Proud to Be a Malaysian Essay Example for Free

Proud to Be a Malaysian Essay I am proud to be a Malaysian because of so many reasons. Firstly, Malaysia is surprisingly beautiful. We have beautiful islands and also the biggest caves in Southeast Asia. Not only that, Malaysia has the tallest twin tower in the world (KLCC). We also have the highest and the longest canopy walk in the world in more than 100 million years old of the tropical rain forest (Taman Negara). Forests are well preserved and the wildlife here is abundant with many protected endangered species. Besides that, Malaysia has modern and efficient public transportation with different types of train, taxis and the best airport in the world, KLIA. Our Malaysia Airlines won the Best Cabin Crew Awards a few times. Malaysians are really friendly and understanding. In my opinion, the most beautiful thing in Malaysia is our variety of culture, belief, and the scrumptious food. We are unique, as we can still get along well even though we’re a multi-racial and multi-cultural country. There are the indigenous tribes, Malays, Chinese and Indians but we get along like close siblings. We also have the freedom of religion and equality in education, which is good. There are also many languages spoken by all Malaysians, the famous one being ‘Manglish’ (Malay + English), and the most famous word being ‘lah’. Malaysia is really truly Asia because of its unity in diversity that can be seen in the various festival celebrations by all the races in Malaysia. Therefore, we have many public holidays, which I’m sure we all love. Also, these festive holidays are participated in by all Malaysians, we usually have open houses whereby everyone is invited to attend, regardless of their background. When it comes to food, there is no other place in the world that can be compared to Malaysian food. It is obvious as we have different races and 14 states where every state has its own specialities. The Malaysian food is so diverse and yummy that the main reason why I wouldn’t migrate to another country is because of the food here. Aside from the traditional sports like wau, gasing and sepak takraw, Malaysia takes part in popular sports such as bowling, badminton, football, hockey and squash. The world number one for badminton, Lee Chong Wei, is from Malaysia, so is the world number one for squash, Nicol David. Because of Malaysia’s location, it is free from natural disasters, the worst we experience is the annual flash floods during the monsoon seasons and also the earthquake tremors from neighbouring countries. Malaysia also has cheap petrol, which explains the number of cars people own here. Even though the government subsidises the cost of petrol here, we have the cheapest petrol rates in Asia. Malaysia may not be great, but Malaysia is my home, and thats more than enough of a reason to love it. Even if we can’t compare to other countries, â€Å"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush†.

Theories of Authority and Obedience

Theories of Authority and Obedience Ioannis Sakarellos Obedience has always been ubiquitous while while at the same time was easily overlooked. According to Milgram, obedience can be defined as â€Å"the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose. It is the dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority† (1). This paper claims that ordinary people who have a strong personal moral code tend to blindly follow orders given by an authoritarian figure when they become part of a structured organization governed by authority. This action of blindly following orders to do things that they personally know are wrong and can cause horrible results is referred by Zimbardo as â€Å"turning evil† (The Lucifer effect). What is meant by blindly following orders is that people fail to think of the consequences of the actions that they have been ordered to undertake. Many researchers have come to the conclusion that it is not the mentally ill or the ones with behavior problems who end up doing the most harmful things but rather the normal people. The key concept of the paper is that ordinary people by â€Å"simply doing their job† with a sense of obligation towards an authoritarian figure can cause immoral and unethical circumstances to arise (Milgram 6). The main source to be analyzed will be Milgram’s book Obedience to Authority, which examines his teachers and learners experiment. The end result of the experiment is that average people did â€Å"become agents in a terrible destructive process† (6). However, the process by which people become evil is of equal importance. Moreover, the second source of the paper is Zimbardo’s book, The Lucifer Effect, which further examines the main concept of the research through real-life examples. It mainly focuses on how good people can turn evil by obeying someone’s orders under certain situations. Directly connected with this outcome is the term â€Å"Banality of evil†, which comes from Arendt’s book Eichmann in Jerusalem (xiv). This term means that evil things occur when ordinary people follow orders and feel that the evil things they are doing are normal. In this paper, both experimental and real life situations are examined in order to illustrate the power that authority has on individuals who have normal codes of morality and behavior, and how they will perform ruthless acts they wouldn’t have done otherwise. Milgram states that our own nature is the root of being obedient since â€Å"we are born with the potential for obedience.