Thursday, December 26, 2019

SPE 566 Defining Behavior - 753 Words

SPE 566: Defining Behavior Assignment Purpose The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate understanding and application of basic concepts of behavior analysis. Specifically you are required to develop objective, behavioral definitions of social skills behavior avoiding subjective, mentalistic terms, and hypothetical constructs. General Information In a short answer format, you should choose any 3 of the 10 social skill behaviors for which you will provide several points of knowledge, as well as produce a well written behavioral objective. The ten social skill behaviors are: Greeting, Playing, Following Directions, Engaging in Eye Contact, Initiating a Conversation, Participating in a Conversation, Asking Questions, Sharing,†¦show more content†¦All assignments must be submitted through this link -- assignments may not be submitted via email. Grading Procedures The Defining Behavior assignment is worth 15 points total. Choose any 3 of the terms, with each term worth 5 points. Each social skills behavior will be graded according the criteria listed in the Scoring Grid below. Note: You must indicate the behavior that you are defining in order for your assignment to be reviewed and graded. Scoring Grid - Defining Behavior Assignment Please note: Do NOT include the Scoring Grid with your document. Choose any 3 of the following: Expected Content Points Earned Possible Points Greeting behavior How would you operationally define the behavior? How would you measure this behavior? Cite from your textbook. Produce a behavioral objective incuding conditions/context, critieria, target behavior and learner. 5 Playing behavior How would you operationally define the behavior? How would you measure this behavior? Cite from your textbook. Produce a behavioral objective incuding conditions/context, critieria, target behavior, and learner. 5 Following Directions How would you operationally define the behavior? How would you measure this behavior? Cite from your textbook. Produce a behavioral objective incuding conditions/context, critieria, target behavior, and learner. 5 Eye Contact How would you operationally define the behavior? How would you measure thisShow MoreRelatedMedicare Policy Analysis447966 Words   |  1792 Pagespublic re- 6 port providing industrywide aggregate or average in- 7 formation to be used in assessing the overall impact 8 of PBMs on prescription drug prices and spending. 9 Such report shall not disclose the identity of a spe- 10 cific PBM, or prices charged by such PBM, or a 11 specific retailer, manufacturer, or wholesaler, or any 12 other confidential or trade secret information. (4) PENALTIES.—The provisions of subsection 14 (b)(3)(C) of section

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Introduction And Summary Of The Business Plan - 1327 Words

1. Introduction and Summary of the Business Plan I have always wanted to run my own business. I now feel that I have found my calling. I have saved up some money to set it up and am ready to start. This is a company that I really passionate and excited about. The business will be named Carleaner and will be a car and bike wash including repairs and waxes. The reason this service will be unique is that instead of you coming to us we will be specialising in fitting around the busy lifestyle of Londoners and affordable for students, offering a range of equipment and accessories to keep your car clean and fresh. The business will be run by me and my brother to start with and some help from my friends, then hire people after the first 3 months. Both of us have experience in this type of business and a wish start it on our own. It is proposed to start operating from 1st December 2016. I will need a bank loan of  £5000 to add to my  £2000 that I saved up. This brings my capital up to  £7,000. I have carried out research, looked at pricing and marketing for my service and come to the conclusion that it can work. 2. Ownership This will be a sole trader company. How the way this company is going to be set out and how the global markets are changing services such as mine are growing. This means this company after will be a limited trader. 3. Personal I have some experience in how car washing services run due to 2 years of working for my dad’s friends company. It’s where I haveShow MoreRelatedHistoric Value Of The Oregon Historical District906 Words   |  4 Pageshomes in the area developed over a period of 100 years which allowed for them to development with different architectural features with the most common being Classic Revival. This different architectural development could also be seen throughout the business district. 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Market AnalysisRead MoreEssay on Barbers Business Plan1131 Words   |  5 PagesStartup Business Plan of Top Class Cuts Business Plan of Top Class Cuts Contents Executive summary 2 Geography Location 2 Finance 3 Introduction 4 The business concept and the business model 5 Legal Form 5 Mission, aims and objectives 5 Marketing plan 6 Primary Market Research 6 Secondary Market Research 8 The 4p’s 9 Product 9 Price 9 Promotion 9 Finance plan 11 Key risk factors 12 Concluding summary and re-affirmation of commitment to the business 13 ExecutiveRead MoreDisaster Recovery639 Words   |  3 Pagesrecovery plans allows and gives the opportunity to a business to be able to recoup from any number of disasters, whether it may be a natural disaster or a fault of equipment to include power loss. These plans can be fairly basic with a goal and summary of what is to happen in the event of a disaster, to intensely involved and well spelled out plans that break down the summary, personal, intent, goal, and a timeline of events to follow. While disasters are unforeseen events that a business may neverRead MoreProcess Design Matrix and Summary941 Words   |  4 PagesDesign Matrix and Summary Thomas Beadin OPS/571 December 19, 2013 Mary O’Donnel Process Design Matrix and Summary This process design matrix and executive summary will focus on Chapman Tool and Manufacturing and there performance measurement process. This executive summary is needed for Chapman Manufacturing due to their lack of process performance management that will include service approaches, that consist of production line, self-service, and personal attention approaches. This summary will also coverRead MoreFinal Marketing Plan Assignment1671 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿SLS 4500 SLC 7420 Final Marketing Plan Assignment and Guide DUE: July 7, 2010 at the beginning of class NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED Marketing plans serve several critical roles within sport organizations. Marketing plans allow everyone to see how their actions fit in with the actions of other employees. Marketing plans also: †¢ provide a road map for corporate development, †¢ assist in the management and implementation of strategy, †¢ communicate role specificity to new employeesRead MoreThe Marketing Handbook Critique762 Words   |  4 PagesThe Marketing Plan Handbook Written by Alexander Chernev In The Marketing Plan Handbook, Chernev gives a simplified approach to writing marketing plans. It outlines the basic principles of writing a marketing plan and it puts emphasis on marketing as a value-management process. It incorporates the relevant aspects of the business, such as the financial, operational, technological and organizational aspects. Chernev states that marketing plans do not have to be lengthy but should contain need-to-knowRead MoreMarketing and Additional Information1211 Words   |  5 Pages [Enter Business Name Here] Business Plan [Address] Telephone: [Phone Number] Contact: [Your Name] [Date] [Confidentiality Statement] Contents Introduction [Background] [Summary of financial needs] Executive Summary [Company information] [Market opportunity] Benefits to the Community Economic Development [Describe jobs created by the business] [How will purchases for the business help other local businesses?] [Any additional information] Community Development [How willRead MoreAn Effective Marketing Plan For A New Product1037 Words   |  5 PagesAn effective marketing plan is one of the most important steps in introducing a new product or service. It is an essential tool in preparing executives, employees, and partners of the company in understanding the strategy to entering the market place with success. Having a solid marketing plan will not only ensure that the company is sticking to the schedule, but that the marketing resources are being disbursed wisely and appropriately (U.S. Small Business Administration). Some of the main objectivesRead MoreNotes on Importance of Planning for Business Success1060 Words   |  5 Pagesprocess you have been asked to develop a brief presentation on five importance of planning for business success. Specially, you are also to briefly explain the factors to be considered in the preparation for developing a marketing plan. Prepare your notes for the interview. A marketing plan is a written document that summarizes what the marketer has learned about the market place and indicates how the firm plans to reach its marketing objectives. It contains tactical guidelines for the marketing programs

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Risk Management Evaluation Cloud Computing Organization

