You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 11~13

Chapter Eleven Then, When They Woke Up â€Å"Oh my God, that stuff turned me completely orange.† â€Å"Not completely.† â€Å"I look like the Great Pumpkin.† â€Å"Good grief, Tommy, you do not.† Chapter Twelve Blood, Coffee, Sex, Magix – Not necessarily in That Order Just after sundown. They watched the coffee dripping out of the filter like they were distilling nitroglycerine and the slightest bit of inattention might cause an explosion. â€Å"It smells really good,† Jody said. â€Å"It's like I never noticed it before,† Tommy said. â€Å"You'd think it would smell sickening, since it's indigestible,† Jody said. The last time she'd taken a sip of coffee, her vampire system had rejected it so violently that she ended up convulsively dry-heaving on the floor, feeling like forks were twisting inside of her. â€Å"This might work,† Tommy said. â€Å"You ready?† â€Å"Ready.† He poured a tablespoonful or so of coffee into a glass cup. Then he uncapped one of the syringes that held William's blood and squirted a few drops into the coffee. â€Å"You first,† he said, swishing the cup around in front of her. â€Å"No, you,† Jody said. As good as the coffee smelled, the memory of her nausea held her back. Tommy shrugged and threw the coffee back like a tequila shooter, then set the cup down on the counter. Jody stepped back and snatched a tea towel off the fridge handle in preparation for the coffee's return trip. Tommy rolled his eyes, shuddered, then grabbed his throat and fell to the floor, twitching and choking. â€Å"Dying,† he croaked. â€Å"Suffering and dying.† Jody was barefoot and didn't want to stub her toe, so she pulled the kick to his ribs. â€Å"You suck, you know that.† Tommy rolled on the floor giggling, curling himself around her foot. â€Å"It works! It works! It works!† He sort of dog-humped her leg in rhythm and tugged at the hem of her robe. â€Å"You never have to be grumpy again!† Jody grinned. â€Å"Pour cups, grommet! Full cups.† Tommy climbed to his feet. â€Å"We don't even know the blood-to-coffee ratio yet.† â€Å"Pour!† Jody was in the fridge in an instant, grabbing another syringe. â€Å"We'll wing it.† The she heard the downstairs door open and spun on her heel. â€Å"William?† Tommy listened to the footfalls coming up the steps and shook his head. â€Å"Nope, too light.† They could hear the key fitting into the lock. â€Å"You said you didn't give her a key,† Jody said. â€Å"I said I didn't give her a key to the bedroom,† Tommy said. â€Å"Lord Flood, there's a stinky dead guy with a huge cat on your landing,† said Abby Normal as she came through the door. THE CHRONICLES OF ABBY NORMAL: Dedicated Servant of the Vampyre Flood I have been to the lair of the vampyre Flood. I am part of the coven! Kinda. Okay, back up. So I like slept till eleven, because we're on Christmas break, only it's called winter break now because Jesus is AN OPPRESSIVE ZOMBIE BASTARD AND WE DO NOT BOW DOWN TO HIS BIRTHDAY! At least not at Allen Ginsberg High School, we don't. (Go, Fighting Beatniks!) But it's all good, 'cause I'm going to have to get used to getting up later if I'm going to be a creature of the night. So, like first thing, I made some toast, and it burned, as black as my soul, and I was so bummed that my tears of despair fell like cold bits of crystal, to be destroyed on the unforgiving rocks of this miserable life. But then I saw that Mom had left a twenty out on the counter with a note: Allison (Allison is my day-slave name – my mom named me after some song by some Elvis guy, so I totally refuse to accept it), here's your lunch money, and please stop at Walgreens and pick up some RID shampoo for Ronnie's head lice. (Veronica is my sister, who is twelve and a total tumor on the ass of my existence.) So, I was like, Sweet! Starbucks! It took forever to pick what I was going to wear, and not just because I'd never rented an apartment before. The lightbulb burned out in my closet and we didn't have any extras, so I had to take everything out in the living room to look at it in the light. Like the song says, I wear black on the outside to reflect the black I feel on the inside, but OMG, it's impossible to tell one thing from another in a dark closet. Since it was going to be a business thing, I decided on my striped tights with my red PVC mini, my skull-and-crossbones hoodie, and my lime Converse All Stars. I went with just a plain stud in my nose, a barbell in my eyebrow, and a simple silver ring in my lip – understated and elegant. I carried my hot-pink biohazard messenger bag. Ronnie was all, â€Å"I wanna come with you, I wanna come with you,† but I pointed out that she was a scourge on humanity and that if she came along I would tell everyone on the bus she had lice, so she elected to stay home and watch toons. It was then that I ventured into the undiscovered country, and called the number that the vampyre Flood had given me. And the woman was totally a bitch. She was like, â€Å"Hello. Blah Blah Property Management.† And I was like, â€Å"I need to rent an apartment.† And she was all, â€Å"How many bedrooms and did you have an area in mind?† And I was all, â€Å"What's with all the questions, bitch? Are you some kind of thought police or something?† And she was like, â€Å"I'm just trying to help.† â€Å"Right, help. Like tuberculosis.† So she's all, â€Å"I beg your pardon,† like the queen of freakin' France or something. And then I remembered that I was supposed to ask for a specific person, so I was like, â€Å"Oh, I need to speak to Alicia DeVries, Is she there?† And the bitch connected me. So it turns out that Alicia DeVries is this crusty hippie who is like as old as my grandma, but wants to be all Earth Mother and everything, which I'm not against, because old hippies have the best pot and they'll just give it to you if you pretend not to notice that they're crusty and old. So Alicia picks me up in her crust-mobile rainbow peace-and-love Jeep CJ and I give her the requirements of the vampyre Flood, which were bedroom with no windows, a washer and dryer, private entrance with lockout, and, at least above the ground floor, windows looking down on the street. And she's all, â€Å"We have to have a Social Security number and driver's license number for the paperwork – you have to be eighteen.† So I'm, â€Å"My client will provide all the information you need, it's just that he's very busy and can't deal with pissant details during the day.† Then I waved the cash that Flood gave me and she went all spacey, overmeditated,  «namaste » on me, like it's not about the money when it's really about the money. Then she takes me to this loft, which it turns out is only like a half a block from the address where Flood said to meet him at sundown. Sweet! So I'm all, â€Å"Excellent, the master will be pleased.† And she's like, â€Å"I'll make you out a receipt.† Then she starts to lecture me about respecting myself as a woman, and not allowing myself to be subjugated to the desires of an older man and shit – like I'm this corporate fuck-puppet for some creepy businessman or something. I didn't want her to get suspicious and try to rescue me, so I'm like, â€Å"No, you misunderstand, I call him the master because he's the sensei of my jujitsu dojo – he's not boning me or anything.† Luckily I have an extensive martial-arts background from watching anime with Jared and I knew that one must never bone the sensei. So she like reaches over and pats my knee. All, â€Å"That's okay, sweetheart.† And I'm like, â€Å"Step off, rug-muncher!† I mean, I'm as bi as the next person, but not with some crusty old hippie – I need music and some X, and then only if some guy has rejected me and thrown my heart into the gutter like an abandoned vegetarian burrito – and even then I draw the line at making out. So she gave me the keys and took my money and just, like, left me there. So I called Lily, who came over with a two-liter of Diet Green Tea, a bag of Cheese Newts (I still hadn't had breakfast), and some book she found called The Big Book of Death. So we looked at the book, which is this how-to thing with great art, and drank tea and ate Cheese Newts until she had to go to work. I wanted to tell her about the vampyre Flood, but I promised that I would keep his secret, so all I told her was that I had discovered my Dark Lord, and he would soon satisfy my every desire and I couldn't tell her anything else. So she was all, â€Å"whatever, ho,† which is what I like about her – Lily is trs noir. So I walked over to the Sony Metreon and watched the flat-screens until it started to get dark. I was already about ready to pee with nervousness when I got to Flood's door, but then, just as I get my key in the door, this big Hummer limo pulls up, and these three college-age guys climb out followed by this blue woman in a silver dress with ginormous fake boobs. And they're all, â€Å"Where is Flood? We need to find Flood?† And she's all, â€Å"Where did you get the key? You need to let us in before it gets dark.† I'm not intimidated – because I know that her boobs are fake. And it's so obvious that they hunt the nosferatu that it's not even funny. Inside, I was like: â€Å"Ha, suck my spiky rubber strap-on, vampyre hunter!† But on the outside I was totally chill. And I'm like, â€Å"I don't know who you're talking about. This is my apartment.† Then I opened the door and inside, lying on the landing, there's this dead guy with a huge bald cat in a red sweater on his chest. And the cat hissed at me and I screamed just a little bit and slammed the door. â€Å"You have to go,† I said. â€Å"My boyfriend is naked and he gets mad if strangers see his enormous unit.† I looked right at the blue bitch when I said that, like: Oh yeah, some of us are confident enough in our own femininity that we don't need fake tits to get a guy with a huge unit. And the black guy is like, â€Å"I just talked to Flood here last night.† And I was like, â€Å"Yeah, he moved.† Then the Asian guy checked his watch and was like, â€Å"Dude, too late, it's officially sunset.† And it was like it was on cue or something, the cat on the dead guy let out a long scary yowl, and even the blue skank backed away toward the limo. â€Å"You'd better go now,† I said, all ominous and full of foreboding and dread. And she was all, â€Å"We'll be back.† And I was like, â€Å"So?† So they went. But then I had to get past the cat and the dead guy and go up the steps. I have to say, that as much as I'm all about the peace of the grave and the glorious gloomth of the nonliving and all, it's different when there's a real dead guy you have to walk over, not to mention a really big, angry cat in a sweater. NOTE TO SELF: Always carry Kitty Treats for Self-Defense (because evidently they don't like Skittles, which I tried). Since I didn't have any kitty treats, I got by the preternaturally big-ass cat by opening the door wide and yelling, â€Å"Hey, kitty, go away!† Much to my amazement, the cat ran out of the doorway and hid under a parked car. It was like I already had vampyre powers to command the Children of the Night. Then I had to get past the dead guy on the landing, which was sort of like dead-guy hopscotch, but I got up the stairs and managed only to step on one of his arms. I was hoping he really was dead, and not one of the nosferatu, because then he might be pissed off when he rose. He certainly smelled dead, the fetid stench of the charnel house emanated from him like a foul miasma of evil, as they say in the books. So I opened the door, and I go, â€Å"Lord Flood, there's a stinky dead guy with a huge cat on your landing.† Thinking that I would get total loyal-servant brownies. Then I saw her, the ancient vampyre mistress – her skin like alabaster, or you know, no zits at all, and she seemed to glow with inner power. I could see why even a powerful vampyre like Flood might be helpless under her awesome strengths, gathered over the ages by sucking the lifeblood of thousands of helpless victims, probably kids. And she was like, drinking a cup of coffee out of a Garfield mug, as if flaunting her immortality in the face of us petty, insignificant mortals. She had on only a bathrobe, which was partly open in front, so you could see that she had like great cleavage, ancient total skank that she was. So I'm like, â€Å"Hi.† And she's like, â€Å"So, Wednesday, you know Buffy's not a real person, right?† Bitch. â€Å"What do you mean, dead?† Tommy said. He ran to the door and flung it open. â€Å"He's not here.† He bolted down the steps in his bare feet, leaving Jody standing across the breakfast bar from Abby. â€Å"I'm going to look for him,† Tommy called. The downstairs door closed, the lock clicked. Jody pulled her robe closed when she saw Abby Normal staring. She could hear the girl's heart pounding, could see her pulse beating in her neck, could smell nervous sweat, clove cigarettes, and some kind of cheese snack. They stared at each other. â€Å"I found you an apartment, Mistress,† Abby said. She dug into the pocket of her hoodie and came out with a rent receipt. â€Å"Call me Jody,† Jody said. Abby nodded conspiratorially, like she was acknowledging it was only a code name. She was a cute kid, in a scary, will-probably-poison-the-dog-and-then-molest-him kind of way. Jody had never really had a problem with younger women as competition. After all, she was only twenty-six, and with the extreme antiaging treatment she'd gained from her vampirism, right down to her baby toes straightening out and every freckle she'd ever had disappearing, she felt superior, even a tad maternal toward Abby, who was a little knock-kneed in her red plastic skirt and green sneakers. â€Å"I'm Abby,† Abby said, and she curtsied. Jody choked, sprayed coffee out her nose, and turned quickly so as not to laugh in Abby's face. â€Å"Are you okay, Mistress – I mean, Jody?† â€Å"No, I'm fine.† It was strange just how sensitive the vampire sinus is to hot liquids. Jody was sure that she might never smell anything but bloody French roast again, and her eyes were watering, or so she thought, but when she turned back around, Abby jumped back six feet and yelped. â€Å"Holy shit!† Abby had backed against the futon frame and was about to tumble over backwards. Jody was around the breakfast bar, steadying the girl in less than a tenth of a second – which caused Abby to jump straight into the air about three feet. Jody could tell the girl was going to fall. Abby was going to come down with one foot on the back of the futon frame, one in midair, and she was going to tumble over and land on her shoulder and head on the hardwood floor. Jody saw this coming, could have caught Abby and set her gently on her feet, but instead, she felt that maternal instinct kick in – the realization that if the child didn't take a knock or two, she'd never learn – so Jody stepped back into the kitchen, where she picked up her coffee and watched as the kid hit. â€Å"Ouch!