Owen’s perception on religion based on Anthem for Doomed Youth and Futility Essay

How would you describe Owens perception on holiness based on anthem for Doomed Youth and Futility?Owen questioned the hu patchkind of pietism with different ways in both meter. In Anthem for Doomed Youth, he utilise contend related regards to replace what a normal funeral would have which in contrast shows the absence of worship. For Futility, he questioned the existence of God when it is needed. Both expression suggests he was not a accessory of religion instead he has a strong point of fascinate on it. His view on religion could be impacted by the despair that was caused by war.The tone of the first stanza in Futility was very gentle. The show of the sun suggests light, potentth, hope and as merely god himself. Owen personified the sun as venerable and kind adding rawth to the tone. The warm tone of the first four lines of the poem suggests he once had faith in religion even in France which could be a reference to war. Until the soldier was killed on this morning and this juggle. The word morning hygienics like mourning creating a sad resourcefulness and snow which suggests the cold, the opposite of warmth, the d unholy. Although the soldiers animation was already interpreted he still had faith in god, he believed there susceptibility be a possibility that the sun, the god could ferment life from numb(p) over again.Moving on the second stanza, the change of tone is very obvious. This is suggested by means of the demanding word think. The harsh k sound conveys the frustration and hopelessness the poet has for god. Seeds suggests growth and clays of the cold star is a biblical imagery because man ar made from clay, both suggests the beginning of life. If the sun is the mother of foundation why cant he resurrect this soldier plainly God himself rose from the dead? Yet the many stories of God better man from all sort of diseases are given life again but not this fallen soldier whose body is still warm? Owen described the body as s o dear-achieved, this is a praise to gods creation.Why could god create such majestic mankind yet he could not postulate life back to the solider? here Owen repetitively questioned and mocked the existence of god, where is he when he is needed? Was it for this the clay grew in height(predicate) this line is very important because it links to the title of the poem, Futility, what is the point of life when it ends in death, again a heavy tone of mockery is hinted through this line. Owen described the sunbeams as fatuous again the pointlessness of the sending warm to mankind when all they do is brutally destroy each other, indirectly calling god foolish and questioning his existence. Rhetorical questions are repetitively used to express the poets frustration, the pointlessness of life and to make the refs think.Anthem for Doomed Youth the title is a collocation as a opening to a poem full of irony. passim the entire poem Owen compared religious rituals to striking war imagery su ggesting religion are not the saints they claim to be,instead just like war they are also covered in blood and sins.Owen opened the poem with a rhetorical question emphasizing on the worthlessness of the lives of the soldiers. The intention of Passing-bells was to bring attention that the soul is now passing to the other world and die the devil away from obtaining this soul yet Owen compared the bells to monstrous anger of the guns and stuttering rifles fast rattle. The word monstrous suggests destruction,death and evilness. Alliteration was used to mimic the sound of gun fires. Using these evil death related imagery as a substitute for passing bells suggests the devil have already obtained these souls,the evil won.The soldiers died as a cattle,could be linked to religious rituals such as sacrifice. But not sacrificing for the kind but the evil. Hasty was used to describe the eulogy for the soldiers,theres no time for respectful eulogy,the war would not stop for one fallen soldier or even hundreds it will still go on. These soldiers are just sacrifices to the bigger image since the churches at the time supported war,they believed it was rein-acting the bible,they believed these deaths were worth it because they thought it will bring them to a better place. Again the irony,churches were suppose to spread peace yet they were the one who supported violence,they supported the evil acts. No mockeries for the soldiers because their deaths have no dignity nor honour. It also suggests the attitude Owen has for religion, mockeries as these religion rituals are just for the surface.These rituals does not make their deaths more honourable, does not take away wo from their family ,does not bring their lives back. The confusing comparisons Owen listed throughout the poem by substituting evil images for religious rituals makes the reader question if there is a variation between light and dark,could it be the same thing? Could the church be the devil in disguise? All th ese religion rituals at a funeral could be a mask for the dirty works of the devil,as a pull for the family believing that their loved ones died honourably when their bodies was simply lined up and thrown into the underground which links to hell,going back to who they served in the war the devil.These two poems both expressed Owens perception on religion very clearly. He questioned the existence and purpose of religion.

Fish Essay

Below is a free essay on Fish Market from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and edge paper examples. Be there, play, develop their day and choose your attitude. Those be the four fair spirit up that the state highway Place Fish Market in Seattle, capital letter uses to provide especial(a) customer service. After seeing the Fish video, I think that every business should do business the way that expressway Place does. What does it mean to really be there for your customers?The way thruway Place Fish Market sees it, you should be i on one with your customer. When you are helping someone, you should focus on what they need and make them find oneself like more than just a customer. The second step to exceptional customer service is play. Whether its throwing fish or making jokes, the employees at the Pike Place Fish Market know how to keep the job fun. In the Fish video, I watched the employees having fun by repeating what eachother says.The third step is make their day. As a crowd of 100+ people clear around the fish market to watch the employees having a great time, they spawn to become part of that. In the video, one of the men said that sometimes they get people walking by that are having a boastful day and they are just in a really unskilled mood and after talking to the employees, they walk away with a make a face on their face. They event let onlookers join in on throwing and undercover work the fish.The employees will even tell people in the crowd how dishy they are just to make their day. The last of the four simple go is choose your attitude. Its hard to have fun at work if you are in a bad mood. When working at a stray like Pike Place, it should be easy tobe in hot spirits at work because they make it fun. But in order to make it fun they have to show up in a good mood. The employees have to choose their attitude. If one person is upset it could make the entire staff have a bad day.

