Techniques and Types of Jailbreak

Techniques and Types of Jailbreak Mohammad Alfaifi Apple is a global company that produces devices such as iPhone, iPad, and iMac. Actually, it is specializing in Software and they have a system called IOS. With the technology evolution, hackers have advanced and find vulnerability in Apple software that allowed breaking the system. This way called jailbreak. This project includes a general review about jailbreak and the way it works. Also its development over the years and mention names of some organizations such as iPhone Dev team, Chronic-Dev, dream team, Pangu, Evad3rs, PP25 and Keen. Jailbreak is one of the words that grown fast recently. Apple prefers to design something and tell you, This is how it should be used. Apple came with the system that is fixed which mean you are not allowed to install tools thats help you with your needs and because of that Apple is one of a biggest secure system in the world. Some people feel that they cant do whatever they want with feeling that Apples operate system is like a jail. Jailbreak came to gives the people ability to break the operating system to do whatever they want whether to install tools or themes. Apple products are well-made but they had limitation. Jailbreaking breaks those limits and gives you more control in your device. 1.1. Is jailbreaking legal? United States of America has a rule that allowing the jailbreak and you can jailbreaking your smartphone or tablets you want[1]. Apple support center [2] published a clearance that jailbreak is legal but you will lose the support (warranty). If you install jailbreak in your Apple product, Apple will not sue you because of that and all what they can do is to stop supporting your device and if something happens it is under your responsibility. 2.1. Jailbreak types 2.1.1. Tethered In this type, Jailbreak is temporary. When you turn off your device you cant boot your device up without connect it to PC to delete the Jailbreak and then you are able to boot the device. In this Jailbreak you have to install it every time you turn off your device [3]. 2.1.2. Semi Tethered It looks like tethered jailbreak with addition thing that here you can turn off your device and boot it again without any problem. The features are limited [3]. 2.1.3. Untethered It is the common jailbreak and the new one. It gives the user ability to run all the tools and applications they downloaded anytime they want. In this type, you can turn off your device without fear of losing the jailbreak [3]. 2.2. Jailbreak teams There are many developers of a jailbreak, Cydia, and hackers of IOS system who have a wide fame in the community of iOS users and jailbreak system. These developers and hackers have great merit in making jailbreak a strong community. They have begun attacking the iOS system and deployment jailbreak since the early days of the issued of the first system for the iPhone. In July 2007, a few days after the release the iPhone system, a group of developers create the first tool of jailbreak, and shortly afterwards, there were many versions of tools for jailbreak. In the October 2007, they created the first jailbreak 1.0 which was also called (AppSnapp) 2.3. How jailbreak works 2.3.1. bootchain The bootchain [4] (also called chain of trust) is the system by Apple which can tries to ensure that only signed or trusted code is loaded on an iOS device. Figure 1: bootchain modulers       The bootchain consist couple of deferent modules that load each other and between the loadings there are check points that Apple put it in order to prevent unauthorized access to the code. Boot ROM is the first significant code that starts in the device. It is read-only which means it cant be modified by Apple when they release a device. This part is hard to Jailbreak because it connect with the hardware not the software it in the chip inside the device, but if someone Jailbreak this part, Apple cant stop the Jailbreak and they have to change the hardware next time they publish a new device. Low level Bootloader (LLB) which is a part of the software. It runs several setup routines. On firmware versions 2.0 and higher it checks the signature of Boot ROM before jumping to it. If someone found vulnerabilities and Jailbreak this part, Apple can close the vulnerabilities by releasing new software version (iOS firmware). iBoot is Apples stage 2 bootloader for all of the devices. It runs what is known as Recovery Mode. It has an interactive interface which can be used over USB or serial. IOS Kernel is using page verification. When you start application the Kernel will verify if the application has the code singing in tagged. If it has SHA1 verification it will pass the application to AMFI which is a Kernel extension. The Kernel doesnt verify if the applications signature is valid, it is only verified if the signature is exist. IOS apps are the phase after the Kernel boot. It goes hand to and with iOS Kernel. For iOS all applications have to be signed since the launch of the App Store (iOS 2.0), this includes all system binaries that come with iOS. For the end user. This code signing enforcement cannot be disabled, which makes that an end user can only install applications from the App Store. /private/etc/fstabis is where all the iOS files are stores and must be patched. fstab is like a switch that is giving you the ability to control the media partitions and the permissions. By default, fstab is setting as a read-only mode that letting you to read or view only without making any changes. To be able to make any modifications, you have to set the fstab as read-write mode. It is very important for your Apple device because it is controlling the permission of the media partition and the root. The big problem is to pass in all the files you need through the various checkpoints. The checkpoint is what Apple does in order to ensuring the file is legit or coming from a third party. Every file is signed by a key. The file will be through a way and be unusable if this file without kay. In short, we can access to the door if we either find a back door entry (bypass) or unlock the lock (patch all checkpoints). Patching is a difficult and mostly not worth the effort. So, most people who make the jailbreak will try to find a backdoor entry or a bypass. 2.3.2. Limera1n Exploit The limera1n exploit is the bootrom and iBoot exploit used to run unsigned code (and thereby jailbreak) the iPod touch 3rd Generation, the iPhone 3GS and all A4 chip devices. It was first used in the limera1n tool by geohot. It is used to perform a tethered jailbreak on the devices that mentioned above. The jailbreak can then be turned into an untethered jailbreak with other exploits, such as the 0x24000 Segment Overflow [5]. Limera1n is the final publicly disclosed bootrom exploit of any device. The last device released vulnerable to limera1n is the iPhone 4. 