Digital Intermediate Frequency in LTE Superheterodyne

Digital Intermediate Frequency in LTE Superheterodyne Research and implementation of the digital intermediate frequency in LTE superheterodyne transmitter Abstract: Digital IF (Intermediate Frequency) is an indispensable key technology in modern communication, among which digital up converter (DUC) and digital down converter (DDC) are important parts between baseband and IF. In this paper, we give a general method and solution of designing digital IF to meet the demands of practical application. Firstly, we analyze the theories and technologies of digital IF including filter bank and DUC. Secondly, we set about analyzing how to design filter bank in key part and implement a superheterodyne. Finally, we put forward a specific design plan of DUC and develop a digital IF suitable for TDD-LTE (Time Division Long Term Evolution) system. The results of simulation show that our design method of DUC can satisfy the requirements of relevant indicators. It has been implemented on FPGA platform in a practical LTE based transmitter. SECTION I. Introduction Nowadays, digital subscriber line (DSL) network far remains one of the most promising means of broadband communications. DSL communication is evolved from conventional discrete multitone (DMT) system to filtered architectures. The smooth evolution of filtered multitone, FMT, provides higher peak rate and higher spectrum efficiency as the widening of the limited frequency increases. As the frequency resources become increasingly scarce, research on subband coding in the field of high-speed DSL communication is of great significance. Adaptive subband estimate is the core of the FMT receiver. With the development of FMT technology, an orthogonal filter bank transmissions have become the focus of attention. As the key technology of recent multirate systems, filter banks technology is also the starting point to a breakthrough of frequency selective transmissions. For frequency selective channels, digital up-conversion must be completed firstly before filtering. Analysis filter bank structure mainly includes filtering, interpolating, mixing and resampling. Filter bank implementation involves the computation of an efficient spectral allocation and often estimates high complexities. It is very difficult to implement full corresponding spectral after sampling using the current DMT [2]. In application design, the common method is to use DMT in the time-domain to achieve digital up-conversion. In this paper, we mainly research the theoretical characteristics of the digital up-conversion in the frequency-domain, and design a set of digital up-conversion scheme suitable for FMT system. Finally, the design of subband transmissions is implemented. SECTION II. Design Requirements of DUC DUC usually needs spectrum shifting that modulate the baseband signal to band-pass signal. Because of the lower sampling rate of baseband signal, it cannot meet the needs of radio-frequency emission. The sampling rate conversion should be added. The method to implement DUC is as follows. At first, the signal is divided into two channels baseband signal (I, Q). Then the signal is transformed into a higher sampling rate through the filter interpolation. Finally the two-way signals are respectively modulated and thus the spectrum is moved to a specific point through the digital mixer. Up-converter module is realized using filter bank cascade and finally modulate it to realize the spectrum shift. The up-converter principle block diagram is shown in Fig. 1. Figure 1 Figure 1. The up-converter principle block diagram. View All Usually, the sampling rate can be improved through the filtering and interpolation [3]. We modulate the baseband signal to the NCO (Numerically Controlled Oscillator) intermediate frequency carrier. This paper designs a broadband wireless DUC which is operated based on the TDD-LTE standard and the bandwidth is 5MHz. The Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards specifies that the sampling rate of signal carrier 5MHz bandwidth TDD-LTE is 7.68Msps. In order to shift the spectrum to the intermediate frequency 21.4MHz, signal needs to use interpolation for 8 times to achieve the sampling rate up to 6I.44Msps. Then we make analog transformation in DAC according to the Nyquist sampling theorem. DUC provides the function of spectrum shaping and improving the sampling rate, with the premise of satisfying the requirements of 3GPP standards. In 3GPP TS 36.804, it puts forward the specific spectrum requirements to the front-end of digital transmitter. On the one hand, the suppressio n performance outside the band of filter needs to meet the regulation of the spectrum template [4], [5]. On the other hand, it needs to satisfy the requirement of the 5MHz broadband. In addition, the sampling rate should be increased 8 times. The specific indicators is shown in Table 1. Table I. Design requirements of DUC Table I. SECTION III. Detailed Design Scheme of DUC In this paper, the multi-stage interpolation is adopted in DUC part. The total design is shown as Fig. 2: Figure 2 Figure 2. Digital up converter design. View All We need 8 times interpolation, therefore the design uses two CIC filters of 2-fold interpolation. Because the interpolation factor is a power of 2 times, particularly suitable for Half-band filter, we cascade a Half-band filter to achieve interpolation filtering function. A. Interpolation Theory Interpolation [6] is