Relationship between organisations structure and culture

Relationship between organisations structure and culture Organizations rely on nonfigurative conceptions, to make significance systematically of our experience and observations of people doing things together. Organizational life can be explained, understood, predicted, and influenced, with non-figurative ideas about structure and culture. 3.1.1 Contrast different organisational structures and culture While there is no general agreement or uniformity of structural and cultural aspects of community organizations, grassroots organizers have some common tradition and perceptive. Organizations structural characters are strict, nonflexible, created and preserved by documentation, and contingency centred. The structure is taken on officially, on the basis of known rules and events. It decide how the organization is made-up to operate and for what reasons. The cultural definitions of people, situation, events, information, objects, facts, procedure are essential for organizational choices and movement. The common properties of structure and culture are: Contingency-cantered Ideology-cantered Cultural Features Structural Features Documented Word-of-mouth Formal Informal Fixed Flexible It is impossible to do split structure and culture, in practice. So organizational structure spells out the place to be occupied by members of an organization and culture defines the task to go with those place and the kinds of people. 3.1.2 Relationship between an organisations structure and culture and the effects on business performance Structure The basic objects of organizational structure are the books constitutions and bylaws. These books begin with the broad aims and principles of the organization and they reflect the central values and interests of the membership, constituency, or clientele. Structural definition also describes the organizations resource base. A lot of organizations normally define their curriculum of membership in bylaws. Some of them even state the amount of annual dues for each. The books describe formal offices or positions in the organization. Not always same as labour branches, as stating who does what. Tax-exemption options may also be written. Decision-making activities are planned in structural documentation. The common types of organizational choices are: structural, management, policy, adjudication, and supervision. Constitutions and Bylaws state the actors and way to alter in the structure itself. The total membership, annual assembly or congress, is exclusively authorized to change the basic structure. Policy matters are typically left to leadership bodies meeting more frequently. And management is often delegated to staff. Culture Cultural aspects are those that evolve in discussion and are in fluctuation, constantly modifying. Many cases organizational culture describes what things signify, whether good or bad, right or wrong, and how to accomplish them when cant be set-up by formal process. The culture encourages effective philosophy for possibility in the organizations daily work done. Comparing with basic principles, its the fleeting operational philosophy fashioned, shaped, and broadcasted in common knowledge and conversation about that understanding that tells a corporate flack catcher. The culture progresses the organization forward when it fixes the jobs and the category of labour. Culture shows some other crucial and equivalent role by reflecting experiences in the past and keeping away from occurring again of emergency. For example, when an organization learnt about relying on a sole leader to broker of its inner interest. Likewise, relying totally on one source of money doesnt continue long life. Culture can be felt more in its definition of roles than other way. Culture defines how people visualize of the causes and ways for actions. Leaders under the grasp of organizational culture are informed that, they may take decision, appropriating the managerial authority of the membership wrong. Also, staff appreciation to act follows from a thoughtful of a spoken organizing model, another surface of the organizations culture. 3.1.3 Influence of individual behaviour at work Issues that influence individual behaviour at work are: 1) The approaches potentials of management and positive or negative foundation in a work place salary, inducement, raises, appreciation, gratitude of staff and so forth 2) The Spirits of the setting comprises the approaches of lower management and employees altogether. 3) The setting of the work place outlooks, niceness, cleanness, pleasantness etc. 4) The complete achievement of the business a winning business tends to be more positive, fruitful and vice versa 5) The moral and business exercise principles of the governing partners, managers or owners are introductory of the behaviour in a work place. 3.2 Different approaches to management and leadership Earlier, leadership was meant the work done by people at the top of the organization and that management was meant the work done by all in the middle of the organization. Yet, this positional view does not need to be that way. Management and leadership are both essential components of a winning organization. The differences between leadership and management A baton sets the administration in any organization. He consistently imagines the approaching of the alignment and evangelise that position. Administration is advertent the anticipation and arch area to go. Management concentrates on befitting the aggregation beeline and affective in its announcement direction. Its not about acrimonious a point on the border and activity there. Administration is about acute advance appear the atom on the horizon. Great organizations apprehend that actuality acceptable at alone one of these two roles is a abundant accomplishment in itself, but a being who excels at both administration and administration is actual difficult, if not impossible, to find. Thats why best organizations accept an abstracted arch controlling administrator and an arch operations officer. The arch-controlling administrator is the baton of the organization, amenable for charting a course. The arch operations administrator is the administrator amenable for authoritative abiding that the address follows the charted course. They assignment calm to accomplish the alignment as able as possible. The formula for success Leaders are generally the agog individuals who will bawl bang scream article that managers acquisition detestable. When gluttonous out the baton that you crave to abutment your adeptness to manage, attending for the actuality best arduous to control. That actuality has abeyant as a leader. An alignment needs to amalgamate an archetypal of the leadership/management aggregate if it wishes to be absolutely acceptable. If youre in the position to appoint somebody, youll crave to attending for commutual skills. If youre an accustomed baton youll crave to appoint somebody with able administration skills. Similarly, if youre abundant at managing things youll crave to accomplish abiding that you accommodate leaders in the alignment so that youve an antecedent for the administration youll require. Yet, hiring these abilities is an affluence that few managers can afford. Instead, accede how to analyse animate these abilities in the bodies you already accept alive with you. In best cases, youll charge to try on your analogue for admeasurements afore announcement to them what youre doing. Youll charge to alpha by allurement your analogue applicant questions authoritative requests, which advance them in to bushing the role afterwards advertisement the admirable vision. If youre attractive for a manager, the ideal applicant to tap is one who brand method; this actuality arrives accompanying anniversary day leaves simultaneously. Individuals who are regimented in what they do are usually abundant at administration because theyre admirable at active the aforementioned ascendancy processes day in day out. You may additionally ascertain an administrator applicant in the one that is the best organized. The actuality doesnt charge be bedevilled with actuality neat; yet, there consistently appears to be alignment to what theyre doing. They seek to organize, classify, accomplish anatomy for aggregate they do. Once youre adequate with your accommodation and the analogue that youve selected, its time to let them in on the admirable planafter all you dont charge her to leave afterwards youve gotten to depend on her for article important. Youll charge to characterize that shes an important allotment of arch and managing your department. This may beggarly advertisement to her your limitations but its acceptable capital to let her accept what youre saying. Chances are that if youve followed the aloft address youve begin addition aural your alignment to be your counterpart. That has in it an inherent challenge. As bodies they tend to value, respect, and accept the account of the things were nice at. A baton will admit nice administration and an administrator will admit nice management. Yet, in adjustment to accumulate the antithesis it will be important to apprentice to account the attributes that your analogue brings. On the surface, this seems simple but it may be the best difficult allotment of accumulation both administration and administration in your organization. If youre a leader, youll be tempted to plough advanced afterwards activity analysis meetings, milestones, and activity account reviews. But these are the things that an administrator needs to manage. Similarly, as an administrator you may not accept half-day affairs to altercate strategy. 