Child soilder literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Child soilder literature review - Essay Example Sierra Leone is a small republic founded in 1842 on the West Coast of Africa (Grover, 2009 p1). It is bordered to the north and east by Guinea, to the South by Liberia and to the South-West by the Atlantic Ocean. The country plunged into civil war which lasted throughout most of the 1990s. In the heat of the Sierra Leonean War in 1997, AFROL News announced that about 5,400 children were involved in the war and this was in sync with the UNs official figures. After the war, it was reported that Sierra Leones conflict involved about 6,914 child soldiers (Facts of Sierra Leone, 2011). These children were recruited to take part in the Sierra Leonean Civil War that lasted between 1991 and 2001 (Sillinger, 2003: p3). The root of the Sierra Leonean Civil War and the recruitment of child soldiers has a strong and deep root in international relations. The connection between the Sierra Leonean Wars and international relations has a strong connection with the diamond deposits of the country. Diamonds are found in approximately a third of Sierra Leones territory (Levy, 2003 p2) Up until the late 1980s, Sierra Leone produced about $90m worth of diamonds each year (LeVert, 2007 p81). This figure represents the official value of diamonds that was exported through the legally accepted route of the Government Diamond Office and this could be just a fraction of the actual figure (Forde, 2011 p21). Primarily, British and South African companies have been at the forefront of the exploration of the countrys diamonds and other minerals (Hirsch, 2007 p18). Multinationals from these countries were granted legitimate rights to mine and export the countrys diamonds for several years after the country gained independence from Britain in 1960. The countrys first government led by Sir Milton Margai handed over power peacfully to Siaka Stevens

Morality in Humanities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Morality in Humanities - Essay Example An obvious question that would crop up in the restless mind of man would be, â€Å"Why are we born; and what is our purpose in life?† Religion ideally answers this question and hence has been a pivotal factor for determining the transitions in the standards of morality. A striking example of this is the authority of the clergy till some centuries ago in all parts of the world. All major decisions on judging or defining morality, whether social or personal had some or the other influence of the priesthood. However, religions as practised by the masses have also undergone various changes. It is no more as rigid and sacrosanct today as it was earlier. People now tend towards applying critical and rational thinking. For instance, a comparatively larger percentage of today’s population is more concerned and observant about animal rights, than about personal salvation. (The rise and activities of various animal rights groups can attest this fact.)Hence, animal sacrifices for religious reasons are close to hitting nadir in the American society. Thus it can be argued that relaxation of religious dogmas have led towards new moral standards, those of eco-sensitivity and freedom from religious restrictions, the degrees varying according to the demographics. Today’s man is far-more free-thinking and tolerant and considers it below his moral standards to deny the rights of living to others for personal gains. Therefore, at least in the west religion is gradually losing its hold over morality since most of those nations are secular and statistics suggest that more and more people are turning towards atheism and agnosticism there. For example in the U.S. the figure is 15% in 2008 compared to about 8.2 in 1990. (Kosmin, Keyser, Highlight) Another prominent factor governing the transitions in morality is family. Man spends most of his life with his family adhering to its needs, demands and laws since it is the same family

Impact of Bullying on Child Personality

Impact of Bullying on Child Personality Munira Minaz Ali This paper discovers the bullying behavior as a common feature and, a nightmare in schools and colleges throughout the world. It is a troublesome repetition in school that infringes on child’s wellbeing, dignity and, security. The physical, academic and, psychosocial consequences of bullying can never be underrated. Therefore this paper will give insight about the meaning, extent and, causes of bulling through various theories and literature. The characteristics of bullies their victims and the effects of bullying on physical psychological health were also discussed. Finally intervention strategies that involved school system, family and children can be implemented and evaluated for both bullies and their victims. We do know that school age is a time in which a young child continues to shape up and undergo many physical and psychological developments. However during this time if the child development is disturbed by any violence and ferocity it can lead to long lasting physical, mental and emotional harm. Bullying is one of the common forms of violence that has a significant and long lasting effect. It is spacious area of interest due its negative psychological outcomes and academic performance of children. It is acknowledged as a serious problem which has an adverse effect on wellbeing of a child.This paper attempts to elucidate the causes of bullying with respect to different theories, characteristics of bully and victim, effects of bullying on victim and bully itself and at the end possible strategies would be discussed to control the act of bullying. Catherine Rothon (2011) defines bullying as â€Å"Bullying is broadly defined as a desire to hurt and the execution of a harmful action; it is characterized by repetition and either a physical or a psychological power imbalance† (p.579). In the report of anti-bullying working group, (2013) Professor Olweus regarded bullying as negative behaviors that are done deliberately and repeatedly against individuals who has trouble defending themselves (p.16). James (2010) reported that on the survey of bullying around the world, the rate of victimization is 9% -32% and rate of bullying is 3% 27%. In addition, the report of anti-bullying working group, (2013) reported the international comparison of 39 countries and showed percentage of bullied children as 39.2%. Moreover, boys are more likely to be involved in bullying and become target of physical aggression whereas girls are comparatively less involved in bullying and usually involved in spreading rumors and gossips (Moseley, 2011). This is also supported by (Boyle, 2005; James, 2010; Hanif, Nadeem Tariq, 2011). In Pakistan there is no proper statistics available about bullying but the cases of bullying are escalating every year. Bullying is characterized by a multi-factorial approach of causation. Moseley, (2011) highlighted that family life is one of the cause of bullying for instance, if authoritarian parents create a harsh and restricted environment, it can increase the chances of adopting negative behaviors. Adding to this, many children feel unloved therefore they use bullying as an opportunity to make them feel happy and stronger than victim. Besides, many children want to appear themselves dominant on others and, pretend to be tough. Gottfredson and Hirshi (1990) proposed low self-control theory as a cause of bullying. This theory elucidate that low self control is the main source of aggressive behaviors. Also, the child is insensitive to others and, likes to hunt for instant gratification (Darmawan, 2010). Another theory highlighted by Darmawan, (2010) is differential association theory which suggests that individuals associated with felonious peers or living in an offending environment are involved in unsociable behaviors and often attracted towards bullying. In regards to this, Darmawan (2010) referred social learning theory of bandura (1977) and, describe three conditions that increase the likelihood of child’s hostile behavior i.e. when the model is persuasive enough or he/she is rewarded on bad deeds rather than punishment and has comparable features with child. Furthermore, Robert Angrew (2001) proposed general strain theory which explains negatives feelings created by strain can put the child at risk of adopting delinquent behaviors and it’s a coping strategy to release their stress (Erikson, Nielsen Simonsen, 2012). Many studies found that children who suffered from physical or emotional abuse, maltreatment and, rejection