Skywest Inc

Case 6 : Sky West Inc. and the Regional Airline Industry 1. 3 Business Model 1. Network Carriers legacy carriers Hub-and-Spoke 2007 United, Northwest, American, Continental Delta 2005 5 82 % 10 0 25. 3 2. Low Cost Carriers low cost business model point-to-point Southwest JetBlue legacy Low Cost Low Cost United Airlines Low Cost United Ted Airlines Delta Low Cost Delta’s Song Airlines 3. Regional Carriers Jets Legacy Network (Hub-and-Spoke) short-haul flight Regional Airlines block-hour incentive Regional 95 % Regional Regional Hub-and-Spoke Legacy Regional Airlines Partner SkyWest Inc History Origins in the Early 1970s SkyWest Dixie Airline St. George Utah 1972 J. Ralph Atkin 4 Dixies Commuter Airline Atkin Fixed Base Operation (FOB) Air Charters Air Ambulance Service Mar 1972 Atkin SkyWest Airlines 1974 Jerry C. Atkin Ralph Atkin's nephew $25,000 Oct 1975 Reorganized 3 SkyWest Expansion in the Late 1970s 1976 Hughes Air West Cedar City-Salt Lake City SkyWest Navajo Chieftans 5 National Parks Transportation Company Avis Franchises 2 Cedar City St. George. 1977 Interline American Airlines ? Check-in Interline SkyWest 1978 1. SkyWest Commuter Airline ( Regional Airline) 3 Certified Air Carrier Federal Government Regulations Major Airlines 2. Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) SkyWest 3 $160,000 Page Arizona Yuma, Kingman, Prescott, Grand Canyon, Tucson, Winslow Phoenix, Arizona, Blythe, Los Angeles, and El Centro, California. 3. SkyWest Fairchild Metroliner II $1. 4 ( $150,000) Growth from Deregulation, Acquisition, and Affiliations in the 1980s 1978 Major Airlines United, Western American Airlines Regional Airlines SkyWest 1983 Metros 7 Navajo Chieftans 5 Cessna 207s Charters SkyWest Reagan Reagan Professional Air Traffic Controllers Association 24 Sep 1981 SkyWest Arizona Metro SkyWest 1982 SkyWest 10 Republic's Escort 1980s SkyWest Mail, Small Packages, and Bank Documents 10 % 1983 SkyWest 2 Regional Airlines St. George 17 6 250 Customer Service Aug 1984 SkyWest Las Vegas Palm Springs, California Southern California Palm Springs Sun Aire 1968 Borrego Springs, California San Diego 90 1983 Sun Aire 330,000 1985 Sun Aire SkyWest Metros SkyWest 12 14 Sun Aire 28 Sun Aire Facilities American Airlines Los Angeles SkyWest/Sun Aire Major Market SkyWest Regional Carrier 11 Holding Company SkyWest, Inc. , 3 1. SkyWest Airlines Inc. SkyWest Aviation Inc. ) 1998 Regional Airline 5 12 Business Travelers SkyWest Commuter Airline Ski Resorts California SkyWest Airlines Delta Continental Airlines 2. Scenic Airlines Air Tours, General Aviation Scheduled Flights Grand Canyon Arizona, Utah, Nevada 3 . National Parks Transportation franchise Avis 1985 SkyWest Code-Sharing Western Airline Salt Lake 70% 1987 Delta Airlines Western Airlines SkyWest Delta Code : DL SkyWest SkyWest/Sun Aire Western Express Delta Connection. Logo Code-Sharing Major Regional Airlines 1980 United Airlines Regional United Express American Airlines American Eagle Network 1980 SkyWest Brasilia EMB-120 Turboprop Regional Airlines SkyWest California 1986 Sun Aire acquisition SkyWest NASDAQ 1987 SkyWest Air Transport World's Commuter/Regional Airline 500 Regional Airlines 988 SkyWest $2. 3 California 28 Events in the 1990s Jun 1993 Aviation Services West, Inc. Flight Tour Scenic Airlines, Inc. , Las Vegas Grand Canyon Aviation Services West Scenic Airlines, Inc. 1994 SkyWest Delta Salt Lake City 5 Casper, Wyoming; Butte, Montana; Burbank, California; Rapid City and Sioux Falls, South Dakota SkyWest Canadair Regional Jets (CRJs) Bombardier, Inc. Brasilias 50 540 1,200 miles 41,000 Oct 1995 SkyWest Continental Airlines Code-Sharing SkyWest Continental Connection Los Angeles SkyWest 3% Continental Flights 1996 48% Delta 1996 SkyWest 2. 5 16 SkyWest Brasilias 50 Canadair Regional Jets 10 Metroliner 1 Oct 1997 SkyWest United Airlines United Express SkyWest Connecting Flight Los Angeles 1997 SkyWest 25 SkyWest 585 45 12 Salt Lake City Vancouver Canadair Regional Jets 19 Jan 1998 SkyWest United United Express San Francisco Hub United June 1, 1998 1998 SkyWest Connecting flight 3 Major Airlines Delta, United Continental 1 July 2002 SkyWest Tucson Arizona. 8 Dec 2002 United Airlines Partner SkyWest Chapter 11 2003 SkyWest Bombardier CRJ700 70 30 United Express 9 May 2003 SkyWest code-share Continental Airlines SkyWest regional Continental Houston, The US Department of Transportation SkyWest 2003 SkyWest DOT SkyWest 1 5 regional carriers DOT 2004 †¢ hub Chicago, IL (ORD) †¢ Colorado Springs, CO (COS) CRJ †¢ Delta Dallas/ Fort Worth Hub (DFW) SkyWest †¢ SkyWest ,000 †¢ DOT SkyWest 2004. [pic]2005 †¢ SkyWest, Inc. Atlantic Southeast Airlines Delta Air Lines. †¢ Chicago O’Hare. †¢ Sky West Inc. Partner United Delta 2006 Legacy 2 2006 †¢ SkyWest CRJ900 †¢ Dec 2006 SkyWest Inc. SkyWes t Midwest Partner [pic]2007 †¢ SkyWest Airlines Midwest Connect / Delta Connection / United Express Legacy 2 (Delta Connection / United Express) Outsource 20 SkyWest Inc. Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles San Francisco United express SkyWest Inc. Outsourcing Delta †¢ SkyWest Delta Connection Department of Transportation Cedar Utah 8 Jan 2008. Source: Annual Report 2007 SkyWest Inc. Skywest Inc. 2. : Bridging the Region Gap from West to East SkyWest Inc. Regional Airline Western Eastern SkyWest Airlines ASA artner Legacy Airlines : safety / on time arrival / service and quality / fairness and consistency / working together as a team / personal and corporate integrity and maintaining profitability & Efficient Use of All Resources. SkyWest Inc. : Partner Legacy Airline / : Developed industry-leading reputations for providing quality, low-cost regional airline service. 3. (Functional Level Strategy) [pic] Inbound Logistics: Service , , , Ground Handling Equipment, Operations: Outbound Logistics: Marketing and Sales: †¢ Distribution Legacy Airline Partner †¢ Product Design Service : (Functional Level Strategy) (Competitive Advantage) 3. 1 Superior Efficiency : Superior Efficiency SkyWest Inc. Product Design: †¢ 0. 03 USD 0. 095 USD. †¢ Partner Legacy Airline †¢ (routine maintenance) Human Resource: †¢ †¢ – 90 - Retirement Plans SkyWest Inc. – Teamwork Information System Function: †¢ Interline American Airlines Check-in †¢ Republic's Escort Marketing: Product: (Cost per Available seat mile) Place: – Code Sharing Market Share – Partner Legacy SkyWest Inc. 2006 SkyWest Inc. 3,114 2005 1,964 ( Exhibit 6) 3. 2 Superior Quality Superior Quality SkyWest Inc. Reliability: The Aviation Safety Action Program Program Stetson Quality Suite SkyWest Inc. SkyWest Airline Regional Airline 15 2004 2005 SkyWest 84. 5% SkyWest 1% 50% 2006 SkyWest Airlines 1. 2 % 1. 7 % Reliability SkyWest Airlines . 3 Superior Innovation: Process Innovation – SkyWest Airline ASA 2 – Partner Legacy Airline 3. 4 Superior Customer Responsiveness SkyWest Airlines DOT 2 2003-2004 Functional Strategy SkyWest Inc. Superior Customer Responsiveness †¢ Superior Efficiency : Product Design Upgrade 0. 103 USD 0. 095 USD. †¢ Superior Quality : Customer Service 4. (Business Level Strategy) (Functional Level Strategy) . What needs will be satisfied? SkyWest Inc. Regional Airline Legacy Airlines partnership 2. Who will be served? Connecting flight Legacy Airlines (Broad Target) 3. How will those needs be satisfied? On-time service with quality. Business Strategy SkyWest Inc. Cost Leadership Competitive Positioning Efficiency Quality – – Business Leisure (Broad Target) Legacy Airlines partner – Western Eastern – Customer Services) Business Strategy Functional Strategy Superior Efficiency Superior Quality Superior Customer Responsiveness 5. (Corporate Level Strategy) SkyWest Inc. 1. Concentration Growth: †¢ Horizontal Growth ASA Partner Legacy Airline Partner Legacy Airline Partner (Contract Agreement Term) †¢ Intensive Growth Improve Competitive Position Regional Airline 2. Retrenchment Sell-out National Parks Transportation Scenic Airlines Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) [pic] (Concentration Strategies) 1. Market Penetration SkyWest Inc. Upgrade ( CRJ 50 ) Legacy Airline (Contract Agreement Term) Legacy Airlines 2. Market Development ASA ( ) Eastern Partner Legacy Airline 6. 6. 1 (Organizational Structure) SkyWest Inc. Geographic Structure (Destinations) SkyWest Airline Atlantic Southeast Airline (ASA) Functional Structure Decision Making SkyWest Inc. Centralized ( www. SkyWest. com/about/exec. php , www. flyasa. com , www. SkyWest,Inc. htm ) 6. 2 (Organizational Culture) SkyWest Inc. Efficiency and Quality Efficiency : Part Time 3 Ticket Agents / Baggage Handlers SkyWest Airlines $40,000 $202,000 ASA Airlines Quality: †¢ SkyWest Airline Maintenance Department AMT Award 3 2004 – 2006 †¢ The US Department of Transportation SkyWest 2003 2004 6. 3 (Organizational Leadership) â€Å"Chairman, President and CEO Jerry Atkin accept the Airline Business magazine award for Regional Airlines Leadership† Efficiency and Quality 7. (Strategic Control) 7. 1 Efficiency: †¢ SkyWest Inc. ASA Delta SkyWest Inc. SkyWest SkyWest 70 90 50 †¢ 2007 SkyWest Inc. SkyWest ASA ? †¢ ASA Regional SkyWest ASA Cost per available seat [pic] 7. 2 Quality: †¢ SkyWest Inc. The US Department of Transportation SkyWest 2003 2004 †¢ SkyWest Inc. the Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Stetson Quality Suite software SkyWest Inc. ? Partner Legacy Airline 7. 3 Innovation : †¢ Midwest, Bradford R. Rich , CEO Treasurer SkyWest Inc. SkyWest Midwest †¢ ASA Teamwork ? 7. 4 Customer Responsiveness : The US Department of Transportation SkyWest 003 2004 Legacy Airlines 8. (Strategic Evaluation) 8. 1 Established standards and targets : Regional Airline Partner Legacy Airline FAA / DOT TSA Regional Airline Legacy Airline Partner Legacy Airline 8. 2 Create measuring and monitoring system : Yield/RPM, Revenue/ASM, Cost/ASM Miss baggage handling rate 8. 3 Compare actual performance against the established targets : ? 8. 4 Evaluate result and take action if necessary : (Statements of Income / Balance Sheets / Air Travel Consumer Report) easuring and monitoring system 9. SkyWest Inc. (Functional Level Strategy) : Superior Efficiency Superior Quality Superior Customer Responsiveness †¢ Superior Efficiency : Product Design 0. 103 USD 0. 095 USD. Superior Quality : (Customer Service) (Business Level Strategy) : Cost Leadership Competitive Positioning Efficiency Quality – – Business Leisure (Broad Target) Major Airline Partner – (Customer Services) – Western Eastern (Corporate Level Strategy) : 1. Market Penetration SkyWest Inc. ( CRJ 50 ) Legacy Airline (Contract Agreement Term) 2. Market Development ASA ( ) Eastern Partner Legacy Airline Bridging the Region Gap from West to East Regional Airline Western Eastern Operations Developed industry-leading reputations for providing quality, low-cost regional airline service. 10. (Effectiveness of Strategies) Profitability (ROIC) Profit Growth 5 5 5 MESA AIR, ALASKA AIR, EXPRESSJET, PINNACLE AIRLINES REPUBLIC AIRWAYS 6 002-2006 : |Airlines |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | |SKYWEST |86. 87 |66. 79 |81. 95 |112. 27 |145. 81 | |MESA AIR |-11. 27 |25. 31 |26. 28 |56. 87 |33. 97 | |ALASKA AIR |-118. 60 |13. 50 |-15. 30 |-5. 90 |-52. 60 | |EXPRESSJET |84. 28 |108. 18 |122. 77 |97. 99 |92. 7 | |PINNACLE AIRLINES |30. 79 |35. 07 |40. 73 |25. 70 |77. 80 | |REPUBLIC AIRWAYS |7. 69 |36. 14 |38. 85 |60. 65 |79. 51 | |Total |79. 75 |284. 98 |295. 28 |347. 58 |377. 05 | (Source : Annual Report year 2002-2006 ) Plot 2002-2006 [pic] SkyWest Inc. SkyWest Inc. 2005 SkyWest Inc. SkyWest Inc. ASA Delta 2005 ASM (Available Seat mile) SkyWest Inc. (Passenger Revenue) Ground Handling Service Major Airline Partner ASA 2005 SkyWest Inc. 2002 – 2006 :    |   |   |   |   |   | |   |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | |OPERATING REVENUES: | | | | | | |Passenger | 769,427 | 882,062 | 1,139,580 | 1,938,450 | 3,087,215 | |Ground handling and other | 5,020 | 5,964 | 16,464 | 25,598 | 27,441 | |Total operating revenues | 774,447 | 888,026 | 1,156,044 | 1,964,048 | 3,114,656 | |   | | | | | | |OPERATING EXPENSES: | | | | | | |Total operating expenses | 654,892 | 779,546 | 1,011,268 | 1,743,640 | 2,775,496 | |   | | | | | |Interest expense |3,611 |9,891 |18,239 |53,330 |118,002 | |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   |   |   |   |   | |   |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | |OPERATING REVENUES: | | | | | |Passenger |14. 64% |29. 19% |70. 10% |59. 26% | |Ground handling and other |18. 80% |176. 06% |55. 8% |7. 20% | |Total operating revenues |14. 67% |30. 18% |69. 89% |58. 58% | |   | | | | | |OPERATING EXPENSES: | | | | | |Total operating expenses |19. 03% |29. 73% |72. 42% |59. 18% | |   | | | | | |Interest expense |173. 91% |84. 40% |192. 0% |121. 27% | |   |   |   |   |   | 2002 -2003 2004 2002 – 2006 |Airlines |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | |SKYWEST |71. 96% |-23. 11% |22. 71% |36. 99% |29. 87% | |MESA AIR |76. 56% |324. 57% |3. 86% |116. 37% |-40. 27% | |ALASKA AIR |-173. 27% |111. 38% |-213. 33% |61. 44% |-791. 53% | |EXPRESSJET |75. 31% |28. 36% |13. 49% |-20. 18% |-5. 4% | |PINNACLE AIRLINES |116. 10% |13. 91% |16. 13% |-36. 90% |202. 74% | |REPUBLIC AIRWAYS |26. 73% |370. 00% |7. 51% |56. 12% |31. 09% | |Total |190. 78% |257. 33% |3. 62% |17. 71% |8. 48% | Plot 2002-2006 [pic] SkyWest Inc. 2002-2006 2003 CRJ200s EMB120s ROIC |ROIC |= |Net Profit (After Tax) | |   |   |Invested Capital | ? Invested Capital = Total Equity + Total Long-term Debt ( http://finapps. forbes. com/finapps/jsp/finance/compinfo/) (Annual Report) Sky West 2001-2006 ROIC : | |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | | | | | | | | |Net Profit (After Tax) | 86,866 | 66,787 | 81,952 | 112,267 | 145,806 | | | | | | | | |Total Asset | 999,384 | 1,529,210 | 1,662,287 | ,320,646 | 3,731,419 | | | | | | | | |Total Equity | 638,686 | 709,063 | 779,055 | 913,198 | 1,178,293 | |Long-Term Debt | 125,379 | 462,773 | 463,233 | 1,422,758 | 1,675,626 | | | | | | | | |Total Invested Capital | 764,065 | 1,171,836 | 1,242,288 | 2,335,956 | 2,853,919 | | | | | | | | |ROIC |11. 37% |5. 70% |6. 60% |4. 81% |5. 11% | (Source: Annual Report from www. SkyWest. com) ROIC SkyWest Inc. ROIC 5 MESA AIR, ALASKA AIR, EXPRESSJET, PINNACLE AIRLINES REPUBLIC AIRWAYS 6 2002 – 2006 ROIC Airlines |2002 |2003 |2004 | 2005 |2006 | |SKYWEST |11. 37% |5. 70% |6. 60% |4. 81% |5. 11% | |MESA AIR |-5. 67% |8. 14% |3. 87% |6. 99% |4. 44% | |ALASKA AIR |-7. 84% |0. 85% |-0. 92% |-0. 33% |-2. 74% | |EXPRESSJET |31. 53% |39. 46% |42. 49% |27. 21% |20. 37% | |PINNACLE AIRLINES |37. 52% |48. 96% |34. 67% |18. 41% |35. 68% | |REPUBLIC AIRWAYS |- |7. 18% |3. 97% |3. 44% |3. 99% | Plot [pic] SkyWest Inc. ROIC 2003, 2005 2006 2003 CRJ200s EMB120s 005 ASA Delta ROIC 2005 ROIC 11. (Problems) SkyWest Airline : (Miss baggage handling) Atlantic Southeast Airline : – Cancel flight – – (Miss baggage handling) – (On-time) ASA 12. (Issues) 1. Partner Low Cost Airlines (South West Airline and Jet Blue) 2. Partner 13. (External Environment Analysis) (External Strategic Factors) (Opportunity) (Threat) (Attractive or Unattractive Industry) 13. 1 General Environment [pic] a) Economic segment 4 US Inflation rates | |[pic] |Current Inflation Rate | |Year | |Jan | |Feb | |Mar | |Apr | |May | |Jun | |Jul |Aug | |Sep | |Oct | |Nov | |Dec | |Ave | | | |2009 | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | |NA | | | |2008 | |4. 28% | |4. 03% | |3. 98% | |3. 94% | |4. 8% | |5. 02% | |5. 60% | |5. 37% | |4. 94% | |3. 66% | |1. 07% | |0. 09% | |3. 5% | | | |2007 | |2. 08% | |2. 42% | |2. 78% | |2. 57% | |2. 69% | |2. 69% | |2. 36% | |1. 7% | |2. 76% | |3. 54% | |4. 31% | |4. 08% | |2. 85% | | | |2006 | |3. 99% | |3. 0% | |3. 36% | |3. 55% | |4. 17% | |4. 32% | |4. 15% | |3. 82% | |2. 06% | |1. 1% | |1. 97% | |2. 54% | |3. 24% | | | |2005 | |2. 97% | |3. 01% | |3. 15% | |3. 51% | |2. 0% | |2. 53% | |3. 17% | |3. 64% | |4. 69% | |4. 35% | |3. 46% | |3. 42% | |3. 9% | | | |2004 | |1. 93% | |1. 69% | |1. 74% | |2. 29% | |3. 05% | |3. 27% | |2. 99% | |2. 65% | |2. 54% | |3. 9% | |3. 52% | |3. 26% | |2. 68% | | | |2003 | |2. 60% | |2. 98% | |3. 02% | |2. 22% | |2. 6% | |2. 11% | |2. 11% | |2. 16% | |2. 32% | |2. 04% | |1. 77% | |1. 88% | |2. 7% | | | |2002 | |1. 14% | |1. 14% | |1. 48% | |1. 64% | |1. 18% | |1. 07% | |1. 46% | |1. 0% | |1. 51% | |2. 03% | |2. 20% | |2. 38% | |1. 59% | | | |2001 | |3. 3% | |3. 53% | |2. 92% | |3. 27% | |3. 62% | |3. 25% | |2. 72% | |2. 72% | |2. 65% | |2. 13% | |1. 0% | |1. 55% | |2. 83% | | | |2000 | |2. 74% | |3. 22% | |3. 76% | |3. 7% | |3. 19% | |3. 73% | |3. 66% | |3. 41% | |3. 45% | |3. 45% | |3. 45% | |3. 39% | |3. 8% | | | |1999 | |Fiscal Year |Domestic |International |Total |% change | |2006 |660. 9 |89. 7 |750. 6 |0. 46 | |2007 |693. 3 |75. 8 |769. 1 |2. 46 | |2008 |713. 8 |79. 8 |793. 6 |3. 19 | |2009 |735. 7 |84 |819. 7 |3. 29 | |2010 |758. 9 |88. 3 |847. 2 |3. 35 | |2011 |782. 6 |92. 9 |875. 5 |3. 4 | |2012 |807. 7 |97. 6 |905. 2 |3. 39 | |2013 |833. 4 |102. 3 |935. 7 |3. 37 | |2014 |860. 5 |107. 2 |967. 7 |3. 42 | |2015 |888. 4 |112. 3 |1,007. 1 |4. 07 | |2016 |917. 7 |117. 6 |1035. 3 |2. 80 | |2017 |848. 4 |123. 1 |1071. 6 |3. 51 | Source: Forms 41 and 298-C, US Department of Transportation Forecast % Passenger change [pic] Source: RAA Industry Life Cycle †¢ Forecast % Demand Passenger change Airline Industry 2006 Life cycle Airline Industry Airline Industry Regional Airlines Regional Airlines 1970-2006 Life cycle Regional Airlines ? Industry Life Cycle Growth ) Strategic Groups [pic] Y Performance Performance Partner Airline Legacy X c) Strategic Types : Strategic Type Regional Airline Defender Regional Airline Performance Partner Legacy Airline Regional Airline †¢ Legacy Airline †¢ FAA TSA DOT Upgrade †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ d) Key Success Factors : †¢ On Time Schedule Sector †¢ Regional Airlines ? Hub Time Elasticity †¢ Destinations Regional Airline †¢ Cost Regional Airline Partner

