On the initial Betti numbers
Let $R$ be a Cohen-Macaulay local ring possessing a canonical module. We compare the initial and terminal Betti numbers of modules in a series of nontrivial cases. We pay special attention to the Betti numbers of the canonical module. Also, we compute $\beta_0(\omega_{\frac{R}{I}})$ in some cases, where $I$ is a product of two ideals.