3.2.1 Principles and practices of organising and of management Whenever bodies collaborate in organizations, lots of factors appear into play. Avant-garde authoritative studies try to accept archetypal these factors. Like all modernist amusing sciences, authoritative studies seek to control, predict, report. There is some altercation over the belief of authoritative workers behaviour, as able-bodied as the address in which workers are treated. As such, authoritative behaviour or OB (and its cousin, Industrial psychology) has sometimes been accused of actuality the accurate apparatus of the powerful. Those accusations notwithstanding, OB can comedy an above role in authoritative development, acceptable authoritative performance, as able-bodied as alone accumulation performance/satisfaction/commitment. Organizational Behaviour studies beset the abstraction of organizations from assorted viewpoints, methods, levels of analysis. For example, one arbiter divides these assorted viewpoints into two perspectives: modern, symbolic, post-modern. Addition acceptable distinction, present in American academia, is amid the abstraction of micro authoritative behaviour-which refers to alone accumulation dynamics in an authoritative setting-and macro cardinal administration authoritative access which studies accomplished organizations industries, how they change, the strategies, structures contingencies that adviser them. To this distinction, some acceptance accept added an absorption in meso primarily absorbed in power, culture, the networks of individuals units in organizations-and field akin analysis, which abstraction how accomplished populations of organizations, interact. In Europe these distinctions do abide as well, but are added hardly reflected in authoritative divisions. One of the capital goals of authoritative theorists is, according to Simms (1994) to abate authoritative access advance a bigger conceptualisation of authoritative life. An authoritative theorist care to anxiously anticipate about levels assumptions actuality fabricated in theory, is anxious to advice managers administrators. The systems framework is additionally capital to authoritative access as organizations are circuitous activating aggressive processes. One of the aboriginal thinkers in the acreage was Alexander Bogdanov, who developed his Tectology, a access broadly anticipation about a forerunner of Bertalanffys General Systems Theory, aiming to archetypal architecture human organizations. Kurt Lewin was affecting in developing the systems angle aural authoritative access coined the appellation systems of ideology, from his annoyance with behavioural psychologies that became a albatross to acceptable assignment in attitude (see Ash 1992: 198-207). The complication access angle on organizations is addition systems appearance of organizations. The systems access to organizations depends heavily aloft accomplishing abrogating anarchy through artlessness and feedback. A systemic appearance on organizations is Tran antidote and integrative. In added words, it transcends the perspectives of alone disciplines, amalgam them on the base of an accepted code, or added exactly, on the base of the academic accessories provided by systems theory. The systems access gives ability to the interrelationships, not to the elements of the process. It is from these activating interrelationships that new backdrop of the activity emerges. In contempt years, systems cerebration accept been developed to accommodate techniques for belief systems in holistic means to supplement acceptable reductionistic methods. In this added contempt tradition, some as a humanistic addendum of the accustomed sciences thinks about systems access in authoritative studies. Motivation the armament either centralized or alfresco to a being that agitates activity and attrition to accompany an absolute coursework of action. According to Baron et al. (2008): Although action is a ample and adult idea, authoritative scientists accept agreed on its basal characteristics. Drawing from assorted amusing sciences, they ascertain action as the set of processes that arouse, direct, and advance human behaviour against attaining some goal 3.2.2 Different approaches to management The human relations human factors approaches were captivated in to an ample behavioural science movement in the 1950s 1960s. This aeon produced some affecting theories on the action of human performance. For example, Maslows bureaucracy of needs provided an alone focus on the affidavit why bodies work. They argued that bodies annoyed an ascendance alternation of needs from survival, through aegis to closing self-actualisation. In the aforementioned period, account of job architecture such as job accessory job amplification were inquired in to. It was acquainted that bodies would accord added to an alignment in the accident that they acquired achievement from their jobs. Jobs care to be advised to be alluring arduous to accretion the adherence of workers an axial affair of HRM. Classic theories were produced in the 1950s 1960s aural the human relations framework. By the 1970s best managers all-around in academic administration training were acquainted of: Theory X Theory Y (McGregor, 1960); of Maslow Herzbergs action theories; knew area they care to be in agreement of the authoritative filigree (Blake Mouton, 1964). These theorists advocated participative, soft approaches to management. Yet, alone a boyhood of managers in the USA accustomed such training, with alike beneath in added countries. Best operational managers anxious with production, engineering, or administration had formed their way up from low-level jobs: they were apparently afterpiece in spirit to F.W. Taylor than the theorists of the 1950s 1960s. Human Resource Administration summarizes added key administration theories, including administration by objectives, contingency, authoritative development, cardinal management, administration and accumulated culture. Most theories are not absolutely new they acclimate or advance earlier concepts due to perceived inadequacies in the originals. Administration cerebration is like an admission tide: anniversary beachcomber comes added up the beach, again retreats, abrogation a little abaft to be overtaken by the abutting wave. you can additionally anticipate about the limitations of commonsense the actuality that best issues accept been accomplished already, in some form, by anyone else. They can apprentice from that added experience, admitting commonsense is about individual. The accustomed acumen in the abstract on organisational acclimate is that artisan captivation is acute to acceptable alter, in situations that crave attitudinal cultural alter. Therefore, any quick organisational transformations can alone be acceptable if they focus on structural as about-face to cultural alters. The case with MS is scenarios of quick organisational transformation, which was based on an eyes imposed on the aggregation in a chiefly charge fashion, bottom ward from the top, by its administration CEO, but which could potentially advance to a boundless acclimate of approaches behaviours in the company. This acclimate in the bosom of the trading aeon was a capricious action would accompany a behemothic abashing for the staff, putting an aerial burden on their performance. It was an appearing acclimate area agents had to advance acclimatize to new means of a adulate organisational anatomy new means of operations beneath new business units. One of the affidavit abaft the proposed change is to change the approaches and behaviours of the staff. Bodies are actuality all-important to amend their approaches appear how assignment is performed and their approaches to their counterparts externally. Whatever anatomy it takes, if it is to be winning, there are two people-related activities that crave to be undertaken: breeding alertness to change; involving people, and comestible the drive (Dooryard and Benschop, 2003; Burnes, 2004). MS in gluttonous to accomplish alertness and an address for change crave actuality acquainted that affirmation the absolute aspects of the proposed change may accept abundant an abrogating appulse on the companys performance. Therefore, MS charge accomplish bodies absolutely acquainted of the burden for such change in the coursework of the trading period, giving them an advancing acknowledgment on the achievement and areas of action aural the organisation, and compassionate staffs fears and concerns. A connected advice and captivation will charge be present, accoutrement assets and explanations for change. Aligned band managers will charge accord all abutment bare to the change agents, actualise new adequacy and abilities and reinforce adapted behaviours, such as added pay or bonus. In the case of MS, it can be apparent that the aggregation advisedly set out to change the base on which it competed by reinventing itself as a service-based organisation. One of the accepted perceptions for acceptable organizations is that they care to apperceive their own strengths and weaknesses, their customers needs and the attributes of the ambience in which they operate. Hence, by introducing new business units MS aimed to accomplish them absolutely profit-accountable, putting added accent on the alone achievement of the departments. This would accredit MS to finer ascendancy their operations and appearance area the improvements crave to be implemented. Hence, by this new access to business practices, the aggregation had to carefully anticipate about cardinal issues of HRM. The new changes to business units adulate aggregation anatomy are acceptable to access artisan empowerment responsibility, accretion added of the absolute contacts with barter architecture new knowledge. Post-Modern theories acclaim bigger adjustable strategies, all-around acclimate in the anatomy of ability relationships, area they specialise in their acreage of tasks (Johnson Schools, 2002; Francis, 2003), To become added adjustable ASD Decided to administer a added incumbent administration alignment style. Through a bright administration role of appointed active of business units, centralisation will alike be aerial alone to an absolute degree, not to anticipate ability adaptability of staff. Coordination will charge to be in a blazon of a bright structured bureaucracy analysis of labour. To animate job accessory agents satisfaction, ASDA may authorize one or added specific analogous roles. Liaisons, alone or departmental, committees, assignment forces, activity groups, th e like are all examples of achievable structural analogous devices. Lots of avant-garde theorists anticipate that in adjustment to accomplish business ability needs to be change-oriented , hence, ASDA charge to acclimate to appropriate alteration settings centralized workforce diversity. 