March 5 Handout: World War 1 and Its Shadow Handout

March 5 handout: World War I and its shadow I. World War I a. What were the immediate causes of the war? And the long term ones? b. What expectations did people have about the war? c. What was the Schlieffen Plan? d. What was trench warfare like? e. What new technologies developed in the war? f. How did participants and sides change over the course of the war? g. What made this war a world war? h. What is total war? i. What is the home front? j. How did nations target civilians in the war effort? k. How did women take part in the war effort? l.What is propaganda and what was it used for? m. What attitudes do the posters reveal? II. Versailles and Mandates a. What was the Armistice? b. What was the Treaty of Versailles? c. What steps did nations take to prevent future war? d. What did self-determination mean in practice? e. Did self-determination apply outside of Europe? f. What was the mandate system? g. How did the treaties ending the war change European empires? III. Social changes a. What types of permanent physical trauma did the war cause? b. What types of psychological trauma did the war cause? . How did the role of the state change to address the long-term effects of the war? d. How did gender roles change from the war? e. How did the way people viewed war change? f. How did the attitudes towards war differ between â€Å"In Flanders Fields† and â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est? † Terms Gavrilo Princip Schlieffen Plan Trench warfare Over the top Mustard gas Total war Home front Conscription Rationing Propaganda Armistice Treaty of Versailles Fourteen Points Self-determination Mandate system League of Nations Influenza pandemic Lost generation Wilfred Owen

John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ Essay

John Steinbeck was born in 1902, in Salinas, California. He was the third eldest of the four children born, but was the only male in the family, besides his father. He graduated from Salinas High School in 1919, and attended Stanford University, but leaving without a degree. He was employed in the beginning as a sales clerk, farm labourer factory worker. Later, in 1925, he became a construction worker in New York. He wrote his first novel, â€Å"Cup of Gold†, in 1929. During the period of the 1930’s, he produced most of his eminent novels such as â€Å"To A God Unknown†, â€Å"Tortilla Flat†, â€Å"Dubious Battle†, â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ‘The Grapes of Wrath’. The themes of his books can all be classified as social novels dealing with the economic problems of rural labour, but there is also a streak of worship in his books, which does not always agree with his matter-of-fact sociological approach. After 1935, his novels moved to more serious fiction, often bellicose in its social criticism. The novels are mostly set in remote farms or by the usual rustic country side. He died in New York City in 1968, and his ashes lie in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Salinas. Part 2: Exploration of the setting of ‘Of Mice and Men’ The context of this novel mainly focuses on a small working ranch in the Salinas Valley of Northern California, sometime during the 1930’s. It starts beside a stream, close to the Salinas River, a few miles south of Soledad. The four major settings are the clearing by the pond, the bunkhouse, Crook’s room and the barn. The action occurs over a period of four to five days and in only four specific locations: a wooded area next to the Salinas River, a bunkhouse on the ranch, the stable hand’s room on the ranch and the main barn. The tight structure of setting, revolving around single locations and continuous timing, almost makes the novel seem like a play. It takes place during the Great Depression, hence the main characters seem poor and desperate for work. Steinbeck had chosen the area of Soledad because in Spanish, it means loneliness, and therefore adds to the essence of Steinbeck’s story which tells us of how to part-brothers go to find work. Part 3: Historical Context The Great Depression (1929-1939) – * Was a time of extreme hardship for people in Australia * Was caused by the stock-market crash on Wall Street, 1929 * Before this happened, unemployment issues in Australia was already at 10% * After the crash, unemployment in Australia more than doubled to 21% in mid-1930, and reached its peak in mid-1932 when almost 32% of Australians were out of work. Migrant Farm Workers – * In the early 1930’s thousands of desperate workers across America migrated to California * California advertised an abundance of fertile land, and many migrants were agriculturists * Because the massive drought had encompassed the Great Plains, many farmers abandoned the land * Californian farmers produced mostly fruits and dairy products, but the central valleys of California were poorly irrigated The American Dream – * Is essentially an idea that suggests anyone living in the US can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a flourishing life * Was created in the 1600’s, by immigrant workers on farms Part 4: Meaning of the title The perfect schemes made by smart organisms (mice and humans) often go wrong because they were not thought out thoroughly. The failing schemes leave nothing but grief and pain, but in the end, it promises joy.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 11

