The Rainmaker Persuasive Essay Example For Students

The Rainmaker Persuasive Essay The Rainmaker The world is full of great novels. From Sherlock Holmes to the threemusketeers. As the years progress more novels are written and moremoney is made. John Grisham is a rising star in literature. His bookshave enticed readers and has given the people something good to read. What makes his books great is that they are so realistic. He applies hispersonal law and trial knowledge into the books he writes. What it isabout ? It was his last semester of law school. Rudy Baylor wasassigned to give free advice to a group of seniors. It is at that very time,and that very place, that Rudy encounters his first true clients. Dot andBuddy Black. They have been robbed by a powerful insurance company. We will write a custom essay on The Rainmaker Persuasive specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now A company with millions of dollars in assets. They have caused thesuffering of a young man. They have ruined his chances to live by notissuing their coverage that they were obligated to give. Donny Ray, sonof Dot and Buddy is dying of Lukemia, he is going to die, his chancesfor survival are over and it is a matter of months. Rudy doesnt realizethe case that has fallen into his lap until phone calls are made. There is agreat problem, however, Rudy is broke, he hasnt even passed his barexam yet. And will go head to head with one of Americas mostexperienced and accomplished defense attorneys. From the beginningof the novel to the last word, Rudy is plagued with a series of mishapsand problems. When something looks bright the clouds come in and ruinthe hope. Rudy is in Luck. As the big trial begins, he is given a judgethat is definetly on his side and 12 jury members that think the same waythat he does. After researching great benefit, the insurance company,Rudy discovers cover ups by th e company. He also discovers GreatBenefits harsh way in getting rid of their numerous mistakes. n How itrelates to your audience The Trial Obviously Rudy is not stupid. Heenters all the facts he has discovered and uses them to help solidify hisposition in the minds of the jurors As the trial goes on Rudy is givenanother problem. A beaten girl is discovered by Rudy at the hospitalduring his studying. Her husband has repeatively beaten her with analuminum softball bat. Her ankle is broken and her life is in shreds. Rudy knows that these beatings will continue if the couple divorces butthe young girl of 18 is unable to leave because she believes that she isstill in love with him. n John Grisham does not maintain one singlestory, instead he creates numerous events so that the reader does not getbored with the main story. From minor cases to FBI investigations, JohnGrisham does a swell job in creating a global society. He shows thatlawyers have cares concerns about what is going on in the world andcontrary to popular belief, lawyers dont focus mainly on cases and theyhave lives to. Ever-since The Firm was published, in 1991, JohnGrisham has been in a creative state. His five books that followed thefirm, combine to form a total of approximately 50 million copies inprint. Why ? The answer is because his thrilling stories and intenselegal intrigue is in such a great demand. Now in The RainmakerGrisham has weaved his talent into the storyline and has created apowerful, and at times humerous , tale of one young lawyers quest forfame,fortune and most importantly, hapiness. I am positive that thisnovel will rise to the best sellers list, And after reading this book, youwill think alike. This novel is for all ages and all types. If the book youare searching for, is for excitement or pleasure. The Rainmaker is agreat novel and provides a goood read. John Grisham has done hishomework now do yours and read this good book. .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 , .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 .postImageUrl , .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 , .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34:hover , .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34:visited , .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34:active { border:0!important; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34:active , .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34 .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf114369ee172f2a0d3deb6f6b7699c34:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Case Study Cameron Auto Parts EssayBibliographyThe Rainmaker, John Grisham.

Free Essays on Little Women

Little Women In 1868, Louisa May Alcott wrote the book Little Women in "response to a publisher's request for a 'girl's book'". Louisa wrote this book by calling upon her own memories of her childhood and putting them down on paper. This is the story of four young girls, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, and how they endure all the trouble and hardships that come along during their lives. They are raised by their mother and by their father, and many interesting characters pop up along the way, such as Laurie, their good-natured next-door neighbor; Laurie later falls in love with Jo but ends up marrying Amy. In the beginning of the story they are all fairly young, the youngest being twelve years old, and their mother, whom they call Marmee, is left to guide them while their father is away fighting in the war. As they grow and mature, they learn many hard lessons about life. For instance, there was the time when Amy, the youngest, suffered her first punishment in school. She carries that anger, humility, and embarrassment with her for the rest of her life. There were also more serious lessons to be learned, like when one of the sisters, Beth, dies. By the end of the book, they really have turned from little women into real women. Jo was the second oldest of the four sisters. Her birth name was Josephine, but she always thought that it sounded too feminine, so she shortened it to Jo. Clearly, Jo was one of the main characters of the story because many of the events centered on her and the audience learned more about who she was. She was a tomboy at heart and hated all the prim and proper ways of the ladies in those days. Jo was very blunt in her speaking and always said exactly what was on her mind. However, most people felt right at ease speaking with her because she had a way of making them feel comfortable, despite her frankness. Jo was the one