product sales, sponsorship and televising their games. We must then implement these rates and growth in numbers to evaluate the future position a number of years down the line. We could then evaluate the current capital structure and their cost of capital in order to determine whether they are fairly valued and obtain a second analysis to compare with. We have sufficient data such as their beta and stock returns in the market in order for us to evaluate these numbers. The case also contains the current risk free rate which is needed when using the Capital Asset Pricing Model in order to obtain the cost of equity of the firm. After performing a multiples analysis we can then compare the two analyses and determined whether the firm is fairly valued. If it is then great, but if not then we have an even greater reason for Tottenham to look into the building of a new stadium. Now that we have their current position we must conduct an analysis regarding the â€Å"what if† the company obtained the new stadium and invested in a new striker. In order to do the following we must take into consideration the initial cash out flow of the new stadium and the two years that the company has to pay it given the current financial situation and their cash excess which is mentioned in the case. Once we have this we can then forecast a pessimistic, a mediocre, and a pessimistic evaluation of their ticket sales and create multiple cash flows which consider the growth rates of all of the costs and revenues that the company will incur given this following move. Once we have this analysis we can then create the same analysis given that we stay in the same stadium, but we invest in a new striker (optimistic, mediocre, pessimistic). Once we obtain the cash flows from the two options mentioned before, we can then infuse both cash flows and compare the position of the company if they were to take the options which they have available to them. We must also play into consideration that the competition of the league has a huge impact on the results of Tottenham as they can have a huge influence on them. For example, Manchester United invests in the so called next big thing in football or one team is on the rise.

Mary Baker Eddy: Her indelible mark :: essays research papers

Mary Baker Eddy Mary Baker Eddy, http://www.marybakereddy.org, born in rural New England in the 1800's, overcame many hurdles to become an acclaimed author, publisher, and religious leader whose impact is still being felt today. In 1995, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame for â€Å"making an indelible mark on society, religion, and journalism.† How did this independent New England woman rise from obscurity to become, as Human Life magazine described in 1907, "the most famous, interesting and powerful woman in America, if not the world, today"? Eddy (1821-1910) was born and raised on a farm near Concord, New Hampshire, in the United States. Because of many bouts of illness, she received most of her education at home, sometimes with the help her brother, Albert, a student at Dartmouth College. This turned out to be an advantage, given the many restrictions on women’s education in 19th century America. She experienced some difficult years as a young woman. She was widowed (and pregnant) six months into her first marriage. Some six years later, her family, thinking her rambunctious son was too taxing for her, removed him from her and sent him to live with foster parents. Hoping to regain a stable home life for herself and her son, she married again, but eventually divorced her unfaithful second husband. In poor health during much of this time, she experimented with allopathic medicine and alternative therapies -- particularly with homeopathy. She was seeking an understanding of the relationship between mind, body, and spirit. Simultaneously, she continued a life-long study of the Bible searching to uncover its promise of spiritual healing. In 1866, at age 44, in what marked a turning point, she was healed of a life-threatening accident through spiritual insights gained from the Bible. Over the next few years she studied the Scriptures deeply, looking for a spiritual system behind the healing works of Christ Jesus. She tested what she was learning by healing other people, including some considered medically incurable. She also taught others to heal using this system, which she later called: "Christian Science." She called it "Science" because she saw it as the provable, universal laws of God. Eddy emphasized both the motherhood and fatherhood of God in her teachings. Later, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the women's rights activist, published "The Woman's Bible," also referring to God as the "Heavenly Mother and Father." Because Eddy's ideas seemed so radical, challenging conventional, theological views, she faced much opposition and prejudice.

City Life vs Country Life

Today the city life is more and more stressful, by the minute, however the people who were born and raised in the country are coming to the city, but which is better? It depend on the likes and necessities of that particular person, he or she may only be in the city because they can find much more entertainment and facilities. Meanwhile the country?s advantage consists on the calm and relaxation that it offers to us. For this and more reasons these two places are completely different. To start off the difference between these two places is the nature. In the country everything is natural; there are hardly any buildings, up to now making it difficult to destroy the ecosystem and pollute the nice luxurious air. In the city on the other hand, it is very difficult to see a lot if any trees or a forest area, a fact is that we can see a lot of buildings, smudge, and pollutions. As a result, natural areas are reduced, something that really affects our ecosystem, in the most atrocious way. I’d take the country in this point any day and twice on Sunday. Another difference is the distance between places. In the country people are used to walking to go from place to place over long distance, which is good because it is a great healthy benefit, also in the country traffic jams do not exist. So if you wanted to drive anywhere it’ll take you 30 minutes instead of the 3 hours in the city. Because of the 5:00 rush hour in the city, in which in my most humble opinion is not fun to be in trust me I’ve had my fair share of them. Again the country takes the cake. The next difference is the lifestyle. In the country, people can have a healthier lifestyle. Because of the farming, and there is a very calm place and people have more relaxing situations. However in the city people are always in a hurry rushing from place to place. Nobody has any time to do anything anymore. Nevertheless any of these options to live can be the best according to people's plans; also it depends on the ideas and jobs of everyone. If they want to relax and let pain just melt away the country is the way to go. But if they prefer a busier schedule and more variety on entertainment, the city no matter how messed up it is the thing for you. City Life vs Country Life Today the city life is more and more stressful, by the minute, however the people who were born and raised in the country are coming to the city, but which is better? It depend on the likes and necessities of that particular person, he or she may only be in the city because they can find much more entertainment and facilities. Meanwhile the country?s advantage consists on the calm and relaxation that it offers to us. For this and more reasons these two places are completely different. To start off the difference between these two places is the nature. In the country everything is natural; there are hardly any buildings, up to now making it difficult to destroy the ecosystem and pollute the nice luxurious air. In the city on the other hand, it is very difficult to see a lot if any trees or a forest area, a fact is that we can see a lot of buildings, smudge, and pollutions. As a result, natural areas are reduced, something that really affects our ecosystem, in the most atrocious way. I’d take the country in this point any day and twice on Sunday. Another difference is the distance between places. In the country people are used to walking to go from place to place over long distance, which is good because it is a great healthy benefit, also in the country traffic jams do not exist. So if you wanted to drive anywhere it’ll take you 30 minutes instead of the 3 hours in the city. Because of the 5:00 rush hour in the city, in which in my most humble opinion is not fun to be in trust me I’ve had my fair share of them. Again the country takes the cake. The next difference is the lifestyle. In the country, people can have a healthier lifestyle. Because of the farming, and there is a very calm place and people have more relaxing situations. However in the city people are always in a hurry rushing from place to place. Nobody has any time to do anything anymore. Nevertheless any of these options to live can be the best according to people's plans; also it depends on the ideas and jobs of everyone. If they want to relax and let pain just melt away the country is the way to go. But if they prefer a busier schedule and more variety on entertainment, the city no matter how messed up it is the thing for you.