are usually involved in bullying (Espelage et al., 2000). Most of the bullies resemble in their characteristics. Smokowski Kelly, (2005) stressed that they are aggressive and likes to dominate themselves. Moreover, they tend to scare others because of their physical strength and disobedient attitude. Research suggests that their families are often unfriendly and indifferent towards them (Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). Additionally, Carla Bennett, (n.d.) and Brown Patterson (2012) enlightened that they are energetic, impulsive and have high self-esteem. They use their violence to get what they want and Lack sense of empathy for their victims. They are bad-tempered and cannot tolerate frustration (Blazer, 2005; Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). In contrast, victims address peer abuse, more quiet, anxious and sensitive. They lack communication skills, problem solving ability and are unconfident. (Smokowski Kopasz, 2005).Likewise Bennett, (n.d.); Boyle (2005) identified that they are physically weak, lack interpersonal skills and, hesitate to go to school. Such children have over protective family and their Parents fail to teach conflict resolution skills (Bennett, (n.d.); Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). Psychologically bullying dispose devastating effects on child’s personality for both, victim and bully. This includes physical, academic, and psychosocial effects that have prodigious impact on individual’s life. Aluedeet al (n.d.) highlighted physical effect on victim that includes headaches, migraine, panic attacks, sweating, palpitation and frequent illness. Brown Patterson (2012) and report on anti-bullying (2013) highlighted academic effects of bullying such as poor performance and, feeling reluctant in attending school. Studies suggest that such students fail to achieve excellence academically due to inability to concentrate (Darmawan, 2010; Adams Lawrence, 2011). Besides, literature indicated that such children suffer from attention deficit disorder (Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). Furthermore, according to Fekkeset al., (2014), the chances of developing psychosocial problems are relatively higher in victims as compare to non-victims. These individual faced great diff iculty in building relationships and social adjustment. They are poor in making friends, group gathering and tends to remain alone most of the time due to the fear of getting hurt (Adams Lawrence, 2011). In regards to this, they feel isolated and, have poor sense of belonging to groups and families. Adams Lawrence, (2011) further elucidate that their insecurity has been compromised and, they go for safer and restricted areas. They usually experience estrangement and find difficulty to intermingle in a positive manner. Researchers found that these children more vulnerable to depression, anxiety disorder and in the extreme cases have suicidal ideations (Noret et al, 2009; Fekkes et al., 2014). Moreover, Smokowski Kopasz, (2005) proposed that most of the victims are likely to have sense of inferiority complex, and consider them as failures. Likewise these children also experience misperception, rage and, low self-esteem (Boyle, 2005). Apart from these effect, bullying possess long lasting distresses in later life of these young ones. When they reached adulthood, they encountered trouble in making personal relationships and adjustment in their marital life. Besides they may overreact on unimportant situations (Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). Studies indicated that in adulthood, male victims may experience shyness with women and have complications in sexual relationships. Similarly they may take part in vengeance including murder and other criminal acts (Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). However bullying does not only distress victims but it also has undesirable consequences on bully itself. Bullying also cause academic and psychosocial effects on bullies. Studies suggest that bullies have negative consequences in later life if they are allowed to bullying without any interference (Boyle, 2005). Noret et al, (2009) concluded that bullies are pervasively involved in negative behaviors. Smokowski Kopasz, (2005) highlighted that academically they achieve low grades in school and do not like school environment. They usually show low potential in employment settings in their later life. From social aspect James, (2010) elucidate that as these children grow older they develop undesirable social skills and involved in acts that are against societal norms. Additionally, they are usually involved in the acts that include vandalism, burglary and truancy (Boyle 2005; Blazer 2005). Longitudinal studies found that they are hostile and usually have few friends. They are poor in m aintaining good relationships. From Psychological aspect Smokowski Kopasz, (2005) highlighted that most of the bullies are involved in substance abuse and drug addiction. They are hyperactive and unable to control their aggression. Besides they have high self-esteem and usually fight with others to satisfy their own desires (Erikson, Nielsen Simonsen, 2012; Boyle, 2005). In regards to this, â€Å"emotional and developmental scars can persist into adolescence and beyond† (Mosley, 2011). Bullies also suffers from long lasting effects throughout their life. Patterson, (2012) regards bullying as a gateway toward the juvenile crime and criminal activities for bullies. Smokowski Kopasz, (2005) further explains that adults who were bullies as children, they generally express violent behaviors towards their spouse and use severe physical punishment on their own kids. Moreover they are unsuccessful in their life and are unable to work in corporation with others. Smokowski Kopasz, (2005) also suggested that they have increase tendency to develop mental disorders such as conduct disorder and depression in their later life. Therefore certain steps are essential to control bullying. Many schools neglect the act of bullying and consider it as a part of child’s life. James, (2010) suggested that schools and collages should take strict measures against such acts. From my point of view this can be done by developing zero tolerance policy in schools. Cohen Freiberg (2013) emphasized that school is a place of developing healthy and positive relationships therefore, I suggest that it is essential to improve school environment in such a way that it can support the weak students and prevent them to become a victim of bully. This can be done by giving professional training to staff members, limited entry exits in schools and supports the children emotionally and academically both, the victim and bully. Besides, Seeley et al., (2011) emphasized that teachers should increase the supervision of students at school settings. I recommend that it can be done by monitoring attendance, calling parents when the stu dent is absent and checking student’s activities. Moreover,in my opinion counseling should be done with both bully and victim. The bully should be counseled to control their bad conduct and victim should be counseled to strengthen them and solve their problems assertively. Moreover, blazer (2005) highlighted that many parents consider bulling as normal and it would make their children tough. Lawner Terzian (2013) suggested that parental involvement is effective in dealing with bullying. Therefore, I advise that awareness should be given to parents, to understand the seriousness of this problem so that they can reinforce positive behavior and appropriate interpersonal interaction. Moreover, the attitude of bullies can be changed by cognitive restructuring that challenges the dysfunctional thoughts. From my point of view modeling, social skills training and role play can help to change these dysfunctional thoughts. Furthermore, I understand that through short moralizing storie s and activities, student can be betrothed in the discussion related to bullying. This would help the bully in realizing their bad deed and attempts in changing their behaviors. On the other hand, this would make victims confident enough to respond assertively and to overcome their fears. Moreover, expressive art therapy needs to be made for such children. Those victims who cannot report bullying or disclose their victimization can express their feelings through writing, drawing and other activities and for bullies it’s a good way to ventilate their aggressive thoughts and feelings through drawings and writings. Other than that, I would suggest that there is a need to explore the prevalence of bullying in Pakistan due to unavailability of statistics to provide the baseline data for planning the interventions. In conclusion, bullying is a pervasive behavior. It is a complex emotional and social trend that has significant negative consequences for all. It should be addressed properly and affords should be made at both, individual and system level. As it left psychological scars on child’s personality, its prevention is essential to safe child from suffering and emotional trauma. Therefore interventions should be done appropriately and its evaluations carry intense importance. References: Adams, F. D. Lawrence,, G. J. (2011). Bullying Victims: The Effects Last Into College Authors.  