Life Before the Internet and After the Internet Essay Example for Free

Life Before the Internet and After the Internet Essay Life was very different before the advent of the Internet. Communication methods were limited, stores were the only place to buy goods and services, and physical libraries were the only place to find information and research. The three biggest changes caused by the Internet are in communication, sales, and access to information. The Internet has changed the way people communicate. It allows for instant and reliable communication between people across the street or across the globe. In the past, the only ways to send documents were via fax and postal mail. Faxes were limited because messages could only include two-dimensional text and graphics. The postal mail faced these same issues, as well as the problem with the time it took to send a document through the mail. With the Internet, documents with text, graphics, audio files, video files, and interactive objects can now be transmitted quickly to anyone with a simple click of a button. This has changed the way business is done and has made it easier for companies to expand into new markets. On a smaller level, the Internet has allowed people to reconnect with old friends or make new ones. Chat rooms and social networks such as MySpace. com are becoming increasingly popular as people enjoy the sense of anonymity. The second way that the Internet has changed the world is in the buying and selling of goods and services. With the ability to purchase products online, the business world has changed drastically. Online stores are competing for business, while established brick-and-mortar stores have set up web-based stores as well. Customers can now purchase nearly everything they need from the comfort of their own homes. The Internet has also allowed for quick and easy comparisons of the prices and quality of products and services. The final and most important impact of the Internet is in the access of information. In the past, if you needed to find information on the history of Latin America, you had to go to your local library. Then, you were limited by which books and resources the library carried. With limited budgets, libraries cannot be expected to carry the best sources for every topic. Today, you can access information on any topic from the Internet through academic journals, online encyclopedias, book reviews, and more. In addition, you can find information on every television and radio program, historical events, current events, health issues, scientific discoveries, sporting events, and theories on everything from biomedicine to parenting. Finally, being able to access information online has led to colleges and universities offering degrees where it is not necessary for students to ever step into a classroom. Lectures, PowerPoint slides, notes, and required readings are available on the Internet. In conclusion, the Internet has significantly changed the world in the way people communicate, do business, and learn. The rapidity with which these changes took place suggests that more drastic and exciting changes are still to come. New and innovative uses for technology are developed every day, and the Internet is a major focus of these developments.

The International Context For Healthcare Policy Social Work Essay

The International Context For Healthcare Policy Social Work Essay This assignment is done to explore the international context for healthcare policy and orgs of healthcare. It also helps us to understand contemporary issues and promotion of healthcare. The political, cultural and social issues that help to determine healthcare policy are also analyzed in this assignment. Our 1st task is to analyze approaches to healthcare policy formation in some international context and here the National Drug Preference Alliance organization is chosen for assessment. The goal of this organization is to save the addicted ones and to promote effective policies, preventing, giving education and knowledge regarding the drugs consumption and its problems caused in society. This organizations track contains how to approach the study of health care organizations from different angles of theoretical perspectives, levels of analysis, and methods. Organizational theory tries to create a healthier nation and is seen as involving the whole of the community, basically it is a n interdisciplinary course of study. Rooted in sociology and social psychology, these healthcare policy approaches developed different variety of theories and methods for the study of organizations. Considering approaches, social and political science provides theories to analyze power relations and decision-making in all kinds of organizations that are held in United Kingdom. Next task is to assess the influence of funding on policy formation in NDPA organization. Within any of the health policy field, there are chances for formation of healthcare policy. Without creation of a policy, the organization is not worthy enough for the society. A growing literature is trying to understand the various responses of policy makers to research; they explain why certain research findings pave their way into policy and why some others are effectively ignored. It is necessary to fund the policy formation. Else the formation of policy will simply be a dream or just in theoretical papers. The members of the organization must be ready to fund the policy formation. They have to get the help of politicians, social workers, the public, technicians, etc. and they must have some members among themselves who are able to fund for the policy formation. They can also provide fund from the public, can take loans, charity funds, etc. for the formation of healthcare policy. The gover nment is always interested in funding for NDPA organization as it has taken a great role in saving the society from drug addicts and NDPA organization has become a crucial organization for the both the society and the government. Next task is to evaluate healthcare policy in NDPA organization. With the awareness spread by NDPA organization, the government of the country has made drugs as illegal. It has been declared that the use of drugs is illegal and can lead to the imprisonment of the user along with penalty.it has been estimated that 22% of passengers and 18% of drivers who have been involved in fatal accidents have taken illegal drugs. This statistics shows the importance and