How to Reduce Environmental Pollution Using Alternative Energy Sources Essay

How to Reduce Environmental Pollution Using Alternative Energy Sources - Essay Example Nature not only exists for humans alone but also for all species and as such, argues Miller et al. (2008 p, 17) there is need to encourage environmentally friendly forms of economic growth and development and discourage earth degrading forms (such as toxic emission from fossil fuels). It is here that the renewable sources of energy come in to help avert the dangers posed to the environment by the fossil fuels. To what level, it should be asked, do alternative energy sources help arrest the situation? And how ‘clean’ are the alternative sources? The benefits of alternative sources are well known, authoritatively asserts Renewable Energy Resources (2007, p, 207). They produce little or no pollution emissions and reduce dependency on the finite resources. The National Atlas of the US website (2012) also confirms this, but is quick to point out that even though the renewable sources are non-polluting, the structures built to harness them are two edged: they impact both posit ively and negatively on the environment. The intensity of the environmental impact or emissions caused by power generation depends on a number of factors such as the electricity generation technology used, how much electricity is generated, air pollution control devices used, the geographical location among other factors( US Environmental Protection Agency ,2012). A closer look at each of the renewable sources in many ways tries to answer the questions asked above. Solar Power Solar power is arguably the best thing going, at least from the environmental perspective. With it there are no acid rains, no urban smog or pollution of any kind (Alternative Energy, 2013). Clean and sustainably energy, that’s how the US Environmental Protection Agency (2012) describes solar power. Solar... As such, environmental impacts differ depending on the conversion and cooling technology applied Hydropower refers to the use of water to produce electricity. The hydroelectric power plants use dams to store water which is released from behind the dam flowing through a turbine. The water then spins the turbine, turning a generator to produce electricity. It is one of the least expensive sources of electricity. Not only does the dams provide power but also other substantial benefits such as recreation opportunities on upstream reservoirs, habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms, diversion of water for irrigation and control of destructive flooding. The environmental impacts of dams vary widely, but current regulations and policies have attempted to address the issues. For example, fish migration has been having been addressed with the use of fish ladders and other structures.In conclusion, renewable sources of energy provide a better alternative to the conventional energy source s, at least with the aim of curbing global warming and pollutant emissions. A shift from the fossil fuels to the renewable sources, therefore, promises a healthier environment. However, there seem to be other factors such as economic growth, population, and consumption of the energy and other resources that are proving to be hindrances in this mission of relieving the overburdened Mother Nature. Unless there is a reduction in energy use and other resources, renewable energy alone cannot achieve this mission of combating global warming.

Wal-Mart Essay Example for Free

Wal-Mart Essay Wal-Mart’s first foray outside the United States was in Mexico in 1991. Although Wal-Market executives had no previous foreign experience, they recognized that there were substantial income and cultural differences in Mexico. Accordingly, the American retail giant established a 50/50 join venture with Cifra SA, Mexico’s largest retailer. Despite havig a partner, the company made a number of blunders. Among them were poorly translated signs and a merchandise assortment that including inappropriate items such as ice skates,, leaf blowers, and riding lawn mowers. To make matters worse, wal-mart’s vaunted information system would automatically re-stock merchandise that local managers had tried to close out. The Mexican stores sold American-stlyle packedge meat and vegetables, which many shoppers preferred to purchase from small neighborhood stores. Also, most Mexican suppliers shipped directly to stores rather than to retailer warehouses and distribution centers. Thus, wal-mart lacked the control that translates into low prices in the United States. As Sam Dunn, Director of administration for Wal Mart de Mexico, commented, â€Å"The key to this market is distribution.  The retailer who solves that will dominate. † One sign of Wal-Mart’s long –term commitment to Mexico was its decision in mid-1997 to convert its joint venture shares into Cifra common stock and purchase enough additional shares to have a controlling stake in the company; the new enterprise is called Wal-Mart de Mexico S. A de C. V. (Walmex). Meanwhile, Wal-Mart turned its sights further south. In 1995, the company teamed up with Lojas Americanas SA and opened five stores in Brazil; operating without a partner in Argentina, Wal-Mart opened four stores. By 2000, the company was operating 12 Supercenters in Argentina. The stores offer a staggering variety, with a typical mix of approximately 50. 000 different products. In 1994, wal -mart entered Canada by acquiring the 122-store Woolco chain. The market appeared very attractive, because a high percentage of the Canadian population lives within 100 miles of the border. In addition to a high familiarity with Wal-Mart, Canadians also speak English and have a monetary system that is similar to the American one. The small size of existing Woolco stores resulted in disappointing sales; Wal-Mart responded by moving to new locations or expanding units. Much early sales growth came at the expense of existing department stores. Future growth may be hampered by the relatively small Canadian population and a trend towards cross border shopping to escape high value-added taxes. Also, management at Zeller? s, Wal-Mart? s main competitor in Canada, has responded by renovating stores and expanding beyond its traditional discount formula. South America The retailing environment in South America is very competitive, in part because Carrefour had arrived first. The French company inked distribution deals with manufactures of leading local brands; this is a key advantage, because well-known consumer packaged –goods brands such as Tide detergent are not widely accepted in South America, Moreover, Carrefour player hardball, undercutting Wal-Mart? s prices on key items such as cooking oil, rice, and shampoo. Some observer’s noted that Carrefour? s French heritage undoubtedly gave it the upper hand in presenting fresh fish, meat, and produce. Local retailers were strong as well; faced with rampant inflation in the late 1980s, they had invested in sophisticated cash registers and an inventory control system to help them make frequent-even daily-price adjustments. Despite these competitive challenges, Wal-Mart quickly adapted