History with Derek Mahon Essay

History is a subject which preoccupies Mahon in many of his most important poems. I would choose particular poems because of his view towards our history and the past. His poetry presents history in a very negative light. Mahon sees the past as ‘deep-delving, dark, deliberate you would say’. In the poem Rathlin Mahon recalls historical violence on an island that is now a ‘sanctuary’ of peace and ‘through with history’. However this island in the past has witnessed ‘unspeakable violence’ with the massacre of the Rathlin women. He speaks of the ‘unnatural silence’ on the island gradually becoming ‘natural’ over the years through the island not being inhabited. Come the end of the poem Mahon is unsure ‘whether the future lies before us or behind’. Whether the violence is now behind us or is violence a continuing part of our future? In Mahons Poem Kinsale there is a welcome and a long awaited moment of light and hope. The opening line of this poem was an optimistic thought from Mahon himself by saying, ‘the kind of rain we knew is a thing of the past’. The use of imagery in this poem is both vivid and warming. The image of ‘Yachts tinkling and dancing in the bay’ is a striking image as it is both beautiful and positively uplifting. The sun is a direct contrast to the rain. The sun is an image of hope and the ‘future forbidden to no-one’ while the rain is the constant reminder of a violence filled history. Although Mahon showed a slight sense of hope he is constantly overcome with those ‘who have come so far in darkness and in pain’. In the poem A Disused Shed in Co. Wexford he uses the metaphor of mushrooms neglected in a shed to represent the victims of history. Please note! This is not an example of text written by our writers! Essaypedia.com is a database of essays that were collected at open web resources. You can use them at you own risk following the citation rules below. But we recommend you to order a custom plagiarism-free essay written just for you from one of our writers. Place an order, add your paper details and enjoy the results! You can keep in touch with your writer, check the draft of your paper and send your order for revision for free. If you are hesitating to place an order – just ask for a quote! However the both extraordinary and unbelievable picture of mushrooms with feelings is not the only reason I would choose this poem. Mahon uses the image of mushrooms neglected and forgotten to portray the misery and despair of thousands of victims who have died or survived the torturous past. ‘They are begging us you see’ to not forget them or forget what they have been through. Even the most insignificant people in history still deserve the recognition for their struggle. Small heroes from the past ‘In their wordless way’ are saying ‘Let not our naà ¯ve labours have gone in vain’. Mahon also deals greatly with the theme of isolation in this poem. The mushrooms are completely cut off from the world and their only form of light ‘Is a keyhole rusting gently after rain’. The theme of isolation is also portrayed in the poem Grandfather. The ‘Grandfather’ in the poem has completely isolated himself from family and friends. ‘Discreetly up to no good’ he leaves the house in the morning and does not return until ‘After dark’. However nothing gets by this grandfather, ‘Nothing escapes him, he escapes us all’. ‘His shrewd eyes bolt the door’ to his life and he would rather not be bothered by anyone or anything. Another good choice of poem sticking with the theme of isolation would be After the Titanic. In this poem the persona of Bruce Ismay is overcome with guilt and as a result has completely isolated himself from the world. This poem is a favourite of mine also because Mahon writes in the persona of Ismay so brilliantly. ‘Include me in your lamentations’ was the final line of this poem and it sums up what Ismay was asking for. Like the mushrooms in A Disused shed in Co. Wexford he wanted to be remembered just like those who had died in the sinking of the titanic. He believed he ‘sank as far that night as any hero’ as his life and soul died that night. He watched the ship go ‘thundering down’ and with it went his ‘costly life’. He now ‘stays in bed’ and ‘will see no-one’. Mahon allows the reader to become Bruce Ismay if only for a minute. It is amazing reading this poem. The poem Antarctica is also a great example of Mahons ability of writing in a variety of personas. In this poem Mahon writes in the persona of captain Lawrence Oates an explorer who gave his life for the lives of his fellow men. ‘I am just going outside and may be some time’ are said to be his final words. Mahons deals greatly with the theme of people in this poem. He shows that there is good in man kind and ‘At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime’. Mahon shows that even in the worst instances of isolation imaginable, trudging utterly alone, to his death Oates action may seem entirely ‘ridiculous’ but in this case it is somewhat heroic. People in life may make some pretty foolish decisions but there might always be a good outcome. The poetry of Derek Mahon is poetry that one could not live without. With this collection of marvellous pieces his poetry will continue through generations and linger in peoples minds for some time, ‘In fact forever’.

Equity Warrant Bonds Essay

Equity warrant bonds are bonds issued with equity warrants attached. Warrants are similar to share options, and give their holder the right but not the obligation to subscribe for a fixed quantity of equity stocks in the company at a future date, and at a fixed subscription price (exercise price). When bonds are issued with warrants, the warrants are detachable and can be sold in the stock market separately from the bonds. Investors might therefore subscribe to an issue of equity warrant bonds, hold the bonds to maturity (as a long-term investment) and sell the warrants in the stock market fairly soon after purchase. Equity warrant bonds are unsecured, and offer a lower coupon rate of interest than similar straight bonds issued at the same time and for the same maturity. In these respects, they are similar to convertible bonds. A feature of equity warrant bonds is that if the warrants are exercised, the money obtained from issuing the new stocks can be used to help redeem the bonds. The debt capital therefore will be replaced, in part at least, by new equity. Equity warrant bonds were used extensively in 1988–89 by Japanese companies to raise capital in the euro convertibles market. Most had a five-year term, with the warrants exercisable at maturity of the bonds. Following the start of the collapse in Japanese share prices in 1989, the warrants linked to the bond issues became worthless because they had an exercise price well above the current share price. When some of these equity warrant bond issues matured in the mid-1990s, cash had to be found to redeem the bonds. Because share prices were then quite low, some of the companies were able to issue new equity warrant bonds. The cash from the new bond issues was used to redeem the maturing debt. Since the collapse of the late 1980s, equity warrant bonds have not regained their popularity. In the late 1990s they have had limited, specialist appeal, notably in Germany and Switzerland. Another development specific to the late 1990s is the rise of the exchangeable market. These are bonds that the issuer redeems in another company’s stocks, often allowing it to divest non-core stockholdings. In France and Japan, for instance, a large proportion of stocks in companies are held by other companies, rather than by insurance or pension funds. Derivatives can be a better way of rationalizing such corporate cross-holdings than selling them in the market. Interest on convertible bonds and equity warrant bonds is usually an allowable charge for tax purposes, so that their after-tax cost to the company is lower than the gross yield to investors. Dividends on preferred stocks, on the other hand, are not an allowable expense for tax purposes.

Organizational change management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Organizational change management - Essay Example The changes can be planned or unplanned .The change becomes important if it has some positive impact to the organization. Organizational change is important in the survival and success of the company which brings good and efficient development. This leads to formation of techniques of managing the organizational change (Aswathappa, 2007). There are external and internal pressures which need to be addressed. The external pressures include; fashion pressures, mandated pressures and geopolitical pressures. Moreover market decline where the current market begins to decline thus pressure to invent new and more viable markets (Blanchard, 2010). A hyper competition pressure caused by high intensified rates of business brings pressure for change at the organizational level. Reputation and credibility pressures caused by corporate governance issues which cause one to ensure they maintain good reputation and high level of credibility. Internal pressures include those activities that take place inside the organization; growth, integration and collaboration, identity, power and political pressures. Growth pressures come due to the fact that the existing processes and systems in the organization can no longer be applicable due to increase in the size of the organization. Integration and collaboration pressures due to integration and economies of scale can lead to change in the organization. Identity pressure due to unified commitment of staff in different departments of the organization can led to change due to difficult in management. New broom pressure that is change in senior management level mainly the CEO can lead to significant changes in an organization. Power and political pressures can lead to change the internal processes of decision making (Pride, et al., 2011). This is a formal design of managerial hierarchies within an

Explain Race and the Wrong Side of the Bed in American History Essay

Explain Race and the Wrong Side of the Bed in American History - Essay Example Technology and popular culture is not making us less intelligent; instead it is making us stretch our intelligence in new directions. One of the parts of modern technology and pop culture that people like to complain about the most is videogames. People say that gamers are â€Å"melting their brains† as they waste away indoors, doing a time-wasting activity that doesn’t stretch their minds. However, by taking a closer look at videogames, we can see that this isn’t the case at all. Videogames force us to use a type of problem-solving intelligence that most other activities don’t help us to use. By becoming good at videogames, people become good at solving puzzles and working out spatial relationships that are too complex for other activities. People who are good at videogames are the people who will be the next generation of software designers and technological problem-solvers. Texting is another form of technology in pop culture that many people view with suspicion. People see â€Å"textspeak† as an illiterate means of communication. However, texting actually causes people to think creatively about language. In order to make messages as short and easy to type on a number pad as possible, people who text come up with clever ways to abbreviate words.