urgency that is required for the formation of policy in England. The police in the nation are always engaged in testing policies. It is also declared by the government that drug takers harm no one but themselves. The legislature is spending much part of their time for freeing the nation from the addicts. They have led the focus of government towards drugs. In todays life the impression is that everyone is into drugs. Nowadays drugs have been considered as a style of living and Britain is leading in this style. It is considered as t odays style accessory. The government has taken many policies to reduce the consumption of drugs. Many awareness programs have been conducted in each and every part of the country. Retreat centers are open throughout the nation for helping the drug victims. In this assignment next we have to assess the impact of culture on healthcare. Culture can be defined is the way people live. It is natural that culture affects everything we think and do, from how we look after our elders, to whom we are allowing to be a healer, and to what we do when our children are not feeling well. Culture plays an important role in our lives. Like our genes shape our health, so does culture does. The way we define ourselves culturally influences what we will do for others health. So it can be understood that a good health care provider recognizes all these facts and tries to learn about the different cultures of his or her patients. It is not possible to summarize the cultural behavior of patients. It varies from one patient to other. Culture is a vast area. There is a variation that exists among individual members of a cultural group. Learning about general health beliefs and customs of an area would prove to be good while dealing with the patients of that are a. It also provides the health cares with experience. Next is assessing the impact of society with healthcare. Society and healthcare are related deeply together. Any society with ill people wont lead to development of society. If the society consists of healthy people, then they can lead the society and their nation towards development. Even though Britain is one of the greatest developed nations in the world, it is now the biggest drug user in Europe. Due to this addiction towards drugs different kinds of social and economic disaster can happen. For those drugs which no remedial measures were taken. Reducing its effect requires commitment from the area such as social, political, and economic across industries and governments and also through unique public-private partnerships. These three above mentioned factors force the governing and relevant non-governmental authorities on stream of continual decisions. Not depending on if the need for decisions is adequately there or addressed, unnecessary issues can promote the growth of drug add icts. Nowadays strategies were developed with regard to the research and development that is for preservations of pathogens and how they preserved. To the enhancement of preservation the wellbeing of researchers and the peoples around them these steps were taken and also to ensure the integrity of the surrounding environment. Next we have to analyze the attitudes towards healthcare. The organization also deals with other important aspects like providing care for older patients, teamwork in teaching process and making awareness and giving training to new comers in the organization. They provide motivation to the drug addicts to live in a normal way and they motivate them to join the organization and save other victims of the drug. To determine the attitudes of healthcare and healthcare workers baseline surveys are conducted. As a result they obtain attitudes of public towards healthcare and they can assess and analyze the progress of their work. Most students in each group of the organization profession agreed that the disciplinary teamwork approach benefits patients and tries to effectively utilize the time for any productive purpose. Several studies conducted have estimated that physicians attitudes towards prevention, cure and barriers to the delivery of preventive health strategies are effective. All t hat they require is the cooperation of the people, so that they can change the face of the drowning world. A standard can be considered as a level of quality against which performance can be measured. These are essential in healthcare sector to ensure safe and effective practice. Developing and maintaining the quality of services provided by the organization is a major objective for those involved in the planning, provision, delivery and review of health and social care services since there exists unacceptable variation in the quality of services provided, including timeliness of delivery and the ease of access. Next we have to evaluate the cultural and social impacts on and attitudes towards healthcare in NDPA organization. The organization is highly influenced by cultural impacts. They study the different cultures that exist in the current society and work accordingly to save the society from the hands of drugs. Learning about general health beliefs and customs of an area would prove to be good while dealing with the patients of that area. It also provides the health cares with experience. In case of social impacts we have to consider a variety of facts. Drug addiction the cause for most of the economic and social disruption or disaster. Factors such as political, social and economic make governments and relevant non-governmental authorities upon continuous stream of decisions. NDPA organization has held a great attitude towards healthcare sector. They have taken the initiative to save the people of the nation from dying. They have always held appositive attitude towards healthcare. Depend ing upon the interest of public that makes some way into social organization and decision policy are made. All that they require is the cooperation of the people, so that they can change the face of the drowning world. Net we have to analyze how healthcare policy is translated into practice in the organization. Translating the healthcare policy clinical practice is a valuable initiative for services for health so that the care given to the patient is efficient, cost-effective, and improves patient satisfaction. The studies show that on implementing and disseminating protocols, clinical practice guidelines. The objective is to identify the factors that influence healthcare and to present key international studies on them. Existing system for healthcare was examined to the formation of a plan for the research in future. As a result, various methods of healthcare policy translation are described like clinical pathways, clinical practice guidelines and protocols, a model for incorporating research based on normal and usual questions, partnerships between organizations, and implementation strategies that allow the translation of policies to practice. A lot of fund is required in translating policies to practice which are acquired by the organization in various ways as discussed above. Future research is needed on translating health care policy in the different areas like the best theoretical approaches, barriers, good strategies for nurses , the quality of empowerment approaches, the consequences of international collaboration, the mentors value etc. Next task is to analyze the organizations involved in health care in a national and international context. One of such an organization is the NDPA organization. Finance needed for the health care in developing countries is created by the countries themselves. International health organizations in the developed countries only provide less than 5% of the total needs for healthcare in the developing world. It is important to find that the percentage of costs needed for the healthcare donated by the developed world is greater than the 5% average in the countries which are very poorer. Local health professionals are getting expert technical advice and training from international health organizations. These organizations produce the major documents in tropical health they also produce the most important guidelines for health care workers. Other international organizations in healthcare sector are World Health Organization (WHO) which is the premier international organization for health. Th e Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) works as the regional field office for WHO. The World Bank is the next major intergovernmental agency related to the UN related to healthcare. The United Nation Childrens Fund (UNICEF) spends the most of its program budget on health care. The United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) allocated $141 million, out of a total budget for field expenditures of $1 billion, to health, education, employment. Its major health concerns are AIDS, maternal and child nutrition, and excessive maternal mortality. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) gives health aid to war and natural disaster victims. Next task is to analyze the structure of healthcare delivery in NDPA organization. How health care is organized and delivered in a national context is dealt with the structural delivery of healthcare system. It includes many practical barriers like accessibility in terms of social and transport issues, funding issues, private health insurance cost, cost of treatment, safety issues, for example, in war, conflict or natural disaster areas. The organization has a chief member or director who controls all the functioning of the organization. He will be having subordinate that control sub organizations. All together they function effectively in a practical manner to achieve their goals. It exists within all levels of healthcare organizations. Beyond directives importance is given to improving health status. Next task is to assess the practical barriers that are found in any health organization like NDPA for their health care policy. Healthcare delivery systems are filled with barriers to health communication in all the levels. Linguistic and language barriers in health communication sectors must be overcome. It exists within all levels of healthcare organizations. Language barriers influences mostly while access within a healthcare delivery system that is access, quality of care, health outcomes and self-efficiency especially. Studies that try to create standards and methods for developing information of the patients which is usable by most patients are needed. The studies must address both the written information and the simplification so that it can match the reading skills of patients and also its cross-cultural application. The major health communication loophole in the structure of care as it feels to patients lies in what is incorrectly termed linguistic appropriateness which alwa ys takes into consideration translation of language and other elements of health communication are not taken. There are mainly cultural barriers that include health beliefs and behaviors and practitioners beliefs and behaviors. Next are geographic barriers that include rural health professional shortage areas. Then comes organizational barriers. Another barrier is socioeconomic barriers that include poor education, lack of health insurance, inability to pay money out of pocket. The national and international socio political issues that are always present in promotion of health care is discussed here. They are considered as crucial issues, since sometimes they oppose the functioning of healthcare organization. Political factors deal with public health access and allocation of resources, prevention programs access, treatment related topmost-exposure interventions and prophylaxis. Impact is made by international political factors in including some educational programs to detection of support, evaluation and response, also limited to information technology and telecommunications infrastructure to create links with highly risky places of the world. Migrations of people, increased trade and travel, food consumption patterns, sexual practices, new medical practices, human conflict, and the deliberate use of pathogens for hostile purposes includes the social factors, these are behavioral activities. Economic factors arise from lack of financial investment in resear ch and development of processes; produce certain tasks such as training, procedures, technology etc. . Factors that related to economy constitute lack of support for a large number of programs that are beneficial such as public-private partnerships, market incentives to development of interventions. Next task is to asss impact of international campaigns and national policies on the demand for healthcare. Various international campaigns are conducted in United Kingdom to secure the creation of a universal health care system. Campaign organizers used a framework to organize thousands of people in support of universal