Advantages of Retaining Older Workers

Encouraging older workers to remain in the workforce has many advantages along with some disadvantages for both the employee and the workforce in general. The term older worker refers to workers aged sixty-five and over. Older workers are an invaluable asset to the Australian workforce. Through age and life experience older workers hold great knowledge and wisdom in which they are able to pass onto the younger generation. Traditionally there was an age where people retired, however people these days people are now living longer. Therefore the time spent in retirement has also increased. This means people today will have to work longer than ever before to cover the costs of their retirement. This essay will outline why Australia needs to retain older workers in the workforce, why older people are staying in the workforce for longer and discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with encouraging older workers to stay in the workforce for longer. Australia’s decreasing birthrate and an ever-increasing life expectancy has caused the Australian Government as well as employers to become increasingly concerned about how the distribution of the population within the workforce will affect the Australian economy. Presently the net growth of the Australian workforce is 170,000 people each year. Access Economics has estimated that over the decade 2020 to 2030, the Australian workforce is expected to only grow by only 125,000 people. That averages a mere 12,500 people per year. The ramifications for Australia are clear, new entrants will simply not provide enough manpower to the workforce to meet expected demand. (Andrews, K 2003) This demographic shift means the workforce will need to rely more on older workers in the near future, as Australia can no longer afford to waste the valuable resources that older workers contribute to businesses, the economy and society in general. Older workers will be crucial to the success of many companies in the future, and contribute greatly to the profitability and the survival of these companies. Australia’s need to encourage older workers to stay in the workforce for longer, will mean employers will need to structure the work environment in such a way as to fit in with the activities that older people are wanting to do. â€Å"The main reason why older workers retire or leave the workforce is to pursue new activities. † (Future of Work) While the government is encouraging people to work longer if they can, beyond traditional retirement ages, older workers are unlikely to respond to that call unless work can be more flexible and better organised to take account of what they want to do with their time. Many older workers don’t want to give up working all together and would prefer to work part time so they can still earn an income whilst having the flexibility to peruse new activities. The Government as a policy-setter and as an employer will need to meet this demand, just as the corporate sector will, by increasing workplace flexibility in order to encourage older workers to remain in the workforce for longer. 2005 figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that grandparents are delivering childcare services to more than 660,000 children nation wide. This information has lead the ACT Chief Minister Mr John Stanhope to agree with the need for the restructure of workforce practices inorder to encourage older workers to remain in the workforce for longer and in particuar older workers within the ACT public service sector. Mr Stanhope says that â€Å"Our ageing workforce, and our need to retain older workers for longer, means that over time we will need to provide working conditions that better suit mature-age workers. Mr Stanhope also believes that a side benefit of having more flexible working arrangements will also encourage retention of younger staff because they will see that their employers can be open and adaptable to change and work-life balance. â€Å"We need to ensure younger employees can also see the benefits of older workers in their workplace, not as competition for jobs, or barriers to promotion, but as the leaders who will help redefine work practices. (Changing working conditions to suit, 2007) (ACT Chief Minister Exploring Grandparental Leave, 29th August 2007) Encouraging older workers to remain in the workforce for longer has endless advantages for the workforce in general, as older workers possess more life experience and work experience than their younger counter parts. Older workers are a great on the job training resource as they have a greater willingness to share experiences with their younger co-workers and have fewer external responsibilities and distractions as their children have all grown up. According to research conducted by Australian Health Management, workers aged 55 or above are more productive than under-35s because they suffer less depression and headaches, and have no childcare problems. While the younger group of workers had an average of 19% reduction in productivity due to childcare responsibilities, allergies, depression, headaches, and asthma. A recent case study conducted by DMS Glass found that the employers considered that their older workers provided higher quality standards, which in turn encouraged younger employees to improve, as experienced staff passed on the benefit of their years of knowledge. Mature workers will also stay longer at an organisation, especially after receiving training, reather than younger workers, who are five times more likely to change jobs than a mature age worker. Older workers also have less absenteeism and sick leave and, fewer accidents than their younger colleagues. (The Australian, 2006) Influencing older people to remain in the workforce not only benefits the workforce and the economy, but it also has advantages for the worker themselves. As people age they want to remain as physically, mentally healthy and as socially active for as long as possible, and for many, work serves as a means of being able to do so. â€Å"Research tells us that there is a correlation between staying in the workforce and good health. † (Managing Your Ageing Workforce Conference, 2005. ) work also provides individuals with a sense of purpose, income and status. The reality that people today are spending longer in retirement than ever before emphasises the point that individuals will need to remain in the workforce for longer to ensure that they are financially able to live out a comfortable retirement. Some disadvantages to having older workers remain in the workforce for longer include the risk of health problems associated with older workers and their ability to perform as efficiently as their younger counterparts. As people get older they are more subject to deteriorating health, this is a part of life, and something that we have little control over. With deteriorating health these older workers may have to take time off work to attend medical appointments and may even have to restrict some of their work activities for health reasons. With older workers being restricted in their ability to perform certain tasks that are part of their job description this could prove costly to the employer as the employer will have to bare the costs of employing someone else to carry out these tasks that the older worker can no longer perform. Another problem with older workers being limited in their ability to perform certain tasks is their ability to be allocated another job within a firm or seek employment else ware as â€Å"a high proportion of older workers lack qualifications and have acquired their work skills on the job and these work skills may be specific to their occupation. (Managing Your Ageing Workforce Conference, 2005. ) Older workers are also more likely to be resistant to change, less willing to work long hours, and less willing to train. However this fact is debatable as professor McGregor from the University of Surry has found that older workers saw themselves as being â€Å"committed to the job with employees seeing themselves as eminently willing and able to be trained. † Encouraging older workers to remain in the workforce will be crucial to the success, profit, and survival of many Australian businesses in the future. The decline in Australia’s birthrate means the Australian workforce will grow an estimated 125,000 people over the decade from 2020 to 2030, which clearly it is not enough workers to meet demand. With this in mind employers will need to rely more on older workers in the future and have to find ways to restructure the work environment in such a way as to fit in with the activities that older people are wanting to do as it has become a known fact through much research that many older workers leave the workforce in pursuit of new activities. If the workplace were restructured as to fit in with the wants and needs of older workers, older workers would be able to have the best of both worlds by being able to still earn an income whilst having the flexibility to peruse new activities. Generally there are more advantages than disadvantages in having older workers remain in the workforce for longer; within the near future, older workers will prove to be an invaluable asset to the Australian workforce and play a crucial role in sustaining Australias economic stability. Bibliography Andrews, K 2003, opening address at the Ageless Workforce Symposium, Sydney, 7 August 2003, Viewed 9th September 2007, . Davies, M 2005, Labour Force Participation by Older Workers, What Influences Decision-making, Victoria University of Wellington, Viewed 29th August 2007. . Mercer Human Resource Consulting, The Productivity Commission’s Draft Report, Economic Implications of Ageing Australia, February 23, 2005, Viewed 29th August 2007, . Fr anklin, M 2006, November 14, Older workers more productive, The Australian, Viewed 10th September 2007, . Facing an Ageing Workforce, Information for Public Service HR Managers, State Services Commission, April 2004. Executive summary, updated 12th May 2004, Viewed 29th August 2007, . Hayden , C Boaz, A and Taylor, F 1999, Attitudes and aspirations of older people, a qualitative study, Viewed 6th October 2007, . Minister for Ageing, The Hon Julie Bishop, addresses the Managing Your Ageing Workforce Conference in Sydney, Viewed 29th August 2007, . Changing working conditions to suit, 2007, August 28, The Canberra Chronicle, p. 5. ACT Chief Minister Exploring Grandparental Leave, 29th August 2007, Viewed 9th September 2007. . Work and ageing 2005, Causes of our ageing population, Viewed September 9th 2007, .

buy custom Devil Reincarnation of Arnold Friend essay

buy custom Devil Reincarnation of Arnold Friend essay The story Where are you going? And where have you been? revolves around a young girl called Connie and Arnold Friend. Connie is a fifteen years old lady. She is preoccupied with her looks most of the time to an extent her mother is not comfortable and keeps scolding her. Her mother wants her to immolate her older sister June in her cleanliness and responsibility. \June works as a secretary and saves the money she gets to assist her family. Connie likes hanging out with boys. One day as she sneaks out, a boy named Eddie invites her for dinner. As they walk down the lane, Connie sees a man in gold convertibles who smiles at her and tells her that he is going to have her. Connies develops a habit of avoiding her mothers prying questions, and dreaming about the boys she meets. One Sunday afternoon as the family goes out; Connie decides to stay back at home. The man dressed in Gold convertibles whom she met while she had gone out with Eddie visits her. The man late introduces himself as A rnold friend. Arnold was in the company of one of his friends whom he introduced as Ellie. Connie was so puzzled when Arnold mentioned her name and she wanted to know how he had known her name. Arnold went ahead and told her that he knows a lot about her and even tells her where her family is at that moment. Arnold gets persistent in having Connie, as he wants her to go out with him. He goes ahead and threatens her by telling her that if she does not follow him he could do anything bad to her family, as he knows where they are and what they are doing. Full of fear, Connie asks him what he wants and he answers that he wants her. He even goes ahead and tells Connie that he knows Connie will fall in love with him. He tells her that he knew she is the girl for him when he first saw her. Connie tells him that she will call the police but the statement does not move him. Arnold insists on Connie to go out with him. Connie runs for the door and takes the telephone but she is so frightened and instead she is sweating and screaming for her mother. She is unable to dial the phone. Arnold gets hold of her and stabs her. Arnold tells her to put the telephone back to its tight place and follow him. What comes to her mind is the thought of not seeing her family members again. From the story, we can tell the character of Arnold. Arnold is a dangerous figure with pale skin and hair that resembles a wig. he has a long and hawk like nose, and his eyes look like chips of broken glass. He appears to be both young and old. His character is unpredictable. He seems to be demonic as he is able to predict facts as they are and he seems to be more of a nightmare rather than a normal being. He was hiding his true identity from Connie. His whole face was a mask that had tanned down his throat. He had plastered make-up on his face to shield his true identity. His boots too seemed to have been stuffed with something that makes him appear taller. The fact that Friend is a dwarf and he seems taller means that he is trying to hide something. Besides his physical characteristics, other devilish characteristics are seen when Arnold tries to harass and manipulate Connie. He seemed like someone who had some evil spell that confuses someone. He has supernatural powers that he us es to manipulate Connie. He tells Connie. Stand up honey, get up all by yourself. Connie stood up and all that was surrounding her was no longer familiar to her any more. The kitchen looked like a place she had never seen before and her eyes kept traversing all over the room as she could not remember anything in the room. The author also uses irony and symbolism in her narration to portray the devilish character of Arnold. Sunday is a holy day and friend feels that he is all superior and powerful. The word friend is ironically used to mean the reverse that Arnold is not good. The author says that after his hand fell into the air the X was still in the air. The X is symbolic of evil. Arnold also seems not to have the ability of entering into the house of Connies parents like vampires as they cannot enter someone else house without permission. Most vampires believe that getting into ones house without permission may deprive them their supernatural powers and weaken them. The numbers written on his car were also symbolic. The numbers (33,19,17) when added as a single digit 3+3+1+9+1+7 add up to 24 and X is the 24th letter of the alphabet. He marked these numbers into the air and told Connie that it is his sign. The number 33 can also symbolize the book Judges which is the 33rd book of the bible. Judges c hapter 19 verse 17 says And when he had lifted up his eyes. He saw a wayfaring man We can also tell that Arnold had supernatural powers as he was able to tell where Connie was staying without Connie having shown him her home. Arnold met Connie once and from there he told her that she would be his. He did not follow Connie to know her home but on that Sunday he was able to know where she was staying. It is the supernatural powers that led him to her home. In summary the character of Arnold being Devil reincarnated does not have full evidence to support the allegations. Though through the manipulations of Connie and predictions Arnold made to Connie one can depict that Arnold Friend had some devilish nature in him. His actions did not take place naturally. No one can understand what was happening to Connie. It was obvious that there were some supernatural powers that were influencing her behavior and actions at the time she was with Arnold. Buy custom Devil Reincarnation of Arnold Friend essay

Meterology essays

Meterology essays Humankinds ability to predict the weather has come a long way over the past century. It doesnt seem like to long ago that the only way we could forecast weather events as to look at nature. Farmers would look at things such as when the birds migrated, and if there were a ring around the moon to determine if the winter would arrive early, or if it would rain. Today meteorologists have sophisticated radar, computers, and satellites that help them analyze weather patterns and events. With this high-tech equipment, mankinds ability to predict the weather has greatly improved. Oklahoma has one of the best weather forecasting systems in the world. The University of Oklahoma (OU) has one of the best meteorology schools in the entire nation, if not the world. Here young meteorologist wannabes can take part in some of the most cutting edge research. OU has the most powerful weather radar in the entire world, and is home to the NEXRAD. (Nexrad) It also played a rather integral part in demonstrating that Doppler weather radar can be a useful tool in the detection of tornadoes, hail, and other severe weather events. (Weather Center) Its really no surprise that Oklahoma is home to such a prestigious meteorology school. Where else in the world is there a better location for the study of weather than here? Oklahomas weather system is unique. We get more tornadoes per square mile, per year, than any other part of the globe. Hot fronts from the south, cold fronts from the north, and weather systems from across the continent all converge in Oklahoma, making the weather rather volatile. What Meteorologist could resist the lure of studyin g the weather here? With the tornados we constantly receive, theres a constant need for the populace to be warned when bad weather is headed their way. (The Weather Center) Meteorology has helped to shape the technology that we use. ...