Booty Call Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Booty Call - Essay Example At such a phase of life, we want to enjoy not only sex but by the passage of time we also realize the need for someone very special for us, someone, whom we can call our better half, someone who is more caring to you than anybody else in the life. That 'someone' is the person whom you wish to love you so much that you love him and you expect that 'someone' to not only be with you in bed, but with you through every thicks and thins of your life, to whom, you are far more than a booty call. Moreover, you not only want to have this feeling for him, but you also want him to have the same feeling for you. So we can say that at youth age, initially making sex is the main concern, however, when you keep on doing this with same person, one of you ultimately end up asking for something more than a 'booty call'. At this point of time, the desire for sex is then converted into the desire for the relationship, a committed one. (Mc Graw) I would like to provide the advice on your issue. This lett er will reveal you that the relationships between the man and women exist in varying degree. However, this is common in all degrees, especially the closer ones, that when one set of desires are being fulfilled, you start to desire for more things into that relationship. This very psychology has made you demanding for a committed relationship, rather than a booty call. Thus after clarifying in your mind the dynamics of such psyche, my honest advice to you would be that you must be clear to yourself that what do you want, you can use some strategies like recalling past memories etc. to arouse the same desire of committed in relationship in him too. Even if it fails, you then need to prioritize between your feelings and your partner, that what is more important to you. When we talk of the interaction between a girl and guy in the western world, it exists with a varying degree of intensity. It may range from acquaintance to sexual relationship. There are very thin lines between various consecutive levels of relationships. When it comes to your case the two consecutive levels of interaction are 'booty call' and 'sexual relationship'. You need to realize the different between the two, especially what is really absent in the booty calls We must be clear about what I mean by booty call and the committed relationship. Booty call, in your context, is simple making sex with each other, without any committed relationship. It is simply a response to the mutual sexual urges. So, it is the commitment that differentiates the relationship. Moreover, booty call is restricted to the bed only. It does not include any typical dates, social gatherings etc. In your case, it seems that initially, you had a relationship with him, as you mentioned that you people used to hang out together. However, after meeting again it had been converted into the booty call type thing or we can say a relationship purely intended for sex and not having any other feeling or commitment. See, many studies show that when two people start having sex with same partners repeatedly, it is bound to happen that one of them will ultimately feel urge for something more. (Lecture, 7/19/07) He or she will start to get possessive about his or her partner. So it is a common phenomenon. It is also said that when you consistently sleep with one guy, this practice ultimately compels you enter into a committed relat

Managing Public and Private Organizations Research Paper

Managing Public and Private Organizations - Research Paper Example Most importantly, effective leadership significantly reduces power distances across people by building constructive relationship based on mutual respect and cross-cultural understanding. This motivates the workforce to work on common goals with greater sense of responsibility and accountability. Q2. Discuss the factors that influence individual behavior. (Chap 11) The major factors that influence individual behaviour are personal value system, cultural paradigms, self-efficacy and hierarchy of needs. Personal value system is important issue that serves as guideline for individual behaviour. The ethical considerations and moral code of actions influence and guide one’s actions and general behaviour. In the era of rapid globalization, diversity has become a key issue and cultural paradigms have emerged as pertinent factors that not only give distinct identity to individuals but also provide them with unique cultural identities. Hierarchy of needs vis-a-vis physiological, social security, self-esteem and self-actualization, of individuals motivates them to change their behaviour and work towards achievement of their desired goals. Q3. Discuss how behavior management can be utilized to motivate employees. (Chap 11) Behaviour management is crucial psychological tool used within management funda that helps to streamline and encourage right attitude and behaviour across employees in an organization. Behaviour management relies on the code of conduct and in creating a facilitating environment of motivation and re-enforcement with regard to the various needs and requirements of the employees (Dessler, 2007). Thus, merit based performance, incentives, reward and punishment etc. become key ingredients of behaviour management within an organization. SMART goals comprising specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely, are set by individuals to achieve their short term and long term personal and professional goals. Q4. Describe the communication process and h ow barriers to communication can be overcome.  Ã‚  (Chap 12) Effective communication facilitates in developing mutual respect and cross-cultural understanding that helps to resolve workplace conflicts and promote efficient, goal based teamwork to achieve organizational goals and objectives (Bateman & Snell, 2009). The major barrier to communication is the lack of cross-cultural values and psychological barriers like low self- esteem of people who may belong to diverse culture, race, colour and ethnicity. Understanding of cross-cultural values helps build strong relationship based on trust and mutual respect. Thus, overcoming the barriers of communication has emerged as powerful tool to develop cohesive work environment that motivates workforce to work for common goals collectively. Q5. Discuss how technology can be utilized to improve an organization’s informal communication.  Ã‚  (Chap 12) Technology has significantly redefined communication (Reynolds, 2010). The compute r, internet and other technological gizmos like smart phones have become important facilitators of communication. Through the use of electronic boards, email, video-conferencing etc. organizations promote informal communication across the workers. The electronic boards have become popular platforms for sharing information and solving queries. Encouraging workers for

LAW AND ADMINISTRATION Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

LAW AND ADMINISTRATION - Assignment Example British-trained commercial staff forms the core of the commercial departments of international clients, contractors and consultants. British standards, codes and products are recognized and respected internationally. An area of particular UK strength that has generated interest from both overseas clients and UK practitioners is the urban regeneration of communities and the infrastructure and economies upon which they depend. No other nation has the depth of experience or the holistic range of skills in delivering large-scale programs of integrated regeneration. The industry, however, needs to wake up to present ground realities. There is criticism that value for money is not being secured in the procurement function due to insufficient focus on modern approaches to procurement function. There is a large workforce for routine functions such as building repairs, maintenance and facilities management. Headed by the City Engineer and Surveyor, the Technical Services Department covers a wide range of construction procurement activities. It has responsibility for the construction, maintenance, facilities management, repair and alteration of a range of buildings. The department has a large in-house workforce for routine functions such as building repairs, maintenance and facilities management. All major construction projects are designed in-house by council architects, engineers and surveyors before being put out to tender. It is council policy that all contracts must be awarded through competitive tendering using admeasurement contracts following completion of the design. The reason for this state of affairs is competition. The construction industry is price based due to which high-cost contractors have to lower prices in order to get work. If all competitors were high-priced, there will be decrease in performance. On the other hand, lowest bid competition leads to compromise in design quality, health and safety, and environment. The Philosophy behind Recent Developments in Construction Procurement in the United Kingdom Construction is a long-term project that requires planning and designing so that the end result matches the overall environmental objectives. It takes various parameters in view so that at every stage of the construction the internal and external factors continue to impact the environment positively. At the macro level there are men, material and money. There are men who do the promotion, planning, designing and execution. Then there are materials to be

Conclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Conclusion - Essay Example Based on the expected value, manufacturing of pipes is more favorable despite not taking into account positive side influences producing additional tubes, which is reaped from the present manufactured pipes. The decision to manufacture pipes is mainly based on the NPV of the projects under specific conditions. In the scenarios, NPV of undertaking the project reduces equating it to the corresponding NPV of purchasing the pipes. Moreover, this results in the decrease of incremental cash flow for the project to zero thus making the strategy unfeasible (Dayananda, pp.124-178). Lowering the price by the supplier changes the NPV to change by $ 100,000. Therefore, it is profitable for Great Lakes Pipe and Tube to purchase the pipe from the underlying supplier at the expense of manufacturing 10 inches and corresponding 12-inch pipes. Nevertheless, the percentage development of the GLPT in production of the 3, 6 and 8-inch pipes will result in lowering the cost of purchasing the 10 and 12-inch

How can USA govern EU Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

How can USA govern EU - Essay Example interests, addressing their divergent ones sometimes call for a highly delicate balance influenced by a variety of foreign relations and economic factor as explored herein. One of the factors that influence the relationship between the two is their political difference, these are inevitable considering that the US is a country with and single government which makes decision making more expedient and less politicized outside of congress and the court of public opinion. The situation in Europe on the other hand is much more intricate, the block is more of an economic rather than a political block. In as much as they often take similar political positions, decision-making in the EU takes considerably longer because it has to factor in the divergent interest of all the members. In addition, despite the strength it draws from numbers, they have on several occasions, threatened its stability. In the recent global economic meltdown for example, it was difficult for countries to come up with individual solutions since actions of independent nations impacted on the entire block. For example, the overvaluing of the budgets in Greece, Italy and Spain considerably weakened other nations such as France in their attempts to stabilize their economies. Bearing this in mind, it is one can surmise that the US manages to appear more powerful, because not only it actually is but it operates in a more decisive and comprehensive way giving it the upper hand. Comparatively speaking, the EU is like a collection of the states that comprise the US but where each has a completely autonomous government, which makes it for decisions or impositions from the â€Å"head†. Michael Smith (2011) proposes that the US is fundamentally a warrior state while the EU is a trading one; this is exemplified by the fact that the US has in the past been more willing to use their extensive military hardware and power to enforce its policies especially internationally (Smith, 2011). Therefore, any diplomacy

Alcohol Abuse Essay Example for Free

Alcohol Abuse Essay †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Alcohol is a drink containing ethanol It is a lipid that is highly water soluble A psychoactive drug that has a depressant effect. Distribution: Ethanol is distributed equally in all body tissue according to water content. †¢ Metabolism: A healthy body can metabolize 15ml of alcohol/hour †¢ Alcohol is metabolized by the liver but 10% is excreted unchanged in the breath, sweat and the urine Metabolism of alcohol Alcohol Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Acetaldehyde (Toxic) Alcohol Dehydrogenase H2 and Acetic Acid (Nontoxic) Alcohol Abuse †¢ A psychiatric diagnosis describing the recurring use of alcoholic beverages despite its negative consequences. †¢ Also termed as â€Å"Alcoholism† †¢ Pattern of drinking that results in harm to one’s health, interpersonal relationships, or ability to work. Cause of Alcohol Abuse †¢ There is no known cause for alcohol abuse. †¢ The reason for alcohol abuse is complex. †¢ A. Psychodynamic Theory †¢ Attitudes and behaviors of the client †¢ Problems †¢ Stress, anxiety, depression †¢ Peer pressure. †¢ B. Biologic Theory †¢ G.enetic predisposition of the client MANIFESTATIONS OF alcohol abuse †¢ Continue to drink, even when health, work, or family are being harmed †¢ Are not able to control drinking being unable to stop or reduce alcohol intake †¢ Miss work or school, or have a decrease in performance because of drinking †¢ Need to use alcohol on most days to get through the day. Manifestations of alcohol abuse †¢ Do not care about or ignore how they dress or whether they are clean †¢ Try to hide alcohol use †¢ Shake in the morning or after periods when they have not a drink †¢ Poor judgment †¢ Irritable. Complications of alcohol abuse †¢ Elevated liver function test †¢ Alcoholic Hallucinosis †¢ Withdrawal symptoms such as: x Tremors x Sweating x Palpitations x Agitation †¢ Delirium tremens †¢ Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome †¢ Peripheral Neuritis †¢ Gastric ulcers Treatment for ALCOHOL ABUSE †¢ Abstinence from alcohol †¢ Medication treatment such as: †¢ Long-acting Benzodiazepams: tx of alcohol withdrawal †¢ Chlorhexidine (Librium) †¢ Diazepam (Valium) †¢ Lorazepam (Ativan) †¢ Disulfiram (Antabuse) †¢ Naltrexone (ReVia) †¢ Subject to a rehabilitation facility. Nursing Management †¢ Teach the patient the effects of chemical abuse on the body. †¢ In communicating with the patient be in a matter-of-fact and respectful manner. †¢ Maintain a positive, supportive environment. †¢ Build a therapeutic rapport with the patient by providing relief from his or her symptoms and meeting physiologic and safety needs. †¢ Present reality without challenging or escalating the patients anxiety and thought disturbances. †¢ Remain objective to the patient and the family. †¢ Closely monitor your patient during your shift to identify subtle changes and intervene appropriately. †¢ Assess mental status and sleep pattern, and provide emotional support to reduce anxiety.