health care. In response to this effort, the state legislature passed health care legislation that incorporates human rights principles. It provides a framework for universal health care. By forming international campaigns it is possible to make people aware about the international issues that are possible in health care area. International campaigns and national policies allow the natives to understand the importance of health care and they make people work against the activities that affect the health of people. The organization has adopted international human rights policy for the betterment of the people. It has been the main topic of their campaign. They also ana lyses the health care reform bill. Healthcare Is a Human Right Campaign (HCHR) was a campaign conducted in association with the organization. By framing health care as a human right, the center organized thousands of states that had no prior involvement with political campaigning. This led the center making it possible to change the political environment and force the state legislature to enact rules that will lead to universal health care. Next task is to evaluate the role of health promotion in determining healthcare service demand in a national setting. Health care industry takes the nations major financial resources. For facilitating evidence of quality controls and improvements it has come under immense pressure. Current health care consumer is now better educated and the best informed with increased knowledge. Impact of patient perception is the one aspect of health care quality that is mostly being recognized. Even though it depends more on healthcares service aspects it also correlates very well with health care quality objective measures. Ultimately delivered quality of health care can be dependent on ability of the health care organization to satisfy demand of the customer for convenience and information. The health care service sector is complex with multiple faces and different phases of organization. Health care system management has been relatively not sufficient before, making customers on the outside of the design of the product, incoherent and supply driven, development and also the delivery process. Many physicians think that the current emphasis on quality is not really aimed at improving health of the patient. Nowadays there is a change to an organization model in which the customer has importance and they influences every function and managers must look forward and make use of it and be instrumental in establishing a change within the entire system to focus on the quality. Next task is identifying contemporary issues in health care of the organization. Nowadays whooping cough cases rises in England. As ministers pass the buck and applications for taking children into care continue to rise, councils problems just keep growing. There were volunteers translating health messages from English into local languages and thus providing a vital service for Non-Government Organizations and freeing up thousands of extra dollars to be used for medical aid. There are many policy issues that are contemporary in the financing and delivery of health care services. The role of bureaucratic agencies, legislative committees, interest groups and major health care policies are analyzed for obtaining information such as how to deal with the issues of the health care sector. Problems that related to quality of death and life gets its importance. This is broadly classified to include infant mortality, AIDS policy, occupational safety, government regulation of consumer products , and fiscal issues such as national health insurance, prospective payment, and the rationing of health care. More attention will be given to the legislative and political aspects of these various policy areas, ethical issues will also be considered because they are unavoidable. Next task is evaluating the impact of these issues on national and international policy discussed above. There are growing dependence between security, health policy and foreign policy so that with developments in these fields having much importance for health in the United Kingdom and globally. The major issue in foreign policy was always health so as its prominence increases, the need of assessment is important if it is appropriately prioritised and how on the national basis the government interacts with business and civil society. Efforts to improve preparedness for acting against all the activities that affects the health of society and policies for tobacco control provides examples where health is highly mixed with high politics. Since 1th September 2001, health and development agenda has also been widely linked with the international policy priorities of preventing state failure and improving global security. The main security issue was become the health and foreign policy for a range of actors both inside and outside government. Policy-makers before think that rather distant fields of security, health and foreign policy must try to consider each others work as they are met by the play of issues at the global level. Implications of globalisation for health now are considered as the international issue. Next task is to evaluate practical responses to contemporary issues that are discussed above. The main method to avoid all the issues is to create public awareness among people. They must be aware of the hazards that might occur due to activities that lead to lesser health of people in society. They must try to make other people aware about the problems that might occur due to careless living of their lives. Health care policy managements must be created in every area of the nation to administer the health aspects in those areas. Current international and national healthcare issues are identified and they must be treated accordingly for the betterment of the society. The current health care consumer is now better educated and the best informed with increased knowledge. International political factors can have an Impact made by international political factors includes limited or non-existent educational activities to support identification and verification, detection, and response. In this assignment a research related to the organization in health care sector is conducted. The political, social and cultural issues are identified. Analyzed the importance of health care policy. It helped to critically assess the policies and aspects of the organization.

Supernatural Elements in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- William Shakes

Consider the use that Shakespeare makes of supernatural elements in the play Macbeth. In the Shakespearean era, there was an eruption of superstition and alleged witchcraft. The people of that time had strong hatred for the ‘devil worshiping’ witches and had various trials and tests to determine their fate. Shakespeare used this as inspiration for his play ‘Macbeth’ We see the character of Macbeth go through a personality transformation after a powerful predicament from Three witches. Starting as the highly thought of thane of Glamis, Macbeth is told he shall become thane of Cawdor and then king. The witches, quickly portrayed as evil, could have predicted these events, or simply planted the idea in Macbeth’s head, to exploit his fatal flaw. As the play begins, we are introduced to the witches. They speak in rhyming couplets, just as all supernatural elements in Shakespeare’s work do. This could have been to let the audience, which would have been aware of this technique, that the witches are in fact, or simply appear magical. The stage directions indicate â€Å"thunder and lightning,† every time the witches appear, this same stage direction is given throughout the play to set the intended atmosphere, this is pathetic fallacy. The witches discuss the soon to come meeting with Macbeth, â€Å"apon the heath† â€Å"there to meet Macbeth†(Act1,scene1) Thus showing the witches knew about Macbeth before the meeting and the predictions were intentionally given. As Macbeth returns from a victorious war, he is unaware of the forthcoming encounter with the witches. Before he arrives ‘apon the heath’ the witches show a first glimpse of evil, one tells a tale of a woman whose husband she will curse. â€Å"he shall live a man forbid.† Meaning he will lived ... ...im. At this moment Macbeth realises his fate, and fights to his death with Macduff. Malcom then becomes king, and Macbeth’s head it placed on a steak. To conclude Shakespeare used the supernatural, to show how easily someone’s fatal flaw can be exploited to bring them to an end. This is extremely relevant to his audience at that time as well, no one knows, but Shakespeare could have been a non believer in the supernatural and wanted to show it as a figment of the mind, that can only result in insanity or he could have believed the popular opinion that the supernatural did exist and caused terror and evil throughout that period. Either way he wrote Macbeth in such a way to leave questions about the supernatural in peoples mind. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 2008.

Suffering :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In many places throughout the world and almost every person on the planet people go through or witness suffering and death everyday. I have experience and lived through suffering. Many people have different explanations for the reason of these terrible things but could this happen to benefit us. Martin Luther king say’s suffering is creative and redemptive but not in the original meanings we think.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The meaning I associate with suffering is an uncomfortable state for an amount of time. This is not the text book definition the real definition is To feel pain or distress; sustain loss, injury, harm, or punishment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In many things I have witnessed is my Great-grand mother dying. However she was very old naturally it was and is very hard. How ever I believe the creative aspect must have been when she was dying and repeatedly told me about the miraculous hills and flowers. I believe the hardest thing about accepting and fearing your own death is the lack of knowledge of the after life and I believe because she gave me this wonderful description it wont be as hard for me to accept her death along with other peoples and my own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another type creative suffering I have see is with in my friends family. His father suffers from a self inflicted disease called alcoholism. I believe because of his higher percentage to become and alcoholic himself by seeing such a hard suffering could teach him not to do it and maybe even help his offspring by informing them. This is another way I believe this suffering of one person can help so many others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overall the term of death that strikes me the most the come about Jesus’ death is the fact that Jesus was ransom for all of us and he didn’t care he willingly was a sacrifice for us and all of our sins and this is surely a creative death. He was here to help us and release us of our sins. With out him It is possible we could not be here today. This is how it connects to human nature but his sacrifice is his life which is not of a normal person he is special.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man :: Portrait Artist Young Man

