The Vicious Circle“Cuanto Cuesta?” Dr. Catherwood asked as he slowly flipped through the Ocixeman newspaper of June 1, 1998. “Tres pesos, senor,” the smiling clerk replied, his gold teeth gleaming in the bright sun. Dr. Catherwood casually tossed a five-peso coin onto the counter of the little newsstand and remarked, "Keep your change, amigo." This drew another big smile from the clerk. Dr. Catherwood walked away, contemplating his impending expedition. He had just arrived in Ocixem by plane. Dr. Catherwood was on sabbatical from his position as a professor of anthropology at Harvard University in Acirema. Within an hour he had a meeting at a local bar with Dr. Ortiz, his Ocixeman colleague from the Mayan Institute. Just the other day, Dr. Ortiz had called him in his office and told him he had made an incredible discovery. After the second scientific revolution, people no longer hid scientific secrets from the world, so he was quite intrigued. It was considered high treason to hide a discovery from the World Government as part of their anti-terrorism policy. Wondering why he would take such a risk in protecting his discovery, Dr. Catherwood promised to join his friend at Ocixem immediately. Catherwood was early, so she sat at the outdoor bar and ordered cold lemonade. The humid jungle air condensed on his glass as the beads of sweat did on his head. He suddenly appreciated coming from the colder climate of Acirema. Little did he know that Dr. Ortiz's discovery would have wide-ranging applications in his thoughts. Dr. Ortiz suddenly appeared, rushing to sit across from Dr. Catherwood. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting," he exclaimed, "but I was making final preparations for the journey." "Preparations for the trip?" asked Dr. Catherwood. Ortiz explained that for the past two years he had been working among the ruins of the ancient Mayan civilization and had begun to decipher many of their hieroglyphics. He was focusing on how such a large and successful company could almost disappear from the face of the earth. Some scientists have theorized that the Maya were assimilated into other cultures and disappeared that way. Although the descendants of the Maya can be recognized in present-day Ocixem by their short stature, aquiline nose and flat forehead, Dr..