Pakistani Indian Relations

Pakistani Indian Relations Introduction: From the beginning the seeds of conflicted have been impartially implanted in the roots of Pak-India Relations. These two nations never considered each other as their friends but remained and wanted to be foes. At the time of the partition, about half a million Muslims and Hindus were killed in mutual insurgences following the partition of British India. Millions of Muslims living in India and Hindus and Sikhs living in Pakistan immigrated in one of the most massive transfers of population in the modern era. Both countries blamed each other of not providing suitable security to the minorities immigrating through their territory. This served to increase tensions between the newly-born countries. This created instability in the area and never lead each other to prosper economically. The relations between India and Pakistan have been influenced by a number of historical and political issues, and is defined by the crucial partition of British India in 1947, the Kashmir dispute and the number of military conflicts fought between the two nations. No doubt that the nations share the same historic, cultural, geographic, and economic terms In the Sub-Continent and their relationship has been critical by aggression and doubts. Countries Comparison: Wars, Conflicts and Disputes: Kashmir Issue: The emerging, countering and the most deadly issues in the world is the cause of major tension and conflict between two countries. It was from the beginning when the Ruler of Kashmir decided to remain independent at the times of division. Now after the division Pakistan is claiming its Dominance and India is claiming its reunion with Kashmir which is leading to a critical situation and insurgency. 1965 War Kargil War (1998-99) After the independence, India had left no stone unturned to bring harm to the sovereignty of Pakistan. Moreover their actions of the 1965 war claimed their aggression towards Pakistani community. Moreover it is still pressurizing the army of Pakistan. Another incident when Pak become nuclear superpower in 1999 the Kargil war broke out. But some analysts claim that they have been the victim of releasing of tensions from the both sides. But both were solved by the International communities. Water dispute Since independence the water dispute emerged as major dispute between the two nations about rivers Ravi,Sutlej,Chenab,Beas,Jehlum and Sindh.So after the cooperation of World Bank, In 1960, Indus Treaty was signed to resolve the conflict.Pak get Chenab,Indus and Jehlum and India got Ravi, Sutlej and Beas according to the treaty. Bangladesh Liberation War Since independence, Pakistan was geo-politically divided into two major regions, West Pakistan and East Pakistan. East Pakistan was occupied mostly by Bengali people. In December 1971, following a political crisis in East Pakistan, the situation soon risen out of control in East Pakistan and India intervened in favor of the rebelling Bengali people. The conflict results in a brief but bloody war and lead to the independence of East Pakistan. In the war, the Pakistani army swiftly fell to India while forcing the independence of East Pakistan which separated and became Bangladesh. Control Line Issues A number of times when the relations and tensions between India and Pakistans seemed to be decreasing the control line issues came into existence by the Military of both cuontries. The true example is Kargil war (1998-99).Firings, bombings and arresting of innocent people are key findings of these issues. Conflicts Reborn: Samjhota Express Bombings (2007) The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings was a terrorist attack targeted on the Samjhauta Express train on 18 February. The Samjhauta Express is an international train that runs from New Delhi, India to Lahore, Pakistan. It is one of two trains to cross the India-Pakistan border. At least 68 people were killed. Mostly were Pakistani civilians but also some Indian security personnel and civilians. Prasad Shrikant Purohit, an Indian Army officer and leader of a Hindu Fundamentalist Group.It was identified and investigated as a key suspect responsible for the bombing. The attack was a turning point in Indo-Pakistani relations, and one of the many terrorist incidents that have effected relations between the two countries. Mumbai attacks (2008) The 2008 Mumbai attacks by ten Pakistani terrorists killed over 173 and wounded 308. The single surviving gunman, Ajmal Kasab (who was arrested during the attacks), was found to be a Pakistani national. This fact was acknowledged by Pakistani authorities. In May 2010, an Indian court condemned him on four counts of murder, waging war against India, conspiracy and terrorism offences, and sentenced him to death. India blamed the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group, for planning and executing the attacks. Islamabad resisted the claims and demanded evidence. India provided evidence in the form of interrogations, weapons, candy wrappers, Pakistani Brand Milk Packets, and telephone sets. Indian officials demanded Pakistan deport suspect for trial. They also said that, given the sophistication of the attacks, the criminals must have had the support of some official agencies in Pakistan. Role of Media in Promoting Peace: No doubt, over the last two decades, media has been playing a vital role over the peace and trade development talks of Pak-India relations. Not only Pakistani media but foreign media is also participating very actively. From ages these sides have never been to the soft corners of the issue but are always the grand part of mishaps. The both media men and media partners are also demanding their home countries to ensure easy visa policy to promote harmony among the countries. Singers like Atif Aslam and Rahat fateh Ali khan also go India for performing musical activities for the film industry of India. This shows a major peace initiative by media side. The Lighter Side of Diplomatic Relationship: Aman ki Aasha: â€Å"Aman ki Aasha† (Hope for Peace) is a campaign jointly started by the two leading media houses The Jang Group in Pakistan and The Times of India in India. The campaign purposes for mutual peace and development of the diplomatic and cultural relations between the two nations in South Asia. It was started on January 1, 2010. The campaign never received warm response from India and Pakistan. Shoaib and Sania Relationship: The one of the greatest relationships ever made in the history of world and the most renowned one is â€Å"Shoaib and Sania Marriage† which has weaken the strong holds of hatred and anger between two nations. This has also presented a soft image of Pakistani personnel in the light of Indian dilemmas. Bilateral Sports Promotions: Sports have always been a key player in promoting peace and harmony. Both countries were mutually involved in number of sports like Cricket, Hockey and Kabbadi. And both countries important persons often and several times go to their neighbors to see these cricket and hockey matches. Moreover, the recent Kabbadi Final match was warmly attended by Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Shareef. This was an important initiative regarding peace promotion. Trade and Development Talks: In Second Indian Expo on December 14, 2013, Leader of Businessmen Group (BMG) and former President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Siraj Kassim Teli, has advised business community of India to pressurize their government to resolve issues and normalize trade and political relation with Pakistan. While Inaugurating 2nd Indian Expo at Expo Center, he said that both the countries should visit each other’s country frequently and conduct trade. He was of the view that army and politicians both the countries, do not like to normalize relation whereas the business community and general public are in favor of normal relations. There should be no restriction on movement between the two countries. In New Delhi on December 9, 2013, a Pakistani delegation led by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said there is a need to take bold steps to encourage business relations and to make changes in investment laws in both the countries. According to him, It is time to take action and to take bold steps. Tourism is an important sector and there is a need to promote tourist movement. There is the need to change the existing investment laws in both the countries. Railways Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that the Pakistan Railways will soon send a delegation to New Delhi. According to the minister, the main purpose of the visit is to learn about the functioning of the Indian Railway System. Rafique acknowledged that the Indian Railways is a profit-making entity unlike the Pakistan Railway. Pakistan also needs to take help and guidance from the Indian Railways to make it economically possible and bring it back on the right track. Addressing a press conference at Pakistan Railway headquarters in Lahore, he also said that Indian Railways, one of the largest railway networks in the world, has 115,000 km of track with a route of more than 65,000 km connecting 7,500 stations. We have to do away with the policy of hatred with neighbors, especially India, as we cannot afford it today. MFN Talks: India-Pakistan relations got an additional setback after the announcement made by Pakistan’s Finance Minister that the MFN status, i.e. the most favored nation status, to India will not be considered. Although the improve trade