Transnational Crime Essay Example for Free

Transnational Crime Essay The documentary Life and Debt portrays a true example of the impact economic globalization can have on a developing country. When most Americans think about Jamaica, we think about the beautiful beaches, warm weather, and friendly people that make it a fabulous vacation spot. This movie shows the place in a different light, by showing a pressuring problem of debt. The everyday survival of many Jamaicans is based on the economic decisions of the United States and other powerful foreign countries. The film opens with camera shots portraying Jamaica as the beautiful and carefree place that most Americans view it as. The vast majority are oblivious to the fact that the delicious food they indulge in on their voyage probably came off a ship from Miami. In the 1970s, the countrys former Prime Minister signed a loan agreement which ultimately led Jamaica to owe over four billion dollars in debt to the World Bank and IMF. This ultimately caused a sinking economy of low valued imports and to sweatshops destroying local businesses and agriculture. In the video, we see workers who are working gruesome six-day-a-week work schedules to receive the legal minimum wage of only $30 in US money for the entire week. Many have protested against the poor compensation, and have been fired from their jobs; having been placed on blacklists which prevent them from ever getting work again. Many have turned to crime as a means of income. What Globalization Means Globalization is not a recent concept. It means that the worldwide, virtually instantaneous interdependence about many aspects of economic and cultural life within a nation or state has expanded across borders either intentionally or unintentionally. Now this nation or a states independence to control events within its borders is challenged by international corporations, economic globalization, trade, transnational crime and the increase in global communications and developments in technology. Ways in Which Globalization Increases Crime Streeten defined the components of globalization’s effects on the fundamental change in our lives as below: †¦additionally to economic interdependence in terms of trade, finance, direct investment, there are technological, educational, cultural, ideological, and environmental, legal, military, strategic and political incentives that are rapidly spread throughout the world. Money and goods, images and people, sports and religions, guns and drugs, diseases and pollution can now be moved quickly across all over the world. Although people in many places seem prepared to die for the better option, we can say that there is no absolute model of the state. While we are talking about the state and globalization, we face the same dilemma while discussing the family characteristics in the West. In other words, the traditional Western family model and marriage has lived through many changes, and faced irreversible damages. We cannot state how the family will be in the future. The only thing we can do is keep up old and traditional values. Similarly, states are seeing considerable elements of traditional statehood being eroded. Main Components The sum of the various elements of globalization has caused sovereign state less and less a locus of policy and control under some organizations such as the WTO, the EU, NAFTA. Those organizations have become more significant players in the world politics arena. Indeed, it will be increasingly difficult for our future civil servant to define what national and international dimensions of problems are. Main Actors More than 190 countries now take place in the political arena with a larger number of powerful non-sovereign and at least partly (and often largely) independent actors that at least partly, varying from corporations to non-government organizations (NGOs), from terrorist groups to drug cartels, from regional and global institutions to banks and private equity funds. The sovereign state is affected by them causing better or worse as much as possible. The monopolistic power once enjoyed by sovereign entities is now being eroded.

