The Function of the Chorus in Henry V Essay -- Papers Shakespeare Essa

The Function of the utter in Henry V O for a m enjoyment of burn down, The Chorus introduces the start of Henry V with imaginativeness of flames and war. Shakespeare personas the Chorus to initiate the play and summarise each act to the audience before the next one begins. He is merely a tool to cancel the audience getting too confused. The function for the chorus is merely a practical one, by summarising the plot at every available opportunity thither is little chance for confusion, even if the audience do have to use their imagination. But, we must ask ourselves, if this was Shakespeares only reason for including the Chorus, why does he non use a similar device in his other plays? Surely in all of his plays the audience have to imagine the delimitting (the stage of the globe was set in the round, and so had no room for large props and scenery), and many of his plays have to a greater extent complex plots than this one, so why do we need the Chorus ? The answer is the Chorus puts across a very clear view of warfare and Henrys kingship. It is a very romantic, idealised view, which uses over-zealous language, such as two right on monarchies to create a strong glorified impact on the audience. They are building up the audiences expectations of this to be a mighty, glorious play. The use of the imagery of flames and fire repeats itself throughout the Choruss scenes. O for a muse of fire is the very first line, which immediately conjures up a grand image. Flames represent war, but are also a typical representation of courage and bravery. When the Chorus says, the youth of England are on fire, it imposes upon the audience the idea of keen anticipation and excit... ...nch of salt and are not really to be trusted. Certain productions of Henry V do glorify war, for example Laurence Oliviers production in the 1940s painted a beautiful, majestic picture of war, moreover after analysing the role of the Ch orus in the play, I do not believe this play is a glorification of warfare. Henrys leadership is romanticised in the play comfortably more than the idea of warfare. Productions such as Kenneth Brannaghs creation paint a far more realistic view of war, as a bloody, filthy affair. This is more what I feel the subtext of the play is. War is not really idealised in this play, it can be taken as being glorified, but because of Shakespeares use of the structure of the play, and the Choruss propaganda fabrications, the character of the Chorus does not in any way add to this glorification.

Victor as a Father Figure in Frankenstein :: Frankenstein Essays

Like a mother, Victor brings new life into the world, technic solelyy making him the father of the creature. The fact that Victor describes the creature as,Something Dante could not suck in conceived, rede that hes had high-standard education, with Dante being an Italian poet. However, disgusted and scared, he runs away from his son, illustrating the event of when a mother aborts her child. This is when the idea of the creature being a doppelganger comes into the picture when Victor and others neglect this child, the creature learns that while possessing such looks, no one will accept him. He alternates personalities by killing and threatening, all due to the emotional pain he endures from peoples disdain he is regressing, just like his father. On the other hand, his father is all overcome by joy and eagerness to be able to stop death, despite the fact that it is dangerous. This can be con locationred as the son inheriting the father personalities, they both have villainous charac ter within them but they are both doing it for the good for example, Victor wanting to protect his family from the creature and wanting to stop death, and the creature only(prenominal) wanting to have someone with the same appearance to stop all the resentment thrown at him. This chapter also enhance the regression of Victor at the time of Elizabeths reanimation. At first he describes the event to be a catastrophe, a wretch, but the time comes when his grief over Elizabeths death conceals the danger of his previous creation, forcing him to recreate her life. On that account, this makes it Romantic act, as this shows that his emotions are more powerful and more important than the analytical side of things. To add to that Romantic part of the novel, in chapter 5, Victor starts to reminisce over personality, as if using it to hide away from his toils. He claims to...remember the first time I became capable of observing outward objects...perceived that the fallen leaves had disappear ed and the young buds shooting from trees...As well as suggesting the Romanticism in childhood, Victor shows the power of the beauty of nature and how this heals his emotional troubles.

Julius Caesar (Superstisions Analysis) :: essays research papers

     "Destiny is not a proposition of chance, it is a calculate of choice," proclaimed William Jennings Bryan. Many people believe in destiny and fate and a set-in-stone, unbreakable path for their lives. Caesars self warps and distorts his variant of various superstitions in Shakespeares play, Julius Caesar. Although he believes in superstition and the supernatural, he selectively chooses his interpretation. Be it a dream, fortune-telling, or a common superstition, it always benefits Caesar, or it just isnt true. Caesars distorted sense of self-superiority lastly leads to his assassination. If he had listened to some of the signs of the gods, his tragic fate may have been avoided.      Caesar believes in some illuminate of fate and ultimate destiny. He believes that there is no escaping what the gods have in store. What can be avoided, whose leftovers is purposed by the might gods? (Shakespeare, pg.. 77) says Caesar when he has to make a ending about expiry to the forum or not. His belief in fate sometimes contradicts his belief in superstition. On one hand, he states that no end can be avoided, and on another, he asks Antony to touch his wife for fertility, as if without Antony, that event would not be fated. His large ego blinds him from seeing the contradiction of his convictions. He also states, It seems to me to the highest degree strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come. (Shakespeare, pg. 77) He believes that ones fate is unavoidable.     Caesars behavior changes whenever a superstition could benefit him. Forget not in your speed Antonius, to touch Calphurnia. For our elders say, the barren, touched in this holy chase, shake off their stereotypic curse. (Shakespeare, pg. 13) To try and release his wife of the sterile curse Caesar instructs Antony to touch her while he runs. Because this particular belief may benefit him an d his family, Caesar accepts it as truth. Caesars reply to Calphurnias nightmare of a fountain of Caesar spilling out blood and people rejoicing in it is complete non-belief. He cannot, for one moment, see the all-mighty Caesar being defeated, and his ego tells him that there is no way it will happen. Then, another interpretation comes into play that says that the dream can be interpreted to mean that the people will be rejoicing under(a) Caesars rule, and he gladly accepts, How foolish do your fears seem now, Calphurnia give me my robe, for I will go.Julius Caesar (Superstisions Analysis) essays research papers      "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice," proclaimed William Jennings Bryan. Many people believe in destiny and fate and a set-in-stone, unbreakable path for their lives. Caesars ego warps and distorts his interpretation of various superstitions in Shakespeares play, Julius Caesar. Although he believes in superstitio n and the supernatural, he selectively chooses his interpretation. Be it a dream, fortune-telling, or a common superstition, it always benefits Caesar, or it just isnt true. Caesars distorted sense of self-superiority ultimately leads to his assassination. If he had listened to some of the signs of the gods, his tragic fate may have been avoided.      Caesar believes in some sort of fate and ultimate destiny. He believes that there is no escaping what the gods have in store. What can be avoided, whose ends is purposed by the might gods? (Shakespeare, pg.. 77) says Caesar when he has to make a decision about going to the forum or not. His belief in fate sometimes contradicts his belief in superstition. On one hand, he states that no end can be avoided, and on another, he asks Antony to touch his wife for fertility, as if without Antony, that event would not be fated. His large ego blinds him from seeing the contradiction of his convictions. He also states, It seem s to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come. (Shakespeare, pg. 77) He believes that ones fate is unavoidable.     Caesars behavior changes whenever a superstition could benefit him. Forget not in your speed Antonius, to touch Calphurnia. For our elders say, the barren, touched in this holy chase, shake off their sterile curse. (Shakespeare, pg. 13) To try and rid his wife of the sterile curse Caesar instructs Antony to touch her while he runs. Because this particular belief may benefit him and his family, Caesar accepts it as truth. Caesars reaction to Calphurnias nightmare of a fountain of Caesar spilling out blood and people rejoicing in it is complete non-belief. He cannot, for one moment, see the all-mighty Caesar being defeated, and his ego tells him that there is no way it will happen. Then, another interpretation comes into play that says that the dream can be interpreted to mean that the peopl e will be rejoicing under Caesars rule, and he gladly accepts, How foolish do your fears seem now, Calphurnia give me my robe, for I will go.

Context and Contradictions in Platos Phaedrus and Platos Symposium Es

Context and Contradictions in Platos Phaedrus and Platos SymposiumIt is well known that Plato, a devoted student of Socrates, chronicled many of Socrates speeches and conversations. E actually so a great deal one can find instances where Socrates and other players in these conversations seem to contradict themselves, or at least muddle their arguments. One such occurrence of this is in Platos Symposium and Platos Phaedrus. Both texts speak of love in its physical sense, both texts describe love and its effects, and both discuss how it is dress hat realized, yet they do this in very different fashions, and for different reasons.Platos Phaedrus is a conversation between Socrates and Phaedrus. In this conversation the young Phaedrus is overjoyed to tell Socrates of the speech that he had just heard Lysias, The best writer living (Plato Phaedrus 22), tell. In this speech Lysias uses his rhetorical skills to argue that physical love without emotional attachment is preferable to physical love with emotional attachment, That is the bright thing about it he makes out that an admirer who is not in love is to be preferred to one who is (Plato Phaedrus 22). Socrates listens to this speech, as relayed by Phaedrus and quickly becomes sensible that this speech was a ploy by Lysias to get Phaedrus into bed with him. Socrates then fashions a speech, on the spot, that argues the same points that Lysias did. Socrates? speech is going well but is discontinue by divine sign. Socrates then has to fashion a new speech that renounces the blasphemous nature of the first. Socrates? second speech contains the famous image of love as a charioteer with two horses. He also addresses the nature of the soul and the effects that love has on it (which will be ... ...ut different contexts and thus different ideals. The differences in the manner in which they reference love is nothing short of appalling. It would seem as though Eros was a God who (and whose gifts) came under much criticism , so much so that Socrates and Phaedrus needed to define Eros, both the verb and the God. Then the same discussion takes place in Symposium but with quite a different outcome. hands are Men they change, as do their ideas. In this case the change in ideas came from context different goals were trying to be achieved. This does not mean that all text is more or less valid or has more or less value than the other. For in both Eros is still apt(p) his due.Works CitedPlato. Phaedrus. The Works of Plato. Trans. B. Jowett. New York The Dial Press, n.d.Plato. The Symposium. Ed. Christopher Gill. Harmondsworth Penguin Books, 1999.

Nursing Essay -- Health Care, Medical Technology

In this era of increasing medical technology, changing modes of communication and the expansion of nursing professional roles, ethical, legal and social issues in nursing argon increasing. Nurses operate in situations that put them under ethical, legal and social challenges on a daily basis. These issues are linked to legislative changes and ethics of medical technologies adapt towards helping nurses to provide better healthcare, for patients. They g everyplacen issues of confidentiality, practice, medical issues and the expectations the society has put on nurses. The nursing profession has had radical development and change since its inception. Technology has contributed practically to the development of nursing as a profession Changing societal population demographics, the increase of complex knowledge in healthcare and increasing gaps in the nursing profession have made healthcare professionals and managers to call for an overhaul of the healthcare system (Cowen & Moorhead, 200 6). Most recommendations advocating for change in nursing profession proffer an increased use of technology that can make nursing practice more efficient. Information technology has the capacity to perform more than simple competency increase. Information technology is viewed as a part of the change in healthcare delivery as opposed to the automation of existing processes. This means that it has the emf to change nursing processes within institutions and create a favorable care relationship between nurses and patients. The adoption of technology in the nursing profession, specifically, within the employment has been possible because of the interactions between technical skills, workplace culture and social support. Nursing requires information technology to prom... ...se of information technology, in their practice.Information technology issues should apply in nursing practice to help nurses respond appropriately in the betterment of health care. ConclusionInformation technolog y has helped transform nursing profession over years. It has helped develop the professional into a unique and distinct profession. Nursing profession is significant in the society because it deals with the health issues. Therefore, information technology issues help in ensuring that patients get appropriate health care and nurses work in favorable working conditions. The improvements made to information technology issues have contributed to the betterment of the profession, over the years. Therefore, nurses essential embrace information technology and make use of future developments in nursing profession because they play an essential role in practice.

Nursing Essay -- Health Care, Medical Technology

In this era of increasing medical engineering, changing modes of communication and the expansion of treat professional roles, ethical, legal and social issues in treat are increasing. Nurses operate in situations that put them under ethical, legal and social challenges on a daily basis. These issues are linked to legislative transports and ethical motive of medical technologies geared towards helping nurses to provide better healthcare, for patients. They govern issues of confidentiality, practice, medical issues and the expectations the society has put on nurses. The nurse profession has had radical development and change since its inception. Technology has contributed much to the development of nursing as a profession Changing societal population demographics, the increase of complex knowledge in healthcare and increasing gaps in the nursing profession have made healthcare professionals and managers to call for an overhaul of the healthcare system (Cowen & Moorhead, 2006). Mo st recommendations advocating for change in nursing profession propose an increased use of engine room that can make nursing practice more(prenominal) efficient. Information technology has the capacity to perform more than simple efficiency increase. Information technology is viewed as a part of the change in healthcare delivery as opposed to the automation of live processes. This means that it has the potential to change nursing processes within institutions and create a favorable care relationship between nurses and patients. The adoption of technology in the nursing profession, specifically, within the workplace has been possible because of the interactions between technical skills, workplace culture and social support. Nursing requires information technology to prom... ...se of information technology, in their practice.Information technology issues should apply in nursing practice to help nurses respond appropriately in the procession of health care. ConclusionInformation t echnology has helped transform nursing profession over years. It has helped develop the professional into a unique and distinct profession. Nursing profession is significant in the society because it deals with the health issues. Therefore, information technology issues help in ensuring that patients get appropriate health care and nurses work in favorable working conditions. The improvements made to information technology issues have contributed to the betterment of the profession, over the years. Therefore, nurses must embrace information technology and make use of future developments in nursing profession because they play an essential role in practice.

Beauty by Susan Sontag

The privileges of ravisher are long said Cocteau. To be sure, dish aerial is a contrive of king. And deservedly so. What is Lamentable is that it is the only if form of top executive that most women are boost to seek. This former is everlastingly conceived in relation to men is not the power to do but the power to attract. . or renounced with out social censure. here she states that smasher is a power that us women or men experience naturally, we have the power to attract what we involve and dont want. For the Greeks, beauty was a moral excellence a kind of excellence. Person then were fake to be what we now have to calllamely, enviouslywhole person.. beauty would be matched by beauty of the other kind -here she explains how theirs devil types of beauty the inside beauty and the outside beauty. In Susan Sontag informative piece entitled Beauty she discusses her logical thoughts of the beauty of a women and a men, and of how beauty has changed over the centuries. Su san uses Logical appeals to evoke her philosophy of beauty.She says The privileges of beauty are immense said Cocteau. To be sure, beauty is a form of power. And deservedly so. What is Lamentable is that it is the only form of power that most women are encouraged to seek. This power is always conceived in relation to men is not the power to do but the power to attract. . or renounced with out social censure. Here Susan states that beauty is a power that us women or men have naturally, we have the power to attract what we want and dont want.She as well mentions, For the Greeks, beauty was a celibacy a kind of excellence. Person then were assumed to be what we now have to calllamely, enviouslywhole person.. beauty would be matched by beauty of the other kind Which here she explains how theirs two types of beauty the inside beauty and the outside beauty. Susan is very informative with her logical examples that she makes a clear draw a bead on in the passage, about beauty has changin g through and through out the centuries but inside beauty and outside beauty remains the same.Beauty by Susan SontagThe privileges of beauty are immense said Cocteau. To be sure, beauty is a form of power. And deservedly so. What is Lamentable is that it is the only form of power that most women are encouraged to seek. This power is always conceived in relation to men is not the power to do but the power to attract. . or renounced with out social censure. here she states that beauty is a power that us women or men have naturally, we have the power to attract what we want and dont want. For the Greeks, beauty was a virtue a kind of excellence. Person then were assumed to be what we now have to calllamely, enviouslywhole person.. beauty would be matched by beauty of the other kind -here she explains how theirs two types of beauty the inside beauty and the outside beauty. In Susan Sontag informative piece entitled Beauty she discusses her logical thoughts of the beauty of a women and a men, and of how beauty has changed over the centuries. Susan uses Logical appeals to evoke her philosophy of beauty.She says The privileges of beauty are immense said Cocteau. To be sure, beauty is a form of power. And deservedly so. What is Lamentable is that it is the only form of power that most women are encouraged to seek. This power is always conceived in relation to men is not the power to do but the power to attract. . or renounced with out social censure. Here Susan states that beauty is a power that us women or men have naturally, we have the power to attract what we want and dont want.She as well mentions, For the Greeks, beauty was a virtue a kind of excellence. Person then were assumed to be what we now have to calllamely, enviouslywhole person.. beauty would be matched by beauty of the other kind Which here she explains how theirs two types of beauty the inside beauty and the outside beauty. Susan is very informative with her logical examples that she makes a clear point in the passage, about beauty has changing through out the centuries but inside beauty and outside beauty remains the same.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 16~18

Sixteen mavisThe ph genius behind the bar rang and Mavis yanked it push through of its cradle. Mount Olympus, Goddess of Sex speaking, she said, and there was a mechanical ratcheting noise as she cocked a hip while she listened. No, I realise tont seen him like I would even tell you if he was here. Hell, adult female, I dumbfound a sac wild trust here I cant rat step up every husband who come outs in for a snort after work. How would I know? H stary, you compliments to keep this kind of thing from happening? Two intelligence services prospicient, nasty blowjobs. Yeah, well, if you were doing them alternatively of counting words, hence maybe you wouldnt lose your husband. Oh, all right, hold on.Mavis held her receiver to breast and shouted, Hey Anyone seen Les from the hardw be store? A few heads shook and a fusillade of nopes fired by means of the bar.Nope, hes non here. Yeah, if I see him, Ill be authoritative and tell him that there was a screeching harpy looking f or for him. Oh yeah, well, Ive been done doggie-style by the Better Business Bureau and they liked it, so imagine hi for me.Mavis slammed down the phone. She felt like the Tin Man left out in the rain. Her metal parts felt rusty and she was sure that her plastic parts were way out to mush. Ten oclock on a Saturday, live entertainment on the stage, and she legato hadnt sold enough liquor to c everywhere the court of her Blues singer. Oh, the bar was full, provided people were nursing their drinks, qualification them last, making goo-goo eyes at each in the altogether(prenominal) and slipping out, couple by couple, without move a truismbuck. What in the hell had come over this town? The Blues singer was supposed to drive them to drink, tho the entire pop-ulation seemed to be absolutely punch-drunk with love. They were talking instead of drinking. Wimps. Mavis spit into the bar sink in disgust and there was a pinging sound from a tiny spring that had dislodged somewhere ins ide of her.Wusses. Mavis threw plunk for a shot of Bushmills and glared at the couples sitting at the bar, then glared at Catfish, who was finishing up a set on the stage, his National steel guitar whining as he sang about losing his soul at the ham allow.Catfish told the story of the great Robert Johnson, the haunting Bluesman who had met the devil at the crossroads and bargained his soul for super-natural ability, but was pursued throughout his disembodied spirit by a hellhound that had caught his scent at the g ingests of hell and finally took him home when a jealous husband slipped poison into Johnsons liquor.T beh be, Catfish said into the microphone, I done stood at midnight at every crossroad in the Delta lookin to care my soul, but wasnt nodead body buyin. Now that there is the Blues. But I gots me my own brand of hellhound, surely I do.Thats sweet, fish boy, Mavis shouted from behind the bar. Come over here, I gotta talk to you.Scuse me, folks, theys a call from hell ri ght now, Catfish said to the crowd with a grin. But no one was listening. He trust his guitar in the stand and ambled over to Mavis.Youre not loud enough, Mavis said.Turn up your hearing aid, woman. I aint got no pickup in that National. Theys only so high you can go into a mike or she feed back.People are talking, not drinking. Play louder. And no love songs.I gots me a Fender Stratocaster and a Marshall amp in the car, but I dont like playin lectric.Go get them. Plug in. Play loud. I dont need you if you dont sell liquor.This gonna be my last night eitherway.Get the guitar, Mavis said.mollie molly slammed the truck into the Dumpster behind the Head of the Slug Saloon. Glass from the headlights tinkled to the tarmac and the fan raked crosswise the radiator with a grating shriek. It had been a few years since Molly had done any driving, and Les had left out a few parts from the do-it-yourself bracken kit hed installed. Molly turned off the engine and set the parking brake, then w iped the steering wheel and shift knob with the sleeve of her sweatshirt to remove any fingerprints. She climbed out of the truck and tossed the keys into the mashed Dumpster. thither was no music glide path from the back door of the Slug, only the smell of stale beer and the low murmur of conversation. She scampered out of the avenue and started the tetrad-block walk home.A low haze over drifted over Cypress S channelizet and Molly was grateful for the cover. There were only a few lights on in the parks trailers, and she hurried past them to where her own windows flickered with the lonely blue of the unwatched television. She looked past her house to the space where Steve lay healing and noticed a figure out-lined in the fog. As she drew closer, she could see that it was not one person, but two, standing not twenty feet from the dragon trailer. Her heart sank. She expected the beams of police flashlights to swing through the fog any second, but the figures were solace standin g there. She crept around the edge of her trailer, pressed so close that she could feel the cold coming off the aluminum jumble through her sweatshirt.A womans voice cut the fog, Lord, we gather in heeded your call and come unto you. Forgive us our casual attire, as our dry cleaner did close for the weekend and we are left sorely without outfits with twinned accessories.It was the school prayer ladies, Katie and Marge, although Molly wouldnt be able to tell which was which. They were wearing identical pink jogging suits with matching Nikes. As she watched, the two women moved closer to Steve, and Molly could see a rippling across the dragon trailer.As our Lord Jesus did give His life for our sins, so we come unto Thee, O Lord, to giveth of ourselves.The end of the dragon trailer lost its angles to curves, and Molly could see Steves broad head extending, changing, the door divergence from a erect rectangle to a wide horizontal maw. The women seemed unaffected by the change and c ontinued to move slowly forward, silhouetted now by Steves jaws, which were opening like a sabertoothed cavern.Molly ran around her trailer and up the steps, reached in and grabbed her broadsword which was leaned against the wall except inside the door, and dashed back around the trailer and toward the Sea living creature.Marge and Katie were almost inside of Steves open mouth flake. Molly could see his enormous tongue snaking out the side of his mouth, reaching behind the church ladies to drag them in.No Molly leapt from a full run, slamming between Marge and Katie like a fullback leaping through blockers to the goal line, and smacked Steve on the nose with the flat of her sword. She landed in his mouth and rolled clear to the ground vindicatory as his jaws snapped shut behind her. She came up on one knee, holding the sword pointed at Steves nose.No she said. good-for-nothing dragon. Steve turned his head quizzically, as if wondering what she was so upset about.Change back, Molly said, raising the sword as if to whack his nose again. Steves head and get laid pulled back into the shape of a double-wide trailer.Molly looked back at the church ladies, who seemed very concerned with having been knocked into the mud in their pink jogging suits, but unretentive to the fact that they had almost been eaten. Are you two okay?We felt the call, one of them said, either Marge or Katie, while the some new(prenominal) one nodded in agreement. We had to come to give ourselves unto the Lord. Their eyes were glazed over and they stared right past her to the trailer as they round.You guys fall in to go home now. Arent your husbands stressed about you or something?We comprehend the call.Molly helped them to their feet and pointed them away from Steve, who make a faint whining noise as she pushed the church ladies away toward the street.Molly stopped them at the edge of the street and spoke to them from behind. Go home. Dont come back here. Okay?We cherished to br ing the children to feel the spirit too, but it was so late, and we have church tomorrow.Molly smacked the speaker across the butt with the flat of her sword, a good two- give stroke that sent her stumbling into the street. Go homeMolly was winding up to smack the other one when she turned and held up her hand as if refusing a refill on coffee. No thank you.Then youre outlet and youre not coming back, right?The woman didnt seem sure. Molly turned her grip on the sword so the edge was poised to strike. Right?Yes, the woman said. Her friend nodded in agreement as she rubbed her bottom.Now go, Molly said. As the women walked away, she called after them, And stop dressing alike. Thats fucking weird.She watched them until they disappeared into the fog, then went back to where Steve was waiting in trailer form. Well? She threw out her hip, frowned, and tapped her bottom as if waiting for his explanation.His windows narrowed, ashamed.Theyll be back, you know. Then what?He whimpered, the sound coming from deep inside, where the kitchen would be if he were really a trailer.If youre still hungry, you have to let me know. I can help. We can find you something. Although there is only one hardware store in town. Youre going to have to diversify your diet.Suddenly an electric automobile guitar screamed out of the fog, wailing like a tortured ghost of Chicago Blues. The dragon trailer became the dragon again, his white skin went black, then flashed brilliant streaks of red anger. The bandages Molly had spent all day applying shredded with the abrupt shape change. His gill trees hung with tatters of fiberglass fabric as if toilet-papered by mischievous boys. The Sea Beast threw back his head and roared, rattling the windows through the trailer park. Molly fell in the mud as she backed up, then rolled and came up on her feet with the broadsword poised to thrust into the Sea Beasts throat.Steve, I think you need to take a timeout, young man.TheoSuch a short period of time to have so many new experiences. In just the last few days, he had coordinated his first major missing person search, including talking to worried parents and the milk carton company, whose people wanted to know if Theo could get a picture of Mikey Plotznik where he wasnt making a contorted, goofy face at the camera. (If they assemble a better picture, Mikey would end up with great exposure on the two percent or nonfat cartons, but if they had to go with what they had, he was going on the side of the buttermilk and would only be seen by old folks and people making ranch dressing.) Theo had also had to bunch with his first major fire, the delusion of giant animal tracks, and opening a real live murder investigation, all without the benefit of his lifelong chemical crutch. Not that he couldnt nurse at his favorite pipe, hed just lost the desire to do so.Now he had to decide how to go about investigating Bess Leanders murder. Should he pull someone in for interrogation? Pull them in whe re? His cabin? He didnt have an office. Somehow he couldnt imagine holding an effective interrogation with the suspect in a bean protrude chair under a hot lava lamp. Talk, scumbag Dont make me turn the black light on that Jimi Hendrix poster and light some incense. You dont want that.And amid all the other activity, he felt a nagging compulsion to go back to the Fly Rod Trailer Court and talk to Molly Michon. Crazy thoughts. eventually he decided to drop by Joseph Leanders house, hoping he might catch the salesman off guard. As he pulled into the driveway, he noticed that weeds had grown up around the garden gnomes and there was a patina of dust on the Dutch hex sign over the front door. The garage door was open and Josephs minivan was lay inside.Theo paused at the front door before knocking and made sure that his ponytail was tucked into his collar and his collar was straight. For some reason, he felt as if he should be wearing a gun. He had one, a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver, but it was on the top ledge of his water closet, next to his bong collection.He rang the bell, then waited. A minute passed before Joseph Leander opened the door. He was wearing paint-spattered corduroys and an old cardigan sweater that looked like it had been pulled out of the trash a dozen times. Obviously not the distinguish of attire that Bess Leander would have allowed in her home.Constable Crowe. Leander was not smiling. What can I do for you?If you have a minute, Id like to talk to you. May I come in?I suppose, Leander said. He stepped away from the door and Theo ducked in. I just made some coffee. Would you like some?No thanks. Im on duty. Cops are supposed to say that, Theo thought.Its coffee.Oh, right, sure. Milk and sugar please.The living room had bare pine plank floors and rag rugs. An antique pew bench took the place of a sofa, two Shaker chairs and a galvanized milk can with a padded cushion on the top provided the other seating. Three antique butter churns stood in the corners of the room. But for a new thirty-six-inch Sony by the fireplace, it could have been the living room of a seventeenth-century family (a family with very high cholesterol from all that butter).Joseph Leander returned to the living room and handed Theo a hand- propel stoneware mug. The coffee was the seeming of butterscotch and tasted of cinnamon. Thanks, Theo said. New TV? He nodded to the Sony.Leander sat across from Theo on the milk can. Yes, I got it for the girls. PBS and so forth. Bess neer pass of television.And so you killed herLeander sprayed a mouthful of coffee on the rug. What?Theo took a sip of his coffee while Leander stared at him, wide-eyed. Maybe hed been a bit too abrupt. strike back, regroup. So did you get cable? Reception is horrible in Pine Cove without cable. Its the hummocks, I think.Leander blinked furiously and did a triple-take on Theo. What are you talking about?I saw the coroners report on your wife, Joseph. She didnt die from hanging.You re insane. You were there. Leander stood and took the mug out of Theos hands. I wont listen to this. You can go now, Constable. Leander stepped back and waited.Theo stood. He wasnt very good at confrontation, he was a peace officer. This was too hard. He pushed himself. Was it the affair with Betsy? Did Bess catch you?Veins were beginning to show on Leanders audacious pate. I just started seeing Betsy. I loved my wife and I resent you doing this to her memory. Youre not supposed to do this. Youre not even a real cop. Now get out of my house.Your wife was a good woman. A little weird, but good.Leander set the coffee mugs down on a butter churn, went to the front door, and pulled it open. Go. He waved Theo toward the door.Im going, Joseph. But Ill be back. Theo stepped outside.Leanders face had gone completely red. No, you wont.Oh, I think I will, Theo said, feeling very untold like a second grader in a playground argument.Dont fuck with me, Crowe, Leander spat. You have no idea wh at youre doing. He slammed the door in Theos face.Do too, Theo said.SeventeenMollyMolly had always wondered about American womens trance with dreary boys. There seemed to be some sort of logic-defying attraction to the guy who rode a motorcycle and had a tattoo, a gun in the glove compart-ment, or a snifter of cocaine on the coffee table. In her performing days, shed even been involved with a couple of them herself, but this was the first one who actually, well, ate people. Women always felt that they could reform a guy. How else could you explain the numerous proposals of marriage received by captured serial killers? That one was a bit too much even for Molly, and she took comfort in the fact that no matter how weirdy she had gotten, shed neer been tempted to marry a guy who made a habit of strangle his dates.American mothers programmed their daughters to believe that they could make everything better. Why else was she leading a hundred-foot monster down a brook bed in broad d aylight?Fortunately, the creek bed was lined in most places by a heavy growth of willow trees, and as Steve moved over the rocks, his great body changed color and texture to match his surroundings until he looked like nothing more than a trick of the light, like heat rising off blacktop.Molly made him stay under cover as they approached the Cypress Street bridge, then waited until there was no traffic and signaled him to go. Steve slithered under the bridge like a snake in the grass down its hole, his back knocking off great hunks of concrete, and he passed through.In less than an hour they were out of town, into the ranchland that ran along the coast to the north, and Molly led Steve up through the trees to the edge of a pasture. There you go, spoilt guy, Molly said, pointing to a herd of Holsteins that were grazing a hundred yards away. Breakfast.Steve crouched at the edge of the quality like a cat ready to pounce. His tail twitched, splintering a cypress sapling in the process. Molly sat down beside him and cleaned mud from her sneakers with a stick as the cows slowly made their way toward them.This is it? she asked. You just sit here and they come over to be eaten? A girl could lose respect for you as a hunter watching this, you know that?TheoTheo found himself trying to figure out why, exactly, he was driving to Molly Michons place, when his cell phone rang. Before he answered, he reminded himself not to sound stoned, when it occurred to him that he actually wasnt stoned, and that was even more frightening.Crowe here, he said.Crowe, this is Nailsworth, down at County. Are you nuts?Theo stalled while he seek to remember who Nailsworth was. Is this a survey?What did you do with that data I gave you? Nailsworth said. Theo suddenly remembered that Nailsworth was the Spiders real name. A second call was beeping on Theos line.Nothing. I mean, I conducted an interview. shadow you hold? Ive got another call.No, I cant hold. I know youve got another call. You didnt hear anything from me, do you hear? I gave you nothing, commiserate?Kay, Theo said.The Spider hung up and Theo connected to the other call.Crowe, are you fucking nutsIs this a survey? Theo said, pretty sure that it wasnt a survey, but also pretty sure that Sheriff Burton wouldnt be happy with a truthful answer to the question, which was Yes, I probably am nuts.I thought I told you to stay away from Leander. That case is closed and filed.Theo thought for a second. It hadnt been 5 minutes since hed left Joseph Leanders house. How could Burton know already? No one got through to the sheriff that quickly.Some suspicious evidence popped up, Theo said, trying to figure out how he was going to cover for the Spider if Burton pressed. I just stopped by to see if there was anything to it.You fucking pothead. If I tell you to let something lie, you let it lie, do you understand me? Im not talking about your job now, Crowe, Im talking about life as you know it. I hear another word out o f mating County and you are going to be getting your dance card punched by every AIDs-ridden convict in Soledad. Leave Leander alone.ButSay Yes, sir, you bag of shit.Yes, sir, you bag of shit, Theo said.You are finished, Crowe, you Sorry, Sheriff. Batterys going. Theo disconnected and headed back to his cabin, shaking as he drove.MollyIn Flesh Eaters of the Outland, Kendra was forced to watch while a new stemma of mutants sprayed hapless villagers with a flesh-dissolving enzyme, then lapped up puddles of human protein with disgusting dubbed sucking sounds that the foley artists had obtained at Sea World, recording baby walruses being fed handfuls of shellfish. The special make guys simulated the carnage with large quantities of rubber cement, paraffin body parts that conveniently melted under the Mexican desert sun, and transmission fluid instead of the usual Karo syrup fake blood. (The sugary stage blood tended to attract blowflies and the director didnt want to get notice from the ASPCA for abuse.) Overall, the effect was so real that Molly insisted that all of Kendras reaction shots be done after the cleanup to avoid her gagging and going green on camera. Between the carrion scene and some salmonella tacos served up by the Nogales-based caterer, as well as repeated propositions by an Arab coproducer with halitosis that made her eyes water, Molly was sick for three days. But none of it, even the fetid falafel breath, produced the nausea she was experiencing upon watching Steve yack up four fully masticated, partially digested Holsteins.Molly added the contents of her own stomach (three Pop Tarts and a Diet Coke) to the four pulverized piles of beefy goo that Steve had expelled onto the pasture.Lactose intolerant? She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and glared at the Sea Beast. You have no problem swilling down a paperboy and the closet perv from the hardware store, but you cant eat dairy cows?Steve rolled onto his back and tried to look apologetic strea ks of purple play across his flanks, purple being his embarrassment color. Viscous tears the size of softballs welled up in the corner of his giant cats eyes.So I suppose youre still hungry?Steve rolled back onto his feet and the earth rumbled beneath him.Maybe we can find you a horse or something, Molly said. Stay close to the tree line. Using her broadsword as a walking stick, she led him over the hill. As they moved, his colours changed to match the surroundings, making it appear that Molly was being followed by a mirage.TheoFor some reason, the words of Karl Marx kept running through Theos mind as he dug the machete out of the tool shed behind his cabin. righteousness is the opiate of the masses. It follows, then, that opium is the religion of the addict, Theo thought. Which is why he was feeling the gut-wrenching remorse of the excommunicated as he took the machete to the first of the thick, fibrous stems in his marijuana patch. The bushy green weeds fell like martyred saints with each swing of the machete, and his hands picked up a film of sticky resin as he threw each plant onto a pile in the corner of the yard.In five minutes his shirt was soaked with sweat and the pot patch looked like a miniature interpreting of a clear-cut forest. Devastation. Stumps. He emptied a can of kerosene over the waste-high pile of cannabis, then pulled out his lighter and se the flame to a piece of paper. Throw off the chains of your oppressors, Marx had said. These plants, the habit that went with them, were Theos chains the boot that Sheriff John Burton had kept pressed to his neck these last eight years, the threat that kept him from acting freely, from doing the right thing,He threw the burning paper, and the flames of revolution whooshed over the pile. There was no elation, no rush of freedom as he backed away from the pyre. alternatively of the triumph of revolution, he felt a sense of sickening loss, loneliness, and guilt Judas at the base of the Cross. No wonder communism had failed.He went into the cabin, retrieved the box from the shelf in the closet, and was beating his bong collection into shrapnel with a ballpeen hammer when he hear automatic weapons fire coming from the ranch.Ignacio and MiguelIgnacio was lying in the shade just outside the metal shed, smoking a pansy, while Miguel labored away inside, cooking the chemicals down into methamphetamine crystals. Beakers the size of basketballs boiled over electric burners, the exhaust system routed through glass tubes to a vent in the wall.Miguel was short and wiry, just thirty years old, but the lines in his face and the grim expression he always wore made him look fifty. Ignacio was only twenty, fat and full of machismo, interpreted with his own success and toughness, and convinced that he was on his way to being the new godfath-er of the Mexican Mafia. They had crossed the border together six months ago, smuggled in by a coyote to do exactly what they were doing. And what a sweet d eal it had turned out to be. Because the lab was protected by the big sheriff, they were never raided, they never had to move on a moments notice like the other labs in California, or bolt across the border until things cooled off. Only six months, and Miguel had sent home enough money for his wife to buy a ranch in Michoacn, and Ignacio was driving a flashy clothe off four-wheel drive and wearing five-hundred-dollar alligator-skin Tony Lama boots. All of this for only eight hours of work a day, for they were only one of three crews that kept the lab running twenty-four hours a day. And there was no danger of being stopped on the road while transporting drugs, because the big sheriff had a gringo in a little van come every few days to drop off supplies and take the drugs away. identify out that cigarette, cabrone Miguel shouted. Do you want to blow us up?Ignacio scoffed and flicked his cigarette into the pasture. You worry too much, Miguel. Ignacio was tired of Miguels whining. He missed his family, he worried about getting caught, he didnt know if the mix was right. When the older man wasnt working, he was brooding, and no descend of money or consoling seemed to satisfy him.Miguel appeared at the doorway and stood over Ignacio. Do you feel that?What? Ignacio reached for the AK-47 that was leaning against the shed. What?Miguel was staring across the pasture, but seemed to be seeing nothing. I dont know.It is nothing. You worry too much.Miguel started walking across the pasture toward the tree line. I have to go over there. Watch my stove.Ignacio stood up and hitched his silver-studded belt up under his belly. I dont how to watch the stove. Im the guard. You stay and watch the stove.Miguel strode over the hill without looking back. Ignacio sat back down and pulled another cigarette from the pocket of his leather vest. Loco, he mumbled under his breath as he lit up. He smoke-cured for several minutes, dreaming and scheming about a time when he would run the whole oper-ation, but by the time he finished the cigarette he was starting to worry about his partner. He stood to get a better look, but couldnt see anything beyond the top of the hill over which Miguel had disappeared.Miguel? he called. But there was no answer.He glanced inside the shed to see that everything was in order, and as far as he could tell, it was. Then he picked up his assault rifle and started across the pasture. Before he got three steps, he saw a white woman coming over the hill. She had the face and body of a hot senorita, but the wild gray-blonde hair of an old woman, and he wondered for the thousandth time what in the hell was wrong with American women. Were they all sick? He lowered the assault rifle, but smiled as he did it, hoping to warn the woman off without making her suspicious.You stop, he said in English. No trespass. He heard the cell phone ringing back in the shed and glanced back for a second.The woman kept coming. We met your friend, Molly said.Who is we? Ignacio asked.His answer came over the hill behind the woman, first looking like two burned scrub oak trees, then the giant cats eyes. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Ignacio said as he wrestled with the bolt on the assault rifle.TheoEight years of living at the edge of the ranch and never once had Theo so much as taken a walk down the dirt road. He had been under orders not to. But now what? Hed seen the trucks going in and out over the years, occasionally heard men shouting, but somehow hed managed to ignore it all, and there had never been gunfire. Going onto the ranch to investigate automatic weapons fire seemed an especially stupid way to run his newfound freedom, but not investigating, well, that said something about him he wasnt willing to face. Was he, in fact, a coward?The sound of a man screaming in the outstrip made the decision for him. It wasnt the sound of someone blowing off steam, it was a throat-stripping scream of pure terror. Theo kicked the shards of his bong collection off the front steps and went back to the closet to get his pistol.The Smith & Wesson was wrapped in an oily cloth on the top shelf of his closet next to a box of shells. He undo it, snapped open the cylin-der, and dropped in six cartridges, fighting the shake that was moving from his hands to his entire body. He dumped another six shells into his shirt pocket and headed out to the Volvo.He started the Volvo, then grabbed the radio mike to call for some backup. A lot of good that would do. Response time from the Sheriffs Department could run as long as thirty minutes in Pine Cove, which was one of the reasons there was a town constable in the first place. And what would he say? He was still under orders not to go onto the ranch.He dropped the mike on the seat next to his gun, put the Volvo in gear, and was starting to back out when a Dodge minivan pulled in beside him. Joseph Leander waved and smiled at him from the drivers seat.Theo put the Volvo in park. Leander climbe d out of his van and leaned into the passenger window and looked at the .357 lying on the seat. I need to talk to you, he said.You werent much for talking an hour ago.I am now.Later. Im just going to check something out on the ranch.Thats perfect, Leander said, shoving a small automatic pistol through the window into Theos face. Well go together.EighteenDr. ValThe bust of Hippocrates stared up at Val Riordan from the desk. First, do no harmYeah, bite me, said the psychiatrist, throwing her Versace scarf over the Greeks face.Val was having a bad day. The call from Constable Crowe, revealing that her treatment, or lack of it, had not caused Bess Leanders suicide, had thrown Val into a quandary. Shed zombied her way through her morning appointments, answering questions with questions, pretending to take notes, and not catching a word that anyone said to her.Five years ago there had been a flood of stories in the media about the dangers of Prozac and similar antidepressants, but those s tories had been set off by sensational lawsuits against the drug companies, and the follow-ups, the fact that not one jury found antidepressants to cause destructive behavior, had been buried in the back pages. One powerful religious group (whose prophet was a hack science fiction writer and whose followers in-cluded masses of deluded movie stars and supermodels) had fielded a media flack catcher against antidepressants, recommending instead that the de-pressed should just cheer up, buck up, and send in some gas money to keep the Mother Ship running. The various professional journals had re ported no studies that proved that antidepressants increased the incidence of suicidal or violent behavior. Val had read the religious propaganda (it had the endorsement of the rich and famous), but she hadnt read the professional journals. Yes, mechanically treating her patients with antide-pressants had been wrong, but her attempt to atone by taking them all off the drugs was just as wrong. No w she had to deal with the fact that she might be painfulness them.Val hit the speed dial button to the pharmacy. Winston Krauss answered, but his voice was muted, as if he had an incredibly bad cold.Pine Cobe Drug and Gibt.Winston, you sound horrible.I hab on my mask and snorkle.Oh, Winston. Val rubbed her eyes, causing her contacts to slide back in her head somewhere. Not at the store.Im in the back room. His voice became clear on the last word of the sentence. There, I took it off. Im glad you called, Ive been wanting to talk to you about killer whales.Pardon?Im attracted to Orcas. Ive been watching a Jacques Cousteau tape about themWinston, can we cover this in academic session?Im worried. I was especially turned on by the male one. Does that make me a homosexual?Jeez, it didnt worry him that he was a wannabe whale-humper, as long as he wasnt a gay wannabe whale-humper. As a psychiatrist, shed tried to drop terms like full-blown batshit from her vocabulary, even in thought, s o far with Winston, she couldnt keep the term from rising. Lately, Val felt as if she was running the batshit concession on the cave floor. It had to stop. Winston, Im putting everyone back on their SSRIs. Get rid of the placebos. Im going to put everyone on Paxil to get their levels up as quickly as possible. Make sure to warn the ones who were on Prozac that they absolutely cant miss a day like they used to. Ill move those who need it later.You want me to take everyone off of the placebos? Do you know how much money we are making? scribble today. Im going to call my patients. I want you to give them credit for the unused placebos they still have.I wont do it. I almost have enough salvage to spend a month at the Cetacean Research Center on Grand Bahama. You cant take that away from me.Winston, I wont compromise my patients mental health so you can go on vacation and fuck Flipper.I said I wont do it. You were the one who started this. What about your patients mental health then?I was wrong. Im not going to put everyone back on antidepressants either, so youre going to lose some revenue there too. Some of them didnt need the drugs in the first place.No.Val was shocked at the conviction in Winstons voice. His self-esteem problem no longer seemed an issue. What a crappy time for him to be making progress. So you want the town to know about your little problem?You wont do that. You have more to lose than I do, Valerie. If you blow the whistle on me, then Ill tell the whole story to the papers. Ill get immunity and youll go to jail.You bastard. Ill send my patients down to the Thrifty Mart in San Junipero. Then you wont even have the legitimate sales.No, you wont. Things are going to stay just the way they are, Dr. Val. Winston hung up.Valerie Riordan stared at the receiver for a second be fore replacing it in its cradle. How? How in the hell had she given control of her life over to someone like Winston Krauss? More important, how was she going to get it back wi thout going to jail?TheoJoseph Leander had the automatic stuck against Theos ribs. Hed thrown Theos gun into the backseat. Leander was wearing a tweed jacket and wool dress slacks and a film of sweat was forming on his forehead. The Volvo bounced over a rut in the dirt road and Theo felt the barrel of the automatic dig into his ribs. He was trying to remember what you were supposed to do in such a situation, but all he could remember from the cop shows that hed watched was never to give up your gun.Joseph, could you pull that gun out of my ribs, or put the safety on, or something? This is a pretty bumpy road. Id hate to lose a lung because I didnt get new shocks. That sounded sufficiently glib, he thought. Professionally calm. Now if he could just avoid wetting himself.You couldnt leave it alone, could you? It would have just passed into history and no one would have noticed, but you had to dig things up.So you did kill her?Lets say I helped her make a decision that shed been waffli ng about.She was the mother of your children.Right, and she treated me with about as much respect as a turkey baster.Wow, you lost me there, partner.They use them for imitative insemination, Crowe, you fucking stoner. One squirt and you throw them away.You got tired of being a turkey baster, so you hung your wife?Her herb garden killed her. Foxglove tea. Contains huge amount of digitalis. Stops the heart and its almost undetectable unless youre looking for it. Ironic, isnt it? I would have never known about any of that crap if she hadnt blathered on about it constantly.Theo was not at all happy that Leander was telling him this. It meant that he was going to have to make some sort of move to save himself or he was dead. chock up a tree maybe? He checked Leanders seat belt it was buckled. What kind of criminal kidnaps someone and remembers to buckle his seat belt? Stall for now. There were heel marks on the wall.Nice touches, I thought. I dont know, she may have still been alive wh en I hung her up there.They were coming out of the forest that surrounded the ranch into an open pasture. Theo could see a metal shed next to a double-wide house trailer a couple of hundred yards ahead. A bright red Dodge truck was parked by the shed.Hmmm, Leander said. They got a new trailer for the boys. Pull up to the shed and park.Theo felt panic deepen in his throat like acid and fought it down. Keep them talking and they wont shoot. Hadnt he heard that somewhere? So you killed your wife for a big-screen TV and a burst with Betsy? Divorce never occurred to you?Leander laughed and Theo felt a chill run through his body. You really are dense, arent you, Crowe? See that shed up there? Well, I hauled twenty-eight million dollars worth of methamphetamine out of that shed last year. Granted, I only get a piece of that, but its a nice piece. I move it all. Im a salesman, a family man, innocuous and unnoticeable. Whod suspect me? Mr. Milquetoast.Your wife?Bess found out about it. Fun ny thing is, she was following me because she suspected an affair, but she never found out a thing about Betsy and me. She was going to turn me in. I had no choice.Theo pulled up next to the shed and turned off the Volvo. You have a choice now, Joseph. You dont have to do this.Im not doing anything but going back to my life until theres enough money in my offshore accounts to take off. Dont get me wrong, Crowe. I didnt enjoy killing Bess. Im not a killer. Hell, Ive never even taken any drugs. This isnt crime, its just a well-paid delivery route.So youre not going to shoot me? Theo really, really wanted to believe that.Not if you do what I tell you to do. Get out of the car. Leave the keys. Slide over and come out on my side.Theo did as he was told and Leander kept the pistol trained on him the whole time. Where did Leander learn to do that? Hed hadnt had a television that long. Guy must have taken a mail-order course or something.Miguel Ignacio Come out here Leander gestured with th e pistol for Theo to move toward the shack. Go inside.Theo ducked to get through the door and immediately saw rack upon rack of lab glass, glass tubing, and plastic barrels of chemicals. A single metal chair sat in front of half a dozen electric burners that were filling the shed with a brutal heat.Sit down, Leander commanded.As Theo sat, he felt the handcuffs being yanked out of his back pocket.Put your hands behind you. Theo did as he was told and Leander threaded the handcuffs through two metal bars at the back of the chair and snapped them over Theos wrists.Ive got to go find these guys, Leander said. Probably taking a siesta. What was Burton thinking when he put a house trailer down here? Ill be back in a second.Then what?Then Ignacio will shoot you, Im guessing.MollyThis was a first a guy that actually did what you asked him to do. When she heard a car coming down the ranch road, she asked Steve to make himself look like a trailer and he had done it. Sure, she had to make a li ttle box diagram in the air with her hands, and he missed the first time, trying to make himself look like the tin shed next to him, a miserable failure that resulted in only his head changing and making him look like a dragon wearing an aluminum bag over his head, but after a few seconds he got it. What a guy. Okay, his tail, which had always hung down into the creek bed before, was showing, but maybe no one would notice.What a guy, she said, patting him on his air-conditioning unit. Or at least it was an air-conditioning unit now. No telling what body part it had been before he changed into a trailer.Shes patting my unit, Steve thought. A low growl of pleasure rolled out of his front door.Molly ran and hid behind the shed, peeking out to watch the white Volvo pull up and stop. She almost stepped out to say hi to Theo, then saw the other man in the car holding a gun on him. She listened as the bald guy led Theo into the shed and made some threats. She wanted to jump out and say, No , Ignacio wont be shooting anyone, Mr. Bald Guy. Hes busy being digested right now, but the guy did have a gun. How the hell did Theo let himself be taken prisoner by someone who looked like an assistant principal?When it was evident that the bald guy was coming out, she ran to the dragon trailer, caught the edge of the air-conditioning unit, and swung herself up onto the roof.The bald guy was going around to the front door. She ran over Steves back and looked down over the edge.Miguel Ignacio the bald guy yelled. Get out here He seemed unsettled about going into the trailer.I saw them go in there, Molly said.The bald guy stepped back, looking like he was going to go into a fit searching for where the voice had come from.Youre an assistant principal, arent you? Molly said.The bald guy finally spotted her and tried to hide the gun behind his back. Youre that crazy woman, he said. What are you doing here?Molly scooched up to the edge of the dragon trailer. Scuse me? Pardon me? Beg yo ur pardon? Im the what?He ignored her question. What are you doing here? free me. Excuse me, excuse me, she almost sang. There is an as-yet-unapologized-for aspersion on the floor. Youll have to handle that before we move on.Im not apologizing for anything. What are you doing here? Where are Ignacio and Miguel?Youre not apologizing?No. Get down from there. He showed her the gun.Kay, Molly said, patting Steve on the head/roof. Steve, eat this impolite motherfucker.Shed seen it before, but it was especially exciting to be sitting on Steves head when he changed shape and his tongue leapt out below her to wrap around the assistant principal. After the initial slurp, the inevitable crunch (which had bothered her before) was sort of satisfying.She couldnt figure out if it was because the assistant principal had pointed a gun at her friend and called her a crazy woman, or if she was just getting used to it.That was just swell, she said. She ran across Steves back, slid down to the top of t he air-conditioning unit, then jumped to the ground.Steve growled and the angles of his trailer form melted into the curves and sinew of his dragon shape. He rolled over on his side and Molly watched as the scales on his belly parted and seven feet of dragon penis emerged as thick and stiff as a telephone pole. Luminescent colors flashed up the length of the organ.Wow, that is impressive, Molly said, taking a few steps backward.Steve sent her a message similar to the one he had sent to the send away truck. It worked better on Molly. Her knees went wobbly, a warm tingling ran up her thighs, and she could feel the pulse rising in her temples.She looked into Steves eyes (well, one of them anyway), stepped up to his face and quietly touched him on the lips (or what would have been lips, if hed had them), and let the sweetly acrid smell of his breath (a mix of Old Spice, manly Mexicans, and barfed cow) wash over her.You know, she said, I never kissed a guy with assistant principal on h is breath.

Erp as Software as a Service (Saas) for Smes

ERP as Software as a Service *(*SaaS*)* for SMEs prorogue of Contents Page Abstract The main barriers for implementing ERP systems in SMEs were constraints in terms of resources and information, implementation time escalations, poorly defined organisational structures, weak formalisation of procedures or processes, unreadable and also confused understanding amongst the employees and management.There are various methods to overcome the barriers of implementing ERP solutions in SMEs. This include coming up with a realistic value-adding processes required to be incorporated in the proposed ERP system, providing effective education on ERP systems, making sure as a vendors, they do not just provide lip emolument and to involve everyone in the whole systems lifecycle. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is an online delivery of parcels (Dubey & Wagle 2007).The model is un embarrassd and appealing wherein companies signs up to the use the solution which is hosted by the vendors that sells and/o r develops the software program rather than spending large sums on an application such as ERP and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and installing this software on individual machines (Dubey & Wagle 2007 Banham 2008). all in all of the major software vendors are now offering its solution on SaaS model basis SAP, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and Salesforce. com are all staking their claims. Introduction SME Definition companies with less(prenominal) than 250 employees, total assets under 27 million Euros,_ independent privately held_ and _ _owner-managers or their families manage the company personally (Loecher 2000 Sogorb 2002). _ Why ERP vendors are focusing on SMEs Barriers to implementation of ERP systems in SMEs It was found that the main barriers for implementing ERP systems in SMEs were constraints in terms of resources and information, implementation time escalations, poorly defined organisational framework, informal and also non-orderly procedures or processes, unclear and also confused understanding amongst the employees and management.Each of these factors is now discussed in turn. _Figure 1 ERP implementation issues (source Bernroider & Leseure 2005)_ How ERP vendors can overcome these barriers SaaS Technology Some other advantages of workings with SaaS models include low introduction and subscription costs and faster initiating speed (Kaplan 2005 Torbacki 2008), elimination of license and upgrade costs (Torbacki 2008), predictability of costs (Torbacki 2008), ow TCO costs (Total Cost of Ownership) due to deprivation of necessity of major investments in servers, databases and maintenance (Torbacki 2008), generating a greater ROI than traditional software packages (Kaplan 2005) no requirement of installing any software on a workstation (Torbacki 2008), online access from any location with an Internet connection (Torbacki 2008), continuous opportunity to the newest software versions and business technologies (Torbacki 2008), customers no longer re quire the large support lag for applications (Bontis & Chung 2000 Kaplan 2005) drawframe Figure 2 Types of SaaS used or considering of using (source Kaplan 2009)_ An example of one vendors SaaS offering Nationwide Express Farwest steel Corporation SaaS alternatives have become more pervasive and observed fast development, and their cost-effectiveness, operational reliability become more obvious and there are a growing number of enterprises of all sizes that are generating performance improvements and measurable cost savings as a result of adopting SaaS. For SaaS vendors, they must focus on put one across possible easier deployments to avoid the need for pricey consultation support.Also they should truly deliver lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and offer more sturdy strategies for integration that acknowledges the current volatile environments and also in the near future. Finally, the SaaS solutions offered must be simpler, more agile, more robust, and more intuitive and worth y of all the investments allocated. References Banham, R 2008, Up and Away Companies are feeling a little less trapped by spreadsheets these days, CFO Magazine, viewed 19 October 2009,Bernroider, E. W. N & Leseure, M. J 2005, endeavor resource planning (ERP) diffusion and characteristics according to the systems lifecycle A comparative view of small-to-medium sized and large enterprises, Working Papers on learning Processing and Information Management, Institute of Information Processing and Information Management, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. http//epub. wu. ac. at/dyn/virlib/wp/eng/mediate/epub-wu-01_84b. pdf?ID=epub-wu-01_84b Bontis, N & Chung, H 2000, The evolution of software pricing from box licenses to application service provider models, Internet Research Electronic Networking Applications and Policy, Vol. 10, zero(prenominal) 3, pp. 246-255. Christodoulou, M 2009, How big is an SME? 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Csr and Consumer

The impact of comprehend CSR initiatives on consumers buying demeanour An empirical guinea pig Abu Bashar, Assistant Professor, Institute of Management Studies, Dehradun. ABSTRACT Although look into into CSR and consumer behavior is still relatively young, there exists a growing interest in studying the links amongst CSR and marketing. The Indian consumers be now headspring awargon that, in pursuing their cable endeavors, companies now have to show more responsibleness towards society and the environment where they are operating and at the equivalent time do managers increasingly see CSR as a marketing tool to help create a competitive advantage.But what is the actual impact of companies network in CSR on consumer behavior? The consumers are getting more aware of the sight involved in corporal amicable responsibility (CSR) through punter education and the increased bring of the media. The companies up to a certain extent has already been realized that their kindly re sponsible demeanor have a carry on impact on the consumer buying behaviour. In this research composing effort has been employed to investigate that how consumers are considering corporations CSR initiatives at the time of deciding on their obtain decision of products and services.For measuring CSR stintingal, legal, good and eleemosynary covariants have been considered from Carrolls definition. A random stratified sample of 250 respondents have been considered, the data have been self-contained with the help of structured questionnaire. After the data collection appropriate statistical data analysis was performed in the software program SPSS. Results confirm a confirmative relationship between comprehend CSR activities and consumer buying behaviour. Keywords corporate social responsibility, consumer behaviour, Philanthropy, Consumer buying behaviour. 1. IntroductionMultinational corporations first introduced the term stakeholder in the late 1960s. Stakeholders were descr ibed as those who were in both way affected by the corporations activities. Soon thereafter, the term corporate social responsibility came into common use. The goal of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is to take responsibility for all the companys actions and to have a positive impact on its environment, communities, employees, consumers and all separate stakeholders (Freeman et al. , 2010). The European Commission (2011) defines CSR as the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society.More specifically, the responsibility of corporations includes the integration of social, environmental and estimable issues as well as human rights and consumer concerns, into their business operations and core strategy in resolve collaboration with their stakeholders. In research literature, CSR is defined as a business organizations configuration of prescripts of social responsibility, processes of social responsiveness, and policies, programs, and observable outcomes as they get in touch to the firms societal relationships (Wood, 1991693).In their opinion, the free market in that sense contributes to society by realizing this prosperity and therefore does not have any other obligations in that matter. However, on the other side of the spectrum the free market is slewed as inhibiting human freedom (e. g. through child labor) and as the root cause of economic and cultural imperialism in many developing countries. CSR is also seen as a way to attempt to be one step ahead of governmental interference, in order to avoid any kind of legislative restrictions or reprimands.Additionally, CSR is regarded as macrocosm used merely as a marketing tool, which introduces concerns about hypocrisy. As with many ethical issues, a great marrow of organizations operate in the broad space in between these extremes, and the topic remains subject to incessant discussion (Friedman, 1970). One of the well-nigh important stakeholder groups is the consumer, and as Creyer and Ross (1997) confirmed customers do indeed expect socially responsible behavior from companies. More interestingly, customers are spontaneous to reward this behavior.It is no surprise that a steadily growing group of consumers pro-actively look for companies with sustainable products and production methods. This new type of consumer is subject to an increasing amount of research by social and economic scientists, and characterized as sophisticated and environmentally and socially sure (Forster, 2007). Corporations that do not equip themselves with CSR activities pull up stakes often be left behind with the increasing global competition and borderless markets, and international corporations with sound CSR activities grow stronger (Altman, 2007).As the education level increases, consumers are made more aware of the motif for pro social corporate behaviour. A lot of work has been done in Western countries to identify an organizations behaviour regarding consumer purchasing decis ions. However, not many studies have been conducted in emerging markets, such as India. CSR activities should enhance a corporations image. This paper bring forths to examine the influence of perceived CSR initiatives on the buying behaviour of Indian consumers.We are interested in exploring whether consumers in India consider organisations CSR issues before associating themselves with organisations products and services. Apart from that, this study also aims to identify the awareness level of Indian consumers towards CSR. The results of this study ordain also be useful for business organisations in understanding the consumers priority for the CSR activities that they should be engaging in, and it will contribute to the existing literature. The remainder of this paper is structured as follows.The next section will discuss the literature review. The third section will explain on the methodology used. The determinations and discussion will be presented in the fourth section and wil l be followed by conclusions and implications in the final section. 2. Scope of the study The scope of the study has been limited to CSR initiatives of corporate and consumer buying behaviour only. The study has been confined to Delhi & NCR region as this area has greater number of top notch corporations 3. Objectives 1. To study and analyze the current CSR practices being employed by corporations in India. . To find out the level of awareness of consumer about CSR 3. To find out the relation and impact of corporations CSR initiatives on consumer buying decisions 4. Research Methodology The study is based on descriptive research design. A structured questionnaire has been designed, to know the level of awareness and impact of corporations CSR initiatives on their buying decisions. The questionnaire consists of three major sections. The first section gathers information on consumers awareness towards corporate social responsibility (CSR).This section covers whatsoever general questi ons to obtain the respondents understanding of the term CSR, which indicates the ability of the respondent to complete the rest of the questionnaire. The respondents who indicated having no knowledge in CSR were not included in the data analysis. Second section covers questions on consumer buying behaviour towards CSR initiatives by the business organisations. The statements were divided into four subsections based on Carrolls pyramid of CSR, which include economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities.While third section designed to gather demographic information of the respondents such as gender, age, education level and monthly income level. Section A and Section C were designed using nominal scales, whereas Section B was designed using a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 for strongly dis fit to 5 for strongly agree. Cronbachs Alpha coefficient was used to evaluate the reliability of the measures. The Cronbachs Alpha coefficient for the four independent variable s and one dependent variable was 0. 59. The survey was conducted in Delhi & NCR chemical reactions of 250 respondents were collected. We targeted respondents who are seems to be conscious buyer and hence the sampling technique is non-probability convenience sampling. For visual representation of finding and results bar charts, pie charts and tables etc. ahs been used. 5. Review of literature During the 21th century, the focus of the environmental thought of CSR grew even stronger and societys increased interest regarding environmental issues put new light on CSR.Hence, even juicyer pressure was put on corporations and their initiatives for support of the environment. This can be seen in the European Commissions CSR-report from 2002, in which CSR is described to have a close relationship between companies and societies to take in charge both social and environmental concerns CSR is a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operation s and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a instinctive basis.In their latest definition, the European Commission (2011) explains CSR as the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society. Another trend emerging in the 21th century was the focus of CSR from a consumer perspective. The fact that corporations started to work and participate actively in projects regarding CSR predictably woke up an interest also among consumers. Researchers were then eager to find out whether CSR activities had any influence on consumers or not, and if so, in what way and to what extent. In 2001, Mohr et al. tudied the relationship between CSR and consumers buying behavior. The results of the study showed that the majority of the respondents were in general positively disposed towards social responsible firms and moreover expected firms to be highly active within CSR. Furthermore, the results revealed that a small majority of the respondents did not really think about basing th eir purchase behavior on CSR or did it only sometimes, even if CSR as a buying criterion didnt play much of a role in the decision processes or purchase behavior.However, 39% of the respondents were basing some or much of their purchasing on CSR (Mohr et al. , 2001). In 2005, Becker-Olsen and Hill contributed with two studies investigating the role of perceived fit (e. g. Similarity between corporate mission and social initiative), perceived corporate motive (other-centered versus profit-centered), and timing of an announcement (reactive versus proactive) on consumers responses to corporate social initiatives. The aim of the study was to explore the impact of perceived CSR on consumer behavior.The results of the study demonstrated that an overwhelming majority of the respondents believed that firms should engage in social initiatives and 76% thought that those initiatives would reach the firms. About half of the respondents stated that they would boycott firms that acted irresponsi bly, if reasonable alternatives were available (Becker-Olsen & Hill, 2005). Finally, another relatively new trend within CSR developed in the 21th century is to view and utilize the whole concept as a competitive advantage.In 2006, the marketing and strategy guru Michael Porter wrote an article together with Mark R. Kramer, in which they introduced a material that organizations can use to identify the impact they have on society, determine which effects to address and then suggest effective ways to do so. The authors bid that when looking at CSR from a strategically perspective it can become a source of remarkable social progress, since corporations apply their resources, expertise, and insights to activities that benefit society as a whole (Porter & Kramer, 2006).In carrying out their economic responsibility, corporations are expected work within the framework of laws and regulations as a partial fulfillment of the social pick out between corporations and society. Carroll (1991) stated that it is important for legal responsibility to be performed in a manner that is consistent with the expectations of governments and laws complying with the various federal, state and local regulations. A winning corporation should be recognised as one that fulfils its legal obligations.Conchius (2006), on the other hand, stated that legal responsibility includes abiding by consumer and product laws, environmental laws and employment laws epoch also adhering to laws and regulations governing competition in the marketplace. However, legal responsibilities do not embrace the full range of behaviours expected of corporations by society. Laws are important, but they are often inadequate. First, they cannot possibly address all of the issues or areas that a corporation may face.Second, laws often lag behind more young concepts of what is considered right behaviour, and third, laws may represent the personal interests and political motivations of legislators (Carroll, 1998). A lthough economic and legal responsibilities represent ethical standards concerning fairness and justice, ethical responsibility encompasses those activities and practices expected or veto by society that expand beyond the limitations of legal responsibilities. honest responsibility embodies those standards and expectations that reflect a concern for what consumers, employees, shareholders, and the community regard as fair, just, or in retention with the respect or protection of stakeholders moral rights (Carroll, 1979). According to Carroll (1991), business performance can be determined by the corporations consistency in promoting moral and ethical standards. If a corporation practises good corporate citizenship, the activities of the corporation are trusted.Ethical responsibility also recognises that corporate integrity and ethical behaviour should go beyond the requirements of laws and regulations. balancing economic, legal and ethical responsibilities is important. If the corp oration does something that is appropriately economic and legal, it must also be appropriately ethical. Philanthropic responsibility refers to corporate actions that are in response to societys expectations of good corporate citizens. bodied philanthropy is likely to enhance the image of corporations especially those that have high public visibility. merged philanthropy should also increase employee homage and improve customer ties. Philanthropic activities include business contributions in terms of financial resources or executive time, such as contributions to the arts, education, or communities. The distinguishing characteristic between philanthropic and ethical responsibilities is that philanthropic responsibilities are not expected in an ethical or moral sense. Philanthropy is located at the most military volunteer and discretionary dimension of corporate responsibility and has not ever been linked to profits or the ethical culture of the firm (Ferrell, 2004).Although socie ty wishes corporations to be philanthropic, it is voluntary on the part of corporations (Carroll, 1991). According to Fombrun, Gardberg and Barnett (2000), the case for philanthropy comes from two opposite sources strategic philanthropists argue that, although philanthropy may not generate direct economic returns, it will enhance the firms long-term competitive position through intangible gains in reputation, legitimacy or employee homage. Consumer Behaviour towards CSR This paper aims to examine consumers buying behaviour as a result of corporate CSR initiatives.We are interested in examining that whether the purchase decisions of the products and services of consumers in India are based on corporations CSR initiatives or not. In addition, we also seek to identify which type of CSR component based on Carrolls pyramid of CSR will have significant impact on consumers buying behaviour. several(prenominal) studies have suggested that there is a positive relationship between a corpora tions CSR activities and consumers attitudes towards that corporation and its products (Brown & Dacin, 1997 Creyer Ross, 1997 Ellen, Webb, & Mohr, 2000).Mohr, Webb and Harris (2001) examined and their finding indicated a significant relationship between CSR and consumer responses. Sen and Bhattacharya (2001) research on reaction of consumers to CSR shows that CSR will directly affect consumers intentions to purchase corporations products. As cited in Pomering and Dolnicar (2008), marketplace polls reported that consumers expect corporations to provide information about what they do, and they will support those corporations that pursue CSR initiatives.Environics International Ltd. (Environics, 1999) conducted a survey regarding consumer responses towards corporate social responsibility. The result of the survey indicated that Australians have the highest CSR consumer expectations from businesses. A total of 86% of US respondents in the survey of Cone Inc. (2004) said that corporation s should provide information on how they support social issues. 6. Research Results and Discussions dining table 1 Gender of respondents Gender Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate CSR-CB . 573a . 329 . 315 . 36483 a. Predictors Constants) CSR corporate social responsibility components which include ethical, economic, philanthropic, legal. CB-Consumer Behaviour The R square (coefficient of determination) is a portion of the total variation in the dependent variable that is explained by the variation in the independent variables. According to the instance summary, R square is decent to 0. 329, which is less than 1.This indicates that there is a weak linear relationship between CSR activities and consumers buying behaviour. Approximately 32. 7% of variance in all the CSR components can importantly explain consumers buying behaviour. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been preformed to test whether there is a statistical significa nt linear relationship between the combination of the four CSR components (Economic, legal, Ethical and philanthropic) and consumers buying behaviour exists or not. According to Table 9, the p-value is . 000, indicating that the four CSR components significantly influence consumers buying behaviour. Table 9 ANOVA of Multiple Regressions ANOVAb Model juncture of Squares bDependent Variable (CB) consumer behaviour A coefficient table is very much helpful in explaining the relationship between the four CSR components and consumers buying behaviour. Based on the work out significances in Significance (Sig. ) column of Table 10, the p-value for each CSR component is less than 0. 05, which indicates that all the CSR components have a statistically significant relationship with consumers buying behaviour. Table 10 Coefficients of Multiple Regressions Coefficientsa Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized t Sig. Coefficients B Std. Error Beta In Table 10, the un standardised beta coefficient is used for the values of the numbers in the linear regression equation.Theory explains that a higher beta value indicates a greater impact of the independent variable on the dependent variable. The independent variable (CSR components) can be ranked according to the magnitude of the beta coefficient to determine which component has the most significant impact on consumers buying behaviour. The regression model relates Y (the dependent variable) to a function of X (the independent variable) and ? (the unknown parameter). It is formulated as Y ? f(X, ? ). The multiple regression analyses performed in this study are modeled as follows Yi = ? 1xi1 + ? 2xi2 + ? 3xi3 + ? 4xi4 Therefore, the multiple regressions line equation for this current study is Consumer Behaviour = 1. 286 + 0. 59 Economic accountability + 0. 168 Philanthropic Responsibility + 0. 166 Ethical Responsibility + 0. 112 Legal Responsibility. The results explicitly defines that the economic responsibility attribute has the most significant impact on consumers buying behaviour, as it has the highest beta value, followed by philanthropic responsibility, ethical responsibility and, finally, legal responsibility. Indian consumers seem to view CSR priority variedly from other nations. Economic responsibility was still the basic utmost priority preferred. However, they ranked philanthropic responsibility as the second most important responsibility compared with legal responsibility.It is not surprising that Indian consumers see corporations philanthropic responsibility as being more important than their legal responsibility. Consumers want corporations to contribute their money, facilities and employees time to humanitarian programs or purposes. Indians have been known as one of the most freehearted nations in the world. For example, the countrys rate of donation and participation in helping the victims of natural disasters in the world has always been very encouraging. In addition, we have always perceive that the generous Indians have made financial pledges and contributions to help those in need, they be orphaned children, the poor, accident victims and so on.Although the Indian consumers themselves have been very generous, the expectation for business institutions to do the same is unquestionable. As for complying with rules and regulations, it is not surprising that Indian consumers ranked legal responsibility last compared with Carrolls pyramid, which suggested that legal responsibility is the next most important responsibility Compared with those in developed nations, Indians regard rules lightly, to a certain extent, as we have always heard from the news about how Indians bend and ignore stipulated rules and regulations. Among the most common examples are the bending of traffic rules and regulations promoting environmental protection. 7. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONSFor academicians, this research makes a contribution to the understanding the underlying dynamics of the role of corporate social responsibility in consumers buying behaviour. The result of this study indicates that all of the CSR components have a significant relationship with consumers buying behaviour. However, the limitations of this study must also be considered. The major limitation relates to the sample. With only 250 usable respondents, this sample size might limit the external validity of the findings. Managers should note that this research supports previous results reported in the literature, suggesting that a substantial, viable and identifiable consumer group exists that considers a companys level of social responsibility in its purchase decisions.Manufacturers and retailers have an opportunity to appeal to this group while simultaneously meeting their business objectives and make contributions to society. The type of CSR activities that should be engaged by the corporations should preferably be based on the priority indicated in the finding of t his study, where the economic responsibility attribute has the most significant impact on consumers buying behaviour, followed by philanthropic responsibility, ethical responsibility and finally, legal responsibility. 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