A Performance Constraints of Thai Economy

It may be useful to put the discussion of motion constraints of the Thai scrimping briefly in perspective. Over the past 2 decades, the Thai economy has been one of the best performing economies in the world, characterized by sustained high maturement rank, averaging 10. 3% 1985-90, and 8% in the years prior to the crisis (1990-96). This growth was accompanied by a dramatic change state in the incidence of absolute p everywherety, from 57% in 1962 to 14% in 1992, with per capita income increasing from $700 per annum in the late 1960s, to $2,700 in 1996.At the same time, fast growth was accompanied by environmental degradation, resource depletion, and an increasingly unequalised distribution of income and wealth. However, on balance a remarkable record of development. During this tip of rapid growth and economic transformation, Thailand became increasingly integrated into the world economy through trade and investment flows, and production linkages.As the economy expand rapid ly and became more complex in structure, it posed more and new-fashioned types of strains and challenges to economic management or governance systems at both the big (i. . public policy) and micro (enterprise) levels. As the relative grapheme of the private orbit increased in the economy, the importance of enterprise management and performance correspondingly increased. Looking more deeply at Thailands performance, manufactured merchandises grew by close to 23% per year between 1980 and 1995, almost doubling during 1992-1995. However, in 1996 exportation growth fell practically to 0 per cent, with poke- intensifier exports commonly identified as the important culprit.Certain factors are generally cited as responsible for this abrupt and dramatic nightfall External factors cited included the military issue of new competitors, with the coming on stream of new production facilities in lower income/lower wage countries such as China, Indochina, Philippines, further change by the30% devaluation of the Chinese yen in 1994 Domestic factors cited generally extend to to rising wage rates and overvalued exchange rates. Domestic wage rates during 1991-95 rose about 11%, on average or about 5% increase in real wages per year, cited as the discern factor in the slowdown in growth of jab intensive exports.The real effective exchange rate of the baht is estimated to pick up apprehended by about 15% during 1995-97, primarily because of the linkage to the US$, which apprehended against the yen. While the above factors suggest that Thailand was losing its edge in low cost, labor intensive exports, these are at best partial explanations for the overall decline in export performance. The impact of rising wages should not have come this suddenly and pervasively, given that wages were rising for some time, with no significant impact on xport performance.For example, textiles, gems and jewelry, which are not particularly labor intensive declined significantly in t he 1996 crunch, as did many technology intensive products. 5 Similarly, the timing and size of the real exchange rate taste sensation is not sufficient to explain the sudden, dramatic drop in export performance. If the usual suspects are not sufficient to explain the export slowdown, wherefore could this be primarily a orbitual downturn, e. g. the result of short-term, mainly external, indecent factors?thither is some support for this being a factor. There was a global slowdown in world trade in 1996, with the growth rate of world manufactured exports dropping from 8. 6% p. a. during 1990-95, to 2. 1% in 1996 6 . All countries in Asia were hit, with Korea and Thailand the worst affected. If the basic problem of export performance could be seen as cyclical, then in terms of the main rivet of this paper, the management of the economic crisis perhaps can indeed focus on the fiscal vault of heaven.That is, the real sector will realign itself, as the financial crisis begins to be r esolved, and the cycles will at some point, begin their upswing though the global economic outlook looks less than optimistic at this time. Although cyclical demand factors seem to be relevant, they are only partly facilitatory in understanding the performance of the Thai (real) economy prior to the crisis. There seems to be more to the story.For example, industry-specific factors may have also been at plump a rapid rise in US sourcing of garments from Western hemisphere producers such as Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador, led to a relative breathing out of US market share by Asian exporters, including Thailand, among others. It is not unaccented whether this shift in sourcing is a cyclical factor, or a morphologic shift in the basis of rivalrous advantage (e. g. relating to NAFTA relating to the increasing role of time or order cycle as a competitive actor, an issue touched on in section III).A positive question that emerges from the perspective of the present economic cris is relates to the performance of the corporate sector prior to the crisis, a performance which was then further aggravated by the financial devastation of corporates by the crisis. In particular, were there clear signs of downslope in performance, especially at the micro (enterprise) level prior to mid-1997, draped by rapid (export) growth?If yes, then resolving the present crisis in terms of restoring the Thai economys performance is likely to shoot a focus on the real sector simultaneously with addressing the problems of the financial sector. This is likely to be especially important for Thailands economic conversion and sustainable growth, given expectations of a global economic environment over the medium term characterized by slow growth and increasing competitor for both markets and capital.

Legal Punishments

The two broadest types of rules for punishment are retributive and utilitarian. Retributive rationale aims at punishing the wicked for the abhorrence committed against the victim. This approach seems a little dubious since it calls for an-eye-for-an-eye attitude towards the criminal.Utilitarian perspective calls for solutions that hurt the smallest soma of people or benefit the greatest number. Thus, the punishment according to the utilitarian perspective should be modelled in such a way as to benefit the victim and others mostly and to reduce crime rate at present and in the future. For instance, if the criminal is put in prison, he or she will not be able to commit crimes for the time spend in captivity.Deterrence, incapacitation and rehabilitation are the most popular utilitarian rationales for penalties oblige upon criminals. Deterrence means that punishment is cut bunsd upon the criminal in set out to discourage this person and others seeing this example from perpetrati ng crimes in the future. Incapacitation means depriving criminal of the ability to commit offences as through capital punishment or incarceration. refilling aims at reforming the criminal, empowering the person to return to normal social life.2. endure three-strike laws through a retributive rationale and then through a utilitarian rationale.The retributive rationale, in my view, does not work very substantially for three-strike laws that allow life sentences for repeat offenders. If the person committing a repeat crime has already done time for this crime, there is no reason to impose an enhanced punishment for the new offence.Three-strike legislation was caused by the problem of a significant percentage of crimes committed by people who previously demand committed crimes (Harary 2003). The laws aim to incapacitate these criminals by taking them off the passage and to deter other repeat offences through the threat of the life sentence. Rehabilitation is not the reason since cr iminals are not supposed to get back to society.ReferencesHarary, C.J. (2003, April 4). Incarceration as a Modality of Punishment. Jewish Law. Retrieved on October 7, 2005 from http//www.jlaw.com/Articles/ch_incarceration.html.Hoff, S.B. (n.d.). freshen of Pojman, L. & Reiman, S. (1998). The Death Penalty For And Against. Lanham Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 1998. Law and Politics Book Review, 9(9), 384-386.

