Structures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Structures - Essay Example The bridge was built to a scale of 1 to 40 with total clearance span of 500mm, utilizing craft sticks and PVA glue. After building of the bridge, it was tested to eliminate fatigue failure via application of the mid span within a laboratory setting. Moreover, the collapse is the position at which the underlying structure cannot support further escalation of load or a deflection beyond 30mm. The prevailing truss bridge passes the failure test. Moreover, the greatest load of 3.5kN was the second load applied to any bridge test, which excessively exceeds the needed load of 98N by the corresponding factor of 36. The prevailing weight ratio of 11.7 was compared satisfactorily with the existing supplementary bridges tested to enable successful design. Nevertheless, the graph of the load against deflection was not ideal thus depicting defects within the construction as depicted by the failure of the bridge. Advanced bridge possess relatively greater links amidst the prevailing craft sticks by utilizing sturdier clamps thus will improved the bridge by offering greater quality links amidst the underlying middle trusses and the corresponding bottom beams to avert it from slipping out. Bridges are observable accomplishments of engineering presently. Originally, the bridges composed of relatively simpler structures purely made from easily reachable natural resources. The natural resources entail timber, stone and dirt, which were operational though they had shorter life span thus resulting to weak structural bridges. Conversely, modern designs for trusses possess greater spaces to be spanned. A truss design is normally favorable to numerous engineers in modern world, since they are affordable and have high structural integrity. Comprehending structural behavior of any bridge is a significant aspect of engineering. This is because it aids in comprehension of the concepts of load transfer via the structure by tension and compression and corresponding equilibrium

The controversal breed of dog The Pit Bull Essay Example for Free

The controversal breed of dog The Pit Bull Essay The American Staffordshire Terrier (also known as Pit Bull) is believed to be a man-eating beast. But is this breed all its made out to be? The Pit Bull started in the Unites States; it has been developed since the early 1800s as a result of crosses between the bulldogs of that time and game terriers. Although the early ancestors of this breed came from England, the development of the American Staffordshire Terrier is the story of a truly American breed. This type of dog was instrumental in the success of farmers and settlers who developed this country. They were used for general farm work, hunting wild pigs, bears, and other large game, guarding the homestead, and general companionship. A number of the early ancestors were also developed for the sport of dog fighting. The extraordinary vitality of this breed is a direct result of breeding for successful fighting dogs. This now illegal activity is, unfortunately, more often cited as the early purpose of the dogs rather than the general farm work. Although ancestors of the American Staffordshire were fighting dogs, the selective breeding since the 1930s has been away from the fighting heritage. The American Staffordshire Terrier of today is a companion and show dog, rather than a gladiator. Although more rarely used on the farm now, the talents that made him a good all-purpose dog are still to be found in the breed. Later on, In the early 1900s people began to fight dog against dog in a pit, or dog against bull in a pit which is why the dog was later named the Pit Bull. Unfortunately in todays society there have been many cases of over breeding for this dog which has created temperament problems in their bloodlines, leading to inconsistent behavior. Pit Bulls over bred today are usually used to fight illegally in run down urban areas or are kept outside and are used to guard junkyards, peoples houses or private property. The over breeding of these dogs led to people housing them that were not qualified to handle this breed. Though they do not get overly large they have a body mass that can weigh up to 90 pounds, and a lockjaw with 800 pounds of pressure. These dogs are very smart, but require a lot of care and  attention. The Pit Bull will also learn to imitate the behavior of its owner. People who neglect these dogs or use aggressive force to train them will often have an aggressive dog likely to turn and attack. When kept in safe living conditions and trained properly these dogs are excellent family pets with a natural guard dog instinct to protect its family. Many of the dog attacks to take place in the past 10 years have been by Pit Bulls, but what about 10 years before that when the feared breed was the Doberman Pinscher. Now Dobermans are recognized as an extraordinary breed while the Pit Bull has now gained the reputation of Man eater. To stop the over breeding, inbreeding and sales to unfit owners, it is encouraged to buy your American Staffordshire Terrier from a registered and reputable breeder. It is also advised to see the papers and bloodlines to the parents to make sure they have been Temperament Tested (TT). When a responsible owner goes to these lengths to get a pedigree Pit Bull, they will end up with a companion for life that will be loyal and protect your every step. American Staffordshire Terriers tend to take to their main owner the most. They will follow them everywhere and protect them against danger at all times. Though very gentle, if the Pit Bull senses that their owner is in danger or at risk, they will put their own lives at stake for the well being and safety of their family. For the past 3 years precautions have been taken to ward off Pit Bulls becoming turned into attack dogs and the number of Pit Bull attacks have decreased. Now, because of the ever growing popularity of Labrador and Golden Retrievers, their inbreeding have caused these examples of Mans Best Friend to attack as well. So before you judge every Pit Bull that you see please be aware that a majority of the time it is the inability of the owner, and not the aggressiveness of the dog. Any dog can attack if not properly bred or cared for!