† This inborn structure, along with the influences each person has from society, â€Å"produce the obedient man† (125). He states, the reason ordinary people blindly follow orders given from an authoritarian figure lies in the changes that occur in people’s behavior when from acting individually they enter a hierarchically coordinated organization. He concludes that the conscience an individual has about moral and ethical standards, and what that person thinks is right or wrong, is not further followed with the orders given from an authoritarian figure. Individuals will act blindly without thinking whether the actions they have to undertake conform with their personal values. When ordinary people enter a hierarchical structure system, they lose their personal judgment of each order given from someone who is higher in the hierarchical ladder. T herefore, the nature of the action ordered is not filtered by the person’s own belief, and as a result, heinous consequences might occur. Milgram’s teachers and learners experiment is one characteristic situation of blind obedience that occurs due to the change in people’s behavior when moving from the individual function to the organization function. â€Å"The main question is how far the participant will comply with the experimenter’s instructions before refusing to carry out the actions required of him† (Milgram 3). Before mentioning the results of the experiment and how the participants who had ordinary behavior managed to turn evil by obeying the experimenter and conducting immoral and unethical actions, I want to highlight one of the keystones in this research; Milgram’s agentic state. The agentic state, or state of agency, is â€Å"the condition a person is in when he sees himself as an agent for carrying out another person’s wishes† (Milgram 133). As individuals enter an authoritarian system which is hierarchically organized and moves away from being autonomous, they fail to follow their own beliefs and perceptions and they turn into an agent who follows blindly and uncritically the orders given from above. Most importantly, when the person is in the agentic state he â€Å"no longer views himself as responsible for his own actions but defines himself as an instrument for carrying out the wishes of others† (Milgram 134). People, by being in the agentic state, are becoming blindly obedient to the authority figure. Especially, if the actions ordered are unethical and immoral, as it is in the teachers and learners experiment, people can become evil and cause severe pain for example, by giving electric shocks to the learners. In order to examine the consequences of the agentic state on participants, the most vital factors that lead the subjects in this state and transform them into blind obedient servants, need to be mentioned first. One of the factors is the perception of authority. According to Milgram, authority can be defined as â€Å"the person who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a given situation† (138). Milgram declares that what matters is how the individual perceives authority in a social structure. Specifically, the experimenter and the set-up of the situation, which seems like a scientific laboratory, create authority’s appearance, which is what influences the participants. Two other main factors he suggests are the entry into the Authority System and the Overarching Ideology. In order for a person to fully become an agent who only follows orders, he or she has to become part of the authority system. The entry into the laboratory serves the role of enteri ng into the authority system. It is very important that the participants enter voluntarily since in that way, a sense of commitment and obligation towards authority is created. Regarding the overarching ideology, â€Å"science and its acceptance as a legitimate social enterprise provides the overarching ideological justification for the experiment† (Milgram 142). The ideological justification of the experiment’s purpose is what drives participants to obtain willing obedience, perceiving their behavior as helping a desirable end to occur. The three factors (perception of authority, entry into the Authority System, the Overarching Ideology) are necessary in shifting into the agentic state. Once the participants are in this state of altered personality, two main consequences arise which cause the former ordinary people to transform into evil servants. One of the consequences is the process of tuning, when the subject has â€Å"maximal receptivity to the emissions of the