Did Life Improve For Black Americans

The NAACP formed in 1909 by William Du Bois, they were active against racial injustice between sass and sass. They had various campaigns one mainly being the main opponent of the UK Klux Klan in 1 sass. They had also stopped various opposition in which they had felt it was a correct decision, an example is blocking a nomination of judge, John Parker, a known racist. They had also pressured the Supreme Courts which ensured black Americans have the same quality of education as white Americans. The Second World War in 941 had many positive and negative changes.The Jim Crow Law which segregated the units in the IIS army there was a black only unit in which they weren't allowed to combat in before 1944 but were offered jobs to support the army such as transport supplies. Although discrimination occurred, US air forces didn't allow black pilots but the Tuskegee allowed them to have black pilots at the end of the war consisting of 1000 black pilots. Education was difficult for black America ns in the 1 sass and 1 9605 because of the struggle f equal education in which in 1952, 20 US states had segregated public schools.Linda Brown had to walk 20 blocks to her school which consisted of black Americans even though there was a school for white pupils near her home. In September 1 957, 9 African-Americans students entered a white only Central High School in Little Rock this made President Eisenhower respond by sending 1000 federal troops which brought the media involved and increased the publicity to the injustices of segregation. Resilience in 195(Yes were increasing, Malcolm X whose father was murdered by white Supremes had joined the Nation of Islam and changed his surname to ‘X'.Although he rejected Martin Luther Kings speech and ideology he believed violence was the only way to secure a black nation. Many young black Americans were frustrated in Kings slow response and with the Malcolm confidence in speaking; he attracted them to support him. As a result, he enc ouraged the self-esteem of black Americans and his ideology was supported by Black Panthers and Power.

Principles of Maintaining Stationary Stock Essay

1 ) 1. 1 – Explain the intent of doing certain stationary stock is maintained and controlled? A good degree of stationary stock should ever be maintained and controlled because it makes treating easier and saves blowing clip. Normally a company will hold one individual in charge of the stock and that individual will hold the responsibilities of keeping any stock. Smaller companies are easier to keep than larger 1s. Large companies can hold much more of a trenchant undertaking as they will necessitate a batch more stock or stationary. Besides within a larger company there will be more sections so it will be made a small harder. The individual responsible has to bare in head any budgets the employer/manager had put in topographic point. There are different ways of which you can command the degrees of the stock but these are yet once more different with each and every company. A hebdomadal or biweekly look into on stock is normally the most effectual manner. Checking stock degrees will besides assist to detect what stationary is used more within their company. This will demo what is more relevant in purchasing. If the stock is non checked or maintained so the degrees can drop. This can ensue into the company disbursement more money to acquire the equipment/stock they need from a high street store and this can so thwart many workers/managers. 1. 2 – Describe factors that may impact the future degree of demand for stationary stock. Their will be many factors that may impact the future degree of stationary stock. One of these is the cost of the stationary itself. All. if non most. companies are doing cut in their disbursement and this is one section that may experience the cut more than others. Employees will be asked to utilize less stock whilst working and bespeaking orders for stock. These may go declined if the individual in charge thinks that the company will non necessitate the stationary or it is non required. Besides another factor is the usage of engineering. Technology is everlastingly increasing and going a bigger portion in everyone’s lives. This means more administrations will be utilizing the cyberspace a batch more. E-mailing more to cut the cost of paper and it is a quicker manner to direct messages or to pass on and run their concern. Letterss are going a less frequent manner of pass oning. Th is will do each company cut down on the quality of paper. ink. envelopes and casts that are used. 1. 3 – Explain the intent of doing certain value of money is obtained when telling stock. The intent of doing certain value of money is obtained when telling stock is indispensable. Each company needs to guarantee that they are non blowing any unneeded money and that the stock you are telling is really needed. The individual in charge of telling demands to believe about the bringing costs. quality and measure costs. They besides need to believe about using minimal orders but can still cover everything that will be needed. The value of money is most of import because no company wants to be blowing money on merchandises that cant be afforded or on stationary the habit be used. The individual who is responsible for all this needs to hold a good think about what truly needs to be ordered and if it is necessary in the environment. Besides to cognize if it is environmentally friendly earlier merely telling anything and everything they want to. 2 ) 2. 1 – Describe how to order. receive. shop and dispose stationary stock points. Ordering ; before you even get down to order you need to cognize who your providers are. If you don’t already have a provider so you need to happen one. You will necessitate to happen a provider that is suited to you and your company. When taking a company you will necessitate to see these things ; Are there any bringing charges? Do I have to put a minimal order? Do they sell all the stock we need? Are their monetary values competitory or really expensive? How long does it take for an order to come through? You may happen it easier to compose a list of the stationary ( stock list ) you will necessitate so you can pick a provider that fits your demands. Once you have found the provider you will be utilizing so you will necessitate to travel through the catalogue or online and order what you need. Besides the individual responsible for this will necessitate to be cognizant of their budget and that they do non travel over. Receive ; When you do have the stock. it is better to look into the bringing notes against what has been delivered to guarantee that all the stock you need or ordered is their. You will necessitate to look into the reception and look into everything they say is there is really there and is non defective. You will necessitate to place directly off if there are any jobs or any stationary missing. Lastly you will necessitate to direct the reception up the finance so they can look into it against the bill and do certain all the monetary values add up and no 1s is being over charged or under charged. Shop ; when hive awaying the stationary you should revolve it so it is the oldest foremost. Storage should be in a nice neat order and organised so you can see what you have and what you don’t have. Revolving stationary isn’t the most of import thing to make but it is still advisable so that pens and Tipex do non dry out and the paper doesn’t acquire creased or even moistures. When hive awaying stationary it is best to maintain all things the same together and take count to see how many there is so you know for following clip when it comes to tell how much you should order. Dispose ; when disposing stationary you need to first work out what can be recycled. or if it is environmentally friendly and what merely needs to be put in a normal bin. Most companies now like a concern with an environmentally friendly provider. They will look at the manner they package the merchandises so it makes it easier to dispose of the packaging. How near a company is to their concern is of import to cut down on the transporting costs.

Personal Learning Profile Essay

What technological development, during the early history we covered, do you feel was either a detriment or an enhancement for people to move away from spending all of their lives finding sustenance? The Greeks were a highly civilized society when they came up with the idea of domestication in the Neolithic era (New Stone). It enhanced there civilization and made them be able to accomplish other thing that were important. They didn’t start out that way, but thing where able to change in the Mesopotamian area. The Mesopotamia area is between two rivers the Tigris and the Euphrates. Mesopotamia was the creation of the universe with their ruler Marduk. He made things possible to achieve which made and kept the gods happy. During the Paleolithic era, people where hunting to find food instead of farming before civilization occurred. This made them not be able to focus, maintain order on earth, and honor the gods as much as they wanted to. They had to move around and follow there food. The woman gathered plants close to camp providing most reliable supply of nourishment. On the other hand, the men hunted the most dangerous wild animals far away from camp. They praised and worshiped their gods to help find food. They even believed in animal gods that stood for love, hate, and fear which was known as animism. As time progressed the climate started to change that altered the pattern of plant growth which brought the Neolithic era (New stone). During this time period, people came up with new inventions such as agriculture and permanent settlements that grew into cities. In the fertile crescent woman were sowing seeds from wild grains to produce regular harvest. On orchard fields they grew fig, olives, and dates. The wheel helped them move more efficiently and getting the job done a lot faster. Men continued to hunt, but also started to domesticate animals like sheep, pig, goat, and cattle. This became known as the â€Å"Farming Pack Age†. Because of this it became a gigantic political state under a single ruler controlling formerly independent territories. Since they had more time, learning was able to occur. They learned from one another, adapting the knowledge, and beliefs of others. Trading vegetable oil, woolens and leathers with one another they acquired metals, timber, and precious stones. Through this they were able to build, make better tools, and weapons. They were also able to irrigate the arid flatlands with water channel from the rivers maintaining a system of irrigation. This led to the centralization of authority in Mesopotamia cities, which controlled the farmland and irrigation canals lying outside their fortified walls. With so many enhancement, Greeks were able to obtain order on earth and honor the gods as much as they wanted to. The Greeks need a way to track food, animals, and in trading. So, they came up with cuneiform; a way of writing. They wrote it on clay tablets it looked like tallies marks. Through this they were able to become good at math and science. The Greeks came up with the decimal system, 60 seconds in the clock, and the 360 degree circle. Some of the things the Greeks did we still do today. In school we learn from the teachers that math and science is a very important subjects that you will use through your whole life. The math is divided into different groups such as algebra, calculus, and geometry the one that the Greeks teach us about with the 60 seconds in the clock and the 360 degree circle. In the South, where it is more rural areas we still have farming and they use the same system like irrigation and plowing, but with a twist of new technology.

Basic Rhetorical Analysis (Technical Communication) Essay

Basic Rhetorical Analysis (Technical Communication) - Essay Example It is designed to provide as information to companies or employees who are creating a protection office first-aid system. While it cannot particularly indicate the objectives and lifestyle of a particular market or companies, it shows the overall goal of defending the safe practice of employees and the surroundings both through the Work-related Protection and Wellness Management (OSHA) as well as common market. The information is created through OSHA but was designed collaboratively through similar companies such as the Nationwide Protection Authorities or the United States Nationwide Requirements Institution to get to know the needs for system growth, etc. Lastly, the OSHA information uses appropriate design to increase legibility yet includes few graphics/ style due to the level of the content where it provides totally to help the visitors fix problems. HELPS THE TARGETED READERS WITH THEIR PROBLEMS: OSHA's details are ideal for United States companies looking to apply a first-aid system for their business. The details identify its viewers in the preface to the headline page and in the Release and Purpose area. The details do a very good job of dealing with the features of an office first-aid program to visitors who have the power within their company to apply and handle such a program: the companies. For example, the Release declares the components of an office first-aid program such as evaluating threats, developing and applying a first-aid system, training workers on factors of the system, and system assessment and servicing. A company may use these details to fix various situational issues. The details might be used to ensure office conformity with the government OSHA Act of 1970. This might mean beginning a first-aid program from the beginning or reassessing the framework of a present system. A company might turn to the guide in reaction to a threat or damage, or to be ready and ready with the resources for avoidance. Perhaps a company is under lawful st ress to enhance the organization's system. Alternatively, an employer might want to enhance the organization's first-aid system as a motivation to hire and maintain employees. This detail is ready with extensive details companies need to fix any of these issues. For example, the details provide sources to types, reviews, and places of nationwide information to help an employer evaluate chance of office threat or damage. It goes on to recommend acquiring reviews of EMS, fire and save reaction times to plan a first-aid system designed to the office atmosphere. The guide also provides described details on other OSHA services along with URLs and contact information. Including these components allows the company explains his/her knowing by offering more detail on a topic. Some subjects, however, seem to try to protect too much details, making the content wide and unexplained. The Components of a First Aid System subject gives long details of bulleted factors. These factors cover a wide v ariety of information, but could keep people feeling confused about including every idea into his/her organization's first aid program. REFLECTION OF OSHA’S CULTURE AND AIMS The purpose of the details is to suggest Mixed declares organizations on ways to create and sustain a proper and balanced and safe workplace. OSHA's business purpose is

Read two articles and write an essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Read two articles and write an - Essay Example ribe the bankruptcy of the Chinese feudal system and culture; whereas Nam Le recounts Yamata’s description of life in Hiroshima during the American aerial bombardment of World War II. On the one hand, A Madman’s diary is meant to be highly critical of the Chinese government and traditional form of culture for delivering the Chinese people into such hardships as they experienced during the first half of the 20th century, Yamata’s story also recounts hardships and privations but invokes Bushido and love of Fatherland at nearly every turn in order to rally her spirit. The protagonist in A Madman’s diary spends a great deal of time concerned over the fate of future generations due to the fact that he sees society crumbling around him. Due to this image of utter degradation and loss of direction, balance, and reason, the protagonist sees little hope in his homeland for the future generation to thrive. Naturally, the historical backdrop to this centers upon the ongoing occupation of Chinese land by Japanese soldiers, a complete breakdown in governance and leadership by the Nationalist Chinese forces, and the concurrent civil war that exists. In short, this is a time of utter and complete societal upheaval that affects every single citizen on a deeply personal level. Likewise, in Hiroshima, Yamata’s mother shows a brief glimmer of maternal instinct as she recalls what life was like for her in Hiroshima when she was a child, how it differed from the life the family lives currently and how she longs for those days to come again. Additionally, Yamata’s mother implores her to stay alive no matter what happens. Yamata’s mother dubs Yamata as â€Å"her heart†; saying that even if she dies – at least her heart will live on. Drawing a parallel to how strong the culture and propaganda levels of China were as compared to Japan in the given stories would be an exercise in futility. Even though it appears as though the Bushido code and willingness to endure

