How Marriage Works

â€Å"Marriage is the process by which two people make their relationship public, officials and permanent† according to PsychologyToday. Marriage allows your relationship to be recognized by the government. People can marry for multiple reasons, including religion, economic benefits, or for love and companionship. The social clock has changed in America, with more people marrying later in their life. There are many reasons why people are deciding to push marriage off. Marriage can be both beneficial and negative.Marriage can provide better economic stability for both partners. When you marry, you can receive a marital tax deduction. This allows you to transfer assets to your spouse without being taxed for it. You are also able to obtain your spouse's benefits including social security and health insurance. Prenuptials are a secure way to keep your assets in marriage. By having a prenuptial, people can keep their original assets no matter if there is a split or divorce. Married couples are generally more financially stable, with â€Å"the median household income of married families is twice gag of divorced households and four times that of esperares households† according to the website Marripedia.Married people also have mental health and biological benefits. For example, married people typically live longer: â€Å"Research consistently shows that couples in a committed marriage live longer that those that are single† said Ivy Jacobson, author of the article â€Å"13 Legal Benefits of Marriage.† Because both people feel constant support from their partners, mental stability is improved, allowing the couple to live longer and decrease the chance of depression. Mental health is extremely important in the health of the relationship. By bottling up emotions and thoughts, it can negatively impact your self-esteem and increase stress. By having a partner, you are allowed to open up and feel heard, decreasing that stress and improving the way you look at yourself. Marriage increases serotonin levels. Serotonin is a chemical and neurotransmitter in the human body and is â€Å"sometimes called the happy chemical because it contributes to wellbeing and happiness† stated James McIntosh in his article â€Å"What is Serotonin and What Does It Do?† Having a significant other to provide physical affection and emotional support triggers the release of serotonin, helping create a positive mindset. Marriage can also result in divorce and financial stability. According to the website DivorceStatistics, â€Å"current divorce statistics in America is estimated to be fifty percent.† It is projected that the divorce rate will continue at this same rate in the future, making your chance of a lasting marriage unlikely. As well as a chance that your marriage will fail, a divorce is very expensive. A divorce with child custody and support issues cost about 26 thousand dollars. A divorce without child custody and support is about 17 thousand dollars. These extremely high costs can leave both sides of the party in major economic distress. There is also a possibility that you could be marrying into a financial burden. If one person obtains debt, the spouse will carry that debt as well. â€Å"Researchers analyzed the relationship of 4500 couples and found arguments about money were the the top predictor of divorce† says Nancy Durham, author of â€Å"Should You Tie the Knot? Financial Reasons Why Marriage Might Be A Misstep.† As a married couple, you will need to plan your future financial situations and be able to save money efficiently. Negative mental health characteristics can also arise from marriage. One spouse may become too emotionally dependent on their partners, causing stress and tension between the two. That spouse may start to feel as though they need their partner to be happy, and can become too emotionally reliant on them. As well as one partner being too emotionally invested, mental health disorders do not help. Negative emotional reactions caused by disorders can become intensified. Partners that cannot get the support and assistance they need from their partners often resort to substance abuse and isolation. According to Pierre Imlay, a mental health therapist, in his article â€Å"Mental Illness in Couple Relationships,† â€Å"when the marital stress is at its peak, there's a greater likelihood of substance misuse, movement toward divorce, and male aggression.† Marriage can be viewed in both a positive and negative way. Marriage can be very beneficial to couples that have communicated to each other about their expectations for the relationship and marriage, their future, economic situation, and their mental health. If there is a major disagreement, you may want to rethink about getting married and weigh out the pros or cons, or else you may just end up being another statistic for divorce. Although marriage has many components that should be discussed beforehand, it ultimately is a beautiful thing that should be shared and taken seriously.

Cultural-Adaptation Essay

The East African tribe ‘Maasai’ can be found in Kenya and certain parts of Tanzania. Their subsistence strategy has primarily been pastoral for several centuries. The Maasai herd cows, sheep and goats for a livelihood as they depend on the meat and milk for their survival. The Maasai are also semi-nomadic people, making them pastoral nomads (O’Neil 2). This helps them move from place to place, in search of better climatic and external conditions suitable for raising their herd animals. They constantly move to areas having greener pastures and adequate water to ensure that their livestock are healthier; it also facilitates grass growing back again in areas that have been grazed by cattle. Their choice of location would also depend upon other factors such as safety from predators such as lions. The Maasai do not construct permanent settlements as they are constantly on the move; they live in temporary dwellings that are simple to construct. The social structure of the Maasai has played a key role in preserving the tribe’s primary subsistence strategy as pastoral for centuries. The age-based social structure is quite fair and consistent as there is no discrimination based on caste or familial segregations. However, there are certain gender-based roles and customs within the tribe. The men are divided into the youths, the warriors also know as ‘moran’, and the elders. On the other hand, the young girls get married to warrior men, bear children and raise them; the women can also become elders after their bear four children. The youths become warriors around the â€Å"age of 13 to 17† and move to a different village, live in unsecure enclosures called ‘manyatta’ built by their mothers and eventually get married (Martin 7). It is the duty of the warriors to ensure that the tribe is safe and cattle are protected from predators. They are mentally conditioned as well as physically trained from a very young age to perform this duty. The Maasai women specialize in building houses from sticks, mud and cow dung. This helps the tribe to move from place to place easily and sustain their semi-nomadic way of life. The Maasai men also build thorn fences to keep their cattle safe in enclosures. The elders are supposed to impart wisdom and live passive lives, as the responsibilities and duties of the tribe pass over to the next generation of warriors. The authority figure in their social system is a person known as laibon, roughly translated as ’medicine man’; the ‘laibon’ also fills the religious needs of the tribe and practices shamanism for healing. This uniform socio-cultural structure lends stability and contributes to the subsistence of the Maasai way of life, as there is very little room for rebellion within the group. Many aboriginal cultures around the world are going through transition due to modernization and the Maasai are no exception to this rule. Urbanization had led to the Maasai being confined to smaller areas, thus threatening their way of life. To cope with these changes, a small segment of the tribe has recently changed its subsistence strategy to agriculture, fishing and taking menial jobs in urbanized areas. The tourism industry promoted by the government has compelled certain Maasai tribes to diverge away from their self-sufficient lifestyle and act as showpieces for tourists (Akama 717). However, the Maasai still retain certain aspects of their cultural identify such as speaking a language called ‘Maa’ and wearing a red cloth called the ‘shuka’; they also pierce their earlobes and adorn large metal earrings. Despite the influence of the modern world, a large segment of the Maasai tribe is still quite self-sufficient as they produce their own food from cattle and take care of other needs such as shelter and medicine. Works Cited Page Akama, John. Marginalization of the Maasai in Kenya. Annals of Tourism Research, Volume 26, Number 3, July 1999. Martin, Marlene. Society-MASAI. The Center for Social Anthropology and Computing. June 14, 2009, O’Neil, Dennis. (2007). Patterns of Subsistence: Pastoralism. Palomar College. June 14, 2009,

Choose one of these article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Choose one of these article - Essay Example that in the above quotation, Confucius no way intends to convey that individuals born in nobility do not happen to accrue superiority by the dint of their birth and the privileges they have access to. It is a fact that Confucius supported the upholding on the old norms, ideals and values. However, while cherishing the old, in this quotation Confucius also does make way for a possibility of social mobility achieved through self worth and personal talent (Rainey, 2010, p. 18). Thereby, Confucius is making the echelons of power more open and accessible to the commoners who aspired to wrest social recognition and privileges through hard work and ingenuity (Rogers, 1993). Therefore, one simply cannot help appreciating this Confucian twist to the traditional Chinese idea of a ‘superior man’, eking in a way of harmonizing the claims of the aristocratic class with the aspirations of the more ambitious commoners. One can certainly discern the hint that this Confucian idea of the ‘superior man’, and its association with self worth and personal ability is indicative of a society, which though still governed by the nobility, is yet, gradually becoming more open. In that context the Confucian inclination of preserving the old, while welcoming the new is amply implicit in the given quotation. If one correlates the given quotation with the available historical facts, it is well known that irrespective of being a gentleman of noble birth, Confucius did allow individuals from the lower social strata to become his followers or students (Rainey, 2010, p. 18). In other words, Confucius was respective of and understanding towards the idea of social mobility and a notion of social status and position, directly ensuing from the actual abilities, efforts and drive of a person (Rogers, 1993, p. 46). Confucius does agree to in this quotation that the social space dominated by the nobility and th e aristocratic class could not remain impervious to an individual who is willing to put

Explain monohybrid inheritance including co-dominance Assignment

Explain monohybrid inheritance including co-dominance - Assignment Example Because plant and animal chromosomes exist in matching pairs in each cell’s nucleus, there will often be two genes for a particular characteristic in a cell. Where the same allele appears twice, then the organism is referred to as homozygous for this particular characteristic. However, in cases where one chromosome has one allele contrasting from the allele in the other chromosome, then the organism is referred to as heterozygous for that particular characteristic. In heterozygous organisms, the organism’s (phenotype) appearance may be determined by a single allele and not the other allele. This allele that determines this particular phenotype is referred to as dominantly expressed allele, however, the expression of the other allele is said to be recessive (Campbell, 2006). In general foundations, monohybrid cross are applied in determining F2 generation from homozygous pair of grandparents (one grandparent recessive, the other dominant). This leads to an heterozygous F1 generation. However, crossing two parents who are heterozygous from F1 generation results into F2 generation producing 75% chance for the dominant phenotype appearance, from which two thirds are particularly heterozygous, and 25% chance for recessive phenotype appearance. This form of cross was initially used by Gregor Mendel who did an experiment on two plants and obtained a variety of hybrid; he discovered the possible changes in the allele phenotypes (Campbell, 2006). On the other hand, co-dominance is when the genes (alleles) are only expressed in an individual. Blood groups are a good example. Blood groups B and A are totally dominant to blood group O, but they are co-dominant to each other. In co-dominance, a single gene entails more than just one allele. Therefore a heterozygous individual for twp co-dominant alleles expresses the phenotypes that are associated with both alleles. That is to say, a situation where two distinct alleles for a particular gene

Mergers and Acquisitions History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mergers and Acquisitions History - Essay Example This paper seeks to explore mergers and acquisitions as well as their inherent benefits and drawbacks. These business practices will also be examined in the context of foreign interaction. There are some sensible reasons for executing mergers and acquisitions (M&As). The most obvious reason is profitability. "Deals can be worth hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars. They can dictate the fortunes of the companies involved for years to come. For a CEO, leading an M&A can represent the highlight of a whole career" (http://www.investopedia.com/university/mergers/, 2007). Another sensible reason is the gain of power by way of absorption. Absorption involves the securing of a competitor's resources which, in turn, increases the absorbing company's clout and influence. The final reason, for purposes of this analysis, is for companies to gain more appeal in the international market. If foreign investors can be persuaded to contribute to a particular company, that company's economic success can be significantly enhanced. There are also some dubious reasons that come with the M&A game. One major obstacle is the time factor. The process of securing M&As can take considerable time to complete. Negotiations may fall through and/or companies may not be willing to engage in tedious legal wrangling. Another dubious reason is the inadequate protection from the law. Depending upon the state in which the companies operate, the law may or may not fully protect either one in terms of unfair business practices or hostile takeovers. Cash transactions are one way to effectuate a merger or acquisition. In these types of transactions, a company can seize some or all of another company's assets. This can be beneficial in that tangible property can be assimilated into a company's operation. However, "a cash purchase will be a taxable merger, whereas a stock exchange will not be taxable. In a taxable merger, there are capital gains effects and asset write-up effects to consider" (highered.mcgraw-hill.com, 2007). Stock transactions are another way to effectuate a merger or acquisition. In these types of transactions, the interest of shareholders comes in to play. In stock transactions, shareholders still retain their interest; it just gets transferred to the absorbing company. One glowing, positive benefit of these transactions is the tax consideration. "Certain exchanges of stock are considered tax-free reorganizations, which permit the owners of one company to exchange their shares for the stock of the acquirer without paying taxes" (www.referenceforbusiness.com, 2007). The major disadvantage of this arrangement is that there is usually no transfer of tangible assets which, in turn, will not yield a transfer of title. When merging with or acquiring an organization in another country, there are some risks that must be strongly considered. Arguably, the most significant risk encompasses this consideration: "A short history of precedent M&A activity and minimal financial disclosure pose various valuation issues; this is often compounded by unrealistic valuation expectations on the part of vendors" (www.ey.com, 2007). Companies that are interested in immersing themselves in foreign markets must thoroughly research economic trends and general business practices. Another serious risk is the

An Affluent Society and the Sixties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

An Affluent Society and the Sixties - Essay Example Due to increase in the population in the suburbs there was increase in the demand of cars and gasoline which led to the decline of city business. In the year 1954 the phrase â€Å"under God† was made part of Pledge of Allegiance and â€Å"In God we trust† was included on all currency of the US in 1955.There was religious revival during the 1960’s as the percentage of people going to church and synagogue increased to 60%.Rock n roll music was introduced and Elvis Presley became the idol of the youth. There was also a change in the concept of racism as new black artist were encouraged and were given a platform to show their talent. A major change which took place was that family togetherness became the top priority. During the 1960’s most of the people joined politics and they took active part in the civil rights and anti-war movements. In the 1960’s most of the emphasis was laid on women’s rights and in 1966 the National Organization for Women (NOW) was established. In my opinion the most significant change that took place in the 1960’s was economical because social security was expanded from self-employed persons to farmers and military personnel tge and the federal minimum wage was also increased. Steps were also taken to minimize Federal budget was and keep inflation under control.

