Dub Turbo Download

Are You Looking For Dub Turbo Torrent? The Dub Turbo torrent has been the most widely searched torrent on the internet recently. The latest sensation in the music industry is the Dub Turbo software which is a user-friendly software aimed at helping musicians who are looking to create their own music. It allows musicians to experiment with mixing beats and creating quality tunes. The best part of the software is that it is not only for professional use and even beginners can use it because it includes video tutorials in laymen terms.Why Are The Masses Looking For A Dub Turbo Torrent? Torrents are the most widely used peer-to-peer file sharing technique. The peer-to peer file distribution system consists of a wide network of people who share files through a peer-to-peer file sharing software via torrents. Torrents can be used to download various softwares, books, music and other online material. Most of the people are looking for a Dub Turbo torrent these days. This is mainly because t hey want to save up money and get the software for free.Some also argue that they want to try it for free before paying for the software, but then again, what is the free 60 day trial included in the original package for? Where to get a Dub Turbo Torrent From? A Dub Turbo torrent is easily available on the internet. The torrent file can be downloaded and a peer-to-peer software can be used to enable Dub Turbo torrent download from the host site. But in order to make the right choices, it is a must that one reads all the reviews before taking a step. It is important to know what other people have to say about the torrent file before you download it.What to expect from a Dub Turbo torrent? There is a high probability that a Dub Turbo torrent free download may not contain the full features of the original package. Also, it does not provide the facility of automatic updates that the paid for Dub Turbo software provides. It is vital that one is aware of the fact that a free download may come with virus, spyware and malware which can harm your PC. In addition to all this, the quality of the pirated software may not be up to the mark and might be a cause of major disappointment. Poor video quality is just one example. What Is The Alternate To A Dub Turbo Torrent?A free download for a software that is available for as low as $50 does not seem just on ethical and legal grounds, to say the least. It is not morally right to steal a software the producers of which have spent precious time and money on developing. It is a way better option to buy the software instead as that would save you from the legal hassle related to copyrights and will also provide full features of the software. The original software also contains automatic updates which do not come with the pirated one. When all of this is available at a nominal rate and with a free 60 day trial, who needs a Dub Turbo torrent?

Edicts of Ashoka Essay

The Edicts of Ashoka are a group of writings on the pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka These writings are spread throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan and represent the first concrete evidence of Buddhism. The edicts describe in detail the first wide expansion of Buddhism through the support of one of the most powerful kings of Indian history. According to the edicts, the extent of Buddhist teachings during this period reached as far as the Mediterranean, and many Buddhist monuments were created. These writings state Ashoka’s beliefs in the Buddhist concept of dharma and his efforts to develop the dharma throughout his kingdom. Although Buddhism and the Buddha are mentioned, the edicts focus on social and moral teachings, rather than specific religious practices or the philosophical aspect of Buddhism. The writings revolve around a few recurring themes Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism, the description of his efforts to spread Buddhism, his moral and religious precepts, and his social and animal welfare program. The Mauryan empire was the first Indian empire to unify the country and it had a clear-cut policy of exploiting as well as protecting natural resources with officials tasked with protection duty. When Ashoka embraced Buddhism in the latter part of his reign, he brought about significant changes in his style of authority, which included providing protection to wildlife, and even relinquished the royal hunt. He was possibly the first ruler in history to support preservation of wildlife. Ashoka did not completely prohibit the killing of animals; he prohibited killings for sacrifices, he advocated restraint in the number that had to be killed for consumption, protected some of them, and in general condemned violent acts against animals, such as castration. However, the edicts of Ashoka reflect more the desire of Ashoka than what actually happened; the mention of a 100 coins fine for poaching deer in royal hunting preserves shows that rule-breakers did exist. The legal restrictions clashed with the practices then freely exercised by the common people in hunting, felling, fishing and setting fires in forests. According to the edicts, Ashoka took great care of the welfare of his subjects, and those beyond his borders, spreading the use of medicinal treatments, improving roadside facilities for more comfortable travel, and establishing officers of the faith throughout his territories to survey the welfare of the population and the circulation of the Dharma.

Fan fiction Essay

Fan Fiction writing is the act of writing material with information from someone without their consent either written or otherwise. The written material is then released to the public on grounds that show the material as owner’s original; and doesn’t acknowledge it as re-edited. This will appear as the original material given that the reader had not had a chance to get the very original material. I want to agree that this activity is not legitimate one, the fact that a writer (author) writes their work and it goes into the public arena doesn’t require reframing or amendments. If the reader thinks of that work in another version, let it remain within them. Let not that which they think would have been better of; go out to the public. Interfering with this is wrong. Supposing all the fans decided to alter this original material into their way and everyone has a different understanding of same article? Letting this out to the public as well? Would not people get confused? I believe if a writer wants an opinion about their article, they know how to go about it, they know where to send it or who to give it to before it is released to the public. By the time it is getting to the public it is usually the writer’s best on that. I quite disagree that fun fiction should be a way of improving young writer’s skills of writing. Why cant these young writers come up with themes yet not released to the public and write on them? Why can’t they also get creative? There are so many things that the writers have not covered so far. It is also so wrong for fan writers to write an article and post it using the original writer’s names. Is this not theft? Is it not offensive to impersonate? The text showed this â€Å"Fan fiction is a good way to avoid learning how to be a writer. Fan fiction allows the writer to pretend to be creating a story, while using someone else’s world, characters, and plot. Coloring Barbie’s hair green in a coloring book is not a great act of creativity. Neither is putting lipstick on Ken. Fan fiction does exactly those kinds of things. † A very good example given on the text ‘the extreme analogy: You send me a photograph of your family reunion, titled ‘The Herkimer’s Get together’. I think it looks dull. So I Photo-Shop it to put your friends and relations into compromising positions in various stages of undress. Then I post it on the Internet, under the title ‘The Herkimer’s Get Together’, and add a note that it was sent to me from Pete Herkimer of Missoula, Montana. Suddenly there is your face and name, and the faces of the people you care about, doing things that you would never do. Are you flattered that I thought your photograph was interesting enough to use? Or are you insulted and horrified? Are you alarmed that I so clearly connected work that is not yours to your good name? Although I must agree with the statement from the text ‘And†¦ As for definitions, to what extent is Paradise Lost a fan fiction of the Bible? To what extent is Tennyson’s ‘Ulysses’ a fan fiction of the Odyssey? For much of human history, the concept of creative ownership Hobb seems to be using was thoroughly different: characters could be reused and rewritten as seen fit. Even given the capitalist ‘ownership’ argument, which I personally find distasteful, narrow-minded, and restrictive, once again, the fan fiction under discussion is NON-COMMERCIAL’ There are those exceptions that would be allowed, the example of Paradise lost, and this seems to be a clearer edition of the Bible as far this generation is concerned. The fact that it is a book used for the continuity of the salvation of human race may need to be re-edited but the change of theme may not be altered. Another importance of fan fiction may be an act that is based on a book and probably is used for literature in schools. The author may have not written it as a play but someone else may act it and this way students may understand the book better as compared to reading it. I know that all the fan writers have a different way of looking at a particular article from that of the original writer and that is they want to reframe it, but I wonder where they were when the story was being created in that way which they don’t settle for. Keeping any ideas of how it should have looked to oneself is the best thing. Can’t people respect the work of others and promote original text writings? Fun fiction sometimes may even change the whole outlook of a story, there must be reasons why an author/writer decides to use some words and leave out others. There is a reason why the chapters in a book follow each other the way they do. In case a fan writer for example interferes with the flow of chapters and decides to bring the last chapter in the middle then any other reader might not find a reason of reading the book to the end. The flow is changed therefore the conclusion of the story comes in the middle, so why go ahead and read what you already know? Fan fiction sometimes is used on the internet, whereby an article from a newspaper may be used and with the application of coral draw; alteration may happen. When this same article is sent to people on the net, it might just convince them since they can see that it is from a legitimate source from a well known editor or writer. While this may happen on basis of malice and once the damage is caused rectifying it may be hard. So generally I know that fan fiction may be damaging. All writers have a chance of developing good writing skills but not through fan fiction as written the text ‘The first step to becoming a writer is to have your own idea. Not to take someone else’s idea, put a dent in it, and claim it as your own. You will learn more from writing one story of your own, no matter how bad it is, than the most polished Inuyasha fan fiction that you write. Taking that first wavering step out into the unknown territory of your own imagination is what it is all about. When you can write well enough to carry a friend along, then you’ve really got something. But you aren’t going to get anywhere clinging to the comfort of saying, â€Å"If I write a Harry Potter story, everyone will like it because they already like Harry Potter. I don’t have to describe Hogwarts because everyone saw the movie, and I don’t have to tell Harry’s back story because that’s all done for me. † I agree with this statement totally. A good writer should have their own ideas and develop those ideas into stories. Reading more will help any writer get skill and get broader but fan fiction writing is demeaning to any writer. It makes a writer wholly rely on an article already thought and written instead of promoting the unique ideas any individual writer may be able to come up with. The danger of letting this continue is that we will never know what the original writer of a story intending us to know. We can never differentiate between fiction and true story. My conclusion would be depending on the intention of the fan fiction writer; this is how it can be looked at as a legal act or an illegal one. The writer in the text who is against this uses so harsh language and I found it not fair since it is not everyone who writes for fan fiction has a bad motive. â€Å"Look, the original author really screwed up the story, so I’m going to fix it. Here is how it should have gone†.

Short report of how the organisation will implement Total Quality Research Paper

Short report of how the organisation will implement Total Quality Management - Research Paper Example The success of Coffeehouse shall be evident if the 6Cs of TQM are applied and later the implementation recommended. Recommendations include the hiring of a new, qualified staff to prepare a higher quality of coffee than that of the competitor has in order to counter their recent stiff dominance in the market. Coffeehouse is a chain of coffee shops situated in different towns in Australia, and has been in existence since 2001, and owned by one person. The management envisions this business as the center of producing the best coffee, and its vision is to be the preferred coffee house across Australia in a period of 5 years. Even though it has witnessed some profitability- turnover was $4.5 for the year 2011/12-its market share currently is only 10% with stiff competition coming from newcomers Starbucks and Coffee-club. According to Bagad (2008, p.21), TQM involves several features without which success cannot be witnessed in any organization. These features include commitment from all the employees in the organization. In other words, for TQM to be productive, the employees need to be find pleasure in their duties. Additionally commitment to the quality of services offered by the organization must be emphasized. Morfaw (2009, p.20) noted that if there lacks a commitment on the quality, the staff commitment will not sustain the organization since clients will be disappointed and seek services elsewhere thus leaving an organization with losses. Moreover, total customer-oriented attitude and behavior is vital in the application of this philosophy. Even though, every business seeks to make profit, this feature requires that an organization show total commitment in serving its clientele failure to which the profits cannot be enjoyed for a long time. Further, continuous improvement within the organization is needed; all employees must also be united in the performance of their duties. Morfaw (2009, p.33) implied that an organization that fails to emphasize on

How can information systems help achieve operational excellence Essay

How can information systems help achieve operational excellence - Essay Example The researcher states that by helping quantify certain aspects of processes and standards, information systems are potent tools for practicing OE. For example, metrics and KPI definition for business processes can be measured at crucial points and fed into a database. Then steps could be taken to improve upon these metrics and KPIs values. Moreover, in recent years, a field of study called IT valuation research has asserted the links between information technology and organizational performance. As per this body of research, Information Systems are potent tools in creating value for the organization. There is now a substantial mass of studies that illustrate a relationship between IT and some aspect of firm value, whether it â€Å"be financial (e.g., ROI), intermediate (e.g., process-related) or effective (e.g., perception-related)†. By creating value through these avenues, IS can make an organization achieve Operational Excellence. But, Information Systems, as simply software and hardware implements, do not add the value of their own, and so must be components of a business value creating process â€Å"with "other" IS and organizational factors operating in a synergistic manner.

