Mercy

On Mercy's plate there rested a homemade tortilla, fresh from the griddle on her mother's stove, slightly charred. Her older sister, Lydia, already imperious and miserable at 10, had cried at the wretchedness of the burned patches, and in frustration stormed out of the kitchen and off to school, dragging their brother Isaac along, slamming the back door behind her. Mercy ate her sister's share. It was delicious, especially the crisp, blackened bits.

TEHRAN - The pickpocket, nabbed in the act, pleaded for mercy. “Please, let me go!” he implored of the spectators gathered on the sidewalk. “I am a father of two. I can't make ends meet.” Improbably, an onlooker invoking the onset of spring holidays and the philosophy of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy would help decide the suspect's fate. Moments earlier, two elderly men had dragged the assailant from the bus station on Enghelab (Revolution) Avenue, close to the bustle of Tehran University.

A Long Island convenience store owner confronted by a masked, bat-wielding man said Tuesday that he decided to show mercy on the man after he collapsed in tears, saying he was driven to steal only to support his starving family. Instead of being robbed, the store owner gave the man $40 and a loaf of bread, but only if he promised never to rob again.

VATICAN CITY -- Tens of thousands of pilgrims Sunday greeted Pope Francis on his first scheduled appearance before the general public, shouting their acclaim in St. Peter's Square as the pope gave the first Angelus blessing of his pontificate. Appearing at the window of the papal study on the top floor of the Apostolic Palace, the pope immediately drew delighted laughs from the crowds by greeting them informally: "Brothers and sisters, good day. " "Good day!" the crowd shouted back.

The Quality of Mercy A Novel Barry Unsworth Nan A. Talese/Doubleday: 336 pp., $26.95 "Sacred Hunger," which won a half-share in the 1992 Man Booker Prize for Barry Unsworth (the co-winner was Michael Ondaatje's "The English Patient"), tracks the adventures of the crew of the slave ship the Liverpool Merchant, that mutinies and establishes an egalitarian community in the Florida swamps. The novel is a parable about the capitalist impulse, about man's lust for "profit, which justifies everything, sanctifies any purposes.

Most people think I write just to get noticed. I don't see another reason beyond getting paid, and that has to rankle some people - that I get paid to be me. I know there's probably a higher calling, like informing the masses for the public good. That's fine, so long as the public is good about noticing who is informing them. But beyond that, if you write it makes sense to get noticed or you won't be writing any more. Or worst, you might be assigned to cover horse racing or boxing.

Despite concern for the ice on the snow-covered runway, Denver businessman Peter Kooi brought his sleek executive jet to an easy stop at the frigid Billings airport, completing a mission of mercy for the two very special and thankful passengers traveling with him.

** THE SISTERS OF MERCY. "Floodland." Elektra. Along with Nick Cave, Bauhaus and Joy Division, the original Sisters of Mercy turned gloom from a simple state of mind into a fashion statement. Then the quartet split down the middle with guitarist Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams forming the Mission U.K. and singer Andrew Eldritch dropping from sight. Now Eldritch is back with a new Sisters of Mercy, featuring ex-Gun Club bassist Patricia Morrison and various sidemen.

A series of heavy doors slid open, one by one, at the Pima County Jail. And finally I was sitting with 53-year-old Sanford "Sandy" Garfinkel, who had just been sentenced to 16 years in prison for killing his terminally ill wife by holding a pillow over her face. Was it a case of murder or an act of love? In the eyes of the law, such human complexities don't matter. There is no charge of mercy killing. Those who support physician assistance in dying - which exists in Oregon, Washington and Montana - argue that the absence of such an option often leads to desperate acts.

Douglas Mooney has been named medical director of Mercy Carepoint Family Medical Group.

A fascinating standoff between realism and stylization underpins “What May Fall” at Theatre of NOTE. Peter Gil-Sheridan's worthy, albeit quirky drama, in which a fatal plunge from a high-rise carries significant consequences for those who witnessed it, receives an inventive West Coast premiere. Inspired by an actual event in Minneapolis, the narrative frames realistic exchanges between some well-drawn characters with third-person commentaries amid the vignettes. There's hangdog Mercy (Christopher Nieman)

Most people think I write just to get noticed. I don't see another reason beyond getting paid, and that has to rankle some people - that I get paid to be me. I know there's probably a higher calling, like informing the masses for the public good. That's fine, so long as the public is good about noticing who is informing them. But beyond that, if you write it makes sense to get noticed or you won't be writing any more. Or worst, you might be assigned to cover horse racing or boxing.

Dear Liz: I recently bought a new car, and the dealer, after running a credit check, told me my Experian score was 783. I have had only credit cards and no loans. This is my first auto loan. They gave me a 3.5% interest rate and I took it reluctantly. I do not like the rate and the need to pay huge interest over time, and am considering paying off the loan as soon as possible as there are no pre-payment penalties. If I am able to pay off my loan in a couple of months (instead of the original five-year loan term)

The nearly 40,000 people at Anaheim's Angel Stadium raised their hands toward the sky, enduring triple-digit heat to receive a message of hope delivered by thunderous drums and amplified guitars. In the stands, children swayed alongside the elderly, while teenagers wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Bible passages danced with abandon. "Time has faded and we see him face to face," sang Bart Millard, the ruddy-faced frontman of MercyMe, as fans nodded their assent. "Every doubt erased, forever we will worship the King.

It's been a rough week. A few days ago, at UCLA's Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, 6-year-old Jani toppled a food cart and was confined to her room. She slammed her head against the floor, opening a bloody cut that sent her into hysterics. Later, she kicked the hospital therapy dog. Jani normally likes animals. But most of her animal friends -- cats, rats, dogs and birds -- are phantoms that only she can see. January Schofield has schizophrenia. Potent psychiatric drugs -- in doses that would stagger most adults -- seem to skip off her. She is among the rarest of the rare: a child seemingly born mentally ill. She suffers from delusions, hallucinations and paroxysms of rage so severe that not even her parents feel safe.

Murder or mercy killing? One story that dominated headlines this week raised that question in a particularly dramatic fashion: An Ohio man is accused of shooting to death his ailing wife of 45 years, possibly as part of a "death pact" promise to prevent her from suffering. In the coming years, many other Americans will be wrestling with similar questions about how, and when, to end their own lives or the life of a loved one. "This is going to become one of the great social challenges of the next 20 years," predicted Arthur Caplan, one of the nation's foremost bioethicists and director of the division of medical ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center.

There are three things that are contributing to the destruction of California: earthquakes, overpopulation, and Pete Wilson. Not necessarily in that order. God have mercy on us all. JOE LUNETTA San Gabriel

"Selby is a seeker after the quality of mercy in an age ruled by the indifferent mechanics of quantity."

"I'll call you. " Three little words uttered at the end of a date that no self-actualized girl wants to hear. For the inexperienced, "I'll call you" is filled with promise and possibility. Those of us more seasoned daters know "I'll call you" really means: I'm never going to call. Ever. I was still relatively new to online dating when I met Jake. What drew me to him initially were his soulful brown eyes. His wit and self-deprecating sense of humor cinched it. Jake was also geographically desirable.

LOS CABOS, Mexico - President Obama back-slapped and smiled through another gathering of world leaders this week, but left a meeting of G-20 nations Tuesday in much the same place he was in when he arrived: waiting for Europe to prevent disaster. The Eurozone's debt crisis continues to present a growing menace to the American economy. And that puts Obama in a position all presidents hope to avoid, especially in an election year: His political fortunes could be at the mercy of events out of his control.