How the US corperate tax effects international business Essay

How the US corperate tax effects international business - Essay Example The United Kingdom corporations can export its products to the United States marketplace. German corporations can sell products and services to the Saudi Arabian marketplace. The Canada corporations can sell products to the current and future customers in California or New York. The United States corporations may import raw materials from China. The United States corporations can convert the imported raw materials into a new saleable product. The United States corporations can sell the new saleable products to two markets. The first market is the local United States marketplace, and the second market is the international marketplace. All countries form part of the United States companies’ international business environment. Consequently, importing countries pay tariffs and duties for the imported goods. In the United States, Section 482 of the United States Tax Code shows the different importing liabilities (Paul 239). Further, the United States corporate tax affects internati onal business. With higher tax rates, there is lesser cash inflow percentages applied to selling the United States companies’ products in the global marketplace. ... With the tax rate at 15 percent, the United States corporations can only allocate 85 percent of the total annual taxable income to producing and selling the companies’ products and services in the global marketplace (Whittenburg and Altus (2010) 35). Higher United States taxes discourage imports into the United States market With the high tax rates, companies located in other countries may be discouraged from selling their products in the United States market. Some corporations located in United Kingdom will prefer to sell their products locally because the local corporate tax rate (30 percent) is lower than the United States corporate tax rate (39 percent), reducing United States imports. Likewise, several corporations located in Canada will prefer to sell their goods within Canada because the local corporate tax rate (36 percent) is lower than the United States corporate tax rate (39 percent), lessening United States imports. Some corporations located in Ireland are persuade d to sell their products within Ireland because exporting their products into the United States marketplace with unfavorably higher 39 percent corporate tax profits is less profitable (Whittenburg and Altus (2010) 35). With higher tax rates, the exporting countries will receive lesser after tax cash inflows from selling their products current to future customers in the United States (Whittenburg and Altus (2010) 453). Tax rate adjustments will increase United States imports To increase the United States imports, the United States government must institute better tax rates. The United States government must lower the United States tax rates to more allowable levels. The United States government can lower the tax rates to a figure that will be near to the 30 tax rate level. This

Fast Food Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Essay ? A fast food restaurant is on every corner, but is actually good for you? Fast food became popular in the early 1900’s but it didn’t just take off. Fast food has made quite a journey in its development opening opportunities along the way. It has its advantages and disadvantages but being aware of them is very important. Fast food has made a huge impact on our nation’s health and economy. How was fast food developed? Burgers made at fairs, carnivals, and events were known as low quality. It took America a while to warm up to the idea of fast food. Many people mistakenly assume McDonalds was the first fast food chain but it was not. In the 18th century the convenience of eating away from home was becoming popular. As a result, White Castle was the first chain beginning in Wichita, Kansas. To make the idea of eating away from home more appealing they built their restaurants to show the customers the food being prepared. White Castle’s reputation for well-cooked burgers spread nationwide, making it easier for other fast food restaurants to move in. The McDonald brothers opened their redesigned restaurant in 1948. Soon after, Taco Bell and Burger King opened in the 1950’s and Wendy’s in 1969. Even though McDonalds is the name of fast food it has made a bad reputation in other countries because of its exaggerated marketing to children and unhealthy ingredients. Obviously, it took time for the United States to begin trusting fast food. Fast food can be hurtful to our bodies and the environment. The effects impact both children and adults. Within the food, the lack of some nutrients like Vitamin B and Omega 3 Fatty-Acids causes a person to become unhappy. This unhappiness leads to further problems like depression. Another major problem is the fatty foods sold in fast food restaurants cause a higher risk for Alzheimer’s. In 2009 the University of Berkley did a study that stated that the closer you live to fast food the higher the risk of problems with obesity. Obesity has swept this nation strongly and is one of the most impactful health problems today. Fast foods campaign directly towards children and tempt them with toys and playgrounds. Children obesity rate has tripled in the last 30 years alone as a result. Fast food has also contributed to our planet in a negative way. Livestrong. com states â€Å"To make 1 lb. of hamburger, for example, it takes 16 lbs. of grains and up to 2,500 gallons of water. † The New Community Project says if the people of the world ate more plant-based food we would be able to give food and clean water to the people who don’t have access now. Eating fast food often can be hurtful towards the body and the environment. After many complaints, the fast food industry is finally addressing the health problems. In 1965, the first Subway store was opened with its original title Pete’s Subway. Subway has addressed the issues of unhealthy living with their new spokesperson Jared Fogle who lost 245 lbs. after eating subway for a year. He began being shown in commercials and ads telling people his story. Subway then started adding the amount of calories in specific ingredients to the menu. They also started a new list to the menu called Fresh Fit that includes healthy options for every meal. Many fast food chains caught on to this idea and started showing healthier options and adding calorie counts to their menus. The fast food industry has only begun creating a healthier lifestyle option for people. The fast food industry hit this nation by storm. It has its advantages but do they outweigh the consequences? People of this nation need to watch how much fast food one consumes. Fast food can be good or bad, it all depends on what people choose. Cites Disadvantages of Fast Foods. LIVESTRONG. COM. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12 Sept. 2013. How Fast Food Works. HowStuffWorks. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12 Sept. 2013. Ashley Bruce 9/12/13.

Raves :: Free Essay Writer

Raves What is a rave? A rave usually refers to an all night party, open to the general public, where loud â€Å"techno† music is mostly played and many people can partake in a number of different chemicals (Official). Raves are fairly decent and you don’t hear much about them on the streets. Yet some people who go to the raves try to sell their drugs to ravers and that’s what makes the word rave so bad. Because of those people Mayor Daley has planned crack down on jailing building owners and managers who let their properties be used for raves where drugs are peddled. They approved of this Thursday, April 19, 2001. The range for jail term runs from two weeks to six months (Rave). But why are raves getting the reputation they are? Raves are getting bad reputations because of the drug peddlers that go to the raves to sell their ecstasy and stamina enhancing drugs. According to a website called Dancesafe.com ecstasy is a safe drug if you stay away from the listed k inds of ecstasy. The parents of the kids going to these raves are not saying a word about the drug situation there. They still let their kids go because they know it is safer than being out on the street or at some drinking party getting drunk and then having the risk of them driving home. If you ask me raves aren’t so bad, I’ve been to several of them and out of all of the ones I have gone I have only seen two peddlers selling X. They were all-night raves and tons of people and everyone was all wired and dancing and moving around like mad. â€Å"It’s a love circle, It’s like a 1960’s scene – all the races together, dancing, having a communal experience.† says Laze (Gracia). At raves there are different rooms. One room is the main room where the dancing goes on and all the music is spun and where most of the people are. Some of the music that is played there is House, Techno (most common), breakbeat, Trance, Tribal, and Progressive. The visual eff ects and a lot at the raves. Most of them use laser shows, others use laser that goes with the beat, and of course the classic strobe light. Then there is another room called the â€Å"cool down room† where you can buy water and energy drinks and sit down and talk to all the other ravers there and meet different girls and stuff.

Food Availability Essay

This essay will consider the influence of historical and contemporary factors on such staple food as ‘’rice’’. The historical factors that have influence the ability of rice include migration of cultural groups, cash crop farming and farming technology. The contemporary changes of rice will include social, technology, political and economic. Before the Europeans arrived, Australian Aborigines people used hunting and gathering methods to collect food. Native foods were being known such as plants, animals and insects. Firstly, one of the most important historical factors that have influence the ability of rice is migration. Rice was introduced after Australia started to accept migrants from Asia. When people move from one country to another they bring the knowledge ‘’food’’ that they had with them. Therefore, rice has become popular because it is easily steamed or boiled and is eaten at all meals. For example, most migrants are not first generation. The family influence had taught the young family members the culture and beliefs about rice such as how to cook and eat. Secondly, cash crop farming is a type of farming for the purpose of making profit. A transnational company is a large company whose business dealings operate in many counties. Local people work the land and receive an income. For example, the famers will get a higher paid to grow things on the farm that being requested by the companies but the disadvantage is its high to start but then de-values. So, the lack of rice had been struggling in Australia. Thirdly, farming technology. Rice is a very hard staple food because it takes about 2-3 months to grow. Farmers used to use animals such as buffaloes or cows to help them farm. It’s tiring and uses lots of energy but it’s still convenience for people every day needs. Nowadays, Developed countries like Australia uses the knowledge of food production and processing to help to increase the availability of food. Social is influences by society which means that the variety of people inspire what we eat. We are now more understanding of the cultures and lifestyles as we are living in a multicultural world. Australian started to get to know more foods such as Asian, Italian, Mexican, etc†¦ For example, we all know that Asian countries such as China have rice for their everyday meals. We also know that rice goes with every meals and can be eaten with soup and people influence this to one to another. In addition, technology influences microwaves and rice-cookers which mean that we are being able to cook rice faster and easier. For example, you can go out to buy a package of frozen rice and microwaved it for 3 minutes or you can use a rice cooker to cook by putting your rice in and press start. As there are many choices you can keep it warm for a very long hours, non-sticky rice or quick cook. It saves time and labour. Where we look back 200 years ago, we did not have the ability to cook rice like the new technology. Plus, Marketplace is where consumers purchase rice from. The accessibility has been changed because we are able to plant rice ourselves. We have a choice to purchase such as online payments, shopping under one roof and the stores are located most of the places. Also, it’s cheaper than importing rice from overseas. Moreover, the political is a system of government in a country. The Australian government has a protection policy and a control on food imports of foreign products to achieve the goal. The government decides whether to let where rice imported from. For example, back in time, we were not able to import rice into our country because of our restrictions and low economic. To sum up, Economics of food means that people have money to buy food. Without money developing countries won’t have food available. But because we are living in a developed country we are able to have a high living standard compared to the poor countries. Rice is cheap in Australia therefore the lower the prices are the most people tend to spend the money. This money will be recycling. In conclusion, the influence of historical and contemporary factors on a staple food ‘’rice’’ that I’ve made above such as migrants, farming technology, cash crops, social, and technology, political and economic had changed Australia rapidly.

People Are Born with Disabilities Essay

Society has indicated that it is not concerned about people with disabilities. Mark Haddon’s novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, follows the theme of â€Å"sometimes people are born with disabilities but it’s communities that handicap them†. In the novel, the protagonist, Christopher, is put into challenging situations where people do not consider the fact that someone may be disabled. This causes misinterpretations of language and emotions that causes society to blindly handicap others without realizing the outcome. People do not consider the fact that someone may be disabled. Christopher does not like being touched; this is why he hit the police officer when the officer grabbed his arm. The â€Å"policeman looked at me for a little while without speaking. Then he said, â€Å"I’m arresting you for assaulting a police officer.† The officer did not know that Chris was disabled or that he did not like being touched. This is why he was in shock when Chris hit him and this left the officer no choice but to treat this as any criminal offence and arrest Christopher. Another incident occurred when Christopher went to the train station to go to London and live with his mother. He went onto the train tracks to catch his pet rat, Toby and a train was speeding towards Christopher so a man grabbed him and saved his life. Christopher says â€Å"And the man with the diamond pattern on his socks grabbed me by the shoulders, so I screamed.† Again, it is obvious that the man with the pattern ed socks was oblivious to the fact that Christopher was disabled. The man was right on his place as he was trying to save a boy that potentially could have been run over by a speeding train but he only made the situation worse by not understanding Christopher’s case. Through Christopher’s struggles of retaliating when being touched and the two people’s effort of trying to set things right with Christopher, it is obvious that society does not consider the fact that someone may be disabled. Some people have difficulty in understanding what people are saying and interpreting their emotions. Christopher has Asperger’s Syndrome, which causes problems with understanding speech and interpreting emotions. Christopher says, â€Å"I like dogs. You always know what a dog is thinking. It only has four moods. Happy, sad, cross and concentrating.† Christopher likes dogs as they only have basic moods that Christopher can understand. He prefers dogs rather than humans as humans are much more complex when it comes to emotions and their speech is also not specific and to-the-point like Christopher’s therefore it is not easily understandable. Christopher does not like it when people said things like â€Å"I’m going to hit the hay† because he does not know what it means. When the lady said to Chris that she was â€Å"going to hit the hay.† Christopher was confused as she was not clear about what she was saying and it was like an alien language to him. Christopher does not like similes or metaphors, as he believes that they are lies and the lady was talking using a metaphor. As Christopher helps himself by using graphics and emoticons and he takes everything literally, he experiences difficulty in understanding what people are saying and interpreting their emotions. The community and its’ people handicap others without understanding the outcome. An officer is interrogating Christopher and he says, â€Å"You seem very upset about this.† Christopher thinks to himself, he was asking too many questions and he was asking them too quickly. They were stacking up on my head like loaves at the factory where Uncle Terry works. It is obvious that Christopher has not been given enough time to process the given information. The officer only wants answers, he is not concerned about the stress that he is putting Christopher though and this causes Chris to not cope as well as he potentially could have. Christopher went onto a train and he did not know that there were toilets on trains and he said, â€Å"And then I wanted to go for a wee but I leaked a bit and wet my trousers. And the policeman looked at me and said, â€Å"oh, Christ, you’ve†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It is obvious that the officer is only looking at Christopher’s age and not pa ying attention to his predicament. Both of the officers did not attempt to understand Christopher’s feelings and his problems, rather, they thought deductively and blamed Christopher for not behaving as any ‘normal’ person would have and this is how the community and its’ people handicap others without understanding the outcome. It is obvious from the evidence above that the theme of â€Å"sometimes people are born with disabilities, but its communities that handicap them† is true as Christopher faces many challenging situations yet the community was not there to help him, rather, they handicapped him even more than he already was.

Computer Technologies essays

Computer Technologies essays At the end of the Cold War computer technology was on the verge of new era. Glocal satellite communications and the Internet opened a new portal to the world and if the U.S. Navy wanted to stay the dominant power to control the seas it had to take advantage of every technological advancement and innovative idea. Organizing a private intranet network incorporated with web applications and technology quickly became the backbone of global and local Navy vessell coordination and synchronization. High-tech multitask computers became the core of projects for new Navy ships where their use made the crew volume decrease by a hundred, a hundred and fifty percent. Also the versatility of cumputer and web applications allows the Department of Navy to stay just inside its budget, which is declining every year, by the integration of comercial everyday software into their systems to help the Navy build their global computer network. Applications like these, some of which people even use in their h omes, saves the Navy money by not having to purchase and design special software for military-only purpose. The most significant and impactful project for the network centralization of the Navy using modern computer technology is the "Information Technology for the 21st Century" project also called IT-21. Ever since its deployment the IT-21 quickly gave favorable results and promising future, and one of the most valuable benefits from it, was the coordination of vessels to conduct massive operations: : "This first IT-21 deployment was a revolution in connectivity for cruiser-destroyer (CruDes) units. The combination of enhanced IT systems, expanded connectivity paths, and power projection placed them in a prominent role during the execution of Tomahawk strikes in support of Operation Allied Force in May and April 1999. A group consisting of a guided-missile cruiser, guided-missile destroyer, destroyer, and two attack submarines conducted the initial p...

How Rising Wages Are Changing the Game in China Essay Example

How Rising Wages Are Changing the Game in China Essay Example How Rising Wages Are Changing the Game in China Essay How Rising Wages Are Changing the Game in China Essay If a company can accrue. Rain and retain manpower It will cause to higher efficiency. Qualified and knowledgeable employees produces good quality product with more consistency and less errors or waste. Labor inputs can be reduced if employees are better trained so that time spent on each individual output is decreased. Irreproachableness. Com/management/dun- Coma/Competitive-Advantage. HTML If a company Is able to attain and sustain that level of manpower at low cost as possible, the company will have bigger margin, from cost of producing to a perceived value of the product. A country like China can average on the cost of labor that their country can offer. It greatly affects the countrys GAP (Gross Domestic Product). It would be a great benefit for China to continue to offer cheap labor to keep the world bringing in business to their country of 1. 3 billion In population but Chinese people are getting more aware of contract law. Companies are getting high labor turnover. According to New York Times, June 2010, that labor dispute Is becoming part of Chinas economic landscape. And that of 210 factories that were studied by labor advocate, 90 per cent of those factories cheat on overtime. A common complaint among laborers is lack of overtime pay when a work schedule exceeds 40 hours. Mr.. Lieu, the labor advocate, said his group had done a study of 210 factories in the Pearl River Delta and the Yanking River Delta that showed 90 percent of those factories cheat on overtime: they often reported employees as working eight-hour days even when the hours were much longer. Thus, the salaries were much more generous on paper than In reality. Http:// www. Anytime. Com/2010/06/21/world/Asia/occasionally. HTML? _r=l ;paginated=2 The cost of labor force is important in relation to their skill level. When employees are motivated and have a sense control because they are involved in decision making, they are most likely to stay and be dedicated to their jobs. That Is Intrinsic need that Is major important to most if not all people. If resources with skill level desired are scarce, labor cost will be higher. According to the article, How Rising Wages are Changing the Game in China, as many people who live in China, there are 2. 5 million Jobs that remain unfilled in Guano province alone. There are not enough qualified people to fill those positions; the market was not keeping up with the growth of business miming In to China. People are not educated, experienced or literate enough to tall ten Sods Tanat are open. In turn, teen Decode scarce Ana teen cost more, manpower turnover is increasing as qualified and experienced laborers are able to choose to get a better paying or more rewarding Job. It is becoming a challenge for them to keep good workers. They have been creative in appropriating funds such as providing employees with better food, investing in utility saving measures in order to provide more benefits to employees. Human Resource is involved in cost accounting, t realizes the cost of hiring and training and retraining. Retaining the good and experienced workers is more cost effective. If resources are trainable and are available, HER are making ways to provide education, training and cross training. Benefits are tailored to the needs or wants of the employees. Childcare and paid health club membership, are some of the perks provided for. Employees are gaining awareness of their rights and gaining confidence to fight for their rights. Disputes are channeled through centralized system and are being watched and tracked. Chinese people are going to be treated better by their employers. In order for the companies to stay in business is to have a labor force. If the labor force is treated fairly and equally, it will stabilize and will gain respect from world market. They would not want to be able to offer cheap labor because they are mistreated and cheated on, on their overtime pay. The rising wages in China will affect the bottom line of major companies. As other countries develop trading relationships with multinational companies and able to provide competitive labor cost, other countries ill gain ground in the labor market. Global economy is evolving as the world market determines its place in trading. I believe it would be a smart move for China to invest in educating its people. Education grants and loans will encourage people to study and learn because they know that there are Jobs available. Jobs that will make their lives better. This will increase its qualified labor force and will continue to bring in business, a lot of work and a lot of structuring is needed in China, with a billion populations, it is a billion potential strong.

How to Write a Good Essay

How to Write a Good Essay This thing that we are about to mention has certainly caused great trouble to all of you at least once in your lifetime. Irrespectively of our current occupation (which does not have to be anything connected to any sort of academic writing) every single one of us has had at least one essay assignment during their lifetime. When we think of all those writing assignments we had at school, we come to the conclusion that each and every one of us has had to write a number of essays during our lifetimes. Now, we all claim to be able to write it, however, not all of us can claim that they can write a good essay. Many times you could not help but wonder why your essay was evaluated so low even though you know you have given the greatest effort in its creation. Writing a good essay is far from easy and here we provide a main guideline which will help you write the perfect essay. To write the perfect essay, there are three main things you should dedicate a piece of your precious time to: planning your essay, writing the first draft (which by no means should be the last draft) and finally the editing and proofreading part. After all that is done, you will have the final and optimal version of the essay. The planning of the essay is always the hardest part because even when you have enough inspiration, you often have several ideas on mind and you cannot decide which one to write in particular, whether you will provide a whole essay on facts about that topic, because in an essay, there is just one topic provided by the title that requires your research, not more than one. Choose the topic which will be appealing for many readers and choose the title and make it intriguing to the readers. The second step consists of two things: first, write down on a bulleted list all ideas you want to incorporate in your essay (a phrase for each idea, nothing more) and using that list write your first draft elaborating on those ideas. Finally it has come the time for the editing and proofreading part. Here you can do whatever you think may improve the quality of your written work. If you think that the sentence from the second paragraph should be changed by other sentence, now is the time to do that. After you have done this, read the whole thing one more time and hand it to the person giving you the task.

