Canadian Wood Toys INC. Essay

I will begin by highlighting the importance of the audit in assessing the risk and identifying the steps in reducing and mitigating the risk that our company is facing. The impact of the risks on global business it is dramatic in our days, changing the entire look of the industries and financial services. Some risks could be anticipated and identified but some could not. Companies now are using more and more key steps and principles to better manage the risks by; *** identifying the risks relevant to the organization *** assess the significance and implications of those risks to the business *** identify and establish a process for collaboration on risk mitigation with other organizations and partners *** integrate Enterprise Risk Management into the organization *** focus resources on key risks in order to achieve the organization’s objectives (Source – PricewaterhouseCoopers – effective ERM) Under IAA Standard 2120 – Risk Management: â€Å"The internal audit activity must evaluate the effectiveness and contribute to the improvement of risk management processes.† Practice advisory 2120.C1 states: –â€Å"During consulting engagements, internal auditors must address risk consistent with the engagement’s objectives and be alert to the existence of other significant risks. In manufacturing companies, production is usually the most important aspect of the entire process mostly due to the high cost incurred, the staffing and the complexity of the departments involved – Production is of vital concern to management because of the important risks associated with the process. I have identified some of the most important risks and how to manage the risks to minimize the impact. Along with the  production process, other areas can be identified as posing risks; distribution, finance, human resources †¦ I have identified below some of the risks with the highest impact in our company: KEY RISKSMITIGATON (examples) The risk of manufacturing defective or substandard products Determine the cause of the quality defect (human error or machine) Trend analysis reports to address the recurrence of the defects The risk of missing deadlines for toys deliveries at Christmas time Review the production scheduling to agree with the specific job orders to avoid overproduction of toys that are not scheduled for delivery The risk of labor insecurity; potential strikes Review labor contracts and minimum wage government regulations; negotiations with union and labor boards The risk of unknown competition on international markets Use various econometric and statistical analysis to monitor the movement of market interest The risk of foreign exchange Use a foreign exchange contract Accept payment in one currency only (US) Hedging of foreign exchange Risk of unanticipated or sudden changes in regulations, codes or standards in regards to the exploitation of the wood and equipment and machineries used The company has to be actively involved in the development of regulations, codes and standards to further improve the safety of the equipment The risk of damage to ecology, scenery – due to over exploitation of forestry Use environmental mitigation programs able to protect and restore the forest Government fire protection programs The risk of accidents in the process of transportation of the logs Regular monitoring of the vehicles Checking drivers hours of work – implementing special schedule of hours Risk of loss of licensing for cutting and harvesting the trees Renewal in advance of the licenses, request from government of auditing the harvesting areas The risk of logging and lumbering fire damage and vehicle damage Forestry and timber Insurance that focuses on logging and lumbering, sawmills, automobiles and equipment The risk related to the liquidity and payment schedules which could lead to credit losses Establish rules for tendering, levels of approval authority and rules for credit control The risk of reporting erroneous financial information for internal and external decision Use external appraisers to evaluate fair value of assets and properties Senior managers should assess their financial reports to determine when they require estimates based on significant judgment; And ensure that independent expertise is applied in deriving the reports The risk mitigation step involves development of mitigation plans designed to manage, eliminate, or reduce risk to an acceptable level. Once a plan is implemented, it is continually monitored to assess its efficacy with the intent of revising the course-of-action if needed. I would like to reiterate as stated in the IAA Standards that the organization should fully understand that management remains responsible for risk management. As Internal auditors, we should provide advice, and challenge or support management’s decisions on risk, as opposed to making risk management decisions. Below are some of the responsibilities that will not fall under the audit team: †¢ Setting the risk appetite. †¢ Imposing risk management processes. †¢ Management assurance on risks. †¢ Taking decisions on risk responses. †¢ Implementing risk responses on management’s behalf. †¢ Accountability for risk management. Question 4 MEMO To: Director of Internal audit Department From: †¦. Assistant Director Internal audit Date: October 06, 2014 CC: As requested, I have prepared a plan for auditing the division of Student Services as part of the Central College Institution. I will detail 6 steps in the audit process but firstly I want to highlight the Standard 2200, Practice Advisory 2200-1 that states the requirements for the engagements planning and outlines the steps. â€Å"Internal auditors must develop and plan for each engagement, including the engagement’s objectives, scope, timing and resource allocations†. â€Å"The Internal auditor plans and conducts the engagement, with supervisory review and approval† 1. The first step is: To obtain specific knowledge of the unit to be audited. In this stage of the process we will gather and review the specific documentation that will help us getting more familiar with the division of food service – residential and campus. Some of the documents we will be reviewing: The annual budget; we have information about how much the overall budget is (8.9mil.); need to know how much is allocated to the food service program and how is spent. Policies and procedures Previous internal audit papers and reports List of the staff; org charts Contracts with food suppliers Documented projects and how the implementation process took place Upon reviewing of the documents we will be able to assess the problems that incurred; it will help us identify any managerial mistakes, any miscommunication between suppliers and management; if there is enough staffing 2. The second step in the audit plan is to: Establish the audit objectives and the scope of the audit. At this stage we need to review all the activities involving food service program step by step. This is to identify areas of weakness, why there are negative reviews; why there is such a small budget allocated to such important segment in the student’s activity in the campus. Also we will be  able to identify whether the appropriate policies and procedures were followed. Is the part time staff working in the 6 food service facilities skilled for the specific job they do? Why there is only part time staffing and no full time jobs; if there are enough employees considering the large division of food service included 6 cafeterias and restaurants plus residential food service. 3. The following step is: The audit methodology. In this stage of the audit process we will be able to gather additional information by interviewing individuals involved in all aspects of the student services division. We will be asking questions in order to determine if there are possible weaknesses that can have a major impact of the effectiveness of the operating and managing the 6 restaurants and cafeterias as well as the residential food service. We will be interviewing the part time staff about the schedule they have, if there are any complaints, if there is enough coverage at specific time of the day i.e. morning and lunch – for the cafeterias and the restaurants. We will be interviewing the students and teachers about the hours of operation of the locations of the food service – they should be open late and they are actually closing early. We will be asking questions about the meal plans and find out if there is anything to improve on 4. The next step is: Determine the audit criteria. This very important step in the audit program will help us identify some of the criteria we can use in order to better assess the practices in the food service division. Budgeting The food service division must have a well established budget and a cost control in place and overseen by qualified staff. Price Management There should be a price verification policy in place to manage better the price of meals provided by the restaurants and the cafeteria – in comparison to other food providers around the campus (beat the price) Staffing there must be a criteria that analyze and conform with the labor standards –  achieve and surpass the minimum wage for the part time employees Food Quality and diversity there should be put in place a more divers meal plan based on the requirements and suggestions from the customers (students –divers ethnicity) new standards for nutritional meals are put in place and need to be followed Food locations management the standards for cleanliness and sanitation that are put in place need to be followed surveys will be handed out or on line surveys to measure the customer satisfaction 5. The following step is: Preparing staffing plans and time budgets At this stage in the audit plan we are dealing with establishing the budget necessary to accomplish the audit scope and the staff required to accomplish the plan in a timely manner. Since we are dealing with specifics in food industry – we have identified areas where there is not enough expertise from our team; therefore we require an additional external consultant (possible a nutritionist that possess the necessary knowledge). For the satisfaction survey we will be using the expertise of the actual marketing staff from the service department to create and implement the survey. 6. The next step is: Communication with management Subsequently, the audit plan needs to be discussing with the management. We will set up time for a meeting with the management to discuss the details over the purpose of the audit. We need to discuss further about the time allocated to the audit plan and go over each proposal for the relevant criteria that was chosen. In the meeting we will highlight the importance of the management active contribution and support to the audit process.

