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KanIrraDeebaaQubeeQabusan - Article Example a decent working condition, I generally wear a few caps like being a specialist clinician, a ...

Monday, September 30, 2019

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 34~36

34 Water Hazard Jefferson Pardee was trying desperately not to look like a sea turtle. He'd managed to find the surface, catch his breath, and put his mask on. Blood from his nose was now swishing around inside it like brandy in a snifter. After locating the floating garbage bag that contained his clothes and propping it under his chest as a life preserver, his main focus was not to look like a turtle. To a shark living in the warm Pacific waters off Alualu, sea turtles were food. Not that there was any real danger of a shark making that particular mistake. Even a mentally challenged shark would figure out that sea turtles did not wear boxer shorts printed in flying piggies, and no turtles did not wear boxer shorts printed in flying piggies, and no turtle would be yattering streams of obscenities between chain-smoker gasps of breath. Still, a couple of harmless white-tipped reef sharks smelled blood in the water and cruised by to check out the source, only to retreat, regret-ting that in one hundred and twenty million years on the planet they had never evolved the equipment to laugh. The surf was calm and the tide low, and considering Pardee's buoyancy, the swim should have been easy. But when Pardee saw the two black shadows cruise by below him, his heart started playing a sternum-rattling drum solo that kept up until he barked his knees on the reef. An antler of coral caught the plastic bag, stopping Pardee's progress long enough for him to notice that here on the reef the water was only two feet deep. He flipped over on his back, then sat on the coral, not really caring that it was cutting into his bottom. Waves lapped around him as he fought to catch his breath. He lifted his mask and let the blood run down his face and over his chest to expand into a rusty stain in the water. Tiny blue and yellow reef fish rose around him looking for food and nipping at his skin, tickling him like teasing children. He looked toward the beach, perhaps two hundred yards away. Inside the reef the danger of sharks was minimal – minimal enough that he would sit here and rest for a while. He watched the waves breaking softly around him, lapping against his back, and realized, with horror, that he was going to have to do this again in a few hours, against the waves and probably the tide. He'd have to find someone with a boat; that was all there was to it. Ten minutes passed before his heart slowed down and he was able to steel his courage enough to swim the final leg. He picked out a stand of coconut palms above a small beach and slid across the reef toward the is-land. He kicked slowly, scanning the water around him for any sign of sharks. Except for a moment of temporary terror when a manta ray with a seven-foot wingspan flew out of the blue and passed below him, the swim to the beach was safe and easy. If manta rays are going to be harmless, they should look more harmless, Pardee thought. Fuckers look like aquatic Draculas. He sat in the wash at the water's edge and was tearing the tape that held the fins on his feet when he heard a sharp mechanical click behind him. He turned to see two men in black pointing Uzis at his head. Pardee grinned. â€Å"Konichi-wa,† he said. â€Å"You guys have a dry cigarette? I seem to have torn my garbage bag.† A seven iron, Tuck, thought. After all these years I need a seven iron. Tucker Case did not play golf. He'd tried it once, and although he'd en-joyed the drinking and driving the little electric car into the lake, he just didn't get the appeal. It seemed – and he'd examined the game closely be-cause his father had loved it – an awful lot like a bunch of rich white guys in goofy clothing walking around on an absurdly large lawn hitting ab-surdly small white balls with crooked sticks. If the greens were at opposite ends of the same fairway and foursomes had to play against each other, defending their own green while assaulting the opponents' and risking getting hit with a ball or a club at close quarters, well, then you'd have a game. If the game was scored on how quickly one got through the eighteen holes instead of the fewest strokes and they dropped small-block Chevys into the little carts, why, then you'd have yourself a game. (Maybe put those little Ben-Hur food processors on the wheels and make it legal to hamstring competitors.) But traditional golf, as it was, had always left Tuck cold. Strange, then, that he absolutely yearned for a seven iron, or maybe a shotgun. Tuck had been up since before dawn, awakened rudely and kept awake by what seemed like eight million roosters. It was now ten o'clock and they were still going strong. What joy to feel the thwack of a seven iron on red feathers, the satisfying impact of balanced metal on poultry (suddenly si-lenced and somewhat tenderized for your trouble). He saw himself wading into a bucket of roosters, swinging his seven iron madly (but always keeping his head down and his left arm straight), dealing death and de-struction like the Colonel's own avenging angel. Welcome to Tucker Case's chicken death camp, my little feathered friends. Now, kindly prepare to have your nuggets knocked off. Tucker Case was not a morning person. He decided that he'd give them five more minutes to shut up, then he was going to get dressed and go borrow a seven iron from the doc. Five minutes later he was preparing to leave when Beth Curtis knocked and opened his door without waiting for an answer. She was wearing disposable surgical blues and a hairnet; she wore no makeup and the vapid housewife smile was gone from her eyes. â€Å"Mr. Case, we need you to be ready to fly in two hours. Can you do it?† â€Å"Uh, sure. I guess. Where are we going?† â€Å"Japan. The navigational settings should already be programmed into the plane's computer. I need you to have your preflight finished and the Lear fueled and on the runway, ready to go.† Tucker felt as if he was talking to a different person than the one he had seen for the last week. There was no hint of the soft femininity, just hard business. â€Å"I haven't had time to go over the controls for the Lear.† â€Å"You took the job, didn't you? Can you fly it?† Tuck nodded. â€Å"Then be ready in two hours.† She turned and marched toward the hospital building. Tuck started to follow her, then noticed movement through the trees, down by the beach: men unloading fuel drums from a longboat onto the pier. He could see a white freighter anchored outside the reef. â€Å"Mrs. Curtis!† he called. She turned and regarded him like an annoying insect. â€Å"Yes, Mr. Case.† â€Å"That ship. You didn't tell me there was a ship.† â€Å"It doesn't concern you. They are simply delivering some supplies. Now please, prepare the plane.† â€Å"But if they're delivering supplies, why do we need to†¦?† â€Å"Mr. Case,† she barked, â€Å"do your job. The doctor needs me.† She threw open the hospital door and stepped inside. â€Å"Ask him if I can borrow his seven iron,† Tuck said weakly. Tuck shuffled back toward his bungalow. Just a few seconds in the sun had given him a headache and he felt as if he would pass out any second. He was going to fly again. He was sick and dizzy and suffered from talking bat hallucinations and he was going to get to do the only thing he had ever been any good at. It scared the hell out of him. It had been fifty years since men with guns had entered the village of the Shark People. As the four guards went from house to house, Malink walked the paths of the village, his cordless phone in hand so the people could see that he had things under control. He'd been calling the Sorcerer since the four Japanese had arrived in the village, but he'd only gotten the answering machine. He had told everyone to go inside their houses and not to resist the guards, and even now the village seem deserted, except for the sobs of a few frightened children. He could hear the guards kicking their way through the coconut husks that had been piled in the cookhouses for fuel. Suddenly Favo was at his side. Favo, who had seen the coming of the Japanese during the war, had seen the killing. â€Å"Why does Vincent allow this?† Malink really didn't have an answer. He had lit the Zippo and asked Vincent that very morning. â€Å"It is the will of the Sorcerer, so it must be the will of Vincent. They want the girl-man.† â€Å"We should fight,† Favo said. â€Å"We should kill the guards.† â€Å"Spears against machine guns, Favo? Should the children grow up without fathers like we did? No, they will find the girl-man and they will go away.† â€Å"The girl-man has gone to live with Sarapul. Did you tell them?† â€Å"I told them. I took the Sorcerer there.† The guards came out of the old church and crunched in single file down the path toward Favo and Malink. The old men stood their ground, making the guards walk into a stand of ferns to get around them. They made no eye contact and said nothing. Favo hurled a curse at them, but it had been too long since he had spoken Japanese and it was not a language suited for swearing. He ended up telling them that their truck tires smelled of sardines, which elicited no response whatsoever. â€Å"Excellent curse,† Malink said, trying to raise his friend's spirits. â€Å"It needs work. English is the best for swearing.† â€Å"They have machine guns, Favo.† â€Å"Fuckin' mooks,† Favo said. â€Å"Amen,† Malink said, crossing himself in the sign of the B-26 bomber. The two old men fell in behind the guards, following them from house to house, waiting outside on the path so the villagers could see them when they were roused out of their houses. For the guards' part, it was a wholly unsatisfying endeavor. They had been looking forward to kicking in some doors, only to find that the Shark People had no doors. There were no beds to throw over, no back rooms to burst into, no closets, no place, in fact, where a man could hide and not be exposed by the most perfunctory inspection. And the doctor had told them that no one was to be hurt. They did not want to make a mistake. For all the appearance of military efficiency, they were screwups to a man. One, a former security guard at a nuclear power plant, had been fired for taking drugs; two were brothers who had been dismissed from the Tokyo police department for accepting Yakuza bribes; the fourth, from Okinawa, had been a jujitsu instructor who had beaten a German tourist to death in a bar over a gross miscarriage of karaoke. The man who had recruited them, put them in the black uniforms, and trained them made it clear that this was their last chance. They had two choices: succee d and become rich or die. They took their jobs very seriously. â€Å"He might be in the trees,† Favo said in Japanese. â€Å"Look in the trees!