Ikea Erp

KEA has been suffered from the difficulties faced by production-oriented retailers. KEA project manager said that It was not enough for them to manage the demand only. They must manage the production too, and keep the supply and demand In balance. In the mid-sass, it became clear to KEA that the retailer's inventory model wouldn't work smoothly. The inventory costs were already too high. After mid-sass, ERP implementation failed to fix Kike's inventory management problems.The planning team composed a rudimentary list of the qualities, so stability and reliability were obvious musts. KEA manages a whole range of production, which from raw materials to finished product. They have to coordinate with more than 1,600 suppliers worldwide. When sales for a product turns out surprisingly high, It would empty from their warehouse, and when the demand didn't reach the expectations, the merchandise had already produced would back up in the facilities.However, the most important problem for KEA was an integrated planning platform that can provide a consistent working environment for the retailer's product managers worldwide. KEA has been working on differentiate itself with other retailers. They not only offer unique designs, but also share a typical warehouse on Its ground level. Meanwhile, on the second level they provide a cozy environment where customers can enjoy all kinds of furnishing concepts. KEA in-stores logistics model is very novel and was welcomed by their customers.The most important thing is it can help KEA saving costs and increasing productivity significantly. On the ground floor, the products selected by customers are picked from pallet location that placed as high as the typical person could reach. Additional product Is stored In reserve zone above these locations. Inventory Is cut down to the lower space at night because forklifts and pallet jacks are not used during store hours for safety reasons. The rest space contains items too bulky for customers to load without help.Since KEA advocates as much self-service as possible, it tends to minimize the number of products in this bulk storage area. KEA has over 200 stores in 30 countries worldwide. This requires exceptional logistics and outstanding support as well as the best solutions. In all, KEA has 1,600 suppliers In 55 countries, and trades through local KEA purchasing offices in 33 countries. In order to make sure that the supply chain works, t must cooperate with the best technology and the right people. Therefore, KEA chose the demand forecasting and modules from a software supplier JDK.JDK customized a demand forecasting system for KEA so that they can manage a decline in the number of its suppliers. KEA began working with JDK in 2001 and the first solution was to implement demand solutions on all KEA products globally. KEA set a number of objectives for JDK such as developing sales planning methodology and tools that gained realistic forecasts used for designing supplier, warehouse, and transportation capacities. JDK also developed a ability of planning methodology and LOL that make it possible to benefit from the cost-savings of long-term commitments.A global and regional supply planning system component would make it possible to have a collaborated and consolidated sales. The solution would also allow KEA to take all Inventories Into account and to have supply chain visualized In the order processing management. I en retable or's nana AT supply canal planning salsa TN has been a successful move for them and has made it far simpler to start focusing on low-cost countries and cutting back on suppliers. In the long run, this will help them to improve profits and make their management system more efficient.

Feminism in Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre was written in a time where the Bildungsroman was a common form of literature. The importance was that the mid-nineteenth century was, â€Å"the age in which women were, for the first time, ranked equally with men as writers within a major genre† (Sussman 1). In many of these novels, the themes were the same; the protagonist dealt with the same issues, â€Å"search for autonomy and selfhood in opposition to the social constraints placed upon the female, including the demand for marriage† (Sussman). Jane Eyre fits this mould perfectly. Throughout the novel, the reader follows Jane Eyre on a journey of development from adolescence to maturity to show that a desire for freedom and change motivates people to search for their own identity. Jane begins to form her identity with the aid of many characters she encounters at Lowood, Thornfield, and Marsh End. Miss Maria Temple, who was Jane's first significant female encounter at Lowood, functions as a role model and an influence for Jane. Miss Temple's character displays the breakdown of the Great Chain of Being, but in a more gentle way than Rochester or Jane herself. She defies Mr. Brocklehurst and his hypocritical ways only as far as she will still retain shelter and her place as a teacher. To Jane, Miss Temple embodies all of the qualities that a woman should. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar write, â€Å"Miss Temple, for instance, with her marble pallor, is a shrine of ladylike virtues: magnanimity, cultivation, courtesy – and repression† (Gilbert 344). While Miss Temple seems to show Jane what she should become, she also introduces her to control over her emotions. Unlike Jane, whose self-assertiveness permits her to give in to passionate confrontations, Miss Temple would â€Å"never allow `something' to speak through her, no wings will rush in her head, no fantasies of fiery heath disturb her equanimity, but she will feel sympathetic anger† (Gilbert 345). Her influence in Jane's adolescence and early adulthood teach her to have harmonious thoughts, and to give â€Å"allegiance to duty and order† (Gilbert 347). Here, Miss Temple teaches Jane to suppress her wild emotions and become compliant under the â€Å"superior† male, but still maintain an inward anger that can never be expressed. Jane, however, cannot conform to the lesson being taught to her; through Miss Temple, she learns that her journey into maturity and freedom requires her to be more independent and passionate than Miss Temple instructs. Miss Temple is not only like a mother figure to Jane, but she is also â€Å"encouraging of intellectual growth† (Rich 466). Temple's impact on Jane's education allows her to become stronger in character, which will eventually bring her to complete independence. Kathleen Tillotson finds in Miss Temple a sign of hope for Jane: â€Å"the warm fire and the cake from the cupboard in Miss Temple's room are assertions of individual loving-kindness, though also of it's limited power† (Tillotson 60) In spite of this, Tillotson writes that Jane at Thornfield is â€Å"submitting to virtue in lovable form, as she had once submitted to Miss Temple† (Tillotson 60). In other words, Tillotson argues that although Miss Temple may have positively influenced Jane in certain ways, ultimately her call for repression and submission instigates Jane's realization that she must discover her own place in life, and no one can dictate it for her. While Jane attends Lowood, she encounters another character that will help her to shape her identity. When Helen Burns is introduced to the novel, she brings with her a kind of warmth and spiritual light that touches Jane and Helen aids her in developing into the woman that she will soon become. She has a devout faith in Christ, and using this, Helen is able to function as Jane's main guide in building a strong character who is filled with forgiveness, hope and a strong sense of self. Helen allows Jane to peer into a world where â€Å"the values of endurance and obedience† (Singleton, 70) are visible. Jane often relies on Helen because she â€Å"is strong of will, awkward and blundering in the practical world yet intellectually and spiritually mature beyond her years . . . ithout pettiness, hysteria, or self-repudiation† (Rich 466). These qualities will help Helen in leading Jane down a path that will indefinitely make her shine amongst those who surround her. A sympathetic Helen Burns is seen lavishing emotions upon Jane that she has never felt before, let alone imagined. Helen assists Jane by being a mentor and a friend, a companion that Jane can confide in. â€Å"Helen and Miss Temple together represent two key facets of the feminist community: the need for companionship and mentors. These necessities are what the Reeds denied Jane† (Singleton 66). By showing Jane love and encouragement she teaches Jane that â€Å"primary importance is taming her rage and learning to forgive . . . that this is the model that Christ has set forth in the New Testament — to love one's enemies† (Singleton 73). As Helen encourages Jane to strive to be her best, she acts a â€Å"moral and ethical force† (Rich 467), she provides Jane with â€Å"a sense of her own worth and of ethical choice† (Rich 467). Bronte introduces Helen Buns into the novel to aid Jane and to be a guiding light in the ethical and moral world by showing Helen to be a character who is strong and true to herself, even until the end of her life; by using Helen as an example, when Jane leaves Lowood, she finds herself and she is ready to face to world with her head held high, face shining in the light. Another representation of religion, and also a strong male influence in Jane's life is that of St. John Rivers. The character of St. John is one of the final obstacles to Jane's maturation and understanding of her role as an independent and free woman. St. John represents, like the character of Brocklehurst before him, the hypocrisy and unwavering patriarchy of organized religion and its many hypocritical keepers, but unlike Brocklehurst, St. John's piety is more real and his misogyny somewhat more subtle, and, following his proposal, Jane comes to a better understanding of who she is and where her life is headed. St. John asks for Jane's hand in marriage, but not out of love; rather, he intends Jane to be a missionary wife, someone who will be of use to him in the service of God. According to Adrienne Rich, there is a certain virtue in this kind of offer, especially for Jane: â€Å"What St. John offers Jane is perhaps the deepest lure for a spiritual woman, that of adopting a man's cause or career and making it her own† (Rich 473). In this proposed marriage, there is the attraction of some of the things she has been searching for, namely a life of service and principle, and a way of overcoming the obstacles of patriarchy she has struggled with her entire life, by adopting a life in service to â€Å"male† cause. Therein lies a part of the problem, however, as service and principle are only part of what she desires in life, and, as she ultimately discovers, even beyond the attraction of taking on a more male role, that this will not fulfill her need for a life that is more complete. In the essay by Gilbert and Gubar, they explain, â€Å"In fact, as St. John's wife †¦ she will be entering into a union even more unequal than that proposed by Rochester, a marriage reflecting, once again, her absolute exclusion from the life of wholeness toward which her pilgrimage has been directed† (Gilbert 366). With St. John's proposal of marriage, Jane begins to comprehend more about herself and where her life is headed. She discovers that she cannot devote her energy and ambition towards fulfilling just a part of her life, such as the desire for service, but rather, she discovers that her life needs to be a life of â€Å"wholeness,† something that a marriage to St. John could never provide, because St. John, like Brocklehurst, is a â€Å"pillar of patriarchy† (Gilbert 366), a misogynist who is bent, consciously or unconsciously, on restraining Jane spiritually and emotionally. Rich points out in her essay that St.  John's offer of marriage is a means in which â€Å"he will use her† (Rich 473), and fortunately, Jane sees through the superficial benefits of a union with the patriarchal St. John, and that her for her to be content, she needs a life of wholeness. Armed with these realizations, Jane is now able to return to her true love, Rochester, on her own terms. The character of Mr. Edward Rochester influences the spiritual and personal growth of Jane through his relationship with her as the master at Thornfield and later, as her husband. His self-proclamation as being equal to Jane shows the breakdown of the Great Chain of Being. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar write that while in â€Å"one sense Jane and Rochester begin their relationship as master and servant, prince and Cinderella, Mr. B and Pamela, in another they begin as spiritual equals† (Gilbert 352). In his allowance of Jane to be his equal, he encourages her progression to a strong sense of her own identity and independence. In a more sexual light, Rochester is the one who will eventually awaken Jane to her own sexuality. This occasion exhibits Jane's journey into adult maturation: â€Å"it is he who will initiate her into the mysteries of the flesh† (Gilbert 355). Adrienne Rich states that the episodes at Thornfield encompass three defining aspects: the house, Rochester, and Bertha. Rich writes, â€Å"Jane comes to womanhood and to certain definitive choices about what it means to be a woman† (Rich 468). In other words, during her stay at Thornfield and due to her interactions with its inhabitants, namely Rochester, Jane realizes what being a woman suggests. The break down of the Great Chain of Being is shown through Rochester even further, when Jane finds that he is married to another woman. As she leaves him because of her strength and of her own free will, Jane's independence is reinforced. Critic Elaine Baruch contrasts this action to Romanticism, and states, â€Å"Unlike the lady of the chivalric romance who had merely to sit still in order to find a destiny in the form of some passing knight, modern woman must seek her own hero† (Baruch 157). Here, Baruch is commenting on how Rochester's dark and haunting past results in a positive outcome for Jane, in that it strengthens her independence and desire for freedom and identity. Instead of deliberately wasting time waiting for destiny to find her, Jane seeks out the right destiny for herself. The various characters in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre provide the heroine with both role models and obstacles to her maturation into adulthood, and more importantly, womanhood. Jane's experiences with these characters, and what she takes from each, show the importance of determining for oneself his or her own morals, ethics, goals, and by not allowing others to dictate how one lives his or her life, love, wealth, and ultimately happiness can be achieved. All people have their own unique set of traits, from their morality to their spirituality, their speech, and their faults. To be a person who is happy and truly successful on spiritual, emotional, and physical levels, one must draw from the good and decent people he or she meets that which will be ultimately beneficent; for example, emulating and learning from the spirituality of a person who is truly and passionately spiritual. Unfortunately, not all the people a person meets in his or her life will have qualities which a person will want to emulate; in a way, these people become obstacles to a person's pilgrimage towards self-understanding and happiness. These people, the barriers to a person's self-development, are just as important as the people who function as positive role models. Those who are consciously or unconsciously determined to stop those on the path to happiness and self-discovery can be destructive, but they can also be unintentionally helpful. All too often, these figures are successful in breaking other another person's will and forcing their principles upon him, but when people like this, the hypocrites, the self-righteous, the misogynists, the arrogant aristocrats, and the like, fail, that previously oppressed person becomes significantly stronger by overcoming these barriers. Ultimately, nearly everyone has a life-long struggle with self-identity, and nearly everyone has encountered these influential people in his life, the role models and the obstacles. Unfortunately many become victims to the authority of those people who would force their will upon others, and ultimately, most people never complete their journey to independence; all too often they give up, and allow themselves to bent to the will of others. It is evident that this pilgrimage is a long and arduous one, a journey that few complete, and the author suggests that on top of the inherent difficulty of this journey, women have an even greater challenge before them. Because of the insidious and ubiquitous influence of patriarchy in the author's society, the journey towards independence and self-understanding becomes significantly more difficult for women; it is a truly joyous occasion when a woman does succeed in breaking free from the chains of male dominated society, becoming independent, self-aware, and, hopefully, happy.

Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing Management - Essay Example From this research it is clear that business enterprises are driven by profit motives. Maximum profit is achieved through minimization of costs of operation and maximization of consumer utility in order to trigger high sales that in return provide high revenues. Marketing is an integral factor in that pursuit. Strategies to ensure optimal marketing must be pursued in line with adoption of relevant and functional marketing plans. Marketing plans are therefore relevant, because they key determinants of an enterprise’s success or failure in its line of business. Marketing plan is an outline of activities that marketing managers use in their marketing endeavors in a bid to place products and services at the best point of sale. The primary objective of the plan is to capture as much market share as possible in regard to specific products and services that a business enterprise deals with. Ideally, marketing plan diversely considers the entire production process to determine what pr oduct or service attributes constitutes consumer tastes and preferences. The success of products and services is highly dependent on the marketing plan adopted by the managers. Effective and efficient use of marketing plans is essential in aiding success of products and services in the market setting. Specifically, McDonalds is an example of successful employment of marketing plans. Serving numerous countries, the fast food restaurants have captured a significant international market share. Failure on the other hand emerges when the marketing plans employed fail to meet their sole purpose. In other words, marketing plan integration into the activities, operation and performance of a business enterprise constitutes such failure. Effective and efficient coordination of marketing activities prior to those that makes up the plan result to failure of a given product or service in the market setting. Toyota at some point had to withdraw some of its cars from the market due to performance failure, emerging from activities within the firm (Bangs, 2010). Although marketing plans had been conducted in both domestic and international markets, some of its brands performed poorly. Analysis Business enterprises in their line of business have desired expectations. The outcome however may or may not be the desired one. However, operations and performance of an enterprise can influence the actual outcome prior to what is expected. It is important to point out that there is no single business that gets operational with a motive to make losses and therefore fail. Business enterprises are profit driven, with high expectations of success. Marketing plans as already identified greatly influence success or failure of an enterprise. Considering the two companies above, both had their marketing managers lay an outline of operational functions that would ensure maximum benefit from each of the company’s operations (Jackson, 2008). However, market responses are not certain, and t herefore the turn of events may not necessarily be as forecasted by the each company. A movie that failed: Watchmen Set for admiration and success, an unexpected outcome was failure (Baumard & William, 2005). Demand forecasts are critically fundamental for movies. It is important that all activities

Use of Landmarks in Skull of Dog (Canis familiaris) for Article

Use of Landmarks in Skull of Dog (Canis familiaris) for Neuronavigation - Article Example The technique is quite common with human patients undergoing intricate neurosurgery but this paper investigates how it may be utilised in canid ones, specifically dogs (Canis familiaris). Image-guided neuronavigation functions on the basis of stereotaxy. The brain is conceived as a geometric entity that can be trisected by three spatial planes orthogonal to each other. These planes are the horizontal, frontal and sagittal ones based on the Cartesian co-ordinate system (Ganslandt, O., et al, 2002). Precise surgical guidance is available by referencing objects within this three-dimensional system in the brain with three-dimensional images aligned along parallel co-ordinate axes displayed on the console of a computer-workstation providing the surgeon with point-to-point imagery of the actual locations in the brain. This allows maximum accuracy of operation (Ganslandt, O., et al, 2002). This spatial accuracy afforded by functional imaging systems such as, primarily, magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), when incorporated within the neuronavigation process, allows precise surgery near eloquent are as of the brain with minimum morbidity (Ganslandt, O., et al, 2002).... Attempts to apply congruency in both morphological and behavioural characteristics of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) immediately runs in several problems because there are innumerable breeds all over the world and the variety is so diverse that it is bewildering. Nevertheless, it is generally agreed that the domestic breed diverged from gray wolves (Canis lupus) 3,25,000 to 1 million years ago. The domestic dog is a very close relative of the wild gray wolf with only about 0.2% divergence in mitochrondrial DNA sequence (Jordana, J., et al, 1999). It is also acknowledged that the gray wolf is a breed that is found both in the New World and the Old and dogs probably originated from the Old World breed and crossed over with humans to the New World to form the special breeds found there today (Olori, J., 2005). This is even though the fond belief of dog-breeders in the New World is that their breeds are exclusively diverged from gray wolves there. At least, the early dog breeds in t he New World were so while more recent breeds may have been bred down from the northern gray wolves that are large-bodied (Jordana, J., et al, 1999). There is also evidence to suggest that there are four distinct lineages that descended independently from gray wolves. Each lineage is called a clade (Olori, J., 2005). The comparative study conducted on 25 different breeds from different parts of the world on the morphological, though Canis familiaris is probably the most morphologically diverse species on earth, and behavioural traits of the domestic dog revealed that morphological data was more congruent than behavioural ones (Jordana, J., et al, 1999). In the context of the purpose of the paper it was found that the cranial profile varied from medium to large to small dogs in

2. Compare and contrast the motivations of a Middle Eastern terrorist Essay

2. Compare and contrast the motivations of a Middle Eastern terrorist organization with those of a domestic terrorist group. What are the similarities and differences - Essay Example In addition, the gravity of a threat passed by terrorist organization or group is dependent on organization or group’s degree of capability and intent. Domestic terrorist groups function usually within and against their nation of residence. The general motivational categories of domestic terrorist group include nationalism, ethnocentrisms, separatism, and revolution. In the context of nationalism, domestic terrorist groups are motivated by national consciousness and devotion as well as loyalty to the nation. The group’s intent can be to split the existing nation or establish a new one that incorporates the alleged national identity. Revolutionary motivation involves group’s attempts to put an end to a conventional order and reinstate governance with a novel social or political structure. Ethnocentric motivation of domestic terrorist group regard racial or ethnic characteristic as major societal defining factor. Furthermore, separatist motivation involves separation from entities or systems through political autonomy, independence, or religious domination or freedom. Separatists promote ideologies such as anti-imperial ism, social equity or justice, and opposition to occupation or conquest by foreign power. The overall ideologies of domestic terrorist group are framed by social, religious, or political purpose (U.S. Department of State, 2007). On the other hand, Middle Eastern terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda primarily operate in their geographic region and between nations. Al-Qaeda usually operates in multiple countries, and maintains focus for its operations with the co-ordination from a particular region. Al-Qaeda focuses on the value of notoriety because of the resultant spectacular attacks and mass media exploitation. One of the common motivations of al-Qaeda and other Middle Eastern terrorist organizations is the Islamic

How markets fail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

How markets fail - Essay Example He said that despite the fact that there are economic thinkers such as the utopian and reality-based economic thinkers; market can still fail mainly because of the unseen variables. According to Cassidy, market can fail despite the fact that the prevailing conditions are favorable (403). To many, a financial crisis of such nature in an advance economy appears to be a phenomenon of the past. It is like diseases such as smallpox which are still found in poorer countries, but essentially eradicated from the developed countries. However, Cassidy warns that financial crisis can still occur despite the fact that the economy is advanced. Cassidy was aiming at responding to the disaster that hit the western banking system unexpectedly. The financial crisis occurred during the period when most people were expecting positive results. Both the utopian thinkers and real-based economic thinkers could not tell what was going to come. They could not anticipate nor imagined that the disaster would o riginate at home. All they knew was that there was a growing current account imbalance between the United States and china and that incase of any form of financial crisis, these two countries are likely to be the first one to experience the crisis. Most people believed that changes in technology and the impact of globalization had enabled the central bank to figure out the secret to conducting monetary policy in a stabilizing way. Because of this, most people including the economic thinkers believed that the central was equipped with necessary knowledge, skills and know how having kept the economy on track after a series of ups and down in the 1990s. Most economies did no even stop to ponder about the case of Japan, which experienced economic bubble despite the fact that its economy was advanced. They claim that it would have been a normal phenomenon to find a financial or banking crisis in Japan given that Tokyo, a hybrid economy, lacks real market economy like the Great Britain. U nexpectedly, the disaster struck the economy that was believed to be advanced and strong to resist the tides. Most people, including the economic thinkers had no real answers to the unexpected phenomenon. Cassidy had an idea of what might be the cause of the unusual breakdown. As mentioned above, Cassidy wanted to clarify the fact that in event of financial crisis, bankers do not have bigger responsibilities and therefore, no one should lay blame to them (405). Cassidy argues that even if bankers had tried their best to meet the interest of their shareholders, there is no assurance that would have fulfill the interest of everybody. This is because society, according to Cassidy has different believes and perceptions, which may not be good for banks. Cassidy asserted that the belief that most of the economist have about the market is a mere theory. He particularly criticizes the belief that most of the proponents of the free markets have about market behavior. Cassidy questioned wheth er producers and consumers in a free market can lead to a beneficial outcome for a whole society. He also questioned the argument brought forth by the famous economist, Adam Smith that states that market systems is similar to an enormous decentralized machine for conveying signals and that the resulting outcome is both efficient and stable. Cassidy cautiously explore various areas of these

Infosys Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Infosys - Essay Example Infosys is facing a lot of global marketing issues especially in the past decade or so. The issues are related to business model as well as strategy. Infosys is globally perceived as an IT Technology company which provides low cost advantage to its clients due to global labour arbitrage. A lot of IT companies in developing countries have been using this model to earn handsome revenues (NASSCOM, 2007). Infosys has been consciously trying to come out of this image and move up the value chain (IBEF). This was evident because of its focus on end to end solutions in the late 1990s. During this phase, Infosys developed some highly successful industry solutions such as Finacle (Finacle, 2011) and SAP retail (SAP Retail, 2011) products and marketed them well. However, a major challenge has been to go one step further and provide high end consulting services. Infosys has developed the capabilities required to do so by hiring fresh and qualified talent over the past years but marketing the same has been a challenge. The major reason for this is the presence of well reputed competitors in the market who were early movers in this domain. Infosys has always believed in maintaining long term relationship with its clients. This has resulted in client loyalty and satisfaction. However, 80% of Infosys’s revenues come from existing clients. No doubt, retaining old customers is very important but it is equally important to acquire new clients for continuous progress and to increase bargaining power while negotiating contracts. Infosys has shifted its focus towards business domain excellence. While it is of no harm, most of the clients over the world believe in best of breed approach where they outsource their operations in parts to most suitable vendors and also avoid hundred percent sharing of data with a single vendor. Therefore, business domain excellence may not prove to be a very fruitful idea. For further analysis of the global marketing issues, it would be justified to consider the various aspects of Business and Business marketing and the issues Infosys is facing in each of them (Boon, Kurtz): I. Product In B usiness to Business marketing, as in the case of Infosys, the products are highly technical in nature (Boon, Kurtz). Their form is not fixed and may vary from supplier to supplier. Especially in Business to Business Services marketing, this holds true. Infosys has primarily been providing outsourcing services at low rates. But over the years it has developed end to end products which are high performers in the market. Infosys is also known for its services. It has always exceeded client expectations on the 3 evaluation parameters i.e. Quality, Timeliness and Reliability. However, Infosys has struggled in marketing its high end services over the years. It wants to address this issue in its dealing with PFS. II. Promotion In Business to Bu

Standard Expository Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Standard Expository Model - Essay Example Farkas said in his article, â€Å"Explicit Structure in Print and On-Screen Documents†, "Information Mapping, both observes display-unit boundaries and provides explicit structure at a much finer level of granularity than the SE model. Two benefits are that readers can easily scan an IMAP document for the specific information they want and can immediately grasp the overall structure of the information map they are looking at." (Farkas, 17) And also Tracey said that "the SE model is inherently dysfunctional for all but literary writing and that both readers and those who write and edit documents benefit greatly by adopting STOP." In addition, the benefit of hypertext with nodes and links can be replaced with the weakness of extended texts of the standard expository model. "There are important benefits in non-linear information environments: Readers are more able to find and read exactly what they care about. Furthermore, they are more fully empowered to follow their unique inte rests and make their own connections among ideas." (Farkas, 223) However, there also are theorists who object to the standard expository model. Montaigne and Chandler do not like the schematic way of reading, for example, STOP documents and IMAP documents. Montaigne argues about the reason why time is limited while we are understanding articles. Chandler agrees with Montaigne but he wants to have an effective way to understand. Montaigne said "I must march my pen as I do my feet," and "Writing is a political activity, and it is a matter of choice for us whether we choose to challenge the prevailing writing conventions rather than to accept or bemoan them."

