Climate Change and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Essay -- greenhouse gases, clim

Climate change or colloquially known as global warming, now pose a new threat to civilization as the levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) are soaring to new levels. The most significant contributor to greenhouse gasses would be Carbon Dioxide (Co2). The levels of Carbon Dioxide (Co2) gas have risen to levels civilization has not seen before. As such, the effects of these levels are not known to civilization as data gathered from the ice cores drilled in the Antarctica only shows data up to 650,000 years ago. However we can conclude that present CO2 concentrations are higher compared to any time in the last 650,000 years (IPCC 2007). Current carbon dioxide concentrations are hovering around 389 parts per million (ppm) as of September 2011, compared to the pre-industrialized times (1000- 1750) of 280 ppm (Co2Now). The rate of increase of the levels of carbon dioxide is about 1.9ppm a year (IPCC 2007) .The increase in carbon dioxide levels since the industrial revolution is mainly due to CO 2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Therefore if no action is to be taken, the levels of carbon dioxide would soar up higher and the effects to civilization could be devastating. To see what extend Australia is in, the following mentions Australia’s position in carbon emissions. Australia, which is a developed nation and a member of the OECD, currently holds the record for being the nation with the highest carbon dioxide emissions per capita among other developed nations (Garnaut 2011). According to Garnaut , Australia emits 26.7 tonnes of greenhouse gasses per-person per year compared to other developing nations such as Luxembourg, United states, Canada and Ireland which emits 26.1, 23.1, 20.6 and 16.5 tonnes respe... ...DP. So in reality, we can see a total net increase in GDP after the implementation of the carbon tax. It is said that the plan will raise around $27.3 billion over the first four years and will cost $31.6 billion (Oliver 2011). This in addition to the over compensated benefit payments to lower income families would stimulate the economy and this is why we see no reason to change our GDP growth forecasts at this stage compared to pre-carbon tax introduction. In conclusion, it is economically viable and necessary for the carbon tax to be implemented, which would reduce carbon emissions in Australia. The Australian public would not be greatly affected by the rising cost. Over time, with a price being put on carbon, investment in clean energy and growth in cleaner industries will likely offset reduced investment and slower growth in dirty energy and sectors. â€Æ'

Fossil Fuels: Are they Worth the Cost? :: Environmental Issues Energy Resources Essays

Fossil Fuels: Are they Worth the Cost? Fossil fuels are a very important part of our society today. Natural gas, Coal, and oil are the world’s primary and most important source of energy. â€Å"90% of the energy we use in this country [USA] comes from fossil fuels.† (Source 3) Unfortunately, there are costs of using these fossil fuels to run our society. Some costs are obvious such as the cost of labor, equipment and supplies needed to extract, refine and transport the fossil fuels. These costs are taken care of in electricity bills, in the price of gasoline for automobiles and other governmental and company funding. There are many other costs that are less obvious. These costs are the effects fossil fuels have on our environment and on human health. Air pollution caused by the burning of coal and oil as well as dust in mines is causing problems for human health. The environment is suffering from acid rain, global warming and water and air pollution. Many times, the costs go unpaid for a nd unnoticed. It is imperative that we as a society take responsibility and strive to reduce the negative effects of fossil fuels on our environment. The global warming is a major environmental issue that is caused by the use of fossil fuels. When fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is emitted. It captures heat in the earth’s atmosphere. What is happening is that the more carbon dioxide emitted the warmer the earth’s climate is getting. I know some may be thinking that warm weather is great! Keep the global warming and the carbon dioxide coming! Global warming, however, is seriously dangerous for our society, economy, and our environment. Global warming can cause coastal cities to go under water due to a rise in sea level because of melting glaciers. Agriculture will be greatly affected as well. If temperatures keep rising, farmers will have to go through more extreme droughts. Global warming is caused by the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and has many adverse effects on the environment, our societies, and our economies. Another cost of fossil fuels is air pollution.

