Tough Guise Essay Example

Tough Guise Paper In the film Tough Guise, featuring Jackson Katz it touched on the topic violent males or violent masculinity. Jackson Katz reviewed that about 86 percent of armed rob berries, 90 percent of murders, 99 percent of rapes and 98 percent of violence on women are all committed by men. When we talk about violence in America, whether its mass shootings in the r ell world or violence in our movies, media and video games, were almost always talking a bout violent auscultation. Says Jackson Katz from the Tough Guise video. Also (Katz,2014) in the video it says that the statistics tell the story, the overwhelming majority of violence ilk e; sexual assault, mass shootings, murder, and domestic violence resulting in physical injury, is committed by men and boys. ( Katz,2014) . Now (Katz,2014) this is not because all men are violent. Most men arent, or dont mean to be. Most of these crimes take place because these boo yes were taught that they needed to be violent to be masculine. This is not the boys fault, it is the way our society is. They see males taking the lead role all over our society. I feel that boys and you Eng men learn early on that being a scalded man mean you have to take on a tough guy imam GE. Men are basically taught to only show the world a certain part of themselves, they are not allowed to show their emotions. (Katz, 2014) All for this dominant culture that has defined being manly as; being physically strong, powerful, physically intimidating, independent, in con troll, and that they an scare people. We will write a custom essay sample on Tough Guise specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tough Guise specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tough Guise specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Also Katz says, If they are athletic or muscular they are see n as the top dog. All of these traits are seen as guidelines to be a real man that is respected. The e media nowadays is showing our culture that being violent is equivalent to being masculine. I would disagree with this topic. I understand fully that if you see something everyday you tend to feel that, that is the way of life and how you should also act. Howe ever also feel that you should know what is right and what is wrong. Therefore if you see a man rutting another male or female to get what he wants you shouldnt take that has, that man bee Eng masculine. You should instead take that as being wrong. Therefore I believe that violent masc. linty is not a taught behavior but a chosen behavior with that excuse.

animal farm though shant come to harm Essay

animal farm though shant come to harm Essay animal farm though shant come to harm Essay Napoleon in Animal Farm is a dictator. This is shown by his propaganda made by squealer and his portraits and use of violenceAnimal Farm is an allegorical and dystopian novel by George Orwell, published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalin era in the Soviet Union.[1] Orwell, a democratic socialist,[2] was an outspoken critic of Joseph Stalin and, especially after experiences with the NKVD and the Spanish Civil War, he was actively opposed to the controversial ideology of Stalinism.[3] The Soviet Union, he believed, had become a brutal dictatorship, built upon a cult of personality and enforced by a reign of terror. In a letter to Yvonne Davet, Orwell described Animal Farm as a satirical tale against Stalin "un conte satirique contre Stalin",[4] and in his essay "Why I Write" (1946), he wrote that Animal Farm was the first book in which he had tried, with full consciousness of what he was doing, "to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole". The original title was Animal Farm: A Fairy Story, though the subtitle was dropped by U.S. publishers for its 1946 publication and subsequently all but one of the translations during Orwell's lifetime omitted it. Other variations in the title include: A Satire and A Contemporary Satire.[4] Orwell suggested the title Union des rà ©publiques socialistes animales for the French translation, which recalled the French name of the Soviet Union, Union des rà ©publiques socialistes sovià ©tiques, and which abbreviates to URSA,

Battle of the Atlantic in World War II

Battle of the Atlantic in World War II The Battle of the Atlantic was fought between September 1939 and May 1945 throughout the entirety of  World War II. Commanding Officers Allies Admiral Sir Percy Noble, RNAdmiral Sir Max Horton, RNAdmiral Royal E. Ingersoll, USN Germany Grand Admiral Erich RaederGrand Admiral Karl Doenitz Background With the British and French entrance into World War II on September 3, 1939, the German Kriegsmarine moved to implement strategies similar to those used in World War I. Unable to challenge the Royal Navy in regard to capital ships, the Kriegsmarine began a campaign against Allied shipping with the goal of cutting off Britain from the supplies needed to wage war. Overseen by Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, German naval forces sought to employ a mix of surface raiders and U-boats. Though he favored the surface fleet, which would come to include the battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz, Raeder was challenged by his U-boat chief, then-Commodore Karl Doenitz, regarding the use of submarines. Initially ordered to seek out British warships, Doenitzs U-boats had early success sinking the old battleship HMS Royal Oak at Scapa Flow and the carrier HMS Courageous off Ireland. Despite these victories, he vigorously advocated for using groups of U-boats, known as wolf packs, to attack the Atlantic convoys that were resupplying Britain. Though the German surface raiders scored some early successes, they drew the attention of the Royal Navy who sought to destroy them or keep them in port. Engagements such as the Battle of the River Plate (1939) and the Battle of the Denmark Strait (1941) saw the British respond to this threat. The Happy Time With the fall of France in June 1940, Doenitz gained new bases on the Bay of Biscay from which his U-boats could operate. Spreading into the Atlantic, the U-boats began attacking British convoys in packs. These multi-ship groups were further directed by intelligence gleaned from the breaking of the  British Naval Cypher No.  3. Armed with the approximate location of an approaching convoy, the wolf pack would deploy in a long line across its anticipated path. When a U-boat sighted the convoy, it would radio its location and coordination of the attack would commence. Once all of the U-boats were in position, the wolf pack would strike. Typically conducted at night, these assaults could involve up to six U-boats and forced the convoy escorts to deal with multiple threats from several directions.    Through the remainder of 1940 and into 1941, the U-boats enjoyed tremendous success and inflicted heavy losses on Allied shipping. As a result, it became known as the Happy Time (Die Glà ¼ckliche Zeit) among the U-boat crews. Claiming over 270 Allied vessels during this period, U-boat commanders such as  Otto Kretschmer, Gà ¼nther Prien, and Joachim Schepke became celebrities in Germany. Key battles in the second half of 1940 included convoys HX 72, SC 7, HX 79, and HX 90. In the course of the fighting, these convoys lost 11 of 43, 20 of 35, 12 of 49, and 11 of 41 ships respectively. These efforts were supported by Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor aircraft which aided in finding Allied ships as well as attacking them. Converted from long-range Lufthansa airliners, these aircraft flew from bases in Bordeaux, France and Stavanger, Norway and penetrated deep into the North Sea and Atlantic. Capable of carrying a 2,000-pound bomb load, Condors typically would strike at low altitude in an attempt to bracket the target vessel with three bombs.  Focke-Wulf Fw 200 crews claimed to have sunk 331,122 tons of Allied shipping between June 1940 to February 1941. Though effective, the Condor was seldom available in more than limited numbers and the threat later posed by Allied escort carriers and other aircraft ultimately forced its withdrawal. Guarding the Convoys Though British destroyers and corvettes were equipped with ASDIC (sonar), the system was still unproven and was unable to maintain contact with a target during an attack. The Royal Navy was also hampered by a lack of suitable escort vessels. This was eased in September 1940, when fifty obsolete destroyers were obtained from the United States via the Destroyers for Bases Agreement. In the spring of 1941, as British anti-submarine training improved and additional escort vessels reached the fleet, losses began to lessen and the Royal Navy began sinking U-boats at an increasing rate. To counter improvements in British operations, Doenitz pushed his wolf packs further west forcing the Allies to provide escorts for the entire Atlantic crossing. While the Royal Canadian Navy covered convoys in the eastern Atlantic, it was aided by President Franklin Roosevelt who extended the Pan-American Security Zone nearly to Iceland. Though neutral, the United States provided escorts within this region. Despite these improvements, U-boats continued to operate at will in the central Atlantic outside the range of Allied aircraft. This air gap posed issues until more advanced maritime patrol aircraft arrived. Operation Drumbeat Other elements that aided in stemming Allied losses were the capture of a German Enigma code machine and the installation of new high-frequency direction-finding equipment for tracking U-boats. With the US entry into the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Doenitz dispatched U-boats to the American coast and Caribbean under the name Operation Drumbeat. Commencing operations in January 1942, the U-boats began enjoying a second happy time as they took advantage of unescorted American merchant ships as well as the US failure to implement a coastal black-out. As losses mounted, the U.S. implemented a convoy system in May 1942. With convoys operating on the American coast, Doenitz withdrew his U-boats back to the mid-Atlantic that summer. Through the fall, losses continued to mount on both sides as the escorts and U-boats clashed. In November 1942, Admiral Sir Max Horton became commander-in-chief of the Western Approaches Command. As additional escort vessels became available, he formed separate forces which were tasked with supporting the convoy escorts. As they were not tied to defending a convoy, these groups were able to specifically hunt U-boats. The Tide Turns In the winter and early spring of 1943, the convoy battles continued with increasing ferocity. As Allied shipping losses mounted, the supply situation in Britain began to reach critical levels. Though losing U-boats in March, the Germany strategy of sinking ships faster than the Allies could build them appeared to be succeeding. This ultimately proved to be a false dawn as the tide rapidly turned in April and May. Though Allied losses dropped in April, the campaign pivoted on the defense of convoy ONS 5. Attacked by 30 U-boats it lost thirteen ships in exchange for six of Doenitzs boats. Two weeks later, convoy SC 130 repelled German attacks and sunk five U-boats while taking no losses. The rapid turn in Allied fortunes was the result of the integration of several technologies which had become available in the preceding months. These included the Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar, continued advances in reading German radio traffic, enhanced radar, and the Leigh Light. The latter device allowed Allied aircraft to successfully attack surfaced U-boats at night. Other advances included the introduction of merchant aircraft carriers and long-range maritime variants of the B-24 Liberator. Combined with new escort carriers, these eliminated the air gap. Combined with wartime ship construction programs, such as Liberty ships, these rapidly gave the Allies the upper hand. Dubbed Black May by the Germans, May 1943 saw Doenitz lose 34 U-boats in the Atlantic in exchange for 34 Allied ships. Latter Stages of Battle Pulling back his forces during the summer, Doenitz worked to develop new tactics and equipment. These included the creation of U-flak boats with enhanced anti-aircraft defenses as well as a variety of countermeasures and new torpedoes. Returning to the offensive in September, the U-boats enjoyed a brief period of success before Allied forces again began causing heavy losses. As Allied air power grew in strength, U-boats came under attack in the Bay of Biscay as they left and returned to port. With his fleet being reduced, Doenitz turned to new U-boat designs including the revolutionary Type XXI. Designed to operate entirely submerged, the Type XXI was faster than any of its predecessors. Only four were completed by the end of the war. Aftermath The final actions of the Battle of the Atlantic took place on May 7-8, 1945, just before the German surrender.  In the course of the fighting, Allied losses totaled around 3,500 merchant ships and 175 warships, as well as around 72,000 sailors killed. German casualties numbered 783 U-boats and around 30,000 sailors (75% of the U-boat force). One of the most important fronts of the war, success in the Atlantic was critical for the Allied cause. Citing its importance, Prime Minister Winston Churchill later stated: The Battle of the Atlantic was the dominating factor all through the war. Never for one moment could we forget that everything happening elsewhere, on land, at sea or in the air depended ultimately on its outcome...

