A Dirty Job Chapter 18

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

Lamp at Noon & the Pursuit of Happyness Essay

The film â€Å"The Pursuit of Hapyness† is in many ways very relatable to the short story â€Å"The Lamp at Noon†. The two are closely related as they before share similar overall themes. â€Å"The Pursuit of Hapyness† greatly demonstrates the themes of commitment to personal goals and the effects of adversity on the human spirit. This film follows the life of a man and his family as they struggle through everyday conflicts. These conflicts vary from trying to pay rent to getting food on the table for dinner. Chris Gardener, the protagonist in the film is eventually forced on the streets with his son Christopher while the mother, Linda, leaves to New York. Chris is faced with great conflict as he is pursuing a job as a stockbroker but must complete a non-paying internship first while trying to take care of Christopher. However, Chris is committed to his personal goals and pushes through the excessive amount of adversity he is faced with. The film is connected to the â€Å"The Lamp at Noon† for various reasons. â€Å"The Lamp at Noon† briefly follows the life of Paul, Ellen and their very young baby as they are faced with severe adversity. Their hardships come from a storm that has destroyed there crops that leads to a poor relationship between the two. The theme of the effects of adversity on the human spirit is shown in â€Å"The Lamp at Noon† through several ways. Firstly, it leads to Paul and Ellen to become miserable and unable to come to mutual decisions. Additionally, Ellen is not able to handle the adversity and attempts to run away from the farm, which leads to the death of her baby. Given these points, one can see how both the film â€Å"The Pursuit of Happyness† and the short story â€Å"The Lamp at Noon† are related through the common theme of the effects of adversity on the human spirit.

Rice by Manuel Arguilla Essay

I. Writers Background He was born in Barrio Naguilian in Bauang, La Union on June 17, 1911. He was the fourth child of Crisanto Arguilla and Margarita Estabillo, hard-working farmer folk who owned a small piece of land. Aside from being a farmer, his father was also a carpenter; his mother, on the other hand, was an occasional potter. When he was seven years old, he enrolled in a school in the neighbouring Barrio Calumbaya, where he was taught the cartilla by Alfredo Abuan. Later, he transferred to the public elementary school in Bauang, La Union and graduated in 1926. Arguilla was a brilliant and active student. Aside from excelling in academics at the provincial high school in San Fernando, he edited as well the school’s official organ, the La Union Tab. A wide reader, he won in a vocabulary contest held in the school. He was a champion swimmer and an expert tango dancer, constantly winning in dance contests. He was known to have a â€Å"therapeutic† personality and was well-loved by everyone he knew; for he liked to listen to people tell him their stories. Anything that interested him became an almost intrinsic part of him. It took him only three years to complete his secondary education, graduating as class salutatorian in high school. In 1926, he entered the University of the Philippines. While studying, he worked as a writer and printing assistant at the Carmelo and Bauermann office. He became a member of the UP Writers Club, and eventually led it in the school year 1932-1933. He also came to edit the Literary Apprentice. In 1933, he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science in education. During the same period, he married Lydia Villanueva, another aspiring writer. After graduating, he taught at the University of Manila while working at the Bureau of Public Welfare. The Arguillas’ home along M.H. Del Pilar in Manila became a sanctuary for friends and fellow writers, such as Estrella Alfon, Jose Garcia Villa, N.V.M. Gonzales and A.V.H. Hartendorp. Arguilla did not remain a teacher for long for he believed that writers were born, not made, and that a talent for writing was an innate attribute that could never be taught or acquired. Before leaving his students, he counselled them to just read volumes of stories. In 1940, he became the managing editor of the Bureau of Welfare newsletter, the Welfare Advocate. He worked at the Bureau for three years until the latter half of 1943. By then, the country had been under Japanese occupation for two years. He was appointed to the Board of Censors and was asked to serve in the Japanese propaganda agency. But Arguilla had also just become an agent of the Markings Guerillas. Thus, while apparently working for the Japanese, he was actually heading the â€Å"Porch,† the Markings’ counter-intelligence and propaganda unit operating in Manila. It was not long before the enemy discovered his guerrilla activities, and subsequently, had him arrested in February 1944. Along with his mother and a few relatives, he was incarcerated to Fort Santiago. His wife was initially unaware of his arrest but later, was able to evade the dragnet. After two months, Arguilla’s mother and relatives were released, while he was transferred to the Old Bilibid Prisons. Later, after being tortured and subjected to a sham trial, he was brought back to Fort Santiago for execution. Arguilla the writer often portrayed the life of the ordinary Filipino, usually the rural Ilocano, in his more than 50 short stories that have permanently enriched Philippine Literature. The critic Leopoldo Y. Yabes cited him as â€Å"the best craftsman among Filipino fictionists in English, (whose voice) is the only really authentic voice. He is shamelessly Filipino.† His stories are still considered unrivalled in his depiction of the life of the Ilocano farmer. In the prime of his life, Arguilla died a hero’s death. Yet he would not be forgotten. On June 12, 1972, Arguilla was honoured with a posthumous award, the republic Cultural Heritage Award. He was cited for producing literary works that have â€Å"continued to influence Filipino fiction writing†¦ and literary scholarship.† In his honour, a marker was installed in his hometown on August 25, 1983. II. Synopsis An afternoon on a hut with a tamarind tree beside it, Pablo, an old farmer, came from the farm and unhitched his carabao upon its empty sled and began to feed it with a grass. Then, he called her wife, Sebia, from their hut but no one answers him. He goes to the neighbourhood to ask if they’ve seen Sebia and his children but Osiang, their neighbour, seems not hearing what Mang Pablo is asking and give a question back regarding his husband Andres. Later sometime Osing told Mang Pablo that his wife and three children went to the creek for some snails. Mang Pablo reminisce the scenario later that morning when he with the several other tenants driven with their sleds to the house of the senora to borrow some grains. But as they go changes come, their usual tersiohan system on borrowing became takipan meaning the amount that they borrow becomes double at harvest time. His co-tenants refuse for this is too much and can’t even know if they can pay it exactly at the time given. In the end everyone leave with an empty sled and will come home without any rice to eat. Then, Osiang’s voice broke the silence. Asking if he had already cooked their rice and offered him pieces of coal. When he is about to go back home Andres came and give a sign telling he must wait for him. Andres – dark, broad and squat man, wearing a printed camisa de chino appeared asking Mang Pablo if he is coming with them. Mang Pablo advice he not to continue this because they will commit stealing but Andres together with other men is desperate. As he turned, he had seen wife and three children and was accompanied with a man. The man told him that they are fishing in the fields but Sebia disagreed and told him that they are just gathering some snails. Then, the watchman told Mang Pablo that they must pay five cavanes. Sebia is asking for the rice but Mang Pablo told him that there is no rice while looking in his hungry children seeing weakness and pain then he asks for his bolo joining Andres and together they walked to the house of Eli.

