Analysis Of How Junk Food Can End Obesity - 1791 Words

Elisabeth Wilgenburg Teresa Ishigaki English 3 15 September 2014 An Analysis of â€Å"How Junk Food can End Obesity† David H. Freedman, a consulting editor for John Hopkins and author of several books, writes in â€Å"How Junk food can End Obesity† about the dangers of ruling out Fast Food as a way to decrease obesity in society. He argues that using nutrients to gauge the healthiness of a food is an adequate way to increase health in society, and that most â€Å"healthy† foods contain a lot of unhealthy ingredients that do not promote health. He also advocates small changes of about 50-100 calories in meals to encourage people to stay on their diets and promote long-term weight loss. He also points out the severe monetary difference between health foods and fast food. He ultimately wants to promote using the forum of food in society to decrease obesity in society, rather than making the large leap from junk food to whole, natural foods. Freedman’s argument is a claim of value, because he wants people to change their v iew point from looking down on obese people for their dietary decisions and focus on encouraging the food industry to cut back on calories in food. Near the end of the article, he does support for government action, but it was more of an afterthought rather than a call for action. He even provides evidence that taxation has not always worked; â€Å"Denmark did manage to enact a fatty-food tax, but it was deemed a failure when consumers went next door into Germany and Sweden toShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Article How Junk Food Can End Obesity844 Words   |  4 PagesThe obesity epidemic has become one of the worst illnesses nationwide over the past few decades. Obesity is technically defined as a disorder that involves excessive body fat which increases the risk for health problems or concerns. The most concerning part of America’s obesity epidemic is the percentage that affects the children. The major question, is can we as Americans do anything to change the obesity rate? In the article â€Å"How Junk Food Can End Obesity,† the author David H. Freeman demonstratesRead MoreResearch Proposal for Fast Food Consumption1143 Words   |  5 PagesRaffay Usman 4. Nausherwan Khan Proposed Research Topic: A statistical analysis of fast food consumption and trends in Pakistan. Purposes: In Pakistan, the fast food trend has entered mainstream. It has taken its roots from the American culture of fast food. Many multinational eateries like McDonald, Pizza Hut, KFC, Dunkin Donuts and Hardees have opened many branches all across Pakistan. These US fast food chains have tailored their menu to local tastes. An example of the same is PizzaRead MoreChildhood Obesity : The Overbearing Truth1664 Words   |  7 PagesChildhood Obesity; the Overbearing Truth. â€Å"Childhood obesity is best tackled at home through improved parental involvement, increased physical exercise, better diet and restraint from eating† – Bob Filner Imagine growing up in a household where one can eat anything. Whether an unlimited amount of sweets or entrees. This is happening now. Parents are unaware of their children eating and physical habits. Leading to the whopping amount of $190 billion in medical bills. This is all because of obesity relatedRead MoreChildhood Obesity : A Growing Disease1492 Words   |  6 PagesChildhood obesity in America is a growing disease that has become an epidemic that has lasting psychological effects because of advertisement of fast food, lack of physical activities, and parental control has made food become a major health issue in many young teenagers’ lives today. Who is to blame? Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years (cdc.gov). this takes us to the focus of how childhood obesity has become an enormous issue today. For us to understand theRead MoreJunk Foods And Childhood Obesity1916 Words   |  8 Pages Junk Foods Bongbong Alfaro DeVry University Prewriting What is your narrowed topic? Be detailed in your answer. You can use any of the versions you’ve developed for prior assignments. Junk Foods are huge contributor to obesity and other diseases. Who is your primary audience or reader? Why? Be detailed in your answer about your audience. Young or old, rich or poor are the primary audience in my topic because they are the consumers who been deceived by companies that misleadingRead MoreObesity And Its Effects On Obesity Essay1282 Words   |  6 Pagesactually leading to an unhealthy lifestyle which is known as obesity. IV. Obesity is a condition of human body that is not as desirable Body Mass Index (BMI) due to accumulation of excess body fat in the blood vessels. A. According to Gary D. Foster, author of the article Primary Physicians’ Attitudes about Obesity and it’s Treatment ,this disease become epidemic in the society and not being solved as the patients’ fears to treat obesity is mainly due to their negative approaches towards this problemRead MoreThe Soft Drink Industry Essay996 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Today’s global soft drink industry that is worth approximately 511.6 billion dollars can trace its history back to the days when the first mineral water was found in natural springs (Reuters, 2014). According to Bellis (2014) people who started bathing in natural springs instantly realised that it is a healthy thing to do and due to that it was said that mineral water has healing powers. The carbon dioxide or in other words the magic that was behind the bubbles in natural spring waterRead MoreAmerica s Present Economic State, Citizens Are Looking For One Thing1778 Words   |  8 Pagesmeans. There has been an increased approval in fast food and convenience store establishments that provide swift and stimulating products. It is the inexpensive and easy way to purchase these â€Å"goods† that is slowly deterring the well-being of our country. The reason behind the low prices of such unhealthy choices provided by fast food restaurants and convenience stores is attributed to the subsidizing of producers of companies making the junk food. These companies such as McDonald’s, Coke, Pepsi, andRead MoreFast-Food Advertising Causes Obesity Essay1395 Words   |  6 Pagesor children who eat from fast food restaurants have a big risk for becoming overweight. Some research shows that greater familiarity with fast food advertising on television is associated with obesity in young people (Pediatric Academic Societies parag.1). It is known that these children and adolescents are being extremely exposed to fast food advertising including the internet, social media, and particularly on television. The marketer and owners of these fast food restaurants use many techniquesRead MoreObesity : Obesity And The Obesity2209 Words   |  9 Pages OBESITY in America As the world is growing day by day the problem of obesity is also increasing all over the world. Since from1980 to 2014, the obesity has risen two times as compared to the previous years. The obesity is related to the how much energy is left, but the most important cause of having the obesity is â€Å"dysbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure† (Nazarii Kobyliak 1). The obesity is the excessive fat in the body and it can cause to any age group form child to the old

Choice of Vertical Firm Boundaries Free Essays

ETC has been the dominating theoretical lens for analyzing firm boundary design choices. Further research reported several limitations to ETC. The Limitations Include low explanatory power of ETC In industries characterized by weak price competition (Nickering and Silverman 2003) and innovative environment (Welter and Evolves 2008) . We will write a custom essay sample on Choice of Vertical Firm Boundaries or any similar topic only for you Order Now The relationship between uncertainty and vertical integration has also been challenged (Dyer 1 996, Hotter 2005, schilling and statesman 2002, walker and Weber 1984, Welter and Evolves 2008). Other limitation of Tee’s explanatory power is its narrow level of analysis. ETC looks at â€Å"one transaction at a time†, therefore it neglects interdependencies of boundary choices and is not sufficient to explain the overall firm boundaries. A number of papers elaborated on that deficiency (e. G. Argyles and Liabilities 1 999, Parmigianino and Mitchell 2009). Capabilities approach provides a complementary explanation to understanding firm boundary choices. Tech (1986, 996) argues that decisions of firm scope are related to firm capabilities and profiting from them in the best way. Capabilities approach scholars propose that firms focus on functions that represent the core of their competitive advantage based on superior capabilities and resources formed over time as a result of path-dependent learning process, and outsource non-core capabilities (e. G. Aragua et al. 2003). Further they argue that firms tend to specialize in activities where they have some comparative advantage Cabooses How to cite Choice of Vertical Firm Boundaries, Papers

Breakbeat Science Exercise Four free essay sample

As an avid fan of Breakbeat Science, Imade it a point to buy â€Å"Exercise Four† as soon as it wasreleased. The CD was produced and mixed for one of the cofounders of thealbum’s record label. DJ DB traveled to New York from London andin 1996 created America’s first drum and bass record store. DJ DBcalled on the talents of Pieter K, DJ Dara, Stakka and many otherelectronic artists from around the world to make this album possible. Iparticularly enjoy the fact that the CD is priced well and includes 15high-quality tracks. I think this CD is a great bargain becausesome of the tracks were produced exclusively for use in European clubs.It’s a bonus to have a dose of culture from a different continenton top of getting to hear some great music. Contrary to howalbums ought to be produced, the most significant tracks here are at theend. My favorite by far is â€Å"2B† by DJ DB and Stakka. We will write a custom essay sample on Breakbeat Science Exercise Four or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It hasa fast tempo and female vocals that add a nice touch to the synth soundsand break beats. The cuts on all tracks are extraordinarily clean andwell recorded. Going through each track I had difficulty findingany defects. The album is composed beautifully and deserves nothing butpraise. At about eight dollars, the CD is a good buy and I recommend it.I can’t wait to see what these musicians will turn outnext time.

Why Abortion is Immoral Essay Example

Why Abortion is Immoral? Essay The ethics of abortion is very complex and controversial as no single opinion whether it is moral to permit abortions exists. Abortion controversy has continued unabated maybe because the Supreme Court imposed the nation with the idea of abortion on demand. Therefore, Don Marquis, in his paper â€Å"Why abortion is Immoral?† provides his own arguments why abortion is the same as killing an adult or human being. The author is trying to provide alternative approach to the controversial debate. Marquis’ ideas are centered on whether to consider fetus a person. He claims that if fetus is considered a person, the he has all rights for life, but if he is not considered a person, then abortion should morally right. Marquis doesn’t try to discern the personhood of a fetus. He also tries to provide clear reasons whether it should be permissible to kill fetus. The most difficult, he says, is the question of morality: â€Å"Morally permissible abortions will be rare indeed unless, perhaps, they occur so early in pregnancy that a fetus is not yet definitely an individual†. (p.189) Marquis defends position that abortions are immoral as they brutalize the one who is willing to kill and is going to deprive from individual’s presence. The consequences of killing are that a person â€Å"deprives them of all the experiences, activities, projects, and enjoyments that would otherwise have constituted ones future†. (p.191) Therefore, abortion is immoral as killing â€Å"inflicts one of the greatest possible losses on the victim†. (p.193) It means that future child is deprived from activities, experiences and enjoyments in his life – there are things he doesn’t enjoy now, but may does enjoy in future, but he is deprived of such chance. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Abortion is Immoral? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Why Abortion is Immoral? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Why Abortion is Immoral? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Summing up, Marquis’ central argument is that abortion deprives others from their future. He sums up: â€Å"When I am killed, I am deprived both of what I now value, which would have been part of my future personal life, but also what I would come to value†. (p.195) It is necessary to agree that every child, either born or unborn, has the right to live. Works Cited Marquis, Don. Why Abortion is Immoral? The Journal of Philosophy, 86, 4 (1989): 183-202.

