Knowlege and atitude of saudi health professionals towards using Essay

Knowlege and atitude of saudi health professionals towards using technology at workplace - Essay Example Consequently, the study will be done through the use cross-sectional survey design. Basically, cross-sectional survey design is crucial in the study because it will be used to collect data on a given sample of participants who will be chosen from a cross section of health professionals. Moreover, the study will have data analysis to ascertain what has been researched. In a general sense, the analysis will give a clear cut on the knowledge and attitudes of health professionals towards technology. Health institutions are some of the most crucial institutions in most countries across that world. They are known to work in accordance to the medical rules and regulations that govern specific countries. Saudi Arabia is one of the numerous countries that has continuously sort to improve the quality of healthy through educating its professionals on the expected knowledge and attitudes particularly pertaining to the use of technology in hospitals and other health facilities (Huber, 2009). Apparently, it has been documented that in 2007during the customary five year strategic health plan for the country, the Ministry of Health in Saudi published numerous main challenges that the health institutions were facing. To begin with, it was noted that there was lack of efficiency in the service delivery system which was as a result of poor coordination between the institution and other stakeholders. In addition, there was lack of health care planning that culminated to immeasurable lack of integration among the three health care systems; primary, secondary and tertiary. Similarly, it was noted that there was absence of modern incentive based payment systems. As such, it was argued that there was a necessity to embrace technology to ensure that these issues were dealt with accordingly. Of most important was to reduce the absence of data that is mandatory in policy and decision making. Consequently, the presence of data improves coordination in health

Early Humans Essay Example for Free

Early Humans Essay What animals did the early humans hunt for food? Early humans found meat from animals that were back in the day, the meat was not so common because before they had animals they had other types of food like for example, fruits from trees, nuts and sometimes even honey and the y also got berries form the burry bushes like raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and so on, but the animal that they always use to eat in the ancient times was the buffalo which was one of the most common animals in there specific villages and mostly when they would get the animals they would open them up with sharp things and then they would eat the meat and by the time they figured out fire they used fire to cook the food like we do know. How the early Human nut and got their food? Well the simple answer is that they used weapon to hunt the animals but we always thought that the early humans are stupid but the truth is that they are actually very smart because of the weapons they used for hunting and another thing they did to hunt food was that back in the early days there was a group of people called hunter gatherers and what hunter gatherers are is that basically a group of people for example from villages (mostly man) would go out to hunt for food mostly everyday and then when any of them would get food they will bring it to the group of people that they are and then the would most probably share the food with the people. And mostly the weapons would be made out of stones and wood. Also an example of the weapons they used wear spears and bows made out wood and stones. The most common food eaten nowadyaus are seeds. Also very populare is vegetables and fruits.

Habits Of Highly Effective People Philosophy Essay

Habits Of Highly Effective People Philosophy Essay Reading this inspiring book I have discovered that to achieve the highest level of self-discipline we need to have 7 habits. By saying habits it means these 7 behaviours pattern must form our everyday pattern of behaviour no exception. This book has opened my eyes on some fundamental facts or habits that shall make me a successful person and achieve high personal achievement. Be more confident on taking decisions and reflect on my strength and weaknesses. The book talks about habits that most effective have them and that made them successful. He said that we make habits and then habits make. We are what we repeatedly do. (Aristotle) Ashe is talking about leadership he mentioned that leadership precedes management. The difference between management and leadership is that management is formal authority while leadership is Moral Authority. Overall the book was interesting and I would like to comment on the main topics covered in the book. The Maturity Continuum is in three steps Dependence This is personal achievement Habits 1, 2, 3 Interdependence This is public achievement-Habits 4, 5, 6 Interdependence-Habit 7 In maturity continuum at dependence stage it is YOU, in independence stage it is I and in interdependence stage it is WE. These are the stages of perfection and optimization that a successful leader should achieve. Habit1. Be Proactive In habit 1 the author is suggesting that one shall be proactive and not reactive. He introduced 3 values in life: the experiential which comes through experiments, creative which come by our creation attitudinal which reflects our response to different situations. By being proactive I can read the surroundings and react upon things by facing the facts but with our own power and control we can response positively. I liked the way he talks about using our energy and power of influence in the right circle. He calls it the circle of influence and the circle of interest. In the circle of influence we have the power to change things but in the circle of interest we may not have the power of change, by concentrating on circle of interest we are just losing our power without we can make any changes; this is not the case if we concentrate on our circle of influence. In proactive approach we make mistakes, acknowledge and correct them. Being in our influence circle is all about proactive. Human Endowments Exercise human endowments imagination and conscience keep promise start small start with yourself never promise too big and deliver too low strong independent will is much inner power swim upstream Become transitional Stop transmitting negative actions of others Be true proactive , not reactive Influence others by my behaviour Make a space between Stimulant and Response so there is a gap for thinking Have principles We have the freedom of choice so we are responsible on our actions Paradigms I take responsibility of my action and choice I am capable of expanding my freedom and influence by proactive behaviour Having the above traits, the process Any reactive tendency I have , I change it to proactive I increase my circle of influence To become transition person so I benefit and others Exercise human endowments mentioned up Habit2. Begin With the End in Mind Focussing on goals is what we always need to do. Our personality has 3 different leadership qualities leadership management productivity Covey quotation in his book from Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis, management is doing things right, Leadership is doing the right things (1).This statement was so powerful and straight to the point which tells all about leadership in very simple and profound words. With the goal in mind we can design the start and focus on our goal and get the results we imagined. He suggests that we visualize things and focus on them so they interweave with our life experience. Things can go as we imagined because we put energy and focus on them and make things happen. I liked the author words mental creation precedes physical creation Effective people shape their own future Use whole brain (left and right) Have a personal mission statement, do incremental changes to the goal but dont change the core. Personal mission statement should answer the questions: What I am about? What do I leave behind? What characters Id like to emulate? What are the important I want? How I can use the right brain? And so on the list goes on. Benefits By doing this it encourages you to think deeply about your life, discover our inside thinking, expands perspective, visualise our goals desires and being the auto pilot to be on the right track. Refining By studying the lives of people we admire we can refine our mission statement Read poetry and inspiring literature Keep a list of trait s characters you like to develop Visualise what u want to be in 10, 20, 30 yrs. List the important things Testing mission values Timeless proven Represent the best inside me Inspire me the right direction Security and comfort to me approach and integrate the 4 basic human needs For example we should reflect upon Mahatma Ghandi mission of every day: I shall not fear any one on earth I shall fear only god I shall not bear ill toward any one I shall not submit to injustice from anyone I shall conquer untruth by truth And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering Process Create and apply daily living personal and organisational mission statement Envision the desired results and important values to guide activities. Anyone cannot do the right thing in one part of life while he is doing wrong things in any other parts, because life is one invisible whole (Ghandi) Summary of this part is: Choose a life centre Personal mission statement Habit3. Put First Things First So when you want to do something, plan, design and do it. By using calendar and notes list diaries we organise things and put priority on them .we cannot control time but we can manage our or organise ourselves to do tasks. The tasks can be classified in 3 different priorities: Urgent, Important, Not important. I Important and urgent II Important and not urgent III Urgent and not important IV Not urgent and not important We will make things bigger and bigger till it will dominate us and absorb our power by only focusing on Quadrant IQI in the table because it is urgent. The most important one is QII. Effective people are more interested in QII. They do not act in III and IV which are not important and stay in I and II but give more time to II and make I smaller Effective people do their time management by focusing on activities in QII because they are important and those activities have big impact in our life, so we must focus on them. Effective managers focus on results and not on methods so subordinates can choose the method and by this approach best results can be achieved because the subordinate have come up with their own visions or means to do it; it is their visions and not somebody elses. Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and he will become as he can and should be (1) We only need time management to organise ourselves to do tasks. Time management can be looked at from three different angles -we believe that we need more timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..but you have all the time is there -we believe that we can save timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..time is equally given to all and we have to spend it -we believe that we can manage timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. We can manage ourselves not time This simple comparison show how thinking has changed Old generation new generation Efficiency effectiveness Practices principles Management Leadership Schedule Relationship Urgent things First Things In control Illusion In Alignment I liked the way the author talked about building emotion bank account. It is a brilliant idea to gauge our account statement and see where the pluses and minuses, i.e. the deposit and withdrawal. He said that to build emotion account we basically have six major deposits, when we do negative things we withdraw from the account and when we do positive things we deposit the account. These deposits and withdrawal are our actions. Examples of deposits that we can make are by: 1. I see what is important for the other person and make it important to me also 2. I attend to small things that are seeing big things to the other to strengthen the relations 3. I keep promise, by not committing to fulfil; it is a big withdraw 4. I must clarify expectations. The author says this is the most damaging part of relations. Explain the role, term and goal. By clearing this upfront, it will save much of time and effort later. 5. I show personal humour and integrity. Be consistent when dealing with groups or individuals. The author says that you must remember how you treat one is how you treat the all others because all is the sum of ones 6. I should apologize when do mistake sincerely and it will be deposit. Priorities The most important things should come first before the less important Improve product/product capacity balance within my circle of influence I fulfil my mission by acting on important Goals in my key roles. Process Focus on important things and NO to unimportant things. Focus on QII activities and gradually Q1 activities will be covered or merged in QII, QIII and QIV will go away. Habit4. Think Win-Win Human relations based on one of these transactions: Win-Win both mutual benefit Win-Lose it is competition if I win you must lose and the relation is authoritarian Lose-Win the leadership is permissive Lose-lose when people try to make others lose even if they lose Win Win-Win or No Deal Win-Win both parties are winners or no deal and no loser. This is the beginning of relations and if no benefit then not a deal once in relation after some time the parties move to Win-Win if they have built the trust. Four dimension of Win-Win: Character: integrity, maturity, abundance mentality Relationships: demonstrate honesty, loyalty Believe in the best of others, clear expectation, accurate in time and honest in communications, treat others with respect and respond to their needs, focus on positive and use feedback for improvements. Agreements: desire results, guidelines, resources, accountability , consequences- achieve win-win or not Systems Processes Persist on looking for win-win results despite the past win-lose condition. Principles Effective long term relationship require mutual benefit I seek the benefit of others as well as my own I get better results by cooperating interdependently that by competing independently Win-Win relations should be focused on win-win with trust. Performance agreement will define the relation and it will be from vertical to horizontal where partnership or team work. the agreement set standards where people measure their performance: define the results, parameters Resources-human, financial, organisation support Accountability the time and standards Consequences what will happen Reward is very important system in Win-Win. If reward is used in win-lose, the system will have negative effect. If rewarded few in the Win-Win system, others are losers .Best is to set individual goals within the overall win goals so all can get rewarded. In competitive market win-win situation should be existed to make win-win to all participants but lack of confidence and trust is the main culprit. Win-Win is a third alternative, it is not my not your way but it is a better way. Habit5. First Understand, then be understood The beauty of this part lies in the art of listening. Which is very important element in gaining the hearts of the others and I believe it is on the top list of communications skills. We tend to prescribe things before listening deeply to the problem and diagnose what is needed. Be a good listener is a key to success. We listen not just for listening but to deeply understand the other party frame of reference and feelings. Listen with ears eyes and heart. Diagnose before prescribe things is not a professional approach. Understand what the customer needs is and give solutions. Amateur salesperson sells product BUT professional salesperson sales SOLUTIONS. Listen not by mouth. Listen to give answer. Listen with ears eyes heart In 75% of waking life, we learn reading, writing, speaking and listening.40% is listening alone. Every hour of understanding save 10/20/50 hours of problem solving arise from not understanding. Empathy listening is the key to the art of listening. Words we say represent 7%, nonverbal body language is 38%, the way we say words (emphasis) and sounds we make is 55% of the speech. So communication is seeing and feelings. It is mainly attitude and partly skills. The one who listens does most of the work not the one who speaks. Everyone is single and unique who will listen then? It is said that walls have ears. However some ears have walls. These words were very powerful on me and I have reflected upon them for a while. They are so true and profound and full of wisdom. Habit6. Synergise Simply it means all or total is greater than the sum of the parts or ones. Its value comes from valuing each other competencies and differences respect them and try to complement each other hence we get the complete picture which individually cannot be completed because o these differences and weaknesses. Cooperation builds trust and needs to interweave with each other. By having synergy mission it will be part of every body mind and heart and not individual concern when it is made by others. Ground rules for synergy try to adopt win-win way of thinking and mentality keep your heart, mind open to new alternatives and possibilities appreciate and respect value others opinions, views, and solutions The third alternative Negotiate and communicate till find a solution that we all feel good