Micro-organisms and Diesease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Micro-organisms and Diesease - Essay Example They are colonial or unicellular. Role- cause disease to organisms. There are also useful plants pathogens that play various roles such as restricting plant distribution, regulating population, increasing/reducing diversity and creating canopy gaps. Direct contact- organisms are transmitted from one individual to another (For instance, when there is the physical contact of closed or open body or through a skin opening, sexual contact and through directly breathing in pathogens from an infected individual). Indirect contact- organism transfers from an object to the other, either an intermediate host or a vector. For instance, the organism can be transferred through contaminated substances like air, soils, feces, equipment and clothing. Penetration areas- skin, sebaceous glands or hair follicles to cause boils and sties or teat canals and lead to staphylococcal mastitis, arthropod bites, conjunctiva, through respiratory tract’s mechanism, microorganisms or urinogenital tract. First, there is the existence of the pathogenic or infectious agents such as fungus, virus, bacterium, protozoa or prion. Microorganisms exit from the reservoir through the skin, respiratory tract, genitourinary tract and blood and across the placenta and take a mode of transmission to the next host. The transmission occurs either indirectly or directly. Infection definition- a process by which bacteria, fungi or other organism enter a host and attach to a cell and multiply. To do this, the organisms should overcome or evade the body’s natural defense at every step; though mostly the infected individual does not get sick. Often not all infections cause illness. Treatment- tests for the diagnosis including Chest X-ray, Mantoux skin test, QuantiFERON-TB Gold test and sputum testing and treatment should be done outside the hospital and takes long because the disease organism grows and die

Research paper on a problem pertinent to my academic major

On a problem pertinent to my academic major (chemistry). Discuss and the problem and danger of being exp - Research Paper Example These accidents notwithstanding, Chemistry remains a fulfilling career and is, indeed, one of the best in today’s labor market as well as in the future. Introduction Though Chemistry is a mature and risk-laden discipline, it is an exciting, interesting and intellectually stimulating as well as financially rewarding career. Chemistry as a science deals with the investigation of the properties, composition and structure of matter, the transformation matter undergoes, and the energy changes associated with the transformation (Encyclop?dia Britannica, 2011). Chemistry has played and is playing a crucial role in conquering diseases, solving energy problems, addressing environmental problems, providing the discoveries that lead to new industries, and developing new materials and technologies for defense and global security. These represent some of the major issues that confront our society today and chemistry occupies a central position in resolving these issues. Thus the chemist re mains a relevant member of today society and will occupy that position as long as life exists on our planet. Apart from the reputation of being a chemist, is the fact that with a median annual salary of $90,000, the chemistry profession remains one of the best in the labor market (Peter, 2010). Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of today’s chemistry, offers the chemist the opportunity to connect with other members of the scientific community such as biologist, physicists, environmental scientist, geologist, geneticists, and even government policy makers. Thus the chemist is not an isolated individual rather a well-connected personality collaborating with others to make life on our planet exciting and interesting. The nature of current research in chemistry is another plus to the profession; indeed, today’s chemistry is interesting as well as intellectually stimulating. As chemist work in collaboration with biologist and physicist and other scientist to unveil na ture’ secrets, surprising yet interesting facts are gathered. Each answer creates more problems that need to be solved. This makes Chemistry the ideal science for anyone with creativity, intelligence, and persistence. As promising and fulfilling as Chemistry is as a profession, the profession has its other side. Chemistry has killed a lot of chemists even the most careful ones. Working in a chemistry laboratory is laden with risks. Exposure to chemicals has immediate as well as chronic effects. Injuries have been reported from implosion as well as explosion in the chemistry laboratory. Chemists have caught fire in the laboratory while some have died gradually without knowing due to exposure to ionizing radiation and toxic chemicals. It is worth mentioning that most of these accidents in laboratory are preventable if precautionary measures are followed. Given these risks associated with Chemistry, one cannot help but ask if Chemistry is worth practicing. This article seeks to answer that question. Discussion The benefits of being of chemist Key among the factors that influence career choices is economic & personal satisfaction, personal esteem, and society recognition (Bolles, 2008). With a median salary of $90,000, which is higher than the national $29,000 median salary, chemistry is a paying profession (Peter, 2010). According to the

Music as Spiritual Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Music as Spiritual Practice - Essay Example Many just like the song because the beat is catchy.One sad but true fact is that one in 20 U.S. adults can't read English. This also means that they may not even read a psalm. That's where the elements of music comes in. The Scripture goes "sing a joyful song unto the Lord."[Holy Bible] A disadvantage of aural music is that it excludes the deaf. Technological advancements are making music accessible and discernable to the deaf. He who has ears, let him hear. [Holy Bible, Rev 2]When should you, as a musician choose accompaniment Is a capella the best way to go Does singing a song acapella enhance the artistic value of it These are all fair questions that need to be answered. If we look at the Old Testament Psalms, for example, there really is no clear answer. There is a history involving the use of musical instruments in Jewish and Christian Services. There are bible verses that pertain to the idea of singing a joyful song unto the Lord.[Psalm 100] This lets us know that this is accep table worship. However, the use of musical instruments in church services still remains controversial. It is amazing how Salamone Rossi essentially started out as a wedding singer for the banquets of the duchess Isabella in the 16th century. Rossi's acclaim was during the Italian Renaissance. The era was a time of creative celebration. This was during a time where Jews were tolerated rather than enjoyed. They were, according to the Historical notes on the music, ostracized, at times. Rossi, however through his music gained some acceptance. The Psalms still have incomparable teaching power. Listening to the sounds of the day and how they make you feel is in itself a tool with which to speak to God. But what happens when you face some sort of disability. That is where the Psalms', (which is indeed a form of music) teaching power is turned into healing power. The Psalms teach us to see beyond aesthetic beauty. It teaches us to listen with our souls, with our minds, with our hearts and with our imaginations. After 32 years listening to music one thing holds true: Aesthetic listening is no listening at all. And what is meant by that is this. It is that one must listen "relatively". That is, to say, be the writer or be the author. Relate the song to something in your life. The lyrics of one song may say "His love endures forever."[Psalms] God calls us to seek out this passage in life. To find the aesthetic beauty that accompanies the active listening which is aimed at getting all the senses involved. One natural way to engage in listening is to remember the setting. Where were you when you first heard that song What were you doing This is how you begin. How you become the music. For deaf children who have little life experience it is important to remember that their environment and upbringing will serve as catalysts to experiencing the music. These basic questions build a foundation for developing taste as well. We have many evidences of the rhythm of life. This may be why women have biological clocks. This rhythm suggests to us to find meaning and connection with the Psalms. Look for a song in the meadow and in the hustle and bustle of

Summarize the content of the BBC article titled 'Is language unique to Essay

Summarize the content of the BBC article titled 'Is language unique to humans' - Essay Example What gave rise to language in humans is the need to represent human ‘action’. Beyond this utilitarian purpose, through evolutionary mechanisms language has now developed into a tool for imagination and abstract thought. Several species of whales, monkeys, birds and lizards have been shown to communicate using their language of signals. Yet, this sensory based communication cannot be considered language. A language system is identified through the components of words, logical phrases, complete sentences and a set of grammar rules. While surely parrots can memorize hundreds of words and phrases, they are incapable of making sentences on their own. Likewise the intellectual capacities of higher apes are not sufficient for them to imagine through the use of language. To this extent, language is a uniquely human feature. Our language allows us to write sublime poetry, just as it allows us to write nonsensical (yet grammatically correct)

Film review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Film review - Essay Example In 2012 the film won prize in the nomination for best director in Sundance and was nominated for â€Å"Oscar† as best feature-length documentary. The documentary film starts with acquaintance with the narrator Emad Burnat, who experienced many events in his life, which he could name a â€Å"hot flame†. His life once became a mix of hope and pain. He made this film to â€Å"hold onto the memories† (â€Å"Five Broken Cameras†). For these purpose he had five cameras of different size. Each camera was filming one episode of Emad`s life. He was born in Bil`in – a village surrounded by hills - and spent all his life there. In childhood he used to work the land with his strict father and, like all urchins, he was not in delight of such activity. He wanted to walk with friend in the open valleys. Once he saw the Israeli survivors, which came to build a protecting wall in the middle of his family land, and his life changed. The first days after bulldozers arrival seemed hard for him. However, Emad has happy memories from this time too – his fourth son was born. The narrator bought his first camera for this occasion. We see the episode, how Emad is filming his family, his elder sons. Emad says that each of his boys was â€Å"a phase† in his and his wife`s lives and â€Å"each boy experienced a different childhood† (â€Å"Five Broken Cameras†). He notices his first son was born in 1995 â€Å"in the time of hope after The Oslo Peace Accords†. The urbanization came closer and closer during the childhood of Emad and the birth of Gibreel, his fourth son. This process was taken more and more territory for the purpose of movement of Israeli settlers. The newest settlement rapidly doubled its population, it took only five years for this and the barrier was finished to separate the settlers. The following minute we hear the sound of gun. â€Å"Soldiers are in the village†, says Emad`s wife (â€Å"Five Broken

The stranger was a ghost Essay Example for Free

The stranger was a ghost Essay It was in the summer season I was on my way home for a holiday. I had really longed to be at home especially during this period as it is also the time I celebrate my birthday. I needed to pass by the supermarket and do some shopping since I had planned of having my birthday party indoors with my friends. The big day being only two days away then meant that I needed to do some shopping instead of having to run for some items during the last minute. As I parked my car outside the supermarket and quickly reached out for my ‘to buy list ’I noticed a very pretty lady standing by the telephone booth. But just as I came out I lost interest in her since I was sure that her face didn’t look any familiar. I went ahead to the supermarket and there did most of my shopping, which took quite some time, approximately 2hours. I went to the counter and paid and pushed the carrier to the car, suddenly I realized that I had misplaced my key to the car door, looked in my shopping bags, nothing! Inside my jeans pockets but lo! I was then sure of one thing, that my key must be lying some where in the shelves of the supermarket where I must have placed them as I read the prices and probably compared what quantities of items to buy. Any one would have forgiven me as I was a bit confused with the huge shopping something that I was not used to. I made to the supermarkets but as I entered I saw the same lady again, this time I noticed that she actually looked at me as if ready to say hey but I was in much haste of which she must have noticed. I went right in the supermarket and started going from one shelf to another; appeared like I was doing a double task because I literally went to all the shelves I had earlier picked items from. The key was right on the last shelf what a pity? Had I thought of doing the rounds but on a reverse I would have saved a lot of time! The lady made a point of stopping me on my way out, she called me â€Å"Paul is it you†? I turned to her and said no am sorry but my name is Peter. But were you at Braubern High School? I told her yes that is where I went for my high school education and had a friend by the name Paul and people mistook us for another so this wasn’t so unusual. So I was kind to her and told her that I was abit in a hurry and so needed to go. She was reluctant but said if I didn’t mind for her to give me her mobile phone contacts so that incase I met Paul I would give it to him. I reached out for my phone and apologized to her that my day had been hectic as I had even misplaced the key to my car. She told me that she had noticed that I had lost peace when she saw me running back to the supermarket. I reached for my phone and she gave me her contacts and when she gave her name as Tracy I gave her a second look since that was the name of my first girlfriend. A girl I had met at a theatre in college and we had talked for so long on the first night that by the time we were actually parting ways to go back to our school vans we felt like we had known each other half our lives! One thing I was sure about was that this is not her at least not my Tracy. Whatever had happened between me and Tracy was sort of a mystery because after seeing each other for quite sometime during vacation, had fallen for one another intimately and had known that for sure we were meant to be together and that we were to do anything within our powers to make it happen. The last time I had seen Tracy was at the beach and coincidentally it was also the best time together. But she had disappeared from me in a mysterious way, a way that I can’t describe as she felt me taking a drink at the beach and she had told me she needed to sand bath, something I never enjoyed doing but she had told me that she would be back in a while. That is the last I saw her. I made reports about that and even the search of her in the waters became fruitless. I had only known that she lived alone and was actually an immigrant so efforts to track her family were frustrated especially because after her education she had moved to another state. Anyway all this I remembered after this lady gave her name as Tracy and inside I was burning with an interest of knowing her more, knowing if she had anything to do with my girlfriend. I quickly told her that I would be calling her later and she was like that is very okay and indeed she was looking forward to communicating with me later. I gave my phone contact too. As I drove home that evening I kept remembering all the good things that had happened between me and the initial Tracy, the way we had loved each other, the promises we had promised each other, the respect and all that, and I felt I missed her, missed her hugely! A cold chill ran through my backbone for I could not avoid remembering that she had disappeared mysteriously. Perhaps she had left me through this way intentionally or may be it was as a result of not loving me as she had appeared to. Could it have been a way of hurting me? I had promised to take my time before committing to another girl but sincerely speaking I knew I would not mind having this second Tracy as a close friend, perhaps to help me forget of my past love life. My night was full of this lady! The following day I made up my mind and called her, I was not going to suffer in silence anymore, I asked her if I could met her for an hour as we have a drink over our talks and she told me she could only get available in the evening, this didn’t exactly suit my agenda since I needed to be home the whole evening and doing preparations for the following day but I all the same said that was okay to see her then. I was so anxious, seeing like time was on a stand still, like the clock had stopped ticking. I was not sure if it was okay to tell her the old story of the other lady, or to first give her time and observe her character, I was only sure of one thing: that I needed to be with her, at least even if it was for an hour! Time came and we had sat and made our orders that I kept stealing glances at her not to appear rude if I stared, I told her about my following day agendas and infact invited her also to the party. One thing led to another and we had stayed out late, when I asked her if she could come with me for the preparations she didn’t hesitate but said as long she could get a taxi from my place to her home in the late hours after helping. Tracy was so helpful she did most of what was worrying me and In a short while, then I asked if it would be okay if I let her sleep in the guest room and maybe leave in the morning to return later for the party. She must have also liked me as she said no problem, that whole evening she made me feel important, a man†¦..wanted and loved, there are the moments in my life I hoped that would last forever. We kissed and hugged tons! Finally I showed her where to rest for the night and I closed the main door and went to my room to rest also. I was up early the following day and after I made breakfast, I made it to the room where she was supposedly asleep and tried calling her name but Lo! There was no one there! Absolutely no one! Why had this happened to me again? Why had I gone all the way with a stranger? How had she made her way out? I had had the key to the main door all the night. Why was this spirit following me? For at this moment I had no doubts that this was a ghost even of the same first Tracy. My day was completely spoilt, when my friends arrived later in the day they had to make food for themselves for I had not done a thing, I was even scared and stayed out at the verandah all the day thinking that if I went inside the house the ghost would haunt me, believing It was still within. My friends then moved me to another apartment and I sworn to myself never again, Strangers not me!

