Geopolitics of the Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Geopolitics of the Middle East - Essay Example The transportation of many tanks of oil and the importation of goods needed by individuals in the regions shows the significance of its waterways. The widespread coastlines evident in the Persian Gulf make allow shipping. This oil-producing region can affect the financial systems of the countries that import oil from it (Zalloi, 2008). This is because; the Persian Gulf can manipulate the prices and quantities of the oil and gases they export. For instance, the US financial system can be affected since the state heavily relies on the energy produced in the Persian Gulf (Zalloi, 2008). Based on the largest percentage of oil reserves in the region, it will still enjoy special consideration (Popiden 2011). This is because; the current development in the world has increased energy consumptions. After a few decades, some of the oil producing regions except the Persian Gulf will cease to produce oil. For instance, United States is the largest energy consumer globally, and after a few years, its oil production will decrease (Popiden 2011). On the contrary, the oil production and exports will increase in the Persian Gulf, and this has made the region acquire special significance in the United States international policy. Hence, the oil reserves in the Persian Gulf are connected with the interests and control of the United States (Zalloi, 2008). Apart from the United States, other developed states like Europe, Japan, and China have invested in the region. This is to enjoy the economic progress of the region (Popiden, 2011). Additionally, they have invested recover the money used to buy oil. The dependence on oil by these developed countries makes Americans interested in controlling the oil exports in the region. Because of its strategic geographical position and its abundant resources, the region has become part of the US national security interest. For example, after the Second World War, the intention of the US has been to dominate the Persian Gulf by controlling

The Role And Task Culture

The Role And Task Culture Employees decide what best they can do and gladly accept the challenge. Every individual is responsible for something has to take responsibity of the work assigned to him. Nowadays in most organizations there is role culture. It is the specialization of employee to a job where they are the best. By having the role culture in an organization, it should increase the productivity. This is a functional structure and it is also a divisional structure. The task culture: The task culture is to put the right people together and then give them a task. This type of culture is teamwork. The people with more knowledge and experience will lead this type of culture in an organization and bring the teams together to work towards the same goal. Decisions are made quickly because people are able to discuss with each other freely. Staff feels motivated because they are allowed to make decisions within their team. This is a matrix structure. The difference between role culture and task culture is that one is individual and the other one is teamwork. In a role culture power comes from the personal position whereas in the task culture the power is derived from the team. 2) There are three main organizational structures: Functional: The first advantage is the specialization where each unit operates as a type of independent with specific role. Employees develop specialized knowledge. They become experts within their functional area. The company will benefit from their expertise and experience over time. Then we have like advantage the Efficiency and Productivity. It is where a worker completes a tasks with a high level of speed and efficiency, which improves productivity. The employees may be highly motivated to advance their careers, which may also make them more productive. The disadvantage is a lack of teamwork where employee may have difficulty working well with other units. And if they have to work with a team it can be a problem where specialized workers can not be agree with others. Difficult Management Control can also be a problem where management can maintain control when the organization expands. If management doesnt control it, the different department can think that they have autonomy. Matrix A Matrix structure organisation contains teams of people created from various sections of the business. These teams will be created for the purposes of a specific project. At every new project there a new team. The advantages of a matrix are that workers are chosen according the needs of the project. Project manager are directly responsible While the disadvantages can be in conflict between teams mate. And if team have lot of independence it can be difficult to monitor them Task B According to John Ivancevich and Michael Mattson, the major factors that influence individual differences are demographic factors, abilities and skills, perception, attitudes and personality. Demographic Factors: The demographic factors are socio economic background, education, nationality, race, age, sex, etc. companies prefer persons that belong from good socio economic-background, well educate. Young and dynamic professionals that have good educational and effective communication skills are always in great demand. The demographic factor helps managers to select future candidates for job. Abilities and Skills: The physical capacity of an individual can be the ability. Skill is the ability to act in a way to perform well. The individual behaviour and performance is highly influenced by ability and skills. The managers plays vital role in matching the abilities and skills of the employees with the particular job requirement. Perception: It is the process that interprets external environment stimuli. But they are different reasons that can influence the perception of persons. The study of perception plays important role for the managers. It is important for mangers to create the positive work environment so that employees notice them in most favourable way. Employee would perform better within a good environment. Attitude: Attitude is the best way to succeed in life. It is the tendency to respond positively to object, persons or situation. Employees will perform better if they have a positive attitude. They should have the attitude to work with their heart for the company. Job should be a prayer for people. Personality: It is the study of the characteristics and distinctive traits of an individual. Heredity, family, society, culture and situation are factors that influence personality. Its the manner to respond in an environment. Personality offers opportunity to understand the persons. It helps them by motivating them for the accomplishment of the organizational goal. Every organisation demands a particular type of behaviour from their employees. All these factors are important. Lets take an example when a company offers a job of helper. The manager should look the physical capacity of the man before employing him. There are many others example we can make. Individual behavior is very important for an organization because if the manager chooses right workers, his workforce will increase. TASK C There are three types of leadership; the autocratic, democratic and the laissez faire. Melanie seems to use the autocratic leadership style. This leadership is characterized by an individual control over all decisions and little contribution from group members. Autocratic leaders naturally make choices based on their own ideas and hardly accept others suggestions. They control the groups. She makes the decision. Melanie is a leader where she doesnt want to hear NO or WHY when she tells what workers have to do. I think an autocratic attitude is good for the organization because when Melanie has to make a decision it is direct. But by having this attitude, the workforce is falling down. She doesnt have direct connection with his employees; she only gives instruction through officers. The communication is only one side. There is not really a relation between workers and Melanie. Workers have lost interest in theirs jobs thats why the labour turnover is high. Furthmore employee fear Melanie. This situation was created by the instauration of a powerfull discipline of work. As we know, employee should have some flexibility of work. Melanie has just run after high productivity, she didnt take care about the condition of her employee. She should have know that automatically if the workers are not happy the productivity would decrease. But Melanie didnt see that this way she had prefer to take new workers than keeping the ancient one. Which has result to a high labour turnover. Having an autocratic leadership is also good because it helps the company to take decision quickly. This kind of leadership is mostly present in most Small medium companies. 2) There is a problem in Melanies department. To change this, as an HR we can use Maslows hierarchy of need model. Abraham Maslow developed where humans have five needs which will fulfill their needs. Humans need begin with needs, which are vital to survive, and then one by one he try to satisfy higher needs. The needs are as follows: Physiological needs Safety needs Relationship needs, Self-esteem needs Self-actualization needs. In order to improve the organizational performance, it is vital that the company recognizes the individual need and provides openings for satisfaction for workers. At Innovative Prods Ltd., the worker works with fear because if they do something wrong they can be fired and also Melanie has establish a high power discipline. It can be result into a poor productivity. The most basic needs for an employee is to have a decent pay so he can live and make his family living. The safety needs to be fulfilled by having a security of work tomorrow. As we know there is a high level of labour turnover. The relationship need is very important because employees should have a direct contact with their boss. They constantly need to know that their boss is counting on them. They should fell valued. But Melanie does not even talk to her employee. She should start interaction with them so that the motivation level can increase. Melanie is proud of her productivity but she doesnt reward her employees and the need of recognition could enable them to have be valued into this company. Melanie should understand and appreciate her labors efforts rather than staying apart from them. To improve motivation: Esteem needs: Management can reward employees on accomplishing and reaching their targets. Or simply increasing their salary. Social needs: management can encourage teamwork Self-actualization needs: the management can propose professions in which the employees skills and competencies are fully utilized. However, Maslows hierarchy has some limitations in this case. For example, the eight workers may not have any safety needs with regards to their work. Herzbergs theory of motivation could be applied to the present case. For instance, a motivator would be to receive feedback on their performance. And then Melanie has to talk to her workforce about their performance.

Transformation of Humphrey Van Weyden in Jack London’s The Sea Wolf Es

Transformation of Humphrey Van Weyden in Jack London’s The Sea Wolf Jack London’s The Sea Wolf is in some ways a philosophical text and a product of its time. The strain it puts on the reader between a social Darwinist and utilitarian perspective against that of a more idealistic one is great. Many times the character of Wolf Larsen is a more consistent articulator of the Darwinian position and seems to always be getting the upper hand argumentatively. However, it is due to a phenomenological outlook on the events presented within The Sea Wolf that the alternative becomes intelligible. After all, the endeavor to improve is one thing which identifies us as human. The understanding of what constitutes this improvement varies, however, and only upon further inspection and in light of increasing experience can a multitude of modes be viewed as possible ways to improve oneself. In the end it is the realization of all things as possible modes of improvement, as well as their acceptance, which leads to a true improvement of the self. And it is this reasoning which leads to the character of Humphrey Van Weyden as being more correct. One thing which identifies us as being human is the endeavor to improve. This endeavor is definitely present in both Hump and Wolf. Hump is a man of letters, as right in the beginning, he notes that â€Å"instead of having to devote my energy to the learning of a multitude of things, I concentrated it upon a few particular things, such as, for instance, the analysis of Poe’s place in American literature,† (1). We also know that Wolf has been educating himself in his own time when Hump sees the evidence in Wolf’s cabin. â€Å"Against the wall, near the head of the bunk, was a rack filled with books †¦ ... ...h and ideals, reconciled in the ways of being in the world. Humphrey Van Weyden’s character undergoes a long transformation from the humble beginning of being in a single mode of idealism that is thrown in opposition to the stark material and social Darwinism of Wolf. Though Humphrey soon begins to see an alternative to his position and even takes pride and joy in dwelling in these alternative modes at times. He takes in each experience, and on that basis begins to formulate an ancillary mode that is inclusive of a multitude of modes. In the end, Humphrey Van Weyden exists in a mode of being which is superior in that it accounts for any and all subdominant modes of emotional, physical, and metaphysical being. This is the point of a true understanding of what it means to improve one self. Works Cited London, Jack. The Sea Wolf. New York: Bantam, 1991.

Ethics Game Dilemma Essay

The Ethics Game simulations of The Mysterious Rose and The Cold Feet Dilemmas address the following ethical issues: The first ethical concern is regarding a company employee by the name of Gayle Dornier. Gayle has received unwanted flowers from an unknown person, multiple times per week, and to this day Gayle has no idea who is sender of the flowers. Receiving a large quantity of flowers has begun to make her feel uncomfortable. Therefore Gayle is taking the proper Chain of Command to find a possible solution to the problem. After speaking to Rian Brown who is the company’s Ethics Officer, I decided that the most important issue was to maximize complete confidentially during my meeting with Gayle, because her issue seemed to be a very important to her. I also had to figure out key shareholders who were directly involved in this case, as well as who’s directly affected. Decision making steps involved in addressing this issue were mainly to figure out what the issues actually are and to break it down into small parts ensuring proper investigation, as well as proper facts regarding the case were identified. The main issue is to determine if a Sexual Harassment issue is present or not. The Ethical Lens used in addressing this issue was Rights/Responsibilities and the Results Lens. The Rights and Responsibilities Lens is based on the duties that everyone in our community has towards each other, and how we live by certain principles of integrity, for example, treat other the way you would like to be treated. The Results Lens is based on the actual results that we want to accomplished, and create the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Ensuring that the company’s reputation is not affected, as well as the well being of all parties involved should be the best outcome. The Ethical Lens is very important in the determination of my final decision; I was fully aware of the individual feelings of all parties involved. The Ethical Lens also helped to with the proper final determination was made on fairness and facts. As Gayle’s Immediate Supervisor, I feel it is my responsibility all employees have useful information about processes to protect themselves in any situations of potential harassment. The Cold Feet simulation of Ethics Game Dilemma involved company researchers Phillip Waters and Nikolai Zubanov. Who both submitted reports, but two different results were given to me. Nevertheless Phillip Waters have suppressed information causing elimination of adverse information enclosed in the reports, the ethical issue in this case deals with integrity and submission of fraudulent information. There is a decision to make in regards to what should be done if it is declared an employee has falsified a document. The Ethical Lens used was Relationship and Reputation. The Relationship Lens is centered on processing the systems for an ethical organization. It protects the basic liberties of all people. Everyone is entitled to their rights; regardless of income status everyone is deserving of fair process. The Reputation Lens is focused on exhibiting the virtues which are valued in the community for people who are in roles. These ethical lenses affected my decision making it ensured that I was open and honest in all facets of the concern. The ethical perspective is not always making everyone happy, because it is virtually impossible to make everyone happy. Ethical perspective focus on making the best decision for the good of all individuals involved as well as setting the standard in future situations. These ethical lenses helped to influence my decisions based on the information that was provided. It allowed me to be fair towards all individual concerns as well as a guide provide me with the proper steps to handle the issue. The concepts of this simulation relates to my personal workplace. Since the conception of my new office six months ago we have went without set standards practices for employees to follow. People became frustrated and overwhelm and decided to leave. Lucky, a strong Senior Management Team is currently being developed to help my office transition into new define standards practice. I believe there should be standard practices in the workplaces by using proper ethics, and treat all individuals fairly. Treating people the same way that you would like you would like to be treated will usually ensure that the proper ethics are used in all situations.