Keats’ Romantic Eco-Poetics

Ecocritics work to develop and demonstrate the connection between nature and humanity by expressing how places are connected to the people that live in them. Likewise, those places, or nature, affect the people that live within them and vise versa. John Keats’ eco-poetics often convey a Romantic adoration for nature by means of a self-conscious, philosophical imagination’s connection to nature. His enthusiasm for the philosophical as well as the corporeal scopes of nature plays an obvious fundamental role in his theory of consciousness and aesthetics. Keats has specific qualifications for truth and beauty.Truth is all inclusive, combining all experiences with nature in one’s life, whether they are affirmative or undesirable experiences, into one functional vision. However, Keats separates his poetry from nature in dominating way. He does not believe that nature only funds the aesthetics of his poetry, but rather that his poetry forces readers to recognize a deepe r meaning to existence. ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ is an excellent example of Keats’ use of nature in developing the poet’s assumptions of consciousness and philosophy. The initial use of a bird singing, in its poetic aesthetics sense, portrays the beauty and concord within nature.Keats embraces the thought of a painless death only while listening to the nightingale’s song. This is because of the bird’s ability to be free, which wills Keats’ to want a similar freedom, apart from the suffering and pain within human life. He even speaks as though the nightingale is immortal and incapable of the sorrow of death. Within the same stanza, which can be found below, Keats speaks of a magic this nightingale holds. It is as if Keats firmly believes in the nightingale’s ability to transcend the natural world, into a world free of cares and lacking death. My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness painsMy sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk: ‘Tis but through envy of thy happy lot, But being too happy in thy happiness, That though light-winged Dryad of the trees, In some melodious plot Of beechen green, and shadows numberless, Singest of summer in full-throated ease. (Lines 1-10) Though wast not born for death, immortal Bird! No hungry generations tread thee down; The voice I hear this passing night was heard In ancient days by emperor and clown Perhaps the self-same song that found a pathThrough the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, She stood in tears amid the alien corn; Charmed magic casements, opening on the foam Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn. (Stanza VII) Likewise, the seasonal transition depicts nature’s ability to change in spite of man’s inability to look past their monotonous and speculative life. Keats focuses on the phenomena of metamorphosis in regards to the conscious self. This pattern of c ycles which can be directly connected to the process of life and human existence can be seen in the fifth stanza of ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ as well as in ‘to Autumn. Fast fading violets cover’d up in leaves; And mid-May’s eldest child, The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine, The murmurous haunt of lies on summer eves. (Lines 47-50 ‘Ode to a Nightingale’) Where are the songs of Springs? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,— While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn Among the river swallows, borne aloft Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; (Lines 23-29 ‘To Autumn’)Again, Keats’ implies a connection between human existence and the fact that there would be no meaning to life without the inevitability of eventual death to the seasons, life in spring and death in winter. Along with this rend ition of life and death, Keats creates a feeling of comfort in his ecological representation of death. In ‘To Autumn,’ Keats displays a world in which fruit is ripe and flowers are budding. Colors are alive and bright. However, each season brings the death of the one preceding it. In other words, every season, as with every human existence, has the capacity of life and death.The ecology behind this declaration appears within the recurring and inexhaustible rebirth of nature’s beauty. On the other hand, I do not believe that Keats’ sole intention was to display the beauty of nature. Keats often uses the exploration of nature and its imagery as a socio-political symbol of freedom, sovereignty, and harmony. Although autumn is beautiful and Keats uses this ecology to the political and personal strife found within every human being. I believe this to be true because Keats wrote ‘To Autumn’ in September of 1819, shortly after his brother, Tom, died in December of 1818 of tuberculosis.Also the Peterloo Massacre, which occurred in August of 1819, about a month before Keats wrote ‘To Autumn,’ may have influenced his language and aesthetics within the poem. Keats was obviously pondering the concept of death and his undeniable belief in an existence after death. It is important to consider the context, both political and social, in which ‘To Autumn’ was written. This is because â€Å"ecocritics enlarge the vision(s) of texts and their role and function in our lives while challenging, the readers, to investigate and grapple with our personal understanding of humanity, texts, and nature itself (Bressler). Our understanding of humanity, text, and nature is often greatly influenced by the experiences we face from day to day. Keats is able to use his poetry to address a number of reoccurring ideas: the relationship between art and existence, the limitation of that existence and how those limitations are embrac ed by people, and the inevitability of death and loss of everything that is capable of reproduction and beauty. Although his poetry is beautiful, his ideas are somewhat tragic.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Internet Information Technology Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Internet Information Technology Essay Research can be defined as the search for knowledge or as any systematic investigation to establish facts. The primary purpose for applied research as opposed to basic research is discovering, interpreting, and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe. Internet has been perhaps the most outstanding innovation in the field of communication in the history of mankind. As with every single innovation, internet has its own advantages and disadvantages. But usually, greater magnitude of advantages outweighs its disadvantages. The word â€Å"research† is used to describe a number of similar and often overlapping activities involving a search for information. For example, each of the following activities involves such a search; but the differences are significant and worth examining. Ten years ago, the term internet was practically anonymous to most of the people. And today inte rnet has become the most ever powerful tool for man throughout the world. The internet is a collection of various services and resources. Although, many people still think e-mail and World Wide Web as the principle constituents of internet, there is lot more in store than e-mail, chat rooms, celebrity web sites and search engines. It also became the best business tool of modern scenario. Today internet has brought a globe in a single room.. Advantages The Internet provides many facilities to the people. The main advantages of Internet are discussed below: Information: Information is probably the biggest advantage internet is offering. The Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The search engines like Google, yahoo is at your service on the Internet. You can almost find any type of data on almost any kind of subject that you are looking for. There is a huge amount of information available o n the internet for just about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support, the list is end less. Students and children are among the top users who surf the Internet for research. Today, it is almost required that students should use the Internet for research for the purpose of gathering resources. Teachers have started giving assignments that require research on the Internet. Almost every coming day, researches on medical issues become much easier to locate. Numerous web sites available on the net are offering loads of information for people to research diseases and talk to doctors online at sites such as, Americaà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Doctor. During 1998 over 20 million people reported going online to retrieve health information. Time: A second advantage is that Internet-based survey research may save time for researchers. As already noted, online surveys allow a researcher to reach thousands of people with common characteristics in a short amount of time, despite possibly being separated by great geographic distances (Bachmann Garton et al., 2003; Taylor, 2000; Yun Couper, 2000; Llieva et al., 2002; Yun Watt, 1999; Witmer et al., 1999).

Movie review anthropology Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Anthropology - Movie Review Example The weapons that the human and humanoid tribes used during their battle distinctly identify their differences. This film by James Cameron demonstrates the two faces of the Earth’s inhabitants. The movie Avatar depicts both the modern and conventional societies that are greedy and selfless, respectively. Each community tries to live up to what the society they live in requires of them, even if it could lead to the demise of a large group of human beings. The movie presents a number of ideas that relate to human social and cultural nature that are very significant in understanding them. People and society are often depicted in movies, and Avatar, although a science-fiction movie, is no different. Having a better life is what every human being desires to have. Man is indeed forced to do something he does not intend to because of this need. At the beginning of the movie, it has been established that Jake, the main character in the movie was obliged to replace his deceased brother since he needed money for the treatment of his leg that was injured when he was on duty in the marine. Like any human being, who does not have the capacity to pay for his own treatment, Jake submitted himself to project Pandora since he contains the genetic make-up of his twin brother necessary to make the avatar intended for him to work. Inasmuch as a person tries to avoid being subjected to a situation he does not like, his financial needs lead him to do so. Every human being has a freedom of choice. This is true. However, the society provides him with very limited choices. Although others may say they only want to live a simple life, this simplicity does not always come easy for everyone. Just as Jake wanted himself to live a normal life, he does not have the necessary amount of money to bring himself to the hospital and get the surgery that his legs needed. The desire of having a better life brought him to submit to the demands of people who could provide him his needs even thou gh he did not exactly like it. How much a human could tolerate other people’s demands was clearly illustrated in the movie when Jake could no longer perform his tasks after being subjected to the Omaticayan tribe. His video logs documents how his perspective has changed about the two different worlds he had been able to experience. Man is unable to see the other side of the world when he is deprived of the chance to see it. No comparison will be made when one does not see any point of comparison. Rich people may think being rich does not gain any advantage from the others when they do not see how poor people live their lives. When Jake was exposed to the life of the Na’vis, he could not help but compare the world he used to live in and the new world he has learned to live in Pandora. The world of humans, with all the advanced sciences and technologies that it offers, is nothing but a â€Å"dream† to him. The â€Å"real world† is the world with the Omatica ya tribe, deprived of the advanced weaponry and the machines that were brought about by modern science. Although Jake is naturally not a Na’vi, it is with them that he finds the sense of belonging, when he is treated a real human being. This shift in the main character’s perspective is instrumental as this shows that it is normal for human beings to take a turn when

Colima and Maya's Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colima and Maya's Cultures - Essay Example A vessel in form of a dog that considered being an exemplar of Colima culture and vessel with palace scene that determines a Maua culture are fallen under analysis. What should be mentioned is that these works of art have a lot in common, still cultural specialties are visible.  Colima culture or co-called Capacha refers to the territory of West Mexico and â€Å"dated there to the early to middle Formative period† that is 200 BCE-300 AD (Evans and Webster, 95). Death was regarded as a transfer to another world, and burials have attracted special attention in ancient times. â€Å"Ancient West Mexicans used a unique shaft-chamber tomb, an underground series of rooms reached by a narrow, vertical opening, or shaft† (IMA, n.p.). Such vessels have been surrounded the deceased and have put there with a special aim. Dogs have remained to be servants as guides to assist the dead person in his/her trip to the underworld (IMA, n.p.).   In addition, dogs are considered to be a source of food for Colima people that is why such vessel has been of great significance according to the beliefs of that population. The vessel has a dark brown color and rather and size a really small dog. The example of Maya culture belongs to the Late Classic Period in the existence of discussed culture, more exactly 600-900 AD (Foster, 17). â€Å"The culture reaches its artistic zenith† in those times (Foster, 18). That is why the vessel with palace scene is regarded as an important example of Maya culture. This is considered to a vessel for a drink with a painting scene showing â€Å"a ruler sitting on a throne, wearing a jade necklace and a headdress with exotic feathers† (IMA, n.p.). Such vessels also have buried with the people they belong to, usually that have been rich residents of those territories. The vessel is in the different tones of brown and beige color with the size of normal pot or mug.

Land Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Land Law - Essay Example The central idea involved in this phenomenon is the individualism in personal relationships and selfishness which demeans the commitment of the male and female towards each other. The increase in such type of selfish individualism in relationships ships however shows a gradual decline in the rate of divorce and extra marital child births. The tendency of cohabitation is rising even though the system itself is unstable in comparison with the institution of marriage. The commitment towards each other may differ among married couples and cohabitants2. This variety in family reality has slowly but surely found its way into the customs of legal regulation. The hub of family law has exhibited considerable variation. The alterations that have taken place during the past twenty to thirty years in the field of family law have depicted a diminution in the focus placed on the tribulations of married couples. The changing stance of society in respect of unmarried heterosexual couples, families in which only one parent is present and families in which both the parents were of the same sex needed a response that would meaningfully attend to the real and parallel problems created by these associations. Although some experts are of the opinion that there has been a transformation of family law into domestic relations law4 it would be unnecessary to modify the rubric recounting this part of the law if the contention that the very concept of what constitutes a family is itself changing5. The adoption of such a broader ethic in no way requires society to curtail the importance that had been attached to the marriage state and what is being emphasized is that there should be a recognition by the law with regard to the requirements and existence of other types of families. Several ad hoc legal developments have taken place in this respect in the past few years6. The courts have conceded the

Marketing debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing debate - Essay Example In the process of discussing the positive side of brand extension, several examples will be provided. In most cases, brand extensions are considered as a potential growth strategies because of the fact that the use the parent brand that has been successfully known by the public could reduce the high costs of advertising. (Stephenson, 2008; Aaker 1996, p. 380) Since the parent brand has already won the trust of its target consumers, it will be so much easier on the part of the marketing managers to introduce and make the consumers accept a new product extension under the parent brand. For example: McDonald’s has successfully established its brand in the global markets. Since the company is known to provide good service in terms of the cleanliness of the restaurnts and having prompt service, the recent introduction of its McCafe’ was easily accepted and recognized by the public consumers. To prove the success of McDonald’s brand extension, the company has already sold more than 500 million cups of coffee each year since the pre-launching of McCafe’ in the American market. (Mabrey & Apton, 2008) With regards to the services provided by McDonald’s and McCafe’, the experimental study that was conducted by Lei et al. (2004) to test the customers’ perception of the low quality service offered by the extension brand as compared with the high quality service offered by the parent brand reveal that despite the differences in the quality service offered by the parent brand and brand extension, customers are more likely to perceive the service offered by the extension brand as similar to the ones offered by the parent brand. Even though the application of brand extension could significantly increase the potential sales and market of a busines organization, theres is still a strong need for marketing managers to effectively position the new product in the

Computer and Network Hardware Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Computer and Network Hardware - Assignment Example Protocols like POP3, IMAP, LDAP and HTTP services use DNS to avoid IP conflicts on the networks. Hardware (Physical) address is the unique hexadecimal serial number assigned to each Ethernet network device. The address is permanently set at the time of manufacture and cannot be changed. It is unique to help distinguish among devices. The hardware addresses are exactly 6 bytes in length, and are usually written in hexadecimal as 12:34:56:78:90:AB. The first six digits identify manufacturer while the last six is the serial number of the card. Each manufacturer of Ethernet devices applies for a certain range of hardware addresses they can use. DHCP failover occurs when using DHCP redundancy. With two DHCP servers serving different scopes, for example .100-.150 on one and .200-.250 on the other, challenges pursue. In the case one server fails, all clients that received a lease from that server, will have to get a new IP from the other server. That basically means all network connections on the client will be lost and causing a danger unlike no redundancy. DHCP availability is crucial. The existing of network is dependent on the DHCP availability, since it is the basic point of assigning TCP/IP configuration. If it fails or breaks down the network communication is lost. That indicates that DHCP has to be available throughout. Subnetting addresses hardware performance issues. Using subnetting reduces CPU overload. The servers will have increased processing power and available. The network hardware like routers and other devices that handle data traffic are also optimized. The bandwidth is available to network devices for their effective performance. To communicate, computers on LAN are interconnected using a switch. The switch is then connected to a router that links LAN to an external network, internet. To access internet through a single computer, you can either configure one PC as an ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) or

Pseudophryne corroboree Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pseudophryne corroboree - Assignment Example A species recovery program was implemented to identify the processes that threaten species and formulate a definite strategy to properly address such threatening process and execute recovery actions. In March 1997, three P. corroboree populations were chosen for population augmentation: Dargal Range (Site A) population with 32 calling males, Jugumba Range (Site B) population with 13 calling males, and Round Mountain Range (Site C) population with 2 calling males. These sites were inspected after the breeding season to collect clutches for captive rearing at the Amphibian Research Center (ARC) in Melbourne. Sixteen nest out of 25 male nests in the three sites contained eggs. From the 16 nests, 374 eggs were gathered for captive rearing while 324 left in their respective nests for filed comparison. The highest level of mortality in the three field sites was observed during the over-winter stage, with total mortality in site B. For the captive-reared tadpoles, the highest rate of mortality was observed in the post-winter tadpole stage. The percentage of captive-reared animals survived was higher than the percentage survived at Site B, while there was no significant difference between the rate of survival for Site A and captive-rearing. Thirty-eight percent of the eggs collected from Site A survived through to metamorphosis as compared to 31% survival in the field (Hunter, Osborne, Marantelli, and Green 161). Fifty-three percent of the captive-reared animals survived through to metamorphosis, while Site B has no survivorship. Seventy percent of the captive-reared that was collected from S ite C has survived through to metamorphosis and only 13% of eggs left in the field survived (Hunter, Osborne, Marantelli, and Green 162). During the post-winter stage, the field tadpoles had higher rate of survival than the captive-reared animals, in which early release tadpoles exhibited higher survival rate than the

Emancipation Proclamation and it’s Impact Essay Example for Free

Emancipation Proclamation and it’s Impact Essay The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863 as the nation approached its third year of civil war (â€Å"The Emancipation Proclamation†). This proclamation was a significant step towards the objective of ending slavery and making African Americans equal citizens of the United States. The context of the proclamation declared that â€Å"that all persons held as slaves â€Å"within the rebellious states â€Å"are, and henceforward shall be free†. The proclamation became a significant road to slavery’s final destruction and became one of the initial inspirations for human freedom. The proclamation though the intention was good has many underlying aspects to be noted. The application of the proclamation was â€Å"limited only to those parts of North America which were under the control of the armed forces of the Confederate States of America† (â€Å"Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation†). President Lincoln had no power to liberate slaves generally because such act during that time would have been unlawful or unconstitutional. He could only issue such only from his capacity as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy and as a necessary war measure (Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation†). However despite the limitations, the proclamation of liberty had tremendous effects that possibly help shaped America. Although the practical effects of the proclamation was only limited to some areas â€Å"it did serve as an important symbol that the North now intended not only to preserve the Union but also to abolish the practice of slavery† (Emancipation Proclamation Further Readings). The success of the proclamation after the Civil War motivated Lincoln to completely support the liberation of the African American black people. This paved the way for the proposal of the Republican Party 1864 that calls for the gradual abolition of slavery by constitutional amendment. The proclamation also prevented Europe from supporting the Confederacy and encouraged enlistment of black soldiers, as a result, the North America towards slavery in Civil War was defeated (The Emancipation Proclamation: The Document that Saved America). The end of Civil War definitely reunited the rebellious states of United States with the Union which also made America a very big nation and eventually powerful country. The Proclamation gave joy and hope to millions of black people who was been enslaved by the Southern United States Americans. The Civil War from 1861- 1865 between Northern Defenders of the Union and the Southern members of the Confederacy (the name for the states that had separated themselves from the United States to form their own country in a bloody conflict) changed the focus of the war from â€Å"the rights of the individual states† to freeing the slaves (â€Å"Slaverys End Brings Both Joy and Confusion†). Civil War after the Emancipation was already about freedom. When the Civil War ended, the emancipation of blacks though left the White Southerners to be bitter and angry who can not yet fully accept that the slaves’ unpaid labour will be ended. Being defeated by the Southern members of the Confederacy, Northern whites felt that it is impossible for them to rebuild their shattered life without the blacks. The multitude of negative emotions felt by them highlights and manifests the racist attitude of Northern European descent. Blacks, after the Proclamation of Emancipation and eventually after the Civil War, learned that it is not true that they came from inferior race. And that it is not true that they are simply properties and they also realized that they became a victim of slavery because of ignorance. As free and learned men, they no longer had to put up with the brutalities they experienced and endured as slaves. The end of slavery gave them the opportunity to re-establish their identity, their individuality and their society. The Proclamation also became effective social awakening about slavery and human freedom. It illustrates that human beings of different culture, sexes, religion and races are created equal. The Emancipation Proclamation brought about great changes in the American society. The awareness of black’s slavery inspired literature, arts, music and films about freedom and liberty. Affirmative action, freedom of religion and the establishment of different organizations and groups that support the black community inspired its growth. Not only did the world focuses on the United States from then on in regards to slavery but the world started to open their eyes about the different existing slaveries, example Apartheid in Africa during early 20th century. Work Cited Page: THe Emancipation Proclamation. Feartured Documents. The National Archives. U. S. National Archives and Records Administration. Washington, US http://www. archives. gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/ Lincols Emancipation Proclamation. Fighting Salvery Today. Anti Slavery Society Boston. 2008 November 09 http://www. anti-slaverysociety. addr. com/index. htm Slaverys End Brings both Joy and Confusion. Emancipation Proclamation Summary. Boog Rags. Glam Publisher Network. http://www. bookrags. com/research/slaverys-end-brings-both-joy-and-co-rerl-01/ Emancipation Proclamation Further Readings. American Law Encyclopedia Vol 4. Law Library American Law and Legal Information. Net Industries. 2008 http://law. jrank. org/pages/6410/Emancipation-Proclamation. html The Emancipation Proclamation: THe Document that SAved America. A Journal for the Lincoln Collecter. The Rail Splitter 1998 http://www. railsplitter. com/sale10/boker. html