The Glass Menagerie Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Operations Management - Essay Example The Concept of Operational Management The operations management as a business function has many issue related to it that needs to be satisfied to increase the efficiency and productivity of a business concern. These are capacity requirements, technology, facilities, workforce, supply and distribution, quality, production planning and organizational structure. According to Shim (1999, Pg.4)â€Å"Operation policy is concerned with setting broad policies and plans for using the production resources of the firm to best support the firm’s long term competitive strategy†. However, the four basic issues of operation management strategy are as follows. a) Cost : The cost of a product or service decides the profit or loss of a company. In every market segment, there is a class of people who opt for low -cost product or service. So to compete on this basis, a company should produce goods and services which are of low- cost. b) Quality : Needless to mention, quality is a prioritiz ed element of any industry. Quality is classified into product quality and process quality. Product quality ensures better customer satisfaction and process quality make sure that products are defect free and is produced with total quality management. c) Speed of delivery : The speed with which a company delivers products and services to its customers decides the purchasing decision of a customer. The capability of a business firm to deliver products and services on a fast basis decides the price of their product and the company reputation. d) Flexibility : By the term flexibility, we mean that a company should offer various types of products and services to its customers. It also means how quickly a company can convert old products to new one to meet customer demands. These issues play an important role in understanding the challenges an operational manager can face in this competitive world. Challenges faced by Operational Managers a) Absence of Capital – Capital is the mai n resource of any business and this strengthen the foundation of a business. Capital is required from the launch of a business firm and al the strategic plans and operation of a business largely depend on capital availability. An operations manager needs enough capital to work in a full fledge way. An absence or lack of capital can restrict an operational manager in many ways. An operational manager with less available capital will contribute inferiorly to a business. Absence of capital can restrict an organization from many perspectives. A company with inefficient capital can offer fewer choices and solution to an operations manager. If a company is financially weak, the managers can dwindle on decision- making and planning proposals. b) Lack of efficient planning - Planning is crucial to business as it starts with proper intelligent planning. If planning is not proper, managers cannot align their functions with the goal of the firm. Planning needs to be extensive and if organizati onal leaders do not plan ahead of execution, then the business can doom to failure. If the basic decision - making is defective then an operations manager can do less about organizing and operating a company. An operations manager has the full responsibility of business functioning, if the planning is not well versed then the flow of business is interrupted

Surrealism in Fashion Elsa Schiaparelli and Yang Du Essay

Surrealism in Fashion Elsa Schiaparelli and Yang Du - Essay Example The essay "Surrealism in Fashion Elsa Schiaparelli and Yang Du" analyzes fashion and surrealism. The paper looks at the shift from the manifestation of the ‘future’ in the historical past to near subsequent dream world of Surrealist response, whereby the future as depicted in Salvador Dalà ­Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s distorted timepieces in Persistence of Memory, removes the logic of ‘progress’ prior Modernist movements toward an organic incorporation of technology, rather than mere orchestration of the future. Influenced by both conventions of Italian Futurism and French Surrealist aesthetics, Elsa Schiaparelli’s designs in speak to this moment of transition in Inter-War History. The second half of the essay is an examination of current theoretical debates on the cumulative, and necessarily disjunctive quality of cultural productions, or the so-called â€Å"crisis of representation.† Following Walter Benjamin’s notions of ‘Ur’ history, whe re things of the past leave their traces for further reproduction in the future, I will draw on the visual technologies of advertising imagery of Europe’s inter-war regime(s) to access fundamental links between capital, political ideology, technology and the bodies of fashionistas. Thierry Mugler’s work is a candid and cheeky derivative of this history; making fun of fascism whilst promoting its aesthetic as impenetrable, yet sexy. In both of these fashion designers’ work, inscription of power on ‘the body’ through haute fashion culture, serves as a historical trace. ... The emergence of Surrealism within fashion, for instance, was marked by the birth of parallel aesthetic cultures in commercial advertising, and especially the incorporation of art photography. The first coherent movement dedicated to aesthetic pastiche, Surrealism set the tone for later movements like Deconstruction. The first half of the paper looks at the shift from the manifestation of the 'future' in the historical past to near subsequent dream world of Surrealist response, whereby the future as depicted in Salvador Dal's distorted timepieces in Persistence of Memory, removes the logic of 'progress' prior Modernist movements toward an organic incorporation of technology, rather than mere orchestration of the future. Influenced by both conventions of Italian Futurism and French Surrealist aesthetics, Elsa Schiaparelli's designs in speak to this moment of transition in Inter-War History. The second half of the essay is an examination of current theoretical debates on the cumulative, and necessarily disjunctive quality of cultural productions, or the so-called "crisis of representation." Following Walter Benjamin's notions of 'Ur' history, where things of the past leave their traces for further reproduction in the future, I will draw on the visual technologies of advertising imagery of Europe's inter-war regime(s) to access fundamental links between capital, political ideology, technology and the bodies of fashionistas. Thierry Mugler's work is a candid and cheeky derivative of this history; making fun of fascism whilst promoting its aesthetic as impenetrable, yet sexy. In both of these fashion designers' work, inscription of power on 'the body' through haute fashion culture, serves as a historical trace intended to transcribe the collection of next season's