an integer multiple insertion of the original sequence. We do I times interpolation by inserting (I-1) zeroes between the adjacent two sampling points. The relationship between original sequence x(n) and interpolated sequence xI(n) is shown as: xI(n)={x(nI), 0,nI is integerothers(1) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. Spectrum relationship is obtained as: XI(ejω)=X(ejωI)(2) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. The original sequence does I-fold interpolation in the time domain, which is I times compression for the original spectrum. General interpolation method is inserting zeros between the sampling sequences. However, the signal spectrum XI(ejω) after interpolation not only contains the fundamental frequency X(ejω), but also high frequency mirror, the frequency of which is greater than Ï€/I. In order to recover the original signal spectrum from XI(ejω) we need to put signal through a low-pass filter with bandwidth Ï€/I. After low pass filtering, the inserted zero point smoothly get into the accurate value of x(n). Figure 3 Figure 3. Signal and spectrum before and after interpolation. View All The maximum output frequency of interpolation can reach (I-1) times of which of original sequences. The frequency spectrum of the signal is consistent with the original spectrum but frequency shifts, as is shown in Fig. 3. When the sampling rate is transformed, the I times interpolation can be realized by using only single stage. But if we design a low pass filter with larger interpolation multiple factor using the same method of single stage, the order of the transfer function h(n) will be relatively high. Its difficult to implement on an embedded hardware for its large requirement of storage and calculation. So in order to implement easier and reduce calculation, this paper uses a method of multi-stage interpolation and cascaded together [7]. A simple two-stage interpolation method is shown as follow Fig. 4: Figure 4 Figure 4. Multi-level implementation of interpolation(i=i1*12). View All After processing by multi-stage method, the order of the interpolation filter is decreased obviously. B. CIC Filter Principle and Design CIC (Cascade Integrator Comb) filter, a kind of efficient extraction or interpolation filter, is been widely used in the multi-rate signal processing. The basic components of CIC filter include two parts: integral and comb filtering. Single-stage CIC decimation and interpolation filter is shown in Fig. 5. Where, M is latency state, D is extraction factor and L is interpolation factor. Figure 5 Figure 5. CIC decimation and interpolation filter structure. View All In single-stage decimation CIC filter, the integrator stages N=1, and the feedback coefficient is 1: The state equation is defined as: y(n)=y(n−1)+x(n)(3) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. From (3) we can obtain the Z transform as: HI(Z)=11−Z−1(4) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. The state equation of comb section is defined as: y(n)=x(n−1)−x(n−DM)(5) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. where M is state delay, its function of Z transform is as: HC(Z)=1−Z−DM(6) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. Transfer function of extraction CIC filter is defined as: H(z)=HI(Z)HC(Z)=11−Z−1(1−Z−DM)(7) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. From (7) we can obtain its frequency response as: H(ejω)=sin(ωDM/2)sin(ω/2)(8) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. The amplitude-frequency characteristics of single-stage CIC filter has a higher sidelobe, so we can use a multi-stage cascade CIC filter to reduce sidelobe and improve stop-band attenuation. The system function of CIC filter can be expressed as: H(z)=HNI(Z)HNI(Z)=(11−Z−1)N(1−Z−DM)N=[∑D−1K=0Z−k]N(9) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. When we set CIC filters order D to the multiple factor of interpolation I and do an equivalent transformation, the CIC interpolation filter cascading in practical applications will be shown as Fig. 6: Figure 6 Figure 6. Cascading structure of CIC interpolation filter. View All Considering the system requirements and debugging repeatedly by MATLAB, we set the design with stages N=2, sampling rate R=3 and delay M=1. Then we can get the frequency response of interpolation CIC filter with the parameters N=5,M=1,R=3, as shown in Fig. 7: Figure 7 Figure 7. Frequency response of CIC filter after 2x interpolation. View All C. CIC Compensation Filter Design CIC filter has good anti-imaging and anti-aliasing effects. In the design of the decimation/interpolation filter, it is indispensable to get a relatively flat pass-band and a relatively narrow transition band especially for broadband systems. Consequently, if the CIC is applied to the broadband systems, the pre-compensation and compensation filter which can significantly improve the performance of the filter is needed. The amplitude response of the compensation filter is the reciprocal of the CIC filter in ideal circumstances. When we use an equal-ripple FIR [8] filter with anti-sinc function as the CIC compensation filter, its spectrum after two filters cascade will be shown as Fig. 8. According to the requirements of 5MHz bandwidth of our special TDD-LTE system, we set the parameters of CIC filter as fellow: cutoff frequency of pass-band B=5MHz, interpolating multiple D=2 and input sample rate is 30.72MHz. Figure 8 Figure 8. CIC and CIC compensation filter cascade effect. View All The so-called compensation means cascading a compensation filter in front of the filter bank. After simulation cascade in MATLAB, the band ripple of CIC filter is shown in Fig. 8(b). As can be seen from the figure, the band ripple drops about 3dB. After compensation filter processing, we find the attenuation of pass-band ripple improves so significantly that it can meet the design requirements. D. Half-Band Filter Design Half-band filter is a pretty useful and special filter and it plays an important role in the high speed signal processing and multi-stage filter design. Half-band filter is also a kind of FIR filter, and its impulse response h(k) is even symmetry with respect to the coordinate axis with the character of h(k)=h(-k). h(k)={1,0,k=0k= ±2, ±4(10) View SourceRight-click on figure for MathML and additional features. According to the above formula, we learn that the impulse response of Half-band filter is not 0 except in the coordinate zero point but the rest of even position is 0. This feature is very suitable for achieving the decimation and interpolation of power of 2 times. When using Half-band filter for sample rate conversion, the system can save half amount of calculation. Therefore, Half-band filter cascade is widely used in high order filter design and high-speed processing. For Half-band filter, Stop-band bandwidth π−ωA is equal to pass bandwidth ωc, and the width of the transition zone is determined by the pass bandwidth and sample rate together by consensus. In addition, the pass-band and stop-band ripple is the same. As is shown in Fig. 9: Figure 9 Figure 9. Half-band filter. View All As we can see from above figure, the response of Half-band filter in Ï€/2−ωA interval is not zero. When making 2 times extraction, it does not satisfy the conditions of extraction without aliasing, which will result in signal aliasing distortion. But the spectral structure of signal (0∠¼Ãâ€°c) in the pass-band has not been damaged and it can still be recovered without aliasing, so we can still use Half-band filter to design 2-times sample rate conversion of pass-band signal. In DUC design of this paper, we cascade a Half-band filter to achieve 2-times interpolation. After completing the design of filter banks, we simulate the solution in MATLAB and the result is shown in Fig. 10: Figure 10 Figure 10. Frequency response of our filter bank. View All SECTION IV.Simulation Results A typical TDD-LTE signal with 5MHz bandwidth is shown in Fig. 11. The baseband signal at the zero frequency is moved to 21.4MHz after up-converter. Figure 11 Figure 11. Signal spectrum before and after up-converter. View All As can be seen from the figure above, the design of our program meets the design requirements. Specially, in Fig. 11(a) we add two noise signal outside the passband into input signal. After the designed filter banks, the additional noise signal is also normally filtered out and the indicators such as band attenuation and ripple all meet the requirements. It is shown in Fig. 11(b)-(c). SECTION V.Implementation on FPGA At the end of design, Xilinxs xc7a200t-3fbg676 chip is selected to implement the system using VHDL language [9]. Simulating and synthesizing processes run in Xilinx [10] ISE14.3 development environment. The specific implementation structure is shown in Fig. 12. There are mainly five parts: 1) DUC_pre_tx (stabilizing date rate of the up-converter input data to ensure a constant rate for the next module); 2) CIC _ compensation (compensation filter of CIC filter which has a certain filtering characteristic); 3) CIC filter (achieving the function of filtering and interpolation); 4) halfband (achieving the function of filtering and interpolation); 5) dds_modulate_tx (moving spectrum from zero frequency to IF 21.4MHz). Figure 12 Figure 12. Realization diagram of fpga. View All Fig. 13 shows the signal waveform after interpolation with CIC compensation module in simulation tool ModelSim. As can be seen from the figure, the input signal is filtered as expected. The original signal is mixed with high-frequency signal and the high-frequency part is filtered through CIC filter compensation. It indicates that our filter design has reached satisfactory results. The signal waveform processed by CIC and halfband filter is shown in Fig. 14. We can see from figure that the original input signal becomes smooth, which suggests that the signal processing is successful. The signal waveform processed by dds _ modulate _ tx module spectrum shifting is shown in Fig. 15. In the figure, we can see that the signal spectrum has been moved successfully from baseband to intermediate frequency. Figure 13 Figure 13. Waveform and spectrum before and after interpolation. View All Figure 14 Figure 14. Waveform after CIC and half-band filter. View All Figure 15 Figure 15. Waveform and spectrum after frequency shifting. View All SECTION VI. Conclusion This paper introduces a general design method for digital IF and analyzes the main parameters that affect its performance. According to the specific index of TDD-LTE, we calculate the values of various parameters that the system needs. In addition, we analyze the frequency spectrum, band-pass ripple and band-stop ripple to judge whether they meet the requirements. The designs of CIC filter and Half-band filter are analyzed respectively. After that we analyze and design a CIC filter compensation best with the purpose of achieving possible to meet the system design requirements. Finally, we verify the actual effect of the filter in Model and implement the design on FPGA platform. The result suggests that the design method is reasonable and feasible.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 1~3

