Edward Mandell House Essay Example for Free

Edward Mandell House Essay Edward Mandell House (1858-1938) was a United States statesman and influential adviser of President Woodrow Wilson. House was born in Houston, Texas. His father was a banker. After attending Cornell University, he managed his inherited cotton plantations after his father has died and entered Texas politics due to his acquired wealth from his father. He was often called â€Å"Colonel House† because he held the rank of colonel on the staff of the governor of Texas. In 1912, Edward House played a major role in the nomination and election of Wilson to the presidency. As a personal representative of Wilson, Edward House tried to arrange peace negotiations in the early days of World War I. After the United States entered the war, he conferred with Allied statesmen on war aims and strategy. Edward House helped draw up Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the covenant of the League of Nations. He was a delegate to the Paris of Peace Conference in 1919. Edward House’s friendship with Wilson ended after he unsuccessfully urged the President to revise the Treaty of Versailles in order to secure its ratification by the United States Senate.

The Origin And Types Of Thrash Metal Music Essay

The Origin And Types Of Thrash Metal Music Essay We all know punk and classic metal were the two places thrash was taken from. Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Venom, Accept, Iron Maiden, Diamond Head and Thin Lizzy had a big influence on thrash. So did punk bands like Discharge, The Ramones, Sex Pistols and The Dead Boys. Another genre that thrash took influence from was hair metal, from the early hair metal of KISS to the satanic hair metal of Venom. Songs like Symptom of the Universe Black Sabbath, Stone Cold Crazy Queen, Ace of Spades and Overkill Motorhead and dozens of Judas Priest songs like Exciter were the first hints of thrash, with a very different riff-structure and high tempos never reached before by rock/metal. Thrash metal is directly responsible for the offshoot of popular underground metal genres, such as death metal and black metal BLACK METAL: During the 1980s, certain thrash metal bands formed a prototype for black metal. This so-called first wave included bands such as Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer AND Celtic Frost DEATH METAL : Building from the musical structure of thrash metal and early black metal, death metal emerged during the mid 1980s Metal acts such as Slayer, Kreator, Celtic Frost and Venom were very important influences to the crafting of the genre. Along with the band Death and its frontman Chuck Schuldiner, who is often referred to as the father of death metal bands such as Possessed, Obituary and Morbid Angel are often considered pioneers of the genre [b]Early Thrash:[/b] Many people see the genre getting its beginnings in California and the West Coast. But it was happening all over the world. Metal Church is the band that started off the West Coast thrash scene with their infamous Red Skies demo. About the same time as Metal Church was releasing some of the heaviest metal in existence at the time, the same was going on in New Jersey with a cover band, Overkill, who recently started writting their own music. By 1981, Overkill had written, copyrighted and been performing their new song, Unleash The Beast Within, everywhere. Kreator, of Germany, at the time known as Tormentor, was also releasing live demos of some of their new heavy thrash style by the very early 80s. Another band who helped innovate thrash, but is given little credit for it is Znowhite, a thrash band from Chicago, IL. Znowhite had their first demos out by 1981, but a Chicago thrash scene never really developed from it. And last but not least is the Canadian thrash giant, Exciter, who released their first demos as early as 1980! Soon after, still in the very early 80s, a new band was beginning to pick up the lighter thrash/classic metal sound Metal Church had innovated, and they brought it to a new level of speed and heaviness. This band was Leather Charm, a not so well known name, run by a nearly household name, James Hetfield. He developed the style of Metal Church into a new milestone in thrash, which went by the name Hit The Lights. The song started as a cover song, but moved very far away from that and into one of the first true thrash songs ever written. Soon after they finished this song, the band disbanded, and James Hetfield than formed a new band by the name of Metallica in late 1981. Soon many other bands that had connections with some of the first pioneers of thrash, like Overkill, Metallica, Tormentor (Kreator) and Metal Church, started to develop a thrash sound as well. Exodus, Trauma and Warning SF were examples on the east coast. Those three bands, and a few others, being the founders of what would become the biggest thrash scene in existence. And Anthrax would soon follow in Overkills footsteps on the east coast. Sodom, Destruction and Angel Dust followed after Tormentor/Kreators style in Germany. During Metallicas early career, the band was having trouble with their Lead guitarist, who was constantly out partying, drinking and doing drugs. This man was Dave Mustaine, and after Exodus and Kirk Hammet (at the time