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is considered to be one of the finest works of literature of all time. Herbert Gorman, an author from the early twentieth century, stated that "so profound and beautiful and convincing a book is part of the lasting literature of our age," and with good reason. The main character of the novel, Stephen Dedalus, is a complex and dynamic youth, and one who undergoes vast changes during the course of his life. The main influences on him are family and religion. As his life passes, Stephens' feelings towards these influences change drastically. Stephen's family is very important to him. His father, Simon, plays a major role in his early life, and Stephen has great respect for him. However, there are instances when Stephen is angered by his fathers' actions, and resents his statements. The growing debts incurred by Simon lead to his son's transferring to a day school. Stephens' difficulties at his former educational institution are relayed by his father, much to the chagrin of the younger Dedalus. Later in the novel, Stephen loses even more respect for his father as the familys' debts continue to grow and they are forced to move. Once, when the two males travel to sell of the family estate, Simon returns to his former school and converses with his former classmates. Stephen is upset to hear of his father's wild behavior as a youth, and of his flirtatious nature. He begins to rebel against his strict upbringing, striking back at his familys' traditional values and way of life. Religion is an ever present force in Stephen's life. He attends a religious school from an early age, and is a devout Roman Catholic. He has great reference for the priests at his school, and even fears the rector. As his life progresses, Stephen experiences great feelings for women, and finally gives into his desire when he encounters a prostitute in Dublin. From this point forward, he views his life as an immoral one and makes many attempts to correct it. He goes so far as to deprive all of his senses from any form of

History 7a Mid- Term Essay

The Era of Exploration witnessed the rapid political, economic, and social intrusion of Europe into the New World. Between the 15th and 17th Centuries several countries influenced the developement of the Americas. Select the most successful and infleuntial colony and compare it with another European Colonial structure. Be sure to include historical themes in your written argument. 3. The key to the colonial, structure of the United States in firmly established in 17th Century England. In reality, the foudation of the United States is a reflection of this country. Trace the economic/political/cultural influences of Britain on our colonial structure. In your a nswer include important individuals, governmental structures,events, social policies and historical themes. 4. Analzye and contrast the historical development of the Southern Colonies 1603- 1783. In your answer, include historical themes, reasons for colonial impementation, regional development, economic structure, religious importance or lack of it, the instittution of Slavery and the ramifications of these colnies on the development of the United States. 5. New England is the mother culture of Modern United States. Analyze thsis statement by describing the Colonial Foudation of, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire 1620-1783. How have their histories infleunced the development of contemporary United States? How have these areas impacted our society’s

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 60~61

60 Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch Mary Jean sat behind a desk fashioned entirely of rose quartz veined with fool's gold and stared out the window at the Houston skyline. A brown haze had risen to the level of her fiftieth-floor office as the exhaust of a million cars huddled against the stratosphere and curled around the city like a huge rusty cat looking for a place to nap. It just made her made as a cowpoke wearing bob-wire pants, but not mad enough, of course, to sell her shares of GM and Exxon. Blue chips was blue chips, after all, and the great state of Texas ran on oil. The intercom beeped and Mary Jean keyed her speakerphone, not because she needed her hands free to work, but because the phone receiver either got caught in her hairdo or her clip-ons rattled against it making all sorts of distracting racket. There'd been a time, before Prozac, when she'd thought for six months that the FBI was tapping her phone line, only to find out it was a pair of twenty-carat ruby cluster earrings banging against the earpiece. â€Å"Yes, Melanie.† â€Å"Tucker Case on the phone, Mary Jean. He's been calling all day. I've tried to put him off, but he says that people are going to die if you don't talk to him.† â€Å"Does he sound drunk?† â€Å"No, Ma'am. He sounds serious.† Mary Jean took a deep breath and looked up at the Monet hanging on the far wall. Twenty million dollars, depreciated as office furnishings, ap-preciated to twice its value and donated to a museum as a donation write-off at full value, with no capital gains, and there it would hang until the day of her death when it would go to the museum. And it also matched the couch. â€Å"Put him through,† she said. â€Å"Mary Jean, it's Tucker.† â€Å"I was just thinking of you. How are you, sweetie?† â€Å"Mary Jean, I'm stone sober and I need you to listen.† â€Å"Go on, Tucker. I got more ears than a cornfield in June.† â€Å"First, I know that there were never any criminal charges filed, and I don't blame you for trying to get me out of the way. But I could really use some help.† Mary Jean blanched. â€Å"Can you hold one second, darlin? Thanks.† She pushed the hold button and then the intercom. â€Å"Melanie, dear, would you mind bringing me a couple of number five Valiums and a little glass of juice? Thank you.† She clicked back to Tuck. â€Å"Go on, honey.† And Tuck did, for fifteen minutes, and when he finished, Mary Jean said, â€Å"Well, that's just not right. That's just terrible.