In what ways did humanists have an effect on cultural and religious Research Paper - 1

In what ways did humanists have an effect on cultural and religious development - Research Paper Example The intellectuals not only lament over the pathetic moral decline of their fellow beings, but also strive to make corrections in the individual and collective life of the masses through their verbal or written preaching. Consequently, an overwhelming majority of the general public belonging to their contemporary society turns against the philosophers by declaring them breakers of law and traditions. However, they remain as firm as rock in the face of hardships, and stick to showing the people the very path of glory and wisdom. This state of affairs is not confined to one social establishment only; rather, the humanists have left indelible impact of their broad and humane thoughtfulness on every cultural set up of the globe without discrimination. The present paper aims to throw light on the valuable services of the philosophers and writers with special reference to the works created by celebrated 14th century Italian writer, poet and reformer Giovanni Boccaccio and 15th century Dutch writer Desiderius Erasmus. Boccaccio’s allegorical work The Decameron serves as a great satire on the malpractices and hypocrisy existing in his contemporary Italian culture. Through his simple but thought-provoking short fables and tales, he censures the avaricious and condemnable nature of the clergymen, who sell the word of the Scriptures for their own purpose. The priests, parsons and other churchmen, as the tales view, are considered to be the noblest, holiest and most reliable individuals, who are administering the spiritual and social activities by inviting the people towards the way of God. However, instead of fulfilling their sacred mission of guiding the masses, they are misguiding them by offering the permission to enter the paradise. Since the Lord has not bestowed upon the priests the power to make false promises in respect of granting permission to enter the heavens, the act of such barter for pecuniary gains on the part of the priests is actually a

Destination Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Destination Management - Assignment Example This is done with the aim of improving the wealth of the experience for both tourists and locals as well as ensures sustainability of the environment and activities that promote tourism. When the content of this discussion are considered in line with the definition of sustainable tourism, it is evident that development is core in achieving the latter. According to the WTO (1981), sustainable tourism development has to do with meeting the desires and expectants of visitors and the host regions but also protecting the areas and the culture for posterity (p.89).Tourism should ideally be carried through careful resource management in such a way that aesthetic needs are met while cultural integrity and biological diversity are preserved. Stage of development According to Butler (1980), there are seven stages of tourism development â€Å"lifecycle †(1980, p. 6)and they will be discussed herein in relation to the city of Venice in an effort to understand its growth and changes in reg ard to the tourism industry. The first stages are exploitation then involve of locals in providing facilities which results in the place becoming a popular destination (Garay & Ca`noves, 2010). Venice being one of the oldest cities in the world underwent these centuries ago and kept rising and falling depending on prevailing regional political stability. In the last few decades, Italy recognized the potential of Venice as a tourist destination and made efforts to advertise it, the world has recognized it as such too and millions of visitors flood there every year. However, due to the high number of tourists, they have destabilized the lives of the locals by making the city crowded and making it so expensive that many venetians are driven to live elsewhere. This is the fourth stage currently most dominantly manifested by the city today. Tourism facilities may also likely start to fade, as indeed they are due to the impact of too heavy a flow and if no action is taken to restore the o ld Venice tourism in the region will likely stagnate. The tourism managers in Venice have clearly noticed this and much effort has been put in restoration especially after the flood of 1968, this is the sixth stage of restoration, it has to a large extent been successful thanks to the combined efforts of the stakeholders. Should restoration fail, Venice would decline and ultimate previously tourist supported systems would fail. Approach to destination management A workshop on report produced by UNESCO on tourism in Venice asserted on the need for a diversified and sustainable cultural tourism and improved tourism management so as to effectively prioritize the needs of the host community. The need for better destination management stems from, among others, the fact that despite hosting over 22 million guests, only about 4 million spend the night, ergo, this makes tourism in the city more of a free ride than a cultural experience (UNESCO, 2011). The former is however neither sustainab le nor healthy for the industry since â€Å"free riders† will rarely appreciate the sights and experiences enough to contribute to their growth by coming back An major managerial challenge facing the municipality of Venice ensuring a regular flow of visitors all year round to increase productivity as well as reduce the high costs of short

Position of the Music Industry Prior to Introduction of Internet Essay Example for Free

Position of the Music Industry Prior to Introduction of Internet Essay In the music industry prior to the introduction of internet marketing there were different roles being played by different actors of the market. The usual way a product is prepared for market is to contract the artists. The artists who were the content providers record materials which are either their own or provided to them by other writers. This is clearly depicted in the figure below. Traditional Value Chain in the Music Industry Source: John B. Meisel and Timothy S. Sullivan The recordings will be done on the basis of the contracts entered into with the recording companies. Hence the power and control over the supply of the product remained with the record company. The recording company thus would be regarded as the holder of the major item of value in the supply chain being the exclusive rights over the recorded artists’ content. (Hardaker and Graham, 2001) Most of the part of the distribution is in the hands of the record companies and they also retain the rights to select the suppliers. The distribution and supplier selection is based on the record companies’ perception about the quality of the recording and the