The Evolution of Circus Industry Essay Example

The Evolution of Circus Industry Essay In the early 1980’s the attractiveness of the circus industry seem to be saturated. The industry structure was not stable, being in long-term decline by alternative various type of entertainment, changes of the preference of customers, uprising concerns of animal rights and diminishing clowns in value, which they are the critical elements used by traditional players in the industry. It all brought in decreasing audience and increasing costs by accelerating competition and changing environmental factors. The traditional circus industries also had to compete with numerous competitors through similar performance and non-differentiated performance players in saturation. The traditional circus business has faced the difficult situation with a steady decreased audience and declining both revenue and profit. The limited to expand this industry is according to the five forces analysis, even though the barrier to entry to circus industry is high because of high capital requirement in performers, equipment, workforce, etc. but, the industry suffering from the alternative form of entertainment such as sports event, home industry, and play station. Also, rivalry among firms is high; they have to compete with other entertainment businesses such as theatre, opera, and Broadway. Moreover, the competition is not a price competition but it is based on attracting customers so with the low products differentiation in typical circus industry – clown, animals, and performance lead to a strong buyer power. Thus, the existing circus industry appeared unattractive Cirque de Soleil very successfully entered to an unattractive circus industry by reinvent the industry and creates a new market space. We will write a custom essay sample on The Evolution of Circus Industry specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Evolution of Circus Industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Evolution of Circus Industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In this case, they did not target the existing market such as children, but they target non-customers of the industry; adults and corporate clients who pay for this entertainment experiences. Also, they invest a lot in equipment in order to raise the venues from a typical circus tent to glamorous venues. Moreover, Cirque de Soleil has succeeded to provide customers with entirely new performances by taking existing acts and compiling them to the thematic line represent a mixture of the arts among circus, opera, and theatre. In addition, unlike traditional circus, the company has multiple productions; shows have distinctive themes allowing people to see Le Cirque several times. Furthermore, they mainly eliminating the biggest name acts and replace by individual performers who essentially anonymous to the audience and the complete absence of the animal shows. They reduce fun experience from the show of clown with garish face paint and an oversize shoe to the sophisticated entertainment with costumes and music. Additionally, they reduce the concessions from their show; nothing is sold during the performance or inside the tent. Finally, these lead to a whole new circus concept with an increase demand to come to circus instead of other entertainment such as theatre, opera, or Broadway. For a while, the company has no competitors and takes dominant advantage to gain high profits. Cirque de Soleil’s performance features itself the unique performance and market is completely new and quite impossible to denote the industry between theater and circus; it is hard to duplicate and results in setting high the entrant barrier to the market. Cirque shows the powerful bargain power as a market leader, so the company would be able to attain the high price. Despite the high price of tickets, the company always drew a large house with high quality performance. It is the most important for goals to pursuit of differentiation and low cost simultaneously because a blue ocean affects both its cost structure and its value proposition to buyers. Cirque de Soleil is the exemplary to show a blue ocean strategy because they looked across the market boundaries to alternatives to the circus. What Cirque de Soleil have done are increased values for the target customers while decreasing their own cost by eliminating unimportant attributes, reduce high expenditure, create the new market segments; new target customers, and then raise the quality of product. By conducting the five forces analysis, companies are able to set up innovative strategies and it brings to implement great performances; it all is on the way of the summit, otherwise the industries will be disappeared beyond the histories.

The Many French Expressions With Avoir (to Have)

The Many French Expressions With Avoir (to Have) The French verb avoir (to have) is one of the most useful, flexible, and basic verbs in the French language, which probably explains its propensity to pop up in a slew of idiomatic expressions. French idiomatic expressions using avoir take you on a tour of the human condition, from feeling blue to feeling great, having charm to having the giggles, being right to being wrong. Expressions That Use Avoir Here are a few of the many expressions that use avoir. avoir ___ ans  Ã‚  to be ___ years oldavoir    infinitive to have to do somethingavoir beau infinitive despite doing, however much (one) doesavoir besoin de   to needavoir chaud   to be hotavoir confiance en   to trustavoir de la chance   to be luckyavoir du charme   to have charmavoir du chien (informal) to be attractive, have a certain somethingavoir du pain sur la planche (informal) to have a lot to do, have a lot on ones plateavoir du pot (informal) to be luckyavoir envie de   to wantavoir faim   to be hungryavoir froid   to be coldavoir honte de   to be ashamed of/aboutavoir horreur de   to detest/loatheavoir lair (de)  Ã‚  to look (like)avoir la frite  Ã‚  to feel greatavoir la gueule de bois  Ã‚  to have a hangover, to be hungoveravoir la patate   to feel greatavoir le beurre et largent du beurre  Ã‚  to have ones cake and eat it tooavoir le cafard (informal) to feel low / blue / down in the dumpsavoir lesprit de lescalier  Ã‚  to be unable to think of witty comebacks in time avoir le fou rire   to have the gigglesavoir le mal de mer   to be seasickavoir les chevilles qui enflent (informal) to be full of oneselfavoir lhabitude de   to be used to, in the habit ofavoir lheure   to have (know) the timeavoir lieu   to take placeavoir lintention de   to intend / plan toavoir mal la tà ªte, aux yeux, lestomac   to have a headache, a stomachache, eye painavoir mal au cÅ“ur   to be sick to ones stomachavoir peur de   to be afraidavoir raison   to be rightavoir soif   to be thirstyavoir sommeil   to be sleepyavoir tort   to be wrongavoir un chat dans la gorge  Ã‚  to have a frog in ones throatavoir un cheveu (sur la langue) (informal) to lispavoir un petit creux (informal) to be a little hungry / peckishavoir un poil dans la main (informal) to be lazyavoir un trou (de mà ©moire)   to have a memory loss, to have ones mind go blankavoir une dent contre quelquun (informal) to hold a grudge against someoneavoir une faim de lou p (informal) to be ravenous, famished chacun a son goà »t  Ã‚  to each his ownen avoir (familiar) to have gutsen avoir ras le bol (informal)   to be fed upil y a   noun there is, there are ___il y a period of time ___ agonavoir qu infinitive to just / only have to do somethingQuand les poules auront des dents  !  Ã‚  When pigs fly!Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu lauras.  Ã‚  A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.vendre la peau de lours (avant de lavoir tuà ©)  Ã‚  to count ones chickens (before theyre hatched)

Strategic Planning Process in Public Administration Essay

Strategic Planning Process in Public Administration - Essay Example Public administration encompasses reconciliation of in-built conflicts between democratic governance and administrative bureaucracy. Bureaucracies stay identical with managerial approaches established on uniform procedures, hierarchical structures and formalization that remain anonymously carried out. Management based bureaucratic strategies include planning, coordinating, controlling, directing and organizing. Public administration also involves behavior based democratic practices embraced from various fields such as sociology and remains utilized within the framework of accountability in democracy. Most notably, the field has considerably changed since the 1930s to incorporate social equity as an integral part of the government’s mission. In overall, public administration entails the formation and implementation of government or public policies. Public administration faces various complications, issues or barriers to the realization of efficient strategic planning process. A unifying set of principles remain absent in guiding practitioners while past practices remain insufficient in meeting the 21st century challenges. Hence, the intellectual framework needed to drive forward contemporary public administration as a discipline remains a necessity. It would be difficult to change laws and their cumulative effects also generate perverse outcomes. It becomes complicated to avoid rigidities accumulated over time in relation to rules, norms and laws while conserving the merit of law regimes in strategic public administration planning. Similarly, the field of public administration lags behind changes occurring in today’s practice. The internal systems of public organizations have low tolerance for risks thus making them to resist change or adapt slowly. Hence, many reforms have not brought about change leaving traditional approaches to restate themselves over time (Bourgon, 2011). The growth of non-governmental service delivery approaches such as loans , transfers, grants, tax credit and insurance comprise today’s bulk government spending. However, these approaches create a gap between service delivery and decisions on funding in the traditional accountability framework since public resources become allocated to organizations and individuals thought as could produce anticipated results. In this regard, this situation should be mitigated through the establishment of new accountability measures capable of producing desired results. The government lags behind in acting as the principal instrument in providing tangible and direct public services. As a result, complex public results cannot be achieved since public services in the present day remain increasingly intermediate, intangible and indirect. A high level of interdependence and wide dispersion of power remain increasingly uncertain in the presence of networked societies and global economy thereby adding onto the government’s responsibilities of addressing public is sues (Holmberg & Rothstein, 2012). Research activities on public administration add significance to the field’s theoretical base and literature regardless of methodologies used. This follows the fact that public administration as an applied discipline supports various research traditions. However, difference of opinions and conflict continues to exist between practitioners and scholars over the applicability and relevancy of the varying epistemic or research approaches in strategic planning. This raises questions as to whether public administration exists as a political, gendered or social construct or if reality could be an objective occurrence when undertaking strategic planning process (Riccucci, 2010). Open and