Essay on Business Opportunities Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

On Business Opportunities - Essay Example Now the AT & T Inc has retained around 45% of the sub companies that had occurred due to the lawsuit. The company is an international level telecommunication company that is head quartered in the United States of America. It is a multinational company that is currently operating in around 200 countries all over the world. It has it’s headquarter in Dallas, Texas. It is the second largest company that is providing both fixed and mobile telephony to the people of the United States of America. It’s ranking within United states of America is 7th according to the total revenue that it has and if the non oil companies are considered then it is the third largest company. They are a very well established company and have been titled by Forbes as the fourteenth largest company in the world due to the market value that it has. It has been listed as the ninth largest non oil company in the world according to the Forbes list. It is the twentieth largest company in the world of tele com companies and has in total around 100.7 million customers all over the world. It even gives broad band telecommunication television subscription service too. Its major market is in the North of America. The current Chairman of the AT & T is Randall Stephenson. Their revenue has been on an increasing trend and is currently around US$ 126.723 billion. There are around 256420 employees who are currently working for AT & T. AT&T Inc. is itself the chief trading company the shares are traded in the name of the At &T Inc. and the rest of the structure is as follows: Southwestern Bell  Telephone Company d/b/a AT&T Arkansas, AT&T Kansas, AT&T Missouri, AT&T Oklahoma, AT&T Southwest, AT&T Texas AT&T Tele holdings Illinois Bell  Telephone Company Indiana Bell  Telephone Company Michigan Bell  Telephone Company The  Ohio Bell  Telephone Company Pacific Bell  Telephone Company Nevada Bell  Telephone Company The  Southern New England Telephone  Company Wisconsin Bell, Inc . AT&T Corp. was acquired in 2005 with the name and the products. AT&T Alas com BellSouth  Corporation d/b/a AT&T South was acquired by the firm in 2006 BellSouth Telecommunications, AT&T Mobility Technological Opportunities Currently there has been a serious increase in the data traffic of the network. There has been an increase in the users as well. The company is doing quite well. As they are famous for investing a lot in the Research and development side of the business they have had constant innovation at their workplace and this has helped increase a lot of traffic for them. They were one of the first companies who actually switched from telephones to the wireless service and then ever since they have been working to enhance their services and get hold of better facilities and technologies that will actually help them compete in a better way in the fast paced world of today. The main issue that people have had is in relation with the quality of the calls and the frequency of the dropped calls. There are also rumors that Apple is actually looking for other networks as the AT & T have felt that they didn’t need the LTE development. The major problems started when the Apple company came up with their I phone 4s, and the AT & T were unable to fulfill their demands. It was then that the Apple Company started looking at other options like Verizon. The telephone companies today are actually looking

Things That Garbage Can Reveal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Things That Garbage Can Reveal - Essay Example The garbage from the trash bin depicts variety and the corresponding quantity of materials in regard to distinct socioeconomic discrepancy amidst the underlying activities and prevailing eating habits of every property(Pellow, 34-156).Cheap and widely available foods such as grains, fruits, nuts, local fish, chicken eggs and corresponding lentils depict relatively lower socioeconomic class since they are of minimal cost. Conversely, expensive meat and corresponding remains of salted fish depict the high socioeconomic class of household. Moreover, the waste from the neighboring drains that turned up less of a diversity of foods depicted immersed socioeconomic discrepancy amidst neighbors. Garbage also reveals the economic status of the household in regard to the quantity packages they buy that is relatively lower income families purchase products in smaller packages whilst corresponding upper-income families purchase massive economy-size substances. A larger packet of pizza, sausages, burger, crisps, ice cream and soft drinks reveals that the underlying family had relatively higher income(Pellow, 34-156). Larger quantities also reveal that the families were large whilst few packets depict relatively smaller family. In sum, the kind of garbage normally depicts the socioeconomic class of the underlying household, the number of persons within the household, economic welfare and culture. Moreover, archaeologists largely depend on garbage in determining of the culture of a family and consequently neighborhood.

The Problems of Contemporary American Culture Assignment

The Problems of Contemporary American Culture - Assignment Example Many teenagers disrespect their parents, adults, the elderly, and traditions. The media no longer differentiate the news from gossip and personal opinions. Many people assert their rights without knowing and doing their responsibilities as law-abiding and productive citizens. We have high rates of recidivism, because we not prepare ex-convicts for re-integration into community life. Sapiental Circle Questions What do you cherish about American culture? Respondent 1 Sex: Male Age: 52 Relationship: Neighbor and friend Answer: I cherish the belief in the American Dream, where any people from any gender, race, and age can attain happiness and success through hard work and determination. Respondent 2 Sex: Female Age: 39 Relationship: Mother’s friend Answer: I cherish the freedoms in American culture that other societies do not have, like freedom of speech and freedom of demonstration. Respondent 3 Sex: Male Age: 19 Relationship: Cousin Answer: I like that we have freedoms. I can cr iticize my government without being killed for my views. Respondent 4 Sex: Female Age: 18 Relationship: Friend Answer: I like the notion of the American Dream and our freedoms. It means we can be who we want to be and no one can stop us. We can speak our minds and we can still wake up and live another day. Classmate 1 Sex: Female Age: 20 Relationship: Friend Answer: The best in American culture is our freedoms. ... Respondent 1 Answer: So many youth nowadays have no respect for their parents and adults. They think they know everything and yet they know nothing, even about themselves and their culture. Respondent 2 Answer: Mass media makes me sick. I rarely watch TV nowadays. It’s all about selling sex, violence, and materialism. Respondent 3 Answer: People fight for their rights, but they don’t want the responsibilities that go with it. They just want this and that, but they will not give time for issues that matter. Respondent 4 Answer: I find it problematic that media glorifies skinny and perfectly beautiful models and actresses. They teach youth that they can never be young, pretty, and sexy enough. They teach poor self-esteem and self worth. Classmate 1 Answer: The problem is the lack of self-criticism, the inability to stop and examine our weaknesses. Media also sucks. It’s driven by money and produces sexual, misogynistic, and materialistic images and messages all the time. Classmate 2 Answer: It’s problematic that people no longer care about each other. They are too individualistic. I also dislike its apparent lack of respect for other cultures in other countries. We cannot force our ideals on others, no matter how noble we think they are. My Own Answers What do you cherish about American culture? I cherish the concept of the American Dream and our civil rights and freedoms. Migrants and natives can both reach their ideals of success and happiness. They have the liberty and support from the government too, which help them reach their dreams in life. What do you find problematic in America culture? I find it problematic that the culture is steeped with materialism, sensationalism, discrimination, indifference, immorality

Culture shock Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Culture shock - Research Paper Example Even if a student is not aware of the culture shock, he or she is always aware of the differences in culture and social setting. A student in this context is basically a sojourner who stays temporarily in another social setting. So is a worker or the missionaries or armed forces. In order to perform efficiently it is important for these people to adapt to the new culture. This adaptation might be costly to them in terms of both individual and physical health conditions. The United States has been witnessing the largest inflow of foreign students. The exchange of education provides a very useful instance to reflect this phenomenon. In 1955 the number was around 34000 from the overseas and it grew to 450000 in 1996. As a result of the rising levels of migration from the economically backward nations to the wealthier ones, the societies are moving form predominantly mono-cultural to multicultural setting. Societies of US, Britain and Canada are eventually transforming themselves into cu lturally diverse ones. As the ambience of an individual changes or as the person relocates to a different cultural background, he or she needs to build some new perspectives or thoughts along with behaviors in order to fit into the new surroundings. A culture shock is basically a process instead of being a particular event and its impact grows weaker as it recurs in the life of the same person. This is because the individual learns new strategies to adapt to these changes once he faces the new situation. (Pederson, vii) The paper will emphasize upon the culture shock related experiences encountered by students who move abroad to earn a foreign degree and eventually work there or return to their home country. Culture Shock – theoretical frameworks A culture is referred as the collective psychological plan formation of the human mind. While the time one takes his food is decided by his human nature driven by hunger, the way the food is eaten is decided by one’s culture ( using fork or using hands). Again whether an individual is going to choose the fork and knife to eat i an individual decision irrespective of what the cultural programming suggests or what the society infers.(Nunez, Mahdi, and Popma, 5) The theoretical setting of similarity attraction hypothesis is applicable in this circumstance. This hypothesis states that an individual tends to interact, feel comfortable with and trust people with whom they share something common in the cultural settings. This might include religion, values and beliefs apart from interests and other characteristics. Cross cultural communications occur between the people who tend to differ in terms of these essential characteristics. Another theory which might be studied in this respect is the cultural distance hypothesis. In this theoretical setting, the geographical distance plays a major role in understanding the cultural differences. For instance Australia and New Zealand are comparatively more similar in term s of cultural setting compared to India and USA. The more the cultural distance is, the greater is the probability of experiencing cultural shock. In fact empirical evidence can prove that Australian executives are more comfortable working in Auckland than at Taipei (Ward, Bochnan and Furnham, 9). The experience of a student who moves aboard for his studies usually undergoes five stages of culture shock. Peter Alder

The Value of HRM to Business Organisations Essay Example for Free

The Value of HRM to Business Organisations Essay This essay will evaluate the literature available on the value of the selection method of personality tests to business organisations. These tests measure individual’s responses to what are usually fixed choice questions to uncover characteristics that have important implications for their job performance (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007). Personality tests were first reviewed in a personnel selection context in 1965 (Guion and Gottier, 1965) but it is only recently that they have become popular with around 30% of companies using them (Heller, 2005), particularly for candidates applying for managerial and graduate jobs within the top companies in the UK (Faulder, 2005; Newell, 2005: 133). However, despite their popularity there is still continuing controversy in debates surrounding this selection method. These debates will be explored alongside identifying relevant concepts such as the validity and reliability of personality tests which have implications for their value to business organisations. Although there are many debates surrounding personality tests they can be broadly grouped into four main areas (Taylor, 2005). The first of these debates concerns whether and to what extent it is actually possible to measure an individual’s personality. The uptake of personality tests highlights that there is now a level of agreement that personality is measurable, but there is a need therefore to adopt similar systems of personality descriptions if findings are to be compared (Newell, 2005: 134). The five factor model also referred to as the â€Å"Big Five† is close to achieving this as it becomes more readily accepted as the model of choice when constructing personality tests (Robertson, 2001). This model breaks personality into five important traits of open to experience, agreeableness, emotional stability, conscientiousness and extraversion (Rothstein and Goffin, 2006) with the latter two being considered the most valid predictors of job performance (Barrick and Mount, 1993), however it is important to note it is not without its critics (Murphy and Dzieweczynski, 2005). Furthermore, when using personality tests in selection an individual’s willingness to be honest when answering questions needs to be considered and will be explored in more detail later (Torrington, 2005). Secondly, there is much discussion about whether personality is context dependent (Torrington, 2005: 152) or whether it remains consistent over time (Barrick and Mount, 1993). This has significant ramifications for the value of personality tests in selection methods and specifically the reliability of research to establish its predictive value. There would be ultimately no value to a business organisation spending resources to measure a characteristic which is fluid as it would only serve to identify an individual’s personality at one point in time. This issue also feeds into the notion of faking personality tests and social desirability which has been the subject to much research into reliability (Furnham, 1986). It has been argued that such limitations in selection can be overcome by implementing detection measures into tests which can expose when a candidate is trying to fake their responses (Dalen et al, 2001). Another debate which is central to the use of personality tests as a selection method is whether personality characteristics can really be matched as necessary for a specific job. As some jobs will pose more constraints on an individual than others and therefore limit their ability to express their personality (Barrick and Mount, 1993). This perhaps explains why the increased uptake in personality tests has been specific to certain types of work where this matching is possible (Taylor, 2005) and therefore that in a large amount of recruitment the use of personality tests would be undesirable and pose little value to the business organisation. The final debate which has implications for the value of personality tests is whether the method, i. e. the completion of a fixed questionnaire, provides a suitable depth of information about the candidate’s personality to make decisions about their suitability for the job they are applying for (Taylor, 2005). Iles and Salaman (1995) have argued that these measures are stronger predictors than had previously been thought but there have been many limitations of studies demonstrating its predictive value. Armstrong (2006) points to the need to have tests which are sensitive, standardised, reliable and valid in order for them to be considered effective. It has also been suggested that instead personality tests should be used as part of a two way process whereby results are discussed during interviews to consider how an individual would deal with certain situations (Newell, 2005). This would perhaps help manage the limitation that individuals feel pressurised into giving a ‘right’ answer and therefore fake their responses to a personality test. Throughout these debates there is the reoccurring theme of the need for reliability and validity in personality tests, as with any other selection method a business organisation may adopt. Here it is important that the method is consistent in its measures both throughout the personality test itself and should the personality test be applied to individuals over time. Furthermore, the predictive value will be heavily affected if no clear relationship is established between the tests results and job performance (Newell, 2005). In conclusion, from the literature review it is evident that there is still little clarity or agreement about the validity and reliability of personality tests as a selection method. What is certain, however, is that it is necessary to carefully match certain personality characteristics against aspects of performance on the job for personality tests to have predictive value. Building on this literature review, this essay will now focus on and describe the research findings of two relevant papers.

