Revenge in Hamlet Essay

â€Å"Hamlet is the finest of all plays in the English revenge tradition† (Shakespeare, IV). The recurring theme in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is revenge, every character in this play wants revenge on someone else. Revenge in this play means murder. From the beginning right through until the end of the book, there are three instances where revenge is seen; the ghost of Hamlet senior wants revenge on Claudius, Hamlet wants revenge on Claudius and Laertes wants revenge on Hamlet. Hamlet is the most serious play on revenge because of all the questions asked (Shakespeare, IV). At the very beginning of Hamlet, Hamlet seniors ghost appears to his son, Hamlet and demands revenge on his brother, Claudius. Claudius murders his brother because he wants to become king, his ambition and he wants to have the Queen Gertrude as his wife. When the ghost of Hamlet senior appears to Hamlet he says, â€Å"So art thou to revenge when thou shalt hear† (1.5. Line 7). Once Hamlet discovers that Claudius is the murderer of his father, Hamlet shall find revenge on his uncle. Also during the ghost’s appearance he tells his son to revenge Claudius’ soul in an unnatural murder, â€Å"Revenge his soul and most unnatural murder† (1.5. Line 25). Hamlet senior wants his son, Hamlet to find revenge on Claudius for his death and stealing his Queen. Now that Hamlet knows about his fathers murder and who actually caused it, he wants revenge. Hamlet wants revenge on his uncle, King Claudius for his fathers death. There are several chances that Hamlets has had throughout the play to get back at Claudius, but each time he hesitates and waits for better timing and different circumstances. During Act three, Scene three of Hamlet, Hamlet draws his sword and says to himself, â€Å"To take him in the purging of his soul,/ When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?/ No./ Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent† (3.3. Lines 85-89). Hamlet has a chance to avenge his father, but hesitates. Later on in the play, Hamlet has another chance to kill his uncle, â€Å"Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane,/ Drink off this potion. Is thy union here?/ Follow my mother† (5.2. Lines 318-320). Hamlet finally avenges his father and kills King Claudius. Finally, there is the revenge Laertes wants from Hamlet for his father’s death and his sister’s insanity. Laertes discovers Hamlet is home and wants his revenge. During act three, scene four of Hamlet, Hamlet murders Polonius, Laertes’ father and he lead Ophelia, Laertes’ sister to insanity.  As Laertes was conversing with the King, he says, â€Å"I dare damnation. To this point I stand,/ That both the worlds I give to negligence,/ Let come what comes, only I’ll be reveng’d/ Most throughly for my father† (4.5. Lines 132-135). At the point Laertes is at, he does not care what happens to himself as long as he finds avenge on his father and his sister. Laertes decides that he will wait until he is able to get back at Hamlet, he says â€Å"And so have I a noble father lost,/ A sister driven into desp’rate terms,/ Whose worth, if praises may go back again,/ Stood challenger on mount of all the age/ For her perfections. But my revenge will come† (4.7. Lines 25-29). Laertes never did get his revenge on Hamlet, as Hamlet actually kills Laertes. As it has been proven, Shakespeare’s play Hamlet has a recurring theme of revenge and each case of revenge resulted in a death. Everyone wants their revenge on someone! In Hamlet, revenge is a serious matter because of its results. Hamlet senior’s ghost and Hamlet both receive their revenge on Claudius when he is killed by Hamlet. Laertes wants his revenge on Hamlet but Hamlet kills Laertes before he gets the chance. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Oxford University Press., 2002. Print

Lord of the Flies Quotes

â€Å"We did everything adults would do. What went wrong? † â€Å"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy. † â€Å"We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything. † â€Å"The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away. † â€Å"What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? † â€Å"The rules! † shouted Ralph, â€Å"you're breaking the rules! † â€Å"Who cares? † â€Å"the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. â€Å"Which is better–to have laws and agree, or to hunt and kill? † â€Å"Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in! † â€Å"If I blow the conch and they don't come back; then we've had it. We shan't keep the fire going. We'll be like animals. We'll never be rescued. † â€Å"If you don't blow, we'll soon be animals anyway. † â€Å"This is our island. It's a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us we'll have fun. † â€Å"Are we savages or what? † â€Å"This toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch. Jack started to protest but the clamor changed from the general wish for a chief to an election by acclaim of Ralph himself.None of the boys could have found good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy while the most obvious leader was Jack. But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart. † â€Å"He became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things. He talked to them, ur ging them, ordering them.Driven back by the tide, his footprints became bays in which they were trapped and gave him the illusion of mastery. † â€Å"We musn't let anything happen to Piggy, must we? † â€Å"The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon. † â€Å"I believe man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature. I produce my own view in the belief that it may be something like the truth. † â€Å"And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy. Ralph and jack are a good form of Duality, when good and evil come together in conflict. savages barbarians brutes thugs beasts this unlawfully behavior. Dark; violent; pessimistic; tragic; unsparing 1 †rising action  The boys assemble on the beach. In the election f or leader, Ralph defeats Jack, who is furious when he loses. As the boys explore the island, tension grows between Jack, who is interested only in hunting, and Ralph, who believes most of the boys’ efforts should go toward building shelters and maintaining a signal fire.When rumors surface that there is some sort of beast living on the island, the boys grow fearful, and the group begins to divide into two camps supporting Ralph and Jack, respectively. Ultimately, Jack forms a new tribe altogether, fully immersing himself in the savagery of the hunt. † 2 †climax   Simon encounters the Lord of the Flies in the forest glade and realizes that the beast is not a physical entity but rather something that exists within each boy on the island.When Simon tries to approach the other boys and convey this message to them, they fall on him and kill him savagely. † 3 â€Å"falling action  Virtually all the boys on the island abandon Ralph and Piggy and descend furthe r into savagery and chaos. When the other boys kill Piggy and destroy the conch shell, Ralph flees from Jack’s tribe and encounters the naval officer on the beach. † themes Civilization vs. avagery; the loss of innocence; innate human evil motifs Biblical parallels; natural beauty; the bullying of the weak by the strong; the outward trappings of savagery (face paint, spears, totems, chants) major conflict  Free from the rules that adult society formerly imposed on them, the boys marooned on the island struggle with the conflicting human instincts that exist within each of them—the instinct to work toward civilization and order and the instinct to descend into savagery, violence, and chaos.

The book called Brave New World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The book called Brave New World - Essay Example The first chapter tends to introduce the responder to the society portrayed in Brave New World, as the Director tries to make the students familiar with Bokanovskification, an utterly scientific world; it immediately creates the impression that this highly scientific and sophisticated world is utterly oblivious to the natural considerations and the natural world. The hallmark of the society depicted in Brave New World is to give way to a human form that is starkly divested of its inner urges and yearnings and merely acts as an organic receptacle to the generalized social norms and practices. Thereby in Brave New World the intention of Aldous Huxley is to convey that considering the current direction in which the modern society is advancing, it will eventually distort and alter the human nature itself. Brave New World tends to offer a satirical vision of a future that is sans any flavor and happens to be innately sterile. In that context this science fiction novel happens to be anti-u topian or dystopian in its form and intent. The novel unravels a world that is not only starkly stultified by a marked lack of originality, but is also immensely oppressive in terms of the control that the authorities tend to exercise over the common people. Though the novel deals with a futuristic dystopia, yet it has marked links to the modern history in the sense that it resorts to a profuse usage of irony and paradox to bring out the bleak consequences of the scientific and technological development wrought by mankind in the last few decades. The theme of the novel is the impact of scientific development on mankind and the human interaction with nature that eventually gives way to a regimented world where the denizens are homogenized and categorized as five casts that are Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon, each cast fixed in its own set ways and incapable of any impromptu and impulsive inclinations and yearnings. This abominable strict social regimentation gets reflected in the feelings of Bernard, â€Å"The mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling an outsider he behaved like one. †¦ A chromic fear of being slighted made him avoid his equals, made him stand, where his inferiors were concerned, self-consciously on his dignity (Huxley 65).† Brave New World presents a society that essentially accepts the incompatibility between a shallow and drab sense of happiness and the reality that the human beings are required to contend with on a daily basis by legalizing the consumption of a research drug that is ‘Soma’ that is used by the inhabitants of this futuristic world to escape the drabness and challenges marking the real world. In that sense it is indeed intriguing and disturbing to see that Mustapha Mond, the most intelligent and most accomplished benefactor of the world state regards the drug soma as an immaculate tool to assure social harmony and peace. His thoughts regarding soma become obvious in his conversation with Jo hn where he assures John that the world state will rescue him from the dire consequences of an interaction with reality by giving him doses of soma. The soma is shown to be having the power to induce a pacific state in the people inhabiting the world state at the cost of depriving them of their individuality and innate personality. It is the cherished and legalized panacea in the

Ethnic and morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethnic and morality - Essay Example Friedrich Nietzsche had a personal belief that morality is anti-nature. In fact, Nietzsche states that, â€Å"Every naturalism in morality-that is every health morality-is dominated by an instinct of life† (349). Indeed, Nietzsche helps us to define the idea of anti-nature by asserting that a human being is seemingly refuting the reality by denying their personal passion. In fact, according to Nietzsche and his moral philosophy, the healthiest moralities accommodate natural aspects while the unhealthy moralities negate nature. Nature derives human desires, which consequently define individual personality and how human beings behave. As such, I hold this fact and strongly oppose Nietzsche’s notion that morality is anti-nature. Friedrich Nietzsche observes that human beings should have the free will to choose what they want without coercion from any external forces. He further quotes that, â€Å"Anti-natural molarity-that is almost every morality which has so far been ta ught, revered, and preached-turns conversely against the instincts of life: it is condemnation of these instincts† (349). He also disputed the common notion that religions like Christianity drive human life and consequently asserted that religion and dominance of morality inhibits human nature. In this context, Nietzsche argued that ardent followers of a certain religion ignore the nature of humanity since religion forces individuals to behave in a manner that will please the supreme ruler of the reference religion. Friedrich Nietzsche holds that religion especially Christianity opposes human nature because it gives a leeway to individuals to adopt religious doctrines about human life hence limiting individuals from celebrating nature. Indeed, Nietzsche states that the most general foundation of every religion and morality is, â€Å"Do this and that, refrain from this and that,-then you will be happy† (352)! He uses this explanation to support the concept of anti-nature in morality. Notably, Nietzsche refers to morality as anti-nature by asserting that human desires control what individuals do, do not do, and confirms that morality distracts the course of nature. Nevertheless, various philosophers identify with the fact that nature generates human desires that consequently define human personality and morality. For instance, Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy and other philosophers like Locke and Hobbes argues that moral requirements rely on a standard of rationality which is either based on desire instrumental principles of rationality or on rational intuition. This contradicts with Nietzsche’s assumption that human nature is prone to alteration by both morality and religion. Most specifically, I note that Nietzsche depicts religious people like Christians as hypocrites who can do anything to please God at the expense of altering their human nature. Ideally, Christians are rational beings who do not have such morality. Indeed, very fe w Christians would identify with Nietzsche’s argument since his ideas discourage Christians from following their religion. Notably, Nietzsche’s argument that religion alters human nature by allowing Christians to adopt variant aspects of life that prevent them from celebrating life is misguided. This is because Christians have morals that allow then to enjoy their lives just like any other person. In fact, his argument is not universal since it only addresses Christians thus leaving a significant would population. Assuredly, Nietzsche discourages people from

