The Atomic Bomb Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki - 1445 Words

On August 6th and 9th two atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings were the first and only time nuclear weaponry has been used in wartime. These bombs were the first of their kind, developed by the United States, Canada and Great Britain under the research development plan codenamed the ‘Manhattan Project. It is an important issue because there is much controversy over whether or not the atomic bombs should’ve been initially been dropped. Many sides say the bombing was morally wrong because it defied many individual’s human rights, but these people don’t see it was the least violent way to force the Japanese to surrender and bring WW2 to an end. The United States were justified in dropping the atomic bombs on Japan because it finally spread justice for the Japanese atrocious crimes against humanity in the city of Nanking, China, saved many American, British and Japanese lives, and demonstrated American dom inance over the Soviet Union. Finally, the atomic bombings were an effective and justified way to end WW2 and force Japan surrender In 1937 when the Japanese army took over the Chinese city of Nanking they demonstrated barbaric forms of rape, torture, and murder towards Chinese civilians; which justifies the American retribution for firing the atomic bombs on Japan. Moreover, the Japanese people got quick and painless deaths from the atomic bombs whereas the people of Nanking suffered long and cruel methods of diabolicalShow MoreRelatedAtomic Bombs On Hiroshima And Nagasaki844 Words   |  4 Pagesdropped atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing nearly 200,000 people. This resulted in Japans surrender in World War II. J. Samuel Walker analyzes this historical event in his book Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs. Over the past 70 years’ extensive research has been conducted and there is an understanding that Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs is inconclusive. It is impossible to determine that the use of the bomb was the quickestRe ad MoreThe Atomic Bomb Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1302 Words   |  6 PagesAllies almost one week after being hit with two atomic bombs. On August 6, 1945 during World War II an American B-29 bomber dropped the world s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city Hiroshima, wiping out 90 percent of the city and killing 80,000 people immediately. Three days later a second B-29 dropped another atomic bomb on the Japanese city Nagasaki, killing around 40,000 people. (The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) The Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings were necessary because it played aRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki884 Words   |  4 PagesFearful cries spread through the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the atomic bombs were dropped. Thousands of people were killed instantly, with the rest left critically injured. Eventually, it was measured that 135,000 people were killed as a result of these bombs. We know that many people were killed. But how and why were the atomic bo mbs created? Who decided to use them? These questions all contribute to the fact that the atomic bombs impacted the world greatly. It all started when WorldRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb On Hiroshima And Nagasaki Essay1776 Words   |  8 PagesThe use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II was a controversial decision that was made by President Truman. On August 6, 1945, President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and three days later a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. It brought an end to the bloody war in the Pacific after 4 years. Making Japan surrender in the face of unimaginable force and significant destruction on Japan’s soil. Nevertheless, Truman’s decisionRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1515 Words   |  7 PagesResearch Question: Was it necessary for President Truman to drop the atomic bomb in Japan? Was it necessary for Truman to drop the Atomic Bombs on Japan in World War II? On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped by a US aircraft on Hiroshima. This atomic bomb was dropped to force Japan into surrender, this bomb alone destroyed Hiroshima and over 90,000 people were instantly killed in the explosion and an additional 100,000 people perished from burns and radiation sickness. Japan refusedRead MoreThe Atomic Bombs On Hiroshima And Nagasaki1764 Words   |  8 Pagesmake the decision to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki however, President Truman was ultimately the man who made the final decision to launch ‘Little Boy’ and destroy Hiroshima, Nagasaki and their civilians, thus forcing an end to the war. Although there were many alternatives presented to President Truman, it is unknown as to whether they would have actually succeeded in ending the war or producing less casualties. Truman made the decision to drop these bombs in the heat of war but h is justificationRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1364 Words   |  6 PagesOn the 6th of August 1945 America dropped the atomic bomb by the name of ‘Little Boy’ dropped by the plane ‘Enola Gay’ on the Japanese city, Hiroshima. Three days later on the 9th of August America dropped another bombed called, ‘Fat Man’ on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. A surrender was received and accepted by America on the 15th of August and the war against Japan had ended. Harry S. Truman, the man responsible for dropping the bombs claims it ended the war more efficiently and was in fact theRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki Essay1570 Words   |  7 PagesDespite the extreme devastation, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary. The atomic bomb is a weapon unmatched in warfare, rapidly releasing nuclear energy by fission of atomic nuclei. Desperate times call for desperate measures, which is why America chose to unleash its most deadly weapon, the atomic bomb, on Japan. America, who had already fought in World War II for over four years, had no desire to perpetuate the war. When Japan refused to surrender, America was leftRead MoreAtomic Bombs On Hiroshima And Nagasaki1074 Words   |  5 PagesThere are many different ways in which WWII could have ended. Rather than taking the risk of dropping atomic bombs on Japan, many people believe that one of the alternative options would have been much more sensible. The variety of possible options the U.S. could have taken to finish the war have been analyzed for years. Though Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki is one of the most controversial and debated topics in history, this researcher believes that he madeRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb On Hiroshima And Nagasaki1998 Words   |  8 Pagesto drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Joon Jung 2/21/16 Word Count: 1848 Section A: Identification and Evaluation of Sources Research Question: Was it necessary for President Truman to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Was it necessary for Truman to drop the Atomic Bombs on Japan in World War II? On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped by a US aircraft on Hiroshima. This atomic bomb was dropped to force Japan into surrender, this bomb alone destroyed

Enlightment of Education in Pygmalion and Educating Rita

Top of Form [pic] [pic] [pic] Bottom of Form Share on mymailruShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on vkMore Sharing Services0 | | |Ð’Ð ¾Ã ¹Ã'‚Ð ¸ |Literary analysis of the play Pygmalion by G.B. Shaw - ИÐ ½Ã ¾Ã' Ã'‚Ã'€Ð °Ã ½Ã ½Ã'‹Ð ¹ Ã' Ã ·Ã'‹Ð º -Ã'€Ð µÃ'„Ð µÃ'€Ð °Ã'‚ | |Top of Form |Plan: | |Email | | |[pic]ПÐ °Ã'€Ð ¾Ã »Ã'Å' |Introduction | |[pic][pic] |1. Social conditions in†¦show more content†¦In this work, I investigated life and creative | | |activity of George Bernard Shaw and especially his famous play Pygmalion: the | | |characters of the play and their spiritual philosophy, conflict and social background | | |of the play, writing style of Pygmalion and the origin of its title. | | |Bernard Shaw occupies a conspicuous place in the historical development of the English | | |and the world literature. In his books Shaw could realistically describe the social | | |life of people. He considered language a lot and tried to reform English and make it | | |easier to read and to learn. This point of Shaw’s creative activity determines the | | |actuality of my course paper. | | |Shaw entered drama area as the original innovator. He established a new type of a drama| | |at the English theatre – an intellectual drama in which

Internet Postage Services free essay sample

This is a consumer-buyer behavior study on the public response to innovative Internet postage products and services. This paper is a very detailed report on the the Internet postage market, a branch of the total postage market. The survey finds that this market may increase to $120 billion, domestically and internationally. Contents Executive Summary Summary of Findings Profile of the Market Product Category Market Size Historical Trends Growth Forecasts Customer Segments Market Leaders Advantages Disadvantages Recent Market Trends Economic Demographic Psycho graphic Marketing Opportunities Description and Justification of your Target Segment Potential Consumer Segment Justification Analysis of Consumer Behavior Problem Recognition Search for Alternative Solutions Evaluation of Alternatives Purchase Product Positioning Statement Marketing Mix Recommendations Promotional Mix Tools Advertising Objective Message Media Channels of Distribution Bibliography Questionnaire Analysis of Survey Internet Postage is one of the main features of the Internet services market. The increasing use of the Internet has caused an equal increase in the need for Internet services. We will write a custom essay sample on Internet Postage Services or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Internet services continue to grow on a daily basis. Since there are increasing numbers of American households accessing the Internet (an average of 60 percent), these services are currently very competitive. This represents a major opportunity for the Internet Postage market to grow in the same pace. Depending on the expansion, this market may increase to $120 billion, domestically and internationally.

