Creative writing, Gothic

Briskly walking through the mysterious darkness of the menacing forest, grasping tightly my withering frozen hand, my petrified newly wed wife clung on for protection. It was pitch dark on a cold foggy night in the mid days of December. We were in search of somewhere to rest our staggering and lost bodies. My wife and I had been walking for miles through this never ending cursed old forest. Every step we made on the thin and almost transparent layer of snow had a sudden fall and we heard the snap, crackle and crumble of the lanky branches, crisp leaves ND woodlouse infested logs.Winter was killing the forest. The trees were hunched over and their dead beat bark was blistering under the harsh weight of the freezing bitter quilt which strained their aching ancient backs. A tunnel had been formed. It was as if they were frail, vile and disfigured old men with a dozen spindly limbs to wrap around each other for dear life. The barred branches resembled a prison in my eyes. This endless tu nnel was hiding us from the crucial light of the evil eye, the moon. There were gaps in the endless arch so as to let the descending snow slowly all on to the path we were destined to walk.Suddenly as If out of nothingness appeared a red eyed beast at the top of the wretched, steep hill we were attempting to scale. The wolf approached us with her steaming breath and her head low to the ground as if she was ready for the pounce. If we had run she would have reacted with great violence, so we kept our bodies and expressions as lifeless as a china doll. Her eyes were glowing Like a fire replenishing itself; the eyes of a burning demon. Her coat was as grey as the fog that surrounded s, the beast froze corpse still, silent and motionless.Frantically I dropped the limb and clambered up the rest of the steep hill. Was I dreaming? Supernatural or what!! Terribly frightened I ran on. How could this have happened? Sprinting down the other side of the hill where this terrible happening occurr ed, I tripped. It was not the Inconvenient obstacle of a root or a branch that brought me to fall but something else, something Invisible and evil. I plummeted, momentarily seeing the bloody detached leg of my Innocent wife. Falling ND rolling to where the two hills meet, centre of the haunted vale where the water runs deep and fierce.It was where I was to find the rest of my wife's limbless, battered body drained of blood by an evil split. A terror. I will avenge my poor darling wife Margarita's death. Creative writing, Gothic By thwarted Suddenly as if out of nothingness appeared a red eyed beast at the top of the expressions as lifeless as a china doll. Her eyes were glowing like a fire replenishing the deep fog was thickening. It came to the point were we were blind in that we could As the fog drifted on I noticed that we were no longer in the presence of the vicious wolf.

Compare how the two television programmes Essay

This is an attempt on her part to appear up-to-date, with â€Å"Hollywood speak†, but is also a way for her to patronise Saffy and is symbolic of their relationship. â€Å"Gimme Gimme Gimme† is centered around a heterosexual woman and a homosexual man, with the contrast between them being the key element of the show, The humour here is much more direct than that of â€Å"Absolutely Fabulous†, with great emphasis on sexual innuendos and crude elements. â€Å"Gimme Gimme Gimme† transgresses boundaries, with the two protagonists (Linda and Tom) subverting traditional gender roles. They resemble a married couple, but in reverse – Linda is masculine, while Tom is effeminate. Tom is middle-class and cultured, and sees Linda as beneath him – in the ‘Millennium Special’, he describes her as ‘frighteningly working class. ‘ He is also houseproud, as shown by his Christmas punch and his dismay when Linda broke the decorations (‘Whatever happened to Timothy tree? ‘) He gives the impression of intelligence and often loses patience with Linda, also finding her crude humour too much on occasion: ‘You know, sometimes you make me physically sick. ‘ In contrast, Linda is very masculine and uncultured, loud and direct, yet also childlike and nai ve. She is plainly of low intelligence and enjoys insulting Tom – ‘I ain’t homophobic, I just can’t stand ’em. ‘ She frequently calls him ‘homo’, but in reality this is probably a term of endearment. Although she pretends to despise him, Linda and Tom are dependant on each other, as shown by the scene where Linda is about to go out and Tom clings to her. Linda’s naiveti Regarding her father is a point of humour as in her eyes he can still do no wrong. Her words ‘Daddy wouldn’t lie to me! ‘ bring to mind a small child. Tom frequently uses abbreviations such as ‘ridic’ and ‘phenom’, which adds to his camp image, and strengthens the audience’s perception of him as a stereotypical gay man. Linda’s character, as well as contrasting with Tom, also has elements of contrast within herself: her surname (LaHughes), suggests a far more upmarket woman than she is, and the way in which she dresses is at odds with her naiveti. â€Å"Gimme Gimme Gimme† has strong elements of sexual frustration in both characters , although Tom desires a long-term relationship and domesticity, and Linda simply wants a man. Both the house in â€Å"Absolutely Fabulous† and the flat from â€Å"Gimme Gimme Gimme† are not domesticated, but for different reasons – Patsy and Eddie are always out at work or parties, but Tom and Linda are always at home simply because they have nowhere else to go: â€Å"Phone a bloody friend? What if you haven’t got any friends? † intertextuality is present in both comedies – from the obvious in â€Å"Gimme Gimme Gimme† (Linda and Tom’s discussion of â€Å"Who Wants To Be A Millionnaire† and her referral to the Royle Family as ‘northern ponces’), to the more subtle use of Western music in â€Å"Absolutely Fabulous. † Both programmes involve dysfunctional parent-child relationships, although there is a difference in that Linda’s relationship with her father is off-screen, and Saffy and Edina’s is very much on-screen. Both also have ‘children’ in – Eddie is a wild teenager and Linda is a spoilt younger child. Masculine women are present in both, in the form of Patsy and Linda, although both are masculine in different ways and take on different roles. The use of flashbacks in two episodes (â€Å"Small Opening† and â€Å"Millennium Special†) sum up the attitudes of the two programmes – â€Å"Gimme Gimme Gimme†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœs shows how the protagonists want life to be, and the show is based upon them wanting better lives. The flashback in â€Å"Absolutely Fabulous† shows how life sued to be, and the characters here are living in the past. A key difference is that Eddie and Patsy truly believe they are in control of their lives and are happy, whereas Linda and Tom are perfectly aware of the fact that they are going nowhere. While â€Å"Absolutely Fabulous† is a satire, there is also a fantasy element about Patsy and Eddie’s uninhibited, hedonistic lifestyles. Both shows’ characters are representative types of society, and there is an absence of men in both – the main theme of both shows. However, in â€Å"Absoultely Fabulous† this is shown to be a positive thing and Patsy and Ednia show no need for them, however â€Å"Gimme Gimme Gimme† is about its protagonists’ loneliness, and is centered around their quest for men (hence the title. ) â€Å"Gimme Gimme Gimme†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœs comic representation of gender is based upon stereotypes, role reversal and class contrast, whereas â€Å"Absoultely Fabulous† plays on the common idea of how a mother should be, the traditional values they have and women’s independence. Both shows use subversion of roles to great effect in their comic representation of gender.

