Outlining and Identifying the Characteristics of the Flora and Fauna Essay

Outlining and Identifying the Characteristics of the Flora and Fauna - Essay Example Gaines, and S.D. 2007). Each organism found in this habitat has a different adaptation to increase survival levels in environments with harsh extremes. A rocky shore can typically be separated into different zones each zone has a wealth of species that inhabit it. The splash zone, which is also the spray zone, usually occurs above the spring high tide line. The organisms here have adaptations to cope with high exposure to air and different temperature extremes due to different seasonal fluctuations. The intertidal zone can be split into three different sections the high intertidal area, the low intertidal region and the middle intertidal. The high intertidal zone is mainly hit with the highest of tides. The middle intertidal zone is regularly exposed and submerged by average tides. The low intertidal zone borders the shallow sub tidal zone and is primary marine in character. Shores with vertical zonation are similar globally. Zonation zones are classified by the different exposure le vels to waves and also by the organisms that occur in these areas. Many a biotic factors may influence the result of a comparative survey of rocky shore biota. The geological factors such as the surface texture of surrounding rocks may influence the organisms found as they may need to be adapted to attach to the surface (Kitching, J.A. Little, C. 1996).

Information Systems Technolog Essay Example for Free

Information Systems Technolog Essay Information systems technology changes and the well-managed implementation thereof can indeed be such a difficult undertaking for organizations. Though the adaptability of the employees and the management – and oftentimes, the customers as well – largely vary from one industry to another, it does remain that the shift from the old ways to the new ones is not always a welcomed development. The lessons that can be learned from the case of the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB), as cited by the Bert Painter, are as well applicable to other companies that have similarly transformed their information systems into advanced and more efficient ones. One of the advantages afforded by better information systems is increased productivity in the workplace, which usually translates to higher income levels for the company. Not all functions, though, can be reduced to formulas and technical processes – like those of Claims Officers in WCB. But putting aside the tasks that thrive on the personal touch, creativity and imagination, as well as duties that require the exercise of judgment and the use subjective discernment, there will definitely be big changes in the entire organization. Information systems technology changes are commonly sought by management as a way to reduce wastage in terms of company resources and manpower hours, based on the accumulated employee hours devoted to such outmoded routines as sending via fax the same sheets to a number of customers. However, systems upgrading should always go with adequate change management, as cited by Bert Painter. This way, heightened efficiency at work will be achieved without causing any employee to feel displaced and demoted. The complication that goes with replacing the information and network system of a company should not be underestimated. It definitely brings in a lot of equally awkward and uneasy consequences – the necessary trainings for the employees, the shortcomings of the systems and the employees’ reactions thereto, and the removal from the organizational chart of job posts that are hence rendered useless. These issues have to be properly handled. As Prof. Khalifa has written, high-technology solutions usually are not welcomed as positive developments by people who are prone to be adverse to change. Thus, managing change involves leading the people in the organization to overcome the natural inertia that makes change not easy to implement. There are lessons, too, that Bert Painter did not so much dwell on. For one, it must be understood that the setting up of the company’s improved systems by itself will not boost the revenues generated and will not endear the company to its customers. The same improved systems also will not help the company win the loyalty of its employees. Thus, the interrelationships of people within the organization must not tend toward becoming less personal, not even if more and more old routines that used to foster camaraderie among them are becoming obsolete. Furthermore, there are alignment difficulties that will have to be dealt with during the critical learning stage. In the case of WCB, some of them already have taken form. In such a situation, it is important that professional Information Technology (IT) groups with impressive track records be tapped to address the company’s needs throughout the transition phase. It will entail costs to avail of their services, but it will save the company from losing more in terms of adverse consequences of a poorly managed transition. Without a doubt, the successful upgrading of information systems will, in the end, turn out to be the right move. Work Cited Khalifa, Mohamed. Introduction: Evolving Role of IT. Khalifa, Mohamed. Fundamentals of E-Business.

Distal Symmetrical Neuropathy (DPN)

Distal Symmetrical Neuropathy (DPN) Abstract The most common complication of diabetes, distal symmetrical neuropathy (DPN), decreases quality of life and causes disability. Therefore, it hasa significant impact on social and economic aspects. Unfortunately, the treatment of this condition remains challenging because, apart from improving glycaemic control, there are currently no pathogenetic drugs that meet the requirement set by US regulation. This is not necessarily due to a lack of therapeutic potential, but because the endpoints were not robust enough to detect the therapeutic benefit. This essay will address several acknowledged surrogate endpoints (SE) for DPN. Corneal confocal microscopy will also be reviewed as a potential SE for DPN. Introduction Neuropathy, a common long-term complication of diabetes, is associated with the progressive loss of nerve fibres affecting both the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.1 The most common type of diabetic neuropathy is DPN, of which manifestation may vary from painful sensations to foot insensitivity at risk of ulceration.2 In an attempt to treat DPN, clinicians use symptomatic drugs such as tricyclic antidepressants, anticonvulsants, opioids, and opioid-like agents that alleviate painful symptoms in the lower limbs.3 These drugs, however, do not affect the underlying cause of the disease, which is believed to be progressive loss of nerve fibres. Drugs that target putative pathogenesis of the disease, therefore, may become great alternatives. There are currently two main experimental drugs that belong to this group: namely, antioxidant ÃŽ ±-lipoic acid4 and aldose-reductase inhibitor epalrestat.5 However, although theyhave been approved in a limited number of countries, they fail to demonstrate sufficient efficacy to be approved by US regulation. This has raised a question about the reason behind this problem. Poorly designed trials, slow progression of the disease, relatively short duration of the trials, strong placebo effect, and endpoints selection are amongst the factors proposed behind this problem.6The latter factor is of particular interest because some of the current surrogate endpoints for DPN assessment may be subjective due to reliance on the patient’s response. Further discussion of SE for DPN will be reviewed below. Surrogate endpoints for DPN The endpoints used in clinical trialsare variable to evaluate the changes in patient condition after they have been given certain treatment. The ideal endpoints should be clinically meaningful and directly measure how the patients feel, function, and survive.7 However, it is difficult in some cases to apply them in clinical trials due to subjectivity or measurement difficulty. Moreover, the clinical trials have to be conducted overa very long periodto measure these ideal endpoints. To solve this problem, the researchers use the surrogate endpoints which define any laboratory measures, signs or symptomsthat are intended to be used as substitutes for clinically meaningful endpoints.7 Therefore, any changes in the surrogate endpoints induced by treatment are expected to reflect the changes in the clinically meaningful endpoints. In the case of DPN, several endpoints have been used to diagnose and evaluate progression or severity of the disease, including clinical assessment, electrophysiology, quantitative sensory testing (QST),8 sympathetic skin response (SSR),9 quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test (QSART),9, 10 autonomic testing, nerve/skin biopsy,11-13 and corneal confocal microscopy (CCM).14 Clinical assessment of DPN involves assessing the severity of the patients’ symptoms and neurological examination. Most components of this examination rely on patients’ responses and the physicians’ experiences; therefore it has poor reproducibility and marked variation in inter-observer agreement.Dyck15 tried to overcome this problem by developing composite scores that assess the symptoms and signs of DPN. The neuropathy symptom score (NSS) was developed to assess the symptoms, whereas the neuropathy disability score (NDS) was devised as a quantified neurological examination.15 Later, NDS was replaced by the neuropathy impairment score (NIS).16 However, these scores still have a certain degree of subjectivity, meaning the evaluation of disease severity may be biased. An electrophysiology study measures the electrical conduction along the nerve fibres to evaluate their function. As a surrogate endpoint, it has been criticised due to the need for special equipment and a trained examiner.17 Moreover, there is evidence that it only assesses the function of large fibres,18 yet the earliest fibres affected by diabetes aresmall unmyelinated fibres.12 QST, on the other hand, evaluates both large (A-beta) and small (A-delta and C) nerve fibres. It measures sensory response after the application of accurately calibrated sensory (mechanical and thermal) stimuli.8 However, it has been criticised because it is subjective (based on patient response) and thus cannot differentiate between fake or real response. Due to this reason, QST results are not recommended to be the sole criteria to diagnose DPN. The combination of composite score, electrophysiology, and QST offers a relatively robust tool to define neuropathic severity but fails to detect the earliest sta ge of nerve damage that happens in small unmyelinated fibres.19 The somatic nerve disturbances due to diabetes are usually accompanied by vasomotor or sudomotor changes that suggest autonomic involvement. QSART examines the sudomotor changes in neuropathic patients by measuring sweat volume produced by skin after chemical10 or electrical stimulation.20 QSART is considered as a robust endpoint for DPN because it is quite sensitive, objective, and reproducible.9, 20 It has been shown to be able to detect C-fibres involvement in DPN patients who have otherwise normal neurological examinations and nerve-conduction studies.10 However, it requires special equipment and needs a relatively long time to be carried out. These drawbacks limit the application of QSART in clinical trials, especially if a large number of subjects are required. Sural-nerve biopsies and skin biopsies directly assess the damage and repair of small nerve fibres and have been proposed to be surrogate endpoints in clinical trials.11, 12Both of these methods have been shown to be very sensitive in detecting regeneration or abnormality insmall nerve fibres. The quantification of intra-epidermal nerve-fibre density (IENFD) from a skin biopsy, for example, is shown to be more sensitive than QSART and QST in diagnosing DPN.13 Nevertheless, the invasive nature of these procedures may become a problem, especially for diabetic patients. To solve this problem, anon-invasive measurement needs to be developed. CCM offers a new approach to directly measure the severity of DPN through visualisation of the subbasal nerve plexus in Bowman’s layer of the cornea. The cornea is a highly innervated organ which contains dense A-delta and C-unmyelinated fibres. The question remains whether corneal innervation has a connection with neuropathy caused by diabetes. Recent evidence, however, shows that corneal sensation is impaired in both diabetic21 and galactose-fed rats.22Moreover, in diabetic patients the subclinical abnormalities of corneal innervations23 and corneal ulceration24 are commonly recognised. This is due to the progressive loss of corneal nerve fibres which in turn reduces the neurotrophic stimuli required to develop a healthy and thick corneal epithelium. In 2000, Rosenberg et al.25 found that corneal sensation and nerve-fibre number werereduced in patients with type I diabetes. Later, the degree of corneal-n erve-fibre loss was shown to correlate with the degree of DPN assessed by a combination of NDS, electrophysiology and QST.26 These suggest that diabetes may affect the corneal innervations and therefore it is possible to assess neuropathy through corneal-nerve-fibre evaluation. CCM assesses corneal nerve morphology by quantifying three different parameters: namely, corneal-nerve-fibre density (NFD), the total number of major fibres per square millimetre; nerve-branch density (NBD), the number of branches emanating from major nerve trunks per square millimetre; and nerve-fibre length (NFL), the total length of nerve fibres and branches per square millimetre.26Quattrini et al.14 provided further evidence that CCM parameters can be used to assess small-fibre damage in humans. Moreover, they found that CCM results correlated with IEFND, which was considered a robust tool to assess small-fibre damage. Later, a study in patients who underwent simultaneous kidney-and-pancreas transplantation showed that CCM was, in fact, more sensitive than IEFND to detect early nerve damage and regeneration.27 The role of CCM is not limited to evaluating the progression of disease;it can also be used to diagnose DPN and identify at-risk patients due to high sensitivity.28 These s uggest that CCM may be used as a tool to diagnose, identify at-risk patients, and evaluate nerve-fibre damage or repair. Recently, CCM has successfully detected corneal nerve damage which correlates with neuropathic measurements in several diseases other than diabetes, such as idiopathic small-fibre neuropathy,29 Fabry disease,30 and Charcott-Marie-Tooth type 1A disease.31The evidence so far shows that CCM may have the potential to be an ideal surrogate endpoint for DPN. It is sensitive, quantitative, highly reproducible, and noninvasive.32, 33However, more research is needed to establish a connection between CCM measurement and clinically meaningful endpoints which, in the case of DPN, are pain, disability, and the curtailment of quality of life. Conclusion Apart from the possibility that the tested drug may not yield the intended outcome, the failure to detect the effectiveness of experimental drugsmay, in case of DPN, be caused by improper selection of surrogate endpoints in clinical trials. There are currently several acknowledged surrogate endpoints for DPN, such as clinical assessment, electrophysiology, QST, QSART, SSR, monofilament test, nerve/skin biopsy, and autonomic testing.However, they have several drawbacks, such as being time consuming, subjective, and difficult to practice. Recently, CCM has emerged as a potential surrogate endpoint for DPN because it is non-invasive, highly reproducible, quantitative, and sensitive. However, more research is needed to establish its position as a game changer in neuropathy-outcome assessment.

