April Greiman

After acknowledging her great interest in art, she applied to several art schools and was accepted into the Kansas City Art Institute where she received a BFA in Graphic Design. Later on, with the influence of the principles of Modernism and exploration of technology, she continued her education by enrolling in a graduate program at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland. The experience and skills she gained from her educational background allowed her to explore the aesthetics of a computerized world, the art of digital design and visual communication. Around the mid-1970s, Greiman decided to explore a different environment from New York and moved to Los Angeles, California where she started her own design business known as â€Å"Made in Space, Inc. †. Greiman is recognized as a pioneer in computerized design, her style is based on the exploration of words, images and the usage of color in space by combining art with modern technology. She was highly inspired by the landscape of the Death Valley; A landscape that continues to inspire her work and change the way she analyzes dimensions, objects and color. Her style is often seen as American Postmodernism with an influence of Swiss design coming from her educational background. Because of her work and style, April Greiman has been recognized for her potential in utilizing computers as an innovative medium to transform the art world. Around 1980s, Greiman took a risk and decided to support and explore the initiative proposed by Macintosh of using computer design. This new genre in art quickly confirmed Greiman’s position as the pioneer of visual communication and design. Her eagerness to learn and explore this new medium is what has gotten her the respect and appreciation for her work. Her ability to engage the audience and embrace spaces by providing a floating effect to her work, combining architecture and typographic forms allowed her to become one of the most prominent icons in the design world. In 1982, April Greiman was selected head of the design department at the California Institute of the Arts. Throughout her time in CalArts, she focused on her role as an educator and the importance of transforming design. Greiman was able to take advantage of the state of the art equipment that was provided by the institution and began to combine video and media images in her work. Her input in this field and her accomplishments successfully gave her the opportunity to make this department more focused in a variety of ideas other than design renaming this field as visual communication. The popularity and recognition April Greiman gained over the years is mostly because of of her creativity, experience working with graphics and implementation of visual communication with the use of technological devices. As an Artist and educator, she has been able to work in a number of posters and websites for her clientele, she is the author of several design books including Hybrid Imagery: The Fusion of Technology and Graphic Design and Something from Nothing. She is such a great inspiration for young artists and designers that her work has been exhibited in important institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, the School of Visual Arts, the Pasadena Museum of California Art,among others. In addition, Greiman has been awarded numerous honors that include: the American Institute of Graphic Arts’Gold Medal, a Chrysler Design Award and also Hallmark Corporation’s Hall Chair Fellowship. Greiman is well known for her work Does it make sense? a piece accepted by the Design Quarterly magazine from which she became the guest artist. This piece became a 3Ãâ€"6 poster that unfolded and was specifically done only in computer design. This piece contained the image of her nude self-portrait, containing various typographic effects and symbols throughout. This work completely pushed boundaries and forced artists to ethink the capacity for computers to make an impact in the art world and communication. In this sense, her work completely challenged the original and traditional notions of the magazine and of art by combining text with image, and expanding a new world of imagination and creativity for the upcoming generations following her steps. Hand holding a bowl of ri ce is an important addition to her work, it is a public art commission located in korea town, Los Angeles, CA. This piece was done in two walls of a building, the image is the screen shot of a video footage shot by Greiman, the image was later translated into oil paint. This piece clearly encompasses her style in dimension, usage of color and placement of objects. The art work was made to honor rice as an important symbol of abundance in the Asian culture. â€Å"I see everything as an object in space†¦when web design came into the realm of possibilities†¦I was already looking at it as spatial media† -AG In addition to the public art and other installations, Greiman is also known by her work with photography and her exhibition of Drive by Shooting strictly digital photography. This exhibition is made up of images that Greiman began to take over the years while driving her car. The exploration of this aspect of photography sparked the importance of nature and detail, the interaction of the lens with the moving environment, the experimentation of light, form, texture, and the ability to manipulate and create a spatial astonishing experience through digital work. April Greiman’s work continues to expand with her collaboration with architects in the design of spaces. Miracle Manor a well known spa located in California, is the perfect representation of her creativity and exploration of the design principles. After a long and successful career under her belt, Greiman continues her great vision of design with the interaction in a diversity of environments. As an important and well known designer, Greiman has the experience of working for important institutions such as the US Postal service, Aol/Time Warner in addition to Microsoft. The support and respect from such important companies and her development as a successful and more knowledgeable artist is what keeps her passion for design strong and strengthens her position as a pioneer in the graphic design world. April Greiman After acknowledging her great interest in art, she applied to several art schools and was accepted into the Kansas City Art Institute where she received a BFA in Graphic Design. Later on, with the influence of the principles of Modernism and exploration of technology, she continued her education by enrolling in a graduate program at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland. The experience and skills she gained from her educational background allowed her to explore the aesthetics of a computerized world, the art of digital design and visual communication. Around the mid-1970s, Greiman decided to explore a different environment from New York and moved to Los Angeles, California where she started her own design business known as â€Å"Made in Space, Inc. †. Greiman is recognized as a pioneer in computerized design, her style is based on the exploration of words, images and the usage of color in space by combining art with modern technology. She was highly inspired by the landscape of the Death Valley; A landscape that continues to inspire her work and change the way she analyzes dimensions, objects and color. Her style is often seen as American Postmodernism with an influence of Swiss design coming from her educational background. Because of her work and style, April Greiman has been recognized for her potential in utilizing computers as an innovative medium to transform the art world. Around 1980s, Greiman took a risk and decided to support and explore the initiative proposed by Macintosh of using computer design. This new genre in art quickly confirmed Greiman’s position as the pioneer of visual communication and design. Her eagerness to learn and explore this new medium is what has gotten her the respect and appreciation for her work. Her ability to engage the audience and embrace spaces by providing a floating effect to her work, combining architecture and typographic forms allowed her to become one of the most prominent icons in the design world. In 1982, April Greiman was selected head of the design department at the California Institute of the Arts. Throughout her time in CalArts, she focused on her role as an educator and the importance of transforming design. Greiman was able to take advantage of the state of the art equipment that was provided by the institution and began to combine video and media images in her work. Her input in this field and her accomplishments successfully gave her the opportunity to make this department more focused in a variety of ideas other than design renaming this field as visual communication. The popularity and recognition April Greiman gained over the years is mostly because of of her creativity, experience working with graphics and implementation of visual communication with the use of technological devices. As an Artist and educator, she has been able to work in a number of posters and websites for her clientele, she is the author of several design books including Hybrid Imagery: The Fusion of Technology and Graphic Design and Something from Nothing. She is such a great inspiration for young artists and designers that her work has been exhibited in important institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, the School of Visual Arts, the Pasadena Museum of California Art,among others. In addition, Greiman has been awarded numerous honors that include: the American Institute of Graphic Arts’Gold Medal, a Chrysler Design Award and also Hallmark Corporation’s Hall Chair Fellowship. Greiman is well known for her work Does it make sense? a piece accepted by the Design Quarterly magazine from which she became the guest artist. This piece became a 3Ãâ€"6 poster that unfolded and was specifically done only in computer design. This piece contained the image of her nude self-portrait, containing various typographic effects and symbols throughout. This work completely pushed boundaries and forced artists to ethink the capacity for computers to make an impact in the art world and communication. In this sense, her work completely challenged the original and traditional notions of the magazine and of art by combining text with image, and expanding a new world of imagination and creativity for the upcoming generations following her steps. Hand holding a bowl of ri ce is an important addition to her work, it is a public art commission located in korea town, Los Angeles, CA. This piece was done in two walls of a building, the image is the screen shot of a video footage shot by Greiman, the image was later translated into oil paint. This piece clearly encompasses her style in dimension, usage of color and placement of objects. The art work was made to honor rice as an important symbol of abundance in the Asian culture. â€Å"I see everything as an object in space†¦when web design came into the realm of possibilities†¦I was already looking at it as spatial media† -AG In addition to the public art and other installations, Greiman is also known by her work with photography and her exhibition of Drive by Shooting strictly digital photography. This exhibition is made up of images that Greiman began to take over the years while driving her car. The exploration of this aspect of photography sparked the importance of nature and detail, the interaction of the lens with the moving environment, the experimentation of light, form, texture, and the ability to manipulate and create a spatial astonishing experience through digital work. April Greiman’s work continues to expand with her collaboration with architects in the design of spaces. Miracle Manor a well known spa located in California, is the perfect representation of her creativity and exploration of the design principles. After a long and successful career under her belt, Greiman continues her great vision of design with the interaction in a diversity of environments. As an important and well known designer, Greiman has the experience of working for important institutions such as the US Postal service, Aol/Time Warner in addition to Microsoft. The support and respect from such important companies and her development as a successful and more knowledgeable artist is what keeps her passion for design strong and strengthens her position as a pioneer in the graphic design world.

Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 26

Reaction paper - Essay Example The justice system of the Third Reich was infamous in its trial less execution of the unwanted peoples as a Final Solution. The creation of concentration camps ensured that these people were taken down efficiently – their bodies were scavenged for hair and their physical labour was employed to accomplish war tasks. Once these people were unable to support themselves for basic daily tasks it was simple for them to be classified as unwanted. These unwanted people were subsequently subjected to gas chambers after which their bodies were burnt. David Cole like other revisionists tries to underpin this major truth by presenting evidence that can hardly be used to stake any claim. In most other cases, Cole is presenting refutations of evidence presented to support the holocaust theory. The absence of mass graves could result simply from the fact that the bodies were burned in order to dispose of them efficiently. These burnt corpses served as excellent fertiliser and there was no need to bury them or to be concerned of diseases spreading from rotting corpses. The unaccounted for souls in the Second World War were not only Jews, Poles or other races but human beings first and

Management plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management plan - Essay Example Quitting is never a good decision pertaining to this case; rather she can opt for a better opportunity. A winner never quits and he or she has to march towards their goal facing all the hurdles in life. Not all the organizations will have the same problem. But at this time she should develop an attitude to manage with the difficulties in the institution created by the higher officials. Since her educational status is primary requirement, she should enquire about different schools which can provide distance learning programs or evening colleges which will offer her the required degree. So that she does not loose the experience in the work and also completes her course in the ordained time. In this present case she has to learn to cope up with the present situation of the organization. Parallel to this she should make every effort to look for an alternate; she should be prepared in mind not to look for rewards or recognition since she cannot get what she expects in this organization. The time taken for accomplishing things for the decision she made will includes time taken to shift to a new job (Full time or part-time) and as well as to complete her degree. a. The decision made will be evaluated on the outcomes of the decision. With reference to her situation it is obvious that she should make a decision with minimal risk or no risk.

Has the lottery replaced the government in the funding of education Essay Example for Free

Has the lottery replaced the government in the funding of education Essay The overarching aims of education underlie the construction of the curriculum and funding. Education, in the broader sense, aims to develop the individual, to enlarge a child’s knowledge, experience and imaginative understanding, and thus his awareness of moral values and capacity for enjoyment and also to enable the child to take his place in society. The school education on the other hand, has the aim to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and achieve, to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. Consider the school of the late 20th century. It has not changed a whole lot in the last fifty years or so. Isolated from the rest of the world except for one or two school-business partnerships. Working at the edges of the school, these partnerships attempt to provide students with some insight into the working world or give some marginal discretionary resources for the principal to use. The resources are used on one of a multitude of unrelated programs that the school has set up to cope with the problems that society has dumped on the school. The school itself has created barriers that shelter and isolate it from the work of the world that goes on around it. The technological innovations that are pervasive in the business world have yet to penetrate the classrooms except for a single computer in each classroom that the teacher barely knows how to use. Few business people, even the partners, ever come to school; those who do are shocked by the conditions they find and by the discipline problems with which teachers must contend. Still they are comforted by the fact that school feels pretty much like it did when they went to school. On the other hand, the quality of services on a university campus is one thing; to measure the quality of manufactured goods is another matter. Chubb, J. and Moe, T. takes this further and says that a service cannot be objectively measured. Such frustration stems from the difference between services and goods. For example, educational services are intangible and cannot be packaged, displayed or inspected fully by prospective students. Services also have a perishability problem because they cannot be stored for future delivery: when students cut class, the professors time is wasted. Unlike goods, services are difficult to separate from their provider: an academic course is as fascinating or as boring as the professor. There is also a lot of variability in services. For example, the mood of the professor could impinge on his or her tolerance for chatting in class. Services are difficult to standardize. Unlike manufactured goods, services are not as susceptible to strict quality control. With regards to these needs in education, more states are actually looking for fund in order to pursue educational development. Out of 42 states that uses lottery, 24 of it uses the proceeds for school financing aside from the support of the government. In line with this research, the data that describes the 2005 and 2006 development of schools in each state considered. Basically, this paper attempts to identify if the massive lottery practices in each states promotes educational development in terms of funding. The Report  From the previous discussion, The Chicago Reporter found out that the lottery does not supplement school funding, even though the proceeds goes directly the state’s Common School Fund. On the other hand, the South Carolina Education Lottery was approved by constitutional referendum in 2000, and implemented shortly thereafter. In contrast to other education lotteries, the legislation establishing the lottery contains substantive measures to ensure that lottery revenues supplement, rather than replace, general fund tax revenues earmarked for education. Aside from this, the involvement of lottery in funding the schools’ needs show a good advantage as California Performance Review supported the option. California lottery players, retailers and, most importantly, its public schools, all stand to gain from changing state laws that restrict the lotterys ability to increase sales. These changes are not only consistent with the mandated purpose of The Lottery Act as approved by the voters, they represent the only risk-free way to ensure that lottery dollars to education will not actually decrease. In line with this, this paper will evaluate and compare the current development in 46 states in which 24 of it uses the proceeds of lottery to education while the other 22 only uses the support of the government. The Method To determine the current performance of schools in 46 states, the researcher compares the amount of budget between states w/ lottery proceeds used in school funding and states w/o lottery proceeds used in school funding. To determine the difference of budget between these states and the status of development in each school, the researcher conducted an analysis from the data obtained in these 46 states (The distribution of data is shown in the Appendix A) using t-test procedures. From 24 schools that are currently using lottery proceeds, the analysis of their education budget was also compared to their previous years in which lottery proceeds is not being considered (see Appendix B). The use of its mean and coefficient of variation are performed for evaluation of budget.

