Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 46~48 Free Essays

string(217) " have the Priestess of the Sky say something that contradicted him\? She was supposed to be Vincent’s voice, but that voice had been angry lately, so he didn’t dare ask her for help as he had in the past\." 46 Beans and Succubus Tuck’s other partner showed up at his bungalow that evening as he was sitting down to a plate of pork and beans. She didn’t knock, or call out, or even clear her throat politely to let him know she was there. One minute Tuck was studying a gelatinous white cube of unidentifiable carbon-based life-form awash in a lumpy puddle of boiled legumes and tomato sauce, and the next the door opened and she was standing there wearing nothing but a red scarf and sequined high heels. We will write a custom essay sample on Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 46~48 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Tuck dropped his spoon. Two partially used beans dribbled out of his open mouth, tracing contrails of sauce down the front of his shirt. She executed a single flamenco heel stomp and Tuck watched the impact move up her body and settle comfortably in her breasts. She threw her arms wide, struck a pose, and said, â€Å"The Sky Priestess has arrived.† â€Å"Yes, she has,† Tuck said with the glassy-eyed stupifaction of a newly converted Moonie. He’d seen something like her before, either on the hood of a Rolls-Royce or on a bowling trophy, but in the flesh the image was much more immediate, awe-inspiring even. She pirouetted and the tails of the scarf trailed around her like affectionate smoke. â€Å"What do you think?† â€Å"Uh-huh,† Tuck said, nodding. â€Å"Come here.† Tuck stood and moved toward her in the mindless shuffle step of a zombie compelled by the promise of living flesh. His brain stopped work-ing, his entire life energy shifted to another part of his body, and it led him across the room to within an inch of her. It wasn’t the first time this had happened to him, but before he had always retained the power of speech and most of his motor functions. â€Å"What’s wrong with you?† she said. â€Å"Bolts in your neck too tight?† â€Å"My entire body has an erection.† She took him by the front of the shirt and backed him across the room to the bed, then pushed him down and pulled his pants down to his knees. She vaulted onto him in a straddle and he reached up for her breasts. She caught his wrists. â€Å"No. You’ll fuck up my makeup.† And he noticed – like an accident victim might notice a butterfly in the grille of the bus that is running over him – that her nipples had been rouged to an unnatural pink. He tried to sit up and she shoved him back down, then took him in her hand, nicking him with a red fingernail, making him wince, and guided him inside of her. He reached for her hips to drive her down and got his hands slapped for the effort. And she fucked him – precise and mechanical as a machine, a single pounding motion repeated and lubricated and repeated again – until her breath rasped in her throat like hissing hydraulics and she arched her back and stalled, and misfired, then dieseled for a stroke or two, and she climbed off. Somewhere in all that he had come and she had looked at him once. He lay there looking at the remnants of torn mosquito netting over the bed, breathing hard, feeling a little dizzy, and wondering what had just happened. She went to the bathroom, then returned a few seconds later and threw him a towel, which she had obviously used herself. â€Å"We’re flying in three or four hours. Be ready.† â€Å"Okay.† Was he supposed to say something? Didn’t this signify some sort of change that should be acknowledged? â€Å"I want you to watch me, but you can’t let them see you. Wait a few minutes and go out by the hanger where you can see the airstrip. It’s a great show. Theater makes it all possible, you know. Ask the Catholics. They survived the Middle Ages by putting on performances in a language that no one understood on grand stages that were built by the pennies of the poor. That’s the problem with religion today. No theater.† This must be her version of cuddling. â€Å"Performance?† â€Å"The appearance of the Sky Priestess,† she said as if she was talking to a piece of toast. She walked to the door, then paused and looked over her shoulder. Almost as an afterthought she said, â€Å"Tucker,† and when he looked up she blew him a kiss. Then she was out the door and he heard her shout, â€Å"Cue the music!† A big band sound blasted across the island, sending a shiver rattling through Tuck’s body as if a chill ghost from the forties had jitterbugged over his spine. 47 Grand Theft Aircraft The Shark men were breaking into their second jug of tuba when the music started. They all looked to Malink. Why hadn’t he told them there was going to be an appearance of the Sky Priestess? Malink thought fast, then grinned as if he had known this was coming all along. â€Å"I wanted it to be a surprise,† he said. Why hadn’t this been an-nounced by the Sorcerer? Was he still angry because Malink had not pro-duced the girl-man on demand? Was Vincent himself angry at Malink for something? Certainly Malink’s people would be angry at him for not giving them the time to prepare the drums and the bamboo rifles of Vincent’s army – and the women, oh, the women would be shitting coconuts over not having time to oil their skins and paint their faces and put on their ce-remonial grass skirts. As Malink trudged to the airstrip he tried to formulate some explanation that would work with everyone. As if it wasn’t difficult enough being chief with no coffee to drink in the morning – he’d had a headache for two weeks from caffeine withdrawal – now his role as religious leader was giving him problems. Leading a religion is tough work when your gods start stirring for real and messing up your prophecies. And what if he did come up with an explanation, only to have the Priestess of the Sky say something that contradicted him? She was supposed to be Vincent’s voice, but that voice had been angry lately, so he didn’t dare ask her for help as he had in the past. You read "Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 