Mana and Kaitiakitanga Essay

Noa is often paired with tapu indicating that often noa refers to restoring a balance, unrestricted. A high level of tapu is regarded as dangerous. The role for tikanga and tohunga is to reduce th level of dangerous tapu until it is noa. However, it is not plainly the case to think of noa as being opposite or the absence of tapu. For instance, a person could be very tapu if one got very sick or there was bleeding. That one still has personal tapu even though the increasing of tapu symptoms have passed lead the person to return to the safe state. Health is restored after a crisis passes, which means a balance has been reached (the state of noa). Mead, H. M. (2003). (3) 2. Mana tangata According to The New Zealand Auction Plan for Human Rights, human rights (mana tanga) underlie our expectation about our education, work, life, and health. The essence of mana tangata is rights, control, and authority that are emanated directly from human. Injury or illness attributable to human activities, deaths through warfare, lifestyle changes affecting exercise, nutrition, and sanitation are all connected to Maori Hauora. Mana tangata relates to mana because it is an acknowledgment of acquired skills and inheritance (mana) which influence certain people to direct the daily activities in order to towards higher quality of life within Maori community. http://www2. ohchr. org/english/issues/plan_actions/docs/New_Zealand. pdf (4) 3. Mana â€Å"house nigger† According to Amanda Cameron’s article – Health book tells Maori to smoke – on Maori health, the term of â€Å"house niggers† was describe as the people who have been brainwashed by Pakeha and kept tamed by greedy â€Å"Uncle Tom† Maori health managers. ttp://www. nzherald. co. nz/nz/news/article. cfm? c_id=1&objectid=10347182 (5) From the book, Maori Health, was co-authored by the trust’s chairman Peter Caccioppoli and Rhys Cullen, Maori are persuaded to change their lifestyle because the Crown thinks it would reduce the number of Maori requiring treatment for disease if they change their diet (eat less and better), exercise more and stop smoking. In fact, people do not know how Maori health was defined and how healthcare for Maori was delivered. They just put Maori in position that relies on research on Pakeha. There is no reason why Maori cannot have their rights to choose their own life style. The health system is against what Maori enjoy and is racist, which can directly influence the mana of Maori. Caccioppoli, P. Cullen R. (2005) (6) 4. Mana (Respect) Respect, the most essential term of mana, is a key professional and social responsibility for all who are involved in the sector of health and disability services. This term for uniqueness of each individual child underlies all the rights within the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumer’s Rights. The right to dignity and independence is the basic requirement to respect the dignity and mana of the child. Negative attitudes held about consumer’s values and beliefs can impact upon their mana and wellbeing. For example, a nurse should provide respect in accordance with people with cultural requirement. http://www. hdc. org. nz/education/presentations/the-code,-child-and-adolescent-mental-health-and-concepts-of-maori-health (7) 5. Mana (Pride) – Whakama Whakama gives the notion of embarrassment and shame. The restoration of mana and tapu of all parties involved can sometimes help to eliminate the feeling of whakama. Hence, this term is bound up with the loss of mana. Collective whakama are able to affect the whanau, hapu and iwi that can be intense on both group and individual. The embracement or shame felt is an extremely strong and emotional force which can contribute to violence and suicide. List of Maori terms – http://www. justice. govt. nz (8) Question 2: 5 terms relating to Kaitiakitanga 1. Ira tangata (gene) and surrogacy Surrogacy means a woman gives birth to a child on behalf of another woman who lost her ability to carry her own children. The term of ira tangata (gene) and surrogacy is mentioned by Maori Attitudes to Assisted Human Reproduction. The surrogate mother may be paid to nurture the fertilized egg, giving the birth to the new life and then handling the new life to the natural parents. The aim of surrogacy is to produce a new life and thus create a new mauri. However, this would raise different sorts of moral and social issues. Mead, H. M. (2003) (9) For example, where a surrogate carried the intended parents’ embryo (gestational surrogacy), the integrity of whakapapa are not undermined. Whereas, when a surrogate is also donating an egg (contain her ira tabgata – gene) to the process and therefore the biological mother, then concerns about the integrity of whakapapa would rise. The surrogate may not be mentioned in whakapapa. http://lens. auckland. ac. nz/images/3/32/AHR_report_final. pdf (10) 2. Manaakitanga At the Cole’s Medical practice in New Zealand 2011, Peter Jansen and David Jansen articulated the term of Manaakitanga refers to the obligations and responsibilities to describe care for family and for visitors that is related to kaitiakitanga. Being hospitable and looking after one’s visitor is given priority. The provision of food (kia) and accommodation are involved in the process of welcoming and caring for visitors. http://www. mcnz. org. nz/portals/0/publications/coles/005%20-%20george. pdf (11) The aim of manaakitanga is to nurture relationships and as far as possible to respect the mana of other no matter what their standing in society might be. Mead, H. M. (2003) (12) Manaakitanga seeks to maintain balance harmony by informing kaupapa and protecting the quality or integrity of relationships among groups. www. tumana. aori. nz/assets/Te-Tauranga-Waka. doc (13) 3. Collective Responsibility In Maori society, collective responsibility is normally emphasised on the well-being of group, as opposite to the Pakeha focus on the individual. Grant Berghan(2007) (14) Collective responsibility is essential seem in terms of caring and whanaungatanga which belongs to the individual, the whanau, hapu and iwi (descended from a common ancestor. In The Code, Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Concepts of Maori Health, the right 4(4) of the Code emphasises holistic health is a cornerstone of Maori health. Te Hingengaro generally refers to mental health. Te Tinana is the physical body/representation of the ancestor. Both of them together determine how people feel about themselves and are therefore vital factors influencing a person’s health. Maori believe tat the mind, body, and soul are all closely inter-related and influence physical wellbeing. Physical cannot be dealt with in isolation, nor can the individual be seen as separate from their family. http://www. hdc. org. nz/education/presentations/the-code,-child-and-adolescent-mental-health-and-concepts-of-maori-health (15) 4. Family violence (Child abuse) Family violence is any violent act inflicted by one member of the household. Families and whanan are strong and richly interconnected with communities. They are able to support their member’s wellbeing, identity, participation in society and independence. Strong families are central to achieving wellbeing for all New Zealander, today and in the future. Family violence, including child abuse and neglect, is a major problem in New Zealand. Maori are more likely than non-Maori children to be assessed as abused and neglected. In 2002, 10. 3 Maori children compared with 5. 9 non-Maori per 1000 were assessed as abused and neglected. Ministry of Social Development has strengthened early intervention for vulnerable children and family. They are trying to improve health, education, and parent support services, as well as strengthen monitoring to prevent the family violence. http://www. msd. govt. nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/corporate/statement-of-intent/2005/families-and-whanau. html(16) 5. Whanau and smoking Whanau refers to family relationship, friendship, and other interpersonal relationship. The tendency of smoking in Maori community can result from lack of whanau support and care. Smoking represents one of the mechanisms by which socioeconomic factors affect health status. Recent national surveys (below) have shown that Maori adults smoke tobacco at a higher rate compared with the percentage of total population. [pic] http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470538/ (17) Smoking is the key risk factor for causing or contributing to death in Maori society. Thus, the programme Aukati KaiPaipa offers a strong cultural identity and support within whanau in order to address smoking addiction. http://www. bpac. org. nz/magazine/2009/july/smoking. asp (18) Question 3: Examples based on mana and kaitiakitanga terms Tapu In the Cole’s Medical Practice in New Zealand 2009, noa is the absence of tapu and donates the state of being normal, ordinary or safe. On the other hand, tapu can be understood as the state of dangerous. However, tapu is believed to be scared by psychotherapist and clinical advisor Cabrini ‘Ofa Makasiale. The concept of tapu is more about safety than about a punitive measure. The function of tapu is to protect and enhance people’s lives. Cabrini ‘Ofa Makasiale(2007) (19) These two meaning are quite different in terms of the theory described by different health sectors. Tapu defines the boundary between safe and unsafe. They analyse tapu from different kaupapa (subject) of the term. Auahi Kore The term Auahi Kore is used by The Hauora provider Te Kotahitanga Trust in order to mean Maori should have their own rights to make choices on issues about smoking. This opinion was mentioned by Peter Caccioppoli and Phys Cullen in their book Maori Health on page 108. However, Hon Peter Hodgson who is the minister of health uses the same term to mean Auahi Kore is a good lifestyle which can lead a longer and healthier life for Maori people in New Zealand Health Strategy. Smoking is the root of a variety of disease like lung cancer and heart disease, which are trend to shorten human’s life. www. moh. govt. nz/moh. nsf/pagesmh/5507/$File/mentalhealth-toolkit-relinked08. doc (20) The difference in meaning is that they focus on two different theories. The previous one concentrates on rights, while the other concerned about health, which is dominant culture using Maori term to promote a healthier life. Question 4: 5 terms relate to Hauora Outcomes Tapu and mental disease: Tapu is about scared bonds between people. These bonds could stem Pacific eople from the cosmic and spiritual relationships between them, their patients and their gods. Spirituality is a key component in Pacific models care and exists alongside the mental aspect of a person’s wellbeing. For Pacific people, the concept of wellbeing focuses on the collective, rather than the individual. Therefore the breakdown of the holistic self as well as breach of tapu can contribute to m ental illness. www. leva. co. nz/file/Documents/090428-le-va-seitapu-real-skills-web. pdf (21) Take cervical screening for example, many women are not willing to see doctor even though they have already known their situation. Womb is scared and a part of tapu for woman. Barriers such as shyness caused by tapu may contribute women of any ethnicity to suffer regular cervical screening. The chart below shows cervical screening rates in different areas by 2009. [pic] http://www. bpac. org. nz/magazine/2010/november/cervicalscreening. asp (22) Mana tangata and Lifestyle Awareness Mana tangata refers to human rights which are closely connected with human lifestyle. According to National Health Committee (NHC, 1998), Maori are over-represented in the areas of unemployment, poverty, crime, poor diet, and harmful lifestyle choice such as alcohol and drug abuse.

Taxation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Taxation - Assignment Example It was the first ever increase as the highest rate of income tax in the history of UK for over three decades. In 2010,the Chancellor Alastair Darling announced the 50% tax rate. With effect from April 2010 onwards, taxable income above  £150,000 in UK will be subject to a new top rate of income tax of 50%.The 50% additional rate of income tax was announced by the erstwhile labour government in 2010 was mainly intended to rescue the UK’s economy after the 2008 financial crisis. As per HMRC data,  £10 bn was raised during the three years when the top 50% rate was in force. The present UK government has reduced the top rate to 45% with the effect from April 2013 onwards. Evidence from UK and around the globe demonstrates that punitive tax levels either 50% or 45% will result in poor revenue collection as compared to modest rates. Young & Saltiel (2013) study found that behavioural reaction to the higher tax rates is more robust, and this is likely to hurt UKs tax receipts. The 50% additional rate of income tax in UK had a bad impact on UKs economy as its architects themselves confessed that the scheme was introduced without economic objectives. Young & Saltiel (2013) found that the policy is heading for failure as it resulted in the flat growth for a decade and ended in  £350bn of lost revenue. This essay will analyse whether the UK government restore the 50% additional rate of income tax?† or not . As per Ed Balls of Labour Party, that his party will reintroduce 50% additional rate of income tax for those whose annual income is above  £150,000 if it is voted to power in the coming election. According to him, as per recent statistics, those who are earning more than  £150,000 paid  £ 10bn more by way of taxes in the last three years starting from April 2010 when the rate was 50% for them. Again, it was reduced to 45% in 2013 by the present Coalition government. As per Ed Balls, when the

Case in Marketing Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

In Marketing - Case Study Example Over the years, it has extended its business in each and every subcontinent. It has been observed that Danone has around 90,000 employees throughout the world and it has operated its business in 120 countries in three core segments. Apart from dairy products, it has biscuits and beverages amid its offerings of globally renowned products (Danone,†Our Mission†). According to research, it has been found that the organisation has used a few pertinent strategies to ensure a significant command on the global market. Throughout the last century, it has operated its marketing activities in a competitive global marketplace. Apart from core segment including food and beverages, Danone has found competition from Nestle, Pepsi and Coca-Cola among others. In order to compete with the concurrent leading players, it has upheld quality as a prime factor in its offerings. With these considerations, the study intends to critically evaluate a key issue faced by the Danone Company in its operations in the past few years. Subsequently, in keeping with the analysis made regarding the issue faced by the company certain prudent recommendations or solution will be offered to ensure that the issue does not linger on and create even severe hurdles for the company in the near future. During the phase of 1990s, Danone had emerged as one of the world’s leading and renowned food companies. It had taken 40 years of time to achieve that peak in the global market. However, before that phase Danone had failed to capture the China market during the initial entrance. It had faced several difficulties during that stage. In this regard, it is determined that Danone has been significantly reliant on the supply of baby milk from the New Zealand exporter of wholesale daily products namely Fonterra. Unfortunately, during 2013, a warning related to bacterial infection was provided by

Quicksand, Identity, and Women's Experience Essay

Quicksand, Identity, and Women's Experience - Essay Example The thesis also tries to compare the work with a similar novel by Larsen which is more or less of the same concept. It then concludes by taking into consideration the criticism in both novels. The thesis shows how both novels portray female characters in three dimensions: they are original, capable of independence, and have a common tragic fate. Class, Race, and Gender in â€Å"Quicksand† â€Å"Quicksand† explores the ways women’s identities are represented through the struggle of Helga to find her place in the contemporary society. She struggles against sexual objectification and exploitation. Through Helga’s fight for sexual autonomy, the book illustrates two stereotypes of African American females which prevail throughout the literature. The novel depicts limitations of stereotypes held across Europe and the United States. The stereotypes’ pervasiveness is conveyed via constant change of settings. For instance, it criticizes reactionary stereotyp es that treated sex with reticence and caution to counterbalance literary and social myths about sexuality of the black women. Helga flees and faces assimilationism and school internalized racism. In Harlem, the novel exposes how the white culture exploits the culture of African American. Helga flees again as she fears sexual objectification. ... The stereotypes were shaped and established by African females in the US (French and Allyson 453). Women who were enslaved were denied their humanity and stripped off their race due to lack of autonomy. The rape legacy contributed to the ruthless exploitation female slaves, which totally deprived African American women of their sexuality. â€Å"Quicksand† connects the dehumanization and exploitation of black women’s sexuality with objectification and exploitation of African American women in the culture of Harlem renaissance. In the primitivism of e Harlem Renaissance, one can see that the USA denied African Americans their identity via enslavement. Celebration of African roots is emphasized as a way differ The Afro-Americans displayed as uncorrupted have become a metaphor. The novel illustrates the prevalence of stereotypes via Helga’s internalizing them. She rates her intelligence to be different from African American race. For instance, Helga while in Harlem v iewed the patrons of African American descent as jungle creatures. Helga felt that being white separated her from the situation of distorted childishness (Nella 59). This novel contests this setting’s unreality and illustrates the cabaret situation in the context of a broader society. Trying to adjust to the life in Harlem, Helga learns that she is an outsider and she is keen of the whites’ dominance which has an intention of intruding cabaret scene. This situation plays out the fear in Helga by personification of the taxi cabs like cabaret dancers, displaying their movements (58). Helga fears that primitive cabaret is in low esteem in the society of the white. Otherwise, they will not pay attention to the African American, which will lead to