The Value of Higher Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Value of Higher Education - Research Paper Example What is definitely agreed on is that higher education is very important in being able to get a job that pays a worker well enough to maintain a home, family and the necessities of living that go along with that. As we grow from childhood, our parents, or other authoritative adults, tell us that the way to succeed in life is go to school, go to college after high school, then get a good job after graduation. Attending college is commonly perceived as the only way to getting a good job that pays enough to have a nice home, car, and support a family. In 2000, 84 percent of American adults over 25 years of age had completed high school, and 26 percent had attained at least a bachelor’s degree. Those numbers were an all-time high score compared to 1975, where only 63 percent of adults had graduated high school, with only 14 percent graduating college (Day, 2002). Research showed that in the years between 1997 and 1999, a non-high school graduate could expect to make no more than $2 3, 400 in a full-time job per year, whereas a college graduate could make $52,200 and a doctoral degree could bring in $89,400 or more (Day, 2002). What was also interesting to note was the charting results of comparison salaries between men and women with bachelor degrees who basically start out at almost the same salary in similar jobs in the early 20-something age group. In the later ages, women tend to lag behind in salary increases, most likely due to having children and being off work, moving to accommodate a husband getting a better job elsewhere, or just having a degree that doesn’t address the current job market needs (CPS, 2002). Moving forward to the latest report, published in 2012, accommodating survey information from 1984 compared to 2009, the numbers show that almost twice as many sampling respondents have attained a vocational certification, associate’s degree and higher. What was most glaring however, was to see that the numbers had dropped from 60,00 0 high school graduates in 1984 to 57,8880 in 2009 (Ewert, 2012). With a larger population growth, this means that fewer teenagers are actually graduating from high school, leaving a larger labor force in the population that does not have a higher level of education. For those that went on to college, the greatest amount of bachelor degrees were awarded in the fields of business, with close runner up degrees in education, engineering, health care, liberal arts and humanities, and natural sciences. Advanced degrees attained were in education (as the highest rate), business, law, medicine, with nursing/public health and natural sciences running neck in neck in the fifth position. In vocational certificates, the highest is in health care, with business/office a close second. Auto mechanics came next, with cosmetology, computer trades and construction trades in the third, fourth and fifth ranking positions (Ewert, 2012). What must be taken into consideration is the change in population sampling from 1984 and an upgraded survey to a different sampling group in 2009. The labor market and its current needs are also reflective of what fields student get degrees in, fully expecting to get jobs in that field after graduation, get on-the-job experience and then go for an advanced degree in the same field. What is not calculated into this path of development is how the job market in, say, the

SWOT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

SWOT - Essay Example The patriarch of the firm had built a culture of intricate customer service; they went deeper by understanding their customer’s needs completely Culture of intricate customer service; Through innovative means of handling their customers such as the delivery service Evergreen established its pedigree in customer service compared to its competitors. Customers and market: Their market comprised of highly educated, upper income, health conscious and informed; this means that they were able to sell easily their natural and organic foods to them. The company prided itself on immaculate service and superior and fresh products, meaning that were able easily convince their target market to buy those goods from them. The market for natural products in Rocky Mountain States had the highest rates of growth in terms of market expansion, given as 11.4 percent against a Midwest rate of merely three percent. Original marketing expertise: Their marketing technique even though simple, but it ha s been effective over the years, as the customers have grown accustomed to it. The quirky, original hand painted signs displayed both outside and indoors had a remarkable success in imprinting the company’s brand name. Strong brand and reputation: The founder had built a strong brand name through provision of quality products over a long period luring many people to the image of the brand; this in fact aided the company in the process of acquisition. Effective and efficient management: Their acquisition strategy and general management style and decentralized system of control had achieved considerable results for the firm. Their style of management was very sophisticated for such a relatively small firm; as such, styles were typical of large firms, the company introduced comprehensive appraisal of their operations. The firm holds on to their staff especially those who occupy important decision-making roles. The overall strength of the stores and the firm itself is the company ’s CEO; she is the rock of the company making important decisions that have propelled the company to its heights from the humble beginnings that it was founded upon. Norton oversaw acquisitions that contributed to a considerable degree to the company’s overall gross profits; the growth in the company’s profit is the foundation of its growth. Weaknesses: Risky acquisition style: The Company has lost money before in its mergers and acquisitions in the past three years; this process of investing in loss making enterprise was not properly thought out. Non-prime Location of the company stores: The company was located in areas that were lower in prime compared to rival supermarket chains in the same region; this might affect its level of comparability and growth potential. Lack of superior access to distribution channels compared to competitors: Larger competitors in the same area had the advantage of own branding of their own goods unlike the case study, whose produc ts were perishable and therefore unlikely to be branded. Opportunities: Political/Legal A new cross regional market: By moving out of the Rocky Mountain West region, the company had expressed its thirst for a market far away from the region of its establishment. The acquisition of the Arugula Grocers is

European Union Enlargement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

European Union Enlargement - Essay Example From this study it is clear that  Turkey is most prospective country to join the Union with the aim of proving that Islam is compatible with western values and culture. All Balkan nations are also eligible enough to become potential members of the union. The move is aimed at ensuring peace is maintained. All this activities prove that the union is becoming very powerful. This enlargement however may cause the splitting of the union due to various social economic and political challenges facing it.This paper outlines that European Union, however, has been torn apart by two conflicting visions. One of the ideas is the Euro-nationalism or multi polarity that Tony Blair intensely opposes. Some members want the European Union to be an independent actor and lock out the United States. The other idea is referred to as Atlanticism, where the western alliance is maintained fully. When polls were conducted results showed that many members wanted the EU to be a super power like America. A few activities by the increasing size of the AU members are causing the European Union to fall behind economically. They involve the supervision of the Euro, the argument on Iraq and the constitution.  The foreseeable constrain that seems to be facing union has given the union a wakeup call to cautiously evaluate the challenges and risks of trying to expand and increase more members.  The greatest worry among top officials is the eastern expansion and the economic consequences that will be experienced.

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics - Essay Example Gilligan persuasively argues that in any ethical situation, one must take into account the human need to care for ourselves and for those close to us. She primarily uses women as the subject of the caring. She launches her platform from the suppression of women and their needs. The book flaunts the social selflessness that is incumbent upon women as they care for others, as the basis for developing care ethics. Kant’s categorical imperative attempts to create universal laws acceptable in all ways, without exception. He tries to create freestanding statements that do not require elucidation to establish them. He accepts that such categorical imperatives are difficult to derive. The ordinary person will not be able to logically reason his way through such maxims, nor question their validity. However, through experience, an ordinary person will be able to determine for herself if such maxims work or not. If one disobeys the maxims, and suffers as a result, one will automatically understand that the maxim had a reason for being so rigid. Nevertheless, the experience itself is dependent on emotional decisions, which one makes under pressure, the consequences of which help one realize the value of the maxims.

Female Authors and the Novel Essay Example for Free

Female Authors and the Novel Essay The contribution of female authors towards the development of the novel is significant. Indeed it can be argued that feminine sensibility plays a key role here. G K Chesterton describes the novel as a feminine art form, and he explains that it is the female eye for homely detail, as well as the talent to depict the intricacies of relationships, that make it so (39). These qualities are important because they serve to counteract the male tendency towards philosophy and idealism. Such tendencies must be overcome because the novel is aiming for an individualistic and democratic voice which is beyond all factionalism. The search for an individual voice had been the aim of literature since the Protestant Reformation. It was the aim too of the Enlightenment; but the practical effect was only to introduce the rigid formality of classicism. So the constraints of the Church had been replaced by just another form of constraint. Such constraints were overcome in the end by the female prose writers, and gradually over a long period. In this respect we will examine the two writers Aphra Behn and Mary Shelley, separated by a century and a half. The former presages the advent of the novel, while the latter perfects the form and paves the way for the great Victorian age of the novel. Classicism was the key barrier to the development of the novel. All efforts towards informality were frowned upon by the stalwarts of Augustan literature, led by Dryden and Pope, so the novel was perforce directed underground. Here it flowered in the hands of the women writers, who were mostly ignored because they concentrated on sentimental romance, and appealing to woman readers alone. Daniel Defoe is now regarded as the first proper novelist, but it is plain to see that he has adopted a form established by the female writers, who produced mostly trifling and salacious romances. Such a description may be applied to Aphra Behn’s Love Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister, but it is also notable for being the first epistolary novel. Her reputation, however, rests on Oroonoko, a love story involving an African prince captured by slave traders. Though not yet a proper novel, it contains many innovations that point in that direction. Behn assumes a conversational tone with the readers in places, inspiring familiarity. It also contains an omniscient voice of narration, which was to become the most distinctive characteristic of the novel proper. However, she feels obliged to explain her omniscience, and so the narrator is tangentially involved in the story itself. She knows all the incidents in Africa because she has lived the slave plantation and has conversed with the African prince. By the time Mary Shelley writes Frankenstein, the novel form has almost come into its own element, and its history boasts such great novelists as Defoe, Fielding, Richardson, Sterne, Smollet and Austen. Nevertheless, Shelley’s original contribution in not insignificant. The voice of the novel reflects ‘individual expression’, and this has been largely perfected by this point. Shelley goes on to tackle the theme of individualism itself. It is the story of a mad scientist who cuts himself off from the world in order to create a being from assembles and inanimate organs. We discover similarities between the project of the mad scientist and the project of the novelist giving life to his fictional creations. The novelist functions as an individual, and his is probably the loneliest occupation of all. At the same time it is his task to create individuals, purely from the imagination. Shelley’s theme is at heart the mutual dependency of creator and creature. Though she is outwardly concerned with the misuse of science, and of the terrible consequences of mechanization, the underlying theme remains that of individualism. In this sense we may interpret her novel as an exploration of the limits of the novel. In conclusion, female writers can be said to be largely responsible for the development of the novel from the Restoration onwards. The evolution of the novel has avoided the limelight, yet the novel has been the primary vehicle for the advance of individualism. Only with the Industrial revolution and the rise of democracy does the novel burst forth as the principal mode of literature. Aphra Behn and Mary Shelley were key proponents in novel’s development. Works Cited Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko. Ed. Janet M. Todd. New York: Penguin Classics, 2003. Chesterton, Gilbert Keith. The Victorian Age in Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1966. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Collectors Library, 2004.

