Canadas Aid To Third World Countries :: essays research papers

Canada's Aid to Third World Countries What are some of the major problems faced by "Third World" Countries today? Who should be held responsible for these problems? Why? What has Canada done to help "Third World Countries"? There has always been a dominant country in the world that sets the economic standard throughout powerful countries. Canada has always been a top rated economic country, usually behind the United States and other large Commonwealth countries. Starting back in the early to mid 60's, Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau decided to use Canadian revenue as foreign aid. These included "Third World". Some of the major problems faced by "Third World" countries today include poor towns which have had a lack of food sources due to the serious poverty, lack of clean drinking water, lack of good sanitation systems, lack of good living conditions, lack of jobs and there is no industry, therefore no import or export revenue. The governments of the "Third World" countries have done horrible jobs of creating good living conditions for their people and in all have not tried to bring their country out of their economic slump. As Canada entered it second century, Prime Minister Trudeau called for a complete review of Canada's foreign policy. Starting in 1968 interested Canadians including politicians, journalists, professors, business leaders, financial experts, as well as church and labour leaders were invited to offer opinions and advice in what was called the Trudeau Review. The ending of this meeting brought about six foreign policy booklets which outlined the benefits of Canadian foreign aid. Some of these benefits included to help the Canadian economy grow stronger, to keep Canada independent, to work for peace and security, to promote fairness and equality for everyone and to improve living conditions for all people throughout the world. The Canadian foreign policy review suggested that Canada strengthened it's ties with Latin America. Trudeau visited Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela in 1976. Canada's trade with Latin America increased from $1099 million in 1970 to $3418 million in 1976. Also Canada gave an increasing amount of development funds to a number of Latin American countries. Canada, in 1973 had a major concern about the middle east and made an effort to bring about a lasting peace to the Arab-Israeli conflict. 1050 Canadian military specialists became part of the United Nations emergency force where they tried to maintain a cease fire by providing supplies, transportation and communication during the 1973 peacekeeping role. The Trudeau foreign policy review recommended that Canada was to work hard to support the United Nations and make it an effective organization for

Shadow Kiss Chapter 20

Twenty â€Å"Lets talk about your mother.† I sighed. â€Å"What about her?† It was my first day of counseling, and so far, I wasn't impressed. Last night's Mason sighting was probably something I should have brought up right away. But I didn't want school officials to have any more reason to think I was losing my mind – even if I was. And honestly, I didn't know I was for sure. Adrian's analysis of my aura and the story of Anna certainly lent credence to me being on the road to Crazyville. Yet I didn't feel crazy. Did crazy people know if they really were? Adrian had said they didn't. Crazy itself was a weird term. I'd learned enough about psychology to know that it was also a very broad classification. Most forms of mental illness were actually very specific and had select symptoms – anxiety, depression, mood swings, etc. I didn't know where I fell on that scale, if I did at all. â€Å"How do you feel about her?† continued the counselor. â€Å"About your mother?† â€Å"That she's a great guardian and a so-so mother.† The counselor, whose name was Deirdre, wrote something in her notebook. She was blond and Moroi-slim, clad in a teal cashmere sweater dress. She actually didn't look much older than me, but certificates on her desk swore she had all sorts of degrees in psychotherapy. Her office was in the administrative building, the same place the headmistress's office was, and where all other sorts of Academy business was conducted. I'd kind of been hoping for a couch to lie on, like therapists always had on TV, but the best I had was a chair. It was a comfy chair, at least. The walls were covered in nature pictures, things like butterflies and daffodils. I guess they were supposed to be soothing. â€Å"Do you want to elaborate on ‘so-so'?† Deirdre asked. â€Å"It's an upgrade. A month ago I would have said ‘horrible.' What's this have to do with Mason?† â€Å"Do you want to talk about Mason?† I'd noticed she had a habit of answering my questions with questions. â€Å"I don't know,† I admitted. â€Å"I guess that's what I'm here for.† â€Å"How do you feel about him? About his death?† â€Å"Sad. How else should I feel?† â€Å"Angry?† I thought about the Strigoi, their leering faces and casual attitudes toward killing. â€Å"Yeah, a little.† â€Å"Guilty?† â€Å"Sure, of course.† â€Å"Why ‘of course'?† â€Å"Because it's my fault he was there. I'd upset him†¦and he had this thing to prove. I told him where the Strigoi were, and I wasn't supposed to. If he hadn't known about them, he wouldn't have done it. He'd still be alive.† â€Å"You don't think he was responsible for his own actions? That he was the one who chose to do that?† â€Å"Well†¦ yeah. I guess he did. I didn't make him do it.† â€Å"Any other reason you might feel guilty?† I looked away from her and focused on a picture of a ladybug. â€Å"He liked me – like romantically. We kind of dated, but I couldn't get into it. That hurt him.† â€Å"Why couldn't you get into it?† â€Å"I don't know,† I said. The image of his body, lying on the floor, flashed into my mind and I shoved it away. No way would I cry in front of Deirdre. â€Å"That's the thing. I should have. He was nice. He was funny. We got along really well †¦ but it just didn't feel right. Even kissing or anything like that†¦ I eventually just couldn't do it.