authority, whereas the learner’s signals are muted and psychologically remote† (Milgram 144). Milgram states that learners are viewed as simple obstacles rather than human beings that need to be overcome in order for the authoritarian relationship of experimenter-learner to be satisfied. In addition, authority is perceived as an impersonal force and the experimenter as a suprahuman character, having powers above and beyond a normal person. Orders given exclusively by the authoritarian figure will be followed whether they promote immoral and unethical actions and severe negative results ensue. The other main consequence is the loss of responsibility and is characterized as the most far-reaching one in the agentic state. â€Å"A man feels responsible to the authority directing him but feels no responsibility for the content of the actions that the authority prescribes† (Milgram 145). The people believe they have an obligation towards the authoritarian figure and their accountability depends on how well they have performed the actions called for by the authority. The heinous nature of the actions ordered are not taken into consideration simply because â€Å"they see them as originating in the motives of some other person† (Milgram 146). Also, because they are not in the autonomous state, the superego cannot control their actions and the inhibitory forces are not capable of examining whether the orders given compromise their moral values and principles. Hence, the people end up being blindly obedient and they adopt a different personality which forces them to do terrible actions with even more harsh results. According to Zimbardo, the experts predicted that most subjects would not give strong electric shocks when orders to do so. They forecasted that on average â€Å"less than 1 percent would go all the way to the end, that only sadists would engage in such sadistic behavior, and that most people would drop out at the tenth level of 150 volts† (271). However, the shocking truth was that â€Å"two of every three (65 percent) of the participants went all the way up to the maximum shock level of 450 volts† (271). The key factor that made the participants obey and continue even after the point where the victim-learner was not responding was the experimenter’s reassurance that he will take the responsibility of their action. A characteristic example is a teacher’s report which states the initial refusal: â€Å"I didn’t know what the hell was going on †¦ I was not taking responsibility for going further. That’s it.† (271). Although, the los s of personal responsibility is one reason for continuing, Zimbardo suggests another reason. He highlights that the participants did not know how to exit the experiment. â€Å"It is a simple matter of up and then out.† (272). The results of the experiment reveal exactly what the purpose of the paper was; to prove that it is not the sadists or the psychopaths who conduct the most unethical, immoral and cruel actions but the ordinary people. The normal people are the ones who, under specific situations and by the influence of an authoritarian figure, will blindly follow orders. A real-life example of every-day men becoming evil and being indoctrinated into extraordinary killing occurred during the 2nd world war. It was the actions of Reserve Battalion 101, a unit of the German Order Police, consisting of approximately 500 men from Hamburg, which played a crucial role in the extermination of Jews in Poland and the implementation of Hitler’s Final Solution. According to Browning, the members of the Unit were middle-aged ordinary men, neither sadists nor Nazi fanatics. However, despite the option they were given from their commander not to participate in the Unit’s actions, 90 percent of the men didn’t refuse and took part in the shootings. The Unit’s inhumane and unethical achievement was the death of at least 83,000 Jews (142). Browning’s conclusion is similar to the one given by Milgram in the teachers and learners experiment. The members of the Battalion were as normal as the participants in Milgram’s experiment, a nd the reason for the unrealistic killing lies in their blind obedience to the authoritarian figure. Browning suggests that ordinary people will tend to obey and follow orders given from above, even though the orders might come into conflict with their personal judgment and values. The explanation for this statement was given by Milgram: specifically, in both cases the people were placed in a hierarchically organized structure; therefore, people’s ethical boundaries didn’t apply to the orders given from authority. People lost their personal identity related to the orders given: their inhibitory forces were no longer able to inspect whether the orders were within their ethical limits. As a result, both participants of the experiment and members of the Battalion ended in conducting actions they wouldn’t have done otherwise. Last but not least, one of the most vital historical examples that clearly illustrates that the ones who tend to blindly follow orders given from authority are ordinary people, is the case of Adolf Eichmann. Despite Eichmann’s cruel actions of arranging the execution of millions of Jews, he was completely normal without any trace of abnormal behavior: â€Å"Half a dozen psychiatrists had certified him as â€Å"normal† –â€Å"More normal at any rate †¦ â€Å"not only normal but most desirable† (Arendt 25–26). Arendt’s concluded that â€Å"the trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that many were neither perverted nor sadistic, that they were †¦ terribly and terrifyingly normal.