music, past reputation of the suppliers and the contract price for the recording. In return for the content in the form of recording, the artist is compensated by the provision of promotions for the recording and its merchandising in connection with the sales there of and the distribution of the content as a saleable commodity – CD for example. It was usual in the traditional music industry that the major record companies have their own distribution channels and businesses. Hence it would become necessary for a retailer to source his music products from different sources. Sometimes the retailer may have to place orders with major record companies and up to 20 other firms from the independent sector. The new releases of music albums or other sales of the record companies are usually handled by the wholesalers. If the retailer would like to follow the wholesaler route then he might have to order through only one wholesaler. The main wholesalers also offer another service called ‘rack jobbing’ which is a different method of supply being adopted by them. The function of a rack jobber includes the supply of complete package that contains records and other promotional and display materials. It is also the duty of the wholesaler to keep a regular stock usually on a sale or exchange basis. Just as the advancement in the telecommunication had its effect on all the other sectors from airline reservations to banking and related financial services the music recording industry has also been severely impacted both positively and negatively observes Eric de Fontenay. In fact the impact of internet on the music industry is much more profound than on any other industries. Despite the fact that the entertainment related products and services have taken their own time to develop and take advantage of the improvements in digital technology over the decades, during the intervening period the overall structure of the industry has remained dormant. The reasons for the industry to remain without major changes can be traced to the following reasons: 1. The cost of creation of content has always remained higher and this prohibited any new entrants in to the industry. 2. The structure of content ownership and rights of licensing system remained unaltered thereby keeping the structure of the industry in tact. 3. There has been a continuous necessity for the presence of a distribution network almost everywhere in the world irrespective of the geographical barriers. This has restricted the existing firms to make any changes in the structure. There was no possibility of new firms entering the market in view of the high capital intensive nature. 4. Similarly there had always been a constant scarcity for the distribution networks which also prevented any new forms of distribution or change in the structure of the distribution networks. (Eric de Fontenay) The internet has affected the music industry in so many ways. It has made the industry incur additional costs in completely restructuring itself. Further the internet has reduced the entry barriers. This was possible by a considerable increase in the number of downstream outlets having varied nature. At the same time the internet has provided the actors in the upstream end to enjoy greater control over the aspects of content ownership, production and distribution. This has created a distinct fear in the record labels that they cannot eliminate the possibility of getting bypassed by both the markets in the downstream and upstream. This impact has created the following reaction on the part of the traditional industry actors. They tried to impose the existing rules and procedures to the new medium so that they could exercise the same leverage and control over the market. The process by which they attempted to do it involves a twin aspects strategic approach. At one end they used legal channels to restrict the availability and use of the new technology in the Industry. On the other end they adopted new technologies to tackle the potential legal threats that would affect the control derived by them from the traditional systems. This strategy backfired and left them high and dry in the market while new information technology players like AOL, Microsoft, E Music and MP3 took advantage of the stalemate. They reacted aggressively by building their infrastructure and systems for the online marketing and distribution of music. They also involved themselves in the retailing of music over internet. The distribution of revenues in the music industry involves the portion of the performer. As per the contract terms the performer is to be paid a portion of the revenue each time there is a sale of the record. Before the money is paid to the performer the revenue is to be apportioned towards the expenses incurred by the company for marketing and distribution. This gives an opportunity for the artists to earn considerable amounts from the sale of products. For gaining maximum revenue the artists should control the publishing rights to their songs or they have the capacity to negotiate contracts with terms that are favourable to the artists. In the case of revenue distribution Internet has its impact on the industry in the following respects.

Selective Toxicity Of Anti Cancer Agents Biology Essay

Selective Toxicity Of Anti Cancer Agents Biology Essay Cancer is known to be caused by a large group of various diseases, all involved in cellular malfunction. It dates back to about 1600 BC when it was first found in an Egyptian papyrus (Wu et al, 2006) and thought to be incurable till surgery and radiation became the means of treatment in the mid-1900s. After many years it was realised that using either or combination of treatment, metastatic cancer could not be controlled and in order to gain therapeutic effect, the therapy had to reach every organ of the body. Research in drug discovery and development now focuses on using chemotherapy especially those that are selectively toxic e.g. antimetabolites (Thurston, 2007). It is not fully understood why they are selectively toxic but they are more effective on tumour cells because they are able to divide faster that healthy cells. Selective toxicity was defined as materials that are able to damage some types of cells and not the others (Albert, 1951). Even though mortality rate has not imp roved much, characteristics and pathways of cells in different tumours have been identified so as to develop therapies for specific tumour. The therapies developed either target protein that cause or are involved in development of tumour directly or by targeting drugs to the tumour. Examples of new drugs that have resulted from advances in drug discovery are (Narang Desai, 2009) : Imatinib (Gleevec) inhibits binding of protein (BCR-ABL) which is found in CML tumour cells. Gefitinib (Iressa1) inhibits epidermal growth factor receptorà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s. It is used to treat lung cancer. Trastuzumab (Herceptin1) is another monoclonal antibody that binds the cell surface HER2/neu (erbB2) receptor and is used in treating erbB2+ breast cancer. This report will focus on principles and challenges of selective toxicity of chemotherapy, how they work, the limitations of the current chemotherapy and ways to improve drugs. MECHANISM OF ACTION Chemotherapy drugs are able to move throughout the body to get to where they are intended by entering the bloodstream through an injection, a drip which are usually through a vein or as capsules and tablets. For chemotherapy to work it is important to understand cell cycle, this is because chemotherapy drugs work mainly on actively reproducing cells in the body where some drugs attack particular phases of the cell cycle like the S phase. In cancerous cells, the checkpoints are damaged causing the cancer cells to continue to grow out of control. Chemotherapy works by damaging the genes present inside the nucleus of cells. Some drugs work by damaging cells when they are beginning to divide or while copies are being made. Chemotherapy drugs cause the cancerous cells to think that their lifespan has finished which leads to apoptosis. There are different classes of selective toxicity drugs which have different methods for killing cancerous cells, some of which are below(ACS, 2013): Alkylating agents (e.g. busulfan) are selectively toxic to DNA, where they damage DNA so as to prevent cancer cells from reproducing. Active in all the phases of cell cycle and are used to treat a wide variety of cancer like leukaemia Antimetabolites(5-fluorouracil), these agents alter DNA and RNA growth by replacing building blocks normally present in DNA and RNA. They work in the S phase and are used to treat breast cancer. Anti-tumour antibiotics/Anthracyclines (Doxorubicin) are also important as they affect the enzymes that contribute to DNA replication. Other cancer drugs- these are not classified as chemotherapy drugs and they are still new. There are different types, the active and passive where active stimulates the immune system to attack the disease and passive(monoclonal antibody, e.g. Rituximab which binds to particular substances) uses antibodies that were made synthetically. In 2010, the first vaccine for cancer called the Provenge for prostate cancer was approved by the FDA (ACS, 2013). Below Figure 1 shows the new selectively toxic agents that target specific sites and how they influence those sites. Figure : Shows new group of anti-cancer agents designed to target specific protein that contributes to growth of tumour (Wu et al, 2006). PRINCIPLES Chemotherapy drugs that are selectively toxic have been the first choice of treatment for many cancers and there are over 100 drugs in the market today (ACS, 2013) used alone or with other treatments. It is also important to understand how these drugs work so doctors (oncologists) can predict which drugs can be combined with them and how often each drug can be administered to patients. There are three key goals of these chemotherapy treatment (ACS, 2013): The most important goal of chemotherapy is to cure cancer where the cancer/tumour is cleared from the system. There are no guarantees with this treatment as it might even take years for a patient to be cured of cancer. In a situation where cure is not possible it is important to control the disease by shrinking cancer or stopping it from growing or spreading. This is also important as it gives the possibility of a longer life because it is controlled like a disease that is chronic like diabetes. Last is palliation, which is important when cancer is at an advanced stage. Chemotherapy drugs in this case can be used to relieve symptoms or improve the patients quality of life. LIMITATIONS Normal cells that divide rapidly are damaged by these chemotherapeutic agents because they cannot differentiate between cell reproducing normal tissues and cancer cells as they are not highly selective therefore causing the following side effects (Salmon Sartorelli, 1998). Bone marrow suppression because the bone marrow cells normally divide quickly Alopecia because hair follicle cells are able to divide frequently as well GI disturbances (Nausea and Vomiting) due to mucosal cells dividing rapidly Some of these agents cause serious side effects which may lead to permanent damage to a vital organ (liver, lungs) in the body, cause infertility, heart problems or disrupt the central nervous system by causing damage. Another big problem is the development of resistance of chemotherapy drugs to treating different tumours which can occur before treatment with drug or over time after treatment. In some cases continuous/prolonged exposure to one chemotherapy drug can cause resistance to other compounds with similar structures (Akhdar, 2012). Resistance can also develop if the drug concentration in the patient is reduced due to diminished cellular diffusion or increased drug efflux. Chemotherapy treatment is also expensive and might take a couple of years before the disease is eradicated. In some cases the treatment does not work or may not destroy the cancer completely. Lastly, it makes the immune system very weak. Ways to Improve Drug A way of improving drug or avoiding resistance is using a combination of variety of cytotoxic agents as it allows prompt attack of different biological targets therefore increasing the effect of the treatment (Thurston, 2007) or with other agents that act as sensitizers to these cytotoxic agents (Narang Desai, 2009). Another way is developing new formulations that can prevent the severe side effects associated with a particular drug e.g. Doxorubicin caused cardiotoxicity but with new formulations like the liposomal formulation there are decreased side effects that are manageable and due to the selectivity of the new drug it works better than the conventional anthracycline. The use of adjuvants can minimize toxicity of anticancer drugs, therefore reducing the side effects of some of the drugs. A better diet is also advised, especially with avoiding food that cause inactivation of the drugs. Vitamin C found in citrus fruits like oranges have been found to influence anticancer drugs and reduce toxicity to the body (Salmon Sartorelli, 1998). Conclusion It can be concluded that there are three important factors to consider in selective toxicity of a drug, they are the tumour, drug and most especially the host. There have been a lot of improvement with using chemotherapy to manage cancer even though they cause severe side effects and resistance. Other challenges faced are the cost, time involved and the high mortality rate. This has brought about increase in effort of scientists to search for ways for the body to fight cancer tissue and find better cytotoxic agents to fight cancer cells.

My Tear Essay -- Narrative Crying Descriptive Depression Essays

Have you ever been crippled or felt so incapable of something? Has anything felt so empowering that you didn’t know what to do or how to tackle the situation? Have you ever felt so much pain where it seemed like it immobilized your body? Have you ever felt so depressed that you really didn’t know where the source of depression was coming from? These are the questions that come to my mind when I think about each and every tear that ever hits my face. I wonder how many tears are actually hitting my face, how many actually seep into my skin. I wonder if people think the same way that I think or it they sometimes feel the same way that I feel. Many words often loose their connotation. A tear to me is no longer a tear. A tear to me is history. It is the constant reminder of hurt, that sometimes spreads its way through my body. A tear is pain and memories, a tear is something that can’t be erased, its something that only I see and that most will never see. You can never feel exactly what I feel or understand the way that I heal; you can never truly know why I hurt, so deep inside...

Assessing Crime Trends as a Security Specialist Essay -- Crime

Crime is known as an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law. Depending on where one may reside, different punishments from certain crimes can depend on the governmental bodies. Also crimes can vary by the jurisdiction from state to state. For most crimes, after a completion of affirmative action one can be punished for the conduct. Many people have the assumption that crimes are the result of intentional conduct, when most of the time it is negligent conduct such as speeding. When there is a significant change in the nature of chosen crime types within a defined geographical region and stretch of time, is known as a crime trend. When crime trends in different areas are being assessed, various methods are used in order to collect the data that is needed. When first assessing crime one may ask, â€Å"What is the cause of crime.† Criminologists have looked at a ride range to explain the factors on why people tend to commit crimes. Many of these factors can be looked at through different societies, cultures, and families. These aspects can be brought on by certain emotions such as anger, greed, jealousy, and sometimes through getting a rush for carrying out such acts (for example stealing). In the article 10 Causes of Crime By Talidari, reveals 10 different causes on how crime commences: Weakness – regarding lack of faith and/or imbalance, Poor judgment – lack of proper education, Lack of love – living in a dysfunctional family, Poverty – poor families tend and unemployment, Deprived neighborhoods – Economically impecunious neighborhoods, TV violence, Being a victim in a chain of events – being in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting sucked in, Poor parenting... ...The report will also be more precise for the security specialist from the media taken and the reports. Just by looking off charts off of the internet that can be compared to the average in the U.S. without evidence can be sometimes cause disbelief. In order to be able to fully implement protection the different factors stated will make for safer living. Works Cited Careless, J. (2012). Video evidence. Retrieved from http://www.cba.org/CBA/practicelink/leadership_technology/video_evidence.aspx Crime and arrest reports. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/about/spotlight/crimeReport/ Dutelle, A. (2010, January). Documenting the crime scene. Retrieved from http://www.evidencemagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=184 Talidari. (2012). Hub pages. Retrieved from http://talidari.hubpages.com/hub/10-causes-of-crime

Blood Promise Chapter Seven

It was like Christmas morning. I wasn't usually big on God or fate, but now I was seriously reconsidering. After I'd passed out, Sydney had apparently made some frantic calls, and someone she knew in Baia had driven to us-risking the darkness-to rescue us and take us back where I could be treated. That was no doubt why I'd had vague sensations of being in a car during my delirium; it hadn't all been part of the dream. And then, somehow, out of all the dhampirs in Baia, I had been taken to Dimitri's mother. That was enough to make me seriously consider that there might truly be forces greater than me at work in the universe. No one told me exactly how it happened, but I soon learned Olena Belikova had a reputation among her peers for healing-and not even any sort of magical healing. She'd had medical training and was the person other dhampirs-and even some Moroi-went to in this region when they wanted to avoid human attention. Still. The coincidence was eerie, and I couldn't help but think there was something going on that I didn't understand. For now, I didn't worry too much about the hows and whys of my current situation. I was too busy staring wide-eyed at my surroundings and its inhabitants. Olena didn't live alone. All of Dimitri's sisters-three of them-lived in the house too, along with their kids. The family resemblance was startling. None of them looked exactly like Dimitri, but in every face, I could see him. The eyes. The smile. Even the sense of humor. Seeing them fed the Dimitri withdrawal I'd had since he'd disappeared-and made it worse at the same time. Whenever I looked at any of them out of my peripheral vision, I'd think I was seeing Dimitri. It was like a house of mirrors, with distorted reflections of him everywhere. Even the house gave me a thrill. There were no obvious signs that Dimitri had ever lived there, but I kept thinking, this is where he grew up. He walked these floors, touched these walls†¦ As I walked from room to room, I'd touch the walls too, trying to draw his energy from them. I'd envision him lounging on the couch, home on break from school. I wondered if he'd slid down the banisters when he was little. The images were so real that I had to keep reminding myself that he hadn't been here in ages. â€Å"You've made an amazing recovery,† Olena noted the next morning after I'd been brought to her. She watched with approval as I inhaled a plate of blini. They were ultra-thin pancakes stacked and layered with butter and jam. My body always required a lot of food to keep its strength up, and I figured as long as I wasn't chewing with my mouth open or anything, I had no reason to feel bad about eating so much. â€Å"I thought you were dead when Abe and Sydney brought you in.† â€Å"Who?† I asked between bites of food. Sydney sat at the table with the rest of the family, hardly touching her food as usual. She seemed clearly uneasy at being in a dhampir household, but when I'd first come downstairs this morning, I'd definitely seen some relief in her eyes. â€Å"Abe Mazur,† said Sydney. Unless I was mistaken, some of the other people at the table exchanged knowing glances. â€Å"He's a Moroi. I†¦ I didn't know how badly you were injured last night, so I called him. He drove down with his guardians. He was the one who brought you here.† Guardians. Plural. â€Å"Is he royal?† Mazur wasn't a royal name, but that wasn't always a sure sign of someone's lineage. And while I was beginning to trust Sydney's social networking and connections to powerful people, I couldn't imagine why a royal would go out of his way for me. Maybe he owed the Alchemists a favor. â€Å"No,† she said bluntly. I frowned. A non-royal Moroi with more than one guardian? Very odd. It was clear she wasn't going to say anything else on the matter-at least not for now. I swallowed another mouthful of blini and turned my attention back to Olena. â€Å"Thanks for taking me in.† Dimitri's older sister, Karolina, sat at the table too, along with her baby girl and son Paul. Paul was about ten and seemed fascinated by me. Dimitri's teenage sister, Viktoria, was also there. She appeared to be a little younger than me. The third Belikov sister was named Sonya and had left for work before I woke up. I'd have to wait to meet her. â€Å"Did you really kill two Strigoi all by yourself?† Paul asked me. â€Å"Paul,† chastised Karolina. â€Å"That's not a nice question to ask.† â€Å"But it's an exciting one,† said Viktoria with a grin. Her brown hair was streaked with gold, but her dark eyes sparkled so much like Dimitri's when he was excited that it tugged at my heart. Again, I had that taunting sensation of Dimitri being here but not here. â€Å"She did,† said Sydney. â€Å"I saw the bodies. Like always.† She wore that comically tormented expression of hers, and I laughed. â€Å"At least I left them where you could find them this time.† My humor suddenly dimmed. â€Å"Did anyone†¦ any other humans notice or hear?† â€Å"I got rid of the bodies before anyone saw,† she said. â€Å"If people heard anything†¦ Well, backwoods places like that are always filled with superstitions and ghost stories. They don't have factual evidence of vampires, per se, but there's always sort of this belief that the supernatural and dangerous are out there. Little do they know.† She said â€Å"ghost stories† without any change of expression. I wondered if she'd seen any of the spirits last night but finally decided she probably hadn't. She'd come outside near the tail end of the fight, and if past evidence was any indication, nobody else could see the spirits I saw-except Strigoi, as it turned out. â€Å"You must have had some good training then,† said Karolina, shifting so the baby leaned against her shoulder. â€Å"You look like you should still be in school.† â€Å"Just got out,† I said, earning another scrutinizing look from Sydney. â€Å"You're American,† said Olena matter-of-factly. â€Å"What in the world could bring you out here?† â€Å"I†¦ I'm looking for someone,† I said after a few moments' hesitation. I was afraid they were going to press for details or that she too would have blood whore suspicions, but just then, the kitchen door opened and Dimitri's grandmother, Yeva, walked in. She had poked her head in earlier and scared the hell out of me. Dimitri had told me that she was a witch of sorts, and I could believe it. She looked like she was a gazillion years old and was so thin, it was a wonder the wind didn't blow her away. She barely stood five feet tall, and her hair covered her head in patchy gray wisps. But it was her eyes that truly frightened me. The rest of her might be frail, but those dark eyes were sharp and alert and seemed to bore into my soul. Even without Dimitri's explanation, I would have taken her for a witch. She was also the only one in the household who didn't speak English. She sat down at one of the empty chairs, and Olena hastily jumped up to get some more blini. Yeva muttered something in Russian that made the others look uncomfortable. Sydney's lips twitched into a small smile. Yeva's eyes were on me as she spoke, and I glanced around for translation. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Grandmother says you're not telling us the whole truth about why you're here. She says the longer you delay, the worse it will be,† Viktoria explained. She then gave Sydney an apologetic look. â€Å"And she wants to know when the Alchemist is leaving.† â€Å"As soon as possible,† said Sydney dryly. â€Å"Well, why I'm here†¦ it's kind of a long story.† Could I be any vaguer? Yeva said something else, and Olena retorted with what sounded like a chastisement. To me, she spoke gently: â€Å"Ignore her, Rose. She's in one of her moods. Why you're here is your own business-although I'm sure Abe would like to talk to you at some point.† She frowned slightly, and I was reminded of the earlier looks at the table. â€Å"You should make sure you thank him. He seemed very concerned about you.† â€Å"I'd kind of like to see him too,† I mumbled, still curious about this well-protected, non-royal Moroi who had given me a ride and seemed to make everyone uneasy. Eager to avoid more talk of why I was here, I hastily changed the subject. â€Å"I'd also love to look around Baia. I've never been in a place like this before-where so many dhampirs live, I mean.† Viktoria brightened. â€Å"I can definitely give you a tour-if you're sure you're feeling okay. Or if you don't have to leave right away.† She believed I was passing through, which was just as well. Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was doing anymore, now that it seemed likely Dimitri wasn't in the area. I glanced at Sydney questioningly. She shrugged. â€Å"Do whatever you want. I'm not going anywhere.† I found that a little disconcerting too. She'd brought me here as her superiors had told her to do-but now what? Well, that was a concern for later. As soon as I finished my food, Viktoria practically dragged me out the door, as if I was the most exciting thing that had happened around here in a while. Yeva hadn't taken her eyes off me for the rest of the meal, and even though she'd never said anything else, her suspicious look clearly told me she didn't believe a word I'd said. I invited Sydney along on the outing, but she declined, choosing instead to lock herself away in a bedroom to read about Greek temples or make world-controlling phone calls or do whatever it was she did. Viktoria said downtown wasn't far from where they lived and was easy to walk to. The day was clear and cool, with enough sun to make being outside pretty pleasant. â€Å"We don't get a lot of visitors,† she explained. â€Å"Except for Moroi men, but most don't stay long.† She added no more, but I wondered about her implications. Were these Moroi men off to find some action with dhampir women? I'd grown up thinking of these women, dhampirs who chose not to become guardians, as disgraceful and dirty. The ones in the Nightingale had certainly met the blood whore stereotype, but Dimitri had assured me that not all dhampir women were like that. After meeting the Belikovs, I believed him. As we approached the center of town, I soon discovered another myth shattered. People always talked about blood whores living in camps or communes, but that wasn't the case here. Baia wasn't huge, not like Saint Petersburg or even Omsk, but it was a real town with a large human population. Hardly a rural camp or farm settlement. The whole setting was astonishingly normal, and when we reached downtown, lined with small shops and restaurants, it too seemed like any other place in the world people might live. Modern and ordinary, just with a slight village feel. â€Å"Where are all the dhampirs?† I wondered aloud. Sydney had said there was a secret dhampir subculture, but I saw no signs of it. Viktoria smiled. â€Å"Oh, they're here. We have a lot of businesses and other places that humans don't know about.† While I could understand dhampirs going unnoticed in big cities, it seemed remarkable to pull that off here. â€Å"And lots of us just live and work with humans.† She nodded over toward what looked like a drugstore. â€Å"That's where Sonya works now.† â€Å"Now?† â€Å"Now that she's pregnant.† Viktoria rolled her eyes. â€Å"I'd take you to meet her, but she's grumpy all the time lately. I hope the baby's early.† She left it at that, and I again wondered about the dynamics of dhampirs and Moroi here. We didn't mention it again, and our conversation stayed light and even teasing. Viktoria was easy to like, and in only an hour, we'd clicked as though we'd known each other forever. Maybe my connection to Dimitri bound me to his family, too. My thoughts were cut off when someone called Viktoria's name. We turned to see a very cute dhampir guy crossing the street. He had bronze hair and dark eyes, his age falling somewhere between mine and Viktoria's. He said something chatty and conversational to her. She grinned at him and then gestured to me, giving my introduction in Russian. â€Å"This is Nikolai,† she told me in English. â€Å"Nice to meet you,† he said, also switching languages. He gave me a quick assessment in the way guys often do, but when he turned back to Viktoria, it was clear who the object of his affections was. â€Å"You should bring Rose to Marina's party. It's Sunday night.† He hesitated, turning a bit shy. â€Å"You're going, aren't you?† Viktoria turned thoughtful, and I realized she was completely oblivious to his crush. â€Å"I'll be there, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She turned to me. â€Å"Will you still be around?† â€Å"I don't know,† I said honestly. â€Å"But I'll go if I'm still here. What kind of party is it?† â€Å"Marina's a friend from school,† explained Viktoria. â€Å"We're just going to get together and celebrate before we go back.† â€Å"To school?† I asked stupidly. Somehow, it had never occurred to me that the dhampirs out here would be in school. â€Å"We're on break right now,† said Nikolai. â€Å"For Easter.† â€Å"Oh.† It was late April, but I had no clue what day Easter fell on this year. I'd lost track of the days. It hadn't happened yet, so their school must have their break the week before Easter. St. Vladimir's took its vacation afterward. â€Å"Where is your school?† â€Å"It's about three hours away. Even more remote than here.† Viktoria made a face. â€Å"Baia's not so bad,† teased Nikolai. â€Å"Easy for you to say. You'll eventually leave and go see new and exciting places.† â€Å"Can't you?