American Secondary Education, 40 (1), pp. 4-13. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Aluede, O. A., Adeleke, F., Omoike, D. Afen- Akpaida, J. (n.p.). A Review of the Extent, Nature, Characteristics and Effects of Bullying Behaviour in Schools.  Journal Of Instructional Psychology, 35 (2), pp. 151-157. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Bennett, C. (n.p.).  Literature Review of Bullying at Schools. [e-book] pp. 1-20. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Blazer, C. (2005).  Literature Review on Bullying. [e-book] florida: Research Services Office of Accountability and Systemwide Performance. pp. 1-20. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Boyle, D. J. (2005).  Youth Bullying: Incidence, Impact, and Interventions. [e-book] Newark,: Violence Institute of New Jersey at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. pp. 1-11. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Brown, C. Patterson, S. T. (2012). Bullying and School Crisis Intervention.  International Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 2 (7), pp. 1-5. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Bullying and Mental Health. (2005). [e-book] Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. pp. 1-6. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Bullying in school: A study of Forms and Motives of Aggression in Two Secondary Schools in the city of Palu, Indonesia. (2010). [e-book] norway: Centre for Peace Studies. pp. 1-111. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Bullying in Schools: Attitudes of Children, Teachers and Parents. (2011).  INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS, 3 (8), pp. 1-7. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Cohen, J. Freiberg, A. (2013).  SCHOOL CLIMATE AND BULLYING PREVENTION. [e-book] pp. 1-5. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Copeland, W. E., Wolke, D., Angold, A. Costello, J. (2013). adult psychiatric outcomes of bullying and being bullied by peers in childhood and adolescene.  JAMA Psychiatry, 504 pp. 1-8. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.504 [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Eriksen, T. L. M., Nielsen, H. S. Simonsen, M. (2012).  The Effects of Bullying in Elementary School. [e-book] Germany: pp. 1-47. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Fekkes, M., Pijpers, F. I., Fredriks, A. M. Vogels, T. (2014). Do Bullied Children Get Ill, or Do Ill Children Get Bullied? A Prospective Cohort Study on the Relationship Between Bullying and Health-Relatedsymptoms.  Pediatrics, 117 (5), pp. 1568-1574. doi:10.1542/peds.2005-0187 [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Hanif, R., Nadeem, M. Tariq, S. (2011). Bullying in Schools: Attitudes of Children, Teachers and Parents.  INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS, 3 (8), pp. 1-7. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. James, A. (2010).School bullying. [e-book] London: NSPCC. pp. 1-21. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Kelly Holland Kopasz, P. R. S. (2005).  Bullying in School: An Overview of Types, Effects, Family Characteristics, and Intervention Strategies. [e-book] USA: BNualtliyoinnagl Ainss oSccihatoiooln: oAfn S oOcivael rWvoierwkers. pp. 1-10. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Lawner, E. K. Terzian, M. A. (2013).  What Works for Bullying Programs: LESSONS FROM EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATIONS OF PROGRAMS AND INTERVENTIONS. [e-book] pp. 1-9. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Literature Review: Bullying. (2011). [e-book] pp. 2-6. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Literature Review: Bullying. (2011). pp. 1-6. doi:Walden University/SOCI-4080-12 [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Rivers, I., Poteat, V. P., Noret, N. Ashurst, N. (2009). Observing Bullying at School: The Mental Health Implications of Witness Status.  American Psychological Association, 24 (4), p. 211–223. doi:10.1037/a0018164 [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Rothon, C., Head, J., Klineberg, E. Stansfeld, S. (2011). Can social support protect bullied adolescents from adverse outcomes? A prospective study on the effects of bullying on the educational achievement and mental health of adolescents at secondary schools in East London.  Journal Of Adolescence, 34 p. 579–588. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2010.02.007 [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Ruairà ­ Quinn T.D. (2013).  Action Plan On Bullying. Report of the Anti-Bullying Working Group to the Minister for Education and Skills. [report] pp. 1-126. Seeley, K., Tombari, M. L., Bennett, L. J. Dunkle, J. B. (2011).  Bullying in Schools: An Overview. [e-book] U.S: U.S. Department of Justice. pp. 1-12. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014]. Veenstra, R., Lindenberg, S., Zijlstra, B. J. H., Winter, A. F. D. Verhulst, F. C. (2007). The Dyadic Nature of Bullying and Victimization: Testing a Dual-Perspective Theory.  Child Development,, 78 (6), p. 1843 – 1854. [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014].

History of Vampirism :: Vampire Vampires

"Forgotten through the fabric of space and time are the children of the night" Anonymous. Although the mere sound of vampirism, when uttered in the drenches of the darkest corners of the human soul can spark tepidity and obscurities as to its origins accompanied by the mystifying attraction that compels individuals to adhere to the often times fallacious discernments which the terminology conveys, it is a matter of personal introspection which enables one to really grasp the epistomological aspect of vampirism. Historically, beliefs in vampirism has existed throughout the primordial period, and the superstition behind it was only intensified during the rule of Vlad Dracula. Apparently, it was Vlad the impaler who had anthromorphosized vampirism into the black, blood-lusting seductor as it is portrayed today. Blood is the quin-essential molecule predominantly necessary as the pervious substance that upon transfer from on individual to another possesses the ability to either take life or give life. This is very important symbolistically due to the inherent nature of the substance. Nowadays, with the advent of modern technological advances blood can be defined scientifically as an interstitial fluid that's characteristic of a connective tissue which contained glycoproteins, lipoproteins, oligosaccharides, and conceivably other chains of carbohydrates which are essential to the transport of nutrients and oxygen to and fro --- in order to supply our cells and tissues with adequate amount of nutrition for metabolic and life-sustaining or life-proliferating processes. With the latter known information, it's more than enough detail that can last a lifetime for those individuals interested in becoming hematologists. So to return to the vampiristic misconceptions that society seems to stigmatize with the living undead "nosferatu" bloodsuckers whatever vocabularistic description one seems fit to coin in association with these mythologic creatures. It seems that there's an equivocal understanding of these creatures from the darkness of our hearts. First misconception is to assume that threre exist a race of creatures or subterranean humans known as vampires. To denounce this premise lets suppose that they really do exist. Well if the latter premise is true, and since these creatures are nascent since the beginning of the creation of the earth, then why hasn't there been irrefutable evidence upon the capture and attainment of one of these supposedly thriving creature? It would seem that the only plausible conclusion is that there is no evidence that hints on the existence of such a race of creatures(or heterogenic-humans).