† She states that this â€Å"new type of criminal †¦ commits his crimes under the circumstances that make it well-nigh impossible for him to know or feel that he is doing wrong† (276). â€Å"It was as though in those last minutes [of Eichman’s life] he was summing up the lesson that this long course in human wickedness had taught us–the lesson of the fearsome, word-and-thought defying banality of evil† (252) . Hannah Arendt, through her detailed analysis of the war crimes trial of Eichmann, was the first to present the fundamental phrase â€Å"Banality of evil.† She showed that â€Å"social forces can prompt normal people to perform horrific acts† (Zimbardo 289). The experimental and real-life examples that were examined in the paper suggest that the key factor for ordinary people to blindly obey an authoritarian figure is their entry into a hierarchically organized structure, and the loss of their individuality. By entering in such well-structured system, people turn evil and they conclude horrible actions they wouldn’t have done if they weren’t part of it. Therefore, it may be possible that the conclusion drawn from these examples could be applied in today’s highly coordinated world. The modern militaries, the business, political and governmental organizations are also hierarchically structured. This may indicate that nowadays people within these organizations can still be transformed into modern evil servants who will serve and obey the interests of the most powerful people. However, it might also be plausible that due to the more liberalized world we live in, people instead of obeying they could actively resist the or ders given from above or they may even act in an aggressive and violent way against authority. Obedience to authority will always be a theme available for further research and with more than one possible explanations of why people obey and follow orders.

Sleep Apnea Essay -- Sleep Apnea Sleeping Disorders Essays

Sleep Apnea Sleep, why do people sleep at all? Why can't we just stay awake? Some biologist suggest that sleep provides the opportunity to conduct self-repair and purge the body of it's waste that has built up during the day's activity. Nevertheless, the body is capable of repairing itself and disposing of wastes during waking hours, so sleep in a way really isn't necessary for routine maintenance (e.g., urinating, etc.). Dr. Quentin Regestein, lead sleep and sleep disorders researcher at Harvard Medical School also believed that sleep kept our distant ancestors out of harms way during the night when they could not see as well as their night roaming predators. Sleep is regulated by a connected series of structures in the deep midline areas, and along other way stations that extend through the central axis of the brain, these structures relay information about things that affect sleep. In Dr. Regestein notes, he spoke of experiments that were performed by researchers. The researchers he spoke of would destroy specific brain structures of a lab animal and then note how the animal slept. For instances, in one lab animal the researcher cut through the axis of the brain at one level, which would prevented the animal from awakening; showing that brain structures below the level of the cut were responsible for awakening the lab animal. The American Sleep Disorders Association (ASDA), Association for the Psychophysiological Study of Sleep (APSS), Association of Sleep Disorder Centers (ASDC), and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has studied sleep and sleep disorders since the early 1970's. Out of all the sleep disorders currently being studied, sleep apnea has gain world wide attention, affecting over 15 million people. Apnea, derived from the Greek word "want to breath." Sleep Apnea (cessation of air flow at the mouth for greater than 10 seconds) can reflect 1) loss of central nervous system drive to maintain ventilation, 2) mechanical upper airway obstruction, or combinations of both. The second edition of Anesthesia and Co-Existing Disease states "Conversely, obstructive forms of sleep apnea are due to an abnormal relaxation of the posterior pharyngeal muscles" - there is persistence of respiratory movements, but airflow is absent due to upper airway obstruction. Study shows awakening occurs when the arterial partial pre... ...p because of a sleep disorder like sleep apnea can eventually lead to interruption of daily task and human survival is greatly reduced. Many people choose to prognosis themselves as to why they are having trouble sleeping. Researchers urge patients with a unbalanced sleep pattern to seek professional help. "Five billion people go through the cycle of sleep and wakefulness every day, and relatively few of them know the joy of being fully rested and fully alert all day long." - William Dement (1988) References Arthur J. Speilman, Phd.D., and Paul B. Glovinsky, Ph.D. - Department of Psychology. The City College of New York Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, Inc. - InfoTrac System - Largo, Florida Drs. Robert K. Stoelting, Stephen F. Dierdorf , and Richard L. McCammon. -Second Edition / Anesthesia and Co-Existing Disease John P. Dworetzky - Psychology / Fifth Edition Dr. Quentin Regestein - lead sleep researcher, Harvard Medical School - Sleep problems and solutions Dr. Scott Mantel - Anesthesiologist - Morton Plant Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology Dr. Paul Borelli - Anesthesiologist - Morton Plant Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology

Analysis Of Star Wars Essay -- Papers

Analysis Of Star Wars This essay will be analysing the opening sequence of Star Wars. It will be focusing on camera angles, binary opposition and codes and conventions. This film is a typical example of sci-fi, we can tell this by the use of visual codes and convention. The film is set in space and Spaceships are in conflict with each other, there are lazers being fired, robots are running around and there is a clear divide between good and evil. At the beginning of the sequence there are words scrolling back into the distance telling a story. This sets the scene and lets the audience know what is happening. When the last of the words have faded the camera tilts down to reveal the surface of a planet. A small ship flys by, then a much larger ship follows. This second ship almost fills the whole screen, which gives a sense of fear and feels slightly intimidating to the audience. Whilst the two ships are battling, the Rebels ship has its main reactor shut down; the Rebels ship is the smaller of the two, and is now unable to move anywhere; we know this because of the first two characters we meet, C3PO and R2D2, these are the two main robots in the film. C3PO is a narrator figure, he tells the audience what is going on and what could happen; He is also the one in panic whereas R2D2 is very calm and laid back. There are many close ups of each robot so the audience feels connected to them, especially C3PO because he seems human. But even though R2D2 is not human people can still connect with him because he is slightly comic in the way he makes noises and the way he talks to himself. Also each robot has its own colour t... ...if that is spiralling too. The camera cuts to outside the Pod; from here it is very clear that the Pod is spiralling down almost out of control. It fades into the distance until it can't be seen. Cutting between characters is sometimes quite rapid in a time of panic of confusion. It's used to show different emotions in the same situation. The camera angles in the film are varied to show different feelings and emotions. For example, when Darth Vader is introduced the camera is tilted up to show he is tall and powerful. Colouring is also very clear, right from the time the audience board a ship it is clear which ship they are on, this is because of the robots colouring and the humans' clothes. The robots are decorated with friendly colours, white, blue and gold, and the humans' clothes are plain with no armour.

Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) for Backbones Essay -- Technology,

Abstract : Internet Protocol version 6(Pv6) is the advanced version of the IPv4 protocol and both of these protocols are part of TCP/IP suite.TCP/IP is the only protocol for transmission of data over the internet As the internet is not secure place for transmission of secure and confidential information (packets) So to protect this information over the non secure channels(internet ) the IPSec was introduced .IPSec is the worldly know standard for the secure transmission over the internet . IPSec is mandatory for IPv6 and optional for IPv4 deployments .But as the IPsec provides authentication, confidentiality and integrity of the internet protocol (IP) packets but it slows down the transmission devices and where there is huge transmission of data like in Gbps at the backbone networks, the performance of the transmission devices is highly effected . So to improve the transmission rate on high performance networks number of techniques have been used till now and these techniques are the valuable addition in the current technologies .Purpose of this paper is to high light , what types of techniques are available in the current time for improving the performance of the transmission devices both at the H/W and S/W level while applying the IPSec and what drawbacks in the already existing techniques . Keywords: Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), IPv6 , Internet Security, Virtual Private Network(VPN) security ,IPsec for high performance networks. Introduction :As in the current era the internet is widely used for sending and receiving information in a very fast way. As internet is not only used by the single user but huge companies (enterprises) use them for their business use . An enterprises may have their offices at different l... ...yer of TCP/IP working like SSL and these all security protocols need security parameter for establishing a secure connection over the network and each security protocol is doing this by negotiation their own security parameter with the other party. That’s why each security protocol is negotiating its security parameter independently which is the wastage of network resources.[3] The author proposes his solution that each security protocol will maintain its set of negotiating parameters which is called DoI (Domain of interpretation ).ISAKMP will store these agreed security parameters into a file which is called SA file and group of SA are stored in a database and other security protocol will use these security parameter instead of negotiating their own and thus avoiding the duplicity. [3]. Figure 6 :Relation of Security Protocol through ISAKMP negotiation[3]

How Video Games Affect Children

How Video Games Effect Children During the last decade, attention and accusations within the media have turned more to the meteoric rise in popularity of arcade-type home computer and console games. Considerable anecdotal evidence abounds about how teenagers are affected by shoot-em-up and beat-em-up games. Zimbardo (1982) remarked that video games are so addictive to young people that they may be socially isolating and may actually encourage violence between people. Another comment came from the surgeon-general of the United States, who expressed his personal view that video games were one of the root causes of family violence in America.He was quoted as saying that children â€Å"are into the games, body and soul – everything is zapping the enemy. Children get to the point where when they see another child being molested by a third child, they just sit back† (Koop, 1982). Because most research into television violence does demonstrate a relationship between the exposu re to aggression and subsequently exhibited aggression, investigations of the effects of video game playing usually have predicted a similar relationship. However, many variables are involved, and researchers offer no clear statement on the role of game playing and aggressiveness.Parameters include, for instance, gender, age grouping, expressed hostility (feelings of aggressiveness) versus exhibited aggression (overt behavior), the behavioral measurement (e. g. , toward a life-size doll, or in terms of shocks administered from an â€Å"aggression machine†), experimental duration of exposure (time spent playing), and personality traits. Also, studies may be laboratory based or observational. I know these are reliable sources because there is an author and also research was done on the topic. #2 This is my second article and it was written in 2010 and the title of it is Pediatrics for Parents.What makes the article reliable is the fact it’s only two years old. Here are s ome facts from the article. The article stated that at a theoretical level, there are reasons to believe that violent video games may have a larger harmful effect than violent video games. But, recent studies that directly compare passive screen media to video games tend to find bigger effects of violent video games. The article also stated that a well-adjusted child who plays violent video games is going to become a school shooter.When you separate studies into those that were well conducted versus those that had major flaws, you find that a well-conducted studies found bigger average effects of violent games on aggression than did the poorly conducted studies. (Anderson, 2010) Internet Source My first internet article is from an online publication for youth and what makes it reliable is the fact is partner of Santa Fe College and University of Florida along with two newspaper companies. First, one negative influence that video games have is that they can foster violence.This means that when kids play these games and see their favorite character commit some type of violent action, they want to repeat it. Second, video games influence youth negatively by supposedly giving children a negative image of women. Women are not usually used in video games, and when they are, their purpose is usually sex appeal. Lastly, social isolation is a negative influence of video games. It causes the student not to care about grades or learning and to want to stay as far away from the real world as possible because of how much the player likes the videogame world. Smith, 2006) #2 According the American Psychological Association, violent video games can increase children's aggression. Dr. Phil explains, â€Å"The number one negative effect is they tend to inappropriately resolve anxiety by externalizing it. So when kids have anxiety, which they do, instead of soothing themselves, calming themselves, talking about it, expressing it to someone, or even expressing it emotionally by crying, they tend to externalize it. They can attack something, they can kick a wall, they can be mean to a dog or a pet. Additionally, there's an increased frequency of violent responses from children who play these kinds of video games. Dr. Phil also points out that violent video games don't teach kids moral consequences. â€Å"If you shoot somebody in one of these games, you don't go to jail, you don't get penalized in some way — you get extra points! † This doesn't mean that your child will go out into the world and shoot someone. â€Å"But they do use more aggressive language, they do use more aggressive images, they have less ability to control their anger and they externalize things in these violent ways.It's absolutely not good,† says Dr. Phil. The reason I feel that this is a reliable because source because it is from the American Psychological Association and Dr. Phil. I have read many great articles from APA. I have also watched Dr Phil shows and I k now it is all true information. References Anderson, A, C. (2010, March 01). Violent Video Games and Other Media Violence, Part II. Pediatrics for Parents, (3/4), 21, Retrieved from http://elibrary. bigchalk. com. ezp-01. lirn. net Koop, E. (1982). Surgeon general sees danger in video games.New York Times, November 10th, p. A16. Dr. Phil (2012). Children and Violent Video Games, Retrieved from http://www. drphil. com/articles/article/297 American Psychology Association www. apa. org Scott, Derek (1995, March 01). The effect of video games on feelings of aggression†¦ Journal of Psychology, ({129}) 121(12), Retrieved from http://elibrary. bigchalk. com. ezp-01. lirn. net Smith, Blake 9th grade (2006, August 17) How Video Games Affect Kids, Retrieved from http://rolemodels. jou. ufl. edu/rolemodels/entertainment/videogames. shtm

Deception Point Page 49

Marjorie Tench's raspy voice echoed in her mind. Are you aware that Sexton is accepting bribes from private aerospace companies? Gabrielle's pulse began racing as she gazed down the darkened hallway toward the archway that led into the senator's den. She knew she should speak up, announce her presence, and yet she felt herself inching quietly forward. She moved to within a few feet of the archway and stood soundlessly in the shadows†¦ listening to the conversation beyond. 55 While Delta-Three stayed behind to collect Norah Mangor's body and the sled, the other two soldiers accelerated down the glacier after their quarry. On their feet they wore ElektroTread-powered skis. Modeled after the consumer Fast Trax motorized skis, the classified ElektroTreads were essentially snow skis with miniaturized tank treads affixed-like snowmobiles worn on the feet. Speed was controlled by pushing the tips of the index finger and thumb together, compressing two pressure plates inside the right-hand glove. A powerful gel battery was molded around the foot, doubling as insulation and allowing the skis to run silently. Ingeniously, the kinetic energy generated by gravity and the spinning treads as the wearer glided down a hill was automatically harvested to recharge the batteries for the next incline. Keeping the wind at his back, Delta-One crouched low, skimming seaward as he surveyed the glacier before him. His night vision system was a far cry from the Patriot model used by the Marines. Delta-One was looking through a hands-free face mount with a 40 x 90 mm six-element lens, three-element Magnification Doubler, and Super Long Range IR. The world outside appeared in a translucent tint of cool blue, rather than the usual green-the color scheme especially designed for highly reflective terrains like the Arctic. As he approached the first berm, Delta-One's goggles revealed several bright stripes of freshly disturbed snow, rising up and over the berm like a neon arrow in the night. Apparently the three escapees had either not thought to unhook their makeshift sail or had been unable to. Either way, if they had not released by the final berm, they were now somewhere out in the ocean. Delta-One knew his quarry's protective clothing would lengthen the usual life expectancy in the water, but the relentless offshore currents would drag them out to sea. Drowning would be inevitable. Despite his confidence, Delta-One had been trained never to assume. He needed to see bodies. Crouching low, he pressed his fingers together and accelerated up the first incline. Michael Tolland lay motionless, taking stock of his bruises. He was battered, but he sensed no broken bones. He had little doubt the gel-filled Mark IX had saved him any substantial trauma. As he opened his eyes, his thoughts were slow to focus. Everything seemed softer here†¦ quieter. The wind still howled, but with less ferocity. We went over the edge-didn't we? Focusing, Tolland found he was lying on ice, draped across Rachel Sexton, almost at right angles, their locked carabiners twisted. He could feel her breathing beneath him, but he could not see her face. He rolled off her, his muscles barely responding. â€Å"Rachel†¦?