† The guards scanned the trees as they marched, which caused them to bump into each other and stumble. Above them there was a fluttering of wings. A glout of bat guano splatted across the Okinawan's forehead. He threw the bolt on his Uzi and the air was filled with the staccato roar of nine millimeters ripping through the foliage. When at last the clip was empty, palm fronds settled to the ground around them. Frightened children screamed in their mothers' arms, and Favo, who was lying next to his friend with his arms thrown over his head, snickered like an asthmatic hyena. The guards scuffled for a moment, not sure whether to disarm their companion or shove their clips home and begin the massacre. Above the crying, the scuffle, the snickering, and the tintinnabulation of residual gunfire, a girl giggled. The guards looked up. Sepie stood in the doorway of the bachelors' house, naked but for a pair of panties she'd recently ac-quired from a transvestite navigator. â€Å"Hey, sailors,† she said, trying out a phrase she'd also acquired from Kimi, â€Å"you want a date?† The guards didn't understand the words, but they got the message. â€Å"Go inside, girl,† Malink scolded. Women, even the mispel, were not permitted to show their thighs in public. Not even when swimming, not when bathing, not when crapping on the beach, not ever. â€Å"Go back inside,† Favo said. â€Å"When they go away, you will be beaten.† â€Å"I have been beaten before,† Sepie said. â€Å"Now I will be rich.† â€Å"Tell her,† Favo said to Malink. Malink shrugged. His authority as chief worked only as long as his people willingly obeyed him. The key to retaining their respect was to find out what they wanted to do, then tell them to do it. He levied the most severe punishment he knew. â€Å"Sepie, you may not touch the sea for ten days.† She turned and wiggled her bottom at him, then disappeared into the bachelors' house. The stunned guards ceased their scuffle and moved tentatively toward the doorway, looking to each other for permission. â€Å"This is your fault,† Malink said to Favo. â€Å"You shouldn't have started giving her things.† â€Å"I didn't give her things,† Favo said. â€Å"You gave her things for† – and here Malink paused, trying to catch himself before losing a friend – â€Å"for doing favors for you.† 35 Free Press, My Ass Jefferson Pardee sat on a metal office chair in the corner of a windowless cinder-block room. The guard stood by the metal door, his machine gun trained on Pardee's hairy chest. The reporter was trying to affect an attitude of innocence tempered with a little righteous indignation, but, in fact, he was terrified. He could feel his heartbeat climbing into his throat and sweat rolled down his back in icy streams. He'd given up on trying to talk to the guards; they either didn't speak English or were pretending they didn't. He heard the throw of the heavy bolt on the door and expected the other guard to return, but instead a woman wearing surgical garb entered the room. Her eyes were the same color as the surgical blues and even in the oppressive heat she looked chilly. â€Å"At last,† Pardee said. â€Å"There's been some kind of mistake here.† He offered his hand, trying not to show how unsteady he was, and the guard threatened him with the Uzi. â€Å"I'm Jefferson Pardee from the Truk Star.† She nodded to the guard and he left the room. Her voice was friendly, but she wasn't smiling. â€Å"I'm Beth Curtis. My husband runs the mission clinic on this island.† She didn't offer her hand. â€Å"I'm sorry you've been treated this way, Mr. Pardee, but this island is under quarantine. We've tried to limit the contact with the outside until we have a better handle on this epidemic.† â€Å"What epidemic? I haven't heard anything about this?† â€Å"Encephalitis. It's a rare strain, airborne and very contagious. We don't let anyone off island who's been exposed.† Jefferson Pardee exhaled a deep sigh of relief. So this was the big story. Of course he'd promise not to say a word, but Time magazine would kill for this. He'd leave out the part about being taken prisoner in his flying piggy boxers. â€Å"And the guards?† â€Å"World Health Organization. They've also given us an aircraft and lab equipment, as I'm sure you've seen.† He'd seen an awful lot of lab equipment as he was led through the little hospital, but the aircraft was still a rumor. He decided to go for the facts. â€Å"You have a new Learjet, is that correct?† â€Å"Yes.† She seemed genuinely taken aback by his comment. â€Å"How did you know?† â€Å"I have my sources,† Pardee said, wishing he wore glasses so he could take them off in a meaningful way. â€Å"I'm sure you do. Information is like a virus sometimes, and the only way to find a cure is to trace it to the source. Who told you about the jet?† Pardee wasn't giving anything for free. â€Å"How long have you known about the encephalitis?† For the first time Pardee noticed that Beth Curtis had been holding her right hand behind her back the entire time they had been talking. He noticed because when the hand appeared, it was holding a syringe. â€Å"Mr. Pardee, this syringe contains a vaccine that my husband and I have developed with the help of the World Health Organization. Because you took it on yourself to sneak onto Alualu, you have exposed yourself to a deadly virus that at-tacks the nervous system. The vaccine seems to work even after exposure to the disease, but only if administered in the first few hours. I want to give you this vaccine, I really do. But if you insist on drawing out this little game of liar's poker, then I can't guarantee that you won't contract the disease and die a horrible and painful death. So, that said, who told you about the jet?† Pardee felt the sweat rising again. She hadn't raised her voice, there wasn't even a detectable note of anger there, but he felt as if she was holding a knife to his throat. Okay, to hell with the adventurous journalist. He could still get a byline based on what she'd already told him. â€Å"I talked to a pilot who passed through Truk a few months ago.† â€Å"A few months ago? Not more recently?† â€Å"No. He said he was going to fly a jet for some missionaries on Alualu. I came out to check it out.† â€Å"And that was all you heard? Just that we had a jet?† â€Å"Yes, it's pretty unusual for a missionary clinic to have money for a jet, wouldn't you say?† She smiled. â€Å"I guess it is. So how did you plan to get off the island after you got your story?† â€Å"The Micro Spirit was going to pick me up on the other side of the island. That's it. I was just curious. It's an occupational hazard.† â€Å"Who knows you're here, besides the crew of the Spirit?† Pardee considered her question; what would be the best answer. Surely she wouldn't let him die of some dreaded disease, but how stupid would he have been to come out here without telling anyone? â€Å"The people who work for me at the Star and a friend of mine at AP who I called for some background before I left.† â€Å"Oh, that's good,† she said, still smiling. Pardee couldn't help but feel pleased with himself. It had been a long time since he'd gotten any approval – or attention for that matter – from a beautiful woman. She uncapped the syringe. â€Å"Now, before I give you the vaccine, a few medical questions, okay?† â€Å"Sure. Shoot.† â€Å"You smoke and drink to excess, correct?† â€Å"I indulge from time to time. Another occupational hazard.† â€Å"I see,† she said. â€Å"And have you ever had a test for HIV?† â€Å"A month ago. Clean as a whistle.† This was true. He'd been motivated to take the test by a creepy rash on his stomach that turned out to be caused by skin-burrowing mites. The medic with the Navy CAT team had given him an ointment that cleared it up in a few days. â€Å"Have you ever had hepatitis, cancer, or kidney disease?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"How about your family? Anyone with a history of kidney disease or cancer?† â€Å"Not last time I heard. I haven't talked with my family in twenty-five years.† She seemed especially pleased at that. â€Å"And you're not married? No children?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Very good,† she said. She plunged the needle into his shoulder and pushed the plunger. â€Å"Ouch. Hey, you could have warned me. Aren't you supposed to swab that with alcohol first or something?† She stepped to the door and smiled again. â€Å"I don't think infec tion is going to be a problem, Mr. Pardee. Now don't panic, but in a minute or so you are going to go to sleep. I can't believe you bought that bit about the encephalitis. People get stupid living in the tropics, don't you think?† She went out of focus and the lines of the room started to heave as if the entire structure was breathing. â€Å"What was in†¦?† His tongue was too heavy; the words wouldn't come. â€Å"You don't have a staff and you didn't call anyone at AP, Mr. Pardee. That was a stupid lie. We'll have to put ‘self-importance' down under cause of death.† Pardee tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't obey him. He slid off the chair and his legs splayed straight out in front of him. Beth Curtis bent over him, pushed her lips into a pout, and baby-talked. â€Å"Oh, are his wittle wegs all wobbly?† She stood up straight and put her hands on her hips. To Pardee her face floated like the moon through clouds. She said, â€Å"You're probably thinking that I'm being unusually cruel to tease a dying man, but you see, you're not dying right now. Soon, but not right now.† Pardee tried to form a question, but the room seemed to go liquid and crash over him like a black wave. Sebastian Curtis walked down the dock to where the crew of the Micro Spirit was unloading fuel drums from a longboat. He was wearing his white lab coat over Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, a stethoscope hung from his neck like a medallion of power. The Micro Spirit's first mate, who was drinking a Coke while supervising the unloading, jumped up on the dock to meet the doctor. â€Å"Good morning.† â€Å"Good morning,† Curtis said. â€Å"Are you in charge here?† â€Å"I'm the first mate.† Curtis regarded the tattooed Tongan. â€Å"Mr. Pardee will be staying with us for a while. He's asked me to tell you not to wait for him.† â€Å"That don't bother you?† the mate asked. It seemed strange to him after the effort Pardee had made to sneak onto the island. â€Å"No, of course not. In fact, we've offered to fly Mr. Pardee to Hawaii when he finishes his work.† The mate had never heard Pardee's name in the same sentence as the word â€Å"work.† It didn't sound right. Still, he had his job to do and the doctor was paying double freight for these barrels. He said, â€Å"Is he going to pay his fare?† Curtis smiled and pulled a wad of bills out of the pocket of his shorts. â€Å"Of course. He asked me to give you the money. How much is it?† â€Å"From Truk, one way, is three hundred.† The doctor counted out a stack of twenties and held it out to the mate. â€Å"Here's six hundred. Mr. Pardee asked me to pay the round-trip fare, since that's what he originally contracted for.† The mate stared at the stack of bills. He had known Jefferson Pardee for ten years and had never even known the man to buy a beer; now he was just giving him three hundred extra dollars? Three hundred dollars that the company and the captain didn't know about. â€Å"Okay,† he said. He snatched the money out of the doctor's hand and shoved it into his pocket before the crew could see. He would get the whole crew drunk and they would toast the generosity of Jefferson Pardee. 