First aid and personal safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

First aid and personal safety - Essay Example The following are the objectives set by the American Red Cross; Recognizing and handling an emergency, checking the scene of accident for safety and the victims for consciousness, how and when to remove a victim from a scene that is dangerous, how to do an interaction with emergency medical services and the time they should be called, learn how and why it’s important to use basic precautions so as to avoid disease transmission risk while and after provision of care, how to make a prioritization and care serious life-threatening sudden illnesses and injuries, how to identify a victim who is conscious for both life and non-life threatening situations, how to care and recognize for victims who fall ill suddenly, how to identify and take care of various kinds of wounds, which include bleeding and burns, how to identify and take care of a victim injured by cold or heat-related emergency, how to perform simple precautions so as to minimize the risk of transmitting disease, how to ch eck external bleeding and finally how to identify and take care of bone, joint and muscle injuries, which includes injuries to such parts as the neck, head and back. There are three different and separate types of first aid kits; for the car or truck, travel purposes and for your home or business. For a First Aid kit to be effective it should always be stocked in regard to the localized needs. For instance, the First Aid to be used along the coast is completely different from that likely to be used inland.

Transfer of HRM practices by MNCs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Transfer of HRM practices by MNCs - Essay Example As Multi National Companies (MNCs) come into the picture, the scenario gets a little different. MNCs typically misjudge the effect that disparities in Industrial relations methods, workplace settings, and defiance from local people to several HRM practices can all have on their workings and operations. In addition, Unions also time and again, weaken to establish effectual transnational strategies to provide their memberships and associations in other countries in an improved manner. A question therefore arises that whether the MNCs can effectively transfer their HRM practices abroad, particularly when the notions that lie beneath these practices do not coincide with the norms, values, and cultures of the host-countries. The U.S. MNCs into the Chinese market have been taken into account in this paper Under the HRM practices, it is also important that one administers their approach toward the assistance and recompense for the employees, employee accounts and programs. However it is also critical that they make sure that their staff has, and is informed about, the personnel policies that coincide with the existing code of practice. Drivers of Change The world is moving on the path of change, with two significant drivers, i.e. globalization and technological revolution. The two influences actually pose as the foundation for a new way of sharing out the workforce concerning countries and organizations that has come to light throughout the preceding few decades. Different attitudes and opinions about globalization, divide countries and corporations, and also their volume and capability to transform or update themselves with new technologies. Basically the search for new markets and the means for resources has been the driving force toward globalization. As competition gets highly international, and in fact in some businesses, completely global, new production processes and organizational practices are seen to have emerged. (Competitiveness in Developing Asia, pp.58, 2003) The method, by which production at a transnational level is embarked on at current time, varies a lot from the way it was done some years ago. The argument remains in the intricacy of the production procedure, accompanied by the pace and extent of the transnational movements of goods and information. A large variety of highly innovative products, these days, are manufactured by Multi National Corporations (MNCs) in significantly competitive markets. Although MNCs have been there for quite a while now, their existence is very much sensed at current time. The uniqueness of MNCs nowadays is that they have production plants positioned worldwide, with the concern that production consists of planning, management, and coordination of innumerable operations. This lets MNCs to cut up the sequence of their

Impact of Vibration on Curing and Strength of Concrete

Impact of Vibration on Curing and Strength of Concrete Scope Research Need: During its setting process, fresh concrete transforms from a flowable state, via a plastic state, to a final solid state that includes a large number of crystalline domains formed by ionically and covalently bonded atoms. Early-age concrete thus is vulnerable to vibration damages if the formations of the chemical bonds and crystalline domains are negatively affected, leading to reduced early and ultimate strength. Vibrations could come from a variety of sources, such as passing-by trucks, nearby vibratory soil compactors, and blasting or seismic impulses. As demanded by the fast construction paces today, such vibrations often occur adjacent to newly placed concrete, such as when a soil compactor is used during the placement of concrete for bridge foundations or roadway slabs. Being a pervasive issue that is related to construction speed and structural integrity, weakening of concrete by adjacent vibrations cost stakeholders millions of dollars annually. This issue is b ecoming more imperative recently, owing to factors such as new design concepts and changes in equipment and construction methods. In the current state of knowledge, however, there has been a surprising scarcity of assembled information on the subject of vibration impact on concrete curing and strength. There exists a large number of different stipulations regarding the nearest allowable locations for vibratory