Compound Plurals

Compound Plurals Compound Plurals Compound Plurals By Maeve Maddox Most English nouns form their plurals by adding -s: boy/boys; house/houses. When the noun is compound, the question sometimes arises as to which word should get the plural ending. In regard to American usage, the Chicago Manual of Style recommends that writers consult Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary for â€Å"tricky† compounds like fathers-in-law, courts-martial, and chefs d’oeuvre, adding, â€Å"For those not listed, common sense can usually provide the answer.† I have a lot of respect for the Chicago Manual of Style, but recommending common sense to determine correct usage seems a bit optimistic. Compound nouns are of three kinds: open, closed, and hyphenated. Not all authorities agree as to which is which or where the plural goes. Open compounds are written as separate words: Grand Jury Knight Templar post office court martial free lunch The principal word in the compound takes the plural: Grand Juries Knights Templar post offices courts martial free lunches Note: According to the OED, court martials is incorrect; M-W gives courts martial as the first plural, but also accepts court martials. Most closed compounds form the plural at the end of the word: toothbrush / toothbrushes haircut / haircuts grasshopper / grasshoppers blackboard / blackboards bedroom / bedrooms BUT, passerby / passersby Like open compounds, hyphenated compound nouns pluralize the principal wordif there is one. The principal word will be a noun. Some compounds have more than one noun; others have none. When the compound has two nouns, common sense will have to tell you which one is the principal word. mother-in-law / mothers-in-law man-of-war / men-of-war merry-go-round / merry-go-rounds (no principal word) forget-me-not / forget-me-nots (no principal word) stand-in / stand-ins (no principal word) Some compounds are hyphenated in the Oxford English Dictionary and written as one word in Merriam-Webster: set-back (OED) setback (M-W) drop-out (OED) dropout (M-W) hold-up (OED) holdup (M-W) half-sister (OED) half sister (M-W) Some speakers have trouble with nouns that end in -ful, puzzling, for example, between cupfuls and cupsful. This is a case in which common sense should probably advise against consulting M-W. Although the M-W entries for cupful, handful, and armful list the plurals cupfuls, handfuls, and armfuls first, they give cupsful, handsful, and armsful as alternative spellings. In addition, the spelling handfull is in there as an â€Å"also.† My American spellchecker does not countenance any of these alternatives. Cupsful doesn’t cut it because compound nouns are made up of two or more words that can be used on their own. For example, the words in the compound policeman can be used separately: â€Å"The man called for the police.† The element ful in cupful is not a word; it’s a suffix. Common sense tells me that cupsful is incorrect. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Greek Words You Should KnowHomonyms, Homophones, Homographs and HeteronymsI wish I were...

Select 2 examples of architecture that best reflect the architectural Essay

Select 2 examples of architecture that best reflect the architectural styles. It is preferable that you choose one western ans one non western example - Essay Example The project has been carried out in a total built up area of more than 330,000 square meters (Doha City, 2013). The facility encompasses a number of goals that include world-class leisure destination, exciting retail and entertainment experience, and international standard services. The mall provides a wide range of services to visitors ranging from basic shopping grounds to high-class entertainment joints. The shopping mall appreciates the need for spatial flexibility incorporating a number of features to allow its maximum usage. This has called for the development of a clear-span space border structures that mainly encompass the entertainment and cinema areas. The fllor structure is as shown below. The mall has been constructed in such a way to allow easy direction strategies. The built-up area involves five levels of facilities that may be accessed from the car park spaces on the basement and roof-top floors. Adequate space has also been allowed for shoppers to access the different businesses within the complex. The retail mall offers a wide range of services from its structural and enhanced stores. This has required a wide range of architectural structures to allow accessibility as well as lighting standards. The construction design serves to satisfy the urban morphology. The design superimposes a defined orthogonal street framework that takes an informal lattice (Doha City, 2013). This accommodates today’s vehicular movement, allowing well-structured walkways that provide intricate spaces that are in line with both Muslim and Islamic vernacular (Doha City, 2013). In addition, the design incorporates an integrated transport and microclimatic strategy. The strategic design enables the mall to capture the sea breeze while reducing ambient temperatures through shading the neighboring streets. The shopping mall occupies a floor of 145,000 square meters and acts as one of the largest shopping malls in Phillipines and within the

Case study - Franchising Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

- Franchising - Case Study Example The description will seek to apprehend four business ventures that John indulged in, and how they were substantial in building his career. The discussion will provide the merits and demerits of each particular venture; as well as, providing substantive recommendation that John could have opted at each business venture. Background One: Radiator Repair Based on the information presented in this extract, it is good to acknowledge that the radiator business has significant impact on John life. Firstly, John through the business got accustomed to running a service business. On this account, it is good to understand that the radiator business has significant challenges. The knowledge that the business has multi-customers with diverse needs hardens John, equipping him with the ability to handle different customer needs differently. Again, the knowledge that John conducted a family business has significant impact on how he could handle future business. Primarily, family businesses are challe nged by a plethora of factors, the concept of trust and authenticity often dominates different segments of the business. John was hardened to understand the essentiality having a manly figure in the business. This will later be reflected in his future business indulgence alongside different companies. However, there are categorical limitations of this business venture. Firstly, the consideration that radiator repair is a technical job which in any case have limited compensation is not a great idea for an employee. Again, his step-father never encouraged John to take over the franchise and in this case, John was relegated to the concept of a mere employee. In fact, the decision to leave the franchise is whole bestowed on the knowledge that his salary at the radiator business was not sufficient enough to manage his life. John had a family along the way and the radiator venture was not a substantive investment opportunity. In my opinion, John Leaving the radiator repair business owned by his father was a resounding move since it would enable him to look into a broader concept in learning new challenges of building a business from scratch. Background Two: Automotive paint touch-up A prominent character in John is his will to learn new things and his optimism. The idea to enter the automotive paint touch-up business was a bold step considered between John and Joan. The family reallocation to Colorado to build up the franchise was a realistic concept. According to the extract John and Joan did build the business for several years. The advantages of this business are the reallocation and consequently, building the business from scratch in an area which John and Joan lacked market. This was a logical step since it hardened John business concept making John understand the ideal reality of operating a business in a foreign environment. However, this strategy attracts criticism in some sense. Firstly, the knowledge that John and Joan left a prevailing market, in this cas e, John has start-up customers in the automotive industry is a dominion factor of consideration. John and Joan could have done successfully better if they continued with this alternative in Texas. Again, the consideration that this business was a blue-collar type of technical investment was not advisable venture considering John had deep dreams in

Discussion Board 4-1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Discussion Board 4-1 - Assignment Example Psychologists have used psychological theories and biological systems to explain the findings about relationship of media and antisocial behaviors in children. To begin with and with reference to Social Development and Social Learning theories, human beings mostly rely on their surrounding environments to learn more about life. Children have immature brains that eager and curious to explore and understand most of the events happening within their environments. Since unable to analyze and sort out information received within their environments, children are likely to consider what they see as right and correct (Cavanaugh & Kail, 2013). As such, children exposed to excess viewing of violent television programs and video contents are likely to lose empathy and instead develop merciless feelings that cause them become aggressive. Such children are likely to involve in reckless and undefined wars against others due to low problem solving abilities. Research findings conducted by psychologists using different theories of human development have also shown that playing violent games as has the potential to train children on complex tactics to become aggressive. Playing and wining video games also create the urge within children to involve in physical and practical exercising of their skills (Cavanaugh & Kail, 2013). To satisfy such urges, children have to involve their colleagues or any person to violence. A good example clarifying the effects of television and media on social behaviors of children occurred in 2006 immediately after hanging of Iraqi’s former President Saddam Hussein. As recorded by ABC News Medical Unit (2007), a nine years old Pakistani boy named Mubashar Ali hanged himself with the help of a ten years old sister. ABC News Medical Unit (2007) adds that after three days of Saddam’s execution, a fifteen years old Indian girl called Moon Moon Karmarkar committed suicide using a ceiling fan in the subu rb of Kolkata. All the children