relations would have a significant impact on the political issues between the two countries, and this announcement makes it more likely that bilateral relations will continue to weaken at current low levels. The latest figures show that India’s 2012 trade with Pakistan accounted for a mere US$2.15 billion of its total trade of US$778 billion (less than 0.3 per cent). Exports to Pakistan accounted for only 0.56 per cent of India’s exports, while imports constituted 0.11 per cent. Given the size of both countries’ economies and the complementarily of their trading baskets, the present level of trade should be higher. The rejection of MFN status compounds these difficulties, and reduces the effect of positive steps taken by both countr ies over the last few years. MFN status would not only help provide stability in trade relations between the two countries but would also assist Pakistan in technology upgrades, greater productivity gains, and increased revenues from legal trade. It is reported that India-Pakistan informal trade (trade occurring through a third country) accounts for more than formal trade (which is around US$4 billion). Further, consumers would experience lower product prices and greater variety. Despite Pakistan’s recent rejection of MFN status to India, India could unilaterally reduce all kinds of non-tariff barriers that would be capable of creating confidence among Pakistani traders. A good and stable political relationship would help trade but opposite is quite possible. Whereas, nowadays Pakistan is closely watching the high-decibel campaign for Indias general elections, andNarendra Moodi has surprisingly emerged as the favorite candidate for many across the border who want peace and trade with India. They believe that Moodi, who boosted trade and investment in Gujarat, may also give a big push toIndo-Pak trade. Observing the Most favorite Nation (MFN) status to India by Pakistan would be a positive step forward in improving the relation between the two neighbors, Islamabad may decide on it after the elections in India, said James Dobbins (U.S Special Representative). Global Views: At their much anticipated meeting in New York, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh guaranteed to find ways to restore calm on their disputed border in Kashmir as an initial step towards reconciliation. An Indian official said that the two leaders have decided to task senior military officers to â€Å"find effective means to restore the ceasefire† in Kashmir. U.S. Special Representative James Dobbins said ahead of an expectedmeeting in New York between the prime ministers of the two neighboring countries.Improvement in Pakistan-India relations is akey to South Asian stability and Washington would support any initiative towardsthat goal. He also said that on India and Pakistan relations, we would support any initiativeswhich led to an improvement in those relations. We think it’s importantfor both countries, it’s important for the stability of the broader region, it’simportant for the world, at Washington’s Foreign Press Center.He was commenting on peace prospects between the two nuclear powersthat saw a cooking of tensions this summer with repeated violations ofnegotiating periods in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifand his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh are expected to hold peace discussions in New York, where they will both address the 68th UN General Assembly session. They ’re both nuclear-armed powers, and a conflict between them wouldbe disastrous not just for them, but for everyone. The special representative also reminded U.S. backing forimprovement in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations specifically because it would easesome of the pressures and tensions that give rise to the conflict in Afghanistan. And so from our point of view, there is everything to be gained from animprovement in the relationship between two countries. Current Scenario: The Global Discussions for maintaining peace between India and Pakistan are at its peak these days. The newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Nawaz Sharif has taken a step forward towards India. Peace between the two nations seems to be his first priority. Mian Nawaz Sharif in his several speeches talked about the betterment of relation between the two nations. He also talked to one of the leading media group of India to play a positive role in this situation. He also invited Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan. Recently, Chief Minister of Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif visited India and watched Kabaddi match between the teams of both nations. He said if India wins the match we will congratulate you as our neighbors won and if Pakistan wins, India should do the same as their neighbors won. He invited Chief Minister of Indian Punjab to visit Pakistani Punjab. This shows the positive stance of Pakistan’s government. On the other hand, India is not showing any response to this due to several reasons in which Indian elections are one of the main. Elections are going to take place in India hopefully this year and Monmohan’s government in about to finish its tenure. It seems that Monmahan Singh’s government is not willing to take any step for the peace between the nations as it might harm their party in the coming elections. At the same time, the Prime Minister candidate of BJP India, Mr. Narinder Moodi is using Anti-Pak relations as one of its main stance in his campaign. Both India and Pakistan are looking forward to improve their status economic development, globally. Both the nations are seen in a competition. Conclusion: To sum up this scenario, only one-sided soft corner is seen which is from Pakistan as they are not leaving a single chance to improve the relations but Indian government is not looking forward to it. The relations cannot be improved until or unless both the governments sit together and resolve their issues. The gigantic spending on Defense Budget from both countries is leading them to an economic â€Å"Black Hole†. They should follow the famous sayings; â€Å"Let Bygones, Be Bygones† The Government of Pakistan has decided to give the MFN status to India after their elections. This status will increase the trade between then the two countries through land border and it is hoped that trade normalization can help in resolving the issues. References: http://www.dawn.com/newspaper http://www.brecorder.com/business-a-economy/672:/1264337:second-indian-expo-opens/ http://karachi.newspakistan.pk/ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-12-09/news/44989244_1_india-and-pakistan-sohail-lashari-salman-bashir http://inserbia.tumblr.com/post/69776834458/pakistan-railways-ready-to-seek-technical-help-from http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ http://tribune.com.pk/story/649555/indo-pak-relations-lets-re-write-our-history-for-a-better-future/ http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/india-pakistan-wars.html http://historypak.com/quaid-i-azams-perception-of-pakistans-relations-with-india/ https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~nmonasch/pakistan-india conflict.html http://www.thenews.com.pk/ http://www.nation.com.pk/editors-picks/25-Nov-2013/pak-india-mediamen-demand-easy-visa-policy http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/08/28/leaving-pakistan-india-trade-barriers-up-ties-political-progress-down/ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-12-03/news/44710673_1_mfn-status-narendra-modi-indo-pak-trade http://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/pak-may-decide-on-mfn-status-to-india-after-polls-dobbins_896262.html http://tribune.com.pk/story/611555/un-secy-gen-welcomes-pakistan-india-talks/

Empowering Women Not To Become Domestic Violence Victims Social Work Essay

Empowering Women Not To Become Domestic Violence Victims Social Work Essay The purpose of my research is to show how to empower domestic violence victims to prevent them from or remaining becoming victims. I satisfy this purpose by recognizing the signs of domestic abuse by the abuser, examining the history of domestic violence and, statistical data; I also address the enabling friends, family to recognize the symptoms of the abused. Domestic Violence is an assault on an intimate partner with most violence committed against women by their male partner (ABA, 2010). Many programs have been introduced to communities as well as states to protect victims of domestic violence and their children. Women are forced to leave their lives behind taking the children with them to shelters or Child Protective Services take them, due to the abuse and instability in the home. Battered women shelters have been opened in an attempt to keep the women and children in hiding from their abuser. Often the victims and their children will move to another state in an attempt to be safe from the abuser. Children receive counseling and often suffer depression, aggressive behavior, and development of adult health problems (APA, 2010). Domestic violence seems to be more focused on the victims than the batterer, resulting in having programs to protect the victim. Some examples are battered womens shelters, and receiving assistance from programs to protect victims from the batterer. For the batterer, abusive acts are a control issue and batterers are determined to keep that control over their victims sometimes, leading to stalking and murdering their victim for the ultimate control and power (NCJRS 2005). American