Cody asked the obvious question. â€Å"So†¦if he's gone †¦how did that happen?† Hugh rubbed his eyes. â€Å"He was summoned.† â€Å"Oh, shit,† said Peter. His fun-in-the-sun joy disappeared. He looked as grim as Hugh and me. â€Å"That changes everything.† I glanced between him and Hugh, feeling as naà ¯ve as Cody. â€Å"What's that mean exactly? I've heard of summoning, but that's about it. I don't know any specifics. I don't know anyone it's happened to.† Peter nodded. â€Å"Me either, but I know what it is. Basically, a powerful human calls and binds a demon to his or her will. That human can then imprison and control the demon.† â€Å"Like Marlowe's Dr. Faustus .† We all turned to stare at Cody. Citing highbrow literary references was usually my thing, not his. â€Å"What?† he asked, looking uncomfortable under our scrutiny. â€Å"I had to read it in high school.† I looked back at Peter. â€Å"Okay, we're immortal, and we could never even scratch a demon. How could a human control one?† â€Å"Humans who use magic wield a different kind of power than immortals. Besides, from what I've heard, those who summon demons often have help,† explained Peter. He glanced at Hugh for confirmation. â€Å"From another demon,† the imp said. â€Å"Whoa. Let's go back to the part about controlling demons. What exactly is this human making Jerome do?† asked Cody. â€Å"Probably nothing,† said Hugh. â€Å"Or else someone would have found him by now. My guess is he's just being hidden.† Cody frowned. â€Å"Why? If you've got a pet demon, why not use him? Otherwise, what's the point?† It all came together now. â€Å"To get him out of the picture,† I said slowly. â€Å"That's it. The final piece in all this weird demon intrigue. That's what all the misdirection was building toward.† â€Å"Right. Cedric gets rid of Jerome, and suddenly there's an opening in Seattle for a new archdemon. And if Jerome doesn't return soon, they will get a new archdemon and reestablish the hierarchy here.† Hugh gestured to all of us. â€Å"The status quo will resume.† â€Å"Let's stick to ‘when' he returns and not ‘if,'† I said. â€Å"And I don't think Cedric's behind it.† â€Å"Of course Cedric's behind it,† said Hugh. â€Å"They've been fighting over territory, right? You of all people should know that.† I shook my head, recalling Cedric's exasperation and Nanette's smug look. â€Å"No†¦I think Cedric's being set up here. If you ask me, it's Nanette who's behind it.† I gave them a quick recap of my observations of her with both Cedric and Jerome. Hugh arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Portland Nanette? She's hot, I'll give you that, but she's not that strong.† â€Å"All the more reason for her to mess with Jerome and Cedric. She's been worried about them dragging her into their turf war. Besides, if she combined her power with a human capable of a summoning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yeah,† he admitted. â€Å"She could maybe do it†¦but that doesn't mean she did. My money's still on Cedric.† â€Å"Wouldn't she get in trouble for that?† asked Cody. â€Å"Only if she's caught,† said Peter. I sighed. â€Å"And in the meantime, this is bad for Jerome.† â€Å"Glad to see your powers of stating the obvious didn't disappear with your shape-shifting,† remarked Hugh. I shot him a glare. â€Å"I mean reputation-wise. Nanette told me lots of people have been keeping an eye on Jerome because of all the stuff that's gone down here-particularly with letting nephilim escape. They think he can't keep control. Even if he surfaces tomorrow, I've got to imagine that getting summoned in the first place won't look good.† â€Å"It won't,† agreed Hugh. â€Å"In fact, that's the other reason I stopped by. A bunch of demons are having a meeting tonight to talk about replacing him. Back room of the Cellar at seven.† â€Å"Wow, they move fast,† said Cody. â€Å"It's nothing official. Once word got out that Jerome was gone, every demon maneuvering for power moved in like that.† Hugh snapped his fingers. I refrained from pointing out that all demons were maneuvering for power as a general rule. â€Å"They're mostly just here to assert themselves-show how tough they are, cozy up to Grace and Mei. They might try to schmooze us a little, actually.† â€Å"Why? We don't have any say in this,† said Peter. He glanced between us all. â€Å"Do we?† â€Å"No, but eventually someone from Management will come here to size up the situation and will talk to us in their assessment. Everything plays a part. Those wanting the position will strut around, show how they could keep this place in line, and put their bids in.† â€Å"Is Nanette going to be at this meeting?† I asked suspiciously. â€Å"Yes,† said Hugh, eyeing me. â€Å"And so will Cedric.† I eyed him right back. â€Å"I'm telling you, it's not Cedric. I'm certain of it.† â€Å"What, you have donuts with him for a week, and now you guys are BFF?† â€Å"No, but I know him better than you do. And I think I understand Nanette better than you too,† I shot back. â€Å"So, you guys†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Cody, a questioning note in his voice. â€Å"Are you sleeping with Cedric?† Hugh demanded. â€Å"Are you playing both sides now?† â€Å"No!† â€Å"It kind of sounds like it.† â€Å"You guys,† repeated Cody. â€Å"Look,† I said, â€Å"you just want to believe Nanette's innocent because you think she's hot.† â€Å"She is hot. For a demon.† â€Å"You guys!† yelled Cody. We turned to him. â€Å"What about us?† â€Å"What about us?† I asked. â€Å"What are we?† Cody's face was pinched and worried. Like Peter, he no longer seemed that excited about his newfound freedom. â€Å"Are we human?† I opened my mouth to answer and then fell silent. I honestly didn't know. Hugh glanced at me and shrugged. â€Å"Not exactly,† said Peter. â€Å"I think we're kind of†¦in stasis. We're neither mortal nor immortal.† â€Å"We have to be one or the other,† argued Hugh. â€Å"There's no purgatory equivalent to mortality.† Peter shrugged. â€Å"Hell's still got the lease on our souls. That's not going to change, no matter who our archdemon is. Removing him from the equation cuts us off from the abilities we get with immortality, but that's temporary.† â€Å"But does it cut us off from immortality itself?† asked Cody. â€Å"Can we die?† Silence fell. â€Å"Shit,† said Hugh. â€Å"I think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Peter bit his lip. I had a feeling he was at the end of his knowledge on this subject. â€Å"I think they'd bring us back if we did.† â€Å"You think ?† asked Cody incredulously. Peter threw up his hands. â€Å"I don't know! This has never happened to me before, okay? Maybe we are human. Maybe we can get sick. Maybe we can lose in a fight. Maybe Georgina'll get her period. I don't know, okay?† â€Å"Whoa,† I said, straightening up. â€Å"What do you mean-â€Å" â€Å"Just stop it, all of you,† exclaimed Hugh. â€Å"We're not going to figure any of this out right now. Just go to the meeting and find out there. Grace and Mei are trying to manage things for now, and they'll know what's up. No point in panicking now.† We sat there, and I knew that despite his words, we were all indeed panicking. My stomach was rolling, but this time, it wasn't a reaction to the severing of my bond with Hell. This was born of pure terror. When things were bad in my life-particularly after Seth and I had broken up-there had been times when I'd hated immortality. Death had sounded appealing. I honestly hadn't been able to fathom how I could endure the centuries to come and had envied the finite life spans of humans. But now? Faced with the idea that I could actually die? Suddenly, desperately, I wanted to cling to my immortality with every scrap of my strength. Death was bleak, dark, and frightening. All the world's dangers descended on me at once, all the things I'd hitherto been able to ignore. Car accidents. Electrocution. Bird flu. The world was no longer safe. If the vampires felt any such fears, they apparently decided it wasn't going to get in the way of their last few days as free men. They rose as one and made motions to leave. â€Å"Well, if Jerome's going to get replaced with or without us, then there's no point sitting and moping,† said Peter. â€Å"We got cut off without warning,† I told him. â€Å"We could get reconnected to Hell's circuit board just as suddenly, you know. Aren't you a little nervous about getting caught out in the sun?† â€Å"They're not going to make any decisions in the next five hours,† said Peter brashly-too brashly, I thought. He paused a moment, his gaze drifting to my window and the blue sky beyond it. There, in his dark eyes, I saw the tiniest, tiniest bit of longing. It occurred to me then just how much he must have missed the sun these last thousand years or so. Like the rest of us, he'd willingly sold his soul for immortality. Along with that, he'd gotten superhuman strength and speed in exchange for a dependency on blood, a denial of sunlight, and a job as a dispenser of fear and nightmares. I certainly had regrets about my hellish deal some days; no doubt he did too. And maybe, despite his lax, overconfident attitude about the sun, he truly was aware of the risk of getting fried-and thought it was worth it after all this time. He and Cody left, leaving me and a still bleak-looking Hugh. I gently touched the imp's shoulder. â€Å"I'm sure this'll work out.† He cut me a wry look. â€Å"Really?† I laughed softly. â€Å"No, not really. I'm just trying to make you feel better. I never realized before how much you liked your†¦what would you call it? Imp vision?† This finally got him to smile. â€Å"You always thought of me as a paper pusher?† â€Å"Nah, no one uses paper anymore. It's all electronic.† â€Å"Not in Hell,† he said, standing up. â€Å"They kind of like cutting down forests.† I followed him to the door. â€Å"Well, hang in there, and I'll see you tonight.† â€Å"What are you going to do with your newfound freedom?† he asked, hand on the doorknob. I frowned. â€Å"What do you mean? This whole thing isn't quite the same for you and me as it is for the vampires.† The look Hugh gave me then was genuinely amused and almost pitying. â€Å"Georgina. Your shape-shifting and other abilities are fueled by human life. If you can't do those things, then you don't need the energy-just like Cody and Hugh don't need blood. Can't you feel it? The whole system's probably shut off.† I froze and almost stopped breathing for a moment-which might not have been so wise in my current state. † What ?† He laughed again. â€Å"How could you have not considered that?† â€Å"Well†¦because I was more focused on the entire fabric of Seattle's demonic hierarchy being unraveled. That and the possibility that we could all die.† Inside, my mind was replaying his words over and over, like a record that kept skipping: You don't need the energy, you don't need the energy†¦ I shook my head. â€Å"I can't believe that. It isn't possible.† I'd wanted it for too long, the ability to be with someone without the dire side effects. It was one of those things you always longed for but knew, deep down inside, could never happen. Like winning the lottery. Or, um, living forever. â€Å"Neither is a vampire going into the sun,† said Hugh. â€Å"Yet here we are.