The State Washington State :: essays research papers

A REPORT ON WASHINGTON STATE The State of Washington is located in the far northwest corner of the United States. It has 66,582 square miles between the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Idaho boarder to the east. Washington borders Canada on the north and Oregon on the south along the Columbia River. Washington is the 20th largest state and has very different western and eastern natural environments, which are divided by the Cascade Range. It is home to 6 million residents (2001 census estimate) who are employed in a diverse economy dominated by aviation; software and other technological enterprises; wheat, apples, beans, and other agriculture; forest products; and fishing. The state is a major exporter of manufactured goods, foodstuffs, raw materials, and hydroelectricity, and it is a popular tourist destination. Today Washington is home to numerous Native American tribes and has been for at least 10,000 years. The first European explorers and traders visited in the late 1700s. Lewis and Clark followed the Snake River and Columbia River to arrive at the Pacific Ocean by what is known as Long Beach today, in November 1805. The Hudson’s Bay Company had major forts and trading stations in the early 1800s, along with American fur traders, settlers, and missionaries. Great Britain and the United States together occupied the area between 1818 and 1846. Then Britain gave the Pacific Northwest below the 49th parallel to the U.S. Two years later, the U.S. created Oregon Territory, which included the future states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and part of Montana. Washington Territory, which included Idaho and western Montana until 1863 was separated from Oregon on March 2,1853, and gained statehood on November 11, 1889. Olympia has been the capital of Washington Territory and State since 1853. Seattle is the state’s most populous city with a population of 563,000 in 2000, followed in rank by Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, and Everett. Political History The federal government created Oregon Territory on August 14, 1848. The area of the new jurisdiction included what we know as Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana today. Finding gold in California in 1848 started a large migration westward of people, and the settlement of Oregon Territory was promoted by the passage of the Donation Land Claims Act of 1850, which gave 160 acres to any U.S. citizen who agreed to stay on his or her land for five years. On August 29, 1851, 27 male settlers met at Cowlitz Landing to ask Congress for a separate â€Å"Columbia Territory† that would cover the area between the Columbia River and 49th parallel.

Analysis of Angelas Ashes Narrated by Frank McCourt Essay -- Angelas

Analysis of Angela's Ashes Narrated by Frank McCourt Angela's Ashes: A Memoir is Frank McCourt's acclaimed memoir. It charts the author's childhood from his infant years in Brooklyn, through his impoverished adolescence in Limerick, Ireland, to his return to America at the age of nineteen. First published in 1996, McCourt's memoir won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize in the category of best Biography/Autobiography, and has gone on to become a worldwide bestseller. McCourt, who for many years taught writing in a New York public high school, waited for over forty years to write about his troubled youth. Arguably, waiting for years before writing his autobiography allowed Frank McCourt to talk about his childhood in the most objective way possible. McCourt treats the subject of his own difficult life with even-handedness and objectivity. McCourt never downplays the fact that he suffered from acute hunger and deprivation in his youth. He once described this autobiography as "an epic of woe." Nothing about the author's boyhood was easy. But Frank's world is not one of self-pity. Although the protagonist endures a troubled upbringing, it is one that instills in him strong moral values and a healthy sense of humor. McCourt's prose style is ambitious in its scope, yet detailed in his focus; it is prosaic in order to capture everyday life, but poetic in order to evoke a homeland. McCourt wrote a sequel to Angela's Ashes entitled 'Tis, which describes his experiences as a young man in America. A film version of Angela's Ashes was made in 1999. Summary The narrator, Frank McCourt, describes how his parents meet in Brooklyn, New York. After his mother, Angela becomes pregnant with Frank, she marries Malachy, the father of her child. The family grows, and Angela struggles to feed her growing family of sons while Malachy spends his wages on drink. Frank's much-loved baby sister Margaret dies, and Angela becomes depressed. The McCourts decide to return to Ireland. In Ireland, more troubles plague the McCourts. Angela has a miscarriage, Frank's two younger brothers die, and Malachy constantly drinks away the dole money. McCourt's childhood is characterized not only as a time of great deprivation, but as a time of good humor and adventure. When the first floor of the house floods during the winter, Angela and Malachy announce that the family will leave the cold dam... ..., priests, family members, and people in positions of authority. Even Frank's father may be seen as an antagonist, since his alcoholism aggravates his family's poverty. However, Frank's true antagonist is not one individual, but the general discrimination he faces because of his poverty Setting (time) - Late 1930's and 1940's Setting (place) - Brooklyn, New York (briefly) and Limerick, Ireland Point of View - First person Falling Action - Frank earns enough money to leave for America, and says an emotional farewell to Ireland Tense - Present tense or immediate past; the author writes as though he is experiencing events for the first time, in the present moment Foreshadowing - The death of baby Margaret seems to anticipate Frank's near-continual state of bereavement in Limerick, as he struggles to cope with the demise of two of his brothers, Theresa, and many other friends and relations Tone - Humorous, self-effacing, matter-of-fact. McCourt matches his tone to the age of the narrator, becoming more serious and worldly as the narrative progresses Themes - Guilt, class distinction, hunger Motifs - Anti-English sentiment, stories and folktales Symbols - River Shannon, eggs Analysis of Angela's Ashes Narrated by Frank McCourt Essay -- Angela's Analysis of Angela's Ashes Narrated by Frank McCourt Angela's Ashes: A Memoir is Frank McCourt's acclaimed memoir. It charts the author's childhood from his infant years in Brooklyn, through his impoverished adolescence in Limerick, Ireland, to his return to America at the age of nineteen. First published in 1996, McCourt's memoir won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize in the category of best Biography/Autobiography, and has gone on to become a worldwide bestseller. McCourt, who for many years taught writing in a New York public high school, waited for over forty years to write about his troubled youth. Arguably, waiting for years before writing his autobiography allowed Frank McCourt to talk about his childhood in the most objective way possible. McCourt treats the subject of his own difficult life with even-handedness and objectivity. McCourt never downplays the fact that he suffered from acute hunger and deprivation in his youth. He once described this autobiography as "an epic of woe." Nothing about the author's boyhood was easy. But Frank's world is not one of self-pity. Although the protagonist endures a troubled upbringing, it is one that instills in him strong moral values and a healthy sense of humor. McCourt's prose style is ambitious in its scope, yet detailed in his focus; it is prosaic in order to capture everyday life, but poetic in order to evoke a homeland. McCourt wrote a sequel to Angela's Ashes entitled 'Tis, which describes his experiences as a young man in America. A film version of Angela's Ashes was made in 1999. Summary The narrator, Frank McCourt, describes how his parents meet in Brooklyn, New York. After his mother, Angela becomes pregnant with Frank, she marries Malachy, the father of her child. The family grows, and Angela struggles to feed her growing family of sons while Malachy spends his wages on drink. Frank's much-loved baby sister Margaret dies, and Angela becomes depressed. The McCourts decide to return to Ireland. In Ireland, more troubles plague the McCourts. Angela has a miscarriage, Frank's two younger brothers die, and Malachy constantly drinks away the dole money. McCourt's childhood is characterized not only as a time of great deprivation, but as a time of good humor and adventure. When the first floor of the house floods during the winter, Angela and Malachy announce that the family will leave the cold dam... ..., priests, family members, and people in positions of authority. Even Frank's father may be seen as an antagonist, since his alcoholism aggravates his family's poverty. However, Frank's true antagonist is not one individual, but the general discrimination he faces because of his poverty Setting (time) - Late 1930's and 1940's Setting (place) - Brooklyn, New York (briefly) and Limerick, Ireland Point of View - First person Falling Action - Frank earns enough money to leave for America, and says an emotional farewell to Ireland Tense - Present tense or immediate past; the author writes as though he is experiencing events for the first time, in the present moment Foreshadowing - The death of baby Margaret seems to anticipate Frank's near-continual state of bereavement in Limerick, as he struggles to cope with the demise of two of his brothers, Theresa, and many other friends and relations Tone - Humorous, self-effacing, matter-of-fact. McCourt matches his tone to the age of the narrator, becoming more serious and worldly as the narrative progresses Themes - Guilt, class distinction, hunger Motifs - Anti-English sentiment, stories and folktales Symbols - River Shannon, eggs

Gender determination Essay

When an individual is born, he or she has male or female sexual organs and this determines the sex of that individual and consequently how the society expects that person to behave. Gender is different however, in that it transcends the simple biological explanation of why one is a boy and another is a girl. This paper will focus on what makes one a girl putting aside the fact that one was born one. It will also look at the possibility of an individual being born a girl but changing to become a boy. How and why this is done is also part of the discussion. Gender is described as â€Å"the socially constructed roles, behaviour, activities and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for men and women† (http://www. who. int). This means that to be masculine or feminine depends on a society and not only on the sexual organs that one is born with. Once an individual is born, the society teaches him or her how to behave according to the expectations that specific society has for an individual belonging to his or her particular sex. Every society has some roles that are assigned to male and female members of the society and this determines whether one is male or female. The question then becomes whether one is born with his or her gender or this is learned from the society that one grows in. In my own case, attending a girl’s school determined my becoming feminine and thus becoming a girl despite the fact that I was born a girl. In the school, only girls were around and thus were the only role models that I had. This meant that I only had other girls to emulate in my behaviour and my peers were also girls so together we all aspired to be better girls. The teachers we had were also keen on ensuring that we were trained on how girls should behave in certain occasions and also which aspects were to be admired in a girl and which were abhorrent in a female. This shows that one can be trained to become feminine or masculine but it is important to note that it is not always so. This can be demonstrated by the number of girls who would get into trouble with the teachers for playing truant yet this was supposed to be an undesirable trait for girls and hence was dissuaded. These girls were given the same training as all their peers yet tended to behave differently causing one to question whether gender is completely determined by the society (Morrow 1991). Despite the question that is posed above, it is clear that girls who are educated in girl’s only schools are usually more feminine than those who attend mixed schools. This is because those in mixed schools are not controlled as much as those in girls only schools. The environment they are reared in leans more towards femininity and thus tends to discourage any behaviour that is seen to be masculine. The lack of an alternative form of behaviour leads to their feminine behaviour although some will try deviate by doing what they think others are doing elsewhere (Askew & Davey 2005). This then leads to the question whether or not one can change from being a girl into a boy? Apart from the biological way, culture has two different ways of changing an individual’s gender. This can either be done by changing the culture one has been brought up in or by being brought up in an environment that emphasises the behaviour of the opposite sex (Watney 1994). Since gender is determined by the roles that a society assigns to each sex, ones gender can change depending on the culture one finds him or herself in at a particular time. Roles assigned to the sexes by different cultures differs and are interchanged whereby roles assigned to women in one culture may be assigned to men in another culture. In this way a male in one culture may be seen to be feminine in another thus changing a male into a female or vice versa. Another way that one can change ones gender is by rearing a girl in a male environment. The girl tends to adopt the masculine behaviours exhibited by her male counter parts as has been witnessed by the women who venture into fields assumed to be the male domain. This is in politics and business where women who succeed in these environments are seen