Types of inflation and the rate of Bangladesh

Types of inflation and the rate of Bangladesh In 1990 the inflation rate was highest rate 10.522 which average 20.47% after that from 1991 to 1993 the rate was going down slowly like (-21.26, -56.26, -17.80) In 1995 the rate was going little high like but that rate was not recover before rates. In 1996 the rate was again straight going down. From the 1997 to 1998 the rate was going up. After 1999 to 2001 the rate was again going down, and than the rate was going up on 2007. And the last 2 years (2008-2009) the inflation rate of Bangladesh was going down. Task 02: A) Inflation: Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. When the price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation is also erosion in the purchasing power of money  ¿Ã‚ ½ a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy. A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index (normally the Consumer Price Index) over time. B) Explanation: This area of economics has probably given rise to one of the most significant macroeconomic debates in recent history. There are essentially two causes of inflation.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Cause of Demand Pull Inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Cause of Cost Push Inflation Cause of Demand Pull Inflation Demand is influenced almost entirely by the amount of money in the economy, namely the money supply. They argue that inflation is caused by the amount of money in the economy and hence the spending power of the population exceeding the capacity of the country to produce goods and services. Increased money supply will lead to increases in spending through transmission mechanisms and this will invariably create a situation where aggregate demand for goods and services exceeds the aggregate supply resulting in demand pull inflation. This is shown by the shift of the short-run aggregate demand curve in the diagram below. Cause of Cost Push Inflation When firms costs increase they will raise their prices in order to maintain the real value of their profits. This will result in the real incomes of the owners of the factors of production e.g. wages, falling. In an attempt to maintain their real income labour will demand higher money wages and this will in turn raise costs. This is often referred to as cost push inflation and may be caused by:  ¿Ã‚ ½ Increases in factor prices e.g. oil price increase.  ¿Ã‚ ½ An increase in wage settlements in excess of any increase in productivity.  ¿Ã‚ ½ A devaluation or depreciation of currency leading to an increase in import prices.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Interest rate increases will increase the cost of borrowing.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Indirect taxation or the removal of subsidies. As in the diagram below. The Keynesian Argument They argue that keeping a tight control over money supply so as to control spending is highly questionable. They argue that increases in money supply will lead to increases in spending and providing there are unemployed resources firms will increase output in response. Finally they argue that basing economic problems, how do you actually go about controlling the amount of money. In a world where there many ways in which people can borrow money, can monetary policy successfully control the amount available for spending? The Monetarist View of Inflation Monetarists put forward two possible explanations of inflation. Firstly they recognise that increases in aggregate demand may lead to demand pull inflation. Increases in spending in excess of the full employment level of output will create shortages (overheating) and firms will raise their prices. This can be shown by a shift of the aggregate demand curve to the right. Task 03: A) Under the bed, Not a safe place for your savings My money at home is a high risk strategy, as most household insurance policies will only cover a limited amount of cash. The total value of Bank of England banknotes in circulation continues to rise, but their use in transactions is falling gradually. Most of all, furthermore, keeping your savings in cash will also mean that you are slowly losing money. Holding physical cash gives no protection against inflation, which official consumer prices index figures put at 1.5%. This means that in order to maintain the purchasing power of your hard earned money it needs to be attracting an interest rate of at least inflation, preferably plus whatever tax you pay. B) This was a predictable Budget which did nothing to simplify the tax regime so businesses are in for another heavy Finance Bill. May be it can increase the rate of interest. Every month it should be multi more rather than main money. C) It was tough to pay the leant money. If you lent money through Prosper back then, when most of its loans were extended, there ¿Ã‚ ½s a very high chance that you ¿Ã‚ ½ve lost money  ¿Ã‚ ½ in some cases, a lot of money.  ¿Ã‚ ½Of investors with a portfolio of loans that are an average of at least two years old, ¿Ã‚ ½ notes Gimein,  ¿Ã‚ ½folks who have lost money outnumber those who ¿Ã‚ ½ve earned 6 percent annual return by more than six to one. ¿Ã‚ ½ One of the big problems that Prosper ran into  ¿Ã‚ ½ the massive credit crunch and the ensuing Great Recession  ¿Ã‚ ½ could reasonably be considered to be a one-off event with a low likelihood of happening again. But another is endemic to the model: Prosper borrowers with a given FICO score are inevitably going to be more likely to default on their debts than most other people with the same credit score. It wasn ¿Ã‚ ½t meant to be that way. Peer-to-peer lending was meant to create a personal connection between borrower and lender, and therefore make borrowers more likely to repay their debts than people faced with large obligations to hated, faceless banks. But it seems that adverse selection effects overwhelmed the site ¿Ã‚ ½s attempts to be warm and fuzzy. Task 04: A) Inflation is a sustained rise in the average prices of goods within an economy; it can also be seen as a change in the purchasing power of money. Inflation can normally be divided into two types ¿Ã‚ ½ cost-push and demand-pull. Cost-push happens when prices are pulled