Question: Discuss about the Risk Management Evaluation for Cloud Computing Organization. Answer: Introduction Being a non-profit organization, Child Protection Board is located at Sydney, with two of its branches located at Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia. There are numerous escape clauses which are existing in the present trade information document and financial advantages which are being tackled by the organization. Now, the organization has expanded to a larger number of clients, and the employees are associated with the same. Thus, it is critical to modify, enhance, and propel measures for both employees and clients so that enhanced administration can be offered to the employees and consumers. Cloud Based Delivery Model The recommended model for the trade and finance information recording services is the cloud processing model - Platform as a Service or PaaS. This cloud registration provides the Child Protection Board the capability to input and edit the application from the system itself (Apprenda, 2016). There will be both internal and external clients who will use both of the services. The PaaS model will simplify testing, outlining, and transferring work. Additionally, it will also make the work practical and straightforward. In the same manner, there will be numerous favorable circumstances (Boniface, 2016)which will be provided via this convenient cloud model since this model offers continuous service determination, straightforward adaptability, uptime amplification, enhanced security, and sufficient cost reduction. Cloud Based Deployment Model The model which will be employed for arrangement is a private cloud mode. It is a transfer model which will be specifically created for the Child Protection Board. There are 2 type of private cloud, namely. Remotely facilitated private cloud, and on-reason private cloud (Parsi Laharika, 2013). The recommended version for the organization is the on-reason private cloud model since it will provide numerous focus points, for instance, enhanced efforts to determine safety, dedicated assets, and more enhanced personalization. Security is a critical elements of private cloud since it will provide the system the capability to execute measures to ensure accessibility, honesty, and classification of basic information is saved and kept secure. Benefits - Employees One of the major advantages which will be provided via the cloud based services is the capability to work from home. The employees will have the capability to access financial services and modify and transfer the trade information documents between any area. The information will not be confined to one workplace premises and can be accessed from anywhere by the employees. Internal and external participation will be enhanced with the help of the cloud based service. These enhancements will be available to the Child Protection Board employees. The information and data will never get misplaced since the disaster recovery elements that are provided with the cloud based configuration and system will be quite simple. Automatic recovery procedures will, in a same manner, be present in the information database (Baciu, 2015). With the enhanced versatility and adaptability of the services, a positive change will be reflected in the employees proficiency and the profitability of the organization. Cost and Billing Comparison for Cloud Vendors Type Intuit QuickBooks MYOB Xero Basic $12/month $50/month $9/month Advanced/Premium $21/month Up to $99/month $70/month Table 1 - Cloud Vendors for Payroll Services Cost Cloud Central Ninefold Optus Expenses for CPU/hr. The packages starting amount is $0.025 The packages starting amount is $0.002 The packages starting amount is $0.0175 Expenses for Per GB Cloud Storage Storage Expenses The packages starting amount is $0.092 The packages starting amount is $0.30 Table 2 - Cloud Vendors for Data File Exchange Features of Cloud Service Information Security Security aspects are one of the most important subject to take care while servicing cloud merchants for financial services and information of trade records. This should be ensured that the corresponding security instruments and components handed over to the clients are taken care with respect to security. So that there is no breakdown in the framework. Information are the vital components in any case of association and this is the same case with the child Protection board. There are content or information that is either open, or private/or secret in nature and are connected with the association. Elements of cloud sellers who are prescribed keep these information secured. Bundles make a log with the information data. This log is checked steady and if there are any interruption, they are recoded naturally to care the security groups of the potential danger. Cloud merchant provide with another components like personality and access administration that allows to preserve the confidentiality and important data and information. One time passwords and multiple layers of verification is made available to keep the threat away as far as possible. Adding more to security highlights, Support as well as calamity recuperation are other elements that are made available from the cloud merchant as a part of prescribed could sell. There is constant record of duplicate information in the archive which is different from the area of first data. This series makes sure that regardless of any possibilities of attack, the information is still kept secured every time. To keep clients information safe, support and planned knowledge are provided. To make sure that there is no un-desirable gatecrashers remain in the system, the cloud merchants have constant movement screening that plays out details and information documents. System have auto system sweeps and observing to perform a proper security check all the time. References AdvisoryHQ,. (2015). 5 Best Small Business Accounting Software in Australia. AdvisoryHQ. Retrieved 11 September 2016, from https://www.advisoryhq.com/articles/5-best-small-business-accounting-software-in-australia/ Apprenda,. (2016). IaaS, PaaS, SaaS (Explained and Compared) - Apprenda. Apprenda. Retrieved 11 September 2016, from https://apprenda.com/library/paas/iaas-paas-saas-explained-compared/ Baciu, I. (2015). Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing Services, from the Employee's Point of View. Papers.ssrn.com. Retrieved 11 September 2016, from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2787612 Boniface, M. (2016). Platform-as-a-Service Architecture for Real-time Quality of Service Management in Clouds. Core.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2016, from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/1510887.pdf?repositoryId=34 Cloudcouncil,. (2015). Security for Cloud Computing Ten Steps to Ensure Success Version 2.0. Retrieved 11 September 2016, from https://www.cloud-council.org/deliverables/CSCC-Security-for-Cloud-Computing-10-Steps-to-Ensure-Success.pdf Hortovanyi, N. (2016). Australian clouds compared | ZDNet. ZDNet. Retrieved 11 September 2016, from https://www.zdnet.com/article/australian-clouds-compared/ Parsi, K. Laharika, M. (2013). A Comparative Study of Different Deployment Models in a Cloud. Retrieved 11 September 2016, from https://www.ijarcsse.com/docs/papers/Volume_3/5_May2013/V3I5-0229.pdf.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Womens Studies 210 Essays - Prejudices, Hatred, Masculinity

Women's Studies 210 Analytic Response #2 Domestic violence and sexual assault are two difficult things to define. I define domestic violence as any unwanted physical contact from a significant other. Significant other being boyfriend, girlfriend, sexual partner, or spouse. I define sexual assault as any unwanted sexual contact. This could be rape or it could be an uninvited touch. The article "Domestic Violence: What's Love Got to do With It?" is a personal account of one incident of domestic violence that changed the author's life. She won't even give her full name because of her fear. She points out in the article her feeling of disbelief as her significant other, she refers to him as X, slammed her head on the concrete. She also points out how the police were very unhelpful and uncompassionate to her. The officer did not take into account that she was stunned and confused as well as physically injured from the incident. He asked her questions in an angry tone of voice and even threatened to arrest her for disorderly conduct. After the incident her life was not the same. Her jaw became dislocated, she tried to press charges but they were reduced because she did not press them on the scene, and she could not even sit through a movie with her friend. Her friends don't believe the incident is as serious as it is, and X is spreading rumors about her. It seems th at everyone is on his side. She admits that she is afraid of men. Basically, this article shows how a single incident of domestic violence can ruin someone's life. The article "Men Changing Men" highlights the Oakland Men's Project, a group dedicated to stopping male violence, racism, and homophobia. Racism is the belief, attitude, action, or institutional structure that subordinates a person or group because of their race. Homophobia is the irrational fear of and hostility toward gay men, lesbians, or bisexuals. The group tries to show how society's definition of masculinity leads men to violence. Masculinity is the set of cultural values, psychological attributes, and social activities that a society has defined as normative for men. One of the activities that they do is show an encounter between an angry father and his son to schoolchildren. When they asked the boys what they learned from the encounter, the reply was " a man is tough, a man is in control, a man doesn't cry." These phrases are part of society's definition of masculinity. They point out to the boys that it is very dangerous to live that way. The OMP also does another exercise. They ask a group of men various questions that fit society's definition of masculinity, such as "Have you ever been called a wimp?" or "Have you ever made a comment in public about a woman's body?" This gives men a chance to look at how dangerous society's definition of masculinity really is. There is a connection between this type of violence and sexism. Sexism is the belief, attitude, action, or institutional structure that subordinates a person or group because of their sex. As pointed out in the article, the belief that one sex is subordinate to the other allows for violence against the subordinate sex. Excuses such as violence against women is natural are used to justify the violence. Sexism must be eradicated in order to stop male violence. The relationship between homophobia and violence is similar to the connection between violence and sexism. As I pointed out earlier, homophobia is the irrational fear of and hostility toward gay men, lesbians, or bisexuals. Words like "gay" and "queer" get very hostile reactions from homophobic men. This irrational hostility can lead to violence because that's one of the ways men are taught to respond, as pointed out in the article. Our current construction of masculinity impacts these connections. The exercise with the young boys shows that males are taught masculinity at a very young age. Their responses, "Men are in control, Men don't cry", impact the way these boys live. Men are taught to hide emotions and only show anger. It should be no surprise that they sometimes act violently.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

French Gestures ~ Understanding Using French Gestures

French Gestures ~ Understanding Using French Gestures If youve ever been to France or watched French movies, youve undoubtedly seen French people performing some familiar gestures as well as a few unfamiliar ones. While some gestures are vulgar, others are as innocuous as shaking or nodding ones head. In any case, it is as essential to understand this French sign language as it is any vocabulary. These pages include photos, explanations, and register ratings for 45 gestures. Top 10 French Gestures Among the dozens of gestures and facial expressions in these lessons, there are ten that really stand out. French Gestures by Register  (what is register?) Note that some gestures have different names and are thus listed more than once. Normal Informal Familiar Use with anyone Use only with people you tutoie Use only with close friends A peu prs Alors, l Ae, ae Baiser la main Au poil Barrons-nous Cest fini Bises Bisque ! Chut Bof Camembert Jai du nez Bouche cousue a pue On a sommeil Cest nul Cest pas donn Parfait Comme-ci, comme-a Clapet Pardon Dlicieux Coup dans le nez Rptez Faire la bise / le bisou Du fric Se serrer la main Faire la moue Ferme-la ! Silence Gallic shrug Il est cingl Tlphone Je le jure Je men fous Se tourner les pouces Jen ai ras le bol Mon il ! Un, deux, trois Sen jeter un derrire la cravate On se tire Magnifique Pied de nez Motus et bouche cousue Que dalle ! La moue Quelle barbe ! Nul Verre dans le nez On boit Passer sous le nez Poil dans la main Quest-ce quil chante, l ? Vulgar - Offensive Ras-le-bol Use with extreme care Rien Le bras dhonneur Shrug Cocu Sous le nez Va te faire foutre Victoire Zro

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Definition Civil Liberties and Some Examples