to be more masculine than feminine thus changing their gender to becoming more male than female (Miller, Lewy & Peckham1997). In conclusion, it is correct to say that an individual’s gender is not only determined by his or her sex but also by the culture that they have grown in. the roles that a culture assigns to an individual are used to determine femininity and masculinity of members of the society. It is possible for ones gender to be changed depending on which community one is in. Roles assigned depending on an individuals sex change according to the society. Furthermore, the environment one is in influences the behaviour one has thus influencing the gender that one belongs to. Reference 1. Askew J. & Davey M. 2005, Sex Acts: Practices of Femininity and Masculinity, Archives of Sexual Behaviour Vol. 34, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks 2. Gender, World health organization retrieved on 13th April 2009 from http://www. who. int/topics/gender/en 3. Miller J. B. , Lewy J. & Peckham E. 1997, Context Effects on Self-Perceptions of Feminine and Masculine Quantities, Sex: A Journal of Research Vol. 37 4. Morrow F. 1991, Unleashing Our Unknown Selves: An Inquiry into the Future of Femininity and Masculinity, Praeger Publishers 5. Watney S. 1994, Aphrodite of the Future, Artforum International Vol. 32

Animal Testing: Not Very Reliable or Safe for Human Safety

Animal Testing Nowadays there are many companies that test their products on animals such as makeup and painkillers. Not many people pay attention to this fact, but in actuality they should. Excuses for companies using animals for testing are that they have similarities in their tissues and DNA. Though parts of the human body vs. an animal’s body may have similarities but people must keep in mind that we are two totally different species. Science shows that animals rarely serve as good models for the human body so why would we feel safe with the product anyways.The best thing for us to do is test out products on other humans so then we can get reliable and accurate results. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that 92% of all drugs that are shown to be safe and effective in animal testing fail in human trials; from this information you can see that testing on animals isn't very reliable or safe for our safety and health. Also, it was said in multiple science journals that testing on animals would be a waste of time and life, both human and animal. Testing on animals is dangerous for both species.Other than the lack of similarities between the two, animal testing could lead to the spread of disease. For example, say my company is testing a new allergenic pill in chickens but it goes terribly wrong s d ills the animals, now I must find a way to dispose of them and if it’s not done properly, and someone gets their hands on the one of the tested animals and tries to eat it there's a high possibility that the consumer will become ill as well and end up spreading their illness to surrounding people, causing an outbreak. This could all be prevented if animal testing were to be banned. Thankfully, as of right now this has yet to happen, YET.Once again, we shouldn't test our products on animals because animals are helpless and have no say in the matter. With humans, we are able to voice our opinion and position on a subject so if we are Bering ask ed of something that we aren't comfortable participating in, then we don't have to, on the other hand; an animal cannot in any means voice their opinion to a human. If they don't wish to partake in these trials how would we have any way of knowing? More on, if you are I keep forcing these animals to participate in these tests this will make the animal vicious and dangerous leading on to having to ‘put down' the animal.If you keep abusing a species like this over time, you will be seen as a threat and that will be taught to the offspring, so in and so forth. If that were to happen we shouldn't even hope to get close to that animal anymore, they are traumatizing these species. Furthermore, animal testing is absolutely pointless because it is taking up entirely too much if the government’s money. We, as a hole, ate already in debt to chins at 1. 16 trillion dollars, but we choose to continue paying just about 200billion dollars in a yearly basis to animal testing just fit cancer alone.

How Does Mary Shelley Explore Suffering in Frankenstein

How does Shelley portray suffering in â€Å"Frakenstein†? Throughout the novel, suffering of not only an individual but also humanity, remains at the heart of the plot. Many critics today believe that this suffering comes from the troubled and tormented life Shelley had. For example from 1815 to mid 1819, Shelley was to lose the first three of her four children, for which she held herself responsible. Therefore, it could be argued that the monster is the embodiment of Shelley’s suffering and guilt. Suffering in the novel becomes apparent through the narrator, Frankenstein. For example, from a psychoanalyst’s perception ofVictor, his suffering comes from his character. Victor is the very incarnation of the Byronic Hero. He represents a lonely, isolated and self- ­? destructive force vulnerable to his own over- ­? powering emotions of greed and fervid curiosity. This is perfectly depicted in Caspar David Friedrich’s painting (commonly associated with the image of the Byronic hero) â€Å"Wanderer above the sea of fog† whereby a man overlooks an untouched landscape (Byron’s poem The Corsair; â€Å"lone, wild and strange, he stood alike exempt from all affection and all contempt†) with the sole desire to explore and gain victory. This passionately intense nd over- ­? powering desire of knowledge is perfectly depicted in Book IV of Milton’s Paradise Lost ‘Satan’s address to the sun’ (An epic poem heavily influencing Shelley) whereby Satan must suffer for his â€Å"Pride and worse ambition†. It is therefore blatant that Frankenstein’s immense feelings of isolation (Byron; â€Å"That man of loneliness and mystery†) and fervid desire become the sole cause of Frankenstein’s loss of humanity and mental self- ­? destruction (the use of the phrase â€Å"infernal machinations† implying a man so susceptible to his own greed, curiosity and isolation that his o wn mental torment becomes almost an quivalent to Dante’s ‘Inferno’). Therefore, Victor becomes the â€Å"Satan† of this novel. Having had an intense yearning for victory (as his name suggests), he has attempted to assume the position of God, which has only caused mental decline and suffering. Aside from his mental torment, Victor’s physical deterioration mirrors his guilt. Frankenstein has held himself responsible for the deaths of his closest friends and family. For example, in Chapter IV- ­? â€Å"I felt the fiend’s grasp in my neck† a direct link is made to Coleridge’s (a close friend of William Godwin- ­? Shelley’s Father) ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ whereby, fter having shot the albatross (once a symbol of good luck), the course of time has been altered forever; â€Å"With my crossbow I shot the Albatross†. Consequently, the â€Å"[shooting] of the albatross† in this novel comes not f rom Victor’s creation of the monster but infact his crime of denying the monster of love. For example, Rousseau (a philosopher that inspired Shelley) suggested that a child deprived of a loving family becomes a monster. This act of depriving the monster of maternal love (thus, showing men’s incapability of love) caused the monster to kill those closest to Victor. This sparked immense feelings of guilt n Victor â€Å"I was overcome by gloom and misery† linking to Coleridge’s poem (â€Å"And I had done a hellish thing†), which inevitably becomes the cause of his physical decline â€Å"The human frame could not longer support the agonizing suffering that I endured†. It is therefore, through the â€Å"hellish† act of denying the monster of love, that â€Å"The Albatross about [Victor’s] neck was hung† and his supreme guilt lead to his suffering. Victor’s physical deterioration in this novel also confirms the idea of à ¢â‚¬Å"The Double†. As many critics have suggested, the monster is merely a projection of Frankenstein’s innate corruption. It is hence ossible to assume that Frankenstein’s physical suffering and loss of humanity comes from the monster’s increased power thus showing how these two individuals are linked. The idea of such a double is backed up by the fact that the monster kills at moonlight and thus, the moon acts as an illuminating object shining into the heart of Victor only to reveal the monster. Such a theme is present in Stevenson’s â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† whereby; the suppressed emotions of Dr, Jekyll are projected at night in the ultra- ­? ego of Mr. Hyde. However, a far greater suffering is observed within the monster. The suffering comes withinThe Daemon’s rejection from his creator Frankenstein. The Daemon has lost any parental influence or more importantly, he has failed to achieve his â€Å"father figure†. Con stant desire to be appreciated by a father is a theme in this novel. For example, Frankenstein felt safe and secure in the presence of his father (â€Å"Nothing, at this moment, could have given me greater pleasure than the arrival of my father†) and Shelley herself longed for the appreciation and love from her father (especially after, William Godwin cut off relations to Shelley after her marriage to Percy). However, the monster, much like Adam from ParadiseLost, has failed to be appreciated by Victor (who he views as his father). In Paradise Lost, Adam had a constant desire to please God, but due to the temptation of Eve, he was outcast and rejected. This is similar to the monster, as purely to his appearance, the monster has been denied love from his father thus giving rise to an Oedipus complex. This Oedipus complex (also present in Shakespeare’s Macbeth) is shown through the monster as, when Frankenstein rejects the monster, the monster seemingly denounces him as a father and instead views his mother (possibly, nature) as the only love he will ever receive (â€Å"He was soon orne away by the waves†- ­? last sentence, Page 191). Therefore, this rejection of love from a paternal influence based on the monster’s appearance of â€Å"horror and disgust† (page 39) has lead to a loss of identity within the monster, and thus a mental anguish and suffering (â€Å"who am miserable beyond all living things- ­? page 77). This suffering the monster feels is extended by society’s further rejection of him based on his appearance. The fact that he is even rejected by the DeLaceys is Shelley’s view that everyone, however seemingly perfect, has an innate ability to judge based on appearance. This is why the monster s, at first, welcomed into the house of DeLacey. He is blind and therefore does not possess humanity’s evil ability to judge based on appearance- ­? he therefore is the very quintessence of purity an d kindness at the heart of a judgmental society as he does not possess sight. Shelley therefore attempts to suggest that humanity’s most dangerous quality is sight. This allows The Monster to believe he really is â€Å"a daemon†/ â€Å"wretch†/ â€Å"foul being† and suffers due to it. However, despite the suffering of the individual, this novel seems to address a far greater suffering; the suffering of humanity. Linking once again toMilton’s Paradise Lost, the ‘ultimate sin’ of Eve stealing the forbidden fruit leads to Adam and Eve (the first humans and thus, our ancestors) to be outcast to the wilderness. The suffering of humanity therefore comes from the fact that we, as descendants of Adam and Eve must be held responsible for Adam and Eve’s actions and temptation. Therefore, the human existence is based on the belief that we must continually repent for our ancestor’s sins and leads to the theory that the monster is mer ely the embodiment of God’s vengeance, warning the most corrupt humans who attempt to overcome nature (which is sublime and God- ­? ontrolled) that, God will prevail. This is however a use of irony. Mary Shelley married Percy Shelley 3 years after he was expelled from Oxford for his pamphlet â€Å"The necessity of atheism†. This therefore exposes Shelley’s cynicism of religion, whereas it should be based on glorifying existence, it is in fact, based on the suffering of humanity. Further suffering of humanity is observed through the treatment of sexuality in the novel. When Adam and Eve were cast out into the wilderness in Paradise Lost, they had to commit the ‘original sin’ of sexual reproduction as a means to produce offspring and ensure the survival f humanity. This act therefore undermines God’s power as it shows nature and science cannot be controlled by God (who is allegedly ‘the creator of all’). Therefore, within Victori an society a religiously backed suppression of sexuality meant men could not show any signs of sexual desire and that instead they must be kept secret. This leads to the idea that the monster is infact the depiction of Frankenstein’s sexual desire and that, much like the monster, it is locked away in the human body and allowed to ‘fester’ it will only be more ugly and violent (as shown in Elizabeth’s death and Frankenstein’s destruction of he female monster which seem to almost mirror an aggressive rape). Moreover, this leads to the development of what is more commonly known as â€Å"The Queer Theory†. This entails the idea that Frankenstein has a secretly oppressed homosexual desire which was shunned upon by Victorian society and that the only way to reveal this homo- ­? erotic desire was to create the â€Å"daemon† as a male Adonis â€Å"I selected his features a beautiful† in order to fulfil his suppressed sexuality. Theref ore, humanity suffers as their sexuality is oppressed by society and religion meaning that when it is revealed only more suffering is unleashed.Shelley in this novel also speaks from a seemingly feminist perspective. This may have been inspired by her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft’s book â€Å"A Vindication of the rights of woman† which placed stress on female independence and the importance of female education (women who succumb to sensuality will be â€Å"blown about by every momentary gust of feeling†); which links to the passive and generally ‘pathetic’ description of women in this novel. They’re suffering comes from the fact that Eve, the first woman committed the original sin thus damning society into a world far less sublime than the Garden of Eden. Therefore, Shelley esires show how women are forced into submission and general passiveness as a result of being the gender that committed the original sin. Their passiveness, perfectly depic ted in Elizabeth and Justine, links well to Coventry Patmore’s poem, The Angel in the house. This poem states the power men possess over women and that, to remain included in society, women must remain tacit and pretty so to fulfil the expectations of society. This links to the monster; the monster fails to fulfil society’s expectations of appearance and therefore is outcast. However, this juxtaposes with women as they fulfil society’s expectations and

Bloodlines Chapter Thirteen

I answered and found Eddie on the other end of the line. â€Å"I’m downstairs,† he said. â€Å"Ready to practice some self-defense before it gets too hot.† â€Å"You’re going to have to do it without me,† I said. I had a feeling Eddie was taking his promise to Clarence about training us very seriously. I felt no such obligation. â€Å"I’ve got a ton of homework to do. That, and I’m sure Ms. Terwilliger’s going to make me do a coffee run today.† â€Å"Well, then send Jill down,† said Eddie. I glanced over to the cocoon of blankets on her bed. â€Å"That might be easier said than done.† Surprisingly, she managed to rouse herself enough to brush her teeth, take aspirin for a headache, and throw on some workout clothes. She bid me farewell, and I promised to check on them later. Not long after that, Ms. Terwilliger called with her coffee demand, and I prepared myself for another day of trying to fit in my own work with hers. I drove over to Spencer’s and didn’t even notice Trey until I was standing right in front of him. â€Å"Ms. Terwilliger’s?† he asked, pointing to the caramel sauce cappuccino. â€Å"Huh?† I looked up. Trey was my cashier. â€Å"You work here?† He nodded. â€Å"Gotta make spending money somehow.† I handed him some cash, noting that he’d charged me half price. â€Å"Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look so great,† I told him. He looked tired and worn out around the edges. Closer inspection showed bruises and cuts as well. â€Å"Yeah, well, I had kind of a rough day yesterday.† I hesitated. That was a leading comment, but there was no one in line behind me. â€Å"What happened?† I asked, knowing it was expected. Trey scowled. â€Å"That asshole Greg Slade wreaked havoc in football tryouts yesterday. I mean, the results aren’t up yet, but it’s pretty obvious he’s going to get quarterback. He was like a machine, just plowing guys over.† He extended his left hand, which had some bandage-wrapped fingers. â€Å"He stepped on my hand too.† I winced, remembering Slade’s out-of-control athleticism in PE. The politics of high school football and who was quarterback weren’t that important to me. True, I felt sorry for Trey, but it was the source behind the tattoos that intrigued me. Keith’s warnings about not causing trouble rang back to me, but I was unable to stop myself. â€Å"I know about the tattoos,† I said. â€Å"Julia and Kristin told me about them. And I get now why you were suspicious of mine – but it’s not what you think. Really.† â€Å"That’s not what I’ve heard. Most people think you’re just saying that because you don’t want to tell where you got it.† I was a little taken aback by that. I was pretty sure Julia and Kristin had believed me. Were they actually spreading around the opposite? â€Å"I had no idea.† He shrugged, a small smile on his lips. â€Å"Don’t worry. I believe you. There’s something kind of naively charming about you. You don’t seem like the cheating type.† â€Å"Hey,† I scolded. â€Å"I’m not naive.† â€Å"It was a compliment.† â€Å"How long have these tattoos been around?† I asked, deciding it was best to move in. â€Å"I heard since last year.† He handed me my coffee, thinking. â€Å"Yeah, but it was the end of last year. School year, I mean.† â€Å"And they come from a placed called Nevermore?† â€Å"As far as I know.† Trey eyed me suspiciously. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Just curious,† I said sweetly. A couple of college kids dressed like rich hobos got in line behind me and regarded us impatiently. â€Å"Can we get some service here?† Trey gave them a stiff smile and then rolled his eyes at me as I moved away. â€Å"See you around, Melbourne.† I headed back to Amberwood and delivered Ms. Terwilliger’s coffee. I wasn’t in the mood to stay leashed to her all day, so I asked if I could go elsewhere if I kept my cell phone handy. She agreed. The library had too much activity and – ironically – noise for me today. I wanted the solitude of my room. As I was cutting across the lawn to catch the shuttle, I spotted some familiar figures behind a cluster of trees. I changed direction and found Jill and Eddie squaring off in a small clearing. Micah sat cross-legged on the ground, watching avidly. He waved at me as I approached. â€Å"I didn’t realize your brother was a kung-fu master,† he remarked. â€Å"It’s not kung fu,† said Eddie gruffly, never taking his eyes off Jill. â€Å"Same difference,† said Micah. â€Å"It’s still pretty badass.† Eddie feinted, like he was going to strike at Jill’s side. She responded fairly quickly with a block, though not quite fast enough to match him. Had he been serious, he would have hit her. Still, he seemed pleased with her response time. â€Å"Good. That would deflect part of a hit, though you’d still feel it. Best is if you can duck and dodge altogether, but that takes a little more work.† Jill nodded obediently. â€Å"When can we work on that?† Eddie regarded her with pride. That expression softened after a few moments of study. â€Å"Not today. Too much sun.† Jill started to protest and then stopped herself. She had that worn-out-from-the-light look again and was sweating heavily. She glanced up at the sky for a moment, as though begging it to give us some cloud cover. It remained unresponsive, so she nodded at Eddie. â€Å"All right. But we’re doing this tomorrow at the same time? Or earlier maybe. Or maybe tonight! Could we do both? Practice tonight when the sun’s going down and then again in the morning? Would you mind?† Eddie grinned, amused at her enthusiasm. â€Å"Whatever you want.† Smiling back, Jill sat down beside me, getting into as much shade as possible. Eddie regarded me expectantly. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Aren’t you supposed to learn to throw a punch?† I scoffed. â€Å"No. When would I ever need to do that?† Jill nudged me. â€Å"Do it, Sydney!† Reluctantly, I allowed Eddie to give me a quick lesson on throwing a punch without injuring my hand in the process. I barely paid attention and felt like I was mostly providing entertainment for the others. When Eddie finished with me, Micah asked, â€Å"Hey, would you mind showing me some ninja moves too?† â€Å"They have nothing to do with ninjas,† protested Eddie, still smiling. â€Å"Come on up.† Micah leapt to his feet, and Eddie walked him through some rudimentary steps. More than anything, it seemed like Eddie was sizing up Micah and his capabilities. After a while, Eddie grew comfortable and let Micah practice some offensive moves to get rid of an attacker. â€Å"Hey,† protested Jill when Eddie landed a kick on Micah. Micah shrugged it off in a guy kind of way. â€Å"No fair. You wouldn’t hit me when we were practicing.† Eddie was caught off guard enough that Micah actually got a hit in. Eddie gave him a look of grudging respect and then said to Jill, â€Å"That was different.† â€Å"Because I’m a girl?† she demanded. â€Å"You never held back with Rose.† â€Å"Who’s Rose?† asked Micah. â€Å"Another friend,† explained Eddie. To Jill, he said: â€Å"And Rose has had years more experience than you.† â€Å"She’s had more than Micah too. You were going easy on me.† Eddie flushed and kept his eyes on Micah. â€Å"Was not,† he said. â€Å"Were too,† she muttered. As the boys sparred again, she said quietly to me, â€Å"How am I ever going to learn if he’s afraid of breaking me?† I watched the guys, analyzing what I knew of Eddie so far. â€Å"I think it’s more complicated than that. I think he also just believes you shouldn’t have to take the risk – that if he’s doing a good enough job, you shouldn’t have to defend yourself.† â€Å"He’s doing a great job. You should have seen him at the attack.† Her face got that haunted look it did whenever the attack that had driven her into hiding was mentioned. â€Å"But I still need to learn.† She lowered her voice even more. â€Å"I really want to learn to use my magic to fight too, not that I’ll get much practice in this desert.† I shuddered, recalling her display from the night before. â€Å"There’ll be time,† I said vaguely. I stood up, saying I had to go get some work done. Micah asked Eddie and Jill if they wanted to get lunch. Eddie said yes immediately. Jill looked to me for help. â€Å"It’s just lunch,† said Eddie meaningfully. I knew he still thought Micah was harmless. I didn’t know, but after seeing how infatuated Jill was with Lee, I figured Micah would have to make some pretty aggressive moves to get anywhere. â€Å"I’m sure it’s fine,† I said. Jill looked relieved, and the group headed off. I spent the day finishing off that miserable book for Ms. Terwilliger. I still thought having to copy the archaic spells and rituals verbatim was a waste of time. The only point I could see for it was that if she ever did need to reference them for her research, she would have an easy computer file to check and not risk damage to the ancient book. It was evening by the time I finished that and my other homework. Jill still wasn’t back, and I decided to use the opportunity to check on something that had been bothering me. Earlier in the day, Jill had mentioned Eddie defending her in the attack. I’d felt from the beginning that there was something strange about that initial attack, something that they weren’t telling me. So, I logged onto the Alchemists’ network and pulled up everything we had on the Moroi rebels. Naturally, it was all documented. We had to keep track of important events among the Moroi, and this ranked pretty high. Somehow, the Alchemists had gotten pictures of the Moroi Court, with protesters lined up outside one of the administrative buildings. Dhampir guardians were easy to pick out as they mingled and kept order. To my surprise, I recognized Dimitri Belikov – Rose’s boyfriend – among those doing crowd control. He was easy to spot since he was almost always taller than everyone around him. Dhampirs look very human, and even I could admit that he was pretty good-looking. There was a rugged handsomeness to him, and even in a still photograph, I could see a fierceness as he watched the crowd. Other protest pictures confirmed what I knew. By far, most people supported the young queen. Those against her were a minority – but a loud and dangerous one. A video from a human news show in Denver showed two Moroi guys nearly getting in a bar fight. They were shouting about queens and justice, most of which wouldn’t make sense to a human observer. What made this video special was that the guy who’d filmed it – some random human with a cell phone camera – claimed he’d seen fangs on both men in the argument. The videographer had submitted his recording claiming he’d witnessed a vampire fight, but no one gave it much credibility. It was too grainy for anything to show up. Still, it was a reminder of what could happen if the Moroi situation spun out of control. A status check showed me that Queen Vasilisa was indeed trying to get a law passed so that her rule was no longer dependent on there being at least one other person in her royal family. Alchemist experts guessed it would take three months, which was about what Rose had said. The number loomed in my head like a ticking time bomb. We needed to keep Jill safe for three months. And for three months, Vasilisa’s enemies would be trying harder than ever to get to Jill. If Jill died, Vasilisa’s rule would end – along with her attempts to fix the system. Yet none of this was what had really driven me to research. I wanted to know about Jill’s initial attack, the one that no one talked about. What I found wasn’t much help. No Alchemists had been there at the time, of course, so our information was based on what Moroi sources had reported. All we knew was that â€Å"the queen’s sister had been viciously and severely attacked – but had made a full recovery.† From what I’d observed, that was certainly true. Jill showed no signs of injury, and the attack had occurred a week before she came to Palm Springs. Was that enough time to heal from a â€Å"vicious and severe† attack? And was an attack like that enough to make her wake screaming? I didn’t know but still couldn’t shake my suspicions. When Jill came home later, she was in such a good mood that I couldn’t bear to interrogate her. I also remembered too late that I’d meant to research the case of Clarence’s niece and her bizarre death by throat-slitting. Jill’s situation had distracted me. I let the matter go and called it an early night. Tomorrow, I thought drowsily. I’ll do it all tomorrow. Tomorrow came much more quickly than I expected. I was woken out of a heavy sleep by someone shaking me, and for a split second, the old nightmare was there, the one about Alchemists carrying me away in the night. Recognizing Jill, I just barely stopped myself from screaming. â€Å"Hey, hey,† I scolded. There was light outside, but it was purplish. Barely after sunrise. â€Å"What’s going on? What’s the matter?† Jill looked at me, face grim and eyes wide with fear. â€Å"It’s Adrian. You have to rescue him.† Bloodlines Chapter Thirteen I answered and found Eddie on the other end of the line. â€Å"I’m downstairs,† he said. â€Å"Ready to practice some self-defense before it gets too hot.† â€Å"You’re going to have to do it without me,† I said. I had a feeling Eddie was taking his promise to Clarence about training us very seriously. I felt no such obligation. â€Å"I’ve got a ton of homework to do. That, and I’m sure Ms. Terwilliger’s going to make me do a coffee run today.† â€Å"Well, then send Jill down,† said Eddie. I glanced over to the cocoon of blankets on her bed. â€Å"That might be easier said than done.† Surprisingly, she managed to rouse herself enough to brush her teeth, take aspirin for a headache, and throw on some workout clothes. She bid me farewell, and I promised to check on them later. Not long after that, Ms. Terwilliger called with her coffee demand, and I prepared myself for another day of trying to fit in my own work with hers. I drove over to Spencer’s and didn’t even notice Trey until I was standing right in front of him. â€Å"Ms. Terwilliger’s?† he asked, pointing to the caramel sauce cappuccino. â€Å"Huh?† I looked up. Trey was my cashier. â€Å"You work here?† He nodded. â€Å"Gotta make spending money somehow.† I handed him some cash, noting that he’d charged me half price. â€Å"Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look so great,† I told him. He looked tired and worn out around the edges. Closer inspection showed bruises and cuts as well. â€Å"Yeah, well, I had kind of a rough day yesterday.† I hesitated. That was a leading comment, but there was no one in line behind me. â€Å"What happened?† I asked, knowing it was expected. Trey scowled. â€Å"That asshole Greg Slade wreaked havoc in football tryouts yesterday. I mean, the results aren’t up yet, but it’s pretty obvious he’s going to get quarterback. He was like a machine, just plowing guys over.† He extended his left hand, which had some bandage-wrapped fingers. â€Å"He stepped on my hand too.† I winced, remembering Slade’s out-of-control athleticism in PE. The politics of high school football and who was quarterback weren’t that important to me. True, I felt sorry for Trey, but it was the source behind the tattoos that intrigued me. Keith’s warnings about not causing trouble rang back to me, but I was unable to stop myself. â€Å"I know about the tattoos,† I said. â€Å"Julia and Kristin told me about them. And I get now why you were suspicious of mine – but it’s not what you think. Really.† â€Å"That’s not what I’ve heard. Most people think you’re just saying that because you don’t want to tell where you got it.† I was a little taken aback by that. I was pretty sure Julia and Kristin had believed me. Were they actually spreading around the opposite? â€Å"I had no idea.† He shrugged, a small smile on his lips. â€Å"Don’t worry. I believe you. There’s something kind of naively charming about you. You don’t seem like the cheating type.† â€Å"Hey,† I scolded. â€Å"I’m not naive.† â€Å"It was a compliment.† â€Å"How long have these tattoos been around?† I asked, deciding it was best to move in. â€Å"I heard since last year.† He handed me my coffee, thinking. â€Å"Yeah, but it was the end of last year. School year, I mean.† â€Å"And they come from a placed called Nevermore?† â€Å"As far as I know.† Trey eyed me suspiciously. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Just curious,† I said sweetly. A couple of college kids dressed like rich hobos got in line behind me and regarded us impatiently. â€Å"Can we get some service here?† Trey gave them a stiff smile and then rolled his eyes at me as I moved away. â€Å"See you around, Melbourne.† I headed back to Amberwood and delivered Ms. Terwilliger’s coffee. I wasn’t in the mood to stay leashed to her all day, so I asked if I could go elsewhere if I kept my cell phone handy. She agreed. The library had too much activity and – ironically – noise for me today. I wanted the solitude of my room. As I was cutting across the lawn to catch the shuttle, I spotted some familiar figures behind a cluster of trees. I changed direction and found Jill and Eddie squaring off in a small clearing. Micah sat cross-legged on the ground, watching avidly. He waved at me as I approached. â€Å"I didn’t realize your brother was a kung-fu master,† he remarked. â€Å"It’s not kung fu,† said Eddie gruffly, never taking his eyes off Jill. â€Å"Same difference,† said Micah. â€Å"It’s still pretty badass.† Eddie feinted, like he was going to strike at Jill’s side. She responded fairly quickly with a block, though not quite fast enough to match him. Had he been serious, he would have hit her. Still, he seemed pleased with her response time. â€Å"Good. That would deflect part of a hit, though you’d still feel it. Best is if you can duck and dodge altogether, but that takes a little more work.† Jill nodded obediently. â€Å"When can we work on that?† Eddie regarded her with pride. That expression softened after a few moments of study. â€Å"Not today. Too much sun.† Jill started to protest and then stopped herself. She had that worn-out-from-the-light look again and was sweating heavily. She glanced up at the sky for a moment, as though begging it to give us some cloud cover. It remained unresponsive, so she nodded at Eddie. â€Å"All right. But we’re doing this tomorrow at the same time? Or earlier maybe. Or maybe tonight! Could we do both? Practice tonight when the sun’s going down and then again in the morning? Would you mind?† Eddie grinned, amused at her enthusiasm. â€Å"Whatever you want.† Smiling back, Jill sat down beside me, getting into as much shade as possible. Eddie regarded me expectantly. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Aren’t you supposed to learn to throw a punch?† I scoffed. â€Å"No. When would I ever need to do that?† Jill nudged me. â€Å"Do it, Sydney!† Reluctantly, I allowed Eddie to give me a quick lesson on throwing a punch without injuring my hand in the process. I barely paid attention and felt like I was mostly providing entertainment for the others. When Eddie finished with me, Micah asked, â€Å"Hey, would you mind showing me some ninja moves too?† â€Å"They have nothing to do with ninjas,† protested Eddie, still smiling. â€Å"Come on up.† Micah leapt to his feet, and Eddie walked him through some rudimentary steps. More than anything, it seemed like Eddie was sizing up Micah and his capabilities. After a while, Eddie grew comfortable and let Micah practice some offensive moves to get rid of an attacker. â€Å"Hey,† protested Jill when Eddie landed a kick on Micah. Micah shrugged it off in a guy kind of way. â€Å"No fair. You wouldn’t hit me when we were practicing.† Eddie was caught off guard enough that Micah actually got a hit in. Eddie gave him a look of grudging respect and then said to Jill, â€Å"That was different.† â€Å"Because I’m a girl?† she demanded. â€Å"You never held back with Rose.† â€Å"Who’s Rose?† asked Micah. â€Å"Another friend,† explained Eddie. To Jill, he said: â€Å"And Rose has had years more experience than you.† â€Å"She’s had more than Micah too. You were going easy on me.† Eddie flushed and kept his eyes on Micah. â€Å"Was not,† he said. â€Å"Were too,† she muttered. As the boys sparred again, she said quietly to me, â€Å"How am I ever going to learn if he’s afraid of breaking me?† I watched the guys, analyzing what I knew of Eddie so far. â€Å"I think it’s more complicated than that. I think he also just believes you shouldn’t have to take the risk – that if he’s doing a good enough job, you shouldn’t have to defend yourself.† â€Å"He’s doing a great job. You should have seen him at the attack.† Her face got that haunted look it did whenever the attack that had driven her into hiding was mentioned. â€Å"But I still need to learn.† She lowered her voice even more. â€Å"I really want to learn to use my magic to fight too, not that I’ll get much practice in this desert.† I shuddered, recalling her display from the night before. â€Å"There’ll be time,† I said vaguely. I stood up, saying I had to go get some work done. Micah asked Eddie and Jill if they wanted to get lunch. Eddie said yes immediately. Jill looked to me for help. â€Å"It’s just lunch,† said Eddie meaningfully. I knew he still thought Micah was harmless. I didn’t know, but after seeing how infatuated Jill was with Lee, I figured Micah would have to make some pretty aggressive moves to get anywhere. â€Å"I’m sure it’s fine,† I said. Jill looked relieved, and the group headed off. I spent the day finishing off that miserable book for Ms. Terwilliger. I still thought having to copy the archaic spells and rituals verbatim was a waste of time. The only point I could see for it was that if she ever did need to reference them for her research, she would have an easy computer file to check and not risk damage to the ancient book. It was evening by the time I finished that and my other homework. Jill still wasn’t back, and I decided to use the opportunity to check on something that had been bothering me. Earlier in the day, Jill had mentioned Eddie defending her in the attack. I’d felt from the beginning that there was something strange about that initial attack, something that they weren’t telling me. So, I logged onto the Alchemists’ network and pulled up everything we had on the Moroi rebels. Naturally, it was all documented. We had to keep track of important events among the Moroi, and this ranked pretty high. Somehow, the Alchemists had gotten pictures of the Moroi Court, with protesters lined up outside one of the administrative buildings. Dhampir guardians were easy to pick out as they mingled and kept order. To my surprise, I recognized Dimitri Belikov – Rose’s boyfriend – among those doing crowd control. He was easy to spot since he was almost always taller than everyone around him. Dhampirs look very human, and even I could admit that he was pretty good-looking. There was a rugged handsomeness to him, and even in a still photograph, I could see a fierceness as he watched the crowd. Other protest pictures confirmed what I knew. By far, most people supported the young queen. Those against her were a minority – but a loud and dangerous one. A video from a human news show in Denver showed two Moroi guys nearly getting in a bar fight. They were shouting about queens and justice, most of which wouldn’t make sense to a human observer. What made this video special was that the guy who’d filmed it – some random human with a cell phone camera – claimed he’d seen fangs on both men in the argument. The videographer had submitted his recording claiming he’d witnessed a vampire fight, but no one gave it much credibility. It was too grainy for anything to show up. Still, it was a reminder of what could happen if the Moroi situation spun out of control. A status check showed me that Queen Vasilisa was indeed trying to get a law passed so that her rule was no longer dependent on there being at least one other person in her royal family. Alchemist experts guessed it would take three months, which was about what Rose had said. The number loomed in my head like a ticking time bomb. We needed to keep Jill safe for three months. And for three months, Vasilisa’s enemies would be trying harder than ever to get to Jill. If Jill died, Vasilisa’s rule would end – along with her attempts to fix the system. Yet none of this was what had really driven me to research. I wanted to know about Jill’s initial attack, the one that no one talked about. What I found wasn’t much help. No Alchemists had been there at the time, of course, so our information was based on what Moroi sources had reported. All we knew was that â€Å"the queen’s sister had been viciously and severely attacked – but had made a full recovery.† From what I’d observed, that was certainly true. Jill showed no signs of injury, and the attack had occurred a week before she came to Palm Springs. Was that enough time to heal from a â€Å"vicious and severe† attack? And was an attack like that enough to make her wake screaming? I didn’t know but still couldn’t shake my suspicions. When Jill came home later, she was in such a good mood that I couldn’t bear to interrogate her. I also remembered too late that I’d meant to research the case of Clarence’s niece and her bizarre death by throat-slitting. Jill’s situation had distracted me. I let the matter go and called it an early night. Tomorrow, I thought drowsily. I’ll do it all tomorrow. Tomorrow came much more quickly than I expected. I was woken out of a heavy sleep by someone shaking me, and for a split second, the old nightmare was there, the one about Alchemists carrying me away in the night. Recognizing Jill, I just barely stopped myself from screaming. â€Å"Hey, hey,† I scolded. There was light outside, but it was purplish. Barely after sunrise. â€Å"What’s going on? What’s the matter?† Jill looked at me, face grim and eyes wide with fear. â€Å"It’s Adrian. You have to rescue him.†

How Decisions on Customer Service will Impact on Influencing the Level Essay

How Decisions on Customer Service will Impact on Influencing the Level of Sales - Essay Example The research conducted will be quantitative and will additionally adopt quantitative methodologies. The research will be conducted at the headquarters of the Commercial Bank in Venice. Data will be collected from the first one hundred customers who visit the organization for the purposes of making purchases within a period of two months. This sample is appropriate since the organization receives about five hundred customers on a daily basis. It is also appropriate since it will enable the management to collect diverse opinions from many of their customers. The collection of data will be done through the use of interviews along with the issuing of questionnaires to the customers. The existing relationships between the causes and effects will then have to be established from the customer replies and the trends on the organization's sales and profitability. To determine how the management decision-making methods can affect the quality of customer service and whether or not a good custom er service leads to customer loyalty, a primary research survey study will be conducted on the customers and the books of accounts to test the hypothesis. Â  The dependent variables in the research are the organizations level of sales along with their profitability. The independent variable, in this case, will be the decisions made concerning customer service. The organization will recruit personnel from within the organization to analyze the effects of their decision-making methods on their sales volume and profitability.