Climate Change Effects On Water Resources Environmental Sciences Essay

Climate Change Effects On Water Resources Environmental Sciences Essay The last two decades climate change is increasing due to the change of human activity such as cars, planes, factorys and other sources we use that adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Because of these human causes the earth is heating up. One effect that climate change has is the effect the change will have upon human water freshwater resources. I believe that climate change will have an effect on human water resources because of the close connections with the hydrological cycle, the raising temperature will increase in floods and droughts that will lead to the demand on more freshwater resources. Climate change has close connections with the hydrological cycle. The hydrological cycle is located in the earths hydrosphere this is the area in around earth which holds all the water. The water is moved around the earths hydrosphere in a cycle. The hydrological cycle is moved in five different steps evaporation, precipitation, condensation, runoff, collection and infiltration. The as you can see in Figure 1 the hydrologival cycle all starts of with evaporation this is the change of liquid water to water vapour. The next step is condensation this is the process of changing water vapour, from a liquid and then to form clouds as you can see from the clouds in figure 1. This process can be notice for example when you look out for dew on the ground in the morning. As the clouds you see in the sky move around earth spreading the water vapour from place to place. The clouds become over loaded with moisture so they have to release the overloaded moisture. They release the moisture by a pr ocess called by precipitation which is usually rain, hail or snow. Infiltration occurs they when all the precipitations lay on the ground. If there is to much precipitation on the ground this becomes runoff. Runoff stays on the earth ground and runs into streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. So when the precipitation run into the these streams, rivers, lakes and oceans this process is called collection. As infiltration, runoff and collection are being processed, the sun is causing a the cycle to return back to the begaining of the cycle to the process called evaporation.Sunlight heats up the liquid in streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. The warm air rises upwards into the atmosphere and becomes the vapour involved in condensation. Without this process life on earth would be impossible. Freshwater that we use in or day to day lifes usually comes from Aquifer, Streams, Rivers, Lakes. Aquifer are constructed when rocks of the upper part of the earths crust contain holes or pores. Theses holes are big or joined together so that water can flow through them easily. This is a part of rock that is easy for water to pass through known as permeable. Streams usually get most of its water from runoff, rain and melting snow. A stream is formed when the rain and melting snow met at the same place and get into a line of channel. Streams usely flows into lakes, rivers, aquifer and seas. Rivers are a natural stream of freshwater resource. Water within the river is generally collected from precipitation through surface runoff, groundwater recharge, springs and the release of stored water in ice and melting glaciers. Lakes are usually filled with deep freshwater or salt water. Lakes are inland usly on mountains areas and are not part of the Ocean. They are filled by rivers or streams that connect to them. Some Lakes can be man made and are constructed for industrial or agricultur al use and even for hydro- electric power or domestic water supply. Water is one of the most importent inputs the human body needs for us humans to cope with everyday life . We need it for so many things e.g. health, growing food, irrigation, industry. Despite the importance of Freshwater Resources decreasing, we are beginning to take the freshwater resources for granted. Most of the freshwater we use is wasted and polluted. Because the hydrological cycle temperature is rising it will lead to a change in the horological cycle, This will have an impact on the weather. The dry seasons will become alot more dryer and the wet seasons will become alot more wetter. Leaving us with more floods and droughts. This change will therefore will impart the availability and quality of water. Some of the countries on this earth already have a hard enouch time getting water because of increaseing industrial pollution and population growth. Climate change just adds to the problem to the quality of water, which in some parts of the world the reduce rainfall and rising temperatures decrease the freshwater. By the year 2025 most of humans living in countries with poor water quality levels will increase from approximately 34 percent (in 1995) to 63 percent.R K Pachauri (2005) The change in accessing water stressed areas will have a potential conflict. As there will be a pressured demand on freshwater because of household, agricultural and industrial uses. These conflicts will occur in water stressed areas fighting against areas of natural springs and rivers as well as this it will lead to conflict on boundary areas for example the region of Northern Kenya and the Samburu is having to cope with the changing patterns of rainfall and dry periods which with other pressures on the natural resources are leading to increasing conflict among tribal groups over access to scarce water.Smith (2006) 2 Discussion Most of the earth has 70% of ocean. While just 30% of the earth is land. Around 84% of the worlds population is living on dry land. Humans are trying to fix this by reconstruction the hydrological cycle system by building dams and creating waste water treatment plants etc. These elements will provide water for agriculture, household, Industrial, environmental and other uses. But these changes will also lead to some defects in years to come. India is one of the most effected by climate change. The snow ice caps of the Himalayas is experienceing less snow because of snow melt. The glaciers is melting and there is signs of increase flooding. The increasing rising temperatures is starting to dry up the rivers. The Himalayas holds the largest amount ice on the earth. Researchers have figure out that there is a strong combination between snow and the temperature. In recent years the Himalayas have experienced warm periods in the years between 1960- 1990, causing a reduction in snow fall. Glaciers has been watched by researchers in the the past years. The United Nations climate report predicts by 2035 some Himalayan glaciers will disappear with the rising temperatures. Because of the glaciers melting the melting ice will run off into rivers such as the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers and some tributaries coming from the Himalayan ice field. This will cause flooding to riverside cites e.g. Varanasi, Kanpur and Patna. These citys have a population of millions and have already experience floods during high monsoon season and it will be ongoing. Flooding will also cause interruption for the farming areas in northern parts of India and cause damage to the roads and rail way line. The dams such as the dams in Kosi ans Sutlej could over flow causing more destruction to cornfields and settlements. When the point of no ice is reached by 2035 the ice melting will have either stopped because of a solution to climate change or be dried up because of the continued temperature rising. If the ice does start to minimise the river will become weaker and dryer during the monsoon mouths and summer. As the earths temperatures rises from about 14 degrees C based in 2000 to a estimated 19 degrees C in 2100 the following effects will be cause by the increase; Agricultural, Household, Industrial, Environmental and health sea levels will rise to an estimated 3.9 in to estimated 35 by 2100. Some parts of the coastal cites around India e.g. Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and other parts of the world will be underwater. Even most of the island around India will be covered in water. The island of Lohachara is the first island in the world to be covered in water due to climate change. The island is located on the southern edge of the Ganges delta in the bay of Bengal. Its 10,000 residents became the first refugees created because of climate change. There is a group of 27 island called Lakhadweep around the Arabian sea off the coast of south Indian state Kraal. They have a population of about 61,000 people living on them. The low lying islands are in huge danger of being covered in water as well. India is one of the world biggest countrys that effects the greenhouse effect. With the increased temperatures they will create a increase in precipitation. Rising the process of evaporation resulting from warmer sea temperatures in the Indian ocean and Arabian Sea will increase that destroy process around the west Indian Rajasthan Desert As well as the water resources being shorten because of climate change there is also another problem and that is that usually boundary countries sometime share the same water resource. There is some indentation that there has been conflict over freshwater shared by two or more countries. Freshwater is very important to all the worlds Humans activity, including the Agricultural, Household, Industrial and Environmental. But bad management and the impact of climate change can lead to tensions between different countries. For some years the counties such as India and Bangladesh have encountered conflict on river resources. It all started In 1993 when India and Bangladesh came under pressure when the Ganges River started to reach its record lows. Because the water level was low it affected Bangladesh agricultural and killed most of its crops. In October 1995, The Prime Minister of Bangladesh addressed the United Nations(UN) .The prime minister called India ¿Ã‚ ½s share of river water resources  ¿Ã‚ ½a gross violation of human rights and justice. ¿Ã‚ ½ India ¿Ã‚ ½s establishment of the Farrakka Barrage which is a barrage built near the border of Bangladesh. The barrage was build was to separate water for the Calcutta port. But Bangladesh says that because of this separation it has resulted in falling water tables and greater water resources for Bangladesh. India has a different view of the issue. Indian leaders says that Bangladesh was wrong in describing this issue. Bangladesh has asked India for a  ¿Ã‚ ½minimum guarantee ¿Ã‚ ½ agreement which will give Bangladesh a minimum flow of water. In 1996 India and Bangladesh agreed in the agreement then the  ¿Ã‚ ½Treaty on the Sharing of the Waters of the Gang ¿Ã‚ ½ was signed. Some political leader were unhappy about the agreement. But it was accepted my most political leaders. Since the treaty Bangladesh continues to have a number of problems. Some of the agreements that was agreed in the treaty have not been met. How are we going to fix this problem is the question we need to ask ourselfs I can see from my research that some efforts are being made to improve management in freshwater resources. Different organiseions have been developed to help the mather of climate change for example, the United Nation(UN) have organised the first water conference to take place in 1977 and developed an action plan to take action on the improved management and development of water resources and the UN designated 2003 as the international year of freshwater resources. The mission of the organision is to increase awareness of the importance of freshwater use, management and protection, provide an opportunity to change the implementation of the principles of integrated water resources management, use the year as a platform for promoting existing activity and spearheading new initiatives in water resources at the international, regional and national levels, and Launch the world water development report at the thir d world water forum in Kyoto. The World Summit on Sustainable Development(WSSD) 2002 has emphasised on the development of an integrated water resources management and water efficiency plan.DEVELOPMENT (2003). Global Water Partnership(GWP) Is a network of agencies and intuitions to promote  ¿Ã‚ ½integrated water resource management ¿Ã‚ ½ in developing countries. It facilitates the exchange of knowledge, experience and practise related to water resources management.Partnerships (2010). World Water Council(WWC) is an international think-tank for water issues. It objective is to  ¿Ã‚ ½increase advocacy for improved water resources management ¿Ã‚ ½. WWC has been organising the World Water Forum(WWF) bi-annually. The 3rd Forum was held in Japan in march 2003.Council (2010). European Water Association Act as a focal point for the exchange of information related to water and water activities.Association (2010) 3 Conclusion I can conclude that because of climate change and the hydrological cycle it is having a slight long term effect on human water resources. I can see that it has close connections with the hydrological cycle. Because of this it will increases flooding, create dry lands and encounter conflict within countries. More acceleration to the hydrological cycle may result in more severe weather and extreme conditions.Anne E. Egger (2003) If we dont address this issue there will be further more problems in the future and lead to even more droughts and flooding. According to the Comprehensive Assessment Of Water Manage in Agriculture, one in three people are already facing water shortages(2007). Almost one-fifth of the world ¿Ã‚ ½s population, live in areas of physical scarcity. Climate change has a close connection between hydrological cycle. Rising temperatures will increase the changing liquid to vapour and lead to the increases in rainfall and snowfall. Because of this the overall supply of freshwater resources will increase, Droughts and floods will happen more frequently and changes in snowfall and snow melt are expected in mountainous areas more frequently. Reading about climate change has made me release that we take our freshwater for granted and dont think about what will happen if we lose the freshwater. Will we have to introduce water charges maintain better water systems.

Handmaids Tale Vs. Fire Dwelle :: essays research papers fc

In the two books Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and Margaret Laurence’s The Fire Dweller’s, the protagonists are very different in character. However, both of these women lost their identity due to an outside influence. In each of the books we see the nature of the lost identity, the circumstances which led to this lost identity and the consequences which occurred as a result of this lost identity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood our main character (Offred) has had her whole world stolen away by the government of Gilead. This new society is sexually repressed, and is founded by religious extremists. Women are only used to produce children, and have no rights at all in the new world of Gilead.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book The Fire Dwellers by Margaret Laurence our main character Stacey MacAindra has been thrown into a life of responsibility. She has an uncommunicative husband who means well, but shows her no love. And four children who she feels are being ruined by her every action. She feels that life has much more to offer than the tediousness of every day routine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nature of Offred’s lost identity is very drastic. Before the new religious group of Gilead took over the world she was a very normal every day woman. She did what was expected of her time and continued to do so after the take over. She had a husband and a daughter who she loved very much. But the new society which she lives in love is not permitted. “ If I thought that this would happen again I would die. But this is wrong, nobody dies from lack of sex. It’s lack of love we die from. There’s nobody here I can love, all the people I could love are dead or elsewhere'; . Offred also had the choice of free will before her civilization changed. But then slowly women began to lose all of their rights and were no longer allowed to have jobs or even to use money,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Sorry, he said. This number is not valid.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “That’s ridiculous, I said. It must be, I’ve got thousands in my account.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “It’s not valid, he repeated obstinately. See that red light? Means it’s not   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  valid,';(p.164). “In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from'; (p.24). Social class was not a racial matter before the take over; and each individual was treated equally.

The Israeli and Turkish Relationship Essay -- Diplomacy

Relationship between Turkey and Israel has been characterized with times of cooperation but also tension. It is a story that provides for interesting political episodes. Its history includes important trade and political interests bringing both sides’ benefits and, more recently, a rapid fall in their wide-ranging cooperation, bringing many disagreements which are yet to be resolved. Turkey was the first country with a prevailing Muslim population that recognized the independence that the state of Israel declared in1948. Thereafter, â€Å"after several decades of discreet relations, the Israeli-Arab peace process made public bilateral Israeli-Turkish ties more acceptable to Turks, who are predominantly Muslim and sympathetic to the Palestinians† (Migdalovitz). This initial fruitful level of cooperation among the two countries, however, experienced a downturn only a decade later. In 1991, Turkey sent its first ambassador to Israel since recalling his predecessor during the Suez crisis of 1956. And, in the intervening years, Turkey was represented in Israel by lower level diplomats. Moreover, the two regional neighbors cemented closer ties in part due to their common view of Syria, which at the time supported the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) insurgency in Turkey, with several military agreements and a free trade agreement in 1996.† Thus, the relations between Turkey and Israel blossomed with Israeli arms sales to Turkey, regular military exercises, the exchange of high-level official visits, and booming trade and tourism. Additionally, Israel modernized U.S.-made fighter planes, tanks, and helicopters for Turkey, and Turkey purchased Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles (Migdalovitz). Later on, these measures were accompanied and ... ...elebritychoice/tonybenn.shtml>. Inbar, Efraim. "The Deterioration in Israeli-Turkish Relations and its International Ramifications." 2011. Migdalovitz, Carol. Turkey: Selected Foreign Policy Issues. 28 11 2010. . Paul Rivlin, Yitzhak Gal. Israel’s Trade Relations with Turkey: an update. 1 May 2011. . Shaoul, Jean. Growing tensions between Turkey and Israel. 12 September 2011. . Turkone, Mumtazer. Where are Turkish-Israeli relations heading? 25 September 2011. . Weekly, Turkish. Turkish PM Erdogan to visit Israel, Palestine. April 30 2005. .