† â€Å"Do you feel like you have a problem with intimate contact?† â€Å"What do you – ? Oh. No! Of course not.† â€Å"Have you ever had sex with anyone?† â€Å"No. Are you saying I should have?† â€Å"Do you think you should have?† Damn. I'd thought I had her. I'd thought for sure she wouldn't have a question for that one. â€Å"Mason wasn't the right person.† â€Å"Is there someone else? Someone you think might be the right person?† I hesitated. I'd lost track of how this related to me seeing ghosts. According to some paperwork I'd signed, everything we said in here was confidential. She couldn't tell anyone unless I was a danger to myself or doing something illegal. I wasn't entirely sure where a relationship with an older man fell there. â€Å"Yeah†¦but I can't tell you who he is.† â€Å"How long have you known him?† â€Å"Almost six months.† â€Å"Do you feel close?† â€Å"Yeah, sure. But we're not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  How exactly did one describe this? â€Å"We're not actually really involved. He's kind of †¦ unavailable.† She could think what she wanted about that, like that maybe I was interested in a guy with a girlfriend. â€Å"Is he the reason you couldn't get close to Mason?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And is he holding you back from dating someone else?† â€Å"Well†¦ he's not like purposely doing anything.† â€Å"But as long as you care about him, you're not interested in anyone else?† â€Å"Right. But it doesn't matter. I probably shouldn't even be dating anyone at all.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because there's no time. I'm training to be a guardian. I have to give all my attention to Lissa.† â€Å"And you don't think you can do that and be romantically involved with someone?† I shook my head. â€Å"No. I have to be willing to lay down my life for hers. I can't be distracted by someone else. We have this saying with the guardians: ‘They come first.' You guys. Moroi.† â€Å"And so you figure you'll always have to put Lissa's needs ahead of yours?† â€Å"Of course.† I frowned. â€Å"What else would I do? I'm going to be her guardian.† â€Å"How does that make you feel? Giving up what you want for her?† â€Å"She's my best friend. And she's the last of her family.† â€Å"That's not what I asked.† â€Å"Yeah, but – † I stopped. â€Å"Hey, you didn't ask a question.† â€Å"You think I always ask questions?† â€Å"Never mind. Look, I love Lissa. I'm happy to spend my life protecting her. End of story. Besides, are you, a Moroi, going to tell me, a dhampir, that I shouldn't be putting Moroi first? You know how the system works.† â€Å"I do,† she said. â€Å"But I'm not here to analyze it. I'm here to help you get better.† â€Å"Seems like you might not be able to do one without the other.† Deirdre's lips quirked into a smile, and then her eyes flicked to the clock. â€Å"We're out of time today. We'll have to pick this up next time.† I crossed my arms over my chest. â€Å"I thought you'd be giving me some kind of awesome advice or telling me what to do. But you just kept making me talk.† She laughed softly. â€Å"Therapy isn't so much about what I think as you do.† â€Å"Then why do it at all?† â€Å"Because we don't always know what it is we're thinking or feeling. When you have a guide, it's easier to figure things out. You'll often discover that you already know what to do. I can help you ask questions and go places you might not have on your own.† â€Å"Well, you're good at the question part,† I noted dryly. â€Å"While I don't have any ‘awesome advice,' I do have some things I want you to think about for when we talk again.† She glanced down at her notepad and tapped it with her pencil while she thought. â€Å"First, I want you to think again about what I asked about Lissa – how you really feel about dedicating your life to her.† â€Å"I already told you.† â€Å"I know. Just think about it some more. If your answer's the same, that's fine. Then, I want you to consider something else. I want you to think about whether maybe the reason you're attracted to this unavailable guy is because he's unavailable.† â€Å"That's crazy. That doesn't make any sense.† â€Å"Is it? You just told me that you can't ever be involved with anyone. Do you think it's possible that wanting someone you can't have is your subconscious mind's way of coping? If it's impossible for you to have him, then you never have to confront feeling conflicted about Lissa. You'll never have to choose.† â€Å"This is confusing,† I grumbled. â€Å"It's supposed to be. That's why I'm here.† â€Å"What's this have to do with Mason?† â€Å"It has to do with you, Rose. That's what's important.† I left therapy feeling like my brain had melted. I also kind of felt like I'd been on trial. If Deirdre had been there to grill Victor, they probably would have finished up in half the time. I also thought Deirdre had totally been going in the wrong direction. Of course I didn't resent Lissa. And the thought that I'd fallen for Dimitri because I couldn't have him was ridiculous. I'd never even thought of the conflict with guarding until he'd mentioned it. I'd fallen for him because †¦ well, because he was Dimitri. Because he was sweet, strong, funny, fierce, and gorgeous. Because he understood me. And yet, as I walked back to the commons, I found her question spinning around in my brain. I might not have been thinking about a relationship distracting us in our guard duties, but I'd certainly known from the start that his age and job were huge barriers. Could that have really played a part? Had some piece of me known we could never really have anything – thus allowing me to always stay dedicated to Lissa? No, I decided firmly. That was ridiculous. Deirdre might be good at asking questions, but she was clearly asking the wrong ones. â€Å"Rose!† I looked to my right and saw Adrian cutting across the lawn toward me, oblivious to the slush's effects on his designer shoes. â€Å"Did you just call me ‘Rose'?† I asked. â€Å"And not ‘little dhampir'? I don't think that's ever happened.† â€Å"It happens all the time,† he countered, catching up to me. We stepped inside the commons. School was in session, so the halls were empty. â€Å"Where's your better half?