International Marketing and Digital Media

International Marketing and Digital Media Yanika Limbu, Deevanshu Sahni, Ravreet Kaur TACTICS, OPERATIONAL FACTORS, CUSTOMERS TARGETING AND OUTCOMES: Every business should have its perfect plan to achieve its goals. As for our company to sell our products in the China we are using social networking sites as one of the media to promote and sell our products. There are many social sites in the world and we are choosing those social networking which are famous in China. The social networking sites we are choosing as follows: WEBSITE: Firstly, we are promoting our products through our own Companys website where we will explain everything about products price, ingredients, usage and benefits. Nowadays, everyone use internet to search about new products in the market. So it is advantage for us to have our own website where we will keep posting about our new products arrival, promotion and discounts. As website is available for 24/7 so customers can easily get accessible from anywhere anytime therefore, it will help us to cover a wide range of market (kazdesignworks, 2016). Chinese women which age from 25 to 54 are our main customers as our product is related to beauty care. Like, as mentioned before website is easily available for everyone so our main target customers also fall under this category. They are from young to middle age women who are busy in their own life but with the help of website they can buy the product and no need to go to store. So, with the help of website we can know whether customers are interested in our product or not and are we achieving our goal. For that purposes, we can use different kinds of indicators like Google Analytics and Goal Conversion tracking which will help us to know how many customers have buy our products. In a same way, through Engagement metrics will help us to know that how many times customers are visiting our website. Therefore, if customers are visiting our website more frequently then we can say that they are interested in our products (yola, 2013). WECHAT: WeChat is one of the best platform for the cosmetic products sales in China as in 2015 it had user of 600 million in every month and it is still growing (Eggplantdigital, 2016). So, we can say that many Chinese people are using WeChat for the online shopping. We can set our own WeChat Shop through we can communicate with our potential customers where we can know customers buying habit. As well as, customers can ask questions about the products features and we can give answers for their queries. Nowadays, Chinese people are more interested in buying online rather than going store because its easy and simple with just one touch on the picture of the product (Dickson, 2015). According to the WeChat Impact Report, the users are ages from 18 to 35 so most of our target group are falls under this category (Mobile, 2016). So, users can look picture of our products and they can always give their feedback at any time. With the given feedback, we can improve our product according our customers demands. If our product is like by Chinese customers then they can spread the goods words and share experience with others. As a result, we will get good promotion and more new customers for the product. Likewise, we can offer users free sample and discount by encouraging them to be our member through WeChat shop. As mentioned before, this is a good platform for communicate with customers personally to know their opinions about the products. So, we can present some problems related to skin and ask the customers to give solution later we can select best one and give them rewards. Therefore, it will boost our sales and customers will be more curious about our products. Last but not least, the main benefit of using social media is online payment, like in WeChat there is also online payment which is very convenient and fast for customers (OKOMP, 2015). WEIBO: Another social media we choose to follow to promote and sale our product in China is Weibo which had 280 million user in 2013 that covers almost 45.5% of internet user (HKTDC, 2014). Therefore, it is used by almost everyone in China and it covers our target age group too. Like other social media, it also gives and shares information through video and post regarding new things like products, events and news to anyone. So, it will be great opportunity for us to reach many potential customers in China. We can post and update our product features on Weibo so that users can share the post to their friends and community. As a result, many people can know about our product and helps us to create product awareness in the market. According to Sina Weibo Data Center, with the help of incentives like discounts and gifts users who were not interested buying online products are willing to share the information to their friends and families by sharing the videos and posts (HKTDC, 2014). The refore, we can offer gifts certificate and discounts to attract user to share and promote our product through sharing the post to their friends and communities. Once we have regular customers, we can communicate with them more often and they can also leave their comment on the Weibo page. Customers can know our new arrival product or any special promotion through the Weibo page. According to the HKTDCs Survey on Chinas middle-class consumers, agree that I believe in the products recommended by people I follow on Weibo and WeChat and am interested in giving then a try (HKTDC, 2014). Thus, we can say that most of Chinas customers purchase the product how others gives review it like positive or negative through social media.

Critical Self Reflection Of Social Work

Critical Self Reflection Of Social Work As feminist writer Starhawk said, Only when we know how we have been shaped by the structures of power in which we live can we become shapers (Staehawk, 1988) It is essential for every participant of social activity to know our own complex social locations, social position, and identities. By acknowledge how these factors are processed, we could understand what privilege we has hold and what oppression we are involve in order to improve our capacity for social work and practice anti-oppressively in our daily life. Features of Social Locations Our memberships are interactional, they are come into existence in and through relation to one another. (Ringrose, 2002) Knowing what futures of our social locations are and how they are consolidated and changed by each other could improve the depth of our self-awareness and warning us be critical. People usually ask me questions about my nationality, location of hometown, and my occupation when we start a conversation. Therefore, most of time I am identified as a female student who comes from a developing country of Southeast Asia. Broadly speaking, the reason why these questions have been asked commonly during our communication is because of these social location have a same feature which has a huge impact on our behaviors, accents, appearances. In the other words, they are visible and audible for people to recognized and identify. However, compare with these social locations, my political affiliations, religion are more difficult for others to indentify due to the abstraction of these social locations that make them relatively invisible and inaudible. The influence of these social locations are ideological. They have constructed our ideology, social norm and even have shaped our identity. My social locations are various, I am an oppressor while I am oppressed by others. Unde rstanding these features of my social locations could help me to aware the privileges, powers, and injustice that these social locations have been bought to me and to avoid these unfair privilege, power over and subjective feelings of injustice , in order to share power with others and practice anti-oppressively in daily life. Message of Identity from Society As Aristotle has pointed out in his book Politics, Man is by nature a social animal, (Stagiritis, 2000) human being always has demand to connect with others in order to gain a sense of belonging in society. They have been self-locating, identifying others and being identified base on their experience, education, religion, race, gender and more elements of society during their connection which means that our complex identity have been constructed by these elements. As an individual with multi-dimensional identity, I have been received various societal message in my daily life. Some of these messages are relate to my cultural background while some messages relate to other elements. I moved to a capital city which named Kunming from Shilin (a small town of southwest China) when I was young, for the first few days in my new school I wear the traditional Yi costume as what I did in my previous school in Shilin as an Yi people. However, my new classmates gave me a hard time because of I wear a dress with embroidered totem instead of wearing a normal dress as they did; my teacher punished me to stand on a chair with arms extended upwards in front of the entire school because I refused to take off my bracelet on the weekly assembly. Although I spoke fluently Mandarin and had been raised in an urban intellectual family as majority had, most of students even teachers in my new school shown their unwillingness to communicate with me and used your people to separated me from them. In my understanding, the difficulty to fell a sense of belonging and acceptance (James, 1991) causes the feeling of being isolation, it was a societal message about my identity at that time. The message are conveyed to me by isolating me physically and psychologically from the majority. After receiving the message I started to refuse to wear any Yi clothes and accessories to school because the painfulness from being isolated from normal people was unbearable for me as a teenager. During that time, my identity had been adjusted by following the process which has been pointed out by Smith, moving from unawareness and lack of differentiation to ethnic awareness and self-identification (Smith, 1991). Power and Privilege Our society is diverse in many aspects, such as gender, religion, age etc. These differentiations cause(s) fear, mistrust, and hatred (Uvic, 2004 ) and bring us advantage and disadvantage in our life. What is more, these differentiations have been used as justification for holding belief in the superiority of one way of being over another (Uvic, 2004) . We need to understand what type of power has been embedded in our social locations in order to practice anti-oppressively when we face the inequality and unjustice. Being a twenty-one year-old heterosexual female, I have been experienced power-from-within and power-with due to my complex social locations. As being defined as a young people, there are various resources and opportunities out there for me when I need them such as entertainment resources ,education opportunity etc. These elements provide me materially and emotionally supports to help me increase personal power in order to against the oppression from society. However, I should not feel happy with this unequal advantages because this institutionalized ageism does not provide equally opportunity for elder to take part in meaningful social activity or exercise their capacities in socially defined and recognized ways (Muallaly, 2002) . In order to resist privilege and unearned advantage, I have been participated in a volunteer group which works with elder and to power connect with them in order decrease the influences of institutionalized ageism on elder. Meanwhile, as being a heterosexu al female I have holding many invisible and visible privileges. For example, I will not be judged by people if I hand in hand and walk on street with my boyfriend; my sexual orientation will not be treated as immoral or abnormal. There are many social constructions are built base on the assumption that every individuals sexual attractions are to someone of opposite sex. Instead of seeing these privilege as advantage, we should not only see them as social resistances and avoid power-over in our practice, but also respect and support all non-transitional forms of sexuality (Uvic, 2004 ) by following Queer Theory. These unfair and unearned advantages will resist our society to develop comprehensively, humanely and justly and we definitely have the responsibility to be aware of diversity and never assume people around us. Purpose of Social Work It is essential for social worker to know the purposes of this profession because these purposes are the direction for us and provide clients with a constructive solution when we work with them. When I began this course, in my understanding the purpose of social work was improving the physical environment of individual as in a micro level and promote the justice of society as in a macro level. As my learning about this profession has been processing, my ideas of social work purpose have expanded. According to purpose for this profession which is defined by The National Association of Social Workers, the mission is promote or restore a mutually beneficial interaction between individuals and society in order to improve the quality of life for everyone (Dubois, 2004), this profession assists individuals to create a supportive social system that help clients to achieve their personal goals. Dubois and Krogsrud have mentioned about social work purpose in their book Social Work: An Empowering Profession, they said social workers strived to release human power in order to ensure the well performance for individual and to release social power in order to promote social injustice. ( Dubois, 2004) More specifically, the purpose in Micro level is to enhance clients ability for social functioning and to match individuals with favorable resources. From a macro perspective, the purpose is to stimulate the development of social justice. These purposes are leading entire profession to strive to create an better society. Social Justice Social justice is a key point to promote the fairness and equity in our social environment. Depending on the concept of this course, there are some elements which are necessary for social justice to exist. These elements are: acknowledgment of the connections between social with politic and economy (Uvic, 2004 ), awareness of social injustice, action and movement, fairness of policy, and equality of social opportunity. In order to promote the justice of social construction, I have positioned myself as a participant of social activity who has desire to against injustice and have responsibility to think critically, act anti-oppressively with belief in that everyone has right to share equal physical resources and to be benefited from comprehensive policy. However, there are might resistances stand in my way when I involve activities to fight for political justice and economic redistribution. These resistances could be lack of resources and effect of bureaucratization. In order to avoid the resistance from these two dimensions, I should not be afraid to question the policy and speak out to let government know what is needed by people. Also think and act critically instead of working hidebound. Bridget used her action to examine that everyone has ability to make difference in our society. We shall never give up our goal for working to promote justice in social system. As American social critic James Baldwin said, according to the way people see it, and if you can alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change the world. About This Profession Social Work is a profession which attempts to demonstrated the interconnectedness between individual changes and social changes (Uvic,2004). To some extent, the primary purposes could include unpacking the complicity both in societal structure and individual life. This profession should not position itself as an caring and help institution and stay in this image, this profession should stand out to reconnect the political with social (Uvic, 2004 ) and involve the economic redistrubution in order to ensure that everyone has equal worth, opportunity, and dignity in society. There are two questions I need to be answered, first question is how to act anti-bureaucratically in workplace and the second one is what can I do when there is no matching resources for clients. To practice efficiency, I need to get spiritual and technical supports from myself and co-worker, and people around me to point out what I did wrong. This activity from Art Journal helps me to understand myself better and h elp me to know why I choose this profession, it also help me to know what is boundary when I work with clients. Our society is not perfect, to some degree its awareness for diversity, injustice government policy and inequality distribution of physical resources are resisting the promotion of social justice. we have responsibility to understand clearly what our ideology perspective is and what power we have due to our social locations and identities. These could release human power and social power in order to enhance social functioning and social policy. Sometimes it is not easy to have the visible effect for promoting the quality of life to entire society, but it worth us to strive for and fight for. As a Chinese old saying goes: No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

David Ricardo :: essays research papers

David Ricardo was born on April 19 1772 in London and was the third son of 17 children. His parents were very successful and his father was a wealthy merchant banker, making a fortune on the London Stock Exchange. When he was 14, Ricardo joined his father's business and showed a good grasp of economic affairs. However, he was disinherited by his parents when in 1793, he married a Quaker, so he set up on his own career as a stockbroker. He continued as a member of the stock exchange, where his ability won him the support of an eminent banking house. His success in this allowed him to retire at the age of 42. This enabled him to pursue his interests in literature and science, particularly in mathematics, chemistry, and geology. Along with Malthus, Ricardo was very concerned about the impact that rising populations would have on the economy. He argued that with more people, more land would have to be cultivated. However, the return from this land would not be constant as the amount of capital available would not grow at the same rate. In fact the land would suffer from diminishing returns. Extra land that was brought into cultivation would become more and more marginal in terms of profitability, and eventually returns would not be enough to attract any further capital. At this point the maximum level of economic rent would have been earned. The knowledge of comparative advantage enables countries to trade with other countries more efficiently and knowing the opportunity cost than are forgone and making the correct choices.It improves diplomatic relations between the trading countries.It also enables us to know which countries are relatively better at producing certain goods as compared to other countries.So,due to this theory,it allows trade between countries to improve their consumption of the goods in the market.