to the unfamiliar environment. It hired local managers, who in turn helped develop the right product assortment and merchandising approaches. For example, the Wal- Mart Supercenters in Argentina initially kept fresh seafood in glass display cases. However, South Americans typically want to examine prospective food purchases up close and even touch them; Wal-Mart made the appropriate changes. Wal-Mart quickly discovered that, in South America, the entire family shops together; it turned out that Wal-Mart? s aisles were not wide enough to accommodate such groups. Shoppers also were information deprived; Wal-Mart responded with clinics and in-stone demonstrations such as weekly makeovers in the cosmetics departments. Wal-Mart also had to adjust the approach of its Sam? s Club warehouse stones. Small business operators were expected to account for a significant amount of purchases at Sam? Club. However, even these buyers were unable to afford the bulk packs that are mainstays of Wal-Mart? s wholesale club format. Sam? s managers were forced to break down bulk quantities into smaller packs and even sell individual items. Europe Market entry in europe came in 1997 whit the purchase of 21 hypermarkets from Wertkauf GmbH. The following year Wal-Mart acquired 74 additional hypermarkets from Spar Handels AG. The early going was difficult; the two acquired companies were merged under a centralized headquarters, a major remodeling program affecting most of the stores was launched, and distribution was centralized. In addition, the company? s aggressive pricing resulted in a price war among Germany? s retailers who had already been through traumatic changes related to the reunification with East Germany in 1990. Wal-Mrt? s losses in Germany for 1999 were estimated to run as high as $200 million. However, with the transition largely in place, in 2000, company officials announced plans to open 50 more stores in Germany and to double its share of the hypermarket sector to 20 percent by 2003. In 1999, wal-Mart shocked the European retailing world by offering more than $10 billion for Britain? third largest supermarket chain, Asda Group PLC. It was the largest cash offer ever made for a UK business. Industry observers noted that Asda had spent years studying such fundamental elements of the Wal-Mart approach as everyday low pricing and an â€Å"anti-management â€Å" management culture that, for example, calls for having a greeter at the front of the store and stresses the importance of calling store personnel â€Å"colleagues†. As Asda Chairman Archie Norman said, â€Å"The culture and attitude of Wal-Mart is one that we aspired to†. ASIA Wal-Mart is also targeting Asia. With China due to join the world trade organization, wal-mart executives intend to capitalize on the economic expansion that will follow, wal-mart? s earliest foray into china, a joint venture launched in 1996 with Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand group, was terminated after 18 months due to management differences. Although Beijing restricts the operations of foreign retailers, wal-mart executives have made a point of building relationships with government officials. In addition, wal-mart exports approximately 4 billion worth of goods from china each year. Joe Hatfield, wal-mart? chief in Asia, spent a great deal of time checking in local shops to better understand the type of merchandise the typical Chinese consumer wants to buy. Through trial-and-error, wal-mart has learned what type of merchandise sells and what doesn? t. by the end of 2000, wal-mart had 10 stores in china. However, it still lags behind France’s Carrefour SA, which has opened more than 20 small-scale discount stores in 14 Chinese cities. Wherever wal-mart goes, competitors are forced to adjust to the new retail climate. In china, Dutch retailer Royal Ahold NV and Hong Kong supermarket chain park ? N shop have scaled back. In the face of wal-mart? voracious appetite for acquisitions, metro AG, Germany’s number one retailer, bought the Allfauf and kriegbaum hypermarket chains. New slogans that closely resemble wal-mart? s such as â€Å"ehrliche Niedrigpreise† (honestly low prices†) greet shoppers at metro? s real hypermarkets, and the stores open earlier in the day. Still, the size and scale of wal-mart? s operation give it tremendous buying power. For example, wal-mart buys 20 percent of all the Pampers brand disposable diapers produced by Procter gamble. In Mexico, Francisco Martinez, CFO of rival commercial Mexicana SA, noted, â€Å"I buy 20,000 plastic toys, and wal-mart buys 20 million.

What is the Likelihood of Finding a Suitable Stem Cell Donor

What is the Likelihood of Finding a Suitable Stem Cell Donor At present, there are close to 29 million potential stem cell donors in the Bone Marrow Donors  Worldwide registry [4]. Though the number of donors continues to grow worldwide, there are  significant resource implications in donor recruitment and HLA typing. Therefore, the challenge  of thoughtful donor recruitment strategy becomes increasingly relevant. These include  recruitment efforts focused on young male donors [5] or on relatives of registered donors with  rare human leukocyte antigen (HLA) phenotypes [6], minority donor recruitment programs [7-10],  and regional priority setting of recruitment activities based on HLA frequency differences  [11-14].   The decisive question of What is the likelihood of finding a suitable matched adult donor in their  registry? definitely warrants registries strategy planning. Recently, Schmidt, et al [15] reported  that population-specific matching probabilities (MP) are a key parameter to assess the benefits  of unrelated stem cell donor registries and the need for further donor recruitment efforts. The  authors described a general framework for MP estimations of specific and mixed patient  populations under consideration of international stem cell donor exchange. Calculations were  based on HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 loci high-resolution haplotype frequencies (HF) of up to 21  populations. Based on the existing donor numbers, the largest MP increases in addition of  500,000 same-population donors were observed for patients from Greece (+0.21) while only  small MP increases occurred for European Americans (+0.004) and Germans (+0.01). Due to the  large Chinese population, the optimal distribution of 5,000,000 new donors worldwide included 3.9 million Chinese donors [15]. Nevertheless, the authors observed the need for  same-population donor recruitment in order to increase population-specific MP efficiently.   National strategies that neglect domestic donor recruitment should therefore be critically  re-assessed, especially if only few donors have been recruited so far.   As described by Schmidt et al [15], the probability p(n) for a random patient from a given   population to find at least one matching donor in a registry including n individuals of a donor  population is given with p(n) is the matching probability in n sample size, fi  being the frequencies of the i-th genotype and i-th is any genotype from the rank of genotypes in  the order of the highest to the lowest frequencies in a donor population. Genotype frequencies  can be derived from the estimated HF under the assumption of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium  (HWE).   