World War I - 1918 Overview

World War I - 1918 Overview By 1918, World War I had been underway for over three years. Despite the bloody stalemate that continued to ensue on the Western Front following the failures of British and French offensives at Ypres and Aisne, both sides had reason for hope due to two key events in 1917. For the Allies (Britain, France, and Italy), the United States had entered the war on April 6 and was bringing its industrial might and vast manpower to bear. To the east, Russia, torn by the Bolshevik Revolution and resulting civil war, had asked for an armistice with the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) on December 15, freeing large numbers of soldiers for service on other fronts. As a result, both alliances entered the new year with optimism that victory might finally be achieved. America Mobilizes Though the United States had joined the conflict in April 1917, it took time for the nation to mobilize manpower on a large scale and retool its industries for war. By March 1918, only 318,000 Americans had arrived in France. This number began to climb rapidly through the summer and by August 1.3 million men were deployed overseas. Upon their arrival, many senior British and French commanders wished to use the largely untrained American units as replacements within their own formations. Such a plan was adamantly opposed by the commander of the American Expeditionary Force, General John J. Pershing, who insisted that American troops fight together. Despite conflicts like this, the arrival of the Americans bolstered the hopes of the battered British and French armies which had been fighting and dying for since August 1914. An Opportunity for Germany While the massive numbers of American troops that were forming in the United States would ultimately play a decisive role, the defeat of Russia provided Germany with an immediate advantage on the Western Front. Freed from fighting a two-front war, the Germans were able to transfer over thirty veteran divisions west while only leaving a skeleton force to ensure Russian compliance with the Treat of Brest-Litovsk. These troops provided the Germans with numerical superiority over their adversaries. Aware that growing numbers of American troops would soon negate the advantage Germany had gained, General Erich Ludendorff began planning a series of offensives to bring the war on the Western Front to a swift conclusion. Dubbed the Kaiserschlacht (Kaisers Battle), the 1918 Spring Offensives were to consist of four major assaults code-named Michael, Georgette, Blà ¼cher-Yorck, and Gneisenau. As German manpower was running short, it was imperative that the Kaiserschlacht succeed as losses could not be effectively replaced. Operation Michael The first and largest of these offensives, Operation Michael, was intended to strike the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) along the Somme with the goal of cutting it off from the French to the south. The assault plan called for four German armies to break through the BEFs lines then wheel northwest to drive toward the English Channel. Leading the attack would be special stormtrooper units whose orders called for them to drive deep into British positions, bypassing strong points, with the goal disrupting communications and reinforcements. Commencing on March 21, 1918, Michael saw German forces attack along a forty-mile front. Slamming into the British Third and Fifth Armies, the assault shattered the British lines. While Third Army largely held, the Fifth Army began a fighting retreat (Map). As the crisis developed, the commander of the BEF, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, requested reinforcements from his French counterpart, General Philippe Pà ©tain. This request was refused as Pà ©tain was concerned about protecting Paris. Angered, Haig was able to force an Allied conference on March 26 at Doullens. This meeting resulted in the appointment of General Ferdinand Foch as the overall Allied commander. As the fighting continued, British and French resistance began to coalesce and Ludendorffs thrust began to slow. Desperate to renew the offensive, he ordered a series of new attacks on March 28, though they favored exploiting local successes rather than advancing the operations strategic goals. These attacks failed to make substantial gains and Operation Michael ground to a halt at Villers-Bretonneux on the outskirts of Amiens. Operation Georgette Despite the strategic failure of Michael, Ludendorff immediately launched Operation Georgette (Lys Offensive) in Flanders on April 9. Assaulting the British around Ypres, the Germans sought to capture the town and force the British back to the coast. In nearly three weeks of fighting, the Germans succeeded in reclaiming the territorial losses of Passchendaele and advanced south of Ypres. By April 29, the Germans had still failed to take Ypres and Ludendorff halted the offensive (Map). Operation Blcher-Yorck Shifting his attention south the French, Ludendorff commenced Operation Blà ¼cher-Yorck (Third Battle of the Aisne) on May 27. Concentrating their artillery, the Germans attacked down the valley of the Oise River towards Paris. Overrunning the Chemin de Dames ridge, Ludendorffs men swiftly advanced as the Allies began committing reserves to halt the offensive. American forces played a role in stopping the Germans during intense fighting at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood. On June 3, as fighting still raged, Ludendorff decided to suspend Blà ¼cher-Yorck due to supply problems and mounting losses. While both sides lost similar numbers of men, the Allies possessed an ability to replace them that Germany lacked (Map). Seeking to widen the gains of Blà ¼cher-Yorck, Ludendorff began Operation Gneisenau on June 9. Attacking on the northern edge of the Aisne salient along the Matz River, his troops made initial gains, but were halted within two days. Ludendorffs Last Gasp With the failure of the Spring Offensives, Ludendorff had lost much of the numerical superiority which he had counted on for achieving victory. With limited resources remaining he hoped to launch an attack against the French with the goal of drawing British troops south from Flanders. This would then allow another attack on that front. With the support of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Ludendorff opened the Second Battle of the Marne on July 15. Attacking on both sides of Rheims, the Germans made some progress. French intelligence had provided warning of the attack and Foch and Pà ©tain had prepared a counterstroke. Launched on July 18, the French counterattack, supported by American troops, was led by General Charles Mangins Tenth Army. Supported by other French troops, the effort soon threatened to encircle those German troops in the salient. Beaten, Ludendorff ordered a withdraw from the endangered area. The defeat on the Marne ended his plans for mounting another assault in Flanders. Austrian Failure In the wake of the disastrous Battle of Caporetto in fall 1917, the hated Italian Chief of Staff General Luigi Cadorna was sacked and replaced with General Armando Diaz. The Italian position behind the Piave River was further bolstered by the arrival of sizable formations of British and French troops. Across the lines, German forces had largely been recalled for use in the Spring Offensives, however they had been replaced by Austro-Hungarian troops that had been freed from the Eastern Front. Debate ensued among the Austrian high command regarding the best way to finish off the Italians. Finally the new Austrian Chief of Staff, Arthur Arz von Straussenburg, approved a plan to launch a two-pronged attack, with one moving south from the mountains and the other across the Piave River. Moving forward on June 15, the Austrian advance was quickly checked by the Italians and their allies with heavy losses (Map). Victory in Italy The defeat led Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary to begin seeking a political solution to the conflict. On October 2, he contacted US President Woodrow Wilson and expressed his willingness to enter into an armistice. Twelve days later he issued a manifesto to his peoples which effectively transformed the state into a federation of nationalities. These efforts proved too late as the multitude of ethnicities and nationalities that formed the empire had begun proclaiming their own states. With the empire collapsing, Austrian armies at the front began to weaken. In this environment, Diaz launched a major offensive across the Piave on October 24. Dubbed the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, the fighting saw many of the Austrians mount a stiff defense, but their line collapsed after Italian troops broke through a gap near Sacile. Driving back the Austrians, Diazs campaign concluded a week later on Austrian territory. Seeking an end to the war, the Austrians asked for an armistice on November 3. Terms were arranged and the armistice with Austria-Hungary was signed near Padua that day, taking effect on November 4 at 3:00 PM. German Position After the Spring Offensives The failure of the Spring Offensives cost Germany nearly a million casualties. Though ground had been taken, the strategic breakthrough had failed to occur. As a result, Ludendorff found himself short on troops with a longer line to defend. To make good the losses sustained earlier in the year, the German high command estimated that 200,000 recruits per month would be needed. Unfortunately, even by drawing on the next conscription class, only 300,000 total were available. Though German Chief of Staff General Paul von Hindenburg remained beyond reproach, members of the General Staff began to criticize Ludendorff for his failures in the field and lack of originality in determining strategy. While some officers argued for a withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, others believed the time had come to open peace negotiations with the Allies. Ignoring these suggestions, Ludendorff remained wedded to the notion of deciding the war through military means despite the fact that the United States had already mobilized four million men. In addition, the British and French, though badly bled, had developed and expanded their tank forces to compensate for numbers. Germany, in a key military miscalculation, had failed match the Allies in development of this type of technology. Battle of Amiens Having halted the Germans, Foch and Haig began preparations for striking back. The beginning of the Allies Hundred Days Offensive, the initial blow was to fall east of Amiens to open the rail lines through the city and recover the old Somme battlefield. Overseen by Haig, the offensive was centered on the British Fourth Army. After discussions with Foch it was decided to include the First French Army to the south. Beginning on August 8, the offensive relied on surprise and the use of armor rather than the typical preliminary bombardment. Catching the enemy off guard, Australian and Canadian forces in the center broke through the German lines and advanced 7-8 miles. By the end of the first day, five German divisions had been shattered. Total German losses numbered over 30,000, leading Ludendorff to refer to August 8 as the Black Day of the German Army. Over the next three days, Allied forces continued their advance, but met increased resistance as the Germans rallied. Halting the offensive on August 11, Haig was chastised by Foch who wished it to continue. Rather than battle increasing German resistance, Haig opened the Second Battle of the Somme on August 21, with the Third Army attacking at Albert. Albert fell the following day and Haig widened the offensive with the Second Battle of Arras on August 26. The fighting saw the British advance as the Germans fell back to the fortifications of the Hindenburg Line, surrendering the gains of Operation Michael (Map). Pushing on to Victory With the Germans reeling, Foch planned a massive offensive which would see several lines of advance converging on Liege. Prior to launching his attack, Foch ordered the reduction of the salients at Havrincourt and Saint-Mihiel. Attacking on September 12, the British quickly reduced the former, while the latter was taken by Pershings US First Army in the first all-American offensive of the war. Shifting the Americans north, Foch used Pershings men to open his final campaign on September 26 when they began the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (Map). As the Americans attacked north, King Albert I of Belgium led a combined Anglo-Belgian force forward near Ypres two days later. On September 29, the main British offensive commenced against the Hindenburg Line with the Battle of St. Quentin Canal. After several day of fighting, the British broke through the line on October 8 at the Battle of the Canal du Nord. The German Collapse As events on the battlefield unfolded, Ludendorff suffered a breakdown on September 28. Recovering his nerve, he went to Hindenburg that evening and stated that there was no alternative but to seek an armistice. The next day, the Kaiser and senior members of the government were advised of this at the headquarters in Spa, Belgium. In January 1918, President Wilson had produced Fourteen Points on which an honorable peace guaranteeing future world harmony could be made. It was on the basis of these points that the German government elected to approach the Allies. The German position was further complicated by a deteriorating situation in Germany as shortages and political unrest swept the country. Appointing the moderate Prince Max of Baden as his chancellor, the Kaiser understood that Germany would need to democratize as part of any peace process. Final Weeks At the front, Ludendorff began to recover his nerve and the army, though retreating, was contesting each bit of ground. Advancing, the Allies continued to drive towards the German frontier (Map). Unwilling to give up the fight, Ludendorff composed a proclamation which defied the Chancellor and renounced Wilsons peace proposals. Though retracted, a copy reached Berlin inciting the Reichstag against the army. Summoned to the capital, Ludendorff was compelled to resign on October 26. As the army conducted a fighting retreat, the German High Seas Fleet was ordered to sea for one final sortie on October 30. Rather than sail, the crews broke into mutiny and took to the streets of Wilhelmshaven. By November 3, the mutiny had reached Kiel as well. As revolution swept across Germany, Prince Max appointed moderate General Wilhelm Groener to replace Ludendorff and ensured that any armistice delegation would include civilian as well as military members. On November 7, Prince Max was advised by Friedrich Ebert, leader of the Majority Socialists, that the Kaiser would need to abdicate to prevent an all-out revolution. He passed this on to the Kaiser and on November 9, with Berlin in turmoil, turned the government over Ebert. Peace at Last At Spa, the Kaiser fantasized about turning the army against his own people, but was ultimately convinced to step down on November 9. Exiled to Holland, he formally abdicated on November 28. As events unfolded in Germany, the peace delegation, led by Matthias Erzberger crossed the lines. Meeting aboard a railroad car in the Forest of Compià ¨gne, the Germans were presented with Fochs terms for an armistice. These included the evacuation of occupied territory (including Alsace-Lorraine), military evacuation of the west bank of the Rhine, surrender of the High Seas Fleet, surrender of large quantities of military equipment, reparations for war damage, repudiation of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, as well as acceptance of continuation of the Allied blockade. Informed of the Kaisers departure and the fall of his government, Erzberger was unable to obtain instructions from Berlin. Finally reaching Hindenburg in Spa, he was told to sign at any cost as an armistice was absolutely necessary. Complying, the delegation agreed to Fochs terms after three days of talks and signed between 5:12 and 5:20 AM on November 11. At 11:00 AM the armistice went into effect ending over four years of bloody conflict. Test your knowledge of the battles of WWI.