The Gothic Features of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Essay -- Charlott

The Gothic Features of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte A Gothic novel is a type of literature, which became very popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In this time, society was governed by strict moral codes. The "Gothics" would escape into a world of dark, supernatural and wild passions. The word 'Gothic' meant barbarous and wild and many writers liked to involve these elements in their novels. Gothic novels were usually set in foreign countries, particularly in Catholic countries in Southern Europe, and usually set in the past, in the Middle Ages. Many Gothic novels took place in castles, dungeons and monasteries, and were supernatural and mysterious, involving ghosts and monsters. Gothic novels often follow this pattern: a young beautiful girl who is rather helpless with no family, is abducted by a rough, dark villain who imprisons her in his castle. After much danger and possible exploitation, she is rescued by a good, pleasant young man who falls in love with her. Gothic novels are always very dramatic and mysterious, with a great deal of detailed description and suspense and tension. Charlotte Bronte did not perhaps aim to write a Gothic novel, but she was perhaps influenced by the books and materials she had read as a child. Throughout 'Jane Eyre', the location and setting are very important. Jane begins at Gateshead with the Reed family, where she is very excluded and isolated. Sympathy is created for Jane as she is thought of as a weak and vulnerable heroine. This I consider to be very Gothic. "I was a discord in Gateshead Hall: I was like nobody there". The house is very grand and elaborate w... ...eates, using similes, metaphors and symbolism. However, there are parts where Bronte has changed the typical 'Gothic novel' around. For example, at the meeting of Jane and Mr Rochester. Here it seems that Jane is the hero, and Mr Rochester is the heroine. This adds contrast and makes it seem more interesting for the reader, as they would it expect Jane to be the heroine, and Mr Rochester the hero. The ending is not to be considered Gothic either, because, although they fall in love at the end, Mr Rochester's mansion is burnt down and he is blind. This would normally contradict a normal Gothic novel, where everything would end happily. Charlotte Bronte has not completely written a Gothic novel, however 'Jane Eyre' does have many features which could be considered Gothic. Works Cited: Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: New American Library, 1997.

A Global Theory of Knowledge for the Future :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

A Global Theory of Knowledge for the Future ABSTRACT: There is too much factual knowledge to grasp even a speck of the whole. This makes for an excessive diversity that lacks in coherent unity. With no coherency in the parts, there will be no coherent truth in the whole. Without coherent truth there is only a relative truth. Relative truth makes for contradiction from different viewpoints, perceptions, and perspectives. Contradictions deny a common definition and meaning of truth, morality, justice, and beauty. They also deny common standards, values, principles, and virtues. Uncommon values lead to personal and social conflict and confusion, to the blocking of learning in education, to the disintegration of social unity. To have common standards and values, that a global theory of knowledge requires, concrete factual knowledge should be unified by abstract concepts that are unified by abstruse principles that are unified by symbolic structures. Such principles ultimately derive from an ultimate unity and structure. This ultim ate unity is the keystone that holds the whole systematic structure of knowledge together. Definitions: Spiritual: Intuitive knowledge. The antithesis of sensual. Rational: Logical knowledge. The synthesis of the spiritual and sensual. Sensual: Sensory knowledge. The antithesis of the spiritual. Progressive Ranges: Hierarchical social levels, like person, group, nation, civilization. There is too much factual knowledge to grasp even a speck of the whole. This makes for an excessive diversity that lacks in coherent unity. With no coherency in the parts, there will be no coherent truth in the whole. Without coherent truth there is only a relative truth. Relative truth makes for contradiction from different viewpoints, perceptions, and perspectives. Contradictions deny a common definition and meaning of truth, morality, justice, and beauty. They also deny common standards, values, principles, and virtues. Uncommon values lead to personal and social conflict and confusion; to the blocking of learning in education, to the disintegration of social unity. Such personal and social problems result from learning only the factual leaves on the Tree of Knowledge. This causes one to lose sight of unifying principles that are the roots, and the unifying concepts that are the branches. To have common standards and values, that a global theory of knowledge requires, concrete factual knowledge should be unified by abstract concepts, that are unified by abstruse principles, that are unified by symbolic structures. Such principles ultimately derive from an ultimate unity and structure. This ultimate unity is the keystone that holds the whole systematic structure of knowledge together.

Feasibility Report for a Fast Food Restaurant

FEASIBILITY REPORT FOR A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT PREAMBLE: We have taken out time to write this report for several reasons among which are: [pic] This project serves as part of the â€Å"private-sector participation initiative† drive embarked by our company [pic] Our desire to make you reconsider your present stand about not wanting to invest in the Nigerian economy, for now [pic] Our belief that this report can form a base for an enlarged feasibility report, which we hope you, would commission us to carry out [pic] Our desire to make you see the financial viability of this project [pic] Our desire to make you see the potentials of the Nigerian market [pic] Our desire to bring viable investments into this country [pic] Our desire to portray the true image of Nigeria to the outside world [pic] Our desire to see your company operational in Nigeria It is therefore our firm belief that after reading through this report, there will be a burning desire to reap the benefits of investing in Africa's biggest market, and partnering with us in i ts quest to touch hearts through the McDonald's heritage. TABLE OF CONTENT 1. DATA GATHERING 2. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT 3. SITE ANALYSIS 4. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS 5. FINANCIAL STATEMENT [pic] DATA GATHERING [pic]BASIC FACTS ABOUT NIGERIA: AFRICA's BIGGEST DEMOCRACY AND MARKET. FEDERAL CAPITAL: ABUJA COMMERCIAL CAPITAL: LAGOS POPULATION Nigeria with a population of 113,828,587 (July 1999 EST. ) is the most populous country in Africa. It has a Population Growth rate: 2. 92% (1999 EST. ) AGE STRUCTURE 0-14 YEARS: 45% (MALE 25,613,974; FEMALE 25,397,166) 15-64 YEARS: 52% (MALE 30,272,539; FEMALE 29,197,611) 65 YEARS AND OVER: 3% (MALE 1,678,732; FEMALE 1,668,565) (1999 EST. ) [pic]MARKET AREA We intend that McDonald's setup its first restaurant, in Lagos State. It has also pinned down any of these locations for its first restaurant, namely Broad and Marina Streets in Lagos Island, Awolowo Road in Ikoyi, and Akin Adesola and Ahmadu Bello Way, in Victoria Island. There is a school of thought that says that the Market in Lagos is bigger than the Market in other countries of West Africa put together. For people conversant with Lagos, these locations are prime locations, as they boast of the presence of Nigeria’s high rise buildings, Nigeria’s most successful shops and companies, with their attendant management and senior staff, who invariably are Nigeria’s creme de la creme. These locations can also be regarded as Nigeria’s Jugular vein in commerce. They also presently boast of hosting the best Fast Food Restaurants in Lagos. We are already looking forward to a healthy competition between you and them. Another feature of these locations is that they can be accessed within 5-10minutes of each other. It is therefore usual to see people working in Victoria Island moving over to a restaurant in Ikoyi, or Lagos Island, and vice versa. [pic]DEMOGRAPHY OF POTENTIAL CONSUMERS: Age: Infant – 60 and above (some fast food restaurants have playing pens for infants) Sex: Male: Female (55%: 45%) Income: $300/year and above Usage Rate: Worst Case Scenario: 500 consumers/day Average Case Scenario: 1200 consumers/day Best Case Scenario: 2000 consumers/day With McDonald's we expect figures to get as high as 1,500, 2,200 and 2,700 respectively. User Status: Ranges from first time users, Regular users and Occasional Users. For an average day in the 1ST year of operations: First Time Users: approx. 10% Regular Users: approx. 50% Occasional Users: approx. 40% Loyalty Status: Indifferent (None) 42% Medium: 35% Strong: 20% Absolute: 3% We are however confident that with McDonald's, consumers can be pulled from the indifferent categories, to being strong and absolute consumers with McDonald's. Occupation: Predominantly white collar workers, businessmen also form a sizable proportion of consumers. During weekends and evenings, the majority of consumers are whole families, couples, lovers etc. Educational Qualification: Secondary (High) school certificate holders to PHD holders. Religion: Predominantly Christian and liberal Muslims. This therefore means, a willingness/freedom to associate with people, including the opposite sex in public. Provisions for Takeaway snacks also allow the recluse patronize Fast Food Restaurants. Social Status: 80% of all classes of society BENEFITS: These are related to some kind of advantages looked for in patronizing any business. In the case of Fast Food Restaurants, the following parameters have been used to assess patronage: Economical Nature of Investment: Medium Rating Convenience: High Rating Prestige: High Rating Hangout Venue: High Rating LOCAL TRAFFIC PATTERNS: Lagos has a high traffic pattern. On a busy weekday afternoon in Lagos, traffic density is approx. 000 cars/sq. kilometers. [pic] CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT Concept development means making decisions about the components of the fast food restaurant concept, including theme, menu, service style, hours of operations. Since this feasibility is for the setting up of an already established name, its concept would basically be c entered upon what is presently obtainable. It is however important to make some recommendations, as the data from the population in the market area would help in evaluating a fast food restaurant's concept that fits the area’s needs and preferences. Lagos Island and its sister island, Victoria Island, form what is called Lagos City or EKO. It is a city with a high rate of hustle and bustle. In some parts of this city, the lights never go out. It is a city in which 70 percent of its work force comes from smaller towns (3-70 kilometers) from within and outside Lagos State, on a daily basis. This scenario automatically creates needs in the minds of some migrants to Lagos City, which must be met, such as: 1. Where do we eat breakfast, considering that we might have to wake up very early so as to avoid the early morning rush, which results in traffic jams? 2. Where do we eat lunch, considering the fact the demands of work and the distance between workplace and home will prevent us from going home? 3. Where do we eat dinner, considering that we might need to allow the traffic jam caused by motorists leaving Lagos City, subside? Apart from these variables, fast food restaurants in Lagos play host to people who live in Lagos City, and also provide a conducive environment for businessmen. We would therefore recommend that hours of operation span from 6. 45am to 9. 45pm daily. [pic] SITE ANALYSIS Specifically, we would like to narrow down our site search to Akin Adesola Street, in Victoria Island. This road is directly linked to the bridge that connects Lagos Island at the Ikoyi and Old Ikoyi end of Lagos Island: a drive of less than 5 minutes. It is important to note that Old Ikoyi is the most expensive residential area in Lagos State, and it is followed closely by Victoria Island, which also houses the most expensive office apartments in Lagos State. What this means is that McDonald's would be neighboring the rich and tasteful people resident in Lagos State. Akin Adesola Street, which spans about 1. 1Km is directly linked to the major streets in Victoria Island such as Ahmadu Bello way, Ozumba Mbadiwe, Adeyemo Alakija, Adeola Odeku, Sanusi Fafunwa, Karimu Kotun and Bishop Oluwole Streets. It traffic density is not too high as the road is dualised. At the other end of this street is the famous Bar beach; with Kuramo beach around the corner. McDonald's would therefore benefit from people coming to the beach who require Take-away. The presence of the beach also guarantees a constant supply of fresh air. Presently, only one major fast food restaurant operator has an outlet on this major road. Around Victoria Island there are presently about six fast food restaurants and based on the potentials of this area of Lagos State it would be an understatement to say that that Akin Adesola Street, would comfortably house another restaurant, most especially the first McDonald's restaurant in Nigeria. It is important to note that apart from Lagos City, other towns in Lagos State, such as Ikeja and Apapa can comfortably host a McDonald's restaurant. [pic] COMPETITOR ANALYSIS Fast foods in Nigeria are as old as Nigeria itself. From the time of Nigeria’s independence fast food shops have been opened in the major towns of Nigeria. It was however not until 1986 that United African Company of Nigeria (UACN) in a diversification bid opened the first real fast food chain of restaurants in Nigeria. Since then a number of other operators have graced the fast food restaurant industry stage. Presently, it is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Nigerian economy and it would not be out of place to say that there is already a fast food craze in Nigeria, and this is just the beginning. In financial term, the fast food industry is approximately a $40 million dollar market, with over 83% of this market in Lagos State alone. In doing a proper competitor analysis, it will be appropriate to first identify the major competitors whose presence will bring out the best of McDonald's. The major players are MR. Bigg's (a fast food restaurant operated by UACN), Tantalizers, Tastees Fried Chicken, Sweet Sensations, Munchies, Favorites, Friends Eatery, Kas Chicken, Fingers (a fast food restaurant operated by United Trading Company), St. Elmo’s (a South African Franchise). For this analysis, only the three major fast food joints will be discussed. MR. BIGG’S This is a subsidiary of the big conglomerate, United African Company of Nigeria (UACN). It started operations in 1986, and is noted for being the first real operator of fast food restaurants in Nigeria. Presently, there are thirty-seven outlets spread all over Nigeria, with a massive twenty-two in Lagos State. Plans are on the ground to increase the total number of restaurants to fifty-seven by the end of the year. An estimated 1200 people visit an average Mr. Bigg's outlet per day. STRENGHTS †¢ Biggest financial muscle †¢ Brand Name recognition †¢ Good Knowledge of the Nigerian market †¢ Complete support of the UACN conglomerate as it is rumored to be the only subsidiary presently making a profit †¢ Strong emphasis on family and catching the young †¢ Formation of alliances with companies providing complementary goods †¢ Good use of the electronic and print media †¢ Starts operations as early as 6. 5am, with the intention of attending to people who want a good meal breakfast before working hours commence WEAKNESSES †¢ Its strength fizzles out at the arrival of the other major fast food operators to the neighborhood †¢ It is presently not noted for its excellent food, as it places emphasis on its snacks †¢ The initial excitement that heralded its entrance to the market seems to have been lost, as there seems to be â€Å"an out of fashion†, cover on it with the presence of the new entrants. This feeling is however peculiar to Lagos, as the opening of any Mr. Bigg's restaurant outside Lagos gives a feeling â€Å"at long last†, to the residents of these towns TANTALIZERS One of the most promising fast food restaurants in Nigeria. They began operations in the Festac area of Lagos State in 1995, and within the space of about six years have opened seven other outlets. The management of Tantalizers can be regarded as very aggressive marketers. Their marketing strategy seems to be directly aimed at their competitors. In the last four outlets they have opened, they have set up shops almost directly opposite or at best, a little close to their competitors in the process of drawing customers to their outlets. STRENGTHS: †¢ Effective Marketing Strategy †¢ Improving Brand Name Recognition †¢ Commendable Customer Service †¢ Vastly improving financial muscle †¢ Marketing emphasis is on catching couples and lovers WEAKNESS: Increasing complaint about the quality of their food †¢ Diversification into Africa Meals may be their undoing as they would be dividing their effort between the Fast food restaurant and the new African food restaurant †¢ There seems to be an emerging class distinctio n within the fast food industry, and the feeling is that Tantalizers falls within the middle class category. In other words, for serious minded businessmen and the upper-class, Tantalizers would naturally not come as their first choice of a fast food restaurant TASTEE FRIED CHICKEN It is one of the most promising fast food restaurants in Nigeria. It began operations in Surulere, Lagos State. It is attributed to be the second new generation fast food restaurant, after Mr. Bigg's. At the time of this report they have only three restaurants. When one considers the time they have spent in the fast food industry in Nigeria, and the fact that they only have three restaurants to show for it, one would want to mistakenly write them off as underachievers. Doing this will however be at ones peril as they seem to be carving a niche among the business and upper classes. STRENGTHS: †¢ Improving Brand Name Recognition †¢ Commendable Customer Service †¢ High taste and consumer conducive environment †¢ Regarded as having the best food in the industry Marketing emphasis seems to be on, catching the business class WEAKNESS: †¢ Ineffective class distinction. Class distinction which they claim to be their marketing strategy for luring the business and upper classes, has not seen them charging higher prices for their service with the belief that consumers who value t heir products and service will be willing to pay for it. In other words, even though it may seem that they are providing better products and service, it has not accrued to relatively bigger profit, as it seems that their expenses are relatively higher than their competitors, while the profit, which should be proportional to expenditure, is lower. †¢ Marketing is not aggressive [pic] FINANCIAL STATEMENT Financial Analysis will be based on the demography of potential consumers of McDonald's as arrived at in the demographic studies (USAGE RATE) on page 4 of this report. According to the survey carried out on existing fast food restaurants, Usage Rate: Worst Case Scenario: 500 consumers/day Average Case Scenario: 1,200 consumers/day Best Case Scenario: 2,000 consumers/day With McDonald's we expect figures to get as high as 1,500, 2,200 and 2,700 respectively per restaurant. Using these figures, assuming an average consumer spends $1. 5/visit/day, expected income: For Worst Case Scenario: 1,500 X $1. 5 X 360 days per year = $810,000 per year For Average Case Scenario: 2,200 X $1. 5 X 360 days per year = $1,188,000 per year For Best Case Scenario: 2,700 X $1. 5 X 360 days per year = $1,458,000 per year In reality, consumers presently spend between $0. 4 – $5 per visit, making our estimated income analysis of $1. 50 per visit very conservative. CONCLUSION: The nature of this report has made us only able to do extensive work on areas such as Data Gathering, Concept Development and Site Analysis. It has only been able to peripherally touch areas such as Competitor Analysis and Financial Statement. A proper analysis on areas such as Competitor Analysis and Financial Statement which form an integral part of any Feasibility work, will only be possible if the company for which this report has been done and sent to, finds it necessary to commission us on a more extensive feasibility study.

Learning experience Essay

When I think about â€Å"Learning Experiences,† I think of every situation someone finds themselves in as a learning experience. People have not traditionally used that phrase in relating to more formal learning interventions – i. e. classroom, but from a learner’s perspective, both formally and informally, that’s exactly what is happening: learners are experiencing something that, hopefully, results in a change in thinking, understanding, or behavior afterwards. Learning experiences are a way to think about what a learning intervention might be (i.e. – its design) in the context of desired end goals and outcomes. This can then inform our choices about how communication channels and modes, learning activities, and resources come together to best support the end goals and outcomes, and also how these channels and activities may evolve over time. Certainly in this context, a learning intervention is something that is much more than what has traditionally been thought of as â€Å"content. † In thinking about what is currently thought of as learning content, I think of something akin to a page from. a textbook (that has its doppelganger in web-based training) with which one â€Å"reads† and then â€Å"interacts† with in some way. That definition of learning content and learner interaction represents a very narrow and limited view of what a learning experience can be and usually limits the type of learning to that of recognizing or memorizing specific facts, procedures, and concepts exemplified in the deployment of web- based, self-directed individual learning experiences commonly called e-learning. Learning content can be thought of much more broadly and inclusively. This could mean that learning content could actually include not only the â€Å"whats† but the â€Å"hows† of learning. For example, learning content in the context of learning experiences could contain a collection of specific content resources, content pointers, functional tools or tool pointers, activity descriptions, and assessments that, when brought together, embody a particular pedagogical model. In fact, the reverse could also be learning content – a pedagogical model describing the types of learning resources, tools, and activities needed to achieve learning outcomes. So you could think of learning content as collections of pedagogical models and collections of resources that participate in shaping an individual’s learning experience that are aligned with learning outcomes and positive actions that stem from the experience. Another facet of learning content is the artifacts produced during the learning experience. Besides the description above, learning content models should also be collaborative or cooperative with resources and activities supporting the learners working together to produce a learning artifact. A learning artifact could  be anything based on an authentic learning activity or experience such as a model, computer code, diagram or even the ubiquitous PowerPoint presentation. As these artifacts are created and evaluated during the learning process, they then become learning resources that can be used iteratively for others in similar or more advanced experiences. These ideas allow us to merge knowledge management and single/double loop organizational learning into our concept of learning content. Conceptually, this represents a shift from the typical view of content managed by a typical content  management system, with the assumption that when content is simply presented to a learner that he or she will just â€Å"learn† from it – that somehow learning (and especially learning to do or understand) is transmitted from the content to the learner. With that view of content and of the learner’s experience, then it’s no surprise that critics of the pedagogical merits of SCORM view it as being â€Å"limited. † When I think about learning experiences in the context of this effort by ADL, I define them as a model that will allow higher order learning outcomes to be realized. This can occur by expanding on our  understanding of learning content to include specific collections of learning resources, tools, and activities guided by pedagogical models. This is sometimes conceived as a problem-based, collaborative-based approach shaped and tailored to meet specific learning goals but I believe it is even much more than that. Learning experiences as currently being thought of by ADL will be able to provide an interoperable and reusable means for design and/or self organization of learning activities that are pedagogically sound, allowing the attainment, assessment, and tracking of higher order learning outcomes.