Glaucoma Image Processing Technique

Glaucoma Image Processing Technique Team 19 Members 40102434 Andrew Collins 40134357 Connor Cox 40056301 William Craig 40133157 Aaron Devine We have been tasked to develop a system that through image processing techniques would be able to detect glaucoma. This required us to enhance our knowledge in how to apply pre-processing, segmentation, feature extraction and post-processing on a set of given images to be able to produce a classification. Glaucoma is an eye condition where the optic nerve, which is the connector from your brain to your eye becomes damaged.   This can lead to a complete loss of vision if it is not detected and treated early on.   This is caused by when fluid in the eye cannot be drained effectively which builds pressure and then applies excessive pressure on the optic nerve. Detecting glaucoma normally is a very time consuming and expensive process because it requires a trained professional to carry out the research.   The advantages of automating this process is that it frees up that professionals time to carry out other duties. The system is going to be tested methodologically during the creation of the assignment, to help us decide what would be the best parameters to use to help increase the detection rate of glaucoma. System The way we tackled this assignment is we made a system that takes image sets and converts them into data sets which trains and tests them through our classification process.   The system assigns the data set to either being healthy or having glaucoma detected.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Training goes through the following stages in this order: Pre-processing. Segmentation Post-Processing. Feature Extraction Classification. Methodology For us to decide what would be the best choice of techniques for each stage of the system we are going to be using the a set methodology to standardize our selection process.   The aim is to maximise the system to try and get it to yield the maximum correctness it can achieve at each stage so when it reaches the classification stage it would provide the most accurate result. The best way we are going to measure the correctness of the system is running a testing/training cycle for each parameter being changed and put into a table and comparing them to select the best result. Brightness Enhancement In our system, I have implemented Automated Brightness Enhancement (ABE). ABE is used to normalise an image so the images mean gray value is equal to 127 or (255/2). The image below illustrates what the results look like. As you can see in the table above, the accuracy or our system significantly decreases when ABE is enabled. Therefore, for the good of the systems accuracy, we will disable ABE in the system. As for why ABE damages the accuracy, it likely destroys some data within the images that have a more dynamic range than the one shown above. This would result in some gray levels being 0 or 255. Accuracy significantly falls here. The reason for this is that ABE is causing the classifier to return positive for glaucoma for more images than it should, in turn, improving accuracy due to class ratio imbalance. Contrast Enhancement Our system implements three types of contrast enhancement, histogram equalisation, Automated Linear Stretch (ALS) and the Power Law. These three topics are covered extensively in the lecture slides, so in the interest of keeping the report concise, I wont discuss them in depth here. Ultimately, only one of these techniques will be picked. Automated Linear Stretch Histogram Equalisation Power Law This example shows an error. The system doesnt contain an automated way to find the value for (gamma) in each image. So well test every value of gamma from 0.0-2.0 in increments of 0.1 to see if any of our results provide a higher accuracy than when it isnt enabled at all. 0.6, highlighted in green, shows that the accuracy is 88%,the image below shows power law being applied when there is an error. In the image above, the original image is the one on the left, and the processed image is on the right, and their corresponding histograms are underneath each, respectively. It would appear that the power law has actually made the dynamic range of our image worse. Examining the segmented binary image below could explain why the accuracy has risen to 88%. From this image, we can see that reducing contrast at the higher end, which seems to be what the error is doing, is allowing the segmenter, which is set at its default of edge extraction with a = 1 and no post processing, to detect the veins and optic nerve ring within the eye within the image with a higher level of success. But why is this the case? it is due to the images background becoming more uniformed because of the reduction in contrast in the white end while not altering the veins much at all as they are darker/greyer. The reason values of y Summary From my tests, I have come to the conclusion that the best technique of the three is the Power Law. It was the only technique that improved our systems accuracy. My tests also suggest that high levels of accuracy are dependent on the successful extraction of data about the veins, which, as I discussed above, the Power Law is highly effective at. This theory makes even more sense when you consider that the other two methods, which significantly increased the dynamic range, did very poorly in comparison. Our system will benefit from using the Power Law, so from this point on it will be enabled. Noise Reduction Our system incorporates two kinds of noise reduction, those two being, Low Pass Filter and Median Filter. From examining our images, one would conclude that salt pepper and CCD noise is not present. To demonstrate this however, well need to see if the system gains accuracy when each technique is enabled. Low Pass Filter (LPF) As we can see in the table above, accuracy has significantly decreased. To illustrate this, here is what the original and processed histograms look like when the contrast enhancement is applied without the low pass filter. From the histograms, it would appear that low pass filter is actually removing some of the contrast enhancement. Low contrast seems to be mistaken for actual background noise, and when that happens, more distinct light and dark patches are created which in turn increases the dynamic range. Median Filter Similar to the low pass filter, the median filter is also removing some of the improvements made by contrast enhancement. Although it does appear that median pass filter is doing this to a lesser degree, as the accuracy is slightly higher here. Summary From our tests, we can conclude that both low pass filter and median pass filter only damage the accuracy of our system. LPF more so than MPF. It appears that the two actually undo some of the work done in contrast enhancement. As well as that, there isnt actually enough noise in the image used here to warrant the use of a noise reduction filter at all. After performing these tests, I decided to test my hypothesis, I tried applying the noise reduction filters before contrast enhancement to examine the results. The results were actually identical to the results from the earlier test. So what could that mean? Well, it would seem that noise reduction is actually removing some information/data from the images, which then limits the effectiveness of the segmenter. From this point on, noise reduction filters will not be used. Segmentation This is used to separate the image into a foreground and a background with key areas in the foreground being turned white and the rest black.   Our segmentation process involved using edge extraction and then automatic thresholding.   The first thing we do is apply the Sobel mask to the pre-processed image Its very important to use edge extraction because it helps show the boundaries of the eye and make the veins much more defined.   Right after that we apply automatic thresholding on the gradient magnitude image to get a binary segmented image. The class that we use to test which value to use is called SegmenterTest which will test the value of n within a range of -2.0 to 2.0 and increases the increments by 0.1 to see if the improved value increases the compared to a default value of n = 1.   From this we got the following values: The default system where the value of n=1 it produces a good accuracy of 88% so this is the value that we pass into our segmenter. This will allow more generic segmentation than what is possible with setting a manual threshold.   The thresholds that are going to be   in use are derived from the mean brightness of the pixels in the image raster and then adjusted by a standard deviation providing the best optional threshold for each image. To check if Sobels Mask is the best for using to do edge extraction we will now compare the results from using Prewitt mask edge extraction. What we found that using the prewitt mask edge extraction as part of our segmentation process is that it is more effective using the default value on the Sobel Mask n = 1.   The best accuracy that we got using the prewitt mask happens when we have n = 1 just like when we were using the sobel mask.   This allows us to reduce that the sobel mask is the best option for us to use the edge extraction during the segmentation process. Post-processing Through this image processing technique, the image is enhanced and is filtered by a mask. The process uses erosion and dilation to remove isolated noise pixels, fills holes and smooth boundaries. Using brightness based segmentation, post processing is used to clean up the thresholded binary image. However, this can make objects appear smaller or larger than the original size. We added the post processing techniques of closing and opening for our methods of erosion and dilation.   To test which value that we are going to use we tried a variety of combinations and got the following results. From what we gathered is that the best accuracy drops heavily when using any of the other post processing techniques were used. The image above has closing only enabled which produced the best accuracy from the post processing techniques however as you can tell by the image below which has post processing disabled it has much more detail.   It is for this reason we will have post processing disabled because we are then able to receive better accuracy from the images.   Post-processing did not have a positive result in the classification accuracy.   It does make it visually easier to see how the application was processing the images. Feature Extraction The purpose of feature extraction is to gather useful features and details out of segmented images by extracting the feature vectors using a technique called moments. Implementing the use of moments correctly is the foundation for the essential calculations performed during the analysis of an object. In our feature extraction class within our program we have decided that the following features of an object will be taken into consideration- Compactness, Perimeter, Position of Centroid and finally the Area of the object. Before we perform the calculations for these features of said Object we first had to implement the moments formula in Java. Once we have created the moment method in our class we will then be able to use this to calculate the feature vectors needed. Compactness The reason we want to get the area and the perimeter is so that we can use the values to calculate what is needed, that being Compactness, as it is a more uself shape description for our vision system to use.. Compactness can be calculated by squaring the perimeter and then dividing it by the area. private double compactness(BufferedImage image)   {   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   return Math.pow(getPerimeter(image), 2) / getArea(image);   } Above I have included the method that is called to calculate the compactness of the object, as you can see the calculation that was mentioned above is performed within this method. Perimeter We can get the object in questions perimeter is first calculated by first eroding the object and then we perform a calculation to receive the new objects area after erosion, after this we go onto calculating the difference between the new objects area and the initial objects area like so Perimeter = Original Area Eroded Area After this calculation is performed we are left with the perimeter of our object. private double getPerimeter(BufferedImage image)   { return getArea(image) -  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   getArea(PostProcessor.erode(image));   } I have placed the method used to get the perimeter of the object above, as you can see the method is performing the calculation required for the perimeter, Original Area Eroded Area resulting in our perimeter. Centroid Position We can get the X Y coordinates of the centroid in the object by performing the calculation of M01 M10 private double [] position(BufferedImage image)   {   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   //calculate Centroid at M01   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   double i = Math.round((moment(image, 0, 1))/ moment(image, 0, 0));   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   //calculate Centroid at M10   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   double j = Math.round((moment(image, 1, 0))/ moment(image, 0, 0));   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   double [] Cij = {i, j};   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   return Cij;   } Above is the method we have developed to find the position of the centroid for our Object. As you can see in the code above this method is using the moment method to perform the calculations needed to find the centroid position of the object.   Area We must also find the area vector, to do this we must calculate M00, this can be performed using the moment method which was developed earlier. private double getArea(BufferedImage image)   {   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   return Math.round(moment(image, 0, 0));   } Above is a screenshot of the getArea method, this method calls upon the moment method and Math.round function to find the Area of our object. Classification Within our system which we have developed, we included the Nearest Neighbour function that is used to identify and recognise the training images we have supplied our system with. When we implement this feature in our system we get a variation of results depending on the value we set K to, we have included the results outputted by this function below for analysis Nearest Neighbour Function:  ·Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   K = 1: o  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Accuracy: 62.50%  ·Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   K = 3: o  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Accuracy: 87.50%  ·Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   K =5: o  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Accuracy: 56.25% As you can see in the above results from testing this function, the Nearest Neighbour Function provides us with the highest accuracy rate when using the value 3 for the K variable. This is due to the fact it can recognise the training images features. A disadvantage to this approach is that when changing the value of the K variable then this can alter the accuracy of the output as we can see when changing the value of K from 1 to 3, the accuracy increases greatly but once we change the value from 3 to 5 then the accuracy suffers and drops 30 points of accuracy. Summary: For this current group of images, the Nearest Neighbour function with the value K set to 3 is the best method used for classifying the object, this is because it returns the highest possible accuracy rate compared with other values of K such as 1 or 5, the accuracy rates for these values can be seen above.

