German Verb Conjugations - Sprechen - to Speak

The American Dream is most certainly a beautiful one. It...

The American Dream is most certainly a beautiful one. It has to do with owning your own home in a neighborhood with a good school for the kids and an expensive car in the driveway. Working at a job, that you chose, that provides enough money to realize all of your dreams . Does this sound right? This may have been true when the phrase was coined back in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, in his book The Epic of America, but is certainly not true today. The vast majority of Americans are living in this middle income bracket or even more people receiving government subsidies . When are we, as a nation, going to realize that working a 9 to 5 just to be happy to be able to pay our bills and make ends meet is not going to make the American†¦show more content†¦The gap between the haves and have not’s is very real. There is a lot of talk about the ills of the country. About the mistakes that have been made and that are continuing to be made; the wars, the lending crisis, the outsourcing of jobs. All are very serious and real financial problems that the country continues to live with. How can we give away and lend money to other countries when, right here in America, we have so many hungry and homeless people? There was an article in the local paper, very recently, about 2 homeless people who died from the sudden drop in temperature in New Orleans! They froze to death from the cold. What about their â€Å"American Dream?† Did they ever have one and if so, when did it die for them? Shouldn’t everyone have a chance at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Along with the pursuit; the â€Å"dream† should be in there somewhere? There are many Americans angry with the â€Å"rich† for having so much money. There are countless books written on getting rich. The authors so lovingly tell us all how â€Å"they did it† and â€Å"how we can do it too.† I have read several ofShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poe: His Life and The Raven4939 Words   |  20 Pagesconsidered to be the father of the short story by many. Over the course of his life, he wrote hundreds of short stories and poems. His writing style is unique and influenced by the tragedies that occurred over the course of his life. In fact, he is most well known for writing morbid stories and gruesome, dismal poems. Indeed his writing habits were heavily influenced by his life. His life was full of depression, angst, and woe. Many of the people he cared for fell victim to deadly plagues and diseasesRead MoreEssay on The Life of Edgar Allan Poe4875 Words   |  20 Pagesconsidered to be the father of the short story by many. Over th e course of his life, he wrote hundreds of short stories and poems. His writing style is unique and influenced by the tragedies that occurred over the course of his life. In fact, he is most well known for writing morbid stories and gruesome, dismal poems. Indeed his writing habits were heavily influenced by his life. His life was full of depression, angst, and woe. Many of the people he cared for fell victim to deadly plagues and diseasesRead Moreof mice and men comprehension questions2901 Words   |  12 PagesHe still holds on to the innocence that most children have...he doesn t know of harsh times. And George appreciates how innocent lennie is. 3. Describe how their ‘voices’ differ. George is instantly depicted with being the leader, or parent role towards Lennie, telling him to not drink the water, to give the mouse over, to not say anything etc., just as it would be with a parent and child. 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Human Resource Practice for Training Programs - MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theHuman Resource Practice for Training Programs. Answer: Introduction Human Resource Practices are the practice by which members of the organization are developed. This practice happens with the proper involvement of training programs, motivational programs that can directly helps in increasing the performance of the company. The good human Resource Practice helps in the proper achieving of given objectives and increasing productivity. The human resource practice is formed with the help of groups formed in the firm to properly carry out the practice for the betterment of the company. In this essay, the company Centre link in Australia has carried out human resource practice. In order to maintain proper productivity all the company has to keep the practice of human resources. In this essay, the focus is made on the selected domain that is working with families and partnership. In the human resource practice, there is an involvement to recognize the human service organizations help the workers from the Centre link in the field of domain that is working w ith family and partnership. Analyzing the role of human service professional that is used in the retail company of Australia that is Centre link. The properly identifying, values and knowledge based on the culturally diverse client in the given company. Moreover, the problems that are raised from the culturally diverse clients while carrying in human resource practices. In order to maintain the practice of human resource management, the company has to follow on the certain professional code of practices. In this regard, this study attempts to illustrate the various aspect of the human service organization, the role of the human service professional and the ethics and practices adopted by such organizations.. Recognize a Human Service Organization and Properly Select Domain Field and Practice Centre link is the largest human service company that properly practices the human resource. Moreover, the selected domain involves in the working with family and partnership. There is a huge important factors lie while working with family and partnership. In order to establish the relationship with family, a proper involvement of communication is highly required with the members of family. The family provides opportunity in the service by their involvement and also helps in taking tough decision (Baldwin, 2016). This tough decision helps the company to overcome from the tough situations. Family provides supporting role in creating beliefs and values on the service. Centre link provide a huge role in the involvement of family and partnership by providing better service across Australia and New Zealand. The firm has nearly 27 million customers and having a working family of about 180,000 members serves for the betterment of the company. Centre link has made a huge partnership with the other groups for spreading the service among the customers. Moreover, this helps in the company growth in production and earning of profits (Bowen, 2016). Centre link has involved with three main ideas, in order to make the partners works for long terms. These ideas are fairness, collaboration and involvement of local sources. In order to maintain properly about building up good relationship, the firms has built up mutual trust. The company has focused on the preferences of the customers, producers, members and manufactures. Organization has suppliers of about 79% involved in the better working to develop the products and services for the customers. The firm also provides the freedom to speak about the service that are involved with customers and partner. This is the main reason for which the company has managed to make involvement of third party to manage the complaints (Kong, Chadee Raman, 2013). Companies products and service are served properly among the customers due to invol vement of good family members and better partnership in Australia and New Zealand.. Analysis Role of Human Service Professional and Knowledge Human service professional has driven to focus on helping of citizen and company performs in an optimal level. In the human service professional must conduct with proper knowledge and skills arranged to understand with citizen, group and in individual. This knowledge depends on the human behavior in individual or in group (Carnochan, Samples, Myers Austin, 2014). Human service is based on the human development by depending on the behavior of society and culture. The staff member of human service professional plays many roles by properly designing optimal patterns for the society. Human service professional shows the capabilities on the areas such as :- a) A proper getting the knowledge on the firm and human system b) The knowledge are conducted on the high level of human system. c) Recognizing many interventions for making the human system at a highest level. The main roles of human service professional are to guide the individual and groups to function quickly and effectively on the main domains of practice. The main purpose of the human service staffs is to help other people or groups. Centre link perform a high social and human service practices for the betterment of the society. The social works involves in the gaining knowledge and creating high values in the society. Moreover, the company involves in the human service practice among the employees. Social works helps in running the awareness campaign program in the society based on the health or other issues. The proper human service practice helps in increasing the welfare of group, member and individuals in the society of Australia. The proper outcome of human service practice and social work helps the development of the society. The social work and human service practice creates a framework on the proper values and ethics among the society as well as to the members of the firm. Moreover, organization practices proper human service in the company, in order to communicate properly with customers. The involvement of social work and practice is highly required for the company's growth. Analysis Knowledge, Values and Social Human Service Practices with Culturally Diverse Clientele: There is a huge rise of competence between specific culture and diversity. In the competence of culture depends on the language and culture of the society. The new immigrants brings with different culture, religion, languages in the society. There lies with the involvement of internal displacement in the country with torture, extreme poverty involves with immigrant community. The professionals and society helps to gain a huge cultural competence based on good values. Social worker helps to provide good service in the society and also imparts the social injustice. Nowadays, social workers play cultural competence to properly strengthen the high ethical values. The social practices are performed in the company, schools for properly equipped with the cultural values among different members in the society (Sue, Rasheed Rasheed, 2015). In the Centre link, there are different members involved in the better working of the company. Moreover, the members have come from different culture, lan guages and religion. The company has kept the cultural differences of the members separately for the better working of the company. Organizations need the involvement of different cultural members due to daily visit of many customers from other country. The cultural competence helps in the development of the social workers and helps in properly perform services on the increasing diverse clientele. The social workers are trained properly based on the cultural competence to help the parents while adopting child on the cultural heritage. The workers also help in creating new planning of much activity that helps the child to be more active on culture (Rubin Babbie, 2016). A good social worker having enough competent on culture can easily provide task based on culture and help to achieve the goals on the cultural divergent. A proper service helps on the cultural competent helps in gaining more culture on the society. The social workers based on cultural competence can properly address w ith different genders present in the society. A person culture can be known based on knowledge and understand the background. Analyzing the Potential Ethical Dilemmas while Working with Culturally Diverse Clients: There are certain problems involved by the company while working with the culturally diverse clients. The problems belong with value systems and much cultural background. It involves with the involvement of ethical dilemmas on the cultural diversity. 1) The properly understand the cultural values, rituals and belief caused in the cultural diversity. 2) There are differences on the values and the ethics while facing with different cultures (Martin, 2016). 3) While there is an involvement of making ethical decision based on cultures of non-majority. 4) Moreover, the involvement of ethical decision helps in minimizing the conflicts. Moreover, the proper solving of ethical decisions helps in solving the ethical dilemmas in the culturally diverse clients. In the Woolworths there is a huge involvement of culturally diverse clients as many customers visit daily (Sridharan, 2014). There is a cultural influence that makes the customers to make their full freedom in the choice. The company follows properly about the ethical and moral responsibility for the better working of the company. Centre link has performed human service practices for a long period of time for the betterment of society (Martin, 2016). Moreover, the company has involved in the supply of brands in the retails market. In order to have a huge customer and huge members working, involves in the cultural diversity. The company has made proper framework based on the cultural strategy, not creating any harm to the members of the Woolworth. Moreover, the company helps the member to enrich their cultural field and helps for not creating any diversity. Professional Codes of Ethics and Practice: The professional codes of ethics and practice are conducted based on ethical benchmarks. The codes of ethics are set in four parts. These are Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D. Part A is set by the professional accountant. Part B is made by professional accountant while working in public. Part C is also set by executive accountant while working in business. Part D is set by professional accountants on the incomplete practices of business. There are basically five main principles made by ACCA book. These are objectivity, integrity, professional behavior, confidentiality and competence on the professional level. The Codes are applied based on the ethical principles and values for exact specific areas of practices (Woodside McClam, 2016). The proper applicable of codes are deemed to all the groups. The Code of Ethics is to develop and properly maintain the professional competence. There are mainly three professional Codes of practice that are applicable in the daily practice. These are proper responsibility planned based on public interest. The groups or members have prime responsibility on the public interest. These are based on proper planning of techniques and skills for properly understand the interest on public (Bromley Meyer, 2014). These are practices are made on the proper values and need that helps to encourage the working on public. In the proper planning, a right decision helps to execute the work properly. It is evident from the statement of corporate governance of Centre link that the organization is focused at enhancement of the shareholders value and in safeguarding their needs and interests. The management of the organization is aimed carrying on with the operations in compliance with the ethical codes of conduct and adopt such practices that that meets high degree of disclosures and compliance (Bryan Brown, 2015). While going through the ann ual report of the company it is noted that the management of the organization ensures that the various policies and the practices adopted by the organization in certain critical areas like financial reporting of the organization and the reporting of remuneration of the Board of Directors are all in compliance with the market standards and the ethical codes of conducts (Jackson, Schuler Jiang, 2014). Conclusion: In light of the above study, it can be established that the proper involvement of the human service practice helps in the development of the company that is Centre link. Moreover, it enhances the cultural diversity of the members as well as the customers. The company has worked with the family and partnership in order to get the proper planning and decision on the tough condition. It has been concluded that the proper role of human service organization helps in development of the company. Moreover, this helps to enhance the member's skill and knowledge on the working field. The culturally diverse clientele also involves with the social workers. The company has performed properly for gaining a proper position by the involvement in the cultural activity. Reference List Baldwin, M. (2016). Social work, critical reflection and the learning organization. Routledge. Bowen, D. E. (2016). The changing role of employees in service theory and practice: An interdisciplinary view. Human Resource Management Review, 26(1), 4-13. Bromley, P., Meyer, J. W. (2014). They Are All Organizations The Cultural Roots of Blurring Between the Nonprofit, Business, and Government Sectors. Administration Society, 0095399714548268. Bryan, T. K., Brown, C. H. (2015). The individual, group, organizational, and community outcomes of capacity-building programs in human service nonprofit organizations: Implications for theory and practice. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership Governance, 39(5), 426-443. Carnochan, S., Samples, M., Myers, M., Austin, M. J. (2014). Performance measurement challenges in nonprofit human service organizations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 43(6), 1014-1032. Jackson, S. E., Schuler, R. S., Jiang, K. (2014). An aspirational framework for strategic human resource management. The Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), 1-56. Kong, E., Chadee, D., Raman, R. (2013). Managing Indian IT professionals for global competitiveness: the role of human resource practices in developing knowledge and learning capabilities for innovation. Knowledge Management Research Practice, 11(4), 334-345. Martin, L. L. (2016). Financial management for human service administrators. Waveland Press. Mertens, D. M. (2014). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Sage publications. Monette, D. R., Sullivan, T. J., DeJong, C. R. (2013). Applied social research: A tool for the human services. Cengage Learning. Rubin, A., Babbie, E. R. (2016). Empowerment Series: Research Methods for Social Work. Cengage Learning. Salsgiver, R. (2015). Disability: A diversity model approach in human service practice. Oxford University Press. Sridharan, K. S. (2014). TQM and Discipline management. International Journal of Conceptions on Management and Social Sciences, 2. Sue, D. W., Rasheed, M. N., Rasheed, J. M. (2015). Multicultural Social Work Practice: A Competency-Based Approach to Diversity and Social Justice. John Wiley Sons. Wilson, J. R., Sharples, S. (Eds.). (2015). Evaluation of human work. CRC press. Woodside, M. R., McClam, T. (2016). Generalist case management: A method of human service delivery. Cengage Learning.