Art history research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art history - Research Paper Example Various artworks came up as a result of colonization, particularly right about the time when Europe took interest in colonization. One particular artwork that peaked my interest is that of ‘The Women of Algiers in their Apartment’ by a French artist called Eugene Delacroix. Laurel Ma wrote an article about this painting. Eugene Delacroix was a popular French artist whose artwork was hailed all over Europe. Therefore it didn’t come as a surprise when the state of France decided to tag him along on a diplomatic mission to North Africa just two years since Algiers was invaded. This was around the time Delacroix drew the painting of The Women of Algiers in their Apartment in 1834. The timing that the painting came out, which is also the time the French went to Algiers, is suspicious and rightfully so. It tends to shed some light on the imperialist intentions that the French had towards Algiers. Most paintings by the Orientalists were prejudiced against the Orients in such a way as to incite the Westerners to colonize them in the name of doing them a favor. Most of it revolved around sex in particular. The Orientalists would draw paintings with naked women in them as if waiting for the European men to come and save them from the supposed tyranny of their husbands. Of course, a great deal of this work was more of imagination than reality. All the more reason why Delacroix’s work received major applause as it was seen to be more authentic and the fact that it contains aspects that make it seem both imaginative and real caught a lot of people’s attention. The Women of Algiers in their Apartment clearly shows the lifestyle of the people of North Africa. The women often stayed in their harem, which is a sacred place restricted only to the women and their husband. No other person other than the servants was allowed in the harem. Delacroix draws a harem with three women in it along with one black servant woman holding the curtain. Contrary to popular belief as depicted by the works of other Orientalists, the women in this painting do not in any way suggest any sexual intentions. This came as a confusion to many as people were used to paintings with naked women obviously arousing and inviting the sexual desires off those who saw it. In other words, the regular paintings were demeaning to the cultures and values of the people in the East. In Delacroix’s painting the women are fully clothed, almost in a way to suggest that they are overdressed. This could be seen as the painter’s way of proving a point, trying to atone for the mistakes off his fellow artists by clearly stating that the women in the Orients were respectable and were not to e objectified sexually. The painting doesn’t show women yearning or the presence of a man, rather they are comfortable and content with the current situation where they have time to themselves. The room in the painting is lavished with oriental objects such as glas s vases and various patterns on the furniture that relate to the style associated with Orients. There is a servant drawing a curtain. This is to depict the dramatic way in which the harem is unveiled for the authorized Muslim male but now in the painting, the colonizer gets a glance of what he shouldn’t see. The women in the painting are covered in blankets to confirm the stereotype that suggests

Leadership Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership Models - Essay Example Situational contingency theories have are organizational development application that are effective at applying leadership concepts that are adaptive to the situation at hand. There are three major situation contingency models. The three models are Fielder’s leadership model, House’s path – goal theory of leadership, and Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership model. The Hersey – Blanchard leadership model framework implies that there is no one single best way to approach a problem or situation. According to Hersey and Blanchard situational leadership requires adjusting the leader’s emphasis on task behaviors such as giving guidance and direction, relationship behaviors, and providing socio-emotional support (Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J., Osborn, R., 2003). The leadership style application has become very popular in the 21st century due to the fact that business changes are occurring faster than ever and manager have to be adapt the busin ess strategy of the company and the vision of its human resources to meet the market demands and requirements. The Blanchard and Hersey model can be characterized in terms of the amount of direction and support that the leader gives to his or her followers (12manage, 2009). Appendix A illustrates a matrix that explains the functionality of the model. The four factors illustrated in each quadrant of the matrix are S1, S2, S3, S4. The S1 variable which is located in the bottom left quadrant represents the telling style. In this style the manager provides a high task low relationship work output. This means that manager provides specific instructions and closely supervises the performance of the subordinate. This style is most effective when the leader is dealing with employees that are unable to take responsibility for themselves. An example of an employee that needs his supervisor to apply a telling style is a new employee in a firm. This person needs more