Critical thinking case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical thinking case - Essay Example The video begins with explanatory scenes describing the birth of the saint. Further it shows his critical stages in growth including his different stages of education. Interestingly, the video while critically analyzing the ideologies of Ramana Maharshi, it has been ensured that the message of religious harmony is included in varying levels in each and every frame. The video stresses on the philosophies of Ramana Maharshi, which expresses his consent on the need for unity among religions. The video asserts that it is never necessary to belong to any religion so as to know and understand the spiritual truth. In totality, the messages conveyed through the videos speak of the real point of unity among all religions and any other criteria that classifies mankind. This real point is the truth with in oneself. When one realizes that, he or she becomes automatically in harmony with the nature, humanity and thus with every religions as

Which step of concept analysis requires research on the concept Essay

Which step of concept analysis requires research on the concept - Essay Example Concept analysis process in nursing theory development involves numerous steps. Walker and Avant (1994) propose that the identification of the concept and its uses requires research. This is because concepts are articulated by a phrase or word. As a result, Walker and Avant (1994) acknowledge that the analysis of a concept must unavoidably be a review of the descriptive word and its use. To me, concept analysis is; therefore, an examination of the term and its significance in nursing and its comparison to other related phrases (McEwen & Wills, 2014). The identification of the concept and its use requires research because lack of research would lead to wrongful identification of the concept, and result to wrongful conclusions and the whole process would be wrong (Ziegler, 2013). According to McEwen and Wills (2014), it is imperative for the researcher to use research to identify the concept and its applications in the development of the theory. This step would also assist in accurate identification of the attributes of the concept. Townsend, L., & Scanlany, J. (2001). Self-efficacy related to student nurses in the clinical setting: A concept analysis. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 8(1). doi:10.2202/1548-923X.2223 Permalink to

How movies affect the audience Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How movies affect the audience - Term Paper Example For example, most films in Bollywood in India feature more on strong family values. There are only little or no sex and violent scenes. In Nollywood, located in Nigeria, most films have their basis on the reality that most Africans face, such as family struggles, faith conflicts and achieving a balance between modernity and traditional values. In most cases, the films are depicted in a satirical outlook. The South Korean film industry also focuses on what most Asians go through, the historical and personal impacts of life events. In all these film industries, the films have had an impact on viewers. For example, films in Nigeria have raised concerns in most African countries with people worrying that there will be â€Å"Nigerianization† of their cultures given that their films possess a lot of Nigerian culture and dialect. How does the effect of the film impact on the audience? In Hollywood, perhaps the films cannot be said to have the same effect such as making the rest of Europe â€Å"Americanized†, but the effect is still notable. Even when a person is one of the healthiest, watching certain films is likely to have an effect on a person in ways they cannot imagine. The films have cuts, camera angles and scenes that change and these are the film aspects that have an effect on human behavior, views and decision-making process (Plantinga, 2009). Admittedly most people are never conscious about the cuts that film editors make in a film. Camera angles also change so many times in a scene, but people are usually too engulfed in the film to notice such changes. To keep most audiences in America and the rest of the world entertained, filmmakers are well aware that making certain shift cuts in certain scenes have more impact than if the same cuts are made in other scenes of a film. Cutting that occur s in the films might seem very unrealistic, but moving the

The Law of the UK and the US on Assisted Death Essay

The Law of the UK and the US on Assisted Death - Essay Example In the present day there have been attempts to legalize assisted suicide. This attempt has met strong opposition from human rights activists citing issues of right to life. However some states in the United States have legalized assisted dying while it remains illegal in other states. In the United Kingdom assisted death is still illegal despite the many efforts by the parliament to pass a bill in its support. Legal Concerns Three American states namely Washington, Montana and Oregon have legalized assisted suicide. Oregon has enacted the Oregon Death with Dignity Act which has legalized assisted death. Washington too has enacted its own law namely the Washington Death with Dignity Act which too has legalized assisted suicide. In Montana assisted death was legalized via a ruling in the case of Baxter v Montana 20091. However, there are many barriers to use of these provisions considering the fact that the right to life which is a constitutional right guaranteed by the constitution of the United States. An instance where the use of the provisions of the enactments has been limited is in Oregon where a physician may prescribe a medication which however must be self-administered. The person is required to be a resident of Oregon. To escape criminal liability two oral requests from the patient and a written request for prescription are a requirement. The doctor must also give a written confirmation that the act by the patient was informed and voluntary. All these limitations to these provisions check the balance between the constitutional rights to life. In some states there are enacted laws which specifically prohibit assisted suicide. For example in Alaska, Statute 11.41.120(a) (2) specifically prohibits assisted dying2. The supreme court of Alaska declared unanimously in the case of Sampson V. Alaska, that the right to assisted suicide was unconstitutional and upheld the Alaska law that prohibits the assisted suicide3. Florida State’s Statute 782.08 and e uthanasia law specifically prohibit assisted dying. In Krischer v Mclver, the supreme court of Florida ruled that under the constitution of Florida the right to assisted suicide was prohibited4. The Oregon state legalized assisted dying after November the year 1994 when Oregon citizens voted for a physician assisted suicide by their vote of 51% to 49%. Later in the year 1997, the citizens rejected an attempt to overturn this law by a majority of 60%5. The Michigan law expressly prohibits assisted suicide. The law provides that a person is guilty of criminal offence if he or she knows that another person intends to commits suicide and with the intention to assist that person himself or herself provides a means or means through which that individuals kills himself or herself6. The person is also guilty where he or she directly participates in the act of killing the person committing suicide. Thus it’s still an offence in instance of attempted suicide. In most of the States of U nited States, it is a criminal offence to assist someone to commit suicide. Alpers and Benard affirm that churches and human rights activist have strongly fought against any attempt to enact laws that allow assisted dying7. This has been a bone of contention for a long period. Humanitarian groups now feel that the law is oppressive to the extent that it deprives an individual their right of being autonomous beings. Thus there have been debates that the law allowing attempted suicide is incompatible with the

Credit Crunch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Credit Crunch - Essay Example But on that modest base, it builds an enormous balance sheet of two huge towers of cash: one of money borrowed, and the other of money lent or invested† (Davis). Banks thought that whatever the money they collected from the public in the savings accounts or term deposits need to be lent for a higher rate in order to make profit. So they tried to give loans to anybody approaching them without analyzing or checking the borrower’s financial capabilities. The high spending American people approached the banks for everything whenever they are in financial requirements and the banks were ready to satisfy them. â€Å"The American subprime mortgage firms, who made a rash of bad loans to people with poor credit, can find little to excuse their behavior† (Who is to Blame for Credit Crunch) Repayment period of loans allotted to the public was also fixed by the banks without any vision or purpose. Long periods were allotted to the borrowers for the repayment of loans. Moreover, the government also did everything to encourage the lending habits of the American public. Government encouraged the banks to reduce the interest rates of the loans they sanctioned and also to increase the repayment periods of the loans. Government miscalculated that the increased economic activities across the country would boost the economy. The main problem associated with the current credit crunch is that banks would force to increase the regulations on loans sanctioned to the public in future which will weaken the economic activities.

The Law of the UK and the US on Assisted Death Essay

The Law of the UK and the US on Assisted Death - Essay Example In the present day there have been attempts to legalize assisted suicide. This attempt has met strong opposition from human rights activists citing issues of right to life. However some states in the United States have legalized assisted dying while it remains illegal in other states. In the United Kingdom assisted death is still illegal despite the many efforts by the parliament to pass a bill in its support. Legal Concerns Three American states namely Washington, Montana and Oregon have legalized assisted suicide. Oregon has enacted the Oregon Death with Dignity Act which has legalized assisted death. Washington too has enacted its own law namely the Washington Death with Dignity Act which too has legalized assisted suicide. In Montana assisted death was legalized via a ruling in the case of Baxter v Montana 20091. However, there are many barriers to use of these provisions considering the fact that the right to life which is a constitutional right guaranteed by the constitution of the United States. An instance where the use of the provisions of the enactments has been limited is in Oregon where a physician may prescribe a medication which however must be self-administered. The person is required to be a resident of Oregon. To escape criminal liability two oral requests from the patient and a written request for prescription are a requirement. The doctor must also give a written confirmation that the act by the patient was informed and voluntary. All these limitations to these provisions check the balance between the constitutional rights to life. In some states there are enacted laws which specifically prohibit assisted suicide. For example in Alaska, Statute 11.41.120(a) (2) specifically prohibits assisted dying2. The supreme court of Alaska declared unanimously in the case of Sampson V. Alaska, that the right to assisted suicide was unconstitutional and upheld the Alaska law that prohibits the assisted suicide3. Florida State’s Statute 782.08 and e uthanasia law specifically prohibit assisted dying. In Krischer v Mclver, the supreme court of Florida ruled that under the constitution of Florida the right to assisted suicide was prohibited4. The Oregon state legalized assisted dying after November the year 1994 when Oregon citizens voted for a physician assisted suicide by their vote of 51% to 49%. Later in the year 1997, the citizens rejected an attempt to overturn this law by a majority of 60%5. The Michigan law expressly prohibits assisted suicide. The law provides that a person is guilty of criminal offence if he or she knows that another person intends to commits suicide and with the intention to assist that person himself or herself provides a means or means through which that individuals kills himself or herself6. The person is also guilty where he or she directly participates in the act of killing the person committing suicide. Thus it’s still an offence in instance of attempted suicide. In most of the States of U nited States, it is a criminal offence to assist someone to commit suicide. Alpers and Benard affirm that churches and human rights activist have strongly fought against any attempt to enact laws that allow assisted dying7. This has been a bone of contention for a long period. Humanitarian groups now feel that the law is oppressive to the extent that it deprives an individual their right of being autonomous beings. Thus there have been debates that the law allowing attempted suicide is incompatible with the

The importance of proper nutrition for promoting wound healing in Literature review

The importance of proper nutrition for promoting wound healing in elderly - Literature review Example The overall health condition of the patient influences the result of healing from the damaged tissue. Older wound care patients call for additional care and constant that addresses the issues that speed up the wound treatment. Several wound care analysts support a holistic means for treating elderly wound patients that regards simultaneous bodily and mental aspects such as dietary position and illness status like diabetes and cancer. The following paper will look into the various methodologies, analyses, gaps, data and theories used and developed by these analyses towards wound haling in the elderly. II. Current Literature According to Timmes, wound healing needs an increase in the energy consumption of the patient because of a rise in metabolic demand. Nutrition plays a major role in the wound healing procedure, as various nutrients have precise functions connected to wound healing. Sufficient nutrition is also needed to sustain healthy skin integrity and elderly patients regularly go through delayed wound healing because of such nutrition deficiencies. Timmes also states that successful management of malnourished patients with wounds relies on precise untimely diagnosis and therapy. Heyman, Van De Looverbosch, Meier and Schols believe that a high-protein ONS supplemented with arginine, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc when utilized with average and pressure ulcer care, particularly decreased the standard pressure ulcer area of permanent nursing home civilians. Major themes assessed by Sherman and Barkly include the importance of nutritional evaluation at the specific nutrients, their roles in wound healing, and the potential of wound therapy among the elderly. Other analysts with a similar viewpoint are Takahashi, Kimele and Jones, who have laid out fundamentals to wound healing through a series of steps. The steps include Step 1: Identify the cause This step involves the enhancement of a well organized would plan by realizing the cause of the wound. Such knowle dge provides a base for the healing procedure and prognosis. Step 2: Maintenance of good nutrition The authors of the journal do not sturdily point out the significance of proper nutrition in the sustenance of skin integrity and wound healing. Nevertheless, patients have proven through research results that the end-phase dementia or the fatal disease cannot get enough healing through ample nutrition. Step 3: Manage infection Sufficient wound healing needs a surrounding that is free of any kind of infections all skin the body is colonized, making bacteria and other inflectional organisms susceptible to causing infections to the body through the wound Step 4: Recommendations for wound therapy According to Takahashi, Kimele and Jones, discussions with the nursing staff and other healthcare givers are regularly needed for the establishment of concluding recommendations for wound treatment. On a similar note, Sherman and Barkly believe that various nutrients play major roles in wound hea ling. They have analyzed each nutrient using the following order and knowledge on wound treatment: Proteins The elderly normally face protein depletion, resulting in the reduction of the rate and quality of wound healing. Therefore, proteins are needed for healing since they are part of a seditious procedure, and in immune receptiveness, the development of granulation tissue become simpler and rapid. Carbohydrates As part of the healing proce

Julius Caesar Play Essay Example for Free

Julius Caesar Play Essay In play, Julius Caesar, it has strength that makes the play a famous play. In the play, we could understand characters emotion and behaviors clearly since it is in their own words instead of a narration. From the text from Cassius’s dialogue,† For my part, I have walked about the streets, submitting me unto the perilous night.† we could emphasizes how Cassius is showing off to Casca the braveness he has. Another point would be the speeches that are introduce in the play. Another example would be in Act 1, scene 2 where Antony comments, â€Å"When Caesar says, do this, it is performed. Sometimes not only the characters dialogue could be recognize as his or her personality and characteristics. In this text by Antony, we could feel the powerful leadership from Caesar. Speeches help a better understanding of each character thought towards different people. Such as the speech that Antony gave where it begins with â€Å"Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears†¦..† In this speech Antony keep repeating â€Å"Brutus is an honorable man†, this shows sarcasms that Antony is speaking out. While reading this speech, you will find confusions where Antony is criticizing Brutus action but on the other hand he keeps stating that Brutus is an honorable man that opposites other facts. This kind of passage grabs the reader attention to think profoundly. The weakness would be the organization of the plot. I believe the play is moving in a speed what I believe is fast. Fast play makes it difficult to recognize clearly with each scenes and acts. For example from the meeting of conspirators to the death of Julius Caesar flows quite rapid. Between those two scenes, I feel a bit empty cause no way that these conspirators did not planned in a way that they could successfully without any obstacles kill Julius Caesar. The play might improve if the process of planning would be added between those two periods. We might absorb characters; personality and perspective towards this event during their planning. Another example would be the death of Calupurnia. The death news was interrupted abruptly during before the war. Calpurnia played such an important role when comforting Brutus and place a spy on him. This shows the role of women played in Roman however she had passed away in a second where no one has expected. Overall the organization is pretty flow and vivid enough. I like how each scene was isolated by the characters in the play where one side is mainly characters that dislike Caesar and the other side would be characters that supports Caesar. The only error would be the speed of the play that gives no time for readers to vividly understand the story. The descriptions of different characters are the best element in the play. Characters were vividly described as I stated earlier. One more example would be when Cassius stated, â€Å"The torrent roared, and we did buffet it with lusty sinews, throwing it aside and stemming it with hearts of controversy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..or I sink!†Ã¢â‚¬  In this dialogue we could understand two characters’ thoughts and history background. Cassius put up this fact show that he believes Caesar is not as capable as he should be. Another would be the background of Caesar where he was such a weaker. The diaglouge is very interesting because we could see through what each character wanted to express. One of the interesting dialogues was between Antony and Octavious. Octavious argued to refuse the instruction from Antony. Antony begins to realize the similar power between Octavious and Caesar when Octavious insist to follow left instead of right, so Antony called Octavious as Caesar after the argument of the formation.

Caste and Sri Lankan marriage

Caste and Sri Lankan marriage In the modern day Sri Lankan society, the concept of caste with its pre-historic background plays different roles is human life, and its role becomes dominant at the juncture of the typical Sri Lankan marriage. The research will open up doors to show the typical Sri Lankan community being traditional and outdated, the concept of caste is still one of the major determinisms of leading a happy and successful marriage life. The society we live today is complex and all of us have to live with different ideas and attitudes. These diverse ideas and attitudes come into light in different occasions and stages in our lives. The concept of Caste is a phenomenon unique to the countries in the Indian Sub Continent and it is fossilized in the society. Gender, age, caste, ethnicity and class play major roles in the establishment of the Sri Lankan society. While gender, age, caste and ethnicity are decided by ones birth, class is decided by ones ability. In the present Sri Lanka society, caste does not play a significant role. Caste, which is decided by birth comes into action in different occasions and stages in ones life in different ways and caste becomes a dominant figure in the Sri Lanka context when it comes to marriages. According to Robert Knox,  [1]  Sri Lankans are very selective and careful about marriages. It is a tradition not to get married to a person from a lower caste. Sinhalese would never sacrifice their dignity for an unsuitable marriage even it brings out wealth. A person from Colombo might hear that caste is not as important as it was in the past and that it is subjected to deterioration. Nevertheless, the following extract suggests that it is not so.  [2]  Sinhalese are highly concerned about the concept of caste and boundaries around it and that at least in the dry zone the concept of caste and boundaries around it are significant The above description indicates though caste is not highlighted in the surface level, it becomes a very important concept for the Sinhalese in practical situations. According to E.R. Leach,  [3]  The deterioration of the caste system leads to the deterioration of an establishment. Marriages between different ethnicities can still be seen in the society . E.R. Leach helps one to identify the modern nature of the caste system. The notice on marriage proposals on week-end Sri Lankan newspapers highlight caste consciousness still plays a major role in the contemporary Sri Lankan society. Careful studies show the concept of caste which hails from the colonial period has undergone slight changes after the independence in 1948. As job opportunities are allocated based on academic qualifications, the caste system faces its deterioration. After the changes brought up to the constitution in 1997 and the society being exposed to the open economy made the modern society look into matters based on money. It is evident that the nature of caste has changed, but it does not indicate that the identity one gains through caste has totally been rejected. It clearly depicts the caste consciousness of the traditional Sri Lankans comes to the surface in marriages. CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY AIM The aim of the research is to study the role played by the Sri Lankan caste system in determining a marriage and the importance of a caste to lead a happy and successful marriage life. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Although caste seems on old fashioned and unscientific basis for determining whether two people are compatible for marriage, historic evidence shows that it is a predictor of maintaining success. THE RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS Caste system is a reliable determinism of successful marriages. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The sample is a randomly selected set of twenty married soldiers from the Sri Lanka Army representing different areas around the island and different castes. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION 10. The collection of data and information for this research will be highly based on the following. Interviews done with the twenty soldiers. Questionnaires given to the twenty soldiers. Books related to the research topic. The Internet. 11. The books related to the research topic and the information gathered through the Internet opened avenues to identify the caste system in Sri Lanka and it led to write a review of literature on the nature of the Sinhala marriage in chapter three. While the fourth chapter describes the impact of caste in determining the marriage of the selected sample, the fourth chapter deals with impact of social, economic and family conditions on deciding a caste. The conclusion is done at the fifth chapter. CHAPTER 3 BACKGROUND CASTE SYSTEM AND THE NATURE OF THE SINHALA MARRIAGE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF CASTE 12. The caste system is perhaps the worlds longest surviving social hierarchy .A person is considered a member of the caste to which he or she is born and remains within that caste until death, although the particular ranking of that caste may vary among regions and over time. 13. The caste system in Sri Lanka is a division of society into strata. Ancient Sri Lankan texts such as the Pujawaliya, Sadharmarathnavaliya and Yogarathakaraya and inscriptional evidence show that the hierarchy prevailed throughout the feudal period. Caste as we know it today appears to have been introduced to Sri Lankans by Prakrit language speakers from North India. The introduction of Buddhism in the third century BC blunted the edge of the system to a certain extend. However, there is a reference to king Abhayas son, Saliya choosing to lose caste by marrying Ashokamala, a Candala or outcaste woman, in the second century BC, indicating that caste taboos remained in place. 14. Studies based on caste have allowed the society to come up with different definitions on caste, and these definitions have allowed people to identify the impact of caste on marriage. The concept of caste, the nature of its expansion and the definitions put forward under different areas pave a pathway to understand this concept. 15. According to Peiris Reif,  [4]  The cruel nature of our ancestors led to the origin of a caste system. Thirst for power and land made them fight with each other. As a result, a need arose to appoint a leader who is physically and intellectually balanced to resolve the conflicts. 16. The sources indicate that Aryans from India during their visit in the fifth century have brought down their caste system to Sri Lanka. The legend shows that the ancient Sri Lankan society had different castes such as Raja, Bamunu, Welanda and Govi and the base for these was provided by the different castes like Brahmans, Shathriya, Vaishya and Sudra in ancient India. THE CONCEPT OF CASTE AND DEFINITIONS OF CASTE. 17. Caste is a phenomenon in the society and culture. According to Edmancy Leach, A caste cannot stand on its own. It has a close bond with its members through a network. 18. Mr: Amarasekara Daya in his book titled, The Sri Lankan Society elaborates L.L.Kroebers (an anthropologist) ideas. Caste is a unit. It consists of indigenous sub units. Such a unit enjoys the privileges of the society. Based on that, we can differentiate one sub unit form another sub unit. 19. Mr: Amarasekara further elaborates on caste by bringing forward measuring instruments introduced by Hutton, an anthropologist. They are,  [5]   Caste is an indigenous concept. There are specific boundaries between different castes. A caste is a collection of situations which depicts bureaucracy. It is accepted that through food, physical relationships, customs and by touching a member of a privileged caste by a member of a discriminated caste will corrupt the privileged caste. Caste is related to traditional occupations. Caste is decided by birth. Caste in totality, is a system based on prestige. 20. W.M. Waister, an anthropologist bringing out his views on caste says that keeping laundry, making gold and silver jewellery were the duties of the discriminated castes and these services were rendered only to a privileged segment of the society. 21. Though a man from a privileged caste can keep a woman from a discriminated caste as his mistress, he is not allowed to take meals with her. As Mr: Bryce Rayan elaborated people were allowed to share the same well for drinking water and eat together with farmers from different castes in the paddy field, but at a wedding, people from Govi caste were never allowed to sit with people from other castes at the table. This clearly indicates the effect of caste on marriage. MARRIAGE 22. The concept of marriage differs from country to country, society to society and culture to culture. Marriage simply means the joining of the two sexes who maintain a socially approved or accepted sexual relationship for reproduction. Since marriage is given so many definitions it is believed that studying all these definitions will help one to understand the concept of marriage. 23. According to Mr: Tuder Silva  [6]  Marriage is the union of two or more people of both sexes for a socially accepted sexual relationship for the purpose of reproduction. Marriages are of two types, monogamy and polygamy. The above definition gives an idea of a marriage. According to a statement by the British Anthropology Society, Marriage is a unit which authorizes the children the rights of their biological parents. 24. According to Mr Kumara Hemantha  [7]  Marriage is a special bond between two elders of both sexes based on norms, ethics, rules and regulations. Both the elders maintain a sexual relationship for reproduction. Further, marriage is a unit made up of a husband, wife and their children. 25. The society and time are the deciding factors of rules and regulations of a marriage. 26. The ancient traditions of marriage and the caste have a dinosaur effect on the relationship between the Sinhala marriage and the caste. The Sinhala society by Mr: Ralph Peiris is a suitable example for it. Through his book he talks about the different types of marriages, different methods of getting married, reasons for a marriage and the openness of marriages in ancient Sri Lanka.  [8]  Marriage to a person out of the caste was strictly prohibited. The ancestors did not want their sons and daughters to marry a person with a lower status though that person is from the same caste. 27. The above description shows that the ancient society considered caste an important factor in the marriages, and it also indicates that the Sinhala marriage is a lose bond. 28. According to Robert Knox, in 1600s caste had a prominent place in the Sinhala marriage. Further, he elaborates that caste was given priority than wealth in ancient Sinhala marriage. 29.  [9]  Caste discrimination is there because of the system of family. The need for a family arose to provide security and satisfy different needs of people. Therefore people began to think about their castes in marriages. TYPES OF CASTES IN SRI LANKA 30. According to Bryce Rayan in his book, Caste Discrimination in Sri Lanka, Relationships between different castes began due to the nature of occupations and breaking up of the society into small units. Jana Wanshaya which is the oldest text on caste discrimination shows that there are twenty six different castes in Sri Lanka.  [10]  They are, a. Govigama b. Salagama c. Kamburu d. Waduwo e. Hannala f. Rada g. Ambettayo h. Sommarayo i. Durawo j. Kumbhakarnayo k. Karawo l. Weddo m. Berawayo n. Hakuro p. Hunno q. Pannayo r. Samanno s. Welwaduwo t. Gahalayo u. Paduwo v. Malakarayo w. Kinnarayo x. Rodee y. Olee z. Indrapalanagayo aa. Chandalayo 31. According to Mr. Kalinga T. Silvas research on castes,  [11]  there are fifteen castes in Sri Lanka. Though there is a compromise about the top and the lower levels of the caste system in Sri Lanka, there are several arguments about the middle level. According to Mr. Silva, Sri Lanka is divided into two parts as up country and low country. While people from Patti and Gahala castes live in the up country, people from Karawa, Salagama, Durawa and Hunnu live in the low country. Order ( This is not yet been finalized ) Name of the Caste Traditional Occupation Percentage of Sinhala population Level 01 Govigama Radala Land Owners 0.001 01 Govi Farmers 49 Patti Herdsmen 0.001 02 Karava Fishermen 5 02 03 Salagama Cinnamon Peelers 04 Durava Toddy Tappers 3 05 Hunu Quicklime Industry 0.002 06 Achari / Galladu / Navanandana Traditional Artisans 0.0005 3 07 Hena / Rada Traditional Washmen 3 08 Wahumpura / Hakuru Traditional Makers of Jaggery 12.5 09 Kumbal / Badahela Traditional Makers of Pots 2.5 10 Dura/ Wellandura/ Bodhi pannadura Safeguard Srimaha Bodhi 0.001 11 Nakathi / Berawva Traditional Dancers and Astrologers 3 12 Bathgama / Padu Servants and Porters 18 13 Gahala Traditional Drum Beaters 0.001 4 14 Kinthara Weaving Mats 0.3 15 Rodi/ Hulawali Traditional Beggars / Traditional Makers of Ekel Brooms 0.001 Other* 1.493 * Castes which belong to the other category are Porava, Kara, Olee, Palee, Barber and Ganthara and the number is very low. 33. Mr. Kalinga Silva in his analysis says,  [12]  Though caste is subjected to deterioration, that in the Asian community it becomes dominant at three occasions. Marriage is one of them. A survey conducted with estate workers who have an Indian origin indicates that caste is a major determinism for 90% of their marriages. Climbing up the economic and social hierarchy is the second occasion the caste becomes important. The concept of caste is highlighted at this occasion. 34. Usage of the concept of caste as a weapon in the political battle field is the third occasion where this concept becomes prominent. The following extract taken from Jamnis Tiggins studies about Sri Lanka shows the way, the concept of caste dominated the Sri Lankan political arena. W!;a l=mdÆh uq;a l=mdÆh .fà   l=mdÆhg ckaoh fouq' 35 This was taken from a leaflet distributed during an election campaign and Gama here means a caste. CHAPTER 4 DATA REGIONAL REPRESENTATION AND CONCEPT OF CASTE 36. The following table shows the randomly selected set of twenty soldiers from the Sri Lanka Army representing different regions around the island and different castes to conduct a research on the role played by the Sri Lankan caste system in determining a marriage and the importance of a caste to lead a happy and successful marriage life. Husbands caste Wifes caste Number of families Govigama Govigama 09 Karawa Karawa 02 Bathgama Bathgama 01 Hakuru Hakuru 01 Govigama Hena 01 Govigama Salagama 01 Govigama Padu 01 Padu Govigama 01 Karava Salagama 02 Achari Govigama 01 Total 20 37. The sample represents 45% of Govigama, 10% of Karava, 5% of Bathgama, 5% of Hakuru and 35% of mixed castes. Chart 4.1 Cast of sample 38. The regional representation of the sample is as follows. Srl no Husbands caste Wifes caste Region 01 Govigama Govigama Mahiyanganaya 02 Govigama Govigama Bibile 03 Govigama Govigama Badulla 04 Govigama Govigama Padaviya 05 Govigama Govigama Welioya 06 Govigama Govigama Hakmana 07 Govigama Govigama Kanthale 08 Govigama Govigama Horana 09 Govigama Govigama Puswellawa 10 Karawa Karawa 11 Karawa Karawa 12 Bathgama Bathgama Puttalam 13 Hakuru Hakuru Kegalle 14 Govigama Salagama Kamburupitiya 15 Govigama Hena Veyangoda 16 Govigama Padu Kurunagala 17 Padu Govigama Matale 18 Achari Govigama Ambanpola 19 Karava Salagama Elpitiya 20 Karava Salagama .Galle SRI LANKAN MARRIAGE AND THE IMPACT OF RACE AND RELIGION ON IT 39. Eighteen soldiers of the sample emphasize the importance the importance of equality between races 90%in marriage. The nature of family and demands of the society have made them think that way. As the majority of the sample represents the rural areas of the island, they think that if they do mix marriages they would be neglected by their parents and relatives, and thereby end up in unsuccessful and unhappy marriages. Chart 4.2 Marriage and races 40. Eighteen (90%) soldiers representing the sample think equality between religions is very important to have successful marriages. According to them, the Sri Lankan village is based on temple, and when the husband and wife are from two different religions it is impractical to go to two different religious places simultaneously. Further, they believe that it is hard to practise diverse observances under one roof. Chart 4.3 Marriage and religions SRI LANKAN MARRIAGE AND CASTE 41. Sinhalese believe that race and religion are important factors in marriage. Typical Sinhalese confide in equality between castes in their marriages. While thirteen (65%) soldiers of the sample believe their partners should be from the same caste, seven (35%) soldiers do not believe so. Chart 4.4 Marriage and caste 42. Arranged marriage is still commonly practised in Sri Lanka, but an increasing number of young people today refuse arranged marriage. In arranged marriage caste becomes an important consideration. In love marriages the couple thinks only about matching their races, religions, ideas, views and interests. For them, caste is a minor matter and the survey shows that most of the couples have received the blessings of their parents. 43. The marriage proposals on weekend newspapers highlight the fact that caste is a major determinism in arranged marriages. The following table is taken from a survey conducted by Mr. Daya Amarasekara on marriage proposals in newspapers. Caste Male Female Total Percentage Govi 31 48 79 675 ] Karawa 06 07 13 110 ] Durawa 03 02 05 43 ] Salagama 02 02 04 35 ] Deva 02 02 17 ] Rajaka 02 02 04 34 ] Wellala 01 02 03 25 ] Hetti 01 01 09 ] Other 01 03 04 34 ] Total 46 69 115 1000 ] 44. According to the table, the majority is Govigama and the minority is Hetti. Mr. Amarasekara tells that this table depicts the spread of castes all around the island. 45. When asked from Sri Lankan women about their views on marriage and caste it is evident that women from higher castes do not want to get married to men from lower castes. These women do not want their children to be treated differently by the society because of their fathers surnames. OTHER FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE MARRIAGE 46. Another factor which influences modern marriage is the economy of each individual. The research shows that people are interested in getting married to people from the same economic level or above. People expect to lead simple and comfortable marriage lives by getting married to a person from the same economic level or above. 47. Most of the women in the modern society prefer to get married to men who are more educated than them. CHAPTER 5 DATA ANALYSIS MATCHING CASTE AND ITS INFLUENCE TO A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE LIFE 48. While thirteen soldiers out of the sample have married women from the same caste seven soldiers have married from different castes. The following table depicts the present status of the marriage lives of the thirteen soldiers whose spouses are from the same caste. Srl no Husbands caste Wifes caste Region Present status of marriage life 01 Govigama Govigama Mahiyanganaya Unsuccessful 02 Govigama Govigama Bibile Successful 03 Govigama Govigama Badulla Divorced 04 Govigama Govigama Padaviya Planning to get divorced 05 Govigama Govigama Welioya Unsuccessful 06 Govigama Govigama Hakmana 07 Govigama Govigama Kanthale 08 Govigama Govigama Horana 09 Govigama Govigama Puswellawa 10 Karawa Karawa 11 Karawa Karawa 12 Bathgama Bathgama Puttalam Unsuccessful 13 Hakuru Hakuru 49. According to the table, the marriage lives of the two families representing Govi caste (Row 1 and 5) and the family representing Bathgama (Row 12 ) are unsuccessful. 50. The following reasons have made their marriage lives unsuccessful. a. According to the soldiers from rows 1 and 5, their marriages are a failure because of their wives illegal affairs. Since these soldiers come home once in every two or three months, there is enough freedom and opportunities for their wives to have illegal affairs and this has ended their marriages in divorces. b. According to the soldier from row 12, the reason for his marriage being unsuccessful is the mismatch of ideas between himself and his spouse. He says that his wife never agrees with his suggestions and works according to her own plans and ideas. They have decided to get divorced after being married for eight years because of mismatch of ideas. 51. The above study shows that though the castes match, these people have decided to get divorced because of external forces. This is a very common phenomenon in the present day Sri Lankan society. 52. The following table shows the present status of the marriage lives of seven soldiers of the sample who have married out of their castes. Srl no Husbands caste Wifes caste Region Present status of marriage life 01 Govigama Salagama Kamburupitiya Unsuccessful 02 Govigama Hena Veyangoda Unsuccessful 03 Govigama Padu Kurunagala Unsuccessful 04 Padu Govigama Matale Unsuccessful 05 Achari Govigama Ambanpola Successful 06 Karava Salagama Elpitiya Successful 07 Karava Salagama .Galle Successful 53. Though the families from rows 1,2,3 and 4 have done their best to lead a happy and successful marriage lives, the insults by the parents and relatives of the party which represents Govi caste have made their marriages scatter. In family gatherings, the partners who represent the lower caste have been subjected to inferiority. Two females who represent Govi caste in rows 4 and 5 have been outcasted by their families because of their marriages to males from lower castes. 54. Parents and relatives of the soldiers in rows 1 and 2 totally ignore the presence of their daughters in law at family gatherings and even invitations to special occasions are sent only to the male partner. This indicates how embarrassed the wife becomes in front of her husbands parents and relatives. 55. The couples from rows 5, 6 and 7 lead happy and successful marriage lives though they are from two different castes. Parents and relatives of both the parties have mutual understanding and they respect each others ideas, views, attitudes and interests. 56. The research unveils that people from Govi caste are interested in dominating the society, and the interest on the concept of caste by the other castes are very low when compared with Govi caste. 57. However, the caste consciousness of the Sinhalese in arranged marriage is at a higher level. CHAPTER 6 SUMMARY 58. The objective of this sociological research is to study the role played by the Sri Lankan caste system in determining a marriage and the importance of a caste to lead a happy and successful marriage life. The ancient traditional Sinhala marriage and its relationship with caste and the role played by caste in present Sinhala marriage were studied in depth to come to a conclusion. 59. The sample of randomly selected twenty soldiers from the Sri Lankan Army representing different regions and castes help to discuss in detail a sensitive topic which people very rarely speak in public. Interviews with the sample assisted to reveal the following facts. a. Race and religion have played a dominant role in deciding the marriages of the sample. Sinhala and Buddhist back grounds of the sample have motivated the sample to avoid marriages with different ethnicities. 60. Caste plays a major role in Sinhala marriage. People from Govi caste want to maintain their authority while other castes make less efforts to maintain authority. It is evident that Govi caste is considered as the top caste but no conclusion has been made about the positions of the other castes. It is evident that people from higher castes reject people from lower castes and people from lower castes always try to select partners from higher castes in marriages. 61. In the past, most of the marriages were arranged ones , but today many are love marriages. In the modern society, people are interested in finding their own partners according to their level of education, interests, economic status, regional differences and attitudes. Though it seems that caste is not considered as a major determinism in marriage, it becomes prominent when one look at the reactions of parents and relatives of a higher caste partner who has selected a lower caste person. Though the system of caste is subjected to decay it has a dinosaur effect in marriages, and leading a happy and successful marriage life. 62. The research also reveals that when compared with men, women are more interested in marrying a person from the same caste or a higher caste. As the surname of the father automatically goes to the children, women make sure that they do not marry men make from lower castes. The women also do not like to live with the parents and the relatives of their husbands because they are scared of the insults of the husbands parents and relatives. 63. The above facts depict that caste plays a major role in the Sri Lankan marriage, and the attitudes of parents and relatives of the two partners are important in deciding a marriage. CHAPTER 7 RECCOMANDATION 63. The study shows that in marriages, the concept of caste is dominant. As the citizens of a democratic society, people have been given the rights through the constitution to live freely within the accepted rules and regulations of the government. Caste is not a barrier to a person to get proper education and move up the social hierarchy. Further, a person has the legal authority to change ones surname which is a determinism of his or her caste. 64. Though caste is considered in marriage, it is not a barrier to have love affairs and sexual relationships. A person from a lower caste who is at the top level in the

Defining Community Essay example -- Definition Essays

Defining Community Before studying the definition of a community, one might associate the word with life back in their hometown.   After reading through the definitions of community in numerous dictionaries, it is clear that community is so much more than the place you grow up in. It is interesting that the definition of one word could change so drastically over a decade. According to A Dictionary of American English, (1847) the definition of a community is â€Å"a communistic or socialistic society.†Ã‚   Although it isn't hard to identify the idea of each definition, they are extremely different.   The definition of community from 1874 mentions communism.   This is interesting because many people would not think of their community in terms of communism.   Community is such a friendly word, where as communism is not. It is understandable that some may see some form of communism when thinking about their community. Take West Bloomfield, for example, although the government doesn’t exactly control the economy, it is known to be a wealthy area, filled with the elite people who can afford t...

Tiffany & Co Case Study Essay

Background Tiffany & Co. was founded in 1837 in New York City by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young. After decades of development, the company has grown to an internationally famous designer and retailer of fine jewelry, diamonds, timepieces and other luxury accessories. In July 1993, Tiffany made a decision to directly operate sales in Japan, rather than profiting from medium corporation Mitsukoshi. According to this decision, Tiffany will pay Mitsukoshi 27% of net retail sales for providing the local services and bearing the risk of holding inventories. Below is a snap shot of the financial summary of Tiffany & Co from 1988 to 1993. The total revenues grew sustainably over the past years before the decision. However, for the cash flow statements, the company had been losing profits in terms of investments. Two-Pillar Strategy The new decision put Tiffany to a very difficult situation where the firm will face the fluctuation of the yen-dollar exchange rates. Due to the fact that the yen is considered to be overvalued with regards to the dollar, the uncertainty of future rates will diminish the company’s profits. In addition, Tiffany also keeps the company exposed to the volatility of the future exchange rate and related risks remain unhedged. As a result, the management came up with two-pillar strategy – to sell yen for dollars at a preset price in the future with a forward contract and to buy a yen put option with the flexibility to excise in the future with a more favorable price. The first strategy is to get a short position in a forward contact, which sells yen to the counterparty at a pre-decided price in the future. Tiffany and the counterparty of the contact both have the obligations to honor the agreement until the contract is expired. The second strategy will allow Tiffany the right, but not the obligation to sell yen at a pre-decided price in the future. Strategy Analysis After this new agreement with Mitsukoshi, Tiffany & Co are exposed to significant exchange risk. 75 of 492 million US dollar total revenue will be settled in terms of Japanese yen. This counted for approximately 15% of the  revenue of 1992. The net income would also suffer from the exposure of foreign currency exchange rate. The number of 1992 is 25 million US dollar. According to the case, there is high possibility that 10% of fluctuation would be reasonable, which may potentially cause a down fall of roughly 20 million US dollars loss. There will be no doubt that Tiffany should proactively manage its yen-dollar exchange risk. Investors value companies which will provide a solid solution for offshore business risk management. The company may just lose portion of revenues in the beginning. However, if the issue remains lacking sufficient attention, it will eventually have negative influence on the core business revenues. Customers will start to question the company’s brand equity. Investors would doubt the continuing profit-generating capacities of the equity. These facts will cause much stronger fluctuation and more severe fundamental problems. In terms of the risk management objectives, each firm will vary because of different risk appetite. In the industry, analysts will run VaR test based on certain scenario and yield various possible results. The management should analyze on the risk within a scale which tailors to the company’s specific needs. In my own opinion, company should aim at hedging the exchange rate risk instead of gaining extra profits from the derivatives market. Conclusion From the below screen shot of yen/dollar exchange rate from 1989 to 1993, we can conclude the rate will be rather volatile and unpredictable. Additionally, there was market assumption that the yen was overvalued in terms of dollar. Therefore, it would be natural to consider the possibility of the yen crashing. Thus, a yen put option seems to be a more favorable strategy for Tiffany.

The Good Life

The Good Life goes on but how would I know if goes so fast I miss it .It’s like the story of a good tale that always end with a man who can never tell his story is like a book which has been open for just one look, So like any other fairy tale A wish comes true The poor pathetic life of a blacksmith turns into a heroic life of a hero, A hero they gave me the title the name of the world’s finest idol The million aired they also stressed the could be me they would always idol I was just a poor pathetic blacksmith a handy man for the people No one special I was Just a low class man with a â€Å"DREAM â€Å"That came true That day the people gazed at the hammers as they bang This one time was different the bang sparked like the glazing of the sun Gold I could only think of the fiery shines of the Day Its Gold its Gold I thought I keep it to myself at first before I started a riot of despaired people More bangs More Gold I did And soon I was a Gold having poor man So the f ew days passed by the weeks passed by the months passed by And I turned in the Gold and became this new man A Richer man a man with thousands to spend the Million aired.But with the money I gave some portion to the poor and turned their into a better TRUTH And that’s when they called me the HERO The titles â€Å"YES† they came and came, HERO, MILLON AIRED, FARTHER, RICHES, KEEPERS MAN, The Gold Digger, And most important of all the WEALTHY I lived for this day I said to myself the days dream will never end I can walk upright high looking glamorous than any other in the whole city maybe even country. I stand I front of people just to say my story the tear up and ball all around me as I only say the Good Life is were I’m at now so no need for tears. The whole country knows me but do they even know my name. I demanded myself to take a seat and think is this whole Good Life Masquerade even worth it if the people on know me for my good deeds but yet not even know my name.The door opens and the voice comes in Mister Wealthy it’s time for your speech, I somewhat drag myself out in front of millions and say â€Å"The honor to stand before the people of America the people who work hard and realize that it doesn’t matter where you came from it only matters were your going and how you get there the success of a life time done in one year is outstanding the people thought but the thing is it worth it, the threats of murder for money is it worth it, Some you don’t even know my name the name of the man with millions of thousands. The name of your Hero you clam is â€Å"Patrick Luis’’ That’s my name not these titles you give me. I leave this Speech with One thing my Honor for I am just a man in a suit a man with a life just like you I am just a man not a GOD†

Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-seven

I WOULD HAVE GAPED IF I were there, both from the shock of seeing Sydney and at the sight of a human on Court grounds. Humans, actually, because there were two others with her, a man and a woman. The man was young, only a little older than Sydney, with deep brown hair and eyes. The woman was older and wore the tough, seasoned look I associated with Alberta. This woman was dark-skinned, but I could still see the golden tattoo she and the other humans had. All Alchemists. And it was obvious these Alchemists were not happy. That older woman was putting on a good show, but her darting eyes made it clear she wanted to be somewhere– anywhere–else. Sydney and the guy didn't hide their fear at all. Sydney might have gotten used to me and Dimitri, but she and her associates had just walked into a den of evil, as far as they were probably concerned. The Alchemists weren't alone in their discomfort. As soon as they'd entered, the guardians no longer regarded Eddie as the room's threat. Their eyes were all on the humans, scrutinizing them as though they were Strigoi. My friends seemed more curious than afraid. Lissa and I had lived among humans, but Christian and Adrian had had very little exposure, other than feeders. Seeing the Alchemists on â€Å"our turf' added an extra element of intrigue. I was certainly astonished to see Sydney there so quickly. Or was it quickly? Hours had passed since we'd escaped Jill's house. Not enough time to drive to Court but certainly enough to fly. Sydney hadn't changed clothes since I'd last seen her, and there were shadows under her eyes. I had a feeling she'd been grilled to no end since her capture. The mystery was, why bring the Alchemists here to the meeting about Eddie killing the unknown Moroi? There were two completely different issues at stake. Lissa was thinking the same thing. â€Å"Who are these guys?' she asked, although she had a pretty good idea who Sydney was. She'd heard enough description from me. Sydney gave Lissa a once-over, and I suspected she had guessed Lissa's identity as well. â€Å"Alchemists,' said Hans gruffly. â€Å"You know what that means?' Lissa and my friends nodded. â€Å"What do they have to do with Eddie and that guy who attacked me?' she asked. â€Å"Maybe something. Maybe nothing.' Hans shrugged. â€Å"But I know there's something strange going on, something you're all involved in, and I need to figure out what. She'– Hans pointed at Sydney–‘was with Hathaway in Detroit, and I still have trouble believing none of you know anything about it.' Adrian crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, the perfect picture of indifference. â€Å"Keep believing that, but I don't know any of these people. Don't Alchemists hate us? Why are they here?' Adrian, ironically, was the only one of my friends who knew I hadn't been in West Virginia, but you'd never tell from his demeanor. â€Å"Because we have an escaped murderess to deal with and needed to question her accomplice in person,' was Hans's crisp response. A denial of my guilt was on Lissa's lips, but the older Alchemist jumped in first. â€Å"You have no proof that Miss Sage was an â€Å"accomplice' to your criminal. And I still think it's ridiculous that you wouldn't let us do our own questioning and leave it at that.' â€Å"In any other situation, we would, Miss Stanton,' replied Hans. Ice was forming between the two of them. â€Å"But this one, as you can imagine, is a bit more serious than most. Our queen was murdered.' Tension ramped up even more between the guardians and the Alchemists. Their working relationship was not a happy one, I realized. It also occurred to me that even if Sydney's superiors thought she'd committed some crime, they would never admit as much to my people–which meant Hans's paranoia wasn't entirely unfounded. When none of the Alchemists responded, Hans seemed to read this as approval to begin interrogating Sydney. â€Å"Do you know these three?' He gestured to my friends, and Sydney shook her head. â€Å"Ever communicated with them?' â€Å"No.' He paused, as though hoping she'd change her answer. She didn't. â€Å"Then how did you get involved with Hathaway?' She studied him intently, fear in her brown eyes. I wasn't sure if it was because of him exactly. Really, she had a lot of things to be nervous about right now, like being here at all and the eventual punishment the Alchemists would dole out. Then, of course, there was Abe. Technically, he was the reason she had gotten ensnared in this mess. All she had to do was tell on him, say he'd blackmailed her. It'd get her off the hook–but incur his wrath. Sydney swallowed and forced a defiant look. â€Å"I met Rose in Siberia.' â€Å"Yes, yes,' said Hans. â€Å"But how did you end up helping her escape here?' â€Å"I had nothing to do with her escaping this place!' said Sydney. It was a half-truth, I supposed. â€Å"She contacted me a few days ago and asked for help to get to a house near Detroit. She claimed she was innocent and that this would help prove it.' â€Å"The Alchemists knew by then she was a fugitive,' pointed out Hans. â€Å"Everyone had orders to look out for her. You could have turned her in.' â€Å"When I first met Rose, she didn't seem like the murdering type–I mean, aside from killing Strigoi. Which isn't murder at all, really.' Sydney threw in a little Alchemist disdain. It was a nice touch. â€Å"So, when she said she was innocent and could prove it, I decided to help her. I gave her a ride.' â€Å"We already asked her about this,' Stanton said irritably. â€Å"And we already told you that we did. What she did was foolish–a naive lapse in judgment. It's something for us to deal with, not you. You worry about your murdering fiend.' Her words were light, like they were going to take Sydney home and chastise a naughty child. I doubted it would be that simple. â€Å"Who were the people with her?' asked Hans, ignoring Stanton. Sydney's contempt grew. â€Å"One was that guy †¦ Dimitri Belikov. The one you think was â€Å"cured.' I don't know who the others were. Two guys and a woman. They never introduced us.' It was a well-done lie, her faked disgust about Dimitri masking her knowledge of the rest of our associates. Lissa leaned forward eagerly, speaking just before Hans could. â€Å"What was in Detroit? How was Rose going to clear herself? Especially with Jill?' Hans didn't look happy about the interruption, but I knew he had to be curious about Jill and Detroit as well. He said nothing, perhaps hoping someone might slip and reveal a key piece of knowledge. Sydney, however, continued playing distant and cold. â€Å"I have no idea. That Jill girl didn't seem to know either. Rose just said we had to get to her, so I helped her.' â€Å"Blindly?' asked Hans. â€Å"You really expect me to believe that you just trusted her like that?' â€Å"She's my–‘ Sydney bit her lip on what I suspected was â€Å"friend.' She turned her professional mode back on. â€Å"There was something believable about her, and I figured it'd be a waste of resources if the Alchemists had been helping you hunt the wrong murderer. If I decided she was guilty, I could always turn her in. And I thought †¦ I thought if I was the one who solved this, I'd get the credit and a promotion.' That was a good, good lie. An ambitious girl trying to improve her career on the sly? Very good. Well, not to everyone. Hans shook his head. â€Å"I don't believe any of you.' The guy Alchemist took a step forward that made every guardian tense to jump him. â€Å"If she says that's the way it happened, then that's the way it happened.' He had the same fierceness and mistrust that Stanton had, but there seemed to be more. A sort of protectiveness toward Sydney that was as personal as professional. Lissa picked up on it too. â€Å"Easy, Ian,' said Stanton, still keeping her eyes on Hans. Her composure reminded me more and more of Alberta. She couldn't be at ease with a roomful of guardians but wasn't showing it. â€Å"It doesn't matter if you believe her or not. The point remains: Miss Sage answered your questions. We're finished.' â€Å"Do Jill's parents know anything?' asked Lissa. She was still in shock at all of these developments–not to mention worried about me being out of my safe mountain town– but this mysterious shot at clearing my name was powerful. She couldn't let it go. Sydney turned to Lissa, and I could practically read the Alchemist's thoughts. She knew how close Lissa and I were and would have liked to give Lissa some sort of comfort. There was no way, though, that Sydney could do that with these people in the room. She also had to be aware of the fact that I myself hadn't told Lissa anything about Jill. â€Å"No,' said Sydney. â€Å"We just went there, and Rose said Jill had to come with her. The Mastranos don't know why. And then–and then Rose did take her. Or Jill went with her. I'm not sure what happened. It all turned to chaos.' Neither the Alchemists nor guardians disputed me taking Jill, which made me think it was a story they'd gotten–and accepted–from both Jill's parents and Sydney. It had just enough truth to be plausible–and explain Jill's disappearance. It didn't mention the Dragomir secret, however, which Emily was probably more than happy to keep quiet for now. â€Å"There,' said Stanton. â€Å"This is exactly what we told you before. We need to leave now.' She turned toward the door, but guardians blocked the way. â€Å"Impossible,' said Hans. â€Å"This is a serious matter, and Miss Sage is the only link we have to a murder–a royal murder. And a kidnapping.' Stanton scoffed, and I remembered Sydney once saying the Alchemists thought the Moroi royalty system was silly. â€Å"She doesn't seem to be of much more use to you. But don't worry–we'll be holding her. Contact us if you have more questions.' â€Å"Unacceptable,' said Hans. â€Å"She stays here.' Ian, the other Alchemist, joined the argument, moving protectively in front of Sydney. â€Å"We're not leaving one of our own here!' Again, I had that funny feeling about him. A crush, that was it. He had a crush on her and was treating this as more than just business. Stanton gave him a look that said she would handle this matter. He fell silent. â€Å"You can all stay here, then,' said Hans. â€Å"Makes no difference to me. We'll get you rooms.' â€Å"That is unacceptable.' From there, she and Hans got into a raging argument. I didn't think it would come to blows, but the other guardians had closed in slightly as a precaution. Ian's eyes darted between Stanton and Sydney, but he didn't get into the fray. Once, his gaze passed over the table Hans leaned against, and Ian suddenly did a double take at the photograph. It was only a brief pause, a slight widening of the eyes †¦ but Lissa caught it. She took a step toward Ian and Sydney. One of the guardians glanced at the movement, deemed Lissa safe, and returned to watching Stanton. â€Å"You know him,' Lissa murmured, keeping her voice below the shouts. In fact, it was a little too low because she got blank looks from Sydney and Ian. Their ears couldn't hear what a Moroi or dhampir could have. Lissa glanced uneasily around, not wanting to attract attention. She raised her volume slightly. â€Å"You know him. The guy in the picture.' Ian stared at Lissa, a bit of wonder and wariness on his face. He undoubtedly bore that same standoffish attitude toward vampires, but her words had caught him off guard. And, even if she was an evil creature of the night, she was a very pretty one. â€Å"Ian,' said Sydney softly. â€Å"What is it?' There was a note of urging in her voice, one that inadvertently played upon his crush, I think. He opened his mouth to speak, but then, the â€Å"conversation' among the others wrapped up. Sydney again became the center of attention, and Ian turned away from Lissa. The compromise Stanton and Hans had reached was exactly that–a compromise. Neither was happy with it. There was a small town less than forty-five minutes away from Court, and the Alchemists would stay there–with several guardians on hand. It sounded like a house arrest to me, and Stanton's expression seemed to agree. I think she only consented because it was a human town. Before he'd let everyone go, Hans questioned my friends a final time, his eyes studying every face carefully. â€Å"And none of you–none of you–know this Alchemist girl or have been in contact with her? Or know about her involvement with Hathaway?' Again, Lissa and the others denied it, and again, Hans had no choice but to grudgingly accept the responses. Everyone moved toward the door, but Hans wouldn't let Eddie leave. â€Å"Not you, Castile. You're staying here until other matters are settled.' Lissa gasped. â€Å"What? But he–‘ â€Å"Don't worry about it,' said Eddie with a small smile. â€Å"Everything'll be okay. Just look after yourself.' Lissa hesitated, despite Christian tugging her arm to go. Although all accounts said Eddie had defended Lissa's life, he'd still killed a Moroi. That wouldn't be taken lightly. The guardians had to be 100 percent convinced he'd had no other choice before they'd release him. Seeing the strong, calm look on his face, Lissa knew he was prepared to handle whatever came. â€Å"Thank you,' she said, walking past him. â€Å"Thank you for saving me.' His answer was a slight nod, and Lissa stepped into the hallway–to find herself in more chaos. â€Å"Where are they? I insist on–ah.' My friends and the Alchemists had been heading toward the exit while a group of guardians escorted them. Meanwhile, someone had entered the hall and was now being stopped and challenged by the guardians. It was Abe. He took in every piece of the bizarre scenario in less than a heartbeat, his eyes passing over Sydney and the Alchemists as though he'd never seen them before. Through Lissa's eyes, I saw Sydney blanch, but nobody else noticed. Abe smiled at Lissa and sidled up to walk out with her. â€Å"There you are. They want you for the last monarch test.' â€Å"And they sent you?' asked Christian skeptically. â€Å"Well, I volunteered,' replied Abe. â€Å"I'd heard there was some, er, excitement. Murder, fanatical religious humans, interrogations. All things I'm interested in, you know.' Lissa rolled her eyes but said nothing until the whole group emerged from the building. The Alchemists and their unwelcome escort went one way while Lissa and our friends went the other. Lissa longed to glance at Sydney and Ian–I did too–but knew it was best to keep moving forward and follow Abe's lead, particularly since some of those guardians were watching more than just the Alchemists. As soon as Lissa's group was far enough away from the authorities, Abe's amiable smile vanished, and he turned on my friends. â€Å"What the hell happened? I've heard all sorts of crazy stories. Someone said you were dead.' â€Å"Nearly,' said Lissa. She told him about the attack, expressing her fear over Eddie. â€Å"He'll be fine,' said Abe dismissively. â€Å"They have nothing to hold him on. The worst he'll get is a mark on his record.' Lissa was relieved by Abe's easy assurance, but I still felt guilty. Thanks to me, Eddie's record was already marred. His sterling reputation was declining on a daily basis. â€Å"That was Sydney Sage,' said Lissa. â€Å"I thought they were all in West Virginia. Why isn't she with Rose?' â€Å"That,' said Abe darkly, â€Å"is an excellent question.' â€Å"Because they were apparently kidnapping Jill Mastrano in Detroit,' said Christian. â€Å"Which is weird. But not the craziest thing I can think of Rose doing.' I appreciated the support. Abe got a recap of this new development too, at least as much as my friends knew of it–which was only a fraction of the whole story. Abe picked up immediately that he'd been played, and it was obvious from his angry expression that he didn't like being kept in the dark. Welcome to the club, old man, I thought with small satisfaction. I hadn't forgotten how no one had filled me in on the escape plan. My smugness was short-lived because I was worried about what would happen to Sydney, now that Abe was on to her. â€Å"That girl was lying to me,' he growled. â€Å"Every day, all these reports about how quiet and boring it was in West Virginia. I wonder if they even made it to that town. I have to go talk to her.' â€Å"Good luck,' said Adrian, pulling a cigarette out and lighting it. Apparently, in my absence, the dating contract he'd jokingly made up that said he would â€Å"cut back' on his vices didn't apply. â€Å"I don't think her cronies or the guardians are going to let you near her.' â€Å"Oh, I'll get to her,' said Abe. â€Å"She's got a lot of answers. If she hid them from those other idiots, then good for her. But she's going to tell me.' A sudden thought sparked into Lissa's mind. â€Å"You have to talk to Ian. That guy with the Alchemists. He knows the man in the picture–er, I mean, the guy Eddie killed.' â€Å"You're certain?' asked Abe. â€Å"Yes,' said Adrian, surprising them all. â€Å"Ian definitely had a reaction. He's also got a crush on that Sydney girl.' â€Å"I saw that too,' said Lissa. â€Å"She seems kind of uptight.' Adrian frowned. â€Å"But maybe their kind go for that.' â€Å"That crush might actually be useful,' mused Abe. â€Å"You women don't know the power you wield. Have you seen that guardian your aunt's dating? Ethan Moore?' â€Å"Yes,' groaned Christian. â€Å"Don't remind me.' â€Å"Tasha is pretty hot, though,' noted Adrian. â€Å"That is not cool,' said Christian. â€Å"Don't get so huffy,' said Abe. â€Å"Ethan's a palace guard. He was there the night of the murder–which could be very useful to us if she can keep him interested.' Christian shook his head. â€Å"Those guards already testified. It won't matter. Ethan's told what he knows.' â€Å"I'm not so sure,' said Abe. â€Å"There are always things that occur off the official record, and I'm positive the guards were all debriefed with strict orders on what to reveal and not to reveal. Your aunt might be charming enough to find out something for us.' Abe sighed, still looking very unhappy at the sudden upsetting of his orderly plans. â€Å"If only Sydney had been charming enough to talk her way out of that interrogation so that I could go interrogate her. Now I've got to break through those Alchemists and the guardians to get to her and figure out where Rose is. Oh, and you do actually have to go to your test, princess.' â€Å"I thought that was just a line you used to find me,' Lissa said. â€Å"No, they want you.' He gave her directions to the test. It was in the building she'd had the second test in. â€Å"All of you go together and then get a guardian to walk you back. Don't leave your room until Janine or Tad come by.' Tad was one of Abe's henchmen. â€Å"No more surprise attacks.' Lissa wanted to argue that she most certainly wasn't going to put herself under house arrest but decided it was best to just let Abe go for now. He hurried off, still radiating agitation, and she and the guys turned toward the testing site. â€Å"Boy, is he pissed,' said Adrian. â€Å"Do you blame him?' asked Christian. â€Å"He just lost membership in the evil mastermind club. His brilliant plan fell apart, and now his daughter's missing when he thought she was somewhere safe.' Adrian stayed pointedly silent. â€Å"I hope she's okay,' sighed Lissa, a knot forming in her stomach. â€Å"And what in the world does Jill have to do with any of this?' Nobody had an answer for that one. When they reached the testing site, Lissa found a situation almost identical to before. Lots of spectators lining the hall. Guardians blocking the door. More people than ever were cheering her name as she approached, some who were â€Å"common' Moroi and others who were royals whose candidates were out of the running. A number of nominees hadn't passed the fear test, so those families had switched their loyalties. Again, Lissa was ushered into the room alone. Her heart began to pound when she saw the same old woman. Were more terrible images to come? Lissa couldn't see the chalice, but that was no guarantee of safety. There was no extra chair, so Lissa simply stood in front of the old woman. â€Å"Hello,' Lissa said respectfully. â€Å"It's nice to see you again.' The woman grinned, showing those missing teeth. â€Å"I doubt that, but you say it very convincingly. You have politics in your blood.' â€Å"Thank †¦ you †¦' said Lissa, unsure if she'd been complimented or not. â€Å"What would you like me to do for this test?' â€Å"Just listen. That's all. It's an easy one.' A twinkle in the woman's eye made Lissa think this would not be easy. â€Å"All you have to do is answer a question for me. Answer correctly, and you're through to the vote. And won't that be entertaining.' The old woman seemed to say those last words more to herself than Lissa. â€Å"Okay,' said Lissa uneasily. â€Å"I'm ready.' The woman sized Lissa up and seemed to like what she saw. â€Å"Here it is then: What must a queen possess in order to truly rule her people?' Lissa's mind went blank for a moment, and then a jumble of words popped into her head. Integrity? Wisdom? Sanity? â€Å"No, no, don't answer,' said the old woman, watching Lissa carefully. â€Å"Not yet. You have until tomorrow, at this same time, to think about it. Come back with the right answer, and you'll have passed the trials. And †¦' She winked. â€Å"It goes without saying you won't talk to anyone about this.' Lissa nodded, rubbing the small tattooed spot on her arm. She'd get no help with the answer from anyone else. Lissa left the room, turning the question over and over in her mind. There were too many answers to a question like that, she thought. Any of them could– Movement in my reality instantly snapped me out of her head. I half expected Sonya to come bursting into our tent, but no, that wasn't what had caught my attention. It was a much smaller motion †¦ and something infinitely more powerful. Dimitri was in my arms.