Leadership theories, leadership style and skills Essay

Leadership theories, leadership style and skills - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that leadership is a sequence, a process which has different elements intact to it, prevailing towards the successful attributes of a true leadership quality. These elements of leadership are of three types- the leader, the following group or the followers and finally the substance. Leadership qualities are measured on the basis of employees’ performance and their job satisfaction. A leader can be called a successful torch bearer only if his/her followers equally contribute towards the growth of an organization. Leadership in itself is an important quality but there are certain factors which define the true leadership qualities a leader should possess. These essential components to developing leadership qualities at par are: a) Setting an example and motivating others, b) Finding a solution to doubts and ambiguities, c) Being ethical, d) Bringing in the desired change, and e) Managing cultural assortment. Teams and groups have become an important part of an organization and different leadership theories have greatly influenced such practice. Leadership and its role within a team greatly inspire the organizational culture and also ensure that the team attains success and the overall output is effective. A leader has certain important leadership traits such integrity, self-confidence, intelligence, and determination. Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos can be said to be the pioneers of innovation, visionary and determined personalities to bring about a change in the way business functions.... It, somehow fails to explain the same in case of people who possess the traits of leadership but are not the leaders (Leader today, 2012). Contingency Theory: This theory believes that there is no single solution to leadership attributes as it may vary from time to time. The style of leadership may change from one form to another depending on the situation. This theory emphasises on the two leadership styles, the task-oriented and people-oriented (McShane, Glinow, & Sharma, p. 465). Further, leadership approach is said to be affected by various internal & external factors. Situational Theory: Situational theory of leadership exhorts that for an emphatic leadership the two valuable aspects to be considered at the time of decision making are management and leadership deed. This theory comprises four styles of leadership which are namely: Delegating, Telling, Participating and Coaching (Betathetapi, n.d). Behavioural Theory: This theory puts forth the idea of leadership on the basis of behavioural pattern depicted by the leaders in various situations. This theory also consist four contrasting leadership styles and these are: Responsibility of task, Responsibility of people, Directive Leadership, and Participative Leadership (Infed, 2011). Transformational Theory Transformational leaders not only contribute towards the growth prosperity of the organisation but also inculcate the organisation’s cultural and other values in their followers (Marquis, Huston, 2009, p. 43). Democratic Leadership Theory Democratic leadership style encourages and supports the people. It believes in creating an environment in the organisation where the employees are motivated to indulge themselves in building

Summarize three articles or Web resources from the surveying bodies Term Paper

Summarize three articles or Web resources from the surveying bodies resources, from the studies in this unit, that apply to your - Term Paper Example It was reauthorized in 2009 as Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). This will run through 2013 and is expected to cover even more uninsured children. This program also is jointly undertaken by the Federal and State governments (CHIPP Policy). A health care professional needs to have a fair knowledge of these three programs to ensure that no needy individual suffers without an appropriate health insurance plan. Department of Health and Human Services. As part of public health and medical services support, the Department of Health and Human Services has guidelines for the First Response in the event of a disaster. Disaster being always a local phenomenon, the local government agency services need to be prepared to respond immediately in the event of a disaster. The state and local authorities will have to coordinate with each other in providing rescue and medical emergency services. If the disaster is beyond the State’s control, the Governor o f the State may ask for support from the Federal Government. Financial and other assistance are provided under the Robert T.Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act).

Leadership theories, leadership style and skills Essay

Leadership theories, leadership style and skills - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that leadership is a sequence, a process which has different elements intact to it, prevailing towards the successful attributes of a true leadership quality. These elements of leadership are of three types- the leader, the following group or the followers and finally the substance. Leadership qualities are measured on the basis of employees’ performance and their job satisfaction. A leader can be called a successful torch bearer only if his/her followers equally contribute towards the growth of an organization. Leadership in itself is an important quality but there are certain factors which define the true leadership qualities a leader should possess. These essential components to developing leadership qualities at par are: a) Setting an example and motivating others, b) Finding a solution to doubts and ambiguities, c) Being ethical, d) Bringing in the desired change, and e) Managing cultural assortment. Teams and groups have become an important part of an organization and different leadership theories have greatly influenced such practice. Leadership and its role within a team greatly inspire the organizational culture and also ensure that the team attains success and the overall output is effective. A leader has certain important leadership traits such integrity, self-confidence, intelligence, and determination. Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos can be said to be the pioneers of innovation, visionary and determined personalities to bring about a change in the way business functions.... It, somehow fails to explain the same in case of people who possess the traits of leadership but are not the leaders (Leader today, 2012). Contingency Theory: This theory believes that there is no single solution to leadership attributes as it may vary from time to time. The style of leadership may change from one form to another depending on the situation. This theory emphasises on the two leadership styles, the task-oriented and people-oriented (McShane, Glinow, & Sharma, p. 465). Further, leadership approach is said to be affected by various internal & external factors. Situational Theory: Situational theory of leadership exhorts that for an emphatic leadership the two valuable aspects to be considered at the time of decision making are management and leadership deed. This theory comprises four styles of leadership which are namely: Delegating, Telling, Participating and Coaching (Betathetapi, n.d). Behavioural Theory: This theory puts forth the idea of leadership on the basis of behavioural pattern depicted by the leaders in various situations. This theory also consist four contrasting leadership styles and these are: Responsibility of task, Responsibility of people, Directive Leadership, and Participative Leadership (Infed, 2011). Transformational Theory Transformational leaders not only contribute towards the growth prosperity of the organisation but also inculcate the organisation’s cultural and other values in their followers (Marquis, Huston, 2009, p. 43). Democratic Leadership Theory Democratic leadership style encourages and supports the people. It believes in creating an environment in the organisation where the employees are motivated to indulge themselves in building

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

Case study - Essay Example This may have been due to the personal relationships he had with them or a more secure way to protect his power. However continental AG did not appreciate this from Gruenberg, they became suspicious and feared he was not on there side, rather more, a traitor. This conflict if seen from continental’sside is a breach of ethical business conduct. Loyalty to ones organization and building trust for those you work for is one of the major stems of business ethics. To cover up and improve relations with Continental AG, Schaeffler offered new concepts and ideas on how they can, together, become more powerful and profitable. Schaeffler needed to satisfy the board of AG to further negotiate as this approval was necessary. Schaeffler made offers to support the continental AG in financial matters, Continental AG did keep negotiations very tight in the beginning and seemed very reluctant, but there sudden offer of shares came as a surprise to everyone. Continental had predicted the downfall of the automobile industry and it was in their interest to offer the shares to Schaeffler, it can be considered as a rather smart move. The new CEO K T Neumann unwisely made a statement which led to dropping in share prices; this announcement was solely made for the personal benefit of his own as he had already begun seeking a position elsewhere. This again can be seen as a breach of business ethics. From the above two examples we can see that people in this organization were merely seeking their own benefit and power. There is no sense of responsibility or morals when it comes to switching sides in business politics. Von Gruenberg, the chairman of the supervisory board, who was initially suspected of favoring the Schaeffler suddenly considers them to lead to a debt burden, this sudden change of attitude is termed as sabotage, as the Schaeffler were no t expecting it. There were various conflicts when it came to choosing

10 Facts on the Great Depression Essay Example for Free

10 Facts on the Great Depression Essay 1.Hoover reacted to growing despair by urging more voluntary action. 2.Hoover blamed the depression on international economic problems, and he was at least partially right. 3.In may 1931, the leading Austrian bank collapsed;by June , the German financial system. 4.Many World War I veterans lost their jobs during the Great Depression, and beginning in 1930, they lobied for the payment of their veterans’ bonuses, wich were not dure until 1945. 5.A bill passed congress in 1931, over Hoovers veto, allowing the veterans to borrow up to 50% of the bonuses due to them, but this did not satisfy the destitute veterans. 6.In May 1932, about 17,000 veterans marched onto Washington. Some took up residence in a ShantyTown called Bonus City that was located in the Anacostia flats outside the city. 7.In the Mid-June, the senate defeated the Bonus Bill, and most of the veterans were disappointed and resigned, and accepted a free railroad ticket home. 8. Several thousand remained, however, along with some wives and children, in the unsanitary shacks during the steaming summer heat. Among the were a small group of committed Communists and other radicals. 9. General Douglas MacArthur, the army chief of staff, ordered the army to disperse the veterans. He described the Bonus marchers as a â€Å"mob†¦animated by the essence of revolution.† With tanks, guns, and tear gas, the army routed veterans who 15 years before had worn the same uniform as their attackers. Two Bonus marchers were killed. And several others were injured. 10. Roosevelt’s caution and conservatism shaped the first New Deal. He did not promote socialism or suggest nationalizing the banks. He was even careful in authorizing public works projects to simulate the economy.