guitarist of Exodus) were brought to Metallicas attention, they kicked Mustaine out of the band and recruited Kirk Hammet. Not long before this, a new bassist, Cliff Burton, was found by Metallica during a Trauma (Burtons band at the time) concert and recruited as their new bassist. Megadeth was soon formed by the enraged Dave Mustaine to get vengeance against Metallica. [b]The Bay Area/San Francisco:[/b] This thrash scene was founded in the very early 80s, around 1982, by thrash band Exodus as well as Death Angel, Dark Angel, Blind Illusion and Slayer in 1983. Bands like Trauma (who was more so a speed metal band than thrash), Hirax, Testament, Forbidden, Possessed and dozens of others developed and helped the scene as well. Slayer is probably the best known of all the pioneering bands of the Bay Area, although during their early career, it was not thrash they were playing at the start of their career, it was classic metal, hugely influenced by NWOBHM. Blind Illusion is one of the least known, but has two of the most recognized metal musicians of all time, Les Claypool, of Primus, and Larry LaLonde, of Possessed and Primus. Bands like Blind Illusion and Forbidden would become pioneers of a soon to come sub-genre of thrash, Tech. thrash. Possessed and Slayer would become godfathers of the genre that developed from thrash, death metal, as well as brut al thrash. [b]East Coast Thrash:[/b] This scene was largely based in Newyork. The first thrash band of this scene, Overkill, might have started in New Jersey, but they soon relocated to New York. The next band to come was Hades, a straight-forward thrash band with a huge-octived vocalist came onto the thrash scene in 82 with the demo, Deliver Us From Evil. Even though Hades formed in 1978, they didnt record material until 82. Bands like Anthrax came onto the scene soon after in 1982, which were probably the second most important pioneer of the East Coast thrash scene (Even though they came after Hades, they largely popularized the scene, making it easier for thrash bands to make it in New York in particular). Bands like Blessed Death (in 83/84), Nuclear Assault (in 84), Hallows Eve (in 84), Nasty Savage (in 84), Whiplash (in 84), Ludichrist (in 85), Deceased (in 85). A later band who didnt really contribute to the creation of the scene was Blood Feast, and I just thought Id mention them as they re considered the Slayer of the East Coast. [b]Teutonic Thrash: [/b]Better known as German Thrash, was started by thrash band Kreator in 81/82, but at the time, the band was known as Tormentor. For some reason, the German Thrash scene was much heavier in general than any American thrash scene. The two other big pioneers of German thrash were Sodom, in 1983, and Destruction, in 1984.. Vendetta was also a big contributor to the scene, but never got the credit they deserved. They wrote great music and released their first material in 82, before Sodom or Destruction. Bands like Tankard (in 84), Living Death (in 83), Holy Moses (First album in 87, dont know when their first demos were), Iron Angel (in 84) and Angel Dust (in 85), both had huge influences on the scene, too. These bands would go on to help aid the creation of extreme metal (black/death metal), especially Kreator. Some of the other big bands of the scene were Assassin (in 85), Exumer (in 85), Accuser (in 86), Deathrow (in 86) and Paradox (in 87). The oddest of the well known thrash bands is probably Mekong Delta, a prog/thrash band, whose guitarists were unknown for the beginning of their career and are hugely influenced by classical composers. The German thrash scene is still alive with bands like Grinder and Desaster, but its nearing death and is nowhere near as popular as it once was. [b]Canadian Thrash[/b]: Canada is known for producing several top quality tech. thrash, but for some reason, people usually dont go farther beyond the tech. giants like Annihilator and Voivod. The pioneers of the Canadian thrash scene were Exciter (in 1980), Eudoxis (Not very popular, but they have influence almost every Canadian thrash band. They released Metal Fix in 1985), Voivoid (in 83), Annihilator (in 85), Razor (in 84) and Slaughter (in 84.. Not the Shitty Las Vegas hair metal band). Voivod debuted in 1984, but it wasnt until their 1987 album, Killing Technology did they add prog. to their song-structures. Annihilator was the band that started the tech. thrash scene in Canada, while Voivod brought it to new levels. Annihilator didnt debut until 1989, but had tech. thrash demos out as early as 1985. Bands like Razor and Slaughter were some of the earliest thrashers, but it was Eudoxis who set the standards with their near-perfect EP, Metal Fix. Exciter was the first band to br ing thrash/speed metal to Canada, and one of the first three speed/thrash metal bands in existence. Some of the other big Canadian thrashers were Ghoulunatics, Infernal Majesty, Dyoxen, Sacrifice, DBC and Obliveon. On a random note, Eudoxis drummers double bass drums were six feet in diameter each! [b]Brazilian Thrash:[/b] The latest big thrash scene to develop. The scene was started by Ratos de PorALo, they were a hardcore punk band, bordering thrash, and were fairly popular. The actual thrash scene was pioneered by Vulcano (in 83), Sepultura (in 85), Korzus (in 84/85) and