Magic Realism in One Hundred Years of Solitude

Magic Realism in One Hundred Years of Solitude Magic Realism is a term found by art historian Franz Roh in 1925, to describe a visual arts movement emerging throughout Europe. It is known that a large number of critical terms in literature are borrowed from painting. Magic Realism is one of those terms. The usage of that technique leads the author make the themes and subjects are more imaginary, outlandish and with a fantastic dream like quality. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who is the author of One Hundred Years of Solitude, does not like to be considered a writer of Magic Realism, even it is clear to see Magic Realism technique in his novel, he claims only to be realist without much exaggeration in his work. He states, As the final judgment runs, the source of all creation is reality. In One Hundred Years of Solitude for example, the banana company treats its workers so badly that they all go on strike. They gathered in the main square of the town, where the government has them surrounded by soldiers armed with machine guns. When the crowed refuses to disperse, the order is given to open fire, and three thousand people are killed. Their corpses are, then, put into the trains and sent off to the sea, and the whole incident is officially denied to the point that Jose Arcadio Segundo finds it impossible to persuade anyone that it has taken place. For a European observer, the ability of a government to hide such incidents is indeed unbelievable. However, in Latin America, as well in the most of the third world countries, the situation is still worse than can be imagined. To the eye of European and North American common sense, the career of the Central character in One Hundred Years of Solitude Colonel Aureliano clearly belongs to the realm of magic and fantasy and not of reality. For, in the course of his career he, Organized thirty two armed uprisings and he lost them all, he had seventeen male children by seventeen different women and they were exterminated one after the other in a single night he survived fourteen attempts on his life, seventy three ambushes and a firing squad. He lived through a doze of strychnine in his coffee that was enough to kill a horse. He refused the Order of Merit He rose to be the commander in chief of the revolutionary forces with jurisdiction and command from one border to the other and the man most feared by the government Although he always fought at the head of his men, the only wound that he received was the one he gave himself. He shot himself in the chest with a pistol and the bullet came out through his back wi th out damaging any vital organ. (MÃ ¡rquez, 2003) Early in the novel, a mysterious girls arrives who either cannot or will not speak and whom they call Rebecca. She brings with her the sickness of insomnia of which the most fearsome part, as an Indian woman explains, was not the impossibility of sleeping, for the body did not feel any fatigue at all, but its inexorable evolution towards a more critical manifestation; a loss of memory. Melquiades, a man of letters discovered its remedy but before him, Jose Arcadia has already invented a memory machine in which he has recorded almost fourteen thousand entries. World, in this way, becomes a slave of dictionary as it refuses all possibility of change by overcoming the loss of memory. It is not difficult to count a number of reasons for these apparently incredible details, which Gabriel Garcia Marquez provides in his work, but the most convincing one is, perhaps the obvious mundane purpose of enabling him to avoid censorship. Marquez technique has also been described as a kind of narrative hyperbole which seeks to expand the sensibility with which we perceive the world we live in. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, Marquezs characters are often endowed with a kind of supernatural power. Aureliano can see the future. Remedios The Beauty is taken up into the clouds as a divine being. Melquiades survives death, and stays on earth as a ghost. Ursula chooses not to die and lives for over a hundred years. In One Hundred Years ofnSolitude, if the resolution is strong enough, nothing can overpower it. It is perfectly possible for people to have power over even death. The characters struggle to create and define their own worlds, their fight is against time, history and fate. It could be said that Marquez endowment of his characters with special power is an illustration of our powerlessness against forces which remain outside our control. By crossing the border of normal possibility, Marquez reminds us of the limit ations of our own real lives, but also of the possibility of viewing the world in an entirely different way. Marquezs characters struggle to control, and to create their own world. It is through this act of creation that we can truly escape the forces in life over which we have no control. Marquez suggests that literature is the means by which we can gain understanding of a world-view different from our own, and therefore an understanding of our common humanity. While politics and ideology have the power to de-humanise, literature has the power to remind us of our humanity. Through imagination, and art, we can be elevated from the restrictions we face in day to day life, and we can also be enlightened as to the true potential of our lives, and our own individual power to create and shape our own destinies. Bibliography MÃ ¡rquez, G. G. (2003). PURPLE PATCH: Liberal Paradise . Retrieved from Daily Times: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_3-12-2003_pg3_7