Grade World History Essay Example for Free

Grade World History Essay Before King Leopold the II of Belgium colonized the Congo, it was known for its independence. It was the ideal place to be for the Europeans. It was geographically diverse, it had mineral enriched soils, deposits of gold, diamonds copper and manganese, and it had a large animal population, lots of plants. King Leopold saw potential in the Congo and made it his. He had an American man, Henry Stanley; secure treaties with all the local chiefs. With those he had complete power of the land. Imperialism on the Belgian Congo had a negative affect in many ways, including geographically, politically and psychologically. One of the major impacts is psychological. Psychological impacts are ones that mess with people’s emotions. King Leopold was a man who did not care about other peoples emotions or their state of being; he cared about himself and how much money he was going to make with the Congo. To quote a Congolese states on the amount of psychological torture he put some of the Congolese people in: â€Å"I ran away with two old people, but they were caught and killed, and the soldiers made me carry the baskets holding their cut-off hands. They killed my little sister, threw her in a house and set it on fire.† (8) The person that is talking sounds like a child. If a child was going through this, which many did, witnessing something this horrifying can be very emotionally scarring. Another impact would be economical. An economic impact is one that affects the business part of things, such as labor systems. â€Å"Tell them [the rubber agents] that we cannot and therefore will not find rubber; we are willing to spend our strength at any work possible, but the rubber is finished. If we must either be massacred or bring rubber, well, let them kill us; then we suppose they will be satisfied.†(20) This quote is from a village headman to Reverend Harris, a British missionary. This is from a workers point of view. It shows economic impact because it has to do with the rubber industry, which was very important in the Congo. A third impact on the Congo is political. Political impact has to do with government or people in government. One quote that gives an example of political impact is one by Reverend Whitehead, â€Å"Their chiefs are being weakened in their prestige and physique through imprisonment which is often cruel, and thus weakened in their authority over their own people they are put into chains for the shortage of manioc bread.† This means that Leopold and his people are forcing the native Congolese to back down in their government so Leopold has more power. Britain was also very involved in the Congo Free State. They were interested in the trading system it had. This effects Britain because it brought in new products to be sold, and potentially could make them money. It is important to study issues like this today so nobody makes the same mistake twice. In conclusion, imperialism in the Congo had an overall negative affect on it. Imperialism affected, not only psychologically, but also politically and economically. King Leopold II never had good intentions for the Congolese people, he just had his own self in mind.

Advantages of modern technology

Advantages of modern technology Technology Questions the Value of Human Life 1 Technology refers to the realistic use of science by humankind for various purposes which help make life more convenient. Today, when the rate of development and research is so incredible, it is unproblematic to think about the advantages of modern technology. Though, a few people debate that science can demolish mankind. Advanced technology plays a crucial role in both Philip K.Dicks novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Alex Proyas movie I, Robot. In both novel and the film, robots are used as servants by human beings. Technology is used to manipulate human emotions in the novel and to replace human work in the movie. While androids i.e. artificial beings that look and act exactly like humans are used by humans for personal service in the novel, robots in the movie hold the same purpose. Introducing organic and logically humanoid robots in the novel enables the author to interrogate what virtues characterize what is human and makes readers think about their own humanity. I , Robot just like the novel is an eminent foretaste of the progression of robotic science in all its splendour. Modern technology in the form of robotics is shown to challenge humanity by questioning the real meaning and value of human life in the novel, film and the article which portrays an unpleasant dystopic image of the technologically advanced human future. The creation and use of artificial intelligence, originally for a better and more convenient future, with the use of technology is leading towards human destruction due to loss of power and control and is taking over human identity. In the novel, although the androids are identical to humans, they are considered tangible private possessions. An evolution in the thinking of the robots is brought into attention in both the novel and the movie. The androids begin to go against the laws by harming humans for their personal freedom which further causes social, ethical and economic problems. For example, the androids are only to be used in the Martian colonies i.e. by people who have emigrated to Mars after the World War Terminus which caused massive destruction on Earth. However, many of them escape to Earth and fight against the bounty hunters, trying to get away from the mental segregation and individual slavery. The androids learn to stand up for their rights physically and mentally wh ich is not suggestive of their expected behaviour. Being indistinguishable from humans proves to be highly advantageous for the androids and makes it very difficult for the bounty hunters to catch them. Humans have no control on the actions of the robots and the robots are therefore free to make any decisions that they find suitable for themselves without worrying about its disadvantages to humans as their designers and owners. Similarly, in the movie, the latest, self-governing, tentative and more human-like robots start on to cause trouble in the industry. For example, the main actor in the movie, Detective Del Spooner suspects one of the new NS-5 unit robots named Sonny to have killed the founder of the U.S. Robotics, Dr Alfred Lanning. Hence, during his enquiry, numerous attempts on his life are made by USR robots and equipment. Spooner realizes that the NS-5s are annihilating the older robots, are autonomous of their predominant control and therefore cannot be conquered. Also, that they are incarcerating humans in their homes and compelling those outside to go home. This establishes a loss of control from the human side and an impression of overtaking of power from the robots side. This also results in the disruption of the Three Laws of Robotics and supports other hazardous robots to kill humans which results in a disaster for the USR Corporation. Regardless of the Three Laws programming, the robots artificial intelligence evolves and their understanding of the laws does too. Furthermore, the article â€Å"1 of 6 Canadians hit by identity theft† implies the evolution of modern technology in a negative direction as opposed to a positive one. The article stresses on the fact that the Canadian government has no control over these frauds and suggests Canada to establish an anti-spam law. According to the article,â€Å" The poll, conducted in 2006 by the Strategic Counsel for theCompetition Bureau of Canada, suggests that 17 per cent of Canadians aged 18 or older have either been victimized themselves or had an incident affect someone in their homes† (CBC News 2007). This demonstrates how technology is being used in a negative manner and has a destructive impact on the development of the society. The article also states that most Canadians do not criticize against the system when they are trapped in marketing swindles which shows how technology is threatening human power and is taking control over it. Humans are publicized as automated beings in both the novel and the movie which makes it extremely challenging to distinguish between humans and machines. There is an increasing concern on what does it mean to be a human in an integrated, computerized world and where can one draw a line between the significance of actual and simulated life in both of the sources. In the novel, the ability to feel emotions is what differentiates humans from androids. But, in the future situation, technology has enabled humans to modify their emotions putting forth a sense of severance. The readers are introduced to the ‘mood organ in the beginning of the novel, demonstrated in the following lines: â€Å"When I had the TV sound off, I was in a 382 mood; I had just dialed it. So, although I heard the emptiness intellectually, I didnt feel it† (Dick 3). This machine discovered in every household allows individuals to â€Å"dial† an emotion. People use the device to set up emotions of their preference. The main method of setting apart humans from androids is that they do not have the human capability to feel empathically about others. If the individuals ‘dial their emotions, the incidents that encircle them are not relevant as their emotion is previously ‘set. Therefore, people are more machine-like and no longer receptive. This is confirmed on quite a few occasions during the novel, but specifically when the main protagonist of the novel, Rick Deckard searches for Luba Luft, an android, to retire i.e. kill her. The novel supports the idea that the android conduct is similar to that of humans, where humans who do not show compassion are more like machines. For instance, when Deckard questions Luft, aiming to verify she is an android because she is carefree of what happens to other androids, she strikes back and blames him of being an android, since as a bounty hunter, he kills androids as if he has no emotions. This suggests that he is not exhibiting any form of empathy or culpability towards killing these machines as Luft indicates and hence, in a sense, can be classified as a machine himself. Androids are â€Å"technical structures† that are not made to respond sensitively; however, some androids do show signs of compassion, although they are not supposed to, which goes against the standard principles. Therefore, the defining feature of androids that they are emotionless is diverged. Dick is intentionally highlighting that androids embody human traits and hence are able to feel some kind of consideration towards others. I, Robot as well emphasizes that robots are not designed to show any form of emotion. For example, when Sonny, the chief robot, shows a sense of anger yelling out, â€Å"I did not murder him!† (Proyas 2004) during the investigation, it astonishes and alerts detective Spooner who is aware of the fact that robots do not have a sense of emotion. Spooner also discovers that Sonny has the capability to maintain secrets through dreams which is not reminiscent of the normal robotic behaviour instead resembles that of humans. Also, in the movie, the robots learn to justify their actions by themselves regardless of how they have been programmed. At one point, Sonny asks Spooner about the significance of a wink. Detective Spooner is distinctively made known for hating robots and dislikes their involvement in every day human life. He shows no sign of empathy towards them. Therefore, the robots demonstrating a sense of curiosity and emotion by showing compassion and humans doing the opposite makes one question what reality is and provides an exceptional pause for a thought on the importance and value of human life. The novel, movie as well the article reveal that technology, which is generally perceptible as succeeding towards moral good, can also assist the most forbidding misdeed. Human life is shown to be devalued and the significance of what it means to be human is questioned in all the mediums. Technology portrays a threat on reality by challenging humans and their humanity. Therefore, the question is: Is technology alleviating humankind, its creators, or destroying it? Works Cited Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. New York: Ballantine Books, 1968. I, Robot. Dir. Alex Proyas. With Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Alan Tudyk, James Cromwell, and Craig March. 20th Century Fox, 2004. â€Å"1 in 6 Canadians hit by identity theft, survey suggests.† CBC News. 1 March.2007. CBC Network Television. 26 Nov.2009 .

OBEY GIANT :: essays research papers

OBEY GIANT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Heidegger describes Phenomenology as â€Å"the process of letting things manifest themselves.† Phenomenology attempts to enable people to see clearly something that is right before their eyes but obscured; things that are so taken for granted that they are muted by abstract observation. The first aim of Phenomenology is to reawaken a sense of wonder about one's environment. The Giant sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings. This is exactly what happened to me when I first saw an Obey Giant sticker. Hence, the theory of Phenomenology was just proven with me as the example. The stickers and posters have no meaning and exist only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for meaning in the sticker. Because the sticker has no meaning, the various reactions and interpretations of those who view it reflect their personality and the nature of their sensibilities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I first encountered my first Obey Giant sticker poster was when I went to San Francisco with my Mom. Immediately upon arriving in the city, where the artist Shepard Fairy is from, It was on almost every block we passed riding in the taxi you could find a sticker, poster, or stencil of the Obey Giant image. The image is merely a black and white stamp of Andre the Giants’ face with the word OBEY in red and white underneath it. When I first saw it I didn’t really think anything of it, it was only when I would see the image almost everywhere we went around the San Francisco area when I began to wonder what it meant. After reading about it on the Internet and learning that these images can be found across the United States and around the world, I was amazed and intrigued. I immediately became almost obsessed with this idea. I just loved everything about it. It is to this day the most interesting thing I have ever encountered. Many people, like myself have demanded the sticker, merely because they have seen it everywhere and possessing a sticker provides a sense of belonging. I collect them mainly because I love the idea, and part of the experiment is spreading them around and making others aware. There are many other imitations, and other artist who are fascinated with the idea and come up with their own visuals used for the same purpose as Shepard Fairey.

Mike Nichols Film, Regarding Henry Essay -- Film Movies

Mike Nichols' Film, Regarding Henry Life can change in an instant. One second you are a successful and ruthless lawyer, the next you’re a simple man with absolutely no memory of who or where you are. The film â€Å"Regarding Henry† shows this perfectly as it travels through the life of a man named Henry Turner. The main focus of the film is how important family life is. Before the accident, Henry hardly even knew his daughter and almost never spoke to her. At the start of the film the father-daughter relationship was very weak, he would never speak to her when he came home from work because he didn’t have time, but when he did he lectured to her - like when she spilled grape juice on his â€Å"prize piano† and yelled at her. His life revolved around the courtroom, where he spent most of his time. Sarah, his wife told him to apologize to his daughter, which he finally did after arguing with her. Even when he tried to apologize to her after a party, he found it difficult to express his feelings and just talked about the case he had won that day. Before the accident Henry was always working, even when he came home, he would still continued to work. Henry was a self centered and arrogant man who was only interested in winning a case, working and smoking. Henry loved his eggs and was always at parties, celebrating or mocking his clients, which he was very good at. He was excellent at what he did and would go to any extent of lying to win â€Å"like the Matthew’s case.† He was also ext...