Dell vs. Hp Performance & Finanical Analysis

Financial abstract Common-Size Analysis Common-Size Income Statement Analysis The common- size of it income controersy for dingle shows a relatively flat history for personify of goods sold compared to gross gross gross revenue from 82. 27% in 2006 to 82. 49% in 2010. dells quintet form second- ordinate for exist of goods sold to sales was 82. 23%, which is bit high than HP cost of goods sold to sales tailfin family reasonable of 75. 96%. This in turn gives HP higher gross revenue than dingle most samely finished means of obtaining raw materials and goods at pull down costs, giving HP great dexterity for an development service adjustment.This change magnitude profit margin dejection allow for HP to offer to a greater extent discounts thus dell whitethorn be able to afford, or add spending in areas of investment funds for the caller-out. An different(a) area of interest within the common size income statement is related to divvy uping, ordinary and admi nistrative to sales. general by the years 2006 to 2010, dingle saw an increase in this area suppu balancen from 9. 05% in 2006 to 12. 22% in 2010. Mean trance, HP experienced the exact opposite effect, with this category declining from 12. 29% in 2006 to 9. 99% in 2010. According to dells annual report, the major(ip)(ip) increase was due to the science of Perot Systems.It in any case appears that over the hold up five years, dingles st sum upgy of products directly to customers has been adopted by many competitors, allowing the competitors to decrease some of their overhead and commissions paid to retailers, all the musical composition change magnitude sales. In the very(prenominal) time span as competitors partly adopted the strategy that made dell prominent, dell began to place much(prenominal) products in retail stores to compete directly on the front lines with its competition, as mentioned in their Managements Discussion and Financial Analysis meetings.This woo FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF dell AND HP has cause a good office of the sales revenue to go to retailers and distributors, thus straining the ability to increase can profit income for the present. Research, development and engineering for dingle as a circumstances to sales were 0. 82% in 2006 and slightly grew to 1. 18% in 2010. HP research, development and engineering to sales is roughly 3 times the standard that dell dedicated however, HP has drawdown their research, development and engineering to sales from 3. 92% in 2006 to 2. 35% in 2010.The five year median(a) in this category for Dell was 0. 99% and HP was 3. 04%. Even with HPs oft higher research, development and engineering to sales percentage than Dell, HP has a higher operating expense, but since their cost of goods sold to sales is inflict, it gives HP the edge in producing a higher operating income than Dell. overall net income to sales rock-bottom for Dell byout 2006 to 2010, with a major decrease happening in 2 010 and overall having a five year reasonable of 4. 51%. In 2006 the net income to sales was 6. 46%, then in 2009 it force outped to 4. 6%, but in 2010 was when the major drop happened, resulting in net income organism just 2. 71%. The main contributor to the drop in net income to sales was from operating expenses, with one component macrocosm the increase in research, development and engineering, but the primary increase sexual climax from the selling, general and administrative category. Increased operating expenses are reflective of Dells push of broadly branching out into the retail foodstuff. HPs net income to sales remained flat during the same time span, with a five year middling of 6. 88%.The basically net goose egg increase in net income hind end be attributed to the economic downturn, and its ripple effect on customers. Common-Size Balance Sheet Analysis The common-size balance planing machine of Dell reflects a current assets to come assets five year average of 74. 91% and shows a short bourn liabilities to heart liabilities and shareholders faithfulness five year average of 63. 72% big toping years 2006 to 2010. Dells current assets and current liabilities both decreased from 2006 to 2010, but their current liabilities decreased at a faster rate than their current assets did.The gap amongst the two in 2006 was roughly 7% and had increased to 16% by 2010, providing plenty of opportunity to grow and develop the conjunction further in their plans. HP common size balance sheet represents a opposite story. Their a current assets to total assets five year average was 49. 45% and short bound liabilities to total liabilities and shareholders equity five year average was 42. 37% across years 2006 to 2010. Both accounts FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF dingle AND HP 7 decreased slightly over the years, and by 2010, HP had a gap of current assets to current liabilities of only 4%.Potential investors testament tenseness on this close margin because HP may hold up to become too heavily leveraged, which could hinder their ability to expand. It could also submit the problem of decreasing the percentage amount that HP reinvests back into the company, due to employ assets to return off short term liabilities. Within Dells current assets, short term investments to total assets decreased from 8. 67% in 2006 to 1. 11% in 2010. Many of these short term investments had ripe and were sold. The additional silver on hand helped decrease accounts payable, which decreased from 42. 4% in 2006 to 33. 80% in 2010. Reducing its liabilities strengthens Dell financial health, to that degree further liquidity and asset utilization dimension test should be conducted to determine if their more(prenominal) solid financial standing is long term or simple a one year over year change. Dells register to total assets remained mainly the same over the five year span with 2. 53% in 2006 and 3. 12% in 2010. This is a reflection Dells strategy of k eeping on hand inventory directs low and only producing the amount able to quick sell. HP inventory to total assets changed substantially from 9. 5% in 2006 to 5. 19% in 2010. The drop in inventory percentage to total assets is a representation of HP improved strategy to minimize holding stoppages by taking delivery of inventory and manufacturing immediately prior to sale or dispersal of product to customers. It is also reflective of the aggressive discounting that HP conducted as a result of the economic downturn. Dells long term debt to total liabilities and shareholders equity increased substantially from 2. 69% in 2006 to 10. 15% in 2010 with average long term debt of 4. 71%.The major increased indicates that the company was dependant on long term debt to finance its encyclopaedism of Perot Systems in 2010. HP long term debt to total liabilities and shareholders equity followed the same path by increasing from 3. 04% in 2006 to 12. 26% in 2010. This increased in total debt is explained in their annual report as being spending on acquisitions and share repurchases. Debt to equity pro delegatealitys are needed to be further evaluated to determine the risk factor for this increased level of liabilities. comparative Analysis Comparative Income Statement AnalysisDells net revenue astutely declined from 2008 to 2010, going from 6. 47% to (13. 42%), as a result of the economic downturn, as individual customers put off luxury purchases such as computers and commercial customers put off bulk computer orders for a subsequently to be determined FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF dell AND HP 8 date. On average, the net revenue branch was 1. 86% while cost of goods sold was 2. 05%. Cost of goods sold increased faster than sales, cuting its potence gross profit. Even though selling, general, and administrative was reduced substantially from 2008 level of 26. 3% down to (8. 97%) in 2010, its growth rate averaged 9. 45%, which outpaced net revenue on average. The drop in se lling general and administrative was due to decreases in compensation, advertising expenses and improved witnesss during the downturn. The growth rate of cost of goods coupled with the economic downturn, found Dell with a (31. 91%) operating income for year 2010. A large decrease in the grocery store yield of over 200 basis testifys from 2009 was the cause for the (210. 45%) for investments and other income n 2010. Net income average was (10. 8%) over years 2006 to 2010, with major causes for this being press down sales due to economic downturn, decreases in investments, increases in tax liabilities and higher cost of a hedging program. Much care with Dell, the economic fallout had its effects on HP. Their net revenue staidly decreased from 13. 50% in 2008 to (3. 22%) in 2009. The sawhorse dispraise to the euro played a large part in this drop for its European sales. However, unlike Dell, HP rebounded in 2010, increasing sales up to 10. 02%, which can be attributed mostly in part to HPs acquisition of EDS. HPs annual cost of goods averaged 7. 4%, which was lower than their net revenue average of 7. 96%. This led to a more gilded net income on average, indicating HPs ability to demote control its operating income through successful marketing or more hard-hitting investment approaches over the years. Comparative Balance Sheet Analysis Dells five year average total current assets growth rate was 7. 75%, which was higher by a slim margin over average total current liabilities of 7. 27%. The relationship was consonant with the common size analysis giving support to Dells capability to cover short term liabilities with current assets.However, caution should be raised and solvency ratios further investigated as Dells current assets souse below its current liabilities in 2010 by a comparison of 20. 32% to 27. 60%. Its competitor HP current liabilities growth rate average is out pacing its current assets growth by almost take over with rates of 10. 88% t o 4. 68%, respectively. This should bring caution to HP to commove control of its short term liabilities growth rate, but not be too alarming, considering that by its common-size comparison, the company presently has enough current assets to pay for its short term liabilities.FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF DELL AND HP 9 Dells accounts receivable rate of growth was 11. 90% on average, growing faster than the companys average sales rate, 1. 86%. This relates to the increase in the involveion period in days also increasing over this five year span. The category of property, plant and equipment grew for Dell at an annual rate of 6. 12%, with the majority of this growth happening in years 2006-2008. Plant, property and equipment declined in years 2009-2010, (14. 66%) and (4. 2%) respectively, which coincides with the companys declining sales growth over these same years. On average, Dells total liabilities grew 11. 36% annually, compared to its total liabilities and shareholders equity growth r ate average of 8. 21%. This highlights the companys candidacy for authorizationly becoming a long-term solvency risk. Financial Ratio Analysis Liquidity period Ratio and Acid Test Ratio Average current ratio for Dell was 1. 19 and the acid test ratio was 1. 14. These averages are better in comparison to HPs current ratio of 1. 17 and acid test ratio of 1. 0, which tells that Dell has more current assets to cover its short term liabilities and makes Dell a safer and more financially self-coloured company. HP had a risky year in 2008 when its current ratio fell below 1. 00, ending at 0. 98, but shouldnt be focuse on too much considering that their net revenue in sales averages 7. 96% growth rate and is averaging a 39. 33% net income growth rate. Collection Period Dells ability to collect customers payments on accounts receivable is bullneckeder than HPs, with Dell taking 32. 04 days on average compared to HPs 49. 74 days.While both companies collection period was semipermanent t han the normal business benchmark of 30 days, Dell was much more successful in collection from its customers and thus reduced the financial obligation for risky accounts receivable. The shorter period for collection also enables Dell to pay for its inventory and not eat to expose them to greater amounts of short term debt through increased working jacket crown backing. Days to Sell list Dell inventory holding period was much shorter than HP, with Dell having days to sell inventory ratio of 6. 70 on average and HP having an average ratio of 32. 2. Dell operates in a FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF DELL AND HP 10 slightly leaner production manner than HP and is able to quickly move inventory through its distribution networks. The quick a company is able to sell its inventories, the quicker the clock begins to adopt payment to be able to pay back money owed on inventories acquired and sold, and not meet to increase your working capital financing. Capital body structure and Solvency Debts to Equity Ratios Dells five year average of total debt to equity was 5. 23, compared to HP lower average ratio of 1. 5. This shows that Dell had more debt (creditors) financing than equity (shareholders) financing. Long term debt for to equity on average for Dell was 0. 29 and HP was 0. 22. While many feel that debt from creditors is more harmful because of the interest paid on the principle borrowed, the advantage here(predicate) is that once the creditor is paid back, they are gone and off the payroll. Whereas equity financing involves more shareholders owning parts of the company, which reduces the dividend payout per shareholder as well as amniotic fluid down loot per share.Dells approach to being more heavily financed through debt than equity may be in an attempt to keep earnings per share at an increased level. buffet on Investment Return on Assets and Return on Common Equity An important ratio is the return on assets ratio for its ability to measure earnings per clam fr om its assets. The five year average for return on assets of Dell was 13. 06% while HPs was 9. 07%. This higher percentage for Dell reflects a more efficient use of its assets and higher earnings from products sold per company asset.Both companies have strong return on assets that goes to show the loyal base of customers from each one brand name of the two companies has. Return on common equity is another important profitability ratio. This ratio measures the earnings success of its capital investments through common shareholders. The return on equity for Dell averaged 81. 46% while HP averaged 23. 91. An observation of this profitability measure shows that Dell is mayhap much more attractive for potential investors for its ability to effectively fence and use funds generated through shareholders equity.Operating procedure Profit Margin Ratios Dells gross profit margin average of 17. 77% was lower than HPs average of 24. 04% HP controls a larger portion of the computer market as represented through this ratio. Dell also FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF DELL AND HP 11 posted lower operating profit margins and pretax profit margin compared to HP. Dells higher selling, general and administrative expenses are cause for lower operating and pretax profit margins, partly due to in the raw retail and certain global distribution relationships.As expected from the precursors above, net income was also lower for Dell when compared to HP. Dell postulate to encroach more forcefully into HPs large market share to positively influence its sales. Operating expense components should be intercommunicate as well to find cost savings measures to increase process income in order to ultimately increase its net income. Asset employ Cash Turnover The measure of how efficient a company utilizes its coin and cash equivalents to create sales revenue is depicted with the cash disturbance ratio. In respect to this ratio, Dell averaged 5. 0, while HP averaged 7. 09. This showed that HP used its cash and cash equivalents more efficiently to build revenue. On the other hand, it shows that HP used its cash and cash equivalents while Dell refrained from using its cash and cash equivalents, as evident in the common size analysis, masking that Dell retained on average 31. 77% of cash and cash equivalents to assets while HP averaged 12. 41%. Inventory Turnover Inventory derangement represents how fast companies turn their inventories into sales revenue. Dell had a much slower inventory turnover on average, 58. 8, than HPs 11. 86. Over the past five years more companies have became better at the Dell model of sales direct to customers which has overall effected Dells sales as evident in the comparative analysis masking on average Dell grew sales by 1. 86% while HP grew at 7. 96%. Also, HP has become more efficient in their inventory distribution cycle and the amount of inventories held in relation to total assets, dropping from 9. 45% in 2006 to 5. 19 by 2010. Dells turnove r ratio was directly affected by its increase in inventory to total assets growing from 2. 53% in 2006 to 3. 2 % by 2010. The increase in Dells inventories to total assets percentage coupled with declining sales growth over the past five years was a cause for their much higher inventory turnover rate. Total Assets Turnover Total assets turnover measures how efficiently a company utilizes total assets to create sales revenue. On average, Dells ability to generate more profit from its assets was roughly FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF DELL AND HP 12 double that of HP, being 2. 15 to 1. 07 respectively. This shows that for overall assets held, Dell had a better record of generating sales.Market Measures Price to gain Ratio and Earnings Yield The price to earnings for Dell on average was 16. 35, lower than HPs 18. 52. From this statistical ratio, HP is able to show that its investors have higher expectations of their company performance by being committed to stipendiary a higher price per share to own HP root over the past five year time span. However, with Dell showing better results when it came to liquidation and return on investment, they are able to outline to potential investors that they are the better buy at a lower price per share when compared to HP.Earnings yield represents the amount of earnings generated for every dollar invested. Here, Dell has a better showing on average with 7. 02% compared to HPs 6. 25%. This ratio can be another point of persuasion that Dell is the better buy for it being properly priced when talk of earnings yield over the years 2006 to 2010. Summary of Financial Performance and Suggestions for Improvement Both Dell and HP have the financial statistics showing why they are strong competitors in an ever evolving industry.In an industry that attracts potential customers by offering the latest, fastest and greatest products, Dell needs an increase their amount of research, development, and engineering to sales percentage. Dell can no lo nger rely on just offering cheaper products because offering the newest technology and prize of product has moved to the forefront of consumers minds. It would be wise for Dell to focus on precise areas where they have a strong competency and not try to be all things to everyone. One area they may conceive of pushing into is their expanded exposure into retail stores.Considering that Dell is fairly new to the retailing segment, their ties to the retailing market are not as strong as many of its competitors who have long withstanding relationships with retailers. These long withstanding relationships with retailers give companies like HP an advantage over new comers to retail stores, such as Dell, and possible over the next year or so, Dell should rethink this new part of their strategy. At the moment, the amount of increased funds used on selling, general and administrative has not equally translated into higher sales revenue.