The Definition Civil Liberties and Some Examples Civil liberties are rights that are guaranteed to the citizens or residents of a country or territory. Theyre  a matter of fundamental law. Civil Liberties vs. Human Rights Civil liberties generally differ from human rights, which are universal rights to which all human beings are entitled regardless of where they live. Think of civil liberties as rights that a government is contractually obligated to protect, usually by a constitutional bill of rights. Human rights are rights implied by ones status as a person  whether the government has agreed to protect them or not. Most governments have adopted constitutional bills of rights that make some pretense of protecting basic human rights, so human rights and civil liberties overlap more often than they dont. When the word liberty is used in philosophy, it generally refers to what we would now call human rights rather than civil liberties because theyre regarded as universal principles and not subject to a specific national standard. The term civil rights is a near-synonym, but it often specifically refers to rights sought by African Americans during  the American civil rights movement. Some History The English phrase civil liberty was coined in a 1788 speech by James Wilson, a Pennsylvania state politician who was advocating the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Wilson said:   We have remarked, that civil government is necessary to the perfection of society. We now remark that civil liberty is necessary to the perfection of civil government. Civil liberty is natural liberty itself, divested only of that part, which, placed in the government, produces more good and happiness to the community than if it had remained in the individual. Hence it follows, that civil liberty, while it resigns a part of natural liberty, retains the free and generous exercise of all the human faculties, so far as it is compatible with the public welfare. But the concept of civil liberties dates back much further and most likely predates that of universal human rights. The 13th century English Magna Carta refers to itself as the great charter of the liberties of England, and of the liberties of the forest (magna carta libertatum), but we can trace the origin of civil liberties back much further to the Sumerian praise poem of Urukagina at around the 24th century BCE. The poem which establishes the civil liberties of orphans and widows and creates checks and balances to prevent government abuses of power. Contemporary Meaning In a contemporary U.S. context, the phrase civil liberties generally brings to mind the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a progressive advocacy and litigation organization that has promoted the phrase as part of its efforts to protect the authority of the U.S. Bill of Rights. The American Libertarian Party also claims to protect civil liberties but it has deemphasized civil liberties advocacy over the past several decades in favor of a more traditional form of paleoconservatism. It now prioritizes states rights rather than personal civil liberties. Neither major U.S. political party has a particularly impressive record on civil liberties, although the Democrats have historically been stronger on most issues due to their demographic diversity and relative independence from the Religious Right. Although the American conservative movement has had a more consistent record with respect to the Second Amendment and eminent domain, conservative politicians do not generally use the phrase civil liberties when referring to these issues. They tend to avoid talking about the Bill of Rights for fear of being labeled moderate or progressive. As has been largely true since the 18th century, civil liberties are not generally associated with conservative or traditionalist movements. When we consider that liberal or progressive movements have also historically failed to prioritize civil liberties, the necessity of aggressive civil liberties advocacy, independent of other political objectives, becomes clear.   Some Examples If the fires of freedom and civil liberties burn low in other lands, they must be made brighter in our own.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt  in a 1938 address to the National Education Association. Yet four years later, Roosevelt authorized the forcible internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans on the basis of ethnicity.   You dont have any civil liberties if youre dead. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) in a 2006 interview regarding post-9/11 legislation.Manifestly, there is no civil liberties crisis in this country. People who claim there is must have a different goal in mind. Ann Coulter in a 2003 column

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Report to the Board of Directors of ABC Limited on the proposed Essay

Report to the Board of Directors of ABC Limited on the proposed acquisition of additional shares in the company XYZ Limited - Essay Example Provided that a share premium account and a capital redemption reserve fund may, for the purposes of this regulation, only be applied in the paying up of un-issued shares to be allotted to members of the company as fully paid bonus shares. Hence declaration of dividend and issue of Bonus shares are to be treated differently. However while issuing the bonus shares in lieu of dividend the following provisions governing the declaration of dividend are to be considered. 91. At the first annual general meeting of the company all the directors shall retire from office, and at the annual general meeting in every subsequent year one-third of the directors for the time being, or, if their number is not 3 or a multiple of 3, then the number nearest one-third, shall retire from office. The directors to re... Shall not make a distribution EXCEPT out of profits AVIABLE FOR THE PURPOSE Distributable profits are Accumulated Realized Profits Less Realized Losses Accountants usually regard a profit as realized if the company concerned has obtained cash. Thus, a book profit is an unrealized profit. _______________________________________________________________________ 2. Change in the composition of the Board: The following provisions of Table A which govern the appointment and term of office of the Board of Directors are worth noting: Clause 91 of Table A 91. At the first annual general meeting of the company all the directors shall retire from office, and at the annual general meeting in every subsequent year one-third of the directors for the time being, or, if their number is not 3 or a multiple of 3, then the number nearest one-third, shall retire from office. Clause 92 of Table A The directors to retire in every year shall be those who have been longest in office since their last election, but as between persons who became directors on the same day those to retire shall (unless they otherwise agree among themselves) be determined by lot. Clause 93 of Table A A retiring director shall be eligible for re-election. Clause 109 of Table A 109. The directors may from time to time appoint one or more of their body to the office of managing director for such period and on such terms as they think fit, and, subject to the terms of any agreement entered into in any particular case, may revoke such appointment. A director so appointed shall not, whilst holding that office, be subject to retirement by rotation or be taken into account in determining the rotation of retirement of directors, but his appointment shall be

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The book Common Sense by Thomas Paine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

The book Common Sense by Thomas Paine - Essay Example The author is completely against the rule of royals, and believed that in the earlier times there were no kings, and, for the very same reason, there was peace and tranquility among men. But this is not applicable in all ages, as once people get civilized, the question comes about authority and power. The able and the fittest among people urge for superiority and have a want and desire to rule the inferior ones. â€Å"Government by kings was first introduced into the world by the Heathens, from whom the children of Israel copied the custom. It was the most prosperous invention the Devil ever set on foot for the promotion of idolatry†(Paine). So Paine intends to point out that once the government got introduced to the human history, there was a scene of suppression of right and values of the laymen. Pain was of the opinion that, a government or monarchy should not aim at ruling a country or society, but should focus on giving opportunity and space to personal development and gr owth and complete happiness and prosperity of public. Actually, he is completely right on this part, as government should be by the people, for the people, and of the people. A full full-fledged republican outlook, wherein all the common men get what they want in the right proportion is the right thing to be done for the welfare of the common men. Paine writes that human being was born with an equal status and only a tyranny, aristocratic rule or dictatorship could destroy the peace, freedom, and serenity of common man.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Christian liberty Essay Example for Free

Christian liberty Essay According to the page, Martin Luther’s argument revolves around two basic proposition of liberty. Which states that: â€Å"A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none† (Luther). By this statement he meant that once a person is freed by Jesus Christ, there shouldn’t be any other thing that would have a true dominion on the person on earth. So if Jesus sets you free, indeed you are freed. He explained that man has two folds nature: the inner soul, the spiritual and the carnal, outward flesh. A Christian does not become righteous by doing anything that has to do with flesh but only by the faith in Jesus. Nothing on earth should have any influence on Christian liberty. The second principle was that a Christian â€Å"man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone† (Luther). The two propositions appeared to be contradictory but Luther was able to explain further on both making it clear. He asserts that only one thing alone is necessary for a Christian liberty and that is the Gospel of Christ. He defines Christian liberty as the freedom from the law putting it that the law is not meant for a righteous man. It is the belief in Christ that brings peace and liberty. While Freedom of the soul and its justification comes by faith alone and not by work, he said â€Å"it is evident that by no outward work or labor can the inward man be at all justified, made free, and saved† (Luther). In conclusion, Freedom comes when one belief in the word of God, that is one’s soul get freed and one become saved. Whereas, one get liberty after one has believed wholeheartedly in the Gospel of Christ, it is the word of God that teaches liberty. The freedoms mentioned by Martin Luther all have an element in common: they are all divine freedoms from things of the world. In contrast, Christians should be voluntary servants to God and other men, motivated by love for God and the changes made by salvation. Reference Luther M, Concerning Christian Liberty. Retrieved May 09, 2010 From http://homepage. mac. com/shanerosenthal/reformationink/mlchrlib. htm