Shakespeares World Essay -- essays research papers

Shakespeare's World Almost every nation on earth reads, studies and performs the works of William Shakespeare. No writer of any country, nor any age, has ever enjoyed such universal popularity. Neither has any writer been so praised. As William Hazlitt observed, "The most striking peculiarity of Shakespeare's mind was it's generic quality, its power of communication with all other minds." It is perhaps this quality that has earned Shakespeare the supreme accolade, that of lending his name to an era. Other than a monarch or an emperor, few can boast that a time or place is so exclusively theirs. As we talk about Napoleonic Europe or Victorian England, so we speak of Shakespearean London or the Age of Shakespeare. No other artist, let alone writer, has had their name inscribed on such a towering edifice. "Thou in our wonder and astonishment, hast built thyself a long-live monument," wrote Milton, in praise of Shakespeare. Shakespeare is by far and without doubt the most popular and successful writer of all time. But what of the man himself? Who was William Shakespeare? The life of William Shakespeare is shrouded in mystery. There is no record of him receiving an education, buying a book or writing a single letter, and no original manuscript of a Shakespeare play survives. There is no direct record of his conversations, and no one in his home town seems to have known that he was a successful playwright while he was alive. There is not even a contemporary portrait to reveal his true appearance. Although a number of mentions of William Shakespeare the poet-dramatist appear on record during the 1590's and early 1600's, they comment only briefly on his writings, telling us nothing about the man. Less is known about Shakespeare than almost any other playwright of his time. The orthodox version of William Shakespeare's life is probably the most widely accepted Shakespeare legend of them all. According to it, he was born on 23 April 1564, in an upstairs room of a Stratford house in Warwickshire. He was born to John and Mary Shakespeare, and was baptized Gulielmus filius Johannes Shakspere (William, son of John Shakespeare) three days later. His father ran a successful glove making business on Henley Street. In 1565, his father ... ...ow position could hope to rise to a high position while someone in a high position could expect to fall to a low position. All these would be brought about by a change in fate or fortune. Some people believed that the people rose to a higher position during the spring and the summer, while they sank to a lower position during the autumn and the winter. However, it was later noticed that such beliefs were very unpredictable. Like the belief in the zodiac, the Wheel of Fortune opposed the theory that fate was controlled by man. Instead, fate was believed to be controlled by the stars. This is why in the opening chorus of Romeo and Juliet, both of them are described as "†¦ star crossed lovers†¦" This suggests that the stars had already destined them to love and then to die. Shakespeare is arguably the best writer of all time, yet it is interesting to know that so little is known about him. Perhaps no-one will ever know who the real William Shakespeare was. Only one thing is certain: Shakespeare may be dead, but his great works never cease to astound us and it makes us wonder if any person will ever come to rival the maestro of English Literature.

Case Study Diversity at Pepsi Co

MGT 3302 Case #1-Diversity at PepsiCo 1. If I were just appointed the HR manager at PepsiCo, I would implement several mandatory training sessions for the employees and board members. In order for a company to integrate a diversified culture into their organization, every single member of the company has to be involved. Several key components that would be introduced would be legal awareness, cultural awareness, and sensitivity training. Legal awareness would be a very important training component due to the overall impact it would have for the organization.This particular component deals with the legal aspect of discriminating; also what you should and should not do when it comes to dealing with people of different backgrounds. If the legal awareness training is successful, this could save the company a lot of hardship and money by preventing discrimination lawsuits. Cultural awareness would be another training component that I would implement since learning about the different cust oms is essential to understand that culture.Foreign and unknown circumstances can sometimes become awkward; this training would help the organization create a comfortable work environment. Sensitivity training would probably go hand in hand with cultural awareness, according to Mathis and Jackson (2011), â€Å"the aim here is to â€Å"sensitize† people to the differences among them and how their words and behaviors are seen by others† (p. 101). The purpose of the training would be to build empathy amongst the members of the organization towards one another. . The â€Å"diversity management approach† that PepsiCo currently utilizes is â€Å"Solve Diversity Issues and Create an Inclusive Culture†. According to Mathis and Jackson (2011), â€Å"PepsiCo also has regular diversity celebrations†¦ this inclusion of diversity issues throughout the company contributes to PepsiCo’s success with employees, managers, and customers† (p. 110). I belie ve that diversity has played a major role in PepsiCo’s financial success, the numbers are concrete evidence of it. 3.The challenges and opportunities that the new CEO will face given her gender and ethnicity would be many 4. The term â€Å"internalize† diversity refers to analyzing diversity approach beyond the financial part or the organizations. When an executive talks about the benefits of integrating diversity into their organization they should also include non-financial benefits. As the case points out, Steve Reinemund did not know how to respond when asked, how would the diversity approach be viewed if it didn’t prove to be beneficial for business.After analyzing the question and consulting it with other people , he said â€Å"and it finally occurred to me that I had spent three years talking about the business case for diversity -â€Å"the head-while never speaking about ‘the heart’† ( Thomas and Creary,2009, p. 8 ). Internalizing di versity is very important to the company’s integrity since customers will be able to see the true values and intentions of the company. Customers will be able to see that they truly want to diversify their organization for reasons beyond the financial gain.

Comparison of the Ethical Theories of Kant, Bentham and Mill

This paper intends to look into the theory of ethics of Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill and compare them from one another. In addition to that, it also aims to mention the uncertainty which have arisen as I tackled these theories.Immanuel Kant’s Theory of Ethics: FormalismAccording to Immanuel Kant’s Theory of Ethics, a deed is right if the acts involved in the progression are also right (Thomson Gale, 2008, n.p.). Simply put, â€Å"the end is only just if the means are as well† (Thomson Gale, 2008, n.p.).Jeremy Bentham’s Theory of Ethics: Ethical UniversalismAccording to Jeremy Bentham, his theory of ethics otherwise known as â€Å"ethical or moral universalism† is instituted upon â€Å"utility† which he categorically defines as â€Å"that property in any object, whereby it ends to produce benefit, advantage, pleasure, good, or happiness or to prevent the happening of mischief, pain, evil, or unhappiness to the party whose i nterest is considered† (Bentham, 1948, p. 126). In turn, the aforesaid concept of â€Å"universalism† is established by looking into the following hypotheses/assertions/principles:1)Jeremy Bentham asserts that the following terminologies: â€Å"a) pleasure; b) happiness; c) goodness; d) benefit; e) advantage; 5) etcetera† are of the same value so to speak (Germino, 1972, pp. 235 – 236);2)Jeremy Bentham reiterates that the following terminologies: â€Å"a) pleasure; b) happiness; c) goodness; d) benefit; e) advantage; 5) etcetera† are actually gauged, thus, calculable and irrefutable as well (Germino, 1972, pp. 235 – 236);3)Jeremy Bentham argues that an individual’s act, as well as, the actions of the government ought to be founded or rooted upon the imperative which actually takes complete advantage of gratification and dwindles pain (Germino, 1972, pp. 235 – 236); and that4)Finally, â€Å"it is the greatest happiness of the gr eatest number that is the measure of right and wrong of human action in every situation, and in particular when governmental action is called for† (Germino, 1972, pp. 235 – 236).John Stuart Mill’s Theory of Ethics: Utilitarianismâ€Å"Utilitarianism†, according to John Stuart Mill, is where morals/ethics/good deeds are based/founded/instituted upon (Ebenstein & Ebenstein, 1991, p. 580). The reason behind this claim is that, deeds are only correct or proper if and only if the at the end of it happiness is achieved/felt and wrong or improper if and only if at the closing stage of the deed wretchedness   is reached (Ebenstein & Ebenstein, 1991, p. 580).That being said, happiness for John Stuart Mill is equivalent to the absence of unhappiness or any kind of negative emotion (Germino, 1972, p. 240). While, wretchedness for him, is when the occurrence of pain/ache/hurt is present at the finish of a certain deed (Germino 1972, p. 240).ComparisonImmanuel Kantâ €™s theory of ethics is known as formalism, while that of Jeremy Bentham’s is known as ethical universalism, and that of John Stuart Mill is that of Utilitarianism which differ from each other a little since Kant reiterates that an act is good only if the process utilized to reach that is ethical as well; while Bentham is based on the number of people going to benefit happiness from; on the other hand, Mill states that an act is right if one ends up being happy (Germino, 1972, p. 240).Confusion/Uncertainty which have ArisenThere is a certain concept that is a little confusing, for instance, why is it that the number of population achieving happiness is important to Bentham when it should be enough that an individual becomes happy due to an ethical act being carried out (Germino, 1972, p. 240)? It gets confusing because instead of focusing on the quality of happiness, the ethical theories were focused on the quantity (Germino, 1972, p. 240).ReferencesEbenstein, W. and Eben stein, A. (1991). Great Political Thinkers: Plato to the President.Forth Worth: Harcourt BraceGermino, D. (1972). Machiavelli to Marx: Modern Western Political Thought. Chicago:University of Chicago Press:

Assess the Importance of Ideology in the Formulation of Nazi Foreign Policy to 1939

From Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor on January 30 1933 to the beginning of WWII on Sept 3 1939, the Nazi state pursued an aggressive foreign policy that contributed largely to the outbreak of war. This foreign policy was largely reflective of the goals Hitler had set out in his 1924 autobiography â€Å"Mein Kampf†, particularly Germany’s easterly moving aggressions. However, although Nazi ideology played a dominant role in structuring foreign policy to 1939, it was also greatly influenced by the response of the Allies to aggressions and therefore Hitler’s perception of which foreign policies could be most successful.Hence, whilst Nazi ideology surmises the ultimate goals of Nazi foreign policy to 1939, the role of events from 1933-1939 played a significant detail in determining Germany’s actions. Hitler’s understanding of politics and race can be summed up in â€Å"Weltanschauung† (world view), as described in Mein Kampf. Written i n 1924 after Hitler had been arrested for an attempted coup, the autobiography deals with the issues plaguing Germany at the time, including the instability of the Weimar Republic and the problem of WWI reparation