ABC Healthcare Company Essay

Healthcare companies, like ABC Healthcare, that operate as for-profit entities, are facing a multitude of challenges. The regulatory environment is becoming more restrictive, viruses and worms are growing more pervasive and damaging, and ABC Heathcare’s stakeholders are demanding more flexible access to their systems. The healthcare industry is experiencing significant regulatory pressures that mandate prudent information security and systems management practices. Furthermore, the continued pressure to reduce cost requires that management focus on streamlining operations, reducing management overhead and minimizing human intervention. The regulatory focus at ABC Healthcare is on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX). Both pieces of legislation highlight the need for good systems administration and controls, but focus on different aspects of the business. The main focus of HIPAA is to protect personally identifiable health information while SOX is concerned with data that impacts financial reporting. Violations may be met with both civil and criminal penalties. Therefore, the company must be ever watchful of new threats to their systems, data, and business operations. The most prevalent security related threat to on-going business operations is the continued development and propagation of viruses and worms. Virus and worm prevention or containment is a vital component to the overall risk mitigation strategy. Virus and worm outbreaks have multiple cost aspects for the company including lost patient charges due to system unavailability, lost productivity because of recovery efforts due to infection, and potential regulatory impacts depending on the virus or worm payload. However, the company must balance risk with opportunities in order to serve the stakeholders and grow the business. ABC Healthcare’s stakeholders include multiple groups that depend on or need access to clinical and/or financial systems in order to help support and grow the company. The access requirements and associated risk model varies by user group. The main access groups are internal only users (i.e. nurses, hourly employee, etc.), internal/remote users (i.e. salaried employees, doctors, etc.), and business partners (i.e. collection agencies, banks, etc.). Risk mitigation solutions must be developed for each user group to help ensure that the company recognizes the benefit that each group brings and to minimize the risk to business operations. The high-level management goals of the network design implementation are as follows: †¢Support the business and balance security requirements without introducing significant overhead and complexity; †¢Maintain and enhance security without significantly increasing management overhead or complexity; †¢Implement systems that are industry supported (standards where appropriate), scalable, and fault-tolerant; †¢Ensure that the design is implemented to help ensure compliance with any and all applicable regulations; †¢Proper management of access control for legitimate users and malicious users is of the utmost importance for the security of the ABC Healthcare management system. The threat is not limited to outside malicious users but also legitimate users engaged in illegitimate activity. Based on the above description you are to provide a recommendation of how you would address each of the following ABC Healthcare’s computer network security requirements. Note, whereas cost is typically an important factor, this is not a consideration for this case analysis. Therefore, you do not need to include cost estimates. Your solution should have the â€Å"right feel†, despite the lack of depth or details necessary to be accepted by upper management. Be specific in your answers. Write them as if you were writing a proposal to your boss. You do not need to include citations. Since you are developing a solution to a specific circumstance, material that is copied from an outside source will not likely fit so everything should be in your own words. 