construction and earliest allowable time for vibratory construction that are currently practiced by the different transportation agencies across the country, mainly the State Departments of Transportation. For example, the earliest allowable time for vibratory construction ranges from a few hours to a week or so. The existing stipulations appear to build on different principles, including laboratory experiments, field observations, numerical simulation, and most commonly the borrowing from peer practitioners or close engineering and science fields, which are far from systemati c. Work of synthesis on the subject thus is needed to identify, describe, and evaluate the current state of knowledge and practices to benefit the construction of bridge decks, pavement slabs, and overlays. State of Knowledge: It is generally believed that concrete is most vulnerable to vibrations between the initial and final setting times due to the negative effects of vibration on the bond formations in this critical hydration phase. The setting time of concrete refers to the time required for cement paste to stiffen to a defined consistency, which is closely related to the initial chemical reaction of calcium aluminates of the cement with sulfates within the first few hours after cement-water contact. The initial setting time of concrete measures the time as cement paste starts to lose plasticity, and a minimum value is required to ensure the completion of transportation, placement and compaction of concrete. The final setting time of concrete records the time at which cement paste loses its entire plasticity, hardens sufficiently, and attain the cast shape at mold removal. At normal construction temperature, the initial setting time of concrete could come as early as 60 90 minutes and the final setting time could be as late as eight to ten hours. Current practices use two empirical methods, i.e., the Vicat Needle (AASHTO T 131 or ASTM C 191) and the Gillmore Needles (AASHTO T 154 or ASTM C 266) for determining the initial and final setting time. The strength of concrete can be reduced by vibration beyond its final setting time. It was reported that two-day concrete could lose as much as 9.1% of its 28-day compressive strength under continuous vibration from heavy highway traffic, while the loss of the 28-day compressive strength for 14-day concrete was within 3%. Realizing this post-setting phenomenon, stakeholders have specified conservative time limits before vibrational constructions near freshly cast concrete. As an example, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is considering to reduce such required curing time from seven days to five days, to enable more rapid construction while still giving sufficient time for concrete to obtain the design strength. If adopted, this modification undoubtedly will mean huge cost savings and convenience to the public. In addition, vibration seems to have different impacts on different properties of concrete. The same level of vibration can change the compressive strength of concrete by up to 13%, while reduces the tensile strength of concrete by 7%. Based on a study of vibration from highway traffic, the amplitude of vibration seems to be a more important factor than the frequency in causing damage. While a vibration of two Hz and three mm amplitude and a vibration of four Hz and three mm amplitude cause significant reduction in ultimate strength of concrete, the vibration had a negligible strength reduction at a one mm amplitude. To conclude, a synthesis work is needed to collect and evaluate the current state of knowledge and practices regarding the complex dependence of concrete quality and strength on the nearby vibrations. This work will be useful in the designing of both new and repairing projects, for more accurately determining the time needed before the start of nearby constructions and the allowable intensity and nearness of the vibratory sources. Information Sources ACI Manual of Concrete Practice (2015). American Concrete Institute. 2015. Research Results Digest 392. National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). Jan. 2015. Taylor, P. C., Kosmatka, S. H., Voigt, G. F. (2006). Integrated Materials and Construction Practices for Concrete Pavement: A State-of-the-Practice Manual (No. FHWA HIF-07-004). Federal Highway Administration. 2006. NCHRP Report 253. Dynamic Effects of Pile Installations on Adjacent Structures (1997). National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). 1997.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 11~12

Eleven Catfish Catfish awoke to find a paint-spattered woman padding about the house in nothing but a pair of wool socks, in which she had stuck several sable brushes that delivered ochre, olive, and titanium white strokes to her calves whenever she moved. Canvases were propped on easels, chairs, counters, and windowsills – seascapes every one. Estelle moved from canvas to canvas, palette in hand, furiously painting details in the waves and beaches. â€Å"Y'all woke up inspired,† Catfish said. It was past dusk, they had slept away the daylight. Estelle painted by the light of fifty candles and the orange glow that washed from the open doors of the wood stove. Color correctness be damned, these paintings should be viewed by fire. Estelle stopped painting and raised her brush arm to cover her breasts. â€Å"They weren't finished. I knew something was missing when I painted them, but I didn't know what until now.† Catfish cinched his pants around his waist and walked shirtless among the paintings. The waves writhed with tail and scale and teeth and talon. Predator eyes shone out of the canvases, brighter, it seemed, than the candles that lit them. â€Å"You done painted that old girl in all of 'em?† â€Å"It's not a girl. It's male.† â€Å"How you know that?† â€Å"I know.† Estelle turned and went back to her painting. â€Å"I feel it.† â€Å"How you know it look like that?† â€Å"It does, doesn't it? It looks like this?