The Creation of Heavy Metal and Its Effect on Society

â€Å"Heavy Metal music's influence on society is really profound. Most people don't realize this, but Heavy Metal has spawned an entire subculture, with millions worldwide who can call themselves Heavy Metal fans. It is more than just aggressive music; it is an obsession and a way of life for a staggering amount of people† (Dunn 2008). Anthropologist, Sam Dunn documented how Heavy Metal has changed lives and societies across the globe. Heavy Metal music is a way of art, and how humans show what they see in society and translate it through a very artistic and creative way, which is the music itself†(Dunn 2008). â€Å"Human nature would argue for this scenario. Humans are influenced by conditions in their environment and react, whether physically, emotionally, or in this case, creatively† says sociologist of DePaul University (Deena Weinstein). This does not rule out the fact that artistic output created by humans can go back and in turn be an influence on society. By looking at some examples both historic and current, you can observe this process and how it has affected our world. (Weinstein 2005) Metal Music affects the world and Teen society in many diverse ways, whether it be by fashion, politics, religion, lyrical aspirations, and simply bringing people together. John Lennon was one of those people to bring peace by music, he went on a hunger strike for a week to promote piece all around the world with music, and he was not just recognized for doing this but many other inspirational acts with music. Through music, artists, bands and so on, speak of things going on in the society around you. Origin of Heavy Metal In the gritty streets of Birmingham, UK 1970, where Black Sabbath, took music too a more darker and sinister place, there was a man named Tony Iommi, who together with the well known Ozzy Ozbourne, formed a band and started the era of Heavy Metal. The first album they produced was self titled – Black Sabbath. Research shows that the Tri-Tone (Blue scale) is the devils note, which was used in the also self titled track â€Å"Black Sabbath†, claimed by Cannibal Corpse guitarist Alex Webster in â€Å"Metal, A Headbangers Journey (2008) â€Å"This note, in the Middle Ages, was forbidden because if its thought up relationship with the devil, towns folk believed that this â€Å"Tri-Tone† summoned the devil, thus explaining why it was forbidden†(Ezrin 2008). In the middle Ages, sorcerers used this Tri-Tone to summon the beast and cause havoc amongst the villagers who were ignorant and scared of heavy sounds. As Black Sabbath’s music spread through out the U. K, people from all over the world started to react to this new heavier style of music and became influenced, such as Led Zepplin, Deep Purple, Rainbow, and many more bands all over the world became interested and incorporated Heavy Metal to their personas and musical ways. Anthropologist Sam Dunn: Metal, A Headbangers Journey (2008) and also past Heavy Metal band member says that â€Å"There’s an on going battle in heavy metal to be more heavier and evil than the band that came before you, this has kept me into metal all these years† Competition plays a great part in Heavy Metal, which is also a great factor that spread Heavy Metal world wide and turned it into many now known Heavy Metal sub genres per say. As Heavy Metal started to grow in the 70’s, band after band tried to sound heavier than the last band which is how these â€Å"sub genres† of metal, like I stated earlier, came to be. The teens in that era, noticed this, â€Å"competition† and many teens started and incorporated, Heavy Metal to their own bands and were so influenced by this music, that it made teens in this society more hardworking and also up for a challenge. Musical Roots The classical roots of heavy metal were fairly obvious (Ezrin 2008), most of the really good practitioners were fans of dark powerful music, and for example Beethoven was one of them. Beethoven had created great classical music that incorporated heavy bass music and powerful orchestral sound waves, which are great assets to Heavy Metal that traced Classical music to Heavy Metal roots. Heavy Metal has another musical ancestor which is The Blues. (Morton, Blythe, from Lamb of God 2001), stated that the guitar is an African instrument, and the Guitar was used in slave music, and influenced the Blues and Heavy Metal now in today’s music. In the movie: Metal, A Headbangers Journey, The director and producer/ anthropologist Sam Dunn, interviews many Heavy Metal Pioneers such as Toni Iommi, Ozzy Ozborne, Ronnie James Dio, Rob Zombie, and they all claim to say that The Blues and Jazz classical type music were influential in their music. Environment and the Effect Towards Teen Society â€Å"It comes down to growing up in a rundown place, full of poverty, hopelessness, scumbags and assholes, that make your life hell and get you bottled up inside, then that’s when the music comes in and sets you free. † states (Taylor, of Slipknot2005). Music takes a maximum effect in everyone’s lives, Heavy Metal for many, claims that this musical genre sets them free and sets them in a straight forward positive mind set due to the message that some Heavy Metal artists send. James â€Å"Munky† Shaffer bassist for the band â€Å"Korn† says in an interview, that as a teenager, the environment he grew up in was based on drug abuse, violence, problems at home and death. â€Å"I found salvation through Heavy Metal, it influenced me to stay positive, grab an instrument and just jam out and let all the negativity out and let the positive and creative stuff flow in you know? Ha-ha, look at me now, I am in my mid 20’s and part of a great well known band selling out everywhere and loving it, all thanks to Metal! †(Shaffer2008). Rob Zombie, (White Zombie, Movie Director), – Revolver magazine, June 2009 said that â€Å"Metal is a life style, it’s your life style, people listen to what they listen too but in the end, what you listen too defines who you are. † Heavy Metal is like mine and any other metal heads own world. The music tells you to stick to your guns and stay strong and positive, (Dickinson 2008). Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden was one of the worlds most influential Heavy Metal band of the late 70’s- 80’s that helped pioneer this musical genre. Heavy Metal Archive (2001-20011) stated that â€Å"It gives them an alternate universe, it gives them a life of imagination through which they can view music and be influenced by many things the world and their society has to offer them. † Metal does impact children nowadays in this young society, and makes them aware of what’s going on in the world such as, wars, politics, corruption and genocide and inequality. The Message through Different Methods & Styles Politically Impacting the Media/Society Dee Snider of the Heavy Metal band Twisted Sister- was attacked by many parental groups and the (P. M. R. C) also known as the Parents Music Resource Center (1984) about censorship in Heavy Metal bands (Music in general). Sam Dunn, stated in his Documentary; Metal: A Headbangers Journey, that in 1984, Heavy Metal met its first organized attack and many bands were put in â€Å"The Filthy Fifteen†. Twisted Sister were not the only band censored and put on â€Å"The Filthy Fifteen† but Many Heavy Metal bands such as W. A. S. P, Judas Preist, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, AC/DC, Venom, and Heavy Metal Pioneers Black Sabbath were amongst those â€Å"Filthy Fifteen† These bands were put in â€Å"The Filthy Fifteen† by the â€Å"Parents Music Resource Center (1984)† because their music was deemed offensive and violent. The P. M. R. C rated songs according to the following: 1. X= Profane or sexually explicit, 2. O= Occult, 3. D/A= Drugs or Alcohol, 4. V= Violence and 5. Sac= Sacrilegious. Although the lyrics in Twisted Sister’s song â€Å"Were Not Gonna Take It† talked about standing up for your rights and never giving up, the video was censored as violent which led them into â€Å"The Filthy Fifteen† by the P. M. R. C. It must have been upsetting to the band members that their music is being prohibited to teens that in society look for he lp and sanctuary in music. Music that is inspirational should not be banned to teens because it can affect their social mental lives. Due to the fact that the P. M. R. C censored Twisted Sister’s enthusiastic, stand up for your self, keep going on music, children were unable to buy their music and listen to what they wanted to hear. Music is a way of life, as I always say and everyone needs it in their daily personal lives to get by, whether they are down, lonely, happy, and or just out of mind and ready to loose it. You can not help to imagine how many youths rebelled against parents because of this cause and made them unable to listen to music that appealed their ears, and helped them get by in life’s daily struggles and challenges. Religion and Satanism Many Metal artists used religious symbolism in their music. For example when up and rising band Venom (1983) came out on stage with satanic pentagrams, gory live performances, and brutal satanic lyrics, many people were scared. In that era, Satanism was well known but only in secluded parts of Norway. As venom and many other bands such as Slayer(1983-present) went on stage and vulgarly scared the non-metal community, people and many other religious groups as well, started to ban there shows, and music all over the world. The media started to engage in a non stop attack of releasing ideas that these bands were satanic, insane, and inappropriate content for teens, and that they should be socially declined to the public. (Dunn2008) This however did not stop the bands from releasing their music, being less graphic, and selling out shows. Nor did it stop teens from tuning in to their music and impacting their religious views and life’s. Slayer, created masterpiece after masterpiece of brutal Satanic, Anti-Christian, war related, lyrics and album covers that there were literally protests at their shows by religious groups because teens were so xcited and appealed at this new style of musical art, and parents thought their children were being manipulated and brainwashed to do bad and in the end hurt and destroy their life’s and their social backgrounds. They also manifested an idea that Slayer (1983) were Satanists, when in fact they were just trying to shock the audience and gain more fans. H aving the mindset of Slayer being Satanists, they also thought up the idea that Metal Music was the doing of the devil. And that those teens were heading towards a path of destruction and anti- religious acts in their society, like burning churches down. Slayer, to defend themselves stated, â€Å"We consider what we do art, and art can be a reflection of society, and we are simply just picking up the dark reflections, and manifesting them to the world† (Araya2008) Norwegian Black Metal bands certainly do live up to Satanism, (Dunn2008). Norway is an isolated country in northern Europe in which 87% of Norway’s population belongs to The Lutheran State Church, and yet strangely their most cultural export is Satanic Black Metal (Rasmussen 2008). Because many Satanists in Norway have a grudge against the Christian religion, due to conflicts and clashes between Vikings thousands of years ago (Rasmussen2008), there was a series of arsons. A man by the name of Varg Vekernes, and along side of him to help was a man named Jorn Tunsberg, set out a quite discrete plan to burn down some of the oldest churches in Oslo, Norway. They were convicted of arson on multiple counts and both were sentenced to prison. Because of these satanic acts in Norway due to Black Metal and what it symbolized for these men, people of all over the world started to react in an eruptive way towards the Metal community. The parents now have reason to believe that children’s musical interests could indeed affect the society in which their kids lived in and cause harmful behavior for generations to come. Death and Violence Death has played a major role in Metal Music. Since Metal Music spawned from dark imagery and horrific violence and brutal lyrics, a sub genre emerged known as Death Metal. Death Metal was built up on Thrash Metal and Black Metal, which consisted of machine gun guitars and fast passed drumming, with guttural vocals, also with a little twist of bloody gore and violence, Death Metal was created. Cannibal Corpse, along with Death, were the first bands among many Death Metal bands to use gory imagery. Cannibal Corpse was known for producing horrific album art. Cannibal corpse(1985) 3 first albums are banned in Germany, New Zealand, and Korea due to very gory and graphic album art also horrific lyrics related to murder. (Slagel2008). Rose Dyson(2008) states that there is evidence to state that the average person these days sees more violence through popular culture that would occur in real life, and this also has been marketed in many essences, particularly in teenage society and disrupts the teenage mind into murder, suicide, corruption and drug abuse as a conflict resolution. Manny bands have been set for trial over the past 20 years, such as Judas Preist, Slayer, Slipknot, Cannibal Corpse and Marilyn Manson, due to suicides and murders all because Metal Music has been stereotyped as devil music and everything else you have read thus far in this research paper. A main reason, as to why Metal Music and these bands have been blamed as the cause to many teen deaths, is because of their lyrics. Most Metal bands have an image they portray whether it is evil, Blasphemy related, or just simply vulgar. It is crazy to argue that there is a relationship between the imagery in Metal and some teen suicides and acts of violence. (Klosterman2008). The most powerful predictor of whether someone will commit suicide is the feeling of helplessness (Kahn2008). No one listens to Heavy Metal in order to feel helpless, they listen to Heavy Metal in order to feel empowered and connected with other people, and that may be empowered through a song that’s about suicide that makes you realize your not alone. And your not helpless and other people are going through the same thing; you don’t need to kill yourself! Human society should realize this because blaming such horrific incidents other people cause to themselves should not be blamed on people who are merely making art in their own personal ways, such as these bands. As the media and such sources uproar and release these serious issues about teen suicide and their causes, all over the world, parents should focus on Teen Society and how teens learning and hearing these issues of teen suicide may affect them personally. Teen youth does get affected by seeing this media provided information because it somewhat brainwashes them into thinking that music of such sorts leads them into suicide and disruptive mayhem. When they grow older they judge other teenagers amongst their societies and start labeling them.

A Google HR Chief Shares The Secrets to Getting Promoted

A Google HR Chief Shares The Secrets to Getting Promoted While there’s no one set way to guarantee you’ll get promoted, there are a few strategies that seem to work much better than others- even across a range of industries. Here are a former Google HR chief’s top 5  tips. 1. Get constant feedbackDon’t be a pest, but do constantly ask your boss what you would need to demonstrate to her to advance. Or, even more subtly, what she values most in a truly trusted employee. Then do that. Exactly that. Get in the habit of naturally, casually asking for feedback after meetings or presentations (â€Å"How’d that go?† â€Å"Anything I could have improved?†). Check in and ask periodically what skills you should be accumulating or developing.2.  Be the office problem solverThe first thing you need to do to be in good standing for a promotion is to earn the trust and confidence of your boss and the company at large. Do this by assessing, first and foremost, your boss’s biggest crisis or concer n, and set about solving it for them. Once you prove that you can listen carefully and pick out the most important priority and square it away, you’ll be well on your way.3.  Think in the long termYou should always be thinking three to five moves ahead, both of your colleagues and your boss. Make yourself a 5, 10, 25 year plan and start to map your progress to meeting your longest term goals- now. This way, you will continually generate new opportunities for yourself. Invest in your skills and career- even in unorthodox or sideways ventures. You never know when you’ll hit the magic alchemy to catapult yourself to the top.4. ASK!You’ll very rarely get a promotion if you don’t assert yourself as wanting one. This is particularly a problem for women, who nominate themselves far less frequently for advancement. Regardless of who is doing the promoting- your boss or a committee who hardly knows you or your work- be sure to put your name in every chance you g et. And ask your boss to help support you in moving forward.5.  Have a strong sense of realityIf you’re facing a ceiling- glass or any other kind, accept reality and figure out a smarter move. Say your boss’s job is the logical next step for you in your career path; if she’s not going anywhere, neither are you. Consider lateral moves to different departments, or even different companies, to give yourself the room to grow. If you’re not being recognized in a way you know you should be, move on. Always be willing to accept a difficult reality and pivot yourself to a solution.

