Db bus 36 week 16 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db bus 36 week 16 - Essay Example The main product that the marketing plan was offering to customers was a comprehensive planner called Comp Plan. This product is going to be offered to any interested buyers, but the emphasis of the firm is to target college students. During the process of writing the marketing plan I thought of different potential customers for this product, but college students were the ideal target. An essential part of the plan was explaining the capabilities of the product. It is important to clearly tell people what the product does and what are its benefits. As part of the marketing plan I included a product distribution strategy. This part of the plan is imperative because managers have to have a plan in place on how the product is going to be moved. Another intricate element of the plan was determining the pricing strategy to be used. Price is one of the most influential variables in the success of any marketing

Radioactivity experiment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Radioactivity experiment - Essay Example This also goes to the extent of explaining the practical sense involving radioactivity in the conclusions and recommendation segment. It clearly brings out the sense of radioactive decay in that, it ascertains on the fact that it indeed has to do with spontaneous disintegration of atomic nucleus that leads to release of matter and energy from the entire nucleus. This form of radioactivity experiment might seem simple but the logic behind it is very critical. The main objective behind the lab experiment was the aspect whereby I was investigating the radioactive decay concept by use of coins to simulate the decaying nuclei. Here, tossed coins were taken to have decayed when they came up as tails. The other objective and conclusion that was arrived at was on the importance of using coins in such an experiment, as well as the aspect of coin variations in terms of numbers with regards to both experiments. Radioactivity generally refers to the emission of particles or substances from the nuclei mainly due to nuclear instability. On the other hand, radioactive decay  refers to spontaneous disintegration of atomic nucleus that leads to release of matter and energy from the entire nucleus. Radioisotope has got unstable nuclei with little binding energy for holding the nucleus collectively (EDUCATION RESOURCES, 2014). Radioisotopes often experience constant motions with the ultimate verge of trying to gain stability. That kind of process often leads to release of matter and energy, hence leading to a sort of transformation into a new substance. This entire process is known as  transmutation, and has to do with the aspect of transformation of one element to another due to nucleus change. The transmutation process and radioactive decay will persist until new elements with more stable nucleus are formed. This process can either occur naturally or artificially. There exist three main categories of

ABC, Inc. Case Study Essay Example for Free

ABC, Inc. Case Study Essay Introduction Hiring 15 new employees in early April as part of his first recruitment effort, Carl Robins is the new campus recruiter for ABC, Inc. Hired to work for Monica Carrolls, Operations Supervisor, these new potential employees require training on company policy, being oriented to the organization, and screened for drugs. Carl himself is behind on their training, has not completed all the required processing, in addition to the fact that some of the employees haven’t even completed applications, nor have submitted transcripts. Orientation needs to be arranged somewhere other than the original location, due to double booking conflicts. The training material also needs to be reviewed and confirmed for the employees prior to the seminar. Mr. Robins is quickly falling behind, so he needs to formulate a plan of action, and implement it concisely. See more: Satirical essay about drugs Background Having successful hired 15 new people in early April, Carl had plenty of time to prior to June 15th in which to organize everything, but procrastinated until it became a scramble to handle everything at once. While he is in fact fairly new to his own job, having only been with ABC for six months now, he should still be able to handle this workload, and produce the desired results. This inexperience can explain some of the improper planning, and his lack of knowledge about how long it actually takes to complete his task, but does not excuse it. However, after evaluating his choices and finding a solution, I believe Carl will find the July deadline attainable, albeit with a bit more of an effort put in. Key Problems There are a few basic, key problems, the root of them all being improper planning and lack of experience. The problem of improper planning itself is easily solved, while the lack of experience is simply something that comes with time and practice. Building up from the lack of proper planning, we can  see what issues stemmed from this, such as: Needing a location for orientation Drug screening completion Unfiled or incomplete paperwork Lack of required training materials Attempting to handle every task alone Taking an in depth look at the various issues can help us find solutions, so I’ll go over each problem individually. Needing a Location for Orientation: After reviewing, an immediate scheduling conflict between the orientation for the new trainees and technology services arises. The scheduling log shows the training room booked for the whole month of June for computer training seminars. June is the month in which the orientation is scheduled to occur, and so the training room is unavailable. Drug Screening Completion: A drug screening is required