W.A. Mozart Essays - Operas, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Opera Buffa

W.A. Mozart 1756-91, Austrian composer whose oeuvre represents one of the great peaks of musical history. His works, written in every genre, combine beauty of sound with classical grace and technical perfection. He learned to play harpsichord, violin, and organ from his father, Leopold Mozart, 1719-87, a composer and violinist. A remarkable prodigy, the young Mozart was composing by age five, presenting concerts throughout Europe as a child, and by age 13 had written concertos, sonatas, symphonies, and operettas. In Italy (1768-71) he absorbed Italian style, and in 1771 he was appointed concertmaster to the archbishop of Salzburg, a position in which he was restless. Idomeneo (1781), one of the best examples of 18th-cent. OPERA seria, was the first opera of his maturity. He moved to Vienna (1781), married, and met HAYDN, to whom he dedicated six string quartets (1782-85), testimony to the two composers' influence on each other. The Abduction from the Seraglio (1782), a singspiel combining songs and German dialogue, brought some success. He turned to the Italian opera buffa, creating the comic masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro (1786). Don Giovanni, considered difficult in its day but now recognized as one of the most brilliant operas ever written, followed in 1787. In the same year Mozart succeeded GLUCK as court composer to Joseph II; Eine kleine Nachtmusik (1787) is an example of the elegant occasional music he wrote in this role. In 1788 he wrote his last three symphonies, Nos. 39-41, which display his complete mastery of classical symphonic form and intense personal emotion. In Vienna he produced his last opera buffa, Cosi fan tutte (1790). In The Magic Flute (1791) he returned to the singspiel, bringing the form to a lyrical height. He then worked feverishly on a requiem commissioned by a nobleman; it proved to be Mozart's own, and the work was completed by his pupil Franz S?ssmayr. The composer died at 35 in poverty and was buried in a pauper's grave. A catalogue of Mozart's works was made in 1862 by Ludwig von K?chel; they are usually identified accordingly, e.g., the Piano Concerto in B Flat, K. 595. Music Essays

Potential of Export of Good to Gulf Countries Essays

Potential of Export of Good to Gulf Countries Essays Potential of Export of Good to Gulf Countries Essay Potential of Export of Good to Gulf Countries Essay Dissertation Submitted to the Dr. D. Y. Patil University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of The Degree of MASTERS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Submitted by: Ankit Sharma [pic] Current Future Potential of Export of Good to Gulf Countries with respect to SCI Ltd. Dissertation Submitted to the Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award ofThe Degree of MASTERS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION [pic] DECLARATION I hereby declare that the dissertation Current Future Potential of Export of Good to Gulf Countries with respect to SHIPPING CO OPRATION OF INDIA Ltd (SCI). submitted for the MBA Degree at Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil University’s Department of Business Management is my original work and the dissertation has not formed the basis for the award of any degree, associate ship, fellowship or any other similar titles. Place: Navi Mumbai Date:ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A lot of people have contributed in making this project report by giving me the required knowledge and time. I would like to thank all of them. It is because of their continued assistance and competence that I have been able to reach this milestone. for instilling confidence in me to carry out this study and extending his valuable guidance and encouragement from time to time, without which it would not have been possible to undertake and complete this project within the stipulated time.The route of this service is as follows: Colombo/Mundra/JebelAli/Mundra/Pipavav/JNP/Cochin/Tuticorin. SCI also provides services to other upper-Gulf ports like Bahrain, Bandar Abbas, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, and Muscat via Jebel Ali. The SCI began operating this new independent weekly service from March 2008 to the Gulf, with three owned 1600 TEU (1800 TEU nominal) vessels, on a round voyage schedule of 21 days. In December 2008, the SMILE service was expanded to carry feeder and coastal cargoes on the west coast of India. Through the SMILE service, the SCI has commenced a coastal service on the west coast of India between Mundra, Cochin and Tuticorin from December 2008.The main objective of this study is to ascertain the future exports of goods services to gulf countries in relationship with Shipping Corporation of India (SCI). Focus of the research would be to find out which gulf country’s economy will ascend in the near future its repercussions on the consumption pattern of the gulf countries, what will be the demand condition, market potential in the current economic scenario in the near future in terms of Export Import trade. The recommendations suggestions will focus on which products should be exported to the gulf countries by The Shipping Corporation of India to increase their overall profitability. Comprehensive study on linear service provided by the Shipping Corporation of India the marketing aspects related to it.The study involves in finding out the current players in the container trade to gulf countries, what are the major commodities that are exported, what is the vessel size if it is a weekly service. CHAPTER-1 INTRODUCTION About Shipping Industry About Shipping Industry We live in a global society which is supported by a global economy – and that economy simply could not function if it were not for ships and the shipping industry. Shipping is truly the lynchpin of the global economy: without shipping, intercontinental trade, the bulk transport of raw materials and the import/export of affordable food and manufactured go ods would simply not be possible.Of all the sectors that make up the global transport infrastructure, shipping probably has the lowest public profile and the least representative public image. Its importance is not well known although not a single area of our life remains unaffected by it. In the recent past developing countries have put the pedal on the gas and have raced ahead from the developed countries in case of the international trade. The growth in international trade, removal of trade barriers being the principal reason, has made the developing countries to concentrate more on the improvement of their infrastructure, like roads, airports, seaports, which play a vital role in the development of the economy.Product storage, along with the capacity to move large shipments have placed the shipping industry in a very advantageous position. Containerization, multi-modal transport services, advancement of marine engineering technology, specialized systems, and computerization have contributed towards making sea transport as a prime mode for movement of internationally traded goods. However, the development of shipping industry in a country also depends on its population density, economic advancement and many other inter-related conditions, like port and refueling capacities. CHAPTER-2 OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT Primary Objective:Objective of the study is to find the current future potential of export of goods to Persian Gulf countries in relationship with Shipping Corporation of India. Secondary Objective: and Gulf countries for the year 2012-13 Secondary objective of the study is as mentioned below:- Current scenario of the global shipping industry India’s contribution to the world trade Total number of commodities exported imported by India Total number of commodities exported to and imported from Gulf countries in the year 2010-11 Potential future export of commodities between India and Gulf countries Competitor Analy sis Major commodities exported to Gulf countries List of documents required by the shipping vessels Comprehensive study on the liner service Trade study of last 3 years Projections of the trade between India CHAPTER-3 LITERATURE REVIEW LITERATURE REVIEW International Shipping Industry Benefits from Recent Tax Changes: Certified Public Accountant Lifson, David A; Bentley, Peter E. The CPA Journal[pic]75. 6[pic] (Jun 2005): 48-52. Despite its continuing importance, the shipping industry has lost most of the prestige it held in this country. One reason is that although several U. S. shipping companies are publicly traded, the nation is less well represented in international shipping than in other, comparable global industries. To partially address this complaint, and in an attempt to incentivize the U. S. hipping industry, the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 includes four measures-the deferral of freight tax regulations; changes to the controlled foreign corporation rules; chang es to the foreign tax credit rules; and the introduction of a tonnage tax for qualified entities-that represent a dramatic change in federal tax policy and will likely make the U. S. environment more attractive to businesses engaged in U. S. -international shipping. The tax changes described in this article will have broad impact and are designed to change the risk-reward assumptions that the industry had come to accept. Over the coming months, ship-owners, operators, and financiers will better understand how these changes apply to them, and how they can profit in the new tax environment. The Greek shipping industry Grammenos, Costas T; Choi, Chong Ju International Studies of Management Organization[pic]29. 1[pic] (Spring 1999): 34-52. A wide range of industries are undergoing changes brought on by globalization.Even the Greek shipping industry, traditionally based in Greece with a wide international network, is being forced to make structural adjustments as changes in the regulato ry environment demand different means of financing, and these will, in turn, evitably change the competitive structure of the industry. The study analyzes the competitive advantage of ethnically homogeneous business networks with particular reference to the Greek shipping industry. Ethic homogeneity can provide market signals that can compensate for the contract uncertainty arising from the absence of legal means of contract enforcement. Also considered are the implications for shipping regimes such as those involving shipping cartels and safety and environmental concerns. Measuring Success Factors of Quality Management in the Shipping Industry Cheng, T C Edwin, Choy, Petrus W C. Maritime Economics Logistics[pic]9. 3[pic] (Sep 2007): 234-253.It is generally accepted that quality management is considered a valuable competitive factor for firms that confers them competitive advantages and enables them to achieve superior performance. Although there have been numerous studies examinin g general quality management practices and implementation, industry-specific studies on quality management practices and factors that influence their success in the shipping industry are rather few. This study seeks to identify the factors that are critical to successful quality management, and attempts to develop a reliable, empirically tested, and rigorously validated measurement instrument for quality management, for the shipping industry. We conducted a large-scale survey of shipping industry executives and applied a rigorous research methodology to treat the survey data.We identified four success factors of quality management, which are top management commitment and participation, quality information and performance measurement, employee training and empowerment, and customer focus, and developed a functional instrument to measure quality management in the shipping industry. This paper contributes to research by identifying the success factors of quality management, and provide s managerial insights on the successful management of quality, in the shipping industry. Helping the Shipping Industry to Bounce Back from the Global Challenge in the Face of the Economic Downturn Anonymous. PR Newswire [New York] 11 Jan 2010. More than 40 brilliant speakers from the Chinese government, marine organizations, shipping corporations, and technology providers from all over the world will speak to over 200 attendees active in the industry on the summit themes of efficiency, security, and the environment. Since its creation in 2007, Shipping Tech has encouraged technological development across the shipping industry and established an international forum for cooperation between governments, shipping corporations, ship manufacturing corporations, technology providers and other related industrial elites for the innovation of shipping technology. Liberalization and Deregulation in the Domestic Shipping Industry: Effects on Competition and Market Structure Austria, Myrna S. Ph ilippine Journal of Development[pic]30. 1[pic] (2003): 29-69. The paper is organized as follows. The first section discusses the contestability of markets in the shipping industry, including the arguments for and against regulating the industry.The succeeding section examines the policy reforms made through liberalization and deregulation. The effects of the reforms on market structure and competition, including the impact of competition on efficiency, are then analyzed. This is followed by a discussion on the role of the Maritime Industry Authority in a deregulated and liberalized environment. Areas for competition policy and further reforms are then identified. Shipping industry continues to face difficulties Accord Fintech [Mumbai] 10 Feb 2010. Increase in handling of iron ore, thermal coal, petroleum oil and lubricant products (POL) and container traffic were the main factors pushing the cargo volumes.The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), the global benchmark for shipping freight rates of dry bulk carriers, started recovering in April last year riding on surging commodity demand from China. Indian shipping industry faces negative outlook in 2011: Fitch Anonymous. Asia Pulse [Rhodes] 28 Jan 2011. Fitch Ratings maintains a negative outlook on the Indian shipping industry in 2011, as freight rates will remain depressed because of the demand-supply imbalance caused by a net increase in capacity exceeding demand, it said in a statement. * The ratings firm said that lower freight rates have affected revenue generation across shipping companies, in line with the global trend and said major players will be under pressure in 2011. During 2011, low freight rates are expected across all segments like dry bulkers, tankers and containers, and few Indian shipping companies are expected to undertake aggressive capex plans, it said. Container Shipping Industry Celebrates National Maritime Day Anonymous. PR Newswire [New York] 21 May 2008. Atlantic Container Line AB, China Shipping (Group) Company, CMA-CGM Group, COSCO, Crowley Maritime Corporation, CSAV (Compania Sud-Americana de Vapores S. A. ), Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd. , Hapag-Lloyd AG, Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. , Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Maersk Line, Malaysia International Shipping Corporation (MISC), Mediterranean Shipping Co. S. A. (MSC), Mitsui O. S. K.Lines, Neptune Orient Lines Ltd/APL, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd (OOCL), Pacific International Lines (Pte) Ltd, United Arab Shipping Co (SAG), Wan Hai Lines Ltd, Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. , Zim Integrated Shipping Service Ltd. Indian Shipping Industry Carrying Capacity Cross 10 Mln Gt Anonymous. Asia Pulse [Rhodes] 20 Sep 2010. The aim was to provide a level playing field to domestic shipping industry against the international shipping companies and facilitate the growth of Indian tonnage. [ ] the Indian tonnage has steadily grown over the last 5 years from 6. 94 million in April 2004 to the present level , the statement said. Research and Markets; Indian Shipping Industry Economics Week (Mar 23, 2012): 548.The Shipping Industry Sailing through turbulent waters The Shipping industry is highly co-related to the developments in global trade, therefore any adversity in the global economic growth adversely affects the prospects of global shipping fraternity thereby explaining the cyclical nature of the industry. CHAPTER-4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research refers to a search for knowledge. It is a systematic method of collecting and recording the facts in the form of numerical data relevant to the formulated problem and arriving at certain conclusions over the problem based on collected data. Thus formulation of the problem is the first and oremost step in the research process followed by the collection, recording, tabulation and analysis and drawing the conclusions. The problem formulation starts with defining the problem or number of problems in the functional area. To detect the functional area and locate the exact problem is most important part of any research as the whole research is based on the problem. According to Clifford Woody research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions: collecting, organizing and evaluating data: making deductions and reaching conclusions: and at last carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.Research can be defined as the manipulation of things, concepts or symbols for the purpose of generalizing to extend, correct or verify knowledge, whether that knowledge aids in construction of theory or in the practice of an art In short, the search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of finding solution to a problem is research. SOURCES OF DATA: PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION: Primary data are those, which are collected afresh and for the first time and thus happen to be original in character, questions and interview s methods were accede to collect primary data by visiting the factory premises and various departments in it. It was collected from the employees working in the factory. By using both the questionnaire method and interview method. I would gather information from the employees. SECONDARY DATA COLLECTIONIt is collected from the internal records of the company such as library records, trade journals, various manuals of the company, various training programs previously conducted and it’s responds etc; It is also conducted from the officials of the pursued department in the factory. Secondary data provides a better view of the problem study many magazines, tools and other references were also mean important in this study. CHAPTER-5 GLOBAL SCENARIO GLOBAL SCENARIO It is generally accepted that more than 90 per cent of global trade is carried by sea. Throughout the last century the shipping industry has seen a general trend of increases in total trade volume.Increasing industrializa tion and the liberalization of national economies have fuelled free trade and a growing demand for consumer products. Advances in technology have also made shipping an increasingly efficient and swift method of transport. World seaborne trade figures i. e. the amount of goods actually loaded aboard ships have increased considerably since the 70s and in 2008, reached 8. 