The Effect of Publish or Perish Motto on Academics free essay sample

These systems present in most universities acknowledge publications and citations as the evidence Of scholarly achievement and necessity for promotion, grant, and tenure (Dark, 2003). However, incentive and reward systems in academia were considered to lead a publish or perish syndrome by keeping the academic staff under pressure (Bloom et al. , 1988). On the one hand, these systems lead to a an increase in the quantity of books and papers (Bloom et al. , 1988); on the other hand, the quality of the generated knowledge may decrease since the academics aim to reach maximum number of publications (Inlays et al. 2007). As it is seen, these yester have both advantageous and disadvantageous. In this context, the objective of this paper is to analyze whether the incentive and reward systems have institutionalized a restrictive approach to knowledge development or they enhance and encourage the producing of the knowledge. On the other hand, it will be tried to compare the Turkeys current academic environment with the other countries in the context of ethical academic behaviors. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect of Publish or Perish Motto on Academics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page THE OBJECTIVE OF ACADEMICS Marketing as a university discipline has several responsibilities such as; to society, for providing objective knowledge and technically competent, socially expansible, liberally educated graduates; to students, for providing an education that will enable them to get on the socioeconomic ladder and prepare them for their roles as competent, responsible marketers and citizens; to marketing practice, for providing a continuing supply of competent, responsible entrants to the marketing profession and for providing new knowledge about both the micro and macro dimensions of marketing; and to the academy, for upholding its mission of retailing warehousing and producing knowledge, its contract with society of objective knowledge for academic freedom, and its core values of reason, evidence, openness and civility (Hunt, 2002, p. 306). In parallel with this view, Reel (1993, p. 74) claimed that A university has three functions to perform which are to conserve knowledge; to advance knowledge; and to disseminate knowledge. It falls short of the full realization of its aim unless, having provided for the conservation and advancement of knowledge, it makes provision for its dissemination as well.It can be revealed from these statements that, production and dissemination of the knowledge are two of the core missions of universities. Knowledge produced by academic researchers tends to be distributed to the spelling through research books, journals, academic conferences, training and development courses ((Bloom et al. , 1988; McKenzie et al. , 2002; Inlays et al. , 2007). However, according to the American Marketing Association (as of now AMA) Task Force on the development of marketing, academic researchers do not produce and disseminate enough publications (Bloom et al. , 1988). Furthermore, there is a dissemination problem that academicians are not successful in disseminating the knowledge they generate (Inlays et al. , 2007).In order to overcome these problems and increase the production ND dissemination of knowledge, and also to become more competitive, university management boards apply incentive and reward systems (Bloom al. , 1988). INCENTIVE AND REWARDS SYSTEMS At first sight, the incentive and reward systems may be seen well functioning that it leads to increase on knowledge generation and motivate the researchers. However there are several disadvantages and side effects of these systems and in the literature the outcomes of these systems have been criticized by several authors under the publish or perish mantra (List at al. , 2007;Bloom et al. , 1 988; Noisy et al. 2007; Brenna Inkers, 2004; Dark, 2003; Reams, 1 977; Gad-el-hake, 2004). One of the best explanation of publish or perish doctrine made by p. Van Den Burgher (1970, p. 7) as Publishing has become a compulsion. The average academic author does not write because he has something to say, because he hopes to contribute to knowledge, or because he has fun doing it; rather, he writes and publishes in order to improve his vita. This document is frequently the only thing about him which his colleagues will ever read; it is the passport to academic success; and, beyond the routine acquisition of a Ph. D. , published titles are the main ornament of a vita. On the other hand, there are some alternative views such as Blunt (1973) claimed that equating not publishing with perishing is an over determination of the present condition. In fact, in this context incentive and rewards refers to tenure and promotion. Namely, in order to get a tenure or promotion to the more senior academic positions it is essential to publish books, academic paper and be cited (Blunt, 1973). In addition, Reams (1977) claimed that publication is one of the most essential criterion for gaining tenure and promotion in a giggly competitive academic environment which Reams defined this environment as a treacherous dog-eat-dog world metaphorically. Since AMA (1988) claimed that publications in the marketing field is not enough and there need to overcome the impediments in order to increase the quantity of the publications.The AMA assessed several suggestions to motivate the researchers; the researchers must be provided large scale funding source and faculty release time for their research; the average revision time of the journals must be decreased as much as possible, thus further expenditures of time and effort of both reviewers and author s will be reverted; special workshops and consortia must be supported related to the need of the researchers. To sum up, this system is very effective and advantageous in order to motivate the researchers and achieve a maximum number of publications. However, there are also some disadvantageous and side effects of this system. In the next section the negative effects of this system will be criticized.SIDE EFFECTS OF INCENTIVE AND REWARD SYSTEMS As discussed in the preceding sections, the system puts the researcher under the pressure of publishing more and more books, journals and conference papers. The strong and undesirable incentives motivate especially the young academics through knowledge development (Blunt, 1973). However, it is extremely short-term in orientation and the system discourages risk-taking in the development of new ideas, discourages investment in long-term projects on significant issues, and instead encourages minor improvements in establishing ideas (Bloom et al. , 1988). On the other hand, the young academicians have started to publish books without getting enough wisdom in a particular field (Gad-el;hake, 2004).When the researchers age and experience increase, they provide fewer contributions to the journals. The AMA stated the possible reason for this situation as following; (1 ) A sense that the rewards for research and publication have been less than expected or are simply insufficient to justify additional effort. (2) A cumulative frustration with the competitive review processes of the major journals of the field. (3) An increased need or desire for outside income during the middle years of ones career. (4) An increased capability to undertake activities that hold higher personal value (e. G. , teaching consulting, administrative positions) than does research and writing(Bloom et al. 1 988, p. 4). Another important issue affected by the system is the quality concern. Publish or perish philosophy makes the researchers give more importance to the quantity Of the publications rather than quality (Lobscouse, 1974). In order to get a tenure or promotion, most researchers focus on publishing as much as they can, even sometimes they use cut-and-paste to reach their goals. Furthermore, to fulfill the increasing demand for publishing papers, everyday more and