for all the new hires, and thus they need to be sent to the clinic for such a drug screen test. As of Memorial Day, such has not happened for any of the 15 trainees, less than 20 days prior to the scheduled orientation date. This is something Carl is required to do, having been in contact with Monica to confirm such things would get done as part of his work, so he should not have been surprised that it was not yet completed. Unfiled o r Incomplete Paperwork: Also while reviewing his trainee file, it is found that not all the trainees have not completed their applications, nor have all the trainees gotten transcripts on file, another task Carl could and should have handled promptly. While it may seem obvious that these things are required, a lack of communication could have caused such a simple issue. Lack of Required Training Materials: Once reviewed, the training material is obviously lacking and in need of replacement in some form. Another task where it was procrastinated until becoming a larger-than-necessary issue. This is a separate issue from the others because it is something that doesn’t require another party to be handled (i.e. confirming appointments with the clinic requires contacting the clinic, a second party that could have separate issues). Attempting to Handle Every Task Alone: This doesn’t become an issue until the issues stated above have come about. Given the timeline, all the tasks could have been handled by a single person and more man power would have been  unnecessary. However, even something as simple as checking the orientation manuals becomes a stressful task when suddenly heaped with work that appeared to be put off. Alternatives Having reviewed these key areas and confirming them as coalescing from one core problem, the lack of proper planning, it is possible to come up with solutions to each problem as it stands currently. A quick solution to all these problems is to call Monica and inform her that the trainees won’t be ready by July 15th, and attempt to push the deadline back in order to complete all the required tasks without rushing. I find this one inadvisable, however, because it causes a setback for Monica herself, and it proceeds to cause further setbacks down the line, causing a ripple effect of delayed projects. These are called concurrent delays, or delays that cause further delays (Singh Associates, 2014). In order to find a solution that doesn’t cause concurrent delays, Carl should make and maintain a priority list, in which he lists all the above problems and completes them in an order of greatest importance to least importance. Below are individual solutions to each problem, which can be used to complete tasks on the priority list. New Location for Orientation: One of the easier tasks to handle, it has a few possible solutions. Carl could contact a nearby hotel and see about possibly using a conference room or use a nearby office (Allfreepaper.com, 2011). Looking for another available space in the building is by far the best solution here, but not necessarily possible if the training room is the only room meant to accommodate 15 or more people. A second step to that solution is to split trainee orientation up into two or more days, allowing them to rotate in for orientation. Schedule Drug Screenings: Handling this is one of the slightly more complicated aspects, because it includes not one, but two other parties, for each trainee individually. The first thing Carl can do is contact a local clinic, either one approved by ABC, Inc., or the National Drug Screening Administration to get a recommended company to come in and take over the process, if ABC, Inc. doesn’t have a drug program he can draw from. Set up a block of dates, three or four days in which to schedule his trainees, and then contact each trainee and schedule a day for them to go in within that block of days. File and Complete Paperwork: This is a task able to be completed in a single day,  and can in fact be handled on the same day he calls to schedule the appointments for drug screening. After contacting the trainee individually, Carl can set up their appoint as stated above, and then discuss their paperwork status with them, either the application completion, whether or not it is in fact completed, and get transcripts on file as needed. While not everything may be completed immediately, the process can be started (i.e. ordering transcripts can be completed, but may take additional days to be received and put on file). Obtain Orientation Manuals: This is quickly solved one of two ways. The first thing Carl needs to do is look up the manual in his SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and determine if the manuals themselves can be reprinted or if they need to be ordered. Then his solution is simple from there; he either orders new manuals if they need to be ordered, or prints off new copies. Either way, Carl should go a step beyond and order or print at least twenty manuals instead of 15, to prepare for accidents and get a step ahead for his next round of trainees. Request Help: One of the absolute best things Carl can do in this situation is admit that he messed up and now needs help. As a new employee himself, it isn’t unusual to need help, and it will help take some burden off his own shoulders, freeing his mind to tackle the tasks at hand. Getting help will insure he gets the job done. Proposed Solutions I advise assigning Carl a temporary partner, one senior to him in the company, who can offer advice and guidance, as well as help with tasks, without taking over the job completely. This will insure that the job gets done, and will also allow Carl to gain the experience needed to complete future jobs without help. As a team, they should then split the orientation into two days and use one of the smaller