Evaluation of DHS's Ethics, Cooperation, Leadership, and Legal Research Paper

Evaluation of DHS's Ethics, Cooperation, Leadership, and Legal Decisions - Research Paper Example Investigations by the DHS are still ongoing, while other stakeholders in the incident representing the government have taken preventive measures. For example, Mungin & Brady (2013) write that Connecticut governor, Dannel Malloy signed a law increasing the number of guns banned by the state. In addition, background checks are to be conducted on all gun purchases, and schools allocated 15 million U.S dollars to improve their security. Parents of the murdered children, as well as other residents of Connecticut welcomed the law and called for tougher regulations to curb illegal gun possession (Mungin & Brady, 2013). On 16th April 2013, two bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston marathon, killing three people and injuring 100 others. Two brothers were suspected of being behind the bombings and one is in custody, while the other was shot dead in a shootout with police, when the latter were looking for the suspect. According to Homeland Security (2013), Mr. McCaul, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, the two brothers appear to have received help in planning the attack. The sophistication of the devices used and the timing of the attack led to this conclusion. Accordingly, investigations into the attack cover areas outside the U.S, particularly Pakistan and Afghanistan. On its part, the federal government pledged to get to the bottom of the matter, but president Obama avoided terming the attacks as â€Å"terrorism†. To the public, a day of celebrations turned tragic, especially considering that the marathoners had paid tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting at the beginning of the race. According to the Center for Public Integrity’s article by Fred Schulte on â€Å"ATF’s struggle to close down firearm dealers† (2013), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) does a shoddy job inspecting dealers. Apparently, ATF inspectors may delay to inspect a dealer for as long as eight years and when they do, the inspection is not thorough enough. In cases where inspectors find dealers to have violated gun laws and revoke the dealer’s licenses, the latter usually appeals revocation. This process drags in the courts for years and meanwhile, dealers pass their business over to relatives or turn them into â€Å"personal† collection, which does not require background checks. Probably, this is the reason why people like Adam Lanza owned guns capable of killing more than 26 people in 5 minutes. There is no telling how many more people own guns illegally, and how safe the U.S citizens are. A second article by Berlow on â€Å"current gun debate may not help beleaguered ATF† addresses how the congress has played a role in ATF’s failure to control weapon use, particularly in conducting investigations. It also addresses the fact that the agency lacks funds to run operations smoothly. In addition, the current laws are too weak to recognize the role of TF in cases involving gun trafficking. Leadership influences The leadership of DHS is hierarchical in structure, headed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, who is appointed by the President, with the consent of the senate. The Deputy Secretary comes second, followed by Under Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries who head different departments. This style of leadership allows for the formation of mechanism to assess risks, and allocate funds for countering terrorism.

Use academic literture and to apply theory in examining a chosen Essay

Use academic literture and to apply theory in examining a chosen ethical or social marketing issue - Essay Example Therefore, marketing managers have the responsibility of ensuring that they reduce advertisements that encourage underage drinking (Mohan, 2009, pg 27). This can be done by creating public awareness of the dangers of alcohol consumption. They should set out well-coordinated efforts aimed at reducing underage drinking by fostering mature and responsible drinking habits to adults Panda (2010) defines advertisement a mass communication medium; thus, require managers to exercise social responsibility. The marketing managers are required to provide correct information about the products and services that they promote (Andreasen, 2011, pg29). This is critical in giving consumer adequate information to make correct choices. Understanding the responsibility towards the public is critical since it has a positive and negative consequences. Imperatively, the consumers’ protection groups and government provide criticism on advertisements. In many cases, they base their arguments on companys manipulative and deceptive reasons (Panda, 2010,pg37). Many consumers focus their attention on the environmental and social effect of advertisements. Other concerned with the commercial clutter, offensiveness, stereotypes, and value system. For instances, labels designed for alcoholic beverages in retail places have pictures of an older person and not children to avoid allur ing the youth and children. Marketing managers have the responsibility of ensuring that their advertisements meet the ethical norms. In essence, they need to ensure that the messages do not harm the political, social, and morals standards in the society (Lamb, 2011, pg8). Ethical advertisements are those that have limits on decency, does not lie, and don’t make false claims. It can be observed that many advertisements are exaggerative. The sole reasons for marketing managers are to increase their sales. Many are forced to make a false representation by presenting colorful, decorated, and

Most Important Issues Facing British Society

Most Important Issues Facing British Society Ever since the 1880, immigrants came to Britain to flee from various reasons such as poverty, religious persecution, and other different social reasons. Britain was the worlds largest market for transportation of human lives. Now, Britain offers LGBT rights, Black rights, and other minority rights that most countries lack. Moreover, it also offers health care benefit for anyone living inside Britain. Lastly, it is a safe haven for refugees to seek for asylum. As a result, Britain has received more immigrants and asylum seekers than any other countries in the European Union. There immigrants come from countries in many different parts of the world including Afghanistan, Poland, and even Ireland. However, in the recent years, there have complaints by the British natives that there have been way too many immigrants. In the past 10 years, there are about 1.5 million people immigrated into the UK. Over two-third of them came from the continents of Asia and Africa. In 2006, the United Kingdoms population was 61 million. If immigration continues at this current rate, the total population in the UK in 2031 will be 70 million according to the government actuary department. Currently, the people born outside of the UK account for 10% of the UKs population compare that to just 6% in 1981 and 8% in 2001. This has made Britain a very ethnically diverse nation. However, there have been major clashes between cultures in the United Kingdom. Native British people believe in tradition rather than fairness and value community rather than individualism. Most indigenous British residents complained that the government allow too many immigrants to enter inside Britain and felt that the British culture has been diminished by these newly immigrants. Most of these