1.Describe your vision for addressing the security requirements in the  overall technical design of the ABC Healthcare network. This should include both internal and external (untrusted and trusted) aspects. Untrusted would include user connectivity to the Internet. The â€Å"trusted† network has the main purpose of supporting the business functions of known entities (i.e. partners, suppliers, etc.) which have a business relationship with the company. Note that you are to concentrate on the high level, and you are not expected to provide low level details for your recommended design. (40 points) A threat is defined as â€Å"a potential for violation of security, which exists when there is a circumstance, capability, action, or event that could breach security and cause harm† (Stallings & Brown, 2008, p. 13). In essence a threat is a possible danger that may reveal vulnerabilities. There are many threats associated with online services especially when you add in personal information. The first threat to ABC Healthcare that should be identified is the â€Å"continued development and propagation of viruses and worms† In the development phase of the network design program managers has to ensure not only that there will be antivirus software which will be ran continuously (maybe a network scan done daily after hours) but also ensure there are intrusion prevention and intrusion detection systems (IPS/IDS) in place that would identify network intrusions. A simple antivirus software like McAfee is easy to use and will not drastically increase their budget which in my opinion would be the first balanced approach. Although they may have to pay a little more for other services to ensure a proper IPS or IDS many companies (including the Navy, uses SNORT which is an open source product). Another area that will have to be identified deals with both trusted users and untrusted users and that is unauthorized disclosure which in essence is the ability for someone to gain access to information which they shouldn’t be allowed to view. This does not always have to be malicious in nature as it could simply be a glitch in the system which allows a user the ability to view others information indirectly. We also can’t rule out the threat of deception, when dealing with medical information you want to ensure a patients privacy is kept as just that, private. To gain access hackers can pose as someone who should have access to a system. This could be accomplished by simply calling a help desk and providing them with  information and having them reset your password (which is one reason why I am glad we finally did away with the infamous â€Å"mothers maiden name† security question†¦well for the most part). The third threat would be disruption which would challenge system availability and in some cases the integrity of the system. This threat could be carried out in numerous ways; one would be a denial of service attack which would prevent users from accessing the website. Some more basic disruption techniques could be simply damaging network devices or even theft. Overall to prevent or reduce such threats ABC Healthcare will have to take the different defense-in-depth strategy (people, technology, operations) into consideration. Vulnerability is â€Å"a flaw or weakness in a system’s design, implementation, or operation and management that could be exploited to violate the system’s security policy† (Stallings & Brown, 2008, p. 13). One example of a vulnerability to this system would be system performance. A slow running network is just a useless as one that is unavailable and as such will usually result in users opting to find other means to conduct business. Although I can understand the importance of keeping the cost of network security low at times you will have to remind yourself that you get what you pay for. It is paramount that ABC ensures they have well trained and qualified IT personnel to run their networks (hence my further education into the cybersecurity field) Not only do you have to ensure you have qualified and well trained IT support personnel you have to ensure that each user (employee) that is operating the system is well trained. The biggest threat to a network system is the end user as such they should be trained as to what to look out for such as social engineering. Social engineering could be simple questions asked to a user that they feel are innocent in nature but really provide information to someone who they think would be using the information to help them but in essence be using the information to deceive the user to gain access to network resources or patient information. Additionally, I would first ensure there is some type of disclaimer provided that the user would have to acknowledge stating something to the effect of: the passing of medical records or privacy information is not recommended  unless you can for certain ensure the person you are passing it to will use the information as agreed. Though I am sure it could be written a tad bit better it’s important that users know even though they’re on a secure site their information could still be leaked and disseminated. By having this in place, if something were to happen IT personnel can refer back to this acknowledgment page as issues arise. To protect patients or other groups that utilize the network outside of the ABC Healthcare organization such as collection agencies and banks, along with the above disclaimer I would ensure that the website utilized port 443 for secure connectivity. Although it can still be breached and users can still become victimized, it adds an extra level of security and prevents sniffer attacks. 