The Civil War :: essays research papers

The Civil War The American Civil War was a grave turning point in the history of North America. It was a conflict that pitted the Northern states of the American union against the Southern states. The war raged for four years, from 1861 to 1865, and was marked by some of the fiercest military campaigns in modern history. In this essay, you will learn the causes of the American Civil war, as well as the after effects of the war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It has been extremely hard for historians to exactly pin-point the causes and effects of the war. The war itself had international impact, not only because of the growing international status of the United States, but also because war threatened world access to the South's cotton. Britain and France were the two main countries that had particular interest in the wars outcome, but other nations were as well effected by it. The civil war was a conflict over way of life. The Southern states depended upon the agriculture of the slaves, including cotton production . When Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860, his opposition of slavery was seen as a threat to the economic interests of the Southern states. The South responded by seceding from the union and founding the Confederate States of America in 1861. The first state to secede was South Carolina, on December 20, 1860. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana followed in January, 1861. Texas then also separated on February 1st. Three days later on February 4th, 1861, delegates from these states drafted a constitution for the confederacy. Jefferson Davis, was proclaimed president on February 18th. This was before Abraham Lincoln himself even became officially proclaimed President. The war began in 1861, when confederates open fired on Ft. Sumter, gaining control over the Port of Charleston. On April 15th, Lincoln then called out 75,000 volunteers determined to surpress the insurrection. It was the beginning of war. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas seceded in the Spring of 1861. By now, the Confederacy had 11 states, and were outnumbered by the union who had 23 states. Eleven confederate states would stand against twenty-three states of the union. The south had a population of nine million, and three million of them were slaves. They were up against the north, who had over twenty-two million people. The war was well fought by both the North and South, and ended in 1865, with the North easily overpowering the South. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, 12 days before the final surrender of the confederacy. The war itself costed over $20 billion dollars.

Effect Of Violent Television Programs On Children In The U.S Essay

In 1996, the federal government of the United States passed a law demanding that every television set from the size of 13 inches and above to be installed with a V chip to control content being watched by children. This move was inspired by the recognition of the impact that violent television programs were causing on the children (Centerwall 69). More recently, some senators in US lead the drive to the enactment of laws that would control broadcast of sex ad violence on TV. TV violence has been a matter of greater concern since it occupies much of the TV content programmed in the US today. Research shows that concern for behavioral effects began as early as the 1950s and 60s following the introduction and popularity of televisions in US. Currently, TV broadcasting has evolved a lot in US such that content is being broadcast without much concern for age rating, especially following increased access to TV the children. Violence can be from news programs or fictional entertainment programs. A 1995 article in the Journal of American Medical Association points out that television has detrimental impacts on the normal development of children due to the increase in physical aggressiveness and health concerns (Centerwall 644). Later, the American Psychological Association published a policy statement urging pediatricians to advise their clients to control TV viewing among their children to not more than 1 or 2 hours. Effects of physical aggressiveness have also been confirmed by the US National Institute of Mental Health. This has especially impacted negatively on the religious foundations of children since aggressiveness contrasts the fundamental principles of most religions. Children usually learn by imitating what they observe, hence if exposed to violent programs they tend to emulate the violent behaviors shown on the program. Two separate studies conducted among young inmates convicted of violent crime cases including rape, assault and homicide indicates that between 22 % and 34 % confessed to have been consciously inspired by the crime techniques leant from TV programs they used to watch (Nathanson 141). A number of these were