complaints are from the London region, where most of the immigrants resided. With the large wave of immigrants, British people felt their tradition was being harmed. With the freedom of mobility in the European Union, people from countries inside the EU can visit and stay in the United Kingdom. Many of them would just stay and not return to its formal countries. There is an estimate that there could be 35000 people from outside of the European Union who come on a visitors visa and then never leave. When these immigrants arrive, they for m their own community and transforming the once British community into their own. This frustrates a lot of indigenous British citizens as they see their old community getting converted into a foreign community. For example, the largest immigrant group to Britain is Polish. Currently, Polish represents 1/60 of the population in Britain. These polish immigrants dont fully integrated into the British society and still continue their lives as if they are in Poland. They form their own community in Britain and keep themselves separated from traditional English community. Furthermore, many indigenous British citizens are concerned that their jobs might be taken away from these newly immigrants. Most of the immigrants who came into Britain are usually from poorer nations. They would work hard and would be satisfied with getting paid minimal wages. Many indigenous underclass British people have seen their jobs taken away by new immigrants. Moreover, indigenous British complain that these immigrants have received more benefits from Britain such as health care benefit than they have contributed to the system. British people argued that they see the quality of their social service decline as immigrants are drying up the social fund. According to governments latest Citizenship survey, over 77% of the population thinks that immigration should be cut. Therefore, in the UKs election in may, both the Labour and the Conservative party are considering putting a limit on immigration. They also want to increase security to prevent illegal immigration and will have stricter criteria for refugees to join, making sure that refugees genuinely need help in order to survive . Race Relation: Ethnic minority in the United Kingdom complained that they dont receive the same rights or opportunity as native white British citizens. A lot of ethnic minorities find it hard to find jobs in Politics or to take on an executive position in a company compared to white British citizens. For instance, Yasmin Aili Brown said she was the only minority in her News Paper company in the United Kingdom. The British public had been very hostile/racist against her, sending her hate mails and saying that the real Britain is for White people. A lot of ethnic minorities especially the Muslim group shares the same experience as her when it comes to discrimination. Immigrants complained that there were stereotypical and derogatory jokes towards them. For example, Black is often characterized as uneducated and uncivilized outlaws. Muslim would often have characterized as wearing Hijab, turbane all the time and their refusal of alcohol. One example our speaker Adrian gave us was an example of a Musli m who immigrated into UK 10 years ago had to change his name from Mohammad to John in order to fit in with the British Society more. He always doesnt get invited to social events or get promoted. Lastly, many ethnic minorities / immigrants dislike the fact that most British people would classify them either as Black or Asian. People from India, China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Japan would all be considered Asian and People from Hispanic countries, Caribbean island are all be considered as Black. Thus, this is causing a lot of minorities feel as if they dont belonged in Britain as they have lost their identity. Therefore, the clash between the indigenous and newly immigrants is currently a serious issue facing Britain. Security: Due to the recent waves of immigrants into Britain, there is a fear of the Muslim community with Islamic religion. In 2006, 3% of the working age populations are immigrants born in the Middle East. People feel like security being jeopardized because of the concern for terrorist attack. In recent years, many terrorist activities were conducted by the Muslims who were born inside Britain. For instance, there was a coordinated suicide attacks in London subway station on July 7th, 2005. The bombings were carried out by four British Muslim men, three of Pakistani and one of Jamaican descent, who were motivated by Britains involvement in the Iraq War. Furthermore, there was an attempt bombing attack by a British African this year. Many of members of these terrorist organizations were 2nd or 3rd generation immigrants, meaning they were born in Britain. This is a serious issue currently for Britain because it cant prevent internal terrorist attacks from its own citizens. Economic recovery: Due to the recent financial crisis, Britain is currently facing serious issues in terms of cutting its unemployment rate and reducing its national debt. In 2008, the United Kingdom had to bail out its financial banks such as RBS from bankrupting because a large part of the UKs economy was financial based. As a result, the United Kingdom has piled itself with debt after many stimulus packages to revitalize the economy. Now, the United Kingdom faces the problem of fixing its financial system and the need of reducing its national debt. The UKs government has to cut public spending and raise taxes. This is a serious issue because Britains social welfare budget and government spending has already been very low due to the poor economy. It would be difficult to continue to cut spending in the public sector when there is a very high unemployment rate. Cutting spending in social welfare program would mean there will be less benefit for the UKs citizens and the homeless people who need it on t he street. Moreover, raising taxes in a country that already has a very high VAT of 20% wont be good for the economy as people will have less disposable income to spend. In order to reduce deficit, the labour party said that there will be a tax increase of 60% to only the top% of earners. The conservative party proposed to start cut spending immediately in 2010 to eliminate the UKs structural deficit within the next five years. Therefore, both parties consider the large UK deficit as a serious issue facing the UK. However, cutting spending and raising taxes would ultimately slow down the UKs recovery and would be an issue for the public as no one likes paying high taxes. UK economy is too weak for sharp spending cuts. Currently, both Tory and labor party tried to avoid taking about spending cut because the public usually isnt very supportive of it. The government faces the issue of reducing the unemployment rate at the same time because there would be social unrest. Britain certainl y doesnt want its economy to be like its economy in the 1970s when there was a very high unemployment rate. The government is currently proposing to provide training for unemployed workers in the UK for more than six months in order to solve the unemployment issue. Relationship with the Europe Union Britain has lost its once dominance as an empirical power in the world. However, it stills wants to exert influence in the world. Ever since the end of WWII, Britain is losing its once close relationship with Australia and Canada as they are continuing becoming more independent. It is hard for Britain to maintain its relationship with the