Scientific method Essay Example for Free

Scientific method Essay In recent years, there has been an increased interest in angels. As Christian ministers, it is critical that we have an adequate biblical understanding of angels and be able to utilize discernment when dealing with angelic encounters. A parishioner at Oak Hill Uni Xerox Case Study Analysis Xerox Case Study Analysis The challenge facing Xerox and its management is complex, challenging and probably not unique. The company had been dependent on its highly trained sales force to turn a profit on their existing products and had not focused on new product opportunities until the develop Premium 1039 Words 5 Pages Case Study Case Study Analysis Summary ABC, Inc. recruiter Carl Robins has been given the task of recruiting new hires for his company. With only a few months experience himself, Carl has hired 15 new employees to work for Monica Carrolls. Carls responsibilities include organizing information and prepa Premium 825 Words 4 Pages Tylenol Case Study. Tylenol Case Study The discipline of public relations is a modern profession which has been in existence for only close to a century; however, it has already taken an important role in the fields of business, government, entertainment and non-profit organizations including educational institutions Premium 1457 Words 6 Pages Case Study, Sas Institute Inc. Case Study, SAS Institute Inc. The management culture is a very important factor in the imprinting of a company: it shapes the relationship between working environment and employee satisfaction. I will answer a few questions regarding the SASs particular strategy of running the business in which t Premium 1085 Words 5 Pages Case Study Executive Summary Background Carl Robins, the new campus recruiter for ABC, Inc. recruited several new hires in early April to work for Monica Carrolls, the Operations Supervisor. He scheduled the new hire orientation to take place June 15, with all the new hires working by July. On May 15, Carl Premium 1203 Words 5 Pages Case Study Analyses: the Gap, Inc. The central purpose of writing this Case Study Analyses on The Gap, Inc. is to identify and isolate key issues and their underlying implications and offer practical solutions and plans for implementing those solutions. This will be done by highlighting the social influences that influence the G Premium 1676 Words 7 Pages Case Study Anaylsis Case study analysis In large companies there is a huge amount of production that relays on communication between employees and managers. The employees involved with the companies must also posses good organizational skills in order to keep all of the tasks in order for a great turn out at the end Premium 843 Words 4 Pages Case Study: Halliburton Corp. and the Issue of Politics Case Study: Halliburton Corp. and the issue of politics. This case study examines Halliburton Corps current strategy for expanding operations in the Libyan oil market in respect to choosing locations overseas, and integrating successfully with the local community.

Application Of Ict In Classroom Learning Education Essay

Application Of Ict In Classroom Learning Education Essay This paper synthesizes the research on teachers and students use of ICT in classrooms in Fufore Local Government area, by means of a particular importance going on improving the excellence of subject matter teaching and learning in classroom. I focus on the inner factors of power on teachers make use of, or be short of use of technology and knowledge in the classroom. My conversation attends to perceptions and values on the subject of ICT and its encouraging special effects, technological literacy and assurance levels, educational knowledge associated to technology use, and the role of ICT to learn in classrooms in Fufore. These factors are discussed in illumination of important communications and additional peripheral issues. I conclude by illustration elsewhere add up to of educational implications for primary ICT application in learning in classrooms and specialized improvement to get schooling, learning, teaching and application Of ICT within this rural area of Fufore with the ai d of this technology will be well established on the increase to help the people with perfect class room learning and teachings. Introduction In this paper, I will be focusing in the research on a rural part of Adamawa State known as Fufore Local Government Area. Fufore is a small town (a local government) located in the southern part of Adamawa State. The town is mostly dominated by the Fulani tribe of Adamawa state. Majority of them are into cattle rearing and poultry farming while a few of them are into farming. Despite their various occupation and ways of life, going to school is another priority for the people. The main aim of this research is to introduce the Application of ICT in class room learning (Ayaga 2009). The application of IT in classrooms is very important to students in the Fufore Rural area. These benefits involve attitudes towards self and towards learning. Studies have discovered that students be aware of more flourishing in school and are motivated to gain knowledge of and have greater than before character self-belief while using ICT to achieve their goals. The Internet and advanced networking technologies are relative newcomers to the classrooms, this goes a distance limiting the way the students and teachers quickly communicate (Classroom assistant). The use of ICT in classroom learning is also beneficial to teachers as well; it goes a long way making them not do some of the old ways of teaching and learning. Use of computer and Information Technologies to develop their roles in the learning development; they try to see that everything is being put to record as the systems available ensure that. Some of these educational processes will increase skilled improvement studies by taking distance learning programs, accessing educational research, and improving classroom activities and resources such as lecture procedure and educational report and records. On the other hand, application of ICT in classroom learning will bring about drastic improvements in teaching and learning in classroom and the whole of Fufore community as a whole (Classroom assistant). Methodology Mixed research method is used in this research, both quantitative and qualitative. Hence using survey data and also observations interviews and also with the aid of internet was followed to arrive. The study area is Fufore Local Government area of Adamawa State, with projected population of 1356 in the year 2010. The population consists of rural dwellers and most of its people depend on farming, crop production, and animal herding but also have the accessibility