more journals enter the academic market. Thus, there have been the journals stratified into several quality categories which fits different quality papers Gad-el-hake, 2004).However, since journals are peer reviewed they can preserve their quality in balance (Bloom et al. , 1988). The quality concern is emerged in book publishing as well and probably more noteworthy that there is no need to be reviewed which makes it easier to publish a book than a journal article accepted (Gad-el-hake, 2004). Gad-el-Hake (2004) provided some extreme examples related to the quantity of publications. The first one is a dean of major school of engineering listed 52 papers that he wrote just in a year which equals to publishing a paper every week. In the second example, a roofless was introduces at a meeting as the author of 80 books in his 20 year career which is equal to a book every three months.Citation documents the flow of information and the links within and among disciplines or other units of analysis (Goldman ; Grainiest, 2010). The number of citations is a dominant criterion for promotion, salary increases and funding. It also will determine to what extent the individual researcher is seen as a thought leader. On the other hand, it is an indicator of quality, innovativeness and contribution of the publication to the science. Therefore, the researchers try o maximize the number of times they are cited (Verviers, 2010). However, except the articles published in top journals which represent the core of a discipline, most articles receive few or no citation (Van Dale ; Slammer, 2005). Also some researchers use make citation unethically.For example, authors generally do not actually consult some of the references they cite, some authors add references at the completion of a research because they support the researchers arguments or findings authors often reference well known authors in order to add credibility and prestige, and that quotations of what is actually written in the references are prevalent (Goldman ; Grainiest, 2010, p. 1 389) As Hunt (2000) claimed another mission of academics is the reta iling the knowledge in terms of teaching. However, since the publish or perish motto force the academics to focus on publications, especially the young academicians give less emphasis to the teaching function (Blunt, 1973). On the other hand, this motto also affects the relationship level between the practitioners and academicians. Brenna and Inkers (2004, p. 511) claimed that It seems clear that although academics loud like to get closer to practitioners, they are Inhibited by institutional factors, such as academic reward systems and the publish or perish culture.Since the Publish or perish culture suppresses the academics, they are tempted to perform unethical behaviors such as copying research, faking data and statistics, intentionally leaving out erroneous findings (Van Dale ; Slammer, 2005). (List et al. , 2007) made a research on this topic and proved that some researchers have falsified the research data; also they became co-authors of the papers without contributing. In addition, Reams 1977) very clearly identified the publication tricks as following; Joint Author Trick, colleagues write papers independently, and they add his / her colleagues name to the paper. Thus, in average both get more point.Experimental Trip trick, in some cases the academics force the students to participate in experiments. Thus, they can set up experiments in a very short time and free of charge. Graduate Student Gap, Graduate students perform great effort to show him qualified, so the academics may use them for library research, analyze and write up the data, or to find new creative research epics. Senior Author Trick, sometimes the junior academics use the name of senior, well-known authors in their studies without their contribution to publish their articles in top journals and books in quality publishers. Kitchen Sink Trick, since the data gathering phase is time consuming, they may use the same data more than once for different articles. In order to overcome the side effects of the publish or perish concept, Gad-el-Hake (2004) offered some suggestions such as; resumes submitted to promotion and tenure committees should be limited to listing only 5-10 the most significant publications; co-authors should contribute meaningfully to a publication and no name should be added merely because he or she is a member of a research group, or worse, the head of the group; journals should publish their impact factor and it should be an important consideration when libraries decide which journals to drop; Completed book manuscripts should go through peer review before publication. PUBLISH OR PERISH SYSTEM IN TURKEY In this section, as an academic member In a university, I will express my observations about the functioning of publish or perish system by comparing with the outside Of Turkey. There is an incentive and rewards system in Turkey as well. For example, In order to apply for an Associate Professor position, academicians hav e to get at least 6 points by publishing books, articles, conference papers and being cited (AUK, 2012). In addition, The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TIBIA) makes payment for the articles published in top journals in order to motivate academics.However the side effects in terms unethical academic consequences of the system is very similar to the other countries. Probably, one of the most important factors is they are assigned many courses to teach ND also they are charged with administrative work load. The most common unethical behaviors in Turkey are plagiarism refers to stealing from other authors publications without citation and permission, duplication which is publishing the same or similar papers in different journals or conferences, Fabrication which is making up unreal results and publish, and Solicitation refers to slicing up one research in more or less identical papers (Rican, 2008).As indicated in the AMA task force report (1988), most of the senior academicians slow up researching and publishing, instead they mostly focus n consulting to the private sector companies, administrative functions, organizing conferences in their most productive period in Turkey as well. On the other hand in order to increase the quantity of their publications some academics search for the journals, mostly in third world countries such as African journals, that they can easily publish their unqualified articles. Furthermore, some of the academics make a deal with publishing companies to pub lish their book. Actually, the aim is not selling the book and making profit.In most cases the only reason is just getting point to get a promotion r tenure. In addition, authors in Turkey use joint author trick which was stated by Reams (1977) to gain more point. For instance, there are three colleagues and each of them prepared a paper. If they publish them as single authored in an international journal, each will get 3 points independently. However, if they write the other two colleagues names as co-authors each will get 5. 4 point which is approximately twice of the former choice (AUK, 2012). CONCLUSION To sum up, producing and disseminating Of the knowledge is one Of the most crucial missions for the universities.To accomplish this duty, the administrative directors of the universities and Institutes of Higher Education use some incentive and reward systems. However, in some cases these strategies put the academic staff under the pressure which is called as the Publish or Perish motto. Thus, in order to survive in the academic world, the members sometimes look for some unethical ways such as plagiarism, solicitation, duplication, fabrication, joint author, publishing unqualified books, and so on. While the quantity of the publications increases, their quality may decrease. In my opinion, being academic members must be encouraged by increasing the salary of the member, providing extra Opportunities, to increase the attraction of being a faculty member.