commonwealth countries due to geographic reason. In 1973, Britain joined the European Union to receive funding from the EUs central budget in order to salvage its poor economy. Moreover, it joined to give Britain an more importance role in world affairs. Currently, with the rise of emerging markets such as China and India, Britain has found itself falling behind in terms of influencing the world and need to develop a closer tie with the European Union. Now, it faces the issue of whether to further integrate into the European Union or not. Currently, the European Union wants to further integrate economically and politically. However, Britain dislike the idea of political integration in Europe and still wants to keep independency/sovereignty as an imperial state. Britain refuses to adopt Euro as its official currency and refuses to contribute to its part of the share into the Common Agricultural Policy. Britain is against most of the policy proposed to the European Union such as enlargement of the EU. Thereby, most European nations consider Britain as a hindrance rather than a helper for the European progress. This is really harming the relationship between Britain and the European Union. According to the Suns poll, the majority of British citizens prefer the European Economic Community rather than the European Union, where Britain will only receive trading benefit for the EU rather than political benefit. It is not taking an advantage of its relationship with the European Union in terms of trading because most of the UKs businesses are service based. Many citizens proposed that Britain should withdraw from the EUs political uni on as they dont want a centralize government to make the decision for the British. British people want a British government, in which the British can enjoy the basic democratic free right and the ability to throw out a Government they dont like. Leaving the European Union would severely harm the relationship between the United Kingdom and Europe. Therefore, developing a good relationship with the European Union while maintaining Britains sovereignty is one of the major issues Britain is facing today. Conclusion: Britain is a rapidly transforming nation that still wants to retain its traditional customs and imperial status. However, current issues such as immigration, internal ethnic relationship, internal security, economic recovery, and Britains relationship with the EU act as major blocks to the progress of the British society. Whatever the next British government may be, these are the issues that party has to address and solve. The modern British society has to find ways to deal with these crucial issues in order to move towards a brighter future. Citations: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/apr/01/immigrationpolicy.immigrationandpublicservices1

The Lasting Effect of Sin and Guilt on Hester and Dimmesdale Essays

Without an honorable reputation a person is not worthy of respect from others in their society. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the struggle to shake off the past is an underlying theme throughout the novel. Characters in this novel go through their lives struggling with trying to cope with the guilt and shame associated with actions that lost them their honorable reputation. Particularly, Hawthorne shows the lasting effect that sin and guilt has on two of the main characters in the book: Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne's guilt is the result of her committing adultery, which has a significant effect on her life. Hester is publicly seen with the scarlet letter when she first emerges out of the cold dark prison. "It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself" (49). The spell that is mentioned is the scarlet letter, "so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom" (49). The scarlet letter is what isolates her from everyone else because it symbolizes sin. Hester is in her very own sphere, where her sin affects her livelihood and has completely cut her off from the world. Her entrance into the sphere marks the beginning of her guilt and it occurs when she is in the prison after her first exposure to the crowd. The prison marks the beginning of a new life for Hester, a life full of guilt and seclusion. Her problem is that her shame is slowly surfacing while she faces the crowd realizing that she has been stripped of all her pride and everything that was important to her in the past. The lasting effect of Hester's sin is the shame that she now embodies due to her committing adultery. The shame that is ass... ...is the guilt, which they are left with in the end. On the fateful day where the two committed adultery, they had no idea that this mistake would turn out to be like an ominous black cloud that they would never be able to escape from. When they chose to have Pearl, they unknowingly signed a contract that said they would have to suffer with their guilty conscience as a consequence for having Pearl. At the time, they did not think that they would feel much guilt, but when the word got out that Hester had a baby, everything changed. The mistake had been made and they would now be forced to live with it whether they liked it or not. In the end, Hester and Dimmesdale both sacrifice their peaceful lives to live with the guilt of giving birth to a child who should have never been born. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam, 1986.

Psychopathy Essay

There have been many studies linking conduct disorder to antisocial personality disorder and sometimes to psychopathy as well. Conduct disorder appears in children and adolescents and involves behavior that violates rights of others and/or societal norms or rules. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), the individual’s behavior must include actions such as aggression to people or animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, serious violations of rules, as well as a clinically significant impairment in the adolescent’s social, academic, or occupational functioning. The DSM-IV states that in order for a child or adolescent to be found to be presenting Conduct Disorder he or she must present with three or more of the above listed behaviors in the past twelve months, including at least one in the past six months (McCaullum, pp. 6-12, 2001). Those who present with antisocial personality disorder may or may not present with psychopathy. There are two main assessment devices used to evaluate the level of psychopathy that a person exhibits. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was developed by Robert Hare in 1980 and revised in 1991 (Blair et al, 2005). The Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) is another device used to assess psychopathy in adults (Frick & Hare, 2001a). Both of these assessments consist of twenty behavioral items, scored from zero to two, that are used to measure whether or not a person possesses certain traits that, when combined, are common to those of people diagnosed with psychopathy. There have been many research studies conducted over the years concerning the validity and effectiveness of the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised. One such study was aimed at assessing whether or not the level of psychopathy of an individual, as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised, was correlated to that individual’s probability of violent recidivism (Tengstrom, Grann, Langstrom, & Kullgren, 2000). The study had a sample size of 202 male violent offenders presenting with schizophrenia that ranged in ages from 16 to 67. The base rate for each individual’s Psychopathy Checklist- Revised score was 26 and the base rate for reconvictions during follow-up was 21% (Tengstrom, Grann, Langstrom, & Kullgren, 2000). Overall, his study showed a positive relationship between score on the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised and the level of violent recidivism. The implications of this research study show that the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised can be used as a tool to gauge the likelihood of reconvictions concerning violent crimes, at least when discussing male violent offenders that present with schizophrenia. Another study, conducted by Walters and colleagues (2003), strived to determine whether the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised or the Lifestyle Criminality Screening Form (LCSF) compared to each other when assessing levels of disciplinary adjustment and recidivism. Although the results of the study showed that the two tests were similar in results, the Lifestyle Criminality Screening Form only took about ten minutes to complete while the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised takes between two and three hours (Walters et al, 2003). Therefore, it was concluded in the study that if there was a high risk of offender recidivism or disciplinary maladjustment, the Lifestyle Criminality Screening Form would possibly be a better choice due to the cost-effectiveness of the inventory. Due to the abundance of characteristics tested for in the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised, there have been many studies to assess which of those have a greater effect than others when discussing propensity to commit violent offenses. According to Blair and associates (2002), one of the specific symptoms presented in individuals with psychopathy is a reduced level of empathic response. There has been a positive relationship found between high levels of antisocial behavior and low levels of empathetic response. This supports the reason that both the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and the Antisocial Process Screening Device for children include the lower levels of empathetic response to victims in their criteria of psychopathy (Blair et al, 2005). One of the most common methods in which this theory has been tested is by measuring the level of skin conductance in individuals while presenting them with images of people in distress. Both children with psychopathic tendencies and adults with psychopathy present reduced autonomic responsiveness (Blair et al, 1997). This study shows that while those not presenting with psychopathy show high levels of autonomic responsiveness through sweating due to empathy felt by viewing the disturbing images, those that present with psychopathy or psychopathic tendencies do not. According to a study conducted by Blair and Coles (2000), individuals presenting with psychopathic tendencies or psychopathy tend to have a reduced ability to name both fearful facial expressions and fearful vocal affect (Stevens et al, 2001). An interesting fact coinciding with this finding is that while both children with psychopathic tendencies as well as adults with psychopathy present with this lowered empathetic response to fear and sadness, they do not show impairment in responding to expressions of happiness, anger, or surprise (Blair et al, 2005). Another factor associated with psychopathic tendencies or psychopathy is a partially inhibited ability to make the distinction between moral and conventional transgressions. A moral transgression is explained by Turiel (1983) as one that is defined by its consequences pertaining to the rights and well-being of individuals, such as hurting a person. A conventional transgression is assessed by its consequences for the social order (Turiel, 1983). A person that is not presenting with psychopathy will not present with an inability to distinguish between moral and conventional transgressions. They tend to reference the victim in a moral or conventional transgression situation more frequently when explaining their reason as to why they believed the transgression to be wrong. In the case of those presenting with psychopathic tendencies, psychopathy, as well as some other antisocial disorders, individuals make less references to the victims included in the situation and also seem to have a more difficult time distinguishing between moral and conventional transgressions discussed in the situation (Blair et al 1995a). The second of the two previously mentioned deficiencies in the ability to distinguish between moral and conventional transgressions is even more prevalent when the rules banning the specific transgressions are removed from the scenario. Thus, if there is no law or rule prohibiting the act or transgression, children with psychopathic tendencies, adults with psychopathy, as well as other antisocial populations will show a decreased ability to distinguish between the two types of transgressions (Nucci & Herman, 1982). Another area that is studied in order to search for differences in populations that present with psychopathy is that of gender and ethnicity. In a study by McCoy and Edens (2006), researchers looked to test the theory that stated that individuals of African descent are more likely to present with psychopathy. The study included 945 Black and White youths who were assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist- Youth Version. There was a lack of results showing any significant difference between Caucasians and those of African descent. However, there was an unexplained heterogeneity among the individual races. The researchers from this study advised that more research should be conducted in this area of study in order to attempt to discover the reason for this similarity within the individual races. Another study, this one conducted by Kosson, Smith, and Newman (1990), used a combination of three separate research projects in order to come to a conclusion. The first study was aimed at examining the internal structure of the Psychopathy Checklist and and its scores in relation to several constructs relevant to psychopathy. This first study found that there were differences between Whites and Blacks in the distribution of psychopathy scores. It also noted a difference between the two groups in the relation of psychopathy to measures of impulsivity. The second study was focused on assessing patterns of passive avoidance manifestations as compared to the results in a study conducted by Newman and Kosson (1986). It found that the levels of passive avoidance manifestations were similar, but not identical, in the two groups. The third and final study consisted of assessing the levels of criminal charges received by both psychopaths and non-psychopaths. This portion of the study was particularly interesting in that it found that psychopaths do, in fact, receive more criminal charges than do non-psychopaths (Kosson, Smith, & Newman, 1990).

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 30~31

Thirty Theo â€Å"Listen,† Theo said, cocking his ear toward the cave mouth. â€Å"Vehicles. The SWAT team is here.† Molly glanced to the back of the cave. From the light of the colors Steve was flashing she could see that the pilgrims had surrounded the Sea Beast and were stroking his scales. She turned back to Theo. â€Å"You've got to stop the helicopters. Call them and stop it.† â€Å"Molly, it's not the news helicopters that will hurt him, or us. It's those guys who just pulled up.† Theo peeked out the mouth of the cave and saw two four-wheel-drives parking down on the marine terrace, about a hun-dred yards from the cave mouth. Of course, he thought, they still think they need cover. Molly brandished her broadsword, holding it only inches from Theo's stomach. â€Å"If he's hurt, I'll never forgive you, Theo Crowe. I'll track you down to the ends of the earth and kill you like the radioactive scum that you are.† â€Å"That Kendra or Molly talking?† â€Å"I mean it,† she screamed, almost hysterical now. Steve roared from the back of the cave. â€Å"Don't go nuts on me, Molly. I'm doing my best. But the only thing your pal seems likely to do is eat me. He doesn't seemed real motivated by anything else.† Molly slumped to her knees and hung her head as if someone had sucked the energy out of her through a valve in her boot. Theo fought the urge to comfort her, afraid that if he even touched her shoulder the Sea Beast might attack him. Then it hit him. He flipped open his cell phone and dialed the Head of the Slug. Mavis Mavis Sand had spent a lifetime making mistakes and learning from them, and that perspective made her feel as if she knew what was good for people better than they knew themselves. Consequently, Mavis was a meddler. Most of the time she was content to use information as her tool of choice and rumor as her means of delivery. What someone knew – and when they knew it – controlled what they did. (The Spider, pulling digital strings from his basement web, had exactly the same philosophy.) Today she'd had a heap of problems dumped on her, none of them directly hers, and she had been pondering them all morning without much luck in coming up with a way to manipulate the information to solve them. Then the call came from Theo, and it all clicked: Theo was right, they could use the monster's instincts to get them out of the cave, but if she played the mix right, she could solve a couple of other problems as well. She put down the phone and Catfish said, â€Å"Who that?† â€Å"It was Theo.† â€Å"That ol' dragon ain't et him yet? Boy must be livin a charmed life.† Mavis leaned over the bar, close to Catfish, took his hand in hers, and began squeezing. â€Å"Sweetie, put on your friendly persuasion hat. I need you to run down to the pharmacy and pick up something for me.† â€Å"Yes, ma'am,† Catfish said, wincing as the bones in his fingers compressed under her grip. When the Bluesman was gone, Mavis made a quick phone call, then went to the back room and dug through boxes and filling cabinets until she came up with what she was looking for: a small black box attached to a long cord with a cigarette lighter plug on the end. â€Å"Don't worry, Theo,† she said to herself. â€Å"I put my life in the hands of machinery a long time ago, and I'm doing just fine.† She giggled and it came out sounding like the starter cranking on a fuel dry Ford. Catfish A Bluesman hates to be told what to do. Authority rankles him, inspires his rebellion, and plays to his need to self-destruct. A Bluesman doesn't take to having a boss unless he's on a chain gang (for the chain gang boss ranks below only a mean old woman and a sweet young thing in the hier-archy of the Blues Muse, followed closely by bad liquor, a dead dog, and the Man). Catfish had a boss who was a mean old woman: a distinct and disconcerting turn of the Blues screw that might have driven a lesser Bluesman to shoot hisself, get shot, get hold of some bad liquor, or bust up his guitar and take a job down to the mill. But Catfish hadn't taken nigh unto eighty trips around that cruel, cruel sun without gaining some per-spective, so he would go to the pharmacy as he was told. He would talk to the fish-fucking white boy with the combed-over hair that waved in the air like the sprung lid on a bean can. And when he was done, he would pick up his pay from the mean old woman who was holding it hostage and he would get his wrinkly Black ass out of this town and go nurse his heartbreak on the moving trap that was, is, and always shall be the road. So Catfish strolled a rolling Delta moonwalk of a stroll (redolent of sas-safras and jive) into Pine Cove Drug and Gift, and the four blue-haired chicken women behind the counter nearly tumbled over each other trying to get to the back room. Imagine it: a person of the Dark persuasion in their midst. What if he should ask for a vial of Afro-Sheen or some other ethnic-ally oriented product with which they were totally unfamiliar? Why, the smoke alarms would melt, screaming like dying witches, when their col-lective minds steamed to a stop. Do we look like thrill-seekers? Wasn't it enough that we had to put up that sign reading NO HABLA ESPANOL and acknowledge the existence of thirty percent of the population, even in the negative? No, we shall err on the side of safety, thank you, and in lieu of sand in which to bury our heads, we shall head into the back room. Winston Krauss, who was counting fake Zolofts behind his glass wall, looked up and saw Catfish coming down the aisle toward the counter and immediately regretted that he hadn't installed bulletproof glass. Still, Winston was a man of the world, and you don't indulge the fantasy of molesting dolphins without becoming familiar with the ways of people of color, for that is who dolphins prefer to hang out with, when they aren't hanging out with the Cousteaus, or so it appeared on the Discovery Channel. He stepped out of his booth and met Catfish as he reached the counter. â€Å"Good day, me brother-mon, ye,† Winston said in his best island dialect. â€Å"What can I be gettin for ye?† And there was that welcoming smile, only a dreadlock and a white sand beach short of a travel poster. Catfish squinted, removed his fedora, ran a hand over his shining scalp, stepped back, turned his head to the side and studied the pharmacist for a moment, then said, â€Å"I will slap the shit out of you. You know that?† â€Å"Sorry,† Winston said, coughing somewhat, as if trying to dislodge the errant Jamaican from his throat. â€Å"What can I do for you, sir?† â€Å"Mavis down to the Slug sent me up to ax you somethin.† â€Å"I'm familiar with her medical records,† Winston said, â€Å"You can have her call me if she has a question.† â€Å"Yeah, she don't want to call you. She want you to come down to see her.† Winston adjusted his bolo tie. â€Å"I'm sorry, but you'll have to have her call me. I can't leave the store.† Catfish nodded. â€Å"That what she thought you'd say. She say to ax you if she can have a big jar of them sugar pills you selling instead medicine.† Winston glanced at the back room where his staff was huddled like Anne Frank and family, peering out through the crack in the door. â€Å"Tell her I'll be right over,† Winston said. â€Å"She said to wait and come with you.† Winston was visibly sweating now; oily beads rose on his scalp. â€Å"Let me tell the staff where I'll be.† â€Å"Hurry up, Flipper. I ain't got all day,† Catfish said. Winston Krauss shuddered, hitched up his double knits, and waddled around the counter. â€Å"Ladies, I'll be back in few minutes,† he called over his shoulder. Catfish leaned over the counter to where he could see the row of eyes peering out of the crack and said, â€Å"I be back in a few minutes my own self, ladies. I needs some medicine what can help me with this huge black dick I have to carry around. The weight of it like to break my back.† There was a collective intake of breath so abrupt that the drop in pressure sprung the barometer on the wall and made Catfish's ears pop. Winston Krauss turned and scowled at Catfish. â€Å"Was that really necessary?† â€Å"Man's got to look after his reputation,† Catfish said. The Sheriff Burton had them cover him while he moved down through the rocks and across the marine terrace to the Blazers. He found Sheridan crouched behind the fender, his M-16 trained on the cave entrance. â€Å"Rough morning, Sheriff?† Sheridan said, showing a hint of a smile at Burton's disheveled suit. Burton looked around at the other team members, who were all staring through rifle scopes at the cave entrance. â€Å"So we only have five?† â€Å"Morales is coaching Pee-Wee Football today. The others are on regular duty. We couldn't pull them off.† Burton scowled. â€Å"As far as I know, they only have the one weapon, but it's a fully automatic AK. I want two men on either side of the cave mouth, one down in that crevice where I was pinned down can deliver the gas, followed by concussion grenades. I'll stay here with a sniper rifle to take out anyone who gets past the entry crew. Shoot anything that moves. Let's go, five minutes. On my mark.† â€Å"No gas,† Sheridan said. â€Å"What?† â€Å"No gas and no concussion. You wanted us here without checking in. That stuff is kept in the locker at County Justice. We just have the body armor and our own personal weapons.† Burton looked around at the other men again. â€Å"You guys all have your own personal M-16s, but no grenades?† â€Å"Yes, sir.† â€Å"So I have a standoff? I had a standoff before, Sheridan. A standoff doesn't do me any good. Come with me.† He pushed a fresh clip into his 9 mm. and turned to the others. â€Å"Cover us.† Burton led the SWAT commander to a spot in the rocks just below the cave mouth. â€Å"Crowe?† Burton called. â€Å"You've had enough time to consider my offer!† â€Å"Offer?† Sheridan asked. Burton shushed him. â€Å"I haven't decided yet!† Theo shouted. â€Å"We've got thirty people in here to discuss it with and they're not being cooperative.† Sheridan looked at Burton. â€Å"Thirty people? We can't shoot thirty people. I'm not shooting any thirty people.† â€Å"Five minutes, Crowe,† Burton said. â€Å"Then you have no more options.† â€Å"What's the offer?† Sheridan whispered to the sheriff. â€Å"Don't worry about it. I'm just trying to get the subject separated from the hostages so we can take him out.† â€Å"Then we'd better have a description of the suspect, don't you think?† â€Å"He's the one in handcuffs,† Burton said. â€Å"Well, aren't you the fucking hero?† Sheridan shot back. Skinner Skinner watched from the front seat of the Mercedes as the Food Guy was loaded into the back of the Suburban with the cage in it. The Bad Guys hadn't even left the windows cracked. How would the Food Guy breathe? He wouldn't be able to sit in the front seat and put his head out the window either. Skinner was sad for the Food Guy. He crawled in the backseat of the Mercedes and lay down to nap away his anxiety. The Head of the Slug The first thing Catfish saw when he came through the doors of the Head of the Slug was Estelle standing at the bar, and he could feel the crust peeling off his heart like old paint. Her hair was down. Brushed out, it hung to her waist. She was wearing a pair of pink overalls that had been splattered with paint over a man's white T-shirt – his T-shirt, he realized. She looked to him like what he always thought home was supposed to look like, but as a Bluesman, he was bound by tradition to be cool. â€Å"Hey, girl, what you doin' here?† â€Å"I called her,† Mavis said. â€Å"This is your driver.† â€Å"What I need a driver for?† â€Å"I'll tell you.† Estelle took his hand and led him to a booth in the corner. Winston Krauss came through the door a second later and Mavis waved him over to the bar. â€Å"Son, I'm about to make you the happiest man in the whole world.† â€Å"You are? Why?† â€Å"Because I like to see people get what they want. And I have what you want.† â€Å"You do?† Mavis stepped up to the bar and in low, conspiratorial tones, began telling Winston Krauss the most titillating, outrageously erotic tale that she had ever told, trying the whole time to remember that the man she was talking to wanted to have sex with marine animals. Over in the corner booth, Catfish's modicum of cool had melted. Estelle was smiling, even as tears welled up in her eyes. â€Å"I wouldn't ask you to do it if I thought it would put you in danger. Really.† â€Å"I know that,† Catfish said, a gentleness in his voice that he usually reserved for kittens and traffic cops. â€Å"It just that I been runnin from this my whole life.† â€Å"I don't think so,† Estelle said. â€Å"I think you've been running to this.† Catfish grinned. â€Å"You gonna take them old Blues off me for good, ain't you?† â€Å"You know it.† â€Å"Then let's go.† Catfish stood up and turned to where Mavis and Winston stood. â€Å"We ready? Y'all ready?† He noticed that the front of Winston's trousers had become overly tight. â€Å"Yeah, you ready. You sick, but you ready.† Mavis nodded, a slight mechanical ratcheting noise coming from her neck, â€Å"Take the second turn out, not the first,† Mavis said to Estelle. â€Å"From there it hugs the coast, so there's no hills.† â€Å"I have to go get my mask and fins,† wailed Winston. Thirty-one Molly â€Å"Has it been five minutes yet?† Molly was sitting cross-legged, her sword held across her knees. Theo jumped as if he'd been poked with an ice pick, then checked his watch. He crouched by the cave mouth, listening for the sound of either salvation or death. â€Å"About a minute left. Where the hell are they? Molly, maybe you should find some cover.† â€Å"What cover?† She looked around the cave. It was an open chamber; the only cover would be the darkness in the back of the chamber. â€Å"Get behind Steve.† â€Å"No,† Molly said. â€Å"I won't do that.† She heard a voice come from the back of her mind. â€Å"Get to cover, you daffy broad. What, do you have a death wish?† â€Å"I have abandonment issues. I'm not going to turn around and abandon someone else,† Molly said. â€Å"What?† Theo said. â€Å"I wasn't talking to you.† â€Å"Fine, die. What do I care?† said the narrator. â€Å"Bastard,† Molly said. â€Å"What?† said Theo. â€Å"Not you!† â€Å"Molly, how did you get those guys to come out and drag me into the cave before?† â€Å"I just told them to.† â€Å"Well, take their clothes back to them and tell them to get dressed.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Just do it. And tell them to hang on to Steve's sides and not let go, no matter what he does.† â€Å"Now who's nuts?† â€Å"Molly, please, I'm trying to save him.† The Sheriff Burton checked his watch. â€Å"That's it. Get into position. We're going in.† Sergeant Sheridan wasn't so sure. â€Å"They have thirty hostages and we don't have any recon of their positions and we don't have a full team. You want to take this guy out with thirty witnesses?† â€Å"Goddamn it, Sheridan, get your men in position. We go on my signal.† â€Å"Sheriff Burton.† Theo's voice from the cave. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I'll take your offer,† Theo said. â€Å"Give me five more minutes and I'll come out. We can all leave together. The others will come out after you're gone.† â€Å"You just want him anyway, right?† Sheridan said. â€Å"He's the only one that can hurt the operation.† Burton turned it over in his mind. He'd been determined to take out the constable and the woman, but now he had to rethink things. If he could get Crowe away from the others, he could dispose of him with no witnesses. Burton's cell phone rang. He flipped it open. â€Å"Burton,† he said. â€Å"You shouldn't have made disparaging comments about my weight, Sheriff,† the Spider said. â€Å"Nailsworth, you piece of sh – † The line went dead. Suddenly the sound of a wailing Blues guitar came screaming over the marine terrace. Burton and the SWAT team turned to see an old white station wagon driving along the edge of the terrace, next to where it dropped to the beach. An inhuman roar rose up out of the cave, and when Burton looked back to the cave all he saw was a huge reptilian face coming at him. Winston Krauss Winston sat in the back of the station wagon, steadying the Marshall amplifier that was screaming out the notes from Catfish's Stratocaster. The amp was plugged into Mavis's black box and a cord ran over the seats into the cigarette lighter, next to where Catfish was playing. After the first few notes, Winston's hearing had shut down due to temporary deafness, but he didn't care. He could hardly believe his luck. Mavis had promised him the biggest sexual thrill of his life, and he had doubted her. But now he saw it. It was the most gorgeous creature he'd ever seen. Steve The feelings of self-pity, jealousy, and heartbreak were new to him, but the response that welled up in him when he heard the sound of his enemy was more deeply imprinted on his lizard brain and it displaced all the newer feelings with rage and the imperative to attack. He stormed out of the cave with pilgrims hanging on his back by the ridge of armored plates that ran down his spine. Two layers of protective covering slid over his eyes, shortening his vision, but it was the sound that guided him anyway, the sound that carried the strongest association with the enemy. He flashed bright crimson and yellow as he charged over the rocks, kicking aside the vehicles and shedding pilgrims as he made his way to his enemy at the shore. Theo Molly stood in the cave entrance, screaming for Steve to stop. Theo grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away just as the Sea Beast, dangling pilgrims, charged past them. She elbowed Theo in the forehead, stunning him for a second, and she made for the cave entrance. Theo caught her outside on the rocks and held her. â€Å"No!† Theo wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her side, and lifted her off the ground, then held her kicking as he braced for gunfire. But none came. Burton was climbing to his feet just below them, focused on the Sea Beast as it passed. â€Å"Shoot that thing! Shoot it! Shoot it!† The SWAT commander had rolled out of the way and come up with his weapon ready, but with people hanging all over the beast, he didn't know where to shoot, so instead let his weapon fall to his side as he stared in amazement. Burton drew a pistol and began running after the Sea Beast. Below, two of the SWAT team had already broken into a run from behind the Blazers just as the Sea Beast bowled them over. The other two were pinned underneath one of the crushed vehicles. As they fell, each pil grim jumped to his feet and ran after the Sea Beast, who was making a beeline across the grassy terrace toward the white station wagon. Theo watched as the car stopped, Blues slide notes still screaming out of the back, and Estelle Boyet crawled out of the driver's seat and ran around to the back. The guitar playing stopped for a second as the passenger side opened, and out stepped Catfish Jefferson, holding a Fender Stratocaster. â€Å"Let me go!† Molly screamed. â€Å"I've got to save him! I've got to save him!† Theo yanked her back toward the cave. When he was able to look again, someone he didn't immediately recognize had crawled out of the station wagon, and Catfish handed him the guitar. Sheriff Burton was running after the Sea Beast, waving his weapon around, trying to get an angle to shoot without hitting one of the pilgrims. He stopped, dropped to one knee, steadied his aim, and fired. The Sea Beast roared and whipped around, throwing the last of the pilgrims into a tumble in the grass. Molly whipped her head back into Theo's chin at the same time she drove a heel into his knee. Theo let go of her and she rushed over the rocks and down toward the monster. Catfish Estelle had brought the car right to the edge of the drop-off to the rocky beach. Catfish looked at the surf beating on the rocks below, then at his guitar cords coiled in the front seat, then at the rocks again. They just might be long enough. But the dragon was going to get to them before he could find out. â€Å"Hurry!† Estelle shouted. Catfish stood mesmerized by the charging monster, not a hundred yards away. â€Å"Go,† he said weakly, â€Å"get yourself out of here.† â€Å"No!† said Winston Krauss. â€Å"You promised.† There was a gunshot and the Sea Beast whipped around in his tracks, bringing Catfish to his senses. â€Å"Let's go,† he said to Winston. Then he looked at Estelle over the top of the car and winked. â€Å"You go on. This ain't your time.† Catfish played a few notes on the Stratocaster and then ambled after Winston to the surf. The pharmacist ran into the water up to his knees, then turned around. Catfish was having trouble climbing over the rocks to the water while keeping the guitar cord from catching. â€Å"That's far enough,† Catfish said. He walked into the surf and stood next to Winston, keeping the guitar high to keep any spray off of it. â€Å"Give it,† Winston demanded. â€Å"You ain't got a lick a sense, do you?† â€Å"Give it,† Winston repeated. Catfish played four bars of â€Å"Green Onions† on the Strat, the notes still blaring out of the amp in the station wagon, then draped the strap around Winston's neck and handed him a guitar pick. â€Å"Have fun,† Catfish said. â€Å"Oh, I will,† Winston said, a lascivious grin crossing his face. â€Å"You know I will.† â€Å"Play!† Catfish said as he turned and ran up the beach. He saw Estelle already making her way away down the shore away from the commotion. Behind him, the sour, rattling notes began to emanate from the amp in the station wagon as gunshots filled the air. Molly The sheriff fired three more times as he backed away from the Sea Beast, missing not only the monster but the entire North American continent. Molly threw herself sideways from a full run into the back of Burton's knees and cut his legs out from under him. She came up in a crouch, putting herself between Burton and the Sea Beast. The sheriff thought he heard the song â€Å"Green Onions† and shook his head to clear a hallucination. The Sea Beast roared again and the sheriff vaulted into a crouch, ready to fire, but instead of a sea monster in front of him, he saw a woman in a leather bikini. He looked over his shoulder and watched the Sea Beast snap up the white station wagon in its jaws and toss it aside. The guitar sounds stopped and the Sea Beast slid over the bluff to the beach. Seeing that the danger was gone, he trained his sights on the woman. People were streaming by him on either side after the monster, wailing like a crowd of banshees. Molly looked over her shoulder and saw Steve going into the water, then turned back to Burton. â€Å"Go ahead, you prick. I don't care.† â€Å"You got it,† Burton said. Winston Krauss He was just beating on the guitar strings now, but it didn't matter. The amplifier wasn't working anymore and this beautiful creature was coming to him. Winston was so turned on he thought he'd explode. She was coming to him, his dream lover, and he yanked the guitar from around his neck, ready to receive her. â€Å"Oh, come on, baby. Come to papa,† he said. The Sea Beast charged into the water, throwing spray fifty feet in the air, then snapped his jaws over Winston, severing the pharmacist's body into two sleazy pieces. The Sea Beast swallowed Winston's legs and roared, then snapped up the remaining piece and dove under the sea. The Sheriff â€Å"I don't think so, Sheriff,† Sheridan said. Burton looked over his shoulder without taking the gun off Molly. Sheridan had his M-16 trained on the sheriff's back. â€Å"Don't fuck with me, Sheridan. You're in this with me.