Focus Paper on Grand Conversations Essay

Grand conversations atomic number 18 strong instruments of instructional normal and erudition, which may be easily integrated into some(prenominal) typesetters case of syllabus content. Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn is an excellent example of the platter that fundament be used in simple(a) school aureate conversations. To ready kelvin conversations even more than effective and interactive, they may excessively be combined with sh ard reading. In grand conversations, elementary school learners ready inevitable interactions, which tercet them to dumbfounding extensive reading and comprehension skills. cerebrate Paper on Grand Conversations Introduction Grand conversations atomic number 18 effective instruments of instructional design and learning, which may be easily integrated into any type of curriculum content. Grand conversations are occurrencely important for the learning of communicatory skills in learners. The use of grand conversations is integrally linked to savant-centered approaches, providing students with supernumerary opportunities to speak, express their thoughts and opinions, and study the about problematic curriculum topics in depth.In elementary classroom, grand conversations may be used as the sum for studying literary textual matters and developing extensive connections between literature themes and student realities. Elementary school teachers pay special attention to the development of literacy and communicative skills in new-fashioned learners. By linking reading to discussion and exploration, education specialists are trying to develop more effective approaches that would motivate young learners to read, and run their views in classroom.Grand conversations are discussions held by the entire class community. What makes grand conversations different from other forms of whole group activities is that the teacher does not look grand conversations (Buis, 2004). Thus, the teachers task is to choose the content which is the most appropriate for classroom discussion, and to set the tone of the group conversation, which will hike be directed by learners and will admirer them investigate the plot, the theme, the characters, and the mise en scene of the original text in more detail.Unfortunately, teachers t complete to use more traditional standardized strategies in text analysis a ephemeral conversation is a widely accept adequate to(p) teaching technique that may save time during the lesson but does not improve student experience in class. However, it is not enough for a teacher to understand the immenseness of grand conversations in class it is essential that elementary school teachers develop effective and multifaceted approaches, to give students an opportunity for practicing their communicational skills.As teachers, we cannot tell that our small students will be able to understand all literary implications of particular texts. That is why it is important to develop meaningful chains tha t would help learners understand the content, the context, and the idea of a literary work. The book to be discussed should be written in unsophisticated language and should be close to what children feel, see, and do in their daily lives. The book should be enjoyable, of superior literary quality, subscribe student interests, allow for good discussions and invite students to revisit them over and over again (Buis, 2004).Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn is an excellent example of the book that can be used in elementary school grand conversations. To make grand conversations even more effective and interactive, they may alike be combined with shared reading of the most interesting passages. A sample grand conversation may start with a simple headspring Do you think that Huckleberry Finn could live in our society? This question may further be extended to discussing the similarities between Huckleberry Finns realities (clothes, behaviors, thoughts), and those of modern-day learners .It is expected that students answers will not be limited to yes or no, but will encourage other students to express their thoughts and develop genuine connections between their personal experiences and those of a literary character. Children will be complete to discuss their best impressions, feelings, or their favorite clothes. It is expected that by the end of the discussion session, children will be able to determine, what makes Huckleberry Finn different from them. Choosing a aspect book would also facilitate the discussion and drive learners imagination, giving elementary students a special feeling of reading joy (Buis, 2004).As teachers, we should also be prepared to the situation when learners experiences and opinions differ and are even be opposite to each other as a result, we will need to use available instruments for turning this opposition into the subject of a dilate discussion. Grand conversations will further engage all learners into a safe environment, and expo se them to the world of classic literature through the prism of their most pleasant life experiences. It should be noted that participation in a discourse community is crucial for the cultivation of deeper levels of vocabulary knowledge.Language learning is fuelled by students curiosity and their desire to connect and communicate with others (Buis, 2004). For grand conversations to be effective, it is important that the teacher does not limit the discussion to one individual interpretation of the book. Children should be encouraged to express their ideas about the plot, the meaning, and the importance of particular passages. Although grand conversations are not directed by the teacher, some staging may be appropriate to motivate and encourage young learners.Traditionally, students are not involved into active group discussions in class they are used to the situation where teacher carries the main load of talking. As a result, students may be prevented from supporting conversation at deep levels. some(prenominal) grand conversations will be required to ensure that students have full understood the meaning of Twains text and that they are able to formulate their thoughts as applied to the context, structure, and the meaning of the plot.Every new text distracts students from digging deeper into particular literary elements, but attracts their attention to new events inside the story that is why several literary conversations will help young learners concentrate on particular meaningful elements that will gradually lead them to understanding the real or virtual place of Huckleberry Finn in his and in our time. Conclusion Grand conversations reveal the new facets of elementary students communicative skills and abilities.This type of instructional methodology helps revisiting the most interesting literary texts and exploring them through the prism of learners personal experiences. In grand conversations, elementary school learners develop necessary interactions, which lead them to developing extensive reading and comprehension skills and provide them with oceanic opportunities for sharing their comments and offering new ideas in classroom-wide discussions.References Buis, K. (2004). Making words chafe strategies that build vocabulary and reading comprehension in the elementary grades. Pembroke Publishers Limited.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Six

I FOLLOWED MS. TERWILLIGERS instructions diligently. I n ever so took the garnet morose, non even when I slept or exhibitionered. When school started the positioning by lieu(p) morning, I wore it below my shirt to evacuate whatever questions. It didnt on the sole(prenominal) ifton scream delusional amulet, precisely it was certainly conspicuous. To my surprise, Ms. Terwilliger wasnt in her prototypical-period history class, making me wonder if she was doing or sowhat investigating of her own.Ms. T on somewhat secret mission?I flinched and complete Id been lost in my own thoughts. I turned and tack unneurotic Trey Juarez kneeling by my desk. Class hadnt started yet, and a conf utilize- feelinging substitute t separatelyer was trying to take up maven of the chaos of Ms. Terwilligers desk. Trey grinned at my surprise.Wh-what? I asked. Had he somehow rig show up about veronica? I act to keep cool. What films you verbalize that?I was just joking, he verbalise. Th is is the second year Ive had her, and shes neer lose a day. He gave me a puzzled prospect. Unless you re solelyy do spang some involvement I dont?No, I said quickly. Im just as move as you are.Trey scrutinized me a few mos. We were good friends here at Amberwood, with yet star teeny-tiny problem hanging surrounded by us.His family was tied to the Warriors of Light.Last month, the Warriors had tried to kill Sonya in a barbaric execution ritual. Trey had been one and only(a) of the contenders for the honor of killing her, though hed thrown the match at the defy minute. Id tried to appeal to the Warriors to release Sonya, nevertheless they hadnt listened. She and I were both save when a ruptureing party of dhampirs showed up and defeated the Warriors. Stanton had helped orchestrate that raid tho hadnt bothered to fill me in that I was being used as a distraction. It was part of what had fueled my distrust of her and the Alchemists.Trey had been deuced for getting me i nvolved with the ritual, and the Warriors had ostracized his father and him. Just as I had been pres acceptedd by the Alchemists, Trey had had Warrior doctrine drilled into him his whole life. His father was so shamed of the fallout that he would barely speak to Trey now. I knew how frequently Trey fateed his fathers approval, so this silence was more(prenominal) painful to him than the Warriors treatment.Our allegiances make things knockout. When Id once tentatively hinted to Trey that we still had un respondd issues between us, hed responded with a bitter laugh. You defy nothing to worry about anymore, hed told me. Im not privateness any secret conceptions from you because I dont agnize any. They wont tell us anything. Im not one of them, as far as theyre concerned. Ive been cut off forever, and itd stockpile a miracle for them to ever take us back. Thered been something in his dark life that told me if he ever could take in that miracle, hed jump on it. Id tried i nquire about that, further he wouldnt discuss it any further. I sine qua non to be your friend, Melbourne, he had said. I homogeneous you. Were never going to resolve our differences. Might as well ignore them since we have to be together e genuinely day.Amazingly, our friendship had managed to survive all that drama. The tension was al tracks there, lurking between us, but we tried to ignore it. Although he knew about my involvement in the vampiric world, he had no idea I was taking hindquarters-the-scenes magic lessons with our history teacher, of course.If he thought I was lying about Ms. Terwilligers absence seizure today, he didnt push the national. He nodded toward the sub. This is going to be a blow-off day.I dragged my brain external from magical intrigue. later on being homeschooled for most of my life, some parts of the normal school world were a mystery. Whats that mean, exactly?normally teachers leave subs a lesson plan, telling them what to do. I saw the one Ms . Terwilliger left. It said, trouble oneself them. Trey shook his head in mock sympathy. I entrust you can handle the wasted academic duration. I mean, shell probably study something alike, Work on homework. But no one will.He was right. I wasnt sure if I could handle this. Why wouldnt they?This seeed to amuse him immensely. Melbourne, some propagation youre the solo reason I come to class. I saw her sub plan for your independent study, by the way. It said you didnt even have to stick around. Youre issue to run wild.Eddie, sitting nearby, overheard and scoffed. To the library?This made both of them laugh, but my mind was already spinning with possibilities. If I really didnt have to stay for my eventually class, Id be free to leave campus early. I could go into Los Angeles to look for Veronica and no. Adrian wasnt back. For a moment, I toyed with the idea of investigation without his spirit magic, but Ms. Terwilligers warnings echoed through my mind. The hunt would have to wait.But I could still look for Marcus Finch.Santa Barbara was two hours away. That meant I had bountiful time to drive up there, do some investigating of Marcus, and still comfortablenessably make it back by the schools curfew. I hadnt intended to go look for him until this weekend but realized now that I shouldnt waste this opportunity. Ms. Terwilligers task weighed heavily on me as well, but I couldnt do anything about it until Adrian returned tonight.Marcus Finch had been a mystery to me since the moment Id discovered he was an ex-Alchemist. Realizing that I top executive really get some answers today made my heart pound in overtime. It was one thing to suspect the Alchemists had been conciliateing out on me. It was an entirely different matter to accept that I competency be on the verge of having those suspicions confirmed. It was actually kind of terrifying.As the day progressed, I became more and more dogged to make the drive. I had to suit this sooner or later, a nd I king as well get it over with. For all I knew, Marcus had solely been sightseeing in Santa Barbara and could be gone already. I didnt want to resort the scrying spell if I could help it.Sure enough, when I showed up for what would normally be my independent study at the end of the day, the sub (looking super worn out after a day of following in Ms. Terwilligers footsteps) told me I was free to go. I thanked her and hurried off to my dorm room, informed of the c silence that was now ticking. I didnt know exactly what Id be confront in Santa Barbara, but I planned to be prepared for anything.I changed out of my Amberwood uniform, opting for jeans and a plain black blouse. Kneeling by my bed, I pulled out a large metal box from underneath it. At first glance, the box looked like a makeup kit. However, it had an intricate lock that required both a key and combination. Inside was my Alchemist chemistry set, a collection of chemicals that would probably get me kicked out of scho ol if found since it looked like it was capable of manufacturing illegal drugs. And really, some of the compounds probably were pretty questionable.I selected some basics. One was a formula that was usually used to dissolve Strigoi bodies. I didnt expect to encounter any Strigoi in Santa Barbara, but the compound could as well as be used to disintegrate metal pretty handily. I chose a distich other mixtures like one that could create a spy-worthy bum screen and carefully wrapped them all up before move them into my messenger bag. Then I locked the box again and slid it back under the bed.After a little consideration, I took a deep snorkel and produced another hidden box. This was a new one in my collection. It contained unhomogeneous ch implements of war and potions Id made under Ms. Terwilligers instruction. Staring at its contents, I felt my venter twist. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined Id have such a kit. When wed first met, Id yet created ch blazonry under du ress. outright I had several that Id willingly made, and if what shed said about her sister was true, Id need to start making more. With great reluctance, I picked a variety of these as well and packed them up with the Alchemist chemicals. After a moments consideration, I induct a duad in my chemise for quick access.The drive to Santa Barbara was easy this time of day December had cooled off some of southern Californias weather, but the sun was still out, making it seem warmer than it really was. And, as I drove up the coast, the cast off gave way to more temperate conditions. Rain increased in the heart and northern parts of the state this time of year, making the landscape succulent and green. I really did love Palm Springs and Amberwood, but there were times I wouldnt have minded if Jills as signalizement had taken us up here.Finding the Old Mission Santa Barbara wasnt difficult. It was a well-known tourist devotion and pretty easy to spot once you were nearby. The sprawl ing church looked exactly as it had in my vision save that it was lit by mid-afternoon cheerfulness rather than twilight. I pulled off to the side of the road in a residential livehood and gazed up at the beautiful stucco and terra-cotta masterpiece. I wished I had the time to go on a tour, but, as they so often did, my personal desires had to take a backseat to a larger goal.Now came the more difficult part having to figure out where the studio apartment Id seen might be. The neighborhood I parked in provided a view that was akin(predicate) to the one Id observed in the spell. The angles werent exact, however, and this street only contained houses. I was close certain the studio Id seen had been in an apartment building. Keeping the mission in view, I drove a few more streets over and found what Id hoped for several blocks containing apartment complexes.One looked too nice to have what Id seen. The studio had seemed pretty bare bones and run down. The other two buildings on the street looked like more presumable candidates. I drove to each one and walked around their grounds, trying to imagine what the angle might be when viewed from a higher window. I wished Id had a chance to actually look down to the pose lot in the vision. It would have given me a better idea of the cut down. After untold thought, I in conclusion deduced the studio had been on the third or fourth floor. Since one of the buildings only had two floors, that gave me a pretty positive hit on the correct place.Stepping in spite of appearance the building made me glad Id packed hand sanitizer in my bag. The halls looked like they hadnt been swept in over a year. The walls were dirty, their paint chipped. Bits of trash sit on the floor. Cobwebs hung in some of the corners, and I prayed wanderers were the only creepy-crawly inhabitants. If I saw a roach, I was probably going to bolt. The building had no front desk I could make inquiries at, so I flagged down a middle-aged woman as s he was leaving. She paused, regarding me warily.Hi, I said, hoping I looked non-threatening. Im trying to find a friend of mine, but I dont know which apartment he lives in. Maybe you know him? His name is Marcus. He has a blue stain on his face. Seeing her blank look, I repeated the question in Spanish. Comprehension showed in her expression, but once shed heard my entire question, her only response was a brief headshake. I didnt even have time to show her Marcuss picture.I spent the next half hour doing the same thing whenever I saw residents going in or out. I stayed outside this time, preferring a brightly lit public area to the blue interior. Some of the people I talked to were a little sketchy, and a couple of guys looked me over in a way I definitely didnt like. I was about to give up when a younger son approached me. He appeared to be about ten and had been playing in the parking lot.I know the guy youre looking for, he told me in English. But his names not Marcus. Its D ave.Considering how difficult Marcus had been to find, I wasnt entirely surprised hed been using another name. Youre sure? I asked the boy. I showed him the picture. This is the guy?He nodded eagerly. Thats the one. Hes real quiet. My mom says hes probably doing bad things.Great. Just what I needed. Do you know where he lives?The boy pointed upward. At the top. 407.I thanked him and went back within, heading up to the fourth floor on stairs that creaked the entire way. The apartment was near the end of the hall, next to one that was b closinging obnoxious music. I knocked on 407 and didnt get a response. Not sure if the occupant had heard me, I knocked more loud and received the same result.I eyed the doorknob, considering melting it with my Alchemist chemicals. Immediately, I brush aside the thought. Even in a disreputable building like this, a neighbor might be concerned to see me breaking into an apartment. I didnt want to attract any attention. This situation was getting incr easingly frustrating, and I couldnt throw all day here.I ran through my choices. Everyone said I was so smart. Surely there was some solution here that would work? hold around in the hall wasnt an option. There was no telling how foresightful it could take for Marcus or Dave to show up. And honestly, the less time spent in the dirty hall, the better. If only there was some way to get inside that didnt involve actually destroying Thats when the solution came to me. I groaned. It wasnt one I liked, but it would get the job done.I went back outside and waved hello to the boy as he practiced jumping off the steps. Was Dave home? he asked.No.The boy nodded. He usually isnt.That, at least, would be subservient for this next crazy plan. I left the boy and walked around the side of the building, which was mercifully deserted. There, clinging to the outer wall, was the most rickety fire escape Id ever seen. Considering how rigid California safety standards were, I was astonished that thi s hadnt been reported. Of course, if it had, it didnt seem likely this buildings owner wouldve been quick to act, judging from the rest of the conditions Id seen.Double checking that no one was around, I stood in the fire escapes shadow, hoping it more or less out of sight me. From the messenger bag, I produced one of my charms a necklace made of agate and crow feathers. I slipped it over my head and recited a Greek incantation. I felt the heat energy of magic run through me but saw no ostensive changes. Theoretically, I should be invisible for those who didnt know to look for me. Whether that had actually happened, I couldnt say. I supposed Id find out if someone came by and demanded to know why I was climbing into an apartment via the fire escape.Once I stepped onto it, I nearly terminated the plan. The entire fire escape squeaked and swayed. The staging was so rusty, I wouldnt have been surprised if it disintegrated beneath my feet. I stood nipping where I was, trying to wor k up the courage to go on. I reminded myself that this could be my one chance to find Marcus. The boy in the parking lot had confirmed he lived here. I couldnt waste this opportunity.I gulped and unbroken going, gingerly moving from floor to floor. When I reached the fourth, I stared down in amazement, unable to believe the fire escape was still intact. Now I had a new problem. Id figured out where Marcuss studio was, and it was one window over from the fire escapes landing. The distance wasnt that great, but on the narrow shelf between them would feel like miles. Equally daunting was the fact that Id have to get through the window. It was shut, which made sense if he was in hiding. I had a couple magical amulets capable of melting glass, but I didnt trust myself to be able to use them on the narrow ledge which meant I had to see just how good my aim had become in PE.Still conscious of the precarious fire escape, I took out a piffling pouch of powder from my messenger bag. Sizin g up the distance, I threw the pouch hard toward the window, reciting a spell and missed. The pouch hit the side of the building, throwing up a dusty cloud, and began eating away at the stucco. I winced as the wall dissolved. The spell eventually burned itself out but left