36 Return to the Sky The Lear 45 was a working corporate issue, the seats upholstered in muted blues and grays, facing each other over small worktables. For some reason Tucker had expected something more unusual: bright carnival colors with a monkey in a flight attendant outfit perhaps; a stark metal interior stripped for cargo; maybe stainless steel over enamel with a lot of complicated medical gizmos. Nope, this was the standard, run-of-the-mill station wagon model of your basic four-million-dollar jet. He slid into the pilot's seat and a rage of adrenaline coursed through him, as if his body was reliving the crash of the pink Gulfstream. He fought the urge to bolt, let the adrenaline jag settle to a low-grade nausea, then started his preflight checklist. Everything looked normal; the instruments and controls were in place. He snapped on the power for the gauges and nothing happened: no lights, no LEDs, nothing. He felt the plane move as someone came up the retractable steps and suddenly one of the guards reached around him and inserted a cylindrical key into a socket on the instrument board. The guard turned the key several times and the cockpit whirred to life. â€Å"This thing has a main power cutoff?† Tuck said to the guard. The guard removed the key and walked off the plane without saying a word. â€Å"Nice chatting with you,† Tuck said. He'd never seen a plane with an ignition key and he was sure that this one was not factory-issue. Why? Who would steal a jet airplane? Who could? I could, that's who. The doctor had installed the key to keep him from re peating his performance in Seattle. The missionary bastard didn't trust him. Tuck checked the navigation computer. It was, as Beth Curtis had told him, set for an airfield in southern Japan. He watched as the LEDs on the nav computer came on, indicating that it was acquiring the satellites it needed to locate his position. When three were lit, his longitude and latitude flashed on the screen; when a fourth satellite was acquired, he had his current altitude: eight feet above sea level. He thought of Kimi navigating by the stars and felt a twinge of guilt for not trying harder to find him. He resolved to look for the navigator personally when he got back to Alualu. He ran through the checklist and threw the autostart switches for the engines. As the twin jets spooled up, Tuck felt his anxiety float away like an exorcised ghost. This is where he was supposed to be. This is what he did. For the first time in weeks he felt like his head was clear. He pushed the controls through their full range of motion and checked out the window to make sure that the flaps and ailerons were moving as well. Beth Curtis was coming across the compound toward the plane. At least he thought it was Beth Curtis. She wore a sharp, dark business suit with nylons and high heels. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun and she wore wire-frame aviator sunglasses. She carried a small plastic cooler in one hand and an aluminum briefcase in the other. She looked like one of Mary Jean's corporate killer attorneys. Her third identity in as many days. She walked into the plane and the guard pushed the hatch shut behind her. She stashed the cooler and briefcase in the overhead, then climbed into the cockpit and strapped herself in the copilot's seat. â€Å"Any problems?† she said. â€Å"You look nice today, Mrs. Curtis.† â€Å"Thank you, Mr. Case. Are we ready?† â€Å"Tuck. You can call me Tuck. I need you to look out the window and tell me if the flaps and ailerons move when I move the controls.† â€Å"They look fine. Shall we go?† Tuck released the ground brakes and taxied out onto the runway. â€Å"I need to pick up some sunglasses while we're in Japan.† â€Å"I'll get you some. You won't be leaving the plane.† â€Å"I won't?† â€Å"We'll only be on the ground for a few minutes, then we'll be coming back.† â€Å"Look, Mrs. Curtis, I know you think that because of the circumstances that brought me here that I'm a total fuckup, but I am really good at what I do. You don't have to treat me like a child.† She looked at him and took off her sunglasses. Tuck wished he had sunglasses so he could whip them off like that. She said, â€Å"Mr. Case, I'm putting my life in your hands right now. How much more confidence would you like?† Tuck didn't really know how to answer. â€Å"I guess you're right. Sorry. You could be a little less mysterious about what's going on here. I know that we're not flying supplies, not with this plane and the kind of money you're paying me.† â€Å"If you really want to know, I can tell you. But if I tell you, I'll have to kill you.† Tuck looked from the instruments to catch her expression. She was grinning, a deep silly grin that crinkled the corners of her eyes. He looked at the instruments. â€Å"I'm going to take off now. Okay?† â€Å"And I haven't even shown you the best way to fight boredom on our little island.† Tuck concentrated on the gauges and the runway. He said, â€Å"What church do you and your husband work for?† â€Å"Methodist.† â€Å"You'll have to tell me about it.† â€Å"What's there to tell? Methodists rock!† she said, then she giggled like a little girl as Tuck pulled the plane into the sky. Malink joined the drinking circle late, hoping that everyone would be drunk enough to forget what had gone on that day. He'd spent most of the after-noon at Favo's house, afraid even to face his wife and daughters, but when the sun was well boiled in the sea, he knew he had to join the other men or face the consequences of tuba-poisoned theories and rumors aspiring to truth. He sneaked into an open spot in the circle and sat on the sand, even though several younger men moved so he could sit on a log with his back to the tree. He threw an open pack of Benson & Hedges into the center of the circle and Favo divided up the smokes among the men. Some lit up, others broke them into sections to chew with betel nut, and a few tucked them behind their ears for later. The distraction was short-lived and one of the Johns, an elder, said, â€Å"So why did Vincent send the Japanese into our houses?† Malink waved him off as he drank from the coconut shell cup and made a great show of enjoying his first drink before handing the cup to Abo, who was pouring. Then he stalled another few seconds by lighting a Benson & Hedges with the Zippo, making sure everyone saw it and remembered, then after a long drag he said, â€Å"I'm fucked if I know.† He said this in English – English being the best language for swearing. â€Å"It is not good,† said John. â€Å"They came to the bachelors' house,† said Abo, who, as usual, was angry. â€Å"They looked at our mispel's thighs.† â€Å"We should kill them,† said one of the younger men who had been named for Vincent. â€Å"And eat them!† someone added – and it was as if the air had been pulled on the circle before it could inflate to well-rounded violent mob. Everyone turned to see Sarapul walking out of the shadows. For once, Malink was glad to see him. The old cannibal seemed to have a spring in his step, seemed younger, stronger. â€Å"I need an ax,† Sarapul said. The men who owned axes all stared into the sand or examined their fingernails. â€Å"What for?† Malink asked. â€Å"I can't tell you. It's a secret.† â€Å"You're not going to start headhunting, are you?† Malink said. â€Å"We've put up with your talk of eating people, but I draw the line at headhunting. No headhunting while I'm chief.† Everybody grunted in agreement and Malink was glad to have been able to assert his authority in a way that no one could dispute. An anthropologist had once come to the island and given him a book about headhunters. Malink felt very cosmopolitan discussing the topic. Sarapul looked confused. He'd never read the headhunting book, had never read any book, but he did have a Classic Comics version of The Count of Monte Cristo, which a sailor had given him in the days before the Shark People were forbidden to meet visiting ships. He'd made Kimi read it to him every night. Sarapul liked the thread of revenge and murder that ran through the story. Sarapul said, â€Å"What is this headhunting? I just want to cut a tree.† â€Å"Cutting trees is taboo,† said one of the younger men. â€Å"I will get special dispensation,† Sarapul said, using a term he had learned from Father Rodriquez. Malink shook his head. â€Å"We don't have that anymore. We only had that when we were Catholics.† â€Å"I need an ax,† Sarapul said, as if he might do better if he started over. â€Å"And I need permission from the great Chief Malink to cut a tree.† Malink scratched a mosquito bite and looked at his feet. It was true that he could give permission to break a taboo, and Sarapul had distracted the circle before they ganged up on him. â€Å"You may cut one tree, on your side of the island, and you must show it to me before you cut it. Now, who has an ax?† Everyone knew who owned axes, but nobody volunteered. Malink chose one of the young Vincents. â€Å"You, go get your ax.† Then to Sarapul he said: â€Å"Why do you need to cut a tree?† Sarapul considered holding out, but decided that a credible lie would be better. â€Å"My house is falling down from the girl-man climbing in the rafters.† It was the wrong answer to give in front of a group of men whose houses had been rifled only hours ago. Malink cradled his head in his hands. The toughest part of the landing for Tuck was restraining himself from leaping out of the seat and demanding high-fives from the woman. It was perfect. He was back. Never mind the ghosts, the talking bats, the three-hour flight with a woman who could have been the model for the new Multiple Personality Barbie. She's elegant, she's fashionable, and she's the reason that Ken has no genitals! Have fun, but remember to hide the sharp stuff! Never mind all that. He was a pilot. They were somewhere in southern Japan, a small jetport, probably private, with no tower and only a few hangars. Tuck had gotten them there by following the nav computer, which, he found in midflight, had only two coordinates programmed into it: Alualu and this airfield. â€Å"What happens if we have a problem and have to divert?† he asked Beth. â€Å"Don't worry about it,† she said. She had spent most of the flight grilling him about the navigational instruments, as if she wanted to know enough to be able to check the course herself. He complied, feeling insulted by the whole conversation. Another Lear was spooling up on the tarmac and Beth Curtis instructed him to taxi to it. As the jet bumped to a stop and he prepared to shut down, she pulled her briefcase and cooler out of the overhead and turned to him. â€Å"Stay here. We'll take off in a few minutes.† â€Å"What about loading supplies?† â€Å"Mr. Case, please just prepare the plane for departure. I won't be long.† Two men in blue coveralls crossed the tarmac from the other jet and lowered the hatch for her. Tuck watched out the window as she met a third Japanese man in a white lab coat. She handed him the cooler and a folder from the briefcase, then traded bows with him and quickstepped back to the Lear. One of the men in blue coveralls followed her into the plane with a cardboard box, which he strapped into one of the passenger seats. â€Å"Domo,† Beth Curtis said. He bowed quickly, left the plane, and sealed the hatch. She stashed the briefcase in the overhead again climbed into the copilot's seat. â€Å"Let's go.† â€Å"That's it?† â€Å"That's it. Let's go.† â€Å"We should top off the fuel tanks while we're here.† â€Å"I understand why you might be a little nervous about that, Mr. Case, but we have plenty of fuel to make it back.† â€Å"One box. That's all we're picking up?† â€Å"One box.† â€Å"What's in it?† â€Å"It's a case of '78 Bordeaux. Sebastian loves it. Let's go.† â€Å"But I have to use the bathroom. I thought†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hold it,† Beth Curtis said. â€Å"Bitch.† â€Å"Exactly. Now don't you need to do your checklist thingy?†

Sunday, September 29, 2019

How Authors Affected the Frontier Movement Essay

The Frontier Movement is a period in American history that refers to the westward movement of Americans toward the Pacific Ocean during the mid-1800s lasting until the early 1900’s. This movement was characterized by an expansionist zeal for opportunity and adventure, but was also heavily characterized by widespread social oppression and reform. It was during this time that both authors and reformists were inspired to write and share their ideas, many of which called attention to the often ignored social injustices of the time. These author’s ideas not only were inspired by the movement (the beginning of American Literature), but also heavily fueled and contributed to the movement in return. Authors Mark Twain and Susan B. Anthony, for example, played an important role in the frontier movement through their writings as they used these to convey the feelings they held toward America’s crooked social discrimination and socio-economic disparities. Mark Twain and Susan B. Anthony are considered to be two of America’s first American Literature authors. Mark Twain, known as the â€Å"Father of America Literature†, became an author in the West after the end of the Civil War. Susan B. Anthony, known as one of the first women’s activists, works focused mainly on the gender inequality customary of the time. Both of these author’s works are recognized as being bold and reflecting much of the American frontier movement’s attitude and ailments. Their works helped fuel their readers understanding of who they were and helped inspire their audience in the spirit of the frontier movement. Mark Twain’s works often embodied the newly discovered American frontier spirit of individuality and adventure. His works were both entertaining and encouraged Americans to create their own destiny. This was both a popular and significant notion during the frontier movement as it embodied the idea’s Americans had about expanding westward in search of a new life. In addition to his inspirational and humorous works, his writings also addressed the social discrimination he witness during the era of the frontier movement. Many of his works, like Huckleberry Finn for example, showed the possibility of bringing change to a world dominated by racism and foolishness. His works both captured American’s imagination, inspired American’s frontier attitude, and called attention to social wrongs. Susan B. Anthony’s works focused more on the boldness of the American. Rather than idolizing the spirit of America, she often called Americans out on the social injustices prevalent throughout America during the frontier era and promoted change. She called attention to both American racism and especially gender inequality. While Americans were beginning to identify the distinctly American characteristics they took pride in, Susan B. Anthony identified the aspects of American life that Americans came to realize they should be ashamed of. Her writings and causes were bold, reflecting the rugged American Spirit, but her works also helped shape the social aspects of the American Frontier movement. The frontier movement of America marked the beginning of American identity, and thus the beginning of American Literature. It was this movement that influenced the works of becoming authors, many, who in turn, influenced the frontier movement. Mark Twain and Sarah B. Anthony both contributed to the frontier movement through their writings in that they helped Americans realize their identity. During the frontier movement, Americans began to see themselves as an adventurous and bold people, and it was these authors who helped Americans gain and develop an understanding of who they were, even though their ideas were often negative. In short, by providing Americans with literature about who the American people were, the authors helped inspire Americans to express this new attitude of adventure and recognize American social values in the Frontier Movement.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Thomas Cook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Thomas Cook - Essay Example Thomas Cook Some of the important models such as McKinsey model along with the Pest analysis, SWOT and other models have been used to analyse the organisation. The main aim was to analysis the external and internal environment affecting the organisation. The leadership style along with the leadership style has been talked about and it can been seen that Thomas Cook has one of the cost effective organisational structure and follows a flexible business model so that it can be altered as and when needed. Finally the paper ends with recommendation and conclusion which states that the company should work according to the demand of the customers in order to stay competitive and maintain its number one position. The main aim of the report is to conduct an effective internal and external environmental analysis of Thomas Cook based on separate models. The analysis would help one understand the key competencies of the firm and also the areas where development is needed. Recommendations are also to be provided in due course to enhance the position. Thomas Cook, one of the largest companies in the field of leisure and travel is observed to operate along a large geographical segment pertaining to 22 countries round the world. The company has emerged out to be a key market leader in the leisure and travel category. Thomas Cook, during the financial year of 2011-12 earned total sales revenue emanating to  £9.8 billion from a total customer base of 23.6 million people around the globe (Thomas Group Plc, 2012). Company Structure Thomas Cook operates based on a decentralised structure where the board of directors are responsible for delegation of tasks and duties to subsequent committees and other sub-boards. The structure operates along a top-down or vertical integration fashion in the company (Thomas Cook, 2010, p.53). Main Activities Thomas Cook Plc works along several segments to render value-added services to the customers. The first or the core product segment contains of packaged tourism services where both flights and hotel services are grouped under one bundle and rendered to the customer. The second segment consists of independent packages that help in rendering consumers a larger flexibility in choosing the travel destinations, duration of tour and other value additions. The third product segment focuses on rendering financial support to the travellers in terms of foreign exchange or money transfers and also in tour assurance services. Fourthly the group also operates via retail houses that help in distributing tour packages and offers to the consumers. Finally the group also