46~48" in category "Essay examples" Not in front of his people. He came out of the jungle just in time to see the flash of the explosions. The Sky Priestess walked out of the smoke and even from a hundred yards away, Malink could tell by her step that she was pleased. Malink breathed a sigh of relief. She was carrying magazines for them. If his people were happy with what she said, then he could use the old â€Å"will of Vincent† argument for not preparing them. He could have never guessed the real reason the Sorcerer had not forewarned him of the appearance of the Sky Priestess. At the time when he normally called the warning, the Sorcerer had been watching through the window as the Sky Priestess pumped away on Tucker Case. Tuck waited five minutes before he pulled up his pants and slid out the door of his bungalow, nearly running into Sebastian Curtis. The doctor, normally cool, was soaked with sweat and looked past Tuck to the clinic. â€Å"Mr. Case. I thought you’d be preparing the plane. Beth did tell you that you have a flight?† Tuck fought the urge to bolt. He hadn’t had enough time to build up any remorse about having sex with the doctor’s wife, and he didn’t excel at remorse in the first place. â€Å"I was on my way to do the preflight. It doesn’t take long.† The doctor didn’t make eye contact. â€Å"You’ll forgive me if I seem distracted. I have to perform major surgery in a few minutes. You should go watch Beth’s little show.† â€Å"What’s all the music and explosions?† â€Å"It’s how we retrieve our donors. Beth will explain her theory of religion and theater to you, I’m sure. Excuse me.† He pushed past Tucker and looked at his shoes as he walked toward the clinic. â€Å"Aren’t you going to watch?† Tuck said. â€Å"Thank you, but I find it nauseating.† â€Å"Oh,† Tuck said. â€Å"Then I’ll go check out the Lear. Great game today, Doc.† â€Å"Yes,† Curtis said. He resumed his stiff-armed walk to the clinic, his fists balled so hard at his sides that Tuck could see them shaking. The guards were gathered at the edge of the hangar. Mato looked up quickly and made eye contact long enough for Tuck to see that he was nervous. Tuck wished he had asked him if the other guards spoke English. â€Å"Konichi-wa, motherfuckers,† Tuck said, covering his linguistic bases. None of the guards responded. Except for Mato, their eyes were trained on Beth Curtis dancing across the airstrip to Benny Goodman’s â€Å"Sing, Sing, Sing.† One of the guards hit a button by the hangar and the music stopped as Beth Curtis stepped onto a small wooden platform on the far side of the runway. With the speakers silenced, Tuck could hear the drums of the Shark People. Some were marching around in formation holding lengths of bamboo painted red as rifles. Beth Curtis raised her hands, a copy of People in each, and the drums stopped. Tuck couldn’t hear what she was saying, but she was waving her arms around like a soapbox preacher, and the crowd of natives moved, and flinched, and hung on her every word. She paused at one point and handed the magazines down to Malink, who backed away from the platform with his head bowed. Tuck didn’t find anything about her performance nauseating, but it was nothing if not strange. Why all the pomp and circumstance? You have six guys with machine guns, you can pretty much go rip a kidney out anytime you want to. He needed to think, and he didn’t particularly want to see whom she would pick. Whoever it was, their face would be in his head all the way to Japan and back. He went into the hangar, lowered the door on the Lear, climbed into the dark plane, and lay down in the aisle between the seats. He couldn’t hear the sound of the Sky Priestess or the natives oohing and ahhhing, and here among the steel and glass and plastic and upholstery, it felt like home. Here he could hear the sound of his own mind; here in his very own Learjet, the weirdness was all outside. But for the lack of a key he would have taken the plane right then. The guard kicked Tuck in the thigh much harder than was needed to wake him. Tuck looked up to see the face of the guard who had beaten him on the beach. He had a scar that ran up his forehead tracing a bare streak into his scalp and Tuck had started to think of him as Stripe, the evil little monster from the movie Gremlins. Tuck’s anger was immediate and white-hot. Only the Uzi stopped him from getting his ass kicked again. The guard dangled the key to the Lear’s main power cutoff. It was time to go. Tuck limped to the cockpit and strapped himself into the pilot’s seat. Stripe inserted the power key into the instrument console, twisted it, and stepped back to watch as Tuck started the power-up procedure. The other ninjas pulled the Lear out of the hangar by a large T-bar attached to the front wheel. When the plane was safely out of the hangar, Tuck started to spool up the jets. Stripe remained with the Uzi at port arms. Tuck made a big show of going though the checklist, testing switches and gauges. He frowned and clicked the radar switch a couple of times. He looked back at Stripe. â€Å"Go check the nose. Something’s not right.† The guard shook his head. Tuck mimed his instructions again and Stripe nodded, then he motioned through the window for another of the guards to join them on board. Evidently, they weren’t going to leave him un-guarded in the plane with the power key in. Stripe turned over the guard duty to the other ninja and appeared at the front of the plane. Tuck mo-tioned for him to get closer to the nose. Stripe did. Tuck turned on the radar. â€Å"And a lovely brain tumor for you, you son of a bitch.† Stripe seemed to actually feel the microwave energy and he jumped back from the plane. Tuck grinned and gave him the okay sign. â€Å"I hope your tiny little balls are boiling,† he said aloud. The guard behind him didn’t seem to understand what Tuck was saying, but he nudged him with the barrel of his Uzi and pointed. Beth Curtis, in her dark Armani, was coming across the compound with briefcase and cooler in hand. She stepped into the plane and nodded to the guard. Instead of leaving, he took a seat back in the passenger compartment. Beth strapped herself into the copilot’s seat. â€Å"We taking him in for shore leave?† Tuck said. â€Å"No. He’s just along for the ride tonight.† â€Å"Oh, right.† Tuck powered up the jets and eased the Lear out of the compound onto the runway. Beth Curtis was silent until they were at altitude, cruising toward Japan. Tuck did not engage the autopilot, but steered the Lear gradually, perhaps a degree a minute, to the west. â€Å"So what did you think?† â€Å"Pretty impressive, but I don’t get it. Why the whole show to bring in someone for surgery? Why not just send the guards?† â€Å"We’re not taking their kidneys, Tucker. They’re giving them.† Tuck didn’t want to give away what he had learned from Malink and Sepie about the â€Å"chosen.† He said, â€Å"Giving them to who? A naked white woman?† She laughed, reached into her briefcase, and brought out an eight-by-ten color photograph. â€Å"To the Sky Priestess.† She held the photograph where Tuck could see it. He had to steer manually. If he hit the autopilot now, the plane would turn back toward Japan, the only preset in the nav computer. The photograph was in color but old. A flyer stood by the side of a B-26 bomber. On the side of the bomber was the painting of a voluptuous naked woman and the legend SKY PRIESTESS. It could have been a painting of Beth Curtis as she had looked when she arrived at Tuck’s bungalow. He recog-nized the flyer as well. It was the ghost flyer he’d been seeing all along. He felt his face flush, but he tried to stay cool. â€Å"So who’s that?† â€Å"The flyer was a guy named Vincent Bennidetti,† Beth said. â€Å"The plane was named the Sky Priestess. All the bombers had nose art like that in World War II. We found the picture in the library in San Francisco.† â€Å"So what’s that got to do with our operation? You’re dressing up like the picture on an airplane.† â€Å"No, I am the Sky Priestess.† â€Å"I’m sorry, Beth. I still don’t get it.† â€Å"This is the pilot that the Shark People worship. The cargo cult that ‘Bastian told you about.† Tuck nodded and tried to look surprised, but he was watching his course without seeming to do so. If he had figured it right, they would be over Guam in fifteen minutes and the American military would force them down. The Air Force was very cranky about private jets flying though their airspace. â€Å"The natives on Alualu worship this Vincent guy,† Beth said. â€Å"I speak for Vincent. They come to me when we play the music and I give them everything. In return, I choose one of them for the honor of the mark of Vincent, which, of course, is the scar they get from the operation.† â€Å"Like I said, you’ve got armed guards. Why not just take what you want?† She looked shocked that he would ask. â€Å"And get out of show business?† Then she smiled and reached over and gave his crotch a squeeze. â€Å"When I met Sebastian in San Francisco, he was drunk and throwing money around. One minute he was so dignified and erudite, the next he was like a little native child. He told me about the cargo cult and I came up with the idea of not just doing this to support the clinic, but to get really filthy rich. We had to keep the people happy if we were going to do this in big numbers.† â€Å"So you thought all of this up?† â€Å"It’s the reason I’m here.† â€Å"But Sebastian said you were a† – Tuck caught himself before he said â€Å"stripper† – â€Å"surgical nurse.† â€Å"I was. So what? Did I get any respect for that? Did I get any power? No. To the doctors I was just a piece of ass who could handle surgical instru-ments and close a patient when they needed to get to the golf course. Did Sebastian tell you I used to strip?† â€Å"He mentioned something about it in passing.† â€Å"Well, I did. And I was good.† â€Å"I can imagine,† Tuck said. A few more minutes and they should be joined by an F-16. She smiled. â€Å"Fuck nursing. I was just a piece of meat to the men I worked with, so I decided to go with it. I was pushing thirty and all single women my age were walking around with a desperate look in their eye and a bio-logical clock ticking so loud you thought it was the crocodile from Peter Pan. If I was going to be treated like meat, I was going to make money at it. And I did. Not enough, but a lot more than I would have made nursing.† â€Å"Do tell,† Tuck said. He couldn’t remember ever saying â€Å"Do tell,† and it sounded a little strange hearing it. She looked out the window as if she had fallen into some reverie. Then, without looking back, she said, â€Å"What’s that island?† Tuck tensed. â€Å"I couldn’t say.† She sighed. â€Å"Islands are amazing.† â€Å"I always say that.† She seemed to come out of her trance and looked at the instrument board. Tuck acted as if he was concentrating on flying the plane. He glanced at Beth Curtis. Her mouth had tightened into a line. She reached into the briefcase and came out with the Walther automatic. â€Å"What’s that for?† Tuck said. â€Å"Get back on course.† â€Å"I am on course.† â€Å"Now!† â€Å"But I am on course. Look.† He pointed to the nav computer, which still showed the coordinates of the airstrip in Japan, although it wasn’t engaged with the autopilot. â€Å"No, you’re not.† She pointed to the compass. â€Å"You’re at least ninety degrees off course. Turn the plane to Japan now or I’ll shoot you.† Tuck was tired of it. â€Å"Right. And you’ll fly the plane? There’s a difference between being able to read a compass and making a landing.† â€Å"I didn’t say I would kill you. I’m good with this. You’ll still be able to fly with one testicle. Now that would be a shame for both of us. Please turn the plane.† Tuck engaged the autopilot and let the Lear bring itself around to the course to Japan. â€Å"Sebastian said you might try something like that,† she said. â€Å"I told him I could handle you. I can, can’t I? Handle you, I mean.† Tuck was quiet for a minute, berating himself for overestimating the efficiency of the military. Then finally he said, â€Å"You are a nefarious, diabolical, and evil bitch.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"That’s all.† â€Å"I’m impressed. ‘Nefarious’ has more than two syllables. I am a good influence on you.† â€Å"Fuck you.