Overdose (in 85). Other big Brazilian thrash bands are Chakal (in 86), Dorsal AtlAcntica (in 85.. Known as Ultimatum at the time), Opprobrium (in 87.. Then known as Incubus, no relation to the rap-metal band Incubus, though), Mutilator (in 85), Torture Squad (in 93) and Holocausto (in 85.. It was a very controversial band, and Ill explain why soon). Sepultura was a brutal thrash band that released their first material in 1985, AKA Bestial Devastation. They were influenced by Brazilian death/thrash band, Vulcano, the first big thrash band onto the scene. Now about Holocausto, you can probably guess why they were controversial from the name. Holocausto was a thrash of neo-nazis whose lyrics were based on neo-n azism. The Brazilian thrash scene is still healthy and probably the only of the big thrash scenes still far from death. [b]Thrash from Everywhere Else[/b]: There were a couple other smaller thrash scenes that I decided to just throw together in an Everywhere Else section. There was Sabbat (in 85), Onslaught (in 83) and Xentrix (in 89), being the three premier British thrash bands. Prog. Thrash band Stone (in 87) of Finland, Artillery (in 83) of Denmark and uber-technical thrash band Coroner (in 86) of Switzerland. Finally, there is Mortal Sin (in 87), Hobbs Angel of Death (in 88 ) and Sadistik Exekution (in 91) of Australia. Those are all the big thrash metal bands I havent covered yet. Now onto sub-genres. [b]Crossover:[/b] This is a sub-genre of bands whose punk influence is so strong that they crossover into both hardcore and thrash. The sub-genre was first introduced by DRI (AKA Dirty Rotten Imbeciles) with their 1982 EP, Dirty Rotten EP. The next most important pioneer was Suicidal Tendencies who released their first material in 1983. They usually influenced thrash and started the Crossover sub-genre. Bands to follow in their footsteps would be Nuclear Assault (in 84), Hirax (in 85), Anthrax (In 85, as after their debut, they began focusing on their hardcore influences), Stormtroopers of Death (in 85), MOD (in 86), Ludichrist (in 85) and Cryptic Slaughter (in 86). [b]Groove Metal :[/b] Groove Metal was a genre of groove-based melodies and usually slower tempod riffs, solos, etc, than normal thrashThis genre was pioneered by Exhorder in the mid/late eighties (Starting in 86), but popularized by Pantera (First Groove Metal albums in 1990). The genre became very popular before of Pantera and was also played by Sepultura on the album, Arise. some other great groove metal bands are Machine Head (in 94), Ghoulunatics (in 95), Prong (Later albums) and Overkill (From The Killing Kind to BloodLetting.. AKA their 1996-1999 albums). [b]Technical Thrash:[/b] This genre is pretty much a combination of progressive metal and thrash metal. The pioneers of this genre were Watchtower, of Austin Texas, who released their first material in 1984, on the Demo Meltdown. They were the first big metal band to fuse prog. and thrash, along with Blind Illusion at least, who released less popular demos in very late 1983/1984. Annihilator followed in a thrashier form of technical thrash with their first demos being released in 1985. Some other great pioneering tech. thrash bands are Voivod (in 87), Forbidden (in 88), Coroner (in 86) and Megadeth (on Rust In Peace). [b]END OF THRASH METAL[/b] In the 1990s, many veteran thrash metal bands began changing to more accessible, radio-friendly styles. Metallica were a notable example of this shift, particularly with their mid to late 90s albums Load (1996), and ReLoad (1997), which both displayed minor blues and southern rock influences, and were seen as a major departure from the bands earlier sound. Megadeth took a more accessible hard rock route starting with their 1992 album Countdown to Extinction, and Testament released the melodic The Ritual in 1992 [b]THRASH IS BACK (2000s)[/b] Thrash metal has recently seen a certain degree of resurgence of popularity. Bands including Municipal Waste, Evile, SSS, Sanctity and Gama Bomb have been cited as key in the resurgence of thrash metal. The genres sense of recklessness and energy has been cited as a potential reason for its resurgence. Also many bands that ended around the 90s gathered again around 2000s, bands like Exumer, Evildead, Dark Angel (band), Death Angel, Nuclear Assault, Defiance (band), Whiplash (band), Hirax, and Possessed (band). Older thrash bands have continued to put out material such as Megadeths Endgame (2009), Slayers World Painted Blood (2009), Metallicas Death Magnetic (2008), Destructions D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. (2008), Sodoms The Final Sign of Evil (2007), Death Angels Relentless Retribution (2010), Kreators Hordes of Chaos (2009), Exodus Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010), Overkills Ironbound (2010), Onslaughts Killing Peace (2007), Testaments The Formation of Damnation (2008), Metal Church This Present Wasteland (2008), Artillerys When Death Comes (2009), and Voivods Infini (2009). In September 2009, it was reported that Metallicas Lars Ulrich was attempting to assemble a tour with thrash metals Big Four ? Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax ? together on one bill. The Big Four took the stage together for seven shows in the Sonisphere Festival concert series.