Friday, September 27, 2019

MGT501 - Mgmt. and Org. Behavior session long project 2 (Jung Typology Essay

MGT501 - Mgmt. and Org. Behavior session long project 2 (Jung Typology Test.) - Essay Example This feature is true however has gone unnoticed throughout my life. The results show that in an organization I will be very decisive and that I am a very organized person. This along with my strong interpersonal skills together will prove to be my strengths in an organization. I believe, and as confirmed by the test, I have the excellent entrepreneurial abilities and have the ability to juggle between numbers of responsibilities. This I believe is my biggest strength and is my mode of opportunity in a workplace as well. One of the other features that the test has brought out is the fact that I follow the open door policy and am ready to be interrupted by other admits my work. I provide undivided attention, and this I think will be very useful in a work place. One of the few things that I might have a problem with includes my sensitive nature and my â€Å"thinner psychological boundaries†. Truly as an individual I tend to go out of the way to help others and in a number of cases, I tend to get into trouble because people tend to take advantage of me. This I feel will be one of the biggest issues that I might face in an office environment. In order to improve my overall managerial competence, I believe that I need to practice being stronger and need to learn to say ‘No’. This I can achieve by taking up the self improvement courses and with the help of my friends and family. I will also practice this in all aspects of life so that I do not become a push over and people do not take advantage of me. In conclusion I feel that this assessment of my nature and personal managerial competence is very accurate. The ENFJ category of people are referred to as, ‘the Caregivers’, which I feel is a true portrait of my nature. This assessment has brought out the best of my qualities as well as the biggest of my weaknesses and has provided me with a chance to learn and improve

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Evidence-Based Practices in Nursing Research Paper

Evidence-Based Practices in Nursing - Research Paper Example Also, a primary care nurse is often the first person to working with clients who are dying, increasing the safety of patients, increasing patient outcomes and their overall experience in healthcare. In this paper, it is the intent of the student to show how evidence-based practice in primary care nursing correlates with the steps in the nursing practice for Neonatal Care (NICU) using the total patient care model. Care Delivery Model The team care delivery model seems to be the most relevant model for working in the Neonatal ICU to insure patient safety. When infants are in the intensive care unit they have different needs than infants who are in a regular nursery. In order to make sure that infants, parents, and family needs are met while the infant is in the ICU, a team provides around the clock care for each infant. According to our textbook, the RN is in charge of planning and providing the tasks to the other team members as to what is needed for each infant. The RN creates a coll aborative environment with all of the team members and is responsible for scheduling each member of the team. As a primary care nurse, being a part of the team is essential because the primary care nurse is the first one to see the infants in the ICU on a daily basis. Working as part of a team makes sure that the infants are cared for during breaks, lunches, and other situations that may come up for individual nurses. How Steps in Nursing Process Relate to Evidence-Based Process (A) Assessment The assessment area for evidence-base nursing in the literature is largely based on assessing the overall NICU programs. In some of the literature, it is shown that nurses are not always knowledgeable about evidence-based practice which may inhibit their ability to use certain interventions (Smith, Donze, Cole, Johnston, & Giebe , 2009). Using evidence-based practices has been shown to increase the level of care for patients by about 30% (Smith, Donze, Cole, Johnston, & Giebe , 2009). Allen an d Chubb (2010) add that using evidence-based assessment can help to redirect the needs of a Neonatal unit to improve care on every level. Russ, Dougherty, and Jagadish (2010) state that evidence-base practice can help nurses narrow the knowledge gap when they are working in the NICU which enhances their ability to o their jobs. (D) (Nursing) Diagnosis In diagnosis, evidence-based nursing provides an understanding of the interventions that have been used to assist in many conditions. D’Agostino (2010) suggests that the literature provides many cases of information about premature babies and how to diagnose their problems. The process of diagnosis was discovered through a series of evidence-based articles in electronic journals. The research provided a concrete foundation for working with premature babies and it provided the information that the nurses needed to proceed with a specific process. This is one of the roles that evidence-based processes have in diagnosis. Another ro le of evidence-based nursing is to provide the opportunity for nurses to discern the difference between quality studies and those that re not of good quality. As an example, Stapelkamp, Carter, Gordon and Watts (2011) studied the research on children and acute pain. They found that there were several articles that were not as good as others when

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Create your Indiana Geology Discussion Assignment

Create your Indiana Geology Discussion - Assignment Example To be sure, there is the occasional oil spout that just happens, but usually the discovery of oil is the result of painstaking labor on the part of geologists to determine not only where oil lies, but rather or not it exists in a given place in large enough quantities to warrant massive digging and the land destructions that occurs as a result. Most of the oil in Indiana is located in the Southwestern part of the state, and into parts of Illinois and Kentucky. These oil reserves are embedded in sandstone reservoirs that average between 1,000 to 3,000 feet deep. That is some serious digging to be sure. Before digging of that scale can commence, geologists needed to be sure that it would be worth the expense and effort. This is why there was really about 50 years between the discovery of crude oil and the time that Indiana companies began to dig in 1938-1940 (Indiana Government, par. 4). The discovery in Indiana amounted to a total of 900 individual reservoirs located in approximately 500 different fields throughout southwestern Indiana. As mentioned, oil drilling began on a grand scale in 1938 and then began to expand rapidly after that into the Griffin Pool along the Wabash River. These geological features are found in Gibson County. Indiana is ranked 23rd in the United States in terms of crude oil production. While not earth shattering, this amounts to a respectable 1.73 million barrels a year. To protect the geological landscape of the state, and to ensure that environmental safety standards are met and exceeded, Indiana created the Division of Oil and Gas in 1947. They are responsible for making sure laws are followed and they regulate any future oil exploration. The division does employ three petroleum geologists, so the public can rest assured that these people have the states best interests at heart. The chart below, represented by the Indiana Government, is a representation of the oil

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Design (art and craft) innovation in Pakistan textile Literature review - 2

Design (art and craft) innovation in Pakistan textile - Literature review Example The British crown, which was colonizing Pakistan at the time of the rise of industrial revolution in the 19th century was pressurised to institute formal art and craft education in Pakistan by the Arts & Crafts Movement. This paved way for the first art and craft school in Pakistan; Mayo School of Industrial Art in1875. The industrial revolution replaced human labour with machineries, prompting the Arts & Crafts Movement in Pakistan to push for the development of formal education and skill in Design (art and craft) Education in Pakistan, to avoid machinery replacing human labour in the Pakistan textile industry. Universities such as University of Information and Technology, Hajvery University, University of engineering and Technology in Lahore, The University of Beaconhouse and the Textile university of Faisalabad have played an important role in offering design (art&craft) education. Pakistan institutions of higher learning are important contributors to the global textile industry advancement. This is achieved through offering design education and also promoting research in this field. Designers need to follow up the laid down needs of the customers to come up with a design process that will satisfy those needs effectively. The research stage is therefore the most important in the design process. In the period 1676-1820, design was characteristically utilitarian, comprising of targeting the functionality of the designs, as opposed to its aesthetic value. The role of design changed in the period between 1820 and 1910, when design education took centre stage, as opposed to the creation of designers through apprenticeship. Beyond 1930, design became mediatised, such that design education focused more on advertisement and aesthetic value. Design is a dynamic field and it has changed dramatically over the years. Starting with functional/utilitarian design, it progressed to aesthetic design and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Why abortion should be illegal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why abortion should be illegal - Essay Example For instance, in the UK it is legal for termination to be carried out up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. On the other hand abortion in the United States is a highly-charged issue with significant political and ethical debate. Statistics point out that, there were 854,122 legal induced abortions reported to CDC in the US in 2003.If abortions are legal, there are several problems that can occur. For instance, the number of abortions can increase tremendously. In families where there is a gender bias, it can result in the termination of unwanted gender. Additionally, it can also result in youngsters getting involved in unsafe sex. Though getting an abortion is a difficult decision to make, many women take this decision under pressure. It is also an emotionally disturbing decision as the process requires the pregnant women to go through a procedure where the fetus in the uterus is killed and extracted from their body. Abortion is a morally wrong decision and it affects society, families, and t he individuals who allow the procedure to be done. It is important to note that there are several methods to avoid pregnancy and people should adopt these methods to prevent pregnancy than to terminate it and that's why it should be illegal. Today, it is important to create awareness among the youth that abstinence from sex is a good option so that they would never have to worry about experiencing an unwanted pregnancy.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Harassment at the Workplace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 23

Harassment at the Workplace - Research Paper Example Based on data collected from a multiple of sources, this research paper established that discrimination against the disabled is quite prevalent in the country, and is perpetrated by the very people obliged by law to protect the integrity of every employee, the employer. Similar, the prevalence of sexual harassment at the workplace have hit staggering figures such as those reported by Gruber at â€Å"between 28 percent and 75 percent† (Gumport, 2009). Yet, there is a perpetual fear that the most affected group, women interns, never get to report their ordeal for fear of retribution and the apparent in federal and state laws that protect this particular group of persons. An average adult spends approximately one third of his/her life at the workplace. The resulting interaction inherently causes work issues since it is virtually impossible to have a workplace devoid of conflict, whether spontaneous or systematic. Such workplace issues may result in negative psychological symptoms. For instance, numerous researchers have attributed the high prevalence of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety to perceived stress at the workplace. Presently, while many organizations are embracing diversity and stratification, an apparent laxity in taming innately malicious individuals or systems have seen a rise in cases of harassment and discrimination. The scope of such discrimination range from unfair hiring or biased treatment of individuals based on their race, gender (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, age, disability, among others. Harassment on the other hand relates to unwelcome conduct based on the unit or a combination of elements enumerated earlier.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Product, Pricing, and Channels Paper Essay Example for Free

Product, Pricing, and Channels Paper Essay The following paper reviews how the Magnolia Bakery, offers its products and services to a target markets that are considering fresh bread from the oven every day delivery at the customers’ doors, early in the morning, for family breakfast. This discussion reviews include several areas such as the product features and benefits; the phases of the product’s lifecycle; the packaging of the product; the pricing strategy, and the channels of distribution. Product Features Magnolia Bakery offers four new items on its already extended list of products. These are four different kinds of bread. The choices of bread were carefully chosen to offer quality and healthy benefits. The choices are: Baguette, Black Bread, Focaccia and Bagels. Each one of these types of bread has a particular texture and taste that will give to the customer a great breakfast experience: Baguette is a thin loaf of French bread with a crisp crust, very characteristic of France. The Baguette is made with wheat flour and no added additives; Black Bread, or Rye Bread, is made with various quantities of flour from rye grain. Rye is a cereal grain, which gives a dark color and more dense texture from the wheat flour breads. This bread has important qualities because it holds a substantial amount of fiber and small amount of fat. This is good bread for diabetic patients since it doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar, as the other breads do. Focaccia Bread is another option. This is a more flat bread topped with olive oil and herbs. The texture of Focaccia Bread is similar to the pizza dough, and it is made with high-gluten flour. Our Focaccia will be have supplements with nutritive value and low calories using little amount of olive oil. And for last, but not least-the Bagel-all American breakfast bun. Bagel is yeasted wheat dough bread first boiled and then baked. Bagel will be a product that can be offered to the Jewish community. With these new items, that Magnolia Bakery wants to provide, it will offer a new service of delivery, from 5:00 to 10:00 am, directly to the door of the customer. Product Life Cycle The lifecycle of the bakery would have started with the introduction stage and that would have consisted of the target marketing, price, distribution, and promotion. The price had to be adjusted around the culture and the quality of the product. The distribution step would have included on how they would make the bread and where they would make bread in order to give it to the customer. The next that the bread company experienced in the beginning would have been the marketing part. Now with marketing is where they figured out who, what, and whys of who they would want to market too. This stage is important because if a customer like the service that is being provided, word of mouth travels fast. The information that is gathering through marketing and the customer is what products they like and how often certain breads or pastries are purchased. The growth stage is vital because this is where the company depends on the customer and the company pushes forward their name within the indu stry. In this stage there should be an increase in marketing, distribution, promotion, and pricing. Pricing is a big deal because the product should never be over priced however, the bakery is indebted to the investors for some years so this should evaluated. The items that are baked are done within the store and they are not resold. Within the maturity stage is could be a long wait because this is where over cost has subsided and the bakery will begin to see the fulfillment of their hard paying off. The business began to become more lucrative and the business can began to look within some other options. The options could include building another store in other states or around town. The decline stage is not necessarily a company closing its door, but it could also mean it is being sold off to a corporate minded company and being able to grow. This could include a name change for them or relocation. In could also mean changing the color of a product and making if different. However, with a bakery they could do a face lift on the building and do a reopening. It is vital that all the se stages have a plan to go along with it, because if not during the decline a business can close their doors forever. The cycle may not always go in this order but it will give a good idea of what may happen. Packaging With packaging for backed good there are many ways to add value to the  product. Going green: the company can purchase boxes and bags for their bread products that are recycled, the use of pot consumer materials can reduce the carbon footprint and this is something that some consumers look at in recent years. Coupons: the addition of coupons to the packaging can help to gain reoccurring business, if you buy a loaf of bread and the box has a coupon for a free loaf when you buy 2, this could help to expand on other products as well. (Imagine a coupon for a free dozen muffins when you buy 2 dozen at regular price) Vibrant designs: the use of vibrant colorful designs on the packaging may help to peak interest in the product contained within. If you are at a neighbor’s home and they have a beautiful blue and gold box sitting on the table, this may peak interest in what is inside the box. Other ways to increase the value of a product in this case could be to have a menu on the box, perhaps you open the bag and printed on the inside (safely) is a copy of the menu of products sold by the establishment, and this can be a constant reminder of what other products are available every day. Though some of these ideas may cost more than others, the ideas to draw the consumer in, so they will consume more product the appeal is one way to increase consumer traffic. One last way to increase value of the service would be to include a survey with the delivery; this survey could help critique the performance of the delivery driver as well as the quality of product. This kind of feedback can always help to improve the business and help make it better. Pricing Strategy Magnolia Bakery will need to implement a pricing strategy when launching its new delivery service. Magnolia should consider how much consumers, specifically in its target market segments, will be willing to spend for the value this service provides. Since this new service being offered gives Magnolia the capability to reach a greater number of customers, management should focus its strategy on attracting these new customers. This means Magnolia Bakery should take a sales-oriented approach to its pricing strategy, meaning a strategy with a goal of increasing sales by getting customers â€Å"in the door.† There are a couple of different ways this can be done. Magnolia could provide incentives for customers to start using its service through a limited time introductory offer, such as free delivery for the first 30 days. Magnolia could also offer discounts to existing  customers in exchange for bringing in business from a friend, providing them with an incentive. Once it establi shes a customer base, Magnolia will also want to look at maximizing its profits. Prices for the product should match in-store prices, as the costs of producing the product are not affected by the distribution method, with the exception of volume discounts. The increased costs come from transporting the goods to the customer. There should be some charge for the convenience of the delivery service to offset costs, but this charge should not be so high that it discourages customers from using the service. A reasonable starting point would be $10 per week, with distance from the store as a consideration. Magnolia should also consider that higher volume orders bring in more profit. An offer of no delivery charge for orders over $50 dollars per week, for example, may encourage larger orders. However, not everyone in Magnolia’s target market segments has an income that would be sufficient for them to take advantage of volume discounts. Senior citizens are a group that would find the service useful, but would be more encouraged to use it if Magnolia offered a senior discount or sent out coupons in the mail. Finally, Magnolia will need to factor in competition with regard to its pricing, as there are others who could offer the service as well. Too high of a price compared to competitors would reduce sales, while too low of a price could start a price war. Distribution Channels In the four â€Å"P’s† of marketing, placement is a very important element in the marketing strategy. Multiple distribution channels will aid Magnolia Bakery in expanding our reach and also grow revenue from the sale of the bakery’s fresh bread and other products. Offering direct delivery in the neighborhoods of our shops will continue with our focus of personalized service to loyal customers. Building distribution channels using local retail grocers and specialty markets will allow us to sell through value added resellers (VAR). Members of our sales team have already contacted several wine and gift related boutiques that have an interest in Magnolia Bakery’s breads and desserts, to include in gift baskets and special picnic baskets. When working with value added resellers such as these shops specializing in food baskets, we will be able to work together to find the right products to complement the others goods joined in the baskets. While considering all distribution channels, including those of our value added resellers, we need to know that we will meet the needs of consumers. Our bakeries and production plants will need to be able to handle the increase of sales and that of certain products during times of peak demand. The value added resellers will be the places where our customers will be coming in contact with our goods and we will need to be able to deliver to the VAR to complete the delivery channel. Our level of service will play an important role and we must do it in ways that are preferred by customers. How we deliver our baked goods to our customers is just as important as the products themselves. We need to supply the right products at the right times, to the right places. Whether we are using a direct distribution channel delivering products through our stores to customers, or through value added resellers, we must have consistently quality products every time. Conclusion There are still a lot of questions to answer and decisions to make from the concept of an idea to introducing the product to the customer. Before launching the fresh baked bread to the customer, Magnolia Bakery has to check that everything is in position so it goes efficiently. What if one of these questions, not answered, or a decision made before the release of the product causes dissatisfaction? The product may not reach expected sales goals. Many aspects play into the success of the final product and whether if fails or thrives. The product, pricing, placement, and promotions, as well as the channels in which Magnolia Bakery is delivered are important parts of launching any new product. References Focaccia Bread Nutrition Facts. (2013). Retrieved from weight loss answers.com: http://weightloss.answers.com/nutrition/focaccia-bread-nutrition-facts Jr., D. P., J.P. Cannon Jr., E.J. McCarthy. (2011). Basic marketing: A marketing strategy planning approach (19th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Nathan, J. (2014). www.slate.com. Retrieved from A short history of the bagel: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2008/11/a_short_history_of_the_bagel.html Taste Williams-sonoma. (2012, February 28). Retrieved from blog.williams-sonoma: http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/focaccia-bread-basics/