† He leaned down and kissed my cheek. â€Å"Think about it. This is a once in a lifetime-er, eternity-chance.† He started to leave, and then something I'd nearly forgotten about popped back into the forefront of my mind. â€Å"Hugh? Did you get my message earlier? About the Canadian Satanists?† After everything else, a few signs on the Space Needle suddenly seemed absurdly unimportant. â€Å"Yeah,† he said, with a grimace. â€Å"They had a huge spectacle there, freaked people out. They made the news and got arrested. Not sure what'll happen now. The international thing makes it all interesting.† â€Å"Were you able to tell Jerome?† â€Å"No, couldn't get a hold of him-not surprising if that was near the time of the summoning. I ended up getting a hold of Mei, and I think she did something to minimize how much the media found out. She was hoping that nobody in Management would notice.† â€Å"Yeah, well, they're all noticing us now.† Hugh's face was hard as he nodded his agreement. â€Å"That's an understatement. Have fun, sweetie.† He departed, leaving me standing there and staring at the door. I was still breathing heavily, my heart thudding in my chest. I needed to calm down and think this through. After all, who knew what could happen if I had a panic attack? Would I go into cardiac arrest or something? All bets were off now. Anything was possible. I sank down to the floor, wrapping my arms around myself, and focused on slowing my breathing. This was all too surreal. I couldn't process it. It wasn't possible that I could be mortal. It wasn't possible that I could die. It wasn't possible that I could actually touch a man without harming him. Over and over I told myself those things. Meanwhile, Aubrey strolled over to me and rubbed her head against my leg. Reaching out, I stroked her back, barely aware of my actions. What was I going to do? We had five hours until the meeting, which couldn't come soon enough as far as I was concerned. I needed answers now . I couldn't live with this uncertainty. My heart started racing again. Fuck. I really was going to have a heart attack. Hugh was a doctor in his day job; maybe I should call him about my blood pressure. Call†¦ An idea hit me then, and I stood up to go find my purse. Producing my cell phone, I dialed Dante. If anyone might know about this, it would be him. He probably wouldn't know the intricacies of how this affected my infernal standing, but he had to know something about demon summoning. Dark magic was his specialty. Besides, I wanted more than just his expertise. I suddenly just wanted†¦well, comfort. I wanted to see him. I wanted him to hold me and reassure me. I needed him to tell me everything was going to be okay. But the phone rang and rang without answer, sending me to his voice mail's friendly message: â€Å"Talk.† So much for that plan. I disconnected and leaned against my counter. Slowly, steadily, I felt my brain waking up, trying to find a scrap of reason through my fear. It wasn't in my nature to be passive. I had to do something about this. I couldn't wait until tonight for answers. â€Å"Let's research this ourselves, Aubrey,† I said. The average human knew nothing about the true nature of Heaven and Hell and how we operated. Yet, every once in a while, if you looked hard enough into arcane writings, you could stumble across a piece of truth that some adept mortal had uncovered. Ninety-nine percent of what I'd find would be inaccurate, but an Internet search could uncover some grain of truth about demon summoning. It was a total long shot, but it was the best I could do for now. Only, when I went to get my laptop, I discovered an unfortunate fact: I'd left it at the bookstore. I groaned. Now what? Another plan shot down. You idiot , a voice inside me chastised. You're a few blocks away. Get off your ass and get it . That logic made perfect sense, of course. Until I looked out the window. The same fear I'd had earlier returned. The cars moving along Queen Anne Avenue seemed too fast, the wind stirring the trees too strong, the people on the sidewalk too dangerous. How could I go out there? How could I put myself at risk? Better to stay in here where it was safe. And yet†¦how could I wait around? I was going to go crazy if I sat here. Glancing down at Aubrey, I saw her watching me with her green eyes. She had that infinitely wise look cats had sometimes. It wasn't exactly encouraging, but it soothed me a little. Okay. I could do this. I found my coat and started to shape-shift my messy hair into a neat arrangement-except, of course, I immediately realized I couldn't shape-shift it. Not a problem, I assured myself. I did my hair all the time when I wasn't in a rush. This was no different. With a quick dash to the restroom, I brushed my hair into a sleek ponytail and prepared to face the world. Stepping outdoors, I was blasted with stimuli. I stood on the steps to my building, shell-shocked and unable to move. This had never happened to me. Never, never had I been afraid of the world. I'd always rejoiced in it and been eager to see what it had to offer. Slipping my hand into my purse, I reached for my cigarettes, seeking them like a safety blanket. When I took them out, I realized something else. I wasn't necessarily immune to them anymore. This stasis probably wouldn't last long†¦but how could I risk it? How could I expose myself to carcinogens when I had no idea how vulnerable I truly was? Putting the cigarettes back, I took a deep breath and plunged forward. The distance to the store was barely three blocks, but it felt like miles. I walked as far away as I could from traffic and flinched each time someone passed me. When I finally reached the intersection to cross over to Emerald City, I was sweating. Queen Anne Avenue is not an overly crazy road. This particular spot had three lanes and steady traffic, with a moderate speed of 30 (which meant people could usually be found going 35?C40). Nonetheless, standing there, I might as well have been trying to cross I-5 itself, with five lanes racing in each direction. The crosswalk was red, giving me time to build up courage and remind myself that I'd crossed here hundreds of times-jaywalking more often than not. I was being irrational, freaking out at things I had no business worrying about. The light dinged and gave me the go-ahead. I set out, each step agony. I'd almost reached the far curb when a Honda turning on red from the cross street suddenly pulled into the intersection, having only checked for cars and not pedestrians. Seeing me, the driver slammed on her brakes a bit more harshly than she probably needed. They squealed, and the car came to a stop about two feet from me. While moderately alarming, this wasn't anything that probably would have scared me too much under ordinary circumstances. The car had stopped, after all, and I was almost across anyway. Yet, I was so on edge already that when I heard the brakes and saw how close she was, I simply froze. I stood there, caught-literally-in the headlights. I couldn't think or move. It was so stupid. Seven more steps, and I would have been safe. The woman's panic over avoiding me turned to annoyance when she realized I was blocking her way. She pressed down on her horn, which was a particularly loud and obnoxious one. Unfortunately for her, it was ineffectual. If anything, the noise simply froze me up more. Suddenly, someone grabbed a hold of my arm and started tugging me to the curb. The bitch in the Honda kept honking, and I think I was nearly as startled by it as I was when Seth yelled to her, â€Å"Oh, shut up already!† His steady hands guided me to the sidewalk where I promptly froze up again, oblivious to the curious cars and pedestrians. Cupping my face, he forced me to look up at him. His eyes were like warm molasses, and something about them spread comfort through me and brought me back to myself. â€Å"Georgina, are you okay?† My whole body trembled, and it took me a moment to gather myself and speak. â€Å"I†¦I think so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His voice was so, so gentle when he spoke. â€Å"What happened there?† I blinked back tears. â€Å"Nothing†¦that is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn't finish. I was going to break down, then and there, right on Queen Anne Avenue. I hated myself for being so weak and scared. â€Å"Never mind,† said Seth, taking hold of my arm again. â€Å"It doesn't matter. You're safe. Let's go inside.† If any of my co-workers saw Seth leading me through like an invalid, I didn't notice. In fact, I was barely aware of the trek at all until we were inside my office. Seth sat me down and then shut the door. He leaned down toward me. â€Å"Do you need anything? Water? Something to eat?† Slowly, almost robot-like, I shook my head. â€Å"N-no. I†¦I just came for my laptop.† The normal look of timidity he'd worn around me lately had vanished, replaced by something stern and concerned-something that wouldn't rest until he knew I was okay. He was no longer the shy author who feared looking at me and always gave me a wide berth. He was once again the man I'd dated, the man who'd always been able to read my moods and step up to help. â€Å"Georgina, please. Please tell me what happened.† It looked as though my tears were going to stay away, and now that I was indoors, in familiar territory, I allowed myself to feel a little braver. â€Å"Why are you being so nice to me again?† He frowned. â€Å"Why wouldn't I be nice to you?† â€Å"Because†¦because†¦I wasn't very nice to you the last time we talked. Even after you gave me the book.† He made a noise in his throat, almost like a laugh, but not quite. â€Å"You weren't yourself, not after all those drinks. It's fine.† â€Å"I don't know,† I said contrarily, â€Å"maybe I was myself.† He shook his head. â€Å"It wouldn't matter. Now tell me, what happened out there?† The warmth in his voice, the concern†¦it was tearing me apart. There was something so familiar and safe about him that I longed for right now, and I couldn't evade him. â€Å"It's†¦complicated,† I said at last. â€Å"Immortal intrigue?† I nodded, feeling tears well in my eyes again. Fuck. I think half of my emotion now was from the way he was looking at me and had nothing to do with the rest of my life's madness. I stood up and looked away, hoping he wouldn't see my face, but it was no use. â€Å"Georgina, what's happened? You're scaring me.† I dared a glance back. â€Å"You†¦you wouldn't believe me if I told you.† His face was still filled with worry, but the hint of a smile turned up the edges of his lips. â€Å"Can you seriously believe that after half the stuff I've seen you go through? Try me.† â€Å"Fair enough,† I admitted. â€Å"But I don't want to get you involved.† â€Å"I want to help,† he said, moving closer. His voice was like velvet, wrapping me up in softness and security. â€Å"Please. Tell me what's going on.