about It is not my way nor your way it sis the a better way We both can be right but we dont agree I must listen and if I dont agree I say: this is how I see it, not you are wrong Humility-I have my own experience though a life trials and errors. Take the others experience that took them a lifetime of understanding as a gift given to you for free. The main drive for synergetic approach is answering the question: Would you be willing to explore a solution which might be better than what we suggest? The principles of synergy are: Valuing differences of others and looking for a third alternative Doing work together takes time but produce better long term results Human problems can be solved by using habits 4, 5, 6, Habit7. Sharpen the Saw The principles of balance self-renewal You should work in a proactive way as mentioned before in the QII quadrant to refresh the dimension of ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually and socially. Live-Physical, basic wealth Lovesocial LearnMental Leave a legacyspiritual These when integrated they produce Fire Within Four dimensions of renewal Physical This is concerned about physical wellbeing by good eating and having good sleep and relaxation with exercise, stress management, sleep and rest, regular medical check-ups healthy habits and lifestyle. Spiritual Is inside us and it is a self-monitoring commitment to our values and it drives us by giving inspiration and uplifting to deal with human beings Create mission, review and refine Watch nature and reflect Study literature of great people Appreciate music and art Religious worship, yoga and meditation Mental dimension Keep the mind always fresh and sharp- with all the knowledge by reading writing planning and open mind to others to get new ideas. Read and read and read he says 12 books a year. Most professions have half-life of 4 years. Solve puzzles, play mental games, continue education, listen to music, be aware of TV it can be an open sewer into your home. These are the suggestions of the author and I completely agree with him. Social/emotional It is showing by our interactions with others and how we focus on them. Keep family relations, keep old friendship and find new friends, keep good relations and repair damage, value differences and look for synergy, take holiday and celebrate, take each family member in a date, write letters to family and friends. The four dimensions have to be refreshed and renewed together and if one is not looked after then the whole is affected. The process of synergising Apply Win-Win way of thinking-habit 4 Listen with empathy-habit 5 Seek synergic outcome- habit 6 Then use the synergy rules to find the third alternative Life changes continuously, keep core intact and deal with changes. Your centre is a source of security, guidance, wisdom and power. The real improvement is by renewal of all the four dimensions, physical, social. Set goals and work to achieve those dimensions renewal goals. The process is achieved by constantly developing and renewing of these personal dimensions (resources) to achieve better personal (product) and balance. Some quotes; Strength lies in differences, not in similarities The key of objectivity is to accept subjectivity I dont see the worlds as it is, I see is as I am The enemy of the Best is the good unknown. 7. Sharpen the Saw Be proactive and accepts risk to take new challenge Begin with the end in mind share team vision and mission First things are the things that are most important, they come first Think win-win increase group momentum and bring effective solutions to conflicts Seek understand first so u be understood and successfully resolve problems Synergy by engaging everybody can get better results and complement each other Renew and refresh your four personal dimensions continuously to protect them from burn-out Final Quotes: Become my leader although I a m your boss Production is golden egg, capability is goose

Technology Paper :: essays research papers

Syndication of the Web 'Syndication involves the sale of the same good to many customers, who then integrate it with other offerings and redistribute it (Werbach, 2000).'; E-Trade is one such organization. They distinguish themselves from their competition by the way they package and price the information they sell not through the information itself. Syndication is a very different way of structuring the business of today. This way of doing business is very different than the way business has been done in the past. It requires small and large businesses to rethink their tactical and strategic plans, thus causing the reshaping of organizations. This will also change the way they interact with customers and partner with other entities. In addition, businesses will be forced to develop new models for collecting revenues and earning profits. Syndication has traditionally been rare in the business world for three reasons. First, syndication works only with information goods. Second, syndication requires modularity. Third, syndication requires many independent distribution points (Werbach, 2000). Within this syndication network, businesses can play three different roles or a company can play one role in a syndication network, or two or three roles simultaneously. The three roles are originators, syndicators, or distributors. The originators create the original product or content. The syndicators package the content for distribution to the distributors. Often times they integrate it with the product or content from other originators. And last but not least, the distributors deliver the content to customers (Werbach, 2000). Within the structure of syndication there are syndicators and distributors. Syndicators save the distributors from having to find all of the different originators in an effort to gather all of the content that they want to package and eventually put out for distribution. The syndicators are able to collect standard formats and contracts from a variety of sources and making it readily available. This part of the process frees the distributors from having to find and negotiate with dozens or even hundreds of different originators. This allows syndicators to act as information collectors by collecting and packaging digital information in a way that adds value to it. In the physical world, it is very difficult to find a syndicator that works alone and is not associated with the entertainment industry. Technology Paper :: essays research papers Syndication of the Web 'Syndication involves the sale of the same good to many customers, who then integrate it with other offerings and redistribute it (Werbach, 2000).'; E-Trade is one such organization. They distinguish themselves from their competition by the way they package and price the information they sell not through the information itself. Syndication is a very different way of structuring the business of today. This way of doing business is very different than the way business has been done in the past. It requires small and large businesses to rethink their tactical and strategic plans, thus causing the reshaping of organizations. This will also change the way they interact with customers and partner with other entities. In addition, businesses will be forced to develop new models for collecting revenues and earning profits. Syndication has traditionally been rare in the business world for three reasons. First, syndication works only with information goods. Second, syndication requires modularity. Third, syndication requires many independent distribution points (Werbach, 2000). Within this syndication network, businesses can play three different roles or a company can play one role in a syndication network, or two or three roles simultaneously. The three roles are originators, syndicators, or distributors. The originators create the original product or content. The syndicators package the content for distribution to the distributors. Often times they integrate it with the product or content from other originators. And last but not least, the distributors deliver the content to customers (Werbach, 2000). Within the structure of syndication there are syndicators and distributors. Syndicators save the distributors from having to find all of the different originators in an effort to gather all of the content that they want to package and eventually put out for distribution. The syndicators are able to collect standard formats and contracts from a variety of sources and making it readily available. This part of the process frees the distributors from having to find and negotiate with dozens or even hundreds of different originators. This allows syndicators to act as information collectors by collecting and packaging digital information in a way that adds value to it. In the physical world, it is very difficult to find a syndicator that works alone and is not associated with the entertainment industry.