Anger of Gods Depicted in the Old Testament and Kafkas Book, Metamorph

The anger of Gods throughout both stories leads you to believe that the Gods will not hesitate to take revenge on mankind for creating a world of evil in a world they created for good. The Gods from Metamorphoses and the God from the Old Testament create a world full of life, to live happy and full of grace. The destruction and recreation of the world by the Gods of each book, however similar they may seem, are full of differences as they both teach mankind lessons that should not be forgotten. â€Å"Whatever God it was, who brought order to the universe, and gave it division, subdivision, he molded earth† Metamorphoses pg 685. In the beginning the earth had nothing, no light to call sun, no water to bath in, and no human to walk on the ground that we call land that was not land. The Gods choose to make a playground of sorts. In both literature pieces the Gods divide the heavens and the earth, split the water from the land, light from the dark. The God’s made animals for this land and water and creatures for the air. â€Å"But something else was needed a finer being, more capable of mind, a sage, a ruler, so man was born, It may be in God’s image† Metamorphoses pg 686. â€Å"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul† The Old Testament pg 54. The Old Testament God thought it was not good for man to be alone so from the bone of man’s r ib he made a woman. The first murder in the Old Testament is the beginning of God realizing that man was evil, â€Å"god saw the wickedness of man† Old Testament pg 56. Cain murdered his brother Abel, out of jealousy of the Lord’s love. Able a Sheppard who brought the fat of the animals and the Lord had respect fo... ...s to repopulate the earth, â€Å"Go from the temple, cover your heads, loosen your robes, and throw your mothers bones behind you† pg 692. Pyrrha being so innocent could not throw the bones of her mother and refused until she would never insult her mother in such a way. Themis over and over told them to do this until Deucalion thought maybe he meant to throw stones behind them. When Deucalion and Pyrrha did this the stones â€Å"began to lose their hardness, to soften, slowly, to take on form, to grow in size, a little, become less rough, to look like human beings† pg 693. All the stones that Deucalion threw turned to man and all the stones that Pyrrha threw behind her became women. Life began to form from other things as well. The moist mud from the waters drying turned to animals that now roam our earth, swim in our seas and oceans, birds that fly in our skies.

Theme

Eddie Truong Prof. Gray English 28 11 March 2013 Finding The Theme Many stories around the world have a wide variety of theme and issues that are not easily identified. Throughout stories, authors like to describe the characterization of character rather than the plot. The reason authors don’t describe the plot of the story is because through the characterization of the characters, readers are able to distinguish the different issues the author has planted in the story. Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† is a short story that explores the way some people tend to view their family heritage and culture.Even though the title of the story does not give a sense of genre, it is actually a drama story because it has conflicts between different people. This story begins when Mama and Maggie are waiting at their front yard for the arrival of their daughter/sister. When Dee, the sister arrives, she informs her family that she has thrown away her name for another name. When they all get into the house, Dee asks her mom for valuables that were left behind by their past relatives. At first Mama agrees to give it to her, but refuses later because Mama felt that Dee would not carry the important heritage of the family tradition.Dee, who is outraged at this point, runs out of the house and left saying that they do not understand the real importance of their culture essay writer dubai. In the story, â€Å"Everyday Use† uses direct and indirect characterization through Mama, Maggie, and Dee to elucidate the theme of personal belief some people have for their family heritage. One way the theme becomes clearer to the readers is through the indirect characterization of Mama. Indirect characterization is shown throughout the story to show the traits of the characters by what they say and what they do. The readers are able to have a sense of who the character is by indirect characterization.For example, â€Å"A yard like this is more comfortable then most people know. It is not just a yard. It is like an extended living room† (108). Through this quote the readers are able to realize that Mama is proud of what she has and the yard was not just a property to