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.

C++ Programming Essay

In 1970 C programing was created by Dennis Richie and ken Thompson was made to create portability in UNIX Pascal was invented in 1970 by niklaus wirth a small but very precise language meant to promote good programming practices. Smalltalk created by Alan Kay Dan Ingalls Adele Goldberg ted kaehler scoot Wallace in the 1980s was created to be mainly educational use, Prolog was invented in 1972 by roussel Kowalski and colmerauer was the first logic programming language. Was meant for general programming branching with AI and computer linguistics ML was invented by robin Milner in 1973 pioneered statically typed functional programming languages, 1980 C++ was invented at bell laboratories the cool thing about c++ is it has low lever and high level machine languages. 1990 java was developed by James gosling it turned out to be one of the more popular programming languages. Visual basic was invented in 1990s it creates all windows based applications.Pt1420 – Unit 1 Assignment 1 UNIT 1 – BOOK REVIEW QUESTIONS (PAGE 26, SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS #1–6) 1. Why is the CPU the most important component in a computer? a. Without the CPU, the computer could not run software. The CPU is the part of the computer that actually runs the programs. (pg. 3) 2. What number does a bit that is turned on represent? What number does a bit that is turned off represent? b. 1 represents a bit that is turned ON. 0 represents a bit that is turned OFF. (pg. 8) 3. What would you call a device that works with binary data? c. A device that works with binary data is called a DIGITAL device. (pg. 11) 4. What are the words that make up a high-level programming language called? d. The words that make up a high-level programming language are known as KEY WORDS or RESERVED WORDS. (pg. 17) 5. What are the short words that are used in assembly language called? e. The short words that used in assembly language are called MNEMONICS. (pg. 14) 6. What is the difference between a compiler and an interpreter? f. A COMPILER is a program that translates a high-level language program into a separate machine language program. An INTERPRETER is a program that both translates and executes the instructions in a high-level language program. (pg. 17-18) 7. What type of software controls the internal operations of the computer’s hardware? g. An operating system controls the internal operations of the computer’s hardware. (pg. 20)