HF is calculated from DNA-typed registry donors with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)  algorithm PHASE [16]. Four-locus high-resolution HF (HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, and HLA-DRB1) were  used for adult donors. The HF and effective adult-donor registry size for each group were then  put into a matching model that assumes genotypes are in HWE [17, 18]. The strategy involved  modeling the likelihood that an 8/8 or 7/8 HLA-matched adult donor was available. For better  analysis, information of adult-donor availability including donor refusal, discrepant donor typing  and loss of contact would be desirable.   According to the calculations, the likelihood of finding an available 8/8 HLA matched donor is  75% for white patients of European descent but only 46% for White patients of Middle Eastern or  North African descent [19]. Similarly, the chance of finding an 8/8 HLA-matched donor for other  groups is lower and varies with racial and ethnic background. For Black Americans of all ethnic  backgrounds, the probabilities are 16 to 19%; for Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans,  they range between 27% and 52%.   As it was reported that adult-donor availability differs according to racial and ethnic background  [19], models including this variable have substantially lower match likelihoods than those which  did not take into this account. Although the likelihood of HLA matching is the greatest with  donors from the patients racial and ethnic group, donors from other racial and ethnic groups  may increase this likelihood. Patients from groups with relatively low inter-racial or inter-ethnic  marriage, such as Asian groups, are less likely to have donors identified from outside their group. The overall available rate is only 29%. We therefore estimated the donor pool and matching probability in this study based on our  previous published gene and haplotype frequencies in Hong Kong population [20]. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sample Collection and genotyping As reported previously, 7,595 voluntary unrelated bone marrow donors recruited by the HKBMDR  between January 2013 and June 2014 were included in the analysis [20]. All donors are of  Chinese origin, HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 genotypes were obtained using polymerase  chain-reaction sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe methods using LifeCodes HLA-SSO Typing  Kit (Gen-Probe, Stamford, CT) when analysed by Luminex 200à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ system (Luminex Corp., Austin,  TX). Typing ambiguity was resolved using sequence specific primer or sequence based typing  methods utilising the specific primers of SBTexcellerator ® HLA typing Kit (Genome Diagnostics,  Utrecht, the Netherlands). Alleles were determined according to IMGT/HLA Database release  3.18.0. Statistics Analysis The frequencies of HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 alleles were calculated from the number of observed  genotype. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for each loci was assessed by PyPop using MCMC  simulation from Guo and Thompson [21], and genotype frequency deviance within each loci was  detected by PyPop invoking Arlequin [22]. P value of By using the formulae described by Schmidt et al [15] with modification, the probability p(n) for a  random patient from a given population to find at least one matching donor in a registry  including n individuals of a donor population is given with p(n) is the  matching probability in n sample size, fi being the frequencies of the i-th genotype and i-th is  any genotype from the rank of genotypes in the order of the highest to the lowest frequencies in  a donor population. RESULTS The HLA genotypes and haplotypes frequency mentioned in the following section have been  recently published [20]. HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 genotypes deviated from the expected  Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Proportions (HWEP) (p PHASE  [16]; adherence to HWEP was also assessed using PyPop 0.7.0 [23]. A few but significant  deviations from HWEP were detected for all the four loci, HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1. Deviation from  HWEP detected at the HLA-A locus is derived primary from an excess of A*02:01 + A*02:03  genotypes (247 observed, 218.5 expected; p = 0.0007) and an undercount of A*02:06 + A*02:03  genotypes (16 observed, 48.2 expected; p = Summary statistics for Hong Kong haplotypes is shown in Table 3. 2,146 A-C-B-DRB1 haplotypes  with frequencies > 0.006% were estimated from these donors. The cumulative frequency distributions for HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 loci in this Hong Kong Chinese cohort are shown in Table 4. Top twenty Haplotype A-C-B-DRB1 frequencies are shown in Table 5 [20]; nine of them have  frequencies of greater than 1%. Our findings on HLA alleles and haplotypes frequencies were  found to be very similar to those of Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) Race/Ethnicity of the NMDP  Registry and other studies on Han Chinese population [25]. The most common haplotype  A*33:03-C*03:02-B*58:01-DRB1*03:01 ranked second in the A/PI of NMDP registry (2.3%) and  top in Singapore Chinese (5.1%) [26]. The second most common haplotype  A*02:01-C*01:02-B*46:01-DRB1*09:01 was one of most frequent haplotypes among Chinese  populations, especially the southern area of China and Guangdong [27, 28]. However, the f ifth  common haplotype A*02:03-C*07:02-B*38:02-DRB1*16:02, was found to be less common in the  A/PI of NMDP Registry (0.4%) and the mainland China (0.3%) [25, 28]. We compared the top 100 haplotypes of HKBMDR HKCBB by haplotype frequencies with the  two publications [25, 26]; we noted that 88 are in common, the rank correlation is 0.909 for  HLA-A-B-DRB1 haplotype. There appears to be no excessive immigration from other places to Hong  Kong. We also compared the China population paper which had provided the detailed top  haplotypes for 4 loci, we found that 43 are common in HLA-A-C-B-DRB1 haplotype and the  correlation is low with only 0.477 [28]. With the use of MCMC algorithm to estimate HLA haplotype frequencies [14], it was found that the number of haplotypes increases with number of donor samples studies as summarized in  Table 6. Originally we tested the HLA haplotype frequencies in 2,500 samples and noted a bigger  number of haplotypes as compared with other papers. Then we increased the sample size to  5,000 and 7,500 and noted that the increase was quite significant in our population with many  more haplotypes. However, we usually observed a plateau of number of haplotypes even with  increase in sample size in the Caucasians and European populations. As of December 2015, there were only around 100,000 donors in the HKBMDR. Applying the  similar methodology in calculating the likelihood of finding a matched donor in US [19],  