2 billion tons of goods loaded. As with all industrial sectors, however, shipping is not immune to economic downturns and 2009 witnessed the worst global recession in over seven decades and the sharpest decline in the volume of global merchandise trade.In tandem with the collapse in economic growth and trade, international seaborne trade volumes contracted by 4. 5 per cent and total goods loaded went down to 7. 8 billion tons in 2009. However seaborne trade bounced back in 2010 and grew by an estimated 7 % taking the total of goods loaded to 8. 4 billion tons. Developing countries continued to account for the largest share of global seaborne trade (60% of all goods loaded and 56 % of all goods unloaded), reflecting their growing resilience to economic setbacks and an increasingly leading role in driving global trade. Developed economies’ shares of global goods loaded and unloaded were 34 % and 43 % respectively. Transition economies accounted for 6 % of goods loaded and 1 % of goods unloaded. Developing countries are expanding their participation in a range of different maritime businesses. They have growing market shares in more capital-intensive or technologically advanced maritime sectors such as ship construction and ship owning. China and the Republic of Korea between them built 72. 4 per cent of world ship capacity (dwt) in 2010, and 9 of the 20 largest countries in ship owning in January 2011 are developing countries. Dry cargo, including bulk, break bulk, and containerized cargo, accounted for the largest share of goods loaded (66. 3%), while oil made up the balance. Growth in dry bulk trade is estimated at 4. 8% with the five major bulk products, fuelled mainly by the needs of China’s metal industries.In 2010, developed economies recorded positive growth, with their GDP expanding by 2. 5 per cent. The United States and Japan performed better than the European Union, growing respectively by 2. 9 per cent, 4. 0 per cent and 1. 8 per cent. Developing economies and economies in transition continued to drive the global recovery with the rebound being led by large emerging economies, in particular China (10. 3 per cent), India (8. 6 per cent) and Brazil (7. 5 per cent). Almost unburdened by the financial crisis and consequent economic downturn, China, India and other developing countries resumed their expansion by generating their own growth instead of relying on exports to developed economies’ markets.While the Unites States remains the main source of import demand for Asia, China has evolved into an independent engine of regional growth and a larg er source of final demand for a number of emerging developing economies, including the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan, Province of China. The lead taken by developing countries in powering global growth reflects a shake-up in the world’s economic order which has taken decades to unfold. UNCTAD data show that the share of developing countries in the global economic output rose from about 17 per cent in 1980 to over 28 per cent in 2010, raising the influence of these countries in the world’s economic performance.In 2010, China overtook Japan as the world’s second biggest economy (in nominal terms) and is leading the transformation together with some of the world’s fastest-growing economies such as India and Indonesia. An important economic milestone in 2010 was Brazil’s ranking as the world’s seventh largest economy after surpassing Italy. Goldman Sachs is now predicting that the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russian Federation, India and China) will overtake the G–7 countries in size of their economies by 2018, i. e. much sooner than its original prediction of 2040 made a decade ago. The overall strong performance of developing countries as a group conceals differences between countries and groupings.For example, GDP growth in South Africa (2. 8 per cent) was much lower than the rates recorded by China, India and Brazil. Similarly, the recovery in many of the least developed countries (LDCs) remained below their potential with GDP growth (4. 8 per cent) not returning to its pre-crisis levels. The economic downturn and consequent increase in unemployment, together with the drop in social spending, can cause a serious setback to social equity and poverty alleviation. Although some ground has been gained, between 2007 and the end of 2009, at least 30 million jobs are estimated to have been lost worldwide as a result of the global financial crisis.The global economy still needs to create at least another 22 million jobs to return to the pre-crisis level of global employment. It is further estimated that 47 million to 84 million more people are falling into or staying in extreme poverty because of the global crisis. While these considerations are not specific to the LDCs, they are nevertheless more detrimental for these countries in view of their inherent vulnerability to any erosion in economic and development gains achieved as part of efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In terms of value of trade, USA is the major country engaged in maritime transport generating 10. 68% of world trade in 2008. Other major countries include Germany (8. 22%), China (7. 91%), and Japan (4. 78%).Among the Asian countries, China is the largest trader with large container port traffic and fleet. China International Marine Containers (CIMC) and Singamas are the two largest container manufacturers, which make China dominate in this field also. India is placed at eighteenth position in t he world (with a share of 1. 45%), and seventh position amongst Asian countries. Table no. 5. 1 Growth of world output 2005 2013 [pic] [pic] Effects of the Global Slowdown Shipping Industry has been widely impacted given the economic slowdown of 2008 and 2009. Since the demand for ships / vessels is a derived demand of commodities, the slowdown affected the demand for ships / vessels during this period.This has been evident from the movement of Baltic Dry Index (BDI), which is a daily weighted average of prices of shipping raw materials, and is one of the leading indicators of global economic activity. BDI measures the demand to move raw materials, which indicates production, planning and industrial activity worldwide. BDI reflects the freight cost to transport dry bulk cargoes around the world, mainly raw materials such as iron ore, coal, and grains. The index excludes wet cargoes (such as crude oil carried by tankers) and container business (used mainly to carry manufactured prod ucts). As the global trade shrunk by over 10%, many shipping lines found themselves in a situation of excess capacity (many liners ordered new ships during the economic boom period).Some analysts predicted that at least few shipping lines would go out of business to match with the supply demand situation. However, it is believed that shipping lines, in an informal arrangement, collectively reduced the capacity through slow steaming’ (spending more days in sea, which helped them to save on fuel and reduce capacity). It is estimated that slow-steaming could cut a liner’s capacity by around 5%. It is also believed that some shipping lines have teamed up to levy a voluntary surcharge of US $ 400 per container. Both the Federal Maritime Commission (USA) and the European Monitoring Agency are closely monitoring the developments to see any evidence of price fixing by shipping liners. Maritime Transport and Climate Change ChallengeLike other economic sectors, maritime transpor t, which by volume carries over 80% of global trade, has a role to play in addressing formidable challenge of climate change. International maritime transport is playing a part in contributing to climate change, but more importantly, it is also likely to be directly and indirectly impacted by the various climate change factors, such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events and rising temperatures. The wide-ranging impacts of climate change, including that from maritime transport, and their potential implications for trade, economic growth and development, underscore the need to integrate climate considerations into strategies for transport planning and development.Increasingly, it is being recognized that considered and concerted actions are urgently required to ensure effective control of greenhouse gas emissions and to establish the requisite adaptive capacity in the shipping industry, especially in developing countries. Recognizing the importance for the maritime transport se ctor of contributing to global efforts at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is considering a number of mitigation measures aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping. Integration of Shipping Industry with Global Logistics and Supply Chains Global shipping majors, like other segments of the conventional transport industry, are increasingly getting integrated with the emerging global logistics and supply chain activities, owing to both external and internal dynamics.Many firms are entering into the enhanced canvas of offering logistics solutions, such as door-to-door delivery systems, integrating with rail/road haulage movements of cargo, customs brokerage, cargo consolidation, packaging/ re-packaging, and distribution services, thereby substantially consolidating their market position, and supplementing their ocean freight income. The global shipping industry is thus going through a maj or redefinition by undertaking logistic integration of their cargo operations. Change in Directions in Trade Volume Multi-polarity of trade flows, and the growth in trade volumes of Asian region is expected to impact the world shipping, as profoundly done by liner shipping and containerized cargo some decades ago.The earlier phase of trade volume witnessed shipping growth in Transatlantic and Transpacific routes, and the growing volume of world trade, especially from Asia, is likely to position the Pacific Rim and Indian Ocean Rim routes in the lime light. Common Port to Specialist Port Ports have been conventionally viewed as provider of omnibus solution to all types of cargo on a common basis. However, the global trend is veering into development of freight specialized ports – such as LNG terminals, container terminals that involve high capital costs and intensive deployment of cargo handling equipment. Also, there has been a global trend in the port sector towards growing separation of port authority from port operator.The balance of power in the maritime trade, which was traditionally in favor of shipping lines, has been shifting in favor of shipper, whose cargo is being moved. With such emerging trends in port development in the world, shipping companies are expected to change their strategies and offer solutions to suit such trends. Growth in Establishment of Transshipment Terminals Growth in long distance and containerized trade has led to the growth in establishment of transshipment hubs. It is not possible to establish direct shipping connections between every country because either there may not be enough volume, or the ports may be located distantly from each other. Therefore, a set of direct or transshipment connections are required to link all country pairs by maritime shipping.For this purpose, the transshipment terminals and intermediate hubs have been started. The world’s most important intermediate hub is ingapore, where 92% of its traffic is transshipped. The emergence of major intermediate hubs favored a concentraStion of large vessels along long-distance, high capacity routes, while smaller ports can be serviced with lower capacity ships. Consequently, the emergence of intermediate hubs has permitted liner services that would otherwise be economically unfeasible. Port Regionalization Ports, especially large gateways, are facing a wide array of local constraints that impair their growth and efficiency. Limited availability of land for expansion is among one of the most acute problems.This issue is exacerbated by the deepwater requirements for handling larger ships. Port regionalization is required when the ports are not able to handle additional traffic. Port regionalization refers to integration between maritime and inland transport systems, particularly by using rail and barge transportation, which are less prone to congestion than road transportation. Port regionalization and hinterland connectivity h as been growing over the years, with the objective of meeting the constraints faced by ports. Port regionalization helps in creating a regional load centre network through joint development of a specific load centre and logistics platform in the hinterland.This has led to the development of corridors leaning on rail or barge services connecting to inland terminal facilities, which act either as satellite terminals, load centers or, less commonly, transmodal facilities. Many port authorities, terminal operators, commercial real estate developers and local/regional governments have been actively involved in the setting of such facilities. Satellite terminals: These are tend to be close to a port facility, but mainly at the periphery of its metropolitan area (often less than 100 km), since they mainly assume a service function to the seaport facilities. They accommodate additional traffic and undertake services that have become too expensive at the port, such as warehousing (e. g. emp ty containers) and distribution.Satellite terminals can also serve as load centers for local or regional markets, particularly if economic density is high, in which case they form a multi-terminal cluster with the main port they are connected to through regular rail or barge shuttle services. For gateways having a strong import component, a satellite terminal can also undertake transloading function in a significant manner, where the contents of maritime containers are transloaded into domestic containers or truckloads. Load centers: This refers to a major intermodal facility load center granting access to welldefined regional markets that include production and consumption functions. It commonly corresponds to a metropolitan area where a variety of Intermodal / transmodal facilities: These link large systems of freight circulation either through the same mode (e. g. ail terminals serve concomitantly intermodal, warehousing, distribution and logistics functions. These tend to ta ke place in logistics parks and free trade zones (or foreign trade zones). The inland terminal is thus the point of collection or distribution of a regional market. The more extensive and diversified the market, the more important is the load center. If the load center has a good intermediary location, such as being along a major rail corridor, then freight distribution activities servicing an extended market will be present. -to-rail) or through intermodalism (e. g. rail-to-truck). In the latter case, the inland terminal assumes the role of a load center.The origin or the destination of the freight traffic tends to be elsewhere, particularly for transmodal freight. Current World Trade Situation World trade continued to recover in 2011, albeit at a much slower pace than in 2010. After a strong rebound of more than 14 per cent in 2010, the volume of world exports in goods decelerated visibly, to 7 per cent, in 2011. The level of total world exports had fully recovered to its pre-cris is peak by the end of 2010, but it is estimated to be still below the long-term trend level by the end of 2011. As has been the case with the recovery of WGP, developing countries, particularly Asian economies with large shares in the trade of manufactured goods, led the recovery.While the level of trade in volume terms has already far surpassed the pre-crisis pe