French new wave Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

French new wave - Essay Example This paper will analyze a particular movement in it which is called French New Wave. One would make no mistake that after the World War II the cinema in France was experiencing revival. Indeed, 1950’s and 1960’s were the decades when talented directions were trying to construct their own unique vision of the world and convey it with the help of their films. At first the public as well as the critics did not accept this novel approach in a positive way, considering it to be raw, absurd and completely lacking any aesthetics. However, over time the bold new vision of the film makes was praised and accepted. Nevertheless, the decline of interest toward French New Wave emerged in 1980’s with new cultural dominant appearing in the global artistic environment. Considering the development of the above mentioned movement, one can not help noticing that it has been largely influenced by the American noir films as well as the directors who made them. In other words, it is not the mainstream Hollywood movies that shaped their worldview, but rather those movies which were created by true masters of their trade (Kaplan 2009, p. 56). Indeed, the French directors wanted their movies to have design and aesthetics that would be characteristic to one director only, creating the world which can not be confused with the work of someone else. It is quite obvious that the analysis of French New Wave may not be completed without examination of its formal and narrative styles. Speaking of the former, it must be noted that the directors experimented with new techniques of editing and tried to present their movies in an unusual manner. For example, tracking shots or jump cuts were frequently used to show the fragmentation of the narration (Marie 2003, p. 43). Long shots were used primarily to organize the visual environment and present the audience with a better understanding of the general situations. Another point that should be

Nicene Creed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nicene Creed - Essay Example This shows that despite Christianity being viewed as a religion of many denominations, the concept behind Christology is one and the same. This is a very important aspect of Christianity as it ensures that Christology is defined in a similar manner by the various denominations that are under Christianity. The creed achieves this because it contains significant and fundamental statements that form the very basis of the existence of Christianity. The Nicene Creed is divided into 12 sections. Though there is a controversy in regards to the filioque clause, the creed is generally accepted by the major branches of Christendom. The implication of this is that how the major branches of Christendom define Christianity will be similar and as result the definition of Christianity cannot differ. The Nicene Creed therefore forms a basis for a uniform definition of Christology by various branches of the church. I believe in the Nicene Creed as it restates the very fundamental beliefs which are the pillars of Christianity in general. It is worth noting that the Eastern Church only disagrees with part of this creed and generally it is in agreement with most of the statements in the creed. Though the Creed caused a rift between the Eastern and Western church, it has since then held the Western church in unity. I am in agreement that the Nicene Creed may have changed the importance of the Christology of the Eastern Church. The Western Church is more prominent and maybe the Eastern would have equally enjoyed the same status had it not disagreed with part of the Nicene Creed. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the Nicene Creed still plays a crucial role in pointing out the pillars of Christianity and that is very important for both the Eastern and Western

Discretionary Trust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Discretionary Trust - Essay Example There are four requirements of a trust, which are capacity; formality; certainty and constitution, each factor is important in creating a valid trust and in order to determine the validity of each disposition within the will these requirements must be fulfilled. This requirement concerns the creator and beneficiary of the trust; whereby any person can create a trust if thy have the ability to own any type of property, with four exceptions; minors whom cannot own land therefore cannot create a trust of land but can be a beneficiary of a trust until the appropriate age; any mentally disordered person under the 1983 Mental Health Act cannot create a trust but can be a beneficiary of a trust; corporations can only create a trust if there is a power in their memoranda of association; and statutory bodies can only create a trust if there is this power within the enabling legislation. There are also limitations to two further types of beneficiaries which are; non-citizens of Britain whereby they can hold a trust in any property but British ships and aircrafts; and trustees who cannot be the sole beneficiary and sole trustee. However the general rule is that any person who has the capability of owning property can create or be a beneficiary of a tr ust. Formality: Generally trusts can be created in any manner, because equity deals with the substance of the trust not its formal requirements. Therefore as long as the creator of the trust makes their intentions clear then a trust will be upheld by the courts. However a trust in land is a different situation whereby it must comply with the Law of Property Act 1925 section 53(b) and 53(c) for existing equitable interests in land whereby; "a declaration of trust respecting any land or interest therein must be manifested and proved by writing signed by the person who is able to declare such trust or by his will (LPA 1925 53(b)). It will it is assumed that it meets the formal requirement because there is no information to the contrary; however it must be kept in mind that if the formal requirements were not met then it would not be a valid trust, when considering the dispositions certainty and constitution will be the main focus to ensure the trusts in the will can be upheld. However there may be a p roblem with the transfer formalities of the shares, which will be discussed with reference to the constitution of the trust. Certainty: The creator of the trust must make his intentions clear when creating his trust; he must make it clear which property is subject to the trust; and finally he must identify the beneficiary of the trust. In Wright v Atkyns1 it was determined that the words must be imperative, but there does not have to be created with the word trust or obligation2 but sufficient intention must be apparent from conduct and words3. The court will always aim to impose a trust as long as the intention of the creator is present. In relation to the subject of the trust this also must be clearly stated, whereby the exact size and amount of the subject matter is clear, e.g. the bulk of my estate4 is not clear

Asphalt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Asphalt - Essay Example The power racer accomplice can also further be synchronized with the contemporary era Play station 4 and X-box 720 for maximum gaming practice and online arcade gaming using the iPhone. This has made gaming places such as supermarkets, Casinos, and arcades to become famous (Saponas et. al, 2008). The racer accessory is further associated with other gaming favourite apps that include Fifa 15 and Taken as a result of its ease of game control. As a means of customizing buyer needs and wants, the power racing has been produced in different colours and shapes that meet customer demands. The organization aims to be a multi-national company and attain market leadership in the gaming industry on a global scale. The mission of the business is to become the leader in the gaming industry (Saponas et al, 2008). Saponas, T., Lester, J., Froehlich, J., Fogarty, J., and Landay, J. (2008).Ilearn on the iphone: Real-time human activity classification on commodity mobile phones.  University of Washington CSE Tech Report

Product Campaign Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Product Campaign Plan - Research Paper Example Over the past two decades, there has been an increased number of Japanese restaurants in the US with the numbers more than doubling and the business environment becoming increasingly competitive. The 2010 Jetro Japanese Restaurants trends have shown that Japanese restaurants in the period 2005 to 2010 have increased by 54.8% (1). Furthermore, Lim (2) in his study acknowledges that increasingly over the past years American customers have come to appreciate Japanese food, and most specifically its famous sushi dishes. Such resign appreciation for the Japanese food and the increasing number of Japanese restaurants implies that Japanese restaurants will have to operate effectively within the growing competitive environment to be profitable. For Miyagi, one of the highly rated Japanese restaurants in Mclean VA, the need to be efficient and competitive in a changing environment is even greater if it is to retain its top spot in the region. Miyagi is a family-owned Japanese restaurant in Mclean VA, with the restaurant having been founded in the late 1980s, according to Lei a waitress in Miyagi, after the family immigrated to the US. The restaurant serves Japanese meals such as sushi, to the widely diverse population in Mclean region. However, based on observation, the ratio of Japanese vs. other residents frequenting the restaurant as compared to the ratio of the Japanese vs. other residents in Mclean VA region is higher. While the population in the region is 38929 residents that have different race backgrounds, Japanese population in the region are 514, presenting only 1.32% of the population and not enough market for the all Japanese restaurants in the region. This, therefore, implies Miyagi needs a campaign strategy that will elevate its prominence in the region as the place to be.