Reaction Paper to Common Schools Essay Example for Free

Reaction Paper to Common Schools Essay When I first started watching this video, I thought that it was just going to be another boring homework assignment like in all my other classes. To my surprise, the video actually wasn’t boring at all. I enjoyed watching it and would recommend it to anyone to watch. I enjoy informative videos and documentaries. What stands out in my mind about the video is how God was actually brought up and taught in the schools back then. The children were given the book The Primer and the hornbook which had a prayer in it. It’s crazy how much has changed since that time. Now in many schools when the Pledge of Allegiance is said, people will leave out â€Å"under God† because nobody wants to offend anybody who doesn’t believe in God. Even now when I look back at my elementary days, times have changed quite a bit. I remember when my teachers would have the class pray before we would go to eat lunch. As I child, I never thought that it was a bad thing to do. If anything, it would make children feel a little more appreciative of what they have instead of what they do not have. There was also times around Christmas and Easter when we would do projects that would involve God but nobody would ever make a big deal about it. Recently I have gone back and observed in a few classrooms in my hometown and it is totally different. Teachers don’t mention religion at all. Children don’t even say the Pledge of Allegiance and if children have a conversation about religion amongst themselves, the teacher has them stop talking about it. As a child that had religion in school, I feel grateful I was able to have that. Some children don’t have parents that take them to church or have anything to do with it and that little bit of prayer in school was the only thing they had. That gives children a sense of comfort that there is a higher power that is on their side. As a future educator, I feel like I know the boundaries as to where to draw the line with religion and school. I know not to be pushy or make any students feel uncomfortable about religion when they don’t believe the same way as someone else.