† Said Abby, now a black-and-red heap on the floor. â€Å"Boy, that looked like it hurt,† Jody said. Abby was on her feet, limping and rubbing her head. â€Å"What the fuck, Countess? I thought you had my back.† â€Å"Yeah, sorry,† Jody said. â€Å"Why the freak-out?† â€Å"There's blood running down your face. I guess it startled me.† Jody dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her robe, leaving little red spots on the white terry cloth. â€Å"Well, would you look at that?† She was trying to be casual, trying to act like someone four or five hundred years old might behave, but the blood tears were disturbing her more than a little. Change the subject. â€Å"So, this apartment you found, where is it?† â€Å"Don't you want to wait for Flood?† Abby asked. â€Å"Flood? What Flood?† â€Å"Flood, the orange-colored vampire who just ran out the door.† â€Å"Oh, him,† Jody said. Tommy and his tanning lotion. He was out running around on the street with no shirt or shoes. Orange. â€Å"Was he orange?† Abby threw out her nearly nonexistent hip. â€Å"Hello? You're crying blood and your partner is orange and you didn't notice? Do you guys get senile over the years or what?† Jody set her cup down on the counter, just to make sure that it didn't shatter in her hand. She drew on her experience working in the claims department at Transamerica, where her immediate supervisor was a complete ass-bag, and it took everything she could do, every minute of the day, not to bang the woman's skull repeatedly in a filing drawer. She liked to think of it as her professional face. So instead of snapping Abby's pale little neck, she smiled, counting to ten as she did. At ten, she said, â€Å"Go get him. Bring him back.† Another smile. â€Å"Okay, sweetie?† â€Å"But why is he orange?† â€Å"The shedding is upon him,† Jody said. â€Å"Every hundred years or so, we shed our skin, and a few weeks prior we turn orange. It's a very dangerous time for us. So please, go find him.† Abby nodded furiously and backed away toward the door. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Really,† Jody said, nodding gravely. â€Å"Quick, away with you, the time of the shedding is upon him.† She waved toward the door the way she thought a five-hundred-year-old countess might. (Where did the countess thing come from, anyway?) â€Å"Right,† Abby said, and she took off out the loft door and down the steps after Tommy. Jody went to the bathroom and used a damp washcloth to wash the blood tears off her face. I may actually be evil, she thought. She knew it should bother her more, being evil and all, but after she put on a little mascara and some lipstick and poured herself another cup of blood-laced coffee, she found that she was okay with it. Chapter Thirteen Moving Day Jody sipped her coffee and sighed, satisfied, like she'd just had a gentle coffee orgasm, the sort of pleasurable release you only see people have in commercials for froufrou coffee and hemorrhoid cream. This blood-beverage phenomenon added a whole new twist to their lives. A glass of wine? A diet cola maybe – wait, screw diet – a sugary, teeth-rotting cola. What about solid food? Sure, being a godlike creature of the night was great, but what about a jelly donut? French fries? She was Irish, she felt a deep-seated need for potatoes. She was musing on the idea of heading up to McDonald's on Market Street and spooging a syringe full of William's blood all over a supersized box of deep-fried nirvana when the phone rang. The caller ID number was blocked, it just said mobile. It might be Tommy. He'd activated the disposable mobile phones they'd bought, but he probably hadn't written down the numbers. â€Å"Hey, pumpkin,† Jody said. She heard a clattering at the other end of the line. â€Å"Sorry, I dropped the phone.† Oops. Not Tommy. â€Å"Who is this?† â€Å"Uh, it's, uh, it's Steve. I'm the med student who called you about your condition.† He'd found her when she'd gone to a Blood Drinkers Anonymous meeting in Japan Town, which turned out to be a bunch of nerds with problems distinguishing fantasy from reality. Had watched her from a distance and called her on a pay phone from blocks away, ready to jump in his car and bolt if she came near him. He knew what she was. He'd said that he had examined one of the bodies left by the old vampire. Elijah had snapped their necks so the bodies would be found, instead of turning to dust. â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"Well, like I said, I'm a med student at Berkeley. Actually, I'm in research. Gene therapy.† â€Å"Yeah, next lie, please.† Jody's mind was going ninety miles and hour. Too many people knew about her. Maybe she and Tommy should have left town. â€Å"What lie?† Steve asked. â€Å"Berkeley doesn't have a med school,† Jody said. â€Å"So what do you want?† â€Å"I don't want anything. I've been trying to tell you, I've studied the blood of the victims. I think I may be able to reverse your condition. Turn you back. I just need some time in the lab with your blood.† â€Å"Bullshit, Steve. This isn't biology.† â€Å"Yes it is. I told your boyfriend the night you turned him.† â€Å"How did you know†¦?† â€Å"I was on the phone with him when you told him you were going to be together for a very long time.† â€Å"Well, that was rude, just listening like that.† â€Å"Sorry. I've managed to get cloned cells from the throats of victims to revert to their natural human state.† â€Å"Which is dead,† Jody said. â€Å"No, living cells. I just need to meet with you.† He'd pressed this before, and Jody had been willing to meet with him, but unfortunately, while she was sleeping, Tommy had put her in the freezer for a few days and she'd missed the appointment. â€Å"No meeting, Steve. Forget you know anything about this. You'll have to write your dissertation on something else.† â€Å"Well, take my number if you change your mind, okay?† He gave her the number and Jody wrote it down. â€Å"It's a burner cell phone,† Steve said, â€Å"So you can't find me through it.† â€Å"I don't want to find you, Steve.† â€Å"I promise I won't reveal your – your condition to anyone, so you don't need to find me.† â€Å"Don't worry,† Jody said. â€Å"I don't want to find you.† Get over yourself, she wanted to add. â€Å"What about the other one you warned me about?† Jody looked at the bronze statue that held Elijah Ben Sapir. â€Å"He won't bother you either.† â€Å"Oh, good.† â€Å"Steve?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"If you tell anyone, I'll find you, and I'll slowly snap every bone in your body before I kill you.† Jody tried to make it sound cheerful, but the threat sort of cut through the bright, friendly lilt in her voice. â€Å"Okay then. Bye.† â€Å"Yeah,† Jody said. â€Å"You take care.† â€Å"The shedding?† Tommy said as he came through the door. Jody stood at the counter in her new red leather jacket, boots, and mist-tight black jeans. Jody could hear Abby locking the downstairs door, so they had a few seconds alone. â€Å"Look, did you want me to tell her you were just a big orange doofus?† â€Å"I guess not. Hey – â€Å" â€Å"She calls you Flood?† â€Å"I couldn't tell her ‘Tommy. I'm her dark lord. Your dark lord can't be named Tommy. ‘Flood' has an air of power.† â€Å"And dampness.† â€Å"Yeah, it's got the dampness thing going for it, too.† Abby came in, breathing hard. She'd been sweating and her eyeliner was running in two black streaks down her cheeks. â€Å"We didn't find him. I could have sworn he was dead. He smelled like it.† â€Å"You got something against dead people?† Jody said – tough-guy voice. â€Å"Are you saying there's something wrong with dead people? Is that what you're saying? Are you saying you're too good for the dead, is that what you're saying?† Abby stepped behind Tommy and peeked around. The kid was still out of breath from trying to keep up with Tommy, and now she was frightened, too. â€Å"No, Mistress, I think the nonliving are great. I'm all about dead people. I have a ‘I Fuck the Dead' T-shirt even. I can wear it tomorrow if you want. I didn't mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's okay, Abby,† Jody said, waving it off. â€Å"Just fucking with you.† â€Å"Jody!† Tommy said, scolding. â€Å"Don't scare the minion.† â€Å"Sorry,† Jody said, thinking, once again, that she might be evil. â€Å"What about the new apartment. Did you look at it?† â€Å"We went by it. It's only a few doors down. We don't even have to cross the street.† â€Å"You think that's far enough? They won't find us there?† â€Å"Well, at least they won't find us here. I don't think anyone's going to think that we'd only move a few doors down. They'll think we've at least left the City. What kind of idiot would only move a few doors away? It's brilliant.† â€Å"Plus an easy move,† Jody said. â€Å"You guys can do it without a truck.† â€Å"You guys?† â€Å"Well, I've got to find William, and you can't exactly run around until the shedding has subsided. Abby, do you have enough makeup to cover his face and hands?† â€Å"Tons,† Abby said. She held up her messenger bag. â€Å"But I can only help for a little while. I have to get home.† â€Å"Why?† Tommy asked. â€Å"We require your services.† He meant to sound sophisticated and European, but it came out sounding lecherous. â€Å"He means moving,† Jody said. â€Å"I've got his other services covered.† â€Å"I can't,† Abby said. â€Å"My sister has lice.† â€Å"So,† Abby said, â€Å"the countess is kind of a bitch.† â€Å"No, she's just a dark creature of unspeakable evil,† Tommy said. He had the futon on his back and was making his way down the street as Abby followed him with a lamp in one hand and a blender in the other. â€Å"In a nice way,† he added – thinking that maybe he'd already made enough of an impression on Abby. Although it was early in the evening, and it was a little unusual to see a guy walking down the street carrying a futon, followed by a Goth girl carrying a lamp and a blender, it was just unusual enough that people would have felt stupid if they asked what was going on and someone pointed out it was modern dance, or performance art, or people robbing an apartment. San Francisco is a city of sophisticates, and except for a homeless guy who remarked on the tackiness of Tommy's Pier 1 Imports decor, they had moved half of the furniture and clothing without comment. â€Å"Do you need to feed?† Abby asked when they got back to the old loft. They were standing in the living room, where there was little left except some bookcases and the three bronze statues. â€Å"Huh?† Tommy replied. â€Å"I'm guessing that you need to feed,† Abby said, pulling her hoodie aside and offering up her neck. â€Å"And I have to get going. I have to get to Walgreens and catch the bus home before the parental unit goes critical. Go ahead. I'm ready.† She closed her eyes and started breathing hard, as if bracing for the pain. â€Å"Take me, Flood. I'm ready.† â€Å"Really?† Tommy said. Abby opened one eye. â€Å"Well yeah.† â€Å"You're sure?† Tommy hadn't bitten another woman. He wasn't sure if it might not be cheating. What if the whole sex thing went off the way it did with Jody? That kind of activity would kill a normal human woman, plus, he was pretty sure that Jody would not approve. â€Å"Maybe a little from the wrist,† Tommy said. Abby opened her eyes and pulled up her sleeve. â€Å"Of course, so you don't leave the mark of nosferatu.† She said it with a hiss – nasss – sssss – fer-a-too – like she was speaking snake. â€Å"Oh, it won't leave any marks,† Tommy said. â€Å"You'll heal up like instantly.† He was starting to feel the hunger rise in him, he could feel his fangs pressing down from the roof of his mouth. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Oh yeah, Jody bit me almost every night before I changed over, and no one ever noticed down at the store.† â€Å"The store?† Oops. â€Å"The ye olde porridge and leeches store, where I worked, in the ye old days.† â€Å"I thought you were a lord?† â€Å"Well, yeah, I mean, I owned the store, and some serfs, and scullery maids – couldn't get enough of the scullery maids – but I put in a shift now and then. You know, help to stir the porridge and inventory the leeches. Serfs will steal you blind if you don't watch them. Well, enough business, let's get to that feeding.† He took her wrist and pulled it to his mouth, then stopped. She was looking at him, one eyebrow sort of cocked in the air, and there was a silver ring in it, so it felt more incredulous than a normal eyebrow. He dropped her arm. â€Å"You know, maybe you should get home before you get in trouble. I wouldn't want my minion on restriction.† Abby looked hurt now. â€Å"But, Lord Flood, have I offended you? Am I not deserving?† â€Å"You were looking at me like you thought I was fucking with you,† Tommy said. â€Å"Weren't you?† â€Å"Well no. This is a two-way street, Abby. I can't ask for your loyalty if I don't give you trust in return.† He couldn't believe the bullshit that was coming out of his mouth. â€Å"Oh, okay then.† â€Å"Tomorrow night,† Tommy said. â€Å"I'll bleed you within an inch of your life, I promise.† The things you never think you'll hear yourself say. Abby rolled down her sleeve. â€Å"Okay then. Will you be able to get the rest by yourself?† â€Å"Sure. Vampire powers. Duh.† He laughed, waving at the heavy bronze statues like they were nothing. â€Å"You know,† Abby said, â€Å"the man and the turtle are cool, but that woman statue, you should get rid of that. She looks kind of skanky.† â€Å"You think?† Abby nodded. â€Å"Yeah. Maybe there's some church or something that you could donate it to. Like, to show how you don't want your daughter to grow up. Oh, sorry, Lord Flood, I didn't mean to say church.† â€Å"No, I'm okay,† Tommy said. â€Å"I'll walk you out.† â€Å"Thanks,† Abby said. He followed her downstairs and held the door to the street, then at the last minute, as she was walking away, she turned and kissed him quickly on the cheek. â€Å"I love you, Lord Flood,† she whispered in his ear. Then she turned and ran up the sidewalk. Tommy felt himself blush. Dead as he was, he felt heat rise in his cheeks. He turned and trudged back up the steps, feeling the full weight of his four, maybe five hundred years of life. He needed to talk to Jody. How long could it take to find one drunk guy with a giant cat? He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the number of the phone he'd given Jody. He could hear it ringing on the kitchen counter where she had left it.