Intercultural Business – Drug Tests in India

Case Study Intercultural Business im Studiengang B. A. International Management Thema: Drug tests in India IContents IContentsII IIList of figuresIII IIIList of abbreviationsIV 1Essential moral standards and norms1 2The practical value of economic ethics concepts3 3The RADAR concept5 4Business activity in India8 5Comparison of the cultures9 6Preperation for the NGO meeting14 IV. BibliographyV Declaration IIList of figures Figure 1:Overview of the different business ethics concepts3 Figure 2:Points of the RADAR concept5 Figure 3:Comparison of the differen cultural dimensions9 ?IVList of abbreviations BVVB AGBacteria and Virus Vaccine Biotechnology CRE Ltd. Clinical Researche Enterprise Limited NGONon-Governmental Organisation WMAWorld Medical Association PDIPower Distance IDVIndividualism vs. Collectivism MASMasculinity vs. Femininity UAIUncertainty Avoidance LTOLong-Term Orientation CfConfer ? 1Essential moral standards and norms â€Å"Humans are more moral than they think and far m ore immoral than they can imag-ine. † Sigmund Freud In general moral standards and norms are always based on a culture. Every culture has got its own definition of morality and ethics.Morality can be defined as the standards that an individual or group has got about what is right and wrong, or good and evil. The pharma industry itself includes some essential moral standards and norms on na-tional and international base. First it is necessary to prove moral standards and norms on a global level. The â€Å"Declara-tion of Helsinki† developed by the World Medical Association (WMA) is: â€Å"a statement of ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects, including research on identifiable human material and data. Furthermore this declaration gives essential moral standards and norms according to the pharmaceutical branch, e. g. â€Å"In medical research involving human subjects, the well-being of the individual research subject must take precedence over a ll other interests. † The second part is the national moral standards. In Germany the ethical standards refer to the principle: â€Å"The health is the highest property of a human being. † These standards are set by statue from the â€Å"Zentrale Ethikkommission†. Furthermore German companies always have to obey the German law.The American ethical standards are saying the same in the â€Å"Declaration of Professional Responsibility: Medicine's Social Contract with Humanity. † from the American Medical Association, e. g. â€Å"Respect human life and the dignity of every individual† The focused standards above exist also in India. They are formed by the Indian Council of medical research. All standards point out what the ultimate principle of medical researches is. : All medical tests shall focus on health and care of every human being. â€Å"Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will a universal law of nature. Immanuel Kant by Serafini (1989) The definition of moral standards and norms above should be based on deontological ethics. It says that the background and the consequences or effects that an action takes is irrelevant – only the action itself matters. Roughly speaking, deontologists hold that some choices cannot be justified by their effects, no matter how morally good their con-sequences are. Therefore some choices are morally forbidden. But in reference to the drug tests the moral standards are based on the teleological theo-ry.The teleology is characterized primarily by a focus on the consequences which any action might have. That means if an action (drug tests) might be incorrect, but the con-sequence (effective medicine) is correct and helpful, then it is morally correct. Today we are encouraged to act on the base of different ethical frameworks before we are able to make a clear decision about the ethical correctness of our intended actions. The codes of conduct, which are the ethic al guidelines are based on those frameworks. 2The practical value of economic ethics conceptsThe following discussion deals with the four different economic ethics concepts and their practical values. They are defining how to combine ethics and profit in different ways and with their consequences. Figure 1 The different business ethics concepts Firstly there is the functional business ethics concept. If a company act in agreement with certain known rules and under specific ethical conditions it is allowed to gain the maximum profit. â€Å"Ethic† is a â€Å"factor or rentability† or a â€Å"critical factor of success†.That means: The â€Å"investment† in â€Å"ethics† in terms of acceptance of current opportunity costs has its foundation in the strategic aim to save long-term profit chances. This concept is not used by the BVVB AG, because they are not acting under specific ethical conditions. The second concept to focus is the corrective Business e thics concept which implements ethical standards into the daily business. That means companies are acting in their nor-mal economic way but ethics standards always have the priority over profit gaining ac-tions.It is a voluntarily self-limitation of profit maximisation. For the BVVB AG only the profit gaining process matters. The integrative Business ethic is the permanent process of critical reflexion of business activities. Every possible profit and business success should get the legitimisation of all stakeholders. The consequence is that the company might have to abdicate a profit chance. The action of the BVVB AG shows that they are not acting in reference to what the stakeholders defining as the best way. The last concept is the charitable Business ethic concept.The priority is to gain the maximum profit and afterwards the company starts to donate a part of the money for charitable aims. The morality of a business action does not matter anyway. Due to the descriptions of the d ifferent concepts it is clear that the BVVB AG should act based on the charitable business ethics concept. In the current situation it is the highest priority to gain profit and to be successful (=gain the maximum profit). But after having success the BVVB AG should use a part of the gained money to serve non-economical claims.The practical value of the concept is the possibility to define an eth-ical business aim and the commitment to act in a moral and ethical way. 3RADAR concept The RADAR concept serves to take a decision with the comprehension of ethics. In consideration of ethics in the factoring process it could be more difficult to find an easy solution but it might be more suitable for both parties. In the following paragraph the steps 1 to 10 of the RADAR concept, as seen in the fol-lowing image, will be analysed and discussed. Figure 2: Structure and Points of the RADAR conceptRecognize Step 1 Determine if there is an ethical component The component is the drug tests in In dia. The accomplishment of these tests is not un-morally – it is important – but the way the tests will be carried out is morally questiona-ble. The BVVB AG could hold the tests in Europe or the USA but due to finical prob-lems and the necessity of the reduction of costs the tests will be done in a financially weak area in an Indian hospital. Furthermore the BVVB AG does not know if the health of the patient will be always protected. Step 2Check the ethicalness of the ethical omponent against ethical standards For my own values the conditions under which the tests are carried out are not morally and direct against my ethical values. For the BVVB AG it depends on two points. On the one hand India is the cheapest choice for the realization of the test process and on the other hand the company is not acting illegal but the aim is to develop a new effective medicine against illnesses and to test the agent, subjects are needed. On the basis of the Global Business Standard C odex (GBSC) it is absolutely unmorally.The codex considers the point â€Å"Human Dignity†, which requires the protection of hu-man health and the respect of fundamental human rights. Step 3Conclusion In consideration of the mentioned aspects above the implementation of the tests in India is not illegal but they fulfil not the ethical and moral standards. Assess Step 4Who are the key stakeholders? The main stakeholders of the BVVB AG and the new vaccine are primary the internal stakeholders, especially the managers and employees. Because of the financial situation the members of the BVVB AG are reliant on the success of the tests.The external stakeholders are the subjects, without their help the tests cannot be carried out. Step5What ethical standards apply? The CRE Ltd. and the BVVB AG carry responsibility to inform the respondent about the possible side effects and the probability of their appearance. Furthermore the com-pany is responsible to take care about the state of th e subjects’ health. In turn of these duties the subjects have the right to be treated with fairness and dignity. Step 6 How is the proposed action likely to impact them from an e. g. economic and ethical view?The positive long- and short-term effects are that the habitants from India, especially the majority of people from slums, have never had contact to medical treatments or a simple medical examination. For the people who are part of the tests it could lead to the healing of diseases. Contrariwise there also exist some negative effects in a short-term period – the side ef-fects. The subjects could get negative side effects from the vaccine. But the laboratory has figured out medical therapies to heal the serious side effects either by a special treatment or through hospital stay.Step 7See if there is a specification and quantification of the positive and negative con-sequences which could result from the intended action. The performing of the tests in India could re sult in bad or negative reputation. Too much bad reputation could result in a damage of the company’s image and could end up in the loss of clients and creditors. This would indicate that the BVVB AG takes a financial risk. Step 8What could be done to reduce the likelihood of or at least reduce the negative impact? Due to the necessity of the tests the company has to ensure the reduction of negative reports.To avoid them the only way is to guarantee better circumstances of the tests and the security and wellbeing of the subjects. Furthermore the company could assure that India receives some medicine for free to help infected people after a successful conclu-sion of the test series. Decide Step 9 Take a decision The BVVB AG in connection to the CRE Ltd. has to carry out the tests in India, be-cause of the financial situation. To some people it may create the impression of being â€Å"bad† but the real aim something positive one. The vaccine could help millions of people and also Indians.To reduce the negative aspects the tests have to be carried out under better conditions, considering a higher care for the subjects’ health. Step 10 Correct for self-serving biases If I am asked if I want to read about that in the newspaper I would say â€Å"Yes† because reaching better conditions and to ensure the responsible manners with the tests and the well-being of the persons is positive and could have an effect on the image and make other companies to think about their actions. ? 4Business activity in India This paragraph defines some essential facts about cultural conventions in India.To have success on business in India, in my opinion, the first priority is to be familiar with the cultural conventions because the opinion about business differs a lot between Indians and Europeans. The distinctions may lead to misapprehensions. To be accepted and to show respect it is necessary to learn some basic modes of behaviour and funda-mental cultural d ifferences. It could be helpful to learn some basic phrases of the Indian language for having a small-talk but it is not that important to speak perfectly because the Indians speak over 500 dialects e. . people from the north often talks to someone from the south in English. Furthermore it is good to know that Indians never say â€Å"No† because it is impolite to negate something. It is common to say â€Å"I will try it†. Generally it is important to keep in mind that a personal and polite contact between people from every age is ensured. Indians set a high value on trustworthiness. The first contact could be a handshake but it is common to give a friendly nod. Shaking the head does not mean â€Å"No† it is a gesture of attentive listening.Also the way of dressing is important. Women may never show skin, like naked legs or shoulders. Men are allowed to wear shorter clothes if it is hot outside but it has to be suitable for business. Indians are very hospitable. It is common to get or to make an invitation for dinner. Due to the different persuasion there are some different rule for preparation and consump-tion. But it exists a general rule: â€Å"Peel it, boil it, or forget it. † ? 5Comparison of the cultures The following paragraph deals with the different cultures of Germany, India and USA.The distinctions between the different nations and cultures will be discussed and ex-plained with the help and use of the cultural dimensions of Geert Hofstede. Professor Geert Hofstede conducted one of the most comprehensive studies of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. Figure 3: The different cultural dimensions in comparison of their characteristics source: geert-hofstede. com The 1st dimension – The Power Distance (PDI) Power distance is defined as: â€Å"The degree to which the less powerful members of a so-ciety accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. The undamental issue here is how a society han dles inequalities among people. People in societies exhibiting a large degree of power distance accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. In societies with low power distance, people strive to equalize the distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities of power. † The comparison of the cultures in the diagram shows that there is a high difference be-tween the USA, Germany and India. The low score of Germany (35) and the USA (40) in this dimension shows clearly the general proposition of â€Å"liberty and justice for all†.It is common that both managers and employees expect to be engaged and information is shared frequently. Also both cul-tures have in common that the communication style is direct, informal and participative. Furthermore in both cultures there is no strict hierarchical order established. But in India on the contrary there is a relatively high power distance (77). The hierarchical structure is hard in organizations as well as in society. Also the real power of managers and control is high and accepted. The communication style differs totally from the western and European style.Someone would never be criticized if there is a 3rd person in the room and the communication is top – down. In contrast to Germany and the USA, where also an employee may criticize a manager, in India an employee would never give negative feedback to someone who is up the ladder 2nd dimension – Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV) Individualism, the high side of this dimension, can be defined as: â€Å"A preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of them-selves and their immediate families only. And collectivism, the low side of this dimension, can be defined as: â€Å"A representation of a preference for a tightly-knit framework in society in which individuals can expect their relatives or members of a particular in -group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. † A society's position on this dimension is reflected in whether people’s self-image is de-fined in terms of â€Å"I† or â€Å"we. † As seen in the 5-D-Modell, all three countries and their cultures have different levels of this dimension. The USA, with a score of 91 is highly individualistic.That means it is common that people in general first look and take care for themselves and their families. The Ameri-cans are mostly doing business with strangers and employees are expected to be self-consistent. Germany scored 67 – truly individualistic. In comparison to the USA the bigger family means a lot to the Germans, especially the parent-children relationship. Loyalty, duty and responsibility are common. In business it is common to give someone an advice if there was a mistake to give him the chance to learn from it – â€Å"Be honest, even if it hurts†.In contrast to Germany and the USA India is clear collectivistic with a score of 48. To Indians it means a lot what the social framework is thinking about an action and they are asking for advice. Also in business everything starts with a personal relationship, especially hiring and promotion. 3rd dimension – Masculinity versus femininity (MAS) This dimension is defined as: â€Å"The masculinity side of this dimension represents a pref-erence in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material reward for suc-cess. Society at large is more competitive.Its opposite, femininity, stands for a prefer-ence for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life. Society at large is more consensus-oriented. â€Å" The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (masculine) or liking what you do (feminine). All three cultures are considered a â€Å"masculine† society (scores 56 – 66). Children learn from the early times on that performance is highly valued and the people â€Å"live in order to work†. It is also relevant to be authorial, assertive and decisive. Their behavior stands under the conditions â€Å"strive to be the best they can be. and worldwide known sentence: â€Å"the winner takes it all! † All cultures love to show their success through material objects. For Indians â€Å"work is the center of life† and the workplace serves as symbol of success. 4th dimension – The Uncertainty avoidance (UAI) The uncertainty avoidance dimension expresses: â€Å"The degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. The fundamental issue here is how a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen?Countries exhibiting strong UAI maintain rigid codes of belief and behavior and are intolerant of unorthodox behavior and ideas. Weak UAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in which practice counts more than prin-ciples. † Concerning the Uncertainty avoidance the cultures have differences. Americans accept new ideas and innovations. They are more tolerant of ideas or opinions from anyone and allow the freedom of expression. Indians also have a lower preference for avoiding un-certainty. They have a high acceptance of imperfection and do not follow strict rules.Indians say: â€Å"nothing is impossible†, as long as one knows how to â€Å"adjust†. In comparison Germany scored high (65) and they follow deductive methods. For Germans it is important to have a plan. Every action has to be systematically and de-tailed planned. Germans prefer to compensate for their higher uncertainty by strongly relying on expertise. 5th dimension – Long-term orientation (LTO) â€Å"The long-term orientation dimension can be interpreted as dealing with society’s search for virtue. Societies with a short-term orientation generally have a strong concern with establishing the absolute Truth.They are normative in their thinking. They exhibit great respect for traditions, a relatively small propensity to save for the future, and a focus on achieving quick results. In societies with a long-term orientation, people believe that truth depends very much on situation, context and time. They show an ability to adapt traditions to changed conditions, a strong propensity to save and invest thriftiness, and perseverance in achieving results. † America and Germany have a relatively low score in this dimension. That means they are more short-term oriented.In business people strive for quick results and a strong concern with establishing the truth. The Indians in contras have a long-term orientation, time and punctuality does not matter and they never follow the exact plan, if there is a plan existing. ? 6Preperation for the NGO meeting â€Å"Morality is temporary, wisdom is permanent. † Hunter S. Thompson For the meeting wi th the NGO? s in India it is necessary to know what they are criticiz-ing on the project. They are criticising that the BVVB AG is exploiting the Indian popu-lation due to the tests in India.The need of that meeting is to convince the members of the NGO about the necessity and benevolence of these tests. It is obvious that the BVVB AG in cooperation with the CRE Ltd. is doing the tests in India in order to eco-nomic and financial reasons. But due to the extensive economies it could also be beneficial for India, especially if the BVVB AG decides to act on the charitable business concept. The non-attendance of tick-bourne in India does not matter for testing the medicine. The danger to contract an infection is small and there is also existing medicine and plans how to heal the people in case of an infection.Furthermore it is of a high importance to know everything about the negative media reports. To convince the NGO about the tests it would be helpful to adjust with the BVVB AG manag ement if it could be possible to donate a certain contingent of the profit and also to donate a certain percentage of the vaccine to India to combat the leprosy virus. Furthermore it could be helpful to assure that the CRE Ltd. will care for good circum-stances. The subjects will get a good treatment and the welfare will be ensured.Due to the fact that Panjaa is a Non-Governmental-Organization it would be not effec-tive trying to bribe the organization with money. It would be more effectively to show them the good sides of the tests for the Indian nation. ? 1. Bibliography Literature FREUD, Sigmund (1930), â€Å"Civilisations and its Discontents† KANT, Immanuel, â€Å"Good Will, Duty, and the Categorical Imperative,† ed. Anthony Serafini, Ethics and Social Concern (1989) (New York: Paragon House Publishers) LIPPER RASMUSSEN, Kaspar (2005) „Deontology, Responsibility and Equalityâ€Å" SALZMANN, Todd A. 1995), „Deontology and Teleologyâ€Å" ULRICH, Peter (2008), „Integrative Business Ethics: Foundation of a Civilized Market Econo-my† ULRICH, Peter (1997), â€Å"Integrative Wirtschaftsethik – Grundlagen einer lebensdienlichen Okonomie† Web research Homepage from the World Medical Association: â€Å"The Declaration of Helsinki†. URL: www. wma. net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/ (last downloaded 09. 11. 12) Homepage from the Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle fur die Arzneimittelindustrie e. V. , „Verhal-tenskodexâ€Å", URL: http://www. fs-arzneimittelindustrie. e/verhaltenskodex/ivd/ (last downloaded 14/11/2012) Statement from the Arbeitskreis Medizinischer Ethik-Kommission, „Stellungnahme zum Vor-schlag fur eine Verordnung des Europaischen Parlaments und des Rates uber klinische Pru-fungen mit Humanarzneimitteln und zur Aufhebung der Richtlinie 2001/20/EGâ€Å" URL: http://www. ak-med-ethik-komm. de/documents/StellungnahmeEUVerordnungklinischePruefungen. pdf (last down-loaded14/11/2012) Homp age from the American Medical Association, „Declaration of Professional Responsibil-ity†, URL: http://www. ama-assn. rg/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/declaration-professional-responsibility. page? (last downloaded 14/11/2012) Homepage from the Zentrale Ethikkommission bei der Bundesarztekammer, „Prioritaten in der medizinischen Versorgung im System der Gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung (GKV): Mussen und konnen wir uns entscheiden? â€Å" (2000), URL: http://www. zentrale-ethikkommission. de/page. asp? his=0. 1. 24 (last downloaded 14/11/2012) Published paper by the Indian Council of Medical Research, â€Å"Ethical Guidelines for biomedi-cal research on human participants†, (2006), URL: http://icmr. ic. in/ethical_guidelines. pdf (last downloaded 14/11/2012) Homepage from Handelsblatt, FRANK, Sergey „Die indische Kultur besser verstehenâ€Å", (2009) URL: www. handelsblatt. com/unternehmen/management/strategie/weltspitze-die-indische-kultu r-besser-verstehen/3304528. html (last downloaded 10. 11. 2012) Homepage from Geert Hofstede, URL: geert-hofstede. com (last downloaded 12/11/2012) http://www. goodreads. com/quotes/178430-morality-is-temporary-wisdom-is-permanent (last downloaded 12/11/2012)

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 15~16

CHAPTER FIFTEEN A Song for Your Supper Amy picked the whale. It had been a stressful morning for her, and Quinn wanted to convey his complete confidence in her, so he handed over the headphones and took directions as they narrowed down which of their whales was actually the singer. â€Å"Wait a second,† Amy said. â€Å"Shut down the engine.† And then she did something that Quinn had seen no one do for twenty-five years, and then it had been his mentor, Gerard Ryder, who most people agreed had been eccentric to the point of being full-blown bat shit. Amy hung over the side by her knees and put her head in the water. After about thirty seconds she swung up, spraying a great crest of seawater all over the boat, then pointed north. â€Å"He's over there.† â€Å"That doesn't work, you know,† said Quinn. It was pretty much accepted that humans didn't have directional hearing underwater. He was just gently trying to remind her. â€Å"Go that way. That's where our whale is.† â€Å"Okay, there may indeed be a singer over there, but you didn't locate him by hearing him.† She just stood there next to him – dripping on his feet, the console, the field notes – looking at him. â€Å"Okay, I'm going.† He started the engine and pushed the throttle over. â€Å"Tell me when I get there.† A couple of minutes later Amy signaled for him to cut the engine, and she was hanging over the side with her head in the water while the boat was still coasting. â€Å"Well, this is just stupid,† Nate said while Amy was submerged. Amy dedunked long enough to say, â€Å"I heard that.† â€Å"Looks like you're bobbing for whales, is what it looks like.† â€Å"Shut up,† said Amy, up for a breath. â€Å"I'm trying to listen.† â€Å"You look like that cartoon character in ‘B.C. that used to watch fish all day.† â€Å"That way,† said Amy, up again, pointing and dog-shaking the water out of her hair onto the Ph.D. â€Å"About six hundred yards.† â€Å"Six hundred yards? You're sure?† â€Å"Give or take fifty.† â€Å"If we're within a half mile of a singer, I'll buy you dinner.† † ‘Kay. What do you suppose the freight is to fly a lobster from Maine to my plate in Lahaina?† â€Å"I'm not going to need to know that.† â€Å"Drive the boat, please. Over there.† And she pointed again, not unlike Babe Ruth indicating the Wrigley Field fence over which he would hit the famous promised home run (except Amy was thin, a girl, and alive). Quinn heard the singer even before they put the hydrophone in the water. The whole boat started resonating to the song as they coasted into a drift. Amy hopped up on the bow and pointed to some white spots dancing below the surface – pectoral fins and a tail. â€Å"There he is!† If there had been a crowd, they would have gone wild. Quinn smiled. Amy looked back at him and grinned. â€Å"Steak and lobster,† she said. â€Å"Something red and French and expensive for the wine, something on fire for dessert – don't care what it is, long as there's flames coming off it – then a backrub before I send you back to your cabin alone, disappointed and confused. Ha!† â€Å"It's a date,† said Quinn. â€Å"No, it's not a date. It's a bet, which you have lost miserably because you had the audacity to doubt me, and for which you shall remain ever sorry. Ha!† â€Å"Shall we work now? Or would you like to gloat a bit longer?† â€Å"Hmmm, let me think about it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She's so small, yet she contains so much evil, Quinn thought. He threw the field journal at her and read her the longitude and latitude off the GPS. â€Å"Film's in the camera. New roll. I loaded it this morning.† â€Å"I was thinking I'd gloat some more.† Amy picked up the notebook, then paused as she opened it to begin writing. â€Å"Singing stopped.† â€Å"Sometimes I think they just stop singing to freak me out.† â€Å"He's moving,† Amy said, pointing. â€Å"Moving,† Quinn repeated. He looked over the side and saw the white pec fins and flukes flash out of sight. â€Å"Hold on.† He started the engine. â€Å"They can hunt these kind, as far as I'm concerned,† Quinn said after they'd been on the whale for two hours. They'd recorded three full cycles of the song and gotten a crossbow biopsy, but the whale simply would not fluke, so they hadn't been able to get an ID photo. A lot of good it did to have a DNA sample when you couldn't identify the animal. â€Å"Hunt them and make them into pet food,† Nate continued. â€Å"Get their tainted, nonfluking genes out of the gene pool.† â€Å"Maybe you should have a doughnut or something, get your blood sugar up,† Amy said. â€Å"Use their pathetic, nonfluking baleen for corsets and umbrella stays. Use their vertebrae for footstools. Use their intestines to make giant, nonfluking whale sausages to serve at state fairs. Remove their putrid unfluking gonads and –  » â€Å"I thought you liked these animals.† â€Å"Yeah, but not when they won't cooperate.† The whale had led them five miles out toward Molokai and very close to the wind line, where the waves were too big and the current too fast to stay on a singer. If the whale continued in this direction, they would lose him within the next two dive cycles and the day would be wasted. What was even more frustrating was that this animal was hanging in the water and singing with his tail only a few feet below the surface. Typically, a singer in the channel would be thirty to fifty feet down – this guy was at about seven. Nate kept having to pull up the hydrophone to keep it from bopping the whale in the noggin as they drifted over it. â€Å"He's coming up,† Amy said. She grabbed the camera off the seat and aimed it at a spot twenty yards or so in front of the boat so the auto-focus and exposure would already be set. Nate pulled up the hydrophone with two yanks and started the engine. The whale was moving faster this time. Nate adjusted the throttle to put Amy at the right distance for a full-frame tail shot. One breath and he was down for ten seconds, another breath twelve seconds, another breath and the great tail peduncle arched high into the air. â€Å"Looks like he's going to do it,† Nate said. â€Å"Ready,† Amy said. The tail cleared the water by just a foot, presenting an edge view instead of a flat horizontal view that would give them all the markings, but Nate thought he saw something. Something that looked like black letters on the underside of the tail. â€Å"You get that? You get that?† â€Å"I got what there was. He didn't present very well.† Amy had run the motor drive for the whole cycle of the dive, maybe eight frames. â€Å"Did you see those markings? On the underside? The black†¦ uh, stripes?† Quinn whipped off his sunglasses and wiped them with his T-shirt. â€Å"Stripes? Nate, I didn't see anything but edge through the camera.† â€Å"Damn it!† â€Å"Look, he fluked. Maybe he will again.† â€Å"That's not the point.† â€Å"It's not?† â€Å"Get up on the bow, see if you can find him.† Amy stood on the bow and directed Quinn. When she dropped her arm, he killed the engine. And there was the whale, hanging there, singing, his tail not ten feet under the water. They weren't a hundred yards off the wind line, and the boat was drifting away from the whale faster than it had before. They'd be over it for only a minute or so. This close to the wind line, they'd probably lose him the next time he came up. Nate was not going to finish this day wondering if he was having hallucinations again. â€Å"Amy, hand me my mask and flippers from the bow cabinet, would you?† â€Å"You're going in the water?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"But you never go in the water.† â€Å"I'm going in the water.† Nate opened a plastic Pelican case and pulled out his Nikonos IV underwater camera, checked to make sure it was loaded. â€Å"You're not a water guy.† â€Å"See if there's a weight belt in there, too.† â€Å"Clay says you're not a water guy. You're a boat guy.† â€Å"I'm going to get an ID photo from under his tail. If he's going to be accommodating enough to stay this close to the surface, I'm going to go get the photo.† â€Å"Can you do that?† â€Å"Why not?† She handed him a belt weighted with ten pounds of lead, and Nate buckled it around his hips. He pulled on the mask and fins, then sat on the gunwale with his back to the water. â€Å"You're going to drift off of me. I'm not going to try to swim to catch you, so come back and get me. Wait till I wave. I don't want you to start the engine until I'm sure I have the picture. Keep recording until you come get me.† † ‘Kay.† Amy's mouth was sort of hanging open as if she'd just been slapped. â€Å"This is no big deal.† â€Å"Right. You want me to do it? It's my fault I didn't get the shot last time.† â€Å"Not your fault. The shot wasn't there. See ya.† Quinn put the snorkel in his mouth and rolled backward off the boat. At seventy-five degrees, the water was still cold enough to knock the breath out of him. He floated to the surface and tried to take controlled breaths until his system adjusted. The whale was close, only a hundred or so feet away. The song reverberated in Nate's ribs as he kicked over to it. This had to be the â€Å"bite me† whale. Even if he'd somehow been wrong about there actually being letters, there were certainly some strange markings on this animal's tail. And there was more than that, too, if he could prove to himself that this was the same animal. It would mean that the whale had stayed in the general area of the Au'au Channel for over three weeks, which was fairly unusual. Of course, conclusions weren't reached from that lack of data. It could simply be that they hadn't computerized the catalog of Hawaiian ID photos the way they had in Alaska. And without the first picture there'd be no proof that this was the same animal, but Quinn would know. He would know. That had become the impetus of this silly mission, not just proving that he wasn't hallucinating. He was a man of science, of facts, of reason. He didn't need to prove he was sane. I'm out of my mind, he thought. He'd never even heard of anyone trying to do an ID photo underwater. The animal was perfectly motionless, a great swath of gray in a field of infinite blue. But Quinn thought he saw movement on the far side of the whale. He lifted his head out of the water and looked back at the boat. Amy gave him a thumbs-up. He took a deep breath and made his dive to take the photo. If he'd been wearing tanks, he might have let the weight belt take him down slowly, but he knew he'd be able to stay down for only forty to sixty seconds, so he went headfirst, kicking hard until he was down twenty or so feet. Then he leveled off, holding the camera in front of him, and looked up at the underside of the whale's tail. There it was, in big, sans-serif, spray-paint-like letters: BITE ME! He nearly forgot to take the picture. How could this possibly be? Had the animal somehow been caught in a net when it was younger and marked by a sardonic fisherman before being released? Was it one of those animals that had swum up a river and got stranded, then been rescued by an army of fish-and-game people? He centered the tail in the viewfinder and hit the shutter. Advanced the film and shot again. Then he needed to breathe. He turned and kicked to the surface, but again he saw the dark shape moving near the whale. Remora, he thought. Although it looked too big to be one of the parasite fish that often attached themselves to whales. At the surface he looked back down at the singer, near the left pec where he'd seen the movement. The animal was doing ribbits. Quinn smiled around his snorkel, took three deep breaths, held, then dove again. This time, before he could get the camera up, he saw the movement of a dark fin on the far side of the whale, and he squinted to see deep into the blue distance. Blue-water willies, was how he'd always thought of it. The feeling you get when you realize that something big and carnivorous could come at you from any direction, then you start looking for gray missiles in the blue, like looking for a malevolent face to appear at a dark window. Then the whale moved. The wash of the tail pushed Quinn back, but he maintained his bearings and started toward the surface, trying to keep his eye on the animal. The whale turned around in little more than its own length and shot toward Nate. He kicked laterally, trying to move to one side or another, then up, so he'd be tossed over the top of the animal rather than under it as it came up, because it was definitely going to bump him. He looked back beyond his fins as he kicked and saw the whale adjust its direction to keep coming toward him. Nate kicked once for the surface, then looked back again to see the animal's enormous mouth opening beneath him. No, this can't be happening, he thought. The panic rising in his chest demanded air, but it was as if the entire ocean had opened up a hole behind him, and he wasn't going to make it to the surface. The whale came halfway out of the water as it scooped him up, and Nate saw sky, and white water, and baleen fringing the upper jaw above – all of it framed by the huge trapezoid that was the whale's open mouth. Then he felt the whale sinking back, and he saw the baleen close over him. He rolled into a ball, hoping not to be crushed by the jaws, hoping to be spit out as a horrible dining mistake. But then the great tongue came forward, warm and rough, driving him against the baleen plates – it was like being smashed into a wrought-iron fence by a wet Nerf Volkswagen. He could feel the baleen ripping the skin on his back as the tongue covered him, pressing the seawater out around him as it would strain krill, then crushing him until the last of the air exploded from his body and he blacked out. PART TWO Jonah's People Men really need sea monsters in their personal oceans. For the ocean, deep and black in the depths, is like the low dark levels of our minds in which the dream symbols incubate and sometimes rise up to sight like the Old Man of the Sea. – JOHN STEINBECK CHAPTER SIXTEEN Shoes Off in the Whale! â€Å"Shoes off in the whale!† a male voice said out of the dark. Quinn could see nothing. His entire body ached like, well, like it had been chewed. He crawled to his hands and knees on what felt like wet latex. He reached down and felt for his feet. He still had his flippers on, and logic protested through his confusion. â€Å"I'm not wearing shoes. These are fins.† â€Å"Shoes off in the whale! And don't try and make a break for the anus.† Two things that, if asked about an hour earlier, Nate might have said with conviction he'd never hear in a lifetime of conversation. â€Å"What?† Quinn said, squinting into the dark. He realized that he was still wearing his dive mask and reached up to push it back. â€Å"I'll bet he didn't bring the pastrami on rye I asked for either, did he?† came the voice. Shapes began to define themselves in the darkness, and Nate saw a face not a foot away from his. He gasped and pulled away from it, for although it seemed to be examining him with great interest, the face was not human. Clay Demodocus was known throughout the world as one of the calmest, most level-tempered, most generous and considerate individuals in the entire milieu of marine biology. His reputation preceded him when he went on assignment, and people took it for granted that he would remain amiable throughout a long voyage in cramped quarters, as well as efficient in his own work, respectful of the work of others, and cool-headed in an emergency. Because he often had to subjugate himself to the head researcher on any given assignment, Clay did not indulge in ego battles and testosterone-slinging contests with researchers or crew. None of these qualities were evident when he went over the desk of the Coast Guard commandant and stopped only inches from head-butting the tall, athletic-looking officer. â€Å"You call this search off now and I'll see to it that your name is remembered for all time in concert with Adolf Eichmann and Vlad the Impaler. Nathan Quinn is a legend in his field, and every t ime there's a documentary on whales on the Discovery Channel, or National Geographic, or Animal Planet, or PBS, or the fucking Cartoon Channel, I'll see to it that your name is mentioned right after Nate's as the man who left him out there. You'll be the official Coast Guard pariah for the next hundred years. This will be the Coast Guard's My Lai. Every time a kid drowns, your name will be mentioned – nay, every time someone gets a soaker, the name of Commodore Whateveryournameis shall be brought forth and your effigy burned in the streets and your head stuck on a pole, lipsticked, and marched around school yards, forever. And all because you're too goddamned lamebrained to put a couple of helicopters into the air to find my friend. Is that what you want?† Clay had strong views on loyalty. The commodore had been in the Coast Guard for most of his adult life, spending the majority of his time and energy either rescuing people or training others to do so, and as a result he was taken aback more than somewhat by Clay's tirade. He looked across his office to where Kona and Amy stood by the door, looking nearly as haggard as he felt. The surfer looked at him and shook his head sadly. â€Å"It's been three days, Mr. Demodocus. In open water with no life preserver? You're not a tourist – you know the odds. If he were alive, he'd have drifted far out of where we're able to patrol by now anyway. We're doing no fewer than ten rescues a day on Maui. I can't have our helicopters out to sea when there's just no chance.† â€Å"What about tide maps, currents?† Clay pleaded. â€Å"Can't we try to predict which way he might have drifted? Narrow the search area.† The commodore had to look away from Clay when he answered. The first thing the surfer kid with the uneven dreadlocks had said when they'd come into his office was â€Å"Sucks to be you.† And right now the commodore couldn't have agreed more. He'd lost friends at sea; he understood. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said. Clay sighed heavily, and his shoulders sagged. Amy came forward and took him by the arm. â€Å"Let's go home, Clay.† Clay nodded and allowed himself to be led out of the commodore's office. As they made their way across the parking lot to Clay's truck Kona said, â€Å"That was amazing, Clay.† â€Å"Throwing a fit? Yeah, I'm proud of that, especially since it worked so well.† â€Å"Why didn't you say anything about the whale eating Nate?† In the three days since Quinn had disappeared, Kona had forgotten to speak brophonics and Rasta talk almost completely, and now he just sounded like a kid from New Jersey with a â€Å"whoa, dude† surfer accent. â€Å"Whales don't eat people, Kona,† Clay said. â€Å"You know better.† â€Å"I know what I saw,† Amy said. Clay stopped and stepped away from both of them. â€Å"Look, if you're going to do this stuff, you have to be practical. I believe that you saw what you say you saw, but nothing about it helps. First, a humpback's throat is only about a foot in diameter. They couldn't swallow a human if they wanted to. So if the whale did scoop up Nate, then there's a good chance he was spit out very quickly. Second, if I told that story to everyone else, either they'd think you were being hysterical or, if they believed you, they'd assume that Nate had been drowned immediately, and there wouldn't have been a search. I believe you, kid, but don't think anyone else will.† â€Å"So what now?† Kona asked. Clay looked at the two of them, standing there like abandoned puppies, and he pushed aside his own grief. â€Å"We finish Nate's work. We do this work, we carry on. Right now I've got to go up the mountain and see the Old Broad. Nate was like a son to her.† â€Å"You haven't told her?† Amy asked. Clay shook his head. â€Å"Why would I? I haven't given up on Nate. I've seen too much. Last year they thought they'd lost one of the black-coral divers. The boat came back to where they'd sent him down, and he was gone. A week later he called from Molokai for them to come get him. He'd swum over and had been so busy partying he'd forgotten to call. â€Å"Doesn't sound like Nate,† Kona said. â€Å"He told me that he hated fun.† â€Å"Still, it would be wrong not to let the Old Broad know what's happened,† Amy said. Clay patted them each on the back. â€Å"Intrepid,† he said. As he drove up the volcano, Clay tried to formulate some gentle way of breaking the news to the Old Broad. Since his mother had passed away, Clay had taken the bearing of bad news very seriously – so seriously, in fact, that he usually let someone else do the bearing. He'd been in Antarctica on assignment for National Science, snowed in at the naval weather station for six months when his mother, still in Greece, had gone missing. She was seventy-five, and the villagers knew she couldn't have gone far, yet, search as they might, they did not find her for three days. Finally her location was revealed by her ripening odor. They found her dead in an olive tree, where she had climbed to do some pruning. Clay's older brothers, Hektor and Sidor, would not hold the funeral without Clay, the baby, yet they knew their brother would be completely out of touch for months. â€Å"He is the rich American,† came the ouzo-besotted lament. â€Å"He should take care of Mama. Perhaps h e will even fly us to America for the funeral.† And so the two brothers, having inherited their mother's weakness for alcohol and their father's bad judgment, packed the remains of Mother Demodocus in an olive barrel, filled the barrel with the preserving brine, and shipped it off to their rich younger brother's house in San Diego. The problem was, in their grief (or perhaps it was their stupor) they forgot to send a letter, leave a message, or, for that matter, put a packing label on the barrel, so months later, when Clay returned to find the barrel on his porch, he broke into it thinking he was about to enjoy a delicious snack of kala-mata olives from home. It was not the way to find out about his mother's death, and it engendered in Clay very strong views about loyalty and the bearing of bad news. I will do this right, he thought as he pulled into the Old Broad's driveway. There's no reason for this to be a shock. There were cats and crystals everywhere. The Old Broad led him through the house and had him sit in a wicker emperor's chair that looked out over the channel while she fetched some mango iced tea for them. The house could have been designed by Gauguin and landscaped by Rousseau. It was small, just five rooms and a carport, but it sat on twenty acres of fruit-salad jungle: banana trees, mango, lemon, tangerine, orange, papaya, and coconut palm, as well as a florist's dream of orchids and other tropical flowers. The Old Broad had cultivated a low, soft grass under all the trees that was like a golf-course green over sponge cake. The house was made almost entirely of dark koa wood, nut brown and with black grain running through it, polished to a smooth satin and as hard as ebony. There was a high-peaked galvanized-tin roof with a vented tower in the center to draw heat out the top and cool air in from under the wide eaves that surrounded the whole house. There were no windows, just open sliding walls. You could look through any part of the house to the other and see the tropical garden. The Old Broad's telescope and  «big-eye » binoculars stood on steel and concrete mountings in front of where Clay sat, looking very much out of place: the artillery of science planted in paradise. At Clay's feet a skinny cat happily crunched the legs off a scorpion. The Old Broad handed Clay a tall, icy glass and sat in another emperor's chair beside him. She was barefoot and wore a flowered caftan and a yellow-and-red hibiscus blossom in her hair that was half the size of her face. She had probably been a dish back around the time of Lincoln, Clay thought. â€Å"It's so nice to see you, Clay. I don't get many visitors. Not that I'm lonely, you know. I have the cats and the whales to talk to. But that's not like having one of my boys to visit with.† Oh, jeez, Clay thought. One of her boys. Oh, jeez. He had to tell her. He knew he had to tell her. He had come up here to tell her, and he was going to tell her, and that was that. â€Å"This is excellent tea, Elizabeth. Mango, you say?† â€Å"That's right. Just a little bit of mint. Now, what is it you needed to talk to me about?† â€Å"And ice? I think the coldness makes it, gives it a fantastic, uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Temperature? Yes, ice is an essential ingredient in iced tea, Clay. Thus the name.† Sarcasm is so ugly on the aged, thought Clay. No one likes a sarcastic oldster. He said, â€Å"Iced tea, you mean?† Oh, this is just going to kill her, he thought. â€Å"If this is about a new boat, Clay, don't be shy. I know how you loved that boat, and we'll get you another one. I'm just not sure we can go for one quite that nice. My investments haven't been doing well the last couple of years.† â€Å"No, no, it's not the boat. The boat was insured. It's Nate.† â€Å"And how is Nathan? I hope he's handling his little infatuation with your new researcher with a bit of dignity. He was wearing it on his sleeve that night at the sanctuary. You'd think a man as smart as Nathan would have better control over his impulses.† â€Å"Nate had a thing for Amy?† Clay was going to tell her, really. He was just working up to it. â€Å"You said ‘had, † said the Old Broad. â€Å"You said Nate ‘had' a thing for Amy.† â€Å"Elizabeth, there's been an accident. Three days ago Nate went into the water to get a better look at a singer, and†¦ well, we haven't been able to find him.† Clay put down his tea so he could catch the old woman should she faint. â€Å"I'm very sorry.† â€Å"Oh, that. Yes, I heard about that. Nate's fine, Clay. The whale told me.† And here Clay found himself balancing on another dilemma. Should he let her have her belief, no matter how crazy it might be, or should he dash her spirits to earth with the truth? Although Nate had found Elizabeth's eccentricities irritating, Clay had always liked her insistence that the whales spoke to her. He wished it were true. He scooted to the edge of his chair and took her hand in his. â€Å"Elizabeth, I don't think you understand what I'm saying – ; â€Å"He took the pastrami and rye, right? He said he would.† â€Å"Um, that's not exactly pertinent. He's been gone for three days, and they were right at the wind line toward Molokai when he was lost. Rough sea. He's probably gone, Elizabeth.† â€Å"Well, of course he's gone, Clay. You'll just have to carry on until he gets back.† Now she patted his hand. â€Å"He did take the sandwich, right? The whale was very specific.† â€Å"Elizabeth! You're not listening to me. This is not about the whales singing to you through the trees. Nate is gone!† â€Å"Don't you shout at me, Clay Demodocus. I'm trying to comfort you. And it wasn't a song through the trees. What do you think? I'm some crazy old woman? The whale called on the phone.† â€Å"Oh, Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, I don't know how to do this » â€Å"More tea?† asked the Old Broad. As Clay made the long drive down the volcano and back to Papa Lani, he tried to fight letting his spirits rise. The Old Broad was completely convinced that Nathan Quinn was just fine and dandy, although she could give no reason other than to say that the whale, after ordering a pastrami on rye, had told her that everything would be all right. â€Å"And how did you know it was the whale on the phone?† asked Clay. â€Å"Well, he told me that's who he was.† â€Å"And it was a male voice?† â€Å"Well, it would be. He's a singer, isn't he?† She'd gone on like that, reassuring him, encouraging him to go back to work, dismissing any guilt or grief, until he was almost to the gates of the compound before he remembered. â€Å"She's a total loony!† he said to himself, as if he just needed to hear the words, to feel their truth. Nothing is all right. Nate's dead. Clair would be sleeping at her house tonight, and although it was late, Clay could not make himself go to sleep. Instead he went to the office, knowing that nothing in the world could eat up time like editing video. He attached a digital video camera to his computer and turned on the recently replaced giant monitor. Blue filled the screen, and then he could sense the motion of descent, but there was only a faint hiss of his breathing, not the usual fusillade of bubbles from a regulator. This was the rebreather footage, from the day he had almost drowned. He'd completely forgotten about it. The breath-holder's tail came into frame. Clay's first instincts had been right. This was great footage of a breath-holder – the best they'd ever recorded. As he passed the tail, the genital slit came into view, and he could tell that they were dealing with a male. There were black marks on the underside of the tail, but the view was still edge on, and he couldn't make out their shape. He heard a faint kazoo sound in the background and ran back the tape, with the sound turned up. This time his breath sounded like a bull snorting before a charge, the kazoo sound, louder now, like a voice through wax paper. He ran back the tape again and cranked the sound all the way up, bringing down the high frequency to kill some of the hiss. Definitely voices. â€Å"There's someone outside, Captain.† â€Å"Does he have my sandwich with him?† â€Å"He's close, Captain, really close. Too close.† Then the tail came down, and there was a deafening thud. The picture jerked in a half dozen directions, then settled as tiny bubbles passed by the lens in a field of blue. The lens caught a shot of Clay's fin as he sank, and then it was just blue and the occasional shot of the lanyard that secured the camera to his wrist. Clay ran the tape back again, confirmed the voices, then set it to dub onto the computer hard drive so he could manipulate the audio in a waveform, the way they did with sound recordings. Even though he was sure what was on the tape, he couldn't figure out how it could possibly have gotten there. Only five minutes of watching little progress bars move across the monitor, and he could stand the suspense no longer. He smiled to himself, because now was the time he would have gone to Nate, as he had so many times before, to help him figure out exactly what it was they were hearing or looking at, but Nate was gone. He checked his watch, and, deciding that it wasn't too insanely late, he headed across the compound to get Amy.

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 32

Chapter 32 All for One, and†¦ Well, You Know They might have been the Magnificent Seven or the Seven Samurai. If each of them had been a trained professional, a gunfighter with a character flaw, or a broken warrior with a past – or if each had a secret reason for joining a suicide mission, an antihero's sense of justice, and a burning desire to put things right – they might have become an elite fighting unit whose resourcefulness and courage would lead them to victory over those who would oppose or oppress. But the fact was, they were a disorganized bunch of perpetual adolescents, untrained and unprepared for anything but throwing stock and having fun: the Animals. They sat on the registers as Tommy paced before them telling them about the vampire, about Simon's death, and giving them the call to action while the Emperor stood by quoting passages from Henry the Fifth's speech at the Battle of Agincourt. â€Å"The cops aren't going to believe it, and I can't do it alone,† Tommy said. The Emperor said, â€Å"‘We few, we lucky few†¦ â€Å" â€Å"So who's with me?† The Animals didn't say a word. â€Å"Barry,† Tommy said, â€Å"you're a scuba diver. You've got some balls, right? Sure, you're balding and going to fat, but this is a chance to make a difference.† Barry looked at this shoes. Tommy jumped to Drew, who hung his head so that his greasy blond hair covered his face. â€Å"Drew, you have the most complete knowledge of chemistry of anyone I've ever met. It's time to use it.† â€Å"We've got a truck to unload,† Drew said. Tommy moved to Clint; stared into his thick glasses, ruffled his curly black hair. â€Å"Clint, God wants you to do this. This vampire is evil incarnate. Sure, you're a little burned out, but you can still strike a blow for righteousness.† â€Å"Blessed are the meek,† said Clint. â€Å"Jeff!† Tommy said. The big jock looked up, as if the key to the universe lay in the fluorescent lights. â€Å"Jeff, you're big, you're dumb, your knee is blown out, but hey, man, you look good. We might be able to use that.† Jeff began whistling. Tommy moved on. â€Å"Lash, your people have been oppressed for hundreds of years. It's time to strike back. Look, you don't have your MBA yet – they haven't completely juiced you of your usefulness yet. Would Martin Luther King back down from this challenge? Malcolm X? James Brown? Don't you have a dream? Don't you feel good, like you knew that you would, now?† Lash shook his head. â€Å"I have to study in the morning, man.† â€Å"Troy Lee? Samurai tradition? You're the only trained fighter here.† â€Å"I'm Chinese, not Japanese.† â€Å"Whatever. You're a kung-fu guy. You can reach into a guy's pocket and take his wallet before he knows it's gone. No one has reflexes like you.† â€Å"Okay,† Troy said. Tommy stopped on his way to the next man. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Sure, I'll help you. Simon was a good friend.† â€Å"Wow,† Tommy said. He looked to Gustavo. â€Å"Well?† Gustavo shook his head. â€Å"Viva Zapata!† Tommy said. â€Å"Leave him alone,† Troy Lee said. â€Å"He's got a family.† â€Å"You're right,† Tommy said. â€Å"Sorry, Gustavo.† Troy Lee got up and stood in front of the other Animals. â€Å"But you fuckers. You worthless bags of dog meat. If Simon could see you he'd shoot every one of you. This could be the best party we ever had.† Drew looked up. â€Å"Party?† â€Å"Yeah,† Troy Lee said, â€Å"party. We drink some brews, kick some ass, dismember some monsters – maybe pick up some babes. Christ, Drew, who knows what kind of shit we could get into. And you're going to miss it.† â€Å"I'm in,† said Drew. â€Å"Me too,† said Barry. Troy looked at Jeff and Clint. â€Å"Well?† They nodded. â€Å"Lash, you in?† â€Å"Okay,† Lash said without conviction. â€Å"Okay,† Tommy said. â€Å"Let's throw the truck. We can't start until morning anyway. We'll figure out a plan and get some weapons then.† Troy Lee held up a finger. â€Å"One thing. How do we find the vampire?† Tommy said, â€Å"Okay, let's get to work.† Morning found the Animals in the Safeway parking lot, drinking beer and discussing the strategy for finding and disposing of a monster. â€Å"So, as far as you know, drugs don't affect them?† Drew asked. â€Å"I don't think so,† Tommy said. â€Å"Well, no wonder he's pissed off,† Drew said. â€Å"What about guns?† Jeff asked. â€Å"I've got Simon's shotgun at my house.† Tommy thought for a moment before answering. â€Å"They can be hurt; I mean, damaged. But Jody heals incredibly fast – this guy might even be faster. Still, I'd rather have a twelve-gauge against him than nothing.† Barry said, â€Å"A stake through the heart always works in the movies.† Tommy nodded. â€Å"It might work. We could try it. If we get that far, we can cut him up, too.† â€Å"Spearguns,† Barry said. â€Å"I've got three of them. A CO2 model and two that use elastics. They won't shoot far, but they might pin him down while we cut him up.† â€Å"I've got a couple of short fighting swords,† Troy Lee interjected. â€Å"Razor sharp.† â€Å"Good,† Tommy said. â€Å"Bring 'em.† â€Å"I'll bring the Word,† Glint said. He'd been shouting â€Å"Get thee behind me, Satan,† all night, putting the Animals on edge. â€Å"Why don't you just go home and pray,† Lash said, giving Glint a push. â€Å"We need some action here.† He turned from Glint and addressed the group. â€Å"Look, guys, spearguns and swords are great, but how do we find this guy? The cops have been looking for him for three months, and they obviously haven't had any luck. If he's really after Tommy, then the best thing we can do is ambush him at Tommy's apartment. And I'm not sure I want to face him when he's awake. Simon was my friend too, but he was also one of the quickest people I ever met and the vampire took him out like he was a baby. And the paper said that he was armed. I don't know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He's right,† Drew said. â€Å"We're fucked. Anyone want to catch the ferry to Sausalito and terrorize some yuppie artists? I've got mushrooms.† â€Å"Shrooms! Shrooms! Shrooms!† the Animals chanted. Suddenly there was a staccato clanging, like someone banging on a garbage-can lid with a stick, which is pretty much what it was. The Emperor, who had been silent all night, stepped into the circle. â€Å"Before your spines go to jelly, men, take heart. I've been thinking.† â€Å"Oh, no!† someone shouted. â€Å"I think I have a way to find the fiend and dispose of him before sundown.† â€Å"Right,† Drew said sarcastically. â€Å"How?† The Emperor picked up Bummer and held out the little dog as if he were displaying the Holy Grail. â€Å"Pound for pound, a better soldier never marched, and a better tracker never sniffed out a sewer rat. I've been so stupid.† â€Å"Beg your pardon, Your Majesty,† Tommy said. â€Å"But what the fuck are you talking about?† â€Å"Until last night I didn't know that the lovely young woman with whom you share your abode was a vampire. Yet every time we passed your building Bummer went into a frenzy. He's been the same each time we've encountered the fiend himself. I believe he has a special sensitivity for the smell of vampires.† They all stared at him, waiting. â€Å"Gather your courage and your weapons, good fellows. We'll meet here in two hours and remove this evil from my city. And a little dog shall lead us.† The Animals looked at Tommy, who shrugged and nodded. They had a new leader now. â€Å"Two hours, guys,† Tommy said. â€Å"The Emperor's in charge.† Cavuto watched the Animals disperse though his field glasses. He was sitting in the parking lot at Fort Mason, a hundred yards from the Safeway. He put down the binoculars and dialed Rivera's number on his cellular phone. â€Å"Rivera.† â€Å"Anything happening there?† Cavuto asked. â€Å"No, I don't think that anything will now that it's daylight. The lights stayed off after the kid left, but I could hear a vacuum cleaner running. The girl's up there but she didn't turn on the light.† â€Å"So she likes to clean in the dark.† â€Å"I think she can see in the dark.† â€Å"I don't want to talk about it,† Cavuto said. â€Å"Anything else?† â€Å"Not much. Some kids were dropping pebbles on me from the roof. The guys in the foundry below the kid's apartment are moving around now. A couple of bums are doing some close-order public urinating in the alley. What's happening there?† â€Å"The kid worked all night, drank some beers with the crew; they just split up but the kid and the wacko are still here.† â€Å"Why don't you call in some relief?† â€Å"I don't want this out of our hands until we know more. Stay by the phone.† â€Å"Anything from the coroner?† â€Å"Yeah, just got off the phone with him. Massive blood loss from the guy in the truck. None from the guy in the morgue. Heart attack. They still haven't found the girl's body.† â€Å"That's because she was cleaning house all night.† â€Å"Gotta go,† Cavuto said. Tommy and the Emperor were waiting in the parking lot when the Animals returned in Troy Lee's Toyota and began unloading equipment. â€Å"Stop, stop, stop,† Tommy said. â€Å"We can't run all over the City with spearguns and swords.† â€Å"And shotguns,† Jeff said proudly, jacking a shell into the chamber of Simon's shotgun. â€Å"Put that back in the car.† â€Å"No problem,† Drew said, holding up a roll of Christmas wrap. â€Å"Dallas, November 22, 1963.† â€Å"What?† Tommy said. â€Å"Lee Harvey Oswald walks into the book depository with a Venetian blind. Minutes later Jackie's scooping brains off the trunk of a Lincoln. Anybody asks, we're all giving Venetian blinds to our moms for Christmas.† â€Å"Oh,† Tommy said. â€Å"Okay.† Clint climbed out of the Toyota wearing a choir robe, a half dozen crosses hung around his neck. He held a Baggie full of crackers in one hand, a squirt gun in the other. â€Å"I'm ready,† he said to Tommy and the Emperor. â€Å"Snacks,† Tommy said, nodding to the Baggie. â€Å"Good thinking.† â€Å"The Heavenly Host,† Clint said. He brandished the squirt gun. â€Å"Loaded with holy water.† â€Å"That stuff doesn't work, Clint.† â€Å"O ye of little faith,† Clint said. Bummer and Lazarus had left the Emperor's side and were nosing up to Clint. â€Å"See, they know the power of the Spirit.† Just then Bummer jumped and snatched the Baggie, then took off around the corner of the store, followed closely by Lazarus, Clint, and the Emperor. â€Å"Stop him,† Clint shouted at an old man coming out of the store. â€Å"He's taken the body of Christ.† â€Å"Don't hurt him,† the Emperor shouted. â€Å"He's the only hope for saving the City.† Tommy took off after them. As he passed the bewildered old man, Tommy said, â€Å"Last week they were playing cards with Elvis.What can I say?† The old man seemed to accept this and hurried off. Tommy caught up with them behind the store, where the Emperor was holding Bummer in one hand and fending off Clint with his wooden sword with the other, while Lazarus licked the last few crumbs out of the torn plastic bag. â€Å"He ate the blessed Savior!† Clint wailed. â€Å"He ate the blessed Savior!† Tommy caught Clint around the waist and pulled him away. â€Å"It's okay, Clint. Bummer's a Christian.† Jeff rounded the corner, his size-fourteen Reeboks clomping like a quarter horse. He looked at the empty Baggie. â€Å"Oh, I get it. They freeze-dried him, right?† Drew came around the corner, followed by Lash and Troy Lee. â€Å"Do we have a partying platoon, or what?† Drew said. Jeff said, â€Å"I never knew that they freeze-dried Jesus, did you?† Lash checked his watch. â€Å"We've got less than six hours before it gets dark. Maybe we should get started.† Tommy released Clint and the Emperor lowered his sword. â€Å"We need something to give Bummer the scent,† the Emperor said. â€Å"Something that the fiend has touched.† Tommy dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out one of the hundreds that Jody had given him. â€Å"I'm pretty sure that he touched this, but it's been a while.† The Emperor took the hundred and held it to Bummer's nose. â€Å"It shouldn't matter. His senses are keen and his heart is righteous.† To Bummer he said, â€Å"This is the scent, little one. Find this scent.† He put Bummer down and the little dog was off with a yap and a snort. The vampire hunters followed, losing sight of Bummer as he rounded the store. When they came around to the front of the store, the manager was coming out, holding a snarling Bummer in his arms. â€Å"Flood, is this your dog?† â€Å"He's his own man,† the Emperor said. â€Å"Well, he just ran in and blew snot all over the cash in register eight. You train him to find money?† The Emperor looked down to the hundred-dollar bill in his hand, then at Tommy. â€Å"Perhaps we should find something else to put him on the scent.† â€Å"Where was the last place you saw the vampire?† Tommy asked. The gate guard at the Saint Francis Yacht Club wasn't buying a word of it. â€Å"Really,† Tommy said. â€Å"We're here to decorate for the Christmas party.† The Animals waved their gaily wrapped weapons to illustrate the point. â€Å"And the Archbishop has come along to perform midnight mass.† Tommy pointed to Clint, who grinned and winked through his thick glasses. â€Å"Deus ex machina,† Clint said, exhausting his Latin. â€Å"Shalom,† he added for good measure. The guard tapped his clipboard. â€Å"I'm sorry, gentlemen, I can't let you through without a membership or a guest pass.† The Emperor cleared his throat royally. â€Å"Good man, each moment you delay may be paid for with human suffering.† The guard thought that he might have just been threatened, hoped, in fact, that he had, so he could pull his gun, and was just letting his hand drop to his gun belt when the phone in the gate booth rang. â€Å"Stay here,† he instructed the vampire hunters. He answered the phone and nodded at it, then looked across Marina Boulevard to where a brown Dodge was parked. He hung up the phone and came out of the booth. â€Å"Go on in,† he said, obviously not happy about it. He pushed a button, the gate rose, and the Animals went in, headed for the East Harbor. Two minutes later the brown Dodge pulled up and stopped by the gate. Cavuto rolled down the window and flashed his badge. â€Å"Thanks,† he said to the guard. â€Å"I'll keep an eye on them for you.† â€Å"No problem,† said the guard. â€Å"You ever get to shoot anyone?† â€Å"Not today.† Cavuto said. He drove though the gate, staying just out of sight of the Animals. At the end of the dock the Animals and the Emperor stared forlornly at the big white motor yacht moored a hundred yards out into the harbor. Bummer was in the midst of a yapping fit. â€Å"You see,† said the Emperor, â€Å"he knows that the fiend is aboard.† â€Å"You're sure that's the boat that he came off of?† â€Å"Most definitely. It chills my spine to think of it – the mist forming into a monster.† â€Å"That's great,† Tommy said, â€Å"but how do we get aboard?† He turned to Barry, who was applying sunscreen to his bald spot. â€Å"Can you swim it?† â€Å"We could all swim it,† Barry said. â€Å"But how do we keep the gun dry? I could go get my Zodiac and take us all out there, but it'll take a while.† â€Å"How long?† â€Å"Maybe an hour.† â€Å"We've got four, maybe five hours until sunset,† Lash said. â€Å"Go,† Tommy said. â€Å"Get it.† â€Å"No, wait,† said Drew, looking at the rows of yachts in the nearby slips. â€Å"Jeff, can you swim?† The big power forward shook his head. â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Good,† Drew said. He took the Christmas-paper-wrapped shotgun from Jeff, then grabbed him by the arm and threw him into the water. â€Å"Man overboard! Man overboard! We need a boat.† The few owners and crew members who were performing maintenance on the nearby boats looked up. Drew spotted a good-sized life raft on the stern of a sixty-footer. â€Å"There, you guys, get that.† The Animals scrambled after the raft. The yacht's crew helped them get it over the side into the water. Jeff, flailing in the water, had slapped his way back to the dock. Drew pushed him away with the shotgun. â€Å"Not yet, big guy.† Over his shoulder he shouted, â€Å"Hurry, you guys! He's drowning!† Tommy, Barry, and Lash were paddling the rubber raft for all they were worth. The yachtsmen and the Emperor shouted instructions, while Drew and Troy Lee watched their friend trying not to drown. â€Å"He's doing really well for a non-swimmer,† Drew said calmly. â€Å"Doesn't want to get his hair wet,† said Troy with Taoist simplicity. â€Å"Yeah, can't waste that two hours of blow-drying.† Tommy moved to the front of the raft and held his paddle out to Jeff. â€Å"Grab it.† Jeff flailed and thrashed, but didn't grab the paddle. â€Å"If he stops paddling his head will go under,† Troy called. â€Å"You'll have to grab him.† Tommy whacked Jeff on the head with the plastic paddle. â€Å"Grab it!† The power forward slipped under for a second and bobbed to the surface again. â€Å"That's one!† Drew called. â€Å"Now grab it,† Tommy yelled. He raised the paddle as if to strike again. Jeff shook his head violently and reached for the paddle as he went under again. â€Å"That's two!† Tommy pulled the paddle up with Jeff on the end while Barry and Lash wrestled the big man into the boat. â€Å"Well done, men,† the Emperor said. The yachtsmen stood at the end of the dock, watching in amazement. Drew turned to them. â€Å"We're going to need that raft for a while, okay?† One of the crewmen started to protest and Drew jacked a shell into the shotgun, ripping the wrapping paper. â€Å"Big shark hunt. We need the raft.† The crewman nodded and backed away. â€Å"Sure, as long as you need it.† â€Å"Okay,† Tommy called. â€Å"Everybody in the raft.† Drew and Troy Lee helped the Emperor get into the raft, then handed over Bummer and Lazarus and climbed in themselves. The Emperor stood at the front of the raft as they made their way across the harbor to the Sanguine II. Twenty yards from the yacht Bummer began barking and bouncing around the raft. â€Å"The fiend is definitely on board,† the Emperor said. He picked up Bummer and shoved him into his pocket. â€Å"Well done, little one.† It took five minutes to get everyone on board and the life raft secured to the stern. â€Å"How we doing on time, Lash?† Tommy asked. â€Å"We're looking at four, maybe four and a half hours of daylight. Will he wake up at sunset or dark?† â€Å"Jody usually wakes up right at sunset. So let's say four.† â€Å"Okay, everybody,† Tommy said, â€Å"let's spread out and find the vampire.† â€Å"I don't know if that's a good idea,† said Jeff. He was dripping and his lips had gone blue with the cold. The Animals looked at him. He was embarrassed by the attention. â€Å"Well, in all of the horror movies, the people split up and the monster picks them off one by one.† â€Å"Good point,† Tommy said. â€Å"Everybody stay together; find this fucker and get it over with.† He raised a gift-wrapped spear-gun in salute. â€Å"For Simon!† â€Å"For Simon!† the Animals shouted as they followed Tommy below.

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Leadership Communication Presentation - Essay Example To counter this argument, another manager may say, â€Å"Removing all our fringe benefits would result in low morale for the employees.† Obviously, the second manager was using the straw man fallacy by restating what the other manager said, and saying â€Å"removing all our fringe benefits† when the first manager actually said a reduction in the fringe benefits. These conversations are typical in organizations especially when meetings are held to find solutions for problems that confront the company. There are several ways to overcome or prevent a straw man fallacy in an organization. First, in making vital decisions for the company, it is better to put the arguments for each position or alternative in writing; rather than having a face-to-face debate with the proponents of different sides. In this way, the possibility of misinterpretation and misrepresentation is eliminated. Another way to prevent a straw man fallacy is to show proofs, data or statistics in presenting alternative solutions to organizational problems. If these information are presented, it would be hard to refute by just a straw man fallacy. Lastly, it is suggested that to overcome a straw man fallacy, those involved in making major decisions for the firm should be well-informed. According to Talisse and Aikin, the success of the straw man fallacy depends on the ignorance of the audience; thus, if the people responsible for decision-making are well-informed of the various positions, then they can have an intelli gent and reasoned discourse without being swayed by fallacies

Gottfried Leibniz-Consciousness and Unconsciousness Research Paper

Gottfried Leibniz-Consciousness and Unconsciousness - Research Paper Example On the other hand, finite minds have limited pleats and folds, which remain confined to limited thinking and mental abilities, and reality serves as the set of all finite minds (Hill, 5). Charlie Dunbar Broad (1975) has also evaluated and analysed the philosophical contributions made by Leibniz, who had presented theory of mind contradictory to Descartes and his school of thought. Instead of submitting to Descartes’ notion of taking body and mind as two separate and interdependent entities, Leibniz views them two parts of one and the same entity (Broad, 89). French philosopher Rene Descartes, in his works, had declared mind and body two entirely different entities, which casually enter into one another for the performance of both the two (Ariew, 26). He states mind as res cogitans or a thinking object, the function of which is mere looking into the things and matters and analysing the same. In addition, mind or soul, according to Descartes, is sublime in nature, which seeks no boundaries to move from one place to the other within the entire universe (31). On the contrary, body remains confined to some specific area, where it has to undergo different processes in order to fulfil the requirements related to its mobility from one place to the other. In addition, body is mortal, while the soul is immortal; it is, therefore, soul is much loftier and sublime than body in the eyes of Descartes. He also asserts that man is alive till the time he is bestowed with the power of thinking. It is therefore he states that â€Å"I think; it is therefore, I exist† (Hill, 3). However, being a true believer of the Jewish traditions, Leibniz follows the philosophy his religious teachings present to humanity. Consequently, he does not agree with the Descartes’ doctrine in its full swing, and without incurring a contradictory argument. He is of the view that there is one entity in the form of two independent but interrelated organs i.e. mind and body, which thou gh work independently without much collaboration with each other, yet they cannot be declared as indifferent to one another altogether. Leibniz holds, according to Broad, that there certainly exist the corporeal substances in the universe; however, each and every substance is actually a living organism, and contains a unique identity in it (87). Moreover, since every organism has its own