PART ONE The Phoenix 1 The Cannibal Tree Tucker Case awoke to find himself hanging from a breadfruit tree by a coconut fiber rope. He was suspended facedown about six feet above the sand in some sort of harness, his hands and feet tied together in front of him. He lifted his head and strained to look around. He could see a white sand beach fringed with coconut palms, a coconut husk fire, a palm frond hut, a path of white coral gravel that led into a jungle. Completing the panorama was the grinning brown face of an ancient native. The native reached up with a clawlike hand and pinched Tucker's cheek. Tucker screamed. â€Å"Yum,† the native said. â€Å"Who are you?† Tucker asked. â€Å"Where am I? Where's the navigator?† The native just grinned. His eyes were yellow, his hair a wild tangle of curl and bird feathers, and his teeth were black and had been filed to points. He looked like a potbellied skeleton upholstered in distressed leather. Puckered pink scars decorated his skin; a series of small scars on his chest described the shape of a shark. His only clothing was a loincloth woven from some sort of plant fiber. Tucked in the waist cord was a vicious-looking bush knife. The native patted Tucker's cheek with an ashy callused palm, then turned and walked away, leaving him hanging. â€Å"Wait!† Tucker shouted. â€Å"Let me down. I have money. I can pay you.† The native ambled down the path without looking back. Tucker struggled against the harness, but only managed to put himself into a slow spin. As he turned, he caught sight of the navigator, hanging uncon scious a few feet away. â€Å"Hey, you alive?† The navigator didn't stir, but Tucker could see that he was breathing. â€Å"Hey, Kimi, wake up!† Still no reaction. He strained against the rope around his wrists, but the bonds only seemed to tighten. After a few minutes, he gave up, exhausted. He rested and looked around for something to give this bizarre scene some meaning. Why had the native hung them in a tree? He caught movement in his peripheral vision and turned to see a large brown crab struggling at the end of a string tied to a nearby branch. There was his answer: They were hung in the tree, like the crab, to keep them fresh until they were ready to be eaten. Tucker shuddered, imagining the native's black teeth closing on his shin. He tried to focus on a way to escape before the native returned, but his mind kept diving into a sea of regrets and second guesses, looking for the exact place where the world had turned on him and put him in the cannibal tree. Like most of the big missteps he had taken in his life, it had started in a bar. The Seattle Airport Holiday Inn lounge was all hunter green, brass rails, and oak veneer. Remove the bar and it looked like Macy's men's depart-ment. It was one in the morning and the bartender, a stout, middle-aged Hispanic woman, was polishing glasses and waiting for her last three customers to leave so she could go home. At the end of a bar a young wo-man in a short skirt and too much makeup sat alone. Tucker Case sat next to a businessman several stools down. â€Å"Lemmings,† the businessman said. â€Å"Lemmings?† asked Tucker. They were drunk. The businessman was heavy, in his late fifties, and wore a charcoal gray suit. Broken veins glowed on his nose and cheeks. â€Å"Most people are lemmings,† the businessman continued. â€Å"That's why they fail. They behave like suicidal rodents.† â€Å"But you're a higher level of rodent?† Tucker Case said with a smart-ass grin. He was thirty, just under six foot, with neatly trimmed blond hair and blue eyes. He wore navy slacks, sneakers, and a white shirt with blue-and-gold epaulets. His captain's hat sat on the bar next to a gin and tonic. He was more interested in the girl at the end of the bar than in the businessman's conversation, but he didn't know how to move without being obvious. â€Å"No, but I've kept my lemming behavior limited to my personal relationships. Three wives.† The businessman waved a swizzle stick under Tucker's nose. â€Å"Success in America doesn't require any special talent or any kind of extra effort. You just have to be consistent and not fuck up. That's how most people fail. They can't stand the pressure of getting what they want, so when they see that they are getting close, they engineer some sort of fuckup to undermine their success.† The lemming litany was making Tucker uncomfortable. He'd been on a roll for the last four years, going from bartending to flying corporate jets. He said, â€Å"Maybe some people just don't know what they want. Maybe they only look like lemmings.† â€Å"Everyone knows what they want. You know what you want, don't you?† â€Å"Sure, I know,† Tucker said. What he wanted right now was to get out of this conversation and get to know the girl at the end of the bar before closing time. She'd been staring at him for five minutes. â€Å"What?† The businessman wanted an answer. He waited. â€Å"I just want to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm happy.† The businessman shook his head. â€Å"I'm sorry, son, but I don't buy it. You're going over the cliff with the rest of the lemmings.† â€Å"You should be a motivational speaker,† Tuck said, his attention drawn by the girl, who was getting up, putting money on the bar, picking up her cigarettes, and putting them into her purse. She said, â€Å"I know what I want.