The Monster of Nightmares and the Unknown Professor Ramos Blog

The Monster of Nightmares and the Unknown The monster I am covering is Cthulhu. Out of all of the monsters I have seen if I had to put him on a grading scale I would give him an â€Å"A†. He is a monster that is hard to understand because he is very rarely directly referenced in anything; even his name is rarely uttered by anyone. He is described as â€Å"The Thing cannot be described- there is no language for such abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order.† (Lovecraft 3) in his original story where he appears but since then he has taken on a new shape. He is said to look like a giant green humanoid creature with a squid like head, tentacles making up his mouth, wings on his back, a long tail, and claws. Cthulhu He is considered to be one of â€Å"The Old Ones† (Lovecraft 2) a being of nightmares and unimaginable power and knowledge; a god in his own right. Even when he is in his eternal slumber her can alters peoples dreams, and make them see horrific unthinkable things. He wants to use people against themselves, using a person’s curiosity against them as they seek out the source of the dreams and horrible visions. He is also known to shift reality by giving people ancient artifacts about the old ones and even having mind melting creatures stand in the wake of anyone that opposite him or his cults. His ultimate goal is to be released into the universe so that he can do as he pleases again, with no one to stop him. Once released everyone can only hope that they are so insignificant that he will not destroy our planet. â€Å"We are like ants to him, our only hope is that he does not notice us so that we can keep living our insignificant lives.† (Gildark) He is also said to know so much that if you ever got the chance to ask him a question your brain would literally explode before he ever finished answering you. With the better understanding of how the monster looks and how he acts, I can explain how Cthulhu is a grade â€Å"A† monster. Cthulhu came to be through a short horror tale written by the writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft in the magazine called Weird Tales in the year 1928. Lovecraft would go on to write many more horrific monsters and tales that would become very famous in literature. Cthulhu represents the fear of the unknown in culture, but he can also represent the fear of the uncontrollable. He serves the culture by showing us we can’t let the fear of the unknown consume us and drive us mad. We have to keep moving forward with our lives and make it the best we can with what we have. Cthulhu is able to meet the criteria of a lot, if not all, of the monster theories that are stated by Cohen. Some of the bigger theories he meets the criteria of in my opinion are â€Å"†¦thesis 2, The Monster Always Escapes†¦ thesis 3, The Monster is the Harbinger of a Category Crisis†¦ and thesis 7, The Monster Stands at the Threshold of Becoming† (Cohen) Starting with thesis 2 he is one of the monsters that always escapes which goes perfectly with everything he represents. He is the fear of the unknown and if he is left to his own devises there is no telling what he can do with his god like strength and power. Another reason to why he always escapes is because there has never been a single way to even stop Cthulhu in the first place, which some may see as a flaw to a monster but again in my opinion fits very well with the intent behind the monster, you can not stop the unknown, you can only stave it off by staying in bubble. Now on to thesis 3. Whenever Cthulhu shows up or even his name is uttered, the crisis has already started. When the monster is in his slumber like state, he can still affect the minds of people and make weird things happen, which makes people go crazy. He doesn’t even have to physically intervein to cause a crisis to start happening, but once he does, then the crisis has really started. Lastly thesis 7, I have been referencing this through the whole paper, what makes him the scariest is because you have no idea what he will do next, he brings back our fears of the unknown, and the monster itself can’t be scary, it was never described to us in the original book, not well at least. We are scared of what our mind makes of him. Now, to compare the Cthulhu written by H.P. Lovecraft to the newer Cthulhu that was in the movie â€Å"Cthulhu†, the older Cthulhu written by H.P. Lovecraft had a very ominous feel to him making him an indescribable and unspeakable creature from the depths of the unknown ocean with the tangibility of a living being and the power of a god made for a very scary monster in itself. With these words alone fear can be stricken into the hearts of many people as their minds race to try to imagine such a monstrosity and what would happen if he was unleashed onto the world. The newer version of him in the movie â€Å"Cthulhu† he is given a face which I feel really takes away from the phycological horror that comes with the H.P. Lovecraft monster, but in the same stroke you are also able to see the monsters powers in action as mass amounts of people and monsters murder and cause insanity in the name of Cthulhu. Structures are toppled, laws thrown out the window, and empathy for one another completely gone as the beast makes everyone lose their mind just by the mere thought of him being an actual living being in the universe. With both of them having their strengths and weaknesses I still believe that the original Cthulhu is a much better monster than new Cthulhu, because humans will always be afraid of the unknown and the uncontrollable, while the new Cthulhu is uncontrollable he has been given a body and face so he is no longer the unknown. Humans’ biggest fear is not the monster itself because there is always a way to beat the monster, but the fear of what the monster really is. â€Å"You are not afraid of the dark, you are afraid of what might be in the dark.† Is something I have heard growing up and that statement stands true. With everything I have touch on about the original Cthulhu I have no doubt in my mind that he is a grade â€Å"A† monster. He represents our fear of the unknown, something we can never get away from no matter how hard we could try, no way to kill it, and no way to make it go away. Even if you think you are out of his grasps he always has a way of showing back up. When I think of truly petrifying monsters he is the first name I think of because he is the one that makes you think about just how scary he is. So if you have never heard of him, I highly suggest acquainting yourself with him, you will be in for a very scary treat. Works Cited Chambers Harrap, Una McGovern Cthulhu. Chambers Dictionary of Literary Characters, 1st edition, 2004. Credo Reference, Accessed 18 Jul. 2019. This will be one of my scholarly sources. It is the definition and description of Cthulhu. This is a great source to use as a clear definition of what the monster is. This can be used in a multitude of ways to explain how he fits into monster theory and just in general clear things up. Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. Monster Culture: Seven Theses. From Monster Theory: Reading Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1996. 3-25. This is the clip out of a book talks about monster culture and how monsters are shaped in the form of fears and worries of the cultures that made the monster. It gives a better look into monsters and is a great tool to pick monsters apart with. I will be using this to show how well Cthulhu was made to be a monster of his time and how he became so popular. Gildark, Dan, director. Cthulhu. Regent Releasing, 2007. This is the most recent film featuring the story of Cthulhu. The story shows Russ coming back for his grandmothers funeral. He is kind of tied into a creepy cult without ever knowing much about it. He digs deeper to find out the weird happenings that have been going on in the town for years ranging from missing people to just creepy happenings that cant be explained. I will be using this as a more modern adaption of Cthulhu to show what has changed about him, or even if he carries different meanings now then when he did back when he was made. Lovecraft, Howard Phillips. â€Å"The Call of Cthulhu.† Weird Tales, Feb. 1928. This is the short story where Cthulhu first originated. It talks of a man looking through his Grand-Uncle’s research after his odd death. His Uncle talks about odd ancient writings that he had come across and an ever living cult called â€Å"The Cthulhu Cult† that worshipped a god-like being with horrible powers. The main character’s curiosity gets the better of him and goes to seek out more and ends up getting more information than he could ever wish for. I am going to use this in my paper as a main source because this is the first time Cthulhu has shown up in history and he makes for the perfect monster of his time. Lovecraft, H(oward) P(hillips). Chambers Biographical Dictionary, Liam Rodger, and Joan Bakewell, Chambers Harrap, 9th edition, 2011. Credo Reference, Accessed 18 Jul. 2019. This will be one of my scholarly sources. This is a Biography of H.P. Lovecraft the creator of the monster Cthulhu. I will use this source to show the times that Lovecraft grew up in and why he made the monster the way he did. I will also use this to reference the culture and environment the monster was made for.