2.Discuss the way you will address requirements for system monitoring, logging, auditing, including complying with any legal regulations. (15 points) The first thing ABC Healthcare IT personnel should consider when conducting security checks is starting with a checklist. This will allow the administrator to ensure they are able to catch all necessities. This is where risk management should come into effect. According to Kathy Schwalbe, there are six major processes involved in risk management: †¢Planning risk management involves deciding how to approach and plan the risk management. †¢Identifying risks involves determining which risks are likely to affect a network and document the characteristics of each. †¢Performing qualitative risk analysis which involves prioritizing risks based on their probability and impact of occurrence. †¢Performing quantitative risk analysis which involves numerically estimating the effects of risks on objectives. †¢Planning risk responses involves taking steps to enhance opportunities and reduce threats. †¢Monitoring and controlling risk involves monitoring identified and residual risks, identifying new risks, carrying out risk response plans, and evaluating the effectiveness of risk strategies. (Schwalbe, 2010, p.427). With auditing it is a good practice if using Microsoft to utilize the â€Å"Event Viewer† which would allow you to track events that occur on your system. Eckert and Schitka states that â€Å"events that occur on a system are tracked and recorded in different log files, and you can use Event Viewer to view  the contents of these logs. For example, you can use Event Viewer to view the contents of the Systems log to determine when and possibly why, a specific service failed to start† (Eckert, J. & Schitka, M. 2006). It would also be a good idea to have a disclaimer on the login screen informing all users that they are subject to monitoring when using the IT asset that way the user (although it may not always help) will be aware that what they do on the network can be traced and the user has the potential to be brought up on disciplinary charges if the matter warrants. Another thing ABC Healthcare IT administrators should be doing is reviewing files and folders for accuracy. All common server operating systems provide the capability to specify access privileges individually for files, directories, devices, and other resources. By carefully setting access controls and denying personnel unauthorized access, ABC Healthcare IT personnel can reduce intentional and unintentional security breaches. For example, denying read access to files and directories helps to protect confidentiality of information, and denying unnecessary write (modify) access can help maintain the integrity of information. Limiting the execution privilege of most system-related tools to authorized system administrators can prevent users from making configuration changes that could reduce security. It also can restrict an attacker’s ability to use those tools to attack the server or other hosts on the Healthcare’s network. 3.Describe how the system will identify and authenticate all the users who attempt to access ABC Healthcare information resources. (15 points) ABC Healthcare administrators should consider Group Policies. According to Microsoft (2003) â€Å"Group Policy is an infrastructure that allows you to implement specific configurations for users and computers.† Additionally, Microsoft (2003) states that: Group Policy settings are contained in Group Policy Objects (GPOs), which are linked to the following Active Directory service containers: sites, domains, or organizational units (OUs). The settings within GPOs are then evaluated by the affected targets, using the hierarchical nature of Active Directory (Microsoft, 2003). Active Directory in this case would be an added benefit to ABC Healthcare as it allows for the deployment of the Group Policy feature which in turn will allow network  administrators the ability to manage each user and computer object. By creating security GPOs an administrator can apply settings to affect the whole network and not just a standalone computer. This saves time and allows an administrator to affect multiple computers. Another benefit to using GPOs is the ability to define settings for wireless network connectivity. GPOs allow you to configure which wireless networks’ workstations can connect to, and automatically configure Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) (Aubert & McCann, 2006). If ABC Healthcare ensures GPOs are set up and followed correctly, users will not be allowed to alter many functions without having advanced administrator privileges and with auditing in place if foul play is suspected it will be quickly noticed. The best form to ensure that a site is available to authorized users would be to enforce the use of a username and password. This would ensure that the right person is accessing their appropriate material. Some security concerns would be that a hacker may try to access a user’s account without the appropriate credentials. There would be steps in place that would prevent access from repeated incorrect password attempts; many times this is covered by having a lockout function. Additionally the ability for users to be able to utilize the â€Å"forgot username and password† function will be readily available. Another option that can be utilized (much like that in the military) would be the use of Common Access Cards (CAC) and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) which will carry the â€Å"non-repudiation† clause that states that what is sent or uploaded is indeed authenticated by the user and as such cannot be disputed. 4.Discuss how the system shall recover from attacks, failures, and accidents. (15 points) In order to safely ensure that you will be able to maintain information that is stored on your network it is key to ensure IT personnel are conducting backups. Backing up the system is another quality assurance feature that should be viewed by the management personnel. It is paramount that IT management personnel ensure administrators are conducting daily, weekly, and monthly backups of their network. A full backup should be conducted at least once a week with daily differential backups and, with maybe an incremental backup being performed mid-week. This will ensure that in the  event of a data loss IT personnel can restore lost material with minimal downtime. Ensuring there is a baseline in place that has all the original configurations is another way to ensure data safety. When looking at attacks if the system has the IPS/IDS and antivirus software installed the risk could be minimized. Michael Goodrich and Roberto Tamassia also states that administrators should ensure to have checksums and data correcting codes in place. â€Å" Checksums are the computation of a function that maps the contents of a file to a numerical value. A checksum function depends on the entire contents of a file and is designed in a way that even a small change to the input file is highly likely to result in a different output value. Checksums are like trip-wires, they are used to detect when a breach to data integrity has occurred. Data correcting codes are methods for storing data in such a way that small changes can be easily detected and automatically corrected. These codes are typically applied to small units of storage, but there are also data –correcting codes that can be applied to entire files as well† (Goodrich & Tamassia, 2011). 5.Discuss how the system will address User Account Management and related security improvements. (15 points) ABC Healthcare would have to ensure they had proper polices, procedures, standards and guidelines in place to ensure user account management and the improvement of their network security. Although many times in conversation we tend to think that policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines are coupled together. Policies are set rules established by a company or organization. A policy usually is the stepping stone for the creation of standards, guidelines and procedures. A policy would not have to incorporate the other three whereas it would be virtually impossible to create standards, guidelines or procedures without the reference of a policy which is your governing documentation. Having a standard in a way would be a rule used to measure as to how something should be. In the military we have what is called ‘Standard Operating Procedures’ which are rules that provide step-by-step instructions as to how to accurately operate equipment. This  prevents users from using the â€Å"I didn’t know excuse†. ABC Healthcare would have to have policies in place if they want to create a governing document that should be followed. This would establish rules that are to be followed by the organization. In order for a policy to be changed it must first be approved by leadership personnel. Having something like the military’s standard operating procedures wouldn’t be a bad idea either. The procedures would be the instructions that a user would follow to ensure something is operating appropriately. Like stated in question 4 for base-lining they should also have standards. So it would be understood how something is to be completed. For security improvements ABC healthcare can for example create a policy stating that the use of USB drives on computer systems are no longer authorized (as evident by military policy). This is a governing documentation that if not followed could have punitive damages associated with it. References Aubert, M. and McCann, B. (2006). MCSE Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, Enhanced. Boston, MA: Course Technology. Eckert, Jason W. and M. John Schitka. (2006). Linux+ guide to linux certification (second edition). Boston, MA.: Course Technology. Goodrich, M.T. & Tamassia, R. (2011). Introduction to Computer Security. Boston, MA: Pearson Education INC. Microsoft TechNet. (2003). Windows Server TechCenter. Retrieved Nov. 29, 2012. from: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc779838(WS.10).aspx Stallings, W. and Brown, L. (2008). Computer Security: Principles and Practices. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Educations, Inc. Schwalbe, K., (2010). Information Technology Project Management (sixth edition). Boston, MA: Course Technology.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Eighteen