† I wanted to tell him there was nothing he could do, but suddenly, words spilled from my lips. â€Å"Jerome got summoned-which means he's trapped somewhere and-â€Å" â€Å"Whoa, wait. Summoned? Like in Dr. Faustus ?† â€Å"Um, yeah. And so long as he's gone, we're all in this weird state. Peter calls it ‘stasis.' None of us have our pow-abilities anymore. I can't shape-shift. Hugh can't see souls. The only ones who are happy about this are the vampires because they can go in the sun again, which'll probably end up killing them. And if we don't find Jerome soon, someone else is going to take over here, and I really don't want that. And yet†¦I really don't want to go another second like this either, being in this limbo. I want everything to go back to how it was.† Seth's face was unreadable as he regarded me for several heavy seconds. Finally, he said, â€Å"Is it†¦is it so bad going without shape-shifting?† I shook my head and began to ramble further. â€Å"It's not that. It's the fact that I may not be immortal anymore. I can't†¦I can't handle that. Coming here was horrible. The walk from my apartment. I'm afraid of everything. It's stupid. I mean, you guys-humans-get by all the time and don't think about it. But I'm scared to leave the house. Scared of what could happen to me. And when that car didn't see me right away-fuck. I just froze. I was paralyzed. God, I feel like an idiot. I must sound crazy.† At long last, a tear leaked out of the corner of one eye, the final stamp on my weakness. Seth reached out and gently wiped it away. He didn't withdraw his hand when finished, though. He slid it to my shoulder and pulled me to him. I rested my head on his chest, swallowing back more tears as I sank into the protection he offered. â€Å"Georgina, Georgina,† he murmured, running his hand over my back. â€Å"It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay.† Those words†¦there was something so wonderful about them, simple as they were. When people are distressed, others have an instinct to want to actually do something tangible to help-men in particular. And there's nothing wrong with that-often, it's very much desired. But what a lot of people don't get is that sometimes, all that's needed is to hear those words: Everything's going to be okay . It's enough to know that someone's there, that someone cares about you. It isn't always about the next logical course of action. My next words, spoken into his Hong Kong Phooey shirt, came out muffled. â€Å"I don't know what's going to happen. With any of this. I'm so scared. I don't think I've been this afraid since I thought Roman was going to kill me.† â€Å"Nothing will happen to you. You said yourself this won't last more than a few days. Just wait it out.† â€Å"I don't wait very well.† He laughed and leaned his cheek against my forehead. â€Å"I know you don't. Don't worry. Most of us do far more dangerous things than walk two blocks, and we survive just fine. Yeah, that car kind of sucked, but even still, nothing happened.† â€Å"It's two and a half blocks,† I corrected. â€Å"Not two.† â€Å"Right. I forgot that extra half one where the sharks and land mines are.† I pulled away slightly so that I could look into his face. His arms stayed around me. â€Å"I have to find Jerome, Seth.† His smile faded. The worry returned. â€Å"Georgina†¦if you want to stay safe, going after him probably isn't the way to do it. You don't always have to take this stuff on yourself, you know. Let someone else look for him. Stay home.† â€Å"That's the thing†¦I'm not sure anyone will be looking for him. Why would the other demons want him back? They want his territory. They aren't going to be happy if he's found.† Seth sighed. â€Å"Great. Now I'm the one worried about you leaving the house.† â€Å"Hey, I thought you said everything was going to be okay?† â€Å"Gotta be careful what I say.† Eyes thoughtful, he reached up and smoothed some hair on the side of my head. â€Å"Why are you so brave?† I scoffed. â€Å"Are you insane? Didn't you just witness my near breakdown?† â€Å"No,† he said gently. â€Å"That's the thing. You are scared. You don't know what's going on or what could happen to you. Yet, in spite of that fear and uncertainty, you're going to throw yourself out there to hunt him down. No one else would do that, and you do that kind of thing all the time.† Inexplicably, I flushed under his praise. â€Å"I was only going to do a Web search.† â€Å"You know what I mean. I think you've got more courage than anyone I know-and what's truly amazing is that it's so subtle, hardly anyone ever notices. You do so much, and it goes unseen. I wish I was that brave sometimes.† â€Å"You are,† I said, growing increasingly unsettled by our proximity. I also noticed then that he was still smoothing my hair back. â€Å"What are you doing to my hair? Does it look bad or something?† â€Å"Your hair never looks bad.† He dropped his hand sheepishly. â€Å"It's just†¦a little messier than usual.† â€Å"I brushed it fifteen minutes ago!† Seth shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. It's just kind of frizzy, but that's probably normal. There's a little humidity out.† â€Å"Frizzy? My hair's never frizzy.† â€Å"Georgina,† he said wearily. â€Å"Considering everything else going on, I don't think you need to worry about your hair being frizzy.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah. You're right.† I made a face. â€Å"I just feel like I got a raw deal here. The vampires are having a non-stop party. Me? I somehow get bad hair. Not sure the energy break is really worth it.† Seth tilted his head, face puzzled once more. â€Å"Energy break?† â€Å"Yeah. Along with everything else, I lost the need for life energy, so I'm not-â€Å" I stopped. The world stopped. I met Seth's eyes, those beautiful golden-brown eyes that were filled with utter and complete shock as we both realized the full weight of what I had been about to say. His hold on me stiffened. The casual embrace suddenly became so much more. I was acutely aware of every place we were touching and exactly how much distance was between the places we weren't touching. He felt warm, so wonderfully warm, and every place he touched me tingled-not necessarily in a sexual way but in a Oh my God, it's Seth way. My entire body was on full alert, waiting and watching-and hoping-for him to touch me more. He swallowed, eyes still wide. â€Å"So you aren't†¦I mean you can†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yeah,† I said, my own voice husky. â€Å"That's the theory, at least. I haven't really tested it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My words faded off because they didn't matter. My relationship with Seth had been plagued with a hundred small problems, everything from communication to trust and the myriad details in between. And always, always underneath that had been the knowledge that we could never be physically close. Oh, we'd been able to hug and do some kissing-there was even a fair amount of tongue we could get away with before my succubus hunger started stealing his life. But ultimate intimacy? Sex? Making love? It was totally off-limits, and that denial had tortured both of us, no matter how much we talked about love being the most important part in a relationship. And now†¦here we were. Those barriers were removed. I hadn't tested if my succubus stealing really was gone, but I didn't need to. I could feel it, as Hugh had said. The perpetual craving that always lurked within me was completely dormant. I could touch and kiss anyone without restraint. I could touch and kiss Seth. There was nothing standing between us now. Well, except for one thing. A knock sounded on my door. â€Å"Georgina? Are you in there?† Maddie called. It was like cold water in the face. Seth and I sprang apart. He backed toward the door, and I promptly sat down at my desk. My heart was pounding again. Damn it. I was going to have to talk to Hugh and get an anti-anxiety drug. â€Å"Yeah, come in,† I called. Maddie stuck her head in, surprised to see both of us. â€Å"There you are,† she said to Seth. â€Å"I just got here and couldn't find you.† Seth was still in shock. â€Å"I†¦yeah†¦I saw Georgina was here and stopped by†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Maddie peered at me. â€Å"You okay? You look a little worn out.† Her eyes flicked to my hair and then back to my face. â€Å"Did you just wake up?† Apparently, I no longer looked like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, which was something. I hadn't liked the way she eyed my hair. â€Å"Well, not exactly. It's, uh, been a long day.† I stumbled over my words. I was so flustered, I could barely string a coherent response together. Seth's presence was like the sun, blinding me and warming me all over, and Maddie was making me feel guilty and dirty for enjoying that sun. â€Å"Is everything okay with your family?† she asked. â€Å"My-oh, yeah, they're okay. Still just a little crazy, but it'll, um, pass.† I stood and picked up the laptop, hoping I sounded casual and calm. I needed to get out before I said something stupid. As it was, I couldn't even make eye contact with Seth now. â€Å"I really just came by for this.† Maddie studied me a few seconds longer and must have decided I was more or less telling the truth. She relaxed and seemed oblivious to me trying frantically to get to the door. â€Å"Hey,† she said, â€Å"I was thinking you might not need to go to California for beaches.† â€Å"For†¦what?† â€Å"Remember our conversation at Mark's?† â€Å"Er, yeah.† Miraculously, I did. The condo thing, when I told her I had a beach itch. â€Å"I have the perfect solution: Alki.† â€Å"Alki?† asked Seth, confused. â€Å"It's a secret.† She winked at me. â€Å"I thought that might be a good place to start looking. What do you think?† â€Å"Sure. Sounds great.† Alki Beach was a region of West Seattle that stuck out into Puget Sound. While it was a far cry from a Cyprian beach, it was, well, a beach. And if agreeing that it was a good idea would get me to the door†¦ â€Å"Cool! And what about dancing?† â€Å"Huh? What about it?† I probably looked like a deer in the headlights again. This agitated state of mine didn't make for good topic-jumping. â€Å"Teaching salsa. I mentioned it to Beth and Casey, and they were pretty excited.† â€Å"Oh. Yeah. Sure. I can do that.† I was seriously about to agree to anything to escape. Her face lit up. â€Å"Oh, thank you! Is this week too soon? I bet we could get everyone together on, oh, Thursday.† â€Å"Sure, sure, that's fine.† I was almost at the door. â€Å"Oh, thank you! This'll be fun. I'll double-check the day with everyone and e-mail you. If something comes up†¦I mean, I know you're under a lot of stress†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I waved it off. â€Å"It's fine, really. Have a good night, okay?† I put on a winning smile and quickly walked past both of them. As I stepped out the door, though, I glanced back and met Seth's eyes. My smile faltered. A thousand messages passed between us, just as they used to when we were dating. Only this time, I wasn't sure what any of them were saying. I kept walking, suddenly realizing I had a lot more than mortality to worry about.

Global Issues - Water Loss Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Issues - Water Loss - Research Paper Example This has become a significant subject of study in efforts to look for a long term solution. Though may options has failed, the efforts to control and mitigate water loss still persists. Many countries have undergone a huge water loss in the recent days, an issue that has led to deaths of people and animals and outbreak of water related diseases like Cholera among others and also led to drought. An example of water loss was brought out by a research conducted by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which showed an alarming water loss in the Middle East, caused by poor management causing a huge draught in 2007. Water loss has become a major concern as it has led to international conferences which congregate to discuss the problem because it has affected almost whole world. Other countries have constructed water resources to cater for the water that comes fro the rain. Saudi Arabia, which relies mainly on ground water for agriculture has constructed dams which have varying storage capacity to capture the flooding water (Alsharhan 3). Many organizations have also been formed to look into the issue of water loss under the mandate of monitoring the cause s of the problem and the operational management of water systems. The significance of the study is to help identify the causes of water loss, the problems associated with water loss, how it has affected certain countries and how the problem can be solved because, its effect on one country affects the other. The current situation of water loss is serious and if unaddressed, it will be a worldwide problem. The research will majorly touch on Bahrain as our country of interest in studying about water loss. This is the increase in the number of people in a certain country. The population increase in a country contributes much to its development plans. The higher the population of a country, the higher it demands