Kenneth Burke’s Dramatism Essay

Life is drama; playing roles in relation to other people. Interest in the interaction of language and action. Symbolic Interactionist—Language is symbolic action. â€Å"Verbal symbols are meaningful acts from which motives can be derived (Griffin, p. 329).† â€Å"Human beings†¦are a symbol-creating, symbol-using, and symbol misusing animal (Littlejohn, 1978, p. 69).† A theory of Motives—why do people act (particularly rhetorically) the way they do? Assess motives. Texts/Speeches created by people to â€Å"DO SOMETHING.† Can be analyzed to determine what it is they are trying to do. Distinguishes human â€Å"Action† from Animal â€Å"Motion† Action Motion Done on purpose;Behaviors that are non- voluntary behavior purposeful/non-meaningful e.g. DramatismïÆ' ª ïÆ' ªAll animals and objects Peoplehave motion ïÆ' ªÃ¯Æ' ª Forms of ThoughtThe study of motion is ïÆ' ªmechanism Understood through motives ïÆ' ª Pentad (tool for understanding motives) Motive: Linguistic Product of Rhetorical Action Created a Grammar of Motives (â€Å"grammar† meaning rules, principles, elements, structure and/or book) Motives are viewed by Burke in terms of internal sources of action; but rather in terms of how language and terms are used to make actions understandable. Guilt as Motive: guilt is an â€Å"all-purpose word for any feeling of tension within a person—anxiety, embarrassment, self-hatred, disgust, etc. (Littlejohn, 1978, p. 70).† We communicate to purge ourselves of guilt. Guilt arises out of language. Three sources of guilt: 1. The Negative: Language allows for rules, morals, etc. that surround us and we can’t escape violating. 2. The Principle of Perfection: Language allows us to â€Å"imagine† the ideal (should). 3. The Principle of Heirarchy: Structure society with competing class and group distinctions We seek redemption (reduce or eliminate guilt) through communication/rhetoric/dramatism 1. Mortification: self-blame 2. Victimage: external enemy is the source 3. Scapegoating: blame other(s) Substance: general nature of a thing Consubstantiation: (shared substance, commonality) Identification: (same as consub) degrees of; conscious or unconscious; 1) material identification—goods, possessions, things 2) idealistic identification—values, ideas, feelings, attitudes 3) formal identification—form or arrangement of act/conventions; roles, customs, etc. Division—differences with others (source of guilt) PENTAD Tool for understanding motives Act SceneAgent Agency Purpose (Hexad: Attitude: delayed or incipient action) Statement of motives will answer: What was done (act), when or where it was done (scene), who did it (agent), how it was done (agency), and why it was done (purpose).

Masculinity Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Masculinity Studies - Essay Example factors that Kimmel’s studies are based on, influential feminists, contributions that he has made to the society and the practical applications of his subject. Kimmel, like most other activists, has a story behind his indulgence in the subject, which explains why he decided to become an activist. When Kimmel was in graduate school, his partner was working at a shelter. He used to frequently drop her at the shelter as she dint know to drive. Since Kimmel got used to this routine, he used to occasionally drop women at the shelter or drive them to the hospital with their kids. It was in this routine that he encountered certain events that affected him greatly, which encouraged him to become the renowned activist he is now. While he helped out these women from time to time, he realized that women being beaten up and treated badly were issues so common. There were points of time when he felt that this had to stop and did not seem to know that to do about it. When asked about what touched Kimmel the most, he talks about when there was one woman with broken limbs and a fractured jaw, who, through her fractured jaw said, "Sometimes I deserve it, b ut this time I didnt." When he said to the woman that she needs to make him stop, she said that he was a man too and that Kimmel should probably talk to them. At that instance Kimmel decided upon the fact that he definitely wants to change the way things are and began to work for it. He committed himself to working with men who used to beat up their wives or abuse them. Slowly he got drawn into various groups of non violence against torture, rape and ill treatment. This incident played a major role in shaping Kimmel into feminist that he is today. Kimmel’s participation in the Santa Cruz Men Against Rape organization was his first indulgence in a political engagement. He soon found himself as part of the National Organization Of Men Against Sexism. Since then, Kimmel was an academic researcher, was writing books on

International Trade and Finance Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Trade and Finance Law - Assignment Example However, besides the vivid opportunities, the global exposure practices have also been observed to impose certain threats and constraints upon the organisations. For instance, organisations intending to expand in the global context may face various types of legal risks owing to the differences pertaining to the regulatory framework of the home country and the host nation. It is in this context that international trade laws, in terms of industry specific concessions and Foreign Direct Investments, often tend to constrict the expansion programs of organisations (Johnsrud, 2011). Based on these aspects, the discussion intends to briefly discuss the international trade laws and the related risk factors that are quite likely to be faced by Cowan Davies (CD) PLC when expanding its business operations in South East Asia. Moreover, the discussion also focuses on identifying major risks of trade and finance that are probable to be faced by CD in its planned expansion to South East Asia. Brief Description of Legal Risks in International Trade and Finance Legal risks are often perceived to be a few of the fundamental issues faced by organisations when conducting processes related to international trade and finance. It is in this context that over the past decades, laws related to trade affairs and business operations have developed apparently, which has also imposed a significant influence on the organisational operations. For instance, in early decades of the 18th century, businesses were largely focused on national contexts rather than on foreign environments apart from the export and import functions. With the gradual increase in the globalisation effects, organisations became more concentrated on expanding their businesses in foreign countries in order to attain the virtues of added resource availability and increased market demand. However, owing to the distinctive cultural backgrounds and business procedures, various regions developed dissimilar trade policies which later cropped up as a fundamental reason for international trade related conflicts (Schmitthoff & Cheng, 1937). For instance, the legal framework followed by the South East Asian economies to facilitate international trade has been observed as quite different from that practiced by the western countries. Where the organisations operating in America, England and other allied western countries need to abide by the norms specified by North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the companies operating in the South East Asian region needs to follow the rules and regulations specified by the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN). Supposedly, the policies followed by the two international trade related treaties are distinct in terms of their characteristics which might give rise to conflicts and legal issues in case of global exposure (Johnsrud, 2011). With this concern, there are various trade and finance risks identifiable, which could affect the export activities of CD for its expansion in the South East Asian region. It is worth mentioning in this context t