to provide their children with Good education. Most essential data for the study were collected using structured interview guide for the people and respondents and also questionnaire. The research considered were both on education teaching and learning in the various schools in Fufore. The structured interview guide was structured into 5 sections. The first section is on educational characteristics of the people and the second is on the identification and description of schools. The third section attempted to determine the extent of people participation in learning in the community. The fourth section sought to determine the motivation of people that go to school. Population and Sample The population included the people of Fufore area, where the people were categorized in groups according to their age. Questionnaires were handed out to the people of the area so as to have a specific sample to use in the study. After the questionnaires were returned, out of 1356 people only 250 (18.4%) of them handed their papers complete. Table (1) Age Number 18-28 45 29-39 50 40-50 50 51-61 40 62-72 37 73-83 28 Total 250 This Chart shows the sample collected according to age. The chart above shows the sample of the people who were used for the research. This table is showing the percentage of those who know what ICT is. Table (2) Age Yes No 18-28 55.6% 44.4% 29-39 76% 24% 40-50 80% 20% 51-61 50% 50% 62-72 48.6% 51.4% 73-83 28.6% 71.4% The result in this table is showing majority of people actually know what ICT is. As you can more than half of the first four categories know what a computer is and how it looks like, which it is a good result. Table (3) Age Yes (%) No (%) 18-28 38 62 29-39 46 54 40-50 40 60 51-61 50 50 62-72 19.5 80.5 73-83 10 90 The above result shows the percentage extent of people participation in learning in the total sample used for the study. The benefits of using ICT in classroom learning in Fufore Improved learning effectiveness The use of ICT in learning can be characterized as increasing a persons mental skills and intelligence. The remarkable use of computers in solving and in improvement of individual learning processes has change the thinking of the students in every order. The students get easy access to fast learning and awareness. Also getting ways in solving problems will become more effective for the students and more reliable (Globalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Greater access to information In this case students will have easy access to research projects and information across the whole world not only Fufore to be able to reach out for their needs and search for knowledge. The use of internet will provide them with reliable and sophisticated information on whatever information or question they come across. This will also enhance their knowledge not to local learning but further more gain more experience in every day to day activity (Globalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Increased productivity For example more efficient administration, computer grading of homework and also assessment of the students records and documents will be more efficient and secured. In the research I have revealed that students feel more successful in school and are motivated to learn and have increased self confidence when using Information Technology to achieve their goals. The Internet and advanced networking technologies are relative newcomers to the classrooms; this goes a distance limiting the way the students and teachers quickly communicate. Greater access to education via distance learning (mavccà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). This enables new methods to deliver education, including continuing education, to open new markets and consolidate educational institutions. Information Technology in rural settings will improve learning effectively to the people of the society; it will bring greater access to education via distance learning. For example, enables new methods to deliver education, making research, and gain more useful skill includes the make use of ICT technology products and highly developed networking technologies (Basic Skillsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Conclusion It is inevitable, that using ICT in classroom learning will become much more persuasive and convincing to education in the rural area of Fufore. For better or worse, it will also affect how students learn; it might all depend on their home upbringing and the kind of friends they might associate themselves with. Its impacts must be well thought-out in provisions of usual development of a program of study to provide students with the lessons and techniques that they will need in their future ambitions. Also with the aids of these technologies to the societies, they can now with ease of access satisfy their wants which is part of the human nation. The world is changing at fast rate and the whole thing is technical, technology is being used to run our daily activities, hence, ICT remains a tool that must be used properly and the role of ICT should be well established in classrooms for learning in Fufore rural area. I can confidently say that the presence of ICT is of the better and has d one less harm than good to the entire human race of people of Fufore (Classroom assistant).

Review And History Of CDMA Computer Science Essay

Review And History Of CDMA Computer Science Essay CDMA technology was used many times ago at the time of world war-II by the English soldiers to stop German attempts at jamming transmissions. English soldiers decided to transmit signals over several frequencies, instead of one, making it difficult for the Germans to pick up the complete signal. CDMA has been used in many military applications, such as anti-jamming (because of the spread signal, it is difficult to jam or interfere with a CDMA signal), ranging (measuring the distance of the transmission to know when it will be received), and secure communications (the spread spectrum signal is very hard to detect). In 1949, Claude Shannon and Robert Pierce develop basic ideas of CDMA. In March 1992, the TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) established the TR-45.5 subcommittee to develop a spread spectrum digital cellular standard. In July of 1993, the TIA gave its approval for the CDMA Technology standard. In September 1998, there were 16 million subscribers on CDMA systems worldwide. Now, 22 countries support CDMA. Verizon, used to be the largest carrier, is now second behind ATT, is using CDMA. Other Famous companies using CDMA are Sprint, Alltel in abroad, Tata indicom and Reliance InfoComm in India. 2. What is CDMA? Generally a fixed amount of frequency spectrum is allocated to a cellular system by the national regulator (e.g. in the United States, the Federal communication commission). Multiple-access techniques are then deployed so that many users can share the available spectrum in an efficient manner. Multiple access systems specify how signals from different sources can be combined efficiently for transmission over a given radio frequency band and then separated at the destination without mutual interference. The three basic multiple access methods currently in use in cellular systems are: A. Frequency division multiple access (FDMA) B. Time division multiple access (TDMA) C. Code division multiple access (CDMA) A. Frequency division multiple access (FDMA) The available bandwidth is splits into non-overlapping frequencies and these disjoint sub bands are dedicated to the different users on a continuous time basis. Channel bands behave as buffer zones to minimize interference between different users. B. Time division multiple access (TDMA) Each user has given the full spectral occupancy to the channel, but only for less time interval. Buffers zones are used as guard times inserted between the assigned time slots. This is done to decrease interference between users by permitting for time uncertainty that arises due to system inadequacies. C. Code division multiple access (CDMA) The main Drawback of FDMA and TDMA is that only one subscriber at a time is assigned to a channel. No other conversation can access this channel until the subscriber s call is finished or until that original call is handed off to a different channel by the system. The above drawback is overcome in this third technique. CDMA systems utilize the spread spectrum technique, whereby a spreading code (called a pseudo-random noise or PN code) is used to allow multiple users to share a block of frequency spectrum. Detailed Description of How CDMA work is explained below. 3. How CDMA works? With CDMA, unique digital codes, rather than separate radio frequencies or channels, are used to distinguish subscribers. The codes are used by both the mobile company and the base station, that codes are called pseudo-Random Code Sequences. CDMA is a spread spectrum technology, which means that it spreads the information contained in a particular signal of interest over a much greater bandwidth than the original signal. CDMA uses Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technology. In DSSS technology, Signal is transmitted by adding random data-bits called chip. This addition is done by the direct sequence transmitters. Now signal contains both, a useful signal and a signal that appears to be interference (the chips) is transmitted. The receiver easily identifies the chips and subtracts them, leaving only the useful signal. This means that original signal is spread over several frequencies simultaneously. This can deliver secure communication such that the transmitted signal can not be detected or recognized easily by unwanted listeners. It can discard interference whether it is the unintentional interference by another user simultaneously trying to transmit through the channel, or the intentional interference trying to j am the transmission. In TDMA, the original call is transmitted at 9600 bps (9.6 kbps) but when put on the CDMA, the call is spread over a 1.23 Mbps bandwidth, so it can be transmitted at a higher speed. Unique codes are applied to the data bits that make up the telephone call for a particular user. The cellular telephone receiving the call takes off the data codes and the call is converted back to its original 9600 bps. The use of these data codes enables CDMA systems to differentiate data bits from many different calls in the cell. CDMA networks use a scheme called soft handoff, which minimizes signal breakup as a handset passes from one cell to another. The combination of digital and spread-spectrum modes supports several times as many signals per unit bandwidth as analog modes. CDMA is compatible with other cellular technologies, this allows for nationwide roaming. 4. Factors affecting CDMA functionality Although CDMA does not have some capacity limitation, no maximum number of calls per single, wide band-width channel is established. The number of calls that a channel can accommodate is based on 3 factors. A. Total bandwidth B. Geographical coverage C. Quality of sound ? The available bandwidth can be increased by decreasing the quality of sound or the area covered by network. ? Channels that primarily carry voice conversation do not use the extra capacity required to deliver CD-quality sound. So, more bandwidth is available to provide longer transmission distance or to accommodate more cellular calls. ? Suppose there are 2N users that only talk half of the time then they can be accommodated with the same average bandwidth as N users that talk all of the time. 5. Types of CDMA Some of the types of CDMA transmission are as under A. Composite CDMA/TDMA B. CDMA C. cdmaOne D. cdma2000 A. Composite CDMA/TDMA It is Wireless technology that uses both CDMA and TDMA. It is used for large-cell licensed band and small-cell unlicensed band applications. It uses CDMA between cells and TDMA within cells. B. CDMA CDMA is characterized by high capacity and small cell radius, employing spread-spectrum technology and a special coding scheme. C. cdmaOne cdmaOne is the first generation narrowband CDMA. It is also called IS-95. D. Cdma2000 This includes 1XRTT CDMA standard. That is designed to double current voice capacity and support always-on data transmission speeds 10 times faster than typically available today. 6. Advantages of CDMA A. Capacity: The capacity of CDMA currently is 8 to 10 times greater than AMPS which uses FDMA transmission (and predicted to be 20 to 40 times greater in future) and 4 to 5 times greater than GSM which uses TDMA transmission (with prediction of being up to 13 times greater). B. Best for in built system and micro-cell. As in CDMA transmission, we do not need SIM card it is best for in-built system and micro-cell. C. Improves the voice quality. CDMA systems use precise power control that is, the base station sends commands to every mobile phone currently involved in a call, turning down the power on the nearby ones, and increasing the power of those further away. The result is a nice; even noise level across the carrier, with lower overall power levels and no spiky interference. D. Improves the telephone traffic capacity. E. It also provides Call privacy. F. Easily planned and maintained in comparison with FDMA TDMA 7. Disadvantage of CDMA The only disadvantage of installing CDMA system is the cost of the base station with its complex communication equipments. A CDMA base station costs approximately $150,000, while a similar station for TDMA costs approximately $50,000. 8. Referenced Books A. Business Data Communication Fourth edition By Shelly Cashman Serwatka B. COMPUTER NETWORKS, 3rd Edition By Andrew S. Tanenbaum 9. Referenced websites A. www.scsite.com B. www.wikipedia.com C. www.wisegeek.com D. www.palowireless.com E. www.indiastudychannel.com

Native American Astronomy Essay -- Astronomy Seasons Astronomers Essay

Native American Astronomy For many years astronomers and people alike have constantly heard about the observations and records of the Chinese and Europeans. No other culture can provide as much information as that gathered by the Chinese and Europeans, but there are many other cultures that observed and recorded the night sky, one of those being the Native Americans. During the last fifteen to twenty years archaeoastronomers have uncovered much concerning the beliefs and records of Native Americans. Unfortunately, the methods of keeping records of astronomical events were not as straight forward as the Chinese and Europeans. The Native Americans had to use what they could to record what they observed. Their records were found on rock and cave drawings, stick notching, beadwork, pictures on animal skins and story telling. One of the few dateable events among the various records of Native Americans was the 1833 appearance of the Leonid meteor shower. The most obvious accounts of the Leonid storm appear among the various bands of the Sioux of the North American plains. The Sioux kept records called â€Å"winter counts,† which were a chronological pictographic account of each year painted on animal skin. In 1984 Von Del Chamberlain listed the astronomical references for 50 Sioux, forty five out of fifty referred to an intense meteor shower during 1833/1834. He also listed nineteen winter counts kept by other plains Indian tribes, fourteen of which referred to the Leonid storm. The Leonids also appear among the Maricopa, who used calendar sticks with notches to represent the passage of a year, with the owner of the stick remembering the events. The owner of one stick claimed records had been kept that way â€Å"since the stars fell.† The first notch on the stick represented 1833. A member of the Papago, named Kutox, was born around 1847 or 1848. He claimed that 14 years prior to his birth â€Å"the stars rained all ov er the sky.† A less obvious Leonid reference was found in a journal kept by Alexander M. Stephen, which detailed his visit with the Hopi Indians and mentions a talk he had With Old Djasjini on December 11, 1892. That Hopi Indian said, â€Å"How old am I? Fifty, maybe a hundred years, I cannot tell. When I was a young boy eight or ten years there was a great comet in the sky and at night all the above was full of shooting stars. (Stephen 37). During the lifetime o... ...eir records by building structures that would observe the sun. the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming dates to AD 1400 to 1700. Lines drawn between major markings on the wheel point to the location of solstice sunrises and sunsets and also toward the rising point of the three brightest stars that rise before the sun in the summer. About fifty medicine wheels have been discovered, several are thousands of years. Many of them have the same alignment as the Bighorn Medicine Wheel. In Chaco Canyon, New Mexico two spirals carved into the rock by the prehistoric Anasazi can be used as a calendar. A dagger of light penetrates the shadow of adjacent rocks. The dagger moves with the sun to different locations on the spiral.the full pattern also reflects the 18.6 year cycle of the moon as well as the yearly cycle of the sun. The ancient Native Americans were not sophisticated astronomers in the sense of coherent theory behind the movements of heavenly objects, their level of understanding o f the time cycles of the sun, moon and planets was great. The methods for recording and keeping track of the seasonal movements was clever and displays a cultural richness that varies from tribe to tribe.

Imprisonment of Women Exposed in The Yellow Wallpaper -- Yellow Wallpa

Imprisonment of Women Exposed in The Yellow Wallpaper When asked the question of why she chose to write 'The Yellow Wallpaper', Charlotte Perkins Gilman claimed that experiences in her own life dealing with a nervous condition, then termed 'melancholia', had prompted her to write the short story as a means to try and save other people from a similar fate. Although she may have suffered from a similar condition to the narrator of her illuminating short story, Gilman's story cannot be coined merely a tale of insanity. Insanity is the vehicle for Gilman's larger comment on the atrocities of social conformity. The main character of "The Yellow Wallpaper" comes to recognize the inhumanity in society's treatment of women, and in her awakening to this, visualizes her torment in the faded yellow wallpaper that hangs in her chambers, her jail. The unnamed narrator of the tale is purposefully left unnamed; the narrator could be any wife, any mother, any woman. Gilman transforms the hysterical, insane female of early 19th century literature into g enius. The first striking image that readers of "The Yellow Wallpaper" are presented with is not that of a room, it is not of the house, but of the character of John, the husband. John is described as a man of a "practical and extreme" nature (246). His presence throughout the tale provides for the narrator's motive. John refuses to accept her wife's condition; he does not believe that there is anything truly wrong with her. If a physician of high standing, and one's own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression, a slight hysterical tendency - what is one to do? (246) The narrator is possessed by her hus... ...ion. Sven Birkerts. Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon, 1992. 387-400. Haney-Peritz, Janice. "Monumental Feminism and Literature's Ancestral House: Another Look at 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Women's Studies 12 (1986): 113-128. Johnson, Greg. "Gilman's Gothic Allegory: Rage and Redemption in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Studies in Short Fiction 26 (Fall 1989): 521-530. King, Jeanette, and Pam Morris. "On Not Reading Between the Lines: Models of Reading in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Studies in Short Fiction 26.1 (Winter 1989): 23-32. Knight, Denise D. "The Reincarnation of Jane: 'Through This' - Gilman's Companion to 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Women's Studies 20 (1992): 287-302. Rigney, Barbara Hill. Madness and Sexual Politics in the Feminist Novel: Studies in Bronte, Woolf, Lessing, and Atwood. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1978.

Restorative Justice Essay

Introduction: The two thing that most victims of a crime have in common is that they want to know who committed the crime and why. In addition many victims may desire to meet and confront the offender to get some closure or justice. In some cases this is made possible via restorative justice process. This process is all about bringing the victim and the offender together. Restorative justice process: Restorative justice process is a process where the victim of a crime and the criminal are brought together to share their thoughts and feeling. The purpose of this is to help each side understand the pain that was caused by the crime. The three main processes most often identified with restorative justice is Restorative Circles, Restorative Conferencing and Victim-offender mediation. Restorative Circles is a facilitated community meetings attended by offenders, victims, their friends and families, interested members of the community, and (usually) representatives of the justice system. The facilitator is a community member (called a â€Å"keeper†) whose role is primarily to keep the process orderly and periodically to summarize for the benefit of the circle. Conferencing brings the victim and offender to a face-to-face meeting to discuss the crime and its impact. This brings support people for both the victim and offender in the discussions. A criminal justice representative may be present in the conference. A trained facilitator, who does not have a role in the substantive discussions leads  and guides the Participants. Victim Offender Mediation brings victims and offenders together with a trained facilitator to discuss the crime and develop an agreement for how to make things right. This process focuses on creating a safe, comfortable environment in which restorative dialogue can take place. Effects of the crime: The effects of this crime were far reaching. Obviously it affected Mildred in several ways. She lost her valuables and now she is afraid to stay at home. In addition it also effected Mildred’s daughter, Betty. Betty now had to provide a place for her to stay for a while and now she was worried about her safety. This crime also had an effect on the communities’ sense of security as well as the offenders family. Differences between restorative justice process and contemporary criminal justice: Restorative justice is a process where all members volunteer to participate, which in return ensure buy in from all parties. This is essential in ensuring rehabilitation of the offender and closure for the victim. In addition the penalty for the offense is less severe therefore it give the offender a chance to make amends and get back on track. No conviction charges are applied. The contemporary criminal justice process is formal and requires a judge, lawyers and a possible jury. This process is all about proving guilt and holding offenders accountable. It may not be the most effective way to give closure to the victim or rehabilitating the offender. Restorative justice process benefits: David was given a second chance to make amends for his offense with him receiving a conviction . He was given an opportunity to see how his action affected the victim and other s around her, In return he was able to get back onto the right path. Mildred was given closure and she received some of her property back and she gained confidence in her community. The community gained confidence in their overall security. Conclusion: At the end of the day the restorative justice process is more productive and effective as long as all side are willing participants. Buy in on a solution to a problem is always more effective then forcing the solution via conviction. References www.rjcity.org (copyright 2007 Prison Fellowship International).

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Fourteen

White owl†¦ hunting bird†¦ hunter†¦ tiger. Playing with you like a cat with a mouse. Like a cat†¦ a great cat†¦ a kitten. A white kitten. Death is in the house. And the kitten, the kitten had run from Damon. Not out of fear, but out of the fear of being discovered. Like when it had stood on Margaret's chest and wailed at the sight of Elena outside the window. Elena moaned and almost surfaced from unconsciousness, but the gray fog dragged her back under before she could open her eyes. Her thoughts seethed around her again. Poisoned love†¦ Stefan, it hated you before it hated Elena†¦ White and gold†¦ something white†¦ something white under the tree†¦ This time, when she struggled to open her eyes, she succeeded. And even before she could focus in the dim and shifting light, she knew. She finally knew. The figure in the trailing white dress turned from the candle she was lighting, and Elena saw what might have been her own face on its shoulders. But it was a subtly distorted face, pale and beautiful as an ice sculpture, but wrong. It was like the endless reflections of herself Elena had seen in her dream of the hall of mirrors. Twisted and hungry, and mocking. â€Å"Hello, Katherine,† she whispered. Katherine smiled, a sly and predatory smile. â€Å"You're not as stupid as I thought,† she said. Her voice was light and sweet-silvery, Elena thought. Like her eyelashes. There were silvery lights in her dress when she moved, too. But her hair was gold, almost as pale a gold as Elena's own. Her eyes were like the kitten's eyes: round and jewel blue. At her throat she wore a necklace with a stone of the same vivid color. Elena's own throat was sore, as if she had been screaming. It felt dry as well. When she turned her head slowly to the side, even that little motion hurt. Stefan was beside her, slumped forward, bound by his arms to the wrought-iron pickets of the gate. His head sagged against his chest, but what she could see of his face was deathly white. His throat was torn, and blood had dripped onto his collar and dried. Elena turned back to Katherine so quickly that her head spun. â€Å"Why? Why did you do that?† Katherine smiled, showing pointed white teeth. â€Å"Because I love him,† she said in a childish singsong. â€Å"Don't you love him, too?† It was only then that Elena fully realized why she couldn't move, and why her arms hurt. She was tied up like Stefan, lashed securely to the closed gate. A painful turning of her head to the other side revealed Damon. â€Å"Which one do you like better?† Katherine asked, in an intimate, confiding tone. â€Å"You can tell me. Which one do you think is best?† Elena looked at her, sickened. â€Å"Katherine,† she whispered. â€Å"Please. Please listen to me†¦ â€Å"Tell me. Go on.† Those jewel blue eyes filled Elena's vision as Katherine leaned in close, her lips almost touching Elena's. â€Å"I think they're both fun. Do you like fun, Elena?† Revolted, Elena shut her eyes and turned her face away. If only her head would stop spinning. Katherine stepped back with a clear laugh. â€Å"I know, it's so hard to choose.† She did a little pirouette, and Elena saw that what she had vaguely taken for the train to Katherine's dress was Katherine's hair. It flowed like molten gold down her back to spill over the floor, trailing behind her. â€Å"It all depends on your taste,† Katherine continued, doing a few graceful dance steps and ending up in front of Damon. She looked over at Elena impishly. â€Å"But then I have such a sweet tooth.† She grasped Damon by the hair, and, yanking his head up, sank her teeth into his neck. â€Å"No! Don't do that; don't hurt him any more†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena tried to surge forward, but she was tied too tightly. The gate was solid iron, set in stone, and the ropes were sturdy. Katherine was making animal sounds, gnawing and chewing at the flesh, and Damon moaned even in unconsciousness. Elena saw his body jerk reflexively with pain. â€Å"Please stop; oh, please stop-â€Å" Katherine lifted her head. Blood was running down her chin. â€Å"But I'm hungry and he's so good,† she said. She reared back and struck again, and Damon's body spasmed. Elena cried out. I was like that, she thought. In the beginning, that first night in the woods, I was like that. I hurt Stefan like that, I wanted to kill him†¦ Darkness swept up around her, and she gave in to it gratefully. Alaric's car skewed on a patch of ice as it reached the school, and Meredith almost ran into it. She and Matt jumped out of her car, leaving the doors open. Ahead, Alaric and Bonnie did the same. â€Å"What about the rest of the town?† Meredith shouted, running toward them. The wind was rising, and her face burned with frost. â€Å"Just Elena's family-Aunt Judith and Margaret,† Bonnie cried. Her voice was shrill and frightened, but there was a look of concentration in her eyes. She leaned her head back as if trying to remember something, and said, â€Å"Yes, that's it. They're the other ones the dogs will be after. Make them go somewhere-like the cellar. Keep them there!† â€Å"I'll do it. You three take the dance!† Bonnie turned to run after Alaric. Meredith raced back to her car. â€Å"Go back in! Get everybody inside and shut the doors!† he yelled at the sheriff's officers. But there wasn't time. He reached the cafeteria just as the first lurking shape in the darkness did. One officer went down without a sound or a chance to fire his gun. Another was quicker, and a gunshot rang out, amplified by the concrete courtyard. Students screamed and began to run away from it, into the parking lot. Alaric went after them, yelling, trying to herd them back. Other shapes came out of the darkness, from between parked cars, from all sides. Panic ensued. Alaric kept shouting, kept trying to gather the terrified students toward the building. Out here they were easy prey. In the courtyard, Bonnie turned to Matt. â€Å"We need fire!† she said. Matt darted into the cafeteria and came out with a box half-full of dance programs. He threw it to the ground, groping in his pockets for one of the matches they'd used to light the candle before. The paper caught and burned brightly. It formed an island of safety. Matt continued to wave people into the cafeteria doors behind it. Bonnie plunged inside, to find a scene just as riotous as outside. She looked around for someone in authority but couldn't see any adults, only panicked kids. Then the red and green crepe paper decorations caught her eye. The noise was thunderous; even a shout couldn't be heard in here. Struggling past the people trying to get out, she made it to the far side of the room. Caroline was there, looking pale without her summer tan, and wearing the snow queen tiara. Bonnie towed her to the microphone. â€Å"You're good at talking. Tell them to get inside and stay in! Tell them to start taking down the decorations. We need anything that'll burn-wood chairs, stuff in garbage cans, anything. Tell them it's our only chance!† She added, as Caroline stared at her, frightened and uncomprehending: â€Å"You've got the crown on now-so do something with it!† She didn't wait to see Caroline obey. She plunged again into the furor of the room. A moment later she heard Caroline's voice, first hesitant and then urgent, on the loudspeakers. It was dead quiet when Elena opened her eyes again. At the hoarse whisper, she tried to focus and found herself looking into pain-filled green eyes. â€Å"Stefan,† she said. She leaned toward him yearningly, wishing she could move. It didn't make sense, but she felt that if they could only hold each other it wouldn't be so bad. There was a childish laugh. Elena didn't turn toward it, but Stefan did. Elena saw his reaction, saw the sequence of expressions passing across his face almost too quickly to identify. Blank shock, disbelief, dawning joy-and then horror. A horror that finally turned his eyes blind and opaque. â€Å"Katherine,† he said. â€Å"But that's impossible. It can't be. You're dead†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Stefan†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena said, but he didn't respond. Katherine put a hand in front of her mouth and giggled behind it. â€Å"You wake up, too,† she said, looking on the other side of Elena. Elena felt a surge of Power. After a moment Damon's head lifted slowly, and he blinked. There was no astonishment in his face. He leaned his head back, eyes wearily narrowed, and looked for a minute or so at his captor. Then he smiled, a faint and painful smile, but recognizable. â€Å"Our sweet little white kitten,† he whispered. â€Å"I should have known.† â€Å"You didn't know, though, did you?† Katherine said, as eager as a child playing a game. â€Å"Even you didn't guess. I fooled everyone.† She laughed again. â€Å"It was so much fun, watching you while you were watching Stefan, and neither of you knew I was there. I even scratched you once!† Hooking her fingers into claws, she mimicked a kitten's slash. â€Å"At Elena's house. Yes, I remember,† Damon said slowly. He didn't seem so much angry as vaguely, whimsically amused. â€Å"Well, you're certainly a hunter. The lady and the tiger, as it were.† â€Å"And I put Stefan in that well,† Katherine bragged. â€Å"I saw you two fighting; I liked that. I followed Stefan to the edge of the woods, and then-† She clapped her cupped hands together, like someone catching a moth. Opening them slowly, she peered down into them as if she really had something there, and giggled secretly. â€Å"I was going to keep him to play with,† she confided. Then her lower lip thrust out and she looked at Elena balefully. â€Å"But you took him. That was mean, Elena. You shouldn't have done that.† The dreadful childish slyness was gone from her face, and for a moment Elena glimpsed the searing hatred of a woman. â€Å"Greedy girls get punished,† Katherine said, moving toward her, â€Å"and you're a greedy girl.† Distracted, Katherine stepped back. She looked surprised, then flattered. â€Å"Well-if you really want me to,† she said. She hugged her elbows with her hands and pirouetted again, her golden hair twisting on the floor. â€Å"No,† she said gleefully, turning back and pointing at them. â€Å"You guess. You guess and I'll tell you ‘right' or ‘wrong.' Go on! Elena swallowed, casting a covert glance at Stefan. She didn't see the point of stalling Katherine; it was all going to come out the same in the end. But some instinct told her to hang on to life as long as she could. â€Å"You attacked Vickie,† she said, carefully. Her own voice sounded winded to her ears, but she was positive now. â€Å"The girl in the ruined church that night.† â€Å"Good! Yes,† Katherine cried. She made another kitten swipe with clawed fingers. â€Å"Well, after all, she was in my church,† she added reasonably. â€Å"And what she and that boy were doing-well! You don't do that in church. So, I scratched her!† Katherine drew out the word, demonstrating, like somebody telling a story to a young child. â€Å"And†¦ I licked the blood up!† She licked pale pink lips with her tongue. Then she pointed at Stefan. â€Å"Next guess!† â€Å"You've been hounding her ever since,† Stefan said. He wasn't playing the game; he was making a sickened observation. â€Å"Yes, we're done with that! Go on to something else,† Katherine said sharply. But then she fiddled with the buttons at the neck of her dress, her fingers twinkling. And Elena thought of Vickie, with her startled-fawn eyes, undressing in the cafeteria in front of everyone. â€Å"I made her do silly things.† Katherine laughed. â€Å"She was fun to play with.† Elena's arms were numb and cramped. She realized that she was reflexively straining against the ropes, so offended by Katherine's words that she couldn't hold still. She made herself stop, trying instead to lean back and get a little feeling into her deadened hands. What she was going to do if she got free she didn't know, but she had to try. â€Å"Next guess,† Katherine was saying dangerously. â€Å"Why do you say it's your church?† Damon asked. His voice was still distantly amused, as if none of this affected him at all. â€Å"What about Honoria Fell?† â€Å"Oh, that old spook!† Katherine said maliciously. She peered around behind Elena, her mouth pursed, her eyes glaring. Elena realized for the first time that they were facing the entrance to the crypt, with the ransacked tomb behind them. Maybe Honoria would help them†¦ But then she remembered that quiet, fading voice. This is the only help I can give you. And she knew that no further aid would come. As if she'd read Elena's thoughts, Katherine was saying, â€Å"She can't do anything. She's just a pack of old bones.† The graceful hands made gestures as if Katherine were breaking those bones. â€Å"All she can do is talk, and lots of times I stopped you from hearing her.† Katherine's expression was dark again, and Elena felt an acid twinge of fear. â€Å"Yes! That was funny. You all came running out of the house and started moaning and crying†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Katherine evoked the scene in pantomime: the little dog lying in front of Bonnie's house, the girls rushing out to find his body. â€Å"He tasted bad, but it was worth it. I followed Damon there when he was a crow. I used to follow him a lot. If I wanted I could have grabbed that crow, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She made a sharp wringing motion. Bonnie's dream, thought Elena, icy revelation sweeping over her. She didn't even realize she'd spoken aloud until she saw Stefan and Katherine looking at her. â€Å"Bonnie dreamed about you,† she whispered. â€Å"But she thought it was me. She told me that she saw me standing under a tree with the wind blowing. And she was afraid of me. She said I looked different, pale but almost glowing. And a crow flew by and I grabbed it and wrung its neck.† Bile was rising in Elena's throat, and she gulped it down. â€Å"But it was you,† she said. Katherine looked delighted, as if Elena had somehow proved her point. â€Å"People dream about me a lot,† she said smugly. â€Å"Your aunt-she's dreamed about me. I tell her it was her fault you died. She thinks it's you telling her.† â€Å"Oh, God†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I wish you had died,† Katherine went on, her face turning spiteful. â€Å"You should have died. I kept you in the river long enough. But you were such a tramp, getting blood from both of them, that you came back. Oh, well.† She gave a furtive smile. â€Å"Now I can play with you longer. I lost my temper that day, because I saw Stefan had given you my ring. My ring!† Her voice rose. â€Å"Mine, that I left for them to remember me by. And he gave it to you. That was when I knew I wasn't just going to play with him. I had to kill him.† Stefan's eyes were stricken, confounded. â€Å"But I thought you were dead,† he said. â€Å"You were dead, five hundred years ago. Katherine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh, that was the first time I fooled you,† Katherine said, but there was no glee in her tone now. It was sullen. â€Å"I arranged it all with Gudren, my maid. The two of you wouldn't accept my choice,† she burst out, looking from Stefan to Damon angrily. â€Å"I wanted us all to be happy; I loved you. I loved you both. But that wasn't good enough for you.† Katherine's face had changed again, and Elena saw in it the hurt child of five centuries ago. That must have been what Katherine looked like, then, she thought wonderingly. The wide blue eyes were actually filling with tears. â€Å"I wanted you to love each other.† Katherine went on, sounding bewildered, â€Å"but you wouldn't. And I felt awful. I thought if you thought I'd died, that you would love each other. And I knew I had to go away, anyway, before Papa started to suspect what I was. â€Å"But then†-Katherine's face twisted in grief-â€Å"you did everything all wrong. You were supposed to be sorry, and cry, and comfort each other. I did it for you. But instead you ran and got swords. Why did you do that?† It was a cry from the heart. â€Å"Why didn't you take my gift? You treated it like garbage. I told you in the note that I wanted you to be reconciled with each other. But you didn't listen and you got swords. You killed each other. Why did you do it?† Tears were slipping down Katherine's cheeks, and Stefan's face was wet, too. â€Å"We were stupid,† he said, as caught up in the memory of the past as she was. â€Å"We blamed each other for your death, and we were so stupid†¦ Katherine, listen to me. It was my fault; I was the one who attacked first. And I've been sorry-you don't know how sorry I've been ever since. You don't know how many times I've thought about it and wished there was something I could do to change it. I'd have given anything to take it back-anything. I killed my brother†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His voice cracked, and tears spilled from his eyes. Elena, her heart breaking with grief, turned helplessly to Damon and saw that he wasn't even aware of her. The look of amusement was gone, and his eyes were fixed on Stefan in utter concentration, riveted. â€Å"Katherine, please listen to me,† Stefan said shakily, regaining his voice. â€Å"We've all hurt one another enough. Please let us go now. Or keep me, if you want, but let them leave. I'm the one that's to blame. Keep me, and I'll do whatever you want†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Katherine's jewel-like eyes were liquid and impossibly blue, filled with an endless sorrow. Elena didn't dare to breathe, afraid to break the spell as the slender girl moved toward Stefan, her face softened and yearning. But then the ice inside Katherine crept out again, freezing the tears on her cheeks. â€Å"You should have thought of that a long time ago,† she said. â€Å"I might have listened to you then. I was sorry you'd killed each other at first. I ran away, without even Gudren, back to my home. But then I didn't have anything, not even a new dress, and I was hungry and cold. I might have starved if Klaus hadn't found me.† Klaus. Through her dismay, Elena remembered something Stefan had told her. Klaus was the man who'd made Katherine a vampire, the man the villagers said was evil. â€Å"Klaus taught me the truth,† Katherine said. â€Å"He showed me how the world really is. You have to be strong, and take the things you want. You have to think only of yourself. And I'm the strongest of all now. I am. You know how I got that way?† She answered the question without even waiting for them to respond. â€Å"Lives. So many lives. Humans and vampires, and they're all inside me now. I killed Klaus after a century or two. He was surprised. He didn't know how much I'd learned. â€Å"I brought you here, both of you. I put the thought in your mind, Stefan, the way you put thoughts into a human's. I guided you to this place. And then I made sure Damon followed you. Elena was here. I think she must be related to me somehow; she looks like me. I knew you'd see her and feel guilty. But you weren't supposed to fall in love with her!† The resentfulness in Katherine's voice gave way to fury again. â€Å"You weren't supposed to forget me! You weren't supposed to give her my ring!† â€Å"Katherine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Katherine swept on. â€Å"Oh, you made me so angry. And now I'm going to make you sorry, really sorry. I know who I hate most now, and it's you, Stefan. Because I loved you best.† She seemed to regain control of herself, wiping the last traces of tears from her face and drawing herself up with exaggerated dignity. â€Å"I don't hate Damon as much,† she said. â€Å"I might even let him live.† Her eyes narrowed, and then widened with an idea. â€Å"Listen, Damon,† she said secretly. â€Å"You're not as stupid as Stefan is. You know the way things really are. I've heard you say it. I've seen things you've done.† She leaned forward. â€Å"I've been lonely since Klaus died. You could keep me company. All you have to do is say you love me best. Then after I kill them we'll go away. You can even kill the girl if you want. I'd let you. What do you think?† Oh, God, thought Elena, sickened again. Damon's eyes were on Katherine's wide blue ones; he seemed to be searching her face. And the whimsical amusement was back in his expression. Oh, God, no, Elena thought. Please, no†¦ Slowly, Damon smiled.