likelihood of finding an 8/8 HLA match or > 7/8 HLA Match by different donor registry size in the  HKBMDR was shown in Figure 1. The likelihood of finding an available 8/8 HLA matched donor is  45% while increases to 65% for finding 7/8 HLA matched donor. It is similar to the finding of  other studies conducted among Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans which reported a  likelihood ranging between 27% and 52% [19]. DISCUSSION The chance of successful engraftment and disease free survival are associated with the HLA  compatibility between the recipient and the prospective donor. The diversity of the HLA genes at  the allelic level and the heterogeneity of HLA data of the registered donors have a significant  bearing on the probability of finding a volunteer unrelated HSC donor for patients from a  particular population. This can be seen in the existence of many populations including Hong Kong  or Chinese with significant heterogeneity among recruitment centers. HLA frequencies estimated  at the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry or China Marrow Donor Program Registry are not  in equilibrium and should not be relied on as characteristic of a Chinese population. The probabilities of finding a match would increase substantially when the registry size grows. As reported in [19], the NMDP has added slightly more than 1 million adult donors to the registry  in 2012 and plans recruitment growth of 9% cumulatively each year through 2017. HLA typing of Chinese in Hong Kong were found to be more heterogeneous and this points to the  need of a larger donor pool in bone marrow registry to optimize the chance of successful  matching. The study findings provide vital information for defining donor recruitment target and  planning for extra resources in order to support the cost in donor recruitment and HLA typing.  Establishment of a more cost-effective bone marrow donor registry with a larger pool of donors  could increase chance of matching and the success rate of haematopoietic stem cell  transplantation. Assuming 25,000 per 10-year age range of even distribution, it is projected that the number of  retired and non-contact to be around 2,000. Based on the projection in Figure 1, if one would like  to achieve MP for 50% 8/8 HLA Match or 70% >7/8 HLA Match, HKBMDR should have about  150,000 donors. Considering the HKBMDR registry size to grow to 150,000 in five-year time, it  will require 12,000 new donors recruitment per year. To further increase MP to nearly 55% for  8/8 HLA Match or about 75% >7/8 HLA Match, donor registry size should be expanded to  200,000 (Figure 1). Similarly, an annual recruitment of 22,000 new donors is required. Either of  them is much higher than the current recruitment target of 5,000 donors per year. As such, the  associated resource implication in donor recruitment and HLA typing will need to be carefully  addressed. In our previous study on the survey on Hong Kong donation [29], factors associated  with HSC donation motivation in Hong Kong were identified. The results highly suggested that  recommendations on promoting BM donation to the younger and higher education may allow  better recruit rate and longer maintenance for donation. The government should consider  launching educational activities such as bone marrow donation campaign, educational series and  school talks to students and parents. However, it should be noted that the above estimation has not taken into account of the  potential matches from around 2,400,000 Chinese donors registered in China and Taiwan  registries. In addition, the use of cord blood units which are readily available and require less  stringent HLA matching has not been added into the matching probability. Many transplant  centers in particular those in the States and East Asia would switch to use cord blood when adult  donor is not available. But the relatively low stem cell dose may be inadequate for adult size  recipient. Recently, double cord blood or even haploidentical transplant has been applied  clinically with success. Whether they will eventually replace the need of a large registry is  currently under debate. But at the moment, these approaches are mainly indicated when  conventional related or unrelated donors are not readily available or accessible. On the other  hand, one should also be bear in mind the time re quired from matching, donor work up to  donation of overseas donors and other cost implication factors when building up the model for  estimation of registry size

Essay on Voltaires Candide - Voltaires Opposition to Optimism

Voltaire’s Opposition to Optimism in Candide Philosophy is a means by which humans search for a general understanding of the world and its concepts. Through experience, thought, and observation, one can arrive at a conclusion that forms the basis of his ideas. However, if one simply thinks and does not act, this conclusion does not make any significant difference on his life. This is a major point that Voltaire tries to make in Candide. He is trying to change society by demonstrating the absurdity of optimism. Voltaire attacks optimism by pointing out the evils of the world, criticizing actual people and events of the time, and criticizing Pangloss' philosophy. In Candide, Voltaire often criticizes war, denial, and religious views. He opposed violence and this is evident in many situations in Candide. For example, he used the war of the Bulgarians and the Abarians to point out the pointlessness of war. He believed that optimism was unnecessary and unjustified. If this were the best of all possible worlds, war would not have a purpose. Voltaire believed that God created the world and simply left it alone. Therefore, evil is inevitable because human nature leads people to perform evil actions. Voltaire strongly condemns "optimistic theories, for him they deny reality." (Juan Zerolo) Voltaire does not believe that by saying something, it will come true. Therefore, denying the existence of evil is not logical and does not amount to any greater good. Voltaire also denounced other's religious beliefs and intolerance. He criticized the belief that the world is in its best state because a higher being created it from the best of all pos sible worlds. He did not appeal to the corruption of the church, whi... ...g impractical goals on people who have demonstrated that they will never obtain them. This will only end in unhappiness and disappointment. These people have shown that there is a slim chance that their behavior will drastically change to reflect the goals imposed on them. Works Cited and Consulted: Bottiglia, William. "Candide's Garden." Voltaire: A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Frautschi, R.L. Barron's Simplified Approach to Voltaire: Candide. New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1968. Jonas, Eric, from: http://www.ericjonas.com/ Accessed via the Internet 2/25/03 Kahn, Ludwig W. Voltaire. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1980. Voltaire. Candide. New York: Viking Publishers, 1998. Zerolo,Juan. Voltaire's Candide and the Critics. California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc., 1996.