Potential conflicts Essay Example for Free

Potential conflicts Essay Every State has three inherent powers which are all necessary and indispensable for its continued existence. These powers may exist even without an express constitutional grant. Among these powers are Police Power, Power of Eminent Domain, and the Power of Taxation On the other hand, citizens in a democracy enjoy certain rights and freedom. These rights serve as safeguard for the protection of the people against excessive and unnecessary exercise of these three powers mentioned. The beauty of a democracy lies in the proper balance between the civil rights and liberties of the people and the fundamental powers of the State. An over-concentration of power in the government will lead to dictatorship or authoritarianism. An over emphasis in freedom and liberty will result to anarchy and mob rule. Analysis of the USA Patriot Act Consider the enactment of the USA Patriot Act as our country’s response to international terrorism. Pres. Bush upon signing the Patriot Act into law emphasized that this law will provide law enforcement officials with sufficient weapons and tools to fight terrorism. â€Å"Remarks by President Bush at Signing of USA Patriot Act of 2001†) He emphasized that we need this law for the protection of our country and for our protection as well. Despite the highly publicized importance of the Patriot Act to protecting our national security and territory, civil rights advocates however fear that the said law may have severe repercussions to our individual liberties. This law which should protect us from terrorists may even be used against us. Some of the provisions of the said law will give the law enforcement authorities unlimited power to search our physical property and seize them, monitor our electronic communication and bank accounts, library records and even our medical records. Last January 2006, The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and the American Civil Liberties Union joined together in calling for the amendment of Section 501 of the Patriot Act which gives sufficient authority for government officials to seize any â€Å"tangible things† (Jeanne Lenzer)  Under Section 501, â€Å"(a)(1) The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or a designee of the Director†¦may make an application for an order requiring the production of any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) for an investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities, provided that such investigation of a United States person is not con ducted solely upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution. † (Sec 501) It is because of this reason that in a number of medical center’s privacy policy there is already a statement informing their patients that they are authorized to disclose any medical information about the patient to authorized federal officials. Personal information about our health conditions, our sickness, the doctor treating us, the medicines we are taking and any other personal information, which we consider as confidential may now be discovered by the government, placed in a database together with all other personal information taken from other people, and this information could be transferred from one government agency to another. Conclusion I am a Libertarian. I do not think we need to sacrifice our liberty for the purpose of protecting ourselves from terrorism. Our civil liberty, such as our right to privacy, is our treasured rights. For some that is all they have. If the government will take this away from them they will be worse than the terrorists. There is only one solution to this problem and that is for the public to call for the amendment of this provision so that section 501 may finally be deleted from the Patriot Act. Although the said provision may also be useful for any criminal investigation, I believe however, that no government official should be given unbridled discretion to seize our medical records. As a rule, seizure of medical records should not be allowed subject to certain exceptions such as if a suit has been filed against the person whose medical record is being seized or if the person is a suspected terrorist who has confirmed affiliations with terrorists organizations.

Chapter 21 notes- the kite runner Essay Example for Free

Chapter 21 notes- the kite runner Essay Amir visits his old house in Kabul and the hill north of Baba’s house- The city is now completely unfamiliar to Amir, and he looks at it almost as a tourist Amir looks outside his bedroom window and remembers looking out of it when watching Hassan and Amir leave. â€Å"Twenty-five years earlier, I had stood behind that same window, thick rain dripping down the panes and my breath fogging up the glass. I had watched Hassan and Ali load their belongings into the trunk of my father’s car† -Amir Characters involved: Amir Farid Hassan- Amir discusses their good memories in the yard of Baba’s house and up at the pomegranate tree on the hill. â€Å"Amir and Hassan. The Sultans of Kabul†- still carved into the pomegranate tree. A man and woman were executed on the soccer oval in front of all the spectators Characters involved: Taliban (Islamic radicals) Amir Farid Woman and man both killed by rocks â€Å"And they call themselves Muslims† -Farid â€Å"Mord? Mord? Is he dead? † -Amir â€Å"Every sinner must be punished in a manner befitting his sin! †- Cleric at the stadium. This part of the text gives evidence that the Taliban are brutal, have no sympathy and are murderers. The Taliban say they are obeying God. Meeting arranged to meet with the Taliban that afternoon. Characters involved: Farid- asks for Amir Taliban official Symbols Pomegranate tree â€Å"Then I went looking for the abandoned cemetery. It didn’t take me long to find it. It was still there, and so was the old pomegranate tree. †- Amir â€Å"I stood under it, remembered all the times we’d climbed it, straddled it’s branches, our legs swinging, dappled sunlight flickering through the leaves and casting on our faces a mosaic of light and shadow. The tangy taste of pomegranate crept into my mouth. † -Amir The ruined, dead tree serves as a symbol that the city Kabul that Amir knew was now dead. Environment- Kabul- *Desolate. *Ruined *Dusty *Abandoned *Sun-dried Amir’s house *Surrounded by weeds *Rusty â€Å"The Wall of Ailing Corn was still there, though I saw no corn, ailing or other-wise, along that wall now. †-Amir Paint peeled off â€Å"The house was far from the sprawling white mansion I remembered from my childhood. It looked smaller. † -Amir â€Å"Like so much else in Kabul, my father’s house was the picture of fallen splendour. † -Amir â€Å"I wanted to step into the foyer, smell the orange peel Ali always tossed into the stove to burn the sawdust. Sit at the kitchen table, have tea with a slice of naan, listen to Hassan sing old Hazara songs. † -Amir.

Classifications of Liquid Crystals

Classifications of Liquid Crystals 1. Introduction 1. Introduction to Liquid Crystals 1.1 Historical background Liquid crystals are a unique state of matter, between solid (crystalline) and liquid (isotropic) phases some compounds form a distinct, different intermediate phase, sometimes referred to as the â€Å"fourth state of matter† or â€Å"mesophase†. These compounds display properties of both solid and liquid. Anisotropic intermolecular interactions of the molecules, or mesogens, within a liquid crystalline material mean that the molecules possess some orientational or positional order but with a lower degree of organisation compared with a crystalline solid. This means liquid crystals possess liquid-like flowing behaviour, but because of their positional order, such compounds are often more viscous. Liquid crystals are attributed to their sensitivity to various stimuli, such as temperature, electric and magnetic fields. This sensitivity, combined with the self-assembling behaviour of liquid crystals make them extremely interesting and fascinating for chemists and physicists . Friedrich Reinitzer, a botanist at the Karl-Ferdinands-Università ¤t was the first to discover and publish work on liquid crystals[1] in 1888. In this paper he described the melting phenomena of cholesterol benzoate, in which there were two melting points; the compound transforms into a cloudy fluid at 145.5  °C which became clear at 178.5  °C.[1] Reinitzer could not explain these observations, so he sought help from physicist Otto Lehmann, an expert in polarisation microscopy. Lehmann investigated the optical properties of the compound and found crystallites in the cloudy fluid, and observed this to be an intermediate phase (or â€Å"mesophase† – from Ancient Greek,ÃŽ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ­ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€š (mà ©sos) meaning â€Å"middle†) between the liquid and solid phase. This intermediate phase showed birefringence but also flowed like a liquid.[2] In 1904, Lehmann was the first to coin the term â€Å"Liquid crystal† for these types of compounds. Vorlà ¤nder, a German chemist, was another pioneer in liquid crystal research and he discovered that molecular shape was very important in the geometry of the mesophase.[3] In 1935 Vorlà ¤nder retired but due to his research most of the liquid crystals up this date had been synthesised by him. For a long time liquid crystals were merely scientific curiosity.[4] The unique properties of liquid crystals together with some molecules being sensitive to electric fields, began the research by Heilmeier[5] in 1968 which led to the discovery and widespread applications in liquid crystal displays (LCDs).[6][7][8][9][10][11] 1.2 Classifying Liquid Crystals Liquid crystals are classified in many ways,[12][13] molecules within the mesophases (mesogens) can be calamitic (rod-like), discotic (disc-like), amphiphilic, nonamphiphilic, metal containing, non-metal containing and low molecular weight or polymeric. Liquid crystals either show thermotropic behaviour or lyotropic behaviour. Thermotropic behaviour means the compounds are liquid crystalline within a defined temperature range, below this range compounds are crystalline and above it compounds are isotropic liquids (figure 1). Thermotropic liquid crystalline compounds also require no solvent. Lyotropic liquid crystals are dependent on solvents, where solvent concentration affects aggregation and liquid crystal behaviour. Figure 1: Rod-like (calamitic) molecules representing molecular arrangement of thermotropic liquid crystalline phase transitions. This work is focused on calamitic, thermotropic liquid crystals. Mesophases of such liquid crystals can be divided into categories which depend on the orientation and order. The main categories are nematic (N), smectic (Sm) and cholesteric (N*) (or chiral nematic) (figure 2). Figure 2: Molecular arrangements of different sub-phase allignments. 1.2.2 Nematic Phases The nematic phase is the simplest mesophase known; there is long range orientational order between the mesogens but no short range positional order. Mesogens are able to freely translate and rotate along the director field (n) but are randomly distributed in space. â€Å"Nematic† comes from the Ancient Greek word ÃŽ ½ÃŽ µÃŽ ¼ÃŽ ± (â€Å"nema† meaning thread) as when observed through a microscope thread-like structures are observed. 1.2.1 Smectic Phases Liquid crystals with smectic mesophases were originally discovered from amphiphilic molecules, the phase type coming from the Ancient Greek word ÏÆ'ÃŽ ¼ÃŽ µÃŽ ºÃâ€žÃŽ ¿ÃÆ' (â€Å"smektos† meaning soap-like). Today, the word smectic is used for liquid crystals in which the molecules occupy orientational order, but are also organised in layers[14]. These organised layers can slide relative to each other, which contributes to the liquid character of the liquid crystal phase. Many smectic phases have been discovered, each smectic phase differs in the orientation and position of the mesogens.[15] Smectic phases are distinguished by letters; SmA, SmB, SmC etc. with SmA and SmC being the most common. Smectic phases are distinguished via the molecular orientation within the layers (figure 2).[16][17] Smectic A (SmA) mesophases have molecules aligned along a director field (n) and are parallel to the layer normal and in smectic C (SmC) mesophases the molecules are tilted at a certai n angle away from the layer normal.[17] Compounds exhibiting smectic mesophases are sometimes referred to as two dimensional liquids, since there is no positional order within each layer.[14] 1.2.3 Cholesteric Phases The cholesteric phase is the nematic phase only mesogens change orientation in a helical manner with respect to the director field (n). The director field in the cholesteric phase changes direction and is perpendicular to the direction of the helix. The chirality comes from the molecules orienting themselves into a helix; each layer is non-superimposable. Within the cholesteric mesophase is the pitch, which is defined as the distance between one mesogenic layer and another which has rotated 360  ° to the director field (figure 3). Figure 3: Representation of the cholesteric mesophase with the cholesteric pitch. The first observed liquid crystals based on cholesterol derivatives showed this mesophase type, which is where the mesophase name â€Å"cholesteric† originates.[1][2] 1.2.4 Chiral Liquid Crystals There are 3 main types of chiral liquid crystals. The first type was found with cholesterol benzoate (the first liquid crystal discovery) in which the molecule contains one or more stereocentres. These form liquid crystals with helical order in the mesophase. The second type contains two molecules; a chiral guest molecule and an achiral nematic molecule. These molecules are mixed together to form chiral cholesteric structures. In the third type, mesogens layer themselves perpendicular to each other forming a helix or twist. These molecules do not need to be chiral, as the perpendicular stacking form helixes, giving this third type the name twisted nematic. Twisted nematic phases are found in liquid crystal displays and chiral liquid crystals overall are useful in the field of stereochemistry, optics and material science.[12] 1.3 Ionic Liquid Crystals Knight and Shaw were the first to discover liquid crystals which were ionic in 1938; the compounds had a pyridinium cationic core and flexible alkyl chains attached.[18] Ionic liquid crystals possess properties characteristic of liquid crystals (molecular order, mobility, anisotropy of physical properties) and ionic liquids (conductivity, thermal stability)[19] making them very interesting and useful for ion conduction (aligned ionic liquids[20][21]), electroluminescence (which can be used in organic light emitting diodes), manufacturing of displays[10], spatial light modulators[22], optical connectors and switches[23], molecular sensors and detectors[24][25] References [1] F. Reinitzer, Monatsh Chem 1888, 9, 421–441. [2] O. Lehmann, Z Phys Chem 1889, 4, 462–472. [3] D. Vorlà ¤nder, Z Phys Chem 1923, 105, 211–254. [4] T. J. Sluckin, D. A. Dunmur, H. Stegemeyer, Crytals That Flow Classic Papers from the History of Liquid Crystals, 2004. [5] G. H. Heilmeier, L. A. Zanoni, L. A. Barton, Appl Phys Lett 1968, 13, 46–47. [6] M. Schadt, H. Seiberle, A. Schuster, Nature 1996, 381, 212–215. [7] M. Schadt, W. Helfrich, Appl Phys Lett 1971, 18, 127–128. [8] M. Schadt, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 2009, 48, 03B001. [9] H. Kawamoto, Process IEEE 2002, 90, 460–500. [10] M. A. Karim, Electro-Optical Displays, CRC Press, 1992. [11] P. Yeh, C. Gu, Optics of Liquid Crystal Displays, John Wiley Sons, 2010. [12] I. Dierking, in Textures Liq. Cryst., Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA, 2003, pp. i–xi. [13] P. J. Collings, J. S. Patel, Handbook of Liquid Crystal Research, Oxford University Press, 1997. [14] A. Jakli, A. Saupe, One- and Two-Dimensional Fluids: Properties of Smectic, Lamellar and Columnar Liquid Crystals, CRC Press, 2006. [15] C. Bahr, in Chirality Liq. Cryst. (Eds.: H.-S. Kitzerow, C. Bahr), Springer New York, 2001, pp. 223–250. [16] M. Barà ³n, Pure Appl. Chem. 2001, 73, DOI 10.1351/pac200173050845. [17] B. Chen, X. B. Zeng, U. Baumeister, S. Diele, G. Ungar, C. Tschierske, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 4621–4625. [18] G. A. Knight, B. D. Shaw, J. Chem. Soc. 1938, 682–683. [19] K. Binnemans, Chem. Rev. 2005, 105, 4148–4204. [20] T. Kato, Science 2002, 295, 2414–2418. [21] M. Yoshio, T. Kagata, K. Hoshino, T. Mukai, H. Ohno, T. Kato, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 5570–5577. [22] B. Bahadur, Liquid Crystals — Applications and Uses: (Volume 3), WORLD SCIENTIFIC, 1992. [23] J. L. De Bougrenet de la Tocnaye, Liq. Cryst. 2004, 31, 241–269. [24] A. Hussain, A. S. Pina, A. C. A. Roque, Biosens. Bioelectron. 2009, 25, 1–8. [25] C. Ohm, M. Brehmer, R. Zentel, Adv. Mater. 2010, 22, 3366–3387.