The Seismoscope Is One of the Great Chinese Inventions

The Seismoscope Is One of the Great Chinese Inventions There are few things more disconcerting than the sensation of the seemingly-solid Earth suddenly rolling and pitching beneath ones feet. As a result, humans have sought ways to measure or even predict earthquakes for thousands of years. Although we still cant accurately predict earthquakes, humans have come a long way in detecting, recording, and measuring seismic shocks. This process began nearly 2000 years ago, with the invention of the first seismoscope in China. The First Seismoscope In 132 CE, inventor, Imperial Historian, and Royal Astronomer Zhang Heng displayed his amazing earthquake-detection machine, or seismoscope, at the court of the Han Dynasty. Zhangs seismoscope was a giant bronze vessel, resembling a barrel almost 6 feet in diameter. Eight dragons snaked face-down along the outside of the barrel, marking the primary compass directions. In each dragons mouth was a small bronze ball. Beneath the dragons sat eight bronze toads, with their broad mouths gaping to receive the balls. We dont know exactly what the first seismoscope looked like. Descriptions from the time give us an idea about the size of the instrument and the mechanisms that made it work. Some sources also note that the outside of the seismoscopes body was beautifully engraved with mountains, birds, tortoises, and other animals, but the original source of this information is difficult to trace. The exact mechanism that caused a ball to drop in the event of an earthquake also is not known. One theory is that a thin stick was set loosely down the center of the barrel. An earthquake would cause the stick to topple over in the direction of the seismic shock, triggering one of the dragons to open its mouth and release the bronze ball. Another theory posits that a baton was suspended from the lid of the instrument as a free-swinging pendulum. When the pendulum swung widely enough to strike the side of the barrel, it would cause the closest dragon to release its ball. The sound of the ball striking the toads mouth would alert observers to the earthquake. This would give a rough indication of the earthquakes direction of origin, but it did not provide any information about the intensity of the tremors. Proof of Concept Zhangs wonderful machine was called houfeng didong yi, meaning an instrument for measuring the winds and the movements of the Earth. In earthquake-prone China, this was an important invention.   In one instance, just six years after the device was invented, a large quake estimated at a magnitude seven struck what is now Gansu Province. People in the Han Dynastys capital city of Luoyang, 1,000 miles away, did not feel the shock. However, the seismoscope alerted the emperors government to the fact that a quake had struck somewhere to the west. This is the first known instance of scientific equipment detecting an earthquake that had not been felt by humans in the area. The seismoscopes findings were confirmed several days later when messengers arrived in Luoyang to report a major earthquake in Gansu. ChineseSeismoscopes on the Silk Road? Chinese records indicate that other inventors and tinkerers in the court improved upon Zhang Hengs design for the seismoscope over the centuries that followed. The idea seems to have spread westward across Asia, probably carried along the Silk Road.   By the 13th century, a similar seismoscope was in use in Persia, although the historical record does not provide a clear link between the Chinese and Persian devices. It is possible that the great thinkers of Persia hit upon a similar idea independently.

Learn to Spell by Phonograms, not Letters

Learn to Spell by Phonograms, not Letters Learn to Spell by Phonograms, not Letters Learn to Spell by Phonograms, not Letters By Maeve Maddox In the 1970s, educational research indicated that less than one per cent of the population suffered what has come to be called dyslexia (a disturbance of the ability to read). Now the estimate is from 5 to 15 per cent. As early as 1955 Rudolf Flesch pointed out the disconnect between modern teaching methods and the ability to read (or spell) in Why Johnny Cant Read and What You Can Do About It. After half a century, Fleschs book remains a thorn in the side of the advocates of the sight method of teaching children to read. Parents of young children would do well to read it. I once tutored a child who looked at the word April and read it as May. He knew that the word represented the name of a month because hed been taught the names of the months in context. He apparently did not know how to decipher it by its spelling. Adult readers recognize words by sight. Experienced readers can recognize words if only some of the letters are showing. They can recognize them if the words are upside down. This ability comes from having seen the words hundreds or thousands of times. Beginning readers, however, need systematic instruction in approaching words from left to right, phonogram by phonogram. To develop confidence and fluency in readingand the ability to spellthey need to begin with words like hat, cot, and bin before encountering words like know, they, or eight. (The latter three words are on the Dolch List taught to beginning readers with the use of flashcards.) NOTE: The use of flashcards to develop instant word recognition is a useful techniquebut only after the beginning reader has been taught the phonetic elements of the word being drilled. Its counterproductive to expose a beginner who knows only the 26 letters of the alphabet to words spelled with sounds represented by letter combinations like th, kn, ay, igh, and eigh. Relatively few of the common words on the Dolch List defy the effort to sound them out by their phonograms. Those few, like once and warm, are easily taught as exceptions. The most efficient way to learn to spell a word is to approach it phonogram by phonogram, and not letter by letter. A phonogram is a written symbol that stands for a sound. The word pal, for example, contains three letters, each of which is also a phonogram: /p-a-l/. The word church , on the other hand, contains six letters, but only three phonograms: /ch-ur-ch/. Here are some phonograms to look for when analyzing a words spelling: Consonant phonograms: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z, sh, th, ch, ng, ck, wh, kn, gn, wr, ph, dge, gh, ti, si, ci, pn, rh, and qu. Vowel (and semi-vowel) phonograms: a, e, i, o, u, y, ee, ay, ai, ow, ou, oy, oi, aw, au, ew, ui, oo, ea, ar, er, ir, ur, or, ed, or, oa, ey, ei, ie, igh, eigh, oe, ough, and eu. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Meaning of "To a T"Time Words: Era, Epoch, and EonAppropriate vs. Apropos vs. Apt

Music Analysis of My Heart Will Go On by Celine Deon Assignment

Music Analysis of My Heart Will Go On by Celine Deon - Assignment Example The singer starts from the low tone and moves up hitting the highest tone as she approaches the chorus. The song has both chorus and choruses. The song has duality with two distinct parts with the first sounds soft romantic and second sounds determined. The music strains a slow romantic note in the first part. The charm takes a slow music sounds romantic and soulful, that borders on the melancholic but never gives up hope. The music gushes forth powerfully in the second part projecting a determination only a woman’s heart is capable of. Their song uses such instruments such as flute, guitar, piano, violin to create the melody that makes the song creates the mood and provokes a melancholic feeling. The music stresses on the instrumental arranging. There is much use of flute back by melodic use of strings and rhythm guitars. Both electronic and acoustic instrumentation is evident in the song (Hanninen, 2012). The song lyrics creates a somber mood amongst the listeners. In addition, the choice of the love as the theme is much attractive as a love remains a contemporary issue based on the unexpected separation as it happened to the young lovers, Jack and Rose. The music greatly impacts on one’s subconscious minds based on the lyrics that makes one feel so attached and need to share in the pain with Rose. The song provokes human nature to feel part of a problem that affects another based on the state of disparity. The song communicates the emotion expressed in the film, and the words parallel the dialogues especially from the scene when Jack Dawson says his final goodbye and makes Rose promise that she will never give up. However, there are some parts that are read from Rose’s mind. The music depicts a sad love story and creates melancholy is as we watch and listen to its lyrics. The song is emotional as well as demanding. I have chosen the song ‘My Heart Will Go On’ by Celine Deon.