her, it is her culture. Another example given is when Mama â€Å"snatched the quilts out of miss Wangero’s hand and dumped them into Maggie’s lap† (115), and then at the end mama and Maggie sits outside enjoying their sister leave. This shows the readers that Mama believe that Maggie is more qualified to carry on the heritage and their belief of heritage is better than their sister.Another character that is characterized directly and indirectly to help clarify the theme is Maggie. Unlike indirect characterization, direct characterization is when the traits are actually given to us by the narrator rather than their actions and words. The way the author directly and indirectly characterize Maggie helps the reader see the belief she has in her family cultur e. For instance, When Maggie lets her sister have the quilt because she â€Å"can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts† (115) since she was taught how to make the quilt by their grandmother.Maggie does this because she had acquired the skill of quilting from her grandmother. This quote shows that Maggie is open minded and wanted to learn her family’s culture. The readers can have a sense that Maggie feels that the culture of making quilt is better than needing an item to actually remind you of your culture. Another example is when Maggie says that the dasher was whittled by â€Å"Aunt Dee’s first husband†(113) and that his name was â€Å"Henry, but they called him Stash†(113). Maggie says this quietly and outspoken because her sister Dee didn’t remember who in their family made that significant piece.The reader are shown that Maggie actually know more about their family valuables and their heritage than Dee. Maggie values the importa nce of the people who created this piece, while Dee just valued the material. The last character that helps elucidate the theme through indirect characterization is Dee. The indirect characterization of Dee helps show the reader the views of heritage she has compared to her mother and sister. A given example is when Dee comes back home and tell her family that she has thrown away her name, which has been in their family for years and chosen the name: â€Å"Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo† (112).This shows the readers that Dee has thrown her family’s name that has been passed down their culture because she wanted to be even closer to the roots of their African Americans culture. Another example that is given is when Dee yells at her mother that Maggie shouldn’t wear the quilts because she doesn’t â€Å"appreciate the quilts† that their ancestors has made. Dee believes that â€Å"they’re priceless†(114) and that they should be hung up. Even t hough the readers will find that Dee is being disrespectful to her mother, the readers are able to recognize that the quilt was made with materials from African American culture.Indirect and direct characterization is a key way to help readers wrestle their way through the different issues expressed by the author. The descriptions of the character’s traits and their words to their actions are important in every story. Many stories would be difficult to figure out the issues or theme without these key points. It could leave readers confused and mislead into many different directions. Through indirect and direct characterization, the readers are able to find the ideas given by the author.

Fool Chapter 24

TWENTY-FOUR BOUDICCA RISING All my years as an orphan, only to find that I had a mother, but she killed herself over cruelty from the king, the only father I had ever known†¦ To find I had a father, but he, too, was murdered by order of the king†¦ To find the best friend I'd ever known was the mother of the woman I adored, and she was murdered, horribly, by order of the king, because of what I had done†¦ To go from being an orphan clown to a bastard prince to a cutthroat avenger for ghosts and witches in less than a week, and from upstart crow to strategist general in a matter of months†¦ To go from telling bawdy stories for the pleasure of an imprisoned holy woman to planning the overthrow of a kingdom†¦ It was bloody disorienting, and not a little tiring. And I'd built quite an appetite. A snack was in order – perhaps even a full meal, with wine. I watched from the arrow loops in my old apartment in the barbican as Cordelia entered the castle. She rode a great white warhorse, and both she and the horse were fitted with full plate armor, fashioned in black with gold trim. The golden lion of England was emblazoned on her shield, a golden fleur-de-lis of France on her breastplate. Two columns of knights rode behind her, carrying lances with the banners of Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Normandy, France, Belgium, and Spain. Spain? She'd conquered bloody Spain in her spare time? She was rubbish at chess before she left. Real war must be easier. She reined up her horse in the middle of the drawbridge, stood in the stirrups, pulled off her helmet and shook out her long golden hair. Then she smiled up at the gatehouse. I ducked out of sight – I'm not sure why. â€Å"Mine!