up by rising costs, demand-pull happens when demand outstrips supply and prices will therefore have to rise to accommodate this. Monetarists argue that inflation is caused increases in the money supply, the total amount of money circulating in the economy at one time. This is as the believe that any increase in the money supply which is not in line with the growth in output of the economy will lead to inflation. If the money supply was increased in the short-run then consumer spending. When you introduce money into circulation out of nowhere, it lessens the value of everyones money. It is in everybodys best interest, then, to keep inflation low. In Germany after WW1, they purposefully hyper-inflated their money. People were bringing money into stores in wheelbarrows just to buy daily groceries. They used money to fuel the fire and even used it as toilet paper, because it was virtually worthless. We want to tackle inflation because we dont want that to happen. B) Cost Push Inflation Cost-push inflation occurs when businesses respond to rising production costs, by raising prices in order to maintain their profit margins. There are many reasons why costs might rise: Rising imported raw materials costs perhaps caused by inflation in countries that are heavily dependent on exports of these commodities or alternatively by a fall in the value of the pound in the foreign exchange markets which increases the UK price of imported inputs. Higher indirect taxes imposed by the government  ¿Ã‚ ½ for example a rise in the rate of excise duty on alcohol and cigarettes, an increase in fuel duties or perhaps a rise in the standard rate of Value Added Tax or an extension to the range of products to which VAT is applied. Demand Pull Inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ A reduction in direct or indirect taxation. If direct taxes are reduced consumers have more real disposable income causing demand to rise. A reduction in indirect taxes will mean that a given amount of income will now buy a greater real volume of goods and services.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Rising consumer confidence and an increase in the rate of growth of house prices  ¿Ã‚ ½ both of which would lead to an increase in total household demand for goods and services  ¿Ã‚ ½ Faster economic growth in other countries  ¿Ã‚ ½ providing a boost to UK exports overseas. In the first diagram the SRAS curve is drawn as non-linear. In the second, the macroeconomic equilibrium following an outward shift of AD takes the economy beyond the equilibrium at potential GDP. This causes an inflationary gap to appear which then triggers higher wage and other factor costs. The effect of this is to cause an inward shift of SRAS taking real national output back towards a macroeconomic equilibrium at Yfc but with the general price level higher than it was before. Task 05: A) Supply-Side Economics: The term  ¿Ã‚ ½supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is used in two different but related ways. Some use the term to refer to the fact that production (supply) underlies consumption and living standards. In the long run, our income levels reflect our ability to produce goods and services that people value. Higher income levels and living standards cannot be achieved without expansion in output. Virtually all economists accept this proposition and therefore are  ¿Ã‚ ½supply siders. ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½Supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is also used to describe how changes in marginal tax rates influence economic activity. Supply-side economists believe that high marginal tax rates strongly discourage income, output, and the EFFICIENCY of resource use. B) Supply-Side Factors Bangladesh ¿Ã‚ ½s Factors: ? Rising world food prices The economy of Bangladesh is dependent on imports for most of the essential food items. Any increase in international prices is, therefore, expected to be passed on to domestic prices through the import channel. We notice a secular increase in the prices of four major food items (rice, wheat, soybean oil and sugar) in the international market during 2003-2007 (Table 3). Since Bangladesh is an import ¿Ã‚ ½dependent small economy, a positive relationship is expected to exist between world food prices and domestic inflation. As the weight of food items in the consumption is 58.84 percent at the national level, rising world food prices would influence overall inflation in Bangladesh. ? Changes in diesel prices Global oil prices have been rising steadily having macroeconomic impact on our economy. Recently, UNDP (2007) has rated Bangladesh as one of the high oil price vulnerable countries. However, two factors are pertinent to assess the impact of oil price change on inflation. Firstly, the current regime of administered pricing of petroleum products1 has involved significant lags in adjusting to world prices. Secondly, the existing construction of CPI excludes diesel, which constitutes more than 60 percent of total annual import of petroleum products. Consequently, its major impact is indirect through transport fares and irrigation costs. From Figure 5, we observe that generally every hike in diesel price is followed by a rising trend of point-to point inflation in one to three months lag. 1 The pass-through coefficient of diesel is 0.43 meaning that 43 percent of diesel price increase has been passed on to consumers (UNDP, 2007). ? Exchange rate fluctuations Among supply-side factors, exchange rate is found to be significant in explaining inflation in Bangladesh. A depreciation of exchange rate translates into a rise in the cost of imported commodities by making foreign goods more expensive, and thus induces an increase in the domestic price level. There is a close association between exchange rate fluctuations and inflation. Since the adoption of a floating exchange rate regime in May 2003, any depreciation of the exchange rate has been associated with a pickup in inflation by increasing the prices of imported goods. It is evident from Figure 6 that Bangladesh Taka shows a depreciating trend while Indian Rupee displays an appreciating trend during the period from FY98 to FY07. The depreciation of Taka makes imported