The Dietary Needs Of Individuals At Different Life Stages Essays

The Dietary Needs Of Individuals At Different Life Stages Essays The Dietary Needs Of Individuals At Different Life Stages Essay The Dietary Needs Of Individuals At Different Life Stages Essay Everybody’s dietary needs depend on a lot of different factors. One of the main stages that is dependant is life stages (New born, Adolescent, Adult and Pensioners). A balanced diet is a diet that has a varied amount of foods or nutrients (Carbohydrates, Minerals and Fruit and Vegetables etc). This is so that the individual eats healthy amounts according to their needs but each person has different needs. Life Stages: Infancy 0-3 Years – New born babies are very good when eating foods as their needs are simple. They need milk and water and this meets all of their needed nutrients. Babies can be given milk through a bottle or the mother can breast feed. There are my benefits of breast feeding and they are: It contains all nutrients in correct amounts. It contains antibodies that protect new born against diseases in the first few months of life. It is clean whereas the bottle may contain bacteria etc. It is already produced by the mother and it can be given in the correct portions. Breast milk does not cause allergies so the baby will be safe. When the baby is being carried in the womb and at birth, the mother of the child is encouraged to breastfeed for at least a few weeks after the baby’s birth. On the other hand some women chose that they don’t want to breast feed or sometimes they can’t as a result they use formula milk (modified cow’s milk). The infant’s kidneys and digestive system is not fully matured when they are born so it is vital that the mothers follow instructions on how to prepare the bottle to reduce the risk of infection. This is why breastfeeding is an easier option. 6 Months Old – This is the age where most babies are introduced into solid foods such as rusks (baby biscuits) and this process is called weaning. Weaning is started around the sixth month of the newborns life. Moreover, this will avoid damage to the young kidneys and obesity and allergies. 8 Months Old – At this stage in the toddlers’ life more solid foods are introduced into the baby’s diet such as cereals and pureed fruit and vegetables. As time goes on the baby gets older and it grows bigger so lumpier foods are put into the diet however this can be different to other babies as they all grow and mature at different ages. Sometimes it takes babies longer than others to chew and swallow lumps. 12-18 Months Old – At this age the baby can now be given cow milk which is full fat and now they should be eating a varied amount of foods that help them to have a balanced diet. Using the milk as food will not be necessary because as they grow older they begin to eat solid foods with the family. Skimmed milk should only be given to children after the age of five. It is important that up to the age of three they have a lot of iron-rich foods. When the children begin weaning they begin to move around a lot and use up more energy so their diet must contain more carbohydrates which provide a good source of energy for crawling and walking youngsters. Childhood: Ages 4-10 – At this stage in the child’s life they are beginning to explore the world and this is the start of their education so their diet should reflect their growing needs. They still need a lot of energy but this will differ due to every child having a different sized body and they will have a different stomach to adults). This is vital for the children’s nutrition. Parents are advised to give their children healthy snacks and meals so as they grow up this will be part of their routine and they will have a healthy body. Mainly other foods like sweets, fizzy drinks and fatty foods are certainly meant to be avoided because it can cause health problems such as obesity however they can be given as treats. A good time to eat these foods is after meal times as it avoids tooth decay. It is also good to have the children show manners and social skills by eating with a knife and fork and drinking from a cup when at the table. It is also vital that the child learns how to brush their teeth so they stay healthy and this will eventually become a habit. Adolescence: 11-18 Years Old – Adolescences’ grow very quickly as this is where there is a big change in a person for example they grow taller and put on weight. There are physical changes both externally and internally. All of these changes require energy so an adolescences’’ appetite can be large as they crave foods which are fatty which causes the weight increase however they should still eat balanced foods. A diet that is high in fats, sugars and salt may result in health problems such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease which will develop as they grow older. It is important that adolescences take part in exercise which will help them to stay fit and lose weight but also its main benefit will be to avoid these health problems. At this age they should be told about the risks of severe dieting that some teenagers are susceptible to. Adults: 19-65 Years – Adults need to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Their ages will decide how much food they should eat and how much carbohydrates and fats to avoid. This will prevent heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Adults’ nutritional requirements reduce as they grow older because they become less able to do physical exercise. They are advised to do some exercise so their body stays healthy and this could result in people living longer. Also as people become adults they are allowed to drink alcohol so there are safe intake measurements with both men and women. Men should consume 21 units and Women should consume 14 units. Pregnancy and Breastfeeding – During teenage pregnancy girls are more likely to suffer with nutrient deficiencies as their bodies are still growing and changing as a result it is vital that they eat more foods as they now have the job of feeding the foetus and because their pregnant they provide breast milk. When an adult is pregnant their nutritional needs increase slightly to help the foetus develop and also the placenta which guards the baby. The figure of speech,’eating for two’ is known and used by many people but this is not completely true. It is more important that they eat a well balanced diet instead of eating lots of foods. If the pregnancy is planned it is advised that woman have more folic acid in their diet maybe in the form of a tablet. Folic acid has been proven to lower the risk of spina bifida in the foetus. If the family of the baby have a good diet then this can be passed down to the baby for example if a person like brussell sprouts this is down to the genes. Older People: 65 Years and Older – As we grow older our bodies become less able to do things like exercise and so our need for energy decreases slightly. Even though they don’t need a lot of food older people still need energy from foods. The sources needed are proteins, vitamins and minerals. Some older people may not eat enough food and so they can’t have a balanced diet with a good amount of nutrition. One of the reasons why they don’t eat enough could be due to depression or being alone. Sometimes if they lose their partners then they may not feel like cooking and they lose their appetite. In order to maintain their appetite they are advised to cook tasty and easy nutritious meals. This will help them to avoid illness. If they do exercise here and there then they will be healthy physically and mentally and this will increase their social wellbeing. Concept of a Balanced Diet Intake and Needs – Apart from breast milk there is no other single food that provides nutrients for a healthy and balanced diet as a result we have to eat a varied amount of foods to keep us healthy. Usually there are no unhealthy foods as such as it is just unbalanced amounts of foods that can cause consequences as health problems. Energy Balance – The term energy balance means how much energy is taken into their bodies and given out but they are both equal. Energy intake is mainly from carbohydrates and fats in diet and the output is the energy that is used during everyday processes like breathing, moving and metabolism. If the energy input is more than the output then the extra bit is stored as fat as it cannot be given off. Over a long period of time this fat will cause chronic conditions like obesity. Children will need a higher intake of energy as they are now at the stage where they’re growing rapidly. Since the mid-twentieth century people living in developed countries have become less active due to the changes in work, transport and technology and this can have a bad impact on their health as this causes obesity. Dietary Reference Values: Dietary reference values were developed by the department of health 1991 to replace recommended daily amounts (RDA’S). DRV are a suggested amount of energy and nutrient intakes and they should not be taken in as exact amounts. They are just guidelines for people of the same age group and they show an estimate of how much energy and nutrients should be taken in and sometimes if can be decided by the gender. These recommendations show what people need for good health. Even though DRV are given as daily intakes, people don’t eat the same foods every day and so their appetite can change. Consequently the intakes of energy and nutrients are averaged over several days moreover DRV only apply to healthy people.

5 Projects To Visit Before Doing Anything In Dubai

5 Projects To Visit Before Doing Anything In Dubai As Dubai is getting geared up for hosting the new developments for coming years, the whole economic horizon has got a fast move. Major visitor and recreational points of interest across the city are usually taking a leap, with projects effectively worth gigantic amounts of money already on their way. If you are interested to see the Dubai future projects, then do not forget to visit these places below. 1. Al Habtoor City This city offers 3 well-appointed inns Regis, a leading W Lodge, presenting more than 2,600 sophisticated suites. This town specifically offers 3 stylish noncommercial podiums, a 2,300-seat perpetual water-based cinema by Franco Dragone known as La Perle, and several stores and recreational amenities, such as shops, well-known dining places and state-of-the-art restaurants, a blvd, a marina balcony, a golf academy and divine landscapes. The exceptional advancement also offers 3 luxurious noncommercial properties, Noura, Amna Meera, in a couple of 74-storey podiums and another 52-storey tower, including elegant condominiums, together with 14 penthouses, 3 of which are generally Very important personnel penthouses. Their attics have expansive living areas, roomy cooking areas, and several balconies having hypnotic vistas. A few penthouses cover a space of 900sq m of the magnificent standard of living with big glass windows. The towers’ 7 penthouses have 862 sqm, with the L-shaped living area, providing occupants clear sights of the exclusive swimming pool, spa bath and landscaped backyard. Extend across 4 floors; the 3 Very important personnel penthouses possess magnificent spaces, several garden balconies, open-air spa bath, a workout room, saunas and steam area the best high-end experience. 2. Al Seef Expanding 1.8km over the Creek and in the vicnicity to National Historical Area, Al Seef is built to keep Emirati lifestyle at its root. Experience the country’s traditions, take a trip through their history and submerge in the customs through programs and ethnic gatherings at the open-air amphitheater as well as open-air memorial, museums, and galleries, Emirati handmade items selling shops and conventional souks, plus floating trading markets. Site visitors can see glimpses associated with Emirati tradition, for example, pearl scuba diving, angling, vessel building and have the means to access abras as well as dhows. The waterside viewpoint may also have eateries and dining places exactly where site visitors can eat, unwind and then inhale the timeless ambiance, precisely where dhows drift their way on the superbly serene stream. This project will be the place to find 3 lodgings a 200-key history, a 150-key modern elegant and a 250-room cutting-edge extravagance resort. 3. Bvlgari Resort Hotel and Marina Village Specifically situated on Jumeirah Bay Isle, a seahorse-shaped tropical isle off the coastline of Jumeirah Seashore, Bvlgari Vacation resort is actually designed by renowned developers of the city and is the world’s 5th Bvlgari Resorts Hotels property. Scheduled to be functional this coming year, its made by an Italian company. The particular 1.8-million-sq-ft multifaceted building will encompass 101 suites and rooms, twenty noncommercial private villas coupled with a marina surrounded by landscapes and followed by a full array of deluxe features. The occupants can have spectacular sights of the Arabian Beach and a pristine sand seashore cove. 4. Dubai Frame Standing upright at 150m height and 93m in width in Za’abeel Recreation area, Dubai Frame is going to be on the list of the city’s one of a kind and unforgettable attractions upon its finalization by the end of this year. Providing strength to its legendary status, it will eventually gleam against the azure skies with its a couple of glowing towers and a linking bridge. The frame signifies the new, the old and the potential of Dubai. Site visitors will turn to Dubai’s history at the mezzanine standard, the location where the city’s background and development will be explained through a brand new and refreshed means of demonstration. The site visitors will certainly enjoy the sky patio point that has a 360-degree sight of Ancient Dubai to the northern part and Brand-new Dubai towards the south. Theyll experience fun packages to complement the revolutionary Dubai adventure. The ultimate experience is a digital urban center of the city, walking visitors through the present to five decades into the foreseeable future in the spectacular metropolis. 5. Bluewaters Island A Meraas venture, Bluewaters is without a doubt a cutting-edge family-friendly tropical isle spot proudly located off the coastline of Jumeirah. Its a human-made compounded tropical isle which is the place to find a privileged choice of high-class condominiums, penthouses, and townhomes. Within this tropical isle, you will not have issues finding the world’s biggest wheel named Ain Dubai, which is 210m in height. Established to be on the list of world’s biggest travel and leisure hang-outs housing a couple of high-end resorts, Bluewaters Island will be a shopper’s heaven, having a wide array of retail and cuisine aspects. JBR’s The Shore is also a couple of minutes of easygoing walk away. This plan would be to construct ten non-commercial towers, providing 3-bedroom condominiums. This tropical isle is going to be linked to the landmass by way of a direct road from Shaikh Zayed Highway. A monorail model will certainly run and carry tourists on a driverless vehicle platform to Dubai Metro’s Nakheel Harbor and Towers platform. A walking bridge will link up this tropical isle to the JBR beach, providing its occupants and site visitors a couple of minutes of a good old stress-free stroll.

Economic Externalities And Market Failure Essay

Economic Externalities And Market Failure - Essay Example It can then, in turn, have either a positive or a negative effect on a third party individual who is not directly involved with the buyer or the seller of the transaction at hand.These costs (or benefits) are not included in the cost curve faced by the decision makers. For example, if I plant trees around my neighborhood, not only will I enjoy the benefits of having a street that is cooler and has more shade, but so will my neighbors, even though they did not have any part whatsoever to play in planting the trees. This is an instance of a positive externality. There are several instances that provide absolute evidence that the market economy is plowed with enough imperfections and that it is unable to achieve economic efficiency. Economic efficiency is both productive and allocative efficiency. Productive efficiency is achieved when goods are made with the least possible amount of scarce resources, in other words, goods are made at the lowest possible cost. Allocative efficiency is a chieved when the right amount of scarce resources are allocated towards the production of the right kind of products., i.e., when a combination of goods that leads to the maximum satisfaction of unlimited wants is produced, allocative efficiency is achieved. Therefore, the market fails to choose the right goods and services and is unable to produce them well enough. Market failure is a concept pertained to economic theory, whereby the allocation of goods and services by a free market is not very efficient.

Daphne du Maurier, Don't look Now Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Daphne du Maurier, Don't look Now - Essay Example Dont look now† is the mystical and wistful story of a British couple named, John and Laura, who are on a vacation in Venice. They are on holiday in order to escape, from the pain and heartbreak of their young daughter Christine’s recent death. They are also on a rebound, striving to bring back the fun, laughter and romance in their marriage, which seems to have diminished after the tragedy. However, quite contradictory to their expectations, Venice soon becomes a hazardous place for them too, as a series of paranormal events unfold, when they meet two old Scottish sisters at a cafà ©. There comes a twist in the plot, when the blind sister claims that she can see the ghost of their deceased daughter uniting with them. All their claims make Laura extremely happy and rekindle a flame of hope in her dull and dim, sad life, and she is suddenly drawn towards the two sisters. An interesting aspect of Du Maurier’s literature was that quite unusually, she wrote from the perspective of the male protagonist, and exceptionally good at that. This story is also told from the rationalist, sensitive and edgy point of view of John, the male lead. John begins the story by describing the trauma and distress her wife is going through, after the shocking tragedy, as it is driving her to the point of hysteria, John is feeling anxious and helpless, at her ordeal and finds very hard to see the unsettling state of mind of his beloved wife. After the two sisters claimed to have seen Christine’s ghost, Laura becomes very ecstatic and that upsets John even more. The two sisters, kept referring to having the â€Å"gift† of second sight, which John instantly dismisses, as he does not believe in ghosts, instead he feels very uncomfortable by seeing Laura’s immediate interest in those women. Laura’s sudden happiness seems like a betrayal to Joh n, who is still a grieving parent and Laura’s

