Ground Water in Dhaka City Essay Example for Free

Ground Water in Dhaka City Essay Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh which has a population of about 12. 5 millions and its population rate is over 5%. Projected population is about 22 million by 2025. Dhaka is now the 7th largest populated city in the world and it is anticipated that Dhaka will be the 2nd largest city in the world by 2020. This city is full of problem and one of the major problems is water crisis. Although Bangladesh is rich in water resource, but there remains lack of safe water. The cities in Bangladesh are the centre of employment, communications and development. So, people are rapidly migrating in these cities from rural areas place putting additional pressure on the infrastructure and water resources. For this huge population in Dhaka city, water demand is also huge. And maximum portion of this greater demand is fulfilled by ground water. The daily requirement of water in Dhaka city is about 200 crore liters while WASA supplies 180 crore liters, leaving a shortage of 20 crore liters. Out of this 180 crore liters of water, 154. 50 crore liters of water are supplied from ground water. All most 85%-87% of water is supplied from under the ground and of them are from surface water. To supply this massive amount of water we need to extract a lot from the ground. Everyday demand for water is increasing and we are adding new pumps. In 1998, there were only 243 water pumps to lift water in 2004 it was 440 but now it is 560. Each of the pumps lifts 3,000 liters of water in a minute. And this is also making some problems. For this heavy extraction water level is going down rapidly. In some statistics I have found that the level of underground water has dropped down to 61. 18 meters. The average rate of decline of water level varied from 1 m to 2. 50 as the report of DWDB. Ground water depletion situation is severe in the central part of the city compare to the areas close to river bank, says DWDB. If this continue to happen then in future it will be hard to lift up underground water. Moreover, the increasing number of pumps and subsequent depletion of groundwater table increases the risk of disasters like landslide, subsidence and earthquake.

The Electoral College An Outdated System Politics Essay

The Electoral College An Outdated System Politics Essay Every fourth calendar year the citizens of the United States participate in one of the greatest displays of Democracy in human history, the election of the President and Vice-President of the United States. However, it is not truly democracy. Instead, the democratic election of the President of the United States is tainted by the current use of the Electoral College. The Electoral College system of electing the President and Vice-President of the United States is an outdated system that needs to be replaced with a method that better represents the will of the American people. In the budding days of the United States of America, the Founding Fathers faced a difficult problem, the election process for the President of the United States. There were numerous factors that needed to be taken into account by the Founding Fathers as they debated the optimal election process. The largest factor taken into account by the Founding Fathers was that the nation was comprised of thirteen states which had only recently joined together to create a singular government and were jealously guarding their individual rights and powers, making them apprehensive to any centralized government ideas. The United States also contained four million citizens whom were separated by thousands of miles of land which was scarcely connected by either transportation or communication. Furthermore, the founders believed that political parties were destructive and counter-productive, an idea borrowed from the British (Kimberling 1). After considering these issues and proposing several options, the Founding Fathers developed the Electoral College which can trace its roots to the Catholic Churchs College of Cardinals and the Roman Republics Centurial Assembly (Kimberling 2). The Electoral College as defined by Article Two, Section One of the Constitution, comprises of six points. First, each state is allotted Electors equal to the number of its U.S senators plus the number of its U.S Representatives. Second, the individual State legislatures are allowed discretion in choosing their electors with the constraint that members of Congress and other Federal Servants are prohibited from serving as Electors. Third, States Electors must meet in their States rather than in a national meeting. Fourth, Electors are required to cast two votes for president, one of which had to be from a different state than the Elector. Fifth, the Candidate who obtains an absolute majority of the electoral votes becomes president with the run ner-up becoming Vice-President. Finally, if no Candidate obtains an absolute majority than the U.S. House of Representatives would choose the president from among the top five. In this case, each state would be allotted only one vote. If a tie was reached in the House than the top two would be voted on by the Senate (Kimberling 3). The Electoral College was both elaborate and appropriate at the time that it was created. However, after two hundred years and an amendment, the 12th (1804), the Electoral College has greatly changed. Currently, the election of the President of the United States and the Electoral College functions as follows. The number of each States allotted Electors is equal to the number of States Senators plus the number of the States Representatives. At the beginning of an election, political parties in each State submit a list of individuals whom will act as the States Electors if their candidate wins. Political parties then meet to nominate their presidential and vice presidential candidates, whom are then added to the ballot. On the Tuesday following the first Monday of November, the general populace of each State then votes for the electors representing their presidential and vice-presidential choice. It is a Winner-Take-All System in nearly all States. In