commodities more expensive having bearing on the domestic price level. United Kingdom ¿Ã‚ ½s Factor: Supply side policies are govt measures to increase productivity in the economy and therefore shift LRAS to the right. Supply side policies usually involve reducing blockages to the free market or overcoming market failure. The key macroeconomic objectives of the govt include low inflation, low unemployment, increasing the sustainable rate of economic growth and minimising the balance of payments disequilibrium. Privatisation and deregulation were an important supply side policy of the 1980s; they involved selling state owned assets to the private sector and increasing competition within markets. Private companies have a profit incentive to cut costs and be more efficient. Greater competition also causes lower prices and more efficient methods of production, as firms compete for customers. This has enabled lower prices and greater productivity in some industries. However, this policy has been relatively unsuccessful in industries such as Rail and water because they are a natural monopoly and it is difficult to introduce competition into these industries Another example of supply side policies is education and training, if these policies are adopted then it enables higher labour productivity and improved economic performance. However, this policy may be subject to govt failure; for example, the govt may have poor information and set up inappropriate schemes which do not benefit workers Task 06: Economics The risk of inflation Contents:  ¿Ã‚ ½ Inflation rate of Bangladesh  ¿Ã‚ ½ Definition of inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Impacts of inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Controlling inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Supply side economics  ¿Ã‚ ½ Source of reference Inflation rate of Bangladesh since 1990 to 2009: In 1990 the inflation rate was highest rate 10.522 which average 20.47% after that from 1991 to 1993 the rate was going down slowly like (-21.26, -56.26, -17.80) In 1995 the rate was going little high like but that rate was not recover before rates. In 1996 the rate was again straight going down. From the 1997 to 1998 the rate was going up. After 1999 to 2001 the rate was again going down, and than the rate was going up on 2007. And the last 2 years (2008-2009) the inflation rate of Bangladesh was going down. Definition of inflation: Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. When the price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation is also erosion in the purchasing power of money  ¿Ã‚ ½ a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy. A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index (normally the Consumer Price Index) over time. Impacts of inflation: Keeping your savings in cash will also mean that you are slowly losing money. Holding physical cash gives no protection against inflation, which official consumer prices index figures put at 1.5%. This means that in order to maintain the purchasing power of your hard earned money it needs to be attracting an interest rate of at least inflation, preferably plus whatever tax you pay. If you lent money through Prosper back then, when most of its loans were extended, there ¿Ã‚ ½s a very high chance that you ¿Ã‚ ½ve lost money  ¿Ã‚ ½ in some cases, a lot of money.  ¿Ã‚ ½Of investors with a portfolio of loans that are an average of at least two years old, ¿Ã‚ ½ notes Gimein,  ¿Ã‚ ½folks who have lost money outnumber those who ¿Ã‚ ½ve earned 6 percent annual return by more than six to one. ¿Ã‚ ½ One of the big problems that Prosper ran into  ¿Ã‚ ½ the massive credit crunch and the ensuing Great Recession  ¿Ã‚ ½ could reasonably be considered to be a one-off event with a low likelihood of happening again. But another is endemic to the model: Prosper borrowers with a given FICO score are inevitably going to be more likely to default on their debts than most other people with the same credit score. It wasn ¿Ã‚ ½t meant to be that way. Peer-to-peer lending was meant to create a personal connection between borrower and lender, and therefore make borrowers more likely to repay their debts than people faced with large obligations to hated, faceless banks. But it seems that adverse selection effects overwhelmed the site ¿Ã‚ ½s attempts to be warm and fuzzy. Controlling inflation: A) Inflation is a sustained rise in the average prices of goods within an economy; it can also be seen as a change in the purchasing power of money. Inflation can normally be divided into two types ¿Ã‚ ½ cost-push and demand-pull. Cost-push happens when prices are pulled up by rising costs, demand-pull happens when demand outstrips supply and prices will therefore have to rise to accommodate this. Monetarists argue that inflation is caused increases in the money supply, the total amount of money circulating in the economy at one time. This is as the believe that any increase in the money supply which is not in line with the growth in output of the economy will lead to inflation. If the money supply was increased in the short-run then consumer spending. When you introduce money into circulation out of nowhere, it lessens the value of everyones money. It is in everybodys best interest, then, to keep inflation low. Supply side economics: The term  ¿Ã‚ ½supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is used in two different but related ways. Some use the term to refer to the fact that production (supply) underlies consumption and living standards. In the long run, our income levels reflect our ability to produce goods and services that people value. Higher income levels and living standards cannot be achieved without expansion in output. Virtually all economists accept this proposition and therefore are  ¿Ã‚ ½supply siders. ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½Supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is also used to describe how changes in marginal tax rates influence economic activity. Supply-side economists believe that high marginal tax rates strongly discourage income, output, and the EFFICIENCY of resource use. Source of Reference: Task 01: ? http://www.indexmundi.com/bangladesh/inflation_rate_(consumer_prices).html Task 02: ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation ? http://www.bized.co.uk/virtual/dc/copper/theory/th17.htm Task 03: ? http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/savings-and-banking/ask-an-expert/article.html?in_article_id=495492in_page_id=111 ? By Self ? http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/01/19/the-problem-with-peer-to-peer-lending/ Task 04: ? http://blog.economics4development.com/how-to-tackle-inflation ? http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100611143716AAzABWG ? http://www.blurtit.com/q929238.html ? http://tutor2u.net/economics/gcse/revision_notes/big_picture_inflation_remedies.htm ? http://tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/a2-macro-causes-of-inflation.html Task 05: ? http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/SupplySideEconomics.html ? http://bdeconassoc.org/userfiles/pdf/27%20Sources%20of%20Inflation%20in%20Bangladesh-%20Nasiruddin%20Ahmed.pdf ? http://www.economicshelp.org/macroeconomics/as-essays/supply-side-policies-improving-econ.html

Blood Promise Chapter Three

â€Å"Wait-what?† I exclaimed. That wasn't in the plan. That wasn't in the plan at all. I was trying to move through Russia in as incognito a way as possible. Plus, I didn't really relish the thought of having a tagalong-particularly one who appeared to hate me. I didn't know how long it would take to get to Siberia-a couple days, I thought-and I couldn't imagine spending them listening to Sydney talk about what an unnatural, evil being I was. Swallowing my outrage, I attempted reason. After all, I was asking a favor here. â€Å"That's not necessary,† I said, forcing a smile. â€Å"It's nice of you to offer, but I don't want to inconvenience you.† â€Å"Well,† she replied dryly, â€Å"there's no getting around that. And it's not me being nice. It's not even my choice. It's an order from my superiors.† â€Å"It still sounds like a pain in the ass for you. Why don't you just tell me where it is and blow them off?† â€Å"You obviously don't know the people I work for.† â€Å"Don't need to. I ignore authority all the time. It's not hard once you get used to it.† â€Å"Yeah? How's that working out for you with finding this village?† she asked mockingly. â€Å"Look, if you want to get there, this is the only way.† Well-it was the only way I could get there if I used Sydney for information. I could always go back to staking out the Nightingale†¦ but it had taken me this long to get a lead from there. Meanwhile, she was here right in front of me with the information I needed. â€Å"Why?† I asked. â€Å"Why do you have to go too?† â€Å"I can't tell you that. Bottom line: They told me to.† Lovely. I eyed her, trying to figure out what was going on here. Why on earth would anyone-let alone humans with their hands in the Moroi world -care where one teenage dhampir went? I didn't think Sydney had any ulterior motives-unless she was a very, very good actress. Yet, clearly the people she answered to had an agenda, and I didn't like playing into anyone's plan. At the same time, I was anxious to get on with this. Each day that passed was another in which I didn't find Dimitri. â€Å"How soon can we leave?† I asked at last. Sydney, I decided, was a paper-pusher. She'd shown no real skill in tracking me earlier. Surely it wouldn't be that hard to ditch her once we were near enough to Dimitri's town. She looked kind of disappointed at my response, almost as though she'd hoped I would decline and then she'd be off the hook. She didn't want to come with me any more than I wanted her to. Opening her purse, she took out her cell phone again, fiddled with it a couple of minutes, and finally produced some train times. She showed me the schedule for the next day. â€Å"Does that work for you?† I studied the screen and nodded. â€Å"I know where that station is. I can be there.† â€Å"Okay.† She stood up and tossed some cash on the table. â€Å"I'll see you tomorrow.† She started to walk away and then glanced back at me. â€Å"Oh, and you can have the rest of my fries.† When I first came to Russia, I stayed in youth hostels. I'd certainly had the money to stay elsewhere, but I wanted to remain under the radar. Besides, luxury hadn't really been the first thing on my mind. When I began going to the Nightingale, however, I found I could hardly return to a boarding house of backpacking students while wearing a designer dress. So I was now staying at a posh hotel, complete with guys who always held the doors open and a marble-floored lobby. That lobby was so big that I think an entire hostel could have fit in it. Maybe two hostels. My room was large and overdone too, and I was grateful to reach it and change out of the heels and dress. I realized with only a small pang of regret that I'd have to leave the dresses I'd bought in Saint Petersburg behind. I wanted to keep my luggage light while jaunting around the country, and even if my backpack was large, there was only so much I could carry. Oh well. Those dresses would make some cleaning woman's day, no doubt. The only bit of ornamentation I really needed was my nazar, a pendant that looked like a blue eye. It had been a gift from my mother, which had in turn been a gift from my father. I always wore it around my neck. Our train for Moscow left late in the morning, and we would then catch a cross-country train to Siberia. I wanted to be well rested and ready for it all. Once in my pajamas, I snuggled under the bed's heavy comforter and hoped sleep would come soon. Instead, my mind spun with all the things that had happened recently. The Sydney situation was a bizarre twist but one I could handle. As long as we stuck to public transportation, she could hardly lead me into the clutches of her mysterious superiors. And from what she'd said about our travel time, it would indeed only take a couple of days or so to reach the village. Two days seemed both impossibly long and impossibly short. It meant I could very well be confronting Dimitri in a few days†¦ and then what? Could I do it? Could I bring myself to kill him? And even if I decided I could, would I actually have the skill to overpower him? The same questions that I'd been asking myself for the last two weeks kept plaguing me over and over. Dimitri had