† Catfish scratched the stubble on his chin and pondered the paintings. â€Å"Close. But it ain't a boy. That ol' monster the same one come after me an Smiley for catchin its little one.† Estelle stopped painting and turned to him. â€Å"You have to play tonight?† â€Å"In a little while.† â€Å"Coffee?† He stepped up to her, took the brush and palette from her, and kissed her on the forehead. â€Å"That sho' would be sweet.† She padded to the bedroom and came back wearing a tattered kimono. â€Å"Tell me, Catfish. What happened?† He was sitting at the table. â€Å"I think we done broke a record. I'm sore.† Estelle smiled in spite of herself, but pressed on. â€Å"What happened back then, in the bayou? Did you call that thing up out of the water somehow?† â€Å"What you thinkin, woman? I can do that, you think I be playin clubs for drinks and part the door?† â€Å"Tell me how you felt back then, when that thing came out of the swamp.† â€Å"Scared.† â€Å"Besides that.† â€Å"Wasn't nothing besides that. You heard it. Scared is all there is.† â€Å"You weren't scared after we got back here last night.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Neither was I. What did you feel back then? Before and after the thing came after you.† â€Å"Not like I'm feelin now.† â€Å"And how is that?† â€Å"I'm feelin real good to be here talkin to you.† â€Å"No kidding. Me too. How about back then?† â€Å"Stop doggin me, girl. I'll tell you. But I gots to go play in an hour and I don't know that I can.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"The Blues ain't on me. You done chased 'em off.† â€Å"I can throw you out in the cold without a shirt if you think it will help.† Catfish squirmed in his chair. â€Å"Maybe some coffee.† Catfish's Story After we gets some distance from whatever chasin us, we stop the Model T Ford and me and Smiley put that big ol' catfish thing in the backseat – his tail hangin out one side an' his head out't'other. Now this ain't at all what I expected, and Smiley ain't got the Blues on him, but I'm gettin me a grand case myself. Then I realizes we got us five hundred dollar coming, and them ol' Blues done melt right away. I say, â€Å"Smiley, I believes we should have us some celebratin, startin with some liquor and endin up with some fine Delta pussy. What you say?† Ol' Smiley, like usual, don't wanna piss on the parade, but bein who he is, he point out we aint got no money and Ida May don't approve of no pussy more'en a hundred yard from the house. But he feelin it too, I can tell, and before long we headed down a back road to find a bootlegger I know down there name of Elmore that sells to colored folk. That ol' white boy ain't got but two teeth, but he grindin 'em when we pulls up, all mad and wavin his shotgun like we come to bust up his still. I say, â€Å"Hey, Elmore, how your lovely wife and sister?† He say she fine, but lessin we shows some money quick, he gonna shoot him some niggers and get back to her before she cool off. â€Å"We a little short,† I say. â€Å"But we have us five hundred dollar come morning iffin you kind enough to give us a jug on credit.† An' then I shows him the catfish. That boy liked to shit his pants, and I was hopin he would, just to cover the smell comin off him natural, but instead he say, â€Å"I ain't waitin 'til mornin'. You want a jug, you give me a hunk o' that catfish right now. A big hunk.† Smiley and I thinks it over, and before long we got us a half-gallon of corn mash and ol' Elmore got hisself enough catfish to feed his wives and children and them-thats both for a week or more. Up the road a spell and this old whore name of Okra givin us the same speech about money, plus she sayin we need to take us a bath before she let us anywhere near her girls. And I comes back with the five-hundred-dollar story. She say five hundred dollar tomorrow and we can come in tomorrow, but if we want some pussy tonight, she want a hunk of that old catfish in the back. Them hos can eat some catfish too, I'm tellin you. I thought Smiley finally gettin the Blues on him when I hears him sayin how he give up a hundred dollar worth of catfish just for a bath. But that his choice. He wait in the car 'til I'm done and we head off to find a place to sleep 'til morning when we can cash in the fish. We pulls down a side road into some bushes, and we commencin to get us some sleep after a drink or two, when who come out the woods but a whole bunch of boys wearin them white sheets and pointy hoods, sayin, â€Å"Nigger, I guess you didn't read the sign.† And they tie us up to that ol' catfish and make us drag it back in the woods to a big ol' fire they got goin. That sho' a chill, I gots to tell you. To this day I can't walk by sheets hangin on a line without my backbone freeze up. I knows we sho' gonna die now, sayin my prayers and all best I can, while them boys kickin me in the mouth an' such while eatin catfish pieces what they roasted on sticks. Then I feels it and the kickin stops. I see ol' Smiley lyin in the dirt, coverin his head with his arms, one ol' bloody eye lookin' over at me. He feel it too. Them Klansmen staring into the woods like they long-lost momma gonna come out, big ol' grins on they faces, half of 'em rubbin they dicks through they pants. And she come out, all right. Big as a train, a howl like to make your ears bust and bleed. She take two of them in the first bite. I don't have to write Smiley no letter. Before we can say somethin, we up and runnin, still tied up to what left of that catfish carcass, running back for the road. We finds us a knife in the car and we gets loose lickety-split – Smiley crankin that ol' Model T and me behind the wheel workin the choke. Hollerin and screamin comin out the woods sounding like music now, them Klansmen gettin all eat up. Then it get quiet, just the sound of our breath and Smiley crankin the Model T. I'm yellin for him to hurry, I can hear that thing crashin though the woods. And finally, the Model T cranks over, but I can hardly hear it, 'cause that old dragon thing done broken out the woods and lets go a roar. I tells Smiley to get in, but he run back to the back of the car. â€Å"What you doing?