Indigenous Irrigation Knowledge and Sustainable Development in Asia :: Argumentative Persuasive Papers

Indigenous Irrigation Knowledge and Sustainable Development in Asia David Groenfeldt suggests that village communities need to organize and stabilize their own resources, initially, which will strengthen the development capacity of the village and help to establish an independent institution. Groenfeldt argues that the classic development solution of bringing in and applying new ideas is less efficient in the long run because local indigenous ways are already established and being practiced. The one major point that Groenfeldt makes in his argument for sustainable development is the idea that community involvement from day one needs to be present before the project even has a chance at succeeding. The author writes in order to relay the message that success starts from the bottom up and that developers need to include the communities in the development and design stages of a project so that when the developer leaves the project will sustain itself. In beginning, one needs to know some basic information on the knowledge presented in the article. In particular, Groenfeldt talks about a charitable organization referred to as AKRSP (Aga Khan Rural Support Programme). This organizations purpose is to raise the spirits of communities through productive development. One example of this organization's work, dealt with a community that was struggling with its irrigation canals. This organizations primary concern is not developing a successful irrigation system, but it is to expand and build up the knowledge of the community. If the community knows more about the "nuts and bolts" of the situation than the community can develop plans to improve their irrigation system. These plans will be overseen by a trained government or Non-Governmental Official, but the framework and the structure of the system will be developed in such a way that the people will be efficiently running the program on their own. In addition, these projects will be chosen from the community’s top priorities instead of from the priorities of outside officials. This system will again aid in sustainability because the people will be excited and encouraged from the beginning. Groenfeldt develops a three-step plan of the AKRSP approach. The first point that he makes about the AKRSP approach is the idea that the villagers in this community need to come to a collective understanding about what the project will be and how the goal of the project will be accomplished.

The Depression :: essays papers

The Depression Imagine for a moment, waking up one day to find yourself on a dirty floor, a pile of rags, or maybe even the street. You look down at yourself to find you're wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday, except they are completely filthy and have lots of holes in places like the knees and elbows. You have no access to a mirror to show you what you look like so you go to touch you hair with your hand and find it to be a pile of grease and dirt that obviously hasn't been washed in days, maybe even weeks. You get up and start to head for work, or school, only to realize you have no place to go. The pain of hunger eats away at you, but you just ignore it knowing that there is nothing for you to eat and you have no money to buy any food. You have no job, no money, no family, no hope. Welcome to the Depression. The 1920's was a time of great prosperity in the lives of most Americans and our natural human ignorance made us think it would stay that way forever. We had just come out of the Great War and business was booming, along with agriculture and the stock m arket. The outlook for the future was great, but people failed to understand that economies can't be on the upswing forever, it has to come down sometime. All of the signs of a depression were there; the farmers were producing too much, the uneven distr ibution of income, easy credit/huge debts, imbalance of foreign trade; people just didn't notice them. Not until October 29, 1929--BLACK TUESDAY--anyway, when the bottom of the stock market fell out, taking millions of American lives with it. Even thoug h any didn't admit it, they knew what was on the way. People who had been buying stocks on margin (10% down) suddenly found themselves penniless and in bigger debt than they could imagine. America went into a panic, pulling money out of banks in a frenz y causing many to close their doors. President Hoover tried hard to make the times better for the unemployed first by setting aside almost $800 million for public works like the now Hoover Dam. Conditions, however, failed to improve. His other policies, the Reconstruction Finance Corporat ion (RFC) and the Home Loan Bank Act, also didn't make much difference. The election of 1932 made it clear that the American people were unhappy with Hoover.

Differences Between Counseling and Psychotherapy :: essays research papers

Differences Between Counseling and Psychotherapy Counseling Theories August 3, 1995 Running head: Coun. v. Psychotherapy Counseling v. psychotherapy is there a difference between the two? This paper will attempt to prove that there are several differences between counseling and psychotherapy. While counseling and psychotherapy have several different elements in each, the following information will also attempt to show the reader that there are some areas where the two overlap. At times this was a confusing topic to research. A fine line distinguishes the two topics and one must look hard to see this line. Definition of Counseling One survey taken by Gustad suggests a definition of counseling where he included three key elements. Counseling is a learning-oriented process, carried on in a simple, one to one social environment, in which a counselor, professionally competent in relevant psychological skills and knowledge, seeks to assist the client by methods appropriate to the latter's needs and within the context of the total personn el program, to learn more about himself, to learn how to put such understanding into effect in relation to more clearly perceived, realistically defined goals to the ` end that the client may become a happier and more productive member of his society (1957, p. 36). In lay terms counseling can be described as a face to face relationship, having goals to help a client to learn or acquire new skills which will enable them to cope and adjust to life situations. The focus is to help a person reach maximum fulfillment or potential, and to become fully functioning as a person. Definition of Psychotherapy Psychotherapy is the process inwhich a therapists assists the client in re-organizing his or her personality. The therapist also helps the client integrate insights into everyday behavior. Psychotherapy can be defined as "more inclusive re-education of the individual" (Brammer& Shostrom,1977). Objectives of counseling The objectives of counseling according to the Committee on Definition, Division of Counseling Psychology, American Psychological Association are to "help individuals toward overcoming obstacles to their personal growth, wherever these may be encountered, and toward achieving optimum development of their personal resources" (Arbuckle, 1967). In a paper written by Dr. T. Millard, it is stated that "Counseling provides clarity and a positive and constructive venue for the individual to sensibly examine the instinctive-emotional and rational (or irrational) motives which determine the drive, content, and even the form of human conduct." This shows the part which counseling plays in a clients treatment.

Genome Patterns of Common DNA Variations in Three Human Populations

The article â€Å"Whole-Genome Patterns of Common DNA Variations in Three Human Populations† provides detailed and examination of core individual differences in DNA sequences. The authors pay attention to genetic basis of human variability stressing that it is variability that identify differences in DNA sequences. The article touches the following issues: a dense SNP map; common SNPs in three populations; natural selection between populations; structure of common populations; LD and functional elements, etc.Further, the interesting moment is analyzing the impact of genetic variations on human health. They conducted their examination in more than 70 ancestries in Asian, American and African countries. The researchers revealed that linkage disequilibrium is the main reason of genetic variations. It means that functional genomic elements are correlated with particular regions of linkage imbalance. Then the authors proceed to identifying the role of common genome variations and t heir impact of human traits, ancestries and populations.71 unrelated individual were chosen for investigation: 23 African Americans, 24 Europeans and 24 Asians. The metrics were scored: call rate, observed genotype clusters, and consistency with Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. Actually, these tests are considered very effective because they ensure quality control. During investigation, researchers revealed more than 112 million individual genotypes, whereas the missing data accounts only 5%. Most of SNPs are found to be high-quality genotypes with polymorphic structure.Further, 94% of African Americans’ SNPs have two alleles, whereas only 84% of Europeans and Americans’ SNPs have two alleles. After reading the paper, two questions appear on the agenda: 1. What methods are the most effecting in analyzing phenotypic differences and DNA variations? 2. What are particular effects of genome variations on human psyche? References Hinds D. , Stuve L. , Nilsen G. B. , Halperi, E. , Eskin E. , Ballinger D. , Frazer K. , & Cox, D. (2005, February 18). Whole-Genome Patterns of Common DNA Variations in Three Human Populations. Science, 307, 1072-1079.