The language paper -- essays research papers

Language is one of the most powerful mediums in the human world, and not only can language be expressed through words, but also visually and musically. Language is everything from words that are spoken and the silence that lies between one phrase and the next. I find out odd how in our culture, we try to label things black and white. It’s either this or it’s that, yet when there’s something lacking in language, we try to assign colors to it instead of letting things be how they are. I have two types of mediums that I feel shows the idea that things are visually and audibly black and white, but it’s difficult to leave it at that.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first medium I chose is in fact a color picture, but what makes it similar to a black and white picture is that there’s mostly black in the picture. When my dad got the roll of film developed, I started looking through it and not even stopping to look closely at any pictures, but then I get to this one and I found myself just staring at it and looking for something that might not even be there. When I first glanced at it I just saw a person wearing black and their arm with her head not captured in the picture. When I looked at it again I saw myself in the background with a look of distress and sadness incorporated with the look of reality finally setting in. I think the reason that I didn’t quite look at myself in the background first was because I’m positioned off center in the picture. I look carefully to see body language, since I can’t tell what words are being spoken, and I see that my hands are by my mouth, almost seeming like I want to hide my emotions from the world, but at the same time I’m overwhelmed with the emotions that I feel that I can’t help but break down in silence. The second thing that my eyes seem to land on is the person to the right holding the other person’s hand. I somehow got a flash as to why I started crying again. It’s not because it was a funeral and that my lifeless grandmother’s body was right there in the open, but it’s that the person who is standing to the right of me (my aunt), is holding the other’s persons hand (her aunt, my grandmother’s sister). I remember taking one quick glance at her and just seeing my grandmother in front of me because of the close resemblance of the two. It was almost like a walking ghost was right in front of me. That’s when reality se... ... they have in front of them isn’t so bad. I guess this song is more directed to people who feel like they’re outside of the box or that they don’t really belong. The song has this meaning that says to embrace their differences because it is what makes them unique and to stay true to themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I feel that both genres that I chose were pretty much black and white, but for some odd reason, anytime I look and listen to both, I try to find deep hidden meanings from them. These meanings that I find might not even be there. The meanings I find might just be cultural influences that are programmed in my head. Maybe if someone from a different lifestyle or culture were to listen or hear these genres, they would get a different meaning from them, maybe something that I might have not even seen. I think as part of our society, we constantly try to look for hidden meanings or meanings that aren’t even there in something that is as simple as a black and white photo. No one could label something clearly black and white, nor can they determine the set meaning in a photo, song, advertisement, etc. because it all depends on the cultural background of the reader or l

Innovation Involved in the Development of the Apple Mac

In my Essay I will discuss the role of technology as it‘s incorporated as an explicit component, focusing on the conceptualisation, Invention, innovation, and diffusion of Apple technologies, specifically aiming the topics towards the development of the Apple Mac. Whilst also looking at how the fundamentals of the mac’s core competencies has a ripple effect on the development of new technology across the Apple range and how this contributed to an understanding of information technology and productivity throughout the company.The developments of the original conception of the first generation of Personal computers were focused on hard core developers who used them to write programs. From this the need for a universal machine that operates between program and Data was being conceptualised quasi-simultaneously by new innovators who had realized the need to bring the â€Å"personal computer† to the average user but couldn’t previously as it had an inchoate form . Invention Apples CEO Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh to the market in 1984.It was the first personal computer that was affordable and using an infusion of existing technology created a machine which was a â€Å"spin off† invention that lay the foundation of the technology which we use today on a daily basis.â€Å"What makes a business resource truly strategic-what gives it the capacity to be the basis of a sustained competitive advantage you gain an edge over rivals only by having something or doing something that they can’t have or do.†- Carr â€Å"Generations acquire knowledge from the preceding generations, create new inventions with new knowledge, and transmit the modified knowledge to the next generation which is expected to create more innovations† – Thomas Schott Inventions are created in every era, most of the time as an adaptation of a previous work or concept made for the purpose of practical activity to solve some form of a problem .The invention of the Mac is attributed to Jeff Raskin whose Semiotic labor when developing the idea of the computer at an intellectual level was quickly forgotten once the Mac was seen as an amazing new invention even though the conceptual basis of the technology already existed, Apple merely amalgamated it. Once again like many times throughout history the â€Å"hero inventor† who was the Front man of the project Steve Jobs, was attributed with the creation of the Mac.When in reality the material technology was created by a team of humans pooling their intellectual knowledge and encompassing it into this new invention.The problem arises when people confuse innovation potential with practical value, assuming the lack of limits on development necessarily implies a lack of limits to its usefulness†- Steve Lohr Innovation The situation had been created where Apple has placed themselves with a competitive advantage over their competitors and as Maurice Holmes Chief Enginee r of Xerox Corp tells us â€Å"The only way we can sustain competitive advantage in I.T is to learn faster than the rest of the world† In Today’s world, Technology diffuses so rapidly it is hard for us so determine which new technologies are going to change â€Å"society† as we know it and which are going to be forgotten in the dustbin of history. Apple found itself in difficulty once its CEO was removed from the board. The new leadership wanted more products and particularly with the Mac there were new versions coming out every six months.Apple had lost its competitive advantage and was in a poor state. They survived in an extremely competitive industry by returning to its original source of sustainable advantage, a flair for design, tight integration between hardware and software particularly with the Mac and its successors and a strong brand image. Along with a CEO whose goals were to innovate the technology of the future which would change the world.They wer e in a position to Pursue the innovations of The Mac and the new handheld device market more so than their competitors’ as they knew competitors would have a hard time adapting their strategies, being either held back by the need for new technological changes, infrastructure changes or timeframe constraints to adapt to the new markets. â€Å"Some companies may find that the risks of aggressive innovation outweigh the potential benefits, there are still times when it makes strategic sense to get out in front ahead of the game† – Carr DiffusionA perfect example of someone coming into a market as a late adaptor is Apple. They took great advantage from previous products made from other companies. By observing the new products which were being constantly diffused and tracking trending patterns Apple were able to see what the consumer wanted, more importantly what the other products lacked. The application of their ability to create cutting edge designs, and manufactu re this to the highest of quality and couple it with the well established brand apple exploded into the market.â€Å"The technological progress has no bounds, and acts of innovation can and will demolish all barriers to growth and success† –Carr Technology has been into the workplace at an exponentially increasing rate over the last few decades. Many companies see new technology as the means to increase profit margins and to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.Apple is the market leaders because they have been able to penetrate major markets in the U.S such as the private and public sector, education and transport. The increase in this technology, over the last decade in particular the Apple brand has increasingly become more successful is their constant focus on user-experience. Many businesses have benefited from incorporating the Mac and other apple products into their businesses organisations. One of the more notable businesses is Pepsi-Co. â€Å" With iPhone and iPod, we can be more efficient and get in front of problems before they even happen.†- Brian SpearmanThe Mac, along with the IPhone and Ipad have transformed Pepsi’s business operations substantially through their logistics demand having to be coordinated, communications systems, their Mac and IPhone Apps and even manage their orders to meet retail and consumer demand. There is no question that the efficiency of the Mac and the apple brand has caused some companies to realize that they may not need as much man power because the technology is there to replace them.Taking into mind a decade ago information technology only: â€Å"delivered great benefits to a handful of firms, but for most it has been a source of frustration and disappointment than of glory. It was a simple factor of production, a commodity input that was necessary for competitiveness but insufficient for advantage† –Carr Now technology is not only being implemented into organ isations but is transforming and surpassing human capacities in certain fields.ConclusionSome distinctions do penetrate our discourse as it becomes useful to us. The Macintosh has evolved into Apple’s current lines of computers, the iMacs, Mac Mini, MacBook’s, and more, but the original Macintosh system will always be an icon, and an innovative product that changed the way we use computers and what we use them for. It has helped apple go from selling computers to becoming a top seller in IPods, and now more recently the strongest brand in the smartphone market and one of the most recognisable brands in the world.It can be seen that the distinctions between the conceptualisation, invention, innovation and diffusion of the Apple Mac are essential. Through the original idea of the computer and the concept of the need for a universal computer, and how this idea has developed and seen the invention of new technology of the Mac and the many different versions we have seen si nce its invention.From the invention of this new technology, Apple have innovated the way we interact with each other had have also played an essential role in how businesses are able to run their companies more effectively and efficiently, cutting out non-essential costs where they are no longer needed and replacing them with technology. Through the constant diffusion of new innovation products it is clear to be seen that Apple as a company have reaped the reward of being the an early adaptor, taking the first step into an new market and flourishing it into a strong brand and making it a part of our everyday life.