† I say. â€Å"Five hundred dollar,† he say. And I see he throwing the catfish in the backseat. That stinky thing ain't nothin but a head now, so Smiley throw it in by hisself. Then he makes to jump on the running board and I looks over and he just snatched out the air. Gone. And them jaws coming down for the second time when I pull that ol' Model T in gear and take off. Smiley gone. Gone. Next day I find that white man say he pay five hundred dollar for the catfish, and he look at that big fish head and jus laugh at me. I say I lose the best friend I ever had, he better give me my goddamn money. But he laugh and tell me go away. So I hit him. Took that old fish head to court with me, but it don't make no difference. That judge give me six months in jail – hittin a white man and all. He tell the bailiff, â€Å"Take Catfish away.† They call me Catfish since. I don't tell the story no more, but the name still there. Had the Blues on me ever since, but they ain't no makin amends. By the time I get out, Ida May die of grief, and I ain't got a friend alive. Been on the road since. That thing on the beach, make that sound, she lookin for me. Catfish â€Å"It's a male,† Estelle said. She didn't know what else to say. â€Å"How you know?† â€Å"I know.† She took his hand. â€Å"I'm sorry about your friend.† â€Å"I just wanted him to get the Blues on him so we can make us a record.† They sat there at the table for a while, holding hands. Catfish let his coffee go cold in the cup. Estelle ran the story around in her head, both relieved and fearful that the shadows in her paintings now had a shape. Somehow, as fantastic as it was, Catfish's story seemed familiar. She said, â€Å"Catfish, did you ever read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway?† â€Å"He that boy write about bullfights and fishing? I met him once, down Florida way. Why?' â€Å"You met him?† â€Å"Yeah, that sumbitch didn't believe that story neither. Said he like to fish, but he don't believe me. Why you ask?† â€Å"Never mind,† Estelle said. â€Å"If this thing eats people, don't you think we should report it?† â€Å"I been tellin folks about that monster for some fifty years, ain't no one believed me yet. Said I was the biggest liar ever come outta the Delta. I'd have me a big house and a stack of records if not for that. You call the law and tell them 'bout this, they gonna call you the crazy woman of Pine Cove.† â€Å"We already have one of those.† â€Å"Well, ain't no one gonna get eat but me, and if I lose this gig 'cause they thinkin I'm crazy, I have to be movin on then. You understand?† Estelle took Catfish's cup from the table and placed it in the sink. â€Å"You'd better get ready to go play.† Twelve Molly To distract herself from the dragon next door, Molly had put on her sweats and started to clean her trailer. She got as far as filling three black trash bags with junk food jetsam and was getting ready to vacuum up the collec-tion of sow bug corpses that dotted her carpet when she made the mistake of Windexing the television. Outland Steel: Kendra's Revenge was playing on the VCR and when the droplets of Windex hit the screen, they magnified the phosphorescent dots, making the picture look like an impressionist painting: Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grande Warrior Babe perhaps. Molly froze the frame on the gratuitous shower scene. (There was always a shower scene in the first five minutes of her films, despite the fact that Kendra lived on a planet almost completely devoid of water. To address this problem, one young director had gotten the bright idea of using â€Å"anti-radioactive foam† in the shower scene and Molly had spent five hours with whipped Ivory Snow suds being blown on to her by an offscreen Shop-Vac. She ended up playing the rest of the film in a Bedouin burnoose to cover the rash that developed all over her body.) â€Å"Art film,† Molly said, sitting on the floor in front of the TV, dowsing it with Windex for the fiftieth time. â€Å"I could have been a model in Paris in those days.† â€Å"Not a chance,† said the narrator. He was still around. â€Å"Too skinny. They liked fat chicks back then.† â€Å"I'm not talking to you.† â€Å"You've used half a bottle of Windex for this little trip to Paris.† â€Å"Seems like cheap travel to me,† Molly said. Even so, she got up and took two glasses from the top of the TV. She was taking them to the kitchen when the doorbell rang. She opened the door with the rims of the glasses pinched in one hand. Outside, two women in dresses and heels and lots of hair spray were standing on her steps. They were both in their early thirties, blonde, and wore stiff smiles of either insincerity or drug use, Molly couldn't be sure which. â€Å"Avon?† Molly asked. â€Å"No,† the blonde in front said with a titter. â€Å"I'm Marge Whitfield, this is Katie Marshall, we're from the Coalition for a Moral Society. We'd like to talk to you about our campaign to reinstate school prayer. I hope we haven't caught you at a bad time.† Katie was in pink. Marge in pastel blue. â€Å"I'm Molly Michon. I was just cleaning up a little.† Molly held up the two glasses. â€Å"Come on in.† The two women stepped in and stood in the doorway as Molly took the glasses to the sink. â€Å"You know, it's interesting,† Molly said, â€Å"but if you put Diet Coke in one glass, and regular Coke in another, and let them sit for, oh, say six months, then come back, there will be all sorts of green stuff growing on the regular Coke, but the Diet Coke will be as good as new.† Molly returned to the living room. â€Å"Can I get you two something to drink?† â€Å"No thank you,† Marge droned in robot response. She and Katie were staring at the paused image of a wet and naked Molly on the television screen. Molly breezed by them and flipped off the television. â€Å"Sorry, an art film I made in Paris when I was younger. Won't you sit down?† The women sat down next to each other on Molly's tattered couch, their knees pinched together so tight they could have crushed diamonds to powder. â€Å"I love your air freshener,† Katie said, trying to pull out of her terror. â€Å"It smells so clean.