Critical thinking questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Company stock profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Company stock profile - Essay Example The success on foretelling harmful geological disasters aids in determining future contracts and payments. The second division includes the Division of Resources, which aids in the exploration and extraction of mineral, water and rock for profit. GEO updated its monetary report for the whole year of 2014 and issued a guidance report for investors towards the second quarter of the year. The organization expects its net income to rise from $1.78 to $1.86 per share. Secondly, it also anticipates the annual revenue to range between $i.60 billion and $ 1.62 billion. The enterprise also increased its Net Operation Income to an array of $452 million to $458 million. For the second part of the 2014 financial year, the total amount of diluted shares aims at increasing at a range of $55 million to $57 million. Additionally, the expected revenue for the second quarter of the year is bound to range between $404 and $409 million. The organization’s expenses are low contrast to the revenues making it gain profits rather than lose (The Geo Group 3). For the GeoHazard division, the department secured a number of insurance contracts in order to develop electronic monitoring devices that aid in the prediction of geological catastrophes. The step improved the company’s detection and mitigation skills allowing it to manage its future risks hence aiding in securing future contracts and payments. Furthermore, its ability to predict future occurrences enables it to facilitate its operation services. The Geo Energy Resource Division reports a return to profitability with a net profit of $0.1 million compared to a previous loss of $0.9 million experienced in 2013. The gross profit margin shows a gradual improvement compared to the year 2013 with an raise of $7.2 million, and the company expects an increase towards the second quarter of the year. Generally the profitability and performance levels of the

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 89

Reflection - Essay Example Moreover, we chose a crew chief Eric who gives each one different task. The team leader writes down the requirements’ for me and responds to questions discussed while finding solutions. This is more efficient in this course because, for example, someone who do not know how to cut the handgrip from the racket, we can solve it together. I am not good at writing; the team leader helps us to fix the grammar. Consequently, I am unable to achieve the primary objective of Senior Design Projects, utilize knowledge as a senior student, and perform an important open-ended design project. The object of this project is to improve the treatment method for the patient that needs a lot of professional knowledge. For example, we need to design games for this project and still I have not learned how to compile a complete 2-D game. However, for the 3-D design, I can use Abaqus CAE, which I learned, from Miami University to develop the initial model for the handgrip. I also used the knowledge from physics class to cut the handgrip from the rocket (Marshall 1). The course achieved the Miami Plan requirements for a capstone experience. It provided a real business environment while doing the project. First, we need to understand context by defining and considering the boundary of the problem through conducting research and considering realistic constraints. The limitations include technical and economic factors, social implications, and environmental considerations. Secondly, thinking critically by solving open-ended problems, establishing objectives and criteria by brainstorming ideas and alternatives. Finally, we need to communicate designs and results effectively with Birkdale Pediatric and Neuro Clinic. For this project, I have limited professional knowledge such as neural therapy. Besides, I never contacted the neural therapy before I entered the Birkdale Pediatric and Neuro clinic. Real business industrial environment, designers improve the function

A Perspective on Disability Essay Example for Free

A Perspective on Disability Essay She is accompanied by a just as strong husband/caretaker who goes above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to taking care of his spouse. Nancy Mairs presents her audience with an honest inside view of her life and perspective as a cripple, a word she openly uses to define herself. Mairs constantly calls herself a â€Å"cripple† because disabled or not, the word â€Å"crippled† can make a person wince (Mairs). She brings her world to us, discussing a wide variety of things including language, family, and humor, and how these all relate to her life. Through various stories and insights, she allows her readers to gain an understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities. She examines the public’s view of the disabled, as well as the views they have of themselves, and compares them to her own. She makes it clear that she is not to be defined solely by her disability. Not only does she reach out to the general population, but she also reaches out to those in a similar situation as herself. She helps anyone with a disability really understand how able a disabled person can be. Having George participate in my care, calls me into life. It says, despite your losses, despite your limitations, you belong here with us and we want you to stay. We want you to stay enough that were willing to participate in the labor that it takes† (Mairs). That is possibly the most important motivation for caregiving: to show that person that their life is valued. Caregiving enables a person to be in the world, but it also enables them t o want to be in the world when it would be easier not to. From the other point of view a caregiver struggles with keeping a positive attitude when going day in and day out taking care of another human being. There is a constant reminder that quitting is not an option, because quitting is the equivalent to failure in this situation. â€Å"Im not confined to a wheelchair, I have choices. I can get up and get out, and that takes some of the pressure off me† (Mairs). It is important that caregivers get space from the person they care for. Nancy makes sure to provide George with his own time. Caregiving works incredibly if it is circular; George gives Nancy opportunities to care for him. Sometimes he does it consciously, but sometimes he just genuinely needs someone to be there for him like he is for her. He needs someone to hold his hand and tell him that everything will be all right. â€Å"If we look at everything we receive as a blessing, MS is a blessing. It probably has kept us together† (Mairs). Nancy and George Mairs have a relationship that works for the both of them.