The Importance of Teamwork in a Close Protection Environment Essay

The Importance of Teamwork in a Close Protection Environment - Essay Example As the discussion declares teamwork projects feature clearly determined and individually evaluated responsibilities for each member of a team as well as a specific and valuable result. Team members are appreciated at the quality of the product and their contributions to the team joint operation as well as the quality of the completion of their personally assigned tasks. Groups are specifically good at combining together talents and providing novel solutions to possible unusual problems; in cases where there is no established approach or procedure, the extended knowledge and skills set of the group possess a distinct advantage over those of the individual. The group constitutes an environment where the individual's self-apprehended level of authority and responsibility is expanded, in an environment where responsibility is shared: consequently providing a perfect motivation through improved self-esteem and low stress. This paper stresses that everybody is polite and dull and considers how he can get into the plan. Conflicts are seldom directly voiced; they are predominantly personal and certainly destructive. Since the group is new, the individuals will be locked in their own opinions and commonly reserved. This is particularly true in terms of the more subordinate and/or nervous members of the group who may never recover. The group tends to submit largely to those who appear as leaders. This stage features formation of an atmosphere of acceptance and safety, avoiding debate, and is filled with guidance from the manager or project team leader.

Criminalology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminalology - Case Study Example el also views the community as the center of correctional treatment and feels that by reintegrating the individual back to the society, he/she will quit his/her deviant behaviors and uphold a living that will be beneficial both the him/her and the society (Restorative Justice, n.d.). When the community takes charge in maintaining and reintegrating the members who are deviant, least amount of security is necessary to maintain public safety. Everyone becomes aware that they have an important role to play and so deviance is discouraged. The Rational Basis Test is used to determine whether a law is constitutional. Therefore, according to the test or for a law to pass the rational basis test, it must be established that it is related to a legitimate government interest. So using the test, there must be a rational connection between the regulation and the legitimate interest put forward to justify it. If a law cannot pass the rational basis test, then it translates that it is not legitimate and cannot be used in the criminal justice system. The rational basis test is used mainly in cases where no fundamental rights are at stake. There must be an alternative means of exercising the right. As indicated earlier, the test establishes or tests whether an action taken by the government is reasonable and whether it may be legitimately pursued by the same. In simple words, the action taken must be rationally related to a given government action to be considered legitimate. There must be an alternative means of exercising the right that remains open to the offender. The offender has his rights and so the action taken must not close all avenues that he can use. Otherwise the action will not pass the Rational Basis Test. The social environment has significant effects on the correctional policies. For instance, the community plays a major role in the correction of offenders and most often it’s their failure that makes the person not to be integrated again in the community.

How Important Are Fossil Fuels To Society Environmental Sciences Essay

How Important Are Fossil Fuels To Society Environmental Sciences Essay Thirst for knowledge is humans natural behaviour which has led to various inventions and discoveries. Humans need energy for doing all types of work. Without generating energy, all the luxuries of everyday life will come to an end. Fossil fuels, a remarkable discovery by humans have simplified our lives. However, the rate at which these resources are being depleted are threatening to run out soon. Fossil fuel usage began on a large scale with the introduction of industrial revolution in 1800s.Nowadays, a lot of alternative energy options are available, like wind , hydro , and sun energy. But ironically, majority of our energy is derived from non-renewable energy sources, which are commonly called fossil fuels. Like every other invention or discovery influence society, same applies to fossil fuels as well. In order to know how fossil fuels affect our society, one needs to examine it. Without fossil fuels, there wouldnt be any means of transportation, and the world and the economy would come to standstill. We need energy to heat houses, and energy is needed for agriculture and industries. Without fossil fuels, there would be no energy, no heat, and the cost on running on the alternatives would be a lot higher than what we have on fossils. Fossil fuels are comprised of hydrogen and carbon bonds. Coal, oil and natural gas, are the three kinds of fossil fuels used for delivering energy. With the increasing population, the demand for energy also increases, which increases the pressure on the environment. Another major variable, that threatens and pressurizes the energy sector to move into nuclear, solar and other environmentally friendly energy sources, is due to the fear of climate change. Coal, oil and natural gas supplies are forecasted to peak as the reserves are running out. Coal is a form of solid fossil fuel which is formed by decay of land vegetation. It is plenteous as compared to oil and natural gas. Forecasters predict every now and then, that the coal usage will increase as oil supplies becomes less. Present supply of coal might last about 200 years or more. Developing countries such as India and China, cant meet the expense of using natural gas or oil, and therefore depend on coal for delivering energy. According to IEAs world energy outlook forecast (2006), 85% of the increase in coal demand is likely to come from China. Coal consumption is predicted to increase by 1.4% yearly until 2030, with about two-thirds of the demands in India and China. According to the statistical survey done (2007), The coal consumption in 2006 was 3 billion tonnes. China, India, South Africa and Germany claimed to be the largest consumers of coal. The natural gas exploration is getting cheaper and big industries are switching to natural gas instead of coal which has other side problems, besides environmentally unfriendly. Oil is a liquid fossil fuel, formed from the remainders of marine micro-organisms deposited on the sea floor. Millions of years after, the deposits eventually end up in sediments and rock, in which oil is confined. Oil consists of a lot of organic compounds, which are altered into usable products by refining process. Oil is not found in all the places on earth, and there have been wars on oil supplies. Gulf war which happened in 1991, is a well-known example of this. The local production of oil has lowered since 1960.In 1970s the oil production has plunged reaching a peak point of 9.6 million barrel per day(Mbbl/d). Since then, oil demand has increased significantly such that industries supply less than half of all its oil that we consume. However there had been a radically change in consumption from 1960 to 1970 (from about 10 Mbbl/d to about 17 Mbbl/d) as shown in the figure. Moving to suburb and driving for miles caused an increase in consumption which was a turning point in American societys lifestyle. Nevertheless, during 1970s, demand levelled off and then declined suddenly as oil prices increased to over a dollar per gallon from $0.25. Since 1980s, oil demand has grown progressively as prices stabilized while inflation continued to grow. Currently we sit at 19.6 million barrel per day in U.S. which is about 25% of the worldwide consumption of 77 Million barrels per day. Natural gas is a gaseous form of fossil fuel which is versatile, available in plenty and relatively cleaner as compared to the oil and coal. Like oil, it is also formed from the remainders of marine micro-organisms. Natural gas is made up of methane, and is highly compressible, and is drilled to bring it on the earths crust. More coal was used until 1999, than natural gas. It has surpassed coal now in developed countries. However, humans are frightened that natural gas supply will eventually run out, like oil and coal. Predictions say that this might take place at the end or the middle of the 21st century. Unlike oil supplies, Natural gas reserves are distributed more uniformly around the planet. Energy produced by combustion of fossil fuels is converted to heat and electricity in power plants. On combustion, carbon and hydrogen reacts with oxygen to yield carbondioxide and water with heat. Electricity is produced by transforming this heat into electrical energy in a generator. Although, building a power plant needs a lot of money, the efficiency it delivers to convert fuel into energy is very high, and is worth the money spent to build it. The demand of electricity varies throughout the year, and provisions should be made to meet the demand in peak load. When the demand surpasses the capacity of power plants to generate electricity, momentary blackouts are experienced. In 2001, California experienced shortage of electricity, drawing attention to the crude oil and natural gas shortage. In the past, fossil fuels were present in abundance and were easy to obtain and deliver. The present trend of using these energy resources by mankind is one of the important issues questioning its long term sustainability. We have created a horrible situation for ourselves, by denying the fact that these resources will not be running low, and trying to run away from the reality rather than facing it. People are afraid of the consequences of what may happen if the fossil fuels actually run out. Fossil fuel combustion contributes to a lot of environmental issues that are also high on political agenda these days. Examples of these issues include emission of greenhouse gases, acid rain, air and water pollution, and ozone at ground level. These environmental concerns are caused by the burning of fossil fuels, which produces impurities like nitrogen, sulphur, and organic volatile compounds. These bi-products influence people and our atmosphere in many harmful ways. Like a glass in a greenh ouse, these pollutants build a barrier and prevent the excess heat from earth to escape. The temperature of the earth increases with the increase in this barrier, resulting in global warming. Global warming has become a serious issue, which could threaten our existence. Have people ever thought that why Antartica experienced the warmest years in all of history? Have people thought of rising sea level, which resulted due to melting of ice? The intensifying sea level could lead in floods and hurricane. If these changes are not enough to alert humans, the effect on agriculture around the world might be frightening. Production of maple is decreased by 10% because of warmer and shorter winters. A study comparing the yields of six main staple crops was done at the Lawrence Livermore National Labs and Stanford university. Study showed that for every one degree rise in temperature, there will be a decline of about 3% to 5% in the yield of those crops. Those six crops is responsible for abou t 55% of non-meat calories consumed by people, and about 70% of the animals feed all over the world. Acid rain is caused by the emission of sulphur and nitrogen, by burning fossil fuels. Acid rain is a combination of dry and wet deposition from the sky which contains higher amounts of nitric acid and sulphuric acid than normal. It makes the lakes and streams acidic, which leads to destruction of trees at higher altitude and soils. Acid rains also contribute to the decay of buildings and sculptures, decreases the visibility and have harmful effects on publics health. Acid rain not only cause damages where it falls, but it affects all over the planet, since lakes and streams transport the water throughout earths crust and finally to the ocean. The plants and animals that are dependent on this water to survive are affected and may decease if the chemicals in the water are present in extreme excess. Another problem resulting from fossil fuel usage is Air pollution, resulting in smog. Apart from human sickness, smog also affects the crops, by seeping through the leaves protective layers and destroying the essential cell membranes. This makes the crops weaker and decreases its yield. Combustion of fossil fuels produces nitrogen and other organic gases that form ozone. Ozone is formed near the surface of the earth causing air pollution. According to the CESI report (2006), Ground level ozone has affected the health of Canadians including respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, premature deaths and over 6000 hospitalizations. All above discussed issues are caused by the emission of impurities that are present in the structures of fossil fuel .Presently, combustion of oil accounts for about 30% of carbondioxide in the environment. The maximum emission of pollutants is caused by the burning of coal. Natural gas consists of methane structure, due to which it doesnt emit as much carbondioxide as compared to oil and coal. The question arises, that looking at these consequences, why are we still using fossil fuels to such large scale? The answer is simple; because fossil fuels are comparatively cheaper than using alternatives we know so far. People have made their lives so much dependable on fuels, that if these run out, the human civilization will come to an end too. Also, digging fossil fuels from earth surface is dangerous, as digging of mines and wells could result in change of surroundings and may fetch immense quantity of salt water to the earths surface, which can result in damaging the ecosystem in clos e proximity with no appropriate treatment and sequestration. There are procedures to follow to minimize the hazards, but it is hard to completely eradicate them. However, regulations are not enough, we should continue researching new technologies for fossil fuels and renewable sources both, to add increasing conservation measures. Few environmentalists predict that because of insufficiency, fuel prices will increase exponentially in the coming century. We cannot completely stop using fossil fuels, but we must make some changes in our consumption pattern by avoiding oil products and favouring available alternatives for our sustainability.

Chile :: essays research papers

Chile In this project we are going to summarize the main points concerning the history of CHILE , its independance, and bring the country to present day CHILE. We are also going to mention some important facts about CHILE"S economy. I. COLONIZATION PERIOD CHILE is a country located in the wester coast of South America, on the Pacific Ocean. It is known for the famous Andes Mountain Range that covers all of Peru and part of Chile CHILE was first discovered in 1520 by a Portuguese navigator named Ferdinand Magellan, who sailed under the flag of Spain. It was not until 1536 that CHILE was explored by a Spaniard named Diego de Almagro. Almagro was an associate of Francisco Pizarro in the conquest of Peru. In 1540 a conquistador named Pedro de Valdivia made a second expedition into CHILE He arrived in CHILE in 1541 and claimed the land under the crown of Spain. He founded the city of Santiago in February of that year, and appointed a Cabildo (Council) of Conquistadores to control local affairs. II. COLONIAL RULE In December of 1553, Valdivia set out for the fort of Concepcion to avenge the death of three soldiers, after word had reached him that the Indians had murdered them. He did not know the Indians had an ambush prepared for him. Valdivia was captured and executed, his entire army was also killed. The Spaniards eventually dominated CHILE During this period CHILE was a Captaincy General of Spain and supposedly governed from Peru, where Spain had a more important government because Peru was rich in Inca gold. In reality, because CHILE was farther away geographically, local affairs were controlled by a governor who commanded the army and each town had its own Cabildo (Council). CHILE had plenty of wars. The Indians refused to stay quiet. Until the mid 1700"s, these wars against the Indians were payed for by Peru, which provided money to CHILE to maintain CHILE"S government in Santiago and an army on the frontier. CHILE was poor and dependent on its richer neighbor for wealth and security. III. INDEPENDENCE One of the most important reasons for CHILE"S independence as well as other Latin American countries, was the emergence of a class of CRIOLLOS (Creoles). Creoles were American born Spaniards, who were different from the Iberians. They developed a desire for a self-government. The Criollos, then, began and supported a movement in order to gain independence from Spain. The Criollos had a lot of influence in the merchant class as well as in the upper class of CHILE. They resented Spain's trading system. For tax reasons, all trade with Spain had

Auditor’s Legal Liability to Third Parties

Increased liability of other professionals to nonprofits users of their services II. Lack of fairness of Imposing the burden of economic loss on Innocent financial statement users Ill. Assumption that expanded liability will cause auditors to improve their auditing procedures v. Auditors have the ability to obtain liability insurance v. Increased audit and insurance premium costs can be passed on to the client 4. Reasonably foreseeable third parties (used by MS, NJ, WI) a. Ore expansive definition regarding the legal standing of who can sue the auditor I. Allows broader class of (stockholders or stockbrokers, for example) might say regarding accuracy of financial reports Reflection While WI, NJ and MS have a very expansive definition of who ought to be able to have legal standing to sue auditors for audit reports of financial statements if the auditor appears to have been negligent or committed fraud, there must be some balance struck to protect both auditors and third parties that m ay rely on audit reports.The Restatement Standard, as used by most states, appears to strike that balance, holding auditors accountable for potential negligence or fraud, while still allowing them to obtain liability insurance to limit their exposure to legal claims. Chapter 20, problem 20-27 a. What elements must be established by Musk to support a cause of action based on negligence?Since state law applicable to this action follows the Ultramarine decision, which sets the standard for auditor negligent liability by a third party according to priority, in which a contract or specific agreement exists between the two parties, Musk would need to show that a contract existed between Apple and Musk to have legal standing to bring a suit against Apple. B. What elements must be established by Musk to support a cause of action based on a Rule lob-5 violation?If Musk has established that it can sue under Section II(b), it must prove the following: 1 . Apple made a material, factual misrepr esentation or omission 2. Musk relied on the financial statements . Musk suffered damages as a result of reliance on the financial statements 4. Sciences (Apple acted with intent to deceive, defraud, or with knowledge of a false representation) c.Is Apple's assertion regarding lack of priority correct with regard to Musk's causes of action for negligence or fraud? Regarding negligence, Apple's assertion regarding Musk's lack of priority is correct according to the standard set by the Ultramarine decision. There was no contract between Apple and Musk. However, regarding the fraud charge, the priority requirement does not apply. If the plaintiff an show gross negligence or fraud, the auditor can still be held liable for damages.As stated in the problem, Apple was aware that Astor was selling inventory at prices substantially less than cost, so it should have known that the inventory valuation provided by Astor should not have been trusted, and should have conducted its own valuation o f inventory. While the application of the Ultramarine decision will make it difficult to hold Apple liable for negligence under common law, that decision does not hold weight when considering fraud or gross negligence. In that case, Musk may be able to collect damages on the basis of Rule bib-5.

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 21

Damon and I remained in the cell for several minutes after the man left, too stunned to even contemplate escaping. The guards didn't come back in with the keys. I didn't blame them. I cursed, slamming the bars. It seemed that no matter what I decided to do, which way I turned, things got worse. And the Sutherlands†¦ they had just been innocent bystanders, swept up in the path of destruction just because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. While my brother didn't actively cause their deaths, he was no less responsible. I turned on him, ready to tear him apart. And then I saw the look on his face. Damon's eyes had glazed over and he leaned against the wall for support. He'd worn the same dazed expression for weeks after he'd woken up as a vampire and discovered that Katherine was dead. â€Å"What was that?† he whispered, finally looking at me. But I had no idea what that was. All I knew was that it was more powerful, more dangerous, more deadly than any creature I'd ever encountered. Anger at my brother drained away and something like exhaustion set in. â€Å"I'm not sure, though I think he left me a message,† I said, remembering the bloody scrawl on the side of the Sutherlands' home. â€Å"But what was that about Katherine? What was he to her?† Damon shrugged. â€Å"I have no idea. She never told me about that†¦ thing.† â€Å"He said we took her from him. What the hell does that mean? What curse is he talking about? Did Emily cast a spell on someone?† I said. I began to pace, my mind racing. â€Å"I'm guessing it means he believes we killed her. Which you did, brother,† Damon said. In a pique, Damon sat down, stretched his legs out, and put his hands behind his head, pillowing it against the stone. I would get no more answers out of him. I slid down against the bars and buried my head in my hands, thinking of my time with Katherine. Had she ever said anything about her past? Let anything slip? But I had been so completely under her thrall that it was impossible to know what had been real and what she had compelled me to believe. Though I remembered biting her, I didn't have any memory of her feeding me her blood. But she must have often, as I had enough of her blood in my system to come back as a vampire after my father shot me. In a funny way, Katherine had made me. We were almost like her children. My mind snagged. â€Å"Did Katherine ever tell you about her sire?† I asked, putting words to a horrible thought forming in my mind. â€Å"The vampire who made her?† Damon looked up at me, shocked out of his sulk. â€Å"You think†¦ ?† I nodded. Damon leaned back and knocked his head against the wall. He had been genuinely in love with Katherine. I wondered if meeting Katherine's maker made our little tryst in Mystic Falls seem like a speck in the vastness of eternity. â€Å"I suppose we should call a guard over and compel him to free us,† he said tiredly. A sound of commotion from the lobby stopped us. There were muffled thuds, like bodies hitting the floor. There was a scream. It was high-pitched and hard to tell whether it came from a woman or a man, so great was the pain. Then came the grating sound of a desk being moved, and what might have been a wooden chair being shattered against the wall. I stood. So did Damon. Damon and I glanced at each other. The pocket watch Winfield had given me ticked loudly in the sudden silence. The door to the stockade opened once again and in came a girl wearing men's trousers and black suspenders, a long blond braid over her shoulder. â€Å"Lexi!† I gasped. â€Å"I'm growing tired of bailing you boys out,† she said as she shook the key at us. â€Å"I should leave you in there overnight, teach you a lesson about making trouble,† she joked. I reached through the bars to grab her free hand. â€Å"I've never been happier to see anyone.† â€Å"I don't doubt it,† Lexi said drily, but a small smile curved the edges of her lips. Damon rolled his eyes. â€Å"We were just about to free ourselves, thank you very much.† â€Å"I don't doubt that, either. Just figured I'd speed up the escape,† she said. Her nose twitched, and her flat tone indicated she didn't entirely approve of his existence. The last time she'd seen him, he'd just gotten through killing Callie and was starting in on me. â€Å"So did you knock out the entire precinct?† Damon asked, straightening the shoulders of his jacket. Lexi undid the final lock on the door. The door sprang open and I rushed to hug her. â€Å"No, only some of them. The rest I compelled. Some of us don't like needless violence – or messes that need to be explained later,† she said into my shoulder. I released her and she motioned us toward the door. â€Å"Now let's get out of here before anyone else shows up.† â€Å"I always cover my tracks,† Damon said defensively as we rushed through the door of the containment area and into the front offices. Several policemen sat at their desks, poring over ledgers, oblivious to the two prisoners escaping and the general state of disarray. Desks had been pushed aside, among the splintery remains of what had once been a chair, and the man who had sat there was lying on the floor, a rivulet of blood leaking from his head. But his eyes were open and he appeared to be whispering some word over and over again. â€Å"Strong-willed, that one,† Lexi said. â€Å"How were you able to find us?† I asked, following her down the stairs. â€Å"A mysterious Italian count with black hair and ice-blue eyes and a flair for the dramatic sweeps into the New York social scene and very quickly marries the most eligible society girl?† she said, rolling her eyes. â€Å"They ran your picture in the social pages.† Damon at least had the grace to look sheepish. â€Å"I always cover my tracks,† she mimicked. â€Å"There are a lot of ways to live rich and powerfully as a vampire†¦ none of which involve sweeping into the New York social scene†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦ and marrying the most eligible society girl. Fair enough,† Damon conceded. â€Å"At least I did it with style.† We exited the prison, and the cold evening air washed over me. The stars were just beginning to flicker in the night sky, and the gaslights cast a warm glow over the street. It was a beautiful night, the like of which Bridget, Lydia, Winfield, and Mrs. Sutherland would never enjoy again – all because of me, Damon, and Katherine. I only came to New York to escape. Escape Damon, memories of Callie, vampires, Mystic Falls, Katherine†¦ and yet it all still followed me like an onerous shadow. I knew then that I'd never escape my past, not fully. Such dark things don't fade with time – they merely reverberate through the centuries. I could only hope that Margaret was safe somewhere, away from the hell-beast that had violently murdered her entire family.

Anarchists and the Spanish Civil War essays

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