Home Video Game

1: Why the rapid growth of Atari? Why the 1982-85 collapse? How did Nintendo rebuild the industry? What was its strategy? After Bushnell settled on Atari, his first built was the simplest game, which people knew the rules immediately, and this game could be played with only one hand. Then, Bushnell talked his way into a $ 50000 line of credit from a local bank to start his business. By 1974, 100,000 Pong-like games were sold worldwide, and although Atari manufactured only 10 percent of the game, the company still made $3. 2 million that year. Atari had a rapid growth because it is a new industry, and Atari does not have any competitor at that time. So, Atari is the only company in this home video game industry, and it has a huge power of supplier with no competitors and substitutes. After 1976, about twenty different companies were crowding into the home videogame market, Atari still has more than 50% market share in the industry. Until 1978, Atari estimated that total demand would reach 2 million units. In 1982, Atari lost $500 in the first nine months of the year. Part of the blame for the collapse was laid at the feet of an enormous inventory overhang of unsold games. With more and more new games hit the market, the average price would goes down and the profits goes down as well. Nintendo established a commanding worldwide position by the end of the decade. The first step of Nintendo was to license video game technology from Magnavox. Then, Nintendo tried to develop its own video game machine (Famicom) that combined superior graphics processing capabilities and low cost. In the US, Nintendo established a subsidiary named as Nintendo of America (NOA) by 1980, and Nintendo repositioned the market in U. S. NOA spent about 2% of sales budget for advertising and also sought out promotion partner, and it practiced careful inventory management in releasing its new games. In conclusion, Nintendo made an innovative new game system which had some competitive advantages such as cheaper, superior image quality, faster hardware processing and a connector that can be used for future addition of a modem and keyboard. : How was Nintendo able to capture value from the home video game business? First of all, with the video game industry’s collapse, none of the company seems to have anything to do with the with the home video business except Nintendo. So, it was a big chance for Nintendo to monopolize the video game business, and it was a good chance to negotiate and license other companies to develop games for its system. Secondly, Nintendo has good market posi tion and distribution in United Stated. Thirdly, Nintendo has good game designing and technology, and it uses the regulation, contract and patent license to limit the market share of other game companies. 3: How was Sega able to gain market share from Nintendo? With Sega’s first game Periscope, Sega built up a respectable export business. Then, Sega realized that great games drove sales and more powerful technology gave game developers the tools to develop more appealing games. Sega also licensed other companies to develop games for the Genesis platform, but asked for lower royalty rates than Nintendo. Despite aggressive marketing in the 80s, it wasn't until the introduction of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 as a direct competitor to Nintendo's Mario character that Sega was able to capture a meaningful amount of the market with its Genesis console. The key point was Genesis does what Nintendo don’t, and Sega version out sold Nintendo’s two to one. 4: Evaluate the competitive strategy of 3DO. What flaws can you see in 3DO’s approach? The vision for 3DO was to shift the home video game business away from the existing cartridge-based format and toward a CD-ROM-based platform. The belief at 3DO is that the superior storage and graphics processing capabilities of the 3DO system would prove very attractive to game developers, allowing them to be far more creative. In turn, better games would attract customers away from Nintendo and Sega. The 3DO’s strategy was to license its hardware technology for free. However, only a few 3DO titles were available by the Christmas period where reports suggested 150 titles, and sales of the hardware were slow. As can be seen, 3DO did good at its software, but bad at its hardware. As a result, 3DO announced that it would either sell its hardware system or move into joint venture. 5: How come the Sony Play Station has succeeded where 3DO failed? Sony set up a retail channel separate from its consumer electronics sales force, and Sony has a good communication with retailers before the launch to find out how it could help them sell the play station. Sony targets its advertising for PlayStation at specific generation and age range. So, Sony focused on it retailers and customers, and it has a good market position. On the other side, 3DO only focused on its products but lack of the communication with its retailers and customers. 6: What drove Microsoft’s decision to enter the industry with its X-box offering? Because before Microsoft entered the home video game industry, it was no stranger to games. Microsoft had long participated in the PC gaming industry and was one of the largest publishers of PC games. X-box was based on Microsoft’s PC technology, and it would be much easier for software developers to write game for. Microsoft enter the industry because with annual revenues in excess of $20 billion worldwide, the home video game industry is huge and an important source of potential growth for Microsoft. 7: What lessons can be learned from the history of the home video game industry that has been used to help launch the Sony PlayStation II and Microsoft’s X-Box? Do Microsoft and Sony appear to have learned and applied these lessons? The lesson can be learned from the history of the home video industry was to focus on R&D, market positioning, cost leadership, innovation, technology and communications. Sony PlayStation II has consumed about 1. 3 billion in R&D, and Sony actually loses money on Sony PlayStation machine but gain from game CDs. On the other side, Microsoft’s X-Box cut X-box price over time but guaranteed a profit margin. There are three technical factors determined the quality of a video game: data width (in bits), clock speed (in MHz), and the amount of RAM (in bytes). Both Sony PlayStation II and Microsoft’s X-Box have their own competitive advantage in these technologies, and they also both are good game designers.

The Cuil Theory

One Cuil = One level of abstraction away from the reality of a situation. Example: You ask me for a Hamburger. 1 Cuil: if you asked me for a hamburger, and I gave you a raccoon. 2 Cuils: If you asked me for a hamburger, but it turns out I don't really exist. Where I was originally standing, a picture of a hamburger rests on the ground. 3 Cuils: You awake as a hamburger. You start screaming only to have special sauce fly from your lips. The world is in sepia. 4 Cuils: Why are we speaking German? A mime cries softly as he cradles a young cow. Your grandfather stares at you as the cow falls apart into patties.You look down only to see me with pickles for eyes, I am singing the song that gives birth to the universe. 5 Cuils: You ask for a hamburger, I give you a hamburger. You raise it to your lips and take a bite. Your eye twitches involuntarily. Across the street a father of three falls down the stairs. You swallow and look down at the hamburger in your hands. I give you a hamburger. Y ou swallow and look down at the hamburger in your hands. You cannot swallow. There are children at the top of the stairs. A pickle shifts uneasily under the bun. I give you a hamburger. You look at my face, and I am pleading with you. The children are crying now.You raise the hamburger to your lips, tears stream down your face as you take a bite. I give you a hamburger. You are on your knees. You plead with me to go across the street. I hear only children's laughter. I give you a hamburger. You are screaming as you fall down the stairs. I am your child. You cannot see anything. You take a bite of the hamburger. The concrete rushes up to meet you. You awake with a start in your own bed. Your eye twitches involuntarily. I give you a hamburger. As you kill me, I do not make a sound. I give you a hamburger. 6 Cuils: You ask me for a hamburger. My attempt to reciprocate is cut rutally short as my body experiences a sudden lack of electrons. Across a variety of hidden dimensions you are d ismayed. John Lennon hands me an apple, but it slips through my fingers. I am reborn as an ocelot. You disapprove. A crack echoes through the universe in defiance of conventional physics as cosmological background noise shifts from randomness to a perfect A Flat. Children everywhere stop what they are doing and hum along in perfect pitch with the background radiation. Birds fall from the sky as the sun engulfs the earth. You hesitate momentarily before allowing yourself to assume the locus of all knowledge.Entropy crumbles as you peruse the information contained within the universe. A small library in Phoenix ceases to exist. You stumble under the weight of everythingness; your mouth opens up to cry out, and collapses around your body before blinking you out of the spatial plane. You exist only within the fourth dimension. The fountainhead of all knowledge rolls along the ground and collides with a small dog. My head tastes sideways as space-time is reestablished, you blink back int o the corporeal world disoriented, only for me to hand you a hamburger as my body collapses under the strain of reconstitution.The universe has reasserted itself. A particular small dog is fed steak for the rest of its natural life. You die in freak accident moments later, and you soul works at the returns desk for the Phoenix library. You disapprove. Your disapproval sends ripples through the inter-dimensional void between life and death. A small child begins to cry as he walks toward the stairway where his father stands. 7 Cuils: I give you a hamburger. The universe is engulfed within itself. A bus advertising hotdogs drives by a papillon. It disapproves. An unnatural force reverses Earth's gravity. You ask for a hamburger.I reciprocate with a mildly convulsing potato. You disapprove. Your disapproval releases a cosmic shift in the void between birth and life. You ask for a hamburger. A certain small dog feasts on hamburger patties for the rest of its unnatural, eternal endurance. Your constant disapproval sends silence through everything. A contrived beast becomes omnipotent. You ask for a hamburger. I give you a hamburger your body becomes an unsettled blob of nothingness, then divides by three. The papillon barks. The universe realigns itself. You, the papillon, and the hamburger disapprove. This condemnation stops the realignment.Hades freezes over. A pig is launched is launched into the unoccupied existence between space and time with a specific hamburger. You ask for a hamburger. I give you a hamburger. It screams as you lift it to your face. You laugh maniacally as I plead with you. You devour the hamburger as it pleads for mercy. I disapprove and condemn you to an eternity in a certain void where a certain pig and its specific hamburger are located. The Universal Space-time Continuum Committee disapproves of my irrational decision. You are locked away and are fed hamburgers for the rest of your natural existence.A pickle refuses to break down during the process of digestion. You die in a freak accident. A certain pickle lives the rest of its life in a comatose state. Your soul disapproves. Down the street a child cries as a hamburger gets stuck in, and climbs back up, her esophagus. You ask again for a hamburger. I refuse to reciprocate. You demand a lawyer. I remind you harshly that this is the new world order. Lawyers no longer exist. Only papillons. Your name is written on a list of sins. Blasphemy. You ask for a hamburger. The comatose pickle vanquishes your soul from this universe. Realignment occurs. You beg for a hamburger.A certain papillon's name is written on an obelisk in Egypt. Mumble. Peasants worship the obelisk. Your soulless corpse partakes in the festivity. Hamburgers are banned universally. The sun implodes. All planets cease to have ever existed. Mercury. Venus. Earth. Mars. Jupiter. Saturn. Uranus. Neptune. Pluto is the only mass in existence. Conveniently, you are on vacation here. Your need for hamburgers re-establishes space-time. Earth is recreated under your intergalactic rule. Hamburgers are your army. You wake up. Clowns. Clowns everywhere. Your dream rushes to meet you. You are kidnapped. You ask for a hamburger. They hand you a hotdog.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 49~50