Friday, September 20, 2019

Ireland Building Costs Shipping Container House vs House

Ireland Building Costs Shipping Container House vs House Chapter 1 An outline of aim and objectives. A review of the research undertaken by others. An outline of what will be discussed throughout the thesis. 1.1 Thesis Structure Chapter One Introduction This section introduces the thesis topic, outlines aims and objectives and briefly explains the current housing situation in Dublin. Chapter Two Literature Review The chapter provides the background of shipping containers and review of development examples made of shipping containers around the world. Chapter Three Research Methodology This section demonstrates the research strategy that have been used by the author to obtain relevant information and how these findings will be used to Also research limitations are mentioned in this section. Chapter Four Presentation of research findings This chapter presents data received from available sources. Chapter Five Analysis of research findings This section focus on analysis and comparison of data received. Chapter Six Conclusions and Recommendations This chapter will conclude the study by summarising all findings and data which allow the author to draw conclusions and make recommendations based on findings readdressing them to the aim and objectives. Chapter 2 This section consists of an account of published articles and papers. Available literature is related to shipping containers and current housing situation in Dublin. The chapter provides the background of shipping containers, which may be a possible solution for emergency accommodation in Dublin. Literature review starts with the history of shipping containers. Then it overviews the different uses of shipping containers, strength and weaknesses, their availability, as well as a review of development examples made of shipping containers around the world. Chapter 3 This chapter explains the research design and methodology undertaken for this study. To create a structured and well-ordered thesis an author created the research diagram which demonstrate the whole process of research and where it could lead. Empty bubbles show the possibilities that may occur during the further data collection and research. The original image is included in the Appendix section. The research area, an author is focusing, has not been researched previously, in terms of an Irish perspective. Therefore finding data for the thesis will have to be interpreted through investigation of existing data, and based on the examples from other countries. 3.1 Research question The study aims to answer whether shipping containers are suitable for emergency accommodation as an alternative to other types of housing solutions. 3.2 Research process To achieve the aim of that study, following areas have to be investigated: The background of shipping containers. Segregate two concepts: home and emergency accommodation Determine the meaning of temporary accommodation. Determine the meaning of home. Investigate of current housing situation in Dublin in terms of the housing supply, demand and rental prices. To determine emergency housing providers in Dublin Compare the building cost of providing traditional housing vs. shipping container housing. Investigate social acceptance of shipping container houses. In order to achieve the objectives of this study the necessary methods of research were identified. Author chooses to use primary (e-survey, case study) and secondary methods or research. 3.3 Primary research There are many types of primary research which consists of surveys, interviews, observations, analysis, etc. during which data is collected from the real world. For this thesis author chooses, e-survey questionnaire and case study analysis. 3.3.1 Survey questionnaire The one of the primary research method is survey questionnaire when information is collected from the individuals through their responses to the questions designed in relation to studys research. Fink (2003) believes that questionnaire surveys would be one of the best methods in collecting data on the observations, attitudes, feelings, experiences or opinions. Questionnaire surveys may not be feasible and reliable, however, it was decided to use this method to investigate social acceptance of shipping container houses. The target audience have not been chosen as author expected to receive unbiased opinion from a variety of respondents. E-survey questionnaire included ten questions. They were drafted and posted online. Fifty responses have been received so far. Also the same questions have been sent by email to selected professionals who are working in the areas such as housing, social housing, planning and development, urban economy, charity housing organizations and are directly related to the thesis topic. 3.3.2 Case study Case study method is comprehensive as it can use many approaches for data collection. A case-study approach has been chosen to investigate and overview an existing development projects around the world.   3.4 Secondary research The secondary research consists of data and information collected from existing sources, such as journals, text books, websites, company and government reports and publications (Creswell, 2007). Hence, sources mentioned above were used to gather available information which was directly related to the thesis topic. For this study author uses available literature review and online sources. 3.4.1 Literature review To obtain the information for this study relevant literature relating to containers background and existing developments around the world were reviewed. An extensive search for literature was undertaken of previous thesis and dissertations, journals, reports and related websites. The sources of literature are evident in the references. The literature review was a method of learning such as author examined the literature which has been wrote and analysed by others (professionals, scholars, experts). Secondary research was essential in completing the literature review chapter as it was guidance towards further information sources to complete this study. This led in to investigation of further topics such as determination the meaning of home and emergency accommodation; investigation of the current housing supply, demand and rental prices in Dublin; determination of emergency housing providers in Dublin. 3.4.2 Online sources The most information required was freely available from the websites. However, the internet is vast but extremely disorganized source of information. To use it effectively, we must be able to formulate a search strategy using appropriate keywords (How at al., 2005). Keywords used for the research were: emergency accommodation, shipping container houses, shipping container prices, shipping container house manufacturers, construction costs, Irish housing market, supply, demand, accommodation for rent/for sale, meaning of home, homelessness, etc. Shipping container suppliers and shipping container house manufacturers were contacted by email in relation to shipping containers cost and construction costs of shipping containers houses. 3.5 Expected Outcomes Through the research author expects to rationalise why shipping container houses are not used in Irish construction industry while they are widely used in other countries; highlight advantages and disadvantages of shipping container houses; to find an answer if demand of emergency accommodation meets supply; in other words if there is a shortage of that type of emergency accommodation in Dublin. It is also important to get to know the social acceptance of shipping container houses (positive or negative). 3.6 Limitations The main objective of this study is to compare of traditional house building cost against shipping container house building cost. However, those two units cannot be compared directly as it is usually done in a property market valuation, when properties with similar parameters (size, location, condition, etc.) are compared to calculate its market value, rental value, capital value and etc. The layout of units is seen as limitation in terms of comparison as well. Such as units are so unlike that there is no basis for comparison. Therefore author decided to concentrate on the shipping container house which is close by size to minimum requirements allowed in Ireland and compare it with traditional house multiplying the same size (considering that shipping container is in a same size as traditional house unit) per price per sq metre. Such as there are only two shipping container houses in Ireland, thus large data set analysis is not currently possible because costs are not disclosed. Analysis must be limited and rely on projects from around the world that are available for review. Therefore, methodology of research primarily relies upon literature review, questionnaire survey, case studies and financial analysis of available construction data. For this reason, author decided rely on shipping container housing prices in UK. Costs in pounds will be converted to Euros in accordance with the relevant exchange rate. Another difficulty is to obtain the most up to dated statistical data that relates to the current housing market such as supply and demand. In this case, for example, some papers are issued once a year, so the information is old enough. However, data obtained is going to be used with assumptions that population growth would be faster than delivery of required accommodation. Thus, demand for housing will continue to increase and consequently demand for emergency housing will stay high. Chapter 4 4.1 Current housing situation in Dublin in terms of the housing supply, demand and rental prices. Dublins housing stock has 535,000 properties. 3,619 properties were listed for sale last year in Dublin which is 7.7% less than previous year, according to MyHome (2016). SCSI (2017) believes that activity levels were decreased due to Central Bank mortgage lending restrictions which are not conductive to the first-time buyers and also UKs decision to leave the EU. However, demand for housing will remain high due to changed household structures and increased demand for single person households (RIAI, 2016). Dublin experiences insufficient supply to meet growing demand which is caused by rapid population growth and fast decline of unemployment (CIF, 2016; Duffy at al, 2016). As a result lack of supply supported the rise in house prices, therefore more people who wish to buy a home, but cannot afford it are forced to continue to rent (My Home, 2017). Moreover this may intensify pressure on social housing increasing the social housing waiting list, put upward pressure on rents and force some people into homelessness (CIF, 2016; Duffy at al, 2016). Residential property values in the Dublin Region increased by 64.7% since 2013 and is forecasted to grow further by 6.6% in 2017. Key factors that play role for positive growth were the shortage in new house builds, increased employment rates; an improvement in mortgage lending and finance availability; improved consumer confidence and economic stability (SCSI, 2017). p18 Research shows that average couple-nurse, Garda, teacher or civil servants with 5 years experience-are unable to secure a mortgage for average priced house in housing market (CIF, 2016; Duffy at al, 2016). The same factors mentioned before play role for Private Rented Sector (PRS) which according to (McCartney, 2017) is growing. Since Q1 2011 the number of people in PRS- Private Rented Sector increased by 107,500 in Dublin (McCartney, 