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 1

Statistics show that most mortals sell their souls for five reasons: sex, money, power, revenge, and love. In that order. I suppose I should have been reassured, then, that I was out here assisting with numero uno, but the whole situation just made me feel†¦ well, sleazy. And coming from me, that was something. Maybe I just can't empathize anymore, I mused. It's been too long. When I was a virgin, people still believed swans could impregnate girls. Nearby, Hugh waited patiently for me to overcome my reticence. He stuffed his hands into well-pressed khakis, leaning his large frame against his Lexus. â€Å"I don't see what the big deal is. You do this all the time.† That wasn't exactly true, but we both knew what he meant. Ignoring him, I instead made a great show of studying my surroundings, not that that improved my mood. The suburbs always dragged me down. Identical houses. Perfect lawns. Far too many SUVs. Somewhere in the night, a dog refused to stop yapping. â€Å"I don't do this, † I said finally. â€Å"Even I have standards.† Hugh snorted, expressing his opinion of my standards. â€Å"Okay, if it makes you feel better, don't think of this in terms of damnation. Think of it as a charity case.† â€Å"A charity case?† â€Å"Sure.† He pulled out his Pocket PC, looking briskly businesslike, despite the unorthodox setting. Not that I should have been surprised. Hugh was a professional imp, a master at getting mortals to sell their souls, an expert in contracts and legal loopholes that would have made any lawyer wince in envy. He was also my friend. It sort of gave new meaning to the With friends like these†¦ adage. â€Å"Listen to these stats,† he continued. â€Å"Martin Miller. Male, of course. Caucasian. Nonpracticing Lutheran. Works over at a game store in the mall. Lives in the basement here – his parents' house.† â€Å"Jesus.† â€Å"Told you.† â€Å"Charity or no, it still seems so†¦ extreme. How old is he again?† â€Å"Thirty-four.† † Ew.† â€Å"Exactly. If you were that old and hadn't gotten any, you might seek desperate measures too.† He glanced down at his watch. â€Å"So are you going to do this or not?† No doubt I was keeping Hugh from a date with some hot woman half his age – by which I meant, of course, the age Hugh looked. In reality, he was pushing a century. I set my purse on the ground and gave him a warning glance. â€Å"You owe me.† â€Å"I do,† he conceded. This wasn't my usual gig, thank goodness. The imp normally â€Å"outsourced† this kind of thing but had run into some kind of scheduling problem tonight. I couldn't imagine who he normally got to do this. I started toward the house, but he stopped me. â€Å"Georgina?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"There's†¦ one other thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned back around, not liking the tone in his voice. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"He, um, sort of had a special request.† I raised an eyebrow and waited. â€Å"You see, uh, he's really into the whole, like, evil thing. You know, figures if he sold his soul to the devil – so to speak – then he should lose his virginity to a, I don't know, demoness or something.† I swear, even the dog stopped barking at that. â€Å"You're joking.† Hugh didn't respond. â€Å"I'm not a – no. No way am I going to – â€Å" â€Å"Come on, Georgina. It's nothing. A flourish. Smoke and mirrors. Please? Just do this for me?† He turned wistful, cajoling. Hard to resist. Like I said, he was good at his job. â€Å"I'm really in a tight spot†¦ if you could help me out here†¦ it would mean so much†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I groaned, unable to refuse the pathetic look on his broad face. â€Å"If anyone finds out about this – â€Å" â€Å"My lips are sealed.† He actually had the audacity to make a sealing motion. Bending down, resigned, I unfastened the straps on my shoes. â€Å"What are you doing?† he asked. â€Å"These are my favorite Bruno Maglis. I don't want them absorbed when I change.† â€Å"Yeah, but†¦ you can just shape-shift them back.† â€Å"They won't be the same.† â€Å"They will. You can make them anything you want. This is just silly.† â€Å"Look,† I demanded, â€Å"do you want to stand out here arguing shoes, or do you want me to go make a man of your virgin?† Hugh clamped his mouth shut and gestured toward the house. I padded away in the grass, the blades tickling my bare feet. The back patio leading to the basement was open, just as Hugh had promised. I let myself into the sleeping house, hoping they didn't have a dog, blearily wondering how I'd reached this low point in my existence. Adjusting to the darkness, my eyes soon discerned the features of a comfortable, middle-class family room: sofa, television, bookshelves. A stairwell rose to the left, and a hallway veered to the right. I turned down the hall, letting my appearance shape-shift as I walked. The sensation was so familiar, so second nature to me, that I didn't even need to see my exterior to know what was happening. My petite frame grew taller, the slim build still staying slim but taking on a leaner, harder edge. My skin paled to death white, leaving no memory of its faint tan. The hair, already to my midback, stayed the same length but darkened to jet black, the fine waviness turning straight and coarse. My breasts – impressive by most standards – became larger still, rivaling those of the comic book heroines this guy had undoubtedly grown up with. As for my outfit†¦ well, away went the cute Banana Republic slacks and blouse. Thigh-high black leather boots appeared on my legs, paired with a matching halter top and a skirt I never could have bent over in. Spiky wings, horns, and a whip completed the package. â€Å"Oh Lord,† I muttered, accidentally taking in the whole effect in a small decorative mirror. I hoped none of the local demonesses ever found about this. They were really quite classy. Turning from the taunting mirror, I stared down the hall at my destination: a closed door with a yellow MEN AT WORK sign attached to it. I thought I could hear the faint sounds of a video game bleeping from beyond, though such noises silenced immediately when I knocked. A moment later, the door opened, and I stood facing a five-foot-eight guy with shoulder-length, dirty blond hair rapidly receding on top. A large, hairy belly peeped out from underneath his Homer Simpson T-shirt, and he held a bag of potato chips in one hand. The bag dropped to the floor when he saw me. â€Å"Martin Miller?† â€Å"Y-yes,† he gasped out. I cracked the whip. â€Å"You ready to play with me?† Exactly six minutes later, I left the Miller residence. Apparently thirty-four years doesn't do much for one's stamina. â€Å"Whoa, that was fast,† Hugh noted, seeing me walk across the front yard. He was leaning against the car again, smoking a cigarette. â€Å"No shit. Got another one of those?† He grinned and handed over his own cigarette, giving me a once-over. â€Å"Would you be offended if I said the wings kind of get me hot?† I took the cigarette, narrowing my eyes at him as I inhaled. A quick check ascertained no one else was around, and I shape-shifted back to my usual form. â€Å"You owe me big,† I reminded him, putting the shoes back on. â€Å"I know. Of course, some might argue you owe me. You got a nice fix from it. Better than you're used to.† I couldn't deny that, but I didn't have to feel good about it either. Poor Martin. Geek or no, committing his soul to eternal damnation was a helluva price to pay for six minutes. â€Å"You wanna get a drink?† Hugh offered. â€Å"No, it's too late. I'm going home. Got a book to read.† â€Å"Ah, of course. When's the big day?† â€Å"Tomorrow,† I proclaimed. The imp chuckled at my hero worship. â€Å"He just writes mainstream fiction, you know. He's hardly Nietzsche or Thoreau.† â€Å"Hey, one doesn't have to be surreal or transcendental to be a great writer. I should know; I've seen a few over the years.† Hugh grunted at my imperious air, giving me a mock bow. â€Å"Far be it from me to argue with a lady about her age.† I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then walked two blocks to where I had parked. I was unlocking the car door when I felt it: the warm, tingling feeling indicative of another immortal nearby. Vampire, I registered, only a millisecond before he appeared beside me. Damn, they moved fast. â€Å"Georgina, my belle, my sweet succubus, my goddess of delight,† he intoned, placing his hands over his heart dramatically. Great. Just what I needed. Duane was quite possibly the most obnoxious immortal I'd ever met. He kept his blond hair shaved to a close buzz, and as usual, he demonstrated terrible taste in both fashion and deodorant. â€Å"Go away, Duane. I have nothing to say to you.† â€Å"Oh come on,† he crooned, his hand snaking out to hold the door as I tried to open it. â€Å"Even you can't play coy this time. Look at you. You're positively glowing. Good hunting, eh?† I scowled at the reference to Martin's life energy, knowing it must be wreathing me. Obstinately, I tried to pry my door open against Duane's hold. No luck. â€Å"He'll be out for days, from the looks of it,† the vampire added, peering at me closely. â€Å"Still, I imagine whoever he was enjoyed the ride – both on you and to hell.† He gave me a lazy smile, just barely revealing his pointed teeth. â€Å"He must have been someone pretty good for you to look as hot as you do now. What happened? I thought you only fucked the scum of the earth. The real assholes.† â€Å"Change of policy. I didn't want to give you false hope.† He shook his head appreciatively. â€Å"Oh Georgina, you never disappoint – you and your witticisms. But then, I've always found whores know how to make good use of their mouths, on or off the job.† â€Å"Let go,† I snapped, tugging harder at the door. â€Å"Why the hurry? I have a right to know what you and the imp were doing over here. The Eastside is my turf.† â€Å"We don't have to abide by your ‘turf rules, and you know it.† â€Å"Still, common courtesy dictates when you're in the neighborhood – literally, in this case – you at least say hello. Besides, how come we never hang out? You owe me some quality time. You spend enough time with those other losers.† The losers he referred to were my friends and the only decent vampires I'd ever met. Most vampires – like Duane – were arrogant, devoid of social skills, and obsessed with territoriality. Not unlike a lot of mortal men I'd met. â€Å"If you don't let me go, you're going to learn a whole new definition of ‘common courtesy.'† Okay, it was a stupid, faux action-movie line, but it was the best I could come up with on the spot. I made my voice sound as menacing as possible, but it was pure bravado, and he knew it. Succubi were gifted with charisma and shape-shifting; vampires had super strength and speed. What this meant was that one of us mingled better at parties, and the other could break a man's wrist with a handshake. â€Å"Are you actually threatening me?† He ran a playful hand along my cheek, making the hairs on my neck stand on end – in a bad way. I squirmed. â€Å"That's adorable. And kind of arousing. I actually think I'd like to see you on the offensive. Maybe if you'd just behave like a good girl – ow !You little bitch!† With both of his hands occupied, I had seized my window of opportunity. A quick burst of shape-shifting, and sharp, three-inch claws appeared on my right hand. I swiped them across his cheek. His superior reflexes didn't let me get very far with the gesture, but I did draw blood before he gripped my wrist and slammed it against the car. â€Å"What's the matter? Not offensive enough for you?† I managed through my pain. More bad movie lines. â€Å"Cute, Georgina. Very cute. We'll see how cute you are by the time I – â€Å" Headlights glimmered in the night as a car turned the corner on the next block and headed toward us. In that split second, I could see the indecision on Duane's face. Our t §?e- §?t §?e would undoubtedly be noticed by the driver. While Duane could easily kill an intervening mortal – hell, it was what he did for a living – having the kill linked to his harassment of me would not look good to our superiors. Even an asshole like Duane would think twice before stirring up that kind of paperwork. â€Å"We aren't finished,† he hissed, releasing my wrist. â€Å"Oh, I think we are.† I could feel braver now that salvation was on the way. â€Å"The next time you come near me's going to be the last.† â€Å"I'm quaking in terror,† he simpered. His eyes gleamed once in the darkness, and then he was gone, moving off into the night just as the car drove past. Thank God for whatever liaison or ice cream run had pulled that driver out tonight. Not wasting any more time, I got into my car and drove off, anxious to be back in the city. I tried to ignore the shaking of my hands on the wheel, but the truth of the matter was, Duane terrified me. I had told him off plenty of times in the presence of my immortal friends, but taking him on alone on a dark street was an entirely different matter, especially since all my threats had been empty ones. I actually abhorred violence in all its forms. I suppose this came from living through periods of history fraught with levels of cruelty and brutality no one in the modern world could even comprehend. People like to say we live in violent times now, but they have no idea. Sure, there had been a certain satisfaction centuries ago in seeing a rapist castrated swiftly and promptly for his crimes, without endless courtroom drama or an early release for â€Å"good behavior.† Unfortunately, those who deal in revenge and vigilantism rarely know where to draw the line, so I'd take the bureaucracy of the modern judicial system any day. Thinking back to how I'd presumed the fortuitous driver was on an ice cream run, I decided a little dessert would do me some good too. Once I was safely back in Seattle, I stopped in a 24-hour grocery store, discovering some marketing mastermind had created tiramisu-flavored ice cream. Tiramisu and ice cream. The ingenuity of mortals never failed to amaze me. As I was about to pay, I passed a display of flowers. They were cheap and a little tattered, but I watched as a young man came in and nervously scanned them over. At last he selected some autumn-colored mums and carried them off. My eyes followed him wistfully, half-jealous of whatever girl would be getting those. As Duane had noted, I usually fed off losers, guys I didn't have to feel guilty about hurting or rendering unconscious for a few days. Those kind did not send flowers and usually avoided most romantic gestures altogether. As for the guys who did send flowers, well, I avoided them. For their own good. That was out of character for a succubus, but I was too jaded to care about propriety anymore. Feeling sad and lonely, I picked up a bouquet of red carnations for myself and paid for it and the ice cream. When I arrived home, my phone was ringing. Setting down my goods, I glanced at the Caller-ID. Caller unknown. â€Å"My lord and master,† I answered. â€Å"What a perfect ending to a perfect night.† â€Å"Save your quips, Georgie. Why were you fucking with Duane?† â€Å"Jerome, I – what?† â€Å"He just called. Said you were unduly hassling him.† â€Å"Hassling? Him?† Outrage surged inside me. â€Å"He started it! He came up to me and – â€Å" â€Å"Did you hit him?† â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Did you?† I sighed. Jerome was the archdemon of the greater Seattle hierarchy of evil, as well as my supervisor. It was his job to manage all of us, make sure we did our duties, and keep us in line. Like any lazy demon, however, he preferred we create as little work for him as possible. His annoyance was almost palpable through the phone line. â€Å"I did sort of hit him. Actually, it was more of a swipe.† â€Å"I see. A swipe. And did you threaten him too?† â€Å"Well, yes, I guess, if you want to argue semantics, but Jerome, come on! He's a vampire. I can't touch him. You know that.† The archdemon hesitated, apparently considering the outcome of me going head-to-head with Duane. I must have lost in the hypothetical battle because I heard Jerome exhale a moment later. â€Å"Yes. I suppose. But don't provoke him anymore. I've got enough to work on right now without you children having catfights.† â€Å"Since when do you work?† Children indeed. â€Å"Good night, Georgie. Don't tangle with Duane again.† The phone disconnected. Demons weren't big on small talk. I hung up, feeling highly offended. I couldn't believe Duane had tattled on me and then made me out to be the bad guy. Worse, Jerome seemed to have believed it. At least at first. That probably hurt me most of all because, my slacker-succubus habits aside, I'd always enjoyed a kind of indulgent, teacher's pet role with the archdemon. Seeking consolation, I carried the ice cream off to my bedroom, shedding my clothes for a loose nightshirt. Aubrey, my cat, stood up from where she'd been sleeping at the foot of my bed and stretched. Solid white save for some black smudges on her forehead, she squinted green eyes at me in greeting. â€Å"I can't go to bed,† I told her, stifling a yawn. â€Å"I have to read first.† I curled up with the pint and my book, recalling again how I'd finally be meeting my favorite author at the signing tomorrow. Seth Mortensen's writing always spoke to me, awakening something inside I hadn't even known was asleep. His current book, The Glasgow Pact, couldn't ease the guilt I felt over what had happened with Martin, but it filled an aching emptiness in me nonetheless. I marveled that mortals, living so short a time, could create such wonderful things. â€Å"I never created anything when I was a mortal,† I told Aubrey when I'd finished five pages. She rubbed against me, purring sympathetically, and I had just enough presence of mind to put the ice cream away before collapsing back into bed and falling asleep.