† â€Å"You will,† she said. 48 Too Many Guns Back at the drinking circle, Malink opened a copy of People reverentially and read by kerosene lamp while the other men huddled to get a look at the pictures. â€Å"Cher is worst-dressed,† Malink announced. â€Å"Too skinny,† said Favo. â€Å"I like Lady Di.† Malink cringed. In the picture Lady Di was wearing a string of pearls, obviously the reason for Favo’s preference. Malink turned the page. â€Å"Celestine Raptors of Madison County is number one movie in country,† Malink read. â€Å"I want to see a movie,† Favo said. â€Å"You must tell the Sky Priestess to tell Vincent to bring a movie.† â€Å"Many movies,† said Abo. â€Å"And many delicious light and healthy snacks with NutraSweet registered trademark,† he added in English. â€Å"Vincent will bring many snacks.† Malink was turning to the moving story of a two-thousand-pound man who, after being forklifted out of his house, had dieted down to a svelte fourteen hundred when the sound of a machine gun rattled across the is-land. Malink put down the magazine and held up his hand to quiet the men. They waited and there was another burst of gunfire. A few seconds later they heard shouting and looked down the beach to see Sarapul running as fast as his spindly old legs would carry him. â€Å"Come help!† he shouted. â€Å"They shot the navigator!† The Uzi was pressed so hard into Tuck’s side that he felt as if his ribs were going to separate any second. The guard crouched behind him in the cockpit hatchway, while out on the tarmac Beth Curtis exchanged the cooler for another manila envelope. She seemed to be in a much better mood when she climbed back into the copilot’s seat. â€Å"Home, James.† Tuck tossed his head toward the back of the plane where the guard was taking his seat. â€Å"I guess you weren’t taking any chances about me taking off while you were out of the plane.† â€Å"Do I look stupid?† she said. A smile there, no hint of a challenge. â€Å"No, I guess not.† Tuck pushed up the throttles and taxied the Lear back out to the runway. Again Beth Curtis reached over and gave him a light squeeze to the crotch. She put on her headset so she could talk to him over the roar of the engines as they took off. â€Å"Look, I know this is hard for you. Trust is some-thing you build, and you haven’t known me long enough to learn to do that.† Tuck thought, It would help if you weren’t changing personalities every five minutes. â€Å"Trust me, Tucker. What we are doing is not hurting the people of Alualu. There are people in India who are selling off their organs for less than the price of a used Toyota pickup. With what we make, we can be sure that these people are always taken care of, and we can take care of ourselves in the meantime.† â€Å"If people are selling their organs on the cheap, then how are you – we – making so much money?† â€Å"Because we can do it to order. Transplant isn’t just a matter of blood type, you know. Sure, in a pinch – and usually it is a pinch – you can go on just blood type, but there are four other factors in tissue typing. If they match, along with blood type, then you have a better chance of the body not rejecting the organ. Sebastian has a database of the tissue types of every native on the island. When there’s a need for an exact match, the order comes in over the satellite and we run it through the database. If we have it, the Sky Priestess calls the chosen.† â€Å"Don’t the people have to be the same race?† â€Å"It helps, but it seems that the people of Alualu have a very similar genetic pattern to the Japanese.† â€Å"They don’t look Japanese. How do you know this?† â€Å"Actually, it was figured out by an anthropologist who came to the island long before I did. He was studying the language and genetics of the islanders to determine where they migrated from. Turns out there are both linguistic and genetic links to Japan. They’ve been diluted by interbreeding with natives from New Guinea, but it’s still very close.† â€Å"So you guys opened up Kidneys ‘R’ Us and started making a mint.† â€Å"Except for the scar, their lives don’t change, Tucker. We’ve never lost a patient to a botched operation or infection.† But bullets, Tuck thought, are another matter. Still, there was nothing he could do to stop them, and if he had to do nothing, a great salary and his own jet were pretty good compensation. He’d spent most of his life not doing anything. Was it so bad to be paid for what you’re good at? He said, â€Å"So it doesn’t hurt them? In the long run, I mean.† â€Å"Their other kidney steps up production and they never notice the difference.† â€Å"I still don’t get the Sky Priestess thing.† She sighed. â€Å"Control the religion and you control the people. Sebastian tried to bring Christianity to the Shark People – and the Catholics before him – but you can’t compete with a god people have actually seen. The answer? Become that god.† â€Å"But I thought Vincent was the god.† â€Å"He is, but he will bring wonderful cargo in the Sky Priestess. Besides, it breaks the boredom. Boredom can be a lethal thing on a small island. You know about that already.† Tuck nodded. It wasn’t so bad now. The fear of being murdered had gone a long way toward breaking his boredom. Beth Curtis leaned over and kissed him lightly on the temple. â€Å"You and I can fight the boredom together. That’s one of the reasons I chose you.† â€Å"You chose me?† In spite of himself, he was thinking about her naked body grinding away above him. â€Å"Of course I chose you. I’m the Sky Priestess, aren’t I?† â€Å"I’m not so sure it was you,† Tuck said, thinking about the ghost pilot. She pushed away and looked at him as if he had lost his mind. How to cite Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 46~48, Essay examples

The Traveler by Mikey Wax free essay sample