from a strong religious background. Some 1990 data shows that children in US between the age of 2 and 5 years of age were spent about 27 hours of their time every week watching television most of which were had violent content. Although religious principles may guide behaviour to some extent, psychologists argue that children of such age are usually unable to differentiate fantasy ad facts when it comes to television and hence end up accepting and believing what they watch, this erodes their moral and religious believes with time. A study conducted for close to 22 years among US children of age 8 and addressing the correlation of this group to the severity of crime committed by the same at age 30, found out that viewing of violent content correlated highly positively to the nature and seriousness of crime most were convicted of at age 30: at a probability of 0. 05% (Brandon 1). This number is inclusive of religious children implying that violent programs introduce them gradually to crime. A study on 100 male crime convicts, whereby 65 of them had no past association with crime; were of same age, residence background and race and aged between age 10 and 14, shows that there was significant statistical relation between exposure to TV violence and violent behaviour in adults. This proves the finding that violence has great potential to shape the behavior of a child irrespective of religion. A poll conducted among adult Americans show that about 43 percent of Americans believe that contribution of TV violence to increasing violence in the society is high than any other factors. Given that most Americans are religious people and so are their children, it is apparent homicide is against their principles. However, there is the data that states that the per annum rate of white homicides in US increased by 92 recent from 1945’s 1. 3 homicides/ 100000 US white citizens to 2. 5 / 100000 in 1974 (Centerwall 646). TV violence has been the leading cause of religious negligence among most young US people as they are inspired by the reality of TV the set of religious principles. This is regarded as the effect of high market competitiveness driving TV companies to broadcast violence in a â€Å"fantasy† manner to generate mass audiences for advertising purposes. There is less concern for responsibility. Religious children have been victims of juvenile crime as pointed out by senators Kefauwer and Dodd regarding relation of TV programs to the increases in juvenile crime. A study by The Centre of Research on the Effect of Television indicates that young people usually become insensitive to pain or other activity that inflicts suffering on others especially in real life. This has been noted more specifically by church leaders as the most basic factor driving religious children used to violent TV shows to try out violent activity. This is because they tend to believe what they see is the real world. Children, including the religious as well perceive violence in such program as fantasy since they lack the ability to differentiate fantasy and reality at below age 8 (Wood, et al. 375). In this regard, most children also tend to believe that violence is the most appropriate means of getting what one wants as is depicted by their heroes. Children also grow fear of the world that they live in. This affects their self drive and may make them to apply the violent activity in self defense on being made to perceive the real world as bad. This is in contrast to what religion advocates for. This rate of influence is even more alarming given the fact that about 54% of children in America have access to a TV set in their bedroom with 44% (religious children included) confirming that they watch totally different subjects when not with their parents. Research from Michigan University notes that TV contributes to abut 10% of the violent witnessed among religious children. The American Psychological Association notes that children who watch a lot of violent TV shows have more tendency to show violent behaviors such as disobedience, arguing and striking out at playmates irrespective of religious background (Harrison and Joanne 93). The Kaiser Family Foundation argues that most religious children as well as the non-religious ones have come to accept violence as an alternative to solving life problems due to prolonged exposure to programs depicting the same on TV. According to the Center for Disease Control, US, violence among children who watch a lot of television is the topmost public health challenge with the influence of the same on murder rates increasing at rates more than population growth (American Academy of Pediatrics 1119). Violent television has also been associated with increased levels of blood pressure which is a contributing factor to aggressiveness. It is undeniable that TV affects negatively the behaviour f children and it is even worth noting that religious children are not spared unless with the intervention of seniors. Works Cited Centerwall, B. S. â€Å"Television and violent crime. † The Public Interest 111(1993): 56-77. Harrison, Karin, and Joanne Cantor. â€Å"Tales from the Screen: Enduring Fright Reactions to Scary Media. † Media Psychology 1. 