† he asked. â€Å"Christian?† â€Å"No, Lissa. You can tell where she is, right?† â€Å"Yeah, I can tell because it's last period, and she's in class like everyone else. You keep forgetting that for the rest of us, this is a school.† He looked disappointed. â€Å"I found more case files I wanted to talk to her about. More super-compulsion stuff.† â€Å"Whoa, you've been doing something productive? I'm impressed.† â€Å"You're one to talk,† he said. â€Å"Especially considering your whole existence here revolves around beating people up. You dhampirs are uncivilized – but then, that's why we love you.† â€Å"Actually,† I mused, â€Å"we aren't the only ones doing beatings lately.† I'd nearly forgotten about my royal fight club mystery. There were so many things I had to worry about lately. It was like trying to hold water in my hands. It was a long shot, but I had to ask him. â€Å"Does the word Man? mean anything to you?† He leaned against the wall and reached for his cigarettes. â€Å"Sure.† â€Å"You're inside the school,† I warned. â€Å"What – oh, right.† With a sigh, he put the pack back in his coat. â€Å"Don't half of you study Romanian here? It means ‘hand.'† â€Å"I study English here.† Hand. That didn't make any sense. â€Å"Why the interest in translation?† â€Å"I don't know. I think I got it wrong. I thought it had some connection to this thing that's been going on with these royals.† Recognition flashed in his eyes. â€Å"Oh Lord. Not that. Are they really doing it here too?† â€Å"Doing what?† â€Å"The Man?. The Hand. It's this stupid secret society that pops up at schools. We had a chapter of it back at Alder. It's mostly a bunch of royals getting together and having secret meetings to talk about how much better they are than everyone else.† â€Å"That's it then,† I said. The pieces clicked together. â€Å"That's Jesse and Ralf's little group – the one they tried to get Christian to join. That's what this Man? is.† â€Å"Him?† Adrian laughed. â€Å"They must have been desperate – and I don't mean that as a slam against Christian. He's just not really the type to get into that kind of thing.† â€Å"Yeah, well, he turned them down pretty hard. What's the point of this secret society exactly?† He shrugged. â€Å"The same as any other. It's a way to make people feel better about themselves. Everyone likes feeling special. Being part of an elite group is a way to do that.† â€Å"But you weren't part of it?† â€Å"No need. I already know I'm special.† â€Å"Jesse and Ralf made it sound like royals had to stick together because of all the controversies that are going on – about fighting and guardians and all that. They made it sound like they could do something about it.† â€Å"Not at this age,† said Adrian. â€Å"Mostly all they can do is talk. When they get older, Man? members sometimes cut deals for each other and still have secret meetings.† â€Å"That's it then? They're just hanging out and talking to hear themselves talk?† He turned contemplative. â€Å"Well, yes, of course they're doing lots of that. But I mean, whenever these little chapters form, there's usually something specific they want to do in secret. Each group's kind of different that way, so this one's probably got some plan or scheme or whatever.† A plan or scheme. I didn't like the sound of that. Especially with Jesse and Ralf. â€Å"You know a lot for someone who wasn't in it.† â€Å"My dad was. He never talks much about it – hence the secret part – but I picked up things, and then I heard about it while I was at school.† I leaned against the wall. The clock across the hall told me classes were almost over. â€Å"Did you hear anything about them beating up people? There are at least four Moroi I know of who were attacked. And they won't talk about it.† â€Å"Who? Like non-royals?† â€Å"No. Other royals.† â€Å"That doesn't make any sense. The whole point of it is for elite royals to band together to protect themselves from change. Unless, perhaps, they're going after royals who refuse or are supporting non-royals.† â€Å"Maybe. But one of them was Jesse's brother, and Jesse seems to be a founding member. Seems like he'd have to make the cut. And they didn't do anything when Christian refused.† Adrian spread his hands wide. â€Å"Even I don't know everything, and like I said, this one's probably got its own little agenda they're keeping hidden.† I sighed in frustration, and he gave me a curious look. â€Å"Why do you care so much?† â€Å"Because it isn't right. The people I saw were in bad shape. If some group's going around and ganging up on victims, they need to be stopped,† Adrian laughed and played with a strand of my hair. â€Å"You can't save everyone, though God knows you try.† â€Å"I just want to do what's right.† I remembered Dimitri's comments about Westerns and couldn't help a small smile. â€Å"I need to bring justice where it's needed.† â€Å"The crazy thing, little dhampir, is that you mean that. I can tell by your aura.† â€Å"What, are you saying it's not black anymore?† â€Å"No†¦still dark, definitely. But it's got a little light in it, streaks of gold. Like sunlight.† â€Å"Maybe your theory about me catching it from Lissa is wrong then.† I'd been trying very hard not to think about last night, when I'd learned about Anna. Mentioning it now stirred up all those fears all over again. Insanity. Suicide. â€Å"Depends,† he said. â€Å"When was the last time you saw her?† I gave him a light punch. â€Å"You have no clue, do you? You're making this up as you go along.† He caught my wrist and pulled me closer. â€Å"Isn't that the way you normally operate?† I grinned in spite of myself. This close to him I could appreciate just how lovely the green of his eyes was. In fact, despite continually making fun of him, I couldn't deny that the rest of him was pretty good-looking too. His fingers were warm on my wrist, and there was something kind of sexy about the way he held it. Thinking back to Deirdre's words, I tried to assess how it all made me feel. The queen's warnings aside, Adrian was a guy who was technically available. Was I attracted to him? Did I get a thrill out of this? The answer: no. Not in the same way I did with Dimitri. Adrian was sexy in his way, but he didn't drive me wild the way Dimitri did. Was it because Adrian was so readily available? Was Deirdre right about me purposely wanting relationships that were impossible? â€Å"You know,† he said, interrupting my thoughts, â€Å"under any other circumstances, this would be hot. Instead, you're looking at me like I'm some kind of science fair project.