a Winner-Take-All System, whicheve r candidate gets the most votes gets all the Electors. The exceptions to the Winner-Take-All System are Kansas and Maine which allot two Electors based on popular vote and the rest to individual Congressional districts. The winning set of electors then goes on to represent the State in the Electoral College. On the Monday following the second Wednesday of December the States Electors meet in their individual capitals and cast their votes for both president and vice president. The Electors still must use at least one of their votes on a candidate from outside their home State. All of the Electoral Votes are then opened by the President of the Senate on January 6th before the houses of Congress. Whichever candidate gains an absolute majority in the Electoral College is declared president. The same is true for the vice-president. If no candidate gets absolute majority for president the top three contenders are voted on in the House of Representatives which each State getting one vote. Similarly, if no vice-presidential candidate gets an absolute majority, the Senate chooses between the top two contenders. Finally, at noon on January 20th, the elected president and vice-president are sworn into office. The Electoral College system is neither fair nor balanced. However, there are many proponents of the Electoral College. They claim that the Electoral College is the only feasible system for fairly electing the president of a nation as large and diverse as the United States. That is not a true statement. Instead, there are is a multitude of alternative ways that the election of the president and vice-president of the United States can occur. The most commonly referred to alternative to the Electoral College is a simple direct majority election in which whoever gained absolute majority in the United States would become president. A simple direct majority vote is greatly beneficial because it better represents the will of the United States as a whole than The Electoral College. Under the Electoral College, the presidency has gone to the candidate with fewer popular votes in one out of every sixteen elections (National Popular Vote). The most noticeable of these cases occurred in the 1824 election between Andrew Jackson and John Q. Adams. Andrew Jackson obtained 60% of the popular vote and yet lost to John Q. Adams whom had gained the necessary electoral votes. Similarly, under the Electoral College, not everyones vote is equal. National Popular Vote gives a fantastic example of this: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Gore won five electoral votes by carrying New Mexico by 365 popular votes in the 2000 presidential election, whereas Bush won five electoral votes by carrying Utah by 312,043 popular votes-an 855-to-1 disparity in the importance of a vote(National Popular Vote). It is clear that a simple direct majority vote is a far better representation of the will of the American people than the currently implemented Electoral College. There are a multitude of problems with implementing a simple direct majority election. Perhaps the greatest of these problems is the increased likelihood and affiliated problems of a candidate not being able to gain the majority vote (over 50%) that would be associated with a direct majority election. There are however many solutions to this potential problem. The most promising of these solutions is Direct Election with Instant Runoff Voting which is presented by Fair Vote. Under an Instant Runoff Voting system, each voter would rank their presidential preferences versus the standard choosing of only one candidate. National Popular Vote is a bill that suggests each State simply

American Democracy :: essays research papers

Ravi Purohit-PUB 1250 2/16/05 The paper in which I chose to write about is American Democracy. When the thirteen British colonies in North America declared their independence in 1776, they laid down that â€Å"governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.† This meant that they wanted a government for the people, run by the people. This is one of the basic ideals upon which our nation was founded. The â€Å"colonies† needed to have a written constitution to define and therefore more specifically limit government powers. After the Articles of Confederation failed to work in the 13 colonies, the U.S. Constitution was created in 1787. One ideal found in the Preamble of the Constitution is the ideal that majority rules. In our government, the Congress uses majority rules to pass bills, through Congress and the President. As there are so many checks and balances, sometimes they don’t even make it as bill. This is one of the ideals found in the Constitution. This separation of powers, within the three co-ordinate branches, the legislative, executive, and judiciary branch has no supremacy over the others. This was designed to prevent any branch, from infringing individual liberties safeguarded by the Constitution. Our constitutional rights are very important. Without these rights, the United States would not be any different from other places of the world that do not have as many rights. Our rights secure our liberties and ensure justice for all. I believe the Constitution was such a great document necessary for achieving American Democracy. This document was very concise in its expressed powers. In the words of James Madison, â€Å"If men were angels, no government would be necessary.† This was from Federalist #51 and states the only way government wouldn’t be needed is if we all were perfect angels and we wouldn’t need rules. The Declaration of Independence means to me that all men and women join freely together to make an equal government for the U.S. This is basically said in the preamble by a famous quote: "All men are created equal." The ideal of our government have remained true over 225 years. The U.S. grants its citizens with the rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion, etc, which separates us from other countries. I think that all countries should be able to decide what government they want to have until they harm the United States of America in any way.

Return To Babylon - Analysis Essay -- essays research papers

Return To Babylon - Analysis "He would come back some day; they couldn’t make him pay forever. But he wanted his child, and nothing was much good now, beside that fact. He wasn’t young any more, with a lot of nice thoughts and dreams to have by himself. He was absolutely sure Helen wouldn’t have wanted him to be so alone." The final paragraph in the story shows how much Charlie loved his daughter, and how much he needs her to complete his life. In "Babylon Revisited" Charlie was treated unfairly and should have won the custody of Honoria. Charlie’s regret of how he lived in the past is proved repeatedly throughout the story and even with the hardship of losing his wife and daughter, Charlie was still able to put his life back together. The mistakes he made in the past were not all his fault; there was a problem in the stock market that put a heavy burden on his shoulders. He has done more than enough to show Marion that he has changed and is capable of taking care of Honoria. However, the story may also be a bit biased considering that the narrator may not be a reliable person. There are also certain situations in the story, which questions Charlie’s sincerity about how much he has changed. Charlie’s love for Honoria is the biggest reason for him to regain her custody. Throughout the story, Charlie has expressed how much he loves Honoria and how much he needs her in his life. Honoria also expresses how much she loves her father and how much she misses him. She tells her father more than once that she would rather live with him than with her Aunt Marion. To separate a father and daughter from each other is both devastating and cruel. It is hard to understand why Marion would not let Charlie have Honoria, when Honoria expresses so much love for her father. "From behind the maid who opened the door darted a lovely little girl of nine who shrieked ‘Daddy!’ and flew up, struggling like a fish, into his arms. She pulled his head around by one ear and set her cheek against his. ‘My old pie,’ he said ‘Oh, daddy, daddy, daddy, dads, dads, dads!’ The narrator does not hesitate to show how much Honoria and Charlie care for each other. Though Honoria was just a little girl, growing up without a father is still harsh. Still her love for Charlie is unconditional, and questions about the past are not brought up. Their strong relationship is alm... ...reliable is not a good enough reason for me to believe that Charlie is not responsible enough. I think that we have to give the narrator a certain amount of trust because he is the one telling the story and we have no other sources to compare with. If the narrator cannot be considered reliable then the story itself should not be trustworthy enough to read. So we must deal with the facts that are given to us and base most of the decisions on them. With this in mind I look at the situation evenly and try not to fully believe the narrator but still consider what he is saying. I understand that Charlie made a big mistake and hurt not only himself, but those that loved him. There is no excuse for what he did. However, I still believe that the strong bond that is between Honoria and Charlie is unbreakable. Being raised in a family where the strength of love has endured all types of hardships, I have experienced that nothing could ever sever those connections. Loving someone does not me an that Honoria or Marion should try to forget the mistakes Charlie had made or the heartaches he has given them. But instead, to love someone is to learn how to understand and most importantly to forgive.

A Proposal to Stop the Poaching of the Siberian Tiger Essays -- Argume

A Proposal to Stop the Poaching of the Siberian Tiger One of the world’s most beautiful creatures, the Siberian tiger, has been roaming earth for many years. The Siberian tiger subspecies has been subjected to many obstacles, which make it very difficult for it to survive. Their main threat is not lack of food, but â€Å"man,† one of God’s most fierce and cruel species. Because of man the tiger population has reduced to approximately 400 in the wild, and restricted their remaining habitat to the Russian Far East (Field Projects). Man has done many things to destroy the Russian Siberian tiger. They have cut down forests and moved in on the tiger’s territory, causing them to flee and become fragmented throughout Siberia making it hard for them to mate and hunt. Poaching has also made it difficult for the tiger to survive. Man has illegally killed this magnificent animal over decades for sport, food, trade, medicinal purposes, and to protect their livestock. Though man is very powerful and capable of causing the extinction of the Siberian tiger, they are also capable of helping the tiger to survive. Many people are supporting conservation organizations in order to help the surviving population of the Siberian tiger. These conservation organizations are trying to stop the annihilation of the Siberian tiger by strengthening anti-poaching patrols, establishing a compensation program for farmers, and educating people. According to researchers, â€Å"between 1990 and 1994 approximately sixty tigers were poached a year† (Field Projects). Some Russian experts predicted, â€Å"that, if no immediate measures were taken, the Siberian tiger would go extinct soon after the year 2000† (Field Projects). The Russian ministry of environment began a project... ...ob to clean up what we started and end the illegal killing and help the tiger population to expand and survive in their habitat. Many foundations have been funded in order to make this possible, it is also our job to make sure they stay in effect to eventually end the poaching of the Siberian tiger. Richard Burge noted in Riding the Tiger, â€Å"The tiger is more than a charismatic predator: it is a keystone subspecies in its environment. By saving the tiger in the world, we save complex ecosystems and habitats that would otherwise be destroyed in the relentless march of human need and, all too often, greed† (U. S. Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act). Works Cited â€Å"Field Projects.† 5 Tigers. 3 October 2001. United States Fish & Wildlife Service. Rhinocerus & Tiger Conservation Act. Summary Report 1999-2000.