Iron Crowned Chapter 14

â€Å"This isn't what I had in mind when I said we should go out on a date.† It took me a few days to get in to see Enrique Valdez, and Kiyo had decided to accompany me. While waiting for my appointment, I'd checked in once with the Thorn Land, only to find the whole experience frustrating. Though no one openly said it – well, except for Jasmine – they all thought me breaking up with Dorian was the worst idea ever. I also learned from Shaya that arrangements for a war meeting were getting bogged down. Dorian insisted all three monarchs meet in person. Katrice wanted to send her nephew. There was also the matter of which kingdom would host because several others wanted to, most likely in the hopes of getting in good with one or all of us. I told Shaya I didn't care about the details and to simply do whatever it took to finish this war quickly. When Kiyo and I reached Enrique's address, we found it was in a small, sad-looking office building in one of the more rundown areas of downtown Tucson. I eyed it askance as we stood outside and waited for him to buzz us up. â€Å"I don't get why it took us three days to get in,† I said. â€Å"It doesn't really seem like he's got that much business.† The door buzzed, and Kiyo opened it. â€Å"Maybe it's a cover,† he said. We walked up to the second floor, where Enrique's office was located. â€Å"Maybe he wants to hide how successful he is.† â€Å"That's ridiculous – â€Å" I stopped when the office door opened before we knocked. Even with Enrique standing in the doorway, I could see beautiful, expensive furnishings. â€Å"Well, I'll be damned,† I muttered, entering at Enrique's gesture. He was shorter than me, with deeply tanned skin and black hair starting to gray. I put him somewhere in his mid to late forties. His attire didn't quite match the office's opulence. In fact, it looked like stereotypical P.I. clothing from some old detective noir film, complete with a fedora. â€Å"Markham's girl, huh?† he asked, voice laced with a faint Spanish accent. His eyes fell on Kiyo. â€Å"And a bodyguard?† â€Å"A friend,† I said sharply. â€Å"I don't need a bodyguard.† â€Å"Right.† Enrique didn't sound like he believed that. He pointed us to some plush leather chairs while he sat in an even bigger one across from us. A huge cherry desk was situated between us. It gleamed deep red in the late afternoon light and didn't look like the kind of thing you'd find at IKEA. I stared around at the rest of the office, still amazed at how it contrasted with the exterior. Books – ranging widely from Moby Dick to Arizona state law – lined shelves that matched the desk, and small pieces of art – paintings, statues, et cetera – adorned the room. â€Å"So,† began Enrique. â€Å"What's his name, and why do you think he's cheating on you?† â€Å"I – huh?† I jerked my head from a sculpture that looked like some Mayan god and stared at Enrique in astonishment. â€Å"What are you talking about? Is that what Roland told you?† â€Å"No, he didn't tell me anything. I just figured that's why you were here. That's usually what women come in for.† Kiyo made a small sound beside me that I think was a laugh. â€Å"That's ridiculous,† I exclaimed, unsure if I should be offended or not. â€Å"I need you to investigate a murder.† Enrique arched an eyebrow. â€Å"That's what the police are for.† â€Å"They already investigated it. And actually, they declared it a suicide.† â€Å"And you need me because †¦?† â€Å"Because I don't think it was,† I said. â€Å"I think it was a murder and that the victim's family might be in danger.† Enrique made no attempt to hide his skepticism. â€Å"Do you have any evidence to support this †¦ theory?† I took a deep breath, hoping Roland had been right about this guy. â€Å"The victim's, um, ghost said she didn't kill herself.† â€Å"Her ghost,† he repeated. As though on cue, Deanna materialized in the room, though Enrique couldn't see her. Kiyo and I could with our Otherworldly senses, but neither of us gave any indication of her arrival. I nodded. â€Å"Roland said you – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, yeah,† said Enrique. â€Å"I know about that hocus pocus he deals with. I'm also guessing suicide might be so traumatic that afterward, maybe a ghost blocked out what she actually did.† â€Å"That's not true!† exclaimed Deanna. I supposed it wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but I'd explore all other options first. â€Å"I don't think that's the case. I think she really was murdered. If that's true, we need to make sure no one else in her family gets hurt.† â€Å"If she was murdered,† countered Enrique, â€Å"then statistics say someone in her family probably did it.† â€Å"That's not true either!† I ignored Deanna's second outburst and stayed fixed on Enrique. â€Å"Well, one way or another, I need to know.† He leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on his desk and crossing his arms behind his head. If he'd called me ‘dame,' I wouldn't have been surprised. â€Å"The police take all this into consideration, you know. What makes you think I'd find something they haven't?† â€Å"I thought guys like you were smarter than the police,† said Kiyo. â€Å"Figured you had connections and channels above the law. That you didn't play by the same rules.† â€Å"That's true,† said Enrique, seeming pleased at the compliment. I swore, he was also taking Kiyo more seriously than me. â€Å"I can look into it, I suppose. But it's not like I'll do it for free, just because you're cute.† That was directed back at me. I repressed a scowl. â€Å"I didn't expect you to. I can pay.† He considered this and finally gave a nod, straightening back up in his chair. â€Å"Okay. Tell me what you know, and I'll get to it when I can.† â€Å"What!† cried Deanna. â€Å"This is kind of time sensitive,† I said. Mostly because I wasn't sure how much more of Deanna I could handle. Enrique gestured to a stack of folders on a table. â€Å"So are these. I'm drowning in paperwork. Can't keep half of these straight.† â€Å"We'll pay for you to expedite it,† said Kiyo. I shot him a look of astonishment, not thrilled that he'd speak for me – especially considering my income was lower than it used to be. Nonetheless, it got Enrique's attention. â€Å"Expediting it is, then.† I gave him all the details I'd recently learned from Deanna, and to his credit, Enrique diligently wrote them all down and asked pertinent questions that reaffirmed my faith in his legitimacy. The price he named didn't cheer me up as much, but there was nothing to be done for it. When Kiyo and I finally got up to leave, I couldn't resist asking the obvious. â€Å"You seem to be doing pretty well †¦ so why's your office in a dump like this?† Enrique didn't look offended so much as scornful that I'd ask such a ridiculous question. â€Å"Do you know how much office rent is lately? I'm saving tons of money.† â€Å"Maybe you should put that surplus toward a secretary instead of statues,† I pointed out, nodding toward the tower of folders. â€Å"I don't trust anyone,† he said bluntly. â€Å"Especially when ghost clients show up.† He opened the door. â€Å"I'll be in touch.† â€Å"Charming,† I said, once Kiyo and I were on the road again. â€Å"The only thing I'm convinced that guy can do is help in the regression of women's rights.† Kiyo tried to hide a smile and failed. â€Å"He was right about you being cute, though. And I don't know †¦ something tells me that despite the attitude, he's pretty competent. Crappy building aside, he couldn't afford that office if he wasn't achieving results. Besides, Roland wouldn't recommend anyone incompetent.† â€Å"Unless he was trying to sabotage me.† Kiyo's smile faded. â€Å"Do you really think he'd do that to you?† I stared out the passenger seat window. â€Å"No. He wouldn't.† â€Å"I'm sorry, you know. I really am. About Roland.† â€Å"I don't want to talk about it,† I said. My mood plummeted each time Roland's name came up. â€Å"Okay, then. You want to salvage this ‘date' and get some lunch?† I didn't have faith in the change of subject. I didn't think anything could really distract me, certainly not the crappy Mexican restaurant Kiyo took us to. â€Å"Are you serious?† I asked. Felipe's Fiestaland was the cheesiest restaurant in town, figuratively speaking. In a place like Tucson, where you could get amazingly authentic Southwestern cuisine, Felipe's was for tourists and suburbanites who didn't know any better. â€Å"Are you saying a margarita wouldn't do you good?† he asked, getting out of the car. â€Å"I would never say that. But there are better places with better margaritas.† â€Å"They still use tequila in theirs. Isn't that what really matters?† â€Å"Fair point.† We were greeted by a hostess who sounded like she'd taken one semester of Spanish in high school. Pi;atas hung from the ceiling, and bad mariachi music blasted from speakers. I scanned the drink menu as soon as we sat down and was ready when the waiter came by. â€Å"I'll have your Double Platinum Extra Premium Margarita,† I told him. â€Å"Grande or super grande?† asked the waiter. â€Å"Super.† Kiyo looked impressed. â€Å"I'll have the same.† When we were alone, he asked, â€Å"What is that exactly?† I propped an elbow on the table, resting my chin on my palm. â€Å"I'm not sure, but it sounded like it had the most alcohol in it. Places like this tend to drown their drinks in mixers.† â€Å"Spoken like a pro.† â€Å"Stating the obvious. You and I both know Roza's has the best margaritas.† Kiyo smiled at that, flashing me a warm and knowing look. I had a feeling he was thinking about a memory that had come to me too, back from when we'd dated. We'd gone out to Roza's – which really did have the best margaritas in town – and gotten so drunk that neither of us could drive home. So, we'd used the car for the only thing we could: sex. Twice. The drinks arrived and were about the size of fishbowls. They were also about half-mixer, as suspected, but at least that still left a reasonable quantity of alcohol. I drank mine down quickly as we waited for our food. Alcohol numbed my shamanic powers a little bit and sometimes let me forget my problems. Not so much today. â€Å"Do you think Enrique might be right?† I asked. â€Å"That Deanna did commit suicide and blocked it out?† The ghost had left us once we departed from the office. â€Å"I don't know. I don't know if she'd believe it, even if he turned up a film or something.† I grimaced and downed more of the drink. â€Å"I hope not. It's nothing I'd want to watch. I'm tired of bloodshed.† â€Å"I know,† he said gently. â€Å"And no matter what I said before †¦ and how upset I was when this war started †¦ well, I have to admit. You've handled it as best you could. Word gets around. I know you've made some tactical moves that minimized casualties – and not just for your own people.† â€Å"‘Tactical.' ‘Casualties.'† I shook my head, eyeing my low margarita. â€Å"Those are terms I never thought I'd use. And really, I don't have much to do with that planning. Rurik does.† â€Å"But you give the okay,† Kiyo pointed out. â€Å"Not many rulers would. Most would do whatever it took to crush their enemies quickly.† â€Å"I've certainly wanted to.† Dorian had as well, and the few disagreements we'd had during our wartime partnership had been over civilian collateral damage. â€Å"Can we talk about something not Otherworldly? And not about suicide?† â€Å"Sure.† Our waiter suddenly appeared with the plate of Mile High Muy Bueno Nachos we'd ordered. Kiyo flashed him a grin. â€Å"She'll have another margarita. Also, it's her birthday.† I shot Kiyo a look of horror as the waiter scurried off. â€Å"Are you out of your mind? You don't say something like that in a place like this!† But it was too late. Because in a matter of minutes, the entire waitstaff of Felipe's Fiestaland had surrounded our table. Someone put a sombrero on my head and a candlelit piece of flan in front of me. The whole group then launched into an out-of-tune rendition of â€Å"Cumpleaà ±os Feliz,† set to equally bad out-of-rhythm clapping. I stared at Kiyo the whole time and mouthed I will kill you. It only made his smile grow. â€Å"You don't look a day older,† he told me, once the mob had dispersed. â€Å"I can't believe you did that.† I jerked off the sombrero and dove into the new margarita. â€Å"Do you know how humiliating that is?† â€Å"Hey, it got your mind off everything else, didn't it? Plus, check it out. Free flan.† I blew out the candle and hesitantly poked the gelatinous mass below it. â€Å"It looks like it's been sitting around a while.