Receiving Constructive Feedback From Colleagues and Managers free essay sample

When receiving constructive feedback some people may react badly and see it as a criticism of their work they may become angry, defensive, become anxious, and look for reassurance. Some people may see it as a positive to enable them to develop their skills, may give them a confidence boost or they may appreciate another person’s views and take on board and agree with their feedback. When receiving constructive feedback we should remember that we are care workers and services can always be improved to provide the best level of care possible.Having feedback from others and being willing to listen to that feedback, as well as use it to your advantage is a huge part of self-improvement, and plays a massive role in developing your knowledge, skills and understanding of certain things. For example a third party is more likely to identify areas for improvement that an individual without feedback would be unable to recognise. We will write a custom essay sample on Receiving Constructive Feedback From Colleagues and Managers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Such as the way you speak to someone, as you’re talking and joking you might believe that the subjects you breach are perfectly acceptable, but the service user you are communicating with may never want to mention the fact that they really don’t want to talk about cars any more, either out of politeness or some other motive, but another member of staff may be able to recognise this, and discuss it with you while they give out feedback which lets you identify the area for improvement. Feedback can increase your problem solving capabilities by allowing you to take in a situation from another’s perspective, and approaching a previous problem in a way that you have discovered by listening to others, they will tell you their perspectives and how they might deal with a situation in a more appropriate way. Perhaps in the form of advice or even just a little more information on how a certain service user likes to be treated. Changing the way to act around someone can ha ve a massive impact on them, and sometimes feedback is the only way to identify this.

The eNotes Blog Grammar How-To That, Which, andWho

Grammar How-To That, Which, andWho This is Part Four in our Grammar How-To Series. I’ll be brief. It matters, though maybe not the way you think it does. Or maybe exactly the way you think it does. Take the test and find out. 1. Choose the sentence that makes the most sense. a) Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† that is about a crazy guy who bricks up his enemy behind a wall is an excellent read. b) Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Black Cat,† that is about a crazy guy who bricks up his wife behind a wall, is an excellent read. c) Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† which is about a crazy guy who buries an old man beneath his floorboards, seems familiar somehow. 2. Choose the sentence that makes the most sense. a) I owe a debt of gratitude to John Steinbeck, whose novel The  Grapes of Wrath motivated me to clean my room, do my dishes, and accomplish anything that was not reading his novel. b) I also am indebted to Ernest Hemingway who wrote The Old Man and the Sea and gave me a deeper appreciation for allegory and a powerful dislike of fishing. c) Finally, I would like to thank Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick that cured my insomnia and redoubled my determination to avoid ocean fishing. Answers: 1. c   2. a Let’s start with what the sticklers say. For those grammarians with a dash up their semicolon, that should only be used for restrictive clauses, and which for nonrestrictive clauses. The part of me that gets her hyphens in a wad over these issues kind of likes that. The truth, though, is that more and more people are using which restrictively, and it’s particularly common in British English. So if you talk about lifts and torches, or if you’re a free spirit when it comes to your grammar, I can’t prevent you from continuing on your wayward path. So what’s a restrictive clause? You use them when you need to restrict the number of things you could be talking about. The following sentences contain italicized restrictive clauses: I need a theme that will engage readers in this fascinating grammar post. Unfortunately, the only theme that I can come up with relates to the movie that I watched last night. That means the theme that will elucidate the mysteries of relative clauses for you is Jurassic Park. In each of those cases, the italicized segment is restrictive because it helps identify exactly which theme I’m talking about. For example, in the first one, I don’t want just any theme- I need one that will fascinate (ignore the jibe that just came to the tip of your tongue). Also, the only themes on the planet are not â€Å"movies I watched last night† and â€Å"Jurassic Park† (though it did seem that way to me at the time), so it makes sense for me to make those clauses restrictive. What, then, is a nonrestrictive clause? Think of it like a parenthetical asides of nonrestrictive clauses are italicized below: Under her seat Lex found a flashlight, which seemed a useful tool at the time. And yet is a flashlight, which nobody told her to turn on, really a useful tool when you are hiding from a large carnivorous dinosaur? The flashlight, which attracts the attention of the light- and motion-sensitive T-rex, is not a useful tool for Lex at this time. In the first and second examples, even if I got rid of which seemed a useful tool at the time and which nobody told her to turn on, you’d still know which flashlight I’m talking about. It would be pointless to restrict my meaning to only flashlights that seemed useful at the time, because there was only one flashlight in the car. In the third example, as Lex should have known, there was no flashlight in the world that would not attract the attention of the dinosaur overhead; thus I’m at liberty to use a nonrestrictive clause. What about who? Who (or whose, whom, etc.) can be used with either restrictive or nonrestrictive clauses. Sadly, however, you still have to know the difference between the two, because you need to know where to put your commas. Commas should always be used to set off your nonrestrictive clauses. No commas means your nonrestrictive clause is suddenly restrictive, no matter what word you’ve used to begin it. For example, it would not make sense to write Lex who was lucky not to die during the flashlight debacle responds poorly to life-threatening situations. There are not two Lexes in Jurassic Park (which is a good thing, because otherwise nobody would have survived the movie), so there’s no need for you to make the clause restrictive by omitting the comma. It would be better to write Lex, who was lucky not to die during the flashlight debacle, responds poorly to life-threatening situations. It’s a good idea, however, to use a restrictive clause in the sentence The grandchild who got stuck in the tree was only marginally more intelligent. Since there are two grandchildren in the movie, the phrase who got stuck in the tree restricts my meaning and lets you know which of the foolish kids I’m talking about.