2 (1999): 97–116. Nathanson, Amy J. , and Joanne, Cantor. â€Å"Children’s Fright Reactions to Television News. † Journal of Communication 46. 4 (1996): 139–152. Centerwall, B. S. â€Å"Exposure to television as a risk factor for violence. † American Journal of Epidemiology 129 (1989): 643-652. Wood, W, Wong, F. Y. , and Chachere, J. G. â€Å"Effects of media violence on viewers’ aggression in unconstrained social interaction. † Psychological Bulletin 109 (1991): 371-383. American Academy of Pediatrics. â€Å"Committee on Communications: Children, adolescents, and television. † Pediatrics 85(1990):1119-1120. Brandon, Centerwall S. â€Å"Television and Violence: The Scale of the Problem and Where to Go From Here† JAMA 267. 22 (1992). Retrieved August 3, 2010 from http://cursor. org/stories/television_and_violence. htm.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 46~48

46 Beans and Succubus Tuck's other partner showed up at his bungalow that evening as he was sitting down to a plate of pork and beans. She didn't knock, or call out, or even clear her throat politely to let him know she was there. One minute Tuck was studying a gelatinous white cube of unidentifiable carbon-based life-form awash in a lumpy puddle of boiled legumes and tomato sauce, and the next the door opened and she was standing there wearing nothing but a red scarf and sequined high heels. Tuck dropped his spoon. Two partially used beans dribbled out of his open mouth, tracing contrails of sauce down the front of his shirt. She executed a single flamenco heel stomp and Tuck watched the impact move up her body and settle comfortably in her breasts. She threw her arms wide, struck a pose, and said, â€Å"The Sky Priestess has arrived.† â€Å"Yes, she has,† Tuck said with the glassy-eyed stupifaction of a newly converted Moonie. He'd seen something like her before, either on the hood of a Rolls-Royce or on a bowling trophy, but in the flesh the image was much more immediate, awe-inspiring even. She pirouetted and the tails of the scarf trailed around her like affectionate smoke. â€Å"What do you think?† â€Å"Uh-huh,† Tuck said, nodding. â€Å"Come here.† Tuck stood and moved toward her in the mindless shuffle step of a zombie compelled by the promise of living flesh. His brain stopped work-ing, his entire life energy shifted to another part of his body, and it led him across the room to within an inch of her. It wasn't the first time this had happened to him, but before he had always retained the power of speech and most of his motor functions. â€Å"What's wrong with you?† she said. â€Å"Bolts in your neck too tight?† â€Å"My entire body has an erection.† She took him by the front of the shirt and backed him across the room to the bed, then pushed him down and pulled his pants down to his knees. She vaulted onto him in a straddle and he reached up for her breasts. She caught his wrists. â€Å"No. You'll fuck up my makeup.† And he noticed – like an accident victim might notice a butterfly in the grille of the bus that is running over him – that her nipples had been rouged to an unnatural pink. He tried to sit up and she shoved him back down, then took him in her hand, nicking him with a red fingernail, making him wince, and guided him inside of her. He reached for her hips to drive her down and got his hands slapped for the effort. And she fucked him – precise and mechanical as a machine, a single pounding motion repeated and lubricated and repeated again – until her breath rasped in her throat like hissing hydraulics and she arched her back and stalled, and misfired, then dieseled for a stroke or two, and she climbed off. Somewhere in all that he had come and she had looked at him once. He lay there looking at the remnants of torn mosquito netting over the bed, breathing hard, feeling a little dizzy, and wondering what had just happened. She went to the bathroom, then returned a few seconds later and threw him a towel, which she had obviously used herself. â€Å"We're flying in three or four hours. Be ready.† â€Å"Okay.† Was he supposed to say something? Didn't this signify some sort of change that should be acknowledged? â€Å"I want you to watch me, but you can't let them see you. Wait a few minutes and go out by the hanger where you can see the airstrip. It's a great show. Theater makes it all possible, you know. Ask the Catholics. They survived the Middle Ages by putting on performances in a language that no one understood on grand stages that were built by the pennies of the poor. That's the problem with religion today. No theater.† This must be her version of cuddling. â€Å"Performance?