† The businessman turned and gave his best avuncular-horndog smile. â€Å"And what's that, sweetheart?† She walked up to Tucker and pressed her breasts against his shoulder. She had brown hair that fell in curls to her shoulders, blue eyes, and a nose that was a tad crooked, but not horribly so. Up close she didn't even look old enough to drink. Heavy makeup had aged her at a distance. Looking the businessman in the eye, as if she didn't notice Tucker at all, she said, â€Å"I want to join the mile-high club, and I want to join it tonight. Can you help me?† The businessman looked at Tucker's captain's hat on the bar, then back at the girl. Slowly, defeated, he shook his head. She pressed harder against Tucker's shoulder. â€Å"How about you?† Tucker grinned at the businessman and shrugged by way of apology. â€Å"I just want to keep doing what I'm doing.† The girl put on his captain's hat and pulled him off of the barstool. He dug into his pocket for money as she dragged him toward the exit. The businessman raised a hand. â€Å"No, I've got the drinks, son. You just remember what I said.† â€Å"Thanks,† Tuck said. Outside in the lobby the girl said, â€Å"My name's Meadow.† She kept her eyes forward as she walked, taking curt marching steps as if she was leading him on an antiterrorist mission instead of seducing him. â€Å"Pretty name,† Tucker said. â€Å"I'm Tucker Case. People call me Tuck.† She still didn't look up. â€Å"Do you have a plane, Tuck?† â€Å"I've got access to one.† He smiled. This was great. Great! â€Å"Good. You get me into the mile-high club tonight and I won't charge you. I've always wanted to do it in a plane.† Tucker stopped. â€Å"You're a†¦I mean, you do this for†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She stopped and turned to look him in the eye for the first time. â€Å"You're kind of a geek, aren't you?† â€Å"Thank you. I find you incredibly attractive too.† Actually, he did. â€Å"No, you're attractive. I mean, you look fine. But I thought a pilot would have a little more on the ball.† â€Å"Is this part of that mistress-humiliation-handcuff stuff?† â€Å"No, that's extra. I'm just making conversation.† â€Å"Oh, I see.† He was beginning to have second thoughts. He had to fly to Houston in the morning, and he really should get some sleep. Still, this would make a great story to tell the guys back at the hangar – if he left out the part about him being a suicidal rodent and her being a prostitute. But he could tell the story without really doing it, couldn't he? He said, â€Å"I probably shouldn't fly. I'm a little drunk.† â€Å"Then you won't mind if I go back to the bar and grab your friend? I might as well make some money.† â€Å"It could be dangerous.† â€Å"That's the point, isn't it?† She smiled. â€Å"No, I mean really dangerous.† â€Å"I have condoms.† Tucker shrugged. â€Å"I'll get a cab.† Ten minutes later they were heading across the wet tarmac toward a group of corporate jets. â€Å"It's pink!† â€Å"Yeah, so?† â€Å"You fly a pink jet?† As Tuck opened the hatch and lowered the steps, he had the sinking feeling that maybe the businessman at the bar had been right. 2 I Thought This Was a Nonsmoking Flight Most jets (especially those unburdened by the weight of passengers or fuel) have a glide rate that is quite acceptable for landing without power. But Tucker has made an error in judgment caused by seven gin and tonics and the distraction of Meadow straddling him in the pilot seat. He thinks, per-haps, that he should have said something when the fuel light first went on, but Meadow had already climbed into the saddle and he didn't want to seem inattentive. Now the glide path is too steep, the runway a little too far. He uses a little body English in pulling back on the steering yoke, which Meadow takes for enthusiasm. Tucker brings the pink Gulfstream jet into SeaTac a little low, tearing off the rear landing gear on a radar antenna a second before impact with the runway, which sends Meadow over the steering yoke to bounce off the windscreen and land unconscious across the instrument panel. The jet's wings flap once – a dying flamingo trying to free itself from a tar pit – and rip off in a shriek of sparks, flame, and black smoke, then spin back into the air before beating themselves to pieces on the runway. Tucker, strapped into the pilot's seat, lets loose a prolonged scream that pushes the sound of tearing metal out of his head. The wingless Gulfstream slides down the runway like hell's own bobsled, leaving a wake of greasy smoke and aluminum confetti. Firemen and paramedics scramble into their vehicles and pull out onto the runway in pursuit of it. In a moment of analytical detachment, one of the firemen turns to a companion and says, â€Å"There's not enough fire. He must have been flying on fumes.† Tucker sees the end of the runway coming up, an array of an tennae, some spiffy blue lights, a chain-link fence, and a grassy open field where what's left of the Gulfstream will fragment into pink shrapnel. He realizes that he's looking at his own death and screams the words â€Å"Oh, fuck!†, meeting the FAA's official requirement for last words to be retrieved from the charred black box. Suddenly, as if someone has hit a cosmic pause button, the cockpit goes quiet. Movement stops. A man's voice says, â€Å"Is this how you want to go?