Morality - Ethics Essay Example for Free

Morality Ethics Essay 1. What are the fundamental questions which ethics tries to resolve? Ethics seeks to resolve questions dealing with human morality—concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. 2. Distinguish a human act from act of man. The difference between human acts and man acts is that human acts are a free will decision. This includes knowledge, freedom and voluntarism When modifiers come into play, then it makes the act become the act of man. The elements are ignorance, passion, fear, violence and habits. You act simultaneously with your feelings. A human act is an action that is considered to be carried out voluntarily, whereas an act of man is an involuntary action. The distinctions and nuances between an act of man and a human act are often a focus of philosophical debate. 3. What is morality? Morality is the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good orright and those that are bad, evil or wrong. Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of conduct from a particular philosophy,religion, or culture, or it can derive from a standard that a person believes should be universal. 4. Distinguish moral, immoral, and amoral. Moral concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. Immoral actions or events: those areas of interest where moral categories do apply and of are such a kind as to be evil, sinful, or wrong according to some code or theory of ethics. Amoral actions or events: those areas of interest exhibiting indifference to and not abiding by the moral rules or codes of society. 5. How will you determine the goodness and badness of human act? An event which is caused solely by the effect of nature or natural causes and without any interference by humans whatsoever. 6. What qualities of human act have ethical in form? The qualities of human act that have ethical in form are the actions that are free and deliberate, those that proceeds from the free and conscious acts of man and the act that is always done for a purpose. 7. What are different connotations of the term moral? The term â€Å"morality† can be used either 1. descriptively to refer to some codes of conduct put forward by a society or, a. some other group, such as a religion, or b. accepted by an individual for her own behavior or 2.normatively to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons. 8. Why is Ethics important? Ethics is a requirement for human life. It is our means of deciding a course of action. Without it, our actions would be random and aimless. There would be no way to work towards a goal because there would be no way to pick between a limitless number of goals. Even with an ethical standard, we may be unable to pursue our goals with the possibility of success. To the degree which a rational ethical standard is taken, we are able to correctly organize our goals and actions to accomplish our most important values. Any flaw in our ethics will reduce our ability to be successful in our endeavors. 9. Why should ethics always be treated a way of life? Ethics, sometimes known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophythat involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. The superfield within philosophy known as axiology includes both ethics and aesthetics and is unified by each sub-branchs concern with value. Philosophical ethics investigates what is the best way for humans to live, and what kinds of actions are right or wrong in particular circumstances. Ethics may be divided into three major areas of study. Meta-ethics, about the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions and how their truth values (if any) may be determined. Ethics seeks to resolve questions dealing with human morality—concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. 10. How is responsibilities entaill in a human act? Responsibility for own existence is grounded on self-awareness and personal freedom to make choices. By exercising freedom to choose man becomes totally responsible for himself. But his responsibility does not stop there; it extends to other people so that at the end it assumes the form of universal responsibility. There are at least three circles in the extension of our responsibility. The Individual responsibility, if existence precedes essence man is responsible for his own actions. Total Responsibility, If man is free to choose what he is going to make of himself, he is entirely responsible for what he is becoming. Universal Responsibility, If man is fully responsible for what he is presenting as the image of man, he is responsible for all men. 11. What are the different approaches in dealing with the problem of moral principles? ?The Utilitarian Approach Utilitarianism was conceived in the 19th century by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill to help legislators determine which laws were morally best. Both Bentham and Mill suggested that ethical actions are those that provide the greatest balance of good over evil. ?The Rights Approach The second important approach to ethics has its roots in the philosophy of the 18th-century thinker Immanuel Kant and others like him, who focused on the individuals right to choose for herself or himself. ?The Fairness or Justice Approach The fairness or justice approach to ethics has its roots in the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who said that equals should be treated equally and unequals unequally. ?The Common-Good Approach This approach to ethics assumes a society comprising individuals whose own good is inextricably linked to the good of the community. Community members are bound by the pursuit of common values and goals. ?The Virtue Approach The virtue approach to ethics assumes that there are certain ideals toward which we should strive, which provide for the full development of our humanity. These ideals are discovered through thoughtful reflection on what kind of people we have the potential to become. 12. Research on the following: a. The problem of Moral Principles Now, such principles come in two distinct forms: formal principles (i. e. moral principles without specific action-guiding content) and substantive principles (i. e. moral principles with specific action-guiding content). In what follows, I consider substantive principles first, then formal. Both forms of principles, I argue, are incapable of providing the sort of moral guidance necessary to achieve mature moral judgments (i. e.judgments that are appropriate to the situations they are judgments of). The problem is that such principles are unable to provide information about what actually would, in a given situation, uphold justice or maximize utility. That is, formal principles fail to provide moral agents with the tools necessary to evaluate the complex details particular situations confront them with, or to develop appropriate moral solutions. b. The problem of Scope Morality Scope of morality are moral concept which are mixed modes, are transparent, we cannot reduce the descriptions of our moral life, that is the descriptions using our moral vocabulary, to some substantial residue or some real objects. c. The problem of Moral Obligation Moral obligations are standards that do not merely advise or recommend our conformity, but demand it. Moral obligations come from the demands or expectations of society d. The problem of Freedom Freedom naturally occurs in nature, but only becomes an issue in the way that humans view themselves, their surroundings and others. Freedom grants one the right to behave without fear or punishment i. e. go anywhere they wish, do anything they wish or say anything they wish. Of course there are always limits imposed on freedom. We are all born free, but as we grow we learn the physical limits of our surroundings. We learn about the limits imposed on us by gravity or by our physical surroundings such as walls. The thing is, freedom can only exist if you recognize its existence and then exercise it while at the same time acknowledging and tolerating others freedom. e. The problem of Moral Practice Since cultures and individuals differ in certain moral practices, there are no objective moral values. Several objections can be made to this argument. First, the fact that people disagree about something does not mean there is no objective truth. If you and I disagree about whether or not the earth is round, for example, this is not proof that the earth has no shape. In moral discussion, the fact that a skinhead and I may disagree about whether we should treat people equally and fairly is not sufficient evidence to say that equality and fairness have no objective value. f. The problem of Casuistry. A bias is an unwarranted inclination or a special perspective that disposes us to mistaken or one-sided judgments. The potential for bias arises at each stage of a case method of reasoning including in describing, framing, selecting and comparing of cases and paradigms. A problem of bias occurs because to identify the relevant features for such purposes, we must use general views about what is relevant; but some of our general views are biased, both in the sense of being unwarranted inclinations and in the sense that they are one of many viable perspectives. 13. Is it right to say that â€Å"What is right for me to do is what I really want to do† and why? No,it’s not right to say it that way because you are only thinking about yourself. And sometimes even it is right for you its not what you really want to do because you’re also thinking about the others, what will be the effect of this to them and whatsoever. 14. What is basic substanceof the problem freedom. Freedom is one of those slippery words, difficult to define because it is an ambiguous and abstract man-made concept. It naturally occurs in nature, but only becomes an issue in the way that humans view themselves, their surroundings and others. Freedom is only an issue in the presence of oppression, and oppression only exists among humans as a result of their perceptions of the world around them. The thing is, freedom can only exist if you recognize its existence and then exercise it while at the same time acknowledging and tolerating others freedom. 15. Distinguish between moral principles and moral rules. Moral principle the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group; the Puritan ethic; a person with old-fashioned values. Moral Rules- they come out into the open only when the person is questioned. Very often one of the rules contradicts another, thus enabling the user to resort first to one and then to the other to suit his convenience or to accord with his pre-existing prejudices. These rules are usually those they have been taught to believe.

Mother Daughter Relationships - Daughter Pushed to the Brink in Amy Tan

A Daughter Pushed to the Brink in Joy Luck Club      Ã‚   In Amy Tan's novel, Joy Luck Club, the mother of Jing-mei recognizes only two kinds of daughters: those that are obedient and those that follow their own mind. Perhaps the reader of this novel may recognize only two types of mothers: pushy mothers and patient mothers.   The two songs, "Pleading Child" and "Perfectly Contented," which the daughter plays, reinforce the underlying tension in the novel. These songs represent the feelings that the daughter, Jing-mei, has had throughout her life. The mother in this novel is pushy. She wants her daughter to become a child prodigy so badly she can practically taste it. She makes Jing-mei perform tests out of magazines to see if she could by some chance be one of those extraordinary children they are always reading about and watching on TV. Jing-mei has no interest in becoming a child prodigy; eventually gives up on these tests, and hence her mother gives up on them, too. The mother also pushed Jing-mei to try and be something she wasn't in the way of looks. After watching Shirley Temple on TV, Jing-mei's mother took her down to the beauty training school so she could get her hair cut to look like a Chinese Shirley Temple. Well, like the tests, the haircut failed too. She ended up with an uneven, Peter Pan looking haircut. Jing-mei's mother said that she now "looked like Negro Chinese" as if it was her fault her hair ended up the way it did (Tan 1208). After the first two attempts to make her daughter into a child prodigy, the mother is just about to give up on the idea that her daughter can be better than what she already is, when her last idea hits her. She was watching the Ed Sullivan show, when she saw a girl playin... ...ause her mother pushed her to hard to do things that she simply did not want to do. If her mother had just been a little more relaxed and not so caught up in her daughter becoming a child prodigy, then they would have had a better relationship. If parents push their children to do something they do not want to do, they may end up, like Jing-mei's mother, paying for it.    Works Cited and Consulted: Ghymn, Ester. Images of Asian American Women by Asian American Women Writers. vol. 1. NY: Peter Lang 1995. Souris, Stephen. "'Only Two Kinds of Daughters:'" Inter-Monologue Dialogicity in The Joy Luck Club." Melus 19.2 (Summer 1994):99-123. Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Vintage Contemporaries. New York: A Division of Random House, Inc. 1993. Willard, Nancy. Asian American Women Writers. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea House Publishers, Philadelphia 1997.