† â€Å"The appearance of the Sky Priestess,† she said as if she was talking to a piece of toast. She walked to the door, then paused and looked over her shoulder. Almost as an afterthought she said, â€Å"Tucker,† and when he looked up she blew him a kiss. Then she was out the door and he heard her shout, â€Å"Cue the music!† A big band sound blasted across the island, sending a shiver rattling through Tuck's body as if a chill ghost from the forties had jitterbugged over his spine. 47 Grand Theft Aircraft The Shark men were breaking into their second jug of tuba when the music started. They all looked to Malink. Why hadn't he told them there was going to be an appearance of the Sky Priestess? Malink thought fast, then grinned as if he had known this was coming all along. â€Å"I wanted it to be a surprise,† he said. Why hadn't this been an-nounced by the Sorcerer? Was he still angry because Malink had not pro-duced the girl-man on demand? Was Vincent himself angry at Malink for something? Certainly Malink's people would be angry at him for not giving them the time to prepare the drums and the bamboo rifles of Vincent's army – and the women, oh, the women would be shitting coconuts over not having time to oil their skins and paint their faces and put on their ce-remonial grass skirts. As Malink trudged to the airstrip he tried to formulate some explanation that would work with everyone. As if it wasn't difficult enough being chief with no coffee to drink in the morning – he'd had a headache for two weeks from caffeine withdrawal – now his role as religious leader was giving him problems. Leading a religion is tough work when your gods start stirring for real and messing up your prophecies. And what if he did come up with an explanation, only to have the Priestess of the Sky say something that contradicted him? She was supposed to be Vincent's voice, but that voice had been angry lately, so he didn't dare ask her for help as he had in the past. Not in front of his people. He came out of the jungle just in time to see the flash of the explosions. The Sky Priestess walked out of the smoke and even from a hundred yards away, Malink could tell by her step that she was pleased. Malink breathed a sigh of relief. She was carrying magazines for them. If his people were happy with what she said, then he could use the old â€Å"will of Vincent† argument for not preparing them. He could have never guessed the real reason the Sorcerer had not forewarned him of the appearance of the Sky Priestess. At the time when he normally called the warning, the Sorcerer had been watching through the window as the Sky Priestess pumped away on Tucker Case. Tuck waited five minutes before he pulled up his pants and slid out the door of his bungalow, nearly running into Sebastian Curtis. The doctor, normally cool, was soaked with sweat and looked past Tuck to the clinic. â€Å"Mr. Case. I thought you'd be preparing the plane. Beth did tell you that you have a flight?† Tuck fought the urge to bolt. He hadn't had enough time to build up any remorse about having sex with the doctor's wife, and he didn't excel at remorse in the first place. â€Å"I was on my way to do the preflight. It doesn't take long.† The doctor didn't make eye contact. â€Å"You'll forgive me if I seem distracted. I have to perform major surgery in a few minutes. You should go watch Beth's little show.† â€Å"What's all the music and explosions?† â€Å"It's how we retrieve our donors. Beth will explain her theory of religion and theater to you, I'm sure. Excuse me.† He pushed past Tucker and looked at his shoes as he walked toward the clinic. â€Å"Aren't you going to watch?† Tuck said. â€Å"Thank you, but I find it nauseating.† â€Å"Oh,† Tuck said. â€Å"Then I'll go check out the Lear. Great game today, Doc.† â€Å"Yes,† Curtis said. He resumed his stiff-armed walk to the clinic, his fists balled so hard at his sides that Tuck could see them shaking. The guards were gathered at the edge of the hangar. Mato looked up quickly and made eye contact long enough for Tuck to see that he was nervous. Tuck wished he had asked him if the other guards spoke English. â€Å"Konichi-wa, motherfuckers,† Tuck said, covering his linguistic bases. None of the guards responded. Except for Mato, their eyes were trained on Beth Curtis dancing across the airstrip to Benny Goodman's â€Å"Sing, Sing, Sing.