rooms in the building. Carl should be the one to make most of the phone calls, including getting in touch with each individual trainee to complete paperwork and schedule days for the drug screening. Obtaining new training manuals should be done by whichever means is available, either printing new ones or ordering them. As I advised above, order more than needed to compensate for accidents and the next round of trainees. Recommendations Most of these problems stem from a lack of knowledge and experience, for  which Carl is hardly to blame, and which he will gain with time and practice. He should, however, have planned ahead appropriately, and not put off the work until it became a rush to complete everything. If the solutions I stated above are implemented, Carl should be able to complete his tasks on time, and concurrent delays will be avoided. References Case Study Analysis of ABC, Inc. COMM 215 Essentials of College English. (2005, February 12). In WriteWork.com. Retrieved 16:07, September 25, 2014, from http://www.writework.com/essay/case-study-analysis-abc-inc-comm-215-essentials-college AN unorganized Campus Recruiter (2011, January 18) In AllFreePapers.com. Retrieved 15:37, September 26, 2014, from http://www.allfreepapers.com/print/Unorganized-Campus-Recruiter/753.html Singh Associates. (2014). Lexology. Retrieved from http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fcea453a-de87-4aa9-9f4c-b140695c597d

Themes of Tradition in Literature

Themes of Tradition in Literature Evolving Traditions Traditions are important because they transmit stories, shared values, and aspirations from generation to generation. Traditions offer guidance and assists in a group of people sharing a collective identity. Overtime the origin/meaning of a tradition may become obscured or lost in time, and when that happens the tradition can either fade from existence or be blindly followed even though the original meaning may have been lost. The stories The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, and A Worn Path by Eudora Welty have many themes, but; one underling theme throughout them all, is tradition. In Shirley Jacksons The Lottery Once a year the villagers amass in the center of town to partake in the lottery. They anticipate the arrival of Mr. Summers and the black box, inside the box are slips of paper with one having a black dot. Whoever draws the dot wins and precedes to get stoned to death. The reason behind this is unknown to the villagers, but it is a tradition they are not willing to abandon. According to critics Jacksons tradition theme is a modern representation of the primitive annual scapegoat rite to appease the forces of the new year, to insure fertility. Primitive man, it seems, could not distinguish natural from moral phenomenaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Used to be a saying Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. (Lainhoff). The meaning behind the Lottery lost but the villagers refuse to abandon it, simply because it is tradition. In A Rose for Emily a young woman in the early 1900s refuses to accept change, she did not join the new society and lives in the past. Emily did not acknowledge her father and the colonels death, she did not update to the new way of living. Emily did not pay taxes and her house had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street Emily had become a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town. the difference between the attitude of Judge Stevens (who is over eighty years old) and the attitude of the young man who comes to him about the smell at Emilys place. For the young man (who is a member of the rising generation) it is easy. For him, Miss Emilys world has ceased to exist. (West). In the end, Emilys derangement is revealed when the community enters her bedroom and they see a long strand of iron-gray hair on the pillow beside Ho mer Barrons corpse when traditions and its values center around hereditary privilege, it will eventually lead to social decay. Emilys life and her decaying house symbolize the effects of accepting ignorance and complacency when its built-in traditions. Eudora Weltys A Worn Path shows Phoenix Jackson an elderly woman traveling a treacherous path numerous times in order to get medicine to save her grandsons life overtime the journey has become a sort of tradition for her. Like Phoenix, you work all your life to find your way, through all the obstructions and the false appearances and the upsets you may have brought on yourself, to reach a meaning-And finally too, like Phoenix, you have to assume that [you] are working in [the] aid of life, not death. (Barnhisel). Phoenix is old and near the end of her life, but; like a phoenix she rises. She starts the journey mentally prepared to overcome the obstacles that await her. Her grandson symbolizes the new Phoenix that will be given life when she perishes. When a traditions origin/meaning are no longer known, it begs the question; should the tradition still be followed as in The Lottery and that traditions centered around unchecked hereditary privilege may lead to social ruin, like Emily in A rose for Emily and that new-found traditions in the service of aiding your loved ones can help you rise above many obstacles like Phoenix in A Worn Path. Traditions are a wondrous part of any culture, but; if the meaning is unknown and the ritual goes unchecked should it still be followed? References Lainhoff, Seymour. The Lottery Short Stories for Students, vol. 1, Gale Virtual  Reference Library. Gale Research, 1997. West, B. Ray,Jr. A Rose for Emily Short Stories for Students, vol.6, Gale Virtual Reference  Library. Gale Research, 1999. Barnhisel, Greg. A Worn Path Short Stories for Students, vol. 2, Gale Virtual Reference  Library. Gale Research, 1997.

