Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) :: essays research papers

The organization I have chosen for this essay is CSIS ( Canadian Security Intelligence Service ). CSIS closely resembles The Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) or British Security Intelligence Service. I have chosen this organization because I have great interest in becoming an employee of CSIS in the future. This essay will provide brief history of CSIS, the responsibilities of CSIS for Canada, and the application process for an entry – level position. These will be further discussed in greater detail as the essay goes on. CSIS was created by the passage of an Act of Parliament ( Bill C-9 ) on June 21, 1984. The service began its formal existence on July 16, 1984. Prior to June 21, 1984, security intelligence was collected by the Security service of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Two different Commissions chaired by the Justice Mackenzie in 1969 and Justice McDonald in 1977 recommended that the security intelligence functions be separated from the RCMP and that a civilian service be formed to carry out those functions. Both commissions recognized that the problem of balancing the need for accurate and effective security intelligence with the need to respect democratic rights and freedoms could not be adequately resolved as long as security intelligence responsibilities remained part of the Federal police force. In 1970, following the report of the Mackenzie Commission, John Starnes, a Foreign Service officer with the Department of External Affairs, became the first civilian Director General of the RCMP Security Service. Although the RCMP became more flexible problem arose due to the different natures of security intelligence work and police work. In August 1981, the feral government announced that a security intelligence service, separate from the RCMP would be established. The first legislation to establish the security intelligence service, Bill C-157, â€Å" an Act to Establish the Canadian Security Intelligence Service ( CSIS )† was introduced in Parliament in May 1983. It passed by both Houses of parliament and given Royal Assent in June 1984. CSIS began its formal existence on July 16, 1984 with Ted Finn as Director. In addition to creating a civilian security intelligence service, the Cat also created SIRC, to review the activities of CSIS. CSIS is a government agency dedicated to protecting the national security interests of Canada and safeguarding its citizens. The main objective of the service is to investigate and report on threats to the security of Canada.

Not-For-Profit Organizations Essay

Executive Summary Not-For-Profit organizations are fundamentally different than for-profit, private sector businesses in that they do not have shareholders, their mission statements are focused on furthering a cause rather than just increasing profitability and most Not-For-Profits earn the majority of their revenue through donor contributions. As a result, Not-For-Profit Organizations operate under different reporting requirements than for-profit businesses. In order to provide proper accounting for the numerous activities undertaken by a Not-For-Profit Organization in a given year, it is imperative that one understand the two financial accounting standards that affect Not-For-Profit organizations the most: Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 116 and 117 which provide guidance on donor contributions and the presentation of the financial statements. The objective of this summary is to provide a high-level overview of the standards and the effect they have on the financial statements of a Not-For-Profit organization. The Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 116 establishes the standards for accounting for contributions received and contributions made to all organizations with fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1994. Contributions are defined by SFAS No. 116 as voluntary transfers in which the donor does not receive any value in return. Donor contributions may include the following resources: Cash, Marketable securities Property and equipment Utilities and Supplies Intangible assets such as intellectual property Professional services SFAS 116 requires that all contributions and unconditional promises to donate in the future, known as pledges, are recognized as revenues at fair value in the period in which they are received. Pledges are recognized as soon as the requirements of a pledge are met and it is no longer contingent on a future event. Additionally, contributions made and received are also recognized at as expenses upon receipt at fair value. The Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 116 also requires organizations to identify those contributions that contain donor-imposed restrictions and the timeframe or requirements for meeting these donor-imposed restrictions. According to SFAS No. 116, organizations must classify contributions into one of the following categories based on the existence or absence of donor imposed stipulations: Permanently Restricted Net Assets Temporarily Restricted Net Assets Unrestricted Net Assets Those assets that are restricted by a donor imposed stipulation of time, a particular purpose or program, or the occurrence of a future event must be set aside and cannot be expended until the restriction has expired through the satisfaction of the donor stipulation. Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 117 is also important in accounting for Not-For-Profit Organizations in that it provides standards for the presentation of the financial statements for organizations with fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1994. Overall, this standard requires that the financial statements provide the necessary information for all of the users of Not-For-Profit financial statements. The standard requires that Not-For-Profit Organizations produce the following financial statements on an annual basis: A statement of financial position (balance sheet) A statement of activities (income statement) A statement of cash flows In the statement of financial position, SFAS No. 117 requires that the  Not-For-Profit organization provide amounts for the total assets, liabilities, and net assets at the end of the fiscal period. Additionally, the statement of financial position must classify the organizations net assets as temporarily restricted, permanently restricted, or unrestricted based on donor imposed stipulations. The statement of activities is required to report to the financial statement users the transactions which caused a change in net assets during the period and the statement of cash flows is must provide a reconciliation of activity between beginning and ending cash balances of the period as either operating activities, financing activities or investing activities. Additional schedules are also required by SFAS No. 117 for special organzations such a voluntary health and wellness organizations that provide unique services related to their cause. Overall, a thorough understanding and application of Statements of Financial Standards No. 116 and 117 allows Not-For-Profit organizations to properly account for their unique activities and provide their financial statement users with relevant, understandable and comparable information in order to assess the financial position of the Not-For-Profit organization over the past fiscal year and going forward into the future.

Spanish American War: War over Rough Riders Reign

War over Rough Riders Reign With president William McKinney taking charge in order to protect his Americans living in Cuba from the Spanish, he sent over the U. S. S Maine. But on the way over, the barbarous uncivilized Spaniards blew up the ship before it could arrive at its chosen destination. â€Å"Remember the Maine! † was cheered by Americans all over the country. George Dewey valiantly storms his American Navy into Manila Bay. Dewey’s dominance was distinct. Spain lost 384 men in this battle, America lost only 1. Dewey sacrificed 11,000 troops in the Philippines and joined forces with the Filipinos Rebels. This greatly intimidated the Spanish and made the United States very intrepid. The Rough Riders, which are a volunteer cavalry under the command of Leonard Wood and Teddy Roosevelt, and 17,000 American troops, invaded the port city of Santiago in June, 1898. The Rough Riders were definitely the combatants of this battle and caused the Americans to paramount. They were so victorious that the Rough Riders led another battle; The Battle of San Juan Hill was a famous land battle that started on July 1st, 1898. Two days later, the doltish Spanish attempted to escape the American blockage of Santiago Harbor. They were unsuccessful and eventually surrendered on July 17th, 1898. American troops raided Puerto Rico in a conclusion to the last battle. This led to yet another American triumph. The United States is celebrating its victory in this brief war over Spain. As a result of winning the war, our American government has forced Spain to sign the Treaty of Paris. The clauses of this treaty are that Cuba will become independent, Spain will give Puerto Rico and the Pacific Island of Guam to the United States, and the United States will pay 20 million dollars for the annexation of the Philippines Islands. In this short 16 week war, 5,400 Americans lost their lives defending our country against the brutal Spanish. So in the end the United States was once again victorious and protected the weaker countries from certain demise of the debased Spaniards. GO U. S. A.!!!!!!!

How to Rename or Define

How to Rename or Define How to Rename or Define How to Rename or Define By Mark Nichol When constructing a sentence in which a term or concept is described in other words or a meaning is given, use these guidelines for punctuating the parenthesis. When using namely, which establishes that one or more examples or names of a thing will be provided, or employing phrases that serve a similar purpose (such as â€Å"for example† and â€Å"that is†), always follow the word or phrase with a comma. The punctuation preceding the word or phrase depends on the structure of the sentence. (The abbreviations e.g. and i.e., representing Latin phrases equivalent to â€Å"for example† and â€Å"that is,† respectively, are discouraged in formal prose in favor of the English phrases except in parentheses or in notes; use the same surrounding punctuation for the abbreviations as for the phrases.) When what follows is a simple phrase and not an independent clause, precede namely and the like with an em dash to signal that one is transitioning from discussing something to providing examples about it: â€Å"Constitutional law defines the interrelationships between various branches of government within a state namely, the executive, the legislative, and the judicial.† Alternatively, enclose the additional information in parentheses: â€Å"I enjoy reading nineteenth-century historical adventure novels (for example, those by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson).† If the word or phrase, and what follows, is an independent clause, start a new sentence or precede the word or phrase with a semicolon: â€Å"I agree with what you said. That is, I agree if I understand what you meant.† â€Å"I agree with what you said; that is, I agree if I understand what you meant.† An em dash may be used in place of the period or semicolon to signal an abrupt addition to the preceding statement, or use parentheses to represent an afterthought. Another option, in place of using namely, is to employ a colon, which among other purposes is used to indicate an expansion or explanation: â€Å"Constitutional law defines the interrelationships between various branches of government within a state: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial.† â€Å"For example,† â€Å"that is,† and similar phrases can be used following a colon or an em dash: â€Å"I enjoy reading nineteenth-century historical adventure novelists: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson, for example.† â€Å"I enjoy reading nineteenth-century historical adventure novelists that is, writers like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.† (Either phrase can precede or follow the examples, but â€Å"for example† usually comes at the end and â€Å"that is† usually appears at the beginning.) Use of â€Å"in other words† as a transitional phrase follows these patterns (the particular method of punctuation depends on the context specific to a sentence): â€Å"We have insufficient funds to continue operating in other words, we are broke.† â€Å"We have insufficient funds to continue operating. In other words, we are broke.† â€Å"We have insufficient funds to continue operating; in other words, we are broke.† â€Å"We have insufficient funds to continue operating. (In other words, we are broke.)† One similar point about punctuation is how to provide a gloss, or a brief definition, as I’ve done in this sentence for the word gloss: Set the gloss off from the term with a pair of commas. Alternatively, enclose the gloss in parentheses, especially if the gloss is a translation: The word is chico (â€Å"boy,† â€Å"child,† or â€Å"small†). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 101Proved vs. ProvenGlimpse and Glance: Same or Different?

Should You Really Trust College Ranking Lists

Should You Really Trust College Ranking Lists SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Since the U.S. News World Report college rankings list debuted in 1983, college-bound students and their parents have become quite enamored with college ranking lists. While the U.S. News list may be the most well-known, there are a plethora of college ranking lists out there. All use slightly different criteria to rank colleges and all claim to be the best and most reliable. However, should you trust any of these lists? Should you use them when deciding which college to attend? Do they provide any valuable information? In this article, I'll answer those questions. I'll let you know how much you can trust college ranking lists. Furthermore, I'll explain the pros and cons of these lists and how to use them to your benefit. How Are College Rankings Determined? Most ranking lists use a combination of objective statistics and subjective opinions based on survey responses to compile their rankings. Objective Numbers That Influence the Rankings These are the most common statistics used by the most popular college ranking lists that help determine the rankings. Retention: Some lists use the freshman retention rate, the percentage of students who return for their sophomore years, to help to determine their rankings. The logic behind using this statistic is that if a student is happy with a college and receiving the necessary support, then she will return for her second year. Also, lists use the 6-year graduation rate, the percentage of students who graduate within 6 years. If a college is providing quality instruction and nurturing its students, then the vast majority should be able to graduate within 6 years. Class Size: US News measures the proportion of classes with less than 20 students and the proportion with 50 or more. The idea here is that very small and large classes are indicative of having more resources. Also, students in smaller classes receive more attention and personalized instruction. Faculty Salary: The reasoning for using this metric is that schools that pay their faculty most generously are able to attract the best professors. Student-Faculty Ratio: If there is a low student-faculty ratio, then students can possibly get more attention and there will be more opportunities for students to interact with professors. SAT/ACT Scores: Schools with higher average standardized test scores are seen as being more selective and having more academically capable students. Percentage of Students That Graduated in the Top 10% and 25% of Their High School Classes: Colleges whose students all graduated near the top of their high school classes are judged positively for having the highest caliber of student. Acceptance Rate: The logic behind using this number is that if a college admits only a very small percentage of its applicants, then those that it does admit are likely to be the best and brightest. Average Spending Per Student: US News calculates spending per student by using the average spending per student on instruction, research, student services, and related educational expenditures in the most recent two fiscal years. Spending on sports, dorms, and hospitals doesn't count. If a college is spending more per student on education, then you may be able to assume that its students have more educational resources and quality instruction. Alumni Giving Rate:The alumni giving rate is the percentage of graduates who gave to the school, usually within the last year or two. According to various studies, the alumni giving rate is a measure of student satisfaction. However, I enjoyed my experience at Stanford, but I don't donate to my alma mater. Maybe somebody from Stanford will read this and I'll stop getting incessant letters and phone calls asking me for my money. Financial Aid: Some lists measure the average amount of financial aid awarded and others measure the percentage of financial need that is met. Better colleges should have the resources to enable all qualified students to attend regardless of financial need. US News also measures how satisfied students are with their financial aid, but that is a much more subjective rating. Salary of Alumni: The logic behind using average alumni salary in college rankings is that colleges that provide an excellent education and can offer good professional connections will have alumni with high salaries. Opinions That Influence The Rankings Academics US News World Report relies heavily on "undergraduate academic reputation" in its rankings. The academic reputation of a school is determined by how top academics and administrators at other colleges assess its academics. US News also surveys counselors from high schools to rate the academic programs of colleges to help determine "academic reputation." Princeton Review conducts a survey on how hard students work and how much they get back for their efforts to assess academics. Quality of Life Most college ranking lists assess the quality of life at a college through student surveys. Princeton Review grades quality of life through student assessments of "their overall happiness; the beauty, safety, and location of the campus; the comfort of dorms; the quality of food; the ease of getting around campus and dealing with administrators; the friendliness of fellow students; the interaction of different student types; and the quality of the school's relationship with the local community.† For the first time this year in its rankings, Forbes used a student satisfaction survey on Facebook where students were asked how satisfied they were with their school from 1-5. Obviously, the logic behind using quality of life measurements in rankings is that students should be happy if they're attending a good school. Pros of College Ranking Lists Discover New Colleges College ranking lists can introduce you to colleges that may be a good fit for you. I think this is probably the most valuable thing about these lists. Many students are not as familiar with smaller, well-ranked schools. Seeing these schools on ranking lists can provoke a student to research them, apply to them, and maybe even attend a school he would not have previously considered. For example, schools like Harvey Mudd and Williams are excellent schools that may not be as prestigious or have the same name recognition as Harvard or Yale, but they consistently rank very highly in college ranking lists. Provide Extensive Data for You to Compare Schools In one ranking list, you can see the average class size, high school GPA, or SAT/ACT score for many different colleges. These lists can offer you a resource for numerical comparisons. If you're considering a few different colleges, you can refer to a rankings list to compare the available statistics for each school and that may help you narrow down your list of colleges to apply to. Give You an Idea of What Others Think While the rankings can be disputed and these lists are subjective, college ranking lists do provide some insight into the reputations of different colleges. Graduate schools and employers often consider the reputations of different schools when they make decisions. Going to a #12 vs. a #20 school will probably have little impact on those decisions; however, going to a #12 vs. a #200 school could. Learn What You Need to Do to Be a Qualified Applicant Many of the ranking lists give you the average high school GPA, standardized test scores, and the percentage of students who graduate in the top 10% and 25% of their high school classes. From these numbers, you can determine what you need to do to make yourself competitive for admission to a specific school. If you want to have a decent shot at getting into a certain college, your numbers should compare favorably to those of the average student there. Cons of College Ranking Lists Some of the criteria used to evaluate colleges are highly subjective. For US News World Report, top academics and high school counselors answer survey questions about other schools' academic programs. Are they well-informed enough to have educated opinions on the academic programs of colleges they may have never worked at nor attended? Are they just relying on hearsay and the reputations of these schools to answer these questions? Similarly, some quality of life assessments may not account for natural variances in opinions. If the campus of a school in a rural environment is ranked as beautiful, that means little for the student who prefers urban environments and would find the rural campus unappealing. Some of the criteria used to rank schools may have no real impact on your educational experience. The rate of alumni giving and selectivity of a school will probably not impact the quality of instruction you'll receive at a particular college. Students can get too focused on the rankings instead of figuring out which school is the best fit for them. There's probably not much difference in the quality of education at a #5 school vs. a #10 school. The #10 school may be a much better fit for a student who could excel academically at both. Finally, colleges are very motivated by the rankings. They'll convince students who have little chance of getting accepted to apply to increase their selectivity rating. They'll spend countless hours and tremendous resources hitting up alumni for money to up their alumni giving percentages. Perhaps these schools could improve their academic programs or support services if they allocated their resources without regard to college rankings. College ranking lists can be both good and bad. What Do Some College Experts Think? Generally, in my research, the "experts" on record seem to have echoed some of my sentiments about college rankings. Jeffrey Brenzel, Dean of Admissions at Yale from 2005-2013, believes that college ranking lists are of limited value to students: The formulas used to rank schools are based on factors that in themselves are often irrelevant to individual students. Their composite scores reflect alumni giving rates, student-to-teacher ratios, median SAT scores, persistence to graduation, admissions selectivity and other data that provide little information about specific program strengths, honors programs or the general way in which the school lifts and supports student aspirations. The simplicity and clarity that ranking systems seem to offer are not only misleading, but can also be harmful. Rankings tend to ignore the very criteria that may be most important to an applicant, such as specific academic offerings, intellectual and social climate, ease of access to faculty, international opportunities and placement rates for careers or for graduate and professional school. Colin Diver, former Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and former President of Reed College, also wrote of his dislike for ranking lists. He wrote positively of Reed's decision to not submit information to US News World Report for its rankings list: For ten years Reed has declined to fill out the annual peer evaluations and statistical surveys thatU.S. Newsuses to compile its rankings. It has three primary reasons for doing so. First, one-size-fits-all ranking schemes undermine the institutional diversity that characterizes American higher education. The urge to improve one's ranking creates an irresistible pressure toward homogeneity, and schools that, like Reed, strive to be different are almost inevitably penalized. Second, the rankings reinforce a view of education as strictly instrumental to extrinsic goals such as prestige or wealth; this is antithetical to Reed's philosophy that higher education should produce intrinsic rewards such as liberation and self-realization. Third, rankings create powerful incentives to manipulate data and distort institutional behavior for the sole or primary purpose of inflating one's score.Because the rankings depend heavily on unaudited, self-reported data, there is no way to ensure either t he accuracy of the information or the reliability of the resulting rankings. However, some college admissions experts do see some value in the ranking lists. Lynda McGee is a college counselor at Downtown Magnets High School, ranked as a gold medal high school by US News interestingly enough. Like I previously mentioned, she states that college ranking lists can help introduce you to excellent colleges: Many factors go into college rankings, including alumni donations and how other institutions perceive them. Take that into account when you start to think that school #1 must be much better than school #20. What the rankings can do is introduce you to great schools you may be unfamiliar with. So check out those rankings, but remember that you will find an excellent education up and down the list. Keep in mind that while you may not find many representatives from colleges to speak positively about ranking lists, in general, hundreds of colleges routinely brag about their rankings and prominently display them on their websites and in their brochures. Colleges tend to care about these rankings, and they know they matter to students, their parents, and influence popular opinion. Rankings matter to many people. Final Word on Whether You Should Trust College Ranking Lists Don't trust the exact ranking. The #5 school isn't necessarily better than the #10 school in any given list. Use ranking lists to find colleges you may have not previously considered. Focus on the factors that are important to you in a college when looking at a ranking list. You want to go to a college that is a good fit for you. Use the objective available statistics like average high school GPA and SAT/ACT score to compare colleges and determine what you need to do to be a qualified applicant. College ranking lists do provide a rough idea of how colleges are perceived in the academic and professional worlds. What's Next? College ranking lists should only be one of many resources you use in your college search. Make sure you know how to choose a college. Also, look at the best college search websites. Finally, as you're deciding which schools to apply to, learn about reach and safety schools. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Amantes Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Amantes - Movie Review Example Trini is not only beautiful but also possess decent amounts of money to enable her to settle down with her fiance. However, she wants her fiance to find a decent job before they both can marry. She recommends her fiance to take an apartment on rent from a widow named Luisa (Victoria Abril)("Amantes") Apparently, Luisa appears to be a harmless, pretty widow who supports herself with the income she earns from the rents. However, Luisa is more than that. She has not only killed her own husband, about which she tells Paco later, but also is involved in swindles with the underworld mafia. ( Mrquez) She soon seduces Paco by her beauty and sensual manners. Paco, whose fiance has refused to indulge in sexual intercourse before their marriage, desperately and quickly gives into Luisa's seductive manners. On the other hand, Paco's abortive searches for a job hasten his decision to yield to Luisa's offer. And this way, Paco not only starts sharing her house but also her bed. On the other hand, Trini starts to sense change in the behavior of Paco. Paco doesn't seem to be interested in meeting her anymore and doesn't contact her for many days. For Paco, the world has suddenly changed. From a world that appeared hopeless, gloomy, bleak and dry, suddenly has started offering him with new, exciting and erotic surprises everyday. And Luisa's passion, experience, domination during sex adds to the spices of these sexual encounters. Luisa is not only experienced, she is passionate and possessive making Paco feel extremely wanted and valuable. Trini who is desperate to win her lover back asks a commander's wife for her advice. She tells her that the only way to bring him back is to offer him what Luisa had offered and what she had refused to-her body. Determined to win Paco back, she visits him at Luisa's house and offers herself to him as soon as Luisa leaves her place leaving behind her belongings so that widow does come to know what has happened behind her back. Paco surprised and happy by Trini's offer initially, returns to Trini and together they both visit her mother's house in a nearby village. However, the offer doesn't seem to have lasting effects on Paco's heart and soon he starts missing Luisa's passion, experience, care and love. Confused and trapped in the love of two women, Paco decides to live a dual love life, satisfying them both sexually and emotionally. However, Luisa's own double life complicates things further. She owns money to underworld members who would kill her and her lover in case she refuses or is unable to pay back their money. They suggest her to exploit Trini and use her savings to pay them back. Luisa informs Paco of the threats and suggests him that he marries Trini, steals her money and then runs away with her. Though Paco doesn't feels that he loves Trini as much as before, he doesn't still wants to betray and exploit her this way. But still, with much persuasion, Luisa is able to convince Paco to follow her plan. ("Amantes") According to the plan, Paco proposes Trini and they both leave Madrid for a small city Aranda del Duero where they are to get married. Luisa, follows them as she doubts Paco's intentions and determination to go with her plan. One night at the hotel, while Trini is asleep, Paco steals her money and give them to Luisa. However, unlike the plan, Paco refuses to run away with

Chemical Firms Plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chemical Firms Plan - Case Study Example The sixteen firms plan a 7.6% rise in spending for new plants and equipment in 2007 to 0.4 billion, down from 28.1% and 16.5% for 2005 and 2006 respectively. While companies surveyed in January 2006 expected to increase capital spending by 17.0, the expected increase in R&D was 4.7%, proving that priorities and spending plans can change over the course of a year. This year's group reports that it actually increased R&D by 9.0%. Of the 16 companies that provided 2007 capital spending plans, 10 expect to increase spending on new plants and equipment compared with 2006, two plan to spend the same, and four have plans to cut back. This compares with 14 that increased spending in 2006 and two that pulled back. In some cases, firms are spending on new capacity in response to customer demands. Other firms intend to make capital improvements to enhance efficiency and productivity. Ferro, for instance, says it is increasing spending to fund productivity improvement and also to underwrite restructuring programs in its electronic materials and colors segments. The firm plans to increase capital spending by 36.4% to million in 2007. Of the 14 firms surveyed on R&D spending plans, nine plan to increase spending in 2007, three plan spending cuts, a... The 14 firms in this group budgeted a combined 0.6 billion for research in 2007, up 5.8% over 2006. Their plans mark a slowdown compared with the collective 7.3% and 9.0% boost to research budgets in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Funds slated for R&D tend to move in a narrower range than those for capital improvements. So when capital budgets jump, a proportionately smaller share of the budget goes to fund research. This year, the firms in C&EN's survey expect to devote 30.3% of future-oriented funds to research, compared with the decade high of 34.8% in 2004 and the decade low of 27.7% in 1997. The combined 2007 budget of the 14 firms that supplied both R&D and capital spending data is .5 billion. Despite the slowdown in the rates of increase, the figure marks a decade high. Four years ago, in 2003, the group's future-oriented spending hit a decade low of .9 billion. A significant run-up in capital expenditures gets most of the credit for the rebound. But take inflation into account, and the funds destined for future-oriented projects won't buy nearly as much as they did 10 years ago. The .5 billion that the group plans to spend this year is only .9 billion in 1997 dollars. Because of the boost in capital spending in recent years, the ratio of investment in new equipment to investment in research has steadily increased. Inevitably, inflation whittles away at the buying power of dollars devoted to research. The .6 billion devoted to R&D by this year's group of 14 companies represents only .1 billion based on a constant 1997 dollar. However, that .1 billion also marks the inflation-adjusted decade high. The Industrial Research Institute's "R&D Trends Forecast for 2007" notes that despite a slowing housing market and wavering consumer confidence, many