† One of the guards hit a button by the hangar and the music stopped as Beth Curtis stepped onto a small wooden platform on the far side of the runway. With the speakers silenced, Tuck could hear the drums of the Shark People. Some were marching around in formation holding lengths of bamboo painted red as rifles. Beth Curtis raised her hands, a copy of People in each, and the drums stopped. Tuck couldn't hear what she was saying, but she was waving her arms around like a soapbox preacher, and the crowd of natives moved, and flinched, and hung on her every word. She paused at one point and handed the magazines down to Malink, who backed away from the platform with his head bowed. Tuck didn't find anything about her performance nauseating, but it was nothing if not strange. Why all the pomp and circumstance? You have six guys with machine guns, you can pretty much go rip a kidney out anytime you want to. He needed to think, and he didn't particularly want to see whom she would pick. Whoever it was, their face would be in his head all the way to Japan and back. He went into the hangar, lowered the door on the Lear, climbed into the dark plane, and lay down in the aisle between the seats. He couldn't hear the sound of the Sky Priestess or the natives oohing and ahhhing, and here among the steel and glass and plastic and upholstery, it felt like home. Here he could hear the sound of his own mind; here in his very own Learjet, the weirdness was all outside. But for the lack of a key he would have taken the plane right then. The guard kicked Tuck in the thigh much harder than was needed to wake him. Tuck looked up to see the face of the guard who had beaten him on the beach. He had a scar that ran up his forehead tracing a bare streak into his scalp and Tuck had started to think of him as Stripe, the evil little monster from the movie Gremlins. Tuck's anger was immediate and white-hot. Only the Uzi stopped him from getting his ass kicked again. The guard dangled the key to the Lear's main power cutoff. It was time to go. Tuck limped to the cockpit and strapped himself into the pilot's seat. Stripe inserted the power key into the instrument console, twisted it, and stepped back to watch as Tuck started the power-up procedure. The other ninjas pulled the Lear out of the hangar by a large T-bar attached to the front wheel. When the plane was safely out of the hangar, Tuck started to spool up the jets. Stripe remained with the Uzi at port arms. Tuck made a big show of going though the checklist, testing switches and gauges. He frowned and clicked the radar switch a couple of times. He looked back at Stripe. â€Å"Go check the nose. Something's not right.† The guard shook his head. Tuck mimed his instructions again and Stripe nodded, then he motioned through the window for another of the guards to join them on board. Evidently, they weren't going to leave him un-guarded in the plane with the power key in. Stripe turned over the guard duty to the other ninja and appeared at the front of the plane. Tuck mo-tioned for him to get closer to the nose. Stripe did. Tuck turned on the radar. â€Å"And a lovely brain tumor for you, you son of a bitch.† Stripe seemed to actually feel the microwave energy and he jumped back from the plane. Tuck grinned and gave him the okay sign. â€Å"I hope your tiny little balls are boiling,† he said aloud. The guard behind him didn't seem to understand what Tuck was saying, but he nudged him with the barrel of his Uzi and pointed. Beth Curtis, in her dark Armani, was coming across the compound with briefcase and cooler in hand. She stepped into the plane and nodded to the guard. Instead of leaving, he took a seat back in the passenger compartment. Beth strapped herself into the copilot's seat. â€Å"We taking him in for shore leave?† Tuck said. â€Å"No. He's just along for the ride tonight.† â€Å"Oh, right.† Tuck powered up the jets and eased the Lear out of the compound onto the runway. Beth Curtis was silent until they were at altitude, cruising toward Japan. Tuck did not engage the autopilot, but steered the Lear gradually, perhaps a degree a minute, to the west. â€Å"So what did you think?† â€Å"Pretty impressive, but I don't get it. Why the whole show to bring in someone for surgery? Why not just send the guards?† â€Å"We're not taking their kidneys, Tucker. They're giving them.† Tuck didn't want to give away what he had learned from Malink and Sepie about the â€Å"chosen.† He said, â€Å"Giving them to who? A naked white woman?† She laughed, reached into her briefcase, and brought out an eight-by-ten color photograph. â€Å"To the Sky Priestess.† She held the photograph where Tuck could see it. He had to steer manually. If he hit the autopilot now, the plane would turn back toward Japan, the only preset in the nav computer. The photograph was in color but old. A flyer stood by the side of a B-26 bomber. On the side of the bomber was the painting of a voluptuous naked woman and the legend SKY PRIESTESS. It could have been a painting of Beth Curtis as she had looked when she arrived at Tuck's bungalow. He recog-nized the flyer as well. It was the ghost flyer he'd been seeing all along. He felt his face flush, but he tried to stay cool. â€Å"So who's that?† â€Å"The flyer was a guy named Vincent Bennidetti,† Beth said. â€Å"The plane was named the Sky Priestess. All the bombers had nose art like that in World War II. We found the picture in the library in San Francisco.† â€Å"So what's that got to do with our operation? You're dressing up like the picture on an airplane.† â€Å"No, I am the Sky Priestess.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Beth. I still don't get it.