taught me everything I knew, and with enhanced Strigoi reflexes, he would truly be the god I'd always joked he was. Death was a very real possibility for me. But worrying wasn't helpful right now and, looking over at the clock in the room, I discovered I'd been lying awake for almost an hour. That was no good. I needed to be in peak condition. So I did something I knew I shouldn't do, but which always worked to get my mind off my worries-largely because it involved me being in someone else's mind. Slipping inside Lissa's head required only a small amount of concentration on my part. I hadn't known if I could do it when we were far apart, but I'd discovered the process was no different than if I were standing right beside her. It was late morning back in Montana, and Lissa had no classes today since it was Saturday. During my time away, I'd worked very hard to put up mental walls between us, almost completely blocking her and her feelings out. Now, inside her, all the barriers were down, and her emotions hit me like a tidal wave. She was pissed off. Really pissed off. â€Å"Why does she think she can just snap her fingers and get me to go anywhere she wants, anytime she wants?† Lissa growled. â€Å"Because she's the queen. And because you made a deal with the devil.† Lissa and her boyfriend, Christian, were lounging in the attic of the school's chapel. As soon as I recognized the surroundings, I nearly pulled out of her head. The two of them had had way too many â€Å"romantic† encounters up here, and I didn't want to stick around if clothes were going to be ripped off soon. Fortunately-or perhaps not-her annoyed feelings told me there'd be no sex today, not with her bad mood. It was kind of ironic, actually. Their roles were reversed. Lissa was the raging one while Christian remained cool and collected, trying to appear calm for her sake. He sat on the floor, leaning up against the wall, while she sat in front of him, his legs apart and his arms holding her. She rested her head on his chest and sighed. â€Å"For the last few weeks, I've done everything she's asked! ? ®Vasilisa, please show this stupid visiting royal around campus.' ? ®Vasilisa, please jump on a plane for the weekend so that I can introduce you to some boring officials here at Court.' ? ®Vasilisa, please put in some volunteer time with the younger students. It looks good.'† Despite Lissa's frustration, I couldn't help a little amusement. She had Queen Tatiana's voice down perfectly. â€Å"You would have done that last one willingly,† Christian pointed out. â€Å"Yeah†¦ the point being willingly. I hate her trying to dictate every part of my life lately.† Christian leaned over and kissed her cheek. â€Å"Like I said, you made a deal with the devil. You're her darling now. She wants to make sure you're making her look good.† Lissa scowled. Although Moroi lived inside human-run countries and were subject to those governments, they were also ruled by a king or queen who came from one of the twelve royal Moroi families. Queen Tatiana-an Ivashkov-was the current ruler, and she'd taken a particular interest in Lissa as the last living member of the Dragomir family. As such, Tatiana had cut Lissa a deal. If Lissa lived at Court after graduating from St. Vladimir's, the queen would arrange for her to attend LehighUniversity in Pennsylvania. Lissa was a total brain and thought living in Tatiana's household would be worth it to attend a semi-big, prestigious university, as opposed to the tiny ones Moroi usually went to (for safety reasons). As Lissa was finding out, though, the strings attached to that deal were already in place now. â€Å"And I just sit and take it,† Lissa said. â€Å"I just smile and say ? ®Yes, your majesty. Anything you want, your majesty.'† â€Å"Then tell her the deal's off. You'll be eighteen in a couple of months. Royal or not, you're under no obligations. You don't need her to go to a big school. We'll just take off, you and me. Go to whatever college you want. Or don't go to college at all. We can run off to Paris or something and work at a little cafe. Or sell bad art on the streets.† This actually made Lissa laugh, and she snuggled closer to Christian. â€Å"Right. I can totally see you having the patience to wait on people. You'd be fired your first day. Looks like the only way we'll survive is if I go to college and support us.† â€Å"There are other ways to get to college, you know.† â€Å"Yeah, but not to any that are this good,† she said wistfully. â€Å"Not easily, at least. This is the only way. I just wish I could have all this and stand up to her a little. Rose would.† â€Å"Rose would have gotten herself arrested for treason the first time Tatiana asked her to do something.† Lissa smiled sadly. â€Å"Yeah. She would have.† The smile turned into a sigh. â€Å"I miss her so much.† Christian kissed her again. â€Å"I know.† This was a familiar conversation for them, one that never grew old because Lissa's feelings for me never faded. â€Å"She's okay, you know. Wherever she is, she's okay.† Lissa stared off into the attic's darkness. The only light came from a stained-glass window that made the whole place look like a fairyland. The space had been recently cleaned out-by Dimitri and me, actually. It had only been a couple of months ago, but already, dust and boxes were accumulating once more. The priest here was a nice guy but kind of a pack rat. Lissa noticed none of this, though. Her thoughts were too focused on me. â€Å"I hope so. I wish I had some idea-any idea-where she is. I keep thinking that if anything happened to her, if she-† Lissa couldn't finish the thought. â€Å"Well, I keep thinking that I'd know somehow. That I'd feel it. I mean, I know the bond's one-way†¦ that's never changed. But I'd have to know if something happened to her, right?† â€Å"I don't know,† said Christian. â€Å"Maybe. Maybe not.† Any other guy would have said something overly sweet and comforting, assuring her that yes, yes, of course she'd know. But it was part of Christian's nature to be brutally honest. Lissa liked that about him. So did I. It didn't always make him a pleasant friend, but at least you knew he wasn't bullshitting you. She sighed again. â€Å"Adrian says she's okay. He visits her dreams. I'd give anything to be able to do that. My healing's getting better and better, and I've got the aura thing down. But no dreams yet.† Knowing Lissa missed me hurt almost more than if she'd completely written me off. I'd never wanted to hurt her. Even when I'd resented her for feeling like she was controlling my life, I'd never hated her. I loved her like a sister and couldn't stand the thought of her suffering now on my behalf. How had things gotten so screwed up between us? She and Christian continued sitting there in comfortable silence, drawing strength and love from each other. They had what Dimitri and I had had, a sense of such oneness and familiarity that words often weren't needed. He ran his fingers through her hair, and while I couldn't see it so well through her own eyes, I could imagine the way that pale hair would gleam in the rainbow light of the stained-glass windows. He tucked several long locks behind her ear and then tipped her head back, bringing his lips down to hers. The kiss started off light and sweet and then slowly intensified, warmth spreading from his mouth to hers. Uh-oh, I thought. It might be time to take off after all. But she ended it before I had to. â€Å"It's time,† she said regretfully. â€Å"We've got to go.† The look in Christian's crystal-blue eyes said otherwise. â€Å"Maybe this is the perfect time for you to stand up to the queen. You should just stay here -it'd be a great way to build character.† Lissa lightly elbowed him and then planted a kiss on his forehead before standing up. â€Å"That is not why you want me to stay, so don't even try to play me.† They left the chapel, and Christian mumbled something about wanting to do more than play that earned him another elbow. They were heading toward the administration building, which was in the heart of the upper school's campus. Aside from the first blushes of spring, everything looked like it had when I'd left-at least on the outside. The stone buildings remained grand and imposing. The tall, ancient trees continued their watch. Yet, inside the hearts of the staff and students, things had changed. Everyone carried scars from the attack. Many of our people had been killed, and while classes were up and running again, everyone still grieved. Lissa and Christian reached their destination: the administration building. She didn't know the reason for her summoning, only that Tatiana had wanted her to meet some royal guy who had just arrived at the Academy. Considering how many people Tatiana was always forcing her to meet lately, Lissa didn't think too much of it. She and Christian stepped inside the main office, where they found Headmistress Kirova sitting and chatting with an older Moroi and a girl about our age. â€Å"Ah, Miss Dragomir. There you are.† I'd gotten in trouble with Kirova a lot while I'd been a student, yet seeing her now made me feel kind of nostalgic. Getting suspended for starting a fight in class seemed worlds better than traipsing through Siberia to find Dimitri. Kirova had the same birdlike appearance she'd always had, the same glasses balanced at the end of her nose. The man and girl stood up, and Kirova gestured to them. â€Å"This is Eugene Lazar and his daughter Avery.† Kirova turned back toward Lissa. â€Å"This is Vasilisa Dragomir and Christian Ozera.† A fair bit of sizing up went on then. Lazar was a royal name, but that was no surprise since Tatiana had initiated this meeting. Mr. Lazar gave Lissa a winning smile as he shook her hand. He seemed a bit surprised to meet Christian, but the smile stayed. Of course, that kind of reaction to Christian wasn't so unusual. The two ways to become Strigoi were by choice or by force. A Strigoi could turn another person-human, Moroi, or dhampir-by drinking their blood and then feeding Strigoi blood back to them. That was what had happened to Dimitri. The other way to become Strigoi was unique to Moroi -and it was done by choice. Moroi who purposely chose to kill a person by drinking blood would also turn Strigoi. Usually, Moroi only drank small, nonlethal amounts from willing humans. But taking so much that it destroyed another's life force? Well, that turned Moroi to the dark side, taking away their elemental magic and transforming them into the twisted undead. That was exactly what Christian's parents had done. They'd willingly killed and become Strigoi to gain eternal life. Christian had never shown any desire to become Strigoi, but everyone acted as though he were about to. (Admittedly, his snarky attitude didn't always help.) A lot of his close family-despite being royal-had been unfairly shunned as well. He and I had teamed up to kick a fair amount of Strigoi ass during the attack, though. Word of that was getting around and improving his reputation. Kirova was never one to waste time with formalities, so she got straight to the point. â€Å"Mr. Lazar is going to be the new headmaster here.† Lissa had still been smiling at him politely, but her head immediately jerked toward Kirova. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I'm going to be stepping down,† explained Kirova, voice flat and emotionless enough to rival any guardian's. â€Å"Though I'll still be serving the school as a teacher.† â€Å"You're going to teach?† Christian asked incredulously. She gave him a dry look. â€Å"Yes, Mr. Ozera. It was what I originally went to school for. I'm sure if I try hard enough, I can remember how to do it.† â€Å"But why?† asked Lissa. â€Å"You do a great job.† It was more or less true. Despite my disputes with Kirova-usually over me breaking rules-I still had a healthy respect for her. Lissa did too. â€Å"It's something I've thought about returning to for some time,† explained Kirova. â€Å"Now seemed as good a time as any, and Mr. Lazar is a very capable administrator.† Lissa was pretty good at reading people. I think it was part of spirit's side effects, along with how spirit made its users very, very charismatic. Lissa thought Kirova was lying, and so did I. If I'd been able to read Christian's mind, my guess would have been that he felt the same way. The attack on the Academy had sent a lot of people into a panic, royals in particular, even though the problem that had led to the attack had long since been fixed. I was guessing that Tatiana's hand was at work here, forcing Kirova to step down and have a royal take her place, thus making other royals feel better. Lissa didn't let her thoughts show, and she turned back to Mr. Lazar. â€Å"Well, it's very nice to meet you. I'm sure you'll do a great job. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you.† She was playing the proper princess role perfectly. Being polite and sweet was one of her many talents. â€Å"Actually,† said Mr. Lazar, â€Å"there is.† He had a deep, booming voice, the kind that filled a room. He gestured toward his daughter. â€Å"I was wondering if you could show Avery around and help her find her way here. She graduated last year but will be assisting me in my duties. I'm sure she'd much rather be spending time with someone her own age, however.† Avery smiled, and for the first time, Lissa really paid attention to her. Avery was beautiful. Stunning. Lissa was beautiful too, between that gorgeous hair and the jade green eyes that ran in her family. I thought she was a hundred times prettier than Avery, but beside the older girl, Lissa felt kind of plain. Avery was tall and slim like most Moroi but had a few sexy curves thrown in. That kind of chest, like mine, was coveted among Moroi, and her long brown hair and blue-gray eyes completed the package. â€Å"I promise not to be too much of a pain,† said Avery. â€Å"And if you want, I'll give you some insider's tips on Court life. I hear you're going to be moving there.† Instantly, Lissa's defenses went up. She realized what was going on. Not only had Tatiana ousted Kirova, she'd sent a keeper for Lissa. A beautiful, perfect companion who could spy on Lissa and attempt to train her up to Tatiana's standards. Lissa's words were perfectly polite when she spoke, but there was a definite edge of frost in her voice. â€Å"That'd be great,† she said. â€Å"I'm pretty busy lately, but we can try to make the time.† Neither Avery's father nor Kirova seemed to notice the back off subtext, but something flashed in Avery's eyes that told Lissa the message had come through. â€Å"Thanks,† said Avery. Unless I was mistaken, there was some legitimate hurt in her face. â€Å"I'm sure we'll figure something out.† â€Å"Good, good,† said Mr. Lazar, totally oblivious to the girl drama. â€Å"Maybe you can show Avery to guest housing? She's staying in the east wing.† â€Å"Sure,† said Lissa, wishing she could do anything but that. She, Christian, and Avery started to leave, but just then, two guys entered the room. One was a Moroi, a little younger than us, and the other was a dhampir in his twenties-a guardian, from the look of his hard, serious features. â€Å"Ah, there you are,† said Mr. Lazar, beckoning the guys in. He rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. â€Å"This is my son Reed. He's a junior and will be attending classes here. He's very excited about it.† Actually, Reed looked extremely unexcited. He was pretty much the surliest guy I'd ever seen. If I ever needed to play the role of a disgruntled teen, I could have learned everything there was to know about it from Reed Lazar. He had the same good looks and features as Avery, but they were marred by a grimace that seemed permanently attached to his face. Mr. Lazar introduced the others to Reed. Reed's only response was a guttural, â€Å"Hey.† â€Å"And this is Simon, Avery's guardian,† continued Mr. Lazar. â€Å"Of course, while on campus, he doesn't need to be with her all the time. You know how it goes. Still, I'm sure you'll see him around.† I hoped not. He didn't look as completely unpleasant as Reed, but he had a certain dour nature that seemed extreme even among guardians. Suddenly, I kind of felt sorry for Avery. If this was her only company, I'd want to befriend someone like Lissa pretty badly. Lissa, however, made it clear that she wouldn't be part of Tatiana's schemes. With little conversation, she and Christian escorted Avery to guest housing and promptly left. Normally, Lissa would have stayed to help Avery get settled and offered to eat with her later. Not this time. Not with ulterior motives afoot. I came back to my own body, back in the hotel. I knew I shouldn't care about Academy life anymore and that I should even feel bad for Avery. Yet lying there and staring into the darkness, I couldn't help but take some smug-and yes, very selfish-satisfaction out of this encounter: Lissa wouldn't be shopping for a new best friend anytime soon.

International Environment Essay

Entrepreneurial activities and innovation has drastically changed the international competitiveness of Brazilian companies which has taken the country’s economy beyond its agricultural sector. Technology has drastically changed in Brazil because of which many foreign firms have started investing in the country. A research conducted by the Research Institute on Applied Economics (IPEA) studied 1200 industrial firms in Brazil and compared them to similar firms in Mexico and Argentina, results showed Brazilian firms to be very competitive in medium and high technology products in the international export market (Wright 2007). The report by Wright (2007) also states that Brazil has limited product development activities due to its weak capital market structure however it has a very strong research base on the supply-side which helps them in producing innovative goods. In computer markets Brazil is fifth largest in the world; it is also investing domestically in emerging technologies hence posing great opportunities for global investment (Fried, 2008). Technology Environment in Singapore The technological environment of Singapore has advanced exponentially in the past few years; e-commerce transactions have greatly increased in areas such as internet trading and internet banking (The Economist 2007). The government in its Information and Communication Technology 21 (ICT21) master plan of 2000 planned on positioning Singapore as a global capital of communication and information technology by 2010 (The Economist). This clearly shows the level of research and development activity in the country and the impact it will have, and has had, in the transfer of technology with respect to global investment; in July 2000 the Economic Development Board Investment setup M-Commerce Ventures to further foreign investment.

Analysis Of The Book Bless Me Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

James Forman Mr. Cheli Period: 1 5 December 2014 Finding Your Path Antonio Mà ¡rez is a young catholic boy living in a world where there are so many different beliefs and perspectives that influence who he is and what he chooses to believe in. With so many different options for Antonio to choose from he struggles in deciding which path to take regarding religion and who he is as a person. Ultimately, Antonio realizes he must decide for himself and not follow others because they tell him to. In the book Bless me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, Anaya illustrates the idea that people must choose for themselves because it is what they want and not what others want them to be. Antonio is faced with many different options about religion and himself, which throughout the book is a big factor. Many important people in Antonio’s life want him to grow up and be happy, however they also have high expectations for him and want him to follow a certain path in his life. He must chose if he will follow the path of his mother, th e Luna, or the path of his father, the Mà ¡rez. In Antonio’s dreams he hears his mother and father talking to him. In his dream his mother says, â€Å"Mother of God make [Antonio] a priest†(pg. 45) while his father says, â€Å"He will make a fine vaquero†(pg. 5). When the mother and father says â€Å"make† it shows that they want him to be something and follow their hopes for him. Also his parents are saying to Antonio that he must choose which path to take. Antonio’sShow MoreRelatedBless Me, Ultima Literary Analysis714 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Bless Me, Ultima† by Rudolfo Anaya Literary Analysis Throughout the context of â€Å"Bless Me Ultima,† it is evident that there are many motifs and examples of dichotomy. I believe that Anaya uses the previously mentioned elements of literature in order to provoke his readers’ thinking and help embody a struggle of understanding the world we live in. Motifs in this novel include: family, dreams, religion, education, and the list continues. For examples of dichotomy, the idea of good versus evil isRead MoreBless Me, Ultima Literary Analysis Essay714 Words   |  3 PagestSam Ennis Period #4 20 September 2012 â€Å"Bless Me, Ultima† by Rudolfo Anaya Literary Analysis Throughout the context of â€Å"Bless Me Ultima,† it is evident that there are many motifs and examples of dichotomy. I believe that Anaya uses the previously mentioned elements of literature in order to provoke his readers’ thinking and help embody a struggle of understanding the world we live in. Motifs in this novel include: family, dreams, religion, education, and the list continues. For examplesRead MoreThematic Analysis Of Bless Me, Ultima1580 Words   |  7 Pages Thematic Analysis of Conflicts in, Bless me, Ultima Differences in others aid to the stimulation of ideas and opinions that expresses an individual s personality. In Rudolfo Anaya’s bildungsroman, Bless Me, Ultima, the struggle between two families and their extreme differences cause numerous conflicts that are constantly present throughout his novel. In this chicano inspired novel, Antonio Marà ©z, the six year old protagonist, is perpetually faced with instances of dissimilarity throughoutRead MoreCultural, Religious and Language Conflicts in Bless Me, Ultima1732 Words   |  7 PagesCultural, religious and language conflicts in Bless Me, Ultima Bless Me, Ultima, written by Rudolfo Anaya and published in 1972, has become one of the most widely read as well as critically acclaimed novels in the Chicano literature. It is first in the trilogy of novels by Anaya, with Heart of Aztlan (1976) and Tortuga (1979) following it. This novel can be viewed from many angles as well as layers, as it intertwines issues or themes of psychological maturation, social changes, identity crisis andRead MoreAtticus, Scout, And Jem Finch2314 Words   |  10 Pageslearning to treat everyone with respect and to treat every race kindly. Task #2- Bless Me, Ultima Many people are very fascinated and concerned with the idea of death. Antonio witnesses many deaths through his young like and as he does, it seems to shape the way he grows and understands the world, both positively and negatively. He was introduced to death at a very early age when he witnessed the death of Lupito. In the book, this is described as Antonio’s loss of innocence. Antonio struggled to acceptRead More Bless Me, Ultima: The Cultural Distress Of A Young Society Essay example3164 Words   |  13 Pages Bless Me, Ultima: The Cultural Distress of a Young Society An answer to the discussion question of whether or not there is a defined border culture would need a great number of years in field research, but we can also observe a few of the characteristics of such border culture just by looking at scholastic essays and books related to the topic. Within the research that I did, I found a number of scholars who, while defining the border, mention all the specific or special characteristics of thisRead MoreBless Me Ultima Chicano Literature1592 Words   |  7 PagesIntroductory Paragraph Bless Me, Ultima is a Chicano novel written by Rudolfo Anaya in 1972, which includes a magical realism plot. Chicano literature is especially significant in this novel because it helps create a cultural identity for the main character and his community. The novel talks about a petite boy named Antonio; throughout the book Antonio makes his best efforts to try and find the path to which he belongs, he wants to find answers about who he is and wants to learn a lot more aboutRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 PagesAdventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (1884) Pharaoh, by BolesÅ‚aw Prus (1895) What Maisie Knew, by Henry James (1897)[23] 20th century[edit] The Confusions of Young Tà ¶rless, by Robert Musil (1906) Martin Eden, by Jack London (1909)[24] The Book of Khalid, by Ameen Rihani (1911)[25] Le Grand Meaulnes, by Alain-Fournier (1913) Sons and Lovers, by D. H. Lawrence (1913)[26] Of Human Bondage, by W. Somerset Maugham (1915) A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce (1916)[27] Demian: