Intro to Renaissance Architecture Essay Example

Intro to Renaissance Architecture Essay At the end of the fourteenth century, gothic architecture began to wear off and renaissance architecture moved in.Europe was evolving out of the middle ages and in the Renaissance period. The beliefs in humanity were growing in popularity.Along with the changes in ways of life, politics, families and etc. the architecture and architects were also changing.The architects of the time revived yet also changed the ideas from classical Greek and Roman architecture.They did however; begin using new materials such as brick, and impaticular red brick.Architects and artists no longer worked independently of one another, which is why many renaissance buildings contain murals, and statues. One of the most common features throughout Renaissance architecture was the use of the dome.Many of these domes had paintings or other various works of art on them.Some good examples of this are the Duomo of Florence, and St. Peters Cathedral in Rome. Renaissance architecture traces back to Florence, Italy a round the early fifteenth century. A group of Italian scholars, some of whom were amateur architects influenced the birth of Renaissance Architecture.These scholars knew classical culture well and considered it far more superior than the culture of their present time. The key originator of the new Renaissance style was Filippo Brunelleschi of Florence, hisfirst great project was the dome for the Cathedral of Florence.Italians eventually considered this dome to be their greatest engineering accomplishment. Their style then quickly spread outside of Florence to cities such as Rome and Milan, and eventually made its way North to the Netherlands and then began to encompass the rest of Europe, however, France did not witness Renaissance architecturefirst hand until almost 125 years after it began in Florence.The finest French Renaissance buildings are their amazing castles or chateaus, such as t

Free Essays on Media As A Social Prolem

The Media as a Social Problem The mass media plays a large role in modern society. Indeed, many have argued that people spend more time in â€Å"mass-mediated† interaction than in actual human interaction. The mass media, then, would seemingly be an excellent position to initiate social change, positively affect social problems, and help combat social ills that are considered normal patterns of behavior. Yet, the mass media has largely failed in addressing and helping to solve social problems. As seen through its presentation of the three major variables of race, class, and gender, the mass media has actually served to contribute to the social problems it covers, reinforcing them, and creating an inter-related cycle in which these problems continue. TV has become perhaps the primary vehicle that society receives its information and presents its values and expectations. One of the most important roles television plays is its presentation of news and information. What a station chooses to present as newsworthy can play a strong role in how people view their society and the world around them. Often, television news sources have followed a philosophy of â€Å"if it bleeds, it leads†, focusing on violence in urban environments. This violence occurs more frequently in black neighborhoods, resulting in what amounts to essentially as a steady, nightly stream of reports on violence in the inner-city by and among African-Americans. In this way, the television media plays a strong role in formulating racial problems as seen by the interactionist approach. With the constant display of these images two problems quickly emerge. First, the minority groups become subject to stereotypes as the images presented become fixed mental images and are exaggerated and applied to the group as a whole. Whites, according to this model, â€Å"learn† that minority groups are â€Å"less intelligent, more violent, or generally less human†. Additional... Free Essays on Media As A Social Prolem Free Essays on Media As A Social Prolem The Media as a Social Problem The mass media plays a large role in modern society. Indeed, many have argued that people spend more time in â€Å"mass-mediated† interaction than in actual human interaction. The mass media, then, would seemingly be an excellent position to initiate social change, positively affect social problems, and help combat social ills that are considered normal patterns of behavior. Yet, the mass media has largely failed in addressing and helping to solve social problems. As seen through its presentation of the three major variables of race, class, and gender, the mass media has actually served to contribute to the social problems it covers, reinforcing them, and creating an inter-related cycle in which these problems continue. TV has become perhaps the primary vehicle that society receives its information and presents its values and expectations. One of the most important roles television plays is its presentation of news and information. What a station chooses to present as newsworthy can play a strong role in how people view their society and the world around them. Often, television news sources have followed a philosophy of â€Å"if it bleeds, it leads†, focusing on violence in urban environments. This violence occurs more frequently in black neighborhoods, resulting in what amounts to essentially as a steady, nightly stream of reports on violence in the inner-city by and among African-Americans. In this way, the television media plays a strong role in formulating racial problems as seen by the interactionist approach. With the constant display of these images two problems quickly emerge. First, the minority groups become subject to stereotypes as the images presented become fixed mental images and are exaggerated and applied to the group as a whole. Whites, according to this model, â€Å"learn† that minority groups are â€Å"less intelligent, more violent, or generally less human†. Additional...