2.4. Advantages of using jailbreak Jailbreak means that the user can download applications without the need of Apple store, and controls the tones and add modifications to the system. Also decoding constraint on company communications device, such as AT T or Verizon, it can go further than this when some people want to amendment on the phone. The majority is in the process of jailbreak for your iPhone, using Cydia to download the software tools to your device and install them. Cydia is an application or store tools allows owners devices that have been untying them to browse the applications and tools and carry it to the device without any restrictions 2.5. Disadvantages of using jailbreak There are many people prefer to stay away of Jailbreak their devices. When you Jailbreak your device that means your device is no longer under the Apple ensuring [2]. All tools and applications you download are not licensed by Apple and it may break your device because it is not secure. Also one of important things in the device is the battery. Jailbreak consumes a lot of power on your device which mean your battery couldnt stand long. 2.6. Risks of using Jailbreak Since jailbreaking a device bypasses all security measures of the device to allow developers and users more control over the applications and device respectively, it brings inherent risks which must not be ignored by both developers and users. Here are few dangers of jailbreaking a device [3] Many a times jailbreaking tools installs an SSH application by default on a device and default password for iOS device alpine is very well known. If a user does not change the default password, attackers can remotely control the operation of device. Since jailbreaking grants root access to any application running on a device, there is a risk of malicious application accessing sensitive information of other apps. 3.1. How to know if your device can jailbreak As a first step you have to know the version of your IOS system. Then search on Internet if this version has a Jailbreak or not. The best way to search is to get into the Jailbreak teams websites. Since Jailbreak is published by one team other teams published their copies too. All jailbreaking tools available to install in application called Cydia, which is similar to the Apple App Store but applications available on Cydia are not checked by Apple and developers can submit their applications to distribute through Cydia. Figure 2: Jailbroken IPhone with Cydia 4.1. History of Cydia Cydia is a third-party installer application for all Apple devices. Developed by Jay Freeman (Saurik), Cydia is similar to the official App Store. Cydia is a manager mobile application for IOS, which enables the user to find and install tools or software packages on jailbroken device. Its important for you to jailbreak your IOS device to get the Cydia. With Cydia everyone has the option of customizing their devices [6]. 4.2. Add or remove sources   Ã‚   Cydia is a store depends on the developers. The sources are small stores of the developers to upload their tools on it. Cydia came within BigBoss source. This source is built-in the Cydia because it is by the Cydia creator. If you want to install other developers sources follow these steps: Figure 3: iPhone Home Screen Find the Cydia application on your iPhones home screen and click on it. Figure 4: Cydia Screen Click on Sources in the bottom bar. The screen of the sources that been added shown. Click on edit and then add. Figure 5: Adding source screen Write the URL of the source and click on Add Source. Now the source will be add into your list of sources and can search on any tool in it and install whatever you want. 5.1. Security without jailbreak The security without Jailbreak is under Apple control. Apple has a store includes more than 2 million of applications [7]. These applications are not only for smartphones only. They support tablets, Apple TV and smart watches. Apple takes two days to approval a new application that uploaded from a developer [8]. These two days is giving Apple a time to review the app submitted to the App Store to determine whether it is perform as expected, reliable and is free of offensive material. Apple reviews every app submitted based on a set of technical, content, and design criteria. 5.2. Security with jailbreak We agree Jailbreak is a risk for your device. This is for people with no knowledge of technologies. Privacy is one of those things that most people will say they care about, but they really dont. However, if you truly do care about your privacy, device jailbreaking is a good way for that. Jailbreak is giving you tools to hide your information of others, even of Apple. There is another tool take care of your phone when it is stolen. When the criminal enter wrong password the tool take a selfie (photo from front camera) and send it to your E-mail with the location. Those are simples of thousands of tools give you a security more than device without Jailbreak [9]. [1]L. of C. U.S. Copyright Office, Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies. U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress., 28-Oct-2015. [2]Unauthorized modification of iOS can cause security vulnerabilities, instability, shortened battery life, and other issues, Apple Support. [Online]. Available: https://support.apple.com/en-sa/HT201954. [Accessed: 14-Jan-2017]. [3]R. Patel, Improving Security in Jailbroken iOS Devices, B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, Rochester, New York, 2016. [4]Apple, iOS Security. May-2016. [5]D. Keuper, XNU: a security evaluation, University of Twente and Certi_ed Secure, 2012. [6]D. Wicks, What is Cydia and Cydia Basics, IEEnews, Jul. 2016. [7]J. Golson, Apples App Store now has over 2 million apps, The Verge, 13-Jun-2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.theverge.com/2016/6/13/11922926/apple-apps-2-million-wwdc-2016. [Accessed: 29-Jan-2017]. [8]O. Raymundo, Apple is approving apps for the iOS App Store much faster now, Macworld, 12-May-2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.macworld.com/article/3070012/ios/apple-is-approving-apps-for-the-ios-app-store-much-faster-now.html. [Accessed: 28-Jan-2017]. [9]C. Lloyd, How Jailbreaking Makes Your iPhone More Secure Private, GottaBeMobile, 22-Oct-2015. [Online]. Available: http://www.gottabemobile.com/how-jailbreaking-makes-your-iphone-more-secure-private/. [Accessed: 03-Feb-2017].

Bloodlines Chapter Eleven

BEFORE CLASS THE NEXT DAY, I left a message with someone at the Alchemists' office, telling them I needed â€Å"Mr. and Mrs. Melrose† to send a note excusing Jill from PE – or at least from outdoor activities. I hoped they'd move quickly on this. The Alchemists were fast when they wanted to be, but they sometimes had odd ideas of what took priority. I hoped they didn't have the same attitude toward Jill's misery as Keith did. But I knew not to expect any action that day, so Jill had to suffer through another PE class – and I had to suffer through watching her suffer. What was really terrible was that Jill didn't whine or try to get out of anything. She didn't even show any sign of last night's breakdown. She came in with determination and optimism, as though maybe this would be the day the sun wouldn't affect her. Yet, before long, she began to wane just as she had last time. She looked sick and tired, and my own performance faltered a little because I kept watching her, afraid she'd pass out. Micah was the saving grace. Once again, he fearlessly switched teams – this time from the very start of class. He covered for her just as he had last time, allowing her to escape the notice of teacher and classmates – well, except for Laurel, who seemed to notice – and get annoyed by – everything he did. Her eyes flicked angrily between him and Jill, and she kept flinging her hair over her shoulder to get his attention. I was a little amused to note that Micah's attention remained solely on keeping the ball away from Jill. Micah also jumped immediately to her side when class ended and had a water bottle ready, which she accepted gratefully. I was grateful too, but seeing his concern for her dredged up all my old worries. She was good to her word, however. She returned his attentions in a friendly way, but you definitely couldn't call it flirting. He made no secret of his intentions, though, and I still worried that it would be better if she didn't have to deal with them. I'd meant it when I said I trusted her, but I couldn't help but think it'd be a lot easier on everyone if he laid off in his advances. This would require A Talk. Dreading what I had to do, I caught up with Micah outside the locker rooms. We were both waiting for Jill to finish up, and I took advantage of the alone time with him. â€Å"Hey, Micah,† I said, â€Å"I need to talk to you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hey,† he returned brightly. His blue eyes were wide and excited. â€Å"I had an idea I wanted to run past you. If you guys aren't able to get a note for her, maybe you could see about getting her schedule switched around? If she took PE first period, it wouldn't be nearly as hot out yet. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard on her. I mean, she seems like she'd like to participate in some of this stuff.† â€Å"She would,† I said slowly. â€Å"And that's a really good idea.† â€Å"I know some people who work in the office. I'll ask them to run some options and see if it's even possible with the rest of her classes.† He faked a pout. â€Å"I'll be sad not to have her in class, but it'd be worth it to know she's not so miserable.† â€Å"Yeah,† I agreed weakly, suddenly feeling at a loss. He really had come up with a good idea. He was even unselfish enough to give up the chance to be with her in order to promote the greater good. How could I have â€Å"the talk† with him now? How could I suddenly say, â€Å"Leave my sister alone,† when he was going out of his way to be so nice? I was as bad as Eddie, avoiding confrontation with Micah. This guy was too likable for his own good. Before I could manage a response, Micah then went off in an unexpected direction. â€Å"You really should get her to a doctor, though. I don't think she has a sun allergy.† â€Å"Oh?† I asked in surprise. â€Å"Have you not been watching her suffer through class each day?† â€Å"No, no, believe me, she's definitely got an issue with the sun,† he assured me quickly. â€Å"But she might be misdiagnosed. I read up on sun allergies, and people usually get rashes with them. This overall weakness she gets†¦ I don't know. I think it might be something else.† Oh no. â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"I don't know,† he mused. â€Å"But I'll keep researching theories and let you know.† Wonderful. PE also gave me my first glimpse at one of Amberwood's metallic tattoos in action. Greg Slade was impossible not to watch during class, and I wasn't the only one who got distracted. Just as Kristin and Julia had said, he really was faster and stronger. He made dives no one else was quick enough to react to. When he hit the ball, it was a wonder we didn't hear a sonic boom shortly thereafter. This earned him praise at first, but soon, I noticed something. There was a sloppy edge to his game. He was filled with ability, yes, but sometimes it was unfocused. Those powerful hits didn't always help because he'd blast the ball out of bounds. And in running to make a shot, he rarely considered those around him. When a guy from my English class got knocked down flat on his back, simply for being in the path of Slade and the ball, Miss Carson stopped the game and roared her displeasure about Slade's aggression. He took it in with a sulky smirk. â€Å"Too bad Eddie's not in this class,† Jill said afterward. â€Å"He'd be a total match for Slade.† â€Å"Maybe it's better no one notices,† I remarked. Eddie, from what I'd heard, was already a shining star in his PE class. It was part of a dhampir's natural athleticism, and I knew he was actually working hard not to be too good at everything. I checked in with Ms. Terwilliger after PE, happy to find my teacher fully stocked with coffee of her own. I spent most of the period going through the book and taking notes on my laptop. Partway through, she came over to check my work. â€Å"You're very organized,† she said, looking over my shoulder. â€Å"Headings and subheadings and sub-subheadings.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said. Jared Sage had been very particular in teaching his children research skills. Ms. Terwilliger took a sip of coffee and continued reading the screen. â€Å"You didn't list the ritual and spell steps,† she pointed out moments later. â€Å"You just summarize them in a couple lines.† Well, yes, that was the point of note-taking. â€Å"I cite all the page numbers,† I said. â€Å"If you need to check the actual components, there's an easy reference.† â€Å"No†¦ go back and put all the steps and ingredients in your notes. I want to be able to have them all in one place.† You do have them in one place, I wanted to say. In the book. Notes were about condensing the material, not retyping the original text word for word. But Ms. Terwilliger had already wandered away, staring at her filing cabinet absentmindedly as she muttered to herself about a misplaced folder. With a sigh, I flipped back to the beginning of the book, trying not to think about how this was going to set me back. At least I was only doing this for credit and not a grade. I stayed past the late bell in an effort to make up some lost time. When I got back to my room, I had to wake up Jill, who was sound asleep after her exhausting day. â€Å"Good news,† I told her as she blinked at me with sleepy eyes. â€Å"It's feeding day.† Definitely words I never thought I'd say. I also didn't think I'd be excited for it. And sure, I certainly wasn't thrilled about the idea of Jill biting into Dorothy's neck. I was, however, feeling pretty bad for Jill and was glad she'd get some nourishment. Being on such a limited supply of blood had to make things doubly hard for her. We met up with Eddie downstairs when it was time to go. He looked Jill over worriedly. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"I'm fine,† she said with a smile. She looked nowhere near as bad as she had earlier. I shuddered to think what Eddie would've done if he'd actually been in our class and seen her at her worst. â€Å"Why is this still going on?† he asked me. â€Å"Weren't you going to talk to Keith?† â€Å"We're a little delayed,† I said evasively, leading them to where Latte was parked in the student lot. â€Å"We'll make it happen.† If the Alchemists didn't come through with the note, I was going to try to act on Micah's suggestion and get her switched into morning PE. â€Å"We know you will,† said Jill. I could just barely pick out the sympathy in her voice, reminding me that she knew about my fight with Keith yesterday. I hoped she wouldn't mention it in front of Eddie and was saved when she switched to a more random and surprising topic. â€Å"Do you think we can pick up some pizza along the way? Adrian doesn't want any more of Dorothy's cooking.† â€Å"How terrible for him,† remarked Eddie, getting into the backseat and letting Jill ride shotgun. â€Å"Having a personal chef on hand to make him whatever he wants. I don't know how he gets by.† I laughed, but Jill seemed outraged on Adrian's behalf. â€Å"It's not the same! She cooks really super-gourmet stuff.† â€Å"Still waiting for the problem,† said Eddie. â€Å"She tries to also make it really healthy. She says it's better for Clarence. So, there's never any salt and pepper or butter.† Jeez, how often did she and Adrian talk? â€Å"There's no flavor or anything. It's driving him crazy.† â€Å"Everything seems to be driving him crazy,† I remarked, remembering his plea for new lodging. â€Å"And he can't have it too bad. Didn't he go to LA last night?† Jill's only answer was a frown. Nonetheless, I had a feeling we'd be hanging out at Clarence's for a while, and I personally didn't want to eat anything prepared in that house. So, it was more for selfish reasons that I agreed to stop at a takeout place en route and buy a few pizzas. Adrian's face was radiant when we entered the sitting room, which – pool games aside – seemed to be his primary hangout at Clarence's. â€Å"Jailbait,† he declared, leaping up. â€Å"You're a saint. A goddess, even.† â€Å"Hey,† I said, â€Å"I'm the one who paid for them.† Adrian carried off one of the boxes to the couch, much to Dorothy's dismay. She hurried off muttering about plates and napkins. Adrian gave me a conciliatory nod. â€Å"You're okay too, Sage,† he said. â€Å"Well, well, what have we here?† Clarence came tottering into the room. I hadn't noticed before, but he used a cane to get around. It had a crystal snake head on top, which was both impressive and scary. Just the kind of thing you'd picture for an old vampire. â€Å"Looks like a party.† Lee was with him, greeting us with smiles and nods. His eyes lingered briefly on Jill, and he made a point of sitting near her – but not too near. Jill perked up more than she had in days. Everyone was just starting to dive into the pizza when Dorothy appeared in the doorway with a new guest. I felt my eyes widen. It was Keith. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked, keeping my voice neutral. He winked. â€Å"Came to check in on everybody and make sure all's well. That's my job – to look after everyone.† Keith was chipper and friendly as he helped himself to the pizza, with no indication of the fight we'd gotten into last time. He smiled and talked to everyone as though they were all best friends, leaving me totally bewildered. No one else seemed to think anything odd about his behavior – but then, why would they? None of them had my history with Keith. No – that wasn't quite true. Despite being deep in conversation with Eddie, Adrian paused to give me a curious look, silently asking about yesterday's fight. He glanced at Keith and then back to me. I shrugged helplessly, letting him know I was just as confused by the change of heart. Maybe Keith regretted his outburst from yesterday. Of course, that would've been much easier to accept if it had come with, oh, an apology. I nibbled on a piece of cheese pizza, but mostly I observed the others. Jill was animatedly recounting her first couple of days to Adrian, noticeably leaving out any of the negative parts. He listened to her indulgently, nodding and interjecting with occasional witty quips. Some of the stuff she told him was pretty basic, and I was surprised it hadn't come up in their phone conversations. Maybe he just had so much to say at those times that there'd been no chance for her. As it was, he made no mention of his boredom or other grievances. Clarence occasionally chatted with Eddie and Lee, but his eyes constantly strayed to Jill. There was a wistful look in his gaze, and I remembered that his niece had only been a little older than Jill. I wondered if perhaps part of the reason he'd been so willing to take us all on was in an effort to reclaim some part of the family life that had been lost to him. Keith had sat down near me, at first making me uncomfortable but then later giving me a reason to pick his brain. Seeing the others engaged in conversation, I asked him softly, â€Å"Have you ever heard of knockoff Alchemist tattoos making it into the general population?† He gave me a startled look in return. â€Å"I don't even know what that means.† â€Å"At Amberwood, there's this trend. There's apparently someplace in town that gives metallic tattoos, and they have special properties – kind of like ours. Some just kind of give off a high. Others kind of have a steroid effect.† He frowned. â€Å"They're not bound with gold, are they?† â€Å"No. Silver and copper. So, they don't last. Probably so the people giving them can make more money.† â€Å"But they can't be ours, then,† he argued. â€Å"We haven't used those metals for tattoos in centuries.† â€Å"Yeah, but someone may be using Alchemist technology to create these.† â€Å"Just to get people high?† he asked. â€Å"I wouldn't even know how you'd go about that with metallic agents.† â€Å"I have some ideas,† I said. â€Å"And let me guess. They involve narcotic mixtures.† When I nodded, he sighed and gave me a look like I was ten years old. â€Å"Sydney, it's most likely someone's found a crude tattooing method that's like ours but has no connection. If so, there's nothing we can do about it. Drugs happen. Bad things happen. If it isn't mixed with Alchemist business, then it isn't our business.† â€Å"But what if it is connected to Alchemist business?† I asked. He groaned. â€Å"See? This is why I was worried about you coming, this tendency you have of running off with tangents and wild theories.† â€Å"I don't – â€Å" â€Å"Please don't embarrass me,† he hissed, casting a glance at the others. â€Å"Not with them, not with our superiors.† His rebuke silenced me, mostly from surprise. What did he mean about this â€Å"tendency† I had? Was he actually suggesting he had made some deep psychological analysis of me years ago? The idea that I would embarrass him was ludicrous†¦ and yet his words planted a seed of doubt in me. Maybe the tattoos at Amberwood were just an unrelated fad. â€Å"How's PE?† Adrian's words dragged me from my own thoughts. He was still getting the summary of school from Jill. She made a face at the question. â€Å"Not great,† she admitted, giving a recap of some of the worse moments. Eddie shot me a meaningful look, similar to the one from earlier. â€Å"You can't go on like that,† exclaimed Lee. â€Å"The sun around here's brutal.† â€Å"I agree,† said Keith, of all people. â€Å"Sydney, why didn't you tell me how bad it was?† I think my jaw hit the floor. â€Å"I did! That's why I was trying to get you to contact the school.† â€Å"You didn't really give me the whole story.† He flashed one of his sugary smiles at Jill. â€Å"Don't worry. I'll take care of this for you. I'll get in touch with school officials – and the Alchemists.† â€Å"I already talked to them,† I argued. But I might as well have not said anything. Keith had already switched topics and was talking to Clarence about something irrelevant. Where had this about-face come from? Yesterday, Jill's discomfort had been low priority. Today, Keith was her knight in shining armor. And in the process, he was suggesting that I was the one who'd screwed up. That's his plan, I realized. He doesn't want me here. He never has. And then something even worse occurred to me. He's going to use this to start building a case against me. Across the room, Adrian caught my eye again. He knew. He'd been eavesdropping when I talked to Keith in the driveway. Adrian started to speak, and I knew he was going to call Keith out on his lie. It was gallant but not what I wanted. I would deal with Keith myself. â€Å"How was LA?† I asked quickly before Adrian had a chance to say anything. He looked at me curiously, no doubt wondering why I wouldn't let him be a witness to my case. â€Å"You went there with Lee last night, right?† Adrian looked confused, but a grin smoothed over his face. â€Å"Yeah,† he said at last. â€Å"It was great. Lee showed me college life.† Lee laughed. â€Å"I wouldn't go that far. I don't know where you were half the night.† Adrian got this look on his face that was somehow charming but made me want to slap him at the same time. â€Å"We parted ways. I was getting to know some of the other Moroi in the area.† Even Eddie couldn't stay silent at that. â€Å"Oh, is that what you call it?† Jill abruptly stood up. â€Å"I'm going to get my blood now. Is that okay?† There was a moment of awkward silence, largely because I don't think anyone really knew who she was asking permission from. â€Å"Of course, my dear,† said Clarence, stepping into his role as host. â€Å"I believe Dorothy's in the kitchen.† Jill gave a curt nod and hurried out of the room. The rest of us exchanged puzzled glances. â€Å"Is something wrong?† asked Lee, looking worried. â€Å"Should I†¦ should I go talk to her?† â€Å"She's still just stressed,† I said, not daring to mention the screaming or crying episodes. â€Å"I thought of something that might be fun for her†¦ for all of us to do,† he said tentatively. He glanced around and then settled his gaze on me. I guess I was the designated mother here. â€Å"If you think it's okay. I mean†¦ it's kind of silly, but I thought we could go mini-golfing in the evening. They've got all these fountains and pools on the course. She's a water user, right? She must be missing it out here.† â€Å"She does,† said Eddie, frowning. â€Å"She mentioned it yesterday.† I shivered. Keith had been texting on his phone and froze. No matter our differences, we still shared a core of similar training, and both of us were uneasy with the idea of Moroi magic. â€Å"She'd probably like that a lot,† said Adrian. He sounded reluctant to admit it. I think he was still uneasy with the idea of Lee being interested in Jill, no matter how friendly the two guys were. Lee's idea was both innocent and conscientious. Hard to find fault with. Lee tilted his head thoughtfully. â€Å"You have a later curfew on the weekends, right? Do you want to go tonight?† It was Friday, granting us an extra hour extension at our dorm. â€Å"I'm game,† said Adrian. â€Å"Literally and figuratively.† â€Å"If Jill's there, I'm there,† said Eddie. They looked at me. I was trapped. I wanted to go back and catch up on homework. Saying that sounded pathetic, though, and I supposed I had to represent as Jill's only female chaperone. Besides, I reminded myself, this assignment wasn't about me and my academics, no matter how much I pretended it was. It was about Jill. â€Å"I can go,† I said slowly. Thinking that this sounded very much like fraternizing with vampires, I glanced uneasily at Keith. He'd gone back to texting now that magic wasn't being discussed. â€Å"Keith?† I asked by way of permission. He looked up. â€Å"Huh? Oh, I can't go. I have to be somewhere.† I tried not to grimace. He'd misread me and thought I was inviting him. On the bright side, he also wasn't objecting to the rest of us going. â€Å"Ah, how nice,† said Clarence. â€Å"An outing for you young people. Perhaps you'll share a glass of wine with me first?† Dorothy was just entering with a bottle of red wine, Jill trailing behind her. Clarence smiled at Adrian. â€Å"I know you'd like a glass.† Adrian's expression said he most definitely would. Instead, Adrian took a deep breath and shook his head. â€Å"I'd better not.† â€Å"You should,† said Jill gently. Even after a short drink of blood, she looked full of life and energy. â€Å"Can't,† he said. â€Å"It's the weekend,† she told him. â€Å"It's not that big of a deal. Especially if you're careful.† The two locked gazes and then at last, he said, â€Å"All right. Pour me a glass.† â€Å"Pour me one too, please,† said Keith. â€Å"Really?† I asked him. â€Å"I didn't know you drank.† â€Å"I'm twenty-one,† he countered. Adrian accepted his from Dorothy. â€Å"Somehow, I'm thinking that's not Sage's concern. I thought Alchemists avoided alcohol the same way they do primary colors.† I glanced down. I was wearing gray. Keith was wearing brown. â€Å"One glass won't hurt,† said Keith. I didn't argue with him. It wasn't my place to babysit Keith. And the Alchemists didn't have rules against drinking per se. We had strong religious beliefs about what it meant to live a good and pure lifestyle, and drinking was generally looked down upon. Was it forbidden? No. It was a custom, one I considered important. If he didn't, I guessed that was his choice. Keith was just bringing the glass to his lips when Adrian said, â€Å"Mmm. O positive, my favorite.† Keith sprayed out the wine he'd just drunk and promptly started coughing. I was relieved that none got on me. Jill burst into giggles, and Clarence stared at his glass wonderingly. â€Å"Is it? I thought it was a cabernet sauvignon.† â€Å"So it is,† said Adrian, straight-faced. â€Å"My mistake.† Keith gave Adrian a tight smile, like he too thought it was a funny joke, but I wasn't fooled. Keith was mad at having been mocked, and no matter how friendly he pretended to be with everyone, his views against vampires and dhampirs were as harsh as they'd ever been. Of course, Adrian probably wasn't helping matters any. I thought it was pretty funny, honestly, and worked to hide my smile so that Keith wouldn't get mad at me again. It was hard to do because shortly thereafter, Adrian flashed me a secret, knowing smile that seemed to say, That's payback for earlier. Eddie glanced at Jill. â€Å"I'm glad you got your blood today. I know you've been wanting to learn some defense moves, but I wanted to wait until you were back up to strength.† Jill lit up. â€Å"Can we do it tomorrow?† â€Å"Of course,† he said, looking nearly as delighted by this as she did. Keith frowned. â€Å"Why should she learn to fight when she's got you around?† Eddie shrugged. â€Å"Because she wants to, and she should have every edge she can get.† He didn't specifically mention the attempts on her life – not in front of Lee and Clarence – but the rest of us understood. â€Å"I thought Moroi weren't good at fighting, though,† said Keith. â€Å"Mostly because they haven't trained for it. They aren't as strong as us, sure, but their reflexes are better than yours,† explained Eddie. â€Å"It's just a matter of learning the skills and having a good teacher.† â€Å"Like you?† I teased. â€Å"I'm not bad,† he said modestly. â€Å"I can train anyone who wants to learn.† He elbowed Adrian, who was reaching for the wine and a refill. â€Å"Even this guy.† â€Å"No, thank you,† said Adrian. â€Å"These hands don't sully themselves with fighting.† â€Å"Or with manual labor,† I remarked, recalling past comments of his. â€Å"Exactly,† he said. â€Å"But maybe you should have Castile show you how to throw a punch, Sage. It might come in handy. Seems like a skill a plucky young woman like yourself should possess.† â€Å"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm not really sure when I'd need it,† I said. â€Å"Of course she needs to learn!† Clarence's exclamation caught all of us by surprise. I'd actually thought he was dozing off since he'd had his eyes closed moments ago. But now, he was leaning forward with a zealous expression. I cringed under the intensity of his stare. â€Å"You must learn to protect yourself!† He pointed at me, then moved on to Jill. â€Å"And you. Promise me you'll learn to defend yourself. Promise me.† Jill's light green eyes went wide with shock. She tried to give him a reassuring smile, though it was tinged with uneasiness. â€Å"Of course, Mr. Donahue. I'm trying to. And until then, I've got Eddie to protect me from Strigoi.† â€Å"Not Strigoi!† His voice dropped to a whisper. â€Å"The vampire hunters.† None of us said anything. Lee looked mortified. Clarence squeezed his wineglass so tightly that I worried it would break. â€Å"No one talked about this back then – about defending ourselves. Maybe if Tamara had learned something, she wouldn't have been killed. It's not too late for you – for either of you.† â€Å"Dad, we've been over this,† said Lee. Clarence ignored him. The old man's gaze flicked between me and Jill, and I wondered if he even knew I was human. Or maybe it didn't matter. Maybe he just had a slightly deranged protective instinct toward all girls the same age as Tamara. I kind of expected Keith to tactlessly point out that there were no such things as vampire hunters, but he was uncharacteristically quiet. Eddie was the one who finally spoke, his words soothing and kind. He so often gave off the impression of a do-or-die warrior that it was surprising to realize he was actually very compassionate. â€Å"Don't worry,† said Eddie. â€Å"I'll help them. I'll keep them safe and make sure nothing bad happens to them, okay?† Clarence still looked agitated but focused on Eddie hopefully. â€Å"You promise? You won't let them kill Tamara again?† â€Å"I promise,† said Eddie, in no way indicating how weird the request was. Clarence studied Eddie a few more seconds and then nodded. â€Å"You're a good boy.† He reached for the wine bottle and topped off his glass. â€Å"More?† he asked Adrian, as though nothing had happened. â€Å"Yes, please,† said Adrian, holding out his glass. We continued the conversation as though nothing had happened, but the shadow of Clarence's words continued to hang over me.

Ethnicity and language Essay

1. Ethnicity Ethnicity is not a clear-cut term. It usually describes someone’s racial or cultural background but has a whole host of other connotations connected with appearance, dress, food, lifestyle etc. The ethnic majority in a particular place are, not necessarily those with the largest numbers, but those with social and political power. It is also the case that often terms describing race are fairly meaningless. People from the ‘British race’ for example originate from many other cultures and countries, depending on how far back you trace their family trees. 2. Prejudiced language Language can be used to make certain ethnic groups appear to be outsiders, or different from the ethnic majority. Markedness It is often assumed that immigrants, and people from ethnic minorities, must fit in with the ways and traditions of the ethnic majority. When this happens, the ethnic identity of the majority begins to appear normal and invisible, whilst that of the minority appears, strange, worthy of mention and marked. We often find in the media that people’ ethnicity is only mentioned when they are not white. So, we hear things like â€Å"the murdered black teenager Steven Lawrence† even in instances where the description of ethnicity is irrelevant. Negative labelling People are often labelled according to their colour, race or ethnicity. The problem with such labels is firstly that they may stop us seeing other aspects of the person as we are focussed on the attribute that the label describes. The second problem is that very often these labels are associated with negative stereotypes. We often find that the most marginalized groups in our society have the largest numbers of offensive terms to describe them. In addition, the media runs relatively few stories about those from ethnic minorities, and those that are included tend to reinforce the negative stereotypes by being about crime or disorder. 3. Marking Ethnic Identity Language can also be used as a powerful marker of ethnic identity. The language that we speak, and how we speak it, shows the ethnic group to which we believe we belong and claim solidarity with. British Black English People of West Indian and African Caribbean origin in England use many different varieties depending on where about they live and how long their families have been in Britain. Those born in Britain usually speak a variety of English and also a variety of Jamaican Creole, known as Patois. Linguistic features of Patois ?Lexical items (lick (hit), kenge (weak), bex (angry) ?Use of [? ] and [? ] in place of [? ] and [? ] e. g. [t? n] for [ n] ?Plural forms without /s/ suffix (e. g. many cow) ?Verbs not marked for tense (walk in place of walked) ?Simplified pronouns ([mi] for I, me, my and [dem] for they, them and their) ?Use of ‘fi’ in place of ‘to’ before infinitives. African American Vernacular English In the USA, the distinct languages of people of African American origin disappeared centuries ago. Nevertheless, a distinct variety of English, called African American Vernacular English (AAVE), has developed which acts as a symbol of ethnicity. AAVE is most often heard in cities in the North of the states. Linguistic features of AAVE ?Absence of standard copula be (e. g. ‘she very nice’, ‘that my book’) ?Use of copula be to signal recurring actions (‘she be at school on weekdays’) ?Multiple negation (‘I don’t want none’)? Consonant cluster simplification (‘aks in place of asks’) ?Existential it (where standard English has ‘there’, ‘it’s a boy’ for ‘there’s a boy’) Maori English In New Zealand, it is not clear if a Maori dialect of English actually exists. What is certain is that the features listed below occur more often in the speech of Maoris than Pakeha (non-Polynesian New Zealanders, usually of European origin) Linguistic features of Maori English ?Use of [? ] and [? ] in place of [? ] and [? ] e. g. [t? n] for [ n] ?Use of vocabulary items such as kia ora (greeting) and kuia (old woman)? Vernacular verb forms (walk for walked) ?Present tense forms with /s/ ‘I sees you’, ‘we gets home’) 4. Social Networks Social networks can help us understand speech patterns as the language and variety we use is influenced by the people we spend time with. You can draw a simple social network by considering the four or five people you speak to most often and drawing lines from their names to yours on a map. If any of those people know each other independently of you, connect them with lines (preferably of a different colour) too. Then add their two or three best friends, and so on.e. g. Tom Richard Bob Barbara Sandy Dave Features of social networks Density Density refers to whether members of a person’s network are in touch with each other separately. In the example above, only Richard and Bob know each other independently of Tom so his network is not a dense one. Plexity Plexity refers to the type of transactions that we are involved in with other people. If, for example, Tom only ever plays squash with Barbara, the relationship would be considered a uniplex one. If however, Tom and Barbara lived, worked and socialised together it would be a multiplex one. Language and Networks The language or variety we use is influenced by the people we talk to and what we talk to them about. We may change the language or variety we are using depending on which part of our network we are currently interacting with. For example, we may be more formal at work than at home. This type of language/variety shift is probably more likely if our social network is not very dense and our relations tend to be uniplex. If our networks are dense and multiplex, the whole network is more likely to use the use the same language or variety.

Industry Prospects And Attractiveness Amazon Prime...

Industry Prospects and Attractiveness Amazon Prime Service Gaining Subscribers Last year in 2014, Amazon Prime subscriptions increase by an exceptional at 53%, with its stronger growth across the global markets than within the U.S. An estimate of Prime subscribers could be around 35 to 40 million globally at the end of 2014. What special about it is the subscription offers free shipping along with unlimited access to video contents. It could be comparable to Netflix and that streaming content is just providing subscribers with its advance features of the service to draw subscribers. Even though Prime Memberships only made up a small amount of the company’s revenue, according to various reports, the chance of Prime customers willing to buy is almost twice as much as the regular customers. Prime subscribers will continue to grow as Amazon is investing heavily in streaming content to draw in more subscribers. Today trend has to be the Amazon PrimeNow. Retailers always have an online focus in order to maximize profit with the advantages of mobile technologies. Big online retailers like Amazon on the other hand are seeing the advantages of local pickup. The evolving shopping format same-day delivery, 1-hour delivery, etc., through services like Amazon Fresh and Google Shopping Express has greatly increased the need for locally available inventory. Logistics is a major challenge for online retailers, especially those with geographic breadth of operations (Amazon Analysis Report).Show MoreRelatedExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 PagesGlobal Forces and the European Brewing Industry, tests a reader’s understanding of the main issues inï ¬â€šuencing the competitive position of a number of organisations in the same industry with a relatively short case. For a case that permits a more comprehensive industry analysis The Pharmaceutical Industry could be used. 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