MIS computer assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MIS computer - Assignment Example On the other hand, the following hardwares were purchased: a computer desktop PC whose feature is described as precision T7910; input devices such as mouse inclusive of a mouse pad and keyboard; output devices such as monitor and external speakers; secondary hard devices such as hard disks and optical storage device; a sound card; and Ethernet network card. The above preferred operating system-OS (window 7 64 bit) is ideal since it does not experience issues related to compatibility that was a thorn in the flesh for the earlier versions such widow XP and Vista. Moreover, its drivers are readily available except the Ethernet drivers which are usually available through the internet platforms (Emdadekh, 2010). The other required softwares such as word processor, spreadsheets, publisher, PowerPoint can be easily installed into the above specified OS as a package inform of office software. The latest version of office (office 2013) is of preference due to the fact that it is not only easier to use but also facilitates easier input techniques and analysis especially when using the spreadsheets. On the other hand, the program for creating PDF files is also easily installed from the internet inclusive of the PDF converter that enables one to convert the PDF script into other forms contained in the office 2013 especially when editing is required. It is prudent to comprehend that the data base management program is part of the office package and once installed one can easily create a data base. For the e-mail program, the provisions such internet browsers such as the Mozilla Firefox, the Google Chrome, and the internet explorer among others enable one to manipulate the e-mailing components of th e program (Emdadekh, 2010). Furthermore, Window 7 readily accepts installation of the latest versions of these browsers. In addition, the computer security system can be enhanced by installing internet security softwares

Concepts of Culture and Society Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Concepts of Culture and Society - Research Paper Example There are different elements of culture and social forces that continuously influence us as an individual in society. These elements not only differentiate us from people belonging to other cultures but also help us stick to our basic values and traditions. Some of the most important elements of culture and social forces influencing us include language, values, religion, social organization, and arts and literature. Values are the cultural standards, which help us determine what is right and what is wrong whereas norms are the rules of a culture, which tell us how to behave in a society. Every culture has its own norms and values, which distinguish people from one another. Language helps us communicate our feelings to other people around us. People speaking the same language usually share a common culture. However, in some societies people speak different languages due to different cultural backgrounds. This element of culture makes a person identified as a person belonging to some specific culture. Social organization is another basic element of a culture. Social organization refers to the collection of institutions, social groups, classes, and social forces such as family and relatives, which form a society. Every individual has different social grouping and class in a society, which distinguishes him or her from other individuals living in a society. Socialization is a very complex process, which helps a person think and behave according to what is considered worthy (Berns, 2010, p. 12). Socializing agents such as family, school, peer groups, technology, workplace, religion, and state influence us as individuals in a society. The social views, political views, and social norms and values portrayed by the mass media and technology put a deep impact on the thoughts of every individual distinguishing him or her from other individuals. Workplace is another socializing

Police Department Roles and Functions Essay Example for Free

Police Department Roles and Functions Essay There are many various functions of police agencies. Patron, traffic, juvenile services, intelligence and undercover, and special operations are just some of the various functions of police agencies. There are many differences between the functions of the police agencies and the federal, state, and the local levels. There are reasons of why you need to have various functions and roles of policing in any community. There are a few various functions of police agencies such as patrol, traffic, juvenile services, intelligence and undercover, and special functions. There are many functions of the patrol and consists of protecting the lives of people and their property, repression of criminal and delinquent behavior, identification, apprehension and conviction of offenders, traffic flow, collision reduction, maintenance of order and public safety. Patrol functions are a major part of policing agencies. Traffic functions consist of identifying potential traffic problems and hazards, arresting offenders, investigation property damage and personal injury automobile accidents, regulating parking on the streets and municipal buildings (Grant Terry, 2008). Traffic functions keep the roads safer and make things flow better for traffic. Juvenile services are there to help juvenile offenders go to counseling and counseling for the juvenile’s families. There are also programs that can help juveniles learn about drugs, alcohol, abuse and gangs. There is a program called (D.A.R.E) Drug Abuse Resistance Education. (GREAT) Gang Resistance Education and Training is another program that is used to inform the youth group about the negative impact of gangs. Intelligence and undercover is where officers go and use a different identification so that they can get closer to suspects or fugitive or get evidence (Grant Terry, 2008). They may have to live in different places and dress as complete different people then who they are so that they can  fit in to the environment they are trying to get close to. The last function is the special operations that consist of S.W.A.T and the canine unit. The S.W.A.T stands for special weapons and tactics and they functions are dealing with high risk law enforcement such as hostage situations and arresting people that are armed and dangerous suspects. The canine unit is having a police dog that helps on searches. Searches could be consisting of drug investigations, tracking and searching for victims or suspects, vehicle searches, and searching of buildings (Grant Terry, 2008). The police agency functions differ from the federal, state, and local level. The federal has two main functions that split into a few different functions. The Homeland Security and Department of Justice have many functions. The Homeland Security has the Bureau of Customs and Border protection (CBP) and this helps make sure that people and cargo are crossed borders legally and safely. Bureau of Immigration and Custom Enforcement known as (ICE) works with the smuggling of drugs and weapons. It also helps remove illegal immigrants that should not be across the borders. ICE also helps protect and secure federal buildings. FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency and their goal is to help prevent man-made disasters from destroying cities. FEMA also helps after man-made disasters happen with providing food, water, and shelter to the people that have homes that are destroyed or have no stores that have food remaining for them to eat or drink. Department of Justice has a few functions as well that are to help protect on a higher level than the police agencies. Drug Enforcement Administrators (DEA) deal with enforcing laws that pertain to controlled substances. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has many functions. They protect against any kind of terrorist attack against the country, foreign intelligence operations, cyber based attacks, public corruption, and white collar crimes. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) deal with the investigations of the trafficking of illegal firearms. The ATF also enforces federal laws that pertain to federal taxes on alcohol and tobacco (Walker Katz, 2011). The federal and the police agencies have many differences. The federal have more of a variety of different functions than the police agencies. The state does not have as many functions as the federal but still have functions that make a difference. The State has some functions that the police agencies also have. The State has different kind of  officers. There are State police and Highway patrol officers that patrol the highways statewide. They also have power to give traffic violations, criminal investigations, and arrest non traffic violators (Walker Katz, 2011). The police agencies also do a lot of patrol just like the state police. The local levels are a lot like the police agencies. They have municipal officers, county police and they hav e sheriffs that patrol city roads. They attend to more serious crimes that are committed in the city. The local level deals with order maintenance problems and emergency services (Walker Katz, 2011). The county police have the same functions as the municipal officers but can operate countywide. The sheriffs have more functions than the municipal officers and the county police. The sheriffs have to go to courts and deal with corrections. When it comes to the community all of the policing agencies are very important. There are many functions and roles that help keep a safe community. If there are limited policing agencies in the community it could raise the rate of crime, accidents, and deaths. With having the functions in the communities it helps make the people of the community feel safer knowing that the policing agencies are out patrolling the streets whether it is by foot, bike, car, or horse. Without having the functions of trafficking there would be more accidents on the roads or highways. If the juvenile services the younger generations may not have the resources to learn about awareness programs for drugs, alcohol, and abuse. They may not have the opportunity to change their lives by attending counseling to help better themselves. Without having undercover officers it would be a little harder to catch suspects before they actually commit a crime. Even though not all cities have the canine unit, the canine unit helps search for things that the human nose cannot detect as well as a dog can. The canine unit is a very big help for searches when victims are missing or are searching for drugs. There are many functions and roles for all police agencies no matter how big or how small the agency is. There are many differences between the police agencies and the federal, state, and local level. But there are also some functions that are the same. Without having functions of all the police agencies there would be more crime and accidents within the cities and states. Having as many functions in all the policing agencies makes this place a safer place for everyone. References Walker, S., Katz, C.M. (2011). The police in America: An introduction (7th ed). Grant, H.B., Terry, K.J. (2008) Law Enforcement in the 21st Century(2nd ed).

Nevado Del Ruiz Volcano Eruption

Nevado Del Ruiz Volcano Eruption Mustafa Ameen Nevado Del Ruiz volcano Introduction: The volcano is a phenomena that occurs at several kilometers depth of the huge plates that form the Earths surface, causing a hole in the crust through which the expulsion of molten lava and ash, and gases. Volcanic activity usually produces a cone-shaped Obinna picturesque periodically erupts in a violent way, and some can be very explosive eruptions, such as the volcano Nevado del Ruiz. Nevado del Ruiz volcano has erupted 23 times during the past two million years. Geologic Location: Nevado Del Ruiz is located on the border between the provinces of Caldas and Tolima in Colombia, part of the Andes mountain range, overshadowed the town of Armero, part of Los Nevados National Park natural, 129 km west of the capital Bogota. Its Longitude is 4.9Â °N / -75.32Â °W. Nevado del Ruiz falsehoods within the Ring of Fire, in the region of active volcanoes that encircle the Pacific Ocean, as shown in Figure (2). It is the third in the far north region of Andean volcanic belt which contains 75 of the 204 Holocene age volcanoes in southern America. It is worth mentioning that the production of this volcanic belt is under the continental plate of South America by eastward subduction of the Nazca oceanic plate as shown in figure (1). Figure (1) how tectonic plate movement and subduction has created this volcano Figure (2) Nevado del Ruiz volcano location on the map Type of Volcano: Nevado Del Ruiz is a composite volcano, that also known as a stratovolcano or a composite cones, this volcano have gentle lower slopes, but get very sheer near the summit, which give this volcano the cone like shape. So that Composite cones are created by a mixture of explosive activity and lava flows. Nevado Del Ruiz has an overall andesitic and dacitic structure that made of layers (strata) of hardened lava, volcanic ash and tephra. Nevado Del Ruiz also has a layered appearance with alternating pyroclastic, lava, mad and debris flows, and also this volcano is created by an oceanic to continental convergent boundary. The structure layer of this volcano is given in Figure (3). Figure (3) The structure layers of Nevado del Ruiz Eruption Style: Nevado del Ruiz is a stratovolcano forms at convergent plate margins, and its steep slopes of the summit and a small hole is amazing. Is an explosive, and usually generates Plinian explosion and has been active for the two million years ago. It is well known as composite cones for the emergence of a cone shape and several layers of lava alternating with stiffness volcanic ash and other lava rocks. Stratovolcanoes form in convergent plate margins, and its steep slopes of the summit and classifications are surprisingly small. The eastward subduction of the oceanic Nazaca plate beneath the South America continental plat is produced the Andean volcanic belt. It results in the production of dacitic lava, as well as volcanic andesitic rocks. These lava flows and lava cancel everything in its path, and travel for miles. Output is a lot of debris and ash from the volcano also erupts when. Landslides are one of the most lethal consequences of this during the eruption. As hot lava flowing on the undersides of the volcanic crater it causes a quick melting of snow and ice, which generates a very large floods that sweeping nearby valleys. As a result of mixing these floods with waste and debris floods and soil, increasing the density and volume to form very hot lahars with a thickness of approximately 50 meters and is moving at 50 km per hour. When sweep populated areas lead to the downfall of thousands of deaths in addition to the mass destruction of these areas. Figure (1) A photo of the volcano Nevado del Ruiz Eruption history: The first eruption of Nevado Del Ruiz was in 6660 BC and most recently in 1985 in the Arenas Crater. The first explosion historically documented in 1570 while its biggest eruption occurred in 1595. In 1845, the volcano erupted as a result of a large earthquake and caused a considerable mudflow which ran down the valley of the nearby river (Lagunillas River) for approximately 70 km. Its spilled out in the river channel and killing much of the local people again. The most famous and most recent eruption occurred in 1985 which regarded as the worst volcanic disaster in the 21st century in South America, where they have caused the following casualties: Approximately 23,000 people were killed in Armero From the population of 28,700 Around 5,000 people were injured. About 5,000 homes were destroyed. The whole town was swamped with mud up to 40 meters thic. The mad was traveling at speeds of 50km/h in which it swept the town away. This eruption was the fourth largest single-eruption in death toll whole the history. The volcano activity is very limited since 1985 deadly explosion. The latest eruption occurred at 22 Feb 2012 and stopped at 10 April 2013 without any casualties. Table (1) gives summary of the eruption dates of this volcano. Table (1) Summary of eruption dates of Nevado del Ruiz [6]. Was it inevitable that so many people died/were injured? Could more have been done to save the people/ property? The eruption signs can be predicted for some time before the outbreak of the volcano. Weeks later scientists were monitored the volcano using seismographs. Several maps were provided over a month before the eruption to illustrate the danger zones of the volcano, which showed that Armero area is clearly at high risk. But unfortunately, some unusual facts recognized, which are: 1 – People werent taken these maps very seriously and werent circulated thoroughly accurately. 2 Many of the people in the city are unaware of these maps. 3 Many citizens in Armero were unable to read. Committed many quiet starts when a major eruption, because of reassuring messages that were sent by each of: 1 The mayor on the radio. 2 The local priest of the Church by addressing the audience. However, it is the Red Cross to evacuate the city. But after a brief period of time evacuation, ash stopped falling. Storm occurred and blocked the top of the volcano that made citizens unaware of what happens from the outbreak of lava. Authorities have warned that the eruption will be moderate with great danger for Armero with a very high probability of the mudflows. Unfortunately, government officials have refused this report and have declared their unwillingness to evacuate the population while making sure of its necessity. If government officials have taken the report warning seriously for the town could have been evacuated, then far fewer people would have been injured. How we can prevent such damage and death if this volcano erupts again? There are a lot of methods to protect towns and cities from lahars. In which these include: tunnels, alternate channels, and concrete structures. In which some have been succeed and others have not. The experiment provided that the best preventative measure is to build and establish a highly sensitive warning system. These warning systems include seismometers, which pick up the signal from the lahar as it moves to the bottom of the valley and rain gauges that accumulate water and warning when the formation of avalanches is possible. As it has been shown through the Nevado del Ruiz volcano warning systems are not sufficient. Also lines of communication and evacuation plans must also be established because the damage may not be avoidable but earlier warning thanks to better communications would empower people to be evacuated to higher ground. Conclusion Nevado del Ruiz is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. It is affected by several factors, namely, the composition of the magma core, the temperature, and the amount of dissolved gases it contains. It is believed that the atmosphere and the ocean evolved gases emitted by volcanic eruptions. Its eruptive period was begun 150 thousand years ago. These facts are enough reasons for igneous activity to warrant our attention. The government must take some procedure to protect its citizen for the next volcano eruption. References: http://nevadodelruiz.blogspot.se/ http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2011/09/13/unrest-at-nevado-del-ruiz-volcano-in-colombia/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevado_del_Ruiz http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/hazards/primer/lahar.html http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1784page=65 http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=351020#bgvn_3707 1

Easements: Solar Access Protection Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow :: Essays Papers

Easements: Solar Access Protection Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow At tropical latitudes the sun is directly overhead the majority of the time, therefore, solar access is guaranteed without regulation. However, in the United States, solar access is influenced by many factors including; latitude, time of day, season, and angle of the sun. Furthermore, shade and shadows due to vegetation and structure greatly diminish the productive capacity of solar collection. Unfortunately, the right to unhindered solar access does not accompany land ownership rights in the United States. Federal and state governments encourage uses of alternative energy sources by appropriating funds for research and development of alternative energy technologies and through tax credits. Laws and/or regulations that guarantee landowner rights to solar access are critical for continued application of solar collection. Many states have introduced legislation to protect solar access rights, in effect removing barriers for solar energy utilization. Without legal safeguards, tim e and monetary investments in solar collection are fruitless and unwise. Although protected in ancient Greece, it was not until the 1970s and the OPEC oil embargo that U.S. courts and lawmakers began to create legal protection for landowners right to solar access. Consequently, twenty-four states enacted legislation to protect solar access, largely by recognizing the validity of solar access easements (Bradbrook 1988). This paper will attempt to explain easements and their historical context in terms of solar access rights. Additionally, we will explore the future of solar access regulation and law in terms of what needs to be done to create successful legislation that guarantees solar access for all. Balancing is a key aspect of legal challenges to solar access. This term refers to the balance between the rights of one landowner to use the sun as a source of energy versus the rights of neighboring landowners to fully exercise their private property rights including economic gain as a result of using their land (Charter 1983). Easements are collectively viewed as a mechanism of solar access protection that successfully weighs political, economic and legal concerns (Beaumont and Imperati1984). Easements can be complex especially when dealing with property rights. To simplify our discussion we will consider easements to be a property right transfer, agreed upon in a written covenant that guarantees one landowner a limited right to access a benefit from another’s land.

Health and Welness for the Employees :: essays research papers

There are many reasons for the employees to get involved in a wellness program. Whether they like it or not overall wellness will affect their everyday life, at home as well as at work. The fact of the matter is that people that are in good health are usually more coherent and are able to enjoy more out of life. With more incentive going towards corporations paying subsidies to encourage employee participation there is increasing demand by employees to have a wellness program implemented. A study of health risk data and medical insurance claims at a paper mill in Canton, North Carolina, revealed that the Canton employees who had taken part in a health and fitness programs spent an average of 30% less on medical claims than non-participants. Having established a clear link between health and fitness activities and lower health care costs, the Canton study led to refine and expand wellness programs. The company took a closer look at all the issues that could affect job performance and determined that the company needed to broaden the concept of wellness to include mental and emotional health as well as physical well being. In short, the company began to recognize that each employee is a whole person who brings much more than job skills to work every day. The company also began to understand that efforts at wellness promotion could only succeed by taking the needs of the whole person into account. Fitness programs can reduce absenteeism. There are many documented situations of fitness and wellness programs are effective. In a one-year study of over 500 employees, each took part in a work place fitness program. The for each employee that worked out as little one day a week, cut their average number of sick days in half, from over ten sick days on average in the previous year without any activity to less than five in the following year. The report also showed that the employees that did not maintain a workout load of at least once a week did not reduce any sick-days. (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 1997; 39:827-831) Each of the participants followed a one-hour supervised workout consisting of a warm-up, stretching, calisthenics, cardiovascular and strength-building program. Later in the study Dr. Lilian Lechner, M.P.H. stated, â€Å"While previous studies have found that employees most likely to partake in workplace fitness programs are those who already ge t the most regular exercise and tend to be in better health, the current show that work-based fitness offers added health benefits for employees regardless of their fitness level.

Coyote Blue Chapter 16~17

CHAPTER 16 Live, Via the Spirit World Satellite Network Santa Barbara Lonnie Ray Inman was sitting in a worn leather easy chair listening for noises to sift down from upstairs. He had loaded and unloaded his Colt Python.357 Magnum four times, nervously fumbling its deadly weight as he alternately entertained fantasies of vengeance and prison. Every few minutes he would rise and go to the window to see if the black Mercedes was still parked out front, then he would pause at the front closet, where he opened and slammed the door until the violence in his heart subsided enough for him to sit again. He was short and dark and muscles stood out on his bare arms like cables. The front of his black tank top was soaked with blood where he had ripped the skin of his chest with his fingernails, trying to destroy the tattoo of a naked woman, the same woman whose picture was airbrushed on the tank of his Harley, the same woman who had turned his thoughts to murder. Lonnie Ray Inman dropped six cartridges into the cylinder of the Python and snapped it shut, determin ed this time to make it out the door and up the stairs, where he would burst through the door and kill Calliope's new lover. Fuck prison. -=*=- A thousand miles away, ten thousand feet up in the Bighorn Mountains, Pokey Medicine Wing watched Lonnie loading the gun. Pokey was into the second day of his fast and had been searching the Spirit World for clues to the whereabouts of his favorite nephew, Samson Hunts Alone. He had called for his spirit helper, Old Man Coyote, to help him, but the trickster had not appeared. Instead he was seeing a white city, with red roofs and palm trees, and a man who wanted to murder Samson. Pokey's body sat, dangerously close to death, in the middle of a two-hundred-foot stone medicine wheel, the holiest of the Crow fasting places, just west of Sheridan, Wyoming. Pokey had been under the hoof of a bull-moose hangover when he began the fast, and now the dry mountain wind was sucking the last life-water from his body. Alone in the Spirit World, Pokey was unaware of his heart struggling to pump his thickening blood. He looked for a way to warn Samson, and called out for Old Man Coyote to help. Coyote was in the locker room of the Santa Barbara YWCA when he heard Pokey's call. He had entered as a horsefly, and after watching the women in the showers for a while had changed himself into a baby hedgehog and was rolled into a ball in the soap dish, imitating a loofah. Lazy by nature, Coyote had given his medicine to only three people since time began – Pokey, Samson, and a warrior named Burnt Face, who had built the ancient medicine wheel – so it took him a while to realize that he was being called. Reluctantly, he left the hedgehog body in the capable hands of a soapy aerobics instructor and went to the Spirit World, where he found Pokey waiting. â€Å"What?† Coyote said. â€Å"Old Man Coyote, I need your help.† â€Å"I know,† Coyote said. â€Å"You are dying.† â€Å"No, I need to find my nephew, Samson.† â€Å"But you are dying.† â€Å"I am? Shit!† â€Å"You should end this fast now, old man.† â€Å"But what about Samson?† â€Å"I've been helping Samson. Don't worry.† â€Å"But he has an enemy who is going to kill him. I saw him, but I don't know where he is.† â€Å"I know he has enemies. I am Coyote. I know everything. What's this guy look like?† â€Å"He's white. He has a gun.† â€Å"That narrows it down.† â€Å"He has a tattoo of a woman on his chest – it's bleeding. He looks out a window and sees a motorcycle and a black car. That's all I know.† â€Å"Do you have any water on the mountain where your body is?† â€Å"No. There's a little snow.† â€Å"I will help you,† Coyote said. â€Å"Go now.† Suddenly Pokey was back in his body, sitting on the mountain. In his lap he found a package of dry Kool-Aid that had not been there before. He looked down at it and smiled, then fell forward into the dirt. In the shower of the YWCA a naked aerobics instructor screamed and ran into the locker room when the loofah she was using turned into a raven. The bird circled the locker room twice and nipped her on the bottom with its beak before flying down the hall, into the lobby, and out an open skylight. -=*=- Across town, Calliope took the empty salad bowl from Sam and set it on the dresser next to a statue of Buddha. â€Å"More?† she asked. â€Å"No, I'm full,† Sam whispered. Grubb had fallen asleep in his crib and Sam didn't want to risk waking him. â€Å"Calliope,† he said, â€Å"is this guy dangerous?† â€Å"Lonnie? No. He thinks he's tough because he's in a biker club, but I don't think he's dangerous. His friends are a little scary, though. They take a lot of PCP and it makes them spiritually dense.† â€Å"I hate that,† Sam said, proud because he was spiritually dense without the aid of drugs. â€Å"I'm going to take the dishes out and check on J. Nigel. Why don't you light some candles? I don't think we should turn on the stereo, though. It might irritate Lonnie.† â€Å"We wouldn't want that,† Sam said. -=*=- Outside, a raven landed on the hood of Sam's car. Lonnie Ray saw it from his window. â€Å"Shit on it. Shit on it,† he said, but as he watched the raven seemed to disappear. Lonnie slammed the closet door until the doorframe splintered. Coyote was a mosquito making his way through the air vents of the Mercedes. He flew out of the defroster vent and settled on the driver's seat, where he became a man. Sam's Rolodex was on the passenger seat next to his pack of cigarettes. Coyote lit a cigarette and flipped through the Rolodex until he found the card he was looking for. He removed it and tucked it into the waist of his buckskins. -=*=- Lonnie Ray was rattling through the kitchen cabinets, looking for liquor, when he heard the pounding at his front door. On his way through the living room he snatched the Python off the easy chair and shoved it in his jeans at the small of his back. He threw open the door and was nearly knocked down by the Indian who brushed him aside on the way into the room. The Indian looked around the room and wheeled on Lonnie Ray. â€Å"Where is he? Where's the bastard hiding?† Lonnie Ray recovered his balance and dropped his right hand to the grip of the Colt. â€Å"Who the fuck are you?† â€Å"Don't worry about it. Where's the guy that drives that Mercedes?† In spite of his own anger, Lonnie Ray was intrigued. â€Å"What do you want him for?† â€Å"That's my business, but if he owes you money, you'd better get it back before I find him.† â€Å"You going to kill him?† Lonnie asked. â€Å"If he's lucky,† the Indian said. â€Å"You got a gun?† â€Å"I don't need a gun. Now where is he?† â€Å"Chill, man, I might be able to help you out.† â€Å"I don't have time for this,† the Indian said. â€Å"I'll just catch him at his house.† â€Å"You know where he lives?† Lonnie Ray asked. This was like a gift from heaven. He could send the Indian up to Calliope's to do the dirty work: no risk, no prison. If it didn't work, he and the boys could surprise the guy at his house tomorrow, no witnesses. Lonnie Ray hadn't really relished the idea of having to shoot Calliope, anyway. â€Å"Yeah, I know where the bastard lives,† the Indian said. â€Å"But he ain't there. He's somewhere around here.† â€Å"You give me his address, I'll tell you where he is.† â€Å"Fuck that,† the Indian said, shoving Lonnie against the wall. â€Å"You'll tell me now.† Lonnie brought the barrel of the Python up under the Indian's chin. â€Å"I don't think so.† The Indian froze. â€Å"It's on a card in my pants.† Lonnie Ray held out his free hand. â€Å"Don't ever tell someone you don't have a gun, dipshit.† The Indian lifted his buckskin shirt, pulled a card from his waistband, and handed it to Lonnie Ray, who glanced at it and spun the Indian around by one shoulder, pointing him out the door. Lonnie ground the barrel of the Python into the Indian's spine, stood on his toes, and whispered threateningly into the Indian's ear. â€Å"You didn't come here and you didn't see me. You understand?† The Indian nodded. â€Å"He's upstairs,† Lonnie whispered. â€Å"Now go!† He shoved the Indian out the door. â€Å"And never, never fuck with a brother of the Guild.† Lonnie closed the door. â€Å"Fucking A,† he said with a giggle. -=*=- Upstairs, Calliope said, â€Å"Tell me what you know, Sam.† â€Å"About what?† â€Å"About anything.† She sat down next to him on the bed and brushed his hair back with her fingers. â€Å"Tell me what you know.† The silence that followed would have been awkward except Calliope seemed to expect it. She stroked his hair while he tried to think of what to say. He sorted through facts and figures and histories and strategies. Clever retorts, meaningless jokes, sophistries and non sequiturs rose in his mind and fell unspoken. She rubbed his neck and found a knot in the muscle that she worked her fingertips into. â€Å"That feels good,† Sam said. â€Å"That's what you know?† A smile rose to Sam's lips. â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"What do you want?† she asked. He shot her a sideways glance and saw the candlelight gleaming in her eyes. She was serious, waiting for an answer. â€Å"Is this a test?† â€Å"No. What do you want?† â€Å"Why don't you ask me what I do for a living? Where I live? Where I'm from? How old I am? You don't even know my last name.† â€Å"Would that stuff tell me who you are?† Sam turned to face her and took her hand from his neck. He still had a niggling mistrust of her and he wanted to let it go. â€Å"The truth now – Calliope, are you part of something he cooked up? Some trick?† â€Å"No. Who's he?† â€Å"Never mind.† Sam turned away from her again, stared at a candle flame on the dresser, and tried to think. She really didn't know about Coyote. What now? â€Å"Well, what do you want?† she asked again. He snapped, â€Å"Dammit, I don't know.† She didn't recoil or seem hurt, but began rubbing his neck again. â€Å"You came here because you wanted me, didn't you?† â€Å"No. Yes, I guess I did.† It wasn't bad enough that she had to keep telling the truth; now she was expecting it back, and he was out of practice. â€Å"We've had sex. Do you want to go now?† Christ, she was like some gorgeous New Age district attorney. â€Å"No, I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Do you want a bowl of chocolate marshmallow ice cream?† â€Å"That would be great!† Sam said. Off the hook, no further questions, Your Honor. â€Å"See, it's not that hard to figure out what you want.† She got up and left the room, heading for the kitchen again. Sam sat back and waited, realizing that it had been some time since a door had slammed downstairs. Suddenly he was very uncomfortable with the silence. When he heard footfalls on the stairs outside he leapt to his feet and ran to the kitchen. CHAPTER 17 A White Picket Fence Around Chaos Santa Barbara Sam hit the kitchen just as Yiffer stepped through the screenless section of the screen door. â€Å"Cool! Ice cream!† Yiffer said, staggering to Calliope's side at the counter. â€Å"Keep it down, Yiffer. I just got Grubb and J. Nigel down.† Calliope picked up two full bowls of ice cream and nodded to the carton on the counter. â€Å"You can have the rest.† â€Å"Bitchin'.† Yiffer grabbed a serving spoon from the empty salad bowl and dug into the ice cream, shoveling a baseball-sized clump into his mouth. Sam watched in amazement as Yiffer mouthed the ice cream until he got his jaws closed around it, then swallowed the whole clump, dipping his head snakelike to facilitate the passage. â€Å"Oh, shit, man,† Yiffer said as he dropped the spoon and bent over, grabbing the bridge of his nose. â€Å"Major ice cream headache. Ouch!† Sam heard footsteps on the stairs outside, ran to the door, and popped his head out to see who was coming, ready to duck back inside should it be the crazed biker from downstairs. To his relief, Nina was trudging up the steps, obviously a little drunk herself. â€Å"Did Yiffer come home?† Sam said, â€Å"He's punishing himself with ice cream as we speak.† â€Å"I'll kill him.† She ran the rest of the way up the steps and Sam helped her wrestle the door open, then he stepped out of harm's way as she stormed by him to Yiffer, who was still bent over, now holding his temples. â€Å"You jerk!† Nina shrieked. â€Å"Who was that woman at the bar? And where the hell is my money?† â€Å"Babe, I'm in pain here. I'm suffering.† Nina raised her fist as if to hammer Yiffer's back, then she spotted the serving spoon, picked it up, and began whacking the surfer unmercifully on the head with it. â€Å"You want pain (whack!), I'll give you pain (whack! whack! whack!). Suffering? (whack!) You wouldn't (whack!) know (whack!) suffering (whack!) if (whack!)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well,† Calliope said. â€Å"I guess you guys need a little space. C'mon, Sam.† She led Sam out of the kitchen and back to her bedroom. They sat eating and listening to Yiffer whining under Nina's attack. After a few minutes she was losing momentum and Yiffer's whines turned to moans. Soon Nina was moaning with him rhythmically. Sam stared at the candle on the dresser as if he hadn't noticed. â€Å"They do this all the time,† Calliope offered. â€Å"I think Nina gets in touch with that male energy that equates violence and sex.† â€Å"Excuse me?† â€Å"Hitting Yiffer makes her horny.† â€Å"Oh,† Sam said. He flinched at the sound of breaking dishes from the kitchen. Nina screamed, â€Å"Oh, yes, you asshole! Yes!† Yiffer groaned. The house shook with the sound of a door slamming downstairs and J. Nigel joined the din with a wail of his own. â€Å"Lonnie must think that we're doing it,† Calliope said. â€Å"Do you think he'll give us time to explain before he shoots us?† â€Å"Don't think about it.† Calliope stood and stepped out of her dress, then gestured for Sam to take off his shirt. The moaning in the kitchen was rising in intensity and J. Nigel was wailing like a siren. The windows rattled with a salvo of door slams. Sam looked at her and thought, A bowl of ice cream, a load of loonies, and thou†¦ â€Å"Now?† he said. â€Å"Are you sure?† Calliope nodded. She pulled his shirt off, then pushed him back on the bed and took off his shoes. Sam let her undress him as he tried to put the noise out of his mind. As she pulled the sheet over him and crawled in beside him, he imagined the two of them being shot in the act. When she kissed him he barely felt it. In the crib next to them Grubb began to stir, and with the next series of door slams and a crash from the kitchen he came awake crying. Despite Calliope's soft warmth against him and the smell of jasmine on her hair, Sam was unable to respond. â€Å"He'll be okay,† Calliope said. She stroked Sam's cheek and kissed him gently on the forehead. â€Å"I'll be back in a second,† Sam said. He got up and wrapped his shirt around his hips, then, checking the hallway, he darted out of the room and into the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, staring blankly at the ceiling. The sex sounds from the kitchen reached a crescendo with a piercing scream from Nina, then stopped, leaving only the sounds of crying babies and slamming doors. Sam took a deep breath. â€Å"I can't do this,† he said to himself. â€Å"This is too weird. Too fucking weird.