† Tucker turns toward the voice. A dark man in a gray flight suit sits in the copilot's seat, waiting for an answer. Tuck can't seem to see his face, even though they are facing each other. â€Å"Well?† â€Å"No,† Tucker answers. â€Å"It'll cost you,† the pilot says. Then he's gone. The copilot's seat is empty and the roar of tortured metal fills the cabin. Before Tucker can form the words â€Å"What the hell?† in his mind, the wingless jet crashes through the antenna, the spiffy blue lights, the chain-link fence, and into the field, soggy from thirty consecutive days of Seattle rain. The mud caresses the fuselage, dampens the sparks and flames, clings and cloys and slows the jet to a steaming stop. Tuck hears metal crackle as it settles, sirens, the friendly chime of the FASTEN SEAT BELTS sign turning off. Welcome to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The local time is 2:00A.M., the outside temperature is 63 degrees, there is a semiconscious hooker gurgling at your feet. The cabin fills with black smoke from fried wires and vaporized hydraulic fluid. One breath burns down his windpipe like drain cleaner, telling Tucker that a second breath may kill him. He unfastens the harness and reaches into the dark for Meadow, connecting with her lace camisole, which comes away in shreds in his hands. He stands, bends over, wraps an arm around her waist, and picks her up. She's light, maybe a hundred pounds, but Tucker has forgotten to pull up his pants and Jockey shorts, which cuff his ankles. He teeters and falls backward onto the control console between the pilot seats. Jutting from the console is the flap actuator lever, a foot-long strip of steel topped by a plastic arrowheadlike tip. The tip catches Tuck in the rear of the scrotum. His and Meadow's combined weight drive him down on the lever, which tears though his scrotum, runs up inside the length of his penis, and emerges in a spray of blood. There are no words for the pain. No breath, no thought. Just deafening white and red noise. Tucker feels himself passing out and welcomes it. He drops Meadow, but she is conscious enough to hold on to his neck, and as she falls she pulls him off the lever, which reams its way back through him again. Without realizing it, he is standing, breathing. His lungs are on fire. He has to get out. He throws an arm around Meadow and drags her three feet to the hatch. He releases the hatch and it swings down, half open. It's de-signed to function as a stairway to the ground, designed for a plane that is standing on landing gear. Gloved hands reach into the opening and start pulling at it. â€Å"We're going to get you out of there,† a fireman says. The hatch comes open with a shriek. Tuck sees blue and red flashing lights illuminating raindrops against a black sky, making it appear as if it is raining fire. He takes a single breath of fresh air, says, â€Å"I've torn off my dick,† and falls forward. 3 And You Lost Your Frequent Flyer Miles As with most things in his life, Tucker Case was wrong about the extent of his injuries. As they wheeled him though the emergency room, he con-tinued to chant, â€Å"I've torn off my dick! I've torn off my dick!† into his oxygen mask until a masked physician appeared at his side. â€Å"Mr. Case, you have not torn off your penis. You've damaged some major blood vessels and some of the erectal tissue. And you've also severed the tendon that runs from the tip of the penis to the base of the brain.† The doctor, a woman, pulled down her mask long enough to show Tucker a grin. â€Å"You should be fine. We're taking you into surgery now.† â€Å"What about the girl?† â€Å"She's got a mild concussion and some bruises, but she'll be okay. She'll probably go home in a few hours.† ‘That's good. Doc, will I be able to? I mean, will I ever†¦?† â€Å"Be still, Mr. Case. I want you to count backward from one hundred.† â€Å"Is there a reason for that – for the counting?† â€Å"You can say the Pledge of Allegiance if you want.† â€Å"But I can't stand up.† â€Å"Just count, smart-ass.† When Tucker came to, through the fog of anesthesia he saw a picture of himself superimposed over a burning pink jet. Looking down on the scene was the horrified face of the matriarch of pyramid makeup sales, Mary Jean Dobbins – Mary Jean to the world. Then the picture was gone, replaced by a rugged male face and perfect smile. â€Å"Tuck, you're famous. You made the Enquirer.† The voice of Jake Skye, Tuck's only male friend and premier jet mechanic for Mary Jean. â€Å"You crashed just in time to make the latest edition.† â€Å"My dick?† Tuck said, struggling to sit up. There was what appeared to be a plaster ostrich egg sitting on his lap. A tube ran out the middle of it. Jake Skye, tall, dark, and unkempt – half Apache, half truck stop waitress – said, â€Å"That's going to smart. But the doc says you'll play the violin again.† Jake sat in a chair next to Tuck's bed and opened the tabloid. â€Å"Look at this. Oprah's skinny again. Carrots, grapefruit, and amphetamines.† â€Å"Tucker Case moaned. â€Å"What about the girl? What was her name?† â€Å"Meadow Malackovitch,† Jake said, looking at the paper. â€Å"Wow, Oprah's fucking Elvis. You got to give that woman credit. She stays busy. By the way, they're going to move you to Houston. Mary Jean wants you where she can keep an eye on you.† â€Å"The girl, Jake?† Jake looked up from the paper. â€Å"You don't want to know.† â€Å"They said she was going to be okay. Is she dead?† â€Å"Worse. Pissed off. And speaking of pissed off, there's some FAA guys outside who are waiting to talk to you, but the doctor wouldn't let them in. And I'm supposed to call Mary Jean as soon as you're coherent. I'd ad-vise against that – becoming coherent, I mean. And then there's a whole bunch of reporters. The nurses are keeping them all out.† â€Å"How'd you get in?† â€Å"I'm your only living relative.† â€Å"My mother will be pleased to hear that.† â€Å"Brother, your mother doesn't even want to claim you. You totally fucked the dog on this one.† â€Å"I'm fired, then?† â€Å"Count on it. In fact, I'd say you'd be lucky to get a license to operate a riding lawnmower.† â€Å"I don't know how to do anything but fly. One bad landing?† â€Å"No, Tuck, a bad landing is when the overheads pop open and dump people's gym bags. You crashed. If it makes you feel any better, with the Gulfstream gone I'm not going to have any work for at least six months. They may not even get another jet.† â€Å"Is the FAA filing charges?† Jake Skye looked at his paper to avoid Tuck's eyes. â€Å"Look, man, do you want me to lie to you? I came up here because I thought you'd rather hear it from me. You were drinking. You wrecked a million dollars' worth of SeaTac's equipment in addition to the plane. You're lucky you're not dead.† â€Å"Jake, look at me.† Jake dropped the paper to his lap and sighed. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Am I going to jail?† â€Å"I've got to go, man.† Jake stood. â€Å"You heal up.† He turned to leave the room. â€Å"Jake!† Jake Skye stopped and looked over his shoulder. Tucker could see the disappointment in his friend's eyes. â€Å"What were you thinking?† Jake said. â€Å"She talked me into it. I knew it wasn't a good idea, but she was persistent.† Jake came to the side of the bed and leaned in close. â€Å"Tucker, what's it take for you to get it? Listen close now, buddy, because this is your last lesson, okay? I'm out of a job because of you. You've got to make your own decisions. You can't let someone else always tell you what to do. You have to take some responsibility.† â€Å"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you. You're the one who got me into this business.† â€Å"Exactly. You're thirty years old, man. You have to start thinking for yourself. And with your head, not your dick.† Tucker looked at the bandages in his lap. â€Å"I'm sorry. It all got out of hand. It was like flying on autopilot. I didn't mean to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Time to take the controls, buddy.† â€Å"Jake, something weird happened during the crash. I'm not sure if it was a hallucination or what. There was someone else in the cockpit.† â€Å"You mean besides the whore?† â€Å"Yeah, just for a second, there was a guy in the copilot seat. He talked to me. Then he disappeared.† Jake sighed. â€Å"There's no insanity plea for crashing a plane, Tuck. You lost a lot of blood.† â€Å"This was before I got hurt. While the plane was still skidding.† â€Å"Here.† Jake tucked a silver flask under Tuck's pillow and punched him in the shoulder. â€Å"I'll call you, man.† He turned and walked away. Tuck called after him, â€Å"What if it was an angel or something?† â€Å"Then you're in the Enquirer next week too,† Jake said from the door. â€Å"Get some sleep.†

Administration and Politics Dichotomy

Woodrow Wilson’s essay, â€Å"The Study of Administration† (1887), is about the separation of politics and administration in public administration. There is still a lot of debating among politicians and scholars alike whether this dichotomy is practical or not. There are some advantages and disadvantages about this theory. Wilson believed that it was needed to discover what the government could successfully do and how it could be done more efficiently; that the government needed to be reformed. He developed this theory because of increased corruption, urbanization and immigration.Due to these issues, he believed that less qualified people were getting public service jobs, therefore contributing to the increasing inefficiency of public administration. Wilson felt that politics should determine what the government should actually do and be decided by elected representatives. He believed administration should be the ones to put these policies into effect by appointed civil servants. In a euphoric world a political administration dichotomy would provide a solid foundation to a nation. It could even be beneficial in a society that is evolving; such as Administration and Politics Dichotomy 2 ne coming out of a third world status, the fall of a dictatorship, or even the overthrow of communism or socialism. This form of government can work well at a small town environment where there is a town manager to run the day to day operations of the community and a board of alderman (possibly also known as town council) that creates the laws the community operates under. That being said, it is my opinion that in today’s United States of America, separating politics and administration is not something that can be done successfully.Throughout the years politics has become more complicated, which means the line etween them has become very blurry. All levels of the government have come to rely on each other more and more. For example, every day new policies and laws are made or amended, and that means more people on more levels need to be consulted. Life is ever- changing, and so are all of the policies. The major advantage of implementing political administration dichotomy is politicians and administrators would be operating of the same philosophy of doing the right thing