† I asked her. She frowned, suddenly uncomfortable. â€Å"Well, I could†¦ but that's not how we do it here-at least not in my family. Grandmother has some†¦ strong opinions about men and women. Nikolai will be a guardian, but I'll stay here with my family.† Nikolai suddenly gave me a new appraisal. â€Å"Are you a guardian?† â€Å"Ah, well.† Now I was the uncomfortable one. Viktoria spoke before I could come up with anything to say. â€Å"She killed two Strigoi outside of town. By herself.† He looked impressed. â€Å"You are a guardian.† â€Å"Well, no†¦ I've killed before, but I'm not actually sworn.† Turning around, I lifted up my hair to show them my neck. In addition to all my regular molnija marks, I also had the little star-shaped tattoo that meant I'd been in a battle. They both gasped, and Nikolai said something in Russian. I let my hair drop and looked back. â€Å"What?† â€Å"You're†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Viktoria bit her lip, eyes contemplative as she groped for what she wanted to say. â€Å"Unpromised? I don't know the English word.† â€Å"Unpromised?† I said. â€Å"I guess†¦ but technically, aren't all the women here?† â€Å"Even if we aren't guardians, we still get marks showing we completed our training. No promise mark, though. For you to have killed so many Strigoi and have no loyalties to a school or the guardians†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Viktoria shrugged. â€Å"We call it being unpromised-it's a strange thing.† â€Å"It's strange where I come from too,† I admitted. Unheard of, really. So much so, that we didn't have a term for it. It just wasn't done. â€Å"I should let you two go,† said Nikolai, his lovesick eyes back on Viktoria. â€Å"But I'll see you at Marina's for sure? Maybe sooner?† â€Å"Yes,† she agreed. They said their farewells in Russian, and then he loped off across the street with the kind of easy, athletic grace guardians often acquired with training. It reminded me a bit of Dimitri's. â€Å"I must have scared him off,† I said. â€Å"No, he thinks you're exciting.† â€Å"Not as exciting as he thinks you are.† Her eyebrows rose. â€Å"What?† â€Å"He likes you†¦ I mean, really likes. Can't you tell?† â€Å"Oh. We're just friends.† I could tell from her attitude that she meant it. She was completely indifferent to him, which was too bad. He was cute and nice. Letting poor Nikolai go, I brought up the guardians again. I was intrigued by the different attitudes around here. â€Å"You said you can't†¦ but do you want to be a guardian?† She hesitated. â€Å"I've never really considered it. I get all the same training at school, and I like being able to defend myself. But I'd rather use it in defense of my family than Moroi. I guess it sounds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused again to think of the right word. â€Å"†¦ Sexist? But, the men become guardians, and women stay at home. Only my brother left.† I nearly tripped. â€Å"Your brother?† I asked, keeping my voice as steady as possible. â€Å"Dimitri,† she said. â€Å"He's older than me and has been a guardian for a while. He's over in the United States, actually. We haven't seen him in a long time.† â€Å"Huh.† I felt horrible and guilty. Guilty because I was keeping the truth from Viktoria and the others. Horrible because apparently no one from back home had bothered to pass the news on to his family yet. Smiling at her own memories, she didn't notice my change in mood. â€Å"Paul actually looks exactly like he did at that age. I should show you pictures of him-and some recent ones, too. Dimitri's pretty cute. For my brother, I mean.† I was sure seeing pictures of Dimitri as a little boy would rip my heart out. As it was, the more Viktoria began to talk about him, the sicker I felt. She had no clue about what had happened, and even though it had been a couple of years since she'd seen him, it was clear she and the rest of the family loved him like crazy. Not that that should be a surprise. (And really, who couldn't love Dimitri?) Being around them just one morning had shown me how close they all were. I knew from Dimitri's stories that he was crazy about all of them, too. â€Å"Rose? Are you okay?† Viktoria was peering at me with concern, probably because I hadn't said anything in the last ten minutes. We had circled around and were almost back at her house. Looking at her, at her open, friendly face and eyes that were so much like Dimitri's, I realized I had another task ahead of me before I could go after Dimitri, wherever he was. I swallowed. â€Å"I†¦ yeah. I think†¦ I think I need to sit down with you and the rest of your family.† â€Å"Okay,† she said, the worry still in her voice. Inside the house, Olena was bustling around the kitchen with Karolina. I thought they were making plans for tonight's dinner, which was startling considering we'd just finished a huge breakfast. I could definitely get used to the way they ate around here. In the living room, Paul was building an elaborate racetrack out of Legos. Yeva sat in a rocking chair and appeared to be the world's most stereotypical grandmother as she knit a pair of socks. Except most grandmothers didn't look like they could incinerate you with a single glance. Olena was talking to Karolina in Russian but switched to English when she saw me. â€Å"You two are back earlier than I expected.† â€Å"We saw the town,† said Viktoria. â€Å"And†¦ Rose wanted to talk to you. To all of us.† Olena gave me a look as puzzled and concerned as Viktoria's. â€Å"What's going on?† The weight of all those Belikov eyes on me made my heart start thumping in my chest. How was I going to do this? How could I explain something I hadn't spoken about in weeks? I couldn't stand to put them-or myself-through it. When Yeva scuttled in, it made things that much worse. Maybe she'd had some mystical sense that something big was about to go down. â€Å"We should sit,† I said. Paul stayed in the living room, for which I was grateful. I was pretty sure I couldn't handle saying what I had to with a little kid-one who looked like Dimitri, apparently-watching me. â€Å"Rose, what's wrong?† asked Olena. She looked so sweet and, well†¦ motherly, that I nearly cried. Whenever I'd been angry with my own mother for not being around or doing a good job, I'd always compared her to some idealized image of a mom-a mom who seemed a lot like Dimitri's, I realized. Dimitri's sisters looked equally worried, like I was someone they'd known forever. That acceptance and concern made my eyes burn even more, seeing as they'd just met me this morning. Yeva wore a very strange expression, however-almost like she'd been expecting something like this all along. â€Å"Well†¦ the thing is, the reason I came here, to Baia, was to find you guys.† That wasn't entirely true. I'd come to search for Dimitri. I'd never thought much about finding his family, but now, I realized that it was a good thing I had. â€Å"You see, Viktoria was talking about Dimitri earlier.† Olena's face brightened when I said her son's name. â€Å"And†¦ I knew-er, know him. He used to be a guardian at my school. My teacher, actually.† Karolina and Viktoria lit up as well. â€Å"How is he?† asked Karolina. â€Å"It's been ages since we've seen him. Do you know when he's going to visit?† I couldn't even think about answering her question, so I pushed forward with my story before I lost my courage in front of all those loving faces. As the words came out of my mouth, it was almost like someone else was saying them and I was simply watching from a distance. â€Å"A month ago†¦ our school was attacked by Strigoi. A really bad attack†¦ a huge group of Strigoi. We lost a lot of people-Moroi and dhampirs, both.† Olena exclaimed in Russia. Viktoria leaned toward me. â€Å"St. Vladimir's?† I halted in my story, surprised. â€Å"You've heard of it?† â€Å"Everyone's heard of it,† said Karolina. â€Å"We all know what happened. That was your school? You were there that night?† I nodded. â€Å"No wonder you have so many molnija marks,† breathed Viktoria in wonder. â€Å"And that's where Dimitri's at now?† asked Olena. â€Å"We lost track of his latest assignment.† â€Å"Um, yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My tongue felt thick in my throat. I couldn't breathe. â€Å"I was at the school the night of the attack,† I reaffirmed. â€Å"And so was Dimitri. He was one of the leaders in the battle†¦ and the way he fought†¦ he was†¦ he was so brave†¦ and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My words were breaking up, but by this point, the others were catching on. Olena gasped and again murmured in Russian. I picked out the word for â€Å"God.† Karolina sat frozen, but Viktoria leaned toward me. Those eyes that were so like her brother's stared at me intently, as intently as he would if pushing me to tell the truth, no matter how awful. â€Å"What happened?† she demanded. â€Å"What happened to Dimitri?† I looked away from their faces, my eyes drifting to the living room. On the far wall, I caught sight of a bookcase filled with old, leather-covered books. They had gold-embossed lettering on the spines. It was totally random, but I suddenly remembered Dimitri mentioning those. They were these old adventure novels my mother collected, he'd told me once. The covers were so beautiful, and I loved them. If I was careful, she'd let me read them sometimes. The thought of a young Dimitri sitting in front of that bookcase, carefully turning the pages-and oh, he would have been careful-almost made me lose it. Had that been where he'd developed his love of western novels? I was losing it. I was getting distracted. I wasn't going to be able to tell them the truth. My emotions were growing too powerful, my memories flooding me as I fought to think about something-anything-that didn't involve that horrible battle. Then I glanced at Yeva again, and something about her eerie, knowing expression inexplicably spurred me on. I had to do this. I turned back to the others. â€Å"He fought really bravely in the battle, and afterward, he helped lead a rescue mission to save some people that the Strigoi had captured. He was really amazing there, too, only†¦ he†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stopped again and realized tears were running down my cheeks. In my mind, I was replaying that awful scene in the cave, with Dimitri so close to freedom and taken by a Strigoi at the last minute. Shaking that thought away, I took another deep breath. I had to finish this. I owed it to his family. There was no gentle way to say it. â€Å"One of the Strigoi there†¦ well, he overpowered Dimitri.† Karolina buried her face in her mother's shoulder, and Olena made no effort to hide her own tears. Viktoria wasn't crying, but her face had gone perfectly still. She was working hard to keep her emotions in check, just as Dimitri would have. She searched my face, needing to know for sure. â€Å"Dimitri is dead,† she said. It was a statement, not a question, but she was looking to me for confirmation. I wondered if I'd given away something, some hint that there was still more to the story. Or maybe she just needed the certainty of those words. And for a moment, I considered telling them that Dimitri was dead. It was what the Academy would tell them, what the guardians would tell them. It would be easier on them†¦ but somehow, I couldn't stand to lie to them-even if it was a comforting lie. Dimitri would have wanted the whole truth, and his family would too. â€Å"No,† I said, and for a heartbeat, hope sprang up in everyone's faces-at least until I spoke again. â€Å"Dimitri's a Strigoi.†