American Government and Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

American Government and Politics - Essay Example These commissions were responsible for weighing and assessing the policies formed by politicians before proposing or opposing them based on the existing human rights. They used a laid procedure for accountability to promote reconciliation between different parties, opinions present with the country. Politicians during reconstruction, ensured that the policies they formulated were in accordance and protected the various rights of individuals regardless of the race, gender of class of the citizens living within the country. The implications of the control over the criminal rights within a democracy was that it raised hopes of citizens, since as they existed to protect the citizens against such things like poverished political possibilities that had occurred before the process of reconstruction (Foner, 2009). In addition, it brought to an end the impoverished political possibilities that had been witnessed by citizens at an earlier date before reconstruction. An example is that citizens were at the mercy of impoverished political possibilities during the cold war and this made them to pass through unknown misery and sufferings. Question 2 As the Commander of the Continental Army, George Washington was a classic example of a bureaucratic actor. Â  Like many members of the bureaucracy, Washington had to balance the requirements of his job with the political concerns of his bosses in Congress. Â  Discuss how Washington was able to successfully manage these competing concerns, while maintaining both the support of his men as well as the support of Congress. Â  What does his experience suggest about the relationship between politics and the functioning of the bureaucracy more generally? 250 words It was not easy for George Washington to accept the appointment being that he just came from managing his family plantation and serving in the Virginia house of bourgeoisies when he was voted by the second continental congress. With the offer of the role of commander in chi ef of the continental army and having accepted, it was difficult to accept and had to write to his wife to tell the story. He managed to succeed in satisfying both interests because they had faith in him as a friend in the bureaucratic bourgeoisies and as a member of the congress. Similarly, the successful battles he had for the American under his command gave him respect from the members of congress hence did not get much pressure from them. Because of this, he maintained his interest with them leading to his successful resignation. Through his relationship with both bureaucratic and the congress, he was able to balance the competing concerns as he knew of how to go about them in every aspect as they arose (Ward 100). His experiences have a lot of suggestion as politics in related to bureaucracy. They both related because in each of them comes with influence. Bureaucrats and politicians looks for certain aspects in which they can use towards influencing the mass to give them suppor t. This may imply that even if one goes wrong in the political or bureaucratic arena, one will still get support. As a result, Washington was able to serve both interests in order to remain relevant to the people he worked with. Question 3 The issues surrounding the relationship between congressional representatives and their constituents are overspending. Majority of the representatives were using public constituency finances to make themselves rich

The Progressive Era Essay example -- essays research papers

The Progressive Era   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Progressivism in the United States took place in the period between the Spanish-American War and the entry of the United States into the great World War. It was a time for change in America in all walks of life, as well as a time for reform. It was marked by Theodore Roosevelt's 7 and a half years in office, the Rough Rider put it upon himself to make the first strides towards reform. These reforms included the cracking down on illegal monopolies and so forth. During this era large cities transformed into large metropolises, small towns into large cities and new towns sprang up nearly everywhere. Reforms also included the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth amendments. The progressive era really had significant impact in America's history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The progressive movement had many origins. One of these was the battle against governmental corruption and inability, in other words a struggle for civil services reform. The progressive movement was initiated by liberals in both political parties, the fight for government reform can be traced back to Liberal Republicans(An Oxymoron, Mr. Jetel?) during the Grant administration and Mugwumps. Citizens were enraged, with big businesses' growing influence in all branches of government and sought ways to purify it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Big Business was also a target of progressivism. During this time presidents like Roosevelt and William Howard Taft tried to regulate and control big business. Many well educated people of the time, as well as moderately prosperous businessmen and members of other professions(middle class) felt threatened by the increasing power of big business and the tycoons. These people were also disturbed by the Big business' influence in politics, making a mockery of the democratic system. Then with the failure of the interstate commerce act and the Sherman act, made big business look unstoppable. As the middle class in America began to develop and grow, they gained power. They were the people who wanted change and ultimately they won with the start of progressivism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, and Henry Lloyd all made significant contributions to the start of the Progressive movement with their writings. These people and others similar to them were labeled as muckrakers. These Muck... ...ormally in American society. Because of the stereotype they were regulated to minimal paying unskilled jobs. Blacks on the other hand made great strides during the Progressive era. Blacks wanted to be equal and lift them selves up in their own way instead of conforming to white society as Washington suggested. They marched on Washington and demanded the unrestricted right to vote as well as an end to all forms of segregation, equality of economic opportunity, higher education, equal justice in courts and an end to trade union discrimination. These demands stirred many whites abroad and set the groundwork for the civil rights movement. Blacks also became proud of themselves forming organizations to create pride for black heritage. The Progressive era came about as the result of several motives. The forces behind it ranged from the common man to the politicians as well as intellectuals. The era's true progress is sometimes contended, while in some instances reform measures did come about. Big business finally became somewhat regulated and the governmental power somewhat shifted back to the people. The progressive era evidently shaped up to be quite a significant part of our history.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 24~26