payments as set out in the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.Hitler, as a member of nationalist Nazi party, despised democracy, and believed that it undermined Germany’s success. Further, Hitler gave validity to the â€Å"stabbing in the back† myth, claiming that WWI’s loss had been unnecessary, and had been caused as a result of the â€Å"scheming† Jewish population. Using these understandings, Hitler believed that should Germany be expanded into a grossdeutschland by creating Lebensraum (living room) in the resource-rich East, wherein the superior Aryan race could reside.All other races, particularly Slavs & Jews, were denoted as racially inferior, and were intended by Hitler to be used as slaves. Throughout Mein Kampf, Hitler euphorically and openly describes his war intentions for Germany, in quotes such as â€Å"Any alliance whose purpose is not the intention to wage war is useless†. However, when Hitler came to power in 1933, Germany was unfit to pursue Hitler’s aims, and required a great deal of restructuring in order to increase output and production.Therefore, despite Hitler’s ultimately war goals, he was forced to delay aggressions until the German military could be rebuilt. This began in 1935, when Hitler announced open plans for rearmament and introduced conscription, in order to strengthen and prepare the Wehrmacht. This was a direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles, however the Allies chose not to act. At this stage, Hitler’s popularity as a leader was large, seen by the success of the Saar plebiscite in January 1935 in which the Saarland’s population chose to rejoin Germany, as before the Treaty.Even by the end of 1935, it was clear that Nazi Germany was expanding, and intende d to continue. On March 7th 1936, Hitler ordered the invasion of the Rhineland. This foreign policy was incredibly aggressive, and showed even greater disregard for the terms of treaty. The Rhineland had been established by the Treaty as buffer between France and Germany, in order to ensure France’s safety after the German invasion of WWI. By invading it, Hitler directly threatened France, and demonstrated his serious intent to expand Germany, as outlined in Mein Kampf.However, although this invasion coheres to the ideologies outlined in Mein Kampf, namely the reversal of the Treaty of Versailles, the invasion was largely experimental, and based on the previous non-action of the Allies to Hitler’s defiance of the treaty. A mere 22,000 German troops entered the Rhineland, and could have easily been suppressed by Allied forces, Hitler himself admitting that had the French resisted, Germany would be forced to retreat immediately. Despite this, the Allies chose not to resp ond yet again.This was a critical point in structuring future Nazi foreign policy, as it demonstrated the Allies unwillingness to participate in conflict, and preference to appease. Had the Allies stopped the occupation of the Rhineland, it is unlikely that Hitler’s aggressive foreign policies would have been so actively pursued, as they risked increased resistance and further embarrassment. In October 1936, the Rome-Berlin axis was created, a political alliance linking the fascist forces of Italy under Mussolini with Nazi Germany.At this time, Italy too was pursuing an aggressive foreign policy in order to create a racially perfect Italy, goals similar to those of Hitler. Hence, the signing of this agreement indicates Hitler’s intention to keep to his racial ideologies, and to link with necessary powers in order to achieve lebensraum for the Aryan race. Further, the Hossbach memorandum of 1937 clearly demonstrates Hitler’s plans to expand Europe in order to str engthen Europe, and his intentions to formulate foreign policy based on these aims.In March 1938, Hitler demanded Anschluss with Germany-a union that had been forbidden by the Treaty. This demand was met with opposition by Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg, who insisted on a plebiscite. However, after a large amount of pressure, the Anschluss was agreed to, and shortly after, German troops entered Austria. German and Austrian union had been forbidden specifically after their strong alliance in WWI, and the threat they posed as a combined force. By 1938, Hitler had defied the Treaty of Versailles several times, and had yet to meet resistance by the Allies.Particularly in the case of Austria, the Allies chose to not intervene because of a belief that Germany was simply â€Å"marching into its backyard†. On top of this, by 1938 Germany was experiencing high living standards as a result of Hitler’s volksgemeinschaft and was a formidable power, thus the Allies recognised Germ an desire for expansion into a previously had region. It also evident that Hitler understood this detail in the timing of the Anschluss-when in 1936 Hitler had made similar demands, the Allies stood opposed, and the Wehrmacht was ill-equipped to defy Allied wishes.In 1938 Hitler understood Germany’s military capacity, and used its position to pursue the foreign policies based on the ideologies in Mein Kampf. By 1938, Hitler had acquired all desired territories with relative ease, as a result of their size and insignificance to the balance of power on the European continent. It was this confidence that allowed Hitler to pursue his most aggressive foreign policy yet-the demand for the Sudetenland. The Sudetenland was part of Czechoslovakia, which had been created post WWI.Previously German territory, it still contained 3 million German speakers. Hitler’s demand was based on the reasoning that its German population should be united with the rest of Germany, in spite of Cz echoslovakia’s sovereignty. In this demand, Hitler demonstrated his willingness to defy the right of independent states in order to achieve his own ends. President Banes refused not only out of principal, but also because of the region’s massive industrial production and abundance of resources. Hitler stood adamant and threatened that invasion was imminent.British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, in recognition of the situation, flew to meet with Hitler in his Wilhelmshaven residence on September 15, in order to reason with him. Hitler stood firm, justifying his demand by claiming that a Czech-Soviet pact was a threat to European security. Chamberlain, a conservative politician, believed that Hitler could be appeased, and thus suggested that perhaps Germany’s takeover of the Sudetenland could be achieved through non-aggressive means, a suggestion far surpassing his authority. On Sept 26, German, British, French and Italian delegates met in Munich to discuss t he details of the takeover.Czech and Soviet delegates were not invited to this meeting, despite their large role in the outcomes. Once the terms had been agreed to, and delegates, particularly Chamberlain, were satisfied, Germany annexed the Sudetenland. Yet again, Hitler had been appeased and had accomplished his expansionary goals, managing to attain another territory prohibited by the Treaty. The movement of Germany’s aggressions were those aimed for in Mein Kampf-hence suggesting that ideology had played an integral role in formulating Nazi foreign policy to that success.This idea is further reinforced by the extension of Hitler’s grasp on Czechoslovakia, when in 1939 Hitler ordered that the rest of the state be handed over to Germany, which was quickly agreed to. Hitler’s accomplishments had all been aimed for in 1924-however, without the non-response of the Allies, and Chamberlain’s continuing belief that appeasement would succeed in limiting Hitler ’s aggressions, Nazi foreign policy would not have been as ambitious, and it is unlikely that aggressions would have succeeded, thus further aggressions, such as with the demand for the Sudetenland, would have been unlikely.This suggests that although foreign policy was based on ideological principles, its formulation was responsive to the European powers. The responsive nature of Nazi foreign policy is highlighted by the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1939. In Hitler’s understanding of race, Slavs were considered racially inferior, and Hitler’s own political directly opposed Stalin’s communism. In fact, Hitler’s ultimate intentions in Mein Kampf included obtaining Eastern Europe, by crushing the Slavs.Thus, this non-aggression pact completely contradicted what seemed to be the intention of Nazi foreign policy to 1939, and what Hitler had been adamant about in Mein Kampf. However, the pact was of strategic brilliance for Germany, for several re asons. With serious intentions to invade Poland, Hitler was faced with the possibility of a two-front war from Russia, which he understood would be crippling to the Wehrmacht. Further, whilst the German military was capable of fighting Allied resistance, should the Russians have made an alliance with the Allies, the struggle would intensify.Therefore, when German and Russian foreign minister Ribbentropp and Molotov, respectively, signed the pact on August 23 1939, it guaranteed temporary security for both powers, and allowed for rapid capture of Poland beginning on September 1 1939. This pact demonstrated Hitler’s flexibility in achieving his aims, sacrificing one of his fundamental ideological principles in order to create an effective Nazi foreign policy. In analysing the weightings of ideology and circumstances in the formulation of Nazi foreign policy, there exists two main schools of thought: intentionalist and structuralist.Intentionalist historians believe that Nazi fo reign policy was based entirely on the principles clearly outlined in Mein Kampf, whilst structuralists, such as AJP Taylor, believe Hitler’s foreign policy was created by opportunities presented to him between 1933-1939, and that documents such as the Hossbach memorandum do not demonstrate clear intentions based on ideological principles but simply aggressive intentions, as per many European powers at the time.In reality, neither arguement encompasses the scope of considerations taken in the formulation of Nazi foreign policy, however to disregard Mein Kampf and the ideological pursuits described in it which Hitler’s foreign policies to 1939 directly reflected is unacceptable in understanding the aims of Nazi foreign policy.Therefore it can been seen that whilst the racial and political ideologies of Hitler, as outlined in 1924, played a significant role in Nazi foreign policy to 1939, several other factors, including the response of the Allies to Hitler’s aggr essions and Germany military’s capacity, greatly affected Nazi foreign policy, and were pivotal in both its timing and creation.

Night World : Huntress Chapter 8

I can't lose this fight. Suddenly that was the only thought in Jez's mind. She couldn't afford to be hurt or scared-or stupid. There was too much riding on it. And since Morgead had the advantages of telepathy and strength on her at the moment, she was going to have to come up with some clever way to beat him. It only took a moment to come up with a plan. And then Jez was carrying it out, every ounce of her concentration focused on tricking him. She stopped backing up and took a step sideways, deliberately putting herself in a position where she could make only a clumsy block. Then she gave him an opening, holding her stick awkwardly, its tip toward him but drooping too far down. You see-it's my elbow, she thought to him, knowing he couldn't hear her, but willing him to take the bait. My elbow hurts too much; I'm distracted; the stick is no longer an extension of me. My right side is unprotected. She was as good at it as any mother bird who pretends to have a broken wing to lure a predator away from her nest. And she could see the flash of triumph in Morgead's eyes. That's it; don't waste time injuring me anymore †¦ come in for the kill. He was doing it. He'd stopped trying to get her into a corner. With his handsome face intent, his eyes narrowed in concentration, he was maneuvering for a single decisive strike; a takedown to end the combat. But as he raised his fighting stick to make it, Jez pulled her own stick back as if she were afraid to block, afraid of the jarring contact. This was the moment. If he caught on now, if he realized why she was positioning her stick this way, he'd never make the move she wanted him to. He'd go back to disarming her. I'm too hurt to block properly; my arm's too weak to raise, she thought, letting her shoulders droop and her body sway tiredly. It wasn't hard to pretend. The pain in various parts of her body was real enough, and if she let herself feel it, it was very nearly disabling. Morgead fell for it. He made the strike she wanted; straight down. At that instant Jez slid her leading foot back, shifting just out of range. His stick whistled by her nose-missing. And then, before he could raise it again, while he was unguarded, Jez lunged. She put all the power of her body behind it, all her strength, slipping in between Morgead's arms and driving the stick to his midsection. The air in his lungs exploded out in a harsh gasp and he doubled over. Jez didn't hesitate. She had to finish him instantly, because in a second he would be fully recovered. By the time he was completely bent over she was already whipping her stick out and around to strike him behind the knee. Again, she put her whole weight behind the blow, following through to scoop him onto his back. Morgead landed with a thud. Before he could move, Jez snap-kicked hard, catching his wrist and knocking his stick away. It clattered across the floor, oak on oak. Then she held the pointed end of her own stick to his throat â€Å"Yield or die,† she said breathlessly, and smiled. Morgead glared up at her. He was even more breathless than she was, but there was nothing like surrender in those green eyes. He was mad. â€Å"You tricked me!† â€Å"All's fair.† He just looked at her balefully from under the disordered hair that fell across his forehead. He was sprawled flat, long legs stretched out, arms flung to either side, with the tip of the snakewood fighting stick resting snugly in the pale hollow of his throat. He was completely at her mercy-or at least that was how it seemed. Jez knew him better. She knew that he never gave up, and that when he wasn't too mad to think, he was as smart as she was. And as sneaky. Right now the helpless act was about as sincere as her wounded bird routine. So she was ready when he threw another blast of Power at her. She saw his pupils dilate like a cat's about to pounce, and she braced herself, shifting the stick minutely to push into his collarbone as she leaned forward. The energy smashed into her. She could almost see it now, with the sixth sense that was part of her vampire heritage. It was like the downrush of a nuclear cloud, the part that went flowing along the ground, destroying everything in its path, spreading in a circle from the point of impact. It seemed to be faintly green, the color of Morgead's eyes. And it packed quite a punch. Jez gritted her teeth and hung on to the fighting stick, keeping it in place, letting the Power wash through her. It blew her hair back to stream in a hot wind and it seemed to last forever. But finally it was over, and she was tingling with pain, with a metallic feeling in her teeth. And Morgead was still trapped. He hissed at her, an amazingly reptilian sound. â€Å"Got anything else?† Jez said, grinning down at him with narrowed eyes. Every bruise on her body hurt afresh in the aftermath of the blast-but she wasn't going to let him see that. â€Å"No? I didn't think so.† Morgead's upper lip lifted. â€Å"Drop dead, Jezebel.† Nobody was allowed to use her full name. â€Å"You first, Morgy,† she suggested, and leaned harder on the stick. The green eyes were beautifully luminous now, with sheer anger and hatred. â€Å"So kill me,† he said nastily. â€Å"Morgead-â€Å" â€Å"It's the only way you're going to win. Otherwise I'm just going to lie here and wait to recharge. And when I've got enough Power I'll hit you again.† â€Å"You never know when it's over, do you?† ‘It's never over.† Jez bit down on a rush of fury and exasperation. ‘I didn't want to have to do this,† she snarled, â€Å"but I will.† She didn't kill him. Instead, she hurt him. She grabbed his wrist and locked it, with her hand holding his and her stick on top of his wrist. She could use leverage here to cause severe pain- or to break the bone. â€Å"Give up, Morgead.† â€Å"Bite me.† â€Å"I'm going to break your wrist.† ‘Tine. I hope you enjoy it.† He kept glaring. Like a little kid threatening to play on the freeway, Jez thought, and suddenly, inexplicably she was almost overcome by laughter. She choked it back. She didn't want to break his wrist. But she knew she had to. And she had to do it soon, before he regenerated enough Power to hit her again. She couldn't take another of those blasts. â€Å"Morgead, give!† She put enough pressure on his wrist that it really hurt. He gave her the evil eye through dark lashes. â€Å"You're so stubborn!† Jez put on more pressure. She could tell it was hurting him. It was hurting her to keep the steady pressure up. Shooting stars of pain were zinging in her elbow. Jez's heart was beating hard and her muscles were beginning to tremble with fatigue. This was much more difficult for both of them than a clean break would have been. And he was a vampire- his wrist would heal in a few days. She wouldn't be injuring him permanently. I have to do it, she told herself. She tensed her muscles- And Morgead took a little quick breath, an indrawn hiss of pain. For just an instant his green eyes lost their gemlike clarity, unfocusing a bit as he winced. Jez let go of his wrist and collapsed to sit beside him, breathing hard. You are so stupid, her mind told her. She shook her hair out and shut her eyes, trying to deal with the fury. Beside her, Morgead sat up. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"I don't know!† Jez snarled without opening her eyes. Being weak and idiotic, she answered herself. She didn't even know why she couldn't go through with it. She killed vampires-and less obnoxious ones than Morgead-all the time. â€Å"I didn't yield,† Morgead said. His voice was flat and dangerous. â€Å"So it's not over.† ‘Tine, blast me.† Tm going to.† â€Å"So do it.† â€Å"What, you like it so much?† Jez snapped. She grabbed her stick off the ground and turned to look at him for the first time since she'd sat down. â€Å"Yeah, I love it, Morgead! I'm crazy about pain! So do it, and then I'm going to hit you over your thick head so hard you won't wake up until next week!† She might have said more, but the look in his eyes stopped her. He was staring at her intently, not simply belligerently as she'd imagined. His green eyes were narrow and searching. â€Å"You're just crazy period,† he said, sitting back, his gaze still probing. In a different tone he said softly, â€Å"So why didn't you do it?† Jez lifted her shoulders and dropped them. There was a pit of anger and misery in her stomach. ‘I suppose because then I'd have to break every bone in your body, you jerk. You'd never give up, not with that new power you've got.† â€Å"I could teach it to you. The others aren't strong enough to learn it, but you are.† That forced a short laugh out of Jez. â€Å"Yeah, right.† She shut her eyes briefly, wondering what Morgead would say if she were to tell him why she could never learn it. He'd squash me like a bug, she thought, and laughed again. â€Å"You laugh weird, Jez.† â€Å"I have a twisted sense of humor.† She looked at him, blinking wetness out of her lashes. Where had that come from? There must be something in her eye. â€Å"So. Want to start this fight again?† He was staring at her hand gripping the snakewood stick. Jez tried to keep that hand steady, but she could feel the fine tremors in the muscles. She took a deep breath and clenched her teeth, making her gaze challenging. I can fight again. I can do it because I have to, and this time I won't let any stupid sympathy get in the way of beating him. I have to win. Everything depends on it. Morgead looked back at her face. â€Å"No,† he said abruptly. â€Å"We don't have to do it again. I yield.† Jez bunked in shock. It was the last thing she'd expected. Morgead's expression was cold and unreadable. Jez got mad. â€Å"Why?† she blazed at him. â€Å"Because I'm tired? Because you don't think I can take you?† She whipped the stick up, ready to split his stupid skull. â€Å"Because you're crazy!† Morgead yelled. â€Å"And because-† He stopped dead, looked furious. Then he said curtly, â€Å"Because you won fair the first time.† Jez stared at him. Slowly she lowered the stick. Morgead's expression was still distinctly unfriendly. But he'd just made an almost unbelievable admission. â€Å"You just don't want me to whop you anymore,† she said. He gave her a sideways look that would kill pigeons in midair. Jez let out her breath. Her heart was just beginning to settle down and relief was spreading through her. I did it I really did it. I'm not going to die today. â€Å"So it's over,† she said. â€Å"I'm back in.† â€Å"You're leader,† Morgead said sourly. â€Å"Enjoy it, because I'm going to be right behind you every step, just waiting for my chance.† â€Å"I wouldn't expect anything else,† Jez said. Then she blinked. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"What do you think?† His face set, his eyes on the far wall, Morgead was tugging his shirt away from his neck, and leaning his head back. â€Å"I have no idea-† Then Jez realized. She went cold to the tips of her fingers. I didn't think. I should have remembered, but I didn't, and I didn't plan for this†¦. â€Å"Blood in, blood out,† Morgead said shortly. Why didn't I remember? Panic was stirring inside Jez. She couldn't see any way to get out of it. For human gangs â€Å"blood in, blood out† meant you got beat up when you were jumped in, and you didn't leave until you were dead. But for vampire gangs†¦ I can't bite him. The most frightening thing was that something inside her wanted to do it. Her entire skin was tingling, and it suddenly seemed as if it was only yesterday that she'd had her last blood meal. She could remember exactly how it felt, sinking her teeth into smooth skin, piercing it easily, feeling the warm flow start. And Morgead's blood would be dark and sweet and powerful. Vampire blood wasn't life-sustaining like human blood, but it was rich with the hidden promise of the Night World. And Morgead was one of the strongest vampires she'd ever met. His blood would be full of the mastery of that new attack, full of raw, vital young energy. But I don't drink blood. I'm not a vampire! Not anymore. Jez was trembling in shock. In the entire year since she'd stopped drinking blood, she'd never been so tempted. She had no idea why it had come on like this now, but it was almost out of her control. She pressed her tongue against one sharpening canine, trying to restrain it, trying to get some relief from the stress. Her upper and lower jaws were aching fiercely. I can't. It's unthinkable. If I do it once, I'll never be able to stop. I'll become-what I was back then. I'll be lost I can't-but I have to. I need to get back in the gang. Morgead was staring at her. â€Å"Now what's wrong with you?† â€Å"I. . .† Jez was dizzy with fear and longing and the sense of danger. She couldn't see any way out†¦. And then she saw it. â€Å"Here,† she said, unbuttoning the collar of her shirt. â€Å"You bite me.† â€Å"What?† ‘It satisfies the requirement. Blood has to be spilled. And it's the leader who does it† ‘You're the leader, idiot.† â€Å"Not until I'm back in the gang. And I'm not back in the gang until blood is spilled.† He was staring at her, his eyes hard and demanding and not amused at all. â€Å"Jez†¦ that's ridiculous. Why?† He was too smart. She didn't dare let him keep thinking about it. â€Å"Because I think it's the proper procedure. And because-I overfed last night. I don't want anymore.† She stared straight into his eyes, not allowing a muscle to quiver. Trying to force her version of the truth into his brain. Morgead blinked and looked away. Jez allowed herself to relax minutely. She had one advantage over Morgead; there was no way he could even imagine her real motives. She just hoped he wouldn't discern the human flavor to her blood. ‘If you won't tell me, I give up.† He shrugged. â€Å"So, fine. If that's the way you want it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It is.† â€Å"Whatever.† He turned back to her and reached for her shoulders. A new shock rocked Jez. Morgead never hesitated once he made up his mind, but this was a little unnerving. His grip was a bit too firm and authoritative; Jez felt out of control. And how am I going to shield myself? she thought wildly, clamping down on a new wave of fear. He's already a powerful telepath and sharing blood increases rapport How am I supposed to block that-? Everything was happening too fast; she didn't have time to plan or think. All she could do was try not to panic as Morgead drew her close. Jerk†¦ he's had too much experience at this, part of her thought furiously. At subduing any kind of prey. At gentling scared girls-human girls. He was holding her lightly and precisely; he was tilting her chin back. Jez shut her eyes and tried to blank her mind. And now she could feel the warmth of his face near her skin; she could feel his breath on her throat. She knew his canine teeth were extending, lengthening, thinning to needle points. She tried to control her breathing. She felt a swathe of warmth as he licked her throat once, and then a pain that made her own teeth ache. His teeth had pierced her skin, sharp as obsidian. Then the release of blood flowing. Her life, spilling out The instinctive twinge of fear Jez felt had nothing to do with him invading her mind. No vampire liked to make this kind of submission. Letting someone drink your blood meant you were weaker, it meant you were willingly making yourself prey. Everything inside Jez protested at just relaxing and letting Morgead do this. And maybe that was the answer, she thought suddenly. A wall of turmoil to cover her thoughts. Pretend to be too agitated to let him make contact. †¦ But his lips were surprisingly soft on her throat, and the pain was gone, and he was holding her more like a lover than like a predator. She could feel his mind all around her, strong, demanding. He wasn't trying to hurt her. He was trying to make it not-terrible for her. But I want it to be terrible. I don't want to feel like this†¦. It didn't matter. She felt as if she were being pulled by a swift current, dragged and tumbled into some place she had never been before. Sparkling lights danced behind her closed eyelids. Electricity crackled through her body. And then she felt his mouth moving gently on her throat, and the world fell away†¦.