† He lowered the lid of the toilet and sat facing the shower stall, assuming the posture of Rodin's Thinker. For once in his life, it really seemed to matter that the sex be good, but this was like a combat zone. â€Å"I can't do this,† he said. â€Å"Sure you can,† a voice said from behind the shower curtain. Sam screamed and jumped to the top of the toilet tank. Coyote stepped out of the shower holding a beaded leather pouch. â€Å"What in the hell are you doing here?† Sam asked. â€Å"I'm here to help,† Coyote said. â€Å"Well, get out of here. I don't need your help.† â€Å"You are wasting that woman.† â€Å"Do you have any idea what is going on around here? Listen.† Another door slammed and Nina resumed shouting at Yiffer. From what Sam could make out it had something to do with the yard sale. â€Å"You must leave here, then,† Coyote said. â€Å"You must find a place on the woman's body and live there. Hear only her breath, smell only her scent.† â€Å"If you don't get out of here I won't even have a chance. What if she sees you? How could I explain your being here?† Thinking about it, Sam realized that if he told Calliope that there was an ancient trickster god in her bathroom she would accept it without question – would probably ask for an introduction. Coyote held out the beaded pouch. â€Å"Put this on your member.† â€Å"What is it?† Sam asked, taking the pouch. â€Å"Passion powder. It will make you as strong and stiff as a lance.† Sam shook the contents of the pouch – a fine brown powder – into the palm of his hand. He sniffed it. â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"Corn pollen, cedar, sweet grass, sage, powdered elk semen – it is an old and powerful recipe. Try it.† â€Å"No way.† â€Å"You want the woman to think you are not a man?† â€Å"If I try it will you go?† Coyote grinned. â€Å"Put just a pinch on your member and you will pleasure the woman to tears.† â€Å"And you'll go?† Coyote nodded. Sam tentatively took a pinch of the powder and began to sprinkle it on his penis. Calliope opened the bathroom door, catching Sam in mid-sprinkle. â€Å"You won't need that, honey,† she said. â€Å"I'm on the pill.† â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sam looked around for Coyote, but the trickster was gone. â€Å"I was just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Being responsible,† Calliope said. â€Å"Thank you. Now come to bed.† She took his hand and led him out of the bathroom. Sam submitted, glancing over his shoulder for signs of Coyote. Yiffer and Nina had taken the fight to their bedroom. Nina was calling Yiffer an idiot and going on about a newspaper ad being misplaced. A door slammed downstairs and Yiffer stormed out of the bedroom. â€Å"I'm going to kick his ass!† he shouted. In the hall he looked up at Calliope and Sam as he passed. â€Å"Hi, kids,† he said, then he proceeded down the hall. Sam could hear the kitchen screen door ripping off the hinges as Yiffer went through. â€Å"You're history, biker boy!† Calliope pulled Sam into the bedroom and closed the door. â€Å"Shouldn't we call the police or something?† Sam asked. â€Å"No, he'll be okay. Lonnie's afraid of Yiffer. He won't fight him and he's afraid to shoot him because of jail.† â€Å"Oh, everything's fine, then,† Sam said. â€Å"Come to bed,† Calliope said. Sam shot a glance to Grubb, who was lying quietly on his side staring suspiciously at Sam over the edge of a pacifier, as if saying, â€Å"What are you doing with my mom?† â€Å"Can we blow out the candles?† Sam asked. Without a word Calliope blew out the candles and pulled Sam down on top of her on the bed. Outside, the sounds of Nina screaming down from the top of the stairs, Yiffer pounding on Lonnie's door, and J. Nigel crying for attention faded into white noise. â€Å"You must find a place on the woman's body and live there.† In the dark, the noise far away, Sam ran his hands over Calliope's body and the world of work and worry seemed to move away. He found two depressions at the bottom of her back where sunlight collected, and he lived there, out of the wind and the noise. He grew old there, died, and ascended to the Great Spirit, found heaven in her cheek on his chest, the warm wind of her breath across his stomach carried sweet grass and sage, and†¦ In another lifetime he lived on the soft skin under her right breast, his lips riding light over the ridge and valley of every rib, shuffling through downy, dew-damp hairs like a child dancing through autumn leaves. On the mountain of her breast, he fasted at the medicine wheel of her aureole, received a vision that he and she were steam people, mingled wet with no skin separating them. And there he lived, happy. And for the first time in years he felt that he was home. She followed, traveled, lived with him and in him as he was in her. They lived lifetimes and slept and dreamed together. It was swell.