and not off of doing what each political party says. It could provide rationale Administration and Politics Dichotomy 3 or insulating the practice of public administration from political interference. A disadvantage of implementing a political administration dichotomy at the national level in a modern industrial nation that was previously run by a democratic government, such as the United States of America, would require having an exclusive relationship between the politicians who create political policies and the public administrators who oversee the administrative processes. This would remove the check and balance system established in the United States Constitution. These checks and balances have become the foundation of law in this country.Wilson’s public administration dichotomy theory would make the governmental life so much simpler. Unfortunately, the world and the people in it are anything but simple. To believe that we could have one group of people make up the policies, and another to put those in to action without those people relying on each other’s opinions and knowledge is absurd. The idea is so simple, but implementing it would be so complicated. The debate about the practicality of this dichotomy had been going on since it was written in 1887, and will probably still Administration and Politics Dichotomy

Essay on Graduation Speech - 1194 Words

Welcome fellow graduates and honored guests to the sixtieth anniversary of commencement for Stoll Community College. For those graduating, this day marks the culmination of a period of courage, commitment, and accomplishment. For these reasons, I am greatly honored to be chosen as student speaker for this outstanding class of graduates and I hope that my words will give a measure of justice to the significant event that has brought all of you here tonight. Hopefully, we will laugh a little, perhaps cry, and give some much-deserved praise. For the class of 2012, this is our night to shine, to pat ourselves on the back, to say Well done. Good job. And as we take center stage to receive our degrees we are also going to lift the curtain†¦show more content†¦After retiring from special education instruction, she returned to Stoll Community College as an instructor in adult education. My grandmother, Mary, sits among you now as a member of our distinguished faculty. She is a powerful example of achievement in our time. Her name is Mildred. She was raised in the Republic of Panama with her sister and two brothers. When their mother came to America to work to provide income for her family, Mildred took on the roll as caretaker and guardian of her siblings; a roll she held for over 10 years. Like many of us, she worked very hard to pay her way through university. However, when a ruthless military dictator took control of her country, she was forced to abandon her studies due to the universities being shut down. Fear and death were all that remained. After the invasion by U.S. forces and the return of democracy to Panama, the universities reopened and she eventually earned her second bachelors degree in English. Now well on her way to a masters degree, she decided to visit her sister who was now married and living in Stoll. Mildred thought it might be a good idea to enhance her English skills by learning American slang, not realizing, of course, that this is almost impossible to learn, let alone unders tand, for anyone over the age of twenty. She came for one month and has been here ever since. During her visit she became a volunteer at Stoll Community College. While there, she met aShow MoreRelatedGraduation Speech : My Graduation Essay1022 Words   |  5 Pages My Graduation A Graduation ceremony is one of the major steps in life, it marks the start of new changes in our lives. It ushers us into growing up and be responsible for our actions. It marks a new dawn of embracing life experiences, cultivation of good work ethics and eventually culminates in chasing our dreams. On my graduation day, I woke up to the sweet aroma of the breakfast my sister was making. I sat down to eat when the food was ready. It took me about 2 hours to finishRead MoreGraduation Speech1128 Words   |  5 PagesSasenarine Tomby Graduation Speech 2011 Good afternoon [name of members of the head table], teachers, parents, students, fellow graduates and distinguished guests. I must first and foremost thank God for this blessing and honor to stand before you today as Valedictorian of the Class of 2011. Yet, today is not only my day to shine. Every graduate present here is deserving of high praise and recognition and I would like to congratulate each of you on reaching this milestone in life. IRead MoreGraduation Speech650 Words   |  3 PagesCongratulations everyone, congratulations. If youre participating in this graduation ceremony, youve taken the next step toward your future goals and dreams. For those of you that just finished your transfer degrees, congratulations. To those of you that came back to school after a few years off to get a better education, congratulations. 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But she turned them down. So then they asked the most beautiful, lovely, attractive person they could find. She also turned them down. Next they asked the nicest, sweetest, kindest, most sincere person they could find. Then I decided it would be rude to turn them down three times in a row, so here I am. How many people here like tomato soup? Come on, raise your hand if