I CERTAINLY HADN'T EXPECTED to walk away from today's trip with joint custody of a miniature dragon. (I refused to call it a demon). And, as it turned out, Adrian was already proving not to be the most dedicated of â€Å"fathers.† â€Å"You can take him for now,† he told me when we got back to Amberwood. â€Å"I'll handle weekend visitations.† â€Å"You don't have anything going on. Besides, we're only a few days from the weekend,† I protested. â€Å"And you don't know that it's a ‘he.'† â€Å"Well, I don't think he'll mind, and besides, I'm not going to investigate to find out the truth.† Adrian put the quartz in the basket and closed the lid before handing it over to me. â€Å"You don't have to summon him back, you know.† I took the basket and opened the car door. â€Å"I know. But I feel kind of bad leaving him as a rock.† Ms. Terwilliger had told me it'd be healthier for him if I let him out once in a while. â€Å"See? Motherly instinct already. You're a natural, Sage.† Adrian grinned and handed me a bag of pie slices. He'd kept some for himself. â€Å"Look at you. You don't even need to break the tattoo. You think you would've been mothering a baby dragon a month ago?† â€Å"I don't know.† But he had a point. It seemed likely I would've run screaming from it back in the desert. Or maybe tried to exorcise it. â€Å"I'll take him for now, but you've got to pull your weight at some point. Ms. Terwilliger says the callistana needs to spend time with both of us. Hmm.† â€Å"Hmm, what?† I shook my head. â€Å"Just getting ahead of myself. Wondering what I'd do with him if I did go to Mexico.† Adrian gave me a puzzled look. â€Å"What about Mexico?† It had never come up, I realized. All Adrian had known about was Marcus's mission and the initial tattoo breaking, not the sealing. I hadn't been keeping the rest a secret, but suddenly, I felt uncomfortable telling Adrian about it. â€Å"Oh. Well, Marcus says that after I perform this rebellious act, we can break the elements and free me from the tattoo's control. But to truly bind the spell and make sure the tattoo is never repaired, I need to tattoo over it – like he did. He calls it sealing. But it takes some special compound that's hard to find. He got his done in Mexico and is going to take some of his Merry Men there so they can do it.† â€Å"I see.† Adrian's smile had vanished. â€Å"So. Are you joining them?† I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. Marcus wants me to.† â€Å"I'm sure he does.† I ignored the tone. â€Å"I've thought about it . . . but it's a big step. Not just for the tattoo, either. If I did that, there'd be no going back. I'd be turning my back on the Alchemists.† â€Å"And us,† he said. â€Å"Unless you really are only helping Jill because of your orders.† â€Å"You know it's not about that anymore.† Again, I didn't like his tone. â€Å"You know I care about her and . . . and the rest of you.† His face was hard. â€Å"And yet you'd run off with some guy you just met.† â€Å"It's not like that! We wouldn't be ‘running off together. I'd be coming back! And we'd be going for a specific reason.† â€Å"Beaches and margaritas?† I was speechless for a few moments. It was so close to what Marcus had joked about. Was that all anyone associated with Mexico? â€Å"I see how it is,† I snapped. â€Å"You were all in favor of me breaking the tattoo and thinking on my own – but that's only okay if it's convenient for you, huh? Just like your loving from afar' only works if you don't have an opportunity to get your hands all over me. And your lips. And . . . stuff.† Adrian rarely got mad, and I wouldn't quite say he was now. But he was definitely exasperated. â€Å"Are you seriously in this much self-denial, Sydney? Like do you actually believe yourself when you say you don't feel anything? Especially after what's been happening between us?† â€Å"Nothing's happening between us,† I said automatically. â€Å"Physical attraction isn't the same as love. You of all people should know that.† â€Å"Ouch,† he said. His expression hadn't changed, but I saw hurt in his eyes. I'd wounded him. â€Å"Is that what bothers you? My past? That maybe I'm an expert in an area you aren't?† â€Å"One I'm sure you'd just love to educate me in. One more girl to add to your list of conquests.† He was speechless for a few moments and then held up one finger. â€Å"First, I don't have a list.† Another finger. â€Å"Second, if I did have a list, I could find someone a hell of lot less frustrating to add to it.† For the third finger, he leaned toward me. â€Å"And finally, I know that you know you're no conquest, so don't act like you seriously think that. You and I have been through too much together. We're too close, too connected. I wasn't that crazy on spirit when I said you're my flame in the dark. We chase away the shadows around each other. Our backgrounds don't matter. What we have is bigger than that. I love you, and beneath all that logic, calculation, and superstition, I know you love me too. Running away to Mexico and fleeing all your problems isn't going to change that. You're just going to end up scared and confused.† â€Å"I already feel that way,† I said quietly. Adrian moved back and leaned into his seat, looking tired. â€Å"Well, that's the most accurate thing you've said so far.† I grabbed the basket and jerked open the car door. Without another word, I stormed off toward the dorm, refusing to look back in case he saw the tears that had inexplicably appeared in my eyes. Only, I wasn't sure exactly which part of our conversation I was most upset about. The tears seemed like they were going to stay put by the time I reached my room, but I still had to calm down. Even once my emotions were settled, it was hard to shake his words. You're my flame in the dark. We chase away the shadows around each other. What did that even mean? At least smuggling a dragon into my room provided a pretty good distraction. I brought the basket inside, hoping demonic dragons weren't contraband. No one stopped me when I went upstairs, and I was left wondering how I was going to confine him if I did summon him back. The basket didn't seem all that secure, and I certainly wasn't going to let him run loose in my dorm room. When I reached my door, I found Jill standing outside, her pale green eyes wide with excitement. â€Å"I want to see him,† she said. The bond was strongest in moments of high emotion, and judging from Adrian's face when the dragon had been chasing us, his emotions had been running pretty strong. I wondered if she'd witnessed our argument too or if that hadn't come through the bond. Maybe the tension between him and me was second nature to her now. â€Å"I can't let him out yet,† I said, letting her into my room. â€Å"I need something to keep him in. Like a birdcage. Maybe I can get one tomorrow.† Jill frowned in thought, then brightened. â€Å"I have an idea.† She glanced at my alarm clock. â€Å"I hope it's not too late.† And without further explanation, she took off, promising to be back soon. I was still a little shaky from today's magic but hadn't had time to rectify the situation after all the other excitement. So, I sat at my desk with a spell book and ate the rest of the now-soft coconut cream pie, careful to first cut off the part where the dragon had eaten. I didn't know if callistanas had communicable germs, but I wasn't taking any chances. Jill returned an hour later, bearing a rectangular glass aquarium, like the kind you'd keep fish or gerbils in. â€Å"Where'd you get that?† I asked, moving a lamp off my desk. â€Å"My biology teacher. Our guinea pig died a couple weeks ago, and she's been too sad to replace him.† â€Å"Didn't she ask what you needed it for?† I examined the tank and found it spotless, so someone had apparently cleaned it after the guinea pig's unfortunate passing. â€Å"We can't have pets.† â€Å"I told her I was building a diorama. She didn't question it.† Jill eagerly brought the aquarium over to the desk. â€Å"We can give it back when you get your own.† I set the quartz crystal inside and slammed on the tank's lid, making sure it was securely attached. After more entreating from Jill, I spoke the summoning words. A bit of smoke appeared, and the quartz transformed back into the dragon. Mercifully, he didn't make any more of that screeching, so I guessed he was still full. Instead, he scampered around the tank, examining his new home. At one point, he tried to climb the side, but his tiny claws couldn't get traction on the glass. â€Å"Well, that's a relief,† I said. Jill's face was filled with wonder. â€Å"I think he'll be bored in there. You should get him some toys.† â€Å"Toys for a demon? Isn't it enough that I give him pie?† â€Å"He wants you,† she insisted. Sure enough, I glanced back at the tank and found the callistana regarding me adoringly. He was even wagging his tail. â€Å"No,† I said sternly. â€Å"This isn't a Disney movie where I have an adorable sidekick. You aren't coming out.† I cut off a piece of blueberry pie and put it in the tank in case he wanted a midnight snack. No way would I risk a late-night wakeup call. After a moment's thought, I added a stress ball and a scarf. â€Å"There,† I told Jill. â€Å"Food, a toy, and a bed. Happy?† The callistana apparently was. He batted the ball around a few times and then curled up on the nest I'd made with the scarf. He looked more or less content, aside from the fact that he kept watching me. â€Å"Aww,† she said. â€Å"Look how sweet he is. What are you going to name him?† Like I needed something else to worry about. â€Å"His ‘father' can name him. I'm already on the hook for the Mustang.† After a bit more swooning, Jill finally retired for the night. I made my own preparations for bed, always keeping one eye on the dragon. He did nothing threatening, however, and I even managed to fall asleep, though my sleep was restless. I kept imagining he'd find a way out and come get into bed with me. And of course, I had my usual fears about Veronica coming after me. I did hit one stretch of sound sleep, during which Adrian pulled me into a spirit dream. After our earlier fight, I honestly hadn't expected to see him tonight, a thought that had saddened me. The reception hall materialized around us, but the image wavered and kept fading in and out. â€Å"I didn't think you'd come,† I told him. No wedding clothes tonight. He wore what he'd had on earlier, jeans and the AYE shirt, though both looked a bit more wrinkled. He was dressed as he was in reality, I realized. â€Å"You think I'd abandon you to Veronica?† â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"What's wrong with the room?† He looked a little embarrassed. â€Å"My control's not all it could be tonight.† I didn't understand . . . at first. â€Å"You're drunk.† â€Å"I've been drinking,† he corrected, leaning against one of the tables. â€Å"If I was drunk, I wouldn't be here at all. And really, this is pretty good for four White Russians.† â€Å"White what?† I almost sat down but was afraid the chair might dematerialize beneath me. â€Å"It's a drink,† he said. â€Å"You'd think I wouldn't be into something named that – you know, considering my own personal experience with Russians. But they're surprisingly delicious. The drinks, not real Russians. They've got Kahlua. It might be the drink you've been waiting your whole life for.† â€Å"Kahlua does not taste like coffee,† I said. â€Å"So don't start with that.† I was insanely curious to know why he'd been drinking. Sometimes he did it to numb spirit, but he seemed to still want to access that magic tonight. And of course, half the time, he didn't even need a reason to drink. Deep inside me, I wondered if our fight had driven him to it. I didn't know whether to feel guilty or annoyed. â€Å"I also had to come tonight to apologize,† he said. He sat down, apparently not having the same fears about chairs. For one inexplicably terrifying moment, I thought he was going to take back the part about me being his flame in the dark. Instead, he told me, â€Å"If you need to go to Mexico to finish this process off, then I understand. I was wrong to criticize you for it or even imply that I had some kind of say in it. One of the greatest things about you is that in the end, you always make smart decisions. Can't always say the same for myself. Whatever you need to do, I'll support you.† Those annoying tears almost returned, and I blinked them back. â€Å"Thank you. That means a lot . . . and to tell you the truth, right now, I still don't know what I'm going to do. I know Marcus is worried about me eventually getting in trouble and being under their control. Then again, staying part of the Alchemists seems like it'd give me more power, and besides . . . I don't want to leave you. Er, you guys.† He smiled, and it lit up his whole face. Like a flame in the dark. â€Å"Well, ‘we' are certainly happy to hear that. Oh, and I'm also happy to watch our darling little love child dragon while you're in St. Louis.† I grinned back. â€Å"As a rock or in his real form?† â€Å"Haven't decided yet. How's he doing right now?† â€Å"He's locked in an aquarium. I'm guessing I'd wake up if he got into bed with me, so he must still be asleep.† I hoped. â€Å"Well, I'm sure getting into bed with you would be – † Adrian held back whatever comment he'd been about to utter. He instead gestured to the table, and a Monopoly board appeared. â€Å"Shall we play?† I walked over and peered at the board. It apparently was also suffering from his drinking, seeing as half the streets were blank. The ones that were there had names like â€Å"Castile Causeway† and â€Å"Jailbait Avenue.† â€Å"The board's a little incomplete,† I said diplomatically. Adrian didn't seem concerned. â€Å"Well, then, I guess that improves your odds.† I couldn't resist that and took a gamble on sitting in one of the chairs. I smiled at him and then began counting money, happy that all was (relatively) right in the world with us again.

The Problem Of A Free Lunch - 1008 Words

â€Å"There’s no such thing as a free lunch† a very common saying in Economics because it emphasizes that every decision requires a trade-off, and although one person may be getting a deal there is always another side to the story. John Komlos, a well respected Economist, felt economics students left their introductory classes under the impression that in the real world, perfect competition and efficiency are very common in the market, with few market failures, and government intervention in the economy is generally bad and leads to losses (2). In theory and for in-class examples this view of the economy is very straight-forward and makes teaching easier. However, in the real world; there is another side of the story. Free markets do have downsides and need some government regulation alongside being guided by morals. Americans pride themselves extensively on being free and letting the people choose how to live, but should everything in our country be left up to the pu blic? 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