Analysis of the Chinese Cosmetic Market

Analysis of the Chinese Cosmetic Market Abstract Women have an inherent love of beauty. The rapid economic growth, coupled with the huge development of cosmetics industry in China, contributes to the significant changes of cosmetics consumer behavior. Cosmetics have become a routine tool to make women more presentable. Understanding behaviour of consumers is a key to the success of business. As a huge potential consumer group, understanding of their attitudes and buying behavior towards cosmetics seems to be necessary. This study focused on investigating and analysing the purchasing patterns for female college students. Via the systemic study, companies will be beneficial to have a better understanding of college females in terms of cosmetics purchasing. The survey was conducted with focus group and questionnaires. The results of questionnaires will be analyzed by using SPSS and data were analysed by frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis and multi-respond analysis. Introduction Research background With the expansion of social group and rising incomes, beauty consciousness among women has changed. Cosmetics entered into womens lives on a daily basis. The act of beautifying physical appearance not only becomes a distinct way to express ones image but also a pattern to show respect to other people (Choi, Kim, Kim, 2007). Following decade of years tremendous economic development, the Chinese cosmetics industry is undergoing fast changes and advancement. It further enhances the consumption level of urban and rural residents, improve the consumption environment, optimize consumption structures, and contribute to expansion of the fields of consumption (Tao, 2005). Consumer categories such as cosmetics benefited from the rapid growth in consumer spending, and have become a huge money maker. Meanwhile, the increasing fashion and beauty consciousness, as a natural outgrowth of rising incomes, diversify consumers demands. Obviously, this potential has not only attracted international cosmetics companies, but also led to more domestic cosmetics producers trying to enter the market. As a consequence, competition will be further intensified among foreign and domestic companies. Previous research indicated that females spending on cosmetics still making up of the main income for the entire cosmetics market. An increasing number of female college students starting to show strong interest in enhancing their appearance through make-up (Huang, 2003). With a high level of interests in appearance, they have revealed a great potential. College students represent not only the remarkable consumption potential but also the future mainstream. Thus, the female college students patterns of consumption gradually become a major concern (Choi, Kim, Kim, 2007). Studying consumer behavior enables companies to understand why consumers make the purchase decision and predict how they will react to promotional messages. On the purpose of maintaining and expanding market share, understanding of consumer behavior will be required to suit their changing needs. Therefore, research need to be conducted to provide cosmetic companies with basic data required in establishing marketing s trategies for advancement into Chinese market to tailor consumption patterns of female college students. Scope and objectives of study When reviewing the literatures on the cosmetic and toiletry industry, the existing research related to Chinese cosmetic consumer is typically concerned with the entire market. Not many studies are available specifically focus on college students buying behavior. In the regard, considering the massive size of China, the present study limits itself to the female college students. By and large, this dissertation makes an attempt to investigate and analyse purchasing pattern of female college cosmetic consumers. In particular, this study aims to achieve the following objectives: To pinpoint and obtain a general picture of the cosmetics industry in China. On completion of this objective, the intention would be to get an insight into the cosmetics environment and the rapid growth trend of the industry so as to have a good knowledge base that can support the study throughout the dissertation. To investigate and analyse cosmetics buying behavior of female college students in China. The intention of this objective would be to a) understand how college student perceive cosmetics, b) identify their characteristics in terms of cosmetics purchase, and c) develop a greater understanding of motivation for purchasing, different factors involved in purchase decision of cosmetics and how product attribute, such as price, quality etc, effects buying patterns, thereby mapping out a model for female college students purchasing behavior. Based on the analysis of the research carried out, briefly propose a number of key recommendations enable companies in the industry to target their marketing strategies at college cosmetics consumers. The data that plan to be gathered for this research will be obtained from both primary and secondary resources. The secondary sources of data will be derived from published articles from internet database, journals and magazines, theses, and related studies on cosmetics. On the other hand, the primary source of information regarding the study will be gathered from focus groups and questionnaires, prepared by the researcher, which will be delivered to the respondents of the research. Significance of study The boom of cosmetics industry in China has brought about changes in consumer behavior. The importance of the study cannot be understated. It is anticipated that the outcome of this study will certainly contribute towards a better understanding of the changing perception and behaviour of cosmetics buyers. Furthermore, there are a number of literatures that have discussed the female consumer behavior with regards to the purchase of cosmetics. This study will combine the relevant literature with own findings from primary research to provide an in-depth discussion. Therefore, the study will be significant in terms of better positioning of products and more effective marketing communication to tailor the demand of college females. This means that the findings will not only be able to benefit both foreign and domestic companies who have the willingness to enter the market but also various retailers who want to expand sales. Literature review Many theories have been proposed to explain consumer behaviors within certain industry area. Understanding todays consumer is the key to realising the future needs and expectations of beauty consumers, and is potentially relevant to improving marketing effectiveness (Tang, 2008). Previous studies hold that knowing the psychological process by which consumers make purchasing decisions enables marketers to grasp opportunities and even predict the shifts and future development trend of the consumer markets. Additionally, it exerts positive impact on improving cosmetics sales (Yau, 1994). In this generation, cosmetics are used by women of practically all walks of life High-end cosmetics The desire to be beautiful could be considered a human tendency, as it is exhibited by almost every culture all around the world. KIRARA(PDF) Research suggests that beauty consciousness among people in general is changing. Vigneron and Johnson (1999) reported that peoples needs for appearances and materialism were increasing. That is human beings wanted to satisfy the need to look and feel good. This created a boom in the cosmetic and toiletries sector across the world. Chambers Encyclopedia defines cosmetics as (a) articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled or sprayed on, introduced into or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleaning, beautifying, promoting attractiveness or altering the appearance and (b) articles intended for use as a component of such articles. Now a variety of cosmetic and toiletries ranging from natural to sophisticated items are available in the market. The pattern and preference of use of these items vary according to different segments of gender, age and socio-economic class. When we review the literature on the cosmetic and toiletry industry, not many studies are available especially about Indian scenario. Patterns of women purchasing cosmetics Most early theories of consumer behavior were concerned with the purchasing characteristics and influential factors. Schutte and Ciarlante (Schutte Ciarlante, 1998)argued that in China the purchase decision is typically based on the usefulness of the product such as its physical characteristics and price value. However, recent studies outlined by Liang (Liang, 2008) suggested that womens purchasing pattern differs with men. Their buying decision tend to influenced easily by the purchasing environment, and have more impulse purchase. Besides, generally speaking, females have strong self-awareness when purchasing, which means majority of the decisions were made on the basis of personal preference or subjective impression, sensation. Characteristics of purchasing cosmetics In general, female invest more money on various cosmetic products and even spared no expense because they pay more attention to appearance than men (Huang, 2003). The characteristics of modern Chinese females regarding cosmetics purchase can be summed up in three points: Easily affected by market atmosphere Normally, products promotion, advertising and other factors can easily tempt young females to make irrational purchases. In a research by Cong (Cong, 2008), results showed that 56% of females bought unneeded or unexpected cosmetics products as a result of discount, followed by the purchase due to interests aroused by shop environment and sales exhibition (40.8%). Accounts for 22.8% of females who bought useless products or had irrational consumption were affected by advertisement. Thus, compare with men, female is prone to be encouraged over-consumption by commercial appeals. Mood consumption Female tend to have more generous sentiments in the process of purchase. Their certain desires are prone to be roused and affected by mental activities. Oliver Yau (Yau, 1994) contended that mood consumption normally occurs in two situations. One of which might be triggered by delusion under particular circumstance. For example, lots of females had encountered situation that unexpected spending happens after being paid out the salary. Another circumstance that contributes to mood consumption is likely to happen in the case of that female with unusual mood. Such as, a considerable number of female go shopping when they feel frustrated and happy. Relatively low loyalty to brands Chinese cosmetics consumers show less passion on being loyal to brands. They would like to try several brands to compare them rather than be from the same brand (Labbrand, 2009). Besides, another reason that contributes to low brand loyalty is seasonal consumption of Chinese consumers due to the significant difference in climate between summer and winter (Mo, 2008). Customers have to change their purchase habit to suit the season. For instance, customer tends to use more sunscreen to protect their skin and less oily cream in summer than they do in winter. Purchasing influences As established by Access Asia Limited (Access Asia Limited, 2008), Chinese consumers heavily rely on products, stores and services they know and trust. The same philosophy is applicable equally to product brands, with word-of-mouth communication proving to be a pervasive reason for consumers to change brands and most potent marketing tools in China. This is supported by Xuecai Liang (Liang, 2008) who claimed that among the females, friends group plays a very important role on information communicating about different brands of cosmetics. Some people will only buy products that they have been recommended by friends. However, the increasing effects of advertising on the urban and younger Chinese buyer cannot be neglected as their media exposure increases (Yang, 2004). In addition, the physical characteristics like reliability, innovative technology and high brand profile are the important factors when make a cosmetic purchase, a study by Yuyuan Huang suggested that (Huang, 2003). Taking different attitudes towards local and foreign brands as example, Huang explained that foreign brand represent high quality and status at the Chinese consumers view, while local brand are perceived as shortage of these selling advantages, even both product sold at the same price. Besides, it worth to notice that local cosmetics consumers now are prepared to pay more for better quality, service, and convenience. The variety of choice is seen as another factor. According to Shen, Liu and Huang (Shen, Liu, Huang, 2005), majority of the consumers will prefer to shop in large stores when they can easily reach such places, whereas finding the lack of product choice in smaller stores (especially in terms of range of price) to be embarrassed. It can be argued that larger stores will provide more bargains, which means the products tend to have higher price value. Such stores are also considered as being more convenient to shop in, contributing to the flourishing development of the discount retailing sector over recent years (Access Asia Limited, 2008). Moreover, in the eyes of Chinese consumer, the depth of communication brands had with their customers is vital. According to survey conducted by Labbrand (Labbrand, 2009), Chinese consumers have a strong demand to communicate with brands. For instance, they would like to receive inquiry from brand concerning their feeling about the products they use, or to be informed in time when brand have special events. Besides, consumers considered that from communicating with brand they can better compare and finally find the most suitable cosmetics for their specific needs and desires. Thus, it can be argued that companies who kept contact with consumers tend to have higher sales and brand loyalty. Industry review The huge advances witnessed over the past two decades have improved the living standards of millions of Chinese citizens. With the upgrade of living standards, private consumption among expenses has reached a higher level. The rise in private consumption translated into greater spending on personal care products in the booming cosmetics industry (Tao, 2005). In China, the development of the cosmetic industry has been to a new stage and it shows a sound momentum of growth. Market potential: Chinese cosmetic market continues to surge In recent year, the continuous rapid economic growth generates good environment and favorable development space for cosmetics industry maintaining a rapid rate of growth. In 2003, china had become the second-largest cosmetics market in Asia after Japan, and was the eighth largest in the world (Li, 2005). According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China, the Chinese cosmetics market generated total revenues of RMB?488.3 billion in 2007, representing annual sales grew by 26.3 percent over the same period last year. In 2008 and 2009, the sales grew by 22.2% and 17.2%, respectively, over the same period, to reach respective values of RMB?596.5 and RMB?348.2 billion in 2008 (HKTDC, 2009). At the same time, it has also been taken note that the performance of the market is forecast to decelerate, but still increase by approximately 13% annually (Datamonitor, 2009). Overall, the cosmetics industry is surely faster than the economic growth which means the long term potential of the C hinese cosmetic market is fairly vast. Additionally, given its population of approximately 1.3 billion, China has the largest market potential. Chinas share of the global cosmetic market may seem small compared to huge markets like the US and Japan, but with a population of over a billion people, the growth potential there is staggering, said Lenka Contreras, vice president and head of the Consumer Products practice for Klines research division (Pitman, 2005). Chinas cosmetics market is still far from saturation. Characteristics of chinas cosmetics market The consumer market development is vigorous With economy expanding and mass livelihood improving, awareness of personal well-being prompts strong and continuous growth in the consumer market. It not only reforms the consumption pattern but also drive the sales (Asia consulting, 2008). In that sense, it is predicted that the Chinese cosmetic consumer market is dynamic. Women stimulating the market growth Female is still an essential part of Chinese cosmetics market, especially those office ladies. As Chinese women are now increasingly beauty consciousness and awareness, the use of cosmetics has become a part of their daily routine (Fung, 2005). Accordingly, the rising proportion of young females in white-collar jobs has formed the loyal customer basis for this market, and the cosmetics sales have been driven. Their spending on cosmetic is outgrowing over other areas. National Bureau of Statistics has come up with data that shows women ages from 20-54 account for 27.21% of the total population. Being more economically independent, the enormous number of consumers in the group will generate huge demands than ever (HKTDC, 2009). The famous-brand effect appears day by day on the market The rising sales of famous-brand products reflected that customers attitudes concerning cosmetics have changed (Chen Xue, 2005). As the improving residents consumption level, people are willing to pay more attentions to those well-know cosmetic products which were considered with high grade, quality assurance and harmlessness. For example, customers will be highly delighted with brand-name products that can prevent wrinkles or keep moisture balance in the skin. Due to the impression lifted in mind, its sales increased dramatically and gradually become the main growth point of the entire market. Instead, few shows interest in low-end cosmetic products (China Consulting, 2008). Consumer In Chinese cosmetics market, consumers ways of spending are undergoing a significant change. Dianyi Zhang, president of China Cosmetics Association, claimed that modern customers behave more independently on consumption. Consumers tend to utilize different channels and rely on various measuring standard to get a pleasing cosmetics, rather than dependent on advertising. In addition, changes also occur on consumer group. Depending on the difference in requests on brand, quality, price and personal affordability, consumers were divided into low, middle and high classes. And, every class has a great number of loyal customers (HKTDC, 2009). Women of all ages were concerned with their lifestyle. The rising purchasing ability of women helped them to spend more on personal grooming. This grooming consciousness was encouraged by womens active participation in advertisement or fashion shows, such as the popular Fashion TV program (Pitman Simon, 2009). In china, consumption pattern of consumers is changing. The consumers have become globalized in their thinking and are ready to enjoy with some impulsive shopping. Access to various brands and products give them better knowledge towards cosmetics, due to fast-flowing information (Tang, 2008). Therefore, as a cosmetics producer, motivations and type of products purchased should be different depending upon the segment of consumer targeted. Competitive situation The business environment in China has been improving, especially since 2001, when the country joined the World Trade Organization. The commitment to opening its market in compliance with the WTO rules has further stimulated the market, with greater participation from international and domestic player. Consequently, competition between multinationals and local players is heating up across the country (Utsunomiya, 2003). Foreign Brands Continue to Dominate in the Chinese Market International brands play a dominant role in the upper-end cosmetics market, such as PG (Olay), Unilever (Ponds), Shiseido, LOreal and Estee Lauder etc (See Table 1) , due to young womens pursuit of well-known brands in literary. These large multinational cosmetic players have entered the mainland market one after another to build their own manufacturing basis and sales network (Sunfaith China Ltd, 2005) and many of those players have been operating successfully in the China market, making their brands well-known and occupy about 80% of the total market share. According to certain statistics, the world top 15 brand of cosmetics had set up own specialty stores (HKTDC, 2002). Even so, those cosmetics magnates have accelerated expansion into low-end products. For example, Avon and LOreal launched low-end cosmetics one after another to suit the changing customers needs and purchasing behavior, and expand the market share (HKTDC, 2009). Transformation of local Chinese companies is under way Compared with foreign companies domestic players have smaller market share due to several weaknesses. For instance, weak financial ability, lack of research and development capability, and lack of experience in brand management and marketing. Therefore, most of those players produce low-end product with only a small number making high-end product that can compete with foreign players (Li, 2005). Nonetheless, as the economic growth domestic companies has undertaken a transformation, gradually changed the impression with low quality and price, and entered into high-end market so as to become more competitive (Ocn, 2008). Facing with the open markets and trade liberalization in China, the previous mentioned increasingly fierce competition is inevitable. On the purpose of responding to the changing customer demands, market players have devised a variety of marketing strategies so as to create impressive product image in customers mind and drive them to spend more money on their own products. Distribution channel SWOT analysis of the female market Future develop trend Cosmetics players opt for natural and organic standards In karara (PDF) the main reasons for boom in cosmetic industry as increasing fashion and beauty consciousness coupled with rising incomes and focus on health and fitness. A natural and holistic approach attracts these women, especially where there is an interest in complementary health and in overall well being. Summary of key issues related to your literature and industry review The key issues section is where you, having completed the situation analysis consider what are the key issues facing the company and the market. So in a sense it is a summary chapter at the end of the first section of your report. In this chapter you should give an indication of what you think are the most important issues facing the company and the market. Research methods Approach Data gathering method Data Processing In this study, the self-administered semi-structured questionnaires will be used to collect quantitative data and the interviews will be used to provide qualitative insights into the data collected. The data will then be presented by means of graphical representations and illustration and the difference would be highlighted. Secondary research: The following information could be considered using desk research to give a general review and help to assist analysis of primary researches: Cosmetics industry review The purpose of this part is to find out important information concerning the entire cosmetics markets in china. Main issues that need to investigate include: Main characteristics of Cosmetics Industry in china What current market development trend is What Competitive situation is within cosmetics market Development opportunities of the cosmetics market within china This information will be helpful to better understand and form general perceptions of industry situation in china. There are several ways to obtain required information above. Data sources: Internet Databases Go to college library website and use its databases, such as: Marketline Academic Search Premier Business Insights Access Asia Series Business Source Premier To look for industry reports and e-journals those contain information regarding the Chinese cosmetic market. Find out information about the current cosmetics market and even see what demographics suit Shiseido to introduce the product to. Applying databases is a good way to get information due to its huge information storage volume and reliability. Most of them are academic-based, and have a comprehensive understanding on specific field. Websites: Look up necessary websites such as www.shiseidochina.com where might be possible to get some internal data sources. The use of this data is to define the competitive position of the firm, an evaluation of a marketing strategy the firm has used in the past, or gaining a better understanding of the company. Even, their past researches on consumer behaviors. The internal data sources might be sales marketing reports and accounting financial reports of the company. Magazines Newspapers It is also possible to look at some Chinese cosmetics industry magazines so that to acquire valuable industry information and some current cosmetic issues happened in china. Quantitative Qualitative methods In order to ascertain consumers cosmetics buying patterns and product satisfactions, quantitative and qualitative researches are both required to be implemented. It should be noticed that the understandings of consumers would exert significant impacts on companys marketing strategies. Besides, it is valuable for coming up with comments and suggestions to Client Company after analyzing Chinese customer. The main objectives of quantitative and qualitative research falls into several parts as followed: Motive of Purchasing Cosmetic Product Motives are defined as general drives that direct a consumers behavior toward attaining his or her need and the motivational drive directly affects the specific benefit criteria consumers use to evaluate products. Thus, understand buying motivations will provide evidences to Client Company to better position its products. Information Sources There are differences in using information sources among various age groups. Knowing customers through what kinds of channels to get products information could help Shiseido sell products more effectively to target audiences. Evaluative Criteria for Purchasing Cosmetics As for criteria for purchasing cosmetics, the responses will be in order of quality, price and volume of content. It is crucial to see what element is more important to customers when buying cosmetics. This will do company a favor to develop products or marketing strategies. Place of Purchasing Cosmetics In terms of the place of purchase, primary research should focus on finding out the reasons for selecting these places of purchase. Then, company can identify the perfect place to sell its products on the basis of information provided by survey. Satisfactions and dissatisfactions It is well known that satisfactions with a product will perform huge influences on its sales volume. This primary research should identify the level of satisfactions towards Shiseido and try to find out any aspects that consumers wish to see changes. Quantitative research Questionnaires As the measuring tools of this study, questionnaire based on previous studies and results of preliminary research were used. In this case, this study was carried out in the country of China. Therefore, questionnaire in English should be translated into Chinese. To reach a variety of different customers, questionnaires are supposed to carry out at different city within china so that to get as many points of views as possible. Questionnaire is consisted of 3 main sections: Section 1 is simply some questions on demographical characteristics of respondents like gender, age and occupation etc. to profile consumers. Section 2 emphasizes on customers buying behavior on cosmetics. As objectives mentioned above. For instance, purchase motivation information sources, evaluative criteria for purchasing basic skin care items and color make-up products, store type of purchasing cosmetic product and reasons for store selection persons to exert influence upon purchasing and satisfaction/dissatisfaction on cosmetics purchased. Section 3 focuses more on investigating customers perceptions concerning Shiseido products. Such as, customers brand awareness of Shiseido, brand image and brand position in customers mind. Additionally, the results of questionnaires will be analyzed by using SPSS. The analysis conducted in the study with SPSS statistics package includes frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis, analysis of variance and Multiple Range test. Survey In order to keep questionnaire short enough to maintain respondents interests, there must be some questions cannot be asked. Thus in this project, I will also consider conducting several surveys to complete the missing parts. And again, on the purpose of obtaining as much information as possible, there might be several surveys being conducted. Questions will touch upon similar aspects as in questionnaire but more comprehensive. Qualitative research Focus group Focus group allows respondents to discuss with moderator which means it is an interactive process. Thus, it will help to deeper understand customers perceptions and dig up opinions regarding products. Therefore, focus groups will be organized that will incorporate people from as many demographics as possible. In these focus groups I will carry out tests in which place Shiseido products and 2 other competitors to see which product they prefer. I will ask them what they think about Shiseido in any aspects. Also we will ask them what their preferences are in cosmetics. The aims are: Find out what respondents think and feel, and what their opinions are about a Shiseido in a group. Explore participants responses to find out why they feel or perceive products the way they do. By doing focus groups an in-depth view of peoples thoughts about the cosmetics can be known. Potential questions could be: What reason you use cosmetics for? Do you prefer natural cosmetics or other? why How often do you use cosmetics? Wha