Applied Heat Past Examination Questions

Applied Heat past Examination Questions 1. An Ammonia refrigerator is to produce 2 tonne of ice per day at -4 °C from water at 20 °C. if the temperature range in the compressor is between 25 °C and -6 °C, Calculate horse power required to derive the compressor. Latent Heat of ice = 80 kcal/kg, and specific heat of ice= 0. 5 2. A compressor draws 42. 5 m3 of air per minute in the cylinder, at a pressure of 1. 05 kg/cm abs. It is compressed Polytropically pV1. 3=C to a pressure 4. 2 kg/cm2 abs, before being delivered to a receiver. Assuming a mechanical efficiency of 80% Calculate: a.Indicated horse power; b. Shaft horse power, and c. Overall isothermal efficiency. 3. A single stage impulse turbine has a speed of 1000rpm and a mean blade ring diameter of 60 cm. The nozzles are inclined at 22 ° to the plane of rotation and the specific enthalpy drop is 190 KJ/kg. Determine: a. The relative velocity of the steam at inlet, and b. The blade inlet angle. 4. An engine consumes fuel of calorific value 44MJ/Kg at a rate of 45tonne/day. It the indicated thermal efficiency is 39% and break thermal efficiency is 33%. Calculate: a. The indicated power, b. The brake power, and . The power lost to friction. 5. The air in a ship’s saloon is maintained at 19 °C and is changed twice every hour from the outside atmosphere which is at 7 °C. The saloon is 27m by 15m by 3m high. Calculate the kilowatt loading to heat this air taking the saloon to be at atmospheric Pressure = 1. 013 bar. R for air =0. 287 KJ/kg K. 6. 0. 23kg of air has an initial pressure of 1. 7 MN/m2 and a temperature of 200 °C. it is expanded to a pressure of 0. 34 MN/m2 according to the law pV 1. 35 = Constant. Determine the work transferred during the expansion. Take R = 0. 29 KJ/kg K. 7.The equivalent evaporation of a boiler from and at 100 °C is 10. 4 kg steam/kg fuel. The calorific value of the fuel is 29800KJ/kg. Determine the efficiency of the boiler. If the boiler produces 15000 kg of steam per hour at 24 bar from feed water of 40 °C and the fuel consumption is 1650 kg/h, determine the condition of the steam produced. 8. A single-cylinder, double acting steam engine is 250mm bore by 300mm stroke and runs at 3. 5rev/s, steam is supplied at 1035 KN/m2 and the back pressure is 34 KN/m2 and the diagram factor is 0. 81. Determine the indicated power of the engine. a. If cut off is at 0. 5 stroke, b. If cut off is at 0. 5 stroke. 9. Air enters a nozzle with a pressure of 700 KN/m2 and with a temperature of 180 °C. Exit pressure is 100 KN/m2. The law connecting pressure and specific volume during the expansion in the nozzle is pV1. 3=Constant. Determine the velocity at exit from the nozzle. Take Cp= 1. 006 KJ/kg K and Cv=0. 717 KJ/kg K. 10. A single row, impulse turbine has a mean blade speed of 215 m/s. Nozzle entry angle is at 30 ° to the plane of rotation of the blades. The steam velocity from the nozzles is 550 m/s. There is 15% loss of relative velocity du e to friction across blades.The absolute velocity at the exit is along the axis of the turbine. The steam flow through the turbine is at the rate of 700 kg/h. Determine: a. The inlet and exit angles of the blades, b. The absolute velocity of the steam at exit, c. The power output of the turbine. 11. The high temperature of a Carnot cycle is 400 °C and the cycle has a thermal efficiency of 55%. The volume ration of the isothermal processes is 2 : 8 : 1. Determine for the cycle: a. The low temperature, b. The volume ration of the adiabatic processes, c. The overall thermal efficiency. Take r = 1. 4 12.A diesel engine has a compression ratio of 14:1 and an efficiency ratio of 0. 7 when referred to the air standard efficiency. The fuel consumption is 5. 65 kg/h. Take r=1. 4 and calorific value of the fuel oil is 44500 KJ/kg. Determine the indicated power developed. 13. The analysis of a fuel oil is 85. 5% carbon, 11. 9% hydrogen, 1. 6% oxygen and 1% impurities. Calculate the percentag e of carbon dioxide in the flue gasses, a. When the quantity of air supplied is the minimum for complete combustion, and b. When the excess air over the minimum is : (i) 25% (ii) 50% iii) 75% 14. In an air compressor the air is compressed to the law pVn=constant. The compressor takes in 105 m3/min of air at 1. 0 bar 27 °C. If the pressure ratio is 5 to 1, calculate; a. The index of compression, b. Power absorbed by the compressor. 15. A single acting opposed piston 6 cylinder two stroke engine have mechanical efficiency of 86% when running at 105 rpm with mean effective pressure of 7. 24 bar, produces brake power of 4326 kW. The mass of the top piston with its connecting parts is 25% greater than that of bottom piston and the combined stroke is 2340 mm.If the stroke of piston varies inversely as the masses of the reciprocating parts. Calculate; (i) The stroke of the top and bottom pistons, (ii) The cylinder diameter. 16. The mass analysis of a fuel is 86% carbon, 11. 5% hydrogen a nd 2. 5% oxygen. If for complete combustion 25% excess air is supplied per kg of fuel burnt, calculate: a. The mass of flue gases, b. Volume of air at 1. 0 bar and 15 °C. Take R for air = 0. 287 kJ/kgh. 17. The diameter of an air compressor cylinder is 140 mm, the stroke is 180 mm, and the clearance volume is 77cm. he pressure in the cylinder at the beginning of the stroke is 1. 0 bar and during delivery is constant at 4. 8 bar. Taking the law of compression as pV1. 25=Constant, calculate; the distance moved by the piston during the delivery period and express this as fraction of the stroke. 18. A turbine plant consists of H. P. and L. P. stages and is supplied with steam at 15 bar 300 °C. The steam is expanded in the H. P. and leaves at 2. 5 bar 0. 97 dry. Some of the steam is bled off to the feed heater and remaining passes to L. P. where it is expanded to 0. 15 bar 0. 84 dry.If the same quantity of work transfer takes place in each unit, calculate the amount of steam bled off expressed as percentage of the steam supplied. 19. 7. 08 liters of air at a pressure 1. 79 bar and temperature of 333 °C is expanded according to the law pV 1. 3 = constant and the final pressure 1. 206 bar, calculate: a. Volume at the end of expansion, b. Work transfer from the air and, c. The temperature at the end of expansion. 20. Steam leaves the nozzle and enters the blade wheel of a single stage impulse turbine at a velocity of 840 m/s and at an angle of 20 ° to the plane of rotation.The blade velocity is 350 m/s and the exit angle of the blade is 25 °12’. Due to friction the steam looses 20% of its rotational velocity across the blades, calculate; a. The blade inlet angle and, b. The magnitude and the direction of absolute velocity of steam at exit. 21. In a Freon-12 refrigerating plant, Freon leaves the condenser with a specific enthalpy of 50kJ/kgK. The pressure in the evaporator is 1. 826 bars and the refrigerant leaves the evaporator at this pressure at a r ate of 0. 4 Kg/s and a temperature of 0 °C. Calculate; a. Dryness fraction of Freon at inlet of the evaporator, b.The refrigerating effect per minute. 22. A glass tube of uniform bore is closed at on end and open at the other. It contains air imprisoned by a column of mercury 42. 7 mm long. When the tube is held vertically with close end at the bottom, the length of the air column is 227. 6mm. Taking 1mm of mercury = 133. 5N/m2 and atmospheric pressure = 101. 5 kN/m2. Calculate the length of the air column if the tube is held vertically with the closed end at the top. 23. A single acting gas engine of bore 190 mm and stroke 380 mm has an indicated power of 13 kW when developing brake power of 9 kW there being 125 explosions per minute.The consumption of gas of calorific value 1. 76 MJ/m3 is 6. 8m3/hour. Calculate the mechanical and indicated thermal efficiencies, and the mean effective pressure. 24. A six cylinder, four stroke, internal combustion engine is required to develop a b rake of 176 kW under the following conditions: Speed 200rev/min, brake m. e. p. 8 bars, stroke/bore ratio 1. 25/1. Break specific fuel consumption 0. 262 Kg/KWh. Calculate:- a. The cylinder dimensions, and b. Fuel consumption kg/h 25. Carbon dioxide leaves a refrigeration condenser with a total heat of 156kJ/kg.After throttling it passes through the evaporator from and it leaves with a dryness fraction of 0. 98. At the evaporator pressure the liquid heat is 12kJ/kg and the latent heat is 280kJ/kg. If 13. 8 kg of refrigerant circulates per minute, calculate:- a. The dryness fraction at the inlet to the evaporator, and b. The heat absorbed in the evaporator in 24 hours. 26. Steam is generated from feed water at a temperature of 93. 3 ° C as follows: In plant A the steam generated is 17. 25 bar dry saturated. In plant B the steam generated is 17. 25 bar 0. 9 dry and, In Plant C the steam generated is 17. 5 bar 82 °C super heat. Calculate the percentage change in the consumption usi ng plant A as the base. 27. A hydrocarbon fuel cell is completely burned with 12. 5 percent excess air. Calculate the Volume of air used to burn 1Kg of fuel, measured at 1. 01 bars and 18 °C. Air contains 23 percent oxygen by mass. Atomic mass relationship: Hydrogen=2, Carbon=12, Oxygen=16. 28. An oil engine has a volumetric compression ratio of 13:1. At the commencement of compression the air in the cylinder is at 1 bar and 15. 6 °C. Calculate the temperature and pressure at the end of compression if the index of compression is 1. 8. 29. A single acting air compressor working without clearance has a 220mm bore and 200mm stroke. The suction conditions are 1 bar 27 °C and running speed is 10 rev/sec. if compression is according to the law pV1. 3=Constant and the discharge pressure is 10 bar. Calculate, a. The mass of air compressed per hour, and b. The discharge temperature. 30. Calculate the final temperatures and final total heat of both (a) and (b). a. Water at 65. 6  °C h aving a mass of 45. 36 kg is cooled by placing 4. 536 kg of ice at -8. 9 °C into the water. b. Water at 65. 6 °C having a mass of 54. 1 kg is cooled by addition of 22. 68 kg of water at 26. 7 °C. 31. An impulse steam turbine operates at 50rev/sec. The mean blade tip diameter is 0. 6m. The blade exit angle is 30 ° and the velocity of the steam relative to the blade at blade exit is 300 m/s. Calculate or determine by any other means the kinetic energy of steam leaving the blades per kilogram of steam flow. 32. A perfect gas at 3. 1 bar and 30 °C is compressed according to the law pV1. 3=constant until its temperature increases to 215 °C. Sketch the process on a p-V diagram and calculate: a.The pressure at the end of compression. b. The changes in enthalpy and internal energy per kilogram of gas. 33. In an ideal constant volume cycle the temperature at the beginning of compression is 50 °C. the volumetric compression ratio is 5:1. If the heat supplied during the bible is 930 KJ/Kg of working fluid, calculate: a. The maximum temperature attained on the cycle, b. Work done during the cycle/kg of working fluid, and c. The thermal efficiency of the cycle. Take ?=1. 4 and Cv= 0. 1717 KJ/Kg K. 34. A fuel has a mass analysis of carbon 87 percent, hydrogen 5. percent and remainder ash. The calorific value of carbon and hydrogen are 34MJ/kg and 145 MJ/kg respectively. Calculate for one kilogram of fuel: a. The calorific value, b. The mass of exhaust gas if 35 percent excess air is supplied. When burning fuel, why is excess air used? Air contains 23 percent oxygen by mass Atomic mass relationships: hydrogen=1, oxygen=16, carbon=12. 35. One kilogram of dry saturated steam at 4 bars is contained in a cylinder fitted with a piston. The steam rejects 320 KJ of heat energy at constant pressure is 1. 4 bars. Calculate: a.The condition of the steam on completion of cooling at constant pressure, b. The condition of the steam on completion of cooling at constant volum e, and c. The quantity of heat energy rejected during constant volume cooling. 36. A steam turbine which operates at 50rev/s has a mean blade-ring diameter of 1m at a certain stage. The blades are designed for 50 percent reaction and have the exit and inlet angles at 30 ° and 50 ° respectively. The turbine is supplied with steam at the ratio of 166. 67kg/s and the stage efficiency is 85 percent. Calculate or determine by any other means: a.The power output of the stage, and b. The specific enthalpy drop in the stage. 37. In Ammonia refrigeration plant the refrigerant leaves the condenser at 22 °C as saturated liquid. The evaporator pressure is 2. 077bar and refrigerant leaves the evaporator 0. 98 dry saturated. For a cooling load of 40kW, calculate: a. The rate of circulation of the refrigerant (kg/s), b. The effective swept volume of the compressor (m3) if its speed is 1 rev/s. 38. A copper bar of 75mm diameter, 13m long is heated by a direct current flowing through the bar. The steady electrical input to the bar is 500W.Assuming the bar is well-insulated and neglecting conduction heat losses at the leads, calculate the wires taken for the temperature of the bar to increase from 5 °C to 365 °C. 39. A single stage double acting air compressor deals with 18. 2m3 of air per minute measured at conditions of 1. 61325 bar 15 °C. The condition at the beginning of compression is 0. 965 bar 27 °C and the discharge pressure is 4. 82 bars. The compression is according to the law pV1. 32=constant. If the mechanical efficiency of the compressor is 0. 9 calculate the input power required to drive the compressor. 40.In a steady flow process the working fluid enters and leaves a horizontal system with negligible velocity. The temperature drop from inlet to outlet is 480 °C and the heat losses from the system are 10KJ/kg of fluid. Determine the power output from the system for a fluid flow of 1. 7kg/s. For fluid Cp=900 J/kgK. 41. A four stroke single cylinder engine working on constant volume cycle, develops 7. 5 KW(Brake) at 60 rev/s, the mechanical efficiency being 0. 8. The pressure at the â€Å"beginning of compression† is 0. 97 bar. The engine has a volumetric compression ratio of 7 and the maximum pressure reached in the cycle is 34 bar.If both compression and expansion is according to the law pV1. 38=constant. Calculate: a. The indicated mean effective pressure, and b. The diameter of the cylinder if stroke/bore ratio is 1. 25. 42. A boiler generates steam at 40 bar 400 °C and supplied to a steam turbine at the rate of 14 kg/s. due to frictional and heat losses the steam at the turbine inlet is at 37 bar 350 °C. If the steam velocity leaving the boiler is 30 m/s and the change in the kinetic energy of steam is negligible. Calculate: a. The diameter of the steam supply pipe, and b. The heat loss from the steam supply pipe.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 1

This one's for Mom Prologue September in Pine Cove is a sigh of relief, a nightcap, a long-deserved nap. Soft autumn light filters through the trees, the tourists go back to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Pine Cove's five thousand residents wake up to discover that they can once again find a parking place, get a table in a restaurant, and walk the beaches without being conked by an errant Frisbee. September is a promise. Rain will come at last and turn the golden pastures around Pine Cove green, the tall Monterey pines that cover the hills will stop dropping their needles, the forests of Big Sur will stop burning, the grim smile developed over the summer by the waitresses and clerks will bloom into something resembling real human expression, children will return to school and the joy of old friends, drugs, and weapons that they missed over the summer, and everyone, at last, will get some rest. Come September, Theophilus Crowe, the town constable, lovingly clips the sticky purple buds from his sensimilla plants. Mavis, down at the Head of the Slug Saloon, funnels her top-shelf liquors back into the well from whence they came. The tree service guys, with their chain saws, take down the dead and dying pines lest they crash through someone's roof with the winter storms. Woodpiles grow tall and wide around Pine Cove homes and the chimney sweep goes to a twelve-hour workday. The sunscreen and needless souvenir shit shelf at Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines is cleared and restocked with candles, flashlight batteries, and lamp oil. (Monterey pine trees have notoriously shallow root systems and an affinity for falling on power lines.) At the Pine Cove Boutique, the hideous reindeer sweater is marked up for winter to await being marked back down for the tenth consecutive spring. In Pine Cove, where nothing happens (or at least nothing has happened for a long time), September is an event: a quiet celebration. The people like their events quiet. The reason they came here from the cities in the first place was to get away from things happening. September is a celebration of sameness. Each September is like the last. Except for this year. This year three things happened. Not big things, by city standards, but three things that coldcocked the beloved status quo nonetheless: forty miles to the south, a tiny and not very dangerous leak opened in a cooling pipe at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant; Mavis Sand advertised in Songwriter magazine for a Blues singer to play through the winter at the Head of the Slug Saloon; and Bess Leander, wife and mother of two, hung herself. Three things, omens if you will. September is a promise of what is to come. Admitting You Have a Problem â€Å"Dear, dear, how queer everything is today! And yesterday everything went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is: Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!† – LEWIS CARROLL, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland One Theophilus Crowe As dead people went, Bess Leander smelled pretty good: lavender, sage, and a hint of clove. There were seven Shaker chairs hung on pegs on the walls of the Leanders' dining room. The eighth was overturned under Bess, who hung from the peg by a calico cloth rope around her neck. Dried flowers, baskets of various shapes and sizes, and bundles of dried herbs hung from the open ceiling beams. Theophilus Crowe knew he should be doing cop stuff, but he just stood there with two emergency medical technicians from the Pine Cove Fire Department, staring up at Bess as if they were inspecting the newly installed angel on a Christmas tree. Theo thought the pastel blue of Bess's skin went nicely with her cornflower-blue dress and the patterns of the English china displayed on simple wooden shelves at the end of the room. It was 7 A.M. and Theo, as usual, was a little stoned. Theo could hear sobs coming from upstairs, where Joseph Leander held his two daughters, who were still in their nightgowns. There was no evid-ence of a masculine presence anywhere in the house. It was Country Cute: bare pine floors and bent willow baskets, flowers and rag dolls and herb-flavored vinegars in blown-glass bottles; Shaker antiques, copper kettles, embroidery samplers, spinning wheels, lace doilies, and porcelain placards with prayers from the Dutch. Not a sports page or remote control in sight. Not a thing out of place or a speck of dust anywhere. Joseph Leander must have walked very light to live in this house without leaving tracks. A man less sensitive than Theo might have called him whipped. â€Å"That guy's whipped,† one of the EMTs said. His name was Vance McNally. He was fifty-one, short and muscular, and wore his hair slicked back with oil, just as he had in high school. Occasionally, in his capacity as an EMT, he saved lives, which was his rationalization for being a dolt the rest of the time. â€Å"He just found his wife hanging in the dining room, Vance,† Theo pronounced over the heads of the EMTs. He was six-foot-six, and even in his flannel shirt and sneakers he could loom large when he needed to assert some authority. â€Å"She looks like Raggedy Ann,† said Mike, the other EMT, who was in his early twenties and excited to be on his first suicide call. â€Å"I heard she was Amish,† Vance said. â€Å"She's not Amish,† Theo said. â€Å"I didn't say she was Amish, I just said I heard that. I figured she wasn't Amish when I saw the blender in the kitchen. Amish don't believe in blenders, do they?† â€Å"Mennonite,† Mike said with as much authority as his junior status would afford. â€Å"What's a Mennonite?† Vance asked. â€Å"Amish with blenders.† â€Å"She wasn't Amish,† Theo said. â€Å"She looks Amish,† Vance said. â€Å"Well, her husband's not Amish,† Mike said. â€Å"How can you tell?† Vance said. â€Å"He has a beard.† â€Å"Zipper on his jacket,† Mike said. â€Å"Amish don't have zippers.† Vance shook his head. â€Å"Mixed marriages. They never work.† â€Å"She wasn't Amish!† Theo shouted. â€Å"Think what you want, Theo, there's a butter churn in the living room. I think that says it all.† Mike rubbed at a mark on the wall beneath Bess's feet where her black buckled shoes had scraped as she convulsed. â€Å"Don't touch anything,† Theo said. â€Å"Why? She can't yell at us, she's dead. We wiped our feet on the way in,† Vance said. Mike stepped away from the wall. â€Å"Maybe she couldn't stand anything touching her floors. Hanging was the only way.† Not to be outdone by the detective work of his protg, Vance said, â€Å"You know, the sphincters usually open up on a hanging victim – leave an awful mess. I'm wondering if she actually hanged herself.† â€Å"Shouldn't we call the police?† Mike said. â€Å"I am the police,† Theo said. He was Pine Cove's only constable, duly elected eight years ago and reelected every other year thereafter. â€Å"No, I mean the real police,† Mike said. â€Å"I'll radio the sheriff,† Theo said. â€Å"I don't think there's anything you can do here, guys. Would you mind calling Pastor Williams from the Presby-terian church to come over? I need to talk to Joseph and I need someone to stay with the girls.† â€Å"They were Presbyterians?