3.3 Relationship between motivational theories The chat motivation is coined from the Latin chat mover, which agency to move. Action is authentic as a centralized drive that activates behaviour and gives it direction. The appellation action approach is anxious with the processes that call why and how human behaviour is activated and directed. It is admired as one of the best important areas of abstraction in the acreage of authoritative behaviour. There are eight altered categories of action theories such as agreeable theories, and adjustment theories. Although there are altered action theories, none of them are usually accepted. 3.3.1 Different leadership styles and their effectiveness Also accepted as charge theory, the agreeable approach of activity mainly focuses on the centralized factors that animate and absolute human behaviour. Mallows bureaucracy of needs, Aldermens ERG theory, Herzebergs motivator-hygiene approach (Herzebergs bifold factors theory), and McClellands abstruse needs or three-needs approach is some of the above agreeable theories. Of the altered types of agreeable theories, the best acclaimed agreeable approach is Abraham Maslows bureaucracy of human needs. Maslow alien bristles levels of basal needs through his theory. Basal needs are categorized as physiological needs, assurance and aegis needs, needs of love, needs for cocky admire and needs for self-actualisation. Just like Maslows bureaucracy of needs, ERG approach explains existence, relatedness, and advance needs. Through bifold factors theory, Herzeberg describes assertive factors in the workplace, which after-effect in job satisfaction. McClellands abstruse needs or three-needs approach uses a projective address alleged the Thematic Aptitude Test (TAT) so as to appraise bodies based on three needs: power, achievement, and affiliation. Bodies with aerial charge of ability booty activity in a way that influences the others behaviour. 3.3.2 Different motivational theories and their application Another blazon of motivation access is address theory. Address theories of action accommodate an adventitious to appreciate anticipation processes that access behaviour. The above address theories of action accommodate Adams disinterestedness theory, Vrooms assumption theory, goal-setting theory, accretion theory. Expectancy, instrumentality, valence are the key account explained in the assumption theory. Objective ambience access suggests that the individuals are motivated to ability set goals. It additionally requires that the set goals be specific. Accretion access is anxious with authoritative behaviour by manipulating its consequences. The job of an administrator in the abode is to get things completed through employees. To do this administrator care to be able to actuate employees. But thats not as adamantine said than completed! Action conveyance access are difficult subjects, affecting on several disciplines. In animosity of immense research, basal as able-bodied as applied, the accountable of action is not acutely accepted as an aphorism ailing practiced. To appreciate action one charge appreciates human attributes itself. There lies the problem! Human attributes can be actual simple, yet actual circuitous too. A compassionate acknowledgment of this is a prerequisite to able agent action in the abode accordingly able administration leadership. Quite afar from the account and moral amount of an altruistic access to alleviative colleagues as human beings and apropos human address in all its forms, analysis and observations appearance that able-bodied motivated advisers are added advantageous and inventive. The changed additionally holds true. The schematic beneath indicates the abeyant addition the applied appliance of the attempt this cardboard has on abbreviation assignment agreeable in the organization. 3.3.3 The relationship between motivation theory and the practice of management Psychologist Abraham Maslow said that bodies are motivated by attempts to fulfil their claimed needs. Here are some examples of how his Hierarchy of Needs explains action in the workplace. Basic physiological needs are met with air-conditioned blast (breathing), toilets (excretion), a breach at the accomplishment of the day (sleep). Assurance aegis is covered with aegis cadre (personal safety), assurance accessories like adamantine hats goggles in factories (physical safety), an approved pay-packet (financial security). Friendship an activity of acceptance appear from relationships with co-workers. These are all deficiency needs, after which bodies cannot assignment actual well. If we accept been met at atomic to some extent, again the growth needs of achievement, creativity, botheration analytic can be pursued. Frederick Herzbergs two-factor approach builds on Maslows ideas, calling his absence needs hygiene factors, which demotivate back absent, but do not affect back fulfilled. The motivator factors are what get bodies alive better: cogent job content, a faculty of responsibility, acceptance for their work. Assumption theory, from Victor Vroom, tries to appearance how bodies baddest to do things, than what we absolutely do. Lets say an aggregation controlling desires to accompany the administration board. The affability of this after-effect for him, or valence, is actual high. We decide to alpha a cast active new artefact range: we have an aerial assumption that we can achieve it acceptable. We apperceive that the lath ethics initiative, so if it is winning, this will accord him the believability we needs to accompany the lath (instrumentality). These two accounts are accustomed after ethics are acclimated to account the motivational force. Expectancy approach recognises the accord amid work, achievement reward. Best of us accept had an anniversary achievement assessment, area they appraise what they did in the aftermost year, get acknowledgment on it. They again set goals for the abutting twelve months. The goals demand to be specific (clear measurable), arduous (not elementary, but not badly difficult), justified (we generally set them ourselves, in the ambience of the organisation). This comes beeline from Edwin Lockes goal-setting theory. Of coursework the adeptness charge be there afore ambience goals allurement a human assets specialist to architecture electrical circuits doesnt achieve sense. Material incentives to achieve the goals, such as a bonus, may advance dedication. Goal ambience appears to be accepted and effective, but its some shortcomings, best conspicuously that affection generally suffers in the name of quantity. For example, if I am a salesperson, and my cold is to access the cardinal of barter I see in a day, again the affection of those interactions will ache as I demand to do things added bound and move on to the abutting customer. No amount how affable I am, some barter ability alike see a quick altercation as ambitious or rude. 3.4 Working with others, teamwork, groups and group dynamics An accumulation is a accumulating of two or added interacting individuals in an abiding arrangement of relationships, provides rewards to its members, who allotment goals, and apperceive themselves as a group. Group characteristics: Â · Two or added bodies in amusing interaction. Â · Rewards to members. Â · Stable structure. Â · Members allotment accepted interests or goals. Â · Individuals charge apperceives themselves as a group. Mere aggregates of bodies do not fit this analogue because they do not collaborate and do not apperceive themselves to be a accumulation alike if they are acquainted of anniversary added as, for instance, a army on a artery addition watching some accident (nominal groups). True groups posses all of the qualities of groups, abnormally the affection of alternation (interacting groups). Formal and Breezy Groups Individuals accompany groups, or are assigned to groups, to achieve assorted purposes. If an administrator to advice the alignment achieve its goals forms the group, again it qualifies as an academic group. Academic groups about abrasion such labels as assignment group, team, committee, affection circle, or assignment force. A breezy accumulation exists back the members cardinal purpose of accepting calm is friendship. Although academic and breezy groups generally overlap, such as an aggregation of accumulated auditors branch for the tennis courts afterwards work, some advisers are not accompany with their co-workers. 3.4.1 the nature of groups and group behaviour within organisations Its important to admit what bodys accord to your assignment efforts. Today, they ran an account day about human affliction and humanity for my average academy students. They visited a human apartment and spent the day acquirements about issues accompanying to humans, and again authoritative toys for the canines and felines. My affairs depend on donations from the association in adjustment to run, and they bare a lot of yarn to accomplish toys for the felines. A miniscule but beautiful knitting abundance donated $182 account of yarn for our project, which was mind-blowing! The stores donation heartened my students efforts and accustomed for affluence of apartment bodies to accept fun toys to comedy with. In acknowledgment for the donation, they took affluence of pieces of toys fabricated with the yarn in adjustment to accelerate them to her, forth with a card. Theres several practices of leadership: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the technique, Enable Others to Act, Animate the Heart. Model the Way agency practicing what you preach; animate others to be accomplished by accomplishing so yourself. Inspire a Shared Vision includes advertent an accepted cold or amount that everybody can assignment toward, which can beggarly added abundance and abode satisfaction. Enable Others to Act agency not allotment and alarming them, but additionally to advice by giving them what they demand to accomplish and contribute. Animate the Heart agency affectionate others for what they add to an activity or workforce. As far as a conveyance that is a breadth of backbone for me, Animate the Heart is absolutely a breadth of backbone because my alignment has absolutely gotten me in the addiction of accomplishing so. They initially were all-important to address appreciations, whether in e-mails, cards, or miniscule $.25 of paper. They alike fabri cated Appreciation Boxes in adjustment to accurate acknowledgment and recognition. It became a habit, and now I am affectionate body on an approved basis. Its simple to do and its an actual absolute thing. Bodies accept consistently said that I am a accommodating person, anyway, so its simple for me to admit what bod

Hawthornes Rappaccinis Daughter Essay -- Nathaniel Hawthorne Rappacc

Hawthorne's Rappaccini's Daughter This essay focuses on the way Hawthorne’s â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† articulates the tension between the spirit and the empirical world. Hawthorne challenges the empirical world Rappaccini, both malevolent for his experimentation with human nature and sympathetic for his love for his daughter, represents, by raising an aesthetic question Rappaccini implicitly asks. Hawthorne never conclusively answers this question in his quest to preserve spiritual beauty in an empirical world, offering the most disturbing possibility of all: could art and the artist prove as fatal to the human spirit as empiricism? Hawthorne’s sinister representation of Rappaccini early in the story belies this self-isolating character’s complexity and his overriding desire to protect his daughter from the â€Å"miserable doom† (942) she nonetheless suffers by creating her as a poisonous body, dangerous like her â€Å"sister† plant in the garden. Rappaccini is first presented to us â€Å"a tall, emaciated, sallow, and sickly-looking man, dressed in a scholar’s garb of black.† He â€Å"could never, even in his more youthful days, have expressed much warmth of heart,† appearing as a somber figure apparently morose and removed from love at the tale’s beginning. Hawthorne opens the story in an allegorical framework he draws from Dante’s Inferno by presenting Rappaccini as a seemingly fixed character: his â€Å"demeanor was that of one walking among malignant influences,† or â€Å"influences† that signal his role in the tale both as evil, s ince he walks among the â€Å"deadly snakes, or evil spirits† (925), and as Adam, the first man encountering evil in the Garden of Eden. Rappaccini’s dubious, if not entirely evil character as â€Å"the distrustful gardener,† along... ...† in a practical world that threatens the spiritual one with its evil? Obviously, Rappaccini’s answer in his self-imposed isolation and experiment with Giovanni and Beatrice fails; rather, his attempt to ameliorate the poisonous effects of the physical world on the spirit only attracts a greater, more deadly poison—the dark aspects of human nature. He gives a dissatisfying alternative in Baglioni’s last, mocking line to Rappaccini, one in which the empirical horrors have, in the end, killed the spiritual essence along with Beatrice. It is a lesson not just about the dangers of science, then, but also about the dangers of human nature and its capacity for evil, from which art cannot lift us. Hawthorne’s bleak view of the scientist and the artist proposes a perfect world no one—not Rappaccini, not Giovanni, not Hawthorne—can achieve, even with the best of intentions.

Compare/Contrast Cinderella Essay -- Essays Compare Vietnam Essays

Compare/Contrast Cinderella Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Walt Disney Company is a powerful economic and cultural phenomenon known throughout the United States and the world as a provider of family entertainment (Maltin, 1, 308). Its media and entertainment holdings establish it as a central communicator in contemporary life. As such, it provides many of the first narratives children use to learn about the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Ward, 1). Disney has always been family oriented making it one of the main attractions of reading something Disney. They always have an innocent feeling to their stories, which makes it more appealing for children. But in Vietnamese fairytales a family oriented story may be somewhat gory or violent. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The stories from Vietnam tell us about their culture, their beliefs, and their determination throughout timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Ly, 1). The 1950 version of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Cinderellaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, written by Walter Disney and adapted by Campbell Grant, has some differences and similarities to the Vietnamese à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Tam and Camà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, by Vo Van Thang and Jim Larsen. They differ in their violent content in their stories but similarly have a great deal of magic included and also both have prevalent characters to help them find their way. Being a Disney tale à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Cinderellaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? was not a very violent story. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Our analysis of morality in entertainment is limited and stylized at present. Violence in the media is a major concern, and we research it relentlessly. But our treatments are typically moralistic and academically superficialà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Christians, foreward). In Disney it is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“moralà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? to not use violence and it is also what is culturally acceptable. In Vietnam it is culturally significant to present the violence how it is and it is told to children in this same way. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The stories came about as a means of escaping their everyday lives and a way to live out their dream worldsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Ly, 1). Tam was the good sister and Cam was the evil stepsister who took orders from her evil stepmother. Tam finally had one last chance to get back at them both for the misery they put her through, and she took her chance. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“When Cam was in th e hole Tam ordered the servants to pour in the boiling water, and so her stepsister met her death. Tam had the body made into mam, a rich sauce, and sent it to her stepmother, saying that it was a present from her daughter. Each day the woman ate some of the mam with her meals, always c... ...ish bones in four jars later in the story the four jars become all the ingredients Tam needed to attend the Kingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s festival. The Buddha not only shows her the path to her destiny but also shows her how ordinary, not so beautiful things can become, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“reincarnateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? into extraordinary things.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Cinderellaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Tam and Camà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? are so much alike especially using the workings of magic throughout these tales and also differ in the way that these stories use violence to represent their cultures. Their hope comes from these characters that help them on their paths for Cinderella it was her fairy godmother who created magic and for Tam it was a Buddha who hinted her to create magic reincarnation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Disney, Walter E. Cinderella. Walt Disney's Cinderella. Comp. Campbell Grant. N.p.: n.p., 1950. 516-517 Ly, Hugh H. Vietnamese Children's Stories. 17 July 2003. Pacific University. 1 Apr. 2005 Van Thang, Vo. Jim Larson. Tam and Cam. Tam and Cam (Vietnam). N.p.: n.p., 1993. 228-233 Ward, Annalee R. Clifford G. Christians. Mouse Morality: The Rhetoric of Disney Animated Film. Austin, TX: University Of Texas P, 2002   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Mice and Men Essay

John Ernst Steinbeck was born on 27 February 1902, in Salinas, California, USA. The Salinas River is mentioned in the first line of Of Mice and Men. The whole novel is centred on the landscape around Salinas. Steinbeck was the third of four children, of mixed German and Irish descent. His parents owned a considerable amount of land, and his mother was a schoolteacher who encouraged him to read widely. His background was neither rich nor poor, and his parents wanted him to follow a ‘respectable’ career. John Steinbeck wrote the novel called Of Mice and Men. It was published in the depression years of the 1930’s. Steinbeck raises questions in the mind of the reader that the novel would be based on loneliness. The first line read â€Å"A few miles south of Soledad†. This is a clever idea by Steinbeck as â€Å"Soledad† means loneliness in Spanish. John Steinbeck’s family was wealthy, but was interested in the lives of farm labourers. It gave him a inspiration to write books about migrant workers. He could of been a doctor or a teacher but he chose to become an author. John Steinbeck must of met a lot of people like Lennie and George, so he has ideas to write a good book. The historical context of the novel is that its all about the depression years in the 1930’s. It was illegal to be unemployed. People living in the 30’s didn’t have a choice but to go to work. The main characters in this story are George and Lennie. They travel around together, share their minds together, and what ever trouble Lennie gets into, George had to get him out of it. George didn’t like Lennie that much because of all the trouble that he gets into. He didn’t want to stay with Lennie, but his mother told George to look after him. Lennie was always trying to find a good opportunity to go off alone in the hills. George didn’t want that, he liked Lennie as a friend, but Lennie gets into too much trouble. But they always say; ‘You got me, and I got you’. This novel called ‘Of Mice and Men’ was set in a town called ‘Soledad’. It meant ‘Lonely’ in Spanish. The ranch is located in the middle of no where. It’s 4 miles to the town. The characters in this novel are ranch workers who are described as lonely. Ranch work is not long term. All of the workers except for Candy and Crooks are only passing through. When George and Lennie get jobs, the boss is suspicious of them because they look like they’ve known each other from somewhere and are close friends. The other ranch workers see that George is always answering for Lennie. But they cannot understand why they are always together. George says that â€Å"ranch workers are the loneliest people in the world and don’t belong nowhere†. In this paragraph, I’m going to write about Crooks. Crooks is a black guy. He’s not allowed to stay in the bunkhouse with the other ranch hands because he is black. He doesn’t have the same status as the other white workers. Crooks was also excluded because he suffered an injury and so is not as capable as the other ranch hands. His possessions show that he is lonely. Everyone can see that because he loves to read his books but was excluded. Crooks doesn’t like when Lennie tries to talk to him. Crooks get angry every time he tells Lennie to go away from him. But after that, he admits that he is lonely. Lennie will also get lonely and even sick when no one is with him. He needs someone beside him all the time so that he feels supported. For this, he always wants George. In this paragraph, I have looked at the way Crooks treat other people and what his appearance looks like to everyone else. I will now write about Candy. He’s an old man who wants to join up with George and Lennie and get a place where they can live. Candy provides a parallel to George and Lennie in that he relies on his dog – ‘I’m so used to ‘im’ (p.46) – just as George and Lennie are an elevated version of a master/dog relationship. Candy clings to his dog, despite all that logic and common sense dictate. He loves to be with his dog because he had him since he was a puppy. It was the best sheepdog he had ever had. The other workers didn’t realise the relationship between Candy and the dog. It meant nothing to everyone except for Candy. They’ve been together for all of Candy’s life. But now Lennie’s life has ended. Candy cleans out the farm buildings, and shows George and Lennie the bunkhouse. Candy lost his hand whilst working on the farm, and was allowed to stay on in this lowly position as cleaner. Candy soon asks George and Lennie if he can come in with them. George said ‘We weren’t thinking of a third person. Cause we was gonna do it on our own’. George knew that it was owned by old people who might be willing to sell it for $600 or so. Candy confesses he has $350 saved up and asks if he can come in with them. George really begins to believe that his dream might become a reality. He needs to work for another month or two and not spend anything so that they will have the stake to buy the farm. This will be good for Candy because then he can live a happy life and avoid the loneliness in the life of a ranch worker. He’s worked here for so long and wants to change his miserable life and make it peaceful. Candy was moaning that he just let a stranger shoot his dog. By the look of him, he could see that Carlson didn’t like the smell of Candy’s old dog. Carlson asks Slim to give Candy one of the other pups so that the old dog can be shot. Once the dog has been shot, he feels strong pressure because he had him since he was a pup. When George and Lennie were talking about their dream, Candy steps in and instead of being sad, George and Lennie gives pride and gives Candy more confidence. In this paragraph I have explained Candy’s life and the way he lives. I am now going to write about Curley’s wife. She doesn’t like Curley very much and wants to go elsewhere but cannot because of Curley. The other ranch workers avoid Curley’s wife as they know that if they befriend her, they will get into trouble. She also said that she could hang Curley at anytime if she felt like it (Showing that she can be dangerous as well as Lennie). She also visits the bunkhouse a lot, she wanted company, but had to ask where Curley was. On Saturday nights she is left at the ranch alone. When she is left alone at the ranch, she tells everyone about her life and story. It’s very miserable for Curley’s wife. She tells everyone the truth†¦ that she doesn’t really like Curley. Everyone else has names except for her. She has to be called Curley’s wife. That is why she doesn’t appear much in the story. She’s being treated like an object. Slim’s dog name is ‘Loulou’. We have looked at the character of Curley’s wife and how she got on. George and Lennie are different to the other ranch hands. The way they respond to each other shows very close friendship. Lennie always get into trouble and George is there to get him out of it. They share a dream together of working and then getting a lot of money so that they can live comfortably in the place that there going to get. Every time George says ‘We’re gonna get the place’. Lennie gets very excited and says ‘I get to tend the rabbits’. But when George is about to shoot Lennie, he keeps saying this so that Lennie puts his mind fully onto the house in his head and imagining him tend the rabbits, George wanted this because when he looked the other way, there was a time to shoot him. George wanted him to see it as he is talking. It was related to the shooting of Candy’s dog too which gave George more confidence in shooting Lennie. But at the end, it is George who will feel guilty. George often insults Lennie and ‘gives him hell’, but he doesn’t really mean it. Although he often talks about how well off he could be without Lennie he secretly doesn’t want Lennie to leave, and when Lennie offers to do so in the first chapter, George virtually pleads with him to stay. This is because George also depends on Lennie to a certain extent for his unconditional friendship. I didn’t think that Steinbeck would make George shoot Lennie. At first, those two was good friends, I thought they would actually get that bunkhouse. But it ended in a bad way. It made the readers / watchers feel shocked and feel that his life has ended with just one shot. George always gets annoyed of Lennie and Lennie says that he will go up to the hills. George knows that he’s the only one who has to get him out of trouble. But then decides if Lennie’s gone, then he can have total freedom and do anything he wants. At the end, it might of been a mistake to shoot Lennie. The first paragraph tells us about the introduction of John Steinbeck. It tells the readers what is going to happen. The second paragraph describes the setting and ranch workers. It’s the setting of the story and the ranch workers. The third paragraph let’s the readers understand Crooks. It also describes his ethnic group and his rights. The fourth paragraph tells us about Candy. It tells the readers about his loving dog and his dreams towards the ranch. The fifth paragraph also describes Curley’s Wife. The way she acts in the story, and how lonely she is. Finally, the last paragraph tells the readers about the friendship of George and Lennie. It tells us how George and Lennie travel together, live together and the trouble that they get into. It also summarises George and Lennie’s dream. John Steinbeck is trying to say that life in the 1930s in California was lonely. He doesn’t just write it down, because that will just give the point away. He wants the readers to imagine it for themselves.

Mainstream Media hegemony and new media environment Essay

(Ex- Deputy Controller, Head of current Affair National Broadcasting Service Radio Pakistan, Bureau chief mediacon international, member CMA,, Community Media Association, UK), published author ezine and upublish.com) Pakistan’s mainstream media outlets have perhaps misunderstand the meaning of free flow of information under the freedom of press law. Perhaps they are not aware of the consequences which are being faced by top notch mainstream media across the so-called civilized word. In Pakistan many media groups reporting without realizing its impact on our socio-economic environment and deep rooted cultural impact. We have seen in past that misreporting by print and electronic mainstream media regarding shia-sunni conflicts created anger and anxiety amongst different sects led to horrible sectarian violence. Beside, reporting regarding terrorist attacks and rape case are arrogantly presented. Lack of trusted networks for reporting or contribution the most sensitive issue in fair manners and due to less reliance on what traditional media portray in daily business of dissemination of audio video contents, the literate society has started believing on what new media presents in various forms. Equipped with the power of abundant sources of news and information ((via broadband, G3, G4 and web3) about any country or region the new media is rapidly making its footing worldwide. Mainstream media are the most important source, but not the only one. With the development of communication technologies, people now have access to a huge amount of information that was unthinkable 20 years ago. People can watch live proceeding of parliament, or read a transcript of it within hours. One can see press releases from newsmakers published on hundreds of websites, providing submission and distribution services on internet. New-style electronic formats, such as Internet discussion groups and chat rooms, create new public spaces and provide unprecedented opportunities for cultural and political discourse. Ecology of news and the style of passing on information have been changed dramatically. Geographical separation is not a big problem due to network linkage. Using FTP format you can transfer files anywhere in the word it was not possible for main stream media 2 decades ago. Second important characteristics its digital platform which has  enormous space to store audio, video, and Text. In new media environment distance makes little difference in the time, cost or speed of getting information. : Society has changed into families. People can get lot more quality and creditable information using news aggregators. In fact less gated social media have changed the ecology of News, thinking, behaviour and socio-economic environment Social media technologies take on many different forms including magazines, Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, micro blogging, wikis, social networks, podcasts, photographs or pictures, video, rating and social bookmarking. The wall of fortress journalism is demolishing but Pakistan print and electronic mainstream media is not ready to adopt the new changes being taken place every passing day in communication technologies. People of Pakistan are swiftly moving toward social media aggregators than ever. This new tool provides reader/ viewers to obtain all required news and analysis on one simple point. The reason for this shift is that mainstream media is violating by keeping the important news with them and deliberately hiding facts from public eyes. Sensationalism in news and to be first in breaking news is considered as pride without knowing its impact on nation al security and integrity. Pakistani media regulators and broadcasters perhaps not aware what the west is doing through media. They must watch reports of PRESS TV.COM AND RT.COM. The West is swiftly and successfully achieving its targets one by one by to destabilize the situation in Syria, recently in Gaza. Author and investigative journalist Webster Tarpley has pointed in an interview at Russian Television (RT.COM) first English language TV that US Intelligence has announced the partition of Pakistan. Another report revealed in foreign media that US Special Forces have conducted secret raids inside Pakistan’s border regions. The operations were conducted between 2003 and 2008, but only one was ever made public. The mainstream media of Pakistan kept quite on these issues. In many cases Taliban refused to take responsibility for some explosions in public places in Pakistan than who is behind these brutal acts. Our investigative reporters are not well equipped to search the truth and report. Our media is highlighting issue base politic and projecting their allocated parties. Critical issues of society which should be the prime priority at present stage are not being suitably covered by any media outlet. Strong reaction in recent past has been seen in UK and USA where  people registered their protest and strongly criticize the biased, planned and narrow coverage of world affairs by the established media giants like Fox News, the BBC and NBS. Media regulators are seems to be helpless and may be part of this wrongdoing. Situation in Pakistan is changing rapidly and people have lost trust on the directed coverage of Pakistan’s media. Pakistan electronic media are being run by the print media journalists with no experience of working in electronic media and producing substandard and distorted facts. Broadcasters are making billions in profits while using the public airwaves. In return, they are not producing programmes that fulfill community needs. Because of above cited problems and the attitude of media groups of Pakistan people have started march against mainstream media using social media as a viable, quick and authentic source. This shift seems to be picking up the pace in near future. ***

Encryption and network security Essay

Honeynets: Observing Hackers’ Tools, Tactics and Motives in a Controlled Environment Solutions to hacker attacks are usually fixes that are developed when damage has been done. Honeynets were solely developed to catch and monitor threats (i. e. a probe, scan or attack). They are designed to gather extensive data about the threats. These data are then interpreted and used for the development of new tools to prevent actual damages to computer systems. Talabis defines a honeynet as a network of high interaction honeypots that simulates a production network and configured such that all activity is monitored, recorded and in a degree, discretely regulated. Seen below is a diagram of a typical honeynet setup as given by Krasser, Grizzard, Owen and Levine. Figure 1 A typical honeynet setup Deployment of honeynets may vary as it is an architecture. The key element of any honeynet is the honeywall. This is the command and control gateway through which all activities come and go. This separates the actual systems from the honeypot systems wherein threats are directed to intentionally. Two more elements are essential in any honeynet. These are discussed below. Data Control Data control is necessary to lessen the risks posed by the captured threats without compromising the amount of data you are able to gather. To do this, connection counting and Network Intrusion Prevention System (NIPS) are used. These are both automated data control. Connection counting limits outbound activity wherein connections beyond the limit are blocked. NIPS blocks or disables known threats before it can attack outbound. The Honeynet Project Research Alliance has defined a set of requirements and standards for the deployment of Data Control. First is the use of both manual and automated data controls. Second, there must be at least two layers of data control to protect against failure. Third, in case of failures, no one should be able to connect to the honeynet. Fourth, the state of inbound and outbound connections must be logged. Fifth, remote administration of honeynets should be possible. Sixth, it should be very difficult for hackers to detect data control. And finally, automatic alerts should be raised when a honeynet is compromised. Data Capture The Honeynet Project identifies three critical layers of Data Capture. These are firewall logs, network traffic and system activity. The data collection capabilities of the honeynet should be able to capture all activities from all three layers. This will allow for the production of a more useful analysis report. Firewall logs are created by NIPS. The Snort process logs network traffic. Snort is a tool used to capture packets of inbound and outbound honeynet traffic. The third is capturing keystrokes and encryption. Sebek is a tool used to bypass encrypted packets. Collected data is hiddenly transmitted by Sebek to the honeywall without the hacker being able to sniff these packets. Risks As with any tool, honeynets are also threatened by risks affecting its usage and effectiveness. These include the risk of a hacker using the honeynet to attack a non-honeynet system; the risk of detection wherein the honeynet is identified by the hacker and false data is then sent to the honeynet producing misleading reports; and the risk of violation wherein a hacker introduces illegal activity into your honeynet without your knowledge. Alerting As mentioned in the requirements and standards set for data control, alerts should be in place once an attack is done to your honeynet. Otherwise, the honeynet is useless. An administrator can monitor the honeynet 24/7 or you can have automated alerts. Swatch is a tool that can be used for this. Log files are monitored for patterns and when found, an alert is issued via email or phone calls. Commands and programs can also be triggered to run. Honeynet Tools Several honeynet tools are available to the public for free so they can setup their own honeynet for research purposes. These tools are used in the different elements of a honeynet. Discussed below are just three of them. Honeynet Security Console This is a tool used to view events on the honeynet. These events may be from SNORTÂ ®, TCPDump, Firewall, Syslog and Sebek logs. Given these events, you will be able to come up with an analysis report by correlating the events that you have captured from each of the data types. The tool’s website lists its key features as follows: quick and easy setup, a user-friendly GUI for viewing event logs, the use of powerful, interactive graphs with drilldown capabilities, the use of simple search/correlation capabilities, integrated IP tools, TCPDump payload and session decoder, and a built in passive OS fingerprinting and geographical location capabilities. Honeywall CDRom Roo This is the recommended tool for use by the Honeynet Project. This is a bootable CDRom containing all of the tools and functionality necessary to quickly create, easily maintain, and effectively analyze a third generation honeynet. Much like the Honeynet Security Console, this tool capitalizes on its data analysis capability which is the primary purpose of why honeynets are deployed – to be able to analyze hacker activity data. GUI is used to maintain the honeywall and to track and analyze honeypot activities. It displays an overview of all inbound and outbound traffic. Network connections in pcap format can be extracted. Ethereal, another tool, can then be used with the extracted data for a more in-depth analysis. Sebek data can also be analyzed by this tool. Walleye, another tool, is used for drawing visual graphs of processes. Although this tool may be useful already, several improvements will still have to be introduced to increase its effectiveness. Walleye currently supports only one honeynet. Multiple honeynets can be deployed but remote administration of these distributed systems still needs to be worked on. Sebek This is a tool used for data capture within the kernel. This is done by intercepting the read() system call. This hiddenly captures encrypted packets from inbound and outbound activities by hackers on the honeypot. Basically, Sebek will tell us when the hacker attacked the honeypot, how he attacked it and why by logging his activities. It consists of two components. First, a client that runs on the honeypot. Its purpose is to capture keystrokes, file uploads and passwords. After capturing, it then sends the data to the server, the second component. The server normally runs on the honeywall where all captured data from the honeypot are stored. Found below is the Sebek architecture. Figure 2 Sebek Architecture A web interface is also available to be able to analyze data contained in the Sebek database. Three features are available: the keystroke summary view; the search view; and the table view which provides a summary of all activities including non-keystroke activities. References Honeynet Security Console. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. activeworx. org/onlinehelp/hsc/hsc. htm. Krasser, S. , Grizzard, J. , Owen, H., Levine, J. (2005). The use of honeynets to increase computer network security and user awareness. Journal of Security Education, 1, 23-37. Piazza, P. (2001, November). Honeynet Attracts Hacker Attention: The Honeynet Project Set Up a Typical Computer Network and Then Watched to See What Turned Up. Security Management, 45, 34. SebekTM FAQ. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. honeynet. org/tools/sebek/faq. html. The Honeynet Project. (2005, May 12). Know Your Enemy: Honeynets. What a honeynet is, its value, and risk/issues involved. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www.honeynet. org. Talabis, R. The Philippine Honeynet Project. A Primer on Honeynet Data Control Requirements. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. philippinehoneynet. org/index. php? option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=18&Itemid=29. Talabis, R. A Primer on Honeynet Data Collection Requirements and Standards. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. philippinehoneynet. org/index. php? option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=18&Itemid=29. Talabis, R. Honeynets: A Honeynet Definition. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. philippinehoneynet. org/index. php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=18&Itemid=29. Talabis, R. The Gen II and Gen III Honeynet Architecture. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. philippinehoneynet. org/index. php? option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=18&Itemid=29. The Honeynet Project. (2005, May 12). Know Your Enemy: GenII Honeynets. Easier to deploy, harder to detect, safer to maintain. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. honeynet. org. The Honeynet Project and Research Alliance. (2005, August 17). Know Your Enemy: Honeywall CDRom Roo. 3rd Generation Technology. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. honeynet. org.

Coyote Blue Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27 Food, Gas, Enlightenment, Next Right King's Lake, Nevada The exit sign said, King's Lake, but when they pulled off and followed the ramp around the base of a mesa, there was no lake, no life at all, just a dirt road and a strip of gray wooden buildings with faded facades. A weathered wooden sign read, Emergency, Nevada. The population had been crossed out and repainted a dozen times until, finally, someone had painted a big zero at the bottom and the words We gived up. Coyote stopped the car. â€Å"What do you want to do here?† â€Å"I don't know, but we had to get off the highway before they caught up with us.† Sam got out of the car and peered down the empty dirt street, shielding his eyes against the sun with his hand. A prairie dog scampered across the road and under the wooden sidewalk. â€Å"This road continues out of town. Maybe it joins up with another major road somewhere else. We need a map.† â€Å"No map in the car,† Coyote said. â€Å"We can ask someone.† Sam looked around at the empty buildings. â€Å"Right, let's just stop in at the chamber of commerce and ask someone that's been dead for a hundred years.† â€Å"Can we do that?† Coyote asked, with complete sincerity. â€Å"No, we can't do that! It's a ghost town. There's no one here.† â€Å"I was going to ask that prairie dog.† Coyote walked to where the prairie dog had disappeared under the walkway. â€Å"Hey, little one, come out.† Sam stood behind the trickster, shaking his head. He heard a squeak from under the walk. Coyote looked to Sam. â€Å"He doesn't trust you. He won't come out unless you go away.† â€Å"Tell him we're in a hurry.† Sam couldn't believe he was being snubbed by a rodent. â€Å"He knows that, but he says you have shifty eyes. Go over there and wait.† Coyote pointed down the sidewalk. Sam walked past a hitching post and sat on a bench in front of the abandoned saloon. He watched the road leading to the highway, waiting for the dust cloud from pursuing police cars. The road remained empty. He watched the prairie dog scamper out from under the sidewalk and stand on his hind legs as Coyote talked to him. Maybe he had been a little hasty in thinking Calliope nuts for talking to her kitchen pals. They probably thought he had shifty eyes as well. After a few moments of talking and chattering Coyote threw his head back and laughed, then left the prairie dog in the street and came to where Sam was sitting. â€Å"You've got to hear this one,† Coyote said. â€Å"This farmer has a pig with a wooden leg-â€Å" â€Å"Hey,† Sam interrupted. â€Å"Does he know where the road goes?† â€Å"Oh, yeah. But this is a really good joke. You see-â€Å" â€Å"Coyote!† Sam shouted. Coyote looked hurt. â€Å"You're nasty. No wonder he doesn't trust you. He says that he saw an orange sports car go by a while ago. He says that there's a repair place down the road.† â€Å"Tell him thanks,† Sam said. Coyote headed back toward the prairie dog. Sam dug into his windbreaker for his cigarettes and found a chocolate mint he had taken from the hotel room pillow the night before. â€Å"Wait,† Sam called. He ran to Coyote's side. The prairie dog bolted under the sidewalk. â€Å"Let me talk to him.† Sam bent down and placed the mint in the dirt by the sidewalk. â€Å"Look, we really appreciate your help.† The prairie dog didn't answer. â€Å"I'm not a bad guy once you get to know me,† Sam said. He waited, wondering what exactly he was waiting for. After a minute he started feeling really stupid. â€Å"Okay then, have a nice day.† He went back to where Coyote stood looking at a sign on the saloon door. No Indians or Dogs Allowed. Coyote said, â€Å"What do they have against dogs?† â€Å"What about the Indians part?† Coyote shrugged. â€Å"It pisses me off.† Sam yanked the sign off the door and threw it into the street. â€Å"Good, you're still alive. Let's go.† Coyote turned and headed for the car. â€Å"I'll drive,† Sam said. Coyote threw the keys over his shoulder. Sam snatched them out of the air. As they pulled away the prairie dog dashed into the street and grabbed the mint thinking, That pig joke works every time. -=*=- They drove for twenty minutes, bouncing the big Lincoln over ruts and rocks, and pushing it through washed-out, wind-eroded terrain where the road was reduced to the mere suggestion of tire tracks. The cellular phone rang twice more, but they did not answer it. Sam was suspecting that, once again, Coyote was playing some sort of trick when he spotted the corrugated steel building sticking up out of the desert. The building consisted of one story, roughly the size of a two-car garage. The steel walls were striped with rust and pulling away from the frame in places. The area around the building was littered with abandoned vehicles, some dating back fifty years. Above the doorway, a ragged hole that had been cut with a torch, hung an elegantly hand-lettered sign that read, Satori Japanese Auto Repair. In the doorway stood a slightly built Oriental man in saffron robes, grinning as they pulled up. Calliope's Z was parked in front. Sam stopped the car and got out. The Oriental man folded his hands and bowed. Sam nodded in return and approached the man. â€Å"Do you know where the girl is that was driving that car?† â€Å"What is the sound of one hand clapping?† the monk said. Sam said, â€Å"Excuse me?† The monk ran to Sam and jumped up, screaming in Sam's face, â€Å"Don't think. Act!† Thinking he was being attacked, Sam raised his arms to cover his face and inadvertently hit the monk in the mouth with his elbow, knocking the little man to the ground. The monk looked up at Sam and smiled. â€Å"That was the right answer.† His teeth were red with blood. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Sam said, offering his hand to help the monk up. â€Å"I didn't know what you were doing.† The monk waved Sam away, climbed to his feet, and began to dust himself off. â€Å"The first step to knowledge is not knowing. The girl is inside with the Master.† â€Å"Thanks,† Sam said. He motioned for Coyote to follow and went into the building. It was one room, dimly lit from the doorway and by sunlight filtering through the gaps in the walls. Around the edges, workbenches were stacked with greasy car parts and tools. In the center of the room, on a grass mat, Calliope sat with another monk, this one ancient, drinking tea from tiny cups. She looked up and saw Sam, then without a word ran into his arms. â€Å"I lost him, Sam. The car started making this horrible noise and I had to pull off the highway. Lonnie took Grubb and he's gone.† Sam held her and patted her head, telling her it would be okay, not really believing it, but knowing that was what you were supposed to say. She was soft and warm against him and a musky smell of girl sweat and jasmine was coming off her hair. He felt himself getting aroused and hated himself for the inappropriateness of the feeling, thinking, You sick bastard. Almost as in answer, Calliope said, â€Å"You feel too good,† and buried her face in his chest. She was crying. Behind them, still standing in the doorway, Coyote said, â€Å"Let's go.† Calliope looked around at him, then to Sam. Sam said, â€Å"A friend. Calliope, this is Coyote. Coyote, Calliope.† â€Å"Howdy,† Coyote said. Calliope smiled. â€Å"The Master will now fix the car,† the younger monk said. Sam looked to the tatami mat; the old monk was gone. The young monk turned and went out into the sun. Outside, the Z's hood was open and the old monk was bent over the engine, running his hands over the hoses and wires, but staring off into the distance. Sam realized that he was blind, and noticed that there were fingers missing from each of his hands. â€Å"What's he doing?† Coyote asked. â€Å"Quiet,† the young monk said. â€Å"He is finding the problem.† â€Å"We really have to get going,† Sam said. â€Å"Can we leave the car here and pick it up later?† The monk said, â€Å"Does a dog have a Buddha nature?† â€Å"Does a fish have a watertight asshole?† said Coyote. The young monk turned to the trickster and bowed. â€Å"You are wise,† he said. â€Å"This is nuts,† Sam said. â€Å"We've got another car. Let's go.† â€Å"We've lost them,† Calliope said. â€Å"No, we haven't. We know where they're going, Cal.† â€Å"How do you know?† â€Å"It's a long story. Coyote helped.† â€Å"Not enough,† Coyote said. He pointed to the police cruiser that was bouncing across the desert toward them. Sam looked to the limo and realized that they had run out of time, and, more important, places to run. The cruiser slid to a stop by the limo and they were all engulfed by a cloud of dust. When it cleared, a seven-foot black man stood beside the limo. A bald man in a sport coat was leveling a riot shotgun over the hood at them. â€Å"I'd like the keys to the limousine, please,† Minty said. Calliope looked at Sam. â€Å"Are we in trouble?† â€Å"This is not good,† Sam said. The monk said, â€Å"Life is suffering.† â€Å"You need to get laid,† Coyote said. Sam dug into his pocket for the keys. â€Å"Careful,† said the man with the gun. Minty Fresh approached Sam. â€Å"Relax, Jake,† he said. Then to Sam, â€Å"Mr. Hunter, the police are not really involved in this. I just want two things. I want the keys to the car, and I want to know what the hell is going on here.† â€Å"Quiet!† the monk said. â€Å"The Master is finished.† They looked to the Z, where the old monk was staring blankly in their direction. â€Å"Disharmony in the cam chakra,† he announced. The young monk bowed. Sam wondered about the Master's missing fingers. â€Å"Well?† Minty said. Sam said, â€Å"Do you have a little time?† -=*=- Minty Fresh sat on the tatami mat with Sam while the young monk, who they had found out was named Steve, served them tea. He'd sent Jake back to town and the others were outside fiddling with the broken sports car. Minty wanted some answers. â€Å"Mr. Hunter,† he began. â€Å"There is something very strange about your friend.† â€Å"Really? He seems fine to me. Tell me, though. Do you think I have shifty eyes?† Sam affected his best innocent look. Oh, no, two of them, Minty thought. â€Å"They look normal to me.† They didn't look normal at all – they were golden. Minty hadn't noticed before. Sam said, â€Å"I mean, do I look untrustworthy to you?† â€Å"Mr. Hunter, you stole my employer's car.† â€Å"I'm really sorry about that. Besides that, though. Do I look shifty?† Minty sighed. â€Å"No, not particularly.† â€Å"How about if you were shorter, say, eight inches tall.† â€Å"Mr. Hunter, what is this all about?† â€Å"We really needed the car. It doesn't justify taking it, but we would have brought it back.† â€Å"Look, I'm not going to involve the police in this. Just tell me.† Sam took Minty through the story of Lonnie taking Grubb and the chase, leaving out as many details about Coyote as he could, making their destination in South Dakota seem close, easy. The story was slanted, however; Sam told it with a purpose in mind, thinking as he spoke, You can't sell if you don't pitch. Sam closed, â€Å"If we don't have the limo we won't be able to find Lonnie and get Calliope's baby back. You have a mother, don't you?† Sam waited. â€Å"I'm sorry, Mr. Hunter, I can't let you have it. It's not mine. I'd lose my job.† â€Å"We'll bring it back after we get Grubb.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† Minty said. He climbed to his feet and walked to the door, then turned. â€Å"I'm really sorry.† He pushed his sunglasses up on his face and ducked through the hole in the steel. Sam followed him out. â€Å"Mr. F.,† Sam called. Minty looked up as he reached the car. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Thanks for not going to the cops. I understand your position.† Minty nodded and got in the Lincoln. Calliope came up beside Sam and stood with him watching Minty drive away. She said, â€Å"Grubb is all I have.† Sam reached out and took her hand, not knowing what to say, having failed at the only thing he was really good at, talking people into doing things they didn't want to do. The young monk came out of the door behind them. â€Å"The Master is fixing your car,† he said. He was stirring some green tea into an earthenware bowl with a bamboo whisk. â€Å"More tea?† -=*=- They stood together in the sun, watching the old man work. He fingered each bolt carefully before fitting a wrench to it, then removed the bolt so quickly that his hands blurred with the movement. Sam said, â€Å"How long†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Don't talk to him when he works,† Steve cautioned. â€Å"He will finish when he finishes. But don't talk to him. When you work, work. When you talk, talk.† â€Å"Do you get many customers? I mean, you are pretty far out here.† â€Å"Three,† Steve said. He was wearing a straw hat to protect his shaved head. â€Å"Three today?† â€Å"No, just three.† â€Å"Then what do you do in the meantime?† â€Å"We wait.† â€Å"That's all?† Steve said, â€Å"Is that all the patriarch Daruma did at the wall for nine years?† There was no anger in his voice. â€Å"We wait.† â€Å"But how do you pay your rent, buy food?† â€Å"There is no rent. The owner of King's Lake, Augustus Brine, brings us food. He is a fisherman.† â€Å"King's Lake is up the road, right? What is it, a resort?† â€Å"A house of pleasure.† â€Å"A whorehouse that supports Buddhist monks?† â€Å"How sweet,† Calliope said. â€Å"He's got it,† Coyote said, pointing to the Master, who was holding up a rod of polished metal. â€Å"A bent push rod,† Steve said. The master carried the push rod into the shop. They all followed and watched as the old man tightened the rod into a vise. He picked up a hammer and stood over the vise, his free hand feeling the rod. Without warning the old man screamed and delivered a clanging blow to the push rod, then bowed and set the hammer on the bench. â€Å"Fixed,† Steve said, bowing. â€Å"Is that how he lost his fingers?† â€Å"To achieve enlightenment, one must give up the things of this world.† â€Å"Like piano lessons,† Coyote said.