MacBeth is Responsible for His Downfall Essay -- Macbeth essays

MacBeth is Responsible for His Downfall    There were many wrongs committed in "MacBeth." But who should bear the major responsibility for these actions? The witches' prophesising? Lady MacBeth's scheming and persuasion? Or should MacBeth himself be held responsible? No doubt the witches and lady MacBeth influenced MacBeth in the course of action he took in his rise to power, but ultimately he must bear the major responsibility for his fate.    The witches played an undoubtedly large role in MacBeth, being the instigators of the entire plot. In act one scene three, the witches say: `all hail, MacBeth! Hail to thee, thane of cawdor! ... All hail, MacBeth, that shalt be king hereafter!' (Line 47-50) these prophecies throw into his mind the possibility of further advancement to the highest level of the nobility. If the witches had not told MacBeth of their prophesies, there is little chance he would have thought about them himself, and even less chance he would have murdered king Duncan.    In act three scene five, the witches are talking to hectate, the...

Mass Extinction Essay -- K-T Extinction

ABSTRACT Several mass extinctions have occurred during the Earth’s history. The Cretaceous – Tertiary Boundary (K-T) Extinction caused the loss of at least three-quarters of all species known at that time including the dinosaurs. The cause of this mass extinction is a controversial subject among scientists but the fossil evidence of it’s occurrence is abundant. INTRODUCTION The K-T Extinction occurred 65 million years ago. Many species perished in that extinction. Today evidence for this extinction can be seen in the fossil record. Biological, botanical and geological evidence at the Cretaceous – Tertiary Boundary show that some enormous event occurred that caused mass extinction of life on the Earth. Controversy about the cause of the K-T extinction exists with two main theories currently being in favour. One theory is called Intrinsic Gradualism and believes the cause of the K-T Extinction was a slow and gradual Earth generated event, caused by intense volcanic activity and the effect of plate tectonics. The second theory is known as Extrinsic Catastrophism and proposes that the K-T Extinction was caused by a sudden and violent catastrophic event such as the Earth being struck by a meteor or asteroid. The K-T Extinction supports the concept of Punctuated Equilibrium in evolution because surviving species evolved and others were exterminated. Th is creates the stepladder effect of evolution seen in the fossil record . THE K-T EXTINCTION The Cretaceous period occurred between 144 and 65 million years ago. The K-T Extinction is an event that happened at the end of this period 65 million years ago. By the beginning of the Tertiary period eighty-five percent of all species disappeared, making it the second largest mass extinction event in geological history (â€Å"The End-Cretaceous (K-T) Extinction†, accessed 2000). Among the species that perished were the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, belemnoids, many species of plants, except ferns and seed-producing plants, ammonoids, marine reptiles and rudist bivalves. Severely affected organisms included planktic foraminifera, calcareous nannnoplankton, diatoms, dinoflagellates, brachiopods, mollusca, echinoids and fish. Mammals, birds, turtles, crocodiles, lizards, snakes and amphibians fared much better and were mostly unaffected by the End-Cretaceous mass extinction (â€Å"The End-cretaceous (K-T) Extinction†, accessed 2000... ...pdated 1995, accessed 3 Sept. 2000), Dino Buzz – What killed The Dinosaurs ? – Current Arguments, http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/extinctheory.html Lowood, H. 1998 (updated 7 Sept 1999, accessed 30 June 2000), Stanford Presidential Lectures and Symposia in the Humanities and Arts, Stephen Jay Gould, http: //prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/gould/index.html Smith, P.L. 1997a (updated 1997, accessed 3 Sept. 2000), Biological Evidence, http://www.science.ubc.ca/~geol313/lecture/kt/biol/biol.htm Smith, P.L. 1997b (updated 1997, accessed 3 Sept. 2000), The Marine Realm, http://www.science.ubc.ca/~geol313/lecture/kt/biol/marine/marine.htm Smith, P.L. 1997c (updated 1997, accessed 3 Sept. 2000), The Terrestrial Realm, http://www.science.ubc.ca/~geol313/lecture/kt/biol/terres/terres.htm Smith, P.L. 1997d (updated 1997, accessed 3 Sept. 2000), Geological Evidence, http://www.science.ubc.ca/~geol313/lecture/kt/geol/geol.htm â€Å"Speculated Causes of the End-Cretaceous Extinction† (accessed 3 Sept. 2000), http://www.wf.carleton.ca/Museum/cretcause.htm â€Å"The End-Cretaceous (K-T) Extinction† (accessed 3 Sept. 2000), http://www.wf.carleton.ca/Museum/cretmass.htm

Assessment and Learners Essay

Introduction The aim of this report is to identify my roles and responsibilities as a teacher delivering the Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice (City and Guilds). The course is attended by trainee youth workers aged 18 and over and consists of 20 taught sessions and a work-based placement. The qualification is assessment based, with all Learners producing a portfolio of evidence to support their learning. The portfolios are assessed, checked by an Internal Verifier and samples of the portfolios are checked by an External Verifier to agree the standards of assessment. Responsibilities The role of teacher holds many responsibilities. Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) defines two teaching roles: 1. Associate Teacher, Learning and Skills (ATLS) which is a supportive role 2. Qualified Teacher, Learning and Skills (QTLS) which is a full teaching role To become a QTLS the Institute for Learning (IfL) states: â€Å"As a new entrant to teaching in the Learning and Skills Sector, you will have to complete the PTLLS award. It must be completed within one year of initial employment. † (March, S, 2010: 4) It is my responsibility as a teacher to complete this qualification and continuously develop my skills as a professional. As a teacher some of my responsibilities include having knowledge and understanding of the subject, curriculum development and delivery and appropriate initial, formative an summative assessment methods. As a teacher within the Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice I am responsible for the development and delivery of a suitable curriculum to enable Learners to complete the qualification by demonstrating and evidencing their learning. This also includes carrying out initial assessments for all Learners and identifying any needs of the individual or the group. During the development of the curriculum I plan and prepare sessions to meet the learning outcomes of the course, sourcing and developing appropriate resources then delivering sessions and supporting Learners where necessary. Suitable assessment methods and evaluation processes will also be structured into the curriculum to ensure continuous development of the course, the Learners and the teachers. Other responsibilities within my role include: * Appropriate record keeping. This may include Learners details, registration forms, Initial Assessments, registers, portfolio files, results and assessment records, placement details and session plans alongside schemes of work. These records are kept to ensure all Learners’ needs are met and progress is appropriately recorded on Individual Learning Plans which are necessary for certification. Work placement details and Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks also need to be kept to ensure safeguarding and health and safety policies and procedures are followed correctly. Records must be kept in accordance to legislation and also as a matter of best practice and for auditing purposes. * Suitable evaluation. Evaluation of the Learners’ progress is essential to their learning to identify areas for improvement. It is important to evaluate the curriculum, sessions and my own development to ensure my practice is reflective, professional and continuously developing. * Respect. Paramount to my role as a teacher is respect for the Learners and my colleagues, including professional boundaries. This includes maintaining a degree of formality and understanding of the limits of my relationship with the Learners, ensuring these are made clear, preventing the crossing of boundaries. This also includes an awareness of my own limitations within my role and knowing how and where to signpost Learners for further support. Legislation There are many policies and procedures to follow within my own organisation and the qualification awarding body, governing many aspects of my role as teacher. Some of these relate to legislation such as: * The Equality Act (2010) This act promotes equality of opportunity. My practice must be inclusive and take into consideration this legislation to prevent discrimination as guided by mu organisations Equal Opportunities Policy. * The Data Protection Act (1998) This act regulates the processing and storing of information about individuals. My organisation follows appropriate policies and procedures in accordance with this act including storing all Learners’ files in a lockable file in a suitable environment only accessed by authorised staff. * The Copyright Licensing Act (CLA) (1988) Organisations must have a license to copy parts of books and documents. It is vital to ensure this is followed when copying any material to ensure it is done within the limits of the organisation’s licence. * Health and Safety at Work etc Act (1974) This is the main piece of legislation covering health and safety in the work place including anyone entering and using the premises. * Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999) This Legislation requires all  employers carry out appropriate risk assessments, implement necessary measures, appoint competent staff and arrange suitable information and training around health and safety. My organisation also follows appropriate policies and procedures to ensure both this and the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) are complied with. This includes risk assessments, record keeping, first aid training, incident reporting and safeguarding policies and procedures. As well as legislation and organisation policies and procedures there is a code of practice to be followed by teachers, produced by The Institute for Learning (IfL). This outlines the standards of professional behaviour expected of members working in further education and includes: * Professional integrity regarding all interactions with Learners, colleagues and other professionals. * Show respect to all Learners and colleagues and recognise and value diversity and engage in anti-oppressive practices. * Ensure reasonable care regarding the safety and wellbeing of others where possible and within legislation. * Provide evidence of your own professional development. * Notify the IfL as soon as possible after cautioning or conviction for a criminal offence. * Provide appropriate support during any investigation by the IfL. My own practice also requires me to work within the National Youth Agency code of practice too. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion As a teacher it is essential that my practice ensures the fair treatment of all Learners and that they are allowed equal opportunities to participate and gain the qualification. This may involve adapting sessions including timings, resources, assessment methods and providing additional support where necessary. The Equality Act (2010) bans unfair treatment and aims to achieve equal opportunities within the work place and wider society. The act replaces previous anti-discrimination laws to make legislation simpler and remove inconsistencies and covers nine protected characteristics which cannot be used as a reason to treat people unfairly. The protected characteristics are: 1. Age 2. Disability 3. Gender reassignment (choosing to live as a gender other than that assigned to you at birth, with or without surgery. ) 4. Marriage and civil partnership 5. Pregnancy and maternity 6. Race 7. Religion or belief 8. Gender 9. Sexual orientation The Equality Act identifies ways in which it is unlawful to treat people including: * Direct and indirect discrimination * Harassment * Victimisation * Failing to make reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities My organisation operates within an equal opportunities policy influenced by this Act which must be followed by all staff and Learners. As well as a commitment to equality within my practise it is important to recognise and value individual differences and the different cultural backgrounds of Learners, colleagues and the wider community. My practice must promote diversity through my behaviour, use of language and appropriate challenging of others to reflect this. Inclusion within teaching ensures that all Learners are able to participate and feel included, removing any barriers to their learning experience. This should include all teaching and learning processes from the planning and delivery stages to evaluation and further planning. Appropriate information should be collected at the Initial Assessment stage to allow necessary adaptations to the teaching programme. This may include providing additional support for Functional Skills or allowing time and space for prayers. Recommendations for professional practice Throughout my teaching practice I will continuously update my skills through training, supervision and self-evaluation to ensure a high standard of professional practice. I will also review all necessary policies and practices to work within legislation and promote best practice. It is also important to maintain suitable contact with governing bodies to stay updates with codes of conduct and changes to legislation. Bibliography Cohen, L, Manion, L and Morrison, K. (2004) A Guide to Teaching Practice, 5th Edition, Suffolk: Routledge Great Britain. Equality Act 2010, London: HMSO March, S. (2010) Preparing to Teach – the first steps: Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

The Iks

The Iks by Lewis Thomas In the essay â€Å"The Iks†, author Lewis Thomas tells the story about the small tribe of hunters in Uganda who had to struggle to live with others after they were forced by the government to give up their living and working area and move to the poor hills and become farmers. Because of this, the Iks did not know how to live together, and they made each other’s lives very miserable. The individual Ik was selfish and heartless and cared for no one but himself.They didn’t share things with each other and found joy in the other’s misfortunes. They even went as far as to let their children go on their own and take food from the elders. To make things worse, an anthropologist, who hated the Iks, decided to study them for two years to write a book about them. Thomas thought the behavior of the Iks was unmoral and animalistic. He then went on to say that he now sees their behavior as being similar to small groups such as a gang and large g roups such as cities and nations.I find that Thomas’ comparison of the Iks’ behavior to some small groups to be unreasonable, whereas I can see the similarities between their behavior and that of larger groups like cities and nations. I didn’t think the comparison of the Iks’ behavior and that of all small groups was accurate. Now, I have seen some small groups, such as gangs, express the same type of selfish and heartless behavior as Iks, like when they kill innocent people as an initiation and their joy when another gang is broken up.But I have also seen some small groups, such as social clubs, come together to raise money for other organizations and to supply needs to needy communities. Therefore, I can’t see the comparison of all small groups as being fair. As for the comparison of the Iks and larger groups, such as cities, I can agree with that to a certain extent. I could never forget what happened in this city on August 29, 2005. Our familie s, homes, jobs and schools was taken from us. The city decided to save one part of the city, and flooded out the poor part.Sure there was help from other cities and nations, but the help only went to certain areas of the city. The poor areas was left to fend for themselves, and that caused those citizens to make their own laws and they became very defensive and offensive to each other during this time. They broke into the neighbors’ homes and stole whatever was salvageable and they actually raped the women who was stranded with them. There was elderly people who was dead in there for days and no one knew because they was too busy trying to stay alive.So I can agree with the comparison of the Iks and larger cities after being put in a bad situation. I wonder what it would be like if we was put in a situation like the Iks†¦ again? Would we be able to get along in order to help each other out of the bind we’re in, or would we carry on like selfish, savage beasts and destroy the little that we have? Although I can understand Thomas’ point about all humans having the ability to act out like the Iks did, I think that we have come so far in our society that we would not want to act like that, because we know that behaving in such a manner will not help us make the situation better.

Process and Content Theories of Motivation Essay

There are several process theories of motivation: The Vroom Expectancy Theory, the Adams’ Equity Theory, the Needs-Goal-Setting Theory, and the Reinforcement Theory of Motivation. Here our centre of attention is on helping you make a clear-cut distinction between process and content. Basically, process theories of motivation focus on how workers needs influence their own behaviour. Here our attention goes beyond motivation, our focal point is on giving you a key conceptual tool to help you manage both the performance of your direct reports (management) and the performance of your entire organization (leadership). â€Å"Process† is how employees work together, as opposed to the what – the â€Å"content,† the task, the issue – they are working on. An example of â€Å"process† is the way in which people interact with each other during a meeting; on the contrary, an example of â€Å"content† is the decision they make in that meeting. Process is hiring (the hiring processes that a company practices); content is the selected candidate that becomes the new employee. Process is the nature in which day-to-day performance conversations take place between the manager and her direct reports; content is what gets talked about, agreed upon, and actually understood. Process is the way in which people interact with each other in order to solve a problem; content is the actual solution to the problem. Most executives have the unconscious tendency to focus on content – which is great, that’s what they get paid for – but unfortunately most executives also have the unconscious tendency to forget about the process they are using. However, the quality of the â€Å"process† that is used (the type of meeting that is used to make a decision for example), has an impact on the quality of the resulting â€Å"content† (if the meeting is poorly designed, the quality of the resulting decision is likely to be poorer, but if the meeting is well designed, the quality of the resulting decision is likely to be better). Again, the better the process used, the better the resulting content, and vice versa: The poorer the process used, the poorer the resulting content. Do the people in your company hate meetings because they spend too much time in them? The problem is not in the meetings themselves, but in the way your company runs those meetings. Does your company have several low performers? The problem is not in those poor people who perform below standards, but in your company’s management practices. Is your company lagging behind its competition? The problem is not in those high performing organizations, but in the leadership skills of your company’s leaders. The process by which a company is led and managed determines its long-term success.heori of Motivation A great company is successful in the long run not because of its great products or services, but because of the nature of its leadership and management processes. You can have the greatest product or service, but if you don’t have the appropriate management and leadership processes, your company won’t get too far. It’s that simple. The next time something doesn’t go as you wanted it to go, stop for a second, step back, get your focus off the content, and take a closer look at the process you are using. How can you improve the process that you are using?

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 12~14

Chapter 12 THE STUPIDEST ANGEL'S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE Sundown, Christmas Eve. The rain was coming down so hard that there didn't appear to be any space between the drops – just a wall of water, moving almost horizontally on wind that was gusting to seventy miles per hour. In the forest behind the Santa Rosa Chapel, the angel chewed his Snickers and ran a wet hand over the tire tracks at the back of his neck, thinking, I really should have gotten more specific directions. He was tempted to go find the child again and ask him exactly where Santa Claus was buried. He realized now that â€Å"somewhere in the woods behind the church† wasn't telling him much. To go back to get directions, however, would dilute somewhat the whole miraculousness of the miracle. This was Raziel's first Christmas miracle. He'd been passed over for the task for two thousand years, but finally his turn had come up. Well, actually, the Archangel Michael's turn had come up, and Raziel ended up getting the job by losing in a card game. Michael had bet the planet Venus against his assigned task of performing the Christmas miracle this year. Venus! Although he wasn't really sure what he would have done with Venus had he won it, Raziel knew he needed the second planet, if for no other reason than that it was large and shiny. He didn't like the whole abstract quality of the Christmas miracle mission. â€Å"Go to Earth, find a child who has made a Christmas wish that can only be granted by divine intervention, then you will be granted powers to grant that wish.† There were three parts. Shouldn't the job be given to three angels? Shouldn't there be a supervisor? Raziel wished he could trade this in for the destruction of a city. That was so simple. You found the city, you killed all the people, you leveled all the buildings, even if you totally screwed it up you could track down the survivors in the hills and kill them with a sword, which, in truth, Raziel kind of enjoyed. Unless, of course, you destroyed the wrong city, and he'd only done that what? Twice? Cities in those days weren't that big, anyway. Enough people to fill a couple of good-size Wal-Marts, tops. Now there's a mission, thought the angel: â€Å"Raziel! Go forth into the land and lay waste unto two good-size Wal-Marts, slay until bloo d doth flow from all bargains and all the buildings are but rubble – and pick up a few Snickers bars for yourself.† A tree waving in the wind nearby snapped with the report of a cannon, and the angel came out of his fantasy. He needed to get this miracle done and be gone. Through the rain he could see that people were starting to arrive at the little church, fighting their way through the wind and the rain, the lights in the windows flickering even as the party was starting. There was no going back, the angel thought. He would just have to wing it (which, considering he was an angel, he really should have been better at). He raised his arms to his sides and his black coat streamed out behind him on the wind, revealing the tips of his wings folded underneath. In his best pronouncement voice, he called out the spell. â€Å"Let he who lies here dead arise!† He sort of did a hand motion to cover pretty much the general area. â€Å"Let he who does not live, live again. Arise from your grave this Christmas and live!† Raziel looked at the half-eaten Snickers he was holding and realized that maybe he should be more specific about what was supposed to happen. â€Å"Come forth from the grave! Celebrate! Feast!† Nothing. Nothing whatsoever happened. There, said the angel to himself. He popped the last of the Snickers bar into his mouth and wiped his hands on his coat. The rain had subsided for a bit and he could see a ways into the woods. Nothing was happening. â€Å"I mean it!† he said in his big scary angel voice. Not a damn thing. Wet pine needles, some wind, trees whipping back and forth, rain. No miracle. â€Å"Behold!† said the angel. â€Å"For I am really not kidding.† A great gust of wind came up at that second and another nearby pine snapped and fell, missing the angel by only a few feet. â€Å"There. It's just going to take a little time.† He walked out of the woods and down Worchester Street into town. â€Å"Wow, I'm famished all of a sudden,† said Marty in the Morning, all dead, all the time. â€Å"I know,† said Bess Leander, poisoned yet perky. â€Å"I feel really strange. Hungry, and something else. I've never felt this before.† â€Å"Oh, my dear,† said Esther, the schoolteacher, â€Å"I can suddenly think of nothing but brains.† â€Å"How 'bout you, kid?† asked Marty in the Morning. â€Å"You thinking about brains?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Jimmy Antalvo. â€Å"I could eat.† For Luck, There Is No Chapter 13. JUST THIS CHRISTMAS PHOTO ALBUM Sometimes, if you look closely at family snapshots, you can see in the faces of the children, portents of the adults they will become. In the adults, you can sometimes see the face behind the face. Not always, but sometimes†¦ Tucker Case In this shot we see a well-to-do California family posed in front of their lakeshore estate in Elsinore, California. (It's an eight-by-ten color glossy, embossed with the trademark of a professional photographer's studio.) They are all tanned and healthy-looking. Tucker Case is perhaps ten years old, dressed in a little sport coat with a yachting ensign on the breast pocket and little tasseled loafers. He is standing in front of his mother, who has the same blond hair and bright blue eyes, the same smile that looks not as if she is presenting her dental work, but as if she is just seconds from bursting out laughing. Three generations of Cases – brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and cousins – look perfectly coiffed, pressed, washed, and shined. All are smiling, except for one little girl down front, who has an expression of abject horror on her face. A closer look reveals the back of her red Christmas dress is tossed up to one side, and snaking in from the side, from under his little blue sport coat, is the hand of young Tuck, who has just stolen an incestuous squeeze of his cousin Janey's eleven-year-old bottom. What is telling about this picture is not the surreptitious booty grope, but the motive, because here Tucker Case is at an age where he is much more interested in blowing stuff up than he is in sex, yet he is precociously cognizant of just how much his advances will freak his cousin out. This is his raison d'tre. It should be noted that Janey Case-Robbins will go on to distinguish herself as a successful litigator and advocate for women's rights, while Tucker Case will go on to be a serially heartbroken horn dog with a fruit bat. Lena Marquez The shot is taken in someone's backyard on a sunny day. There are children all around and it's obvious that a big party is going on. She's six, wearing a fluffy pink dress and patent-leather shoes. She couldn't be any cuter, with her long black hair tied up into ponytails with red ribbons and flying out behind her like silk comet tails as she pursues the pià ±ata. She's blindfolded, and her mouth is wide open, letting forth a burst of that high, little-girl laugh that sounds like joy itself, because she's just made solid contact with the stick and she's sure that she has released candy, and toys, and noisemakers for all the children. What she has, in fact, done, has solidly smacked her uncle Octavio in the cojones. Uncle Octavio is caught in a magic moment of transition, his face changing from joy to surprise to pain, all at once. Lena is still adorable and sweet and unsullied by the disaster she has wrought. Feliz Navidad! Molly Michon It's Christmas morning, post-present-opening storm. Tissue paper and ribbon are strewn around the floor, and off to one side you can see a coffee table, and on it an ashtray the size of a hubcap overflowing with butts, and an empty bottle of Jim Beam. Front and center is six-year-old Molly Achevski (she would change her last name to Michon at nineteen on the advice of an agent â€Å"because it sounds fucking French, people love that†). Molly is wearing a red sequined ballerina outfit, red galoshes that hit her bare legs about midcalf, and a giant, cheeky grin with a hole in the middle where her front teeth used to be. She has one foot propped up on a large Tonka dump truck as if she has just conquered it in a grudge match, and her younger brother Mike, four, is trying to pry the truck out from under her. Tears are streaming down his cheeks. Molly's other brother, Tony, five, is looking up to his sister like she is the princess of all things good. She has already p oured him a bowl of Lucky Charms this morning, as she does for both her brothers every morning. In the background, we see a woman in a bathrobe lying on the couch, one hand hanging to the floor holding a cigarette that has burned itself out hours before. The silvery ash has left a streak on the carpet. No one has any idea who took this picture. Dale Pearson This one was taken only a few years ago, when Dale was still married to Lena. It's the Caribou Lodge Christmas party, and Dale is, once again, dressed as Santa, sitting on a makeshift throne. He is surrounded by drunken revelers, all laughing, all holding the various joke gifts that Dale has passed out to them earlier that night. Dale is brandishing his own present, a fourteen-inch-long rubber penis, as big around as a soup can. He's waving it at Lena with a leer, and she, dressed in a black cocktail dress and a single string of pearls, looks quite horrified at what he's saying, which is: â€Å"We'll put this rascal to good use later tonight, huh, baby?† The irony of it is that later that night, he will don one of his vintage German SS uniforms – everything but the jodhpurs, anyway – and what he asks Lena to do with his new present is exactly what she told him he could do with it at the party. She will never know if it was she who gave him the idea, but it will be a milestone in her move toward divorce proceedings. Theophilus Crowe At thirteen, Theo Crowe is already six feet four inches tall, and weighs a little over a hundred pounds. It is a classic scene of the three kings following the star. The seventh-grade music class is performing Amahl and the Night Visitors. Originally cast as one of the three kings, Theo is now dressed as a camel. His ears are the only parts of his body that are in proportion, and he looks very much like a camel fashioned out of wire by Salvador Dal. His chance to play Balthazar, the Ethiopian king, was lost when he announced that the Magi had arrived bearing gold, Frankenstein, and myrrh. Later, he, the two other camels, and a sheep will be suspended for smoking the myrrh. (They would have never been caught had the sheep not suggested that they play a quick game of â€Å"Kill the Man with the Baby Jesus† out behind the theater. Evidently the myrrh was â€Å"prime smokage.†) Gabe Fenton This one was taken just last year, at the lighthouse where Gabe has his cabin. You can see the lighthouse in the background, and windblown whitecaps out to sea. You can tell it's a windy day because the Santa hat that Gabe is wearing is streaming out to the side, and he's holding the reindeer antlers on Skinner's head. Crouched next to them, in a thousand-dollar St. John knit, red and cut in the style of a Napoleonic soldier, with brass buttons and gold braid on the shoulders, is Dr. Valerie Riordan. Her auburn hair is styled to curl behind her ears and accentuate her diamond hoop earrings. She's done up in Headline News Prompter Puppet makeup, as if her face has been completely sanded off, and then painted back on by a crack team of special-effects people – brighter, better, faster than a real human face. She's trying, really trying, to smile for the camera. She is holding her hair in one hand, and appears to be petting Skinner, but is, upon closer examination, holding him at bay. A racing stripe across the knee of her nylons betrays an earlier attempt by Skinner to share a holiday leg hump with the Food Guy's female. Gabe is scruffy in khakis and hiking boots. There's a fine coating of sand on his pants and boots from where he was sitting astride elephant seals that morning, gluing satellite-tracking devices on their backs. He has a great, hopeful smile, and not a clue that anything might be wrong with this picture. Roberto T. Fruitbat This picture was taken on the island of Guam, Roberto's birthplace. There are palm trees in the foreground. You can tell he's just a young fellow, because he has not yet acquired a pair of Ray-Bans, nor a master to bring him mangoes on demand. He's curled up in a Christmas wreath made from palm fronds and decorated with little papayas and red palm nuts. He is licking papaya pulp from his little doggy face. The children who found him in the wreath that Christmas morning are posed on either side of the door where the wreath hangs. They are both girls, and have the long curly brown hair of their Chamorro mother, the green eyes of their Irish-Catholic father, who is an American airman. Father is taking the picture. The girls are in bright, floral mission dresses with puffy sleeves. Later, after church, they will try to coax Roberto into a box so they can later cook him and serve him with saimen noodles. Although he escapes, the incident traumatizes the young bat and he does not speak for years. Chapter 14 THE CAMARADERIE OF THE LONESOME CHRISTMAS Theo wore his cop shirt to the Lonesome Christmas party. Not because he didn't have anything else to wear, because there were still two clean flannels and a Phish sweatshirt in the Volvo that he'd snagged from the cabin, but because with the storm pounding the stuffing out of Pine Cove, he felt as if he should be doing cop stuff. His cop shirt had epaulets on the shoulders (that are used for, uh, holding your paulets – no – for keeping your hat under – for your parrot to stand on – no) that looked cool and military, plus it had a little slot in the pocket where he could pin his badge and another one where he could stick a pen, which could be really handy in a storm in case you wanted to take notes or something, like: 7 p.m, Still Really Fucking Windy â€Å"Wow, it's really fucking windy,† Theo said. It was 7 p.m. Theo stood in the corner of the main room of the Santa Rosa Chapel next to Gabe Fenton, who was wearing one of his science shirts: a khaki canvas utility shirt with many pockets, slots, buttons, pouches, epaulets, zippers, Velcro loops, snaps, and vents, so you could hopelessly lose everything you owned in it and essentially sand your nipples off while patting the pockets and saying, â€Å"I know I had it here somewhere.† â€Å"Yep,† Gabe said. â€Å"It was gusting to a hundred and twenty when I left the lighthouse » â€Å"You're kidding! A hundred and twenty miles per hour? We're all going to die,† Theo said, feeling suddenly better. â€Å"Kilometers per hour,† Gabe said. â€Å"Stand in front of me. She's looking.† He snagged Theo by the epaulet (aha!) and pulled him around to block the view from the other side of the room. Across the open hardwood floor, Valerie Riordan, in charcoal Armani over red Ferragamos, was sipping a cranberry and soda from a plastic cup. â€Å"Why's she here?† Gabe whispered. â€Å"Didn't she get a better offer from some country club or some business guy or something?† Gabe said the word business like it was a putrid taste that he needed to spit out before it sickened him, which was exactly how he meant it. Although Gabe did not live in an ivory tower, he did live next to one, and it gave him a skewed perspective on commerce. â€Å"Your eye is twitching really badly, Gabe Are you okay?† â€Å"I think it's conditioning from the electrodes. She looks so great, don't you think?† Theo looked over at Gabe's ex-girlfriend, considered the heels, the stockings, the makeup, the hair, the lines of her suit, her nose, her hips, and felt like he was looking at a sports car that he could not afford, would not know how to drive, and he could only envision himself entangled in the wreckage of, wrapped around a telephone pole. â€Å"Her lipstick matches her shoes,† Theo said, by way of not really answering his friend. That sort of thing didn't happen in Pine Cove. Well, Molly did have some black lipstick that matched a pair of black boots she had, which she wore with nothing else, but he really didn't want to think about that. In fact, this moment would only have any meaning at all when he shared it with Molly, which he realized he wasn't going to be doing, which made him jealous of Gabe's twitch for a second. The double doors to the chapel opened, and wind whipped through the room, rattling the few strands of crepe paper that still clung to the wall to this point and knocking a couple of ornaments off the giant Christmas tree. Tucker Case came in, his bomber jacket dripping, a little furry face sticking out through the V in the zipper in the front. â€Å"No dogs,† said Mavis Sand, who was fighting to get the doors shut. â€Å"We've just let kids come the last couple of years, and I'm not happy about it.† Tuck grabbed the other door and pulled it shut, then reached over Mavis and caught the door she was battling. â€Å"He's not a dog.† Mavis turned around and looked right into the face of Roberto, who made a little barking sound. â€Å"That's a dog. Not much of a goddamn dog, I'll give you that, but a dog. And he's wearing sunglasses.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"It's dark, moron. Get rid of the dog.† â€Å"He's not a dog,† Tuck said, and to illustrate his point, he unzipped his jacket, took Roberto by the feet, and flung him at the ceiling. The bat yelped, opened his leathery wings, and flew to the top of the Christmas tree, where he caught the star, swung halfway around, and settled, upside down, hanging there above the room, looking, despite his cheery nature and hot pink sunglasses, a little creepy. Everyone in the place, thirty or so people, stopped whatever they were doing and looked. Lena Marquez, who had been cutting lasagna into squares over at the buffet table, looked up, made brief eye contact with Tuck, then looked away. Except for the boom box playing reggae Christmas carols and the wind and rain thrashing outside, there was not a sound. â€Å"What?† Tuck said to everyone and no one in particular. â€Å"You people act like you've never seen a bat before.† â€Å"Looked like a dog,† Mavis said from behind him. â€Å"You don't have a no-bat policy, then?† Tuck said, not turning around. â€Å"Don't think so. You got a great ass, flyboy, you know that?† â€Å"Yeah, it's a curse,† Tuck said. He eyed the ceiling for any mistletoe he might get trapped under, spotted Theo and Gabe, then made a beeline for the corner where they were hiding. â€Å"Oh my God,† said Tuck as he was approaching. â€Å"Did you guys see Lena? She's so hot. Don't you think she's hot? I miss her.† â€Å"Oh God, not you, too,† Theo said. â€Å"That Santa hat, it does something to me.† â€Å"That a Pteropus tokudae?† asked Gabe, peeking out quickly from behind Theo and nodding toward the Christmas tree with the bat. â€Å"No, that's Roberto. Why are you hiding behind the constable?† â€Å"My ex is here.† Tuck looked over. â€Å"The redhead in the suit?† Gabe nodded. Tuck looked at him, back at Val Riordan, who was now chatting with Lena Marquez, then again at Gabe. â€Å"Whoa, you were really crawling out of your gene pool, huh? Let me shake your hand.† He reached around Theo, offering his hand to the biologist. â€Å"We don't like you, you know?† Theo said. â€Å"Really?† Tuck took his hand back. He looked around Theo at Gabe. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"You're okay,† said Gabe. â€Å"He's just cranky.† â€Å"I am not cranky,† Theo said, but, in fact, he was a little cranky. A little sad. A little stoned. A little out of sorts that this storm hadn't just blown over like he'd hoped, and a little excited that it might actually turn into a disaster. Secretly, Theophilus Crowe loved a disaster. â€Å"Understandable,† Tuck said, squeezing Theo's shoulder. â€Å"Your wife was a biscuit.† â€Å"Is a biscuit,† corrected Theo, but then, â€Å"Hey!† â€Å"No, it's okay,† Tuck said. â€Å"You were a lucky man.† Gabe Fenton reached up and squeezed Theo's other shoulder. â€Å"It's true,† Gabe said. â€Å"When Molly isn't completely off her rocker, she is a biscuit. Actually, even when she is –  » â€Å"Would you guys quit calling my wife a biscuit! I don't even know what that means.† â€Å"Something we say in the islands,† Tuck said. â€Å"What I'm saying is, you've got nothing to be ashamed of. You guys had a good run. You can't expect her to lose her sense of judgment forever. You know, Theo, every now and then Eraserhead will hook up with Tinker Bell, or Sling Blade Carl will marry Lara Croft – that sort of thing gives us hope – but you can't count on it. You can't bet that way. Why, guys like us would always be alone if some women didn't have a deep-seated streak of self-destruction, isn't that right, Professor?† â€Å"Truth,† said Gabe. He made a sort of swear-on-the-Bible gesture. Theo glared at him. â€Å"Eventually a woman will wise up,† Tuck continued. â€Å"She's just gone off her meds.† â€Å"Whatever,† Tuck said. â€Å"I'm just saying that it's Christmas and you should be grateful that you were ever able to fool someone into loving you in the first place.† â€Å"I'm calling her,† Theo said. He pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his cop shirt and keyed the button for his home number. â€Å"Is Val wearing the pearl earrings?† Gabe asked. â€Å"I bought her those.† â€Å"Diamonds studs,† said Tuck, checking over his shoulder. â€Å"Dammit.† â€Å"Look at Lena in that Santa hat. That woman has a talent with tinsel, if you know what I mean?† â€Å"No idea,† said Gabe. â€Å"Me either. It just sounded kinky,† said Tuck. Theo snapped the cell phone shut. â€Å"I hate both you guys.† â€Å"Do not,† said Tuck. â€Å"No service?† asked Gabe. â€Å"I'm going to see if the police radio in my car is working.† Rain was pooling in the graveyard behind the chapel as the dead pulled one another from the muck. â€Å"This looked easier in the movies,† said Jimmy Antalvo, who was waist-deep in a puddle and being pulled out by Marty in the Morning and the new guy in the red suit. Jimmy's words were a little slurred and slurpy, between the mud and a facial structure that was mostly mortician's wax and wire. â€Å"I thought I'd never get out of that coffin.† â€Å"Kid, you're better off than a couple we've pulled out,† said Marty in the Morning. He nodded to a very feeble and mostly decomposed pile of animated meat that had at one time been an electrician. The mushy thing made a moaning sound. â€Å"Who's that?† asked Jimmy. The torrential rain had washed the mud out of his eyes. â€Å"That's Alvin,† said Marty. â€Å"All we can understand from him.† â€Å"I used to talk to him all the time,† said Jimmy. â€Å"It's different now,† said the guy in the red suit. â€Å"Now you're really talking, not just thinking it. His talking equipment is past warranty.† Marty, who had been portly in life but had slimmed down significantly since his death, bent down and got a good grip on Jimmy's arm, bending the elbow around his own, then made a great straining lift to pull the kid out. There was a loud pop and Marty went over backward into the mud. Jimmy Antalvo was waving around an empty leather jacket sleeve and yelling, â€Å"My arm! My arm!† â€Å"Jeez, they should have sewn that on better,† said Marty, holding the arm in the air, even as the hand appeared to be doing a very jerky version of a parade wave. â€Å"This whole undead rigmarole is disgusting,† said Esther, the schoolteacher, who was standing to the side with a few others who had already been dug up. Water was pouring off the shreds of her best church dress, which had been reduced by time to calico tatters. â€Å"I'll not have anything to do with it.† â€Å"So you're not hungry?† said the new guy, muddy rainwater streaming out of his Santa beard. He'd been the first one out, since he hadn't had to escape a coffin. â€Å"Fine, once we get the kid out we'll just push you back down your hole.† â€Å"I'm not saying that,† said Esther. â€Å"I would enjoy a snack. Something light. Mavis Sand, maybe. That woman can't have enough brains to spread on a cracker.† â€Å"Then shut up and help us get everyone out.† Nearby, Malcolm Cowley was staring disapprovingly at one of the less articulate members of the undead who had been pulled from his grave and was showing lots of bare bone between the meat. The dead book dealer was wringing out his tweed jacket and shaking his head at every comment. â€Å"Suddenly we are all gluttons, are we? Well, I have always enjoyed Danish Modern furniture for its functional yet elegant design, so once we have consumed the brains of these revelers, I feel compelled to seek out one of these furniture boutiques I have heard so much about from newlyweds in the chapel. First we feast, then IKEA.† â€Å"IKEA,† chanted the dead. â€Å"First we feast, then IKEA. First we feast, then IKEA.† â€Å"Can I eat the constable's wife's brain?† asked Arthur Tannbeau. â€Å"She sounds like she'll be spicy –  » â€Å"Get everyone out of the ground, then we eat,† said the new guy, who was used to telling people what to do. â€Å"Who died and made you boss?† asked Bess Leander. â€Å"All of you,† answered Dale Pearson. â€Å"The man has a point,† said Marty in the Morning. â€Å"I think while you boys finish up here, I'll have a stroll around the parking lot. Oh my, I don't seem to be walking very well,† said Esther, dragging one foot behind her and plowing a furrow in the mud as she moved. â€Å"But IKEA does sound like a delightful after-supper adventure.† No one knows why, but second only to eating the brains of the living, the dead love affordable prefab furniture. Across the parking lot, Theophilus Crowe was busy having the water in his ears replaced with dog spit. â€Å"Get down, Skinner.† Theo pushed the big dog away and keyed the mike on the police radio. He had been adjusting the squelch and the gain, and getting little more than distant disembodied voices, just a word here or there in the static. The rain on the car was so loud that Theo put his head down by the dash to better hear the little speaker, and Skinner, of course, took this as an invitation to lick more rain out of Theo's ears. â€Å"Ack! Skinner.† Theo grabbed the dog muzzle and steered it between the seats. It wasn't the dampness, or even the dog breath, which was considerable, it was the noise. It was just too loud. Theo dug into the console between the seats and found half a Slim Jim in a folded over wrapper. Skinner inhaled the tiny meat stick and savored the greasy goodness by smacking his chops right next to Theo's ear. Theo snapped the radio off. One of the problems with living in Pine Cove, with the ubiquitous Monterey pines, was that after a few years the Christmas trees stopped looking like Christmas trees and started looking like giant upturned dust mops, a great sail of needles and cones at the top of a long, slender trunk and a pancake root system – a tree especially adapted to fall over in high wind. So when El Nià ±o cruised up the coast and storms like this came in, first cell and cable TV repeater stations lost power, soon the town lost its main power, and finally, phone lines would go down, effectively cutting all communications. Theo had seen it before, and he didn't like what it portended. Cypress Street would be underwater before dawn and people would be kayaking through the real-estate offices and art galleries by noon. Something hit the car. Theo turned on the headlights, but the rain was coming down so hard and the windows were so fogged with dog breath that he could see nothing. He assumed it was a small tree branch. Skinner barked, deafeningly loud in the enclosed space. He could go patrolling downtown, but with Mavis having closed the Slug for Christmas Eve, he couldn't imagine why anyone would be down there. Go home? Check on Molly? Actually, she was better equipped with her little four-wheel-drive Honda to drive in this mess, and she was smart enough to stay home in the first place. He was trying not to take it personally that she hadn't come to the party. Trying not to take to heart the pilot's words about not being worthy of a woman like her. He looked down, and there, cradled in bubble wrap in the console, was the art-glass bong. Theo picked it up, looked it over, then pulled a film can of sticky green buds from his cop-shirt pocket and began loading the pipe. Theo was briefly blinded by the spark of the disposable lighter, at the same time as something scraped against the car. Skinner jumped over into the front seat and barked at the window, his hefty tail beating against Theo's face. â€Å"Down, boy. Down,† Theo said, but the big dog was now digging at the vinyl panel on the door. Knowing that it meant that he'd have to deal with a lot of wet dog later, but feeling that he really needed to get a buzz on in peace, Theo reached over and threw open the passenger door. Skinner bounded out the door. The wind slammed it behind him. There was a commotion outside, but Theo could see nothing, and he figured that Skinner was just frisking in the mud. The constable lit the bong and lost himself in the scuba bubbles of sweet comforting smoke. Outside the car, not ten feet away, Skinner was gleefully tearing the head off an undead schoolteacher. Her arms and legs were flailing and her mouth was moving, but the retriever had already bitten through the better part of her decayed throat and was shaking her head back and forth in his jaws. A skilled lip-reader would have been able to tell you that Esther was saying: â€Å"I was only going to eat a little of his brain. This is entirely uncalled for, young man.† I am so going to get bad-dogged for this, Skinner thought. Theo stepped out of the car into an ankle-deep puddle. Despite the cold, the wind, the rain, and the mud that had squished over the edge of his hiking boots, Theo sighed, for he was sorely, wistfully stoned, and slipping into that comfortable place where everything, including the rain, was his fault and he'd just have to live with it. Not a maudlin self-pity that might have come from Irish whiskey, nor an angry tequila blame, nor a jittery speed paranoia, just a little melancholy self-loathing and the realization of what a total loser he was. â€Å"Skinner. Get over here. Come on,boy, back in the car. Theo could barely see Skinner, but the big dog was on his back rolling in something that looked like a pile of wet, muddy laundry – sort of snaking back and forth with his mouth open and his pink tongue whipping around in ecstatic dogasm. Probably a dead raccoon, Theo thought, trying to blink some rain out of his eyes. I've never been that happy. I will never be that happy. He left the dog to his joy and slogged back into the Lonesome Christmas. He thought he felt a hand across his neck as he wrestled his way through the double doors, then a loud moan when the doors slammed shut, but it was probably just the wind. It didn't feel like the wind. Had to be the wind.