† â€Å"Don't worry,† he said, dragging the plate over to his side of the table. â€Å"With all the preservatives in it, I'm sure it's fine.† â€Å"I'm going to get you back for this,† I warned, narrowing my eyes. The look he gave me was knowing. â€Å"I hope so,† he said. â€Å"I certainly hope so.† I can only blame the margaritas for what happened next, because as soon as we'd paid our bill and were back in the car, we attacked each other. â€Å"See?† he said, trying to pull my shirt over my head. â€Å"Who needs Roza's?† â€Å"It was dark out then,† I reminded him, my own hands fumbling for his pants. â€Å"We're in the back of the lot,† he argued. â€Å"And the sun's going down.† He had a point, and when he brought one of my nipples to his mouth, I kind of let the subject drop. We really were out of sight, and there were more important matters to take care of. We reclined and pushed the seat back as far as it would go, then finally managed to get each other's jeans off. I brought my hips down, taking him into me. â€Å"See?† I gasped. â€Å"You're sorry now.† â€Å"Very,† he managed to say. Our awkward positioning kept my breasts pretty close to his face, and he was taking advantage of it with his hands and mouth. As for me, I was just thrilled at the feel of being on top of him. After always playing submissive with Dorian, I suddenly exalted in this sense of power – especially since Kiyo had definitely been the one in control the last time we had sex. Now, it was all me, and I took a fair amount of satisfaction in taunting him, alternately increasing the speed of my movement and then slowing down when he got close to coming. â€Å"Eugenie,† he begged at last. â€Å"Enough. Please †¦ do it†¦.† I leaned toward him like I might kiss him – and then pulled back when his lips sought mine. With a grin, I straightened up as much as I could and rode him hard, finally letting him have the release he'd begged for. His body bucked up as he came, his hands holding tightly to my hips as though I might leave before he finished. After that, I guess we were kind of dating again. The next week or so passed in an easy pattern. I saw Kiyo almost every day, and we slipped back into our old routines. I started taking more jobs, much to Lara's relief, while Kiyo alternately worked at the vet clinic and checked in with the Otherworld. At night, he and I were always together, either at my place or his. My body began to remember what it was like being in a relationship, and slowly, my heart did as well. I only crossed into the Otherworld once during that time, both from Thorn Land withdrawal and curiosity over the war proceedings. No progress was being made with Katrice. I was grateful for the lack of fighting, but the hoped-for peace talks still seemed a ways off. It was frustrating. â€Å"She's being difficult,† said Shaya, when I asked about it. Understandably, she looked weary. â€Å"These are delicate matters. They take time.† I left it at that, feeling impatient, but figuring she knew better than me. Back in Tucson, I also got sporadic updates of another sort: Enrique's. To his credit, he called almost every day to report what he'd done or investigated. At first his attitude remained the same, full of that cockiness and irritability that said this was a waste of his time. Then, one day, things changed. â€Å"I think,† he said. â€Å"You might be right.† I'm not sure who was more surprised by this: him or me. I'd honestly started to believe he wouldn't turn up anything at all as evidence of either a suicide or a murder. I gripped the phone tightly. â€Å"What? That someone killed her?† â€Å"Yeah †¦ I found a couple things. Did you know her husband has a girlfriend?† â€Å"Deanna told me. She seemed okay with his moving on.† It had been a few months since her death, too soon to start dating in my book, but still a semi-respectable time frame. According to Deanna, he'd begun seeing someone a few weeks ago. â€Å"Yeah, well, he moved on before she was dead. The girlfriend? His alibi.† I frowned. â€Å"Seriously?† Deanna's husband had been removed from suspicion because he'd had a solid witness to his whereabouts when she'd been killed. He'd been at a real estate agent's office; the agent was helping him with a vacation home for their family. â€Å"Maybe their relationship started after Deanna died †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Not if a witness I found is reliable. I also might have a lead that proves Deanna wasn't the one who bought the gun.† â€Å"If that's true †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn't finish right away. Deanna acquiring the gun that had killed her had been one of the most damning pieces of evidence for suicide. â€Å"If you can prove that, then it could reopen everything.† â€Å"Yes,† said Enrique matter-of-factly. â€Å"Yes, it could. I'll be in touch.† We disconnected, and I suddenly wished he hadn't been quite so good at his job. If he was right about all this and turned up the evidence he needed †¦ well, someone was going to have to break the news to Deanna that her husband had murdered her. And that someone would be me. She currently believed some crazed killer had done it, one that was after her family now. The thought of it all sickened me. As I sat there in my room, an Otherworldly presence made my skin tingle. For half a second, I thought Deanna was appearing unsummoned – something I wasn't ready to deal with. I'd essentially given her a â€Å"don't call me, I'll call you† directive. But, no. It wasn't her. It was Volusian, his red eyes as malevolent as always. Lately, his appearance meant news from the Otherworld. I hoped it would be good. â€Å"What's up?† I demanded. â€Å"Shaya requests your presence immediately.† Something good at last. â€Å"The peace talks?† â€Å"No. She needs you because the Oak King is at your castle, demanding to see you.†

An In-Depth Guide to Yeats The Second Coming