who first had enough courage to go over to the frightening house next door and t... Free Essays on Little Women Free Essays on Little Women Little Women In 1868, Louisa May Alcott wrote the book Little Women in "response to a publisher's request for a 'girl's book'". Louisa wrote this book by calling upon her own memories of her childhood and putting them down on paper. This is the story of four young girls, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, and how they endure all the trouble and hardships that come along during their lives. They are raised by their mother and by their father, and many interesting characters pop up along the way, such as Laurie, their good-natured next-door neighbor; Laurie later falls in love with Jo but ends up marrying Amy. In the beginning of the story they are all fairly young, the youngest being twelve years old, and their mother, whom they call Marmee, is left to guide them while their father is away fighting in the war. As they grow and mature, they learn many hard lessons about life. For instance, there was the time when Amy, the youngest, suffered her first punishment in school. She carries that anger, humility, and embarrassment with her for the rest of her life. There were also more serious lessons to be learned, like when one of the sisters, Beth, dies. By the end of the book, they really have turned from little women into real women. Jo was the second oldest of the four sisters. Her birth name was Josephine, but she always thought that it sounded too feminine, so she shortened it to Jo. Clearly, Jo was one of the main characters of the story because many of the events centered on her and the audience learned more about who she was. She was a tomboy at heart and hated all the prim and proper ways of the ladies in those days. Jo was very blunt in her speaking and always said exactly what was on her mind. However, most people felt right at ease speaking with her because she had a way of making them feel comfortable, despite her frankness. Jo was the one who first had enough courage to go over to the frightening house next door and t... Free Essays on Little Women Little Women is a coming of age story of four sisters in Civil War New England. Together they face hardships and poverty all the while trying to reach their Castles in the Air. More than that however, Little Women is a morality tale. Each chapter not only contains the lives and adventures of the four sisters, but lessons on how to be a good person, and how to achieve happiness in life. These values are centered upon God, family, and love. Though money, people, hair, and childhood dreams come and go, Marmee’s wisdom about happiness never seems to falter. The dreams of the writer, artist, and pianist in the family all fall behind the happiness they find in their respective households. In some respects, Little Women is also a child-rearing guidebook. When Marmee’s harvesting time came, she had three happy well-rounded children and a fourth with God. Each lesson she taught was not just told to them, but demonstrated, and enforced with kindness and with love. She inspired her girls to be the best they could be, and did not try to change them even if they were as awkward and tomboyish as Jo. Most importantly, she let them make the choices for their life and did not sway their decisions once the girls made them. Little Women today remains a classic because it shows that every young person goes through trials and decision points. Death’s of loved ones, family crisis’s, and the mending of broken hearts are something all young people go through and are acturatly portrayed in Alcott’s novel. Most importantly, readers today remain inspired by Jo’s commitment to her writing, Meg’s devotion to her family, and Beth’s willingness to help the ones she loves....

Chowan University Admissions - SAT Scores, Costs...

Chowan University Admissions - SAT Scores, Costs... Chowan University Admissions Overview: Admissions at Chowan University are only somewhat competitivethose with grades and test scores above average have a good chance of being admitted. Students applying to Chowan need to submit scores from the SAT or ACT, along with high school transcripts and a completed application. There is no writing or personal statement requirement as part of the application. Students interested in Chowan University should check out the schools website, and are welcome to visit campus and/or contact the admissions office with any questions.   Admissions Data (2016): Chowan University Acceptance Rate: 57%Test Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 360 / 445SAT Math: 360 / 450SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanACT Composite: 14 / 17ACT English: 11 / 16ACT Math: 15 / 17What these ACT numbers mean Chowan University Description: Chowan University is a private Christian college in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, a town just an hour away from Virginia Beach. With a student/faculty ratio of 16:1 and a student body of just over 1,300, Chowan offers plenty of individualized attention on its 300-acre campus. The college hosts over 45 student clubs on campus and 13 NCAA Division II sports. The Chowan Hawks compete in the  Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Popular sports include football, soccer, softball, tennis, and cross country. Chowan also has plenty of intramural sports, including pick-up Frisbee and extreme dodge ball. For those with more interest in the fine arts, Chowan is home to the Wayland L. Jenkins Jr. Fine Arts Center, a gallery with almost 90 original works of art as well as a collection of early 19th-century furniture. There is plenty to do at Chowan, including watching performances by TheatreChowan, playing to win the Chowan Ping-Pong title, and surfing at one of the nearby beach es. Enrollment (2016): Total Enrollment: 1,534  (1,525 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 46% Male / 54% Female96% Full-time Costs (2016- 17): Tuition and Fees: $23,930Books: $1,000 (why so much?)Room and Board: $8,950Other Expenses: $1,664Total Cost: $35,554 Chowan University Financial Aid (2015- 16): Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 100%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 100%Loans: 92%Average Amount of AidGrants: $17,193Loans: $10,696 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:  Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Health and Physical Education, Social Sciences, Psychology, Elementary Education, Religious Studies, History, Communications, Studio Art Graduation and Retention Rates: First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 48%4-Year Graduation Rate: 12%6-Year Graduation Rate: 23% Intercollegiate Athletic Programs: Mens Sports:  Football, Tennis, Track and Field, Cross Country, Basketball, Baseball, Golf, SoccerWomens Sports:  Lacrosse, Softball, Soccer, Tennis, Track and Field, Cross Country, Volleyball, Basketball, Bowling Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like Chowan University, You May Also Like These Schools: Shaw UniversityNorfolk State UniversityOld Dominion UniversityMars Hill UniversityVirginia Commonwealth UniversityBarton CollegeNorth Carolina Central UniversityWingate UniversityUniversity of North Carolina - GreensboroVirginia Union University