2017). The total number of tenancies registered with RTB in Q4 2016 stands at 325,375 and represents 705,465 occupants (RTB, 2017) Between September and December of previous year 2016 rents rose by an average of 13.5% and now are 14% higher than in the 2008. An average rental prices in Dublin are demonstrated in the table and chart below: Average rent Y-on-Y change North City à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   1,529 14.4% City Centre à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   1,655 15.5% South City à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   1,763 13.9% North County à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   1,375 14.9% South County à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   1,855 14.2% West County à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   1,446 13.9% Availability of properties increased by 200 in Dublin and almost 1,600 properties were available to rent on the 1st February 2017 (Lyons, 2016) Nearly 20,000 households were qualified for social housing support in 2016 (Housing Agency, 2016). However, the current stock of social housing is insufficient to satisfied social housing need (ICSH, 2016). To all the factors influence housing market in Dublin mentioned above, there is also the number of vacant dwellings which represents an inefficient use of valuable resources and makes negative impact on local areas and communities. Census 2016 records 35,000 vacant dwellings in Dublin (Housing Agency, 2017). To satisfied social housing need in July of 2016 Government launched an ambitious plan to provide housing nationally. During six years 47,000 new social houses and 25,000 new units (yearly) have to be built (SCSI, 2017). During 2015 there were only 12,600 new houses built instead of 21,000 (ICI, 2016). Currently, Dublin city region experiences shortfall of 35,242 homes (Housing Agency, 2017). But despite of that development activity is growing every year as demonstrated in Table below Planning Permissions in Dublin region 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 -57% 77% -8% 129% 27% Some of 12,388 housing units were granted with planning permission in the 2016 (CIS, 2016) According to Housing Agency, (2017a) Dublin City Region will require 33,109 new homes during 2016-2020. Their analysis shows that annual average of required houses is 6,600 per annum over the period to 2020. 4.2 Segregation of two concepts: home and emergency accommodation Very often people do not fully understand the meaning of home and meaning of emergency accommodation. They are confused of those two concepts. Therefore author thinks that those two concepts have to be clearly explained to the reader. 4.2.1 The meaning of home All of us even the truly homeless live somewhere and each therefore stands in some relation to land as owner-occupier, tenant, licensee or squatter (Gray, and Symes, 1983). There is no a straight or single answer what does home means. The answer is very complex and multidimensional. First of all home is physical structure which provides privacy, comfort, safety, continuity and permanence. Home also represents the success, family wealth so it can be considered as a financial investment which can be accumulated and then passed on to future generations as inheritance. But again, home is not only financial asset. It could be seen as identity and self-identity which relates to the deep emotional meaning and particularly memories tided to the places where we live. And it can be a place for self-expression (Gray, and Symes, 1983; Stern, 2009; Fox, 2013). Home means different things to different people. Furthermore, the meanings that home represents to an occupier may change over their life course (Fox, 2006). 4.2.2 The meaning of emergency accommodation The role of emergency accommodation is to provide short-term accommodation for people who are homeless or those who are in crisis. In other words, it could help people who are sleeping on the street; those who are in danger of being hurt in their own homes (experiencing domestic violence), or those who are evicted from home and have no place where to stay until new permanent place to live will be found. Emergency Accommodation includes apartments, private houses and BBs, hostels and hotels. Emergency housing provides only basic necessities, such as a place to sleep, shower, do laundry, get clothing, and eat or get money for food. http://settlement.org/ontario/housing/emergency-and-short-term-housing/emergency-housing/what-is-emergency-housing/ http://www.thejournal.ie/homeless-hostels-housing-first-accommodation-1678286-Oct2014/ 4.3 Reasons for Becoming Homeless There is no single reason why people become homeless. There are many causes which can be determined such as: structural causes, when people are at risk of becoming homeless due to financial crisis that causes poverty, unemployment, and lack of good quality, affordable housing; Institutional Causes, touches those people who leaving prison or mental health institutions and nowhere to go to on their release/discharge; Relationship Causes; Personal Causes, when person is addictive to the alcohol or/and drug use, mental illness, learning difficulties. People with combination of these factors are the most vulnerable part of society and in most cases become homeless. http://www.dubsimon.ie/Homelessness/ReasonsforBecomingHomeless.aspx 4.4 An overview of the current situation in Dublin in terms of emergency accommodation 1007 families with 2026 dependents were registered as homeless in the first month of 2017in Dublin region. 764 families with 1551 dependents were accommodated in hotels and 243 families with 495 dependents in homeless accommodation (DRHE, 2017). Table below shows the number of individuals in Emergency Accommodation. Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16 Oct-16 Nov-16 Dec-16 Jan-17 Homeless adults 2678 2692 2750 2806 2767 2871 2922 2950 2988 3036 3021 3162 3247 Adults (no dependents) 1636 1629 1618 1618 1549 1601 1591 1612 1631 1660 1656 1780 1894 Families 769 790 839 888 913 939 993 998 1014 1026 1023 1028 1007 Single parent 496 517 546 588 608 608 655 658 671 676 678 674 661 Couple 273 273 293 300 305 331 338 340 343 350 345 354 346 Number of dependents 1570 1616 1723 1786 1847 1894 2020 2012 2065 2110 2110 2096 2046 http://www.dubsimon.ie/Homelessness/HomelessStatistics/DublinStatistics.aspx There are approximately 3000 beds available in emergency accommodation in Dublin region. The chart below demonstrates the number of empty beds in emergency accommodation during Christmas and the New Year period. There are few reasons in relation to increased vacancy. One of the reasons is the provision of significant number of additional new beds; another reason is that some people do not use any other form of shelter they only accept to sleep rough; some of them combine rough sleeping with access to emergency accommodation (DRHE, 2016). Figure 9 Despite of that, in winter 2016 there were discovered 142 persons sleeping rough which represents an increase of 51 persons in comparison with winter 2015 The majority of sleeping rough are those of aged between 31and 40 which accounts for 38%, 27% were aged 18- 30 and another 27% aged 41-50, aged 51 years and over represent remaining 8%. Chart below demonstrates the number of adults discovered sleeping rough on the night of the rough sleeping count which took place on the night of 22nd November 2016 (DRHE, 2016). 4.5 Minimum floor areas and standards for the accommodation of single person Every type of building and its surroundings must provide safety and welfare for people. Therefore all developments should be built in accordance with the prescribed National Guidelines. The minimum requirements are set out in 12 parts which are classified as Parts A to M (DHPCLG, 2017). Table below is created to demonstrate minimum size requirements for one bedroom apartment and studio flat (ESLG, 2015). Minimum overall apartment floor areas Studio 40 sq m One bedroom 45 sq m Table Source: http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/apartment_guidelines_21122015.pdf 4.6 Building costs of shipping container house Container homes are built out of new purpose built and highly secure steel units and include living spaces, bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms. For an additional 30-40% cost container houses can be built to meet UK building control regulations. Example of container home sizes and prices provided by manufacturer Size in feets Size in Sq m Description Sterlings Euros Appendix 20 x 8 14.90 single unit container home  £11,995 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬13785 Plan 1 24 x 10 22.30 double unit container homes  £16,995 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬19531 Plan 2 30 x 10 27.87 single unit container home  £19,995 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬22979 Plan 3 40 x 10 37.16 double bedroom container home  £22,995 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬26426 Plan 4 40 x 12 44.59 double bedroom container home  £24,995 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬24,995 Plan 5 http://www.container-housing.co.uk/container-homes-costs/ 4.7 Building costs of traditional house Author uses house building costs produced by the Quantity Surveying Professional Group of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI).   The Society of Chartered Surveyors analysed a number of live house building projects in the Greater Dublin Area. Extensive and detailed study has been done on the 30 units that were under construction in late 2015 and early 2016. Chartered Quantity Surveyors analysed all cost inputs. For the comparison purposes only hard costs were taken into consideration for this study, where the figures assume structure (traditional strip foundation on good bearing soil); superstructure (timber or block work frame, render finish, tiled roof, insulated to 2011 Part L); completion (double glazed windows; paint grade softwood doors, skirting window boards internally); finishes (paint finished walls, tiling to bath and shower rooms); fittings (Fitted kitchen c/w Formica w/t; wardrobe to main all bedrooms (no appliances)); Services (including Sanitary ware, rainwater, solar panel, heat recovery, condensing boiler and radiator, plastic fittings and pendants throughout for electricity, wired for alarm). Any other costs such as site preparation, VAT, professional fees, land acquisition and development costs, finance costs were excluded. Hard costs according to SCSI research is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1084 per square metre.Author excluded from comparison smaler size units and took into account only units that are close to building requirements. As was mentioned in section 4.4 minimum overall floor areas are for studio flat 40 sq m and one bedroom apartment 45 sq m. Size in Sq m Description Euros Appendix 37.16 double bedroom traditional home à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40,281 Plan 4 44.59 double bedroom traditional home à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬48,336 Plan 5 https://www.scsi.ie/documents/get_lob?id=885field=file https://www.scsi.ie/advice/house_rebuilding_calculator 4.8 Survey questionnaire 4.9 Case studies Chapter 5 In this chapter I am going to analyse all of the data found through my research. And I would try to establish the link between literature and data collected. First, it focused exclusively on single person accommodation. 5.1 Shipping container house versus traditiona