Avelina

• GO INTO HIDING

no matter whether their demands are fulfilled are not.

People taken hostage may offer resistance or obey. No matter what they may do, they are fully at the mercy of terrorists.

As for the more powerful majority, government, any other authorities and their forces, they perform almost the same actions in any situation of emergency. The public protectors’ highest aim is to secure the release of hostages (if any), and to offer sympathy to the injured and the relatives of the killed (if any). They also try to provide security at airports and other public places by installing such devices as DETECTORS, METAL DETECTORS, and EXPLOSIVESDETECTION PORTAL in order TO INSPECT PEOPLE AND THEIR LUGGAGE by making them WALK THROUGH THE DETECTOR in order to FERRET OUT PEOPLE who carry explosives.

EXPLOSIVE – substance that can explode

· CHEMICAL EXPLOSIVE

· PLASTIC EXPLOSIVE

· HIGH EXPLOSIVE

To describe the activities of terrorists and their opponents in a more detailed way the following vocabulary may be of help.

3.1. Terrorists “at work”:

· to prepare / plan terrorist acts

· to have a terror plan

· to design / organize / attempt an attack on smth.

· to plot a series of attacks on / against smb. / smth.

· to choose one’ targets carefully

· to study automated programs that control the nation’s power plants, powerlines, pipelines and water-treatment plants

· to buy / use new high-tech weapon systems

· to target the innocent and defenseless

· to target a particular community

· to frighten the civilian population

· to carry out acts of terrorism

· to commit terrorist acts

· to attack / hit targets

· to stage an attack (a bombing attack)

· to intensify terrorist attacks

· to carry out numerous small bombings and minor assaults

· to make / build a bomb

· to place a suitcase bomb somewhere

· to explode / detonate a bomb (mine, fuse)

· to blow smth. up

· to blow oneself up

· to take control of passenger airliners (or other transport vehicles)

· to blackmail the crew and the passengers

· to cling to the gun

· to use different dangerous materials

· to release some toxic gas (e.g. sarin gas)

· to poison water supplies

· to contaminate food with dangerous biological agents (e.g. with anthrax spores)

· to hack into computer networks

· to set up trainer camps in remote areas

· to supply terrorists with fake documents

3.2.1. Civilians facing the threat of assault by terrorists:

· to be on one’s guard

· to take precautions against a surprise attack

· to protect oneself (one’s family) from attack

· to follow / heed the advice of local authorities / local emergency officials

· to cooperate with the police and security units

· to share specific knowledge about potential threats with the authorized personnel

· to inform local police of any suspicious persons or objects

· to have essential supplies on hand

3.2.2. What civilians should do in case of a terror strike:

· to avoid / resist panic and confusion

· to help / aid the victims of attacks

· to check them for injuries

· to give first aid to seriously injured people

· to leave the affected / dangerous area

· to check one’s house for damage (using a flashlight)

· to sniff for gas leaks

· to turn off the main gas valve

· to turn off all heating and conditioning systems

· to shut off any other damaged utilities

· to check for fires, fire hazards and household hazards

· to seal all cracks around the door or any vents into the room (in case of a dustbomb, smoke or gas attack)

· to put on gas masks when necessary

· to check on neighbours (especially those who are elderly or disabled)

· to prepare / assemble a disaster supplies kit (in case evacuation is necessary)

· to take aid supplies (medicine), a change of clothing, a sleeping bag or a bedroll, food, a battery powered radio or television and extra batteries, cash, and copies of important family documents (passports, licenses, birth and marriage certificates)

· to take special need items for any member of one’s family

· to contact the authorities for emergency instructions

3.3. Anti-terrorism measures and actions taken by the authorities (or expected from them)

3.3.1. The government in general:

· to take a strong stand against terrorism

· to condemn terrorism in all forms

· to reject / oppose / fight terrorism

· to aim at destroying / defeating / curbing / getting rid of terrorism

· to combat terrorism in a comprehensive manner

· to take concrete actions to stop terror

· to control the ‘hot spots’ of terrorism

· to fight terrorism by military means, legal means, law enforcement and intelligence means

· to monitor terrorists’ movements / activities

· to prevent and suppress all forms of terrorist acts

· to prevent the flow of funds to terrorists

· to cut the financial links between organized crime and terrorism

· to disrupt / destroy / shut down terrorist groups and networks

· to create and develop anti-terrorism facilities

· to establish anti-terrorism training centres

· to train firefighters, police, bomb squad members, hazardous material experts

· to rethink and reorganize national security assets

· to expand the security force

· to tighten security in ‘problem’ areas

· to work out clear cut emergency directions

· to design a wide scale emergency preparedness program

· to prepare doctors, hospitals and health officials for a bioterrorist attack or other medical disasters

· to train emergency crews to deal with radiological, biological, chemical and other weapons of mass destruction

· to upgrade computers in hospitals

· to prepare hospitals to treat a huge influx of sick and injured

· to generate new technologies for protection of people

· to design security systems for utilities

· to enhance border security

· to enhance airport, aircraft and port security

· to enhance international requirements for the security of air and maritime transportation

· to close territories of potential attacks

· to help the citizens prepare for surprise attacks

· to provide the public with information about the threat of terror strikes

· to raise the public awareness of the danger of terrorism

3.3.2. Security forces:

· to protect / defend a country against terror strikes

· to protect potential targets of terrorist attacks

· to resist, fight and defeat the perpetrators of terror

· to take military action (e.g. bombing raids, helicopter assault) against terrorists

· to prevent, disrupt and eliminate any form of terrorist activity

· to keep close watch on people suspected of ties with terrorists

· to investigate terrorist crimes

· to search and dismantle terrorists

· to hunt / track down / corner a terrorist

· to catch / arrest a terrorist

· to find and release hostages and victims of kidnapping

· to free passengers of hijacked aircraft / vehicles out of terrorist hands

· to aid / treat the victims of terror attacks

3.3.3. Control at the airport:

· to provide security at airports

· to take security measures against the possible acts of terrorism

· to increase the level and variety of security techniques

· to improve the quality / the effectiveness of airport screening

· to screen all baggage / cargo / passenger luggage

· to make a thorough scrutiny of people and their luggage

· to inspect / monitor people and their luggage

· to check the baggage

· to scan smth.

· to make people walk through the metal detector

· to install bomb-scanning machines

· to ferret out people who carry explosives / dangerous items / different hazardous materials

3.3.4. Judicial authorities:

· to gather facts / evidence against a terrorist

· to accuse smb. of criminal involvement in terrorism

· to bring terrorists to justice

· to put a suspect into prison

· to jail a terrorist

· to consider a case against smb. on suspicion of being a member of a terrorist network

· to indict a terrorist

· to sentence a terrorist to (death / life imprisonment / … years)

· to grant clemency to smb.

SECTION 4. WHY IT HAPPENS

Acts of terrorism and violence may be divided into two groups:

1. those that are performed by individuals,

2. the ones performed by organized militant groups.

Actions of protest are carried out due to some serious CAUSE.

Acts of terrorism are performed on some certain PURPOSE that is usually connected with POLITICS, RELIGION, FINANCE, and INDIVIDUAL FAME

(the condition of being well known and talked about).

CAUSE /compare with REASON/ (OF) –

1.SOMETHING WHICH PRODUCES AN EFFECT; A PERSON, THING OR EVENT THAT

MAKES SOMETHING HAPPEN;

2.SOMETHING THAT PROVIDES A SATISFACTORY REASON FOR AN ACTION;

3.PRINCIPLE, AIM OR MOVEMENT THAT IS STRONGLY DEFENDED OR SUPPORTED

- TO MAKE COMMON CAUSE – TO TAKE ACTION TOGETHER FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE

REASON – THE CAUSE OF AN ELEMENT OR SITUATION; A FACT, EVENT, OR

STATEMENT THAT PROVIDES AN EXPLANATION OR EXCUSE FOR

SOMETHING.

PURPOSE /compare with AIM/ -

1.AN INTENTION OR PLAN, A PERSON’S REASON FOR AN ACTION

2.A USE, EFFECT, RESULT

3.STEADILY DETERMINED FOLLOWING OF AN AIM

- ON PURPOSE – 1.INTENTIONALLY

2.WITH A PATICULAR STATED INTENTION

AIM (OF) – THE DESIRED RESULT OF ONE’S EFFORTS, INTENTION OR PURPOSE

- TO AIM (AT/FOR) – TO DIRECT ONE’S EFFORTS (TOWARD DOING OR OBTAINING SOMETHING),

INTEND (TO)

Terrorists may aim

· TO SHOW OFF

· TO SHOW ONE’S POWER

· TO THREATEN SMB.

· TO DEMAND POLITICAL RIGHTS/POLITICAL ASYLAM/RANSOM

· TO CHANGE POLITICAL SITUATION

· TO TARNISH ONE’S IMAGE

· TO PUNISH SMB.

· TO TAKE REVENGE

The reason for acts of terrorism performed by single individuals may be that they have poor mental health.(usually they want to become famous)

Religious fanatics are often found among single terrorists.

People that perform violent actions may be characterized by

- INBORN VIOLENCE

- ACQUIRED MENTAL DISORDERS

INBORN VIOLENCE – AN INDIVIDUAL PREDISPOSITION TOWARDS VIOLENCE

CAUSED BY

· GENETIC CODE MUTATION,

· INBORN MENTAL DISORDERS,

· MENTAL DESEASE/ILLNESS

THAT MAY LEAD TO HIGH AGGRESSIVE STATES WHEN PEOPLE

· CANNOT KEEP ANGER UNDER CONTROL

· CANNOT RESTRAIN ANGER

· EASILY LOSE PATIENCE

· EASILY FLY IN RAGE

· TREAT OTHERS CRUELLY/BRUTALLY

AQUIRED MENTAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS may be caused by

· CONTINUOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS

· SHOKING EVENTS

and also lead to HIGH AGGRESSIVE STATES.

Avelina

FALL 2003

My middle name is Jesus. Actually it’s Jesús de los Santos. In Spain it means Jesus of the Saints; in America it’s just a really strange middle name to grow up with. My parents came to America from Spain in the early eighties so my father could go to work on his cousin’s cattle ranch in Central California. To my mom and dad, America meant freedom, education, prosperity, and happiness. I was born here in ’85, ten years after my brother Daniel. My mother, being a devout Catholic, continued her family’s tradition of giving daughters religious middle names. I was her only daughter, born Avelina Jesús de los Santos Belo, which was quite a mouthful, so on school and medical records my mother shortened it to Avelina Jesús Belo. No pressure there.

Aside from putting up with the occasional jokes from classmates about my middle name, I had an otherwise idyllic childhood living on the ranch and attending the local public schools. Since before I can remember, I was riding horses and moving cattle with my father, brother, and cousins. The work was in my blood and riding horses came to me naturally, unlike making friends or doing other typical girlie things.

We had everything my parents wished for when they came here until I turned sixteen. That’s when my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was the first of many whom I loved but wasn’t able to mend. There were no healing powers in my hands; I was just a little girl with too many hard lessons to be learned. After he passed, my mother fell apart. His memory haunted her and made her frail. For months she sat in the ranch house, in front of the window, looking out for someone to come and rescue her—perhaps my father’s spirit, or maybe death.

I resented her for not being stronger, for not seeing how blessed she was. After burying my father, my brother dove into his own life, going to college and starting a family in New York City, far away from the ranch. The horses became my friends . . . and family. I started barrel racing in rodeos and competitions to make extra money while I watched my mother wither away in front of my eyes.

In my last year of high school, right after I turned eighteen in October 2003, my brother made the decision to send our mother back to Spain. Daniel promised me it was for her own good as well as mine. He agreed to take me in so I could finish my last year of high school, which meant moving all the way to New York, living in the city with his pretentious wife, starting at a new school, and being without my horses. I had no other options. I knew I would have to go somewhere, and New York sounded like a better option than Spain at that point.

Two weeks before we were to move, wild brush fires began raging in Southern California, sending clouds of smoke and haze into our valley, so I took my mother with me to a rodeo in Northern California to escape the dreadful air. We trailered all four of our horses, stopping periodically and letting them graze in the beautiful, untouched land of California’s Central Valley. During our drive, she spoke few words to me. She stayed hunched in the passenger seat, gazing out the window. When we traveled west to a small stretch of road where the mountains met the ocean, she sighed and said in her heavily accented English, “You are a healer. You have a gift. You’ve brought me home, belleza.” Beautiful, she called me. I looked exactly like her, with brown eyes too big for my head and long, dark, unruly hair.

“I’m not, Mama. I’m just a girl and we’re still in California,” I said to her. She didn’t respond—she was too far gone. Most of the time she was despondent like this. There would be the occasional nonsensical observation and then she would go back to quietly mourning my father. She existed in a grief-filled world that was off limits to the living. She existed in the past, and I knew I would never be able to help her, which made it the second time in my short life that I felt utterly powerless.

She spent most of that weekend in the cab of our truck or the dingy motel room where we were staying while I practiced and competed. I brought her meals and made sure she was okay before I went back to tending to the horses. I was scheduled to race for the last time on Sunday afternoon so I spent the morning watching the other events, sitting atop the corral just outside of the arena. It was a small rodeo composed basically of a main arena and two corrals freckled by a few sets of old, wooden bleachers. There wasn’t much money in the purses at those rodeos, but it was good practice and it wasn’t too far for me to drive.

During the men’s team-roping finals one of the horses, saddled and waiting in the corral, sauntered over to me. She nudged my leg and sniffed at my jeans. I let her smell my shoes and then I pushed back against the front of her face, in the space between her eyes and nose. “Go, get outta here.”

As soon as the words left my lips, I heard a brief whistle. Across the corral stood a man, his face shadowed by the large brim of his black Stetson. The mare left my side abruptly and trotted over to him. I watched as he climbed into the saddle with grace before giving the horse a subtle foot command to move forward into the arena. His team-roping partner entered from the other side. Just before the steer was released, the man looked over to me and nodded, the kind of nod that means something. It’s the quiet cowboy’s version of a wolf whistle. I lost my balance on the top of the corral and wobbled just for a moment before smiling back at him.

Instantly, the steer was out of the chute, followed by the men, one on each side. They roped the speeding creature in 5.5 seconds. It was fast, very fast but not fast enough to win. I fully expected to see two sulking cowboys trot back to the gate but only one looked totally defeated. The other, the man in the black Stetson, was smiling and riding toward me.

As he approached with the reins and lasso in his left hand, he removed his hat with his right. He was so much younger than I expected and he was grinning emphatically. Two deep dimples appeared on the sides of his boyish cheeks. “Hey there, you distracted me,” he said, still smiling.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

“I’m kidding. I picked me a dragger. We didn’t have a chance.” His voice was smooth and confident. He was referring to the fact that the steer wouldn’t lift his hind legs to be roped.

“Good thing, I thought I blew it for you.”

“It takes more than a gorgeous woman perched on a fence to throw me off my game,” he said, placing his hat back on his head. I never thought of myself as gorgeous or even a woman for that matter. My heart leapt and bounced inside my chest. He maneuvered his horse through the gate, hopped off, and led her into the corral where she came up to me again. “Bonnie likes you.” He laughed. “You’re the only one besides me.”

I stepped down and began helping him remove her saddle and bridle. “She’s a fine horse.”

“She’s a baby—a little too eager, but she’ll learn,” he said, almost to himself.

“Bonnie, huh? Cute name. Are you Clyde?” I asked.

He smiled, removed his hat, and reached his hand out. “Oh, excuse me, ma’am. Where are my manners? I’m Jake McCrea.”

I took his hand and shook it firmly. “Avelina Belo.”

“Beautiful and exotic name. It suits you.” The corner of his mouth turned up into a handsome smirk. His eyes were the most vibrant blue. In the sunlight it looked like little electrical currents circled his pupils.

“Thank you,” I said but found myself at a loss for more words. His compliment awoke a feeling in me I had never experienced. I was never interested in dating, and I never thought of myself as attractive. That tingly feeling girls get long before they’re eighteen finally hit me like a million pulses of light striking my chest and moving south.

“What’s a girl like you hanging around the corrals for?”

I hesitated. “Like me?”

“Yeah, like you?”

“I’m racing.” I pulled my phone from my back pocket and checked the time. “Oh, shoot. I’m going on in twenty minutes. I gotta warm up my horse and change.”

“I can warm up your horse, just point me in the right direction?”

“She’s the Appaloosa, right over there. The one trying to bite that kid.”

He followed my gaze to where Dancer was stretching her neck through the corral slats, trying to bite the arm of a young kid who was leaning back against the fence. Jake whistled to call her over but Dancer ignored him. He glanced over to me with a questioning look.

“Dancer,” I said just above a whisper. She pinned her ears before turning and trotting toward me.

“Huh,” Jake said, shaking his head. “Never seen that before.”

I led her out of the corral to the back of the trailer and began dressing her for the race.

“She has great lines.” He smoothed a hand over her spotted flank.

“Most people think she’s ugly.”

“No, she’s beautiful.” He was stroking the horse but looking right into my eyes when he said it.

My heartbeat spiked. “You can just take her around a couple of times while I change. She tires fast.”

“Okay,” he said as he worked to lengthen the stirrup. He lifted himself into the saddle and Dancer immediately bucked. He sat firm in his seat, clearly a great horseman. Pulling the reins tighter, he caused Dancer to trot back a few steps. She swished her tail and then pricked her ears up with irritation. Jake leaned down and spoke to her in a smooth tone. “Easy now. You’re not gonna embarrass me in front of this pretty lady, are you?”

“She always takes the third barrel too wide. I can’t break her of it, just so you know.”

Dancer trotted in place, anxious to run toward the practice barrels. “How can you win if she’s always making mistakes?” Jake asked, smiling.

“She’s fast enough.”

“We’ll see.” He gave her a tight squeeze with his boot heels and off they went.

I changed quickly into my competition shirt, jeans, and boots, and within five minutes he was back. Dancer was warm but Jake looked downright worn out.

“You okay, cowboy?” I smiled up at him.

There was a glistening stream of sweat dripping down his sideburns. He jumped off and handed me the reins before removing his hat and brushing his dirty-blond hair back. He let out a huge breath. “Man, she’s a mean bitch, full of piss and vinegar, that one. I don’t know how you race that horse, skittering around like that. She didn’t take the third barrel wide, she practically tossed me over it.”

I laughed. “You’ll see.” I took the reins, hopped up into the saddle, and headed toward the arena. “This is no roping horse. She dances on air,” I shouted back to him.

He was right; she was a hard horse to handle but not when I rode her. I got to the gate just as they called my number. The buzzer rang and we were off. I bent low into her body as Dancer raced toward the first barrel. She rounded it with perfect ease and then we were off to the second barrel and then the third, which she took just a bit wider than perfect. It was an improvement. I kicked her hard and smacked the end of the reins back and forth against her shoulders. She picked up and flew home to the gate, barely touching her hooves to the ground.

As I glanced toward the time clock the announcer called my score. I won.

After collecting my prize, I headed back to the stable where my truck and trailer were parked. Jake was sitting on the tailgate, laughing as I approached.

“You got something good there, honey?” he asked.

I held up my trophy and shook it in the air. “I won three hundred dollars!”

“Are you telling me you’re gonna take me out for a beer to celebrate?”

I swallowed hard as I looked down at him from atop Dancer. I shook my head slightly and then tried desperately to peel my eyes away from him. He had changed into a clean pair of Wranglers and a white button-down shirt. Still wearing a confident grin, he swung his legs back and forth playfully on the edge of the tailgate.

When I jumped down to remove the saddle and bridle, he came around and put his hand over mine. “I was kidding. Not about the beer but about buying. I’d like to take you out for a proper dinner. Can I do that?”

He squeezed my hand, gazing into my eyes, waiting for my answer.

“My mom is at our motel. I’m . . . only eighteen.” My voice shook embarrassingly.

“Oh, well, I only just turned twenty-one.” He smiled again. “I’m far away from my home in Montana, doing the rodeo circuit through California. It’s just me and my roping partner, so it gets kind of lonely.” I could tell he meant lonely in the genuine sense, not in a sexual way. “Maybe you can bring her along? You both need to eat, right?”

“Okay,” I said to Jake McCrea just three short months before I married him.

CHAPTER 2

Regimented Exercise

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 567