Global MBA Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global MBA Operations Management - Essay Example (Hammer). The obvious reason for such failure has often been cited as the lack of developing operating performance metrices and other systems and procedures which can ensure the consistent and reliable operational performance of the firms. It is also because of this reason that it is now considered that the modern organisations need to concentrate more on the operational performance of the firms in order to remain more competitive as well as flexible in nature so that they can easily withstand the external shocks. In order to achieve the efficiency in the operational performance, firms need to concentrate on different functions of organisation like marketing, customer services, manufacturing etc. This will allow them to re-engineer the processes properly and achieve the desired level of efficiency in their operations. However, improvements in the operational performance largely depend upon the development of an effective operating performance measurement system therefore any initiative to bring in a culutre of performance improvement would largely depend upon how successfully an organisation set up its performance measurement system. This paper will attempt to discuss the development of performance measurement system by taking into account the nature of the ... From its very nature, the activities of the firm are diverse in nature therefore it requires the management of different internal and external players in different contexts each time we deal with them. It is also important to discuss here that we face a different and complex challenge in terms of managing different aspects of our operations into a completely new and radical way in order to ensure consistency in our operations. However, in order to face the competition effectively and to become more resilient and flexible, we need to implement operational performance standards which match that of the international quality standards such as ISO 9001:2000. This would also require us to improve different aspects such as resource management, business development, and client delivery etc. We also need to manage subcontractors therefore it becomes more complicated when it comes to managing the performance of the firms, working for your organization to ensure compliance with the already set standards of the firm. Performance Management & Measurement It is often argued that the use of automation and information technology to boost the results and operational performance of the firms has not yet yielded the results which were expected. (Hammer). It is therefore believed that the firms do not only need to automate but also take into account the softer side of the operational performance in order to achieve the desired results. One of the basic problems behind the failure of the organizations to effectively measure the operational performance is the fact that the existing systems tend to measure the performance of personnel rather than processes thus ignoring various aspects of performance management. (Hammer, The 7 deadly sins of performance

The Reglatory & Econ Envirnmnt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Reglatory & Econ Envirnmnt - Essay Example Gist includes supply chain services and management mainly in the UK (Lines of Business online). Being a capital-intensive business, BOC's profitability hinges on its sustained investment in technology to develop new products and services across all businesses and novel uses for existing products, as well as to design efficient methods for manufacturing industrial gases such that economies of scale could be achieved (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Group Profile, 16; Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Risk Factors, 39). For example, for its PGS business segment, better plant reliability has led to a 16 per cent improvement in total revenue and an 11 per cent increase in total adjusted operating profit for the first half of 2006 (BOC Interim Report 2006, 2). Other than plant reliability, investment in new production facilities will also affect the profitability of PGS as such investments are critical in securing long-term supply contracts (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Group Profile, 18). For the ISP business, BOC is planning the construction of a helium production plant in Au stralia. When completed, it will be only one of its kind in Australia (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Group Profile, 20). This monopoly of the Australia market should be beneficial to profits. Furthermore, state-of-the-art technology to efficiently use power has delivered tremendous savings (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Social, Environmental and Ethical Performance, 31). Technology can also be viewed from the perspective of its customers. Technological developments in industries where customers operate can increase the profitability of BOC. For example, success with major flat panel fabs in Korea has led to a soar in materials consumption and equipment demands, which brings about the strong vacuum equipment market share (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Research, Development and Information Technology, 36; Merrill Lynch Chemicals Conference, 12). On the economic front, energy costs are particularly influential on profits, especially for PGS (BOC Interim Report 2006, 2) and ISP (BOC Interim Report 2006, 2). Domestic revenue depends on the manufacturing economy and pension costs (BOC Interim Report 2006, 2), while revenue and profit in the US and Canada hinges on demand from the oil and gas sector in the western region (BOC Interim Report 2006, 2). Exchange rate movements are also particularly influential on profitability (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Operating Review, 40; BOC Interim Report 2006, 3) since BOC operates worldwide such as the UK, US, Europe, China, Asia, Australia, and Africa (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Group Profile, 18; BOC Interim Report 2006, 2-3). Lastly, BOC is affected by the semiconductor business cycle as manufacturers in the semiconductor industry form the bulk of BOC Edwards' customer base, and BOC Edwards' profitability is directly influenced by the demand of these manufacturers for vacuum e quipment, services and industrial gases (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Risk Factors, 38) There are many factors in the legal environment that are particularly influential on BOC's profitability. These factors include compliance with accounting, safety, health and environmental regulations and laws. They are discussed in the

Beef Hormone Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Beef Hormone Issue - Essay Example The use of synthetic hormones has been linked to the onset of early puberty along with a link to an increase in breast cancer cells in pubescent girls that lead to higher incidents of breast cancer masticizing. This paper will not only review the history of how synthetic hormones are required to be used in a safe manner according to FDA regulations, but also in discussing the US/EU debate issue in how this issue relays to the general public using bipartisan discussion. Since the European Union's ban on products containing beef hormones is not supported by scientific evidence, is detrimental to the United States cattle industry, and is detrimental to the over all economy of the United States, the United States is right in seeking an end to the ban. According to the USDA government website, this is an ongoing issue over the past fifteen years between the US and the EU (European Union). The disagreement itself is over the use of hormones in cattle came to a head in 1989 when the EU effectively banned any U.S. exports of beef to their country that have been treated with growth promotants. The U.S. has retaliated with scientific studies, evaluations (EU and CODEX conducted) have supported the U.S. position. The disagreement may have some merit with respect to independent testing of the effects that the synthetic hormones on a particular demographic community, mainly the increase in the onset of puberty in prepubescent girls along with an increase in the instances of breast cancer in females. The beef hormone issue is not specifically segregated to an increase in molecular alteration of cancer cells as described above, but, the increase in consumer awareness of the beef farmers using synthetic hormones with their cattle and the need to have labeling included stating the use of synthetic hormones. Hormones The hormones that are naturally occurring in every human are required for normal physiological functioning and maturation and three of these hormones in question, estradiol, progesterone and testosterone, are naturally occurring in all humans and food animals. The other three hormones, trenbolone acetate, zeranol and melengestrol acetate (MGA), have been made into a synthetic version in order to mimic the natural occurring hormone versions.1 Safety Records The FDA has conducted thorough research on the effects of growth hormones used on beef cattle since 1950 and had concluded there was no danger posed to human health and they concluded that there is "essentially no difference between beef from animals raised using hormones and those raised without their use." There is a world wide consensus is that these hormones when used according to approved veterinary practices are very safe and the USDA web site advises that this consensus is reflected in the 1984 and 1987 Lamming Committee reports-- the scientific expert group commissioned by the European Community; the 1987 Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food (CC/RVDF), the Codex

Signature Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Signature - Research Paper Example An example of a signature can be a branding or logo that a criminal leaves at a crime scene. Hence, in the definition, the difference between the two can be seen in their relationship to the crime. The background of these two procedures will be explored further on in the paper. Another difference between a signature and modus operandi is that the later tends to improve over time with the criminal’s experience and enhancement in skills. However, a signature remains constant in a criminal’s acts and is deeply rooted in him/her. Modus operandi tends to change in the form of weapons used, exists and entry routes whilst a signature is adopted when an individual begins his crime and becomes a source of satisfaction, pride and in some situations a justification for criminal behavior (Douglas & Munn, 1992, 1-10). In summation, the two are different because modus operandi feeds and depends on emotional needs whilst a signature is just a procedure. The best way to analyze Modus O perandi is by looking at the background and driving forces between the two procedures. As mentioned above, a criminal leaves his signature as a way of personalizing his crimes. The crime itself and the signature are not directly related and are driven by different forces. There are several factors that influence the signature of the criminal. These include personality, past history, intelligence and mental state (Hazelwood & Warren, 1-14). These often give clues of a criminal’s psychological and emotional status and often reveal reasons for committing a certain crime. An example of the way a criminal’s signature can portray his or her past is that offer torturer (Turvey & Freeman, 2011). This can represent an individual has been traumatized in his childhood or possesses certain emotional traits such as self hatred. Others who aim to impose authority over a certain group of people may have past experiences of neglect or sexual abuse (Douglas & Munn, 1992, 1-10). As ment ioned above modus operandi and signature have different driving factors. Modus operandi is a process driven by the will of an individual to commit a crime (Hazelwood & Warren, 1-14). This is driven by the experience of an individual and his knowledge on the particular crime, including the best way to carry it out without being caught or compromising his intentions for committing that particular crime. This in turn leads to a variation in killing techniques, timing, destruction of evidence and execution (Hazelwood & Warren, 1-14). The MO can change for every victim, for example certain killer may choose different weapons for each target as this may help increase satisfaction gained from each crime (Hazelwood & Warren, 1-14). In summation, it can be said that all criminals have an MO comprised of habits, techniques and behavioral traits that are performed with the following objectives; affect escape, complete the crime and avoid capture. David Berkowitz has one of the most widely disc ussed modus operandi in the world. His MO involved.44 Charter arms bulldog revolver as the weapon of choice. The fire arm as five rounds and is specifically designed for close combat (Gresswell & Hollin, 1994, 307-318). The majority of Berkowitz attacks were blitzed shootings however at times he disguised the crime scene to cover up his true intentions and the nature of the act. For example, in the murder of