society exerts a lot of time and money into programs to assist battered women and children who are witnesses of the violence. Society needs to look at the offender in an attempt to understand the offenders reason for the violence, to study their main objective and why the abusers ultimately have no control over themselves. Literature Review Devaney (2008) reported a study conducted on children who were in long-term and complex needs because of experiencing domestic violence. His research revealed that professionals have an awareness of domestic violence, and that younger children with younger parents are most likely to experience prolonged periods in the child protective system. Devaney contended that government policy and professional practice should primarily be concerned with assessing the risk that men present, rather than the risk children and families experience. By reframing professional interventions, men are more likely to be challenged to accept responsibility for their behavior. The domestically violent patients are more unstable from psychological viewpoint but not more inclined to anger than the average male. When comparing domestically violent patients with generally violent patients, domestically violent patients score lower on anger disposition and on aggressive behavior than the generally violent patients did (Kraaimaat, 2008). According to the American Psychiatric Association (2010), abusers use many ways to isolate, intimidate, and control their partners. Abuse starts slow and may be difficult to EMPOWERING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS 5 recognize. Initially the abuse is manifested in isolated incidents for which partners expresses remorse and promises never to abuse again. The abusers justify their actions because of stress or claims the abuse was something the victim did or did not do. Domestic Violence can lead to other common emotional traumas such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Abuse can trigger suicide attempts, psychotic episodes, homelessness, and slow recovery from mental illness (APA, 2010). Uncovering battering mens attributions are important in understanding domestic violence, and these attributions are the key to curtailing domestic violence. What is common to these attribution styles is the evasion of responsibility for commission of, and for the need to take action to stop the violence. These attributions styles have been found to increase battering mens hostility and stress, their risk of engaging in violent behavior, as well as enabling the batterer to continue their violence unchecked (Wallach, 2008). National Criminal Justice Reference Service (2005) reports power and control are fundamental concepts in the patriarchal family structure and in the relationship between violent men and their female companions; power-control theory may explain the response of the criminal justice system to woman battering. Power-control theory suggests that men batter women because unless they are in control of their production sphere, and consumption sphere, the potential upset of the familys balance of power is a real threat to the batterer. Bostock (2009) reports that situations of domestic abuse can be prolonged by limited options available to victims of support and protection, and a lack of active public acknowledgement that domestic abuse is unacceptable. Some women felt that the police still adopted and attitude of its just a domestic and that they did not take the matter seriously or offer effective help and protection. Stoops (2010), study explores the existence and predictive ability of a behavior-based typology of men who were adjudicated for domestic violence crime in an urban criminal justice system. Results revealed that preliminary support for the development of typological assessment in criminal justice and early settings for early identification of men who may need additional intervention. Early intervention could prevent further escalation of violence from the batterer. McCloskey (2004) presents information on the characteristics of a clinical population of male perpetrators of intimate partner violence court-ordered for batterers treatment, and how those characteristics co-varied with treatment attrition. When treating male batterers who were court-ordered to receive treatment, findings suggested that batterers self-reports of their own violent behavior were found to vary by data collection technique, with face-to-face interviews eliciting greater admission of violent behavior than paper-and-pencil questionnaires. Domestic Violence Awareness Handbook (2010) reports that too many people continue to believe that domestic violence is a private matter between a couple, rather than a criminal offense that merits a strong and swift response. Even today, the victim of a domestic assault runs the risk of being asked, What did you do to make your husband angry? This question implies the victim is to blame for this abuse. People in the criminal justice system ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ police, prosecutors, judges, and jurors ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ need to be educated about the role they can play in curbing acts of domestic violence. MayoClinic (2010) reports that even if a child is not abused, simply witnessing the domestic violence can be harmful. Children who grow up in abusive homes are more likely to be abused and have behavioral problems than are other children. As adults, child witnesses are more likely to become abusers or think abuse is a normal part of a relationship. Victims worry that seeking help will further endanger them and the child, or that treatment may break up the family. It was stated that treatment is the most effective measure to protect the child. Discussion During the research, my goal was to try to understand the actions and attributes of the batterer, in an attempt to make victims recognize the signs of a batterer before abused women become a victim. Another goal was to recognize the symptoms of the victim. The gathering of information provides an understanding of the abuser, and recognizing the warning signs of an abuser before they become a victim. Education of younger adults assists and informs families and friends of the trend of an abusive relationship. Recognize Patterns of Domestic Violence Domestic violence is a serious threat for many women. To be empowered, the victim must recognize the signs of an abusive relationship and how to leave a dangerous situation to achieve empowerment. Threats, including violence, suicide, or taking away the children are common tactics employed by the batterer. The existence of emotional and verbal abuse, attempts to isolate, and threats of and intimidation within a relationship may be an indication that physical abuse is to follow (MayoClinic, 2010). Knowing the signs of an abusive relationship is not only imperative for the victim, but is also an important weapon against violence for the victims family, friends, and co-workers. The more people that are aware of the attributes of an abuser the less likely the relationship will develop into a domestic violent relationship. The victim is not alone and will not have the feeling of helplessness, or the shame of blaming herself, and will not deny the abuse if the ones that are close to the victim can recognize the signs. Victims will not feel alone, and will break the cycle early. Education of Community Family, and Friends Strict new laws are one way to reduce domestic violence, but education could prevent it violence or abuse from starting or escalating to the point of the victim being battered. Education should begin in the high schools for all students on domestic violence awareness to ensure that all members of the community are aware that domestic violence is not a private matter between a couple, rather a criminal offense that merits strong and swift response. Communities must take an interest to promote and educate on the programs that are available to the victims, such as hot lines, police, social workers, and battered womens shelters. Awareness needs to be brought to medical professionals who see the victims of violence who ask them about the crime, and seek more information rather than allowing the victim to fabricate an excuse for the batterer. Neighbors must contact the police when they hear violent fights in their neighborhoods. Teachers should be alert to signs that students have witnessed violence at home, or by a partner. Friends need to be educated that it is not the victims fault and assist in anyway, recognizing that abuse is unacceptable. The friends and family of the victims need to understand the needs of someone experiencing abuse. The longer a victim stays in an abusive relationship, the greater the toll on the victims self-esteem, resulting in depression or anxiety. The victim may begin to doubt their ability to take care of themselves or wonder if the abuse is their fault and feeling helpless or paralyzed to act. Break the Cycle The longer an abusive relationship continues, the greater toll it takes on the victims self-esteem, but the cycle must be broken before the batterer gains total control. The cycle can be broken by telling friends, family or calling a domestic violence shelter, but must be done in a safe location. Victims should be prepared to leave, pack an emergency bag that includes items that the victim needs when they leave, and know exactly where to go and how to get there. The only way to break the cycle of domestic violence is to take action and the sooner the better. Conclusion Too many people continue to believe that domestic violence is a private matter between a couple, rather than a criminal offense. Even today, the victim of a domestic assault runs the risk of being blamed for the abuse, as if she is the one that brought on the assault. People in our criminal justice system ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ police, prosecutors, judges, and jurors need to be educated about the role they can play in curbing domestic violence. Nearly thirty percent of all female homicide victims were killed by their husbands, former husbands or boyfriends (Domestic Violence Awareness Handbook, 2010). Strict new laws are one way to reduce domestic violence but nothing sends a clearer message to a batterer than prosecuting and jailing other batterers. New laws are not the answer if people are not educated in the system to enforce the laws. The victim often feels alone in the situation, and as a society members must let victims know that they are not alone. American society must take action to let the victims know they are not alone. Even when cases are brought to court, domestic crimes are difficult to prosecute. All too often victims are so terrorized that victims fear for their lives if they call the police. Silence is the batterers best friend. Members of the community, needs to end their silence and change the attitudes toward domestic crime. EMPOWERING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS 11

Differentiation in the European Union Integration Process Essay

â€Å"From time to time it is worth reminding ourselves why twenty-seven European nation states have come together voluntarily to form the partnership that is the European Union.† 1 Europe has a history of war and conflict that predates living memory and the idea of a united Europe is something that appears repeatedly in that history. Hitler, Napoleon, and the many Roman Emperors all sought a united Europe. Their quests although in many ways motivated by a horrifying desire for power sparked the minds of philosophers and other political thinkers to imagine Europe united in harmony and peace despite national differences. Today we have the European Union which is quite unique. After the horrors, bloodshed, and economic disaster of the twentieth century, in a desire for peace and harmony and economic and political prosperity twenty-seven states have limited their national sovereignty.2 With national interests and ambition still in mind these countries see the European Union and supranational governance and the benefits of peace and prosperity therein as something worthwhile. However, in the history of European integration there has been much conflict and Euroskep ticism. Some see unity in diversity and diversity in unity as impossible, and the existence of differentiation in the EU as highly problematic. However, differentiation in the European Union’s integration process is not the hindrance it is often defined as, rather it creates further cooperation in Europe bringing the European Union closer to its objectives of peace, and economic and political growth, resulting in a more effective and efficient bureaucracy. Differentiation in the EU’s integration process has created more successful integration as it allows the nations who wish t... .... â€Å"European Identities: From Absent-Minded Citizens to Passionate Europeans,† Sociology 41.4 (2007). Jorgensen, Marianne – Phillips, Louise. Discourse analysis as Theory and Method. London: Sage, 2002. Junge, Kerstin. Differentiated European Integration:European Union Politics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Keil, Kathrin. Differentiation in the European Integration Process. Sweden: Lund University, 2009. Littoz-Monnet, Annabelle. The European Union and Culture: Between economic regulation and European cultural policy. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2007. Marks, Gary and Marco R. Steenbergen. European Integration and Political Conflict. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Zervakis, Peter, 2006. â€Å"Differentiated Integration†: An Alternative Path to Classical Integration?, in: The Federalist (Paria), 48 (2006) 3, 205-213.

Viruses: Complex Molecules Or Simple Life Forms? :: essays research papers

Viruses: Complex Molecules or Simple Life Forms? Viruses have been defined as "entities whose genomes are elements of nucleic acid that replicate inside living cells using the cellular synthetic machinery, and cause the synthesis of specialised elements that can transfer the genome to other cells." They are stationaryand are unable to grow. Because of all these factors, it is debatable whether viruses are the most complex of molecules or the simplest life forms. While the definition of living organisms must be adapted, the majority of evidence leads to the classification of viruses as living organisms. Viruses are composed of a nucleic acid core, a protein capsid, and occasionally a membraneous envelope. The nucleic acid core is composed of either DNA or in the case of retroviruses, RNA, but never both. In retroviruses, the RNA gets transcribed to DNA bye the enzyme reverse transcriptase. The protein capsid is a protein layer that wraps around the virus. There are four basic shapes of viruses. The tobacco mosiac, adenovirus, influenza virus, and t-even bacteriophage are each examples of a different virus structure. Each individual protein subunit composing the capsid is a capsomere. The tobacco mosiac virus has a helical capsoid and is rod shaped. The adenovirus is polyhedral and has a protein spike at each vertex. The influenza virus is made of a flexible, helecal capsid. It has an outer membranous enevelope that is covered with glycoprotein spikes. The T-even bacteriophage consists of a polyhedral head and a tail. The tail is used to inject DNA into a bacterium while the head stores the DNA. Basic life is defined as the simplest form capable of displaying the most essential attributes of a living thing. This makes the only real criterion for life the ability to replicate. Only systems containing nucleic acids are capable of this phenomenon. With this reasoning, a better definition is the unit element of a continuous lineage with an individual evolutionary history. Because of viruses inability to survive when not in a host, they must have evolved from other forms of life. The origin of viruses is an easy thing to theorize about so many hypothesese have been made. One such hypothesis is that viruses were once complete living parasites. Over time they have lost all other cellular components. This is backed up by the idea that all cells degenerate over time. Some people think along very similar lines that viruses are representatives of an early "nearly living" stage of life. This goes along with the first hypothesis in that it accounts for a loss of components. All creatures that become parasitic can be seen losing their obsolete functions and

Guyana :: essays research papers

Guyana Guyana is a country located on the northern coast of South America. It is bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean and on the east by Suriname. On the south side Guyana is bordered by Brazil, and on the west side is Brazil and Venezuela. Guyana achieved its independence on May 26, 1966 when it broke away from Britain. Land and Resources Guyana has three different major geographical regions. These consist of a belt of soil which ranges from five to forty miles, a dense forest area which makes up about four-fifths of the country and a region of savanna. The country also has many rivers that have some spectacular waterfalls and one river has the highest single-drop waterfall in the world. These rivers are navigable from the sea to about one-hundred miles inland, after that they are no longer navigable due to rapids and falls. Natural Resources The lands of Guyana have many valuable natural resources. Within the lands you can find gold, diamonds, kaolin, manganese and bauxite. If you were to travel a little ways off shore, you could also locate some petroleum. These natural resources are very important in helping out the economy of this poor country. The lands have much resource also found in the vegetation and the forests. The plants and trees are documented for their abnormal size and density. Guyana has an excellent lumber industry, they sell some of the finest greenheart as well as mora. Within the forests are a big variety of wildlife which can range from deer to anteater and a few types of monkeys. The birds are very diverse, they consist of for example sugarbirds, cotingas and manakins all which feed on Guyana's vast array of insects. Population , Education and Culture Guyana has an estimated 800,000 people or on an average of 3.8 people per square mile. Georgetown is the capital and it holds a few hundred thousand people. Being the capital, it is the main port city and holds the major educational institution in Guyana. The University of Guyana is the best higher education and there are many schools throughout the country. In the past few years the country has taken education to much higher level. Guyana was settled by East Indians, many still speak Urdu, Hindu and Tamil dialects. The official language is English. The culture is close to the Suriname and French Guiana than to the rest of South America. All of these various cultures have remained fairly distinct and in today's society each group has its own style of life and culture. Economy In 1966, Guyana was in the early stages of developing its resources.

Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker

An Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) (now referred to as residual current circuit breaker) is a safety device used in electrical installations with high earth impedance to prevent shock. History ELCBs were mainly used on TT earthing systems. Nowadays, ELCBs have been mostly replaced by residual-current devices (RCDs). However many ELCBs are still in use. Early ELCBs responded to sine wave fault currents, but not to rectified fault current. Over time, filtering against nuisance trips has also improved. Early ELCBs thus offer a little less safety and higher risk of nuisance trip. The ability to distinguish between a fault condition and non-risk conditions is called discrimination. ELCB manufacturers include: Legrand, Havells, ABB, Siemens AG, Areva T&D, Camsco, Telemecanique, Orion Italia, Crabtree, MEM. [edit] Types There are two types of ELCB: †¢ voltage operated and, †¢ current operated. [edit] Voltage-operated Voltage-operated ELCBs were introduced in the early 20th century, and provided a major advance in safety for mains electrical supplies with inadequate earth impedance. V-ELCBs have been in widespread use since then, and many are still in operation but are no longer installed in new construction. A voltage-operated ELCB detects a rise in potential between the protected interconnected metalwork (equipment frames, conduits, enclosures) and a distant isolated earth reference electrode. They operate at a detected potential of around 50 volts to open a main breaker and isolate the supply from the protected premises. [2] A voltage-operated ELCB has a second terminal for connecting to the remote reference earth connection. The earth circuit is modified when an ELCB is used; the connection to the earth rod is passed through the ELCB by connecting to its two earth terminals. One terminal goes to the installation earth CPC (circuit [[Power system protection |protective]] conductor, aka earth wire), and the other to the earth rod (or sometimes other type of earth connection). Disadvantages of the voltage-operated ELCB are the requirement for a second connection, and the possibility that any additional connection to earth on the protected system can disable the detector. edit] Current-operated Current-operated ELCBs are generally known as Residual-current devices (RCD). These also protect against earth leakage. Both circuit conductors (supply and return) are run through a sensing coil; any imbalance of the currents means the magnetic field does not perfectly cancel. The device detects the imbalance and trips the contact. When the term ELCB is used it usually means a voltage-operated device. Similar devices that are current operated are called residual-current devices. However, some companies use the term ELCB to distinguish high sensitivity current operated 3 phase devices that trip in the milliamp range from traditional 3 phase ground fault devices that operate at much higher currents (traditional gf devices are insensitive due to the error inherently associated with the summation of currents from multiple current transformers). [edit] Connection [edit] Operation An ELCB is a specialised type of latching relay that has a building's incoming mains power connected through its switching contacts so that the ELCB disconnects the power in an earth leakage (unsafe) condition. The ELCB detects fault currents from live to the earth (ground) wire within the installation it protects. If sufficient voltage appears across the ELCB's sense coil, it will switch off the power, and remain off until manually reset. A voltage-sensing ELCB does not sense fault currents from live to any other earthed body. [edit] Advantages ELCBs have one advantage over RCDs: they are less sensitive to fault conditions, and therefore have fewer nuisance trips. (This does not mean they always do, as practical performance depends on installation details and the discrimination enhancing filtering in the ELCB. Therefore by electrically separating cable armour from cable CPC, an ELCB can be arranged to protect against cable damage only, and not trip on faults in downline installations. [edit] Disadvantages ELCBs have some disadvantages: †¢ They do not detect faults that don't pass current through the CPC to the earth rod. †¢ They do not allow a single building system to be easily split into multiple sections with independent fault protection, because earthing systems are usually bonded to pipework. They may be tripped by external voltages from something connected to the earthing system such as metal pipes, a TN-S earth or a TN-C-S combined neutral and earth. †¢ As with RCDs, electrically leaky appliances such as some water heaters, washing machines and cookers may cause the ELCB to trip. †¢ ELCBs introduce additional resistance and an additional point of failure into the earthing system. [edit] Earth bypassing It is not unusual for ELCB protected installation to have a second unintentional connection to earth somewhere, one that does not pass through the ELCB sense coil. This can occur via metal pipework in contact with the ground, metal structural framework, outdoor home appliances in contact with soil, and so on. When this occurs, fault current may pass to earth without being sensed by the ELCB. Despite this, perhaps counterintuitively, the operation of the ELCB is not compromised. The purpose of the ELCB is to prevent earthed metalwork rising to a dangerous voltage during fault conditions, and the ELCB continues to do this just the same, the ELCB will still cut the power at the same CPC voltage level. (The difference is that higher fault current is then needed to reach this voltage. ) [edit] Nuisance trips While voltage and current on the earth line is usually fault current from a live wire, this is not always the case, thus there are situations in which an ELCB can nuisance trip. When an installation has two connections to earth, a nearby high current lightning strike will cause a voltage gradient in the soil, presenting the ELCB sense coil with enough voltage to cause it to trip. If the installation's earth rod is placed close to the earth rod of a neighbouring building, a high earth leakage current in the other building can raise the local ground potential and cause a voltage difference across the two earths, again tripping the ELCB. Close earth rods are unsuitable for ELCB use for this reason, but in real life such installations are sometimes encountered. Both RCDs and ELCBs are prone to nuisance trips from normal harmless earth leakage to some degree. On one hand ELCBs are on average older, and hence tend to have less well developed filtering against nuisance trips, and on the other hand ELCBs are inherently immune to some of the causes of false trips RCDs suffer, and are generally less sensitive than RCDs. In practice RCD nuisance trips are much more common. Another cause of nuisance tripping is due to accumulated or burden currents caused by items with lowered insulation resistance. This may occur due to older equipment, or equipment with heating elements, or even wiring in buildings in the tropics where prolonged damp and rain conditions can cause the insulation resistance to lower due to moisture tracking. If there is a 30 mA protective device in use and there is a 10mA burden from various sources then the unit will trip at 20 mA. The individual items may each be electrically safe but a large number of small burden currents accumulates and reduces the tripping level. This was more a problem in past installations where multiple circuits were protected by a single ELCB. Heating elements of the tubular form are filled with a very fine powder that can absorb moisture if the element has not be used for some time. In the tropics, this may occur, for example if a clothes drier has not been used for a year or a large water boiler used for coffee etc. has been in storage. In such cases, if the unit is allowed to power up without RCD protection then it will normally dry out and successfully pass inspection. This type of problem can be seen even with brand new equipment. edit] Failure to respond Some ELCBs do not respond to rectified fault current. This issue is the same in principle with ELCBs and RCDs, but ELCBs are on average much older and specs have improved considerably over the years, so an old ELCB is more likely to have some uncommon fault current waveform that it will not respond to. With any mechanical device, failures occur, and ELCBs should ide ally be tested periodically to ensure they still work. If either of the earth wires become disconnected from the ELCB, it will no longer trip and the installation will often no longer be properly earthed