† â€Å"Yes, it is, Mary Jean.† â€Å"We just can't have that,† she said. â€Å"You give Melanie your number there. I'll see what I can do.† â€Å"Mary Jean, I really appreciate this. If I could go to anyone else, I would.† â€Å"And hurt my feelings? No, you wouldn't. Tucker Case, I've been selling the power to change yourself for forty years. Now, if I don't believe in the power of redemption, then I'm guilty of false advertising, aren't I? You sit tight, now. Bye.† She clicked the intercom. â€Å"Melanie, get me Jake Skye on the line, please. Thank you, dear.† 61 Roundhouse Aloha Tuck stood at the arrival gate amid a group of Hawaiian college students wearing grass skirts and sarongs and festooned with leis they were draping on tourists as they came out of the tunnel from the 747. Tuck spotted Jake Skye well before he came out of the tunnel. He was a head taller than most of the tourists and one of the few who had a tan. Tuck waved to him and Jake tossed his head to show he'd seen him. He came out grinning with his hand extended. Tuck smiled and hit Jake with a roundhouse to the jaw that knocked him back into a group of pseudo hula girls. Jake apologized to the girls and rubbed his jaw as he turned to Tuck. â€Å"We done?† â€Å"I guess so,† Tucker said. He knew that Jake would never apologize for selling him out. Jake fell in beside Tuck and they walked through the terminal. â€Å"I didn't see that coming. You've changed, buddy.† â€Å"I guess so,† said Tuck. â€Å"Thanks for coming.† â€Å"I'm just here to take you home.† Jake pulled two airline ticket folders out of his shirt pocket. â€Å"Mary Jean says you can bring your new girlfriend.† â€Å"I'm not going home, Jake.† â€Å"You're not?† â€Å"No. I need your help, but I'm not going back to Houston.† â€Å"There's a stop in San Francisco. You can get off there.† â€Å"No. I've got some things I need to do.† â€Å"Buy me a drink.† Jake turned and walked into an open cocktail lounge where a twenty-foot waterfall fell over black lava rock among a forest of bromeliads and orchids. â€Å"Cool airport,† Jake said, pulling a stool up to the bar. â€Å"You ever think about living in the tropics?† Tuck whipped around on his stool and Jake held up his hands in surrender. â€Å"Just kidding. Okay, what's the story?† This time Tuck told the story leaving out none of the details, and to his credit, Jake did not call him crazy at the end. â€Å"So what do you think you can do?† â€Å"Well, first, I thought you could hack the doctor's computer and erase the database. It might slow up the process if he has to do all the tissue types again.† Jake was shaking his head, â€Å"Can't do it, buddy. Even if I wanted to.† â€Å"Why not? I've got the password.† Jake drained off the last of his third Mai Tai. â€Å"He's on a satellite uplink net. The connection only goes two ways if he wants it to. I won't be able to get in. Besides, it's not in the mission parameters. I'm supposed to come here, get you, and take you home. Period.† Tuck dug a slip of paper from his back pocket and unfolded it. â€Å"I've got these. Maybe they can help.† Jake was still shaking his head, but he stopped when he saw the numbers written on the paper. â€Å"Where did you get those numbers?† â€Å"They were on the bottom of a desk drawer in Curtis's clinic.† â€Å"They're not computer codes, Tuck. You see those letters at the end? BSI? You know what that is?† Tuck shook his head. â€Å"Banc Suisse Italiano. Those are Swiss bank account numbers.† Jake tried to snatch the paper and Tuck pulled it out of his reach. â€Å"You willing to expand the mission parameters?† Tuck said. Jake was staring at the paper in Tuck's hand. â€Å"How much?† â€Å"Half.† Jake scratched his three-day growth of beard. â€Å"And they were getting how much per kidney?† â€Å"Half a mil.† Jake cringed, then relaxed and put his hand on Tuck's shoulder. â€Å"What did you have in mind, partner?† â€Å"I want to get the Shark People off the island.† â€Å"How many? Three hundred and change? Hire a ship.† â€Å"I want to go sooner. I want to fly them off.† Jake smiled. The wheels were working now. â€Å"It's going to take a big plane: 747 or L-1011. That island got enough runway for something that size?† â€Å"Can we get something that size?† â€Å"Not legally,† Jake said. â€Å"I'm not worried about legally. I'm worried about logistically.† Jake stood up. â€Å"I'm not flying it. I get you a plane, I get half. Deal?† â€Å"I'll give you one of the account numbers as soon as we get the plane. You take your chances whether there's money in it or not. If I don't make it, and the money's in my account, you're screwed.† Jake considered it, then nodded. â€Å"I can live with that. Let's go watch the big planes take off.† Tuck was amazed at the way Jake's mind worked. The second he'd accepted that they were going to steal a 747, it became a problem, and when it came to solving problems, Jake was the best. They stood on an open walkway that overlooked the tarmac, watching the 747s taxiing into the terminal. â€Å"The best thing,† Jake said, â€Å"about stealing a 747 is that no one assumes that anyone is crazy enough to try it.† â€Å"I thought people tried to steal them all the time. It's a league sport in the Middle East, isn't it?† â€Å"They hijack, they don't steal. With hijacking, you have to take a pilot with you.† Jake pointed to a row of planes docked at the terminal by rolling walkways. â€Å"These guys? Out of the question,† he said. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because they've just come in and they're low on fuel or they're being fueled to take off again, and most of the time, if you can get in them, there's a crew on board.† He pointed to some jets parked near hangars at the far side of the airfield. â€Å"Those are our babies. They've got fuel, but they're waiting for a crew and passengers. After midnight nothing goes out of this airport except FedEx. The advantage of a vacation destination. Nobody wants to fly in our out at night.† The planes were a good half a mile away. â€Å"That's a long way to go across an airfield without the tower seeing us and calling security. And we have to drive a ramp over to it to get inside.† â€Å"No, we don't. There's an emergency escape hatch for the pilots in the roof over the cockpit.† â€Å"That's four stories up. How are you going to get up to it?† â€Å"Down to it,† Jake said. â€Å"Down?† â€Å"The problem is how to get the hatch unlatched. They only open from the inside.† â€Å"I'm still a little unclear on the ‘down' part of the plan,† Tuck said. At some point he was going to be on top of a 747 and heights made him nervous. â€Å"Let me worry about that,† Jake said. Then he snapped his fingers as if conjuring the answer to his problem out of thin air. â€Å"I've got the answer right here in front of me. What was I thinking? I'm working with the master.† Tuck looked around, thinking that Jake was talking about someone else. â€Å"Are you talking about me? I don't know how to do anything.† â€Å"But you're wrong, Tuck, you're wrong. For this part of the plan we need the cooperation of a flight attendant. Come on, let's get my bag. I've got an extra change of clothes you can wear.† â€Å"What's wrong with these clothes?† Tuck asked. He was still wearing the oversized and now distressed hand-me-downs of Sebastian Curtis. â€Å"Like you have to ask.† Jake spent an hour studying flight schedules and talking to counter people at the different airlines. Tuck took the opportunity to call the hotel to check on Sepie. She answered on the second ring. â€Å"Hello. How much is washer-dryer combination?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Maytag washer-dryer combination with minibasket and wrinkle guard. How much?† â€Å"I don't know. Maybe a grand. Are you okay?† She'd put the phone down and he heard her shouting at the TV, â€Å"Is a grand! Is a grand! You fuckin' mook! Oh, no.† She picked up the phone again. â€Å"You wrong. Is eleven nine nine suggested retail. You lose.† â€Å"You're watching ‘The Price Is Right'?† â€Å"They give you things if you know how much. Is very hard.† â€Å"Do you need anything?† Tuck asked. â€Å"I can call room service from here and have them bring you some food.† â€Å"Perfume and lipstick,† Sepie said. â€Å"That'll have to wait. I'll be back soon, okay?† â€Å"Okay. Tuck?† â€Å"What, Sepie?† â€Å"What is washer-dryer combination?† â€Å"I'll explain later. I have to go now.† She hung up on him. Evidently, her fascination with plumbing and television didn't extend to the telephone. He found Jake talking to a girl at the United counter who was obviously taken with the grungy pilot's charm. He saw Tuck and said good-bye. â€Å"I've found our plane and the crew assignments. We have a ten-minute window to get to Gate 38 so you can work your magic.† The plan was for Tuck to spot a flight attendant coming off the plane, get to know her, and convince her to go back into the jet and throw the latch on the emergency hatch before the plane was cleaned and moved away from the terminal. They waited at the tunnel into Gate 38. The passengers had long since deplaned, as had the pilots. â€Å"Remember, you want to go ugly,† Jake said. â€Å"I know,† Tuck said. He'd changed into Jake's clothes, which fit him, at least, even if he looked like a guitar player for a Seattle grunge band. â€Å"And old if you can get it.† â€Å"I know,† Tuck said. â€Å"You want a woman who looks like she couldn't get laid in a men's colony.† â€Å"I know,† Tuck said. â€Å"Would you back off? I haven't done this in a while.† â€Å"Like riding a bicycle, buddy.† The first flight attendant out of the tunnel was a pretty blond woman, about twenty-five. â€Å"Pass,† Jake said. The next was a man, and the next a tall black woman who could have been a runway model. â€Å"They're killing us here,† Jake said. â€Å"How would you feel about going for the guy? He's our best chance so far.† â€Å"Fuck off, Jake.† â€Å"Just an idea.† They waited for five more minutes before a tired-looking woman in her fifties came down the tunnel pulling her flight bag behind her. â€Å"Go to it, stud,† Jake said. He gave Tucker a little shove. Tuck shoved back without taking his eyes off the woman. â€Å"I can't do this, Jake.† â€Å"What?† Jake Skye grabbed Tuck's wrist and pretended to be taking his pulse. Tuck pulled away from him. â€Å"I can't do this.† â€Å"Don't pull this shit on me, buddy. She's getting away. This is what you do.† â€Å"Not anymore, I don't.† â€Å"Well, I sure as hell do.† Jake pulled off the flannel shirt he was wearing open over his black T-shirt and threw it to Tuck. â€Å"Go back to your hotel and wait for me to call. What room are you in?† â€Å"Twelve-thirty.† Jake pushed the T-shirt sleeves up just enough for his biceps to show and took off down the concourse after the middle-aged flight attendant. Tuck went outside and found the shuttle to the Hyatt Regency. During the ride back to the hotel, he realized that he had no idea how to explain a washer-dryer combination to someone who had never worn shoes or a shirt until two days ago. He decided to go with magic.