† she barked, then she laughed and led the column into the castle. Yes, I know, love, but bad form, isn't it, to march about with your own bloody army laying claim to random property, innit? Unladylike. She was bloody glorious. Yes, a snack would do nicely. I laughed a bit myself and danced my way to the great hall, indulging in the odd somersault along the way. Perhaps going to the great hall in search of food wasn't the best idea, and perhaps it wasn't my real intention, which was just as well, since instead of a repast, the bodies of Lear and his two daughters were laid out on three high tables, Lear on the dais where his throne sat, Regan and Goneril below, on either side, on the main floor. Cordelia stood over her father, still in her armor, her helmet tucked under her arm. Her long hair hung in her face, so I couldn't tell if she was crying. â€Å"He's a good deal more pleasant now,† said I. â€Å"Quieter. Although he moves about the same speed.† She looked up and smiled, a great dazzling smile, then seemed to remember she was grieving and bowed her head again. â€Å"Thank you for your condolences, Pocket. I see you have managed to fend off pleasantness in my absence.† â€Å"Only by keeping you constantly in my thoughts, child.† â€Å"I've missed you, Pocket.† â€Å"And I you, lamb.† She stroked her father's hair. He wore the heavy crown that he'd thrown on the table before Cornwall and Albany what seemed so long ago. â€Å"Did he suffer?† Cordelia asked. I considered my answer, which I almost never do. I could have vented my ire, cursed the old man, made testament to his life of cruelty and wickedness, but that would serve Cordelia not a bit, and me very little. Still, I needed to temper my tale with some truth. â€Å"Yes. At the end, he suffered greatly in his heart. At the hands of your sisters, and under the weight of regret for doing wrong to you. He suffered, but not in his body. The pain was in his soul, child.† She nodded and turned from the old man. â€Å"You shouldn't call me child, Pocket. I'm a queen now.† â€Å"I see that. Smashing armor, by the way, very St. George. Come with a dragon, did it?† â€Å"No, an army, as it turns out.† â€Å"And an empire, evidently.† â€Å"No, I had to take that myself.† â€Å"I told you your disagreeable nature would serve you in France.† â€Å"That you did. Right after you told me that princesses were only good for – what was it – ‘dragon food and ransom markers'?† There it was, that smile again, sunshine on my frozen heart, it felt. And like a frostbitten limb, there were pins and needles as the feeling returned. Suddenly I felt the small purse with the witch's puffball heavy on my belt. â€Å"Yes, well, one can't be right all the time, it would undermine one's credibility as a fool.† â€Å"Your credibility is already in question in that regard. Kent tells me that the kingdom fell before me so easily because of your doing.† â€Å"I didn't know it was you, I thought it was bloody Jeff. Where is Jeff, anyway?† â€Å"In Burgundy with the duke – well, the Queen of Burgundy. They both insist on being referred to as the Queen of Burgundy. Turns out you were right about them, which again counts against your standing as a fool. I caught them together at the palace in Paris. They confessed that they'd fancied each other since they were boys. Jeff and I came to an arrangement.† â€Å"Aye, there's usually an arrangement in those situations – the arrangement of the queen's head and body at different addresses.† â€Å"Nothing like that, Pocket. Jeff is a decent chap. I didn't love him, but he was a good fellow. Saved me when Father threw me out, didn't he? And by the time this happened I'd won the guard and most of the court to my sympathies – if anyone was going to lose his head, it wasn't me. France took some territories, Toulouse, Provence, and some bits of the Pyrenees with him, but considering the territories I've taken, overall it's more than fair. The boys have a crashingly large palace in Burgundy that they perpetually redecorate. They're quite happy.† â€Å"The boys? Bloody Burgundy buggering froggy France? By the dangling ovaries of Odin, there's a song in there somewhere!† She grinned. â€Å"I've purchased a divorce from the Pope. Bloody dear[46] it was, too. If I'd known Jeff was going to insist on sanction of the Church I'd have pushed to reinstate the old Discount Pope.† The sound of the great doors opening echoed through the hall and Cordelia turned, fierce fire in her eyes. â€Å"I said I was to be left alone!