There’s something about Mikey Wax that makes me know it won’t be long until his name is familiar in the households of many. In a nation of music-lovers and star-spotters, word of mouth is often sufficient when it comes to generating celebrity. For this reason, Mikey has set out a number of house tours (which are indeed, exactly what they sound like- a concert in your living room) aimed at creating a fan base on a personal, yet widespread level. As a New Yorker, Mikey often performed on the East Coast, so when I discovered, by way of his website, that he would be touring on the West Coast this time, I immediately requested that he come my way. Through a thread of emails over the course of a few months, we set the time, date and place. Contrary to the point of a â€Å"house tour† I asked him to perform at my school, taking this amazing opportunity and turning it into a fund-raiser for a club in new of financial aid. We will write a custom essay sample on The Traveler by Mikey Wax or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Before I knew it, Mikey was calling me to tell me he was about an hour away. Shortly after, he pulled up to the curb, all by himself in a rented car full of musical equipment, stepped out and gave me a hug. All smiles and friendly conversation, it felt as though we had known each other for years. It wasn’t until he began to play about an hour later that I remembered that he was a musician- a very talented musician. His mastery of vocals, piano and guitar provided a stunning one-man show. The songs that I had loved and listened to for years were, played live, even more beautiful. Mikey’s Albums, â€Å"Change Again,† â€Å"For Better or Worse,† and â€Å"The Traveler,† are characterized by a gentle acoustic rhythm and resonating lyrics that can be enjoyed by any audience. Between his raw natural talent and his charismatic personality, I know that Mikey Wax is going places in the music industry.

Robinson Crusoe Critique free essay sample

Volodin Robinson Crusoe And The New Middle Class Before analyzing Robinson Crusoe it is important to give a short background of the author of such an incredible novel. Daniel Defoe was born in 1660 and died in 1731 after a life of adventures and incredible experiences. He was raised to be very religious and his parents were strongly attached to the puritanism tendency that was spreading around Europe. These aspects and the strong education imposed by his parents will strongly influence Robinson Crusoe’s psychology. Furthermore, Defoe worked as a Merchant, Insurer and during his entire live he has been sent in prison several times for either small or serious issues. Having such an experience, Defoe strongly felt to be part of the New Middle class that was flourishing due to the new colonies and the economic boom of that period. In this way we can say that his personal experience, family education and the influence of the growing Middle class strongly gave to Defoe the impulse to create a character such as Robinson Crusoe, who represents the typical New Middle Class person who can, using his brain and his talent, always succeed in life. We will write a custom essay sample on Robinson Crusoe Critique or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Robinson Crusoe represents the prototype of the typical English Merchant, heartless and unceasingly looking for a profitable business to lead. This new type of figure continuously changes because of the unsatisfactory position it has in the society and always strives to find new ways to make profit. In fact, Robinson Crusoe reveals these characteristics, and his strong attachment to the religion, when he sells Xury to the Captain. He offerd me also 60 Pieces of Eight more for my Boy Xury, which I was loath to take, not that I was not willing to let the Captain have him, but I was very loath to sell the poor Boys Liberty, who had assisted me so faithfully in procuring my own. However when I let him know my Reason, he own’d it to be just, and offer’d me this Medium, that he would give the Boy an Obligation to set him free in ten Years, if he turn’s Christian; upon this, and Xury saying he was willing to go to him, I let the Captain have him. † From this quota tion powerfully comes out the strong education gave to Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe does not really care about Xury, even though he has served him loyally. This passage highlights the new situation of the Middle Class represented by Robinson Crusoe that championed individualism, seizing every single opportunity to have a personal profit, relying just on own powers and talents. Furthermore, agreeing on converting Xury into a Christian let us explicitly understand the importance of the Puritan education imposed to Defoe by his family with the consequent reflection of this approach on Robinson Crusoe, who just agrees after making sure that the Captain have to turn Xury into a â€Å"Good Christian†. Robinson Crusoe demonstrates to be the â€Å"new bourgeois-man† during his long stay at the isle. The island becomes the perfect field to completely release his middle class attitudes and the opportunity to show that he deserves to be saved by God’s providence. It is important to interpret properly the significant of the Island. Crusoe’s stay at the island has to be seen as the chance for Robinson Crusoe to prove his qualities controlling, manipulating and exploiting the Nature. Consequently, Crusoe starts to â€Å"recreate† the English society of the 18th Century, sticking to the Middle Class uses of efficiency and individuality. For instance, when Crusoe meets Friday he decides to impose him his way of living showing once again his necessity to impose the â€Å"English life style†. In fact, further on in the novel Robinson Crusoe teaches to Friday how to speak English and how to interpret the holy Bible. In the island comes out even the typical attachment to the Puritanism of the Middle Class represented by Robinson Crusoe who believed in the God’s Providence. Crusoe is convinced that God is the first cause of everything but he can change his destiny by acting following his brain and using his talents. To conclude, Defoe shows us a perfect hero who, following the Middle Class education and mentality, can face every problem and solving it using his brain and his talents. It is incredible how Defoe could impress in an unbelievable way the main aspects of the growing Middle Class. Like Robinson Crusoe demonstrates, and Defoe in first person firmly thinks, a person using his own skill and being always self aware of his possibility can emerge and always find a way to survive and succeed in life if he really wants and strives for that.

Unnecessary Sacrifice Essays - Abortion, Fertility, Free Essays

Unnecessary Sacrifice Essays - Abortion, Fertility, Free Essays Unnecessary Sacrifice Just as we wonder how past civilizations could be so barbaric as to practice sacrifice, future generations may wonder how our society could be so barbaric as to sacrifice even the unborn. Thus abortion should not be made legal. Because it is not determined when the fetus inside the mothers womb becomes an actual human being, it cannot be determined when abortion actually becomes murder. Until it can be determined when the fetus becomes an infant it should be considered murder at any point during pregnancy termination. Why do the largest percentage of abortions occur? Because childern are irresponsible. Stupid, little, baby, girls start fooling around and OOPS... they end up pregnant. Of course they are not ready for the responsibility of caring for a child or they just do not want that responsibility. In a lake near a university unborn baby remains were found. Girls attending the university who have had abortions dumped the fetus remnants in the lake. Murder is against the law. Lack of responsibility is becoming a growing problem in America. What will future civilizations think when they find baby remains? Abortion is a barbaric practice in which lives are taken, therefore abortion should not be made legal.

Business plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business plan - Term Paper Example Its operating hours would start at 5:00 o’clock PM until 5:00 o’clock AM of the next day. Three regular staff would be manning the cafà ©. The owner, as manager, would be in the cafà © during the week and can assist the staff on some tasks, especially is the volume of customers would need additional hand. The target gross income per month is $8,000 that would yield $96,000 in a year. Break-even point and return of investment can be attained in three to five years depending on the actual inflow of customers. With the start-up expense of $100,000 and initial month operational expense of $5,000 ($105,000), the current cash on hand of $80,000 would only require $25,000 that would be sourced out from relatives and friends. Bank loan is not a viable alternative at present since it will incur interest in addition to the burden of monthly amortization (which will not occur in the case of investors). An initial of 20 computer units will initially provide the internet services with a plan to add 20 more units after three years. After five years, there will be expansion in the area, lease another property with larger space or establish a second branch. Hang-out Cyber Cafà © is a one-stop shop business outfit that will offer product and services to customers during nighttime. It will be operating for 12 hours daily from 5:00 o’clock PM to 5:00 o’clock AM for seven days a week. It can offer its internet services and products continuously in a month without interruption. This will ensure continuous earning for the business. Hang-out Cyber Cafà © will offer snacks and drinks for users and shoppers. It will also offer office, school and computer supplies that consumers can purchase conveniently since most of the stores and malls will be closed at nighttime. The supplies would include bond paper, ball pen, pencil, stationery, notebook and pad paper, blank CD and DVD, printer ink, etc. Besides the internet services,

Publick Speaking and Me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Publick Speaking and Me - Essay Example well thought-out, purposeful way in order to inform, influence, or entertain the audience and it requires the effective use of language, voice, volume, eye contact, gestures, conversational style, and visual aids. As public speaking has become a very important activity in the contemporary social contexts, the formal training of the various techniques of public speaking is essential. One can be effectively trained in the use of voice, volume, gestures, posture, conversational style, nonverbal communication, projection, eye contact etc. The technical training in establishing the tone, vocal flexibility, the formation of words, making the point, indicating values and relations, expressing feelings, showing the picture, and expression by action etc can help one in effectively making a public speaking and the training of these technical elements has influenced my skill in public speaking. The utility of gestures, postures, and nonverbal communication is fundamental in expression by action and proper training is required. Similarly, presenting the theme of the speech effectively to the audience is one of the basic elements determining the success of public speaking. For this, the speaker requires proper preplanning and research about the topic to be dealt with. Organization of the content in a logical order is also important to convey the message effectively to the audience. Therefore, the speaker should be well prepared with his topic and be confident to present it in a logical manner. One of the basic intension of every speech is persuasion and the speaker should be able to convey his ideas through the effective use of language, vocal flexibility with good tone and volume, nonverbal communication, posture, gesture, conversational style etc. An audience-centered attitude is also essential for the speaker to be effective and the feelings of the audience should be given great priority. The speaker’s eye-contact with the audience is fundamental to establish

Inequality in Education

Inequality in Education Is Inequality in Education Being Reduced? What Effect Does This Have on Other Aspects of Womens Lives? Throughout history, women have been repressed in many different ways by patriarchal systems within society. In Western society, women have gradually gained more power in many aspects of their lives and some (including many post-feminists) would even go so far as to say that equality has been achieved. However, in certain developing countries feminism is a relatively new idea and women may still have very few or limited rights. A common issue with patriarchal societies is gender discrimination in regards to schooling. In Europe, women have been discriminated against in education as far back as the medieval period. Girls were not formally educated, but rather learned from their mothers. Female role models within their community showed them how to perform household tasks, care for children and enforced the importance of feminine behaviour in order to attract a husband. It was in the mid to late 19th Century that formal education became available to females, in the form of same-sex colleges. Womens education started to be considered more seriously following the Representation of the People Act 1918, which allowed some women to vote in Parliamentary elections. WWII also changed attitudes to girls education, as women had been put to work while their husbands were abroad and realised that they had the potential to be more than ‘just housewives and the Education Act of 1944 ensured â€Å"free education for all from primary to secondary†, including females. In 1975 the Sex Discrimination Act was passed, and women were legally required to be given the same occupational opportunities as men. Legally, education was finally balanced between the genders, which was definite progress towards equality when compared with the uneducated females of previous centuries.However, once legal barriers preventing women from achieving in education were removed, feminists began to focus on issues of socialisation. What a patriarchal society expected and approved of in females was ha rder to combat than legislation. Sue Sharp (1976, pg 132) interviewed girls in Ealing schools, and one said that â€Å"I think men should [have careers]. If they [girls] want to they can, but I think it suits men really. Once men start on something, I suppose they go ahead, but women they always change their minds†. The girls in Sharpes 1976 study showed limited career aspirations, and put more emphasis on their desire to marry and raise a family. This attitude was reflected in the fact that in the 1970s there were twice as many males in higher education than females (Major).However, when Sharpe repeated her study in 1994 the results were different. Although girls were still likely to aspire to â€Å"Womens Work† such as childcare and beauty therapy, some showed interest in fire-fighting or mechanics. They also showed a desire to have a successful career so as not to be financially dependent on a husband in case of breakdown of a marriage, and expected husbands to help with household tasks. Also, as of 2009 Major claimed that â€Å"there are now more women than men in higher education 51% to 49% is the average†. Parents often encourage or even expect their daughters to attend university and find careers for themselves, and Darla Shine goes so far as to argue that women do not have professional careers are sometimes negatively stigmatised as being â€Å"slobs†.The number of qualifications girls get could thoroughly affect many aspects of their adult life. One of the most obvious differences education makes to an individuals life is their possible income. Graduates with the highest level of qualification earn, on average, more than twice the wage of employees with no qualifications and are also half as likely to be unemployed (Careers Scotland, 2009). Poverty can lead to health issues (due to a poor diet or low quality of heating or sleep in cheaper housing) and depression and stress. Crime is also more prevalent in low-income areas, so uneducated females may be either victim of a crime or be arrested for crimes themselves, leading to imprisonment. It is, therefore, clear that refusing women this one right to education, or somehow limiting it, can contribute to gender inequality in almost all aspects of later life. In conclusion, steps have most definitely been made towards a less male-orientated system of education. Recognising that most girls perform better in coursework than the end of term exams, many establishments have altered the assessment style to cater towards both genders. Girls are performing better than boys in school, but â€Å"gendered subjects† are still criticised as they reinforce gender stereotypes. Some organisations, such as CC4G are trying to help girls branch into male-dominated areas such as computer technology. Sharpes study and Majors article show the differences that 20 years can make, so who knows what the result of two more decades of feminist activism will be? Sociological Theories on Gender Inequality in Education Most types of feminism are based on the idea that gender is a social construct which a child is labelled with at birth depending on its sex. Therefore, any ideas of male dominance in cultures are seen to be a consequence of socialisation and not a natural and biological state of being. This leads to the conclusion that men and women can potentially have the same sets of skills, and can learn all subjects equally well in education establishments if patriarchal socialisation does not interfere. Feminists recognise that girls often choose to pursue subjects such as English, social sciences, healthcare and childcare or beauty therapies in colleges and university, whereas males opt for more technical fields of study or manual labour. Although they accept that females make this choice themselves, some feminists are concerned that this choice is subconsciously made due to a â€Å"hidden curriculum† within schools which channels the two sexes into particular roles that are expected of them by society. The subjects picked by girls rely more on emotions and femininity, whereas technical subjects lead to well-paid executive occupations or â€Å"macho† physical labour. Radical feminists argue that men consciously exploit women in society by limiting them to subjects that are seen as feminine in order to prepare young girls for their intended role as wife and mother. Oakley (1974) noted that men might approve of women who are moderately successful in their occupation, as long as they are willing to run the home as well. This is known as a â€Å"triple shift†, where the woman provides financial support by working, emotional support for the family, and keeps the home in order. Liberal Feminists also believe that society is still discriminatory against women, yet trust that progress is being made towards equality and males are generally cooperative to the cause. They believe that males have been socialised to act in certain ways which discriminate against women, but do not necessarily exploit females consciously and that some of the problems lies within womens own attitudes. They refer to the studies of Sue Sharpe, which show that girls opportunities and ambitions are improving, and are optimistic that over time equality will be achieved. Sharpe (1976, pg 66) states that â€Å"It is in the media that the most conventional and exaggerated stereotypes are found, parodying the ways in which people are supposed to live†. It is thought that because education establishments are usually run by males, with women in pastoral positions such as teachers and learning assistants, girls do are not shown that it is men who hold executive positions. New Right theorists believe that gendered subjects can have positive effects, as the traditional gender roles which they prepare young people for can strengthen nuclear families so that they are self-sufficient both economically and emotionally. Functionalists take a ‘march of progress view and say that joint conjugal roles are becoming more common in Western homes. Ferri and Smith (1996) observed that in dual full-time earner households, fathers were more likely to share in child care and domestic work. This is allowing women to pursue professional careers more easily, so young females are expected to do well in education from an early age in preparation for their adult working life. Functionalists say that a school is a positive form of socialisation which teaches females skills that will aid them in the future. Socio-biologists on the other hand, believe that gender is inherent to sex and behaviour is controlled by your DNA. They point out that the male and female hormones cause different behaviour which would explain why males and females choose different paths of education. Oestrogen creates more emotional behaviour, which links to childcare or social sciences, and testosterone creates competitive personalities which cause men to choose professional subjects which will in future help them provide for their mate and offspring. Dawkins (2006) states that â€Å"behaviour is genetically programmed according to sex and genetic differences underlie mens dominant position in society†. This theory thinks that gender roles are a product of evolution, as males and females which followed this pattern of behaviour could reproduce and raise offspring in a stable environment to pass on their genes, making gender roles a product of evolution. They note that other animals have gender roles, and it is, therefore, the natural state.In summary, most theories agree that much progress has been made towards equality for the sexes in education. The theories do however disagree on whether gendered subjects are harmful or beneficial to society. Feminists also draw attention to the fact that even if equality is gained within education, the workplace is still male dominated, and the â€Å"glass ceiling† discriminates and prevents women reaching their full potential. Equality in education is just one stepping stone on the way to completely equal rights, in all aspects of life. Bibliography DAWKINS, Richard (2006) The Selfish Gene, 30th Anniversary Edition. Oxford, OUP. ENSLIN, Penny and TJITTAS, Mary (2004) Liberal feminism, cultural diversity and comparative education, Comparative Education, 40: 4, 503 — 516 FERRI, E and SMITH, K (1996) Parenting in the 1990s. [online] Findings Social Policy Research 106. York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Last accessed on 12th December 2009 at www.jrf.org.uk OAKLEY, Ann (1974). The Sociology of Housework. London, Martin Robinson. MAJOR, Lee Elliot (2009) Why boys cant keep up with the girls [online] Last accessed 11th December 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk MURRAY, Jenni (2009) British History In-depth: 20th Century Britain: The Womans Hour [online]. Last accessed 8th December 2009 at http://www.bbc.co.uk/history SHARPE, Sue (1976) â€Å"Just Like a Girl† How Girls Learn to be Women, Middlesex, Penguin Books. SHINE, Darla. 10 Golden Rules for a Happy Housewife [online]. Last accessed 11th December 2009 at http://www.juniormagazine.co.uk BLACKS ACADEMY. Sue Sharpe: Just Like a Girl. [online] Last accessed 14th December at http://www.blacksacademy.net/content/2984.html BRITISH HISTORY. A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 1: Physique, Archaeology, Domesday, Ecclesiastical Organization, The Jews, Religious Houses, Education of Working Classes to 1870, Private Education from Sixteenth Century (1969) [online], pp. 311-312. Last accessed 9th December 2009 at http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ CC4G. CC4G [online] Last accessed 10th December 2009 at www.CC4G.net CAL POLY POMONA. The Educational Legacy of Medieval and Renaissance Traditions: the Education of Men and Women [online]. Last accessed 7th December 2009 at http://www.csupomona.edu THE GUARDIAN (2006) Girls get with the (computer) program. [online] Last updated 10th January 2006. Last accessed 14th December 2009 at http://www.guardian.co.uk/educationCAREERS SCOTLAND. Key messages Qualifications and earnings. [online] Last accessed 14th December 2009 at www.careers-scotland.org.uk NATIONAL ARCHIVES. The Struggle for Democracy: Getting the Vote [online] Last Accessed 8th December at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk SPARTACUS. Women and University Education [online] Last accessed 9th December 2009 at www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk Domestic Division of Labour. [online] Last accessed 13th December 2009 at http://www.lexden-publishing.co.uk Equal But Different (2009) [online] Last updated 14th December 2009. Last accessed 15th December 2009 at http://equalbutdifferent.blogspot.com/