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 20~23

20 Leadership's a Bitch The storm had been easy on the Shark People. A little thatch lost from a roof here and there, a cookhouse blown over, some breadfruit and coconuts stripped from the trees, but not enough to cause hardship. Some seawater had washed into the taro patch, but only time would tell if it was enough to kill the crop. The Shark People went slowly about the business of cleaning up, the women doing most of the work while the men sat in the shade of the men's house, drinking alcoholic tuba and pretending to discuss important religious matters. Mainly they were there to pass the heat of the day and get good and drunk before dinner. Malink, the high chief of the Shark People, was late rising. He awoke shivering and afraid, trying to figure out how to interpret a strange dream. He rolled off of his grass sleeping mat, then rose creakily and ambled out of the hut to relieve himself at the base of a giant breadfruit tree. He was a short, powerfully built man of sixty. His hair was bushy and gone completely white. His skin, once a light butterscotch, had been burned over the years to the dark brown of a tarnished penny. Like most of the Shark men, he wore only a cotton loincloth and a wreath of fresh flowers in his hair (left there by one of his four daughters while he slept). The image of a shark was tattooed on his left pectoral muscle, a B-26 bomber on the other. He went back into the hut and pulled a steel ammo box out of the rafters. Inside lay a nylon web belt with a holster that held a portable phone, his badge of leadership, his direct line to the Sorcerer. The only time he had ever used it was when one of his daughters had come down with a fever during the night. He had pushed the button and the Sorcerer had come to the village and given her medicine. He was afraid to use the phone now, but the dream had told him that he must deliver a message. Malink would have liked to go down to the men's house and discuss his decision for a few hours with the others, but he knew that he couldn't. He had to deliver the dream message. Vincent had said so, and Vincent knew everything. As he pushed the button, he wished he had never been born a chief. The High Priestess was also sleeping late, as she always did. The Sorcerer jostled her and she pulled the sheets over her head. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I just got a call from Malink. He says he's had a message from Vincent.† The High Priestess was awake now. Wide awake. She sat upright in bed and the Sorcerer's eyes fell immediately to her naked breasts. â€Å"What do you mean he's had a message from Vincent? I didn't give him any message.† The Sorcerer finally looked up at her face. â€Å"He was terrified. He said that Vincent came to him in a dream and told him – get this – to tell me that ‘the pilot was alive and on his way, and to wait for him.'† She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and shook her head. â€Å"I don't get it. How did he know about a pilot coming? Did you say something?† â€Å"No, did you?† â€Å"Are you kidding? I'm not stupid, Sebastian, despite what you might think.† â€Å"Well, how did he find out? The guards don't know anything. I haven't said anything.† â€Å"Maybe it's a coincidence,† she said. â€Å"Maybe he was just having bad dreams from the storm. Vincent is all he thinks about. It's all any of them think about.† The Sorcerer stood and backed away from the bed, eyeing her suspiciously. â€Å"Coincidence or not, I don't like it. I think you need to have an audience with the Shark People and give them a direct message from Vincent. This whole operation depends on us being the voice of Vincent. We can't let them think that they can reach him directly.† He turned and started out of the room. â€Å"Sebastian,† she said and the Sorcerer paused and looked over his shoulder at her. â€Å"What about the pilot? What if Malink is right about the pilot being on his way?† â€Å"Don't be stupid, Beth. The only way to control the faithful is to not become one of them.† He turned to leave and was struck in the back of the head by a high-velocity whiskey tumbler. He turned as he dropped to the floor grasping his head. The High Priestess was standing by the bed wearing nothing but a fine golden chain at her hips and an animal scowl. â€Å"You ever call me stupid again and I'll rip your fucking nuts off.† 21 How the Navigator Got from There to Here Watching the sharks circle the boat, Tuck felt as if he was being sucked down the vortex of a huge bathroom drain. â€Å"We need a better weapon,† Tuck said. He remembered a movie once where Spencer Tracy had battled sharks from a small boat with a knife lashed to an oar. â€Å"Don't we have any oars?† Kimi looked insulted. â€Å"What wrong with me?† â€Å"Not whores. Oars!† Tucker pantomimed rowing. â€Å"For rowing.† â€Å"How I know what you talking about? Malcolme always say oars. ‘Bloody oars,' he say. No, we don't have oars.† â€Å"Bail,† Tuck said. The navigator began scooping water with the coffee can as Tuck did his best to bail with his hands. A half hour later the boat was only partially full of water and the sharks had moved on to easier meals. Tucker fell back onto the bow to catch his breath. The sun was still low in the morning sky, but already it burned his skin. The parts of his body not soaked with seawater were soaked with sweat. He dug into the pack and pulled out the liter bottle of water he had bought the day before. It was half-full and it was all they had. Tuck eyed the navigator, who was bailing intently. He'd never know if Tuck drank all of the water right now. He unscrewed the cap and took a small sip. Nectar of the gods. Keeping his eye on Kimi, he a took a large gulp. He could almost feel his water-starved cells rejoicing at the relief. As he bailed, Kimi sang softly in Spanish to Roberto, who clung to his back. Whenever he tried to hit a high note, his voice cracked like crumpled parchment. Salt was crusted at the corners of his mouth. â€Å"Kimi, you want a drink?† Tucker crawled onto the gas tank and held the bottle out to the navigator. Kimi took the bottle. â€Å"Thank you,† he said. He wiped the mouth of the bottle on his dress and took a deep drink, then poured some water into his palm and held it while Roberto lapped it up. He handed the bottle back to Tucker. â€Å"You drink the rest. You bigger.† Tucker nodded and drained the bottle. â€Å"Who's Malcolme?† â€Å"Malcolme buy me from my mother. He from Sydney. He a pimp.† â€Å"He bought you?† â€Å"Yes. My mother very poor in Manila. She can't feed me, so she sell me to Malcolme when I am twelve.† â€Å"What about your father?† â€Å"He not with us. He a navigator on Satawan. He meet my mother in Manila when he is working on a tuna boat. He marry her and take her to Satawan. She stay for ten years, but she not like it. She say women like dirt to Micronesians. So she take me and go back to Manila when I am nine. Then she sell me to Malcolme. He dress me up and I make big money for him. But he mean to me. He say I have to get rid Roberto, so I run away to find my father to finish teach me to be a navigator. They hear of him on Yap. They say he lost at sea five year ago.† â€Å"And he was the one that taught you to navigate?† Tucker knew it was a snotty question, but he had no idea what to say to someone whose mother had sold him to a pimp. Kimi didn't catch the sarcasm. â€Å"He teach me some. It take long time to be navigator. Sometime twenty, thirty year. You want learn, I teach you.† Tucker remembered how difficult it had been to learn Western navigation for his pilot's license. And that was using sophisticated charts and instru-ments. He could imagine that learning to navigate by the stars – by memory, without charts – would take years. He said, â€Å"No, that's okay. It's different for airplanes. We have machines to navigate now.† They bailed until the sun was high in the sky. Tuck could feel his skin baking. He found some sunscreen in the pack and shared it with Kimi, but it was no relief from the heat. â€Å"We need some shade.† The tarp was gone. He rifled the pack, looking for something they could use for shade, but for once Jake Skye's bag of tricks failed them. By noon Tuck was cursing himself for pouring out the gallon of fresh water during the storm. Kimi sat in the bottom of the boat, stroking Roberto's head and mumbling softly to the panting bat. Tuck tried to pass the time by cleaning his cuts and applying the antibiotic ointment from Jake's first-aid kit. By turning his back and crouching, he was able to create enough privacy to check on his damaged penis. He could see infection around the sutures. He imagined gangrene, amputation, and consequently suicide. Then, looking on the bright side, he realized that he would die of thirst long before the infection had gone that far. 22 Finding Spam The octopus jetted across the bottom, over a giant head of brain coral, and tucked itself into a tiny crevice in the reef. Sarapul could see the light purple skin pulsing in the crevice three fathoms down. He took a deep breath and dove, his spear in hand. The octopus, sensing danger, changed color to the rust brown of the coral around it and adjusted its shape to fit the crannies of its hiding place. Sarapul caught the edge of the crevice with his left hand and thrust in his spear with his right. The spear barely pierced one of the octopus's tentacles and it turned bright red in a chromatic scream, then released its ink. The ink expanded into a smoky cloud in the water. Sarapul dropped his spear to wave the ink away before making another thrust. But his air was gone. He left his spear in the crevice and shot to the surface. The octopus sensed the opening and jetted out of the crevice to a new hiding place before Sarapul knew it was gone. Sarapul broke the surface cursing. Only three fathoms, eighteen feet, and he couldn't stay down long enough to tease an octopus out of its hole. As a young man, he could dive to twelve fathoms and stay down longer than any of the Shark men. He was glad that no one had been there to see him: an old man who could barely feed himself. He pulled off his mask and spit into it, then rinsed it with seawater. He looked out to sea, checking for any sign of the sharks that lived in abund-ance off the reef. There was a boat out there, perhaps half a mile off the reef, drifting. He put on his mask and looked down to get a bearing on his spear so he could retrieve it later. Then he swam a slow crawl toward the drifting boat. He was winded when he reached the boat and he hung on the side for a few minutes, bobbing in the swell, while he caught his breath. He made his way around to the bow and pulled himself up and in. A huge black bat flew up into his face and winged off toward the island. Sarapul cursed and said some magic words to protect himself, then took a deep breath and examined the bodies. A man and a woman – and not long dead. There was no smell and no swelling of the bellies. The meat would still be fresh. It had been too long since he'd tasted the long pig. He pinched the man's leg to test the fat. The man moaned. He was still alive. Even better, Sarapul thought. I can eat the dead one and keep the other one fresh! PART TWO Island of the Shark People 23 Deus Ex Machina The Sky Priestess first appeared in 1944 on the nose of a B-26 bomber. Conjured out of cans of enamel by a young aviator named Jack Moses, she lay cool and naked across the aluminum skin, a red pump dangling from a dainty toe, a smile that promised pleasure that no mortal woman could offer. As soon as Moses laid the final brushstroke on her black-seamed stocking, he knew there was something special about this one, something electric and alive that would break his heart when they flew her off to the Pacific. He caught a kiss in his palm and placed it gently on her bottom, then backed down the ladder to survey his work. He stood on the tarmac for perhaps half an hour, just looking at her, charmed, wishing that he could take her home, or to a museum, or lift her off the skin of the bomber and put her on the ceiling of a cathedral. Jack Moses didn't notice the major standing at his side until the older man spoke. â€Å"She's something,† the major said. And although he wasn't sure why, he removed his hat. â€Å"Ain't she,† Moses said. â€Å"She's off to Tinian tomorrow. Wish I was going with her.† The major reached out and squeezed Moses's shoulder; he was a little short of breath and the Sky Priestess had set off a stag film in his head. â€Å"Put some clothes on her, son. We can't have muffin showing up on a newsreel.† â€Å"Yes, sir. I don't have to put a top on her, do I?† The major smiled. â€Å"Son, you put a top on her, I'll have you court-marshaled.† â€Å"Yes, sir.† Moses saluted the major and scampered back up the ladder with his brushes and his red enamel and painted a serpentine scarf between her legs. A week later, as a young pilot named Vincent Bennidetti was leading his crew across the runway to take the Sky Priestess on her first mission, he turned to his navigator and said, â€Å"I'd give a year's pay to be that scarf.† A half century away, Beth Curtis pinned a big red bow into her hair, then, one at a time, worked sheer black-seamed stockings up her legs. She stood in front of the mirror and tied the red scarf around her waist, letting the ends trail long between her legs. She stepped into the red pumps, did a quick turnaround in the mirror, and emerged from her bungalow to the sound of the Shark People's drums welcoming her, the Sky Priestess. Vincent Bennidetti and his crew flew the Sky Priestess on twelve missions and sank six Japanese ships before a fusillade from a Japanese destroyer punctured her wing tanks and took out her right engine. But even as they were limping back toward Tinian, trailing smoke and fuel, the crew of the Sky Priestess knew she watched over them. They were, after all, charmed. For the price of a blown kiss or a pat on the bottom, the Sky Priestess had ushered them into battle like a vicious guardian angel, shielding them even as the other bombers in their squadron flamed into the sea around them. She had shown them where to drop their bombs, then led them through the smoke and the flak back to Valhalla. Home. Safe. The copilot chattered over the intercom to the navigator, airspeed, fuel consumption, and now descent rate. If they lost any more airspeed, the B-26 would stall, so Captain Vinnie was bringing her down into sweet, thick lower air at the rate of a hundred feet per minute. But the lower they flew, the faster the fuel would burn. â€Å"I'm going to level her off at two thousand,† Captain Vinnie said. The navigator did some quick calculations and came back with: â€Å"At two thousand we'll be short of base by three hundred miles, Captain. I recommend we level at three thousand for a safer bailout.† â€Å"Oh ye of little fucking faith,† Vincent said. â€Å"Check your charts for somewhere we can ditch her.† The navigator checked their position on the charts. There was a flyspeck atoll named Alualu about forty nautical miles to the south. And it showed that it was now in American hands. He relayed the information to the captain. â€Å"The chart shows an uncompleted airstrip. We must have chased the Japs out before they finished it.† â€Å"Give me a course.† â€Å"Sir, there might not be anything there.† â€Å"Ya fuckin' mook, look out the window. You see anything but water?† The navigator gave him the course. Vincent patted the throttles and said, â€Å"Come on, sweetheart. You get us there safe and I'll build you a shrine.† Sarapul was heading for the beach and the men's drinking circle when he heard the drums welcoming the Sky Priestess. That white bitch was stealing his fire again. He'd been thinking all afternoon about what he would say at the drinking circle: how the Shark People needed to return to the old ways and how he had just the ritual to get everyone started. Nothing like a little cannibalism to get people thinking right. But now that was all ruined. Everyone would be out on the airstrip, drumming and chanting and marching around like a bunch of idiots, and when the Sky Priestess finally left and the men finally did show up at the drinking circle, all they would talk about was the wonderful words of Vincent. Sarapul wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise. He took the path that led away from the village and made his way toward the runway. After all, the Sky Priestess might pass out some good cargo and he didn't want to miss out on his share. Sarapul had been permanently banished from the village of the Shark People ever since one of the chief's grandchildren had mysteriously disap-peared and was later found in the jungle with Sarapul, who was building a child-sized earthen oven (an oom) and gathering various fragrant fire woods. Oh, the men tolerated him at the nightly drinking circle, and he was allowed to share in the village's take of shark meat, and the members of his clan saw to it that he got part of the wonderful cargo passed out by the Sorcerer and the Sky Priestess, but he was forbidden to enter the village when women and chil-dren were present. He lived alone in his little hut on the far side of the island and was regarded by the Shark People as little more than a monster to frighten children into behaving: â€Å"You stay inside the reef or old Sarapul will catch you and eat you.