† But then Drool, who had lumbered through, pulled up as if he'd seen a ghost, and started to back away. â€Å"Sorry. Beggin' your pardons. Pocket, I got Jones and your hat.† He held up the puppet stick and my coxcomb, forgot for a second that he'd been shouted at, then resumed backing out the doors. â€Å"No, come, Drool,† said Cordelia. She waved him in and the guards closed the door behind him. I wondered what the knights and other nobles might think that the warrior queen would admit no one to the hall except two fools. Probably that she was merely another in a long line of family nutters. Drool paused as he passed Regan's body and lost his sense of purpose. He lay Jones and my hat on the table next to her, then pinched the hem of her gown and began to raise it for a peek. â€Å"Drool!† I barked. â€Å"Sorry,† said the Natural. Then he spotted Goneril's body and moved to her side. He stood there, looking down. In a moment his shoulders began to shake and soon he broke into great, rib-wrenching sobs and proceeded to drip tears upon Goneril's bosom. Cordelia looked at me with pleading in her eyes, and I, at her, with something that must have seemed similar. We were shits, together, we were, that we didn't grieve for these people, this family. â€Å"They was fit,† said Drool. Soon he was petting Goneril's cheek, then her shoulder, then both her shoulders, then her breasts, then he climbed on the table on top of her and commenced a rhythmic and unseemly sobbing that approximated in timbre and volume a bear being shaken in a wine cask. I retrieved Jones from Regan's side and clouted the oaf about the head and shoulders until he climbed off the erstwhile Duchess of Albany and slipped through the drape and hid under the table. â€Å"I loved them,† Drool said. Cordelia stayed my hand and bent down and lifted the drapery. â€Å"Drool, mate,† she said. â€Å"Pocket doesn't mean to be cruel, he doesn't understand how you feel. Still, we have to keep it to ourselves. It's not proper to dry-hump the deceased, love.† â€Å"It ain't?† â€Å"No. The duke will be here soon and he'd be offended.† â€Å"What 'bout the other one. Her duke is dead.† â€Å"Just the same, it's not proper.† â€Å"Sorry.† He hid his head under the drape. She stood and looked at me, turning away from Drool and rolling her eyes and smiling. There was so much to tell her, that I'd shagged her mother, and we, technically, were cousins, and, well, things might get awkward. It was my instinct, as a performer, to keep the moment light, so I said, â€Å"I killed your sisters, more or less.† She stopped smiling. â€Å"Captain Curan said they poisoned each other.† â€Å"Aye. I gave them the poison.† â€Å"Did they know it was poison?† â€Å"They did.† â€Å"Couldn't be helped, then, could it? They were right vicious bitches anyway. Tortured me through my childhood. You saved me the effort.† â€Å"They just wanted someone to love them,† I said. â€Å"Don't make the case with me, fool. You're the one that killed them. I was just going to take their lands and property. Maybe humiliate them in public.† â€Å"But you just said – â€Å" â€Å"I loved them,† said Drool. â€Å"Shut up!† I chorused with Cordelia. The doors cracked open then and Captain Curan peeked his head through. â€Å"Lady, the Duke of Albany has arrived,† said he. â€Å"Give me a moment, then send him in,† said Cordelia. â€Å"Very well.† Curan closed the doors. Cordelia stepped up to me then, she was only a little taller than me, but in armor, somewhat more intimidating than I'd remembered her – but no less beautiful. â€Å"Pocket, I've taken quarters in my old solar. I'd like you to visit after supper tonight.† I bowed. â€Å"Does my lady require a story and a jest before bedtime to clear her head of the day's tribulations?† â€Å"No, fool, Queen Cordelia of France, Britain, Belgium, and Spain is going to shag the bloody bells off you.† â€Å"Pardon?† said I, somewhat nonplussed. But then she kissed me. The second time. With great feeling, and she pushed me away. â€Å"I invaded a country for you, you nitwit. I've loved you since I was a little girl. I came back for you, well, and for revenge on my sisters, but mostly for you. I knew you would be waiting for me.† â€Å"How? How did you know?† â€Å"A ghost came to me at the palace in Paris months ago. Scared the barnaise out of Jeff. She's been advising the strategy since.† Enough talk of ghosts, I thought. Let her rest. I bowed again. â€Å"At your bloody beckoning service, love. A humble fool, at your service.† ACT V How I would make him fawn and beg and seek And wait the season and observe the times And spend his prodigal wits in bootless rhymes And shape his service wholly to my hests And make him proud to make me proud that jests! So perttaunt-like would I o'ersway his state That he should be my fool and I his fate. – Love's Labour's Lost, Act V, Scene 2, Rosaline