Friday, November 15, 2019

defamation Essay examples -- essays research papers

By definition defamation is the act of injuring someone’s character or reputation by false statements. Cases of defamation are only considered attacks on if they are made in a vindictive or malicious manner. The person’s name is considered not only personal but proprietary right of reputation. Defamation is synonymous with the words libel and slander in terms of law. Defamation is a term that encompasses both libel and slander. Libel is a term used to describe visual defamation; as in newspaper articles or misleading pictures. Slander describes defamation that you can hear, not see. It is mostly oral statements that tarnish someone’s reputation. Defamation is used mainly in politically based arenas; corporate workplace, entertainment, and definitely in politics. It can be traced back to as far as governments have been established. Different countries have various roots of laws dealing with defamation and its consequences. In pre- Roman time’s crimes dealing with slanderous and libel offences were punishable by death by law of the Twelve Tables. In Roman jurisprudence the offences were dealt with in a ways similar to modern law. Statements made in public were considered an offence, yet those made in private were not. The truth was a sufficient defense. Many libel and slander laws descend from the English law of defamation. The first documented case of libel was tried by the Star Chamber in the reign of James I. American laws regulating slander and libel began previous to the American Revolution. In one of the more significant cases New York publisher John Peter Zenger was accused and brought to trial on charges of libel. In 1734 the German immigrant published an article â€Å"attacking† Governor Cosby of the New York Colony. His case was won and the trial aquitted. This case showed the oppsite side of the spectrum, on how to fight aginst defamatory charges. Another important case occurred in 1964 in New York Times v. Sullivan. This case set a preesident for libel cases. It stated that officials could only win a suit if they demonstrated actual malice, knowledge that the information was false, and reckless disregard of whether it was false or not. In 1974 Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. the supremecourt ruled that plaintiff could not win if the statements were oppionion rather than fact. These cases helped protect the first ammendment of... ...any claimed to have fired him for â€Å"cause† which means he had been convicted or entered a no-contest plea to a felony or had been found guilty of fraud or embezzlement. The suit seeks damages and a retraction of company statements that said Orlick was fired for "cause." This cases outcome has not yet been published. Another controvercial case of defamation includes now Governer of California Arnold Schwarzenegger. A Hollywood stuntwoman alleged that she was sexually harassed by Schwarzenegger. She claimed that she was touched during two of the films. When she spoke out aginst Mr. Schwarzenegger his campaign staff told reporters she was a felon with a long criminal record. After this she filed a defamation suit against him for ruining her good name in the public eye. Defamation laws along with those of privacy matters are among the most controvercial. In many cases it is hard to meet the criteria of what is actually concidered a libel and slander offence. As far back as governments can reach defamation has always been a problem and always will be. Defamation is very common and is easily found in things like propaganda, politics, magiznes, newspapers, and the television. defamation Essay examples -- essays research papers By definition defamation is the act of injuring someone’s character or reputation by false statements. Cases of defamation are only considered attacks on if they are made in a vindictive or malicious manner. The person’s name is considered not only personal but proprietary right of reputation. Defamation is synonymous with the words libel and slander in terms of law. Defamation is a term that encompasses both libel and slander. Libel is a term used to describe visual defamation; as in newspaper articles or misleading pictures. Slander describes defamation that you can hear, not see. It is mostly oral statements that tarnish someone’s reputation. Defamation is used mainly in politically based arenas; corporate workplace, entertainment, and definitely in politics. It can be traced back to as far as governments have been established. Different countries have various roots of laws dealing with defamation and its consequences. In pre- Roman time’s crimes dealing with slanderous and libel offences were punishable by death by law of the Twelve Tables. In Roman jurisprudence the offences were dealt with in a ways similar to modern law. Statements made in public were considered an offence, yet those made in private were not. The truth was a sufficient defense. Many libel and slander laws descend from the English law of defamation. The first documented case of libel was tried by the Star Chamber in the reign of James I. American laws regulating slander and libel began previous to the American Revolution. In one of the more significant cases New York publisher John Peter Zenger was accused and brought to trial on charges of libel. In 1734 the German immigrant published an article â€Å"attacking† Governor Cosby of the New York Colony. His case was won and the trial aquitted. This case showed the oppsite side of the spectrum, on how to fight aginst defamatory charges. Another important case occurred in 1964 in New York Times v. Sullivan. This case set a preesident for libel cases. It stated that officials could only win a suit if they demonstrated actual malice, knowledge that the information was false, and reckless disregard of whether it was false or not. In 1974 Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. the supremecourt ruled that plaintiff could not win if the statements were oppionion rather than fact. These cases helped protect the first ammendment of... ...any claimed to have fired him for â€Å"cause† which means he had been convicted or entered a no-contest plea to a felony or had been found guilty of fraud or embezzlement. The suit seeks damages and a retraction of company statements that said Orlick was fired for "cause." This cases outcome has not yet been published. Another controvercial case of defamation includes now Governer of California Arnold Schwarzenegger. A Hollywood stuntwoman alleged that she was sexually harassed by Schwarzenegger. She claimed that she was touched during two of the films. When she spoke out aginst Mr. Schwarzenegger his campaign staff told reporters she was a felon with a long criminal record. After this she filed a defamation suit against him for ruining her good name in the public eye. Defamation laws along with those of privacy matters are among the most controvercial. In many cases it is hard to meet the criteria of what is actually concidered a libel and slander offence. As far back as governments can reach defamation has always been a problem and always will be. Defamation is very common and is easily found in things like propaganda, politics, magiznes, newspapers, and the television.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Critical Analysis on the Context of Multi-agency Team Work

This essay will focus upon a critical incident analysis in the context of multi-agency team work and inter-professional working. The details of the incident will be drawn from the authors recent experience with the Community Housing Support Team, in particular from Care Programme Approach meetings. The names of both clients and staff, as well as details pertaining to their locale have been changed or omitted to comply with the UKCC†s Code of Professional Conduct, Clause 10, (UKCC, 1992). The situation used within this assignment is based upon two clients who co-habit in a first floor maisonette as common law husband and wife. Mr Client has a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia which is controlled with xenobiotics and is the main carer for Mrs Client who has a diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia also controlled by xenobiotics that are administered by Mr Client. Mrs Client also has a prolapse of the uterus which causes her to suffer from double incontinence. Arrangements have been made for Mrs Client to have the required operation to repair the problem, however prior to admission Mrs Client becomes very anxious and has twice refused to have the operation. Both clients have a poor dietary intake, poor personal hygiene, high caffeine intake, and a heavy smoking habit. The conditions that the clients are now living in due to the above being ongoing for some time are now less than satisfactory, and to that end the present situation and what should be done about it, has become the primary focus of the various professionals and agencies involved in care of the clients. Each client has their own keyworker representative from the agencies and professionals involved in their care, these are a community psychiatric nurse (CPN), social worker, and a member of the housing support team (HST). Both the clients have home care workers visiting as part of the social work input, and they also share the same general practitioner (GP), and psychiatric consultant. Housing support team input was on a daily basis with both clients and their role was to assist the clients with shopping and encourage the clients to use leisure facilities and local transport. The housing support team although referred to separately within this essay are officially part of the social work team, as this is the source of their funding. The social work keyworkers roles were to visit the clients on a regular basis and to assist with benefits, finances etc, as well as assisting the clients in conjunction with the rest of the care team if a crisis arose. The social work department had also arranged for home help to visit on a regular basis to assist with housework and hygiene. The clients community psychiatric nurse†s role was to monitor medication and mental state. These are the defined roles as the author understands them, however the care team as a whole interchanges, shares, or crosses over roles as a matter of course throughout the care deployment. In order to properly analyse the inter-professional working of the clients care team, it is important to collate the differing aims of each profession involved. Mr and Mrs Client†s keyworkers from the housing support team were of the opinion that the client†s accommodation had reached the stage where it was posing a health risk for both the clients and other residents in the building. Because the housing support team had daily input with both clients they were also able to pick up on various other aspects of care that appeared to require revaluation, such as medication and mental state, and had encountered such an issue with Mr Client giving Mrs Client the incorrect dosage of medication. Taking into account the issues raised the housing support team felt that they were maintaining a poor quality of life for the clients, and that alternative sheltered accommodation, and care approach should be discussed as this was unacceptable. The social work keyworkers in addition to their normal visits had arrangements for further visits outside of the care plan agreement as there was a recognised need for more intense support at this time. It was felt that placement in a nursing home as a couple with continuing input from the housing support team and community psychiatric nurse, would improve the clients quality of life. The clients general practitioner and consultant had made a referral to residential services. Both clients community psychiatric nurse felt that the clients mental state did not warrant an admission into hospital, however further arrangements should be made regarding medication and accommodation. These various agencies and professionals come together, in this case every six months, to partake in a care programme approach meeting (CPA). The care programme approach was first considered in nineteen eighty-nine then again in nineteen ninety in a Department of Health circular, before being implemented in nineteen ninety-one as an official guideline. However inter-collaborative working has been an aim of government policy in mental health services since the nineteen seventies, (COUCHMAN, 1995). Its target group being psychiatric clients in hospital, community or other specialised mental health service. The aim of the guidelines were to encourage greater efficiency and co-operation between the various agencies and professionals involved in the care of a client or clients. This was to be done by systematically assessing all the clients needs and the agency or profession that could best meet those needs, the appointment of a keyworker from one of the agencies or professions involved, to reach agreement between the carers involved and the client, and then to implement, monitor and set regular review dates, (COWART & SEROW, 1992), In addition to the care plan approach meetings there is almost daily interaction between the agencies and professions involved. In addition to this there are meetings within each individual agency or profession, usually on a weekly basis, concerning the most appropriate delivery of care within the role of the individual agency or profession. The diagram in Appendix A shows the ways that clients enter the psychiatric services, and where inter-professional collaboration happens, it also shows that this care team is a hybrid parallel pathway team. Efficient inter-professional collaboration exists only where there is good group dynamics and working relationships, both within the care team and within the government who†s laws and guidelines that care team follows. However when reviewing the history of British social policy it is easy to become pessimistic, Webb, (1991) points out, â€Å"exhortations to organisations, professionals and other producer interests to work together more closely and effectively litter the policy landscape, yet the reality is all to often a jumble of services fractionalised by professional, cultural and organisational boundaries and by tiers of governance†. In order to overcome these problems they must first be identified and then strategies devised to overcome them. Whilst in the community with the housing support team the author observed that the main problem or cause of problems was communication, whilst ironically, most if not all of the problems encountered could have been avoided or solved more efficiently with effective communication. However the author feels this may be viewed by many as an over-generalisation, and so will break this down further into some of the ‘sub† problems. A key difficulty is that working together appears to be the logical way forward, yet it is the authors experience that little consideration is given to the effects of such an activity, (CARLING, 1995). From an agencies or professions point of view collaborative activity raises two main difficulties first it looses its freedom to act independently when it would prefer to maintain control over its domain and affairs. Second, it must invest scarce resources and energy in developing and maintaining relationships with other organisations, when the potential returns on its investment are often unclear or intangible, (HUDSON, 1987). The main sources of conflict within an organisation and inter-professional collaboration are communication, power, goals, values, resources, roles and personalities. As mentioned previous a major source of conflict is the misunderstanding or breakdown of communication. However communication can also be used as a tool for clarifying opposing views. It is the authors observation that most values within an organisation are internalised and are therefore difficult to change, but they can be clarified through communication so as not to become a barrier. This kind of logic is a skill that can only be learnt through the application of common sense and the wisdom of experience, (BILLIS & HARRIS, 1996). Conflict situations often arise suddenly, the author has observed that the more people that attend a meeting or that are involved in a decision regarding care organisation the more potential there is for conflict to occur. Power causes conflict when there are relationships within organisations between individuals of unequal power, the classic example being the doctor/patient relationship, or the nurse and the consultant. This can cause additional conflict where there are differently structured organisations working together as the power differences between individuals then become unclear. For example the power relationship between the community psychiatric nurse and the social worker. Another common cause of conflict is different goals, different methods of reaching those goals, different values, unclear or overlapping designation of responsibilities, lack of information and personality conflicts. It is acknowledged within health care that some conflicts can not be resolved, Mallory, (1981) states that unresolved conflicts need to be managed carefully within any work group in order to balance the level of conflict. Banton, (1985) remarks that the essential point is that conflicts of interest are of fundamental importance in all major areas of life in our society and therefore full consensus is only possible when people are prepared to restrict themselves to the trivial. Conflict in an open environment can be beneficial to the work environment as when handled in a mature and professional manner conflict can lead to creativity, innovation or growth, however if to much energy is expended in non productive activity then conflict becomes destructive. It is the authors opinion that conflict is an inherent part of the nursing and general health care culture, and that psychiatric nurses in the community are prime candidates for this because of the need to work collaboratively with people both professional and non professional of varying social, ethnic and educational backgrounds. Collaboration suggests that the combined power of the agencies or professions is distributed evenly, yet nurses are employed in a hierarchical system. Huber, (1996) suggests that nurses find that working in groups creates a situation in which there are a number of different colleagues and a variety of client types and different personalities to work with, these are complex interrelationships, and added to that complexity is the fact that there are multiple providers requiring co-ordination and communication to manage the care for any client. Within healthcare as a whole there is an interdependence between its members. The multi-disciplinary team breaks down into multiple care providers each relying on the other to carry out a portion of the work. For example a member of the housing support team can not monitor a clients medication if the clients community nurse has not organised the Doset box from the pharmacy. The source of conflict can be organisational, interpersonal or a combination of both. Personal and organisational goals and values may also be in conflict with or over general policies, a general policy being the course of action taken by an institution, department or unit. Policies in the main are meant to soothe conflicts over specific issues, they are designed to give about standard ways to make decisions in recurring situations. However different people within the care team may approach situations with differing viewpoints on how to best deal with certain issues, differences may occur over such things a clerical or managerial routines, or over record keeping and information sharing. Clashes may result at the intersection of a nurses professional judgement as an autonomous professional with standardised policies developed by the institution and designed to produce uniform behaviour, (AJN, 1987). Resource allocation comes under organisation issues and is especially important in the case of Mr and Mrs Client as the general consensus is that sheltered accommodation of some description is required, which inevitably will require funding. Budgeting has caused conflict over scarce resources within organisations. In the case of Mr and Mrs Client the funding for the accommodation should come from the social services department. Power conflicts can be both organisational and interpersonal and result in role conflicts. Role conflicts have been identified as being of two types, role overload and role ambiguity. Role overload is when a carer is expected to perform the work of other employees or disciplines in addition to providing their normal care tasks. Whereas role ambiguity is when the role and responsibilities of the carer expands faster than is officially recognised, (JOHNSON, 1994). To assist in making interprofessional collaboration joint working recommendations such as those stated in Building Bridges, (1996) have been suggested these include commitment on all levels of care approach and delivery, to maintain a primary focus on the service users, jointly owned or shared strategies for care of people with severe mental health problems, agreed procedures for access to services, agreed procedure for information exchange, clarification of roles and responsibilities and regular reviewing of interprofessional dynamics. vretveit, (1997) states that UK policy in the nineteen nineties has asked the question, what is wrong with the service? Rather than what problems need tackling in the outside world. In future it should re-focus on how partnerships between the users of the service, professional workers and managers can be achieved, in other words how can we make an integrated service truly democratic? The solutions to nearly all the crisis encountered by the care team can be or could have been solved or at least minimised through the effective use of communication. It is felt that it would also be important in interprofessional collaboration to have shared values and cultures, while a mismatch along these lines between health and social services has been well documented. (SMITH, 1993). Collaboration is the basis for team building and with the changes to healthcare, work redesign, restructuring and reengineering depend on effective collaboration, co-operation and group accomplishment. Proactive conflict resolution in work groups is the essence of building successful teams which are flexible and adaptable, and have a high degree of trust and communication. Therefore the ingredients for successful interprofessional collaboration may be a common goal, interdependence, co-operation, co-ordination of activities, task specialisation and therefore role clarity, equal division of effort and mutual respect. Team building is defined as being the deliberate process of creating and unifying a group into an effective functioning work unit to accomplish specific goals, (FARLEY & STONER, 1989). In conclusion, collaboration has been called the most effective strategy for managing conflict to achieve long term benefits. However a wide differential in power (both felt and actual), exists between nurses, social workers, and consultants, and this hinders effective collaboration. Therefore with wide differences in power the most commonly used techniques seem to be compromise and accommodation. There are indications however that this is changing as the health service as a whole is and has undergone some major changes with the implementation of the care plan approach, care management and the formation of community teams such as housing support and community support teams, and as a result effective interprofessional collaboration could soon become more commonplace. (BALDOCK, 1974).