Entrepreneurial Marketing And Marketing In Small Firms

Entrepreneurial Marketing And Marketing In Small Firms Introduction: Researchers widely agree that marketing in small firms differ from that of their larger counterparts (e.g. Fillis, 2002; Gilmore et al., 2001; Hill, 2001a; Coviello et al., 2000.) Stokes (2000) adds that in small firms, marketing is used for the needs of the moment and only little attention is paid to plans, strategies and analysis. They are close to their markets, have great flexibility which they value (Evans and Moutinho, 1999), have the capacity to operate on slim margins, and can instigate decisions quickly (Rogers, 1990). The marketing function in SMEs is hindered by constraints such as poor cash flow, lack of marketing expertise, business size, tactical customer-related problems, and strategic customer-related problems (Doole et al., 2006; Chaston, 1998; Carson, 1985). Yet, despite such restrictions, SMEs successfully use marketing to generate sales (Guersen, 1997; Romano and Ratnatunga, 1995). Motwani, Jiang and Kumar (1998) highlight the differing operational priorities of small firms, (as compared with larger organisations), and synopsise small firm characteristics as follows: On the one hand, small firms are believed to have an edge over larger firms in flexibility, innovation, and overhead costs, while on the other, they are limited by the amount of market power, capital and managerial resources. Despite the differences, it has been noted that the basic marketing concepts, such as segmentation, customer orientation, targeting, positioning and seeking for competitive advantage apply to small as well as to large enterprises (Hogarth-Scott et al., 1996). Scholars note that both marketing theories and entrepreneurship theory privilege the notion of value creation, that is, the notion that elements are combined in a manner that results in the provision of value to the user (Morris et al., 2002). Marketing has much to offer the study of entrepreneurship (Murray 1981; Hills 1987) and likewise entrepreneurship can look to marketing as the key function within the firm, which can encompass innovation and creativity. Omura et al. (1993) perceive the interface between the two disciplines as having distinct areas of both difference and overlap. The differences are between traditional marketing, which operates in a consistent environment, where marketing conditions are continuous. And the firm is satisfying clearly perceived customer needs and pure entrepreneurship, which operates in an uncertain environment, where market conditions are discontinuous and the needs of market are as yet unclear. The overlap exists in two areas; one where market c onditions are continuous and entrepreneurship aids the process of identifying as yet unperceived needs and secondly in a discontinuous market where entrepreneurship guides marketing strategy to develop existing needs in a new environment. Elaine Collinson and Eleanor Shaw (2001) marketing and entrepreneurship have three key areas of interface; they are both change focused, opportunistic in nature and innovative in their approach to management. Conceptual Framework: During the last 60 years marketing thought has experienced several changes. It has evolved from production and sales centered into customer and relationship focused marketing. Instead of short-term individual transactions marketers have started to value long-lasting relationships. Interaction has proven to be more efficient than one-way communication and it has been realised that marketing is not a task of just marketing department but the whole organisation (See Gro ¨nroos, 2006.) There is no clear or unifying definition or theory of marketing in SMEs. (Simpson et al., 2006.). Motwani, Jiang and Kumar (1998) highlight the differing operational priorities of small firms, (as compared with larger organisations), and synopsise small firm characteristics as follows (p. 8): On the one hand, small firms are believed to have an edge over larger firms in flexibility, innovation, and overhead costs, while on the other, they are limited by the amount of market power, capital and managerial resources. Small firms typically have limited impact in their given markets, and limited network access (Me Gaughey, 1998). Barnes (2001) identified several drivers that enhance closeness between the small firm and the customer. These drivers include: knowing the customer personally, feeling of locality, easy accessibility, lack of bureaucracy and concentration on long-term profitability. In the context of small firms, customer orientation is a concept, which comprises customer understanding orientation and customer satisfaction focus. It seems that adoption of customer orientation may enhance the performance of small firms. It is argued small firms with higher degree of customer orientation are likely to be more profitable than their less customer-oriented counterparts. (Appiah-Adu and Singh, 1998.) Marketing in SMEs continues to evolve throughout the life-cycle of the enterprise in response to new product and market demands, while satisfying customer requirements, taking into consideration the inherent characteristics and behaviours of the owner/manager, and the size and life-cycle stage of the firm (Gilmore et al., 2001; Carson, 1993). In small enterprises, the entrepreneurs have pivotal roles in marketing. The marketing practices seem to rely on their personal contacts and are often driven by the certain way they do business (Simpson et al., 2006). They depend also on owner-managers attitude to, experience of and expertise in marketing (McCartan-Quinn and Carson, 2003). Traditionally some marketing approaches concentrate on the marketing mix. However, instead of focusing on the traditional marketing paradigm of the 4Ps (product, price, place and promotion), or the 7Ps adopted by service marketing (product, price, place, promotion, people, process and physical evidence), entrepreneurs stress the importance of promotion and word-of-mouth, and have identi ¬Ã‚ ed one of the unique selling points of their business as the nature of their personal contact with customers and their focus on the four Is (Information, Identi ¬Ã‚ cation, Innovation and Interaction) (Stokes, 2000). Typically small firms will have higher levels of creditors relative to stocks and total assets and lower levels of retained profit than larger organisations (Chittenden and Bragg, 1997). Bird (1992) and Burns (1996) offer an insight into the differing perspectives of the small business owner/manager and the bank manager. This is the situation in which, in order to obtain additional funding from the bank, the businessman agrees to provide regularly to the bank manager cash-flow forecasts, lists of outstanding debtors/ creditors and other means to evaluate assets and liabilities. The result is that valuable time must be spent with the bank manager (who probably has no hands-on experience of running a business like yours) while he tells you what you can and cannot do (Bird, 1992, p. 4). The bank manager gains little from the success of the business but stands to lose a lot if it fails (Burns, 1996, p. 186). Small business success is dependent not only on the presence of products and markets, but also on the efficacious marketing of those products within those markets (Smith, 1990). While the underlying principles of mar- keting are equally applicable to large and small firms alike, a lack of sophisticated marketing is perceived to be problematic for smaller firms (Cromie, 1991). Within the small firm, the boundary between marketing and selling becomes very blurred, as most small firms marketing takes place during the selling process (Oakey, 1991) and for many small firm owner/ managers the perception is that selling is marketing. Kuratka (1995), entrepreneurship is an area which is relevant to both small and large firms the reason why it is so often associated with small and medium enterprises is that, firstly entrepreneurial activity is often more visible in the smaller firm an secondly, when firms experience growth it can be difficult to sustain an entrepreneurial focus in a multi layered management structure. In addition to organizational structure, the entrepreneurial personality has direct effect on the way in which management is undertaken (Chell, 1986). Entrepreneurs, by their nature, will focus on various opportunities at once and are not easily convinced by the sequential, structured approach to management, which is the focus of most management/ marketing texts (OBrien and Hart, 1999). A lack of capital is frequently the main deterrent to the prospective entrepreneur (Karger, 1981) with undercapitalisation recognised as a major weakness of many new and small firms (Barber and Manger, 1997), often leading to their demise (Job, 1983). Growth issues and the subsequent impact on resources and skill requirements is a key area of current research in entrepreneurial marketing activity (Collinson and Quinn, 1999). Hills et al. (2008) recently investigated the evolution and development of this scholarship and found that indeed, marketing among entrepreneurs deviates from mainstream marketing. Carson (1993, p. 12) describes EM as the experience, knowledge, communication abilities and judgment of the owner-manager, key competencies on which marketing effectiveness depends, while Zontanos and Anderson (2004) offer the four Ps: person, process, purpose, and practices, as a better frame for understanding marketing in entrepreneurial firms. Less formal organisational structures, such as those within SMEs, have been identified as being conducive to innovation, as they encourage a corporate culture which enables participation, networking, inclusion, and experimentation throughout the organisation (Johne and Davies, 2000; Carroll, 2002). Moreover, the environmental uncertainties and challenges faced by SMEs may prompt an innovative response to establish competitive advantage (Ashford and Towers, 2001; McAdam et al., 2000). Burns and Harrison (1996) reiterate that the reason for starting the business is the key differentiator between the small business owner/manager and the entrepreneur, a view which is compatible with Burns (1996), who distinguishes between two different kinds of small businesses; the life-style business set up to provide an adequate level of income for the founder; and the entrepreneurial business which is founded to grow. OShea (1998) distinguishes between entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial small businesses from the perspective of their likely impact on economic equilibrium, with entrepreneurial firms exerting a spontaneous, discontinuous and a qualitative influence, and non-entrepreneurial ones representing a static, inert and quantitative influence. Research Questions: This research aims at identifying the differences between marketing by small firms marketing in SMEs. Will explore the commonalities differences if there are any in marketing in SMEs entrepreneurial marketing. Will try to describe present in an understandable manner the real just of entrepreneurial marketing its characteristics. Studying the market practices in both the manufacturing service SMEs in Multan. Will try to find relationship/relationships in marketing practices (right from product development and selling), relationship with others, entrepreneurial back ground, training and education and growth expectations. Will try to develop a model of marketing in Pakistani SMEs vis-à  -vis their capital restraints. Will also explore the role of human capital social capital in determining the shape of market in SMEs/ Entrepreneurial firms. Will identify areas of future research in this field. Efficacious marketing of the products in market ensures the success of firm. Marketing in SMEs continuously change throughout the life cycle. Interpersonal contacts and 4Is (Information, Identification, Innovation and Interaction) are source of entrepreneur promotion techniques. Customer satisfaction customer orientation have strong association with success of SMEs. WOM (Word of mouth) is most influential way of promotion and its reliability in SMEs. Methodology: Population: SMEs with maximum revenues of 50 million Rs/ Anum will be our population. Firms from retail, manufacturing other service industries will be part of population. However SMEs whose major reliance is exporting will not be part, only those SMEs whos major focus and source of revenue is domestic market are included. Moreover micro enterprises will not be part of population. Sample: 2 or 3 categories of SMEs will be developing based on sales/ number of employees. Firm belonging to service and manufacturing sector will be selected probably the sample size between 15 to 18 case studies with about 5 case studies in each category. Analysis will be templates used by Robert.K.Yin (2003a, 2003b) will be used to develop a theory of small firms/entrepreneurial marketing of firms operating in Multan.

Free Essays - All Quiet on the Western Front :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

  All Quiet on the Western Front   The setting of this novel takes place in Germany during World War I. the war is being fought at the fronts- which is almost every side of Germany where other countries lie. For the most part, Paul Baumer stays on the western front, (north west of Belgium), during the three years when the novel takes place. The setting is very important because it shows the darkest part of the war, when most of Germanys fighting takes place.   Paul Baumer, a young soldier who enjoys writing poems and plays, becomes a man during his three years of service. He wants the war to be over so he can go back home to his family and read and write again with out being disrupted by his thoughts of the front. By the end of the novel, he does not achieve this because he was killed on the western front. When they found his body, it had an appearance of calm gladness because the war was finally over for him. In this novel, Paul faced drastic changes. He went from a child who knew nothing about death, despair or fear to a grown man who only knew those three things. At the end of the novel Paul had nothing, for every thing he had loved or cared about was taken from him by the war. I liked this character because he was well written. He was head strong about life or what he knew of it.   Stanislaus Katczinsky also know, as Kat is a forty-year-old veteran of war who teaches Paul and others about life on the battlefield. He is head strong and very smart and is depended on by Paul and others for food, and helping them cope with war. I believe Kat wants what every soldier wants, for the war to be over. I liked this character he was fun to read and a great teacher to me about the war.   The minor character that was most interesting to me was Corporal Himmelstoss because he was unfair to other soldiers, in a mean bullying manner. However, when it finally came down for the Corporal to fight, he became a coward. In the end, he gained the respect of Paul and others for rescuing Haie.   I believe the most important conflict in the story was when Paul volunteered to be part of a patrol to spy on the allied position.

The Samurai and the Bushido Code Essay -- Japan, Elite Warriors, Bushi

The samurai were à ©lite warriors in Japan during the 1200’s to the early 1700’s. Fifth century Japan saw conflicts with Korea and China, but Japan had a very untrained army, with a clumsy Calvary, and poor infantry men (Blumberg 1). The reason was that horses were seen as a burden and were never bred to be strong, fast, and large for war purposes (Blumberg 2). In the 6th and 9th centuries, a series of rebellions in Japan began from the Emishi people of the northern home islands; these country people were very well-trained in mounted archery. The nimble Emishi would defeat the Japanese riders with ease (Blumberg 2). But during the war against the Emishi, Japan learned to breed horses for fighting, adapted new fighting methods, and developed new weapons. They replaced the slow, straight-sword with two curved blades that were faster and lighter. For the next 350 years, infantry was replaced with mounted archers, and we start to see the 13th century samurai form (Blumber g 3). The Bushido Code, the code that all samurai follow, helped form medieval Japan. The warrior class and ruling class in the 13th century to the 17th century were known as the samurai (Clark 1). The samurai were skilled in archery, swordsmanship, horseback riding, and martial arts: the ability to kill with their bare hands (Clark 2). The two swords that the samurai used were the katana, a curved, medium-sized blade used for two-handed combat, and the wakizashi, a dagger or small-bladed weapon for thrusting (Blumberg 7). The samurai specialized in mounted archery as well. They had a medium sized, very flexible bow that made firing arrows from a horse easier. With Japan's newly trained and bred horses, along with the discipline of the samurai, it made for an uns... ... the enemy's foot soldiers were close, the samurai would dismount and use their swords (Blumberg 9). That would change in the 15th century when the Chinese started to use an early version of the musket. The Japanese then had to change their fighting techniques to use spears so as not to have to dismount their horses. This was useful, since they could charge without stop, allowing them more time in between the Chinese gunfire (Blumberg 12). The Bushido Code has been around since the 13th century and is the way of the samurai. The samurai was a powerful ruling class and warrior class in medieval Japan. The samurai were powerful warriors with great respect and ethics for their country. They impacted modern Japan by passing on the high ethical and moral standards still recognized today, and it is the reason why Japan is one of the friendliest countries in the world.

cyborg performance :: essays research papers

Explore the relationship between the body and technology in the work of Orlan and Stelarc A performer is essentially composed of two entities: the self and the representation of the self. The human body is the physical manifestation of this represented self and is interpreted by the observer depending on its gender, age, colour, attractiveness, adornment and perceived disabilities (these perceptions often being culture-bound as well). In addition to this, the performer uses make-up and costume, and interactions with the performance space to affect the interpretation. For the focus of a performance space, what better place to start with than this powerful physical signifier? In performance, there is a tendency to perceive the actor and the body as a very separate entity to the concrete, technological elements of the stage. Orlan and Stelarc, contemporary performance artists, challenge this perception - Mcclellan (1994, para.14) describes them as â€Å"the post-human Adam and Eve†, suggesting that they are heralding in a new ‘breed’ of performer, inextricably related to, and even created by, technology. This certainly reflects the role of the body and technology in current Western society - medical technology can create life in vitro and, defying nature, can alter its intrinsic genetic makeup, and internet technologies can allow a person to project a fabricated disembodied persona onto the ‘net’ to interact with others over vast distances. Orlan and Stelarc embrace technological integration as a prerequisite to their work – the questions lie in what it means to the self if the way in which it is represented (the bod y) is altered. In combining aspects of endurance and durational performance art, Orlan presented the alteration of her own body in the surgical theatre. ‘The Reincarnation of Saint Orlan’ is her most well-known piece of work, begun in 1990. However, she did begin performing in the 1960s when, even then, she demonstrated a subversive attitude towards the body. In 1964 she used her own body as †a unit of measurement (‘Orlan-corps’)† to measure public buildings (Flande [ed.], ‘Biography’, www.orlan.net). This project continued into the late 1970s. The reduction of her body to a tool of measurement was the less extreme forerunner to the reduction of it as a canvas in ‘The Reincarnation of Saint Orlan’. In both pieces, she objectifies her body, however in ‘The Reincarnation of Saint Orlan’, the implications on herself and her audiences are far more controversial. A surgical textbook defines ideal beauty as â€Å"[that] of a white woman whose face is perfectly symmetrical in line and profile† (Balsamo cited in Auslander, 1997, p.

What I Most Appreicate About My Grandmother

S. Day GENENG 103-201 April 5, 2012 5 paragraph essay Everyone has something in their life that they appreciate, for instance their mom, family, kids or their job. Whatever the case be, always appreciate the better things in life. So always keep a good mind setting and a positive attitude. There are a lot of things that people fail to realize that are most appreciative. What I most appreciate about my grandmother is how much she entertains, motivates and supports her family. At times my granny can be entertaining to me. She loves to tell stories to us about how she grew up in the south.She also has a temper so sometimes when someone says or does something she doesn’t like she will snap out on them. It’s only funny to me when I’m not the one getting grilled. In addition, to that she will sit and lecture anybody about whatever, so don’t do or say anything that will set her off. When she gets to talking it is too late to turn around and walk away because she will go on and on about it until she proves her point. Regardless of her snapping and lectures granny can be a loving and caring person. She loves church and is in the choir on Sundays.Everyone at her church loves to her sing solo, so she walks around the house and practicing her songs. I love how entertaining she can be, so anyone in need of some entertainment just comes to grannies house its always live. As kind-hearted as my granny is, she also has the quality of being a motivator. Throughout my life she always motivated me to do well in school and pushed me to be the best I can be. She always told me to â€Å"Leave those boys alone and get your education!! †. Even though I didn’t listen, I still kept that in mind and still received my diploma and now enrolled in college.I love it when she tells everyone at her church how proud she is of me. She lets everyone know that I made the Dean’s list while I was in high school. However, I believe that when she is gone , I’m going to be the one that motivates everyone in the family, because my granny has taught me a lot and made me the smart, beautiful young lady that I am today. I know deep down inside she wants all her grandchildren to be successful in life. Even though she doesn’t tell us, she wants to proud of all of us since her children are all grown up.From the love and the care of my granny, to the helping hand that will remain grateful, and the motivation she gives me, I truly love Canzinetta Webb and believe she is one of the best things that ever happen to me. My family and my granny are equally important to me but my granny is like the back bone of our family. Although I’m her grandchild she took me into her home as if I was her own. For this reason, I love her so much, because she didn’t want to see me go into foster care. She works hard to provide for me and my family. There’s always food on the table and clothes on our backs.Obviously, my granny is the back bone of our family because every Sunday my granny cooks a big dinner and all my family comes to our house to eat. I love Sundays because that’s when I get to see my other family I haven’t seen in a while. So when everyone leaves they will be leaving with a smile and a full stomach, maybe even a plate to-go. Yet, she supports her family however, whenever help is needed she is always been there for whoever family or not. For example, my aunt was a short a couple hundred dollars on her light bill, my granny was willing to help her pay the rest so her lights wouldn’t be off.Clearly my granny plays a big role in our family, she is a wonderful person and anyone would begin to love her once they got to know her. There are a lot of things that people fail to realize that are most appreciative. Appreciating your life is about being grateful for the people that are in your life that make it better, and the things that you have, even if they may not be everything in which you may desire. We must be able to prefer to appreciate the things we cannot have instead of trying to appreciate things that we would not be able to appreciate.

Gender difference Essay

The article I read is â€Å"‘Health is not a man’s domain’: lay accounts of gender difference in life-expectancy in Russia†. The authors, Ilkka Pietila and Marja Rytkonen, examined the meaning of health to Russian lay people, conducting interview with 29 people aged 15-81. They concluded that the role of the individual in healthy responsibility is very weak, with a stronger emphasis on societal and governmental influence. They also found that in relation to gender, gender roles and relations are static with few alternatives despite social changes. This study was prompted by the large gender gap in life-expectancy in Russia. In 2006, the average life expectancy was 59 years for Russian men but 72 years for Russian women. Pietila and Rytkonen wanted to see if this gap was caused by gender perceptions of health and/or each other or by something else. The theoretical basis for this research is a process Frankel and Davison call ‘lay epidemiology’, which states that â€Å"individuals interpret health risks through the routine observation and discussion of cases of illness and death in personal networks and the public arena, as well as from formal and informal evidence arising from other sources, such as television and magazines (p. 071). The researchers discerned â€Å"four types of explanations: essential/naturalist explanations (biological and psychological differences), explanations related to social roles, explanations related to social change and explanations related to health behavior† (p. 1075). They also found that these explanations often centered around one health behavior: heavy drinking. This article is a great because of its discussion the masculinity behind drinking, as well as the cultural aspects yet how the women tended to see drinking as more of a health hazard then the men who participate in it. The phenomenon of the gender gap and the cultural aspects of drinking add unique curveballs to solving the health crisis in Russia today. An article like this one is very important because it illustrates factors that need to be considered when coming up with a public health policy for Russia. For example, this findings of this research would support the argument that prohibition would not work in reducing alcoholism in Russia; alcohol’s cultural significance is too strong for such a policy to have any ‘lay’ support. The article also noted its limitations. The authors only interviewed subjects in St. Petersburg, which is one of the more Westernized cities in Russia and is more likely to have an higher educated and socioeconomic population compared with the majority of Russia. The authors conceded that this population dynamic may have skewed the results. They also admit that their research sample was small (only 29 people interviewed), although they did their best to have a variety of ages and occupations within these people. One excellent point in the researcher’s methodology is the use of native-Russian speakers to conduct the interviews, and having men interview men and women interview women. The use of native speakers would allow for the nuances of language and communication to be picked up. The gender separation also nullifies the possibility that gender biases would have taken place during the interviews.

Nutrition Assessment

Body mass index (IBM) is an index of a person's weight in relation to height used to estimate relative risk of health problems related to weight, a healthy body mass index is 18. 5 to 24. 9. My calculated IBM is 22. 5 which puts myself in the healthy weight range. The Hammy method calculates a person's ideal weight for their height. According to the Hammy method ideal weight for my height of 65 inches is 125 to 137 pounds (Duke, 2014). I weigh 135 pounds which barely places my weight in the ideal range.After recording my daily intake of food, I compared my consumption to the DOD pyramid which shows the recommended servings of each food group. According to the food pyramid, milk, yogurt, and the cheese group recommend 2-3 servings a day. My diary shows that my consumption of this food group varies. There are days that I would consume more than the recommended amount and other days I would consume within the normal range. My consumption of meat, fish, nuts, eggs, and poultry are within the recommended 2-3 servings.My consumption of fruits and vegetables are shown to be insufficient. Ironically, I love fruits and vegetables, but I do not have it in my daily diet as I should. For the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group are shown to be within the recommended 3-5 servings daily. I have realized that when I eat foods with less carbohydrates and fats, I feel healthier on the inside and out. When I do eat foods that contain high fats and crabs it is as if I can feel the oils ad fat going through my body, which makes me fatigue and drowsy .When I eat sweets and pastries, I first feel the sugar rush and feel awake, but after a few hours I feel the crash and decreased ability to concentrate on tasks. When I eat vegetables and small portions of foods with high carbohydrates and more greens I feel happy, energetic, healthy, and alert (Choose My Plate, 2014). Being a student has a lot to do with my daily decision of what I eat because it is usually has to be quick and on the go, instead of eating a prepared meal with a consideration of daily nutrients, I Just eat what I can afford if I am out, or grab snacks from home.Luckily I can come home to prepared meals by my mother, but being Armenian, my culture has an influence on what we eat. In my culture, meats, food high in cholesterol and sodium are very common. Our main dishes almost all include meats. On a brighter note, the Armenian culture also has a variety of tasty salads with healthy grains, one specifically known as tabulate and ICC. In order to eat the healthier foods, I can take the time to pack a lunch to take with me with choosing the healthier choices of food in my fridge at home.At home, I can refrain from adding extra salt to my food or extra sauces such as ranch or mayonnaise to prepared sandwiches as well as moderate my intake of high fat and high Carr meals. Two strengths of mine is knowing I have the ability and will to eat in moderation and the ability to fight the temptation of eating Junk food. I use to weigh 25 pounds more than I do now, and I motivated myself to cut crabs and calories and incorporated exercising in the regimen and earned my results which is another strength of mine.My weakness is not putting in the effort to prepare healthy meals for the days I know I will be spending most of my day outside of home, this is when I tend to make the unhealthiest choices of foods to eat. Another weakness of mine, is not eating proportionally throughout the day, Vive learned that I usually do not eat until I am starving and then have a big meal, which is extremely bad for your body diabolism. My diet plan will consist of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean sources of protein to provide plenty of energy and lifelong health and weight control.Exercise is also an essential to add to my diet plan because I have had a sedentary lifestyle ever since I started the nursing program. My overall health a IBM are normal, but through this assignm ent I learned that if I do not make a change in my eating habits I will be on the path to developing health problems in my later years. I learned it is important to prevent health and nutrition imbalances from occurring, than trying to fix them after a health issue has arisen. When the body suffers develops a health issues, it won't be restored back the same.Here are my goals and implementations to improve on my nutrition, as well as the obstacles I will encounter: 1) Pre-pack my lunch for days I will spend most my time outside of home. I will prepare my meals the night before so they are ready to go in case I am running short on time. An obstacle for this goal is having to shop more often for my healthier choices of meals, rather than eating something prepared at mom that may not be as nutritious. 2) Read food labels and monitor my daily intake. I will record my intake of food into an application on my phone called My Fitness Pal.An obstacle with this goal is trying not to forget t o do so. 3) If I must give into sweet cravings, I must exercise for an hour within 48 hours. I will go to the gym at least twice a week. An obstacle with this goal is the ability to managing my time to incorporate exercise. Day 1: I had my cereal and milk with a cookie when I had woken up from my sleep. I ate this because I was craving something sweet. I ate a veggie urge for lunch at Everest with my mom. I had almonds as a snack at home while I was studying. I ate it because I wanted to have a snack before I studied with my coffee.I ate salmon for dinner because that was what my mother had prepared and I was at home. I later had my protein bar when I was at home while studying. Day 2: I had cereal in the morning when I woke up because this is m normal routine. I later ate rice pudding and had a cup of coffee around noon to begin to study. I had my oatmeal at school because I was hungry. Later I snacked on some fried at my friend's house. For dinner I went out with my boyfriend to C heesecake Factory and had fettuccine Alfred. Day 3: I woke up and had a granola bar and orange Juice to start my day.I had an Armenian dish called karmic pilaf, chicken kabob, and baked potato for lunch at home to spend time with my parents. Later while studying I had rice pudding and a granola bar at my classmates house for a study snack. For dinner I went out on a date with my boyfriend to Friday's restaurant and had a lime margarita with two fish tacos because they are my favorite choices there. Day 4: I had a cereal in the morning to start my day. I took my dog out to the park for a walk and grabbed a granola bar for a snack. For lunch, I had cup of noodles because I was on the go.I took a bag of strawberries and turkey sandwich with me to school as a snack. For dinner I had lentil soup and had black tea while I was studying. Day 5: In the morning I had yogurt and coffee before heading out to pick up my grandpa. I later had coffee to wake me up so I can begin studying. For lunch I was at home and ate chicken and rice because that was what my mother had prepared. Later I went over to my cousins house and had salted popcorn and pizza and watched a movie. Day 6: In the morning I had cereal and coffee at home.I went to my friends house to study and took with me oatmeal and rice pudding as well as aloe Juice to have as a snack. I ate these because I was craving sweets. Later that night for dinner I prepared a homemade meal of fettuccine Alfred. I had some more coffee to continue studying. Day 7: I woke up and had a granola bar. For lunch I went to a coffee shop to study and had a cup of noodle and some fruit. Later for dinner I had a buffalo wild wings with my boyfriend and as a dessert had honeydew frozen yogurt from Yogurts. Nutrition Assessment Body mass index (IBM) is an index of a person's weight in relation to height used to estimate relative risk of health problems related to weight, a healthy body mass index is 18. 5 to 24. 9. My calculated IBM is 22. 5 which puts myself in the healthy weight range. The Hammy method calculates a person's ideal weight for their height. According to the Hammy method ideal weight for my height of 65 inches is 125 to 137 pounds (Duke, 2014). I weigh 135 pounds which barely places my weight in the ideal range.After recording my daily intake of food, I compared my consumption to the DOD pyramid which shows the recommended servings of each food group. According to the food pyramid, milk, yogurt, and the cheese group recommend 2-3 servings a day. My diary shows that my consumption of this food group varies. There are days that I would consume more than the recommended amount and other days I would consume within the normal range. My consumption of meat, fish, nuts, eggs, and poultry are within the recommended 2-3 servings.My consumption of fruits and vegetables are shown to be insufficient. Ironically, I love fruits and vegetables, but I do not have it in my daily diet as I should. For the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group are shown to be within the recommended 3-5 servings daily. I have realized that when I eat foods with less carbohydrates and fats, I feel healthier on the inside and out. When I do eat foods that contain high fats and crabs it is as if I can feel the oils ad fat going through my body, which makes me fatigue and drowsy .When I eat sweets and pastries, I first feel the sugar rush and feel awake, but after a few hours I feel the crash and decreased ability to concentrate on tasks. When I eat vegetables and small portions of foods with high carbohydrates and more greens I feel happy, energetic, healthy, and alert (Choose My Plate, 2014). Being a student has a lot to do with my daily decision of what I eat because it is usually has to be quick and on the go, instead of eating a prepared meal with a consideration of daily nutrients, I Just eat what I can afford if I am out, or grab snacks from home.Luckily I can come home to prepared meals by my mother, but being Armenian, my culture has an influence on what we eat. In my culture, meats, food high in cholesterol and sodium are very common. Our main dishes almost all include meats. On a brighter note, the Armenian culture also has a variety of tasty salads with healthy grains, one specifically known as tabulate and ICC. In order to eat the healthier foods, I can take the time to pack a lunch to take with me with choosing the healthier choices of food in my fridge at home.At home, I can refrain from adding extra salt to my food or extra sauces such as ranch or mayonnaise to prepared sandwiches as well as moderate my intake of high fat and high Carr meals. Two strengths of mine is knowing I have the ability and will to eat in moderation and the ability to fight the temptation of eating Junk food. I use to weigh 25 pounds more than I do now, and I motivated myself to cut crabs and calories and incorporated exercising in the regimen and earned my results which is another strength of mine.My weakness is not putting in the effort to prepare healthy meals for the days I know I will be spending most of my day outside of home, this is when I tend to make the unhealthiest choices of foods to eat. Another weakness of mine, is not eating proportionally throughout the day, Vive learned that I usually do not eat until I am starving and then have a big meal, which is extremely bad for your body diabolism. My diet plan will consist of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean sources of protein to provide plenty of energy and lifelong health and weight control.Exercise is also an essential to add to my diet plan because I have had a sedentary lifestyle ever since I started the nursing program. My overall health a IBM are normal, but through this assignm ent I learned that if I do not make a change in my eating habits I will be on the path to developing health problems in my later years. I learned it is important to prevent health and nutrition imbalances from occurring, than trying to fix them after a health issue has arisen. When the body suffers develops a health issues, it won't be restored back the same.Here are my goals and implementations to improve on my nutrition, as well as the obstacles I will encounter: 1) Pre-pack my lunch for days I will spend most my time outside of home. I will prepare my meals the night before so they are ready to go in case I am running short on time. An obstacle for this goal is having to shop more often for my healthier choices of meals, rather than eating something prepared at mom that may not be as nutritious. 2) Read food labels and monitor my daily intake. I will record my intake of food into an application on my phone called My Fitness Pal.An obstacle with this goal is trying not to forget t o do so. 3) If I must give into sweet cravings, I must exercise for an hour within 48 hours. I will go to the gym at least twice a week. An obstacle with this goal is the ability to managing my time to incorporate exercise. Day 1: I had my cereal and milk with a cookie when I had woken up from my sleep. I ate this because I was craving something sweet. I ate a veggie urge for lunch at Everest with my mom. I had almonds as a snack at home while I was studying. I ate it because I wanted to have a snack before I studied with my coffee.I ate salmon for dinner because that was what my mother had prepared and I was at home. I later had my protein bar when I was at home while studying. Day 2: I had cereal in the morning when I woke up because this is m normal routine. I later ate rice pudding and had a cup of coffee around noon to begin to study. I had my oatmeal at school because I was hungry. Later I snacked on some fried at my friend's house. For dinner I went out with my boyfriend to C heesecake Factory and had fettuccine Alfred. Day 3: I woke up and had a granola bar and orange Juice to start my day.I had an Armenian dish called karmic pilaf, chicken kabob, and baked potato for lunch at home to spend time with my parents. Later while studying I had rice pudding and a granola bar at my classmates house for a study snack. For dinner I went out on a date with my boyfriend to Friday's restaurant and had a lime margarita with two fish tacos because they are my favorite choices there. Day 4: I had a cereal in the morning to start my day. I took my dog out to the park for a walk and grabbed a granola bar for a snack. For lunch, I had cup of noodles because I was on the go.I took a bag of strawberries and turkey sandwich with me to school as a snack. For dinner I had lentil soup and had black tea while I was studying. Day 5: In the morning I had yogurt and coffee before heading out to pick up my grandpa. I later had coffee to wake me up so I can begin studying. For lunch I was at home and ate chicken and rice because that was what my mother had prepared. Later I went over to my cousins house and had salted popcorn and pizza and watched a movie. Day 6: In the morning I had cereal and coffee at home.I went to my friends house to study and took with me oatmeal and rice pudding as well as aloe Juice to have as a snack. I ate these because I was craving sweets. Later that night for dinner I prepared a homemade meal of fettuccine Alfred. I had some more coffee to continue studying. Day 7: I woke up and had a granola bar. For lunch I went to a coffee shop to study and had a cup of noodle and some fruit. Later for dinner I had a buffalo wild wings with my boyfriend and as a dessert had honeydew frozen yogurt from Yogurts.

Academic Qualification Ensures Success in Life

He’s gone? Finnick asks, looking down at Boggs. I nod. We need to get out of here. Now. We just set off a streetful of pods. You can bet they’ve got us on surveillance tapes. Count on it, says Castor. All the streets are covered by surveillance cameras. I bet they set off the black wave manually when they saw us taping the propo. Our radio communicators went dead almost immediately. Probably an electromagnetic pulse device. But I’ll get us back to camp. Give me the Holo. Jackson reaches for the unit, but I clutch it to my chest. No. Boggs gave it to me, I say.Don’t be ridiculous, she snaps. Of course, she thinks it’s hers. She’s second in command. It’s true, says Homes. He transferred the prime security clearance to her while he was dying. I saw it. Why would he do that? demands Jackson. Why indeed? My head’s reeling from the ghastly events of the last five minutes†Boggs mutilated, dying, dead, Peeta’s homicidal rag e, Mitchell bloody and netted and swallowed by that foul black wave. I turn to Boggs, very badly needing him alive. Suddenly sure that he, and maybe he alone, is completely on my side. I think of his last orders ¦. Don’t trust them.Don’t go back. Kill Peeta. Do what you came to do. What did he mean? Don’t trust who? The rebels? Coin? The people looking at me right now? I won’t go back, but he must know I can’t just fire a bullet through Peeta’s head. Can I? Should I? Did Boggs guess that what I really came to do is desert and kill Snow on my own? I can’t work all of this out now, so I just decide to carry out the first two orders: to not trust anyone and to move deeper into the Capitol. But how can I justify this? Make them let me keep the Holo? Because I’m on a special mission for President Coin.I think Boggs was the only one who knew about it. This in no way convinces Jackson. To do what? Why not tell them the truth? Itâ₠¬â„¢s as plausible as anything I’ll come up with. But it must seem like a real mission, not revenge. To assassinate President Snow before the loss of life from this war makes our population unsustainable. I don’t believe you, says Jackson. As your current commander, I order you to transfer the prime security clearance over to me. No, I say. That would be in direct violation of President Coin’s orders. Guns are pointed. Half the squad at Jackson, half at me.Someone’s about to die, when Cressida speaks up. It’s true. That’s why we’re here. Plutarch wants it televised. He thinks if we can film the Mockingjay assassinating Snow, it will end the war. This gives even Jackson pause. Then she gestures with her gun toward the closet. And why is he here? There she has me. I can think of no sane reason that Coin would send an unstable boy, programmed to kill me, along on such a key assignment. It really weakens my story. Cressida comes to my aid again. Because the two post-Games interviews with Caesar Flickerman were shot in President Snow’s personal quarters.Plutarch thinks Peeta may be of some use as a guide in a location we have little knowledge of. I want to ask Cressida why she’s lying for me, why she’s fighting for us to go on with my self-appointed mission. Now’s not the time. We have to go! says Gale. I’m following Katniss. If you don’t want to, head back to camp. But let’s move! Homes unlocks the closet and heaves an unconscious Peeta over his shoulder. Ready. Boggs? says Leeg 1. We can’t take him. He’d understand, says Finnick. He frees Boggs’s gun from his shoulder and slings the strap over his own. Lead on, Soldier Everdeen. I don’t know how to lead on.I look at the Holo for direction. It’s still activated, but it might as well be dead for all the good that does me. There’s no time for fiddling around with the buttons, tr ying to figure out how to work it. I don’t know how to use this. Boggs said you would help me, I tell Jackson. He said I could count on you. Jackson scowls, snatches the Holo from me, and taps in a command. An intersection comes up. If we go out the kitchen door, there’s a small courtyard, then the back side of another corner apartment unit. We’re looking at an overview of the four streets that meet at the intersection.I try to get my bearings as I stare at the cross section of the map blinking with pods in every direction. And those are only the pods Plutarch knows about. The Holo didn’t indicate that the block we just left was mined, had the black geyser, or that the net was made from barbed wire. Besides that, there may be Peacekeepers to deal with, now that they know our position. I bite the inside of my lip, feeling everyone’s eyes on me. Put on your masks. We’re going out the way we came in. Instant objections. I raise my voice over th em. If the wave was that powerful, then it may have triggered and absorbed other pods in our path.People stop to consider this. Pollux makes a few quick signs to his brother. It may have disabled the cameras as well, Castor translates. Coated the lenses. Gale props one of his boots on the counter and examines the splatter of black on the toe. Scrapes it with a kitchen knife from a block on the counter. It’s not corrosive. I think it was meant to either suffocate or poison us. Probably our best shot, says Leeg 1. Masks go on. Finnick adjusts Peeta’s mask over his lifeless face. Cressida and Leeg 1 prop up a woozy Messalla between them. I’m waiting for someone to take the point position when I remember that’s my job now.I push on the kitchen door and meet with no resistance. A half-inch layer of the black goo has spread from the living room about three-quarters of the way down the hall. When I gingerly test it with the toe of my boot, I find it has the cons istency of a gel. I lift my foot and after stretching slightly, it springs back into place. I take three steps into the gel and look back. No footprints. It’s the first good thing that’s happened today. The gel becomes slightly thicker as I cross the living room. I ease open the front door, expecting gallons of the stuff to pour in, but it holds its form.The pink and orange block seems to have been dipped in glossy black paint and set out to dry. Paving stones, buildings, even the rooftops are coated in the gel. A large teardrop hangs above the street. Two shapes project from it. A gun barrel and a human hand. Mitchell. I wait on the sidewalk, staring up at him until the entire group has joined me. If anyone needs to go back, for whatever reason, now is the time, I say. No questions asked, no hard feelings. No one seems inclined to retreat. So I start moving into the Capitol, knowing we don’t have much time.The gel’s deeper here, four to six inches, and m akes a sucking sound each time you pick up your foot, but it still covers our tracks. The wave must have been enormous, with tremendous power behind it, as it’s affected several blocks that lie ahead. And though I tread with care, I think my instinct was right about its triggering other pods. One block is sprinkled with the golden bodies of tracker jackers. They must have been set free only to succumb to the fumes. A little farther along, an entire apartment building has collapsed and lies in a mound under the gel.I sprint across the intersections, holding up a hand for the others to wait while I look for trouble, but the wave seems to have dismantled the pods far better than any squad of rebels could. On the fifth block, I can tell that we’ve reached the point where the wave began to peter out. The gel’s only an inch deep, and I can see baby blue rooftops peeking out across the next intersection. The afternoon light has faded, and we badly need to get under cov er and form a plan. I choose an apartment two-thirds of the way down the block. Homes jimmies the lock, and I order the others inside.I stay on the street for just a minute, watching the last of our footprints fade away, then close the door behind me. Flashlights built into our guns illuminate a large living room with mirrored walls that throw our faces back at us at every turn. Gale checks the windows, which show no damage, and removes his mask. It’s all right. You can smell it, but it’s not too strong. The apartment seems to be laid out exactly like the first one we took refuge in. The gel blacks out any natural daylight in the front, but some light still slips through the shutters in the kitchen. Along the hallway are two bedrooms with baths.A spiral staircase in the living room leads up to an open space that composes much of the second floor. There are no windows upstairs, but the lights have been left on, probably by someone hastily evacuating. A huge television s creen, blank but glowing softly, occupies one wall. Plush chairs and sofas are strewn around the room. This is where we congregate, slump into upholstery, try to catch our breath. Jackson has her gun trained on Peeta even though he’s still cuffed and unconscious, draped across a deep-blue sofa where Homes deposited him. What on earth am I going to do with him?With the crew? With everybody, frankly, besides Gale and Finnick? Because I’d rather track down Snow with those two than without them. But I can’t lead ten people through the Capitol on a pretend mission, even if I could read the Holo. Should I, could I have sent them back when I had a chance? Or was it too dangerous? Both to them personally and to my mission? Maybe I shouldn’t have listened to Boggs, because he might have been in some delusional death state. Maybe I should just come clean, but then Jackson would take over and we’d end up back at camp. Where I’d have Coin to answer to.J ust as the complexity of the mess I’ve dragged everybody into begins to overload my brain, a distant chain of explosions sends a tremor through the room. It wasn’t close, Jackson assures us. A good four or five blocks away. Where we left Boggs, says Leeg 1. Although no one has made a move toward it, the television flares to life, emitting a high-pitched beeping sound, bringing half our party to its feet. It’s all right! calls Cressida. It’s just an emergency broadcast. Every Capitol television is automatically activated for it. There we are on-screen, just after the bomb took out Boggs.A voice-over tells the audience what they are viewing as we try to regroup, react to the black gel shooting from the street, lose control of the situation. We watch the chaos that follows until the wave blots out the cameras. The last thing we see is Gale, alone on the street, trying to shoot through the cables that hold Mitchell aloft. The reporter identifies Gale, Finnick , Boggs, Peeta, Cressida, and me by name. There’s no aerial footage. Boggs must have been right about their hovercraft capacity, says Castor. I didn’t notice this, but I guess it’s the kind of thing a cameraman picks up on.Coverage continues from the courtyard behind the apartment where we took shelter. Peacekeepers line the roof across from our former hideout. Shells are launched into the row of apartments, setting off the chain of explosions we heard, and the building collapses into rubble and dust. Now we cut to a live feed. A reporter stands on the roof with the Peacekeepers. Behind her, the apartment block burns. Firefighters try to control the blaze with water hoses. We are pronounced dead. Finally, a bit of luck, says Homes. I guess he’s right. Certainly it’s better than having the Capitol in pursuit of us.But I just keep imagining how this will be playing back in 13. Where my mother and Prim, Hazelle and the kids, Annie, Haymitch, and a who le lot of people from 13 think that they have just seen us die. My father. He just lost my sister and now ¦ says Leeg 1. We watch as they play the footage over and over. Revel in their victory, especially over me. Break away to do a montage of the Mockingjay’s rise to rebel power†I think they’ve had this part prepared for a while, because it seems pretty polished†and then go live so a couple of reporters can discuss my well-deserved violent end. Later, they promise, Snow will make an official statement.The screen fades back to a glow. The rebels made no attempt to break in during the broadcast, which leads me to believe they think it’s true. If that’s so, we really are on our own. So, now that we’re dead, what’s our next move? asks Gale. Isn’t it obvious? No one even knew Peeta had regained consciousness. I don’t know how long he’s been watching, but by the look of misery on his face, long enough to see wha t happened on the street. How he went mad, tried to bash my head in, and hurled Mitchell into the pod. He painfully pushes himself up to a sitting position and directs his words to Gale. Our next move ¦is to kill me. 1 That makes two requests for Peeta’s death in less than an hour. Don’t be ridiculous, says Jackson. I just murdered a member of our squad! shouts Peeta. You pushed him off you. You couldn’t have known he would trigger the net at that exact spot, says Finnick, trying to calm him. Who cares? He’s dead, isn’t he? Tears begin to run down Peeta’s face. I didn’t know. I’ve never seen myself like that before. Katniss is right. I’m the monster. I’m the mutt. I’m the one Snow has turned into a weapon! It’s not your fault, Peeta, says Finnick. You can’t take me with you. It’s only a matter of time before I kill someone else.Peeta looks around at our conflicted faces. Maybe you thi nk it’s kinder to just dump me somewhere. Let me take my chances. But that’s the same thing as handing me over to the Capitol. Do you think you’d be doing me a favor by sending me back to Snow? Peeta. Back in Snow’s hands. Tortured and tormented until no bits of his former self will ever emerge again. For some reason, the last stanza to The Hanging Tree starts running through my head. The one where the man wants his lover dead rather than have her face the evil that awaits her in the world. Are you, are you Coming to the tree Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree. I’ll kill you before that happens, says Gale. I promise. Peeta hesitates, as if considering the reliability of this offer, and then shakes his head. It’s no good. What if you’re not there to do it? I want one of those poison pills like the rest of you have. Nightlock. There’s one pill back at camp, in its special slot on the sleeve of my Mockingjay suit. But there’s another in the breast pocket of my uniform. Interesting that they didn’t issue one to Peeta. Perhaps Coin thought he might take it before he had the opportunity to kill me.It’s unclear if Peeta means he’d finish himself off now, to spare us having to murder him, or only if the Capitol took him prisoner again. In the state he’s in, I expect it would be sooner rather than later. It would certainly make things easier on the rest of us. Not to have to shoot him. It would certainly simplify the problem of dealing with his homicidal episodes. I don’t know if it’s the pods, or the fear, or watching Boggs die, but I feel the arena all around me. It’s as if I’ve never left, really. Once again I’m battling not only for my own survival but for Peeta’s as well.How satisfying, how entertaining it would be for Snow to have me kill him. To have Peeta’s death on my conscience for whatever is left of my life. It’s not about you, I say. We’re on a mission. And you’re necessary to it. I look to the rest of the group. Think we might find some food here? Besides the medical kit and cameras, we have nothing but our uniforms and our weapons. Half of us stay to guard Peeta or keep an eye out for Snow’s broadcast, while the others hunt for something to eat. Messalla proves most valuable because he lived in a near replica of this apartment and knows where people would be most likely to stash food.Like how there’s a storage space concealed by a mirrored panel in the bedroom, or how easy it is to pop out the ventilation screen in the hallway. So even though the kitchen cupboards are bare, we find over thirty canned goods and several boxes of cookies. The hoarding disgusts the soldiers raised in 13. Isn’t this illegal? says Leeg 1. On the contrary, in the Capi tol you’d be considered stupid not to do it, says Messalla. Even before the Quarter Quell, people were starting to stock up on scarce supplies. While others went without, says Leeg 1. Right, says Messalla. That’s how it works here.Fortunately, or we wouldn’t have dinner, says Gale. Everybody grab a can. Some of our company seem reluctant to do this, but it’s as good a method as any. I’m really not in the mood to divvy up everything into eleven equal parts, factoring in age, body weight, and physical output. I poke around in the pile, about to settle on some cod chowder, when Peeta holds out a can to me. Here. I take it, not knowing what to expect. The label reads Lamb Stew. I press my lips together at the memories of rain dripping through stones, my inept attempts at flirting, and the aroma of my favorite Capitol dish in the chilly air.So some part of it must still be in his head, too. How happy, how hungry, how close we were when that picnic baske t arrived outside our cave. Thanks. I pop open the top. It even has dried plums. I bend the lid and use it as a makeshift spoon, scooping a bit into my mouth. Now this place tastes like the arena, too. We’re passing around a box of fancy cream-filled cookies when the beeping starts again. The seal of Panem lights up on the screen and remains there while the anthem plays. And then they begin to show images of the dead, just as they did with the tributes in the arena. They start with the four faces f our TV crew, followed by Boggs, Gale, Finnick, Peeta, and me. Except for Boggs, they don’t bother with the soldiers from 13, either because they have no idea who they are or because they know they won’t mean anything to the audience. Then the man himself appears, seated at his desk, a flag draped behind him, the fresh white rose gleaming in his lapel. I think he might have recently had more work done, because his lips are puffier than usual. And his prep team really n eeds to use a lighter hand with his blush. Snow congratulates the Peacekeepers on a masterful job, honors them for ridding the country of the menace called the Mockingjay.With my Snow congratulates the Peacekeepers on a masterful job, honors them for ridding the country of the menace called the Mockingjay. With my death, he predicts a turning of the tide in the war, since the demoralized rebels have no one left to follow. And what was I, really? A poor, unstable girl with a small talent with a bow and arrow. Not a great thinker, not the mastermind of the rebellion, merely a face plucked from the rabble because I had caught the nation’s attention with my antics in the Games. But necessary, so very necessary, because the rebels have no real leader among them.Somewhere in District 13, Beetee hits a switch, because now it’s not President Snow but President Coin who’s looking at us. She introduces herself to Panem, identifies herself as the head of the rebellion, and then gives my eulogy. Praise for the girl who survived the Seam and the Hunger Games, then turned a country of slaves into an army of freedom fighters. Dead or alive, Katniss Everdeen will remain the face of this rebellion. If ever you waver in your resolve, think of the Mockingjay, and in her you will find the strength you need to rid Panem of its oppressors.I had no idea how much I meant to her, I say, which brings a laugh from Gale and questioning looks from the others. Up comes a heavily doctored photo of me looking beautiful and fierce with a bunch of flames flickering behind me. No words. No slogan. My face is all they need now. Beetee gives the reins back to a very controlled Snow. I have the feeling the president thought the emergency channel was impenetrable, and someone will end up dead tonight because it was breached. Tomorrow morning, when we pull Katniss Everdeen’s body from the ashes, we will see exactly who the Mockingjay is.A dead girl who could save no one, not even herself. Seal, anthem, and out. Except that you won’t find her, says Finnick to the empty screen, voicing what we’re all probably thinking. The grace period will be brief. Once they dig through those ashes and come up missing eleven bodies, they’ll know we escaped. We can get a head start on them at least, I say. Suddenly, I’m so tired. All I want is to lie down on a nearby green plush sofa and go to sleep. To cocoon myself in a comforter made of rabbit fur and goose down.Instead, I pull out the Holo and insist that Jackson talk me through the most basic commands†which are really about entering the coordinates of the nearest map grid intersection†so that I can at least begin to operate the thing myself. As the Holo projects our surroundings, I feel my heart sink even further. We must be moving closer to crucial targets, because the number of pods has noticeably increased. How can we possibly move forward into this bouquet of blinking lights without detection? We can’t. And if we can’t, we are trapped like birds in a net. I decide it’s best not to adopt some sort of superior attitude when I’m with these people.Especially when my eyes keep drifting to that green sofa. So I say, Any ideas? Why don’t we start by ruling out possibilities, says Finnick. The street is not a possibility. The rooftops are just as bad as the street, says Leeg 1. We still might have a chance to withdraw, go back the way we came, says Homes. But that would mean a failed mission. A pang of guilt hits me since I’ve fabricated said mission. It was never intended for all of us to go forward. You just had the misfortune to be with me. Well, that’s a moot point. We’re with you now, says Jackson. So, we can’t stay put. We can’t move up.We can’t move laterally. I think that just leaves one option. Underground, says Gale. Underground. Which I hate. Like mines and tunnels an d 13. Underground, where I dread dying, which is stupid because even if I die aboveground, the next thing they’ll do is bury me underground anyway. The Holo can show subterranean as well as street-level pods. I see that when we go underground the clean, dependable lines of the street plan are interlaced with a twisting, turning mess of tunnels. The pods look less numerous, though. Two doors down, a vertical tube connects our row of apartments to the tunnels.To reach the tube apartment, we will need to squeeze through a maintenance shaft that runs the length of the building. We can enter the shaft through the back of a closet space on the upper floor. Okay, then. Let’s make it look like we’ve never been here, I say. We erase all signs of our stay. Send the empty cans down a trash chute, pocket the full ones for later, flip sofa cushions smeared with blood, wipe traces of gel from the tiles. There’s no fixing the latch on the front door, but we lock a secon d bolt, which will at least keep the door from swinging open on contact. Finally, there’s only Peeta to contend with.He plants himself on the blue sofa, refusing to budge. I’m not going. I’ll either disclose your position or hurt someone else. Snow’s people will find you, says Finnick. Then leave me a pill. I’ll only take it if I have to, says Peeta. That’s not an option. Come along, says Jackson. Or you’ll what? Shoot me? asks Peeta. We’ll knock you out and drag you with us, says Homes. Which will both slow us down and endanger us. Stop being noble! I don’t care if I die! He turns to me, pleading now. Katniss, please. Don’t you see, I want to be out of this? The trouble is, I do see. Why can’t I just let him go?Slip him a pill, pull the trigger? Is it because I care too much about Peeta or too much about letting Snow win? Have I turned him into a piece in my private Games? That’s despicable, but Iâ €™m not sure it’s beneath me. If it’s true, it would be kindest to kill Peeta here and now. But for better or worse, I am not motivated by kindness. We’re wasting time. Are you coming voluntarily or do we knock you out? Peeta buries his face in his hands for a few moments, then rises to join us. Should we free his hands? asks Leeg 1. No! Peeta growls at her, drawing his cuffs in close to his body. No, I echo. But I want the key.Jackson passes it over without a word. I slip it into my pants pocket, where it clicks against the pearl. When Homes pries open the small metal door to the maintenance shaft, we encounter another problem. There’s no way the insect shells will be able to fit through the narrow passage. Castor and Pollux remove them and detach emergency backup cameras. Each is the size of a shoe box and probably works about as well. Messalla can’t think of anywhere better to hide the bulky shells, so we end up dumping them in the closet. L eaving such an easy trail to follow frustrates me, but what else can we do?Even going single file, holding our packs and gear out to the side, it’s a tight fit. We sidestep our way past the first apartment, and break into the second. In this apartment, one of the bedrooms has a door marked utility instead of a bathroom. Behind the door is the room with the entrance to the tube. Messalla frowns at the wide circular cover, for a moment returning to his own fussy world. It’s why no one ever wants the center unit. Workmen coming and going whenever and no second bath. But the rent’s considerably cheaper. Then he notices Finnick’s amused expression and adds, Never mind.The tube cover’s simple to unlatch. A wide ladder with rubber treads on the steps allows for a swift, easy descent into the bowels of the city. We gather at the foot of the ladder, waiting for our eyes to adjust to the dim strips of lights, breathing in the mixture of chemicals, mildew, an d sewage. Pollux, pale and sweaty, reaches out and latches on to Castor’s wrist. Like he might fall over if there isn’t someone to steady him. My brother worked down here after he became an Avox, says Castor. Of course. Who else would they get to maintain these dank, evilsmelling passages mined with pods?Took five years before we were able to buy his way up to ground level. Didn’t see the sun once. Under better conditions, on a day with fewer horrors and more rest, someone would surely know what to say. Instead we all stand there for a long time trying to formulate a response. Finally, Peeta turns to Pollux. Well, then you just became our most valuable asset. Castor laughs and Pollux manages a smile. We’re halfway down the first tunnel when I realize what was so remarkable about the exchange. Peeta sounded like his old self, the one who could always think of the right thing to say when nobody else could.Ironic, encouraging, a little funny, but not at anyo ne’s expense. I glance back at him as he trudges along under his guards, Gale and Jackson, his eyes fixed on the ground, his shoulders hunched forward. So dispirited. But for a moment, he was really here. Peeta called it right. Pollux turns out to be worth ten Holos. There is a simple network of wide tunnels that directly corresponds to the main street plan above, underlying the major avenues and cross streets. It’s called the Transfer, since small trucks use it to deliver goods around the city. During the day, its many pods are deactivated, but at night it’s a minefield.However, hundreds of additional passages, utility shafts, train tracks, and drainage tubes form a multilevel maze. Pollux knows details that would lead to disaster for a newcomer, like which offshoots might require gas masks or have live wires or rats the size of beavers. He alerts us to the gush of water that sweeps through the sewers periodically, anticipates the time the Avoxes will be changi ng shifts, leads us into damp, obscure pipes to dodge the nearly silent passage of cargo trains. Most important, he has knowledge of the cameras. There aren’t many down in this gloomy, misty place, except in the Transfer.But we keep well out of their way. Under Pollux’s guidance we make good time†remarkable time, if you compare it to our aboveground travel. After about six hours, fatigue takes over. It’s three in the morning, so I figure we still have a few hours before our bodies are discovered missing, they search through the rubble of the whole block of apartments in case we tried to escape through the shafts, and the hunt begins. When I suggest we rest, no one objects. Pollux finds a small, warm room humming with machines loaded with levers and dials. He holds up his fingers to indicate we must be gone in four hours.Jackson works out a guard schedule, and, since I’m not on the first shift, I wedge myself in the tight space between Gale and Leeg 1 and go right to sleep. It seems like only minutes later when Jackson shakes me awake, tells me I’m on watch. It’s six o’clock, and in one hour we must be on our way. Jackson tells me to eat a can of food and keep an eye on Pollux, who’s insisted on being on guard the entire night. He can’t sleep down here. I drag myself into a state of relative alertness, eat a can of potato and bean stew, and sit against the wall facing the door. Pollux seems wide awake.He’s probably been reliving those five years of imprisonment all night. I get out the Holo and manage to input our grid coordinates and scan the tunnels. As expected, more pods are registering the closer we move toward the center of the Capitol. For a while, Pollux and I click around on the Holo, seeing what traps lie where. When my head begins to spin, I hand it over to him and lean back against the wall. I look down at the sleeping soldiers, crew, and friends, and I wonder how many of us will ever see the sun again. When my eyes fall on Peeta, whose head rests right by my feet, I see he’s awake.I wish I could read what’s going on in his mind, that I could go in and untangle the mess of lies. Then I settle for something I can accomplish. Have you eaten? I ask. A slight shake of his head indicates he hasn’t. I open a can of chicken and rice soup and hand it to him, keeping the lid in case he tries to slit his wrists with it or something. He sits up and tilts the can, chugging back the soup without really bothering to chew it. The bottom of the can reflects the lights from the machines, and I remember something that’s been itching at the back of my mind since yesterday.Peeta, when you asked about what happened to Darius and Lavinia, and Boggs told you it was real, you said you thought so. Because there was nothing shiny about it. What did you mean? Oh. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, he tells me. In the beginning, everything was just complete confusion. Now I can sort certain things out. I think there’s a pattern emerging. The memories they altered with the tracker jacker venom have this strange quality about them. Like they’re too intense or the images aren’t stable. You remember what it was like when we were stung? Trees shattered.There were giant colored butterflies. I fell in a pit of orange bubbles. I think about it. Shiny orange bubbles. Right. But nothing about Darius or Lavinia was like that. I don’t think they’d given me any venom yet, he says. Well, that’s good, isn’t it? I ask. If you can separate the two, then you can figure out what’s true. Yes. And if I could grow wings, I could fly. Only people can’t grow wings, he says. Real or not real? Real, I say. But people don’t need wings to survive. Mockingjays do. He finishes the soup and returns the can to me. In the fluorescent light, the circles under his eyes look like brui ses.There’s still time. You should sleep. Unresisting, he lies back down, but just stares at the needle on one of the dials as it twitches from side to side. Slowly, as I would with a wounded animal, my hand stretches out and brushes a wave of hair from his forehead. He freezes at my touch, but doesn’t recoil. So I continue to gently smooth back his hair. It’s the first time I have voluntarily touched him since the last arena. You’re still trying to protect me. Real or not real, he whispers. Real, I answer. It seems to require more explanation. Because that’s what you and I do. Protect each other.After a minute or so, he drifts off to sleep. Shortly before seven, Pollux and I move among the others, rousing them. There are the usual yawns and sighs that accompany waking. But my ears are picking up something else, too. Almost like a hissing. Perhaps it’s only steam escaping a pipe or the far-off whoosh of one of the trains ¦. I hush the grou p to get a better read on it. There’s a hissing, yes, but it’s not one extended sound. More like multiple exhalations that form words. A single word. Echoing throughout the tunnels. One word. One name. Repeated over and over again. Katniss. 22The grace period has ended. Perhaps Snow had them digging through the night. As soon as the fire died down, anyway. They found Boggs’s remains, briefly felt reassured, and then, as the hours went by without further trophies, began to suspect. At some point, they realized that they had been tricked. And President Snow can’t tolerate being made to look like a fool. It doesn’t matter whether they tracked us to the second apartment or assumed we went directly underground. They know we are down here now and they’ve unleashed something, a pack of mutts probably, bent on finding me. Katniss.I jump at the proximity of the sound. Look frantically for its source, bow loaded, seeking a target to hit. Katniss. Peet a’s lips are barely moving, but there’s no doubt, the name came out of him. Just when I thought he seemed a little better, when I thought he might be inching his way back to me, here is proof of how deep Snow’s poison went. Katniss. Peeta’s programmed to respond to the hissing chorus, to join in the hunt. He’s beginning to stir. There’s no choice. I position my arrow to penetrate his brain. He’ll barely feel a thing. Suddenly, he’s sitting up, eyes wide in alarm, short of breath.Katniss! He whips his head toward me but doesn’t seem to notice my bow, the waiting arrow. Katniss! Get out of here! I hesitate. His voice is alarmed, but not insane. Why? What’s making that sound? I don’t know. Only that it has to kill you, says Peeta. Run! Get out! Go! After my own moment of confusion, I conclude I do not have to shoot him. Relax my bowstring. Take in the anxious faces around me. Whatever it is, it’s after me. It might be a good time to split up. But we’re your guard, says Jackson. And your crew, adds Cressida. I’m not leaving you, Gale says.I look at the crew, armed with nothing but cameras and clipboards. And there’s Finnick with two guns and a trident. I suggest that he give one of his guns to Castor. Eject the blank cartridge from Peeta’s, load it with a real one, and arm Pollux. Since Gale and I have our bows, we hand our guns over to Messalla and Cressida. There’s no time to show them anything but how to point and pull the trigger, but in close quarters, that might be enough. It’s better than being defenseless. Now the only one without a weapon is Peeta, but anyone whispering my name with a bunch of mutts doesn’t need one anyway.We leave the room free of everything but our scent. There’s no way to erase that at the moment. I’m guessing that’s how the hissing things are tracking us, because we haven’t le ft much of a physical trail. The mutts’ noses will be abnormally keen, but possibly the time we spent slogging through water in drainpipes will help throw them. Outside the hum of the room, the hissing becomes more distinct. But it’s also possible to get a better sense of the mutts’ location. They’re behind us, still a fair distance. Snow probably had them released underground near the place where he found Boggs’s body.Theoretically, we should have a good lead on them, although they’re certain to be much faster than we are. My mind wanders to the wolflike creatures in the first arena, the monkeys in the Quarter Quell, the monstrosities I’ve witnessed on television over the years, and I wonder what form these mutts will take. Whatever Snow thinks will scare me the most. Pollux and I have worked out a plan for the next leg of our journey, and since it heads away from the hissing, I see no reason to alter it. If we move swiftly, maybe we can reach Snow’s mansion before the mutts reach us.But there’s a sloppiness that comes with speed: the poorly placed boot that results in a splash, the accidental clang of a gun against a pipe, even my own commands, issued too loudly for discretion. We’ve covered about three more blocks via an overflow pipe and a section of neglected train track when the screams begin. Thick, guttural. Bouncing off the tunnel walls. Avoxes, says Peeta immediately. That’s what Darius sounded like when they tortured him. The mutts must have found them, says Cressida. So they’re not just after Katniss, says Leeg 1. They’ll probably kill anyone. It’s just that they won’t stop until they get to her, says Gale.After his hours studying with Beetee, he is most likely right. And here I am again. With people dying because of me. Friends, allies, complete strangers, losing their lives for the Mockingjay. Let me go on alone. Lead them off. I’ll tra nsfer the Holo to Jackson. The rest of you can finish the mission. No one’s going to agree to that! says Jackson in exasperation. We’re wasting time! says Finnick. Listen, Peeta whispers. The screams have stopped, and in their absence my name has rebounded, startling in its proximity. It’s below as well as behind us now. Katniss. I nudge Pollux on the shoulder and we start to run.Trouble is, we had planned to descend to a lower level, but that’s out now. When we come to the steps leading down, Pollux and I are scanning for a possible alternative on the Holo when I start gagging. Masks on! orders Jackson. There’s no need for masks. Everyone is breathing the same air. I’m the only one losing my stew because I’m the only one reacting to the odor. Drifting up from the stairwell. Cutting through the sewage. Roses. I begin to tremble. I swerve away from the smell and stumble right out onto the Transfer. Smooth, pastel-colored tiled streets, just like the ones above, but bordered by white brick walls instead of homes.A roadway where delivery vehicles can drive with ease, without the congestion of the Capitol. Empty now, of everything but us. I swing up my bow and blow up the first pod with an explosive arrow, which kills the nest of flesh-eating rats inside. Then I sprint for the next intersection, where I know one false step will cause the ground beneath our feet to disintegrate, feeding us into something labeled Meat Grinder. I shout a warning to the others to stay with me. I plan for us to skirt around the corner and then detonate the Meat Grinder, but another unmarked pod lies in wait.It happens silently. I would miss it entirely if Finnick didn’t pull me to a stop. Katniss! I whip back around, arrow poised for flight, but what can be done? Two of Gale’s arrows already lie useless beside the wide shaft of golden light that radiates from ceiling to floor. Inside, Messalla is as still as a statue, poise d up on the ball of one foot, head tilted back, held captive by the beam. I can’t tell if he’s yelling, although his mouth is stretched wide. We watch, utterly helpless, as the flesh melts off his body like candle wax. Can’t help him! Peeta starts shoving people forward. Can’t!Amazingly, he’s the only one still functional enough to get us moving. I don’t know why he’s in control, when he should be flipping out and bashing my brains in, but that could happen any second. At the pressure of his hand against my shoulder, I turn away from the grisly thing that was Messalla; I make my feet go forward, fast, so fast that I can barely skid to a stop before the next intersection. A spray of gunfire brings down a shower of plaster. I jerk my head from side to side, looking for the pod, before I turn and see the squad of Peacekeepers pounding down the Transfer toward us.With the Meat Grinder pod blocking our way, there’s nothing to do but fire back. They outnumber us two to one, but we’ve still got six original members of the Star Squad, who aren’t trying to run and shoot at the same time. Fish in a barrel, I think, as blossoms of red stain their white uniforms. Three-quarters of them are down and dead when more begin to pour in from the side of the tunnel, the same one I flung myself through to get away from the smell, from the† Those aren’t Peacekeepers. They are white, four-limbed, about the size of a full-grown human, but that’s where the comparisons stop.Naked, with long reptilian tails, arched backs, and heads that jut forward. They swarm over the Peacekeepers, living and dead, clamp on to their necks with their mouths and rip off the helmeted heads. Apparently, having a Capitol pedigree is as useless here as it was in 13. It seems to take only seconds before the Peacekeepers are decapitated. The mutts fall to their bellies and skitter toward us on all fours. This way! I shout , hugging the wall and making a sharp right turn to avoid the pod. When everyone’s joined me, I fire into the intersection, and the Meat Grinder activates.Huge mechanical teeth burst through the street and chew the tile to dust. That should make it impossible for the mutts to follow us, but I don’t know. The wolf and monkey mutts I’ve encountered could leap unbelievably far. The hissing burns my ears, and the reek of roses makes the walls spin. I grab Pollux’s arm. Forget the mission. What’s the quickest way aboveground? There’s no time for checking the Holo. We follow Pollux for about ten yards along the Transfer and go through a doorway. I’m aware of tile changing to concrete, of crawling through a tight, stinking pipe onto a ledge about a foot wide. We’re in the main sewer.A yard below, a poisonous brew of human waste, garbage, and chemical runoff bubbles by us. Parts of the surface are on fire, others emit evil-looking clou ds of vapor. One look tells you that if you fall in, you’re never coming out. Moving as quickly as we dare on the slippery ledge, we make our way to a narrow bridge and cross it. In an alcove at the far side, Pollux smacks a ladder with his hand and points up the shaft. This is it. Our way out. A quick glance at our party tells me something’s off. Wait! Where are Jackson and Leeg One? They stayed at the Grinder to hold the mutts back, says Homes. What?I’m lunging back for the bridge, willing to leave no one to those monsters, when he yanks me back. Don’t waste their lives, Katniss. It’s too late for them. Look! Homes nods to the pipe, where the mutts are slithering onto the ledge. Stand back! Gale shouts. With his explosive-tipped arrows, he rips the far side of the bridge from its foundation. The rest sinks into the bubbles, just as the mutts reach it. For the first time, I get a good look at them. A mix of human and lizard and who knows what else . White, tight reptilian skin smeared with gore, clawed hands and feet, their faces a mess of conflicting features.Hissing, shrieking my name now, as their bodies contort in rage. Lashing out with tails and claws, taking huge chunks of one another or their own bodies with wide, lathered mouths, driven mad by their need to destroy me. My scent must be as evocative to them as theirs is to me. More so, because despite its toxicity, the mutts begin to throw themselves into the foul sewer. Along our bank, everyone opens fire. I choose my arrows without discretion, sending arrowheads, fire, explosives into the mutts’ bodies. They’re mortal, but only just. No natural thing could keep coming with two dozen bullets in it.Yes, we can eventually kill them, only there are so many, an endless supply pouring from the pipe, not even hesitating to take to the sewage. But it’s not their numbers that make my hands shake so. No mutt is good. All are meant to damage you. Some take your life, like the monkeys. Others your reason, like the tracker jackers. However, the true atrocities, the most frightening, incorporate a perverse psychological twist designed to terrify the victim. The sight of the wolf mutts with the dead tributes’ eyes. The sound of the jabberjays replicating Prim’s tortured screams.The smell of Snow’s roses mixed with the victims’ blood. Carried across the sewer. Cutting through even this foulness. Making my heart run wild, my skin turn to ice, my lungs unable to suck air. It’s as if Snow’s breathing right in my face, telling me it’s time to die. The others are shouting at me, but I can’t seem to respond. Strong arms lift me as I blast the head off a mutt whose claws have just grazed my ankle. I’m slammed into the ladder. Hands shoved against the rungs. Ordered to climb. My wooden, puppet limbs obey. Movement slowly brings me back to my senses. I detect one person above me.Pollux. Peeta and Cressida are below. We reach a platform. Switch to a second ladder. Rungs slick with sweat and mildew. At the next platform, my head has cleared and the reality of what’s happened hits me. I begin frantically pulling people up off the ladder. Peeta. Cressida. That’s it. What have I done? What have I abandoned the others to? I’m scrambling back down the ladder when one of my boots kicks someone. Climb! Gale barks at me. I’m back up, hauling him in, peering into the gloom for more. No. Gale turns my face to him and shakes his head. Uniform shredded. Gaping wound in the side of his neck.There’s a human cry from below. Someone’s still alive, I plead. No, Katniss. They’re not coming, says Gale. Only the mutts are. Unable to accept it, I shine the light from Cressida’s gun down the shaft. Far below, I can just make out Finnick, struggling to hang on as three mutts tear at him. As one yanks back his head to take the death b ite, something bizarre happens. It’s as if I’m Finnick, watching images of my life flash by. The mast of a boat, a silver parachute, Mags laughing, a pink sky, Beetee’s trident, Annie in her wedding dress, waves breaking over rocks. Then it’s over.I slide the Holo from my belt and choke out nightlock, nightlock, nightlock. Release it. Hunch against the wall with the others as the explosion rocks the platform and bits of mutt and human flesh shoot out of the pipe and shower us. There’s a clank as Pollux slams a cover over the pipe and locks it in place. Pollux, Gale, Cressida, Peeta, and me. We’re all that’s left. Later, the human feelings will come. Now I’m conscious only of an animal need to keep the remnants of our band alive. We can’t stop here. Someone comes up with a bandage. We tie it around Gale’s neck. Get him to his feet.Only one figure stays huddled against the wall. Peeta, I say. There’s no respo nse. Has he blacked out? I crouch in front of him, pulling his cuffed hands from his face. Peeta? His eyes are like black pools, the pupils dilated so that the blue irises have all but vanished. The muscles in his wrists are hard as metal. Leave me, he whispers. I can’t hang on. Yes. You can! I tell him. Peeta shakes his head. I’m losing it. I’ll go mad. Like them. Like the mutts. Like a rabid beast bent on ripping my throat out. And here, finally here in this place, in these circumstances, I will really have to kill him. And Snow will win.Hot, bitter hatred courses through me. Snow has won too much already today. It’s a long shot, it’s suicide maybe, but I do the only thing I can think of. I lean in and kiss Peeta full on the mouth. His whole body starts shuddering, but I keep my lips pressed to his until I have to come up for air. My hands slide up his wrists to clasp his. Don’t let him take you from me. Peeta’s panting hard as he f ights the nightmares raging in his head. No. I don’t want to ¦ I clench his hands to the point of pain. Stay with me. His pupils contract to pinpoints, dilate again rapidly, and then return to something resembling normalcy.Always, he murmurs. I help Peeta up and address Pollux. How far to the street? He indicates it’s just above us. I climb the last ladder and push open the lid to someone’s utility room. I’m rising to my feet when a woman throws open the door. She wears a bright turquoise silk robe embroidered with exotic birds. Her magenta hair’s fluffed up like a cloud and decorated with gilded butterflies. Grease from the half-eaten sausage she’s holding smears her lipstick. The expression on her face says she recognizes me. She opens her mouth to call for help. Without hesitation, I shoot her through the heart. 23Who the woman was calling to remains a mystery, because after searching the apartment, we find she was alone. Perhaps her cr y was meant for a nearby neighbor, or was simply an expression of fear. At any rate, there’s no one else to hear her. This apartment would be a classy place to hole up in for a while, but that’s a luxury we can’t afford. How long do you think we have before they figure out some of us could’ve survived? I ask. I think they could be here anytime, Gale answers. They knew we were heading for the streets. Probably the explosion will throw them for a few minutes, then they’ll start looking for our exit point.I go to a window that overlooks the street, and when I peek through the blinds, I’m not faced with Peacekeepers but with a bundled crowd of people going about their business. During our underground journey, we have left the evacuated zones far behind and surfaced in a busy section of the Capitol. This crowd offers our only chance of escape. I don’t have a Holo, but I have Cressida. She joins me at the window, confirms she knows our loca tion, and gives me the good news that we aren’t many blocks from the president’s mansion. One glance at my companions tells me this is no time for a stealth attack on Snow.Gale’s still losing blood from the neck wound, which we haven’t even cleaned. Peeta’s sitting on a velvet sofa with his teeth clamped down on a pillow, either fighting off madness or containing a scream. Pollux weeps against the mantel of an ornate fireplace. Cressida stands determinedly at my side, but she’s so pale her lips are bloodless. I’m running on hate. When the energy for that ebbs, I’ll be worthless. Let’s check her closets, I say. In one bedroom we find hundreds of the woman’s outfits, coats, pairs of shoes, a rainbow of wigs, enough makeup to paint a house.In a bedroom across the hall, there’s a similar selection for men. Perhaps they belong to her husband. Perhaps to a lover who had the good luck to be out this morning. I cal l the others to dress. At the sight of Peeta’s bloody wrists, I dig in my pocket for the handcuff key, but he jerks away from me. No, he says. Don’t. They help hold me together. You might need your hands, says Gale. When I feel myself slipping, I dig my wrists into them, and the pain helps me focus, says Peeta. I let them be. Fortunately, it’s cold out, so we can conceal most of our uniforms and weapons under flowing coats and cloaks.We hang our boots around our necks by their laces and hide them, pull on silly shoes to replace them. The real challenge, of course, is our faces. Cressida and Pollux run the risk of being recognized by acquaintances, Gale could be familiar from the propos and news, and Peeta and I are known by every citizen of Panem. We hastily help one another apply thick layers of makeup, pull on wigs and sunglasses. Cressida wraps scarves over Peeta’s and my mouths and noses. I can feel the clock ticking away, but stop for just a few mome nts to stuff pockets with food and first-aid supplies. Stay together, I say at the front door.Then we march right into the street. Snow flurries have begun to fall. Agitated people swirl around us, speaking of rebels and hunger and me in their affected Capitol accents. We cross the street, pass a few more apartments. Just as we turn the corner, three dozen Peacekeepers sweep past us. We hop out of their way, as the real citizens do, wait until the crowd returns to its normal flow, and keep moving. Cressida, I whisper. Can you think of anywhere? I’m trying, she says. We cover another block, and the sirens begin. Through an apartment window, I see an emergency report and pictures of our faces flashing.They haven’t identified who in our party died yet, because I see Castor and Finnick among the photos. Soon every passerby will be as dangerous as a Peacekeeper. Cressida? There’s one place. It’s not ideal. But we can try it, she says. We follow her a few more blocks and turn through a gate into what looks like a private residence. It’s some kind of shortcut, though, because after walking through a manicured garden, we come out of another gate onto a small back street that connects two main avenues. There are a few poky stores†one that buys used goods, another that sells fake jewelry.Only a couple of people are around, and they pay no attention to us. Cressida begins to babble in a high-pitched voice about fur undergarments, how essential they are during the cold months. Wait until you see the prices! Believe me, it’s half what you pay on the avenues! We stop before a grimy storefront filled with mannequins in furry underwear. The place doesn’t even look open, but Cressida pushes through the front door, setting off a dissonant chiming. Inside the dim, narrow shop lined with racks of merchandise, the smell of pelts fills my nose.Business must be slow, since we’re the only customers. Cressida heads straight for a hunched figure sitting in the back. I follow, trailing my fingers through the soft garments as we go. Behind a counter sits the strangest person I’ve ever seen. She’s an extreme example of surgical enhancement gone wrong, for surely not even in the Capitol could they find this face attractive. The skin has been pulled back tightly and tattooed with black and gold stripes. The nose has been flattened until it barely exists. I’ve seen cat whiskers on people in the Capitol before, but none so long.The result is a grotesque, semi-feline mask, which now squints at us distrustfully. Cressida takes off her wig, revealing her vines. Tigris, she says. We need help. Tigris. Deep in my brain, the name rings a bell. She was a fixture†a younger, less disturbing version of herself†in the earliest Hunger Games I can remember. A stylist, I think. I don’t remember for which district. Not 12. Then she must have had one operation too many and crossed the line into repellence. So this is where stylists go when they’ve outlived their use. To sad theme underwear shops where they wait for death.Out of the public eye. I stare at her face, wondering if her parents actually named her Tigris, inspiring her mutilation, or if she chose the style and changed her name to match her stripes. Plutarch said you could be trusted, adds Cressida. Great, she’s one of Plutarch’s people. So if her first move isn’t to turn us in to the Capitol, it will be to notify Plutarch, and by extension Coin, of our whereabouts. No, Tigris’s shop is not ideal, but it’s all we have at the moment. If she’ll even help us. She’s peering between an old television on her counter and us, as if trying to place us.To help her, I pull down my scarf, remove my wig, and step closer so that the light of the screen falls on my face. Tigris gives a low growl, not unlike one Buttercup might greet me with. She slinks down off he r stool and disappears behind a rack of fur-lined leggings. There’s a sound of sliding, and then her hand emerges and waves us forward. Cressida looks at me, as if to ask Are you sure? But what choice do we have? Returning to the streets under these conditions guarantees our capture or death. I push around the furs and find Tigris has slid back a panel at the base of the wall.Behind it seems to be the top of a steep stone stairway. She gestures for me to enter. Everything about the situation screams trap. I have a moment of panic and find myself turning to Tigris, searching those tawny eyes. Why is she doing this? She’s no Cinna, someone willing to sacrifice herself for others. This woman was the embodiment of Capitol shallowness. She was one of the stars of the Hunger Games until ¦until she wasn’t. So is that it, then? Bitterness? Hatred? Revenge? Actually, I’m comforted by the idea. A need for revenge can burn long and hot. Especially if every glance in a mirror reinforces it.Did Snow ban you from the Games? I ask. She just stares back at me. Somewhere her tiger tail flicks with displeasure. Because I’m going to kill him, you know. Her mouth spreads into what I take for a smile. Reassured that this isn’t complete madness, I crawl through the space. About halfway down the steps, my face runs into a hanging chain and I pull it, illuminating the hideout with a flickering fluorescent bulb. It’s a small cellar with no doors or windows. Shallow and wide. Probably just a strip between two real basements. A place whose existence could go unnoticed unless you had a very keen eye for dimensions.It’s cold and dank, with piles of pelts that I’m guessing haven’t seen the light of day in years. Unless Tigris gives us up, I don’t believe anyone will find us here. By the time I reach the concrete floor, my companions are on the steps. The panel slides back in place. I hear the underwear rack bein g adjusted on squeaky wheels. Tigris padding back to her stool. We have been swallowed up by her store. Just in time, too, because Gale looks on the verge of collapse. We make a bed of pelts, strip off his layers of weapons, and help him onto his back. At the end of the cellar, there’s a faucet about a foot from the floor with a drain under it.I turn the tap and, after much sputtering and a lot of rust, clear water begins to flow. We clean Gale’s neck wound and I realize bandages won’t be enough. He’s going to need a few stitches. There’s a needle and sterile thread in the first-aid supplies, but what we lack is a healer. It crosses my mind to enlist Tigris. As a stylist, she must know how to work a needle. But that would leave no one manning the shop, and she’s doing enough already. I accept that I’m probably the most qualified for the job, grit my teeth, and put in a row of jagged sutures. It’s not pretty but it’s func tional.I smear it with medicine and wrap it up. Give him some painkillers. You can rest now. It’s safe here, I tell him. He goes out like a light. While Cressida and Pollux make fur nests for each of us, I attend to Peeta’s wrists. Gently rinsing away the blood, putting on an antiseptic, and bandaging them beneath the cuffs. You’ve got to keep them clean, otherwise the infection could spread and† I know what blood poisoning is, Katniss, says Peeta. Even if my mother isn’t a healer. I’m jolted back in time, to another wound, another set of bandages. You said that same thing to me in the first Hunger Games.Real or not real? Real, he says. And you risked your life getting the medicine that saved me? Real. I shrug. You were the reason I was alive to do it. Was I? The comment throws him into confusion. Some shiny memory must be fighting for his attention, because his body tenses and his newly bandaged wrists strain against the metal cuffs. Then al l the energy saps from his body. I’m so tired, Katniss. Go to sleep, I say. He won’t until I’ve rearranged his handcuffs and shackled him to one of the stair supports. It can’t be comfortable, lying there with his arms above his head.But in a few minutes, he drifts off, too. Cressida and Pollux have made beds for us, arranged our food and medical supplies, and now ask what I want to do about setting up a guard. I look at Gale’s pallor, Peeta’s restraints. Pollux hasn’t slept for days, and Cressida and I only napped for a few hours. If a troop of Peacekeepers were to come through that door, we’d be trapped like rats. We are completely at the mercy of a decrepit tiger-woman with what I can only hope is an all-consuming passion for Snow’s death. I don’t honestly think there’s any point in setting up a guard.Let’s just try to get some sleep, I say. They nod numbly, and we all burrow into our pelts. The f ire inside me has flickered out, and with it my strength. I surrender to the soft, musty fur and oblivion. I have only one dream I remember. A long and wearying thing in which I’m trying to get to District 12. The home I’m seeking is intact, the people alive. Effie Trinket, conspicuous in a bright pink wig and tailored outfit, travels with me. I keep trying to ditch her in places, but she inexplicably reappears at my side, insisting that as my escort she’s responsible for my staying on schedule.Only the schedule is constantly shifting, derailed by our lack of a stamp from an official or delayed when Effie breaks one of her high heels. We camp for days on a bench in a gray station in District 7, awaiting a train that never comes. When I wake, somehow I feel even more drained by this than my usual nighttime forays into blood and terror. Cressida, the only person awake, tells me it’s late afternoon. I eat a can of beef stew and wash it down with a lot of wat er. Then I lean against the cellar wall, retracing the