Michel Foucault s Discourse Theory and its Relation to Dr. Seusss Works

When speaking about Michel Foucault ‘s discourse theory and its relation to Dr. Seuss’s books, it is necessary to consider some key concepts of the philosopher’s discourse. First of all, it should be pointed out that the analysis of images and other symbolic practices as well as some ideas and thoughts is recognized to be really important process, as such analysis gives us an opportunity to focus on the so-called continuities of change.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Michel Foucault ‘s Discourse Theory and its Relation to Dr. Seuss’s Works specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Generally, one is to keep in mind that Foucault ‘s discourse â€Å"tells us something about the person speaking the language, the culture that that person is part of, the network of social institutions that the person caught up in, and even frequently the most basic assumptions that the person holds† (Whisnant 5). In other words, one can make a conclusion that discourse seems to be the social tool, which main purpose is to show the peculiarities of understanding human experience. One of the most important points, which should be considered, is a historical transformation discourse theory is related to. Thus, according to Michel Foucault, small shifts are considered to be significant elements, which reflect the ways the language is expressed. For instance, when speaking about Dr. Seuss’s The Cat Not in the Hat, it becomes obvious that transformativeness inquiry is one of the key concepts of a humorous book. On the other hand, it is also necessary to remember that children’s classic The Cat in the Hat can be analyzed differently. Laura A. Heymann is of the opinion that â€Å"reader recognition of the defendant’s recontextualization mediates any potential conflict between a reader-response view of transformativeness and the derivative work right† (464) . As far as discourses Michel Foucault speaks about affect numerous areas of life; for this reason, one is to keep in mind that discourses exist everywhere, they encompass all the genres, and Dr. Seuss’s works cannot be regarded as exceptions. Generally, it should be pointed out that the social construction of reality Dr. Seuss highlights depends upon the chains of language Michel Foucault depicts. In other words, culture cannot exist without discourse. Discourses undergo transformations, and these changes can be traced back. When analyzing Dr. Seuss’s works, it becomes evident that â€Å"once transformations in a given discourse happen, the new rules can spread, infiltrating their way into new areas of life and even transforming older discourses or forcing them out of practice† (Whisnant 8).Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The interdependence between Michel Fouc ault’s discourse theory and Dr. Seuss’s works generates the truth. For instance, the context of Dr. Seuss’s works convinces people to accept the reality. Moreover, as far as discourse communicates knowledge, it also shows us the ways people interpret the world. Finally, cultural transformations explanation is recognized to be one of the most important aims of a discourse. As far as the production of discourse can be controlled, the author can impact on languages, images and signs he creates. In other words, the author can create his own reality and convince the readers to accept it. However, if the reader does not understand truths of a discourse, one can state that discourses exist independently. So, taking into account Michel Foucault’s discourse theory, one can state for sure that Dr. Seuss’s works reflect cultural transformations French philosopher speaks about. In other words, the truth one accepts through the reality is considered to be absol ute. Works Cited Heymann, Laura. Everything Is Transformative: Fair Use and Reader Response, 2008. Web. https://goo.gl/vUxOi. Whisnant, Clayton. Foucault Discourse, n.d. Web. https://webs.wofford.edu/whisnantcj/his389/foucault_discourse.pdf. This essay on Michel Foucault ‘s Discourse Theory and its Relation to Dr. Seuss’s Works was written and submitted by user Laila Vargas to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Best Places to Sell Used Textbooks Online

Best Places to Sell Used Textbooks Online Selling Used Textbooks Textbooks are very expensive. With most books costing $100 or more each, its not unheard of for students to spend well over $1,000 on textbooks during their academic career. And once youre done with a textbook, what do you do with it? Some schools offer a buyback program that will take your textbooks back and give you cash in return. Unfortunately, they rarely pay top dollar, which means you might take a considerable loss. A second option is to sell your used textbooks online. This latter option might just put a few more dollars back into your pocket. Get tips on how to sell used textbooks for cash. Where to Sell Used Textbooks There are a number of places to sell used textbooks online. Some of them allow you to sell directly to buyers, and others sell the books for you so that you can put a significant sum of money in your pocket without doing a lot of work.   Before selling any of your used textbooks, you should take time to compare the different prices you will get from the various outlets that sell books. Of course, you dont want to get too carried away with the comparison if you dont have a lot of time on your hands. There are tons of sites that buy used textbooks; you could spend hours comparing prices on just one book. Youre better off making a list of options and checking those sites in particular.  Some of the best places to sell use textbooks include: Amazon - You can sell your textbooks on Amazon when you sign up for a free account.BetterWorldBooks - You can sell or donate your books to this site. BetterWorld pays the shipping.BIGWORDS - Get up to 75 percent of your money back when you use BIGWORDs buyback comparison tool.Blue Rectangle - This site pays the shipping when you sell your used textbooks to them.Book Scouter - Use this site to find the website that will buy your used textbooks for the highest price.BookByte - You can get instant quotes and free shipping when you sell used textbooks on BookByte.BooksIntoCash - This long-established site offers fast payment and free shipping to students who want to get rid of old textbooks.BooksValue.com - This site buys used textbooks from both students and faculty.Cash 4 Books - You can receive payment within three business days when you sell used textbooks to this website.CKY Books - CKY will send you payment within 24 to 48 hours of receiving your used textbooks.CollegeSmarts - You can sell and trade your used textbooks on CollegeSmarts. Craigslist - Craigslist is a great place to sell anythingtextbooks are no exception.eBay - On eBay, you can set a reserve and get the price you need for your used textbooks.eCampus - This site offers great buyback prices and free UPS shipping.eTextShop.com - This site guarantees the most money for your used textbooks. Other perks include free shipping and fast payment.Half.com - This eBay site is a great place to sell used textbooks.Kijiji - This classifieds site is a good place to sell used textbooks and other school supplies.MoneyForBooks.com - Get free shipping labels, fast payment, and other perks from this site.SellBackBooks - This site offers instant quotes and fast payment with direct deposits.Textbook Buyer - You can sell used textbooks, manuals and other study materials through Textbook Buyer.TextbookX.com - This site pays 200 percent more than bookstores that buy textbooks.Valore Books - Valore is known for having some of the highest buyback prices.

Life of John Rolfe, Husband of Pocahontas

Life of John Rolfe, Husband of Pocahontas John Rolfe (1585–1622) was a British colonist of the Americas. He was an important figure in Virginia politics and an entrepreneur who played a significant role in founding the Virginia tobacco trade. However, he is best known as the man who married Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan, head of the Powhatan confederacy of Algonquin tribes.   Fast Facts: John Rolfe Known For: British colonist who married Pocahontas  Born: October 17, 1562 in Heacham, England  Died: March 1622 in Henrico, Virginia  Spouses Names: Sarah Hacker (m. 1608–1610), Pocahontas (m. 1614–1617), Jane Pierce (m. 1619)  Childrens Names: Thomas Rolfe (son of Pocahontas), Elizabeth Rolfe (daughter of Jane Pierce) Early Years Rolfe was born on Oct. 17, 1562 to a wealthy family in Heacham, England. His family owned Heacham manor and his father was a successful merchant in Lynn.   Not much is known about Rolfes education or life in England, but in July of 1609, he left for Virginia on the Sea-Venture, the flagship of several vessels carrying settlers and provisions and the first group of government officials to the new colony at Jamestown.   Shipwrecked in Bermuda Rolfe brought with him his first wife, Sarah Hacker. The Sea-Venture was wrecked in a storm on the Bermudas, but all the passengers survived and Rolfe and his wife stayed on Bermuda for eight months. There they had a daughter, who they named Bermuda, and- importantly for his future career- Rolfe may have obtained samples of West Indies tobacco.  Ã‚   Rolfe lost both his first wife and daughter in Bermuda.  Rolfe and the surviving shipwrecked passengers left Bermuda in 1610. When they arrived in May 1610, the Virginia colony had just suffered through the starving time, a grim period in early American history. Over the winter of 1609–1610, the colonists were beset by plague and yellow fever, and sieges by the local inhabitants. An estimated three-quarters of the English colonists of Virginia died of starvation or starvation-related diseases that winter.   Tobacco Between 1610 and 1613, Rolfe experimented with the native tobacco at his home in Henricus and succeeded in producing a leaf that was more pleasing to the British palate. His version was named the Orinoco, and it was developed from the combination of a local version and seeds from Trinidad that he had brought with him from Spain or perhaps obtained in Bermuda. He is also credited with inventing a curing process to prevent rot during the long sea voyage to England, as well as the dampness of the English climate.   By 1614, active exports of tobacco were being sent back to England, and  Rolfe is often credited as the first person to suggest cultivating tobacco as a cash crop in the Americas, the major source of income for Virginia for centuries to follow. Marrying Pocahontas Throughout this period, the Jamestown colony continued to suffer from an adversarial relationship with the Native American inhabitants, the Powhatan tribe. In 1613, Captain Samuel Argall kidnapped Powhatans favorite daughter, Pocahontas, and eventually, she was brought to Henricus.  There she received religious instruction from the settlements minister, Rev. Alexander Whitaker, and converted to Christianity, taking the name Rebecca. She also met John Rolfe.   Rolfe married her around April 5, 1614, after sending a letter to the governor of Virginia asking for permission to do so, for the good of the Plantation, the honor of our Country, for the Glory of God, for my own salvation, and for the Converting to the true knowledge of Jesus Christ an unbelieving Creature, namely Pocahontas.   A Temporary Peace After Rolfe married Pocahontas, relationships between the British settlers and Pocahontas tribe settled into a time of friendly commerce and trade. That freedom created opportunities to build up the colony as it had not seen before.   Pocahontas had a son, Thomas Rolfe, born in 1615, and on April 21, 1616, Rolfe and his family joined an expedition back to Britain to publicize the Virginia colony. In England, Pocahontas as the Lady Rebecca was received enthusiastically: among other events, she attended The Vision of Delight, a royal court masque written by Ben Jonson for King James I and his wife Queen Anne.   Return to Virginia In March of 1616, Rolfe and Pocahontas started for home, but she was ill and died aboard the ship before it left England. She was buried at Gravesend; their infant son, too ill to survive the voyage, was left behind to be raised by Rolfes brother Henry.   Before and after Rolfe returned to his estate in Henricus, he held several prominent positions in the Jamestown colony. He was named Secretary in 1614 and in 1617 held the office of Recorder General.  Ã‚   Death and Legacy In 1620, Rolfe married Jane Pierce, the daughter of Captain William Pierce, and they had a daughter named Elizabeth. In 1621, the Virginia colony began actively raising funds for the College of Henricus, a boarding school for young Native Americans to train them to become more English.   Rolfe grew ill in 1621, and he wrote a will, which was drawn up in Jamestown on March 10th of 1621. The will was eventually probated in London on May 21, 1630, and that copy has survived.   Rolfe died in 1622, a few weeks before the Great Indian Massacre of March 22, 1622, led by Pocahontass uncle Opechancanough. Nearly 350 of the British colonists were killed, ending the uneasy peace which had been established, and nearly putting an end to Jamestown itself. John Rolfe had a significant impact on the Jamestown colony in Virginia, in his marriage to Pocahontas which established an eight-year-long peace, and in the creation of a cash crop, tobacco, on which the fledgling colonies could use to survive economically.   Sources Carson, Jane. The Will of John Rolfe. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 58.1 (1950): 58–65. Print.Kramer, Michael Jude. The 1622 Powhatan Uprising and Its Impact on Anglo-Indian Relations. Illinois State University 2016. Print.Kupperman, Karen Ordahl. Apathy and Death in Early Jamestown. The Journal of American History 66.1 (1979): 24–40. Print.Rolfe, Jo. Letter from John Rolfe to Sir Thos. Dale. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 22.2 (1914): 150–57. Print.Tratner, Michael. Translating Values: Mercantilism and the Many Biographies of Pocahontas. Biography 32.1 (2009): 128–36. Print.Vaughan, Alden T. Expulsion of the Salvages: English Policy and the Virginia Massacre of 1622. The William and Mary Quarterly 35.1 (1978): 57–84. Print.

SAT promt essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SAT promt - Essay Example Mother Teresa was an ethnic Albanian, Catholic nun who arrived in India in 1931. Seeing all the poverty, pain and disease around her, she really doubted whether she will be able to make a difference in the life of the suffering humanity that surrounded her. She had no funds at her disposal and no material means to support her plans. To get over this problem, this brave Catholic nun devised a strategy. She decided to focus on the immediate person suffering before her, without getting disheartened by the big picture comprising of millions of suffering people. Hence, her mission which started with serving a single old man dying of leprosy in a gutter, gradually evolved into a big charity and this Catholic nun was able to bring happiness and peace to the life of millions of people. Especially in India, people harbor such respect for Mother Teresa that they fondly remember her as the Saint of the Gutters. The life of Mother Teresa not only teaches the value of being sincere and dedicated in the accomplishment of small things, but also stands as a beacon that warns the people who want to bring about a change in the world, to never get frustrated by admitting that they are too small to serve any pragmatic purpose. Most of the worthy endeavors mostly begin with a small act or gesture of kindness, courage or compassion. Nature has its own unique way of supporting the efforts of good people who intend to achieve a big goal by starting with small things. The overall impact of these small things when accumulated over time gives way to a surge of change that is too strong and too big to be restrained by obstacles, scarcities and resistance. It is quite possible that one would never have had a Mother Teresa in this world, if a frail Catholic nun in Calcutta would have got dismayed by the big size of suffering around her and would have given up on the very first old man that needed her help an d

Middle East Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Middle East Final Exam - Essay Example This was followed by Christian anti-Semitism, which occurred in the middle epoch and was principally religious in nature. This was further followed by conventional or olden Muslim anti-Semitism, which was apparently nuanced due to the case of Jews being protected socially. Socio-political and economical anti-Semitism associated with Europe in the period of enlighten and post enlightenment which crafted the basis for racial anti-Semitism. Racial anti-Semitism was inculcated in the era of Nazism around the 19th century (Falk 5). Modern anti-Semitism has emerged lately and is acknowledged as fresh anti-Semitism. However, in our study, we will deal with the anti-Semitism occurring in the 19th century. The introduction of the era of industrialization and the scientist revolution in Europe encouraged and was characterized by extreme anti-Semitism (Falk 25). Zionism is a Jewish political affiliation that aims at empowering and boosting the self esteem of the Jewish people in a sovereign nat ional homeland of the Jews. It advocates for the Jewish people and addresses the critical intimidation and threats to their affluence and continued existence. Liberal Zionism, being our major focus, included advocacies by Zionist leaders such as Herzi and Weizmann, although not directed to a single party, for democracy and human rights adherence and free market capitalism. Kadima, however, diverted his advocacy towards the establishment of a democratic society in Israel, the dire need for Palestinian statehood and granting of equal rights for Israeli Arab citizens among other grievances (Falk 5). Theodor Herzl is the father to modern Zionism and emergence of the Israeli state. The imminent rise of anti-Semitism was what pickled Herzl’s attention and caused him to inculcate the fight against it. Despite the fact that he was steeped into the European culture, Herzl was perturbed by the augmenting hate for the Jews and, thus, started fighting for his dignity (Falk 55). With cont inued fight against Zionist movement by various Jewish leaders, Herzl pressed for more attention on the congress to conquer the communities or work with the Jewish communities in addition to political focus on the Palestine community. Thus, he elicited cohesion and serenity in the Jewish and Palestinian communities through activism as he wrote news articles discouraging anti-Semitism. Thus, he addressed the plight of the Jews and pressed for independence of Palestine and freedom foe Jewish people to his grave. Chaim Weizmann was brought up in a Jewish steeped setting and grew up aware of the plight of Jews. He played a big role in fighting for Zionism. In his liaison with Balfour for the enforcement of the Balfour’s declaration, Weizmann confessed that all he needed was home for his people. He secured a credit as one of the founding fathers of Israel. In 1919, Weizmann and his acquaintance Faisal, the future crown of Iraq, stroke an accord dubbed the Faisal-Weizmann agreement , which inculcated peaceful relations between Arabs and Jews within the Middle East. This accord lobbied for the settlement of Jews in Palestine (Falk 55). After this accord, Weizmann became the influential leader of the world Zionist movement where he liaised with Albert Einstein to raise funds for the construction of the Hebrew university in Jerusalem. He ended up as the first president of Israel where he brought people together. Before and after the Second World War,

Rhetorical Devices and Literary Techniques Essay Example for Free

Rhetorical Devices and Literary Techniques Essay Rhetorical devices and literary techniques are closely related to tone and style. In fact, an author’s style partly consists of selecting and using certain devices; an author’s tone is partially determined by the type of techniques an author uses. Many SAT books will list lots of Greek terms you don’t need to know, such as synecdoche and anaphora. But the Critical Reading section won’t require that you know the names of rhetorical devices or literary techniques. Rather than bombard you with dozens of unfamiliar terms, we’ll categorize and clump the most common types of devices and techniques below and provide some examples and commentary. As we said, you won’t be specifically tested on these concepts, but they do lurk beneath the surface in the passages. Having a solid understanding of these devices and techniques will improve your ability to handle RPs. Focus on absorbing the similarities and differences between and among them. As you read through the list, note the one key feature all of these techniques and devices share: they allow words and sentences to carry more than only their literal meaning. Here is a list of the most important devices and techniques. We’ve included examples along with commentary on each one: Hyperbole I’m as hungry as a starving lion. Hyperbole is a synonym for exaggeration. Clearly, the speaker is not really as hungry as a starving lion. A hyperbole is just a figure of speech we use to emphasize a point. The opposite device is understatement: I’m a little tired is a purposeful understatement if the speaker has been up for 48 hours. Repetition Duty does not trump honesty. Duty does not trump common sense. And duty, my friends, does not trump morality. Repetition is the conscious and purposeful replication of words or phrases in order to make a point. In this example, it’s clear that the limits of duty are being sketched out. The speaker is trying to show that duty is not the only or even the most important virtue. Imagery and Figurative Language Simile Her eyes were like stars. Her eyes are literally human eyes. Figuratively, they are being compared to stars, meaning, most likely, that they are bright and shiny and cause wonderment. This is an example of a simile. Similes use like and as to make explicit comparisons between unlike things, such as eyes and stars. Metaphor Her eyes were pools of liquid light. Again, her eyes are literally human eyes. Figuratively, they are being compared to pools of liquid light. However, the comparison is implied, not stated. This is an example of a metaphor. Unlike similes, metaphors compare unlike things without explicitly stating the comparison with â€Å"like† or â€Å"as. † Personification Her eyes followed me up the stairs. Can eyes follow someone up the stairs? Not literally, but in this case an eye—which is not a person—is given a person’s abilities, namely, following someone else up the stairs. This is an example of personification. Symbolism Her eyes looked but did not see. All was dark. Literally speaking, eyes either see (healthy eyes) or they don’t see (blind eyes). An eye that looks but does not see is blind in a figurative sense. Very often, vision and light are symbols for understanding and enlightenment. In this example, the woman is most likely unaware of—or â€Å"in the dark†Ã¢â‚¬â€about something. This is an example of symbolism. Sound Patterns Her eyes were rippling pools of liquid light in which I splashed playfully. This metaphor also uses sound patterns to underscore its meaning. Note that the letters l and p repeat: rippling pools of liquid light†¦splashed playfully. The author may have repeated â€Å"l† and â€Å"p† sounds to evoke the sound of water (like in the word splash itself) or simply to link together the words that make up the metaphor—or both. There are many types of sound-pattern devices, each with its own difficult Greek name that you certainly won’t need to know. Rhetorical Questions Can poverty ever be eradicated? Rhetorical questions are not meant to be answered. A rhetorical question is used to present what’s taken to be an unanswerable question, such as these questions: Can a repeat offender ever be trusted not to commit another crime? Can a person ever have too much love? A rhetorical question can also be one in which the author’s answer is clearly intended to be â€Å"no† or â€Å"yes. † In these two examples, the author’s answer is clearly intended to be â€Å"no† (whether you agree with those answers or not). Idioms and Cliches That’ll cost you an arm and a leg. Idioms are inherited quirks of language that native speakers understand without question but which cause nonnative speakers endless trouble. Only a native speaker knows that if something costs an arm and a leg that means it’s expensive, not that you actually need to lose your limbs to purchase it. Many overused idioms and symbols are cliches, and cliches themselves can be used ironically (see irony below). Irony [Said to a mean boss]: â€Å"You’ve been so kind to me. † The SAT loves irony. A statement is ironic if it expresses something different from or opposite to the literal meaning of the words. This example is called verbal irony or sarcasm, which can be thought of as â€Å"heavy-handed irony†: The overuse of antibiotics has led to the rise of resistant strains of many diseases. A statement or situation can be ironic or paradoxical when the words accurately report events that seem to be contradictory but which have actually occurred, as in this example: A soldier has returned from a war. He crashes his motorcycle and dies. His war experiences are told in flashback. Whenever he thinks about death, a motorcycle drives by. A specific literary use of irony is called dramatic irony. In the example above, the audience knows that the soldier will die in a motorcycle crash. The soldier himself, of course, doesn’t know how he will die. (A flashback, by the way, is another literary device made popular by the movies. Flashbacks jump back in the story’s chronology to give background information. For example, the opening scene of the film Lord of the Rings: Return of the King shows Gollum before he found the ring. ) Foreshadowing A soldier goes to war. He survives many brutal battles, just barely missing being killed several times. The soldier becomes obsessed with his â€Å"good luck†Ã¢â‚¬â€why does he survive when so many others die? Every time the soldier has a brush with death, the author makes some subtle mention of a black motorcycle. Eventually, the soldier’s best friend is killed in a motorcycle crash the day after the war has ended. The soldier himself comes home and not too long afterward, he dies by crashing his motorcycle. In this example, the audience and character are equally ignorant about the outcome of the story. However, by using foreshadowing, the author begins to clue in his audience. The character’s fate is slowly revealed to the audience but not necessarily to the character himself. Note that the ending to this story is doubly ironic—was the soldier â€Å"meant† to die in a motorcycle crash or did he bring it about through his own guilt about surviving while others perished? The theme of free will versus predetermination underlies this little story. Motif The motorcycle in the last two examples. A motif is a symbol that is carried through an entire work of fiction. The motorcycle symbolized death throughout both stories. In the Lord of the Rings, the One Ring is a motif for the corrupting nature of power. Now that you have all these concepts under your belt, it’s time to learn the most efficient way to use your knowledge on testlike items and sets.

How far is Shylock a character for whom we can feel sympathy? :: essays research papers

How far is Shylock a character for whom we can feel sympathy? How would a contemporary audience’s response to him differ from that of an audience in Shakespeare’s time? Shylock isn’t a character for whom we can feel much sympathy for because he always seems to be thinking about himself and his money rather than other people around him. Through most of the play he seems selfish, and it seems in some parts of the play as though he doesn’t care about his daughter. He also has a very strict religion, which also sometimes makes him seem as an uptight character. Although he sometimes does try and be a good father to his daughter such as in act 2, scene 3. This is where he tells her to lock the house up and to keep safe from the masque, but even part of this act to his daughter was to make sure no Christian men would come into his house or anything get stolen. Through the whole of the play the audience keeps changing their sympathy for Shylock, pitying him one moment and hating him the next. Some people would call the audience’s feelings to Shylock a kind of roller coaster of sympathy. Also in act 2, scene 8 Salerio and Solanio are talking about the way Shylock reacted to his daughter leaving. Solanio said that Shylock had said: ‘My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!’ This quote makes the audience feel a tiny bit of sympathy for Shylock as it shows how he feels awful about how he has lost his daughter and money at the same time. Solario also goes on to say: ‘Stolen by my daughter! Justice! Find the girl! She hath the stones upon her, and the ducats!’ After this is said the audience will feel a lot less sympathy for Shylock as it seems he only cares about finding his daughter because she has the ducats with her and the only way to get back his ducats etc is to find his daughter. Although he only cares about his ducats the audience might feel sympathy for him because that it was his own flesh and blood that stole the ducats from him. So Shylock would feel quite betrayed by this. In act 3, scene 1 there is a lot of evidence that shows Shylock valuing money over his daughter. Shylock had said in this scene: ‘I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear; would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin.

Generators: Electric Power and Ashe Members

[pic] Regulatory Advisory A service to members, advisories are produced whenever there is a significant development that affects the job you do in your community. A Message to ASHE Members: The Joint Commission (JCAHO) is conducting a Field Review of its proposed addition to standard EC. 7. 40 on the inspection, testing and maintenance of emergency power systems. JCAHO proposes to add a new Element of Performance (EP) requiring annual testing of each emergency generator for four continuous hours, under load.ASHE members are encouraged to take full advantage of this opportunity to: †¢ Provide your input on the actual need for this new requirement, †¢ Comment if this requirement will assure greater reliability, †¢ Inform JCAHO of the specific impact to your facility from implementing this requirement as it is proposed. The Field Review will close on February 20, 2006 Standard EC. 7. 40 – Proposed Element of Performance #5The [organization] tests each emergency gen erator at least once every 12 months for a minimum of four continuous hours. This test shall be conducted under a load (dynamic or static) that is at least 30% of the nameplate rating of the generator. The Field Review is being conducted on the JCAHO website at: www. jcaho. org/accredited+organizations/hospitals/standards/field+reviews/ec740_std_fr. htm The notice contains background information that identifies emergency electrical generators as a critical resource for delivery of safe care.The background information further explains that â€Å"Testing generators for sufficient lengths of time increases the likelihood of detecting generator reliability problems and reduces the risk of losing this critical resource when it (is) most needed†. A key question ASHE members should comment on is: As it is written – will the proposed requirement lead to more effective detection of generator reliability problems and in doing so reduce the risk of failure under emergency conditi ons? † The Field Review is organized to challenge both the premise for and the wording of the proposed standard.The survey questions and ASHE’s guidance on responding to these questions are on pages 2 and 3 of this alert. All answers should be for your specific facility based on your experience. In addition to providing input on whether this standard will meet its intent, you should focus on possible obstacles to complying with this requirement including resources (fuel and labor costs), disruption to services and patient care during the test, and air emission regulatory compliance issues. ASHE urges you to seize this opportunity to comment!Your input is essential to ensure this proposed revision is well thought out and will actually improve system reliability. JCAHO Field Review – Proposed Emergency Power Testing Standards The Field Review is an on-line survey launched from the Field Review web page at: www. jcaho. org/accredited+organizations/hospitals/standard s/field+reviews/ec740_std_fr. htm The actual survey is conducted through surveymonkey. com with results compiled for JCAHO. Below are the survey questions with guidance on how to respond to each question 1.Name – this is listed as optional but we suggest you provide your name 2. Organization – again this is optional but we suggest you provide this 3. In which one of the following categories are you primarily responding? – there is a list provided to chose from – in most cases you will select the first choice as being a ‘Joint Commission Accredited Organization’. 4. If you are primarily representing a Joint Commission accredited organization, which one category best describes your role in that organization? similar to the previous question this is a list – most ASHE members will choose ‘Facility Maintenance’, Facility Design’, or ‘Safety Management/Security Management’. 5. For which accredited program ar e you responding to this field review? – a list is provided of each of the JCAHO programs for which this proposed standard will apply. Please select your primary facility (e. g. Hospital). If you have multiple care settings, please consider filling out a survey for each different type of care setting. 6. Does your organization rely on an emergency generator to provide care, treatment, and services during electrical power outages? Yes/No 7. Would your organization rely on an emergency generator to continue care, treatment, or services for four hours or more during extended electrical power outages? – typically this is Yes unless your program allows for the discontinuation of services and facility evacuation 8. Are the proposed revisions illustrated in â€Å"Element of Performance #5†, understandable or clear to your organization? – this is where the â€Å"rubber hits the road†. Comment on the proposed standard as it is written – don’t read into it what you think it is trying to say.If it is not clear please take the time to comment on what is unclear and/or if there is a better way to clearly state what they want you to do. 9. Regarding â€Å"Element of Performance #5†, is the required frequency for testing emergency generators appropriate? – the real question is – should this be an annual test? The 2005 edition of NFPA 110 – Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems – requires Level 1 EPSS (Emergency Power Supply Systems) to be tested for at least 4 hours, at least once within every 36 months.ASHE members are represented on the technical committee of NFPA 110 along with manufacturers and designers. This technical committee has voted that a 4 hour test, every three years provides adequate assurance of reliable performance. If you agree with NFPA 110 you should select No. 10. If you indicated no, what would be the appropriate frequency of testing? – NFPA 110 require s 36 months (NFPA 110 – 2005, section 8. 4. 9) 11. Do you feel that a load of 30% of the nameplate rating of the generator required in â€Å"Element of Performance #5† would adequately assess the generator’s fueling and cooling systems during the test? NFPA 110 requires the test load to be the EPSS load running at the time of the test. This is to test the ability of the EPSS to deliver the required power to the outlets, lighting, and systems that are on the emergency power system rather then to simulate it with a load. As written, EP 5 could be met through use of a resistive load bank without testing other vital components of the EPSS including transfer switches and paralleling switchgear. This is a fundamental question – will â€Å"cooking† the engine for 4 hours adequately test he fuel and cooling systems and therefore enhance system reliability? Or is should the entire EPSS be tested? If you feel that the entire system should be tested as requir ed by NFPA 110 – 2005, section 8. 4. 9. 1, answer question 11 as No and list your reasons in the provided space for comment. 12. Would the proposed revisions in â€Å"Element of Performance #5† be burdensome for your organization? – ASHE recommends that you discuss this issue with your administration and safety committee to fully identify all the implications of performing this test annually.Issues to discuss include additional resources (fuel consumption and labor to conduct the test), increased amounts of air emissions from the test (state or regional clean air regulations), and disruption to services during the test such as computer based systems on emergency power, lighting, transportation systems, and ventilation systems. Organizations that have experienced any difficulty in scheduling and performing the currently required monthly tests must ensure that all stakeholders are fully informed and supportive of the scheduling and performance of this proposed 4 h our test. 3. If â€Å"Element of Performance #5† became effective immediately, how long would it take for your organization to be in compliance? – this question only allows one of four responses, with a maximum of 12 months. Your response should be informed by the discussion from question 12. If you feel that none of the listed time frames are adequate, utilize the â€Å"additional comments† area at the end of the survey to discuss the compliance timeframe 14. Would your organization utilize outside sources to perform this test required by â€Å"Element of Performance #5†? For example, would your organization need to utilize a load bank to meet the 30% test load requirement? ) – Consider if you have the available staff, the available expertise on staff, and/or the available current load to perform this test without taking on additional outside expenses. If you anticipate additional expenses, provide a ‘best-guess’ of that cost. For que stions or comments contact Dale Woodin at [email  protected] org or 312-422-3812 https://www. premierinc. com/safety/safety-share/05-06-downloads/11-ashe-fda-bed-rail-entrapment-05-06. pdf

Dance history Essay

Ballet is a form of dancing performed for theatre audiences. Like other dance forms, ballet may tell a story, express a mood, or simply reflect the music. But a ballet dancer’s technique (way of performing) and special skills differ greatly from those of other dancers. Ballet dancers perform many movements that are unnatural for the body. But when these movements are well executed, they look natural. The beginnings of ballet can be traced to Italy during the 1400’s at the time of the Renaissance. During the Renaissance, people developed a great interest in art and learning. At the same time, trade and commerce expanded rapidly, and the dukes who ruled Florence and other Italian city-states grew in wealth. The dukes did much to promote the arts. The Italian city-states became rival art centres as well as competing commercial centers. The Italian dukes competed with one another in giving costly, fancy entertainments that included dance performances. The dancers were not professionals. They were noblemen and noblewomen of a duke’s court who danced to please their ruler and to stir the admiration and envy of his rivals. Catherine de Medici, a member of the ruling family of Florence, became the queen of France in 1547. Catherine introduced into the French court the same kind of entertainments that she had known in Italy. They were staged by Balthazar de Beaujoyeulx, a gifted musician. Beaujoyeulx had come from Italy to be Catherine’s chief musician. Ballet historians consider one of Beaujoyeulx’s entertainments, the Ballet Comique de la Reine, to be the first ballet. It was a magnificent spectacle of about 51/2 hours performed in 1581 in honour of a royal wedding. The ballet told the ancient Greek myth of Circe, who had the magical power to turn men into beasts. The ballet included specially written instrumental music, singing, and spoken verse as well as dancing–all based on the story of Circe. Dance technique was extremely limited, and so Beaujoyeulx depended on spectacular costumes and scenery to impress the audience. To make sure that the audience understood the story, he provided printed copies of the verses used in the ballet. The ballet was a great success, and was much imitated in other European courts. French leadership. The Ballet Comique de la Reine established Paris as the capital of the ballet world. King Louis XIV, who ruled France during the late 1600’s and early 1700’s, strengthened that leadership. Louis greatly enjoyed dancing. He took part in all the ballets given at his court, which his nobles performed, but stopped after he became fat and middle-aged. In 1661, Louis founded the Royal Academy of Dancing to train professional dancers to perform for him and his court. Professional ballet began with the king’s dancing academy. With serious training, the French professionals developed skills that had been impossible for the amateurs. Similar companies developed in other European countries. One of the greatest was the Russian Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, whose school was founded in 1738. The French professional dancers became so skilled that they began to perform publicly in theatres. But in 1760, the French choreographer Jean Georges Noverre criticized the professional dancers in his book Lettres sur la danse, et sur les ballets (Letters on Dancing and Ballets). Noverre complained that the dancers cared too much about showing their technical skills and too little about the true purpose of ballet. This purpose, he said, was to represent characters and express their feelings. Noverre urged that ballet dancers stop using masks, bulky costumes, and large wigs to illustrate or explain plot and character. He claimed that the dancers could express these things using only their bodies and faces. So long as the dancers did not look strained or uncomfortable doing difficult steps, they could show such emotions as anger, joy, fear, and love. Noverre developed the ballet d’action, a form of dramatic ballet that told the story completely through movement. Most of Noverre’s ballets told stories taken from ancient Greek myths or dramas. But during the early 1800’s, people no longer cared about old gods and heroes. The romantic period began as people became interested in stories of escape from the real world to dreamlike worlds or foreign lands.

dave matthews essays

dave matthews essays The Dave Matthews Band has been a musical power house for years. They have meshed together almost every type of music together to create their extremely unique sounds and attractiveness towards their music. Dave Matthews, lead singer and guitarist has put together a band that no one will ever be able to create again. Dave picked four extremely talented and unique sounding men to join his band and together they have created some amazing music. Joining Dave in the band is Stefan Lessard on bass, Boyd Tinsley on violin, Leroi Moore on saxophone and one of the best drummers in the world, Carter Beauford. Together these men will one day leave behind a similar reputation as one of the most respected bands of all times such as The Doors, Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix. Dave Matthews has always been into music. He grew up in South Africa where he became very interested in the guitar, especially African tribal music. He says, I love African pop and jazz, but Ive never thought of what I do in those terms. He says, Ive only written one song that sounds African at all to me and that's Proudest Monkey [Crash], which has a circular structure that I associate with African music. But theirs lots of great, very inventive and very energetic music from there, and if anyone hears it in what I do, great Dave has a very unique guitar style that many take notice of. Matthews guitar lines are full of leaps and wide leaps and unexpected syncopations, cross times against Stefan Lessards bass, and Carter Beaufords drums, says John Parcekes of the New York times. Along with Daves guitar work, he has an extremely unique voice, that is an instrument of its own and has been highly thought of by the best out there. The Dave Matthews Band members are able to create such harmony within their instruments but still remain to keep each ins ...

Retracing your steps

Retracing your steps Retracing your steps Retracing your steps By Hugh Ashton Its probably fair to say that no one enjoys editing and rewriting their own work. The first flush of creation is fun especially with fiction. Characters start to fill out and find their own voices. Neat little phrases that youve been saving up for some time pop out and appear in their appointed places, and the plot moves along nicely towards a satisfactory finish. And then the bubble pops. A friend, whose judgement you trust, reads the manuscript and tells you that the plot detail you really loved is actually impossible. Of course, this tiny little plot detail is the one on which the whole of the rest of the book hinges. So what you must do is rip up the story from that point on and rewrite it. Thats the kind of situation Im in now. At about the start of 2008 I finished the draft of a novel about the financial world in Tokyo. The dà ©nouement (what a nice word that is, especially with the accent!) includes an account of a massive earthquake that rocks Tokyo. What it does not include is any account of the Lehmans debacle and any book dealing with financial matters which has any pretense to realism should definitely include a reference to this event. So, seeing that the (long overdue) earthquake hasnt occurred, but the collapse of the banking world has, I am busy rewriting, and its sometimes a bit painful to be retreading these old paths. How is this different from the first burst of writing? On the one hand I know too much. I know how the storys going to end, and how its going to come about (I tend not to micro-plan stories in advance but I like the ending I have already). So its boring not to create it from scratch. On the other hand, I have a much clearer picture in my head of the characters than I did first time round. Theyre more real to me than they were, and as a result, their dialog, as well as their actions, makes more sense to the reader. Because I am closer to them, I also have an emotional involvement with them something that wasnt really there before and I think this makes a real difference to the writing. One reader of the first draft made the valid criticism that he didnt really feel he cared too much about what happened to the protagonist there wasnt enough there to hold psychological interest, though the story itself was interesting. I am trying to rewrite the last quarter of the book from scratch, rather than re-use previously written material, and this introduces an obvious advantage to the rewriting process the ability to revise and remove awkwardness in style and plot. But to me the major advantage, boring as it may be to actually perform the rewriting, is that I have become better acquainted with my characters, and I can breathe more life into them. 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 Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About Numbers50 Idioms About Arms, Hands, and Fingers30 Nautical Expressions

Barriers to Successful Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Barriers to Successful Strategy - Essay Example The paper tells that the implementation of strategies might turn out to be difficult given that the organization is large or complex but, in either case, monitoring and control the execution process of strategies is vital to the organization. Complex strategy implementation becomes a confusion to implementers and might also call for additional resources in forms of human, time and financial resources for successful implementation. Dyer and Singh refer to such situations as complex decision-making strategies which require being high attention during the implementation of strategies although it might take longer to implement and require more attention from employees and manager, its implementation will see the profit margin of an organization increase tremendously. Kaplan and Norton, also identify the importance of strategy execution and describe strategy execution as of equal importance to the strategy itself. Paul Nutt also studied the matter and explains that more than half of the d ecisions made in organization result in failure mainly due to wrong execution of a strategy in the implementation phase. BRF is one such company that has identified the importance of monitoring and controlling its strategy execution process. According to research by Kaplan and Norton, 70% of failures in the execution of a strategy is from the bad implementation, not the strategy itself. They identified four major barriers to the execution of strategies such as lack of vision, resource barrier, management barrier and people barrier. In addition to the four barriers, Jones and Kaplan and Norton emphasize the importance of a communicating strategy due to its critical value of aligning individuals and organizational units. In most organizations, managers are trained on how to plan strategies, not execute them. Managers in most organizations have the know-how on how to plan and develop strategies that would uplift an organization but mostly they lack the technical know-how of how to impl ement their strategies to achieve the intended organizational goals.

Risk management and insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Risk management and insurance - Essay Example Medicare enrollees have in the recent past started purchasing gap-filing coverage, with the enrollees involved constituting up to 70 percent of the total covered population. Medicare provides healthcare coverage in four different parts, namely part A, B, C, and D (King, 2010). Part A and B are the primary parts of the program, providing health insurance for hospital and medical needs. The other two are complementary parts, primarily addressing program flexibility and drug prescriptions. The four primary parts that constitute the Medicare program do not fully address all-round health coverage, meaning that there are some hospital and medical aspects that are not covered by the program. The inadequacies realized in Medicare necessitate the purchase of gap-filling coverage to supplement the Medicare coverage. This gap-filling coverage is necessary in accounting for health risks that Medicare does not provide for. Although Medicare covers the elderly and the disabled populations, only a certain level of their healthcare needs is provided for. As a result, an insurance cover that addresses health care aspects that Medicare does not provide for becomes necessary. MediGap plans serve as a common example of gap-filling

BusMGT Unit3 & 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

BusMGT Unit3 & 4 - Assignment Example With the belief that the company can stand on its feet again, the morale returns to the employees and this will help the company get back to where it was in the long-run. To increase the profit margins of the company, the most important thing to do would be to focus the finances towards the out-dated product lines of the company. This can be done by conducting a market analysis to figure out the consumer demands and what they prefer in the product. By attending to the needs of the consumer, we are actually paving a way for higher profits in the future because we’ll be giving the consumers what they want. Moreover, by understanding the consumer demand it’ll become easier for us to redesign our product to the desired specifics and the chance of losing sales due to undesirable characteristics would be reduced. To analyse and incorporate the effects of the external environment into our organization’s business plan, it would also be beneficial to point out who our com petitors are. An in-depth research of the competitors and the products that they sell is very important because it gives us an insight into how we could give our products a USP (unique selling point) in comparison to that of the competitors. Also, the objective is not to duplicate the competition products but to manufacture good-quality products with features that give us a leg up. The best way, in my opinion to ensure success finance-wise, is to create products that are not already supplied in the market but have a high consumer demand. In order to reach this goal, the organization design will have to be rearranged in several ways. First, all the major contributors will be divided into teams, which will be assigned by the ideas of the new business plan. Next, one main objective or goal will be given to all the teams to focus on, and it will be made sure that it has all the expertise and knowledge required to efficiently achieve that goal. The team-members will assist each other in completing the goal. They will also have a set role, with the Team leaders and Managers to look over the entire process. This structure will mean that we can focus on our customers and suppliers, as they will be the force that drives the organization towards product redevelopment, changes in the hierarchy and so on. Moreover, the inter-departmental communication flow will be clearer and faster, leading to more efficient decision making for the organization. Also, meeting the needs of our consumers will provide us with a competitive edge in the market. Moreover, in order to manage the problem of the competition of internal resources, a BCG matrix analysis can be conducted to point out the stars, cash-cows, problem-child and dog products. This is essential because, it will help us manage the portfolio competently. The unprofitable products will be eliminated freeing up resources to be injected into other products that are likely to give us higher returns. For the problem of adversaria l communication faced by the organization, it is important to lessen the pressure in the organization to provide an environment that encourages open and honest communication. (Hunter, 2011) The primary role of managers in a company is to try to aim on the highest efficiency. For this

Theories of Mental Health Illness Within Sociology

Theories of Mental Health Illness Within Sociology Compare and contrast two of the five approaches to mental health illness within Sociology. (social causation, social reaction (labelling theory), critical theory, social constructivism social realism) Mental Health Illness The issue of mental health has long been an object of study for society, the psychiatric professions and sociology has similarly had a long tradition of offering theoretical insights into the phenomenon. Why this might be is open to debate and many of the key sociological theories in relation to mental health have in fact as much to say about the prevailing viewpoints within society and within professional bodies towards mental health as they do about those who suffer from mental health related problems (Cockerham, 1992). The two most radical of the sociological theories concerning mental health have been social reaction or labelling theories as well as that of social constructivism. Both these theories examined within this essay offer a radical conception of mental health in comparison to what might be called the dominant medical and social views on mental health. However while both of these theories offer a radical view of mental health they differ substantially in the theoretical framework which they respectively utilize towards understanding mental health. These differences can be located in broader trends which have occurred within the discipline of sociology itself as a shift in the major theoretical traditions within the discipline, (Delanty, 1999). The two sociological theories examined are that of social reaction and social constructivism. Social Reaction This critical theory emerged in the 1960s which in itself might serve to highlight the broader critical strands present within society when this theory was formulated. Labelling theory works from the simple premise that to define someone as mentally ill conveys upon them a stereotypical image which the person will then act. It drew its framework from the symbolic interactionism school of sociology so at its root this theory sought to examine the ways in which roles and actors interacted and played out within the drama of mental illness (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1999. Thus for labelling theory the relationship between the patient (or the individual defined as ill), family, medical professions and society generally is the determining factor for analysis in relation to mental illness. For labelling theorists then the primary framework for analysing mental illness is to examine the twin concepts of primary deviance and secondary deviance. Primary deviance relates to things which might actually be wrong or actions or circumstances which involve actual rule breaking, (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1999) and for labelling theorists the most interesting item regarding this is the way those around sufferers rationalise and ignore this behaviour up unto a point, (Ineichen, 1979:11). Perhaps the most illustrative study of this phenomenon was the work of Yarrow, Schwartz, Murphy and Deasy (1955) which illustrated the various ways in which wives would dismiss strange behaviour up until a point was reached in terms of deviant behaviour. However it is secondary deviance which labelling theory sees as the much more problematic of the two forms of deviance and it is here that the links also between the second of our theories examined are strongest. For labelling theorists secondary deviance has a number of critical factors. But simply put secondary deviance refers to those manifestations of symptoms which are not related in any way to the actual physical incidence. Thus we might say that the aetiology of secondary deviance is a function of the societal conditions surrounding the individuals rather than intrinsic conditions within the individual themselves. As Rosenham (1973) states The question of whether the sane can be distinguished from the insaneis a simple matter: do the salient characteristics that lead to diagnoses reside in the patients themselves or in the environmentsin which observers find them (250). In Rosenhams case where eight pseudo-patients gained entry into hospitals on the pretence of being insane to answer to this question lay firmly in the area of the observers. While popular at first with a number of studies finding the concepts expressed in the theory to be true in a number of famous studies labelling theory has not decreased in popularity with a number of major criticisms being levelled at the theory as a result of further investigation and continued studies While labelling theory surmised that primary and secondary deviance were linked in that one will tend to lead to the other as a result of the ensuing interaction between the individual sufferer and those that label the sufferer this was not borne out by the research. In the case of Rosenhams study it was found that the label of deviant though at first an uncomfortable and disturbing experience did not persist for a great length of time with the pseudo-patients in the experiment, (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1999). Another weakness expressed in labelling theory is the relationship between the stereotypical images of the insane believed to be held by the public. If society was to blame for labelling the insane then it would have been expected that the images lay people had conformed to the images of diagnosis, yet research has shown that this is not the case. Indeed lay perceptions to mental illness have been demonstrated to only marginally relate to the images associated with medical diagnosis, (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1999:18). Labelling theory accepts then (and is a criticism of the theory) that a distinction can be drawn between physical disorders, primary deviance, and the ensuing reaction from society which causes secondary deviance. For the second theory we examine here the existence of both categories is dependent on society or in other words that mental illness exists as a completely subjective definition. Social Constructivism While referring to a broad range of social critiques across a many wide variety of disciplines it is perhaps best represented in terms of its comments on mental health by the works of the French theorist Michel Foucault. In particular his seminal work The Birth of the Clinic sets out the radical viewpoint with which social constructivism is associated. In this Foucault argues that insanity exists as a classificatory concept derived from the subjective description of medical knowledge. Or that the objectification of insanity occurred after as well as in tandem with the development of psychiatric knowledge, the insane developed as a problematised group which in turn led to strategies being developed to manage them, (Foucault, 1976) Superficially then we can see many similarities between these two theories in that both see a critical role for society in the determination of the meaning of mental illness. The critical difference is that while for social reactionists and labelling theorists a division exists between primary deviance which has a physical locus and secondary deviance which arises out of societal causes whereas social constructivists assign the loci of mental health strictly to the social environment. It does this through utilising the theoretical framework of discourses, thus the subjectivity of being mad is defined through the objectifying process of psychiatric or medical knowledge generally (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1999). While many works recently have adopted social constructivist viewpoints in relation to medical knowledge it is Foucaults works which are the best known and also which have been the most influential in developing this theoretical viewpoint. Foucaults work was in particular concerned with how the shifting conceptions of what madness meant to society led to the development of a discrete set of knowledges which pathologise mental states according to a classificatory system related to madness and what were the strategies which developed as a result of this knowledge towards the control and management of the insane (Foucault, 1972, 1976). This concept has had radial implications for a consideration of mental health and how it is defined in as well as by society. This theoretical framework can be seen thusly to criticise not only psychiatric practice but also psychiatric knowledge and even more critically the processes through which psychiatric knowledge is generated. Indeed from a social constructivist viewpoint it is the very construction of knowledge which leads to the boundaries and categories which delineates and determines who it is we call insane and indeed what it is that makes them insane for society. Perhaps the biggest criticism we can make of the social constructivist viewpoint is the lack of a normative basis to its analysis. While the critique may be valid social constructivist theories can be distinctly vague about resistances to the all powerful discourses which they describe and analyse. Similarly the ability to formulate social policies arising out of the critique may similarly be limited (Rogers and Pilgrim, 2001: 175). A secondary point and one which we have already made in relation to labelling theory is that perhaps social constructivism deconstructs too much certain incidences of mental illness, perhaps there are some illnesses which in their aetioloigcal sense reveal themselves to be indeed physical manifestations of what we might actually be able to call a disorder (Zinberg, 1970). Thus from this analysis we can see the close links as well as the clear differences between these two theories. While both are radical in their outlook we can argue that social constructivism has even been more radical. Similarly while social reaction theories have fallen out of favour along as well it must be noted as symbolic interactionsim in general social constructivist theories have been and continue to be hugely influential not only in relation to mental illness but to a broad range of social scientific disciplines and social issues. References Cockerham, W. C. (1992); Sociology of Mental Disorder; 3rd Ed., Simon and Schuster Co.; New Jersey US Delanty, G. (1999); Social Theory in a Changing World, Polity Press, Malden US Foucault, M. (1976); The Archaeology of Knowledge, Tavistock, London UK Foucault, M. (1976); The Birth of the Clinic, Tavistock, London UK Ineichen, B. (1979); The Social Structure of Modern Britain: Mental Illness, Longman, London UK Pilgrim, D. and Rogers, A. (1999); A Sociology of Mental Illness, 2nd Ed., Open University Press, NY US Rogers, A. and Pilgrim, D. (2001); Mental Health Policy in Britain, Palgrave, Basingstoke UK Rosenham, D.L. (1973); On Being Sane in Insane Places; Science, Vol 179 Jan Yarrow, M., Schwartz, C, Murphy, H. and Deasy, L. (1955); The Psychological Meaning of Mental Illness in the Family, Journal of Social Issues, Vol 11 No. 12 Zinberg, N. (1970); The Mirage of Mental Health, British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 21 No. 3

The Concern of National Debt :: Argumentative Economy Economics Papers

The Concern of National Debt The National Debt is large, and should be a major concern to the economy. But a even bigger concern is how our Government plans to balance the budget and pay off the Federal Deficit. I am not in favor of passing the National Debt on to future generations, nor am I in favor of passing the Republican's Budget Plan either. The Republican's wantto sharply cut spending for Medicare and Medicaid health benefits for elderly and poor Americans in order to balance the budget by 2002 - while also providing $240 billion in tax cuts. I am in favor of balancing the budget but through many different routes. 1) cut Social Security but have Americans set-up tax free IRA's for their future. 2) Make a politicians job not so glamourous. A mere $35,000 dollars per year and a suitable benefits plan like the majority of Americans have would be fine. Maybe not so many greedy, power hungry indviduals would want the job to make them richer and us the American workers poorer. Maybe just maybe an average american would take the job to help the overall benefit of America as a whole and not just worry what is in it for them. 3) Cut some of the entitlements programs, but let the American people decide where to cut. The Government should have on-line voting, so our voices are heard. The Republican's package is a tax cut for the rich, it;s much more a tax cut for the middle class -- and a bad deal for the working poor. But I do understand, no matter where the cuts go, or who they hurt more, the dollars must come out. Take the dollars away from the rich and the greedy politicians who want more and more each year for their own benefit!! Most of these politicians are set for life with their million dollar benefits

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Eight

â€Å"Who-? Oh, it's you!† Bonnie said, starting at the touch on her elbow. â€Å"You scared me. I didn't hear you come up.† He'd have to be more careful, Stefan realized. In the few days he'd been away from school, he'd gotten out of the habit of walking and moving like a human and fallen back into the noiseless, perfectly controlled stride of the hunter. â€Å"Sorry,† he said, as they walked side by side down the corridor. â€Å"S'okay,† said Bonnie with a brave attempt at nonchalance. But her brown eyes were wide and rather fixed. â€Å"So what are you doing here today? Meredith and I came by the boardinghouse this morning to check on Mrs. Flowers, but nobody answered the door. And I didn't see you in biology.† â€Å"I came this afternoon. I'm back at school. For as long as it takes to find what we're looking for anyway.† â€Å"To spy on Alaric, you mean,† Bonnie muttered. â€Å"I told Elena yesterday just to leave him to me. Oops,† she added, as a couple of passing juniors stared at her. She rolled her eyes at Stefan. By mutual consent, they turned off into a side corridor and made for an empty stairwell. Bonnie leaned against the wall with a groan of relief. â€Å"I've got to remember not to say her name,† she said pathetically, â€Å"but it's so hard. My mother asked me how I felt this morning and I almost told her, ‘fine,' since I saw Elena last night. I don't know how you two kept-you know what-a secret so long.† Stefan felt a grin tugging at his lips in spite of himself. Bonnie was like a six-week-old kitten, all charm and no inhibitions. She always said exactly what she was thinking at the moment, even if it completely contradicted what she'd just said the moment before, but everything she did came from the heart. â€Å"You're standing in a deserted hallway with a you know what right now,† he reminded her devilishly. â€Å"Ohhh.† Her eyes widened again. â€Å"But you wouldn't, would you?† she added, relieved. â€Å"Because Elena would kill you†¦ Oh, dear.† Searching for another topic, she gulped and said, â€Å"So-so how did things go last night?† Stefan's mood darkened immediately. â€Å"Not so good. Oh, Elena's all right; she's sleeping safely.† Before he could go on, his ears picked up footfalls at the end of the corridor. Three senior girls were passing by, and one broke away from the group at the sight of Stefan and Bonnie. Sue Carson's face was pale and her eyes were red-rimmed, but she smiled at them. Bonnie was full of concern. â€Å"Sue, how are you? How's Doug?† â€Å"I'm okay. He's okay, too, or at least he's going to be. Stefan, I wanted to talk to you,† she added in a rush. â€Å"I know my dad thanked you yesterday for helping Doug the way you did, but I wanted to thank you, too. I mean, I know that people in town have been pretty horrible to you and-well, I'm just surprised you cared enough to help at all. But I'm glad. My mom says you saved Doug's life. And so, I just wanted to thank you, and to say I'm sorry-about everything.† â€Å"That's all right,† he said. â€Å"How's Chelsea today?† â€Å"She's at the pound. They're holding the dogs in quarantine there, all the ones they could round up.† Sue blotted her eyes and straightened, and Stefan relaxed, seeing that the danger was over. An awkward silence descended. â€Å"Well,† said Bonnie to Sue at last, â€Å"have you heard what the school board decided about the Snow Dance?† â€Å"I heard they met this morning and they've pretty much decided to let us have it. Somebody said they were talking about a police guard, though. Oh, there's the late bell. We'd better get to history before Alaric hands us all demerits.† â€Å"We're coming in a minute,† Stefan said. He added casually, â€Å"When is this Snow Dance?† â€Å"It's the thirteenth; Friday night, you know,† Sue said, and then winced. â€Å"Oh my God, Friday the thirteenth. I didn't even think about that. But it reminds me that there was one other thing I wanted to tell you. This morning I took my name out of the running for snow queen. It-it just seemed right, somehow. That's all.† Sue hurried away, almost running. Stefan's mind was racing. â€Å"Bonnie, what is this Snow Dance?† â€Å"Well, it's the Christmas dance really, only we have a snow queen instead of a Christmas queen. After what happened at Founders' Day, they were thinking of canceling it, and then with the dogs yesterday-but it sounds like they're going to have it after all.† â€Å"On Friday the thirteenth,† Stefan said grimly. â€Å"Yes.† Bonnie was looking scared again, making herself small and inconspicuous. â€Å"Stefan, don't look that way; you're frightening me. What's wrong? What do you think will happen at the dance?† â€Å"I don't know.† But something would, Stefan was thinking. Fell's Church hadn't had one public celebration that had escaped being visited by the Other Power, and this would probably be the last festivity of the year. But there was no point in talking about it now. â€Å"Come on,† he said. â€Å"We're really late.† He was right. Alaric Saltzman was at the chalkboard when they walked in, as he had been the first day he'd appeared in the history classroom. If he was surprised at seeing them late, or at all, he covered it faultlessly, giving one of his friendliest smiles. So you're the one who's hunting the hunter, Stefan thought, taking his seat and studying the man before him. But are you anything more than that? Elena's Other Power maybe? Elena. Stefan's hand clenched under his desk, and a slow ache woke in his chest. He hadn't meant to think about her. The only way he had gotten through the last five days was by keeping her at the edge of his mind, not letting her image any closer. But then of course the effort of holding her away at a safe distance took up most of his time and energy. And this was the worst place of all to be, in a classroom where he couldn't care less about what was being taught. There was nothing to do but think here. He made himself breathe slowly, calmly. She was well; that was the important thing. Nothing else really mattered. But even as he told himself this, jealousy bit into him like the thongs of a whip. Because whenever he thought about Elena now, he had to think about him. About Damon, who was free to come and go as he liked. Who might even be with Elena this minute. Anger burned in Stefan's mind, bright and cold, mingling with the hot ache in his chest. He still wasn't convinced that Damon wasn't the one who had casually thrown him, bleeding and unconscious, into an abandoned well shaft to die. And he would take Elena's idea about the Other Power much more seriously if he was completely sure that Damon hadn't chased Elena to her death. Damon was evil; he had no mercy and no scruples†¦ And what's he done that I haven't done? Stefan asked himself heavily, for the hundredth time. Nothing. Except kill. Stefan had tried to kill. He'd meant to kill Tyler. At the memory, the cold fire of his anger toward Damon was doused, and he glanced instead toward a desk at the back of the room. It was empty. Though Tyler had gotten out of the hospital the day before, he hadn't returned to school. Still, there should be no danger of his remembering anything from that grisly afternoon. The subliminal suggestion to forget should hold for quite a while, as long as no one messed with Tyler's mind. He suddenly became aware that he was staring at Tyler's empty desk with narrow, brooding eyes. As he looked away, he caught the glance of someone who'd been watching him do it. Matt turned quickly and bent over his history book, but not before Stefan saw his expression. December 5-I don't know what time, probably early afternoon. Dear Diary, Damon got you back for me this morning. Stefan said he didn't want me going into Alaric's attic again. This is Stefan's pen I'm using. I don't own anything anymore, or at least I can't get at any of my own things, and most of them Aunt Judith would miss if I took them. I'm sitting right now in a barn behind the boardinghouse. I can't go where people sleep, you know, unless I've been invited in. I guess animals don't count, because there are some rats sleeping here under the hay and an owl in the rafters. At the moment, we're ignoring each other. I'm trying very hard not to have hysterics. I thought writing might help. Something normal, something familiar. Except that nothing in my life is normal anymore. Damon says I'll get used to it faster if I throw my old life away and embrace the new one. He seems to think it's inevitable that I turn out like him. He says I was born to be a hunter and there's no point in doing things halfway. I hunted a deer last night. A stag, because it was making the most noise, clashing its antlers against tree branches, challenging other males. I drank its blood. When I look over this diary, all I can see is that I was searching for something, for someplace to belong. But this isn't it. This new life isn't it. I'm afraid of what I'll become if I do start to belong here. Oh, God, I'm frightened. The barn owl is almost pure white, especially when it spreads its wings so you can see the underside. From the back it looks more gold. It has just a little gold around the face. It's staring at me right now because I'm making noises, trying not to cry. It's funny that I can still cry. I guess it's witches that can't. It's started snowing outside. I'm pulling my cloak up around me. Elena tucked the little book close to her body and drew the soft dark velvet of the cloak up to her chin. The barn was utterly silent, except for the minute breathing of the animals that slept there. Outside the snow drifted down just as soundlessly, blanketing the world in muffling stillness. Elena stared at it with unseeing eyes, scarcely noticing the tears that ran down her cheeks. â€Å"And could Bonnie McCullough and Caroline Forbes please stay after class a moment,† Alaric said as the last bell rang. Stefan frowned, a frown that deepened as he saw Vickie Bennett hovering outside the open door of the history room, her eyes shy and frightened. â€Å"I'll be right outside,† he said meaningfully to Bonnie, who nodded. He added a warning lift of his eyebrows, and she responded with a virtuous look. Catch me saying anything I'm not supposed to, the look said. Vickie Bennett was entering as he exited, and he had to step out of her way. But that took him right into the path of Matt, who'd come out the other door and was trying to get down the corridor as fast as possible. Stefan grabbed his arm without thinking. â€Å"Matt, wait.† â€Å"Let go of me.† Matt's fist came up. He looked at it in apparent surprise, as if not sure what he should be so mad about. But every muscle in his body was fighting Stefan's grip. â€Å"I just want to talk to you. Just for a minute, all right?† â€Å"I don't have a minute,† Matt said, and at last his eyes, a lighter, less complicated blue than Elena's, met Stefan's. But there was a blankness in the depths of them that reminded Stefan of the look of someone who'd been hypnotized, or who was under the influence of some Power. Only it was no Power except Matt's own mind, he realized abruptly. This was what the human brain did to itself when faced with something it simply couldn't deal with. Matt had shut down, turned off. Testing, Stefan said, â€Å"About what happened Saturday night-â€Å" â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about. Look, I said I had to go, damn it.† Denial was like a fortress behind Matt's eyes. But Stefan had to try again. â€Å"I don't blame you for being mad. If I were you, I'd be furious. And I know what it's like not to want to think, especially when thinking can drive you crazy.† Matt was shaking his head, and Stefan looked around the hallway. It was almost empty, and desperation made him willing to take a risk. He lowered his voice. â€Å"But maybe you'd at least like to know that Elena's awake, and she's much-â€Å" â€Å"Elena's dead!† Matt shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the corridor. â€Å"And I told you to let go of me!† he added, oblivious of their audience, and shoved Stefan hard. It was so unexpected that Stefan stumbled back against the lockers, almost ending up sprawled on the ground. He stared at Matt, but Matt never even glanced back as he took off down the hallway. Stefan spent the rest of the time until Bonnie emerged just staring at the wall. There was a poster there for the Snow Dance, and he knew every inch of it by the time the girls came out. Despite everything Caroline had tried to do to him and Elena, Stefan found he couldn't summon up any hatred of her. Her auburn hair looked faded, her face pinched. Instead of being willowy, her posture just looked wilted, he thought, watching her go. â€Å"Yes, of course. Alaric just knows we three-Vickie, Caroline, and I-have been through a lot, and he wants us to know that he supports us,† Bonnie said, but even her dogged optimism about the history teacher sounded a little forced. â€Å"None of us told him about anything, though. He's having another get-together at his house next week,† she added brightly. Wonderful, thought Stefan. Normally he might have said something about it, but at that moment he was distracted. â€Å"There's Meredith,† he said. â€Å"She must be waiting for us-no, she's going down the history wing,† Bonnie said. â€Å"That's funny, I told her I'd meet her out here.† It was more than funny, thought Stefan. He'd caught only a glimpse of her as she turned the corner, but that glimpse stuck in his mind. The expression on Meredith's face had been calculating, watchful, and her step had been stealthy. As if she were trying to do something without being seen. â€Å"She'll come back in a minute when she sees we're not down there,† Bonnie said, but Meredith didn't come back in a minute, or two, or three. In fact, it was almost ten minutes before she appeared, and then she looked startled to see Stefan and Bonnie waiting for her. â€Å"Sorry, I got held up,† she said coolly, and Stefan had to admire her self-possession. But he wondered what was behind it, and only Bonnie was in a mood to chat as the three of them left school. â€Å"But last time you used fire,† Elena said. â€Å"That was because we were looking for Stefan, for a specific person,† Bonnie replied. â€Å"This time we're trying to predict the future. If it was just your personal future I was trying to predict, I'd look in your palm, but we're trying to find out something general.† Meredith entered the room, carefully balancing a china bowl full to the brim with water. In her other hand, she held a candle. â€Å"I've got the stuff,† she said. â€Å"Water was sacred to the Druids,† Bonnie explained, as Meredith placed the dish on the floor and the three girls sat around it. â€Å"Apparently, everything was sacred to the Druids,† said Meredith. â€Å"Shh. Now, put the candle in the candlestick and light it. Then I'm going to pour melted wax into the water, and the shapes it makes will tell me the answers to your questions. My grandmother used melted lead, and she said her grandmother used melted silver, but she told me wax would do.† When Meredith had lit the candle, Bonnie glanced at it sideways and took a deep breath. â€Å"I'm getting scareder and scareder to do this,† she said. â€Å"You don't have to,† Elena said softly. â€Å"I know. But I want to-this once. Besides, it's not these kind of rituals that scare me; it's getting taken over that's so awful. I hate it. It's like somebody else getting into my body.† â€Å"Anyway, here goes. Turn down the lights, Meredith. Give me a minute to get attuned and then ask your questions.† In the silence of the dim room Elena watched the candlelight flickering over Bonnie's lowered eyelashes and Meredith's sober face. She looked down at her own hands in her lap, pale against the blackness of the sweater and leggings Meredith had lent her. Then she looked at the dancing flame. â€Å"All right,† Bonnie said softly and took the candle. Elena's fingers twined together, clenching hard, but she spoke in a low voice so as not to break the atmosphere. â€Å"Who is the Other Power in Fell's Church?† Bonnie tilted the candle so that the flame licked up its sides. Hot wax streamed down like water into the bowl and formed round globules there. â€Å"I was afraid of that,† Bonnie murmured. â€Å"That's no answer, nothing. Try a different question.† Disappointed, Elena sat back, fingernails biting into her palms. It was Meredith who spoke. â€Å"Can we find this Other Power if we look? And can we defeat it?† â€Å"That's two questions,† Bonnie said under her breath as she tilted the candle again. This time the wax formed a circle, a lumpy white ring. â€Å"That's unity! The symbol for people joining hands. It means we can do it if we stick together.† Elena's head jerked up. Those were almost the same words she'd said to Stefan and Damon. Bonnie's eyes were shining with excitement, and they smiled at each other. â€Å"Watch out! You're still pouring,† Meredith said. Bonnie quickly righted the candle, looking into the bowl again. The last spill of wax had formed a thin, straight line. â€Å"That's a sword,† she said slowly. â€Å"It means sacrifice. We can do it if we stick together, but not without sacrifice.† â€Å"What kind of sacrifice?† asked Elena. â€Å"I don't know,† Bonnie said, her face troubled. â€Å"That's all I can tell you this time.† She stuck the candle back in the candleholder. â€Å"Whew,† said Meredith, as she got up to turn on the lights. Elena stood, too. â€Å"Well, at least we know we can beat it,† she said, tugging up the leggings, which were too long for her. She caught a glimpse of herself in Meredith's mirror. She certainly didn't look like Elena Gilbert the high school fashion plate anymore. Dressed all in black like this, she looked pale and dangerous, like a sheathed sword. Her hair fell haphazardly around her shoulders. certainly didn't look like Elena Gilbert the high school fashion plate anymore. Dressed all in black like this, she looked pale and dangerous, like a sheathed sword. Her hair fell haphazardly around her shoulders. â€Å"You could go somewhere else,† Bonnie suggested. â€Å"I mean, after this is all over, you could finish the school year someplace where nobody knows you. Like Stefan did.† â€Å"No, I don't think so.† Elena was in a strange mood tonight, after spending the day alone in the barn watching the snow. â€Å"Bonnie,† she said abruptly, â€Å"would you look at my palm again? I want you to tell my future, my personal future.† â€Å"I don't even know if I remember all the stuff my grandmother taught me†¦ but, all right, I'll try,† Bonnie relented. â€Å"There'd just better be no more dark strangers on the way, that's all. You've already got all you can handle.† She giggled as she took Elena's outstretched hand. â€Å"Remember when Caroline asked what you could do with two? I guess you're finding out now, huh?† â€Å"Just read my palm, will you?† â€Å"All right, this is your life line-† Bonnie's stream of patter broke off almost before it was started. She stared at Elena's hand, fear and apprehension in her face. â€Å"It should go all the way down to here,† she said. â€Å"But it's cut off so short†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She and Elena looked at each other without speaking for a moment, while Elena felt that same apprehension solidify inside herself. Then Meredith broke in. â€Å"Well, naturally it's short,† she said. â€Å"It just means what happened already, when Elena drowned.† â€Å"Yes, of course, that must be it,† Bonnie murmured. She let go of Elena's hand and Elena slowly drew back. â€Å"That's it, all right,† Bonnie said in a stronger voice. Elena was gazing into the mirror again. The girl who gazed back was beautiful, but there was a sad wisdom about her eyes that the old Elena Gilbert had never had. She realized that Bonnie and Meredith were looking at her. â€Å"That must be it,† she said lightly, but her smile didn't touch her eyes.