A Rose for Emily By William Faulkner :: Free Essay Writer

A Rose for Emily The following paper analyzes the William Faulkner story called A Rose for Emily. The paper discusses my thoughts and ideas about the story, and evaluates different elements of the story. The paper analyzes the style that the author uses in characterization, and a few specific methods used to convey the plot and lay out the scene mentally, giving specific examples in the story. Finally, I give my overall opinion of the story. I found the first paragraph very enticing; first drawing me in with the explanations of why all the townspeople attended her funeral. Then making me want to get a look into her house that only a few others had seen for so many years. The descriptions of the house with its â€Å"cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies† sparked memories of old houses in my neighborhood when I was growing up. The story quickly created strong mental images of contrasting scenery with the mention of the encroaching cotton gins, garages, and gas pumps around Emily’s grand, but decaying home on what the author calls a â€Å"select street†, (Xroads, 2005). The Author’s smooth use of imagery and language drew me deep into the story after only the first paragraph, and it just kept getting better. I enjoyed this story for a number of reasons, which included how the author laid out the plot. The story was not told in a chronological order, thus allowing relevant information to be pieced together in an interesting and different way. It started with Emily’s death, then jumped back in time and finally led to her ultimate demise. This play on time was carefully constructed so that it built suspense and anticipation in a way that a chronological story could not, (Xroads, 2005). I also enjoyed the story because of its gothic undertones. The author’s use of dark images such as the decaying mansion, dead bodies, and the morbid attraction of Emily to dead bodies was only part of the carefully crafted multi-layered story line that used descriptive language, characterization, and chronology to keep you on the edge of your seat, (Xroads, 2005). I also liked the way the author portrayed the characters in the story, especially Emily. One example is Emily’s characterization when she purchases the arsenic, looking through her â€Å"cold, haughty black eyes† which peer from a â€Å"face the flesh of which was strained across the temples and about the eye-sockets†, (Xroads, 2005).

The Ethical Dilemma of Euthanasia Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Ar

The Ethical Dilemma of Euthanasia An incredibly controversial issue clouds the minds of millions of people everyday as death confronts them. The problem revolves around the ethics of euthanasia. Should medical assisted suicide be outlawed in all situations or under certain circumstances, could it be considered ethical? Do humans violate nature’s course with science and advanced technology by playing God? Why should doctors and families witness their loved ones suffer when the solution of euthanasia promises a painless death? Authors Andrea E. Richardson and David Miller of the articles â€Å"Death with Dignity: The Ultimate Human Right† and â€Å"From Life to Death in a Peaceful Instant† reflect upon their experiences and feelings on these questions. In â€Å"Death with Dignity: The Ultimate Human Right,† Richardson introduces the reader to the depressing story about his father. His father, a good family man, had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which kept him in the hospital for weeks at a time. For this man, the painful and paralyzing experience destroyed both his joints and internal organs. Richardson sneaks the idea of euthanasia into his introduction by saying, â€Å"For others-for those like my father- death is an event clearly visible on the horizon. It is an event that is forecasted, feared, and at times yearned for† (Richardson, 42). Richardson then talks about the history of euthanasia by discussing the tribal ideals and medical techniques used thousands of years ago. â€Å"The discovery that certain berries had lethal effects was used as a means of humane euthanasia for people who were very ill or badly injured† (Richardson, 42). The author explains how medicine has evolved to the point where the... ...ge a person’s fate. Richardson supports his argument with various cases and concrete facts. He presents his case in both an interesting and informative manner because he didn’t just concentrate solely on his feelings of his father. Miller on the other hand focuses on his feelings towards his grandmother without supporting his cases with a sound argument. He makes his story too personal while ignoring the other side of the coin. This comes off as both arrogant and non-professional. Overall, these two articles support the pros of euthanasia, giving the reader a solid background to the ethical dilemma facing human beings today. Works Cited Miller, David. â€Å"From Life in Death in a Peaceful Instant.† The Humanist (May/ June 2000) 27 Richardson, Andrea E. â€Å"Death with Dignity: The Ultimate Human Right?† The Humanist (July/ Aug 2002) p. 42-43

Management of Having an Alcoholic Parent

Many kids feel that they can't do anything when a parent is an alcoholic. In fact, almost every kid who has a parent who is an alcoholic feels that there is nothing they can do. You are wrong. There are many things that you can do if you just think about the situation. If your father/mother is abusing you when he/she drinks there is much that you can do. What about if your mother/father are in denial and he/she will not listen to you when you tell them that they need counseling. There are many sides in which you can take in order to help them solve their problems. One way people can go around a certain situation is to confront the alcoholic. By doing this you can see if they are in denial with the subject. This may cause some tension is some cases, but it is worth it to know if they are in that state or not of denial. If you do ask them and they do say, â€Å"Yes† than you should talk with him or her and see what do you think that you should do in order to stop drinking. Some people will however, get the ideas that you are trying to run their lives, and make a big scene. If you just do it with out blaming the person and allow them to answer then they will understand and be cooperative about the matter. Another way to try and help an alcoholic is to get them into rehab or counseling. In many cases this is the best and most convenient way to help out him/her with their problem. By doing this you are realizing that the person or people have a problem, and need help. Some people will get offended in this matter, but that is the risk that you have to take. If they do get offended they should see that right there they need help. If they do not get mad or angry than maybe they did not have a problem at all, and you made a mistake. There are many counseling opportunities that one can go to in-order to get help. The people that end up going to rehab, are the ones that still remain having the problem. In many cases rehab only makes matters worse. It is a good idea in certain situations, but teenagers should not be going to these places. It makes them feel worse and causes them to drink more often. The other way that you can help an alcoholic parent is to do what they say. Sometimes kids feel that if they do what they say it gives them the gratitude of power. So some kids do not listen and that causes some of the parents to drink more often and frequently. This is one of the worst things that you can do when it comes to an alcoholic parent. Not listening to them makes them feel that you don't care about them at all. They think that you are thinking you can do what you want when you want to do it. It is not the case, but that is how an alcoholic parent sees it in his or her perspective. Yes there are many other ways you can approach an alcoholic parent, but these are the ways that I feel are most helpful. If you do come across and alcoholic the best thing you can do it to just be there for him/her when they need it.

Plato and Aristotle: An Analysis Essay

Determining the best form of political association was important to the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, and each of them expressed his opinion in important works such as the Republic and Politics. In explaining, comparing, and contrasting the political philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, it is evident that each of them shared the same goal of identifying and promoting the best form of political government. They also shared in common the same philosophy regarding the origins of a political state. The State arises, Plato says through Socrates in the Republic, â€Å"out of the needs of mankind. † (Plato) Aristotle agrees, and declares that the state is a political partnership that exists for purposes of self-sufficiency as well as for the sake of living well. In other words, the State exists in order to provide for the well-being of its citizens. Aristotle expresses this in Politics when he argues, â€Å"the good life is the purpose of the city-state. † (Aristotle) Furthermore, both Aristotle and Plato agreed that Man is by nature a political animal, because he has the ability to express his thoughts about justice. Their respective analyses reflected their respect for justice, and their elevation of it to the highest priority. In the Republic, Plato defines just political rule as a system in which each interest is satisfied to the proper extent and everyone has what is theirs. The philosophers have the knowledge they want; the warriors have the honors they want; and the commoners have the goods and pleasures they want, under the enlightened guidance of philosophers and warriors. The methods of Aristotle and Plato were similar in many ways. They both utilized logic, evaluations of contemporary politics, and lengthy comparisons of various types of political rule to arrive at their conclusions. As citizens of ancient Greece, they both shared much the same outlook on society, religion, morality, and politics. They also shared similar historical perspectives, and their perceptions of contemporary events were formed through the same philosophical context. One of the contrasts between their methods is that Plato used analogies to make his points. He examined a political state by comparing the state with the human soul. Unlike Aristotle, he also used a style of approach in which he made his points through dialogues involving Socrates. He also designed an ideal state run by people he referred to as â€Å"The Guardians† which differed from Aristotle’s approach in Politics, in which style and form more closely resembled an essay or monologue. In Politics, Aristotle emphasized that correct political rule involves pursuing policies which are to the common advantage of the most people. Aristotle reasoned that rulers who placed their own interests above everyone else’s had no political legitimacy, for their tyranny brought suffering upon their own people. Aristotle described the best forms of political rule as kingship, aristocracy and polity, and described the worst forms as tyranny, oligarchy and democracy. Plato was also harshly critical of tyranny, and described it in the Republic as, â€Å"not a matter of minor theft and violence, but of wholesale plunder, sacred and profane, private or public. † (Plato) Both men’s methods involved a comprehensive analysis of the consequences of each form of rule. Aristotle criticized Democracy because its consequences were rule by the multitude, which causes injustice. He criticized Oligarchy because its consequences were rule by the wealthy, which also causes injustice; and he criticized Tyranny because its consequences were dictatorship, which again causes injustice. In terms of the merits of the citizenry, Aristotle notes that the people may collectively be the best judges of certain things, so it is justified for them to take part in deliberations. But like Plato, he feels that the common people are not qualified to share in the highest offices. Both Plato and Aristotle also agree that laws need to be made in accordance with the regime, and agree that the more just a ruler is, the more just the laws will be. Essentially, both Aristotle and Plato asserted that the goal of politics should be justice. One difference between them is that Plato believed that the best claim to rule was education and virtue, although he conceded that there is also a claim to rule based on wealth and on numbers. Another difference is that Aristotle emphasized that the most important task for a leader was to be a lawgiver, and to frame the appropriate constitution for the city-state. In Aristotle’s system, it was the leader’s duty to provide enduring laws, customs, and institutions for the citizens. According to Aristotle, once the constitution was in place, the ruler needed to take the necessary steps to maintain it, to implement reforms when he considered them necessary, and to guard against any subversion of the political system. Aristotle’s emphasis on a constitution sets him apart from Plato, who considered philosopher kingship the best form of political rule. Aristotle described a constitution as â€Å"a certain ordering of the inhabitants of the city-state,† and as â€Å"the way of life† of the citizens. (Aristotle) He also speaks of the constitution of a community as â€Å"the form of the compound† and argues that whether the community is the same over time depends on whether it has the same constitution. (Aristotle) It should be noted that despite the fact that Aristotle’s political views were influenced by Plato, he was very critical of the ideal city-state set forth in Plato’s Republic. He based his criticism on the grounds that Plato’s ideal city-state overvalued political unity, embraced a system of communism that was impractical and inimical to human nature, and neglected the happiness of the individual citizens. In contrast, in Aristotle’s view of the ideal State each and every citizen would possess moral virtue and the equipment to carry it out in practice, and thereby attain a life of excellence and complete happiness. All of the citizens would hold political office and possess private property because â€Å"one should call the city-state happy not by looking at a part of it but at all the citizens. † (Aristotle) In conclusion, the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle were both concerned with identifying and promoting the best form of political association. In works such as the Republic and Politics, they used similar methods of analysis to evaluate the best form of political rule. For Aristotle, the best form of political rule corresponded to the best way of life for a human being. Since the best way of life is living nobly and according to virtue, the best political form of rule is the one which promotes this kind of life. For Plato, the best form of political rule was Aristocracy, for it involves rule by the best people in the political community. Bibliography Aristotle. Politics. New York: Dover Publications, 2000. Plato. Republic. New York: Viking Press, 1955.

Separation of Legal Personality and Lifting the Corporate Veil

This report covers the separation of legal personality and the lifting of the corporate veil from the cases of Salomon v A Salomon co ltd (1897), Catherine lee v Lee’s Air farming ltd (1960). Salomon v Salomon was the first principle case of its kind and its principle was that a limited company is a separate legal entity, in catherine lee v lee this case was reaffirmed, and Gilford Motors v Horne was the first law case to ‘pierce the corporate veil.WHAT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF separate CORPORATE PERSONALITY?There are 3 types of ownership generally speaking in the law context. There are sole traders, partnerships and companies. Sole traders are the sole owners to a business entity in which there is no legal distinction between the business and the owner. The owner receives all profits and is responsible for its debts as well. A partnership is when 2 or more parties agree to advance their interests. There are 2 types of partnership, which are the general partners and limited p artners. General partners are liable for all debts and obligations whereas the limited partners contribute working capital and are not liable for the debts of the business entity. There are 2 types of companies:Private limited company (LTD) & Public limited company (PLC)Private limited companies is usually owned by fewer people and usually are smaller businesses who do not trade in the stock exchange, their business accounts don’t need to be audited and their statements are also private, whereas public limited companies need to public their financial statements and get audited. The advantage of this type of ownership over others is that there is a limited liability of the owners of business as the business is a separate legal personality. meaning of limited liability?Limited liability is referring to the legal protection to shareholders, whether it be private or public limited companies in which the financial liability of every shareholder of the business entities is limited to the value of their fully paid shares, in short shareholders will not lose more than they put in, into the business. This is because the business itself is a legal entity on its own. Creditors can only sue the company for its assets, any unpaid capital and guaranteed capital. The company must declare its limited liability in its name and must provide financial information for the public inspection. the concept of separate legal personality.The contractual capacity is that a company can enter into any contract under its name and is also liable for such contracts. The separate business entity also has some legal powers, for example to sue on its own behalf and even suing its own members. It is a separate property and does not belong to any of its members. The company will still continue as normal even in the event of death to any of the owners or any transfer of any stock. The shares of the business entity are completely transferable and approvals are not required unless stated or a greed. The first principle case to arise is Salomon v A Salomon,Mr. A Salomon was a sole trader and was doing well as a sole trader. Mr. Salomon’s sons became interested in joining the business, so he incorporated his business to a limited liability company. Mr. Salomon sold his business for  £39,000 of which  £10,000 was debt to him; He kept 20,001 of the 20,007 shares, so he was principle shareholder and principle creditor. The company then went into liquidation and the liquidator then accused Mr. A Salomon of fraud and stated that the debentures used as a  security of the debt is invalid.The judge Vaughn Williams accepted his argument saying that â€Å"Mr. Salomon had created the company solely to transfer his business to it, the company in reality was his agent and he as principle was liable to debts.† The House of Lords ruling was to hold firmly the doctrine of corporate personality as is mentioned in the companies’ act 1862, it is so that creditors o f a failing company cannot take the shareholders to courts over an outstanding debt because the company is a separate legal entity. Another case that reaffirmed Salomon v Salomon is Catherine Lee v Lee Farming co. Geoffrey Lee had a farming company and held 2999 shares of the 3000, he was the sole director and chief pilot and unfortunately died in a plane crash.Mrs. Lee tried to claim for damages of  £2340 under the Workers Compensation Act (1922) for the death of her husband. The Privy Council advised Mrs. Lee that she is entitled to compensation, since it is possible Mr. Lee can have a contract with the company he owned. The company is a separate legal entity.It is generally the rule regarding limited companies that the entity is a separate legal personality. There are exceptions to this rule when the courts will not treat it as a separate legal entity, this is known as ‘lifting the corporate veil’. The courts will ignore the separate personality when there is fraud , or by statute, or whether it’s an enemy during wartime, or if there is an agency involved with complications or when there is a ‘tort’. The case of Gilford Motors v Horne where Mr. Horne was a former managing director at the Gilford motors, his employment contract clause 9 said he cannot solicit customers of the company if he were to leave employment.Mr. Horne was later fired, after that he set up his own business and undercut Gilford Motors prices, later being told he was possibly in breach of contract; he decided to set up a company in which his wife and friend are directors and only shareholders. Mr. Horne later sent out fliers which read â€Å"Spares and service for all models of Gilford vehicles. 170 Hornsey Lane, Highgate, N. 6. Opposite Crouch End Lane†¦ No connection with any other firm†. This company had no contract with Gilford Motors about not competing but Gilford Motors did bring up actions that needed attention from the courts, Which w as that the company was being used as an instrument of  fraud.The Court of appeal did grant the injunction and Lord Hanworth mentioned â€Å"the purpose of it was to enable him, under the cloak or sham, to engage business on consideration of agreement, was one the former employees would object to†. Since the Adams v Cape indsutries case courts have changed their attitude and made the salomon principle a lot stronger. Courts will be more likely to lift the corporate veil when the court is having a look at a statute, or contracts. The court must be satisfied that the company is a faà §ade and which should show abuse of the corporate form. Another way the courts will decide to lift the veil is if it can be proven that the company is an authorized agent of its controllers or members.

Racism in the African-American Community Essay

Abstract Racism is today perceived as a social and baseless evil that tries to undermine certain individuals based on their skin color. It is entirely evident that the U. S. still suffers from some traces of racism, but surprisingly, a big majority of these cases come from the African-American communities. While many people hold the opinion that the African-Americans are the ones that are always on the receiving end, new polls reveal that they are the ones who show more racist behavior than the whites. This paper addresses some of the reasons that lead to racism among the African-American communities and also outlines how this transition slowly came into place after the advent of the 20th century. Additionally, this paper covers the consequences of this menace and its impact on the kind of peace that is present in today’s free states. Ultimately, this text tries to draw a line on the distinctive barrier between what African-Americans call racism and how Americans perceive the same social evil. It also explains why racism by itself is baseless and bears no meaning to the parties involved. RACISM 3 Racism in the African-American Community Racism is a social evil that came as a result of slavery that began in the United States immediately after English colonists inhabited Virginia and remained there until the Thirteenth Amendment to the constitution of the U. S. was passed in 1865. During the 90’s more African-Americans underwent oppression from the Americans as the peak of racism was evident during these years more than ever. However, recent polls from Rasmussen reveal an entirely different perspective of the current racism situation in America. The report by Rasmussen indicated that many Americans believe that blacks are indeed more racist than Caucasians. Additionally, the report stated that a huge percent of African-Americans believe that more blacks are indeed racist than whites, and this is backed up by Norton (2011). This report, however, ended up being skewered and mocked by some people as they saw it to be untrue. This calls for a serious assessment into what is the main cause of this drift into racism in the African-American community and how this will impact people’s relationship. Also, it pushes for the need to better understand how racism itself managed to stay alive through the years despite the fact that such practices were long left behind in the recent years. Reasons for Racism Clearly, the deep trail of racism in African-Americans can be coined from the fact that blacks first faced oppression from the whites and this is what led to the ill-bred feeling among African-Americans. However, there are up to three more reasons why African-Americans are turning out to be more racist than Caucasians. These happen to be the most flagrant and thus top the list when it comes to the factors that result into racism. RACISM 4 First, racism in the African-American community may merely be as a result of different stereotypes. The media is also responsible for fueling this kind of attitude towards African-Americans since it is through televisions, radios, and the internet that most people discover the underlying menace. Ornelas et al. (2009) maintain that whenever young African-Americans are exposed to certain stereotypes, they tend to mimic most of these traits and in turn become negative towards people from other races. In fact, most of these stereotypes are surprisingly among the influential African Americans in the country. During the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior’s historic speech, black activists displayed exactly this kind of behavior. This was evident through Martin Luther King III who used this opportunity to stir up racial hatred instead of honoring the work of his father. Another reason for the prevalence of racism amongst the African-American community is the unfamiliarity that is present among newborns and how they are treated in the real world. This is probably the main reason why African-Americans are slowly displaying racist behavior (Okazaki, 2009). However, this doesn’t always happen, but only after the innocent party has been brainwashed by negative stereotypes. A workaround for this is to ensure that children are exposed to people from different races at a young age so that they could get used to being around people who they deem different. This additionally helps in counterbalancing any negative and untrue stereotypes that may present themselves in the future. Selfishness, coupled with pain and anger, is also another valid reason why racism is on the rise among African-Americans (Lambert, 2009). Selfishness may have depicted itself among white people in the past, however, the case is different today. The sad truth is that this selfishness led to the creation of negative stereotypes that ultimately led to a new line of different-minded persons (Martin, 2011). Also, selfishness comes in when an African-American would feel more RACISM 5 compelled to spend more time around people of the same skin color because they he/she may have been exposed only to African-Americans during childhood age. Selfishness coupled with rage for the people who inflicted pain on their forefathers leads to hatred that is directed to white people. Why Racism among African-Americans Will Not End Soon Recently, renowned television icon Oprah Winfrey stepped up to state that racism will only end when old racists perish (Newsbusters. org, 2014). While this sounds logical from one perspective, it fails to address the fact that these stereotypes will never cease to exist any time soon. In most cases, racists will always give birth to racists and the cycle is perpetual. Therefore, despite attempts to curb racism in the African-American community, this menace is still too far from being over as new racists will always come back to replace their mothers and fathers. It is also worth noting that this doesn’t only happen among the African-Americans, but also among the whites as well. Another reason why racism among the African-Americans is far from being over is because they are seen to put so much emphasis on themselves whenever the word â€Å"racism† is mentioned. During the same interview that was conducted by BBC Friday, Winfrey’s comment â€Å"Are there places where people still get terrorized just because of the color of their black skin color? † further showed how most people only view racism in the eyes of how blacks are treated. Looking at the problem this narrowly makes it more difficult to end the menace as the racism chain won’t end if everyone simply defended their skin colors (Bonilla-Silva, 2010). In sum, it can be seen that racism in the African-American community can only be contained but certainly not dealt away with within a year. RACISM 6 How Racism Can Be Contained The fact that racism is not ending in the near future doesn’t necessarily mean that nothing can be done about it. It will certainly take years for the world to heal from this habit, but there are small but significant ways of ensuring that racism slowly fades away in the African-American communities. The first is by educating young African-Americans to reject any form of history of America that has elements of slavery in it (Shelby, 2009). By reminding the blacks about slavery may induce a feeling of resentment towards white people despite the fact that slavery ended decades ago. African Americans also bear the responsibility of desisting from using derisive words such as â€Å"nigger† or any variations associated to it (Cone, 2010). This is because when blacks utter these words, they also tend to inflict the same kind of attitude in people from other races. Additionally, African-Americans should cease supporting black-only institutions or media houses such as BET and Ebony magazine. Generally, anything that depicts the word â€Å"black† should be avoided since it strikes a line between how different Caucasians are from African-Americans, something that is not true (Boykin, 2012). Finally, African-Americans should learn to appreciate the art of decent dressing and totally avoid the use of Ebonics, an African-American slang that is widely used among black individuals. While this may seem far-fetched, it is one step away from ending racism since it shows that even African Americans are trying to fit in with the whites and simply not creating a larger barrier. Collaboration with law enforcement agencies will also be a huge step because this additionally shows that they too are concerned about the well-being of their neighbors and their security as well. RACISM 7 Consequences of Racism Should African-American racism persist, there are a number of things that could happen. Hatred between African-Americans and whites would cause a drift between them, and this could easily spread to people from other races as well. The levels of cooperation would plummet and at the end of the day, nothing would get done (Pieterse, 2010). Other than stirred levels of cooperation, it is likely that some people might get displaced from their homes especially when lands start being claimed by the original inhabitants of a place. Discrimination also leads to poor mental health. In 2009, a Cornwell News Study conducted a study on the effects of racism and results showed that poor mental health is possible and it comes as a result of chronic exposure to discrimination (Brondolo, 2009). Ultimately, there would be total havoc if racism were to have its way for there would be zero tolerance for someone with a different skin color regardless of that person’s character. Wars could easily erupt between black individuals and white individuals, and a drift will end up crippling collaboration between people and thus resulting to a sluggish economy. In summary, there is no place for racism today. It has proved to be a social evil that discriminates individuals based on their color rather than character. Racism, however is seen to come from three main factors which include: unfamiliarity among people of different outlooks, selfishness among people of different colors who only wish for their people to benefit, and the presence of certain stereotypes that are transfixed to the racial practice. It is also mandatory to acknowledge the fact that racism is not an evil that could possibly end overnight because certain individuals have inclined it to a specific group of people and not everyone in general. As such, there will always be complaints regarding racist behavior since most individuals are readily RACISM 8 prepared to cry out for their rights without considering that other people may be facing bigger challenges than them. One way of containing racism would be to ensure that the racist stereotype is dealt away with completely or segregated from children who could easily pick up the negative racist behavior from their elders. Additionally, African-Americans also have a big role to play in ending this discrimination since they seem to be creating a drift between black individuals and white individuals when they only support their brands such as the BET channel and the popular Ebony magazine. The consequences of racism in the African-American community are also grave as they can result to a much bigger drift between whites and blacks in which it would be easy for some people to be displaced from their homes and even be denied jobs. Possibilities of wars are also very high since there would be zero tolerance to a person who doesn’t respect another person just because of their skin color. RACISM 9 Annotated Bibliography Bonilla-Silva, E. (2010). Racism Without Racists: Color-blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States;[new Chapter on the Obama Phenomenon]. Rowman & Littlefield. In this book, Bonilla-Silva, E outlines how racism can persist without the presence or racists themselves. It shows the reality of racism in today’s world and explains the roots of racism and racial inequality in the United States with a lot of emphasis on U. S. president Barrack Obama and the challenges that are faced at the presidential level. Boykin, K. (2012). ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS (BLACK AND GAY IN AMERICA). Boykin, K explains the different challenges that blacks have to face when seeking their true identity in the U.S. and what life means for them in the U. S. The book goes further to explain how gay African-Americans find it challenging to fit in a world that already has more than enough hurdles to cross and enough reasons to make the weak quit. Brondolo, E. , ver Halen, N. B. , Pencille, M. , Beatty, D. , & Contrada, R. J. (2009). Coping with racism: A selective review of the literature and a theoretical and methodological critique. Journal of behavioral medicine, 32(1), 64-88. This book gives an overview on the way that African Americans try to cope with the kind of racism that they are subjected to in the U. S. It greatly focuses on the impact of this kind of discrimination on the African Americans and what this means for them. Brondolo, E also highlights key factors that cause this racism. Cone, J. H. (2010). A black theology of liberation. Orbis Books. Cone’s A black theology of liberation highlights the Christian-based perspective of oppressed blacks but mainly looks at the Cone’s own reflections on black theology. The book goes ahead to explain how racism can be ridded and it also looks at some of the roots of racism itself. Cone also relives the liberation process that led to the freedom of the blacks, but the book also highlights the hidden traces of racism that are still evident today. Lambert, S. F. , Herman, K. C. , Bynum, M. S. , & Ialongo, N. S. (2009). Perceptions of racism and depressive symptoms in African American adolescents: The role of perceived academic and social control. Journal of youth and adolescence, 38(4), 519-531. This book reviews some of the underlying factors that lead to depression in African American adolescents as a result of heavy subjection to discrimination from racism. The book also briefly touches on some of the causes of racism and explains how racism develops in young people and its impact as they become older. Martin, M. J. , McCarthy, B. , Conger, R. D. , Gibbons, F. X. , Simons, R. L. , Cutrona, C. E. , & Brody, G. H. (2011). The enduring significance of racism: Discrimination and delinquency among black American youth. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(3), 662-676. Martin, M. J. and other writers analyze the impacts of racism in the African American community and explains its significance in cultivating the kind of peace that is evident in today’s time. His main focus, however, lies in the discrimination of black American RACISM 10 youth by the whites and what this causes in the long run. He establishes how the negative stereotypes are formed as a result of the discrimination that the youths face. Newsbusters. org. (2014). Oprah: racists have to die for racism to end | newsbusters. org [online] Retrieved from: http://newsbusters. org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/11/15/oprah-racists-have-die-racism-end [Accessed: 8 Feb 2014]. This article outlines a transcript from an interview between Oprah Winfrey and BBC Friday regarding racism. In the article, Oprah is asked about her views on racism and various ways in which she thinks would put an end to the perpetual menace that has crippled our world today. The article also outlines an important factor that shows why racism won’t end soon, and how the African Americans are fueling the perpetuating racism act. Norton, M. I. , & Sommers, S. R. (2011). Whites see racism as a zero-sum game that they are now losing. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(3), 215-218. Norton, M. I. , & Sommers, S. R. reveal the truth behind what whites really perceive as racism today and the effects of racism in a world that has moved way ahead of racism. The two authors go further to explain why racism among the whites is baseless and bears no real truth or inner meaning other than the fact that it is a social evil that once existed in the past. Okazaki, S. (2009). Impact of racism on ethnic minority mental health. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4(1), 103-107. Okazaki explains the effects of racism on the mental health of the minority in the state. He also outlines some of the other non-health related mishaps that come as a result of social oppression. In his book, he states what would eventually happen if racism were to go on without showing any signs of ending soon. He however focuses on the effect this would have on the ethnic minority. Ornelas, I. J. , Amell, J. , Tran, A. N. , Royster, M. , Armstrong-Brown, J. , & Eng, E. (2009). Understanding African American men’s perceptions of racism, male gender socialization, and social capital through photovoice. Qualitative health research, 19(4), 552-565. This book tries to understand African American men’s perceptions of racism and the new trend of some African Americans feeling more racially discriminated than people of other races. It also highlights some of the reasons that lead to the prevalence of this notion among African Americans. Ornelas also explains why racism is a social evil that cannot be expelled overnight. Pieterse, A. L. , & Carter, R. T. (2010). The role of racial identity in perceived racism and psychological stress among Black American adults: Exploring traditional and alternative approaches. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40(5), 1028-1053. Pieterse, along with Carter seek to understand how racism is perceived by African American individuals aged over 21 years. Their book also strives to find the deeper meaning as to why racism is a bigger matter than we thought of it. It also explains reasons why getting rid of racism would be a great feat. RACISM 11 Shelby, T. (2009). We who are dark: The philosophical foundations of black solidarity. Harvard University Press. We who are dark tries to relive the African American history in an attempt to unite blacks. It emphasizes on the importance of dealing away with racism and living in unity as one big family. Shelby’s book also highlights the key differences between the perceptions of both whites and blacks with regard to racism. It also shows us how history has helped in cultivating black solidarity.

Blood Promise Chapter TwentyFive

I’d had to finally accept my Dimitri’s death. This one was a Strigoi. There was no future with him. I would not join him. That still didn’t make some part of me want to stop and lie down beside him, though, or at the very least see what happened next. After that initial surprise, his features and breathing had gone still, giving the illusion of death. That’s all it was, however-an illusion. I’d seen it before. I probably had five minutes at most before he healed up and shook this off. I had no time to mourn for what was and what might have been. I had to act now. No hesitation. I ran my hands over him, searching his clothes for anything that might be of use. I found a set of keys and some cash. I pocketed the keys and started to leave the cash but realized I might actually need it on the off chance I escaped this place. My own money had been taken when I arrived. I also swept up some of the jewelry on the table. Finding buyers for that kind of thing in big Russian cities wasn’t too difficult. If I made it to said city. I stood up off the bed and gave Dimitri one last pained look. A few of the tears I’d hidden from him earlier now ran down my face. That was all I could allow myself. If I had a later, I’d mourn then. Before leaving, my gaze lingered on the stake. I wanted to take it with me; it was my only weapon. Pulling it out would mean he’d wake up in about a minute. I needed the extra time. With a sigh, I turned my back on him, hoping I’d find a weapon elsewhere. I sprinted over to the suite’s door and punched in the code again. It unlocked, and I stepped into the corridor. Before going to the next door, I examined the one I’d just stepped through. To get into the suite, there was another keypad. Entry also required a code. Backing up a little, I struck and kicked the keypad as hard as I could. I did it twice more, until the tiny red light on it went out. I didn’t know if that would affect the lock on the inside of the suite, but in the movies, damaging electronic locks always seemed to work. Turning my attention to the next lock, I tried to remember the numbers Inna had told me. They weren’t etched as strongly in my head as the first. I punched in seven numbers. The little light stayed red. â€Å"Damn.† It was possible she’d lied about this set, but somehow, I suspected my memory was the culprit here. I tried again, knowing the clock was ticking on how long I had until Dimitri came after me. The red light flashed again. What were those numbers? I tried to visualize them in my head and finally decided I wasn’t entirely sure about the last two. I reversed their order the next time I put in the code. The light flashed green, and the door unlocked. Of course, there was a security system of a different sort outside. A Strigoi. And not just any Strigoi: It was Marlen. The one I’d tortured in the alley. The one who hated me because I’d disgraced him in front of Galina. He was clearly on guard duty and looked as though he’d expected a boring night. Me coming out the door was a shock. That gave me, oh, about a millisecond of surprise. My first thought was to just run at him with as much brute strength as I could. I knew he would do the same to me. In fact†¦ that was exactly what he’d do. I stayed where I was, standing so that I could keep the door propped open. He came at me to stop my escape, and I stepped aside, pulling the door open wider. Now, I was neither skilled enough nor was he inept enough to simply get lured in. He stopped in the doorway, trying to get hold of me. This gave me the difficult task of trying to both fend him off and drag him into the corridor behind the door. I stepped back into the doorway, hoping he’d follow. All the while, I had to keep the door open. It was all complicated, and I would have no time to punch in the code again. We fought in the confined space. The biggest thing I had going for me was that Marlen appeared to be a young Strigoi, which made sense. Galina would want to keep around henchmen she could control. Of course, Strigoi strength and speed compensated for a lack of experience. The fact that he had been a Moroi once also meant he probably had very little training. That also was a bonus for me. Dimitri was a badass Strigoi because he’d trained as a fighter before being turned. This guy had not. So, Marlen got a couple punches in on me, one coming dangerously close to my eye. The other caught me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me for half a second. But most of the time, I was able to dodge him pretty well. This seemed to infuriate him. Getting beat up by a teenage girl didn’t really score you cool points when you were a Strigoi. At one point, I even faked him out in one direction and came at him with a surprise kick -easier to do than I’d expected in that damned dress-that knocked him back a few steps. I just barely managed to keep my hand in the door when I did it, but that was all I needed. His stumble gave me a few seconds to slip out the door and into the main hall. Unfortunately, when I tried to close it, he was already trying to come through. With my hands, I tried to pull the door shut while kicking him back inside. We struggled this way for a while, and thanks to whatever luck I had left, I got the door closed enough so that only his arm was sti cking through. Bracing myself, I pulled the door toward me in one huge, forceful movement. It slammed into Marlen’s wrist. I half expected to see his hand detach and pop into the hall, but he’d jerked it back. Even Strigoi had certain instincts to avoid pain. Gasping-my physical strength still wasn’t all it could be-I backed up. If he knew the code, this had been for nothing. A moment later, the door’s handle shook but didn’t open. I heard a scream of rage, and then his fists beat on the door. Score one for me. No, score one for luck. If he’d known the code, I would have been Thud. Marlen was still beating on the door, and I saw the tiniest dent appear on the metallic surface. â€Å"Oh, crap,† I said. I didn’t stick around to see how many hits it’d take him to break it down. I also realized that even if I’d disabled the first lock, Dimitri would just be able to break that one down too. Dimitri†¦ No. I absolutely couldn’t think of him now. As I ran down the hall, heading toward the stairs Dimitri and I traveled before, an unexpected memory suddenly popped into my head. When Dimitri had last threatened Nathan, he’d mentioned getting my stake out of a vault. What vault was that exactly? Was it here on the premises? If so, I certainly didn’t have time to look. When weighing the option to search a four-story house full of vampires or run off into the countryside before they found you†¦ well, the choice was clear. And it was in the midst of that thought process that I ran into a human at the top of the stairs. He was older than Inna and carrying a stack of linens that he dropped when we collided. With almost no pause, I grabbed hold of him and swung him against the wall. I had no weapon to threaten him with and wondered how I’d assert my will now. Yet as soon as I had him pinned, he threw up his hands in a defensive gesture and began whimpering in Russian. There’d be no attacks on me here. Of course, now I had the problem of communicating what I needed. Marlen was still beating on the door, and Dimitri would be up in a couple of minutes. I glared at the human, hoping I looked terrifying. From his expression, I did. I attempted the caveman talk I had with Inna†¦ only this time the message was a little harder. â€Å"Stick,† I said in Russian. I had no clue what the word for stake was. I pointed at the silver ring I wore and made a slashing motion. â€Å"Stick. Where?† He stared at me in utter confusion and then asked, in perfect English, â€Å"Why are you talking like that?† â€Å"Oh for God’s sake,† I exclaimed. â€Å"Where is the vault?† â€Å"Vault?† â€Å"A place they keep weapons?† He continued staring. â€Å"I’m looking for a silver stake.† â€Å"Oh,† he said. â€Å"That.† Uneasily, he cast his eyes in the direction of the pounding. I pushed him harder against the wall. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest, but I tried to hide it. I wanted this guy to think I was invincible. â€Å"Ignore him. Take me to the vault. Now!† With a frightened yelp, he nodded eagerly and beckoned me down the stairs. We descended to the second floor and made a sharp turn. The halls here were as twisty as the hedge maze Dimitri had shown me, all decorated in that gold and chandelier style, and I wondered if I’d even be able to get out of the house. Attempting this detour was a risk, but I wasn’t sure if I could get outside without being followed. If I was, there’d be a confrontation. I’d need to defend myself. The human led me down another hall and yet another. Finally, we reached a door that looked like any other. He stopped and peered at me expectantly. â€Å"Open it,† I said. He shook his head. â€Å"I don’t have the key.† â€Å"Well, I certainly don’t-wait.† I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys I’d lifted from Dimitri. There were five keys on the ring. I tried them one at a time, and on the third one, I got a hit. The door opened. Meanwhile, my guide was casting hasty glances behind him and looked ready to bolt. â€Å"Don’t even think about it,† I warned. He blanched and stayed put. The room before us wasn’t very big, and while its plush white carpet and silver framed paintings made it look elegant, the room was†¦ well, basically, it looked like a junkyard. Boxes and weird objects-a lot of personal items like watches and rings in particular-lay around in no order. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"Magic,† he said, still obviously scared out of his mind. â€Å"Magic items kept here to fade or be destroyed.† Magic†¦ ah. These were items charmed by Moroi magic. Charms always had some kind of effect on Strigoi-usually unpleasant-with stakes being the worst, since they used all four physical elements. It made sense that Strigoi would want to isolate harmful objects and get rid of â€Å"My stake!† I ran forward and picked it up, nearly dropping it because my hands were so sweaty. The stake was lying on top of a box with a length of cloth and some weird stones. Studying it, I realized it wasn’t actually my stake-not that it made a difference for killing Strigoi. This stake was almost identical, save for a small geometric pattern running around its base. It was something guardians did from time to time if they felt particularly attached to their stake: have a design or initials etched into it. Holding this stake, I felt a momentary pang of sadness. This had belonged to someone who’d wielded it proudly once, someone who was now most likely dead. God only knew how many other dozens of stakes were in here, seized from other unfortunate prisoners, but I had no time to search or mourn those who had died. â€Å"Okay, now I want you to take me to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. Even with a stake, it’d be a lot better for me if I didn’t face any more Strigoi. I had to assume there’d still be a guard at the front door. â€Å"†¦ Some room on this floor with a window that actually opens. And is far from the stairs.† The guy thought for a moment and then gave a quick nod. â€Å"This way.† I followed him through another maze of twisting corridors. â€Å"What’s your name?† â€Å"Oleg.† â€Å"You know,† I said. â€Å"I’m getting out of here†¦ if you want†¦ if you want, I could take you with me.† Having someone else-a human, particularly -would definitely slow me down. Yet, my conscience wouldn’t let me leave anyone behind in this place. He gave me an incredulous glance. â€Å"Why would I want to do that?† Sydney had definitely been right about humans making great sacrifices for immortality. Oleg and Inna were living proof. We rounded a corner and came face-to-face with an elaborate set of French doors. Through the etched glass, I could see book-lined shelves, stretching all the way up the walls. A library-a huge one that extended on and on, out of my sight. Better yet, I saw a large bay window opposite me, framed in heavy satin curtains the color of blood. â€Å"Perfect,† I said, pushing open the doors. That was when the nausea hit me. We weren’t alone in the room. Galina sprang up from a chair near the fireplace on the far side of the room. A book dropped from her lap. I had no time to dwell on the oddity of a Strigoi having a fireside read, because she was coming right toward me. I almost might have thought Oleg had set me up, but he was cowering in a corner, his face mirroring the shock I felt. Despite the library’s enormous size, she reached me in seconds. I dodged her initial attack-or tried to, at least. She was fast. Aside from Dimitri, the other Strigoi in this house were clearly the B-team, and I had forgotten just how badass a truly skilled Strigoi was. She caught me by my arm and swung me toward her, mouth open and fangs going straight for my neck. I had the stake in my hand and tried awkwardly to at least scratch her with it, but she was holding me too tightly. At last, I managed to duck a little and move my throat out of her range, but all this did was give her the opportunity to grab hold of my hair. She jerked me upright, and I screamed in pain. How she managed to hold onto my hair without ripping it right out was remarkable. Still gripping it, she shoved me into a wall. When I’d first fought with Dimitri upon my arrival, he’d been rough but hadn’t wanted to kill me. Galina did. She’d taken it on faith from Dimitri that I’d be an asset, but it was obvious now that I was a real pain in the ass. Her amnesty had ended, and she was intent on killing me. I at least had the comfort of knowing she probably wouldn’t turn me into a Strigoi. I’d be lunch. A shout suddenly drew my attention to the door. Dimitri stood there, face blazing with anger. Whatever illusions I’d harbored about him being his former self disappeared. That fury radiated around him, his eyes narrowed and fangs showing. The pale skin and red eyes contrasted sharply against each other. He was like a demon sent straight from hell to destroy me. He strode toward us, and the immediate thought in my head was: Well, at least this’ll end things that much faster. Except†¦ it wasn’t me he attacked. It was Galina. I’m not sure which of us was more surprised, but in that moment, I was totally forgotten. The Strigoi raced toward each other, and I froze, stunned at the terrible beauty of their fight. There was almost a gracefulness to the way they moved, the way they struck out and skillfully dodged each other. I stared a bit longer and then mentally slapped myself into action. This was my chance to get out of here. I couldn’t get distracted. I turned to the bay window, searching frantically for a means to open it. There was none. â€Å"Son of a bitch!† Maybe Oleg had set me up after all. Or maybe there was just some mechanism that wasn’t apparent to me. Regardless, I felt pretty confident there was one way to get it open. I ran to the side of the room where Galina had sat and grabbed an ornate wooden chair. It was obvious this window wasn’t made of the hard-core glass that had been in my room. This stuff was similar to the library’s French doors, delicate and engraved with fanciful designs, even though darkly tinted. It couldn’t require that much force to break. After all that fruitless beating in my room, I took a kind of smug satisfaction in slamming the chair into it with as much force as possible. The impact made a huge hole in one side of the window, glass spraying everywhere. A few shards hit my face, but it was nothing to concern me now. Behind me, the sounds of battle raged on. There were grunts and muffled cries as they fought, as well as the occasional sound of some piece of broken furniture. I yearned to turn around and see what was going on, but I couldn’t. I took the chair and swung again, breaking the other half of the window. There was now a huge hole, perfect for me to get out of. â€Å"Rose!† Dimitri’s voice triggered some instinctive response in me. I glanced back and saw him still grappling with Galina. They were both exhausted, but it was clear he was getting the worst of it. But in their fighting, he kept trying to restrain her in a way that exposed her chest to me. His eyes met mine. Back when he’d been a dhampir, we’d rarely needed words to convey our thoughts. This was one of those times. I knew what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to stake her. I knew I shouldn’t. I needed to hop out that window right now. I needed to let them keep fighting, even though it seemed obvious Galina was about to win. And yet†¦ despite my misgivings, some force drew me across the room, stake poised and ready. Maybe it was because I would never fully lose my pull to Dimitri, no matter what kind of monster he’d become. Maybe it was an unconscious sense of duty, since I knew he’d just saved my life. Or maybe it was because I knew one Strigoi was going to die tonight, and she was the more dangerous. But she wasn’t easy to get hold of. She was fast and strong, and he was having a hard time with her. She kept wriggling around, trying to renew her attack. All she’d need to do was incapacitate him as I had; then it’d just require decapitation or burning to finish him off. I had no doubt she could arrange either. He managed to turn her slightly, giving me the best view of her chest I’d had. I moved forward-and then Dimitri slammed into me. I was addled for a moment, wondering why he’d attack me after saving me, until I realized he’d been pushed-by Nathan. Nathan had just entered the library, along with Marlen. It distracted Dimitri but not me. I still had the opening he’d given me on Galina, and I plunged my stake into her chest. It didn’t go in as deeply as I would have liked, and she still managed to fight me, bucking hard. I grimaced and pushed forward, knowing the silver had to be affecting her. A moment later, I saw the pain twist her face. She faltered, and I pushed my advantage, shoving the stake in all the way. It took several seconds, but she eventually stopped moving, her body crumpling to the ground. If the other Strigoi noticed her death, they didn’t pay attention. Nathan and Marlen were fixated on Dimitri. Another Strigoi-a female I didn’t recognize-soon joined the face-off. I jerked my stake out of Galina and slowly began backing toward the window, hoping I wouldn’t attract too much attention. My heart went out to Dimitri. He was outnumbered. I could possibly lend my strength and help him fight†¦ Of course, my strength was fading. I was still suffering from days of vampire bites and blood loss. I’d fought two Strigoi tonight and killed a powerful one. That had been my good deed, removing her from the world. The next best thing I could do would be to leave and let these Strigoi finish off Dimitri. The surviving ones would be leaderless and less of a threat. Dimitri would be free of this evil state, his soul finally able to move on to better places. And I would live (hopefully), having helped the world by killing more Strigoi. I bumped against the windowsill and looked out. Nighttime-not good. The sheer side of the manor was not ideal for climbing, either. It could be done, but it would be time consuming. I didn’t have any more time. Directly below the window was a thickly leafed bush of some sort. I couldn’t see it clearly and only hoped it wasn’t a rosebush or something equally sharp. A second floor drop wouldn’t kill me, though. Probably wouldn’t even hurt-much. I climbed over the ledge, briefly meeting Dimitri’s gaze as the other Strigoi moved in on him. The words came to me again: Don’t hesitate. Dimitri’s important lesson. But it hadn’t been his first one. His first had been about what to do if I was outnumbered and out of options: Run. Time for me to run. I leapt out the window. Blood Promise Chapter TwentyFive I’d had to finally accept my Dimitri’s death. This one was a Strigoi. There was no future with him. I would not join him. That still didn’t make some part of me want to stop and lie down beside him, though, or at the very least see what happened next. After that initial surprise, his features and breathing had gone still, giving the illusion of death. That’s all it was, however-an illusion. I’d seen it before. I probably had five minutes at most before he healed up and shook this off. I had no time to mourn for what was and what might have been. I had to act now. No hesitation. I ran my hands over him, searching his clothes for anything that might be of use. I found a set of keys and some cash. I pocketed the keys and started to leave the cash but realized I might actually need it on the off chance I escaped this place. My own money had been taken when I arrived. I also swept up some of the jewelry on the table. Finding buyers for that kind of thing in big Russian cities wasn’t too difficult. If I made it to said city. I stood up off the bed and gave Dimitri one last pained look. A few of the tears I’d hidden from him earlier now ran down my face. That was all I could allow myself. If I had a later, I’d mourn then. Before leaving, my gaze lingered on the stake. I wanted to take it with me; it was my only weapon. Pulling it out would mean he’d wake up in about a minute. I needed the extra time. With a sigh, I turned my back on him, hoping I’d find a weapon elsewhere. I sprinted over to the suite’s door and punched in the code again. It unlocked, and I stepped into the corridor. Before going to the next door, I examined the one I’d just stepped through. To get into the suite, there was another keypad. Entry also required a code. Backing up a little, I struck and kicked the keypad as hard as I could. I did it twice more, until the tiny red light on it went out. I didn’t know if that would affect the lock on the inside of the suite, but in the movies, damaging electronic locks always seemed to work. Turning my attention to the next lock, I tried to remember the numbers Inna had told me. They weren’t etched as strongly in my head as the first. I punched in seven numbers. The little light stayed red. â€Å"Damn.† It was possible she’d lied about this set, but somehow, I suspected my memory was the culprit here. I tried again, knowing the clock was ticking on how long I had until Dimitri came after me. The red light flashed again. What were those numbers? I tried to visualize them in my head and finally decided I wasn’t entirely sure about the last two. I reversed their order the next time I put in the code. The light flashed green, and the door unlocked. Of course, there was a security system of a different sort outside. A Strigoi. And not just any Strigoi: It was Marlen. The one I’d tortured in the alley. The one who hated me because I’d disgraced him in front of Galina. He was clearly on guard duty and looked as though he’d expected a boring night. Me coming out the door was a shock. That gave me, oh, about a millisecond of surprise. My first thought was to just run at him with as much brute strength as I could. I knew he would do the same to me. In fact†¦ that was exactly what he’d do. I stayed where I was, standing so that I could keep the door propped open. He came at me to stop my escape, and I stepped aside, pulling the door open wider. Now, I was neither skilled enough nor was he inept enough to simply get lured in. He stopped in the doorway, trying to get hold of me. This gave me the difficult task of trying to both fend him off and drag him into the corridor behind the door. I stepped back into the doorway, hoping he’d follow. All the while, I had to keep the door open. It was all complicated, and I would have no time to punch in the code again. We fought in the confined space. The biggest thing I had going for me was that Marlen appeared to be a young Strigoi, which made sense. Galina would want to keep around henchmen she could control. Of course, Strigoi strength and speed compensated for a lack of experience. The fact that he had been a Moroi once also meant he probably had very little training. That also was a bonus for me. Dimitri was a badass Strigoi because he’d trained as a fighter before being turned. This guy had not. So, Marlen got a couple punches in on me, one coming dangerously close to my eye. The other caught me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me for half a second. But most of the time, I was able to dodge him pretty well. This seemed to infuriate him. Getting beat up by a teenage girl didn’t really score you cool points when you were a Strigoi. At one point, I even faked him out in one direction and came at him with a surprise kick -easier to do than I’d expected in that damned dress-that knocked him back a few steps. I just barely managed to keep my hand in the door when I did it, but that was all I needed. His stumble gave me a few seconds to slip out the door and into the main hall. Unfortunately, when I tried to close it, he was already trying to come through. With my hands, I tried to pull the door shut while kicking him back inside. We struggled this way for a while, and thanks to whatever luck I had left, I got the door closed enough so that only his arm was sti cking through. Bracing myself, I pulled the door toward me in one huge, forceful movement. It slammed into Marlen’s wrist. I half expected to see his hand detach and pop into the hall, but he’d jerked it back. Even Strigoi had certain instincts to avoid pain. Gasping-my physical strength still wasn’t all it could be-I backed up. If he knew the code, this had been for nothing. A moment later, the door’s handle shook but didn’t open. I heard a scream of rage, and then his fists beat on the door. Score one for me. No, score one for luck. If he’d known the code, I would have been Thud. Marlen was still beating on the door, and I saw the tiniest dent appear on the metallic surface. â€Å"Oh, crap,† I said. I didn’t stick around to see how many hits it’d take him to break it down. I also realized that even if I’d disabled the first lock, Dimitri would just be able to break that one down too. Dimitri†¦ No. I absolutely couldn’t think of him now. As I ran down the hall, heading toward the stairs Dimitri and I traveled before, an unexpected memory suddenly popped into my head. When Dimitri had last threatened Nathan, he’d mentioned getting my stake out of a vault. What vault was that exactly? Was it here on the premises? If so, I certainly didn’t have time to look. When weighing the option to search a four-story house full of vampires or run off into the countryside before they found you†¦ well, the choice was clear. And it was in the midst of that thought process that I ran into a human at the top of the stairs. He was older than Inna and carrying a stack of linens that he dropped when we collided. With almost no pause, I grabbed hold of him and swung him against the wall. I had no weapon to threaten him with and wondered how I’d assert my will now. Yet as soon as I had him pinned, he threw up his hands in a defensive gesture and began whimpering in Russian. There’d be no attacks on me here. Of course, now I had the problem of communicating what I needed. Marlen was still beating on the door, and Dimitri would be up in a couple of minutes. I glared at the human, hoping I looked terrifying. From his expression, I did. I attempted the caveman talk I had with Inna†¦ only this time the message was a little harder. â€Å"Stick,† I said in Russian. I had no clue what the word for stake was. I pointed at the silver ring I wore and made a slashing motion. â€Å"Stick. Where?