Binomial Table for n=2, n=3, n=4, n=5 and n=6

Binomial Table for n=2, n=3, n=4, n=5 and n=6 One important discrete random variable is a binomial random variable. The distribution of this type of variable, referred to as the binomial distribution, is completely determined by two parameters: n   and p.   Here n is the number of trials and p is the probability of success. The tables below are for n 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The probabilities in each are rounded to three decimal places. Before using the table, it is important to determine if a binomial distribution should be used. In order to use this type of distribution, we must make sure that the following conditions are met: We have a finite number of observations or trials.The outcome of teach trial can be classified as either a success or a failure.The probability of success remains constant.The observations are independent of one another. The binomial distribution gives the probability of r successes in an experiment with a total of n independent trials, each having probability of success p.  Ã‚   Probabilities are calculated by the formula C(n, r)pr(1 - p)n - r where C(n, r) is the formula for combinations. Each entry in the table is arranged by the values of p and of r.   There is a different table for each value of n.   Other Tables For other binomial distribution tables: n 7 to 9, n 10 to 11.   For situations in which np  and n(1 - p) are greater than or equal to 10, we can use the normal approximation to the binomial distribution.   In this case, the approximation is very good and does not require the calculation of binomial coefficients.   This provides a great advantage because these binomial calculations can be quite involved. Example To see how to use the table, we will consider the following example from genetics.   Suppose that we are interested in studying the offspring of two parents who we know both have a recessive and dominant gene.   The probability that an offspring will inherit two copies of the recessive gene (and hence have the recessive trait) is 1/4.   Suppose we want to consider the probability that a certain number of children in a six-member family possesses this trait.   Let X be the number of children with this trait.   We look at the table for n 6 and the column with p 0.25, and see the following: 0.178, 0.356, 0.297, 0.132, 0.033, 0.004, 0.000 This means for our example that P(X 0) 17.8%, which is the probability that none of the children has the recessive trait.P(X 1) 35.6%, which is the probability that one of the children has the recessive trait.P(X 2) 29.7%, which is the probability that two of the children have the recessive trait.P(X 3) 13.2%, which is the probability that three of the children have the recessive trait.P(X 4) 3.3%, which is the probability that four of the children have the recessive trait.P(X 5) 0.4%, which is the probability that five of the children have the recessive trait. Tables for n2 to n6 n 2 p .01 .05 .10 .15 .20 .25 .30 .35 .40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65 .70 .75 .80 .85 .90 .95 r 0 .980 .902 .810 .723 .640 .563 .490 .423 .360 .303 .250 .203 .160 .123 .090 .063 .040 .023 .010 .002 1 .020 .095 .180 .255 .320 .375 .420 .455 .480 .495 .500 .495 .480 .455 .420 .375 .320 .255 .180 .095 2 .000 .002 .010 .023 .040 .063 .090 .123 .160 .203 .250 .303 .360 .423 .490 .563 .640 .723 .810 .902 n 3 p .01 .05 .10 .15 .20 .25 .30 .35 .40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65 .70 .75 .80 .85 .90 .95 r 0 .970 .857 .729 .614 .512 .422 .343 .275 .216 .166 .125 .091 .064 .043 .027 .016 .008 .003 .001 .000 1 .029 .135 .243 .325 .384 .422 .441 .444 .432 .408 .375 .334 .288 .239 .189 .141 .096 .057 .027 .007 2 .000 .007 .027 .057 .096 .141 .189 .239 .288 .334 .375 .408 .432 .444 .441 .422 .384 .325 .243 .135 3 .000 .000 .001 .003 .008 .016 .027 .043 .064 .091 .125 .166 .216 .275 .343 .422 .512 .614 .729 .857 n 4 p .01 .05 .10 .15 .20 .25 .30 .35 .40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65 .70 .75 .80 .85 .90 .95 r 0 .961 .815 .656 .522 .410 .316 .240 .179 .130 .092 .062 .041 .026 .015 .008 .004 .002 .001 .000 .000 1 .039 .171 .292 .368 .410 .422 .412 .384 .346 .300 .250 .200 .154 .112 .076 .047 .026 .011 .004 .000 2 .001 .014 .049 .098 .154 .211 .265 .311 .346 .368 .375 .368 .346 .311 .265 .211 .154 .098 .049 .014 3 .000 .000 .004 .011 .026 .047 .076 .112 .154 .200 .250 .300 .346 .384 .412 .422 .410 .368 .292 .171 4 .000 .000 .000 .001 .002 .004 .008 .015 .026 .041 .062 .092 .130 .179 .240 .316 .410 .522 .656 .815 n 5 p .01 .05 .10 .15 .20 .25 .30 .35 .40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65 .70 .75 .80 .85 .90 .95 r 0 .951 .774 .590 .444 .328 .237 .168 .116 .078 .050 .031 .019 .010 .005 .002 .001 .000 .000 .000 .000 1 .048 .204 .328 .392 .410 .396 .360 .312 .259 .206 .156 .113 .077 .049 .028 .015 .006 .002 .000 .000 2 .001 .021 .073 .138 .205 .264 .309 .336 .346 .337 .312 .276 .230 .181 .132 .088 .051 .024 .008 .001 3 .000 .001 .008 .024 .051 .088 .132 .181 .230 .276 .312 .337 .346 .336 .309 .264 .205 .138 .073 .021 4 .000 .000 .000 .002 .006 .015 .028 .049 .077 .113 .156 .206 .259 .312 .360 .396 .410 .392 .328 .204 5 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .001 .002 .005 .010 .019 .031 .050 .078 .116 .168 .237 .328 .444 .590 .774 n 6 p .01 .05 .10 .15 .20 .25 .30 .35 .40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65 .70 .75 .80 .85 .90 .95 r 0 .941 .735 .531 .377 .262 .178 .118 .075 .047 .028 .016 .008 .004 .002 .001 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 1 .057 .232 .354 .399 .393 .356 .303 .244 .187 .136 .094 .061 .037 .020 .010 .004 .002 .000 .000 .000 2 .001 .031 .098 .176 .246 .297 .324 .328 .311 .278 .234 .186 .138 .095 .060 .033 .015 .006 .001 .000 3 .000 .002 .015 .042 .082 .132 .185 .236 .276 .303 .312 .303 .276 .236 .185 .132 .082 .042 .015 .002 4 .000 .000 .001 .006 .015 .033 .060 .095 .138 .186 .234 .278 .311 .328 .324 .297 .246 .176 .098 .031 5 .000 .000 .000 .000 .002 .004 .010 .020 .037 .061 .094 .136 .187 .244 .303 .356 .393 .399 .354 .232 6 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .001 .002 .004 .008 .016 .028 .047 .075 .118 .178 .262 .377 .531 .735

Capital Budgeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Capital Budgeting - Essay Example There are various capital budgeting techniques which are used in evaluation of a project so to determine its viability they include; net present value, internal rate of return, profitability index, average rate of return, pay-back period and modified internal rate of return. Guillermo Furniture is faced with three investment situations, which are to continue with the current production, adopt high-tech production, or act as a broker. Therefore, there is need to ascertain which of the investment will yield the highest returns to the firm. In order to carry out efficient investment appraisal, we will involve four capital budgeting techniques. The techniques that will be applied in this case will include; computation of net present value, internal rate of return, average rate of return and the profitability index. Net present value is capital techniques which uses discounted cash flows. It estimate the present value of future cash out flow and discount the future cash flow using cost of capital of the country ( the cost of equity for unlevered firm and Weighted average cost of capital for the levered firm). After ascertaining the present value of all cash flow of Guillermo furniture, the cash flow are summed up (cash inflows are positive while cash outflows are negative) (Shapiro, 2005).

Partition after Civil Wars Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Partition after Civil Wars - Research Paper Example The resulting settlements of the issue after the bloody civil wars can often result into further bloodshed. Breakout of the State as a result of the ethnic issues therefore can put different ethnicities against each other and make the overall experiment worse because of the ease with which methods like ethnic cleansing can be adapted. What is also significant to understand that author has critically argued that in order to avoid ethnic civil wars, it is important that partition should be considered as one of the viable policy alternative. This argument is based on the assumptions that the ethnic conflicts have almost similar dynamics thus making it difficult to put back the multi-ethnic state in same state as before the war. Independent and Dependent Variables A closer analysis of the article would suggest that author has attempted to create link between the ethnic conflicts and civil wars with the partition. As such the dependent variable is the partition of the geographical areas w hereas the achievement of peace and lack of conflict as a result of the ethnic conflict as an independent variable. ... Case studies are often based upon an in-depth analysis of certain events, groups or individuals and as such can provide a comprehensive overview of subjects under review. Author has provided comprehensive details of the different ethnic conflicts which took place and the results of their settlement. Author has also used survey of the existing literature to present a theoretical analysis of the overall context of the ethnic conflicts and their solutions. Survey of existing literature also offers a valid theoretical platform based on which author can actually build the theoretical foundations for the research undertaken. By citing various examples from history author has actually been successful in providing a comprehensive overview of how the different negotiating settlements failed due to non-partition based solutions to the problem of ethnic conflicts. Conclusion This article is comprehensive in the sense that it has offered a very comprehensive overview of the historical accounts o f the different ethical and cultural conflicts. The overall theoretical foundations are set to discuss various approaches forwarded to resolve the multi-ethnic conflicts and how they failed to achieve the desired results. Author has adapted case study approach under which an overview of the different conflicts and their settlements. The overall conclusion of the article is that the partition can be one of the feasible policy alternatives to solve the ethnic conflicts and avoid civil wars. Are you convinced? Why? Though partition can be one of the key policy alternatives however, to get an overall acceptability of the same may remain one of the key challenges to such policy alternatives. In case such as Palestine and Israel where a separate State has been created for

About School Essay Example for Free

About School Essay I believe in school now in days the curriculum kills our crea? vity. Not the teachers. The teachers are only there to help teach the curriculum. Now in days you can’t write whatever you want any more or do whatever you want any more in school. There is no choice. Its either op? on â€Å"A† or op? on â€Å"B†. Kids growing up in this era will have no imagina? on because it’s all straight forward stu$. Teacher get mad at you if you doodle on your paper or step out of line in the hall way. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay Kids won’t want to be crea? ve because they won’t know what crea? ve is. I %nd that the curriculum is to worried on geng the informa? on to the kids other than leng them %nd out ways to show the informa? on or talk about it. It’s just all wri? ng and wri? ng, no free choice anymore. In the poem it’s the same thing. The boy gets made fun of and hurt because he was trying to be crea? ve. No one can do their own stu$ anymore.

Economic Analysis of Roundup-Ready Soybeans :: Agriculture Economics Essays

Economic Analysis of Roundup-Ready Soybeans In 1974, Monsanto Corporation registered the chemical glyphosate for agricultural use in the United States. Monsanto marketed glyphosate, otherwise known as Roundup, as a broad-spectrum herbicide designed to kill â€Å"a wide variety of annual and perennial grasses, sedges, broad-leaf weeds, and woody shrubs† (Mendelson, 1998). Glyphosate kills such a huge assortment of plants and weeds by inhibiting the creation of EPSP synthase, an enzyme in plants that is required to synthesize the amino acid phenylalanine (Kliener, 1998). Deprived of phenylalanine, plants cannot make the proteins necessary for life, so these plants weaken and die. Since glyphosate kills nearly anything green, farmers have been forced to use Roundup as either a pre-emergence herbicide or a weed killer around the borders of their planting area to avoid killing their commercial crop (Sij and Stansel, 1997). Despite farmers’ inability to spray glyphosate directly on conventional crops, Roundup became â€Å"the best-selling weed-killer in the world† (Arax and Brokaw, 1997). In 1994, Roundup had net sales of approximately 1.2 billion dollars, comprising 17 percent of Monsanto’s total annual sales. However, by the mid-90’s, Monsanto neared the expiration date on its patent of Roundup, and faced the possibility of losing the production rights of this cash cow. Desperately needing a new way to continue to reap profits from glyphosate, in 1996, Monsanto, through genetic engineering, introduced genetically modified Roundup-Ready crops, varieties of several commercial crops which are resistant to glyphosate. By inserting a gene derived from a petunia that produced large amounts of EPSP synthase into the genome of several popular commercial crops, Monsanto created varieties of soybeans, cotton, canola, and corn which could produce enough EPSP synthase to overwhelm the EPSP inhibition caused by glyphosate (Kliener, 1998). Therefore, farmers can plant the glyphosate-resistant crops and spray Roundup directly on their fields, thus destroying every weed and plant except their Roundup-Ready crop. Since glyphosate-resistant crops offer the promise of a cheaper and simpler weed management process, farmers have adopted glyphosate-resistant crops at such an alarming rate that Roundup-Ready crops cover over 33 million acres worldwide (Mendelson, 1998). The advent of genetically engineered glyphosate-resistant crops has not only maintained but has greatly expanded Monsanto’s market share in the realm of agribusiness. Since Roundup-Ready seeds are only resistant to the broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup, Monsanto sells a season’s worth of weed killer along with every Roundup Ready seed sale (Arax and Brokaw, 1997).

Case Study: Chrysler-Fiat Partnership Essay

When America’s economical crisis reached its apex, domestic car manufacturers were at the forefront of struggling industries, and Chrysler was one of the hardest hit (Car and Driver, 2008). In 2008 the automotive giant, along with fellow industry stalwart General Motors, received a $17.4-billion reprieve from the American Government to keep from closing its doors altogether (Car and Driver). Chrysler did lose a lot of respectability, and was ordered to cease and desist with any new product development until the company proved it could be a viable business (Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). However, the loan from the government proved to still not be enough to get Chrysler back on its feet, and in 2009 the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (Groth, 2011). Fiat faced its own organizational struggles in 2003-2004 before new CEO Sergio Marchionne led the Italian automotive manufacturer back to respectability (Gluckman & Kurczewski). Still, after watching European car sales fall to a 17 year low and needing a boost to his company’s revenue, Marchionne saw the Chrysler situation as a way to get into the American market (The Economist, 2013). Objectives Sought by Each Partner: Chrysler’s objectives in the partnership with Fiat were pretty simple: it needed a financial boost to maintain its place in the industry and new technology if it wanted to grow and advance (Marrs, 2009). After egregiously unsuccessful partnerships with Daimler-Benz and Cerberus Management Group and a multi-billion dollar loan from the American Government ended with Chrysler filing for bankruptcy, the company was in desperate need of a method to regain viability (Marrs; Krisher & Strumpf, 2009; Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). Although Chrysler received no money in the deal, it will emerge as a new, leaner group minus billions in debt, 789 underperforming dealerships, and burdensome labor costs, not to mention gaining Fiat’s  technology to build new environmentally friendly, fuel efficient, high-quality vehicles (Krisher & Strumpf). Fiat’s objective in the partnership was to provide a financial boost to its own company without accumulating additional debt (Ebhardt, 2013). Fiat, Italy’s largest auto manufacturer, would like to expand its market to become a global competitor. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne believes that to compete with General Motors, Volkswagen, and Toyota, the merged Fiat-Chrysler will need to produce 5.5-6 million cars a year, compared to its current output of 4.1 million (The Economist, 2013). Basis of Dialogue Leading to the Partnership: The basis of a dialogue leading to a potential partnership was the concept of a mutually beneficial situation for all parties involved (Cox, 2013). Fiat has the capital, new technologies to develop high-efficiency cars, and reverence from Ferrari and Maserati fans that will allow Chrysler to regain its place among top domestic auto manufacturers in the United States (Groth, 2013). Fiat will share with Chrysler its platforms and powertrain technology, including engines, transmissions, and fuel-saving technology (Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). Through Fiat, Chrysler will also get better distribution of its products in Europe, India, Brazil and China (Gluckman & Kurczewski). Chrysler is the 3rd-largest U.S. auto company and is a trusted brand with the international appeal, customer base, and facilities that will allow Fiat to become a serious competitor in the global automotive manufacturing market (Groth). Chrysler was also in no position to be patient for an extended period of time. While its factories sat idled during the bankruptcy process, the automaker reportedly lost 100 million per day (Krisher & Strumpf, 2009). Steps Taken by Each Company: The partnership between Fiat and Chrysler, which is still an ongoing process, is being approached in phases. Initially Chrysler agreed to give Fiat a 35% holding in return for an influx of new engines and platforms, research and development, and help retooling its plants (Marrs, 2009). This approach allowed both organizations to ease into the partnership, without either side immediately taking on too much debt or risk (Cox, 2013). Analysts were not  able to exactly predict the partnership between Fiat and Chrysler. In fact, Chrysler was in talks with General Motors before both companies began to experience serious financial hardships (Gluckman & Kurczewski, 2009). Looking to avoid the management mistakes that doomed Chrysler’s partnerships with Daimler and Cerberus, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has made it clear that Fiat/Chrysler will run as one company (Trujillo, 2013). As Mr. Marchionne announced at a media briefing, â€Å"This management team spends their time traveling and making decisions, but this thing runs as one house. There is no question about who runs what; I run one company† (Vlasic, 2013, pp. 4).

Is It Fair to Criticise General Haig as a Donkey Who Led Lions

Is it fair to criticize General Haig as a donkey who led lions? Douglas Haig was a General during World War One. There is much controversy over General Haig’s reputation due to the high level of losses during his battles in command. Many people agree with David Lloyd George’s attitude of Haig and many other British Generals of World War One. They are said to be â€Å"donkeys†, incompetents who sent the â€Å"lions† (the soldier) into futile bloody battles. Many popular books, films and television programs also agree with David Lloyd George.The sad truth, however, was between two evenly matched opponents, that there was no other way of solving the conflict. There is sufficient evidence to indicate that that Douglas Haig was a poor General, or a donkey. The evidence is that General Haig, along with many other Generals, were used to handling small-scale forces in colonial warfare. They had a lot to learn about this type of warfare, for which they were very un prepared. Furthermore, communications were poor, and armies were too big and dispersed to be commanded by a General himself.Haig should have, however, made sure that all his soldiers knew what the plan was before they set off, and Haig should have planned how he was going to communicate with them. Moreover, if the infantry and artillery did manage to hit the enemy Haig lacked a fast moving force to use the situation effectively. Additionally, General Haig’s 1914 tactics had yet to catch up with the range and effectiveness of modern artillery and the latest machine guns. Likewise, Haig learnt the wrong lesson from previous attacks, instead of persisting with short times of extreme amounts of fire.Haig used heavier guns and longer bombardments that just churned up the ground and eliminated the element of surprise. Haig was not able to accept information passed on to him, a great example of this was when it was suggested that much of the barbed wire on the Somme was not cut, he admitted that himself, but he still continued with the attack. Another example of this was during Aube Ridge, when he also knew the wire was not cut in 1915, but he insisted the attack should continue and 1,000 men lost their lives for no gain.Not to mention, Haig’s ordering of successive attacks on the Somme during October and November 1916, with the ground reduced to a boggy area that gave way underfoot, achieved nothing but a degradation of morale and manpower. In 1917 other Generals were telling Haig that it was pointless to continue. No matter, Haig continued to hammer away for a further three months. Haig consistently told his soldiers that German morale and manpower were on the verge of collapse and that just one more push could break the enemy.To Haig’s defense it can be said that his army played a main part in defeating the German forces in the crucial battles of 1918. Furthermore, the Somme and Passchendaele, which are battles that have been known as unnecess ary murder of British troops, had sensible strategy, not least in the amount of damage they inflicted on the Germans. Moreover, Haig was not given a professional force; he was given a citizen army, which had less training and preparation for the battles. Additionally, the French tended to decide what to do during the battles, even though Haig was an independent commander.Besides, Germany had been working on placing high tech weapons onto the battlefield (quick-firing artillery and machine guns) and also low-tech defenses (trenches and barbed wire), which made Haig’s job considerably harder. At the battle of Loos, Sir John French wanted personal control of reserves. He therefore didn’t allow Haig (commander on the spot) to have them until it was too late, and the attack consequently failed causing thousands of casualties. Not to mention, at the battle of Neuve Chappelle, poor communications hampered the ability of Haig and the British Commander Sir John French, to send in reserves where they were needed.Also, when General Haig wanted to attack in Flanders, around Ypres, where the British army was closer to supplies and also to strategic targets just behind the German’s lines (coastal ports and coal mines). However, for the sake of unity in the alliance with France, the politicians at the time decided that the attack must come on the River Somme simply because this was where the British and French armies met in the trench line. The blame for the slaughter cannot, therefore, be placed entirely on Douglas Haig himself, simply because it was not his plan to attack on the River Somme.In addition, the German commanders would be fighting on ground they knew well, they also had the advantage of telephone cable which was deeply buried and therefore harder to cut. The German generals would therefore be able receive information far more quickly than their British counterparts. In conclusion, I think it is fair to criticize General Haig as a donkey who led lions. This is justifiable because Haig was often unprepared for the battle where he was responsible for thousands of men.Communication was a big problem for Haig; he did not insure that his soldiers were able to communicate messages during battle, which meant that soldiers were left confused, not understanding what there next plan of action was. Furthermore, General Haig’s had not been able to catch up with modern artillery and machine guns, which meant his battle tactics were often old fashioned and ineffective. Moreover, Haig was not able to accept intelligence that was passed on to him which meant he made drastic decisions, which would lead unsuspecting men to their deaths.

The Story Behind Words for Hair Color

The Story Behind Words for Hair Color The Story Behind Words for Hair Color The Story Behind Words for Hair Color By Mark Nichol The conventions for referring to hair color are tousled. Why is it that we refer to someone with light-colored hair as a blonde (and, rarely, a blond) but we call someone with red hair a redhead? Why are blonde and brunette spelled two ways? Blond and its feminine form blonde, both from the Latin word blundus (â€Å"yellow†) by way of French, may have in turn come from a Frankish word that could be related to Old English blondan, â€Å"to mix,† which shares its origins with blend. Blond is usually employed as an adjective, the term as a noun for a man with blond hair, by contrast, is rare. Because blonds and blondes are more likely to be fair-skinned as well as fair-haired, the term is also associated with light complexion. The presence of both masculine and feminine forms for blond/blonde and brunet/brunette is due to their French (and ultimately Latin) roots, as it were, as opposed to the Germanic origins of black and red, the words for the other major hair colors, which have a neutral form. Normally, English might have jettisoned one gendered form for blond/blonde. However, the venerable theme in popular culture of the blonde-haired woman as more sexually attractive and available (as well as flighty, shallow, and dimwitted), as compared to females with hair of another color, has caused the noun form blonde and brunette to endure. The numerous terms for variations in blond hair, not necessarily in order of darkness, include sandy, strawberry, and dirty. Towhead (the first syllable refers to its resemblance to tow, flax or hemp fibers used for twine or yarn) describes a person with yellowish and often unruly hair. Brunet and brunette, from the gender-specific diminutives of the French brun (â€Å"brown†), mean â€Å"brown haired.† (Brun and its diminutives originally also referred to a dark complexion.) As with blond and blonde, the male form is rarely used on its own as a noun, though the masculine and feminine variations persist probably because of the same double standard in association of hair color with female sexuality and with personality characteristics as mentioned in reference to blondes above. (Dark-haired women are stereotyped as serious, sophisticated, and capable.) Words for shades of brown hair, from darkest to lightest, are brunet/brunette, chestnut, walnut (the last two as compared to colors of the respective nuts), golden, and ash. Redhead is yet another term for hair color used as a noun; in contrast to the colors mentioned above, it is not gender specific, though as blonde and brunette are much more common in usage than blond and brunet, it is more likely to refer to a woman than a man. Variations in red hair, listed in alphabetical order rather than according to depth of color, include auburn, copper, ginger, and orange. (Auburn derives ultimately from the Latin word albus, meaning â€Å"white,† but thanks to the influence of brun, the French spelling auborne changed, as did the meaning, to â€Å"reddish brown.†) The prevailing and long-standing cultural stereotype about redheads is that they are hot tempered; the hair color has also been associated with a high libido. Alone among descriptions of people with general hair tones, a black-haired person is never referred to by the word black alone. Hair-color categories are arbitrary strawberry blond is sometimes considered a type of red hair, and auburn might be classified as a type of brown hair though a system called the Fischer-Saller scale, devised for anthropological and medical classification, assigns alphabetical letters and roman numerals to various grades of hair color. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Religious Terms You Should KnowDawned vs. Donnedâ€Å"Least,† â€Å"Less,† â€Å"More,† and â€Å"Most†

Blood Promise Chapter Two

He grabbed her shoulder, jerking her to him. He was fast-they always were-but I was on my game tonight. A swift kick knocked him into a neighboring building’s wall and freed Sydney from his grasp. He grunted on impact and slumped to the ground, stunned and surprised. It wasn’t easy to get the drop on a Strigoi, not with their lightning-fast reflexes. Abandoning Sydney, he focused his attention on me, red eyes angry and lips curled back to show his fangs. He sprang up from his fall with that preternatural speed and lunged for me. I dodged him and attempted a punch that he dodged in return. His next blow caught me on the arm, and I stumbled, just barely keeping my balance. My stake was still clutched in my right hand, but I needed an opening to hit his chest. A smart Strigoi would have angled himself in a way that ruined the line of sight to his heart. This guy was only doing a so-so job, and if I could stay alive long enough, I’d likely get an opening. Just then, Sydney came up and hit him on the back. It wasn’t a very strong blow, but it startled him. It was my opening. I sprinted as hard as I could, throwing my full weight at him. My stake pierced his heart as we slammed against the wall. It was as simple as that. The life-or undead life or whatever-faded away from him. He stopped moving. I jerked out my stake once I was certain he was dead and watched as his body crumpled to the ground. Just like with every Strigoi I’d killed lately, I had a momentary surreal feeling. What if this had been Dimitri? I tried to imagine Dimitri’s face on this Strigoi, tried to imagine him lying before me. My heart twisted in my chest. For a split second, the image was there. Then-gone. This was just some random Strigoi. I promptly shook the disorientation off and reminded myself that I had important things to worry about here. I had to check on Sydney. Even with a human, my protective nature couldn’t help but kick in. â€Å"Are you okay?† She nodded, looking shaken but otherwise unharmed. â€Å"Nice work,† she said. She sounded as though she were forcibly trying to sound confident. â€Å"I’ve never†¦ I’ve never actually seen one of them killed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn’t imagine how she would have, but then, I didn’t get how she knew about any of this stuff in the first place. She looked like she was in shock, so I took her arm and started to lead her away. â€Å"Come on, let’s get out to where there’s more people.† Strigoi lurking near the Nightingale wasn’t that crazy of an idea, the more I thought about it. What better place to stalk Moroi than at one of their hangouts? Though, hopefully, most guardians would have enough sense to keep their charges out of alleys like this. The suggestion of departure snapped Sydney out of her daze. â€Å"What?† she exclaimed. â€Å"You’re just going to leave him too?† I threw up my hands. â€Å"What do you expect me to do? I guess I can move him behind those trash cans and then let the sun incinerate him. That’s what I usually do.† â€Å"Right. And what if someone shows up to take out the trash? Or comes out of one of these back doors?† â€Å"Well, I can hardly drag him off. Or set him on fire. A vampire barbecue would kind of attract some attention, don’t you think?† Sydney shook her head in exasperation and walked over to the body. She made a face as she looked down at the Strigoi and reached into her large leather purse. From it, she produced a small vial. With a deft motion, she sprinkled the vial’s contents over the body and then quickly stepped back. Where the drops had hit his corpse, yellow smoke began to curl away. The smoke slowly moved outward, spreading horizontally rather than vertically until it cocooned the Strigoi entirely. Then it contracted and contracted until it was nothing but a fist-size ball. In a few seconds, the smoke drifted off entirely, leaving an innocuous pile of dust behind. â€Å"You’re welcome,† said Sydney flatly, still giving me a disapproving look. â€Å"What the hell was that?† I exclaimed. â€Å"My job. Can you please call me the next time this happens?† She started to turn away. â€Å"Wait! I can’t call you-I have no idea who you are.† She glanced back at me and brushed blond hair out of her face. â€Å"Really? You’re serious, aren’t you? I thought you were all taught about us when you graduated.† â€Å"Oh, well. Funny thing†¦ I kind of, uh, didn’t graduate.† Sydney’s eyes widened. â€Å"You took down one of those†¦ things†¦ but never graduated?† I shrugged, and she remained silent for several seconds. Finally, she sighed again and said, â€Å"I guess we need to talk.† Did we ever. Meeting her had to be the strangest thing that had happened to me since coming to Russia. I wanted to know why she thought I should have been in contact with her and how she’d dissolved that Strigoi corpse. And, as we returned to the busy streets and walked toward a cafe she liked, it occurred to me that if she knew about the Moroi world, there might be a chance she also knew where Dimitri’s village was. Dimitri. There he was again, popping back into my mind. I had no clue if he really would be lurking near his hometown, but I had nothing else to go on at this point. Again, that weird feeling came over me. My mind blurred Dimitri’s face with that of the Strigoi I’d just killed: pale skin, red ringed eyes†¦ No, I sternly told myself. Don’t focus on that yet. Don’t panic. Until I faced Dimitri the Strigoi, I would gain the most strength from remembering the Dimitri I loved, with his deep brown eyes, warm hands, fierce embrace†¦ â€Å"Are you okay†¦ um, whatever your name is?† Sydney was staring at me strangely, and I realized we’d come to a halt in front of a restaurant. I didn’t know what look I wore on my face, but it must have been enough to raise even her attention. Until now, my impression as we walked had been that she wanted to speak to me as little as possible. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, fine,† I said brusquely, putting on my guardian face. â€Å"And I’m Rose. Is this the place?† It was. The restaurant was bright and cheery, albeit a far cry from the Nightingale’s opulence. We slid into a black leather-by which I mean fake plastic leather-booth, and I was delighted to see the menu had both American and Russian food. The listings were translated into English, and I nearly drooled when I saw fried chicken. I was starving after not eating at the club, and the thought of deep-fried meat was luxurious after weeks of cabbage dishes and so-called McDonald’s. A waitress arrived, and Sydney ordered in fluent Russian, whereas I just pointed at the menu. Huh. Sydney was just full of surprises. Considering her harsh attitude, I expected her to interrogate me right away, but when the waitress left, Sydney remained quiet, simply playing with her napkin and avoiding eye contact. It was so strange. She was definitely uncomfortable around me. Even with the table between us, it was like she couldn’t get far enough away. Yet her earlier outrage hadn’t been faked, and she’d been adamant about me following whatever these rules of hers were. Well, she might have been playing coy, but I had no such hesitation about busting into uncomfortable topics. In fact, it was kind of my trademark. â€Å"So, are you ready to tell me who you are and what’s going on?† Sydney looked up. Now that we were in brighter light, I could see that her eyes were brown. I also noticed that she had an interesting tattoo on her lower left cheek. The ink looked like gold, something I’d never seen before. It was an elaborate design of flowers and leaves and was only really visible when she tilted her head certain ways so that the gold caught the light. â€Å"I told you,† she said. â€Å"I’m an Alchemist.† â€Å"And I told you, I don’t know what that is. Is it some Russian word?† It didn’t sound like one. A half-smile played on her lips. â€Å"No. I take it you’ve never heard of alchemy either?† I shook my head, and she propped her chin up with her hand, eyes staring down at the table again. She swallowed, like she was bracing herself, and then a rush of words came out. â€Å"Back in the Middle Ages, there were these people who were convinced that if they found the right formula or magic, they could turn lead into gold. Unsurprisingly, they couldn’t. This didn’t stop them from pursuing all sorts of other mystical and supernatural stuff, and eventually they did find something magical.† She frowned. â€Å"Vampires.† I thought back to my Moroi history classes. The Middle Ages were when our kind really started pulling away from humans, hiding out and keeping to ourselves. That was the time when vampires truly became myth as far as the rest of the world was concerned, and even Moroi were regarded as monsters worth hunting. Sydney verified my thoughts. â€Å"And that was when the Moroi began to stay away. They had their magic, but humans were starting to outnumber them. We still do.† That almost brought a smile to her face. Moroi sometimes had trouble conceiving, whereas humans seemed to have too easy a time. â€Å"And the Moroi made a deal with the Alchemists. If the Alchemists would help Moroi and dhampirs and their societies stay secret from humans, the Moroi would give us these.† She touched the golden tattoo. â€Å"What is that?† I asked. â€Å"I mean, aside from the obvious.† She gently stroked it with her fingertips and didn’t bother hiding the sarcasm when she spoke. â€Å"My guardian angel. It’s actually gold and†-she grimaced and dropped her hand-â€Å"Moroi blood, charmed with water and earth.† â€Å"What?† My voice came out too loud, and some people in the restaurant turned to look at me. Sydney continued speaking, her tone much lower and very bitter. â€Å"I’m not thrilled about it, but it’s our ? ®reward’ for helping you guys. The water and earth bind it to our skin and give us the same traits Moroi have well, a couple of them. I almost never get sick. I’ll live a long life.† â€Å"I guess that sounds good,† I said uncertainly. â€Å"Maybe for some. We don’t have a choice. This ? ®career’ is a family thing-it gets passed down. We all have to learn about Moroi and dhampirs. We work connections among humans that let us cover up for you since we can move around more freely. We’ve got tricks and techniques to get rid of Strigoi bodies-like that potion you saw. In return, though, we want to stay apart from you as much as we can-which is why most dhampirs aren’t told about us until they graduate. And Moroi hardly ever.† She abruptly stopped. I guessed the lesson was over. My head was reeling. I had never, never considered anything like this-wait. Had I? Most of my education had emphasized the physical aspects of being a guardian: watchfulness, combat, etc. Yet every so often I’d heard vague references to those out in the human world who would help hide Moroi or get them out of weird and dangerous situations. I’d never thought much about it or heard the term Alchemist. If I had stayed in school, maybe I would have. This probably wasn’t an idea I should have suggested, but my nature couldn’t help it. â€Å"Why keep the charm to yourselves? Why not share it with the human world?† â€Å"Because there’s an extra part to its power. It stops us from speaking about your kind in a way that would endanger or expose them.† A charm that bound them from speaking†¦ that sounded suspiciously like compulsion. All Moroi could use compulsion a little, and most could put some of their magic into objects to give them certain properties. Moroi magic had changed over the years, and compulsion was regarded as an immoral thing now. I was guessing this tattoo was an old, old spell that had come down through the centuries. I replayed the rest of what Sydney had said, more questions spinning in my head. â€Å"Why†¦ why do you want to stay away from us? I mean, not that I’m looking to become BFFs or anything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Because it’s our duty to God to protect the rest of humanity from evil creatures of the night.† Absentmindedly, her hand went to something at her neck. It was mostly covered by her jacket, but a parting of her collar briefly revealed a golden cross. My initial reaction to that was unease, seeing as I wasn’t very religious. In fact, I was never entirely comfortable around those who were hard-core believers. Thirty seconds later, the full impact of the rest of her words sank in. â€Å"Wait a minute,† I exclaimed indignantly. â€Å"Are you talking about all of us-dhampirs and Moroi? We’re all evil creatures of the night?† Her hands dropped from the cross, and she didn’t respond. â€Å"We’re not like Strigoi!† I snapped. Her face stayed bland. â€Å"Moroi drink blood. Dhampirs are the unnatural offspring of them and humans.† No one had ever called me unnatural before, except for the time I put ketchup on a taco. But seriously, we’d been out of salsa, so what else was I supposed to do? â€Å"Moroi and dhampirs are not evil,† I told Sydney. â€Å"Not like Strigoi.† â€Å"That’s true,† she conceded. â€Å"Strigoi are more evil.† â€Å"Hey, that’s not what I-â€Å" The food arrived just then, and the fried chicken was almost enough to distract me from the outrage of being compared to a Strigoi. Mostly all it did was delay me from responding immediately to her claims, and I bit into the golden crust and nearly melted then and there. Sydney had ordered a cheeseburger and fries and nibbled her food delicately. After taking down an entire chicken leg, I was finally able to resume the argument. â€Å"We’re not like Strigoi at all. Moroi don’t kill. You have no reason to be afraid of us.† Again, I wasn’t keen on cozying up to humans. None of my kind were, not with the way humans tended to be trigger-happy and ready to experiment on anything they didn’t understand. â€Å"Any human who learns about you will inevitably learn about Strigoi,† she said. She was playing with her fries but not actually eating them. â€Å"Knowing about Strigoi might enable humans to protect themselves, though.† Why the hell was I playing devil’s advocate here? She finished toying with a fry and dropped it back on her plate. â€Å"Perhaps. But there are a lot of people who would be tempted by the thought of immortality-even at the cost of serving Strigoi in exchange for being turned into a creature from hell. You’d be surprised at how a lot of humans respond when they learn about vampires. Immortality’s a big draw-despite the evil that goes with it. A lot of humans who learn about Strigoi will try to serve them, in the hopes of eventually being turned.† â€Å"That’s insane-† I stopped. Last year, we’d discovered evidence of humans helping Strigoi. Strigoi couldn’t touch silver stakes, but humans could, and some had used those stakes to shatter Moroi wards. Had those humans been promised immortality? â€Å"And so,† said Sydney, â€Å"that’s why it’s best if we just make sure no one knows about any of you. You’re out there-all of you-and there’s nothing to be done about it. You do your thing to get rid of Strigoi, and we’ll do ours and save the rest of my kind.† I chewed on a chicken wing and restrained myself from the implied meaning that she was saving her kind from people like me, too. In some ways, what she was saying made sense. It wasn’t possible that we could always move through the world invisibly, and yes, I could admit, it was necessary for someone to dispose of Strigoi bodies. Humans working with Moroi were an ideal choice. Such humans would be able to move around the world freely, particularly if they had the kinds of contacts and connections she kept implying. I froze mid-chew, remembering my earlier thoughts when I’d first come along with Sydney. I forced myself to swallow and then took a long drink of water. â€Å"Here’s a question. Do you have contacts all over Russia?† â€Å"Unfortunately,† she said. â€Å"When Alchemists turn eighteen, we’re sent on an internship to get firsthand experience in the trade and make all sorts of connections. I would have rather stayed in Utah.† That was almost crazier than everything else she’d told me, but I didn’t push it. â€Å"What kind of connections exactly?† She shrugged. â€Å"We track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. We also know a lot of high-ranking government officials-among humans and Moroi. If there’s been a vampire sighting among humans, we can usually find someone important who can pay someone off or whatever†¦ It all gets swept under the rug.† Track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. Jackpot. I leaned in close and lowered my voice. Everything seemed to hinge on this moment. â€Å"I’m looking for a village†¦ a village of dhampirs out in Siberia. I don’t know its name.† Dimitri had only ever mentioned its name once, and I’d forgotten. â€Å"It’s kind of near†¦ Om?† â€Å"Omsk,† she corrected. I straightened up. â€Å"Do you know it?† She didn’t answer right away, but her eyes betrayed her. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"You do!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You have to tell me where it is. I have to get there.† She made a face. â€Å"Are you going to be†¦ one of those?† So Alchemists knew about blood whores. No surprise. If Sydney and her associates knew everything else about the vampire world, they’d know this too. â€Å"No,† I said haughtily. â€Å"I just have to find someone.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Someone.† That almost made her smile. Her brown eyes were thoughtful as she munched on another fry. She’d only taken two bites out of her cheeseburger, and it was rapidly growing cold. I kind of wanted to eat it myself on principle. â€Å"I’ll be right back,† she said abruptly. She stood up and strode across to a quiet corner of the cafe. Producing a cell phone from that magic purse of hers, she turned her back to the room and made a call. I’d polished off my chicken by then and helped myself to some of her fries since it was looking less and less like she was going to do anything with them. As I ate, I pondered the possibilities before me, wondering if finding Dimitri’s town would really be this simple. And once I was there†¦ would it be simple then? Would he be there, living in the shadows and hunting prey? And when faced with him, could I really drive my stake into his heart? That unwanted image came to me again, Dimitri with red eyes and â€Å"Rose?† I blinked. I’d totally spaced out, and Sydney was back. She slid back into her spot across from me. â€Å"So, it looks like-† She paused and looked down. â€Å"Did you eat some of my fries?† I had no clue how she knew, seeing as it was such a huge stack. I’d barely made a dent. Figuring me stealing fries would count as further evidence of being an evil creature of the night, I said glibly, â€Å"No.† She frowned a moment, considering, and then said, â€Å"I do know where this town is. I’ve been there before.† I straightened up. Holy crap. This was actually going to happen, after all these weeks of searching. Sydney would tell me where this place was, and I could go and try to close this horrible chapter in my life. â€Å"Thank you, thank you so much-â€Å" She held up a hand to silence me, and I noticed then how miserable she looked. â€Å"But I’m not going to tell you where it is.† My mouth gaped. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I’m going to take you there myself.† Blood Promise Chapter Two He grabbed her shoulder, jerking her to him. He was fast-they always were-but I was on my game tonight. A swift kick knocked him into a neighboring building’s wall and freed Sydney from his grasp. He grunted on impact and slumped to the ground, stunned and surprised. It wasn’t easy to get the drop on a Strigoi, not with their lightning-fast reflexes. Abandoning Sydney, he focused his attention on me, red eyes angry and lips curled back to show his fangs. He sprang up from his fall with that preternatural speed and lunged for me. I dodged him and attempted a punch that he dodged in return. His next blow caught me on the arm, and I stumbled, just barely keeping my balance. My stake was still clutched in my right hand, but I needed an opening to hit his chest. A smart Strigoi would have angled himself in a way that ruined the line of sight to his heart. This guy was only doing a so-so job, and if I could stay alive long enough, I’d likely get an opening. Just then, Sydney came up and hit him on the back. It wasn’t a very strong blow, but it startled him. It was my opening. I sprinted as hard as I could, throwing my full weight at him. My stake pierced his heart as we slammed against the wall. It was as simple as that. The life-or undead life or whatever-faded away from him. He stopped moving. I jerked out my stake once I was certain he was dead and watched as his body crumpled to the ground. Just like with every Strigoi I’d killed lately, I had a momentary surreal feeling. What if this had been Dimitri? I tried to imagine Dimitri’s face on this Strigoi, tried to imagine him lying before me. My heart twisted in my chest. For a split second, the image was there. Then-gone. This was just some random Strigoi. I promptly shook the disorientation off and reminded myself that I had important things to worry about here. I had to check on Sydney. Even with a human, my protective nature couldn’t help but kick in. â€Å"Are you okay?† She nodded, looking shaken but otherwise unharmed. â€Å"Nice work,† she said. She sounded as though she were forcibly trying to sound confident. â€Å"I’ve never†¦ I’ve never actually seen one of them killed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn’t imagine how she would have, but then, I didn’t get how she knew about any of this stuff in the first place. She looked like she was in shock, so I took her arm and started to lead her away. â€Å"Come on, let’s get out to where there’s more people.† Strigoi lurking near the Nightingale wasn’t that crazy of an idea, the more I thought about it. What better place to stalk Moroi than at one of their hangouts? Though, hopefully, most guardians would have enough sense to keep their charges out of alleys like this. The suggestion of departure snapped Sydney out of her daze. â€Å"What?† she exclaimed. â€Å"You’re just going to leave him too?† I threw up my hands. â€Å"What do you expect me to do? I guess I can move him behind those trash cans and then let the sun incinerate him. That’s what I usually do.† â€Å"Right. And what if someone shows up to take out the trash? Or comes out of one of these back doors?† â€Å"Well, I can hardly drag him off. Or set him on fire. A vampire barbecue would kind of attract some attention, don’t you think?† Sydney shook her head in exasperation and walked over to the body. She made a face as she looked down at the Strigoi and reached into her large leather purse. From it, she produced a small vial. With a deft motion, she sprinkled the vial’s contents over the body and then quickly stepped back. Where the drops had hit his corpse, yellow smoke began to curl away. The smoke slowly moved outward, spreading horizontally rather than vertically until it cocooned the Strigoi entirely. Then it contracted and contracted until it was nothing but a fist-size ball. In a few seconds, the smoke drifted off entirely, leaving an innocuous pile of dust behind. â€Å"You’re welcome,† said Sydney flatly, still giving me a disapproving look. â€Å"What the hell was that?† I exclaimed. â€Å"My job. Can you please call me the next time this happens?† She started to turn away. â€Å"Wait! I can’t call you-I have no idea who you are.† She glanced back at me and brushed blond hair out of her face. â€Å"Really? You’re serious, aren’t you? I thought you were all taught about us when you graduated.† â€Å"Oh, well. Funny thing†¦ I kind of, uh, didn’t graduate.† Sydney’s eyes widened. â€Å"You took down one of those†¦ things†¦ but never graduated?† I shrugged, and she remained silent for several seconds. Finally, she sighed again and said, â€Å"I guess we need to talk.† Did we ever. Meeting her had to be the strangest thing that had happened to me since coming to Russia. I wanted to know why she thought I should have been in contact with her and how she’d dissolved that Strigoi corpse. And, as we returned to the busy streets and walked toward a cafe she liked, it occurred to me that if she knew about the Moroi world, there might be a chance she also knew where Dimitri’s village was. Dimitri. There he was again, popping back into my mind. I had no clue if he really would be lurking near his hometown, but I had nothing else to go on at this point. Again, that weird feeling came over me. My mind blurred Dimitri’s face with that of the Strigoi I’d just killed: pale skin, red ringed eyes†¦ No, I sternly told myself. Don’t focus on that yet. Don’t panic. Until I faced Dimitri the Strigoi, I would gain the most strength from remembering the Dimitri I loved, with his deep brown eyes, warm hands, fierce embrace†¦ â€Å"Are you okay†¦ um, whatever your name is?† Sydney was staring at me strangely, and I realized we’d come to a halt in front of a restaurant. I didn’t know what look I wore on my face, but it must have been enough to raise even her attention. Until now, my impression as we walked had been that she wanted to speak to me as little as possible. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, fine,† I said brusquely, putting on my guardian face. â€Å"And I’m Rose. Is this the place?† It was. The restaurant was bright and cheery, albeit a far cry from the Nightingale’s opulence. We slid into a black leather-by which I mean fake plastic leather-booth, and I was delighted to see the menu had both American and Russian food. The listings were translated into English, and I nearly drooled when I saw fried chicken. I was starving after not eating at the club, and the thought of deep-fried meat was luxurious after weeks of cabbage dishes and so-called McDonald’s. A waitress arrived, and Sydney ordered in fluent Russian, whereas I just pointed at the menu. Huh. Sydney was just full of surprises. Considering her harsh attitude, I expected her to interrogate me right away, but when the waitress left, Sydney remained quiet, simply playing with her napkin and avoiding eye contact. It was so strange. She was definitely uncomfortable around me. Even with the table between us, it was like she couldn’t get far enough away. Yet her earlier outrage hadn’t been faked, and she’d been adamant about me following whatever these rules of hers were. Well, she might have been playing coy, but I had no such hesitation about busting into uncomfortable topics. In fact, it was kind of my trademark. â€Å"So, are you ready to tell me who you are and what’s going on?† Sydney looked up. Now that we were in brighter light, I could see that her eyes were brown. I also noticed that she had an interesting tattoo on her lower left cheek. The ink looked like gold, something I’d never seen before. It was an elaborate design of flowers and leaves and was only really visible when she tilted her head certain ways so that the gold caught the light. â€Å"I told you,† she said. â€Å"I’m an Alchemist.† â€Å"And I told you, I don’t know what that is. Is it some Russian word?† It didn’t sound like one. A half-smile played on her lips. â€Å"No. I take it you’ve never heard of alchemy either?† I shook my head, and she propped her chin up with her hand, eyes staring down at the table again. She swallowed, like she was bracing herself, and then a rush of words came out. â€Å"Back in the Middle Ages, there were these people who were convinced that if they found the right formula or magic, they could turn lead into gold. Unsurprisingly, they couldn’t. This didn’t stop them from pursuing all sorts of other mystical and supernatural stuff, and eventually they did find something magical.† She frowned. â€Å"Vampires.† I thought back to my Moroi history classes. The Middle Ages were when our kind really started pulling away from humans, hiding out and keeping to ourselves. That was the time when vampires truly became myth as far as the rest of the world was concerned, and even Moroi were regarded as monsters worth hunting. Sydney verified my thoughts. â€Å"And that was when the Moroi began to stay away. They had their magic, but humans were starting to outnumber them. We still do.† That almost brought a smile to her face. Moroi sometimes had trouble conceiving, whereas humans seemed to have too easy a time. â€Å"And the Moroi made a deal with the Alchemists. If the Alchemists would help Moroi and dhampirs and their societies stay secret from humans, the Moroi would give us these.† She touched the golden tattoo. â€Å"What is that?† I asked. â€Å"I mean, aside from the obvious.† She gently stroked it with her fingertips and didn’t bother hiding the sarcasm when she spoke. â€Å"My guardian angel. It’s actually gold and†-she grimaced and dropped her hand-â€Å"Moroi blood, charmed with water and earth.† â€Å"What?† My voice came out too loud, and some people in the restaurant turned to look at me. Sydney continued speaking, her tone much lower and very bitter. â€Å"I’m not thrilled about it, but it’s our ? ®reward’ for helping you guys. The water and earth bind it to our skin and give us the same traits Moroi have well, a couple of them. I almost never get sick. I’ll live a long life.† â€Å"I guess that sounds good,† I said uncertainly. â€Å"Maybe for some. We don’t have a choice. This ? ®career’ is a family thing-it gets passed down. We all have to learn about Moroi and dhampirs. We work connections among humans that let us cover up for you since we can move around more freely. We’ve got tricks and techniques to get rid of Strigoi bodies-like that potion you saw. In return, though, we want to stay apart from you as much as we can-which is why most dhampirs aren’t told about us until they graduate. And Moroi hardly ever.† She abruptly stopped. I guessed the lesson was over. My head was reeling. I had never, never considered anything like this-wait. Had I? Most of my education had emphasized the physical aspects of being a guardian: watchfulness, combat, etc. Yet every so often I’d heard vague references to those out in the human world who would help hide Moroi or get them out of weird and dangerous situations. I’d never thought much about it or heard the term Alchemist. If I had stayed in school, maybe I would have. This probably wasn’t an idea I should have suggested, but my nature couldn’t help it. â€Å"Why keep the charm to yourselves? Why not share it with the human world?† â€Å"Because there’s an extra part to its power. It stops us from speaking about your kind in a way that would endanger or expose them.† A charm that bound them from speaking†¦ that sounded suspiciously like compulsion. All Moroi could use compulsion a little, and most could put some of their magic into objects to give them certain properties. Moroi magic had changed over the years, and compulsion was regarded as an immoral thing now. I was guessing this tattoo was an old, old spell that had come down through the centuries. I replayed the rest of what Sydney had said, more questions spinning in my head. â€Å"Why†¦ why do you want to stay away from us? I mean, not that I’m looking to become BFFs or anything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Because it’s our duty to God to protect the rest of humanity from evil creatures of the night.† Absentmindedly, her hand went to something at her neck. It was mostly covered by her jacket, but a parting of her collar briefly revealed a golden cross. My initial reaction to that was unease, seeing as I wasn’t very religious. In fact, I was never entirely comfortable around those who were hard-core believers. Thirty seconds later, the full impact of the rest of her words sank in. â€Å"Wait a minute,† I exclaimed indignantly. â€Å"Are you talking about all of us-dhampirs and Moroi? We’re all evil creatures of the night?† Her hands dropped from the cross, and she didn’t respond. â€Å"We’re not like Strigoi!† I snapped. Her face stayed bland. â€Å"Moroi drink blood. Dhampirs are the unnatural offspring of them and humans.† No one had ever called me unnatural before, except for the time I put ketchup on a taco. But seriously, we’d been out of salsa, so what else was I supposed to do? â€Å"Moroi and dhampirs are not evil,† I told Sydney. â€Å"Not like Strigoi.† â€Å"That’s true,† she conceded. â€Å"Strigoi are more evil.† â€Å"Hey, that’s not what I-â€Å" The food arrived just then, and the fried chicken was almost enough to distract me from the outrage of being compared to a Strigoi. Mostly all it did was delay me from responding immediately to her claims, and I bit into the golden crust and nearly melted then and there. Sydney had ordered a cheeseburger and fries and nibbled her food delicately. After taking down an entire chicken leg, I was finally able to resume the argument. â€Å"We’re not like Strigoi at all. Moroi don’t kill. You have no reason to be afraid of us.† Again, I wasn’t keen on cozying up to humans. None of my kind were, not with the way humans tended to be trigger-happy and ready to experiment on anything they didn’t understand. â€Å"Any human who learns about you will inevitably learn about Strigoi,† she said. She was playing with her fries but not actually eating them. â€Å"Knowing about Strigoi might enable humans to protect themselves, though.† Why the hell was I playing devil’s advocate here? She finished toying with a fry and dropped it back on her plate. â€Å"Perhaps. But there are a lot of people who would be tempted by the thought of immortality-even at the cost of serving Strigoi in exchange for being turned into a creature from hell. You’d be surprised at how a lot of humans respond when they learn about vampires. Immortality’s a big draw-despite the evil that goes with it. A lot of humans who learn about Strigoi will try to serve them, in the hopes of eventually being turned.† â€Å"That’s insane-† I stopped. Last year, we’d discovered evidence of humans helping Strigoi. Strigoi couldn’t touch silver stakes, but humans could, and some had used those stakes to shatter Moroi wards. Had those humans been promised immortality? â€Å"And so,† said Sydney, â€Å"that’s why it’s best if we just make sure no one knows about any of you. You’re out there-all of you-and there’s nothing to be done about it. You do your thing to get rid of Strigoi, and we’ll do ours and save the rest of my kind.† I chewed on a chicken wing and restrained myself from the implied meaning that she was saving her kind from people like me, too. In some ways, what she was saying made sense. It wasn’t possible that we could always move through the world invisibly, and yes, I could admit, it was necessary for someone to dispose of Strigoi bodies. Humans working with Moroi were an ideal choice. Such humans would be able to move around the world freely, particularly if they had the kinds of contacts and connections she kept implying. I froze mid-chew, remembering my earlier thoughts when I’d first come along with Sydney. I forced myself to swallow and then took a long drink of water. â€Å"Here’s a question. Do you have contacts all over Russia?† â€Å"Unfortunately,† she said. â€Å"When Alchemists turn eighteen, we’re sent on an internship to get firsthand experience in the trade and make all sorts of connections. I would have rather stayed in Utah.† That was almost crazier than everything else she’d told me, but I didn’t push it. â€Å"What kind of connections exactly?† She shrugged. â€Å"We track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. We also know a lot of high-ranking government officials-among humans and Moroi. If there’s been a vampire sighting among humans, we can usually find someone important who can pay someone off or whatever†¦ It all gets swept under the rug.† Track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. Jackpot. I leaned in close and lowered my voice. Everything seemed to hinge on this moment. â€Å"I’m looking for a village†¦ a village of dhampirs out in Siberia. I don’t know its name.† Dimitri had only ever mentioned its name once, and I’d forgotten. â€Å"It’s kind of near†¦ Om?† â€Å"Omsk,† she corrected. I straightened up. â€Å"Do you know it?† She didn’t answer right away, but her eyes betrayed her. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"You do!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You have to tell me where it is. I have to get there.† She made a face. â€Å"Are you going to be†¦ one of those?† So Alchemists knew about blood whores. No surprise. If Sydney and her associates knew everything else about the vampire world, they’d know this too. â€Å"No,† I said haughtily. â€Å"I just have to find someone.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Someone.† That almost made her smile. Her brown eyes were thoughtful as she munched on another fry. She’d only taken two bites out of her cheeseburger, and it was rapidly growing cold. I kind of wanted to eat it myself on principle. â€Å"I’ll be right back,† she said abruptly. She stood up and strode across to a quiet corner of the cafe. Producing a cell phone from that magic purse of hers, she turned her back to the room and made a call. I’d polished off my chicken by then and helped myself to some of her fries since it was looking less and less like she was going to do anything with them. As I ate, I pondered the possibilities before me, wondering if finding Dimitri’s town would really be this simple. And once I was there†¦ would it be simple then? Would he be there, living in the shadows and hunting prey? And when faced with him, could I really drive my stake into his heart? That unwanted image came to me again, Dimitri with red eyes and â€Å"Rose?† I blinked. I’d totally spaced out, and Sydney was back. She slid back into her spot across from me. â€Å"So, it looks like-† She paused and looked down. â€Å"Did you eat some of my fries?† I had no clue how she knew, seeing as it was such a huge stack. I’d barely made a dent. Figuring me stealing fries would count as further evidence of being an evil creature of the night, I said glibly, â€Å"No.† She frowned a moment, considering, and then said, â€Å"I do know where this town is. I’ve been there before.† I straightened up. Holy crap. This was actually going to happen, after all these weeks of searching. Sydney would tell me where this place was, and I could go and try to close this horrible chapter in my life. â€Å"Thank you, thank you so much-â€Å" She held up a hand to silence me, and I noticed then how miserable she looked. â€Å"But I’m not going to tell you where it is.† My mouth gaped. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I’m going to take you there myself.†