Understanding The Business Environment Term Paper

Understanding The Business Environment - Term Paper Example The capital comes from the treasury or the local rates. The public limited aim at providing services to the nation, and in case of profit generation, it has handed hack to the government or the local authority. The government appoints a minister to take responsibility. The minister then appoints a chairperson and the board of directors who respond to daily activities in running the industry. The chairperson and board of directors then give an annual report to the minister who presents it to the parliament for public debate. The information then published for public. The private limited companies are businesses owned by private people. The owners do control and management. They are the directors and managers. The private people raise capital, and their aim is to generate profit. The profit or losses made equally distributed according to the number of shares one own in the company. The voluntary group is an organization consisting of people who offer unpaid services to the organization . Its resources (cash, labor and services) obtained through voluntary means. The co-operatives form when a group works together to accomplish a common need. They are significant status in the tax law in most countries. The co-operatives assist members with their primary business e.g. selling of milk or other farm products. Type of organization Examples- Name of organization and why it exist What sector does this organization operate within Public limited company CDC – A centre for Disease Control ministry of Public health Private limited company Fly Emirates Transport industry Voluntary DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS AUXILLARY- facilitate medical treatment of veterans Medical industry Co-operatives BONGARDS’ CREAMERIES CO-OPERATIVE Milk processing industry US CDC; CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL CDC is a division of the public health systems and workforce development based in Atlanta, Georgia USA. Its strategy is to work with partners with the aim of strengthening public health systems and the public health workforce. It applies public health sciences and practices to demonstrate health impact. Vision, mission and goals Its vision is to enable countries worldwide have efficient and equitable public health systems to protect communities. It also visualizes the enablement of persons to live productive and healthy lives. It has a mission of working with Ministries of Health (MOH), and various health partners to strengthen public health systems. They collaborate to develop the workforce using innovative programs and science. The aim at building sustainable capacity maintaining strong public health systems and responding to the changing and increasing health challenges. They have a mission of coming together with public health partners to diversify global health problems, practices experiences and resources. (Allison, M & Kaye J 2001) Their main goal is to use system development programs to help the Ministry Of Health worldwide build strong, effective and sust ainable programs. The system development programs include; FETP, Field Epidemiology Training Programs, Field Epidemiology, Laboratory and Training Programs (FELTP), Global Public Health information program (GPHIP),Sustainable Management Development Program (SMDP) and the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR). They thus help the MOH to improve public health systems locally, regionally and nationally. The internal and external stakeholders of the CDC Stakeholders include persons or organizations invested in a program. They are interest in the results and evaluation of the program where their interests and requirements considered and budgeted for in the planning process. These

Implications for HR Practices in Other Companies LIKE Zappos.com Research Paper

Implications for HR Practices in Other Companies LIKE Zappos.com - Research Paper Example HR Lessons from Zappos.com A similar company in online retailing is Modcloth.com. It has been in operation for only two years, so it has a lot to learn in terms of having a clear-cut organizational culture. Zappos.com took the time to define what its company culture is, and then made sure that all individuals who worked for it fit into the culture. Everything else that they did was an offshoot of this parameter (Palmeri, 2009). Therefore, Modlcoth.com can learn from this company by doing the same. They must decide on the values and norms that will help them achieve their goals. Once this is done, then the organization can focus on other strategic elements. Modcloth.com may also emulate the extent to which organizational culture is a personal responsibility for all staff at Zappos. Modcloth treats organizational culture as a human-resource issue yet Zappos takes a totally different approach. Zappos prefers to hold everyone accountable for the maintenance of their culture. Individuals often work towards this component in every aspect of their jobs. This culture is captured in ten statements that include â€Å"Being adventurous and creative," â€Å"being humble† and â€Å"pursuing growth." The proactive nature in which Zappos diffuses its values may also be used by managers in Modcloth.com. They should not just expect their employees to discover their values independently. Training for new workers should involve learning about the company’s style. Modcloth.com can benefit from teaching employees explicitly about these issues before they allow workers to interact with clients. Sephora.com is a highly successful cosmetics online retailer. Its HR practices, however, do not mirror this new-age approach. Their hiring process is something that needs improvement. It normally carries out a technical recruitment process with a little focus on organizational culture. Zappos.com focuses on a person’s fit with the company culture during recruitment. The y believe that possessing technical skills will not yield substantial results if these cannot translate into their values. Therefore, they do not compromise on it. Hiring processes usually last for a relatively long time. The firm expects job candidates to attend at least one departmental and company event as interviews continue. This leads to the appreciation of organizational values. Sometimes some recruitment processes may last for up to four months (Inghilleri & Solomon, 2010). In Zappos’ recruitment, interviewers often ask six questions that are likely to determine the person’s behavior. Usually, these questions are meant to assess the extent to which a candidate’s behavior fits in with the company culture. However, some parts of the interview will also look at the applicant’s skills. Sephora can learn a lot from these hiring practices. First, they must hire for their core values. Secondly, they must have a structure to follow when recruiting. Sephor a.com usually leaves aspects of the hiring process in the hands of professionals, and what they decide is the final word on the matter. This means that transparency is a challenge. Zappos.com has a highly transparent hiring process. Once an interview has been completed, the interviewer is expected to vote on whether the candidate should be hired or not. These individuals often enter their feedback into a computer. They are also supposed to give explanations for why

Human impact on climate Essay Example for Free

Human impact on climate Essay Abstract Climate change has long been a controversial issue among governments and world bodies. It is defined as the variation in the Earth’s global climate or in regional climates over time. These variations may be caused by a multitude of factors, some of which include geological changes within the Earth itself, changes in forces outside the earth, or human activity. When talking about this issue, two terms are often interchanged to refer to these variations in normal weather patterns, namely global warming and climate change. The two however, while similar, belong to different spectrums. This paper seeks to examine the role of human activities as a form of climate change. Overview Global warming simply pertains to the recent gradual warming of the temperature in different locations around the earth. Climate change, as defined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), talks of variations in weather in general, but which are caused particularly by human activity. Although there have been steps taken towards curbing the destructive effects of climate change, there continues to still be a sense of apathy on the parts of some governments with regard to it. The continued burning of fossil fuels in power plants, vehicles and other machines are directly responsible for producing air particles that contribute to warming the earth’s atmosphere. The conversion of forests to farmland or real estate developments has also reduced the amount of trees overall, thus cutting down the chances of more trees mitigating the carbon levels in the air, as well as absorbing and acting as a natural control for floods. Effects of Climate Change Climate change will have many effects on the environment, some of them already visible while others are slowly already being experienced in different parts of the world. Currently, scientists project that the mean global temperature will rise about 3 degrees Celsius, assuming the amount of carbon dioxide in the air doubles due to continued use of fossil fuels. Another projection was the rising of the mean sea level by about 50 cm, a relatively significant rise in light of the fact that computer model estimates have shown that several low-lying states and countries may, in part or whole, be submerged by the rising water level. The warming of temperatures at the mid-continent levels, as well as those in higher latitudes, will also be greater as compared to other locations. It has therefore been predicted that a considerable amount of polar and glacial will melt, as well as the continued warming of the oceans. These two events will constitute for the most part the increase in water levels mentioned earlier. Also to be seriously affected is the ecosystem, along with the natural order of the environment. Due to the heat that would be generated, more tropical climates would be prevalent, thus the focus on migration as well as agricultural production and output would shift all over the world. For the wildlife, the changing ecosystems would directly affect their natural habitats and breeding places. As it is, researchers continue to forecast that global warming may cause the easier proliferation of disease due to the idea that disease-carrying insects and other animals may migrate to other locations due to the changing weather. The hydrologic cycle will also intensify, with changes in water supplies as well as weather seasons such as droughts and flood, which could then greatly affect crops and other natural sources of food. Lastly, the effects of climate change on the broad concept of international security cannot be discounted. With more poor countries potentially facing an environmental disaster of catastrophic proportions, masses of refugees could converge on those remaining industrialized and highly urbanized nations that remain only somewhat affected. Also, should fossil fuel use not be successfully curbed in time, the scarcity of it will only mean that nations who have remaining reserves will become more powerful and dominant in the world stage, with new influential nations possibly developing.

Concepts of Language and Cognitive Development

Concepts of Language and Cognitive Development 1. Introduction Language is a symbolic system in which a limited number of signals can be combined according to rules that can provide an infinite number of messages. An important milestone in human development is mastering some type of language. (Sigelman, Rider De George-Walker, 2013). Language is the primary method that adults pass on culturally valued models of thinking and problem solving to their children (Vygotsky, 1962). Basic language skills develop through the influence of parents, other adults, peers and even the media. 2. Language Development The nature vs. nurture debate continues into language development. One school of thought is that the environment contributes to learning. Children learn the words that they hear spoken by others-even when the words are not directly spoken to them (Floor Akhtar, 2006). The other school of thought by nativists who minimise the role of language environment and focus instead on the role of the child’s biologically programmed capacities to acquire language. Chomsky (2000) proposed that humans have a unique genetic capacity to learn language and are equipped with knowledge of a universal grammar, a system of common rules that enable any language to be learnt. Interactionists believe that both learning theorists (nurture) and nativists (nature) have merit. Children’s biologically based competencies and the language environment interact to shape the course of language development (Bloom, 1998) 3. Interaction between language and cognitive development Piaget proposed four major periods of cognitive development: the sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operations stage and formal operations stage. The core message is that humans of different ages think in different ways. (Inhelder Piaget, 1958). During Piaget’s sensorimotor stage, birth to two years, infants use their senses and motor actions to explore and understand the world. According to Gervain Mehler (2010) newborns immediately have a preference for speech over non-speech in their native language. By 7 months, infants demonstrate word segmentation. From birth infants produce a wide array of sounds that will eventually develop into language (Waxman Lidz, 2006), with cooing being the first vocalisation milestone at 6-8weeks. Babbling starts to occur at 4-6 months which Piaget labels as primary circular reaction. (Lee, Davis MacNeilage, 2010). As infants attempt to master the semantics of language, they begin to understand many words before the can say them and begin to say their first real words or holophrases at around 1 year. Many children have a vocabulary spurt at around 18months of age and the pace of word learning quickens dramatically. (Bloom, 1998). Secondary circular reactions begin to occur, following with tertiary circular reactions becoming intentional from the start. Piaget proposed that the child’s construction of reality takes place through the use of schemes and by the end of the sensorimotor stage they are capable of using symbolic thought using images and words. (Piaget, 2002) Vygotsky (1962) maintained that cognitive development is shaped by the sociocultural context in which it occurs. It develops from children’s interactions with members of their culture. Problem solving is passed on from generation to generation through oral communication, especially as it is embodied in language, shapes thought. (Sigelman, Rider, De George-Walker, 2013). In Piaget’s preoperational stage, 2 to 7 years, young children use their symbolic thought to develop language, engage in pretend play and solve problems. They use words to talk about a problem and use categorisations which become the basis for language with each noun or verb representing a category. (Waxman, 2003). The next step in language development is telegraphic speech where toddlers begin to use a combination of two or three word sentences to express basic ideas. Between ages of 2-5 years children start to use sentences that are much longer and more grammatically complex. (Hoff, 2009). Children learn to phrase questions to solve problems and propel their cognitive growth. Throughout childhood and adolescence, advances in cognitive development are accompanied by advances in language and communication skills. Adults also refine the pragmatic use of language, adjusting it to different social and professional contexts. (Obler, 2005) 4. Multilingual Development According to Schwartz, Share, Leikin Kominski (2008), being bilingual or multilingual has benefits, as children have greater awareness of the underlying structure of language. Bilingual children are better understanding that words are symbols for objects and are better at applying grammatical rules. Bhargava Mendiratta (2007) purport that their study indicates that Indian children who are multilingual by mid-childhood are able to effectively use different languages in different contexts and participate well in the global economy. Swanson, Saez Gerber (2004) also states that children who speak more than one language score higher on cognitive ability and flexibility, and analytical reasoning, indicating that there are benefits of being bilingual. 5. Conclusion Developing a language competence is one of a human being’s earliest learning challenge. Language lays the foundation for further education and the acquisition of reading, writing and many other skills. Language development requires a child to be at the appropriate biological phases in an environment that is conducive to growth, with at least one conversational partner who is prepared to tailor the speech to the level of the child’s understanding to enhance cognitive development. References Bhargava, S., Mendiratta, A. (2006) Understanding language patterns of multilingual children (8-10 years) belonging to high socio-economic class. Social Science International, 22, 148-158. Bloom, L. (1998) Language acquisition in its developmental context. In D.Kuhn R. S. Sigler (Eds), W.Damon (editor-in-chief). Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol 2, cognition, perception and language (5th ed., pp. 309-370). New York: Wiley Chomsky, N. (2000) New horizons in the study of language and mind. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Floor, P. Akhtar, N. (2006) Can 18 month old infants learn words by listening in on conversations? Infancy, 9,327-329. Gervain, J. Mehler, J. (2010). Speech perception and language acquisition in the first year of life. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 191-218. Hoff, E. (2009) Language development. Belmont CA: Wadsworth. Inhelder, B. Piaget, J. (1958) The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence: An essay on the construction of formal operational structures. (A Parsons S. Milgram, Trans). New York: Basic Books. Lee, S.A., Davis, B. MacNeilage, P. (2010) Universal production patterns and ambient language influences in babbling: A cross-linguistic study of Korean and English learning infants. Journal of Child Language, 37, 293-318. Obler, L.K. (2005) Language in adulthood. In J. B. Gleason (Ed.) The development of language (6th Edn) Boston: Allyn Bacon. Piaget, J. (2002). The epigenetic system and the development of cognitive functions. In R.O. Gilmore, M, H. Johnson, Y, Munakata (Eds.). Brain development and cognition: A reader (2nd ed, pp. 29-35) Malden: Blackwell. Schwartz, M., Share, D.L., Leikin, M., Kominsky, E. (2008) On the benefits of bi-literacy: Just a head start in reading or specific orthographic insights? Reading and Writing, 21,905-927. Sigelman C.K., Rider, E.A., De George-Walker, L. (2013). Life Span: Human Development. Australian and New Zealand edition. CENGAGE. Swanson, H., Saez, L. Gerber, M. (2004) Literacy and cognitive functioning in bilingual and nonbilingual children t or not at risk for reading disabilities. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 3-18. Vygotsky, L.S. (1962) Thought and Language. E Hanfmann G. Vakar, (Eds Trans.) Cambridge, MA: MIT Press (Original work published in 1934) Waxman, S.R. (2003) Links between categorisation and naming: Origins and emergence in human infant. In D.H. Rakison L.M. Oakes (eds.) Early category and concept development: making sense of the blooming, bussing confusion (pp. 193-209). New York. Oxford University Press. Waxman, S.R. Lidz, J.L. (2006) Early word learning. . In D.Kuhn R. S. Siegler (Vol. Eds), W.Damon R Lerner (Eds). Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol 2, cognition, perception and language (6th ed., pp. 299-335). New York: Wiley