Free Essays on Red Bull Marketing Stragety

Red Bull’s Marketing Strategy Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 The Plan 4 Sharks in the Water 6 Product Implementation 7 Proven Competitive Advantage 8 Conclusion 9 Graph Outline Graph (1-1) Market share in percent of European held by Red Bull 7 Graph (1-2) Percentage of US market held by Red Bull and it’s (2) largest competitors 9 Executive Summary This report analyzes Red Bull’s strategies and shows how these strategies have enabled Red Bull to become very successful. Market Difficulties Currently, it is very difficult to enter the lucrative energy drink market and become successful. One of the reasons for this is because higher level of knowledge possessed by the consumers caused by the new health craze that has been occurring recently. More and more people are becoming more conscious of different ingredients in the foods and drinks they consume because of the health risks involved. Another reason for the difficulty in entering the energy market is the various types of competition. There are many types of competitors whether their energy products are liquids, solids or pills. Of course not all of these competitors are successful, but a consumer whom may be unaware of a popular energy drink could choose one of the competitors. Fortunately, Red Bull has overcome these barriers. The majority of new consumers become aware of Red Bull and it benefits by word-of-mouth. This tactic cannot be successful for every company, but it has been very successful for Red Bull. The Uniqueness What strategy has allowed them to be successful in today’s market and will that strategy allow them to achieve success in the future battle for market share? For Red Bull differentiation is â€Å"their claim to fame.† They are solely focused on making their product different from their ... Free Essays on Red Bull Marketing Stragety Free Essays on Red Bull Marketing Stragety Red Bull’s Marketing Strategy Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 The Plan 4 Sharks in the Water 6 Product Implementation 7 Proven Competitive Advantage 8 Conclusion 9 Graph Outline Graph (1-1) Market share in percent of European held by Red Bull 7 Graph (1-2) Percentage of US market held by Red Bull and it’s (2) largest competitors 9 Executive Summary This report analyzes Red Bull’s strategies and shows how these strategies have enabled Red Bull to become very successful. Market Difficulties Currently, it is very difficult to enter the lucrative energy drink market and become successful. One of the reasons for this is because higher level of knowledge possessed by the consumers caused by the new health craze that has been occurring recently. More and more people are becoming more conscious of different ingredients in the foods and drinks they consume because of the health risks involved. Another reason for the difficulty in entering the energy market is the various types of competition. There are many types of competitors whether their energy products are liquids, solids or pills. Of course not all of these competitors are successful, but a consumer whom may be unaware of a popular energy drink could choose one of the competitors. Fortunately, Red Bull has overcome these barriers. The majority of new consumers become aware of Red Bull and it benefits by word-of-mouth. This tactic cannot be successful for every company, but it has been very successful for Red Bull. The Uniqueness What strategy has allowed them to be successful in today’s market and will that strategy allow them to achieve success in the future battle for market share? For Red Bull differentiation is â€Å"their claim to fame.† They are solely focused on making their product different from their ...

Become a Real Critic in Your Critical Analysis Paper

Become a Real Critic in Your Critical Analysis Paper Become a Real Critic in Your Critical Analysis Paper A critical analysis paper is designed to examine a piece of work or article that has been written by someone else and the goal is to determine how effectively they present their point or argument. It is one of the most difficult pieces because many students don’t understand how to handle this type of assignment. However, by following this advice, you will be able to write your paper like a real critic. Read the Piece a Few Times Read the text you need to write a critical analysis on a few times. While you are reading, be sure to try and answer several questions. You can make some notes on the answers to make sure that you can effectively analyze the piece. What is the artist arguing for or against? Analyze the writer’s thesis statement. Decide the context of the argument. Why is the author arguing for the point? Decide if they have provided a solution to the problem they are discussing. Is the solution plausible? Jot down the Supporting Evidence for the Main Points Has the author utilized the information to support their main point or points? Determine the Author’s Appeal to the Reader How does the author appeal to the reader to persuade them to believe in their point? Do they appeal to emotion (pathos)? How about to their logic or reason (logos)? Or their credibility (ethos)? Draw the Line Do any questions arise when you are reading the piece or have all of the questions been effectively answered? Tips that will help you along the way: Always start by introducing your piece giving the pertinent information like the title and author. You will give a brief summary of what the piece is about as well. You should state the author’s argument early in the piece. Possibly even in the first paragraph. Be sure to discuss all of your main points in the introduction and utilize the other paragraphs to describe the evidence relating to each topic and evaluate them individually. Use citations to support your evaluation. Make sure to properly cite the sources using quotes or paraphrased material. Please keep in mind that a critical analysis varies from a summary. It is a critique of the content. The main purpose is to evaluate the piece of work. You will need to decide if the piece is valid, significant, important, useful, or truthful. When you are writing this type of paper, it will be important to remember that you are analyzing how the content is used, rather than just the content itself. Most writers look at the piece and just think about whether or not the story-line works. The focus needs to be on how the content is written. It should concentrate on how the author uses the information to get their point across. This is an entirely different concept than what most people think of when they are writing this type of paper. Think of the â€Å"why† rather than the â€Å"what† and you will be able to ace at this assignment. It is a good idea to find a sample critical analysis essay paper to help you understand how the paper is handled. Read through a few examples and get some ideas on how to get it done. It can be used as a guide that will help you write your paper effectively. You should have all of the help that you need to get the job done. Good luck.

Information Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Information Security - Research Paper Example The progress in the field of information technology has been favorable because it has brought various benefits for the users all around the world. However, along with many significant benefits, the advancement in information technology has also created various issues related to the security of computer networks. These network-related issues need to be tackled properly in order to make the internet world safe and secure. Literature Review regarding Current State of Network Security Kaminsky (2010) asserts, â€Å"Network security comprises the measures a company takes to protect its computer system†. It is evident from the above statement that network security deals with the protection of information stored in the computer systems. There are various issues associated with the current state of the network security. Douligeris and Serpanos (2007, p.94) show their concern about network security by saying that current mechanisms of network security do not handle the threat of worm a ttacks properly. Leynes (2010) states, â€Å"Worm is a malicious code or software that spreads from one computer to another using the network highway†. ... Maiwald (2004) state that current state of network security cannot be called purely safe from all sorts of threats. Although virus and worm attacks have decreased considerably, yet the companies need to address information theft issue, which is the top network security concern these days (Batten, 2008, p.24). Network administrators also hold the responsibility to create new mechanisms for the security of networks. McFarlane (2010) asserts, â€Å"There is no doubt that network administrators are today dealing with much more sophisticated network and computer security threats than they did a few years ago†. Network administrators still need to do more in the field of network security. Laet and Schauwers (2005, p.3) state, â€Å"Currently, network administrators often spend more effort protecting their networks than they spend on the actual setup†. Reaves (2010) in an article states, â€Å"Steps need to be taken to ensure that user access to the network cannot compromise the entire network†. Lynn (2009) asserts, â€Å"In today's threat landscape, the most secure network infrastructures implement not a single network security technology, but a multilayered comprehensive security strategy†. Fundamental Issues and Concerns for Network Security There exist many fundamental issues related to network security, which are of significant importance for the successful advancement in the field of network security. Some of the core fundamental issues include authentication, access types, and authorization. Let us discuss these issues in some detail. Authentication Authentication of the user logging onto a network is one of the fundamental issues related to network security. Biometrics and passwords are generally used to

Analyze the Secondary Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyze the Secondary Research - Essay Example The report is going to analyze all these factors for each agency with respect to their employees who might be interested in enrolling for the course (Grigg & Zenzen, 2009). According to the secondary sources, it is apparent that water departments are committed to ensuring that they have a qualified work force. This is manifested in the manner by which they have committed to reimburse tuition fees to employees who opt to further studies. For example, the City of Carlsbad which has a total number of 65 of employees who are geared towards working in water related matters. The agency has committed to reimburse tuition fees up to a maximum of 60 employees. This is about 92.3% of employees who can ask for the tuition fee reimbursement in each respective year. Consequently, an employee in Carlsbad is eligible to be reimbursed the first $2,500 and 80% of any additional claim that might arise in a respective fiscal year (Grigg & Zenzen, 2009). Another conclusion I can make is that water departments which have less workforce have also decided to invest in education. For example, the City of Encinitas has 24 water employees. According to the policy of the agency, all the water employees are eligible to apply for tuition reimbursement. The qualification for this scheme includes one to be regular full-time employees who further their education during off-duty hours. Employees can apply for tuition reimbursement and related educational expenses up to a maximum of $1,200 per fiscal year. Submission of requests and approval takes place continuously based upon the availability of the funding (Grigg & Zenzen, 2009). Another observation I can make is that even agencies that huge workforce have also invested in financing the education of their employees. The City of Escondido has 726 water employees. In line with institutions policy, all the employees can apply for tuition reimbursement so long as they qualify. The City reimburses 100% of the total tuition fees and

Start up of Replacement Ink Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Start up of Replacement Ink - Assignment Example The concept of CRM is very closely related to the relationship marketing. It suggests that maintaining and fostering personalised relationships, in the context of business to consumer sales, can definitely lead to profit if it is combined by a mutual exchange of benefits and fulfilment of promises on the part of both the parties i.e., buyers and sellers. CRM therefore involves managing customer information in a way that can lead the organisation to satisfy its customers in a better manner. A new business of replacement inkjet cartridges, in the same vein, needs to employ effective customer relationship management programs such as customer surveys, service evaluations, pre-sale and after sale inquiries on a database driven system so as to foster the relationship with its customers and stimulate customer loyalty. Loyalty is regarded as an important aspect of relationship management. Crosby (2002, p273) expounds that, â€Å"loyalty refers to a strong emotional attachment to a firm that is manifest in customer behaviours like staying with the company, recommending it, buying additional products and services and so forth†. At the crux of customer relationship management is the concept of customer loyalty. CRM programs are basically designed to keep the customers loyal to the organisation. The customers display their loyalty mainly by coming to the company every time the same product is needed or recommending the product to the others. However, this report focuses on the criticism of relationship.... A new business of replacement inkjet cartridges, in the same vein, needs to employ effective customer relationship management programs such as customer surveys, service evaluations, pre-sale and after sale inquiries on a database driven system so as to foster the relationship with its customers and stimulate customer loyalty. Loyalty is regarded as an important aspect of relationship management. Crosby (2002, p273) expounds that, "loyalty refers to a strong emotional attachment to a firm that is manifest in customer behaviours like staying with the company, recommending it, buying additional products and services and so forth". At the crux of customer relationship management is the concept of customer loyalty. CRM programs are basically designed to keep the customers loyal to the organisation. The customers display their loyalty mainly by coming to the company every time the same product is needed or recommending the product to the others. CRM programs can be initiated to enhance relationships at both ends i.e., the suppliers as well as the customers. However, this report focuses on the criticism of relationship building in case of business to consumer sales. Criticism Of Customer Relationship Management In The Context Of Business to Consumer Sales: Despite the fact that there happen to be several benefits attributable to the implementation of customer relationship management, several criticisms have been levied against this concept in the context of business-to-consumer sales. In a consumer market scenario, the customer relationship management is not considered to result into enhanced customer relationship. A study of literature [for example, Mishra et al. (1998), Gronroos (1994), Bagozzi (1995), Tax et al.

The increasing cost of healthcare as new technologies are introduced Research Paper

The increasing cost of healthcare as new technologies are introduced - Research Paper Example nt of a variety of different diseases and ailments to a better degree, an underlying economic reality that is invariably represented has to do with the fact that the rapid level of technological advancement represented within the is causing an exponential growth with regard to the overall cost of healthcare. Essentially, the following research paper will be broken into four distinct components. The first of which is predicated upon seeking to define the problem and explain its overall relevance. The second relates to examining the problem from a variety of perspectives and utilizing economics as a means of educating the reader with respect to the complexities of the problem. Thirdly, the analysis will pose a potential solution to the problem and finally point out strengths and weaknesses associated with the proposed solution. It is the hope of this particular author that such a level of discussion and analysis will not only be beneficial with regard to understanding the issue but als o with respect to helping to correct it as future stakeholders will be able to recognize or issues and impact that continue to reduce the overall utility of healthcare by its cost ever upwards. By means of definition, the problem of technology and its growth is ultimately something of a double-edged sword. When one references the fact that limited levels of technology, exhibited during the early 19th century, created a drastically different Outlook for the patient, the reader can adequately see that a focus on improving medical technology and promoting development is as essential as any other aspect of the provision of quality care. Yet, as with any level of focus, it is necessary to understand the fact that there are other requirements that the healthcare profession must necessarily focus upon; not all of which are innately tied to the need to promote further levels of technology. In terms of analyzing this particular problem from a variety of economic perspectives, it should firstly

Find solution and essay(Easy work) Research Paper

Find solution and essay(Easy work) - Research Paper Example From the lists of tables provided by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Table 2.1 shows the Personal Income and its Disposition (www.bea.gov, 1). Nominal personal income for the first quarter of 2011 is $12,980 billion while nominal disposable income is $11,711.6 billion after deducting nominal or current personal taxes of $1,268.4 billion. Nominal personal consumption or personal consumption expenditures comprise the largest part of the personal outlays as it amounted to $10, 683.8 billion. The nominal personal savings or the amount left from the disposable income after deduction of the personal outlays is $663.6 billion. Marginal propensity to save or MPS is the increase in savings per unit increase in income. It is computed by dividing the change in savings by the change in income. From the same table, Table 2.1, savings increased from $640 billion in the last quarter of 2010 to $663.6 billion in the first quarter in 2011. This means that savings increased by $23.6 billion. On the other hand, personal income also increased from $12,724 billion in the last quarter of 2010 to $12,980 billion in the first quarter of 2011. After subtracting the two amounts, there was a $256 billion increase in the personal income. From the formula, MPS = change in savings / change in income, MPS is equal to 0.09. Marginal propensity to consume or MPC is the increase in consumption spending per unit increase in income. It is computed by dividing the change in consumption expenditures by the change in income. And based from Table 2.1, personal consumption expenditure in the last quarter of 2010 was $10,513.6 and $10,683.8 in the first quarter of 2011. So, a $170.2 billion increase in personal consumption expenditure was computed. Following the formula, MPC = change in consumption/ change in income, MPC is equal to 0 .66. However, if MPS and MPC will be computed using income after deduction of

Entrepreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Entrepreneur - Essay Example Similar examples exist in the society and include interests in political appointment to the federal government (Gimpel 28). The entrepreneurial experience of Theodore Judah offers many lessons that are still relevant today. Theodore’s experience explains the role of hardwork and determination in entrepreneurial success, qualities that have been coined to define successful entrepreneurs. Theodore’s efforts to seeks support from politicians and business men and the success that he achieved defines his hardwork while his continuous efforts, despite discouraging encounter, in seeking support for the railroad project explains his determination as well as perseverance that can help today’s entrepreneurs to overcome challenges and succeed in their entrepreneurial ventures (Gimpel 29- 34). Your essay on Gustavus Swift is explorative and informative. I however believe that it is not strong in captivating the audience and also in attracting the audience’s attention. Including a thesis statement in the introductory paragraph and using subheadings for major points would have improved the essay’s effectiveness. The audience however has to strain to grasp information. Your essay on Lewis Tappan identifies professionalism in writing. Organizing the work into subsections and using headings helps the audience to understand a essay’s main points and helps in attracting attention into the essay. The presentation is also simple and identifies critical information such as the period in which Tappan lives, his life in business, and his business

Find solution and essay(Easy work) Research Paper

Find solution and essay(Easy work) - Research Paper Example From the lists of tables provided by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Table 2.1 shows the Personal Income and its Disposition (www.bea.gov, 1). Nominal personal income for the first quarter of 2011 is $12,980 billion while nominal disposable income is $11,711.6 billion after deducting nominal or current personal taxes of $1,268.4 billion. Nominal personal consumption or personal consumption expenditures comprise the largest part of the personal outlays as it amounted to $10, 683.8 billion. The nominal personal savings or the amount left from the disposable income after deduction of the personal outlays is $663.6 billion. Marginal propensity to save or MPS is the increase in savings per unit increase in income. It is computed by dividing the change in savings by the change in income. From the same table, Table 2.1, savings increased from $640 billion in the last quarter of 2010 to $663.6 billion in the first quarter in 2011. This means that savings increased by $23.6 billion. On the other hand, personal income also increased from $12,724 billion in the last quarter of 2010 to $12,980 billion in the first quarter of 2011. After subtracting the two amounts, there was a $256 billion increase in the personal income. From the formula, MPS = change in savings / change in income, MPS is equal to 0.09. Marginal propensity to consume or MPC is the increase in consumption spending per unit increase in income. It is computed by dividing the change in consumption expenditures by the change in income. And based from Table 2.1, personal consumption expenditure in the last quarter of 2010 was $10,513.6 and $10,683.8 in the first quarter of 2011. So, a $170.2 billion increase in personal consumption expenditure was computed. Following the formula, MPC = change in consumption/ change in income, MPC is equal to 0 .66. However, if MPS and MPC will be computed using income after deduction of

Performance Enhancement in Manufacturing Facility Essay

Performance Enhancement in Manufacturing Facility - Essay Example While such programs are essentially characterized by the conventional monetary and non-monetary incentives to a greater extent, there are some novel elements such as de-structuring and delayering of certain positions in the hierarchy. Such efforts have produced some positive results though the extent of them is not known. XYZ Company was founded in 1899 by a group of investors includingGiovanni Agnelli. Apart from cars, it is also manufacturingrailroadvehicles,tanksandaircrafts. On 2009, XYZ Company became the world's sixth largest carmaker as well as Italy's largest carmaker. XYZ company-based cars are constructed all around the world, with the largest number produced outside Italy being built inBrazil, where they are best-sellers. It also has factories inArgentinaandPoland. XYZ Company has a long history of licensing its products to other countries regardless of local political or cultural persuasion (Robbins, 2009). Joint ventureoperations are found inItaly,France,Turkey,India,Serbiaand Russia. XYZ is a company that supplies good job opportunities to the employees. However the XYZ Company's operations are increasingly being affected by a lack of uniformity in work standards among its employees in different manufacturing plants. It's basically higher level of absenteeism, low morale, poor motivation and ultimately the work related stress of employees at some of the European factories have been reported. However those work related problems are

Wide Area Network (WAN)

Wide Area Network (WAN) 1. Abstract WAN Wide Area Network is a communication network that make use of existing technology to connect local area network into a larger working network which may cover both national and international location. Wide Area Network allows a company to make use of common resources in order to operate, internal functions such as sales, production, development, marketing and accounting can be shared with authorized locations through this sort of network application. So thats why it is so important today. In this paper, I am going to demonstrates the techniques required for computer network from technology, architecture, media, protocol and routing algorithm based on the OSI seven layer model. 2. Introduction Bambi Co., Ltd. decided to implement a Wide Area Network between their two site in two different countries. As the network engineer of the company, is responsible to study, plan, design and implementation of a Wide Area Network for connecting two sites local area network. The requirement by the company that made the WAN a necessity are enumerated. The choice of WAN, hardware and the software is explained within the context of the needs of the company. Finally the benefits accruing to the company are identified and determined. 3. Company Background Bambi Co., Ltd. has two sites located in two different countries. Site A, the main office which located in Hong Kong and Site B, a factory which located in Shenzhen, the mainland China. In Site A, there are around 10 client workstations and Site B around 40 client workstations. There are three servers located in Site A, they are the domain server, email server and content management server. Another domain server also located in Site B, it mainly provide the services for Shenzhen users. 4. User requirement 4.1 Functionality On most of the users, their main concern is application available from the network. This including the following matters: 4.1.1 Fast response time Response time is the time between entering a command or keystroke and the execution of the command deliver a response. For users on Bambi Co., Ltd. environment, response time is the response running application or access from/to the servers, transmission of information as well as access to Internet. 4.1.2 High throughput The throughput environment on the company can be expected to be high. It can be expected that the throughput usage on the network will involve many users frequently access to the server and also to the Internet at same time. 4.2 Scalability The WAN implementation is expected to be function for a minimum of 5 years without the needs of upgrade the network equipments or rewiring the horizontal or vertical cable. 4.3 Adaptability The WAN implementation must be flexible enough to meet the demand of ever-growing needs of technologies when they become available. It might included with newer switching technology, more secure or faster router incorporating with new routing protocols and etc. Therefore, the WAN solution should be modular which allow added or swapped new network equipment with a minimum of network downtime. 4.4 Security The information transfer must be protected through the WAN environment. This is very important as to prevent the company data from stolen from their competitors. 4.5 Manageability The WAN implementation must be manageable and able to monitor by the network administrator. 4.6 Reliability Reliability of the WAN is important. The WAN must include fault-tolerance function and elements to give the stability of the network to reduce any unnecessary network downtime. 5. WAN solution 5.1 Regional Private Network Service Provider: Pacnet Type: MPLS VPN Bandwidth: 2Mbps Description: Connect between Bambi Co., Ltd. Site A and B 5.1.1 Introducing of MPLS and architecture MPLS stands for Multiprotocol Label Switching. It has been around for several years. It is standardized by IETF. (The Internet Engineering Task Force) Why multiprotocol? Since at the OSI 7 layer model, it operates between the layer 2 (Data Link Layer) and the layer 3 (Network Layer), so it often view as a 2.5 layer protocol. Conventional data packets are routed based on IP address and other information in the header. MPLS simplifies the forwarding function by taking a total different approach by introducing a connection oriented mechanism inside the connectionless IP network. Label switching indicates that the packets switched are no longer IPv4 or IPv6 packets and even Layer 2 frames when switched, but they are labeled. Below showing the MPLS header format. First 20-bits: Label value 20 22 bits: Three Experimental (EXP) bits, use for quality of service (QoS) 23 bit: Bottom of Stack (Bos) bit, 1 for bottom label, 0 otherwise 24 to 31 bits: Time To Live (TTL) 5.1.2 MPLS components and operation MPLS network comprise the following elements: Label Edge Router (LER): Router placed at the edge of the MPLS network Label Switching Router (LSR): MPLS capable router Label Switch Path (LSP): An ordered sequence of LSRs Label Distribution Protocol (LDP): Set of procedures by which LSRs establish LSPs In MPLS network, an optimal path is firstly determine and tag. When packets enter the MPLS network, the input router and switch uses the layer 3 header to assign the packets to one of this predetermine path. MPLS using a label stacking process to better handle the traffic. A label is attached to the end to end path information in the packet. The label together with the data packet as it cross the network. All other routers along the path use the label to determine the next hop address instead of the IP address. Since this device only operates on the information in the label, processor-intensive analysis and classification of the layer 3 header occur only at the entrance to the network. This remove much of the overhead used in the network and therefore, speed up the overall processing of data. 5.1.3 MPLS Protocols MPLS use 2 protocols to establish the LSP, they are: MPLS Routing protocol Distribute topology information only. Interior gateway protocol such as OSPF, IS-, BGP-4 is normally use. MPLS Signaling protocol Information for program the switching fabric. RSVP-TE and LDP is used. 5.1.4 MPLS VPN MPLS Virtual Private Networks (VPN) is the most popular and widespread implementation of MPLS technology. A VPN provide communication at OSI layer 2 or 3. VPN is protected by strong encryption. In general, the data travel across the VPN is not visible and encapsulated. MPLS is well suited for VPN because of its characteristics. 5.2 Internet Connection Service Provider: Pacnet Type: SHDSL Bandwidth: 4Mbps downstream/4Mbps upstream Description: Applied at Site A. By the way, the WAN connection will be allowed the Internet share with Site B office. In order to fulfill both sites demand, Single High Speed Digital Subscriber Line (SHDSL) has chosen. SHDSL is one of the DSL family technology. Similar with other SDSL service, the upstream and downstream data rates are equal. One of its advantage of SHDSL is its high symmetric data rates with guaranteed bandwidth and low interference. In Bambi Co., Ltd. a 4M/4M speed line is using for their Internet connection. 6. Ethernet Standard CAT 6 (Category 6) twisted-pair UTP is using under Bambi Co., Ltd. LAN environment. Its Gigabit Ethernet cable standard which bandwidth up to 400MHz and over a range of 100 m. It meet up the ANSI/TIA-568-B.2-1 performance specification. 7. Network Environment Overview 7.1 Entire Network Diagram 7.2 Hardware/Software description 7.3 Network configuration 7.3.1 Protocol and LAN segments With the popularity of the Internet, TCP/IP become the most popular protocol. In Bambi Co., Ltd. only TCP/IP protocol allowed to be implement on the network environment. All servers and desktop PCs located on Site A and B will have static addresses, while notebook PCs will obtain addresses by utilizing Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). IPv4 will be chosen as the type. Compare with IPv6, IPv4 had been around for many years, there are much more hardware and software supports. 8. Security The following is the security arrangement for protect companys data: 8.1 Authentication Each staff sign an individual login id for access their workstation and server resource like the email. The password establishes complexity level with minimum length of 5 characters. The password will enforce change every 3 months. 8.2 Authorization Only some authorize staffs with Internet connection. This prevent the data disclose by FTP, web mail or any online storage. 8.3 Audit The email server is able to keep logging which allow the administrative staff trace whether any company important data disclose by email. 8.4 Monitor The firewall and switch are able to monitor the network for suspicious activity. For example, if the firewall detect heavy traffic or overload session, it will send email alert to the network administrator. 8.5 Virus Protection Some kind of computer virus will steal infected computers data. So every servers and client workstations has install a memory resident antivirus software for protection. The UMT firewall also provide gateway antivirus function which prevent virus from the layer 2 level. 8.6 Encryption The MPLS VPN deployed to be high security network tunnel. The data transmit between site A and B office with strong encryption. 9. Conclusion In the user requirement chapter, 6 requirements were outlined. We summarize the benefits from applying the MPLS as below: 9.1 Functionality No performance bottleneck of CPE VPN devices Reduced network latency Guaranteed SLA (Service level agreement) for time critical applications Supports the delivery of services with QoS (Quality of service) guarantees 9.2 Scalability Highly scalable since no site to site peering is required and reconfiguration of VPN devices. 9.3 Adaptability Multiple connection type and bandwidth selection (e.g. ATM, Metro Ethernet, Broadband, etc.) 9.4 Security Private network completely isolated from Internet. 9.5 Manageability Customer is able to complete control their own routing. 9.6 Reliability Enable fast restoration from failures The network design presented here meets all those objectives. Both for today and in the future. 10. Reference Rosen, E., Viswanathan, A. and Callon, R. (2001) Multiprotocol Label Switching Architecture, IETF Documents, [Online] Available from: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3031, [accessed on 07/03/10] PACNET 2010: Pacnet Domestic IP VPN Available on: http://hk.pacnet.com/network/domestic-ip-vpn/, [accessed on 13/03/10] Bates, R. (2002) Broadband Telecommunications Handbook. 2nd edition. McGraw-Hill Professional, Columbus. Guichard, B. PepeInjak, I. and Apcar, J. (2003) MPLS and VPN Architectures, Volume II. Cisco Press, Indiana. Ghein, L. (2007) MPLS Fundamentals. Cisco Press, Indiana. Jamison, S. Cardarelli, M. and Hanley, S. (2007) Essential SharePoint 2007. Pearson Education, Inc., Boston.

The Art of Murder :: The Art of Murder

The Art of Murder In "The Most Dangerous Game" and "Bargain" murder happens.   Certainly, murder is one of the most vile, inhuman crimes a person can commit. Many people commit it willfully and wantonly, but few get away with it without being suspected. General Zaroff got away with murder quite frequently, and Mr. Baumer also did. They were both good at it. Zaroff and Mr. Baumer were the most evil people in "The Most Dangerous Game" and "Bargain" because they were both very sneaky and smart about murdering, they both stacked the deck against their victims, and they were both murderers. General Zaroff and Mr. Baumer were very sneaky and smart at committing the murders. General Zaroff "hunted" humans on an island where many people were afraid of going. He made the shipwrecks look like an accident so that no one would come looking for him or to find possible suspects. He put a large house where he lived in a jungle, where it would be hard for even the most experienced to find by chance. He also "played" with his "game" to think that they would do something that would give them self away so that the killings could be done more sneakily. Mr. Baumer was also very sneaky in committing his act of murder. He wanted Slade dead because he maimed Baumer's hand. He wanted to make it look like an accident. So, he poisoned the liquor which he all but knew that Slade would steal and drink it. He didn't just happen to put the poison in the right place. When Baumer found out Slade was dead, he acted as if it was a surprise to him so that no one would th ink he had something to do with it. General Zaroff and Mr. Baumer were both very smart and sneaky, and they always got away with murder. Both General Zaroff and Mr. Slade stacked the deck against their victims. Zaroff was much more equipped to make his way through the jungle then the sailors. If his hunt took too long, he would send out dogs that could hunt down people with ease. He had much more experience and intelligence than the sailors he used. No sailor was used to walking through such a jungle, with it being so dense and having so many things that could trap them or make it harder to walk through it.

Changes brought by the Age of Imperialsim :: essays research papers

The Age of Imperialism brought many changes that caused suffering and improvements in countries. The domination of Europeans in Asia and Africa brought benefits and sufferings. When reading in between the lines, it is clear and obvious that the European?s domination gave Asia much to benefit from and Africa more to suffer from. Asia gained tons of economical power and was educated with Western ideas, but in the long run they turned Western literature it into Chinese matters. On the other hand, Africa lost economical independence. Asia?s population greatly benefited economically because European colonial rule led the Chinese to the modern economic system. In the mid- 1800s Westerners coming in Asia introduced new ways of transportation, communication, and it created export markets. Better transportation brought in new crops and influenced the growth of Asia?s population which led the Chinese economy to become more industrious than it has ever been. The Europeans turned the Chinese market into the 19th century world economy. Europeans introduced the Chinese to better systems of money and banking which created the base for a money market in China. The coming of Westerners inspired new ideas in the education of the Chinese. Even though Confucian social ideals were quickly changed by radical reformers in the cities, a new China was restored and accepted by the modern world. Western literature in the 20th century was well known in rural areas in Asia, but there were still traditionalists who worked on Western art showing Chinese culture. After World War I, Western literature was also transformed into Chinese matters. Economically, Africa paid a large price for British colonial rule because it lost its economic independence. France took control of the largest part of West Africa and in no time Africans became dependent on European textiles. Another reason why Africans suffered from European Imperialism is they were enslaved. They were also tortured in the Congo if they disobeyed in anyway. Those who disobeyed were tied to stakes outside in the scorching heat without food or water for days. African?s who suffered from gangrene had their hands cut off because the soldiers tied it too tightly to the stakes. By 1855, Britain and Germany had become the main chief rivals in East Africa. At the Berlin Conference, the Europeans agreed to how they would claim Africa?

Benefits of online learning Essay

When taking an online program, it’s easy to balance your work with family work. A student can access and participate in the learning programs whenever he feels convenient for him and when he feels is right for him. Compared to convectional learning, where a student is required to be in class and must participate in learning program when the lecturer is available, the student can log in study and can pause his program and continue later. Distance is not an issue in e-learning. A student can participate in a school of choice no matter the geographical location provided there is required infrastructure, computer and internet. A student can take the programs any time even when the school location is at late night. In convectional courses, classes are mostly done during the day, thus limiting time for work and other social responsibilities. During public holidays, most schools do not hold classes. An e-learning program does not recognize this and a student can take classes. This gives a student convenience because this could probably the time he is available for studies. On the other hand, the students are allowed to work at their convenient pace in a week and schedule their discussion and also have convenient time set for their exams. Students are able to accept examinations and assignments when they are ready compared to convectional learning where the examinations are done according to the convenience of the lecturer.

Black House Chapter Eighteen

18 REMEMBER THOSE news vans that drove into the parking lot behind the police station? And Wendell Green's contribution to the excitement, before Officer Hrabowski's giant flashlight knocked him into the Land of Nod? Once the crews inside the vans took in the seeming inevitability of a riot, we can be sure they rose to the occasion, for the next morning their footage of the wild night dominates television screens across the state. By nine o'clock, people in Racine and Milwaukee, people in Madison and Delafield, and people who live so far north in the state that they need satellite dishes to get any television at all are looking up from their pancakes, their bowls of Special K, their fried eggs, and their buttered English muffins to watch a small, nervous-looking policeman finishing off a large, florid reporter's budding career as a demagogue by clocking him with a blunt instrument. And we may also be sure of one other matter: that nowhere is this footage watched as widely and compulsive ly as in French Landing and the neighboring communities of Centralia and Arden. Thinking about several matters at once, Jack Sawyer watches it all on a little portable TV placed on his kitchen counter. He hopes that Dale Gilbertson will not revoke Arnold Hrabowski's suspension, although he strongly suspects that the Mad Hungarian will soon be back in uniform. Dale only thinks he wants him off the force for good: he is too soft-hearted to listen to Arnie's pleas and after last night, even a blind man can see that Arnie is going to plead without relenting. Jack also hopes that the awful Wendell Green will get fired or move away in disgrace. Reporters are not supposed to thrust themselves into their stories, and here is good old loudmouth Wendell, baying for blood like a werewolf. However, Jack has the depressing feeling that Wendell Green will talk his way out of his present difficulties (that is, lie his way out of them) and go on being a powerful nuisance. And Jack is pondering Andy Rails-back's description of the creepy old man trying the doorknobs on the thi rd floor of the Nelson Hotel. There he was, the Fisherman, given form at last. An old man in a blue robe and one slipper striped black and yellow, like a bumblebee. Andy Railsback had wondered if this unpleasant-looking old party had wandered away from the Maxton Elder Care Facility. That was an interesting notion, Jack thought. If â€Å"Chummy† Burnside is the man who planted the photographs in George Potter's room, Maxton's would be a perfect hidey-hole for him. Wendell Green is watching the news on the Sony in his hotel room. He cannot take his eyes off the screen, although what he sees there afflicts him with a mixture of feelings anger, shame, and humiliation that makes his stomach boil. The knot on his head throbs, and every time he witnesses that poor excuse for a cop sneaking up behind him with his flashlight raised, he pushes his fingers into the thick, curly hair at the back of his head and gently palpates it. The damn thing feels about the size of a ripe tomato and just as ready to burst. He's lucky not to have a concussion. That pipsqueak could have killed him! Okay, maybe he went a little bit over the edge, maybe he took a tiny step across a professional boundary; he never claimed to be perfect. The local news guys, they piss him off, all that guff about Jack Sawyer. Who is the top guy covering the Fisherman story? Who has been all over it from day one, telling the citizens what they need to know? Who's been putting himself on the line, day after crummy goddamn day? Who gave the guy his name? Not those blow-dried airheads Bucky and Stacey, those wanna-be news reporters and local anchors who smile into the camera to show off their capped teeth, that's for sure. Wendell Green is a legend around here, a star, the closest thing to a giant of journalism ever to come out of western Wisconsin. Even over in Madison, the name Wendell Green stands for . . . well, unquestioned excellence. And if the name Wendell Green is like the gold standard now, just wait until he rides the Fisherman's blood-spattered shoulders all the way to a Pulitzer Prize. So Monday morning he has to go into the office and pacify his editor. Big deal. It isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. Good reporters make waves; nobody admits it, but that's the deal, that's the fine print nobody reads until it's too late. When he walks into his editor's office, he knows what he's going to say: Biggest story of the day, and did you see any other reporters there? And when he has the editor eating out of his hand again, which will take about ten minutes flat, he intends to drop in on a Goltz's salesman named Fred Marshall. One of Wendell's most valuable sources has suggested that Mr. Marshall has some interesting information about his special, special baby, the Fisherman case. Arnold Hrabowski, now a hero to his darling wife, Paula, is watching the news in a postcoital glow and thinking that she is right: he really should call Chief Gilbertson and ask to be taken off suspension. Wondering with half his mind where he might look for George Potter's old adversary, Dale Gilbertson watches Bucky and Stacey cut away yet again to the spectacle of the Mad Hungarian taking care of Wendell Green and thinks that he really should reinstate the little guy. Would you look at the beautiful swing Arnie took? Dale can't help it that swing really brightens up his day. It's like watching Mark McGwire, like watching Tiger Woods. Alone in her dark little house off the highway, Wanda Kinderling, to whom we have made passing mention from time to time, is listening to the radio. Why is she listening to the radio? Some months ago, she had to decide between paying her cable bill and buying another half gallon of Aristocrat vodka, and sorry, Bucky and Stacey, but Wanda followed her bliss, she went with her heart. Without cable service, her television set brings in little more than snow and a heavy dark line that scrolls up over her screen in an endless loop. Wanda always hated Bucky and Stacey anyhow, along with almost everyone else on television, especially if they looked content and well groomed. (She has a special loathing for the hosts of morning news programs and network anchors.) Wanda has not been content or well groomed since her husband, Thorny, was accused of terrible crimes he could never ever have committed by that high and mighty show-off Jack Sawyer. Jack Sawyer ruined her life, and Wanda is not about to forgive or forget. That man trapped her husband. He set him up. He smeared Thorny's innocent name and packed him off to jail just to make himself look good. Wanda hopes they never catch the Fisherman, because the Fisherman is exactly what they deserve, those dirty bastards. Play dirty, you are dirty, and people like that can go straight to the deepest bowels of hell that's what Wanda Kinderling thinks. The Fisherman is retribution that's what Wanda thinks. Let him kill a hundred brats, let him kill a thousand, and after that he can start in on their parents. Thorny could not have killed those sluts down there in Los Angeles. Those were sex murders, and Thorny had no interest in sex, thank the Lord. The rest of him grew up, but his man-part never did; his thingie was about the size of his little finger. It was impossible for him to care about nasty women and sex things. But Jack Sawyer lived in Los Angeles, didn't he? So why couldn't he have killed those sluts, those whores, and blamed it all on Thorn y? The newscaster describes former Lieutenant Sawyer's actions of the previous night, and Wanda Kinderling spits up bile, grabs the glass from her bedside table, and douses the fire in her guts with three inches of vodka. Gorg, who would seem a natural visitor to the likes of Wanda, pays no attention to the news, for he is far away in Faraway. In his bed at Maxton's, Charles Burnside is enjoying dreams not precisely his, for they emanate from another being, from elsewhere, and depict a world he has never seen on his own. Ragged, enslaved children plod on their bleeding foodzies past leaping flames, turning giant wheels that turn yet larger wheels oho aha that power the beyoodiful engynes of destruction mounting mounting to the black-and-red sky. The Big Combination! An acrid stink of molten metal and something truly vile, something like dragon urine, perfumes the air, as does the leaden stench of despair. Lizard demons with thick, flickering tails whip the children along. A din of clattering and banging, of crashing and enormous thuds punishes the ears. These are the dreams of Burny's dearest friend and loving master, Mr. Munshun, a being of endless and perverse delight. Down past the end of Daisy wing, across the handsome lobby, and through Rebecca Vilas's little cubicle, Chipper Maxton is concerned with matters considerably more mundane. The little TV on a shelf over the safe broadcasts the wondrous image of Mad Hungarian Hrabowski clobbering Wendell Green with a nice, clean sweep of his heavy-duty flashlight, but Chipper barely notices the splendid moment. He has to come up with the thirteen thousand dollars he owes his bookie, and he has only about half of that sum. Yesterday, lovely Rebecca drove to Miller to withdraw most of what he had stashed there, and he can use about two thousand dollars from his own account, as long as he replaces it before the end of the month. That leaves about six grand, an amount that will call for some seriously creative bookkeeping. Fortunately, creative bookkeeping is a speciality of Chipper's, and when he begins to think of his options, he sees his current difficulty as an opportunity. After all, he went into business in the first place to steal as much money as possible, didn't he? Apart from being serviced by Ms. Vilas, stealing is about the only activity that makes him truly happy. The amount is almost irrelevant: as we have seen, Chipper derives as much pleasure from conning chump change out of the visiting relatives after the Strawberry Fest as from screwing the government out of ten or fifteen thousand dollars. The thrill lies in getting away with it. So he needs six thousand; why not take ten thousand? That way, he can leave his own account untouched and still have an extra two grand to play with. He has two sets of books on his computer, and he can easily draw the money from the company's bank account without setting off bells during his next state audit, which is coming up in about a month. Unless the auditors demand the bank records, and even then there are a couple of tricks he can use. It's too bad about the audit, though Chipper would like to have a l ittle more time to paper over the cracks. Losing the thirteen thousand wasn't the problem, he thinks. The problem was that he lost it at the wrong time. In order to keep everything clear in his head, Chipper pulls his keyboard toward him and tells the computer to print out complete statements of both sets of books for the past month. By the time the auditors show up, baby, those pages will have been fed into the shredder and come out as macaroni. Let us move from one form of insanity to another. After the owner of the Holiday Trailer Park has extended a trembling index finger to point out the Freneau residence, Jack drives toward it on the dusty path with gathering doubts. Tansy's Airstream is the last and least maintained of a row of four. Two of the others have flowers in a bright border around them, and the third has been dressed up with striped green awnings that make it look more like a house. The fourth trailer displays no signs of decoration or improvement. Dying flowers and skimpy weeds straggle in the beaten earth surrounding it. The shades are pulled down. An air of misery and waste hangs about it, along with a quality Jack might define, if he stopped to consider it, as slippage. In no obvious way, the trailer looks wrong. Unhappiness has distorted it, as it can distort a person, and when Jack gets out of his truck and walks toward the cinder blocks placed before the entrance, his doubts increase. He can no longer b e sure why he has come to this place. It occurs to Jack that he can give Tansy Freneau nothing but his pity, and this thought makes him uneasy. Then it occurs to him that these doubts mask his real feelings, which have to do with the discomfort the trailer arouses in him. He does not want to enter that thing. Everything else is a rationalization; he has no choice but to keep moving forward. His eyes find the welcome mat, a reassuring touch of the ordinary world he can feel already disappearing around him, and he steps up onto the topmost board and knocks on the door. Nothing happens. Maybe she really is still asleep and would prefer to stay that way. If he were Tansy, he would stay in bed as long as possible. If he were Tansy, he'd stay in bed for weeks. Once more pushing away his reluctance, Jack raps on the door again and says, â€Å"Tansy? Are you up?† A little voice from within says, â€Å"Up where?† Uh-oh, Jack thinks, and says, â€Å"Out of bed. I'm Jack Sawyer, Tansy. We met last night. I'm helping the police, and I told you I'd come over today.† He hears footsteps moving toward the door. â€Å"Are you the man who gave me the flowers? He was a nice man.† â€Å"That was me.† A lock clicks, and the knob revolves. The door cracks open. A sliver of a faintly olive-skinned face and a single eye shine out of the inner darkness. â€Å"It is you. Come in, fast. Fast.† She steps back, opening the door just wide enough for him to pass through. As soon as he is inside, she slams it shut and locks it again. The molten light burning at the edges of the curtains and the window shades deepens the darkness of the long trailer's interior. One soft lamp burns above the sink, and another, just as low, illuminates a little table otherwise occupied by a bottle of coffee brandy, a smeary glass decorated with a picture of a cartoon character, and a scrapbook. The circle of light cast by the lamp extends to take in half of a low, fabric-covered chair next to the table. Tansy Freneau pushes herself off the door and takes two light, delicate steps toward him. She tilts her head and folds her hands together beneath her chin. The eager, slightly glazed expression in her eyes dismays Jack. By even the widest, most comprehensive definition of sanity, this woman is not sane. He has no idea what to say to her. â€Å"Would you care to . . . sit down?† With a hostessy wave of her hand, she indicates a high-backed wooden chair. â€Å"If it's all right with you.† â€Å"Why wouldn't it be all right? I'm going to sit down in my chair, why shouldn't you sit down in that one?† â€Å"Thank you,† Jack says, and sits down, watching her glide back to the door to check the lock. Satisfied, Tansy gives him a brilliant smile and pads back to her chair, moving almost with the duck-waddle grace of a ballerina. When she lowers herself to the chair, he says, â€Å"Are you afraid of someone who might come here, Tansy? Is there someone you want to keep locked out?† â€Å"Oh, yes,† she says, and leans forward, pulling her eyebrows together in an exaggerated display of little-girl seriousness. â€Å"But it isn't a someone, it's a thing. And I'm never, never going to let him in my house again, not ever. But I'll let you in, because you're a very nice man and you gave me those beautiful flowers. And you're very handsome, too.† â€Å"Is Gorg the thing you want to keep out, Tansy? Are you afraid of Gorg?† â€Å"Yes,† she says, primly. â€Å"Would you care for a cup of tea?† â€Å"No, thank you.† â€Å"Well, I'm going to have some. It's very, very good tea. It tastes sort of like coffee.† She raises her eyebrows and gives him a bright, questioning look. He shakes his head. Without moving from her chair, Tansy pours two fingers of the brandy into her glass and sets the bottle back down on the table. The figure on her glass, Jack sees, is Scooby-Doo. Tansy sips from the glass. â€Å"Yummy. Do you have a girlfriend? I could be your girlfriend, you know, especially if you gave me more of those lovely flowers. I put them in a vase.† She pronounces the word like a parody of a Boston matron: vahhhz. â€Å"See?† On the kitchen counter, the lilies of the vale droop in a mason jar half-filled with water. Removed from the Territories, they do not have long to live. This world, Jack supposes, is poisoning them faster than they are able to deal with. Every ounce of goodness they yield to their surroundings subtracts from their essence. Tansy, he realizes, has been kept afloat on the residue of the Territories remaining in the lilies when they die, her protective little-girl persona will crumble into dust, and her madness may engulf her. That madness came from Gorg; he'd bet his life on it. â€Å"I do have a boyfriend, but he doesn't count. His name is Lester Moon. Beezer and his friends call him Stinky Cheese, but I don't know why. Lester isn't all that stinky, at least not when he's sober.† â€Å"Tell me about Gorg,† Jack says. Extending her little finger away from the Scooby-Doo glass, Tansy takes another sip of coffee brandy. She frowns. â€Å"Oh, that's a real icky thing to talk about.† â€Å"I want to know about him, Tansy. If you help me, I can make sure he never bothers you again.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"And you'd be helping me find the man who killed your daughter.† â€Å"I can't talk about that now. It's too upsetting.† Tansy flutters her free hand over her lap as if sweeping off a crumb. Her face contracts, and a new expression moves into her eyes. For a second, the desperate, unprotected Tansy rises to the surface, threatening to explode in a madness of grief and rage. â€Å"Does Gorg look like a person, or like something else?† Tansy shakes her head from side to side with great slowness. She is composing herself again, reinstating a personality that can ignore her real emotions. â€Å"Gorg does not look like a person. Not at all.† â€Å"You said he gave you the feather you were wearing. Does he look like a bird?† â€Å"Gorg doesn't look like a bird, he is a bird. And do you know what kind?† She leans forward again, and her face takes on the expression of a six-year-old girl about to tell the worst thing she knows. â€Å"A raven. That's what he is, a big, old raven. All black. But not shiny black.† Her eyes widen with the seriousness of what she has to say. â€Å"He came from Night's Plutonian shore. That's from a poem Mrs. Normandie taught us in the sixth grade. ‘The Raven,' by Edgar Allan Poe.† Tansy straightens up, having passed on this nugget of literary history. Jack guesses that Mrs. Normandie probably wore the same satisfied, pedagogic expression that is now on Tansy's face, but without the bright, unhealthy glaze in Tansy's eyes. â€Å"Night's Plutonian shore is not part of this world,† Tansy continues. â€Å"Did you know that? It's alongside this world, and outside it. You need to find a door, if you want to go there.† This is like talking to Judy Marshall, Jack abruptly realizes, but a Judy without the depth of soul and the unbelievable courage that rescued her from madness. The instant that Judy Marshall comes into his mind, he wants to see her again, so strongly that Judy feels like the one essential key to the puzzle all around him. And if she is the key, she is also the door the key opens. Jack wants to be out of the dark, warped atmosphere of Tansy's Airstream; he wants to put off the Thunder Five and speed up the highway and over the hill to Arden and the gloomy hospital where radiant Judy Marshall has found freedom in a locked mental ward. â€Å"But I don't ever want to find that door, because I don't want to go there,† Tansy says in a singsong voice. â€Å"Night's Plutonian shore is a bad world. Everything's on fire there.† â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"Gorg told me,† she whispers. Tansy's gaze skitters away from him and fastens on the Scooby-Doo glass. â€Å"Gorg likes fire. But not because it makes him warm. Because it burns things up, and that makes him happy. Gorg said . . .† She shakes her head and lifts the glass to her mouth. Instead of drinking from it, she tilts the liquid toward the lip of the glass and laps at it with her tongue. Her eyes slide up to meet his again. â€Å"I think my tea is magic.† I bet you do, Jack thinks, and his heart nearly bursts for delicate lost Tansy. â€Å"You can't cry in here,† she tells him. â€Å"You looked like you wanted to cry, but you can't. Mrs. Normandie doesn't allow it. You can kiss me, though. Do you want to kiss me?† â€Å"Of course I do,† he says. â€Å"But Mrs. Normandie doesn't allow kissing, either.† â€Å"Oh, well.† Tansy laps again at her drink. â€Å"We can do it later, when she leaves the room. And you can put your arms around me, like Lester Moon. And everything Lester does, you can do. With me.† â€Å"Thank you,† Jack says. â€Å"Tansy, can you tell me some of the other things Gorg said?† She cants her head and pushes her lips in and out. â€Å"He said he came here through a burning hole. With folded-back edges. And he said I was a mother, and I had to help my daughter. In the poem, her name is Lenore, but her real name is Irma. And he said . . . he said a mean old man ate her leg, but there were worse things that could have happened to my Irma.† For a couple of seconds, Tansy seems to recede into herself, to vanish behind her stationary surface. Her mouth remains half open; she does not even blink. When she returns from where she has gone, it is like watching a statue slowly come to life. Her voice is almost too soft to be heard. â€Å"I was supposed to fix that old man, fix him but good. Only you gave me my beautiful lilies, and he wasn't the right man, was he?† Jack feels like screaming. â€Å"He said there were worse things,† Tansy says in a whisper of disbelief. â€Å"But he didn't say what they were. He showed me, instead. And when I saw, I thought my eyes burned up. Even though I could still see.† â€Å"What did you see?† â€Å"A big, big place all made of fire,† Tansy says. â€Å"Going way high up.† She falls silent, and an internal temblor runs through her, beginning in her face and moving down and out through her fingers. â€Å"Irma isn't there. No, she isn't. She got dead, and a mean old man ate her leg. He sent me a letter, but I never got it. So Gorg read it to me. I don't want to think about that letter.† She sounds like a little girl describing something she has heard about thirdhand, or has invented. A thick curtain lies between Tansy and what she has seen and heard, and that curtain allows her to function. Jack again wonders what will happen to her when the lilies die. â€Å"And now,† she says, â€Å"if you're not going to kiss me, it's time you left. I want to be alone for a while.† Surprised by her decisiveness, Jack stands up and begins to say something polite and meaningless. Tansy waves him toward the door. Outside, the air seems heavy with bad odors and unseen chemicals. The lilies from the Territories retained more power than Jack had imagined, enough to sweeten and purify Tansy's air. The ground beneath Jack's feet has been baked dry, and a parched sourness hangs in the atmosphere. Jack has nearly to force himself to breathe as he walks toward his truck, but the more he breathes, the more quickly he will readjust to the ordinary world. His world, though now it feels poisoned. He wants to do one thing only: drive up Highway 93 to Judy Marshall's lookout point and keep on going, through Arden and into the parking lot, past the hospital doors, past the barriers of Dr. Spiegleman and Warden Jane Bond, until he can find himself once again in the life-giving presence of Judy Marshall herself. He almost thinks he loves Judy Marshall. Maybe he does love her. He knows he needs her: Judy is his door and his key. His door, his key. Whatever that means, it is the truth. All right, the woman he needs is married to the extremely nice Fred Marshall, but he doesn't want to marry her; in fact, he doesn't even want to sleep with her, not exactly he just wants to stand before her and see what happens. Something will happen, that's for sure, but when he tries to picture it, all he sees is an explosion of tiny red feathers, hardly the image he was hoping for. Feeling unsteady, Jack props himself on the cab of his truck with one hand while he grabs the door handle with the other. Both surfaces sear his hands, and he waves them in the air for a little while. When he gets into the cab, the seat is hot, too. He rolls down his window and, with a twinge of loss, notices that the world smells normal to him again. It smells fine. It smells like summer. Where is he going to go? That is an interesting question, he thinks, but after he gets back on the road and travels no more than a hundred feet, the low, gray wooden shape of the Sand Bar appears on his left, and without hesitating he turns into the absurdly extensive parking lot, as if he knew where he was going all along. Looking for a shady spot, Jack cruises around to the back of the building and sees the Bar's single hint of landscaping, a broad maple tree that rises out of the asphalt at the far end of the lot. He guides the Ram into the maple's shadow and gets out, leaving the windows cranke d down. Waves of heat ripple upward from the only other two cars in the lot. It is 11:20 A.M. He is getting hungry, too, since his breakfast consisted of a cup of coffee and a slice of toast smeared with marmalade, and that was three hours ago. Jack has the feeling that the afternoon is going to be a long one. He might as well have something to eat while he waits for the bikers. The back door of the Sand Bar opens onto a narrow rest-room alcove that leads into a long, rectangular space with a gleaming bar at one side and a row of substantial wooden booths on the other. Two big pool tables occupy the middle of the room, and a jukebox stands set back against the wall between them. At the front of the room, a big television screen hangs where it can be seen by everyone, suspended eight or nine feet above the clean wooden floor. The sound has been muted on a commercial that never quite identifies the purpose of its product. After the glare of the parking lot, the Bar seems pleasantly dark, and while Jack's eyes adjust, the few low lamps appear to send out hazy beams of light. The bartender, whom Jack takes to be the famous Lester â€Å"Stinky Cheese† Moon, looks up once as Jack enters, then returns to the copy of the Herald folded open on the bar. When Jack takes a stool a few feet to his right, he looks up again. Stinky Cheese is not as awful as Jack had expected. He is wearing a clean shirt only a few shades whiter than his round, small-featured face and his shaven head. Moon has the unmistakable air, half professional and half resentful, of someone who has taken over the family business and suspects he could have done better elsewhere. Jack's intuition tells him that this sense of weary frustration is the source of his nickname among the bikers, because it gives him the look of one who expects to encounter a nasty smell any minute now. â€Å"Can I get something to eat here?† Jack asks him. â€Å"It's all listed on the board.† The bartender turns sideways and indicates a white board with movable letters that spell out the menu. Hamburger, cheeseburger, hot dog, bratwurst, kielbasa, sandwiches, french fries, onion rings. The man's gesture is intended to make Jack feel unobservant, and it works. â€Å"Sorry, I didn't see the sign.† The bartender shrugs. â€Å"Cheeseburger, medium, with fries, please.† â€Å"Lunch don't start until eleven-thirty, which it says on the board. See?† Another half-mocking gesture toward the sign. â€Å"But Mom is setting up in back. I could give her the order now, and she'll start in on it when she's ready.† Jack thanks him, and the bartender glances up at the television screen and walks down to the end of the bar and disappears around a corner. A few seconds later, he returns, looks up at the screen, and asks Jack what he would like to drink. â€Å"Ginger ale,† Jack says. Watching the screen, Lester Moon squirts ginger ale from a nozzle into a beer glass and pushes the glass toward Jack. Then he slides his hand down the bar to pick up the remote control and says, â€Å"Hope you don't mind, but I was watching this old movie. Pretty funny.† He punches a button on the remote, and from over his left shoulder Jack hears his mother's voice say, Looks like Smoky's coming in late today. I wish that little rascal would learn how to handle his liquor. Before he can turn sideways to face the screen, Lester Moon is asking him if he remembers Lily Cavanaugh. â€Å"Oh, yes.† â€Å"I always liked her when I was a kid.† â€Å"Same here,† Jack says. As Jack had known instantly, the movie is The Terror of Deadwood Gulch, a 1950 comic Western in which the then-famous and still fondly remembered Bill Towns, a sort of poor man's Bob Hope, played a cowardly gambler and cardsharp who arrives in the little Potemkin community of Deadwood Gulch, Arizona, and is soon mistaken for a notorious gunfighter. As the beautiful, quick-witted owner of a saloon called the Lazy 8, the lively center of village social life, Lily Cavanaugh is much appreciated by the crowd of cowpokes, loungers, ranchers, merchants, lawmen, and riffraff who fill her place every night. She makes her patrons check their revolvers at the door and mind their manners, which tend toward the opopanax. In the scene playing now, which is about half an hour into the movie, Lily is alone in her saloon, trying to get rid of a persistent bee. A bee for the Queen of the B's, Jack thinks, and smiles. At the buzzing nuisance, Lily flaps a cleaning rag, a flyswatter, a mop, a broom, a gun belt. The bee eludes her every effort, zooming here and there, from the bar to a card table, to the top of a whiskey bottle, the tops of three other bottles all in a row, the lid of the upright piano, often waiting while its adversary comes sneaking up by subtle indirection, then taking off a second before the latest weapon slams down. It is a lovely little sequence that verges on slapstick, and when Jacky was six, six, six, or maybe seven, half hysterical with laughter at the sight of his competent mother failing repeatedly to vanquish this flying annoyance and suddenly curious as to how the movie guys had made the insect do all these things, his mother had explained that it was not a real bee but an enchanted one produced by the special-effects department. Lester Moon says, â€Å"I could never figure out how they got the bee to go where they wanted. Like, what did they do, train it?† â€Å"First they filmed her alone on the set,† Jack says, having concluded that, after all, Stinky Cheese is a pretty decent fellow with great taste in actresses. â€Å"Special effects put the bee in later. It isn't a real bee, it's a drawing an animation. You really can't tell, can you?† â€Å"No way. Are you sure? How do you know that, anyhow?† â€Å"I read it in a book somewhere,† Jack says, using his all-purpose response to such questions. Resplendent in fancy cardsharp getup, Bill Towns saunters through the Lazy 8's swinging doors and leers at its proprietress without noticing that she is edging toward the bee now once again installed upon the shiny bar. He has romance in mind, and he swaggers when he walks. I see you came back for more, hotshot, Lily says. You must like the place. Baby, this is the sweetest joint west of the wide Missouri. Reminds me of the place where I beat Black Jack McGurk to the draw. Poor Black Jack. He never did know when to fold 'em. With a noise like the revving of a B-52, the enchanted bee, a creature of fiction inside the fiction, launches itself at Bill Towns's slickly behat-ted head. The comedian's face turns rubbery with comic terror. He waves his arms, he jigs, he screeches. The enchanted bee performs aeronautic stunts around the panicky pseudogunfighter. Towns's splendid hat falls off; his hair disarranges itself. He edges toward a table and, with a final flurry of hand waving, dives under it and begs for help. Eye fixed on the ambling bee, Lily walks to the bar and picks up a glass and a folded newspaper. She approaches the table, watching the bee walking around in circles. She jumps forward and lowers the glass, trapping the bee. It flies up and bumps the bottom of the glass. Lily tilts the glass, slides the folded paper underneath it, and raises her hands, holding the newspaper against the top of the glass. The camera pulls back, and we see the cowardly gambler peeking out from under the table as Lily pushes the doors open and releases the bee. Behind him, Lester Moon says, â€Å"Cheeseburger's ready, mister.† For the next half hour, Jack eats his burger and tries to lose himself in the movie. The burger is great, world-class, with that juicy taste you can get only from a greased-up griddle, and the fries are perfect, golden and crunchy on the outside, but his concentration keeps wandering from The Terror of Deadwood Gulch. The problem is not that he has seen the movie perhaps a dozen times; the problem is Tansy Freneau. Certain things she said trouble him. The more he thinks about them, the less he understands what is going on. According to Tansy, the crow the raven named Gorg came from a world alongside and outside the world we know. She had to be talking about the Territories. Using a phrase from Poe's â€Å"The Raven,† she called this other world â€Å"Night's Plutonian shore,† which was pretty good for someone like Tansy, but did not seem in any way applicable to the magical Territories. Gorg had told Tansy that everything in his world was on fire, and not even the Blasted Lands met that description. Jack could remember the Blasted Lands and the odd train that had taken him and Rational Richard, then a sick, wasted Rational Richard, across that vast red desert. Strange creatures had lived there, alligator-men and birds with the faces of bearded monkeys, but it had certainly not been on fire. The Blasted Lands were the product of some past disaster, not the site of a present conflagration. What had Tansy said? A big, big place made all of fire . . . going way high up. What had she seen, t o what landscape had Gorg opened her eyes? It sounded like a great burning tower, or a tall building consumed by fire. A burning tower, a burning building in a burning world how could that world be the Territories? Jack has been in the Territories twice in the past forty-eight hours, and what he has seen has been beautiful. More than beautiful cleansing. The deepest truth Jack knows about the Territories is that they contain a kind of sacred magic: the magic he saw in Judy Marshall. Because of that magic, the Territories can confer a wondrous blessing on human beings. The life of that extraordinary tough beloved woman making fun of Bill Towns on the big screen before him was saved by an object from the Territories. Because Jack had been in the Territories and maybe because he had held the Talisman almost every horse he bets on comes in first, every stock he buys triples in value, ever poker hand he holds takes the pot. So what world is Tansy talking about? And what's all this stuff about Gorg coming here through a burning hole? When Jack flipped over yesterday, he had sensed something unhappy, something unhealthy, far off to the southwest, and he suspected that was where he would find the Fisherman's Twinner. Kill the Fisherman, kill the Twinner; it didn't matter which he did first, the other one would weaken. But . . . It still didn't make sense. When you travel between worlds, you just flip you don't set a fire at the world's edge and run through it into another one. A few minutes before twelve, the rumble of motorcycles drowns the voices on the screen. â€Å"Um, mister, you might want to take off,† says Moon. â€Å"That's the â€Å" â€Å"The Thunder Five,† Jack says. â€Å"I know.† â€Å"Okay. It's just, they scare the shit out of some of my customers. But as long as you treat 'em right, they act okay.† â€Å"I know. There's nothing to worry about.† â€Å"I mean, if you buy 'em a beer or something, they'll think you're all right.† Jack gets off his stool and faces the bartender. â€Å"Lester, there is no reason to be nervous. They're coming here to meet me.† Lester blinks. For the first time, Jack notices that his eyebrows are thin, curved wisps, like those of a 1920s vamp. â€Å"I'd better start pourin' a pitcher of Kingsland.† He grabs a pitcher from beneath the bar, sets it under the Kingsland Ale tap, and opens the valve. A thick stream of amber liquid rushes into the pitcher and turns to foam. The sound of the motorcycles builds to an uproar at the front of the building, then cuts off. Beezer St. Pierre bangs through the door, closely followed by Doc, Mouse, Sonny, and Kaiser Bill. They look like Vikings, and Jack is overjoyed to see them. â€Å"Stinky, turn that TV the fuck off,† Beezer roars. â€Å"And we didn't come here to drink, so empty that pitcher into the drain. The way you pour, it's all head anyhow. And when you're done, get back in the kitchen with your momma. Our business with this man's got nothin' to do with you.† â€Å"Okay, Beezer,† Moon says in a shaky voice. â€Å"All I need is a second.† â€Å"Then that's what you got,† Beezer says. Beezer and the others line up in front of the bar, some of them staring at Stinky Cheese, some, more kindly, at Jack. Mouse is still wearing his cornrows, and he has daubed some black antiglare substance beneath his eyes, like a football player. Kaiser Bill and Sonny have pulled their manes back into ponytails again. Ale and foam slide out of the pitcher and seep into the drain. â€Å"Okay, guys,† Moon says. His footsteps retreat along the back of the bar. A door closes. The members of the Thunder Five separate and spread out in front of Jack. Most of them have crossed their arms on their chests, and muscles bulge. Jack pushes his plate to the back of the bar, stands up, and says, â€Å"Before last night, had any of you guys ever heard of George Potter?† From his perch on the edge of the pool table nearest to the front door, Jack faces Beezer and Doc, who lean forward on their bar stools. Kaiser Bill, one finger against his lips and his head bowed, stands beside Beezer. Mouse lies stretched out on the second pool table, propping his head up with one hand. Banging his fists together and scowling, Sonny is pacing back and forth between the bar and the jukebox. â€Å"You sure he didn't say ‘Bleak House,' like the Dickens novel?† Mouse says. â€Å"I'm sure,† says Jack, reminding himself that he should not be surprised every time one of these guys demonstrates that he went to college. â€Å"It was ‘Black House.' â€Å" â€Å"Jeez, I almost think I . . .† Mouse shakes his head. â€Å"What was the builder's name again?† asks Beezer. â€Å"Burnside. First name probably Charles, sometimes known as ‘Chummy.' A long time ago, he changed it from something like ‘Beer Stein.' â€Å" â€Å"Beerstein? Bernstein?† â€Å"You got me,† Jack says. â€Å"And you think he's the Fisherman.† Jack nods. Beezer is staring at him as if trying to see the back of his head. â€Å"How sure are you?† â€Å"Ninety-nine percent. He planted the Polaroids in Potter's room.† â€Å"Damn.† Beezer pushes himself off his stool and walks around to the back of the bar. â€Å"I want to make sure nobody forgets the obvious.† He bends down and straightens up with a telephone book in one hand. â€Å"Know what I mean?† Beezer opens the directory on the bar, flips a few pages, flips back, and runs his thick finger down a column of names. â€Å"No Burnside. Too bad.† â€Å"Good idea, though,† Jack says. â€Å"This morning, I tried the same thing myself.† Sonny pauses on his return journey from the jukebox and jabs a finger at Jack. â€Å"How long ago was this damn house built?† â€Å"Nearly thirty years ago. During the seventies.† â€Å"Hell, we were all kids then, back in Illinois. How are we supposed to know about that house?† â€Å"You guys get around. I thought there was a pretty good chance you might have seen it. And the place is spooky. People tend to talk about houses like that.† They did in normal cases, at least, Jack thought. In normal cases, spooky houses got that way because they had been empty for a couple of years, or because something terrible had happened in them. In this case, he thought, the house itself was terrible, and the people who otherwise would have talked about it could barely remember seeing it. Judging by Dale's response, Black House had vanished into its own nonexistent shadow. He says, â€Å"Think about this. Try to remember. In the years you've been living in French Landing, have you ever heard of a house that seemed to have a curse on it? Black House caused injuries to the people who built it. The workmen hated the place; they were afraid of it. They said you couldn't see your shadow when you got near it. They were claiming it was haunted while they worked on it! Eventually, they all quit, and Burnside had to finish the job himself.† â€Å"It's off by itself somewhere,† Doc says. â€Å"Obviously, this thing isn't sitting around in plain view. It's not in some development like Libertyville. You're not going to find it on Robin Hood Lane.† â€Å"Right,† Jack says. â€Å"I should have mentioned that before. Potter told me it was built a little way off what he called ‘the road,' in a kind of clearing. So it's in the woods, Doc, you're right. It's isolated.† â€Å"Hey, hey, hey,† Mouse says, swinging his legs over the side of the pool table and grunting himself upright. His eyes are screwed shut, and he claps one meaty hand on his forehead. â€Å"If I could only remember . . .† He lets out a howl of frustration. â€Å"What?† Beezer's voice is at twice its normal volume, and the word sounds like a paving stone hitting a cement sidewalk. â€Å"I know I saw that fucking place,† he says. â€Å"As soon as you started talking about it, I had this feeling it sounded kinda familiar. It kept hanging at the back of my mind, but it wouldn't come out. When I tried to think about it you know, make myself remember I kept seeing these sparkly lights. When Jack said it was back in the woods, I knew what he was talking about. I had a clear picture of the place. Surrounded by all these sparkling lights.† â€Å"That doesn't sound much like Black House,† Jack says. â€Å"Sure it does. The lights weren't really there, I just saw them.† Mouse offers this observation as though it is completely rational. Sonny utters a bark of laughter, and Beezer shakes his head and says, â€Å"Shit.† â€Å"I don't get it,† Jack says. Beezer looks at Jack, holds up one finger, and asks Mouse, â€Å"Are we talking about July, August, two years ago?† â€Å"Naturally,† Mouse says. â€Å"The summer of the Ultimate Acid.† He looks at Jack and smiles. â€Å"Two years ago, we got this amazing, amazing acid. Drop a tab, you're in for five or six hours of the most unbelievable head games. Nobody ever had a bad experience with the stuff. It was all groove, know what I mean?† â€Å"I suppose I can guess,† Jack says. â€Å"You could even do your job behind it. For sure, you could drive, man. Get on your hog, go anywhere you could think of. Doing anything normal was a piece of cake. You weren't fucked up, you were operating way beyond your max.† â€Å"Timothy Leary wasn't all wrong,† Doc says. â€Å"God, that was great stuff,† Mouse says. â€Å"We did it until there was no more to do, and then the whole thing was over. The whole acid thing. If you couldn't get that stuff, there was no point in taking anything else. I never knew where it came from.† â€Å"You don't want to know where it came from,† says Beezer. â€Å"Trust me.† â€Å"So you were doing this acid when you saw Black House,† Jack says. â€Å"Sure. That's why I saw the lights.† Very slowly, Beezer asks, â€Å"Where is it, Mouse?† â€Å"I don't exactly know. But hold on, Beezer, let me talk. That was the summer I was tight with Little Nancy Hale, remember?† â€Å"Sure,† Beezer says. â€Å"That was a damn shame.† He glances at Jack. â€Å"Little Nancy died right after that summer.† â€Å"Tore me apart,† Mouse says. â€Å"It was like she turned allergic to air and sunlight, all of a sudden. Sick all the time. Rashes all over her body. She couldn't stand being outside, because the light hurt her eyes. Doc couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, so we took her to the big hospital in La Riviere, but they couldn't find what was wrong, either. We talked to a couple of guys at Mayo, but they weren't any help. She died hard, man. Broke your heart to see it happen. Broke mine, for sure.† He falls silent for a long moment, during which he stares down at his gut and his knees and no one else says a word. â€Å"All right,† Mouse finally says, raising his head. â€Å"Here's what I remember. On this Saturday, Little Nancy and I were tripping on the Ultimate, just riding around to some places we liked. We went to the riverfront park in La Riviere, drove over to Dog Island and Lookout Point. We came back this direction and went up on the bluff beautiful, man. After that, we didn't feel like going home, so we just wheeled around. Little Nancy noticed this NO TRESPASSING sign I must have passed about a thousand times before without seeing it.† He looks at Jack Sawyer. â€Å"I can't say for certain, but I think it was on 35.† Jack nods. â€Å"If we hadn't been on the Ultimate, I don't think she ever would have seen that sign, either. Oh man, it's all coming back to me. ‘What's that?' she says, and I swear, I had to look two or three times before I saw that sign it was all beat-up and bent, with a couple rusty bullet holes in it. Sort of leaning back into the trees. ‘Somebody wants to keep us off that road,' Little Nancy says. ‘What are they hiding up there, anyhow?' Something like that. ‘What road?' I ask, and then I see it. It's hardly even what you could call a road. About wide enough for a car to fit in, if you have a compact. Thick trees on both sides. Hell, I didn't think anything interesting was hidden up there, unless it was an old shack. Besides that, I didn't like the way it looked.† He glances at Beezer. â€Å"What do you mean, you didn't like the way it looked?† Beezer asks. â€Å"I've seen you go into places you damn well knew were no good. Or are you getting mystical on me, Mouse?† â€Å"Call it what you fucking want, I'm telling you how it was. It was like that sign was saying KEEP OUT IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU. Gave me a bad feeling.† â€Å"On account of it was a bad place,† Sonny interrupts. â€Å"I've seen some bad places. They don't want you there, and they let you know.† Beezer shoots him a measured look and says, â€Å"I don't care how evil this bad place is, if it's where the Fisherman lives, I'm going there.† â€Å"And I'm going with you,† says Mouse, â€Å"but just listen. I wanted to bag it and get some fried chicken or something, which combined with the Ultimate would have been like eating the food of Paradise, or whatever Coleridge said, but Little Nancy wanted to go in because she had the same feeling I did. She was a game broad, man. Ornery, too. So I turned in, and Little Nancy's hanging on in back of me, and she's saying, ‘Don't be a pussy, Mouse, let's haul ass,' so I gun it a little bit, and everything feels all weird and shit, but all I can see's this track curving away into the trees and the shit I know isn't there.† â€Å"Like what?† asks Sonny, in what sounds like the spirit of scientific inquiry. â€Å"These dark shapes coming up to the edge of the road and looking out through the trees. A couple of them ran toward me, but I rolled right through them like smoke. I don't know, maybe they were smoke.† â€Å"Fuck that, it was the acid,† Beezer says. â€Å"Maybe, but it didn't feel that way. Besides, the Ultimate never turned on you, remember? It wasn't about darkness. Anyhow, right before the shit hit the fan, all of a sudden I was thinking about Kiz Martin. I can remember that, all right. It was like I could practically see her, right in front of me the way she looked when they loaded her in the ambulance.† â€Å"Kiz Martin,† Beezer says. Mouse turns to Jack. â€Å"Kiz was a girl I went out with when we were all at the university. She used to beg us to let her ride with us, and one day the Kaiser said, okay, she could borrow his bike. Kiz was having a ball, man, she's diggin' it. And then she rolls over some damn little twig, I think it was â€Å" â€Å"Bigger than a twig,† Doc says. â€Å"Little branch. Maybe two inches in diameter.† â€Å"Which is just enough to test your balance, especially if you're not used to hogs,† Mouse says. â€Å"She rolls over this little branch, and the bike flops over, and Kiz flies off and hits the road. My heart damn near stopped, man.† â€Å"I knew she was gone the second I came up close enough to see the angle of her head,† says Doc. â€Å"There wasn't even any point in trying CPR. We covered her with our jackets, and I rode off to call an ambulance. Ten minutes later, they were loading her in. One of the guys recognized me from my stint in the ER, or they might have given us some trouble.† â€Å"I wondered if you were really a doctor,† Jack says. â€Å"Completed my residency in surgery at U.I., walked away from the whole deal right there.† Doc smiles at him. â€Å"Hanging around with these guys, getting into beer brewing, sounded like more fun than spending all day cutting people up.† â€Å"Mouse,† Beezer says. â€Å"Yeah. I was just getting to the curve in the little road, and it was like Kiz was standing right in front of me, it was so vivid. Her eyes closed, and her head hanging like a leaf about to fall. Oh man, I said to myself, this is not what I want to see at this particular moment. I could feel it all over again the way I felt when Kiz hit the road. Sick dread. That's the word for it, sick dread. â€Å"And we come around the curve, and I hear this dog growling somewhere off in the woods. Not just growling, growling. Like twenty big dogs are out there, and they're all mad as hell. My head starts feeling like it wants to explode. And I look up ahead of me to see if a pack of wolves or something is running toward us, and it takes me a while to realize that the weird shadowy stuff I see up ahead is a house. A black house. â€Å"Little Nancy is hitting me on the back and rapping my head, screaming at me to stop. Believe me, I can get with the program, because the last thing I want to do is get any closer to that place. I stop the bike, and Little Nancy jumps off and pukes on the side of the road. She holds her head and she pukes some more. I'm feeling like my legs turned to rubber, like something heavy is pressing on my chest. That thing, whatever it is, is still going nuts in the woods, and it's getting closer. I take another look up at the end of the road, and that ugly damn house is stretching back into the woods, like it's crawling into them, only it's standing still. It gets bigger the more you look at it! Then I see the sparkly lights floating around it, and they look dangerous Stay away, they're telling me, get out of here, Mouse. There's another NO TRESPASSING sign leaning against the porch, and that sign, man . . . that sign kind of flashed, like it was saying THIS TIME I MEAN IT, BUDDY. â€Å"My head is splitting in half, but I get Little Nancy on the bike, and she sags against me, like pure dead weight except she's hanging on, and I kick the hog on and spin around and take off. When we get back to my place, she goes to bed and stays there for three days. To me, it seemed like I could hardly remember what happened. The whole thing went kind of dark. In my mind. I hardly had time to think about it anyhow, because Little Nancy got sick and I had to take care of her whenever I wasn't at work. Doc gave her some stuff to get her temperature down, and she got better, so we could drink beer and smoke shit and ride around, like before, but she was never really the same. End of August, she started getting bad again, and I had to put her in the hospital. Second week of September, hard as she was fighting, Little Nancy passed away.† â€Å"How big was Little Nancy?† Jack asks, picturing a woman roughly the size of Mouse. â€Å"Little Nancy Hale was about the size and shape of Tansy Freneau,† Mouse says, looking surprised by the question. â€Å"If she stood on my hand, I could lift her up with one arm.† â€Å"And you never talked about this with anyone,† Jack says. â€Å"How could I talk about it?† Mouse asks. â€Å"First, I was crazy with worry about Little Nancy, and then it went clean out of my head. Weird shit will do that to you, man. Instead of sticking in your head, it erases itself.† â€Å"I know exactly what you mean,† Jack says. â€Å"I guess I do, too,† says Beezer, â€Å"but I'd say that the Ultimate kicked the shit out of your reality there for a while. You did see the place, though Black House.† â€Å"Damn straight,† says Mouse. Beezer focuses on Jack. â€Å"And you say the Fisherman, this creep Burnside, built it.† Jack nods. â€Å"So maybe he's living there, and he rigged up a bunch of gadgets to scare people away.† â€Å"Could be.† â€Å"Then I think we're gonna let Mouse take us over on Highway 35 and see if he can find that little road he was talking about. Are you coming with us?† â€Å"I can't,† Jack says. â€Å"I have to see someone in Arden first, someone who I think can also help us. She has another piece of the puzzle, but I can't explain it to you until I see her.† â€Å"This woman knows something?† â€Å"Oh, yes,† Jack says. â€Å"She knows something.† â€Å"All right,† Beezer says, and stands up from his stool. â€Å"Your choice. We'll have to talk to you afterward.† â€Å"Beezer, I want to be with you when you go inside Black House. Whatever we have to do in there, whatever we see . . .† Jack pauses, trying to find the right words. Beezer is rocking on his heels, practically jumping out of his skin in his eagerness to hunt down the Fisherman's lair. â€Å"You're going to want me there. There's more to this business than you can imagine, Beezer. You're going to know what I'm talking about in a little while, and you'll be able to stand up to it I think all of you will but if I tried to describe it now, you wouldn't believe me. When the time comes, you'll need me to see you through, if we get through. You'll be glad I was there. We're at a dangerous point here, and none of us wants to mess it up.† â€Å"What makes you think I'll mess it up?† Beezer asks, with deceptive mildness. â€Å"Anyone would mess it up, if they didn't have the last piece of the puzzle. Go out there. See if Mouse can find the house he saw two years ago. Check it out. Don't go in to do that, you need me. After you check it out, come back here, and I'll see you as soon as I can. I should be back before two-thirty, three at the latest.† â€Å"Where are you going in Arden? Maybe I'll want to call you.† â€Å"French County Lutheran Hospital. Ward D. If you can't get me, leave a message with a Dr. Spiegleman.† â€Å"Ward D, huh?† Beezer says. â€Å"Okay, I guess everybody's crazy today. And I guess I can be satisfied with only a look at this house, as long as I know that sometime this afternoon, I can count on you to explain all these pieces I'm too stupid to understand.† â€Å"It'll be soon, Beezer. We're closing in. And the last thing I'd call you is stupid.† â€Å"I guess you must have been one hell of a cop,† Beezer says. â€Å"Even though I think half the stuff you say is crap, I can't help but believe it.† He turns around and brings his fists down on the bar. â€Å"Stinky Cheese! It's safe now. Drag your pale ass out of the kitchen.†