† Vance seemed shocked. He had really put his heart into the Amish theory. â€Å"Please call,† Theo said. He left the EMTs and went out through the kitchen to his Volvo, where he switched the radio over to the frequency used by the San Junipero Sheriff's Department, then sat there staring at the mike. He was going to catch hell from Sheriff Burton for this. â€Å"North Coast is yours, Theo. All yours,† the sheriff had said. My deputies will pick up suspects, answer robbery calls, and let the Highway Patrol investigate traffic accidents on Highway 1, that's it. Otherwise, you keep them out of Pine Cove and your little secret stays secret.† Theo was forty-one years old and he still felt as if he was hiding from the junior high vice principal, laying low. Things like this weren't supposed to happen in Pine Cove. Nothing happened in Pine Cove. He took a quick hit from his Sneaky Pete smokeless pot pipe before keying the mike and calling in the deputies. Joseph Leander sat on the edge of the bed. He'd changed out of his pajamas into a blue business suit, but his thinning hair was still sticking out in sleep horns on the side. He was thirty-five, sandy-haired, thin but working on a paunch that strained the buttons of his vest. Theo sat across from him on a chair, holding a notepad. They could hear the sheriff's deputies moving around downstairs. â€Å"I can't believe she'd do this,† Joseph said. Theo reached over and squeezed the grieving husband's bicep. â€Å"I'm really sorry, Joe. She didn't say anything that would indicate she was thinking about doing something like this?† Joseph shook his head without looking up. â€Å"She was getting better. Val had given her some pills and she seemed to be getting better.† â€Å"She was seeing Valerie Riordan?† Theo asked. Valerie was Pine Cove's only clinical psychiatrist. â€Å"Do you know what kind of pills?† â€Å"Zoloft,† Joseph said. â€Å"I think it's an antidepressant.† Theo wrote down the name of the drug on his notepad. â€Å"Then Bess was depressed?† â€Å"No, she just had this cleaning thing. Everything had to be cleaned every day. She'd clean something, then go back five minutes later and clean it again. She was making life miserable for the girls and me. She'd make us take our shoes and socks off, then wash our feet in a basin before we came into the house. But she wasn't depressed.† Theo wrote down â€Å"crazy† on his notepad. â€Å"When was the last time Bess went to see Val?† â€Å"Maybe six weeks ago. When she first got the pills. She really seemed to be doing better. She even left the dishes in the sink overnight once. I was proud of her.† â€Å"Where are her pills, Joseph?† â€Å"Medicine cabinet.† Joseph gestured to the bathroom. Theo excused himself and went to the bathroom. The brown prescription bottle was the only thing in the medicine cabinet other than disinfectants and some Q-Tips. The bottle was about half-full. â€Å"I'm going to take these with me,† Theo said, pocketing the pills. â€Å"The sheriff's deputies are going to ask you some of these same questions, Joseph. You just tell them what you told me, okay? Joseph nodded. â€Å"I think I should be with the girls.† â€Å"Just a bit longer, okay? I'll send up the deputy in charge.† Theo heard a car start outside and went to the window to see an ambulance pulling away, the lights and siren off. Bess Leander's body riding off to the morgue. He turned back to Joseph. â€Å"Call me if you need anything. I'm going to go talk to Val Riordan.† Joseph stood up. â€Å"Theo, don't tell anyone that Bess was on antidepressants. She didn't want anyone to know. She was ashamed.† â€Å"I won't. Call me if you need me.† Theo left the room. A sharply dressed plainclothes deputy met him at the bottom of the steps. Theo saw by the badge on his belt that he was a detective sergeant. â€Å"You're Crowe. John Voss.† He extended his hand and Theo shook it. â€Å"We're supposed to take it from here,† Voss said. â€Å"What have you got?† Theo was at once relieved and offended. Sheriff Burton was going to push him off the case without even talking to him. â€Å"No note,† Theo said. â€Å"I called you guys ten minutes after I got the call. Joseph said she wasn't depressed, but she was on medication. He came downstairs to have breakfast and found her.† â€Å"Did you look around?† Voss asked. â€Å"This place has been scoured. There isn't a smudge or a spot anywhere. It's like someone cleaned up the scene.† â€Å"She did that,† Theo said. â€Å"She was a clean freak.† Voss scoffed. â€Å"She cleaned the house, then hung herself? Please.† Theo shrugged. He really didn't like this cop stuff. â€Å"I'm going to go talk to her psychiatrist. I'll let you know what she says.† â€Å"Don't talk to anybody, Crowe. This is my investigation.† Theo smiled. â€Å"Okay. But she hung herself and that's all there is. Don't make it into anything it's not. The family is in pretty bad shape.† â€Å"I'm a professional,† Voss said, throwing it like an insult, implying that Theo was just dicking around in law enforcement, which, in a way, he was. â€Å"Did you check out the Amish cult angle?† Theo asked, trying to keep a straight face. Maybe he shouldn't have gotten high today. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Right, you're the pro,† Theo said. â€Å"I forgot.† And he walked out of the house. In the Volvo, Theo pulled the thin Pine Cove phone directory out of the glove compartment and was looking up Dr. Valerie Riordan's number when a call came in on the radio. Fight at the Head of the Slug Saloon. It was 8:30 A.M. Mavis It was rumored among the regulars at the Head of the Slug that under Mavis Sand's slack, wrinkled, liver-spot ted skin lay the gleaming metal skeleton of a Terminator. Mavis first began augmenting her parts in the fifties, first out of vanity: breasts, eyelashes, hair. Later, as she aged and the concept of maintenance eluded her, she began having parts replaced as they failed, until almost half of her body weight was composed of stainless steel (hips, elbows, shoulders, finger joints, rods fused to vertebrae five through twelve), silicon wafers (hearing aids, pacemaker, insulin pump), advanced polymer resins (cataract replace-ment lenses, dentures), Kevlar fabric (abdominal wall reinforcement), ti-tanium (knees, ankles), and pork (ventricular heart valve). In fact, if not for the pig valve, Mavis would have jumped classes directly from animal to mineral, without the traditional stop at vegetable taken by most. The more inventive drunks at the Slug (little more than vegetables themsel ves) swore that sometimes, between songs on the jukebox, one could hear tiny but powerful servomotors whirring Mavis around behind the bar. Mavis was careful never to crush a beer can or move a full keg in plain sight of the customers lest she feed the rumors and ruin her image of girlish vulner-ability. When Theo entered the Head of the Slug, he saw ex-scream-queen Molly Michon on the floor with her teeth locked into the calf of a gray-haired man who was screeching like a mashed cat. Mavis stood over them both, brandishing her Louisville Slugger, ready to belt one of them out of the park. â€Å"Theo,† Mavis shrilled, â€Å"you got ten seconds to get this wacko out of my bar before I brain her.† â€Å"No, Mavis.† Theo raced forward and knocked Mavis's bat aside while reaching into his back pocket for his handcuffs. He pried Molly's hands from around the man's ankle and shackled them behind her back. The gray-haired man's screams hit a higher pitch. Theo got down on the floor and spoke into Molly's ear. â€Å"Let go, Molly. You've got to let go of the man's leg.† An animal sound emanated from Molly's throat and bubbled out through blood and saliva. Theo stroked her hair out of her face. â€Å"I can't fix the problem if you don't tell me what it is, Molly. I can't understand you with that guy's leg in your mouth.† â€Å"Stand back, Theo,† Mavis said. â€Å"I'm going to brain her.† Theo waved Mavis away. The gray-haired man screamed even louder. â€Å"Hey!† Theo shouted. â€Å"Pipe down. I'm trying to have a conversation here.† The gray-haired man lowered his volume. â€Å"Molly, look at me.† Theo saw a blue eye look away from the leg and the bloodlust faded from it. He had her back. â€Å"That's right, Molly. It's me, Theo. Now what's the problem?† She spit out the man's leg and turned to look at Theo. Mavis helped the man to a bar stool. â€Å"Get her out of here,† Mavis said. â€Å"She's eighty-sixed. This time forever.† Theo kept his eyes locked on Molly's. â€Å"Are you okay?† She nodded. Bloody drool was running down her chin. Theo grabbed a bar napkin and wiped it away, careful to keep his fingers away from her mouth. â€Å"I'm going to help you up now and we're going to go outside and talk about this, okay?† Molly nodded and Theo picked her up by the shoulders, set her on her feet, and steered her toward the door. He looked over his shoulder at the bitten man. â€Å"You okay? You need a doctor?† â€Å"I didn't do anything to her. I've never seen that woman before in my life. I just stopped in for a drink.† Theo looked at Mavis for confirmation. â€Å"He hit on her,† Mavis said. â€Å"But that's no excuse. A girl should appreciate the attention.† She turned and batted her spiderlike false eyelashes at the bitten man. â€Å"I could show you some appreciation, sweetie.† The bitten man looked around in a panic. â€Å"No, I'm fine. No doctor. I'm just fine. My wife's waiting for me.† â€Å"As long as you're okay,† Theo said. â€Å"And you don't want to press charges or anything?† â€Å"No, just a misunderstanding. Soon as you get her out of here, I'll be heading out of town.† There was a collective sigh of disappointment from the regulars who had been placing side bets on who Mavis would hit with her bat. â€Å"Thanks,† Theo said. He shot Mavis a surreptitious wink and led Molly out to the street, excusing himself and his prisoner as they passed an old Black man who was coming through the door carrying a guitar case. â€Å"I ‘spose a man run outta sweet talk and liquor, he gots to go to mo' direct measures,† the old Black man said to the bar with a dazzling grin. â€Å"Someone here lookin fo' a Bluesman?† Molly Michon Theo put Molly into the passenger side of the Volvo. She sat with her head down, her great mane of gray-streaked blonde hair hanging in her face. She wore an oversized green sweater, tights, and high-top sneakers, one red, one blue. She could have been thirty or fifty – and she told Theo a different age every time he picked her up. Theo went around the car and climbed in. He said, â€Å"You know, Molly, when you bite a guy on the leg, you're right on the edge of ‘a danger to others or yourself,' you know that?† She nodded and sniffled. A tear dropped out of the mass of hair and spotted her sweater. â€Å"Before I start driving, I need to know that you're calmed down. Do I need to put you in the backseat?† â€Å"It wasn't a fit,† Molly said. â€Å"I was defending myself. He wanted a piece of me.† She lifted her head and turned to Theo, but her hair still covered her face. â€Å"Are you taking your drugs?† â€Å"Meds, they call them meds.† â€Å"Sorry,† Theo said. â€Å"Are you taking your meds?† She nodded. â€Å"Wipe your hair out of your face, Molly, I can barely understand you.† â€Å"Handcuffs, whiz kid.† Theo almost slapped his forehead: idiot! He really needed to stop getting stoned on the job. He reached up and carefully brushed her hair away from her face. The expression he found there was one of bemusement. â€Å"You don't have to be so careful. I don't bite.† Theo smiled. â€Å"Well, actually†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh fuck you. You going to take me to County?† â€Å"Should I?† â€Å"I'll just be back in seventy-two and the milk in my refrigerator will be spoiled.† â€Å"Then I'd better take you home.† He started the car and circled the block to head back to the Fly Rod Trailer Court. He would have taken a back way if he could, to save Molly some embarrassment, but the Fly Rod was right off Cypress, Pine Cove's main street. As they passed the bank, people getting out of their cars turned to stare. Molly made faces at them out the window. â€Å"That doesn't help, Molly.† â€Å"Fuck 'em. Fans just want a piece of me. I can give 'em that. I've got my soul.† â€Å"Mighty generous of you.† â€Å"If you weren't a fan, I wouldn't let you do this.† â€Å"Well, I am. Huge fan.† Actually, he'd never heard of her until the first time he was called to take her away from H.P.'s Cafe, where she had attacked the espresso machine because it wouldn't quit staring at her. â€Å"No one understands. Everyone takes a piece of you, then there's nothing left for you. Even the meds take a piece of you. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about here?† Theo looked at her. â€Å"I have such a mind-numbing fear of the future that the only way I can function at all is with equal amounts of denial and drugs.† â€Å"Jeez, Theo, you're really fucked up.† â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"You can't go around saying crazy shit like that.† â€Å"I don't normally. It's been a tough day so far.† He turned into the Fly Rod Trailer Court: twenty run-down trailers perched on the bank of Santa Rosa Creek, which carried only a trickle of water after the long, dry summer. A grove of cypress trees hid the trailer park from the main street and the view of passing tourists. The chamber of commerce had made the owner of the park take down the sign at the entrance. The Fly Rod was a dirty little secret for Pine Cove, and they kept it well. Theo stopped in front of Molly's trailer, a vintage fifties single-wide with small louvered windows and streaks of rust running from the roof. He got Molly out of the car and took off the handcuffs. Theo said, â€Å"I'm going to see Val Riordan. You want me to have her call something in to the pharmacy for you?† â€Å"No, I've got my meds. I don't like 'em, but I got 'em.† She rubbed her wrists. â€Å"Why you going to see Val? You going nuts?† â€Å"Probably, but this is business. You going to be okay now?† â€Å"I have to study my lines.† â€Å"Right.† Theo started to go, then turned. â€Å"Molly, what were you doing at the Slug at eight in the morning?† â€Å"How should I know?† â€Å"If the guy at the Slug had been a local, I'd be taking you to County right now, you know that?† â€Å"I wasn't having a fit. He wanted a piece of me.† â€Å"Stay out of the Slug for a while. Stay home. Just groceries, okay?† â€Å"You won't talk to the tabloids?† He handed her a business card. â€Å"Next time someone tries to take a piece of you, call me. I always have the cell phone with me.† She pulled up her sweater and tucked the card into the waistband of her tights, then, still holding up her sweater, she turned and walked to her trailer with a slow sway. Thirty or fifty, under the sweater she still had a figure. Theo watched her walk, forgetting for a minute who she was. Without looking back, she said, â€Å"What if it's you, Theo? Who do I call then?† Theo shook his head like a dog trying to clear water from its ears, then crawled into the Volvo and drove away. I've been alone too long, he thought.