Plot Analysis Of Conspiracy Th :: essays research papers

The Conspiracy Theory is a movie that can wake you up to a very likely and harsh reality. Main character Jerry, author and sole producer of a monthly tabloid about theories on conspiracies soon begins to remember a hidden and forgotten past. The most captivating part of Conspiracy Theory is how the character’s past and present interact to contribute to the plot, and their futures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tragic pasts of the 3 main characters help define the plot. Jerry was once a test subject for governmental experiments. Jodas, head of these experiments, tried to learn how to turn an everyday person into a brutal killer. Jerry soon became Jodas’ personal tool of destruction, and Jerry was told to kill a judge who was sure to put Jodas in jail. Jerry was given a chance to kill him, but his human conscience proved to still live on, the judge soon took Jerry under his wing. That judge was later killed by another one of Jodas’ men. With the judge’s final words, he begged Jerry to protect his one and only daughter, Alice. Our three main characters are now destine for a major confrontation years later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main plot is laid out by the events of the present. Several years later, Jerry drives his cab as he’s done every day since the shooting, until he zones out and has a flashback of his past. One soon finds out that Jerry is very paranoid about the government and he questions everything about it. Jodas catches up to Jerry and tries to imprison him. Alice then finds that Jodas is one of Jerry’s newsletter subscribers and has a meeting with him. Jodas then convinces Alice that Jerry killed her father; now Jerry is about to be set up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot is concluded with a promise to the character’s futures. Jerry then asks Alice to meet him, and they return to the place where her father died. Jerry then confesses to Alice that he did not kill her father. After much deliberation, Alice believes Jerry; and just on time for Jodas’ return. Jodas captures Jerry and Alice barely gets away with the mere stroke of luck. Jerry is then imprisoned and injected with fluid that will convince his mind that he did everything. Plot Analysis Of Conspiracy Th :: essays research papers The Conspiracy Theory is a movie that can wake you up to a very likely and harsh reality. Main character Jerry, author and sole producer of a monthly tabloid about theories on conspiracies soon begins to remember a hidden and forgotten past. The most captivating part of Conspiracy Theory is how the character’s past and present interact to contribute to the plot, and their futures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tragic pasts of the 3 main characters help define the plot. Jerry was once a test subject for governmental experiments. Jodas, head of these experiments, tried to learn how to turn an everyday person into a brutal killer. Jerry soon became Jodas’ personal tool of destruction, and Jerry was told to kill a judge who was sure to put Jodas in jail. Jerry was given a chance to kill him, but his human conscience proved to still live on, the judge soon took Jerry under his wing. That judge was later killed by another one of Jodas’ men. With the judge’s final words, he begged Jerry to protect his one and only daughter, Alice. Our three main characters are now destine for a major confrontation years later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main plot is laid out by the events of the present. Several years later, Jerry drives his cab as he’s done every day since the shooting, until he zones out and has a flashback of his past. One soon finds out that Jerry is very paranoid about the government and he questions everything about it. Jodas catches up to Jerry and tries to imprison him. Alice then finds that Jodas is one of Jerry’s newsletter subscribers and has a meeting with him. Jodas then convinces Alice that Jerry killed her father; now Jerry is about to be set up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot is concluded with a promise to the character’s futures. Jerry then asks Alice to meet him, and they return to the place where her father died. Jerry then confesses to Alice that he did not kill her father. After much deliberation, Alice believes Jerry; and just on time for Jodas’ return. Jodas captures Jerry and Alice barely gets away with the mere stroke of luck. Jerry is then imprisoned and injected with fluid that will convince his mind that he did everything.

Bachelor of Social Work Application

Social work is a vital part of every community. Social work aims at better understanding the issues concerning the people with respect to their environment and works on improving the living standards and the general human conditions. It is the science of exploring the dilemmas present in societies and community and make positive changes to social justice and economic status. This paper would address to questions social work related issues and problems. It would elaborate on the ethical concerns of social work. Moreover, it would discuss the role of self awareness with respect to social work.Discussion Social work related issue: Working as a social correspondent is not an easy task. Social work involves the responsibilities of insuring the rehabilitation of the society and its counterparts in a way that a better quality of life is granted to the people through solving the domestic issues and problems. One of the pressing issues in today's communities and homes is the abundant use of d rugs. over the passage of time, one of the major relief giver that people find from the tension and stress of the fast paced lifestyles is the use of drugs to relax the mind.Drug abuse is often an addiction and it has a vital affect on an individuals environments. Youngsters are more prone to this issue and need protection in situations where there family members are drug abusers. It is the responsibility of social workers to make sure that there are no youngsters that are at risk at home or elsewhere due to drug abusing and if cases are found, youngsters need to be taken into care. Social workers often find it difficult to assess the number of children that are living in high risk situations where they are not available with adequate safety, protection and support from drug abusing parents.In societies where there are no legal regulations and inadequate authorities, people are prone to drug abuse and this is when the social work is needed in order to maintain the safety and protect ion for the residents. Professional ethics in social work practice: Being aware of the ethical codes is a fundamental part of being a professional social worker. The ethical responsibilities that rest with social workers include the factor of loyalty that they have towards their work. Social workers work in the best interest of people and this often conflicts with the factors of efficiency and utility.Furthermore, it is a fact that the resources are often limited when it comes to working within societies. One of the major foils of the professional ethical code of conduct of social workers is the factor of mutual respect and dignity of everyone. Social work is the profession that encourages social change and it builds the relationship among people in order to enhance their well-being. For social work to be effective and efficient, social workers need to defend each person's emotional, physical and psychological well being and integrity in the best manner possible.Social workers are a lso responsible for maintaining social justice. For this to be effective, they need to respect diversity and abstain from discrimination on the bases of age, sex, culture, socio-economics background and various other aspects. Social work inherits the ethical responsibility of challenging any unjust policies or practices that are carried out and ensure that all the resources are distributed fairly according to the needs. (Levy, 1993) There are some other ethical codes of conduct that need to be followed by social workers in order to remain professional and qualifies in their field.It is unlawful to use the social work in negative schemes such as torturing or black mailing people into getting them to act in certain ways. Social workers are expected to retain empathy and compassion while dealing with people. Confidentiality of the people of use social services and accountability of actions are also important characteristics of the ethical responsibilities of social workers. (Levy, 1993 ) Self-awareness: Self awareness in social work is as important as the ethical implications.It is important to keep a respectful and non-judgmental attitude when working with people. Self awareness is basically the recognition of the element of one's personality. It includes the strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. It is very important for social workers to develop self awareness as it helps them in recognizing when and how they get under pressure and stressed. Self awareness is vital for a more open and thorough communication because interpersonal relations is the core of social work.Self awareness is correlated with ethics and it helps ensure that the workers are empathetic towards the people and they develop and consciousness of how they view the world and the values that they hold. Developing an understanding on one's own values, cultures and beliefs helps in respecting a multicultural and diversified view of the society. Once the thoughts, beliefs, personality traits, val ues and biases that lie within a person are recognized, it is easy for the workers to acknowledge the different identifies and personalities that exist in societies and it is easier to overcome biases and maintain a more empathetic overview.Self awareness is therefore a skill that is critical for social workers to inculcate in order for them to acquire professional growth and become competent in their field. Conclusion In the end it is important to understand that social work involves dealing with all kinds of people and rehabilitating them and the society as a whole in order to facilitate justice and enable a better quality and standard of living for the society. Hence, it is important to maintain ethical responsibilities and carry out the work without any implicit bias. References Levy, C. S (1993). Social work ethics on the line. Haworth press.

A Dirty Job Chapter 24

24 AUDREY AND THE SQUIRREL PEOPLE Charlie could hear things scurrying under the porch as he walked to the front door of the Buddhist center, but the weight of the enormous pistol he'd stuck down the back of his belt reassured him, even if it was pulling his pants down a little. The front door was nearly twelve feet tall, red, with reeded glass running the length, and there were arrays of colorful Tibetan prayer wheels, like spools, on either side of the door. Charlie knew what they were because he'd once had a thief try to sell him some hot ones stolen from a temple. Charlie knew he should kick down the door, but then, it was a really big door, and although he had watched a lot of cop shows and movies where door kicking had been done, he was inexperienced himself. Another option was to pull his pistol and blast the lock off the door, but he didn't know any more about lock blasting than he did door kicking, so he decided to ring the doorbell. The scurrying noises increased and he could hear heavier footsteps inside. The door swung open and the pretty brunette he knew as Elizabeth Sarkoff – Esther Johnson's fake niece – stood in the doorway. â€Å"Why, Mr. Asher, what a pleasant surprise.† It won't be for long, sister, said his inner tough guy. â€Å"Mrs. Sarkoff, nice to see you. What are you doing here?† â€Å"I'm the receptionist. Come in, come in.† Charlie stepped into the foyer, which opened up to a staircase and had sliding double doors on either side. He could see that straight back the foyer led to a dining room with a long table, and beyond that a kitchen. The house had been restored nicely, and didn't really have the appearance of a public building. The inner tough guy said, Don't try to run your game on me, floozy. I've never hit a dame before, but if I don't get some straight talk quick, I'm willing to give it a try, see. Charlie said, â€Å"I had no idea you were a Buddhist. That's fascinating. How's your Aunt Esther, by the way?† He had her now, didn't even have to slap her around. â€Å"Still dead. Thanks for asking, though. What can I do for you, Mr. Asher?† The sliding door to the left of them opened an inch and someone, a young man's voice, said, â€Å"Master, we need you.† â€Å"I'll be right there,† said the alleged Mrs. Sarkoff. â€Å"Master?† Charlie raised an eyebrow. â€Å"We hold receptionists in very high regard in the Buddhist tradition.† She grinned, really big and goofy, like she didn't even believe it herself. Charlie was totally charmed by the laughter and open surrender in her eyes. Trust there, with no reason for it. â€Å"Good God, you're a bad liar,† he said. â€Å"Guess you could see right through my moo-poo, huh?† Big grin. â€Å"So, you are?† Charlie offered his hand to shake. â€Å"I am the Venerable Amitabha Audrey Rinpoche.† She bowed. â€Å"Or just Audrey, if you're in a hurry.† She took two of Charlie's fingers and shook them. â€Å"Charlie Asher,† Charlie said. â€Å"So you're not really Mrs. Johnson's niece.† â€Å"And you're not really a used-clothing dealer?† â€Å"Well, actually – â€Å" That's all Charlie got out. There was a crashing sound from straight ahead, glass and splintering wood. Then he saw the table go over in the next room and Minty Fresh screamed â€Å"Freeze!† as he leapt over the fallen table and headed toward them, gun in hand, oblivious, evidently, to the fact that he was seven feet tall and that the doorway, built in 1908, was only six feet eight inches high. â€Å"Stop,† Charlie shouted, about a half second too late, as Minty Fresh drove four inches of forehead into some very nicely finished oak trim above the door with a thud that shook the whole house. His feet continued on, his body swinging after, and at one point he was parallel to the floor, about six feet off the ground, when gravity decided to manifest itself. The chrome Desert Eagle clattered all the way through the foyer and hit the front door. Minty Fresh landed flat and quite unconscious on the floor between Charlie and Audrey. â€Å"And this is my friend Minty Fresh,† Charlie said. â€Å"He doesn't do this a lot.† â€Å"Boy, you don't see that every day,† said Audrey, looking down at the sleeping giant. â€Å"Yeah,† Charlie said. â€Å"I don't know where he found raw silk in moss green.† â€Å"That's not linen?† Audrey asked. â€Å"No, it's silk.† â€Å"Hmm, it's so wrinkled, I thought it must be linen, or a blend.† â€Å"Well, I think maybe all the activity – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, I guess so.† Audrey nodded, then looked at Charlie. â€Å"So – â€Å" â€Å"Mr. Asher.† A woman's voice to his right. The doors on Charlie's right slid open, and an older woman stood there: Irena Posokovanovich. The last time he'd seen her he was sitting in the back of Rivera's cruiser, in handcuffs. â€Å"Mrs. Posokov†¦Mrs. Posokovano – Irena! How are you?† â€Å"You weren't so concerned about that yesterday.† â€Å"No, I was. I really was. Sorry about that.† Charlie smiled, thinking it was his most charming smile. â€Å"I hope you don't have that pepper spray with you.† â€Å"I don't,† Irena said. Charlie looked at Audrey. â€Å"We had a little misunderstanding – â€Å" â€Å"I have this,† Irena said, producing a stun gun from behind her back, pressing it to Charlie's chest and sending a hundred and twenty-five thousand volts surging through his body. He could see animals, or animal-like creatures, dressed in period finery, approaching him as he convulsed in pain on the floor. â€Å"Get them both tied up, guys,† Audrey said. â€Å"I'll make tea.† Tea?† Audrey said. So, for the second time in his life, Charlie Asher found himself tied to a chair and being served a hot beverage. Audrey was bent over before him, holding a teacup, and regardless of the awkwardness or danger of the situation, Charlie found himself staring down the front of her shirt. â€Å"What kind of tea?† Charlie asked, buying time, noticing the cluster of tiny silk roses that perched happily at the front clasp of her bra. â€Å"I like my tea like I like my men,† Audrey said with a grin. â€Å"Weak and green.† Now Charlie looked into her eyes, which were smiling. â€Å"Your right hand is free,† she said. â€Å"But we had to take your gun and your sword-cane, because those things are frowned upon.† â€Å"You're the nicest captor I've ever had,† Charlie said, taking the teacup from her. â€Å"What are you trying to say?† said Minty Fresh. Charlie looked to his right, where Minty Fresh was tied to a chair that made him look as if he'd been taken hostage at a child's tea party – his knees were up near his chin and one of his wrists was taped near the floor. Someone had put a large ice pack on his head, which looked vaguely like a tam-o'-shanter. â€Å"Nothing,† Charlie said. â€Å"You were a great captor, too, don't get me wrong.† â€Å"Tea, Mr. Fresh?† Audrey said. â€Å"Do you have coffee?† â€Å"Back in a second,† Audrey said. She left the room. They'd been moved to one of the rooms off the foyer, Charlie couldn't tell which. It must have been a parlor for entertaining during its day, but it had been converted into a combination office and reception room: metal desks, a computer, some filing cabinets, and an array of older oak office chairs for working and waiting. â€Å"I think she likes me,† Charlie said. â€Å"She has you taped to a chair,† Minty Fresh said, pulling at the tape around his ankles with his free hand. The ice pack fell off his head and hit the floor with a loud thump. â€Å"I didn't notice how attractive she was when I met her before.† â€Å"Would you help me get free, please?† Minty said. â€Å"Can't,† Charlie said. â€Å"Tea.† He held up his cup. Clicking noises by the door. They looked up as four little bipeds in silk and satin scampered into the room. One, who had the face of an iguana, the hands of a raccoon, and was dressed like a musketeer, big-feathered hat and all, drew a sword and poked Minty Fresh in the hand he was using to pull at the duct tape. â€Å"Ow, dammit. Thing!† â€Å"I don't think he wants you to try to get loose,† Charlie said. The iguana guy saluted Charlie with a flourish of his sword and pointed to the end of his snout with his free hand, as if to say, On the nose, buddy. â€Å"So,† Audrey said, entering the room carrying a tray with Minty's coffee, â€Å"I see you've met the squirrel people.† â€Å"Squirrel people?† Charlie asked. A little lady with a duck's face and reptilian hands wearing a purple satin evening gown curtsied to Charlie, who nodded back. â€Å"That's what we call them,† Audrey said. â€Å"Because the first few I made had squirrel faces and hands, but then I ran out of squirrel parts and they got more baroque.† â€Å"They're not creatures of the Underworld?† Charlie said. â€Å"You made them?† â€Å"Sort of,† Audrey said. â€Å"Cream and sugar, Mr. Fresh?† â€Å"Please,† Minty said. â€Å"You make these monsters?† All four of the little creatures turned to him at once and leaned back, as if to say, Hey, pal, who are you calling monsters. â€Å"They're not monsters, Mr. Fresh. The squirrel people are as human as you are.† â€Å"Yeah, except they have better fashion sense,† Charlie said. â€Å"I'm not always going to be taped to this chair, Asher,† Minty said. â€Å"Woman, who or what the hell are you?† â€Å"Be nice,† Charlie said. â€Å"I suppose I should explain,† Audrey said. â€Å"Ya think?† Minty said. Audrey sat down on the floor, cross-legged, and the squirrel people gathered around her, to listen. â€Å"Well, it's a little embarrassing, but I guess it started when I was a kid. I sort of had this affinity for dead things.† â€Å"Like you liked to touch dead things?† asked Minty Fresh. â€Å"Get naked with them?† â€Å"Would you please let the lady talk,† Charlie said. â€Å"Bitch is a freak,† Minty said. Audrey smiled. â€Å"Why, yes; yes, I am, Mr. Fresh, and you are tied up in my dining room, at the mercy of any freaky thing that might occur to me.† She tapped a silver demitasse spoon she'd used to stir her tea on her front tooth and rolled her eyes as if imagining something delicious. â€Å"Please go on,† said Minty Fresh with a shudder. â€Å"Sorry to interrupt.† â€Å"It wasn't a freaky thing,† Audrey said, glancing at Minty, daring him to speak up. â€Å"It was just that I had an overdeveloped sense of empathy with the dying, mostly animals, but when my grandmother passed, I could feel it, from miles away. Anyway, it didn't overwhelm me or anything, but when I got to college, to see if I could get a handle on it, I decided to study Eastern philosophy – oh yeah, and fashion design.† â€Å"I think it's important to look good when you're doing the work of the dead,† Charlie said. â€Å"Well – uh – okay,† Audrey said. â€Å"And I was a good seamstress. I really liked making costumes. Anyway, I met and fell in love with a guy.† â€Å"A dead guy?† Minty asked. â€Å"Soon enough, Mr. Fresh. He was dead soon enough.† Audrey looked down at the carpet. â€Å"See, you insensitive fuck,† Charlie said. â€Å"You hurt her feelings.† â€Å"Hello, tied to a chair here,† Minty said. â€Å"Surrounded by little monsters, Asher. Not the insensitive one.† â€Å"Sorry,† Charlie said. â€Å"It's okay,† Audrey said. â€Å"His name was William – Billy, and we were together for two years before he got sick. We'd only been engaged a month when he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. They gave him a couple of months to live. I dropped out of school and stayed with him every moment. One of the nurses from hospice knew about my Eastern studies course and recommended we talk with Dorje Rinpoche, a monk from the Tibetan Buddhist Center in Berkeley. He talked to us about Bardo Thodrol, what you know as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. He helped prepare Billy to transfer his consciousness into the next world – into his next life. It took our focus off of the darkness and made death a natural, hopeful thing. I was with Billy when he died, and I could feel his consciousness move on – really feel it – Dorje Rinpoche said that I had some special talent. He thought I should study under a high lama.† â€Å"So you became a monk?† Charlie asked. â€Å"I thought a lama was just a tall sheep,† said Minty Fresh. Audrey ignored him. â€Å"I was heartbroken and I needed direction, so I went to Tibet and was accepted at a monastery where I studied Bardo Thodrol for twelve years under Lama Karmapa Rinpoche, the seventeenth reincarnation of the bodhisattva who had founded our school of Buddhism a thousand years ago. He taught me the art of p'howa – the transference of the consciousness at the moment of death.† â€Å"So you could do what the monk had done for your fianc† Charlie asked. â€Å"Yes. I performed p'howa for many of the mountain villagers. It was a sort of a specialty with me – along with making the robes for everyone in the monastery. Lama Karmapa told me that he felt I was a very old soul, the reincarnation of a superenlightened being from many generations before. I thought perhaps he was just trying to test me, to get me to succumb to ego, but when his own death was near and he called me to perform the p'howa for him, I realized that this was the test, and he was trusting the transference of his own soul to me.† â€Å"Just so we're clear,† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"I would not trust you with my car keys.† The iguana musketeer poked Minty in the calf with his little sword and the big man yelped. â€Å"See,† Charlie said. â€Å"When you're rude it comes back on you – like karma.† Audrey smiled at Charlie, put her tea on the floor, and folded her legs into the lotus position, settling in. â€Å"When the Lama passed, I saw his consciousness leave his body. Then I felt my own consciousness leave my body, and I followed the Lama into the mountains, where he showed me a small cave, buried deep beneath the snow. And in that cave was a stone box, sealed with wax and sinew. He told me that I must find the box, and then he was gone, ascended, and I found myself back in my body.† â€Å"Were you superenlightened then?† Charlie asked. â€Å"I don't even know what that is,† Audrey said. â€Å"The Lama was wrong about that, but something had changed me while performing the p'howa for him. When I came out of the room with his body, I could see a red spot glowing in people, right at their heart chakra. It was the same thing I had followed into the mountains, the undying consciousness – I could see people's souls. But what was more disturbing to me, I could see that the glow was absent in some people, or I couldn't see it in them, or in myself. I didn't know why, but I did know that I had to find that stone box. By following the exact path into the mountains that the Lama had shown me, I did. Inside was a scroll that most Buddhists thought – still think – was a myth: the lost chapter of the Tibetan Book of the Dead†¦It outlined two long-lost arts, the p'howa of forceful projection, and one I hadn't even heard of, the p'howa of undying. The first allows you to force a soul from one bein g to another, and the second allows the practitioner to prolong the transition, the bardo, between life and death indefinitely.† â€Å"Does that mean you could make people live forever?† Charlie asked. â€Å"Sort of – more like they just stop dying. I meditated on the amazing gift I'd been given for months, afraid to try to perform the rituals. But one day when I was attending the bardo of an old man who was dying of a painful stomach cancer, I could watch the suffering no longer, and I tried the p'howa of forceful projection. I guided his soul into the body of his newborn grandson, who I could see had no glow at his heart chakra. I could actually see the glow move across the room and the soul enter the baby. The man died in peace only seconds later. â€Å"A few weeks later I was called to attend the bardo of a young boy who had taken ill and was showing all the signs of imminent death. I couldn't bear to let it happen, knowing that there might be something I might be able to do, so I performed the p'howa of undying on him, and he didn't die. In fact, he got better. I succumbed to the ego of it, then, and I started to perform the ritual on other villagers, instead of helping them on to their next life. I did five in as many months, but there was a problem. The parents of the little boy summoned me. He wasn't growing – not even his hair and nails. He was stuck at age nine. But by then the villagers were all coming to me with the dying, and word spread throughout the mountains to other villages. They lined up outside of our monastery, demanding I come see them. But I had refused to perform the ritual, realizing that I was not helping these people, but in fact freezing them in their spiritual progression, plus, you know, kin d of freaking them out.† â€Å"Understandably,† Charlie said. â€Å"I couldn't explain to my fellow monks what was happening. So I ran away in the night. I presented myself to be of service to a Buddhist center in Berkeley, and I was accepted as a monk. It was during that time that I saw, for the first time, a human soul contained in an inanimate object, when I went into a music store in the Castro. It was your music store, Mr. Fresh.† â€Å"I knew that was you,† said Minty. â€Å"I told Asher about you.† â€Å"He did,† Charlie said. â€Å"He said you were very attractive.† â€Å"I did not,† Minty said. â€Å"He did. ‘Nice eyes,' he said,† Charlie said. â€Å"Go on.† â€Å"There was no mistaking it, though – the glow in the CD – it was exactly the same presence that I could sense in people who had a soul. Needless to say, I was freaked out.† â€Å"Needless to say,† Charlie said. â€Å"I had a similar experience.† Audrey nodded. â€Å"I was going to discuss all of this with my master at the center, you know, come clean about what I had learned in Tibet – turn the scrolls over to someone who perhaps understood what was going on with the souls inside of objects, but after only a few months, word came from Tibet that I had left under suspicious circumstances. I don't know what details they gave, but I was asked to leave the center.† â€Å"So you formed a posse of spooky animal things and moved to the Mission,† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"That's nice. You can let me loose from this chair now and I'll be on my way.† â€Å"Fresh, will you please let Audrey finish telling her story. I'm sure there's a perfectly innocent reason that she hangs out with a posse of spooky animal things.† Audrey pressed on. â€Å"I was able to get a job as costumer for a local theater group, and being around theater people, basically a bunch of born show-offs, can put you back into the swing of a life. I tried to forget about my practice in Tibet, and I focused on my work, trying to let my creativity drive me. I couldn't afford to make full-sized costumes, so I began to create smaller versions. I bought a collection of stuffed squirrels from a secondhand store in the Mission, and used those as my first models. Later I made my models out of other taxi-dermied animal parts – mixing and matching them, but I'd already started calling them my squirrel people. A lot of them have bird feet, chicken and duck, because I could purchase them in Chinatown, along with things like turtle heads and – well, you can buy a lot of dead-animal parts in Chinatown.† â€Å"Tell me about it,† Charlie said. â€Å"I live a block from the shark parts store. Never actually tried to build a shark from spare parts, though. Bet that would be fun.† â€Å"Y'all are twisted,† Minty said. â€Å"Both of you – you know that, right? Messin' with dead things and all.† Charlie and Audrey each raised an eyebrow at him. A creature in a blue kimono with the face of a dog skull gave Minty the critical eye socket and would have raised an eyebrow at him if she'd had one. â€Å"All right, go on,† Minty said, waving Audrey on with his free hand. â€Å"You made your point.† Audrey sighed. â€Å"So I started to hit all of the secondhand stores in the City, looking for everything from buttons to hands. And at at least eight stores, I found the soul objects – all grouped together at each store. I realized that I wasn't the only one who could see them glowing red. Someone was imprisoning these souls in the objects. That's how I came to know about you gentlemen, whatever you are. I had to get these souls out of your hands. So I bought them. I wanted them to move on to their next rebirth, but I didn't know how. I thought about using the p'howa of forceful projection, forcing a soul into someone who I could see was soulless, but that process takes time. What would I do, tie them up? And I didn't even know if it would work. After all, that method was used to force a soul from one person to another, not from an inanimate object.