24 Valhalla: From the Runyonese Vincent Bennidetti was sitting at an oversized table dealing five-card draw to five other guys and relating the story of the crash landing of the Sky Priestess in hopes that the tale would distract his opponents from his creative shuffling. â€Å"So the squirt says to me, he says, ‘I'm Malink, chief of the Shark People,' and he puffs up his little chest like I'm supposed to be impressed and drop down and kiss his ring, except he ain't wearing any ring; in fact, he ain't wearing nothing but a loincloth and a little hat made of palm leaves, so I says, ‘Honored and charmed I'm sure, Chief.' And I gives him a grade A Hershey bar as a peace offering to assure that the kid doesn't get any ideas about ventilating me with his spear. Although I have a roscoe handy in my flight suit, in Manhattan it is considered very bad luck indeed to shoot a kid unless he deserves it, so I am trying to take the diplomatic route. â€Å"So the squirt chief takes the sweet and slaps a lip over a morsel and his little mug splits in a grin so big that I'm figuring I know now how his tribe gets named Shark People. And before I know it the kid yells something to his pals and they vamoose to the jungle while I watch the squirt's spear and he keeps a peeper peeled at the Sky Priestess like any minute she's gonna jump off the plane and do the bump and grind across the airstrip. â€Å"Now we are sure that Sky Priestess is not burning or blowing up, Sparky goes back in and sings Mayday on the radio until I am thinking that even Marconi is sorry he ever invented the machine (another distinguished Italian genius, if I may point out, and it would be impolite for anyone, at this juncture, to mention Mussolini, as I will have to delay the game whilst I pop him in the beezer, thank you), and finally HQ comes back on and requests more than somewhat sternly that we cease broadcasting our position, as they will send someone as soon as they can unless the Japs find us first, in which case it has been an honor serving with us. â€Å"Call and raise a buck. â€Å"So the squirt asks me do I kill Japs? And I tell him that I am killing so many Japs I have to come rest on his island for a few days to give the Japs a chance to send in reinforcements for me to kill, when out of the jungle comes a whole platoon of native guys, mostly real old guys, carrying baskets of fruit and coconuts and dried fish which they are laying at my feet after doing enough bowing and chanting to fill a year of encores on Broadway. â€Å"And the kid says, ‘You more powerful than Father Rodriquez. Japs kill him.' From which I figure where the kid learns to speak English and why I am seeing no young guys, because it is well known that the Japs have killed any missionaries they find and have taken most of the able-bodied native guys which they do not kill off to build airstrips and boat landing ramps and other Jap military stuff. â€Å"‘Yeah,' I tells the kid, ‘too bad about Father Rodriquez, and all the other guys that don't make it, but Vincent and the Sky Priestess is here now and you got nothing to worry about.' Then I inquire as to if there are any available dolls on the island and the kid jabbers something to one of the old guys, who wobbles off and comes back about ten minutes later with a line of young native dolls who are wearing skirts on their bottom but are nothing but bounce and bosoms on the top, except for the odd garnish of flowers here and there for fragrance and color. â€Å"I swear on my mother's grave (should she pass away before I get home) that I am looking at more brown curves than I have seen since I fly over the Mississippi at ten Gs, and they are by no means an unpleasant sight, but as soon as I pick out one of the young dolls and give her my best Tyrone Power wink, she starts bawling like I have broken her heart and runs into the jungle followed, posthaste, by the other lovelies until the airstrip is, once again, strictly stag. â€Å"‘What goes?' I ask the kid. And he explains that because I am a god the dames are most frightened that I will destroy them. Then the squirt starts bawling himself, and I am beginning to feel very low indeed, as I can see that the little guy has taken my god action and it is six to five that he thinks he is on the destruction express along with the dames, and some explanation and consolation are then needed to caulk the kid's waterworks and generally ease his mind. â€Å"So I sits down with the kid under the wing of the Sky Priestess and by and by along comes an old native guy with a jug of the local hooch, of which I am somewhat dubious and which tastes like matchheads mixed with dishwater but smooths out considerably after the first four or five belts, and soon the mood becomes most festive and a good time is had by all (except for Sparky, who is bending over the runway looking at everything he drinks for the second time). â€Å"Now all of this time I am thinking that the kid is running a game on me about being chief until he explains that the Japs killed his father and his older brother as examples and he is next in line, so he is chief whether he likes it or not. And now he is worried that his people will not have enough to eat, as the Japs have taken most of the fruit and coconuts and destroyed all the canoes and cargo, like rice, which the late Father Rodriquez brings in, and my heart is breaking for the kid, who should be playing stickball and stealing candy and other assorted kid activities instead of worrying about a whole population of citizens. So I look at my guys eating all the food the kid gives us, and my heart is feeling very heavy indeed, so I tell him not to worry, as Vincent and the Sky Priestess will see that his people get everything they need and I gives the kid a pack of Luckys and my Zippo to seal the promise. Then, as soon as Sparky finishes doing the rainbow yawn, I tells him t o get on the radio to a friend of mine who is in the quartermaster corps, and I gives him a list of things to place on the PT boat which is coming to get us. â€Å"So as the evening wears on, the kid is telling me stories of how the island was made by a dame from Yap who rides on a turtle with a basketful of dirt which she dumps in the ocean, making the island, which must have been quite some basket, and she tells all the children she is having on the island (although the kid says nothing about her having an old man) that she isn't going to give them a good reef for fishing, so they are going to be eating sharks. And although the people of all the other islands are afraid of sharks, here the sharks are afraid of the people. ‘They will be called the Shark People,' the dame with the dirt says. â€Å"And I says, ‘Yeah, I know that dame.' That, in fact, I take her to the races one day and she is such good luck that I win the trifecta for five Gs. And I can see the kid is most impressed, even though he wouldn't know a G from a G-string. So I begins to lay it on a bit thick and by the time we have consumed all of the local bug juice and most of the fruit and fish, the kid is convinced that if I am not the Second Coming, I am at least pinch-hitting that day. â€Å"By now I am feeling I am in serious need of female company and I mention this to the kid, who says maybe there is something he can do, as there is one doll in the village whose job it is to change the oil of the unmar-ried native guys (I am at once reminded of a costume optional dancer