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Kefka's Tower Edit
ALRIIIGHHHT! We're going in! Fly to the large tower of debris that stands where Vector used to be. Fly over it, and try to land on the top. The Falcon will soar high above it, and the party will get ready to jump. Time to assemble the teams:
Like the Phoenix Cave, you have to split your team up into three teams of four in order to traverse the dungeon effectively, which means that you also have to distribute and redistribute the team's equipment whenever you switch between them. You're free to choose whoever you want to be in your team, but that means that two will be left over. It's up to you who those two should be, but Umaro should probably (DO it) be one of them. Gogo was the other one for me: you all know why. If you do bring Gogo, put him/her on a team different to Locke, so that they can both steal. There are no new steals in this place that are exclusive to one team, so it shouldn't really matter all that much. Each team should have a fairly equal balance of power. The other thing to note is that Terra, Celes and Relm should be in different parties due to their higher magical power. Strago should be with Relm because of their Sketch/Lore combination, and they should both be put in Party 3, since that's the party that will be fighting Fiend. You know, the one that teaches Force Field? Do I need to remind you? Note to self: yes.
Party 1 is up first, as befits a group called 'Party 1'. The enemies on the Tower Exterior portion (where we are now) are these four amigos: Vector Lythos, Great Malboro, the Primeval Dragon and the Great Behemoth. First one is pretty much harmless, and so is the Malboro so long as you don't kill it last (it uses bad breath when alone). The Primeval Dragon has some damaging abilities like Liveshaver, but should only be killed first if it isn't alongside a Malboro. The Behemoth is the most powerful, with a strong counter called Haymaker which it uses 33% of the time, so kill that one first with only your strongest attacks. Really, you should need no battle advice. Ultima, ultima, ultima. There's your strategy. We'll be following the same route we took to the Fixed Dice, but since that was so long ago (and I know how forgetful you people are), I'll tell ya how to get there again. Walk down the escalator and move around in a U shape until you get to a hard to see passage with a yellow arrow pointing left. Enter it, walk down the conveyor belt in the west, then enter the large door to the east.
This place is sorta like the Magitek Research Facility, but without that funky song playing in the background, it's hardly as awesome. New enemies, and there's an abundance of them:
- Duel Armor - Powerful enemy that can use Level 5 Death and Level 4 Flare.
- Fortis - Deals high levels of fire damage which can be reduced by Paladin Shield, Red Jackets and Flame Shields.
- Death Machine - Uses a lot of instant death attacks, like Level 5 Death and Blaster.
- InnoSent - Confuses the party with Mindblast, and can use Plasma and Freezing Dust. Has access to Level ? Holy, which Strago can learn as a lore.
- Metal Hitman - Weak enemy, doesn't need description.
- Junk - Depressed machine that like to kill itself up with Self Destruct and Transfusion.
- Prometheus - Uses Southern and Northern Cross, but not much else.
- Gamma - Uses Gamma Rays to inflict doom and Gravity Bomb and Launcher to inflict irritation on me. Weak to Thunder magic. Or ultima.
- Dark Force - Not notable at all apart from the lores it can learn (everything but four).
They all have tools to steal, so check their pages if you want to find them out. Back to exploration: Run north to where those Fixed Dice were, then go south to arrive at the tower exterior. Walk left, south across the conveyor, then right into the red tunnel. Looks like we're at a dead end here, soooo... party switch!
Take your second party right to some stairs, then down and left to a red-rimmed door. Head to the northwest of this area to get the Minerva Bustier, which is pretty much useless now that we have Genji Armours and Red Jackets. Run south until you find another large door leading upwards, a second one beneath it leading down. Enter the top one to get a Pinwheel, then enter the bottom one to move forward. The place you find yourself in is Kefka's personal dungeon (probably taken straight from Vector) which he uses as a friendly reminder that he used to be locked up in this shit hole during our Imperial visit back in the World of Balance. But instead of Kefka hiding out in the left cell, there's something else - Another ancient creature straight outta the apocalypse:
|Boss Fight: Ultima Buster|
Talkative fella, ain't he? Just like his WoB counterpart Ultima Weapon, The busta does business by boasting about its eldritch origins and trying to be all philosophical and shit. Unlike Weapon, Buster can't back up his big talk, and barely deserves to be a boss in the final dungeon.
Busta has all the Ga spells, plus Quake, Meteor, Tsunami, Flare Star, and Southern Cross. Sounds impressive, and he does have the really high HP, but we have Ultima. And the Master Scroll. And Fixed Dice. And just about every relic of use to ever exist? The payload his attacks can give are harsh, but healable, and UB won't be able to heal himself against our attacks like we can to his. And he doesn't even counter!
Rely on Ultima if you want to use spells, since Busta absorbs everything else (except fire, ice, and lightning). If you damage him 12 times in any way, he'll start charging up his own version of ultima, which is stronger than ours, so work hard to kill him before he can get it off. Don't try stealing that Crystal Orb, we'll get one soon.
Tut tut! Too easy! How strong can we call ourselves when primordial superpowers are no stronger than dogs before us? Busta's legacy as a short-lived boss is cemented with a save point that we can now use. If you're like me, you'll be glad to see it. Walk out the door to find yourself in the Factory area again, where two new enemies can be found: The Muud Suud and the Mover. Muud Suud is boring; I don't wanna talk about that one, But the Movers! Hoo-boy, interesting-city! Actually, no. They aren't. Unlike in FF's V, VII, IX, and Dimensions, Movers are NOT tough to beat, do NOT flee after a few turns in battle, and give off a WEAK prize of EXP and AP when defeated. Boo. They have a nice rage though, but who's going back to the Veldt at a time like this?!
Climb to the top of the room by walking in a rough spiral shape. The next room has pipes in it, but not those friendly looking green ones from Super Mario. Take the left pipe, then follow it outside to find a Force Shield (that is so five pages ago). Take the moving path down to come at an intersection of sorts. There's a big door to your right, a partially hidden one right next to you, and a path leading back up to your left. Go left first, past the escelator to find a Force Armour. Return to where the other two doors were, and take the one facing left. Look, it's Party 1! Hey Party 1! Pick up the Ribbon from the chest, then hit the switch. Now that the path's open, they can move on; Party 2 isn't done though, so don't switch just yet. Exit this place and enter through the bid doors to your right. This area is classified as 'Cave', so that means new enemies:
- Vector Chimera - Powerful, but has low HP and can be killed off fairly fast with strong techniques.
- Landworm - Remember the Slag Worm from Maranda Desert? Like that, but it can't counter with Sandstorm.
Walk straight up to find yourself in the Palace section of the Tower. It has more enemies to write about, but first there's an optional boss to kill that's right ahead of us.
|Boss Fight: Gold Dragon|
If it weren't for Holy Dragon being crippled by silence, this guy would be the easiest of the eight dragons. Yep, he's one of them, but I can't for the life of me remember when dinosaurs were ever considered to be dragons.
Gold Dragon is so called because lightning is its element, not because he's wealthy and can have wonderful riches stolen from him (he can't). He uses Thundara and Thundaga, and might even use Gigavolt. That might have been scary sounding when Celes was all alone in the world, but with four powerful figures with the best attacks money and effort can buy, how do you think it sounds now?
Use everything you've ever learned to extinguish this ancient reptile and bury his bones beneath the earth for archaeologists to exhume in millions of years. Flood would be good, since it's the first time we've been given a real chance to put it to good use.
1 Dragon Remaining. You know I just hit Fast-Forward for that fight? That's the greatest shame for any boss, to be defeated soundly by the AUTO command instead of by strategy. We get the Crystal Orb for victory, which can be used to boost maximum MP by 50%. If you got even just one Celestriad, the orb is truly without use, but I appreciate the effort of giving the party even more overpowered items that we just don't need. On a different note, here's those enemies you can discover in the palace:
- Demon Knight - Uses Cursed Gaze to inflict sap, and Crypt Dust to raise the dead as zombie thralls. Can steal Pinwheels from him.
- Yojimbo - Normal enemy, but with one potent ability: He uses Eye for an Eye when killed, which is a 100% guaranteed instant kill on the target. You can't do anything about it, so either cast Reraise on them or heal them after battle. Their Rages are cool, since they grant Gau the ability to use General Leo's Shock skill.
- Ahriman - Winged cycloptic freak that uses instant death moves like Doom and Roulette. Strago and learn Roulette as a lore.
- Daedalus - Father of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun. Also has Reflect???, for Strago to learn.
- Cherry - Known as Madam in the SNES version, runs a brothel perhaps? Master of magic, can use Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, Flare, Holy and Meteor.
- Outsider - Dangerous ninja enemy who can throw stuff (oh no! not stuff!) and can inflict death with its dispatch attack. A few ultimas will fix his wagon.
And also a few enemies we've already seen. Moving on. Enter the door on the left, and follow it to the outside. Kefka was feeling extra uncreative in this place; looks like he just lifted up the entrance of the Imperial Palace and plopped another pathway down on top of it. Run all the way north and step on the switch. Other party's will need to step on switches too to get the door open, so strip group 2 of their possessions and change to Party 3.
Time for Relm and company to make their move. Unless you didn't put Relm in this group: do you even listen to me? Or am I typing this to no one in particular? Ride the conveyor belt down and continue south until you see a chest which has a Red Cap inside it. Instead of going south again, open up the big door above the chest and enter. Run north to get to the factory, on a walkway above a floor that we'll get to soon. Follow the path that the catwalk takes you on, collecting a Nutkin Suit halfway through, and a Gauntlet at the end. Backtrack to where you got the Red Cap, then walk right and down to get to another door. Inside is another part of Keffie Inc. Run up to get the Hero's Ring, then run southwest. In this area there is a secret passage hidden beneath the rotating cog; walk under it from the left, then move south to a wall, go up one step, then left to a wall, then south to a wall, then move east until you're directly under the chest in the isolated room. Walk up to open it, and receive the Aegis Shield as your reward for finding this place. Now go back the way you came until you come to the cog room again.
Head north to see a conveyor belt moving upwards, and jump on. It takes us to the ground floor of the factory room where we got the Nutkin Suit and Gauntlet, and head for the save point immediately. Heal the team, then walk left to the stairs. Our next boss decides that this totally random spot is good enough to ambush the team, and drops on us from above.
|Boss Fight: Inferno|
This guy thinks he's so clever because his arms have different weaknesses and absorptions to him. You can't cast Firaga, since one will absorb the damage, or Blizzaga, cause another will be healed again. Seems like he hasn't heard of Ultima, which doesn't discriminate against any limbs, regardless of weakness. He uses attacks like Gigavolt and Shockwave despite the fact that his name is inferno, and may even use Sabot to do high damage.
Dismember his appendage pals (Ketu and Rahu), and he'll use Magitek Barrier to cast Protect and Reflect on himself. Ultima doesn't know the meaning of 'reflection', and will burn him up same as any monster in this dungeon.
Long live the mighty Inferno...
After that embarrassing episode, I'd be shocked if Kefka even decided to show his pale face to us when we reach the summit of this tower. His minions are bloody pitiful.
Let's continue this assault on the next page.


Argos’s strong growth rate has eased despite price cuts and the increasing popularity of the retailer’s home delivery operation.
The business’s like-for-likes sales growth averaged 7 per cent in the April-to-September period, signalling a slowdown over a summer. In the first three months of the half, growth came in at 9 per cent. Growth in total sales, which reached 15 per cent in the April-to-June quarter, was 13 per cent for the half.
GUS, the retail giant which bought Argos six years ago, declined to comment on the slowdown at a business lauded for its recent performance. However, today’s briefing noted particular demand for consumer electronics goods, cameras and household appliances.
It also revealed stable margins at Argos, with discounts gained from suppliers passed on…


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Today is National Coffee Day in the U.S. and as baristas around the country hand out free cups of joe, we wanted to share with you the faces of some of the people who grow the stuff that fuels our busy lives!
Josephat Nivin, in front of his home in Kinyamakobe, Uganda.
Coffee farmer Teddy Namagembe, of Mubende, Uganda.
Mubende coffee farmer Rapheal Kulumba with coffee cherries.
Coffee cherries in a tree near Mubende.
Meet Josephat Nivin of Kinyamakobe, Uganda
Like many farmers in Uganda, Josephat Nivin grows coffee, as well as maize, cassava, beans and livestock. This diversification is critical for his success, because crops like coffee take many months to yield fruit. Josephat’s first loan through Opportunity Uganda’s Mubende branch provided the required capital to purchase fertilizer, seeds and herbicides for his crop. Because his loan officer is knowledgeable about what will ensure the success of these crops, Josephat was well-equipped to purchase the proper amounts of each kind of input for his plot size.

domain: agronomy


In addition to the common classes of metals and alloys that have already been covered, there remain some of more specialist use which have aspects of particular interest. It is the purpose of the present chapter to explore some of these systems. Again, it is broadly a matter of the relationship of properties and behaviour to the requirements of an application that control use, but in order to achieve the desired outcome recognition of the principles and limitations is necessary.
Titanium has long been known for its valuable combination of high strength with low density. Coupling this with remarkable corrosion resistance (it is unaffected by both acids and alkalis at room temperature), its application in diverse fields is not surprising, and its use in medicine and dentistry has been assured for some time. It is used in various forms: commercially-pure metal (§1.1), α-alloys (§), and nickel-titanium (§2). It is a relatively expensive metal in part because of the need for special processing conditions using vacuum or an inert atmosphere; this arises from its extremely high reactivity with oxygen (a fracture surface ignites spontaneously in oxygen at 25 bar, and the molten metal just in air). However, it is this reactivity that leads, in the presence of atmospheric oxygen, to the immediate formation on the metal at ordinary temperatures of an oxide layer (TiO2) that is both adherent and stable, even in quite acidic conditions. This passivation (13§5) therefore inhibits further corrosion.
Titanium itself has two allotropic forms designated α and β. The α-phase has the h.c.p. structure (11§3.4) and is stable up to the transus temperature of 882 °C, at which it converts to the b.c.c. β-phase. This process is similar to the transformations occurring in iron (21§1). The α–phase is ductile, as is to be expected from the structure, but this is adversely affected markedly by dissolved (interstitial) oxygen (Fig. 1.1), and so the choice of grade of commercially-pure (CP) titanium used for a given application can be important.
The effect of oxygen is so marked that it is commonly said that CP-Ti is better considered as an α-phase oxygen alloy. Carbon and nitrogen are also soluble interstitially and have similar effects on mechanical properties, such that one can write the oxygen equivalent thus:
< ?xml:namespace prefix = "mml" ns = "http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" />
where each 0.1% O equivalent increases the strength by 100 ~ 120 MPa, but with a decrease in toughness (i.e. increase in brittleness).
Many metallic elements are soluble to a greater or lesser extent in titanium, giving many alloying possibilities, although few of these have yet found applications in dentistry. Many of these additions have an effect on the transus temperature and accordingly are commonly classified as follows:
• β-stabilizers, in turn divided into two groups:
– eutectoid (e.g. Fe, Mn, Co, Cr, Ni, Si, H, Cu, Ag, Au)
• neutral (e.g. Zr, Hf, Sn)
An α-stabilizer raises the transus temperature, a β-stabilizer does the reverse, allowing the β phase to be stable at low temperature, but it may destabilize the solid solution such that it undergoes a eutectoid reaction (12§3.6). A neutral solute in principle has no effect on the transus, although in practice this is a matter of degree rather than an absolute statement, there being only relatively slight changes. These effects are shown schematically in Fig. 1.2.
The significance of the existence of the α-β transus lies in the behaviour of the cast metal: the initially-solidified metal is necessarily β-phase, because this is the stable phase at high temperature, and this must therefore transform on cooling. This transformation occurs in two stages, by a mechanism which is already familiar: nucleation and diffusional growth. Thus, at a temperature depending on the alloy and the rate of cooling, α-phase first nucleates at β-grain boundaries, producing a layer over all β-grains, but then further nucleation occurs allowing plate-like crystals of α to grow into the β-grains. Nucleation completely within β-grains can also occur, especially if the cooling rate is increased. This produces a Widmanstätten structure (Fig. 1.3) 1 (cf. Fig. 14§3.9), and eventually would, in pure Ti, be expected to result in a full conversion to α-phase. However, the existence of iron as a common contaminant, although of strictly controlled amounts in CP-Ti, as well as other elements, means that a small proportion of β-phase normally remains (some 2 ~ 5 vol% is typical), stabilized by the iron, even after annealing. This effect is enhanced by the partitioning of solute elements: β-stabilizing elements migrate into the remaining β-phase, while α-stabilizers become enriched in the α-phase, reinforcing the stability of the α + β two-phase system. In addition, the α-phase grain size is limited during the recrystallization of annealing by the presence of these remnants of the β-matrix. All this means that cast “pure” Ti is nothing like as ductile as otherwise would be expected: the fine grain, incoherent two-phase structure provides appreciable resistance to slip (cf. grain refining, 19§1.10). It also means that what is commonly described as “α” material is in fact more accurately interpreted as two-phase. Thus, although the alloying elements described above may not be used deliberately in ‘titanium’ as such in dentistry, the presence of any of them as impurities affects the behaviour of “pure” titanium. Clearly, it is of great importance to avoid contamination in casting titanium, much more so than perhaps with gold alloys, for example.
It will be recalled from 11§3.5 that the pattern of stacking of close-packed planes in the face-centred cubic (f.c.c.) structure may be characterized as A,B,C,A,B,C … , referring to the relative position of atoms in successive planes with respect to those in an (arbitrary) reference layer. As can be seen from Fig. 11§3.20, it can be visualized as a regular stepping displacement of each layer in a particular direction as a result of this. But, as is apparent from Fig. 11§3.17, the h.c.p. structure is obtained when this displacement occurs in alternating directions 60° apart for successive layers. Now consider just one alternation of this kind in the f.c.c. sequence, giving for example: A,B,C,A,B,C,B,A,C,B,A,C …. From the underlined “C” onward it is still the f.c.c. pattern, but in a different directional sense and so the letter sequence is inverted (Fig. 1.4). Notice that these ABC labelled atoms (Fig. 11§3.20) constitute the close-packed diagonal of the unit cell. Thus, if the sequence undergoes such a switch the diagonal direction must thereby be changed, and so the crystallographic axes themselves have a different orientation. The structure is crystallographically identical, and the boundary is perfectly coherent, but it is as if it has been reflected across a mirror plane. Such a crystal is said to be twinned.
Twinning can arise in two ways: firstly, accidentally during solidification or recrystallization, because the energy of this most perfect of grain boundaries is so very small that this kind of stacking error has little energetic penalty (and so little thermodynamic driving force to change); secondly, as a result of plastic deformation – giving deformation twins. For this latter case, it may be envisaged that from a normal f.c.c. crystal a twin may be generated by displacing a layer one position across, then the second, and the third, and so on. Since it is a shearing process it is also said to generate shear twins. It occurs in some metals and alloys as a normal result of applying tensile or compressive stresses – recall that slip occurs along close-packed planes even though these may be at some angle to the principal stress direction. It is worth re-emphasising that, despite the simplistic description given here, such slip is not homogeneous but must occur atom by atom (11§5,6). Nevertheless, the key point in such a process is that it is non-diffusive: every atom retains precisely the same set of nearest neighbours and they are said to move “in concert” (at least, as viewed after the event). In addition, although such rearrangements are driven by changes in lattice dimensions or orientations, because the crystal structure type is unchanged, there is no change in volume except for the accumulation of voids at grain boundaries as the deformation in adjacent grains cannot match exactly (Fig. 11§6.8).
Twinning can occur in several crystallographic systems, including types in which a crystallographic lattice rotation occurs as opposed to a reflection, although the f.c.c. example is perhaps the simplest. Thus, pure α-Ti – h.c.p. – readily shows deformation twinning. However, this mode of response to applied stress is suppressed by the presence of solute atoms such as aluminium and oxygen (α-stabilizers), and so only occurs in low-oxygen CP-Ti. Even so, the ductility of very pure α-Ti (if it were obtained) would be due to this response in addition to the more usual slip by the movement of dislocations (11§6). Single-phase β-Ti alloys (b.c.c.) also exhibit deformation twinning, a behaviour which in fact enhances the ductility of what is ordinarily understood to be a relatively brittle crystal structure. In addition, interstitial oxygen does not cause the great lattice distortion that it does in b.c.c. iron and steel (metallic radius is much larger – Ti: 147 pm, Fe: 126), so slip remains relatively much easier even in the presence of this common contaminant.
Thus we have the curious situation that in practice α-Ti is expected to be ductile but is not because of an actual two-phase structure, grain boundary effects and distortion by interstitial contaminants; on the other hand, β-Ti is expected to be relatively brittle but is instead ductile because of twinning and lack of effect of interstitials.
As indicated above, titanium is extremely reactive and great precautions must be taken in the process of casting the metal. In part this is due to the high m.p., 1670 °C, substantially above that of Co-Cr alloys, and special equipment is therefore necessary. In addition, this must provide an inert atmosphere, such as with argon or vacuum. Even then, care must be taken to exclude oxygen after casting because above ~ 550 °C oxygen diffusion through any oxide coating and into the metal is very fast, leading to severe embrittlement as well as an excessively thick oxide coating. The embrittlement arises because the solid solubility of oxygen in Ti is very high (~ 14.5 mass% = 33 at%) and forms an oxygen-diffusion zone beneath the actual oxide layer. This “α-case” forms even on β-alloys, and may be a source of cracking in tension even if the underlying metal is ductile. The oxide commonly appears dark blue or other colours, partly through interference effects, but also because it is anion-deficient, creating colour centres (cf. ZnO, 9§3.1). This anion-deficiency is the source of the high diffusion rate of oxygen through the oxide – there are vacancies at the oxygen sites.
Cooling of the casting well below that critical temperature of ~ 550 °C must therefore be allowed to occur in the same inert atmosphere to avoid these effects. A further reaction problem arises with the investment if this contains silica, as indicated earlier (17§4): titanium can reduce silica to silicon.
The low density of the pure metal (4.5 g/mL) also causes difficulties. Centrifugal casting machines (18§3.2) are impractical because of the controlled-atmosphere requirements and gas-pressure (18§3.5) is commonly used in Ti-casting machines. Even so, turbulence porosity is often a major problem that requires careful control of spruing and casting conditions, especially in thicker sections. A further difficulty arises from the effects of other elements on the mechanical properties, as described above. Accordingly, casting with titanium must be done under scrupulously clean conditions to avoid contamination by other metals.
Elements that stabilize the β-structure have a curious effect: they can reduce the modulus of elasticity markedly when present in modest concentrations, to perhaps to 60 or 70% of the value for α-Ti at around room temperature (that is, from about 105 GPa). This is curious because ordinarily modulus of elasticity is little affected by anything other than temperature (assuming no constitutional changes) because it is a measure of interatomic forces – bond strength – and in chemical terms the transition elements involved are not that dissimilar. Thus it seems that β-stabilizing elements disturb that bonding. This effect is seen in such alloys as Ti-10Mo (meaning 10 mass% molybdenum), where there is enough molybdenum to stabilize the β-structure at around room temperature, and likewise for alloys near Ti-15 V-3Cr and a number of others. Such bond-weakening might also represent a further contribution to the ductility of this type of alloy, although heat-treatment after cold-work is likely to result in detrimental metallographic changes.
Some β-phase alloys are not fully stable at low (normal working) temperatures and can tend to produce the so-called ω-phase, a very fine grain (2 ~ 4 nm) precipitate, yet again by a diffusionless shear-transformation, as a hexagonal or distorted b.c.c. structure which has a diffusely-coherent grain boundary with the β. This is not itself an equilibrium phase, but forms on nucleation in the transition from α to β. Such β-alloys are said to be metastable, and the presence of ω-phase causes severe embrittlement. Thus, heating of such alloys may be detrimental to their structure and thus their properties. Conditions of use must be carefully observed.
In dentistry, a particular titanium-molybdenum alloy, Ti-11Mo-7Zr-4Sn, with the trade name TMA, is used for orthodontic wires. This has the β-Ti structure, principally stabilized by the molybdenum content, but the presence of the zirconium and tin (otherwise nearly neutral with respect to the transus temperature, §1.1, but see §1.6) inhibits the formation of the brittle ω-phase. It is therefore weldable without detriment. The lack of Ni is an advantage for intraoral use.
Although titanium and its alloys are corrosion-resistant, as with all passive alloys they are susceptible to crevice corrosion attack and all the normal remarks apply (13§5). However, there is an additional factor for CP-Ti and α-phase alloys, especially with aluminium, and that is hydrogen embrittlement. This generally arises because the cathode process
(13§3) can occur readily enough to cause a problem: hydrogen is sufficiently soluble in α-Ti that the mechanical properties can be affected, in particular a loss of ductility, but it can be driven to supersaturation when the brittle phase TiH2 may form by precipitation. This precipitation is aided by the presence of tensile stress (reducing the constraint on the hydride’s crystal growth), and so stress-concentration by notches becomes a factor of relevance in focusing the embrittlement on just the region when crack growth needs to be suppressed by crack-tip blunting, i.e. where ductility would provide toughness.
The type of effect known as internal hydrogen embrittlement only occurs when hydrogen is present over and dissolves in the molten metal, which therefore becomes supersaturated with hydrogen on solidification. This is not normally likely to occur in ordinary dental laboratory contexts but might be a problem at manufacture. Environmental hydrogen embrittlement, on the other hand, results from hydrogen absorption by solid metal. In dentistry, this might occur during electrolytic processes or, more likely, from corrosion reactions. This seems to be the case in the presence of fluoride, and can result in changes in the properties of α-phase orthodontic wires. Since these are meant to be stressed in use, delayed fracture (static fatigue) may occur in service. While β-phase wires do absorb hydrogen, this stays in interstitial solution and may have only relatively minor mechanical effects. Similarly, etching of castings, for example with strong sulphuric acid, whether for obtaining a mechanical key for cementation or to improve the biocompatibility of the surface of an implant, may generate much TiH2.
Both zirconium and hafnium are isomorphous with titanium, and show the same α-β transition, the temperature of which is only slightly affected in their alloys (hence their description as ‘neutral’) (Fig. 1.5). The metallic radii are Zr: 160 pm and Hf: 159 pm, giving radius ratios with Ti (147 pm), of 1.09 and 1.08 respectively. By the Hume-Rothery rules (Table 11§3.2) the complete solid-solubility that is observed is expected. In addition, both Zr and Hf are spontaneously passive (13§5), and the ability to form the coherent oxide coat, as has Ti, is present in the alloys. The radius ratios are still sufficient to generate appreciable solid solution hardening without employing alloying elements that pose a biological risk, such as Al, Ni, and Cr. The only significant problem is the high price of both metals. Commercially-pure grades are used for surgical implants.
Nickel-titanium alloys have two main areas of application in dentistry, but with a third a distinct possibility. These areas are in orthodontic appliances, endodontic instruments, and surgical correction of bony anatomy. Each depends on properties that are commonly only encountered with this group of alloys (although others exist outside dentistry), but to understand these it is first necessary to explore some of the underlying structure.
Nickel and titanium form a series of intermetallic compounds: Ni3Ti, NiTi and NiTi2. It is NiTi that is of relevance here, the equimolar alloy, or nearly so. But far from being a sharply defined ‘compound’ as are both Ni3Ti and NiTi2, it can be seen from the phase diagram (Fig. 2.1) that the compositional limits for NiTi can be quite broad above 630 °C in the eutectoid phase field. Notice that below this temperature there is a two-phase field that stretches from about 25 to 66% Ti, Ni3Ti + NiTi2. However, cooling NiTi itself below that temperature does not result in that phase separation, but the preservation of NiTi as a metastable phase. Cold working aids the reaction.
Also known as Ni-Ti (“nye-tye”) or “Nitinol” (from the US Naval Ordnance Laboratory where it was first investigated), nickel-titanium alloys approximating the equimolar composition NiTi are remarkable for exhibiting a range of unusual properties, in particular the shape-memory effect and pseudoelasticity. These arise from certain reversible crystallographic changes.
NiTi at relatively high temperatures has an ordered b.c.c. structure which is known in this system as austenite. On cooling, one observes the expected thermal contraction, more or less linearly, until at a particular temperature the rate of change of dimension with temperature increases. This is caused by a spontaneous but progressive (i.e. with respect to temperature, not time) shear transformation to a monoclinic structure called martensite.2 Such a change is therefore called a martensitic transformation, simply because crystallographic shear is involved. Hence, the temperature at which this process commences on cooling is called the martensitic start temperature, MS (Fig. 2.2). At some lower temperature, this process is completed: this is the martensitic finish temperature, Mf, where the proportion of martensite is now 100%. Below Mf, ordinary cooling shrinkage occurs as before. Notice that in this process, all neighbours are preserved (no diffusion), and therefore the monoclinic structure is also ordered.
If now this martensitic NiTi is reheated, the reverse process occurs, eventually completely reforming the original austenite. That is to say, the shear transformation is progressively reversed so that all atoms return to their original positions in their original crystallographic arrangement. However, the austenitic start temperature, AS, is somewhat higher (typically by about 20 K) than Mf, and likewise the austenitic finish temperature, Af, is somewhat higher than MS. These transformations therefore show hysteresis, which occurs over the transformation temperature range (“TTR”). This whole process is more or less indefinitely reversible. Such a thermally-controlled crystallographic change is a normal consequence of the thermodynamic imperative of adopting a lower energy state, there being a simple path to allow it to occur and no limitation arising from diffusion. What is peculiar is the existence of the hysteresis; it is a second-order transition, unlike the first-order transition of ferrite to austenite and vice versa for iron (Fig. 21§1.1), for example. Thus, the change is not microscopically-reversible, as would be expected for a normal equilibrium process.
The progressive nature of the transformation may in part be explained like this. It is clear that if the composition departs from exactly 50:50 Ni:Ti in atomic proportions, it is not possible to maintain complete ordering over a whole grain (assuming that a second phase does not appear). However, this disorder will itself be randomly distributed. The energy conditions required for the transformation therefore vary slightly from place to place according to statistical fluctuations in the degree of disorder, and hence the temperature at which it occurs will also vary over some range. Further, even at exactly NiTi, stacking faults may occur in which Ni and Ti occupy the wrong sites, a further source of slight disorder affecting the strain energy of the lattice. The effect that this has can be seen by the variation of the value of MS with composition (Fig. 2.3). In addition, remembering that grains will have randomly-oriented crystallographic axes, the transformation will be slightly constrained by the stress generated as neighbouring regions and grains cannot exactly accommodate the strain. The driving-force needed therefore continues to increase slightly to overcome this resistance.
An extra complication to this behaviour is that some NiTi alloys also show a third phase, the so-called R-phase, after its rhombohedral crystal structure (Table 11§3.1). Generally, this only appears on cooling as an intermediate stage before the full martensitic transformation. Again, however, the formation of this involves only shear and so does not interfere with, but rather becomes part of the continuous process of transformation. We may ignore such details in favour of the larger picture.
Austenitic NiTi shows quite ordinary mechanical behaviour at temperatures well above Af and has no special attributes; it is quite hard, and resembles α-Ti (§1.1). However, the martensite that is reversibly formed thermally, i.e. only on cooling, is heavily twinned (§1.2) in a special way: it may be imagined as similar to a pleated structure or a “concertina-fold” (Fig. 2.4, process a). It may be seen that the formation of this type of structure leads to a small change in volume (Fig. 2.2), but not of shape (we assume here that this is in a polycrystalline piece of metal, where the net strain is isotropic; cf. Fig. 1§2.12) as there is no systematic displacement from layer to layer. This twinned martensite does have special properties: when this is mechanically deformed, the twinning is progressively lost until it has completely disappeared (Fig. 2.4, process b), again through a plain shearing mechanism, with all near neighbours preserved. Again, this is a regimented (or ‘military’) non-diffusive crystallographic change. In this way, very large strains can be obtained but at nearly constant, only very slightly increasing load. Furthermore, this strain too is not microscopically-reversible because it is not an elastic strain: atoms have moved from one energy minimum to another through, of necessity, a (slightly) higher energy state. This is quite unlike the elasticity arising from bond-length or bond-angle strain alone; removing the stress does not result in the strain returning promptly to zero, only the purely elastic component of the deformation is recovered. The nearly-atomic scale of shifts occurring mean that strains up to about 8% may be obtained. This should be compared with the 0.1 ~ 0.2% strain at the elastic limit of many other alloys, which is therefore about the magnitude of the pure elastic component here.
The deformed, de-twinned martensite is thus stable in the absence of any applied stress if kept at low temperature, relative that is to AS. However, if it is now heated to above AS it becomes unstable and spontaneously reverts to austenite (Fig. 2.4, process c). Yet again, because this is purely a shear transformation, all neighbours are still preserved. Consequently, the original dimensions of the piece are regained because all of the imposed strain is recovered. Under this regime, therefore, NiTi demonstrates shape-memory, and is therefore called a shape memory alloy (“SMA”), a property it shares with a variety of other alloys that are not used in dentistry. It is clear that work has been done in creating the deformed martensite with respect to the original austenite, and this work is stored in the structure. Hence, when heated, this work is recoverable and can be used to exert forces and thus in turn do work on an external system. It is similar to the work done by the energy stored (purely elastically) in an ordinary spring, such as in driving a clockwork mechanism. The difference here is that the release in NiTi is triggered by the imposed rise in temperature. Obviously, the deformation can be of any type: in tension, bending, or torsion.
The low-temperature martensitic phase is very plastic. A piece can be deformed in a manner rather similar to that of pure tin: it can repeatedly be bent, backwards and forwards, without strain hardening. This enables any necessary shaping to be done with little risk of fracture, unlike metals such as stainless steel and dental gold alloys. The reason for this is that the activation energy for the movement of the twin boundaries is low, and – again unlike other alloys – without the formation or involvement of dislocations, which through pile-up would otherwise lead to the formation of microscopic defects that can initiate fracture (11§6.3). The remarkable bonus is that the original shape can then be recovered just by mild heating.
For obvious reasons, the above shape-memory behaviour is called “one-way”: a mechanical deformation must be imposed first, and this is undone on heating above AS. The initial thermally-induced transition is, overall, dimensionally isotropic because the b.c.c. austenite crystal axis that becomes the c-axis in the monoclinic martensite is chosen randomly from grain to grain (cf. the formation of the ordered AuCu domains, 19§1.4). However, it is possible through elaborate combinations of thermal and mechanical treatments to make the martensitic transformation on cooling anisotropic, that is, obtain a selective orientation of the martensite c-axis. Thus, cooling through that transformation also causes a dimensional change without loading, and this is recoverable on reheating. This “two-way” shape-memory can therefore do useful work in either direction. Note that the thermal hysteresis is still present, although it may be reduced in extent. The details of such shape training are, however, beyond the present scope.
There is a third special behaviour. Austenitic NiTi is said to be mechanically unstable over a narrow range of temperatures. That is, in this temperature range the martensitic transformation can be induced purely mechanically, by the imposition of a stress. This temperature range is marked above by what is termed the martensite deformation start temperature, Md (typically up to about 50 K above Af), and below by Mf, where there is no austenite remaining. For the moment, however, we shall restrict the discussion to temperatures above Af, that is, where no martensite is present. Thus, for a piece of austenitic NiTi in that temperature range, the application of a load first causes a perfectly ordinary elastic deformation with an unremarkable modulus of elasticity (Fig. 2.5). However, at some point the stress-induced shear transformation commences and, if the load is increased slightly, more austenite transforms to untwinned martensite, and so on until all has been converted. The transformation is again progressive and second-order. Very large strains, again of the order of 8%, can thereby be obtained with only very small increases in stress. This is the phenomenon of superelasticity, also known as pseudoelasticity, which is perhaps the better, more accurately descriptive label. After the completion of the conversion the elasticity again becomes normal – the metal is stiff and elastic – until an ordinary yield point is reached. Remarkably, if the load is reduced before that (true) yield has occurred, the mechanical deformation is reversible, both the ordinary elasticity (of course) and the pseudoelastic deformation due to the martensitic transformation. This is represented in Fig. 2.4 by process d. It necessarily involves the direct formation of the untwinned martensite because of the imposed strain, and the structure is indistinguishable from that formed by stress at low temperature (except for ordinary thermal expansion). Lowering the temperature while under stress has no effect on structure. Again, there is hysteresis: the unloading curve sees the start and finish of the return to austenite at lower stresses than caused the martensite to form (Fig. 2.5); the loading and unloading curves in this region do not coincide.
As might be imagined, there is some temperature- and composition-sensitivity to the value of the stress that induces the transformation. In fact, Md represents the highest temperature at which this may be achieved and it also requires the highest stress to initiate. This arises because above that point the critical transformation stress becomes inaccessible, being higher than the yield point for ordinary, irreversible plastic deformation of the austenite (that is, by the movement of dislocations), which is therefore the path taken, according to the principle of least work. At lower temperatures, the martensite becomes energetically progressively more favourable and the activation energy for the transformation, as represented by the stored (true) elastic energy, lower.
Although the stress to induce the transformation is temperature-dependent, the speed of the transformation is dependent on neither temperature nor strain rate. It is indeed a fast transformation, occurring at about half the speed of sound in the metal (that is, at about 2500 m/s), in other words, at half the speed of transmission of the elastic wave. Thus, for small pieces, the progressive transformation occurs essentially instantaneously. Similarly, the temperature-induced transformations are equally fast, and do not require any more time to complete. All of this arises from the non-diffusive nature of the crystallographic changes.
Now, if instead of starting at T > Af, the loading occurs for Af > T > AS, the material is, of course, 100% austenite to start with, and can stress-transform />


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"You always close your eyes when you play."
The last chord of Jem's song faded, leaving behind it a thrum of breath-catching energy, intense despite its light sweetness. He seemed unsurprised by Tessa's observation as he turned to regard her with soulful, colorless eyes. They were open now, yes, but Tessa had been correct in her statement - she had noticed that as soon as he set his bow upon the strings, Jem's eyes would flutter shut and remain that way until his song had ended. After a moment, Jem smiled at her, a pretty smile forged by a man wracked with both pain and love.
"I do," he confirmed softly, as if almost amused by the idea. As he tilted his head contemplatively, he seemed to look through her a moment, as if she had disappeared in the midst of his own thoughts. "Yes… I suppose I do."
"My I ask why?" Tessa inquired gingerly from her place on his bed, shawl wrapped tight around her shoulders, shielding her from the autumn's night chill. "It's just… You always stand in front of the window, as if to gaze out over London while you play… but you never do."
Again, Jem's face failed to express whether or not he was taken aback by Tessa's words. Refined and touched with foreign grace, Jem's features were always most striking in the glow of night. Perhaps it was simply how dull the sunlight was in England, but here, the moon's light illuminated everything with an iridescent blue. Made as he was of white-gold and silver, Jem could have been a star, just as radiant and intense. Tessa might have blushed at her own thoughts had she been ashamed of them - as she had been ashamed of her thoughts of Will.
With Jem, however… Jem was a true gentleman: polite and kind and considerate. A sort of man who could kindle a fire in a lady, yet keep it controlled, save his priorities for a decent time. If anyone was the man from her beloved novels, it was Jem.
Tessa had realized this some time after Mortmain's disappearance. What with Will being so cold to her, Tessa had learned the ways of avoiding him when she could and of comforting herself when she could not evade his cruel treatment. Jem had provided a means to do both, whether intentionally or not, and the two had quickly developed a close relationship.
Sitting on Jem's bed in the middle of the night, dressed in her bedclothes and a robe, was only one of Tessa and Jem's new and unusual rituals. Tessa would wake from an unfit slumber or stay up late enough - and she would hear Jem begin to play. At first, she had hesitated, but now she would crawl immediately out from under her coverlet and steal across the corridor. She'd slip into Jem's room with not a sound, and still, he would call out to her knowingly.
"Tessa? Is that you?"
It amazed her that he never guessed wrong - considering she was not his only midnight visitor - and she always responded the same way.
"Yes, Jem. It's me."
He never turned around when she entered the room, because he didn't need to. She would come in, pull herself up onto his bed, and listen as he played. For hours, he would play one song after another, and she would let herself drift away from her worries.
"Would you like me to show you why?" he asked, so abruptly it seemed, Tessa started with a blink.
"I… I'm sorry, what?" she breathed, blushing at her lack of manners, but Jem only smiled in that sweet way and gestured for her to come to him.
"I'll show you why I close my eyes when I play," he offered. "It is not something I can explain to you, but I can show you. Come here, Tessa."
Maybe it was the lightness with which he beckoned her, but Tessa felt obliged to obey him. No - she wanted to obey him. Hoping the night did well to hide her bright cheeks, Tessa stood and smoothed out her nightgown with sweaty palms before stepping daintily to where Jem stood. With a few short gestures, he had her turn so that she was standing where he had been, facing the window just as he had.
"You place this here…" he whispered, and Tessa gasped as the smooth curve of the violin came to cup her throat, resting upon her shoulder as if it had been waiting for her. It was warm where Jem had been propping it up himself. "And tilt your head like so… yes, just like that so it won't fall. Now… take this, and hold it… good."
Tessa didn't know if Jem could hear, but her heart was making her chest ache with every thunderous beat against her ribs. He was wrapping his fingers firmly around her hand on the bow, the warmth of skin on hers making her shiver. His chest, hard and strong, was pressing to her back - but Tessa would have sworn he was trembling just as she.
"Are you cold?" he gasped, the heat of his breath glancing off the back of her neck - his voice shook as he spoke.
"No," she replied faintly, but he held her tighter anyway.
"Now then…" he breathed, faint and soft into her ear. His fingers, despite the rest of his shaking body, were steady and firm as they somehow guided hers to a series of strings she failed to pay attention to. Gently, he pressed down so that the fine chords dug into her soft flesh. Then, with his hand over hers, clutching the bow tightly, together they set it along the four strings drawn tightly across the length of the violin.
They seemed to take a breath then, together, in the stillness of the moment. The air about them chilled, but it did not touch Tessa - only Jem's warmth wrapped around her from behind, hugging her softly to him. Tessa, despite the air making her chest feel too-full, could not breath and opened her mouth to gasp - but could not. The same pause in time seemed to occur in Jem, for she could no longer feel his breath on the nape of her neck and only his heartbeat betrayed his immobility.
And then, very slowly, he pulled outward with the bow, and from the strings emitted a most terribly beautiful sound.
Tessa shuddered, the vibration from the strings sliding straight into her body, the resonance of the violin's mournful crying touching her in a place words alone could not reach. It was awful and tear jerking, but so unbearably sweet, lifting her from complete darkness to that world of filtered light and dancing shadows only dreams and death could take her to. As Jem, breathing hard now, as if he had just finished a battle, maneuvered their joined arms and had her play another note, they swayed ever slightly together, in unison.
Her eyes came closed before she even realized.
But she could see ever so clearly. In her mind's eye, the violin's haunting song, played at both her hand and Jem's, conjured old memories, images of times too pleasant and painful to remember. She saw herself as a child and playing with Nathanial, receiving hugs from her father, having her mother brush her hair, staying up with Aunt Harriett to comfort one another. She could see bright clear skies, clouds frequent but white and distant, Central Park's greens and browns, their cozy apartment, nights with stars and warmth to make it not-so-dreary.
Yet, as a new series of splendidly twisted chords fell and arched from the violin, stretching high into unimaginable octaves, she saw things that made her ache, quaking in Jem's embrace and needing desperately to remember how to breath. She saw her many novels in the Dark Sisters' mansion; Sophie's pretty, scarred face; tiny Charlotte amidst a crowd of men; Thomas swinging his broad sword; Jessamine's parasol dipped in blood; a failed invention at Henry's feet; a beautiful smile baring pointed teeth; blue sparks erupting from golden fingers; Will soaked in red and blue - and Jem.
Jem as he had been when she first saw him, small and white at his bedside, playing what he had her play now. She remembered this song, how it called to her sadly. He had, too, called out, so softly, but for a different name entirely. She could see him, doubled over on his floor with blood coloring his lips, him dancing madly with a seraph blade, his hair tousled by wind on the bridge, his mouth gracing the back of her hand…
It was quiet.
Very slowly, Tessa lifted her eyelids, blinking at her blurry vision, startled by the sudden murkiness that was covering her eyes. At some point, it seemed as though Jem had stopped moving their hands, had finished his tearful song. He was motionless against her, bow still hovering by the strings, arm wrapped around her. They stood, unmoving, unspeaking.
She didn't want him to move.
To let her go and have her fall away from him, into loneliness and desperation. The song, resonating inside her, was too much to bear, the slow steadiness of it. Quaking but firm - if Jem let go, Tessa knew not what might become of her.
"Tessa," he whispered, causing her to tense as he drew his arms away from her.
Her heart faltered a moment, distraught, but following the light clatter of the violin being set on a nearby chair, his arms came back to her. They grasped her by the shoulders and spun her slow, away from the cloudy blue night. Past her murky vision, his eyes were like cups of rippling liquid silver. His fingers were touching her cheeks, swiping methodically until the world began to clear up.
She gasped when she realized she'd been crying. Embarrassed, she tried to turn away from him, but even now, riddled with his illness, he was so much stronger than she. He purred some inhumanly comforting sound and pulled her close, held her tight.
And he didn't let her go.
I adore these series! And the Mortal Instruments. I'll definitely be writing more. This may have a follow-up, simply because I had no clue how exactly to end it. But, this oneshot was supposed to be bittersweet and sort of twisted - remember that not ever ending has to be an orthodox one. Some people have no appreciation for loose endings. -_- I'm not a miracle worker, you know. If you want Jem and Tessa to have a different story, you write a oneshot - this is my story. I ended it the way I wanted, and I like this.
But! If you aren't one of those annoying whiners who likes to tell me my endings suck because they aren't like everyone else's - please review and tell me how you did. If you don't like it, feel free to tell me. Just make sure you give me a good reason why. ^_^

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Pearlfinders and Rainmaker MD on the move to Borough and being inspired by Team BRIT
With Article 50 recently triggered, a snap General Election under our belts and the on-going economic and political instability many business leaders could be forgiven for opting to batten down the hatches so they can slip quietly into survival mode for the remainder of the year.
Fortunately, The Drum operates in an industry where risk seldom seems to exert too much dominance on the decision-making processes of business leaders. By their very nature leaders in the marketing sector embrace change, enjoy elements of risk and never back down from a challenge.
Pearlfinders and Rainmaker are two such businesses currently scoffing in the face of the uncertainty and as a preferred partner of The Drum Network we caught up with Pearlfinders and Rainmaker managing director Anthony Cooper to talk about their year so far, which last week saw them leave Clerkenwell to relocate to larger premises on Borough High Street, ably applauded by Team BRIT, who turned out in full force to welcome them.
“During any period of uncertainty, the need for accurate insight – especially information that offers clues as to where the world’s largest brands are heading - is essential,” says Cooper. “One thing the General Election and the EU Referendum had in common is that they highlighted how varied UK public opinion is on certain issues. I think both were a wakeup call for brands and we’ve seen many adjusting strategy and agency support requirements in response. Our unique ability to uncover these challenges has enabled both companies to continue growth trajectories despite uncertainty.”
And that growth has meant that Pearlfinders and Rainmaker have been forced (in a good way) to find a larger home to house their swelling ranks, which now number 70.
“Rainmaker opened the Clerkenwell office back in 2002. Since then we’ve grown to over six times the size, launched Pearlfinders in 2004, developed new products and are now servicing clients across the US, Asia and Europe. A few years back we expanded to take over another floor, but, ultimately, we’d outgrown the space and wanted somewhere that would give us room to take things to the next level. In our move to Borough we’ve created the largest new business hub in the UK under one roof.
“We’ve been in the new office for four days and there have been people from agencies in the local area quite literally knocking on the door to find out more about what we do. We’ve always done things completely differently from any others in the business development space and this office reflects our mission to speak to the world’s largest brands about their plans, empowering our clients which include some of the world’s biggest and most celebrated companies to grow.”
Borough may have hit the headlines recently for tragic reasons, but in spite of that that the community living, working and socialising in Borough presses on as one of the capital’s most energetic, lively and dynamic communities – the very reasons that Cooper chose it as their new home.
Cooper says: “Borough is the perfect intersection of commerce, creativity and raw entrepreneurial energy. The search for a new office took me into every nook and cranny of London and there were other spaces that were seriously considered. But they say “you know when you know” and when I first walked into the space I was confident I’d found the perfect location for us to call home for at least the next five years.
“The building was an empty shell, so we’ve had to completely fit it out, decorate and create original artworks and installations. We’ve included features such as the library of our staff’s favourite books, the three metre-long neon Rainmaker sign made by Kemp London who’ve been going since 1868, and the Pearlfinders logo that’s been made up of hundreds of media and data sources. We wanted to showcase our creativity, but in an environment that’s industrious with an entrepreneurial flare.”
They say never judge a book by its cover and often that is also the case with businesses - believe me, this journalist has visited many companies based in ramshackle back street studios only to be stunned by the quality of creative that is being churned out from inauspicious surroundings. But when you are supporting blue chip organisations that include Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Oracle, the Chicago Bulls and agencies such as JWT, Dentsu and Leo Burnett appearances matter. So, what does Cooper hope their new home says about Pearlfinders and Rainmaker?
“When you hear about companies appointing new partners or signing off major projects, Pearlfinders and Rainmaker are very often in the background. It’s time for us to shout from the rooftops about the work we do, the fantastic companies we help to grow and the many millions of pounds worth of work we help them to secure. We’re proud of what we do.”
Shouting from the rooftops has also seen Pearlfinders sponsoring Team BRIT, the competitive motor racing team made up of seriously injured and disabled former military people, since 2015 – not only a profile-raising exercise, but also a source of on-going inspiration, energy and belief for the team at Pearlfinders and Rainmaker.
Cooper says: “I was first contacted by Dave Player, the Founder and CEO of Team BRIT, back in 2015 and have been extremely proud to play a part in their success ever since. They’ve been successfully using Pearlfinders insight to help them to find new sponsors - demonstrating our ability to help.
“It’s been fantastic to welcome Team BRIT to our office this week to celebrate the move and their latest achievements on the track. Hearing the drivers’ incredible stories is inspiring not just because of the physical obstacles they’ve overcome, but also the mental strength and determination they have to work together as a team to make history on the race track. Their goal is to be the first all disabled team to compete in the 2020 Le Mans race, which would be such a huge milestone in their mission to normalise disability and inspire anyone facing any kind of physical or mental challenge that anything is possible.”
So, the next six months seems set up for success, but what does Cooper expect?
“We’re just about to publish the H1 update to The Pearlfinders Index based on interviews with over 2,500 marketing and sport decision makers in the first six months of 2017, so people will have to wait a couple more weeks to hear what we predict will be happening in the marketing services space! In terms of Pearlfinders and Rainmaker we will be looking to do what we’ve always done – use our unique understanding of senior budget-holders to uncover insight for clients and create opportunities no other company can.”
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Tesla Motors took its battle for the right to sell and service cars to the home turf of General Motors and Ford, suing the state of Michigan to overturn a ban on its direct-to-consumers business model.
Michigan is violating the company's constitutional rights "by prohibiting Tesla from selling its vehicles directly to consumers and by precluding Tesla from performing service and repairs within the state,'' Tesla said in the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Grand Rapids on Thursday. It seeks a court order barring the state from enforcing its ban.
Tesla says it's been stymied by the grip of automakers and dealers on the legislature in Michigan, which along with Texas, Connecticut and Utah are the only states where it has so far been unable to get a license to sell directly to consumers. The Palo Alto, California-based maker of electric cars and energy storage devices currently operates stores in 23 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in 20 other countries.
"Solving this legislatively always has been and continues to be Tesla's preferred option," the company said in a statement Thursday. "Unfortunately, the local auto dealers and local manufacturers have made clear that they oppose any law that would allow Tesla to operate in Michigan. Given their position, the leadership of the Michigan legislature recently informed Tesla that it will not even hold a hearing to debate the issue."
Andrea Bitely, spokeswoman for Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, didn't immediately respond to a phone call for comment. The Michigan Automobile Dealers Association didn't immediately return a call.
The state has prevented Tesla from operating through the direct-sales ban and by rejecting Tesla's application for a vehicle dealer license, according to the lawsuit. The state hasn't ruled on Tesla's request to register a vehicle repair facility, more than nine months after its initial application, John Bursch, Tesla's lawyer, said in the complaint. Bursch is the state's former solicitor general.
Michigan owners currently have to travel to service centers elsewhere, such as the Ohio cities of Cleveland or Columbus, for service.
Under Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, Tesla eschews the traditional franchise dealership model, saying that electric cars -- as a new technology -- are best sold to consumers directly from the manufacturer.
Instead of dealerships with large lots, Tesla operates stores in highly visible retail locations where there is a lot of foot traffic. General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have operated under franchise laws that have been on the books for decades and were originally put in place to prevent manufacturers from opening stores that would compete directly with mom-and-pop dealers.
Tesla said it was unable to reach a compromise at a June meeting that included Michigan's automakers, franchised dealers and state lawmakers. According to the lawsuit, "In the words of one legislator who attended the meeting: The Michigan dealers do not want you here. The local manufacturers do not want you here. So you're not going to be here.''


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Potable Reed Organ from 1950
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The Organetta is a small portable reed organ made in the late 50s by the German company Hohner*. The sound is generated by an electric fan that blows air into a set of brass reeds hence the sound is reminiscent of something in between a melodica and an accordion.
2 Mics and 6 Round Robins
We sampled this little green friend with two mics: a large diaphragm condenser mic and a piezo attached to the chassis. The fan noise has been removed from the samples but you can choose to add it to the mix or play it alone by pressing the green keys.
To add more realism we captured 6 round robin of the key down and up noises.


text:
Nick Teravelli tugged on the sleeves of his suit jacket. They were an inch too short, but it was the only suit he owned. His mother had bought it for him three years ago for his college graduation. He wore the suit to her funeral six months later. The best and the worst days of his life were spent in this suit. Today could go either way.
Wetting a comb, he attempted to tame his long, wavy hair. He intended to have his hair cut the day before, but his father had insisted he mop the floors of the family restaurant. By the time he had finished, the barber shop had closed.
Stuffing his wallet and keys into his pockets, he hurried into the kitchen of the family’s two-story apartment atop the restaurant. His father, Dominic senior, nicknamed Dom, and his younger brother, Sal, sat eating breakfast at the kitchen table. His grandmother stood on her tip-toes stirring sauce in a tall, stainless steel pot on the stove.
“Nickie, you want I make you some eggs?” she asked.
“No, thanks, Nonna.” He lifted a metal pot from the stove and poured coffee into a mug. “I have to leave in a few minutes.”
“Where ya goin’ all dressed up, Mr. Fancy-pants?” his father asked.
Sal snickered as he slurped his orange juice.
“I told you last night, Pop, I have an interview with an agent this morning,” Nick said.
“Aah, an interview. Four years of expensive college, for what? It’s been three years since you graduated and you still don’t have a job writing.”
Nick swallowed hard and gripped the mug handle with white knuckles. “It takes time, Pop. To be a successful writer, you need a good agent.”
“Agent, smagent. You need to give up on this writer nonsense and work in the restaurant like your brother. He’s seventeen. He makes more money than you.”
“I told you—” Nick started.
“Shush. Turn that up.” His grandmother pointed to the television set in the living room across the hall.
Sal grabbed the remote and pushed the volume button. A photograph of a smiling, dark-haired young boy’s face filled the screen. “Hey, Nonna, isn’t that the kid you’re making the cannoli for?” Sal asked.
She nodded her head yes. “Listen.”
“. . . mangled body found inside a city sanitation truck yesterday was identified as that of Robert Owens. Owens was the prime suspect in the kidnapping and murder of six-year-old Benjamin Ryan. Police went to Owens’ home yesterday with an arrest warrant but found his apartment empty. Owens’ employer confirmed he did not report to work yesterday. Police feared he had fled the area.
Owens, a registered sex offender, had been repeatedly questioned by police after Benjamin’s disappearance and was considered a person of interest. Authorities upgraded him to a suspect yesterday morning when a warrant for his arrest was issued.
It’s unknown how Owens ended up in the sanitation truck where he was crushed to death by the compactor. An investigation is underway. The gruesome discovery comes one day before a neighborhood fund raiser for little Benjamin is scheduled at Saint Michael’s Catholic Church, where Benjamin’s maternal grandmother is a parishioner. All monies collected will be given to the Ryan family to help pay for the young boy’s burial expenses. Reporting from—”
Dom muted the volume. “Sick sonofabitch got what he deserved.”
Sal and Nick grunted in agreement. Nonna made a quick sign of the cross and turned back to the stove. “The sauce is ready, Salvatore. Carry it downstairs before you go to school.”
Sal drained his juice glass and stood.
Nonna wrapped thick, terry cloth towels around both handles. “Careful, it’s hot.”
Rising from his chair with a low groan, Dom moved his head back and forth, then rolled his shoulders. “Good thing I have a strong son to carry that. I pulled my back last night emptying the mop bucket Nick left in the kitchen.” He glared at Nick as he followed Sal. “I’ll get the doors.”
Sal headed down the stairs to the restaurant.
His father paused in the open doorway. “So, Nick, I guess you won’t be working in the kitchen today?’
“I told you I have an interview.”
“Yeah, well, your brother and me could use help closing up tonight.” His father shut the door behind him before Nick could reply.
“Him and that goddamned restaurant.” Nick slammed his coffee mug down on the table.
“Nickie, your language!” Nonna scolded.
“Sorry, Nonna.” He leaned to kiss his grandmother on the forehead. “I gotta go.”
Nonna patted his cheek. “You’re a good boy, Nickie. Your mama would be proud.”
As he exited the door, Nick touched his fingertips to his mother’s photograph hanging on the wall. He wondered whether she would have looked like Nonna had she grown older.
His mind churned during the thirty-minute walk downtown. He walked fast, the morning breeze cooled the anger burning in his face. He had never been close to his father and after his mother’s death, the tension between them escalated. Nick often found himself wishing it had been his father who died instead of his mother. He missed his mom every day. She’d understand the importance of his interview today. She had always supported his passion for writing and convinced his father they should pay his college tuition.
In his senior year, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. In spite of the disease which ravaged her body, she promised him nothing would keep her from attending his graduation. She looked so thin in the green dress she had bought for the occasion, yet pride shone in her eyes and her smile overpowered the gauntness in her face.
After graduation, Nick mailed out dozens of query letters and manuscripts. His mother told him her dream was to live long enough to see his first book published. Nick desperately wanted to fulfill her dream. On some level, he hoped it would keep her alive.
Although he had aced all of his classes in school, he wasn’t prepared for the steady stream of rejection letters he received from publishers. When his mother died, grief and depression overwhelmed him. He believed his failure contributed to her death and reluctantly gave into his father’s demands to resume working in the family restaurant. His dream of becoming a writer, buried along with his mom.
Self-doubt gnawed as he neared the crowded downtown area of the city. Jamming his hands into his pockets, he quickened his pace and weaved in and out of the throng of pedestrians.
His interview was with Victor Ruby, owner of Ruby International Promotions, a prestigious agency with a proven reputation for sky-rocketing their clients to fame and fortune. He wasn’t sure if talent or sheer luck had landed him as a finalist in Ruby’s contest. With so much at stake, the competition would be fierce and his odds of winning, slim. If he failed his interview today, he would have to face his father’s ridicule, his girlfriend, Katie’s disappointment, and worse, lose the last shreds of his self-confidence as a writer.
Ruby International Promotions had its own office building, located in an upscale section of the business district. While not the tallest hi-rise in the city, its sleek steel frame and dark-tinted glass windows stood out among the older brick and mortar structures on the block. Entwined initials ‘RIP’ formed the logo, prominently displayed in red on the double glass doors.
His cell phone vibrated as he waited for the elevator in the lobby. Good luck, I Luv U displayed on the screen. Nick smiled and texted, Luv U2.
The smile stayed on his lips as he rode the elevator. Katie had been the only good thing that came out of working at the restaurant. He remembered every detail of the evening she came in to pick up a pizza. Nick couldn’t stop staring across the counter at her. He had dated a lot of girls, but she was the most beautiful he had ever seen. Blond-haired and petite, with brilliant green eyes that lit up when she smiled. He wanted to talk to her but found himself mutely handing over the pizza box and grinning at her like a twelve-year-old boy.
As he berated himself for blowing his opportunity, he spotted her debit card lying on the counter. He ran his finger across the raised letters on the smooth plastic. Katherine Harrington. His father yelled when he left his post at the counter. Nick ignored him and ran down the street. He caught sight of her a block away and followed her to the local hospital.
She and her coworkers were opening the pizza box when he walked into the break room. The other nurses whispered and giggled as Nick stammered a greeting and returned her card. Asking a girl out had never been a problem for him, yet he struggled to get the words out with Katie.
After over two years together, he still smiled every time he thought of her.
Nick arrived early and opened the door to a packed waiting room. A young, red-haired receptionist instructed him to sign in and then take a seat.
Too nervous to sit still, Nick walked the perimeter of the room studying the framed photographs and posters hanging on the walls. The images showcased Victor Ruby’s numerous success stories. Movie actors, television stars, musicians and authors, all united by the common theme of horror, Ruby International Promotions’ specialty.
“We just hung that one.” The receptionist pointed to a poster near the door. “Do you like Blood Lust?”
The poster depicted a rock band on a stage. A cloud of red mist rose from the floor around the feet of the black-clad and heavily made-up band members. A red-lined cape blew back from the shoulders of the lead singer. Along with his pale face and black-ringed eyes, he resembled a vampire.
“I know them. They’re a heavy metal group,” Nick said. “My brother has one of their CDs.”
The receptionist smiled and returned to typing on her computer. Nick continued his slow stroll around the room. He paused at Joseph Cullen’s portrait, the famous author whose books had inspired him to write horror stories. The gray-haired writer sat at an antique oak desk holding one of his best-selling novels. Nick grinned as he imagined his own photograph, looking equally as dignified, hanging on the wall next to Cullen’s.
The receptionist called out a name and a young man leapt from his seat. He dropped a folder of papers in his haste. Bending, he scooped them up and crammed them haphazardly back into the folder. He sprinted through the door of Victor Ruby’s office.
Nick found an empty chair in a corner next to a young woman dressed in a black gown with tattered lace trim. The ends of her short, black hair were dyed blood-red and black eyeliner contrasted against her pale skin. He settled into the chair and nodded at her. She scanned Nick from head to toe then turned away. Nick looked around the room at his competition. They eyed him back. Tension crackled in the air.
“Janis Ford?” the receptionist called. The goth-looking woman next to Nick rose and strode into Ruby’s office. Nick leaned forward in his chair. His dress shoes squeezed his feet like two leather pythons.
All eyes in the room widened each time the red-headed girl approached with her clipboard in hand. She called a name and another hopeful scurried into Ruby’s office. Some interviews took longer than others. For Nick, each took an eternity. He checked his cell phone for the time and found he’d missed a text from Katie. How’s it going?
He typed, still waiting.
Katie had showed him the newspaper advertisement for Ruby International Promotions’s search for a new horror writer. Nick shrugged it off, convinced it was yet another rejection waiting to happen. Katie prodded him daily to enter the contest. He submitted his manuscript hours before the final deadline. Weeks dragged by. He wished he had never entered. The thought of looking into Katie’s hopeful eyes and telling her his work had been rejected, haunted him. When the phone rang last Friday afternoon, the news on the other end shocked him. He’d made the final cut. Victor Ruby wanted to personally interview all of the finalists before choosing a winner. Nick’s mood alternated from sheer elation to gut-twisting terror for the entire week leading up to today’s interview.
Startled, Nick jumped to his feet. The waiting room had emptied. The redhead winked at him and opened the door to Ruby’s office. Nick yanked on his jacket sleeves and drew in a deep breath.
Intense heat assaulted him the moment he entered. The hot, dry air proved a jarring contrast from the air-conditioned waiting room. In the center of the spacious office, Victor Ruby sat in a high-backed, red leather chair behind an enormous mahogany desk. He stood and flashed a brilliant white smile.
“Vic Ruby,” he said, thrusting his hand toward Nick.
Nick shook his hand. “Dominic Teravelli. It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Ruby.”
Ruby’s grip was strong, and his hand felt hot. Nick forced his gaze away from Ruby’s fingernails. They were long, tapered and shone with a clear, glossy polish.
“Dominic Teravelli,” Ruby chuckled. “There’s a great Italian name. Roman Catholic, yes?”
The question caught Nick off guard. “Um, yes sir, I was raised Catholic.”
The larger-than-life reputation of Ruby International Promotions did not match the physical stature of its owner. He’d imagined Victor Ruby as a powerful giant of a man. Instead, Nick, at six foot four inches, towered over the short, wiry man standing in front of him. Yet, in spite of his slight frame, Ruby’s presence dominated the room. Nick immediately felt intimidated.
Ruby sat and motioned for Nick to do the same. The guest chair, leather, black, and thickly cushioned, featured intricately carved wooden arms and legs. Nick recognized his manuscript lying on the desk. He gripped the arms of his chair as Ruby’s long nails swiped at the corners of the pages. Between nervousness and the oppressive heat, sweat formed under his arms. More trickled down the center of the back. The cotton dress shirt clung to his wet body beneath the suit and tie.
Ruby glanced up from his reading. “I hope you’re not uncomfortable. I’m from a hot climate, not a fan of air conditioning.” His ruddy complexion confirmed time spent in the sun.
Nick forced a smile, hoping Ruby didn’t see he was sweating like a pig. “No problem, Mr. Ruby.”
“Mr. Ruby?” Ruby nodded. “Respect. A rare quality in young people these days.” He bent his head and continued to flip through the manuscript. Except for the light scratching of Ruby’s fingernails against the paper and Nick’s heartbeat thumping in his eardrums, the room was silent.
Nick shifted in his seat and looked around while he waited for Ruby to finish. A green glass-shaded banker’s lamp on the desk provided the brightest source of the light in the dim room. Floor length draperies covered a wall of windows behind Ruby. Ornately framed oil paintings hung under brass spotlights on deep burgundy-colored walls. One side of the room housed an entertainment center with ample seating while the other side held a computer station with multiple, wall-mounted monitors.
Nick cleared his throat. “So, what do you think of my manuscript, sir?”
Ruby looked up. His dark eyes and black hair were equally shiny. “Well-developed characters, good pace, and an interesting story line. You have talent.” He stroked the black goatee on his chin, turned his head and reached into his desk drawer. Ruby’s hair hung well past his shoulders, secured at the nape of his neck in a neat ponytail.
“Smoke?” Ruby offered a box of thin, black cigars.
“Yes, Dominic Teravelli, you have talent. Of course, this type of story has been done before. A vampire struggling with his conscience.”
Nick slid forward in his chair. “I have others, sir. This one is the first of a trilogy. The second and third books introduce strong supporting characters, an ancient ghost, a modern-day witch and several unique plot twists—”
Ruby held up his hand, his fingers broke the swirling ribbons of cigar smoke hanging in the hot, arid air. “Yes, vampires, ghosts and witches. I get it. Giving monsters a conscience and human emotions does seem to be the popular trend.” Ruby puffed on his cigar. “Not my idea of horror. But I leave most of those decisions to my publisher, Jack Conrad.”
“I have other manuscripts. What type of stories are you looking for?”
Ruby grinned. “One without warm, fuzzy werewolves or sensitive vampires who sparkle in the sunlight. A monster without a moral compass, unburdened by human emotion. After all, isn’t that what makes them monstrous?”
“Yes, but readers are human and there has to be an element of hope in a horror story, no matter how dark the story line. Something that makes you sympathize with the tortured soul of the monster. Or, a weakness in the monster so readers will root for the protagonist to destroy the evil,” Nick said. “Good always wins over evil.”
“Well, because . . . it just does,” Nick stammered. “Otherwise the story would be pages of chaos and mayhem. The reader would have no empathy for the characters. It would be emotionless, brutal, no hope for salvation. Evil would win. That can’t happen.”
Ruby sat, silent and expressionless, his piercing eyes riveted on Nick. The flow of perspiration seeping through Nick’s clothing increased.
Ruby’s sudden burst of laughter shattered the uncomfortable pause. “That’s a debate we’ll save for another day.” He tapped his cigar into a silver ashtray, the rim adorned with sparkling red gemstones. “There’s lots of good horror writers, Dominic. It takes passion to be a true star. Ambition. And most of all, desire. Tell me, do you have desire to succeed?”
“Yes, Mr. Ruby, I do.”
“How much of yourself are you willing to invest in your career?”
“Everything. One hundred percent. One hundred and ten percent.”
“Hmm.” Ruby tapped his nails on the polished desk. “You obviously want this opportunity, but will you do whatever it takes to deserve it?”
Ruby stood, walked around the desk and leaned close to Nick’s ear. “I choose my clients carefully, Dominic. I invest a great deal of time and money in each one. I insist they be fully devoted.”
Cigar smoke clung to the fabric of Ruby’s black suit, a unique odor of charred wood mixed with cloyingly sweet florals. Combined with the oven-like heat in the room, it made Nick queasy.
“I’m devoted to writing, Mr. Ruby. Becoming a published author is my dream. It would mean the world to me to have you as my agent.”
Ruby patted Nick’s shoulder. “We’ll need to do some tweaking, but I do believe you could be my next star. Bestsellers, book signings, television appearances, and eventually movies based on your novels. Very demanding work. There will be sacrifices. Are you ready for fame and fortune?”
Sweat coated Nick’s upper lip, yet his mouth felt void of any moisture. Had Ruby chosen him? His mind reeled with the impact this would have on his life.
“Oh God, am I ever ready.”
Ruby snorted. “God has nothing to do with it.”
Nick stared, unsure how to respond.
Ruby threw his head back and laughed, then pressed a button on his phone. “Stephanie, bring in a contract for Mr. Teravelli.”
Cool air streamed through the open door when Stephanie entered carrying a packet of papers. Nick wiped his upper lip with his hand.
Folding back several sheets of paper in the stapled stack, Ruby laid the contract on the desk and placed a silver pen with a red Ruby Promotions logo on the open page.
“All it takes is your signature. Then I’ll get started making you rich and famous.”
Nick recalled his father always warned never to sign anything without reading it first. He picked up the pen and unfolded the contract.
“It’s our standard three-year contract,” Ruby said. “States that you’ll agree to let Ruby International Promotions handle you, your books, publicity, et cetera. We get twenty percent. Most of our clients are millionaires by the second year. But, if you’re unsure, you’re welcome to take the contract home and read it over.”
Nick turned the pages, scanning the small text as quickly as he could.
“Stephanie, keep Janis Ford’s phone number handy. She’s a decent writer. Mr. Teravelli appears hesitant. Perhaps he’s not ready for such a life-changing decision.”
“Yes, sir.” The receptionist exited the office.
“No, wait.” Nick flipped to the last page and scrawled his name on the signature line. “Here.” He handed the contract to Ruby.
“Congratulations, Dominic. You’ve made the right decision.”
“I’m ready to change my life.”
Ruby hugged the contract close to his chest and stroked it with his long fingernails. “Your life will certainly change.”
“You won!” Katie’s excited squeal blasted through the cell phone speaker. “Victor Ruby signed you up himself! That’s incredible!”
Nick walked in a circle inside the lobby holding his cell phone to his ear. He had called Katie the second he exited the elevator.
“I know. I’m still in shock.”
“You deserve this, Nick, you’re an excellent writer.”
“You’re the one who pushed me to enter the contest. We have to celebrate. What time do you get off work tonight?”
“I’ll meet you at the front entrance. I love you, babe.”
“Love you, too.”
Nick jumped and punched the air with his fist. His excited whoop echoed through the lobby. From the corner of his eye, he saw movement. Heels rapped against the marble floor. The goth-looking woman from Ruby’s waiting room walked toward him.
“You’re the one he picked?” she asked.
“Yeah.” Nick grinned. The stony expression on the woman’s face extinguished his smile. “I know everyone up there wanted this opportunity. I’m sorry you—”
“Don’t feel sorry for me. You’re the one who’s going to be sorry.” Pivoting on her stacked heels, she stormed out the front doors.
At a quarter past seven, Katie still hadn’t exited the hospital. Nick paced back and forth on the concrete landing outside the entrance. He checked his cell phone for a message. Katie kept her phone turned off at work, though she sneaked text messages to him.
Entering the sliding glass doors, he immediately spotted Katie coming down the main hallway. Her pale blond hair shone under the fluorescent lights. A handsome young man in blue scrubs walked next to her, chatting and smiling. Nick’s stomach tightened. Straightening to his full height, he strode toward the pair.
“Nick!” Katie ran the last few feet and threw her arms around his neck. “Congratulations! I’m so thrilled for you.”
Hugging her tightly, he stared over her head at the man in scrubs.
Katie stepped back. “Oh, Nick, this is Jon Gerber. Jon, this is Nick Teravelli.”
Jon stepped forward and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Nick squeezed Jon’s hand hard. Jon’s discomfort showed in his strained smile.
“Sorry I’m late,” Katie said. “This is Jon’s first day. I was showing him around.”
Jon nodded to Nick. “Hope I didn’t keep her too late. Katie’s been so patient teaching me the ropes.” He grinned at Katie as he turned to leave. “See you tomorrow.”
“You have that look,” Katie said as they sat at the sidewalk cafe table.
Katie sighed. “Your jealous look.” She reached across the small round table and squeezed Nick’s hand. “This is a celebration, right? I’m not the least bit interested in Jon. I love you.”
Her touch melted his anger. “I’m sorry, I can’t help—”
The waitress placed their drinks on the table.
“Let’s forget it, okay.” Katie raised her wine glass and smiled. “To my soon-to-be outrageously famous, best-selling author boyfriend.”
Nick clinked his glass against hers. “How about your soon-to-be outrageously famous and rich, best-selling author husband?”
“You know I want that more than anything.”
Nick leaned close and kissed her. “I promise you, my first royalty check is going for a diamond ring.”
With the day’s surreal events replaying in his mind, Nick sauntered from Katie’s apartment to his family’s restaurant. His grin reflected in the darkened plate glass window of the closed restaurant.
Upstairs, he found his grandmother asleep in her chair in the living room, her baby-blue Rosary beads wrapped around one hand. His father’s steady snoring vibrated through the ceiling from his bedroom on the third floor while sounds of electronic carnage emanated from Sal’s room, next to his father’s, where he spent most evenings playing video games.
Nick stood in the hallway outside his bedroom. He wished his mom was still alive. He pictured her smile, the tiny crinkles at the corners of her brown eyes turning upwards when he told her his incredible news.
“Who’s there?” Nonna called from the living room.
“Me, Nonna.” He walked into the room and offered his hand to help his grandmother up from her chair.
“It’s late, Nickie. Where you been so late?”
“Celebrating with Katie. Good news, Nonna. I have an agent. A famous agent who’s going to publish my books.”
“Good, Nickie, good. You happy? You make money? Maybe now you marry that nice Irish Catholic girl, eh?”
Nick smiled. His grandmother adored Katie. His whole family appreciated how she had helped care for his mother during the last months of her life. Nonna even relented in her stubborn belief that her grandsons should only marry Italian girls.
“Oh, Nickie, you help me bring the cannoli to the church tomorrow morning? It’s the fund raiser for little Benjamin, God bless his soul. It’s Saturday. Your father needs Sal in the restaurant.”
“Sure, I’ll help you, Nonna.”
“Okay, good. Get some sleep, Nickie.”
Nick stretched out on his bed with his hands behind his head grinning up at the ceiling. His cellphone vibrated on the night stand. Thinking it must be Katie, he reached for his phone and saw an unfamiliar number.
“Mr. Teravelli? Hi, this is Stephanie from Mr. Ruby’s office.”
“Yes?” Nick’s stomach knotted, fearing the late-night call meant Ruby had changed his mind.
“I’m calling to tell you to report to the Ruby building tomorrow morning at ten o’clock for your photo shoot. You know, publicity photos and a bio picture for your book jacket. We’ll have Wardrobe and stylists on site.”
“A photo shoot?” Nick exhaled a breath of relief. “Uh, sure. I’ll be there. Ten o’clock?”
“Yes, ten sharp. Oh, and don’t shave.”
Stephanie giggled. “We don’t want any cuts from a nervous hand. Like I said, there’s a style team on site. They’ll take care of everything. Be sure to be here on time.”

domain: literature


text:
An oil tanker caught fire after an explosion as it was leaving Saudi Arabia.
Shipping company Hafnia said the BW Rhine was hit by an unidentified "external source" while the ship was discharging at the port of Jeddah.
Dramatics pictures showed a huge fire in the centre of the vessel with clouds of black smoke towering into the air.
The Singapore-flagged tanker was loaded with 60,000 tonnes of gasoline on December 6 and was still 84 per cent full when the blaze took hold.
At maximum capacity it can take 80,000 tonnes but the company didn't believe it had leaked despite damage from the fire.
Crew put out the fire and no-one was injured, the company said, adding that parts of the ship's hull had been damaged.
It comes after a mine attack last month that damaged a tanker in the same region, which Saudia Arabia blamed on Yemen rebels.
A statement on the Hafnia website said: "BW Rhine has been hit from an external source whilst discharging at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at approximately 00.40 local time on 14 December 2020, causing an explosion and subsequent fire onboard.
"It is possible that some oil has escaped from the vessel, but this has not been confirmed and instrumentation currently indicates that oil levels on board are at the same level as before the incident."