Promoting Your Books With Pinterest

Promoting Your Books With Pinterest Pinterest, a social media site, initially was popular among crafters, homemakers and Do-It-Yourselfers. Its becoming a popular destination as authors search for additional marketing possibilities. Pinterest can drive traffic to an authors blog or website, increase reader awareness and generate book sales. PINTEREST Pinterest is a free site (www.pinterest.com) where users set up boards and pin things they like to their boards. Think having a wall full of   bulletin boards. Create as many boards as you desire – one or hundreds. Name them – Books to read, Gardens, Fun to wear, etc. If you see a post on the main page that you like, click the heart on the upper right. If you want to save it, click pin it on the upper left. A box opens up where you choose which board to pin it to. Follow people. For instance, type chopeclark in the search box and youll find Hopes Pinterest page. On the upper right, click follow. Its that easy. Dont forget add your Pinterest link in your signature block, on your website and on your blog posts. WHY PINTEREST? Pinterest has over 100 million users. An estimated 70 percent of users pin/click through each month. Some authors have reported that Pinterest generated traffic surpassed Google+ and Twitter. TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOKS Set up a board for each book, or each series. Add a description about your book on each board. Include relevant keywords to show up in searches. Include links to your web site, blog, and sales page. (Descriptions are limited 500 characters. Bitly.com shortens those lengthy Amazon links.) Add pins that complement your book. Good visual images have the best chances of getting repined. They recommend having at least five pins on each board. Add pins that reflect the time period of your book, the area its set in, food or clothing of the era, recipes, etc. For instance, on my Trail Angel Mama – hiking board, I added pins about the Pacific Crest Trail, Wrightwood, California (story location), and links to useful hiking pages. When I publish a blog, I pin to my board, which directs Pinterest users back to my blog. When you start a new project, create a new board. Add pictures and information from your research. If the WIP name changes, edit the boards name. This helps promote your book prior to publication. Author Susan Wittig Albert has several series: China Bayles, Darling Dahlias and the Robin Paige Victorian mysteries that she co-writes with her husband, along with several stand-alone historical fiction books. Shes an active Pinterest user: 127 boards, 2,000 pins, and 3,000 followers. See her Pinterest page here. https://www.pinterest.com/susanwalbert/ Another Pinterest author is J.F. Penn. She has 31 boards: one for each book, and one titled My Books. She has a A Day in the Life of a Writer board sharing snippets of her life.https://www.pinterest.com/jfpenn/ TIPS Pin things specific to your target audience. Is it useful or entertaining? Hot Pinterest topics are: Food, fashion, fitness, beauty, dà ©cor, travel, crafts, children and pets. Share pins with valuable content: Blog posts, images, videos, essays, stories, character profiles. Be steady and consistent with your pinning to maximize your exposure. Better to briefly pin several times a week instead of binge pinning once a month. Pin at peak viewing times: late afternoons, early evenings and weekends. Pin your own unique pins along with repining others in your theme. READ MORE HERE: 56 Ways to Market Your Business on Pinterest, copyblogger.com/pinterest-marketing/ Your Writer Platform has a blog with usable tips and links detailing how to accomplish the recommended tasks. yourwriterplatform.com/use-pinterest-to-market-book-and-author-brand/

Critically discuss your current understanding of the role and Essay

Critically discuss your current understanding of the role and importance of interaction in teaching and learning gained from your independent reading and research - Essay Example The main purpose of their questions is to explore the environment around them, and learn as much as they can from their older peers, or parents. When they grow up, and in classrooms, the numbers of their questions drop significantly. There are three kinds of classroom interactions, namely teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction, and student to others interaction. Others refer to the invited guests, or speakers who possess a particular knowledge that they want to impart on the student (Brooks et al, 2007). Interaction in a learning process is an important element of learning, and this is because it creates a culture of learning, and encourages students to take responsibility of their learning process, and outcomes. This paper analyzes the role and importance of interaction in the process of learning and teaching (Capel et al, 2005). This paper denotes that interaction is an important practice in the teaching process and any educator must practice this policy in order to achieve efficiency while imparting skills, and disseminating knowledge. Interaction in teaching and learning enhances efficiency in the use of language, therefore creating an efficient communication process amongst the various parties concerned. Gardner observes that by efficiently using a proper and understandable language in a class room set up, an instructor gets the capability of disseminating knowledge and information to the learners (1999). During interactive sessions, a leaner manages to develop his or her use of language. This is because they express themselves; in the process of asking a question, or making a point. By using language effectively, an instructor gains the capability of imparting knowledge by using the necessary resources and materials. Gardner (1999) denotes that this will enable a student to acquire a wider base of knowledge, and therefore enhancing the process of learning. Effective