Teenage Addiction to the Internet

Teenage Addiction to the Internet Research Topic Teenagers and Internet Thesis Teenagers’ time on the internet is increasing day by day and it’s becoming a bad addiction, so it’s the duty of their parents to have proper checks on them and find ways to reduce the time spent on internet. SUPPORT Section 1 Health of the teenager. Idea 1 -Time spent on the internet. Sources Idea 2 -Adequate sleep routine. Idea 1- (Charles, 2010) Studies has indicated that several parents are investing a lot of time and money on how to keep their teenagers from spending or wasting most of their time on the computer and the internet. Idea 2- (Norbert, 2010) If a teen likes to play online video games, there are chances that he may not be alone. It should be noted, that a teen does not extensively misses many social opportunities or spending almost a day in a week in the online gaming arena, there might be something wrong. It should be noted that how much exactly your teenager is spending time on the internet. Idea 3- (Ilyas, 2012) It is the duty of the parents to have a check on their teenagers’ health and appearance. To notice possible impacts on their health good or bad, and then decide what needs to be done as their next step. Idea 4- (John, 2010) Teenagers should be more encouraged to participate in outdoor activities and not just sit on the internet and waste their time because spending too much time on the internet badly affects teenagers’ health and involving in other outdoor activities contribute to advancement in health. Idea 3 -Possible impacts Idea 4 -Alternatives SUPPORT Section 2 Are the teenagers’ giving enough time to their parents? Possible impacts on the relationship? Idea 1 -Teenagers’ space. Sources Idea 2 -The environment. Idea 1- (Charles, 2010) If your teenager is using extensive internet and you know about it because you are concerned, approach him/her as you are friends, don’t push too hard that they start hiding things from their parents. Idea 2- (Ilyas, 2012) Parents should start off by setting a fixed time allowed to use the internet or their teenager. They should be responsible of regularly checking what their teenagers are doing on the internet. Spending too much hours on the internet should discouraged by the parents. Idea 3- (Norbert, 2010) Joint efforts should be made by both parents and teenagers. It’s the responsibility of teenagers’ to win the confidence of their parents so that they share a relation of trust and things do not get out of hands. Idea 4- (Russ, 2014) Freedom is everyone’s right and it should be given to the teenagers but it should also be noticed that too much freedom spoils the teenager, like too much freedom on using the internet should not be granted by parents. There is always a limit to everything. Idea 3 -Teenagers’ responsibility. Idea 4 -Freedom. SUPPORT Section 3 Social problem that arises when teenagers’ are addicted to the internet. Idea 1 -Opportunities Sources Idea 2 -The goods and negatives Idea 1- (John, 2010) Experts have concluded that more than 90% of the teenagers agree with the fact that internet has made their life convenient and they really need it. Additionally, it was also stated without internet a teenagers’ life becomes non-social, no information about what is going on and they cannot even shop online. Teenagers’ want internet in their lives to connect with people and they are unaware of the fact that wasting too much time is draining out their energy which could be spend somewhere more productive. Idea 2- (Norbert, 2010) Taking account all of the activities that teenagers are doing on the internet, parents should be able to identify when the time to set limits on the use of the internet is or when their teen’s habit is turning into a bad addiction. However, it could be argued that there are teenagers who would use internet to assist them in their studies and as the time has passed more and more teenagers are using internet to earn money. Using internet can either build a teenager’s life or destroy it. Idea 3- (Charles, 2010) Parents these days have become more concern about their children turning teenagers, and as the time is passing their addiction with the internet are increasing time to time. Parents are the only people who can take care of this problem involving their teenagers’ life. Idea 4- (Norbert, 2010) It is good that your teenager is actively taking parts in social activities and making a lot of friends but at the same time there is something that needs to be considered that not everyone on social platforms using internet can be trusted and this may lead to destroying your teenagers’ life because there are many cases of such nature. Idea 3 -Solution to the problem. Idea 4 -Social life. COUNTERARGUMENTS What are the possible effects of internet? Idea 1 -Internet and Positivity. Sources Rebuttal -Teenagers’ productivity using internet. Idea 1- Russ, W. (2014) Internet has become more than just a resource and is not capable of making people earn using the internet in their house and this can be considered a very positive effect on a teenager who is earning through the use of the internet. Idea- 2 (John, 2010) Teenagers as of today has access to numerous of services easily obtainable on the computer with the help of the internet. Teenagers of today have stopped using telephone and they are more comfortable using instant messaging or chatting. They prefer posting their photos in MySpace and share them with thousands of friend, mostly of them are friend they haven’t met. They have all the information and the news using the internet on their smartphones. Idea 3- (Ilyas, 2012) Using extensive internet can destroy the life of a teenager. Internet is a resource with numerous possibilities and people around the world are actually using this in the most illegal way. So, it is the duty of the parents to have certain checks as their teenager does not get involved in any sort of illegal activity. Idea 2 Internet and virtual information. Rebuttal -Having knowledge and information is a good thing, actually it is considered as a skill in a teenager to be active and know about what’s going on but it should be always noted that this thing does not get out of hands for example having information of illegal stuff or activity or even getting involved in one using the internet. Idea 3 -Negative effects Rebuttal You cannot just stop your teenager from using internet because this would be inappropriate. However, if you sense some suspicion in your teenagers’ activities then you can confront him/her and make them aware of the possible consequences. Sources Charles, L. (2010). Teenagers, Computers Internet. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Teenagers,-Computers-and-Internetid=3619685 Ilyas, G. (2012). Teenagers cannot survive without Internet (Essay). Retrieved from http://fal0014gp10.blogspot.com/2012/10/teenagers-cannot-survive-without_2365.html John, W. (2010). Teenagers and Internet Use Teens Outsmart Parents. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Teenagers-and-Internet-UseTeens-Outsmart-Parentsid=4609326 Norbert, G. (2010). Your Teenager and the Internet The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Teenager-and-the-InternetThe-Good,-the-Bad-and-the-Uglyid=3758823 Russ, W. (2014). Without WiFi, Life Would End (aka Teen Internet Addiction). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russ-warner/without-wifi-life-would-e_b_5367578.html

Using RFID Technology to Replace Bar Codes and Scanners in the Harley-D

Overview of the Case Study Harley-Davidson (H-D) and other companies that have many manufacturing plants or production units and various dealerships may consider implementing RFID technology as a means of increasing the efficiency of all parts of its supply chain. An abstract from Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia describes Radio-frequency identification (RFID), as a technology that uses radio waves to transmit data and uniquely identify an animal, person or thing. This case study looks at the potential use of RFID technology to replace bar codes and scanners in Harley-Davidson supply chain. It indentifies some pros and cons of its implementation and addresses the question – What are some of the issues Harley-Davidson will face in comparison with those experienced by other companies such as Wall-Mart when they tried to implement RFID in their supply chains. Finally it will present a timetable for the adoption of RFID technology by Harley-Davidson in its supply chain. Problem Statement â€Å"It was over a period of several years, Harley-Davidson reduced its number of suppliers from 4000 to fewer than 350† (Schneider, 2009), despite this reduction, it still has a significant spread of its operations. For a company incorporating such a supply chain in its sales of motorcycles and related product yearly, reducing or maintaining costs is very important. In such a situation the need to find more efficient ways to conduct the various aspects of the business in its supply chain is ongoing. â€Å"The part of an industry value chain that precedes a particular strategic business unit is often called a supply chain† (Schneider 2009), p. 230. Harley-Davidson supply chain will include all the companies involved in the design, production, ... ...and-Held-2D-Bar code-Scanner---Advantages-and-Disadvantages http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Field Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com Radio-frequency Identification (10/1/2009) Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition p1-1,1p Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com Database: Primary Search Roberti, M. (n.d.) New to RFID Journal, Welcome to RFID Journal http://www.rfidjournal.com/ Schneider, G. (2009). BUS 107 Electronic Commerce (8th edition) Course Technology, Cengage Learning, Strayer University Technologies: RFID/ What is RFID? http://www.aimglobal.org/technologies/RFID/what_is_rfid.asp TIBCO’s Solution for RFID implementation and integration http://www.hoffmanmarcom.com/docs/rfid_whitepaper-updated.pdf Works Cited `Schneider, G. (2009). BUS 107 Electronic Commerce (8th edition) Course Technology, Cengage Learning, Strayer University

Robert Frost’s Fire and Ice Essay -- Fire and Ice Robert Frost Poems E

Robert Frost’s Fire and Ice Fire and Ice is a popular poem written in 1923 by Robert Frost. It is a very well known poem and is used in many high schools and colleges today. Many students along with various critics read this poem as Frost’s idea as to how the world is going to end. People also take this in a Biblical sense, because the passage that God states the next time he destroys the world, it will be in fire. He blatantly states in the first lines, â€Å"Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice†, which leads many critics to believe the simplicity of this poem was to be taken as simple and to the point. However, the poem was written in the roaring twenties, which is why I believe Frost had a deeper meaning attached than how the world was going to end. Opposing most critics with their view of this idea, I believe Robert Frost’s â€Å"Fire and Ice† is about love. Fire being the love itself along with passion, ice is the lack of love, rather than a view on the end of the world. Katherine Kearns states that although you have to make a decision between the language, it still seems as if Frost is trying to allude to the end of the world (Cambridge University). Frost often writes in a very simply form, which is why critics are constantly led to believe Frost had no double meaning out of the poem. The form of ‘Fire and Ice’ is again, simple in the writing, leaving it easy to see the surface meaning and not look any deeper. The form and simple rhyme scheme do not give readers the idea that the meaning would be so philosophical. Through a deeper reading of the poem, I think Frost is trying to discover the distinction between love and hate through symbolism. Fire is love or burning desire. The ice symb... ...rost was talking about love. In some sense, everyone has felt the effects of a burning love or lack of love, taken over by the feeling of coldness. Digging for a deeper meaning of the poem, it is evident Frost was not only talking about the end of the world, but also the end of a person. The effects of love and hate are enough to put an end to a person, as are the effects of fire and ice to put an end to the world. Works Cited Kearns, Katherine, â€Å"Fire and Ice†. On Fire and Ice. 1994. 17 September 2005. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/ Pobojewski, Sally. â€Å"This Is the Way the World Ends.† LSAmagazine 23.1 (Fall 1999): 28-29. Sangiorgio, Yvette. â€Å"Fire and Ice† Fire and Ice- Robert Frost. 12 May 2001. 17 September 2005. http://www.cs.rice.edu/ Serio, John N. â€Å"Fire and Ice†. On Fire and Ice. 1994. 17 September 2005. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 10