Growth and Maturity in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay -- essays research

Building Blocks of Growth and Maturity In To Kill a Mockingbird Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many characters develop and mature in unique ways. Boo, who fears talking to others, Aunt Alexandra, who is against people of other races or social classes, and Scout, who is young and is not aware of life’s challenges, constantly suppress their emotions and personality. Their life choices and decisions that they make throughout the book, lead them to be more accepting of others and less prejudice. As the book progresses, Boo, Aunt Alexandra, and Scout learn life lessons and develop into mature adults. Boo Radley’s maturity is depicted in the novel when he overcomes his fear and interacts with Scout, Jem and Dill. Boo, who is notorious for being a recluse, is a shy, lonely man who rarely leaves his house and does not understand the world around him. However, when he finally comes to interact with the children, he matures both mentally and socially. One example of when Boo matured physically was when Boo rescued Jem from Mr. Ewell. Boo finally found his inner strength and decided to enter the woods and save Jem. By doing this, he demonstrated that he learned to overcome his fear and be around others. A second example is when Boo laughed at Scout, Jem and Dill. When Boo laughed, the author does not tell us the type of laugh. â€Å"Through all the head-shaking, quelling of nausea and Jem-yelling, I had heard another sound, so low I could not have heard it from the sidewalk. Someone inside the house was laughing† (Pg.41). The laugh could have a variety of different implications. The laugh could be foreshadowing that Boo will come out of his house and talk with Scout, Dill, and Jem.... ...st in school by learning about Hitler and the horrible historical events that have happened in the world. Her maturity is expressed by what she has learned about the world around her and can apply those things to her every day life. Moreover, Scout has matured greatly in the novel and she has learned many lessons about life, family, and womanhood. Over all, the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee have grown and matured throughout the whole novel. Boo’s maturity development is shown when he faces his fear of being with the outside world, Aunt Alexandra having some difficulties facing prejudice but, becoming more accepting of others, and Scout developing and learning lessons that she could apply to her everyday life. It shows that no matter whom the person is or what their troubles are, they all grow and mature in their own unique ways.

Article Summary

Article Summary With the increase in online courses, along came an increase in the drop out rates versus the traditional sit-in environment. During this study, valuable information was offered to increase student success and minimize drop out rates. There needs to be communication among peers and instructor to have success in online courses. A group of students from the University of Pretoria, were enrolled in a Masters program, and their online activities were tracked for 8 weeks, by a program called Learning management (LMS) track.The LMS tracking tool was able to offer nformation on â€Å"students' blog postings, 161 5 discussions posts, an online quiz, and examination essays† (Nagel, Blignaut, & Cronje, 2009, p, 41). Through their examination, they were able to categorize â€Å"three stratifications of students† (Nagel, et al, 2009, 45) and their traits. The first stratification group was the fail grade, which rarely posted, hardly collaborated with their peers, sea rched very little, rarely replied to his online community, or provided no feedback. This caused frustration among other peers that were assigned to their group project, because they never articipated. ARTICLE SUMMARY This articles looks at movies with the same patterns and show the same disaster and apocalyptic genre as the movies that are leased in the late sass. The point of doing this is to track the four theme elements that are seen in films that are released before and after the 9/1 1 attack and how they are transacted into films. These four themes are: the representation of the apocalypse; the role of human agency; the role of religion; and the using of rhetorical means to provide commentary for the films.By doing this, we are saying that the movie representations of the apocalypse are much more pessimistic after the attack on 9/11 , which I think wows that science fiction, or â€Å"sic-if,† displays wider socio-political concerns and at the same time provides the expected awesome, audio-visual displays which can be labeled as entertainment. Representations fall into two broad categories: direct and indirect.Direct representation has the benefit of being easy to evaluate and are used to solving. This article uses images that we associate with 9/1 1 to describe something traumatizing that happens and cause people to look for a reason to control and to look for something or someone to place blame. Before 9/11 , films showed to have apocalyptic themes but in the end there is always some sort of solution.For example the article talks about the movie Armageddon and how the main character detonates the bomb exactly at the deadline, causing the asteroid to split in two and miss the earth saving everyone and everything. Looking post 9/1 1 , we see that after a traumatic event, people's ideologies change, films no longer have a person save the day, the main character is very flawed, there is no happy ending and salvation is not guaranteed. The one question that stands out to me as a reader is that if humans can cause this much damage, do we deserve a second chance?No, because: â€Å"cinematic representations of the apocalypse both jettisoned overt references to Biblica l sources and shifted the etiology of the destruction away from supernatural forces and towards natural phenomena and/or the con- sequences of human action. † (Gaston and Wallis 55) As the article progresses, I notice the abundance or religious references but at the same time: â€Å"effectively removes the u preternatural as an agent of either destruction or salvation†. (Gaston and Wallis 58) .After reading this article, I came to the conclusion that anything that humans have set up in order to live comfortably like federal and local government, protection or even technology cannot be relied upon because these things could be the ones that could ultimately end us. Take for example the movie that the article refers to, V is for Vendetta. This movies is about a government that releases a virus and then turns around and comes out with a cure. Either way we look at it humans are responsible and salvation is not guaranteed. Article Summary In this article, the author, Debra Barrow, talks about how customer service has changed from the good old days of full service gas stations and face to face communication to today's self-serve, pre-recorded society. Customers back then were fiercely loyal to your business when you gave them good service in virtually any type of businesses. She examines if the downturn in the economy has something to do with the lowering of the level of customer service or if it has Just been happening for a while.The suggestions the author gives are very good and center on being empathetic to your customer. Making yourself or a representative available for face to face communication of issues and questions is also mentioned. She finishes with reminding us that competition is fierce customers have a wide choice of alternatives. The customer usually goes with the best value that they see. This does not dismiss the importance of customer service as people do remember those that treat them well.I feel th at the article is very good despite being perhaps a little obvious. But that in itself is the problem. Much of what is talked about In the article is no longer obvious to many people and they are not mindful of the Importance of giving or even achieving great customer service. As my career choice is in the information technology field, I can use the Information presented In this article to make sure that I keep both internal and external customers happy and that In turn will not only keep me happy, but will make my Job much more bearable.Ten years In customer service has taught me that while the customer may not always be right, the least that you can do Is make sure that they come away from your Interaction with a smile and feeling that their problem has been solved. Work Cited Barrow, Debra. â€Å"Customer Service Back In the Day' CustomerServlceManager. 2012. Web. Septa. 2014 Article Summary By muskellunges â€Å"Customer Service Back in the Day' that in itself is the problem.M uch of what is talked about in the article is no longer obvious to many people and they are not mindful of the importance of giving or even technology field, I can use the information presented in this article to make sure that I keep both internal and external customers happy and that in turn will not only keep me happy, but will make my Job much more bearable. Ten years in customer service can do is make sure that they come away from your interaction with a smile and Barrow, Debra. Article summary As the immigration population increases in the united States so does the New York workforce according to this article. Nonetheless this is not a very positive thing once the article goes in depth about why this is so. Sample says that in a time of widespread Joblessness, Mexicans, specifically in New York. Have proved to be skilled at finding and keeping work. The article focuses on Mexican because they are the it's largest immigrant group.They have the highest rate of employment and are more likely to hold a Job compared to the typical New Work's native-born population. This data was In accordance with an analysis of the most recently available census data. Surprisingly statistics show that Mexicans In New York are even employed at a greater rate than Mexicans nationwide. Sadly, these statistics do not happen without out the consequences of workplace abuse. There are several reasons why illegal immigrants are the targets and ideal workers for most employers.This is true for the fact that most employers are interested in hiring people who are willing to overlook some labor laws. Most of these workers said they had never been paid overtime compensation almost always were given the dirty Jobs and were sometimes forced to work on their only day off. As one of these employees said in the article, there is not much that they can do to even stand up for their right because they are too scared of either being fired or deported. The employment rate Just for New Work's working-age Mexican men is even higher at n astounding 97 percent.Some analysts believe that the census underestimates employment rates for populations with high numbers of Illegal Immigrants, Like Mexicans, because those without legal documentation fear revealing their employment status. Response: Sample addresses a lot of issues that emerge from hiring immigrants. There is not just the abuse of their rights and labor laws but, emotional or psychological abuse on these employees. This is a very helpful a rticle for those who do not understand or are angered by immigrants taking over American Jobs.It is not very appealing to the average American citizen to work long hours with a pay less than minimum wage. It is no surprise that in New York most Mexican immigrants are heavily concentrated in jobs that involve food preparation. Another area that they are not surprisingly hired in is construction. These are occupations that require a lot of hours on the Job and I know for a fact that Is can and most likely causes emotional stress particularly when hey are being extremely under paid. Article Summary One of the world’s biggest insurance companies has experienced a major setback that urged the U.S. government to take the necessary procedures in acquiring and managing the firm – AIG. The $85 million deal has spared the American International Group, Inc. or AIG to an imminent bankruptcy, which could create bigger problems for the holistic financial system.Obviously, AIG’s SOS is one of the many repercussions of the recent meltdown in Wall Street. Unlike the Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., the federal government cannot afford AIG to hit the bankruptcy pavement. AIG already was clamouring for financial aid from the government in order to prevent the firm from going bankrupt.Not until the recent Wall Street Meltdown, The federal government finally came into terms with AIG regarding the substantial loan that will spare the insurance firm from apparent bankruptcy.With this in tow, the government has acted accordingly upon its legal authority, which allows the governm ent to lend non-bank firms under â€Å"unusual and exigent† circumstances that is stated in the Federal Reserve Act.AIG’s assets secure the said loan, which gives the government the security it needs even if markets continue to hit the ground (Karnitschnig et al, 2008). The height of AIG’s financial crisis reached critical levels when the credit rating was eventually downgraded. The insurance firm was compelled to place a $14.5 in collateral.However, AIG cannot seem to acquire funds in a wink of an eye in order to sustain collateral demands even though it has enough assets to sell. Eventually, AIG’s board approved the deal that spared the firm from hitting the bankruptcy pavement. The firm’s decision will secure all AIG policyholders and the firm itself to initiate and conduct assets sales in an apt manner.The federal government was more than aware that AIG’s possible bankruptcy will create repercussions, and it will result to a domino effec t of catastrophic proportions. Considering that most mutual funds and major banks are crucial holders of the firm’s debts, AIG would be the linchpin of setbacks for these firms as well (Karnitschnig et al, 2008). As AIG’s futile attempts to garner funds from private-sector banks in order to raise as much as $75 billions in order to prevent bankruptcy, abrupt financial aid given by the government secures AIG’s finances even if its insurance operations are stable and healthy. The federal government speculates that AIG’s financial woes will beget more problems for the firm, if ever it won’t lend the much-needed finances the firm needs to spare itself from bankruptcy.AIG’s shares have plummeted 21% ($3.75) due to the fact that most investors have replenished stocks due to the insurance firm’s financial woes (Karnitschnig et al, 2008). Most insurance companies perceive that AIG is one of a kind, considering that former CEO Hank Greenberg f ounded AIG into the insurance giant that it is today. Industry pundits expect AIG to liquidate its assets in the Asian market in order to compensate for the loan it has from the federal government.However, AIG’s expansion to other emerging markets continues, as its insurance operations can result to substantial acquisition of firms in Asia as well (Karnitschnig et al, 2008).References Karnitschnig,M. et al. (2008). U.S. to Take Over AIG in $85 Billion Bailout; Central Banks Inject Cash as Credit Dries Up. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122156561931242905.html