A briefing paper on Housing Policy & Finance Outline

A briefing paper on Housing Policy & Finance - Outline Example Other than that, the need to increase the income and bargaining power in order to move on has been hampered by unemployment, special needs, and the least desirable dwellings and areas(Malpass&Murie, 1999). Therefore, in severe times, the system always seems to fail. Of course, the blame can be easily put on the restricted objectives of the social housing. The separated residual housing provision and the dependency of policy on selected Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) can also be mentioned here as it is very faithfully working towards decreasing the private landlord solution and their number has been rising since the deregulation of housing markets in 1988 (Garnett, 2005). The social housing financial policies thus have a sizeable effect on the degree to which government’s policy agenda is supported.Since housing is also taken as a form of market, it holds a very compound supply and demand route. Thus, the government agendais highly affected. This can be said so, because of market closure, as in this area, finance contains only a few big players in credit allocation because the market contains the roles of future values and borrowing which is what this market is paid for, and market volatility, since the buyers and sellers are the only part of the market that is dominating at a given point in time. Certainly, the affect can also be traced to the externalities and uncertainty(Spicker). After the 1988, the social housing construction was seen to be increased in the times of a new financial regime. Since then, many programs have been dependent over the financing that is private in nature so that the public capital subsidies can be aided. The private funds are thus collected from the financial institutions. The data justifies the previous statement by stating that as a housing benefit, rent subsidies have been largely increased. This means that when the government’s

Compare three companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Compare three companies - Essay Example This used to happen only with Sony and Apple products before. Samsung is not only one of the greatest businesses today, but the company tends to have a great goodwill as a responsible global entrepreneurship. The objective of this paper is to explore the tactics and strategies that were employed by Samsun to climb up and reach the top of the success ladder at such lightning speed. It is important to review the success story of Samsung before analyzing the strategies it has utilized for achieving the numero uno spot in corporate world. Samsung came into being in 1938, as a small trading company and transformed into a business group. And from its branch in Tokyo it started to expand its business first by entering in the textile business, then started establishing electronics, introduced the company in heavy industry by affiliating in shipbuilding. Samsung itself had built huge companies based on sugar and seasonings and textiles; and LG on chemicals for household and industrial consump tion (Michell, 13). It also expanded the business by acquiring Hankook Semiconductor. Later on it also introduced first 10 – million seller cell phones, became world’s best TV manufacturer. And today Samsung claims to have the largest share in the global smartphone market, which is because of the Galaxy smartphones of Samsung. In 2012 it was awarded as world’s ninth best brand (Tek, n.p). Samsung now stands among the top tier global corporations, possesses good ranking in the superior management, and provides innovation in design along with improving its sales and earnings (Lee, 9). The competition between the two famous smartphones brands Samsung and Apple started in 2008, when Samsung targeted the smartphone market by investing on large scale in it. Apple is a multinational company, which provides phones, personal computers, iPads, iPods and much more. In 2008, the most valuable company of the world was Apple because it had the shares with prices up to $ 373 ( Zylla-Woellner, n.p). Samsung and Apple without any doubt were leading the cellular especially the smartphone industry, however, Samsung suddenly shifted gear and turned the entire game in its favor. Apparently, Samsung’s most significant tactic is that the company never ceased to introduce variety in their products and in their strategies of selling the products too. Samsung Corporation has successfully blended speediness, imagination and affordability in their offerings to capture the consumers’ attention. While Samsung was busy investing huge sums on extensive research and development to gain the market share, Apple was stagnant using only 2.4 percent of its revenues on innovation (Roll 154). Samsung spent around US$ 2.3 billion on research and development (Roll, 154). The major competitors Sony and Apple were badly defeated by Samsung. The reason is that whenever these companies introduced a new product Samsung copied the concept and followed their path to introduc e similar product but with a definite edge and innovation from its predecessors. In order to learn latest designs in trend, Samsung even started comprehensive training sessions for all employees. Apple only introduced several versions of iPhone whereas in the meantime Samsung not only introduced Samsung galaxy, note book, smart TV and other economical smart phones but has been regularly updating its products’

Analysis report of Bernini's Angel with Crown of Thorns Research Paper

Analysis report of Bernini's Angel with Crown of Thorns - Research Paper Example Through its huge size and magnificent form, it became a grand architectural element together with the rest of the ten Angels of Passion in Ponte Sant’Angelo. A grand sentry looking over the people as they traverse the bridge to and from the Castle. The sculpture depicts an angel represented as a young man with a crown of curly hair. His wings are quite huge and are partially spread out as if about to take flight. He is wearing a somewhat diaphanous material draped over his body exposing a good portion of his shoulders and his right leg. He is holding a crown of thorns and his arms are placed sideways towards the left side of his body at the level of his chest. The angel’s right leg is exposed up to mid thigh and is bent on the knee as if in a walking motion. His left foot, on the hand, is also exposed. His feet are parted slightly apart with an indistinguishable object of swirls in between his feet and beside his left feet. The Ponte Sant’Angelo, also known as the Bridge of Angels, in Rome was decorated with ten marble sculptures of angels, or the Angels of Passion, as proposed by Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.1 He was commissioned by Pope Clement IX to create two out of the ten angel sculptures and the rest of the angel sculptures are believed to be made by Bernini’s students. The ten marble sculptures are to replace the 14 stucco sculptures of angels set up by Rafaella da Montelupo under Pope Paul III.2 The ten marble sculptures of angels each hold a symbol of the Passion of the Christ. The ten angel sculptures are the â€Å"Angel with the Column† by Antonio Raggi, â€Å"Angel with the Whips† by Lazzaro Morelli, â€Å"Angel with the Crown of Thorns†Ã‚  by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, â€Å"Angel with the Sudarium or Veronica’s Veil† by  Cosimo Fancelli,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Angel with the Garment and Dice† by Paolo Naldini, â€Å"Angel with

Marine Renewable Energy Market Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Marine Renewable Energy Market Analysis - Essay Example Utilizing nature in the sense, using many natural elements only including various natural energy sources, humans have come up with many inventions and innovations. However, certain of these natural energy sources, have negative side-effects, which kind of destructs the nature or natural environment, from which it is accessed, thereby pushing the need to tap other eco-friendly renewable energy sources. Among them, Marine energy sources are proving to be a feasible and productive option. The United Kingdom not only has 50% of Europe's marine energy potential but the UK also is a prominent leader in the marine renewables market at the present. When these optimum exploitable wave resources as well as tidal stream resources are optimally tapped, it can provide sizable benefits to various sections or stakeholders. One of the key stakeholders is the government. With this sector being a small and upcoming one, it needs maximum support from the government to grow further. Government has been providing good financial support, but the view is, still more grants can be given by the government. This is particularly important in the context of high installation and operating costs involved with these wave and tidal projects. The capitals as well as operating costs are on the higher side, but with the development of technologies, it can reduce in the near future. In addition, this sector has potential for providing employment opportunities, but there are chances that other socio-economic structures in the vicinity of the projects could be affected. Technologies involved in this sector are manifold, and still it is in the development stage, with completely tuned devices and implementations still some years away. Thus, the UK Marine sector has good potential for growth, but still certain challenges exist. Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Scope 4 1.2 Marine Renewable Energy 4 1.3 Marine Energy Development 5 1.4 Market Size and Growth 6 1.5 Key Competitors 7 2. Trend I: Interests of t he political Government 2.1 Government’s Role 9 2.2 Government’s funding 10 2.3 Need for more funding 10 3. Trend II: Economic Costs and socio-economic impacts 3.1 Installation and operating costs 11 3.2 Socio-economic costs 14 4. Trend III: Technology Development 4.1 Technologies Used 15 4.2 Technology with environmental perspective 16 5. Trend IV: Increasing Environmental Awareness 5.1 Negative impacts 16 5.2 Legislative backings 17 6. Conclusion 17 7. Appendices 20 8. References 21 1. Introduction 1.1 Scope This report will do an analysis of the external environment of the UK’s marine energy market using the PESTLE tool. Through the PESTLE analysis, the report will try to discuss not only the opportunities but also the threats that are prevailing in the marine energy market. By doing these analyses, the report will ‘glean’ four trends, which are visible now and importantly could be visible for the next three years in the marine energy market. The se trends as well as recommendations that can be implemented will provide an overview of the market, and could be helpful for the new entrants as well. The information for preparing this report was obtained from various online sources, which includes government reports, reliable websites, online books, etc. 1.2 Marine Renewable Energy Marine renewable energy constitutes into two sectors, Wave energy and Tidal energy. Wave energy is generated with the aid of wave movement. However, as wave movement and the resultant energy is irregular, a variety of infrastructures or prototypes are developed and installed in the sea to tap the energy. Devices are often separated by their location in the sea, particularly the depth of water. Figure.1 Wave energy (Carbon Trust 2006) On the other hand, Tidal

The Causes of the Financial Crisis and the Overhauling of Regulatory Essay

The Causes of the Financial Crisis and the Overhauling of Regulatory Framework - Essay Example Firstly, with regards to the banking and economic meltdown that occurred between 2007/2008, this must be understood as a global crisis. Although it began in the United States as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis, it rapidly spread globally and has affected every extant economy in the world; slowing growth, diminishing export strength, and devaluing a litany of world currencies in the process. Figure 1.0 denotes the issue of debt to GDP within major world economies. Figure 1.0 Preventative Steps: As a function of the breakdown in regulatory mechanisms capable of dealing with the size of the crash of 2007-2008, many of the largest and most effective regulations have been international in scope. But a few of these global regulations include the Basel III International Framework as well as further EU regulations concerning Markets in Financial Instruments Directives (MiFID). Ultimately, these further regulations, in tandem with existing regulations on the banking sector seek to in tegrate a set baseline of rules with regards to the standards underlying capital liquidity within the market. Due to the fact that the ultimate issue that the banking system was faced with during the crash was concentric around liquidity, most of the further regulations that have been passed with regards to seeking to provide a remedy to any further exhibitions of the same problem have been concentric upon speaking to the underlying weakness of the liquidity requirements that existed prior to the crash of 2007/2008. In seeking to identify the overall effectiveness of the current regulations, it can be said that they have kept the world from experiencing any further shocks similar to the ones that precipitated the events of 2007/2008; however,... This essay aims to fully discover the means by which the financial and banking crisis occurred and also seeks to establish whether or not the current regulatory framework is in and of itself sufficient to provide a firewall against any further shocks to the market. The discussion is also briefly concentric upon the future outlook that the global economy has to look forward to; based upon the realities that have been discussed and presented. The financial crisis of 2007/2008 was predicated by the banks which had leveraged bad debt in order to create more debt for their clients. Ultimately, this can understood as a situation in which certain types of outstanding credits that a bank had in the form of loans to various entities or stock market derivatives were falsely identified as suitable contingents upon which further money could be created and/or loaned within the financial system. Any further bailouts or interference on the part of the government within the banking system are deemed ineffective. The ramifications of inaction are strong, the fact of the matter is that a precedent has now been set whereby the banking system can behave in a reckless manner, knowing that as long as their bank is large enough to be considered â€Å"too large to fail† they can always count on being backed by the government, and ultimately the citizen taxpayers. The greatest threat that continues to exist is with regards to the economic threat of unsustainable debt; a risk that has only grown in the years since the economic collapse.

Summary and Analysis No Name Woman by Maxine Hong Kingston, Both Ain't Essay

Summary and Analysis No Name Woman by Maxine Hong Kingston, Both Ain't I A Woman by Sojourner Truth and No Name Woman - Essay Example But I do know what it is like to be excluded from the sisterhood and I do know what it's like to know that the plans around my birth were very different from the reality. She delivered her speech at the Woman's Convention in Akron. Women were beginning to respond to the mistreatments of chivalry and the way that they were infantilized by the dominant rhetoric, but Truth pointed out that both white men and white women assumed things that excluded systematically a black perspective. Truth had never known chivalry from men, at least white men: She had known the lash and starvation. She had never known being a domesticated baby factory: Instead, she was a career woman because she was a slave and she was not a mother of a troupe of children not because she didn't have those children but because they were sold into slavery. One could point out, bitterly, that even a black male slave would prefer to live like a white woman. The truth was making an appeal for the sisterhood, the emerging fem inist movement, to represent all women, and to bear in mind that what women need varies from group to group. I have known many a time where I felt excluded from a sisterhood that portrayed them as the archetype of femininity. Whether cheerleaders or well-meaning young feminists, I've seen people repeatedly act as if they were advancing â€Å"just us girls† when they were, in fact, trampling over me. She feels possessed by a ghost, the ghost of her aunt, who feels that Kingston should take her place. It wasn't the raid by the villagers.