Information to be used for my website (Etiquette Business Programs) Essay

Information to be used for my website (Etiquette Business Programs) - Essay Example This is accomplished not only by reaching our goals and expressing our knowledge and high capabilities, but also by focusing on the process of these actions. Take a moment to look at the programs that offer golden rules every person needs to be able to successfully interact in today’s world. When one receives a letter how the letter is presented will always affect the receiver, irrespective of the content. While this is one example, one considers that it is only a microcosm of our modern existence. Through high Etiquette characteristics, individuals will gain all the qualities of a letter that will receive appreciation, attention and respect even before it is opened. This is essential to the success of your life and to the prosperity of Qatari culture on the global stage. From how one holds a fork to how to organize an international VIP cocktail, etiquette covers minor and major aspects. It’s never too late to learn sophisticated manner techniques or what we often call the â€Å"golden rules†. Indeed, cutting-edge behavioral therapists have demonstrated that such practices can be learned and conditioned until they become a part of our instinctual behavior. Such guidance is given for children and their parents, professionals and non-professionals, employees and directors, young and old. â€Å"Don’t judge a book by its cover† is a phrase that we all wish to believe, but it is just human nature to have some sort of first impression of a person. It is also possible that this first impression can enact a snowball effect where the individual’s future interactions with the persons are forever affected. In one wrong move or inappropriate comment a person can face long-term impressions or misunderstandings. The problem in many cases is that the individual is not aware that he or she caused a misunderstanding or made a hurtful comment and is not

Reseach Paper on Chronic Diabetic Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reseach on Chronic Diabetic - Research Paper Example Type  2 diabetes was found to be controlled by providing medications. Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are  chronic conditions which are not possible to be cured completely. It is characterized by disruptions in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fat and protein in the body (Bilotta, 2008, p.236). There are two primary forms of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes - If a person has Type 1 diabetes his body will not make insulin on its own. It occurs in any individual and is treated by taking dosage of insulin shots daily or by an insulin pump. The patients need to maintain a regulated diet plan. Type 2 diabetes – This is the commonest form of diabetes. If a patient suffers from Type 2 diabetes, his body will show resistance to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is semi curable in nature. It is often hereditary in nature and occurs mainly in people who are above 40. Type 2 diabetes can be treated with proper exercise and weight (National Kidney Foundation, 2007, p.4). Physical i nactivity or a sedentary lifestyle can also lead to Type 2 diabetes (STEWART, 2005, p.196). Pathophysiology and assessment of the disease Diabetes mellitus (DM) or simply diabetes results from either insulin deficiency or the resistance to endogenous insulin. This deficiency in insulin compromises with the access of the body tissues to essential nutrients (Bilotta, 2008, p. 236). All forms of the disease increases the risk that can lead to long-term complications. These symptoms typically show after several years like almost after 10 to 20 years but it can be seen as the first form of the symptom in the patient who was otherwise not diagnosed before. The common symptoms of diabetes are polyuria, polyphagia, weight loss, fatigue etc. The complications that can arise out of these symptoms include cardio vascular diseases, blindness or retinopathy, nephropathy, cognitive depression, hyperglycemia etc. While assessing the symptoms for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, the physicians can check for symptoms like frequent urination, dehydration, dry mucous membrane, rapid weight loss and increased hunger, nocturnal diarrhea and many more. For Type 1, the symptoms can be develop rapidly while for Type 2, it can be drawn by studying the family history, severe forms of viral infection etc. The physical symptoms seen in case of the diabetic patients can be in the form of changes seen in the legs and feet, muscle wasting, reduced reflexes in the deep tendons of the bones, cataract formation etc (Bilotta, 2008, p.237). Chronic Diabetes harming the kidneys in human body Diabetes can cause severe damage to the kidneys by damaging the blood vessels of the kidney. The filtering sections in the kidney are lined with minute blood vessels. With the passage of time, high sugar level found in the patient’s blood can make the blood vessels to turn narrow and thus clogged. Without getting enough blood, the kidneys tend to be damaged and albumin which is a protein made within the hum an body are passed through these filters which settle in the urine. This is a critical situation as this occurrence of albumin in the urine of the patient is not a very healthy condition (National Kidney Foundation, 2007, p.7). Kidney damage can also harm the nerves in the patient’s body. Nerves of the human body carry messages that are transmitted between the brain and the rest other parts of the body that also includes the urinary bladder.