† Charlie said, â€Å"So you tried this forceful-projection thing with one of your squirrel people?† â€Å"Yeah, and it worked. But what I didn't count on is that they became animated. She started walking around, doing things, intelligent things. Which is how they came to be these little guys you've seen today. â€Å"More tea, Mr. Asher?† Audrey smiled and held the teapot out to Charlie. â€Å"Those things have human souls?† Charlie asked. â€Å"That's heinous.† â€Å"Oh yeah, and it's better that you have the soul imprisoned in an old pair of sneakers in your shop. They're only in the squirrel people until I can figure how to put their souls into a person. I wanted them saved from you and your kind.† â€Å"We're not the bad guys. Tell her, Fresh, we're not the bad guys.† â€Å"We're not the bad guys,† Minty said. â€Å"Can I get some more coffee?† â€Å"We're Death Merchants,† Charlie said, but it came out much less cheerful-sounding than he'd hoped. He was very desperate for Audrey not to think of him as a bad guy. Like most Beta Males, he didn't realize that being a good guy was not necessarily an attraction to women. â€Å"That's what I'm saying,† Audrey said, â€Å"I couldn't just let you guys sell the souls like so much secondhand junk.† â€Å"That's how they find their next rebirth,† Minty said. â€Å"What?† Audrey looked at Charlie for confirmation. Charlie nodded. â€Å"He's right. We get the souls when someone dies, and then someone buys them and they get to their next life. I've seen it happen.† â€Å"No way,† Audrey said, overpouring Minty's coffee. â€Å"Yep,† Charlie said. â€Å"We can see the red glow, but not in people's bodies like you. Only in the objects. When someone who needs a soul comes in contact with the object, the glow goes out. The soul moves into them.† â€Å"I thought you'd trapped the souls between lives. You're not holding these souls prisoner?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"It wasn't us after all,† Minty Fresh said to Charlie. â€Å"She was the one that brought all of this on.† â€Å"What on? What?† Audrey said. â€Å"There are Forces of Darkness – we don't know what they are,† Charlie said. â€Å"What we've seen are giant ravens, and these demon-like women, we call them sewer harpies because they've come out of the storm sewers. They gain strength when they get hold of a soul vessel – and they're getting really strong. The prophecy says they are going to rise in San Francisco and darkness will cover the world.† â€Å"And they are in the sewers?† Audrey said. Both Death Merchants nodded. â€Å"Oh no, that's how the squirrel people get around town without being seen. I've sent them to the different stores in the City to get the souls. I must have been sending them right to these creatures. And a lot of them haven't come home. I thought they just might be lost, or wandering around. They do that. They have the potential of full human consciousness, but something is lost with time out of the body. Sometimes they can get a little goofy.† â€Å"No kidding,† said Charlie. â€Å"So is that why iguana boy over there is gnawing on the light cord?† â€Å"Ignatius, get off there! If you electrocute yourself the only place I have to put your soul is that Cornish hen I got at the Safeway. It's still frozen and I don't have any pants that will fit it.† She turned to Charlie with an embarrassed smile. â€Å"The things you never think you'll hear yourself say.† â€Å"Yeah, kids, what are you gonna do?† Charlie said, trying to sound easygoing. â€Å"You know, one of your squirrel people shot me with a crossbow.† Audrey looked distraught now. Charlie wanted to comfort her. Give her a hug. Kiss her on the top of the head and tell her that everything was all right. Maybe even get her to untie him. â€Å"They did? Crossbow, oh, that would be Mr. Shelly. He was a spy or something in a former life – had a habit of going off on his own little missions. I sent him to keep an eye on you and report back so I could figure out what you were doing. No one was supposed to get hurt. He never came home. I'm really sorry.† â€Å"Report back?† Charlie said. â€Å"They can talk?† â€Å"Well, they don't talk,† Audrey said. â€Å"But some of them can read and write. Mr. Shelly could actually type. I've been working on that. I need to get them a voice box that works. I tried one out of a talking doll, but I just ended up with a ferret in a samurai outfit that cried and kept asking if it could go play in the sandbox, it was unnerving. It's a strange process, as long as there's organic parts, stuff that was once living, they knit together, they work. Muscles and tendons make their own connections. I've been using hams for the torsos, because it gives them a lot of muscle to work with, and they smell better until the process is finished. You know, smoky. But some things are a mystery. They don't grow voice boxes.† â€Å"They don't appear to grow eyes, either,† Charlie said, gesturing with his teacup at a creature whose head was an eyeless cat skull. â€Å"How do they see?† â€Å"Got me.† Audrey shrugged. â€Å"It wasn't in the book.† â€Å"Man, I know that feeling,† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"So I've been experimenting with a voice box made out of catgut and cuttlebone. We'll see if the one who has it learns to talk.† â€Å"Why don't you put the souls back in human bodies?† asked Minty. â€Å"I mean, you can, right?† â€Å"I suppose,† Audrey said. â€Å"But to be honest, I didn't have any human corpses lying around the house. But there does have to be a piece of human being in them – I learned that from experimenting – a finger bone, blood, something. I got a great deal on a backbone in a junk store in the Haight and I've been using one vertebra for each of them.† â€Å"So you're like some monstrous reanimator,† Charlie said. Then he quickly added, â€Å"And I mean that in the nicest way.† â€Å"Thanks, Mr. Death Merchant.† Audrey smiled back and went to the nearby desk for some scissors. â€Å"But it looks like I need to cut you loose and hear how you guys got into your line of work. Mr. Greenstreet, could you bring us some more tea and coffee?† A creature with a beaver's skull for a head, wearing a fez and a red satin smoking jacket, bowed and scampered by Charlie, headed toward the kitchen. â€Å"Nice jacket,† Charlie said. The beaver guy gave him a thumbs-up as he passed. Lizard thumbs.