It felt like a jellyfish sting. Mary-Lynnette kept her eyes shut and her face turned away as Rowan bit into her neck. She was thinking of the way the deer had screamed. But thepain wasn't so bad. It went away almost immediately. She could feel warmth at her neck as the bloodflowed, and, after a minute, a slight dizziness. A weakness. But the most Interesting thing was that allat once she seemed to have a new sense. She could sense Rowan's mind.It was like seeing, but withouteyes-and using different wavelengths than visual light. Rowan's mind-her presence-was warmred, like glowing embers in a campfire. It was alsofuzzy and rounded like a ball of hot gas floatingIn space. Is this what psychics mean when they talk aboutpeople having an aura? Then Rowan pulled back, and it was over. The new sense disappeared. Mary-Lynnette's fingers went automatically to herneck. She felt wetness there. A little tenderness. â€Å"Don't fool with it,† Rowan said, brushing at herlips with her thumb. â€Å"It'll go away in just a minute.† Mary-Lynnette blinked, feeling languid. She lookedover at Mark, who was being released by Kestrel. He looked okay, if a little dazed. She smiled at him'and he raised his eyebrows and shook his head slightly. I wonder what his mind looks like, Mary-Lynnettethought. Then she said, startled, â€Å"What are you doing?† Rowan had picked up a twig and was testing itsend for sharpness. â€Å"Every species has some substance that's harmfulto it,† she said. â€Å"Silver for werewolves, iron for witches†¦and wood for vampires. It's the onlything out here that will cut our skin,† she added. â€Å"I didn't mean that. I meantwhy, † Mary-Lynnettesaid, but she knew why already. She watched rednessbead in the wake of the twig as Rowan drew it across her wrist. Exchange blood, Rowan had said. Mary-Lynnette gulped. She didn't look at markand Kestrel. I'll do it first and then he'll see it's not so bad, shetold herself. I can do this, I can do this†¦. It's so wecan stayalive. Rowan was looking at her, offering her wrist. Copperbloodfear, Mary-Lynnette thought, feeling queasy. She shut her eyes and put her mouth to Rowan'swrist. Warmth. Well-being. And a taste not like copper, but like something rich and strange. Later, she'd al ways grope for ways to describe it, but she could onlythink of things like: well, a little bit like the way vanilla bean smells, and a little bit like the way silk feels, and a little bit like the way a waterfall looks. It was faintly sweet. Afterward, she felt as if she could run up mountains. â€Å"Oh, boy,† Mark said, sounding giddy. â€Å"If you could bottle that stuff, you'd make millions.† â€Å"It's been thought of before,† Kestrel said coolly. â€Å"Humans hunting us for our blood.† â€Å"Talk later,† Rowan said firmly. â€Å"Blood-tie now.† Kestrel's mind was gold. With brilliant knifelikeedges sending glitters in every direction. â€Å"Okay, Jade,† Rowan said. â€Å"Mark. Enough, you guys. Let go of each other now.† Mary-Lynnette saw that she was physically pullingMark and Jade apart. Mark was wearing a silly smile, and Mary-Lynnette felt the tiniest stab of envy. What would it be like to see the mind of somebody you were in love with? Jade's mind was silver and lacy, an intricate filigreed sphere like a Christmas ornament. And by the time Mary-Lynnette sat back from drinking Jade's blood, she felt light-headed and sparkling. As if she had a mountain stream in her veins. â€Å"All right,† Rowan said. â€Å"Now we share the sameblood.† She held out a hand, and Jade and Kestrel did the same. Mary-Lynnette glanced at Mark, then they each reached out, all their hands meeting like spokes in a wheel. â€Å"We promise to be kin to you, to protect and defend you always,† Rowan said. She nodded to Mary-Lynnette. â€Å"We promise to be kin to you,† Mary-Lynnetterepeated slowly. â€Å"To protect and defend you always.† â€Å"That's it,† Rowan said simply. â€Å"We're family.† Jade said, â€Å"Let's go home.† They had to finish burying Aunt Opal first. MaryLynnette watched as Rowan scattered pine needles over the grave. â€Å"You inherit our blood feuds, too,† Kestrel told Mary-Lynnette pleasantly. â€Å"Meaning you have to help us find out who killed her.† â€Å"I've been trying to do that all along.† They left the deer where it was. Rowan said,†There are already lots of scavengers around here. It won't be wasted.† Yep, that's life, Mary-Lynnette thought as they leftthe clearing. She glanced behind her-and for justan instant she thought she saw a shadow there anda glint of greenish-orange eyes at her own eye level. It was much too big for a coyote. She opened her mouth to tell the others †¦ and the shadow was gone. Did I imagine that? I think my eyes are goingfunny. Everything seems too bright. All her senses seemed changed-sharpened. Itmade it easier to get out of the woods than it had been getting in. Mark and Jade didn't walk hand inhand-that would have been impractical-but Jade looked back at him frequently. And when they got to rough spots, they helped each other. â€Å"You're happy, aren't you?† Mary-Lynnette said softly when she found herself beside Mark. He gave a startled, sheepish grin, white in the moonlight. â€Å"Yeah. I guess I am.† After a minute hesaid, â€Å"It's like-I don't know how to describe it, butit's like I belong with Jade. She reallysees me. I mean, not the outside stuff. She sees me inside,andshe likes me. Nobody else has ever done that .. .except you.† â€Å"I'm happy for you.† â€Å"Listen,† he said. â€Å"I think we should start looking around for you. There are lots of guys around here-â€Å" Mary-Lynnette snorted. â€Å"Mark. If I want to meeta guy, I'll meet a guy. I don't need any help.† He gave the sheepish grin again. â€Å"Sorry.