Life as a Teenager in 2014 Essay

When I was younger, I always thought my parents knew everything and were never wrong. I believed that they never made mistakes, they were too old and wise. The same went for my teachers, older members of our extended family and just adults in general. I felt so safe, comforted by the fact that they knew and were in control, so I didn’t have to be. The older I became, the more I realized how faulty my ideas were. I never did become any wiser as I grew up; I had information and data that bombarded my brain and knowledge on how I must act to be socially accepted. I was told what I could do and what I mustn’t do. Perhaps I do know more about life and the world, but I don’t understand it; perhaps that is for the better. I remember when I first heard the song ‘Teenagers’ by My Chemical Romance, and I began to think about the meaning behind it. ‘They’re gonna clean up your looks†¨With all the lies in the books†¨To make a citizen out of you†¨Because they sleep with a gun†¨And keep an eye on you, son†¨So they can watch all the things you do Because the drugs never work†¨They’re gonna give you a smirk†¨Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Cause they’ve got methods of keeping you clean†¨They’re gonna rip up your heads†¨Your aspirations to shreds†¨Another cog in the murder machine They say that teenagers scare the living s*** out of me†¨They could care less as long as someone’ll bleed†¨So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose†¨Maybe they’ll leave you alone, but not me The boys and girls in the clique†¨The awful names that they stick†¨You’re never gonna fit in much, kid†¨But if you’re troubled and hurt†¨What you got under your shirt†¨We’ll make them pay for the things that they did’ The s ong did change my view on how teenagers are seen by society, but not in a way that I expected. I think that the singer, Gerard Way, is exploring how society wants to change teenagers to make them do as they are told and fit in and do well at school. However, the more they do this, the more teenagers rebel. In the chorus, Way expresses his fear of teenagers, of their tendency to perhaps be unpredictable and violent. ‘So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose Maybe they’ll leave you alone, but not me’ I  think he is trying to put forward the idea that society might ignore them or leave them alone if they act threatening and imposing, but as he is an adult, he is expected to stay in line and meet the expectations of society. I think it’s difficult being a teenager. People don’t seem to realize or might have even forgotten. I am at the age where I am too old to rely on others and make mistakes but not old enough to take control of my life and look after myself. This time in my life that makes up my teenage years is important, and I want to make the most of that but I find myself overwhelmed by set backs and a severe lack of control. There are so many aspects of my life the government wants to control. They want to cram so many exams and so much work into these few short years of our lives that we find ourselves snowed under it all. It seems that these years of our lives are the most important. They define us and decide what our future holds. The pressure is on: if you fail your science G.C.S.E then you won’t be able to take it for A level. If you can’t take it for A level, you won’t be able to study it at university, or get a PHD, or ever become a doctor. The government has decided that exams mean everything. An A and an A* could mean the difference between your dream job and being unhappy for the rest of your life, stuck with a boring job that perhaps pays decently, becoming miserable and dying a failure. It’s too much. This has to be the reason why we find that more and more teenagers each year are turning to drugs, self harm, eating disorders and depression. Why does everyone question the rise in the number of these cases? Is it not obvious? Iâ€℠¢m sure it also has something to with the rise of the internet and everything that we are being exposed to. Quite frankly, we can’t cope with it. It seems that no one understands but teenagers themselves. Of course, it’s all quite a cliche to say that no one understands teenagers, but it does seem to be true. I wouldn’t say that all teenagers can’t cope and I realize that some cope better than others, but I know that our system isn’t working. Not the corrupt government with its exams and heavy pressure on students, and the not the corrupted internet with its social networking sites and pornographic images that seem to be everywhere. The adverts that tell us what a perfect person looks like are crushing and I find them insulting. There is a silent reminder that lingers in the air telling us to be normal, a clone of everyone else and to fit in. Some people come to a point in their life when they decide that enough  is enough and they wear what they want and act how they like. I have a theory that people are like sling shots: the more they are pulled back and restrained, the further they go when they are let go. They get to a point where they cannot be pulled back any further. This is when people pierce and tattoo their bodies or wear socially unacceptable clothing to show the world that they are not going to be told what to do. There are also the quiet ones who starve themselves to be in control, take drugs to take away the pain or self harm to prove that the pain they are feeling is not just in their heads, its real and they can control it. There are even people who work themselves sick to be in control of their future. What I find interesting is that every generation is different: each has its own pressures that differ from the last. Not long ago, I would have been expected to get married not too soon from now and raise a family, possibly with a man I didn’t even love. Only recently has homosexuality become socially and legally acceptable. So before, teenagers would have had trouble fitting in, or would have had to pretend to be heterosexual. We as teenagers never really have been in control and with a personality like mine, that can be extremely overwhelming. It seems now we are finding our voice and are able to express ourselves. I can see that there are positive aspects about being a teenager in this day and age: some of us turn to positive hobbies to take our minds off the stress of exams. More and more teenagers are relying on their great passion in life and developing it to take their mind off their diffic ulties. This might be music, cooking, writing, designing, drawing or sport. I still remember the first time I played the drums and I’ve never looked back. They made me love music even more and I started playing the guitar as well. I wrote songs and started to sing. Music became my obsession and it is one aspect of my life that I can control. I can do it myself without having to listen to the people who tell me what I should be listening to, what I should be playing or what I should be writing. I do believe that if nothing is going to change, then we all need something to turn to in life that reminds us we can cope. I know that it wouldn’t work for everyone, but perhaps people who take drugs could start drawing or painting. Instead of people focussing on their body weight they could start to cook their own food and be in control of that instead. People who self harm could write down their feelings or express it through music, or even go out and run off  their sadness. I think people need to remind themselves what makes them happy and if nothing does then they should find something. I know nothing will change for some time, but in the meantime we need to find a way to make the most of our teenage years.

Great Migration

Beginning 1910 and leading through the end of the 1920’s, a â€Å"Great Migration† took place int he United States where more than 2 million African Americans moved from the Southern United States to the Midwest, Northeast and West. Much of the movement was a response to the high levels of racism in the South as well as employment opportunities in the growing industrial cities. The results of this movement not only affected the current economic climate but also led to many changes that would continue to evolve for generations to come.This essay is designed to provide a deeper understanding of the migration in order to hopefully provide insight into much of the culture we encounter in today’s society. As we explore the deeper reasoning behind the sudden migration of African Americans to the more urbanized locations of America, we must first consider the increased level of racism in the South of this time. â€Å"The primary factor for migration was the racial clim ate and widespread violence of lynching in the South. †1 With the Jim Crow laws being in effect, much of the idea of â€Å"separate but equal† facilities for African Americans was terribly skewed. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages. †2 Through these disadvantages, a higher level of oppression was then conveniently enforced on African Americans of the South including voting restrictions, separation of schools and job restrictions. During and World War 1, the industries of the North began to grow significantly due to the needs of the war.As industries grew, so did the job market. With the increase in job openings and the restrictions placed on immigration to the United States, blacks from the South found opportunity to escape the harsh economic climate of the South. Looking at the growth of the cities, a connect ion is made with the railroad locations. â€Å"People tended to take the cheapest rail ticket possible. This resulted in, for example, many people from Mississippi moving directly north to Chicago, from Alabama to Cleveland and Detroit, and Louisiana to California. 1 With this mass movement, came a huge cultural shift among African Americans. Having better opportunities in industries away from the failing farming market, fighting in the Great War, and forming new communities away from the more severely oppressive South brought about a level of pride in their black culture, much of this leading to riots and protesting among African American groups. Even before the war, African Americans had stepped up protests against discrimination.The NAACP â€Å"fought school segregation in Northern cities during the 1920s and lobbied hard, though unsuccessfully, for a federal anti-lynching bill. †3 With the continued growth of black pride, it soon found its cultural expression in the â₠¬Å"Harlem Renaissance–the first self-conscious literary and artistic movement in African American history. During the 1920s, Harlem became the capital of black America, attracting black intellectuals and artists from across the country and the Caribbean. Soon, the Harlem Renaissance was in full bloom. †3Because African American migrants maintained much of their Southern culture and speech patterns, such differences created a sense of â€Å"otherness† in terms of their acceptance by others who were living in the cities before them. â€Å"Stereotypes ascribed to â€Å"black† people during this period and ensuing generations often derived from African American migrants' rural cultural traditions, which were maintained in stark contrast to the urban environments in which the people resided. †1 Many of these stereotypes are known and enforced even in todays society showing the underlying effect of racism in a culture years down the road.The Great Migrati on’s effects on our culture both political, economic and sociologically have effected much of where we are today. In hopes of branching even further from our tainted past, we must learn from it. â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. â€Å"4 -George Santayana Sources: 1. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Great_Migration_(African_American) 2. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws 3. http://www. digitalhistory. uh. edu/database/article_display. cfm? HHID=443 4. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/George_Santayana

Qualitative Research Appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Qualitative Research Appraisal - Essay Example The researchers presented a clear rationale for the research, setting it in context of any current issues and knowledge of the topic to date. Aside from this they have presented adequate information for the review of related literature to back up readers regarding any existing or past researches with the same topic. The review of related literature of the research article is a focused summary of what has already been published regarding the question or problem for which there is a gap in knowledge. The literature of the research article gives the readers' a picture of what is already known or has already been studied in relation to the problem and identifies where the gaps in knowledge may be. (Caldwell, 2005) The literature review in the research being critiqued does not necessarily only include published research studies. It also may include published reports about issues related to practice or a description of a theory. (Babbie, 2004) A theory is a written description of how several factors may relate to and affect one each other. The factors described in a theory are usually abstract: that cannot be readily observed and immediately defined and recognized by everyone. The research report of the article used discusses a theory in its introduction section, the study tests and further explains the relationships proposed in that theory. The meta-category perspective is used in the research report. (Fischer, 2005) It is expected that the study will be based on this, and that is to examine some aspect of life events and perceptions affect the variables in the research. The literature review should reflect the current state of knowledge relevant to the study and identify any gaps or conflicts. It should include key or classic studies on the topic as well as up to date literature. There should be a balance of primary and secondary sources Related studies, on the other hand, are studies, inquiries, or investigations already conducted to which the present proposed study is related or has some bearing or similarity. They are usually unpublished materials such as manuscripts, theses, and dissertations. (Creswell, 2003) Since the study is based on existing theory, then the researcher already has an idea of what relationships to be found. These ideas are stated in the form of a hypothesis, a prediction regarding the relationships or effects of selected factors on other factors. For any study to include a hypothesis there must be some knowledge bout a problem of interest so that the researchers can propose or predict that certain relationships or effects may occur. The research provided two sections for the hypotheses: Life stage (age) hypotheses and Country culture hypotheses. (Fawcett, 2004) Identify ethical issues related to the study and how they were/were not addressed. Ethical issues pertinent to the study are discussed. The researchers identified how the rights of informants have been protected and informed consent obtained. The patients who participated in the study were informed regarding the purpose of the research and approval was sought from them prior to the interviews. Health service research committees were responsible for getting the permission of these patients. (Fowler, 2002) The information regarding and confidentiality of the study were

To what extent, and in what ways, do the traditional theories of Essay

To what extent, and in what ways, do the traditional theories of employment relations help us to understand the modern Australia - Essay Example The theories are discussed based on mainly three grounds viz. unitarist, pluralist and also on Marx’s radical approaches. On the basis of such theories the industrial practices of the employers and the government’s role in such is analysed. This analysis is conducted to reflect on the reasons for the decline of the trade unions power and also on the needs for the changing business and industrial structures in the Australian framework. Introduction The government of Australia is taking potential steps to protect the plight of workers from undue practices of the employers in dismissing the employees from their work. Thus large number of employees in Australia is on an advantageous point in fighting against the event of them being unfairly dismissed of their work tenure. Further it is observed that small business outlets in Australia have more advantage in firing employees more often than larger ones. The employees in small business firms in the region need to work for ten ure of one year whereas for larger firms it is six months to fight back against unfair dismissal. (Schneiders, 2010). The Australian employers are also endeavouring to compensate the employees adequately against taking the basic rights of better living and work conditions from them. The employees are over compensated in turn of sacrificing their rights to getting better meal and laundry services. (Johnson, 2010). Employees of a computer packing company located in New South Wales are also found to largely complain of not being rendered their basic rights owing to better living and working standards. The employees stated that the payment rendered to them often fails to meet the travelling and living cost. (Bibby, 2010). However the government of Australia is endeavouring to take special care of the employees involved in construction and building industry especially in providing legal protection. (AAP, 2010). The Australian employers are also reflecting a strong recognition of the exis tence of large number of trade union bodies in the region. Australia has shown a huge rise of trade unionism in several industries like education and other public utility services. (Bibby, 2010; Hannan, 2010). Justification for Choosing the Issues The two issues chosen regarding employment relation conditions in respect to the Australian region pertain to two aspects. Firstly the issue regarding fair employment practices is dealt with in regards to the Australian industries. Secondly the issue of promoting trade unions is also surveyed in respect of the industrial environmental standards of Australia. The fair work practices in respect of the Australian industries reflect important issues in regards to employment relation conditions. The issues hover around important aspects relating to working conditions of the industries, delay in rendering financial compensation to the workers and also for gaining flexibility in relation to work timings. Further the minimum pay standards rendered to the workers are also dealt with in regards to the fair work practices in the Australian industries. The concept of fair work practices in regards to Australian industries is further extended to encourage the entry of large number o

Ontological Arguments and Belief in God Assignment

Ontological Arguments and Belief in God - Assignment Example His argument, however, was wholly rejected by Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas’s suggestion was that there is no way that mere mortals can conceive what God’s nature is, and thus we surely cannot conceive God like Anselm has said we can (Oppy 122-3). Therefore, this argument can be used only by the ones who can understand the true essence of God and that cannot be anyone but God Himself. David Hume was another philosopher who went against Anselm’s argument. His criticism was that it has no evidential reasoning. His argument was that the existence of a being cannot be proved simply through a priori reasoning. Cleanthes has proposed this argument in the following words: ...there is an evident absurdity in pretending to demonstrate a matter of fact, or to prove it by any arguments a priori. Nothing is demonstrable, unless the contrary implies a contradiction. Nothing, that is distinctly conceivable, implies a contradiction. Whatever we conceive as existent, we can also conce ive as non-existent. There is no being, therefore, whose non-existence implies a contradiction. Consequently there is no being, whose existence is demonstrable (Fieser 232). Yet another proposal was made by Pascal regarding the existence of God; he stated that His existence cannot be decided upon by means of reason and that a logical person should consider that God does exist since there has to be one being who can only gain and not lose anything. However, Pascal’s suggestion was solely for the Christian God and he said there is a possibility of certain people not believing in God in spite of receiving enormous benefits after acknowledging God’s presence, even if for a bet. William Paley was a Christian apologist, utilitarian and philosopher and had his own belief in God. His book Natural Theology presents the proof regarding God’s existence. Paley, like Aquinas, felt that we cannot know about the qualities of God, even if He exists. The fact he argued for was t hat there are much more evidences for the statement that God exists than objections against it. Paul Davies, a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist and author, has written a book regarding the existence of God. His latest book deals with natural theology which suggests that proof for the existence and nature of God is possible to be derived from the reflection we make of the natural world. Davies has used the latest discoveries and scientific facts from physics and cosmology to come to a conclusion regarding the classical theological queries. Answer 2: Anselm has provided certain reasoning in favour of the existence of God. His proposal was that God is the greatest being. And He is perfect. His perfections themselves prove that He exists because perfection requires existence. If He is perfect he definitely exists, no arguments about that for sure. Pascal said that even if one does not have any proof of God’s existence it is better to believe in one rather than r isk his afterlife and lose everything later, while having the time of his life in the world. Pascal talked about the super-dominance argument which states that in case it is true that God really exists the theists would be able to have eternal paradise and atheists, on the other hand, would go through eternal damnation. However, if there is no God the theists would have complete but finite happiness before dying. Atheists would be the same except that they would not have the comforts of religion. Thus, whether God exists or doesn’t, it is the theists who are better off than the atheists. Another argument in favour of the existence of God was by Aquinas, and it was cosmology based. According to his argument the objects that we find to be moving are

Turkey and the European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Turkey and the European Union - Essay Example It will also be considering the significant impacts Turkey's accession would have on the Union, how such an enlargement could be managed, and how this would affect the future of the European Union. Since signing the accession agreement in 1963, Turkey's declared objective is to become a full member of the European Union, and her first application was made in 1987. The reasons that she has not been accepted are based on issues concerning human rights, the Kurds, the Armenian massacre, her long-standing conflict with Cyprus and, perhaps, doubts that exist over whether she is truly European. "Turkey confirms its traditional goal which is to align itself with [a] Europe that is politically plural, economically liberal, rich in cultural diversity and strategically necessary to the defence and security of the West" (FindArticles.com, Online Article, 2007). While it would seem that the EU considers Turkey to be primarily an Asian country, Turkey evidently considers herself to be essentially European, and has been making efforts to 'Europeanise' herself for almost one hundred years.The westernisation of Turkey began during the 1920s, under the leadership of Kemal Attaturk, who introduced a formal and fundamental policy based upon the ultimate goal of becoming part of the European Union. The reforms were extensive. The Latin alphabet was introduced, along with the European calendar, the Christian day of rest was adopted, and women's rights were formally recognised in 1922 (which was far more progressive than most other European countries - France, for example, didn't suffragette their female citizens until 1945!). The civil code was adopted from Switzerland, the penal code from Italy and, most importantly, Turkey brought in measures that assured the removal of Islamic political power, thus becoming a secular state like other European cou ntries - with its only difference being that its members are predominantly Muslim rather than Christian.Following World War II, Turkey was accepted into the West because of her strategic importance. In 1949 she became a member of the Council of Europe, in 1952 an important member of NATO, and she has been an associate member of the European Union since 1963. It is also clear that since the end of the Cold War her strategic importance has increased, rather than decreased - which is clearly demonstrated by her crucial role in the Gulf War - and this strategic position is extremely useful to Europe. Turkey could choose to align herself with the Middle East, or the ex-Soviet Republics of Transcaucasia and Asia, however, due to the political

In postcolonial contemporary societies there are no longer any Essay

In postcolonial contemporary societies there are no longer any frontiers, only borders'. Critically consider this view and con - Essay Example The colonial states therefore created order within the colonial territories and hence the possibility of conflict emerging between different communities was limited to certain levels due to reduced interaction. This also saw the reduction in the cultural diversity and the exchange of cultural values between different colonial societies. The postcolonial state and the freedom that has been created as a result of revolution within different countries have resulted into different consequences to the society. According to Singh & Schmidt (2009), these consequences are directly or indirectly related to the artificial boundaries that were created by the colonial power. It is important to note that the post colonial and the decolonization movements adopted the boundaries that were created by these colonialists and hence created a nation state. Even though it was imagined that the nation so created is different from the colonial one, it was not different, the nation remained the same through out. The concept of imprisonment within the territories created the state nations through colonial territorial cartographies. It is this state nation that resulted to the creations of borders in which the frontiers territories were lost. However, the creation of borders has resulted into certain benefits within the borders with regard to the interaction with other nation states. However, it has dismantled the order that existed before and hence has resulted to certain adverse impacts. The problems that have been created by the building of the nation states include; the problems of minorities, ethno-nationalism, sub-state nationalism, ethnicities and separatism (French, 2000). All these have resulted from the diversity in the territorial lands that were converted into the nation states. The root causes of all these problems are the increasing interaction between different communities that has increased the vulnerability of conflict. This can be described as globalization often termed as economic globalization which is the increase in the levels of interaction between individuals and other business entities. This has increased the way individuals access information, perform business, transfer information, competition and the general flow of capital in different economies. This has resulted into the positive impacts as well as the negative consequences. Globalization refers to the integration of regional economies, cultures and societies with regard to transportation, communication and trade. The concept also describes the changes that have taken place in the contemporary society with regard to the interaction and socialization process across the world. The society that has gone through this concept is therefore said to be globalized. While many scholars argue that globalization has resulted into the increased benefits, others have taken contrary opinion, stating that this has resulted into more bad than good. The latter school of argument asserts that globalizat ion has increased the possibility of the intra-national conflicts and the international conflicts while reducing intercultural contacts (Steger, 2009). In this context, it is evident that there is increasing concern and debate about the world peace and the international relations. This is because globalization and the creation of the borders have interfered by the territorial system and there is no longer secrecy or

Globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Globalization - Research Paper Example Globalization has been present for a great deal of time now with the activities of â€Å"trade, immigration, and the exchange of information and ideas.† (Arnett, 2002). Moreover, with the advent of technology, especially in the fields of communication, a great amount of mutuality now exists in terms of financial dependency and economic trade. (Arnett, 2002). There is a lot of speculation regaridng globalization recently. The growth rate of international trade which was rapid, has diminished in the past few years, especially with global economies going into recessions. (Schuman, 2013). However, globalization is still in the running and growing strong. In the past investments and technology innovations were moving from the Developed countries to the Developing or Less Developed countries. (Schuman, 2013). However, that is a thing of the past now. Emerging markets are taking over the role in innovation and investments worldwide. For instance, â€Å"Apple’s chief rival is not a European or even Japanese company, but South Korea’s Samsung†. (Schuman, 2013) Textiles and Apparel industry can refer to the manufacturing and design of textiles. It includes the production process and the technology or machinery used to produce textiles. There may be various uses of textiles such as industrial and non industrial. Industrial usage means the use of textiles in aiding production, whereas non industrial usage means the use of textiles in daily wear , as apparels or fashion. The three biggest exporters in the textiles industry are all developing countries such as: Globalization of the textile industry is not something new. It has been going on since several years. In the early ninetheenth century, America was actively trading Indian Cotton in England. Later, it began exporting cotton to China. (Abernathy et al, 2004) However, as the textiles

Mexican History -Research paper biography of Miguel Hildago y Costilla Research

Mexican History - biography of Miguel Hildago y Costilla - Research Paper Example Hidalgo then declined invading Mexico and instead took the town of Guadalajara. After this point Hidalgo’s rebellion was counter-acted until his eventual execution (Chasteen 2001). Throughout his life Miguel Hidalgo enjoyed many achievements and failures. While Miguel Hidalgo is notable for a number of reasons, the primary reasons for his notoriety is because of the rebellion he enacted. Hidalgo was born into a well-off family and early in life he received a very solid education. Indeed, one of his greatest achievements during this period was his earning his degree in philosophy in 1773. He then went on to become ordained as a priest in 1778. Then in 1790 be became dean of San Nicolas school. After moving to Dolores in 1803, another one of Hidalgo’s great achievements was using the area’s natural resources to devise ways to help the poor. Perhaps the achievement Hidalgo is most recognized for is his enacting a large-scale rebellion in Mexico. During this process Hidalgo received a number of honors and accomplishments, including His Most Serene Highness. There were a number of personality elements that led Hidalgo in success and failure. In terms of the rebellion, perhaps the most prominent personality elements consisted of his religious affiliation, which gave the rebellion a moral center and contributed to Hidalgo’s leadership ability.

Kant's Response to Hume's Skepticism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Kant's Response to Hume's Skepticism - Essay Example Another problem that Kant had to content with was the general partition of causal labor between God and created organisms. The main question he faced during his time was the relationship between the causal activity and action of God, considered as the primeval creator and conserver of the world. Kant acknowledged the position that a theory of God’s causal role in the natural course of nature was a precondition of any rational metaphysics of extraordinary intercessions. His personal contribution of this role was influenced by his engagement with three contending theories of divine causation (Nash, 1999, p.4). The first theory, known as occasionalism, postulates that God is exclusively responsible for the existence of beings. According to this theory, God uses his own power and finite substances to create effects in harmony with his own diktat. The second theory of divine causation is known as conservationism. According to this theory, divine activity is restricted to Godâ€℠¢s act in preserving created organisms. These protected organisms are viewed as capable of producing their own powers without any extra divine action. The third theory of divine causation is known as concurrence. It concurs with both occasionalism and conservationism that finite beings exclusively depend on God’s creative and preserving action for their survival (Nash, 1999, p.6). During the mid 18th century, Kant embarked on a serious reflection on the nature of the biological structure of organism. During this period, the scientific discourse on natural history and physiology was powerfully marked by decline of the pre-formation theory-the classical mechanistic theory of the organism. In addition, this period witnessed the emergence of the self-reproduction concept of organic systems which led to the rise of vitalism. Kant examined and reflected upon the methodology of this process. He attempted with the notion of objective purposive-ness to link the idea of reproduction wi th the conservative question of teleology so as to validate the notion of organism adequate to the system of mechanistic science (Nash, 1999, p.9). The classical theory of pre-formation, also called the doctrine of evolution was the deistic conjecture of generation par excellence. In the mechanistic hypotheses of the 17th century, the unique attributes exhibited by organism were perceived to be basic outcomes of the properties of the parts. This was the fundamental principle of the mechanical theory. But how did it come to be that organism had this organization? One of the basic dilemmas that the novel mechanistic science had to resolve was the manner in which different living organisms could have emerged from universal principles of matter in motion. The pertinent question to be answered was not whether an animal or a plant was a machine. Rather, the issue was: presuming that plants and animals are machines, how did they get their structures? The functioning of the beings could be clarified through an anatomical dissection of their structures. However, the elementary theoretical question that had to be addressed dealt with the origin of this structure. In other words, one of the major problems the pre-formation theory faced was explaining how the fundamental structures of various organisms could have emerged through the universal laws of matter in motion. In addition, it was generally assumed that the organization of the particles in the germ also mirrored the organization

Memoir of American Sniper Essay Example for Free

Memoir of American Sniper Essay Growing up in a small southern town, Kyle always loved the thrill of hunting, the adrenaline of a rodeo and the adventures of cowboys. Little did he know that his career would include each of these elements. Through his four tours of duty, Kyle served in many major battles of the Iraqi war and ranked over 160 confirmed kills. His first kill came in late March 2003. His Seal Team was tasked to assist the marines as they marched toward Baghdad. Set up on the roof of a run down building, he observed through his scope a woman yank a Chinese grenade from beneath her clothes. As ordered to, he opened fire and consequently saved several Americans’ lives. Over time he increased his accuracy and lethality. One day, he spotted a group of three insurgents 1,600 yards away. Though they believed they were a safe distance away, Kyle incredibly dialed up his own solution, and killed one of them; that shot resulted in his longest confirmed kill in Iraq. I liked this memoir because Kyle demonstrates his patriotism and his selflessness through his perilous adventures. Kyle enlisted in the Seals to honor America, and to protect her people. Chris â€Å"risked [his] life for [his] buddies, to protect [his] friends and fellow countrymen† (267). Furthermore, even though he had a newborn baby, he sacrificed his responsibility as a father in order to serve his country. His extreme patriotism and selflessness allowed him to become a legend.

The Run Away Children Children And Young People Essay

The Run Away Children Children And Young People Essay This chapter to focusing on characterization of the run-away children like on the basis of their activity work at platform, income, available support, reason of run away, their family background, and analyzing their reason of run away and related things. 2.2 Characterizing the runaway children Yardstick used to characterize the run-away children is based on their age, sex, how many times they run away, their parental care at their home, their work at their home and on the platform, their living condition on platform, how they are living in platform etc. based on the sample taken, observation and other process of the study. 2.3 Age of the child Age group Sample of the study restricted up to 6-15, but later at the location some more children added those who are more than age group of 15 but less than 18. Hence NGO working for run away children also considering the age group up to 18 and also we added as per the requirement to add children up to age group of 18. The age group ratio we found on the railway station is as below in table: Available data is clearly showing the status of run-away children; the most them are belongs to the age group of 11-14. Where very less belongs to the age group of 15-18. And the second lessor one from the age group less than age group of less than 10. And that seems more probably due to that they are very small to run away from home or from work place or form any respected place. Another lowest one belongs from the age group of 15-18, mainly due to during the age in case of boy they being mature and they moving from the platform for different work to somewhere else. And in case of girl we don ¿Ã‚ ½t have much information but as from discussion it comes out that brokers are very active as well girls are more vulnerable belongs from these age group. 2.4 Samples separated by Girls and Boys (primary data, N=53) Firstly our sample is biased to tell about run away children on platform based on their sex. Due to permission problem we didn ¿Ã‚ ½t get opportunity to have girl sample. But with help of SATHI we had taken only 25% sample of girl among total number of sample. But through the observation also it was very clear those girls are living very less on the platform. As per the available secondary data from SATHI, it shows that about 33.33% children are girl among all run away. 2.5 Religion of the child Religion of children doesn ¿Ã‚ ½t made any to sense to say that children are run away because they are belongs to XYZ community. But as per sample taken 37 children are Hindu; 13 Muslims; 3 Christians; and 1 Sikh. And according to the CWC secondary data Hindu- 71%, Muslims 14%, Christian 13% and others 2 %.( source: primary data) 2.6 Status of children before run away It is necessary to explore about the run-away children what they were doing before running away. Whether they are studying, working or doing nothing means not studying and not working. Children what do they were doing before they run away? Definitely it is making one sense; it may be a cause for run-away the children. Like children those who were going to school they may have problem to getting into stress because they might disliking to go school. Similarly they might have fear of teacher. Similarly as children those who were working can run away due to exploitation at the work place. In some of the cases children runaway because they sent by their parents for work and they are getting exploited at the workplace in such condition they cannot think to go back and cannot work too. Such kinds of situation also forcing to run away. One thing I noticed common in run-away children is their confidence may be that also one factor because of that they rebel from the situation and run away. We also got cases of sexual exploitation but it ware seldom for male but it was more in case of girl at their respected work place nothing surprising. 2.7 Times of run away Basically run away children comes into two type 1) Habitual run away 2) Fresher; those run away first time. As per the sample 66% children are first time runaway. Habitual children basically having psychological problem. Like in few cases children away several times. Not only from their house or workplace they are running away from anywhere. Among the habitual children some of them are liking platform life so much, even they don ¿Ã‚ ½t want to go back their home. Usually NGOs working for the platform children are conducting rehabitation camp. After the camp most of the children are getting rehabitated. But old children don ¿Ã‚ ½t want to attain camp even they don ¿Ã‚ ½t like to go with such kind of process of the NGO. Besides they are taking opportunity of such facility available for them like shelter and food. The problem not much complicated for those who run away first time but here around 44% children are runaway more than one time, May be because they like the platform life. Some cases also there where children are living on the platform because they don ¿Ã‚ ½t know the way to go back, and children those who run away several times cannot go back because they rejected by the family several times. 2.8 Status of Family Children are running away one of the reason due to the parental care. We got the same result through the primary and secondary data. Through the sample we got from total run away, 32.5% boy are orphan; And among all orphan 14% not having father and mother. 31.25% without mother and 56.25 are without father. At home children without mother and father, feels so lonely, no body taking care of them as father and mother. Once they run away they don ¿Ã‚ ½t wanted to back. And also we found the similar cases among those not having either mother or father. 2.9 Contact with family We have assumptions that run away children means they wouldn ¿Ã‚ ½t have any contact from the family. But it wasn ¿Ã‚ ½t true. Habitual run away children those who are finally settled on platform few of them having contact with their family. Some children having contact with them. Some of the children sending money to their house also. Hence after spending necessary amount of money on their need. They wouldn ¿Ã‚ ½t have anything thing to do. In some cases we found that children sent money to their house upto Rs. 5000. During the study it comes out 3.77% family having contact with their family. We also found some cases in which children going back in bad weather (like extreme cold) they are used to go their home. Discussion with habitual child having contact with family The child front in photo, we meet several time with him throughout the month. Child is habitual to live in platform, and don ¿Ã‚ ½t wanted to go back their home. He knows properly way of their home. After asking the children why you don ¿Ã‚ ½t want to go your home. He replied  ¿Ã‚ ½my family don ¿Ã‚ ½t like me ¿Ã‚ ½ during the discussion he also explained he sent Rs. 5000 to their family last month (March 2012). We asked  ¿Ã‚ ½Why? If they don ¿Ã‚ ½t like you? He replied by being irritating  ¿Ã‚ ½not for my mother and father, I sent that for my sister, her hand was broken when she fallen down ¿Ã‚ ½. I again asked do you visiting your home sometime? He replied yes! Sometimes too meet my sister 2.10 Reason for the run away There are several reasons that may be responsible to run away a children like both psychological and non-psychological. That discussed as below: 2.10.1 Psychological reason In government home through the participatory observation, it came out that so many children are running away due to their psychological reason. They can run away even because of very small reason. Like one boy we found in the government home who run away only due to their parents not allowed him to fly the kites and also to restrict the child they beaten also. Child rebelled against their family and run away. And similar so many cases exist because of the children run away. Some other cases like attraction to go city, dream to earn more money and be a rich person, become more confident and having dream to achieve anything. We also observed some children those who rebelled even in SATHI camp. And also they not getting into control easily. 2.10.2 Non-psychological reason Apart from the psychological reason there are so many non-psychological problems are there because of that children are running away. Like family related problem, physical abuse, sexual abuse, road side dwellers, work related problem, uncaring family, and fear after doing something wrong. From the sample taken and discussion with children following the comes out; see below the table: Figure 7: Reasons of runaway (source: primary data) Also in case of so many children, sometimes one problem may cases of runaway the children and sometimes combination of more than one problem. Like in case of Ismayl he is eldest son in their family. His father and mother bother were suffering from dieses as well they credit on their head that also due to the treatment. To overcome from loan and take care of family his mother sent him for work. For the sake of their family he started to work but later he mingle with the plateform life as well as so much stress due to family and at work place; he left out the place and reached out to New Delhi railway station. Similarly, child having problem like so much family problem; means fight within the family, physical abuse, alcoholic and abuse, parental care like having step mother or step father, illicit relationship among mother and father, insufficient income of the family that forces them to send their children to work on platform. Another problem are like due to peer. We found few cases where children were run away only because of Peer Company. And also in some cases they wanted to visit city and getting support of their friend also pulled them to go out.

Impact of Technology on Print Media

Impact of Technology on Print Media Print and electronic media plays an important role in communication effectively as the world has been globalized. The technology used for communication should not be overlooked, because the interchange of information is necessary in current era. Print and electronic media has globalized the world. The news or communication can be done easily from corner to corner just in few seconds. Technology has impacted the communication in a positive way. In the current world the communication has been distributed between print and electronic media. These two Medias are playing a vital role in communicating between individuals and the society. News, comment, information and entertainment, are the complex set of newspaper, and the arrangement of these contents differs from paper to paper. Most people choose their daily paper to match their specific tastes, and individual newspapers have developed in different ways to provide for these. Many changes have taken place over the period, in the newspapers. The newspapers are filled with advertisements and have many pages on carrying different news. Today journalism has become one of the prosperous professions (Oghakpor, 2007). The number of newspapers has risen sharply which has made the communication to its optimum level whilst profits have also boomed. Development of information and communication technology has made the work of newspaper publication easy and less laborious. Todays newspapers have lots of investigative stories/reports. This contributes to bringing in light big scandals and scams resulting into fall of a person. Which creates negative influences the society and shows that the technology is not been used for the purpose in the right way, as it has to be used for. Magazines charm to an expanding range of reading flavours and happiness. They are designed for standardized or special interest groups. Regardless of their design for special groups, they developed as a mass medium because they appeal to large numbers in a national market that cut across social, economic and educational class lines (Oghakpor, 2007). The magazines can be categorized into two different categories, General interest magazines and special interest magazines. General interest magazines attempt to cater to a wide variety of reading interests. Special interest magazines are mainly focused on one thing. For instance, The Women magazine covers all the things about the women while, Muscles magazine covers all the stuff about building the muscles of either men or women. Its most notable function; however, is correlation that is, interpreting the society by bringing together diverse facts, trends and sequences of events. According to Kipphan 2001, Magazines in essence, are the great interpreters of what is happening in society. There are several magazines in the world, which are published internationally as well, so that people can benefit from them. Or people from the foreign countries order the magazines to remain update, although most of the magazines can be viewed online. According to Hamelink   Linnà © 1994, magazines have been much more visually innovative than newspapers. Their covers blaze from newsstands and market racks, thus attracting the readers attention with colour and allure of advertisements besides their articles. Magazines are published according to the information gathered, i.e. weekly, fortnightly etc. These are basically news magazines but they include sections on arts, culture, sports, films, business, politics, industry, and environment. There are about 500 such general interest magazines focusing on news and current affairs, having largest readership. Textbooks, other books, booklets, pamphlets, brochures, folders, periodicals, wall newspapers, publicity and promotional literature also constitute media for mass reading, information and enlightenment, they less extensively used as compared to the newspapers and magazines, are called the best way of effective communication. Books are non-periodical printed publication of at least 49 pages excluding the cover page, published in any country and are made available to public.  These are published as weeklies, fortnightlies, quarterlies, annuals or dailies, so magazines do. There are bimonthlies and half year lies also. Electronic communication has become almost an essential part of peoples lives. The Internet has been the catalyst for electronic communication, and rarely in human history has anything risen to such prominence in such a short period of time (Hirst Harrison, 2007). There are now many ways to communicate electronically, with, no doubt, more variety to come in the near future. Currently, Televisions, radios, internet, mobile technologies, ipads, e-books, e-magazines etc. are versatile ways to communication technology. Over internet, email has had its critics, notably for the brevity of messages and for the rapidity of reply, which often negates clear thought. But all new things will have critics. Writing to someone by conventional email and waiting for a response takes days or weeks. Waiting sometimes just a few minutes for a response by email seemed quite magical in the early days of the internet. Now this is taken for granted. The problem of spam has never been dealt with satisfactorily, but being able to email photographs on the day they were taken to a loved one on the other side of the world makes up for some of the negatives. Mobile technology has made a tremendous change in terms of communication. In current years the phone contains the features of 3G internet facility which is called the fastest internet on mobile, through which the communication and sharing knowledge becomes easier. Facebook, tweeter, internet browsing, Skype, VoIP technologies can be excessed anywhere without any hurdle. Similarly, Ipads and IPods have also made paradigm change in this global world. It facilitates in the same way as smart phones does, although they are bigger in size. Newsgroups and chat rooms began as early types of social media. Newsgroups rely on peoples posting messages to a relevant group, and members of that group can then comment instantaneously. In recent years, newsgroups have, to a large extent, been replaced by slick social-networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Chat rooms still have a dubious reputation on the net, because though they can be great places for friends spread around the globe to meet up, unwelcome visitors will often use them inappropriately. Standalone video conferencing, used for business, has also now been matched by instant-messaging programs. Social media may be seen by many as even more important than email now. Facebook and MySpace have an email facility and instant messaging, and Twitter has a direct-message and instant reply facility. Instant messaging, which is also available from the likes of Yahoo! and MSN, is becoming increasingly more advanced. Whereas in the early days of Yahoo! Messenger you could save money on a phone call to someone overseas, now you can not only talk but look at a live video image of that person at the same time. It might be concluded from this that the communication technology have a great impact on the print media and electronic media. Newspapers, magazines, broachers, newsletters, pamphlets have made the vigorous change in communication. All these have to face different audiences and are mainly the most important technological tools to communicate and deliver the message. Despite, the electronic media is massively taking place of print media and globalizing this village. Mobile devices, Ipads, Ipods, Television, radios have made the thing accessible within few seconds.

The Winters Tale: The Tragedy Within A Romance :: essays research papers

The Winter's Tale: The Tragedy Within A Romance In 1623, the complete works of Shakespeare were published in the First Folio. Within this Folio were the works of Shakespeare categorized by their genre. There were tragedies, histories, comedies, and the final four were romances. Prior to this time, romance was not a widespread genre in anyone's writings. We can see by means of the "genealogy" of writing, that the romance we know today was created through the combination of the Greek novels and Shakespearean comedies. This alliance between the two genres is apparent in Shakespeare's Winter's Tale. The most obvious indication to this suggestion is in the first three acts of the play. Within these acts a whole tragedy can be seen and all it's parts defined to show that this Romance was written by meshing to types of play together. The first three acts of the Winter's Tale are where the tragedy takes place. These three acts can be broken down into five acts, as suggested by Bill, the great comparative literian. The first of these five acts is the exposition. The story is set up and you are thrust into Leontes internal passion of jealousy. The second act is where Leontes expresses his passion externally by accusing Hermione of sleeping with Polixenes. He then has his wife taken off to jail. The third act is where we see the first contest, or agon. This takes place when Paulina brings the baby daughter from jail and presents it to Leontes. The two battle back and forth, attempting to prove themselves. The fourth act is the main agon, or the place at which we are at the peak of competition. Hermione stands before the king and the lords and she denies infidelity. However, no matter how convincing she is, Leontes' mind is set as to her actions in the past. The fifth act is the resolution, and this is when the oracle is read. Leontes realizes his jealousy and his errors, and is punished by Apollo, who kills

Linguistic Communication Barriers Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Es

Communication Barriers Hispanic immigrants living in American are regularly faced with communication problems. When one’s native culture varies from the norm they are often the one expected to eliminate the disparity. Language barriers present for the Hispanic population living in America and their physical therapists can cause significant problems, not only for communication in general but also for diagnosis and treatment. In order to overcome communication barriers in the field of physical therapy, providers need to become more linguistically and culturally competent. When asked what was a problem that regularly frustrated her while working, Karen Hobbs, PT of Erwin NC, immediately responded, â€Å"not being able to talk to my own patients† (Hobbs). Mrs. Hobbs is a physical therapist who works in a rural farming community that is largely populated by Hispanics. Her frustration is shared by many physical therapists who struggle to communicate with their patients. Language barriers are a problem that physical therapist are faced with across the nation. In American, over two-fifths of the Spanish-speaking Hispanics report that they experience difficulty understanding their medical provider because of a language barrier. In many cases the weight of this problem that physical therapists are faced with is handed over to the patients. Only half of the patients that report a difficulty understanding and needing an interpreter present are regularly provided one (Uninsured). One study found that only one percent of Hispanics received help from a trained medical interpreter. Most patients relied on the help of family and friends (Bustos). Family members and friends that are used as translators often have a limited under... .... (March 2002): Joyner Library, City of Greenville, NC. February 2004. â€Å"Safety Pros Share Proven Tricks for Training Spanish-Speaking Workers.† LexisNexis. IOMA Safety Directors Report. (July 2003): Joyner Library, City of Greenville, NC. February 2004. Taylor, Curtis. â€Å"A Language Barrier; Mayor, HRA Oppose Bill Requiring Interpreters.† NexisLexis. Queens Edition. (November 2003): Joyner Library, City of Greenville, NC. February 2004. â€Å"Tips on How to Increase Cultural Competency.† American Physical Therapy Association. Foundation for Physical Therapy. 20 February 2004. . â€Å"Uninsured Hispanics With Limited English Face Formidable Barriers To Health Care Finds Commonwealth Fund Report.† LexisNexis, U.S. Newswire. (February 2003): Joyner Library, City of Greenville, NC. February 2004.

Child Abuse and the Feeling of Helplessness Essay examples -- Children

Smack! Mother hits me in the face, and I topple to the floor. I know better than to stand there and take the hit. I learned the hard way that she takes that as an act of defiance, which means more hits, or worst of all, no food. I regain my posture and dodge her looks, as she screams in my ear. Please, I say to myself, just let me eat this time. Hit me again, but I have to have food. Another blow pushes my head against the tile counter top (Pelzer, 1995). This is the beginning of a typical day for David Pelzer, a victim of child abuse for four years. Child abuse is the physical, emotional, or sexual mistreatment of children. That is the typical definition coming from the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary. But ask anyone who has been a victim of child abuse, and they might tell you that child abuse is like living in hell, never knowing what might happen to you, and never knowing when it will end. Nobody should have to feel that helpless, and victims are usually left with an uncountable amount of psychological effects. Everyone needs to become more aware of the signs of abuse, and become more educated of a problem that keeps growing every day. Child abuse can incorporate a wide variety of abusive actions, from acts of commission, to lack of action or omission (Kliegman, 1997). Abuse can start even before the birth of a child, such as maternal drug abuse and failure to seek the usual prenatal health care during pregnancy. After birth, child abuse is divided into four basic forms, and each area overlaps into another. The four areas are physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse. Children who are at high-risk for child abuse include mentally retarded children, premature infants, infants with chronic medical pr... .... I chose to right this paper in hoping that I get my point across. People need to be more educated about abuse. It is becoming too normal for everyday life. I am only 19, and know personally two people who have been abused. Is it going to become a regular occurrence for at least one child in every family to be abused in some way? But if everyone in every community works together in providing the proper information and education, people can stop abuse before it even starts. We can stop this feeling of helplessness going around today. References Kaplan, Michael. (1996, September). A Boy or Girl. Children Today, pp. 25-29. Kleigman, Arvin. (1997, March). The Effects of Child Abuse on All Involved. Psychology:Today and Tomorrow, pp. 17-39. Pelzer, Dave. (1995). A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive. Health Communications, Inc.; Reissue edition

Interview template

Thorough grasp of material (lecture and cases) as demonstrated in examinations Participation in class discussions Excellent participation *may* help move your grade one level up 4 Attendance Regular attendance in lectures and tutorials is essential to complete this unit successfully. Steady effort is the way to build your human capital in this area The text, supplementary reading, lectures, tutorials, etc. Are all complements, not substitutes Attitude is key to your success – Been there, done that -International Business Context O Dry Sarah Advertiser 13 Grading Policy: The Bad NewsWord about academic honesty: No plagiarism: pasting sentences or paragraphs from various sources without attribution DOES constitute plagiarism. Copying from another student also constitutes plagiarism No dishonesty in attendance: Signing in for one or more other students constitutes academic dishonesty No dishonesty in examination: No talking or exchanging notes during examination Students caught c ommitting an act of academic dishonesty will automatically fail the assignment or the unit Any Questions? 5 What is Economics and its relevance? Study of how economic agents choose to SE their scarce resources.Economics analyses the basic market structures of the business environment, and the decision-making behavior of economic agents Economic agents include consumers, firms, managers, workers, bureaucrats, criminals, Branches of Economics Microeconomics Branch of economics that deals with the behavior of individual economic units-?consumers, firms, workers, and investors-?as well as the markets that these units comprise. Macroeconomics Branch of economics that deals with aggregate economic variables, such as the level and growth rate of national output, interest rates, unemployment, and inflation.Classical Economics and Business Economics is to the traditional business discipline as Physics is to the classical engineering sciences. Economics is a tool box. Combining these with too ls from decision sciences we can find the power tools that can maximize your firm's chances for survival and prosperity in an uncertain world. This is all about Business Economics. 6 What is Business Economics? Business economics is concerned with the application of economic principles and analytical tools of decision sciences – Mathematics, Statistics, andEconometrics – to solve Business/Managerial decision problems. Thus, Business economics is about the application of economic theory and analytic tools to help managers make better decisions. The scope of Business Economics Management decision problems arise in any organization (firm, a non-profit organization, or a government agency) when it seeks to achieve some goal or objective subject to some constraints. Business Economics provide us with the power tools to examine how an organization can achieve its objectives most efficiently. Decision Problems: Examples

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 5-7

5 AUGUSTUS BRINE He was an old man who fished off the beaches of Pine Cove and he had gone eighty-four days without catching a fish. This, however, was of little consequence because he owned the general store and made a comfortable enough living to indulge his passions, which were fishing and drinking California wines. Augustus Brine was old, but he was still strong and vital and a dangerous man in a fight – although he had had little cause to prove it in over thirty years (except for the few occasions when he picked up a teenage boy by the scruff of the neck and dragged him, terrified, to the stockroom, where he lectured him alternately on the merits of hard work and the folly of shoplifting from Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines). And while a weariness had come upon him with age, his mind was still sharp and agile. On any evening one might find him stretched out before his fireplace in a leather chair, toasting his bare feet on the hearth, reading Aristotle, or Lao-tzu, or Joyce. He lived on a hillside overlooking the Pacific, in a small wooden house he had designed and built himself, so that he might live there alone without having his surroundings seem lonely. During the day, windows and skylights filled the house with light, and even on the most dismal, foggy day, every corner was illuminated. In the evening three stone fireplaces, which took up whole walls in the living room, bedroom, and study, warmed the house. They offered a soft, orange comfort to the old man, who burned cord after cord of red oak and eucalyptus, which he cut and split himself. When he considered his own mortality, which was seldom, Augustus Brine knew he would die in this house. He had built it on one floor with wide halls and doorways so that if he were ever confined to a wheelchair he might remain self-sufficient until the day when he would take the black pill sent to him by the Hemlock Society. He kept the house neat and orderly. Not so much because he desired order, for Brine believed chaos to be the way of the world, but because he did not wish to make life difficult for his cleaning lady, who came in once a week to dust and shovel ashes from the fireplaces. He also wished to avoid acquiring the reputation of being a slob, for he knew people's propensity for judging a man on one aspect of his character, and even Augustus Brine was not above some degree of vanity. Despite his belief that the pursuit of order in a chaotic universe was futile, Brine lived a very ordered life, and this paradox, upon reflection, amused him. He rose each day at five, indulged himself in a half-hour-long shower, dressed, and ate the same breakfast of six eggs and half a loaf of sourdough toast, heavily buttered. (Cholesterol seemed too silent and sneaky to be dangerous, and Brine had decided long ago that until cholesterol gathered its forces and charged him headlong across the plate with Light Brigade abandon, he would ignore it.) After breakfast, Brine lit his meerschaum pipe for the first time of the day, crawled onto his truck, and drove downtown to open his store. For the first two hours he puffed around the store like a great white-bearded locomotive, making coffee, selling pastries, trading idle banter with the old men who greeted him each morning, and preparing the store to run under full steam until midnight, under the supervision of a handful of clerks. At eight o'clock the first of Brine's employees arrived to man the register while Brine busied himself ordering what he called Epicurean necessities: pastries, imported cheeses and beers, pipe tobacco and cigarettes, homemade pasta and sauces, freshly baked bread, gourmet coffees, and California wines. Brine believed, like Epicurus, that a good life was one dedicated to the pursuit of simple pleasures, tempered with justice and prudence. Years ago, while working as a bouncer in a whorehouse, Brine had repeatedly seen depressed, angry men turned to gentleness and gaiety by a few moments of pleasure. He had vowed then to someday open a brothel, but when the ramshackle general store with its two gas pumps had been put up for sale, Brine had compromised his dream by buying it and bringing pleasure of a different sort to the public. From time to time, however, a needling suspicion arose in his mind that he had missed his true calling as a madam. Each day when the orders were finished, Brine selected a bottle of red wine from his shelves, packed it in a basket with some bread, cheese, and bait, and took off for the beach. He passed the rest of the day sitting on the beach in a canvas director's chair sipping wine and smoking his pipe, waiting for the long surf-casting rod to bend with a strike. On most days Brine let his mind go as clear as water. Without worry or thought he became one with everything around him, neither conscious nor unconscious: the state of Zen mushin, or no-mind. He had come to Zen after the fact, recognizing in the writings of Suzuki and Watts an attitude he had come to without discipline, by simply sitting on the beach staring into an empty sky and becoming just as empty. Zen was his religion, and it brought him peace and humor. On this particular morning Brine was having a difficult time clearing his mind. The visit of the little Arab man to the store vexed him. Brine did not speak Arabic, yet he had understood every word the little man had said. He had seen the air cut with swirling blue curses, and he had seen the Arab's eyes glow white with anger. He smoked his pipe, the meerschaum mermaid carved so that Brine's index finger fell across her breasts, and tried to apply some meaning to a situation that was outside the context of his reality. He knew that if he were to accept the fluid of this experience, the cup of his mind had to be empty. But right now he had a better chance of buying bread with moonlight than reaching a Zen calm. It vexed him. â€Å"It is a mystery, is it not?† someone said. Startled, Brine looked around. The little Arab man stood about three feet from Brine's side, drinking from a large styrofoam cup. His red stocking cap was glistening, damp with the morning spray. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Brine said. â€Å"I didn't see you come up.† â€Å"It is a mystery, is it not? How this dashing figure seems to appear out of nowhere? You must be awestruck. Paralyzed with fear perhaps?† Brine looked at the withered little man in the rumpled flannel suit and silly red hat. â€Å"Very close to paralyzed,† he said. â€Å"I am Augustus Brine.† He extended his hand to the little man. â€Å"Are you not afraid that by touching me you will burst into flames?† â€Å"Is that a danger?† â€Å"No, but you know how superstitious fishermen are. Perhaps you believe that you will be transformed into a toad. You hide your fear well, Augustus Brine.† Brine smiled. He was baffled and amused; it didn't occur to him to be afraid. The Arab drained his cup and dipped it into the surf to refill it. â€Å"Please call me Gus,† Brine said, his hand still extended. â€Å"And you are?† The Arab drained his cup again, then took Brine's hand. His skin had the feel of parchment. â€Å"I am Gian Hen Gian, King of the Djinn, Ruler of the Netherworld. Do not tremble, I wish you no harm.† â€Å"I am not trembling,† Brine said. â€Å"You might go easy on that seawater – it works hell on your blood pressure.† â€Å"Do not fall to your knees; there is no need to prostrate yourself before my greatness. I am here in your service.† â€Å"Thank you. I am honored,† Brine said. Despite the strange happenings in the store, he was having a hard time taking this pompous little man seriously. The Arab was obviously a nuthouse Napoleon. He'd seen hundreds of them, living in cardboard castles and feasting from dumpsters all over America. But this one had some credentials: he could curse in blue swirls. â€Å"It is good that you are not afraid, Augustus Brine. Terrible evil is at hand. You will have to call upon your courage. It is a good sign that you have kept your wits in the presence of the great Gian Hen Gian. The grandeur is sometimes too much for weaker men.† â€Å"May I offer you some wine?† Brine extended the bottle of cabernet he had brought from the store. â€Å"No, I have a great thirst for this.† He sloshed the cup of seawater. â€Å"From a time when it was all I could drink.† â€Å"As you wish.† Brine sipped from the bottle. â€Å"There is little time, Augustus Brine, and what I am to tell you may overwhelm your tiny mind. Please prepare yourself.† â€Å"My tiny mind is steeled for anything, O King. But first, tell me, did I see you curse blue swirls this morning?† â€Å"A minor loss of temper. Nothing really. Would you have had me turn the clumsy dolt into a snake who forever gnaws his own tail?† â€Å"No, the cursing was fine. Although in Vance's case the snake might be an improvement. Your curses were in Arabic, though, right?† â€Å"A language I prefer for its music.† â€Å"But I don't speak Arabic. Yet I understood you. You did say, ‘May the IRS find that you deduct your pet sheep as an entertainment expense,' didn't you?† â€Å"I can be most colorful and inventive when I am angry.† The Arab flashed a bright grin of pride. His teeth were pointed and saw-edged like a shark's. â€Å"You have been chosen, Augustus Brine.† â€Å"Why me?† Somehow Brine had suspended his disbelief and denied the absurdity of the situation. If there was no order in the universe, then why should it be out of order to be sitting on the beach talking to an Arab dwarf who claimed to be king of the Djinn, whatever the hell that was? Strangely enough, Brine took comfort in the fact that this experience was invalidating every assumption he had ever made about the nature of the world. He had tapped into the Zen of ignorance, the enlightenment of absurdity. Gian Hen Gian laughed. â€Å"I have chosen you because you are a fisherman who catches no fish. I have had an affinity for such men since I was fished from the sea a thousand years ago and released from Solomon's jar. One gets ever so cramped passing the centuries inside a jar.† â€Å"And ever so wrinkled, it would seem,† Brine said. Gian Hen Gian ignored Brine's comment. â€Å"I found you here, Augustus Brine, listening to the noise of the universe, holding in your heart a spark of hope, like all fishermen, but resolved to be disappointed. You have no love, no faith, and no purpose. You shall be my instrument, and in return, you shall gain the things you lack.† Brine wanted to protest the Arab's judgment, but he realized that it was true. He'd been enlightened for exactly thirty seconds and already he was back on the path of desire and karma. Postenlightenment depression, he thought. 6 THE DJINN'S STORY Brine said, â€Å"Excuse me, O King, but what exactly is a Djinn?† Gian Hen Gian spit into the surf and cursed, but this time Brine did not understand the language and no blue swirls cut the air. â€Å"I am Djinn. The Djinn were the first people. This was our world long before the first human. Have you not read the tales of Scheherazade?† â€Å"I thought those were just stories.† â€Å"By Aladdin's lamplit scrotum, man! Everything is a story. What is there but stories? Stories are the only truth. The Djinn knew this. We had power over our own stories. We shaped our world as we wished it to be. It was our glory. We were created by Jehovah as a race of creators, and he became jealous of us. â€Å"He sent Satan and an army of angels against us. We were banished to the netherworld, where we could not make our stories. Then he created a race who could not create and so would stand in awe of the Creator.† â€Å"Man?† Brine asked. The Djinn nodded. â€Å"When Satan drove us into the netherworld, he saw our power. He saw that he was no more than a servant, while Jehovah had given the Djinn the power of gods. He returned to Jehovah demanding the same power. He proclaimed that he and his army would not serve until they were given the power to create. â€Å"Jehovah was sorely angered. He banished Satan to hell, where the angel might have the power he wished, but only over his own army of rebels. To further humiliate Satan, Jehovah created a new race of beings and gave them control over their own destinies, made them masters of their own world. And he made Satan watch it all from hell. â€Å"These beings were parodies of the angels, resembling them physically, but with none of the angels' grace or intelligence. And because he had made two mistakes before, Jehovah made these creatures mortal to keep them humble.† â€Å"Are you saying,† Brine interrupted, â€Å"that the human race was created to irritate Satan?† â€Å"That is correct. Jehovah is infinite in his snottiness.† Brine reflected on this for a moment and regretted that he had not become a criminal at an early age. â€Å"And what happened to the Djinn?† â€Å"We were left without form, purpose, or power. The netherworld is timeless and unchanging, and boring – much like a doctor's waiting room.† â€Å"But you're here, you're not in the netherworld.† â€Å"Be patient, Augustus Brine. I will tell you how I came here. You see, many years passed on Earth and we remained undisturbed. Then was born Solomon the thief.† â€Å"You mean King Solomon? Son of David?† â€Å"The thief!† The Djinn spat. â€Å"He asked for wisdom from Jehovah that he might build a great temple. To assist him, Jehovah gave him a great silver seal, which he carried in a scepter, and the power to call the Djinn from the netherworld to act as slaves. Solomon was given power over the Djinn on Earth that by all rights belonged to me. And as if that was not enough, the seal also gave him the power to call up the deposed angels from hell. Satan was furious that such power be given to a mortal, which, of course, was Jehovah's plan. â€Å"Solomon called first upon me to help him build his temple. He spread the temple plans before me and I laughed in his face. It was little more than a shack of stone. His imagination was as limited as his intelligence. Nevertheless, I began work on his temple, building it stone by stone as he instructed. I could have built it in an instant had he commanded it, but the thief could only imagine a temple being built as it might be built by men. â€Å"I worked slowly, for even under the reign of the thief, my time on Earth was better than the emptiness of the netherworld. After some time I convinced Solomon that I needed help, and I was given slaves to assist me in the construction. Work slowed even more, for while some of them worked, most stood by and chatted about their dreams of freedom. I have seen that such methods are used today in building your highways.† â€Å"It's standard,† Brine said. â€Å"Solomon grew impatient with my progress and called from hell one of the deposed angels, a warrior Seraph named Catch. Thus did his troubles begin. â€Å"Catch had once been a tall and beautiful angel, but his time in hell, steeping in his own bitterness, had changed him. When he appeared before Solomon, he was a squat monster, no bigger than a dwarf. His skin was like that of a snake, his eyes like those of a cat. He was so hideous that Solomon would not allow him to be seen by the people of Jerusalem, so he made the demon invisible to all but himself. â€Å"Catch carried in his heart a loathing for humans as deep as Satan himself. I had no quarrel with the race of man. Catch, however, wanted revenge. Fortunately, he did not have the powers of a Djinn. â€Å"Solomon told the slaves who worked on the temple that they were being given divine assistance and that they should behave as if nothing was out of the ordinary, so the people of Jerusalem might not notice the demon's presence. The demon threw himself into the construction, honing huge blocks of stone and hauling them into place. â€Å"Solomon was pleased with the demon's work and told him so. Catch said that the work would go faster if he didn't have to work with a Djinn, so I stood by and watched as the temple rose. From time to time great stones dropped from the walls, crushing the slaves below. While the blood ran, I could hear Catch laughing and shouting ‘Whoops' from the top of the wall. â€Å"Solomon believed these killings to be accidents, but I knew them to be murder. It was then that I realized that Solomon's control over the demon was not absolute, and therefore, his control over me must have its limits as well. My first impulse was to try to escape, but if I were wrong, I knew that I would be sent back to the netherworld and all would be lost. Perhaps I could persuade Solomon to set me free by offering him something he could attain only through my power to create. â€Å"Solomon's appetite for women was infamous. I offered to bring him the most beautiful woman he had ever seen if he would allow me to remain on Earth. He agreed. â€Å"I retreated to my quarters and contemplated what sort of woman might most please the idiot king. I had seen his thousand wives and found no common thread among their charms that revealed Solomon's preferences. In the end I was left to my own creativity. â€Å"I gave her fair hair and blue eyes and skin as white and smooth as marble. She was all things that men wish of women in body and mind. She was a virgin with a courtesan's knowledge in the ways of pleasure. She was kind, intelligent, forgiving, and warm with humor. â€Å"Solomon fell in love with the woman as soon as I presented her to him. ‘She shines like a jewel', he said. ‘Jewel shall be her name.' He spent an hour or more just staring at her, captivated with her beauty. When finally his senses returned, he said, ‘We will talk later of your reward, Gian Hen Gian.' Then he took Jewel by the hand and led her to his bedchamber. â€Å"I felt a strength return to me the moment I presented Jewel to the king. I was not free to escape, but for the first time I was able to leave the city without being compelled by some invisible bond to return to Solomon. I went into the desert and spent the night enjoying the freedom I had gained. It was not until I returned the next morning that I realized that Solomon's control over me and the demon depended upon the concentration of his will, as well as the invocations and the seal given to him by Jehovah. The woman, Jewel, had broken his will. â€Å"I found Solomon in his palace weeping one moment, then screaming with rage the next. While I had been away Catch had come to Solomon's bedchamber, not in the form that Solomon recognized, but in the form of a huge monster, taller than two men and as wide as a team of horses, and the slaves could see him as well. While Solomon watched in horror, the demon snatched Jewel from the bed with a single, talonlike hand and bit her head off. Then the monster swallowed the girl's body and reached for Solomon. But some force protected the king, and Solomon commanded the demon to return to his smaller form. Catch laughed in his face and skulked off to the wives' quarters. â€Å"Through the night the palace was filled with the screams of terrified women. Solomon ordered his guards to attack the demon. Catch swatted them away as if they were flies. By dawn the palace was littered with the crushed bodies of the guards. Of Solomon's thousand wives only two hundred remained alive. Catch was gone. â€Å"During the attack Solomon had called upon the power of the seal and prayed to Jehovah to stop the demon. But the king's will was broken, and so it did no good. â€Å"I sensed then that I might escape Solomon's control altogether, and live free, but even the idiot king would eventually make the connection and my fate would lie in the netherworld. â€Å"I bade Solomon allow me to bring Catch to justice. I knew my power to be much greater than the demon's. But Solomon had only the building of the temple by which to judge my powers, and in that example the demon appeared superior. ‘Do what you can,' he said. ‘If you capture the demon, you may remain on Earth.' â€Å"I found Catch in the great desert, wantonly slaughtering tribes of nomads. When I bound him with my magic, he protested that he had planned to return, for he was enslaved to Solomon by the invocation and could never really escape. He was only having a little sport with the humans, he said. To quiet him, I filled his mouth with sand for the journey back to Jerusalem. â€Å"When I brought Catch to Solomon, the king commanded me to devise a punishment to torment the demon, so that the people of Jerusalem might watch him suffer. I chained Catch to a giant stone outside the palace, then I created a huge bird of prey that swooped on the demon and tore at his liver, which grew back at once, for like the Djinn, the demon was immortal. â€Å"Solomon was pleased with my work. During my absence he had regained his senses somewhat, and thereby his will. I stood before the king awaiting my reward, feeling my powers wane as Solomon's will returned. â€Å"‘I have promised that you shall never be returned to the netherworld, and you shall not,' he said. ‘But this demon has put me off of immortals more than somewhat, and I do not wish that you be allowed to roam free. You shall be imprisoned in a jar and cast into the sea. Should the time come when you are set free to walk the Earth again, you shall have no power over the realm of man except as is commanded by my will, which shall be from now to the end of time the goodwill of all men. By this you shall be bound.' â€Å"He had a jar fashioned from lead and marked it on all sides with a silver seal. Before he imprisoned me, Solomon promised that Catch would remain chained to the rock until his screams burned into the king's soul – so that Solomon might never lose his will or his wisdom again. He said he would then send the demon back to hell and destroy the tablets with the invocations, as well as the great seal. He swore these things to me, as if he believed the fate of the demon meant something to me. I didn't give a camel's fart about Catch. Then he gave me a last command and sealed the jar. His soldiers cast the jar into the Red Sea. â€Å"For two thousand years I languished inside the jar, my only comfort a trickle of seawater that seeped in, which I drank with relish, for it tasted of freedom. â€Å"When the jar was finally pulled from the sea by a fisherman, and I was released, I cared nothing about Solomon or Catch, only about my freedom. I have lived as a man would live these last thousand years, bound by Solomon's will. Of this Solomon spoke truly, but about the demon, he lied.† The little man paused and refilled his cup in the ocean. Augustus Brine was at a loss. It couldn't possibly be true. There was nothing to corroborate the story. â€Å"Begging your pardon, Gian Hen Gian, but why is none of this told in the Bible?† â€Å"Editing,† the Djinn said. â€Å"But aren't you confusing Greek myth with Christian myth? The birds eating the demon's liver sounds an awful lot like the story of Prometheus.† â€Å"It was my idea. The Greeks were thieves, no better than Solomon.† Brine considered this for a moment. He was seeing evidence of the supernatural, wasn't he? Wasn't this little Arab drinking seawater as he watched, with no apparent ill effects? And even if some of it could be explained by hallucination, he was pretty sure that he hadn't been the only one to see the strange blue swirls in the store this morning. What if for a moment – just a moment – he took the Arab's outrageous story for the truth?†¦ â€Å"If this is true, then how do you know, after all this time, that Solomon lied to you? And why tell me about it?† â€Å"Because, Augustus Brine, I knew you would believe. And I know Solomon lied because I can feel the presence of the demon, Catch. And I'm sure that he has come to Pine Cove.† â€Å"Swell,† Brine said. 7 ARRIVAL Virgil Long backed out from under the hood of the Impala, wiped his hands on his coveralls, and scratched at his four-day growth of beard. He reminded Travis of a fat weasel with the mange. â€Å"So you're thinking it's the radiator?† Virgil asked. â€Å"It's the radiator,† Travis said. â€Å"It might be the whole engine is gone. You were running pretty quiet when you drove in. Not a good sign. Do you have a charge card?† Virgil was unprecedented in his inability to diagnose specific engine problems. When he was dealing with tourists, his strategy was usually to start replacing things and keep replacing them until he solved the problem or reached the limit on the customer's credit card, whichever came first. â€Å"It wasn't running at all when I came in,† Travis protested. â€Å"And I don't have a credit card. It's the radiator, I promise.† â€Å"Now, son,† Virgil drawled, â€Å"I know you think you know what you're talking about, but I got a certificate from the Ford factory there on the wall that says I'm a master mechanic.† Virgil pointed a fat finger toward the service station's office. One wall was covered with framed certificates along with a poster of a nude woman sitting on the hood of a Corvette buffing her private parts with a scarf in order to sell motor oil. Virgil had purchased the Master Mechanic certificates from an outfit in New Hampshire: two for five dollars, six for ten dollars, fifteen for twenty. He had gone for the twenty-dollar package. Those who took the time to read the certificates were somewhat surprised to find out that Pine Cove's only service station and car wash had its own factory-certified snowmobile mechanic. It had never snowed in Pine Cove. â€Å"This is a Chevy,† Travis said. â€Å"Got a certificate for those, too. You probably need new rings. The radiator's just a symptom, like these broken headlights. You treat the symptom, the disease just gets worse.† Virgil had heard that on a doctor show once and liked the sound of it. â€Å"What will it cost to just fix the radiator?† Virgil stared deep into the grease spots on the garage floor, as if by reading their patterns and by some mystic mode of divination, petrolmancy perhaps, he would arrive at a price that would not alienate the dark young man but would still assure him an exorbitant hourly rate for his labor. â€Å"Hundred bucks.† It had a nice round ring to it. â€Å"Fine,† Travis said, â€Å"Fix it. When can I have it back?† Virgil consulted the grease spots again, then emerged with a good-ol'-boy smile. â€Å"How's noon sound?† â€Å"Fine,† Travis said. â€Å"Is there a pool hall around here – and someplace I can get some breakfast?† â€Å"No pool hall. The Head of the Slug is open down the street. They got a couple of tables.† â€Å"And breakfast?† â€Å"Only thing open this end of town is H.P.'s, a block off Cypress, down from the Slug. But it's a local's joint.† â€Å"Is there a problem getting served?† â€Å"No. The menu might throw you for a bit. It – well, you'll see.† Travis thanked the mechanic and started off in the direction of H.P.'s, the demon skulking along behind him. As they passed the self-serve car-wash stalls, Travis noticed a tall man of about thirty unloading plastic laundry baskets full of dirty dishes from the bed of an old Ford pickup. He seemed to be having trouble getting quarters to go into the coin box. Looking at him, Travis said: â€Å"You know, Catch, I'll bet there's a lot of incest in this town.† â€Å"Probably the only entertainment,† the demon agreed. The man in the car wash had activated the high-pressure nozzle and was sweeping it back and forth across the baskets of dishes. With each sweep he repeated, â€Å"Nobody lives like this. Nobody.† Some of the overspray caught on the wind and settled over Travis and Catch. For a moment the demon became visible in the spray. â€Å"I'm melt-ing,† Catch whined in perfect Wicked Witch of the West pitch. â€Å"Let's go,† Travis said, moving quickly to avoid more spray. â€Å"We need a hundred bucks before noon.† JENNY In the two hours since Jenny Masterson had arrived at the cafe she had managed to drop a tray full of glasses, mix up the orders on three tables, fill the saltshakers with sugar and the sugar dispensers with salt, and pour hot coffee on the hands of two customers who had covered their cups to indicate that they'd had enough – a patently stupid gesture on their part, she thought. The worst of it was not that she normally performed her duties flawlessly, which she did. The worst of it was that everyone was so damned understanding about it. â€Å"You're going through a rough time, honey, it's okay.† â€Å"Divorce is always hard.† Their consolations ranged from â€Å"too bad you couldn't work it out† to â€Å"he was a worthless drunk anyway, you're better off without him.† She'd been separated from Robert exactly four days and everybody in Pine Cove knew about it. And they couldn't just let it lie. Why didn't they let her go through the process without running this cloying gauntlet of sympathy? It was as if she had a big red D sewed to her clothing, a signal to the townsfolk to close around her like a hungry amoeba. When the second tray of glasses hit the floor, she stood amid the shards trying to catch her breath and could not. She had to do something – scream, cry, pass out – but she just stood there, paralyzed, while the busboy cleaned up the glass. Two bony hands closed on her shoulders. She heard a voice in her ear that seemed to come from very far away. â€Å"You are having an anxiety attack, dear. It shall pass. Relax and breathe deeply.† She felt the hands gently leading her through the kitchen door to the office in the back. â€Å"Sit down and put your head between your knees.† She let herself be guided into a chair. Her mind went white, and her breath caught in her throat. A bony hand rubbed her back. â€Å"Breathe, Jennifer. I'll not have you shuffling off this mortal coil in the middle of the breakfast shift.† In a moment her head cleared and she looked up to see Howard Phillips, the owner of H.P.'s, standing over her. He was a tall, skeletal man, who always wore a black suit and button shoes that had been fashionable a hundred years ago. Except for the dark depressions on his cheeks, Howard's skin was as white as a carrion worm. Robert had once said that H.P. looked like the master of ceremonies at a chemotherapy funfest. Howard had been born and raised in Maine, yet when he spoke, he affected the accent of an erudite Londoner. â€Å"The prospect of change is a many-fanged beast, my dear. It is not, however, appropriate to pay fearful obeisance to that beast by cowering in the ruins of my stemware while you have orders up.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Howard. Robert called this morning. He sounded so helpless, pathetic.† â€Å"A tragedy, to be sure. Yet as we sit, ensconced in our grief, two perfectly healthy daily specials languish under the heat lamps metamorphosing into gelatinous invitations to botulism.† Jenny was relieved that in his own, cryptically charming way, Howard was not giving her sympathy but telling her to get off her ass and live her life. â€Å"I think I'm okay now. Thanks, Howard.† Jenny stood and wiped her eyes with a paper napkin she took from her apron. Then she went off to deliver her orders. Howard, having exhausted his compassion for the day, closed the door of his office and began working on the books. When Jenny returned to the floor, she found that the restaurant had cleared except for a few regular customers and a dark young man she didn't recognize, who was standing by the PLEASE WAIT TO BE SEATED sign. At least he wouldn't ask about Robert, thank God. It was a welcome relief. Not many tourists found H.P.'s. It was tucked in a tree-lined cul-de-sac off Cypress Street in a remodeled Victorian bungalow. The sign outside, small and tasteful, simply read, CAFE. Howard did not believe in advertising, and though he was an Anglophile at heart – loving all things British and feeling that they were somehow superior to their American counterparts – his restaurant displayed none of the ersatz British decor that might draw in the tourists. The cafe served simple food at fair prices. If the menu exhibited Howard Phillips's eccentricity in style, it did not discourage the locals from eating at his place. Next to Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines, H.P.'s Cafe had the most loyal clientele in Pine Cove. â€Å"Smoking or nonsmoking?† Jenny asked the young man. He was very good-looking, but Jenny noticed this only in passing. She was conditioned by years of monogamy not to dwell on such things. â€Å"Nonsmoking,† he said. Jenny led him to a table in the back. Before he sat down, he pulled out the chair across from him, as if he were going to put his feet up. â€Å"Will someone be joining you?† Jenny asked, handing him a menu. He looked up at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. He stared into her eyes without saying a word. Embarrassed, Jenny looked down. â€Å"Today's special is Eggs-Sothoth – a fiendishly toothsome amalgamation of scrumptious ingredients so delicious that the mere description of the palatable gestalt could drive one mad,† she said. â€Å"You're joking?† â€Å"No. The owner insists that we memorize the daily specials verbatim.† The dark man kept staring at her. â€Å"What does all that mean?† he asked. â€Å"Scrambled eggs with ham and cheese and a side of toast.† â€Å"Why didn't you just say that?† â€Å"The owner is a little eccentric. He believes that his daily specials may be the only thing keeping the Old Ones at bay.† â€Å"The Old Ones?† Jenny sighed. The nice thing about regular customers is she didn't have to keep explaining Howard's weird menu to them. This guy was obviously from out of town. But why did he have to keep staring at her like that? â€Å"It's his religion or something. He believes that the world was once populated by another race. He calls them the Old Ones. For some reason they were banished from Earth, but he believes that they are trying to return and take over.† â€Å"You're joking?† â€Å"Stop saying that. I'm not joking.† â€Å"I'm sorry.† He looked at the menu. â€Å"Okay, give me an Eggs-Sothoth with a side order of The Spuds of Madness.† â€Å"Would you like coffee?† â€Å"That would be great.† Jenny wrote out the ticket and turned to put the order in at the kitchen window. â€Å"Excuse me,† the man said. Jenny turned in midstep. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"You have incredible eyes.† â€Å"Thanks.† She felt herself blush as she headed off to get his coffee. She wasn't ready for this. She needed some sort of break between being married and being divorced. Divorce leave? They had pregnancy leave, didn't they? When she returned with his coffee, she looked at him for the first time as a single woman might. He was handsome, in a sharp, dark sort of way. He looked younger than she was, twenty-three, maybe twenty-four. She was studying his clothes and trying to get a feel for what he did for a living when she ran into the chair he had pushed out from the table and spilled most of the coffee into the saucer. â€Å"God, I'm sorry.† â€Å"It's okay,† he said. â€Å"Are you having a bad day?† â€Å"Getting worse by the minute. I'll get you another cup.† â€Å"No,† he raised a hand in protest. â€Å"Its fine.† He took the cup and saucer from her, separated them, and poured the coffee back into the cup. â€Å"See, good as new. I don't want to add to your bad day.† He was staring again. â€Å"No, you're fine. I mean, I'm fine. Thanks.† She felt like a geek. She cursed Robert for causing all this. If he hadn't†¦ No, it wasn't Robert's fault. She'd made the decision to end the marriage. â€Å"I'm Travis.† The man extended his hand. She took it, tentatively. â€Å"Jennifer-† She was about to tell him that she was married and that he was nice and all. â€Å"I'm not married,† she said. She immediately wanted to disappear into the kitchen and never come back. â€Å"Me either,† Travis said. â€Å"I'm new in town.† He didn't seem to notice how awkward she was. â€Å"Look, Jennifer, I'm looking for an address and I wonder if you could tell me how to find it? Do you know how to get to Cheshire Street?† Jenny was relieved to be talking about anything but herself. She rattled off a series of streets and turns, landmarks and signs, that would lead Travis to Cheshire Street. When she finished, he just looked at her quizzically. â€Å"I'll draw you a map,† she said. She took a pen from her apron, bent over the table, and began drawing on a napkin. Their faces were inches apart. â€Å"You're very beautiful,† he said. She looked at him. She didn't know whether to smile or scream. Not yet, she thought. I'm not ready. He didn't wait for her to respond. â€Å"You remind me of someone I used to know.† â€Å"Thank you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She tried to remember his name. â€Å"†¦Travis.† â€Å"Have dinner with me tonight?† She searched for an excuse. None came. She couldn't use the one she had used for a decade – it wasn't true anymore. And she hadn't been alone long enough to brush up on some new lies. In fact, she felt that she was somehow being unfaithful to Robert just by talking to this guy. But she was a single woman. Finally she wrote her phone number under the map on the napkin and handed it to him. â€Å"My number's on the bottom. Why don't you call me tonight, around five, and we'll take it from there, okay?† Travis folded the napkin and put it in his shirt pocket. â€Å"Until tonight,† he said. â€Å"Oh, spare me!† a gravely voice said. Jenny turned toward the voice, but there was only the empty chair. To Travis she said, â€Å"Did you hear that?† â€Å"Hear what?† Travis glared at the empty chair. â€Å"Nothing,† Jenny said, â€Å"I'm starting to go over the edge, I think.† â€Å"Relax,† Travis said. â€Å"I won't bite you.† He shot a glance at the chair. â€Å"Your order is up. I'll be right back.† She retrieved the food from the window and delivered it to Travis. While he ate, she stood behind the counter separating coffee filters for the lunch shift, occasionally looking up and smiling at the dark, young man, who paused between bites and smiled back. She was fine, just fine. She was a single woman and could do any damned thing she wanted to. She could go out with anyone she wanted to. She was young and attractive and she had just made her first date in ten years – sort of. Over all of her affirmations her fears flew up and perched like a murder of crows. It occurred to her that she didn't have the slightest idea what she was going to wear. The freedom of single life had suddenly become a burden, a mixed blessing, herpes on the pope's ring. Maybe she wouldn't answer the phone when he called. Travis finished eating and paid his bill, leaving her far too large a tip. â€Å"See you tonight,† he said. â€Å"You bet.† She smiled. She watched him walk across the parking lot. He seemed to be talking to someone as he walked. Probably just singing. Guys did that right after they made a date, didn't they? Maybe he was just a whacko? For the hundredth time that morning she resisted the urge to call Robert and tell him to come home.