Consumer Psychology and Marketing Communications Essay

At any given moment during the day, decisions such as which brand of merchandise to purchase, which color paint to select, or what cable service provider to go with are being made by consumers. The selection and behaviors of the consumers go beyond their personal preferences and has been studied by psychologists for over a century. Knowing what appeals to consumers and what their preferences are is a crucial part of the business’s success. In Exploration relationships between adoption of new consumer products and relationship marketing by Sarabi, Ahmadi, & Moradi , the relationship between a consumer’s demographic variables and product selection discussed. A second article, Scenes of Consumer Psychology by Rachel Bowlby discusses how consumer psychology presents itself in marketing techniques. Consumer Psychology The specialty that examines the influences a person’s thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and perceptions have on their buying habits is known as consumer psychology. A consumer’s demographic information, how they perceive advertisements, brand exposure, and economic status are just a few factors that can affect their decision making process. In order learn more about the behaviors of buyers, consumer psychologists and businesses can conduct surveys; organize focus groups, send out questionnaires, or through direct observation. If a business can identify the buying habits and influences of their regular customers, they are presented with the opportunity to retain their business while make themselves and the customer happy. Psychological concepts discussed In their article, Exploration relationships between adoption of new consumer products and relationship marketing, Sarabi, Ahmadi, & Moradi argue that consumers’ characteristics affect their buying habits. According to Sarabi, Ahmadi & Moradi (2013), â€Å"Empirical research has demonstrated that social-demographic characteristics have significant influence on NPA behavior and suggests that younger, higher income and better educated consumers tend to accept market innovations more quickly† (para. 2). Another factor that influences their likeliness to buy or accept new  products is the image portrayed. For example, if sports fan sees their favorite player endorsing a sports drink, they may be more likely to purchase or try that brand of drink. In the second article, Scenes of consumer psychology by Rachel Bowlby, she discusses the presentation of consumer psychology in marketing. According to Bowlby, there are two types of consumers; romantic and classical. Bowlby states that romantic consumers are those who are influenced by their emotions. Does the product make them happy or feel a certain way? Does it make them feel nostalgic or affluent? The majority of society would be considered romantic consumers. Classical consumers, on the other hand, are those who look for the security and savings. They look for the simplest and most direct way to achieve their goal. When looking for a new cell phone the classical consumer may decide to go with the flip phone that doesn’t allow you to download a bunch of applications. However, the romantic consumer may start with the goal of buying a simple phone but is drawn in by the excitement of all the extras a smart phone may have to offer, even if not needed. Relationship between consumer psychology and marketing What both articles aim to show is that a person’s emotions and environment can influence their buying habits. If a business can identify emotional triggers in their regular customers, then they are able to keep them coming back. Another way a business can retain that business is by offering products that are within their regular customer’s socio-economic status. For example, my family owns a women’s clothing store. We see a wide range of customers for all walks of life. After building our business and customer base, we started to recognize faces and learn a little about them. Through observations and asking the right questions, we were able to determine that a large portion of our customer base was lower-middle class. We also found that we had many romantic-buyers who would see nice things that were affordable. One item that has appealed to our customer base is a brand of jeans that we carry. The name brand jean can cost over $100 per pair in a department store, but they are able to get a similar item for half the cost. Seeing that they were able to afford more and still get quality merchandise has made them more likely to purchase multiple items from us and continue to shop in our store. Conclusion Knowing what is important to customers is a critical component of business ownership. Both articles discussed have shown a relationship between consumers buying trends and how their decisions can be affected by their experience and opinions. Whether a consumer is basing his decision on logic or how the product makes them feel, it is the job of the merchant to learn their customer base to provide products that will make both types of customers happy and coming back for more. REFERENCES Bowlby, R. (1992). Scenes from consumer psychology. Critical Quarterly, 34(4), 51-64. Sarabi, S., Ahmadi, F., & Moradi, M. A. (2013). Exploration relationship between adoption of new consumer products and relationship marketing. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 5(2), 80-89. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1426053966?accountid=458

Importance of Strategic Human Resource Management

Management in an organization and asses its purposes in the chosen organization By Assimilate 23 In present business environment â€Å"information technology' has become back bone of any business or organization, and they are integral part of day to day activities. Information technology which connects all the departments with each other which helps to increase efficiency, reduce communication time, production time, to improve, maintain the business flow. In short every industry and even companies within the industry can have different key success factors.It is important to select supply chain IT systems that are able to give us advantage in the areas most crucial to business success. Companies invest a good amount of their budget to develop new software's programs to improve their flexibility and responsiveness and competitiveness. In recent studies conducted by Food & Agricultural Organization (FAA) it was found that Food wastage across the world is alarming and $ 1 trillion of fo od is being wasted for the reason jack of technology, human error and facilities.In our pizza hut outlet Information Technology will play very important role which will connect all our operation. We being a fast food chain and products used are highly perishable and if a proper control on purchase, storage and production is not there then our business may end up in loss. As per below given diagram IT will be connecting all our departments Fig. 1 Logistics & Procurement: IT will help to collect data, tracking products inventory and reduce lifestyle which will help everybody involved in the process.Has the data will be readily available it will help to procure our raw materials as per the requirement and keep a track on the movements, storage and delivery. Operation: It will help in day to day activities by attending customers taking their orders placing them to our production and arranging to deliver. In addition to this it will help to maintain our financial track, bank accounts, pa yment schedule and other uncial obligations.Customer relationship: To improve our customer service, attend customer complaints and develop relationship with customer we need a proper IT support such as CRM

Challenges That May Arise When Writing a Persuasive Essay

Three challenges that might arise when writing a persuasive essay are making a plan, writing a draft, and revising your draft. While making a draft you should always consider how you can organize your ideas effectively for the readers. You can arrange your ideas and make an outline to organize your ideas effectively (Chapter 7). Doing so will allow the readers to be able to understand what point you are trying to get across without any doubt or confusion. Writing a draft can help show the readers what you mean. In your draft it should include an introduction that is catchy and that will interest your readers, have a strong and solid conclusion, and it should also have a strong solid title (Chapter 8). During the revising process of your draft you should think of ways to make your draft clearer or more convincing to the readers. This could be done by looking for ideas that don’t fit, looking for ideas that could use more detailed support, and connecting ideas with transitional words and sentences (Chapter 9). One more challenge that might arise when writing a persuasive essay is editing. Editing a paper will allow me to ask myself what errors could confuse my readers and weaken my point. This process can also help me find and correct errors in grammar (Chapters 22–33), look for errors in word use (Chapters 34–35), spelling (Chapter 36), and punctuation and capitalization (Chapters 37–41). READING: Read Chapter 3 in Real essays with readings: Writing projects for college, work, and everyday life – Writing Basics. The strategies I will use to overcome making a draft is use my time wisely. By doing this I will be able to have a set block of time to work on this and will not be able to wait until the last minute. I will also write down any ideas that pop up in my head. So I will not forget what it was and is because it could be a useful and helpful idea to use in my paper while writing it. Another strategy I could use is to make a web of ideas while planning out my paper. To overcome the challenges of writing a draft I will need to try show what I mean to the readers, come up with a strong title, come up with a strong conclusion, and come up with a catchy way to start my introduction paragraph. While I am revising my essay I will look for ideas that do not fit and find ideas that could use more detailed support if it does not have enough detailed support already. Finally I will I will look for errors that might confuse my readers and weaken my point more closely. I could also try reading it backwards to see if it will help me find errors such as grammar, errors in word use, punctuation, and if any capitalization errors.

Human Resources Receptionist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Resources Receptionist - Essay Example Skills and work experience. The candidate should have a good understanding of the principles of handling the public in a manner that creates a rapport with the public. He/she should be able to demonstrate the office etiquette when handling the visitors. He/she should have excellent communication skills including both written and spoken English. Knowledge of additional language like French or German is preferred. He/she should be able to understand the given instructions. The candidate should be conversant with the operation of standard office equipments alongside the knowledge of the routine practices in an office environment. The candidate should have knowledge of basic computer application packages like Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Internet Explorer. He/she should be conversant with the various divisions in the Human Resource department, and the policies that are applicable in every such division. The position requires a minimum of three years experience in a busy organization, two of which should be in the same capacity. Education Diploma in Secretarial Studies or its equivalent from a recognized institution is required. A bachelors or master degree will be desirable. A post-graduate diploma in Human Resource management is also a plus. Other desired qualification. A demonstrated ability to type at least 40 words per minute will be required. A good general body conditions is also necessary as the duty may often entail lifting relatively heavy loads like boxes containing files or equipment. This is a permanent and pension able job with the incumbent working for about 8 hours per day for five days in a week. The candidates who meet the above minimum qualifications should submit their cover... Human Resources Receptionist The selection process is very crucial since the right candidate needs to be chosen from among the numerous applications that have been received. Care needs to be taken to avoid any kind of discrimination in conducting the exercise, as this will build on the reputation of the organization among the public. The first step is to discard all the applications that have been received after the agreed date. Even though a potential candidate could be locked out by such a move, it is the initial step of ensuring justice. It also shows the ability of the candidates to meet short deadlines. Then all the applications need to be scrutinized to confirm the minimum qualifications that were stated. Those applications that do not meet any of the essential qualifications need to be discarded. If the remaining number is manageable, say 10, they should be called for an interview. If the number is still large and we only have one position, then the recruiting officer(s) should use additional criteria to eliminate the less capable candidates. Having obtained a manageable, the candidates should be taken through a series of tests including aptitude tests, oral interviews, and medical tests. The aptitude test will test the suitability of candidate for the job. It tests how first the candidates can make a decision from a mixture of options since the test will contain several challenging problems in mathematics, English and those that test the general knowledge.

Advanced Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advanced Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example In post industrialization environment many theorists attempted to define the human contribution in the production process, while some gave importance to maximizing production others were considered with production processes, undermining and ignoring the ability and emotions of workers all together. Fredrick Taylor introduced principles of scientific management, dividing labour to achieve more efficiencies and introducing rationalization and standardization. Humans were considered as just a means to an end and while high wages were given to employees with high productivity in factory environment, the understanding of reasons and relation of high productivity with human behaviour were never understood. According to the principles of scientific theory management had unchallenged powers for allocating tasks, employee relations were objective, treatment of workers was impersonal and collective with wage as a singular source of motivation. The result of this approach was exploited and estr anged workforce resulting in conflicts with management and later on labour right’s movements (Kanigel, 1997). A similar explanation was given by Karl Marx who focused on intensifying Labour relationship with industrial processes. With improvement suggested in technology, the techniques prophesized by Marx were based on de-skilling of workers, fragmentation of tasks, management was the sheer body of knowledge with emphasis given to speed and conduct exhibited by workers. (Braverman, 1998). Human Relations theories or Neo Human Relations theories presented by Elton Mayo, Abraham Maslow, Douglas McGregor and Fredrick Herzberg; they promoted a management approach that understood social and psychological needs of employees in the organization and that responding to them efficiently would keep workers motivated and enhance productivity and profitability. In this approach managers tend to identify and satisfy employee needs and they were allowed to work in teams with inclusion in de cision making process. The results acquired by adopting this approach were enhanced worker morale, motivated employees and more productivity; furthermore employees considered themselves as a part of the organization and individual satisfaction increased (Abbott, 2006, p. 192). With the evolution of human resources management as a field of study and emphasis shift to understanding of organizational behaviour, employees were no longer regarded as tools but they were considered as assets to the organization. An asset that can enhance the productivity of the organization to a great extent and better talent can provide a competitive edge in the market. With adopted learning and development practices and focus on human resource development activities it was realized that the skill possessed by this human capital can be incremented (Gennard & Judge, 2002). The major enforcer for giving importance to human emotions and understanding their needs was industrialization process, which gave birt h to complex jobs and structures; creativity in employees was cherished and management structures were enhanced with introduction of performance management techniques, reward and recognition practices along with talent management. Companies adopting this approach considered workplace relations as an important factor in success, collaboration in between teams along with management and employees became vital with a unique organizational culture with reliable and honest leadership possessing a realistic vision. The practice of unifying individual goals with organizational goals grew in importance and communication processes were opened up with an emphasis on collectivism, which means that collective interests are served better by working

Environmental Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Environmental Economics - Essay Example Ragweed plants are not native to Europe but were imported into the continent from America in the 19th century (Borenstein). According to the study co-author Robert Vautard, a scientist at the Climate and Environment Sciences Laboratory in Yvette, ragweed are not yet spread across the continent but they will have covered most parts by 2050 (Borenstein). According to Robert, some parts of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany do not have the deadly allergens. According to Daniel Chapman, a species expert at Center for Ecology and Hydrology in Edinburgh, the increase in temperatures and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will enable ragweed to be more active thus spreading further north. Although he did not participate in the study, Chapman praised the study and stated that the number of allergic sufferers will definitely increase (Borenstein). By using computer simulations with varying concentrations of carbon dioxide, the researchers estimated that if the amount of emissions from oil, coal, and gas are not reduced as expected, there will be annual pollen increase of 100 to 1100 percent (Borenstein). According to Vaudart, the study, which was simulated for 35 years, shows that the average increase in pollen concentration will be 300 percent. In addition to that, Vaudart added that only one third of the increased ragweed is caused by land use and the manner in which these plants take over new territories. The rest of the ragweed increase is mainly caused by climate change (Borenstein). According to earlier research and studies, ragweed season for pollen grain dissemination has extended its duration by around three weeks in North America mainly due to climate change (Borenstein). Michael Kolian, a US Environmental Protection Agency scientist stated that the new study matches with previous studies and US National Climate Assessment which established that climate change and the

Organization, timing and personal accountability Statement

Organization, timing and accountability - Personal Statement Example Lack of prioritizing will affect my career in business since I will not know when and where to concentrate my efforts. As such, this will be an obstacle in my career. Lack of priorities may make it hard for me to balance different aspects of my life. Be it social life, work life and even family life. I will end up wasting a lot of time on things that are not important and neglect the important things (like in this case where I forgot to hand in my syllabus contract). This will affect my work schedule and as such, I may be late in submitting critical projects, which may end up making me lose my job or worse of all, make me spoil my professional career. In order to make sure I do not repeat the same mistake twice, I will use the following strategies. I will make a â€Å"things to do list† that will enable me prioritize my tasks from the most important to the least important. This will help me avoid procrastination since I will include in the â€Å"to do list† when the tasks are due. I also plan to set my own personal goals. These will guide me in time management as well as give me a clear vision that I will work towards. My personal goal for this course will be to work extra hard and submit my assignments on time. I also want to have a clear strategy on how will manage distractions. Distractions make me lose a lot of time when performing tasks and affect my ability to concentrate. I will also be dividing large tasks into smaller tasks and avoid many commitments. I will also create a clear timeline of how I will be scheduling my tasks. This will help me manage time as I will be scheduling to complete the most important tasks when am energized and a lot of bonus time. I will also avoid procrastination, multitasking and ensure that I take a break when performing large tasks. Organization, personal accountability and timeliness can make a business successful. These pillars are important for any business and are the pillars of a successful business.

St George Bank Corporate Performance Centre - Human Resources Essay

St George Bank Corporate Performance Centre - Human Resources - Essay Example This paper illustrates that literacy was traditionally viewed as the ability of an individual to read, and communicate using symbols in a defined social context. In this context, a literate individual can ‘derive and convey meaning, and use their knowledge to achieve a desired purpose or goal that requires the use of language skills, be they spoken or written’. Such an individual can reorganize the meaning of a given language from one knowledge base to fit in another knowledge base. The concept of literacy has evolved over time with the changes that are observed in the society so that in the modern setting it has grown to include knowledge of the applications of information communication technologies and other critical literacy in the daily operations. The use of modern technology such as computer and the internet is common in the current work place to facilitate various organizational functions. The organizations are showing increasing concern on customer satisfaction i n order to attract and retain customers as one of the strategies for competition. Customer satisfaction will in turn be influenced by the quality of service provided (speed, accuracy, and convenience). The application of modern technology is appropriate in achieving this objective. The employees need to be conversant with these modern technologies to ensure that they are effectively applied at the workplace. However, this may not be achieved since some of the employees are illiterate and this hinders their ability to learn and understand the application of such modern technologies.... This led to the development of training reforms with the initiation of programs such as Towards a Skilled Australia (1994-1998), A Bridge to the Future (1998-2003), and Shaping Our Future (2004-2010) all emphasizing on the essence of adult literacy and numeracy skills (Smith, 273). This has set pace for adult learning in different organizations within Australia. This paper focuses on various aspects of adult learning and training employed at St George Bank, Australia. The use of adult learning principles to develop workforce at St George The level of literacy has been relatively high in the general population in Australia in the past few decades with low levels of literacy recorded for indigenous students (Department of Education Science and Technology, 2012). These individuals move on to become employees in organizations. However, significant developments are often recorded in the operations of organization necessitating training and development programs for the employees. Such empl oyees will be trained at older ages applying the principles and processes in adult learning. Adult learning is necessary to enhance a change in the skills of the adults, their behaviors, their knowledge level, or attitudes and thoughts towards some concept (Russell, para.2). The learning process among adults may take a different dimension from that observed among the young learners, largely because the adults have had some experiences and expanded individual understanding of a given concept. Significant differences are observed in the ‘degree of motivation, the amount of previous experience, the level of engagement in the learning process, and how the learning is applied’ (Russell, para.2). Generally, an effective adult learning process will occur if there is

Job Satisfaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Job Satisfaction - Essay Example Many studies acknowledge this either explicitly, by using questionnaire data but taking it as indicative rather than accurate, or implicitly by focussing on more reliably observable data like reasons cited for leaving, and incidences of non-productive and counter-productive work. Interestingly, many studies conclude that pay is not generally a factor in job satisfaction, but job type, sex, age, being married and education do seem to be relevant factors. (Clark, 1996). In an older study from the mid-1970s, Katzell and Yankelovich concluded that job satisfaction and productivity â€Å"do not necessarily follow parallel paths† (1975, p. 12). What this means is that workers may be very committed, and very happy with their jobs, but they do not necessarily channel this into goals that the company wants to achieve. With the passage of time, and the focus more and more on hi-tech and knowledge-based industries, the need for every growing creativity and commitment in workers is evident, but the divergence between individual and company needs seems to be growing too. Added to this is the uncertainty and risk of free-market economics, and the fact that workers can no longer count on a fixed career plan, or a permanent position in any one company. It is very tempting to conclude that â€Å"the degree of relationship between job satisfaction and job performance is so tenuous and variable that, if there is a causal connection, it must either be intrins ically weak or conditioned by other circumstances in the work situation.† (Katsell and Yankelovich, 1975, p. 124). Later research has fortunately delved a little more deeply into those ill-defined â€Å"other circumstances in the work situation† and has begun to look beyond simple productivity at attributes like commitment and creativity which are increasingly required.

Target (TGT) and J.C. Penny (JCP) Research Essay Example for Free

Target (TGT) and J.C. Penny (JCP) Research Essay Over the next couple of months, I will be conducting research on Target (TGT) and J.C. Penny (JCP). The reason for this is so that I may give my insight on which company I feel will be the most desirable one for Celash, Byrne Moovon (CBM). Using detailed financial statements on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as data available on each of the companies web sites, Foundations of Financial Management With Time Value of Money, course book, Interpretation of Financial Statements, and The Value Line Investment Survey, make a recommendation as to which of the two is the most desirable acquisition and at what price. Company Profiles Target has: †¢1,797 stores in the United States †¢124 stores in Canada †¢37 distribution centers †¢361,000 team members worldwide †¢online business at target.com †¢global locations in India and Canada As a publicly-owned, U.S.-based company, Target has a global presence with a headquarters location in India and sourcing offices around the world. In addition, the company operates a credit card segment that offers branded proprietary credit card products and rewards programs. (Corporate Information) 1) Overview: Company Overview | | Headquarters: | Minneapolis | NYSE Trade Symbol: | TGT | 2012 Revenue: $73,301Million| Number of Stores: | 1,755 | Number of Associates: | 350,000 | To link to view Target’s 2012 10k annual report is: https://corporate.target.com/_media/TargetCorp/annualreports/content/download/ pdf/Annual-Report.pdf?ext=.pdf . On the report you will be able to see the growth in revenue that Target has obtained within the past 5 years. Below is a copy of the chart. The annual book value per share from 2008-2012 are as follows: The current annual ratios as well as the past years are as follows: The profit margin on sales from 2008-2012 for Target are as follows: J.C. Penny â€Å"J. C. Penney (JCP) is one of the nations major clothing and home furnishing retailers. The company is experiencing a revival towards becoming Americas preferred retail destination for unmatched style, quality and value. Across 1,100 stores and at their web site jcp.com, customers will discover an inspirational shopping environment that features the most sought after collections of private, national and exclusive brands and attractions.†(4) To be America’s shopping destination for discovering great styles at compelling prices is the vision of J.C. Penny. The goals of the company include: To win with their * Customers Build deeper, more enduring customer relationships * Associates Increase associate engagement and retention * Shareholders Deliver industry-leading financial performance Company Overview | | Headquarters: | Plano, TX | NYSE Trade Symbol: | JCP | 2012 Revenue: | 17.26billion | Number of Stores: | 1,108 | Number of Associates: | 150,000 | To link to view J.C. Penny 2012 10k annual report is: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1166126/000116612613000016/jcp-20130202x10k.htm The annual book value per share from 2008-2012 are as follows: The current annual ratios as well as the past years are as follows: The profit margin on sales from 2008-2012 for J.C. Penny are as follows: 20082009201020112012 5.59%3.09%1.43%2.19%-0.88% Here you can also follow this link, http://target.knoji.com/compare-vs/jcpenney/ , to see a comparison chart between target and J.C. Penny. Both Target and J.C. Pennies have similar goals. Throughout the next couple of months I will research these two companies to provide evidence on which company will be the best one to go with. REFERENCES PAGE 1.Stanley B. Block, Geoffrey A. Hirt and Bartley R. Danielson (2011), Foundations of Financial Management With Time Value of Money, McGraw-Hill Irwin, 14th edition. 2.Benjamin Graham and Spencer Meredith. (1998). Interpretation of Financial Statements, Harper Business. 3.http://pressroom.target.com/corporate 4.http://www.jcpenney.net/about-us.aspx 5.http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Target_(TGT)/Data/Book_Value_Per_Share/2008 6.http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Target_(TGT)/Data/Current_Ratio 7.http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Target_(TGT)/Data/Net_Margin/2008?ref=chart 8.http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/J.C._Penney_(JCP)/Data/Book_Value_Per_Share 9.http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/J.C._Penney_(JCP)/Data/Current_Ratio 10.http://financials.morningstar.com/ratios/r.html?t=JCP

Literature Review of Body Temperature Studies

Literature Review of Body Temperature Studies Literature survey Body temperature is one of the vital signs and it is a complex clinical variable, which can be captured accurately and quantitatively analysed 1-2. According to German physician Wunderlich, the normal body temperature is defined as 37 0C and fever as 38 0C 3. A healthy, resting adult human normal core body temperature is 37 0C. However body temperature is not constant and varies among individuals throughout the day, because of individuals metabolism rate, which is directly proportional to the normal core body temperature, time of a day or part of the body in which the temperature measured at, in the early morning the body temperature is lower and in late evening it is high due to after muscular activity and food intake. Body temperature also varies at different sites. In clinical practice the rectal, oral, axillary, forehead and ear are used to measure body temperature. An oral site, which is more convenient to measure temperature is at 37 0C. Axillary site is not accurate to measure the temperature, where temperature fall at least value36.4 0C is noted from this site. Generally rectal temperature is considered to be the gold standard for core body temperature and average temperature is fall at 37.60C.Being an internal core body temperature, it is least time consuming procedure. The temperature is higher than at other sites, due to the low blood flow and high isolation of the area, giving a low heat loss16. Rectal temperature measurement is unhygienic and can pose a risk of injury to the intestinal mucosa, especially in infants and in rectal surgery. It increases physical and psychological stress and can cause embarrassment, anxiety and physical discomfort17. The tympanic is a good site for non-invasive measurement of core body temperature. Howeve r care should be exercised with the different modes of operation offered.18 When summarizing studies with able or adequately able affirmation, the ambit for articulate temperature was 33.2-38.2 0C, rectal: 34.4-37.8 0C, tympanic: 35.4-37.80C. The ambit in articulatetemperature for men and women, respectively, was 35.7-37.7and 33.2-38.1 0C, in abdominal 36.7-37.5 in tympanic 35.5-37.5 and35.7-37.5 0C1. Mackowiak et al. in 1992 recorded the body temperatures of 65 men with the average value of36.8 0C (98.2 0F).4 The thermometer is one of the most attempted and trusted clinical instruments, yet surprising surround the information which it yields. The use of thermometer in clinical medicine was started in the middle of 19th century. However its understanding and significance of temperature measurement in health and diseased condition was occurred from past twenty decades 19. Thermometer is invented in seventeenth-century, it did not reach medicine until the 1870s, it was already in veterinary use because it provided an early diagnosis of the dreaded cattle plague-as discovered 100 years earlier by a French veterinary student. On the other hand the existence of fever had been recognized since 600 B.C. For most of this time, fever was believed to be beneficial, even to absurd degrees. `If there were a physician skilful1 enough to produce a fever it would be useless to seek any other remedy against disease-according to Rufus of Ephesus in A.D. 100. By the 17OOs, however, the ability of willow bark to reduce fever became known and, as ever, once an effective drug was available, excellent use was found for it. The ability to control fever fostered the belief that it ought to be controlled, or at least that it was unhelpful, without much real evidence: `The role of fever in disease remains unexplained. Fever may eventually be shown to confer a greater advantag e to the defence mechanism of the host than to the invasive properties of the microorganism19. In 1861, Carl Wunderlich was the first German physician performed the systemic measurement of human core body temperature in healthy individuals, the average reported value was 37 0C or 98.6 degree Fahrenheit. Because of his work on temperature Wunderlich is generally regarded as the father of clinical thermometry20-21. According to Wunderlich, normal body temperature lies within a range of 97.2 0F/36.2 0C to 99.5 0F/37.5 0C. Wunderlich found that the body temperature is not constant and varies in both healthy and unhealthy individuals. He wrote, The lowest point is reached in the morning hours between two and eight, and the highest in the afternoon between four. In his investigation the body temperature rises in mental exertion, constipation and urine retention.He observed that women have slightly higher body temperature than men and among age groups; older individuals have significantly lower body temperature compare to younger individuals20. Body temperature is influenced by several factors, such as diurnal variation and cellular metabolism, due to muscle activity during the day exercise and ambient temperature 22-23. Daily body temperature is not dependent on site of measurement, which is non-linear, and characterized by moment to moment complex variability 4 .The cosinor analysis of temperature variability data is well established in circadian research of body temperature rhythms, which is described in a simple cosine wave, which is typically characterized in terms of acrophase, amplitude, and mesor, where it filtered out the complex variability data4. Under natural conditions expected timing of the nadir and acrophase , value of the mesor, and amplitude of temperature rhythm was significantly different in an individual’s temperature rhythm, which will be influenced by many endogenous countenance of the environments as well as health status4. During menstrual period, there is an increase in body temperature ranging from 0.5-1.0 ° F/0.25-0.5 ° C is typically observed at or around ovulation(ref- Circannual and menstrual rhythm characteristics in manic episodes and body temperature. in note.) . Comparison of between follicular phase and the post-ovulation luteal phase, body temperature is elevated, but the amplitude of the temperature rhythm is reduced (ref- Circadian rhythms, sleep, and the menstrual cycle. In word doc.). It has been reported that the temperature in luteal stage is 0.4 0C higher than follicular stage (26 ref- in note ). (Check original ref no. in protocol.) This is mainly because of the progesterone hormone level in luteal stage and some studies proved that rise in body temperature is due to effect of progesterone hormone whereas oestrogen has lowering effect. the temperature remain elevated in luteal phase as long as the progesterone levels are increased. ( ref-29 and 33 in note.) )(check 27-28 origina l ref ) Physical fitness varies the normal body temperature; Atkinson G et al found that the physically active groups have higher amplitude of temperature than inactive groups. However the oral temperature of physically active group had lower than inactive group at 2.00 and 6.00. Rest of the time physically active group had significantly higher oral temperature than inactive group. Age has also an important role in variability of temperature. In most of the studies reported that cosinor analysis of temperature; mesor and amplitude decreases with increase in age. Gubin et al reported that normal temperature range is higher in young adults than in elders. Mesor is higher in young adults (97.5 ° F/36.38 ° C) than in elderly subjects (97.1 ° F/36.17 ° C) and amplitude was also increased in young adults than in elderly subjects. The mean circadian acrophase was similar in both age groups (17:19 versus 16:93); however, inter-individual differences were higher in the older group, with individual values varying between 10:00 and 23:00 hours (ref.-48 in note ). In another study Howell et al recorded the oral temperature using electronic thermometer in 105 females age ranges from 61-105 years and reported a group mean of 36 0C,which is significantly lower than in a younger adults.(29 in original protocol). Touitou et al, found that the daily body temperature ampl itude was decreased in the elderly subjects when compared to healthy adult individuals.(30 in original protocol). Nonlineardynamics and complexity theory appear to offer an alternative approach. Many biological structures can be regarded as natural fractals and much physiological behaviour can be explained by deterministic chaos (heart rate, bacterial population growth, hormonal secretion pulses, and epidemics. Furthermore, in many cases, pathological conditions and ageing are known to be accompanied by losses in complexity. The complexity of the temperature curve could be regularly measured in all cases. Consistent results were obtained using three entirely independent methods that measure different aspects (in two cases the dynamic behaviour, in the other the anfractuosity of the curve), with good correlation between all methods. None of the complexity measures was significantly different for the two sexes, nor were they affected by the BMI. On the other hand, all measures of complexity were inversely correlated with age. This finding is somehow coded in the temperature readings, but classical statistical indicators are not capable of bringing it to light. The finding of an inverse correlation between age and the degree of complexity of the temperature curve was likewise not unexpected. Ageing and illness are known to be accompanied by a loss of complexity in certain patterns of chaotic behaviour12. For instance; variability in heart rate decreases with age and in certain conditions is associated with a poor prognosis31. It could be argued that, as has been postulated for heart rate, body temperature is governed by several different regulatory systems (thermogenesis, vasoconstriction- vasodilatation mechanisms, sweating, breathing rate) and at the same time is subject to external factors (ambient temperature, exercise, clothing). Perhaps illness and ageing cause a certain decoupling or isolation of the thermal regulatory system from its surroundings. This in turn could result in less complexity of the temperature plot, leading to lower ApEn and FDc values and higher DFA values12. Varela et al. reported that in healthy subjects, the temperature curve behaves like a natural fractal whose complexity may be analyzed in a consistent manner. In addition, they observed that complexity decreased significantly with age. The complexity of the temperature curve is tightly inversely correlated with the severity of the patients condition. Both mean and minimum ApEn were significantly lower in patients who died than in patients who survived. Consequently one would expect to see a reduced complexity in the temperature readings of critically ill patients, the level of complexity mirroring the patients clinical evolution. In this respect, the mean ApEn value for the patient series was significantly lower than the mean ApEn for a series of 21 healthy subjects. The inverse correlation between the ApEn values and the SOFA scores in most of thein their series was likewise consistent with that premise32. In another study of Varela et al. reported that there was good correlation between complexity results and clinical scores for each patient. Non survivors exhibited lower complexity values than survivors, so low levels of complexity in the temperature curve are poor indicators  of prognosis in patients with multiple organ failure.  The predictive ability of temperature curve complexity is similar to that of the SOFA score33. Available evidence suggested that body temperature is a complex, non-linear physiological variable and has an accepted 24 hour rhythm associated with health. Body temperature is also subject to many sources of endogenous and exogenous variation4. Temperature curve analysis may provide relevant information on the aetiology of fever thus may assist in early diagnosis of disease 12. There are few cases where rectal temperature is measured intermittently using thermometer to generate fever patterns but it is a tedious procedure and has a limited usefulness in diagnosis of certain clinical conditions such as, double quotidian fever curves in diagnosis of mixed malarial infections, visceral leishmaniasis, right-sided gonococcal endocarditis and sustained fever patterns in typhoid fever 13. Musher D M et al found that the fever pattern is not likely to be helpful in diagnosis of sustained fever in Gram-negative pneumonia or in CNS damage with possible exceptions.(new ref in fever pattern). Papaioannou et al studied temperature curve complexity using wavelet transformation in 22 patients with systemic inflammation found that there is a decrease in complexity of temperature especially more in sepsis condition. They suggested that complexity analysis of temperature signals can help in assessment of inherent thermoregulatory dynamics during systemic inflammation and also can increase discriminating value in patients with infectious versus non-infectious conditions, probably associated with severity of illness. However monitoring of 24 hour ambulatory core body temperature so far has been limited and still remains obscure. Studies have shown that core body temperature is not constant, and fluctuates in different clinical conditions and in various endogenous and exogenous factors, where variability of core body temperature patterns is noted. However assessment of 24 hour core body has not been established in detail. Thus standardization of core body temperature using spectral analysis might play a significant role in clinical practice, which would potentially help us to predict clinical outcome in the early part of fever in patients and with other associated clinical conditions.

Time of the Butterflies :: Time

Time of the Butterflies  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Life is what you make out of it:   one can go through it and let things pass them by, or a person can actually go out and get what he or she wants in that life.†Ã‚   These are common words repeatedly embedded into my head by my father, as maybe the same from one of your parent’s.   In the Time of the Butterflies is a book about sisters that fight to take their god-given right of freedom in the Dominican Republic.   To win this freedom, the Mirabal sisters had to give up their safety, give up their childhoods, and give up their lives.   Julia Alvarez, the author of the book, takes the readers through these sisters journey’s of fighting against their dictator Trujillo, and the many hardships while under this political oppression.   It is evident in the book that some sisters had to be the leaders of the group and some had to be the followers.   The Mirabel sister that is believed to be the leader and the strong one is Minerva.   Minerva, althoug h strong-willed, is still not as strong of an individual as she would like to believe she is.   Ã‚   Minerva is the individual that always makes sure that she is perceived as strong; however, in actuality this strength and desired image is only a deception of herself.   Many heroes, courageous leaders, and brave characters in stories never have health problems or other character flaws exploited.   However, Minerva is shown in the book to always have problems with her health.   She is always described as being sick, weak, and needing rest.   Another down flaw of her character exploited in this book is that she gets captured and thrown in jail. Once in jail she breaks down – loosing control of herself and ultimately loosing her drive that she once had.   These exploitations in the novel show that Minerva can be broken down and make Minerva a more average human being, rather than an audacious hero as everyone would like to believe.   Ã‚   â€Å"I was hurt that he hadn’t even said goodbye†¦Mama, of course, noticed the tightening in my face.   My bad headaches and asthma attacks always worried her.   â€Å"You need rest,† she prescribed one afternoon and sent me to bed in Papa’s room, the coolest in the house.†(Alvarez 87).   As one can see here, Minerva is worn down and needs rest.   One can also observe how her mama always has to worry about Minerva’s health.

Nora Helmer in Ibsens A Doll House Essay -- A Doll’s House Essays

In 1879, Henrik Ibsen published the play A Dolls House. However, to much of his displeasure the portrayal of the third act was considered erroneous to critics and audiences of that time frame. This controversy centered on the play’s conclusion in Nora's decision to leave her marriage and abandon her children. Critics labeled this decision appalling and unrealistic, since at that time in history no true woman would ever make such a choice. This uproar forced Ibsen to write a second ending where Nora instead decides that the children need her more than she needs her freedom. Thus, leaving critics and audiences contently satisfied. Since then, though times have changed and ideas and beliefs of the past have been altered, maybe the critics had it right about Nora’s departure. Perhaps Ibsen’s original ending is better left unsaid. Therefore, other than the alternative ending that Ibsen produced, how might the character of Nora deal with the situation at hand differently, based on what can be determined about her from the text? For starters, how about confronting the title of the story? Just who is the Doll? Many may claim that the doll is automatically Nora, for the reasons that she has been molded by her father and then toyed around with by her husband. To those individuals, Nora may seem like she is the victim, the poor little girl who can not comprehend who she is, the sweet â€Å"sky-lark† who had to leave her family for the findings of her true inner being†¦Or on a different note, Nora is the master and the controller of all that is functioning in the Helmer household. Although her husband, Torvald, may refer to her as a sky-lark, squirrel, or singing bird, it can be viewed in the text that Nora does not object to these remarks but r... ...a man who loves her and abandoning her children. Point in taking: Nora served no sense of accomplishment and only declared her egotism in a single selfish act. In the end, Nora’s greatest strength became her greatest weakness and it lead to her vindicated defeat. If only Nora used her powerful gift of control to step up to society instead of blocking it out, would she been able to save herself, her family, and her characters reputation as a feminine heroine, instead of a controversial role. But perhaps the controversy over Nora’s character is what we cherish so deeply because it is beyond our understanding. The idea that she is someone who is eternally captivating but can never fully be defined completely. Works Cited Kennedy, X.J. and Gioia, Dana. Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. 778-843. Nora Helmer in Ibsen's A Doll House Essay -- A Doll’s House Essays In 1879, Henrik Ibsen published the play A Dolls House. However, to much of his displeasure the portrayal of the third act was considered erroneous to critics and audiences of that time frame. This controversy centered on the play’s conclusion in Nora's decision to leave her marriage and abandon her children. Critics labeled this decision appalling and unrealistic, since at that time in history no true woman would ever make such a choice. This uproar forced Ibsen to write a second ending where Nora instead decides that the children need her more than she needs her freedom. Thus, leaving critics and audiences contently satisfied. Since then, though times have changed and ideas and beliefs of the past have been altered, maybe the critics had it right about Nora’s departure. Perhaps Ibsen’s original ending is better left unsaid. Therefore, other than the alternative ending that Ibsen produced, how might the character of Nora deal with the situation at hand differently, based on what can be determined about her from the text? For starters, how about confronting the title of the story? Just who is the Doll? Many may claim that the doll is automatically Nora, for the reasons that she has been molded by her father and then toyed around with by her husband. To those individuals, Nora may seem like she is the victim, the poor little girl who can not comprehend who she is, the sweet â€Å"sky-lark† who had to leave her family for the findings of her true inner being†¦Or on a different note, Nora is the master and the controller of all that is functioning in the Helmer household. Although her husband, Torvald, may refer to her as a sky-lark, squirrel, or singing bird, it can be viewed in the text that Nora does not object to these remarks but r... ...a man who loves her and abandoning her children. Point in taking: Nora served no sense of accomplishment and only declared her egotism in a single selfish act. In the end, Nora’s greatest strength became her greatest weakness and it lead to her vindicated defeat. If only Nora used her powerful gift of control to step up to society instead of blocking it out, would she been able to save herself, her family, and her characters reputation as a feminine heroine, instead of a controversial role. But perhaps the controversy over Nora’s character is what we cherish so deeply because it is beyond our understanding. The idea that she is someone who is eternally captivating but can never fully be defined completely. Works Cited Kennedy, X.J. and Gioia, Dana. Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. 778-843.

Kids Killing Kids :: Argumentative Persuasive Violence Essays

Kids Killing Kids As you wind down from a long day at the office, you turn on the six o’clock news. The opening story lays out a gruesome attempt to murder, maim, and terrorize children in a city you have never before heard of. Instantly, you are thinking that this must be a review for a soon to be released blockbuster movie. In your mind, nothing like this would ever happen in our civilized world; however, headlines they are. You picture the perpetrators as horrid, evil-minded monsters. What kind of person could commit such a crime against innocent children? As you listen further, your eyes open wide, your heart skips a beat, and you gasp in shock as you discover that these evil-minded monsters you had just envisioned are nothing more than pimple-faced, hormone driven teenagers. Yes, teenagers. As you begin to really absorb the impact of such a crime, you realize that the teenagers that committed this crime are not much older than your own children. Suddenly, you have the uncontrolla ble urge to find your children and hide them from the world. You ask yourself, â€Å"What is wrong with society? What would cause a child to kill anther child? Where were their parents? How could this have happened?† Then, you try to convince yourself that this could never happen in your community. Although fictional, this story is one that is happening in homes all over our country. The real problem is that the crime described above is only one of many that are being committed by our youth. In fact, juvenile crime as a whole is increasing at an alarming rate. It seems that our youth is at war with itself. On a self destructive path that must be altered. How? This is the question at hand. The viewer above asked himself questions that need to be asked, but more importantly they need to be answered. The answers are not as simple as they may seem. The rise in juvenile crime has awakened a heated debate between the liberals and conservatives of our country about the causes, effects, and solutions of such a widespread problem. The liberals argue that this problem can only be fixed through government control; whereas, the conservatives believe the problem can only be fixed at home.

Personal Reflection OJT Experience Essay

Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines Inc. Company Profile / Brief History Coca-Cola Femsa Philippines, Inc. offers distribution and bottling services for soft drinks. It distributes soft drinks, bottled water, and juices, with outstanding brands, such as: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Zero, Lift, Powerade, Real Leaf, Royal Tru, Samurai, Sprite, and the bottled water brands Viva and Wilkins. The company was formerly known as Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. and changed its name to Coca-Cola Femsa Philippines, Inc. in January 2013. The company was founded in 1981 and is based in Makati City, the Philippines. As of January 24, 2013, Coca-Cola Femsa Philippines, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Coca-Cola FEMSA S.A.B de C.V. Read more:  OJT Experience Essay Coca-Cola FEMSA, a subsidiary of FEMSA, is the largest public bottler of Coca-Cola products in the world in terms of sales volume, accounting for one out of every ten Coca- Cola products sold globally. Founded in Mexico in 1890, FEMSA has grown from a regional brewery that started operations with just 72 employees to one of the leading companies in Latin America with presence in nine countries and in the Philippines. Today, FEMSA employs over 170,000 people. In the face of a complex, competitive, and changing world, FEMSA profitably manages its business to meet the demands of an ever-growing, ever-evolving pool of customers and consumers. Mission / Vision Statement The mission statement of the Coca-Cola FEMSA is â€Å"To satisfy and please beverage consumers with excellence.† The vision statement of the Coca-Cola FEMSA is â€Å"To be the best bottler in the world, recognized for its excellent operations and the quality of its people.† Organizational Chart Roles and Responsibilities Names and titles/positions of the employees in my department (include their roles in the organization) Dennis Bunoan – Operations Executive He is the head of our department. His overall job is to supervise the other employees and coordinate all the work done inside the office. Since he is the head, he is the one who approves requests and other matters. Richard Guamos – Warehouse Supervisor He leads a team of workers who receive and record new stock as it comes in, and move stock onto trucks or store shelves as needed. He is the one in charge to supervise, evaluate and train new employees assigned to warehouse. Victor Carreon – Warehouse Supervisor He is in charge to supervise receipt of all shipments. He also evaluates complaints received on shipments of equipment and supplies and take appropriate actions. Rogelio Pamintuan – Warehouse Supervisor He directs and maintains a safety program for all employees assigned to warehouse. He operates tools, equipment, and machinery according to prescribed safety procedures. He also corrects unsafe conditions in work area and report any conditions that are not correctable to higher ups immediately. Carlo Roel Pacis – Warehouse Coordinator / Operations He coordinates the movements of goods from the plant warehouse up to the point of sale. He manage and prepares all documents related to shipping. He also monitors and assists the loading and unloading of merchandise inside the plant. William Nuqui – Settlement Analyst His main task is to settle every transactions especially those goods coming in and out of the plant. If there were some clarifications and corrections on the transactions (e.g, returned Purchase Order) he is the one who settle such problem. My Duties and Responsibilities (include the summary of the activities done in the office) One of my duties is encoding information to the computer or database. I was also tasked to file or sort some important documents that are going to be submitted to the higher ups. Furthermore, I was also asked to troubleshoot a certain problem in one of their computer. Lastly, I was asked if I could recommend any hardware upgrade for one of my office mate. An Evaluation of my Training Describe your work environment I was assigned in operations department. Despite being one of the busiest department of the company, the ambiance inside the office is good. Our officemate are very friendly and easy to go with so I never had a hard time working in my new environment. Although lots of paper works are coming inside our office everyday especially those documents related to shipping of goods, the employee manages to maintain the good ambiance inside the room. The office is cooled by two air-condition unit since the office has a lot of  computers. Describe the different office equipment / devices in your department There are a lot of computers in our office. Their brand are mostly dell and their operating system is Windows 7. They use radio communication system in order to communicate with other people since the company is big. Identify and describe the learning experiences / skills acquired during your practicum I learned a lot of things during my stay in the company. The task that were given to me improved my skills significantly. My communication skills was enhanced because of how I communicate with my fellow office mates. My typing and Microsoft office skills were also enhanced since the task that were given to me is where it is focused. What were the challenges/problems had you encountered during your practicum and did you solve them? There is one time that I had to rush some paperwork since I was told that they had to pass it as soon as possible. With my typing skills, I was able to finish the work on time. I also had a problem with the usage of the program that they were using since it’s slightly complicated to use. Do you prefer to work alone or with a team? I prefer to work with a team. Being an intern in this company made me realize that working in a team will make the work faster and more convenient. For example you are confused with what you are doing, you can always ask for your teammates’ suggestions or assistance on that particular matter. In that way you can surely produce an effective output. 5 Photos taken in the workplace with short description Inside the Coca-Cola FEMSA plant. Inside our office. This is where I usually do my work. My desk after filing and sorting of documents The pile of papers with information that I have to encode in the computer Encoding data on MS Excel Observed Organizational Values Interpersonal Relationships / Working relationship with co-workers They respect the hierarchy of authority when it comes to work. They know where and to whom they should report any issues concerning them. When it comes in dealing with officemates, everyone treats each other equally regardless of their position. They respect everyone. Those who belong to the top management don’t use their position to take advantage from those who belong to the lower position. Teamwork Coca-Cola FEMSA is a big company, so everyone must contribute to the success of the company. Different workloads are given to different employees. Sometimes it is hard to accomplish the task given, luckily, employees are helpful and kind. They help each other as long as they can even if it is already beyond their job. They practice working as a team inside the office because they believe that two heads are really better than one. By doing so, employees can produce an effective and efficient output. Quality of Service Delivered Coca-Cola FEMSA San Fernando Plant has been in the business for more than 30 years now. For me, they own their success not just to their hardworking employees, but also to the quality of service they delivered to their market. They make sure that every time a customer purchase their products, they will be satisfied. By seeing this, I learned that quality of service is really an important tool in achieving success, especially in a real working environment. Attendance / Punctuality The company is very strict when it comes to attendance and punctuality  because employees are being paid based on their working hours. The gate near the guard house where the employees sign in and out is protected by a CCTV camera to make sure that employees’ time in and out is accurate. Coming on office beyond the official time-in is a deduction on their salary. For emergency absences, the company is very considerate as long as the reason for being absent is valid. For us interns, they implemented the same rule to prepare us for future employment. Personal Grooming The company wants to maintain decency anywhere inside the plant. Employees, especially ladies, are not required to wear make up to look presentable unlike other company. As long as they wear the proper uniform and practice good hygiene, they are free to enter the plant. This rule also applies to the interns. The only difference is we can chose whether to wear our school uniform or to wear decent civilian attire.

A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell

This short story entitled â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† by Susan Glaspell is about a farmer’s murder in Dickinson County.   This farmer named John Wright was murdered during his sleep.   The suspect of the said crime was his wife, Minnie Wright, for the crime happened in their residence, in John’s own bed.   Mr. Wright was strangled by a rope during his sleep which caused his death.   The story revolved around the investigation conducted after the crime.   Five people went to the Wright’s residence – Mr. Henderson, who was the county attorney; Mr. Peters who was the sheriff together with his wife; and, Mr. Hale, who was a neighbor of the Wrights.   Mrs. Martha Hale was also there since Mrs. Peters wanted to have female company with her as they went to the scene of the crime. When they got to the Wrights’ house, the sheriff and the county attorney asked Mr. Hale to tell about what happened when he went to the house to see John Wright.   Mr. Hale said that Mrs. Wright was just in seated on a chair and as he asked to see John, Minnie said he cannot for John is dead.   He asked where he was and Minnie simply pointed upstairs.   Further, he asked how he died and she said that a rope wrung his neck.   So Mr. Hale went upstairs together with his eldest son, Harry. Mr. Hale thought of removing the rope thinking that John might still be alive, but his son stopped him, saying that it was evidence that should be preserved.   Harry ascertained that Mr. Wright was indeed dead. During the investigation, they failed to scrutinize for clues in the kitchen and focused on the crime scene itself.   As the three men investigated upstairs, the two women were left in the kitchen, where they did investigations by themselves.   Ironically, the two women discovered things which served as pieces of the puzzle.   Mrs. Hale knew that there were unfinished tasks in the kitchen, which the men did not notice. She knew this, as she herself had unfinished works in the kitchen as his husband demanded that she join him to the Wrights’ house. Another clue was a bird cage with hinges that were broken, in what they thought, a rough manner. Then, there was a quilt, with stitching that they scrutinized and noticed that was almost perfect and neatly done.   At the edge of the quilt, however, the stitches became uneven, as if Minnie was unstable as she did it.   As the women continued to look at Minnie’s sewing materials for the quilt, Mrs. Hale, saw a beautiful box.   When she opened it, she saw something wrapped in silk.   To her surprise it was the dead canary bird.   Its neck was wrung.  Ã‚   It was killed in almost the same way as Mr. Wright was murdered. These pieces of evidence were kept among themselves.   Though the men found out about the broken cage, the women said that perhaps a cat killed the bird, and the men took the idea. Aside from this, Mrs. Hale has repaired that imperfect stitching from the quilt which Mrs. Wright was making.   The women, who seem to relate to the sentiments and position of Minnie, silently agreed to keep the motive for the killing of John Wright.   As Enotes puts it: â€Å"In silent collusion, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters cover up the clues that reveal Minnie's motive, quietly acquitting Minnie from wrongdoing without their husbands' knowledge† (par. 2) This story, as indicated in the Introduction of as study guide in Enotes, was â€Å"based on an actual court case [that Susan Glaspell] covered as a reporter for the Des Moines Daily† (par. 1).   The crime happened in Indianola, Iowa on December 2, 1900 where a farmer named John Hossack was murdered in bed.   His head was hit hard by an axe and the suspect was none other than his wife, Margaret.   She was released as there was insufficient evidence for her to be convicted. Apparently, during the period when Susan Glaspell wrote this short story, women were good as voiceless.   No woman was a member of jury.   Glaspell, through her writing, has depicted how the women can be ironically stronger and smarter than the men.   It was the women who have found the evidence and in their own way became the jurors for this crime.   In addition, women were regarded by men as inferior.   As stated, women were left in the kitchen and it was the men who did the investigation.   Also, there were a number of instances in the story where the men laughed at the women’s ways and conversations.   The women were timid and they do not speak when they were with the men. Moreover, one can deduce the fact that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters can empathize with Mrs. Wright.   They knew that there has been maltreatment from Mr. Wright and that he â€Å"killed† the source of little joys for her wife.   It was mentioned that before they married, Minnie sang on choirs and stopped singing after marrying Mr. Wright.   Moreover, Mrs. Hale supposed that canary birds are singing birds and are good companions against loneliness.   From this, Mrs.   Hale concludes (as implied in the story) that Mr. Wright must have killed the canary bird. The story was written in a cohesive manner and can be easily grasped.   On initial glance it appears to be a simple detective story.     However, as any other literature, one ought to understand it within its historical context.   Reading and understanding the conversations between the women seem to represent the powerlessness and overall disadvantaged status of women in society.   During the 1900s, women did not enjoy the same freedom as women do nowadays. â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† effectively showed how unjust the women were treated in a male-dominated society. Enotes say that critics see the story as â€Å"more of a commentary about female oppression, justice, the confining nature of rigid stereotypes, and the differences in perspective between men and women† (par. 3).   Ã‚  Basing from this fact, one can appreciate how powerful such piece of writing was, up to this date.   Furthermore, Enotes adds that â€Å"critics have hailed ‘A Jury of Her Peers’ as a feminist classic, noting the story's significance-laden details and its insight into motivations of men and women† (par. 4).   This work of Glaspell is a good material for the study of feminism. Works Cited â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers, Susan Glaspell: Introduction.† Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jenny Cromie Editor. Vol. 41. Gale Group, Inc., 2001. eNotes.com. 2006. 4 May 2008 ;http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/ jury-her-peers-susan-glaspell; . â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers: Introduction.† Short Stories for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. eNotes.com. January 2006. 4 May 2008. Glaspell, Susan. â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers.† Learner.com. 2008. 4 May 2008 ;www.learner.org/interactives/literature/story/fulltext.html;. ; ; ; ; ; ; A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell This short story entitled â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† by Susan Glaspell is about a farmer’s murder in Dickinson County.   This farmer named John Wright was murdered during his sleep.   The suspect of the said crime was his wife, Minnie Wright, for the crime happened in their residence, in John’s own bed.   Mr. Wright was strangled by a rope during his sleep which caused his death.   The story revolved around the investigation conducted after the crime.   Five people went to the Wright’s residence – Mr. Henderson, who was the county attorney; Mr. Peters who was the sheriff together with his wife; and, Mr. Hale, who was a neighbor of the Wrights.   Mrs. Martha Hale was also there since Mrs. Peters wanted to have female company with her as they went to the scene of the crime. When they got to the Wrights’ house, the sheriff and the county attorney asked Mr. Hale to tell about what happened when he went to the house to see John Wright.   Mr. Hale said that Mrs. Wright was just in seated on a chair and as he asked to see John, Minnie said he cannot for John is dead.   He asked where he was and Minnie simply pointed upstairs.   Further, he asked how he died and she said that a rope wrung his neck.   So Mr. Hale went upstairs together with his eldest son, Harry. Mr. Hale thought of removing the rope thinking that John might still be alive, but his son stopped him, saying that it was evidence that should be preserved.   Harry ascertained that Mr. Wright was indeed dead. During the investigation, they failed to scrutinize for clues in the kitchen and focused on the crime scene itself.   As the three men investigated upstairs, the two women were left in the kitchen, where they did investigations by themselves.   Ironically, the two women discovered things which served as pieces of the puzzle.   Mrs. Hale knew that there were unfinished tasks in the kitchen, which the men did not notice. She knew this, as she herself had unfinished works in the kitchen as his husband demanded that she join him to the Wrights’ house. Another clue was a bird cage with hinges that were broken, in what they thought, a rough manner. Then, there was a quilt, with stitching that they scrutinized and noticed that was almost perfect and neatly done.   At the edge of the quilt, however, the stitches became uneven, as if Minnie was unstable as she did it.   As the women continued to look at Minnie’s sewing materials for the quilt, Mrs. Hale, saw a beautiful box.   When she opened it, she saw something wrapped in silk.   To her surprise it was the dead canary bird.   Its neck was wrung.  Ã‚   It was killed in almost the same way as Mr. Wright was murdered. These pieces of evidence were kept among themselves.   Though the men found out about the broken cage, the women said that perhaps a cat killed the bird, and the men took the idea. Aside from this, Mrs. Hale has repaired that imperfect stitching from the quilt which Mrs. Wright was making.   The women, who seem to relate to the sentiments and position of Minnie, silently agreed to keep the motive for the killing of John Wright.   As Enotes puts it: â€Å"In silent collusion, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters cover up the clues that reveal Minnie's motive, quietly acquitting Minnie from wrongdoing without their husbands' knowledge† (par. 2) This story, as indicated in the Introduction of as study guide in Enotes, was â€Å"based on an actual court case [that Susan Glaspell] covered as a reporter for the Des Moines Daily† (par. 1).   The crime happened in Indianola, Iowa on December 2, 1900 where a farmer named John Hossack was murdered in bed.   His head was hit hard by an axe and the suspect was none other than his wife, Margaret.   She was released as there was insufficient evidence for her to be convicted. Apparently, during the period when Susan Glaspell wrote this short story, women were good as voiceless.   No woman was a member of jury.   Glaspell, through her writing, has depicted how the women can be ironically stronger and smarter than the men.   It was the women who have found the evidence and in their own way became the jurors for this crime.   In addition, women were regarded by men as inferior.   As stated, women were left in the kitchen and it was the men who did the investigation.   Also, there were a number of instances in the story where the men laughed at the women’s ways and conversations.   The women were timid and they do not speak when they were with the men. Moreover, one can deduce the fact that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters can empathize with Mrs. Wright.   They knew that there has been maltreatment from Mr. Wright and that he â€Å"killed† the source of little joys for her wife.   It was mentioned that before they married, Minnie sang on choirs and stopped singing after marrying Mr. Wright.   Moreover, Mrs. Hale supposed that canary birds are singing birds and are good companions against loneliness.   From this, Mrs.   Hale concludes (as implied in the story) that Mr. Wright must have killed the canary bird. The story was written in a cohesive manner and can be easily grasped.   On initial glance it appears to be a simple detective story.     However, as any other literature, one ought to understand it within its historical context.   Reading and understanding the conversations between the women seem to represent the powerlessness and overall disadvantaged status of women in society.   During the 1900s, women did not enjoy the same freedom as women do nowadays. â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† effectively showed how unjust the women were treated in a male-dominated society. Enotes say that critics see the story as â€Å"more of a commentary about female oppression, justice, the confining nature of rigid stereotypes, and the differences in perspective between men and women† (par. 3).   Ã‚  Basing from this fact, one can appreciate how powerful such piece of writing was, up to this date.   Furthermore, Enotes adds that â€Å"critics have hailed ‘A Jury of Her Peers’ as a feminist classic, noting the story's significance-laden details and its insight into motivations of men and women† (par. 4).   This work of Glaspell is a good material for the study of feminism. Works Cited â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers, Susan Glaspell: Introduction.† Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jenny Cromie Editor. Vol. 41. Gale Group, Inc., 2001. eNotes.com. 2006. 4 May 2008 ;http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/ jury-her-peers-susan-glaspell; . â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers: Introduction.† Short Stories for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. eNotes.com. January 2006. 4 May 2008. Glaspell, Susan. â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers.† Learner.com. 2008. 4 May 2008 ;www.learner.org/interactives/literature/story/fulltext.html;. ; ; ; ; ; ;

Bloodlines Chapter One

I couldn't breathe. There was a hand covering my mouth and another shaking my shoulder, startling me out of a heavy sleep. A thousand frantic thoughts dashed through my mind in the space of a single heartbeat. It was happening. My worst nightmare was coming true. They're here! They've come for me! My eyes blinked, staring wildly around the dark room until my father's face came into focus. I stilled my thrashing, thoroughly confused. He let go and stepped back to regard me coldly. I sat up in the bed, my heart still pounding. ‘Dad?' ‘Sydney. You wouldn't wake up.' Naturally, that was his only apology for scaring me to death. ‘You need to get dressed and make yourself presentable,' he continued. ‘Quickly and quietly. Meet me downstairs in the study.' I felt my eyes widen but didn't hesitate with a response. There was only one acceptable answer. ‘Yes, sir. Of course.' ‘I'll go wake your sister.' He turned for the door, and I leapt out of bed. ‘Zoe?' I exclaimed. ‘What do you need her for?' ‘Shh,' he chastised. ‘Hurry up and get ready. And remember – be quiet. Don't wake your mother.' He shut the door without another word, leaving me staring. The panic that had only just subsided began to surge within me again. What did he need Zoe for? A late-night wake-up meant Alchemist business, and she had nothing to do with that. Technically, neither did I anymore, not since I'd been put on indefinite suspension for bad behavior this summer. What if that's what this was about? What if I was finally being taken to a re-education center and Zoe was replacing me? For a moment, the world swam around me, and I caught hold of my bed to steady myself. Re-education centers. They were the stuff of nightmares for young Alchemists like me, mysterious places where those who grew too close to vampires were dragged off to learn the errors of their ways. What exactly went on there was a secret, one I never wanted to find out. I was pretty sure ‘re-education' was a nice way of saying ‘brainwashing.' I'd only ever seen one person who had come back, and honestly, he'd seemed like half a person after that. There'd been an almost zombielike quality to him, and I didn't even want to think about what they might have done to make him that way. My father's urging to hurry up echoed back through my mind, and I tried to shake off my fears. Remembering his other warning, I also made sure I moved silently. My mother was a light sleeper. Normally, it wouldn't matter if she caught us going off on Alchemist errands, but lately, she hadn't been feeling so kindly toward her husband's (and daughter's) employers. Ever since angry Alchemists had deposited me on my parents' doorstep last month, this household had held all the warmth of a prison camp. Terrible arguments had gone down between my parents, and my sister Zoe and I often found ourselves tiptoeing around. Zoe. Why does he need Zoe? The question burned through me as I scurried to get ready. I knew what ‘presentable' meant. Throwing on jeans and a T-shirt was out of the question. Instead, I tugged on gray slacks and a crisp, white button-down shirt. A darker, charcoal gray cardigan went over it, which I cinched neatly at my waist with a black belt. A small gold cross – the one I always wore around my neck – was the only ornamentation I ever bothered with. My hair was a slightly bigger problem. Even after only two hours of sleep, it was already going in every direction. I smoothed it down as best I could and then coated it with a thick layer of hair spray in the hopes that it would get me through whatever was to come. A light dusting of powder was the only makeup I put on. I had no time for anything more. The entire process took me all of six minutes, which might have been a new record for me. I sprinted down the stairs in perfect silence, careful, again, to avoid waking my mother. The living room was dark, but light spilled out past the not-quite-shut door of my father's study. Taking that as an invitation, I pushed the door open and slipped inside. A hushed conversation stopped at my entrance. My father eyed me from head to toe and showed his approval at my appearance in the way he knew best: by simply withholding criticism. ‘Sydney,' he said brusquely. ‘I believe you know Donna Stanton.' The formidable Alchemist stood near the window, arms crossed, looking as tough and lean as I remembered. I'd spent a lot of time with Stanton recently, though I would hardly say we were friends – especially since certain actions of mine had ended up putting the two of us under a sort of ‘vampire house arrest.' If she harbored any resentment toward me, she didn't show it, though. She nodded to me in polite greeting, her face all business. Three other Alchemists were there as well, all men. They were introduced to me as Barnes, Michaelson, and Horowitz. Barnes and Michaelson were my father and Stanton's age. Horowitz was younger, mid-twenties, and was setting up a tattooist's tools. All of them were dressed like me, wearing business casual clothing in nondescript colors. Our goal was always to look nice but not attract notice. The Alchemists had been playing Men in Black for centuries, long before humans dreamed of life on other worlds. When the light hit their faces the right way, each Alchemist displayed a lily tattoo identical to mine. Again, my unease grew. Was this some kind of interrogation? An assessment to see if my decision to help a renegade half-vampire girl meant my loyalties had changed? I crossed my arms over my chest and schooled my face to neutrality, hoping I looked cool and confident. If I still had a chance to plead my case, I intended to present a solid one. Before anyone could utter another word, Zoe entered. She shut the door behind her and peered around in terror, her eyes wide. Our father's study was huge – he'd built an addition on to our house for it – and it easily held all the occupants. But as I watched my sister take in the scene, I knew she felt stifled and trapped. I met her eyes and tried to send a silent message of sympathy. It must have worked because she scurried to my side, looking only fractionally less afraid. ‘Zoe,' said my father. He let her name hang in the air in this way he had, making it clear to both of us that he was disappointed. I could immediately guess why. She wore jeans and an old sweatshirt and had her brown hair in two cute but sloppy braids. By any other person's standards, she would have been ‘presentable' – but not by his. I felt her cower against me, and I tried to make myself taller and more protective. After making sure his condemnation was felt, our father introduced Zoe to the others. Stanton gave her the same polite nod she'd given me and then turned toward my father. ‘I don't understand, Jared,' said Stanton. ‘Which one of them are you going to use?' ‘Well, that's the problem,' my father said. ‘Zoe was requested . . . but I'm not sure she's ready. In fact, I know she isn't. She's only had the most basic of training. But in light of Sydney's recent . . . experiences . . .' My mind immediately began to pull the pieces together. First, and most importantly, it seemed I wasn't going to be sent to a re-education center. Not yet, at least. This was about something else. My earlier suspicion was correct. There was some mission or task afoot, and someone wanted to sub in Zoe because she, unlike certain other members of her family, had no history of betraying the Alchemists. My father was right that she'd only received basic instruction. Our jobs were hereditary, and I had been chosen years ago as the next Alchemist in the Sage family. My older sister, Carly, had been passed over and was now away at college and too old. He'd taught Zoe as backup instead, in the event something happened to me, like a car accident or vampire mauling. I stepped forward, not knowing what I was going to say until I spoke. The only thing I knew for sure was that I could not let Zoe get sucked into the Alchemists' schemes. I feared for her safety more than I did going to a re-education center – and I was pretty afraid of that. ‘I spoke to a committee about my actions after they happened,' I said. ‘I was under the impression that they understood why I did the things I did. I'm fully qualified to serve in whatever way you need – much more so than my sister. I have real-world experience. I know this job inside and out.' ‘A little too much real-world experience, if memory serves,' said Stanton dryly. ‘I for one would like to hear these ‘reasons' again,' said Barnes, using his fingers to make air quotes. ‘I'm not thrilled about tossing a half-trained girl out there, but I also find it hard to believe someone who aided a vampire criminal is ‘fully qualified to serve.† More pretentious air quotes. I smiled back pleasantly, masking my anger. If I showed my true emotions, it wouldn't help my case. ‘I understand, sir. But Rose Hathaway was eventually proven innocent of the crime she'd been accused of. So, I wasn't technically aiding a criminal. My actions eventually helped find the real murderer.' ‘Be that as it may, we – and you – didn't know she was ‘innocent' at the time,' he said. ‘I know,' I said. ‘But I believed she was.' Barnes snorted. ‘And there's the problem. You should've believed what the Alchemists told you, not run off with your own far-fetched theories. At the very least, you should've taken what evidence you'd gathered to your superiors.' Evidence? How could I explain that it wasn't evidence that had driven me to help Rose so much as a feeling in my gut that she was telling the truth? But that was something I knew they'd never understand. All of us were trained to believe the worst of her kind. Telling them that I had seen truth and honesty in her wouldn't help my cause here. Telling them that I'd been blackmailed into helping her by another vampire was an even worse explanation. There was only one argument that the Alchemists might possibly be able to comprehend. ‘I . . . I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to get all the credit for it. I was hoping that if I uncovered it, I could get a promotion and a better assignment.' It took every ounce of self-control I had to say that lie straight-faced. I felt humiliated at making such an admission. As though ambition would really drive me to such extreme behaviors! It made me feel slimy and shallow. But, as I'd suspected, this was something the other Alchemists could understand. Michaelson snorted. ‘Misguided, but not entirely unexpected for her age.' The other men shared equally condescending looks, even my father. Only Stanton looked doubtful, but then, she'd witnessed more of the fiasco than they had. My father glanced among the others, waiting for further comment. When none came, he shrugged. ‘If no one has any objections, then, I'd rather we use Sydney. Not that I even entirely understand what you need her for.' There was a slightly accusing tone in his voice over not having been filled in yet. Jared Sage didn't like to be left out of the loop. ‘I have no problem with using the older girl,' said Barnes. ‘But keep the younger one around until the others get here, in case they have any objections.' I wondered how many ‘others' would be joining us. My father's study was no stadium. Also, the more people who came, the more important this case probably was. My skin grew cold as I wondered what the assignment could possibly be. I'd seen the Alchemists cover up major disasters with only one or two people. How colossal would something have to be to require this much help? Horowitz spoke up for the first time. ‘What do you want me to do?' ‘Re-ink Sydney,' said Stanton decisively. ‘Even if she doesn't go, it won't hurt to have the spells reinforced. No point in inking Zoe until we know what we're doing with her.' My eyes flicked to my sister's noticeably bare – and pale – cheeks. Yes. As long as there was no lily there, she was free. Once the tattoo was emblazoned on your skin, there was no going back. You belonged to the Alchemists. The reality of that had only hit me in the last year or so. I'd certainly never realized it while growing up. My father had dazzled me from a very young age about the rightness of our duty. I still believed in that rightness but wished he'd also mentioned just how much of my life it would consume. Horowitz had set up a folding table on the far side of my father's study. He patted it and gave me a friendly smile. ‘Step right up,' he told me. ‘Get your ticket.' Barnes shot him a disapproving look. ‘Please. You could show a little respect for this ritual, David.' Horowitz merely shrugged. He helped me lie down, and though I was too afraid of the others to openly smile back, I hoped my gratitude showed in my eyes. Another smile from him told me he understood. Turning my head, I watched as Barnes reverently set a black briefcase on a side table. The other Alchemists gathered around and clasped their hands together in front of them. He must be the hierophant, I realized. Most of what the Alchemists did was rooted in science, but a few tasks required divine assistance. After all, our core mission to protect humanity was rooted in the belief that vampires were unnatural and went against God's plan. That's why hierophants – our priests – worked side by side with our scientists. ‘Oh Lord,' he intoned, closing his eyes. ‘Bless these elixirs. Remove the taint of the evil they carry so that their life-giving power shines through purely to us, your servants.' He opened the briefcase and removed four small vials, each filled with dark red liquid. Labels that I couldn't read marked each one. With a steady hand and practiced eye, Barnes poured precise amounts from each vial into a larger bottle. When he'd used all four, he produced a tiny packet of powder that he emptied into the rest of the mix. I felt a tingle in the air, and the bottle's contents turned to gold. He handed the bottle to Horowitz, who stood ready with a needle. Everyone relaxed, the ceremonial part complete. I obediently turned away, exposing my cheek. A moment later, Horowitz's shadow fell over me. ‘This will sting a little, but nothing like when you originally got it. It's just a touch-up,' he explained kindly. ‘I know,' I said. I'd been re-inked before. ‘Thanks.' The needle pricked my skin, and I tried not to wince. It did sting, but like he'd said, Horowitz wasn't creating a new tattoo. He was simply injecting small amounts of the ink into my existing tattoo, recharging its power. I took this as a good sign. Zoe might not be out of danger yet, but surely they wouldn't go to the trouble of re-inking me if they were just going to send me to a re-education center. ‘Can you brief us on what's happening while we're waiting?' asked my father. ‘All I was told was that you needed a teen girl.' The way he said ‘teen girl' made it sound like a disposable role. I fought back a wave of anger at my father. That's all we were to him. ‘We have a situation,' I heard Stanton say. Finally, I'd get some answers. ‘With the Moroi.' I breathed a small sigh of relief. Better them than the Strigoi. Any ‘situation' the Alchemists faced always involved one of the vampire races, and I'd take the living, non-killing ones any day. They almost seemed human at times (though I'd never tell anyone here that) and lived and died like we did. Strigoi, however, were twisted freaks of nature. They were undead, murderous vampires created either when a Strigoi forcibly made a victim drink its blood or when a Moroi purposely took the life of another through blood drinking. A situation with the Strigoi usually ended with someone dead. All sorts of possible scenarios played through my mind as I considered what issue had prompted action from the Alchemists tonight: a human who had noticed someone with fangs, a feeder who had escaped and gone public, a Moroi treated by human doctors. . . . Those were the kinds of problems we Alchemists faced the most, ones I had been trained to handle and cover up with ease. Why they would need ‘a teenage girl' for any of those, however, was a mystery. ‘You know that they elected their girl queen last month,' said Barnes. I could practically see him rolling his eyes. Everyone in the room murmured affirmatively. Of course they knew about that. The Alchemists paid careful attention to the political goings-on of the Moroi. Knowing what vampires were doing was crucial to keeping them secret from the rest of humanity – and keeping the rest of humanity safe from them. That was our purpose, to protect our brethren. Know thy enemy was taken very seriously with us. The girl the Moroi had elected queen, Vasilisa Dragomir, was eighteen, just like me. ‘Don't tense,' said Horowitz gently. I hadn't realized I had been. I tried to relax, but thinking of Vasilisa Dragomir made me think of Rose Hathaway. Uneasily, I wondered if maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to assume I was out of trouble here. Mercifully, Barnes simply kept going with the story, not mentioning my indirect connection to the girl queen and her associates. ‘Well, as shocking as that is to us, it's been just as shocking to some of their own people. There's been a lot of protests and dissidence. No one's tried to attack the Dragomir girl, but that's probably because she's so well guarded. Her enemies, it seems, have therefore found a work-around: her sister.' ‘Jill,' I said, speaking before I could stop myself. Horowitz tsked me for moving, and I immediately regretted drawing attention to myself and my knowledge of the Moroi. Nevertheless, an image of Jillian Mastrano flashed into my mind, tall and annoyingly slim like all Moroi, with big, pale green eyes that always seemed nervous. And she had good reason to be. At fifteen, Jill had discovered she was Vasilisa's illegitimate sister, making her the only other member of their royal family's line. She too was tied to the mess I'd gotten myself into this summer. ‘You know their laws,' continued Stanton, after a moment of awkward silence. Her tone conveyed what we all thought of Moroi laws. An elected monarch? It made no sense, but what else could one expect from unnatural beings like vampires? ‘And Vasilisa must have one family member in order to hold her throne. Therefore, her enemies have decided if they can't directly remove her, they'll remove her family.' A chill ran down my spine at the unspoken meaning, and I again commented without thinking. ‘Did something happen to Jill?' This time, I'd at least chosen a moment when Horowitz was refilling his needle, so there was no danger of messing up the tattoo. I bit my lip to prevent myself from saying anything else, imagining the chastisement in my father's eyes. Showing concern for a Moroi was the last thing I wanted to do, considering my uncertain status. I didn't have any strong attachment to Jill, but the thought of someone trying to kill a fifteen-year-old girl – the same age as Zoe – was appalling, no matter what race she belonged to. ‘That's what's unclear,' Stanton mused. ‘She was attacked, we know that much, but we can't tell if she received any real injury. Regardless, she's fine now, but the attempt happened at their own Court, indicating they have traitors at high levels.' Barnes snorted in disgust. ‘What can you expect? How their ridiculous race has managed to survive as long as they have without turning on each other is beyond me.' There were mutters of agreement. ‘Ridiculous or not, though, we cannot have them in civil war,' said Stanton. ‘Some Moroi have acted out in protest, enough that they've caught the attention of human media. We can't allow that. We need their government stable, and that means ensuring this girl's safety. Maybe they can't trust themselves, but they can trust us.' There was no use in my pointing out that the Moroi didn't really trust the Alchemists. But, since we had no interest in killing off the Moroi monarch or her family, I supposed that made us more trustworthy than some. ‘We need to make the girl disappear,' said Michaelson. ‘At least until the Moroi can undo the law that makes Vasilisa's throne so precarious. Hiding Mastrano with her own people isn't safe at the moment, so we need to conceal her among humans.' Disdain dripped from his words. ‘But it's imperative she also remains concealed from humans. Our race cannot know theirs exists.' ‘After consultation with the guardians, we've chosen a location we all believe will be safe for her – both from Moroi and Strigoi,' said Stanton. ‘However, to make sure she – and those with her – remain undetected, we're going to need Alchemists on hand, dedicated solely to her needs in case any complications come up.' My father scoffed. ‘That's a waste of our resources. Not to mention unbearable for whoever has to stay with her.' I had a bad feeling about what was coming. ‘This is where Sydney comes in,' said Stanton. ‘We'd like her to be one of the Alchemists that accompanies Jillian into hiding.' ‘What?' exclaimed my father. ‘You can't be serious.' ‘Why not?' Stanton's tone was calm and level. ‘They're close in age, so being together won't raise suspicion. And Sydney already knows the girl. Surely spending time with her won't be as ‘unbearable' as it might be for other Alchemists.' The subtext was loud and clear. I wasn't free of my past, not yet. Horowitz paused and lifted the needle, allowing me the chance to speak. My mind raced. Some response was expected. I didn't want to sound too upset by the plan. I needed to restore my good name among the Alchemists and show my willingness to follow orders. That being said, I also didn't want to sound as though I were too comfortable with vampires or their half-human counterparts, the dhampirs. ‘Spending time with any of them is never fun,' I said carefully, keeping my voice cool and haughty. ‘Doesn't matter how much you do it. But I'll do whatever's necessary to keep us – and everyone else – safe.' I didn't need to explain that ‘everyone' meant humans. ‘There, you see, Jared?' Barnes sounded pleased with the answer. ‘The girl knows her duty. We've made a number of arrangements already that should make things run smoothly, and we certainly wouldn't send her there alone – especially since the Moroi girl won't be alone either.' ‘What do you mean?' My father still didn't sound happy about any of this, and I wondered what was upsetting him the most. Did he truly think I might be in danger? Or was he simply worried that spending more time with the Moroi would turn my loyalties even more? ‘How many of them are coming?' ‘They're sending a dhampir,' said Michaelson. ‘One of their guardians, which I really don't have a problem with. The location we've chosen should be Strigoi free, but if it's not, better they fight those monsters than us.' The guardians were specially trained dhampirs who served as bodyguards. ‘There you are,' Horowitz told me, stepping back. ‘You can sit up.' I obeyed and resisted the urge to touch my cheek. The only thing I felt from his work was the needle's sting, but I knew powerful magic was working its way through me, magic that would give me a superhuman immune system and prevent me from speaking about vampire affairs to ordinary humans. I tried not to think about the other part, about where that magic came from. The tattoos were a necessary evil. The others were still standing, not paying attention to me – well, except for Zoe. She still looked confused and afraid and kept glancing anxiously my way. ‘There also may be another Moroi coming along,' continued Stanton. ‘Honestly, I'm not sure why, but they were very insistent he be with Mastrano. We told them the fewer of them we had to hide, the better, but . . . well, they seemed to think it was necessary and said they'd make arrangements for him there. I think he's some Ivashkov. Irrelevant.' ‘Where is there?' asked my father. ‘Where do you want to send her?' Excellent question. I'd been wondering the same thing. My first full-time job with the Alchemists had sent me halfway around the world, to Russia. If the Alchemists were intent on hiding Jill, there was no telling what remote location they'd send her to. For a moment, I dared to hope we might end up in my dream city: Rome. Legendary works of art and Italian food seemed like a good way to offset paperwork and vampires. ‘Palm Springs,' said Barnes. ‘Palm Springs?' I echoed. That was not what I'd been expecting. When I thought of Palm Springs, I thought of movie stars and golf courses. Not exactly a Roman holiday, but not the Arctic either. A small, wry smile tugged at Stanton's lips. ‘It's in the desert and receives a lot of sunlight. Completely undesirable for Strigoi.' ‘Wouldn't it be undesirable for Moroi too?' I asked, thinking ahead. Moroi didn't incinerate in the sun like Strigoi, but excessive exposure to it still made Moroi weak and sick. ‘Well, yes,' admitted Stanton. ‘But a little discomfort is worth the safety it provides. So long as the Moroi spend most of their time inside, it won't be a problem. Plus, it'll discourage other Moroi from coming and – ‘ The sound of a car door opening and slamming outside the window caught everyone's attention. ‘Ah,' said Michaelson. ‘There are the others. I'll let them in.' He slipped out of the study and presumably headed toward the front door to admit whoever had arrived. Moments later, I heard a new voice speaking as Michaelson returned to us. ‘Well, Dad couldn't make it, so he just sent me,' the new voice was saying. The study door opened, and my heart stopped. No, I thought. Anyone but him. ‘Jared,' said the newcomer, catching sight of my father. ‘Great to see you again.' My father, who had barely spared me a glance all night, actually smiled. ‘Keith! I'd been wondering how you've been.' The two of them shook hands, and a wave of disgust rolled through me. ‘This is Keith Darnell,' said Michaelson, introducing him to the others. ‘Tom Darnell's son?' asked Barnes, impressed. Tom Darnell was a legendary leader among the Alchemists. ‘The same,' said Keith cheerfully. He was about five years older than me, with blond hair a shade lighter than mine. I knew a lot of girls thought he was attractive. Me? I found him vile. He was pretty much the last person I'd expected to see here. ‘And I believe you know the Sage sisters,' added Michaelson. Keith turned his blue eyes first to Zoe, eyes that were just fractionally different from each other in color. One eye, made of glass, stared blankly ahead and didn't move at all. The other one winked at her as his grin widened. He can still wink, I thought furiously. That annoying, stupid, condescending wink! But then, why wouldn't he? We'd all heard about the accident he'd had this year, an accident that had cost him an eye. He'd still survived with one good one, but somehow, in my mind, I'd thought the loss of an eye would stop that infuriating winking. ‘Little Zoe! Look at you, all grown up,' he said fondly. I'm not a violent person, not by any means, but I suddenly wanted to hit him for looking at my sister that way. She managed a smile for him, clearly relieved to see a familiar face here. When Keith turned toward me, however, all that charm and friendliness vanished. The feeling was mutual. The burning, black hatred building up inside of me was so overwhelming that it took me a moment to formulate any sort of response. ‘Hello, Keith,' I said stiffly. Keith didn't even attempt to match my forced civility. He immediately turned toward the senior Alchemists. ‘What is she doing here?' ‘We know you requested Zoe,' said Stanton levelly, ‘but after consideration, we decided it would be best if Sydney fulfill this role. Her experience dwarfs any concerns about her past actions.' ‘No,' said Keith swiftly, turning that steely blue gaze back on me. ‘There is no way she can come, no way I'm trusting some twisted vamp lover to screw this up for all of us. We're taking her sister.'