† â€Å"This is the pilot that the Shark People worship. The cargo cult that ‘Bastian told you about.† Tuck nodded and tried to look surprised, but he was watching his course without seeming to do so. If he had figured it right, they would be over Guam in fifteen minutes and the American military would force them down. The Air Force was very cranky about private jets flying though their airspace. â€Å"The natives on Alualu worship this Vincent guy,† Beth said. â€Å"I speak for Vincent. They come to me when we play the music and I give them everything. In return, I choose one of them for the honor of the mark of Vincent, which, of course, is the scar they get from the operation.† â€Å"Like I said, you've got armed guards. Why not just take what you want?† She looked shocked that he would ask. â€Å"And get out of show business?† Then she smiled and reached over and gave his crotch a squeeze. â€Å"When I met Sebastian in San Francisco, he was drunk and throwing money around. One minute he was so dignified and erudite, the next he was like a little native child. He told me about the cargo cult and I came up with the idea of not just doing this to support the clinic, but to get really filthy rich. We had to keep the people happy if we were going to do this in big numbers.† â€Å"So you thought all of this up?† â€Å"It's the reason I'm here.† â€Å"But Sebastian said you were a† – Tuck caught himself before he said â€Å"stripper† – â€Å"surgical nurse.† â€Å"I was. So what? Did I get any respect for that? Did I get any power? No. To the doctors I was just a piece of ass who could handle surgical instru-ments and close a patient when they needed to get to the golf course. Did Sebastian tell you I used to strip?† â€Å"He mentioned something about it in passing.† â€Å"Well, I did. And I was good.† â€Å"I can imagine,† Tuck said. A few more minutes and they should be joined by an F-16. She smiled. â€Å"Fuck nursing. I was just a piece of meat to the men I worked with, so I decided to go with it. I was pushing thirty and all single women my age were walking around with a desperate look in their eye and a bio-logical clock ticking so loud you thought it was the crocodile from Peter Pan. If I was going to be treated like meat, I was going to make money at it. And I did. Not enough, but a lot more than I would have made nursing.† â€Å"Do tell,† Tuck said. He couldn't remember ever saying â€Å"Do tell,† and it sounded a little strange hearing it. She looked out the window as if she had fallen into some reverie. Then, without looking back, she said, â€Å"What's that island?† Tuck tensed. â€Å"I couldn't say.† She sighed. â€Å"Islands are amazing.† â€Å"I always say that.† She seemed to come out of her trance and looked at the instrument board. Tuck acted as if he was concentrating on flying the plane. He glanced at Beth Curtis. Her mouth had tightened into a line. She reached into the briefcase and came out with the Walther automatic. â€Å"What's that for?† Tuck said. â€Å"Get back on course.† â€Å"I am on course.† â€Å"Now!† â€Å"But I am on course. Look.† He pointed to the nav computer, which still showed the coordinates of the airstrip in Japan, although it wasn't engaged with the autopilot. â€Å"No, you're not.† She pointed to the compass. â€Å"You're at least ninety degrees off course. Turn the plane to Japan now or I'll shoot you.† Tuck was tired of it. â€Å"Right. And you'll fly the plane? There's a difference between being able to read a compass and making a landing.† â€Å"I didn't say I would kill you. I'm good with this. You'll still be able to fly with one testicle. Now that would be a shame for both of us. Please turn the plane.† Tuck engaged the autopilot and let the Lear bring itself around to the course to Japan. â€Å"Sebastian said you might try something like that,† she said. â€Å"I told him I could handle you. I can, can't I? Handle you, I mean.† Tuck was quiet for a minute, berating himself for overestimating the efficiency of the military. Then finally he said, â€Å"You are a nefarious, diabolical, and evil bitch.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"That's all.† â€Å"I'm impressed. ‘Nefarious' has more than two syllables. I am a good influence on you.† â€Å"Fuck you.† â€Å"You will,† she said. 48 Too Many Guns Back at the drinking circle, Malink opened a copy of People reverentially and read by kerosene lamp while the other men huddled to get a look at the pictures. â€Å"Cher is worst-dressed,† Malink announced. â€Å"Too skinny,† said Favo. â€Å"I like Lady Di.† Malink cringed. In the picture Lady Di was wearing a string of pearls, obviously the reason for Favo's preference. Malink turned the page. â€Å"Celestine Raptors of Madison County is number one movie in country,† Malink read. â€Å"I want to see a movie,† Favo said. â€Å"You must tell the Sky Priestess to tell Vincent to bring a movie.