Tall Stories Essays - Skyscrapers, Vortices, Structural Engineering

Tall Stories Picture in your mind the skyline of downtown Toronto. There's the CN Tower, of course, and the 72-floor First Canadian Place, the city's tallest skyscraper. Cascading from there are the assorted banks and hotels and insurance towers. Now, use your imagination to construct some new buildings, these ones reaching three, four and five times higher than the others. Top it all off with a skyscraper one mile high (three times as high as the CN Tower). Sound fanciful? It did 30 years ago when Frank Lloyd Wright proposed the first mile-high building. But not today. We are now said to be entering the age of the superskyscraper, with tall buildings poised to take a giant new leap into the sky. Skyscrapers approaching the mile mark may still be awhile off, but there are proposals now for megastructures soaring 900 m -- twice as high as the world's tallest building, the 110-story Sears Tower in Chicago. Suppose that you were asked to erect such a building. How would you do it? What are the obstacles you'd face? What materials would you use? And where would you put it? Building a superskyscraper, the first thing you would need is a considerable slice of real estate. Tall buildings require a large base to support their load and keep them stable. In general, the height of a building should be six times its base, so, for a skyscraper 900-m tall, you'd need a base of 150 square m. That much space is hard to come by in, say, downtown Toronto, forcing you to look for an undeveloped area, perhaps the Don Valley ravine, next to the Science Centre. Bear in mind though that the Don Valley is overlain by loose sand and silt, and tall buildings must stand on firm ground, or else risk the fate of edifices like the Empress Hotel in Victoria. This grand dowager, completed in 1908, long before the science of soil mechanics, has since found herself slowly sinking into the soft clay. Soil analysis is especially critical in facing the threat of earthquakes. The Japanese have learned many times the hard way what happens when an earth tremor shakes a high-rise constructed on soft, wet sand. The quake's enormous energy severs the loose connections between the individual grains, turning the ground into quicksand in just seconds and swallowing up the building. . Engineers have actually built machines that condense loose ground. One machine pounds the earth with huge hammers. Another plunges a large vibrating probe into the ground, like a blender in a milk shake, stirring up the sand so that its structure collapses and the individuals grains fall closer together. Anchoring a skyscraper in the Don Valley would best be solved by driving long steel piles down through the sand and silt into the underlying hard clay till. Or, if the clay till lies too far underground, inserting more piles into the sand. The friction between sand and so much steel would then be sufficient to hold the concrete foundation above in place. The next obstacle in erecting a superskyscraper, and perhaps the biggest one, is wind. Tall buildings actually sway in the breeze, in much the same way that a diving board bends under the weight of a diver. Building an edifice that doesn't topple over in the wind is easy enough. The real challenge is keeping the structure so stiff that it doesn't swing too far, cracking partitions, shattering windows and making the upper occupants seasick. As a rule, the top of skyscraper should never drift more than 1/400 of its height at a wind velocity of 150 km/h. Older buildings, like the Empire State Building, were built so that their core withstood all bending stresses. But structural engineers have since found that by shifting the bracing and support to the perimeter of a building, it can better resist high winds. The most advanced buildings are constructed like a hollow tube, with thin, outer columns spaced tightly together and welded to broad horizontal beams. Toronto's First Canadian Place and New York's World Trade Center towers are all giant, framed tubes. A superskyscraper would undoubtedly need extra rigidity, which you could add by bracing its framework

The Power of Sound in Films Analysis Essay

The Power of Sound in Films Analysis Essay The Power of Sound Analysis Essay Sample The Power of Sound Analysis Essay Sample With the development of filmmaking, sound has become an element that is equally important as images in the film. An excellent sound design not only helps reveal the vividness of the image used but also functions in the narrative of the story and influences spectators perception. The pitch of the sound and its intensity used throughout the film helps the audience better understand the storyline. The crime thriller No Country for Old Men is a good example of a film that uses sound to capture the audiences attention and assist in narrating the story (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). Instead of using any non-diegetic sounds to enhance the films action, the filmmaker chooses to manipulate speech and sound effects to convey meanings, engage senses and feelings, and to guide attention and expectation for the audience. This paper provides a critical analysis that helps to better understand the exclusive use of diegetic sounds in the film. The Power of Sound in Film Industry Sound is an important component in guiding the audiences attention and expectation in the process of watching the film. In the same light that the last paragraph or sentence in a scene should connect with the first paragraph or sentence, the type of sound used enables the audience to have some expectation of what events are upcoming, and thus guide their understanding and feelings of the film (â€Å"Yale film studies,† n.d.). With the help of appropriate sound used as a background for characters’ monologues and dialogues, the filmmaker tries to convey explicit, implicit, and symptomatic meanings to the audience. The film begins with the monologue of Sheriff Tom. Here, his soft words in a low pitch have explicitly showed his sentimental attachment to the past and his confusion to the present (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). More deeply, his description of his career by the use of unexpected sound raising, as though he was angry, shows his disappointment. He manages to narrate about his life at younger and older age, and thus captures the audience’s attention making them want to know more about how the time he is living is different. His unexpected high tone raising the sound shows violence and danger of a person living in his generation. As he narrates how youngsters are losing their morality, a shooting sound is heard showing that his only option as a sheriff, a guard of social security, was to hold a gun and act in search for justice (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). The shooting sound is high enough to capture attention of the audience who are now curious and fearful, and the filmmaker can now move them to another idea. The success of the filmmaker is based on the sound produced. Further, the sheriff is seen in the monologue in which slow, low, and soothing sound holds viewers intact. His monol ogue is a tool to express the theme of the story and foreshadow a series of events that happen later in the film. Therefore, the choice of sound in this section connects the scene with the other upcoming scenes and prepares viewers towards what to expect further. The filmmaker accentuates on the use of diegetic sounds as a way of capturing the viewers’ senses and feelings (Bordwell, 2008). The two monologues at the initial part of the last section as well as Sheriffs two dreams are a way of capturing the feelings of the audience. The filmmaker uses sound to bring the idea of dreams, which is explained as a flashback, and at the moment where the sheriff finally wakes up, a loud, frightening sound is heard (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). The sheriff explains that his father appeared in his two dreams. His dreams represent his previous faith to his career as a sheriff and his desire to return to the days that he has been familiar with. His previous career is unveiled together with the low-pitched sound, while his desire to go back to his old days is brought in a bang to express disappointment with the current situation. As a result, there are no men of his likes in the current era, and his father becomes his companion. His fathers companionship is expressed in the soft sound of the wind at the beginning of a dream and a loud sound in the magnitude of scream to show his disappearance. The filmmaker engages the audience through two monologues, which show the Sheriffs disappointment with the current life and the lack of similar personalities to bond with. The change from dream world through changing pitches of the sound captures the viewers’ senses and feelings. They get to learn about the corruption of the current society that stirs their emotions. With live senses and emotions, as amplified by sound during the film, the viewers are keen to follow the unfolding of the film hence leading to their understanding (â€Å"Yale film studies,† n.d.). Further, the filmmaker has used diegetic sounds to convey meanings, for example, the conversation between Chigurh and Mosss wife, Carla Jean, through the associated sound effects conveys the meaning of the text to the audience. When Chigurh comes to find Carla Jean and asks her to call a side of the coin, she replies that he does not have to do this and refuses to call (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). The conversation is confrontational, and the pitch of the sound in the conversation rises from low to high. The high-pitched voice used by Carla Jean shows her stand, her nature of defiance, and rejection of evil doings of corruption. The sound is a way to show the magnitude of the badness of corruption. Their conversation shows that Carla Jeans life does not lie on her fortune but is held in Chigurhs hands. The sound effects in the dialogue help explain to the audience that corruption is not caused by the society but by people themselves (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). The use of different sounds in the film is a way to capture attention of the audience. When the scene is quiet, for example, viewers will be glued to the screens more with the hope and intention of grasping the next occurrence. According to Bordwell, sound gives a new value to silence: a quiet passage in a film will force the audience to concentrate on the screen (Bordwell, 2008). At the beginning of the film, Chigurh is arrested by the young sheriff. The viewer can only see the Sheriff speaking on the phone and hear the sound, but the other environment around them is dead silent. This type of silence forces the audience to look keenly on the screen to catch every move made by characters (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). The viewer is sure that silence will result in an action and hence they will be more attracted, since the film already created suspense in them. Therefore, the use of different sound effects is a way to capture viewers’ attention. In addition to guiding attention, sound effects used in the film enhance the creation of suspense and guide viewers’ expectations. If the filmmaker incorporates too many silent scenes, then the audience will be bored and lose focus, probably doze off. To avoid such instances, a filmmaker creates ambient sounds that focus on the main character as a way of emphasizing the themes and meaning of the story (Bordwell, 2008). For most outdoor activities, sound is important. A good example of how the filmmaker eliminates uncomfortable silence scenes and replaces them with ambient sounds is when Moss discovers the dead bodies and money when hunting in the desert. The audience can only hear the sound of the wind, insects, footsteps, etc., which are made louder than in the real world. Additionally, the audience will have more suspense as well as tension. In the long run, viewers better understand the film (â€Å"Yale film studies,† n.d.). In the same way that sound will bring certain meaning to the audience, silence will also elaborate something or prepare viewers for a scene. It can be used to successfully connect two or more scenes in the film. Silence can be used as a way to prepare the audience for a major happening that characterizes or is crucial to the story line (Bordwell, 2008). After silence, an abrupt sound is made and it either frightens the audience or arouses their emotions. For example, the silence of the environment between the young Sheriff and Chigurh helps emphasize the sudden sounds of struggles between them. Besides, before Chigurhs shootings, the sound of conversation is soft, but when the sound of a gunshot finally happens, it is abrupt and loud (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). In that way, silence and a soft sound are a way to prepare the audience for the major part of the story as depicted by the filmmaker. Finally, different sounds used are a way to grasp viewers attention and make them focus on the characters. In that way, viewers’ attention is enhanced, for example, the different sounds of phone calls before the killer called captures viewers’ attention, while the other underground sounds, such as motifs car engine, guide the viewer into focusing on the character (Coen, J., Coen E., Rudin, S.). Therefore, sounds in some way suggest to the audience that they need to give the film or the character some time and space. Thus, apart from capturing their attention, the sound nurtures their patience in the story (â€Å"Yale film studies,† n.d.). In conclusion, sound plays a major role in filmmaking. Its presence or absence enhances the storyline by characterizing its flow. It is used to show meanings of different actions, such as when characters abruptly raise their sound and the filmmaker aims to reveal anger. A sound is important in raising emotions and engaging viewers’ senses, for example, a dream that is brought in the form of a flashback and a spirit appears and then disappears will make the audience develop feelings as well as fear. Consequently, they will be more focused. Moreover, the use of sound is used to capture attention of the audience, for example, where silence dominates for long, the viewers will tend to concentrate to unmask the storyline. Finally, sound is a way to create suspense, connect different parts of the story, and create expectation about the story. Therefore, sound is equally important in filmmaking just as images and words.

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management Essay

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management - Essay Example Employee engagement can also be increased through rewarding them accordingly. When they reward their employees, employees feel motivated to work and put in their best efforts. HR is now not only responsible for hiring and firing and compensating the employees, but it also plays an active part in the employee development and trains them after conducting the training need analysis. HR also now conducts training evaluation so as to ensure that the training has proved to be effective or not. A: Resourcing an Organisation â€Å"Does knowledge of HRM help small and medium sized enterprises (SME) ensure they recruit and select employees who can contribute to maximizing the competitive performance of a business?† Today, the technological edge that the companies earlier used to have over each other in terms of the technology employed is now a thing of past. It is next to impossible now for the companies to try to gain advantage over their competitors by simply innovating. Yes, we canno t deny the fact that innovation is the key to better profits but hiring the right kind of employee is very important. Today firms are looking to create better profits by hiring an efficient and effective workforce. An efficient and effective workforce helps the firms realize better profits and better position in the markets if they have the right kind of employees. Earlier there was a trend in which the organizations hired employees that they felt fit the organization, but now the current trend in hiring, is to hire the person who is fit for the job, and possesses the core competencies that are required for the job. If the company has a proper knowledge about the hiring strategies and methods that the company can save a lot of costs by hiring the right people the first time the hiring starts. If a company fails to realize their real requirements and simply by gaining the bird’s eye view of the job they hire someone, the person will not necessarily be able to perform tasks acc ording the job description and will surely fail to produce the desired results. When this happens, then the company will go on look for another employee that can fit the organization. Hiring is the process that costs companies a lot, and a small business is already running on small profit margins, but if they have to spend on hiring again and again then they will end up having a negative cash flow. Having the right kind of people who fit the ideology of the company and have the right skills and competencies are really important as they will help the company gain profits. Another problem that is faced by organizations generally is that they hire on the basis of skills alone. A candidate must possess the soft skills as well as the technical skills to survive in the organization and work the right way. Companies’ whether the small businesses or the large ones are looking to hire people who are have the social fit for their organizations as firms are looking to create edge over e ach other through the human workforce that they have. If the firm possesses the knowledge about HR, then they can motivate their workforce in the right way. A motivated workforce helps to create results. The small business already possesses a very small workforce, and if that workforce is a de- motivated one then there are chances that the organization will not be able to achieve their targets. It is a general consideration that if a

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 22

Art - Essay Example The sky is clearer on the left background than any other part of the image. This indicates that the sun is either rising or setting on that side of the image. The left side of the river is darker from the foreground to background than the right side of the river. This is because the buildings on the left side of the river cast their shadows on the right side of the river bank. The buildings are not, however, tall enough to cast their shadows up to the ground the boats are parked. There are about fifteen boats on the right side of the river, which are painted white and blue. They all reflect the dim light of the sun, while casting their shadows on the water. The boats on the foreground reflect more light than the boats far away in the background. The left side of the river bank is steeper than the right side. This is the reason why no boat is parked on the right side of the river bank. In the middle of the image, there is a river. The water is clear and very still. Part of the water that is in the foreground reflects more light than the part on the background of the image. There are trees that are standing still on both sides of the river banks. The trees are evenly distributed on both sides of the river from the foreground to the background. The sky appears darker on the foreground than the background of the image. The background of the sky is yellow in color, indicating that more sunlight is casted into the sky on the background than the fore ground. The sun is either rising or setting on the background of the paper. This is the reason why the sky on the foreground is darker as compared to the background. A tent and a building are located on the right background of the image. They are not clearly visible due to the tall trees standing between them and the river bank. The sun is on the left middle ground of the paper, and the tall trees cast their shadows directly on the building and the tent, making them less visible

Wall Street Journal Articles for International Accounting Article

Wall Street Journal Articles for International Accounting - Article Example There is high likelihood that the streamlined standards will have major impact on the financial reporting over a wide cross-section of organizations and industries. For this reason, it is important that various audit committee members remain updated on the progress of this initiative in order to identify areas of particular concern and facilitate smooth transition period from the old processes, systems, and financial reporting to newly adopted ones. The proposed revenue model requires recording of the amount of revenue in a pattern that reflects the transfer of control of the goods and or services in question. The FASB recently released a proposed Accounting Standard Update (ASU) touching on classification and measurement of financial instruments. This made with the object of increasing the convergence between US GAAP and IFRS and above all simplify classification methods. Concerning leasing accounting, the boards intend to provide an open and steady representation of leasing transac tions in the financial statements by taking into consideration information relating to the rights and obligations that comes with lease contracts. This article is related to the international accounting particularly International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Accounting Standards (IAS) in a number of ways. First IASÂ  39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement of 2003 categorically stipulates the requirements for the recognition and measurement of financial assets and liabilities as well as certain contracts that relates to purchase and sale of non-financial items. Additionally IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation also summarizes mandatory accounting requirements for the presentation of financial instruments especially with regard to their classification into financial assets, liabilities and equity instruments. The same case applies with the IFRS 9 Financial Instruments, which outlines the requirements for recognition and measurement for f inancial instruments. IAS 17 Leases also touches on the policies and disclosures concerning leases contracts. This is a clear indication that the initiative of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to streamline accounting standards should not contravene terms of IFRS or IAS with respect to financial instruments, revenue recognition and lease accounting. 2. Philbin, B. (February 22, 2013). SEC Pressed Citi for More Details on Brokerage Joint Venture The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently requested Citigroup Inc to come out and defend how it was disclosing and valuing its brokerage joint venture with Morgan Stanley to its investors in its 2011 annual report a few months before it was forced to take approximately $3 billion write-down on the business. It is believed that the business events played an integral role in paving way for exist of Vikram Pandit as the chief executive officer. This request was intend to make the New York Company expand on its language in its report to the investors about valuation and disclosures regarding ownership the business formerly known as Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The request has not been a onetime event but rather entangle in correspondence, which began in April 2011 and continued into last summer when Citigroup was asked to avail a copy of the report it used to establish the value

Working Women and Family Lifestyles Essay -- Papers Feminism Females W

Working Women and Family Lifestyles The issues and concerns of this course are ones with which I am able to identify. Having been married for eight years, a working women and mother qualifies me to give much insight to each of the components listed in this course. My essay will address the following: ï‚ · Past and present status of women in the work place ï‚ · Balancing career and family ï‚ · Career Choices ï‚ · The future of the family In addition, I will expand on the implications of single parenthood and how it affects women?s careers and raising a family. PAST AND PRESENT STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE WORK PLACE Every day in some office, bank, store, school, or wherever women work, someone announces an engagement or a wedding. But unlike past generations, the announcement doesn?t automatically mean the employee is leaving. She is just adding a new dimension to herself-marriage. Unlike her predecessor, she will work for a much longer period because she can decide when to begin her family. If she decides to have a family, her leave of absence is apt to be less than five years, because she is a member of the new breed of women who attempt to combine the roles of career woman, mother, and wife into a workable package. Wives have been working for a much longer period than most people think. Before the Industrial Revolution, even wealthy women worked long hours supervising the needs of large families, household servants, and slaves. Most American families engaged in farming then. Often husband and wife worked together in order to make a profit. During the time of the Revolutionary, women worked in the fields plowing and harvesting, because all males were away fighting the war. By the ... ...y and to achieve what they want regardless if it is deemed a man?s job or woman?s job. In fact, my children see me do both. I mow the lawn, wash the cars, take out the garbage and do dishes, laundry and clean bathrooms. I also work, go to school but love to have fun water-skiing, snow-skiing and coaching and playing softball. My new husband does the same except he is indeed the bread-winner of the family. That to me is a fairly well-rounded parental example. I hope my children surpass me, at parallel age levels, in all ways. Theories and principles related to the past and present status and role of women in work, behavioral, and socialization patterns affecting career choices and leadership abilities. Dual career couples, child-raising issues, and the future of the family. Special problems of re-entry women and current legislation affecting women at work.

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 19

Finding them wasn't so easy. No one was at my apartment, and Vincent didn't answer his phone. I drove down to the Cellar, hoping maybe they'd all decided to start drinking mid-day. Nope. The pub was barren, with only a couple bored patrons sitting at the bar. Frustrated, I called Hugh, deciding it was time to get help from my own resources. â€Å"Is Jerome back yet?† â€Å"No,† the imp said. â€Å"Do you need him?† â€Å"Kind of.† â€Å"Kind of?† â€Å"It's a long story.† â€Å"I'm in the city for a meeting. You want to have lunch and explain? I'm practically down the street from your place. I'll meet you there, and we'll go eat.† It was the first time I'd talked to Hugh since the blowup at Peter's over Seth and me. I was still reeling from all that, but I did kind of want to get feedback from another immortal source. Besides, I was rapidly running out of options. It only took ten minutes for him to show up, but it felt like an hour. â€Å"Holy shit,† said Hugh, spotting the Christmas trees when he walked in. â€Å"Your apartment's a national park.† â€Å"Be quiet.† â€Å"I'm serious. You need a ranger working in here.† â€Å"Come on. Let's go.† We walked to a deli down the street. Once we were seated with our food, I began explaining to him why I needed Jerome. By the time I finished the Nyx story, Hugh's mirth had faded. â€Å"Fuck,† he said, biting into an enormous Reuben. â€Å"That might be worth bugging Jerome after all.† â€Å"Where is he?† I asked. â€Å"Another training?† Hugh shrugged. â€Å"Not entirely sure. He was vague about it. Grace and Hiroko insinuated he's having ‘a personality conflict' with another demon and went to settle it.† â€Å"Oh, God,† I said. â€Å"Not a duel?† â€Å"I don't know. I hope not. Those crazy bitches seemed pretty smug, so they're probably hoping for some opportunity to pull a power play out of all this. You know how they are. Still†¦you could probably go to them for help with all this.† I could†¦but if Jerome had something weird going on, I didn't want to get enmeshed with his lieutenants and possibly be used in some way. The two demonesses worked for him but would seize any chance for promotion, and when political tremors shook our world, everyone was quick to exploit everyone else. â€Å"I'll hold out for the angels,† I said. â€Å"As long as I can space out my energy fixes, there shouldn't be a problem. If I can't find Carter and friends in another day or so, I'll think about talking to Grace and Hiroko.† â€Å"I can get a hold of him if you really need it,† said Hugh. I smiled at the uneasy tone in his voice. â€Å"Yeah, but your instructions were to avoid bothering him at all costs, right?† The imp nodded. â€Å"It's okay. I'll wait on the angels. If I have to go to Grace and Hiroko, they can be the ones to decide if it's worth interrupting Jerome for. I mean, the evidence is pretty solid†¦but, well, if we're wrong, and it turns out to be nothing†¦ Jerome's going to be pissed that I bothered him based on the word of two humans.† â€Å"Pissed at all of us.† â€Å"Yeah.† I idly picked holes in my sandwich with the toothpick that held it together. â€Å"Are you scared?† asked Hugh. â€Å"Of Nyx?† â€Å"Yeah. I am. I don't like the idea of anything invading my sleep. Certainly not something that powerful. That guy I mentioned – Dante – is going to try to make me a charm or something to ward her away.† Hugh snorted. â€Å"No human can make a charm like that.† â€Å"He's a magician. He said he could.† â€Å"Sweetie. Nyx is a fucking deity – no, more than that. An uber-deity. A force of the universe that was instrumental in creation. She's been weakened over time, yeah, but some strung-out, psychic sham can't make a charm powerful enough to scare her off. There are probably only a handful of humans in the world who could, and to get that kind of power†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hugh shook his head. â€Å"I don't know. Based on what you've told me, I'm just not seeing it.† I'd had my own doubts about Dante, but I'd thus far managed to push them aside and keep hoping for the best. Hearing Hugh, I felt all of my misgivings return. â€Å"Fuck,† I said. Silence fell as we munched on our sandwiches a bit. Rain fell outside, and hungry customers ducked in to avoid it. Hugh watched a cute brunette order at the counter, then he turned his attention back to me. â€Å"Any idea when Niphon's leaving?† I frowned. â€Å"Whenever Tawny gets a victim.† Now Hugh frowned. â€Å"But she did, didn't she?† â€Å"Did she?† â€Å"I don't know. That's what Simon said. Or at least, he thought she did. He said she was up there dancing with a glow a couple nights ago. Made up for the shitty job she was doing.† A couple nights ago†¦ â€Å"No†¦that's impossible. I saw her right around then, and she still hadn't taken anybody. She was so low, I had to kiss her again. He's wrong.† â€Å"Maybe she got a glow from the kiss.† Hugh sounded kind of hopeful. â€Å"You use a lot of tongue?† â€Å"It wasn't that big of a kiss. No glow. Just enough to get by.† â€Å"Huh.† He swirled the ice around in his Diet Coke. â€Å"I guess Simon was wrong. Figured he'd be good at spotting that stuff.† I would have thought so too. â€Å"Hugh†¦this is going to sound weird, but I think Tawny may be faking how inept she is.† He looked rightfully startled. â€Å"Why the fuck would she do that?† â€Å"I don't know. I think it's to help Niphon. But none of this makes sense. This is the second time I've heard of her possibly getting a fix, but then I've seen her shortly thereafter, and she was way too low to have burned through so much so quickly.† â€Å"Maybe she's got your problem.† â€Å"I have a lot of problems.† â€Å"Your Nyx problem. Maybe Tawny's losing her energy too.† Whoa. Interesting idea. And why not? If Nyx was preying on one succubus, why not two? And it would explain how Tawny was losing energy so quickly. Except†¦ â€Å"If Nyx is taking her energy, that means she's actually getting it to begin with. But Tawny keeps telling me she isn't having sex.† â€Å"Huh. A servant of Hell lying. Go figure.† â€Å"Yeah, but why? Niphon's risking getting both of them in a shitload of trouble if Jerome or anyone else finds out. He's gambling a lot just to stick around and annoy me. And if Hell thinks Tawny isn't doing her job, they'll recall her.† Hugh gave me a funny look. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"What's that for?† â€Å"You didn't read the book, did you?† â€Å"What book?† â€Å"The succubus manual.† â€Å"You know I didn't.† â€Å"And I even got you the abridged one,† he said, sounding wounded. â€Å"Hugh,† I growled. â€Å"What's your point?† â€Å"The point is that as her mentor, you're accountable for her actions. If she can't bag a victim, you're the one they'll call in.† â€Å"What? That's ridiculous.† â€Å"Those are the rules now.† â€Å"So, what, I get slapped on the wrist for her screwing up?† â€Å"Slap on the wrist? For being a succubus who can't teach another one to have sex? It's so ludicrous, it's probably never happened before. I don't know what they'd do. Censure you at the very least. Transfer you to work under a senior succubus.† â€Å"I am a senior succubus.† He shrugged. â€Å"But if she's lying†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Then prove it.† I rubbed my eyes. â€Å"This is utterly insane. Why does Niphon hate me so much? He already bought my soul, for God's sake. What more is there?† I expected some smartass remark. Instead, I received silence. I looked at Hugh. â€Å"What? What is it now?† He pointedly glanced away. â€Å"Hugh!† â€Å"I don't know, Georgina.† Hugh rarely called me by my first name. I was usually honey or sweetie. â€Å"Sometimes we make deals, and they seem airtight, but something goes wrong.† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"I worked with another imp when I lived in Dallas. Raquel. She brokered this one deal with a guy who was pissed off when his wife left him because he found out he was sterile. Couldn't have kids.† Hugh helpfully illustrated the meaning by pointing down toward his lower torso. â€Å"I know what sterile means, Mr. Wizard. Get on with it.† â€Å"So, he sold his soul under the conditions that his ex-wife couldn't have kids either. He was bitter and into the poetic justice thing, apparently. Wanted to punish her with what she'd punished him over. So, he gave up his soul, and our side gave her some kind of inflammation thing that totally destroyed her fallopian tubes and scarred up her uterus. I don't know. Girl stuff.† I had to hold back an eye roll. Hugh might feign ignorance about ‘girl stuff,' but he'd found time in his years of corruption to go to medical school. He knew more about this than I did. â€Å"Harsh,† I said. â€Å"But fitting from the guy's point of view, I guess.† â€Å"Yeah. Should have been a done deal, but something went wrong. Or, well, right. Her ovaries still worked – she was making eggs, even if she couldn't carry a baby. She and her new husband found a surrogate mother. The wife donated eggs, they mixed up a Petri dish cocktail, and the surrogate carried the baby. Bam!† â€Å"The wife had a child after all,† I mused. â€Å"Wow. Hell gets defeated by science. All those philosophers from the Enlightenment were right.† Hugh scoffed at my joke. â€Å"It was stupid. Someone – by which I mean, Raquel – should have thought of that when they picked the infection as a way to make that lady infertile. Raquel fucked up. The guy was able to take his case back to Hell and won his soul back for breach of contract.† â€Å"Oh, wow,† I said. â€Å"I bet that went over well. What's Raquel doing nowadays?† He grimaced. â€Å"I think we're all happier not knowing.† I agreed. â€Å"But what's this have to do with me? That's kind of a rare case.† â€Å"Eh, it happens more than you'd think. Most of the time, the seller doesn't even notice something got messed up. But if the imp or someone else in authority catches it, I've seen them move Heaven and Earth – no pun intended – to fix it.† â€Å"So, you're implying that Niphon's here, finagling all this stuff with Tawny, because he did something wrong in my purchase?† Hugh spread his hands out. â€Å"I don't know. All I know is that when an imp shows up and is going to this much trouble over something, the evidence suggests it's big. Maybe not a situation like Raquel's, maybe not a breach of contract, but something.† â€Å"My contract's long since done,† I murmured. â€Å"Everyone it involved is dead now. If there was a problem, I would have had to bring it up back then.† â€Å"Like I said, I don't know. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions.† â€Å"Could you look? Could you get a hold of the contract?† â€Å"No.† Hugh's answer came almost before I finished speaking. â€Å"Absolutely not.† â€Å"But if there's some wording I didn't know about – â€Å" â€Å"You think I can just go walk into Hell's records and pull a contract I'm not involved with?† he exclaimed. â€Å"Fuck. If I got caught, it'd make what happened to Raquel look like a promotion.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"No,† he said again, voice like stone. â€Å"No debate. I love you, sweetie. You know I do. You're like my sister, and I'd do almost anything for you, but not this. I'm sorry.† I glared. He glared back. â€Å"Look, you want my advice? Get rid of Niphon. And Tawny, if you can. Expose them if they really are pulling something here, and Jerome will take it from there.† â€Å"Jerome's not even around! Damn it. Why can't you help me with this? You were so quick to help with my love life when you were talking to Seth the other night.† Hugh narrowed his eyes. â€Å"It was probably the best thing I've ever done for you.† â€Å"Are you insane? He's walking around talking about that now – all worried about how he's going to hurt me and make me miserable!† â€Å"Good,† snapped Hugh. â€Å"He should be.† I shoved my trash onto my tray and stood up. â€Å"See you later. Thanks for†¦well, nothing.† Hugh followed me over to the garbage bins. â€Å"You're behaving irrationally. On all of this.† â€Å"I'd never treat you the way you're treating me,† I said, dumping my tray. â€Å"I'm your friend.† â€Å"Friendship has nothing to do with this.† â€Å"It has everything to do with this!† He stacked his tray on the others and looked at his watch. â€Å"Look, I have to go. I'm sorry I can't give you the answers you want. Am I going to see you at Peter's?† Peter, unable to pass up party-giving opportunities, was hosting a Christmas dinner, weird as that seemed. â€Å"No. I'm going to be with Seth. Unless he breaks up with me because of your great advice.† Hugh bit his lip on some remark that probably would have been uncomplimentary. Shaking his head, he turned around and left.