named Chintzy Bilouski, who performs a similar service for myself and many other unmarried male citizens in the Broadway district) and it seems that this native doll has been short of work of late, as all of the young un-married guys are either killed or taken away. And the kid says he will ap-proach this doll on my behalf if I promise that she will not burst into flames or be otherwise harmed and as long as I keep it quiet. As these are similar terms I agree to with Chintzy Bilouski (and a sawbuck cheaper, in fact), I tell the kid to lead the way, which he does. And soon we are in a big grass house by the beach, which he calls the bachelors' house, and which is clearly intended to house many ci tizens, but is currently only the home of one doll, who is by no means hard on the peepers and who proceeds immedi-ately to catch up on any work she has been missing in a most enthusiastic and friendly manner, if you know what I mean. â€Å"So, to make a long story short, the guys and I spend three more days telling stories to the kid and drinking bug juice and creeping to the bachel-ors' house until the PT boat shows with some mechanics and welders and all the supplies I have requested from my pal the quartermaster. And the islanders all line up while I pass out many machetes and knives and chocolate bars and various other luxuries from Uncle Sam. And that night they throw a big party in my honor with much drinking and dancing and a swell time is had by one and all. But as we are ready to leave, the kid chief comes up all leaky-eyed, asking why am I leaving and will I come back and what will his people do without me. So I promise him I will be back soon with many wonderful things and to save me a spot in the bach-elors' house, but until then, every time he sees a plane, he and his people will know that me and the Sky Priestess are looking out for them. â€Å"Then when we are back at base I am working something with the colonel to run a recon mission to inspect the airstrip for emergency use. No bombs. I am thinking we will fill the Sky Priestess up with medicine and supplies for the Shark kid and his people as soon as permission comes through. And I'm fully intending to come through, as I gives the kid my word and he believes it, but how am I to know that on our very next bombing run a squadron of Zeros will surprise us and fill the Sky Priestess with all manner of cannon and machine gun slugs, sending us down in a ball of flames and killing me and everyone aboard quite dead.† The guy with the beard cleared his throat and said, â€Å"That was a swell story the first dozen times we heard it, Vinnie, but are you going to talk or play cards?† â€Å"Bite me, Jewboy, it ain't like we haven't had to fight the yawns through your loaves and fishes epic a hundred fuckin' times.† Then Vincent flashed him a feral grin. â€Å"And since it is now your bet, I will advise you to fold, as I am now holding a hand that is so hot it is about to burst into flames like the proverbial bush.† The guy with the beard held up a punctured palm to silence Vincent. â€Å"You're holding a pair of eights, Vinnie.† â€Å"I hate fuckin' playing with you,† Vincent said. 25 We Ask the Gods for Answers and They Give us Questions Tucker Case heard the beating of wings above his head and suddenly there was a familiar little face in front of him. Roberto was hanging upside down from the harness ropes around Tuck's chest. He never thought he'd be glad to see the little vermin. â€Å"Roberto! Buddy!† Tuck smiled at the bat. Roberto squeaked and bent forward to lick Tucker's face. Tucker sputtered. He could smell papaya on the bat's breath. â€Å"How about climbing up there and gnawing through these ropes, little guy?† Roberto looked at him quizzically, then laid a big lick on him, right across the lips. â€Å"Ack! Bat spit!† Tuck heard a weak voice from above. â€Å"He no gnaw rope. His teeth too little,† Kimi said. Roberto took flight and landed on Kimi's head and began licking and clawing him ecstatically. Kimi was suspended about two feet above Tucker and about five feet away. It hurt his neck, but he could see the navigator dangling if he stretched. â€Å"You're alive!† Tucker said. â€Å"I thought you were dead.† â€Å"I am bery thirsty. Why you put us in tree?† â€Å"I didn't. It was an old island guy. I think he's going to eat us.† â€Å"No, no, no. No cannibal in these islands for many years.† â€Å"Good. You tell him that when he comes back.† Kimi struggled against his bonds and set himself spinning. â€Å"These ropes hurt on my arms. Someone put us in crab harness.† â€Å"I figured that out,† Tuck said. He craned his neck and eyed Kimi's harness. â€Å"Maybe I can swing to you and catch on to your harness. If I can get hold of it, I might be able to untie you.† â€Å"Good plan,† Kimi said. â€Å"Yankee know-how, kid.† As Tuck started to swing his arms and legs, he felt the harness tighten around his chest. Soon he was swinging in a wide elliptical pattern that brought him within a foot of Kimi, but the harness was so tight he could barely breathe. Weakened from lack of food and water, he gave up. â€Å"I can't breathe,† he gasped. â€Å"That good plan, though,† Kimi said. â€Å"Now I have Roberto bring that knife over by door of house and I cut the ropes. Okay?† â€Å"Roberto can fetch?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Why didn't you say so?† â€Å"I want to see Yankee know-how.† Sarapul tried to run back to his hut, but the pain in his ancient knees wouldn't allow him to move faster than a slow amble. If only he could ab-sorb the power of an enemy or two, perhaps the pain would subside and his strength would return along with his courage. It was courage he needed now. Instead, he had questions. Why, if Malink dreamed a message from Vincent, did the white bitch say that he did not? And if Vincent had sent a pilot, why did the Sky Priestess not know about him? And if Vincent had not sent a pilot, who is hanging in the breadfruit tree? In the old days Sarapul would have asked the turtle, his clan animal, for an answer to his questions. Then he would have watched the waves and listened to the wind for an answer, perhaps he would have gone to a sor-cerer for an interpretation. But he was too deaf and blind to see a sign now. And the only sorcerer left was the white man who lived behind the big fence and gave medicine to the Shark People: Vincent's Sorcerer. Sarapul didn't believe in Vincent any more than he believed in the god Father Rodriquez had worn around his neck on a chain. Father Rodriquez had said that the old ways – the taboos and the totem animals – were lies and that the skinny white god on the cross was the only real god. Sarapul was prepared to believe him, especially when he offered everyone a piece of the body of Christ. But Christ tasted like dried pounded taro and Father Rodriquez lost the old cannibal as a convert when he said that you would be thrown into fire forever if you ate anyone besides the stale starchy god on the cross. Then the Japanese came and cut off Father Rodriquez's head and threw his god on a chain into the sea. Sarapul knew for sure then that the Father had been lying all along. The Japanese raped and killed his wife and made his two sons work building the airstrip until they became sick and died. He asked the Turtle why his family had been taken away, and when the sign came in the form of a cloud shaped like an