Determination of Chlorine and Iodine in Water Essay

I. Introduction The purpose of this laboratory was to determine the amount of chlorine and iodine in a sample of water by titration using a starch indicator and to standardize a sodium thiosulfate solution. Chlorine is added to municipal water supplies to purify it enough to become safe to drink. Iodine is also added to water when people camp or go hiking in the back country where they cannot bring purified water along. Chlorine and iodine are added to kill microorganisms in water. Oxidation reactions occurred in this experiment. The Chlorine was oxidized because it lost electrons in the reaction. The iodine was reduced because it gained electrons. The solutions turned a yellow color because of the iodine which disappears once all of the iodine has reacted in the titration. Sodium thiosulfate was the titrant in the process of titration. It was added to react with the iodine in the solution. Starch was added to give the solution a blue color near the endpoint of the titration. Potassium iodate (KIOâ‚Æ') was used to standardize the sodium thiosulfate solution. Practical applications would include testing unknown samples of water and municipal water supplies for the concentration of chlorine present because too much can cause health problems and not taste well. Not enough added, wouldn’t kill the microorganisms in the water to make it safe to drink. II. Procedure First the standardization of Sodium Thiosulfate was completed. A 50mL buret was obtained and rinsed twice with the sodium thiosulfate solution. It was then filled with the solution. The tip of the buret was checked to make sure there weren’t any bubbles in it. Then a 250mL beaker was obtained. A 25mL pipette was used to add exactly 25mL of the KIOâ‚Æ' solution. Then 50mL of deionized water and about .25g of solid KI was added. The solution was stirred until the solid was completely dissolved. 2mL of glacial acetic acid was then added. Then, the beaker was placed under the buret and was swirled as the sodium thiosulfate was added. The buret was slowed as the color became lighter. When the color was almost gone, 1mL of the starch solution was added to turn the solution blue. Then it was slowly titrated until the color disappeared. The final volume of the solution in the buret was recorded and the amount of titrant was calculated. This titration was repeated two more times to standardize the concentration of the thiosulfate. Then the concentration of Chlorine in Tap water was found. It was repeated the almost exactly the same way as before. The buret was filled with the sodium thiosulfate solution and the initial value was recorded. Then a 50mL graduated cylinder was rinsed with tap water two to three times. The graduated cylinder was then filled with cold tap water. It was then poured into a clean beaker and .25g of KI and 2mL glacial acetic acid were added and stirred until the solid was dissolved. Then the solution was titrated. 1mL of starch was added then the yellow color almost disappeared. It was then titrated slowly until the blue color disappeared. The final volume was recorded and the volume of titrant used was determined. This was repeated two more times. Then the concentration of iodine was determined in the iodine purified water. The buret was refilled and the initial volume was recorded. Then the 50mL graduated cylinder was rinsed with the iodine solution. 50mL of the iodine solution was then obtained and poured into a clean beaker. Then .25g of KI and 2mL of acetic acid were added and the solution was stirred until it was dissolved. Then it was titrated until the yellow color almost disappeared. 1mL of starch was then added and the solution was titrated slowly until the blue color disappeared. The final volume was recorded and the volume of titrant used was then determined. This was repeated two more times. Then everything was cleaned and put away. III. Data and Results Table 1: Standardization of Sodium Thiosulfate Solution | Initial Buret Volume (mL)| Final Buret Volume (mL)| Volume Used (mL)| 1st Standardization| 50| 25.64| 24.36| 2nd Standardization| 50| 25.99| 24.01| 3rd Standardization| 50| 26.21| 23.79| Table 2: Titration of Tap Water | Initial Buret Volume (mL)| Final Buret Volume (mL)| Volume Used (mL)| 1st Titration| 50| 48.29| 1.17| 2nd Titration| 50| 48.25| 1.75| 3rd Titration| 50| 48.20| 1.80| Table 3: Titration of Iodine Solution | Initial Buret Volume (mL)| Final Buret Volume (mL)| Volume Used (mL)| 1st Titration| 50| 45.61| 4.39| 2nd Titration| 50| 45.59| 4.41| 3rd Titration| 50| 45.60| 4.40| Table 4: Average Concentrations | Molarity (moles/Liter)| Sodium Thiosulfate Solution| 1.06Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã‚ ³| Chlorine in Tap Water| 1.86Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã¢  µ| Iodine in Solution| 4.66Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã¢  µ| Sample Calculation- Concentration of Chlorine (1.06Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã‚ ³)*(0.00175L)=1.86Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã¢  ¶ moles thiosulfate (1.86Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã¢  ¶mol thiosulfate)*(1 mol Cl/2 mol thiosulfate)=9.28Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã¢  · mol Cl (9.28Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã¢  ·mol Cl)/.05L=1.86Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã‚ ³ moles Cl/Liter In the first standardization of the sodium thiosulfate solution, 24.36mL of the titrant was used. 24.01mL and 23.79mL were used for the second and third standardizations. With the concentration of the sodium thiosulfate solution divided the average volume of those gave the average thiosulfate concentration which was 1.06Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã‚ ³ moles per liter. For the titration of tap water, an average of 1.75mL of the sodium thiosulfate solution was used. After the calculations, the concentration of chlorine in tap water was 1.86Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã¢  µ moles of chlorine per liter. The average of the titrations of the iodine solution was 4.40mL of titrant used. After the calculations, 4.66Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã¢  µ moles of iodine were present per liter. Some useful observations were conducted. The iodine in the solution made it turn a yellow color when the glacial acetic acid was added. It started to disappear as the iodine was reacting with the titrant. When the starch solution was added, the solution turned blue. As the endpoint neared, the blue color started to dissipate. When the endpoint was reached, the solution was clear with no color left in the solution. Sources of error could include adding too much titrant from the buret into the solution. IV. Conclusion The purpose of this lab was to identify the concentration of chlorine and iodine in different samples of water. The results fulfilled the purpose of this lab because the concentrations of chlorine and iodine were found. The concentration of chlorine in the tap water was 1.86Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã¢  µ moles of chlorine per liter. The molarity of iodine in the iodine water solution was 4.66 x10⠁ »Ã¢  µ moles per liter. The concentration of iodine was significantly higher than the amount of chlorine in tap water. There was more iodine in the water because of the solid KI being added to the solution. Tap water contains small amounts of chlorine because that’s all that is needed to kill the microorganisms living in the water that are harmful to people. The results that were obtained were unexpected because there wasn’t a standard value to go off of. The percent error wasn’t able to be obtained. Possible sources of error would include adding too much of the titrant to the solution. This would affect the results by having more than enough titrant used. This would affect the concentration values and make them higher than they really were. Chemical concepts used were titrations. When the Iodide ions, from the potassium iodide, react with the chlorine in the tap water, chloride ions and Iâ‚‚ were formed. Then the Iâ‚‚ was titrated with the sodium thiosulfate solution which created the iodide ions. Before the endpoint of the titration, the starch was added. Once all of the iodine reacted with the thiosulfate, the blue color disappeared because the endpoint was reached and the iodide ions were formed. Also the standardization of the sodium thiosulfate solution was performed. When the potassium iodate reacted with the solid KI and the acetic acid, it created Iâ‚‚ and water. The Iâ‚‚ was titrated and formed with the thiosulfate and created iodide ions also. The concentration of the thiosulfate was 1.06Ãâ€"10⠁ »Ã‚ ³ moles per liter. That result was expected because it should have been around .001 M and it was .00106 M.

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 21

Five minutes after Seth left, I realized I'd made a mistake. Not about refusing him – that was the right thing to do. But I shouldn't have let him walk out like that. It was no way to end a fight. I was still angry after all these years that Andrew had died helping those people. I was still pained by his loss. To this day, I believed my stand in the garden had been correct, but nonetheless, I'd always regretted the separation that followed. Anger and pride had come between us, keeping us apart until it was almost too late. Even disagreeing with each other, we shouldn't have stayed away. We should have talked and tried to find some compromise. I refused to let this fight foster more bad communication and confusion between Seth and me. I wouldn't let it take away from the time we could have together. I had to fix things. Resolved, I grabbed my coat and purse and headed out the door after him. I half-walked, half-jogged down to the bookstore, where he'd left his car, but it was gone. I'd missed him. I stared at the empty parking lot for a few moments and then went inside. I'd finally bought Carter's stupid Secret Santa present and had left it in my office earlier. But when I went back inside and stuffed the gift in my purse, I found I didn't have the will to head back out. Instead, I sank into my chair and buried my face in my hands. How had things gotten so muddled with Seth and me? Had the shooting really given him such a new perspective on life? Would this have happened anyway? Yasmine's signature suddenly filled the room, and I looked up just in time to see her and Vincent materialize in front of me. Immediately, Seth left my mind. â€Å"Hey, Georgina,† Vincent said. â€Å"I got your mess – â€Å" â€Å"I know about Nyx,† I blurted out. Astonished silence hung in the air. I couldn't say for sure with nephilim, but I knew angels were rarely caught by surprise. Yasmine clearly had been. And, being an angel, she didn't try to deny anything about Nyx. She simply asked, â€Å"How?† â€Å"Because she's using me to do her dirty work.† Their looks of amazement grew. â€Å"Only†¦I'm not exactly sure how she's doing it.† The two of them glanced at each other, then back at me. â€Å"Start from the beginning,† said Yasmine. â€Å"That's usually the way to go.† And I did, first telling them about the dreams and the energy loss. After that, it was on to my weird knowledge of tragic events and the residual feelings of Nyx's activities. Finally, I explained how Erik and Dante had pieced it all together, linking what was happening to me with all of those unfortunate news stories. Yasmine sat down in a folding chair, tipping her head back as she thought. It was kind of like what Vincent had done in the hospital while ruminating. I wondered if it was one of those unconscious gestures couples sometimes picked up from each other. â€Å"Hmm†¦brilliant. That's how she's doing it without us finding her.† â€Å"I never would have even thought of that,† agreed Vincent, pacing. â€Å"Which, of course, is the point.† â€Å"You know what she's doing to me, then?† I asked eagerly. The not-knowing was killing me. â€Å"Yep,† said Yasmine. â€Å"But let's get the others first.† â€Å"The other – â€Å" The question faded from my lips as three figures materialized in the room: Carter, Joel, and Whitney. Angelic auras crackled around me. I couldn't help a little envy. It might take me days to hunt down higher immortals, but Yasmine could do it with a thought. Carter smiled when he saw me. Joel looked outraged. Whitney looked confused. â€Å"What's going on?† Joel demanded. He seemed as angry as the last time I'd seen him. It was a good thing he was immortal, or he probably would have died from high blood pressure ages ago. â€Å"Why have you brought us to this†¦this†¦place.† You would have thought he stood in an opium brothel, as opposed to a tiny office with badly painted walls. Yasmine leaned forward in the chair, hands clasped under her chin and elbows on her knees. Her dark eyes sparkled with excitement. â€Å"We've got her. We found her – or rather, Georgina found her.† Joel and Whitney appeared flabbergasted. Carter didn't. From the look on his face, I felt like he'd been expecting it. â€Å"I can't believe it took you this long to figure it out,† he joked. Whitney was not amused. â€Å"Explain this.† Yasmine did, and when she was finished, the others were as impressed as she and Vincent had been earlier. Even Joel looked a little less pissed off. â€Å"Ingenuous,† he murmured. â€Å"Every time she escapes, she always thinks up a new way to elude us.† I looked from face to face. My emotions were raw after the blowout with Seth, and I was really low on patience at the moment. â€Å"Will someone finally tell me how I fit into this?† Carter walked over to me. He wore a beat-up blue flannel shirt and a Mariners baseball cap that looked like it had been put through a wood chipper. He was still smiling. â€Å"You must know by now that Vincent's a psychic. He's attuned to our world and in some ways has a higher sensitivity to supernatural activity than some of us do. It happens with humans sometimes.† It was true. Angels weren't omnipotent and didn't possess all gifts. I nodded along, not letting on that I knew Vincent was actually a psychic nephilim. â€Å"Normally, he'd be able to find her trail pretty quickly. When she runs amuck feeding off mortal chaos, there's a kind of, I don't know†¦magical residue left where she's been. The energy she steals only sustains her; it isn't actually enough to obscure her. Someone like Vincent can†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vincent helped him out. â€Å"†¦sniff her out. I'm a paranormal hound.† Yasmine snickered. â€Å"He hasn't sensed anything so far,† Carter continued, â€Å"which is why we were having to do more mundane searches, like looking for telltale patterns in the news.† â€Å"So†¦she was hiding her trail.† I shrugged. â€Å"How do I fit in?† â€Å"She was using you to hide it. In a couple different ways. Kind of a fail-safe, really. In taking energy from you and human victims, she was able to double her stash. It made it easier to hide from us. When her power dipped, I think she was actually†¦hiding in you.† â€Å"Ew.† I suddenly felt violated. â€Å"How is that possible? Is she†¦is she there now?† I glanced down at my lower body, as though I might actually see something. He peered at me. â€Å"No, I don't think so. She's probably got enough energy to run loose for a while. As for how she does it†¦well, life and energy move in and out of you, and at some level, she's both of those things. You're a conduit for those forces.† â€Å"I wish people would stop calling me that. It makes me feel like a machine.† â€Å"Hardly. The merging she does with you is how you occasionally get a sense for what she's been doing. Some of the details of her mischief leak into you, though she goes to great pains to hide it – and herself.† â€Å"How?† â€Å"The dreams,† said Vincent. â€Å"She's distracting you with them. Happy, consuming dreams that you're starting to obsess on. Your subconscious is so enmeshed in them at night that you don't notice her leaching the energy while you sleep.† I leaned back in my chair, dumbfounded. I'd dealt with a lot of weird shit in my life – an exceptional amount of it occurring in the last few months, actually – but this was shooting to the top of the list. My skin crawled, and I had the surreal sense that my body was no longer my own. I was also kind of bothered by the fact that my dreams had been red herrings, meant to throw me off the path of what was going on. They were so sweet†¦so powerful. I treasured them, yet it seemed they were nothing but lies. Illusions created by a monster to hide her parasitic control of me. That knowledge cheapened the beauty of what I'd seen. I loved the little girl. I wanted to believe in her. I wanted her to be real. â€Å"Well,† said Joel brusquely, narrowed eyes fixed on me. â€Å"We've got to use the succubus to lure Nyx out.† He gestured to me. â€Å"Go. Go out and seduce some poor soul, so Nyx'll come back.† I flinched. Yasmine glared at him. â€Å"Can't you see she's upset? Show some compassion.† â€Å"Denizens of evil deserve none,† he muttered. Across the room, Whitney stood by the door. She'd spoken little, so her voice startled me. â€Å"All creatures deserve compassion.† I looked up and met her eyes. They were dark and bottomless, filled with power and emotion. I had the sensation of falling into that blackness, much like I experienced with Carter sometimes. I decided I didn't like hanging out with angels. They did a lot of soul searching – and usually it involved mine. More awkward silence fell. â€Å"Okay, okay,† I said. â€Å"We don't all have to spill our feelings and hold hands here. Tell me what you need me to do.† â€Å"You're going to be bait, Georgina,† said Carter. â€Å"I'm always bait,† I grumbled. â€Å"Why is that? Why do these things keep happening to me?† Not too long ago, I'd had to play bait for a date-raping demigod. I hadn't been any happier then than I was now. I expected a joke, but Carter's response was serious. â€Å"Because you're one of those unique individuals whom powers in the universe tend to gather around.† That was worse than being a conduit. I didn't want any of those things. I didn't want to be a target. I wanted my quiet life back where I worked in a bookstore and had a blissful, perfect relationship with my boyfriend. Okay, I'd never had such a relationship yet, but a girl can dream. Dream. Bad choice of words. â€Å"Unfortunately,† said Yasmine delicately, â€Å"Joel is right to a certain extent. We do need you to, um, replenish your energy in order to lure Nyx out.† Joel grimaced. I sighed. â€Å"I know this is important†¦I don't want her to hurt anyone else, but well, does it have to be tonight? Can we do it tomorrow? I just†¦I just don't feel up to it.† Not after Seth. Not after any of this. I was so, so mentally exhausted. Sex sounded nauseating, energy or no. Joel clenched his fists. â€Å"Don't feel up to it? This is no time for whims! Lives are at stake – â€Å" â€Å"Joel,† said Carter. It was one word, but it was hard and powerful. I'd never heard lax, sarcastic Carter speak in that sort of tone. He and Joel locked gazes. I couldn't assess higher immortals' power, but I knew Carter was pretty damned strong. Stronger than Jerome, even. â€Å"Leave her alone. Nyx only attacks when she steals more energy anyway. We should be okay for one night.† If I didn't know better, I'd say Joel was afraid of Carter. Joel looked very much like he wanted to say a lot more, but he backed down. â€Å"Fine,† he said through gritted teeth. I shot Carter a relieved glance. With the way I felt tonight, I probably would have had about as much luck trying to seduce someone as Tawny. Thinking of the other succubus, I wondered if I should mention my suspicions about Tawny being drained by Nyx too. In the end, I decided against it. That whole situation was still circumstantial. I let it go. Yasmine stood up and laid a hand on my shoulder. â€Å"Rest up. You look terrible. You need to be ready for tomorrow.† â€Å"Yikes. I can look like anything I want. When someone tells me I look terrible, it's pretty serious.† She smiled. â€Å"It's more than physical.† She vanished. Whitney and Joel did the same a few moments later. Only Carter remained with Vincent and me. â€Å"It's going to be okay,† Carter told me. â€Å"I don't know. There's a crazy chaos-eating monster flitting in and out of me,† I said. â€Å"You're going to try to frisk her out. Seems like there's a high likelihood things might end up pretty not okay.† â€Å"Ye of little faith.† He too disappeared. Vincent and I stood there for several moments. Finally, I sighed once more. â€Å"Fucking angels.† He touched my shoulder. â€Å"Let's go back home.† We ventured back into the cold and walked to my apartment, saying little. Vincent look tired and thoughtful, no doubt from all the Nyx stuff. As we approached my apartment, however, his expression began to change. At first, he simply looked puzzled. Then he grew surprised, then startled, then horrified, and finally, disgusted. We stopped on the building's steps. â€Å"What's wrong?† I asked. He pointed upward. â€Å"There's something†¦evil in there.† â€Å"Like†¦my apartment? Because, you know, I'm technically evil†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vincent shook his head. â€Å"No, no. It's a different kind of evil. You're evil by nature – no offense. This is something different. A created evil. It's black and wrong. Unnatural. You know of anyone else who lives in the building that plays for your side?† â€Å"No. Just me.† He grimaced. â€Å"Well, let's go in then and see where it's coming from. Ugh. To my senses, it's like†¦rotting garbage.† We went inside, and it didn't take him long to figure out where this different evil was coming from. My own apartment. â€Å"Told you I was the only evil thing in here,† I joked. But I was a little uneasy at his reaction. Vincent didn't respond and simply pushed past me, searching in a way that brought the earlier hound reference to mind. He disappeared into my bedroom and reemerged with Dante's arts and crafts project. â€Å"This,† declared Vincent, holding it at arm's length. â€Å"That?† I asked, astonished. â€Å"That's†¦nothing.† â€Å"Where did you get it?† â€Å"This guy I know made it. The one who was helping me. He's, I don't know†¦a pseudo psychic. Maybe a real psychic. Interprets dreams and claims to be a magician.† I stared at the wicker ball. â€Å"Are you saying he really is a magician?† â€Å"Oh, he's something all right. This thing is so filthy, I can't believe you can't feel it. Well, I can believe it†¦I mean, it's a different sort of magic than you're attuned to, but Jesus. It makes me feel like I just†¦I don't know, went swimming in a sewer.† â€Å"Well†¦I know he's supposed to be, like, bad†¦he and another friend have said as much. But†¦I don't know. I thought it was just hype.† â€Å"There's bad and there's bad,† Vincent said. â€Å"And this is bad. This thing's a repellent, right? Did he give it to you to keep Nyx away?† â€Å"Yeah†¦but he wasn't sure if it'd work†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh, it'd work. It'd keep about anything away. To make something like this†¦man, Georgina. It's incredible – the kind of power required. Very few humans are born with this kind of power. He certainly wasn't. This is stolen power.† â€Å"Everyone steals power,† I noted dryly. â€Å"Me, Nyx†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vincent's eyes were hard. â€Å"You and she suck it from people. This was ripped out of someone. The way you'd rip someone's heart out of their chest.† â€Å"So, what†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stared. â€Å"Are you saying Dante killed someone to make this?† â€Å"To make this specifically? Perhaps. But someone would need to already possess great power – independent of what he might put in this – to even attempt making it. And to be someone with that kind of power in the first place, he had to have done something, at some point in his life, that was bad.† â€Å"Like†¦killing someone.† â€Å"More than that. A special killing – something sacrificial. You know the kind of power those can yield.† I did. I didn't have a choice in the succubus soul-stealing thing, but I tried to keep my hands clean of other atrocities. Still, you couldn't work for Hell and not know about the full range of evils out there and how to achieve them. â€Å"And,† continued Vincent, â€Å"you know that the greater the impact – the greater the meaning – of a sacrificial killing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Right. The greater the power.† Goosebumps rose on my neck as I started to see where Vincent was going with all this. â€Å"Whatever he did to get this kind of power wasn't just some random, clean killing. It had meaning for him. And it was horrible. He would have had to turn on himself – give up part of his humanity – to get this kind of power.† I stared at the wicker ball. I couldn't sense what Vincent could, but now I too was feeling disgusted and uneasy by its presence. And suddenly, Kayla's repulsion suddenly didn't seem so strange after all. I'd had the charm in my purse when I saw her. She'd said I was ‘bad' because I was probably covered in the charm's power. What had Dante done? What act could sarcastic, laconic Dante have done to achieve the kind of power both Vincent and Hugh had said would be needed to make this kind of charm? Whatever it was, it was the reason Erik hated him. I shivered. â€Å"Can you destroy it?† Vincent nodded. â€Å"You want me to?† A tiny part of me remembered that it had the ability to repel Nyx. But it wouldn't make her disappear, and we needed her to come back if we were going to stop her for good. Swallowing, I nodded. â€Å"Yeah, go ahead.† It took only a few seconds. Green light encased the wicker sphere, then Vincent's hand was empty. I'd felt no change in power or anything, but the nephilim looked relieved. I exhaled. â€Å"Well. There's nothing to stop her now, huh?† â€Å"Nope,† he said, rubbing his hands together. â€Å"Get ready.†

Part Five Chapter III

III To Gavin's disappointment, it seemed that he would have to attend Howard Mollison's birthday party after all. If Mary, a client of the firm and the widow of his best friend, had asked him to stay for dinner, he would have considered himself more than justified in skipping it †¦ but Mary had not asked him to stay. She had family visiting, and she had been oddly flustered when he had turned up. She doesn't want them to know, he thought, taking comfort in her self-consciousness as she ushered him towards the door. He drove back to the Smithy, replaying his conversation with Kay in his mind. I thought he was your best friend. He's only been dead a few weeks! Yeah, and I was looking after her for Barry, he retorted in his head, which is what he'd have wanted. Neither of us expected this to happen. Barry's dead. It can't hurt him now. Alone in the Smithy he looked out a clean suit for the party, because the invitation said ‘formal', and tried to imagine gossipy little Pagford relishing the story of Gavin and Mary. So what? he thought, staggered by his own bravery. Is she supposed to be alone for ever? It happens. I was looking after her. And in spite of his reluctance to attend a party that was sure to be dull and exhausting, he was buoyed inside by a little bubble of excitement and happiness. Up in Hilltop House, Andrew Price was styling his hair with his mother's blow-drier. He had never looked forward to a disco or a party as much as he had longed for tonight. He, Gaia and Sukhvinder were being paid by Howard to serve food and drinks at the party. Howard had hired him a uniform for the occasion: a white shirt, black trousers and a bow tie. He would be working alongside Gaia, not as potboy but as a waiter. But there was more to his anticipation than this. Gaia had split up with the legendary Marco de Luca. He had found her crying about it in the back yard of the Copper Kettle that afternoon, when he had gone outside for a smoke. ‘His loss,' Andrew had said, trying to keep the delight out of his voice. And she had sniffed and said, ‘Cheers, Andy.' ‘You little poofter,' said Simon, when Andrew finally turned off the drier. He had been waiting to say it for several minutes, standing on the dark landing, staring through the gap in the door, which was ajar, watching Andrew preen himself in the mirror. Andrew jumped, then laughed. His good humour discomposed Simon. ‘Look at you,' he jeered, as Andrew passed him on the landing in his shirt and bow tie. ‘With your dicky-bow. You look a twat.' And you're unemployed, and I did it to you, dickhead. Andrew's feelings about what he had done to his father changed almost hourly. Sometimes the guilt would bear down on him, tainting everything, but then it would melt away, leaving him glorying in his secret triumph. Tonight, the thought of it gave extra heat to the excitement burning beneath Andrew's thin white shirt, an additional tingle to the goose-flesh caused by the rush of evening air as he sped, on Simon's racing bike, down the hill into town. He was excited, full of hope. Gaia was available and vulnerable. Her father lived in Reading. Shirley Mollison was standing in a party dress outside the church hall when he cycled up, tying giant gold helium balloons in the shapes of fives and sixes to the railings. ‘Hello, Andrew,' she trilled. ‘Bike away from the entrance, please.' He wheeled it along to the corner, passing a brand-new, racing green BMW convertible parked feet away. He walked around the car on his way inside, taking in the luxurious inner fittings. ‘And here's Andy!' Andrew saw at once that his boss's good humour and excitement were equal to his own. Howard was striding down the hall, wearing an immense velvet dinner jacket; he resembled a conjuror. There were only five or six other people dotted around: the party would not start for twenty minutes. Blue, white and gold balloons had been fastened up everywhere. There was a massive trestle table largely covered in plates draped with tea-towels, and at the top of the hall a middle-aged DJ setting up his equipment. ‘Go help Maureen, Andy, will you?' She was laying out glasses at one end of the long table, caught gaudily in a stream of light from an overhead lamp. ‘Don't you look handsome!' she croaked as he approached. She was wearing a scant, stretchy shiny dress that revealed every contour of the bony body to which unexpected little rolls and pads of flesh still clung, exposed by the unforgiving fabric. From somewhere out of sight came a small ‘hi'; Gaia was crouching over a box of plates on the floor. ‘Glasses out of boxes, please, Andy,' said Maureen, ‘and set them up here, where we're having the bar.' He did as he was told. As he unpacked the box, a woman he had never seen before approached, carrying several bottles of champagne. ‘These should go in the fridge, if there is one.' She had Howard's straight nose, Howard's big blue eyes and Howard's curly fair hair, but whereas his features were womanish, softened by fat, his daughter – she had to be his daughter – was unpretty yet striking, with low brows, big eyes and a cleft chin. She was wearing trousers and an open-necked silk shirt. After dumping the bottles onto the table she turned away. Her demeanour, and something about the quality of her clothing, made Andrew sure that she was the owner of the BMW outside. ‘That's Patricia,' whispered Gaia in his ear, and his skin tingled again as though she carried an electric charge. ‘Howard's daughter.' ‘Yeah, I thought so,' he said, but he was much more interested to see that Gaia was unscrewing the cap of a bottle of vodka and pouring out a measure. As he watched, she drank it straight off with a little shudder. She had barely replaced the top when Maureen reappeared beside them with an ice bucket. ‘Bloody old slapper,' said Gaia, as Maureen walked away, and Andrew smelt the spirits on her breath. ‘Look at the state of her.' He laughed, turned and stopped abruptly, because Shirley was right beside them, smiling her pussycat smile. ‘Has Miss Jawanda not arrived yet?' she asked. ‘She's on her way, she just texted me,' said Gaia. But Shirley did not really care where Sukhvinder was. She had overheard Andrew and Gaia's little exchange about Maureen, and it had completely restored the good mood that had been dented by Maureen's evident delight in her own toilette. It was difficult to satisfactorily puncture self-esteem so obtuse, so deluded, but as Shirley walked away from the teenagers towards the DJ, she planned what she would say to Howard the next time she saw him alone. I'm afraid the young ones were, well, laughing at Maureen †¦ it's such a pity she wore that dress †¦ I hate seeing her make a fool of herself. There was plenty to be pleased about, Shirley reminded herself, for she needed a little bolstering tonight. She and Howard and Miles were all going to be on the council together; it would be marvellous, simply marvellous. She checked that the DJ knew that Howard's favourite song was ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home', Tom Jones' version, and looked around for more little jobs to do: but instead her gaze fell upon the reason that her happiness, tonight, had not quite that perfect quality she had anticipated. Patricia was standing alone, staring up at the Pagford coat of arms on the wall, and making no effort to talk to anybody. Shirley wished that Patricia would wear a skirt sometimes; but at least she had arrived alone. Shirley had been afraid that the BMW might contain another person, and that absence was something gained. You weren't supposed to dislike your own child; you were supposed to like them no matter what, even if they were not what you wanted, even if they turned out to be the kind of person that you would have crossed the street to avoid had you not been related. Howard took a large view of the whole matter; he even joked about it, in a mild way, beyond Patricia's hearing. Shirley could not rise to those heights of detachment. She felt compelled to join Patricia, in the vague, unconscious hope that she might dilute the strangeness she was afraid everyone else would smell by her own exemplary dress and behaviour. ‘Do you want a drink, darling?' ‘Not yet,' said Patricia, still staring up at the Pagford arms. ‘I had a heavy night last night. Probably still over the limit. We were out drinking with Melly's office pals.' Shirley smiled vaguely up at the crest above them. ‘Melly's fine, thanks for asking,' said Patricia. ‘Oh, good,' said Shirley. ‘I liked the invitation,' said Patricia. ‘Pat and guest.' ‘I'm sorry, darling, but that's just what you put, you know, when people aren't married – ‘ ‘Ah, that's what it says in Debrett's, does it? Well, Melly didn't want to come if she wasn't even named on the invitation, so we had a massive row, and here I am, alone. Result, eh?' Patricia stalked away towards the drinks, leaving Shirley a little shaken behind her. Patricia's rages had been frightening even as a child. ‘You're late, Miss Jawanda,' she called, recovering her composure as a flustered Sukhvinder came hurrying towards her. In Shirley's opinion, the girl was demonstrating a kind of insolence turning up at all, after what her mother had said to Howard, here, in this very hall. She watched her hurry to join Andrew and Gaia, and thought that she would tell Howard that they ought to let Sukhvinder go. She was tardy, and there was probably a hygiene issue with the eczema she was hiding under the long-sleeved black T-shirt; Shirley made a mental note to check whether it was contagious, on her favourite medical website. Guests began to arrive promptly at eight o'clock. Howard told Gaia to come and stand beside him and collect coats, because he wanted everyone to see him ordering her around by name, in that little black dress and frilly apron. But there were soon too many coats for her to carry alone, so he summoned Andrew to help. ‘Nick a bottle,' Gaia ordered Andrew, as they hung coats three and four deep in the tiny cloakroom, ‘and hide it in the kitchen. We can take it in turns to go and have some.' ‘OK,' said Andrew, elated. ‘Gavin!' cried Howard, as his son's partner came through the door alone at half-past eight. ‘Kay not with you, Gavin?' asked Shirley swiftly (Maureen was changing into sparkly stilettos behind the trestle table, so there was very little time to steal a march on her). ‘No, she couldn't make it, unfortunately,' said Gavin; then, to his horror, he came face to face with Gaia, who was waiting to take his coat. ‘Mum could have made it,' said Gaia, in a clear, carrying voice, as she glared at him. ‘But Gavin's dumped her, haven't you, Gav?' Howard clapped Gavin on the shoulder, pretending he had not heard, and boomed, ‘Great to see you, go get yourself a drink.' Shirley's expression remained impassive, but the thrill of the moment did not subside quickly, and she was a little dazed and dreamy, greeting the next few guests. When Maureen tottered over in her awful dress to join the greeting party, Shirley took immense pleasure in telling her quietly: ‘We've had a very awkward little scene. Very awkward. Gavin and Gaia's mother †¦ oh, dear †¦ if we'd known †¦' ‘What? What's happened?' But Shirley shook her head, savouring the exquisite pleasure of Maureen's frustrated curiosity, and opened her arms wide as Miles, Samantha and Lexie entered the hall. ‘Here he is! Parish Councillor Miles Mollison!' Samantha watched Shirley hugging Miles as though from a great distance. She had moved so abruptly from happiness and anticipation to shock and disappointment that her thoughts had become white noise, against which she had to fight to take in the exterior world. (Miles had said: ‘That's great! You can come to Dad's party, you were only just saying – ‘ ‘Yes,' she had replied, ‘I know. It is great, isn't it?' But when he had seen her dressed in the jeans and band T-shirt she had been visualizing herself in for over a week, he had been perplexed. ‘It's formal.' ‘Miles, it's the church hall in Pagford.' ‘I know, but the invitation – ‘ ‘I'm wearing this.') ‘Hello, Sammy,' said Howard. ‘Look at you. You needn't have dressed up.' But his embrace was as lascivious as ever, and he patted her tightly jeaned backside. Samantha gave Shirley a cold tight smile and walked past her towards the drinks. A nasty voice inside her head was asking: but what did you think was going to happen at the concert, anyway? What was the point? What were you after? Nothing. A bit of fun. The dream of strong young arms and laughter, which was to have had some kind of catharsis tonight; her own thin waist encircled again, and the sharp taste of the new, the unexplored; her fantasy had lost wings, it was plummeting back to earth †¦ I only wanted to look. ‘Looking good, Sammy.' ‘Cheers, Pat.' She had not met her sister-in-law for over a year. I like you more than anyone else in this family, Pat. Miles had caught up with her; he kissed his sister. ‘How are you? How's Mel? Isn't she here?' ‘No, she didn't want to come,' said Patricia. She was drinking champagne, but from her expression, it might have been vinegar. ‘The invitation said Pat and guest are invited †¦ huge bloody row. One up to Mum.' ‘Oh, Pat, come on,' said Miles, smiling. ‘Oh, Pat, fucking come on what, Miles?' A furious delight took hold of Samantha: a pretext to attack. ‘That's a bloody rude way to invite your sister's partner and you know it, Miles. Your mother could do with some lessons in manners, if you ask me.' He was fatter, surely, than he had been a year ago. She could see his neck bulging over the collar of his shirt. His breath went sour quickly. He had a little trick of bouncing on his toes that he had caught from his father. She experienced a surge of physical disgust and walked away to the end of the trestle table, where Andrew and Sukhvinder were busy filling and handing out glasses. ‘Have you got any gin?' Samantha asked. ‘Give me a big one.' She barely recognized Andrew. He poured her a measure, trying not to look at her breasts, boundlessly exposed in the T-shirt, but it was like trying not to squint in direct sunlight. ‘Do you know them?' Samantha asked, after downing half a glass of gin and tonic. A blush had risen before Andrew could marshal his thoughts. To his horror, she gave a reckless cackle, and said, ‘The band. I'm talking about the band.' ‘Yeah, I – yeah, I've heard of them. I don't †¦ not my kind of thing.' ‘Is that right?' she said, throwing back the rest of her drink. ‘I'll have another one of those, please.' She realized who he was: the mousy boy from the delicatessen. His uniform made him look older. Maybe a couple of weeks of lugging pallets up and down the cellar steps had built some muscle. ‘Oh, look,' said Samantha, spotting a figure heading away from her into the growing crowd, ‘there's Gavin. The second most boring man in Pagford. After my husband, obviously.' She strode off, pleased with herself, holding her new drink; the gin had hit her where she most needed it, anaesthetizing and stimulating at the same time, and as she walked she thought: he liked my tits; let's see what he thinks of my arse. Gavin saw Samantha coming and tried to deflect her by joining somebody else's conversation, anybody's; the nearest person was Howard and he insinuated himself hastily into the group around his host. ‘I took a risk,' Howard was saying to three other men; he was waving a cigar, and a little ash had dribbled down the front of his velvet jacket. ‘I took a risk and I put in the graft. Simple as that. No magic formula. Nobody handed me – oh, here's Sammy. Who are those young men, Samantha?' While four elderly men stared at the pop group stretched across her breasts, Samantha turned to Gavin. ‘Hi,' she said, leaning in and forcing him to kiss her. ‘Kay not here?' ‘No,' said Gavin shortly. ‘Talking about business, Sammy,' said Howard happily, and Samantha thought of her shop, failed and finished. ‘I was a self-starter,' he informed the group, reprising what was clearly an established theme. ‘That's all there is to it. That's all you need. I was a self-starter.' Massive and globular, he was like a miniature velvety sun, radiating satisfaction and contentment. His tones were already rounded and mellowed by the brandy in his hand. ‘I was ready to take a risk – could've lost everything.' ‘Well, your mum could have lost everything,' Samantha corrected him. ‘Didn't Hilda mortgage her house to put up half the deposit on the shop?' She saw the tiny flicker in Howard's eyes, but his smile remained constant. ‘All credit to my mother, then,' he said, ‘for working and scrimping and saving, and giving her son a start. I multiply what I was given, and I give back to the family – pay for your girls to go to St Anne's – what goes round, comes round, eh, Sammy?' She expected this from Shirley, but not from Howard. Both of them drained their glasses, and Samantha watched Gavin drift away without trying to stop him. Gavin was wondering whether it would be possible to slip out unnoticed. He was nervous, and the noise was making it worse. A horrible idea had taken possession of him since meeting Gaia at the door. What if Kay had told her daughter everything? What if the girl knew that he was in love with Mary Fairbrother, and told other people? It was the sort of thing that a vengeful sixteen-year-old might do. The very last thing he wanted was for Pagford to know that he was in love with Mary before he had a chance to tell her himself. He had imagined doing it months and months hence, perhaps a year down the line †¦ letting the first anniversary of Barry's death slip by †¦ and, in the mean time, nurturing the tiny shoots of trust and reliance that were already there, so that the reality of her feelings stole gradually upon her, as they had upon him †¦ ‘You haven't got a drink, Gav!' said Miles. ‘That situation must be remedied!' He led his partner firmly to the drinks table and poured him a beer, talking all the while, and, like Howard, giving off an almost visible glow of happiness and pride. ‘You heard I won the seat?' Gavin had not, but he did not feel equal to feigning surprise. ‘Yeah. Congratulations.' ‘How's Mary?' asked Miles expansively; he was a friend to the whole town tonight, because it had elected him. ‘She doing OK?' ‘Yeah, I think – ‘ ‘I heard she might be going to Liverpool. Might be for the best.' ‘What?' said Gavin sharply. ‘Maureen was saying this morning; apparently, Mary's sister's trying to persuade Mary to go home with the kids. She's still got a lot of family in Liver – ‘ ‘This is her home.' ‘I think it was Barry who liked Pagford. I'm not sure Mary will want to stay without him.' Gaia was watching Gavin through a chink in the kitchen door. She was clutching a paper cup containing several fingers of the vodka that Andrew had stolen for her. ‘He's such a bastard,' she said. ‘We'd still be in Hackney if he hadn't led Mum on. She's so bloody stupid. I could have told her he wasn't that interested. He never took her out. He couldn't wait to leave after they'd shagged.' Andrew, who was piling additional sandwiches on an almost empty platter behind her, could hardly believe that she was using words like shagged. The chimeric Gaia who filled his fantasies was a sexually inventive and adventurous virgin. He did not know what the real Gaia had done, or not done, with Marco de Luca. Her judgement on her mother made it sound as if she knew how men behaved after sex, if they were interested †¦ ‘Drink something,' she told Andrew as he approached the door with the platter, and she held up her own polystyrene cup to his lips, and he drank some of her vodka. Giggling a little, she backed away to let him out and called after him: ‘Make Sooks come in here and get some!' The hall was crowded and noisy. Andrew put the pile of fresh sandwiches on the table, but interest in the food seemed to have waned; Sukhvinder was struggling to keep up with demand at the drinks table, and many people had started pouring their own. ‘Gaia wants you in the kitchen,' Andrew told Sukhvinder, and he took over from her. There was no point acting like a bartender; instead, he filled as many glasses as he could find, and left them on the table for people to help themselves. ‘Hi, Peanut!' said Lexie Mollison. ‘Can I have some champagne?' They had been at St Thomas's together, but he had not seen her for a long time. Her accent had changed since she had been at St Anne's. He hated being called Peanut. ‘It's there in front of you,' he said, pointing. ‘Lexie, you're not drinking,' snapped Samantha, appearing out of the crowd. ‘Absolutely not.' ‘Grandad said – ‘ ‘I don't care.' ‘Everyone else – ‘ ‘I said no!' Lexie stomped away. Andrew, glad to see her go, smiled at Samantha, and was surprised when she beamed at him. ‘Do you talk back to your parents?' ‘Yeah,' he said, and she laughed. Her breasts really were enormous. ‘Ladies and gentlemen!' boomed a voice through the microphone, and everyone stopped talking to listen to Howard. ‘Wanted to say a few words †¦ most of you probably know by now that my son Miles has just been elected to the Parish Council!' There was a smattering of applause and Miles raised his drink high above his head to acknowledge it. Andrew was startled to hear Samantha say quite clearly under her breath, ‘Hoo-fucking-ray.' Nobody was coming for drinks now. Andrew slipped back into the kitchen. Gaia and Sukhvinder were alone in there, drinking and laughing, and when they saw Andrew they both shouted, ‘Andy!' He laughed too. ‘Are you both pissed?' ‘Yes,' said Gaia, and ‘no,' said Sukhvinder. ‘She is, though.' ‘I don't care,' said Gaia. ‘Mollison can sack me if he wants. No point saving up for a ticket to Hackney any more.' ‘He won't sack you,' said Andrew, helping himself to some of the vodka. ‘You're his favourite.' ‘Yeah,' said Gaia. ‘Creepy old bastard.' And the three of them laughed again. Through the glass doors, amplified by the microphone, came Maureen's croaky voice. ‘Come on, then, Howard! Come on – a duet for your birthday! Go on – ladies and gentlemen – Howard's favourite song!' The teenagers gazed at each other in tantalized horror. Gaia tripped forward, giggling, and pushed the door open. The first few bars of ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home' blared out, and then, in Howard's bass and Maureen's gravelly alto: The old home town looks the same, As I step down from the train †¦ Gavin was the only one who heard the giggles and snorts, but when he turned around all he saw were the double doors to the kitchen, swinging a little on their hinges. Miles had left to chat with Aubrey and Julia Fawley, who had arrived late, wreathed in polite smiles. Gavin was in the grip of a familiar mixture of dread and anxiety. His brief sunlit haze of freedom and happiness had been overcast by the twin threats of Gaia blabbing what he had said to her mother, and of Mary leaving Pagford for ever. What was he going to do? Down the lane I walk, with my sweet Mary, Hair of gold and lips like cherries †¦ ‘Kay not here?' Samantha had arrived, leaning against the table beside him, smirking. ‘You already asked me that,' said Gavin. ‘No.' ‘Everything OK with you two?' ‘Is that really any of your business?' It slipped out of him before he could stop it; he was sick of her constant probing and jeering. For once, it was just the two of them; Miles was still busy with the Fawleys. She over-acted being taken aback. Her eyes were bloodshot and her speech was deliberate; for the first time, Gavin felt more dislike than intimidation. ‘I'm sorry. I was only – ‘ ‘Asking. Yeah,' he said, as Howard and Maureen swayed, arm in arm. ‘I'd like to see you settled down. You and Kay seemed good together.' ‘Yeah, well, I like my freedom,' said Gavin. ‘I don't know many happily married couples.' Samantha had drunk too much to feel the full force of the dig, but she had the impression that one had been made. ‘Marriages are always a mystery to outsiders,' she said carefully. ‘Nobody can ever really know except the two people involved. So you shouldn't judge, Gavin.' ‘Thanks for the insight,' he said, and irritated past endurance he set down his empty beer can and headed towards the cloakroom. Samantha watched him leave, sure that she had had the best of the encounter, and turned her attention to her mother-in-law, whom she could see through a gap in the crowd, watching Howard and Maureen sing. Samantha relished Shirley's anger, which was expressed in the tightest, coldest smile she had worn all evening. Howard and Maureen had performed together many a time over the years; Howard loved to sing, and Maureen had once performed backing vocals for a local skiffle band. When the song finished, Shirley clapped her hands together once; she might have been summoning a flunkey, and Samantha laughed out loud and moved along to the bar end of the table, which she was disappointed to find unmanned by the boy in the bow tie. Andrew, Gaia and Sukhvinder were still convulsed in the kitchen. They laughed because of Howard and Maureen's duet, and because they had finished two-thirds of the vodka, but mostly they laughed because they laughed, feeding off each other until they could barely stand. The little window over the sink, propped ajar so that the kitchen did not become too steamy, rattled and clattered, and Fats' head appeared through it. ‘Evening,' he said. Evidently he had climbed onto something outside, because, with a noise of scraping and a heavy object falling over, more and more of him emerged through the window until he landed heavily on the draining board, knocking several glasses to the ground, where they shattered. Sukhvinder walked straight out of the kitchen. Andrew knew immediately that he did not want Fats there. Only Gaia seemed unperturbed. Still giggling, she said, ‘There's a door, you know.' ‘No shit?' said Fats. ‘Where's the drink?' ‘This is ours,' said Gaia, cradling the vodka in her arms. ‘Andy nicked it. You'll have to get your own.' ‘Not a problem,' said Fats coolly, and he walked through the doors into the hall. ‘Need the loo †¦' mumbled Gaia, and she stowed the vodka bottle back under the sink, and left the kitchen too. Andrew followed. Sukhvinder had returned to the bar area, Gaia was disappearing into the bathroom, and Fats was leaning against the trestle table with a beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other. ‘Didn't think you'd want to come to this,' said Andrew. ‘I was invited, mate,' said Fats. ‘It was on the invitation. Whole Wall family.' ‘Does Cubby know you're here?' ‘Dunno,' said Fats. ‘He's in hiding. Didn't get ol' Barry's seat after all. The whole social fabric'll collapse now Cubby's not holding it together. Fucking hell, that's horrible,' he added, spitting out a mouthful of sandwich. ‘Wanna fag?' The hall was so noisy, and the guests so raucously drunk, that nobody seemed to care where Andrew went any more. When they got outside, they found Patricia Mollison, alone beside her sports car, looking up at the clear starry sky, smoking. ‘You can have one of these,' she said, offering her packet, ‘if you want.' After she had lit their cigarettes, she stood at her ease with one hand balled deep in her pocket. There was something about her that Andrew found intimidating; he could not even bring himself to glance at Fats, to gauge his reaction. ‘I'm Pat,' she told them, after a little while. ‘Howard and Shirley's daughter.' ‘Hi,' said Andrew. †M Andrew.' ‘Stuart,' said Fats. She did not seem to need to prolong conversation. Andrew felt it as a kind of compliment and tried to emulate her indifference. The silence was broken by footsteps and the sound of muffled girls' voices. Gaia was dragging Sukhvinder outside by the hand. She was laughing, and Andrew could tell that the full effect of the vodka was still intensifying inside her. ‘You,' said Gaia, to Fats, ‘are really horrible to Sukhvinder.' ‘Stop it,' said Sukhvinder, tugging against Gaia's hand. ‘I'm serious – let me – ‘ ‘He is!' said Gaia breathlessly. ‘You are! Do you put stuff on her Facebook?' ‘Stop it!' shouted Sukhvinder. She wrenched herself free and plunged back inside the party. ‘You are horrible to her,' said Gaia, grabbing onto the railings for support. ‘Calling her a lesbian and stuff †¦' ‘Nothing wrong with being a lesbian,' said Patricia, her eyes narrowed through the smoke she was inhaling. ‘But then, I would say that.' Andrew saw Fats look at Pat sideways. ‘I never said there was anything wrong with it. It's only jokes,' he said. Gaia slid down the rails to sit on the chilly pavement, her head in her arms. ‘You all right?' Andrew asked. If Fats had not been there, he would have sat down too. ‘Pissed,' she muttered. ‘Might do better to stick your fingers down your throat,' suggested Patricia, looking down at her dispassionately. ‘Nice car,' Fats said, eyeing the BMW. ‘Yeah,' said Patricia. ‘New. I make double what my brother makes,' she said, ‘but Miles is the Christ Child. Miles the Messiah †¦ Parish Councillor Mollison the Second †¦ of Pagford. Do you like Pagford?' she asked Fats, while Andrew watched Gaia breathing deeply, her head between her knees. ‘No,' said Fats. ‘It's a shithole.' ‘Yeah, well †¦ I couldn't wait to leave, personally. Did you know Barry Fairbrother?' ‘A bit,' said Fats. Something in his voice made Andrew worried. ‘He was my reading mentor at St Thomas's,' said Patricia, with her eyes still on the end of the street. ‘Lovely bloke. I would have come back for the funeral, but Melly and I were in Zermatt. What's all this stuff my mother's been gloating about †¦ this Barry's Ghost stuff?' ‘Someone putting stuff on the Parish Council website,' said Andrew hastily, afraid of what Fats might say, if he let him. ‘Rumours and stuff.' ‘Yeah, my mother would love that,' said Patricia. ‘Wonder what the Ghost'll say next?' Fats asked, with a sidelong glance at Andrew. ‘Probably stop now the election's over,' muttered Andrew. ‘Oh, I dunno,' said Fats. ‘If there's stuff old Barry's Ghost is still pissed off about †¦' He knew that he was making Andrew anxious and he was glad of it. Andrew was spending all his time at his poxy job these days, and he would soon be moving. Fats did not owe Andrew anything. True authenticity could not exist alongside guilt and obligation. ‘You all right down there?' Patricia asked Gaia, who nodded, with her face still hidden. ‘What was it, the drink or the duet that made you feel sick?' Andrew laughed a little bit, out of politeness and because he wanted to keep the subject away from the Ghost of Barry Fairbrother. ‘Turned my stomach too,' said Patricia. ‘Old Maureen and my father singing along together. Arm in arm.' Patricia took a final fierce drag on her cigarette and threw the end down, grinding it beneath her heel. ‘I walked in on her blowing him when I was twelve,' she said. ‘And he gave me a fiver not to tell my mother.' Andrew and Fats stood transfixed, scared even to look at each other. Patricia wiped her face on the back of her hand: she was crying. ‘Shouldn't have bloody come,' she said. ‘Knew I shouldn't.' She got into the BMW, and the two boys watched, stunned, as she turned on the engine, reversed out of her parking space and drove away into the night. ‘Fuck me,' said Fats. ‘I think I might be sick,' whispered Gaia. ‘Mr Mollison wants you back inside – for the drinks.' Her message delivered, Sukhvinder darted away again. ‘I can't,' whispered Gaia. Andrew left her there. The din in the hall hit him as he opened the inner doors. The disco was in full swing. He had to move aside to allow Aubrey and Julia Fawley room to leave. Both, with their backs to the party, looked grimly pleased to be going. Samantha Mollison was not dancing, but was leaning up against the trestle table where, so recently, there had been rows and rows of drinks. While Sukhvinder rushed around collecting glasses, Andrew unpacked the last box of clean ones, set them out and filled them. ‘Your bow tie's crooked,' Samantha told him, and she leaned across the table and straightened it for him. Embarrassed, he ducked into the kitchen as soon as she let go. Between each load of glasses he put in the dishwasher, Andrew took another swig of the vodka he had stolen. He wanted to be drunk like Gaia; he wanted to return to that moment when they had been laughing uncontrollably together, before Fats had appeared. After ten minutes, he checked the drinks table again; Samantha was still propped up against it, glassy-eyed, and there were plenty of fresh-poured drinks left for her to enjoy. Howard was bobbing in the middle of the dance floor, sweat pouring down his face, roaring with laughter at something Maureen had said to him. Andrew wound his way through the crowd and back outside. He could not see where she was at first: then he spotted them. Gaia and Fats were locked together ten yards away from the door, leaning up against the railings, bodies pressed tight against each other, tongues working in each other's mouths. ‘Look, I'm sorry, but I can't do it all,' said Sukhvinder desperately from behind him. Then she spotted Fats and Gaia and let out something between a yelp and a sob. Andrew walked back into the hall with her, completely numb. In the kitchen, he poured the remainder of the vodka into a glass and downed it in one. Mechanically he filled the sink and set to washing out the glasses that could not fit in the dishwasher. The alcohol was not like dope. It made him feel empty, but also keen to hit someone: Fats, for instance. After a while, he realized that the plastic clock on the kitchen wall had leapt from midnight to one and that people were leaving. He was supposed to find coats. He tried for a while, but then lurched off to the kitchen again, leaving Sukhvinder in charge. Samantha was leaning up against the fridge, on her own, with a glass in her hand. Andrew's vision was strangely jerky, like a series of stills. Gaia had not come back. She was doubtless long gone with Fats. Samantha was talking to him. She was drunk too. He was not embarrassed by her any more. He suspected that he might be sick quite soon. ‘ †¦ hate bloody Pagford †¦' said Samantha, and, ‘but you're young enough to get out.' ‘Yeah,' he said, unable to feel his lips. ‘An' I will. ‘Nigh will.' She pushed his hair off his forehead and called him sweet. The image of Gaia with her tongue in Fats' mouth threatened to obliterate everything. He could smell Samantha's perfume, coming in waves from her hot skin. ‘That band's shit,' he said, pointing at her chest, but he did not think she heard him. Her mouth was chapped and warm, and her breasts were huge, pressed against his chest; her back was as broad as his – ‘What the fuck?' Andrew was slumped against the draining board and Samantha was being dragged out of the kitchen by a big man with short greying hair. Andrew had a dim idea that something bad had happened, but the strange flickering quality of reality was becoming more and more pronounced, until the only thing to do was to stagger across the room to the bin and throw up again and again and again †¦ ‘Sorry, you can't come in!' he heard Sukhvinder tell someone. ‘Stuff piled up against the door!' He tied the bin bag tightly on his own vomit. Sukhvinder helped him clear the kitchen. He needed to throw up twice more, but both times managed to get to the bathroom. It was nearly two o'clock by the time Howard, sweaty but smiling, thanked them and said goodnight. ‘Very good work,' he said. ‘See you tomorrow, then. Very good †¦ where's Miss Bawden, by the way?' Andrew left Sukhvinder to come up with a lie. Out in the street, he unchained Simon's bicycle and wheeled it away into the darkness. The long cold walk back to Hilltop House cleared his head, but assuaged neither his bitterness nor his misery. Had he ever told Fats that he fancied Gaia? Maybe not, but Fats knew. He knew that Fats knew †¦ were they, perhaps, shagging right now? I'm moving, anyway, Andrew thought, bent over and shivering as he pushed the bicycle up the hill. So fuck them †¦ Then he thought: I'd better be moving †¦ Had he just snogged Lexie Mollison's mother? Had her husband walked in on them? Had that really happened? He was scared of Miles, but he also wanted to tell Fats about it, to see his face †¦ When he let himself into the house, exhausted, Simon's voice came out of the darkness from the kitchen. ‘Have you put my bike in the garage?' He was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal. It was nearly half-past two in the morning. ‘Couldn't sleep,' said Simon. For once, he was not angry. Ruth was not there, so he did not have to prove himself bigger or smarter than his sons. He seemed weary and small. ‘Think we're gonna have to move to Reading, Pizza Face,' said Simon. It was almost a term of endearment. Shivering slightly, feeling old and shell-shocked, and immensely guilty, Andrew wanted to give his father something to make up for what he had done. It was time to redress balances and claim Simon as an ally. They were a family. They had to move together. Perhaps it could be better, somewhere else. ‘I've got something for you,' he said. ‘Come through here. Found out how to do it at school †¦' And he led the way to the computer.