† â€Å"Many movies,† said Abo. â€Å"And many delicious light and healthy snacks with NutraSweet registered trademark,† he added in English. â€Å"Vincent will bring many snacks.† Malink was turning to the moving story of a two-thousand-pound man who, after being forklifted out of his house, had dieted down to a svelte fourteen hundred when the sound of a machine gun rattled across the is-land. Malink put down the magazine and held up his hand to quiet the men. They waited and there was another burst of gunfire. A few seconds later they heard shouting and looked down the beach to see Sarapul running as fast as his spindly old legs would carry him. â€Å"Come help!† he shouted. â€Å"They shot the navigator!† The Uzi was pressed so hard into Tuck's side that he felt as if his ribs were going to separate any second. The guard crouched behind him in the cockpit hatchway, while out on the tarmac Beth Curtis exchanged the cooler for another manila envelope. She seemed to be in a much better mood when she climbed back into the copilot's seat. â€Å"Home, James.† Tuck tossed his head toward the back of the plane where the guard was taking his seat. â€Å"I guess you weren't taking any chances about me taking off while you were out of the plane.† â€Å"Do I look stupid?† she said. A smile there, no hint of a challenge. â€Å"No, I guess not.† Tuck pushed up the throttles and taxied the Lear back out to the runway. Again Beth Curtis reached over and gave him a light squeeze to the crotch. She put on her headset so she could talk to him over the roar of the engines as they took off. â€Å"Look, I know this is hard for you. Trust is some-thing you build, and you haven't known me long enough to learn to do that.† Tuck thought, It would help if you weren't changing personalities every five minutes. â€Å"Trust me, Tucker. What we are doing is not hurting the people of Alualu. There are people in India who are selling off their organs for less than the price of a used Toyota pickup. With what we make, we can be sure that these people are always taken care of, and we can take care of ourselves in the meantime.† â€Å"If people are selling their organs on the cheap, then how are you – we – making so much money?† â€Å"Because we can do it to order. Transplant isn't just a matter of blood type, you know. Sure, in a pinch – and usually it is a pinch – you can go on just blood type, but there are four other factors in tissue typing. If they match, along with blood type, then you have a better chance of the body not rejecting the organ. Sebastian has a database of the tissue types of every native on the island. When there's a need for an exact match, the order comes in over the satellite and we run it through the database. If we have it, the Sky Priestess calls the chosen.† â€Å"Don't the people have to be the same race?† â€Å"It helps, but it seems that the people of Alualu have a very similar genetic pattern to the Japanese.† â€Å"They don't look Japanese. How do you know this?† â€Å"Actually, it was figured out by an anthropologist who came to the island long before I did. He was studying the language and genetics of the islanders to determine where they migrated from. Turns out there are both linguistic and genetic links to Japan. They've been diluted by interbreeding with natives from New Guinea, but it's still very close.† â€Å"So you guys opened up Kidneys ‘R' Us and started making a mint.† â€Å"Except for the scar, their lives don't change, Tucker. We've never lost a patient to a botched operation or infection.† But bullets, Tuck thought, are another matter. Still, there was nothing he could do to stop them, and if he had to do nothing, a great salary and his own jet were pretty good compensation. He'd spent most of his life not doing anything. Was it so bad to be paid for what you're good at? He said, â€Å"So it doesn't hurt them? In the long run, I mean.† â€Å"Their other kidney steps up production and they never notice the difference.† â€Å"I still don't get the Sky Priestess thing.† She sighed. â€Å"Control the religion and you control the people. Sebastian tried to bring Christianity to the Shark People – and the Catholics before him – but you can't compete with a god people have actually seen. The answer? Become that god.† â€Å"But I thought Vincent was the god.† â€Å"He is, but he will bring wonderful cargo in the Sky Priestess. Besides, it breaks the boredom. Boredom can be a lethal thing on a small island. You know about that already.† Tuck nodded. It wasn't so bad now. The fear of being murdered had gone a long way toward breaking his boredom. Beth Curtis leaned over and kissed him lightly on the temple. â€Å"You and I can fight the boredom together. That's one of the reasons I chose you.† â€Å"You chose me?† In spite of himself, he was thinking about her naked body grinding away above him. â€Å"Of course I chose you. I'm the Sky Priestess, aren't I?† â€Å"I'm not so sure it was you,† Tuck said, thinking about the ghost pilot. She pushed away and looked at him as if he had lost his mind.