eel, the sorcerer said that it had happened because the Shark People had broken the taboos, had eaten their totem animals and taken fish from the forbidden reef: They were being punished. The next night Sarapul killed a Japanese soldier and built an oom to bake him in, but none of the Shark People would help him. Some were afraid of the god of Father Rodriquez and the rest were afraid of the Japanese. They took the body and fed it to the sharks who lived at the edge of the reef. In the morning the Japanese lined up the old sorcerer and a dozen children and machine-gunned them. And Sarapul lost his mind. Then the American planes came, dropping their bombs and fire from the sky for two days, and when the explosions stopped and the smoke cleared, the Japanese left, taking with them all the coconuts and breadfruit on the island. A week later Vincent arrived in the Sky Priestess. Sarapul still had the machete that the flyer had given him. It was more than he had ever gotten from Father Rodriquez's god, but the cannibal did not believe that Vincent was a god. Even if Vincent had scared away the Japanese and brought the food that saved the Shark People, Sarapul had angered the old gods before and he would not do it again. When the white Sorcerer arrived, he too talked of the god on the cross and although the Shark People took the food and medicine he gave them and even attended his services, they would not forsake Vincent, their savior. The god on the cross had let them down before. Eventually, the white Sorcerer turned to Vincent too. But Sarapul clung to the old ways, even when the Sky Priestess returned with her red scarf and explosions. It was all just entertainment: Christ was just a cracker, Vincent was just a flyer, and he, Sarapul, was a cannibal. Still, he did not blame Malink for banishing him or for clinging to Vincent's promises. Vincent was the god of Malink's childhood, and Malink clung to him in the same way that Sarapul clung to the old ways. Faith grew stronger when planted in a child. Sarapul knew that. He was mad, but he was not stupid. Until now he had never put an ounce of faith in Vincent, but this dream of Malink's vexed him. He would have to figure things out before he ate the man in his breadfruit tree. He had to talk to Malink now. The cannibal took the path that led into the village. He crept between the houses where the sweet rasp of snoring children wafted through the woven grass walls like the sizzle of frying pork, through the smoke of dying cook fires, past the bachelors' house, the men's house, and finally to the beach, where the men sat in a circle, drinking and talking softly, the moon spraying their shoulders with a cold blue light. The men continued to talk as Sarapul joined the circle, politely ignoring the creak and crackle of his old joints as he sat in the sand. Some of the younger men, those who had grown up with the disciplinary specter of the cannibal, subtly changed position so they could reach their knives quickly. Malink greeted Sarapul with a nod, then filled the coconut shell cup from the big glass jug and handed it to him. â€Å"No coffee or sugar for a month,† Malink said. â€Å"Vincent is angry.† Sarapul drained the cup and handed it back. â€Å"How about cigarettes?† â€Å"The Sorcerer says that cigarettes are bad.† â€Å"Vincent smoked cigarettes,† Sarapul pointed out. â€Å"He gave you the lighter.† The young men fidgeted at the firsthand reference to Vincent. It disturbed them when the old men spoke of Vincent as if he was a person. Malink reached inside the long flat basket where he kept the lighter along with his other personal belongings. He touched the Zippo that Vincent had given him. â€Å"Cigarettes aren't good for us,† he repeated. â€Å"Then they should give us cigarettes for punishment,† Sarapul insisted. Malink pulled a copy of People magazine from his basket, drawing everyone's attention away from the cannibal. The old chief tore a small square from the masthead page and handed it to Abo, a muscular young man who tended the tobacco patch for the Shark People. â€Å"Roll one,† Malink said. Abo began filling the paper with tobacco from his basket. Malink opened the magazine on the sand in front of him and squinted at the pages in the moonlight. Everyone in the circle leaned forward to look at the pictures. â€Å"Oprah's skinny again,† Malink pronounced. Sarapul scoffed and the men angrily looked up, the young ones looking away quickly when they saw who had made the noise. Abo finished rolling the cigarette and held it out to Malink. The chief gestured to Sarapul and Abo gave the smoke to the old cannibal. Their hands brushed lightly in the exchange and Sarapul held the young man's gaze as he licked his finger as if tasting a sweet sauce. Abo shuddered and backed to the outside of the circle. Malink lit the cigarette with the sacred Zippo, then he returned to his magazine. â€Å"There will be no more People for a while, not with the Sky Priestess mad at us.† A communal moan rose up from the men and the drinking cup was filled and passed. â€Å"We are cut off,† Malink added. Sarapul shrugged. â€Å"All the people in this book, they shit. It does not matter. They die. It does not matter. If we put them all in a big boat and sank it, you would not even know for six months when the Sky Priestess gives you her old copy, and it still would not matter. This is stupid.† â€Å"But look!† Malink pointed to a picture of a man with unnaturally large ears, â€Å"This man is a king and he wishes to be a tampon. It is quoted.† Sarapul scrunched up his face, his wrinkles folding over each other like venetian blinds, while he tried to figure out what, exactly, a tampon was. Finally he said, â€Å"I was a tampon once, back in the old days, before you were born. All warriors became tampons. It was better then.† â€Å"You have never been a tampon,† Malink stated, although he couldn't be sure. â€Å"Only a king may be a tampon. And now, without People, we will never know if this man who would be a tampon succeeded. It has been a dark day.† The cup had come around again to Sarapul and he drained it before answering. â€Å"Tell me of this dream you had.† â€Å"I should not speak of it.† Malink pretended to be engaged in the magazine. Sarapul pushed on. â€Å"The Sky Priestess said that Vincent spoke to you of a pilot. Is that true?† Malink nodded. â€Å"It is true. But it is only a dream or the Sorcerer would have known.† Sarapul was torn now. This was his chance to discredit the Sorcerer and his white bitch, but if he told Malink about the man in the tree, then he would lose his chance to taste the long pig again. Then again, he found them first, and he was willing to share the meat. â€Å"What if your dream was true?† â€Å"It was just a dream. Vincent speaks to us only through the Sky Priestess now. She has spoken.† â€Å"Vincent smoked and she says smoking is bad. Vincent was an enemy of the Japanese and now she has Japanese guards inside the fence. She lies.† Some of the men moved away from the circle. It was one thing to drink with a cannibal, but it was quite another to tolerate a heretic. (Of the twenty men in the circle, three of the elders were named John, four who had been born during Father Rodriquez's tenure were named Jesus [Hey-zeus], and three of the younger men were named Vincent.) They were a group that honored the gods, whoever the gods might be that week. â€Å"The Sky Priestess does not lie,† Malink said calmly. â€Å"She speaks for Vincent.† Sarapul pinched the flame of his cigarette with his ashy fingers, then popped the stub into his mouth and began to chew as he grinned. â€Å"Your dream was true, Malink. I have seen the pilot. He is on Alualu and he is alive.† â€Å"You are old and you drink too much.† â€Å"I'll show you.† Sarapul leaped to his feet to show that he was not drunk, and in doing so scared the hell out of the younger men. â€Å"Come with me,† he said. 26 Swing Time Kimi had freed his hands and feet with the knife, only to find that he could not reach the rope suspending him from the middle of his back. Now he was forced to follow Tuck's plan of swinging like a human pendulum until he could grab the pilot's rope and cut him down. Roberto hung upside down from a nearby branch, wondering why his friends were behaving like fighting spiders. Tucker found he could only hold his head up for a few seconds at a time before dizziness set in, so he watched the navigator's swinging shadow to gauge his distance. â€Å"One more time, Kimi. Then grab the rope.† It bothered him some that when he was cut loose he would fall six feet and land face-first in the coral gravel, but he was learning to take things as they came and figured he would deal with that on the way down. â€Å"I hear someone,† Kimi said. On the apex of his arc, he grabbed for Tuck's rope, missed, and accidentally raked the knife across the pilot's scalp. â€Å"Ouch! Shit, Kimi. Watch what you're doing.† Tuck braced himself for the next attack, which never came. He looked up to see that Kimi's arc had been stopped in mid-swing. A rotund gray-haired native had caught the navigator around the waist and was prying the knife out of his hand. Tuck felt the hope drain out of him. The leathery old cannibal stood amid a group of twenty men. All of them seemed to be waiting for the fat guy to say something. It was time for a last-ditch effort. â€Å"Look, you motherfuckers, people are expecting me. I'm supposed to be flying medical supplies for a big-time doctor, so if you fuck with me you're all going to die of the tropical creeping crud and I won't give you so much as a fucking aspirin.† The native released Kimi into the hands of two younger men and regarded Tuck. â€Å"You pilot?† He said in English. â€Å"Damn right I am. And I'm sick and infected and stuff, so if you eat me you're going to die like a gut-shot dog – and in addition I would like to add that I don't taste anything like Spam.† Tuck was breathless from the diatribe and he was starting to black out from trying to hold his head back. The native said something in his own language, which Tuck took to be â€Å"Cut him down,† because a second later he found himself falling into the arms of four strong islanders who lowered him to the ground. Tucker's arms and legs burned as the blood rushed back into them. Above him he saw a circle of moonlit brown faces. He managed to grab enough breath to squeak, â€Å"Soon as I'm on my feet, your asses are mine. You all might as well just go practice falling down for a while so you'll be used to it. Just order the body bags now 'cause when I'm done, you're going to look like piles of chocolate pudding. They'll be cleaning you up with shovels – you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Tuck's breath caught in his throat and he passed out. Malink looked at his old friend Favo and smiled. â€Å"Excellent threat,† he said. â€Å"Most excellent threat,† Favo said. Sarapul pushed his way through the kneeling men. â€Å"He's dead. Let's eat him.† â€Å"He no like that,† Kimi said. â€Å"Not even for free.† The Sorcerer heard the lab door open and turned from his microscope just in time to catch her as she ran into his arms. â€Å"Did you see, ‘Bastian? Was I great or what?† He held her for a second, smelling the perfume in her hair. â€Å"You were great,† he said. When he released her, there were two pink spots on his lab coat from the rouge she had rubbed on her nipples. She skipped around the lab like a little girl. â€Å"Malink was shaking in his shoes,† she said. Well, not in his shoes, but you know what I mean.† She stopped and looked into the microscope. â€Å"What's this?† He watched a delicate line of muscle run down the back of her thigh and postulated what kind of genetics went into preserving a body like that on Chee-tos and vodka. He thought a lot about genetics lately. â€Å"I'm doing the last of the tissue typing. I should be finished in a couple of days.† She said, â€Å"Did you like ‘String of Pearls' better than ‘In the Mood'?† High Priestess of the nonsequiter, Sebastian thought. â€Å"It was perfect. You were perfect.† She moved away from the microscope and paced around the table, frowning now, as if she was working on an equation in her head. â€Å"I've been thinking about ‘Pennsylvania 6-5000,' putting the ninjas in top hats and tails in kind of a chorus line. You know, they could carry me across the runway and pause and shout the chorus. There's no singing on the re-cording; they would just have to shout. I mean, if we have to have them around, they might as well do something.† She stopped pacing and turned to him. â€Å"What do you think?† It took Sebastian a second to realize that she was serious. â€Å"I'm not sure that would be a good idea. The Shark People are suspicious of the nin – , the guards. I wish Akiro would have listened to me and found some non-Japanese. This business with Malink's dream is a sign that our credibility is slipping.† â€Å"That's what I'm saying. If we show that they're under the control of the Sky Priestess – â€Å" â€Å"I don't think it's a good idea, Beth.† She dismissed the thought with a wave. â€Å"Fine. We can talk about it later.† Sebastian wanted to stop himself before he ruined her ebullient mood, but he pressed on despite himself. â€Å"Don't you think that no coffee or sugar for a month was a little harsh?† â€Å"You really don't get it, do you? I'll give it all back after a week, ‘Bastian, and they'll love me for it. Generosity of the gods: The Sky Priestess taketh away and the Sky Priestess giveth back. It's how these things work. You put a few people on a boat, then you drown every living creature on the planet – the people on the boat are pretty goddamn grateful.† She flipped the end of her red scarf over her shoulder. â€Å"I wish you wouldn't talk like that.† â€Å"You make the rules and you play the game, ‘Bastian. What's wrong with that?† He turned from her and pretended to go through some notes. â€Å"I guess you're right,† he said, but he felt acid rising from his stomach. She was calling it a game. She came up behind him, pushed her breasts into his back, and reached around inside his lab coat. â€Å"Poor baby. You still feel like you did the right thing by burning your Beatles records.† â€Å"Beth, please.† She unzipped his khakis and snaked her hand in his fly. â€Å"Deep down, you feel like John Lennon got what he deserved, don't you, sweetheart? Saying he was more popular than Jesus. That loony-toon Chapman was the instrument of God, wasn't he?† He whirled on her and grabbed her shoulders. â€Å"Yes, dammit.† His face had gone hot. He could feel the veins pulse in his forehead, in his crotch. â€Å"That's enough, Beth.† â€Å"No, it's not.† She ripped open the front of his trousers and fell back on the lab table, pulling him on top of her. â€Å"Come on, show me the wrath of the Sorcerer.†