† Tolland wasn't sure if his lips were making sound or not. Tolland recalled the final seconds of their harrowing ride-the upward drag of the balloon, the payload cable snapping, their bodies plummeting down the far side of the berm, sliding up and over the final mound, skimming toward the edge-the ice running out. Tolland and Rachel had fallen, but the fall had been oddly short. Rather than the expected plunge to the sea, they had fallen only ten feet or so before hitting another slab of ice and sliding to a stop with the dead weight of Corky in tow. Now, raising his head, Tolland looked toward the sea. Not far away, the ice ended in a sheer cliff, beyond which he could hear the sounds of the ocean. Looking back up the glacier, Tolland strained to see into the night. Twenty yards back, his eyes met a high wall of ice, which seemed to hang above them. It was then that he realized what had happened. Somehow they had slid off the main glacier onto a lower terrace of ice. This section was flat, as large as a hockey rink, and had partially collapsed-preparing to cleave off into the ocean at any moment. Ice calving, Tolland thought, eyeing the precarious platform of ice on which he was now lying. It was a broad square slab that hung off the glacier like a colossal balcony, surrounded on three sides by precipices to the ocean. The sheet of ice was attached to the glacier only at its back, and Tolland could see the connection was anything but permanent. The boundary where the lower terrace clung to the Milne Ice Shelf was marked by a gaping pressure fissure almost four feet across. Gravity was well on its way to winning this battle. Almost more frightening than seeing the fissure was Tolland's seeing the motionless body of Corky Marlinson crumpled on the ice. Corky lay ten yards away at the end of a taut tether attached to them. Tolland tried to stand up, but he was still attached to Rachel. Repositioning himself, he began detaching their interlocking carabiners. Rachel looked weak as she tried to sit up. â€Å"We didn't†¦ go over?† Her voice was bewildered. â€Å"We fell onto a lower block of ice,† Tolland said, finally unfastening himself from her. â€Å"I've got to help Corky.† Painfully, Tolland attempted to stand, but his legs felt feeble. He grabbed the tether and heaved. Corky began sliding toward them across the ice. After a dozen or so pulls, Corky was lying on the ice a few feet away. Corky Marlinson looked beaten. He'd lost his goggles, suffered a bad cut on his cheek, and his nose was bleeding. Tolland's worries that Corky might be dead were quickly allayed when Corky rolled over and looked at Tolland with an angry glare. â€Å"Jesus,† he stammered. â€Å"What the hell was that little trick!† Tolland felt a wave of relief. Rachel sat up now, wincing. She looked around. â€Å"We need to†¦ get off of here. This block of ice looks like it's about to fall.† Tolland couldn't have agreed more. The only question was how. They had no time to consider a solution. A familiar high-pitched whir became audible above them on the glacier. Tolland's gaze shot up to see two white-clad figures ski effortlessly up onto the edge and stop in unison. The two men stood there a moment, peering down at their battered prey like chess masters savoring checkmate before the final kill. Delta-One was surprised to see the three escapees alive. He knew, however, this was a temporary condition. They had fallen onto a section of the glacier that had already begun its inevitable plunge to the sea. This quarry could be disabled and killed in the same manner as the other woman, but a far cleaner solution had just presented itself. A way in which no bodies would ever be found. Gazing downward over the lip, Delta-One focused on the gaping crevasse that had begun to spread like a wedge between the ice shelf and the clinging block of ice. The section of ice on which the three fugitives sat was dangerously perched†¦ ready to break away and fall into the ocean any day now. Why not today†¦ Here on the ice shelf, the night was rocked every few hours by deafening booms-the sound of ice cracking off parts of the glacier and plummeting into the ocean. Who would take notice? Feeling the familiar warm rush of adrenaline that accompanied the preparation for a kill, Delta-One reached in his supply pack and pulled out a heavy, lemon-shaped object. Standard issue for military assault teams, the object was called a flash-bang-a â€Å"nonlethal† concussion grenade that temporarily disoriented an enemy by generating a blinding flash and deafening concussion wave. Tonight, however, Delta-One knew this flash-bang would most certainly be lethal. He positioned himself near the edge and wondered how far the crevasse descended before tapering to a close. Twenty feet? Fifty feet? He knew it didn't matter. His plan would be effective regardless.