Wisdoms Melancholy essays

Wisdoms Melancholy essays Man has always been characterized as a curious creature, desiring to learn and expand his knowledge base. In the past men have defied everything in nature and in their souls to just find the answer to their most vexing questions. Ecclesiastes correctly proclaims that the wisdom and knowledge man lusts after leads to sadness and mourning. Knowledge has been repeatedly abused and has caused a countless amount of deaths and a plethora of reasons to lament. Throughout history and literature, wisdom that has been sought inevitably leads to grief. Since the beginning of man in the book of Genesis, men have hungered for the fruits of knowledge which have eventually led to death and destruction. In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve partook of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge because they wanted the power and wisdom that God possessed. As a result, Adam and Eve caused the Fall of Man and God punished them with the existence of death, pain of childbirth, and hardships of labor. The Bible's motif of sorrowful knowledge is present throughout the book of Ecclesiastes which states that everything is meaningless and a mere "chasing of the wind." Ecclesiastes states that "better is the man who has never been, who has never seen the evil done under the sun," meaning that it is better to never have been born than to possess knowledge which leads to grief and regret. Oedipus clearly supports the notion that knowledge leads to pain, suffering, and grief. In Sophocles' novel, Oedipus, Oedipus is a powerful and happy king who is destroyed by the knowledge that he has killed his father and married his mother. Before knowing that he was a pariah, Oedipus was healthy and content and would have remained so if he had never known the Truth. The knowledge of his actionsnot the actions alonedestroyed Oedipus, causing him to gash-out his eyes and live in exile. History has proven that knowledge is the cau ...