a noticeable hole behind. It hadnt gone all the way through, and I supposed given the state of the building, no one would probably even notice.I had one pouch left and had to make it count. The dosage was fairly big, and there was no way I could miss this time. I threw hard and made contact. The powder smashed against the window. Immediately, a reaction splay out and began melting the glass. It dripped down like ice out in the sun. Now, watching anxiously, I wanted the reaction to go on for as long as possible. I needed a big enough hole to get through. Fortunately, when it stopped, I felt cocksure I could make it inside if I could get over there.I wasnt afraid of heights, but as I crept along the ledge, I f elt like I was on top of a skyscraper. My heart was in my throat, and I pondered the logistics of survive a four-floor vanish. My palms began to sweat, and I ordered them to stop. I wasnt going to come all this way just to have my hands slip at the last minute.As it turned out, it was my foot that slipped. The world spun, and I frantically flung my arms out, just barely viewbing the inside of the window. I pulled myself toward it, and with a surge of adrenaline-fueled thrust managed to hook my other leg inside. I took a deep breath and tried to quiet my pounding heart. I was secure. I was going to make it. A moment later, I was able to pull myself up and overlook my other leg around the ledge, tumbling into the room.I landed on the floor, my legs weak and shaky as I worked to steady my frantic breathing. That was close. If my reflexes had been a little slower, I wouldve found out exactly what four floors could do to the human body. While I loved science, I wasnt sure that was an audition I needed to try. Maybe being around dhampirs so much had helped improve my physical skills.Once Id recovered, I was able to assess my surroundings. present I was, in the exact same studio Id seen in my vision. Glancing behind me, I sized up the mission, verifying I had the same vantage. Yup. scarce the same. Inside, I recognized the mattress on the floor and the same meager belongings. crossways the room, the door leading out had a number of very new, very state-of-the-art locks. Dissolving the outer doorknob wouldnt have done any good.Now what? I muttered. Id made it inside. I didnt have Marcus, but I theoretically had his apartment. I was unsure what I was looking for but might as well start somewhere.First, I examined the mattress, not that I expect much. It couldnt hide belongings like mine could. It could, however, hide rats and God only knew what else underneath it. I gingerly lifted a corner, knowing I must be grimacing, but there was nothing underneath viva cious or otherwise. My next target was a small, disorderly pile of clothes. departure through someones dirty laundry (because I assumed it was dirty, if it was sitting on the floor) wasnt much better than looking at the mattress. A whiff of theoretical account softener told me that these clothes were, in fact, recently washed. They were ordinary guy clothes, probably a young guys clothes, which fit with Marcuss profile. Jeans. T-shirts. Boxers. As I sifted through the pile, I nearly started folding them and had to remind myself that I didnt want to leave any sign of my passing. Of course, the melted window was kind of a dead giveaway.A couple of personal items sat nearby, a toothbrush and deodorant with a curve inexplicably called as Ocean Fiesta. Aside from a rickety wooden chasten and the ancient TV, there was only one other form of comfort and entertainment in the barren room a battered reduplicate of The Catcher in the Rye. Great, I muttered, wondering what it said about a person who owned no other personal possessions. Marcus Finch is pretentious and self-entitled.The studios trick was claustrophobic and barely had enough space for a single shower stall, toilet, and dripping sink. Judging from the mildew on the floor, a good sleep with of water sprayed out when the shower was used. A large black spider scurried down the drain, and I hastily backed out.Defeated, I went to investigate a narrow insistence door. After all my work, Id found Marcus Finch but hadnt actually found him. My search had revealed nothing. I had limited time to wait for him, and honestly, if I were him and returned home to a melted window, I would promptly walk out the door and never return. If he ran, Id have no choice but to keep scrying and AhhSomething jumped out at me as I opened the insistence door and it wasnt a rat or a roach.It was a man.The closet was tiny, so it was a miracle he had even fit inside. I had no time to process the spatial logistics, however, because h is fist shot out and snip off me on the side of the face.In my life, Id been slammed up against brick walls and bitten by a Strigoi. Id never been punched, however, and it wasnt an experience I wanted to repeat. I stumbled backward, so surprised that I couldnt even react right away. The guy lunged after me, grabbing my upper arms and shaking me as he leaned close.How did you guys find me? he exclaimed. How many more are coming?Pain radiated through the side of my face, but somehow, I managed to gather my senses. Last month, Id taken a self-defense class with a slightly unstable Chihuahua breeder who looked like a pirate. Despite Malachi Wolfes unorthodox behavior, hed actually taught us some legitimate skills, and they came back to me now. I kneed my attacker in the stomach. His blue eyes went wide with shock as he released me and fell to the ground. It didnt keep him down for long, though. He scrambled back to his feet and came after me, but by then, Id grabbed the chair and was using it to keep him at speak the way a lion tamer would.Back off, I said. I just want to Ignoring my threats, the guy pushed forward and grabbed one of the chairs legs, pulling it away from me. He had me backed into a corner, and despite some tricks Eddie had taught me, I wasnt confident in my own ability to throw a punch. Nonetheless, I put up a good fight when my attacker tried to grab me again. We struggled and fell to the floor. I kicked and clawed like crazy, making things as difficult as possible. It was only when he managed to pin me with his entire body that my flailing got stifled. I had enough freedom to reach a hand into my pocket, however.Who sent you? he demanded. Where are the others?I didnt answer. Instead, I pulled out a small ampule and flipped the cap off with one hand. Immediately, noxious yellow vapor with the trunk of dry ice spilled out of it. I thrust it toward the guys face. He recoiled in disgust, and tears sprang into his eyes. The substance itself wa s relatively harmless, but its fumes acted as a kind of pepper spray. He let go of me, and with strength I didnt even know I had, I managed to roll him over and hold him down. I drove my elbow into his wrist, and he made a small grunt of pain. With my other arm, I waved the vial with as much peril as I would a machete. This wouldnt fool him for long, but hopefully itd grease ones palms me some time to reassess my situation. Now that he was still, I was finally able to get a good look at him and was sticking(p) to see Id at least achieved my goal. He had a young, handsome face with an indigo tattoo on his cheek. It was an abstract design that looked like a latticework of crescent moons. A faint silver gleam advance some of the blue lines.Nice to meet you, Marcus.Then, the most astonishing thing happened. Through his watering eyes, hed been trying to get a good look at me too. Recognition appeared on his face as he blinked me into focus.Sydney Sage, he gasped. Ive been looking for you.I didnt have any time to be surprised because I suddenly heard the click of a gun, and a set touched the back of my head.Get off him, a voice demanded. And drop the smoke bomb.