49 The Bedside Manner of Cannibals Tuck slept through most of the day, then woke up with a pot of coffee over a spy novel. He looked at the words and his eyes moved down the pages for half an hour, but when he put it down he had no idea what he had read. His mind was torn by the thought of Beth Curtis showing up at his door. Whenever a guard crunched across the gravel compound, Tuck would go to the window to see if it was her. She wouldn't come here during the day, would she? He had promised Kimi that he would check on Sepie and meet him at the drinking circle, but now he was already a day late on the promise. What would happen if Beth Curtis came to his bungalow while he was out? She couldn't tell the doc, could she? What would her excuse be for coming here? Still, Tuck was beginning to think that the doc wasn't really the one running the show. He was merely skilled labor, and so, probably, was Tucker himself. Tuck looked at the pages of the spy novel, watched a little Malaysian television (today they were throwing spears at coconuts on top of a pole while the Asian stock market's tickers scrolled at the bottom of the screen in thin-colored bands), and waited for nightfall. When he could no longer see the guard's face across the compound, he made a great show of yawning and stretching in front of the window, then turned out the lights, built the dummy in his bed, and slipped out through the bottom of the shower. He took his usual path behind the clinic, then inched his way up on the far side and peeked around the front. Not ten feet away a guard stood by the door. He ducked quickly around the corner. There was no way into the clinic tonight. He could wait or even try to intimidate the guard, now that he knew they were afraid to shoot him. Of course, he wasn't sure they knew they were afraid to shoot him. What if Mato was the only one? He slid back down the side of the building and through the coconut grove to the beach. The swim had become like walking to the mailbox, and he was past the minefield in less than five minutes. As he rounded the curve of the beach, he saw a light and figures moving around it. The Shark men had brought a kerosene lamp to the drinking circle. How civilized. Some of the men acknowledged his presence as he moved into the circle, but the old chief only stared into the sand between his feet. There was a stack of magazines at his side. â€Å"What's going on, guys?† A panic made its way around the circle to land on Abo, who looked up and said, â€Å"Your friend is shot by the guards.† Tuck waited, but Abo looked away. Tuck jumped in front of Malink. â€Å"Chief, is he telling the truth? Did they shoot Kimi? Is he dead?† â€Å"Not dead,† Malink said, shaking his head. â€Å"Hurt very bad.† â€Å"Take me to him.† â€Å"He is at Sarapul's house.† â€Å"Right. I'll look it up in the guidebook later. Now take me to him.† Old Malink shook his head. â€Å"He going to die.† â€Å"Where is he shot?† â€Å"In the water by the minefield.† â€Å"No, numbnuts. Where on his body?† Malink held his hand to his side. â€Å"I say, ‘Take him to the Sorcerer,' but Sarapul say, ‘The Sorcerer shoot him.'† Malink then looked Tuck in the eye for the first time. His big brown face was a study in trouble. â€Å"Vincent send you. What do I do?† Tuck could sense a profound embarrassment in the old man. He had just admitted in front of the men in his tribe that he didn't have a clue. The loss of face was gnawing at him like a hungry sand crab. Tuck said, â€Å"Vincent is pleased with your decision, Malink. Now I must see Kimi.† One of the young Vincents stood up. Feeling very brave, he said, â€Å"I will take you.† Tuck grabbed his shoulder. â€Å"You're a good man. Lead on.† The young Vincent seemed to forget to breathe for a moment, as if Tuck had touched him on the shoulders with a sword and welcomed him to a seat at the Round Table, then he came to his senses and took off into the jungle. Tuck followed close behind, nearly clotheslining himself a couple of times on branches that the young Vincent ran right under. The coral gravel on the path tore at Tuck's feet as he ran. When they emerged from the jungle, Tuck could see a light coming out of Sarapul's hut, which Tuck recognized from his day in the cannibal tree. He turned to young Vincent, who was terrified. He had charged the dragon, but had made the mistake of stopping to think about it. â€Å"Kimi's with the cannibal?† Young Vincent nodded rapidly while bouncing from foot to foot, looking like he would wet himself any second. â€Å"Go on,† Tuck said. â€Å"Go tell Malink to come here. And have a drink. You're wigging out.† Vincent nodded and ran off. 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The older white guy?† â€Å"No. Japanese dog fucker.† Kimi drew his finger across his scalp in a line and Tuck knew exactly who he meant. â€Å"What were you doing, Kimi? I told you that I'd check on Sepie and meet you.† Tuck felt a pleasant numbness moving into his limbs. This kava stuff would definitely do the trick. â€Å"You didn't come. I worry for her.† â€Å"I had to fly.† â€Å"Sarapul say those people very bad. You should come live here, boss.† â€Å"Be quiet. Drink this.† He held the jug to Kimi's lips and tipped it up. The navigator took a sip and Tuck let him rest before administering another dose. â€Å"That stuff nasty,† Kimi said. â€Å"I'm going to stitch you up.† The navigator's eyes went wide. He took the jug from Tuck and gulped from it until Tuck ripped it out of his hands. â€Å"It won't be that bad.† â€Å"Not for you.† Tuck grinned. â€Å"Haven't you heard? I've been sent here by Vincent.† â€Å"That what Sarapul say. He say he don't believe in Vincent until we come, but now he do.† â€Å"Really?† Sarapul came through the door with an armload of supplies. â€Å"I don't say that. This dog fucker lies.† Tuck shook his head. â€Å"You guys were made for each other.† Sarapul set down a sewing kit and a bottle of peroxide, then crouched over the navigator and looked up at Tuck. â€Å"Can you fix him?† Tuck grinned and grabbed the old cannibal by the cheek. â€Å"Yum,† Tuck said. â€Å"Sorry,† Sarapul said. â€Å"I'll fix him,† Tuck said. Silently he asked for help from Vincent. â€Å"I can't feel my arms,† Kimi said. â€Å"My legs, where are my legs? I'm dying.† Sarapul looked at Tuck. â€Å"Good,† he said. â€Å"More kava.† Tuck picked up the jug, now only a quarter full. â€Å"This is great stuff.† â€Å"I'm dying,† Kimi said. Tuck rolled the navigator over on his side. â€Å"Kimi, did I tell you I saw Roberto?† â€Å"See, I didn't eat him,† Sarapul said. â€Å"Where?† Kimi asked. â€Å"He came to my house. 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I'm tired and you're insane.† She sat on the bed with a bounce. â€Å"You old stick in the mud.† A pouty voice now. â€Å"You never want to have any romance.† Tuck feigned sleep. Pretty well, he thought. â€Å"I brought champagne and candles. And I made cookies.† This is me sleeping, Tuck thought. This is exactly how I behave when I sleep. â€Å"I twisted up a joint of skunky green bud the size of your dick.† â€Å"I hope you got help carrying it,† he said, still under the covers. â€Å"I rolled it on the inside of my thigh the way the women in Cuba roll cigars.† â€Å"Don't tell me how you licked the paper.† She slapped him on the bottom. â€Å"Come on, dance with me.† He rolled over and pulled the sheet off his face. â€Å"You're not going to go away, are you?† â€Å"Not until you dance with me and have some champagne.† Tuck looked at his watch. â€Å"It's five in the morning.† â€Å"Haven't you ever danced till dawn?† â€Å"Not vertically.† â€Å"Oh, you nasty boy.† Coy now, as if anything short of being caught at genocide could make her blush. The song changed to something slow and oily that Tuck didn't recognize. â€Å"This is such a good song. Let's dance.† She swooned. She actually swooned. Swooning, Tuck noticed, looked very much like an asthma attack wheezed in slow motion. A rooster crowed, and seven thousand six hundred and fifty-two roosters responded in turn. â€Å"Beth, it's morning. Please go home.† â€Å"Then you're not going to dance with me?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"All right, I guess we'll skip the dancing, but I want you to know that I'm very disappointed.† She stood up, pulled the evening gown over her head, and dropped it to the floor. The sequins sizzled against the floor like a dying rattlesnake. She wore only stockings underneath. Tuck said, â€Å"I don't think this is such a good idea,† but there was no conviction in his voice and she pushed him back on the bed. Tuck was staring up at the ceiling, his arm pinned under her neck, silently mouthing his mantra, â€Å"After this, I will not bone the crazy woman. After this, I will not bone the crazy woman. After†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Boy, how many times had he said that? Maybe things were getting better, though. In the past it had always been â€Å"I will not get drunk and bone the crazy woman.† He had been only sleepy this time. He tried to worm his arm out from under her, then used the â€Å"old snuggle method.† He rolled into her for a hug and when she responded with a sleepy moan and tried to kiss him, the space under her neck opened up and he was free. It worked as well on murdering bitch goddesses as it did on Mary Jean ladies. Better even, Beth didn't wear near as much hair spray, which can slow a guy down. God, I'm good. He rolled out of bed and crept into the bathroom. While he peed, he softly chanted, â€Å"Yo, after this, I will not bone the crazy woman.† It had taken on a rap cadence and he was feeling very hip along with the usual self-loathing. His scars made him think of Kimi's wound, and suddenly he was angry. He padded naked back to the bed and jostled the sleeping icon. â€Å"Get up, Beth. Go home.† And someone pounded on the door. â€Å"Mr. Case, tee time in five.† Tuck clamped his hand over Beth's mouth, lifted her by her head in a single sweeping move from the bed to the bathroom, where he released her and shut the door. Fred Astaire, had he been a terrorist, would have been proud of the move. Tuck grabbed his pants off the floor, which is where he kept them, pulled them on, and answered the door. Sebastian Curtis had a driver slung over his shoulder. â€Å"You might want to put on a shirt, Mr. Case. You can get burned, even this early.† â€Å"Right,† Tuck said. He was looking at the caddie. Today Stripe carried the clubs. The guard sneered at him. Tuck smiled back. Stripe, like Mato before him, was doing caddie duty unarmed. Time to play a little round for the navigator, he thought. He winked at Stripe. â€Å"I'll be right there.† Tuck closed the door and went to the bathroom to tell Beth to wait until he'd gone before coming out, but when he opened the door, she was gone. â€Å"Did you know that over ninety percent of all the endangered species are on islands?† the doctor said. â€Å"Nope,† Tuck said. He picked his ball up and put it on the rubberized mat, then turned to Stripe. â€Å"Dopey, give me a five iron.† They were on the fourth hole and had crisscrossed the compound pretending to play golf for an hour. Tuck swung and skidded the ball fifty yards across the gravel. â€Å"Heads up, Bashful,† Tuck said as he threw the club back to Stripe. â€Å"Islands are like evolutionary pressure cookers. New species pop up faster and go extinct more quickly. It works the same way with religions.† â€Å"No kidding, Doc?† They still had fifty yards to get to where Sebastian's first shot lay. Tuck had hit three times. â€Å"The cargo cults have all the same events associated with the great reli-gions: a period of oppression, the rise of a Messiah, a new order, the promise of an endless time of peace and prosperity. But instead of devel-oping over centuries like Christianity or Buddhism, it happens in just a few years. It's fascinating, like being able to see the hands of the clock move right before your eyes and be a part of it.† â€Å"So you must totally get off when daylight savings time comes around.† â€Å"It was just a metaphor, Mr. Case.† â€Å"Call me Tuck.† They had reached Tuck's ball and he placed it on the Astro Turf mat. â€Å"Sneezy, give me the driver.† Sebastian cleared his throat. â€Å"That looks more like a nine iron to me. You've only got fifty yards to the pin.† â€Å"Trust me, Doc. I need a driver for this one.† Stripe snickered and handed him the driver. Tuck examined it, one of the large-headed alloy models that had become so popular in the States – all metal. Tuck grinned at Stripe. â€Å"So, Doc, I guess you shitcanned the Meth-odist thing to watch the clock spin.† Tuck lined up the shot and took a practice swing. The club whooshed through the air. â€Å"Have you ever had faith in anything, Mr. Case?† Tuck took another practice swing. â€Å"Me? Faith? Nope.† â€Å"Not even your own abilities?† â€Å"Nope.† Tuck made a show of lining up the shot again and making sure his hips were loose. â€Å"Then you shouldn't make jokes about it.† â€Å"Right,† Tuck said. He tensed and put his entire weight behind the club, but instead of hitting the ball, he swung it around like a baseball bat, slamming the head into Stripe's cheek, shattering the bone with a sickening thwack. The guard's feet went out from under him and he landed with a crunch in the coral. â€Å"Christ!† Sebastian yelled. He grabbed the club and wrenched it from Tuck's grasp. â€Å"What in the hell are you doing?† Tuck didn't answer. He bent over the guard until he was only inches from his face and whispered, â€Å"Fore, motherfucker.† A second later Tuck heard a mechanical click and the guard who had been tending the pin had an Uzi pressed to his ear. Sebastian Curtis was bent over Stripe, pulling his eyes open to see if his pupils would contract. â€Å"Take Mr. Case to his bungalow and stay with him. Send two men with a stretcher and find Beth. Tell her to – † Curtis suddenly realized that the guard was only getting about a third of what he said. â€Å"Bring my wife.† â€Å"I'll get back to you on that faith thing, Doc,† Tuck said.

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