Eastern European Conclusions :: Russian Government Essays

Eastern European Conclusions The year 1989 represents a paradox of the modern history. Not long ago the USSR was the biggest fear of the whole world. The Soviet Union exemplified an enormous political, economical, and military power. The revolution of 1917 gave birth to a giant child. That creation walked the earth very fast, and, by the end of 1960, it enforced communist structures all over the world. China, Cuba, Poland, Czechoslovakia illustrate ramifications of the system. In 1989 the child suddenly vanished. The German reunification, the rejection of the communist rules by the liberal Hungarian government, and the Romanian revolution, which solved with the execution of Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, speak about the instability of that time. It was the end of a historical epoch. Ten years have passed since those days. I still remember learning to write using the Latin alphabet instead of the Cyrillic, the Popular Front movement in Moldova, and the impressive demonstrations and rebellions showed on television. I was just a young child. Everybody was happy and excited. New bright times were supposed to come, and they did, but not for everybody. People soon found that the new discovered capitalism meant a drop in living standards, rising unemployment, reduced social benefits, and growing inequality. This started the period of transition, but life would improve... Life did improve. Hungary, Poland, and the Baltic countries proved that capitalism meant a brighter future and a better life. The statistics regarding the economical condition of Hungary show that the country obtained immense achievements and important developments in the political and economical spheres of life. (Nations, Online) The situation of the Baltic countries is not much different from those in the Western Europe. What happened to the rest of the post-soviet countries? Why is the present situation in Eastern Europe so deplorable? Corruption affects all level of society, but it has the worst effects when it comes from the top. The whole political and economical structure of the former USSR is influenced by this social malady. The analysts are looking for a drug to treat the disease, but this virus adapts with an incredible speed. Everybody is corrupt. Such a statement sounds very paradoxical, but it is very close to reality. "The American headlines about corruption in Russia are revolving around two separate and so far unrelated allegations. One is that Yeltsin and his daughters,

Essay --

Chris Layton 12 September 2013 Block 1 Rough Draft Drugs & Athletes During the advancement of technology, athletes have been able to get powerful drugs that help them during physical activity. These drugs are also banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). They use these drugs to give them a competitive edge to keep up with the competition. Some athletes have distinctive trait that some do not like having a gene that helps them perform like the ACE gene helps perform in long distance events. Other athletes that compete have to use performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to be able to keep up with them and have a chance to win. Performance enhancing drugs, including blood doping, stimulants, and human growth hormone, should be prohibited because of moral and ethical concerns and the personal consequences to athletes. Performance enhancing drugs have been used since ancient times. The use of enhancement substances for sporting events dates back to the ancient Greeks and ancient Maya. () Performance potions were utilized by the Greeks to increase their abilities and cocoa leaves were thought to be used by ancient Maya. () Today, athletes will go to many lengths to increase athletic ability, including: steroids, HGH, Amphetamines, and even animal or human organs just as the Greeks did in their time. () The most common performance enhancing drugs or treatment is blood doping, stimulants, human growth hormone (HGH), and anabolic steroids. Stimulants are a generic term to describe various substances that are ingested by athletes into the human body for the purpose of increasing alertness or general physical performance. Common stimulants that have been typically utilized by athletes in various disciplines are caffeine, amphetamines, a... ...drugs and go suspended for one and a half seasons. Performance enhancing drugs are not worth all the problems they can cause and definitely not worth your fans losing respect for you because they’re the ones who support you throughout your years. Overall, the negative effects of PED’s overweigh the positive effects of the use and abuse of them. The head of sports made the right move to ban, performance enhancing drugs, including blood doping, stimulants, and human growth hormone, should be prohibited because of moral and ethical concerns and the personal consequences to athletes. Performance enhancing drugs granted give you an edge over your competitor, but later in life you will regret using them because it’s effects will still be there rather you’re still on them or not. The World Anti-Doping Agency made the right move to ban all substances that harm yourself.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 22