Five Steps to Applying to Law School

Five Steps to Applying to Law School How do you get into law school? One step at a time. Even if you havent taken the LSAT yet, get a full understanding of the entire process with this step-by-step guide for applying to law school. 1. Take the LSAT The first step in applying to law school is taking the  LSAT. Your LSAT is basically tied with your GPA for the most important number for law schools. The test is designed to measure skills that are considered essential for success in law school. Scores range from 120 to 180, with 120 being the lowest possible score and 180 the highest possible score.† The average LSAT score is about 150. You can see the LSAT percentiles of the top 25 law schools in the nation for reference. Be sure to prepare as much as possible for the test  as its best that you only take it once. You can take it again if you are unhappy with your first score, but be sure to ask yourself  these five questions  before you retake the LSAT. For more advice on LSAT prep, click  here. 2. Register With the LSDAS If you didnt do so when signing up for the LSAT, register with the LSDAS  as it will make applying to law schools much easier. This is the main system that law schools use to collect all the application requirements from their students. Therefore, creating an account is essential to the application process. 3. Decide Where to Apply to Law School Applying to law school can get expensive, so its important to narrow down your list. You can also  visit schools  to get a feel for what it would be like to be a student there. Read through our extensive law school profiles and have in mind that if your score is above the 75th percentile at a given school, they are likely to offer you some money to attend their school. Therefore, keep your GPA and LSAT scores in mind while you are looking for schools. It’s a good idea to match your scores to your law school.   4. Write Your  Personal Statement LSAT scores and grades are the most important parts of law school applications, but  personal statements run a close third. Your goal in the  personal statement is  to show the  admissions committee  why you would be a valuable addition to their law school, and its never too early to get started on writing it. Don’t expect to produce a perfect statement on your first try. It is a good thing to constantly revise, go through several drafts, and consult with teachers and advisors. 5. Get Recommendations Law school recommendations  are the final piece to your application puzzle, and with some planning ahead of time, you can be sure to get glowing letters of recommendations from your referees. Ideally, you want to ask a teacher that you have a great relationship with or someone who can really speak to your character and potential. 6. Don’t Forget Financial Aid Unfortunately, even after finishing everything mentioned above, you’re not quite done. But you can’t forget this important step in the application process - it could save you a good amount of money.Each law school on your list may have a different application for applying to financial aid, so you need to research the process of each school separately. Schools may offer grants or loan programs in addition to merit scholarships. But don’t just limit your search for financial aid to your law school: there are many outside scholarships you can apply for to help decrease the cost of law school. Any kind of aid helps to lower your potential debt.

Financial Services Industries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Services Industries - Essay Example This destabilization asks questions about the various organizational practices and balance sheet structures that these two types of financial institutions utilize. Furthermore, the regulatory agencies involved in the monitoring of securities firms play a vital role in protecting consumers and investors, and the solvency of the bank system is a vital component of social stability not only in the U.S. economy but globally speaking. This paper will briefly examine some of the differences in structure and operation of depository institutions as well as examine the regulatory processes involved in supervising the securities firms. As an illustration of the crumbling barrier between banking and commerce consider that during the 1970s there were predictions that there was a decline in banking as balance sheets for commercial banks had fallen to their lowest levels in years (Federal Reserve Bank, 1998). In response a number of deregulation initiatives were instituted to spur growth for depository institutions. To manage the acknowledged increased risk that deregulation would entail the FDIC systematically raised the minimum level of the capital-to-asset ratio. However, because of deregulation and the FDIC response this encouraged depository institutions to move business off their balance sheets, for example, by packaging and selling various product lines in the form of securities. This â€Å"securitization† of assets, such as mortgages, auto loans, and credit-card loans- shifts loans to permanent investors, leaving the depository institutions to service the loans for a fee. "Origination, distribution, and servicing capabilities have therefore become increasingly significant elements of the banking business, while building up the balance sheet, once perceived as a measure of an institutions eminence, has diminished in importance" (Federal Reserve Bank, 1998, p. 61). The operational practices and balance sheet structure are in fact markedly different

Social Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Social Security - Research Paper Example Many of them were abandoned by their siblings. Some elderly were found living in sidewalks asking for alms and a number of them died due to health problem. In 1932, the citizens were somehow relieved from the effects of the phenomenon when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected as president and introduced the New Deal programs (Rosenberg, n.d.). Few of the programs were aimed to help the farmers and lessen the unemployment rate across the country (Rosenberg, n.d.). Aiming to provide sustainable support and effective social security to the American nation, President Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security Act in 1935 (Social Security Administration [SSA], 2000). The legislation contained many provisions promoting the general welfare. Nonetheless, its most distinguishing feature was the social insurance program for retired employees aging at least sixty five years. The retirees were paid a continuing income right after they retire. The monthly benefits were planned to start in 1942 (S SA, 2000). In such case, the Social Security paid the retirees their benefits in lump-sum from 1937 to 1942. A retired motorman was the first retiree who received a lump-sum payment under the law (SSA, 2000). As a social legislation, the Social Security Act was designed to be adoptive to change. In the year 1939, it underwent a substantial amendment (SSA, 2000). The modification included two more benefits aside from the retirement benefits. The legislators added the dependents and survivors benefits. The former was made to benefit the spouse and minor children of the retired while the latter was for the family of the worker in case of premature death (SSA, 2000). In a sense, the amendment not only benefited the worker but also his or her family. As the economic situation of America began to regain strength, the amount of benefits to be received by the recipients was also increased. Moreover, the payment of monthly

Training Manual Focusing On Financial Valuation Essay Example for Free

Training Manual Focusing On Financial Valuation Essay Any company, especially one that has recently gone public, needs a manual on financial systems that will work hand in hand with its overall business strategy and its structural organizational strategy. In the case of Strident Marks, which is now a public company, valuation in terms of business and actual return on investment increased as the responsibility of profitability intensifies with the presence of stockholders. It is important that the rules and the standards of valuation are set out clearly, as well as the process needed to achieve these rules. Valuation in investment can be divided into actual return on investment in profit, and perceived return on investment in time, efficiency, and output. The training manual should have separate areas that address these two, as well as a consolidating guide that will allow these factors to work together for the good of the company and the shareholders. The profit valuation is the simplest tool as it entails only a cost-benefit analysis and a projected profit versus expense report. Since it is quantifiable, the gains and losses are easily seen and departments can easily account for any changes in policy, as well as in meeting and exceeding targets. Quality returns on investment, on the other hand, are difficult to value and justify. For example, the implementation of an information system cannot be quantified into concrete results in terms of profit, but only to the benefits to the employee, the shareholder, and of course, the client. A method that can be used is to assign actual, numerical values on a grading scale that will allow these factors to be valued. The financial department is crucial in this asect as this division can quantify the value of a perceived benefit versus the actual value of the company as a whole. The financial department can provide a more accurate numerical assessment as opposed to a haphazard assignment. This branch can also ascertain the feasibility of an investment versus the benefits to be gained from it. References Financial Regulation — Good Rules and Bad. (1993). World Bank Development Brief, 12. Retrieved January 17, 2007 from http://www.worldbank.org/html/dec/ Publications/Briefs/DB12.html

The 18th Amendment :: Alcohol

To drink or no? Ever since the first people stumbled across alcohol (and then each other) this has been a question commonly asked. Statistics show that a majority of domestic violence, automobile accidents, and rape, all involve (many times) alcohol. Whether one thinks consumption is "right" or not has been asked by people for people from time to time. This would be the case of the 18th Amendment of 1919. The Act passed by those concerned with the above-mentioned problems, prohibited the vending, transportation of, and consumption of alcohol. The law was intended to be enforced nation-wide. Police raided and trashed many vendors to stop their trade. Sometimes however, the police took their share of the whiskey they were supposed to break, and paid reporters to look the other way. On the whole, prohibition was effective in smaller town/cities, but worked a bit less in the larger cities. It is said that for every market that is destroyed, a new underground market is created. This was exactly the case with prohibition. Though domestic violence did decrease, much crime increased. Bootlegers (people who made/sold their own whiskey) popped up everywhere. Speakeasies, which were underground bars, were frequented by virtually everyone. Seceret drinking was considered a glamorous thing-even in Washington parties. Bootlegging gangs began to increase, thus an increase in street crime occured. One of the most famous of these gangsters was Al Capone. Capone's bootlegging ring earned him approximately 60,000,000 dollars a year. One example of gang related crime was the St. Valentines Day Massacre, in which Capones's gang gunned down and killed seven members of "Bugs" Morgans' gang.

Price Adjustment

Question 3 Compute a sales dollar base index for Midwest Sales, Inc. , to analyze the following quality cost information, and prepare a memo to management. Answer {draw:frame} Question 4 Analyze the following cost data for product B. What are the implications of these data for management? Chart these data. Calculate the quality indices as a relationship to the cost sales. Product B Quality categories as a percentage of Quality Cost Answer {draw:frame} CoQ graph {draw:frame} From the data above, the management team will know how much they have spending in order to get a high quality product. From here, the company must rearrange their production planning in order to produce a high quality product without putting an extra budget. Analyze the cost data from ABC Corp. What are the implications of these data for management? How do these data differ from those in problem 4? Answer {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Based on the three pie charts above, it can be clearly seen that the total quality cost of non conformance (internal and external failure) can be reduced by increasing the conformance cost (appraisal and prevention) until it reached the optimum cost per good unit of product. It means that the company can only increase the conformance cost until certain limit in order to reduce the non conformance cost. When the conformance cost increase so much, it will result the increasing of non conformance cost as shown in Product C. Hence, the management needs to consider the cost by analyzing the profits based on the data that they got. Question 7 Prepare a graph or chart showing the different quality cost categories and percentage for the Great Plates Printing Company. Answer {draw:frame}