An In-Depth Guide to Yeats The Second Coming William Butler Yeats wrote â€Å"The Second Coming† in 1919, soon after the end of World War I, known at the time as â€Å"The Great War† because it was the biggest war yet fought and â€Å"The War to End All Wars† because it was so horrific that its participants dearly hoped it would be the last war. It was also not long since the Easter Rising in Ireland, a rebellion that was brutally suppressed that was the topic of Yeats’ earlier poem Easter 1916, and the Russian Revolution of 1917, which overthrew the long rule of the czars and was accompanied by its full share of lingering chaos. It’s no wonder the poet’s words convey his sense that the world he knew was coming to an end. â€Å"The Second Coming,† of course, refers to the Christian prophecy in the Bible’s Book of Revelation that Jesus will return to reign over Earth in the end times. But Yeats had his own mystical view of the history and future end of the world, embodied in his image of the â€Å"gyres,† cone-shaped spirals that intersect so that each gyre’s narrowest point is contained inside the widest part of the other. The gyres represent different elemental forces in historical cycles or different strains in the development of an individual human psyche, each beginning in the purity of a concentrated point and dissipating/degenerating into chaos (or vice versa) and his poem describes an apocalypse very different from the Christian vision of the end of the world. The Second Coming To better discuss the piece on hand, lets refresh ourselves by rereading this classic piece: Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of innocence is drowned;The best lack all conviction, while the worstAre full of passionate intensity.Surely some revelation is at hand;Surely the Second Coming is at hand.The Second Coming! Hardly are those words outWhen a vast image out of  Spiritus MundiTroubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desertA shape with lion body and the head of a man,A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,Is moving its slow thighs, while all about itReel shadows of the indignant desert birds.The darkness drops again; but now I knowThat twenty centuries of stony sleepWere vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? Notes on Form The underlying metric pattern of â€Å"The Second Coming† is iambic pentameter, that mainstay of English poetry from Shakespeare onward, in which each line is made up of five iambic feet - da DUM / da DUM / da DUM / da DUM / da DUM. But this fundamental meter is not immediately evident in Yeats’ poem because the first line of each section - its difficult to call them stanzas because there are only two and they are nowhere near the same length or pattern - begins with an emphatic trochee and then moves into a very irregular, but nonetheless incantatory rhythm of mostly iambs: TURN ing / and TURN / ing in / the WIDE / ning GYRESURE ly / some RE / ve LA / tion IS / at HAND The poem is sprinkled with variant feet, many of them like the third foot in the first line above, pyrrhic (or unstressed) feet, that enhance and emphasize the stresses that follow them. And the last line repeats the strange pattern of the first lines of the section, beginning with a bang, the trochee, followed by the tripping of unstressed syllables as the second foot is turned around into an iamb: SLOU ches / toward BETH / le HEM / to be / BORN There are no end-rhymes, not many rhymes at all, in fact, though there are many echoes and repetitions: Turning and turning...The falcon ... the falconerSurely ... at handSurely the Second Coming ... at handThe Second Coming! Altogether, the effect of all this irregularity of form and emphasis combined with the incantatory repetitions creates the impression that â€Å"The Second Coming† is not so much a made thing, a written poem, as it is a recorded hallucination, a dream captured. Notes on Content The first stanza of â€Å"The Second Coming† is a powerful description of an apocalypse, opening with the indelible image of the falcon circling ever higher, in ever-widening spirals, so far that â€Å"The falcon cannot hear the falconer.† The centrifugal impetus described by those circles in the air tends to chaos and disintegration - â€Å"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold † - and more than chaos and disintegration, to war - â€Å"The blood-dimmed tide† - to fundamental doubt - â€Å"The best lack all conviction† - and to the rule of misguided evil - The worst / Are full of passionate intensity.† The centrifugal impetus of those widening circles in the air, however, is no parallel to the Big Bang theory of the universe, in which everything speeding away from everything else finally dissipates into nothingness. In Yeats’ mystical/philosophical theory of the world, in the scheme he outlined in his book A Vision, the gyres are intersecting cones, one widening out while the other focuses into a single point. History is not a one-way trip into chaos, and the passage between the gyres not the end of the world altogether, but a transition to a new world -   or to another dimension. The second section of the poem offers a glimpse into the nature of that next, new world: It is a sphinx - â€Å"a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi... / A shape with lion body and the head of a man† - therefore it is not only a myth combining elements of our known world in new and unknown ways, but also a fundamental mystery, and fundamentally alien - â€Å"A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun.† It does not answer the questions posed by the outgoing domain - therefore the desert birds disturbed by its rising, representing the inhabitants of the existing world, the emblems of the old paradigm, are â€Å"indignant.† It poses its own new questions, and so Yeats must end his poem with the mystery, his question: â€Å"what rough beast, its hour come round at last, / Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?† It has been said that the essence of great poems is their mystery, and that is certainly true of â€Å"The Second Coming.† It is a mystery, it describes a mystery, it offers distinct and resonant images, but it also opens itself to infinite layers of interpretation. Commentary and Quotations â€Å"The Second Coming† has resonated in cultures all over the world since its first publication, and many writers have alluded to it in their own work. A wonderful visual demonstration of this fact is online at Fu Jen University:  a rebus of the poem with its words represented by the covers of the many books that quote them in their titles.