Bag of Bones CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

After that I was mostly in the zone. I came out a few times when that scratched-out scrap of genealogy fell from inside one of my old steno books, for instance but those interludes were brief. In a way it was like my dream of Mattie, Jo, and Sara; in a way it was like the terrible fever I'd had as a child, when I'd almost died of the measles; mostly it was like nothing but itself. It was just the zone. I was feeling it. I wish to God I hadn't been. George came over, herding the man in the blue mask ahead of him. George was limping now, and badly. I could smell hot oil and gasoline and burning tires. ‘Is she dead?' George asked. ‘Mattie?' ‘Yes.' ‘John?' ‘Don't know,' I said, and then John twitched and groaned. He was alive, but there was a lot of blood. ‘Mike, listen,' George began, but before he could say more, a terrible liquid screaming began from the burning car in the ditch. It was the driver. He was cooking in there. The shooter started to turn that way, and George raised his gun. ‘Move and I'll kill you.' ‘You can't let him die like that,' the shooter said from behind his mask. ‘You couldn't let a dog die like that.' ‘He's dead already,' George said. ‘You couldn't get within ten feet of that car unless you were in an asbestos suit.' He reeled on his feet. His face was as white as the spot of whipped cream I'd wiped off the end of Ki's nose. The shooter made as if to go for him and George brought the gun up higher. ‘The next time you move, don't stop,' George said, ‘because I won't. Guaranteed. Now take that mask off.' ‘No.' ‘I'm done fucking with you, Jesse. Say hello to God.' George pulled back the hammer of his revolver. The shooter said, ‘Jesus Christ,' and yanked off his mask. It was George Footman. Not much surprise there. From behind him, the driver gave one more shriek from within the Ford fireball and then was silent. Smoke rose in black billows. More thunder roared. ‘Mike, go inside and find something to tie him with,' George Kennedy said. ‘I can hold him another minute two, if I have to but I'm bleeding like a stuck pig. Look for strapping tape. That shit would hold Houdini.' Footman stood where he was, looking from Kennedy to me and back to Kennedy again. Then he peered down at Highway 68, which was eerily deserted. Or perhaps it wasn't so eerie, at that the coming storms had been well forecast. The tourists and summer folk would be under cover. As for the locals . . . The locals were . . . sort of listening. That was at least close. The minister was speaking about Royce Merrill, a life which had been long and fruitful, a man who had served his country in peace and in war, but the old-timers weren't listening to him. They were listening to us, the way they had once gathered around the pickle barrel at the Lakeview General and listened to prizefights on the radio. Bill Dean was holding Yvette's wrist so tightly his fingernails were white. He was hurting her . . . but she wasn't complaining. She wanted him to hold onto her. Why? ‘Mike!' George's voice was perceptibly weaker. ‘Please, man, help me. This guy is dangerous.' ‘Let me go,' Footman said. ‘You'd better, don't you think?' ‘In your wettest dreams, motherfuck,' George said. I got up, went past the pot with the key underneath, went up the cement-block steps. Lightning exploded across the sky, followed by a bellow of thunder. Inside, Rommie was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table. His face was even whiter than George's. ‘Kid's okay,' he said, forcing the words. ‘But she looks like waking up . . . I can't walk anymore. My ankle's totally fucked.' I moved for the telephone. ‘Don't bother,' Rommie said. His voice was harsh and trembling. ‘Tried it. Dead. Storm must already have hit some of the other towns. Killed some of the equipment. Christ, I never had anything hurt like this in my life.' I went to the drawers in the kitchen and began yanking them open one by one, looking for strapping tape, looking for clothesline, looking for any damned thing. If Kennedy passed out from blood-loss while I was in here, the other George would take his gun, kill him, and then kill John as he lay unconscious on the smoldering grass. With them taken care of, he'd come in here and shoot Rommie and me. He'd finish with Kyra. ‘No he won't,' I said. ‘He'll leave her alive.' And that might be even worse. Silverware in the first drawer. Sandwich bags, garbage bags, and neatly banded stacks of grocery-store coupons in the second. Oven mitts and potholders in the third ‘Mike, where's my Mattie?' I turned, as guilty as a man who has been caught mixing illegal drugs. Kyra stood at the living-room end of the hall with her hair falling around her sleep-flushed cheeks and her scrunchy hung over one wrist like a bracelet. Her eyes were wide and panicky. It wasn't the shots that had awakened her, probably not even her mother's scream. I had wakened her. My thoughts had wakened her. In the instant I realized it I tried to shield them somehow, but I was too late. She had read me about Devore well enough to tell me not to think about sad stuff, and now she read what had happened to her mother before I could keep her out of my mind. Her mouth dropped open. Her eyes widened. She shrieked as if her hand had been caught in a vise and ran for the door. ‘No, Kyra, no!' I sprinted across the kitchen, almost tripping over Rommie (he looked at me with the dim incomprehension of someone who is no longer completely conscious), and grabbed her just in time. As I did, I saw Buddy Jellison leaving Grace Baptist by a side door. Two of the men he had been smoking with went with him. Now I understood why Bill was holding so tightly to Yvette, and loved him for it loved both of them. Something wanted him to go with Buddy and the others . . . but Bill wasn't going. Kyra struggled in my arms, making big convulsive thrusts at the door, gasping in breath and then screaming it out again. ‘Let me go, want to see Mommy, let me go, want to see Mommy, let me go ‘ I called her name with the only voice I knew she would really hear, the one I could use only with her. She relaxed in my arms little by little, and turned to me. Her eyes were huge and confused and shining with tears. She looked at me a moment longer and then seemed to understand that she mustn't go out. I put her down. She just stood there a moment, then backed up until her bottom was against the dishwasher. She slid down its smooth white front to the floor. Then she began to wail the most awful sounds of grief I have ever heard. She understood completely, you see. I had to show her enough to keep her inside, I had to . . . and because we were in the zone together, I could. Buddy and his friends were in a pickup truck headed this way. BAMM CONSTRUCTION, it said on the side. ‘Mike!' George cried. He sounded panicky. ‘You got to hurry!' ‘Hold on!' I called back. ‘Hold on, George!' Mattie and the others had started stacking picnic things beside the sink, but I'm almost positive that the stretch of Formica counter above the drawers had been clean and bare when I hurried after Kyra. Not now. The yellow sugar cannister had been overturned. Written in the spilled sugar was this: ‘No shit,' I muttered, and checked the remaining drawers. No tape, no rope. Not even a lousy set of handcuffs, and in most well-equipped kitchens you can count on finding three or four. Then I had an idea and looked in the cabinet under the sink. When I went back out, our George was swaying on his feet and Footman was looking at him with a kind of predatory concentration. ‘Did you get some tape?' George Kennedy asked. ‘No, something better,' I said. ‘Tell me, Footman, who actually paid you? Devore or Whitmore? Or don't you know?' ‘Fuck you,' he said. I had my right hand behind my back. Now I pointed down the hill with my left one and endeavored to look surprised. ‘What the hell's Osgood doing? Tell him to go away!' Footman looked in that direction it was instinctive and I hit him in the back of the head with the Craftsman hammer I'd found in the toolbox under Mattie's sink. The sound was horrible, the spray of blood erupting from the flying hair was horrible, but worst of all was the feeling of the skull giving way a spongy collapse that came right up the handle and into my fingers. He went down like a sandbag, and I dropped the hammer, gagging. ‘Okay,' George said. ‘A little ugly, but probably the best thing you could have done under . . . under the . . . ‘ He didn't go down like Footman it was slower and more controlled, almost graceful but he was just as out. I picked up the revolver, looked at it, then threw it into the woods across the road. A gun was nothing for me to have right now; it could only get me into more trouble. A couple of other men had also left the church; a carful of ladies in black dresses and veils, as well. I had to hurry on even faster. I unbuckled George's pants and pulled them down. The bullet which had taken him in the leg had torn into his thigh, but the wound looked as if it was clotting. John's upper arm was a different story it was still pumping out blood in frightening quantities. I yanked his belt free and cinched it around his arm as tightly as I could. Then I slapped him across the face. His eyes opened and stared at me with a bleary lack of recognition. ‘Open your mouth, John!' He only stared at me. I leaned down until our noses were almost touching and screamed, ‘OPEN YOUR MOUTH! DO IT NOW!' He opened it like a kid when the nurse tells him just say aahh. I stuck the end of the belt between his teeth. ‘Close!' He closed. ‘Now hold it,' I said. ‘Even if you pass out, hold it.' I didn't have time to see if he was paying attention. I got to my feet and looked up as the whole world went glare-blue. For a second it was like being inside a neon sign. There was a black suspended river up there, roiling and coiling like a basket of snakes. I had never seen such a baleful sky. I dashed up the cement-block steps and into the trailer again. Rom-mie had slumped forward onto the table with his face in his folded arms. He would have looked like a kindergartner taking a timeout if not for the broken salad bowl and the bits of lettuce in his hair. Kyra still sat with her back to the dishwasher, weeping hysterically. I picked her up and realized that she had wet herself. ‘We have to go now, Ki.' ‘I want Mattie! I want Mommy! I want my Mattie, make her stop being hurt! Make her stop being dead!' I hurried across the trailer. On the way to the door I passed the end-table with the Mary Higgins Clark novel on it. I noticed the tangle of hair ribbons again ribbons perhaps tried on before the party and then discarded in favor of the scrunchy. They were white with bright red edges. Pretty. I picked them up without stopping, stuffed them into a pants pocket, then switched Ki to my other arm. ‘I want Mattie! I want Mommy! Make her come back!' She swatted at me, trying to make me stop, then began to buck and kick in my arms again. She drummed her fists on the side of my head. ‘Put me down! Land me! Land me!' ‘No, Kyra.' ‘Put me down! Land me! Land me! PUT ME DOWN!' I was losing her. Then, as we came out onto the top step, she abruptly stopped struggling. ‘Give me Stricken! I want Stricken!' At first I had no idea what she was talking about, but when I looked where she was pointing I understood. Lying on the walk not far from the pot with the key underneath it was the stuffed toy from Ki's Happy Meal. Strickland had put in a fair amount of outside playtime from the look of him the light-gray fur was now dark-gray with dust but if the toy would calm her, I wanted her to have it. This was no time to worry about dirt and germs. ‘I'll give you Strickland if you promise to close your eyes and not open them until I tell you. Will you promise?' ‘I promise,' she said. She was trembling in my arms, and great globular tears the kind you expect to see in fairy-tale books, never in real life rose in her eyes and went spilling down her cheeks. I could smell burning grass and charred beefsteak. For one terrible moment I thought I was going to vomit, and then I got it under control. Ki closed her eyes. Two more tears fell from them and onto my arm. They were hot. She held out one hand, groping. I went down the steps, got the dog, then hesitated. First the ribbons, now the dog. The ribbons were probably okay, but it seemed wrong to give her the dog and let her bring it along. It seemed wrong but . . . It's gray, Irish, the UFO voice whispered. You don't need to worry about it because it's gray. The stuffed toy in your dream was black. I didn't know exactly what the voice was talking about and had no time to care. I put the stuffed dog in Kyra's open hand. She held it up to her face and kissed the dusty fur, her eyes still closed. ‘Maybe Stricken can make Mommy better, Mike. Stricken a magic dog.' ‘Just keep your eyes closed. Don't open them until I say.' She put her face against my neck. I carried her across the yard and to my car that way. I put her on the passenger side of the front seat. She lay down with her arms over her head and the dirty stuffed dog clutched in one pudgy hand. I told her to stay just like that, lying down on the seat. She made no outward sign that she heard me, but I knew that she did. We had to hurry because the old-timers were coming. The old-timers wanted this business over, wanted this river to run into the sea. And there was only one place we could go, only one place where we might be safe, and that was Sara Laughs. But there was something I had to do first. I kept a blanket in the trunk, old but clean. I took it out, walked across the yard, and shook it down over Mattie Devore. The hump it made as it settled around her was pitifully slight. I looked around and saw John staring at me. His eyes were glassy with shock, but I thought maybe he was coming back. The belt was still clamped in his teeth; he looked like a junkie preparing to shoot up. ‘Iss ant eee,' he said This can't be. I knew exactly how he felt. ‘There'll be help here in just a few minutes. Hang in there. I have to go.' ‘Go air?' I didn't answer. There wasn't time. I stopped and took George Kennedy's pulse. Slow but strong. Beside him, Footman was deep in unconsciousness, but muttering thickly. Nowhere near dead. It takes a lot to kill a daddy. The jerky wind blew the smoke from the overturned car in my direction, and now I could smell cooking flesh as well as barbecued steak. My stomach clenched again. I ran to the Chevy, dropped behind the wheel, and backed out of the driveway. I took one more look at the blanket-covered body, at the three knocked-over men, at the trailer with the line of black bulletholes wavering down its side and its door standing open. John was up on his good elbow, the end of the belt still clamped in his teeth, looking at me with uncomprehending eyes. Lightning flashed so brilliantly I tried to shield my eyes from it, although by the time my hand was up, the flash had gone and the day was as dark as late dusk. ‘Stay down, Ki,' I said. ‘Just like you are.' ‘I can't hear you,' she said in a voice so hoarse and choked with tears that I could barely make out the words. ‘Ki's takin a nap wif Stricken.' ‘Okay,' I said. ‘Good.' I drove past the burning Ford and down to the foot of the hill, where I stopped at the rusty bullet-pocked stop-sign. I looked right and saw the pickup truck parked on the shoulder. BAMM CONSTRUCTION on the side. Three men crowded together in the cab, watching me. The one by the passenger window was Buddy Jellison; I could tell him by his hat. Very slowly and deliberately, I raised my right hand and gave them the finger. None of them responded and their stony faces didn't change, but the pickup began to roll slowly toward me. I turned lift onto 68, heading for Sara Laughs under a black sky. Two miles from where Lane Forty-two branches off the highway and winds west to the lake, there stood an old abandoned barn upon which one could still make out faded letters reading DONCASTER DAIRY. As we approached it, the whole eastern side of the sky lit up in a purple-white blister. I cried out, and the Chevy's horn honked by itself, I'm almost positive. A thorn of lightning grew from the bottom of that light-blister and struck the barn. For a moment it was still completely there, glowing like something radioactive, and then it spewed itself in all directions. I have never seen anything even remotely like it outside of a movie theater. The thunderclap which followed was like a bombshell. Kyra screamed and slid onto the floor on the passenger side of the car with her hands clapped to her ears. She still clutched the little stuffed dog in one of them. A minute later I topped Sugar Ridge. Lane Forty-two splits left from the highway at the bottom of the ridge's north slope. From the top I could see a wide swath of TR-90 woods and fields and barns and farms, even a darkling gleam from the lake. The sky was as black as coal dust, flashing almost constantly with internal lightnings. The air had a clear ochre glow. Every breath I took tasted like the shavings in a tinderbox. The topography beyond the ridge stood out with a surreal clarity I cannot forget. That sense of mystery swarmed my heart and mind, that sense of the world as thin skin over unknowable bones and gulfs. I glanced into the rearview mirror and saw that the pickup truck had been joined by two other cars, one with a V-plate that means the vehicle is registered to a combat veteran of the armed services. When I slowed down, they slowed down. When I sped up, they sped up. I doubted they would follow us any farther once I turned onto Lane Forty-two, however. ‘Ki? Are you okay?' ‘Sleepun,' she said from the footwell. ‘Okay,' I said, and started down the hill. I could just see the red bicycle reflectors marking my turn onto Forty-two when it began to hail great big chunks of white ice that fell out of the sky, drummed on the roof like heavy fingers, and bounced off the hood. They began to heap in the gutter where my windshield wipers hid. ‘What's happening?' Kyra cried. ‘It's just hail,' I said. ‘It can't hurt us.' This was barely out of my mouth when a hailstone the size of a small lemon struck my side of the windshield and then bounced high into the air again, leaving a white II mark from which a number of short cracks radiated. Were John and George Kennedy lying helpless out in this? I turned my mind in that direction, but could sense nothing. When I made the left onto Lane Forty-two, it was hailing almost too hard to see. The wheelruts were heaped with ice. The white faded out under the trees, though. I headed for that cover, flipping on my headlights as I went. They cut bright cones through the pelting hail. As we went into the trees, that purple-white blister glowed again, and my rearview mirror went too bright to look at. There was a rending, crackling crash. Kyra screamed again. I looked around and saw a huge old spruce toppling slowly across the lane, its ragged stump on fire. It carried the electrical lines with it. Blocked in, I thought. This end, probably the other end, too. We're here. For better or for worse, we're here. The trees grew over Lane Forty-two in a canopy except for where the road passed beside Tidwell's Meadow. The sound of the hail in the woods was an immense splintery rattle. Trees were splintering, of course; it was the most damaging hail ever to fall in that part of the world, and although it spent itself in fifteen minutes, that was long enough to ruin a season's worth of crops. Lightning flashed above us. I looked up and saw a large orange fireball being chased by a smaller one. They ran through the trees to our left, setting fire to some of the high branches. We came briefly into the clear at Tidwell's Meadow, and as we did the hail changed to torrential rain. I could not have continued driving if we hadn't run back into the woods almost immediately, and as it was the canopy provided just enough cover so I could creep along, hunched over the wheel and peering into the silver curtain falling through the fan of my headlights. Thunder boomed constantly, and now the wind began to rise, rushing through the trees like a contentious voice. Ahead of me, a leaf-heavy branch dropped into the road. I ran over it and listened to it thunk and scrape and roll against the Chevy's undercarriage. Please, nothing bigger, I thought . . . or maybe I was praying. Please let me get to the house. Please let us get to the house. By the time I reached the driveway the wind was howling a hurricane. The writhing trees and pelting rain made the entire world seem on the verge of wavering into insubstantial gruel. The driveway's slope had turned into a river, but I nosed the Chevy down it with no hesitation we couldn't stay out here; if a big tree fell on the car, we'd be crushed like bugs in a Dixie cup. I knew better than to use the brakes the car would have heeled sideways and perhaps have been swept right down the slope toward the lake, rolling over and over as it went. Instead I dropped the transmission into low range, toed two notches into the emergency brake, and let the engine pull us down with the rain sheeting against the windshield and turning the log bulk of the house into a phantom. Incredibly, some of the lights were still on, shining like bathysphere portholes in nine feet of water. The generator was working, then . . . at least for the time being. Lightning threw a lance across the lake, green-blue fire illuminating a black well of water with its surface lashed into surging whitecaps. One of the hundred-year-old pines which had stood to the left of the railroad-tie steps now lay with half its length in the water. Somewhere behind us another tree went over with a vast crash. Kyra covered her ears. ‘It's all right, honey,' I said. ‘We're here, we made it.' I turned off the engine and killed the lights. Without them I could see little; almost all the day had gone out of the day. I tried to open my door and at first couldn't. I pushed harder and it not only opened, it was ripped right out of my hand. I got out and in a brilliant stroke of lightning saw Kyra crawling across the seat toward me, her face white with panic, her eyes huge and brimming with terror. My door swung back and hit me in the ass hard enough to hurt. I ignored it, gathered Ki into my arms, and turned with her. Cold rain drenched us both in an instant. Except it really wasn't like rain at all; it was like stepping under a waterfall. ‘My doggy!' Ki shrieked. Shriek or not, I could hardly hear her. I could see her face, though, and her empty hands. ‘Stricken! I drop Stricken!' I looked around and yes, there he was, floating down the macadam of the driveway and past the stoop. A little farther on, the rushing water spilled off the paving and down the slope; if Strickland went with the flow, he'd probably end up in the woods somewhere. Or all the way down to the lake. ‘Stricken!' Ki sobbed. ‘My DOGGY!' Suddenly nothing mattered to either of us but that stupid stuffed toy. I chased down the driveway after it with Ki in my arms, oblivious of the rain and wind and brilliant flashes of lightning. And yet it was going to beat me to the slope the water in which it was caught was running too fast for me to catch up. What snagged it at the edge of the paving was a trio of sunflowers waving wildly in the wind. They looked like God-transported worshippers at a revival meeting: Yes, Jeesus! Thankya Lawd! They also looked familiar. It was of course impossible that they should be the same three sunflowers which had been growing up through the boards of the stoop in my dream (and in the photograph Bill Dean had taken before I came back), and yet it was them; beyond doubt it was them. Three sunflowers like the three weird sisters in Macbeth, three sunflowers with faces like searchlights. I had come back to Sara Laughs; I was in the zone; I had returned to my dream and this time it had possessed me. ‘Stricken!' Ki bending and thrashing in my arms, both of us too slippery for safety. ‘Please, Mike, please!' Thunder exploded overhead like a basket of nitro. We both screamed. I dropped to one knee and snatched up the little stuffed dog. Kyra clutched it, covered it with frantic kisses. I lurched to my feet as another thunderclap sounded, this one seeming to run through the air like some crazy liquid bullwhip. I looked at the sunflowers, and they seemed to look back at me Hello, Irish, it's been a long time, what do you say? Then, resettling Ki in my arms as well as I could, I turned and slogged for the house. It wasn't easy; the water in the driveway was now ankle-deep and full of melting hailstones. A branch flew past us and landed pretty much where I'd knelt to pick up Strickland. There was a crash and a series of thuds as a bigger branch struck the roof and went rolling down it. I ran onto the back stoop, half-expecting the Shape to come rushing out to greet us, raising its baggy not-arms in gruesome good fellowship, but there was no Shape. There was only the storm, and that was enough. Ki was clutching the dog tightly, and I saw with no surprise at all that its wetting, combined with the dirt from all those hours of outside play, had turned Strickland black. It was what I had seen in my dream after all. Too late now. There was nowhere else to go, no other shelter from the storm. I opened the door and brought Kyra Devore inside Sara Laughs. The central portion of Sara the heart of the house had stood for almost a hundred years and had seen its share of storms. The one that fell on the lakes region that July afternoon might have been the worst of them, but I knew as soon as we were inside, both of us gasping like people who have narrowly escaped drowning, that it would almost certainly withstand this one as well. The log walls were so thick it was almost like stepping into some sort of vault. The storm's crash and bash became a noisy drone punctuated by thunderclaps and the occasional loud thud of a branch falling on the roof. Somewhere in the basement, I guess a door had come loose and was clapping back and forth. It sounded like a starter's pistol. The kitchen window had been broken by the topple of a small tree. Its needly tip poked in over the stove, making shadows on the counter and the stove-burners as it swayed. I thought of breaking it off and decided not to. At least it was plugging the hole. I carried Ki into the living room and we looked out at the lake, black water prinked up in surreal points under a black sky. Lightning flashed almost constantly, revealing a ring of woods that danced and swayed in a frenzy all around the lake. As solid as the house was, it was groaning deeply within itself as the wind pummelled it and tried to push it down the hill. There was a soft, steady chiming. Kyra lifted her head from my shoulder and looked around. ‘You have a moose,' she said. ‘Yes, that's Bunter.' ‘Does he bite?' ‘No, honey, he can't bite. He's like a . . . like a doll, I suppose.' ‘Why is his bell ringing?' ‘He's glad we're here. He's glad we made it.' I saw her want to be happy, and then I saw her realizing that Mattie wasn't here to be happy with. I saw the idea that Mattie would never be here to be happy with glimmer in her mind . . . and felt her push it away. Over our heads something huge crashed down on the roof, the lights flickered, and Ki began to weep again. ‘No, honey,' I said, and began to walk with her. ‘No, honey, no, Ki, don't. Don't, honey, don't.' ‘I want my mommy! I want my Mattie!' I walked her the way I think you're supposed to walk babies who have colic. She understood too much for a three-year-old, and her suffering was consequently more terrible than any three-year-old should have to bear. So I held her in my arms and walked her, her shorts damp with urine and rainwater under my hands, her arms fever-hot around my neck, her cheeks slathered with snot and tears, her hair a soaked clump from our brief dash through the downpour, her breath acetone, her toy a strangulated black clump that sent dirty water trickling over her knuckles. I walked her. Back and forth we went through Sara's living room, back and forth through dim light thrown by the overhead and one lamp. Generator light is never quite steady, never quite still it seems to breathe and sigh. Back and forth through the ceaseless low chiming of Bunter's bell, like music from that world we sometimes touch but never really see. Back and forth beneath the sound of the storm. I think I sang to her and I kn ow I touched her with my mind and we went deeper and deeper into that zone together. Above us the clouds ran and the rain pelted, dousing the fires the lightning had started in the woods. The house groaned and the air eddied with gusts coming in through the broken kitchen window, but through it all there was a feeling of rueful safety. A feeling of coming home. At last her tears began to taper off. She lay with her cheek and the weight of her heavy head on my shoulder, and when we passed the lakeside windows I could see her eyes looking out into the silver-dark storm, wide and unblinking. Carrying her was a tall man with thinning hair. I realized I could see the dining-room table right through us. Our reflections are ghosts already, I thought. ‘Ki? Can you eat something?' ‘Not hung'y.' ‘Can you drink a glass of milk?' ‘No, cocoa. I cold.' ‘Yes, of course you are. And I have cocoa.' I tried to put her down and she held on with panicky tightness, scrambling against me with her plump little thighs. I hoisted her back up again, this time settling her against my hip, and she subsided. ‘Who's here?' she asked. She had begun to shiver. ‘Who's here ‘sides us?' ‘I don't know.' ‘There's a boy,' she said. ‘I saw him there.' She pointed Strickland toward the sliding glass door which gave on the deck (all the chairs out there had been overturned and thrown into the corners; one of the set was missing, apparently blown right over the rail). ‘He was black like on that funny show me and Mattie watch. There are other black people, too. A lady in a big hat. A man in blue pants. The rest are hard to see. But they watch. They watch us. Don't you see them?' ‘They can't hurt us.' ‘Are you sure? Are you, are you?' I didn't answer. I found a box of Swiss Miss hiding behind the flour cannister, tore open one of the packets, and dumped it into a cup. Thunder exploded overhead. Ki jumped in my arms and let out a long, miserable wail. I hugged her, kissed her cheek. ‘Don't put me down, Mike, I scared.' ‘I won't put you down. You're my good girl.' ‘I scared of the boy and the blue-pants man and the lady. I think it's the lady who wore Mattie's dress. Are they ghosties?' ‘Yes.' ‘Are they bad, like the men who chased us at the fair? Are they?' ‘I don't really know, Ki, and that's the truth.' ‘But we'll find out.' ‘Huh?' ‘That's what you thought. â€Å"But we'll find out. â€Å"‘ ‘Yes,' I said. ‘I guess that's what I was thinking. Something like that.' I took her down to the master bedroom while the water heated in the kettle, thinking there had to be something left of Jo's I could pop her into, but all of the drawers in Jo's bureau were empty. So was her side of the closet. I stood Ki on the big double bed where I had not so much as taken a nap since coming back, took off her clothes, carried her into the bathroom, and wrapped her in a bathtowel. She hugged it around herself, shaking and blue-lipped. I used another one to dry her hair as best I could. During all of this, she never let go of the stuffed dog, which was now beginning to bleed stuffing from its seams. I opened the medicine cabinet, pawed through it, and found what I was looking for on the top shelf: the Benadryl Jo had kept around for her ragweed allergy. I thought of checking the expiration date on the bottom of the box, then almost laughed out loud. What difference did that make? I stood Ki on the closed toilet seat and let her hold on around my neck while I stripped the childproof backing from four of the little pink-and-white caplets. Then I rinsed out the tooth-glass and filled it with cold water. While I was doing this I saw movement in the bathroom mirror, which reflected the doorway and the master bedroom beyond. I told myself that I was only seeing the shadows of windblown trees. I offered the caplets to Ki. She reached for them, then hesitated. ‘Go on,' I said. ‘It's medicine.' ‘What kind?' she asked. Her small hand was still poised over the little cluster of caplets. ‘Sadness medicine,' I said. ‘Can you swallow pills, Ki?' ‘Sure. I taught myself when I was two.' She hesitated a moment longer looking at me and looking into me, I think, ascertaining that I was telling her something I really believed. What she saw or felt must have satisfied her, because she took the caplets and put them in her mouth, one after another. She swallowed them with little birdie-sips from the glass, then said: ‘I still feel sad, Mike.' ‘It takes awhile for them to work.' I rummaged in my shirt drawer and found an old Harley-Davidson tee that had shrunk. It was still miles too big for her, but when I tied a knot in one side it made a kind of sarong that kept slipping off one of her shoulders. It was almost cute. I carry a comb in my back pocket. I took it out and combed her hair back from her forehead and her temples. She was starting to look put together again, but there was still something missing. Something that was connected in my mind with Royce Merrill. That was crazy, though . . . wasn't it? ‘Mike? What cane? What cane are you thinking about it?' Then it came to me. ‘A candy cane,' I said. ‘The kind with stripes.' From my pocket I took the two white ribbons. Their red edges looked almost raw in the uncertain light. ‘Like these.' I tied her hair back in two little ponytails. Now she had her ribbons; she had her black dog; the sunflowers had relocated a few feet north, but they were there. Everything was more or less the way it was supposed to be. Thunder blasted, somewhere close a tree fell, and the lights went out. After five seconds of dark-gray shadows, they came on again. I carried Ki back to the kitchen, and when we passed the cellar door, something laughed behind it. I heard it; Ki did, too. I could see it in her eyes. ‘Take care of me,' she said. ‘Take care of me cause I'm just a little guy. You promised.' ‘I will.' ‘I love you, Mike.' ‘I love you, too, Ki.' The kettle was huffing. I filled the cup to the halfway mark with hot water, then topped it up with milk, cooling it off and making it richer. I took Kyra over to the couch. As we passed the dining-room table I glanced at the IBM typewriter and at the manuscript with the cross-word-puzzle book lying on top of it. Those things looked vaguely foolish and somehow sad, like gadgets that never worked very well and now do not work at all. Lightning lit up the entire sky, scouring the room with purple light. In that glare the laboring trees looked like screaming fingers, and as the light raced across the sliding glass door to the deck I saw a woman standing behind us, by the woodstove. She was indeed wearing a straw hat, with a brim the size of a cartwheel. ‘What do you mean, the river is almost in the sea?' Ki asked. I sat down and handed her the cup. ‘Drink that up.' ‘Why did the men hurt my mommy? Didn't they want her to have a good time?' ‘I guess not,' I said. I began to cry. I held her on my lap, wiping away the tears with the backs of my hands. ‘You should have taken some sad-pills, too,' Ki said. She held out her cocoa. Her hair ribbons, which I had tied in big sloppy bows, bobbed. ‘Here. Drink some.' I drank some. From the north end of the house came another grinding, crackling crash. The low rumble of the generator stuttered and the house went gray again. Shadows raced across Ki's small face. ‘Hold on,' I told her. ‘Try not to be scared. Maybe the lights will come back.' A moment later they did, although now I could hear a hoarse, uneven note in the gennie's roar and the flicker of the lights was much more noticeable. ‘Tell me a story,' she said. ‘Tell me about Cinderbell.' ‘Cinderella.' ‘Yeah, her.' ‘All right, but storyguys get paid.' I pursed my lips and made sipping sounds. She held the cup out. The cocoa was sweet and good. The sensation of being watched was heavy and not sweet at all, but let them watch. Let them watch while they could. ‘There was this pretty girl named Cinderella ‘ ‘Once upon a time! That's how it starts! That's how they all start!' ‘That's right, I forgot. Once upon a time there was this pretty girl named Cinderella, who had two mean stepsisters. Their names were . . . do you remember?' ‘Tammy Faye and Vanna.' ‘Yeah, the Queens of Hairspray. And they made Cinderella do all the really unpleasant chores, like sweeping out the fireplace and cleaning up the dogpoop in the back yard. Now it just so happened that the noted rock band Oasis was going to play a gig at the palace, and although all the girls had been invited . . . ‘ I got as far as the part about the fairy godmother catching the mice and turning them into a Mercedes limousine before the Benadryl took effect. It really was a medicine for sadness; when I looked down, Ki was fast asleep in the crook of my arm with her cocoa cup listing radically to port. I plucked it from her fingers and put it on the coffee-table, then brushed her drying hair off her forehead. ‘Ki?' Nothing. She'd gone to the land of Noddy-Blinky. It probably helped that her afternoon nap had ended almost before it got started. I picked her up and carried her down to the north bedroom, her feet bouncing limply in the air and the hem of the Harley shirt flipping around her knees. I put her on the bed and pulled the duvet up to her chin. Thunder boomed like artillery fire, but she didn't even stir. Exhaustion, grief, Benadryl . . . they had taken her deep, taken her beyond ghosts and sorrow, and that was good. I bent over and kissed her cheek, which had finally begun to cool. ‘I'll take care of you,' I said. ‘I promised, and I will.' As if hearing me, Ki turned on her side, put the hand holding Strickland under her jaw, and made a soft sighing sound. Her lashes were dark soot against her cheeks, in startling contrast to her light hair. Looking at her I felt myself swept by love, shaken by it the way one is shaken by a sickness. Take care of me, I'm just a little guy. ‘I will, Ki-bird,' I said. I went into the bathroom and began filling the tub, as I had once filled it in my sleep. She would sleep through it all if I could get enough warm water before the generator quit entirely. I wished I had a bath-toy to give her in case she did wake up, something like Wilhelm the Spouting Whale, but she'd have her dog, and she probably wouldn't wake up, anyway. No freezing baptism under a handpump for Kyra. I was not cruel, and I was not crazy. I had only disposable razors in the medicine cabinet, no good for the other job ahead of me. Not efficient enough. But one of the kitchen steak knives would do. If I filled the washbasin with water that was really hot, I wouldn't even feel it. A letter T on each arm, the top bar drawn across the wrists For a moment I came out of the zone. A voice my own speaking as some combination of Jo and Mattie screamed: What are you thinking about? Oh Mike, what in God's name are you thinking about? Then the thunder boomed, the lights flickered, and the rain began to pour down again, driven by the wind. I went back into that place where everything was clear, my course indisputable. Let it all end the sorrow, the hurt, the fear. I didn't want to think anymore about how Mattie had danced with her toes on the Frisbee as if it were a spotlight. I didn't want to be there when Kyra woke up, didn't want to see the misery fill her eyes. I didn't want to get through the night ahead, the day that was coming beyond it, or the day that was coming after that. They were all cars on the same old mystery train. Life was a sickness. I was going to give her a nice warm bath and cure her of it. I raised my arms. In the medicine cabinet mirror a murky figure a Shape raised its own in a kind of jocular greeting. It was me. It had been me all along, and that was all right. That was just fine. I dropped to one knee and checked the water. It was coming in nice and warm. Good. Even if the generator quit now, it would be fine. The tub was an old one, a deep one. As I walked down to the kitchen to get the knife, I thought about climbing in with her after I had finished cutting my wrists in the hotter water of the basin. No, I decided. It might be misinterpreted by the people who would come here later on, people with nasty minds and nastier assumptions. The ones who'd come when the storm was over and the trees across the road cleared away. No, after her bath I would dry her and put her back in bed with Strickland in her hand. I'd sit across the room from her, in the rocking chair by the bedroom windows. I would spread some towels in my lap to keep as much of the blood off my pants as I could, and eventually I would go to sleep, too. Bunter's bell was still ringing. Much louder now. It was getting on my nerves, and if it kept on that way it might even wake the baby. I decided to pull it down and silence it for good. I crossed the room, and as I did a strong gust of air blew past me. It wasn't a draft from the broken kitchen window; this was that warm subway-air again. It blew the Tough Stuff crossword book onto the floor, but the paperweight on the manuscript kept the loose pages from following. As I looked in that direction, Bunter's bell fell silent. A voice sighed across the dim room. Words I couldn't make out. And what did they matter? What did one more manifestation one more blast of hot air from the Great Beyond matter? Thunder rolled and the sigh came again. This time, as the generator died and the lights went out, plunging the room into gray shadow, I got one word in the clear: Nineteen. I turned on my heels, making a nearly complete circle. I finished up looking across the shadowy room at the manuscript of My Childhood Friend. Suddenly the light broke. Understanding arrived. Not the crossword book. Not the phone book, either. My book. My manuscript. I crossed to it, vaguely aware that the water had stopped running into the tub in the north-wing bathroom. When the generator died, the pump had quit. That was all right, it would be plenty deep enough already. And warm. I would give Kyra her bath, but first there was something I had to do. I had to go down nineteen, and after that I just might have to go down ninety-two. And I could. I had completed just over a hundred and twenty pages of manuscript, so I could. I grabbed the battery-powered lantern from the top of the cabinet where I still kept several hundred actual vinyl records, clicked it on, and set it on the table. It cast a white circle of radiance on the manuscript in the gloom of that afternoon it was as bright as a spotlight. On page nineteen of My Childhood Friend, Tiffi Taylor the call-girl who had re-invented herself as Regina Whiting was sitting in her studio with Andy Drake, reliving the day that John Sanborn (the alias under which John Shackleford had been getting by) saved her three-year-old daughter, Karen. This is the passage I read as the thunder boomed and the rain slashed against the sliding door giving on the deck: FRIEND, by Noonan/Pg. 19 over that way, I was sure of it,' she said, ‘but when I couldn't see her anywhere, I went to look in the hot tub.' She lit a cigarette. ‘What I saw made me feel like screaming, Andy Karen was underwater. All that was out was her hand . . . the nails were turning purple. After that . . . I guess I dived in, but I don't remember; I was zoned out. Everything from then on is like a dream where stuff runs together in your mind. The yard-guy Sanborn shoved me aside and dived. His foot hit me in the throat and I couldn't swallow for a week. He yanked up on Karen's arm. I thought he'd pull it off her damn shoulder, but he got her. He got her.' In the gloom, Drake saw she was weeping. ‘God. Oh God, I thought she was dead. I was sure she was.' I knew at once, but laid my steno pad along the left margin of the manuscript so I could see it better. Reading down, as you'd read a vertical crossword-puzzle answer, the first letter of each line spelled the message which had been there almost since I began the book: owls undEr stud O Then, allowing for the indent next-to-last line from the bottom: owls undEr studIO Bill Dean, my caretaker, is sitting behind the wheel of his truck. He has accomplished his two purposes in coming here welcoming me back to the TR and warning me off Mattie Devore. Now he's ready to go. He smiles at me, displaying those big false teeth, those Roebuckers. ‘If you get a chance, you ought to look for the owls,' he tells me. I ask him what Jo would have wanted with a couple of plastic owls and he replies that they keep the crows from shitting up the woodwork. I accept that, I have other things to think about, but still . . . ‘It was like she'd come down to do that errand special,' he says. It never crosses my mind not then, at least that in Indian folklore, owls have another purpose: they are said to keep evil spirits away. If Jo knew that plastic owls would scare the crows off, she would have known that. It was just the sort of information she picked up and tucked away. My inquisitive wife. My brilliant scatterbrain. Thunder rolled. Lightning ate at the clouds like spills of bright acid. I stood by the dining-room table with the manuscript in my unsteady hands. ‘Christ, Jo,' I whispered. ‘What did you find out?' And why didn't you tell me? But I thought I knew the answer to that. She hadn't told me because I was somehow like Max Devore; his great-grandfather and my own had shit in the same pit. It didn't make any sense, but there it was. And she hadn't told her own brother, either. I took a weird kind of comfort from that. I began to leaf through the manuscript, my skin crawling. Andy Drake rarely frowned in Michael Noonan's My Childhood Friend. He scowled instead, because there's an owl in every scowl. Before coming to Florida, John Shackleford had been living in Studio City, California. Drake's first meeting with Regina Whiting occurred in her studio. Ray Garraty's last-known address was the Studio Apartments in Key Largo. Regina Whiting's best friend was Steffie Underwood. Steffi's husband was Towle Underwood there was a good one, two for the price of one. Owls under studio. It was everywhere, on every page, just like the K-names in the telephone book. A kind of monument, this one built I was sure of it not by Sara Tidwell but by Johanna Arlen Noonan. My wife passing messages behind the guard's back, praying with all her considerable heart that I would see and understand. On page ninety-two Shackleford was talking to Drake in the prison visitors' room sitting with his wrists between his knees, looking down at the chain running between his ankles, refusing to make eye-contact with Drake. FRIEND, by Noonan/Pg. 92 only thing I got to say. Anything else, fuck, what good would it do? Life's a game, and I lost. You want me to tell you that I yanked some little kid out of the water, pulled her up, got her motor going again? I did, but not because I'm a hero or a saint . . . ‘ There was more but no need to read it. The message, owls under studio, ran down the margin just as it had on page nineteen. As it probably did on any number of other pages as well. I remembered how deliriously happy I had been to discover that the block had been dissolved and I could write again. It had been dissolved all right, but not because I'd finally beaten it or found a way around it. Jo had dissolved it. Jo had beaten it, and my continued career as a writer of second-rate thrillers had been the least of her concerns when she did it. As I stood there in the flicker-flash of lightning, feeling my unseen guests swirl around me in the unsteady air, I remembered Mrs. Moran, my first-grade teacher. When your efforts to replicate the smooth curves of the Palmer Method alphabet on the blackboard began to flag and waver, she would put her large competent hand over yours and help you. So had Jo helped me. I riffled through the manuscript and saw the key words everywhere, sometimes placed so you could actually read them stacked on different lines, one above the other. How hard she had tried to tell me this . . . and I had no intention of doing anything else until I found out why. I dropped the manuscript back on the table, but before I could re-anchor it, a furious gust of freezing air blew past me, lifting the pages and scattering them everywhere in a cyclone. If that force could have ripped them to shreds, I'm sure that it would have. No! it cried as I grabbed the lantern's handle. No, finish the job! Wind blew around my face in chill gusts it was as if someone I couldn't quite see was standing right in front of me and breathing in my face, retreating as I moved forward, huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf outside the houses of the three little pigs. I hung the lantern over my arm, held my hands out in front of me, and clapped them together sharply. The cold puffs in my face ceased. There was now only the random swirling air coming in through the partially plugged kitchen window. ‘She's sleeping,' I said to what I knew was still there, silently watching. ‘There's time.' I went out the back door and the wind took me at once, making me stagger sideways, almost knocking me over. And in the wavering trees I saw green faces, the faces of the dead. Devore's was there, and Royce's, and Son Tidwell's. Most of all I saw Sara's. Everywhere Sara. No! Go back! You don't need no truck with no owls, sugar! Go back! Finish the job! Do what you came for! ‘I don't know what I came for,' I said. ‘And until I find out, I'm not doing anything.' The wind screamed as if in offense, and a huge branch split off the pine standing to the right of the house. It fell on top of my Chevrolet in a spray of water, denting the roof before rolling off on my side. Clapping my hands out here would be every bit as useful as King Canute commanding the tide to turn. This was her world, not mine . . . and only the edge of it, at that. Every step closer to The Street and the lake would bring me closer to that world's heart, where time was thin and spirits ruled. Oh dear God, what had happened to cause this? The path to Jo's studio had turned into a creek. I got a dozen steps down it before a rock turned under my foot and I fell heavily on my side. Lightning zigged across the sky, there was the crack of another breaking branch, and then something was falling toward me. I put my hands up to shield my face and rolled to the right, off the path. The branch splashed to the ground just behind me, and I tumbled halfway down a slope that was slick with soaked needles. At last I was able to pull myself to my feet. The branch on the path was even bigger than the one which had landed on the roof of the car. If it had struck me, it likely would have bashed in my skull. Go back! A hissing, spiteful wind through the trees. Finish it! The slobbering, guttural voice of the lake slamming into the rocks and the bank below The Street. Mind your business! That was the very house itself, groaning on its foundations. Mind your business and let me mind mine! But Kyra was my business. Kyra was my daughter. I picked up the lantern. The housing was cracked but the bulb glowed bright and steady that was one for the home team. Bent over against the howling wind, hand raised to ward off more falling branches, I slipped and stumbled my way down the hill to my dead wife's studio.