Mcdonald’s in East Asia

Globalization: A Give & Take Shortly after my 16th birthday, making me of legal working age in the United States, I reluctantly signed the papers to be an employee of the McDonald’s Corporation. I used the term reluctantly because to work in a McDonald’s holds deeply negative connotations in American society, especially amongst teenagers. For three years I cooked the food, worked the cash register, cleaned the restaurant, and upheld the highest of McDonald’s standards.Just before my departure to attend college in another city, I quit McDonald’s, with quite a large smile, and did not consume a single product from the restaurant until, three years later, my arrival in Hong Kong. This anecdote is an excellent example of how societal connotations shape the practices of both the business and its customer. Why did I hate my job so intently? Why was I so easily able to avoid the chain in America, its home country, but succumbed to the pressure 8,000 miles away in a foreign land?Globalization, as represented through the entry of McDonald’s into East Asia, is a series of cultural ‘give and take’, as businesses change to local preferences and consumers adapt to the various new disciplines of foreign enterprises. This combats the idea of American imperialism, as the new product formed from this ‘give and take’ is often vastly different from the original, sometimes even harboring completely adapted missions. Golden Arches East, by James L.Watson, chronicles how McDonald’s and its customers have been affected by the American firms entry into East Asia. The book includes five main excerpts from anthropologists that observed and reported the cultural changes surrounding McDonald’s in five countries: China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taipei. Each chapter speaks of the effects on the varying countries, but several common themes immerge. Firstly, in all the countries, both the company and the cons umer made subtle changes to either tastes or behavior.Some of the best examples of this are McDonald’s consistent target of children, leading to the popularity of children’s birthday parties, the prolonged eating times, and the consumer belief of the hamburger and French fries as a snack, not a meal. Throughout the market entry, McDonald’s introduced many behaviors that were once unknown or uncommon. The fast food culture is a precise science, calculating every action to the second. This leads to disciplines and practices becoming commonplace, in order to maintain a corporate culture and profits. Queuing n Hong Kong, standing while eating in Japan, and the popularization of children’s birthday parties are prominent examples in the text of how McDonald’s has impressed certain disciplines upon cultures, often reaching beyond the confines of the golden arches. The introduction of the queue in McDonald’s, while often times done forcibly with mar kers, is often accredited with changing how people order throughout Hong Kong (Watson 93). However, there are exceptions as I find it terribly troublesome to order a pineapple bun on the streets, generally standing with a look of bewilderment until a native comes to my rescue.Nonetheless, this is an example of how native culture adapts to the disciplines of a foreign firm. Another is in Japan, as people began to accept eating while standing. Here, the author outlines two important facets of table manners: don’t eat while standing and don’t touch the food with your hands. However, with limited space, McDonald’s opted to place standing counters in their restaurants and customers quickly adapted to this practice (Watson 178). A simple idea but it challenged a fundamental mannerism in the country.This ‘give’ from the McDonald’s company can be seen on a grander scale through the popularization of children’s birthday parties throughout all o f the countries studied. One of the major approaches of company was to target children because, as in places such as China, they receive exceptional treatment from the entire family, which lead to the promotion of birthday parties. As the company further targeted children, the kids would then request such parties to be held at McDonald’s. Before long, the idea of having a birthday was now commonplace in the countries of South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan (Watson).Again, this challenged a fundamental cultural tradition; in South Korea, birthday parties went from being held privately with family to publicly with friends (Watson 149). All of these examples illustrate how McDonald’s managed to impress values of their own upon different cultures. Through their global penetration, they transferred cultural beliefs, which required a change in the traditional. However, for every ‘give’ the company gave, there was also a ‘take’. While the compan y managed to change certain ideals, others held resolute and forced them to adapt the way in which they practice business.The Japanese still don’t prefer to touch food with their hands. All of the five countries have taken the fast out of fast food. Also, these cultures believe it to be a snack, rather than a meal, and most refuse to clean the table themselves. McDonald’s provides quite a standard menu, typically consisting of a hamburger, French fries, and a drink. This meal essentially requires eating with the hands. As previously mentioned, this goes against one of the traditional Japanese table manners. The author observed people still largely use the wrappings to eat, thus avoid the use of their hands (Watson 178).This example of a rigid aspect of culture not adapting to foreign disciplines can also be seen in how the food is consistently viewed as a snack. Generally, throughout these Asian countries, eating at McDonald’s is not considered to be a meal. In Japan, it is said that a meal must have rice, and the same is true of Korea (Watson 164, 156). For McDonald’s to build their brand as a popular dinner destination, which is essential for profits, they had to adapt. Thus, they added items to the menu that fit the local flare, such as fried rice (Watson). One of the major changes made was within the bedrock of the company.As a fast food firm, they placed great value on people obtaining good quickly, and consuming it just as fast. However, in all of the five studied countries, people spend significantly longer amounts of time dining at McDonald’s. For Beijing and Hong Kong, the average dining times are 25 minutes, and can reach 51 minutes during non-peak hours in Beijing (Watson 56, 93). This can be compared to Americans whom only spend on average 11 minutes in the restaurant (Watson 93). People have made eating at McDonald’s a leisure activity, going directly against the nature of the company to be fast.As the com pany targeted youth in each country, this gave life to a culture of young people spending many long afternoons at the restaurant. Again, the company had to adapt their typical thought to accommodate this. Lastly, a major change was the company’s policy of having customers bus their own tables. In Hong Kong, people refused to take their trash to the bins themselves, as it was considered to be beneath them (Watson 92). Due to this, the company had to employ extra workers to ensure cleanliness in the lobby.Upon my original arrival to Hong Kong, I entered a McDonald’s, just to see what different offerings they had. I was shocked to see people leaving their tables with the trash remaining. As I have since learned this is common in the culture here, I still get a slight sensation of taboo when I leave my things on the table at a low-end restaurant. Out of context, these adaptations can seem minimal, but from somebody who has gone through the rigorous training of McDonaldâ₠¬â„¢s, every step of the dining experience is exact and calculated. To change any of this is near blasphemy.However, the company heeded the call and adapted to fit local tastes. As the international attitudes toward globalization are increasingly becoming more negative, McDonald’s became a scapegoat for American imperialism. Watson argues this is due to two things: the importance of food in culture and the idea that everybody has a McDonald’s near them with which stands as a reminder and vent for frustrations (Watson 189). However, when looking back at their original entry into East Asia, one can see how the aspects that make McDonald’s American are often times not found in their Asian counterparts.As mentioned in the introduction, McDonald’s often comes with a negative connotation. Whereas in Asia, it was known to be of high standards in both cleanliness and quality. Another main tenet of the American McDonald’s experience is the quickness of the meal. One does not spend leisure time there, and beyond that most order food through the drive through and never enter the store at all. However, the Asian countries have made it a home away from home, finding comfort in spending long hours there.These two examples describe fundamental differences in the restaurants across the globe. In an industry where little change can make a big difference, this shows how what Asians view as the American experience often isn’t that. For one to consider McDonald’s globalization an act of American imperialism, they must first establish that is truly is American culture being transposed. Through the readings and my personal experiences, there is very little American culture to be found in Asian McDonald’s, as even the food is quite different.The notion of globalization being a cultural ‘give and take’ is a metaphor in lament terms for how globalization, as seen through the case of McDonald’s international ex pansion, is truly a combining of several cultures, often forming something altogether new. It is not an act of imperialism, as corporations that choose to move into foreign countries make many fundamental changes. At the same time, the customers who purchase from the foreign enterprises make their own mark and shape it to fit their needs.While globalization can be seen as one country doing business in another, it is really about the two parties doing business with each other. I was so proud of having taken such a long hiatus from the restaurant. However, when I entered it again in Hong Kong, I felt the strange combination of being in a comfortable home environment and belonging in this new, foreign land. Works Cited Watson, James L.. Golden arches east: McDonald's in East Asia. Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 1997. Print.

Gsm Call Flow

GSM Call Flow (GSM Originating Call) Cell Mobile Station User Mobile Mobile Network Base Stations NSS BSS MSC VLR Fixed Network PSTN PSTN EventStudio System Designer 4. 0 13-Sep-08 21:38 (Page 1) LEG: GSM Mobile Originated Call This sequence diagram was generated with EventStudio System Designer 4. 0 (http://www. EventHelix. com/EventStudio). Copyright  © 2008 EventHelix. com Inc. All Rights Reserved. The EventStudio source files for this document can be downloaded from http://www. eventhelix. com/call-flow/gsm-call-setup. zip. This scenario describes the call setup for a GSM originating call.A mobile user calling a land line subscriber is covered here. Copyright  © 2000-2008 EventHelix. com Inc. All Rights Reserved. The user keys in the phone number for the landline subscriber and .. .. presses the Send button Dial the called person's number Send Button Begin RR Connection Establishment Call related information needs to be transported from the mobile phone to the Mobile Switchin g Center (MSC). This requires the establishment of a Radio Resource (RR) connection to MSC. The first phase of the call setup just sets up this RR connection. RR CHANNEL REQUEST RACH RR connection establishment is triggered by sending the ChannelRequest message. This message requests the Base Station System (BSS) for allocation for radio resources for the RR connection setup. The mobile now waits for an assignment on the Access Grant Channel (AGCH). At this point the mobile is listening to the AGCH for a reply. Note: The RR CHANNEL REQUEST is sent on a Random Access Channel (RACH). This is a slotted aloha channel that can be used at random, without any coordination between the mobiles. Any mobile can transmit on this channel whenever it wishes. If two mobiles transmit on the channel at the same time, their messages will be lost in a collision.The mobiles will detect the collision via a timeout and retransmit the message after a random back off. allocate TCH RR IMMEDIATE ASSIGNMENT A GCH, Radio_Resource = (TCH, Frequency, Timeslot), Time Correction, Frequency Correction Apply the time and frequency corrections Tune to the frequency and timeslot RR SABM + MM CM SERVICE REQUEST TCH, SAPI = 0 The BSS allocates a Traffic Channel (TCH) to the mobile. The TCH allocation assigns a specifies a frequency and a timeslot on that frequency. After the mobile receives this message, the mobile shall only use the specified resources for communication with the mobile network.The BSS transmits the radio resource assignment to the Mobile via the AGCH channel. The message also contains the time and frequency corrections. The time corrections allow the mobile to time it's transmissions so that they reach the BSS only in the specified slot. The frequency corrections correct for the Doppler shift caused by the mobile's motion. Adjust the frequency and timing based on the advice from the BSS. This step is required so that transmissions from the mobile reach the base station at the prec ise time and with the correct frequency. The mobile detunes from the AGCH and tunes to the specified radio channel.This is the first message that is sent after tuning to the channel. The Mobile initiates a LAPm connection with the BSC by sending a Set Asynchronous Balanced Mode (SABM) message. The service request message meant for the MSC is also sent in this message. GSM Call Flow (GSM Originating Call) Cell Mobile Network Mobile Station Base Stations NSS User Mobile BSS MSC VLR RR UA Fixed Network PSTN PSTN TCH, SAPI = 0 SCCP CONNECTION REQUEST + MM CM SERVICE REQUEST SS7 Check subscriber authentication EventStudio System Designer 4. 0 13-Sep-08 21:38 (Page 2) The BSS replies with Unnumbered Acknowledge (UA) to complete theLAPm setup handshake The BSS receives the CM Service Request message from the mobile and forms a â€Å"BSSMAP COMPLETE LAYER 3 INFORMATION†. The BSS then piggy backs the message on the SCCP connection request message. LEG: Skip Authentication Procedure MS C checks if the subscriber has been authenticated. In this case, the subscriber has already been authenticated, so the authentication procedure is skipped. Enable Ciphering BSSMAP CIPHER MODE COMMAND Expect ciphered data from the mobile RR CIPHERING MODE COMMAND mode = CLEAR Enable ciphering for received and transmitted data RR CIPHERING MODE COMPLETE mode = CIPHEREDEnable ciphering of data transmitted to the mobile BSSMAP CIPHER MODE COMPLETE Since the subscriber has been successfully authenticated, the MSC initiates ciphering of the data being sent on the channel. The channel is ciphered so as so protect the call from eavesdropping. Ciphering on the radio link is enabled in three steps. As a first step, the BSS starts expecting ciphered data from the mobile but continues to send data in clear. Since the mobile has not been informed about the ciphering, all data received from the mobile will be in error. The BSS sends the CIPHERING MODE COMMAND to the mobile. The mobile ill be able to receive this message as the transmission from the BSS is still in clear. As a second step, the Mobile receives the message and enables ciphering in transmit and receive directions. This action will result in all BSS data being received in error. (The BSS is still transmitting data in clear. ) Ciphering has already been enabled, so this message is transmitted with ciphering. The BSS will receive this message as it is already expecting ciphered data in the receive direction. The third and final step in the ciphering handshake. The BSS enables the ciphering in transmit direction. From this oint on ciphering is enabled in both directions. BSS replies back to the MSC, indicating that ciphering has been successfully enabled. RR Connection Establishment Completed At this point a connection has been setup between the Mobile and the MSC. From this point onward, the BSS is just acting as a conduit for transporting the signaling messages between the Mobile and the MSC. Call Setup CC SETUP Dialed Digits The Mobile sends the setup message to establish a voice call. The message contains the dialed digits and other information needed for call GSM Call Flow (GSM Originating Call) Cell Mobile StationUser Mobile Mobile Network Base Stations NSS BSS MSC VLR Fixed Network PSTN PSTN EventStudio System Designer 4. 0 13-Sep-08 21:38 (Page 3) establishment. The mobile is informed that the call setup is in progress. At this point, the mobile phone displays a message on the screen to indicate that call setup is being attempted. CC CALL PROCEEDING Connecting†¦ Mode Modify allocate Voice circuit towards BSS BSSMAP ASSIGNMENT REQUEST Voice circuit RR CHANNEL MODE MODIFY RR CHANNEL MODE MODIFY ACKNOWLEDGE BSSMAP ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE The BSS responds back to the MSC. ISUP INITIAL ADDRESS MESSAGE SS7, Dialed DigitsCC ALERTING The MSC allocates a voice circuit on one the digital trunks between the MSC and the BSS. MSC informs the BSS about the allocated voice circuit. The call is also switched from signaling to voice. The BSS notifies the Mobile about the changeover to voice mode. Mobile acknowledges. The MSC routes the call and sends the call towards the called subscriber ISUP ADDRESS COMPLETE MESSAGE The PSTN indicates to the MSC that it has received all the digits and the called SS7 subscriber is being rung. The MSC informs the mobile that the called subscriber is being alerted via a ring Alerting Tone ISUP ANSWERThe called subscriber answers the call. SS7 CC CONNECT The MSC informs the mobile that the call has been answered. Acknowledge the recipt of CC CONNECT. CC CONNECT ACKNOWLEDGE Connected Display that the call has been connected. Conversation Speech The call has entered the conversation phase. The speech path has been setup between the mobile subscriber and the land-line subscriber. Call Release End Button CC DISCONNECT ISUP RELEASE SS7 Disconnect Voice Path LEG: Mobile initiates call release The mobile subscriber hits End to clear the call. The mobile sends the disconnect message to the MSC. The MSC initiates release on the PSTN ide. The MSC disconnects the voice path and also releases the voice circuit between the BSS and the MSC. free Voice circuit towards BSS CC RELEASE The MSC informs the Mobile that it has initiated call release GSM Call Flow (GSM Originating Call) Cell Mobile Station User Mobile Mobile Network Fixed Network Base Stations NSS PSTN BSS MSC VLR PSTN ISUP RELEASED SS7 ISUP RELEASE COMPLETE SS7 CC RELEASE COMPLETE EventStudio System Designer 4. 0 13-Sep-08 21:38 (Page 4) The MSC informs the PSTN that the call release has been completed. The PSTN informs that call release has been completed at its end.Mobile indicates that the call has been released. RR Connection Release BSSMAP CLEAR COMMAND RR CHANNEL RELEASE BSSMAP CLEAR COMPLETE RR DISC RR UA free TCH Call Released Indication Call release has been completed, now the RR connection is released by the MSC. The BSS initiates RR release with the mobile. The BSS i nforms the the MSC that the RR connection has been released. The mobile sends a disconnect message to release the LAPm connection. The BSS replies with an Unnumbered Acknowledge message. The BSS releases the TCH channel. Mobile goes back to the default display to indicate that call has been completely released.

Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle argues the highest end is the human good, and claims that the highest end pursued in action is happiness, "What is the highest of all goods pursued in action...most people virtually agree about what the good is, since both the many and the cultivated call it happiness."(1095a15-20 p. 6) Aristotle's argument is flawed when he suggests only human beings with full use of reason (not animals or even small children) can be considered happy because happiness is action in accordance with reason. Aristotle is contradicting himself in that he argues that what sets man apart from animal is reason and the ability to perform actions that only humans can perform. Yet, he is arguing that children to not have reason hence he is basically putting them at the level of animals and proving his own argument faulty.Aristotle's characterization of the human good and happiness and the flaws within it are written as follows:Aristotle argues that there is some ultimate good that is both complete an d self-sufficient, and defines this good as happiness.Detail of The School of Athens by Raffaello Sanzio...He claims every human action aims at some good, and the good that is chosen for its own sake rather than as means to an end is the highest good. However, he does state that we do choose some goods for something else, which in turn makes that end incomplete since "the best good is apparently something complete."(1097a27, p. 14)Aristotle argues that the highest good is happiness, which means living well. He points out that happiness is something that we choose because of itself and is not reliant on anything else. He argues that happiness is complete on its own and is the ultimate end of which we all aim for: "...happiness more than anything else seems complete without qualification, since we always choose...

MCA Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MCA Museum - Essay Example Altmejd’s artwork is way off the normal patterns of creativity. A new dimension of innovation and creativity reflects in the work of Altmejd. Painting 2: Changing Painting by Robert Gober (MCA Denver). Robert Gober’s artwork presents changing images. There can be various approaches to the way above figure can be interpreted. On the left part of the picture, there is the image of a man’s chest with hairs along the mid-line of the chest and around the areola. On the right half of the picture, the chest appears inflamed and there is no hair growth over it. Some viewers conceive the right half as the chest of a woman, while others refer to it as a male’s chest with the condition of gynecomastia, in which the excessive fat accumulation under the areola of males makes their chest look like that of women. In some cases, gynecomastia can appear in both sides of the chest. In other cases, a man may have gynecomastia in one side of the chest, as appears in the pictu re above. However, in regular gynecomastia, breast becomes enlarged but the hair growth remains the same on both sides, unlike the picture above. Overall, the picture is unique in subject and color theme. The picture above is one of the earliest paintings of Robert Gober. The artist transforms the canvas into a capacious and multifaceted platform full of contrasting themes. Painting 3: Butterfly wings (MCA Denver).

Changes brought on by blogging and social media on public relations Research Paper

Changes brought on by blogging and social media on public relations - Research Paper Example Public Relations (PR) is the act of managing the informational flow that occurs between a business/company or organization and the public (Stuart, 2012). It is an essential part of business operations, and any successful company requires this part of business in order to maintain a relationship with its target market which in this case can be referred to as the audience. The introduction of blogging to the business world has affected the public relations sector in a number of ways, and it can be said that it has become an essential factor in this part of business as its popularity has continued to rise over the years (Fraser, 2007). Companies have developed the need to integrate blogs and blogging into their PR system as its growth has made it a medium of importance. There are various changes that have been brought on by blogging on Public relations as it has affected various areas related to this practice. Some of these areas and the changes that have been to them include: Communication can be said to be the sector that has been mostly affected by the introduction of blogging to Public Relations. The mode of communication has developed as a result of the introduction of blogs to the internet as the traditional methods can be said to have been surpassed as a result of this new activity (Bruns & Jacobs, 2006). Whereas in the past most companies depended on the more traditional mediums such as TV, Radio and Print media to pass on their information to the public, the introduction of blogs has brought on a new trend where these mediums are no longer a necessity for those organizations who may wish to pass on certain information to the public (Fraser, 2007). The internet has spread throughout the world like wild fire, and as a result there is a large demographic population that have turned to the World Wide Web as a source of information thus

Innovation and Regulation of Information and Communication Coursework

Innovation and Regulation of Information and Communication Technologies - Coursework Example However, the existing participants into the marketplace who are planning to offer a telephony or telephony supported VoIP product have confirmed that the present regulatory arrangements could not be convinced under the provisioning measures they have been capable to put into practice (Australian Communications Authority, 2004). In addition, the Voice over Internet Protocol services was also largely reached in approximately 57 nations, even the nations where there was no clear regulatory structure or licensing procedures for VoIP. Additionally, till mid-2009, the number of nations where Voice over Internet Protocol services were accepted had increased to two-thirds, with 92 nations allowed VoIP and more than 39 nations standing it. In the meantime, the number of nations where VoIP was not allowed or banned minimized from 80 in year 2004 to 49 in year 2009, or in relation to a quarter of the entire nations for which data exist. From this discussion it is clear that the greatest regulat ory challenge is to encourage the expansion of a marketplace for less costly VoIP services, as compared to the immediately leaving VoIP to build up of its own accord. Moreover, in several nations like Australia, the size of the Voice over Internet Protocol services marketplace is a main fear for the regulators that regularly monitors as well as publish marketplace data estimates (Biggs, 2011). This paper discusses various regulatory problems that are raised due to the growth of Voice over Internet Protocol services. In this research I will outline some of the major areas to make regulatory decisions that can affect the economic prospects of different kinds of service provider in the communications area. This paper will also present a discussion of the regulatory aims and strategies that could form the basis of possible decisions in this area. Regulatory framework This section presents the basic analysis of the regulatory framework for the Voice over Internet Protocol services. The r egulation of carriage services holds a broad variety of services as well as an STS is an explicit kind of carriage service. In this scenario, the Telecommunications Act 1997 offers a detailed description of the carriage service according to which it is a type of services for carrying out communication services using unguided or/and guided electromagnetic energy. Additionally, if the communication carriage services are provided in Australia then these services will be covered by this Act. According to which an individual or a firm offering a carriage service to somebody ‘beyond the instant circle’ of the supplier is acknowledged as a carriage service source. In addition, there exist a vast variety of laws and regulations which apply on different classifications of services such as carriage services and their suppliers as carriage service providers. However, there are some regulations which are applied to all the types of carriage services, comprising VoIP services, inclu de: (Australian Communications Authority, 2004) Telecommunications Numbering Plan 1997 must be followed Offer number associated information to the IPND (Integrated Public Number database) manager intended for directory use as well as to forward calls to the emergency operator Safety of the privacy of communications Offer an interception potential as well as an interception facility plan to the related agencies. Moreover, the commitment of carriage servic

Gentrification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gentrification - Essay Example What is Gentrification? Through researching this phenomenon, one discovers that there is no finite definition of the term. The term was coined in 1964 by sociologist Ruth Glass when she used examples of London Districts as illustrations to define what the term meant: One by one, many of the working quarters of London have been invaded by the middle-class upper and lower. Shabby modest mews and cottages-two rooms up an two rooms down-have taken over, when their leases have expired, and become elegant, expensive residences [†¦] once this process of gentrification starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the working class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character is changed. In the Encyclopedia of Housing it is defined as â€Å"the process by which central urban neighborhoods that have undergone disinvestments and economic decline experience a reversal, reinvestments, and the in-migration of relatively well off, middle and upper middle class popula tion† (Smith) Then Hammel and Wyly difine gentrification as â€Å"the replacement of low-income, inner-city working class residents by middle-or upper –class households, either through the market for existing housing or demolition to make way for new up-scale housing construction: (Hammel) And the United States Department of Housing and Urban development defines gentrification as â€Å"the process by which a neighborhood occupied by low-income households undergo revitalization or reinvestment through the arrival of upper-income households†.... predominant common thread and motivation point to, (3) influx or the relatively affluent or gentry and (4) an increase in investment. Friedmann who lays down a hypothetical framework on which to build a study of global cities, used one of his components to his seven part theory the emergence of a bifurcated (to divide into two branches) service industry in major cities, which is composed of on the one hand, a high percentage of professionals specialized in control functions and, on the other, a vast army of low-skilled workers engaged inpersonal services[that] cater to the privileged classes for those whose sake the city primarily exists. (Friedmann) In Amsterdam social cleansing seems to be the appropriate name for deliberate policies aimed at removing a section of the population-a criminal underclass, or those with low-incomes. It is often inspired by a belief that a city (and its administration) has failed, if such people live there. The emergence of active policies to change the population mix in an entire city is related to the neoliberal idea that cities are a sort of business, competing in a global market of cities, and that successful cities have successful inhabitants. Unlike gentrification, Social cleansing is always government initiated. However, in Amsterdam, it is difficult to discern the difference between the two in either stated purpose or actual implementation. Low income bans in Amsterdam is a legal instrument. The first phase of gentrification in Amsterdam is where art and culture areprominent-the first art gallery in a working class neighborhood is a classic sign of

MEL and Analogues: Structures and Properties

MEL and Analogues: Structures and Properties CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Melamine MEL is an organic compound which had been closely associated with milk adulterant scandal between the year 2007 and 2008. Having a chemical formula of C3H6N6, makes it a nitrogen rich compound, thus giving the false impression of real protein content (Y.-N. Wu, Zhao, Li, 2009). Manufacturing companies who bought raw milk for further production usually carry out protein tests by monitoring the nitrogen levels. MEL can be hydrolysed to ammelide, ammeline and CYA, the derivatives are many produce for the synthesis of formaldehyde resin in the manufacturing of plastics, kitchenware or laminates (Y. Wu Zhang, 2013). CYA commonly used as a bleaching component in swimming pools. MEL and CYA are soluble in water, however when the two combined they will form a MEL and CYA complex which is an insoluble crystal through cross linking hydrogen bonding network (Mukherjee Ren, 2010). 2.1.1 Structures and properties of MEL and analogues The triazine derivative, MEL has three reactive amine groups (-NH2) and one aromatic s-triazine ring or 1,3,5-triazine ring. Replacing the amine groups (-NH2) with hydroxyl group (-OH) through hydrolysis or metabolism by microorganism will form analogues as ammeline, ammelide and CYA (Kim, 2009). Figure 2.1 Structure of MEL, ammeline, ammelide and CYA (Kim, 2009) Physical properties of MEL and its analogues are shown in Table 2.1. MEL has an appearance in form of white powder with a melting point of 354oC. This shows that MEL is thermally stable and explains that it is often used as fire retardant. Furthermore, MEL is sparingly soluble in either acidic pH or polar organic solvent such as acetone or ethanol, due to like-dissolve-like interaction of polar compound MEL. On the contrary, MEL would be insoluble in non-polar solvents such as benzene or hexane (EFSA, 2010). Ammeline on the other hand is a white powder that decomposes prior to melting. It possesses weak acidic properties and is soluble in both mineral acid and alkaline solutions. Ammelide is also a form of white powder that is almost insoluble in water. It decomposes at temperatures range of 170oC to form carbon dioxide and ammonia. The crystal complex of MEL and CYA is very stable at only hydrolyses at either very low or high pH. Basically the complex crystal compound are insoluble at pH below 5.0, which is mostly occurred in the urinary tract (Tolleson, Diachenko, Heller, 2008). Table 2.1 Physical properties of MEL, ammeline, ammelide and CYA (Kim, 2009) 2.2 MEL and analogues toxicity The toxic effects of MEL ingestion are closely linked with high dosage and low dosage of MEL would not be as toxic that will cause any adverse effect to human health. However, having said that, non toxic does not necessarily mean that it is safe for consumption. On December 2008, the US FDA recommends a TDI for MEL was 0.63 mg kg-1 body weight per day for food and other food ingredients excluding infant milk formula (Venkatasami Sowa, 2010). This meant 100 kg person can be subjected to a tolerable amount of 60 mg MEL. Infant formula are given a closer monitoring because it is a primary source of nutrient and calorie for infants, plus kidney functions in infant are still premature. Therefore the FDA has set a limit of 1  µg mL-1 for MEL in infant formula (Venkatasami Sowa, 2010). Different countries apply different limit of the TDI, for instance EFSA recommended a TDI of 0.5 mg kg-1 of body weight per day. Whereas Health Canada revealed the risk assessment of MEL-contaminated milk and milk based product to be 0.35 mg kg-1 body weight per day (WHO, 2008). Over Southeast Asia, the Malaysian Ministry of Health has set the maximum levels of MEL in baby and adult food product to be 1.0 mg kg-1, 2.5 mg kg-1 respectively (Y. Wu Zhang, 2013). This incident cause the FDA, European community and other countries to introduce a standard limit for MEL in infant formula and in other milk products to be at 1 ppm and 2.5 ppm, respectively. WHO established the TDI for MEL at 0.2 mg kg-1 (Sun et al., 2010). 2.2.1 Toxicity in animals and humans The data available on the dangers and chronic human exposure to MEL are limited, therefore the information on MEL toxin are extrapolated from animal data. MEL and CYA are considered as low toxin due to their large median LD50. For MEL in rats, the LD50 ranges from 3.1 g kg ­-1 to 6.4 g kg-1 and from 3.2 g kg-1 up to 7.0 g kg-1 in mice. Whilst for CYA, the estimated LD50 are 7.7 g kg-1 in rats and 3.4 g kg-1 in mice (Skinner et al., 2010). The study on the toxicity of MEL and CYA focuses on the urinary system for both humans and animals. The experimental studies on the effects of MEL on kidney in humans are unavailable. Nonetheless, consistent observation was made during the experiment with animals on the effects of MEL is bladder stones. The same result was reported with a following exposure to CYA, and that is formation of some bladder stones. Inflammatory reaction was observed in the rats and mice urinary bladder after dietary exposure to MEL. This indicates as one of the main effects of the toxic of MEL (Bingham et al., 2001). In general death cause by MEL are relatively low in human but there is a high rate of stones formation. In the height of the MEL food scandal, there are many deaths of pets animals in USA, Canada and South Africa due to kidney failure. Later the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) found that the number of deaths due to MEL and CYA contaminated pet feed was in the range of 2000 to 7000 (Puschner and Reimschuessel, 2011). In 2008 there were high detection of MEL in infant formula and other milk product and surely enough this resulted in severe health effects amongst infant and young children. As much as 294,000 were diagnosed with urinary tract stones and at least 50,000 were hospitalised. Six children were confirmed dead cause of kidney failures (Dorne et al., 2013). After this incident strict rules and regulation was implemented, and lots of method was developed in order to get a rapid and sensitive detection of MEL. 2.3 Analysis of MEL It is important to have rapid, widely available, cost effective methods for detecting MEL in various samples. Few of the advance analytical methods for detection of MEL are High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Liquid Chromatography with Mass spectroscopy (LC-MS), LC with tandem (LC-MS2) and Gas Chromatography with MS (GC-MS). Sample preparation required prior to instrumental analysis, this is because the sample in question are high in protein and carbohydrates content which would hinder MEL detection. Therefore effective extraction methods is necessary, by removing other constituents in the matrix would mean lower limit of detection (LODs) can be achieved. Due to the polarity MEL compound it is best to extract it using SPE with a polar cartridge. The most common SPE tubes used for the separation of MEL is Supelco Discovery DSC-SCX 500 mg/6 ml (Sigma-Aldrich, n.d.). Before the SPE methods are applied it is best to precipitate out the protein by adding acetonitrile which acts as a protein precipitant and then centrifuge (Mosch, Kiranoglu, Fromme, Và ¶lkel, 2010). 2.3.1 Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) GC-MS is often used to detect MEL and its analogs for quantification and confirmation. It was reported that it is a sensitive, reliable instrumental analytical method for the simultaneous detection and quantification of MEL in animal feed. However, it requires a tedious sample preparation which renders the methodology impractical for analysing large samples (Venkatasami Sowa, 2010). 2.3.2 High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) HPLC is known as common method for quantitative determination of MEL. It can carry out simultaneous detection of MEL, ammeline, ammelide and CYA with LOD of 5 ppm. By current standards, this method of analysis does not show great sensitivity in detection of MEL. This is because UV of MEL exhibits absorption bands below 250 nm which meant that HPLC method will not be able to confirm the target analyte (Sun et al., 2010). Quantification error can occur if insufficient attention is given to chromatographic conditions or if sample preparation is not optimised. To increase sensitivity investigators used DAD system of detection, this gives improvement in term of better LOD of 0.1 ppm using HPLC-DAD (Sun et al., 2010). It is difficult to retain MEL on a reverse phase column due to it high polarity, so to compensate for this problem hydrophilic interaction chromatography technique is used (Han et al., 2011). Figure 2.3.2 Retention time of melamine standards using HILIC-UV (Zheng, Yu, Li, Dai, 2012) 2.3.3 Liquid Chromatography with Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS) and tandem Mass spectroscopy (LC-MS2) MS techniques are widely used for the determination of contaminants of MEL, because it shows molecular specificity and high sensitivity of detection. This means a MEL AND CYA having fairly low LOD 30 ppb and LOQ 40 ppb in serum sample. Mostly the method based on LC-MS2 with HILIC and ESI is positive ion mode. Positive ion mode is chosen because of the presence of nitrogen in the compound. The past researcher used two selected reaction monitoring (SRM) transitions of m/z 127 till 85 and 127 till 68 were monitored, figure 2.3.3. By applying these ion transitions for SRM allows quantitative and qualitative analysis of MEL residues at an LOD of 3.2 ppb (Sun et al., 2010). Figure 2.3.3 The positive ion electrospray full scan mass spectrum (bottom) and product ion spectra (top) of melamine, acquired by infusion of 0.5 g mL -1 standard solution (Sancho, Ibà ¡Ãƒ ±ez, Grimalt, Pozo, Hernà ¡ndez, 2005). 2.4 Optimization of buffer pH MEL is a weak alkaline compound that can hydrolyze in strong acid or alkali solutions. MEL extraction can be carried out in neutral, acidic and alkali conditions, but acidic pH lower than 3 and neutral extraction conditions are most common for food. Neutral extraction can be carried out using acetonitrile-water or methanol-water. Factors of affecting retention of melamine were explored, including buffer concentration, pH, and percentage of organic solvent in the mobile phase. The optimal UV detection wavelength was selected. Satisfactory retention of melamine, good peak shape, and high sensitivity were obtained under the chosen conditions. Tables 2.4 Effects of pH on melamine retention time

William Butler Yeats :: Biography

William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland, on June 13, 1865. He was the eldest son of a painter. In 1867 his family moved to London, but he frequently visited his grandparents in Northern Ireland. There he was greatly influenced by the folklore of the region. In 1881 his family returned to Dublin. Their Yeats studied at the Metropolitan School of Art. During school he became more focused on literature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yeats made his debut in 1885, with the publication of his first poems in The Dublin University Review. In 1887, his family returned to Bedford Park in London, and Yeats devoted himself to writing. In 1889 he met Maud Gonne, an actress and Irish revolutionary. He soon fell in love with her and she became a major landmark in his writing. She later married Major John MacBride and inspired Yeats's poem 'No Second Troy'   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yeats's early work did not reflect his Irish heritage but soon he turned towards his Irish culture for inspiration. Yeats studied many Irish folktales and in 1888 published a book of tales titled Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry. He also published a less detailed version for children titled Irish Fairy Tales in 1892.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1897, Yeats's met Lady Gregory, an aristocrat and playwright, who shared the same interest in Ireland's past. In 1899 they formed the Irish Literary Theater. Yeats worked as a director and writer for the theater. Some of his most famous dramas were CATHLEEN NI HOULIHAN and THE LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Yeats later proposed to Lady Gregory, but she refused his offer. Again in the same year he proposed to her daughter but she also declined. Lady Gregory's passion for a free Ireland kindled Yeats's interest in the political struggles of Ireland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1917, Yeats bought an old stone tower near Coole Park. After he restored the tower it became his summer home and a symbol in his writing. Also in 1917,Yeats married Georgie Hyde-Lee. Later they had a son and a daughter together, Anne and Michael. During their honeymoon they compiled their notebooks and formed the basis of A VISION.