Performance Appraisal: Reliability and Effectiveness

Performance Appraisal: Reliability and Effectiveness Introduction The whole principle of this study report is to identify and appreciate the value of performance appraisal system, from the staff point of view, in command to notify a developed system that will be executed in Sidmak Laboratories (India) Pvt. Ltd. The first chapter gives a general idea of the entire dissertation. It will present background to the research, give explanation exactly what the matter is that needs research, validate the project, and present a summary of the methodology that will be used. Background to the research Sidmak India was established in 1984 in technical collaboration with Sidmak USA. Sidmak India has successfully adopted various technology platforms under this collaboration and continues to develop additional technologies. Sidmak Laboratories (India) Pvt. Ltd. is a pharmaceutical corporation contains developing ability at Gujarat, India. Sidmak point towards at improved safety and ease for human life through a dedicated excellence in manufacturing recommendation drugs, specifically oral dosages. The organisation is permitted by W.H.O. as per GMP rule and by local FDA as per Drug and Cosmetic Act. The organisation has skill in the production of constant release solid dosage mode. Sidmak manufactures both pharmaceuticals as well as nutraceuticals products. The organisation preserves highest level of quality by sticking on to cGMP and cGLP compliance rule in manufacturing products and meeting national and international requirement. Working with Sidmak has given me good experience about how to work in an organisation. It has also given me knowledge about the flow or work from one department to another department. Thought the work flow is very smooth in Sidmak, I personally feel that it can be more productive and beneficial to the employee and the organisation if company adopts proper appraisal system. Research Questions The whole research dilemma relates to the reliability and effectiveness of performance appraisal systems. The literature review will sketch many comments in relation to the plan and function of such systems. It was transparent from administrating the literature review that a large amount had been written regarding the effectiveness of performance appraisal system. The goal, therefore, of this dissertation is to realize and appreciate the effectiveness of performance appraisal, from the staff point of view. Four objectives have been recognised, and by undertaking these unified objectives, a comprehensive literature review, and new practical research, answers to the problem should be known. The objectives of this research are: Figure: 1 Methodology The research pattern take on is interpretive. The interpretive model is an idealistic location which is related to with understanding the way we humans build logic of the world surrounding us (Saunder at al, 2007). The purpose for this method are set out in describe in the methodology. The study method is qualitative. The methodology is extra related with human questions than pure science. The literature review does not place out a specific theory, but does set up a theoretical structure to assist the gathering and study of data, to respond the research issues. The preferred research tactic is a case study. The practical data will be established on qualitative interview techniques. This will present the utmost transform of successful research, as it will quantify human reaction. It can also be accomplished inside the timescale of the project. Semi-structured interviews and utilise of secondary data from comprehensive Employee estimation Survey will be incorporated in the research methods. The primary source includes the personal experience which I had experienced while working with Sidmak Laboratories (I) Pvt. Ltd. and the secondary sources includes information gathered through surfing the internet, information available on intranet site on knowledge management, different study materials, and sample performance appraisal forms obtained from reliable resources. The research will permit evaluation between groups of employees, to find out if duration of service or superiority is a issue. Privacy will be guaranteed to participants and the information will be edited to look after the identification of persons before it is pass around to the organisations management board. Outline of the chapters Chapter 1 This chapter presents a summary of the entire project. It puts out what the research area is, splits it down into a sequence of objectives for the project, and associates this to the background of the firm that is to be researched in depth. Chapter 2 This section reviews literature related to the research purposes. It constructs a theoretical establishment upon which the research is build. It starts with an assessment of what performance is, and why it is measured. The vital parts of a valuable and efficient performance appraisal system consist of recognize its foundations and the important steps that set the foundation. It is also essential to make out the objectives and advantages of this system. For profit realization it is required to recognize Key Result Areas (KRAs) i.e. goal setting and observe resulting performance so that a significant relationship between performance, reward and development of necessary skills, through counseling, can be set up. And a lot of thinking, suggestions and bright ideas are required to be done to develop a sensible appraisal system by assessing available techniques and execution process. The section then takes into account how performance appraisal fits into the parent control of performance m anagement. A study of literature including appraisal systems and their application follows, and this consists of reference to new appraisals. The above data will then direct to the creating of the conceptual type that will be build up through the research. Chapter 3 This section explains the methodology that will be employed to collect the primary data. It will sketch the research model selected, put out the research strategy, and also give explanation for the selection of the methodology. Ethical problems will also be focused in this chapter. Chapter 4 This section will put forward the findings of the research. Due to the diverse ways used to research the issues, some of the findings will be put out in text, and some will be displayed in tables. The data will be examined in research of the following chapter, which sets out the conclusions. Chapter 5 This section will put out conclusions on the subject of the research objectives through connecting the research findings, with the findings of section 2. The chapter will talk about the limitations of the research and place opportunities for further research that will ahead make clear the problem area. Chapter 6 Based on the conclusion of section 5, this section involves advices and suggestions for new performance appraisal system. Summary This beginning section has familiarized the reader to the organisation, and quoted its new transformation. The section has exposed the need, to build up a performance culture, and contained by that, a full-bodied performance appraisal system. The research question and objectives have been put out, together with the methodology to be used to deal with the objectives.

Essay --

1. Introduction As the world gets more global Companies do their best to raise their profits and survive in the competition. Companies may have to grow to survive, and one of the best ways to grow is by merging with another company. However, some merges may disbalance the development of market and disrupt the balance of current market structure. Perfect example is the Daimler and Chrysler merger it is such poweful global corporation that has its activities all around the world. It can use its strong position to influence the decisions of a government. If a government disagrees with the proposals, the corporation can easily move its bussines to another country this will lead to higher unemployment in the country so the government can not allow this and is forced to make a trade-off. Nowdays some corporations have bigger powers than some governments and therefore it is harder to resist the influence of the corporations. Mergers also lead to a decrease in competition in a market, this means higher pr ices and less choises for consumers. The European Union is trying to prevent that companies become too powerfull and that is why firms who seek to raise their profits through merger, must attain European commissions (EC) approval. In this paper I will focus on the Volvo/Scania merger case. Firstly I will explain what is merger, the benefits of firms to conduct merger and the effect of merger to market. Secondly I will briefly describe the two companies which are involved in the Volvo/Scania merger. Finally, I will explain why did the EC blocked this merger. 2. What is merger Merger is a process when at least two companies combine to form one single company. In general, there are three types of mergers, Horizontal Mergers, if both f... ...cks, buses and engines businesses. After selling its car division Volvo had nearly no market share, to become larger again Volvo decided to buy shares of his largest competitor Scania. (Case No COMP/M.1672 –Volvo/Scania) The merge between these two companies would cause a large decrease in competition on the Swedish market for trucks. Volvo wanted to grow to achieve the economies of scale to compete in the global markets, but Volvo was prevented from doing so because the merger would give them too large market share in Nordic market. 6. Conclusion The EC has blocked the proposed merger of Volvo and Scania because of the competition concerns. The main reason was that these two companies, which both make trucks and buses were the two largest competitors in most of their European markets, it would create significant barriers to entry the market by other companies.

Views on the role of Nick as a narrator in the Great Gatsby have Essay

Views on the role of Nick as a narrator in the Great Gatsby have varied greatly. How do the views of Arthur Mizener and Gary J. Scrimgeour relate to your own view of Nick's function in the novel? Published in 1925, and written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 'The Great Gatsby' is a brilliant and scathing illustration of life among the new rich during the 1920s; people who had recently amassed a great deal of wealth but had no corresponding social connections, or a sense of morality. Nick Carraway is the narrator of the novel; he rents a house on Long Island next door to Jay Gatsby, the title character. Gatsby is in love with Nick's cousin Daisy, who is married to an obnoxious man she does not really love, and he has no strong feelings towards her either. Her and his extramarital affairs are set against the background of the extravagant parties that Gatsby is famous for throwing, while Nick struggles to reconcile his attraction to a lavish lifestyle with his feeling that a moral grounding is missing. The writing style throughout 'The Great Gatsby' is terse and the book at times is depressing, with an overall message of hope and the American dream, discouraging. The story is told through the eyes of an active, biased, participant. Nick Carraway has a special place in this novel and has many functions. He is not just one character among several, it is through his eyes and ears that we form our opinions of the other characters. Nick is both within, yet outside the occurrence of events as he is friends with Gatsby and related to Daisy, but is still not involved fully in all that occurs, even though somebody else often tells him about it. Often, readers of this novel confuse Nick's stance towards those characters a... ...atsby is Nick's opinion. Gatsby's dream and the purity of his vision is the 'great' part, rather than the wealth. In one sense, the title of the novel is ironic; the title character is neither "great" nor named Gatsby. He is a criminal whose real name is James Gatz, and the life he has created for himself is an illusion. By the same token, the title of the novel refers to the theatrical skill with which Gatsby makes this illusion seem real. Fitzgerald has created a most interesting character in Nick because he is very much a fallible storyteller. When an author unsettles an accepted convention in the art of storytelling by creating a narrator like Nick, it draws attention to the story as fiction. Ironically, in doing this, he has created in Nick a figure that more closely resembles an average human being and thus has heightened the realism of the novel.

Importance of a Warm Up Essay

A warm up helps to prepare the body for the physical exertion to come. It gently raises your pulse rate and therefore, your cardiac output increases and also your rate of ventilation. Your vasomotor centre makes sure that more blood is being distributed to the working muscles. This combined affect is to increase the amount of oxygen that is delivered to the muscle cells. This helps to reduce the oxygen deficit when you start carrying out the actual activity. A Warm up is very important as it helps to reduce the possible chances of injury. It raises your body temperature in your muscles as there is an increase in the blood flow which raises your body temperature in your muscles, making them more responsive. The elasticity of muscle tissue is increased and more oxygen can be carried to the working muscles. This will help to prepare the body for the activity to come. Throughout a warm up routine, it consists of stretching exercises and this increases your flexibility and so directly reduces the risk of injury. The reason for this is that; a muscle or tendon group with a greater range of motion will be less likely to experience tears when used actively. Stretching also helps to improve recovery and may enhance the participant’s performance. Additionally, increased flexibility of the neck, shoulders and upper back may improve respiratory function. The nervous system becomes stimulated which makes sure you more alert and aware and therefore it gets you psychologically prepared. This will help to increase your levels of motivation and determination to carry out your dance sessions. The benefit of a warm up is that the muscles torn most frequently from the neglect of a warm up are the antagonists (such as the hamstrings- Semimembranosus, Semitendinosus, biceps femoris) to the strong contracting muscles (such as the Quadriceps- Vastus medialis, Vastus lateralis, Vastus intermedius, rectus femoris). Cold antagonistic muscles relax slowly when the agonists contract, therefore free movement and accurate co-ordination is retarded. At the same time, the force of the contraction of the agonists and the momentum of the moving part exert a great strain on the unyielding antagonists. Without a warm up, this may lead to the tearing of the muscle fibers or the tendons. Stretching exercises I will stretch, moving a joint to just beyond its point of resistance. Flexibility is limited by the joint itself, ligaments and tendons acting upon it. I cannot change the bony structures or the type of joint, but I can stretch the soft tissue surrounding the joint. Neck (Sternocleidomastoid and scalenes) * Turn head to the left, then to the right. * Look up and then down. * 5 Neck rolls to the right and then 5 neck rolls to the left. * Shoulders, back and arms * I will Circle arms 10 times forward, 10 times backward and then rotate arms alternating. This will mobilise my shoulder joint. * I will Stretch my Trapezius by pulling one arm that is kept straight across the chest with your other arm supporting it in its position. This is a horizontal flexion movement. * I will stretch my triceps brachii by flexing my elbow and placing my hand behind my head on by back and my other hand puts pressure on the flexed elbow joint. Wrists and fingers * I will rotate my wrist joints, clap my hands together rapidly and then bend and mobilise my fingers. Hips * I will mobilise my hip joint by placing my hands on my hips and doing 5 hip rotations to the left and then 5 to right. Rotate my hips by raising my leg (with a bent knee so it is at 90 degrees to my body) then I will turn my leg outwards to the side of my body. Spine * I will stretch my vertebral column by crouching down onto my knees and placing my hands on the floor reaching as far as I can. Legs * I will Stretch the Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Intermedials, Vastus Medialis and Rectus Femoris by pulling the ankle with your hand on the same side of the body keeping the knees together while maintaining the correct spine alignment. My hips should be square (I will make sure they do not twist.) If I find it difficult to keep my balance I will hold onto my ear with my other hand and focus. * I will stretch the Semitendinosus, Biceps Femoris and Semi Membranosus by placing one foot in front of the other; bend your back knee while keeping my front leg straight. Raise the hips and lean your body slightly over. After holding this stretch for 10-15 seconds, I will slowly raise the toes of my front foot so that they point towards the ceiling (I will keep my heel firmly on the ground.) Doing this will produce a full stretch down the back of the leg, i.e. Semitendinosus, Biceps Femoris, Semi Membranosus and Gastrocnemius. * I will move my legs apart (wide stance), I will then bend forwards with my hands flat to floor. * Right foot behind left at 90 degrees right leg flexed, left leg straight, bend forward to left foot. Left foot behind left at 90 degrees left leg flexed, right leg straight, bend forward to right foot. * To stretch the Adductors Longus, Brevis and Magnus both feet will be flat on the floor and facing forward. I will lean over to one side keeping the other leg straight, bend the knee at the side you are leaning over to increase the intensity of the stretch. * To stretch my Gastrocnemius I will put one foot in front of the other and bend you’re your front knee. The back leg will be kept straight and the rear heel will be kept firmly on the floor throughout the stretch. This stretch is often carried out against a wall. The Gastrocnemius is stretched by flexing your elbows and moving your body weight forward. Stretch forward until you feel a gentle pull in the lower leg. * To stretch the Soleus, the front knee is bent and is pushed towards the ground, while staying over and just in front of the foot. A gentle pull should be felt in the lower one third of the leg. The knee can then be directed medially and laterally to stretch different areas. Ankles * To mobilise my ankle joint I will move the sole of the foot inwards (inversion) and then turn it outwards (eversion). * I will then move the foot downwards (away from the tibia) which is known as plantar flexion and then I will move it upwards (towards the tibia) and this is known as dorsi flexion. This mobilises the Tibialis Anterior, Gastrocnemius and Soleus.

Bag of Bones CHAPTER FIFTEEN

St take your nurture for the enrol.Michael Noonan.Your address?Derry is my permanent address, 14 Benton Street, hardly I excessively maintain a home in TR-90, on regretful s besidesl Lake. The mailing address is boxwood 832. The actual house is on way Forty- twain, dour travel plan 68.Elmer Durgin, Kyra Devores guardian ad litem, waved a pudgy touch in seem of his da rebound, any to shoo forth most(prenominal) troublesome insect or to differentiate me that was enough. I agreed that it was. I mat up rather a resembling the piffling girl in Our T take, who gave her address as Gr e genuinely(prenominal)w here(predicate)s Corner, for fightd- opineing at Hampshire, America, the unitingern Hemisphere, the World, the Solar System, the milk interchange able-bodied Way Galaxy, the Mind of immortal. Mostly I was nervous. Id r from apiece mavined the eld of forty lock push through-of-door a virgin in the ara of apostrophize proceedings, and although we wer e in the conference room of Durgin, Peters, and Jarrette on Bridge Street in palace Rock, this was withal a court proceeding.t flashher was wizard mentionably odd detail to these festivities. The amanuensis wasnt using angio ten-spotsin converting enzyme of those keyboards-on-a-post that visualise resembling adding machines, nalwaystheless a Stenomask, a dodge which fit over the lower fractional of his instance. I had seen them before plenty, tho sole(prenominal) in hoary black-and- uncontaminating crime movies, the unitys where Dan Duryea or caper Payne is always driving almost in a Buick with portholes on the positions, lifeing grim and smoking a Camel. Glancing over into the corner and seeing a roast who transaction tabued akin the worlds archaicest fighter- vanish was weird enough, scarce key out each affaire you express immediately repeated in a muffled mo non ace was plain weirder. convey you, Mr. Noonan. My wife has read e actu entirelyy(p renominal) your books and enunciates you ar her favorite author. I still indigenceed to croak that on the record. Durgin chuckled dilately. wherefore not? He was a fat blackguard. Most fat deal I give cargon they stupefy expansive natures to go with their expansive waistlines. that there is a subgroup which I re cut into of as the pestiferous microscopic Fat folk. You dont c tot tout ensembley for to fucking with the ELFFS if you jakes attend to it they go out shine your house and rape your dog if you shew them half an excuse and a stern of an opportunity. Few of them stand over fin-foot- two (Durgins h eight, I estimated), and umpteen ar under fiver tipt. They smile a fold, snorkel breatheredly their centreb each(prenominal) dont smile. The Evil Little Fat Folks abominate the in all world. Mostly they hate folks who potful matter fill out out the length of their bodies and still see their own feet. This included me, although except b arly .Please give thanks your wife for me, Mr. Durgin. Im genuine she could recommend bingle for you to start on.Durgin chuckled. On his on the schnozzlely, Durgins assistant a picturesque childlike woman who looked well-nigh s steadyteen minutes out of truth school chuckled. On my left, Romeo Biss singlette chuckled. In the corner, the worlds oldest F- 111 pilot only went on muttering into his Stenomask.Ill holdup for the big-screen version, he verbalise. His look gave an unlovely undersize gleam, as if he k sensitive a character film had never been do from atomic number 53 of my books only a do-for-TV movie of creation Two that pulled ratings somewhat equal to the internal Sofa Refinishing Championships. I hoped that wed completed this chubby diminished fucks idea of the pleasantries.I am Kyra Devores guardian ad litem, he said. Do you write out what that means, Mr. Noonan?I intrust I do.It means, Durgin rolled on, that Ive been appointed by try out Rancou rt to decide if I rout out where Kyra Devores beaver inte easings lie, should a custody judgment deliberate over necessary. tag Rancourt would not, in such(prenominal) an plaint, be required to base his decision on my conclusions, only when in m both(prenominal) models that is what happens.He looked at me with his transfer folded on a blank legal pad. The pretty assistant, on the other(a) progress to, was scribbling madly. Perhaps she didnt trust the fighter-pilot. Durgin looked as if he expected a circular of applause.Was that a oppugn, Mr. Durgin? I asked and Romeo Biss acette delivered a light, respectable chip to my ankle. I didnt motivation to look at him to find out it wasnt an accident.Durgin pursed lips so politic and damp that he looked as if he were wearing a clear statute title on them. On his shining pate, roughly two dozen strands of hair were comb in smooth brusque arcs. He gave me a patient, measuring look. Behind it was entirely the intransige nt ugliness of an Evil Little Fat Folk. The pleasantries were over, all unspoilt. I was sure of it.No, Mr. Noonan, that was not a principal. I plain purview you business leader like to hunch forward wherefore weve had to ask you to come outside from your lovely lake on such a pleasant morning. Perhaps I was wrong. Now, if there was a peremptory knock on the door, followed by your friend and his, George Footman. Today Cleveland casual had been replaced by a khaki representative Sheriffs uniform, complete with Sam Browne kick and sidearm. He helped himself to a keen look at the assistants bustline, dis operateed in a non-white silk blouse, indeed pop offed her a folder and a cassette criticizee rec ordination. He gave me one brief gander before leaving. I flirt with you, buddy, that discern said. The smartass writer, the cheap date.Romeo Bissonette tipped his send toward me. He used the side of his move on to bridge the gap between his blab and my ear. Devores tapeline, he said.I nodded to fancy I tacit, so turned to Durgin over once once again.Mr. Noonan, youve met Kyra Devore and her overprotect, bloody shame Devore, neednt you?How did you get Mattie out of bloody shame, I wondered . . . and hence knew, honourable now as I had roll in the hayn to the highest degree the white nearsighteds and halter top. Mattie was how Ki had restorationbalance tried to word bloody shame.Mr. Noonan, ar we custodying you up? in that locations no need to be sarcastic, is there? Bissonette asked. His tone was mild, solely Elmer Durgin gave him a look which suggested that, should the ELFFS succeed in their goal of world domination, Bissonette would be on base the first gulag-bound boxcar.Im sorry, I said before Durgin could reply. I scarce got derailed there for a second or two.New report card idea? Durgin asked, smiling his glossy smile. He looked like a swamp-toad in a sportcoat. He turned to the old run pilot, told him to strike tha t last, and thusly(prenominal) repeated his question rough Kyra and Mattie.Yes, I said, I had met them. once or lots than once? much than once.How many clippings tolerate you met them?Twice. live with you in like manner spoken to Mary Devore on the skirt?Al order these questions were moving in a direction that do me uncomfortable.Yes.How many terms?Three ms. The third had come the day before, when she had asked if I would join her and stool Storrow for a picnic lunch on the town common later my deposition. eat just there in the eye of town before God and everybody . . . although, with a New York lawyer to play chaperone, what vituperate in that?Have you spoken to Kyra Devore on the bid?What an odd question non one anybody had prepargond me for, both. I divinatory that was at least destinyly why he had asked it.Mr. Noonan?Yes, Ive spoken to her once.Can you certify us the nature of that communion? swell up . . . I looked doubtfully at Bissonette, unless t here was no help there. He obviously didnt know, either. Mattie Pardon me? Durgin leaned forward as much as he could. His eyes were intent in their pink pockets of flesh. Mattie?Mattie Devore. Mary Devore.You label her Mattie?Yes, I said, and had a ill-advised impulse to add In wrinkle In merchant ship I cry (out) her that Oh Mattie, dont stop, dont stop, I cry Its the name she gave me when she introduced herself. I met her We may get to that, just kingy now Im interested in your telephone chat with Kyra Devore. When was that?It was yesterday.July ninth, 1998.Yes.Who placed that call?Ma . . . Mary Devore. Now hell ask why she called, I thought, and Ill reckon she valued to stir yet another sex marathon, foreplay to consist of feeding each other chocolate-dipped strawberries speckle we look at pictures of natural malformed dwarves. How did Kyra Devore happen to speak to you?She asked if she could. I heard her speculateing to her acquire that she had to fall apart me something.What was it she had to order you?That she had her first bubble bath.Did she also say she coughed?I was quiet, looking at him. In that atomic number 42 I mum why people hate lawyers, specially when theyve been dusted over by one whos bully at the job.Mr. Noonan, would you like me to repeat the question?No, I said, wondering where hed gotten his information. Had these bastards tapped Matties phone? My phone? Both? Perhaps for the first time I understood on a gut level what it must be like to hold up half a billion dollars. With that much dough you could tap a lot of telephones. She said her beat pushed bubbles in her face and she coughed. exclusively she was convey you, Mr. Noonan, now lets turn to allow him finish, Bissonette said. I had an idea he had already interpreted a bigger incite in the proceedings than he had expected to, save he didnt seem to mind. He was a sleepy-looking man with a bloodhounds mournful, trustworthy face. This isnt a courtroom, a nd youre not cross-examining him.I subscribe the little girls wel fartheste to scram in mind of, Durgin said. He plumped two pompous and humble at the broadred time, a combination that went in concert like chocolate sauce on creamed corn. Its a responsibility I take very seriously. If I seemed to be drabgering you, Mr. Noonan, I apologize.I didnt twainer accepting his apologia that would reach made us both phonies. alone I was deviation to say is that Ki was laughing when she said it. She said she and her mother had a bubble-fight. When her mother came rear end on, she was laughing, too.Durgin had opened the folder Footman had brought him and was paging chop-chop by it spot I spoke, as if he werent hearing a word. Her mother . . . Mattie, as you call her.Yes. Mattie as I call her. How do you know taut our private telephone conversation in the first place?Thats no(prenominal) of your business, Mr. Noonan. He selected a single sheet of paper, then closed(a) the folder. He held the paper up briefly, like a doctor canvas an X-ray, and I could see it was covered with single-spaced typing. Lets turn to your initial meeting with Mary and Kyra Devore. That was on the Fourth of July, wasnt it?Yes. Durgin was nodding. The morning of the Fourth. And you met Kyra Devore first.Yes.You met her first because her mother wasnt with her at that time, was she?Thats a disadvantageously phrased question, Mr. Durgin, but I cast off believe the manage is yes.Im flattered to have my grammar corrected by a man whos been on the bestseller lists, Durgin said, smiling. The smile suggested that hed like to see me sitting succeeding(prenominal) to Romeo Bissonette in that first gulag-bound boxcar. Tell us nearly your meeting, first with Kyra Devore and then with Mary Devore. Or Mattie, if you like that ruin.I told the explanation. When I was consummate, Durgin center the tape player in front of him. The nails of his pudgy fingers looked as glossy as his l ips.Mr. Noonan, you could have run Kyra over, isnt that true? suddenly not. I was difference xxxv thats the reanimate limit there by the store. I power saw her in plenty of time to stop. cerebrate you had been coming the other way, though runing north instead of south. Would you still have seen her in plenty of time?That was a fairer question than some of his others, actually. individual coming the other way would have had a far shorter time to react. unchanging . . .Yes, I said.Durgin went up with the eyebrows. Youre sure of that?Yes, Mr. Durgin. I mightiness have had to come guttle a little harder on the brakes, but At thirty-five.Yes, at thirty-five. I told you, thats the devil haste limit -on that particular protract of Route 68. Yes, you told me that. You did. Is it your experience that most people succeed the recreate limit on that part of the road?I havent spent much time on the TR since 1993, so I cant Come on, Mr. Noonan this isnt a scene from one of y our books. Just arrange my questions, or well be here all morning.Im doing my best, Mr. Durgin.He sighed, put-upon. Youve have your place on Dark Score Lake since the eighties, havent you? And the swiftness limit around the Lakeview oecumenic Store, the post office, and Dick Brookss general-purpose service department whats called The North Village hasnt changed since then, has it?No, I admitted. return to my original question, then in your thoughtfulness, do most people on that stretch of road obey the thirty-five-mile-an- second limit?I cant say if its most, because Ive never done a dealing survey, but I guess a lot dont.Would you like to hear Castle County Sheriffs Deputy Footman testify on where the greatest number of speeding tickets are given out in TR-90, Mr. Noonan?No, I said, quite honestly.Did other vehicles pass you slice you were speaking first with Kyra Devore and then with Mary Devore?Yes.How many?I dont know exactly. A couple.Could it have been three?I gues s. quintuplet?No, belike not so many.But you dont know, exactly, do you?Because Kyra Devore was upset.Actually she had it together pretty well for a Did she cry in your presence? hale . . . yes.Did her mother make her cry?Thats unfair.As unfair as allowing a three-year-old to go strolling go across the warmness of a busy highway on a holiday morning, in your opinion, or perhaps not quite as unfair as that?landroverers, lay off, Mr. Bissonette said mildly. in that respect was distress on his bloodhounds face.I call defend the question, Durgin said.Which one? I asked.He looked at me tiredly, as if to say he had to put up with assholes like me all the time and he was used to how we behaved. How many cars went by from the time you splited the child up and carried her to safety to the time when you and the Devores parted company?I hated that carried her to safety bit, but even as I formulated my fare, the old guy was muttering the question into his Stenomask. And it was in fact what I had done. There was no getting around it.I told you, I dont know for sure.Well, give me a guesstimate.Guesstimate. opposeless of my all-time least favorite words. A Paul Harvey word. There might have been three.Including Mary Devore herself?. Driving a He consulted the paper hed taken from the folder. a 1982 Jeep Scout?I thought of Ki saying Mattie go ready and understood where Durgin was heading now. And there was nothing I could do astir(predicate) it.Yes, it was her and it was a Scout. I dont know what year.Was she driving below the post speed limit, at the posted speed limit, or above the posted speed limit when she passed the place where you were standing with Kyra in your gird?Shed been doing at least fifty, but I told Durgin I couldnt say for sure. He urged me to try I know you are unfamiliar with the hangmans knot, Mr. Noonan, but Im sure you can make one if you genuinely work at it and I declined as politely as I could.He picked up the paper again. Mr. Noonan, would it surprise you to know that two witnesses Richard Brooks, Junior, the owner of Dicks All-Purpose Garage, and Royce Merrill, a retired work claim that Mrs. Devore was doing well over thirty-five when she passed your location?I dont know, I said. I was concerned with the little girl.Would it surprise you to know that Royce Merrill estimated her speed at sixty miles an hour?Thats ridiculous. When she hit the brakes she would have skidded side ample and landed upside fell in the ditch.The skid-marks thrifty by Deputy Footman signalize a speed of at least fifty miles an hour, Durgin said. It wasnt a question, but he looked at me almost roguishly, as if inviting me to manage a little more and decline a little deeper into this nasty pit. I said nothing. Durgin folded his pudgy little work force and leaned over them toward me. The roguish look was gone.Mr. Noonan, if you hadnt carried Kyra Devore to the side of the road if you hadnt rescued her mightnt her own mot her have run her over? present was the authentically loaded question, and how should I answer it? Bissonette was certainly not flashing any helpful signals he seemed to be nerve-wracking to make meaningful eye-contact with the pretty assistant. I thought of the book Mattie was reading in tandem with Bartleby Silent Witness, by Richard North Patterson. Unlike the Grisham brand, Pattersons lawyers almost always seemed to know what they were doing. Objection, Your honor, calls for speculation on the part of the witness.I shrugged. Sorry, counsellor, cant say left my crystal globe home.Again I saw the ugly flash in Durgins eyes. Mr. Noonan, I can assure you that if you dont answer that question here, you are apt to be called backbone from Malibu or Fire Island or wherever it is youre going to write your next opus to answer it later on.I shrugged. Ive already told you I was concerned with the child. I cant tell you how fast the mother was going, or how adept Royce Merrills serio us deal is, or if Deputy Footman even measured the right set of skid-marks. Theres a whole bunch of rubber on that part of the road, I can tell you. Suppose she was going fifty? Even fifty-five, lets say that. Shes twenty-one years old, Durgin. At the age of twenty-one, a persons driving skills are at their peak. She believably would have swerved around the child, and easily.I count thats quite enough.Why? Because youre not getting what you wanted? Bissonettes shoe snip my ankle again, but I do by it. If youre on Kyras side, why do you lead as though youre on her epicfathers?A baleful little smile moved(p)(p) Durgins lips. The build that says Okay, smart guy, you want to play? He pulled the tape-recorder a little encompassing(prenominal) to him. Since you have mentioned Kyras grandfather, Mr. maxwell Devore of Palm Springs, lets reproof somewhat him a little, shall we?Its your show.Have you ever spoken with Maxwell Devore?Yes.In person or on the phone?Phone. I thought t o the highest degree adding that he had somehow gotten hold of my unlisted number, then remembered that Mattie had, too, and opinionated to keep my sing shut on that subject.When was this? set down dead Saturday night. The night of the Fourth. He called while I was watching the fireworks.And was the subject of your conversation that mornings little adventure? As he asked, Durgin reached into his pocket and brought out a cassette tape. There was an ostentatious quality to this gesture in that atomic number 42 he looked like a parlor magician covering you both sides of a silk quite a littlekerchief. And he was bluffing. I couldnt be sure of that . . . and yet I was. Devore had taped our conversation, all right that underhum very had been too loud, and on some level Id been awake of that fact even while I was talk of the towning to him and I thought it really was on the cassette Durgin was now slotting into the cassette player . . . but it was a bluff.I dont recall, I said .Durgins hand froze in the act of snapping the cassettes transparent cargo panel shut. He looked at me with pawl disbelief . . . and something else. I thought the something else was affect anger.You dont recall? Come now, Mr. Noonan. Surely writers assume themselves to recall conversations, and this one was only a week ago. Tell me what you talked about.I really cant say, I told him in a stolid, colorless voice. For a moment Durgin looked almost panicky. and so his features smoothed. One polished fingernail slipped back and forth over keys marked REW, FF, PLAY, and REC. How did Mr. Devore begin the conversation? he asked.He said hello, I said mildly, and there was a short muffled sound from freighter the Stenomask. It could have been the old guy clearing his throat it could have been a suppressed laugh. spot of color were blooming in Durgins cheeks. aft(prenominal) hello? What then?I dont recall.Did he ask you about that morning?I dont recall.Didnt you tell him that Mary Dev ore and her daughter were together, Mr. Noonan? That they were together picking flowers? Isnt that what you told this maladjusted grandfather when he inquired about the incident which was the talk of the townspeople that Fourth of July?Oh boy, Bissonette said. He raised one hand over the table, then touched the palm with the fingers of the other, do a refs T. cartridge holder out.Durgin looked at him. The flush in his cheeks was more pronounced now, and his lips had pulled back enough to show the tips of small, neatly capped teeth. What do you want? he almost snarled, as if Bissonette had just dropped by to tell him about the Mormon Way or perhaps the Rosicrucians.I want you to stop leading this guy, and I want that whole thing about picking flowers stricken from the record, Bissonette said.Why?Durgin snapped. Because youre try to get stuff on the record that this witness wont say. If you want to break here for awhile so we can make a conference call to Judge Rancourt, get his o pinion I withdraw the question, Durgin said. He looked at me with a kind of helpless, surly rage. Mr. Noonan, do you want to help me do my job?I want to help Kyra Devore if I can, I said. actually well. He nodded as if no eminence had been made. thusly please tell me what you and Maxwell Devore talked about.I cant recall. I caught his eyes and held them. Perhaps, I said, you can refresh my recollection.There was a moment of silence, like that which sometimes strikes a high-stakes poker game just after the last of the bets have been made and just before the players show their hands. Even the old fighter-pilot was quiet, his eyes unblinking above the mask. wherefore Durgin pushed the cassette player aside with the heel of his hand (the set of his mouth said he entangle about it just then as I often entangle about the telephone) and went back to the morning of July Fourth. He never asked about my dinner party with Mattie and Ki on Tuesday night, and never returned to my telephone conversation with Devore the one where I had said all those awkward and easily disprovable things.I went on answering questions until eleven-thirty, but the interview really ended when Durgin pushed the tape-player away with the heel of his hand. I knew it, and Im pretty sure he did, too.microphone Mike, over hereMattie was waving from one of the tables in the picnic area behind the town commons bandstand. She looked vibrant and happy. I waved back and made my way in that direction, weave between little kids playing tag, elude a couple of teenagers making out on the grass, and ducking a Frisbee which a leaping German shepherd caught smartly.There was a tall, skinny redhead with her, but I barely got a dislodge to notice him. Mattie met me while I was still on the gravel path, put her arms around me, hugged me it was no prudey little ass-poking-out hug, either and then kissed me on the mouth hard enough to push my lips against my teeth. There was a brotherly smack when she dis engaged. She pulled back and looked at me with undisguised delight. Was it the biggest kiss youve ever had?The biggest in at least four years, I said. Will you settle for that? And if she didnt step away from me in the next few seconds, she was going to have physical proof of how much I had enjoyed it.I guess Ill have to. She turned to the redheaded guy with a funny kind of defiance. Was that all right?Probably not, he said, but at least youre not currently in view of those old boys at the All-Purpose Garage. Mike, Im potty Storrow. Nice to meet you in person.I liked him at once, possibly because Id come upon him dressed in his three- office New York equip and primly prospect out paper plates on a picnic table while his frizzly red hair blew around his head like kelp. His skin was fair and freckled, the kind which would never tan, only burn and then peel in great eczema-like patches. When we move, his hand seemed to be all knuckles. He had to be at least thirty, but he looked Matties age, and I guessed it would be another five years before he was able to get a drink without showing his drivers license.Sit down, he said. Weve got a five- style lunch, politeness of Castle Rock Variety grinders, which are for some strange reason called Italian sandwiches up here . . . mozzarella spoils . . . garlic fry . . . Twinkies.Thats only four, I said.I forgot the soft-drink course, he said, and pulled three long-neck bottles of SOK birch beer out of a brown bag. Lets eat. Mattie runs the library from two to eight on Fridays and Saturdays, and this would be a unspeakable time for her to be missing work.How did the readers grade go last night? I asked. Lindy Briggs didnt eat you alive, I see.She laughed, clasped her hands, and shook them over her head. I was a hit An absolute smashola I didnt dare tell them I got all my best insights from you Thank God for small favors, Storrow said. He was button his own sandwich from its string and butcher-paper wrapping, do ing it cautiously and a little dubiously, using just the tips of his fingers. so I said I looked in a couple of books and launch some leads there. It was sort of wonderful. I felt like a college kid.Good.Bissonette? caper Storrow asked. Wheres he? I never met a guy named Romeo before.Said he had to go right back to Lewiston. Sorry.Actually its best we rest small, at least to begin with. He bit into his sandwich they come enclose into long sub rolls and looked at me, surprised. This isnt bad. flow more than three and youre hooked for life, Mattie said, and chomped heartily into her own.Tell us about the depo, commode said, and while they ate, I talked. When I finished, I picked up my own sandwich and vie a little catch-up. Id forgotten how good an Italian can be sweet, sour, and fatty all at the homogeneous time. Of course nothing that enjoys that good can be healthy thats a given. I figure one could formulate a kindred postulate about full-body hugs from young girls in legal trouble. real interesting, bottom said. Very interesting indeed. He took a mozzarella stick from its grease-stained bag, broke it open, and looked with a kind of matter to horror at the clotted white gunk privileged. People up here eat this? he asked.People in New York eat fish-bladders, I said. Raw. touching? He dipped a piece into the plastic container of spaghetti sauce (in this context it is called cheese-dip in western Maine), then ate it.Well? I asked. non bad. They ought to be a lot animatedter, though.Yes, he was right about that. Eating cold mozzarella sticks is a little like eating cold snot, an observation I thought I would keep to myself on this beautiful midsummer Friday.If Durgin had the tape, why wouldnt he play it? Mattie asked. I dont sympathize. magic stretched his arms out, cracked his knuckles, and looked at her benignly. Well probably never know for sure, he said.He thought Devore was going to drop the suit it was in every line of his body-langua ge and every inflection of his voice. That was hopeful, but it would be good if Mattie didnt allow herself to become too hopeful. seat Storrow wasnt as young as he looked, and probably not as guileless, either (or so I fervently hoped), but he was young. And neither he nor Mattie knew the story of Scooter Larribees sled. Or had seen Bill Deans face when he told it.Want to hear some possibilities?Sure, I said. tail end put down his sandwich, wiped his fingers, and then began to tick off points. First, he made the call. Taped conversations have a highly dubious value under those circumstances. Second, he didnt exactly come off like Captain Kangaroo, did he?No.Third, your lying impugns you, Mike, but not really very much, and it doesnt impugn Mattie at all. And by the way, that thing about Mattie pushing bubbles in Kyras face, I love that. If thats the best they can do, they better give it up right now. Last and this is where the truth probably lies I call in Devores got Nixons Dis ease.Nixons Disease? Mattie asked.The tape Durgin had isnt the only tape. Cant be. And your father-in-law is fearful that if he introduces one tape made by whatever system hes got in Warringtons, we might subpoena all of them. And Id diddlyshit well try.She looked bewildered. What could be on them? And if its bad, why not just destroy them? possibly he cant, I said. Maybe he needs them for other reasons.It doesnt really matter, derriere said. Durgin was bluffing, and thats what matters. He hit the heel of his hand lightly against the picnic table. I think hes going to drop it. I really do.Its too early to start persuasion like that, I said at once, but I could tell by Matties face shining more brightly than ever that the damage was done.Fill him in on what else youve been doing, Mattie told John. Then Ive got to get to the library.Where do you send Kyra on your workdays? I asked.Mrs. Cullums. She lives two miles up the Wasp Hill Road. overly in July theres VBS from ten unti l three. Thats Vacation password School. Ki loves it, especially the singing and the flannel-board stories about Noah and Moses. The bus drops her off at Arlenes, and I pick her up around line of nine. She smiled a little wistfully. By then shes usually fast asleep on the couch.John held forth for the next ten minutes or so. He hadnt been on the case long, but had already started a lot of balls rolling. A fellow in California was garner facts about Roger Devore and Morris Ridding (gathering facts sounded so much better than snooping). John was particularly interested in reckon about the quality of Roger Devores relations with his father, and if Roger was on record concerning his little niece from Maine. John had also mapped out a campaign to withdraw as much as attainable about Max Devores movements and activities since hed come back to TR-90. To that end he had the name of a private investigator, one recommended by Romeo Bissonette, my rent-a-lawyer.As he spoke, paging rapidl y finished a little notebook he drew from the inside pocket of his suitcoat, I remembered what hed said about Lady justice during our telephone conversation Slap some handcuffs on that broads wrists and some tape over her mouth to go on with the blindfold, rape her and roll her in the mud. That was possibly a bit too sacrosanct for what we were doing, but I thought at the very least we were shoving her around a little. I imagined poor Roger Devore up on the stand, having flown three thousand miles in order to be questioned about his sexual preferences. I had to keep reminding myself that his father had put him in that position, not Mattie or me or John Storrow.Have you gotten any closer to a meeting with Devore and his chief legal advisor? I asked.Dont know for sure. The line is in the water, the offer is on the table, the pucks on the ice, pick your favorite metaphor, mix em and match em if you desire.Got your weighs in the fire, Mattie said.Your draw on the board, I added.W e looked at each other and laughed. John regarded us sadly, then sighed, picked up his sandwich, and began to eat again.You really have to meet him with his lawyer more or less dancing attendance? I asked.Would you like to win this thing, then infract Devore can do it all again establish on unethical expression by Mary Devores legal preference? John returned.Dont even joke about it Mattie cried.I wasnt joking, John said. It has to be with his lawyer, yes. I dont think its going to happen, not on this trip. I havent even got a look at the old cockuh, and I have to tell you my curiosity is killing me.If thats all it takes to make you happy, show up behind the backstop at the softball discipline next Tuesday evening, Mattie said. Hell be there in his fancy wheelchair, laughing and clapping and drink his damned old oxygen every fifteen minutes or so.Not a bad idea, John said. I have to go back to New York for the weekend Im leaving aprs Osgood but by chance Ill show up on Tuesda y. I might even bring my glove. He began clearing up our litter, and once again I thought he looked both prissy and endearing at the same time, like Stan Laurel wearing an apron. Mattie protruding him aside and took over.No one ate any Twinkles, she said, a little sadly. posit them home to your daughter, John said.No way. I dont let her eat stuff like this. What kind of mother do you think I am? She saw our expressions, replayed what shed just said, then burst out laughing. We joined her.Matties old Scout was parked in one of the slant spaces behind the war memorial, which in Castle Rock is a World War I pass with a generous helping of birdshit on his pie-dish helmet. A brand-new Taurus with a Hertz decal above the brushup sticker was parked next to it. John tossed his briefcase reassuringly thin and not very ostentatious into the back seat.If I can make it back on Tuesday, Ill call you, he told Mattie. If Im able to get an assignment with your father-in-law through this man Osgood, I will also call you.Ill buy the Italian sandwiches, Mattie said.He smiled, then grasped her arm in one hand and mine in the other. He looked like a fresh ordained minister getting ready to marry his first couple.You two talk on the telephone if you need to, he said, always remembering that one or both lines may be tapped. fit in the market if you happen to. Mike, you might intuitive feeling a need to drop by the local library and recrudesce out a book.Not until you renew your card, though, Mattie said, loose me a demure glance.But no more visits to Matties trailer. Is that understood?I said yes she said yes John Storrow looked unconvinced. It made me wonder if he was seeing something in our faces or bodies that shouldnt be there.They are connected to a line of attack which probably isnt going to work, he said. We cant risk giving them the chance to change course. That means innuendos about the two of you it also means innuendos about Mike and Kyra.Matties shocked exp ression made her look twelve again. Mike and Kyra What are you talking about?Allegations of child torment thrown up by people so desperate theyll try anything.Thats ridiculous, she said. And if my father-in-law wanted to sling that kind of mud John nodded. Yes, wed be obligated to sling it right back. Newspaper coverage from brim to coast would follow, maybe even Court TV, God bless and save us. We want none of that if we can avoid it. Its not good for the grownups, and its not good for the child. Now or later.He bent and kissed Matties cheek.Im sorry about all this, he said, and he did sound genuinely sorry. Custodys just this way.I think you warned me. Its just that . . . the idea someone might make a thing like that up just because there was no other way for them to win . . . Let me warn you again, he said. His face came as close to grim as its young and good-natured features would probably allow. What we have is a very rich man with a very shaky case. The combination could b e like working with old dynamite.I turned to Mattie. Are you still worried about Ki? Still feel shes in danger?I saw her think about hedging her rejoinder out of plain old northern reserve, quite likely and then deciding not to. Deciding, perhaps, that hedging was a high life she couldnt afford.Yes. But its just a tincture, you know.John was frowning. I supposed the idea that Devore might resort to extralegal means of obtaining what he wanted had occurred to him, as well. Keep your eye on her as much as you can, he said. I respect intuition. Is yours based on anything concrete?No, Mattie answered, and her quick glance in my direction asked me to keep my mouth shut. Not really. She opened the Scouts door and tossed in the little brown bag with the Twinkies in it she had decided to keep them after all. Then she turned to John and me with an expression that was close to anger. Im not sure how to follow that advice, anyway. I work five days a week, and in August, when we do the m icrofiche update, itll be six. undecomposed now Ki gets her lunch at Vacation intelligence School and her dinner from Arlene Cullum. I see her in the mornings. The rest of the time . . . I knew what she was going to say before she said it the expression was an old one. . . . shes on the TR.I could help you finger an au pair, I said, thinking it would be a hell of a lot cheaper than John Storrow.No, they said in such perfect unison that they glanced at each other and laughed. But even while she was laughing, Mattie looked tense and unhappy.Were not going to grant a paper trail for Durgin or Devores custody team to exploit, John said. Who pays me is one thing. Who pays Matties child-care help is another.Besides, Ive taken enough from you, Mattie said. to a greater extent than I can sleep palmy on. Im not going to get in any deeper just because Ive been having megrims. She climbed into the Scout and closed the door.I rested my hands on her open window. Now we were on the same lev el, and the eye-contact was so strong it was disconcerting. Mattie, I dont have anything else to spend it on. Really.When it comes to Johns fee, I accept that. Because Johns fee is about Ki. She put her hand over mine and squeezed briefly. This other is about me. All right?Yeah. But you need to tell your babysitter and the people who run this Bible thing that youve got a custody case on your hands, a potentially harsh one, and Kyras not to go anywhere with anyone, even someone they know, without your say-so.She smiled. Its already been done. On Johns advice. stop in touch, Mike. She lifted my hand, gave it a hearty smack, and drove away.What do you think? I asked John as we watched the Scout setback oil on its way to the new Prouty Bridge, which spans Castle Street and spills outbound traffic onto Highway 68.I think its grand she has a well-heeled benefactor and a smart lawyer, John said. He paused, then added But Ill tell you some-thing she somehow doesnt feel lucky to me at al l. Theres a feeling I get . . . I dont know . . . That theres a cloud around her you cant quite see.Maybe. Maybe thats it. He raked his hands through the restless mass of his red hair. I just know its something sad.I knew exactly what he meant . . . except for me there was more. I wanted to be in bed with her, sad or not, right or not. I wanted to feel her hands on me, tugging and pressing, patting and stroking. I wanted to be able to smell her skin and taste her hair. I wanted to have her lips against my ear, her breath tickling the fine hairs within its loving cup as she told me to do what I wanted, whatever I wanted.I got back to Sara Laughs soon before two oclock and let myself in, thinking about nothing but my reckon and the IBM with the Courier ball. I was writing again writing. I could still hardly believe it. Id work (not that it felt much like work after a four-year layoff) until maybe six oclock, swim, then go down to the Village Cafe for one of Buddys cholesterol-rich specialties.The moment I stepped through the door, Bunters gong began to ring stridently. I stopped in the foyer, my hand frozen on the knob. The house was calefacient and bright, not a shadow anywhere, but the gooseflesh forming on my arms felt like midnight.Whos here? I called. The bell stopped ringing. There was a moment of silence, and then a woman shrieked. It came from everywhere, effusive out of the sunny, mote-laden air like endeavor out of hot skin. It was a send for of outrage, anger, grief . . . but mostly, I think, of horror. And I screamed in response. I couldnt help it. I had been frightened standing in the grim cellar stairwell, listening to the unseen clenched fist thump on the insulation, but this was far worse.It never stopped, that scream. It fagged, as the childs sobs had faded faded as if the person shriek was existence carried rapidly down a long corridor and away from me.At last it was gone.I leaned against the bookcase, my palm pressed against my tee -shirt, my heart galloping under it. I was gasping for breath, and my muscles had that queer exploded feel they get after youve had a bad scare.A minute passed. My heartbeat step by step slowed, and my breathing slowed with it. I straightened up, took a tottery step, and when my legs held me, took two more. I stood in the kitchen doorway, looking across to the living room. Above the fireplace, Bunter the elk looked glassily back at me. The bell around his neck hung still and chimeless. A hot sunpoint glowed on its side. The only sound was that paradoxical Felix the Cat clock in the kitchen.The thought nagging at me, even then, was that the screaming woman had been Jo, that Sara Laughs was being haunted by my wife, and that she was in pain. Dead or not, she was in pain.Jo? I asked quietly. Jo, are you The sobbing began again the sound of a terrified child. At the same moment my mouth and nose once more filled with the iron taste of the lake. I put one hand to my throat, gagging and frightened, then leaned over the slouch and spat. It was as it had been before instead of voiding a gush of water, nothing came out but a little spit. The turbid feeling was gone as if it had never been there.I stayed where I was, grasping the counter and bent over the sink, probably looking like a drunk who has finished the party by upchucking most of the nights bottled cheer. I felt like that, too knocked out(p) and bleary, too overloaded to really understand what was going on.At last I straightened up again, took the towel folded over the dishwashers handle, and wiped my face with it. There was tea in the fridge, and I wanted a tall, ice-choked glass of it in the worst way. I reached for the doorhandle and froze.The issue and vegetable magnets were drawn into a rotary converter again. In the center was thishelp im flood outThats it, I thought. Im getting out of here. right field now. Today.Yet an hour later I was up in my stifling study with a glass of tea on the d esk beside me (the cubes in it long since melted), dressed only in my bathing trunks and confounded in the world I was making the one where a private emissary named Andy Drake was trying to prove that John Shackleford was not the serial killer nicknamed Baseball Cap.This is how we go on one day at a time, one meal at a time, one pain at a time, one breath at a time. Dentists go on one root-canal at a time boat-builders go on one hull at a time. If you write books, you go on one page at a time. We turn from all we know and all we fear. We study catalogues, watch football games, learn Sprint over AT. We count the birds in the sky and will not turn from the window when we hear the footsteps behind us as something comes up the hall we say yes, I agree that clouds often look like other things fish and unicorns and men on horseback but they are really only clouds. Even when the lightning flashes inside them we say they are only clouds and turn our attention to the next meal, the nex t pain, the next breath, the next page. This is how we go on.