Life Cycle Assessment Of Laptops And Printed Notes Engineering Essay

Life Cycle Assessment Of Laptops And Printed Notes Engineering Essay For the last few years, the society had started to use electronic devices for reading instead of using printed paper especially for university students. However, the paper is still used for printing and other usage. Paper is one of the main causes of global warming as trees will be cut down and processed into wood as wood is the main ingredient of producing paper. Without trees, there will be less photosynthesis phenomena occurring to reduce carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is produced by human activities such as breathing, power generation, combustion etc. To reduce the cutting of trees, several electronic devices have been introduced to replace the paper used for several purposes. 1.2 Life Cycle Assessment Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method used to analyze the impacts caused by products and services to the environment surrounding. It is used to study the life cycle from the extraction of raw materials, processing, transport, use, reuse, recycling or disposal of the products and services. There are four stages in LCA which includes goal identification, life cycle inventory, impact analysis and improvement analysis. LCA is used to identify and analyze the input and output of materials, energy and waste emissions in solid, liquid and gaseous state in order to make the improvement from the environmental impacts determined. (Life cycle assessment n.d) 2. Goal and scope definition 2.1 Goal of this study The goal of this study is to compare the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the service between reading printed lecture notes and reading lecture notes on the laptop. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of printed and computer document as learning materials for an undergraduate engineering student of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus is conducted. The LCA of this study is done by the undergraduate Civil Engineering students of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus. The results of this study is based on the two reports titled Scanning Life Cycle Assessment of Printed and E-paper Documents based on the iRex Digital Reader by Sebastiaan Deetman and Ingrid Odegard in March 2009 and Life Cycle Assessment of a Laptop Computer and its Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Anh Hoang, Wei li Tseng, Shekar Viswanathan and Howard Evans. The study will compare the environment impacts of the printed paper and laptop. 2.2 Scope of this study Scope of this study consists of function and functional units. Function of the product will be analyzed and functional units will be included in this study is used to make comparison of the services and the LCA of the laptop. 2.2.1 Function Laptop can be useful in reading lecture notes and making notes in a document files. These are the functions that will be analyzed. However, laptop can also be used to read online newspaper, journals, magazine and for doing assignments. These functions will not be included in this study but they can definitely help in reducing the environment impacts. The use of Microsoft Office software in laptop enables students to make own notes and read lecture notes for e-paper and printed documents. This function has made the comparison between computer documents and printed paper viable. In this report, it is assumed that the time taken for a student to download lecture notes from the BlackBoard System used by Swinburne University of Technology into the computer is the same. Therefore, it can be excluded from this study because initially, both alternatives need to use this function. Besides, the wireless connection in Swinburne University should be neglected as both printed notes and e-notes require the wireless connection to download the lecture notes from the BlackBoard System. 2.2.2 Product System a. Manufacturing The manufacturing and assembly of components for the laptop including packaging result in releasing greenhouse gases. b. Distribution To distribute the laptop to retails, transportation of the laptop is included in this study. The greenhouse gases also will be released through the transports used. c. Use The usage of the laptop will be four years equivalent to the four years course. The total usage of laptop including lecture, tutorial and self-study per unit for one week is included in this study. So, the laptop usage for one year can be calculated. d. End of life End of life in this study is about recycling a laptop that can no longer be used or function anymore. The laptop will be recycled under the US recycling requirements. 2.2.3 Functional Unit The functional unit of LCA is to study the service of the paper used for printing notes for a student which is four years as the engineering courses for Swinburne University of Technology takes four years to complete. However, the laptop is assumed to replace all the printed notes in this study throughout the four years course. The assumptions of the laptop and printed paper that need to be taken into the consideration in this study are as shown as below. Assumptions: 1. The life span of the laptop and printer are four years as engineering courses take four years. 2. Plug is used for laptop for all the time instead of using battery. 3. Laser printer is used for printing. 4. Wooden uncoated paper is used for printing. 5. The printed paper is in greyscale. 2.2.4 Impact Categories In this study, the laptop usage and the printed paper are compared to analyze the data of greenhouse gas emission for both alternatives which contributes to Global Warming Potential (GWP). 3. Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) In this report, the data collected are the manufacturing, distribution, use and end-of-life of a standard laptop. The CO2-e emission of each stage are also calculated and included in the report. 3.1 Inventory of Laptop Computer 3.1.1 Manufacturing It includes the manufacturing and assembly of components as well as manufacturing and assembly of laptop which comes with packaging. On the whole, the greenhouse gas emission is approximately 160 kg CO2-e which is obtained from the graph on a report entitled Carbon Footprint of a Typical Business Laptop from Dell which is written by Markus Stutz (2010). 3.1.2 Distribution Transportation of laptop by all means to assembly locations and distributed to local retails, including transportation to customers themselves. For this report, the greenhouse gas emission of distribution of laptop is approximately 50 kg CO2-e (Stutz 2010) following the US region. However, the transportation may vary with region. So the emissions will vary as well but not much difference. 3.1.3 Use The life span of the laptop is estimated to be four years which is assumed to be used for the whole four years course of engineering students of Swinburne University Sarawak. One laptop is used by one student only. It is assumed that for one week, the total usage (hours) of laptop is 28 hours inclusive of 3 hours lecture, 2 hours tutorial and 2 hours of self-study per unit. There are four units altogether so 7 hours multiply by 4 equals to 28 hours. Assuming two semesters which consists of 32 weeks (inclusive of exam weeks) are equivalent to one year, the total hours is 896 hours. Hence, for four years, the total hour is 3584 hours. To calculate the power consumption and greenhouse gas emission, the mode taken into consideration is Active mode. Based on the report written by the students of National University entitled Life Cycle Assessment of a Laptop Computer and its Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Emissions, the electricity used for average Active mode is 0.032 kWh. The power consu mption is tabulated in the table below. Electricity Used (kWh) Hours for 4 Years Power consumed (kWh) Active (Average) 0.032 3584 114.69 Based on the report too, the formula is converted to kWh. Hence, the greenhouse gas emission for usage is equal to 45.88 kg CO2-e. 3.1.4 End-of-life Once the laptop can no longer be used or it is unable to function anymore, the laptop will be sent for recycling. Sometimes laptops can be reformatted but it will not perform as well as before. Hence, according to Stutz 2010, it is assumed that 75 percent of the laptop will be recycled under the US recycling requirements. So, the greenhouse gas emission of -30 kg CO2-e is obtained. Stages Kg CO2-e released Manufacturing 160 Distribution 50 Use 45.88 End of life -30 Total 225.88 Table 1: The CO2e emission for laptop 3.2 Print Alternative Other alternative is that, the lecture notes, tutorial sheet and solutions can be printed out for study. The significant part which manipulates the GWP value is the type of paper used for printing. In this inventory, woodfree uncoated paper will be used to print out the lecture notes as well as tutorial questions. The GWP of manufacturing, distribution, use, end-of-life stage was taken from the LCA done by the ecoinvent for the inventory of the print alternative. 3.2.1 The use of printer A laser printer is used to print all the lecture notes and tutorial exercises. According to the report of LCA done by the student of University of Technology in Delft, they are using the process description of Ecoinvent database, which includes the life-time of printer, energy use during 3 different operational modes(active, stand-by and off), the print speed and average paper consumption. These numbers were all converted to an average inventory for an hour of printer use, as summarized in Table 4 below [Lehmann, 2007]. Process/part description Amount (per hour of printer use) Unit Ecoinvent name Electricity use 0.0402 kWh Electricity, low voltage, production UCTE Printing paper 0.214 kg Paper, woodfree, uncoated, at regional storage [RER] Laser Printer Scenario 1: Scenario 2: piece piece Printer laserjet, b/w, at plant [GLO] Toner 0.0644 kg Toner, black, used for printing [RER] Transport 0.0215 tkm Transport, freight, rail[RER] Table 1: The usage of printer and papers per hour In table 4, the usage of printer, paper and toner was converted to per hour usage. This is because Ecoinvent database recorded the lifetime of a printer is about four years. However, the usage of the laserjet printer will not be operating twenty four hours per day for four years. Therefore, the inventory is converted to per hour determination. 3.2.2 Paper Uncoated woodfree paper is the type of paper that we used most for printing. The dataset of the production and distribution of the type of paper is based on the Ecoinvent database. And according to the database, the uncoated woodfree paper contains at least 90% of fibres in the form of chemical pulp. Calculation: The estimation of paper used in 4 years. The approximate number of paper used for 1 chapter=15 sheets There total chapters for 1 subject= 8 chapters Subjects in 1 semester= 4 Semesters in 1 year=2 There are approximately 960 sheets of paper used in one year. And one student will consumed approximately 3840 sheets of paper in four years time. Paper disposal There are three types of paper disposal flows are defined in Ecoinvent, they are: Â · [G139] disposal, paper, 11.2% water, to municipal incineration [CH] Â · [G449] disposal, paper, 11.2% water, to sanitary landfill [CH] Â · [G1984] paper, recycling, with deinking, at plant [RER] The first two processes, however, differ from the third. The disposal processes have economic outflow the service of the disposal of 1 kg of the paper, as what is expected. A physical mass of recycled paper is the output for the recycling flow. According to Ecoinvent, there isnt recycling paper service and recycling gives out recycled paper as output. This means that the printer not only provide service of printing, but also produce recycled paper. Part of the total process to the recycled paper and part of the total process to the use of printer were allocated. This means that the environmental impacts of recycling the paper as waste are taken into account. 4.0 Impact Assessment This stage is to assess the impacts will affect on human health and the environment associated with energy and raw material inputs and environmental releases quantified by the inventory. We have done the impact assessment for the category of global warming potential (GWP). From the result, we do a comparison of CO2-equivalent between the laptop and printed paper. 4.1 Break-even Point: GWP Break-even point is when the GWP of both alternatives is the same occur. This can determine which alternative is more sustainable to the environment. When the GWP of both alternatives meets at this point, their emission is equal. After that, based on different situation, which ever goes higher is considered as not sustainable. GWP (kg CO2 equivalents) Print Alternative Scenario 1 Printing 3840 pages for four years Printing with woodfree uncoated paper 13.53 Laptop 225.88 Table: GWP values (in CO2-eq) of printed notes and laptop usage. From the table above, the relationship between the print alternative and laptop computer between two scenarios was assumed. After that, it can generate the graph as seen in figure below. Figure: From the figure, the impact assigned to the laptop computer remains constant as it is used daily for reading and studying. The graph shows the GWP of print alternative is much lower than the laptop computer. The break-even point is too far that it is probably about 70000 prints for four years. 5.0 Improvement Analysis Based on the research done, the usage of e-paper (laptops) still releases quite a high amount of CO2e which leads to Global Warming Potential. Hence, a few improvements to reduce emissions should be done. Improvements that could be done are as follows: Optimization of electricity usage when manufacturing laptops Minimize the number of transportation of laptops by distributing as many laptops as possible delivery process Turn off laptop when it is not used (i.e when taking a break from studying lecture notes) Purchasing laptops which has Energy Star label. Energy Star is a program by US government which helps to protect environment using superior energy efficiency. (Energy Star n.d.) Public awareness give talks on managing electricity and power usage In order to reduce the effect of global warming potential for paper, improvement can be done in the ways of: Conserving paper by printing on the both sides of the paper. Select to print what is really needed. Print only a few pages that are needed instead of the whole book. Recycle the used paper and use sustainable paper too. Return the empty printing cartridges to the supplier for recycling. 6.0 Conclusion From the life cycle assessment, we have compared the carbon dioxide equivalent of a laptop and paper for four years. It is shown that the CO2-e of a laptop is higher than paper. In other words, print alternative is a better choice to reduce the environmental impacts. It is more environmental friendly to study the lecture slides by printing paper instead of using laptop as paper emits less CO2e. The results above can only be applied to study lecture notes, not for office use and others.

Essay --

Hacking â€Å"I hacked your Facebook!† seems to me to be almost a common statement among people recently, but is it really hacking? No. Although someone could use a â€Å"brute force† program to mathematically get someone’s password it is not likely, and hardly worthwhile. Hacking can be extremely intimidating to someone who doesn’t completely understand what it is, or how it’s done. There are thousands of hackers in the world that make a living off of their skill and knowledge, not by stealing credit card information from old people who bought something online, or by taking social security numbers and selling them on a black market. These things do happen, and are possible, but are not as likely as the media would have you believe. The majority of professional hackers are referred to as â€Å"white hat† hackers. The term white hat comes from old movies when the good guy would wear a white hat, and the bad guy would wear a black hat. The first real hack happened before there were big security systems, and even before cell phones. Phreaking was the term given to the first official hackers, which dealt with telecommunication, and in this case, rotary style phones. Phreaking is a crime and is considered â€Å"toll fraud.† In some situations people with the knowledge cold use it to avoid long distance call charges. When this style of home phone was still new a long distance could even be considered across the street in some areas, and long distance calls were charged by the minute. Rotary phones have a hook that completes a circuit to send a signal, by rapidly clicking the hook for a variable number of times at roughly 5 to 10 clicks per second, separated by intervals of about one second, the caller can dial numbers as if they were using the rotary... ... 50minutes of down time. This attack was impressive on both ends, it showed the hacker had great skill, but also showed the white hats working for Reddit do an amazing job.. There are several laws in most countries against hacking in this way, and the punishments are severe, but that doesn’t stop most hackers. So is â€Å"hacking† a Facebook really hacking? Not at all. Hacking a Facebook is, at best, kiddie scripting. A script kiddie is a non-expert who breaks into computer systems by using pre-packaged automated tools written by others, usually with little understanding of the underlying concept. Even that is stretching it, if a friend leaves their Facebook open on your computer you did not hack it. If people took the time to read, understand, and not fanaticize about computer hacking it would be less intimidating, and easier to prevent on both large and small scales.

Succubus Revealed Chapter 5

I'd been bracing myself for â€Å"Cleveland† or â€Å"Guam.† I was too much of a pessimist to think I might be offered something even moderately appealing. If I was already going through the trauma of leaving Seattle, then surely it would be for somewhere terrible. â€Å"Did you say Las Vegas?† I asked, sinking down onto my couch. Immediately, I guessed the catch. â€Å"Ah. It's not Las Vegas, Nevada, right? It's a different Las Vegas. New Mexico ? Or some other continent?† â€Å"Sorry to disappoint you and your martyr fantasies, Georgie.† Jerome lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. â€Å"It's Las Vegas, Nevada. I think you even know the archdemon there – Luis. Isn't he a friend of yours?† I blinked. â€Å"Luis? Yeah. I mean, in as much as an archdemon can be.† That got a small smile from Jerome, though I only barely noticed. I had worked for Luis a long time ago, and if I had to be honest, he was probably my favorite boss of all time. That wasn't to say Jerome was a terrible one, but Luis – while strict – still had an easy way about him that could sometimes make you forget you were damned for all eternity. â€Å"So . . . my orders are to go to Las Vegas and work for Luis.† â€Å"Yes,† said Jerome. I looked back at him from where I'd been staring vacantly out the window. â€Å"Is there any way to change that? To stop it? Isn't there anything I can do to just stay here? And are you sure it's not a mistake – what with the delivery mix-up?† Jerome's dark eyebrows rose. It was one of those rare moments when he'd been caught off-guard enough to display surprise. â€Å"You don't want to go? I mean, I'm flattered you'd want to stay under my rule, but I'd think you would be pleased with this situation. Las Vegas is perfect for a half-ass succubus like you.† I ignored the jab – though he had a point. Las Vegas was such a breeding ground for sin and salvation that it was nearly packed to bursting with servants of both Heaven and Hell. It probably had one of the highest concentrations of succubi in the world, meaning it was easy to slide by with quotas. Here, I was the only succubus, so my number of corrupted souls was scrutinized heavily. In Las Vegas, there'd be plenty of go-getter succubi to cover for slackers like me. â€Å"It's not about you,† I said slowly. â€Å"It's about . . . Seth.† Jerome sighed loudly and stamped out his cigarette on my coffee table. I supposed I should be glad it wasn't my couch or carpet. â€Å"Of course it is. Because in the grand scheme of the universe, your boyfriend is important enough to make Hell's HR change their minds about a re-org. Come on, Georgie. How naive are you? How many transfers have you had over the years? Or perhaps I should ask, how many transfers do you know of that were cancelled because someone ‘didn't feel like it'?† â€Å"None,† I admitted. At most, Hell would take unhappy employees into account and move them out of places they weren't being productive. I had requested transfers before and gotten a couple of them. But once HR made up its mind? That was it. The cold truth of this, that it wasn't a mistake and that I couldn't stop it, was beginning to wrap around me. I tried to make sense of it another way. â€Å"But why? Why did they decide to this? I've been a good employee. . . .† Yet, even as I spoke, I grew uncertain. Jerome looked at me knowingly. â€Å"Have you?† â€Å"I haven't been a bad employee,† I amended. â€Å"Not exactly.† â€Å"This isn't a game. We don't want mediocre employees who can keep the status quo. We want souls. We want to win. And you've spent most of your time here being mediocre. Don't glare at me like that. You know I'm right. You've had fits and starts of productivity, the most notable being when you were under duress. Even that's been inconsistent.† I'd made a bargain with Jerome a year ago, in which I'd behaved like a model succubus for a while. After I'd helped rescue him from summoning, there'd been an unspoken acceptance of me slacking off once again without getting any grief from him. â€Å"If you'd thrived here and turned over large amounts of souls, I doubt you'd be leaving. So, if you're looking for someone to blame, look in the mirror.† â€Å"You sure sound smug about this,† I pointed out petulantly. â€Å"Like you're happy about it.† â€Å"Happy? Happy about the gamble of getting a new employee – or of inheriting Tawny permanently? Hardly. But unlike you, I accept that my happiness means nothing to my superiors. The only thing that matters is me following their orders.† His tone and expression clearly said that the same was true for me. I almost never held back from sparring with Jerome, but today I did. Why? Because there was nothing I could say, no bargain I could make with him. I'd negotiated a number of favors and allowances in my years with him, things specifically pertaining to my existence here within Seattle. That was his domain. But the rest of the world? That was out of his control. There was nothing he could do to change this reassignment, even if he wanted to. There was nothing I could do either. You just couldn't fight against some things. Hell was one of them. When I'd signed my soul away, I'd signed away control of my eternity to them as well. â€Å"It's not fair.† Guessing Jerome's snappy retort, I quickly added, â€Å"I know, you don't have to say it. Life isn't fair. I get it. But it's just . . . it's just cruel. Seth and I finally managed a working relationship. And now I have to leave him.† Jerome shook his head, and I could tell by his restless stance that he was ready to go. His patience with this conversation was running thin. â€Å"You know, I might miss some of your witticisms when you're gone, but one thing I won't miss? Your overwhelming sense of melodrama and despair. It's too much even for me.† The sorrow and self-pity within me transformed to anger. â€Å"I'm sorry, but this is serious to me! How can I not be upset? I love Seth. I don't want to leave him.† â€Å"So don't. Take him with you. Or date long distance. I honestly don't give a fuck, so long as you stop your whining. How can you not see solutions here? You've apparently decided that you being immortal isn't a deterrent to your great love . . . but a two-hour plane ride is?† I felt kind of cowed. Normally, I resented Jerome for mocking me when I was upset because I blamed it on his lack of empathy. But now, I had to admit that maybe he was onto something about me being overly melodramatic. Why couldn't I take Seth with me? If Seth really loved me, a move shouldn't be a problem. And of all the jobs in the world, he had one of the best suited for a change of venue. Unfortunately, it was a bit more complicated than that. I sighed. â€Å"I don't know if he would. His family's here, and his sister-in-law's sick. He can't leave them anytime soon. . . .† Jerome shrugged. â€Å"We're back to the part where I don't give a fuck. I do, however, care that you go there to visit sooner rather than later. Luis asked if I'd send you down in advance to scope out the area for a couple of days. Seeing as bowling practice doesn't start until Monday, I can't help but think this weekend would be an excellent time to get that out of the way. I'm happy to oblige him – but not at the cost of interfering with my team.† â€Å"Really?† I scoffed. â€Å"You expect me to care about bowling in light of all this?† He gave me a thin-lipped smile. â€Å"Seeing as you're still my employee for the next four weeks, yes. I expect you to care about it immensely.† He glanced over at Roman, who had observed all of this silently. â€Å"And I expect you to come up with an excellent training regimen for them. I'll see you both then.† Jerome vanished in a poof of smoke, further verifying how self-satisfied he felt about all of this. Losing me might be inconvenient for him, but I think his demon nature still took some delight in seeing the torment of others. I covered my eyes and rolled over to lie flat on the couch. â€Å"Oh God. What am I going to do? This can't be happening.† Breaking up with Seth last year had torn my heart apart. I had wanted to die. Being reunited with him had felt like being born anew. I'd loved life, even my damned one. Now I was starting to feel that terrible, aching desperation again. It wasn't possible that someone could go through so many extreme ups and downs in so short a time span. Welcome to being in love, I thought. I felt Roman sit down by my feet. A moment later, both cats joined us. I uncovered my eyes and found his sea green ones staring down at me. â€Å"He wasn't exactly tactful, but I have to admit he had a point. Why wouldn't Seth just move with you?† â€Å"Under normal circumstances . . .† I had to pause in order to not start laughing. Our circumstances were never normal. â€Å"Under normal circumstances, he would. But like I was saying, with Andrea, I don't even think he can. And honestly, I wouldn't want him to.† I didn't realize that was true until I spoke the words. If Seth dropped everything to run off with me, he would be hurting both himself and his family for my sake. I could never allow that. My heart sank. â€Å"I can't believe this. How could this have come about so quickly? I was so happy.† Roman scratched Aubrey's head and leaned back. â€Å"That's an excellent question. This was all kind of sudden. Is that how it normally is?† â€Å"Well, I mean, we never get much warning of transfers. Sometimes you know a re-org is coming. Sometimes you get one after requesting a transfer. Usually, though, someone has a meeting, plans your fate, and you find out about it later. The only weird thing here was Jerome apparently having less notice than me.† Roman had been staring at the ceiling and then snapped his head back to look at me. I flinched under the intensity of his gaze. â€Å"Explain that again. What happened and what was unusual.† I started to tell him I'd just explained it but instead swallowed off any sharp retort, knowing he wasn't the true source of my irritation. â€Å"Normally, your archdemon meets with you to tell you the details, and then the letter with the transfer date follows. This happened so fast that I got the letter before Jerome had a chance to talk to me.† â€Å"Hell doesn't do things without a reason.† He reconsidered. â€Å"Well, impromptu bowling competitions aside. But they like their bureaucracy, their paperwork, and all their details in order. Even if they quickly decided to do a transfer, they'd still follow all their inane procedures. For the letter to have jumped ahead of Jerome getting his instructions, things must have been seriously expedited. The question: why? Why such a rush to get you out of Seattle?† I couldn't help a smile. â€Å"You're looking for a conspiracy here. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think this sucks. It's terrible. But I don't think there's anything more to it than what Jerome said about me skimping at my job. Which . . . well, which is my fault.† â€Å"Yes, but Hell deals with bad employees all the time. They go through reams of procedure to figure out the best way to deal with those people. Pop might be right that Hell can't tolerate mediocre workers, but it's not to the extent that they have to deal with it right that second. What's so special about you that someone would suddenly decide to initiate a hasty transfer?† I appreciated that Roman was trying to help me, but I didn't want to get caught up in what could easily become an obsessive quest for him. Nephilim had serious grudges with Heaven and Hell and were always looking for ways to challenge and thwart them. Roman himself had once gone on a killing spree of higher immortals. There was something in his nature that wanted there to be more than bad luck here, but I just wasn't sure I believed there was. Carter's words echoed in my head, no matter how much I tried to shrug them off: If there's a reason, it's because you've been doing something Hell doesn't want you to do. â€Å"You should talk to Carter,† I muttered. â€Å"He's certain there's a reason too.† Seeing Roman's expectant look, I halfheartedly tried to humor him. â€Å"I don't know what it could be. Maybe because I got captured by Oneroi? Maybe they're worried I'm unstable or something. Or that this isn't a safe place for me.† Roman nodded along with my words. â€Å"That does make you special. However, if I was worried about an employee losing it, I'd want to keep them in a place where I knew they felt stable. I'm sure Hell knows you're happy here, and if anything, they might think that experience bound you to Jerome more closely. They'd want to encourage that loyalty.† â€Å"Hell doesn't need to encourage loyalty,† I told him. â€Å"All they care about is that I signed my soul over to them. That's bigger than loyalty.† A startled look crossed his face. â€Å"That is all they care about. Georgina, when did this happen? Exactly when did this happen?† â€Å"Er, the letter?† There was a fanatic look in his eyes. No question. He was getting obsessed. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"This morning. It showed up at Seth's. I sensed the courier and woke up to it.† â€Å"You were at Seth's. What were you doing at the time? What were you doing just before then?† He'd stopped petting Aubrey, and she slithered toward me in a huff, seeking a more attentive audience. â€Å"Walk me backward from that point.† â€Å"Well, like I said, I was sleeping. Before that . . .† I winced, remembering getting into bed with Ian. â€Å"I met Seth's mom and younger brother. Before that, I was at Peter's fondue party. Before that, I was at the mall – â€Å" â€Å"Peter's. Tell me about Peter's. Did anything weird happen to you there?† I cut him a look. â€Å"It was a fondue party at a vampire's. Everything about that is weird.† â€Å"I'm trying to help you!† There was a strained, agitated quality to his voice as he leaned toward me. â€Å"Just hold off on the jokes, okay? Think. What happened – to you specifically? What did you talk about? What did they say to you?† I was growing increasingly uncomfortable at his intensity. â€Å"They were teasing me about my job,† I said. â€Å"Jerome too?† â€Å"Of course. He said me being an elf was an embarrassment and that I should do something else.† A shocking thought hit me. â€Å"Roman . . . you don't think Jerome requested the transfer, did you? Could he really be that upset with me? That embarrassed?† â€Å"I don't know,† admitted Roman. He absentmindedly ran a hand through his curling dark hair. â€Å"It's possible. Some of the weirdness might be explained away if Jerome was trying to hide that he initiated all this. But then, it's not like any of your other friends are exactly normal. If something was going to embarrass Jerome enough to get rid of an employee, I kind of feel like there would have been a lot of other opportunities before you. Anything else come up?† â€Å"I asked them about – † I hesitated. The topic was still sensitive for me. It was hard to mention to Roman, and I could hardly believe I'd had the guts to bring it up to the gang that night. Roman caught my uncertainty and pounced. â€Å"What? What else? What did you ask them about?† I waited a few more moments and then decided to tell him. It couldn't hurt, and besides, for all I knew, Roman had mentioned my name to Seth. â€Å"About a month ago, when we were in bed, Seth called me Letha when he was half-asleep. When I asked him how he knew that name, he couldn't remember. He couldn't even remember calling me that. So, I asked the group that night if any of them had told my name to Seth.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"And they all said no. Cody didn't even know my name. I got berated for being melodramatic again, and the general consensus was that Seth had just overheard it from me or someone else and forgotten.† Roman was silent, which was almost more unnerving than him grilling me. I straightened up and nudged him. â€Å"Hey, you didn't tell Seth, did you?† â€Å"Huh? No.† He frowned, caught up in his own thoughts. â€Å"What did Jerome think? Did he concur with that theory?† â€Å"Yes. He thought me bringing it up was a total waste of time and didn't hesitate to tell me. He was so bored by it that he started talking about bowling instead.† â€Å"That's when he told you about the bowling team? The bowling team that came out of nowhere?† â€Å"Yeah. . . .† Now I was frowning. It was clear that Roman's thoughts were running off to a place I wasn't at or able to follow. â€Å"Why? What are you thinking? Is this related somehow?† â€Å"I don't know,† he said at last. He stood up and paced the living room a couple of times. â€Å"I need to think about this. I need to ask some questions. What are you going to do now?† I rose as well and stretched, suddenly feeling weary. â€Å"I need to talk to Seth. I have to tell him what happened. And I suppose . . .† I made a face. â€Å"If I do have to go to Las Vegas, this weekend is the time to do it.† â€Å"So you don't miss bowling practice?† teased Roman. â€Å"That, and I have it off from work. Seth's pretty tied up with his family in town, which makes it another good time to go. Although . . . it'd kind of be nice if he went with me. I mean, if he was going to think about moving, he could check it out too.† Yet, again, that worry returned to me: how could I ask Seth to abandon Terry and Andrea? â€Å"Actually,† said Roman, humor vanishing, â€Å"I think it's best he doesn't go.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because whatever the reasons, something's just not right about this. I don't know what's waiting for you in Las Vegas. Maybe nothing. But I just feel like there's a larger hand in all of this, guiding it, and that it's safest for Seth if you don't drag him into immortal drama.† Roman's face softened. â€Å"I'm actually not thrilled about you facing it alone, but I'm not sure me walking into a hotbed of immortal activity is so smart either.† â€Å"I'll be fine,† I said, trying to not be put off by his ominous words. â€Å"No matter how terrible a transfer is, I have to admit, I got kind of lucky with this one. I mean, I'm not saying I trust any demons, but if I had to, it would be Luis. He's really great, and Vegas is, well, Vegas. Like I said. I got lucky.† Roman grew thoughtful again. â€Å"Yes. Yes, you did.† The next day, I found Seth later at his brother's house. Andrea had had another treatment that day and was sleeping it off. Seth and Margaret were helping take care of the household as best they could, cooking a late dinner and watching the girls. I arrived at about the same time as Terry got home from work, and our double entrance was greeted with shouts and hugs. I scooped Kayla up in my arms and kissed her while Terry asked what I had been wondering. â€Å"Where's Ian?† Seth and Margaret exchanged looks. â€Å"Ian had some things to do,† she said neutrally. â€Å"Yeah,† agreed Seth. â€Å"In the form of scoping out ironic parts of Seattle.† So much for Ian stepping up to help the family. No doubt he'd found new hipster friends at a coffee shop and was now hanging out with them somewhere, drinking PBR and regaling them with stories of all the obscure bands he knew. Terry smiled good-naturedly. â€Å"Well, that's his loss because dinner smells great. More for us.† He swung Kendall around and kissed his other daughters before going upstairs to check on Andrea. I felt a lump form in my throat as I watched him go. He put on such a good face for the kids, but I knew this had to be tearing his heart apart. My own petty concerns seemed exactly that: petty. Small. Inconsequential. Nonetheless, news of the transfer weighed on my mind throughout dinner. I'd wanted to wait until Seth and I were alone at his place, but my face must have betrayed my feelings. â€Å"Hey,† he said gently, slipping an arm around me. The family was gathered in the living room, starting a movie, while Seth and I stood in the doorway to the kitchen. â€Å"Everything okay?† I hesitated, unsure about bringing it up here. Sensing that, he pulled me into the privacy of the kitchen. â€Å"Thetis, talk to me.† â€Å"I got some bad news today,† I began. I tried to think of a clever or funny way to lead into it, but nothing came. So, I just blurted it all out, explaining the inarguable nature of transfers and the details of mine. â€Å"Las Vegas,† he said flatly. He looked as though he'd been slapped. â€Å"You're moving to Las Vegas.† â€Å"Not for a month,† I said, clasping his hands. â€Å"And believe me, I don't want to. God, Seth. I still can't believe it. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.† â€Å"Hey, don't apologize. Not for this.† He drew me near, the kindness and compassion on his face nearly making me cry. â€Å"This isn't your fault. You have nothing to be sorry about.† I shook my head. â€Å"I know, but . . . it's just so crazy. I thought this was it. Our chance to be together. And now I don't know what to do. I can't ask you to . . .† â€Å"Ask me to what?† I leaned my head against his chest. â€Å"Come with me.† He was quiet for a few moments. â€Å"Would they let me? I always thought . . . I mean, whenever you've talked about your past, it always sounded like you reinvented yourself. New name, new appearance. I thought you had to leave your past life behind.† â€Å"I have, but that was always just my choice. For you . . . I mean, of course I wouldn't do that. I'd stay Georgina Kincaid, just as you know her. But you can't leave them.† I gestured to the living room. â€Å"It's not worth it.† Seth moved his hands to my head, tilting my face up so I could look him in the eye. â€Å"Georgina,† he said softly. â€Å"I love you. You're worth it. You're everything to me. I'd follow you to the ends of the earth. And beyond.† â€Å"That doesn't make sense.† I smiled sadly. â€Å"And I'm not everything. You love them too. And you'd hate yourself for running off with me while they need you so much.† â€Å"So, what? You've made my choice for me?† he asked. There was a playful note to his voice, despite the deadly seriousness of the topic. â€Å"Are we breaking up?† â€Å"No! Of course not. I just . . . I just want you to know that I don't expect you to come with me. Do I want to be with you? Yes, of course. But I love your family, Seth. I love all of them. My happiness . . .† It was strange, speaking those words. My happiness. For so long, I'd been miserable. Happiness wasn't even a concept I'd imagined for myself in ages. â€Å"My happiness isn't worth theirs.† He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. â€Å"What about mine?† I stared in astonishment. â€Å"Are you saying you'd abandon them and run off to Las Vegas?† â€Å"No,† he said firmly. â€Å"I would never abandon them. But there must be some middle ground here. Some way that doesn't involve sacrificing us or them. We just have to figure it out. What we have is too important. Don't give up on us yet, okay?† I hugged him, losing myself in the sweetness of his warmth and scent. My heart had lightened a little at his words, but I still didn't want to get my hopes up. There was too much at stake, still too much that could go wrong. â€Å"I love you,† I told him. â€Å"I love you too.† He squeezed me tight and then kissed me again before pulling apart. â€Å"Now. Let's go watch that movie and pretend to be social so that we can leave early.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because if you're going to Vegas this weekend, then I want to get you home and get some quality time in tonight.† I grinned and put my arm around him. â€Å"Does ‘quality time' mean what I think it does?† â€Å"Yes,† he said, as we walked back to the living room. â€Å"Yes, it does.† â€Å"Well, then, you know that's against the rules.† â€Å"Rules that you made up,† he pointed out. â€Å"Rules that are for your own good,† I corrected. â€Å"It's not time yet. Remember, we have to ration ourselves.† It was part of the conditions of us getting back together. Keeping strictly platonic before had strained us, so this time, I'd agreed that some sex was okay . . . even though I cringed at the thought of how each act, no matter how small, would take away some of his life. Seth had told me he didn't care, that he'd take any risk to be with me. I was still cautious, and he'd yielded to me to set the schedule for our rationed sex life. I still wasn't entirely sure what constituted proper rationing in this situation, but something in my head said we should have sex only every few months. I hadn't told Seth that, though. It had been one month since the last – and only – time we'd had sex since getting back together as a mortal and a succubus, and I knew he was getting restless. It was especially difficult for him because although he respected me, he also didn't think such caution was needed when he was the one who faced the dangers – dangers he swore he didn't mind. â€Å"Not tonight,† I continued. â€Å"It's practically a special occasion, though,† he told me. â€Å"A big send-off.† â€Å"Hey, I didn't say we couldn't do anything,† I replied. â€Å"Just not as much as you'd like to do.† One thing we'd inherited from our chaste days was a set of several creative workarounds, mostly involving doing unto ourselves what we couldn't do unto each other. â€Å"The question is, is there going to be a problem with your houseguests?† â€Å"Not if we're quiet,† Seth said. After a moment, he shrugged. â€Å"Scratch that. I don't care. Let them hear.† I scoffed. â€Å"Oh, yeah. So that your mom can come break down your door with her baseball bat.† â€Å"Don't worry,† he said, kissing my cheek. â€Å"She's no match for you and that dictionary.†

Happiness and Teens Facts and Figures

The angsty persona has long been the stereotype for teenagers, but research has proven that the mental health of teenagers is an important topic today. According to the Parent Resources site, an average of more than 5,000 US students in grades 7-12 attempt to take their lives each day. The site goes on to say, More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer,  heart disease, AIDS,  birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic  lung disease, COMBINED.   The importance of ensuring that teenagers are happy is greater than ever, especially as we see rising rates of bullying, increased pressure from society to fit impossible ideals thanks to photoshop and filters, and a world that seems to place greater value on reputation and fitting in than personal satisfaction and individuality. However, not all is lost.  Studies suggest that teenagers can be happy... in the right situations. Although the popular conception of the teenager is of a stormy adolescent in constant conflict with his or her elders, such an image may be more of a myth than a reality. As reported in Psychology Today, a study of 2,700 middle and high school students conducted by SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) showed that the majority of teenagers report being happy every day. In addition, the SADD study showed that the majority of respondents reported that they had positive relationships with their parents, and teens’ positive relationships with their parents mean that overall they are less likely to drink or use drugs. So, while conventional wisdom holds that teens are disruptive and show risky behaviors such as alcohol and drug use, many teens are acting in positive, connected ways. So what are some factors that foster happy  teens, and how can parents raise happy teenagers? Unplugging and Avoiding Social Media Studies have shown that even an hour on social media can negatively impact a teenagers mood, so imagine what an entire day of social media exposure can do. This doesnt mean ban social media completely, but it does mean having conversations with your child about how much time should be spent on social media, and finding ways to get teens to unplug completely and live in the moment, IRL (in real life). Even though they might initially resist, your happy teens may thank you for it in the future. Reflecting on Gratitude Grateful teens are happy teens. According to research conducted by Giacomo Bono, Ph.D., a professor at California State University, being grateful reaps many mental health benefits for teens. The most grateful 20 percent of the teens in Dr. Bono’s study of 700 people were 15 percent more likely than the least grateful 20 percent to have a sense of meaning in their lives and had a 15 percent lower likelihood of having depressive symptoms. The study concluded that parents and teachers should help teens cultivate gratitude, which may bring with it vital skills such as cooperation and perseverance. Teens who are able to develop gratitude tend to feel better about their lives, and grateful teens are more connected to others. Live a Healthy Life: Eat Right and Exercise This should seem like a no-brainer to most of us, as this is important for humans of any age, but helping teens discover the joys of living healthy is an important early life lesson. As reported in Science Daily, teens who cultivate healthy habits tend to be happier. According to Understanding Society, a study of by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) that looked at 5,000 young people in the United Kingdom between the ages of 10-15, teens who had never tried alcohol were four to six times as likely to report high levels of happiness than those who had tried alcohol. Teens who smoked were five times less likely to be happy. In addition, higher consumption of fruits and vegetables and participation in sports were associated with higher levels of happiness. Therefore, raising happy teens means keeping them healthy and active. According to another study reported in U.S. News, teens who participated in moderate to vigorous outdoor activities were happier than their peers who spent time in front of computer and video screens. While many teens enjoy playing video games and many schools are using iPads in class, parents who are raising teens should take steps to reduce their teenagers’ screen time and get them active outdoors. Happy teenagers tend to spend more time with others and spend more time outside than their less happy, sedentary peers. So, make sure your child joins a sports team, club, or other group that gets him or her to unplug and engage with other youth of the same age with similar interests. The Importance of Happiness in Adolescence The benefits of a happy adolescence transcend the teenage years. As reported in many recent news articles, studies such as one conducted by University College London and the University of Warwick that looked at a survey of 10,000 Americans have found that happy teens reported higher incomes by the time they reached age 29. In fact, very happy teens earned 30 percent more than their less happy peers, even considering other variables such as IQ and levels of education. While there is no doubt that adolescence can at times be difficult, there is also ample data that it can be a time of creativity, compassion, and connection to adults and peers. Studies also show that it is vital for teens to experience happiness for their future well-being. Interestingly, income had little effect on teens’ happiness. While extreme poverty can affect children’s happiness, teenagers do not need to be wealthy to feel happy. Teens tend to value the increased social activities that increased income can afford them rather than valuing the increased income for its own sake. Teens are happiest when connecting to others, not necessarily when purchasing goods.