The Ipremier Dos Attack

The Ipremier Dos Attack Online websites and business face several security threats from hackers that are aiming to vandalize the website or steal information or at times notify the company about its internet security weaknesses. These threats include malicious code, bots and bot nets, phishing and DDoS or Distributed Denial of Service (Laudon K., Traver C., (2010)). Ipremier, an online business, faced one of these threats, the DDoS attack. iPremier is a successful online retailer of luxury, rare and vintage goods (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). The DDos attack begins by the hacker distributing bots on several computers and making these computers botnets (Laudon K., Traver C., (2010)). A botnet is a computer that is controlled by a hacker to perform activates such as participating in a DDoS attack (Laudon K., Traver C., (2010)). The hacker uses these botnets or controlled computers to flood a server with unwanted requests which slows or shutdown the server operations (Laudon K., Traver C., (2010)). This can b e costly to an online business because the customers wont be able to access the website. It can also affect the firms reputation if the website doesnt work for long. However, these attacks can notify or clarify for a company its weakness points in its internet security and infrastructure. The CIO Bob Turley was in New York when an employee called to inform him that the website is not working and that they have been receiving numerous emails that say Ha (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). The CIO called Joanne the technical operations team leader to discuss the current situation but she was still on her way to Qdata where the company servers are located and did not know what was going on (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). She suspected that the actions were caused by a hacker and that the sender of the e mail was unknown and hard to track (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). Unfortunately, their emergency plan was out dated and they couldnt remember where the document is placed (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). A suggestion was made to call the police or FBI but they were concerned about negative publicity (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). After a while the CIO called the CTO to take his opinion on the matter (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). The CTO refused the idea of pulling the plug becau se information on the attack might be lost (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). The CEO mentioned that the detailed logging was not enabled so the logs wont provide them with much information (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). The legal counselor called as well to provide legal advice on the matter and told the CIO to pull the plug to protect credit card information (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). After Joanne arrived at Qdata she wasnt able to access the NOC for security reasons (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). The CEO called a senior in Qdata and Joanne was allowed access to the NOC (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). He discovered that the attack is directed at their firewall and it is being directed from multiple IP addresses (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). She tried to shutdown traffic from the IP addresses but it didnt work because when one IP address shuts down another one operates and so on (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). The main concern was that customer information was not jeopardized or sto len (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). At 5:46 AM the attack stopped and Joanne suggested that they do a thorough audit to be sure that customer information has not been stolen and to know the points of weakness (Austin, R., (July 26, 2007)). During the attack it was obvious that the employees were shocked by the security threat. They did not know what to do, they never faced a security threat before and they do not have an emergency plan. The employees communicated through phone calls and no one knew what needs to be done or what was happening. Also, there wasnt a proper emergency communication with Qdata which led to banning the technical team leader from entering the NOC. The team reacted well to the situation despite that they did not have any structured plan to face the problem. They were trying to solve the problem through intuition and experience because there wasnt any plan. They tried hard and the top managers were awakened at the middle of the night to solve the crisis. However, when looking at the overall situation there hasnt been any systematic process in solving the problem and instead they relied on intuition and experience. If I was bob truly, the CIO, the first person I would have contacted is the CTO and I would have cancelled the meeting in New York and went to the company if possible. If it was not possible to find a flight, I would have instructed Leon to get the emergency plan and work on it. Although it is outdated, I would try to modify it as much as I can to match the current situation which can be useful. Also, I would stay in close contact with the CTO and Qdata to solve the problem faster. Some service providers do not respond to customers quickly and require the customer to call them over and over until they perform the request. In addition, after the attack is over I would have called for an emergency meeting to assess the current situation, the companys technological infrastructure, know what information have been or could have been jeopardized and discuss the modifications on the emergency plan. After the attack the company should be worried about the customer information and specially credit card and transaction information. Another thing is that the attack might have gone far and installed a bot on one of the servers. If this happens the servers might be used for another attack and the ipremier will be held responsible. Also, the infrastructure and security is not effective against threats so using Qdata as the website host must be changed. Moreover, I have to be sure that there hasnt been any leak because if the customers know that the website was hacked they may never deal with the company again. They may not understand that these things happen and security threats happen almost all the time, several people are not familiar with the term Cyber War. The company should create a backup customer and transaction database that is disconnected from the internet to prevent it from being attacked from the outside. It is an online business, so the customers and their transaction information should be well protected from any attack. I would recommend that not all the website and its information to be outsourced. The server, website design, and website related information can be outsourced but the customer and transaction information should be handled internally for more control. They have to find another host other than Qdata with more abilities and more technological advancement to handle their operations and protect them from further attacks. Also, I must have a full understanding of the situation so that if there is any leak to the press I can answer their questions and find a way to assure the customers that their data is safe. In conclusion, ipremier is an example for every online business. They did not expect that an attack may happen and were very confused when it actually happened. What online businesses should learn from ipremier is that an emergency plan is critical for any business. Also, they should know that there isnt one perfect security system that can protect them from all kinds of attacks. They should keep in mind that since man created these security systems then he is able to break through it. what who Where architecture Infrastructure architecture Infrastructure architecture Infrastructure Hardware Do we need a new security system? What kind of hardware do we need for the new security system? Who knows the most about the companys technological infrastructure? Who will handle the operation of the new security system? Does the new security system require a relocation of our servers? What hardware components need to be changed to install the new security system? Software What parts of our companys software will be affected? Do we need any new software for the new security system? Who will be affected by installing a new security system? Who needs to be trained in order to accommodate with the new system? Does the geographical location of our company affect the installation of the new system? Will the new security system have the functionality we need? Network Does the new security system require a minimum bandwidth? Can the current network handle the operations of the new security system? Who will have access to the security system network? Will any body need access from outside the companys physical boundaries? What are the security threats in the companys current technological architecture? Where will the company locate the necessary components of the new security system? Data Will the current data formats be compatible with the new security system? Which formats need to be changed? Who will have access to the data provided by the system? Who will be responsible for backup and to whom is the access limited? Where does the current architecture face problems in regards to data flow? Does the company need to change its current storage devices for the new security system? Resources:- Austin, R., (July 26, 2007). The iPremier Company (A): Denial of Service Attack. Harvard Business School. Laudon K., Traver C., (2010). E-commerce 2010 (6 Ed.), chapter 5. Pearson Education.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Well, it worked, I finally got the angel to leave the room. It went like this: Raziel called down to the front desk and asked him to send Jesus up. A few minutes later our Latin pal stood at attention at the foot of the angel's bed. Raziel said, â€Å"Tell him I need a Soap Opera Digest.† In Spanish, I said, â€Å"Good afternoon, Jesus. How are you today?† â€Å"I am well, sir, and you?† â€Å"As good as can be expected, considering this man is holding me prisoner.† â€Å"Tell him to hurry,† said Raziel. â€Å"He doesn't understand Spanish?† Jesus asked. â€Å"Not a word of it, but don't start speaking Hebrew or I'm sunk.† â€Å"Are you really a prisoner? I wondered why you two never left the room. Should I call the police?† â€Å"No, that won't be necessary, but please shake your head and look apologetic.† â€Å"What is taking so long?† Raziel said. â€Å"Give him the money and tell him to go.† â€Å"He said he is not allowed to buy publications for you, but he can direct you to a place where you can purchase them yourself.† â€Å"That's ridiculous, he's a servant, isn't he? He will do as I ask.† â€Å"Oh my, Jesus, he has asked if you would like to feel the power of his manly nakedness.† â€Å"Is he crazy? I have a wife and two children.† â€Å"Sadly, yes. Please show him that you are offended by his offer by spitting on him and storming out of the room.† â€Å"I don't know, sir, spitting on a guest†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I handed him a handful of the bills that he'd taught me were appropriate gratuities. â€Å"Please, it will be good for him.† â€Å"Very well, Mister Biff.† He produced an impressive loogie and launched it at the front of the angel's robe, where it splatted and ran. Raziel leapt to his feet. â€Å"Well done, Jesus, now curse.† â€Å"You fuckstick!† â€Å"In Spanish.† â€Å"Sorry, I was showing off my English. I know many swear words.† â€Å"Well done. Spanish please.† â€Å"Pendejo!† â€Å"Splendid, now storm out.† Jesus turned on his heel and left the room, slamming the door behind him. â€Å"He spit on me?† Raziel said, still not believing it. â€Å"An angel of the Lord, and he spit on me.† â€Å"Yes, you offended him.† â€Å"He called me a fuckstick. I heard him.† â€Å"In his culture, it is an affront to ask another man to buy a Soap Opera Digest for you. We'll be lucky if he ever brings us a pizza again.† â€Å"But I want a Soap Opera Digest.† â€Å"He said you can buy one just down the street, I will be happy to go get one for you.† â€Å"Not so fast, Apostle, none of your tricks. I'll get it myself, you stay here.† â€Å"You'll need money.† I handed him some bills. â€Å"If you leave the room I will find you in an instant, you know that?† â€Å"Absolutely.† â€Å"You cannot hide from me.† â€Å"Wouldn't dream of it. Hurry now.† He sort of shuffled sideways toward the door. â€Å"Don't try to lock me out, I'm taking a key with me. Not that I need it or anything, being an angel of the Lord.† â€Å"Not to mention a fuckstick.† â€Å"I don't even know what that means.† â€Å"Go, go, go.† I shooed him through the door. â€Å"Godspeed, Raziel.† â€Å"Work on your Gospel while I'm gone.† â€Å"Right.† I slammed the door in his face and threw the safety lock. Raziel has now watched hundreds of hours of American television, you'd think he would have noticed that people wear shoes when they go outside. The book is exactly as I suspected, a Bible, but written in a flowery version of this English I've been writing in. The translation of the Torah and the prophets from the Hebrew is muddled sometimes, but the first part seems to be our Bible. This language is amazing – so many words. In my time we had very few words, perhaps a hundred that we used all the time, and thirty of them were synonyms for guilt. In this language you can curse for an hour and never use the same word twice. Flocks and schools and herds of words, that's why I'm supposed to use this language to tell Joshua's story. I've hidden the book in the bathroom, so I can sneak in and read it while the angel is in the room. I didn't have time to actually read much of the part of the book they call the New Testament, but it's obvious that it is the story of Joshua's life. Or parts of it, anyway. I'll study it later, but now I should go on with the real story. I suppose I should have considered the exact nature of what we were doing before I invited Maggie to join us. I mean, there is some difference between the circumcision of an eight-day-old baby boy, which she had seen before, and the same operation on the ten-foot statue of a Greek god. â€Å"My goodness, that is, uh, impressive,† Maggie said, staring up at the marble member. â€Å"Graven image,† Joshua said under his breath. Even in the moonlight I could tell he was blushing. â€Å"Let's do it.† I pulled a small iron chisel from my pouch. Joshua was wrapping the head of his mallet with leather to deaden its sound. Sepphoris slept around us, the silence broken only by the occasional bleat of a sheep. The evening cook fires had long since gone to coals, the dust cloud that stirred through the city during the day had settled, and the night air was clean and still. From time to time I would catch a sweet whiff of sandalwood coming from Maggie and I would lose my train of thought. Funny the things you remember. We found a bucket and turned it upside down for Joshua to stand on while he worked. He set the tip of my chisel on Apollo's foreskin and ventured a light tap with the mallet. A tiny fragment of marble flaked away. â€Å"Give it a good whack,† I said. â€Å"I can't, it will make too much noise.† â€Å"No, it won't, the leather will cover it.† â€Å"But I might take the whole end of it off.† â€Å"He can spare it,† Maggie said, and we both turned to her with our mouths hanging open. â€Å"Probably,† she added quickly. â€Å"I'm only guessing. What do I know, I'm just a girl. Do you guys smell something?† We smelled the Roman before we heard him, heard him before we saw him. The Romans covered themselves with olive oil before they bathed, so if the wind was right or if it was an especially hot day you could smell a Roman coming at thirty paces. Between the olive oil they bathed with and the garlic and dried paste of anchovies they ate with their barley, when the legions marched into battle it must have smelled like an invasion of pizza people. If they'd had pizzas back then, which they didn't. Joshua took a quick swipe with the mallet and the chisel slipped, neatly severing Apollo's unit, which fell to the dirt with a dull thud. â€Å"Whoops,† said the Savior. â€Å"Shhhhhhhh,† I shushed. We heard the hobnails of the Roman's boots scraping on stone. Joshua jumped down from the bucket and looked frantically for a place to hide. The walls of the Greek's bathhouse were almost completed around the statue, so really, except for the entrance where the Roman was coming, there was no place to run. â€Å"Hey, what are you doing there?† We stood as still as the statue. I could see that it was the legionnaire that had been with Justus our first day in Sepphoris. â€Å"Sir, it's us, Biff and Joshua. Remember? The kid from the bread?† The soldier moved closer, his hand on the haft of his half-drawn short sword. When he saw Joshua he relaxed a bit. â€Å"What are you doing here so early? No one is to be about at this hour.† Suddenly, the soldier was yanked backward off of his feet and a dark figure fell on him, thrusting a blade into his chest over and over. Maggie screamed and the figure turned to us. I started to run. â€Å"Stop,† the murderer hissed. I froze. Maggie threw her arms around me and hid her face in my shirt as I trembled. A gurgling sound came from the soldier, but he lay still. Joshua made to step toward the murderer and I threw an arm across his chest to stop him. â€Å"That was wrong,† Joshua said, almost in tears. â€Å"You are wrong to kill that man.† The murderer held his bloody blade up by his face and grinned at us. â€Å"Is it not written that Moses became a prophet only after killing an Egyptian slave driver? No master but God!† â€Å"Sicarii,† I said. â€Å"Yes boy, Sicarii. Only when the Romans are dead will the Messiah come to set us free. I serve God by killing this tyrant.† â€Å"You serve evil,† Joshua said. â€Å"The Messiah didn't call for the blood of this Roman.† The assassin raised his blade and came at Joshua. Maggie and I leapt back, but Joshua stood his ground. The assassin grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him close. â€Å"What do you know of it, boy?† We could clearly see the murderer's face in the moonlight. Maggie gasped, â€Å"Jeremiah.† His eyes went wide, with fear or recognition, I don't know which. He released Joshua and made as if to grab Maggie. I pulled her away. â€Å"Mary?† The anger had left his voice. â€Å"Little Mary?† Maggie said nothing, but I could feel her shoulders heave as she began to sob. â€Å"Tell no one of this,† the murderer said, now talking as if he were in a trance. He backed away and stood beside the dead soldier. â€Å"No master but God,† he said, then he turned and ran into the night. Joshua put his hand on Maggie's head and she immediately stopped crying. â€Å"Jeremiah is my father's brother,† she said. Before I go on you should know about the Sicarii, and to know about them, you have to know about the Herods. So here you go. About the time that Joshua and I were meeting for the first time, King Herod the Great died after ruling Israel (under the Romans) for over forty years. It was, in fact, the death of Herod that prompted Joseph to bring his family back to Nazareth from Egypt, but that's another story. Now you need to know about Herod. Herod wasn't called â€Å"the Great† because he was a beloved ruler. Herod the Great, was, in fact, a fat, paranoid, pox-ridden tyrant who murdered thousands of Jews, including his own wife and many of his sons. Herod was called â€Å"the Great† because he built things. Amazing things: fortresses, palaces, theaters, harbors – a whole city, Caesarea, modeled on the Roman ideal of what a city should be. The one thing he did for the Jewish people, who hated him, was to rebuild the Temple of Solomon on Mount Moriah, the center of our faith. When H. the G. died, Rome divided his kingdom among three of his sons, Archelaus, Herod Philip, and Herod Antipas. It was Antipas who ultimately passed sentence on John the Baptist and gave Joshua over to Pilate. Antipas, you sniveling fuckstick (if only we'd had the word back then). It was Antipas whose toady pandering to the Romans caused bands of Jewish rebels to rise up in the hills by the hundreds. The Romans called all of th ese rebels Zealots, as if they were all united in method as well as cause, but, in fact, they were as fragmented as Jews of the villages. One of the bands that rose in Galilee called themselves the Sicarii. They showed their disapproval of Roman rule by the assassination of Roman soldiers and officials. Although certainly not the largest group of Zealots by number, they were the most conspicuous by their actions. No one knew where they came from, and no one knew where they went to after they killed, but every time they struck, the Romans did their best to make our lives hell to get us to give the killers up. And when the Romans caught a Zealot, they didn't just crucify the leader of the band, they crucified the whole band, their families, and anyone suspected of helping them. More than once we saw the road out of Sepphoris lined with crosses and corpses. My people. We ran through the sleeping city, stopping only after we had passed through the Venus Gate, where we fell in a heap on the ground, gasping. â€Å"We have to take Maggie home and get back here for work,† Joshua said. â€Å"You can stay here,† Maggie said. â€Å"I can go by myself.† â€Å"No, we have to go.† Joshua held his arms out to his sides and we saw the bloody handprints the killer had left on his shirt. â€Å"I have to clean this before someone sees it.† â€Å"Can't you just make it go away?† Maggie asked. â€Å"It's just a stain. I'd think the Messiah could get a stain out.† â€Å"Be nice,† I said. â€Å"He's not that good at Messiah stuff yet. It was your uncle, after all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Maggie jumped to her feet. â€Å"You were the one who wanted to do this stupid thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Stop!† Joshua said, holding his hand up as if he were sprinkling us with silence. â€Å"If Maggie hadn't been with us, we might be dead now. We may still not be safe when the Sicarii realize that three witnesses live.† An hour later Maggie was home safe and Joshua emerged from the ritual bath outside the synagogue, his clothes soaked and rivulets running out of his hair. (Many of us had these mikvehs outside of our homes – and there were hundreds outside the Temple in Jerusalem – stone pits with steps leading down both sides into the water so one might walk in over one's head on one side, then out on the other after the ritual cleansing was done. According to the Law, any contact with blood called for a cleansing. Joshua thought it would be a good opportunity to scrub the stain out of his shirt as well.) â€Å"Cold.† Joshua was shivering and hopping from foot to foot as if on hot coals. â€Å"Very cold.† (There was a small stone hut built over the baths so they never got the direct light of the sun, consequently they never warmed up. Evaporation in the dry Galilee air chilled the water even more.) â€Å"Maybe you should come to my house. My mother will have a breakfast fire going by now, you can warm yourself.† He wrung out the tail of his shirt and water cascaded down his legs. â€Å"And how would I explain this?† â€Å"Uh, you sinned, had an emergency cleansing to do.† â€Å"Sinned? At dawn? What sin could I have done before dawn?† â€Å"Sin of Onan?† I said. Joshua's eyes went wide. â€Å"Have you committed the sin of Onan?† â€Å"No, but I'm looking forward to it.† â€Å"I can't tell your mother that I've committed the sin of Onan. I haven't.† â€Å"You could if you're fast.† â€Å"I'll suffer the cold,† Joshua said. The good old sin of Onan. That brings back memories. The sin of Onan. Spilling the old seed on the ground. Cuffing the camel. Dusting the donkey. Flogging the Pharisee. Onanism, a sin that requires hundreds of hours of practice to get right, or at least that's what I told myself. God slew Onan for spilling his seed on the ground (Onan's seed, not God's. God's seed turned out to be my best pal. Imagine the trouble you'd be in if you actually spilled God's seed. Try explaining that). According to the Law, if you had any contact with â€Å"nocturnal emissions† (which are not what come out of your tailpipe at night – we didn't have cars then), you had to purify yourself by baptism and you weren't allowed to be around people until the next day. Around the age of thirteen I spent a lot of time in and out of our mikveh, but I fudged on the solitary part of penance. I mean, it's not like that was going to help the problem. Many a morning I was still dripping and shivering from the bath when I met Joshua to go to work. â€Å"Spilled your seed upon the ground again?† he'd ask. â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"You're unclean, you know?† â€Å"Yeah, I'm getting all wrinkly from purifying myself.† â€Å"You could stop.† â€Å"I tried. I think I'm being vexed by a demon.† â€Å"I could try to heal you.† â€Å"No way, Josh, I'm having enough trouble with laying on of my own hands.† â€Å"You don't want me to cast out your demon?† â€Å"I thought I'd try to exhaust him first.† â€Å"I could tell the scribes and they would have you stoned.† (Always trying to be helpful, Josh was.) â€Å"That would probably work, but it is written that ‘when the oil of the lamp is used up, the wanker shall light his own way to salvation.'† â€Å"That is not written.† â€Å"It is too. In, uh, Isaiah.† â€Å"Is not.† â€Å"You need to study your Prophets, Josh. How are you going to be the Messiah if you don't know your Prophets?† Joshua hung his head. â€Å"You are right, of course.† I clapped him on the shoulder. â€Å"You'll have time to learn the Prophets. Let's cut through the square and see if there are any girls gathering water.† Of course it was Maggie I was looking for. It was always Maggie. By the time we got back to Sepphoris the sun was well up, but the stream of merchants and farmers that normally poured through the Venus Gate was not there. Roman soldiers were stopping and searching everyone who was trying to leave the city, sending them back the way they came. A group of men and women were waiting outside the gate to go in, my father and some of his helpers among them. â€Å"Levi!† my father called. He ran to us and herded us to the side of the road. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked, trying to look innocent. â€Å"A Roman soldier was murdered last night. There will be no work today, now you both go home and stay there. Tell your mothers to keep the children in today. If the Romans don't find the killer there'll be soldiers in Nazareth before noon.† â€Å"Where is Joseph?† Joshua asked. My father put his arm around Joshua's shoulder. â€Å"He's been arrested. He must have come to work very early. They found him at first light, near the body of the dead soldier. I only know what has been shouted from inside the gate, the Romans aren't letting anyone in or out of the city. Joshua, tell your mother not to worry. Joseph is a good man, the Lord will protect him. Besides, if the Romans thought he was the killer he would have been tried already.† Joshua backed away from my father in stiff, stumbling steps. He stared straight ahead, but obviously saw nothing. â€Å"Take him home, Biff. I'll be along as soon as I can. I'm going to try to find out what they've done with Joseph.† I nodded and led Joshua away by the shoulders. When we were a few steps down the road, he said, â€Å"Joseph came looking for me. He was working on the other side of the city. The only reason he was near the Greek's house is that he was looking for me.† â€Å"We'll tell the centurion we saw who killed the soldier. He'll believe us.† â€Å"And if he believes us, believes it was Sicarii, what will happen to Maggie and her family?† I didn't know what to say. Joshua was right and my father was wrong, Joseph was not fine. The Romans would be questioning him right now, maybe torturing him to find out who his accomplices were. That he didn't know anything would not save him. And a testimony from his son not only wouldn't save him, but would send more people to the cross to join him. Jewish blood was going to be spilled one way or the other over this. Joshua shook off my hands and ran off the road into an olive grove. I started to follow, but he suddenly spun on me and the fury of his gaze stopped me in midstride. â€Å"Wait,† he said. â€Å"I need to talk to my father.† I waited by the road for nearly an hour. When Joshua walked out of the olive grove he looked as if a shadow had fallen permanently on his face. â€Å"I am lost,† he said. I pointed over my shoulder. â€Å"Nazareth that way, Sepphoris the other way. You're in the middle. Feel better?† â€Å"You know what I mean.† â€Å"No help from your father, then?† I always felt strange asking about Joshua's prayers. You had to see him pray, especially in those days, before we had traveled. There was a lot of strain and trembling, like someone trying to force a fever to break by sheer will. There was no peace in it. â€Å"I am alone,† Joshua said. I punched him in the arm, hard. â€Å"Then you didn't feel that.† â€Å"Ouch. What'd you do that for?† â€Å"Sorry, no one around to answer you. You're soooooooo alone.† â€Å"I am alone!† I wound up for a full-body-powered roundhouse punch. â€Å"Then you won't mind if I smite the bejeezus out of you.† He threw up his hands and jumped back. â€Å"No, don't.† â€Å"So you're not alone?† â€Å"I guess not.† â€Å"Good, then wait here. I'm going to go talk to your father myself.† I tramped off into the olive grove. â€Å"You don't have to go in there to talk to him. He is everywhere.† â€Å"Yeah, right, like you know. If he's everywhere then how are you alone?† â€Å"Good point.† I left Joshua standing by the road and went off to pray. And thus did I pray: â€Å"Heavenly Father, God of my father and my father's father, God of Abraham and Isaac, God of Moses, who did lead our people out of Egypt, God of David and Solomon – well, you know who you are. Heavenly Father, far be it from me to question your judgment, being as you are all powerful and the God of Moses and all of the above, but what exactly are you trying to do to this poor kid? I mean, he's your son, right? He's the Messiah, right? Are you pulling one of those Abraham faith-test things on him? In case you didn't notice, he's in quite a pickle here, having witnessed a murder and his stepfather under arrest by the Romans, and in all likelihood, a lot of our people, who you have mentioned on more than one occasion are your favorites and the chosen (and of which I am one, by the way) are going to be tortured and killed unless we – I mean he – does something. So, what I'm saying here is, could you, much as you did with Samson when he was backed into a corner w eaponless against the Philistines, throw the kid a bone here? â€Å"With all due respect. Your friend, Biff. Amen.† I was never very good at prayer. Storytelling, I'm fine with. I, in fact, am the originator of a universal story that I know has survived to this time because I have heard it on TV. It begins: â€Å"Two Jews go into a bar†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Those two Jews? Me and Josh. No kidding. Anyway, I'm not good at prayer, but before you think I was a little rough on God, there's another thing you need to know about my people. Our relationship with God was different from other people and their Gods. Sure there was fear and sacrifice and all, but essentially, we didn't go to him, he came to us. He told us we were the chosen, he told us he would help us to multiply to the ends of the earth, he told us he would give us a land of milk and honey. We didn't go to him. We didn't ask. And since he came to us, we figure we can hold him responsible for what he does and what happens to us. For it is written that â€Å"he who can walk away, controls the deal.† And if there's anything you learn from reading the Bible, it's that my people walked away a lot. You couldn't turn around that we weren't off in Babylon worshiping false gods, building false altars, or sleeping with unsuitable women. (Although the latter may be more of a guy thing than a Jewish thing.) And God pretty mu ch didn't mind throwing us into slavery or simply massacring us when we did that. We have that kind of relationship with God. We're family. So I'm not a prayer-master, so to speak, but that particular prayer couldn't have been that bad, because God answered. Well, he left me a message, anyway. As I emerged from the olive grove, Joshua held out his hand and said, â€Å"God left a message.† â€Å"It's a lizard,† I said. It was. Joshua was holding a small lizard in his outstretched hand. â€Å"Yes, that's the message, don't you see?† How was I to know what was going on? Joshua had never lied to me, never. So if he said that this lizard was a message from God, who was I to dispute him? I fell to my knees and bowed my head under Josh's outstretched hand. â€Å"Lord have mercy on me, I was expecting a burning bush or something. Sorry. Really.† Then to Josh, I said, â€Å"I'm not so sure you should take that seriously, Josh. Reptiles don't tend to have a great record for getting the message right. Like for instance, oh, let's see, that Adam and Eve thing.† â€Å"It's not that kind of message, Biff. My father hasn't spoken in words, but this message is as clear as if his voice had come down from the heavens.† â€Å"I knew that.† I stood up. â€Å"And the message is?† â€Å"In my mind. When you had been gone only a few minutes this lizard ran up my leg and perched on my hand. I realized that it was my father giving me the solution to our problem.† â€Å"And the message is?† â€Å"You remember when we were little, the game we used to play with the lizards?† â€Å"Sure I do. But the message is?† â€Å"You remember how I was able to bring them back to life.† â€Å"A great trick, Josh. But getting back to the message†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Don't you see? If the soldier isn't dead, then there was no murder. If there was no murder, then there is no reason for the Romans to harm Joseph. So all we have to do is see that the soldier is not dead. Simple.† â€Å"Of course, simple.† I studied the lizard for a minute, looking at it from a number of different angles. It was brownish green and seemed quite content to sit there on Joshua's palm. â€Å"Ask him what we're supposed to do now.†