† Actually, scaring children was the only real joy Sarapul had left in life. As he emerged from the jungle, the old cannibal saw the torches where the Shark People waited in a semicircle around a raised platform. He stopped in a grove of betel nut palms, sat on the ground, and watched. He heard a click from the PA speakers mounted on the gate across the runway and the Shark People stopped drumming. Two of the Japanese guards ap-peared out of the compound and Sarapul felt the hair rise on his neck as they rolled back the gate and fifty years of residual hatred rose in his throat like acid. The Japanese had killed his wife and children, and if there was any single reason to return to the old ways of the warrior, it was to take revenge on the guards. Music blared out of the PA speakers: Glenn Miller's â€Å"String of Pearls.† The Shark People turned toward the gate and dropped to their knees. Pillars of red smoke rose from either side of the gate and wafted across the runway like sulfurous serpents. The distant whine of airplane propellers replaced the big band sound from the PA and grew into a roar that ended with a flash and explosion that sent a mushroom cloud of smoke a hundred feet into the night sky. And half-naked, the Sky Priestess walked out of the smoke into the moonlight. Chief Malink turned to his friend Favo and said, â€Å"Excellent boom.† â€Å"Very excellent boom,† Favo said. â€Å"There it is,† the copilot said. The B-26 was sputtering on her last few drops of fuel. Vincent nosed her over and started his descent. â€Å"There's a strip cut right across the center of the island. Let's hope we didn't bomb the shit out of it when the Japs had it.† His last few words seemed unusually loud as the engine cut out. â€Å"No go-around, boys. We're going down. Rig for a rough one and be ready for extreme dampness if we come in short.† Vincent could see patches of dirt on the airstrip, as well as fingers of vines and undergrowth from the jungle trying to reclaim the clearing. â€Å"You going in gear up?† the copilot asked, thinking that they might have a better chance of survival going over a bomb crater if they skidded in on the plane's belly. â€Å"Gear down,† Bennidetti said, making it a command. â€Å"We might be able to land her gear up, but she'd never take off again.† â€Å"Gear down and locked,† the copilot said. They glided in about ten feet over the reef. A dozen Shark men who were standing on the reef dove underwater as the airplane passed over them as silent and ominous as a manta ray. Bennidetti flared the B-26 to drop the rear gear first and they bounced over a patch of ferns and began the rocket slide down the coral gravel airstrip. Without the engines to reverse thrust, Vincent had only the wheel brakes to stop the bomber. He applied them gingerly at first, then, realizing that the runway was obscured by vines that might be covering a bomb crater, laid into them, causing the wheels to plow furrows into the gravel and filling the still air with a thick white cloud of dust. â€Å"We still burning?† Vincent asked the copilot over the rumble. The copilot looked out the window. â€Å"Can't see anything but a little black smoke.† The bomber rolled to a stop and a cheer went up from the crew. â€Å"Everybody out. Now,† Vincent ordered. â€Å"We still might have fire. They stumbled over each other to get out of the plane into the dust cloud. Bennidetti led them away at a run. They were a hundred yards from the plane before anyone looked back. â€Å"She looks okay, Captain. No fire.† That set off a round of cheering and backslapping and when they turned around again they saw group of native children approaching them from the jungle led by a proud ten-year-old boy carrying a spear. â€Å"Let me handle this,† Vincent told the crew as he dug into his flight suit pocket for a Hershey bar. â€Å"Hey, squirts, how you doing?† The boy with the spear stood his ground, keeping his eye trained on the downed bomber while the other children lost their nerve and backed away like scolded puppies. â€Å"We're Americans,† Vincent said. â€Å"Friendly. We are bringing you many good things.† He held the chocolate bar out to the spear boy, who didn't move or take his eyes off of the airplane. Vincent tried again. â€Å"Here, kid. This stuff tastes good. Chocolate.† He smacked his lips and mimed eating the candy bar. â€Å"You savvy American, kid?† â€Å"No,† the boy said. â€Å"I no speak American. I speak English.† Vincent laughed. â€Å"Well, I'm from New York, kid. We don't speak much English there. Go tell your chief that Captain Vincent is here with presents for him from a faraway and most magical place.† â€Å"Who she?† the kid asked, pointing to the image of the Sky Priestess. â€Å"She your queen?† â€Å"She works for me, kid. That's the Sky Priestess. She's bringing presents for your chief.† â€Å"You are chief?† Vincent knew he had to be careful here. He'd heard of island chiefs refusing to deal with anyone but Roosevelt because he was the only American equal to their status. â€Å"I'm higher than chief,† Vincent said. â€Å"I'm Captain Vinnie Fuckin' Bennidetti, Bad-ass of Brooklyn, High Emperor of the Allied Forces, Pilot of the Magic Sky Priestess, Swinging Dick of the Free Fuckin' World, and Protector of the Innocent. Now take me to your chief, squirt, before I have the Sky Priestess burn you to fucking ashes.† â€Å"Christ, Cap'n!† the bombardier said. Vincent shot him a grin over his shoulder. The kid bowed his head. â€Å"Christ, Cap'n. I am Malink, chief of the Shark People.† The Sky Priestess came out of the smoke and took her place in the middle of the semicircle of Shark People. Women kept their eyes to the ground even as they pushed their children forward, hoping that they would be the next to be chosen. The Sky Priestess threw the tails of her scarf over her shoulder and the music from the PA system stopped abruptly. The Shark People fell to their knees and waited for her words, the words of Vincent. It had been months since anyone had been chosen. Malink rose and approached the Sky Priestess with a coconut shell cup of the special tuba they had made for her. He was as stunned by her now as when he had first seen her painted on the side of Vincent's plane. She drained the cup and handed it back to the chief, who bowed over it. â€Å"Still tastes like shit,† she said. â€Å"Tastes like shit!† the Shark People chanted. Beth Curtis turned her head to suppress a smile and a belch. When she turned back to Malink, her eyes were fury. â€Å"Who speaks for Vincent?† â€Å"The Priestess of the Sky,† Malink answered. â€Å"Who brings the words and cargo from Vincent?† â€Å"The Priestess of the Sky,† Malink repeated. â€Å"And who takes the chosen to Vincent?† â€Å"The Priestess of the Sky,† Malink said again, backing away a step. He'd never seen her so angry. â€Å"And who else, Malink?† â€Å"No one else.† â€Å"Damn straight no one else!† She spat so violently she nearly disengaged the bow from her hair. â€Å"You told the Sorcerer that Vincent came to you in a dream. This is not true.† The Shark People gasped. Despite what the Sky Priestess and the Sorcerer thought, Malink had told none of his people about the dream. But Malink was confused. He had dreamed of Vincent. â€Å"Vincent said that the pilot is coming. That he is still alive.† â€Å"Vincent speaks only through me.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"No coffee or sugar for a month,† the Sky Priestess said. She pulled her scarf from her shoulders and the music began again. The Shark People watched as she walked away. There was an explosion across the runway and the Sky Priestess disappeared into the smoke.