The afternoon after Elena's â€Å"discipline,† Damon took out a room in the same complex where Dr. Meggar lived. Lady Ulma stayed in the doctor's office until between them, Sage, Damon, and Dr. Meggar had healed her completely. She never talked about sad things now. She told them so many stories about her childhood estate that they felt they could walk around it and recognize every room, vast though it was. â€Å"I suppose it's home to rats and mice now,† she said wistfully at the conclusion of one story. â€Å"And spiders and moths.† â€Å"But why?† Bonnie said, failing to see the signals that both Meredith and Elena were giving her not to ask. Lady Ulma tipped her head back to look at the ceiling. â€Å"Because†¦of General Verantz. The middle-aged demon who saw me when I was only fourteen. When he had the army attack my home, they slaughtered every living thing they found inside – except me and my canary. My parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles†¦my younger brothers and sisters. Even my cat sleeping on the window seat. General Verantz had me brought in front of him, just as I was, in my nightgown and bare feet, with my hair unbrushed and coming out of its braid, and beside him was my canary with the nighttime cloth off its cage. It was still alive and hopping about as cheerful as ever. And that made everything else that happened seem worse somehow – and yet more like a dream, too. It's difficult to explain. â€Å"Two of the general's men were holding me when they brought me before him. They were really propping me up more than keeping me from running, though. I was so young, you see, and everything kept fading in and out. But I remember exactly what the general said to me. He said, ‘I told this bird to sing and it sang. I told your parents I wanted to give you the honor of being my wife and they refused. Now look over there. Will you be like the canary or your parents, I wonder?' And he pointed to a dim corner of the room – of course it was all torchlight then, and the torches had been put out for the night. But there was enough light for me to see that there was a heap of round objects, with thatch or grass at one side of them. At least that is what I first thought – truly. I was that innocent, and I believe shock had done something to my mind.† â€Å"Please,† Elena said, stroking Lady Ulma's hand gently. â€Å"You don't have to keep on with this. We understand – â€Å" But Lady Ulma didn't seem to hear the words. She said, â€Å"And then one of the general's men held up a sort of coconut with very long thatch at the top, braided. He swung it casually – and all of a sudden I saw it for what it really was. It was my mother's head.† Elena choked involuntarily. Lady Ulma looked around at the three girls with steady, dry eyes. â€Å"I suppose you think me very callous for being able to talk about such things without breaking down.† â€Å"No, no – † Elena began hastily. She herself was shaking, even after tuning down her psychic senses to their least extent. She hoped Bonnie wouldn't faint. Lady Ulma was speaking again. â€Å"War, casual violence, and tyranny are all I have known since my childhood innocence was crushed in that moment. It is kindness now that astounds me, that makes my eyes sting with tears.† â€Å"Oh, don't cry,† begged Bonnie, throwing her arms around the woman impulsively. â€Å"Please don't. We're here for you.† Meanwhile Elena and Meredith were regarding each other with knitted eyebrows and quick shrugs. â€Å"Yes, please don't cry,† Elena put in, feeling faintly guilty, but determined to try Plan A. â€Å"But tell us, why did your family estate end up in such bad condition?† â€Å"It was the fault of the general. He was sent to faraway lands to fight foolish, meaningless wars. When he left he would take most of his retinue with him – including slaves who were in favor at the moment. When he left once, three years after he had attacked our home, I was not in favor, and I was not chosen to be with him. I was lucky. His entire battalion was wiped out; the household members who went with him were taken captive or slaughtered. He had no heir and his property here reverted to the Crown, which had no use for it. It has lain unoccupied for all these many years – looted many times, no doubt, but with its true secret, the secret of the jewels, undiscovered†¦as far as I know.† â€Å"The Secret of the Jewels,† Bonnie whispered, clearly putting it all in capital letters, as if it were a mystery novel. She still had an arm around Lady Ulma. â€Å"What secret of the jewels?† Meredith said more calmly. Elena couldn't speak for the delicious shivers that were running through her. This was like being part of some magical play. â€Å"In my parents' day, it was common to hide your wealth somewhere on your estate – and to keep the knowledge of its hiding place strictly to the owners. Of course, my father, as a designer and trader in jewels, had more to hide than most people knew of. He had a wonderful room that seemed to me something like Aladdin's cave. It was his workshop, where he kept his raw gems as well as finished pieces that had been commissioned or that he designed for my mother or out of his imagination.† â€Å"And no one ever found that?† Meredith said. There was just the slightest tinge of skepticism in her voice. â€Å"If anyone did, I never heard about it. Of course, they could have gotten the knowledge out of my father or mother, in time – but the general was not a meticulous and patient vampire or kitsune, but a rough and impatient demon. He killed my parents as he stormed through the house. It never occurred to him that I, a child of fourteen, might share the knowledge.† â€Å"But you did†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie whispered, fascinated, taking the story where it had to go. â€Å"But I did. And I do now.† Elena gulped. She was still trying to stay calm, to be more like Meredith, to maintain a cool head. But just as she opened her mouth to be coolheaded, Meredith said, â€Å"What are we waiting for?† and jumped to her feet. Lady Ulma seemed to be the most tranquil person there. She also seemed slightly bewildered and almost timid. â€Å"You mean that we should ask our master for an audience?† â€Å"I mean that we should go out there and get those jewels!† Elena exclaimed. â€Å"Although, yes, Damon would be a big asset if there's anything that takes strength to lift. Sage, too.† She couldn't understand why Lady Ulma wasn't more excited. â€Å"Don't you see?† Elena said, her mind racing. â€Å"You can have your household back again! We can do our best to fix it up the way it was when you were a child. I mean, if that's what you want to do with the money. But I'd love, at least, to see the Aladdin's cave!† â€Å"But – well,† Lady Ulma seemed suddenly distressed. â€Å"I had meant to ask Master Damon for another favor – although the money from the jewels might help with that.† â€Å"What is it that you want?† Elena said as gently as she could. â€Å"And you don't need to call him Master Damon. He freed you days ago, remember?† â€Å"But surely that was just a – a celebration of the moment?† Lady Ulma still looked puzzled. â€Å"He didn't make it official at the Servile Offices or anything, did he?† â€Å"If he didn't it's because he didn't know!† Bonnie cried out at the same time as Meredith said, â€Å"We don't really understand the protocol. Is that what you need to do?† Lady Ulma seemed able only to nod her head. Elena felt humble. She guessed that this woman, a slave for more than twenty-two years, must find true freedom difficult to believe in. â€Å"Damon meant it when he said we were all free,† she said, kneeling by Lady Ulma's chair. â€Å"He just didn't know all the things he had to do. If you tell us, we can tell him, and then we can all go to your old estate.† She was about to get up again, when Bonnie said, â€Å"Something's wrong. She isn't as happy as she was before. We have to find out what it is.† By opening her psychic perceptions a bit, Elena could tell that Bonnie was right. She stayed where she was, kneeling by Lady Ulma's chair. â€Å"What is it?† she said, because the woman seemed to bare her soul most when she, Elena, asked the questions. â€Å"I had hoped,† Lady Ulma said slowly, â€Å"that Master Damon might buy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She flushed, but struggled on. â€Å"Might find it in his heart to buy one more slave. The†¦the father of my child.† There was a moment of perfect silence, and then all three girls were talking, all three, Elena guessed, trying frantically to do what she herself was working at, which was not mentioning that she had assumed Old Drohzne was the father. But of course he couldn't be, Elena scolded herself. She's happy about this pregnancy – and who could be happy to have a child by a disgusting monster like Old Drohzne? Besides, he didn't have a clue that she might be pregnant – and didn't care. â€Å"It might be easier said than done,† Lady Ulma said, when the babble of reassurances and questions had died down a little. â€Å"Lucen is a jeweler, a renowned man who creates pieces that†¦that remind me of my father's. He will be expensive.† â€Å"But we've got Aladdin's cave to explore!† Bonnie said gleefully. â€Å"I mean, you'll have enough if you sell off the jewelry, right? Or do you need more?† â€Å"But that is Master Damon's jewelry,† Lady Ulma said, seeming horrified. â€Å"Even if he did not realize it when he inherited all of Old Drohzne's property, he became my owner, and the owner of all my property†¦.† â€Å"Let's go get you freed and then we'll take things one step at a time,† Meredith said in her firmest and most rational voice. Dear Diary, Well, I am writing to you still as a slave. Today we freed Lady Ulma, but decided that Meredith and Bonnie and I should remain â€Å"personal assistants.† This is because Lady Ulma said Damon would seem odd and unfashionable if he didn't have several beautiful girls as courtesans. There is actually an upside to this, which is that as courtesans we need to have beautiful clothes and jewelry all the time. Since I've been wearing the same pair of jeans ever since that b*st*rd Old Drohzne sliced up the pair I wore into this place, you can imagine that I'm excited. But, truly, it's not just because of pretty clothes I'm excited. Everything that happened since we freed Lady Ulma and then went to her old estate has been a wonderful dream. The house was run down, and obviously the home of wild animals who used it as a lavatory as well as a bedroom. We even found the tracks of wolves and other animals upstairs, which led to the question of whether werewolves live in this world. Apparently they do, and some in very high positions under various feudal lords. Maybe Caroline would like to try a vacation here to learn about the real werewolves though – they're said to hate humans so much that they won't even have human or vampire (once human) slaves. But back to Lady Ulma's house. Its foundation is of stone and it's paneled inside with hardwood, so the basic structure is fine. The curtains and tapestries are all hanging in shreds, of course, so it's sort of spooky to go inside with torches and see them dangling above and around you. Not to mention the giant spiderwebs. I hate spiders more than anything. But we went inside, with our torches seeming like smaller versions of that giant crimson sun that always sits on the horizon, staining everything outside the color of blood, and we shut the doors and lit a fire in a giant fireplace in what Lady Ulma calls the Great Hall. (I think it's where you eat or have parties – it has an enormous table on a dais at one side, and a room for minstrels above what must be the dance floor. Lady Ulma said that this is where the servants all sleep at night, too (the Great Hall, not the minstrel gallery). Then we went upstairs, where we saw – I swear – several dozen bedrooms with very large four-poster beds that are going to need new mattresses and sheets and coverlets and hangings, but we didn't stay to look around. There were bats hanging from the ceiling. We headed for Lady Ulma's mother's workroom. It was a very large room where at least forty people could sit and sew the clothes that Lady Ulma's mother designed. But here's the exciting part! Lady Ulma went to one of the wardrobes in the room and moved away all the tattered, moth-eaten clothes that were in it. And she pressed some different places at the back of the cupboard and the whole back of the cupboard slid out! Inside it was a very narrow stairway going straight down! I kept thinking about Honoria Fell's crypt and wondering if some homeless vampire might have taken up residence in the room downstairs, but I knew that was silly because there were spiderwebs just inside the door. Damon still insisted that he go down first because he has the best eyesight in the dark, but I think the truth is that he was just curious to see what was down there. We each followed him one at a time, trying to be careful with the torches, and†¦well, I can't find the right words for what we discovered. For just a few minutes I was disappointed because everything on the big table down there was dusty rather than sparkly, but then Lady Ulma began to gently brush jewels off with a special cloth and Bonnie found sacks and packages and she poured them out – and it was like pouring out a rainbow! Damon found a cabinet where there were drawers and drawers of necklaces, bracelets, rings, armlets, anklets, earrings, nose rings, and hairpins and ornaments, too! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I poured out a pouch and found that I had a huge handful of glorious white diamonds dripping through my fingers, some of them as big as my thumbnail. I saw white pearls and black pearls, both smaller and perfectly matched, and huge and in marvelous shapes: almost as big as apricots with pink or golden or gray sheens to them. I saw sapphires the size of quarters, with stars you could see almost from across the room. I held handfuls of emeralds and peridots and opals and rubies and tourmalines and amethysts – and a lot of lapis lazuli, for the discriminating vampire, of course. And the jewelry that was already made up was so beautiful it made my throat ache. I know Lady Ulma had a quiet little cry, but I think it was partly from happiness as we all kept complimenting her on her jewels. In days she has gone from being a slave who owned nothing to an incredibly rich woman who owns a house and all the means she would ever need to keep it up in style. We decided that even though she is going to marry her lover, it was best at first for Damon to buy him quietly and free him quietly, but to play â€Å"Head of the Household† for as long as we are here. During that time we will treat Lady Ulma as family, and will put the jeweler Lucen back to work until we leave, when he and Lady Ulma can quietly take Damon's place. The feudal lords around here are not demons anymore, but vampires, and they have less objection to humans owning property. Have I told you about Lucen? He's a wonderful artist with jewels! He has a burning need to create – in his early days as a slave he would create with mud and weeds, imagining that he was making jewelry. Then he got lucky and was apprenticed to a jeweler. He's felt sorry for Lady Ulma for so long, and loved her for so long, that it's like a little miracle that they are truly able to get together – and most importantly, as free citizens. We were afraid that Lucen might not like the idea of us buying him as a slave and not freeing him until we leave, but he never thought he'd be free – because of his talent. He's a slow, gentle, kind man, with a neat little beard and gray eyes that remind me of Meredith's. And he's so amazed at being treated decently and not worked around the clock that he would have accepted anything, just to be allowed to be near Lady Ulma. I guess he was an apprentice when her father was a jeweler, and he fell in love with her all those years ago, but he thought he would never, never ever be able to be with her, because she was a young lady of quality and he was a slave. They're so happy together! Every day Lady Ulma looks more beautiful, and younger. She asked permission from Damon to dye her hair all black, and he told her she could dye it pink if she liked, and now she just looks incredibly beautiful. I can't believe I ever thought of her as an old hag, but that's what agony and fear and hopelessness do to you. Every one of those gray hairs was from being a slave, with no property, no say in her future, no safety, no ability even to keep her children, if she had them. I forgot to tell you the other upside of Meredith, Bonnie, and I being â€Å"personal assistants† for a while. It's that we can employ a lot of poor women who make their living by sewing, and Lady Ulma actually wants to design and show them how to make our finest clothes. We told her that she could just relax, but she says all her life she's fantasized about being a designer like her mother and now she's dying to do it – with three completely different types of girl to dress. I'm dying to see what she'll come up with: she's already started sketching and tomorrow the man who sells fabric will come and she'll pick the materials. Meanwhile Damon has hired about two hundred people (really!) to clean out Lady Ulma's estate, put up new wall hangings and curtains, refurbish the plumbing system, polish up the furniture that has kept nicely, and to get new furniture where things have fallen apart. Oh, and to plant ready-grown flowers and trees in the gardens and put in fountains and all kinds of stuff. With that many people working, we ought to be able to move in in just a matter of days. All this has just one purpose, aside from making Lady Ulma happy. It's so that Damon and his â€Å"personal assistants† will be accepted by high society as the season of parties begins this year. Because I've kept the best for last. Both Lady Ulma and Sage could immediately identify the people in the riddles that Misao gave to us! It just goes to prove what I thought before, that Misao never imagined that we'd actually make it here, or that we could get entrance to the places where they've hidden the two halves of the fox key. But there's a very easy way to get invited into the houses we need to get into. If we're the newest, splashiest nouveau riche (sp?) around, and if we circulate the story that Lady Ulma has been restored to her rightful place, and if everyone wants to know about her – we'll get invited to parties! And that's how we get into the two estates we need to visit to look for the halves of the key that we need to free Stefan! And we're incredibly lucky, because this is the time of year when everyone begins to give parties, and both households we want to visit are having early celebrations: one is a gala, and one is a spring soiree to celebrate the first flowers. I know my writing is shaky now. I'm shaky myself at the thought that we are actually going to look for the two halves of the fox key that will let us break Stefan out of his prison. Oh, diary, it's late – and I can't – I can't write about Stefan. To be here in the same city with him, to know the direction to his prison†¦and yet to not be able to get to see him. My eyes are so blurred I can't see what I'm writing. I wanted to get some sleep to be ready for another day of running around, supervising, and watching Lady Ulma's estate blossom like a rose – but now I'm afraid I'll just have nightmares about Stefan's hand slowly slipping out of mine.