Philosophy Plato& Personal Opinion

Philosophy Providing Answers for Questions & Questions for Answers Kristen Riso 5250378 PHIL 1F91 Professor: Dr. Lightbody TA: David Corman Word Count: 1941 The Apology written by Plato’s is an excellent piece of philosophical literature that can teach us many things. Most importantly this fine literature gives us the utmost insight into the philosophy of Socrates’. As well it teaches us the idea of asking questions and probing for answers when we don’t understand so we can uncover the truth and learn rather than thinking we know and being ignorant.The intention here is to describe the philosophy of Socrates’ and use what I’ve learned from his ideas to present my own beliefs on what philosophy is and relate it to my personal life. The start of the essay will be devoted to deciphering the ethics and ideals of Socrates’ philosophy and describing the three key components being Socratic method, irony and ethos as well as how they are engrained wi th Socrates’ belief that, â€Å"the unexamined life is not worth living. During the second portion of the essay I will discuss my belief that philosophy is the process of consistently asking questions to gain understanding and insight to life’s mysteries and challenges. Similar to Rauhut I would describe philosophy as open questions but I would conclude that definition to be incomplete. Philosophy needs constant discussion and revision, yes it does begin with a simple belief or question but the whole purpose is discussion and explanation to gain further comprehension and understanding of the subject in question.In Plato’s The Apology Socrates’ uses the Socratic method as a way to prove his innocence and show the misconceptions of others. The Socratic method is a process of debate between individuals with contradictory beliefs. The debate is used to promote critical thinking and cause the individuals to consistently prove their hypothesis. In attempts to prove their beliefs they are in turn constantly trying to disprove and eliminate the ideas of anyone opposing them.To defend your opinion, questioning can be used to cause deep thought by the opposition about their beliefs and force them to provide supporting evidence to verify their perspective. Socrates’ constantly uses this technique by forcing people to explain what they think they know and by asking the right questions he is able to show the flaws in their ideas. These questions can lead a defendant to contradict himself therefore strengthening the ideas of the opposition. â€Å"And yet, I know that my plainness of speech makes them hate me, and what is their hatred but proof that I am speaking the truth? (Plato, 24a-24b). This method creates a much greater chance for a successful and applicable hypothesis and analyzes and dissects ideas to see how they fit or contradict with other beliefs. Socratic Irony is a tool used in the Socratic method in attempts to get the oppo sition to expose their deficiency of understanding or an error in their rationality. The process uses very specific questions in which the person who is questioning pretends that they lack knowledge on something that they actually know.This is displayed when Socrates’ questions Meletus and causes Meletus to bring up facts which contradict his accusations against Socrates’, â€Å"†¦ if a man with whom I have to live is corrupted by me, I am very likely to be harmed by him; and yet I corrupt him, and intentionally, too – so you say,† (Plato, 25e-26a). With this technique the person asking the question knows the answer all along and therefore when the opposition supplies an answer that is incorrect or flawed they are able to clearly illustrate the mistake that is made thus proving their point without any doubt or contradiction. But either I do not corrupt them, or I corrupt them unintentionally; and on either view of the case you lie. † (Plato, 25 e-26a). This process is very effective due to the sole reason that you can make your opponent prove your point for you. The irony of this technique therefore lies in the simple fact that by pretending to display your own ignorance on a subject you con your opponents into openly presenting their own ignorance, therefore causing them to work against themselves to your advantage. Socrates’ displays the Socratic method and clearly illustrates the ffectiveness of Socratic irony when he defends himself and his ethos to the court and jurors. Ethos being the Greek word for character depicts the defining ethics, principles and views of the person or group in question. When discussing the philosophical beliefs of Socrates, â€Å"†¦ a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong – acting the part of a good man or of a bad. † (Plato, 28b-28c) it is evide nt that he is ethically, academically and politically opposed to the majority of the population of Athens during his life.Socrates’ does not fear death and therefore he would not change his opinions or who he is even when he is put on trial with a possible death sentence. He believes in honesty and cares about enriching the lives of others, â€Å"I did not go where I would do no good to you or to myself; but where I would do the greatest good privately to every one of you, thither I went, and sought to persuade every man among you that he must look to himself, and seek virtue and wisdom before he looks at his private interests. † (Plato, 36c-36d). Socrates’ is said to be very wise and yet he always claims to have no knowledge. I am better off than he is for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows; I nether know nor think that I know. † (Plato, 21d-21e). This brings forth the idea of ignorance and how false overconfidence combined with some knowledge can lead to less wisdom than no knowledge at all. When Socrates interacts with the Artisans he finds that they have knowledge about life that he does not know and thought that they would be wiser than him. He later found that they overshadowed their wisdom with the idea that they knew more than they actually did. †¦ Therefore I asked myself on behalf of the oracle, whether I would like to be as I was, neither having their knowledge nor their ignorance, or like them in both; and I made answer to myself and to the oracle that I was better off as I was. † (Plato, 22d-22e). The idea presented by the oracle portrays the concept that men who are not overconfident and believe that they know nothing would therefore ask questions and be the most willing to learn thus giving them the advantage to become wiser and not miss out on opportunities that life presents.This implies that Socrates’ is not in fact the wisest man but that anyone who is open to new ideas and asks questions in attempts to understand is wiser than anyone who believes that they are more knowledgeable than the rest and are thus ignorant to knowledge. I would say that knowledge is a very broad term that encompasses a great deal of different skills that can be absorbed through either experience or education and can be either practically or theoretically applied. In philosophy the study of knowledge is known as epistemology.Philosophers in this area try to define knowledge and gain understanding of how it is obtained as well as connecting it to our own beliefs through explanation and rationalization. I would say that Rauhut’s claim that philosophy is the study of open questions does have some validity but it only convers part of what I would describe as philosophy. Philosophy needs to have verbal debate between many individuals to ensure that thought provoking questions are asked to probe at the brains of people causing them to really think and have to support their theories with vali d evidence and reasoning.It is not just about answering what something is but also why and how it happens. I would say that everyone uses philosophy in their everyday life, whenever we analyze something and ask others and ourselves questions we are philosophizing by forcing ourselves to search for answers that are unknown to us. Philosophy thrives on logical rational thinking and being able to verbally justify and clarify your ideas while enlightening others.A personal experience in my life, which I would directly relate to philosophy, would be the time that my best friend and I watched Inception. The movie was extremely thought provoking and had a particularly interesting concept. After the movie was finished my friend and myself were immediately diving into a conversation about perception and reality. The idea of dreams is very philosophical in my own opinion, which is why the discussion that this movie instigated was perfect.Originally we conversed about the idea of whether or no t he was still in the dream and to back up our ideas we provided evidence. Information such as the fact that at the end of the movie the spinning top started to wobble which never happened in the dream world would provide support to the idea that he had managed to escape from the dream world and make it back to his family. On the other hand looking at the fact that his children still looked the same and were in the backyard in the same position reinforced the idea that he was still in the dream world.By asking questions and seeking answers we were being philosophical and therefore gaining knowledge and understanding by asking how and why and providing rational reasoning for our explanations. This then lead us into a discussion about dreams and reality and how we can determine the truth. It made us ask questions such as, how do we know what is real? This brought up the possibility of us being in a dream world and the idea that maybe only one of us was real and the other person was a figment of imagination created by the mind of the real person to create questions and drive for deeper thinking and increasing intellect.I would conclude that discussion as being an enlightening and philosophical experience in my life due to the nature of its content as well as the thought provoking questions asked. In my mind that is philosophy and to put it elegantly, â€Å"I think therefore I am† (Rene Descartes, 1596-1650). Philosophy is all about thought; one must think to create idea and to make connections between anything. The mind must be constantly analyzing the world and asking question to obtain knowledge and understanding of the world around them.If you close your mind you give yourself up to ignorance and choose to live in a world and false beliefs and misconceptions unaware and the beautiful depth of philosophy. The idea that ignorance is bliss I would have to disagree with in a philosophical sense due to the fact that analyzing and questioning the aspects of o ur world to further your comprehension of anything that interests you has got to be one of the most important and enriching aspects of life, as we know it.If we did not ask questions and search for answers we would never grow and advance. Questioning is the key to understanding and that is a tremendous factor in expanding, developing and progressing the world as we know it. Philosophy is the study of open questions such as what, why and how as well as the process of gaining answers through rational thought, deliberation and verification. References The Apology by Plato

Great Mosque essays

Great Mosque essays The Great Mosque of Cordoba was considered a wonder of the medieval world by both Muslims and Christians. During that time, many people considered it as the Eight wonder of the world. The Great Mosque was built on a Visigothic site, which was probably the site of an earlier Roman temple. The Great mosque began being built in 785 in the Ummayyad dynasty, during the reign of Abd al-Rahman I, a survivor of the Ummayyad dynasty who escaped from Syria to the Iberian Peninsula after his family was massacred by the Abbasids. The function of the Great Mosque was to provide a place for worship and prayer for those who practice the Islamic faith. The structure of the mosque was a blend of Umayyad, Abbasdi, and pre-Islamic influences. The mosques hypostyle plan, consisting of a rectangular prayer hall and an enclosed courtyard, followed a tradition established in the Umayyad and Abbasid mosques of Syria and Iraq. (pg. 346 prayer hall) The marble columns and capitals in the hypostyle prayer hal l were reused from the ruins of classical Roman buildings in the area. The two-tiered system of arches is similar the Roman aqueducts. Its purpose was to increase the height of the interior space to allow light and air to come in. The upper arches are semi-circular and the lower arches have a horseshoe shape and are know as horseshoe arches. The horseshoe arch had been used by the Visigoths in Spain, but its use was greatly expanded by the Muslims. The curved arch was formed by alternating placement of pale stone and red brick voussoirs which was a technique adopted from the Romans and Byzantines. Al-Hakam II, who ruled from 961-976, commissioned expensive and luxurious renovations that displeased many of his subjects. His most lavish renovation was concentrated in the maqsura, the prayer space reserved for the ruler. Its lavishly decorated with carved marble, stucco, and elaborate mosaics. The maqsura is visually separated from the ...

Always Remember That Java Is A Case Sensitive Language

Always Remember That Java Is A Case Sensitive Language Java is a case-sensitive language, which means that the upper or lower case of letters in your Java programs matter. About Case Sensitivity Case sensitivity enforces capital or lower case in the text. For example, suppose you have created three variables called endLoop, Endloop, and EndLoop. Even though these variables are composed of the exact same letters in the same exact order, Java does not consider them equal. It will treat them all differently. This behavior has its roots in the programming language C and C, on which Java was based, but not all programming languages enforce case sensitivity. Those that do not include Fortran, COBOL, Pascal, and most BASIC languages. The Case For and Against Case Sensitivity The case for the value of case sensitivity in a programming language is debated among programmers, sometimes with an almost religious fervor.   Some argue that case sensitivity is necessary to ensure clarity and accuracy  - for example, there is a difference between Polish (being of Polish nationality) and polish (as in shoe polish), between SAP (an acronym for System Applications Products) and sap (as in tree sap), or between the name Hope and the feeling hope. Further, the argument goes, a compiler should not try to second-guess the intent of the user and should rather take strings and characters exactly as entered, to avoid unnecessary confusion and introduced errors.   Others argue against case sensitivity, citing that it is harder to work with and more likely to result in  mistakes while providing little gain.  Some argue that case-sensitive languages negatively impact productivity, forcing programmers to spend untold hours debugging issues that end up as simple as the difference between LogOn and logon. The jury is still out on the value of case-sensitivity and it may be able to pass final judgment. But for now,  case sensitivity is here to stay in Java. Case Sensitive Tips for Working in Java If you follow these tips when coding in Java you should avoid the most common case sensitive errors: Java keywords are always written in lowercase. You can find the full list of keywords in the reserved words list.Avoid using variable names that differ only in case. Like the example above, if you had three variables called â€Å"endLoop†, â€Å"Endloop†, and â€Å"EndLoop† it would not take long before you mistype one of their names. Then you might find your code changing the value of the wrong variable by mistake.Always make sure the class name in your code and java filename match.Follow the Java naming conventions. If you get into the habit of using the same case pattern for different identifier types, then you improve your chances of avoiding a typing mistake.When using a string to represent the path of a file name, i.e. C:\JavaCaseConfig.txt make sure you use the right case. Some operating systems are case insensitive and dont mind that the filename isnt exact. However, if your program is used on an operating system that is case sensitive it will produce a r untime error.

Mitt Romney is the Best Choice for the Republican Nomination (2011) Research Paper

Mitt Romney is the Best Choice for the Republican Nomination (2011) - Research Paper Example Now he stands as a candidate for the Republican nomination to become President of the United States. This paper will identify qualities which best qualify him for this nomination, as well as qualities which might raise a question mark in the minds of the American public. Rivals for the nomination will be briefly considered. The central thesis of this paper is that Mitt Romney is, in fact, the best choice for the Republican nomination. America is in need of strong leadership, solid financial management, and thorough analysis of all sides of a variety of social, health, educational, economic, military, and moral issues which currently foster so much conflict domestically and internationally. Leadership is critical because it can lead to unity (collective identity and authentic negotiation) and survival (safety and prosperity). Solid financial management is critical because the economy is in bad shape; the national deficit is embarrassing; and in the course of meeting political prioriti es, families are homeless, freezing and starving on the streets. Analytic skills are vital in order to sort through competing priorities, introduce creative solutions which represent the interests of the people in a fair manner, and develop a strong base for success. Supporters and critics of Romney have identified him as a person with strong leadership skills. Hewitt asserts that Romney, a moderate, has â€Å"talent for politics and leadership,† beyond that of other politicians (4). Warring factions in the bipartisan political arena need an inspiring and influential leader, with the ability to unite opposing forces toward mutually beneficial goals. Mitt’s leadership ability is demonstrated in his distinguished accomplishments in private and public sectors. He redeemed the morale and credibility of the Salt Lake Olympics, in his capacity as event organizer. He garnered support from the public sector, private entities, and athletes, correcting past distortions in Salt L ake leadership (Westerbeek and Smith 44). Leadership is tested when there is a crisis, requiring quick analysis and resolution. Mitt’s ability to negotiate bipartisan concerns and influence the government was exhibited when he signed the bill for reformation of health care in Massachusetts (Foer 133). Mitt Romney’s formal education in management was acquired at Stanford University (two semesters), Brigham Young University (BA) and Harvard Law School (graduated Cum Laude) (Algiere 105). His management skills were further developed when he entered the Boston Consulting Group, and were polished as Vice President of Bain & Company and co-founder of Bain Capital (Algiere 105). Romney saved the shrinking company from bankruptcy, without employee dismissal. He compiled a profit of over $100 million during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. He has a reputation for having a strong work ethic. Consequently, public and private sectors trust him, making fundraising successful (Algiere 106). The USA suffers from a significant budget deficit, due to government spending. If Romney is chosen for the Republican nomination, his strategic skills in business and financial management will help to regain what has been lost. During his 2008 campaign, Romney stressed that he can â€Å"balance the State’s out-of-control budget and attract new business to revive the economy† (Foer 133). All kinds of empty promises are made by politicians, but Romney’s past success justifies public confidence in the veracity

Briefly characterize the main periods of Indonesian history Essay

Briefly characterize the main periods of Indonesian history - Essay Example Foreign influence on Indonesia is quite apparent and it had been an important trading location for various civilisations and as such also a prize colony. Going back in history there has been fossil evidence that shows Indonesia to be inhabited for more than five hundred thousand years (Pope, 1988). However, in terms of recorded history, the seventh century A.D. is more important since this is the time when the smaller kingdoms were united into the Sriwijaya kingdom (Drakeley, 2005). Naval forces were naturally important to Indonesian kings and based on their strength in the sea they were able to control the trade which went through the region. Contact with Hindu and Buddhist religions also influenced the structure of the country’s culture and religious makeup to the extent that by the tenth century the dynasties which held power over Indonesia had become Hindu or in some cases Buddhists (Drakeley, 2005). The period of Hindu kingdoms lasted till the 13th century when Indonesia had its second experience of traders turning into rulers (Ricklefs, 1993). Islam came to Indonesia with traders carrying goods from the Islamic empire and regions such as a Persia and India which had already been influenced by Islamic missionaries, traders or raiders. Hindu kings were influenced by and converted to Islam and the first such king was the Sultan of Demak. He was a powerful force in spreading Islam to the other island kingdoms of the region and caused the retreat of Hinduism and Buddhism from the islands. A commander under the Sultan of Demak conquered the capital of the West Java Kingdom of Pajajaran which was called Sunda Kelapa. After the conquest the city was renamed as Jaya Karta which means great city. The name later changed to Jakarta and it remains the capital city of the country to this day (AsianInfo, 2000). From the western world, the

Mid Term - Choice of 2 topics Pick one Research Paper

Mid Term - Choice of 2 topics Pick one - Research Paper Example According to the United States Department of State Publication, Bureau of Counterterrorism (hereinafter the report), a state is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism if the Secretary of State is satisfied that the â€Å"government of such country has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism†.1 Upon being designated a state sponsor of terrorism, the country will not be delisted until it satisfies the statutory requirements for delisting. In the meantime, the state will be liable to a number of sanctions including â€Å"a ban on arms-related exports and sales†, â€Å"control over exports and sales† that â€Å"could significantly enhances the terrorist-list country’s military capability or ability to support terrorism†, a ban on â€Å"economic assistance† and or the â€Å"imposition of miscellaneous financial and other restrictions†.2 The report goes on to list states that have designated as state sponsors of terrorism and the reasons for those listing. Cuba is the first country on the list and was designated a state sponsor of terrorism since 1982. The listing is based on the contention that terrorist factions are residing in Cuba. In particular, both existing and previous â€Å"members of Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)† live in Cuba.3 It is also believed that one of three persons believed to be members of ETA who were deported to Cuba after attempted to set sail from Cuba is wanted by Spanish authorities and is also suspected of being associated with the Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC). The Cuban government, while not actively involved in supporting ETA members has been known to provide medical and political support to FARC.4 The Report also alleges that Cuba’s government has persistently allowed persons wanted in the U.S. to live in Cuba and in doing so has given welfare and medical assistance to those fugitives. It has also been determined by the Financial Action Task

Marxism Global Political Economy

Marxism Global Political Economy This paper is aimed at addressing and evaluating the theoretical perspectives of Liberal and Marxist ideas, as well as investigating their theoretical perspectives in relation to International Political Economy (IPE). Researchers studying IPE use a variety of theories for different purposes, such as predicting the stability of economical situations, or predicting economical growth of a state among others. Other political and economical analysts argue that valid predictions are almost impossible because there are too many factors that may have particular influence on the events. Nevertheless, all these people utilize their theoretical knowledge in attempt to get an understanding of the world. However, it is worth questioning the reason for such rich variety of theories being out there. According to Robert Cox (1986), there are two reasons: Theory always has a goal and serves the interests of particular people. For example, the goals of liberal theories are concerned with establishing cooperation and increasing capital, while critical theories (also labelled Marxist) are focused on removing the economic, gender or environmental differences within the society. Both Liberal theories have emerged in the 19th century in Britain during the period of industrial revolution in response to monarchical absolutism. Later in 19th century, Marxism has emerged as a response to the liberal thought. Wealthier states and individuals tend to favour liberal theories, which are in line with their interests and do not threaten their comfort, while those who are less satisfied with their socioeconomic position tend to adopt the critical theories point of view. It is worth noting that it is difficult and almost impossible to prove a theory right or wrong, therefore, evidence can be interpreted in different ways depending on ones goals and views (OBrien Williams, 2007). Therefore different conflicting theoretical perspectives, such as Marxism and Liberalism, have developed. Marxists an d Liberalist mainly differ in their views about the role of individual and role of state in IPE (Raico, 1992). Liberals are concerned about variety of actors ranging from a single individual to particular interest groups, firms and corporations, to state. Nevertheless, liberals starting point for analytical evaluation is the individuals needs; this idea is at the core of neoclassical economic theory. Therefore, liberals look at behaviour of states, firms and individuals in order to analyze global economy, while keeping in mind that the individual is the main actor. The idea is that individuals in their pursuit of self-profit within the competitive environment will benefit and therefore will increase the benefits economic exchange for the masses. Companies and firms play a very important role for the liberals, as they are perceived as a source of economic expenditure and wealth (Jackson Sorensen, 2003). As mentioned above, they believe that state cannot stand as a single actor, due to the idea that it is being influenced by many different factors. Liberals express negativity towards state, si nce they believe that politics should not get involved into the economics. They also, believe that if the market will be free of political influence, which is seen as the force that is distorting the benefits while producing additional costs to the market participants, and will not interfere with the consumption, production and exchange mechanisms then everyone will benefit. Economic liberalists Friedrich Hayeks (1992) slogan laissez-faire is a good example of the liberal view in relation the state. Pluralist (liberal) approach suggests that cooperation is the key and the way forward where people and states can benefit, opposed to the conflict suggested by class-analytic (Marxist) approach. They argue that conflicts should be avoided, and a peaceful resolution should be found through the course of action and agreement of sides that will benefit both, as in liberal view, the world political and economical mechanisms are interdependent rather than anarchical (Connell, 1995). Transnati onal Corporations (TNCs) are believed to benefit both host and home countries, where it boosts economies of host states by means of transfer of capital, access to market, and technology, as well as benefiting the home country where TNC is seen as a mix of capital management skills and technology. Such perspective is referred to as positive-sum game and the idea is that by means of cooperation everyone benefits and prospers. Liberal theorists highlight the fact that in their view the market is located in the centre of economic life and economic progress, which occurs because individuals are pursuing their goals. A liberal theory of comparative advantage suggests that even if one country is producing more goods than another country, trade between the two countries will benefit both. This view is opposed to Marxist theory of zero-sum game, which claims that in order for one to gain the other has to lose. Famous Liberal Political Economists, such as David Ricardo and Adam Smith advocate d state non-interference in free trade and economy. Various well-known slogans have emerged during that period, such as laissez faire (the doctrine of unrestricted freedom in commerce) and mà Ã‚ ¾ndà Ã‚ µ và Ã‚ ° de lui-mà Ã‚ µmà Ã‚ µ (the world goà Ã‚ µs by itself) (Raico, 1977). Contemporary global political economy is mostly being governed according to the principles of liberal ideology. Most forms of economic activity are functioning according to the liberal rules and policy regulations and are based on the goal of free trade. It is evident that nowadays money flows almost freely in and out of countries via stock markets, banks, and big financial corporations. Nowadays liberalism cannot be described with a unitary definition, as different liberal movements have deviated from the core theoretical ideology of liberalism to certain degree thus producing neo-liberal theories that are somewhat different from the ones described by founding fathers of liberalism. It is worth remembering Fukuyamas (1989) work and his speculative prophesy of the end of history, where he argued that liberalism is about to become an only ideology of upmost significance thus ceasing the conflict between the theorists of global political economy. Despite Fukuyamas statement, today, aft er 22 years China one of the most developed economies in the world is still a communist state, as well as few other countries. Nevertheless, most of the countries in the world are dominated by private businesses and corporations with some involvement of the state, as described by Keohane (2002). Liberals suggest that open markets will produce more wealth and will aid economies expenditure around the globe benefiting the humanity. Economic failure is believed to be triggered by the disruptions caused from involvement of the state into the economy. Therefore, liberals are promoting globalization, which they perceive as a force of good that removes artificial boundaries and facilitates growth of production thus contributing to overall wealth of the society (Helleiner, 2003). A set of critical theories have emerged in response to growing popularity of liberalism in 19th century. Unlike liberalists who are looking at individuals and states, these theorists are looking at other units of analysis. The main units of analysis in Marxist theories are class and interest of working class rather than state. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are the founding fathers of this political movement and the ones that unleashed the conflict between capitalists and workers. Resolution of this conflict was possible only if workers seized power (Marx and Engels, 1848). Marxist writers reject the significance of the individuals of liberal theory, and focus on the significance of the class instead. Marxists perceive capitalist relations being inherently exploitative (Raico, 1992). There has been a lot of debate in relation to definition of class in the literature; therefore, in this paper class is defined according to OBrien and Williams (2007) as à Ã‚ °rising from à Ã‚ ¾nà   µs pà Ã‚ ¾sitià Ã‚ ¾n in the structurà Ã‚ µ of prà Ã‚ ¾ductià Ã‚ ¾n. Karl Marx himself seen the society as a multi-layered cake, with the bourgeoisie (capitalists) sitting on top, owning and controlling the means of production, and proletariat (workers), who sell their labour to the capitalists as a bottom layer of the cake. Therefore, Marxist followers suggest that the firm and the capitalistic regime itself are exploitative and unfair in relation to working class. Marxists see transnational corporations (TNCs) as tools of oppression and exploitation of the working class, because of their power to centralize and concentrate capital, while expressing the dominance, which is the key feature of imperialism (monarchy). Such perspective suggests the state is representative of class interests and not the communal interests. In this respect, the state has a role of executive committee of the ruling class and sometimes referred to as an independent agent of exploitation by som e Marxist writers (Conway, 1987). This idea of exploitation and dominance among the societies and within them is central to Marxist theories global political economy. According to class-analytic approach to global economy, under capitalism workers are not fairly rewarded for their labour, economic relations are being conflicting and unstable. Meaning, that consequently, the rich will become richer and the poor will become poorer and the gap between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat will continue to increase (Gilbert, 2008). Such economical relations are believed to lead to decrease in wages of labourers, uneven development, as some centres increase their capital and growth at the expense of others, which in its turn leads to conflicts between countries, as well as insufficient consumption and overproduction thus affecting social stability and producing fluctuations in the business sector (OBrien and Williams, 2007). For example, dependency theory suggests that poor countries have faced barriers to further development as the consequence of being economically exploited by developed countries (Dos Santos, 1970). This refers to a zero-sum game described above. Therefore, the conflict between states is unavoidable because of the drive for profit. Consequently, liberals seek protection of their state, which in turn leads to conflict and war. For example, the famous Marxist theory about imperialism written by Vladimir Lenin (1917/1969) encapsulates two explanations of capitalist development. First part of his theory is concerned with growth of financial capital and the coalition of industrial capital and finance to form monopolies that sought to produce profit by means of overseas lending. The second part of Lenins theory is concerned about insufficient consumption in domestic market. Insufficient demand on domestic markets has forced capitalists to enter foreign markets due to inability to maintain their profit rates. Such perspective have lead Lenin to a conclusi on that such competition would inevitably lead to conflict and consequently to war. Marxists also tend to argue against globalization, which in their view represents an ideological intervention into global economy, which acts in support of free markets as well as a tool used to pursue interests of the capitalist power over labourers. Some researchers argued, that globalization facilitated by the neoliberal political movements is an instrument of global management and liberalization and is based on misinformation and deception of the masses (Cox, 1996; Gill, 1993). Another clash between the ideologies has occurred in the 21th century, when members of world elites have tried to alter constitutional laws in favour of neoliberal principles in various institutions, including International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization. Neoliberals met the opposition of social political movements trying to protect environmental policy, raise work standards, and facilitate gender equity and seek economic justice (OBrien and Williams, 2007). According to economic liberals, market economy is the way to prosperity for all, and should be run according to its own economic laws without the interference of the state. Global market economy is a sphere described by a positive-sum game model, which advocates that economic exchange will maximise profits of firms, individuals and households, and consequently all members of society will benefit from it. Marxists see the economy as an instrument of exploitation of lower social classes (workers); these interactions are highlighted by the inequalities between proletariat and bourgeoisie. Critical theories advocate, the political strategies are being determined by socioeconomic context. The class that exercises economical power also controls the political power of the state. Marxists believe that capitalist development is uneven and is bound to produce conflicts between states and individuals. Global Political Economy can be defined as the relationship between states and markets on an international scale. Research of this relationship has given birth to conflicting Marxist and Liberal theories discussed in this paper. As it was already mentioned above, each theory serves the interests of particular groups of people with particular goals, and unless the major part of the international political society will come to some sort of an agreement and find a way to cooperate, conflicts will always emerge, and conflicts will always result in losses for someone.

What Is Buddhism? Essay examples -- essays research papers

What is Buddhism?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Buddhism is a path of teaching and practice. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow the path of spiritual development. Ultimately, the Buddhist path culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood. Who was the Buddha?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The word Buddha is a title not a name. It means ‘one who is awake' in the sense of having ‘woken up to reality'. The title was first given to a man called Siddharta Guatemala, who lived about 2,500 years ago in Northern India. When he was 35 he found Enlightenment whist in profound mediation, after searching for years. In the next 45 years of his life he spent it traveling through India teaching his way of life. His teaching is known as Buddha-dharma.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traveling from place to place, the Buddha gained many disciples. They also taught of the enlightment, and the chain has continued on to this present day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Buddha was not a God, and he made no claim to divinity. There is no concept of a creator in Buddhism. He was a human being who, thought tremendous efforts, transformed himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The state of Enlightenment which he reached has three main facets. It is a state of wisdom, of insight into the true nature of things. It is also a source or boundless compassion, manifesting itself in activity for the benefit of all beings. and it the total liberation of all the energies of the mind and the body so they are at the service of the fully conscious mind. What Happened After the Buddha's Death?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Buddhism died out in India a thousand years ago, though it has recently revived. In the last century Buddhism has emphatically arrived in the West and up to one million westerners have become Buddhists. What Does Buddhism Teach?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Buddhism sees life as being in process of constant change and its practices aim to take advantage of this fact. It means that one can change for the better. The decisive factor in changing ourselves is the mind and Buddhism has developed many methods for working on the mi... ... the living beings in the six realms of existence differ but none of them lasts forever. Eventually, rebirth will take place. The realm into which one is reborn and one's conditions of rebirth are determined by ones' past and present actions. This is the law of Karma at work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because of the force of their karma, people are born are reborn endlessly, in one realm of existence or in another. The Buddha declared that there is no permanent rest in the cycle of birth and death. It is only when one follows the Noble Eightfold path taught by the Buddha and eventually attains Nirvana, that one finally becomes free from the ceaseless cycle and gains supreme and permanent happiness. Karma   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Karma is the law of moral causation. It is action and reaction in the ethical realm. It is natural law that every action produces a certain effect. So if one performs wholesome actions, one will experience happiness. on the other hand, if one performs unwholesome actions, one will experience suffering. The is the law of cause and effect at work. In this way, the effect of one's past karma determine that nature of one's present situation in life.

The Host Chapter 17: Visited

The heat hit me first-like a wall of steam, the moist, thick air rolled over me and dewed on my skin. My mouth opened automatically as I tried to pull a breath from the abruptly denser air. The smell was stronger than before-that same metallic tang that clung in my throat and flavored the water here. The murmuring babble of bass and soprano voices seemed to issue from every side, echoing off the walls. I squinted anxiously through the swirling cloud of moisture, trying to make out where the voices came from. It was bright here-the ceiling was dazzling, like in the big room but much closer. The light danced off the vapor, creating a shimmering curtain that almost blinded me. My eyes struggled to adjust, and I clutched at Jeb's hand in panic. I was surprised that the strangely fluid babble did not respond in any way to our entrance. Perhaps they couldn't see us yet, either. â€Å"It's a bit close in here,† Jeb said apologetically, fanning at the steam in front of his face. His voice was relaxed, conversational in tone, and loud enough to make me jump. He spoke as if we were not surrounded. And the babble continued, oblivious to his voice. â€Å"Not that I'm complaining,† he continued. â€Å"I'd be dead several times over if this place didn't exist. The very first time I got stuck in the caves, of course. And now, we'd never be able to hide out here without it. With no hiding place, we're all dead, right?† He nudged me with his elbow, a conspiratorial gesture. â€Å"Mighty convenient, how it's laid out. Couldn't have planned it much better if I'd sculpted it myself out of play dough.† His laugh cleared a section of mist, and I saw the room for the first time. Two rivers flowed through the dank, high-domed space. This was the chatter that filled my ears-the water gushing over and under the purple volcanic rock. Jeb spoke as if we were alone because we were. It was really only one river and one small stream. The stream was closest; a shallow braided ribbon of silver in the light from above, coursing between low stone banks that it seemed constantly in danger of overrunning. A feminine, high-pitched murmur purred from its gentle ripples. The male, bass gurgle came from the river, as did the thick clouds of vapor that rose from the gaping holes in the ground by the far wall. The river was black, submerged under the floor of the cavern, exposed by wide, round erosions along the length of the room. The holes looked dark and dangerous, the river barely visible as it rushed powerfully toward an invisible and unfathomable destination. The water seemed to simmer, such was the heat and steam it produced. The sound of it, too, was like that of boiling water. From the ceiling hung a few long, narrow stalactites, dripping toward the stalagmites beneath each one. Three of them had met, forming thin black pillars between the two bodies of flowing water. â€Å"Got to be careful in here,† Jeb said. â€Å"Quite a current in the hot spring. If you fall in, you're gone. Happened once before.† He bowed his head at the memory, his face sober. The swift black eddies of the subterranean river were suddenly horrible to me. I imagined being caught in their scalding current and shuddered. Jeb put his hand lightly on my shoulder. â€Å"Don't worry. Just watch your step and you'll be fine. Now,† he said, pointing to the far end of the cavern, where the shallow stream ran into a dark cave, â€Å"the first cave back there is the bathing room. We've dug the floor out to make a nice, deep tub. There's a schedule for taking baths, but privacy's not usually an issue-it's black as pitch. The room's nice and warm so close to the steam, but the water won't burn you like the hot spring here. There's another cave just past that one, through a crevice. We've widened the entrance up to a comfortable size. That room is the farthest we can follow the stream-it drops underground there. So we've got that room fixed up as the latrine. Convenient and sanitary.† His voice had assumed a complacent tone, as if he felt credit was due to him for nature's creations. Well, he had discovered and improved the place-I supposed some pride was justified. â€Å"We don't like to waste batteries, and most of us know the floor here by heart, but since it's your first time, you can find your way with this.† Jeb pulled a flashlight from his pocket and held it out. The sight of it reminded me of the moment he'd found me dying in the desert, when he'd checked my eyes and known what I was. I didn't know why the memory made me sad. â€Å"Don't get any crazy ideas about maybe the river taking you out of here or something. Once that water goes underground, it doesn't come back up,† he cautioned me. Since he seemed to be waiting for some acknowledgment of his warning, I nodded once. I took the flashlight from his hand slowly, being careful not to make any quick movements that might startle him. He smiled in encouragement. I followed his directions quickly-the sound of the rushing water was not making my discomfort any easier to bear. It felt very strange to be out of his sight. What if someone had hidden in these caves, guessing I would have to come here eventually? Would Jeb hear the struggle over the cacophony of the rivers? I shone the flashlight all around the bathing room, looking for any sign of an ambush. The odd flickering shadows it made were not comforting, but I found no substance to my fears. Jeb's tub was more the size of a small swimming pool and black as ink. Under the surface, a person would be invisible as long as they could hold their breath†¦ I hurried through the slender crack at the back of the room to escape my imaginings. Away from Jeb, I was nearly overwhelmed with panic-I couldn't breathe normally; I could barely hear over the sound of my pulse racing behind my ears. I was more running than walking when I made my way back to the room with the rivers. To find Jeb standing there, still in the same pose, still alone, was like a balm to my splintered nerves. My breathing and my heartbeat slowed. Why this crazy human should be such a comfort to me, I couldn't understand. I supposed it was like Melanie had said, desperate times. â€Å"Not too shabby, eh?† he asked, a grin of pride on his face. I nodded once again and returned the flashlight. â€Å"These caves are a great gift,† he said as we started back toward the dark passageway. â€Å"We wouldn't be able to survive in a group like this without them. Magnolia and Sharon were getting along real well-shockingly well-up there in Chicago, but they were pushing their luck hiding two. It's mighty nice to have a community again. Makes me feel downright human.† He took my elbow once more as we climbed the rough stair-case out. â€Å"I'm sorry about the, um, accommodations we've got you in. It was the safest place I could think of. I'm surprised those boys found you as quick as they did.† Jeb sighed. â€Å"Well, Kyle gets real†¦ motivated. But I suppose it's all for the best. Might as well get used to how things are going to be. Maybe we can find something more hospitable for you. I'll think on it†¦ While I'm with you, at least, you don't really have to cram yourself into that little hole. You can sit in the hall with me if you prefer. Though with Jared†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He trailed off. I listened to his apologetic words in wonder; this was so much more kindness than I'd hoped for, more compassion than I'd thought this species was capable of giving their enemies. I patted the hand on my elbow lightly, hesitantly, trying to convey that I understood and wouldn't cause a problem. I was sure Jared much preferred to have me out of sight. Jeb had no trouble translating my wordless communication. â€Å"That's a good girl,† he said. â€Å"We'll figure this all out somehow. Doc can just concentrate on healin' human folks. You're much more interesting alive, I think.† Our bodies were close enough that he was able to feel me tremble. â€Å"Don't worry. Doc's not going to bother you now.† I couldn't stop shivering. Jeb could only promise me now. There was no guarantee that Jared would not decide my secret was more important than protecting Melanie's body. I knew that such a fate would make me wish Ian had succeeded last night. I swallowed, feeling the bruising that seemed to go all the way through my neck to the inside walls of my throat. You never know how much time you'll have, Melanie had said so many days ago, when my world was still under control. Her words echoed in my head as we reentered the big room, the main plaza of Jeb's human community. It was full, like the first night, everyone there to glare at us with eyes that blazed anger and betrayal when they looked at him and murder when they looked at me. I kept my gaze down on the rock under my feet. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Jeb held his gun ready again. It was only a matter of time, indeed. I could feel it in the atmosphere of hate and fear. Jeb could not protect me long. It was a relief to scrape back through the narrow crevice, to look forward to the winding black labyrinth and my cramped hiding place; I could hope to be alone there. Behind me, a furious hissing, like a nest of goaded snakes, echoed in the big cavern. The sound made me wish Jeb would lead me through the labyrinth at a quicker pace. Jeb chuckled under his breath. He seemed to get stranger the longer I was around him. His sense of humor mystified me as much as his motivations did. â€Å"It gets a bit tedious down here sometimes, you know,† he murmured to me, or to himself. With Jeb, it was hard to tell. â€Å"Maybe when they get over being cheesed off at me, they'll realize they appreciate all the excitement I'm providing.† Our path through the dark twisted in a serpentine fashion. It didn't feel at all familiar. Perhaps he took a different route to keep me lost. It seemed to take more time than before, but finally I could see the dim blue light of the lamp shining from around the next curve. I braced myself, wondering if Jared would be there again. If he was, I knew he would be angry. I was sure he wouldn't approve of Jeb taking me for a field trip, no matter how necessary it might have been. As soon as we rounded the corner, I could see that there was a figure slumped against the wall beside the lamp, casting a long shadow toward us, but it was obviously not Jared. My hand clutched at Jeb's arm, an automatic spasm of fear. And then I really looked at the waiting figure. It was smaller than me-that was how I'd known it was not Jared-and thin. Small, but also too tall and too wiry. Even in the dim light of the blue lamp, I could see that his skin was dyed to a deep brown by the sun, and that his silky black hair now fell unkempt past his chin. My knees buckled. My hand, grasping Jeb's arm in panic, held on for support. â€Å"Well, for Pete's sake!† Jeb exclaimed, obviously irritated. â€Å"Can't nobody keep a secret around this place for more'n twenty-four hours? Gol' durn, this burns me up! Bunch of gossipmongers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He trailed off into a grumble. I didn't even try to understand the words Jeb was saying; I was locked in the fiercest battle of my life-of every life I'd ever lived. I could feel Melanie in each cell of my body. My nerve endings tingled in recognition of her familiar presence. My muscles twitched in anticipation of her direction. My lips trembled, trying to open. I leaned forward toward the boy in the hall, my body reaching because my arms would not. Melanie had learned many things the few times I'd ceded or lost my command to her, and I truly had to struggle against her-so hard that fresh sweat beaded on my brow. But I was not dying in the desert now. Nor was I weak and dizzy and taken off guard by the appearance of someone I'd given up for lost; I'd known this moment might come. My body was resilient, quick to heal-I was strong again. The strength of my body gave strength to my control, to my determination. I drove her from my limbs, chased her from every hold she'd found, thrust her back into the recesses of my mind, and chained her there. Her surrender was sudden and total. Aaah, she sighed, and it was almost a moan of pain. I felt strangely guilty as soon as I'd won. I'd already known that she was more to me than a resistant host who made life unnecessarily difficult. We'd become companions, even confidantes during our past weeks together-ever since the Seeker had united us against a common enemy. In the desert, with Kyle's knife over my head, I'd been glad that if I had to die I would not be the one to kill Melanie; even then, she was more than a body to me. But now it seemed like something beyond that. I regretted causing her pain. It was necessary, though, and she didn't seem to grasp that. Any word we said wrong, any poorly considered action would mean a quick execution. Her reactions were too wild and emotional. She would get us into trouble. You have to trust me now, I told her. I'm just trying to keep us alive. I know you don't want to believe your humans could hurt us†¦ But it's Jamie, she whispered. She yearned for the boy with an emotion so strong that it weakened my knees again. I tried to look at him impartially-this sullen-faced teenager slumped against the tunnel wall with his arms folded tightly across his chest. I tried to see him as a stranger and plan my response, or lack of response, accordingly. I tried, but I failed. He was Jamie, he was beautiful, and my arms-mine, not Melanie's-longed to hold him. Tears filled my eyes and trickled down my face. I could only hope they were invisible in the dim light. â€Å"Jeb,† Jamie said-a gruff greeting. His eyes passed swiftly over me and away. His voice was so deep! Could he really be so old? I realized with a double pang of guilt that I'd just missed his fourteenth birthday. Melanie showed me the day, and I saw that it was the same day as the first dream with Jamie. She'd struggled so hard all through the waking hours to keep her pain to herself, to cloud her memories in order to protect the boy, that he'd come out in her dream. And I'd e-mailed the Seeker. I shuddered now in disbelief that I'd ever been so callous. â€Å"Whatcha doing here, kid?† Jeb demanded. â€Å"Why didn't you tell me?† Jamie demanded back. Jeb went silent. â€Å"Was that Jared's idea?† Jamie pressed. Jeb sighed. â€Å"Okay, so you know. What good does that do you, eh? We only wanted to -â€Å" â€Å"To protect me?† he interrupted, surly. When did he get so bitter? Was it my fault? Of course it was. Melanie began sobbing in my head. It was distracting, loud-it made Jeb and Jamie's voices sound farther away. â€Å"Fine, Jamie. So you don't need protecting. What do you want?† This quick capitulation seemed to throw Jamie off. His eyes darted between Jeb's face and mine while he struggled to come up with a request. â€Å"I-I want to talk with her†¦ with it,† he finally said. His voice was higher when he was unsure. â€Å"She doesn't say much,† Jeb told him, â€Å"but you're welcome to try, kid.† Jeb pried my fingers off his arm. When he was free, he turned his back to the nearest wall, leaning into it as he eased himself to the floor. He settled in there, fidgeting until he found a comfortable position. The gun stayed balanced in the cradle of his lap. Jeb's head lolled back against the wall, and his eyes closed. In seconds, he looked like he was asleep. I stood where he'd left me, trying to keep my eyes off Jamie's face and failing. Jamie was surprised again by Jeb's easy acquiescence. He watched the old man recline on the floor with wide eyes that made him look younger. After a few minutes of perfect stillness from Jeb, Jamie looked back up at me, and his eyes tightened. The way he stared at me-angry, trying hard to be brave and grown-up, but also showing the fear and pain so clearly in his dark eyes-had Melanie sobbing louder and my knees shaking. Rather than take a chance with another collapse, I moved slowly to the tunnel wall across from Jeb and slid down to the floor. I curled up around my bent legs, trying to be as small as possible. Jamie watched me with cautious eyes and then took four slow steps forward until he stood over me. His glance flitted to Jeb, who hadn't moved or opened his eyes, and then Jamie knelt down at my side. His face was suddenly intense, and it made him look more adult than any expression yet. My heart throbbed for the sad man in the little boy's face. â€Å"You're not Melanie,† he said in a low voice. It was harder not to speak to him because I was the one who wanted to speak. Instead, after a brief hesitation, I shook my head. â€Å"You're inside her body, though.† Another pause, and I nodded. â€Å"What happened to your†¦ to her face?† I shrugged. I didn't know what my face looked like, but I could imagine. â€Å"Who did this to you?† he pressed. With a hesitant finger, he almost touched the side of my neck. I held still, feeling no urge to cringe away from this hand. â€Å"Aunt Maggie, Jared, and Ian,† Jeb listed off in a bored voice. We both jumped at the sound. Jeb hadn't moved, and his eyes were still closed. He looked so peaceful, as if he had answered Jamie's question in his sleep. Jamie waited for a moment, then turned back to me with the same intense expression. â€Å"You're not Melanie, but you know all her memories and stuff, right?† I nodded again. â€Å"Do you know who I am?† I tried to swallow the words, but they slipped through my lips. â€Å"You're Jamie.† I couldn't help how my voice wrapped around the name like a caress. He blinked, startled that I had broken my silence. Then he nodded. â€Å"Right,† he whispered back. We both looked at Jeb, who remained still, and back at each other. â€Å"Then you remember what happened to her?† he asked. I winced, and then nodded slowly. â€Å"I want to know,† he whispered. I shook my head. â€Å"I want to know,† Jamie repeated. His lips trembled. â€Å"I'm not a kid. Tell me.† â€Å"It's not†¦ pleasant,† I breathed, unable to stop myself. It was very hard to deny this boy what he wanted. His straight black eyebrows pulled together and up in the middle over his wide eyes. â€Å"Please,† he whispered. I glanced at Jeb. I thought that maybe he was peeking from between his lashes now, but I couldn't be sure. My voice was soft as breathing. â€Å"Someone saw her go into a place that was off-limits. They knew something was wrong. They called the Seekers.† He flinched at the title. â€Å"The Seekers tried to get her to surrender. She ran from them. When they had her cornered, she jumped into an open elevator shaft.† I recoiled from the memory of pain, and Jamie's face went white under his tan. â€Å"She didn't die?† he whispered. â€Å"No. We have very skilled Healers. They mended her quickly. Then they put me in her. They hoped I would be able to tell them how she had survived so long.† I had not meant to say so much; my mouth snapped shut. Jamie didn't seem to notice my slip, but Jeb's eyes opened slowly and fixed on my face. No other part of him moved, and Jamie didn't see the change. â€Å"Why didn't you let her die?† he asked. He had to swallow hard; a sob was threatening in his voice. This was all the more painful to hear because it was not the sound a child makes, frightened of the unknown, but the fully comprehending agony of an adult. It was so hard not to reach out and put my hand on his cheek. I wanted to hug him to me and beg him not to be sad. I curled my hands into fists and tried to concentrate on his question. Jeb's eyes flickered to my hands and back to my face. â€Å"I wasn't in on the decision,† I murmured. â€Å"I was still in a hibernation tank in deep space when that happened.† Jamie blinked again in surprise. My answer was nothing he'd expected, and I could see him struggling with some new emotion. I glanced at Jeb; his eyes were bright with curiosity. The same curiosity, though more wary, won out with Jamie. â€Å"Where were you coming from?† he asked. In spite of myself, I smiled at his unwilling interest. â€Å"Far away. Another planet.† â€Å"What was -† he started to ask, but he was interrupted by another question. â€Å"What the hell?† Jared shouted at us, frozen with fury in the act of rounding the corner at the end of the tunnel. â€Å"Damn it, Jeb! We agreed not to -â€Å" Jamie wrenched himself upright. â€Å"Jeb didn't bring me here. But you should have.† Jeb sighed and got slowly to his feet. As he did so, the gun rolled from his lap onto the floor. It stopped only a few inches from me. I scooted away, uncomfortable. Jared had a different reaction. He lunged toward me, closing the length of the hallway in a few running strides. I cowered into the wall and covered my face with my arms. Peeking around my elbow, I watched him jerk the gun up from the floor. â€Å"Are you trying to get us killed?† he almost screamed at Jeb, shoving the gun into the old man's chest. â€Å"Calm down, Jared,† Jeb said in a tired voice. He took the gun in one hand. â€Å"She wouldn't touch this thing if I left it down here alone with her all night. Can't you see that?† He stabbed the barrel of the gun toward me, and I cringed away. â€Å"She's no Seeker, this one.† â€Å"Shut up, Jeb, just shut up!† â€Å"Leave him alone,† Jamie shouted. â€Å"He didn't do anything wrong.† â€Å"You!† Jared shouted back, turning on the slim, angry figure. â€Å"You get out of here now, or so help me!† Jamie balled his fists and stood his ground. Jared's fists came up, too. I was rooted in place with shock. How could they scream at each other this way? They were family, the bonds between them stronger than any blood tie. Jared wouldn't hit Jamie-he couldn't! I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what to do. Anything that brought me to their attention would only make them angrier. For once, Melanie was calmer than I was. He can't hurt Jamie, she thought confidently. It's not possible. I looked at them, facing off like enemies, and panicked. We should never have come here. See how unhappy we've made them, I moaned. â€Å"You shouldn't have tried to keep this a secret from me,† Jamie said between his teeth. â€Å"And you shouldn't have hurt her.† One of his hands unclenched and flew out to point at my face. Jared spit on the floor. â€Å"That's not Melanie. She's never coming back, Jamie.† â€Å"That's her face,† Jamie insisted. â€Å"And her neck. Don't the bruises there bother you?† Jared dropped his hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. â€Å"You will either leave right now, Jamie, and give me some space, or I will make you leave. I am not bluffing. I can't deal with any more right now, okay? I'm at my limit. So can we please have this conversation later?† He opened his eyes again; they were full of pain. Jamie looked at him, and the anger drained slowly from his face. â€Å"Sorry,† he muttered after a moment. â€Å"I'll go†¦ but I'm not promising that I won't come back.† â€Å"I can't think about that now. Go. Please.† Jamie shrugged. He threw one more searching look at me, and then he left, his quick, long stride making me ache again for the time I'd missed. Jared looked at Jeb. â€Å"You, too,† he said in a flat voice. Jeb rolled his eyes. â€Å"I don't think you've had a long enough break, to be honest. I'll keep an eye on -â€Å" â€Å"Go.† Jeb frowned thoughtfully. â€Å"Okay. Sure.† He started down the hall. â€Å"Jeb?† Jared called after him. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"If I asked you to shoot it right now, would you do it?† Jeb kept walking slowly, not looking at us, but his words were clear. â€Å"I'd have to. I follow my own rules. So don't ask me unless you really mean it.† He disappeared into the dark. Jared watched him go. Before he could turn his glower on me, I ducked into my uncomfortable sanctuary and curled up in the back corner.