New Years Resolutions in August (Has the heat gotten to Brenda)

New Years Resolutions in August (Has the heat gotten to Brenda) August might be a strange time to talk about New Year’s Resolutions, but I got to thinking†¦Ã‚   let’s get real: We’re three quarters through the year, there’s a fall chill in the air, and if we don’t buckle down now on those January promises, the year will be over before we know it. That’s why I took a look at my list for 2012 with the idea that I will hold myself accountable for anything on the list that has not been done. Here’s what I promised for 2012 and the current status of the task (as you read this list, I invite you to think about the standing of your own resolutions, if you’re brave enough to check the list): 2012 New Year’s Ressaylutions 1. Create a new template for my website that brings me more into the technology of 2012. It seems the work of designing a website is never done. Despite having completed this task, I’m still tweaking, and tweaking some more. Stay tuned for a new home page that will make my services easier to find. I have an idea in my head about what that will look like and will probably hire a designer to make it a reality. 2. Create new e-lists for past clients, and survey past clients. Thanks to Jeanne, my awesome Virtual Assistant (she is a real person, not a computer, don’t worry), I have been able to complete all these projects! Most exciting is that I have now invited all my clients from 2012 onto my various e-lists. And new clients will be automatically invited to join. I’m so happy that I will be reliably keeping in touch with the people I have worked with! I feel so much more relaxed now that regular correspondence is guaranteed and not a random occurrence like it was a year ago. Ahhhh†¦. My current project is a survey that has gone out to clients to identify my Unique Selling Proposition. This project has several phases and I’m partway through the first one now. You may have received that survey already! 3. Revise autoresponders from 2011. Also thanks to Jeanne, all my autoresponders have been converted from summaries of my articles (with links to the full article) into emails that include the complete article. I trust this format is more user-friendly and makes my messages more fun to read. 4. Publish my e-book on Kindle Wow did that one happen! As you all know, How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile (now in its 3rd edition) is trending as #1 in the Business Writing Category on Amazon. Next project is to publish a Spanish-language version of the book. An initial translation is complete and I will be working on finalizing it and converting it to Kindle format in the next few months! I will also continue to revise the e-book as changes are made in LinkedIn, and as I learn more about the site’s functionality. I am committed to staying on top of the latest developments as I educate people about How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile. 5. Report on and count success stories in 2012. See 212 Success Stories for 2012. It has been more challenging than I expected to keep track of my clients’ news†¦Ã‚   but with my new client lists I think that will change! There are 56 successes on the list so far, and more coming soon. 6. Continue to write and share about writing issues, job search issues, and sometimes life issues that strike my fancy each week and that my readers care about.   I’ve been doing this regularly- and I hope you continue to enjoy and get value from what I write. If you have requested topics, please let me know. How DID she do it? As I look at the list above, what strikes me most is how much I have relied on other people to make my resolutions a reality. It took my Virtual Assistant Jeanne, my web designers Ivan and Meher, my publisher Brian, my clients who created and reported on their successes, and other authors and educators who sparked ideas and insights to share with all of you. The other thing I notice is that some of the tasks on my list seemed HUGE when I started them; but by taking them one step at a time, they miraculously got completed. Are there items on your resolutions list that you would be sure to complete if only you enrolled the right support? Are there items you’ve given up on because they are too overwhelming? What if you asked for help? If an appointment with a friend or a personal trainer is the only thing that will get you to the gym, there’s no shame in that! If you need a resume writer to make sure you start your job hunt, hire one! I have a great resume writer to recommend. What if you took the first small step in a larger project? Organizing one drawer is a great step if you aim to organize your house. Signing up for a LinkedIn account is the first step to having a KILLER profile. (You know where to go if you want The Essay Expert’s input in the process.) For my part, I promise to keep on plugging. It looks like I’m right on track to fulfill on my 2012 â€Å"Ressaylutions.† How about you? I wonder what we will all be up to in 2013? Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinAugust 20, 2012

Article Critique about information system Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critique about information system - Article Example For a business entity to be successful, there are many elements that come into play. They range from political, economic, social and technological factors. LPL Financial is mostly concentrating on the latter while it has entirely neglected the other equally important elements that are classified as the macro environment. This is the wrong approach that it adopted. First of all, the company has too many advisers. 13500 advisers is a huge number for one business no matter how big it may be. The argument that may be brought forth is that the more advisers for a company the more it is likely to achieve its goals, because with many experts nothing can go wrong. However, what this business does not know is that a huge chunk of their revenue is used in servicing the salaries of these professionals. Expert advice does not come cheap and for a company that is in the process of expansion, this is a very bad move. Secondly, the company is also relying on 700 institutions’ opinions before it can make a decision. This is a clear contradiction because the business claims to be a leader in discovering new trends. Successful businesses do not rely on others, others rely on them. The business should concentrate on coming up with new inventions and the 700 institutions that it relies on will start relying on it. Being a slave for other institutions will result to bullying. Take for instance, several institutions decide to change from one line of product to another. LPL Financial will respond by restructuring its business to suit these institutions, but this is an expensive venture and may take a long time to recover the finances used. Lastly, the business has designated too much power to the employees. Allowing workers to come up with different inventions and thrive is not a bad thing, is it? The problem is the management does not come into the picture. What is their role in all these? Do they even have work? Allowing different

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Assignment Example The living things respond to the environment mainly through the receptors that responds to stimuli; a stimulus is a kind of energy such as chemical energy and sunlight energy. When a substance is highly concentrated outside the cell than the concentration inside the cell, diffusion or osmosis takes place thus enabling them to multiply (Deising, 23). From the above description, it is clear that CukE and Milk enabled the cells in the culture dish to multiply since the reindeer cells were activated. To illustrate this further a given fluid that can either be containing high concentration of salt or sugar outside a cell is likely to enter the cell if the cell is lowly concentrated. A given change in the blood sugar level is described as a deviation from homeostasis that the body works in order to reverse. Due to the fact that different receptors respond to different stimuli thus causing changes in the cell, the reindeer cells were therefore stimulated by the milk to multiply. ... ion of ciliate protozoa in the year 1895 as he made a comparison between the reindeer that originated from domestic ruminant and the reindeer from the zoological garden in Germany. He concluded that both were the same, Lubinski who worked in Northern Canada with the caribou (Starr, 87) further proved these results in 1958. The UV rays originating from the sun usually have an effect on the reindeer cells in one way or another as it is described in the book of Acts Climate Impact Assessment – Scientific report`. This is well illustrated as follows; various studies have shown that the exposure of enhanced UV radiation interferes with the growth of cells whereby the larger cells are inhibited to a larger extent as compared to the smaller ones (Karentz et al). Other scientists such as Vincent and Laurion further made an evaluation in 1998 that the smaller cells resisted the UV rays on a great deal as compared to the large cells. The UV rays inhibit photosynthesis from taking place within the cell because it interferes with the whole process (Starr, 426). Therefore, the UV rays have the ability to destroy the reindeer cells thus reducing their number. The UV rays in connection to the DNA Damage Checkpoint Genes might have also played a big role in this context by lowering down the number of cells. With reference to the book of checkpoint Controls and Cancer`, it is described as a signal cascade that plays a big role in blocking the cell cycle at the metaphase, G1, G2 and in slowing down the DNA replication rate in phase S. Apart from the cell cycle blockage, the cells also respond in many different ways such as DNA repair, apoptosis and in the activation of the transcription. However, many genes have damaged the DNA checkpoint pathways (Holzapfel &Naughton, 125). As soon

Public Spaces in Urban Developments

Public Spaces in Urban Developments Introduction In todays cities, designers are faced with the collective creation of a unified framework for new development, outdoor environmental challengers. Designers contribution is often to become after the fact, beauty treatment and abuse of patients is to create spaces for public using plan in the first place. In the urban development process as usual landscape located in an isolated object, rather than as streets, squares, large part of the building structure, and possible open space. (Roger Trancik,1986) Therefore, how to set up the space in most environments today was the important issue. Spoiling the city Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Bilbao, Spain It is one of the worlds most famous buildings; which is an attractive and impressive architectural works in many ways. Unfortunately, as a public space, it is very successful and even dangerous. Spectacular beauty and sculpture building, Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, monumentally for successful as a landmark building efforts, and also has attracted peoples attention on Bilbao city. However, the project has failed as a public space, missing an important opportunity to celebrate and support the cultural and community life that will pulsate throughout of the city. Highlight the center of Bilbao which located near the waterfront, the building disrupted city life, as an insult to a pedestrian who is willing to use anything more than other building gawking at this place. Frank Gehry, the architect who designed the museum, seem to fear that support, or even acknowledged that human activity and the surrounding buildings. The museum is likely to bring people to Bilbao, but it is only reduced the civic and cultural life, that is making people proud to have their life