Is Bullying a Contributing Factor to Teenage Eating Disorders Essay

Is Bullying a Contributing Factor to Teenage Eating Disorders - Essay Example The eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia may develop as a result of bullying. Bullying instils feelings of insecurity and low self esteem as they try to conform to what is considered acceptable by people around them. This paper investigates whether bullying contributes to eating disorders among the teenagers. The paper comprises of four sections. The introduction section gives the background and definition of key terms relating to the topic. The second part is the literature review. The author has reviewed the comparative figures, impact of the bullying disorders and bullying, and complexity of eating disorders and public health issues. Section three reviews bullying in UK; the trends, statistics, current research and preventive measures, while section four is the conclusion. Bullying entails the use of threat, force or coercion that aggressively imposes domination on others repeatedly. This may involve physical assault, emotional, cyber or verbal harassment based on differences in class, religion, race, sex, reputation, or appearance among others. On the other hand, eating disorder entails the abnormal eating habits characterized by excessive or insufficient intake of food to the detriment of mental or physical health of an individual (Nelson 2008, p. 32). Teenagers live in a world characterized by a lot of pressure to conform to the perspective of the society on ideal weight. When combined with other factors in life, this may set a background for the eating disorders. This threatens the ability to learn as well as affect their physical health (Harris et al. 2004, p. 24). According to the British press, most of the teenagers diagnosed of eating disorders reported that bullying contributed significantly to the problem. Most teenagers develop eating disorders because of many reasons. Mostly, pressure from the outside sources forms one of the contributing factors.  

Watercooler Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Watercooler - Research Paper Example Managements must therefore learn of the diversified characteristics of different pools of human resource and strategies to interacting with them. Managements also face the challenge of transferring human resource from one cultural set up and integrating it in another set up, and incorporating learnt knowledge from one culture into another, observations that complicates human resource management in the globalized corporate environment (Dewhurst, Harris and Heywood, 2012). Hofstede who reports on diversity of the globalized environment’s human resource similarly identifies this challenge. The author notes that while domestic environments such as within the United States exhibits homogeneity in human resource characteristics, the international set up such as the wider Europe has diversifies cultures that affect human resource behaviors. Human resource theories also apply selectively across different pools of human resource as applicable theories in the United States may not apply in other countries (Hofstede, 1993). The two articles therefore identify diversity in human resource as a challenge in the global set up. The two readings however demonstrate different approaches to managing diversity in the global environments and associated uncertainties to the diversities. Dewhurst et al. identifies a probabilistic approach to embracing involved risks. They identify a culture in which managers and leaders are not selected because of their understanding of the local environment. Their selection is instead based on the assumption that a manager can operate, universally, in the global set up (2012). This is contrary to Hofstede’s opinion that effective management is attained through incorporation of locals in managing a foreign culture (Hofstede,

Pax Romana Essay Example for Free

Pax Romana Essay The lands arounf the Mediterranean Sea and most of the land in the Northwest Europe consists the Roman Empire. The life of Romans was very comfortable. There was indeed a beautiful way of living life. They have water and sewage system which enables them to have clean water. They have theaters and they also have public baths. The people who are wealthy lives in villas or mansions or big houses and they can afford to have a central heating system in their house. Roman Empires greatest part was the Pax Romana which is also called as Pax Augustea. It happened around 27 B. C. after the several Republican Civil Wars and it ended in 180 A. D. In english, Pax Romana means Roman Peace wherein it was a period in the Roman Empire where it refers to the empire in its height of success. Aside from reaching the height of success and glory, the Pax Romana Era which is also called as Pax Augustea was also a time of civil order in the empire. Although there are still foreign wars and rebellions are still on going, the interior or the main empire was free from being invaded. This era was a time of peace and order in the empire. The Roman Legal System was used to attain peace and order in the provinces. At the same time, arts and architecture flourished althroughout the land and there was indeed a stable and well economy. This was the time that Greek and Roman culture was known in the whole empire thus, the flourishing of several aspects of the Roman culture was developed and was known by every people. There were several developments during this Era. Rome turned in an empire and an emperor rules over the whole land. The emperor hired full time workers who will carry out his policies and at this time, government in the province was improved because of the legal system. They follow the same law which made the whole empire organized and this kind of law is what was used by wertern societies in present. The concept of Pax Romana is far different from the peace we have in our contemporary society. The contemporary Society or the Modern Society viewed peace perhaps as a period of rest and absence of conflicts or problems in life. At the same time, the modern world looks at peace as a sign of freedom and escape from worldly things and ideas while Pax Romana was a time of success, absence of war in the main empire and developments. The use of peace in Pax Romana is quite misleading because it did not really mean peace but rather development. Pax Romana was characterized by great Romanization and development of the empire and not by the absence of war and silence. In the contemporary society, peace would mean of relaxation and absence of conflicts.