† That was exactly how I was treating this, actually. â€Å"Why don't you ever use compulsion on me?† I asked. â€Å"And I don't mean just to stop me from getting in fights.† â€Å"Because half the fun of you is that you're so difficult.† A new idea occurred to me. â€Å"Do it.† â€Å"Do what?† â€Å"Use compulsion on me.† â€Å"What?† It was another of those rare shocked Adrian moments. â€Å"Use compulsion to make me want to kiss you – except you have to promise not to actually kiss me.† â€Å"That's pretty weird – and when I say something's weird, you know it's serious.† â€Å"Please.† He sighed and then focused his eyes right on me. It was like drowning, drowning in seas of green. There was nothing in the world except for those eyes. â€Å"I want to kiss you, Rose,† he said softly. â€Å"And I want you to want me too.† Every aspect of his body – his lips, his hands, his scent – suddenly overpowered me. I felt warm all over. I wanted him to kiss me with every ounce of my being. There was nothing in life I wanted more than that kiss. I tilted my face up toward his, and he leaned down. I could practically taste his lips. â€Å"Do you want to?† he asked, voice still like velvet. â€Å"Do you want to kiss me?† Did I ever. Everything around me had blurred. Only his lips were in focus. â€Å"Yes,† I said. His face moved closer, his mouth only a breath away from mine. We were so, so close, and then – He stopped. â€Å"We're done,† he said, stepping back. I snapped out of it instantly. The dreamy haze was gone, as was the yearning in my body. But I'd discovered something. Under compulsion, I had definitely wanted him to kiss me. Yet even under compulsion, it hadn't been the electric, all-encompassing feeling I had when I was with Dimitri, that feeling that we were practically the same person and were bound by forces bigger than both of us. With Adrian, it had simply been mechanical. Deirdre had been wrong. If my attraction to Dimitri was just some subconscious reaction, then it should have been as superficial as that forced attraction to Adrian. Yet they were completely different. With Dimitri, it was love – not just some trick my mind was playing on me. â€Å"Hmm,† I said. â€Å"Hmm?† asked Adrian, eyeing me with amusement. â€Å"Hmm.† The third â€Å"hmm† hadn't come from either of us. I looked across the hall and saw Christian watching us. I separated from Adrian, just as the bell rang. The sounds of students pouring out of classrooms rumbled through the hallway. â€Å"Now I can see Lissa,† said Adrian happily. â€Å"Rose, will you come with me to the feeders?† asked Christian. He spoke in a flat tone, and his expression was unreadable. â€Å"I'm not guarding you today.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I miss your charming company.† I told Adrian goodbye and cut through the cafeteria with Christian. â€Å"What's up?† I asked. â€Å"You tell me,† he said. â€Å"You were the one about ready to start making out with Adrian.† â€Å"It was an experiment,† I said. â€Å"It was part of my therapy.† â€Å"What the hell kind of therapy are you in?† We reached the feeders' room. Somehow, despite him getting out of class early, there were still a few people ahead of us in line. â€Å"Why do you care?† I asked him. â€Å"You should be happy. It means he isn't moving in on Lissa.† â€Å"He could be moving in on both of you.† â€Å"What are you, my big brother now?† â€Å"Annoyed,† he said. â€Å"That's what I am.† I looked beyond him and saw Jesse and Ralf enter. â€Å"Well, keep it to yourself, or our good friends will overhear.† Jesse, however, was too busy to hear, because he was arguing with the feeding coordinator. â€Å"I don't have time to wait,† he told her. â€Å"I've got to be somewhere.† She pointed to us and the others in line. â€Å"These people are ahead of you.† Jesse met her eyes and smiled. â€Å"You can make an exception this time.† â€Å"Yeah, he's in a hurry,† added Ralf in a voice I'd never heard him use before. It was smooth and less grating than usual. â€Å"Just write his name down at the top of the list.† The coordinator looked like she was going to tell them off, but then a funny, distracted look came over her face. She glanced at her clipboard and wrote something. A few seconds after she looked away, her head jerked up again, eyes sharp once more. She frowned. â€Å"What was I doing?† â€Å"You were signing me up,† said Jesse. He pointed at the board. â€Å"See?† She looked down, startled. â€Å"Why is your name first? Didn't you just get here?† â€Å"We were here earlier and checked in. You told us it was okay.† She looked down again, clearly puzzled. She didn't remember them coming earlier – because they hadn't – but she apparently couldn't figure out why Jesse's name was at the top now. A moment later, she shrugged and must have decided it wasn't worth overthinking. â€Å"Stand with the others, and I'll call you next.† As soon as Jesse and Ralf came near us, I turned on them. â€Å"You just used compulsion on her,† I hissed. Jesse looked panicked for a fraction of a second; then his normal swagger took over. â€Å"Whatever. I just convinced her, that's all. What, are you going to try to tell on me or something?† â€Å"Nothing to tell,† scoffed Christian. â€Å"That was the worst compulsion I've ever seen.† â€Å"Like you've seen compulsion,† said Ralf. â€Å"Plenty,† said Christian. â€Å"From people prettier than you. Of course, maybe that's part of why yours isn't as good.† Ralf seemed highly offended at not being considered pretty, but Jesse just nudged him and started to turn away. â€Å"Forget him. He had his chance.† â€Å"His chance at – † I remembered how Brandon had attempted weak compulsion when trying to convince me his bruises were nothing. Jill had said that Brett Ozera actually had convinced a teacher that his were nothing. The teacher had dropped the matter, much to Jill's surprise. Brett must have used compulsion. Lightbulbs went off in different parts of my brain. The connections were all around me. The problem was, I couldn't untangle the wires quite yet. â€Å"That's what this is about, isn't it? Your stupid Man? and its need to beat up on people. It's got something to do with compulsion†¦.† I didn't understand how it all fit together, but the surprised look on Jesse's face told me I was on to something, even though he said, â€Å"You don't know what you're talking about.† I pushed forward, hoping some blind hits would make him mad and say something he wasn't supposed to. â€Å"What's the point? Does it give you guys some kind of power trip to do these little tricks? That's all they are, you know. You seriously don't know the first thing about compulsion. I've seen compulsion that would make you do handstands and throw yourself out a window.† â€Å"We're learning more than you can even imagine,† said Jesse. â€Å"And when I find out who told – â€Å" He didn't get a chance to finish his threat because he was called over to the feeder just then. He and Ralf stalked away, and Christian immediately turned to me. â€Å"What's going on? What's a Man† I gave him a hasty recap of Adrian's explanation. â€Å"That's what they wanted you to join. They must secretly be practicing compulsion. Adrian said these groups are always royals who have some plan to change and control things in dangerous times. They must think compulsion is the answer – it's what they meant when they told you they had ways to help you get what you wanted. If they knew how crappy your compulsion was, they probably wouldn't have asked.† He scowled, not liking me reminding him of the one time he'd attempted – and failed – to compel someone at the ski lodge. â€Å"So where's the beating-people-up part come in?† â€Å"That's the mystery,† I said. Christian was summoned over to feed just then, and I put my theories on hold until I could get more info and take action. I noticed which feeder we were being led to. â€Å"Is that Alice again? How do you always get her? Do you request her?† â€Å"No, but I think some people specifically un-request her.† Alice was happy to see us, as always. â€Å"Rose. Are you still keeping us safe?† â€Å"I will if they'll let me,† I told her. â€Å"Don't be too hasty,† she warned. â€Å"Conserve your strength. If you're too eager to fight the undead, you may find yourselves joining them. Then you'd never see us again, and we'd be very sad.† â€Å"Yes,† said Christian. â€Å"I'd cry into my pillow every night.† I resisted the urge to kick him. â€Å"Well, I couldn't visit if I was Strigoi, yeah, but hopefully I'd just die a normal death. Then I could come see you as a ghost.† How sad, I thought, that I was now making jokes about the very thing that was freaking me out lately. Alice found no amusement in it whatsoever. She shook her head. â€Å"No, you wouldn't. The wards would keep you out.† â€Å"The wards only keep Strigoi out,† I reminded her gently. A defiant look replaced her scattered one. â€Å"The wards keep anything that isn't alive out. Dead or undead.† â€Å"Now you've done it,† said Christian. â€Å"The wards don't keep ghosts out,† I said. â€Å"I've seen them.† Considering Alice's own instability, I didn't mind discussing mine with her. In fact, it was kind of refreshing to talk about this stuff with someone who wouldn't judge me. Indeed, she treated this as a perfectly normal conversation. â€Å"If you've seen ghosts, then we're not safe anymore.† â€Å"I told you last time, the security's too good.† â€Å"Maybe someone made a mistake,† she argued, sounding remarkably coherent. â€Å"Maybe someone missed something. Wards are made of magic. Magic is alive. Ghosts can't cross them for the same reason as Strigoi. They aren't alive. If you saw a ghost, the wards have failed.† She paused. â€Å"Or you're crazy.† Christian laughed out loud. â€Å"There you go, Rose. Straight from the source.† I shot him a glare. He smiled at Alice. â€Å"In Rose's defense, though, I think she's right about the wards. The school checks them all the time. The only place guarded better than here is the Royal Court, and both places are overflowing with guardians. Stop being so paranoid.† He fed, and I glanced away. I should have known better than to listen to Alice. She was hardly a reputable source of information, even if she'd been around for a while. And yet†¦ her weird logic did make sense. If wards kept Strigoi out, why not ghosts? True, Strigoi were the dead who had come back to walk the earth, but her point was sound: All of them were dead. But Christian and I were right too: The wards around the school were solid. It took a lot of power to lay wards. Not every Moroi home could have them, but places like schools and the Royal Court had theirs maintained diligently. The Royal Court†¦ I'd had no ghostly encounters whatsoever while we there, yet that had been incredibly stressful. If my sightings were stress-induced, wouldn't the Court and encounters with Victor and the queen have provided great opportunities for them to occur? The fact that I'd seen nothing seemed to negate the PTSD theory. I hadn't seen ghosts until we'd landed at the Martinville airport. Which didn't have wards. I nearly gasped. The Court had strong wards. I'd seen no ghosts. The airport, which was part of the human world, had no wards. I'd been bombarded with ghosts there. I'd also seen flashes of them on the plane – which was unwarded when we were in the air. I looked over at Alice and Christian. They were just about finished. Could she be right? Did wards keep out ghosts? And if so, what was going on with the school? If the wards were intact, I should see nothing – just like at Court. If the wards were broken, I should be overrun – just like at the airport. Instead, the Academy was somewhere in the middle. I had sightings only occasionally. It didn't make sense. The only thing I knew for sure was that if something was wrong with the school's wards, then I wasn't the only one in danger.

Trade and Finance Eco372

International Trade and Finance Speech ECO/ 372 March 21, 2013 Good evening everyone! It is a pleasure to be here. This evening I will first briefly review the International trade and Financial state of our economy†¦.. What happens when there is a surplus of imports brought into the U. S Domestic producers competing with imports suffer from lower prices and fewer sales. They have less revenue and resource owners doing the production have less income. However, Domestic consumers enjoy lower prices! Whenever there is a surplus of products, regardless of origin, the price drops.Even to the point of selling at a loss, the holder has already paid the invoice and taxes, but still has to pay storage, the longer it holds the product the more money it costs, selling at a loss moves the product out of storage and clears the store front for another product. Take the case of car sales, do you really think that cutting $10,000 of the price of a $40K car makes sense if you can sell it for $40 K. * What are the effects of international trade to GDP, domestic markets and university student’s. International Trade to GDPIn order to understand international trade it is important to recognize what the effects of international trade have on the GDP, domestic markets and university students. International trade is essentially when two or more countries exchange goods and services. Many countries export their goods and services to other countries and in turn may also import goods and services from other countries into their own. There have been exceptional achievements with technology, which have made it much easier to trade on an international level.The communication, as a result of these technology advancements, has improved exponentially and it has truly simplified this process. With that being said it can be confirmed that international trade has a profound effect on the GDP, domestic markets and even university students like me. There are many countries that are rich in technology, like China and Japan, and others that have bountiful natural resources, like Iraq, that have a weighty impact on us specifically. The U. S. s one of the largest contributors to international trade and in fact our GDP is overwhelmingly impacted because we are huge import consumers. We rely heavily on products from other countries and import much more than what we export. This not only impact our GDP, thus lowering it since we are importing more than exporting, and also has an impact on our domestic markets because we. How do government choices in regards to tariffs and quotas affect international relations and trades?The government certainly makes many choices particularly when it comes to economics. The big question is how do government choices in regards to tariffs and quotas affect international relations and trade? First and foremost it is important to understand that tariffs and quotas are in place to encourage the government to make choices on how much quantity t hey will agree to have imported and exported and additionally the amount of taxes that will be collected in order to avoid discarding of those goods or services.Foreign investors are encourages to play a role in international trade by having exchange rates in place. There are also government policies in place that aid to avert certain goods and services from entering our country. In essence the main objective of the government and the choices that they make regarding tariffs and quotas is to do what is best for our economy to keep it stable and lucrative. What are foreign exchange rates? How are they determined? In order to understand foreign exchange rates we must ask the question of what are they and how are they determined?Because economic growth within a country is important, the government makes certain that fiscal and monetary policies are in place to ensure that this growth continues. Because there are goods and services which are traded between different countries around the world, there are foreign exchange rate payments that are required to be paid for those exchanges. This foreign exchange rate will differ from country to country. Why doesn’t the US simply restrict all goods coming in from China?Why can’t the US just minimize the amount of imports coming in from all other countries? Naturally there are many people that have asked the question of why the U. S. does not simply restrict all goods coming in from China, as an example? Why can’t the U. S. just minimize the amount of imports coming in from all other countries as well? It is difficult to restrict imports from other countries particularly in the U. S where there is a large group of consumers who are demanding goods and services from other countries.In order to satisfy the demands of people who want these goods or services from other countries the government allows for this easy trading and does earn revenue from duties and taxes on these imports. This helps to boost our own countries economy. References Colander, D. C. (2010). Macroeconomics. (8th ed. ). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. United States Department of Labor. (n. d. ). Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from http://www. bls. gov/eag/eag. us. htm. Trading Economics. (2012). United States Consumer Confidence.Retrieved from http://www. tradingeconomics. com/united-states/consumer-confidence. CBS NEWS. (n. d. ). US Consumer Spending Up, but Income Lags. Retrieved from http://www. cbsnews. com/8301-500395_162-57406993/us-consumer-spending-up-but-income-lags/. Appelbaum, B. (March 2012). The New York Times: As Fed Officials Prepare to Meet, They Await Clearer Economic Signals. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2012/03/12/business/as-fed-meeting-nears-it-awaits-clearer-economic-signals. html? ref=interestrates.

Change Management and Oxfam Scandal for Work-

Established by the Oxfam family, Oxfam International is one of the most reputed charitable organizations in United Kingdom (Oxfam International | The power of people against poverty). However, February 2018 turned out to be the black letter day for the organization. There was massive media furore against Oxfam aid workers who were found to be guilty of using sex workers during their fieldwork in Haiti. The former director of Operations, Roland Van Hauwermeiren was reported to have sex workers in his villa that was rented for the purpose of charity. The chief executive officer of Oxfam, Mark Golring extended his apology and condemned the depraved behaviour of his employees. The President of Haiti, Jovenel Moise was extremely critical of the incident and it termed it as gross violation of human dignity. This paper examines the Oxfam sex scandal and contextualizes it within the broader discourse of humanitarian work. It uses the framework of ADKAR change management to recommend changes concludes my views on the impact of the proposed changes. The Reports of 2011 against the infamous Oxfam sex scandal might be appalling ad repulsive for people all over but it is rooted in the broader context of the discourse of humanitarian work that has swept across the world. The charitable organizations and aid workers manifest white man’s’ burden in performance of their duties. The white colonial mentality of the white man being a savior of the distressed third-world population is the banal representation of humanitarian work (Easterly). An illustration of this would be the exploitative images of children deployed by these philanthropic organizations in their banners and posters. This further reinforces stereotypes about the nations in the global south and justifies the endeavour of colonial encroachment through humanitarian in these parts of the world. Tropical neurasthasia, identified as a condition emerging from the onerous nature of fieldwork in the humid climate and deprivation from the requisite leisure in life. The refore, it was argued that sex with the native was a respite from the demanding work schedule (Kempadoo). This kind of an understanding embedded in the colonial ideology shifted the burden on the victims and external factors rather than shaming the perpetrators. This underscores on the confluence between masculinity and racial superiority that have informed the contemporary state of humanitarian work. The mainstream representation of the Haiti incident is conflated with problems. The under-age victims were labelled as child prostitutes instead of labelling the white aid workers as sexual offenders for having sex with underage girls. Blaming the women in the countries of Haiti, Chad, Liberia amongst others amounts to a myopic understanding about the magnitude of the issue (Aid charities ordered to improve standards following Oxfam scandal). For women deprived of basic amenities in conflict prone zones, any opportunity to earn their food becomes an imperative. Therefore, this is a tra p for these women and an opportunity to purchase pleasure by the aid workers in the guise of social work. Instead of gaining a deeper insight into the ordeals and lifeworld of these women and not busting the unequal, exploitative network of relationship that is emerging, there is a bird’s eye view of the situation (Haiti suspends Oxfam GB operations). People all over the world are conditioned to believe that these influential organizations are operating on a moral vacuum. The recent media outrage and uproar from the public is more about the money of the British taxpayers going to waste rather than addressing the genuine cause of the victims (Hornstein). Earlier, there has been a spate of sex scandals that emerged in the limelight but those were short-lived, thus highlighting the biased, unfair and vested interests of the civil society and the British citizens. Following the shameful incident, Oxfam has lost 7, 000 donors who have till now provided patronage to the organizations (Elgot and Karen). Golring has been worried about such a consequence and talked about how corporate donors are scrutinizing the incident to make their next decision. A report based on internal investigation compiled on 2011 found that seven employees have left the organization in the light of the scandal. Former country director of Oxfam, Hauwermeiren has resigned following his involvement in the sex abuse scandal and four staff members have been ordered to leave the organization. The internal inquiry unveiled that the witness to the incident have been threatened physically by three men who have been identified as abusers. Oxfam has been used of covering-up the incident. Since the spread of the news, 26 allegations of misconduct reports have emerged, out of which 16 incidents are associated with the international missions. The analysis of the Oxfam incident has led me to adopt the ADKAR model of change management. This model is premised on a bottom-up approach that emphasizes on the individuals behind the change (Artman, Knut and Eric Jonsson). This model is befitting to the concerned situation as it involves all the stakeholders in the organization to be a part of the change through creating awareness among the employees about the motivation to change (Cameron and Mike). This should be done bringing together the different employees in the organizational hierarchy together and discuss with them the ways change will be implemented. In this case, weekly gender sensitization workshops and verbal feedbacks through discussion is a pragmatic step. The second step would be to inspire the members of the organization to remain committed to these proposed changes by continuously making them aware the inhumanness of exploiting the countries they are working. The knowledge step according to the ADKAR model will be utilized in this case by setting up an external committee who would keep a tab on the activities the employees and through an in-house counsellor. The multiple methods of the ADKAR model will enable me to come up different methods to address the issue based on the nature and intensity of the issues (Hayes). Accountability and checks-and-balance approach among the vertical and horizontal organizational hierarchy needs to be ensure with the aim to foster a more egalitarian and just organization. There is a need to protect the whistleblowers so that they feel emboldened to speak out about any misconduct violation within the organization. I would expect the Oxfam family to continuously meet with the employees and not solely depend on the chief executive and other authorities to carry out the task. I would exhort the Oxfam family to have conversations with the different employees to understand their concerns and at the same time to change the centralized authority in the organizational structure. The change would be initiated from April 5, 2018 and would continue for a period of three months followed by the valuation of the proposed change model. The Oxfam scandal has shook the world but such incidents are not new. In fact, these are located in the larger discourse of the white colonial worldview towards the poor, developing nations. They operate with the view that it is justified to engage in such frivolous activities due to their exacting nature of work. However, such an attitude not just spoils the image of accompany but it further tarnishes the image of social work and humanitarian service. This was evident in the loss of patronage and blow on the reputation of Oxfam on a global platform. The recommended changes might not turn out to be successful during its first time implementation. However, the essence of the bottom-approach is an urgent need considering the attitude of the contemporary humanitarian organizations towards their aid-work in the nations of the global south. I strongly feel that an enhanced accountability, checks-and- balance, establishment of an external committee to review the behaviour of the employees and periodic conversations between the different levels of the hierarchy looks promising for ushering in the much-needed change in the framework of social and humanitarian work. Aid charities ordered to improve standards following Oxfam scandal".  the Guardian, 2018. Online. Internet. 1 Apr. 2018. . Available: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/05/aid-charities-ordered-to-improve-standards-following-oxfam-scandal. Artman, Knut, and Eric Jonsson. "Managing Change in the Warehouse. a structured change management methodology when implementing a warehouse management system."Master Thesis in Technology Management  (2014). Cameron, Esther, and Mike Green.  Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers, 2015. Easterly, William.  The white man's burden: why the West's efforts to aid the rest have done so much ill and so little good. Tantor Media, 2017. Elgot, Jessica, and Karen McVeigh. "Oxfam loses 7,000 donors since sexual exploitation scandal".  the Guardian, 2018. Online. Internet. 1 Apr. 2018. . Available: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/20/oxfam-boss-mark-goldring-apologises-over-abuse-of-haiti-quake-victims. Haiti suspends Oxfam GB operations".  BBC News, 2018. Online. Internet. 1 Apr. 2018. . Available: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43163620. Hayes, John.  The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Hornstein, Henry A. "The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity."International Journal of Project Management  33.2 (2015): 291-298. Kempadoo, Kamala. "The modern-day white (wo) man’s burden: Trends in anti-trafficking and anti-slavery campaigns."Journal of Human Trafficking  1.1 (2015): 8-20. "Oxfam International | The power of people against poverty".  Oxfam.org, 2018. Online. Internet. 1 Apr. 2018. . Available: https://www.oxfam.org/en. .com is the leading essay writing service in Australia. We are committed to resolving students' all academic problems and help them acquire higher grades. We provide comprehensive essay paper help to students, who struggle to put up a good quality essay. With 3000+ talented essay writers , we cover 100+ subjects while providing essay writing service to students in Australia. Contact us to premier quality academic assistance at an affordable price. You are required to write a researched argument essay that convinces persuades the reader of your position / stance. This is an academic, researched and referenced do... Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to elaborate the factors which are considered by individuals before selecting an occupation. Choosing an occupati... 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Quality Tools (IP-Unit3) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quality Tools (IP-Unit3) - Research Paper Example These delays can be avoided if a standard procedure is followed. The current check in and check out procedures lack a few essential steps required in the standard procedure. These steps although are small, yet they are very effective in terms of customer satisfaction. These missing steps are the confirmations of certain pieces of information at check-in and check-out. The standard procedure for check-in and check-out takes less time than the time required for the Hotel’s current check-in and check-out procedures. So it would be wise to align the Hotel’s procedures with the standard procedures. Apart from this other services the hotel need to be reviewed as well. These services include room service, newspaper delivery, automated teller machine (ATM), baggage storage, beverage area, complimentary concierge desk, elevators, gift shop, laundry/valet service, local area transportation, lounge, luggage hold, multi-lingual staff, news stand, safety deposit box, shoe shine stand, tour desk, audio/visual equipment rental, business center, express mail, fax According to the fish bone diagram, inefficient service can have several causes. These causes mainly revolve around the check-in and check-out procedures and customer service front desk. The fourth major contributor is other services which are in dire need of attention since they have not been functioning up to the standard. It is required that the hotel manages its services in accordance with the standard procedures to gain customer satisfaction. Following are the graphs based on the check-in and check-out data collected on 31st july of this year. The horizontal axis represents individual guests while the vertical axis represents the time taken in dealing with these guests. The ideal time has been mentioned earlier for both procedures and the variances above the ideal time are clearly

Identify a standard used by the VA in its information security Research Paper

Identify a standard used by the VA in its information security program, then compare and contrast with another similar standard - Research Paper Example The department therefore contains a lot of sensitive information meaning that the entity needs the proper forms of internal controls in order to protect data on the different people that is contained within the system. It is therefore a requisite for the organization to adopt the best and most secure system as not only serves the veterans but liaises with other departments to ensure proper service delivery for the veterans. There are the mandatory standards that are required by the federal government and the other standards that the entities adopt in order to have a set level of pedigree within the global trends. One of the security requirements by the Federal government that the entity has adopted is the FIPS 200 that is a standard specified by the Federal Information Security Systems Act (FISMA) that is an important part in risk management (Norman, 2007). The security systems specified under this standard are important for ensuring the integrity, confidentiality and availability of the computer system and its information while ensuring that the risks that the company may face in the process have been significantly reduced. Under the FIPS200 standards there are the management safeguards, technical safeguards and the operational safeguards. The management safeguards deal with risk assessment and security planning factors while the operational standards are mainly concerned with the personnel security and the software and hardware maintenance within the organization. The technical safeguards on the other hand are concerned with the audit trails and communications protection (Norman, 2007). Th e FIPS 200 standard is applicable to all federal government information so as to require the protection of information against any unauthorized disclosure. The standards has the minimum security requirements that it requires of the organization in the different areas that

Ice Hotels Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ice Hotels - Assignment Example The ice hotels belong to the category of destination hotels as they arrange many attractive features for travelers and other tourist who are interested in some unusual entertainments. The ice hotels are promoted by some sponsors with intent to offer special entertainment experiences to customers. The ice sculptures increase the attractiveness of hotel lobbies; and the nature of circumstances decides the type of foods and beverages supplied. The temperature inside an ice hotel is 17 to 23 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 to -8 degree Celsius) which offers an exceptional experience to the tourists. Since the ice melts in the sunlight, ice hotels require to be reconstructed every year. The most prominent feature of an ice hotel is that its walls, fixtures, and fittings are completely made up of ice. Colorful light settings make â€Å"the structures look more like magical snow castles than frigid artic dwellings† (Srinivasan, 2008). Generally, ice hotels are built beside rivers in order to maintain freeze. It would take five to six months for building an extensive, large capacity ice hotel. The emergence of ice hotel concept has surpassed the resort and other cottage trends. Moreover, transformation of a night into a day would create sheer exhilaration for the ice hotel visitors. The world’s first ice hotel was built in Sweden. c) Competitiveness of the ice hotel industry in China Since the ice hotels are built seasonally and disappear after a certain period, it gets world wide popularity. The increasing demand for ice hotels may persuade the sponsors to bring forth future modifications to this concept. The ice hotels can mitigate the intensity of the atmospheric condition like global warming (explorra). Moreover, since this concept does not hurt the environmental balance, it would not face legal or other political challenges. Before implementing the ice hotel project in China, it is necessary to conduct a detailed market study in order to get a clear view rega rding the potentiality of the project in the country. It would be better to choose SWOT analysis for this purpose as it covers all relevant aspects of market. Strengths The novelty and increased market demand for the ice hotel concept found to be the most potential strength with this project. Since the ice hotel concept filmed in James Bond’s Die Another Day movie, this innovative concept has been getting world wide popularity. Similarly, the location of the business is other strength to the project since China is world’s largest market. Since China is a highly- populated country, the Australian hotel chain can take business advantages of this feature. The rampant technological development in China would also contribute to this business concept. Weaknesses Since the ice hotel is a new concept, the parent firm would lack marketing expertise; and hence the management may fail to attract more visitors. A series of difficulties may arise during the implementation of the pr ocess if the project team is unaware of the technical aspects of the concept. Moreover, the management team may also face troubles with deploying experts in ice hotel construction. Opportunities Modern facilities like information technology rampantly grow in China. The internet would largely assist the project team to deal with various phases of the project. It has been identified that internet is the one of the best platforms to effectively market a new concept. The ice hotel concept in China may get numbers of potential strategic alliance offers from other big hotel operators in Chin. An integration process would greatly aid the Australian hotel management to successfully market its concept among Chinese people. Moreover the absence of a potential competitor in china would also largely contribute to this