in cities. In addition, as a successful investment in the construction symbol, it limits the role of the architecture is just the icon. It received attention, the building overlooked the river, giving its prominent, and it ignores the large public places, whether it is comfortable, worst of all, it ignores the city, it is just to attract draw attention. Walking through Bilbao, the building make distraction from the most dynamic public space in Europe, that is the kind of some of the interference in community life. While the landmarks of power have been broadcast around the world, it can easily be interpreted as a human activity and civic life in attacks. Although Bilbao as a city could be close to the height of civilization, and Frank Gehrys is the status of an icon as a beacon of urban services, it is also a public space, that is a considerable diversion of civilization, should be suppose to celebrated. Architecture emerged to become a great success way that is able to reflect and support the building of civilization, culture and respect for the purpose of professional features. Gehrys building seems to fail in all these areas, thus causing great damage to Bilbao, and to the construction industry. The great buildings and major public places should be go hand and hand, but unfortunately, they rarely do so. The Guggenheim in Bilbaos arrogance and it indicates that the design and development approach is an insult to public places everywhere. Around this building, public space is a void in the civic life of great city. It can be said that this building has brought attention to Bilbao, but in this attention has been distracted, or at best a short-term high-sugar, for a city with some of Europes best public places in many ways. As the Museum not only just ignores the context, but also enhances the distance and hides Bilbao rich cultural and social life, it is a citys net loss. Canary Wharf London, UK There are many hidden views by outdoor public space and a maze of underground shops. While I came to this area, I feel even more disappointed than I expected. They have four outdoor public places and the numbers of shops in the underground like the labyrinth which hidden views in fact, it is difficult to find. All people in a public place are full of the car. Clearly, They argued that the public space or not; they think it is a car show, is to attract them to be more active. This has a very large scale in office park with complex rivals. It is complex case with the failure result for each. The bottoms of the buildings are excessive stark, empty, or conceal with columns to hide those use-things may try to contact in any purpose. Even if you stand back of the columns or arcades, and you get some good retail or a good entrance, the result is still grim, and not attractive. Any outside streets is uninteresting and not appealing. Some one would like to see a few more suitable characters to add, and some personality areas. Clearly, there has a very limited set of clientele who want to attract. Contrast to either Battery Park City or Rockefeller Center, it is so confused to mark Canary Wharf, is so far off the mark. Some one has thought as Winston Churchill, we are shaping our building, and then they are shaping us pretty scary! It is not easy to have a view connection. How do you think this element will enhance people community. It is obviously a car show. There are the tall buildings, cars surrounding the people who need a public space. Evaluation on Public Space In research for the public space, it is not hard to find, there are four qualities of success, and those decided it does work or not: accessible, activities, comfortable and community. Access Linkages You can determine whether it has convenience connections to a place or its surrounding areas, including visual and physical. A successful public space is easy to find and get through; it is visible in terms of short distance. The edges of a space key are also significant: for example, shops sit along a street will be more interesting and generally safer than walking in a blank wall. There is convenient public transport, if accessible spaces have a high parking turnover. Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland Pioneer Courthouse Square, was known as the Portlands living room, as a public space in reference to enhance this place to gather in and use of citizens. These modern designs, including public art, recreational facilities, flowers, trees, and walls and sitting area were designed. This is a frequently occurring on-site, and includes a coffee shop, food suppliers, and information Center for Tri-Met (regional Portlands transit agency), which is the square key factor in the success of the redevelopment. From doubleduty the seating areas by integrate public art, flowers, trees, walls and ample stairs. This is the activities event of the site that used frequently, from enhanced a coffee shop and food vendors, and also as buses and light rail service in the center. Pioneer Courthouse Square is one of the first new regeneration of public spaces. It is no longer as a passive green space, and it designed for the square programming and supposed to use by public. In fact, for such the using infrastructure is built-in, but they are responsible for the management of space entities to ensure that there continued effective use. Pioneer Square, Law Courts Building, the process of creation the public debates, fund-raising, the grand opening ceremony were designed to support residents, which related to the Polish population. Funding and three visual connections were from Tri-Met contacted People with the square and city center as a whole. With an effective management organization, the square has become the citys pride place and the focus of a variety of community activities. Proved that the revitalization of downtown Portland square on the far-reaching impact livability. All kinds of the facilities support the each aspect of public space to community with people. Comfort Image Whether it is a comfortable space to have a good image, is the key to success. Comfort is including the safe aspect, cleanliness and the availability of places to sit let the people choose what they want to sit; most people have underestimated the importance of. In particular, women have the good judges on comfort and a good image for their more discrimination. Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France Luxembourg Gardens is probably one of the most successful parks in the world, because so well in the fabric surrounding the city, which makes it has convenient integration. There are many things to do, where people who use it: children, the elderly people, the Sorbonne University students, widely shown that the people throughout the lunch break, and so on. People go to walk, play chess, sit down to read, people watching, sitting in a cafe or to bring their children or grandchildren woman to one of the childrens many attractions. Events happen in the park, including tennis, riding pony, puppet theatres, toy boat (child floating in their them by central fountain). Visitors also can stop within the Palace, and attended by the French Senate, which is a public open. The park also organized, such as aerial photographs, that from around the world in plastic wrap, and also hold innovative exhibitions and shows around the garden; a large wooden platform displayed the map which including photo website, providing people with slippers who wants to walk on it many of the same. Uses Activities Activity is an essential component of a place. Something to deal with, it need to gives people a reason to place and return. When there is anything we can do, a space will be empty, and usually means what is wrong. Kungstradgarden, Stockholm, Sweden Kungstradgarden is in the heart of the city, owed a little past incarnation from the royal family kitchen gardens to lush parks to drill the troops on the ground. The 1953 became the birthday celebrations of Stockholms 700-year-old site, and the central part of the management has been continuous since then, as a flexible event and performance space. It has also been the Swedish premiere of the stage: In 1953, the first hot dog has been served there, and Piccolino introduced coffee and coffee in this Kings Garden, to the delight of Swedish palates. In 1962, the first artificial ice frozen skating-rink is completed in the park, and the first outdoors chess set and placed that began in the seventies. It is the flourish status in Kungstradgarde, as its management capacity to adapt such seasonal use of a wide range of public spaces. One of the main elements in the Kungstradgarden is a large tent covering major stages in the warm terms, where they perform almost every day. Totally, it has nearly 150 stages happen each year. In addition to 100-150 days of exhibitions, a Christmas market in December over the weekend, as well as a host of other activities. There are trees in the courtyard and on both street-sides of restaurants. A steps to the sunken fountain is located in front of a restaurant, garden center is equipped with a large circular plaza, a winter skating rink. While there are some warm-weather activities such as chess, varieties of checkers, table tennis, in a small red cottage for which the equipment was is available occur to the extent of these activities. The garden was redesigned in 1998, although before there was the same like this moment in the world in terms of flexibility, the resulting layout is more rigid, so that many of these activities no longer possible. In addition, there is a demonstration playground provided for childrens playing. In all, however, Kungstradgarden is remain its popular, wonderful urban centers in the core of a well-ventilated place and compared with the most other places, it still has a wealth of events, activities and performances, each season, sponsored by local businesses and organizations, it is impressive. Sociability This is a difficult place to achieve quality, but once achieved it becomes a clear and unequivocal function. When people see friends, dating, meet their neighbors, should feel comfortable interaction with strangers, they tend to feel that attachment to the place or a sense of belonging in their communities and local promotion of these types of social activities. Jackson Square, New Orleans, LA This is the central square in New Orleans French Quarter is significant exquisite layout, with three park facing lush trees, flowers and approach in full of historical buildings. Outside the park, in addition to the establishment of the fence from the elegant, bustling with musicians, artists, suppliers, fluctuations in the activities of pedestrian access, and street performances. From the adjacent street is similarly impressive, highlighting the principle, we in the Spirit often described as reaching out like an octopus. When you are closer and closer to capture the views of an attractive square, street-level experience in change more interesting and look forward to is how to grasp the true power of you. Jackson Square is the number of sacred places in a particular city. This sacred place should be the cornerstone of the rebirth of New Orleans. If each community can renew the focus on the central public places such as Jackson Square itself, the city may be powerful hurricanes than ever before. Reference http://www.pps.org/

The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle Chapter Fourteen

Bonnie shivered as she waited outside the tall Victorian house. The air was frosty this morning, and although it was almost eight o'clock the sun had never really come up. The sky was just one dense massed bank of gray and white clouds, creating an eerie twilight below. She had begun to stamp her feet and rub her hands together when the Forbes' door opened. Bonnie moved back a little behind the shrubbery that was her hiding place and watched the family walk to their car. Mr. Forbes was carrying nothing but a camera. Mrs. Forbes had a purse and a folding seat. Daniel Forbes, Caroline's younger brother, had another seat. And Caroline†¦ Bonnie leaned forward, her breath hissing out in satisfaction. Caroline was dressed in jeans and a heavy sweater, and she was carrying some sort of white drawstring purse. Not big but big enough to hold a small diary. â€Å"There she is, Aunt Judith. On the corner.† The car slowed to a halt, and Bonnie slid into the back seat with Elena. â€Å"She's got a white drawstring purse,† she murmured into Elena's ear as Aunt Judith pulled out again. Tingling excitement swept over Elena, and she squeezed Bonnie's hand. â€Å"Good,† she breathed. â€Å"Now we'll see if she brings it into Mrs. Grimesby's. If not, you tell Meredith it's in the car.† Bonnie nodded agreement and squeezed Elena's hand back. They arrived at Mrs. Grimesby's just in time to see Caroline going inside with a white bag hanging from her arm. Bonnie and Elena exchanged a look. Now it was up to Elena to see where Caroline left it in the house. â€Å"I'll get out here too, Miss Gilbert,† said Bonnie as Elena jumped out of the car. She would wait outside with Meredith until Elena could tell them where the bag was. The important thing was not to let Caroline suspect anything unusual. Mrs. Grimesby, who answered Elena's knock, was the Fell's Church librarian. Her house looked almost like a library itself; there were bookcases everywhere and books stacked on the floor. She was also the keeper of Fell's Church's historical artifacts, including clothing that had been preserved from the town's earliest days. Just now the house was ringing with young voices, and the bedrooms were full of students in various stages of undress. Mrs. Grimesby always supervised the costumes for the pageant. Elena was ready to ask to be put in the same room with Caroline, but it wasn't necessary. Mrs. Grimesby was already ushering her in. Caroline, stripped down to her fashionable underwear, gave Elena what was undoubtedly meant to be a nonchalant look, but Elena detected the vicious gloating beneath. She kept her own eyes on the bundle of clothing Mrs. Grimesby was picking up off the bed. â€Å"Here you are, Elena. One of our most nicely preserved pieces – and all authentic, too, even the ribbons. We believe this dress belonged to Honoria Fell.† â€Å"It's beautiful,† said Elena, as Mrs. Grimesby shook out the folds of thin white material. â€Å"What's it made of?† â€Å"Moravian muslin and silk gauze. Since it's quite cold today you can wear that velvet jacket over it.† The librarian indicated a dusty rose garment lying over a chair back. Elena cast a surreptitious glance at Caroline as she began to change. Yes, there was the bag, at Caroline's feet. She debated making a grab for it, but Mrs. Grimesby was still in the room. The muslin dress was very simple, its flowing material belted high under the bosom with a pale rose. â€Å"Did it really belong to Honoria Fell?† she asked, thinking of the marble image of that lady lying on her tomb in the ruined church. â€Å"That's the story, anyway,† said Mrs. Grimesby. â€Å"She mentions a dress like it in her journal, so we're pretty sure.† â€Å"She kept a journal?† Elena was startled. â€Å"Oh, yes. I have it in a case in the living room; I'll show it to you on the way out. Now for the jacket – oh, what's that?† Something violet fluttered to the ground as Elena picked the jacket up. She could feel her expression freeze. She caught up the note before Mrs. Grimesby could bend over, and glanced at it. One line. She remembered writing it in her diary on September 4, the first day of school. Except that after she had written it she had crossed it out. These words were not crossed out; they were bold and clear. Something awful is going to happen today. Elena could barely restrain herself from rounding on Caroline and shaking the note in her face. But that would ruin everything. She forced herself to stay calm as she crumpled up the little slip of paper and threw it into a wastebasket. â€Å"It's just a piece of trash,† she said, and turned back to Mrs. Grimesby, her shoulders stiff. Caroline said nothing, but Elena could feel those triumphant green eyes on her. Just you wait, she thought. Wait until I get that diary back. I'm going to burn it, and then you and I are going to have a talk. To Mrs. Grimesby she said, â€Å"I'm ready.† â€Å"So am I,† said Caroline in a demure voice. Elena put on a look of cool indifference as she eyed the other girl. Caroline's pale green gown with long green and white sashes was not nearly as pretty as hers. â€Å"Wonderful. You girls go ahead and wait for your rides. Oh, and Caroline, don't forget your reticule.† â€Å"I won't,† Caroline said, smiling, and she reached for the drawstring bag at her feet. It was fortunate that from that position she couldn't see Elena's face, for in that instant the cool indifference shattered completely. Elena stared, dumbfounded, as Caroline began to tie the bag at her waist. Her astonishment didn't escape Mrs. Grimesby. â€Å"That's a reticule, the ancestor of our modern handbag,† the older woman explained kindly. â€Å"Ladies used to keep their gloves and fans in them. Caroline came by. â€Å"I'm sure it was,† Elena managed in a strangled voice. She had to get out of here or something awful was going to happen right now. She was going to start screaming – or knock Caroline down – or explode. â€Å"I need some fresh air,† she said. She bolted from the room and from the house, bursting outside. Bonnie and Meredith were waiting in Meredith's car. Elena's heart thumped strangely as she walked to it and leaned in the window. â€Å"She's outsmarted us,† she said quietly. â€Å"That bag is part of her costume, and she's going to wear it all day.† Bonnie and Meredith stared, first at her and then at each other. â€Å"But†¦ then, what are we going to do?† Bonnie asked. â€Å"I don't know.† With sick dismay this realization finally came home to Elena. â€Å"I don't know!† â€Å"We can still watch her. Maybe she'll take the bag off at lunch or something†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But Meredith's voice rang hollow. They all knew the truth, Elena thought, and the truth was that it was hopeless. They'd lost. Bonnie glanced in the rearview mirror, then twisted in her seat. â€Å"It's your ride.† Elena looked. Two white horses were drawing a smartly renovated buggy down the street. Crepe paper was threaded through the buggy's wheels, ferns decorated its seats, and a large banner on the side proclaimed,The Spirit of Fell's Church. Elena had time for only one desperate message. â€Å"Watch her,† she said. â€Å"And if there's ever a moment when she's alone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then she had to go. But all through that long, terrible morning, there was never a moment when Caroline was alone. She was surrounded by a crowd of spectators. For Elena, the parade was pure torture. She sat in the buggy beside the mayor and his wife, trying to smile, trying to look normal. But the sick dread was like a crushing weight on her chest. Somewhere in front of her, among the marching bands and drill teams and open convertibles, was Caroline. Elena had forgotten to find out which float she was on. The first schoolhouse float, perhaps; a lot of the younger children in costume would be on that. It didn't matter. Wherever Caroline was, she was in full view of half the town. The luncheon that followed the parade was held in the high school cafeteria. Elena was trapped at a table with Mayor Dawley and his wife. Caroline was at a nearby table; Elena could see the shining back of her auburn head. And sitting beside her, often leaning possessively over her, was Tyler Smallwood. Elena was in a perfect position to view the little drama that occurred about halfway through lunch. Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw Stefan, looking casual, stroll by Caroline's table. He spoke to Caroline. Elena watched, forgetting even to play with the untouched food on her plate. But what she saw next made her heart plummet. Caroline tossed her head and replied to him briefly, and then Stefan looked toward Elena as he left, and for a moment their eyes met in wordless communion. There was nothing he could do, then. Even if his Powers had returned, Tyler was going to keep him away from Caroline. The crushing weight squeezed Elena's lungs so that she could scarcely breathe. After that she simply sat in a daze of misery and despair until someone nudged her and told her it was time to go backstage. She listened almost indifferently to Mayor Dawley's speech of welcome. He spoke about the â€Å"trying time† Fell's Church had faced recently, and about the community spirit that had sustained them these past months. Then awards were given out, for scholarship, for athletics, for community service. Matt came up to receive Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year, and Elena saw him look at her curiously. Then came the pageant. The elementary school children giggled and tripped and forgot their lines as they portrayed scenes from the founding of Fell's Church through the Civil War. Elena watched them without taking any of it in. Ever since last night she'd been slightly dizzy and shaky, and now she felt as if she were coming down with the flu. Her brain, usually so full of schemes and calculations, was empty. She couldn't think anymore. She almost couldn't care. The pageant ended to popping flashbulbs and tumultuous applause. When the last little Confederate soldier was off the stage, Mayor Dawley called for silence. â€Å"And now,† he said, â€Å"for the students who will perform the closing ceremonies. Please show your appreciation for the Spirit of Independence, the Spirit of Fidelity, and the Spirit of Fell's Church!† The applause was even more thunderous. Elena stood beside John Clifford, the brainy senior who'd been chosen to represent the Spirit of Independence. On the other side of John was Caroline. In a detached, nearly apathetic way Elena noticed that Caroline looked magnificent: her head tilted back, her eyes blazing, her cheeks flushed with color. John went first, adjusting his glasses and the microphone before he read from the heavy brown book on the lectern. Officially, the seniors were free to choose their own selections; in practice they almost always read from the works of M. C. Marsh, the only poet Fell's Church had ever produced. All during John's reading, Caroline was upstaging him. She smiled at the audience; she shook out her hair; she weighed the reticule hanging from her waist. Her fingers stroked the drawstring bag lovingly, and Elena found herself staring at it, hypnotized, memorizing every bead. John took a bow and resumed his place by Elena. Caroline threw her shoulders back and did a model's walk to the lectern. This time the applause was mixed with whistles. But Caroline didn't smile; she had assumed an air of tragic responsibility. With exquisite timing she waited until the cafetorium was perfectly quiet to speak. â€Å"I was planning to read a poem by M. C. Marsh today,† she said, then, into the attentive stillness, â€Å"but I'm not going to. Why read fromthis – † She held up the nineteenth century volume of poetry. † – when there is something much more†¦ relevant†¦ in a book I happened to find?† Very slightly, almost imperceptibly, Stefan shook his head. Caroline's fingers were dipping into the bag as if she just couldn't wait. â€Å"What I'm going to read is about Fell's Churchtoday , not a hundred or two hundred years ago,† she was saying, working herself up into a sort of exultant fever. â€Å"It's importantnow , because it's about somebody who's living in town with us. In fact he's right here in this room.