The Age of Exploration Essay -- essays research papers

The desire to explore the unknown has been a driving force in human history since the dawn of time. From the earliest documented accounts, ancient civilizations have explored the world around them. Early adventures were motivated by religious beliefs, a desire for conquest, the need for trade, and an unsatisfying hunger for gold. The great Age of Exploration, beginning in the late 1400s, was an important era in the discovery and development of lands yet unknown to the Europeans. During this period, Europe sought new sea routes to Asia in pursuit of economic gain, increased glory, and opportunities to spread Christianity. Although these were motivations for explorers, the impact from the discoveries resulted in significant changes and achievements that created possibilities and opened a window to a new world for all of Europe. If were not for the superpowers of Spain, Portugal, England, France, and the Netherlands, the world as we know it would not exist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leading the way in the exploration of the world was the nation of Spain with a man named Christopher Columbus. Originally intending to find an eastwardly trade route to Asia, Columbus accidently discovered the Americas instead. When word of this â€Å"New World† reached Europe, it virtually started race between the Nations there to claim there own piece of it. Spain continued their exploration there and rapidly claimed many resources and lands, but one thing was hindering them. The native Populations of the New World were getting in their way. They soon initiated a campaign of systematic anhilation of the Natives. Conquistadors soon flocked from Spain to rid the world of these savages. Soon, Hernan Cortez had conquered Mexico and the Aztecs, while Francisco Pizarro conquered Peru and the Incans. The Spanish armory was far greater then that of the Indians, but these explorers had another weapon far more superior. The weapon they had was known as disease, whi ch included the Small Pox and measles. Their prize for accomplishing their goal was the vast wealth of the societies and the large quantities of gold and silver that their lands held. They also aquired slaves to work in the plantations and settlements they were starting. In the end, Spain had control over lands in Northern, Central, and Southern America, as well as the Philippines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parallel to Spain, ... ...ged. The vague differences between the two were almost unnoticeable and were often overlooked. Their Caribbean strongholds did stay independent though, and the Dutch joined in the slave trade to promote the sugar cane trade.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Age of Exploration was not only an era of exploration, but also an era of vast change. The fierce competition present at this time brought about a new form of economy called the Mercantile System. The Mercantile System was an economic system based on strict governmental regulations of a nation’s economy. The goals of such a system were to increase unity, power, wealth, and self-sufficiency through the accumulation of bullion, the favorable balance of trade, the establishment of trade monopolies, the development of agriculture and manufacturing methods, and finally, the colonizing of other lands. Making all of these accomplishments possible, though, was the advancement of technology, religious philosophy, and individuality do to the enlightenment in the 15th and 16th centuries. The possibilities were endless, and with these aspirations in mind, the nations of Europe set sail to conquer the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Math 208 Week One Individual

Chapter 1 – Section 1. 1 Write the interval of real numbers in interval notation and graph it. See Example 5. 50. The set of real numbers less than or equal to -4 Consider the following nine integers: -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 94. Which of these integers has an absolute value greater than 1? Solution: -4, -3, -2, 2, 3, 4 Write the interval notation for the interval of real numbers shown in the graph. __________________ -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 A B Hint: replace a with (-3) and evaluate each expression. Which are positive and which negative? a)-3 solution: positive (b)|-3| solution: positive (c)-|3| solution: negative (d)-(-3) = 3 solution: negative (e)-|-3| solution: negative Chapter 1 – Section 1. 2 Build up the fraction so that it is equivalent to the fraction with the indicated denominator. See Example 1. 5/7=? /98 (fraction problem) Let the missing number be x then Therefore, Convert the given fraction to both decimal and percent. See Example 8 or use a calculator. 19/20 = 0. 95, 95% Perform the indicated operations. See Example 7c. Chapter 1 – Section 1. 3Fill the correct value in the parentheses to make the statement correct. See Example 4. Solution : -9-(-2. 3) = -9 + 2. 3 Perform the indicated operations. -19-13=-32 Perform the indicated operations. 15 + (-39) = 15 – 39 = -24 Fill in the correct value in the parentheses so the equation is correct. Let the missing number be x then 13 + x = -4 Subtract 13 from each side, we will get x = -4 – 13 = -17 13 + (-17) = -4 Answer: -17 Chapter 1 – Section 1. 4 Perform the indicated operation. (-8)(-6) = 48 Perform the indicated operations and reduce to lowest terms. 9/10 x4/3 Solution: = – 36/30 = -6/5 Fill in the correct value in the parentheses so the equation is correct. -48 divided by ( )=6 -48/ x = 6 ?-48 = 6x ?x = -48/6 = -8 Therefore, -48 (-8) = 6 Chapter 1 – Section 1. 5 Evaluate the expression using order of operations.. See Example 8. 3[(2-3)^2 +6 (6-4)^2] = 3[(-1)^2 + 6*(2)^2] = 3[1 + 24] = 3*25 = 75 Evaluate each expression using order of operations.. See Example 8 a) 8 – 3 |5 – 4 + 1 | = 8 – 3|5-16+ 1| = 8 – 3|-10| = 8-3*10 = 8 – 30 = -22 Chapter 1 – Section 1. 6Evaluate each expression using a = -1, b = 2, and c = -3. See Example 4. (a – c)(a + c) = a^2 – c^2 = (-1)^2 – (-3)^2 = 1 – 9 = -8 Determine whether the given number is a solution to the equation following it. See Example 5. Let us substitute x = 5 in the given equation, we will get 3(5) + 7 = 2(5) – 1 15 + 7 = 9 22 = 9 Which is not true Therefore 5 is not the solution of the given equation Chapter 1 – Section 1. 7 Use the commutative and associative properties of multiplication and exponential notation to rewrite each product.See Example 3. y(y*5)(wy) y(y * 5)(wy) =5wy3 Use the distributive property to remove the parentheses. See Example 5. -3(6-p) 3 (6 – p) = (-3)6 – (-3)p = -18 + 3p Chapter 1 – Section 1. 8 Combine like terms where possible. See Example 3. Simplify the following expression by combining like terms. See Example 8. 2a(a – 5) + 4(a -5) = 2a2 – 10a + 4a – 20 = 2a2 – 10a + 4a – 20 = 2a2 – 6a – 20 Simplify the expression. 1/4(6b+2)-2/3(3b-2) (Please note!! the ? and the 2/3 are fractions) Solution:

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 1

Sleeping with my therapist was a bad idea. I knew it too, but I couldn't really help it. There were only so many times I could hear â€Å"Why don't you explain that† and â€Å"Tell me how you feel.† So, I finally snapped and decided to show the guy how I felt. I've gotta say, for a decent guy who had never cheated on his wife, he wasn't that hard to take advantage of. And by â€Å"not hard,† I mean â€Å"ridiculously easy.† His pseudo morals gave me a strong succubus energy fix, and when you consider that what we did was probably the most productive thing that ever took place on his couch, it was almost like I did a good deed. Still, I knew my boss was going to be pissed, seeing as he was the one who'd ordered me to seek counseling in the first place. â€Å"Do not tell Jerome,† I warned my friends, tapping my cigarette against the ashtray. â€Å"I don't want to deal with that kind of fallout.† My friends and I were sitting at a booth in Cold July, an industrial club down in Seattle's Belltown district. The place was dark and loud, with crisscrossing pipes on the walls and ceiling forming the bulk of the d? ¦cor. Because it was a private club, it didn't have to adhere to the city's public smoking ban, which was a perk for me. In the last few months, I'd found nicotine was one of the essential things helping me cope. Other things on the essential list: vodka, Nine Inch Nails, a steady supply of moral men, and an all-purpose bitchy attitude. â€Å"Look, Georgina,† said my friend Hugh. He was an imp, a type of hellish legal assistant who bought souls for our masters and did assorted middle-management tasks. He had dark-cropped hair and was big without being fat. â€Å"I'm no expert in mental health, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that probably wasn't a helpful step on the road to healing.† I shrugged and let my eyes scan the crowded room for potential victims. There were some pretty good pickings here. â€Å"Well, he wasn't that good. At therapy, I mean. Besides, I don't think I need it anymore.† Silence met me, inasmuch as silence could meet me in a place so noisy. I turned back to my friends. Hugh was making no pretense of hiding his you're fucking crazy look. Our vampire friends, Peter and Cody, at least had the decency to avert their eyes. I narrowed mine and put out the cigarette. â€Å"I don't suppose,† said Peter at last, â€Å"that this is anybody you'd maybe, uh, like to date long term?† â€Å"Yeah,† agreed Cody, eyes wide and hopeful. â€Å"I bet a therapist would be a great listener. And you wouldn't even have to pay for it.† â€Å"My insurance pays for it,† I snapped. â€Å"And I don't really appreciate your passive-aggressive attitude about my boyfriend.† â€Å"It's not that passive,† said Hugh. â€Å"You could do better, sweetie.† â€Å"The guy's corrupt and going to Hell. How is this a problem for you? And you didn't like my last boyfriend either. Maybe you should stop worrying about my love life and go back to figuring out how to get your latest secretary into bed.† In what had to be a weird twist of the universe, none of my friends liked my current boyfriend, a dark magician named Dante. Dante's morals were pretty nonexistent, and he owned stock in bitterness and cynicism. That would make you think he'd fit in perfectly with this group of damned souls, but for whatever reason, he didn't. â€Å"You aren't meant to be with someone bad,† said Cody. We were all immortal now but were considered â€Å"lesser immortals.† That meant we had once been human before selling our souls into Hell's service. Cody was young compared to the rest of us in our little circle. Hugh claimed almost a century. Peter and I had millennia. As such, there was almost a naà ¯vet? ¦ about Cody, a charming idealism that rivaled the kind I used to have. It had been shattered when my previous boyfriend, a human named Seth, had left me for a friend of mine. Seth was a good soul, quiet and infinitely kind. He'd made me believe in better things, like that maybe there was hope for a succubus like me. I'd thought I was in love-no, I had been in love. Even I could admit that. But as a succubus, I brought a dangerous element to any relationship. When I had sex with a guy (or a girl-it worked either way), I stole their life energy, which was the power that fueled every human soul. It kept me alive and sustained my immortal existence. The purer the guy, the more energy I took. The more energy I took, the more I shortened his life. With Dante, I had almost no effect. He had little energy to give, so our sex life was relatively â€Å"safe,† and I therefore sought my fixes from meaningless guys on the side. With Seth†¦well, that had been a different story. Sleeping with him would have had very detrimental effects-so I'd refused to do it. For a while, we'd lived on love alone, our relationship being about a lot more than a physical act. Over time, however, that had taken its toll, as had a number of simple relationship complications. Things had finally blown up when Seth had slept with my friend Maddie. I think he'd done it to encourage me to break up, hoping to spare me future pain. Whatever the initial intent, he and Maddie had actually gone on to establish a fairly serious relationship in the following months. I hadn't taken that very well. â€Å"There's no pleasing you guys,† I growled, beckoning the waiter for another drink. He ignored me, irritating me further. â€Å"You don't like good ones. You don't like bad ones. What the fuck does it take?† A new voice suddenly cut into our circle. â€Å"Please tell me we're discussing your romantic hijinks, Georgie. There's nothing I enjoy more.† There he was, standing beside our table: my boss Jerome, archdemon of Seattle and its greater metropolitan area. I glared. I didn't appreciate the mocking tone-or him calling me Georgie. He sat down beside Hugh, and the waiter I'd been trying to summon dashed over immediately. We ordered a new round of drinks. Jerome was clearly in a good mood today, which always made our lives easier. He had on a black designer suit, and his hair was styled exactly the same as John Cusack's had been in a recent TV interview I watched. That probably bears mentioning: Jerome's human body of choice was a clone of John Cusack. Succubi can change shape because that's part of what helps us with seduction. Demons can change shape simply because-like angels-they're insanely powerful beings who have been around since the beginning of time. They're â€Å"greater immortals.† Because of a weird fan obsession that he adamantly denied, Jerome chose to interact in the mortal world looking like the actor. The strange thing was that when we were out like this, humans never seemed to notice the resemblance. â€Å"You haven't been out with us in a while,† I pointed out, hoping to change the subject. â€Å"I thought you've been busy with demon stuff.† Rumor had it that Jerome was sparring with another demon, though none of us knew the details. He took one of my cigarettes out of the pack without asking. A moment later, the end of the cigarette lit on its own. Show-off. â€Å"Things have actually taken a pleasant turn,† he said. He inhaled deeply and then let the smoke swirl around him. â€Å"One less thing to deal with. I'd hoped the incessant babbling about your romantic woes was also going away, but I suppose that's too much to hope for. Are you still with that charlatan?† I threw up my hands. â€Å"Why does everyone hate Dante? You guys should be embracing him as a brother.† Jerome considered, dark eyes thoughtful. â€Å"He annoys me. You can do better.† â€Å"Jesus Christ,† I said. â€Å"Maybe she'd see that if she'd stop doing stupid shit like sleeping with her therapist,† noted Hugh, in what was apparently supposed to be a helpful tone. I turned on him, eyes wide. â€Å"Did you listen to anything I just said?† â€Å"Plenty,† he said. Meanwhile, Jerome's lazy, pleased expression disappeared. He fixed his gaze on me, eyes burning like flame yet inexplicably making me feel cold all over. He smashed the cigarette out and shot up from his seat. Grabbing my arm, he jerked me up from my own spot and started dragging me from the table. â€Å"Come with me,† he hissed. I stumbled with him out to the hall that led to the restrooms. Once out of the sight of others, he pushed me against a wall and leaned toward me, face filled with fury. It was a sign of his agitation that he was behaving like a human. He could have simply transported both of us to some isolated place. â€Å"You fucked your therapist?† he exclaimed. I gulped. â€Å"I wasn't making much progress.† â€Å"Georgie!† â€Å"Why is this a problem? He was a good soul. I thought that was what you wanted me to do!† â€Å"I wanted you to get this fucking chip off your shoulder that you've had ever since that boring mortal dumped you.† I flinched. It was kind of a weird thing. I'd been so depressed after the Seth breakup that Jerome had finally flipped out and told me to go seek help because he was tired of listening to me â€Å"bitch and moan.† The strangeness of a demon encouraging counseling for one of his employees wasn't lost on me. But honestly, how could he understand? How could he understand what it was like to have your heart smashed? To be ripped from the person you loved most in the world? My whole existence had lost meaning, and eternity had seemed impossible to bear. For weeks, I wouldn't go out or talk much to anybody. I'd isolated myself, lost in my own grief. That was when Jerome had thrown up his hands and demanded I snap out of it. And I had, kind of. I'd swung the other way. I'd suddenly become angry-so, so angry at the way life had treated me. Some of my misfortunes were my own fault. But Seth? I didn't know. I didn't know what had happened there, and I felt wronged by the world and the lifetimes of hurt it kept giving me. So, I'd started getting back at it. I'd stopped caring. I'd thrown myself into full succubus mode: seeking out the most moral men I could, stealing their life, and breaking their hearts with little remorse. It helped with the pain. Sometimes. â€Å"I'm doing what I'm supposed to!† I yelled. â€Å"I'm scoring soul after soul. You have nothing to complain about.† â€Å"You have a bitchy attitude and keep picking fights with everyone-and you aren't getting better. I'm tired of it. And I'm tired of you.† I froze, my antagonism turning to pure fear. When a demon said he was tired of you, it often resulted in being recalled to Hell. Or being smote. â€Å"Jerome†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I tried to assess my best strategy here. Charm? Contrition? He stepped away and took a deep, calming breath. It didn't help much. His anger came through loud and clear. â€Å"I'm sending you away. I'm going to outsource you to someone.† † What ?† My anger returned, pushing my fear away momentarily. Outsourcing was a huge insult to a succubus. â€Å"You can't do that.† â€Å"I can do whatever I fucking want. You answer to me.† A lanky guy turned down the hall, heading toward the restroom. Jerome fixed him with a piercing, terrifying look. The guy yelped and hastily headed back the other way. â€Å"There's an archdemon in Vancouver who wants someone to keep an eye on a cult he has an interest in up there.† â€Å"Up there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My mouth dropped open. â€Å"You mean Vancouver, BC? You're sending me to Canada ?† Fuck. I really had gone too far. There was also a Vancouver in Washington. That wouldn't have been so bad. At least I would have stayed domestic. â€Å"He'd wanted a succubus since he only has one and couldn't spare her. They've got their work cut out for them up there, you know. I almost considered sending them Tawny.† He made a face at the mention of his recently acquired and very, very inept succubus. â€Å"But, well, she's not†¦optimal. I hadn't wanted to give up you either, but now I think it'll be worth missing my useful succubus for a while to get you out of my hair. I need some peace and quiet.† â€Å"Look, Jerome,† I said, hoping I sounded penitent. â€Å"What do you want me to do? Get another therapist? I can do that. I'll get a woman. An ugly one. And I'll try to lay off the attitude and-â€Å" â€Å"That's my decision, Georgie. You need something to occupy you, and this'll make Cedric happy. He figures a succubus is the best choice to infiltrate his little devil-worshipping cult.† â€Å"Devil wor-what, you mean like, Satanists?† â€Å"Something like that.† I stared. â€Å"Canadian Satanists? You're sending me to a group of Canadian Satanists?† His only answer was a shrug. â€Å"If this were happening to anyone else, it would be hilarious,† I said. â€Å"But why are you doing it? Since when do you help anyone-let alone another demon?† Demons tended to be insanely competitive with each other. Again, Jerome didn't answer. He took out a cigarette-honestly, if he had his own, why'd he steal mine earlier?-and did the lighting trick again. He seemed a little less tense after taking a deep drag on it. â€Å"Something else is going on,† I said warily. â€Å"You're using me to use him. What's this really about?† â€Å"Altruism,† he said, rolling his eyes. â€Å"Jerome†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Georgina,† he returned, eyes hard. â€Å"You have no right to question this, not as much as you've pissed me off lately. Now go pack your things and brush up on the metric system.†