The Impact Of Tourism On Water Consumption Tourism Essay

The Impact Of Tourism On Water Consumption Tourism Essay Tourism is the major economic sector for many countries around the world especially for small island developing states. . The major growth of the tourism industry started in the 1980s culmination increasing coastal development with major investments in hotels Mauritius is now a well established high class tourist resort destination and tourism is the third pillar of the Mauritian economy after the export processing zone manufacturing sector and agriculture. It contributes significantly to economic growth and has been a key factor in the overall development of Mauritius. In the past two decades tourist arrivals increased at an average annual rate of 9% and in 2000, gross tourism receipts contributed about 11% of the GDP of Mauritius. (CSO, 2007)) The plan of the government is targeting 2.0 million tourists from 2015 to 2020. The strategy for the development of the Tourism sector takes its base in the Tourism Development Plan (2002). It presents a twenty year vision which sees the tourism industry growing but ensuring that environmental and social issues are addressed to the benefit of the people of Mauritius (Min .of Environment and NDU). The Action Plan includes private sector investments in tourist accommodation, tourist attractions, and ancillary facilities, public sector investment in tourism support programmes (e.g. roads, car parking, water and sewage schemes), infrastructure and critical tourism product improvements, diversification and innovations, human resource development/social projects and environmental management support. There will be an accompanying demand for services for high quality up-market tourists with specially trained staff and hotel rooms including trained tour guides and support services such as flight bookings, airline operations, etc. Tourism and water The industry is also a major consumer of water resources and impacting heavily on water demand of island states. The problem of water supply is further exacerbated by the impact of climate change. Tourism industry relies also on a safe and reliable supply of water. With the goal of attracting 2M tourists by 2015 in Mauritius the intensive tourism development that will follow will have a major impact on our natural resources (CSD, 1996). It has been growing rapidly and impacting on the natural resources of the host countries. Overexploitation of water resources can impact negatively on ecosystems which are major components of its tourism industry. Competition for water resources by the tourism sector and domestic population is a global problem exacerbated by the climate change (Goodwin, 2007). Mauritius is facing each year prolong drought problems during the dry season where it is also the peak tourist period. Over extraction and lowering of ground water table can lead to eventually the depletion of aquifers as it is not replenished as rapidly it is consumed. Pollution from sea water intrusion will further limit the availability of freshwater. The latter will be more apparent with sea level rise due to global warming (Goodwin, 2007). The tourism industry faces two issues with regards to water as a resource namely how it affects distribution of water and secondly the impact of the industrys consumption on the environment and the availability of water (Goodwin, 2007). For the development of large resorts, especially in water scarcity areas, the water available for the local people is deviated to provide for these resorts (Goodwin, 2007). In many places water is diverted to provide for tourists and thus leaving indigenous population short of water. European Environment Agency (2003) in its assessment reported that tourists consume up to 300 Litres (up to 880 Litres for luxury tourism) and generate around 180L of wastewater per day. The number of tourists visiting particular places is season dependent and is not constant all year round and tends to be concentrated in places which have limited water resources (Garcia and Servera, 2003). There are conflicts of interests as the tourism industry is able to buy water at higher prices whereas the poorer population will have more frequent water shortage (Goodwin, 2007). In Tunisia groundwater resources that were important for agriculture were diverted to provide for the tourism industry and thus creating a new problem of dried out land that are unarable and had to be abandoned. The European Tourism Study Group report 2007 conclude that hotels are high consumers of water, as a tourist staying in a hotel uses on average one third more water per day than a local inhabitant. The desalination of sea water on a large scale is a measure affordable to countries with high revenues such as United Arab Emirates and Maldives which have oil resources (Dluzewska, 2008). LAND USE PATTERNS in Tourism: Tourism is being given special attention with respect to its actual and potential impacts in land use (Rico-Amoros, et al., 2008). The tourism distribution is not homogenous for many countries and the different forms and types of tourism have different water requirement (Gossling, 2001). Water consumption by the tourism sector is not well documented by statistics at present. More complete information on water demand of tourism and its different subsector ( second homes, facilities, activities etc,) is needed by state and local authorities to define priorities for water conservation or demand management programs ( Hof. et al, 2011). Rico-Amoros et al. (2008) mentioned that the development of tourism in Mediterranean region is enhancing pressure on water demand because there high numbers of tourists at specific period and summer droughts which further decrease the availability of water. However, from closer study of the different type of tourists, Rico-Amoros et al (2008) found out tha t concentration of tourists such as in hotels tend to use comparatively less water than disperse, low density residential resorts. Hof and Schmitt (2011) found out that increase water consumption is directly related to the low-density residential tourist land use due to outdoor uses such as swimming pools and gardens comparing with tourists in hotels. The research of Hof and Schmitt (2011) concluded that in summer 70% of the total water consumption in the residential tourist areas is used for gardens irrigation which has been identified as the main cause for increase in water consumption. The additional pressure on water use is from individually own swimming pools which accounts for 22 litres/person/day as shown by Hof and Schmitt (2011). Hotels with golf courses were analysed for their water consumption patterns and regression analysis demonstrated that the size and price were important factors that will influence the water use by golf courses (Gopalakrishnan, 2003). Resorts and ho tels golf courses are heavy water users and for small islands the problem is urgent as there is limited resources of drinking water, and thus the water must be judiciously managed ( Graefe and Vaske, 1987). Benchmarks for water use in guest rooms in litres per guest night Good Fair Poor Temperate 250 250-300 >300 Mediterranean 270 270-320 >320 Tropical 300 300-350 >350 Source IBLF WWF-UK (2005) p.19 Mauritius as SIDS: its vulnerability Small Island States are mostly dependent on their natural environment for promoting tourism development but paradoxically the tourism development appear to be a fast track to social and economic development and thus little care is given for the ecosystem (CSD, 1996). The environment impacts of tourism are more consequent in Small Island States due to its limited land space and freshwater resource. Land is use to build infrastructures and facilities for tourists along with hotels and the new trend of residential houses or apartment. Rising prices of building land increase the pressure to build on agricultural land as the tourism sector is more lucrative. In many countries including Mauritius, there has been unchecked construction along the coast whereby the original pristine beauty of these areas has been changed in favour of urbanization since the development of the tourism sector (CSD, 1996). It is only recently that governments are taking measures through legislations to protect th e natural resources and promote sustainable. development. Over the past years, there has been a drastic increase in water demand from the different economic and demographic sectors, which in general is leading the country to a water stressed situation. Mauritius and its water resources According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report, Mauritius is already facing a situation of water stress because it has a supply of 1083 m3 per person per year (based on actual population), which is below the norm of 1 700m3 per person per year. Mauritius is expected to suffer from water scarcity by 2020 with a projected supply of 974 m3 per person per year (based on a projected population of 1 335 000). Although the figures can be interpreted in various ways, they provide an indication of the problems that Mauritius may face in the future regarding water supply. The water sector faces a number of challenges resulting from increasing demand from the different sectors. New dams are planned to be built and reduction in unaccounted for water are being envisaged with big investment in new pipe networks. Diversification of the tourism product-IRS in Mauritius In view to attract more foreign investment Mauritius has recently introduced a new type of development namely the Integrated Resort Schemes (IRS) whereby resorts are being constructed that include hotels, residential villas and golf courses. Since 2005 there has been an increase in the number of resorts and golf courses though the financial crisis has put a halt to this rapid increase. These developments have put further pressure to the scarce water resources. In Mauritius strategies are being put in place to manage the water resources the demand as well as the supply sides. The IRS promotes the concept of residential tourism with second permanent homes for rich retired or rich celebrities. This market diversification has therefore allowed the development of golf, villas, spas and also permanent second homes or residential that have increased the demand of water from the tourism sector. In encouraging this type of development and targeting more and more tourist this will again have a consequences on the water resources. Mauritius depend on a few number of reservoirs and are already under pressure to supply for the domestic, industrial, agricultural and tourism sector. The tourist hotel mainly the large ones have started to have desalination plants to have constant supply of water. Due to high water demand Mauritius has reached almost its limits in terms of underground resources. The table below shows the water requirements till 2050. Table 1:Water requirements in Mauritius (Proag, V., 2006, Water Resources Management in Mauritius. European Water 15/16: 45-57) Available Water resources and climate change could however have an impact on the diversification strategy thereby causing a decline of growth in the tourism sector especially if these water crises are not well managed. (Essex et al, 2004) Residential Tourism or second homes The different types of tourist accomodation and new type of residential tourism do not consume water resources similarly. The golf courses are consuming more and more water for irrigation purposes. A.Hof et al (2011) have shown that outdoor uses such as swimming pools, garden irrigation are also have a high impact on water resources. As determined by a study (Gopalakrishnan and Cox 2003) shows that number of units of swimming pools and golf courses will determine the consumption of water. Aim of paper To develop appropriate strategies for the management of the water resources information on the tourism sector demand for water and the different usage will be required. There is however an information gap with regards to its impact on water resources . This paper will try to show the influence of tourism: hotel, non hotel and residential on the scarce water resources and thereby assist in developing a strategy for a sustainable tourism.

Food Purchasing Cost Control

Food Purchasing Cost Control In the hospitality industry, purchasing may be defined as a function concerned with the search, selection, purchase, receipt, storage, and final use of a commodity in accordance with the catering policy of the establishment. (Davis and Kotas, 1986:47) Davis and Kotas (1986) suggest that purchasing is a fundamental function in the beverage control cycle. If this function is managed efficiently, then any hotel can attain quality beverage products at the minimum cost possible according to the companys financial objectives. The objective of beverage purchasing is to procure the best quality of items, at the lowest price for a specific purpose. It is a must to give considerable attention to the beverage cost control since beverages will normally throw in more profits than food. Fewer staff is required to process beverage into a finished item for consumption by the customers compares to food. (Davis et al, 2008) 3.2 The Purchasing Personnel Staff members that are responsible for the beverage purchases vary depending on the type and size of the establishment. (Davis and Kotas, 1986) The purchasing manager is responsible for the beverage purchasing function in Hotels One and Two. In Hotel-Three the purchasing manager and the food and beverage manager are responsible for the beverage purchasing function whereas in Hotel-Four the purchasing manager and the cost controller are accountable for this function. In Hotel-Two when there is a special theme night, the food and beverage manager will join the purchasing manager for such occasions. The purchasing function is centralised as hotel purchasing for Hotels One and Four. On the other hand the purchasing function is centralised as a group purchasing for Hotels Two and Three. It was agreed by all the interviewed personnel that the purchasing personnel have to be experienced and knowledgeable about the products that they have to order. In fact the purchasing manager in Hotel-Three has over thirty years of experience in this function. In the case of Hotel-Two it was mentioned that although experience and knowledge are vital for the purchasing function, most items in Malta are standard. Additionally it was also pointed out that the purchasing function depends on the demand of other departments. There have to be cross functional teams (that is team effort) and strong communication among all the hotel departments. Standards for beverage purchasing are developed for all the four hotels interviewed. Quality is given primary priority in all the hotels interviewed apart from for Hotel-Two where the first preference is on the price. In the case of Hotel-One, the products have to satisfy the bar manager and afterwards the purchasing personnel will deal for the best price for the pre-established quality. They will try to obtain the best price at the best quality. In Hotel-Three the purchasing personnel will try to attain a balance between price and quality however Quality is on top of the agenda. It is essential to consider the purchase of some of beverage items of each outlet separately. For example the wines offered at the pool bar will be at a lower quality and at a lower price when compared to the main bar. Each product can have a good quality, very good quality or best quality. The purchasing personnel have to choose the quality that is adequate for the specific outlet. In Hotel-Four both qualit y and price are given right of way however quality will always win. In Hotel-Two price is given precedence in the sense that, when choosing between two products with similar quality but different prices, the purchasing personnel will go for the cheaper product. The quantities of beverages to be ordered are determined by the storekeeper with the skilled assistance of the purchasing manager using a par stock level. When required in Hotel-One the cost controller will help out to determine the quantities to be ordered. In Hotel-Three the food and beverage manager will assist when needed to determine such quantities. 3.3 The Selection of Suppliers The suppliers selected can be either existing suppliers or potential suppliers. The advantage of the existing suppliers is that the quality of the goods received, the price and the service offered would all be already known. According to Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) when dealing with new suppliers it is vital to exercise prudence and to get the subsequent information as a minimum: Full details of the firm and the range of items it is selling; Copies of recent price lists; Details of trading terms; Details of other customers they deal with; Samples of products. Ideally there should be a visit to any potential supplier to enhance knowledge about the size of the company; the range of the products; the size of processing and storage facilities and to meet members of the management team. All these factors facilitate a sustainable long-term business relationship. (Dopsen, Hayes and Miller, 2007) Suppliers can be chosen on the basis of their reputation in the market, upon an investigation of a supplier and on the basis of their performance. The best supplier is the one who provides the firm with the most efficient service with regard to quantity, quality, price and delivery performance. (Davis and Kotas, 1986:53) In all the hotels except for Hotel-Four there is a list of agreed suppliers from whom products are bought. Hotel-One has a list of preferred suppliers from whom the purchasing personnel will buy continually. It is a preferred suppliers list rather than an approved suppliers list. The advantage of having a preferred rather than an approved list is that if any particular supplier will give you a hard time (not reliable towards the hotel), then this supplier can be immediately replaced. Hotel-Two has an approved supplier when it comes to soft drinks and beers. When it comes to spirits, the suppliers are preferred rather than approved. Hotel-Three has contracts with the suppliers containing pre-agreed prices and pre-agreed quality of the listed products, however if something will not vary for example the quality will deteriorate, the purchasing personnel will alter the supplier if the problems will not be tackled. Although there is a contract, it is not a fixed contact that is the hotel personnel are not obliged to buy the beverage products from the specific supplier. Hotel-Four does not have any suppliers list. In this hotel the suppliers are chosen according to the quality of the products, the type of brands required and the services that the supplier will offer to the hotel. When selecting the suppliers, the criteria evaluated by Hotel-One are credit term, quality and prices. The credit term period is given top priority. According to Hotel-One it is useless to go for the best quality and the best price if the credit terms period is short. In Hotel-Two price is given top priority when selecting suppliers while quality and lead time are also analysed to make the right decision. In the other two hotels quality is the most influential factor used to determine the suppliers to be chosen for the beverage products. Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) explained that the supplier performance can be evaluated using the rating system which usually includes: price, quality and delivery performance. Potential suppliers performance is only evaluated by Hotel-Three. Every now and then the purchasing manager will pick some items and verify if there is a better product in the market than the one that the hotel is currently using. The purchasing manager without involving employees in operation will pick up different products and will make a blind presentation and tasting of the product. The purchasing department will decant the product that will be identifiable (delete the tag and the supplier name) and the food and beverage manager will rate the product using a rating sheet including quality, yields among other factors. The person rating the product will not know who the supplier is. Although the decision taken will not be based on price, the food and beverage personnel will know the price to be able to match the product being tasted with its price accordingly. There have to be a balance between quality and price. It can be that the product quality is superior compared to the hotel standard thus the product will not be affordable. Then the rating sheet is filled out. Hotel-One pointed out that the suppliers evaluation and performance is not prepared because this does not add any value on the hotel sales. The cheapest item is not automatically the best to buy since low-cost products can lead to low quality. Normally the responsible persons go for the supplier on the basis of the quality required and then negotiate the best price for it. There is always a trade-off between quality and price. 3.4 The Purchasing Procedure According to Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) the various steps in the purchasing procedure are: The initiation of a request to purchase beverages by an authorised employee such as the head of department or restaurant manager; The selection of the source of supply from which the goods are to be purchased, and the price to be paid; Entering into a contract with the supplier by telephone, electronically or in writing; Obtaining a satisfactory delivery performance from the supplier with regard to time, date and place of delivery; The acceptance of goods ordered and the transfer to the ordering department or to the stores. Purchasing is not a separate activity. What, how and when you buy must always reflect the overall goals of your establishment. Trends change so must you, the purchaser. (Brown, 2005:396) Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) recommend that the procedure should reflect the type of the establishment and the market where it operates. Those responsible should consider: the location of the establishment in relation to its suppliers; the size of the storage facilities of the hotel; the shelf life of the beverage product; and the companys purchasing power. Whatever the establishment is, it is crucial to have a sound purchasing policy so that satisfactory standards will be achieved. 3.5 Purchasing Orders In every hotel it is vital to have purchasing policies and procedures which are planned to allow business transactions to take place smoothly between supplier and receiver. Documentary evidence should confirm that the procedures are actually being followed. In Hotel-One purchase orders are authorised by the purchasing officer and the financial controller while in Hotel-Two these are authorised by the group purchasing manager. In Hotel-Three the purchase orders are authorised by the cost controller or the general manager while in Hotel-Four these are authorised by the head of department and the latter will also communicate with the financial controller and the general manager, if deemed necessary. In all the hotels those authorising purchase orders are independent from those responsible for issuing requisitions. This prevents certain abuses that can be carried out when the same person will be responsible for both authorising purchase orders and for issuing requisitions. In Hotel-Two the persons issuing requisitions are the head of departments or the supervisors. Then the storekeeper will deliver the items that were previously ordered and the cost controller will verify that every order is in its perspective. In Hotel-Four the purchase orders are prepared by the head of departments while for the other three hotels, the purchase orders are prepared by the purchasing manager. Every hotel has a system of par stock level. In Hotel-One the cost controller will work to create a par stock level which will depend on the period of the year, the type of functions that the hotel has, and the type of clients that the hotel has. The aim of these par stock levels is to have some items of every stock with a limited quantity since excessive stock means cash put down the drain. Additionally useless stock will lead to negative cash flows. In Hotel-Two it was remarked that the par stock level used is an informal one that will be adapted according to the company needs. A point to note is that in Malta, hoteliers work a lot on a last minute purchases. This can be used since distances are short and so if there is a stock item missing, you can phone the supplier and the latter will bring the item in a few hours. In Hotel-Three the cost controller is responsible to ensure that stocks in the stores are kept lowest as possible as these will represent idle money. The information contained in the purchase orders of each hotel is nearly identical to each other. Hotels One and Three does not have the terms of payments listed in the purchase orders. The purchase order of Hotel-Three contained a disclaimer that declares that if the supplier (who will receive the purchase order) will not agree with the purchase order in terms of quantity or price or he does not have the pre-agreed brand, the supplier shall inform the purchasing manager before the delivery. In Hotel-Four the type of brand is not listed in the purchase orders. All the hotels have sequentially pre-numbered purchase orders. Normally a copy of the purchase order is being received by the supplier. The goods received clerk/storekeeper will also receive the purchase order and the same copy will go to the cost controller who will attach it with the invoice and passes it through his system and then the cost controller will give the purchase order to the accounts clerk who will pass it through the accounting system. On receipt of an authorised requisition form, it is vital to check the economic quantity to be purchased by checking the existing stocks and the sales volume forecast. After establishing the purchase requirements, a formal written purchase order is prepared. This serves as the basis for ordering. Written records lessen misunderstandings so it is better to maintain some written record of purchases, preferably on a purchase order, to verify the accuracy of deliveries received. (Dopsen, Hayes and Miller, 2007) 3.6 Concluding Remark Think of purchasing as a cycle, not a one-time activity. Purchasing is not just a matter of phoning or emailing another order. You dont want to run out, nor do you want to overstock. (Brown, 2005:395)

Effects of Music, Television, and Video Game Violence on Children and Teens :: Video Game Violence Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Usually when a child or a teenager commits a crime, it is never their fault. When a child or a teenager commits a crime, the responsibility never belongs to the parents either. Instead, when a teenager or a child commits a crime, the first thing that the prosecutors or the media wants to place the blame on is video games, the television program that the child had been watching, or the blame is placed on the type of music that the child or teen had been previously listening to. This is what concerns me. Everyone is responsible for their own actions regardless of what television program video games the child, or teen, what type of video games that are being played, is watching and what type of music is being listened to. What bothers me even more is when the actors who are in some of the video game or movies take some of the heat for the movies that they are in. The same case in some of the music. Artist is often blamed for a lot of the violence in America just by some of the types of lyrics that they recite in their songs. In this report, I am going to simply tell you how I feel about the artist and actors taking all the blame for the violence in America. I am going to tell you whose fault violence really is. I am going to state the facts and give you some personal experiences of how the media (video games, television, and music) is not responsible for violence amongst the youth in America. Video Games   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Video games were a $6 billion industry in 2000 and sales are expected to reach as high as $8 billion in 2001. Over 250 million units were sold in 2000 alone, and it is estimated that 60% of all Americans play video games on a normal basis. This level of market penetration makes it important to investigate the messages video games send children. There are some benefits to video games. Studies have found that playing video games can improve children's visual attention skills, and their computer literacy skills. According to research most of the top-selling video games (89%) contained violent content, and the negative consequences of the violent acts were rarely shown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although there are a few games that are educational and help kids with their learning experiences, most of the top rated games contained violence.

Moments Of Action :: Expository Essays

There never seems to be an answer to that one moment of action. There are numerous factors that keep the world in a balance every second. If one of these is slightly altered, the stability is broken, the harmony shattered, the world changed. However, the answer one should give to these moments is unclear. Whether those moments are for the better or the worse, only time can tell. As the fourth quarter clock winds down to the final seconds of a crucial game, the quarterback completes a long range pass for the game winning touchdown. At the moment of its occurrence, it is a tempest of action that can determine the future for many of those involved. It is one of those moments without any explanation. The quarterback might have caught attention from a national football league scout. Maybe the touchdown receiver would be heralded as a hero for his team for years to come. It could possibly affect somebody watching the game from the other side of the world, causing them to realize that nothing is impossible. Though these are the results that primarily come to mind, there is a side to the play that is frequently overshadowed. What happened if the star wide receiver got hurt on the play, and it ends up being a career-ending injury? What about the reputation of the losing coach, who could get fired at the end of the season due to that one loss? All these happen in an instant, a second, just a moment of action that creates an impact that doesn’t have a response. As a car passes by, a pedestrian stumbles over his own shoes, and dives headfirst into the path of the charging vehicle. After the dust clears, police handcuff the driver, and the victim’s family is making plans for a funeral. That one moment of action just affected two unfortunate people’s families, and possibly even more than that. The driver was going at fairly legal speeds, and he ended up being detained for murder. The man who was killed was the only one supporting his wife and son, yet he is gone and his family is stranded. As the moment passes, one can only imagine what would have gone down IF something else happened. If only the pedestrian had taken an extra second to tie his shoes, he would have lived to see the light of day for another second.