Alex Rikki Tikki

Both the book and the film used the same plot but spent a different amount of time on the explanation of the mall points. Hat are you trying to say) The plot of the book developed at a very quick pace during the orientation and became more detailed throughout the violence. The book of Rick Talk-Table explains the life of a young mongoose that Is separated from his family and normal environment due to a summer flood. The book involved two complications, one being Rick Tike's separation for his family and the other being that deadly snakes are in charge of the new environment that he Is having to adapt into.The climax of the story was Risk's first fight with a snake because it showed his revere and was the beginning of his adventure to defeating all the snakes. Rick Talk resolved both his problems by settling Into his new environment and found a new habitat. He also managed to kill the snakes and destroyed the eggs so that another dynasty of the snakes couldn't begin. The theme of the book version of Rick Talk-Table Is bravery and courage which are both demonstrated by Roll throughout the whole story. The plot of the film is also the same as the book except there are changes of sequences of events.The plot of the film developed gradually from a slow orientation and description of the story to a very quick explanation and showing of the violence. The film version of Rick Tike-Davit did not explain the life of the young mongoose but showed it instead which added an effect on the viewer because what was happening could be seen, The orientation In the film was narrated In detail and the film also had the same two complications as the book does as the story outline of both the film and book was the same.The climax of the film version of Rick Tike-Davit was the battle between Rick Tike and Nag In the bathroom as the lead up to this moment was very slow and it begun to become more intense. In the film Rick managed to resolve the complications by also adapting into his n ew home and killing the snakes and there eggs. The theme of the film version of Rick Tickle-Davit Is loyalty, bravery and courage which are noticeably demonstrated by Rick as he looked up to elders and showed his bravery through his victorious fights.The setting and characters were both key components for both the film and book. The film developed the characters and settings of Rick Tike-Davit better than the book. The characters ad different personalities and characteristics to each other. Nag and Angina are both represented as evil characters but Anglia is smarter than Nag Is. Dare and his wife are also the same except they both have a different personality and characteristic. Dare is a low self-esteemed character who is not very smart and is scared.Whereas his wife, Is the smarter one out of the two and will do whatever's required to guarantee her and her families safety, as shown when she flies down to slow down Angina during her battle with Rick. Characters' feelings were not o nly toy 2 Angina had a low, deep hiss that the viewer could straight away interpret anger from and to show Risk's anger his eyes changed into a sparkling red that helped the viewer identify his anger from. Anger was not the only characteristic shown through these visuals and sounds but it was the main one.Happiness was shown on Rick but the licking of his lips and his tail puffing up. Fear was shown through silhouettes and shadows creating a bigger version of the character. The setting in the film version of Rick Tike-Davit was explained in detail and was not only explained through words but also with visuals. Rather than having to describe the beginning of the story the filmmaker showed the audience and used sound effects to create a better understanding.The narrator in the film explained that the story was set in India whereas in the book it did not say where the story was set. The garden was the most described and was described positively through the perspective of Rick Tike-Davi t. â€Å"This is a splendid hunting ground† is an example of Rick enjoying the sight of the garden. Language features were used in the book to engage the reader. The book erosion of Rick Tike-Davit used language features to engage the reader throughout the story. He could fluff up his tail till it looked like a bottle brush† is an example of simile that the book uses. Rick Tike's tail is being compared to the fluffiness of a bottle brush and its softness. â€Å"Kicking and clucking† is an example of onomatopoeia that is used in at the beginning of the text through Risk's Journey getting washed away. An example of alliteration in the text is â€Å"Good gracious† and â€Å"bottle-brushy'. These two phrases use the same letter at the beginning of the word consecutively. Another example of simile used in the text is â€Å"as big as summer houses†.Multimode and visual features are key aspects throughout the film. The film version of Rick Tike-Davit uses multimode and visual features very effectively to make the story more entertaining and appealing. The sound and music of the film is used to make the segment being shown more realistic. At the beginning to allow the viewer to understand that the video is set in India it begins with Indian music and to make the summer flood more realistic sounds of thunder cracks and lightning strikes are used.Sound and music is also used to show adventure or in between segments when the narrator is not speaking. The film uses different camera shots, ranging from close ups to landscape shots. The film uses close ups mainly when Rick is angry to show his red eyes and its importance and signification to representing anger. Landscape or full shots were used to show the garden and all its beautiful and natural expressions. The film version of Rick Tike-Davit created a better understanding of the story and its outline rather than the book.This is because the film did not only tell the story like the book did but also showed it to help the viewer understand it much better. The book version had a lot of detail but lacked visuals and could have used more pictures so that the reader does not have to use their imagination. This is great work, Alex. Vive made a few suggestions (in red), but haven't corrected everything. I suggest that you re-read this critically and thoroughly and you'll see most things you might need to correct. One suggestion: use italics when you are talking about the book or film title Rick Tike-Davit.

Night World : Spellbinder Chapter 7

I've been looking everywhere for you,† Blaise said. â€Å"I had to call Mrs. Ross to find out you were here.† Her black hair was wild and windblown, tumbling over her shoulders. She had taken off her red bow tie and unbuttoned the top button of her dress shirt. There was color in her cheeks and dark light in her gray eyes. She looked extremely beautiful and very, very witchy. Thea and Eric had moved apart and Thea had the feeling they were both blushing. â€Å"We were just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Eric said. â€Å"Um. Heh.† While Blaise scrutinized him, he picked up the blue blanket and started refolding it. â€Å"Uh, can I show you around?† â€Å"I don't care much for animals unless they've been shish-kebabed.† Blaise surveyed the room with one hand on her hip. Oh, she's in a terrific mood. Thea's palms were getting damp. She wasn't sure what Blaise thought of the embrace she'd walked in on†¦ but Thea was supposed to be leading Eric on, wasn't she? Her eye fell on the Kleenex daubed with Eric's blood. Unobtrusively, she reached for it and crumpled it in her hand. â€Å"So you left the dance,† she said to Blaise. â€Å"Where's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Who'd actually been Blaise's date tonight? Sergio? Kevin? Someone else? â€Å"There is no dance,† Blaise said. â€Å"They shut it down. Leave it to Randy-he was always a royal pain.† Then her face changed; she blinked and put on a sweet smile. â€Å"And who are you, darling?† In the doorway to the corridor, Rosamund backed up, Madame Curie clutched to her chest. She didn't say a word, but her hostile green eyes never left Blaise. â€Å"Uh, sorry,† Eric said. â€Å"That's my sister. She's- shy.† â€Å"So this is a family affair,† Blaise said. â€Å"How nice.† Thea said, â€Å"I think it's time to be going home.† She needed to talk to Eric, but alone, not with a disgruntled munchkin and a suspicious witch looking on. She glanced at Eric, feeling a little shy herself. He looked the same. â€Å"Well-see you at school.† â€Å"Yeah.† Suddenly he smiled. â€Å"You know, that's something else I was going to mention. If you're even thinking about going to Davis, you might want to get into honors zoology. It's a good class.† â€Å"Um-we'll see.† She was aware of Blaise watching her. But outside, all Blaise said was, â€Å"Sorry if I was rude. But I've been looking all over for you, so I could tell you what a great time I wasn't having. And†-she shook her midnight hair out with a charming smile;-â€Å"it's so much fun to be a bitch when you want to be.† Thea sighed, then stopped in her tracks. â€Å"Blaise, the car!† Kevin's silver-gray Porsche looked as if it had been through a war. The front bumper was caved in, the passenger door was mangled, and the windshield was cracked. â€Å"I had a little trouble,† Blaise said coolly. â€Å"It's all right, though; I met a guy tonight named Luke Price, who's got a Maserati.† She looked at Thea, then added, â€Å"You don't disapprove, do you? Of treating humans that way?† â€Å"No-of course not. I just don't want to get expelled again.† â€Å"It's not illegal to have an accident. Here, you have to get in through the driver's side now.† She drove, not seeming to choose any particular direction. Thea sat quietly, acutely aware of the probing glances cast her way every so often. â€Å"So,† Blaise said at last in her silkiest voice, â€Å"did you get it?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Don't be funny.† Thea held out her hand with the crumpled Kleenex on her palm. â€Å"I didn't fill the vial; that was ridiculous. But I used my ingenuity and got enough.† â€Å"Hmm.† Blaise's tapering fingers, tipped with blood-red nails, dosed delicately on the tissue. Startled, Thea snatched it back and the Kleenex tore. She ended up with only a corner. â€Å"Hey-â€Å" â€Å"What's the problem? I just want it for safekeeping,† Blaise said smoothly. â€Å"And so how did everything else go?† â€Å"Fine,† Thea said. Her palms were getting damp, but she managed to keep her voice airy. â€Å"I think he's hooked,† she added, trying to imitate Blaise's most languid and arrogant tones. â€Å"Oh, really?† They had ended up on the strip, which meant the car was now crawling through traffic. Neon highlighted the curious half-smile on Blaise's lips. â€Å"And what was that about Davis?† â€Å"Nothing. It's where he's going to college, so of course he'd like me to be with him.† â€Å"He's already thinking about the future. Well, that was fast work. Congratulations.† Thea didn't like the way she said it. More than ever, she wanted to protect Eric from Blaise-but she wasn't sure how. It depended on how much Blaise suspected. â€Å"You know, I think it's the pop that's the most fun,† Blaise went on reminiscently. â€Å"Human boys are all different-but in the end, they're all the same. And when they give in completely, you can almost hear it. There's a ‘pop.' Like a balloon breaking.† Thea swallowed, staring at the huge golden lion in front of the MGM Grand Hotel. Its green eyes reminded her of Eric. â€Å"Really? Sounds interesting.† â€Å"Oh, it is. And after the pop, they just kind of collapse, and everything they are, their whole self, just sort of pours out in this internal hemorrhage. And after that, of course, they're useless. Like a stag that's too old to mate. They're just-over.† â€Å"How nice.† â€Å"You know, I think Eric's ready for that pop. He's already in love with you; I could see that. I think it's time.† Thea just sat. A vampire girl, wearing a dress with a black rose design, threaded her way through stopped traffic. Finally, Thea said, â€Å"Blaise†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What, is that a problem with you? Are you having difficulty with that? Are you a little soft on him, maybe? Are you a little too fond of him?† â€Å"Blaise-â€Å" â€Å"Are you in love with him?† Shock waves went through Thea, and the last question seemed to vibrate in the air. At last she whispered, â€Å"Don't be ridiculous.† â€Å"And don't you try to fool me. Remember who you're talking to. I know that dopey look you get when you're mooning over some animal. I saw the way you were holding him.† Thea felt desperate. It wasn't just Blaise she was afraid of here. Night World law couldn't be clearer about the penalty for loving a human. Death. Not only for her, but for Eric, too. There was only one thing Thea could do. She turned and looked at her cousin directly. â€Å"All right, Blaise, you do know me. We've always been like sisters, and I know that however you act sometimes, you still love me-â€Å" â€Å"Of course I do,† Blaise said impatiently, and Thea realized that was part of the problem. In the changing light of the Bally hotel's neon pillars, she could see that Blaise's eyes were wet. She was frightened for Thea-and angry at being frightened. Thea grabbed her cousin's hand. â€Å"Then you have to listen to me.† It was a naked plea. â€Å"Blaise-when I first met Eric, something happened. I can't explain it-I can't even really describe it. But there was a connection. And I know this is going to sound insane, and I know you're not going to like it, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She had to stop to breathe. â€Å"Blaise, what if you found your soulmate, and they were something that everybody said you shouldn't love†¦.† She stopped again, this time because Blaise had frozen. For a moment they both just sat, and then, very slowly, Blaise withdrew her hand from Thea's. â€Å"Found†¦ your†¦ soulmate?† she said. Warmth pooled in Thea's eyes. She had never felt so alone. â€Å"I think so,† she whispered. Blaise turned to face the windshield. Purple light shone on her black hair. â€Å"This is more serious than I thought.† The tears overflowed. â€Å"But will you help me?† Blaise tapped her slender fingers on the steering wheel a few times. Finally she said, â€Å"Of course I'll help you. I have to. We're like sisters-I would never abandon you when you're in trouble.† Thea was so relieved she felt dizzy. Paradoxically, it made her cry more. â€Å"I've just been so scared†¦. Ever since it happened, I've been trying to figure things out.† She hiccupped. Blaise was looking at her again, smiling, gray eyes glittering oddly. â€Å"Blaise?† â€Å"I'm going to help you,† Blaise said, still smiling, â€Å"by getting him myself. And then I'm going to kill him for putting my sister in danger.† There was a moment when everything inside Thea seemed absolutely still-and the next instant it all exploded into chaos. â€Å"Never,† she said. â€Å"Do you hear me, sister? Never.† Blaise stayed calm, driving. â€Å"I know you don't think it's best-now. But one day you'll thank me.† â€Å"Blaise, listen to me. If you do anything to him-if you hurt him-it's me you're hurting.† â€Å"You'll get over it.† In the rainbow light of the Riviera, Blaise looked like some ancient goddess of fate. â€Å"It's better to hurt a little now than to be executed later.† Thea was so angry she was shaking. So angry that she made a mistake. If she'd kept on arguing the same points, she thought later, Blaise might eventually have started to listen. But she was furious and terrified and she blurted out, â€Å"Well, I don't think you can do it. I don't think you could take him from me if you tried.† Blaise stared, as if caught for once at a loss for words. Then she threw back her head and laughed. â€Å"Thea,† she said. â€Å"I can take any boy from anybody. Any time, any place, any way I want to. That's what I do.† â€Å"Not this time. Eric loves me, and you can't change that. You can't take him.† Blaise was wearing a secret smile. But she said only two words as she turned off the strip and onto darkened streets again. â€Å"Watch me.† Thea didn't sleep well. She kept seeing Randy Marik's face, and when she dreamed, it turned into Eric's face, blood-streaked and vacant-eyed. She woke up to see sunshine streaming in the room. It was a bedroom with a split personality. One side was fairly neat and decorated in pale blues and spring greens. The other side was messy and was decorated in the color, the primal color, the one that roused emotions, that meant passion and hatred both. Red. And usually Blaise was lying on that side underneath her red velvet Ralph Lauren bedspread, but this morning she was gone already. A bad omen. Blaise only got up early for a reason. Thea got dressed and went downstairs warily. The shop was empty except for Tobias sitting gloomily in his usual place beside the cash register. He grunted when Thea said hello and went on staring at the wall, one hand clutching his curly brown hair. Wishing, undoubtedly, to be outside on the weekend like other nineteen-year-old guys. Thea went into the workshop. Blaise was sitting at the long table, wearing earphones and humming to herself. A project was spread in front of her. Thea stalked up close. She could see right away that it was beautiful. Blaise was a genius at creating jewelry, most of it based on ancient designs. She made necklaces of bees and butterflies, spiraling flowers, serpents, leaping dolphins. It was all alive, all joyous†¦ all magical. That was where the real genius came in. Blaise put each element of the piece together with a purpose in mind. The gems were chosen to enhance each other: ruby for desire, black opal for obsession, topaz for yearning, garnet for heat. And asteria, the smoke-gray form of sapphire with a six-pointed star. Blaise's stone, just the color of her eyes. Blaise had them all laid out loose. But her magic wasn't just in the gems. Interwoven into every piece were herb caches, tiny compartments that could be filled with potions or powders. She could literally drench the jewelry in sorcery. Even the design itself could be a spell. Every line, every curve, every flower stem could have a meaning, could make the eye follow a pattern that was as powerful as any symbol traced on the floor in chalk. Just looking at the piece could be enough to charm you. Right now Blaise was working on a necklace to knock you dead. Thea could see it taking shape. Blaise used the lost wax method of jewelry-making, which meant that she carved out her pieces in stiff blue wax before casting them in silver or copper or gold. What she was carving now was breathtaking. Heart-stopping. An intricate masterpiece that was going to have roughly the same effect as Aphrodite's magic girdle- which meant no male was going to be able to look at it without falling under the spell. And she had some of Eric's blood. The vital ingredient that meant she'd be able to personalize this spell for him. The one good thing was that it would take Blaise a few days to finish this piece. But once it was done†¦. Eric didn't have a chance in Hades. Thea backed up, not knowing-and not caring- whether Blaise had noticed her. She headed blindly for her bedroom. She and Eric were soulmates. But Blaise was, in some ways, Aphrodite herself. And who could resist that? What am I going to do? She had a little of Eric's blood herself on the corner of the tissue. But she could never outmatch Blaise in creating love spells. Blaise had years of experience and a natural talent that left everyone else in the dust. So I have to think of something else. Something to keep her from getting to him in the first place. To protect him†¦ Thea straightened up. I can't. It's too dangerous. The summoning spells aren't for maidens. Even the Inner Circle has to be careful with those. But Grandma has the materials. I know she does. I've seen the box. It may kill me even to try. An odd serenity came over her. If she concentrated on that-on the risk-she felt better than if she thought about what Gran would say if she found out. She wasn't afraid to face danger for Eric. And as long as she kept thinking about that, she could block out the thought that her idea was not only dangerous, but wrong. This time she went down the stairs almost as if she were sleepwalking. Calm and detached. â€Å"Toby, where's Gran?† He lifted his head a bare inch. â€Å"She went to see Thierry Descouedres, something about his land. Told me to come and pick her up tonight.† Thierry was a vampire and a Night Lord. He owned a lot of the land northeast of Las Vegas-but what did Gran have to do with that? It didn't matter. The important thing was that Gran wouldn't be back all day. â€Å"Well, then, why don't you go out and have some fun? I can watch the shop.† Tobias looked at her with dazed blue eyes-and then his round face lit up. â€Å"Seriously? You'd do that? I could kiss you. Let's see, I'll go visit Kishi†¦ no, maybe Zoe†¦ no, maybe Sheena†¦.† Like all boy witches, he was in tremendous demand with the girl witches in town. Still muttering, he checked his wallet, grabbed the car keys, and headed for the door as if Thea might change her mind any second. â€Å"I'll be back in time to pick her up, I promise,† he said hastily and was out the door. The instant he was gone, Thea turned the sign on the door to closed, locked up, and tiptoed to the counter. It was in the locked lower shelf, an iron chest that looked five hundred years old. Thea picked it up with an effort-it was heavy. With her teeth gritted and her eyes on the bead curtain that separated the store from Grandma's workshop, she staggered up the stairs. She made two other trips downstairs to gather materials. The bead curtain never stirred. Last, she went to Gran's bedroom. On a nail near the headboard was a heavy ring with dozens of keys. Thea took it. Back in her own bedroom she shut the door and stuffed a towel underneath so Blaise wouldn't smell the smoke. Okay, now let's get this thing open. She sat crosslegged on the floor in front of the chest. It wasn't hard to find the key that would fit the lock-she just looked for the oldest and crudest iron key on the ring. It fit perfectly and the chest opened. Inside was a bronze box, and inside that a silver box. And inside the silver box was an ancient book with yellowing, brittle pages, and a small green bottle with wax and ribbons securing its cork. There were also thirty or forty amulets. Thea picked one up and examined it. A lock of blond hair had been twisted and woven into a knot, and then sealed in that shape with a round piece of clay. The clay was dark earthy red, and Thea touched it reverently. It had been made with mud-and the blood of a witch. An entire Circle had probably worked on this for weeks: charging the blood, chanting, mixing it with secret ingredients, baking it in a ritual fire. I'm touching a witch, Thea thought. The very essence of somebody who's been dead hundreds of years. The cabalistic sign stamped on the front of the amulet was supposed to show who the witch was. But lots of the pieces of clay were so worn that Thea couldn't make out any trace of a symbol. Don't worry. Find a description of somebody in the book, and then match the amulet to them. She turned the fragile pages of the book carefully, trying to read the spidery, faded writing. Ix U Sihnal. Annie Butter, Markus Klingelsmith . .. no, they all sound too dangerous, hudo Cagliostro- maybe. But I don't really want an alchemist. Dm Ratih, Omiya Inoshishi†¦ wait a minute. Phoebe Garner. She scanned the page on Phoebe eagerly. A gentle girl from England who had lived before the Burning Times and had kept familiars. She'd died young of tuberculosis, but had been considered a blessing by everyone who'd known her-even humans, who appreciated her ability to deflect spells from her village. Human villagers had mourned at her grave. Perfect, Thea thought. Then, she began scrabbling through the amulets, looking for one with the same symbol impressed on the clay as the book showed by Phoebe's name. There it was! She cradled the amulet in ?her palm. Phoebe's hair had been auburn and very fine. Okay. Now get the balefire ready. It had to be made from oak and ash, the two kinds of wood that had been burned to bake the clay. Thea put the dry sticks in her grandmother's largest bronze bowl and lit them. Now add quassia chips, blessed thistle, mandrake root. Those were just for general power raising. The real magic was in the tiny bottle that had been carved out of a single piece of malachite. It was the summoning potion, and Thea had no idea at all what was in it. She dug at the wax with her fingernails until the cork twisted freely. Then she paused, her hands shaking with every beat of her pulse. Up until now, she'd only examined things she shouldn't: bad but forgivable. New she was going to kindle a forbidden fire†¦ and that wasn ‘t forgivable. If the elders discovered what she'd done†¦ She pulled the cork out.