† He stared at me in utter confusion and then asked, in perfect English, â€Å"Why are you talking like that?† â€Å"Oh for God’s sake,† I exclaimed. â€Å"Where is the vault?† â€Å"Vault?† â€Å"A place they keep weapons?† He continued staring. â€Å"I’m looking for a silver stake.† â€Å"Oh,† he said. â€Å"That.† Uneasily, he cast his eyes in the direction of the pounding. I pushed him harder against the wall. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest, but I tried to hide it. I wanted this guy to think I was invincible. â€Å"Ignore him. Take me to the vault. Now!† With a frightened yelp, he nodded eagerly and beckoned me down the stairs. We descended to the second floor and made a sharp turn. The halls here were as twisty as the hedge maze Dimitri had shown me, all decorated in that gold and chandelier style, and I wondered if I’d even be able to get out of the house. Attempting this detour was a risk, but I wasn’t sure if I could get outside without being followed. If I was, there’d be a confrontation. I’d need to defend myself. The human led me down another hall and yet another. Finally, we reached a door that looked like any other. He stopped and peered at me expectantly. â€Å"Open it,† I said. He shook his head. â€Å"I don’t have the key.† â€Å"Well, I certainly don’t-wait.† I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys I’d lifted from Dimitri. There were five keys on the ring. I tried them one at a time, and on the third one, I got a hit. The door opened. Meanwhile, my guide was casting hasty glances behind him and looked ready to bolt. â€Å"Don’t even think about it,† I warned. He blanched and stayed put. The room before us wasn’t very big, and while its plush white carpet and silver framed paintings made it look elegant, the room was†¦ well, basically, it looked like a junkyard. Boxes and weird objects-a lot of personal items like watches and rings in particular-lay around in no order. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"Magic,† he said, still obviously scared out of his mind. â€Å"Magic items kept here to fade or be destroyed.† Magic†¦ ah. These were items charmed by Moroi magic. Charms always had some kind of effect on Strigoi-usually unpleasant-with stakes being the worst, since they used all four physical elements. It made sense that Strigoi would want to isolate harmful objects and get rid of â€Å"My stake!† I ran forward and picked it up, nearly dropping it because my hands were so sweaty. The stake was lying on top of a box with a length of cloth and some weird stones. Studying it, I realized it wasn’t actually my stake-not that it made a difference for killing Strigoi. This stake was almost identical, save for a small geometric pattern running around its base. It was something guardians did from time to time if they felt particularly attached to their stake: have a design or initials etched into it. Holding this stake, I felt a momentary pang of sadness. This had belonged to someone who’d wielded it proudly once, someone who was now most likely dead. God only knew how many other dozens of stakes were in here, seized from other unfortunate prisoners, but I had no time to search or mourn those who had died. â€Å"Okay, now I want you to take me to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. Even with a stake, it’d be a lot better for me if I didn’t face any more Strigoi. I had to assume there’d still be a guard at the front door. â€Å"†¦ Some room on this floor with a window that actually opens. And is far from the stairs.† The guy thought for a moment and then gave a quick nod. â€Å"This way.† I followed him through another maze of twisting corridors. â€Å"What’s your name?† â€Å"Oleg.† â€Å"You know,† I said. â€Å"I’m getting out of here†¦ if you want†¦ if you want, I could take you with me.† Having someone else-a human, particularly -would definitely slow me down. Yet, my conscience wouldn’t let me leave anyone behind in this place. He gave me an incredulous glance. â€Å"Why would I want to do that?† Sydney had definitely been right about humans making great sacrifices for immortality. Oleg and Inna were living proof. We rounded a corner and came face-to-face with an elaborate set of French doors. Through the etched glass, I could see book-lined shelves, stretching all the way up the walls. A library-a huge one that extended on and on, out of my sight. Better yet, I saw a large bay window opposite me, framed in heavy satin curtains the color of blood. â€Å"Perfect,† I said, pushing open the doors. That was when the nausea hit me. We weren’t alone in the room. Galina sprang up from a chair near the fireplace on the far side of the room. A book dropped from her lap. I had no time to dwell on the oddity of a Strigoi having a fireside read, because she was coming right toward me. I almost might have thought Oleg had set me up, but he was cowering in a corner, his face mirroring the shock I felt. Despite the library’s enormous size, she reached me in seconds. I dodged her initial attack-or tried to, at least. She was fast. Aside from Dimitri, the other Strigoi in this house were clearly the B-team, and I had forgotten just how badass a truly skilled Strigoi was. She caught me by my arm and swung me toward her, mouth open and fangs going straight for my neck. I had the stake in my hand and tried awkwardly to at least scratch her with it, but she was holding me too tightly. At last, I managed to duck a little and move my throat out of her range, but all this did was give her the opportunity to grab hold of my hair. She jerked me upright, and I screamed in pain. How she managed to hold onto my hair without ripping it right out was remarkable. Still gripping it, she shoved me into a wall. When I’d first fought with Dimitri upon my arrival, he’d been rough but hadn’t wanted to kill me. Galina did. She’d taken it on faith from Dimitri that I’d be an asset, but it was obvious now that I was a real pain in the ass. Her amnesty had ended, and she was intent on killing me. I at least had the comfort of knowing she probably wouldn’t turn me into a Strigoi. I’d be lunch. A shout suddenly drew my attention to the door. Dimitri stood there, face blazing with anger. Whatever illusions I’d harbored about him being his former self disappeared. That fury radiated around him, his eyes narrowed and fangs showing. The pale skin and red eyes contrasted sharply against each other. He was like a demon sent straight from hell to destroy me. He strode toward us, and the immediate thought in my head was: Well, at least this’ll end things that much faster. Except†¦ it wasn’t me he attacked. It was Galina. I’m not sure which of us was more surprised, but in that moment, I was totally forgotten. The Strigoi raced toward each other, and I froze, stunned at the terrible beauty of their fight. There was almost a gracefulness to the way they moved, the way they struck out and skillfully dodged each other. I stared a bit longer and then mentally slapped myself into action. This was my chance to get out of here. I couldn’t get distracted. I turned to the bay window, searching frantically for a means to open it. There was none. â€Å"Son of a bitch!† Maybe Oleg had set me up after all. Or maybe there was just some mechanism that wasn’t apparent to me. Regardless, I felt pretty confident there was one way to get it open. I ran to the side of the room where Galina had sat and grabbed an ornate wooden chair. It was obvious this window wasn’t made of the hard-core glass that had been in my room. This stuff was similar to the library’s French doors, delicate and engraved with fanciful designs, even though darkly tinted. It couldn’t require that much force to break. After all that fruitless beating in my room, I took a kind of smug satisfaction in slamming the chair into it with as much force as possible. The impact made a huge hole in one side of the window, glass spraying everywhere. A few shards hit my face, but it was nothing to concern me now. Behind me, the sounds of battle raged on. There were grunts and muffled cries as they fought, as well as the occasional sound of some piece of broken furniture. I yearned to turn around and see what was going on, but I couldn’t. I took the chair and swung again, breaking the other half of the window. There was now a huge hole, perfect for me to get out of. â€Å"Rose!† Dimitri’s voice triggered some instinctive response in me. I glanced back and saw him still grappling with Galina. They were both exhausted, but it was clear he was getting the worst of it. But in their fighting, he kept trying to restrain her in a way that exposed her chest to me. His eyes met mine. Back when he’d been a dhampir, we’d rarely needed words to convey our thoughts. This was one of those times. I knew what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to stake her. I knew I shouldn’t. I needed to hop out that window right now. I needed to let them keep fighting, even though it seemed obvious Galina was about to win. And yet†¦ despite my misgivings, some force drew me across the room, stake poised and ready. Maybe it was because I would never fully lose my pull to Dimitri, no matter what kind of monster he’d become. Maybe it was an unconscious sense of duty, since I knew he’d just saved my life. Or maybe it was because I knew one Strigoi was going to die tonight, and she was the more dangerous. But she wasn’t easy to get hold of. She was fast and strong, and he was having a hard time with her. She kept wriggling around, trying to renew her attack. All she’d need to do was incapacitate him as I had; then it’d just require decapitation or burning to finish him off. I had no doubt she could arrange either. He managed to turn her slightly, giving me the best view of her chest I’d had. I moved forward-and then Dimitri slammed into me. I was addled for a moment, wondering why he’d attack me after saving me, until I realized he’d been pushed-by Nathan. Nathan had just entered the library, along with Marlen. It distracted Dimitri but not me. I still had the opening he’d given me on Galina, and I plunged my stake into her chest. It didn’t go in as deeply as I would have liked, and she still managed to fight me, bucking hard. I grimaced and pushed forward, knowing the silver had to be affecting her. A moment later, I saw the pain twist her face. She faltered, and I pushed my advantage, shoving the stake in all the way. It took several seconds, but she eventually stopped moving, her body crumpling to the ground. If the other Strigoi noticed her death, they didn’t pay attention. Nathan and Marlen were fixated on Dimitri. Another Strigoi-a female I didn’t recognize-soon joined the face-off. I jerked my stake out of Galina and slowly began backing toward the window, hoping I wouldn’t attract too much attention. My heart went out to Dimitri. He was outnumbered. I could possibly lend my strength and help him fight†¦ Of course, my strength was fading. I was still suffering from days of vampire bites and blood loss. I’d fought two Strigoi tonight and killed a powerful one. That had been my good deed, removing her from the world. The next best thing I could do would be to leave and let these Strigoi finish off Dimitri. The surviving ones would be leaderless and less of a threat. Dimitri would be free of this evil state, his soul finally able to move on to better places. And I would live (hopefully), having helped the world by killing more Strigoi. I bumped against the windowsill and looked out. Nighttime-not good. The sheer side of the manor was not ideal for climbing, either. It could be done, but it would be time consuming. I didn’t have any more time. Directly below the window was a thickly leafed bush of some sort. I couldn’t see it clearly and only hoped it wasn’t a rosebush or something equally sharp. A second floor drop wouldn’t kill me, though. Probably wouldn’t even hurt-much. I climbed over the ledge, briefly meeting Dimitri’s gaze as the other Strigoi moved in on him. The words came to me again: Don’t hesitate. Dimitri’s important lesson. But it hadn’t been his first one. His first had been about what to do if I was outnumbered and out of options: Run. Time for me to run. I leapt out the window.