An analysis on the sudden decline of Enron in 2001 Essay Example for Free

An analysis on the sudden decline of Enron in 2001 Essay Enron was company that was formed to the Northern Natural Gas Company which traces its existence to the early 1932 in Nebraska. The company was reorganized back in 1979 and formed as the leading subsidiary company of Internorth. In 1985 the company acquired the smaller Houston Natural Gas and in the process it formed its name to Enron. (Haney 2001, p. 28) Originally the company was involved in the transmitting and distributing electricity and gas in the United States. It was also involved in the development and building of power plants and pipelines. The company extended its services to the rule of law and in other infrastructures in the world. The company owned large had a large network of natural gas pipelines stretching from ocean to ocean and from border to border.   Its holding included Northern Natural Gas, Florida Gas Transition, Trans-western Pipeline Company and a strategic alliance with Northern Border Pipeline from Canada. These holding were real cash woes the kept investors coming to the company. It expanded its ventures and investment in every corner of the country.  Ã‚   These investments helped the company to make huge profits. By 1998 the company had entered the water sector and created the Azurix Corporation. The company floated its shares in the New York Stock Exchange but it failed to make a mark in the market.   It did not break in the water utility market  Ã‚   and ended up as a major money-loser. (Andrew 2001, p. 9) In 2001, Enron announced that it continued to grow wealthier. Due to its pioneering spirit in marketing and promotion of power and communication bandwidth commodities and other related derivatives including exotic items like weather derivatives. The company was named as the most innovative company by the Fortune magazine for 6 consecutive years spinning form 1996-2001. In 2000 it was listed among the Fortunes 100 best companies to work for in America.   It was hailed for its labour and  Ã‚   workforce policies including the long-term pensions and other benefits.   It was one of the well managed companies in America. (Krugman 2001, p. 8) But this fame was not to live long.  Ã‚   The effective management policies that had been associated with the company were at the end exposed to be fraud. It turned out to be the worst corporate fraud ever experienced on American soil. This research will look the rise and the sudden fall of Enron which was famed as one of the greatest companies in American history. Aims and objectives   The main aim for carrying out the study was to have a full understanding of the sudden fall of the great company and the factors that contributed to the fall. This is important as it can provide future guideline in management  Ã‚   as it gives an insight on how effective management can turn and destroy all the good work that it has achieved. The following were the objectives for carrying out the study; †¢ To asses the operation climate of Enron and how the company was able to prosper in the market †¢ To assess the management of the company and how it contributed to the sudden fall of the company. †¢ To asses the corporate fraud that led to the fall of the company Literature review Cases of business scandals are not new in the business world.   It has become the same as being told the that two great companies are merging in a deal worth billions of   dollars and the same story surfaces tomorrow informing you of how the same company have been implicated in a major scandal and financial rip-off.   The business press these days has more stories on business scandals than it has on prosperity of mergers.   It has been shown that although the stock market boom is over, the boom of business scandals is still on. According to Ledbetter (2002)  Ã‚   it has not been a wonder at any moment in life to hear of companies coming together to expand their operations, but it has become more  Ã‚   stunning to hear of prosperous companies involved in all manners of scandals.  Ã‚   It is like the business scandals have become the order of the day. Jayne and Greg (2004) concur that there are many factor that have been contributing to the increased business scandals in the world but some of the factors that have really contributed to the increase is  Ã‚   the effect that they have on the personal lives.   Most of those who have been implicated in business scandal have not been punished in a way that other are likely to learn from them.   For example when Nathan   Chapman   was sent to   jail for 7 ½Ã‚   years   for defrauding the   Maryland state pension fund   system   and for looting  Ã‚   three public trade companies which he owned,   he only thanked  Ã‚   the testimony that was given by   three of   her former mistresses   as they helped to put him behind bars. This shows the many of those who have been implicated in these scandals do not only defraud their trusted shareholders but they also  Ã‚   betray themselves and their families.   Greg shows that these individuals may be suffering from some kind of social or mental deficiencies and they are led by greed, ego, and corrupt ideals. Most of the business scandals do not arise because there are no strong institutions to deter their occurrence but they are caused by individual who are more interested in serving their own interest rather than the interest of their own shareholders.   In this case it has been shown that it is a faulty management that can be  Ã‚   attributed to the rise of business scandals.  Ã‚   It is due to lack of ethics in business scandals continued to hamper the trust of shareholders on corporate leaders. For   example while   Enron   was shown to have strong institution that   were even praised and helped it to  Ã‚   be classified as one of the Fortune 100 companies,   there was not   practice of business ethics   in the company which eventually led to the scandal. (Brewer 2002, p.7) Business ethics are important practices that have been recognised in the business world as them most acceptable ways that helps to have fairness in the practices. Business ethics is a form of applied ethics in business operation which inculcate the ethical principles and the moral and ethical issues and the way they are to be addressed as they arise in the course of operation of the business.   Business ethics is an important cooperate practice that ensure that the business keep to the normative and descriptive factors in the course of its operation. Business ethics  Ã‚   requires a company to do what it is supposed to do and in the right way. Business ethics are the same the social and moral ethics but  Ã‚   as applied in business.  Ã‚   There are ethics that are applicable to all the sectors of business operation.  Ã‚   There are ethics in accounting information, human resource management, sales and marketing production, intellectual property, and in other business areas. Most of the business scandal usually occurs due to lack of practice of business ethics in one of those areas.   In some companies there may be scandals that many occur due to breach of more than one area as listed above. For example in case of Enron in America it had breached ethic in production and distribution of power, human resource, accounting practices, and in other areas. Methodology The study mainly collected data from the secondary sources.   The study used qualitative research using a case study. In this case Enron Company was used as the main sample. The study decided to use qualitative research in order to collect detailed data about enron. By concentrating on Enron, the study was able to gather as much data as possible that was used for the study. The study chose to use qualitative research instead of quantitative research since it wanted to collected detailed data about the operation of the company that would give an insight on what happened and the overall fall of the company. The study was not interested in the quantitative data but it was interested on whom, when and how things happened.   Most the data was collected from secondary source. The study used various sources of data that gave any information regarding the operation of Enron Company. It also looked at various case studies that had been done before regarding Enron and the ethical issue r4egarign the operation of the economy.   The following were used as the main sources of information for the study; †¢ Websites †¢ Periodicals and journals †¢ Magazines †¢ Books †¢ Company reports The data collected was analysed in comparison with the studies that have been done before. The practice that led to the fall of the company was benchmarked on the required ethical practice in the corporate world in America. The research was conducted for one week through the analysis of the above mentioned sources. There were a number of ethical issues that were taken into consideration in the collection of the data. In the process of the correcting data the research visited several  Ã‚   libraries and other sources that could help to get information on the operation of the company.   The researcher ensured that the information that was requested was only the one that pertained to the operation of Enron and its eventual fall. The research also ensured that it reduced the amount of bias in the collection of data as much as possible.   Although it considered personal views that had been expressed by different writers about the operation of the company, it did not bank on their opinion which could have been biased.   Instead it  Ã‚   concentrated on collecting facts. Results   In the 1990s, Enron was   universally accepted as one of   the most innovative companies   that had   made crucial step to adopt to the new market that   and the new economy to record success in an old industry that had remained unattractive due to   the high risk that was involved.   The  Ã‚   company had growth to success very fast and in the same way it coma crumbling down. (Floyd 2001, p. 4) The eventual fall of the company has been attributed to the scandals that ware perpetrated by individual persons  Ã‚   and the whole organization in general.   From the 1990 to1998, Enron’s stock had recorded a rise of 311 percent  Ã‚   and which was considered to be one of the  Ã‚   highest growths in the country. The stock had just soared in a short period in the stock market.   In 1999 the stock further rose by 56% and 87% by 2000. It was rated the most innovative company at the same by the Fortune magazine owing to the success it had made. But his image was to change in a short period of less than one year.   In less than a year the company was in tatter and stock price fall nearly to zero.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main question that was asked by many people not only the shareholders was what was the main reason behind the fall of Enron once a successful company in period of less than one year? (Bryce 2002, p. 4) Though there were a number of activities that led to the eventual fall of Enron, the unfolding events from 2001 have been earmarked as the final blow that drove the nail in.   The following events that happened in a period of one year were responsible for the fall of the company On August 14 2001 Skilling resigned from the company after heading it for just 6 mothers. He cited the need to  Ã‚   have more time with the family although there was a factor the sagging share price. He was succeeded by Lay as the CEO. On august 22 the vice president Sherron Watking met with Lay in order to discuss a memo she had written citing looming accounting problems. On 12th October, An Arthur Anderson lawyer contacted a senior partner in Houston to remind him that  Ã‚   the company did not uphold a polity of   retaining documents that  Ã‚   were no longer   needed   which prompted the shredding of the   documents., On 16th October the same year Enron which had been posting huge profits before  Ã‚   reported a quarter loss of $638 milling loss and it also disclosed a $1.2 billion reduction in the shareholders equity. This was actually attributed to the  Ã‚   partnership that was run the chief financial office Andrew Fastow. (Gilpin 2001, p. 8) On 22nd October Enron acknowledged Securities and Exchange Commission inquire in the probability of the a conflict of interest which was related to the dealings and partnerships at the company On 23rd October Lay who had assumed the CEO passion expressed his support for Fastow. Fastow was eventually ousted in Oct. 24   On October 31st Enron accused the SEC inquires that had been upgraded into a forma investigation On November 8th Enron restated plans to consolidate partnerships arrangement retroactively.  Ã‚   The profit from 1997 to 2000 had declined by more that $591 million and the debt had increased by more $658 million. (Swartz 2003, p. 3) In November 9th it entered tin a merger with Dynergy In November 28 major credit rating  Ã‚   agencies now downgraded Enron’s debt to junk bond status which made the liability to retire its $4biono f its $13 billion debt. At the same time Dynergy pulled out of the proposed merge. (Berenson 2001, p, 23) On December 2 the company led for bankruptcy in New York and at the same time it sued Dynergy for breach of contract.

Oil and Gas Accounting Essay Example for Free

Oil and Gas Accounting Essay If operation is conducted under Lease or concession agreement, it is unlikely that the contract would contain provisions that would permit cost recovery of these costs If the operation is conducted under a psc or risk service agreement, the contractor may be permitted to recover GG related expenditures incurred after license acquisition and possibly GG costs incurred before license acquisition Support equipment and facilities Cost of acquiring support equipment and facilities should be capitalized Any related depreciation or operating costs become an exploration, development or production cost, as appropriate. Entries: Db GG expense –depreciation Cr Accumulated Depreciation Db GG expense-operating costs Cr Cash Reprocessing Seismic How to account for cost of re-evaluation or reprocessing of the data? If the reprocessing relates to the search for oil then it should be accounted for according to SE provisions regarding prospecting and nondrilling exploration costs. If the purpose is to determine how best to develop the reserves in the field, then they should be capitalized as development costs. License acquisition costs Costs of evaluating business environment, signature bonus, negotiating, etc should be capitalized Entry: Db Intangible assets-unproved property Cr Cash Development and production bonuses If the payment is actually a deferred signing bonus, the appropriate accounting treatment is to capitalize the development bonus as a license acquisition cost. Accrue once the operations are apparently proceeding to the development phase. Entries: To record signature bonus: Db Intangible Assets – unproved property Cr Cash To transfer unproved property costs to proved due to commercial discovery: Db Proved property Cr unproved property To record accrual of production bonus: Proved property Cr production bonus payable To record payment of production bonus: Db Production bonus payable Cr Cash Internal costs relating to acquisition Can allocate capitalized costs to individual licenses acquired, on an acreage basis or an a potential licenses basis Costs of carrying and retaining unproved properties Costs relating to maintaining unproved properties be charged to expense as incurred Ex: delay rentals paid on lease mineral properties until specified work is commenced, property taxes, accounting costs, legal costs Impairment of unproved property Impairment has occurred if there is some indication that the capitalized cost of an unproved property is greater than the future economic benefits expected to be derived from the property. Under SE, loss should be realized. Negative GG data and dry holes would typically suggest that part of the property’s historical cost has expired and impairment should be recognized Db Impairment expense Cr Allowance for impairment FASB permits impairment of individually insignificant properties on a group basis. Apply the impairment percentage to the total cost of the group of individually insignificant unproved properties. This determines the desired balance in the allowance for impairment account. Next the difference between the current balance and the desired balance is recognized as impairment expense. Entry: Impairment Expense Cr Allowance for impairment, group basis Abandonment of unproved property Full abandonment: When an individually significant license area is abandoned, its net capitalized acquisition costs should be charged to surrender and abandonment expense Ex: Db Surrender and abandonment expense (equal to acquisition cost) Db Allowance for impairment (balance) Cr unproved property Partial Abandonment or Relinquishments If the partial abandonment reflects a diminishment in the company’s assessment of the future economic benefit of the property, then the entire  property should be assessed for additional impairment. Unproved property classification An unproved property should be reclassified to a proved property status if and when commercial reserves are discovered on the property. Ex: Db Tangible Assets- proved property (acquisition costs) Db Impairment Allowance (balance) Cr In tangible assets- unproved property Sales of unproved property If the property was individually significant, a gain or loss should be recognized on the sale. Ex: Db Cash (sale price) Db allowance for impairment (balance) Db/Cr(gain or loss) Cr unproved property If the property was individually insignificant, a gain should be recognized only if the selling price exceeds the original cost of the property. Loss recognition is not allowed. CHAPTER 5 Accounting for Exploratory Drilling and Appraisal Costs Under SE, general nondrilling exploratory costs are to be charged to expense as incurred; exploratory drilling type costs are initially capitalized. Exploratory Well- well drilled to find and produce oil or gas in an unproved area to find a new reservoir in a another reservoir or to extend a known reservoir. Stratigraphic test well- drilling effort to obtain information pertaining to a specific geological condition. â€Å"Exploratory type† if drilled in a proved area, â€Å"development type† if drilled in a proved area. Exploration well- well drilled to discover whether oil or gas exists in a previously unproved geological structure Appraisal well- well drill to determine the size, characteristics, and commercial potential of a reservoir by digging an exploratory well. Classifying Drilling costs Separate intangible drilling costs (IDC) from equipment costs. IDC deducted in year incurred for US tax law. Equipment costs may be depreciated over 7-10 years. Besides tax purposes, distinction has no significance Targeted Depth When evaluating after drilling : if commercial reserves have been discovered, the drilling in progress account balances are transferred to another type of  asset account that will be subject to depreciation The first successful exploratory well’s cost will be reclassified from an unproved to a proved property account If well is unsuccessful, plug and abandon hole and charges these costs to dry hole expense, net any equipment salvaged from well. If the license area is also relinquished, the net carrying value must be written off. Capitalized GG SE- GG costs are to be charged to expense as incurred. Current methods may capitalize 3D and 4D seismic methods used to determine drill sites. Time Limit on exploration and evaluation or appraisal costs In order for cost to be capitalized in SE, there must be identifiable future benefit. IF an exploratory wwell has found oil reserves in an area requiring major capital expenditure to be classified as proved. In this case, the cost of drilling the exploratory well shall continue to be carried as an asset as long as 1. The well has found a sufficient quantity of reserves to justify its completion and 2. Drilling of the additional wells is under way or planned for the near future All other wells, sshall not be carried as an asset for more than one year following completion of drilling Post-balance Sheet Period GAAP provisions that relate to information about conditions that existed at the balance sheet date or that became known after the end of the period but before the financial statements are issued. If well is determined dry, capitalized costs are written off to dry hole expense If commercial reserves are found, the capitalized drilling costs are transferred to the wells and equipment accounts All the capitalized costs of an exploratory well are typically reclassified as dry hole expense or as wells and related equipment Cost approval, budget and monitoring AFE- Authorization for expenditure CHAPTER 6 Drilling And Development Costs- US SE Development costs- costs incurred to obtain access to proved reserves and to  provide facilities for extracting, treating, gathering and storing the oil and gas. More specifically, development costs, including depreciation and applicable operating costs of support equipment and facilities and other costs incurred to: Gain access to and prepare well locations for drilling, including surveying, draining, road building, etc Drill and equip developmental wells, including costs of platforms Acquire, construct and install production facilities such as lease flow lines, separators, etc Provide improved recovery systems Development well- well drilled within the proved area of an oil or gas reservoir to the depth of a stratigraphic horizon known to be productive Service well- completed for the purpose of supporting production in an existing field. Development type stratigraphic well- stratigraphic test well drilled in a proved area Capitalization of Development-Related GG Exploration Costs Requires capitalization of GG in development activities. Unless it is performed on a development land area but to an unknown structure- expensed. If 3d seismic is being used to study the reservoir and perhaps where addition development wells should be drilled, theoretically the cost should be capitalized to the field as development cost. Overhead As a general rule, all GA is expensed, however where the company has a defined method for allocation is permitted to capitalize these costs as part of development Capitalization of Depreciation of Equip and Facilities Depending on nature, costs can be expensed or capitalized Capitalization of Financing Costs â€Å"Capitalization of Interest† requires that a portion of interest costs incurred during the construction phase of assets should be capitalized as a part of the cost of the self-constructed asset. Interest capitalization only applies to qualifying assets: 1. Assets that are constructed or otherwise produced for an enterprise’s own use 2. Assets intended for sale or lease that are constructed or otherwise produced as discrete projects (ships or real estate developments) Amount to interest to capitalize- the portion of  interest costs incurred during the period when the asset is being constructed that could have been avoided if the spending on the asset had not been made. Capitalization period shall begin when 3 conditions are met: Expenditures for asset have been made Activities that are necessary to get the asset ready for its intended use are in progress Interest cost is being incurred Once production begins- depreciate capitalized costs Sole Risk or Carried Interests If an asset requires a period of time in which to carry out the activities necessary to bring it to that condition and location, the interest cost incurred during that period as a result of expenditures for the asset is a part of the historical cost of acquiring the asset. â€Å" CHAPTER 9 Production Costs Costs of labor to operate the wells and related equipment and facilities Repairs and maintenance Materials, supplies, and fuel consumed and services utilized in operating the wells and related equipment and facilities Property taxes and insurance applicable to proved properties and wells and related equipment and facilities Severance taxes Depreciation, depletion and amortization Accounting for Production Costs All costs relating to production activities, including workover costs incurred solely to maintain or increase levels of production from an existing completion interval, shall be charged to expense as incurred. An expenditure that enhances original performance of the well should be capitalized Materials and supplies- capitalize if used in drilling or development. If used in repair or maintenance, they should be expensed. Recompletions- typically involve entering an existing well and deepening or plugging back in order to achieve production in a new formation or a zone in an existing formation. In a currently or previously producing formation or zone should be treated as an expense since the purpose is to restore  production without an increase in commercial reserves If the objective is to develop reserves in a new formation or find new reserves, the activity would be new drilling. (drilling costs could be exploratory or development rather than production) Costs should then be capita lized or expensed depending on SE or FC and on outcome of drilling Taxes (severance or production) should be expensed as production costs Crude Oil Production 1 Barrel = 42 gallons of oil at 60 degrees F API gravity (measure of density) of oil = the higher, the lighter the oil All crude contains BSW- basic sediments and water Disposition: outright sales, direct supply, indirect supply, exchanges, fraccers, or oil used in operations Gas measurement Measurement in mcf is affected by temperature., pressure, compressibility, gravity etc Standard pressure is 14.73 pounds per square inch at 60 degrees Fahrenheit Pre Acquisition Acquisition Exploratory Development Production List the four Oil Gas Agreements used on a worldwide basis and describe each one. 1. US Domestic lease agreement- an oil and gas lease grants to the oil and gas company the right and obligation to operate a property. This includes the right to explore for, develop and produce oil and gas from the property and also obligates the company to pay all costs. (Company is a working interest owner). All costs, all risk. Payment of a signature bonus to mineral rights owner or a royalty. 2. Concession agreement- encountered in operations outside the united states where the mineral rights owner is the local government. Sometimes the government is involved with a joint working interest. Payment of a bonus by the oil company to the government at the time the contract is signed. Payment of a royalty to the government. Responsible for paying all of the costs incurred in developing. 3. Risk service agreement- oil companies erform workovers aimed at restoring or stimulating production including application of current technology to currently producing fields. Bonus to national government at contract signing. Government retains ownership of reserve. Oil company incurs all costs and risks. Operating and capital costs incurred are recovered through payment of operating and capital fees. Government may participate in  operations as a working interest owner. 4. Production Sharing contracts- companies obtain the rights from the government to explore for, develop and produce oil and gas. Company pays bonus to national government at contract date. Pays royalties to government. Government maintains ownership of reserves. Companies incur all risk and costs. Company required to spend a predetermined amount of money, which is recoverable from future production. 2.) Describe the life cycle (Phases) of an Oil Gas Project. Include the Accounting Treatment (ie. Successful Efforts or Full Cost Pool) for each phase. 1. Pre-license prospecting- geological evaluation of relatively large areas before acquisition of petroleum rights. Analyzing GG data. Successful Efforts (SE) Method The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued FASB Statement No. 19 dealing with the successful efforts method. Under the SE method, costs incurred in searching for, acquiring, and developing oil and gas reserves are capitalized if they directly result in producing reserves. Costs which are attributable to activities that do not result in finding, acquiring, or developing specific reserves are charged to expense. The cost center for the SE method is a lease, field, or reservoir. The various types of costs are treated under the SE method as follows: 1. Acquisition Costs: They are capitalized to unproven property until proved reserves are found or until the property is abandoned or impaired (a partial abandonment). If adequate reserves are discovered, the property is reclassified from unproven property to proven property. For tax purposes, acquisition costs are handled the same way except the cost cannot be partially written off as an impairment expense. The property must be abandoned before any cost may be written off. 2. Exploration Costs: They are recorded in two different ways, depending upon the type of costs incurred. a. Nondrilling Costs: Examples of these type of costs are geological and geophysical (G G) costs, costs of carrying and retaining undeveloped properties, and dry hole and bottom hole contributions. These types of costs  are expensed as they are incurred. For tax purposes, nondrilling costs are capitalized to the applicable property. b. Drilling Costs: They are treated differently depending on whether the well drilled is classified as an exploratory well or a developmental well. An exploratory well is a well drilled in an unproven area. A developmental well is a well drilled to produce from a proven reservoir. 1) If an exploratory well is a dry hole, the costs incurred in drilling the well are expensed. If the exploratory well is successful, the costs incurred in drilling the well are capitalized to wells and related equipment and facilities. 2) The costs incurred in drilling developmental wells are capitalized to related equipment and facilities even if a dry hole is drilled. The costs associated with tangible well equipment and facilities are capitalized, regardless of the type of well drilled. For tax purposes, certain costs associated with such equipment are eligible for treatment as deductible IDC. Tax depreciation methods usually allow for a more accelerated rate of depreciation than book or financial depreciation. Also, book depreciation will be computed on 1-10the developmental dry holes and IDC which are capitalized for book purposes but expensed for tax purposes. Therefore, an M-1 adjustment will be required on the difference between the amount of book and tax depreciation. 3. Production Costs: These costs are expensed as incurred, which is the same treatment used for tax purposes. It should be noted, however, that many taxpayers erroneously expense overhead attributable to either acquisition or exploration activities as production costs. Overhead attributable to acquisition and exploration costs must be capitalized. 4. Depletion: This usually requires an M-1 adjustment. Although the cost depletion formula is the same for book and tax purposes, the amount for the basis used in the computation of cost depletion will vary due to the difference in capitalization. In addition, many taxpayers will be allowed to use a larger  percentage depletion deduction Full Cost Method Under the FC method, all costs incurred in exploring, acquiring, and developing oil and gas reserves in a cost center are capitalized. Geological and geophysical (G G) studies, successful and unsuccessful, are capitalized for book and financial purposes. For tax purposes, successful G G costs are capitalized and unsuccessful G G costs are expensed. An M-1 adjustment is required for the amount of unsuccessful G G costs expensed. Delay rental costs are capitalized for book and financial purposes. Exploratory dry hole costs are capitalized for book and financial purposes. For tax purposes, all dry hole costs (exploratory or developmental) are capitalized unless the taxpayer elects to expense them. Since most taxpayers expense these costs for tax purposes, an M-1 adjustment is required. Impaired or abandoned property costs remain capitalized in the cost center for book and financial purposes. For tax purposes, no deduction is allowed unless a property is totally worthless. An M-1 adjustment is required only when an abandonment is claimed for tax purposes. General and administrative costs which are not associated with acquisition, exploration, and development activities are expensed. However, overhead that can be associated with acquisition, exploration, and development activities is capitalized. The costs are handled the same way for tax purposes. Depletion usually will require an M-1 adjustment. In many instances, taxpayers may be able to claim a larger percentage depletion deduction in lieu of cost depletion. Even where cost depletion is claimed for book and financial purposes because of the different capitalization rules, the amount of cost depletion allowable will vary.

Use And History Of Song Backmasking Music Essay

Use And History Of Song Backmasking Music Essay Each one of us has his/her favorite song, different bands, and different genres. And upon listening to music, it gives us inspiration, relaxes our minds and let us release our emotions and tensions. But would you believe that in some music we hear and every song that we sing, there lies a hidden message that lies within its lyrics and sound. And the process of discovering those things is called Backward Masking or usually referred as Backmasking. It is done by playing a song reversely or reading the lyrics backward. A. History of Backmasking Song Backmasking began in 1966 when the band, Beatles used it in recording their album, Revolver (Sullivan, 1987). Album tracks like Tomorrow Never Knows, Im Only Sleeping and Rain were the songs that have used techniques of musique concrà ¨te in recording (Mugan, 2006). Musique Concrà ¨te is an avant-garde form of electronic music which involves editing together fragments of natural and industrial sounds; and the concurrent spread of the use of tape recorders in recording studios(White, 2007). After the Beatles used backmasking, artists in time also used it for enhancing the both analog and digital recording of their tracks, by producing comedic and satiric effect. Some artists used backmasking to censor some words and phrases for clean release of sounds (Sullivan 1987). II. Uses of Backmasking A. Satanic Backmasking Satanic Backmasking involved classic rock songs, but composers of these songs denied any intent to promote Satanism. Some bands use Satanic imagery just for commercial use, one of these is the trash metal band, Slayer. The band used it in their 1985 album Hell Awaits (UGO Networks, 2009), in that album a deep backmasked voice chants repeatedly Join us. But the bands vocalist, Tom Araya said that they used it just for solely for effect (Hellqvist, 1998). Also the band, Cradle of Filth used Satanic Imagery, and released a song entitled Dinner at Deviants Palace, that song consists weird sounds and reverse reading of the Lords Prayer (Corbin). B. Subliminal Messages Fundamentalist Christian groups said that Satan use music to influence people with the use of Subliminal Messages. Subliminal messages backmasked into rock music influence its listeners to commit crime (Pastor Gary Greenwald). In 1982, Minister Jacob Aranza wrote a book entitled Backward Masking Unmasked, in that book, it explains how backmasking is used to open the subconscious mind and introduce its listeners to Satanism and drugs (Holden, 1983). The subconscious mind is being successfully affected by the repetition of beat and lyrics being affected through a subliminal message (Mills, 1981). B1. Influence of Subliminal Messages Because of these subliminal messages, crimes had been committed. Serial killer Richard Ramirez, said that AC/DC music and he specified that the song Night Prowler on Highway to Hell provoked him to commit murder (Watkins). David John Oates, a reverse speech advocate said that the song Highway to Hell contains backmasked message Im the law, my name is Lucifer and she belongs in hell (Von Ulrich, 1997). Angus Young of AC/DC stated that You didnt need to play (the album) backwards, because we never hid (the messages). Wed call an album Highway to Hell , there it was right in front of them (Young and Young, 2004). In 1990, two men in Nevada committed suicide because of the songs of a British heavy metal band, Judas Priest. The lawsuit of their family stated that the 1978 album Stained Class contained a hidden messages , including a forward subliminal message Do it in the song Better By You, Better Than Me. The judge dismissed the case due lack of sufficient evidence of Judas Priest place ment of subliminal message on the album (Vokey). The members of the Judas Priest stated that if they insert subliminal messages in their song, all of their fans have died and instead of doing that, they would prefer to insert a subliminal command Buy more of our records (Van Taylor). C. Backmasking used for critical and too explicit message Another use of song backmasking is for critical or too explicit messages in a soundtrack. Frank Zappa is one example of artists who used backmasking to avoid critical or too explicit message. He used it in his song Hot Poop from his album, Were Only in It for the Money released in 1968. The side A of the album contains a backmasked message Better look around before you say you dont careà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦/ Shut your fà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.king mouth bout the length of my hairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦/ How would you survive / If you were alive / Shitty little person? . The verse originally came from the song Mother People, and was censored by Verve Records, so Zappa edited it, he reversed it, and insert in his album as Hot Poop (Pacholski). D. Backmasking used for Aesthetics Another use of backmasking is for aesthetics, which means to enhance the meaning of a track (Blecha). During the subliminal message trial of the band Judas Priest, its lead vocalist, Rod Halford admitted the recording of words In the dead of the night, love bites backwards in the song Love Bites that came from the album Defenders of Faith that was released in 1984. In an interview, he was asked why he recorded the message, Halford answered that When youre composing songs, youre always looking for new ideas, new sounds (Zwerin, 1999). Related from this technique is to reverse a whole instrumental track. Vocalist of the band Beatles, John Lennon wanted to do it in their song Rain but their producer, George Martin and bandmate, Paul McCartney disagree with him and cut the backward section to 30 seconds (Stevens, 2002). E. Backmasking used for Humorous and Parody message Backmasking is also used for hiding comedic or parodical message backwards in a song. In 1966, the B-side of Napoleon XIV s single Theyre Coming to take me Away Ha-Haaa! is a reverse version of the record entitled aaaH-aH, yawA em ekat ot gnimoC eryeht(Anonymous). Pink Floyd puts a backmasked message in the song Empty Spaces from 1979s The Wall, Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont/Roger! Carolynes on the phone! /Okay. This message refers to Syd Barrett, the former lead singer of the band who is thought to have suffered nervous breakdown years earlier (Patterson). F. Backmasking used for Censorship Backmasking is also used for censorship. It is used to censor words and phrases deemed inappropriate on radio edits and clean album releases. One example of this is The Fugees clean version of the album The Score it contains various backmasked profanities (Nelson, 1998), when the album is played backwards, the censored words are clearly heard in the backward gibberish (Anonymous, 2006). For example, the word shit, after it was backmasked it would give a sound ish, as a result ish became a euphemism for the word shit (Rader, 2002). III. Artists that were accused using Baskmasking According to Blecha, Arar, Poundstone, Deusner, Tetley and Searcey these are the artists who used backmasking: Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, Styx, AC/DC, Judas Priest, The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Starship, Black Oak Arkansas, Rush, Britney Spears and Eminem. Electric Light Orchestra or commonly called as ELO was accused of hiding satanic backmasked message in their album, Elorado that was released in 1974, the song entitled Elorado was said to contain the message He is the nasty one / Christ, you are infernal / It is said were dead men / Everyone who has the mark will live (Poundstone, 1983). Way back 1981, Styx was also accused of hiding a backmasked satanic message Satan move through our voices on their song Snowblind from their album Paradise Theatre (Holden, 1983). James Young, guitarist of the Styx, called the issue rubbish and stated that, If we want to make a statement, well do it in a way that people can understand us an d not in a way where you have to go out and buy a $400 tape player to understand us (Hoekstra, 1983). The famous of all is the Stairway to Heaven, 1971 song of the band, Led Zeppelin, the backward playing of a portion of the song results to a message Heres to my sweet Satan (Milner). The recording company, Swan Song Records gives a statement regarding the song, Stairway to Heaven, they said that Our turntables only play in one direction-forwards (Davis, 2007). And in an interview Robert Plant, vocalist of the band, Led Zeppelin denied the accusation, he said that To me its very sad, because Stairway To Heaven was written with every best intention, and as far as reversing tapes and putting messages on the end, thats not my dea of making music (Considine, 1983). IV. Comments of Society regarding the song Backmasking Christian Groups Christian websites have stated that backmasking is widely used to promote Satanism (Robinson). Dial-the-Truth Ministries, the web page of the Albama group argues for the satanic backmasking that lies in the song, Stairway to Heaven of Led Zeppelin saying that the contains a message, Its my sweet Satan Oh I will sing because I live with Satan (Watkins). Bible Believers, an Australian Christian group , quoted a statement from Backward Masking Unmasked, a book written by Jacob Aranza, about William Yarrolls proposal regarding the psychological effect of music to the subconscious: In the base of our brain, there is a check valve commonly known as Reticular Activating System. The left side of our brain is logical while the right side is creative, if the left side of our brain cannot decode the meaning of the strange word or phrase, the right side which is the creative one takes over and the message is acknowledge and stored. Parent Music Resource Center The Parent Music Resource Center is a committee formed by the American Government in 1985. Its main purpose is to increase parental control to the music selected by the children which may trigger violence and sexual suggestive (Anonymous). Dr. Joe Stuessy testified to the United States Congress at PMRC in 1985: Lyrics in some heavy metal music may be converted to subliminal, sometimes lower tracks are mixed with louder tracks and these lower tracks are heard by the subconscious mind and not the conscious the process of doing this is called backmasking. There is a disagreement between experts regarding the effect of subliminal. We need more research on that.

Remember The Titans Essay -- Movies, Film, Coach Herman Boone

In 1971 Coach Herman Boone replaced a popular, successful white coach at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, in that community's effort to finally integrate its schools. The school and community were angrily divided by the federal integration order, and the volatility of the situation was heightened by the abrupt demotion of Coach Yoast and Boone's promotion to Head Coach. In this movie Coach Boone is on a mission to try to get the white and black players to unite and play together as a team. He wanted the two races to become a team. Around that time, there was a lot of racism and a lot of schools were segregated, so the players obviously didn't get along with each other at first. A lot changed when Boone replaced Yoast for the head-coaching job for the Titans. The city had a hard time accepting the fact that the Titans now had a Black man as head coach. Coach Yoast agreed to be assistant coach and convince the white players to play with the black players. Now it was t ime for them to go to camp to see what they were really made of. They were ready for camp and ready to get on the bus. At first the busses were separated by Blacks and Whites, but Coach Boone didn't want that he wanted them to sit together. So one bus had the offensive players only and the other had defensive players only. He wanted the players to get along, so he sat one black player with one white player on each set of seats and told them that the player they sit with would be their roommate. It still didn't work out when they got to the camp. They still had their differences and wouldn't get along. When practices began they wouldn't have each other's back. The white player would miss a block just because the person he was blocking for was Whi... ...al speech about being a perfect team, and that got the team ready for the second half. He said "We aren't perfect but this team is perfect, because we haven't lost a game until now." Coach Yoast said, "I don't want the other team to gain another yard." He said that before the second half started. The Titans ended up winning the championship and it was a great success story. In this movie I learned that you can never be quick to judge people based on their color, or the way they look, because their look doesn't tell you if they are nice or good people. This movie teaches you great lessons about life and shows that it takes hard work to succeed and to make a good team. Chemistry is one of the key things. Everyone should get along, and there should be no conflict between teammates. I have also learned that you shouldn't judge someone based on the color of their skin.

Careers in the Operating System Field Essay -- Information Technology

The significance of the role of the Operation System (OS) in the overall Information Technology employment sector cannot be undervalued. Indeed, it is hard to talk about technical skill-sets or the practical application of such skill-sets without at least some underlying understanding of their context within a computer operating system environment. From hardware specifications and requirements, user technical support, system administration and security, to software development and system implementation, operating systems are an integral part of the information technology and computing world in all its aspects, and it is difficult to form a concrete demarcation between specialized careers in this industry and the concept of the computer operating system. Probably the most common thought of career position within the information technology arena that garners the most OS-centric job description specifics is that of the system administrator or network administrator. A system administrator is a person employed to maintain and operate a computer system or network for a company or other organization. The duties of a system administrator are wide-ranging, and vary widely from one organization to another. Sysadmins are usually charged with installing, supporting, and maintaining servers or other computer systems, and planning for and responding to service outages and other problems. Other duties may include scripting or light programming, project management for systems-related projects, supervising or training computer operators, and being the equivalent of a handyman for computer problems beyond the knowledge of technical support staff. Unlike many other professions, there is no single path to becoming a system administrator. Few co... ...roblems, I have found that the creative outlet offered by developing applications is much more satisfying to me in terms of my personal career development. I plan to re-enter the software application development job in the very near future, following graduation from RVCC. References The Enterprise Systems Staff (2006, August 8). 2006 ESJ Salary Survey, Part 1: Salaries Grow for All IT Staff Positions. Retrieved November 10, 2006, from http://esj.com/enterprise/article.aspx?EditorialsID=2052 The Salary Wizard Basic Report(2006, September). Retrieved November 10, 2006, from http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/swzl_compresult_national_IT10000135.html Salary Survey Report Job: Computer Technical Support Specialist(2006, November) Retrieved November 11, 2006, from http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Computer_Technical_Support_Specialist/Salary

Essay --

The Vietnam War was fought from December 1956 to April 1975 in the Indohchina region that encompasses Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. At its most basic level, it can be described as a war between the communist regime in North Vietnam, headed by Ho Chi Minh, with its sympathizers in the South and the Southern non-communist Vietnamese regime. Its roots can be traced back to the end of the Second World War, when Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh (nationalist communist party) seized power in formally French-controlled Vietnam after the Japanese occupants withdrew. France, unwilling to relinquish their power, sent troops into Indochina in order to regain their control. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh continued to consolidate his power through his Soviet and Chinese communist allies—employing tactics such as imprisonment, exile, and sometimes even murder to be rid of any political opposition or threats to his Communist regime. The struggle continued until the Vietnimh—with Chinese support in weapons and advising—took siege of the village Dien Bein Phu, where French troops were located. In May 1954, the Vietnamese successfully took the village, and soon after that the French left Indochina all together acknowledging their defeat. In the late 50s, South Vietnam was under control of Ngo Dinh Diem, who implemented a severe and brutal anti-Communist regime, leading to small collectives of communist revolutionaries, who eventually in 1959 were supported and aided materially by the North. Thus the Vietnam War as we know it today began. The Communist North, aided by Chinese and Soviet allies, fought battles with the anti-communist South, aided primarily by the U.S. Yet, how did the U.S. become involved so heavily in a war that seemed to have nothing to do with... ...relenting. It is argued that a fundamental difference between the experiences of Vietnam vets as opposed to veterans of other wars is that veterans of a war such as World War II, though still had a difficult time with what they did and witnessed, had a feeling that what they did in the war was significant and important beyond what they individually may have seen or done—there was a greater purpose to all of it (i.e. WWII stopping the Nazi invasion and terror). However, considering the turn the war in Vietnam took—how the U.S. public eventually protested strongly against it and its goals—that feeling was not always present for the surviving soldiers. This fact among the various other factors like the horrors and gruesomeness of the war contributes to the widespread psychological problems that plagued the veterans of the war long after they returned home to the U.S.

Thorn Queen Chapter Twenty-One

I woke up the next morning, lying on top of my covers, with sunlight streaming in through the eastern windows. It was barely sunrise, but already the air was warming up. It was, as the saying went, going to be a hot one. If I truly was connected with the land, I wondered what a heat wave said about my mood. Was it indicative of my preparedness for battle? I squinted up at the play of sunlight on the stone ceiling, unsure of that question, just like so many lately. With a sigh, knowing I needed to get up, I rolled over and came face-to-face with Kiyo. I yelped in surprise. His dark chocolate eyes were open, wide awake. I think he'd been watching me while I slept. He smiled that sexy, smoky smile of his, eyes crinkling slightly. He was bare-chested, clad only in navy blue boxers. â€Å"When did you get here?† I asked. â€Å"I didn't notice a thing.† â€Å"I know,† he said. â€Å"You were sleeping pretty heavy. Didn't even budge when I slid into bed.† He rested a hand on my hip and slid it along my bare leg. I'd fallen asleep in a T-shirt. Seeing his eyes and feeling his hand on my skin warmed something in me. Surely all would be right in the world-worlds, even-so long as I had Kiyo. There was just something so overwhelmingly strong and secure about him, a steadiness in the midst of that dangerous sex appeal. I reached out and touched the side of his face, a bit surprised at just how happy I was to have him here with me. â€Å"I didn't know for sure that you'd come,† I admitted. â€Å"Eugenie, how can you think that?† He continued stroking my leg, but his other arm pulled me close. â€Å"I said I would. I won't let you go into danger alone.† â€Å"I know you don't approve of some of the things I do. Roland doesn't. We had a huge fight.† Kiyo kissed my forehead, then my nose, and then my lips. â€Å"He's worried about you. I am too. But I understand what you have to do here and why you want to help these people.† I looked at him and felt something lighten up within me, some lonely and aching part that so desperately needed someone to get me. Before, I'd felt like Dorian could. I prayed Kiyo was able to as well. â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Yes.† He kissed me again, his mouth warm and searching. The hand that had been on my leg moved up to my breast. â€Å"I know what it's like to live in two worlds. You're brave and do what you think is right, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you,† he breathed in my ear. â€Å"Neither are any of the people gathered downstairs.† He moved his mouth back to mine, but I wiggled out. â€Å"Wai-what? Who's gathered?† He gave a half shrug, hands still roving over my body. â€Å"Everyone. Rurik's got the guards there. Jasmine's up and cuffed. Even Dorian's here.† I sat up. â€Å"Kiyo! We have to get downstairs then. We can't-ah.† He'd moved one hand up my inner thigh-up, up, and up. â€Å"We've got time.† â€Å"No†¦we†¦don't,† I managed as his fingers moved in and out of me. For a moment, I thought of how Dorian had done almost exactly the same thing, but then I shoved the memory away. â€Å"They're waiting†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Five minutes, Eugenie,† Kiyo murmured. His other hand shoved up my shirt, and he leaned down to kiss one of my breasts, slowly moving on to suck the nipple, harder and harder. I flinched slightly at the feel of his teeth, and he lifted his face up. â€Å"I've missed you, Eugenie, no matter what else you think. I've missed you and I love you.† He slid his fingers out of me, and I whimpered at their loss. He smiled. â€Å"And I think†¦I think maybe you missed me too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And with no other preamble, he rolled me over to my knees and moved up behind me. I don't know when his boxers came off, but suddenly, he was in me, hard and swollen and grunting with each thrust. I gripped the sheets with my fists, keeping my body arched for him so that he could take me even deeper. His hands clutched my hips, letting him bury himself as far as he could go. I moaned and tipped my head back, my body wanting to take more and more of him into me. Leaning his body over mine, he reached forward and managed to cup my breasts without breaking his rhythm. His fingers caressed them, thumbs rubbing against the erect nipples. The sensations in my body were dizzying, every piece of me feeling like it was on fire. At last he shifted back to his kneeling position and returned his hands to my hips, giving him the best position to fully take me. His strokes grew even harder and faster, shoving himself into me with such force that I could hear our bodies hitting each other. With a great groan, his nails dug into my hips and his whole body jerked as he came. Hands still tight on my hips, he held himself there for several moments, taking his full release. Finally, he pulled away and collapsed onto the bed. Flipping over, I sprawled beside him. â€Å"Okay,† I gasped. â€Å"Now I think I'm ready to fight some demons.† I don't think anyone really noticed that Kiyo and I had just had sex when we came downstairs. Mercifully, it didn't even rain. If anyone suspected anything, it was Dorian, with that uncanny way he had of reading people. The guards were drawn up in formation outside, but Dorian was in the parlor sipping tea with Shaya while Ysabel all but sprawled on his lap. Girard was there as well, testing the weight of Dorian's old sword while Dorian himself studied the drawing of the new sword. â€Å"Eugenie,† said Dorian, arching an eyebrow. â€Å"Don't you look radiant this morning. Why, you're positively glowing.† Ysabel scowled at his praise. â€Å"It's the leather,† I said, tugging self-consciously at my shirt. I'd argued against needing armor, but Shaya had nonetheless obtained a sleeveless top for me made of lightweight leather, good for deflecting blades. It wasn't porn-star leather or anything, but it wasn't something I was used to. â€Å"And this,† Dorian continued, pointing to the drawing, â€Å"is exquisite. Thank you.† â€Å"What is it?† asked Kiyo. â€Å"A sword from legends. One to slay evildoers everywhere. Eugenie's having it made for me.† Kiyo gave me a wordless look that was nonetheless full of questions. â€Å"It's a thank-you gift. Dorian's done me a lot of favors lately,† I explained. â€Å"I assure you,† said Dorian straight-faced. â€Å"I take as much joy in the giving as you do in the receiving.† â€Å"Okay,† I said hastily. â€Å"Are we good to go? I saw the guards out there. I'd like this done sooner rather than later.† The biggest impediment turned out to be Ysabel, who threw her arms around Dorian and begged him to be careful. He patted her hastily on the shoulder, assuring her he'd be fine. His eyes were impatient, though, and he didn't look back when he strode out with the rest of us. Poor Ysabel. I was almost starting to feel bad for her, despite her hopes that I wouldn't come back. She really was nothing more than a bed warmer to Dorian, and while most of his women knew that, she just couldn't accept it. Jasmine was ready as well, still bound and looking angry. Volusian was with us, and he had standing orders to subdue her if she tried anything-which I felt pretty sure she would. Unfortunately, I also needed Volusian to fight demons, which meant he couldn't watch her all the time. None of us could, and I was going to have to do some tricky maneuvering to keep the gun on her while still attempting banishing. Kiyo frowned disapprovingly when he saw her, more so when she had to be helped on to her horse. â€Å"This is wrong, Eugenie,† he said softly, once we were all riding. He was going in human form today. â€Å"Which part? Bringing her or keeping her prisoner?† â€Å"I don't like any of it.† â€Å"What happened to you saying you understood the choices I have to make?† I hissed. â€Å"Was that just to score sex?† Dorian had ridden up on my other side. I had no doubt he'd heard the sex comment, but he didn't acknowledge it. â€Å"How would you suggest she handle it then? Let the girl go?† â€Å"No,† Kiyo said, giving Dorian a dark glance. â€Å"But there are more humane ways of dealing with her.† â€Å"I gave Jasmine her own room and got her better cuffs! What else can I do?† I asked. â€Å"I don't know,† admitted Kiyo. â€Å"Then don't criticize if you can't offer a solution,† said Dorian. â€Å"It's easy to want peace and love in hypothetical situations-then reality sets in, and sometimes we have to do what's ugly.† â€Å"I don't recall asking for your input here,† snapped Kiyo. â€Å"As it is, Eugenie, you've got a hard choice ahead.† Dorian was speaking like Kiyo wasn't even there. â€Å"What are you going to do when you've finally taken care of this rabble? What will you do with the prisoners?† I shrugged. â€Å"Send them off to work details.† â€Å"Even their leader, Cowan? The one who summons these demons? Surely you don't want him out and about, even if it is digging ditches.† â€Å"Don't listen to him,† said Kiyo. â€Å"He's baiting you. There are prisons, even in the Otherworld. You can send him there if he survives.† â€Å"A charming act of mercy, no doubt,† mused Dorian. â€Å"One that will terrify future enemies.† â€Å"I'm not going to kill everyone who gets in my way,† I exclaimed. â€Å"I'm not my father, no matter how much you want me to be.† â€Å"I wouldn't quite say that's what I want,† chuckled Dorian. â€Å"But as a leader, you need to make examples sometimes.† â€Å"Mercy's not a horrible thing,† I argued. â€Å"Storm King never showed any,† said Kiyo. â€Å"Indeed,† agreed Dorian. â€Å"And I just want to make sure his daughter doesn't show too much. You aren't the only one who protects her, master kitsune. We all just do it in different ways.† â€Å"Enough,† I ordered. Rurik was drawing the group to a halt up front, meaning it was time to go on foot. I was grateful, seeing as I was getting sick of listening to Kiyo and Dorian's pissing contest. Just like before, we went on foot, the whole experience giving me a strange sense of deja vu, even though the bandits had changed location. I also had odd recollections of the time I'd defeated Aeson. Dorian and Kiyo had been with me then, about as thrilled to be with each other as they were now. Shaya had been there too, but Rurik had nearly had a fit when she offered today, and I couldn't help but recall Girard's words. I certainly hadn't had an army at my back when we'd gone after Aeson. Rurik sent men with a knack for moving stealthily to scope out the camp and dispatch any enemy scouts. The waiting made me restless, and a tense silence settled over everyone. I glanced at Jasmine, still bound. I wouldn't uncuff her until the last possible moment and still didn't trust her. â€Å"You know what you have to do?† I asked her. She'd been staring off thoughtfully at the guards ahead, taking in the sloped land and scattered pines. Probably planning her escape, I thought ruefully. Like before, these brigands had chosen the best cover they could find in this barren land. She turned to me, immediately putting on her standard scowl. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And you know what'll happen if you try anything?† â€Å"Yes.† Pure malice looked at me from her eyes. â€Å"Good,† I said, shifting my hold on the gun. Her eyes flicked briefly to it, and if it scared her, she made a good show of still looking defiant. â€Å"I hope you hold true to your word,† murmured Dorian, walking up to me. â€Å"Stop poisoning her,† growled Kiyo. â€Å"And both of you let me make my own decisions,† I said. The scouts returned shortly thereafter, giving us the all-clear. We headed toward the encampment, circling it and descending in full force. Thankfully, no one announced our presence, and we had a brief element of surprise before the bandits mobilized. I unfastened Jasmine's cuffs, hoping I wasn't making a mistake. My right hand firmly held the gun against her back-holding it to her head had seemed a little too cruel-while the left held my wand poised and ready. Kiyo and the other fighters were going in for the hand-to-hand combat while the other magic users and I stayed back and waited-not that I intended to use magic today. I was strictly in shamanic banishing mode. And there they were. A deep swell of magic permeated the air, and fiery forms materialized on the far side of the camp. I saw Rurik's gaze travel to the spot they'd come from, his attention not on the demons but on what was potentially the demons' summoner. Circling around, he headed toward that area. The demons were my job. I nudged Jasmine with the gun. â€Å"Do your thing. Volusian-attack.† I held my breath, wondering what Jasmine would do. A moment later, I felt magic well up in her, a magic similar to my own but with a slightly different feel. Some part of my brain tried to grasp it, hoping I could learn it for later. The rest of me watched as there was a ripple in the air-an opening to the Underworld. Two forms stepped out from the slash in our world. Much like the water elemental from the other night, these two demons were composed of water, sloshing with each step yet maintaining a solid form. They were bigger than the elemental, though, adorned with horns and glowing yellow eyes. â€Å"Only two?† I exclaimed. â€Å"There are five of the others!† Jasmine didn't respond but held up her hand like a conductor drawing a powerful note from her musicians. For a heartbeat, I wondered if the water demons would come charging toward us. They didn't. Their attention turned to the fire demons, their ancient enemy from the Underworld. Nearby, Dorian was wielding magic of his own, ripping up the earth from underneath the fire demons so that they stumbled and sank into great holes, making them easy prey. â€Å"Demons aren't that easy to summon,† he said in her defense, eyes on his handiwork. â€Å"In fact, this will be it for the fire demons. There's no way that man can summon any more. I'd be surprised if he's still conscious.† Well, that was something. Jasmine's servants had two of the fire demons in a deadlock, which meant none of them were going after my people. Volusian was making good work on one of the demons as well, though the other two were rampaging forward. It was time for me to step up. I drew up the human power I'd used my entire life, the power that was based on will and not emotion like gentry magic. My wand focused it, and I sent it out toward one of the loose fire demons, encircling him and summoning up the strength of Persephone to open up a way to the Underworld and suck him back. He sensed the banishment happening, and I felt his power surge as he tried to fight it. I steeled up my own strength, and what seemed like a land mine suddenly went off near him, showering him in dirt and rock as he stumbled. Thank you, Dorian. The Underworld opened up, and the demon dissolved back to his domain, unable to fight my strength. And like the last time I'd fought these guys, the power required for that banishing took a lot out of me. Surveying the rest of the battle, I saw with pleasant surprise that one of Jasmine's water demons had defeated a fire demon. That water demon had then joined his partner, and it appeared as though they would make quick work of their target. Kiyo and the other soldiers were doing a good job of killing or subduing the rest of the bandits. I turned back to the fire demons, assessing my next strategy. One was unengaged and starting to move toward my soldiers. This banishment was going to be harsh. I drew up all my strength and repeated the process, calling out to Persephone and reciting the words to send the demon back to the Underworld. It distracted him from my soldiers, and he started lumbering toward me. Fuck. â€Å"He. Is. Coming,† said Jasmine stiffly. I couldn't see her face with my gun to her back but got the impression she was as strained as I was. â€Å"Yeah, I kind of noticed.† He was pushing back at me with his own strength of will. I clenched my teeth. No, no. I am stronger. I am Storm King's daughter. I needed another distraction to slip him up, but everyone else was busy. Dorian's attention was on the demon that Volusian battled. That demon was moderately stronger than my minion, but seeing that Volusian couldn't really die†¦well, it made it hard to destroy him. So, neither was gaining ground until Dorian used some of his magic to attack the demon with a nearby chunk of rock, letting Volusian move in for the kill. My demon was still approaching, and I needed a distraction of my own. Iron didn't dampen my powers anywhere near as much as it did Jasmine's, but it could sometimes affect me a little. I could still work my gentry powers while in contact with it, but it was easier without. In an act I was certain I'd regret, I dropped the gun and immediately called upon my storm magic. I would have given anything to blast this demon with lightning, but that was still beyond my control. Instead, I reached up toward the sky, calling on water and air. To my astonishment, I was able to bind them together. Thick, leaden clouds formed, whirling into a weak funnel cloud that descended on the demon. It was the most powerful force of weather I'd ever-consciously-summoned, and it knocked the demon over. I couldn't maintain my hold on it, and the ministorm dissipated instantly. It was enough, though, and I sent out the banishing before he could respond. It felt like my insides were being ripped out, but I manag ed it, kicking him out of this world. Gasping and woozy, I looked around, realizing there were no more demons left-well, no fire demons at least. The water demons, victorious, were still there-and they were charging toward us. Shit. I realized then what I'd potentially unleashed. I cuffed Jasmine on the shoulder, nearly knocking her over, and reached for my gun. â€Å"I warned you not to try anything,† I cried, pointing the gun at her. â€Å"Send them away!† â€Å"It's not me,† she exclaimed back. â€Å"I can't control them!† Stepping forward, I got a good look at her face. She was covered in sweat, skin pale. Dorian had said demon summoning was hard, and the full weight of what I'd done hit me. She'd summoned them but no longer had the power to control them. I had no more strength left for banishing, but I could feel Jasmine still trying to work her magic, weak as it now was. It was impossible to sense every part of what someone else was doing with their magic, but I got a strong feel for hers. These creatures were bound to water. They were part of my domain. Doing my best to mimic her, I joined my strength to hers, sending commands through my magic, willing them to leave this world. They were nearly on us, and I almost laughed at the irony as my own death approached. Then, suddenly, I felt my magic sync up perfectly with Jasmine's. Control of the demons slipped into place, and they froze. Together, she and I ordered them back, and there was a tear in the fabric of space, an opening to the Underworld. It was almost like a banishing, but not quite. The demons were willingly-well, with our urging-returning, and our magic helped them with the passage. A moment later, they dissolved from our world. After that, I felt like I'd run a marathon. Every part of me ached and was wearied. Yet, as bad as I was, Jasmine was worse. â€Å"I guess blood really is thicker than water,† she whispered in a very bad attempt at a joke. She swayed on her feet, eyes rolling back in her head, and then she collapsed. I barely managed to catch her in my own weakened state, but then stronger arms took hold. Kiyo. He barely had a scratch, and relief poured through me. â€Å"Thanks.† He lifted her easily into his arms. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"Fine,† I said, looking down at my sister-who hadn't betrayed me after all. â€Å"She's bad, though. Get her to a healer.† Kiyo hesitated, not wanting to leave me. Then, he gave a quick nod and loped off in that way that was half-human and half-wild animal. Looking around, I saw that the others were rounding up the remaining rabble. My losses looked light. Rurik was leading a man who seemed to be in the same shape as Jasmine. The demon summoner. Dorian was with Rurik and gave me a quick glance. I knew what was in the look. Kill the summoner or not? I gave a sharp shake of my head. Dorian grimaced and then turned back to help Rurik with his prisoner. No one seemed to notice or need me, and I sank gratefully to the ground, waiting for my strength to return. I wondered if I'd be able to call up the magic again that I had used with Jasmine. Trying to piece it together seemed like too much work now, and I contented myself with watching my people work. Then, out of my peripheral vision, I saw movement. I stood up and looked far to my side, toward a stony bluff covered in cacti. A face peered out at me and then ducked back. I knew the face. It was the scarred gentry who'd come to my house the other night. With no further thought, I started to hurry after him. Then, to my astonishment, I paused and did what Rurik would have wanted. A couple of my soldiers were lingering nearby. â€Å"Hey, come here,† I called, gesturing. They immediately followed as I set off at a brisk pace, moving as fast as I could to reach the bluff. When I turned around the side of it, I saw no sign of the gentry warrior I sought. The ground rose sharply here, beginning to turn into foothills reminiscent of the ones near my house in Tucson. The vegetation was thicker, though still a far cry from a true forest. It was mostly cacti, shrubs, and scraggly trees. Going up the small hill was a narrow path, and on impulse, I headed up it in search of my prey. The footsteps of my soldiers sounded behind me, their boots crunching in the gravel. Who was that guy? And why was he here now? Was he one of the bandits? I hadn't seen him in the fight. Was he some sort of spy, perhaps, which was why he'd come to my house and- Snick. Snick. Two arrows came out of nowhere as we reached the crest of a hill. Each one hit one of my soldiers in the chest, dropping them to the ground. I came to a screeching halt, waiting for my arrow, peering around the trees for the mystery gentry to reveal himself. But he didn't. Art did. He smiled, stepping forward. â€Å"Eugenie, nice to see you again. You've been very busy around here, I hear.† He waved vaguely toward where I'd come from, though my people were nowhere in sight. Eugenie, I thought, you are a fucking moron. Beyond Art, I saw the gentry I'd chased emerge from the cover, along with two others-all wearing leather armor like Jasmine had described. They carried bows and wore red shirts under the armor. â€Å"Roland called me last night and nearly bit my head off about getting you involved in gentry politics.† Art shook his head, amused. â€Å"I wonder what he'd say if he only knew just how involved you were-your majesty.† I was exhausted as hell and devoid of magic. But-I was still human and not without human implements. The gun was still in my hand, and I jerked it up toward him. I needed to distract him until some of my own people came. Fuck. I shouldn't have come rushing up this hill, even if I had had the sense to bring some backup. The question now was, would the rest of my people notice I was gone? Usually, I could hardly step outside the castle's door without a dozen people in tow. Art tsked me. â€Å"Would you really do it? Would you really kill one of your own kind? Or are we even your own kind?† Magic suddenly filled the air-familiar magic. Shamanic magic. It encircled me like fog, thick and heavy. Forgetting Art, I turned abruptly around, toward the sound of words being chanted-words I knew by heart. Abigail was standing there, wand in hand. And so help me, she was banishing me. I felt her will shove up against mine, just as I'd grappled with the demons. The world around me began to tear open as a vortex started to pull my essence apart. I fought it, fought it with every ounce of strength I had-but there was just none left to give. When it came to traveling the worlds, crossroads and gateways were the way to go. They made for a smooth transition. Or, one could travel like I often did, journeying to some item imbued with your essence, an item that couldn't help but draw your soul to it. And rarely, if you had the strength, you could tear open a gateway by force and shove your way into another world. That wasn't recommended. It hurt like hell. And essentially, that's what a banishing was-only it wasn't your choice. It was someone ripping you out of the world and shoving you into another. I felt the fabric of this world open up, felt the unstoppable pull of another. I couldn't fight it. I tried. I kicked, I screamed, but I was too weak. I felt like I was shattering into a million pieces, sucked into a whirlwind and then, I was gone.