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy - Essay Example These wars are commonly known as Proxy wars. Each country tries to contain the expansion of the other. Russia targeted communism. Many historians believe that it had selfish motives planned, turning the supporting countries into military camps, funding the spread of communism in other continents and U.S. trying to cork the leak. In 1947 the U.S. president Truman put forward the Truman Doctrine which served as a platform to voice the very same notion of corking the leak. It was primarily announced to save Greek communists from being overcome by the Soviet Union. The doctrine however did not highlight the particular expansionist country, yet the core country was pretty much evident. It said that whoever tries to establish a stronghold over countries who do not wish to abide willingly will be tackled by the United States of America. The Soviet Union recognized this doctrine as a war cry. (Gaddis 1974). The Truman doctrine was in fact an open effort by the States to contain Communism within every nook of the world no matter how far reached it appeared to be. This laid open an invitation for cold war which proceeded as the States tried to handle various targets set forth by the post war Soviet Union circumstances. The announcement of this doctrine created many adversaries from within the country as well. Many were opposed to the fact of spending millions of dollars just for simple administration in various countries. They felt as if President Truman and the speech he delivered in front of the Congress in 1947 had obligated the country to kibosh communism in every other country. The feared the burden it would be laying on the economy and ultimately on the financial infrastructure. But Truman believed that this containment need not only be via military forces but through peaceful talks, negotiations and other economic means (Zajac, 2013). It felt as a need for the U.S. to provide

Ideologies as a Form of Oppression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ideologies as a Form of Oppression - Essay Example I am of the opinion that Berger’s statement is one of Marxist elements. Advancing the idea of classes, and in a subtle way, brushing on class struggle and conflict caused by class segregation in society. Berger is presenting the labour world as one that has borrowed heavily from the feudal system that existed in medieval Europe. However, the emphasis on labour has fallen short of its purpose because of its focal point of comparison. This is because research on the symbolic meaning of this painting, reveals that it has many religious concepts. Most scholars are of the view that the painting’s symbolism illustrates the conflict between secular and religious authorities. There is little mention of the conflict between the rich and the poor. Berger’s statement is, therefore, subject to personal testimonies. Though he is a scholar of the art world himself, symbolism will always remain a personal reflection of ideas unless there is a presentation of undisputed evidence . One instance of evidence giving would involve giving another painting as a comparison to The Ambassadors. There are paintings that represent states of poverty in Europe like Spain 'Street-Boy of Seville' by Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1618-1682) or France 'Charity' by Adolph William Bouguereau (1825-1905). From the ideas expressed in the first paragraph of this paper, there appears to be a clear and direct link between events in history and those in present times. One can conclusively state that there is no present without a past. The occurrences of the present times are largely dependent on what happened in the past.

Spirituality in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Spirituality in Nursing - Essay Example The possibility of death makes a person fearful and his inclination towards spirituality grows to a great extent. Hence, spirituality plays an essential role in life of a person who is undergoing medical treatment. It has been found that the rate of recovery and attitude towards treatment is strongly affected by the spiritual and religious beliefs of a person. According to Baukhardt and Jacobson, spirituality provides meaning and inner strength to a person. Also, the introduction of the concept of alternative Eastern medicine and therapies to the Western people have changed the whole paradigm of medical treatment. People have started believing in the power of Eastern therapies and spiritual practices to heal their diseases and suffering. Moreover, it has been proved by the researches that spiritual and religious people respond more positively to medical treatment and show better outcome. The positive relation between spirituality and medical recovery has made it essential to include spirituality and religion as a part of treatment. Hence, it is essential for the nurses to understand and fulfill the spiritual needs of the client, as it not only helps in gaining the trust of the clients and building a healthy relationship with them, but also helps in curing the diseases completely, as spirituality is known to have the potential to heal the emotional and psychological problems, which are the root cause of the diseases. Definition Defining spirituality is not an easy thing as it encompasses different views, experiences and beliefs that are held sacred by different religions, cultures and traditions. According to Vink (2003), spirituality can be defined as â€Å"that aspect of every human being, rooted in our unique createdness that is on a sacred journey of completeness, sometimes seeking to connect with and trust in the divine being† (Shives, 2008, p.34). The definition shows that the need of spirituality arises from the emptiness that people feel inside th eir heart despite of having everything in their life. Moreover, this emptiness and powerlessness is felt more strongly when a person is suffering from physical or mental disease. Spiritual practices help people to feel connected with God and remove the feeling of emptiness. Hence, human elements like â€Å"love, compassion, caring, transcendence, relationship with God, and the connection of mind, boy and spirit† are used to define spirituality in the nursing literature (O’Brien, 2011, p.6). Different theories of nursing have aimed at helping the nursing professionals to assimilate spirituality in their care of the clients. However, the nursing theory that comes close to including all the spiritual aspects of caring into nursing practice is the â€Å"Theory of Human/Transpersonal Caring† by Jean Watson. Theory Of Human/ Transpersonal Care Jean Watson (1985), in her theory of nursing and spirituality, has given immense stress on importance of spirituality in the p rocess of nursing and care of a patient (Daniels, 2004, p. 1502). According o Watson, human being’s essential part is his soul and hence, if a person suffering from illness is to be healed, then connecting to a person on a level of soul is extremely important for a nurse (Daniels, 2004, p. 1502). Watson says that soul being the essence of human spirit, it provides human being with inner strength and helps him to

See Assessment criteria below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

See Assessment criteria below - Essay Example To what extent are they (in)compatible with each other? To what extent do their accounts reinforce, undermine, coincide with or complement each other? To what extent are their accounts (or might their accounts be) combinable into a superior (or at least a more comprehensive) account of these historical dimensions of human thought and understanding? To what extent do their respective insights and oversights help us better to understand or to resolve issues about the historical dimensions of human thought and understanding? Hegel and Heidegger were both eminent philosophers of their respective times: Hegel (1770-1831), the earlier of the two, belongs to the school of Idealism whereas Heidegger (1889-1976) was one of the main exponents of 20th century Existentialism. Hegel sees the development of Being as an infinite development cycle triggered by the intention of becoming something what it is not at present, and this perpetual chain of development is marked by a point of coincidence of being and non-being, which, when united, form a higher entity. The former entity is therefore combined, through the factors of being and non-being, in a higher synthesis of the two. The development of Being therefore consists of three stages: being is the thesis, non-being the antithesis, and the becoming is the synthesis. These stages are repeated ad infinitum so that the new Being is again tested by the non-being and achieves a still higher stage in the melding of thesis and antithesis to a new stage of becoming. Being is therefore in a constant state of flux, it is rebuilding itself ad infinitum to achieve higher stages of itself. The former stages of Being are not nullified but re=evaluated, so in the development of the human personality we pass from one stat e to another, constantly evaluating and developing our personality, passing from state to state without nullifying the previous state, which is constantly dividing and recomposing itself.

Is Article 5 of the OECD's Model Tax Convention still fit for purpose Coursework

Is Article 5 of the OECD's Model Tax Convention still fit for purpose given the changes in world trade since the Article was fir - Coursework Example Raising personal income taxes or the goods and services tax any further would be extremely unpopular with the people. There is widespread anger in the UK and in other OECD countries about the tax avoidance practices of large multinational corporations. In the UK, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament questioned senior executives of Starbucks, Amazon and Google on their tax avoidance practices which were held to be against the spirit if not the letter of the law 2. Multinational Corporations (MNC) accounted for over $33 trillion in global sales in 2010 with a value addition of over $16 trillion, representing one-quarter of the world GDP. Many of the MNC from the Fortune 100 list have bigger revenues than several of the emerging economy countries around the world and most of these MNC are headquartered in the OECD countries 3. 1 Browne, J. and Roantree, B., â€Å"A Survey of the UK Tax System†, IFS Briefing Note BN09, October 2012. accessed 20 March 2013. 2 Knight, L., â⠂¬Å"Corporate tax avoidance: How do companies do it?† BBC News, 4 Dec 2012. accessed on 20 March 2013. 3 UNCTAD Report, â€Å"World Investment Report 2011†, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development accessed on 20 March 2013. ... ve definition, a sovereign state is made up of three core elements â€Å"people, territory and a government† and the government of a territory has the sovereign right to tax people living in that territory 4. A Multinational Corporation, by definition, operates in multiple countries and there is the perennial challenge of determining which government has taxation rights over the MNC and for what part of its income. 2. The Evolution of the OECD Model Tax Convention The Organization for European Economic Cooperation which later became the OECD first published a draft double taxation avoidance agreement in 1958 with the objective of preventing individuals or companies being taxed in both the country of residence (Country R) and the country of source for the income (Country S) and for the prevention of tax evasion. This document has served as the basis for over 3000 bilateral tax treaties in force around the world 5. The Model Convention has been periodically updated by the OECD a nd a draft 2012 revision is currently in circulation. Many developing countries around the world felt that the OECD model convention was unduly favourable to the advanced economies and lobbied the United Nations to evolve an alternative Model Double Taxation convention which was first issued in 1977. 4 Ring, D.M., â€Å"Democracy, Sovereignty and Tax Competition: The Role of Tax Sovereignty in shaping Tax Cooperation†, Boston College Law School, 28 Jan 2009. accessed on 20 March 2013. 5 Bennett, M., â€Å"The 50th Anniversary of the OECD Model Tax Convention†, 2008. accessed on 20 March 2013. This model has also been periodically updated. The UN model gives the source country greater rights to tax income than the

The Fifth Child Essay Example for Free

The Fifth Child Essay The main characters in this novel are Harriet and David Lovatt. They met each other at an office Christimas party, where they see each other from across a room crowded with dancing, drinking people and recognize, as they study each other, that they are fundamentally quite similar. In 1960`s they decide to marry and invest everything they have into a rambling Victorian house. Both of them have ideals like fidelity,family life and a permanent house. Harriet and David Lovat are a conventional couple in 1960’s England. Their only oddity seems to be their desire for a large family, and when they produce four children in quick succession, they seem to be building the happy family they want. The Christian connotations of the names of the male children, Paul and Luke, are unmistakable, and this layer of meaning is reinforced by the way the entire family regularly assembles from far and wide to celebrate the great festivals of the religious year. Even they are happy with their four children, she gets pregnant again with the fifth child, but she has a strange feeling that this child is different from the others. She feels the unborn baby to be a savage thing, and baby Ben emerges like a beast of the Apocalypse, an anti-Christ. He started to move violently and too early inside Harriet. The birth is one month early and very difficult. After half a year he is able to walk without help, but it`s not only very strong, he is also extremly aggressive too. Over the next few years they are forced to recognize that „little† Ben is more like a monster, not a child and his violent behaviour produces some horrifying accidents. He often beats his brothers and sisters. „Harriet was wondering why she was always treated like a criminal. Ever since Ben was born it’s been like this, she thought. Now it seemed to her the truth, that everyone had silently condemned her. I have suffered a misfortune, she told herself; I haven’t committed a crime. †

Tristram Shandy: Postmodern texts

Tristram Shandy: Postmodern texts Does Tristram Shandy demonstrate that there can be postmodern texts before Postmodernism? Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy dominated the London literary marketplace during its serial publication from 1759-1767.   Like his contemporary writers, Sterne engages in debates concerning what we would now regard as the disciplinary boundary between literature and philosophy which has established its canonical status as a work of postmodern fiction.   It is difficult to ascribe, as many scholars have, to Tristram Shandy the title of ‘postmodern’.   To characterize this novel through a future literary movement which defines itself through the rejection of the principles of the previous movement is incongruous.   How can a novel which precedes postmodernism by over a century and a half reflect the cultural and political formations which sparked the movement itself?   However, Tristram Shandy does contain fictional and narrative elements which clearly invite comparison with the fiction of the postmodern movement. Born into the Augustan Age, Sterne’s discordant writing makes him seem out of place in his own era   Differing drastically from the contemporary imaginative literature of Defoe, Richardson and Fielding and the philosophical writing of Johnson, Tristram Shandy has been explained by critics as an example of ‘process writing’, a text presented in the very act of creation and change.   This analysis can be applied to Sterne himself; moving away from the Augustan poets and the sentimental writers, Sterne’s writing is termed postmodern because it is a rejection of realism, turning from the objectivity of external truth to examine inner states of consciousness.   Sterne’s novel clearly exhibits the postmodernist theory of metafiction, in which the writing self-consciously points to itself as an object in order to question the relationship between reality and fiction.   Sterne was certainly not alone in critiquing methods of narrative construction an d exploring the fictionality of the external world, but what sets Tristram Shandy apart from its contemporary fiction is the use of language as an arbitrary system.   The elements of Tristram Shandy which inspire comparisons with the postmodernist movement are clear: questioning the relationship between text and the self, and an argument for the constitutive power of language.   Postmodern scholars question the fundamental representation of identity and history itself, that is, history as what ‘really’ happened as opposed to history as an objective ‘narrative’ of what happened.   Sterne has a clear understanding of how some element of self-definition and identification is involved in the fictional writing process, and freely admits the element of autobiography in his writing.   ‘Tis †¦ a picture of myself’ he tells David Garrick in regards to Tristram Shandy (Letters 87).   The autobiographical element in Sterne’s writing suggests multiple definitions of the same reality, which depend upon perspectives rather than objective truth.   This comes across as a convoluted and fragmented narrat ive that confuses fiction and reality, narrative and truth. Tristram himself says of his father’s masterpiece, the Trista-paedia, ‘My father spun his, every thread of it, out of his own brain, or reeled and cross-twisted what all other spinners and spinster had spun before him’ (Sterne 93).   Sterne, like his character Tristram, spins his own narrative in an intricate and complex web, so convoluted and transparent that it is difficult to tell where it ends and he begins. Tristram Shandy clearly embodies this ambiguity between reality and representation through language.   James Swearingen writes that in Tristram Shandy ‘language does not just facilitate communication: it establishes the phenomenal horizon in which speakers and things spoken about are constituted’(Swearingten 117).   Tristram constructs his biography through textual language, which reveals itself to be an ambiguous rather than a concrete medium.   He admits that he is better associated with the text itself than the subject to which it refers.   Tristram’s escape from his inevitable death is described as a journey in which ‘life follows the pen’ (Sterne 754).   Once again returning to the autobiographical element of Sterne’s writing, if Tristram’s journey follows the pen, then he, like Sterne, is creating and documenting his own existence, shaping his narrative according to his liking rather than according to objective truth. At the same time that Sterne celebrates the constructive power of language, he reveals its ultimate failure.   Sterne was ‘concerned almost exclusively with the problem of communication among men’ wrote John Traugott, illuminating both the genius and failure of Sterne’s text.   When words fail, as they sooner or later do, communication becomes the business of sensibility.   ‘My uncle Toby looked brisk at the sound of the word siege, but could make neither head nor tail of it’ (Sterne 312).   Traugott concludes that Tristram Shandy seeks to re-establish a community where reason, in the form of language, threatens to destroy it (Traugott 15).   Rather than basing a notion of community upon concrete notions of order and hierarchy, the Shandy world is built on the unstable base of subjectivity.   ‘In Sterne’s world, each individual consciousness establishes itself at the centre of a universe of feeling and ignores any such thing a s objective reality, until the subject of Tristram Shandy finally seems to be the nature of fiction itself’ (Byrd 59).   Virginia Woolf has noted Sterne’s unexpected prose as a means of exploring a materialist critique of the conventions of the novel itself.   The jerky, disconnected sentences are as rapid and it would seem as little under control as the phases that fall from the lips of a brilliant talker †¦ The order of the ideas, their suddenness and irrelevancy, is more true to life than to literature †¦ Under the influence of this extraordinary style the book becomes semi-transparent.   The usual ceremonies and conventions which keep the reader and writer at arm’s length disappear (Woolf 79) Stylistically, Sterne’s novel deconstructs the narrative and linguistic form of the novel in favour of multiplicity and ambiguity. Indeed, the author’s preface is found in volume three, chapters are disordered, and symbols and blank pages are found throughout the book.   Playing with novelistic conventions, Sterne draws attention to the instability of the written form itself, paralleling the ambiguity of the text with the ambiguity of the self. Sterne uses reflection to expose the constructedness of his narrative, encouraging the reading to approach it not as subjective truth but as an aesthetic.   This is clearly apparent in the treatment of various forms of madness within the novel.   Madness figures prominently in Tristram Shandy.   The metaphor of madness appears in many critical discussion of the novel because helps to underscore the link between Sterne and his contemporary Augustan satirists, for whom the classical idea of madness as supernatural inspiration is missing.   Indeed, Sterne seems to anticipate the Romantic poets who, by contrast, represent madness as a sign of alienation, in which the faculty of imagination is the source of anxiety rather than creative freedom. In Tristram Shandy many kinds of madness are manifest.   Characters such as Toby and Walter serve simply as the necessary comic eccentricity, similar to the figure of Yorick to whom Tristram refers throughout his story.   Tristram, howe ver, cites John Locke as an explanation of why ‘my poor mother could never hear the †¦ clock wound up, but the thoughts of some other things unavoidably popped into her head’ (Sterne 39).   The ‘sort of unreasonableness’ which Locke describes is, ironically, the driving force behind Tristram’s unorderly pattern of narration.   Tristram clearly expresses Sterne’s own narrative technique: ‘By this contrivance the machinery of my work is of a species by itself; two contrary motions are introduced into it, and reconciled, which were thought to be at variance with each other.   In a word, my work is digressive, and it is progressive too, -and at the same time’ (Sterne 95).   Sterne questions what it means to live in a world in which the boundaries of the self and the body politic are redefined.   Challenging the conventions of body narrative form and philosophical notions of the self, Sterne questions, ‘is a man t o follow rules or rules to follow him?’ (Sterne, 583) One bibliographer described Tristram Shandy as ‘postmodernist in every sense except the moment in which it was written,’ and most critics have agreed.   However, despite the similarities between Sterne’s own engagement with philosophical and literary critique in his novel, it is impossible to call Tristram Shandy a postmodernist text, if purely for semantic reasons.   It is tempting to explain instances of extraordinary forms of artistic and critical reflection with the tools of the present, but this is a fallacy.   Sterne’s novel engages with the epistemological, philosophical and literary crises of his time, and cannot possibly be explained with a theory born out of the crises of the twentieth century.   As Tristram’s mother exclaimed, ‘L—d! †¦ what is all this story about? –‘ It is, and will remain, ‘A COCK and a BULL, †¦ And one of the best of its kind, I ever heard’ (Sterne 615). Works Cited Byrd, M. (1985) Tristram Shandy London: George Allen Unwin. Swearingen, J. (1977) Reflexivity in Tristram Shandy: An Essay in Phenomenological Criticism New Haven: Yale University Press. Sterne, L. (1967) The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, London: Penguin Classics. -(1775) Letters to his Friends on Various Occasions, London. Traugott, J. (1954) Tristram Shandys World: Sternes Philosophical Rhetoric. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press. Woolf, V. (1932) The Common Reader: Second Series. London: Hogarth Press.

General Omar Bradley :: Essays Papers

General Omar Bradley General Omar Nelson Bradley was the first member of his 1915 West Point class to receive a star. Gen. George C. Marshall played a key role in his rapid advance, and he served one year as an assistant in the War Department under Marshall. Promoting him from lieutenant colonel to brigadier general in 1940, Marshall made Bradley head of the Infantry School, gave him a second star in 1941, and after that appointed him commanding general of the 82nd and 28th divisions. Impressed by Bradley's success as a planner, Marshall sent him to North Africa early in 1943 to be Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's "eyes and ears." Soon Bradley commanded the U.S. Second Corps in Tunisia. As a corps commander under Gen. George Patton's 5th Army, Bradley played a key role in the conquest of Sicily in the summer of 1943. Early in preparations for the 1944 invasion of Normandy, Marshall selected Bradley to command the 1st Army, which he later directed in the D-Day landings and Normandy campaign. When Patton was sent with the 3rd Army to assist in the breakout from France several weeks later, Bradley became the 12th Army Group commander, with Gen. Courtney Hodges's 1st and Patton's 3rd armies under his command. He led this force in a rapid movement across northern France and Belgium to the German frontier. Slowed by rugged terrain and supply shortages, Bradley's forces were hard hit in the Ardennes area in mid-December. When the German advance made it necessary for him to hand over command of the American forces north of the German penetration to British field marshal Bernard Montgomery, Bradley used Patton's troops to restore his lines in the south. His reinforced force in February pushed the Germans back across the Roer and led to a seizure of a bridge across the Rhine in early March. In April Bradle y's Army Group, now consisting of the 1st, 3rd, 9th, and 15th armies, led a massive drive through central Germany to the Elbe, to link up with the Russians at Torgau on April 25th before pushing into Czechoslovakia at the end of the war. When General Eisenhower retired from his job as chief of staff in 1948, Bradley assumed the position until he became the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position made necessary by the recent unification of the armed forces. Soon involved in supporting military operations in Korea, Bradley was caught up first with getting additional forces to MacArthur and then in the controversy between the Far East commander and Washington over policy.

Location of Selves and Reorganization of Reality :: Identity Reality Self Essays

Location of Selves and Reorganization of Reality We perceive limits in our culture of information—our postmodern world. Limits in defining a simple, modernist self are the same limits that govern the ownership of land and of ideas (hence, the copyright). Defining a person in strict terms of a single identity allows self the capacity for ownership. People feel that they have a handle over things if they know themselves in terms of a concise identity. Even more, people can be assured that they are normal or, further, powerful and significant, if they have certain â€Å"desirable† traits that make up their true selves. This sense of self causes the identity crisis, insecurities, and self-hate just as much if not more so than it gives people an assurance of knowing who â€Å"they† are. The cyborg enacts the anticipated demolition of such reducing mirages. Cyborgs defy traditional classification, thus controllability. This threatens those in power, and it threatens those that enjoy the limits once in place. While this idea must seem to crush the strength of groups that have been defined by a unifying trait such as â€Å"male†, it really allows for far more possible groups to unify—groups that may have experienced turmoil and were unable to be classified by one word, like â€Å"woman†. Simple classifications that have discounted other portions of one’s unique experience will no longer limit or detract from one’s multiple selfhood. Then, cyborgs/selves can explore the self of choice to maximize their experience in accordance with their environment. Finally, the quests for self as authentic will no longer persist. The authenticity of human interaction could just be a falsity. Behaviors are, after all, only as genuine or definitive as you imagine them to be. One can shape their experiences, or at least their perceptions of them, uniquely. [See Chapter 5, Speaking into the Air] Thus, the need for human contact could be viewed as another myth. People can fall in love over the Internet. The orgasm that one has in a simulated situation, like phone sex or cyber sex, is just as â€Å"real† as the one he/she would have had if the big fat hairy woman on the other end of the wire (and the orgasm) really was the skinny sexy blond thought to be communicating.

Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Holden Caulfield in The Catc

"Dey all useter call me Alphabet 'cause so many people had done named me different names," Janie says (Hurston 9). The nickname "Alphabet" is fitting in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God because Janie is always changing and rearraging, never the same. Janie Crawford was constantly searching for happiness, self-realization, and her own voice. Janie dares not to fit the mold, but rather defy it to get what she wants. On the journey to find her voice, she marries three separate men and each one of these men contribute to Janie’s quest in different ways. In the beginning, the pear tree symbolizes Janie’s yearning to find within herself the sort of harmony and simplicity that nature embodies. However, that idealized view changes when Janie is forced to marry Logan Killicks, a wealthy and well-respected man whom Janie’s Nanny set her up with. Because Janie does not know anything about love, she believes that even if she does not love Logan yet, she will find it when they marry. Upon marrying Logan, she had to learn to love him for what he did, not for that infallible love every woman deserves.  After a year of pampering, Logan becomes demanding and rude, he went as far to try to force Janie to do farm work. It was when this happened that Janie decided to take a stand and run away with Joe. At this time, Janie appears to have found a part of her voice and strong will. In a way, she gains a sense of independence and realizes she has the power to walk away from an unhealthy situation and does not have to be a slave to her own husband. After moving to Eatonville and marrying Joe, Janie discovers that people are not always who they seem to be. While Joe at first seemed to be easy-going and friendly, she wa... ... stay" (Salinger 205). He is repulsed by fake people and wants to be satisfied by something real--something true he can grasp onto. Just as Janie is similar to Holden, Holden is also similar to Janie. Janie is a woman who has overcome the rules and restrictions she was given. Janie was nothing but "a rut in the road. Plenty of life beneath the surface but it was kept beaten down by the wheels" (Hurston 72). Eventually, Janie made it her purpose to rebel against this mold. By the end of the story, Janie has accomplished finding and conquering self-actualization, she has reached her enlightenment through the her marriages to Logan, Jody, and Tea Cake. It is apparant when she tells Pheoby, â€Å"You got tuh go there tuh know  there..Two things everybody's got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh theyselves" (Hurtson 183).

The warehouse group pest analysis: strategic management Essay

The warehouse group pest analysis The external environment can be grouped into different environmental segments, the Political/legal segment, economic, socio-cultural and technological segments, otherwise known as PEST. (hanson et al) Technological Technological advances have also impacted the industry such as the use of self-checkout machines. The introduction of self service has changed the daily interactions for customers making transactions much faster and easier as well as more accurate (nz herald ref). According to NCR, which is the maker of 99% of all checkout machines in NZ, work is being done on ATM technology which will allow transactions to be made through smartphones. (nz herald ref). This will hopefully give The Warehouse Group opportunities for an increase in sales, as a carrier of smartphones this innovation makes way for apps to be created and used for store information and discounts that can be transferred directly from customers mobile phones. Socio-cultural The socio-cultural environment consists of people’s attitudes and values (hanson et al ref), this externality therefore can effect all other segments of the environment. The Warehouse Group was recently influenced by the union-led New Zealand Living Wage campaign, which was focused on the need for a higher minimum wage in the country in order to lower the income gap between the rich and poor. (nbr article ref). With information about this issue the company researched the amount of income required to maintain a household and then measured it against their employees pay rates; after consideration they have changed the amount they will be paying to certain employees and will soon have a minimum wage of $18.50 to $20 for experienced staff members. (nbr ref). This will hopefully create more stability for The Warehouse Group’s employees. Political-legal The political-legal environment is the area of laws and regulations that organisations compete in for attention and resources, (Hansen et al). Possible new legislations introduced by the government may affect all suppliers of goods and services in NZ, the new law will make it a breach for consumer supply standard form contracts to contain unfair contract terms  (ref) that instigate a ‘take it or leave it’ relationship between suppliers and buyers. This will give suppliers more power and could impede companies such as The Warehouse Group from gaining access to cheaper supplies, The Warehouse is known for its low prices and discounted products so this may cause a decrease in sales revenue if low prices are not continuous. Economic According to Hansen et al the economic environment is the economy in which a firm competes or wishes to compete in. During the global recession the retail industry suffered severe threats, most companies were forced to make cost cuts in order to make a profit, but with The Warehouse already being a discount store, additional cost cuts put a strain on the company’s performance. (ref). Market conditions today still remain tough and competition continues to increase however the long lasting effects of the recession have been key driving forces for the Warehouse Group to take actions such as the acquisition if noel leeming, to broaden its services as a retail brand and increase profit margins. Tech – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10834173 Political- http://www.wigleylaw.com/assets/pdfs/2013/New-NZ-Law-many-consumer-supply-contracts-potentially-illegal-by-late-2013.pdf Eco http://companyresearch.nzx.com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/reports/nz/2012/WHS2012.pdf http://www.ukessays.com/essays/economics/the-effects-of-the-global-recession-on-the-warehouse-group-economics-essay.php socio- http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/warehouse-seeks-better-workforce-higher-pay-more-training-bd-139730

Examining the Saytam scandal

1.1 JustificationI chose this dirt because it was a recent and a really large one. It is besides really international as it is an outsourcing house, the effects of the dirt affected many other states. Many people lost their investings and India has lost the other states ‘ trust deeply. It is really suited to explicate with assorted ethical elements.1.2 What is the Scandal about, who are the histrions in it?On 7 January 2009 by the confess of B. Ramalinga Raju, who is the laminitis and besides the president of the Satyam Computer, the universe has learnt and shocked about the fradulent fiscal activities that the Satyam interfered. Ramalinga Raju founded Satyam in 1987 with merely 20 employees which was India ‘s 4th largest outsourcing company with $ 1 billion one-year grosss Satyam Computer Services Ltd was incorporated in 1989 and it went public in 1992. With each go throughing twelvemonth, Satyam strengthened its place and extended its operations to assorted locations. . However when it is discovered the cheatings of Satyam, inquiries arose about how Satyam came to this place. For replying these inquiries we must travel back to the ninetiess. The 2nd half of the 1990s was the liberalisation period in which the importance of the corporations increased extremely in India. Increased competition forced corporations to seek unethical ways to drive their concerns. As coming into being subsequently, Ramalinga Raju besides engaged in such actions to demo its company ‘s public presentation better off. In 2008, although the board of managers hesitated, Satyam acquired Maytas Infrastructure and Maytas Properties that were founded by the laminitis Ramalinga Raju ‘s household for $ 1.6 billion. These both companies belonged to Raju ‘s boies and in the terminal the authorities had to reexamine the trade and the frailty president of India criticized it. When the authorities and the clients of the Satyam became leery about this behavior of Satyam and the investors panically and all of a sudden sold a immense sum of the stocks, Satyam called of its determination. Satyam investors lost 3,400 Indian Rupee in the related terror merchandising. The acquisition created a incredulity in New York Stock Exchange and the Satyam portions fell 55 % . Because of that, the board of managers had to vacate at the terminal of the twelvemonth Then on 29th December, 3 members of board of managers quit their occupations, it is the twenty-four hours when board of managers announced that they will purchase back for deriving the trust of their investors once more. However the things kept traveling worse off. On December 23, The World Bank announced that it banned the Satyam from making concern with it due to data larceny and graft. Market guesss about that the Satyam making fraud counterfeit and breach of contract increased tremendously. It is when the value of the booster interest of Satyam decreased to 5 % , which is an index that the Satyam was stranded, On 7 January 2009, company Chairman Ramalinga Raju resigned after advising board members and the Securities and Exchange Board of India ( SEBI ) that Satyam ‘s histories had been falsified ( Arakali,2009 ) .Raju confessed that Satyam ‘s balance sheet of 30 September 2008 contained: hyperbolic figures for hard currency and bank balances, an accumulated involvemen t of Rs. 376 crore which was non-existent, an unostentatious liability of Rs. 1,230 crore and an exaggerated debitors ‘ place of Rs. 490 crore ( as against Rs. 2,651 crore in the books ) .After probes are deepened, it was found that he had picked the lesser of two offenses when he decided to squeal the offense and he siphoned off financess by blow uping employee Numberss, made many â€Å" benami † land trades, opened â€Å" benami † bank histories, through relations and friends and used them to merchandise in Satyam ‘s portions ( Aneja,2009 ) . Benami history means that when you purchase something in the name of person else by using your ain financess, you use that individual as a name-lender and this is called a ‘ benami dealing ‘ and this is illegal, it can be made legal by reassigning the land in your name but this will affect stomp responsibility and enrollment charges. As a consequence, merely a little use in the company ‘s balance sheet consequence in difference of INR 71,36 one million millions between the existent operating net income As Mr. Raju besides stated in his missive, this difference continued to turn in many old ages and there had been taken many actions to make full this spread and the attemp to purchase Maytas was the last attemp to cover the fictitous assets with existent 1s. He besides claimed that neither he nor the pull offing managers benefited financially from the hyperbolic grosss and none of the board members had any cognition of the state of affairs in which the company was placed. It is really hard to change over everything back to an ethical and right manner after a point and Satyam had already passed this point which means it was inevitable for Satyam to be revelation. After the confession, the board of managers was banned from working and 10 nominal managers are appointed. Ramalinga Raju had arrested on charges of breach of trust, disproof of records, cheating, counterfeit and go againsting insider trading norm. A figure of employees including a top executive and CFO who laid the basis for the fraud and involved in the distorting the bank statements. The CFO of Satyam besides arrested. PWC as being the audit house of Satyam had lost assurance by its clients and 2 of its top functionaries were arrested. This dirt called by the media as Indian ‘s Enron and it has brought into inquiry the degrees of corporate administration in the state after this dirt. Satyam ‘s portions decreased by % 75 and it caused the Indian ‘s stock market to fall by % 7.[ 1 ] Rajiv Gupta, one of the investors of Satyam, told in an interview with BBC that he found the state of affairss occurred after the dirt really distressing and the clip is the worst possible clip to go on while the markets were merely started to look like they were retrieving.[ 2 ] However, it is non the market merely affected from this dirt ; investors, employees, providers, clients all injured from the incorrect making. It is obvious that there are some people who violated some moral issues and act unethically. Now I will seek to integrate moralss into existent life instance and evaluate in the visible radiations of different ethical rules to be able to do judgement whether it is in conformity with or in misdemeanor of moral criterions.1.3 Who has the moral duty? Who are to fault?The term moral duty sometimes means to fault a individual for something. A individual is morally responsible for the hurts or a incorrect if: caused or helped to do it, or failed to forestall it when he could hold and should hold, did so cognizing what he was making did so of his ain free will. In modern corporations duty is distributed among a figure of collaborating parties. The parties produce the corporate act together. The system arises a inquiry about who is responsible for jointly produced act. The traditional position is who is wittingly and freely lend the corporate act is responsible for the incorrect. In Satyam instance fraud and misrepresentation at Satyam Computer Services in India consist of several i mmoral Acts of the Apostless. Double accounting books, 1000s of bad bills, 1000s of unneeded employees and tonss of bogus bank statements, harmonizing to tribunal records ( Diaz,2009 ) . So a figure of fraud Acts of the Apostless was seen. Harmonizing to corporate duty theory who is responsible for? Whole company employees, employees, directors, board of managers, stockholders even hearers? In immoral Acts of the Apostless an person merely be responsible for an fraud if the individual is wittingly and freely do the unlawful act or non to take part the act but cognizant of it so non the brand an action to Under these conditions, we have to see both Mr. Raju, the audit house PricewaterhouseCoopers and board of managers and happen out if they were morally responsible for the fraud or non. Mr. Raju ; we can evidently see that he caused the fraud, since he wrote a confession missive to the imperativeness and told all the fraud. Furthermore we know that Mr. Raju acted of his ain free will by moving intentionally and purposefully and his actions were non the consequence of some unmanageable mental urge or external force. PwC ; the audit house claimed that they did non cognize about the fraud and the company gave them the incorrect fiscal statements, so they did non acknowledge the fraud. Hearers are responsible to analyze the fiscal statements of the company. Satyam committed an erroneous entering assets which did no exist. PwC is the audit company and should hold recognized the fraud so PwC failed to forestall it when it could hold prevented due to their profession ( Pettet,2009 ) . Through their profession, the audit house is in a place to observe any incompatibility or fraud in the statements. The house could hold raised inquiries about the immense non-existing money. They should hold paid necessary professional attending to their work ( Sekhar,2009 ) This demand is an duty for the hearers. In Satyam the hearers who are S. Gopala Krishnan and Srinivas Talluri, who have been suspended from PricewaterhouseCoopers instances the hearers are besides confronting charges ( Diaz,2009 ) Board of Directors ; when we think about the responsibilities of the board such as regulating the organisation, O.K.ing one-year budgets and oversee the activities of the company, it is clearly seen that the board did non make its responsibilities. They likely did non analyze the operations of the company carefully and did non cognize what was go oning in the company. Therefore, we can state that the board failed to forestall it when it could hold and should hold prevented it.In Satyam instances harmonizing to Ram Mynampati he and other board of directos had no cognition of the fiscal fraud. So they are non responsible for the immoral act because they have no cognition so ignorance of the act ( Vaswani,2009 ) One can state that PwC and the Board are nescient about the issue, nevertheless, they might be intentionally nescient, and if they recognize that something was traveling incorrect and did non state anything. For illustration Mr. Raju wanted to purchase the Maytas Infrastructure Company ‘s portions and the board knows that their concern has no relationship with substructure but they did non seek about the grounds why Mr.Raju wants to purchase the portions. The other exclusion of ignorance is being negligent. Both PwC and the Board failed to take necessary actions and they may pretermit the discernible hints of the fraud, it is non an alibi but it may cut down their duty.Section 2 Philosophers oppugning the Scandal combined with ethical rules in Business2.1 Kohlberg ‘s Moral DevelopmentRamalinga Raju can be the victim of his ego involvements. He may believe that its effects would be profitable and positive to his ego involvements. He may gain more money if he did non squeal the fraud and resign. Even if inflating figures and demoing a non-existent accumulated involvement are non ethical, but these actions would ensue in net income to him, hence, he sacrifice from being ethical. So, we can state that Mr. Raju is at the first degree â€Å" preconventional phases † and at â€Å" Instrumental and Relative Orientation Stage † .[ 3 ]2.2 Ethical Principles In Business2.2.1 Utilitarianism:Harmonizing to Utilitarian attack, it is indispensable to see both the immediate and foreseeable hereafter costs and benefits that each option will bring forth for each and every person. The costs of the dirt are terrible. For illustration, 6 million guiltless stockholders some of them have lost their full life nest eggs because Satyam lost its value by 78 % ( Vaswani, 2009 ) . Employees suffered from the falsified histories and lose their occupation in long term. He besides diverted big amounts of money belong to stockholders by feigning to do salary payments to non-existent employee s mean that lessening the grosss of stockholders. Harmonizing to utilitarians, there is nil unethical to distort the informations in the records. Utilitarians think that the actions which produce the greatest benefit and the lowest cost for the society. Before the revelation of the fraud, the investors were puting their money into Satyam and so the company could go on to run. If the company had showed the existent state of affairs to the society, no investors would take Satyam that the company would likely hold had to be near down. In short all of its 53000 employees would go out of employ which is a large cost to the society. So there is a benefit of protecting to occupations of employees and moreover Mr. Raju and some other managers besides might be benefited from the fraud and there were no one acquiring hurting before the revelation. So harmonizing to useful attack, it is right to rip off on study in this state of affairs. However there are jobs with rights and justness, because this behavior is n't a right moral regulation, it is non right to rip off on report.The legal system of India, petmits disproof of informations which means Mr. Raju and other people played function in fraud do non hold a legal right to make that. However is it besides incorrect harmonizing to moral rights? Moral rights are correlated with responsibilities. When a individual ha ve a moral right, the other have a responsibility non to interfere him or to supply him his right. Here in the instance, investors have right to cognize the existent place of the company which they are puting. However by rip offing on records is violated their rights. Satyam dirt has damaged the remainder of the Indian tech services industry because foreign companies were discouraged for outsourcing owing to the dirt. It is obvious that many U.S. and European clients including General Electric, General Motor, Nestle, and besides United States Government will rethink their trust on non merely the company but besides Indian outsourcing and the credibleness in western clients will endure in the long tally ( Gorkey, 2009 ) . As a effect of the instance, the full corporate administration system in India has been unfaithful for most companies. On the other manus, dirt created an chance for India ‘s challengers in the outsourcing game and smaller IT companies in foreign states can get down concern with Satyam ‘s clients. However some clients are encouraged to maintain occupations at place state in order to avoid any hazards of fraud. It can fresh place market of the clients who may prefer to make concern in their ain sector which will derive more net income itself. There are some Raju ‘s parts to society that can be calculated on benefits side like constructing an exigency health care supplier called EMRI and puting up an exigency medical service ( EMS ) . At the terminal of cost-benefit analysis, net public-service corporation that produced by the dirt is negative intending more costs over benefits so it is non a right action.2.2.2 Kantian RightsRamalinga Raju in his missive noted that, Satyam had really made 3 % border, nevertheless many economic experts and bookmans find it laughably low in IT industry ( Shirsat, 2009 ) .This claim supports the claim that Raju pick the lesser of two offenses when he decided to squeal the offense. Besides he inflated the head count of employees to syphon off financess from company ( Vaswani, 2009 ) .Therefore we can reason that more money was coming into company but it was being siphoned out. He used his aged female parent ‘s name to do about 400 â€Å" benami † land trades, invest in other concerns such as existent estate with the many. First of wholly, he diverted big amounts of money belong to stockholders by feigning to do salary payments to non-existent employees. The state of affairs can non go through both the universalizability and reversibility standards of Kantian rights. ( Velasquez,2006 ) He besides violated the 2nd preparation of Kant because he used these non-existent employees and his aged female parent as a agency for his ain will and profaned human self-respect norm. Besides misdemeanor of the belongings rights of stockholders by utilizing belongings belongs to company without permission can be seen as an unethical pattern. Corporate jurisprudence practicians said Raju violated officers ‘ right to cognize by abetting them to perpetrate fiscal fraud. Another issue is Raju is known for his philanthropic gift and committedness to assisting India ‘s rural hapless. He reportedly donated more than $ 50 million of his ain money to make the plan. With the wealth generated by money of others doing such a committedness to society is unethical. This violates the stockholders ‘ right to take because they have a right to take how to utilize their ain money for assisting hapless or non. Furthermore harmonizing to Kant ‘s first preparation, â€Å" the individual ‘s grounds for moving must be grounds that he or she would be willing to hold all others use, even as a footing o how they treat him or her. † Mr. Raju likely would n't desire to put in a company that looks being in a good state of affairs but is really in a bad state of affairs. So besides harmonizing to Kant ‘s Categorical Imperative it is non right. Satyam dirt involves inquiries of justness and equity. From the â€Å" Distributive Justice † point of position which is the justness class based on the thought that benefits and loads should be distributed every bit, instance involves many unfair patterns. Here Ramalinga Raju and his household diverted money from Satyam to their ain will. Besides with the transportation of portions to the household members, they gave immense loss to the little investors. All benefits went to the Ramalinga Raju and his household. Employees, investors and creditors who had nil to make with the fraud all suffer awful effects and bear all loads. Besides IT industry in India has spent 20 old ages constructing up credibleness with Western clients, but this dirt is foreseen to do many U.S. and European clients rethink their trust on Indian outsourcing. From the retaliatory justness position, Mr. , Raju can be blamed and punished for making incorrect wittingly and in his ain free will. What is upseting is that for over seven old ages the man of affairs who consistently committed fraud was supported by politicians in power in the Andhra Pradesh Government. His association with the top leaders meant that Raju got immense balls of premier land at throw-away monetary values for Technology Park and other intents and many other installations which enabled Satyam to spread out and turn quickly ( Balachandran, 2009 ) . Banks and fiscal establishments allowed Raju to open 1000s of histories without oppugning. They provided statements about the company ‘s finance as Raju requested. Raju was allowed inside cognition of authorities policies, development programs and undertakings even before the blue-prints were prepared. This enabled him and his pool, Maytas Infra, to offer for undertakings on favourable footings. The whole authorities system was harnessed to stand in function Raju ‘s involvements. Harmonizing to Rawls ‘ just equality of chance rule, everyone should be given an equal chance to measure up for the more privileged places. It can be seen that Raju had greater chances than other people and got discriminatory intervention by Bankss, establishments and authorities. The dirt ends with heavy load on society and causes inefficiency in the system so is deemed to go against the difference rule which is the claim that a productive society will integrate inequalities. The difference rule implies that it is incorrect to victimize stockholders and investors because action creates inefficiency.2.2.3 Virtue Ethical motives:Raju has an MBA Ohio University and is an alumna of Harvard Business School, in other words he is a knowing individual. Harmonizing to the Corruption Perception Index 20 04 ( CPI ) which ranks the states in their order of corruptness, out of the 146 states listed, India where he grew ranks a hapless 91. In Satyam instance, Raju ‘s incorrect act might be related to the undermentioned three state of affairss: foremost, it might be related to his single sense of values, so wholly he has done come from his personal moral values. Second, it might come from is the value cherished by society where he turn. Harmonizing to the thought, Raju might be affected by the Indian society and civilization. Finally, the system of administration might hold an influence on Raju ‘s behaviours. I would personally hold with this point, each civilization and state has different tolerances and different ways to carry through concern. In India it might hold been easier to make it, than in any other state or the life conditions and society values may promote him to make such a thing.2.3 The Persons in The Organization2.3.1 Conflict of InterestThe policies and processs under codification of struggle of involvement requires that the managers and associates of the company shall avoid any activity or association that creates or appears to make a struggle between the personal involvements of the managers and associates and the company ‘s concern involvements. In the instance of Satyam, the hearers of Satyam might hold faced with struggles of involvement while attesting the fiscal record of Satyam. They have softened their criterion while scrutinizing the company fiscal statement. It is clear that the trueness or duty to the client, here it is Satyam, is divided or in struggle with opportunism of Hearers and the involvement of Satyam ‘s direction. In add-on, the company corporate administration does non demo any struggle of involvement between direction and proprietors, the job was caused by the struggle of involvement between the dominant stockholders ( boosters ) and the minority stockholders. The boosters that involve Mr. Raju, together with their friends and relations were the dominant stockholders. The company proposed to put $ 1.6 billion to purchase existent estate and substructure houses, Maytas Properties and Maytas Infrastructure, run by the boies of its founder-chairman Raju. Investors and analysts questioned the move by the Hyderabad-based package exporters to pay such a immense amount to get companies linked to Raju and raised concerns about corporate administration at Satyam and its credibleness in the eyes of planetary clients and stockholders. Ramalinga Raju, nevertheless, justified the determination, stating it was portion of a â€Å" good variegation scheme † . Representatives of investors such as Templeton and Motilal Oswal complained that Satyam had no concern purchasing existent estate or substructure companies and that their investing in Satyam was because it was engaged in supplying package services ( www.tahindian.com ) . There is an existent s truggle of involvement under this investing determination and besides supported the claim that â€Å" all money invested in Maytas belongs to Satyam † . Then Raju stated that the aborted Maytas trade was really last effort to make full the fabricated assets with existent 1s. Though the fiscal establishments owned bulk of interest, but historically they used to play a inactive function in the company. This was leting the boosters, Mr. Raju and his relations to play the corruptness game. The boosters were seeking to re-structure the concern and were besides deviating assets between group companies. So, this shows the struggle of involvement between these parties.2.3.2 Insider TradingSatyam boosters and top functionaries may hold charged in insider trading. Research workers are coming across grounds of insider trading by the boosters even before the dirt broke. The probe is besides concentrating on the allegations of insider trading in the period before the failed December 16. T here are adequate arrows to insider trading by the Satyam boosters and the companies floated by them and their relations. The insider trading in Satyam is formed by the top direction of Satyam – the managers and senior functionaries – with selling portions in front with that books have been overstated, taking to an hyperbolic stock monetary value that helped the top direction do money. The top direction offloaded the company ‘s 6.01 lakh portions this fiscal twelvemonth merely before the confessions of Raju. It reminded the possibility that there may be people who must be cognizant of things to come and might hold offloaded their retention merely earlier fiasco ( Agarwal, 2009 ) . Srinivas Vadlamani, the main fiscal officer of Satyam Computer Service, has been the most active in offloading the portions. Srinivas offloaded 92,358 portions in two episodes in September. Ram Mynampati, president of Satyam and a member of the board, besides offloaded 80,000 portions in three installments in May and June. Interestingly, during the past nine months, none of the top direction squad of Satyam has purchased its portions. The heavy merchandising of portions by the Satyam big-wigs in September was ab initio attributed to the developing uncertainness in the economic scenario. However, put in the larger strategy of things, the sale could be a instance of insider trading. The tendency has asserted in December when 28,500 portions of the company were sold by its senior functionaries. The most recent sellout was done by AS Murthy, main information officer, who sold 21,000 portions between December 12 and 15 ( Agarwal, 2009 ) .Mr. Raju inflated the history for increasing the mo netary value of portions so that he and his confederates get maximal net incomes, in which he succeeded besides. The twenty-four hours this intelligence broke, the Satyam ‘s portion was surging. Here, the SEBI and Ministry of Company Affairs excessively have failed in their assigned occupations. SEBI is the highest regulator and keeps eagle oculus on the activities of the capital markets. When the net incomes of this company were registering unnatural growing, thereby the monetary values of the portions were surging, they do non hold any effort, there has been a batch of chromaticity and call with regard to insider trading ; a ululation SEBI failed to listen to and it inflicted to a great extent on Satyam. Although insider trading per se is non illegal but it is unethical, furthermore when Company ‘s high functionary who were on portion selling fling must had the thought of what was traveling in the company. Raju had besides opened multiple benami ( silent person ) accounts through relations and friends and used them to merchandise in Satyam ‘s portions, go againsting the insider trading norm. He used the company ‘s proprietary information to reassign securities to his brother Suryanarayana Raju and to his female parent Appalanarsama Raju. Crime Investigation Department ( CID ) of the Andhra Pradesh constabularies and Central bureaus has confirmed that the boosters indulged in insider trading of the company ‘s portions. ( NDTV Correspondent,2009 )2.4 RationalizationIt may look easy to apologize this at first. Managers ever trust in themselves and in their accomplishments a batch, and believe that their company is basically sound. They believe that they will do it up in the hereafter without anybody detecting it when there is a job and. They do everything to apologize their moves, their determinations in order to look guiltless. When the company faces the spread and unab le to do it up, a larger deformation is needed to cover up, as Raju added in his missive. He bet that neither him nor the pull offing manager has benefitted in the fiscal footings on history of the hyperbolic consequences, even 1 rupee/dollar. Put otherwise, he claims that he did distort histories in order to maintain operating traveling at Satyam and to be able to supply prompt payments of salary. He besides gave an account to Maytas acquisition and rationalized it by claiming that he merely tried to make full the fabricated assets of Satyam with existent 1s. What is more, he said ‘Significant dividend payments, acquisitions and capital outgos to supply for growing did non assist affairs. ‘ He asserted these claims to happen an alibi for his fraud.2.5 Stakeholder AnalysisHarmonizing to new stakeholder theory, direction bears no extra fiducial relationships to 3rd parties but have morally important nonfudiciary duties to 3rd parties. It means direction may ne'er hold promised clients, employees a â€Å" return on investing † but obliged to take earnestly its extra-legal duties non to wound, lie to or rip off these stakeholders ( Goodpaster, 1991 ) . Until the fraud, the secret of Raju ‘s outstanding success is thought to lie in his simple, yet extended direction theoretical account that creates value, promotes entrepreneurship, focuses unrelentingly on the client and purposes at changeless chase of excellence for all stakeholders. The fraud showed that he is far off from this first-class image. He failed to exert his duties which are non to wound, lie or rip off the stakeholders. All stakeholders are lied and cheated with the falsified Numberss and studies for many old ages. In May, Satyam has merely over 40,000 employees, about each of them on the ‘bench ‘ are in danger of losing employment at Satyam. Equally good as, clients of Satyam including Nestle, Nissan, in a large scraping because they do n't desire to work with Satyam any longer but passage is besides hard for them. Furthermore IT industry participants, rivals and providers were lied, cheated and injured by SatyamSection 3 The Ironies in the Scandal & A ; The Awards of the Ceo3.1 SarcasmsThis dirt includes many sarcasms in it, from the name of the company to present the house and the Ceo received: Satyam means â€Å" truth † in Sanskrit, Satyam earned a United Kingdom Trade and Investment India Business Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, Satyam got Global Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance for 2008, In 2007 Ramalinga Raju was chosen as the best enterpriser of the twelvemonth by Ernst & A ; Young, Satyam was selected for the formal IT patron of the World Cup 2010-2014 by FIFA.3.2 Corporate AdministrationGolden Peacock award was given to Satyam for its corporate administration criterions. This is the sarcasm of the state of affairs that a company which was considered the best in IT industry has such low corporate administration criterions. On top it the Board of Directors was non even apprised of even anything. Corporate Administration as defined is â€Å" Corporate administration refers to the legal and factual model of the direction and monitoring of companies. Corporate administration ordinances are geared towards transparence and therefore beef up the trust in direction and control concentrating on value creative activity † . There are few importance elements of corporate administration viz. Auditing, Independent Directors, Regulators and Finally the Board including CEO itself. If we examine these components one by one, it would be crystal clear that all the components either failed or did non move as was required. The function of Price Waterhouse Coopers, the Auditing house of Satyam has been dealt. So, the Satyam fraud is unfolding and so are the built-in failings of Corporate Governance in India. The fraud has brought to illume the fact that in India the differentiation between proprietors and direction is still non really clear. Where the proprietors are besides the directors, such frauds are ever a possibility.Section 4 Conclusion and Suggestions4.1 What should hold been done, where did Raju make incorrectly?Satyam Computer company is a global company. The company has many clients all around the universe and the foreign investors come to India to put in the company. As being a large company, it requires a good corporate administration system and correlativity among parties of company. All of the parties should follow their responsibilities harmonizing to the contract with the company. So that the company will last, spread out its market portion and function their clients in a confidential mode. The Chief executive officer of the Satyam Computers and other people involved in the procedure was blamed for the immoral Acts of the Apostless which was blow uping hard currency and bank balances, accruing involvement that are non-existing, exaggerating debitors ‘ place in the books, graft, insider trading and etc. A company director is responsible to transport the company in the chase of net income and while seeking ways to increase net income the company should obey the legal issues and Torahs. Mr. Raju did non follow these rules that the company lost it ‘s clients, repute and damaged economically both in the place and foreign market. Mr. Raju used his authorization and power in an inappropriate ways. In this study, Satyam dirt and related ethical quandary ar e evaluated in the visible radiations of different ethical rules. The major purpose was to integrate moralss into this existent life to be able to do judgement whether it is in conformity with or in misdemeanor of moral criterions. Moral duty and incrimination analysis showed that Mr. Raju is morally responsible for the incorrect with no extenuating factor even he tried to apologize his incorrect making in his missive. PwC and board of managers stay negligent about the issue by neglecting to take necessary actions, their carelessness may decrease their duty but can non wholly take. At the terminal of cost-benefit analysis, net public-service corporation that produced by the dirt is found to be negative significance more costs over benefits so it is non a right action. Harmonizing to rights and justness. Raju ‘s actions are unfair and contradict to Rawl ‘s rules and besides violate Kant ‘s first and 2nd preparation and rights of others. As a president of the company, Raju failed to populate up the responsibility to prosecute the ends of the house by moving on a â€Å" struggle of involvement † and merchandising company ‘s stock on the footing of â€Å" inside † information. Besides new stakeholder analysis proved that Satyam direction failed to exert their duties toward the stakeholders which are non to wound, lie to or rip off the stakeholders. Raju ‘s actions are immoral and he sacrificed being ethical purposefully for his ego involvement which lead us to set him into the â€Å" Instrumental egoism † phase of Kohlberg ‘s moral development phases.4.2 Introduction of a Company Ethics ProgramAlthough Raju has an MBA Ohio University and is an alumna of Harvard Business School, he made the fraud, it shows the importance of holding common sense, the instruction does non count all the clip. â€Å" Company Ethics Program † should be formulated and each and every person should perpetrate this, Exercise of this plan should be followed and monitored persistently and systematically. Peoples should be trained, retrained until the rules are internalized, It besides showed us the importance of whistle blowing, The harm would be less if person blew the whistling earlier. Audited account houses should be more careful while analyzing the fiscal statements of the companies. In the terminal they besides have a large portion in this game and they are to fault Whistle blowing: Whistleblower is a individual who raises a concern about wrongdoing happening in an organisation or organic structure of people. Normally this individual would be from that same organisation. This misconduct can be classified in many ways such as a misdemeanor of a jurisprudence, regulation, ordinance and/or a direct menace to public involvement, such as fraud, health/safety misdemeanors, and corruptness. Whistle blowers may do their allegations internally ( for illustration, to other people within the accused organisation ) or externally ( to regulators, jurisprudence enforcement bureaus, to the media or to groups concerned with the issues ) .[ 4 ]