† â€Å"I'm not in this. Lower your weapon, sir.† Burton lowered the pistol and turned toward Sheridan. Molly started to leap forward and the SWAT commander pointed the M-16 at her. â€Å"Right there,† he said. She stopped. The pilgrims were all standing at the shore now, wailing as they looked out. Molly gestured in that direction and Sheridan nodded. She ran toward the shoreline. â€Å"What now?† Burton asked. â€Å"I don't know,† said Sheridan, â€Å"but no one has been shot here, and I have a feeling that there's going to be a lot of attention around this event, so no one is going to get shot.† â€Å"You wimp.† â€Å"Whatever,† Sheridan said. â€Å"Hey, Burton!† Theo Crowe was running down the hill toward them. â€Å"You hear that?† When they looked up, Theo ducked behind one of the wrecked Blazers and pointed toward the southern sky. â€Å"Film at eleven.† Burton could hear them now: helicopters. He looked to the south and saw the two dots coming over the horizon. Two of the SWAT team members were topping the next hill. They had started running when the monster first came out of the cave. The other two were still pinned under one of the overturned Blazers. He turned back to Sheridan. The big cop was watching the approaching helicopters. â€Å"Game over,† Sheridan said. â€Å"Guess it's time to start thinking about my deal with the D.A.† Burton shot him in the face, then broke for the far side of the rocks to his Eldorado before the others had time to figure out what had happened. Theo Theo came up behind Molly and touched her lightly on the shoulder. When she turned, he could see tears streaming down her cheeks. Then she re-turned to staring out to sea with the others. She said, â€Å"All I ever wanted is to feel special. To feel like something set me apart.† Theo put his arm around her. â€Å"Everyone wants that.† â€Å"But I had it, Theo. More by having Steve in my life than when I was making movies. These people felt it, but not like me.† The two helicopters were coming in close now and Theo had to speak right into her ear to be heard over the thumping blades. â€Å"No one's like you.† There was a stirring in the water just past the surf line, and something was rising in the kelp bed. Theo could see the purple gill trees standing out on the Sea Beast's neck. He was heading toward shore. Theo tried to pull Molly closer, but she broke loose from him, jumped off the bluff, and ran into the surf, scooping up two baseball-sized rocks as she went. Theo went after her and was halfway across the beach when she turned and looked at him with eyes filled with such pleading and desperation that it stopped him in his tracks. The helicopters were hovering only a hundred feet over the beach now. The wash from the blades kicked up sand in the faces of the onlookers. As the Sea Beast approached shore, only his eyes and gills above the water, Molly threw one of the stones. â€Å"No, go away! Go!† The second stone hit the Sea Beast's eye, and he stopped. â€Å"Don't come back!† Molly screamed. Slowly the Sea Beast sank below the surface. The Sheriff The speedometer on the Eldorado was approaching sixty when Burton topped the last hill before the cattle guard. He had to get to the airport and use the open ticket in his briefcase to join his money in the Caymans before anyone could figure out where he had gone. He'd planned for this all along, knowing he might have to make a run for it at some point, but what he hadn't planned was that there would be two Suburbans and a Mercedes parked just over the top of the hill. Before he could stop himself, he hit the brakes and wrenched the wheel to the left. The tires dug into the pasture and sent the Eldorado up on two wheels, then over. There was none of the slowing of time or compression of events that often happens in accidents. He saw light and dark, felt his body being beaten around the Caddy, and then the crash of smashing metal and breaking glass. Then there was a pause. He lay on the ceiling of the overturned Eldorado, peppered with pieces of safety glass, trying to feel if any of his limbs were broken. He seemed okay, he could feel his feet, and it didn't hurt when he breathed. But he smelled gas. It was enough to remind him to move. He grabbed the briefcase with his escape kit and slithered out the broken back window to find the Eldorado half-perched, half-smashed over the front of a white Suburban. He climbed to his feet and ran to the truck. It was locked. Sheridan, you prick, you would lock your truck, he thought. He didn't notice the people handcuffed inside the K-9 cage in the back. The Mercedes was his last chance. He ran around it and yanked opened the driver's side door. The keys were in the ignition. He climbed in and took a deep breath. He had to calm down now. No more mistakes, he told himself. He started the Mercedes and was turning to back it down the hill when the dog hit him.

Solutions for Wordy Phrasing

Solutions for Wordy Phrasing Solutions for Wordy Phrasing Solutions for Wordy Phrasing By Mark Nichol Efforts to make your writing more concise are admirable, but although some words and phrases won’t be missed or fewer or shorter words can be substituted, others may serve a useful distinction. Note, in the following examples and annotations, the differences in the suitability of various phrases. â€Å"What the organization aims to do is produce an economically sustainable model.† When a sentence describes a series of actions, revise to expunge the weakest among them. Start the sentence with the subject by omitting what, then delete do, and the rest falls into place: â€Å"The organization aims to produce an economically sustainable model.† â€Å"I appreciate the fact that we can discuss this reasonably.† A fact does not need to be identified as such. When such self-referential labeling occurs, delete it: â€Å"I appreciate that we can discuss this reasonably.† â€Å"Due to the fact that you arrived late, we missed our flight.† What does â€Å"due to the fact that† mean? â€Å"Because.† So use because instead: â€Å"Because you arrived late, we missed our flight.† â€Å"We arrived early in order to get good seats.† â€Å"In order to† can easily be reduced to to: â€Å"We arrived early to get good seats.† However, sometimes especially in sentences in which the phrase precedes know or a similar verb including it seems an improvement on the more concise version. Retaining the phrase in â€Å"She reread the essay in order to understand its argument more clearly,† for example, suggests a contemplation that â€Å"She reread the essay to understand its argument more clearly† does not, and â€Å"She reread the essay so that she understood its argument more clearly† is the same length as, and no more elegant than, the original wording. â€Å"So as to† is a similar construction, as in â€Å"We studied other cultures so as to appreciate traditional customs that persist in immigrant communities.† Also, â€Å"in order† is best retained before a negative infinitive, as in â€Å"I tiptoed across the room in order not to wake her.† â€Å"I left the papers on my desk in order that I would not forget them.† â€Å"In order that† is equivalent to so and can be replaced by that word: â€Å"I left the papers on my desk so I would not forget them.† (That may be retained but is optional.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Words for Facial ExpressionsConnotations of 35 Words for Funny People5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow