Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 24~26

24 Valhalla: From the Runyonese Vincent Bennidetti was sitting at an oversized table dealing five-card draw to five other guys and relating the story of the crash landing of the Sky Priestess in hopes that the tale would distract his opponents from his creative shuffling. â€Å"So the squirt says to me, he says, ‘I'm Malink, chief of the Shark People,' and he puffs up his little chest like I'm supposed to be impressed and drop down and kiss his ring, except he ain't wearing any ring; in fact, he ain't wearing nothing but a loincloth and a little hat made of palm leaves, so I says, ‘Honored and charmed I'm sure, Chief.' And I gives him a grade A Hershey bar as a peace offering to assure that the kid doesn't get any ideas about ventilating me with his spear. Although I have a roscoe handy in my flight suit, in Manhattan it is considered very bad luck indeed to shoot a kid unless he deserves it, so I am trying to take the diplomatic route. â€Å"So the squirt chief takes the sweet and slaps a lip over a morsel and his little mug splits in a grin so big that I'm figuring I know now how his tribe gets named Shark People. And before I know it the kid yells something to his pals and they vamoose to the jungle while I watch the squirt's spear and he keeps a peeper peeled at the Sky Priestess like any minute she's gonna jump off the plane and do the bump and grind across the airstrip. â€Å"Now we are sure that Sky Priestess is not burning or blowing up, Sparky goes back in and sings Mayday on the radio until I am thinking that even Marconi is sorry he ever invented the machine (another distinguished Italian genius, if I may point out, and it would be impolite for anyone, at this juncture, to mention Mussolini, as I will have to delay the game whilst I pop him in the beezer, thank you), and finally HQ comes back on and requests more than somewhat sternly that we cease broadcasting our position, as they will send someone as soon as they can unless the Japs find us first, in which case it has been an honor serving with us. â€Å"Call and raise a buck. â€Å"So the squirt asks me do I kill Japs? And I tell him that I am killing so many Japs I have to come rest on his island for a few days to give the Japs a chance to send in reinforcements for me to kill, when out of the jungle comes a whole platoon of native guys, mostly real old guys, carrying baskets of fruit and coconuts and dried fish which they are laying at my feet after doing enough bowing and chanting to fill a year of encores on Broadway. â€Å"And the kid says, ‘You more powerful than Father Rodriquez. Japs kill him.' From which I figure where the kid learns to speak English and why I am seeing no young guys, because it is well known that the Japs have killed any missionaries they find and have taken most of the able-bodied native guys which they do not kill off to build airstrips and boat landing ramps and other Jap military stuff. â€Å"‘Yeah,' I tells the kid, ‘too bad about Father Rodriquez, and all the other guys that don't make it, but Vincent and the Sky Priestess is here now and you got nothing to worry about.' Then I inquire as to if there are any available dolls on the island and the kid jabbers something to one of the old guys, who wobbles off and comes back about ten minutes later with a line of young native dolls who are wearing skirts on their bottom but are nothing but bounce and bosoms on the top, except for the odd garnish of flowers here and there for fragrance and color. â€Å"I swear on my mother's grave (should she pass away before I get home) that I am looking at more brown curves than I have seen since I fly over the Mississippi at ten Gs, and they are by no means an unpleasant sight, but as soon as I pick out one of the young dolls and give her my best Tyrone Power wink, she starts bawling like I have broken her heart and runs into the jungle followed, posthaste, by the other lovelies until the airstrip is, once again, strictly stag. â€Å"‘What goes?' I ask the kid. And he explains that because I am a god the dames are most frightened that I will destroy them. Then the squirt starts bawling himself, and I am beginning to feel very low indeed, as I can see that the little guy has taken my god action and it is six to five that he thinks he is on the destruction express along with the dames, and some explanation and consolation are then needed to caulk the kid's waterworks and generally ease his mind. â€Å"So I sits down with the kid under the wing of the Sky Priestess and by and by along comes an old native guy with a jug of the local hooch, of which I am somewhat dubious and which tastes like matchheads mixed with dishwater but smooths out considerably after the first four or five belts, and soon the mood becomes most festive and a good time is had by all (except for Sparky, who is bending over the runway looking at everything he drinks for the second time). â€Å"Now all of this time I am thinking that the kid is running a game on me about being chief until he explains that the Japs killed his father and his older brother as examples and he is next in line, so he is chief whether he likes it or not. And now he is worried that his people will not have enough to eat, as the Japs have taken most of the fruit and coconuts and destroyed all the canoes and cargo, like rice, which the late Father Rodriquez brings in, and my heart is breaking for the kid, who should be playing stickball and stealing candy and other assorted kid activities instead of worrying about a whole population of citizens. So I look at my guys eating all the food the kid gives us, and my heart is feeling very heavy indeed, so I tell him not to worry, as Vincent and the Sky Priestess will see that his people get everything they need and I gives the kid a pack of Luckys and my Zippo to seal the promise. Then, as soon as Sparky finishes doing the rainbow yawn, I tells him t o get on the radio to a friend of mine who is in the quartermaster corps, and I gives him a list of things to place on the PT boat which is coming to get us. â€Å"So as the evening wears on, the kid is telling me stories of how the island was made by a dame from Yap who rides on a turtle with a basketful of dirt which she dumps in the ocean, making the island, which must have been quite some basket, and she tells all the children she is having on the island (although the kid says nothing about her having an old man) that she isn't going to give them a good reef for fishing, so they are going to be eating sharks. And although the people of all the other islands are afraid of sharks, here the sharks are afraid of the people. ‘They will be called the Shark People,' the dame with the dirt says. â€Å"And I says, ‘Yeah, I know that dame.' That, in fact, I take her to the races one day and she is such good luck that I win the trifecta for five Gs. And I can see the kid is most impressed, even though he wouldn't know a G from a G-string. So I begins to lay it on a bit thick and by the time we have consumed all of the local bug juice and most of the fruit and fish, the kid is convinced that if I am not the Second Coming, I am at least pinch-hitting that day. â€Å"By now I am feeling I am in serious need of female company and I mention this to the kid, who says maybe there is something he can do, as there is one doll in the village whose job it is to change the oil of the unmar-ried native guys (I am at once reminded of a costume optional dancer named Chintzy Bilouski, who performs a similar service for myself and many other unmarried male citizens in the Broadway district) and it seems that this native doll has been short of work of late, as all of the young un-married guys are either killed or taken away. And the kid says he will ap-proach this doll on my behalf if I promise that she will not burst into flames or be otherwise harmed and as long as I keep it quiet. As these are similar terms I agree to with Chintzy Bilouski (and a sawbuck cheaper, in fact), I tell the kid to lead the way, which he does. And soon we are in a big grass house by the beach, which he calls the bachelors' house, and which is clearly intended to house many ci tizens, but is currently only the home of one doll, who is by no means hard on the peepers and who proceeds immedi-ately to catch up on any work she has been missing in a most enthusiastic and friendly manner, if you know what I mean. â€Å"So, to make a long story short, the guys and I spend three more days telling stories to the kid and drinking bug juice and creeping to the bachel-ors' house until the PT boat shows with some mechanics and welders and all the supplies I have requested from my pal the quartermaster. And the islanders all line up while I pass out many machetes and knives and chocolate bars and various other luxuries from Uncle Sam. And that night they throw a big party in my honor with much drinking and dancing and a swell time is had by one and all. But as we are ready to leave, the kid chief comes up all leaky-eyed, asking why am I leaving and will I come back and what will his people do without me. So I promise him I will be back soon with many wonderful things and to save me a spot in the bach-elors' house, but until then, every time he sees a plane, he and his people will know that me and the Sky Priestess are looking out for them. â€Å"Then when we are back at base I am working something with the colonel to run a recon mission to inspect the airstrip for emergency use. No bombs. I am thinking we will fill the Sky Priestess up with medicine and supplies for the Shark kid and his people as soon as permission comes through. And I'm fully intending to come through, as I gives the kid my word and he believes it, but how am I to know that on our very next bombing run a squadron of Zeros will surprise us and fill the Sky Priestess with all manner of cannon and machine gun slugs, sending us down in a ball of flames and killing me and everyone aboard quite dead.† The guy with the beard cleared his throat and said, â€Å"That was a swell story the first dozen times we heard it, Vinnie, but are you going to talk or play cards?† â€Å"Bite me, Jewboy, it ain't like we haven't had to fight the yawns through your loaves and fishes epic a hundred fuckin' times.† Then Vincent flashed him a feral grin. â€Å"And since it is now your bet, I will advise you to fold, as I am now holding a hand that is so hot it is about to burst into flames like the proverbial bush.† The guy with the beard held up a punctured palm to silence Vincent. â€Å"You're holding a pair of eights, Vinnie.† â€Å"I hate fuckin' playing with you,† Vincent said. 25 We Ask the Gods for Answers and They Give us Questions Tucker Case heard the beating of wings above his head and suddenly there was a familiar little face in front of him. Roberto was hanging upside down from the harness ropes around Tuck's chest. He never thought he'd be glad to see the little vermin. â€Å"Roberto! Buddy!† Tuck smiled at the bat. Roberto squeaked and bent forward to lick Tucker's face. Tucker sputtered. He could smell papaya on the bat's breath. â€Å"How about climbing up there and gnawing through these ropes, little guy?† Roberto looked at him quizzically, then laid a big lick on him, right across the lips. â€Å"Ack! Bat spit!† Tuck heard a weak voice from above. â€Å"He no gnaw rope. His teeth too little,† Kimi said. Roberto took flight and landed on Kimi's head and began licking and clawing him ecstatically. Kimi was suspended about two feet above Tucker and about five feet away. It hurt his neck, but he could see the navigator dangling if he stretched. â€Å"You're alive!† Tucker said. â€Å"I thought you were dead.† â€Å"I am bery thirsty. Why you put us in tree?† â€Å"I didn't. It was an old island guy. I think he's going to eat us.† â€Å"No, no, no. No cannibal in these islands for many years.† â€Å"Good. You tell him that when he comes back.† Kimi struggled against his bonds and set himself spinning. â€Å"These ropes hurt on my arms. Someone put us in crab harness.† â€Å"I figured that out,† Tuck said. He craned his neck and eyed Kimi's harness. â€Å"Maybe I can swing to you and catch on to your harness. If I can get hold of it, I might be able to untie you.† â€Å"Good plan,† Kimi said. â€Å"Yankee know-how, kid.† As Tuck started to swing his arms and legs, he felt the harness tighten around his chest. Soon he was swinging in a wide elliptical pattern that brought him within a foot of Kimi, but the harness was so tight he could barely breathe. Weakened from lack of food and water, he gave up. â€Å"I can't breathe,† he gasped. â€Å"That good plan, though,† Kimi said. â€Å"Now I have Roberto bring that knife over by door of house and I cut the ropes. Okay?† â€Å"Roberto can fetch?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Why didn't you say so?† â€Å"I want to see Yankee know-how.† Sarapul tried to run back to his hut, but the pain in his ancient knees wouldn't allow him to move faster than a slow amble. If only he could ab-sorb the power of an enemy or two, perhaps the pain would subside and his strength would return along with his courage. It was courage he needed now. Instead, he had questions. Why, if Malink dreamed a message from Vincent, did the white bitch say that he did not? And if Vincent had sent a pilot, why did the Sky Priestess not know about him? And if Vincent had not sent a pilot, who is hanging in the breadfruit tree? In the old days Sarapul would have asked the turtle, his clan animal, for an answer to his questions. Then he would have watched the waves and listened to the wind for an answer, perhaps he would have gone to a sor-cerer for an interpretation. But he was too deaf and blind to see a sign now. And the only sorcerer left was the white man who lived behind the big fence and gave medicine to the Shark People: Vincent's Sorcerer. Sarapul didn't believe in Vincent any more than he believed in the god Father Rodriquez had worn around his neck on a chain. Father Rodriquez had said that the old ways – the taboos and the totem animals – were lies and that the skinny white god on the cross was the only real god. Sarapul was prepared to believe him, especially when he offered everyone a piece of the body of Christ. But Christ tasted like dried pounded taro and Father Rodriquez lost the old cannibal as a convert when he said that you would be thrown into fire forever if you ate anyone besides the stale starchy god on the cross. Then the Japanese came and cut off Father Rodriquez's head and threw his god on a chain into the sea. Sarapul knew for sure then that the Father had been lying all along. The Japanese raped and killed his wife and made his two sons work building the airstrip until they became sick and died. He asked the Turtle why his family had been taken away, and when the sign came in the form of a cloud shaped like an eel, the sorcerer said that it had happened because the Shark People had broken the taboos, had eaten their totem animals and taken fish from the forbidden reef: They were being punished. The next night Sarapul killed a Japanese soldier and built an oom to bake him in, but none of the Shark People would help him. Some were afraid of the god of Father Rodriquez and the rest were afraid of the Japanese. They took the body and fed it to the sharks who lived at the edge of the reef. In the morning the Japanese lined up the old sorcerer and a dozen children and machine-gunned them. And Sarapul lost his mind. Then the American planes came, dropping their bombs and fire from the sky for two days, and when the explosions stopped and the smoke cleared, the Japanese left, taking with them all the coconuts and breadfruit on the island. A week later Vincent arrived in the Sky Priestess. Sarapul still had the machete that the flyer had given him. It was more than he had ever gotten from Father Rodriquez's god, but the cannibal did not believe that Vincent was a god. Even if Vincent had scared away the Japanese and brought the food that saved the Shark People, Sarapul had angered the old gods before and he would not do it again. When the white Sorcerer arrived, he too talked of the god on the cross and although the Shark People took the food and medicine he gave them and even attended his services, they would not forsake Vincent, their savior. The god on the cross had let them down before. Eventually, the white Sorcerer turned to Vincent too. But Sarapul clung to the old ways, even when the Sky Priestess returned with her red scarf and explosions. It was all just entertainment: Christ was just a cracker, Vincent was just a flyer, and he, Sarapul, was a cannibal. Still, he did not blame Malink for banishing him or for clinging to Vincent's promises. Vincent was the god of Malink's childhood, and Malink clung to him in the same way that Sarapul clung to the old ways. Faith grew stronger when planted in a child. Sarapul knew that. He was mad, but he was not stupid. Until now he had never put an ounce of faith in Vincent, but this dream of Malink's vexed him. He would have to figure things out before he ate the man in his breadfruit tree. He had to talk to Malink now. The cannibal took the path that led into the village. He crept between the houses where the sweet rasp of snoring children wafted through the woven grass walls like the sizzle of frying pork, through the smoke of dying cook fires, past the bachelors' house, the men's house, and finally to the beach, where the men sat in a circle, drinking and talking softly, the moon spraying their shoulders with a cold blue light. The men continued to talk as Sarapul joined the circle, politely ignoring the creak and crackle of his old joints as he sat in the sand. Some of the younger men, those who had grown up with the disciplinary specter of the cannibal, subtly changed position so they could reach their knives quickly. Malink greeted Sarapul with a nod, then filled the coconut shell cup from the big glass jug and handed it to him. â€Å"No coffee or sugar for a month,† Malink said. â€Å"Vincent is angry.† Sarapul drained the cup and handed it back. â€Å"How about cigarettes?† â€Å"The Sorcerer says that cigarettes are bad.† â€Å"Vincent smoked cigarettes,† Sarapul pointed out. â€Å"He gave you the lighter.† The young men fidgeted at the firsthand reference to Vincent. It disturbed them when the old men spoke of Vincent as if he was a person. Malink reached inside the long flat basket where he kept the lighter along with his other personal belongings. He touched the Zippo that Vincent had given him. â€Å"Cigarettes aren't good for us,† he repeated. â€Å"Then they should give us cigarettes for punishment,† Sarapul insisted. Malink pulled a copy of People magazine from his basket, drawing everyone's attention away from the cannibal. The old chief tore a small square from the masthead page and handed it to Abo, a muscular young man who tended the tobacco patch for the Shark People. â€Å"Roll one,† Malink said. Abo began filling the paper with tobacco from his basket. Malink opened the magazine on the sand in front of him and squinted at the pages in the moonlight. Everyone in the circle leaned forward to look at the pictures. â€Å"Oprah's skinny again,† Malink pronounced. Sarapul scoffed and the men angrily looked up, the young ones looking away quickly when they saw who had made the noise. Abo finished rolling the cigarette and held it out to Malink. The chief gestured to Sarapul and Abo gave the smoke to the old cannibal. Their hands brushed lightly in the exchange and Sarapul held the young man's gaze as he licked his finger as if tasting a sweet sauce. Abo shuddered and backed to the outside of the circle. Malink lit the cigarette with the sacred Zippo, then he returned to his magazine. â€Å"There will be no more People for a while, not with the Sky Priestess mad at us.† A communal moan rose up from the men and the drinking cup was filled and passed. â€Å"We are cut off,† Malink added. Sarapul shrugged. â€Å"All the people in this book, they shit. It does not matter. They die. It does not matter. If we put them all in a big boat and sank it, you would not even know for six months when the Sky Priestess gives you her old copy, and it still would not matter. This is stupid.† â€Å"But look!† Malink pointed to a picture of a man with unnaturally large ears, â€Å"This man is a king and he wishes to be a tampon. It is quoted.† Sarapul scrunched up his face, his wrinkles folding over each other like venetian blinds, while he tried to figure out what, exactly, a tampon was. Finally he said, â€Å"I was a tampon once, back in the old days, before you were born. All warriors became tampons. It was better then.† â€Å"You have never been a tampon,† Malink stated, although he couldn't be sure. â€Å"Only a king may be a tampon. And now, without People, we will never know if this man who would be a tampon succeeded. It has been a dark day.† The cup had come around again to Sarapul and he drained it before answering. â€Å"Tell me of this dream you had.† â€Å"I should not speak of it.† Malink pretended to be engaged in the magazine. Sarapul pushed on. â€Å"The Sky Priestess said that Vincent spoke to you of a pilot. Is that true?† Malink nodded. â€Å"It is true. But it is only a dream or the Sorcerer would have known.† Sarapul was torn now. This was his chance to discredit the Sorcerer and his white bitch, but if he told Malink about the man in the tree, then he would lose his chance to taste the long pig again. Then again, he found them first, and he was willing to share the meat. â€Å"What if your dream was true?† â€Å"It was just a dream. Vincent speaks to us only through the Sky Priestess now. She has spoken.† â€Å"Vincent smoked and she says smoking is bad. Vincent was an enemy of the Japanese and now she has Japanese guards inside the fence. She lies.† Some of the men moved away from the circle. It was one thing to drink with a cannibal, but it was quite another to tolerate a heretic. (Of the twenty men in the circle, three of the elders were named John, four who had been born during Father Rodriquez's tenure were named Jesus [Hey-zeus], and three of the younger men were named Vincent.) They were a group that honored the gods, whoever the gods might be that week. â€Å"The Sky Priestess does not lie,† Malink said calmly. â€Å"She speaks for Vincent.† Sarapul pinched the flame of his cigarette with his ashy fingers, then popped the stub into his mouth and began to chew as he grinned. â€Å"Your dream was true, Malink. I have seen the pilot. He is on Alualu and he is alive.† â€Å"You are old and you drink too much.† â€Å"I'll show you.† Sarapul leaped to his feet to show that he was not drunk, and in doing so scared the hell out of the younger men. â€Å"Come with me,† he said. 26 Swing Time Kimi had freed his hands and feet with the knife, only to find that he could not reach the rope suspending him from the middle of his back. Now he was forced to follow Tuck's plan of swinging like a human pendulum until he could grab the pilot's rope and cut him down. Roberto hung upside down from a nearby branch, wondering why his friends were behaving like fighting spiders. Tucker found he could only hold his head up for a few seconds at a time before dizziness set in, so he watched the navigator's swinging shadow to gauge his distance. â€Å"One more time, Kimi. Then grab the rope.† It bothered him some that when he was cut loose he would fall six feet and land face-first in the coral gravel, but he was learning to take things as they came and figured he would deal with that on the way down. â€Å"I hear someone,† Kimi said. On the apex of his arc, he grabbed for Tuck's rope, missed, and accidentally raked the knife across the pilot's scalp. â€Å"Ouch! Shit, Kimi. Watch what you're doing.† Tuck braced himself for the next attack, which never came. He looked up to see that Kimi's arc had been stopped in mid-swing. A rotund gray-haired native had caught the navigator around the waist and was prying the knife out of his hand. Tuck felt the hope drain out of him. The leathery old cannibal stood amid a group of twenty men. All of them seemed to be waiting for the fat guy to say something. It was time for a last-ditch effort. â€Å"Look, you motherfuckers, people are expecting me. I'm supposed to be flying medical supplies for a big-time doctor, so if you fuck with me you're all going to die of the tropical creeping crud and I won't give you so much as a fucking aspirin.† The native released Kimi into the hands of two younger men and regarded Tuck. â€Å"You pilot?† He said in English. â€Å"Damn right I am. And I'm sick and infected and stuff, so if you eat me you're going to die like a gut-shot dog – and in addition I would like to add that I don't taste anything like Spam.† Tuck was breathless from the diatribe and he was starting to black out from trying to hold his head back. The native said something in his own language, which Tuck took to be â€Å"Cut him down,† because a second later he found himself falling into the arms of four strong islanders who lowered him to the ground. Tucker's arms and legs burned as the blood rushed back into them. Above him he saw a circle of moonlit brown faces. He managed to grab enough breath to squeak, â€Å"Soon as I'm on my feet, your asses are mine. You all might as well just go practice falling down for a while so you'll be used to it. Just order the body bags now 'cause when I'm done, you're going to look like piles of chocolate pudding. They'll be cleaning you up with shovels – you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Tuck's breath caught in his throat and he passed out. Malink looked at his old friend Favo and smiled. â€Å"Excellent threat,† he said. â€Å"Most excellent threat,† Favo said. Sarapul pushed his way through the kneeling men. â€Å"He's dead. Let's eat him.† â€Å"He no like that,† Kimi said. â€Å"Not even for free.† The Sorcerer heard the lab door open and turned from his microscope just in time to catch her as she ran into his arms. â€Å"Did you see, ‘Bastian? Was I great or what?† He held her for a second, smelling the perfume in her hair. â€Å"You were great,† he said. When he released her, there were two pink spots on his lab coat from the rouge she had rubbed on her nipples. She skipped around the lab like a little girl. â€Å"Malink was shaking in his shoes,† she said. Well, not in his shoes, but you know what I mean.† She stopped and looked into the microscope. â€Å"What's this?† He watched a delicate line of muscle run down the back of her thigh and postulated what kind of genetics went into preserving a body like that on Chee-tos and vodka. He thought a lot about genetics lately. â€Å"I'm doing the last of the tissue typing. I should be finished in a couple of days.† She said, â€Å"Did you like ‘String of Pearls' better than ‘In the Mood'?† High Priestess of the nonsequiter, Sebastian thought. â€Å"It was perfect. You were perfect.† She moved away from the microscope and paced around the table, frowning now, as if she was working on an equation in her head. â€Å"I've been thinking about ‘Pennsylvania 6-5000,' putting the ninjas in top hats and tails in kind of a chorus line. You know, they could carry me across the runway and pause and shout the chorus. There's no singing on the re-cording; they would just have to shout. I mean, if we have to have them around, they might as well do something.† She stopped pacing and turned to him. â€Å"What do you think?† It took Sebastian a second to realize that she was serious. â€Å"I'm not sure that would be a good idea. The Shark People are suspicious of the nin – , the guards. I wish Akiro would have listened to me and found some non-Japanese. This business with Malink's dream is a sign that our credibility is slipping.† â€Å"That's what I'm saying. If we show that they're under the control of the Sky Priestess – â€Å" â€Å"I don't think it's a good idea, Beth.† She dismissed the thought with a wave. â€Å"Fine. We can talk about it later.† Sebastian wanted to stop himself before he ruined her ebullient mood, but he pressed on despite himself. â€Å"Don't you think that no coffee or sugar for a month was a little harsh?† â€Å"You really don't get it, do you? I'll give it all back after a week, ‘Bastian, and they'll love me for it. Generosity of the gods: The Sky Priestess taketh away and the Sky Priestess giveth back. It's how these things work. You put a few people on a boat, then you drown every living creature on the planet – the people on the boat are pretty goddamn grateful.† She flipped the end of her red scarf over her shoulder. â€Å"I wish you wouldn't talk like that.† â€Å"You make the rules and you play the game, ‘Bastian. What's wrong with that?† He turned from her and pretended to go through some notes. â€Å"I guess you're right,† he said, but he felt acid rising from his stomach. She was calling it a game. She came up behind him, pushed her breasts into his back, and reached around inside his lab coat. â€Å"Poor baby. You still feel like you did the right thing by burning your Beatles records.† â€Å"Beth, please.† She unzipped his khakis and snaked her hand in his fly. â€Å"Deep down, you feel like John Lennon got what he deserved, don't you, sweetheart? Saying he was more popular than Jesus. That loony-toon Chapman was the instrument of God, wasn't he?† He whirled on her and grabbed her shoulders. â€Å"Yes, dammit.† His face had gone hot. He could feel the veins pulse in his forehead, in his crotch. â€Å"That's enough, Beth.† â€Å"No, it's not.† She ripped open the front of his trousers and fell back on the lab table, pulling him on top of her. â€Å"Come on, show me the wrath of the Sorcerer.†

Cultural Critique – Racism

Unfortunately, in this time and age, racism continues to be an issue in the American society, especially in the south. Since the introduction of slavery, many people have the belief that skin color determines someone’s ranking in life. After the freedom of slaves, racism became a big problem in America. As a result, other races look down upon many different cultures and ethnic groups believing that they are superior to others. Racism has lead to people discriminate against one another and become prejudice. Unfortunately, racism effects peoples lifestyles, job opportunities, and education. Racism affects a person’s lifestyle.Unfortunately, racism can cause a person to go into deep depressions. After constantly hearing negative aspects of a person’s image, people can begin to loath themselves. Unfortunately, self-loathing can cause a person to become suicidal or cause self-harm. Because of racism, people have gone to extreme lengths to change their physical appeara nce. For example, many people have confessed about trying to change their skin complexion by putting harmful substances on their bodies to bleach their skin. Dealing with racism can be oppressive. Fortunately, there are people who turn things like this into auspicious outcomes.For example, during the civil rights movement, the people of America fought to change the oppression of racism. By doing so, they defeated the milestone and overcame racism, by doing what they were told they could not. Instead of letting others put them down with spiteful words, they lifted each other up with encouraging words. As a result, they created self-love and the common phrase â€Å"Black is Beautiful. † Racism can also affect a person’s job opportunities. Racism cause races to believe that they are better than another race. As a result, people may discriminate against another person due to their appearance.For example, many African Americans are discriminates against in the work place. C onsequently, African Americans have to work harder than others to obtain the same job than someone of a different race does, say Caucasians. This affects the African American community causing for the different negative statistics about unemployment and welfare increase. Fortunately, there was a law passed that prohibits discrimination of any type in the work place. These laws prohibit jobs from discriminating against people for their race, gender, and ability. Racism has affected the education of many children.In the past, racism has caused segregation. During the times of segregation, African Americans students attended different schools than the Caucasian students. The African American children had to use used books with torn and ripped out pages, while the Caucasian students used brand new books. This caused there to be a gap in learning process of African American students. Although segregation no longer exists in the school system, it still affects the education of children to day. Schools in African American communities do not have the different amenities as schools located in diverse communities.Researchers have found that the achievement gap is linked to racial segregation. There are currently no segregated schools, but instead schools that are aimed toward different ethnic groups, but will allow any one of any race to attend. For example, there are schools that target the black community and educate them on their heritage and the school board curriculum. The people who participate in racism are intolerable to others racial appearance. Regrettably, racism hurts the lives of many people. The people who continue to be racist and intolerable to others people’s nationality make the lives of others a living hell.Many people have caused self-harm to themselves and others due to racism. People carry racism to their job place, and other places creating an uneasy and negative atmosphere. Racism has shaped America into what it is today. Without racism, pe ople would not be as strong as they are today, with thicker skin for words. Comparing people’s treatment of now to the treatment of who endured racism, the negativity is nowhere near as harsh. Racism has also caused many people to love themselves even more. There is currently a new trend of people becoming excited by their â€Å"haters;† and instead of allowing it to hurt them, they use it for motivation.America has been negatively impacted by racism. It has caused negative changes in people’s lifestyle, job opportunities, and education. Due to the negative influences of racism, people have gone into deep depressions. People have succumb to depression because they are constantly discriminated against inside and outside the work force, they have to constantly over compensate and compete for jobs with people of different races, people are called out of their name, and are being miseducated by the educational system. Racism has negatively influenced America since i t was introduced during slavery.

Memo- Gazprom and Itera Essay

In the case study of Gazprom and Itera, we see how different companies and governmental organizations can potentially be able to exploit a large company such as Gazprom for a large profit. Gazprom is a large gas and oil company that is valued very cheaply compared to other large oil and gas companies (such as Exxon Mobil). Browder is a shareholder of Gazprom that identifies several questionable transactions that were done by Gazprom and other organizations that have relationships with Gazprom. He is questioning why the undervaluation could have occurred based on the business being conducted by the oil giant. The problem that exists for Gazprom is that the market perceives the company to have lost 99 percent of its assets, completely devaluing the price of its goods. In reality, only 10 percent of its assets were stolen, and the market is slowly trying to catch up to that truth. Browder is attempting to identify the transactions in order to solve the large problem at hand. These transactions include organizations that work with Gazprom such as Itera (a gas trading company) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (their internal auditor) devaluing the gas and oil Gazprom held in certain situations and reselling it for a profit. In one example, Itera bought gas valued at $35 a barrel from Turkmen gas and resold it to Gazprom for $45 a barrel. PwC thought this difference was acceptable due to transportation costs, even though those were already taken care of separately. In general, the lack of transparency and accountability being administered by management in Gazprom and its partner companies was a fail ure to its stockholders. Browder’s recommendations to the Russian government are vital, mainly due to the fact that it has a 38% controlling stake in Gazprom. Because the vast majority of the operations conducted by Gazprom occur within Russia’s boundaries, it is up to the government to set the correct standards and close loopholes so that organizations and individuals will not exploit such situations. Browder’s recommendations to the U.S. and to the Board of Directors of Gazprom could be essential for enacting change within the  corporate environment to prevent such scrupulous transactions. Though these changes could prove helpful in the reorganization of the company in the long run, the international political environment does not provide Gazprom with the best situation. The fact that Russia’s governmental body has so much stake in the company can greatly complicate things due to the personal influence of those running the government. Several members of the Russian government could fulfill a personal agenda using the government’s stake in the company as leverage (this could have been the case potentially with these transactions). This is also the case with PwC and Itera, both with a lot of power to take advantage of loopholes and other lucrative situations when it comes to Gazprom. There are several things Browder can do to combat this situation, but I think his strategy will be a difficult one to execute alone. He would need to collect more shareholder power before he steps forward with the resolutions. Involving the U.S. and Russian government will be difficult due to the lethargic manner in which these situations can be resolved. Taking care of the company from within should be he first move, but only with the appropriate number of people backing his plan.

A Political Economic Social Technology Analysis Of Malaysia Tourism Essay

A Political Economic Social Technology Analysis Of Malaysia Tourism Essay 0.0 Introduction Nowadays international business is a vital aim for every firm despite small firm or large firm and they are moving toward to international business for the sake of foreseeable future of their business. Besides, international business is known to be business dealings crossing national borders at any stage of the transaction which included trading such as import and export activities that carry out by the small and large firm from domestic to international market across the world (King, 2008; Aneff, 2010). Moreover, at present, international business can be acknowledged as global business whereby the firms have to adapt their businesses to the outside world in different markets that the firms seek and approach to and deal with many different cultures that concern in every country (Nakate, 2010; King, 2008). With the changing liberalization strategy in the whole world, a lot of firms are gaining benefits from international trade and investments. On top of that, an agre ement of GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) was introduced to get control over the rate charges of the tariff and trade barriers (Geneva, 1986). In contrast, after the formation of GATT, in year 1995 followed by the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Besides, there are 2 important forces that drive a business to international business which are the technological development and the disappearance of a substantial part of the communist world (Lausanne, n.d.). Shangri-la Asia Limited is a company with the principle activity of investment holding which focusing on the business and operation of hotels as one with associated real estate properties with providing hotel management or related services (Bloomberg, 2009; Shangri-La Asia Limited, 2009). The company mainly focuses in operating hotels and leasing spaces for commercial and residential. Shangri-la was incorporated in Bermuda and its main headquarters is located in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong. Furthermore, Shangri -la Asia Limited was founded in year 1971 and until now, Shangri-la has been in operating in the industry for 39 years and operates its hotels in the company of Shangri-La, Rasa, Trader, Summer Palace, and Shang Palace. Moreover, the group managed 65 hotels at the end of 2009 with 47 hotels invested as the equity which managed by its subsidiaries. Besides, as of year 2009, Shangri-La hotel employs approximately 260,000 employees in the Asia countries (Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, 2010). 1.0 Macro Environment 1.1 Political Environment In China, the government attaches great importance to the tertiary industry in their country and there was positive government policies advance tourism in order to build tertiary industry to be one of their pillar industries (Lew, Yu, Ap, Zhang, 2003). Besides, the hotel and tourism industry in China had rapidity raise after the entry of World Trade Organization (WTO) to the domestic market in China. As according to the announcement from China Nationa l Tourism Administration (CNTA), with the entry of WTO in China, it brings the foreign international hotel industry to invest and set up hotel in China and the government of China approved the application of setting up wholly foreign-owned travel agencies in China thus, demand for hotel industry boosted up (Xinhua, 2004). Moreover, base on the Chinese government’s policy of long term goal, the inbound tourist arrivals to China will achieve 210 million by the year of 2020 in which this would benefit the hotel and tourism industry in China to gain more profit on the tourist visit. For instance, base on the information published by the Shanghai Tourism Commission (STC) in China, the entry of foreign travel companies would help to stimulate and rise of the business of the local tourism industry in the case of SARS that happened seriously in China in 2003 (China Daily, 2004). On the other hand, the political issue would be on political tension between Taiwan and Mainland China and these threats would be considered as the unforeseen event that the hotel developer and investor will take into account (Guo, et.al., 2004).

Intellectual property rights Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intellectual property rights - Research Paper Example Intellectual property regards legal attachments to concepts. These concepts are original creations or new improvement on existing concepts. These ideas range from wide areas of: art works, musical ideas, authorship of books, scientific discoveries and innovations and computer innovations. Intellectual rights form one of the fundamental issues in business law. Due to the increasing innovation and integration of ideas into business concepts, it is essential that businesses take a deeper concern into ideas. As concerns property rights, both individuals and companies have a right to legal ownership of ideas (Miller & Jentz, 2010). Apart from that, intellectual property is becoming IT oriented because of the risk of placing information online. However, litigation due to IP rights infringement can be avoided by licensing. A license is an agreement between a creator and an intended user regarding a work.Intellectual property rights exist in various forms. The most common elements include tr ademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets and industrial designs. To begin with, this research explores the idea of trademarks. A trademark, as the name suggests, is a unique mark assigned to a product that makes it easily recognizable in a world of sea of products. Apart from the use in identification of a product, a trademark also states a product’s origin. Examples of trademarks include logos, emblems, mottos or drawings. The law protects the trademark used by a company or a person from use by another entity.

Animal Farm and Fascism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Animal Farm and Fascism - Essay Example During the times when the lower sector was going through wrong reasoning also the vanguard party suffered. (Ball pg 167) likewise in the novel, as the farms tracts down to a more totalitarian form of state, Napoleon becoming the leader kicks out Snowball by power and force becoming "our leader, Comrade Napoleon" (Orwell pg 93). This way the novel is showing Stalins way of communist governance, where power lies with the one in leadership. Also the way Napoleon rooted out Snowball is similar to Stalins behavior towards Trotsky and his other political rivals. Fascism also requires a very bold, strong and courageous leader. An example of such great fascist leader is Hitler and Mussolini. The way people in Italy had this firm faith that Mussolini was always correct. In the same way Boxer believed that Napoleon was always justified throughout the novel (Ball pg 201). In the course of the novel Napoleon is given a lot of importance. He is the leader, the head of the entire farm. He is always protected by furious dogs. Therefore it clearly shows that animals idolize him as noble and superior. This is also one of the similarities regarding the two ideologies in the book. Terror and propaganda are used in the novel to show Stalins communist and fascist ideologies together. Stalin tried to impose the era of terror in which purges were used. He also used arts to increase interstate propaganda (ball0 pg 166-167). This was also used by fascist states like Hitler made use of brown-shirts and defined characteristics of inferior races (Ball pg 204-205). Squealer used digits to manipulate the animals in order to convince them that they were in a better state by having pigs as their leaders. Also Napoleon kicks Snowball out before he executed in general masses other traitors (Orwell pg 53; 83). It is not easy to clearly differentiate between fascism or communism when it comes to

Evidence course work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Evidence course work - Essay Example Legal principles aim at promoting the rights of children throughout the administration of justice. This means that the legal system needs to uphold the fact that children, including individuals aged 17 years, are people in their own right and thus possess obligations and rights. These rights and obligations must be taken into consideration and respected by judicial and administrative authorities. 17 year olds enjoy special rights at police stations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the array of legal rights endowed on 17 year olds while in police custody for interviewing. The paper will further make pertinent recommendations to enhance the level of protection offered to juveniles in the initial stages of the juvenile justice process. Background International, regional and national legal principles hold that children possess special interests, needs and rights, which must be appreciated in all stages of the criminal justice system. This means that the administration of justice, both criminal and otherwise should always be guided by principal principles of non-discrimination, which are aimed at upholding the best interests of the juvenile. The European Convention on Human Rights is one of the most relevant regional legal principles that countries in Europe seek to incorporate into their domestic legal systems in order to provide guidance on the treatment of juveniles within the justice system3. The Convention has influenced the creation and implementation of legal provisions such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the Human Rights Act 1998 with the view to enhance the protection of juveniles’ rights in all spheres of life. Notably, recent court cases have revealed that PACE is inadequate in its protection of juveniles since it promotes the treatment of 17 year olds as adults during interviews at the police station. In R. (on the application of HC) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2013] EWHC 982 (Admin) (QBD (Admin)) , the court ruled that the failure to revise PACE 1984 Code C in a manner that differentiates between adults and 17 year olds is a direct contravention of the government’s legal duty under the Human Rights Act 19984. PACE 1984 Code C allows police officers to treat 17 year olds as adults5. For instance, police officers are allowed to delay juveniles’ phone calls to their guardians on the pretext that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the exercise of the right to a phone call will impair the investigations. PACE Code C considers juveniles as all individuals who seem to be below the age of 17 years in the absence of evidence to the contrary6. Since the ratification of the Children Act in 1908, the criminal justice system has maintained that young offenders must be treated differently from adults in all stages of the justice process. Other legal principles such as remand and sentencing legislation, for instance, Criminal Justice Act 2003, Powers of Criminal Cou rts Sentencing Act 2000 and the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 also differentiate between those below and over the age of 18 years7. Additionally, the Prison Service Instruction 08/2012 describes children as all individuals under 18 years. Under Article 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) a child is essentially a person under 18 years, unless the law applicable to the child delineates that majority is attained at a