The Impact of E-Commerce Technology on the Air Travel Industry Essay

The Impact of E-Commerce Technology on the Air Travel Industry - Essay Example If I were the primary decision maker in these airline companies, I would come up with brilliant ideas to ensure that my airline company adopts a measure aimed at making it to enjoy a competitive advantage over its competitors. Having realized the inefficiencies of travel agents, I would ensure that I introduce the use of modern Information Communication Technology (ICT) in my company. This is a new innovation that would help us to realize a tremendous growth in our services. When all the activities are done in compliance with the new system, it would be much easier for the company to expand its client base and be able to reach a large number of potential clients than it could otherwise manage. In other words, I would advocate for the full adoption of SABRE system. This is an advanced technology that would be of much help to my organization. Once every activity is computerized, it becomes much easier for the airline to improve the quality of its services. At the same time, it would avail information to our clients wherever they are. Thus, it becomes much easier for them to plan their trips and make online reservations whenever they feel to do so. Automating our services would definitely put us in the right path of enjoying a competitive advantage over our rivals. Rather than advocating for the adoption of ICT, I would emphasize the role of novelty. Meaning, any changes to be effected would have to be novel and beneficial to the organization. They should be highly advanced to seal any loophole that might be experienced. If this happens, we would definitely be in the right path of out doing all our competitors before emerging as the best alternative airline in the market. In my opinion, the automation of airline services is commendable. It is a worthwhile initiative aimed at improving the quality of service delivery by the airline company. SABRE technology is one of its own kind. Meaning, it had to be

Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham Essay Example for Free

Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham Essay In the novel Of Human Bondage, the main character, Philip Carey, has a myriad of people whom are very influential in his life. William Somerset Maugham portrays Philip as having three women in his life that are of great importance to Philips character. These three women are Mildred Rogers, Norah Nesbit, and Sally Athelny. Mildred is a negative influence on Philip whereas the other two women serve as positive influences in Philips life. Of the three, Philip loves Mildred the most, though Mildred loves him not. Mildred is a negative influence on Philip. Though he loves her, she doesnt love him back. She is grateful toward Philip and rewards him with various degrees of affection. This forebodes the fact that she becomes a prostitute later on in the novel. While with Philip, Mildred distracts him from studying and causes him to spend all his money to take her out to eat and see musicals. This causes Philip to fail his two very important medical examinations. Mildred is a snobby, stupid, callous, shallow, vain, and selfish woman. Aware of Philips feelings for her, she takes advantage of him. She accepts his gifts and seeks his protection, but thwarts his affection. Philip forgives her for her deceitfulness and helps her when she is in trouble. In return for Philips love, kindness and generosity, she gives him pain, abuse, and misery. She proves her heartless nature when she runs away with Emil Miller, has an affair with Griffiths, and destroys Philips home. She also abandons her infant to the care of a stranger in order to enjoy life. This demonstrates her selfish nature. Mildred seems to be Philips foil. Theyre so different from one another that Mildred doesnt even understand Philip. Philips generosity, kindness, and love cannot be understood by such a selfish, vicious, hateful woman. Its a wonder how Philip is bonded to this human anti-epitome. Philip chose Mildred because she is the type of woman that was a challenge for him. He had just begun medical school and was feeling bored when suddenly he came upon this ill-mannered slut of a waitress in a tea shop. From that moment on, he couldnt get enough of her. He always tried to get back at her but never quite could. It was as if he was doomed to spend the rest of his life bonded to her. It was too much to bear for him. Her indifferent attitude toward him drove him mad over the brink of obsession. He tortured himself to try and  get a woman that he could never have and she would never love him back. He was even willing to marry her to get back at her for all the evil she inflicted upon him. Philip finally breaks through the bonds of love and sees Mildred for who she really is a conniving, callous prostitute. Norah Nesbit is another influential woman in Philips life. Though Philip doesnt love Norah, she is a positive influence in his life nevertheless. Norah pampers Philip using her motherly instincts and encourages him to do what he can for himself: go on vacation to take a break, and study hard for school to pass his exams. She is successful in convincing Philip to focus on his studies rather than herself. Therefore when hes with her, he passes all three exams without any trouble and has earned his vacation that he is reluctant to go on, but is persuaded by thoughtful Norah to do so. Unlike Mildred, Norah appreciates Philip and doesnt allow him to waste his money. Philip intentionally chose Norahs ilk because Norah is nurturing, kind-hearted, and loving. Philip chooses her in his time of need, after he is hurt by the harshness and pain that Mildred has inflicted upon him. She ameliorates him back to life after the thought and sight of Mildred has tormented him for many dreary months. Sally, the third and final influential woman in his life, helps Philip establish his identity in the world. The eldest child of Mr. Athelny, she is sensible, maternal, pretty, charming, and responsible. She is the pride of her family and wins the heart of everyone with her pleasant manners and warmth, including Philip. Sally falls for Philips simplicity and unassuming manner, but does not force herself on him. She patiently waits for him to recognize her appeal. While Philip vacations with the Athelnys in Kent, he begins to notice Sally and he realizes that he is attracted to her. He begins to see her regularly and decides to spend the rest of his life with her. She accepts his proposal of marriage. Sally is a contrast to Mildred. Sallys presence calms Philip, while Mildreds presence troubles him. His passion for Mildred had disrupted his life and career, but Sallys love gives him hope for a bright future. Philip learns to love Sally, though not like Mildred, and she loves him back. Therefore Sally is the best woman for Philip since they both love one another. Sally is there when Philip needs  her. Shes not pushy or demanding, so Philip chooses her because he needs someone of her ilk to depend upon after Mildred ruins his life yet again by making him homeless and penniless.

Applying Theories of Leadership, Organizations and Motivation

Applying Theories of Leadership, Organizations and Motivation Leadership is a social process through which a group or community delegate some power to someone or individual who influence the behavior of others without pressurizing or using any force for doing so but such leader/individual motivate the other. But on other hand leadership is the extra quality/ability of the management of an organization through which the management direct the subordinates to work for mutual goals of group with confidence. Leadership styles are different in different organization, industries and sectors because of their works styles, production capacity and working environment. Environment of all the organizations, industries and sectors is different than the environment of other because the nature of business and working capacity of different units of working is in accordance to its demands and necessities of business. Therefore, to direct the subordinates of a particular unit, the management of the same elect or select its leader through some process and delegate some powers to such leader and who utilize the powers delegated to him for the only purpose of the welfare or mutual benefits/goals of the group and as well as of the organization. Selection of leaders normally held in this way in bureaucratic organizations. 2. Leader A leader is someone who exercise influence over subordinate and other people without using threats or power for the only sake of the benefit or welfare of the community or groups so chosen or elected him/her as their leader. It would not be meaningless to say that a leader is someone who influences others through motivation and people likes to obey him or her willfully not in compulsion. A leader is person who represents the urges and requirements of his community or group and his all actions are only for the welfare and benefits of his groups. Generally leaders are of two kinds formal leaders and informal leaders. A leader who is appointed as leader and has been delegated some power under the shelter of a particular rank or position to perform the particular object. A formal leader is not a natural leader because such leaders are selected or elected in bureaucratic organization through some process for a particular time with the delegation of some particular powers to the extent of the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. An individual chosen by a group or community to which he belongs, without any election or selection is an informal leader and such leaders possess God gifted skills of communication and confidence. Such leaders do not possess authority as the formal leaders are delegated because they are not selected or elected and they are not leader of only an organization but they are leader of a group or community to with they belong and the represent the ideology, demands, requirements, necessities etc. of the groups or community. Informal leaders are natural leaders. 3. Requirements of Leadership for Meeting Present and Future Organizational Goals and Objectives Leaders are the heroes and assets of the organizations or communities to which they belongs and they have basic aim to achieve the task being set to him with the assistance of their groups with confidence and it is one of the duty and responsibility of the leader to communicate the task properly to the group and muster up their courage time to time in all the way required, take the suggestions of the group members to evaluate the attitude of the group members, coordinate the group to complete the task so given to them with the help of the group. Following skills are required to a leader to meet the organizational goals and objective to improve the efficiency of his group. 3.1 Communication of Task Knowledge to the Group Leader of an organization is a formal leader who has been given some authority to direct or influence his subordinates to work for the goals of organization. Formal leaders are part of bureaucratic organization and in this way a leader is given some tasks to be completed within a particular time with the connivance and co-ordination of his group. For getting effective work a leader is supposed to be such a person who possess the complete knowledge about the task in all respects and therefore, it is the first skill of a leader and the basic requirement of leadership to deliver/communicate the requisite knowledge about the task to the group at any stage to get the best of the group at all the times. He should communicate all the loops of the tasks to the group so that nothing should be remained doubtful about the task and the work should be started with confidence till the completion of the task. 3.2 Understanding Organizations Needs Leadership is the power of an organization through which it accumulate its strength in shape of confidence of the man power and high moral which lead the organization towards the prosperity and this is all possible only when the leaders or leadership of an organization remained informed with the demands of the organization needs. A task is a test of the organizations ability whether they have ability to work in any circumstances such as in crucial and difficult time by making right and useful decision in such situations. Co-ordination between the leadership and man power is the basic ingredient of organizations success and completion of difficult tasks. 3.3 Understanding Groups Need Labor/group is main power of an organization and they are fighters who fight for the success of organization because their success is a part of the organizations success. It is one of the main quality of leadership that it fully encourages the labor/groups and tries its level best to solve the problems and fulfill the needs of the groups because satisfaction of the group is composite and unrebutable requirement of a tasks completion. Good leadership works directly for the welfare of organization but indirectly it is fighting for the benefits of the group. Management of an organization by using the process of leadership not even control the groups in the organization but also by using leadership become able to improve the weakness of an organization man power into its strengths. 3.4 Arrangement for Training of Groups An organization is platform in which all fields/departments concerning to the nature of organizations work are combined such as purchase department, manufacturing department, marketing, finance and selling all departments are working together. Time to time new inventions are occurred which also needs to mould or adopt new techniques to improve the working conditions and skills for the gropes of different fields. It is the responsibility of the management of an organization that it should remained intact with the leadership of the groups to understand their needs and requirements for better working situations because by doing so the management through leadership can evaluate the weakness of the groups and can improve their skills by arranging training in the fields of stress. Through these training the management can either improve the skills of the labor but on the other hand also becomes able to evaluate the working capacity of the labor and these training vacations also highlight t he strength of relationship between the groups and leadership. 3.5 Evaluation of Weaknesses and Strengths A smooth working can only be perform if the organization know very well the fields of focus and stress and this could only be possible when an organization is able to understands its weaknesses and strengths. For making it possible, leadership plays the most important role such as a formal leader is indeed a leader from the organization who is selected by the organization through some process. Such leadership helps the organization in evaluating the weaknesses and strengths of the organization out from the groups of the organization because all the group members have good relations with the leaders and they also share their problems as well as about their extra skills with them and by polishing such extra skills through training an organization can not even improve its strengths but also covert its weaknesses into its strengths. A successful organization is such an organization which knows very well about its weaknesses and threats and by mustering the courage and moral of the groups the organization can get a rid of those weaknesses and threats and this is just possible because of good leadership. 3.6 Motivation of Groups of Organization It is the authority which is being delegated to the leaders that they have some powers through which then can direct and even can influence the subordinates and the subordinates obey the directions of the leaders happily because they believe in that all the actions of the leader are for the welfare of them and they are their representatives. Management of an organization can motivate the groups of the organization towards the goals and objectives of the organization just through leadership, Therefore, organizations should remain good and cordial relations with the leadership and should properly motivate to them so that they be able to motivate the groups properly and the best outcome could be expected and achieved. 3.7 Building Confidence All workers of an organization should be confident and confidence of workers is the key of success for organizations. All industries, organizations, sub-divisions and projects have different nature of work therefore, demands of all are different but the basic demand for all of them is the confidence of labor and confidence e of labor come in labor when they are satisfied with the organization management. A leader is intermediate person between the organization and its groups but he represent the groups because he belongs to them. Leadership of an organization can motivate the groups and can built confidence and for such confidence could be possible on the basis of given and taken, therefore, the organization has to some extent polite in favor of the groups and in the same way the groups have to remain polite to some extent in favor of the organization and this given and taken built long lasting confidence between the organization and groups which is the need and requirement of the le adership. Leadership plays the most unique role in the progress of the organizations, sub-divisions, industries and projects because just on the basis of financial resources and human resources no effective work could be done. Effective and useful work could be done only by the co-ordination between the concerns and groups of the concerns and this co-ordination and confidence is soughted only by the role of the leadership because business concerns can not fulfill the requirement of every single labor or member of labor of such concern. Therefore, by co-coordinating each other the organization can achieve its goals and the groups can also achieve their goals vested with the goals of the organization, industries, sub-divisions and projects. Nature of all the organizations, industries, sub-division and projects are different in the same way the attitude of the leaderships of them are different but the strategies for all of them are same because the labor wants priority to their needs and a bureau cratic leader is the person who can solve the problem of the concerns. 4 Modern Theories of Leadership All the times the element of leadership was available in the business activities and as the business working pace has changed in the same way the theories regarding the leadership are also sophisticated and comprehensive which deals in all the requisite aspects of the leadership out of which some modern theories of leadership are as follows: 4.1 Situational Theory of Hersey Blanchard Situational theory of Hersey Blanchard is based on quantum of direction towards the task, relationship between the leadership and groups and level of maturity of the task so governed by the leadership to the groups. In this theory the quantum of direction is supposed to task behavior while relationship between the leadership and groups is the relationship behavior. It is the ability of the leadership that how good relations and coordination it remains with the subordinates because management and leadership are not the actual power of industries, organizations, sub-divisions, and project, actual power is groups which are in numbers and keeps the ability to change the fate of vendor through its working skills. This theory is divided into three behaviors such as: Task Behavior: This behavior evolves around the leader and the groups in which the leader remains engage in splitting out the duties and responsibilities to the groups according to the task that what is the task, what is the work of the each group, how to do, when to do, who to do, where to do. In task behavior the leader of the groups remains in teaching the duties to the groups about the task and communicate the group in one way just about the task. Relationship Behavior: Relationship behavior is a two way communication behavior in which the leader remains engage in supporting the groups because he has to listen the problems, facilitating the groups for smooth and effective working and encouraging them for building confidence. In relationship behavior the leader remains a part of the task working and support the group in all the ways he possibly could. Level of Maturity: Level of maturity of every person is different and this is basically the consent and taking responsibility of a person to direct their personal behaviors. Every person possesses different level of maturity and in this way understanding and commanding power to the extent of their level of maturity is different. Accomplishment of a task depends upon the maturity level of leader and groups because it is up to the leader that in what way he directs and on the other hand in what way the groups understand. All the leaders possess different abilities and level of maturities but to determine the appropriate style it could be assessed from directions of different leaders in same situation and they way the facilitate and communicate to the groups about the task. Because when the level of maturity goes up the leader will reduce its task behavior and increase relationship behavior because in such situation the understanding of the groups has improved therefore, the leaders have need to facilitate the groups in solving their problems for the accomplishment of task and through this molding attitude the leader can evaluate the right level of maturity of the groups working. This theory is applicable to all industries, organizations, sub-divisions and projects working on long term strategies because with the change in the pace of inventions the skills of the groups/labor are not improving in the same ratio therefore, by communicating properly and training in the requisite fields the business orga nization can get the expected and favorable results with the help of effective leadership. Level of maturity when increase whether of leader or labor then he require facilities through which he can perform more effectively and with more pace than at initial stage, therefore, every business concern even of any level can get advantage of this theory because it is applicable to all level of organization, industries, sub-divisions and projects. 4.2 Charles Handys Theory of Best Fit Approach Theory of Handy is a flexible theory through which his emphasis is on the flexibility of style which is adequate according to the situation and circumstances of work whether the style is preferred by the leader or groups but the style should be competent to fulfill the requirements of the task. In this theory the style should be chosen according to the environment and task performance and it is immaterial that the style is preferred by whom, the leader or the groups. According to Handys best fit approach, a style which is fit in accordance of leader, groups, task and environment occur only when all the factors accept it and such style fulfill all the needs and requirement of the working and it makes the leader confident that all the other workings are in consonance of task and the task now could be completed as is expected. A best fit according to Handy occur only when all the first three factors are at one point and demands same style to be adopted for working and after adopting suc h style all the factor got moderate and perform more effectively then according to Handy this is the best fit approach. This theory is a moderate theory of leadership and can easily applicable to all kind of business of small level because multination companies or multiprojects are of such nature works which works on long term strategies and planning and in long term planning moderate theory is not applicable because such projects are involving huge financial resources of stakeholders and stakeholders never take such kind of risk just relying on leadership. In small company as the strategies are short terms and can be amended when required because it is not involved huge financial risk. Therefore, this approach of Charles Handy best fit is applicable only businesses other than industries, organizations, sub-divisions and multination companies because the said units strictly implement strategies so prepared because such strategies are prepared after considering all the effective factors which directly and indirectly effect the activities of the concern. 4.3 Style (Behavioral) Theories Approach under this theory fully concentrates what a leaders style, what a leader does and what is his behavior. Simply this theory revolves around the style, behavior and activities of a leader. It is very difficult to assess the behavior of a leader because as the previous theory of Charles Handy express the moderate behavior of a leader in this way the behavior of a leader could changed in accordance of circumstances and could never be remain same and therefore, it is difficult for someone to assess the attitude/behavior of a leader. In the same way a style is also difficult to measure because it changes with the changes in the working condition. Autocratic, democratic, bureaucratic and laisser-faire are the term which are used for to describe the general approached used for a leader. Style behavior approach is not a best and comprehensive theory according to me because it is revolving around the activities, behavior and style of a leader that what he does, his behavior and style of working. It is a limited approach and can only be applicable to small enterprises because in large unit or enterprises there is no concept of assumption and molding of style according to the wishes of the leader because large enterprises the strategies are being prepared after reviewing the strategies of last years along with the results. Strategy makers also account for all the factors might be caused in future by using the services of skilled and professionals just to avoid any uncertainty and ambiguity in the strategy. Therefore, this theory is not applicable to industries, organizations, sub-divisions and multination enterprises in no way because it is lacking a number of necessary factors to be account for and is not a comprehensive theory. 5. Leadership Models A leader is role model for his followers and the followers happily adopt the styles of their leader because in their view their leader is the best one in all. Following are leadership models:- 5.1 The Fiedler Contingency Model According to the Fred Fiedler Contingency Model, the best performance of a group is dependent on the proper match between the leaders style of directing his group and the level to which the circumstances allowed the leader to direct and influence to his group. Fred Fiedler is the developer of first contingency model of leadership. This model of leadership proposes that a groups best performances can only be achieved if the match between the style of the leader and follower is compatible because the degree of situation never remains the same but it is the behavioral interaction between the leader and the groups which make it possible to be achieved, therefore, to attain the best performance of a group it is primarily be evaluated that the compatibility between the style and interaction of the leader and group is in consonance or not. In this model it is proposed to be checked that whether a certain leadership style is effective in different situations because situation vary from time to time. This model highlight the leader member relations with the groups, task structure and position power of the leader because these all factors are interrelated to each other because sometimes the style of the leader does not properly match due to the stru cture of the task and sometimes because of the relations between the leader and group the style vary and does not match in such way necessary for the effective performance. 5.2 Leader Participation Model This model stress upon the leadership behavior and participation of leadership in decision making in different situations. According to this model the behavior of the leadership must adjust to reflect the task degree. This model was developed by the Victor Vroom and Phillip Yetton. In simple words, this model emphasis on the behavior of the leadership should be flexible which could be adjust to reflect the task structure. This model was got changed in early 1970s because research remained continue to find out the effective leadership style. A leadership should keep in mind the decision making contingencies while he is determining that what leadership style would be most effective in current situation. Team competence, leaders expertise, group expertise, group support, decision significance, importance of commitment and likelihood of commitment are the contingencies of decision making. 5.3 Path-Goal Model Path-Goal Model is developed by Robert House. This model clearly highlight the duty of the leader that it is the duty of the leader to assist his group in attaining the goals and give them proper direction as well as make it possible to provide them the support needed in attaining their goals and to ensure them that their goals are absolutely compatible with the organizational goals and objectives. This is a comprehensive model developed by the Robert House because it deals with the responsibilities and duties of a leader. The basic duty of a leader is to provide assistance to his group and make them able to attain their goals which are indeed compatible to the goals of organization. Through this model Robert House divided the behavior of the leaders in four categories such as: Directive Leaders: Such leaders who directs the followers that what is to be done, when to be done, and how they can accomplish the task so given. Supportive Leader: Supportive leader facilitate their groups for effective performance and remained friendly with them so to build their confidence which directly improve the performance of the followers. Participative Leader: A leader who participate in decision making and before making any decision consult with his followers and consider their suggestion in all respect if possible to consider. Achievement-Oriented Leader: A leader who believe in best performance all the time from his followers because such leader set the challenges and communicate the group member promptly and remained supportive and participative all the time. According to Fred Fiedler the leader should not change his style and should remained strict but on the other hand Robert House propose that the behavior of a leader should be flexible and should be molded in accordance with the situation and this is the symbol of effective leadership because a effective leader always handle the situations not personal ego. Thats why the Path- Goal Model is a comprehensive model which can be applicable to all sorts of organizations, enterprises, sub-divisions and projects because leadership remained committed with the organizational goals which are compatible to the goals of the followers. Advise on the Succession of Sir Alex Ferguson After observing the history of the Manchester United and the previous leader Matt Busby who guided the club since 1949 and retired in 1969 and proved him to be an effective and energetic leader of the club but after his retirement the club remained unfortunate because no manager of the club after him brought back the years of excellence and glory except Sir Alex Ferguson. But when we study the historical background of Sir Alex Ferguson then it is concluded that how difficult Sir Alex Ferguson achieved this position and become an aggressive and dominant leader after facing great difficulties in earlier of his life. All the requirements and skills required to a leader for meeting the challenges in present and future have been detailed hereinabove relying on the theories and model of leadership. Therefore, on the basis of above detailed studies it is suggested to Sir Alex Ferguson that succession should possess the following abilities and skills for effective leadership:- Should have experience of working in same situation as is in Manchester United; Should be diligent and hard working; Should be able to communicate the subordinates properly; Should possess the skill to evaluate the weakness and strengths of the club if any; Should possess the ability to motivate the sub-ordinates properly and get their best performance; Should possess the ability to build confidence of the followers; Should possess the ability to understand clubs needs and goals; Should possess the skill and ability to work under pressure; Should have good attitude towards the groups or followers; Should be able to understand the demands and needs of the groups and followers; Should be able to make right decision in different situations; Should be eligible to overcome the crucial and uncertain situations; Should possess good moral values; Should be supportive and participative towards followers or groups; Finally it is suggested that as Sir Alex Ferguson is available in the club till the next season and also know very well the abilities and skills of the sub-ordinates therefore, being a revolutionary and successful leader of the club, he is the person who can choose the succession of the Manchester United because he possess a very long and health experience of working effective leadership and being an effective leader he is the one who knows very well that which one would be the succession of him and what things are to be understand to the succession and now Sir Alex Ferguson has almost one season and it is sufficient time for him to get choose his succession and do the training of him if required and make him able in his presence to face the gravity of work and this would be most fruitful for Sir Alex and his succession because if under the supervision of Sir Alex his succession perform excellent then Sir Alex could believe him that he would perform good in his absence. Therefore, in my suggestion Sir Alex Ferguson should choose his succession in his presence because where the club is now is due to him therefore, he should have the right to choose his succession with his own will but keeping in view goals and destinations of the Manchester United.

Comparing The Speckled Band and Neighbourhood Watch :: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Colin Dexter Essays

Comparing The Speckled Band and Neighbourhood Watch In this essay I' am going to compare & contrast two detective stories. A pre-twentieth century story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle called 'The Speckled Band' & a modern story by Colin Dexter called Neighbourhood Watch. I will describe the language, characters, social and historical context, Style, the plot, similarities and differences between the two. I will also state which I prefer & why. The Speckled Band starts off with Miss Stoner going to Sherlock Holmes's house and asking for his help. She tells him of her sister's death and of how her sister had heard a whistle at night for the past week or so. On the night of her death there was a loud scream of terror and just after a whistle Miss Stoner went to inspect quickly but as she neared her sisters room she stumbled out and said silently a 'speckled band'. Miss Stoner was quite worried because her sister was soon to be married and now so is she. As soon as she left Dr Roylott came barging in wanting to know what Miss Stoner had come to see Holmes for. Holmes tried to put off answering Dr Roylott and answered with something about the weather. In disgust Dr Roylott picked up Holmes's poker and bent it then he left. Once Dr Roylott left Holmes picked up his poker and bent it back as straight as possible in one go. Holmes and Watson soon left for Stoke Moran which is the home to DR Roylott and Miss Stoner who live with one servant. But they told the dog cart driver that took them there that they were archaeologists and were interested in the building itself. They got off the dog cart near the plantation that was on Dr Roylott's land. He let some gypsies live there and often used to go with them on voyages and trips. When Holmes started to look at the rooms he began in Miss Stoners room which was supposed to be having some repairs done to the wall because the builders punctured the wall while doing repairs in the other wing of the house. When Holmes looked at it there wasn't any repairs done to the wall and nothing wrong with it either. Holmes soon went on to the next room which was currently being used by Miss Stoner Holmes automatically noticed the ventilator and told Watson that he knew that it was somewhere near due to the fact that the dead sister could smell Dr Roylott's cigars and could hear things that Dr Roylott was doing and that meant there was some kind of connection between the rooms and

A Dirty Job Chapter 26

26 ORPHEUS IN THE STORM SEWER Charlie parked the van sideways in the street and ran up the steps of the Buddhist center calling her name. The huge front door was hanging askew by one hinge, the glass broken, and every drawer and cabinet had been opened and the contents scattered, every piece of furniture overturned or broken. â€Å"Audrey!† He heard a voice to the front of the house and ran back out on the porch. â€Å"Audrey?† â€Å"Down here,† she called. â€Å"We're still under the porch.† Charlie ran down the steps and around to the side of the porch. He could see movement behind the lattice. He found a small gate and opened it. Inside, Audrey was crouched with a half-dozen other people and a whole crowd of the squirrel people. He scrambled into the crawl space and took her in his arms. Charlie had tried to keep her on the line during the drive over, but a few blocks away the battery in his phone had died, and he had tried, for those few terrifying moments, to imagine losing her – his future, his hope – after his hope had just been awakened again. He was so relieved he could barely breathe. â€Å"Are they gone?† Audrey asked. â€Å"Yes, I think so. I'm so glad you're all right.† Charlie led them out of the crawl space and back into the house, the squirrel people staying close to the walls and moving quickly so as not to be seen from the street. Charlie felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Irena Posokovanovich smiling at him. He jumped up a couple of steps and screamed. â€Å"Don't shock me again, I'm a good guy.† â€Å"I know that, Mr. Asher. I was wondering if you'd like me to park your van for you before it gets towed away.† â€Å"Oh yes, that would be nice.† He handed her the keys. â€Å"Thank you.† In the house, Audrey said, â€Å"She just wants to help.† â€Å"She's creepy,† Charlie said, but then he caught what he thought was a look of disapproval rising in Audrey's eyes and he quickly added, â€Å"In a completely sweet way, I mean.† They went directly to the kitchen and stood before the open pantry. â€Å"They got them all,† Audrey said. â€Å"That's why they didn't hurt us – they weren't interested in us.† Charlie was so angry he was having trouble thinking, but without an outlet, he just shook and tried to keep his voice under control. â€Å"They just did the same thing at my store. Something did.† â€Å"There must have been three hundred souls in here,† Audrey said. â€Å"They took Rachel's soul.† Audrey put her arm around his back, but he couldn't respond other than to walk out of the kitchen. â€Å"That's it, Audrey. I'm done.† â€Å"What do you mean, you're done, Charlie? You're scaring me.† â€Å"Ask your squirrel people where I can get into the storm sewer system. Can they tell you that?† â€Å"Probably. But you can't do that.† He wheeled on her and she jumped back. â€Å"I have to do that. Find out, Audrey. Everyone into my van. I want you at my building, where you'll be safe.† They were all gathered in Charlie's living room: Sophie, Audrey, Jane, Cassandra, Lily, Minty Fresh, the undead clients from the Buddhist center, the hellhounds, and fifty or so of the squirrel people. Lily, Jane, and Cassandra were standing on the couch to get away from the squirrel people, who were milling on and around the breakfast bar. â€Å"Nice outfits,† Lily said. â€Å"But ewww.† â€Å"Thank you,† Audrey said. Sophie was standing next to Audrey, looking her up and down as if trying to guess her weight. â€Å"I'm a Jewess,† Sophie said. â€Å"Are you a Jewess?† â€Å"No, I'm a Buddhist,† Audrey said. â€Å"Is that like a shiksa?† â€Å"Yes, I think it is,† said Audrey. â€Å"It's a type of shiksa.† â€Å"Oh, I guess that's okay, then. My puppies are shiksas, too. That's what Mrs. Ling calls them.† â€Å"They're very impressive puppies, too,† Audrey said. â€Å"They want to eat your little guys, but I won't let them, okay?† â€Å"Thank you. That would be nice.† â€Å"Unless you're mean to my daddy. Then they're toast.† â€Å"Of course,† Audrey said. â€Å"Special circumstances.† â€Å"He likes you a lot.† â€Å"I'm glad. I like him a lot.† â€Å"I think you're probably okay.† â€Å"Well, right back at you,† Audrey said. She smiled at the little brunette with the heartbreaking blue eyes and the attitude, and it was all she could do not to scoop her up and hug the bejeezus out of her. Charlie jumped up on the couch next to Jane, Cassandra, and Lily, and then realized as he looked across the room at Minty Fresh that he still didn't stand taller than the Death Merchant, which was a little unnerving. (Minty seemed focused on Lily, which was also a little unnerving.) â€Å"You guys, I'm going to go do something, and I might not come back. Jane, that letter I sent you has all the papers making you Sophie's legal guardian.† â€Å"I'm out of here,† Lily said. â€Å"No,† Charlie said, catching her by the arm. â€Å"I want you here, too. I'm leaving you the business, but with the understanding that a percentage of the profits go to Jane to help with Sophie and will also go into a college fund for her. I know you have your career as a chef, but I trust you and you're good at the business.† Lily looked like she wanted to say something sarcastic, but shrugged and said, â€Å"Sure. I can run your business and cook, too. You do your Death Merchant thing and raise a daughter.† â€Å"Thanks. Jane, you'll get the building, of course, but when Sophie grows up, if she wants to stay in the City, you always have to have an apartment for her.† Jane jumped off the couch. â€Å"Charlie, this is crap, I'm not letting you do anything – â€Å" â€Å"Please. Jane, I've got to go. This is all in writing, I just want you to hear what I wanted in person.† â€Å"Okay,† she said. Charlie hugged his sister, Cassandra, and Lily, then went to the bedroom and gestured for Minty Fresh to follow him. â€Å"Minty, I'm going into the Underworld after the Morrigan – after Rachel's soul, all the souls. It's time.† The big man nodded, gravely. â€Å"I'm right there with you.† â€Å"No, you're not. I need you to stay here and watch over Audrey and Sophie and the others. There are cops outside, but I think their disbelief might make them hesitate if the Morrigan come. You won't do that.† Minty shook his head. â€Å"What chance do you have down there alone? Let me come with you. We'll fight this thing together.† â€Å"I don't think so,† Charlie said. â€Å"I'm blessed or something. The prophecy says, ‘The Luminatus will rise and do battle with the Forces of Darkness in the City of Two Bridges.' It doesn't say, the Luminatus and his trusty sidekick, Minty Fresh.† â€Å"I am not a sidekick.† â€Å"That's what I'm saying,† said Charlie, who wasn't saying that at all. â€Å"I'm saying that I have some sort of protection, but you probably don't. And if I don't come back, you'll need to carry on as a Death Merchant in the City – maybe get the scales tipped back for our side.† Minty Fresh nodded, lowering his gaze to the floor. â€Å"You'll take my Desert Eagles, then, for luck?† He looked up and was grinning. â€Å"I'll take one of them,† Charlie said. Minty Fresh slipped out of his shoulder-holster rig and adjusted the straps until they fit Charlie, then helped him into the harness. â€Å"There are two extra clips in here, under your right arm,† Minty said. â€Å"I hope you don't have to fire it that many times down there or you will be one deaf motherfucker.† â€Å"Thanks,† Charlie said. Minty helped him get his tweed jacket on over the shoulder holster. â€Å"You know, you might be heavily armed, but you still look like an English professor – don't you have some clothes more appropriate for fighting?† â€Å"James Bond always wears a tux,† Charlie said. â€Å"Yeah, I understand the line between reality and fiction seems a little blurred here lately – â€Å" â€Å"I'm kidding,† Charlie said. â€Å"There are some motocross leathers and pads in the shop that will fit me if I can find them.† â€Å"Good.† Minty patted Charlie's shoulders, like he was trying to make them bigger. â€Å"You see that bitch with the poison claws, you light her up for me, okay?† â€Å"I'll buss a cap in da hoe's ass,† Charlie said. â€Å"Don't do that.† â€Å"Sorry.† The hardest part came a few minutes later. â€Å"Honey, Daddy has to go do something.† â€Å"Are you going to get Mommy?† Charlie was crouched in front of his daughter, and he nearly rolled over backward at the question. She hadn't mentioned her mommy a dozen times in the last two years. â€Å"Why would you say that, honey?† â€Å"I don't know. I was thinking about her.† â€Å"Well, you know that she loved you very much.† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"And you know that no matter what, I love you very much.† â€Å"Yeah, you said that yesterday.† â€Å"And I meant it yesterday. But this time, I really do have to go. I have to fight some bad guys, and I might not win.† Sophie's lower lip pushed out like a big wet shelf. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, Charlie chanted in his head. I can't handle it if you cry. â€Å"Don't cry, honey. Everything will be okay.† â€Å"Nooooooooooo,† Sophie wailed. â€Å"I want to go with you. I want to go with you. Don't go, Daddy, I want to go with you.† Charlie held her and looked across the room to his sister, pleading. She came and took Sophie from his arms. â€Å"Noooooo. I want to go with you.† â€Å"You can't go with me, honey.† And Charlie ducked out of the apartment before his heart broke again. Audrey was waiting in the hall with fifty-three squirrel people. â€Å"I'm driving you to the entrance,† she said. â€Å"Don't argue.† â€Å"No,† Charlie said. â€Å"I'm not losing you after just finding you. You stay here.† â€Å"You creep! What gives you the right to be that way. I just found you, too.† â€Å"Yeah, but I'm not much of a find.† â€Å"You're an ass,† she said, and she walked into his arms and kissed him. After a long time, Charlie looked around. The squirrel people were all looking up at them. â€Å"What are they doing here?† â€Å"They're going with you.† â€Å"No. It's too risky.† â€Å"Then it's too risky for you, too. You don't even know what could be down there – this thing that broke into your store wasn't one of the Morrigan.† â€Å"I'm not going to be afraid, Audrey. There might be a hundred different demons, but The Book of the Dead is right, they are only keeping us from our path. I think these things exist for the same reason I was chosen to do this, because of fear. I was afraid to live, so I became Death. Their power is our fear of death. I'm not afraid. And I'm not taking the squirrel people.† â€Å"They know the way. And besides, they're fourteen inches tall, what do they have to live for?† â€Å"Hey,† said a Beefeater guard whose head was the skull of a bobcat. â€Å"Did he say something?† Charlie asked. â€Å"One of my experimental voice boxes.† â€Å"It's a little squeaky.† â€Å"Hey!† â€Å"Sorry, uh, Beef,† Charlie said. The creatures seemed resolute. â€Å"Onward, then!† Charlie ran down the hall so he wouldn't have to say good-bye again. Ten yards behind him marched a small army of nightmare creatures, put together from the parts of a hundred different animals. It just so happened that at the time they were reaching the staircase, Mrs. Ling came downstairs to see what all the commotion had been about, and the entire army stopped in the stairway and looked up at her. Mrs. Ling was, and had always been, a Buddhist, and so she was a firm believer in the concept of karma, and that those lessons you did not learn would continually be presented to you until you learned them, or your soul could never evolve to the next level. That afternoon, as the Forces of Light were about to engage the Forces of Darkness for dominion over the world, Mrs. Ling, staring into the blank eyes of the squirrel people, had her own epiphany, and she never again ate meat, of any kind. Her first act of atonement was an offering to those she felt she had wronged. â€Å"You want snack?† she said. But the squirrel people marched on. The Emperor saw the van pull up near the creek and a man in bright yellow motorcycle leathers climb out. The man reached back into the van and grabbed what looked like a shoulder holster with a sledgehammer in it, and slipped into the harness. If the context hadn't been so bizarre, the Emperor could have sworn it was his friend Charlie Asher, from the secondhand shop in North Beach, but Charlie? Here? With a gun? No. Lazarus, who was not so dependent on his eyes for recognition, barked a greeting. The man turned to them and waved. It was Charlie. He walked down to the creekbank across from them. â€Å"Your Majesty,† Charlie said. â€Å"You seem upset, Charlie. Is something wrong?† â€Å"No, no, I'm okay, I just had to take directions from a mute beaver in a fez to get here, it's unsettling.† â€Å"Well, I can see how it would be,† said the Emperor. â€Å"Nice ensemble, though, the leathers and the pistol. Not your usual sartorial splendor.† â€Å"Well, no. I'm on a bit of a mission. Going to go into that culvert, find my way into the Underworld, and do battle with the Forces of Darkness.† â€Å"Good for you. Good for you. Forces of Darkness seem to be on the rise in my city lately.† â€Å"You noticed, then?† The Emperor hung his head. â€Å"Yes, I'm afraid we've lost one of our troops to the fiends.† â€Å"Bummer?† â€Å"He went into a storm sewer days ago, and hasn't come out.† â€Å"I'm sorry, sir.† â€Å"Would you look for him, Charlie? Please. Bring him out.† â€Å"Your Majesty, I'm not sure that I'm coming back myself, but I promise, if I find him, I'll try to bring him out. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to open this van and I don't want you to be alarmed by what you see, but I want to get into the pipe while there's still some light from the grates. What you see coming out of the van – they're friends.† â€Å"Carry on,† said the Emperor. Charlie slid the door open and the squirrel people hopped, scampered, and scooted down the bank of the creek toward the culvert. Charlie reached into the van, took out his sword-cane and flashlight, and butt-bumped the door shut. Lazarus whimpered and looked at the Emperor as if someone who was able to talk should say something. â€Å"Good luck, then, valiant Charlie,† said the Emperor. â€Å"You go forth with all of us in your heart, and you in ours.† â€Å"You'll watch the van?† â€Å"Until the Golden Gate crumbles to dust, my friend,† said the Emperor. And so Charlie Asher, in the service of life and light and all sentient beings, and in hope of rescuing the soul of the love of his life, led an army of fourteen-inch-tall bundles of animal bits, armed with everything from knitting needles to a spork, into the storm sewers of San Francisco. They slogged on for hours – sometimes the pipes became narrow enough that Charlie had to crawl on his hands and knees, other times they opened into wide junctions like concrete rooms. He helped the squirrel people climb to higher pipes. He'd found a lightweight construction helmet fitted with an LED headlamp, which came in handy in narrow passages where he couldn't aim the flashlight. He was also bumping his head about ten times an hour, and although the helmet protected him from injury, he'd developed a throbbing headache. His leathers – not really leathers, but more heavy nylon with Lexan pads at the knees, shoulders, elbows, shins, and forearms – were protecting him from bumps and abrasions on the pipes, but they were soaked and rubbing him raw at the backs of his knees. At an open junction with a grate at the top he climbed the ladder and tried to get a look at the neighborhood to perhaps get a sense of where they were, but it had gotten dark out since they s tarted and the grate was under a parked car. What irony, that he would finally summon his courage and charge into the breach, only to end up lost and stuck in the breach. A human misfire. â€Å"Where the hell are we?† he said. â€Å"No idea,† said the bobcat guy, the one who could talk. The little Beefeater was disturbing to watch when he spoke, since he really didn't have a face, only a skull, and he spoke without ever making the P sound. Also, instead of a halberd, which Charlie thought should have come with the costume for authenticity, the bobcat had armed himself with a spork. â€Å"Can you ask the others if they know where we are?† â€Å"Okay.† He turned to the damp gallery of squirrel people. â€Å"Hey, anybody know where we are?† They all shook their heads, looking from one to another, shrugging. Nope. â€Å"No,† said the bobcat. â€Å"Well, I could have done that,† Charlie said. â€Å"Why don't you? It's your _arty,† he said. Charlie realized he meant â€Å"party.† â€Å"Why no Ps?† Charlie asked. â€Å"No li_s.† â€Å"Right, lips. Sorry. What are you going to do with that spork?† â€Å"Well, when we find some bad guys, I'm going to s_ork the fuck out of them.† â€Å"Excellent. You're my lieutenant.† â€Å"Because of the s_ork?† â€Å"No, because you can talk. What's your name?† â€Å"Bob.† â€Å"No really.† â€Å"Really. It's Bob.† â€Å"So I suppose your last name is Cat.† â€Å"Wilson.† â€Å"Just checking. Sorry.† â€Å"‘S okay.† â€Å"Do you remember who you were in your last life?† â€Å"I remember a little. I think I was an accountant.† â€Å"So, no military experience?† â€Å"You need some bodies counted, I'm your man, er, thing.† â€Å"Swell. Does anyone here remember if they used to be a soldier, or a ninja or anything? Extra credit for ninjas or a Viking or something. Weren't any of you like Attila the Hun or Captain Horatio Hornblower in a former life or something?† A ferret in a sequined minidress and go-go boots came forward, paw raised. â€Å"You were a naval commander?† The ferret appeared to whisper into Bob's hat (since Bob no longer had ears). â€Å"She says no, she misunderstood, she thought you meant horn blower.† â€Å"She was a prostitute?† â€Å"Cornet _layer,† said Bob. â€Å"Sorry,† Charlie said. â€Å"It's the boots.† The ferret waved him off in a â€Å"no worries† way, then leaned over and whispered to Bob again. â€Å"What?† Charlie said. â€Å"Nothing,† Bob said. â€Å"Not nothing. I didn't think they could talk.† â€Å"Well, not to you,† said Bob. â€Å"What did she say?† â€Å"She said we're fucked.† â€Å"Well, that's not a very good attitude,† Charlie said, but he was starting to believe the go-go ferret was right, and he leaned back into a semisitting position in the pipe to rest. Bob climbed up to a smaller pipe and sat on the edge, his feet dangling over; water dripped from his little patent-leather shoes, but the floral pattern brass buckles still shone in the light of Charlie's headlamp. â€Å"Nice shoes,† Charlie said. â€Å"Yeah, well, Audrey digs me,† said Bob. Before Charlie could answer, the dog had grabbed Bob from behind and was shaking him like a rag doll. His mighty spork clattered off the pipe and was lost in the water below.

Conjugate the French Verb Accueillir (to Welcome)

Conjugate the French Verb Accueillir (to Welcome) As you are learning to speak French, you will find that you need to learn how to conjugate many verbs. The verb  accueillir  means to welcome. This is one of the irregular verbs that is a little more difficult to remember, but with practice, you should have no problems.   Conjugating the French Verb  Accueillir Why do we have to conjugate verbs in French? Put simply, to conjugate simply means to match the verb form to the subject you are speaking about. We do so in English as well, though not to such extremes as languages such as French. For instance, we use a different form of  accueillir  when speaking about ourselves. I welcome becomes jaccueille in French. Likewise, we welcome becomes nous accueillons. Its actually quite simple. However, the problem with irregular verbs like  accueillir  is that there is no defined pattern. This is a rare exception to the French grammar rules for verbs ending in -ir. This means that you need to memorize each conjugation rather than rely on patterns and rules. Dont worry, though. With a little study, you  will  find that there is some pattern to this verb and will be using it to form proper sentences before you know it. This chart shows all of the forms of  accueillir  in present, future, imperfect, and present participle tense. Subject Present Future Imperfect j accueille accueillerai accueillais tu accueilles accueilleras accueillais il accueille accueillera accueillait nous accueillons accueillerons accueillions vous accueillez accueillerez accueilliez ils accueillent accueilleront accueillaient The Present Participle of  Accuellir The  present participle  of  accueillir  is  accueillant. It can be used as a verb or as an adjective, gerund, or noun, depending on the circumstance. Accueillir  in Past Tense You may have noticed that the imperfect is the only past tense of  accueillir  in the chart. In many cases, we can simply use the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  to express a phrase such as I welcomed. There are two elements that need to be added in order to do so. One is the  auxiliary verb, which is always either  Ãƒ ªtre  or  avoir.  For  accueillir, we use  avoir.  The second element is the  past participle  of the verb, which in this case is  accueilli.  This is used no matter the subject. Putting all of this together, to say I welcomed in French, it would be jai accueilli. To say we welcomed, you would say nous avons accueilli. In these cases, ai and avons are conjugates of the verb  avoir. More Conjugations for  Accueillir There are more conjugations for  accueillir  that you may use in some instances, though your focus should be on those above. The subjunctive verb mood is used when something is uncertain. The conditional verb mood is used when the action is dependent on certain conditions. Both the passà © simple and imperfect subjunctive are used in formal writing. While you may never use these especially the last two in the chart it is good to be aware of their existence and when they might be used. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive j accueille accueillerais accueillis accueillisse tu accueilles accueillerais accueillis accueillisses il accueille accueillerait accueillit accueillt nous accueillions accueillerions accueillmes accueillissions vous accueilliez accueilleriez accueilltes accueillissiez ils accueillent accueilleraient accueillirent accueillissent The final form of the verb  accueillir  is the imperative form, which also expresses mood. In this form, you will not use the subject pronoun. Instead, it is implied within the verb itself and you will notice that they have the same endings as the present tense and subjunctive forms. Rather than say tu accueille, you will simply use the word  accueille. Imperative (tu) accueille (nous) accueillons (vous) accueillez Similar Irregular Verbs Just because it is an irregular verb does not mean that  accueillir  is not similar to other verbs. While you are studying to welcome include  cueillir  in your lessons. This verb means to gather or to pick and uses similar endings to those you see above.