† Tyler must have written the speech for her, Elena decided. Last month, in the gym, he'd shown quite a gift for that kind of thing. Oh, Stefan, oh, Stefan, I'm scared†¦ Her thoughts jumbled into incoherence as Caroline plunged her hand into the bag. â€Å"I think you'll understand what I mean when you hear it,† Caroline said, and with a quick motion she pulled a velvet-covered book from the reticule and held it up dramatically. â€Å"I think it will explain a lot of what's been going on in Fell's Church recently.† Breathing quickly and lightly, she looked from the spellbound audience to the book in her hand. Elena had almost lost consciousness when Caroline jerked the diary out. Bright sparkles ran along the edges of her vision. The dizziness roared up, ready to overwhelm Elena, and then she noticed something. It must be her eyes. The stage lights and flashbulbs must have dazzled them. She certainly felt ready to faint any minute; it was hardly surprising that she couldn't see properly. The book in Caroline's hands lookedgreen , not blue. I must be going crazy†¦ or this is a dream†¦ or maybe it's a trick of the lighting. But look at Caroline's face! Caroline, mouth working, was staring at the velvet book. She seemed to have forgotten the audience altogether. She turned the diary over and over in her hands, looking at all sides of it. Her movements became frantic. She thrust a hand into the reticule as if she somehow hoped to find something else in it. Then she cast a wild glance around the stage as if what she was looking for might have fallen to the ground. The audience was murmuring, getting impatient. Mayor Dawley and the high school principal were exchanging tight-lipped frowns. Having found nothing on the floor, Caroline was staring at the small book again. But now she was gazing at it as if it were a scorpion. With a sudden gesture, she wrenched it open and looked inside, as if her last hope was that only the cover had changed and the words inside might be Elena's. Then she slowly looked up from the book at the packed cafetorium. Silence had descended again, and the moment drew out, while every eye remained fixed on the girl in the pale green gown. Then, with an inarticulate sound, Caroline whirled and clattered off the stage. She exploded into comment, argument, discussion. Elena found Stefan. He looked as if jubilation was sneaking up on him. But he also looked as bewildered as Elena felt. Bonnie and Meredith were the same. As Stefan's gaze crossed hers, Elena felt a rush of gratitude and joy, but her predominant emotion was awe. It was a miracle. Beyond all hope, they had been rescued. They'd been saved. And then her eyes picked out another dark head among the crowd. Damon was leaning†¦ no, lounging†¦ against the north wall. His lips were curved into a half smile, and his eyes met Elena's boldly. Mayor Dawley was beside her, urging her forward, quieting the crowd, trying to restore order. It was no use. Elena read her selection in a dreamy voice to a babbling group of people who weren't paying attention in the slightest. She wasn't paying attention, either; she had no idea what words she was saying. Every so often she looked at Damon. There was applause, scattered and distracted, when she finished, and the mayor announced the rest of the events for that afternoon. And then it was all over, and Elena was free to go. She floated offstage without any conscious idea ofwhere she was going, but her legs carried her to the north wall. Damon's dark head moved out the side door and she followed it. The air in the courtyard seemed deliciously cool after the crowded room, and the clouds above were silvery and swirling. Damon was waiting for her. Her steps slowed but did not stop. She moved until she was only a foot or so away from him, her eyes searching his face. There was a long moment of silence and then she spoke. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I thought you'd be more interested inhow. † He patted his jacket significantly. â€Å"I got invited in for coffee this morning after scraping up an acquaintance last week.† â€Å"But why?† He shrugged, and for just an instant something like consternation flickered across his finely drawn features. It seemed to Elena that he himself didn't know why – or didn't want to admit it. â€Å"For my own purposes,† he said. â€Å"I don't think so.† Something was building between them, something that frightened Elena with its power. â€Å"I don't think that's the reason at all.† She moved closer, so that she was almost touching him, and looked at him. â€Å"I think,† she said, â€Å"that maybe you need to be pushed.† His face was only inches away from hers, and Elena never knew what might have happened if at that moment a voice hadn't broken in on them. â€Å"Youdid manage to make it after all! I'm so glad!† It was Aunt Judith. Elena felt as if she were being whisked from one world to another. She blinked dizzily, stepping back, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. â€Å"And so you got to hear Elena read,† Aunt Judith continued happily. â€Å"You did a beautiful job, Elena, but I don't know what was going on with Caroline. The girls in this town are all acting bewitched lately.† â€Å"Nerves,† suggested Damon, his face carefully solemn. Elena felt an urge to giggle and then a wave of irritation. It was all very well to be grateful to Damon for saving them, but if not for Damon there wouldn't have been a problem in the first place. Damon had committed the crimes Caroline wanted to pin on Stefan. â€Å"And whereis Stefan?† she said, voicing her next thought aloud. She could see Bonnie and Meredith in the courtyard alone. Aunt Judith's face showed her disapproval. â€Å"I haven't seen him,† she said briefly. Then she smiled fondly. â€Å"But I have an idea; why don't you come to dinner with us, Damon? Then afterwards perhaps you and Elena could – â€Å" â€Å"Stop it!† said Elena to Damon. He looked politely inquiring. â€Å"What?† said Aunt Judith. â€Å"Stop it!† Elena said to Damon again. â€Å"You know what. Just stop it right now!†