Changes in market condition effects on the airline industry

Changes in market condition effects on the airline industry The purpose of this assignment is to study the changes in market condition that have affected the airline industry. The Airline industry has been introduced to the world since 1909.Airline services vary from intercontinental, to intra continental, domestic or international. They are portrayed through an oligopoly structure which is limited number of firms overlook the industry to produce imperfect competition. We discuss about airline oligopoly structure and current economic environment that shows an impact to the airline industry. The effects of technology advancement and competitive market will trigger the airline industry in terms of benefits and burden. We study the airline oligopoly structure, current economic and noneconomic environment, change in technology, effect of externalities and price discrimination shows an impact in the airline industry. Currently the airline industry is in high competition market causing a wide shakedown which will have long distance effect on the tr end of expanding the market. Airline industry was at least part government owned during the past but in the U.S most of the airlines are private owned. Airline Industry Structure The airline industry is classified as one of the oligopoly market structure. The oligopoly market is dominated by a number of firms that control the whole industry and this is a type of imperfect competition. Oligopoly firms have the rights in setting the price of a certain goods and also creating many types of output levels. When the oligopoly takes place in the market, competitors will compete with each other due to producing the same goods. Therefore, they will develop new ideas such as lowering the price of their goods and also other ways to improve the market share. In other words, oligopoly firms are interdependent. Besides that, an oligopoly firm such as the airline industry requires a huge capital investment to expand the business which will result in a higher cost. Based on the Air Transport Association (2002), roughly two thirds of the overall airline industry cost structure is fixed cost. According to Pettit and Murphy (2001), when there are over capitals, the airline industry cannot possibly generate sufficient revenues to cover up their total fixed cost hence the industry. In order to increase the number of passengers, the firm must reduce its cost and also to be given a fixed capital requirements. Moving on, airline industries are highly potential in producing efficiencies such as providing a better service and lower price to consumers. Through optimization, the airline industry may achieve higher profits and increasing the load factors, reducing the maintenance cost, settle off overhead cost for operating through synergies (Petit and Murphy 2001), and also suggested to reduce the flights to a weaker market. (Sharkey 2003) Next, an oligopoly firm may use the market power to control competition but however new innovation firms can overcome it by using the strategy of the low fare airlines. Although there is difficulty to enter the industry such as high cost and capital requirement, the industry appears to be more competitive as proven by the low-fare transport. Hence, new market competitors can continue experiencing high growth in profit unlike the bigger competitors. In the airline industry, it consists of smaller and bigger airline when both merge together, the antitrust considerations may prevent it from happening. According to Blair and Harrison (1999) and Moorman (2002), in order to protect new competitors in the market from an unfair competition and also anti competitive acquisitions, the antitrust provisions are required to change and enforce. Lastly, the price determination and economies of scale as well as the low cost competitors show that the airline industry is not a stable industry. Thus, structure with the lowest cost would be the survivor when the sales in the industry decrease. Current Economic and Noneconomic environment The airline industry has been facing a chain of unpredicted and noneconomic factors such as terrorist attack in 2001, spreading virus of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and also economic slow down. The airports have increased the cost of airlines after the September 11 attack, resulting impact on demand for air flights and also traveled time due to intensive security check. The 9/11 event had raise losses of that year to $7.7 billion, regardless government intervention of $5billion for the cost of shutting down the aviation system. Beside terrorist attack, airline industry had come across economic slowdown in early 2000. The economic slowdowns ease the business traveler, when the airline is depending on gainful sales of high price seats. According to Newman 2003, he suggested that even before the terrorist attack the airline industry is experiencing slow growth of passenger travel. Highly competitive airline is another factor affecting the airline industry. Until late 1990s, major airlines enjoy competition with low fare carriers. The new competitors are having lower cost per seat mile while making profit at lower fares. Microeconomics and macroeconomic market factors have lowered demand and increased elasticity demand in the industry. Figure 1 shows demand for airline tickets has decreased from D1 to D2 becoming more elastic. Is becomes flatter when there is higher price responsiveness, represented by decrease in price from P1 to P2. The equilibrium will shift from E1 to E2. Oligopoly industry will be motivated by the change in demand to reduce supply of seat in order to reduce the cost with a constant price at P1, supply curve shift from S1 to S2 with equilibrium at E3. FIGURE 1 Effect of technology changes The worlds airline industries have been using technologies to build customer relationship and also generate income to solve some of their difficulties. For airlines, technology like Electronic ticketing (ET) only offers in certain airlines decades ago. The main purpose of it was to encourage the implementation of ET with lower distribution costs and also to enhance online environment of airlines. Technology has transformed how airlines work back then. It is so much easier to manage the check-in system. Most airlines are taking up system that runs automated check-in. Instead of arriving at the airport early, traveler could just swipe their credit card through a machine and print out the e-ticket which saves a lot of time. Technology could be use to boost customer relationship. Through the Web, industry could offer travelers to customize their specific travel. For example a traveler that flies frequently are most likely to enjoy the airport lounge services, therefore the Web interface could direct the service with a higher cost with satisfaction. Figure 2 shows the effect of technology advancement in the airline industry. FIGURE 2 When demand for air ticket increases, the demand curve eventually shift upwards. The initial equilibrium is at E1 with initial price and quantity at P1 and Q1 respectively. With increase of demand, price will increase from P1 to P2 and quantity demanded will increase from Q1 to Q2 and the new equilibrium at E2. When airline industry is enjoying their benefits from cost saving, consumers gain benefits from greater price transparency and other choices. According to Newman 2003, he suggested webcasting and other types of telecommunication shows impact in the airline industry because there are increase in business travelers and consumers. Many business meeting or interview are conducted through video conferencing which save time and cost. Also employee could easily apply for overseas job via audio and video streaming at a distance location. (Cope 2002) Technologies that can communicate with each partner is essential for future benefits in the industry especially green technologies which could build a sustaining future. Price Discrimination Price discrimination is defined as a firm selling same goods at different prices to different types of customers. Price discrimination is also a known as price strategy. Example of firms that applies the price discrimination is the low cost airlines. Promotions for cheap air tickets are always advertised to attract customers to buy their air tickets earlier by giving a lower price. This enables the airline firm to have advantage of knowing their flight seat status and also a source of cash flow. When the date of the flight is getting nearer, the price of air tickets increases therefore customers that buy the tickets are likely to be paying at a higher price. In other words, this represents the concept of price elasticity of demand. Price elasticity of demand basically measures how much the quantity demanded of certain goods responds to a change in price of the particular goods. The figure below shows the effect of price elasticity of consumers on total revenue. FIGURE 3 Based on figure 3, we can observe that when the demand is elastic, the quantity demanded which are Q1 and Q2 will be greater than the percentage change in price P1 and P2. The total revenue after decreasing the price from P1 to P2 is greater than before the decreasing it. This is proven that the sales of the airline increased due the increase in quantity hence in this airline industry, consumers are relatively responsive towards to the changes in price. Effects of Externalities The airline industry growth has been increasing year by year. We can observe that nowadays many people are taking airplane to travel around the world. Furthermore, based on research during 1990 the number of passengers was approximately 125 billion and after 10 years it has increased to approximately 260 billion passengers. This showed that the demand increases every year because of the new development of technologies and also new low-cost airlines firms. Although the airline industry shows a positive growth every year, the negative external cost of flying more passengers pollutes the environment. Based on Dr Keith Tovey, energy science director at the University of East Anglias carbon reduction project. If you fly to Sydney, Australia, a plane will emit 5.6 tons of carbon dioxide per passenger, which is as much as an average household will emit a year. Moreover, aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of the greenhouse gas hence in future the percentage of emission will increase and affect the environment. In order to overcome this problem, the government has introduced a new solution which is the aviation tax to curb the environment damages. This would affect the increase airfare prices because of the tax on suppliers which had increased their cost of production. FIGURE 4 Based on figure 4, when the government implies the aviation tax on the suppliers, suppliers will reduce their supplies to reduce their cost. The supply curve S will to S1 hence the decrease in supply will lead to a decrease in number of quantities from Q to Q1 therefore the price will increase from P to P1. Conclusion In a nutshell, the changes in the airline industry market will affect the consumers to make decision. Certain airlines are cutting cost in order to increase their profit. Technology such as Wi-Fi is highly recommended in flight to satisfy customers need. (Newman, 2003) Small changes in the number of flight passengers can affect the airline financial result. Whenever there is a reduction in airline industry like the one during 2008, airport operating cost remain constant. Coy (2002) noted that every seats remaining available are consider as a lost although its at reduced fares. This is where price discrimination takes place. The global airline industry lost $50 billion in the past 10 years with $11billion last year alone. It would take at least three years to improve the industry. Worsen of airline has forced some airline corporate to file for bankrupt. According to IATA Chief Economist, the industry worst loss was $13 billion in 2001 with the September 11 event, and $80 billion income drop last year. To improve the economy, there should be more new entrants in the market to be more efficient. Regardless of any factor, the airline industry will always be unstable. Price will normally rise when there is tax charged by government. Thus, consumers plays a vital role in adjusting the changes occurs in the airline industry.

Janies Metamorphosis in Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay example --

Janie's Metamorphosis in Their Eyes Were Watching God    "Dey all useter call me Alphabet 'cause so many people had done named me different names," Janie innocently expresses (Hurston 9). The nickname "Alphabet" is appropriate in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God because she is indefinable to others and herself. From her early childhood, Janie Crawford searches for self-knowledge and grows through her relationships with men, family, and society. The main character continually seeks autonomy and self-realization, but her quest cannot continue as long as she is the object of others. Janie must find her own identity to become the subject of her desires and dreams. To accomplish this, she enters into, not away from, black culture to find her meaning in life. Janie dares not to be pathetic, or tragic, but to defy the expectations of her men, family, and society. Through Janie's life experiences, she is able to shift from the object of other's lives to the subject of her own life. Hurston uses the power of language and different narrative techniques to show Janie's transition throughout the novel. It is important to notice that in Janie's journey from object to subject, the narration of the novel shifts from third person to a mixture of first and third person; thus, the shift shows the awareness of self within Janie. Language becomes an instrument of injury and salvation and of selfhood and empowerment. The use of powerful language is exemplified well in the text when Janie is asked to say a few words as the new Mrs. Mayor. Joe, her second husband, quickly cuts in and says, "Thank yuh fuh yo' compliments, but mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech-makin'. Ah never married her for not... ...izes the chance for happiness. Janie is comfortable knowing that she can live for herself, for she has become the subject of her own life. Janie is a complete woman because her inner and outer self unites; she transforms her social role into an organic role. Being comfortable in one's own skin and self, because of and not in spite of, is the true source of joy. Sources Cited and Consulted Hinton, Kip Austin. "Zora Neale Hurston." Zora Neale Hurston Web Site. Kip Austin Hinton, ed. 07/16/2003. Available at www.1.am/zora Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper & Row, 1937. Kubitschek, Missy Dehn. " 'Tuh de Horizon and Back': The Female Quest in Their Eyes Were Watching God." Modern Critical Interpretations: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.

Coyote Blue Chapter 23~24

Part 3 Quest CHAPTER 23 Pavlov's Dogs and the Rhinestone Turd Las Vegas The only distractions from the noise of his own mind were desert-dried roadkills, thrown retreads, and road signs reflecting desolation. Sam drove, smoked, and fought drowsiness by worrying about how he would find the girl. The trickster slept in the passenger seat. Sam had been to Las Vegas three times before – with Aaron – to see championship boxing at Caesar's Palace. Two hundred dollars bought them seats at nosebleed altitude, closer to the moon than the ring, but Aaron insisted that there was nothing like being there. Without binoculars, following the progress of the fight was like tracking down a rumor. Sam usually watched the women and did his best to keep Aaron calmed down. As soon as they walked into a casino Aaron started. â€Å"This is my town! The lights, the excitement, the women – I was born for this place.† Then Aaron would drop a couple thousand at the tables and suck free gin and tonics until he staggered. In the morning Sam would drag Aaron out of a tangle of satin sheets and hookers, throw him in the shower, and listen to his long lament of remorse and hangover as he lay in the backseat of the car with a jacket over his head, whining the whole way home about how he would never return. Aaron never failed to fuel the greed machine and was always dumbfounded when it juiced him of his hope. It was the machine that fascinated Sam. While Aaron ground himself through the velvet gears, Sam watched the workings of the most elaborate Skinner box on the face of the Earth. Drop the coin, hear the bell, see the lights, eat the food, see the women, hear the bell, see the lights, drop the coin again. The ostentation of the casinos did not create desire for money; it made money meaningless. There were no mortgages in a casino, no children needing food, no car needing repairs, no work, no time, no day, no night; those things – the context of money – were someplace else. A place where people returned before they realized that a turd rolled in rhinestones is a turd nonetheless. Sam saw the glow from Las Vegas rising over the desert from thirty miles out. He poked Coyote in the leg and the trickster woke up. â€Å"Hold the wheel,† Sam said. â€Å"Let me drive. You can sleep.† â€Å"You're not driving my car. Just hold the wheel.† Coyote held the wheel while Sam punched buttons on the console. The screen of the navigation system flickered on. Sam punched a few more buttons and a street map of Las Vegas lit up green on the screen. A blip representing the Merecedes blinked along Highway 15 toward the city. â€Å"Okay,† Sam said, taking the wheel again. Coyote studied the screen. â€Å"How do you win?† â€Å"It's not a game, it's a map. The blip is us.† â€Å"The car knows where it is going, like a horse?† â€Å"It doesn't know, it just tells us where we are.† â€Å"Like looking out the window?† â€Å"Look, I'm going to have to sleep when we get to Vegas. I don't even know where to start looking for Calliope.† â€Å"Why don't you ask the car?† Sam ignored the question. â€Å"I'm going to get us a room.† He dialed information on the cellular phone, got the number of a casino hotel, then called and reserved a room. The exits off the highway were marked by names of casinos they led to, not by the names of streets or roads. Sam took the exit marked Camelot. He followed the signs down the surface streets lined with pawnshops, convenience stores, and low-slung cinder-block buildings under neon signs that proclaimed, CASH FOR YOUR CAR, CHECKS CASHED HERE, MARRIAGES AND DIVORCES – TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR DRIVE-THRU WINDOW. Coyote said, â€Å"What are these places?† Sam tried to think of a quick explanation, but was too weary from lack of sleep to tackle the concept of Las Vegas in twenty-five words or less. Finally he said, â€Å"These are places where you go if you want to fuck up your life and you don't have a lot of time to do it in.† â€Å"Are we going to stop?† â€Å"No, I seem to be fucking up at a fine rate of speed, thank you.† Sam spotted the pseudomedieval towers of Camelot rising above the strip, multi-colored pennons flying from standards tipped with aircraft warning lights. He wondered what the real King Arthur (if there was a King Arthur, and who was he to question the truth behind myth?) would have thought about the casino named after his legendary city. Would he recognize anything? Would he cower in fear at the sight of his first electric light? Flush toilet? Automobile? Would he be reduced to a pathetic Quixote attacking this place where chivalry was a quaint marketing idea? Or would the Once and Future King lay eyes on a leggy keno girl and raise another lance to lead the knights of the Round Table in a charge? The women, Sam decided, would be Arthur's touchstone, and his downfall. He shot a glance at Coyote. â€Å"When we get there you're going to see a lot of women without a lot of clothes on. Stay away from them.† Coyote looked surprised. â€Å"I never touch a woman who does not want it-â€Å" â€Å"Don't touch!† Sam interrupted. Coyote slouched in his seat. â€Å"Or need it,† he whispered. Sam drove the Mercedes over a giant drawbridge and stopped at the valet parking station where a dozen young men dressed like squires were scrambling around unloading cars, filling out slips, and driving cars away. â€Å"This is it,† Sam said. He popped the trunk and got out, leaving the engine running. A warm desert wind washed over him at the same time a young man ran around the car and held out a numbered slip of paper. â€Å"Your ticket, milord.† Sam dug in his pocket for a bill to tip the kid, but found nothing. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said. â€Å"I don't have any cash on me. I'll get your name and leave a tip at the desk.† The kid tried to force a smile and failed. â€Å"Very good, milord.† He jumped in the car and slammed the door. Sam cringed and tapped on the window. The window whirred down; the kid waited. Sam leaned in and read the kid's plastic badge. â€Å"Look, uh, Squire Tom, I really will leave a tip at the desk for you. We left in a hurry and I forgot to get cash.† The kid waited, gunning the engine. â€Å"There's an alarm remote on the keys. Could you turn it on after you park it? One chirp is armed.† Squire Tom nodded and pulled away. Sam heard him say, â€Å"The pox on you, Moorish pig,† over the squeal of the tires. How authentic, Sam thought. He watched the Mercedes disappear around the corner and wondered why valet parking always made him feel as if he had seen his car for the last time. Coyote stood across the lane waving to the car. He looked over. â€Å"Moorish pig?† â€Å"The dark skin, I guess,† said Sam. He led Coyote past a half-dozen squires and an overweight guy in a purple-and-yellow jester's outfit with a radio on his belt and a badge that read, Lord Larry, over another drawbridge, and into the casino. Trumpets played a fanfare as they crossed the threshold under a brace of huge broadswords. A jolly electronic voice welcomed them to Camelot. Sam spotted a woman in a peasant dress by a sign reading, Ye Olde Information. The badge she wore, next to a magnificent display of cleavage, read, Lusty Wench Wendy. Sam pulled Coyote back and approached the girl. â€Å"Excuse me, er, Wendy. I have a room reserved and I need to find a cash machine.† The girl spoke in a whining fake-English-over-true-Brooklyn accent.  «Well » – she threw out a hip, struck a pose – â€Å"if milords proceed through the casino to the left to the second arch, ye will find the registration desk. There's cash machines by every arch, milord.† â€Å"Thanks,† Sam said. He started to walk away, then turned back to the girl. â€Å"Excuse me, but I've been here before and I thought everyone was a lord or a lady. Lusty wench is a new one.† The English accent had overheated and failed. â€Å"Yeah. About three months ago they said it was getting sorta confusing. You know, six Lord Steves, ten Lady Debbies. They use a bunch of other medieval titles now. The bellboys are serfs. Lusty wenches, alchemists, stuff like that.† â€Å"Oh, thanks,† Sam said as if he understood. He led Coyote into the chaos of the casino, looking for a cash machine while trying to move quickly. Coyote's appearance was attracting attention, and when people looked up from a slot machine or blackjack table, Sam knew they were truly distracted. As they passed a carousel of slot machines, a middle-aged woman who was pumping quarters into a machine by the handful leaned so far back to get a look at the trickster that she nearly toppled off her stool. Sam caught her and steadied her. â€Å"He works at the Frontier, up the strip,† Sam said. Coyote peeked over Sam's shoulder, winked at the woman, then licked his eyebrows. The woman's jaw dropped. â€Å"Exotic dancer,† Sam explained. The woman nodded, a little stunned, and returned her attention to the slot machine. â€Å"I wish you wouldn't do that,† Sam said to Coyote. â€Å"And don't you have any other clothes? Something a little more conservative?† â€Å"Wool?† Coyote made an incredibly realistic sheep noise. A pit boss at the blackjack tables raised an eyebrow and two security jesters fell in behind Sam and Coyote. â€Å"Be cool,† Sam said. He turned under a hanging tapestry of a unicorn and stopped by a cash machine, checking over his shoulder for the security jesters. They waited and watched, standing a few feet away, while Sam took a deck of credit cards from his wallet and shuffled through them. When he inserted one of the cards in the machine and punched his identification number the jesters moved off. â€Å"They're gone,† Coyote said. â€Å"Yeah, as long as it looks like you're going to spend money I guess it doesn't matter what you look like.† Coyote watched as the cash machine spit a stack of twenties into the tray. â€Å"You win,† he said. â€Å"You picked the right numbers the first time.† â€Å"Yeah, I'm lucky that way.† â€Å"Try again, see if you win.† Sam grinned. â€Å"I'm very good at this game.† He put a different card into the machine and punched the same PIN number while Coyote watched. The machine whirred and another stack of twenties shot into the tray. â€Å"You won! Play again.† â€Å"No. We need to check in.† Sam picked up the money and walked to a registration desk that was long enough to land planes on. At this hour of the morning there were only two people on the desk, a lusty wench named Chantel and a very tall, thin, very black man in a business suit and wraparound sunglasses who stood back from the desk and watched, unmoving. â€Å"Hunter, Samuel,† Sam said. â€Å"I have a reservation.† He placed a credit card on the desk. The girl typed for a second. The computer beeped and the girl looked over her shoulder at the black man, who moved like liquid to her side. He consulted the screen for a moment. What now? Sam thought. The black man looked down at Sam and a crescent moon of a smile appeared on the night sky of his face. He picked up Sam's credit card and handed it back. â€Å"Mr. Hunter, thank you for joining us again. The room's on Camelot, sir. And if there's anything I can get you, please don't hesitate to call down and ask.† Sam was dumbfounded. Then he remembered. The last time he had stayed here Aaron had lost almost twenty thousand dollars and billed it to their suite of rooms. The suite had been registered in Sam's name. Vegas loves a loser. â€Å"Thank you† – Sam read the man's nameplate, which was pinned at Sam's eye level – â€Å"M.F.† No Lord, no Squire, no title at all – just M.F. â€Å"The second elevator on your left, Mr. Hunter,† the lusty wench said. â€Å"Twenty-seventh floor.† â€Å"Thanks,† Sam said. Coyote grinned at the girl and Sam dragged him away to the elevator, where the trickster immediately punched in four floor numbers and stood back. â€Å"This time, I will win.† â€Å"It's a fucking elevator,† Sam said. â€Å"Just push twenty-seven.† â€Å"But that is not the lucky number.† Sam sighed and pushed the floor number, then waited while they stopped at all the floors Coyote had pushed on their way to twenty-seven. Once in the room, Sam stripped to his shorts and fell onto one of the king-size beds. â€Å"Get some sleep if you can. I'll try and figure out how to find Calliope in the morning. I'm too tired to think now.† â€Å"You sleep,† Coyote said. â€Å"I will think of a plan.† Sam didn't answer. He was already asleep. Coyote Loses His Ass Coyote and his friend Beaver had been hunting all day, but neither had found any game. After a while they sat down on some rocks and began talking. â€Å"This is your fault,† Coyote said. â€Å"I can always find game.† â€Å"I don't think so,† Beaver said. â€Å"If you are such a good hunter, why is your wife so skinny?† Coyote thought about his skinny wife and Beaver's fat little wife and he was jealous. â€Å"Well, how about a bet?† he said. â€Å"Tomorrow we will each go out hunting. If you get more rabbits, you can come to my lodge and sleep with my wife so you can see that my skinny wife is better. But if I get more rabbits, I get to sleep with your wife.† â€Å"Sounds fair,† Beaver said. The next day, after the hunt, Coyote came to Beaver's lodge carrying his one scrawny rabbit. â€Å"Oh, Mrs. Beaver,† he called. â€Å"I've come to collect on my bet.† Mrs. Beaver called from inside the lodge. â€Å"Oh, Coyote, you are a great hunter. Mr. Beaver just stopped by with twenty rabbits on his way to your lodge. You better go stop him and tell him that you got more.† â€Å"Right,† Coyote said. â€Å"I'll be right back.† He slunk off to his lodge dragging his rabbit. His wife was waiting outside. â€Å"Nice rabbit,† she said. â€Å"Beaver is inside. I'll see you in the morning.† Coyote's wife went into the lodge and pulled down the door flap. All night Coyote sat outside his lodge shivering and listening. At one point he heard his wife cry out. â€Å"Beaver!† Coyote shouted. â€Å"Don't you hurt my wife.† â€Å"He's not hurting me,† Mrs. Coyote said. â€Å"I like it!† â€Å"Swell,† Coyote said. The next morning Beaver came out of Coyote's lodge singing and grinning. â€Å"No hard feelings, right?† â€Å"A bet is a bet,† Coyote said. Mrs. Coyote peeked out and said, â€Å"Maybe this will teach you not to gamble.† â€Å"Right,† Coyote said. Then he called to Beaver, â€Å"Hey, how about playing the hand game with me – double or nothing?† â€Å"Sounds good,† Beaver said. â€Å"Let's go down to the river.† At the river Coyote said, â€Å"This is for a night with your wife.† Then he picked the wrong hand. â€Å"You really shouldn't gamble,† Beaver said. â€Å"I'll bet you my best horse for a night with your wife,† Coyote said. After a while, Coyote had lost all his horses, his lodge, his wife, and his clothes. â€Å"One more time,† he said. â€Å"But you don't have anything left,† Beaver said. â€Å"I'll bet you my ass against everything else.† â€Å"I don't want your ass,† Beaver said. â€Å"I thought you were my friend.† â€Å"Okay,† Beaver said. He hid the stone behind his back. Coyote picked the wrong hand. â€Å"Can I borrow your knife?† Coyote said. â€Å"I don't want your ass,† Beaver said. â€Å"A bet is a bet,† Coyote said. He took Beaver's knife and cut off his ass. â€Å"Boy, that stings.† â€Å"I've got to go,† Beaver said. â€Å"I'll tell your wife she can come and sleep in my lodge if she wants to.† He picked up all of Coyote's things and went home. When Coyote got home his wife was waiting. â€Å"Beaver took the lodge,† she said. â€Å"Yep,† Coyote said. â€Å"Where's your ass?† she asked. â€Å"Beaver got that too.† â€Å"You know,† she said, â€Å"there's a twelve-step program for gambling. You should look into it.† â€Å"Twelve steps.† Coyote laughed. â€Å"I'll bet I can do it in six.† CHAPTER 24 Coyote in Trickster Town Las Vegas Coyote had been a long time in the Spirit World, where everyone knew him, so no one would gamble with him. Now that he was in Trickster Town, he wanted to make up for lost time. He waited for Sam to fall asleep, then he took the salesman's wallet and went down the elevator to the casino. Coyote saw hundreds of shiny machines blinking, and ringing, and clanking big coins into hollow metal bowls. He saw green tables where people traded money for colorful chips and a woman in a cage who paid money for the chips. He saw a wheel with a ball that went around and around. When the ball stopped a man took everyone's chips. The key to that one, Coyote thought, is to grab your chips when you see the ball slowing down. At one green table, a shaman with a stick chanted while players threw bones. There was much shouting and moaning after each throw and the shaman took many chips from the players. That is a game of magic, Coyote thought. I will be very good at that one. But first I must use Sam's cheating medicine on this machine. The trickster stood by a machine that he had seen Sam win from two times. He took one of the gold cards from Sam's wallet and slipped it into the machine, then he pressed the number that he had seen Sam use. The machine beeped and spit the card out. â€Å"Panther piss!† Coyote swore. â€Å"I've lost.† He pounded on the machine, then stepped back and drew another card from Sam's wallet. He put it in the machine and pressed the number. The machine beeped and spit out the card. â€Å"Balls!† Coyote said. â€Å"This cheating medicine is no good.† A round woman in pink stretch pants who was standing behind Coyote cleared her throat and made an impatient humphing noise. Coyote turned to her. â€Å"Get your own machine. This one is mine.† The woman glared at the trickster and tapped her foot. â€Å"Go, go, go,† Coyote said, waving her away. â€Å"There are many machines to play on. I was here first. Go away.† He put another card into the machine and hunched over the keyboard so the woman would not steal his cheating medicine. He looked back over his shoulder. She was trying to see what he was doing. â€Å"Go away, woman. My cheating medicine will not help you. Even if you win you will still be ugly.† The woman wrapped the strap of her pocketbook around her wrist and wound up to swing it at Coyote. Coyote was going to turn into a flea and disappear into the carpet, but he would have had to drop Sam's wallet to do it, so he hesitated and the woman let fly. Coyote ducked and covered his head, but the blow didn't come. Instead he heard a solid thud above his head and looked up to see a huge black hand holding the pocketbook in the air, the woman dangling from the strap at the other end. Coyote looked up further, craning his neck, until he saw a dazzling crescent moon of a smile in the face like night sky. â€Å"Is there a problem?† said the crescent moon in a soft, calm, deep voice. The giant lowered the woman, who stood stunned, staring up at what looked like a living late-afternoon shadow in sunglasses. The giant was used to shocking people – white people anyway; a seven-foot black man anywhere off a basketball court nonplussed most. He squeezed the woman's shoulder gently to bring her back to her senses. â€Å"Are you all right, ma'am?† Again the smile. â€Å"Fine. I'm fine,† the woman said, and she tottered off into the casino to tell her husband that, by God, they would spend their next vacation in Hawaii where natives and giants – if they were there at all – were part of the entertainment. The giant turned his attention to Coyote. â€Å"And you, sir, can I help you with anything?† â€Å"You look like Raven,† Coyote said. â€Å"Do you always wear sunglasses?† â€Å"Always, sir,† the giant said with a slight bow. He pointed to the brass nameplate on his black suit jacket. â€Å"I'm M.F., customer service, at your service, sir.† â€Å"What's the M.F. stand for?† Coyote asked. â€Å"Just M.F., sir. I am the youngest of nine children. I suppose my mother was too tired to come up with a full name.† This was not entirely true, nor entirely false. The giant's mother had, indeed, been weary by the time he was born, but she had also developed an unnatural obsession with dental hygiene as a child, after she was chosen to be one of the first students ever to participate in a Crest toothpaste test. It had been her single moment of glory, her fifteen minutes of fame (and her best checkup ever). When she grew up she married a navy man named Nathan Fresh, and as she bore her children she christened them in remembrance of her day in the dental sun. The first of the Fresh children, a boy, was named Fluoristat. Then came three more boys: Tartar, Plaque, and Molar. Then two girls: Gingivitis and Flossie (the latter after the famous dental hygiene cow). After normal deliveries of two more sons, Bicuspid and Incisor, she had a long, difficult labor with her largest and last son, Minty. Later, Mother Fresh swore that had the child taken one more minute to come into the world, she would have nam ed him Mr. Tooth Decay out of spite – a fact that gave little solace to the man named Minty Fresh. Coyote said, â€Å"People think that it stands for motherfucker, don't they?† â€Å"No,† Minty said. â€Å"No one has ever mentioned it.† â€Å"Oh,† Coyote said. â€Å"Can you fix this machine? When I give it the cheating number it just beeps.† Minty Fresh looked at the cash machine, which was still blinking the message INSTRUCTIONS IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, OR JAPANESE. CHOOSE ONE. â€Å"You'll need to choose a language, sir.† He reached down and pushed the English button. â€Å"It should be fine now.† Coyote inserted a card and punched two numbers on the keyboard, then looked at Minty. â€Å"This is my secret number.† â€Å"Yes,† Minty said. â€Å"If you need anything at all, please ask for me personally.† He turned and walked away. Coyote finished punching the PIN number. When the machine prompted him for an amount he punched in $9999.99, the maximum allowed by the six-figure field. The machine whirred and spit five hundred dollars into the tray, then flashed a message saying that this was the card's transaction limit. Coyote tried the card again and got another five hundred. The third time the machine refused the transaction so Coyote tried another card. After running all of Sam's cards to their limit he walked away from the machine with twenty thousand dollars in cash. Coyote went to the roulette table and held the four-inch brick of twenties out to the croupier, a slight Oriental woman in a red-and-purple silk doublet with a name badge that read, Lady Lihn. The croupier said, â€Å"On the table.† She gestured for Coyote to put the money down. She nodded to a pit boss. â€Å"Watch count, please,† she said mechanically. The pit boss, a sharp-faced, slick-haired Italian man wearing a polyester suit and a ten-thousand-dollar Rolex, moved to her side and watched as she counted the bills out on the table. â€Å"Changing twenty thousand,† Lady Lihn said. â€Å"How would you like this, sir?† â€Å"Red ones,† Coyote said. The pit boss raised an eyebrow and smirked. Lady Lihn looked irritated. â€Å"Red is five dollar. No room on table.† The pit boss addressed Coyote. â€Å"Perhaps you'd like two hundred in fives and the rest in hundreds, sir.† â€Å"What color are the hundreds?† Coyote said. â€Å"Black,† Lady Lihn said. â€Å"Yellows,† Coyote said. â€Å"Yellows are two dollars.† â€Å"You pick,† Coyote said. Lady Lihn counted out racks of chips and pushed them in front of Coyote. The pit boss nodded to a cocktail waitress, then to the stack of chips in front of Coyote, which the cocktail waitress interpreted as â€Å"Take the order.† The cocktail waitress would bring strong drinks until Coyote started to get drunk, then she would bring watered drinks until he looked tired, when she would offer coffee and disappear until the caffeine kicked in. â€Å"Can I bring you something to drink?† Coyote turned to the cocktail waitress and stared into her cleavage. â€Å"Yes,† he said. The waitress held a pen ready over a cocktail napkin. â€Å"What can I bring you?† Coyote shot a glance to a woman at the table who was drinking a mai tai, resplendent with paper parasols and sword-skewered tropical fruit. He grabbed the woman's drink and downed half of it, nearly taking his eye out with the plastic broadsword. â€Å"One of these,† Coyote said. He replaced the drink in front of the woman, who didn't seem to notice that it had been missing. She'd been riding the alcohol-and-caffeine roller coaster for hours and was absorbed in winning back her children's college fund. â€Å"Bets down,† Lady Lihn said. Coyote put a single red chip on black and the ball was dropped. Coyote watched the ball race around the outside of the wheel. When it slowed and dropped to the numbers he reached for his bet. â€Å"No touch bet,† Lady Lihn snapped. In an instant the pit boss, the cocktail waitress, and two security jesters in steel-toed elf shoes were at Coyote's side. The trickster pulled his hand back. It will be hard to trick these people, Coyote thought. They talk like wolves, all twitches and gestures and smells. The ball dropped into a red slot and Lady Lihn placed another red chip next to Coyote's. â€Å"I win, I win, I win,† Coyote chanted. He did a skipping dance around the table and sang a victory song. Above the casino, in a mirrored dome, a video camera picked up Coyote's dancing image and sent it to a deck of monitors where three men watched and, in turn, watched each other watch. One pressed a button and picked up a telephone. â€Å"M.F.,† he said. â€Å"This is God. Customer service on table fifty-nine. The Indian you were talking to a few minutes ago. Watch him.† â€Å"I'm on it,† Minty Fresh said. He turned to the girl who was working behind the computer. â€Å"God wants me on the floor.† The girl nodded. As Minty walked by her she sang softly, â€Å"He knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you're awake†¦.† Minty Fresh smiled. He really didn't mind being watched. Because of his size, people had always watched him. He had never blended into any background, never entered a room unnoticed, never been able to sneak up on someone. Attracting attention was as natural to him as being. And for every original-thinking dolt who asked him how the weather was up there, there was a woman who wanted to research the wives' tale of proportional hand-foot-penis size. (A tale, Minty thought, dreamed up by the unsatisfied wives of small-footed men.) Minty spotted the Indian at the roulette table. The two security jesters had moved off a few feet but were still watching, as was the pit boss. When Minty came to the table they nodded in acknowledgment and moved off. The croupier looked at Minty and immediately looked back to the bets on the table. Minty Fresh put her on edge. It wasn't his size that rattled her, but the fact that no one was exactly sure what his job was, only that when there was a problem, he was there. He handled things. Lady Lihn dropped the ball into the wheel. It raced, then rattled into a slot, and she raked all the bets off the table. Coyote cursed and let out a howl. The woman playing next to him staggered back and wandered away, carrying visions of her children wearing paper hats and saying, â€Å"I was going to go to college, but my mother went to Vegas instead. Would you like fries with that?† Coyote looked at Minty Fresh. â€Å"She was bad luck. I lost half of my chips because of her.† â€Å"Perhaps you should move to a different table,† Minty said. â€Å"We can open a private table just for you.† Coyote grinned at Minty. â€Å"You think you have a table where you can trick me?† â€Å"No, sir,† Minty said, a little embarrassed. â€Å"We don't wish to trick you.† â€Å"There's nothing wrong with tricking people. They pay you to be tricked.† â€Å"We like to think of it as entertainment.† Coyote laughed. â€Å"Like movie stars and magicians? Tricksters. People want to be tricked. But you know that, don't you?† He picked up his chips and walked to a crap table. Minty thought for a moment before following the Indian. He prided himself on being able to handle any situation with complete calm, but he found dealing with this Indian made him nervous, and a little afraid. But of what? Something in the eyes. He moved in behind Coyote, who was throwing chips on the crap table. â€Å"You can't bet the numbers until the point has been made, sir,† said the stickman, a thin, balding man in his forties. He pushed Coyote's chips back across the table. The stickman looked over Coyote's head and nodded to Minty Fresh before pushing the dice to the shooter. â€Å"Place your bets,† he said, and the dealers working at either end of the table checked the bets on the felt. â€Å"New shooter coming out,† the stickman said. A blond woman in a business suit and perfect newswoman makeup picked up the dice and blew on them. â€Å"Come on, seven,† she said. â€Å"Baby needs new shoes.† Coyote twisted his neck to look at Minty Fresh. â€Å"Does talking to them work?† Minty nodded to the table as the woman let fly with the dice, rolling a two. â€Å"Snake eyes!† the croupier said. â€Å"Lizard dick!† Coyote shouted back. The blond woman cursed and walked away from the table. The stickman shot a glance to Minty, then continued. â€Å"Two. Craps. No pass. No come. Place your bets. New shooter coming out.† He pushed the dice to Coyote, who threw a handful of black chips on the table and picked up the dice. â€Å"You are small, but I am your friend,† Coyote said to the dice. â€Å"You have beautiful spots.† He pulled the rawhide pouch from his belt and poured a fine powder on the dice. â€Å"You can't do that, sir,† the stickman said. Minty Fresh gently took the dice from Coyote and handed them to the boxman, who sat across from the stickman watching an enormous rack of chips that was the table's bank. He inspected the dice, then gave them to the stickman, who dropped them in his tray and pushed a fresh pair to the trickster. â€Å"What is this, shade?† Coyote said. â€Å"The shaman gets to use his power stick but I can't use my cheating powder?† â€Å"I'm afraid not,† Minty said. Coyote picked up the new dice and chucked them to the end of the table. â€Å"Eight! Easy,† the stickman said. â€Å"Did I win?† Coyote asked Minty. â€Å"No, now you have to roll another eight before you roll a seven or eleven.† Coyote rolled again. The dice showed a pair of fours. â€Å"Eight. Winner. Hard way,† the stickman chanted. The dealer placed a stack of black chips next to Coyote's bet. â€Å"Ha,† Coyote said, taunting Minty Fresh. â€Å"See, I am good at this game.† â€Å"Very good,† Minty said with a smile. â€Å"You roll again.† Coyote placed the remainder of his chips on the table. The dealer immediately shot a glance to the boxman, who looked to Minty Fresh. Minty nodded. The boxman nodded. The dealer counted Coyote's chips and stacked them on the pass line. â€Å"Playing twenty-one thousand.† Coyote threw the dice. â€Å"Two!† the stickman said. The dealer raked in Coyote's chips and handed them to the boxman, who stacked the racks in the table bank. â€Å"I lost?† Coyote said incredulously. â€Å"Sorry,† Minty said. â€Å"But you didn't crap out. You can shoot again.† â€Å"I'll be back,† Coyote said. He walked away and Minty followed him through the casino, into the lobby, and out the door. Coyote handed the valet ticket to a kid named Squire Jeff, then turned to Minty, who stood by the valet counter. â€Å"I'll be back with more money.† â€Å"We'll hold a place for you, sir,† Minty said, relieved that the Indian was leaving. â€Å"I was just learning your game, shade. You didn't trick me.† â€Å"Of course not, sir.† Squire Jeff pulled up in the Mercedes, got out, and waited with his hand out. Coyote started to get into the car, then stopped and looked at the valet. He took the pouch from his belt and poured a bit of powder into the kid's hand, then got in the car and drove away. Minty felt a wave of relief wash over him as he watched the Mercedes cross the drawbridge. Squire Jeff, still holding his palm out, turned to Minty Fresh. â€Å"What am I supposed to do with this?† â€Å"You could snort it.† Squire Jeff sniffed at the powder, then wrinkled his nose and brushed the powder from his hand. â€Å"Fucking Indian. You work inside, right?† Minty nodded. Squire Jeff looked Minty up and down. â€Å"You play any ball?† â€Å"One year, UNLV.† â€Å"Injury?† â€Å"Attitude,† Minty said. He walked back into the casino.