Free Essays on Stephen Kumalo And James Jarvis

for James to read, and like Kumalo, he also begins to doubt himself as a father. Later in the book Kumalo arrives a James Jarvis’s house. He goes to find where Sibeko is. When Jarvis answers the door, he senses in Kumalo that something very sad has happened to him. He treats the suffering native with kindness and courtesy, something he wouldn’t have bothere... Free Essays on Stephen Kumalo And James Jarvis Free Essays on Stephen Kumalo And James Jarvis Two men, separated not only by race but also distance, come to share similar experiences in the classic novel â€Å"Cry, the Beloved Country†. The scene is South Africa and author Alan Paton depicts a story of its constant internal struggle between the whites and the blacks. Paton brings to light, not the difference between the races, but attempts to show equality among them. â€Å"The reader soon realizes it matters not a tinker’s dam what the color of their respective skins is.†(Schmitt 279). Stephen Kumalo, a Zulu priest, and James Jarvis, a wealthy plantation owner, are brought together by tragedy and exhibit similar traits and actions under the stress. This is done to easily draw distinction that the ethnic groups are very much the same and that they need to work together to save the country in which they live. The novels action begins with Stephen Kumalo, also referred to as umfundisi and his quest to find his lost family members. As he locates each one of them, he is stricken hard by what they have become. His sister, a prostitute, his son Absolom, an unwed father to be and future murderer, and his brother John, a corrupt politician, all strip away his innocence and test his morals. Stephen begins doubting himself as a father and a person. Not unlike Kumalo, James Jarvis is equally shaken emotionally. This comes as a death in the family, his son Arthur. More than the actual death itself, the writings of his son give insight about him and show a side James never knew Arthur had. Arthur states that his dad had not taught him anything. These are hard words for James to read, and like Kumalo, he also begins to doubt himself as a father. Later in the book Kumalo arrives a James Jarvis’s house. He goes to find where Sibeko is. When Jarvis answers the door, he senses in Kumalo that something very sad has happened to him. He treats the suffering native with kindness and courtesy, something he wouldn’t have bothere...

10 Steps to Improve Your Workplace Communication Skills

10 Steps to Improve Your Workplace Communication Skills Communication is key. Whether written or spoken, reading, or listening, these skills are crucial in any workplace and can make you a better, more effective, and more efficient employee. Here are 10  ways to improve your communication skills. 1. Don’t beat around the bushBe clear. First and foremost, make sure your point is conveyed and that your message is easily understood. Use specific language, avoid spewing out too many acronyms. When in doubt, imagine you’re speaking to someone who doesn’t know your company.2. Listen activelyThe better you listen, the better you are at communication. Before you respond, make sure you’ve heard and digested what someone is saying. Don’t just wait for their mouth to stop moving to make your point.3. Repeat backThis is the second stage of active listening. Let the speaker know first, that you’ve understood them, and second, that you care about what they’ve said. Do this by repeating what theyâ€℠¢ve said and including their words in your response. Paraphrase back to them to prove that you’ve heard them loud and clear.4. Use your bodyWhen in doubt, or if you have something particularly complicated to discuss, try doing it in person. Face to face, you have the extra benefit of body language and non-verbal cues like gestures and facial expressions, all of which make it easier to avoid confusion.5. Show r-e-s-p-e-c-tDon’t multi-task while communicating. Don’t be on your phone, or doodling, in the meeting. Make sure what you’ve said is professional and respectful. Make eye contact and use people’s names. Basically, be a human.6. Match the message to the mediumIf you’re better via email, don’t try to have that important progress update in your boss’s office before you’ve had your coffee. If it’s a sticky situation that requires a nuanced approach, don’t just send a flat-toned email when you could finesse the situation with a well-managed in-person conversation. Figure out what it is you have to get across, then choose the medium that suits that message best.7. Know your audienceDon’t talk to your client as you would your boss. Or your HR rep as you would your best work pal. Match your tone and timing to the person you’re communicating with.8. Text smartMore and more workplace information gets communicated via text and email. This is another instance where it’s best to know your audience and choose the most appropriate medium. Bottom line: never text anything too complicated. That will help you avoid misunderstandings and misinformation. But don’t send a big long email to arrange a short meeting either.9. Make meetings matter moreSo many meetings leave us feeling we could have better spent that time. Demand better! Set an agenda, keep to the scheduled time, don’t invite unnecessary people. Make sure every meeting is productive enough to justify eve ry attendee taking the time and resources from their workload.10. Keep it positiveNo matter how stressed you are, or how fraught the conversation, try to stay positive. Put your team first. And never make it personal- keep your focus on the professional. Earn a reputation and respect.

Analysis of American Gun Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis of American Gun Culture - Essay Example There is too much violence today; people everywhere they go are rightly concerned of their safety at school, at the mall, at the office, at the church, at a parking lot, at supermarkets, and even along the country’s highways when simple traffic altercations can turn violent in a sudden manner as people vent their road rage on innocent fellow travelers who might cross their path unwittingly. While the debate on guns continues to rage seemingly without an end in sight, politicians, academicians, and concerned citizens who worry about the state of civil society in America today argue for stricter gun controls to reduce this violence. On the other hand, supporters and advocates of the Second Amendment assert their own right to carry guns for protection but unfortunately, this had also bred a culture of violence in which simple arguments can escalate into the use of guns. Further, a permissive gun culture is contributory to the proliferation of guns almost everywhere to the point even people who are supposedly not qualified to have guns carry these guns around with them. This situation is now spinning out of control and so many people argue for more gun regulations. This paper takes this view and argues violence can be reduced through stricter gun control laws. The right to bear arms contained in the Second Amendment has outlived its usefulness as people today now live in a modern and civilized society. This means people need not resort to the use of guns or any other form of violence to settle certain disputes. Moreover, the police are the ones who are properly deputized by law to protect citizens from harm and the Second Amendment is actually an anachronism today because it transfers responsibility of protecting the citizens from the police to the citizens themselves. In other words, the right to bear arms needs to be amended through stricter gun control laws or even rescinded

The case of HSBC bank Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15000 words

The case of HSBC bank - Dissertation Example ......................................................................4 1. Introduction...............................................................................................................................................5 1.1 Corporate Social Responsibility – An Introduction..................................................................................5 1.2 The Aims ..................................................................................................................................................6 1.3 Objectives.................................................................................................................................................6 1.4 Dissertation Question...............................................................................................................................7 2. ... ...........................................................14 2.6 Stakeholder Theory – Prevalent Definitions...........................................................................................15 2.7 Banking and CSR......................................................................................................................................16 2.8 The UK Banking Sector............................................................................................................................20 2.9 Theoretical Analysis over HSBC...............................................................................................................22 2.10 Moralisation and Ethical Leadership....................................................................................................22 2.11 Sustainability Strategy of HSBC.............................................................................................................26 2.12 Notion of Time Scale................. ............................................................................................................27 3. The Methodology.....................................................................................................................................28 4. Analysis....................................................................................................................................................31 4.1 Case Study -- HSBC BANK........................................................................................................................31 4.2 Ignorance of the â€Å"micro†.........................................................................................................................35 4.3 Analysis of Chairman’s