Critically discuss the role of women in Luke-Acts Essay

Critically discuss the role of women in Luke-Acts - Essay Example Conversely, the interpretation of Luke’s Gospel has often been viewed as highlighting the passive and silent role of women, thereby supporting the importance of the male leaders (Seim, 1994, p.173). This debate has further led to the argument that whilst women may be seen as â€Å"prophets† in the private domain, the symbolic role of this representation simply serves to highlight the public prophetic role of men (Levine & Blickenstaff, 2004, p.67). The biblical criticism in this area is additionally fuelled by the fact that notwithstanding the express role of women in the Luke Gospel, there is clearly a dichotomy between the Luke Gospel and the Acts. Indeed, Seim highlights that whilst women are clearly visible within the content of the Gospel their role is negligible and effectively silenced in the Acts (Seim, 1994, p.173). The focus of this analysis is to critically evaluate the role of women in the Luke Acts. In doing so I shall adopt a contextual approach with reference to feminist theology and the appurtenant feminist issues raised by the Luke Acts. As an initial observation it is important to highlight that Luke’s Gospel comprises part of the Canon of the New Testament and was selected on grounds of its theological emphasis correlating with the other books of the New Testament, particularly the Synoptic gospels (D’Angelo, 1990, p.442). Additionally, Luke’s Gospel is widely recognised as part of a two piece work in conjunction with the Book of Acts (Reid, 1996, p.95). In contrast to the other Gospels, Luke is most notable for according an overt and prominent role to women as they are main characters in the birth, infancy narratives and the resurrection appearances, which is unique to Luke (Corley, 1993: 15). Furthermore, Luke makes reference to 13 women that are not mentioned in the other Gospels (Corley, 1993: 25). However, the significance attached to the representation of women in Luke is somewhat undermined by Seim’s emphasis on the

Obey Direct Orders Essay Example for Free

Obey Direct Orders Essay There are more than a few reasons that lawful orders should be obeyed. These orders are given for a variety of reasons, and should be followed whether or not you understand or agree with them. Orders are sometimes given simply to keep soldiers to maintain their military bearing and display a proper image of the United States Armed Forces. Other times they are given to protect the soldier or to protect the soldiers around him/her. No matter what, an order should be carried out without question, because if you question orders that seem less important, you could get someone hurt because you were wasting time ignoring or questioning an order that you thought was unimportant. A soldier is given a great many orders that fall into the first category I discussed, maintaining military bearing. These orders range from keeping in step and swinging your arms in formation, to not moving while talking on your phone. All of these orders have reasoning behind them that has applications on the battlefield. For instance, if you are keeping in step and swinging your arms in formation, then you are paying attention to the cadence that is being given, so if you get a command by whoever is marching you, you are already paying attention and can react quickly. This can be the difference between life and death in a combat zone. The same thing can be said about talking on the phone while walking around. You need to not have any distractions when you are patrolling an area. If you are not alert, you could get yourself killed by an IED, or worse you could get others killed. So while these orders may not seem to have all that much importance in the here and now, they actually have a great deal of importance in that they train you in how you need to behave while deployed, so they should be followed with just as much care as any other order. Another type of order that is given is an order that is designed directly to protect you or those around you. Every time you are given an order to do guard duty or a cleaning detail, that order is there to protect yourself and others. When you are asked to pull guard duty, you are actively watching for threats to those that you are guarding. If an insurgent were to try to enter your AO when there was no guard, he could do a lot of damage before he was noticed, and he could kill a lot of people. If you have a guard on post, the same insurgent is likely to be killed or taken into custody with no loss of U.S. Soldiers. When here in training you are practicing the ability to stay alert while on those guard duties. If you were to fall asleep on duty, or not report, then you could be responsible for the deaths of your fellow soldiers. A less obvious threat than insurgents are the bacteria and diseases that you are helping to keep under control every time you follow an order to do a cleaning detail. If these orders are not followed then our fighting force could become crippled by sickness. So you can see even cleaning details are in place to help protect you and your fellow soldiers. In the end the point is, whether or not you understand the reason you are being given an order, or agree with that order, it needs to be followed. Failing to follow orders can cause people to get hurt, or can put you in the position of not having the focus or discipline to stay out of harms way yourself. Follow orders every time.

Essay --

After carefully considering the area of both homes, including the crime rate, median home prices, schools in the area, etc, as well as the improvements needed on property A and the ones already done on Property B, I feel that Property A in Chapel Hill, NC would be, in my opinion, a better investment property. If I had a family, were just starting out and could do some of the work myself, this would be a good investment in my future. Chapel Hill was rated in the top ten best places to live, in Money Magazine. It has beautiful weather, nice neighborhoods and lower population per square foot. It also has six, 5 star rated schools in the area and the crime rate for this neighborhood is very low. The town is centrally located with an international airport within 20 miles as well as bus stations within 30 minutes. There is a local transit system as well as taxi's. I also believe this home would have a higher resale value for the long-term, as the median comparable home values in this area , at this time, are around $350,000. I would purchase all new appliances for the kitchen, purchase a new washer and dryer and add new carpet in the bedrooms with ceramic tile throughout the rest of the home. I would add some fresh paint inside and out, as well. Then, I would add some subtle landscaping. The bushes and trees that are already there, are in good shape and are a good start. However, it looks like the lawn needs to be reseeded and the yard could use some color. I would add a couple of rose bushes and some other flowers around the perimeter of the home to brighten things up. I could do it all for about $20k for a total cost of $145,500, if I did all the work myself. If I wanted to go a few steps further, I would add all new bathroom fix... ...in and clean up, tape off and paint all walls and trim, install new cabinets, lighting and fixtures. Then I would go through and lay carpet and tile I had selected. The next step would be to start on the outside of the home and paint all exterior walls and trim. Then I would start reseeding the lawn, planting flowers and handling any other landscaping, like a sprinkler system to water the yard and plants. Finally, with everything fresh and new, I would place the house for rent, for sale or simply move in. Word Choice Word Choice Suggestions Suggestions for improving word choice appear in the text underlined in blue. Select this text to view the tips. [ Previous | Next ] Analysis complete. Select an item below to view the notes associated with that item. Title Checker Spelling Grammar Word Choice Style Vocabulary Words Grade Facebook printable summary report

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 29

â€Å"Elena!† Something was bothering her. â€Å"Elena!† Please, no more pain. She couldn't feel it right now, but she could remember†¦oh, no more fighting for air†¦ â€Å"Elena!† No†¦just let it be. Mentally, Elena pushed away the thing that bothered her ears and her head. â€Å"Elena, please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  All she wanted was sleep. Forever. â€Å"Damn you,Shinichi!† Damon had picked up the snow globe with the miniature forest when Shinichi found Elena's smudged glow radiating from it. Inside it, dozens of spruce, hickory, pine, and other trees grew – all from a perfectly transparent inner membrane. A miniature person – given that someone could be miniaturized and placed into such a globe, would see trees ahead, trees behind, trees in every direction – and could walk a straight line and come back to their starting point no matter which way they went. â€Å"It's an amusement,† Shinichi had said sullenly, watching him intently from under his lashes. â€Å"A toy, for children, usually. A play-trap.† â€Å"And you findthis amusing?† Damon had smashed the globe against the driftwood coffee table in the exquisite cabin which was Shinichi's secret hideout. That was when he had discovered why these were games for children – the globe was unbreakable. After that Damon had taken a moment – just one moment – to get hold of himself. Elena had perhaps seconds to live. He needed to be precise with his words. After that single moment, a long flow of words had spilled out from his lips, mostly in English, and mostly without unnecessary curses or even insults. He didn't care about insulting Shinichi. He had simply threatened – no, he hadsworn – to carry out on Shinichi the kind of violence that he had seen sometimes in a long life filled with humans and vampires with skewed imaginations. Eventually, it had gotten through to Shinichi that he was serious, and Damon had found himself inside the globe with a drenched Elena in front of him. She was lying at his feet, and she was worse off than his worst fears had allowed him to picture. She had a dislocated right arm with multiple fractures and a hideously shattered left tibia. Horrified as he had been to imagine her staggering through the forest of the globe, blood streaming from her right arm from shoulder to elbow, left leg dragging behind her like a wounded animal's, this was worse. Her hair had been soaking with sweat and mud, straggling over her face. And she'd been out of her mind, literally, delirious, talking to people who weren't there. And she was turning blue. She had been able to snap exactly one creeper with all her effort. Damon clawed up huge armfuls of them, ripping them from the earth viciously if they tried to fight or wrap around his wrists. Elena gasped in one deep breath just as suffocation would have killed her, but she didn't regain consciousness. And she wasn't the Elena he remembered. When he'd picked her up, he'd felt no resistance, no acceptance, nothing. She didn't know him. She was delirious with fever, exhaustion, and pain, but in one moment of half-consciousness had kissed his hand through her damp, disheveled hair, whispering â€Å"Matt†¦Find†¦Matt.† She didn't know who he was – she scarcely knew whoshe was, but her concern was for her friend. The kiss had gone through his hand and up his arm like the touch of a branding iron, and since then he'd been monitoring her mind, trying to divert the agony she was feeling away – away anywhere – into the night – into himself. He turned back to Shinichi and, in a voice like an icy wind, said, â€Å"You'd better have a way to cure all her wounds – now.† The charming cabin was surrounded by the same evergreens, hickory, and pines as grew in the snow globe. The fire burned violet and green as Shinichi poked it. â€Å"This water is just about ready to boil. Make her drink tea made with this.† He handed Damon a blackened flagon – once beautiful chased silver; now a battered remnant of what it had been – and a teapot with some broken leaves and other unsavory-looking things at the bottom. â€Å"Make sure she drinks a good three quarters of a cup, and she'll fall asleep and wake up almost as good as new.† He dug an elbow into Damon's ribs. â€Å"Or you can just let her have a few sips – heal her partway, and then let her know it's in your power to give her more†¦or not. You know†¦depending on how cooperative she is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Damon remained silent and turned away. If I have to look at him, he thought, I'll kill him. And I might need him again. â€Å"And if you really want to accelerate the healing, add some of your blood. Some people like to do it that way,† Shinichi added, his voice picking up speed with excitement again. â€Å"See how much pain a human can take, you know, and then when they're dying, you can just feed them tea and blood and start over†¦if they remember you from last time – which they hardly ever do; they'll usually go through more pain just to get a chance to fight you†¦,† he giggled, and Damon thought he sounded not quite sane. But when he had suddenly turned to Shinichi, he had to hold himself very still inside. Shinichi had become a blazing, glowing, outline of himself, with tongues of light lapping from his projection, rather like close-up solar flares. Damon was nearly blinded, and knew he was meant to be. He clutched the silver flagon as if he were holding on to his own sanity. Maybe he was. He had a blank space in his mind – and then there were suddenly memories of trying to find Elena†¦or Shinichi. Because Elena had abruptly been absent from his company, and it could only be the fault of the kitsune. â€Å"There's a modern bathroom here?† Damon asked Shinichi. â€Å"There's whatever you want; just decide before you open a door and unlock it with this key. And now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Shinichi stretched, his golden eyes half shut. He ran a languid hand through his shiny black hair tipped with flame. â€Å"Now, I think I'll go sleep under a bush.† â€Å"Is that all you ever do?† Damon made no attempt to keep the biting sarcasm out of his voice. â€Å"And have fun with Misao. And fight. And go to the tournaments. They – well, you'll have to come and see one for yourself.† â€Å"I don't care to go anywhere.† Damon didn't want to know what this fox and his sister considered fun. Shinichi reached out and took the miniature cauldron full of boiling water off the fire. He poured the boiling water over the collection of tree bark, leaves, and other detritus in the battered metal teapot. â€Å"Why don't you go find a bushnow ?† Damon said – and it wasn't a suggestion. He'd had enough of the fox, who had served his purpose now anyway, and he didn't care a bit about whatever mischief Shinichi might make for other people. All he wanted was to be alone – with Elena. â€Å"Remember; get her to drink it all if you want to keep her for a while. She's pretty much unsalvageable without it.† Shinichi poured through a fine sieve the infusion of dark green tea. â€Å"Better try before she wakes up.† â€Å"Will you justget out of here ?† When Shinichi stepped through the dimensional crack, taking care to turn just the right way so as to reach the real world, and not some other globe, he was steaming. He wanted to go back and thrash Damon within an inch of his life. He wanted to activate the malach inside Damon and cause him to†¦well, of course, notquite kill sweet Elena. She was a blossom with nectar untasted, and Shinichi was in no hurry to see her buried underground. But as for the rest of the idea†¦yes, he decided. Now he knew what he would do. It would be simply delicious to watch Damon and Elena make up, and then, during the Moonspire Festival tonight, to bring back the monster. He could let Damon go on believing they were â€Å"allies,† and then, in the middle of their little spree – let the possessed Damon loose. Show that he, Shinichi, had been in control all along. He would punish Elena in ways she had never dreamed about and she would die in delicious agony†¦at Damon's hand. Shinichi's tails quivered a little ecstatically at the thought. But for now, let them laugh and joke together. Revenge only ripened with time, and Damon was really quite difficult to control when he was raging. It hurt to admit that, just as his tail – the physical one in the center – hurt from Damon's abominable cruelty to animals. When Damon was in a passion it took every ounce of Shinichi's concentration to control him. But at Moonspire Damon would be calm, would be placid. He'd be pleased with himself, as he and Elena would undoubtedly have laid some absurd plot to try to stop Shinichi. Thatwould be when the fun would begin. Elena would make a beautiful slave while she lasted. With the kitsune gone, Damon felt that he could behave more naturally. Keeping a firm grasp on Elena's mind, he picked up the cup. He tried a sip of the mixture himself before trying it on her and found it tasted just slightly less nauseating than it smelled. However, Elena really had no choice, she could not do anything of her own volition, and little by little, the mixture went down. And then a dose of his blood went down. Again, Elena was unconscious and had no choice in the matter. And then she'd gone to sleep by herself. Damon paced restlessly. He had a memory that was more like a dream floating around in his head. It was of Elena trying to throw herself out of a Ferrari going about 100 kilometers an hour, to get away from – what? Him? Why? Not, in any case, the best of beginnings. But that wasall he could remember! Damn it! Whatever came right before it was a total blank. Had he hurt Stefan? No, Stefan was gone. It had been the other boy with her, Mutt.What had happened? Damn it tohell ! He had to figure out what had happened so he could explain it all to Elena when she woke up. He wanted her to believe him, to trust him. He didn't want Elena as a one-night bleeder. He wanted her tochoose him. He wanted her to see how much better suited she was to him than to his mousy, milksop brother. His princess of darkness. That was what she wasmeant to be. With him as king, consort, whatever she wished. When she saw things more clearly, she would understand that it didn't matter. That nothing mattered except them being together. He viewed her body, veiled under the sheet, with dispassion – no, with positiveguilt .Dio mio – what if he hadn't found her? He couldn't get the picture out of his mind of how she'd looked, stumbling forward like that†¦lying there breathless†¦kissing his hand†¦ Damon sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why had she been in the Ferrari with him? She'd been angry – no, not angry. Furious was closer but so frightened†¦ofhim . He could picture that clearly now, the moment of her throwing herself out of the speeding car, but he couldn't remember anything before it. Was he going out of his mind? What had been done to her? No†¦Damon forced his thoughts away from the easy question and made himself ask thereal question. What hadhe done to her? Elena's eyes, blue with golden flecks, like lapis lazuli, were easy to read even without telepathy. What had†¦he†¦done to her that was so frightening that she would jump out of a speeding car to get away from him? He'd been taunting the fair-haired boy. Mutt†¦Gnat†¦whatever. The three of them had been together, and he and Elena had been†¦damn! From there to his awakening at the steering wheel of the Ferrari, all was a shimmering blank. He could remember saving Bonnie at Caroline's house; he could remember being late for his 4:44A.M . meeting with Stefan; but after that, things began to fragment.Shinichi , maledicalo! That fox! He knew more about this than he was telling Damon. I have always†¦been stronger†¦than my enemies, he thought. I have always†¦remained†¦in†¦control. He heard a slight sound and was by Elena in an instant. Her blue eyes were shut, but the lashes were fluttering. Was she waking up? He made himself turn down the sheet by her shoulder. Shinichi had been right. There was a lot of dried blood, but he could sense that the blood flow itself was more normal. But there was something horribly wrong†¦no, he wouldn't believe it. Damon barely kept himself from screaming in frustration. The damn fox had left her with a dislocated shoulder. Things were definitely not going well for him today. Now what? Call for Shinichi? Never. He felt he couldn't look at the fox again tonight without wanting to murder him. He was going to have to put her shoulder back in the socket alone. It was a procedure usually only attempted by two people, but what could he do? Still keeping Elena in an iron mind-grip, making sure shecouldn't awaken, he grasped her by the arm and began the painful business of dislocating the humerus even farther, pulling the bone away so that he could finally release pressure and hear the sweetpop that meant that the long arm bone had slipped back into the socket. Then he let go. Elena's head was tossing from side to side, her lips parched. He poured some more of Shinichi's magical bone-knitting tea into the battered cup, then lifted her head gently from the left side to put the cup to her lips. He let her mind have some freedom, then, and she started to lift her right hand and then dropped it. He sighed and tilted her head, tipping the silver flagon so that the tea trickled into her mouth. She swallowed obediently. It all reminded him of Bonnie†¦but Bonnie hadn't been so terribly hurt. Damon knew he couldn't return Elena to her friends in this condition; not with her camisole and jeans shredded, and dried blood everywhere. Maybe he could do something about that. He went to the second door off the bedroom, thought, bathroom – modern bathroom, and unlocked and opened the door. It was exactly what he'd imagined: a pristine, white, sanitary place with a large heap of towels piled, ready for guests, on the bathtub. Damon ran warm water over one of the washcloths. He knew better by now than to strip Elena and dump her in warm water. It was what she needed, but if anyone ever found out, her friends would have his beating heart torn out of his chest and staked on a pike. He didn't even have to think about that – he simply knew it. He went back to Elena and began to gently stroke dried blood off her shoulder. She murmured, shaking her head, but he kept it up until the shoulder at least looked normal, exposed as it was by torn cloth. Then he got another washcloth and went to work on her ankle. This was still swollen – she wasn't going to be running away anytime soon. Her tibia, the first of the two bones in the lower leg, had grown properly together again. It was more evidence that Shinichi and theShi no Shi had no need for money, or they could simply put this tea on the market and make a fortune. â€Å"We look at things†¦differently,† Shinichi had said, fixing Damon with those strange golden eyes. â€Å"Money doesn't mean much to us. What does? The deathbed agonies of an old rogue who fears he's going to hell. Watching him sweat, trying to remember encounters he's long forgotten. A baby's first conscious tear of loneliness. The emotions of an unfaithful wife when her husband catches her with her lover. A maiden's†¦well, her first kiss and her first night of discovery. A brother willing to die for his brother. Things like that.† And many other things that couldn't be mentioned in polite company, Damon thought. A lot were about pain. They were emotional leeches, sucking up the feelings of mortals to make up for the emptiness of their own souls. He could feel the sickness inside him again as he tried to imagine – to calculate – the pain Elena must have felt, leaping out of his car. She must have expected an agonizing death – but it was still better than staying with him. This time, before entering the door that had been a white-tiled bathroom, he thought,Kitchen, modern, with plenty of ice packs in the freezer. Nor was he disappointed. He found himself in a strongly masculine kitchen, with chrome appliances and black-and-white tiling. In the freezer: six ice packs. He took three back to Elena and put one around her shoulder, one at her elbow, and one around her ankle. Then he went back into the kitchen's spotless beauty for a glass of ice-cold water. Tired. So tired. Elena felt as if her body were weighted with lead. Every limb†¦every thought†¦lapped in lead. For instance, there was something she was supposed to be doing – or not doing – right now. But she couldn't make the thought come to the surface of her mind. It was too heavy. Everything was too heavy. She couldn't even open her eyes. A scraping sound. Someone was near, on a chair. Then there was liquid coolness on her lips, just a few drops, but it stimulated her to try to hold the cup herself and drink. Oh, delicious water. It tasted better than anything she'd ever had before. Her shoulder hurt terribly, but it was worth the pain to drink and drink – no! The glass was being pulled away. She tried, feebly, to hang onto it, but it was pulled out of her grasp. Then she tried to touch her shoulder, but those gentle, invisible hands wouldn't let her, not until they had washed her own hands with warm water. After that they packed the ice packs around her and wrapped her like a mummy in a sheet. The cold numbed her immediate feelings of pain, although there were other pains, deep inside†¦. It was all too difficult to think about. As the hands removed the ice packs again – she was shivering with cold now – she let herself lapse back into sleep. Damon treated Elena and dozed, treated and dozed. In the perfectly appointed bathroom, he found a tortoiseshell hairbrush and a comb. They looked serviceable. And one thing he knew for certain: Elena's hair had never looked like this in her life – or unlife. He tried to stroke the brush gently through her hair and found that the tangles were much harder to get out than he'd imagined. When he pulled harder on the brush, she moved and murmured in that strange sleep-language of hers. And, finally, it was the hair brushing that did it. Elena, without opening her eyes, reached up and took the brush from his hand and then, when it hit a major tangle, frowned, reached up to grasp a fistful and try to get the brush through it. Damon sympathized. He'd had long hair at times during his centuries of existence – when it couldn't be helped, and though his hair was as naturally fine as Elena's, he knew the frustrated feeling that you were ripping your hair out by the roots. Damon was about to take the brush from her again, when she opened her eyes. â€Å"What – ?† she said, and then she blinked. Damon had tensed, ready to push her into mental blackout if it were necessary. But she didn't even try to hit him with the brush. â€Å"What†¦happened?† What Elena was feeling was clear: she didn't like this. She was unhappy about another awakening with only a vague idea of what had been going on when she slept. As Damon, poised for fight or flight, watched her face, she slowly began to put together what had happened to her. â€Å"Damon?† She gave him that no-holds-barred lapis gaze. It said,Am I being tortured, or treated, or are you just an interested bystander, enjoying somebody's pain while drinking a glass of cognac? â€Å"Theycook with cognac, princess. Theydrink Armagnac. And I don't drink†¦either,† Damon said. He spoiled the entire effect by adding hastily, â€Å"That's not a threat. I swear to you, Stefan left me as your bodyguard.† This was technically true if you considered the facts: Stefan had yelled, â€Å"You'd better make sure nothing happens to Elena, you double-dealing bastard, or I'm going to find a way to come back and rip off your – † The rest had been muffled in the fight, but Damon had gotten the gist. And now he took the assignment seriously. â€Å"Nothing else will hurt you, if you'll allow me to watch over you,† he added, now getting into the area of the fictitious, since whoever had frightened or pulled her out of the car had obviously been around when he had. But nothing would get her in the future, he swore to himself. However he had blundered this last time, from now on there would be no further attacks on Elena Gilbert – or someone would die. He wasn't trying to spy on her thoughts, but as she stared into his eyes for a long moment, they projected with total clarity – and utter mystery – the words: I knew I was right. It was someone else all along. And he knew that under her pain, Elena felt a huge sense of satisfaction. â€Å"I hurt my shoulder.† She reached up with her right hand to grip it, but Damon stopped her. â€Å"You dislocated it,† Damon said. â€Å"It's going to hurt for a while.† â€Å"And my ankle†¦but someone†¦I remember being in the woods and looking up and it wasyou . I couldn't breathe but you tore the creepers off me and you picked me up in your arms†¦.† She looked at Damon in bewilderment. â€Å"Yousaved me?† The statement had the sound of a question, but it wasn't. She was wondering over something that seemed impossible. Then she began to cry. A baby's first conscious tear of loneliness. The emotions of an unfaithful wife when her husband catches her with her lover†¦ And maybe a young girl's weeping when she believes that her enemy has saved her from death. Damon ground his teeth in frustration. The thought that Shinichi might be watching this, feeling Elena's emotions, savoring them†¦it was impossible to bear. Shinichi would give Elena her memory back again, he was certain of that. But at a time and place most amusing to him. â€Å"It was my job,† he said tightly. â€Å"I'd sworn to do it.† â€Å"Thank you,† Elena gasped between her sobs. â€Å"No, please – don't turn away. I really mean it. Ohhh – is there a box of tissues – or anythingdry ?† Her body was heaving with sobs again. The perfect bathroom had a box of tissues. Damon brought it back to Elena. He looked away as she used them, blowing her nose again and again as she sobbed. Here there was no enchanted and enchanting spirit, no grim and sophisticated fighter of evil, no dangerous coquette. There was only a girl broken by pain, gasping like a wounded doe, sobbing like a child. And undoubtedly his brother would know what to say to her. He, Damon, had no idea of what to do – except that he knew he was going to kill for this. Shinichi would learn what it meant to tangle with Damon when Elena was involved. â€Å"How do you feel?† he asked brusquely. No one would be able to say he'd taken advantage of this – no one would be able to say he'd hurt her only to†¦to make use of her. â€Å"You gave me your blood,† Elena said wonderingly, and as he looked quickly down at his rolled-up sleeve, she added, â€Å"No – it's just a feeling I know. When I first – came back to Earth, after the spirit life. Stefan would give me his blood, and eventually I would feel†¦this way. Very warm. A little uncomfortable.† He swung around and looked at her. â€Å"Uncomfortable?† â€Å"Too full – here.† She touched her neck. â€Å"We think it's a symbiotic thing†¦for vampires and humans who live together.† â€Å"For a vampire Changing a human into a vampire, you mean,† he said sharply. â€Å"Except I didn't Change when I was part spirit still. But then – I turned back human.† She hiccupped, tried a pathetic smile, and used the brush again. â€Å"I'd ask you to look at me and see that I haven't Changed, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She made a helpless little motion. Damon sat and imagined what it would have been like, taking care of the spirit-child Elena. It was a tantalizing idea. He said bluntly, â€Å"When you said you were a little uncomfortable before, did you mean thatI should take some of your blood?† She half glanced away, then looked back. â€Å"I told you I was grateful. I told you that I felt†¦too full. I don't know howelse to thank you.† Damon had had centuries of training in discipline or he would have thrown something across the room. It was a situation to make you laugh†¦or weep. She was offering herself to him as thanks for rescue from suffering that he should have saved her from, and had failed. But he was no hero. He wasn't like St. Stefan, to refuse this ultimate of prizes; whatever condition she was in. He wanted her.

Frostbite Chapter 13

Thirteen PEOPLE STOOD UP AND SHOUTED, everyone wanting their opinion to be heard. As it was, most of them held the same view: Tasha was wrong. They told her she was crazy. They told her that in sending out Moroi and dhampirs to fight the Strigoi, she'd be expediting the extinction of both races. They even had the nerve to suggest that that was Tasha's plan all along- that she was somehow collaborating with the Strigoi in all of this. Dimitri stood up, disgust all over his features as he surveyed the chaos. â€Å"You might as well leave. Nothing useful's going to happen now.† Mason and I rose, but he shook his head when I started to follow Dimitri out. â€Å"You go on,† said Mason. â€Å"I want to check something out.† I glanced at the standing, arguing people. I shrugged. â€Å"Good luck.† I couldn't believe it had only been a few days since I'd spoken to Dimitri. Stepping out into the hall with him, I felt like it'd been years. Being with Mason these last couple of days had been fantastic, but seeing Dimitri again, all of my old feelings for him came rushing back. Suddenly, Mason seemed like a child. My distress over the Tasha situation also came back, and stupid words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them. â€Å"Shouldn't you be in there protecting Tasha?† I asked. â€Å"Before the mob gets her? She's going to get in big trouble for using magic like that.† He raised an eyebrow. â€Å"She can take care of herself.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, because she's a badass karate magic user. I get all that. I just figured since you're going to be her guardian and all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Where did you hear that?† â€Å"I have my sources.† Somehow, saying I'd heard it from my mom sounded less cool. â€Å"You've decided to, right? I mean, it sounds like a good deal, seeing as she's going to give you fringe benefits†¦.† He gave me a level look. â€Å"What happens between her and me is none of your business,† he replied crisply. The words between her and me stung. It sounded like he and Tasha were a done deal. And, as often happened when I was hurt, my temper and attitude took over. â€Å"Well, I'm sure you guys'll be happy together. She's just your type, too- I know how much you like women who aren't your own age. I mean, she's what, six years older than you? Seven? And I'm seven years younger than you.† â€Å"Yes,† he said after several moments of silence. â€Å"You are. And every second this conversation goes on, you only prove how young you really are.† Whoa. My jaw almost hit the floor. Not even my mother punching me had hurt as badly as that. For a heartbeat, I thought I saw regret in his eyes, like he too realized just how harsh his words had been. But the moment passed, and his expression was hard once more. â€Å"Little dhampir,† a voice suddenly said nearby. Slowly, still stunned, I turned toward Adrian Ivashkov. He grinned at me and gave a brief nod of acknowledgment to Dimitri. I suspected my face was bright red. How much had Adrian heard? He held up his hands in a casual gesture. â€Å"I don't want to interrupt or anything. Just wanted to talk to you when you have time.† I wanted to tell Adrian I didn't have time to play whatever game he was into now, but Dimitri's words still smarted. He was looking at Adrian now in a very disapproving way. I suspected he, like everyone else, had heard about Adrian's bad reputation. Good, I thought. I suddenly wanted him to be jealous. I wanted to hurt him as much as he'd hurt me lately. Swallowing my pain, I unearthed my man-eating smile, one I hadn't used to full effect in sometime. I walked over to Adrian and put a hand on his arm. â€Å"I've got time now.† I gave a nod of my own to Dimitri and steered Adrian away, walking close to him. â€Å"See you later, Guardian Belikov.† Dimitri's dark eyes followed us stonily. Then I turned away and didn't look back. â€Å"Not into older guys, huh?† asked Adrian once we were alone. â€Å"You're imagining things,† I said. â€Å"Clearly, my stunning beauty has clouded your mind.† He laughed that nice laugh of his. â€Å"That's entirely possible.† I started to step back, but he tossed an arm around me. â€Å"No, no, you wanted to play chummy with me- now you've got to see it through.† I rolled my eyes at him and let the arm stay. I could smell alcohol on him as well as the perpetual smell of cloves. I wondered if he was drunk now. I had the feeling that there was probably little difference between his attitudes drunk or sober. â€Å"What do you want?† I asked. He studied me for a moment. â€Å"I want you to grab Vasilisa and come with me. We're going to have some fun. You'll probably want a swimsuit too.† He seemed disappointed by the admission of this. â€Å"Unless you want to go naked.† â€Å"What? A bunch of Moroi and dhampirs just got slaughtered, and you want to go swimming and ‘have fun'?† â€Å"It's not just swimming,† he said patiently. â€Å"Besides, that slaughter is exactly why you should go do this.† Before I could argue that, I saw my friends round the corner: Lissa, Mason, and Christian. Eddie Castile was with the group, which shouldn't have surprised me, but Mia was as well- which certainly did surprise me. They were deep in conversation, though they all stopped talking when they saw me. â€Å"There you are,† said Lissa, a puzzled look on her face. I remembered Adrian's arm was still around me. I stepped out of it. â€Å"Hey, guys,† I said. A moment of awkwardness hung around us, and I was pretty sure I heard a low chuckle from Adrian. I beamed at him and then my friends. â€Å"Adrian invited us to go swimming.† They stared at me in surprise, and I could almost see the wheels of speculation turning in their heads. Mason's face darkened a little, but like the others, he said nothing. I stifled a groan. Adrian took me inviting the others to his secret interlude pretty well. With his easygoing attitude, I hadn't really expected anything else. Once we had swimsuits, we followed his directions to a doorway in one of the far wings of the lodge. It held a staircase that led down- and down and down. I nearly got dizzy as we wound around and around. Electric lights hung in the walls, but as we went farther, the painted walls changed to carved stone. When we reached our destination, we discovered Adrian had been right- it wasn't just swimming. We were in a special spa area of the resort, one used only for the most elite Moroi. In this case, it was reserved for a bunch of royals I assumed were Adrian's friends. There were about thirty others, all his age or older, who bore the marks of wealth and elitism. The spa consisted of a series of hot mineral pools. Maybe once they'd been in a cave or something, but the lodge builders had long since gotten rid of any sort of rustic surroundings. The black stone walls and ceiling were as polished and beautiful as anything else in the resort. It was like being in a cave- a really nice, designer cave. Racks of towels lined the walls, as did tables full of exotic food. The baths matched the rest of the room's hewn-out d? ¦cor: stone-lined pools containing hot water that was heated from some underground source. Steam filled the room, and a faint, metallic smell hung in the air. Sounds of partygoers laughing and splashing echoed around us. â€Å"Why is Mia with you?† I asked Lissa softly. We were winding our way through the room, looking for a pool that wasn't occupied. â€Å"She was talking to Mason when we were getting ready to leave,† she returned. She kept her voice just as quiet. â€Å"It seemed mean to just†¦ I don't know †¦ leave her †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even I agreed with that. Obvious signs of grief were written all over her face, but Mia seemed at least momentarily distracted by whatever Mason was telling her. â€Å"I thought you didn't know Adrian,† Lissa added. Disapproval hung in her voice and in the bond. We finally found a large pool, a little out of the way. A guy and a girl were on the opposite side, all over each other, but there was plenty of room for the rest of us. They were easy to ignore. I put a foot into the water and pulled it back immediately. â€Å"I don't,† I told her. Cautiously, I inched the foot back in, slowly followed by the rest of my body. When I got to my stomach, I grimaced. I had on a maroon bikini, and the scalding water caught my stomach by surprise. â€Å"You must know him a little. He invited you to a party.† â€Å"Yeah, but do you see him with us now?† She followed my gaze. Adrian stood on the far side of the room with a group of girls in bikinis much smaller than mine. One was a Betsey Johnson suit I'd seen in a magazine and coveted. I sighed and looked away. We'd all slipped into the water by then. It was so hot I felt like I was in a soup kettle. Now that Lissa seemed convinced of my innocence with Adrian, I tuned into the others' discussion. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I interrupted. It was easier than listening and figuring it out myself. â€Å"The meeting,† said Mason excitedly. Apparently, he'd gotten over seeing me and Adrian together. Christian had settled onto a small shelf in the pool. Lissa curled up beside him. Putting a proprietary arm around her, he tipped his back so it rested on the edge. â€Å"Your boyfriend wants to lead an army against the Strigoi,† he told me. I could tell he was saying it to provoke me. I looked at Mason questioningly. It wasn't worth the effort to challenge the â€Å"boyfriend† comment. â€Å"Hey, it was your aunt who suggested it,† Mason reminded Christian. â€Å"She only said we should find the Strigoi before they find us again,† countered Christian. â€Å"She wasn't pushing for novices fighting. That was Monica Szelsky.† A waitress came by then with a tray of pink drinks. These were in elegant, long-stemmed crystal glasses with sugared rims. I had a strong suspicion the drinks were alcoholic, but I doubted anyone who made it into this party was going to get carded. I had no idea what they were. Most of my experiences with alcohol had involved cheap beer. I took a glass and turned back to Mason. â€Å"You think that's a good idea?† I asked him. I sipped the drink, cautiously. As a guardian in training, I felt like I should always be on alert, but tonight I once again felt like being rebellious. The drink tasted like punch. Grapefruit juice. Something sweet, like strawberries. I was still pretty sure there was alcohol in it, but it didn't appear strong enough for me to lose sleep over. Another waitress soon appeared with a tray of food. I eyed it and recognized almost nothing. There was something that looked vaguely like mushrooms stuffed with cheese, as well as something else that looked little round patties of meat or sausage. As a good carnivore, I reached for one, thinking it couldn't be that bad. â€Å"It's foie gras,† said Christian. There was a smile on his face I didn't like. I eyed him warily. â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"You don't know?† His tone was cocky, and for once in his life, he sounded like a true royal touting his elite knowledge over us underlings. He shrugged. â€Å"Take a chance. Find out.† Lissa sighed in exasperation. â€Å"It's goose liver.† I jerked my hand back. The waitress moved on, and Christian laughed. I glared at him. Meanwhile, Mason was still hung up on my question about whether novices going to battle before graduation was a good idea. â€Å"What else are we doing?† he asked indignantly. â€Å"What are you doing? You run laps with Belikov every morning. What's that doing for you? For the Moroi?† What was that doing for me? Making my heart race and my mind have indecent thoughts. â€Å"We aren't ready,† I said instead. â€Å"We've only got six more months,† piped in Eddie. Mason nodded his agreement. â€Å"Yeah. How much more can we learn?† â€Å"Plenty,† I said, thinking of how much I'd picked up from my tutoring sessions with Dimitri. I finished my drink. â€Å"Besides, where does it stop? Let's say they end school six months early, then send us off. What next? They decide to push back further and cut our senior year? Our junior year?† He shrugged. â€Å"I'm not afraid to fight. I could have taken on Strigoi when I was a sophomore.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said dryly. â€Å"Just like you did skiing on that slope.† Mason's face, already flushed from the heat, turned redder still. I immediately regretted my words, particularly when Christian started laughing. â€Å"Never thought I'd live to see the day when I agreed with you, Rose. But sadly, I do.† The cocktail waitress came by again, and both Christian and I took new drinks. â€Å"The Moroi have got to start helping us defend themselves.† â€Å"With magic?† asked Mia suddenly. It was the first time she'd spoken since we'd got here. Silence met her. I think Mason and Eddie didn't respond because they knew nothing about fighting with magic. Lissa, Christian, and I did- and were trying very hard to act like we didn't. There was a funny sort of hope in Mia's eyes, though, and I could only imagine what she'd gone through today. She'd woken up to learn her mother was dead and then been subjected to hours and hours of political bantering and battle strategies. The fact that she was sitting here at all seeming semi-composed was a miracle. I assumed people who actually liked their mothers would barely be able to function in that situation. When no one else looked like they were going to answer her, I finally said, â€Å"I suppose. But†¦ I don't know much about that.† I finished the rest of my drink and averted my eyes, hoping someone else would take up the conversation. They didn't. Mia looked disappointed but said no more when Mason switched back to the Strigoi debate. I took a third drink and sank into the water as far as I reasonably could and still hold the glass. This drink was different. It looked chocolatey and had whipped cream on top. I took a taste and definitely detected the bite of alcohol. Still, I figured the chocolate probably diluted it. When I was ready for a fourth drink, the waitress was nowhere in sight. Mason seemed really, really cute to me all of a sudden. I would have liked a little romantic attention from him, but he was still going on about Strigoi and the logistics of leading a strike in the middle of the day. Mia and Eddie were nodding along with him eagerly, and I got the feeling that if he decided to hunt Strigoi right now, they'd follow. Christian was actually joining the talk, but it was more to play devil's advocate. Typical. He thought a sort of preemptive strike would require guardians and Moroi, much as Tasha had said. Mason, Mia, and Eddie argued that if the Moroi weren't up to it, the guardians should take matters into their own hands. I confess, their enthusiasm was kind of contagious. I rather liked the idea of getting the drop on Strigoi. But in the Badica and Drozdov attacks, all of the guardians had been killed. Admittedly the Strigoi had organized into huge groups and had help, but all that told me was that our side needed to be extra careful. His cuteness aside, I didn't want to listen to Mason talk about his battle skills anymore. I wanted another drink. I stood up and climbed over the edge of the pool. To my astonishment, the world started spinning. I'd had that happen before when I got out of baths or hot tubs too quickly, but when things didn't right themselves, I realized those drinks might have been stronger than I thought. I also decided a fourth wasn't such a good idea, but I didn't want to get back in and let everyone know I was drunk. I headed off toward a side room I'd seen the waitress disappear into. I hoped maybe there was a secret stash of desserts somewhere, chocolate mousse instead of goose liver. As I walked, I paid special attention to the slippery floor, thinking that falling into one of the pools and cracking my skull would definitely cost me coolness points. I was paying so much attention to my feet and trying not to stagger that I walked into someone. To my credit, it'd been his fault; he'd backed into me. â€Å"Hey, watch it,† I said, steadying myself. But he wasn't paying attention to me. His eyes were on another guy, a guy with a bloody nose. I'd walked right into the middle of a fight.

Personal code of ethics

Personal code of ethics Free Online Research Papers Ethics are a personal code of behavior. They represent an ideal we strive toward because we presume that to achieve ethical behavior is both desired and honored. There is both personal and business ethics. I will describe my personal take on ethics along with experiences that I had working for Best Buy and the ethical dilemmas that I faced. My personal thought on ethics is that they require accountability. I think that people that are religious and people that are not religious may have two ways to look at this. If religious accountability of personal ethics is to God. For the people who are irreligious, like myself, we can ensure ethical behavior by the law, fear, or personal convictions. I believe that laws are guidelines that explain the expected behavior. Due to some people not having a â€Å"strong† sense of personal convictions the law is needed. The law to me is a set of ethical expectations that you must understand failure to understand them will result with consequences. For me my personal ethics are the key to living, finding friends and determining my own convictions. Personal ethics in a large way define who you are. The code of ethics that not only follow but feel are important for people I surround myself with are: Fairness Wholeness Reliability Consistency Respect Honesty Integrity Truth Telling Dependability Accountable These ten words describe to me what my personal code of ethics represent. We must have a right and wrong, a moral code. Most religions have a moral code of conduct, and most cultures have a minimum code of conduct also. In the case of society’s code of conduct, its laws, it is usually a-reflection of the moral values of a super majority of its population. Moral codes define our rights and wrongs. The combination, of determining right and wrong and being responsible for our actions, creates the standards for ethical behavior. Ethics are of special importance to professionals including retail managers. Retail employees have a great responsibility to the community with their jobs. People have everyday expectations when they go shopping and retail professionals need to have strong ethics. To understand why Best Buy’s ethics did not always match my personal code of ethics I will explain a few examples. Best Buy’s code of ethics is over fifty pages long so only select examples will be used. Knowing what is right and wrong may not always be simple. Most of the time, knowing the right thing to do is easy. Retail professionals, as I was, are often faced with many ethical decisions every day. Most often the ethically right answer is simple this involves being honest and upright. Knowing what the right thing to do is not always simple the responsibility of those around may not have been enough of a guide to guide you in the right direction. Ethics are very important to all business people. Yet, many neglect ethics as an important idea that has a major affect upon retail managers. Working at Best Buy the ethics that we were taught (also bolded on the fifth page of their ethics guide): UNLEASH THE POWER OF OUR PEOPLE LEARN FROM CHALLENGE AND CHANGE SHOW RESPECT HUMILITY AND INTEGRITY HAVE FUN WHILE BEING THE BEST Before explaining the corruptions in ethics at Best Buy I did want to explain a few things. Best Buy was a great company to work for. I believe that at the corporate level the company was solid in the ethics that they preached. The situations that I was put in was down to the store level when I was an operations manager in Phoenix. Ethics at Best Buy is determined by the supervisors that you have. I have worked for some people that were great with personal and business ethics. When I started work in Phoenix, AZ I worked for my store manager, Phil. The first thing that was done that I felt was beyond unethical is lying and manipulation. When I interviewed for this job via phone it was described as one of the best stores in the district that I was going to be going to. Explained the current financials to me along with the specific financials that I would be responsible for once I arrived. I was offered the job and moved to Phoenix 7 days later. When I went into the store I did what any good manager would do I pulled my financials so that I could â€Å"know† my business before I started coming up with plans for my team. Looking at the business I realized that the financials were no where near what had been explained. He stated that my store was ranked third in the territory. There are fifty-seven stores in our territory. My specific financials had placed me fifty-six out of fifty-seven stores. The ethical dilemma I find with this specific situation is that he lied. Part of there code of conduct is integrity to be a person of integrity you do not lie. In a position that he was in it was not his personal ethics that I am looking at. I am looking at the ethics that Best Buy has put into place and expecting you to follow. That is one dilemma that was really based on lying. I will explain another dilemma that I was forced to face with on multiple occasions. That would be the magazine scam. Have you ever walked into a Best Buy and heard the cashier offer you magazines. â€Å"With your purchase today you get eight risk free issues of one of our magazines which would you like?† This offer was one that we dealt with when I worked in the Green Bay store a lot. How much information was ethically enough and how little information made the practice too unethical? In the end we determined not to offer magazines in Wisconsin because of the ethical problems we were faced with. When I moved to Phoenix as their operations manager they explained how I would have to offer magazines again with my team. I knew that magazines were a problem with my own personal ethics lying, not truthful and not being fair to the customer. I started observing what there presentations to customers were and I could not believe what I saw. There offer was nonexistent but customers were still getting signed up. If a customer would pay with a credit card they would scan for the magazines and have the customers sign twice; once for the purchase and once to accept the magazines. I called around to a couple of the other operations managers and they explained how this was a â€Å"best practice† in the area and it was fine. This may have been a best practice to them but not in my book. I ceased that offer immediately part of my thought process is that if we were already ranked so low there is nothing that we could loose. We would never reach the store with the most traffic to, in my eyes, â€Å"Scam the customer.† I stood my ground and got a lot of pressure from a lot of different people for this matter from store manager to my territory operations manager. In the end I used resources I had gained from my previous work in the midwestern territory to explain my situation and explain why I felt that it was wrong. The ethics team from our corporate office started doing inspections in my area. In the end we still had to offer magazines but the right way. The way that felt good to me with my own personal ethics. In the end ethics shape you, your community and your business. I have a personal code of ethics that I follow. My ethics are very simple and to the point but they work for me. Every person on earth has their own personal ethics there is not one person that is the same. So what are ethics, and what constitutes ethical behavior? That depends, to some degree, on the person answering the question. Organizations also demonstrate the standard of ethics (or lack thereof) held by those shaping the culture of the business. Best Buy had an ethics manual but it is difficult to force all employees to follow one specific manual. The same with people there are many ways that I have shared that I believe community helps with keeping ethics in check. Research Papers on Personal code of ethicsMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Riordan Manufacturing Production PlanAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaResearch Process Part OneEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andLifes What IfsPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyGenetic Engineering

7 Writing Warm Ups for More Productive Writing

7 Writing Warm Ups for More Productive Writing Wonder how to stimulate and encourage your brain to simply dive into the writing process? A few warm-up activities will help to get your words and ideas flowing. Why is it important to warm up? The answer is quite predictable: to avoid the writers block and start writing right away. You would be surprised at how much writing will come from you once youre warmed up. Youll easily banish all distractions and get down to putting the words on paper. Here are a few proven ways to make you think and force your brains into action. 1. Describe Whats Going On Outside Your Window It is the easiest writing warm up ever! You just to have look out your window and write down your observations. Try not just to focus on people, buildings and weather, think what else is there. Do you see something unusual? Consider the peoples emotions and imagine what they may be talking about. Try to be specific to make sure that your description takes no more than 5 sentences. Its just a short warm up that shouldnt last more than 15 minutes. 2. Write Imaginary Definitions of Unknown Words Take a dictionary and open it on a random page. Find a word you are not sure how to define. Then create an imaginary definition for it. Play with words and youll discover new ways of saying old things. Be inspired and your imagination will help you produce the most vivid descriptions. Repeat this exercise for several times until you feel that your brain is warmed up enough to proceed with your main task. 3. Describe Your First Experience Describe your first. Your first day of school, first kitten, first job, first car, first yoga class, first date, it doesnt matter – all will make excellent stories. The first time of doing something is always an exciting experience, so youll easily find the right words to describe it and avoid that situation of staring at a blank sheet of paper. Concentrate on your emotions and start developing them in full – get the creative juices flowing! 4. Pretend Youre a Travel Writer Find a world map and blindly put your finger somewhere. Then pretend you are a travel writer and tell about the weird experience in that particular country. What happened? How did you behave in that unusual situation? How did you solve the problem? You may include anyone and anything you want into your story – locals, taxi drivers, bartenders, random people. Youll get a killer piece of content, just take some inspiration and put your pen to paper. 5. Create a Half-Page Monologue Creating monologues is a great way to warm up, so get in the habit of writing them. Take a newspaper or go to google news, find an interesting headline, then decide on a character who comes from that headline and write a short monologue for that character. Be specific, it is just a warm up and you dont have to create a long piece of writing. A half-page monologue will be more than enough to get your brain into the writing mode. 6. Write a Letter to Your Future Self Writing a letter can be a really wonderful experience. There are no restrictions on how old you should be – one year, five years or 10 years from now. What would you say? What kind of person would you be? What goals would you want to have achieved? Think about your place in life, your achievements or fails. First of all, identify the period of time to write about and start writing. Dont pay much attention to the letter format as its just a quick warm up. 7. Consider a Free Writing Session Give yourself a time limit and go. Dont stop, just get the words on a page. Write about everything that comes to your mind. Dont give your brain a moment to stop or evaluate your ideas, set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes and write without interruption. Free writing is not the time for editing or judging, you need to keep your pen moving. You will see that a free writing session is beneficial for more productive writing.

Six Thinking Hats Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Six Thinking Hats - Assignment Example I find it difficult tidying my bedding often when I wake up. My room is spacious and I possess great bed. I fear it lacks neatness that any other bed should have. Looking at the problem with the white hat, I realized the fact, that is; spreading my bed is a great disaster. Precisely, it makes my room to look untidy and congested. I feel that by the time I finish making my bedding there shall be no enough time for my preparation. I would rather engage into any other activity than to spread it. Under many circumstances I would fail to position my bed, thereby making my room to look dirty. Analyzing the problem with red hat thinking, some of my family members think the proposed color of my bedding looks extremely ugly. They anticipate for other colors, than the one present. Each one fear that a fellow family member may not wish for the arrangement made. They argue that my bed positioning is the worst. Tackling the issue with the black hat thinking, I fear that my family projections might be wrong. If my bed is not attractive, none of my siblings may wish to associate with my private issues. My room may be wished to be kitchen garbage. In this case it may remain abandoned for a long time. Bad memories may be associated with my room; occasionally they may call it horrible or rather terrific. Yellow hat thinking model, for instance, symbolizes optimism. If I choose to maintain the maximum cleanness, choose the favorable color by all my family members; put the bed on the right wanted position, my room may stand a great place to be. They may wish to vacate to my place or even wish to rent it, so as to capture a great income to the kitty. This would be on a long term basis. Blue hat thinking ensures that I stand above all various thinking styles. Here I see the need to keep other family members from judging other persons problems. Usually used by chair persons in meetings. The blue hat is used