Grape Growing :: Botany

Grape Growing Plants have been the most important objects which people have borrowed from their neighbors in their business of advancing civilization. All the high civilizations have been built up upon cereal grasses, barley, wheat, rice, and maize. The introduction of the potato from the Andes to the Old World brought a series of major economic and social revolutions, and examples of the same kind are many. But the case of grape-vine, Vitis vinifera, is a special and peculiar one. Its wine is not a necessity of any people's diet, yet it has colonized the greater part of those climatic zones which are congenial to it, and it has done so, very often to the detriment of the people's essential food supplies. There have been three principle forces for this, spleen, religion, and profit. First, the human condition being what it is, only a very small number of very primitive tribes have failed to develop some intoxicant to help man face the facts of life. Poppy juice, toxic fungi, the dried flowers of a coccus, the leaves of coco bush, but neither of them can compare in economic and social importance with alcohol. And the wine of the grape has long been the least concerning medium in which alcohol can be taken and the least liable to dangerous abuse. Secondly, the strange power of intoxicants to release the human spirit from the control of mind led to their being regarded with superstitious awe. Their use became a religious rite and this was the case of wine, as of others. In the sixth century B.C., Orphism gave a new, long and civilized lease of power to the formerly savage and barbarous religion of Dionysus; the use of wine in the rites entered into the later religious of the Mediterranean peoples; and Christianity, by the encharistic use of wine, borrowed from elder cults, carried the religious significance of wine-drinking forward into the two Christian civilizations, the Greek and the Latin. The massive conservation of these two branches of Christianity accomplished what no other social force could have done--maintained the religious attribute of an intoxicant into a sophisticated technological epoch. Thirdly, the cash yield per acre-man-hour of viticulture has nearly always been from three to ten times as great as that from any other kind of fanning or gardening. However, in fact, two forces working against the vine, one natural, the other social, have limited the spread of vineyards even further.

Mhr Individual Case Study Essay

The textbook defines profit sharing plan as â€Å"A system whereby an employer pays compensation or benefits to employees, usually on an annual basis, in addition to their regular wage, on the basis of the profits of the company† (Page 352). This plan can either be a really great plan or a terrible plan because it ultimately depends on the profits earned by the company in a given time period. Let’s say for a certain month the company is doing really great in profits and business is good than the employees will be really happy and earn a lot more than they’ve earned in the past, But if the company fails to generate a lot of profit the next year than wages for the employees will decrease and be more lower than it was before which will make employees upset and earn less money. The idea of imposing a PS plan is so that employees are motivated to work hard so that they can make money as possible and the company can be profitable. It’s a drive to get employees to help the business become successful so ultimately it’s a win-win situation between the employees and company. I would tell Robert Clark to continue with his plans on proposing this idea of making a PS plan. This PS plan will be great for this Maple Shoes Company because it will motivate employees to work hard and become more productive in their work field so that Maple Shoes can make as much money as possible and results to a good company image. 2. Do you see a possibility of convincing Maple Leaf Shoes’ unions to buy in on a PS plan? I believe the union members will not buy into the PS incentive plan because it ultimately depends on how much the company makes over a certain period of time. There is always a possibility that there will be no profits or low profits during a period of time. The amount of profit Maple Leaf Shoe is making is highly unstable but one moment you might be getting a lot of money and another moment you will be getting paid under what you used to get paid. This plan has a lot of ups and downs but it’s really like gambling because you can win a lot of money and lose a lot also. I can see how this plan might be able to increase production of employees because it will motivate employees to work harder to help the company earn more profits. But sometimes the employees will do everything their supposed to do and maybe the company doesn’t make profits because of other reasons like competitions or other factors that employees can’t control. Also Maple Leaf Shoe production costs are steadily increasing which means they need to make a lot more money to cover their high costs. There is a low possibility that Union will accept this PS plan because there is too much gamble and risk. 3. What other incentive plans are suitable for Maple Leaf Shoes? The three incentive plans that will be more beneficial to the Maple Leaf Shoes company is production incentive plans, employee stocks ownership plans (ESOPs), and Scanlon plan. Production incentive plans are plans that â€Å"allow groups of workers of workers to receive bonuses for exceeding predetermined levels of output† (Page 351). This will motivate employees to work harder and be more productive than they were before. Employees would want to work more than there supposed to so that they earn more money and the company benefits because it will have a lot of employees that will do a lot more for them that will ultimately generate more profits. Employee stocks ownership plans (ESOPs) is a plan that gives employees ownership of the company and gives them voting rights within the company. This is advantageous because it allows employees to feel that they are part of the company instead of being related to as an asset to the company. Employees would want to work for a company that they represent and have ownership in because they will treat the company as their own and do whatever it takes to get the company more profits. The two plans previous are all determined on factors that employees can’t control with is the profit the company makes. Scanlon plans as stated in the textbook is â€Å"An incentive plan developed by Joseph Scanlon that has as its general objective the reduction of labour costs through increased efficiency and the sharing of resultant savings among workers† (Page 352). This plan is great for employees because it rewards them based on the labour costs, a factor they can control. Works Cited List Schwind, H. F. , Das, H. , ;amp; Wagar, T. H. (2010). Canadian human resource management: a strategic approach (9th ed. ). Whitby, Ont. : McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

Night World : Witchlight Chapter 17

Not for the dragon. She jumped for the tree. It was a good, tall loblolly pine, whose drooping lower branches didn't look as if they could support a kitten. But Keller didn't need support. As she leaped, she changed, pushing it as fast as she could. She reached the tree with four paws full of lethal claws extended. And she ran straight up the vertical surface. Her claws sank into the clean, cinnamon trunk, and she shot up like a rocket. When she got high enough to be obscured by the dull-green needles on the droopy branches, she launched herself into the air again. It was a desperate move, betting everything on one blind spring. But it was all she could think of. She could never take the dragon in a fair fight. She was betting on her claws. In the wild, a panther could shear the head off a deer with a single swipe. Keller was going for the horns. She came down right on target. The dragon made the mistake of looking up at her, maybe thinking that she was trying to get behind it, to land on its back again and kill it. Or maybe thinking that she might see the pale face of an innocent girl and hesitate. Whatever it thought, it was a mistake. Keller was already slashing as she landed. A single deadly swipe with all her power behind it. Her claws peeled the forehead off the creature in a spray of blood and flesh. The screaming roar almost burst her eardrums. It was the sound she'd heard before in the mall, a sound so deep in pitch that she felt it as much as heard it. It shook her bones, and it reverberated in every tree and in the red clay of the ground. And that was another mistake, although Keller didn't know it at once. At the same instant as she heard the roar, she felt the pain. The dark power crackled through her like a whiplash and tore her own involuntary scream from her. It was worse than the first time she'd felt it, ten times worse, maybe more. The dragon was much stronger. And it followed her. Like a real whip, it flashed across the clearing after her. It hit her again as she hit the ground, and Keller screamed again. It hurt. She tried to scrabble away, but the pain made her weak, and she fell over on her side. And then the black energy hit her right shoulder-exactly where it had hit the first time in the mall. Keller saw white light. And then she was falling in darkness. Her last thought was, I didn't get it. I couldn't have. It still has power. Diana, I'm sorry†¦ She stopped feeling anything. She opened her eyes slowly. Hurts†¦ She was looking up at the dragon. It had dropped Iliana; Keller couldn't see where. And it was staring down at her in malevolent fury, obviously waiting for her to wake up so she could feel it when it killed her. When he killed her. He'd taken on the shape he'd been wearing in the beginning. A young man with clean, handsome features and a nicely muscled if compact body. Black hair that shed rainbow colors under the moonlight and looked as fine and soft as her own fur. And those obsidian eyes. It was hard to look away from those eyes. They seemed to capture her gaze and suck her in. They were so much more like stones than eyes, silver-black, shiny stones that seemed to reflect all light out again. But when she managed to drag her gaze upward, she felt a thrill of hope. His forehead was a bleeding ruin. She had gotten him. Her slash had carved a nice hamburger-sized piece out of his scalp. Somewhere on the ground in the clearing were two little stubby horns. But only two; there were three left on his head. He must have turned at the last instant. Keller would have cursed if she had a human throat. â€Å"How're you feeling?† the dragon said, and leered at her form under the gory mess of his scalp. Keller tried to snarl at him and realized that she did have a human throat. She must have collapsed back into her half-and-half form, and she was too weak to change back again. â€Å"Having trouble?† the dragon asked. Keller croaked, â€Å"You should never have come back.† â€Å"Wrong,† the dragon said. â€Å"I like the modern world.† â€Å"You should have stayed asleep. Who woke you up?† She was buying time, of course, to try and regain some strength. But she also truly wanted to know. The dragon laughed. â€Å"Someone,† he said. â€Å"Someone you'll never know. A witch who isn't a witch. We made our own alliance.† Keller didn't understand, and her brain was too fuzzy to deal with it. But just at that moment, she noticed something else. Movement behind the dragon. The figures that had been lying on the ground were stirring. And they were doing it stealthily, in ways that showed they were awake and with their wits about them. They were alive. She could see Galen's head lift, with moonlight shining on his hair as he looked at her. She could see Winnie turn toward Iliana and begin to crawl. She could see Nissa's shoulders hump and then fall back. Later, when they were asked, they would all say the same thing had brought them to awareness: a deep rumbling sound that vibrated in their bones. The dragon's roar. Or, at least, three of them would say that. Galen would always say that all he heard was Keller's scream and his eyes came open. The surge of hope she felt made Keller's heart beat hard and wiped away the pain-for the moment, at least. But she was terrified of giving the dragon some clue. She didn't dare look at Galen any longer. She stared at the dragon's black stone eyes and thought with all her strength, Get away. Get away, take the Jeep, take Diana. He may not be able to follow you. Run. â€Å"Your time's over,† she told the dragon out loud. â€Å"The shapeshifters don't want you anymore. Everything has changed.† â€Å"And it's changing again,† the dragon said. â€Å"The end of the world is coming, and the beginning of a new one. It's time for everything that's sleeping to wake back up again.† Keller had a horrified vision of hundreds of dragons being dug up and brought back to life. But there was something going on in the clearing that was even more horrifying to her. Galen wasn't getting away. He was slithering on his stomach toward her. And Winnie, the idiot, was beside Diana nowbut she wasn't dragging her to the Jeep. She seemed to be whispering to her. Keller felt a hot wave of utter desperation. What can I do? If the dragon sees them, they're all dead. There's nothing any of them can do against him. Galen's not a warrior-he can't change. Nissa looks too hurt to move. Winnie's orange fire won't even singe the dragon. And Diana will get swatted like a butterfly. They can't do anything. I have to. She was so tired and hurt, and her claws were much less lethal than in her full panther form. But she had to do it, and she had to do it now. â€Å"Go back where you came from!† she shouted. She bunched her muscles and jumped. Right for him. Straight on. That was what took him by surprise, the sheer insanity of the attack. He threw the black energy at her, but he couldn't stop her leap. Her claws ripped into his forehead again, and then she fell back. The dragon's scream split the heavens. Dizzy with pain and shock, Keller stared at him, hoping desperately†¦ But she'd taken only one horn off. He still had two. He thrashed around in wounded fury, then threw the dark power at her again. Keller shuddered and lost her balance. She crashed to the ground and lay there, limp. â€Å"Keller!† The scream was full of such raw anguish that it hurt Keller's throat to hear it. It made her heart throb hard and then fall in sick dismay. Galen, no, she thought. Don't bother with me. You have to get Iliana away. â€Å"Keller!† he screamed again, and then he was beside her, holding her. â€Å"No . ? .† she whispered. She couldn't say more than that. She looked at him pleadingly with the eyes of a dumb beast. If he died, too, it would make her own death meaningless. The dragon was still screaming, both hands to his forehead. He seemed to be too angry to attack. â€Å"Keller, hang on. Please, you have to hang on.† Galen was dripping tears on her face. â€Å"Run†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. Instead, he did the most gallant thing she had ever seen. He was already holding her, his shaky hand stroking the hair off her face, brushing one of her tufted ears. Now, suddenly, he gripped her hard, and his expression changed. His jaw tightened, and a white line showed around his mouth. And his eyes†¦ seemed to darken and glow red. Too late, Keller realized. He was taking her impression. Learning her shape. No. You were meant to be something gentle. Galen stood up. And changed. But something was a little off. Maybe it was the fact that he had to hurry when he took the impression, or some extra twist from his own genes. Because, instead of becoming a soot-black panther, he became a gleaming golden leopard. The same animal. Different colors. This leopard was the dark rich gold of Galen's hair, and its eyes were the incredible green of his eyes. He was marked with perfect black rosettes, each with an even darker gold center. His body was sleek and supple and almost seven feet long with the tail. He was a big leopard, at least a hundred and sixty pounds. And before Keller had time to think, he was in motion. A good spring. Untutored but full of the real killer instinct. The coughing yell he let out as he jumped was the kind a cat makes when its fury is too great to hold in. The dragon whirled to face him. But it was too late. Once again, the crackling dark power hit but couldn't stop the rush. The dragon's human body couldn't fend off a hundred and sixty pounds of solid feline muscle. Keller saw Galen swipe. The dragon bellowed, clapping a hand to his head. And Keller wanted to cheer. She couldn't. She didn't have the strength left. But her heart was singing inside her with sheer pride. You did it. Oh, Galen, my prince, you did it. She saw his body falling, struck by the black energy. She saw it hit the ground and lie still. And she was sorry that they were both going to die. But with the dragon dead, too, and Iliana alive, there would still be hope. There would be people to carry on. Then she looked at the dragon, and time stopped, and her heart turned to ice. He still had a horn left. The one right in the middle. They hadn't done it after all. He still had power. He was going to kill them now, and Iliana, too. And neither she nor Galen could do anything to stop him. The noises the dragon was making were beyond description. He seemed to be out of his mind in pain and fury. And then Keller realized that it was more than that. He was screaming in sheer blood-lust-and he was changing. So strange-she hadn't even thought about the dragon changing before. But she could take on most animals. She knew to go for the juncture between head and neck for rhinos, the belly for a lion. But this†¦ what it was shifting into†¦ No. I don't believe it, Keller thought. It looked more like a moth being born than a shapeshifter changing. It split its human skin like a chrysalis. More of the yellowish liquid she had seen on Jaime's cheek oozed from the splits. And what was revealed underneath was hard and greenish-yellow, flat, smooth. Scaly. The smell was the smell from the basement Sickly-sweet, pungent, an odor to make your stomach lurch. Powerful back legs bunched, and the figure grew and stood against the moonlit sky. It was huge. In her mind, Keller saw a scene from the past. Iliana, her violet eyes huge, saying, â€Å"He can turn into a dragon?† And Keller's scornful answer, â€Å"No, of course not. Don't be silly.† Wrong, Keller thought. It actually looked more like velociraptor than a dragon. Too big-it was more than fifteen feet long, counting the powerful tail. But it had the same look of alien intelligence, the same reptilian snout, the same saberlike hind claws. It's not a mindless animal, Keller thought. It's smart. It even has things like hands on its forelegs; It's where evolution took a different turn. And it had power. Maybe more power this way than in its human form. Keller could feel its mind even at this distance, the terrible ancient core of hatred and malice, the endless thirst for blood. It opened its mouth, and for an instant Keller expected to see fire. But what came out was a roar that showed huge spiky teeth-and a flood of black energy. The dark power crackled around it like an aura of lightning. Nothing-no shapeshifter, no witch, no vampire-could stand against this creature. Keller knew that absolutely. That was when she saw Iliana getting up. Stay down, you idiot! Keller thought. Iliana stood straight. There's no point, don't attract its attention†¦ â€Å"Azhdeha!† Iliana shouted. And the monster turned. There they were, the maiden and the dragon, face to face. Iliana looked twice as small as ever before in contrast to this giant. Her silver-gold hair was blowing loose in the wind, and her dress shimmered around her. She was so delicate, so graceful-and so fragile, standing there like a lily swaying on its stalk. I can't watch, Keller thought. I can't see this. Please†¦ â€Å"Azhdeha!† Iliana said, and her voice was sweet but ringing and stern. â€Å"Hashteher! Tiamat!† It's a spell, Keller thought. Winnie taught her a spell? When they were lying there, whispering together? But what kind of spell would Winnie know against dragons? â€Å"Poisonous Serpent! Cold-blooded Biter! Rasta-ban! Anguis!† No, they're names, Keller realized slowly. Its names. Dragon names. Old names. â€Å"I am a witch and the daughter of a witch. Mine was the hand that took your power; mine was the hand that buried you in silence. Hecate was the most ancient of my mothers. Hecate's hand is my hand now.† Winnie couldn't have taught her that. Nobody could have taught her that. No witch alive today. Keller could see Winnie's pale face watching in surprise from beyond Iliana, her eyes and mouth dark O's. â€Å"Mine is the hand that sends you back!† Diana's palms were cupped now, and orange fire crackled between them. Keller's heart plummeted. Golden-orange fire. Witch fire. It was impressive, from a girl who'd never been trained, but it wasn't nearly enough. It was about as dangerous to the dragon as a firefly. She heard Winnie's voice in the silence, small and frightened but determined. â€Å"Aim for the horn!† The dragon threw back its head and laughed. That was what it looked like, anyway. What came out was a roar like all the other roars and a belch of black energy that fountained skyward. But in her head, Keller heard maniacal laughter. Then it swung its head back down and pointed the horn straight at Iliana. Die! it said. The word wasn't spoken but sent on a cold wave of pure energy. â€Å"Mine is the power of the ages† Iliana shouted back. â€Å"Mine is the power-â€Å" The golden flare in her palms was changing, blazing white, blinding hot†¦ â€Å"-OF THE END OF THE WORLD!† Something like a supernova was born between her hands. The tight shot up and out, exploding. It was impossible to look at. And it was no longer white but dazzling, lightning-brilliant blue. The blue fire. The Wild Power had awakened. I knew it, Keller thought I knew it all along. Keller couldn't see what happened to the dragon; the light was simply too bright. While it flared around her, she was bathed in radiance that seemed to shine through her, humming inside her and lighting up her bones. She tried to lift her own hand and saw nothing but a vague rainbow shape. But she heard the dragon's scream. Not low like the roar but high and squealing, a sound like icicles driving into her ears. It went up and up, higher in pitch until even Keller couldn't track it. And then there was a thin sound like distant glass shattering, and then there was no sound at all. There were shooting stars in the blue-white light. For the second time that evening, Keller fainted. â€Å"Boss! Please, Boss, hurry. Wake up!† Keller blinked open her eyes. Galen was holding her. He was human. So was she. And Winnie and Nissa were trying to drag both of them somewhere. Keller gazed up into those gold-green eyes. The exact color of a leopard's, she thought. Only leopards don't cry, and his were brimming with tears. She lifted a languorous hand and stroked his cheek. He cupped his own hand over it. Keller couldn't think. There were no words in her mind. But she was glad to be here with him, for this last moment in the moonlight. It had all been worth it â€Å"Boss, please!† Winnie was almost crying, too. â€Å"Let me die in peace,† Keller said, although she didn't realize she was saying it aloud until she heard the words. Then she added, â€Å"Don't you cry, Winfrith. You did a good job.† â€Å"Boss, you're not dying! The blue fire did something-it healed us. We're all okay. But it's almost midnight!† Keller bunked. She blinked again. Her body didn't hurt anymore. She'd assumed it was the blessed numbness that comes just before death. But now she realized that it wasn't. Her blood was running in her veins; her muscles felt firm and strong. She didn't even have a headache. She stared beyond Winnie to the girl in white. Diana was still slight and childlike, almost fairy-like of figure. But something had changed about her. At first, Keller thought she looked as distant and beautiful as a star, but then she smiled and wasn't distant at all. She was simply more beautiful than the dreams of mortals. And really shining with her own light. It pooled around her in soft, silvery radiance. Keller had never seen a Wild Power do that before, not on any of the tapes. But she's not just a Wild Power, the voice in her head whispered. She's the Witch Child. And Goddess alone knows all that she's meant to do. For a moment, Keller felt so awed that it was almost like unhappiness. But then Winnie's message finally sank in. She snapped her head up. â€Å"Midnight?† â€Å"Yes!† Winnie said frantically. Keller bolted upright. â€Å"Nissa?† â€Å"Right here, Boss.† Keller felt a flood of relief. Nissa was the one who had seemed closest to death on the ground there. But now she was standing on her own two feet, looking cool and imperturbable, even though her shirt was bloody and in rags. â€Å"Nissa, can you drive that Jeep? Can you figure out how to get to Charlotte?† â€Å"I think so. Boss.† Keller had never been so grateful to hear that calm voice in her life. She jumped up. â€Å"Then let's go!†