A Dirty Job Chapter 18

18 YO MOMMA SO DEAD THAT†¦ On her last day, Lois Asher rallied. After not having even been able to get up to go to the breakfast table, or into the living room to sit and watch TV for three weeks, got up and danced with Buddy to an old Ink Spots song. She was playful and full of laughter, she teased her children and hugged them, she ate a chocolate-marshmallow sundae, and she brushed and flossed afterward. She put on her favorite silver jewelry and wore it to the dinner table, and when she couldn't find her squash-blossom necklace she shrugged it off like it was a minor thing – she must have misplaced it. Oh, well. Charlie knew what was happening because he had seen it before, and Buddy and Jane knew because Grace, the hospice nurse, explained it to them. â€Å"It happens again and again. I've seen people come out of a coma and sing their favorite songs, and all I can tell you is to enjoy it. People see the light come back into eyes that have been dull for months, and they start to place hope on it. It's not a sign of getting well, it's an opportunity to say good-bye. It's a gift.† Charlie had also learned by observing that it really helped everyone to let go if they were at least mildly medicated, so he and Jane took some antianxiety pills that Jane's therapist had prescribed and Buddy washed down a time-released morphine pill with some scotch. Medication and forgiveness can make for joyous moments with the dying – it's like they get to return to childhood – and because nothing in the future matters, because you don't have to train them for life, teach lessons, forge applicable and practical memories, all the joy can be wicked from those last moments and stored in the heart. It was the best and closest time Charlie had ever had with his mother and his sister, and Buddy, in the sharing, became family as well. Lois Asher went to bed at nine and died at midnight. I can't stay for the funeral,† Charlie said to his sister the next morning. â€Å"What do you mean you can't stay for the funeral?† Charlie looked out the window at the giant ice pick of a shadow that had made its way down the mountain toward his mother's house. Charlie could see it churning at the edges, like flocks of birds or swarming insects. The point was less than a half mile away. â€Å"I have something I have to do at home, Jane. I mean, I forgot to do it and I really, really can't stay.† â€Å"Don't be mysterious. What the hell do you need to do that you can't attend your own mother's funeral?† Charlie was pressing his Beta Male imagination to the breaking point to come up with something credible on the spot. Then a light went on. â€Å"The other night, when you sent me out to get laid?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Well, it was an adventure, to be sure, but when I went to get my scalp sewed up, I also had a test. I talked to the doctor today, and I have to go get treatment. Right now.† â€Å"You moron, I didn't send you out to have unsafe sex. What were you thinking?† â€Å"It was safe sex.† Right, sure, he thought, he almost scoffed at himself. â€Å"It's the wounds they're worried about. But if I get on these drugs right away, there's a good chance that I'll be okay.† â€Å"They're putting you on the cocktail? As a preventative?† Sure, that's it, the cocktail! Charlie thought. He nodded gravely. â€Å"Okay, then, go.† Jane turned and hid her face. â€Å"Maybe I can get back in time for the funeral,† Charlie said. Could he? He had to retrieve two overdue soul vessels in less than a week, and hope that no new names had appeared in his date book. â€Å"We'll do it a week from today,† Jane said, turning back around, tears blinked away. â€Å"You go home, get treated, come back. Buddy and I will handle the arrangements.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† Charlie said. He put his arms around his sister. â€Å"Don't you die on me, too, you fucker,† Jane said. â€Å"I'll be fine. I'll be back as soon as I can.† â€Å"Bring back that charcoal Armani of yours for me to wear to the funeral, and Cassie's strappy black pumps, okay?† â€Å"You? In strappy black pumps?† â€Å"It's what Mom would have wanted,† Jane said. When Charlie landed in San Francisco there were four frantic messages on his cell phone from Cassandra. She had always seemed so calm, composed – a stable counterpoint to his sister's flights of fancy. She sounded a wreck on the phone. â€Å"Charlie, she's got him trapped and they're going to eat him and I don't know what to do. I don't want to call the cops. Call me when you land.† Charlie did call, all the way into the city in the shuttle van he called, but kept getting transferred to voice messaging. When he got out of the van in front of his store he heard a hiss coming out of the storm drain at the corner. â€Å"I missed finishing with you, lover,† came the voice. â€Å"No time,† Charlie said, hopping over the curb and running into the store. â€Å"You never called,† purred the Morrigan. Ray was behind the counter mousing through Asian cuties when Charlie came storming through. â€Å"You'd better get upstairs,† Ray said. â€Å"They're freaking out up there.† â€Å"No kidding,† Charlie said as he passed. He took the stairs two at a time. He was fumbling his key into the lock when Cassandra threw the door open and pulled him into his apartment. â€Å"She won't let him go. I'm afraid they're going to eat him.† â€Å"Who, what? That's what you said on my voice mail. Where is Sophie?† Cassandra dragged him to Sophie's room, where he was met in the doorway by a growling Mohammed. â€Å"Daddy!† Sophie shrieked. She ran across the room and leapt into his arms. She gave him a big hug and a sloppy kiss that left a chocolate Sophie-print on his cheek. â€Å"Down,† she said. â€Å"Down, down.† Charlie put her down and she ran back into her room, but Mohammed prevented Charlie from entering, pushed his nose into Charlie's shirt, leaving a giant dog-nose print in chocolate. Evidently there had been a chocolate orgy going on in his absence. â€Å"His mother is supposed to pick him up at one,† Cassandra said. â€Å"I don't know what to do.† Charlie strained to see around the hellhound and saw Sophie standing with her hand on Alvin's collar while he menaced a little boy who was crouched in the corner. The little boy was a little wide-eyed, but otherwise unhurt, and he didn't seem that frightened. In fact, he was hugging a box of Crunchy Cheese Newts, and was eating one, then feeding the next one to Alvin, who was dripping hellish dog drool onto the kid's shoes in anticipation of the next newt. â€Å"I love him,† Sophie said. She went to the little boy and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a chocolate smear. Not the first. It appeared that this little guy had been suffering Sophie's affections for quite some time, for he was covered with chocolaty goodness and orange Cheese-Newt dust. â€Å"I want to keep him.† The little boy grinned. â€Å"He came over for a playdate. I guess you scheduled it before you left,† Cassandra said. â€Å"I thought it would be okay. I tried to get him out of there, but the dogs won't let me by. What are we going to tell his mother?† â€Å"I want to keep him,† Sophie said. Big kiss. â€Å"His name is Matthew,† Cassie said. â€Å"I know his name. He goes to Sophie's school.† Charlie started into the room. Mohammed blocked the doorway. â€Å"Matty, are you all right?† Charlie said. â€Å"Uh-huh,† said the chocolate-, cheese-, and dog-drool-sodden kid. â€Å"I want him to stay, Dad,† Sophie said. â€Å"Alvin and Mohammed want him to stay, too.† Charlie thought that perhaps he had not been strict enough in setting limits for his daughter. Maybe after losing her mother, he just hadn't had the heart to say no to her, and now she was taking hostages. â€Å"Honey, Matty has to get cleaned up. His mommy is coming to get him so he can go be traumatized in his own house.† â€Å"No! He's mine.† â€Å"Honey, tell Mohammed to let me in. If we don't get Matty cleaned up, he won't be able to come back.† â€Å"He can sleep in your room,† Sophie said. â€Å"I'll take care of him.† â€Å"No, young lady, you tell Mohammed to get – â€Å" â€Å"I have to pee,† Matthew said. He climbed to his feet and skipped by Alvin, who followed him, then under Mohammed and past Charlie and Cassandra to the bathroom. â€Å"Hi,† he said as he went by. He closed the door and they could hear the sound of tinkle. Alvin and Mohammed bullied their way through the doorway and waited outside the bathroom. Sophie sat down hard, her feet splayed out, her lower lip pushed out like the cowcatcher on a steam engine. Her shoulders started heaving before he could hear the sob – like she was saving up breath – then the wailing and the tears. Charlie went to her and picked her up. â€Å"I?CI – I?CI, he – he – he – he – â€Å" â€Å"It's okay, honey. It's okay.† â€Å"But I love him.† â€Å"I know you do, honey. It'll be okay. He'll go to his house and you can still love him.† â€Å"Noooooooooooooooooooooo – â€Å" She buried her face in his jacket, and as much as his heart was breaking for his daughter, he was also thinking about how much Three Fingered Wu was going to ding him for getting the chocolate stain out of his jacket. â€Å"They just let him go pee,† Cassandra said, staring at the hellhounds. â€Å"Just like that. I thought they were going to eat him. They wouldn't let me near him.† â€Å"It's okay,† Charlie said. â€Å"You didn't know.† â€Å"Know what?† â€Å"They love the Crunchy Cheese Newts.† â€Å"You're kidding?† â€Å"Sorry. Look, Cassie, can you clean up Sophie and Matty and take care of this? I have some stuff in my date book I have to take care of right away.† â€Å"Sure, but – â€Å" â€Å"Sophie will be fine. Won't you, honey?† Sophie nodded sadly and wiped her eyes on his coat. â€Å"I missed you, Daddy.† â€Å"I missed you, too, sweetie. I'll be home tonight.† He kissed her, got his date book from the bedroom, and ran around the apartment collecting his keys, cane, hat, and man purse. â€Å"Thanks, Cassie. You have no idea how grateful I am.† â€Å"Sorry about your mother, Charlie,† Cassandra said as he passed. â€Å"Yeah, thanks,† Charlie said, quickly checking the edge of the sword in his cane as he went by. â€Å"Charlie, your life is out of control,† Cassandra said, now slipping back into the unflappable persona that they were all used to. â€Å"Okay, I'll need to borrow your strappy black pumps, too,† Charlie said as he headed out the door. â€Å"I think I've made my point,† Cassie called after him. Ray stopped Charlie at the bottom of the stairs. â€Å"You got a minute, boss?† â€Å"Not really, Ray. I'm in a hurry.† â€Å"Well, I just wanted to apologize.† â€Å"For what?† â€Å"Well, it seems silly now, but I kind of suspected you of being a serial killer.† Charlie nodded as if he were considering the grave consequences of Ray's confession, when, in fact, he was trying to remember if there was any gas in the van. â€Å"Well, Ray, I accept your apology, and I'm sorry I ever gave you that impression.† â€Å"I think all those years on the force made me suspicious, but Inspector Rivera stopped by and set me straight.† â€Å"He did, did he? What exactly did he say?† â€Å"He said that you had been checking some stuff out for him, getting into places he couldn't get without a warrant and so forth, stuff that you'd both get in a lot of trouble for if anyone found out, but was helping to put the bad guys away. He said that's why you're so secretive.† â€Å"Yes,† Charlie said solemnly, â€Å"I have been fighting crime in my spare time, Ray. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you.† â€Å"I understand,† Ray said, backing away from the stairway. â€Å"Again, I'm sorry. I feel like a traitor.† â€Å"It's okay, Ray. But I really have to go. You know, fighting the Forces of Darkness and all.† Charlie held his cane out as if it were a sword and he was charging into action, which, bizarrely, it was and he was. Charlie had six days to retrieve three soul vessels if he was going to get caught up before he returned to Arizona for his mother's funeral. Two, the names that had appeared in his date book the same day as Madison McKerny were seriously overdue. The last had appeared in the book only a couple of days ago, when he was in Arizona – yet it was in his own handwriting. He'd always thought that he had been doing some kind of sleep writing, but now, this was a whole new twist. He promised himself he would freak out about it as soon as he had some time. Meanwhile, with the near-death hand job and the dead-mom thing, he hadn't even done the preliminary research on the first of the two, Esther Johnson and Irena Posokovanovich, and both were now past their pickup date – one by three days. What if the sewer harpies had already gotten there? As strong as they'd become already, he didn't even want to think about what they could do if they got hold of another soul. He considered calling Rivera to watch his back when he went to the house, but what would he say he was doing? The sharp-faced cop knew there was something supernatural going on, and he'd taken Charlie's word that he was one of the good guys (not a hard sell when he'd seen the sewer harpy driving a three-inch claw up his nostril only to survive nine rounds of 9 mm in the torso and still fly away). Charlie was driving with no destination, heading into Pacific Heights just because the traffic was lighter in that direction. He pulled over to the curb and called information. â€Å"I need a number and address for an Esther Johnson.† â€Å"There's no Esther Johnson, sir, but I have three E. Johnsons.† â€Å"Can you give me the addresses?† She gave him the two who had addresses. A recording offered to dial the number for him for an additional charge of fifty cents. â€Å"Yeah, how much to drive me there?† Charlie asked the computer voice. Then he hung up and dialed the E. Johnson with no address. â€Å"Hi, could I speak with Esther Johnson,† Charlie said cheerfully. â€Å"There's no Esther Johnson here,† said a man's voice. â€Å"I'm afraid you have the wrong number.† â€Å"Wait. Was there an Esther Johnson there, until maybe three days ago?† Charlie asked. â€Å"I saw the E. Johnson in the phone book.† â€Å"That's me,† said the man, â€Å"I'm Ed Johnson.† â€Å"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Johnson.† Charlie disconnected and dialed the next E. Johnson. â€Å"Hello,† a woman's voice. â€Å"Hi, could I speak to Esther Johnson, please?† A deep breath. â€Å"Who is calling?† Charlie used a ruse that had worked a dozen times before. â€Å"This is Charlie Asher, of Asher's Secondhand. We've taken in some merchandise that has Esther Johnson's name on it and we wanted to make sure it's not stolen.† â€Å"Well, Mr. Asher, I'm sorry to tell you that my aunt passed away three days ago.† â€Å"Bingo!† Charlie said. â€Å"Pardon?† â€Å"Sorry,† Charlie said. â€Å"My associate is playing a scratch-off lotto ticket here in the shop, and he's just won ten thousand dollars.† â€Å"Mr. Asher, this isn't really a good time. Is this merchandise you have valuable?† â€Å"No, just some old clothes.† â€Å"Another time, then?† The woman sounded not so much bereaved as harried. â€Å"If you don't mind.† â€Å"No, I'm sorry for your loss,† Charlie said. He disconnected, checked the address, and headed up toward Golden Gate Park and the Haight. The Haight: mecca for the Free Love movement of the sixties, where the Beat Generation begat the Flower Children, where kids from all over the country had come to tune in, turn on, and drop out – and had kept coming, even as the neighborhood went through alternating waves of renewal and decline. Now, as Charlie drove down Haight Street, amid the head shops, vegetarian restaurants, hippie boutiques, music stores, and coffeehouses, he saw hippies that ranged in age from fifteen to seventy. Grizzled oldsters panhandling or passing out pamphlets, and young, white-Rastafarian dreadlocked teenagers in flowing skirts or hemp drawstring trousers, with shining piercings and vacant pot-blissed stares. He passed brown-toothed crackheads barking at cars as they passed, a spiky holdover here and there from the punk movement, old guys in berets and wayfarers who might have stepped out of a jazz club in 1953. It wasn't so much like the hands of time had stood still here, more like they'd bee n thrown in the air in exasperation, the clock declaring, â€Å"Whatever! I'm outta here.† Esther Johnson's house was just a couple of blocks off Haight, and Charlie was lucky enough to find parking in a twenty-minute green zone nearby. (If the time came that he ever got to talk to someone in charge, he was going to make a case for special parking privileges for Death Merchants, for while it was nice that no one could see him when he was retrieving a soul vessel, some cool Death plates or â€Å"black† parking zones would be even better.) The house was a small bungalow, unusual for this neighborhood, where most everything was three stories tall and painted in whatever color would contrast most with the house next to it. Charlie had taught Sophie her colors here, using grand Victorians as color swatches. â€Å"Orange, Daddy. Orange.† â€Å"Yes, honey, the man barfed up orange. Look at that house, Sophie, it's purple.† The block did have its share of transients, so he knew the doors of the Johnson house would be locked. Ring the bell and try to sneak through, or wait? He really couldn't afford to wait – the sewer harpies had hissed at him from a grate as he approached the house. He rang the bell, then quickstepped to the side. A pretty, dark-haired woman of about thirty, wearing jeans and a peasant blouse, opened the door, looked around, and said, â€Å"Hello, can I help you?† Charlie nearly fell through a window. He looked behind his back, then back at the woman. No, she was looking right at him. â€Å"Yes, you rang the bell?† â€Å"Oh, me? Yes,† Charlie said. â€Å"I'm, uh – you meant me, right?† The woman stepped back into the house. â€Å"What can I do for you?† she said, a bit stern now. â€Å"Oh, sorry – Charlie Asher – I own a secondhand store over in North Beach, I just talked to you on the phone, I think.† â€Å"Yes. But I told you that it wasn't important.† â€Å"Right, right, right. You did, but I was in the neighborhood, and I thought, well, I'd just drop by.† â€Å"I got the impression you were calling from your shop. You got all the way across town in five minutes?† â€Å"Oh, right, well, the van is like a mobile shop to me.† â€Å"So the person who won the lotto is with you?† â€Å"Right, no, he quit. I had to kick him out of the van. New money, you know? All full of himself. Will probably buy a big rock of cocaine and a half-dozen hookers and he'll be broke by the weekend. Good riddance, I say.† The woman backed another step into the house and pulled the door partway shut. â€Å"Well, if you have the clothes with you, I suppose I can take a look at them.† â€Å"Clothes?† Charlie couldn't believe she could see him. He was completely screwed now. He'd never get the soul vessel and then – well, he didn't want to think of what would happen then. â€Å"The clothes you said you thought might belong to my aunt. I could look at them.† â€Å"Oh, I don't have those with me.† Now she had the door closed to the point where he could see just one blue eye, the embroidery around the neckline of her blouse, the button on her jeans, and two toes. (She was barefoot.) â€Å"Maybe you'd better check another time. I'm trying to get my aunt's things together, and I'm doing it all by myself, so it's a little hectic. She was in this house for forty-two years. I'm overwhelmed.† â€Å"That's why I'm here,† Charlie said, thinking, What the hell am I talking about? â€Å"I do this all the time, uh, Ms. – â€Å" â€Å"Mrs., actually. Mrs. Elizabeth Sarkoff.† â€Å"Well, Mrs. Sarkoff, I do this sort of thing a lot, and sometimes it can get overwhelming going through the possessions of a loved one, especially if they've been in one place for a long time like your aunt. It helps to have someone who doesn't have an emotional attachment to help sort things out. Plus, I have a pretty good eye for what's valuable and what's not.† Charlie wanted to give himself a high five for coming up with that on the spur of the moment. â€Å"And do you charge for this service?† â€Å"No, no, no, but I may make an offer to buy items you'd like to get rid of, or you can place them in my shop on consignment if you'd prefer.† Elizabeth Sarkoff sighed heavily and hung her head. â€Å"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to take advantage.† â€Å"It would be my pleasure,† he said. Mrs. Sarkoff swung the door wide. â€Å"Thank God you showed up, Mr. Asher. I just spent an hour trying to figure out which set of elephant salt-and-pepper shakers to keep and which to throw away. She has ten pairs! Ten! Please come in.† Charlie sauntered through the door feeling very proud of himself. Six hours later, when he was waist deep in porcelain-cow figurines, and he still hadn't located the soul vessel, he lost all sense of accomplishment. â€Å"So she had a special connection to Holsteins?† Charlie called to Mrs. Sarkoff, who was in the next room, inside a walk-in closet, sorting through yet another huge pile of collectible crap. â€Å"No, I don't think so. Lived her whole life here in the City. I'm not sure if she ever saw a cow outside of those talking ones that sell cheese on TV.† â€Å"Swell,† Charlie said. He'd been through every inch of the house except the closet where Elizabeth Sarkoff was working and he hadn't found the soul vessel. He'd peeked into the closet a couple of times, taking a fast inventory of the contents, and didn't see anything glowing red. He was starting to suspect that either he was too late, and the Underworlders had gotten the soul vessel, or it had been buried with Esther Johnson. He was heading down toward the basement again when his cell phone rang. â€Å"Charlie Asher's phone,† Charlie said. â€Å"Charlie, it's Cassie. Sophie wants to know if you're going to come home in time to tell her a story and tuck her in. I gave her dinner and her bath.† Charlie ran up the stairs and looked out the front windows. It had gotten dark and he hadn't even noticed. â€Å"Crap, Cassie, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was so late. I'm with an estate client. Tell her I'll be home to tuck her in.† â€Å"Okay, I will,† Cassandra said, sounding exhausted. â€Å"And, Charlie, you can clean up the bathroom floor. You've got to do something about those dogs getting in the tub with her. There are drifts of Mr. Bubble suds all over your apartment.† â€Å"They do enjoy their bath.† â€Å"That's cute, Charlie. If I didn't love your sister I'd hire someone to break your legs.† â€Å"My mom just died, Cassie.† â€Å"You're playing the dead-mom card? Now? Charlie Asher, you – â€Å" â€Å"Gotta go,† Charlie said. â€Å"Be home soon.† Charlie pushed the disconnect button four times, then one more time, just to be sure. Cassandra had been such a sweet woman, only days ago. What happened to people? Charlie bounded into the bedroom. â€Å"Mrs. Sarkoff?† â€Å"Yes, still in here,† came a voice from the closet. â€Å"I'm going to have to be going. My daughter needs me.† â€Å"I hope everything is all right.† â€Å"Yes, not an emergency, I've just been gone for a couple of days. Look, if you need any more help – â€Å" â€Å"No, I wouldn't think of it. Why don't you give me a few days to sort things out and I'll bring some items by your shop.† â€Å"I don't mind, really.† Charlie felt silly yelling to someone who was in a closet. â€Å"No, I'll be in touch, I promise.† Charlie couldn't think of any way of pressing the situation right now, and he needed to get home. â€Å"Okay, then. I'll be going.† â€Å"Thank you, Mr. Asher. You've been a lifesaver.† â€Å"You're welcome. Bye.† Charlie let himself out and the front door locked behind him with a click. He could hear stirring below the street – the rustling of feathers, the distant calls of ravens – as he made his way back to where he had parked his van. And when he got there, of course, it had been towed. When she heard the front door lock, Audrey went to the back of the closet and moved the big cardboard wardrobe box aside to reveal an elderly woman who was sitting calmly in a folding lawn chair, knitting. â€Å"He's gone, Esther. You can come out now.† â€Å"Well, help me up, dear, I think I'm stuck like this,† Esther said. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Audrey said. â€Å"I had no idea he'd stay that long.† â€Å"I don't understand why you let him in in the first place,† Esther said, creaky but on her feet now. â€Å"So he could satisfy his curiosity. See for himself.† â€Å"And where did you get that Elizabeth Sarkoff name?† â€Å"My second-grade teacher. It was the first thing I could think of.† â€Å"Well, I guess you fooled him. I don't know how to thank you.† â€Å"He'll be back. You know that, right?† Audrey said. â€Å"I hope not too soon,† Esther said. â€Å"I really need to visit the powder room.† Where is it, lover?† hissed the Morrigan from the grate on Haight Street, near where Charlie was trying to flag down a cab. â€Å"You're slipping, Meat,† said the hellish chorus. Charlie looked around to see if anyone else had heard, but passersby seemed very intent on their own conversations, or if alone, were staring intently at a point only twelve feet in front of them on the sidewalk, both strategies to avoid eye contact with the panhandlers and crazy people who lined the sidewalk. Not even the crazy people seemed to notice. â€Å"Fuck off,† Charlie said, in a furious whisper at the curb. â€Å"Fucking harpies.† â€Å"Oh, lover, this teasing is so delicious. The little one's blood will be so delicious!† The young homeless guy sitting just down the curb looked up at Charlie. â€Å"Dude, get the clinic to up your lithium and they'll go away. It worked for me.† Charlie nodded and gave the guy a dollar. â€Å"Thanks, I'll look into that.† He'd have to call Jane in Arizona in the morning and find out how far the shadow had moved down the mesa, if it had moved. Why would what he did or didn't do in San Francisco affect what was happening in Sedona? All this time he'd been trying to convince himself that it wasn't about him, and now it appeared that it very much was about him. The Luminatus will rise in the City of Two Bridges, Vern had said. What kind of dependable prophecy can you get from a guy named Vern, anyway? (Come on down to Vern's Discount Prophecy – The Nostradamus with the Low-Price Promise.) It was absurd. He had to keep going forward, doing his part, and doing his best to collect the soul vessels that came to him. And if he didn't, well, the Forces of Darkness would rise and rule over the world. So what. Bring it on, sewer hoes! Big deal. But his inner Beta Male, the gene that had kept his kind alive for three million years, spoke up: Forces of Darkness ruling the world? Okay, that would be bad, it said. She so loved the smell of Pine-Sol,† said the third woman that day to claim to have been Charlie's mother's best friend. The funeral hadn't been so bad, but now there was a potluck in the clubhouse of a nearby gated senior community where Buddy had lived before he moved in with Charlie's mom. The couple had returned there often to play cards and socialize with Buddy's old crew. â€Å"Did you get some sloppy joe?† asked best friend number three. Despite the hundred-degree heat, she wore a pink sweatsuit emblazoned with rhinestone poodles and carried a nervous little black poodle under her arm everywhere she went. The dog licked her potato salad while she was distracted by talking to Charlie. â€Å"I don't know if your mother ever ate sloppy joe. Only thing I ever saw her take in was an old-fashioned. She did enjoy her cocktails.† â€Å"Yes, she did,† Charlie said. â€Å"And I think I'm going to go enjoy one myself, right now.† Charlie had flown into Sedona that morning after spending the night in San Francisco trying to find the two overdue soul vessels. Although he couldn't find a burial notice for Esther Johnson, the pretty brunette woman at her house had told him that she had been interred the day after he'd first gone to the house in the Haight, and he assumed that the soul vessel had been, once again, buried with her. (Was the brunette's name Elizabeth? Of course it was Elizabeth, he was fooling himself to even pretend to forget. Beta Males do not forget the names of pretty women. Charlie could remember the name of the centerfold of the first Playboy he'd ever swiped from the shelves in his dad's shop. He even remembered that her turnoffs were bad breath, mean people, and genocide, and resolved that he would never have, be, or commit any of those things, just in case he ran into her sometime when she was casually sunning her breasts on the hood of a car.) There was no trace of the other woman, Irena P osokovanovich, who was supposed to have died days ago. No notice, no records at hospitals, no one living in her house. It was as if she'd evaporated, and taken her soul vessel with her. He had a couple more weeks to get to the third name in his date book, but he wasn't sure what he was going to have to deal with to get to it. Darkness was rising. Someone beside him said, â€Å"Small talk doesn't really get any smaller than when you've lost a loved one, huh?† Charlie turned toward the voice, surprised to see Vern Glover, diminutive Death Merchant, munching some coleslaw and ranch beans. â€Å"Thanks for coming,† Charlie said automatically. Vern waved off the thanks with his plastic fork. â€Å"You saw the shadow?† Charlie nodded. When he'd gotten to his mother's house this morning, the shadow of the mesa had reached his mother's front yard, and the calls of the carrion birds that churned in its edges were deafening. â€Å"You didn't tell me that no one else could see it. I called my sister from San Francisco to check the progress, but she didn't see anything.† â€Å"Sorry, they can't see it – at least as far as I've ever been able to tell they can't. It was gone for five days. It came back this morning.† â€Å"When I came back?† â€Å"I guess. Did we cause this? Doughnuts and coffee and it's the end of the world?† â€Å"I missed two souls back home,† Charlie said, smiling at a gentleman in burgundy golf wear who held his hand to his heart in sympathy as he passed them. â€Å"Missed? Did the – what did you call them – the sewer harpies get them?† â€Å"Could be,† Charlie said. â€Å"But whatever is happening, it seems to be following me.† â€Å"Sorry,† Vern said. â€Å"I'm glad we talked, though. I don't feel so alone.† â€Å"Yeah,† Charlie said. â€Å"And sorry about your mother,† Vern added quickly. â€Å"You okay?† â€Å"Hasn't even hit me yet,† Charlie said. â€Å"I guess I'm an orphan.† â€Å"I'll make sure and check out whoever gets her necklace,† Vern said. â€Å"I'll be careful with it.† â€Å"Thanks,† Charlie said. â€Å"You think we have any control over who gets the soul next? I mean really. The Great Big Book says it will move on as it should.† â€Å"I guess,† Vern said. â€Å"Every time I've sold one the glow has gone out right away. If it wasn't the right person, that wouldn't happen, right?† â€Å"Yeah, I guess so,† Charlie said. â€Å"So there is some order to this.† â€Å"You're the expert,† Vern said – then he dropped his fork. â€Å"Who is that? She's so hot.† â€Å"That's my sister,† Charlie said. Jane was coming across the room toward them. She was wearing Charlie's charcoal double-breasted Armani and the strappy black pumps; her platinum hair was lacquered into thirties finger waves, which flowed out from under a small black hat with a veil that covered her face down to her lips, which shone like red Ferraris. To Charlie, she looked, as usual, like the cross between a robot assassin and a Dr. Seuss character, but if he tried to squint past the fact that she was his sister, and a lesbian, and his sister, then he could possibly see how the hair, lips, and sheer linear altitude of her might strike someone as hot. Especially someone like Vern, who would require climbing equipment and oxygen to scale a woman Jane's height. â€Å"Vern, I'd like you to meet my incredibly hot sister, Jane. Jane, this is Vern.† â€Å"Hi, Vern.† Jane took Vern's hand and the Death Merchant winced at her grip. â€Å"Sorry for your loss,† Vern said. â€Å"Thanks,† Jane said. â€Å"Did you know our mother?† â€Å"Vern knew her very well,† Charlie said. â€Å"In fact, it was one of Mom's dying wishes that you let Vern buy you a doughnut. Wasn't it, Vern?† Vern nodded so hard that Charlie thought he could hear vertebrae cracking. â€Å"Her dying wish,† Vern said. Jane didn't move, or say anything. Because her eyes were covered, Charlie couldn't see her expression, but he guessed that she might be trying to burn holes in his aorta with her laser-beam vision. â€Å"You know, Vern, that would be lovely, but could I take a rain check? We just buried my mother and I have some things to go over with my brother.† â€Å"That's fine,† Vern said. â€Å"And it doesn't have to be a doughnut, if you're watching your figure. You know, a salad, coffee, anything.† â€Å"Sure,† Jane said. â€Å"Since it's what Mom wanted. I'll give you a call. Charlie told you I'm a lesbian, though, right?† â€Å"Oh my God,† Vern said. He almost doubled over with excitement before he remembered that he was at a postfuneral potluck and he was openly imagining a mnage trois with the deceased's daughter. â€Å"Sorry,† he squealed. â€Å"See you, Vern,† Charlie said as his sister hustled him toward the kitchen cubicle of the clubhouse. â€Å"I'll e-mail you about that other thing.† As soon as they rounded the corner into the kitchen Jane punched Charlie in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. â€Å"What were you thinking?† Jane hissed. She flipped back her veil so he could see just how pissed off she was, just in case the punch in the breadbasket hadn't conveyed the message. Charlie was gasping and laughing at the same time. â€Å"It's what Mom would have wanted.† â€Å"My mom just died, Charlie.† â€Å"Yeah,† Charlie said. â€Å"But you have no idea what you've just done for that guy in there.† â€Å"Really?† Jane raised an eyebrow. â€Å"He will remember this day always,† Charlie said. â€Å"That guy will never again have a sexual fantasy in which you do not walk through, probably wearing borrowed shoes.† â€Å"And you don't find that creepy?† â€Å"Well, yes, you're my sister, but it's a seminal moment for Vern.† Jane nodded. â€Å"You're a pretty good guy, Charlie, looking out for a tiny stranger like that.† â€Å"Yeah, well, you know – â€Å" â€Å"For an ass bag!† Jane said as she sank a fist into Charlie's solar plexus. Strangely, as he gasped for breath, Charlie felt that wherever his mother was right now, she was pleased with him. Bye, Mom, he thought. PART THREE BATTLEGROUND Tomorrow we shall meet, Death and I – And he shall thrust his sword Into one who is wide awake. – Dag Hammarskj;ld