† But Mary-Lynnette was thinking. Ofcourseshe'd like to find somebody who would accept her completely, who would share everything with her. That was everybody's dream. But for how many people did it come true? And there weren'tlots of guys around here†¦.She found herself thinking of Jeremy Lovett again. His dear brown eyes †¦ But she couldn't hold the picture. It kept dissolving–.to her horror-into eyes that flashed blue andgold and gray, depending on the way they caught the light. Oh, God,no. Ash was the last person who would understand her. And she didn't want to share a bus seat with him, much less her life. â€Å"What I want to know is who madeyou guys vam pires,† Mark said. They were sitting on oversize, overstuffed Victorian furniture in the living room at Burdock Farm. Rowan had a fire going in the fireplace. â€Å"Was it the old lady? Your aunt?† â€Å"It wasn't anybody,† Jade said, looking affronted.†We're not made vampires. We're the lamia.† She pronounced it LAY-mee-uh. Mark looked at her sideways. â€Å"Uh-huh. Andwhat's that?† â€Å"It's us. It's vampires that can have babies, and eat,and drink, and get old if we let ourselves, and livein families.Thebest kind of vampires.† â€Å"It's a race of vampires, basically,† Kestrel said.†Look, there are two different kinds of vampires, okay? The kind who start out as humans and are changed when a vampire bites them, and the kindthat are bornvampires. That's the kind we are. Our line goes back-well, let's say a long way.† â€Å"The longest,† Jade broke in again. â€Å"We're Redferns; we go back to prehistoric times.† Mary-Lynnette blinked. â€Å"But you three don't go back that far, do you?† she said nervously. Rowan stifled a laugh. â€Å"I'm nineteen; Kestrel's seventeen; Jade is sixteen. We haven't stopped aging yet.† Kestrel was looking at Mary-Lynnette. â€Å"How olddid our aunt look to you?†Ã¢â‚¬ Um, around seventy, seventy-five, I guess.† â€Å"When we last saw her she looked maybe forty,† Kestrel said. â€Å"That was ten years ago, when she left our island.† â€Å"But she'd actually been alive for seventy-four years at that point,† Rowan said. â€Å"That's what happens to us-if we stop holding off the aging process, it all catches up at once.† â€Å"Which if you've been alive for five or six hundredyears can be quite interesting,† Kestrel said dryly. Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"So this island where youcome from-is that the Night World?† Rowan looked startled. â€Å"Oh, no, it's just a safe town. You know, a place where our people all live without any humans. Hunter Redfern founded itback in the sixteenth century so we'd have some where safe to live.† â€Å"The only problem,† Kestrel said, golden eyesglinting, â€Å"is that people there are still doing thingsthe way they did in the sixteenth century. Andthey made a rule that nobody couldleave-exceptfor some of the men and boys that they trusted completely.† Like Ash, I guess, Mary-Lynnette thought. Shewas about to say this, but Rowan was speakingagain. â€Å"So that's why we ran away. We didn't want tohave to get married when our father told us to. Wewanted to see the human world. We wanted-â€Å" â€Å"To eat junk food,† Jade caroled. â€Å"And read magazines and wear pants and watch TV.† â€Å"When Aunt Opal left the island, she didn't tell anybody where she was going-except me,† Rowan said. â€Å"She told me she was going to this little town called Briar Creek where her husband's family had built a house a hundred and fifty years ago.,,, Mary-Lynnette ran her fingers through the silky tassels of a forest-green pillow. â€Å"Okay, but-whereis the Night World, then?† â€Å"Oh†¦ it's not a place†¦.† Rowan looked uncertain. â€Å"This is-it's kind of hard to tell you, actually,† she said. â€Å"You're not even supposed to know it exists. The two very first laws of the Night World are that you never let a human find out about it †¦and that you never fall in love with a human.† â€Å"And Jade's breaking both this minute,† Kestrel murmured. Jade just looked pleased. â€Å"And the penalty for both is death-for everybody involved,† Rowan said. â€Å"But . . . you're family. Here goes.† She took a steadying breath. â€Å"The Night World is a sort of secret society. Not just of vampires. Of witches and werewolves and shape shifters, too. All the different kinds of Night People. We're everywhere.† Everywhere?Mary-Lynnette thought. It was an unnerving idea-but an interesting one. So therewas a whole world out there she'd never knownabout-a place to explore, as alien as the Androm eda galaxy. Mark didn't seem too disturbed by the thought of vampires everywhere. He was grinning at Jade, leaning with one elbow on the arm of the dark green couch. â€Å"So, can you read minds? Can you read my mind right now?† cats who have heard something theirhumanscan't. An instant later, though. Mary-Lynnette heard it, too. The sound of feet on the front porch–tap, tap,tap-asquick as that. And then a thud. â€Å"Hey, somebody'sout there,† Jade said, and before Mark could stop her, she was up and heading for the door. â€Å"Soulmates can read each other's minds without even trying,† Jade told Mark firmly. Soulmates †¦ Mary-Lynnette wanted to get on toa different subject. She felt uncomfortable, tingly. â€Å"I wish you'd stop saying that. What you have ismuch better than being soulmates,† Rowan was tell ing Jade. â€Å"With love you get to find out about aperson first. Being soulmates is involuntary-youdon't even have tolikethe person when you meetthem. They may be completely wrong for you inevery way-wrong species, wrong temperament, wrong age. But you know you'll never be completely happy again without them.† More and more tingly. Mary-Lynnette had to say something. â€Å"And what if thathappenedto you-if you found somebody and you were soulmates with them and you didn't want to be?† she asked Rowan. She realized that her voice was strange–thick. â€Å"Isn'tthere any way you could-get rid of it?† There was a pause. Mary-Lynnette saw everyoneturn to look at her. â€Å"I've never heard of one,† Rowan said slowly. Her brown eyes were searching Mary-Lynnette's. â€Å"But I guess you could ask a witch †¦ if you had that problem.† Mary-Lynnette swallowed. Rowan's eyes weregentle and friendly-and Mary-Lynnette felt a very strong need to talk to someone, someone who would understand. â€Å"Rowan She didn't get any further. Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade all looked suddenly toward the front door-like.