† â€Å"Thanks, it's Windex.† â€Å"What a cute idea,† Marge said. This was good, Molly thought. Normal people. If I can hold myself together for normal people like these, I'll be okay. This is good practice. She sat down on the floor in front of them. â€Å"So your name is Marge. You don't hear that outside of detergent commercials anymore. Did your parents watch a lot of TV?† Marge tittered. â€Å"It's short for Margaret, of course. My grandmother's name.† Katie jumped in. â€Å"Molly, we're very concerned that our children's education is totally without any spiritual instruction. The Coalition is collecting signatures for reinstatement of prayer in school.† â€Å"Okay,† Molly said. â€Å"You're new in town, aren't you?† â€Å"Why, yes, we've both moved here from Los Angeles with our husbands. A small town is just a better place to raise children, as I'm sure you know.† â€Å"Right,† Molly said. They had no idea who she was. â€Å"That's why I brought my little Stevie here.† Stevie was Molly's goldfish who had died during one of her stays in County. Now he lived in a Ziploc in her freezer and regarded her with a frosty gaze every time she retrieved some ice. â€Å"And how old is Stevie?† â€Å"Uh, seven or eight. I forget sometimes, it was a long labor.† â€Å"He's a year behind my Tiffany,† Marge said. â€Å"Well, he's a little slow.† â€Å"And your husband is†¦?† â€Å"Dead.† â€Å"I'm so sorry,† Katie said. â€Å"No need, you probably didn't kill him.† â€Å"Anyway,† Katie said, â€Å"we'd really like to have your signature to send to the state senate. Single mothers are an important part of our campaign. And we're also collecting donations for the campaign to have the Constitu-tion amended.† She put on an embarrassed smile. â€Å"God's work needs funding too.† â€Å"I live in a trailer,† Molly said. â€Å"We understand,† Marge said. â€Å"Finances are difficult for a single mother. But your signature is just as important to God's work.† â€Å"But I live in a trailer. God hates trailers.† â€Å"Beg pardon?† â€Å"He burns them up, freezes, them out, tears them up with tornadoes. God hates trailers. Are you sure I wouldn't be hurting your cause?† Katie giggled. â€Å"Oh, Mrs. Michon, don't be silly. Just last week I read where a woman's trailer was picked up by a tornado and dropped almost a mile away and she survived. She said that she was praying the whole time and that God had saved her. You see?† â€Å"Then who sent the tornado in the first place?† The two pastel women squirmed on the couch. The blue one spoke first. â€Å"We'd love to have you at our Bible study group, where we could discuss that, but we have to be getting along. Would you mind signing the peti-tion?† She pulled a clipboard out of her oversized purse and handed it over to Molly with a pen. â€Å"So if this works, kids will be able to pray in school?† â€Å"Why, yes.† Marge brightened. â€Å"So the Muslim kids can turn to Mecca seven times a day or whatever and it won't count against their grades?† The blue and pink pastel ladies looked at each other. â€Å"Well, America is a Christian nation, Mrs. Michon.† Molly didn't want them to think she was a pushover. She was a smart woman. â€Å"But kids of other faiths can pray too, right?† â€Å"I suppose so,† Katie said. â€Å"To themselves.† â€Å"Oh good,† Molly said as she signed the petition, â€Å"because I know that Stevie could move up to the Red Jets reading group if he could sacrifice a chicken to Vigoth the Worm God, but the teacher won't let him.† Why did I say that? Why did I say that? What if they ask where Stevie is? â€Å"Mrs. Michon!† â€Å"What? He'd do it at recess,† Molly said. â€Å"It's not like it would cut into study time.† â€Å"We are working on behalf of the One True God, Mrs. Michon. The Coalition is not an interfaith organization. I'm sure that if you had felt the power of His spirit, you wouldn't talk that way.† â€Å"Oh, I've felt it.† â€Å"You have?† â€Å"Of course. You can feel it too. Right now.† â€Å"What do you mean?† Molly handed the clipboard back to Katie and stood up. â€Å"Come next door with me. It'll only take a second. I know you'll feel it.† Theo Theo's hopes of finding Mikey Plotznik rose as he drove through the residential areas of Pine Cove. Nearly every neighborhood had two or three people out searching with flashlights and cell phones. Theo stopped and took reports from each search party, then made suggestions as if he had the slightest idea what he was doing. Who was he kidding? He couldn't even find his car keys half the time. Most of Pine Cove's neighborhoods were without sidewalks or street-lights. The canopy of pine trees absorbed the moonlight and darkness drank up Theo's headlights like an ocean of ink. He plugged his handheld spot-light in the lighter socket and swept it across the houses and into the vacant lots, spotting nothing but a pair of mule deer eating someone's rosebuds. As he drove by the beach park – a grass playground the size of a football field, surrounded by cypress trees and blocked from the Pacific wind by an eight-foot redwood fence – he spotted a flash of white moving on one of the picnic tables. He pulled into the parking strip beside the park and pointed the Volvo's headlights, as well as the spotlight, at the table. A couple was going at it right there on the table. The flash of white had been the man's bare ass. Two faces turned into the light, eyes as wide as the two deer Theo had surprised earlier. Normally, Theo would have driven on. He was used to finding people â€Å"in the act† in cars behind the Head of the Slug, or parked along the more rugged strips of coastline. He wasn't the sex police, after all. But tonight he was irritated by the scene. It had been almost a whole day since he'd had a hit from his Sneaky Pete. Maybe it's a symptom of withdrawal, he thought. He turned off the Volvo and got out, taking his flashlight with him. The couple scrambled into their clothes as he approached, but didn't try to es-cape. There was nowhere for them to go except over the fence, where a narrow beach was bordered on both sides by cliffs and washed by treach-erous, freezing rip tides. When he was halfway across the park, Theo recognized the fornicators and stopped. The woman, a girl really, was Betsy Butler, a waitress down at H.P.'s Cafe. She was struggling to pull down her skirt. The man, bald ing and slack-chested, was the newly widowed Joseph Leander. Theo flashed on the image of Bess Leander hanging from a peg in the spotless dining room. â€Å"A little discretion's in order here, you think Joe?