Sunday, November 10, 2019

The Rise of Monarchies

A new monarchy brings power to the royal family. It does this in many ways. A new monarchy reduces the power of nobility, and confiscates land from the nobles that are on â€Å"their† land. They also impose taxes and tariffs on whatever they want. A new monarchy will also create standing armies and hire mercenaries to protect their land and to grow their empire. Basically a new monarchy wants to bring money, power, and control to the royal family that is in rule. An example of two new monarchies is Henry VII of England and Ferdinand I of Spain.Both the royal families and states they represent are great examples of a new monarch from the time period of 1450 to 1550. Spain exemplifies the key characteristics of a new monarch. It all starts with the centralization of power in Spain towards one royal family. This all starts with the marriage of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile. Before this marriage modern day Spain was fragmented into 4 four separate state s, Aragon, Castile, Granada, and Navarre. The marriage combined Castile and Aragon, which allowed Ferdinand I of Spain and Queen Isabella to control most of modern day Spain.Along with this event Ferdinand and Isabella centralized the system of justice and made towns more subservient to the royal will in Castile. Ferdinand now is gaining control and power of his land, so he does what a new monarch should do and rips power and authority from the nobilities on his land. Ferdinand stripped the Castilian nobles of some of their privileges while he dispenses their titles and positions. In Aragon he has trouble with the nobles but they later will alliance with the King in fear of a revolt in the lower class. Now The Spanish Royal Family has gained control of their land.In order for Ferdinand to keep his kingdom safe and undisturbed from outsiders, he takes the province of Granada from the Moors. This shows Ferdinand's rise in power in 1492 and shows Ferdinand having military power as well . Even though new monarchies impose taxes on whatever they want, the Spanish monarchy didn't as much as other monarchies, like England. The royal family did take money from the church by handling the populace's tithes and the sales of indulgences and keeping some for royalty, which shows rising power of the monarch.The monarchy also only got about 10% of its income from the people. Spain's real income came from the America's. The silver from the Potosi and Spain's trade really defined the monarchs economy, power, and control during the monarchs climax years. In result of the wealth Spain had they are able to build standing armies and state themselves as the most powerful state at the time. With Ferdinand being able to control his lands, become extremely wealthy, and have power, he has created a true new monarch. As well as Spain, the English and King Henry VII of England also created a new monarch.The key factor in the start of this monarch is definitely the War of the Roses. With t he Tudor Family â€Å"victory†, Henry Tudor, the last claimant of the throne of the Lancaster's, became the beginning of the Tudor's Monarch. Henry was an ambitious ruler. He wanted to make the Tudor state so powerful, no noble factions or challengers could challenge him or his state. As most monarchs did, Henry strengthened royal authority in England by creating the Star Chamber, which became one of the highest courts in the land.These justices dispensed justice, collected taxes, enforced troop levies, and maintained order. Even though this makes the government, or the royal family, more decentralized, it strengthened the efficiency and prestige of the monarchy. It helps Henry control his land which ultimately is a goal of a new monarch. Even though Henry has a justice system, he also exemplifies that the monarch has the most power. In fact he obtained from parliament writs of attainder and forfeiture, which allows him to declare anyone of treason, have them killed and take their property from them.This definitely states that the king has the most power and he can do whatever he wants. Along with gaining more power, Henry won the loyalty of most of the nobles on his land, which now centralizes the power of England to the royal family.. Another key characteristics of this new monarch is the fact that Henry imposed tariffs protecting the cloth and wool industries in his monarch. This decreed acts unifying weights and measures, and constructed edicts punishing vagabondage and begging.This not only states more power of the throne but shows Henry building his economy with protecting his industries. All in all Spain and England exemplifies the true new monarch and all of its characteristics. Both Henry and Ferdinand strip power from the nobility, build their wealth in industry, natural resources, taxes, and/or tariffs. Their wealth allows them to create armies and gain power and control on their own lands and in the lands they conquer. Basically they gain co ntrol of their lands, get wealth and ultimately have power, which states a new monarch. The Rise of Monarchies A new monarchy brings power to the royal family. It does this in many ways. A new monarchy reduces the power of nobility, and confiscates land from the nobles that are on â€Å"their† land. They also impose taxes and tariffs on whatever they want. A new monarchy will also create standing armies and hire mercenaries to protect their land and to grow their empire. Basically a new monarchy wants to bring money, power, and control to the royal family that is in rule. An example of two new monarchies is Henry VII of England and Ferdinand I of Spain.Both the royal families and states they represent are great examples of a new monarch from the time period of 1450 to 1550. Spain exemplifies the key characteristics of a new monarch. It all starts with the centralization of power in Spain towards one royal family. This all starts with the marriage of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile. Before this marriage modern day Spain was fragmented into 4 four separate state s, Aragon, Castile, Granada, and Navarre. The marriage combined Castile and Aragon, which allowed Ferdinand I of Spain and Queen Isabella to control most of modern day Spain.Along with this event Ferdinand and Isabella centralized the system of justice and made towns more subservient to the royal will in Castile. Ferdinand now is gaining control and power of his land, so he does what a new monarch should do and rips power and authority from the nobilities on his land. Ferdinand stripped the Castilian nobles of some of their privileges while he dispenses their titles and positions. In Aragon he has trouble with the nobles but they later will alliance with the King in fear of a revolt in the lower class. Now The Spanish Royal Family has gained control of their land.In order for Ferdinand to keep his kingdom safe and undisturbed from outsiders, he takes the province of Granada from the Moors. This shows Ferdinand's rise in power in 1492 and shows Ferdinand having military power as well . Even though new monarchies impose taxes on whatever they want, the Spanish monarchy didn't as much as other monarchies, like England. The royal family did take money from the church by handling the populace's tithes and the sales of indulgences and keeping some for royalty, which shows rising power of the monarch.The monarchy also only got about 10% of its income from the people. Spain's real income came from the America's. The silver from the Potosi and Spain's trade really defined the monarchs economy, power, and control during the monarchs climax years. In result of the wealth Spain had they are able to build standing armies and state themselves as the most powerful state at the time. With Ferdinand being able to control his lands, become extremely wealthy, and have power, he has created a true new monarch. As well as Spain, the English and King Henry VII of England also created a new monarch.The key factor in the start of this monarch is definitely the War of the Roses. With t he Tudor Family â€Å"victory†, Henry Tudor, the last claimant of the throne of the Lancaster's, became the beginning of the Tudor's Monarch. Henry was an ambitious ruler. He wanted to make the Tudor state so powerful, no noble factions or challengers could challenge him or his state. As most monarchs did, Henry strengthened royal authority in England by creating the Star Chamber, which became one of the highest courts in the land.These justices dispensed justice, collected taxes, enforced troop levies, and maintained order. Even though this makes the government, or the royal family, more decentralized, it strengthened the efficiency and prestige of the monarchy. It helps Henry control his land which ultimately is a goal of a new monarch. Even though Henry has a justice system, he also exemplifies that the monarch has the most power. In fact he obtained from parliament writs of attainder and forfeiture, which allows him to declare anyone of treason, have them killed and take their property from them.This definitely states that the king has the most power and he can do whatever he wants. Along with gaining more power, Henry won the loyalty of most of the nobles on his land, which now centralizes the power of England to the royal family.. Another key characteristics of this new monarch is the fact that Henry imposed tariffs protecting the cloth and wool industries in his monarch. This decreed acts unifying weights and measures, and constructed edicts punishing vagabondage and begging.This not only states more power of the throne but shows Henry building his economy with protecting his industries. All in all Spain and England exemplifies the true new monarch and all of its characteristics. Both Henry and Ferdinand strip power from the nobility, build their wealth in industry, natural resources, taxes, and/or tariffs. Their wealth allows them to create armies and gain power and control on their own lands and in the lands they conquer. Basically they gain co ntrol of their lands, get wealth and ultimately have power, which states a new monarch.

Friday, November 8, 2019

5 Keys to Creating a Social Media Strategy for Your Book

5 Keys to Creating a Social Media Strategy for Your Book Five Keys to Developing a Solid Social Media Strategy Andrea Dunlop is a Reedsy social media and marketing consultant with over ten years in the publishing business and the author of the novel Losing the Light. In this post, she reveals what it takes to create a great social media strategy and begin to use social media like a pro.When I see authors using social media- whether I’m on the clock with a client or just perusing- I often see them using social media in a very ad hoc way. This leads to the ever-popular refrain â€Å"social media doesn’t sell books†- which it doesn’t unless you use it correctly. As an author, your aim on social media is to interact with influencers and to expand your reach to as many potential readers as possible.Here are five keys to building your social media strategy so that you can make the best of the time and energy you spend marketing your work:1. Know Your Audience I always encourage authors not to get too caught up in the numbers on social media. Much of the magic comes from the serendipity of being able to connect with people you wouldn’t otherwise meet or connect. That said, there’s no point in spending a lot of time and energy (and possibly money) on something if you’re not going to measure the results.I have a social media dashboard where I track everything from Twitter followers to Amazon rank on a weekly basis. The point of this is not to obsess over the data but to recognize what’s working and what isn’t so that I can feel free to abandon the ineffective strategies and double down on what worked best.For more tips on using social media as an author, check out this charming infographic!Is there a social media strategy or platform that has worked wonders for your books? We'd love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments below.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Soft Sound of C

The Soft Sound of C The Soft Sound of C The Soft Sound of C By Maeve Maddox Shakespeare called z an â€Å"unnecessary† letter, but the letter c is probably a better candidate for the title. In modern English, c is a substitute letter, a stand-in symbol for two English sounds that have distinctive letters to represent them. These sounds are /k/ and /s/, as in cat and cent. C wasn’t always a mere substitute for the letters k and s. In Old English, c was the only symbol for the sound /k/. A note in the OED explains what happened: When the Roman alphabet was introduced into Britain, C had only the sound /k/ ; and this value of the letter has been retained by all the insular Celts: in Welsh, Irish, Gaelic, C, c, is still only = /k/ . The Old English or ‘Anglo-Saxon’ writing was learned from the Celts, apparently of Ireland; hence C, c, in Old English, was also originally = /k/ : the words kin, break, broken, thick, seek, were in Old English written cyn, brecan, brocen, à ¾icc, sà ©oc. In OE, as in Modern English, the letter s represented the sounds /s/ and /z/. Before the end of the OE period, c became palatalized before e and i. Meanwhile, changes were going on in French spelling and pronunciation. Among other things, French adopted the letter k to represent the sound /k/ in some words. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 spelled more than political disaster. The Norman scribes who ousted their English counterparts were accustomed to Latin and French spelling conventions. When the Normans invaded England, English spelling went from consistent to what it is today. After the Conquest, c kept the /k/ sound in some English words like candle, cliff, corn, and crop, but in others, the sound /k/ was spelled with the new letter k, as in king, break, and seek. Rule: In modern English, when the letter c occurs before the letters i, e, or y, it represents its â€Å"soft† sound: /s/. Here are some examples: C followed by e accept (The first c in accept stands for the sound /k/; the second c stands for /s/.) ace acetate celebrity cell incense fence C followed by i acid cider cite citrus C followed by y cyborg piracy bouncy cycle icy infancy If you find exceptions to the rule, please share them. Note: This stated rule applies to the single letter c, not to letter combinations like ch, tch, or cious. 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 Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid10 Colloquial Terms and Their MeaningsTypes of Ignorance

Sunday, November 3, 2019

CASE STUDY 02 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CASE STUDY 02 - Essay Example The debt position of the company is more or less the same as that of its peers. 7 Dividend policy forms an integral part of corporate finance. It looks obvious that the company must reward its shareholders by declaring high dividends. But then the question is if the company declares all of its earnings as dividend merely to keep the shareholders happy then this will perhaps retard the future growth prospects. For this reason the companies do not declare all its earnings as dividend but they plough back a certain portion of the earnings in the form of ‘Retained Earnings’. The companies pay a lot of attention to ‘dividend policy’ as a fall may invite the wrath of the shareholders and a rise can come in the way of the growth prospects (Ross, et al., 2008, pp. 590). The dividend payment of FPL Group Inc has been on an upward move for the last ten years. In the year 1984 the company declared a dividend per share of $1.77 that reached the levels of $2.47 in 1993. Unlike the steady rise in the divided the earnings per share (EPS) of the company passed through fluctuations on many occasions but the impact of this was not felt on its dividend payment pattern. In fact in the year 1990 FPL Group incurred a net loss of $391.005 million resulting in a negative EPS of $2.86. But even in this year the company declared a dividend of $2.34. The main incentive of a share issue is that payment of dividend is ‘not obligatory’ i.e. a company pays dividend only when it is able to generate sufficient amount of earnings. But this seems to be inapplicable in the real world as is evident from the case of FPL Group. However it is anticipated by the analysts that the group will either cut dividend or keep it stable at the existing level of $2.48 per share . In 1993 FPL Group maintained a dividend payout ratio of 91% which is the highest as compared to its peers. During this period Duke Power Co. maintained a payout ratio of 68%, Florida

Friday, November 1, 2019

Career goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Career goals - Essay Example To ensure my goal is achievable, I have an exceptional advantage in business as my father,The most advantaged superiority for me to achieve the career goal is that my father, Mr. Duan Yongji, who is one of the most successful and famous entrepreneurs in China, and is extremely supportive of my business goals and academic pursuits. will support me. MMy father is the As a founder of Stone Group and SINA Corporation , heand currently serves as both of these two companies as Chairmanperson and He is also the President of Zhongguanchun Development, considered the "Silicon Valley" in Beijing. His different business activities include: Throughout my father's twenty-three years in the business field, he has had plenty of experience dealing in both practical and entrepreneurial management skills. His refusal to work within state operated companies in the early 1970s laid the groundwork for starting his own business. He has also experienced By endeavoured in the business field for about 23 years, my father is full of experiences with practical project management skills and entrepreneurship. He was one of the first few of people who refused to work in the state operated companies and switched to ran their own businesses in the beginning of 1970s. He experienced the the whole process of seeing the Chinese economy move from athe closed market to anthe open market, which has only added to his skills in . Those precious experiences makes him sharpen in proper opportunity evaluation as well as the knowledge that isare required to run turn an idea into a sound business opportunity. Those preciousness experiences are also ve ry important for me in the same time. As you know, my country's economy has been growing as the worlds fastest for almost two decades; the marketing is also changing fast. Then to make a reliable perspective proposal before start seems more and more important than ever before. Through utilizing my father's advice on business decisions along with my education, I feel that My advantage is that I can get so many important information and valuable advices from discussing my proposal with my father andI can make a dependable plan for my future steps which is so important for a start-up company. And I could also share my father's

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Aspects of contract and Negligence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Aspects of contract and Negligence - Assignment Example On the other hand, acceptance generally takes place at the time when a party agrees to the offer made by a party in the form of an Act or a statement. The other element of a legal contract, i.e. consideration, denotes the promise made by the offeror to pay a price in compensation to the promises made by the other party (i.e. the offeree) to supplying products or services or any other benefit to the offeror (Macmillan & Stone, 2012; Jenkins, 2011). In this particular scenario, it can be apparently observed that â€Å"Techno Products†, which act as the specialist in selling computers, especially at discount prices, conducted advertising campaign in a newspaper advertisement, which stated that â€Å"The first ten customers to enter our shop on the 12 September 2013 will be eligible to purchase one of our highest specification computers, which normally retail at ?3000.00, for ?1.00†. In response, Peter reads the advertisement and visited â€Å"Techno Products† to ava il the aforesaid offer. However, when Peter told the sales assistant of â€Å"Techno Products† that he desires to purchase it’s one of the highest specification computers for ?1.00, the sales assistant replied that the advertisement was not meant for seriously arguing that nobody of â€Å"sound mind† would imagine that they could buy a computer for ?1.00. Moreover, he was informed that if he wishes to buy the computer, he had to pay the market price i.e. ?3000.00. Based on the above situation, it can be advised to Peter that he cannot force â€Å"Techno Products† to sell him the computer for ?1.00.

Monday, October 28, 2019

International Business, Economic Integration Essay Example for Free

International Business, Economic Integration Essay To begin with, the term economic integration can be defined as a procedure in which nations work together with one other in order to trim down or get rid of obstructions to the worldwide flow of goods, individual or resources (Dalimov, 2008) . The continuing paragraphs bring to light the advantages and disadvantages of economic integration. There exist a number of advantages associated with economic integration one of them is trade creation. By means of trade creation the members nations possess broader choice of products and provisions which were not earlier obtainable, can get hold of products and services at comparatively lesser price subsequent to trade barriers because of reduced tariffs or elimination of tariffs, motivate additional trade among associate nations as the steadiness of capital used up from low-priced products and services, could be brought to play so as to purchase extra goods and provisions. Apart from this, the other advantages include the fact that a group of countries could hold considerably better political authority as compared to every country would possess independently. Moreover, this amalgamation is perceived as a vital stratagem in order to deal with the upshots of disagreements and political unsteadiness that might influence the area. It is also considered to be a very constructive implement to deal with the economic and social challenges related to globalization. Further, as economic integration motivates trade emancipation and result in marketplace growth, extra savings into the nation and larger dissemination of know-how generates additional job prospects for individual to shift from one nation to other with the purpose to search employment or to get superior salary (Alesina et. al. , 1997). Moving ahead, one of the disadvantages associated with economic integration include trade diversion. Due to trade barriers, trade gets shifted from a non-associate nation to an associate nation in spite of the incompetence in price. For instance, a nation would have to bring to a halt trade along with less price produce located in a non-associate nation and deal with a producer located in an associate nation which include a superior price. In addition to this, other disadvantages encompass the fact that it could also augment trade barriers in opposition to non-affiliate nations. Furthermore, it needs associate nations to go without some extent of power with respect to chief procedures such as trade, financial and economic guidelines. Moreover, the greater the degree of incorporation, the higher the level of authorities that requires to be sacrificed chiefly in the situation of a political league economic amalgamation that calls for countries to sacrifice a large amount of independence. Small companies typically have difficulty competing against large multinationals when their governments take part in regional trade blocs. What could governments do to help their small companies compete after the formation of such blocs? Primarily, at the time when a country’s government commits to taking part in a local trade bloc, there prevail a number of concerns that could grab hold of a number of small organizations off guard. A few of these concerns vary from incremented competition, shortfall of workers, and the incapability to acquire superior quality goods that were conventionally obtainable from non associate countries. Moreover, the function of the government entities in supporting organizations with such situation is considered to be rather complicated. The purpose of taking part in the provincial trade bloc is to augment trade that is by and large the flourishing upshot for the entire country. One of the advantages of such trade blocs is the lessening of government participation in trade. However, for government entities to offer help to its organizations could be a bit duplicitous for the bloc contract in case if it hinders trade in any manner with rest of the bloc affiliates. In the happening that an organization’s proceeds are in danger through the introduction of products from a non- bloc associate, tariffs or import taxes could be made compulsory in order to bring down the level of competition. This will require to be synchronized with associate countries so as to make sure permanence. In addition to this, other means by which the government can assist is by trimming down the amount of imported products through quotas. Moreover, this will still permit a fraction of the products into the nation at the same time guaranteeing that organizations inside the nation or bloc could still try to win. The most useful method that the government entities can carry out for its small organizations that strive hard subsequent to the initiation of a trade bloc is to make sure that each and every short term finance matters are handled by establishing help provisions and most significantly, ensuring that edifying facilities inside the nation go along nation’s effectiveness by shoring up formulated plans and bringing about fresh plans in order to handle inadequacies as and when they occur. Moving ahead, a government requires keeping an eye on the way how contribution inside a trade bloc has influenced organizations insides its limitations, the minimum extent of government contribution may prove to be most appropriate. Further, the trade blocs are incessantly being modified by initiating trade with other nations with passing time. Lastly, several negotiations that a nation adopts in the short period so as to attempt to assist circumstances inside its limitations can have enduring impacts on nations which might desire to contribute inside the bloc in the upcoming times.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Virtual Private Networks Essay -- VPN Internetworking Computers Intern

Virtual Private Networks Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are an easy and cost effective way to connect two or more networks over the Internet. This is achieved by using encrypted tunnels for security and efficiency. VPNs use encapsulated and encrypted IP packets and transport them across leased Local Area Network (LAN) lines. The benefits of using VPNs are reduced cost overhead, reduced management overhead, and added security (Microsoft Press, 2000). Least network lines are expensive and VPNs reduce then need for extra data connections. This in turn also aids in reducing the amount of overhead associated with managing a network. The added security benefits for a network include encrypted transmission of network data and user authentication. Passing datagrams across the Internet between sites can cause major security risk. When a datagram is passed internally within a private network it is secured behind a router and /or firewall. When datagrams are passed externally outsiders can monitor them as they pass over networks owned by other organizations (Comer, 1995). This can cause great security problems. Unencrypted packet headers contain valuable information about the internal structure of an organizations network. VPNs have overcome the problem of direct Internet access to servers and clients through a combination of the following security components: IP encapsulation, cryptographic authentication, and data payload encryption. For a true VPN to exi...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 8

â€Å"It was seriously creepy,† said Bonnie. They had al bundled into Matt's car, Elena hopping onto Stefan's lap and Meredith onto Alaric's (which, Bonnie had noted, Dr. Celia had seemed less than thril ed by). Then they'd hurried back to the boardinghouse, looking for counsel. Once there, they'd al crowded into the parlor and spil ed out the story to Mrs. Flowers, talking over one another in their excitement. â€Å"First Celia's name – in my blood – appearing out of nowhere,† Bonnie went on, â€Å"and then there's this weird accident that could have killed her, and then Meredith's name appears, too. It was al just real y, real y creepy.† â€Å"I'd put it a bit more strongly than that,† Meredith said. Then she arched an elegant eyebrow. â€Å"Bonnie, this is no doubt the first time I've ever complained you weren't being dramatic enough.† â€Å"Hey!† Bonnie objected. â€Å"There you go,† Elena joked. â€Å"Keep looking on the bright side. The latest insanity is making Bonnie low-key.† Matt shook his head. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, do you know what's happening?† Mrs. Flowers, seated in a cozy corner chair of the parlor, smiled and patted him on the shoulder. She'd been knitting when they came in, but had laid the pink bundle of yarn aside and had fixed her calm blue eyes on them with her ful attention as they told their story. â€Å"Dear Matt,† she said. â€Å"Always straight to the point.† Poor Celia had been sitting on the couch by Alaric and Meredith, looking stunned since they'd arrived. It was one thing to study the supernatural, but the reality of a vampire, mysteriously appearing names, and a brush with death must have been a shock to her system. Alaric had a reassuring arm around her shoulders. Bonnie thought maybe the arm should have been around Meredith's shoulders. After al , Meredith's name had just shown up in the scarf's folds. But Meredith was just sitting there, watching Alaric and Celia, her face composed, her eyes unreadable. Now Celia leaned forward and spoke for the first time. â€Å"Pardon me,† she said politely, her voice shaking a bit, â€Å"but I don't understand why we've brought this†¦ this issue to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice trailed off as her eyes flickered to Mrs. Flowers. Bonnie knew what she meant. Mrs. Flowers looked like the epitome of a sweet, dotty elderly lady: soft flyaway gray hair drawn back in a bun, a politely vague expression, a wardrobe that leaned toward pastels or shabby blacks, and a habit of muttering quietly, apparently to herself. A year ago, Bonnie herself had thought Mrs. Flowers was just the crazy old woman who ran the boardinghouse where Stefan lived. But appearances could be deceptive. Mrs. Flowers had earned the respect and admiration of every one of them by the way she had protected the town with her magic, Power, and good sense. There was a lot more to this little old lady than met the eye. â€Å"My dear,† said Mrs. Flowers firmly, â€Å"you've had a very traumatic experience. Drink your tea. It's a special calming blend that's been passed down in my family for generations. We wil do everything we can for you.† Which, Bonnie observed, was a very sweet and ladylike way of putting Dr. Celia Connor in her place. She was to drink her tea and recuperate, and they would figure out how to solve the problem. Celia's eyes flashed, but she sipped her tea obediently. â€Å"Now,† Mrs. Flowers said, looking around at the others, â€Å"it seems to me that the first thing to do is to figure out what the intention is behind the appearance of the names. Once we do that, perhaps we wil have a better idea of who might be behind their appearance.† â€Å"Maybe to warn us?† Bonnie said hesitantly. â€Å"I mean, Celia's name appeared, and then she almost died, and now Meredith†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice trailed off and she looked at Meredith apologetical y. â€Å"I'm worried you might be in danger.† Meredith squared her shoulders. â€Å"It certainly wouldn't be the first time,† she said. Mrs. Flowers nodded briskly. â€Å"Yes, it's possible that the appearance of the names has a benevolent intention. Let's explore that theory. Someone may be trying to get a warning to you. If so, who? And why do they have to do it in this way?† Bonnie's voice was even softer and more hesitant now. But if no one else was going to say it, she would. â€Å"Could it be Damon?† â€Å"Damon's dead,† Stefan said flatly. â€Å"But when Elena was dead, she warned me about Klaus,† Bonnie argued. Stefan massaged his temples. He looked tired. â€Å"Bonnie, when Elena died, Klaus trapped her spirit between dimensions. She hadn't ful y passed away. And even then, she could only visit you in your dreams – not anyone else, just you, because you can sense things other people can't. She couldn't make anything happen in the physical world.† Elena's voice trembled. â€Å"Bonnie, the Guardians told us that vampires don't live on after death. In any sense of the word. Damon's gone.† Stefan reached out and took her hand, his eyes troubled. Bonnie felt a sharp stab of sympathy for them both. She was sorry she'd brought Damon up, but she hadn't been able to stop herself. The thought that he might be watching over them, irascible and mocking but ultimately kind, had briefly lifted the weight from her heart. Now that weight came crashing back down. â€Å"Wel ,† she said dul y, â€Å"then I don't have any idea who might be warning us. Does anybody else?† They al shook their heads, baffled. â€Å"Who even knows about us now that has this kind of power?† Matt asked. â€Å"The Guardians?† said Bonnie doubtful y. But Elena shook her head with a quick decisive motion, blond hair swinging. â€Å"It's not them,† she said. â€Å"The last thing they'd do is send a message in blood. Visions would be more their style. And I'm pretty sure the Guardians washed their hands of us when they sent us back here.† Mrs. Flowers interlocked her fingers in her lap. â€Å"So perhaps there is some as yet unknown person or being looking after you, warning you of danger ahead.† Matt had been sitting ramrod straight in one of Mrs. Flowers's daintier chairs, and it creaked alarmingly as he leaned forward. â€Å"Um,† he said. â€Å"I think the better question is, what's causing that danger?† Mrs. Flowers spread her smal , wrinkled hands. â€Å"You're perfectly right. Let's consider the options. On the one hand, it could be a warning for something that was natural y going to happen. Celia's – you don't mind if I cal you Celia, do you, dear?† Celia, stil looking shel -shocked, shook her head. â€Å"Good. Celia's scarf getting caught in the train doors could have been a natural accident. Forgive me for saying so, but those long, dramatic scarves can be very dangerous. The dancer Isadora Duncan was kil ed in just that way when her scarf caught in the wheel of a car many years ago. Perhaps whoever sent the message was simply raising a flag for Celia to be careful, or for the rest of you to take care of her. Perhaps Meredith merely needs to be cautious over the next few days.† â€Å"You don't think so, though, do you?† asked Meredith sharply. Mrs. Flowers sighed. â€Å"This al feels rather malevolent to me. I think if someone wanted to warn you about the possibility of accidents, they could find a better way than names written in blood. Both of these names appeared as the results of rather violent incidents, correct? Bonnie cutting herself and Stefan ripping the scarf from Celia's neck?† Meredith nodded. Looking troubled, Mrs. Flowers continued. â€Å"And, of course, the other possibility is that the appearance of the names is itself malicious. Perhaps the names' appearance is an essential ingredient in or targeting method for some spel that is causing the danger.† Stefan frowned. â€Å"You're talking about dark magic, aren't you?† Mrs. Flowers met his eyes squarely. â€Å"I'm afraid so. Stefan, you're the oldest and most experienced of us by far. I've never heard of anything like this, have you?† Bonnie felt a bit surprised. Of course, she knew that Stefan was much older than even Mrs. Flowers – after al , he'd been alive before electricity, or running water, or cars, or anything they took for granted in the modern world, while Mrs. Flowers was probably only in her seventies. But stil , it was easy to forget how long Stefan had lived. He looked just like any other eighteen-year-old, except that he was exceptional y handsome. A traitorous thought flickered at the back of her mind, one she'd had before: How was it that Elena always got al the best-looking guys? Stefan was shaking his head. â€Å"Nothing like this, no. But I think you're right that it may be dark magic. Perhaps, if you spoke to your mother about it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Celia, who was starting to take more of an interest in what was going on, looked at Alaric quizzical y. Then she cast a glance toward the door, as if expecting a hundredyear-old woman to wander in. Bonnie grinned to herself, despite the seriousness of the situation. They had al gotten so matter-of-fact about Mrs. Flowers's frequent conversations with the ghost of her mother that none of them blinked when Mrs. Flowers gazed off into space and started muttering rapidly, eyebrows lifting, eyes scanning unoccupied space as if someone unseen were speaking to her. But to Celia it must have seemed pretty strange. â€Å"Yes,† said Mrs. Flowers, returning her attention to them. â€Å"Mama says there is indeed something dark stirring in Fel ‘s Church. But† – her hands lifted, palms empty – â€Å"she cannot tel what form it takes. She simply warns us to be careful. Whatever it is, she can sense that it's deadly.† Stefan and Meredith frowned, taking this in. Alaric was murmuring to Celia, probably explaining what was going on. Matt bowed his head. Elena pushed on, already working on the next angle. â€Å"Bonnie, what about you?† she asked. â€Å"Huh?† Bonnie asked. Then she realized what Elena meant. â€Å"No. Nuh-uh. I'm not going to know anything Mrs. Flowers's mother doesn't.† Elena just looked at her, and Bonnie sighed. This was important, after al . Meredith's name was next, and if there was one thing that was true, it was that she and Meredith and Elena had one another's backs. Always. â€Å"Al right,† she said reluctantly. â€Å"I'l see if I can find out anything else. Can you light me a candle?† â€Å"What now?† Celia asked in confusion. â€Å"Bonnie's psychic,† Elena explained simply. â€Å"Fascinating,† Celia said brightly, but her eyes slid, cool and disbelieving, across Bonnie. Wel , whatever. Bonnie didn't care what she thought. She could assume that Bonnie was pretending or crazy if she wanted to, but she'd see what happened eventual y. Elena brought a candle over from its spot on the mantel, lit it, and placed it on the coffee table. Bonnie swal owed, licked her lips, which were suddenly dry, and tried to focus on the candle flame. Although she'd had plenty of practice, she didn't like doing this, didn't like the sensation of losing herself, as if she were sliding underwater. The flame flickered and grew brighter. It seemed to swel and fil Bonnie's field of vision. Al she could see was flame. I know who you are, a cold, rough voice suddenly growled in her ear, and Bonnie twitched. She hated the voices, sometimes as soft as if they were coming from a distant television, sometimes right beside her, like this one. She somehow always managed to forget them until the next time she began to fal into a trance. A faraway child's voice began a wordless off-key humming, and Bonnie focused on making her breathing slow and steady. She could feel her eyes slipping out of focus. A sour taste, wet and nasty, fil ed her mouth. Envy twisted, sharp and bitter, inside her. It's not fair, not fair, something muttered sul enly in her skul . And then blackness took over. Elena watched apprehensively as Bonnie's pupils widened, reflecting the candle flame. Bonnie was able to sink into trances much more quickly now than when she had begun having them, which worried Elena. â€Å"Darkness rises.† A flat, hol ow voice that didn't sound anything like Bonnie's came from her friend's mouth. â€Å"It's not here yet, but it wants to be. It's cold. It's been cold for a long time. It wants to be near us, out of the darkness and as warm as our hearts. It hates.† â€Å"Is it a vampire?† asked Meredith quickly. The not-Bonnie voice gave a harsh, choking laugh. â€Å"It's much stronger than any vampire. It can find a home in any of you. Watch one another. Watch yourselves.† â€Å"What is it?† asked Matt. Whatever it was that spoke through Bonnie hesitated. â€Å"She doesn't know,† said Stefan. â€Å"Or she can't tel us. Bonnie,† he said intently, â€Å"is someone bringing this thing to us? Who's causing it?† No hesitation this time. â€Å"Elena,† it said. â€Å"Elena brought it.†