Personal and Imaginative Writing: The Big Splash!

The soft wind whistled its melody in my ears, the sun shone brightly in my face as I skipped towards Bruce Castle Park with my sister Daniella, my brother Marcell and my Daddy. My sister was eleven, my brother was ten and I was seven, so I was the baby at the time. I was so excited to get into the park, I heard loads of screaming and shouting babies, toddlers and children, I saw a long queue at the ice-cream van. All I wanted to do was get into the park and join the fun. My sister, brother and I ran towards the park anticipating, leaving my dad strolling behind. I pushed open the black shiny gate to get into the park and dragged my brother and sister with me. The first thing that caught my eyes was the large swimming pool. There were plenty of children splashing, screaming and shouting in there; they looked like they were really enjoying themselves. I wanted to go and join in. I ran towards the fun, feeling excited. I heard my dad calling, but I ignored her because I wanted to get in the pool, even thought I didn't have my swim suit. My dad called me and told me to go back over to him, I was angry because I was so close to joining in the fun. As I walked towards my dad I kept on looking back at all the children enjoying themselves in the pool. When I got over to my dad he simply told me to take my sister to the pool with me because my brother and him were going to play football. My sister didn't want to play, so I agreed. Once again I made my way over to the pool, it looked so colourful because of all the different coloured swim suits. I told my sister how thrilled I was to go and play in the pool. She was also thrilled but explained to me that we could not get into the pool because we had no swim suits and no change of clothes. I was disappointed but concurred without any choice. We got to the pool and the atmosphere was great: loud, colourful and fun. All of the children were playing together. My sister and I looked at each other, grinned and hopped onto the inner pool edge, rolled up our trouser legs and began to walk around the inner edge of the pool. Other children told us to get in, but we couldn't, so we explained to them why, they were let down but accepted it. They were very nice and friendly children. Daniella and I wanted to dip out feet in so we had to be really careful and dip only put feet in. The water was as cold as ice, and clear like crystals, it felt so good. Daniella and I carried on walking around the inner edge of the pool. We were getting wet because of the children splashing, but that was no worry, because the sun was blazing hot and our clothes would dry in no time. I had a feeling that someone would pull us in or we would fall in, so I was careful with my every step. My dad yelled to us to come over and have some snacks and juice, my sister and I rushed so we could get back to the pool as soon as possible. We hurried back over to the pool as our new friends waited. Daniella and I carried on playing on the inner pool edge, but I began to get bored so I had a fantastic idea. I explained it to my new friends. The game was called bulldog. What you had do was my sister and I had to throw the ball and aim it at the people in the pool. Whoever it hit had to come on our team and help get the people in the pool out, leaving a winner. The game began and we were all enjoying it, Daniella and I were really skilled at getting people out. Round 1 of water bulldog had finished, so we decided to play Round 2. We had to be careful because the inner edge of the pool was socking wet. I aimed the ball at one of my friends in the pool and got him out, so he had to come and join my sister and I. My friend in the pool threw the ball to me but it was a short throw, so I tried to stretch and catch the ball, I felt myself stumble so I grabbed onto Daniella and we both fell into the pool and made a big splash! My sister and I looked at each other and exploded with laughter, it was like a laughing fit, we could not stop laughing. The water was freezing cold, I could feel my goose pimples rising all over my body. I struggled to get out of the pool as my clothes were dripping wet and dragging me back down into the pool. When I finally got out I helped my sister to get out as she was struggling too. We had to go and tell my dad what had happened, neither of us knew if he was going to shout or laugh, so we walked over in suspense. Daniella and I held each others hands tight as we left our footprints behind us. When we got to our dad and brother Marcell they were in stitches before we could tell our story. My sister and I were relieved. Dad asked us what happened so we both took it in turns to explain. They both kept teasing us after we had told them; it didn't bother us because we found it funny too. The sun was still sizzling hot like sausages on the fire, so my sister and I decided to lay down on the bright green grass and try and get our clothes dry. We laid there for approximately thirty minutes but our clothes didn't seem to be drying quick enough, so we told our dad that we were bored and wanted to go home. , so we did. Because out clothes were still wet Daniella had to wear my dad's vest, and I had to wear his t-shirt on the way home. They looked like dresses because they were down to our ankles, but it looked cute. Once again the giggles began, what an excellent end to a great day out.