† Theo shouted as he walked toward them. â€Å"Uh, it's Joseph, Constable.† Theo felt his scalp go hot with anger. He wasn't an angry man by nature, but nature hadn't been working the last few days. â€Å"No, It's Joseph when you're doing business or when you're grieving over your dead wife. When you're boning a girl half your age on a picnic table in a public park, it's Joe.† â€Å"I – we – things have been so difficult. I don't know what came over us – I mean, me. I mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don't suppose you've seen a kid around here tonight? A boy, about ten?† The girl shook her head. She was covering her face with one hand and staring into the grass at her feet. Joseph Leander's gaze darted around the park as if a magic escape hatch would open up in the dark if he could only spot it. â€Å"No, I haven't seen a boy.† Technically, Theo knew he could arrest them both on the spot for indecent exposure, but he didn't want to take the time to process them into County Justice. â€Å"Go home, Joe. Alone. Your daughters shouldn't be by themselves right now. Betsy, do you have a ride?† Without uncovering her face, she said, â€Å"I only live two blocks away.† â€Å"Go home. Now.† Theo turned and walked back to the Volvo. No one had ever accused Theo of being clever (except for the time at a college party when he fashioned an emergency bong out of a two-liter Coke bottle and a Bic pen), but he was feeling somewhat less than clever for not having investigated Bess Leander's death more carefully. It was one thing to be hired because you're thought to be a fool, it's quite another to live up to the reputation. Tomorrow, he thought. First find the kid. Molly Molly stood in the mud with the two pastel Christian ladies looking at the dragon trailer. â€Å"Can you feel it?† â€Å"Why, whatever do you mean?† Marge said. â€Å"That's just a dirty old trailer – excuse me – mobile home.† Until a second ago, she had only been concerned with her powder-blue high heels sinking into the wet turf. Now she and her partner were staring at the dragon trailer, wide-eyed. They could feel it, Molly could tell. She could feel it too: a low-grade sense of contentment, something vaguely sexual, not quite joy, but close. â€Å"You're feeling it?† The two women looked to each other, trying to deny that they were feeling anything. Their eyes were glazed over as if they'd been drugged, and they fidgeted as if suppressing giggles. Katie, the pink one, said, â€Å"Maybe we should visit these people.† She took a tentative step toward the dragon trailer. Molly stepped in front of her. â€Å"There's no one there. It's just a feeling. You two should probably go fill out your petition.† â€Å"It's late,† said powder blue. â€Å"Maybe one more visit, then we have to go.† â€Å"No!† Molly blocked their path. This wasn't as fun as she thought it would be. She had wanted to freak them out a little, not harm them. She had the distinct feeling that if they got any closer to the dragon trailer, school prayer would be losing two well-groomed votes. â€Å"You two need to get home.† She took each by a shoulder and led them back to the street, then pushed them toward the entrance of the trailer park. They looked longingly over their shoulders at the dragon trailer. â€Å"I feel the spirit moving in me, Katie,† Marge said. Molly gave them another push. â€Å"Right, that's a good thing. Off you go.† And she was supposed to be the crazy one. â€Å"Go, go, go,† Molly said. â€Å"I have to get Stevie's dinner ready.† â€Å"We're sorry we missed meeting your little boy,† Katie said. â€Å"Where is he?† â€Å"Homework. See ya. Bye.† Molly watched the women walk out of the park and climb into a new Chrysler minivan, then she turned back to the dragon trailer. For some reason, she was no longer afraid. â€Å"You're hungry, aren't you, Stevie?† The dragon trailer shifted shape, angles melting to curves, windows going back to eyes, but the glow wasn't as intense as it had been in the early dawn. Molly saw the burned gill trees, the soot and blistered flesh between the scales. Soft blue lines of color flashed across the dragon's flanks and faded. Molly felt her heart sink in sympathy. This thing, whatever it was, was hurting. Molly took a few steps closer. â€Å"I have a feeling you're too old to be a Stevie. And the original Stevie might be offended. How about Steve? You look like a Steve.† Molly liked the name Steve. Her agent at CAA had been named Steve. Steve was a good name for a reptile. (As opposed to Stevie, which was more of a frozen goldfish name.) She felt a wave of warmth run through her amid the sadness. The monster liked his name. â€Å"You shouldn't have eaten that kid.† Steve said nothing. Molly took another step forward, still on guard. â€Å"You have to go away. I can't help you. I'm crazy, you know? I have the papers from the state to prove it.† The Sea Beast rolled over on his back like a submissive puppy and gave Molly a pathetically helpless look, no easy task for an animal capable of swallowing a Volkswagen. â€Å"No,† Molly said. The Sea Beast whimpered, no louder than a newborn kitten. â€Å"Oh, this is just swell,† Molly said. â€Å"Imagine the meds Dr. Val is going to put me on when I tell her about this. The vegetable and the lizard, that's what they'll call us. I hope you're happy.† Peer Pressure â€Å"But I don't want to go among mad people,† Alice remarked. â€Å"Oh, you can't help that,† said the cat. â€Å"We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.† â€Å"How do you know I'm mad?† said Alice. â€Å"You must be,† said the cat, â€Å"or you wouldn't have come here.† – LEWIS CARROL, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland