The Dangers of Factory Farming - 1511 Words

Many individuals have seen or heard of the videos on the internet of various slaughterhouses across the country as well as the videos of factory farms and how their livestock are raised, along with Rachel Carson’s various books about the dangers of pesticides. Until the 1950’s, farming never used hormones to increase growth pace to achieve meatier animals. Factory farms and the mass production of animals have caused corporations to stop thinking about the quality of their foods, but the quantity and efficiency in which consumers receive it. Factory farm raised animals are produced to become our food and sold in stores, but they do not have to live in such poor, unhealthy conditions or live short lives full of pain. While factory farms are beneficial to the economy, ultimately they are harmful to the environment and the health of people and animals. Therefore we should find alternatives to factory farming. Because the United States has become all about mass production and making products as fast as possible, corporations are more concerned with quantity rather than quality. Animals are being injected with hormones to grow faster so they can be slaughtered, packaged and sold even sooner. Factory farms are lashing out at anyone trying to expose what actually happens behind these closed doors. Some states, like New Mexico, North Carolina, Wyoming, and Vermont are trying to pass laws that criminalize anyone who secretly videotapes what is happening behind closed doors.Show MoreRelatedThe Hidden Horrors Of Mass Produced Food1737 Words   |  7 Pageschanged more in the last fifty years than in the past ten thousand.† (Food, Inc.) Farming first emerged as a large-scale industry during the Industrial Revolution. The transition from small, local farms to larger, corporate-owned businesses began when machines were more readily available and much more efficient. However, another factor i n the creation of the current industrial food system, including factory farming, is the advent of fast food, beginning in the 1930s. Food had to be uniform and cheapRead MoreAmerica’s Food Crisis, by Bryan Walsh Essay969 Words   |  4 Pages American society has grown so accustomed to receiving their food right away and in large quantities. Only in the past few decades has factory farming come into existence that has made consuming food a non guilt-free action. What originally was a hamburger with slaughtered cow meat is now slaughtered cow meat that’s filled with harmful chemicals. Not only that, the corn that that cow was fed with is also filled with chemicals to make them grow at a faster rate to get that hamburger on aRead MoreFactory Farming And Its Effects On The Mass Production Of Animals1670 Words   |  7 PagesFactory farming also known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) is the raising of livestock for human consumption in which vast amounts of food are produced at minimal cost. Products such as meat, milk, and eggs are all staples of this practice. It is easy to identify these farms from their distinct characteristics of confining their animals. Animals such as cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys are confined to very small quarters and fed out while being pumped full of hormones and antibioticsRead MoreThe Effects Of Factory Farming On The Health Of The Environment, Animals, And People1138 Words   |  5 Pagesmeat. This meat can be traced back to factory farms where the animals are kept to be tortured to turn into a product for the appetite of humans. The terrible treatment these animals are forced to endure is the outcome of the greed and want for a faster production of their product. The industry of factory farming works to maximize the output of the meat while maintaining low costs,but will sadly always comes at the animals’ expense. The effects of factory farming is not worth the damage that is doneRead MoreFactory Farming Should Be Banned1576 Words   |  7 Pagesactivist. Factory farming should be banned or demolished thoroughly due to more harm than good that is being presented worldwide. Animal brutality, which can be found constantly and excessively throughout factory farms, is a deleterious act involving the animals and a diabolic act regarding human morals. The antic actions that proceed have an effect on both humans and the environment, as well as the unethical, inhumane treatment and the atrocious sufferings of animals. Besides factory farms offeringRead MoreThe Humane Treatment of Animals vs. Factory Farms1407 Words   |  6 PagesDeanda Jones The Humane Treatment of Animals vs. Factory Farms The first questions we have to ask ourselves; do animals have rights, do they have feelings, do they feel pain, do they need as we do? To find the answer, one needs merely to think back on empirical data if one has ever owned or been around an animal, a dog or a cat, or horses or farm animals. Take for instance a mother cat. When a mother has kittens, she looks for a sheltered, warm, safe place to do so. When theyRead MoreFactory Farms: A High Price to Pay for Cheap Meat Essay575 Words   |  3 PagesJust imagine living in a world where the antibiotics we take for granted are rendered useless due to the rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes. Should factory farms be able to continue the practice of administering antibiotics to otherwise healthy animals? We already know that the misuse of antibiotics can lead to the development of superbugs. Animal agriculture accounts for nearly 80 percent of antibiotics used in our country (Philpott). Most of which are used for nontherapeutic purposesRead MoreThe Dangers Of Industrial Farming860 Words   |  4 PagesThe Dangers of Industrial Farming People need to be educated about food quality because it effects the environment and their health. Consumers buy processed food on a daily basis not knowing the dangers of the food they eat, and they have allowed the industrial food chain to genetically modify many of the foods they consume today. Also, consumers have options to get healthy nutritional foods that are grown by local sustainable food chains. Meanwhile, people who are concerned about their healthRead MoreThe Effects Of Food On The Food Industry1232 Words   |  5 Pagesyears, and throughout that time the way we produced are food has become both productive and efficient; but it has also become destructive and unhealthy. In A TINA-based food economy, food is either mass produced through the process of industrial farming or it is imported from other countries. These lead to adverse effects on the food, the environment and the economy. However, in a LOIS-based food economy, food is â€Å"produced locally through locally owned businesses, then the more you can minimize yourRead MoreAbstract. Are You Environmentally Conscious? Do You Believe1653 Words   |  7 Pagesyear, and studying a variety of sources including a novel, two documentaries, one oral presentation, and a handful of web articles, I have come to the conclusion that factory farming is one of the biggest culprits of environmental degradation today. It is an industry that must be taken down. Some of the reasons that factory farming is so destructive include the following: 1) The practice of running concentrated animal feeding operations is creating more greenhouse gases than the earth can support

Sir Gawain And The Green Knight - 1514 Words

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an epic poem written in the mid to late fourteenth century by an unknown author. Throughout the tale, Sir Gawain, a Knight at the Round Table in Camelot, is presented with many hardships, the first being a challenge on Christmas by a man in which, â€Å"Everything about him was an elegant green† (161). This â€Å"Green Knight† challenged someone in Camelot to accept his game which they will chop off his head with his axe and the Green Knight will do the same to the player a year and a day later. Sir Gawain stepped up to the challenge and took his kings place after King Arthur was the only one was willing to agree. On his quest to find the Green Knight, almost a year after he watched the green man pick his head up off the ground and ride off as if nothing ever happened, he found a castle and befriended the Lord and his wife. The Lord offered the whereabouts of the Green Knight, and in return, he asked Sir Gawain to play another game. Bo th the Lord and Sir Gawain must give each other everything they received throughout the day at the end of each night. The Lord gives Gawain all the animals he has hunted each day and Gawain gives the lord the kisses he gained throughout each day from the Lord’s wife. Before Gawain leaves to find the Green Knight, the Lord’s wife gave him a green silk belt to protect him from the Green Knight’s axe. Sir Gawain did not give the belt to the Lord at the end of the day. In the end, the Lord was the Green Knight andShow MoreRelatedSir Gawain And The Green Knight1359 Words   |  6 PagesIn the poem â€Å"Sir Gawain and The Green Knight,† a protagonist emerges depicting an Arthurian knight named Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, takes initiative by accepting the challenge requested by the Green Knight in place of his uncle. He undergoes a perilous adventure, seeking for the Green Knight to receive the final blow. Although Sir Gawain is not v iewed as a hero for his military accomplishments, he is, however, viewed as a heroic figure by the Knights at the Round Table for hisRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight862 Words   |  4 PagesIn Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by an unknown author referred to as the â€Å"Pearl Poet,† we are introduced to Sir Gawain. Gawain is a knight of the Round Table and he is also the nephew of King Arthur. As a knight, Gawain is expected to possess and abide by many chivalrous facets. Throughout the poem he portrays many of the qualities a knight should possess, such as bravery, courtesy, and honor among others. Because of his ability to possess these virtues even when tempted to stray away from themRead MoreSir Gawain and the Green Knight1100 Words   |  5 PagesThe poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight compares a super natural creature to nature. The mystery of the poem is ironic to the anonymous author. The story dates back into the fourteenth century, but no one knows who originally wrote the poem. This unknown author explains in the poem of Sir Gawain not knowing of the location of the Green Chapel and or who the Green Knight really is. This keeps the reader entertained with the suspicion of not knowing. The author then does not give his name orRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay1687 Words   |  7 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight contains ambiguity and irony that make it interesting to read and teach. Gawain’s conflict arose when he accepted the girdle that could protect him and when he lied to his host, severing fellowship with the lord for courtesy with the lady. By utilizing a social reconstructionist philosophy of teaching that emphasizes personal beliefs and ethics, a teacher will help the students establish their identities and learn to appreciate classic literature. Sir Gawain and theRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1335 Words   |  6 PagesSir Gawain: The Ironic Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a tale of the utmost irony in which Sir Gawain, the most loyal and courteous of all of King Arthur’s knights, fails utterly to be loyal and courteous to his king, his host, his vows, and his God. In each case, Sir Gawain not only fails to perform well, but performs particularly poorly, especially in the case of his relationship with God. Ultimately, Sir Gawain chooses magic over faith, and by doing so, shows his ironic nature as aRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight906 Words   |  4 Pagesusually the latter. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight we see Sir Bertilak go off to hunt three very specific animals as a game with Sir Gawain. They agree that â€Å"what ever [Bertilak catches] in the wood shall become [Sir Gawain’s], and what ever mishap comes [Sir Gawain’s] way will be given to [Bertilak] in exchange.† (Sir Gawain†¦, ln 1105-1007). In this deal we slowly see Gawain loose his honor as paralleled with Sir B ertilak’s hunt. The first animal that is hunted by the knight is a deer, while thisRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay1521 Words   |  7 PagesFall 16 Donnelly Many years ago, knights were expected to form a certain type of relationship with their king, this relationship was otherwise known as fealty. Fealty is a knight’s sworn loyalty to their king (in other words a loyal relationship should be formed between the two). The use of this relationship is shown in the poem called â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† ( the author is unknown). This poem has a classic quest type of formula, with a knight receiving a challenge and then going outRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1455 Words   |  6 PagesHowever, for Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight temptation existed around every corner while he was playing the game of the Green Knight. Temptation existed every day and each day it existed in a new way. Gawain never knew what was coming his way throughout the grand scheme of the game, but one thing was for certain he was being tested. Without his reliance religious faith and dedication to his reputation, Gawain wo uld not have been able to make it through the game of the Green Knight alive andRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight Essay1020 Words   |  5 PagesBoth Sir Gawain, from â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† translated by Marie Borroff, and Beowulf, from Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel, serve as heroes in different times of Medieval English Literature. Many of the basic principles that describe heroes in Medieval Literature are seen in both of these characters even though they were written in different times. There are distinct similarities, differences, and also a progression of what the hero was in English literature, between Sir Gawain andRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1152 Words   |  5 PagesIn the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Brian Stone, the idea of righteousness pervades Sir Gawain’s quest. The poem was first written in Arthurian England, where the knights are expected to follow the code of chivalry, which te lls them how to behave. Sir Gawain, the main character, is no exception, as every decision he makes follows that code of chivalry, save one. He is then punished for that one foolish choice, suggesting that a man must strive to be chivalrous, even

Electronic_Arts Essay Example For Students

Electronic_Arts Essay Electronic Arts is a highly successful creator of video games for consoles and PCs. The company also creates content for online gaming. EAI occupies a unique place in the information processing industry. The company must have the skills of a Hollywood studio in order to create compelling content While at the same time negotiating technological change and uncertainty associated with the platforms (e. G. , consoles, PC, Internet) used to operate and distribute the games. The case gives students the opportunity to evaluate the strategic challenges associated tit operating at the nexus of information processing and entertainment industries. This case is often used in conjunction with Electronic Arts in 1995, SMS-AAA. While Electronic Arts in 2002 can be used by itself, use of the w. o cases together gives a good longitudinal perspective on the company, industry and technology. Instructors who use Electronic Arts in 2002 by itself should not use Question 1 below. (Eng: The case Electronic Arts in 1 999, SMS-BOB is largely superseded by the Electronic_ Arts in 2002. The latter case covers the same themes and issues as the 1999 case. ) In terms of the strategic dynamics framework, this case illustrates the challenges of trying to extend P-controlled changes into industries that are converging (or colliding). It also how EAI is trying to transform itself, and realign its actions with starter, as to take advantage of opportunities created by industry convergence. Preparation Questions: I. By 1995, how successful has EAI been? What has been their strategy? What strategic challenges do they face in 1995? 2. How should EAI think about the platform development decisions it faces? 3. How has the Internet affected the video game industry? Why? . In 2002, what should EASE corporate strategy be for the next 5 years? Why? How should it execute this strategy? Analysis: I _ By 19%, how successful has EAI been? What has been their strategy? What By 1395, EAI has been very successful. Between 1990 and 1995, revenue has increased to $420 million and gross profit has increased to $195 million, each growing 500 percent in the period. Net profit has increased to $45 million between 1990 and 1994, or 800 percent. In 1994, Seaside over $400 m Saga Nintendo DO Affiliated Labels EAI had 85 titles in 1994, and 100 titles in 1995 (SASS million in development sots. ) ;EAI grew to tour divisions: ; EAI Sports ; Simulation and Interactive Movies ; EAI Entertainment EAI Kids EAI developed a distinct competence at building a culture that is good at dealing with technical and market uncertainties. Key assets include: ; Product development, ; Marketing, ; Integrating creative, technical and business people into project management, ; Navigational competence, ; Salesrooms for market competence, ; Top management that is knowledgeable about technology. Instructors who also use Electronic Arts in can ask students to recall the evolution of EAI. Instructors can elicit salient points in EASE history. For example, until 1989, the companys strategy had been to develop games for the PC platform. However, by 1989 cartridge-based home video games had emerged as the dominant game platform. At that time, four million IBM PCs and compatibles had been sold creating a market of $230 million for PC-based games, This contrasted with as many as 22 million LIST households with 8-bit consoles, which generated a games market of billion. Of course, the costs of developing games tort the PC were very different trot the costs involved in developing Ames for the then dominant Nintendo platform, That company demanded large up-front royalty payments and manufacturing fees as well as advance commitment to cartridge number, All of which raised the risks associated with developing for the Nintendo platform. These risks were similar to those EAI faced when it bet on Saga during the transition to the 16-bit platform. By mid 1995, EAI faced four key strategic challenges. The company had to prepare for another platform transition, with the industry going to 32-bit processors, while at the same time maintaining leadership in the 16-bit platform. EAI was also developing and leveraging intellectual property new intellectual property by co-branding with Organizations such as the National football League (NH_) and National Hockey League (NIL). By 1995, EAI has also set its sights on international expansion. As before, the company also faced the usual strategic challenge Of attracting and retaining key creative and engineering talent. Platform transitions are very risky periods for EAI. The industry share of market goes up for grabs with each transition, For example, Nintendo dominated the 8-bit platform, while Saga dominated the 16-bit platform. By 2002, EAI is facing BOB-bit platform transition. A transition requires EAI to make a big bet on the company it thinks will win the transition. Instructors can highlight this point to asking students how much cash the company has and discussing the other cash needs the company must balance with transitions. 1. Definition of Down Syndrome EssayGame publishers attract only a minority Of this traffic, With independent sites drawing most Of the traffic. ENS most popular community site was Simplicity. Com, which attracted 1 million users per month for its first 6 months. Traffic thereafter settled to 200,000 monthly visits. 4. In 2002, what should ENS corporate strategy be for the next S years? Why? Discussion of EASE strategy going forward should take into consideration its current strengths and the forces that will shape the company in the future. By 2002, Seas scale allowed the company to leverage its intellectual properties across multiple platforms and geographies. The companys prominence in its industry gave EAI other benefits. EAI had the potential to influence the success of platform by its decisions to publish titles for it. Since the success off platform was tightly linked to the number and quality of games available on them, EAI was regularly consulted by hardware manufacturers concerning technical specifications. This enabled EAI to develop titles faster and better prepare for transitions in the platform cycles. Online gaming Will likely become more important to the company. But for this to happen, several forces exogenous to EAI must come into place. These include greater ubiquity Of broadband Internet connections in homes and continued development of Internet capabilities in consoles. Forces that EAI can influence with respect to online gaming include the development of compelling content for multilayer and massively multilayer games that are particularly well suited to the online channel and creation of an online business model that will generate sufficient revenue to the company. Metatheses: Two important themes that weave through both the 1395 and 2002 cases are the role of organization and culture to EAI. And sources of growth for the company. Indeed, the two themes relate to each other. Instructors can explore how EAI5 organizational structure (small studios with a high degree of autonomy) interrelates with the compass business management structure (e. G. , financial oversight at the center, shared intelligence from the salesrooms, etc). This model allows EAI to scale as it acquires new studios or develops them organically, while retaining financial controls at the corporate center. This is the model the company has used since the 1995 case. New growth, however, may present challenges that cannot be met by Seas current Structure. Where can EAI go next in the entertainment industry? Perhaps there is sufficient growth to be had from EASE efforts to develop online gaming s well as their Other traditional sources Of growth; but perhaps not. Instructors can explore the ways in which EAI could find growth in fast-developing areas new to the company, such as digital animation. Could EAI acquire a digital animation studio such as Paxar? (EAI had a market capitalization of $13. 2 billion compared to that of E. G billion for Paxar in September 2003. ) Would it make sense for EAI to be acquired by an entertainment company with content assets from movie and television production studios, which could lend themselves to video games? Disney is one possibility. Instructors can ask students to consider the benefits and drawbacks of such mergers, particularly in light of the difficulty Time Warner has had since its acquisition of AOL. Electronic Arts Summary by Robert A, Bargeman I _ Technology-based companies face twin uncertainties: ; Technological uncertainty associated with platform changes; ; Market uncertainty associated with changing customer demand. 2. If there is no compatibility across platform generations, then platform changes are highly hazardous because they put market share into play, for example, 8-bit:Nintendo; 16-bit:Saga,; 32-bit:Sony). Periods Of platform change pose difficult strategic challenges because companies must maintain their position on the current generation While making bets on prospective winners in the next generation. 4. To maximize their changes of correctly predicting the next generation of platform winners, companies Ned to create a culture of intense collaboration between techn ical, sales/marketing (business), and design people in the organization. Such a culture constitutes an organizational capability and can be a source of competitive advantage. 5. Creating such a culture is a top management responsibility.

Shakespeares Othello, the Moor of Venice

â€Å"Is Iago purely evil, or is Othello incredibly gullible? How does such a strong (or gullible) man become trapped in such plotting?†Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragic play written at around 1603 by William Shakespeare, which addresses the encounters of Othello, the protagonist. Othello is a Venetian military general and who falls prey of Iago’s devious schemes, which are triggered by jealousy, deceit and quest for power (Hundley 4). Shakespeare’s Iago is amoral character who drafts devious plans to lure others into his vengeance mission. Equivocally, I ago is a significant character who participates greatly in Othello’s misfortune. He is also accountable for Emilia, Roderigo and protagonist deaths. He contributes to plot development in the play in that he relates to other characters significantly. His most important role is to accomplish the tragedy of Othello, which brings out the themes of hatred, envy and vengeance. In addition, he distinguishes Othello’s character and that of Desdemona to expose dramatic irony for the audience to be occupied (Kolin 8). Is Iago purely evil? Yes. His inherent evilness is seen when Iago makes friends to hate each other by taking advantage of their trust toward him. To attain his mission, he uses their worries and anxieties to â€Å"make the net that shall emesh them all† (Shakespeare II. iii. 321-2). His evil motives are mostly a soliloquy that are never attained and becomes forgotten entirely. His scheme is initiated when he desires Cassio’s position of lieutenancy, which he wanted to be his. He is envious of him and claims that he deserves and will fit into that position. Therefore, he plots a scheme to deceive, rob and eventually kill Cassio to fit in his lieutenant position . He aspires to replace Cassio’s work as a lieutenant by taking advantage of Desdemona’s naivety. He dishonors Cassio by inciting him to finish Roderigo and free him the lieutenant position when he states that â€Å"Cassio, I love thee, But nevermore be officer of mine† (Shakespeare II.iii.242-244). As a result Cassio was become unaware of the outcome. Iago’s devious plans persist when he tactfully makes Othello to believe that his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him with Cassio even without any evidence to show for it. Iago accomplishes this mission by ensuring that Othello’s thoughts concentrates on the fact that he is being cheated on, an aspect that leads to his tragedy.Advertising Looking for research paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Othello instead fall into his scheme and his furry makes him hate his wife whom she doesn’t believe. Significantly, Iago awar ds Othello with the evil thought that he could kill his wife Desdemona, which will accomplish Iago’s vengeance mission (Hankey 5). His devious plan is manifested when he claims that Iago had had an affair with Emilia, Iago’s life. To ascertain this fact, Othello points out that â€Å"And it is thought abroad that t’wixt my sheets/ He’s done my office† I know not if’t be true/ But I, for mere suspicion in that kind; / Will do as if for surety†(Shakespeare I.iii.381-385). Iago’s paranoia is tremendous to an extent that his insanity is portrayed when he deludes Othello to kill his own wife. As if that is not enough, Iago robs his friend Roderigo. He uses the funds awarded to him by Roderigo to entice Desdemona. On noticing that Iago kept the money for himself, Roderigo makes threats to Iago and becomes furious about his actions. Unexpectedly, when Roderigo is informed of the scheme to entice Desdemona, his mind is eroded to forget about the money and instead, kill Cassio, whom Iago is envious of and is supposedly having an affair with Desdemona (Hankey 8). These instances show that Iago has no conscious and therefore amoral, as depicted through his actions. He is deceptive to his wife and friends, which emphasize his evilness. He is tactful in carrying out his schemes, which however portrays his diabolical capability allowing him to erode his friends and his fife’s thoughts. His intellectual ability is astonishing to the reader since he achieves and gets away with his devious schemes. He is able to win over other’s thoughts by targeting their desires through twisting, playing and eventually brainwashing their psychological power. These instances clearly portray Iago as having no conscience therefore, purely evil (Hundley 5). Is Othello incredibly gullible? Yes. Othello on the other hand is a gullible character unlike Iago, who falls into the trap of Iago and falls into prey of his evil tactics. Othello’s character is dynamic having been a villain in the beginning and. His jealousness is exposed after Iago deceives him to become vengeful and kill his wife. Othello angrily point out that â€Å"`Damn her, lewd minx! O, damn her, damn her! Come go with me part.   I will withdraw To furnish me with some swift means of death.   For the fair devil.   Now are the my lieutenant'† (Shakespeare I. iii. 122).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This susceptibility and jealousness causes his tragedy. Othello’s weaknesses is exposed by the allegedly wife’s infidelity which he takes as being unclean and disgusting. This is because he observes sex as a unifying force which bloats his paranoia. Iago’s quest to become powerful is manifest as he pursues to destroy Othello who is a Venetian milit ary general since he is envious of his status. Iago in disbelieve wonders how easy it is to brainwash Othello and even appreciates how easy it was to do so (Kolin 203). How does such a strong (or gullible) man become trapped in such plotting? To start with, Othello falls short of knowledge on brewing power and is therefore doomed to fail. He is in the military as a general and therefore has authority over war such as the Turkish fleet, an aspect which should be reflected in his life but fails to (Vaughan 35). Othello’s faults indicate that his tragic end is justifiable although he did not deserve it. Being a ‘god of war’ he should have done better than having his several flaws dictates his tragic end. By doing this Shakespeare achieves the reader’s sympathy towards the protagonist. In addition, Othello lives in his own world since he has distinct race and culture since he is not conversant with traditions in Venetian women and even marries Desdemona irresp ective of her father’s disapproval. Besides, He takes women as being holy or as being filthy based on their degree of fidelity. His naivety is reflected as he does not believe his wife since he has witnessed her deceive her father before, a deception that she allegedly transfers to the matrimonial bed. Moreover, Othello has immature communication skills leave alone his expression of personal thoughts, aspects which exaggerate his inadequacy. He says to Brabantio and Duke that â€Å"Rude am I in my speech and little blessed with the soft phrase of peace (Shakespeare 1.ll. 81-82)†¦.. And little of this great world can I speak, More than pertains to feats of broil and battle (Shakespeare 1. ll. 86-87). He uses violence instead of persuasion when addressing women and murders his wife for a single unproved reason of infidelity. This indicate Othello is unable to multitask and has no flexibility of reason as he trusts Iago, since he has proven to be sincere and friendly as we ll as being loyal to Emilia His wife. He does not conduct introspection to evaluate his inner self but believes Iago’s incitement and insinuations blindly, becomes emotional, which leads to his irrational thinking. His gullibility ignites jealous which overwhelms him and controls his actions. Eventually, Iago accomplishes his evil schemes of destroying Othello and his wife who were deeply in love.Advertising Looking for research paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In conclusion, Othello’s imperfections justifies his tragic end an aspect that Shakespeare implants in the reader to depict that Othello and his like are not the best people to lead the world due to their inherent imperfections. Although he defends the residents of Venice in war, through his victories and abilities, he emerges a tragic hero since he lacks a sound reason and falls into Iago’s plot. This guilt haunts him and ultimately drives him to commit suicide as he sees it as a means of sacrifice to pay for the death of his beloved wife. Iago’s quest for power, vengeance is accelerated by jealousy and this does not benefit him in any way. As a result, Intellectual power is necessary to enable one to have a rational and an independent thought before carrying out an action. Othello’s predicament awards sympathy to the reader, which appears more real than fiction (Vaughan 5). Therefore, Iago is purely evil while Othello incredibly gullible since he falls prey of Iago’s devious plot. Works Cited Hankey, Julie. Othello. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2005. Print. Hundley, Sterling. Othello. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. 2005. Print. Kolin, Phillip. Othello: New Critical Essays. New York: Routledge. 2002. Print. Shakespeare, William. Othello: By William Shakespeare. New York: MobileReference. 2008. Print. Vaughan, Virginia. Othello: A Contextual History. New York: Cambridge University Press. 1996. Print. This research paper on Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice was written and submitted by user Edward Nelson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Terrorism and Torture Essays

Terrorism and Torture Essays Terrorism and Torture Essay Terrorism and Torture Essay Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Terrorism and Torture Arguments against: Torture is duress that rarely results to any valuable information. Torturing a terrorist suspect can nullify the suspect’s confession. Therefore, the evidence obtained cannot be used in court. It may result to false leads that may disrupt current investigations when the suspect gives up false information just too satisfy the interrogator. Continuous torture of a terrorist by an interrogator who is certain that the terrorist holds valuable information may lead to the terrorist’s death. This turns out to be a loss since the only person that could provide information is dead. It also slows down the investigation. Therefore, when an interrogator is certain that a suspect knows about a terrorist attack, it is advisable to use other techniques that do not cause severe pain or suffering whether physical or mental to the suspect. In some cases, valuable information received through torture is not used. This is because if anything was learned about the acquisition such informat ion, the parties involved in the torture could be answerable in court. This makes the information received not be of use or rather not believed. Torture also has a negative impact on the international perception. Few people will care about a country known to torture suspects when terror groups torture and killed their victims. Arguments for: In the outbreak of a national terrorist attack that is likely to end the lives of many people, it is unrealistic to assume that torturing a suspect to save the lives of many will be denying the person a right to life. A right of many people to life is more important than the right of one person. Torturing enables access of the valuable information fast. It may provide information about a future terrorist attack in time enabling the targeted country to prepare for an attack in time. Many people believe that terrorists should get extra punishment for the many lives they cause. Torture provides this additional punishment. When a terrorist refuses to disclose valuable information or all the information needed, torture is the only solution to grant this. A tortured suspect may provide the interrogators with information not asked. This kind of information is usually very useful. Torture is more humane compared to terrorism. My arguments: Killing is never right even in cases where the right outweighs the wrong. However, serious terrorism attack possibilities may call for torture. This will save the lives of many people who could die. Torture provides information fast. This is helpful especially in situations where a country is only aware of a possible terrorist attack but not the time it will take place. This will enable provision of the information before the attack. A terrorist does not hold any sympathy for the people and therefore sympathizing with him at the expense of many people’s lives will not be realistic. Conversely, torturing a terrorist may also provide wrong information or in some cases, no information at all. Therefore, other methods that do not constitute torturing can be used. Terrorists are responsible for thousands of lives. A mere torture to save peoples lives is nothing compared to the evil they do. Therefore, if extreme measures have to be taken in order to save innocent peoples lives, so be it.

Major Battles of World War 2

Major Battles of World War 2 There were numerous battles in World War II. Some of these battles lasted only days while others took months or years. Some of the battles were notable for the material losses such as tanks or aircraft carriers while others were notable for the number of human losses. Although this is not a comprehensive list of all battles of WWII, it is a list of the major battles of World War II. A note about the dates: Somewhat surprisingly, historians dont all agree on the exact dates of battles. For instance, some use the date that a city was surrounded while others prefer the date that major fighting commenced. For this list, I have used the dates that seemed the most agreed upon. 20 Major Battles of World War II Battles Dates Atlantic September 1939 - May 1945 Berlin April 16 - May 2, 1945 Britain July 10 - October 31, 1940 Bulge December 16, 1944 - January 25, 1945 El Alamein (First Battle) July 1-27, 1942 El Alamein (Second Battle) October 23 - November 4, 1942 Guadalcanal Campaign August 7, 1942 - February 9, 1943 Iwo Jima February 19 - March 16, 1945 Kursk July 5 - August 23, 1943 Leningrad (Siege) September 8, 1941 - January 27, 1944 Leyte Gulf October 23-26, 1944 Midway June 3-6, 1942 Milne Bay August 25 - September 5, 1942 Normandy (including D-Day) June 6 - August 25, 1944 Okinawa April 1 - June 21, 1945 Operation Barbarossa June 22, 1941 - December 1941 Operation Torch November 8-10, 1942 Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 Philippine Sea June 19-20, 1944 Stalingrad August 21, 1942 - February 2, 1943

The Muslim brotherhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Muslim brotherhood - Essay Example The brotherhood was initially formed essentially as a small charitable society with religious goals. During the authoritarian regime in Egypt, the brotherhood became the most prominent and effective opposition sector. The brotherhood’s ambitions were shaped by the existing political and social scenario. It was during mid 1980s, that the brotherhood spread its activities and asserted its presence in different facets of public life. Starting from this period, the brotherhood designed its objectives towards global democracy and human rights (Wickham, 20,46). It is an organization whose ultimate goal is to establish a full Muslim state where there will be no extreme disparity of wealth distribution with the rich and poor holding equal status (Oliver & Atmore, 194). Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers or the Muslim Brotherhood was founded by Hasan al-Banna in the year 1928. Hasan was a scholar and schoolteacher born in Egypt. He was born to a local sheikh in Cairo , and his father instilled in him â€Å"classical and traditional religious learning and piety† (Wickham, 21). ... He made this his mission, and the way he chose was to preach and teach the Islamic ideals and concepts both to the young people and their parents. In the following years, he established himself as a powerful and intensely effective orator with the skill to spread his message. He began to give his sermons in local mosques and coffee houses. His mission of bringing to the forefront the Islamic way of life, and his dedication to look after the welfare of the Muslims influenced six labourers from a British military camp. These laborers approached him, and requested him to become their leader. The name of the group as Muslim Brotherhood was selected by Hasan since all the member of the brotherhood was primarily dedicated towards the service of Islam (Wickham, 21). The Muslim Brotherhood is a religious and social movement that is composed of Sunni Muslims, and is one of the biggest, oldest and the most significant Islamist organizations in the world. Initially, Egypt was the only country w here the Brotherhood concentrated its activities and movements. However, currently it is estimated that the group has spread its wings in more than 70 countries, while according to other estimates the group is establishing itself in more than 100 countries. When Hasan formed this Brotherhood, his main assertion was that Islam be granted the supreme authority over all matters of life. With this ultimate goal, the Muslim Brotherhood strives to establish an Islam kingdom or monarchy extending over not only the current day Muslim population across the world, but over all communities around the globe. Another purpose of the Brotherhood is to establish the Islam law or the Shari’a as the sole law of court in all countries across the globe. This is the principle philosophy

Tax avoidance,tax evasion,tax mitigiation Essay

Tax avoidance,tax evasion,tax mitigiation - Essay Example Tax avoidance and Tax evasion are two of the most common terms and concepts used and utilized by the taxpayers in escaping from payment of taxes. Learning and understanding these terms will help the taxpayers avoid criminal and civil liabilities. Tax avoidance is a means to escape from taxation, which is allowed and sanctioned by law. A taxpayer committing this will not be legally held civilly or criminally liable to the government provided it is used in good faith and within the process allowed by law, otherwise the taxpayer will be committing tax evasion which is a crime. The utilization of the means and methods sanctioned by law would enable the taxpayer reduce the amount due to be taxed. Example of tax avoidance is when the taxpayer structures his/her any legitimate transaction to save tax and such transaction is what would really appear in form. And this transaction if the taxpayer is the vendee or payee could declare this as deduction. Tax Evasion on the other hand, is reductio n or elimination of tax due by means outside the law. It is illegally committed and punishable by law. A corporation, individual and other entity may resort to means in order to avoid paying the taxes. And the means employed is always dishonest like declaring less or no income, less profits or no gains than the taxpayer actually earned or it could be committed by inflating deductions. For example, a corporation will evade tax by declaring charitable contributions of $ 2.5 million as deduction although what was actually contributed is $.5 million only. The law does not allow this and anyone caught doing this will be held criminally and civilly liable. The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is on the tax itself. In tax avoidance, the taxpayer is legally avoiding the payment of any tax liability that is not in existence at the time. Meaning to say, there is no tax due at the moment of transaction and the taxpayer utilized method within the law so that no tax liability wou ld be incurred later or if there is, it would be less. In tax avoidance, there is already a tax due to be paid and the taxpayer resort to illegal means so that it will not be able to pay the owed tax. This type entails concealment or misrepresentation of earnings that are taxable immediately.. Tax mitigation is also similar to tax avoidance. Both resort to means not prohibited by law. Sometimes, these two concepts are used interchangeably. Tax mitigation is known as tax planning to mitigate or reduce tax liability. It is a conduct made to reduce tax liability without conducting tax avoidance or which is contrary to the intention of the Parliament. There are conducts which are allowed for tax mitigation and which are not in the case of tax avoidance. It is important in distinguishing one from the other, especially the two concepts which are tax avoidance and tax evasion because it will help the taxpayer in understanding the consequences of each conduct to reduce tax liability. Since tax avoidance is a criminal offense punishable by law, knowing the distinction would save one from committing this criminal offense while saving money from taxes without breaking the law. It will help taxpayers to arrange their affairs and keep taxes as low as possible. The tax code is confusing not only for average people but also for those knowledgeable professionals. Hence, it is important to define these two concepts so as not to fall into a criminally punishable offense. The Ramsay Principle: My understanding This principle emanated for two cases : W. T. Ramsay Ltd. v. Inland Revenue Commissioners, Eilbeck (Inspector of Taxes) v. Rawling, [1982] A.C. 300 and IRC v. Burmah Oil Co. Ltd., [1982] S.T.C. 30, H.L.(Sc.)decided by the House of Lords in connection with tax payment and schemes resorted to avoid it. In this case, the company in order to lessen the amount of taxes for the transaction of transfer of assets and payment resorted to scheme by drafting sets of documents,

System Law Essay Example for Free

System Law Essay Law is a system that can give a person rights, restrictions, and forbid a person from many different acts. Laws are to protect communities in many different forms. It was designed to protect our rights as Americans. It is also set to protect people as consumers and business owners alike. Although, many people refer to law as a restriction it is also a protection for many people. The most known way law is a protection is for consumers and business owners. It protects consumers from false advertising, which protects the health or well-being of a consumer. It protects business owners in some situations by allowing business owners to own their business separate from their personal finances. I am currently employed with Southwest Securities, FSB. Southwest Securities is a full service bank and investment firm. Over the most recent years banking has been under the gun for many changes in the law and also regulations for protection of consumers and banks around the country. Currently my bank is operating under a cease-and-desist order that is allowing us to make changes on our policies to better the company. Southwest Securities FSB, as mentioned is a full service bank for customers. There are many regulations to follow in banking. Regulation E protects the bank and consumer on electronic funds transfers which includes ATM, debit cards, bill payment, and online banking transfers. Any transaction that is considered â€Å"electronic† and requires no paper is covered by this regulation. When a customer comes in to open an account they are given a disclosure that covers this regulation and outlines the companies policies for this regulation. The most common regulation that is used the most is regulation CC. This regulation is known as the funds availability policy. This policy protects our banking customers and our bank. This allows the bank to place a hold on a check that is a large amount, a check that is forged, or a check we believe is no good for any reason. This policy protects the consumer from immediately using funds on a check that may bounce or be returned. This also protects the bank from having to pay for an overdraft on a customer’s account. If the bank doesn’t place a hold on the account then the bank may end up covering the costs to put the customer’s account back in the positive. The cease-and- desist order that was put on our bank is an order that was issued from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). We were placed under this cease-and-desist order because we had many loans that were not being paid off and the bank was taking a large loss on these loans. The FDIC ordered our bank to follow certain rules and meet certain requirements for them to â€Å"lift† the order. One of the many changes the bank made was we changed our Board of Directors. The new Board of Directors has changed many policies and has worked closely to meet regulators requests. We have part of the order lifted already but we are restricted on the types of loans that we can originate at this time. With continued efforts, improvements on policies and ensuring we are following all banking laws closely the bank will be able to lend money again in the near future. These regulations listed above are just the beginning of laws that apply to banking but they are the ones that are referred to daily in my job duties. The law is not used just to protect businesses and consumers. It is also used to protect us as citizens. For instance, a person who feels they were wronged by another person or has a debt due to them from someone else may file in civil court.

Declaring the Rights of Men and Women in the French Revolution Essay

The French Revolution was a dark time in the history of man. From corruption in government to the almost certainty of starvation for the French peasants, there seemed to be no sign of better times. These were just a few of the logs in the ever-growing revolutionary fire that was burning in the late 1700's. There were many causes to the French Revolution ranging from: poor distribution of power and wealth, a bad harvest which left no grain for bread, a manufacturing depression, and the king's financial problems (which caused overtaxation for the entire population with the exception of the high clergy and nobility). When the estates general was called for the first time in one hundred years, it seemed that the Enlightenment had finally reached France and it seemed that things were going to get better. But as the third estate general would soon find out, this was merely a trick by the the king and other estates general to bring more taxation to the lower and middle classes. When the third estate found out about this plot, they proposed a change in the voting rules which not only didn't pass, but got them locked out of the hearings. But, on July 17, 1789, the third estate founded the National Assembly which later brought upon the Declaration of the Rights of Man. This declaration affirmed the "natural and impre- scriptible rights of man" to "liberty, property, security, and ...

Introductory Awareness of Sensory Loss Essay

There are a range of factors, both negative and positive that can occur with an individual with sensory loss. A positive factor can be that the individual will gain a lot of support to help them deal with their sensory loss and how they will be able to move forward. Negative factors are that the individual won’t be able to perform activities they may have been able to do so in the past, for example general duties around the house or performing hobbies they enjoy etc. Steps that can be taken to overcome factors that have a negative impact on an individual with a sensory loss are things such as aids to help them adjust with their sensory loss, for example a hearing aid for an individual with hearing loss, a walking aid for someone with a sight loss. Individuals with a sensory loss can be disabled by attitudes and beliefs as people assume because they have a sensory loss they should be treated differently. For example an individual with a hearing loss, people will assume they nee d to shout so this individual can hear them when as a fact they are able to lip read etc. To overcome disabling attitudes and beliefs is to basically educate the individual about sensory loss. Read more: Identify the main causes of sensory loss essay Outcome 2: Understand the importance of effective communication for individuals with sensory loss When communicating with an individual with a sight loss, people need to consider how much if any that the individual can see. Once this is established then they will know the best way to communicate with the individual whether this be with talking to the individual or using touch. Also the same with an individual with a hearing loss, whether they need to use pictures as the individual may not hear at all, or to use a loud tone of voice but making sure they are not shouting at the individual. When communicating with an individual with deafblindness, people need to consider that the individual hasn’t got what most people use to communicate with. There are ways around this as these individuals learn to communicate with their other senses such as touch and smell. Effective communication can have a positive impact on lives of individuals with sensory loss as they will feel they are able to communicate with others, as they will have aids or ways of being able to communicate. Also if the individual is becoming ill they will be able to communicate with someone to tell them what is wrong. The individual may also become happier within themselves as they are able to communicate. Information can be made accessible to an individual with a sensory loss as there are different aids available, such as audio books for those individuals with a sensory loss. Individuals with a hearing loss may be able to read, also Braille is available to use, and this may be used by an individual with both a hearing and sight loss. Outcome 3: Know the main causes and conditions of sensory loss The main causes of sensory loss can be due to old age, as some older people can become hard of hearing. Also cataracts can be a cause of sight loss along with old age. Another cause could be that the individual has a medical issue which has caused them to have a sensory loss, such as being born with a number of problems which can cause a sensory loss. The difference between congenital and acquired sensory loss is that congenital sensory loss is when an individual is born with a sensory loss whereas acquired sensory loss has developed as a result of ageing, serious injury or illness. 45% of the general public is likely to have a sensory loss. Outcome 4: know how to recognise when an individual may be experiencing sight and/or hearing loss Indicators and signs of: Sight loss: bumping into things when walking, falling over a lot. Sitting too close to the TV, when reading having the book or newspaper too close to the face. Hearing loss: having the TV on a loud volume, getting people to repeat themselves because they have not heard. Deafblindness: all of the above listed. Additional advice and support of sensory loss can be sourced from the individuals GP. There are also charities out there that offer support to individuals with sensory loss. Outcome 5: know how to report concerns about sensory loss When concerns arise that an individual may have a sight and/or hearing loss we report them to our office to report our concerns, also maybe express them to the individual’s family that we have concerns.

Compare and Contrast The Rocking Horse Winner and The Lottery Essay

THESIS: The two short stories, â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† by D. H. Lawrence both use symbols to help the reader understand the theme of the story; however the themes of both stories were completely different, one about love the other the lack of love. In â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† both authors use symbols to help convey the central message of the story to their readers. In â€Å"The Lottery†, Jackson uses the black box to symbolize the villagers’ connection to the tradition of the lottery. â€Å"The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago† The villagers were willing to let some parts of the lottery change but never question why or even think about changing the lottery itself â€Å"The black box grew shabbier each year†. Falling apart but villagers show no interest in replacing it The Black box had no significance the rest of the year and could be found in several different locations throughout the town In â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†, Lawrence uses the whispering house and the rocking horse to show how greed gets you nowhere. â€Å"There must be more money† The house spoke of it often, usually when the children received things that they knew that the family could not afford. They had servants but no car of their own, because they were poor. Paul thought he could stop the house from whispering if he could win enough money. After giving his mom all of his earnings the house simply got louder. â€Å"The voices in the house went mad† This scared Paul and made him want to get more money. He could no longer hear from the rocking horse. This made him ride it faster and longer. In the end Paul died trying to quiet the whispers in the house. While both authors used symbolism to convey the message of their stories the themes of the stories could not have been more different. In â€Å"The Lottery† the theme of the story is the lack of love shown by the villagers The villagers follow custom with no questions asked The villagers are not willing to give up the customs They are teaching lack of compassion to the next generation The theme in â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† is love. Paul loves his mom so much he is desperate to prove himself lucky and perhaps this would make her love him. Paul was angered by his mother not believing that he was lucky and set out to prove her wrong. Paul risks himself to give her what she needed, money. He sacrificed his own life for his mother. Paul gave his mother all of his earnings because he thought he could always get more. He then stopped having all the answers and lost money. He rode his horse nonstop until his ultimate death. When people hear the word â€Å"lottery†, their minds usually turn to positive things and most likely the chance of winning something such as money. The title â€Å"Rocking Horse Winner† would make readers think that this story would be about a child winning a rocking horse. From the simple titles alone, most readers would think that these stories would have a positive outcome. They both draw you completely in and turn out to have a much different ending than you would imagine. The two short stories, â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† by D. H. Lawrence both use symbols to help the reader understand the theme of the story; however, the themes of both stories were completely different, one about love and the other about the lack of love. In â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner,† both authors use symbols to help convey the central message of the story to their readers. In â€Å"The Lottery,† Jackson uses the black box to symbolize the villagers’ connection to the tradition of the lottery. The black box was not the original box that was used for the lottery and was old and worn down. â€Å"The box grew shabbier each year† (par. 5) but the villagers showed no interest in replacing or fixing it. Many of the old traditions of the lottery had been abandoned, but for whatever reason the lottery was still held each summer without questions from the villagers. Even though â€Å"the original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago† (par. 5) and many of the customs had been abandoned or changed to suit the needs of the growing town, the villagers were unwilling to change or even question giving up the lottery itself. The black box had no significance the re st of the year in the town. It could be found in several different locations throughout the town. In â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner,† Lawrence uses the whispering house and the rocking horse to show how greed gets you nowhere. When the children in the story received gifts that their family could not afford, the house would whisper â€Å"there must be more money† (par. 5). The family seemed to outsiders to be well off because of the house they lived in and that they had servants, but they had no car. Paul thought that he could stop the voices in the house if he could just make enough money gambling. After he gave his mom all of his winnings, the voices in the house only got louder and â€Å"the voices in the house suddenly  went mad† (par. 176). This scared Paul and only made him want to get more money, but he suddenly could not hear the winner from riding his rocking horse. Paul began to ride his horse longer and faster than ever before. In the end Paul, dies trying to quiet the whispers in the house. While both authors used symbolism to convey the message of their stories, the themes of the stories could not have been more different. In â€Å"The Lottery,† the theme of the story is the lack of love shown by the villagers. The villagers were all willing to follow the customs of the lottery without asking any questions. Even when Mrs. Hutchinson was chosen as the person to be stoned, she never once asked why or tried to get out of it; her only defense was â€Å"it wasn’t fair† (para.50). The village people were willing to give up most of the original traditions of the lottery but not the lottery itself. Several of the other towns had already stopped doing the lottery, but in this town the peoples’ only defense was â€Å"there’s always been a lottery† (para. 31). The villagers were teaching lack of love and compassion to the next generation. Even Mrs. Hutchinson’s own son was given rocks and took part willingly in stoning his own mother to death. The theme in â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† is love. Paul loves his mom so much he is desperate to prove himself lucky and perhaps this would make her love him. Paul is angry when his mother does not believe that he is lucky and sets out to prove her wrong. He risks himself to give her what she needed, money. He sacrificed his own life for his mother. Paul gave his mother all of his earnings because he thought he could always get more. He then stopped having all the answers and lost money. He rode his horse nonstop until his ultimate death. In â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner,† both stories use different symbols to help the reader to understand them, even though the themes of both stories are completely different. One story tells about the lack of love and compassions shown by villagers to each other, and the other tells about the love a boy has for his mother. Lawrence and Jackson were both able to use symbolism to effectively add depth and richness to their stories. References Lawrence, D.H. (2013). â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†. In Kennedy, X.J., & Gioia, D. (Eds.), _Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing_ (pp. 234-245). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. Jackson, S. (2013). â€Å"The Lottery†. In Kennedy, X.J., & Gioia, D. (Eds.), _Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing_ (pp. 250-256). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Economic Royalists essays

American Dream/Economic Royalists essays At the Democratic Convention in 1936 in the midst of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt decried what he termed economic royalists in his acceptance speech1. He was referring to the wealthy industrialists and other members of societys upper echelon. Roosevelts message was clear that these wealthy individuals would not dictate American policy. Instead, he argued, Americans should not be ruled by the over- privileged. Roosevelt chose his characterization deliberately the term royalists referred directly back to the European social hierarchy. Five years previous, the concept of the American Dream was developed in juxtaposition to the European socioeconomic model. James Truslow Adams coined the term in The Epic of America and specifically referred in his text to the European elite, and how they would not understand the concept of the American Dream2. Roosevelts characterization may have been popular at a time when unemployment was hovering around 20%, but the reality is that those economic royalists were the embodiment of the American Dream. They were individuals who had, through hard work and luck, acquired wealth and power. Many so-called economic royalists had in fact started with almost nothing. That characterization, however, had strong implications for American society. For most of its life, the concept of the American Dream has embodied not just hard work, but material success. For American society, however, it was important to distinguish between those who had the potential for success and those who had already achieved it. Thus, the concept of the American Dream was better for American society. The United States had a similar pattern of industrialization to the nations of Western Europe. One of the most significant differences was that the socioeconomic power structure in Europe was viewed by change relatively little as a result...

Sexist Language Definition and Examples

Sexist Language Definition and Examples Sexist language refers to words and phrases that demean, ignore, or stereotype members of either sex or that needlessly call attention to gender. Its a form of  biased language. On the surface level, eliminating sexist language from your writing can be just a matter of word choice or making sure your pronouns arent all he and him. Sentence-Level Revisions Look at your pronouns. Have you used he and him throughout the piece? To revise this out, you can use he or she, or maybe, if context permits, pluralize your references to use the cleaner they and their instead of he or she and his or her in one sentence, as it could become awkward, wordy, and cumbersome. For example, When a person sells a car, he or she needs to locate his or her title paperwork could be more smoothly done by revising to plural: When selling a car, people need to locate their title paperwork.   You can also try and revise out pronouns to be articles. You could locate the title paperwork in the example sentence instead of their paperwork and not lose any meaning.  If  you would like practice recognizing and eliminating sexism from writing, see this  exercise in eliminating gender-biased language. Looking for Bias On a deeper level, youll want to look at details of the piece youre writing to make sure that it doesnt somehow portray all scientists as men, for example. In A Canadian Writers Reference, Diana Hacker wrote, The following practices, while they may not result from conscious sexism, reflect stereotypical thinking: referring to nurses as women and doctors as men, using different conventions when naming or identifying women and men, or assuming that all of ones readers are men. Some job titles have already been revised out of sexist usage in our everyday vernacular. Youll probably more often hear the phrase flight attendant nowadays  rather than the now antiquated-sounding stewardess and hear  police officer rather than policeman. And people dont use male nurse anymore, now that nurses of both genders are a common sight in medical settings. Youll want to look at the undercurrents in your writing. If youre writing fiction, youll look at things like, for instance, are the female characters (or male) portrayed as complex people, or are they used just as plot devices, flat as cardboard stand-ups? Examples and Observations Ensuring parity is an important topic. Here are some examples of the many sides  of the issue, including one where satire helps make the point:   Questions and criticisms of sexist language have emerged because of a concern that language is a powerful medium through which the world is both reflected and constructed....Some have claimed that the use of generics (such as mankind to refer to both men and women) reinforces a binary that sees the male and masculine as the norm and the female and feminine as the not norm...(Allyson Jule, A Beginners Guide to Language and Gender. Multilingual Matters, 2008) Language in Context The language as sexist prong of language and gender studies has faded in the last two decades....It was soon realized that a word could not unproblematically be derided as sexist since it could in principle be reclaimed by a given speech community (queer probably being the most famous actual example).( Lia Litosseliti, Jane Sunderland, eds. Gender Identity and Discourse Analysis. Johns Benjamin Publishing Company, 2002).   Sexist Language in The Office Michael: Okay, so what I want to engage us in today is a hardcore discussion about womens problems and issues and situations. Magazines and TV shows and movies portray women as skinny, tall goddesses. Well, look around. Are women like that? No. No, they are not. [Points to Pam] Even the hot ones arent really that skinny. So what does that say? That says that you women are up against it. And it is criminal. Society doesnt care. Society sucks. I dont even consider myself a part of society, FYI, because I am so angry over all of this....Karen: What youre saying is extremely misogynistic.Michael: Yes! Thank you. That was not necessary, but I appreciate it. And it proves my point: women can do anything.Karen: Im saying that youre being sexist.Michael: No, Im being misogynistic. That is insane, Im not being sexist.Karen: Thats...its the same thing.(Steve Carell and Rashida Jones, Womens Appreciation. The Office, 2007)

Cahuilla Tribe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cahuilla Tribe - Essay Example However there was a continuous fall in the number of the neophytes and there was a decline in the power of the mission due to this, more over due to the reason that the Mexican government was taken over by the Spanish government. The situation of the Indians deteriorated even more due to the transfer of the country to United States of America and with the discovery of gold in the country in 1848 caused immigrants to rush to the country which had a negative effect on the Indians, even the states that had not been reached by the Spaniards were effected. Since this period the history of Indian of United States had changed completely and they had faced termination and depravity. Though reservations were made for almost all tribes, most of the survivors still live all around the country on land that they have bought or as squatters. As a result of ethnological investigation rather than the facts recognized by them, the tribal concept in most of the areas of the country is the one that is imposed on them. Rather than a ceremonial or governmental base it has a dialectic base; however this is the best option unless each village group is treated as a tribe which is not a practical alternative. From an ordinary point of view it is to be understood as to what constitutes a tribe, the method that is used as of now is highly artificial. Under such situation it is not quite suitable to follow a strictly alphabetic system, in order to enter tribes that were defined by their names under more widespread names as part of bigger groups and their names, they got certified names such as Norther, Yuki, and Paiute rather than the names Coast Yuki and Norther Paiute. Several Indian tribes have settled in the state of California, one such tribe is the Cahuilla tribe. This tribe has occupied California for the last 2000 years. They inhabit an area of around 2400 square miles. The long-established territory of Cahuilla was close to the geographic center of the South of California. The area occupied by the Cahuilla tribe was bounded to the south by the Chocolate Mountains and the Borrego Springs and bounded to the north by San Bernardino Mountains, to the west by the San Jacinto Plain, and finally to the east by the Palomar Mountains. Historians believe that a huge water body which is now called Lake Cahuilla existed when the Cahuillas first moved to the Coachella Valley. However, this lake which was formed by the Colorado River dried sometime before the 1700, because of the shifts in the course of the river. Later, in the year 1905 a much smaller lake called Salton Sea was created in the same place due to a break in a levee. Anthropologists have historically divided the Cahuilla into Pass, Mountain, and Desert groups. Bands of Cahuilla people have situated in Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial counties have acknowledged homes to nine Southern California Reservations. Many Cahuillas have married non-Cahuillas. Many of the Cahuillas today have a mixed history, particularly African American and Spanish. Yet there are people who have grown up in the tribe's way and those who recognize with the Cahuillian culture can qualify for an official membership to the tribe according to the internal rules of the tribe. Like most other tribes, the Cahuillas lived on agriculture by using native plants. One such tree which was harvested by the Cahuilla is the California Fan

What is the current, on-going and increasing demand and short supply Essay

What is the current, on-going and increasing demand and short supply for IT resources - Essay Example In 2013 for instance, there was a huge demand by the young generation of people in purchasing electronic gadgets likes tablets, i-phones, internet enabled phones, computers, among others, just for the sole purpose of being able to access the web. There has been growing interest among youths to have any information technology device that can enable them access the internet and be on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram among others (Croft). As the world is becoming a global village, people sort out any means that would connect them, creating the increased demand and short supply in IT resources. People have come to appreciate the importance of information technology in their lives currently. In looking at some of the trends which companies need to have in order to remain relevant in the near future, include something like diversification to mobile platforms (Wang 13). Companies are shifting their marketing strategies and building mobile friendly websites and applications for their consumers. According to a survey conducted in 2013, the number of mobile users had increased. It was found out that many people used their mobile phones to access their internet and do most of their stuff their when compared to desktop devices. In a way not to lose potential clients, most companies opted to introduce mobile friendly websites and applications which their clients can relate to easily (Wang 233). Another trend currently gaining popularity is people fancying to get internet everywhere in every device that they have. For instance, in 2014, there was a rapid emergence of sensors which were internet-connected, hence making computers being able to process devices and physical systems (Croft). This trend is what is being called â€Å"Internet of Things† and has already made steps in transforming TVs, personal healthcare devices, appliances, cars, and thermostats (Wang 23). From my opinion, I believe quite a number of goods will become connected to

Business Law - Intellectual Property Rights Research Paper

Business Law - Intellectual Property Rights - Research Paper Example The purpose of this paper is to analyze intellectual property rights in detail. The pioneer of intellectual property law was the patent law, passed through a congress majority in 1790 (UCSC, 2005). The 1970 intellectual property law had similar legal undertones as European patent law. The law stipulates that owner of a property has the exclusive right to access and use the said property (Petersen, 2011). Intellectual property laws, despite raising many controversies, help to nurture global economic growth. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) estimates some companies have over 40% of their asset base as intellectual property in terms of copyrights, patents and trade secrets (UCSC, 2005). As a result, intellectual property law is gaining popularity in business today. Intellectual property laws is a set of limited rights given by law as patents, trademarks, industrial designs, for products and services and copyright for literary and artistic works. Intellectual property rights offer state protection to creative works, and allow the originators to profit from them for a stipulated period of time (Singer & Schroeder, 2010). The laws also have a broader role of encouraging future innovators share their inventions with the world. Patents are the commonest of all intellectual property laws. Patents permit an individual to make, use, and sell a creation for 20 years. The government also provides protection and inimitability on the product (UCSC, 2005). However, the applicant must expose the details of what they seek to protect. A copyright, restricts the number of copies that can be prepared of a writing or work of art without approval, it lasts 70 years after a persons lifetime (Hooker, 2006). A copyright is an stress-free form of safeguard of intellectual property. As soon as somebody creates an artistic work, copyright law comes into effect, and violators can undergo prosecution. The copyright law

Handwriting recognition software

Handwriting recognition software Handwriting recognition is said to be growing rapidly in the current globalization. Handwriting recognition is something that is able to describe the ability of computer to translate the human writing to text writing. Handwriting recognition is a method where a computer system can recognize characters. It also can recognize other symbols written by hand which is natural handwriting. This handwriting recognition is a technology that is used to identify certain things and also it is used on devices. For an example, it is used in PDA and tablet PCs. In this device, a stylus is used to handwrite on the screen of the PDA with the stylus and then the computer turns the handwriting into a digital text. Handwriting recognition is a technology that has been in this technology world since the 1980s but only now it has been used rapidly. Handwriting technologys aim is to mainly let people to write what they normally write and it eventually digitize the writing that they made. There are many ways that this handwriting recognition works. Handwriting recognition is an electronic device that is able to determine what is person is writing. This process is done by turning the words into conventional type on a computer and other than that, it also can be done by reflecting the persons handwriting on the computer. There are certain devices that predict what the person wants to write. Handwriting recognition plays a big role in the technology world now. It also plays an important role in the storage and in the recovery of critical handwriting information. This handwriting recognition ensures an accurate medical care and it also reduces storage costs. It ensures that an essential field of research remains available to students in the future. In this era of globalization, technologies continue to improve and improve more in no time. NestorWriter was the first handwriting recognition device found. The one who started the NestorWriter is Dr. Charles Elbaum and he is the one who also developed the NestorWriter. This all happen at the beginning, when many other companies tried to develop these devices and machines all through the years of 1990s. But most of the companies failed, but the devices didnt improve that much as they wanted. There are two types of handwriting recognition techniques; Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Online Recognition. Optical Character Recognition Optical Character Recognition is the first handwriting recognition techniques. Optical Character Recognition is the most successful handwriting recognition in the mainstream. Most of the scanning suits offer some form of the Optical Character Recognition. This form allows the users to scan the handwritten documents to be scan and it translates the words into basic text documents in the computer. That is how simple and easy it is. Optical Character Recognition is also used by some archivists. They use it as a way of converting large quantities of handwritten historical documents into an easy searchable text documents. The Optical Character Recognition changes the documents into a digital form which can be read and kept safe. This handwriting recognition system is so useful. Online Recognition This is the second type of the handwriting recognition, Online Recognition. This Online Recognition experienced a flow in popularity. Apple Computers released a handheld device called the Newton in the 1990s. This Newton device was made use of the first widely available handwriting recognition interface. A small stylus was used to write on the Newtons screen and this Newton device will recognize the letters that are written and convert as a text document. This made the Newton device to have more popularity than expected. Later as years pass by, the Palm Company tried a new handwriting recognition system. The Palm Company named the system Graffiti. The Graffiti system didnt only rely on the tradition Roman alphabet but the Graffiti system defined more on its own system by using much simpler line-strokes as a stand-in for each and every letter. This was an advantage for the Graffiti system as it allowed a higher success rate in identifying letters and also in learning a users variations. At the same time it made a steep for learning curve which kept most mainstream users at bay. Other than that, the Microsoft Corporations Tablet PCs also make use of the handwriting recognition system. The Tablet PCs didnt take an attempt to learn the users shading whereas the Tablet PCs draw an extensive database of character variation. This system appeared to have a higher success rate than the other adaptive system because of its extensive database of character variation. Handwriting Recognition software became more useful because of the mainstreaming of PDAs and cellular phones with the stylus inputs. This made the handwriting recognition system to be more useful and grow rapidly from time to time. Handwriting Recognition has many advantages that made it grow rapidly in the technology word now. There is much different kind of technologies that abide to enable others to take advantage of the handwriting recognition. The way this work was when people write letters a different way and they let the computer know what the intended letter was and change in to a text document. But the problem with this was the different way that the letters are written and this could make unnatural feel to the person who is writing it. Another way of appreciating this technology is that just write and the computer changes it to a text document but at the same time, the computer doesnt always get the right word and sometimes it insert the wrong letters. Certain cell phones have the handwriting recognition system in it. The advantage of this is that it allows people to write on the cell phones using stylus and then the phone software translates the written words to the phone in text. But at the same time, the problem or called as disadvantage of this again is the same problem that the original software face, which is the unnatural letters strokes and sometimes the software predict the letters wrongly. This is one of the reasons that not all phones have this software in it. Additionally, there are many more advantages of handwriting recognition system. Data storage, for an example, there are many files, contracts and some personal records that contains some handwritten information and notes. Certain of these documents contains original signature or notes that might not be electronically stored but this problems are overcome with the use of handwriting recognition system. Handwriting recognition software allows user to translate all those signature and notes into electronic words in a text document format. The advantage of this electronic storage is that this data only requires far less physical space than the storage of the physical copies. Another advantage of the electronic storage is also that it requires fewer employees to sort the documents through, organize and to keep the data storage warehouse. Other than that, data retrieval is another advantage of handwriting recognition. Physical data retrieval always requires personnel to sort through physical copies of old information. The data must always have been stored and correctly organized and also it must have proper maintenance and upkeep on the physical copies. To retain this information or data, we perform electronic data retrieval by using a file search by using specific keywords, for example, like the names and the dates of the file or document. Handwriting recognition software allows the old files to be saved in a proper electronic format. This is how handwriting recognition software helps in saving the old files or important document. For an example, some clinics prefer keeping their patients medical records and handwriting recognition helps in this situation by keeping these medical records safe in the computer. This data or files can be reviewed and updated time to time when needed without worrying if the date will be lost. Moreover, another advantage of handwriting recognition is historical preservation. Historical papers mostly exists has physical format. Examples of historical papers are genealogical information, written manuscripts, old family records, and some personal diaries and sometimes even shared old past stories. But still sometimes, these historical papers might be damaged or corrupted due to some accidents and there is when handwriting recognition software is really very helpful. Handwriting recognition helps to transform the writings in the papers to a text document format which can also be said as readable electronic format. By this way, historical facts can be stored, reviewed and shared easily too many people. Lastly, the advantage is textual studies. A textual study is a category of literature studies. Literature studies involve reviewing the original manuscripts of literature in comparison with the printed version. This means that the story has been dug and changed at the hands of the editors hand after coming from the hands of the author. This is why original manuscripts are cared very well but still this requires a complete review of the manuscript. Handwriting recognition helps to keep safe these original manuscripts in an electronic format and it can be reviewed without damaging the original copy of the manuscripts. The disadvantage of handwriting recognition technologies is that not everyones handwriting is the same, everyone writes differently. This starts the problem in the handwriting recognition technology when it need to translate a persons handwriting into type and because of this problem many companies failed to perform well because many couldnt effectively use the program well enough. In a nutshell, handwriting recognition is very useful software that really helps to safe and keeps data and documents well. But at time it also has its disadvantage such as that sometimes if fails to read certain peoples handwriting and due to this many people do not prefer to use the handwriting recognition software that much. Even though handwriting recognition has its disadvantages but still it is growing rapidly in the technology world. Handwriting recognition is used when there are certain people who prefer writing on the screens rather than writing it on a paper. As far as seen, handwriting recognition will still grow fast in the technology world if it is upgraded more well.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the 2012 graduating class of County High School, I would like to welcome you to our commencement ceremony. As valedictorian of this class I would like to speak to you, and my fellow graduates about responsibility, but first I would like to tell you a little story D.L. Moody told the story of a passenger on an Atlantic steamer who lay in his bunk during a raging storm with a severe case of sea sickness. Suddenly he heard the cry, "Man overboard." "May God help that poor fellow," he prayed, "but there's nothing I can do." Then he thought, "I can at least put my lantern in my small window," and with an effort he did so. The man was finally rescued. In recounting the story the next day, he said, "I was going down in the darkness for the last time when someone put a light in a porthole. It shone on my hand, and a sailor in the lifeboat grabbed it and pulled me in." Weakness is no excuse for not putting forth the little strength we have. Who can tell how God will work? Responsibility is one of the most important things that we have as human beings. We as Christians have much responsibility laid upon us. As citizens of two kingdoms, one earthly, and one heavenly, we all find ourselves with some responsibility to shoulder. No matter who we are, no matter what gender, what nationality, what color, what creed, God has given us as Christians the awesome responsibility to be his witnesses in this world. There are many different excuses people use to try to avoid responsibility. For example, some among us may say, "I am not ready." In 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 15b it says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." This ... ...to plan for the future, yet to keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, because only he can adequately guide our paths, so that we can make the best use of the time, talents, and the responsibility he has given us to be a witness unto (for) him. Now I would like to thank all of those people who have made it possible for us as young adults to be able to take on the responsibility that we have been given. I would like to thank Mr. Mehrtens, Mrs. Barnett, Mrs. Fuentes, Mrs. Miller and all of the other teachers who have come and gone, for all of their hard work and dedication, and also their Christian example. I would also like to thank all of our parents for thinking so much of us that they paid double for our education, and I would also like to thank them for the godly standards they have encouraged us to strive for. Thank you all. Thank you. Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the 2012 graduating class of County High School, I would like to welcome you to our commencement ceremony. As valedictorian of this class I would like to speak to you, and my fellow graduates about responsibility, but first I would like to tell you a little story D.L. Moody told the story of a passenger on an Atlantic steamer who lay in his bunk during a raging storm with a severe case of sea sickness. Suddenly he heard the cry, "Man overboard." "May God help that poor fellow," he prayed, "but there's nothing I can do." Then he thought, "I can at least put my lantern in my small window," and with an effort he did so. The man was finally rescued. In recounting the story the next day, he said, "I was going down in the darkness for the last time when someone put a light in a porthole. It shone on my hand, and a sailor in the lifeboat grabbed it and pulled me in." Weakness is no excuse for not putting forth the little strength we have. Who can tell how God will work? Responsibility is one of the most important things that we have as human beings. We as Christians have much responsibility laid upon us. As citizens of two kingdoms, one earthly, and one heavenly, we all find ourselves with some responsibility to shoulder. No matter who we are, no matter what gender, what nationality, what color, what creed, God has given us as Christians the awesome responsibility to be his witnesses in this world. There are many different excuses people use to try to avoid responsibility. For example, some among us may say, "I am not ready." In 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 15b it says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." This ... ...to plan for the future, yet to keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, because only he can adequately guide our paths, so that we can make the best use of the time, talents, and the responsibility he has given us to be a witness unto (for) him. Now I would like to thank all of those people who have made it possible for us as young adults to be able to take on the responsibility that we have been given. I would like to thank Mr. Mehrtens, Mrs. Barnett, Mrs. Fuentes, Mrs. Miller and all of the other teachers who have come and gone, for all of their hard work and dedication, and also their Christian example. I would also like to thank all of our parents for thinking so much of us that they paid double for our education, and I would also like to thank them for the godly standards they have encouraged us to strive for. Thank you all. Thank you.

Introduction to the Network Communication Devices Essay

In this tutorial you will learn get the basic introduction to network devices such as nic adapters, routers, hubs, switches, modems, communication cables, lan/wan routers, gateway and other devices. A network is consists of a larger number of the communication devices. The simplest device that is used in the communication is the NIC adapter which is attached with the every computer in a network. If you want to build a LAN, you will need to have computers, hubs, switches, network adapters, UTP/STP cables, routers, internal/external modems, connectors, cable testers and clipping tool. On the other hand if you need to build WAN, you will need to have routers, switches, dedicated or leased telephone lines such as ISDN lines, frame relay connection and other types of wan communication connections. There are different communication mediums such as Ethernet cables, copper wire, coaxial cable, fiber optic cables, leased telephone lines and ever air is also a communication medium for the sate llite communication. The most common networking medium is the LAN is the Ethernet cable (UTP/STP), which is used in the star topology. Hub is a central device of a network and every computer in a network is directly connected with the hub. If the hub fails to work, the communication between the computers stops till the hub again starts working. Hub broadcasts the data to its every port, and then finding the destined computer, the data sent toward it. The switch is an advance form of the hub similar in functions but the advanced switches has a switching table in them. A advanced switch stores the MAC address of every attached computer and the data is only sent to the destined computer, unlike the hubs where data is sent to all ports. A router is a key device in the internet communication and wan communication system. A router has software called routing table and the source and destination addresses are stored in the routing table. | A router connects two logically and physically different networks. Router finds the IP address of the next hop (next router) and the data is sent toward it and so on. The well known routers developing companies are Cisco systems, Nortel, DLink and others. Every ISP, banks, corporate offices and multinational companies use routers for LAN and WAN communications and communication in their private networks. A gateway can be device or software in a network. A gateway device connects the LAN with the internet. A gateway is directly exposed to the internet so it should be securely configured and in and out traffic should be monitored. If you are using DSL connection, you must need a DSL modem in your network. The telephone line is connected with the DSL modem and UTP/STP cable attaches your computer with the DSL modem. Modems are the devices that are used to modulate and demodulate the data. They convert analogue signals to digital and digital signals to analogue so that signals can travel on the telephone lines. There are certain types of the cables that are used to connect two or more computers in a network. Fiber optic cable acts as a backbone between the ISPs and corporate offices. Data travels at the speed of light on the fiber optic cables. The cost and the installation cost of the fiber optic cable is very high but it is becoming very popular in the home networking and LANs also. In the local area networking, 10baseT/CAT5 cable is most commonly in use. A server is a computer in network that provides services to the client computers such as logon requests processing, files access and storage, internet access, printing access and many other types of services. Servers are mostly equipped with extra hardware such as plenty of external memory (RAM), more data store capacity (hard disks), high processing speed and other features.

Angels Demons Chapter 106-108

106 It was 11:07 P.M. Langdon's car raced through the Roman night. Speeding down Lungotevere Tor Di Nona, parallel with the river, Langdon could now see his destination rising like a mountain to his right. Castel Sant' Angelo. Castle of the Angel. Without warning, the turnoff to the narrow Bridge of Angels – Ponte Sant' Angelo – appeared suddenly. Langdon slammed on his brakes and swerved. He turned in time, but the bridge was barricaded. He skidded ten feet and collided with a series of short cement pillars blocking his way. Langdon lurched forward as the vehicle stalled, wheezing and shuddering. He had forgotten the Bridge of Angels, in order to preserve it, was now zoned pedestrians only. Shaken, Langdon staggered from the crumpled car, wishing now he had chosen one of the other routes. He felt chilled, shivering from the fountain. He donned his Harris tweed over his damp shirt, grateful for Harris's trademark double lining. The Diagramma folio would remain dry. Before him, across the bridge, the stone fortress rose like a mountain. Aching and depleted, Langdon broke into a loping run. On both sides of him now, like a gauntlet of escorts, a procession of Bernini angels whipped past, funneling him toward his final destination. Let angels guide you on your lofty quest. The castle seemed to rise as he advanced, an unscalable peak, more intimidating to him even than St. Peter's. He sprinted toward the bastion, running on fumes, gazing upward at the citadel's circular core as it shot skyward to a gargantuan, sword-wielding angel. The castle appeared deserted. Langdon knew through the centuries the building had been used by the Vatican as a tomb, a fortress, a papal hideout, a prison for enemies of the church, and a museum. Apparently, the castle had other tenants as well – the Illuminati. Somehow it made eerie sense. Although the castle was property of the Vatican, it was used only sporadically, and Bernini had made numerous renovations to it over the years. The building was now rumored to be honeycombed with secret entries, passageways, and hidden chambers. Langdon had little doubt that the angel and surrounding pentagonal park were Bernini's doing as well. Arriving at the castle's elephantine double doors, Langdon shoved them hard. Not surprisingly, they were immovable. Two iron knockers hung at eye level. Langdon didn't bother. He stepped back, his eyes climbing the sheer outer wall. These ramparts had fended off armies of Berbers, heathens, and Moors. Somehow he sensed his chances of breaking in were slim. Vittoria, Langdon thought. Are you in there? Langdon hurried around the outer wall. There must be another entrance! Rounding the second bulwark to the west, Langdon arrived breathless in a small parking area off Lungotere Angelo. On this wall he found a second castle entrance, a drawbridge-type ingress, raised and sealed shut. Langdon gazed upward again. The only lights on the castle were exterior floods illuminating the fa;ade. All the tiny windows inside seemed black. Langdon's eyes climbed higher. At the very peak of the central tower, a hundred feet above, directly beneath the angel's sword, a single balcony protruded. The marble parapet seemed to shimmer slightly, as if the room beyond it were aglow with torchlight. Langdon paused, his soaked body shivering suddenly. A shadow? He waited, straining. Then he saw it again. His spine prickled. Someone is up there! â€Å"Vittoria!† he called out, unable to help himself, but his voice was swallowed by the raging Tiber behind him. He wheeled in circles, wondering where the hell the Swiss Guard were. Had they even heard his transmission? Across the lot a large media truck was parked. Langdon ran toward it. A paunchy man in headphones sat in the cabin adjusting levers. Langdon rapped on the side of the truck. The man jumped, saw Langdon's dripping clothes, and yanked off his headset. â€Å"What's the worry, mate?† His accent was Australian. â€Å"I need your phone.† Langdon was frenzied. The man shrugged. â€Å"No dial tone. Been trying all night. Circuits are packed.† Langdon swore aloud. â€Å"Have you seen anyone go in there?† He pointed to the drawbridge. â€Å"Actually, yeah. A black van's been going in and out all night.† Langdon felt a brick hit the bottom of his stomach. â€Å"Lucky bastard,† the Aussie said, gazing up at the tower, and then frowning at his obstructed view of the Vatican. â€Å"I bet the view from up there is perfect. I couldn't get through the traffic in St. Peter's, so I'm shooting from here.† Langdon wasn't listening. He was looking for options. â€Å"What do you say?† the Australian said. â€Å"This 11th Hour Samaritan for real?† Langdon turned. â€Å"The what?† â€Å"You didn't hear? The Captain of the Swiss Guard got a call from somebody who claims to have some primo info. The guy's flying in right now. All I know is if he saves the day†¦ there go the ratings!† The man laughed. Langdon was suddenly confused. A good Samaritan flying in to help? Did the person somehow know where the antimatter was? Then why didn't he just tell the Swiss Guard? Why was he coming in person? Something was odd, but Langdon didn't have time to figure out what. â€Å"Hey,† the Aussie said, studying Langdon more closely. â€Å"Ain't you that guy I saw on TV? Trying to save that cardinal in St. Peter's Square?† Langdon did not answer. His eyes had suddenly locked on a contraption attached to the top of the truck – a satellite dish on a collapsible appendage. Langdon looked at the castle again. The outer rampart was fifty feet tall. The inner fortress climbed farther still. A shelled defense. The top was impossibly high from here, but maybe if he could clear the first wall†¦ Langdon spun to the newsman and pointed to the satellite arm. â€Å"How high does that go?† â€Å"Huh?† The man looked confused. â€Å"Fifteen meters. Why?† â€Å"Move the truck. Park next to the wall. I need help.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† Langdon explained. The Aussie's eyes went wide. â€Å"Are you insane? That's a two- hundred-thousand-dollar telescoping extension. Not a ladder!† â€Å"You want ratings? I've got information that will make your day.† Langdon was desperate. â€Å"Information worth two hundred grand?† Langdon told him what he would reveal in exchange for the favor. Ninety seconds later, Robert Langdon was gripping the top of the satellite arm wavering in the breeze fifty feet off the ground. Leaning out, he grabbed the top of the first bulwark, dragged himself onto the wall, and dropped onto the castle's lower bastion. â€Å"Now keep your bargain!† the Aussie called up. â€Å"Where is he?† Langdon felt guilt-ridden for revealing this information, but a deal was a deal. Besides, the Hassassin would probably call the press anyway. â€Å"Piazza Navona,† Langdon shouted. â€Å"He's in the fountain.† The Aussie lowered his satellite dish and peeled out after the scoop of his career. In a stone chamber high above the city, the Hassassin removed his soaking boots and bandaged his wounded toe. There was pain, but not so much that he couldn't enjoy himself. He turned to his prize. She was in the corner of the room, on her back on a rudimentary divan, hands tied behind her, mouth gagged. The Hassassin moved toward her. She was awake now. This pleased him. Surprisingly, in her eyes, he saw fire instead of fear. The fear will come. 107 Robert Langdon dashed around the outer bulwark of the castle, grateful for the glow of the floodlights. As he circled the wall, the courtyard beneath him looked like a museum of ancient warfare – catapults, stacks of marble cannonballs, and an arsenal of fearful contraptions. Parts of the castle were open to tourists during the day, and the courtyard had been partially restored to its original state. Langdon's eyes crossed the courtyard to the central core of the fortress. The circular citadel shot skyward 107 feet to the bronze angel above. The balcony at the top still glowed from within. Langdon wanted to call out but knew better. He would have to find a way in. He checked his watch. 11:12 P.M. Dashing down the stone ramp that hugged the inside of the wall, Langdon descended to the courtyard. Back on ground level, he ran through shadows, clockwise around the fort. He passed three porticos, but all of them were permanently sealed. How did the Hassassin get in? Langdon pushed on. He passed two modern entrances, but they were padlocked from the outside. Not here. He kept running. Langdon had circled almost the entire building when he saw a gravel drive cutting across the courtyard in front of him. At one end, on the outer wall of the castle, he saw the back of the gated drawbridge leading back outside. At the other end, the drive disappeared into the fortress. The drive seemed to enter a kind of tunnel – a gaping entry in the central core. Il traforo! Langdon had read about this castle's traforo, a giant spiral ramp that circled up inside the fort, used by commanders on horseback to ride from top to bottom rapidly. The Hassassin drove up! The gate blocking the tunnel was raised, ushering Langdon in. He felt almost exuberant as he ran toward the tunnel. But as he reached the opening, his excitement disappeared. The tunnel spiraled down. The wrong way. This section of the traforo apparently descended to the dungeons, not to the top. Standing at the mouth of a dark bore that seemed to twist endlessly deeper into the earth, Langdon hesitated, looking up again at the balcony. He could swear he saw motion up there. Decide! With no other options, he dashed down into the tunnel. High overhead, the Hassassin stood over his prey. He ran a hand across her arm. Her skin was like cream. The anticipation of exploring her bodily treasures was inebriating. How many ways could he violate her? The Hassassin knew he deserved this woman. He had served Janus well. She was a spoil of war, and when he was finished with her, he would pull her from the divan and force her to her knees. She would service him again. The ultimate submission. Then, at the moment of his own climax, he would slit her throat. Ghayat assa'adah, they called it. The ultimate pleasure. Afterward, basking in his glory, he would stand on the balcony and savor the culmination of the Illuminati triumph†¦ a revenge desired by so many for so long. The tunnel grew darker. Langdon descended. After one complete turn into the earth, the light was all but gone. The tunnel leveled out, and Langdon slowed, sensing by the echo of his footfalls that he had just entered a larger chamber. Before him in the murkiness, he thought he saw glimmers of light†¦ fuzzy reflections in the ambient gleam. He moved forward, reaching out his hand. He found smooth surfaces. Chrome and glass. It was a vehicle. He groped the surface, found a door, and opened it. The vehicle's interior dome-light flashed on. He stepped back and recognized the black van immediately. Feeling a surge of loathing, he stared a moment, then he dove in, rooting around in hopes of finding a weapon to replace the one he'd lost in the fountain. He found none. He did, however, find Vittoria's cell phone. It was shattered and useless. The sight of it filled Langdon with fear. He prayed he was not too late. He reached up and turned on the van's headlights. The room around him blazed into existence, harsh shadows in a simple chamber. Langdon guessed the room was once used for horses and ammunition. It was also a dead end. No exit. I came the wrong way! At the end of his rope, Langdon jumped from the van and scanned the walls around him. No doorways. No gates. He thought of the angel over the tunnel entrance and wondered if it had been a coincidence. No! He thought of the killer's words at the fountain. She is in the Church of Illumination†¦ awaiting my return. Langdon had come too far to fail now. His heart was pounding. Frustration and hatred were starting to cripple his senses. When he saw the blood on the floor, Langdon's first thought was for Vittoria. But as his eyes followed the stains, he realized they were bloody footprints. The strides were long. The splotches of blood were only on the left foot. The Hassassin! Langdon followed the footprints toward the corner of the room, his sprawling shadow growing fainter. He felt more and more puzzled with every step. The bloody prints looked as though they walked directly into the corner of the room and then disappeared. When Langdon arrived in the corner, he could not believe his eyes. The granite block in the floor here was not a square like the others. He was looking at another signpost. The block was carved into a perfect pentagram, arranged with the tip pointing into the corner. Ingeniously concealed by overlapping walls, a narrow slit in the stone served as an exit. Langdon slid through. He was in a passage. In front of him were the remains of a wooden barrier that had once been blocking this tunnel. Beyond it there was light. Langdon was running now. He clambered over the wood and headed for the light. The passage quickly opened into another, larger chamber. Here a single torch flickered on the wall. Langdon was in a section of the castle that had no electricity†¦ a section no tourists would ever see. The room would have been frightful in daylight, but the torch made it even more gruesome. Il prigione. There were a dozen tiny jail cells, the iron bars on most eroded away. One of the larger cells, however, remained intact, and on the floor Langdon saw something that almost stopped his heart. Black robes and red sashes on the floor. This is where he held the cardinals! Near the cell was an iron doorway in the wall. The door was ajar and beyond it Langdon could see some sort of passage. He ran toward it. But Langdon stopped before he got there. The trail of blood did not enter the passage. When Langdon saw the words carved over the archway, he knew why. Il Passetto. He was stunned. He had heard of this tunnel many times, never knowing where exactly the entrance was. Il Passetto – The Little Passage – was a slender, three-quarter-mile tunnel built between Castle St. Angelo and the Vatican. It had been used by various Popes to escape to safety during sieges of the Vatican†¦ as well as by a few less pious Popes to secretly visit mistresses or oversee the torture of their enemies. Nowadays both ends of the tunnel were supposedly sealed with impenetrable locks whose keys were kept in some Vatican vault. Langdon suddenly feared he knew how the Illuminati had been moving in and out of the Vatican. He found himself wondering who on the inside had betrayed the church and coughed up the keys. Olivetti? One of the Swiss Guard? None of it mattered anymore. The blood on the floor led to the opposite end of the prison. Langdon followed. Here, a rusty gate hung draped with chains. The lock had been removed and the gate stood ajar. Beyond the gate was a steep ascension of spiral stairs. The floor here was also marked with a pentagramal block. Langdon stared at the block, trembling, wondering if Bernini himself had held the chisel that had shaped these chunks. Overhead, the archway was adorned with a tiny carved cherub. This was it. The trail of blood curved up the stairs. Before ascending, Langdon knew he needed a weapon, any weapon. He found a four-foot section of iron bar near one of the cells. It had a sharp, splintered end. Although absurdly heavy, it was the best he could do. He hoped the element of surprise, combined with the Hassassin's wound, would be enough to tip the scales in his advantage. Most of all, though, he hoped he was not too late. The staircase's spiral treads were worn and twisted steeply upward. Langdon ascended, listening for sounds. None. As he climbed, the light from the prison area faded away. He ascended into the total darkness, keeping one hand on the wall. Higher. In the blackness, Langdon sensed the ghost of Galileo, climbing these very stairs, eager to share his visions of heaven with other men of science and faith. Langdon was still in a state of shock over the location of the lair. The Illuminati meeting hall was in a building owned by the Vatican. No doubt while the Vatican guards were out searching basements and homes of well-known scientists, the Illuminati were meeting here†¦ right under the Vatican's nose. It suddenly seemed so perfect. Bernini, as head architect of renovations here, would have had unlimited access to this structure†¦ remodeling it to his own specifications with no questions asked. How many secret entries had Bernini added? How many subtle embellishments pointing the way? The Church of Illumination. Langdon knew he was close. As the stairs began narrowing, Langdon felt the passage closing around him. The shadows of history were whispering in the dark, but he moved on. When he saw the horizontal shaft of light before him, he realized he was standing a few steps beneath a landing, where the glow of torchlight spilled out beneath the threshold of a door in front of him. Silently he moved up. Langdon had no idea where in the castle he was right now, but he knew he had climbed far enough to be near the peak. He pictured the mammoth angel atop the castle and suspected it was directly overhead. Watch over me, angel, he thought, gripping the bar. Then, silently, he reached for the door. On the divan, Vittoria's arms ached. When she had first awoken to find them tied behind her back, she'd thought she might be able to relax and work her hands free. But time had run out. The beast had returned. Now he was standing over her, his chest bare and powerful, scarred from battles he had endured. His eyes looked like two black slits as he stared down at her body. Vittoria sensed he was imagining the deeds he was about to perform. Slowly, as if to taunt her, the Hassassin removed his soaking belt and dropped it on the floor. Vittoria felt a loathing horror. She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the Hassassin had produced a switchblade knife. He snapped it open directly in front of her face. Vittoria saw her own terrified reflection in the steel. The Hassassin turned the blade over and ran the back of it across her belly. The icy metal gave her chills. With a contemptuous stare, he slipped the blade below the waistline of her shorts. She inhaled. He moved back and forth, slowly, dangerously†¦ lower. Then he leaned forward, his hot breath whispering in her ear. â€Å"This blade cut out your father's eye.† Vittoria knew in that instant that she was capable of killing. The Hassassin turned the blade again and began sawing upward through the fabric of her khaki shorts. Suddenly, he stopped, looking up. Someone was in the room. â€Å"Get away from her,† a deep voice growled from the doorway. Vittoria could not see who had spoken, but she recognized the voice. Robert! He's alive! The Hassassin looked as if he had seen a ghost. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, you must have a guardian angel.† 108 In the split second it took Langdon to take in his surroundings, he realized he was in a sacred place. The embellishments in the oblong room, though old and faded, were replete with familiar symbology. Pentagram tiles. Planet frescoes. Doves. Pyramids. The Church of Illumination. Simple and pure. He had arrived. Directly in front of him, framed in the opening of the balcony, stood the Hassassin. He was bare chested, standing over Vittoria, who lay bound but very much alive. Langdon felt a wave of relief to see her. For an instant, their eyes met, and a torrent of emotions flowed – gratitude, desperation, and regret. â€Å"So we meet yet again,† the Hassassin said. He looked at the bar in Langdon's hand and laughed out loud. â€Å"And this time you come for me with that?† â€Å"Untie her.† The Hassassin put the knife to Vittoria's throat. â€Å"I will kill her.† Langdon had no doubt the Hassassin was capable of such an act. He forced a calm into his voice. â€Å"I imagine she would welcome it†¦ considering the alternative.† The Hassassin smiled at the insult. â€Å"You're right. She has much to offer. It would be a waste.† Langdon stepped forward, grasping the rusted bar, and aimed the splintered end directly at the Hassassin. The cut on his hand bit sharply. â€Å"Let her go.† The Hassassin seemed for a moment to be considering it. Exhaling, he dropped his shoulders. It was a clear motion of surrender, and yet at that exact instant the Hassassin's arm seemed to accelerate unexpectedly. There was a blur of dark muscle, and a blade suddenly came tearing through the air toward Langdon's chest. Whether it was instinct or exhaustion that buckled Langdon's knees at that moment, he didn't know, but the knife sailed past his left ear and clattered to the floor behind him. The Hassassin seemed unfazed. He smiled at Langdon, who was kneeling now, holding the metal bar. The killer stepped away from Vittoria and moved toward Langdon like a stalking lion. As Langdon scrambled to his feet, lifting the bar again, his wet turtleneck and pants felt suddenly more restrictive. The Hassassin, half-clothed, seemed to move much faster, the wound on his foot apparently not slowing him at all. Langdon sensed this was a man accustomed to pain. For the first time in his life, Langdon wished he were holding a very big gun. The Hassassin circled slowly, as if enjoying himself, always just out of reach, moving toward the knife on the floor. Langdon cut him off. Then the killer moved back toward Vittoria. Again Langdon cut him off. â€Å"There's still time,† Langdon ventured. â€Å"Tell me where the canister is. The Vatican will pay more than the Illuminati ever could.† â€Å"You are naive.† Langdon jabbed with the bar. The Hassassin dodged. He navigated around a bench, holding the weapon in front of him, trying to corner the Hassassin in the oval room. This damn room has no corners! Oddly, the Hassassin did not seem interested in attacking or fleeing. He was simply playing Langdon's game. Coolly waiting. Waiting for what? The killer kept circling, a master at positioning himself. It was like an endless game of chess. The weapon in Langdon's hand was getting heavy, and he suddenly sensed he knew what the Hassassin was waiting for. He's tiring me out. It was working, too. Langdon was hit by a surge of weariness, the adrenaline alone no longer enough to keep him alert. He knew he had to make a move. The Hassassin seemed to read Langdon's mind, shifting again, as if intentionally leading Langdon toward a table in the middle of the room. Langdon could tell there was something on the table. Something glinted in the torchlight. A weapon? Langdon kept his eyes focused on the Hassassin and maneuvered himself closer to the table. When the Hassassin cast a long, guileless glance at the table, Langdon tried to fight the obvious bait. But instinct overruled. He stole a glance. The damage was done. It was not a weapon at all. The sight momentarily riveted him. On the table lay a rudimentary copper chest, crusted with ancient patina. The chest was a pentagon. The lid lay open. Arranged inside in five padded compartments were five brands. The brands were forged of iron – large embossing tools with stout handles of wood. Langdon had no doubt what they said. Illuminati, Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Langdon snapped his head back up, fearing the Hassassin would lunge. He did not. The killer was waiting, almost as if he were refreshed by the game. Langdon fought to recover his focus, locking eyes again with his quarry, thrusting with the pipe. But the image of the box hung in his mind. Although the brands themselves were mesmerizing – artifacts few Illuminati scholars even believed existed – Langdon suddenly realized there had been something else about the box that had ignited a wave of foreboding within. As the Hassassin maneuvered again, Langdon stole another glance downward. My God! In the chest, the five brands sat in compartments around the outer edge. But in the center, there was another compartment. This partition was empty, but it clearly was intended to hold another brand†¦ a brand much larger than the others, and perfectly square. The attack was a blur. The Hassassin swooped toward him like a bird of prey. Langdon, his concentration having been masterfully diverted, tried to counter, but the pipe felt like a tree trunk in his hands. His parry was too slow. The Hassassin dodged. As Langdon tried to retract the bar, the Hassassin's hands shot out and grabbed it. The man's grip was strong, his injured arm seeming no longer to affect him. Violently, the two men struggled. Langdon felt the bar ripped away, and a searing pain shot through his palm. An instant later, Langdon was staring into the splintered point of the weapon. The hunter had become the hunted. Langdon felt like he'd been hit by a cyclone. The Hassassin circled, smiling now, backing Langdon against the wall. â€Å"What is your American adagio?† he chided. â€Å"Something about curiosity and the cat?† Langdon could barely focus. He cursed his carelessness as the Hassassin moved in. Nothing was making sense. A sixth Illuminati brand? In frustration he blurted, â€Å"I've never read anything about a sixth Illuminati brand!† â€Å"I think you probably have.† The killer chuckled as he herded Langdon around the oval wall. Langdon was lost. He most certainly had not. There were five Illuminati brands. He backed up, searching the room for any weapon at all. â€Å"A perfect union of the ancient elements,† the Hassassin said. â€Å"The final brand is the most brilliant of all. I'm afraid you will never see it, though.† Langdon sensed he would not be seeing much of anything in a moment. He kept backing up, searching the room for an option. â€Å"And you've seen this final brand?† Langdon demanded, trying to buy time. â€Å"Someday perhaps they will honor me. As I prove myself.† He jabbed at Langdon, as if enjoying a game. Langdon slid backward again. He had the feeling the Hassassin was directing him around the wall toward some unseen destination. Where? Langdon could not afford to look behind him. â€Å"The brand?† he demanded. â€Å"Where is it?† â€Å"Not here. Janus is apparently the only one who holds it.† â€Å"Janus?† Langdon did not recognize the name. â€Å"The Illuminati leader. He is arriving shortly.† â€Å"The Illuminati leader is coming here?† â€Å"To perform the final branding.† Langdon shot a frightened glance to Vittoria. She looked strangely calm, her eyes closed to the world around her, her lungs pulling slowly†¦ deeply. Was she the final victim? Was he? â€Å"Such conceit,† the Hassassin sneered, watching Langdon's eyes. â€Å"The two of you are nothing. You will die, of course, that is for certain. But the final victim of whom I speak is a truly dangerous enemy.† Langdon tried to make sense of the Hassassin's words. A dangerous enemy? The top cardinals were all dead. The Pope was dead. The Illuminati had wiped them all out. Langdon found the answer in the vacuum of the Hassassin's eyes. The camerlegno. Camerlegno Ventresca was the one man who had been a beacon of hope for the world through this entire tribulation. The camerlegno had done more to condemn the Illuminati tonight than decades of conspiracy theorists. Apparently he would pay the price. He was the Illuminati's final target. â€Å"You'll never get to him,† Langdon challenged. â€Å"Not I,† the Hassassin replied, forcing Langdon farther back around the wall. â€Å"That honor is reserved for Janus himself.† â€Å"The Illuminati leader himself intends to brand the camerlegno?† â€Å"Power has its privileges.† â€Å"But no one could possibly get into Vatican City right now!† The Hassassin looked smug. â€Å"Not unless he had an appointment.† Langdon was confused. The only person expected at the Vatican right now was the person the press was calling the 11th Hour Samaritan – the person Rocher said had information that could save – Langdon stopped short. Good God! The Hassassin smirked, clearly enjoying Langdon's sickening cognition. â€Å"I too wondered how Janus would gain entrance. Then in the van I heard the radio – a report about an 11th hour Samaritan.† He smiled. â€Å"The Vatican will welcome Janus with open arms.† Langdon almost stumbled backward. Janus is the Samaritan! It was an unthinkable deception. The Illuminati leader would get a royal escort directly to the camerlegno's chambers. But how did Janus fool Rocher? Or was Rocher somehow involved? Langdon felt a chill. Ever since he had almost suffocated in the secret archives, Langdon had not entirely trusted Rocher. The Hassassin jabbed suddenly, nicking Langdon in the side. Langdon jumped back, his temper flaring. â€Å"Janus will never get out alive!† The Hassassin shrugged. â€Å"Some causes are worth dying for.† Langdon sensed the killer was serious. Janus coming to Vatican City on a suicide mission? A question of honor? For an instant, Langdon's mind took in the entire terrifying cycle. The Illuminati plot had come full circle. The priest whom the Illuminati had inadvertently brought to power by killing the Pope had emerged as a worthy adversary. In a final act of defiance, the Illuminati leader would destroy him. Suddenly, Langdon felt the wall behind him disappear. There was a rush of cool air, and he staggered backward into the night. The balcony! He now realized what the Hassassin had in mind. Langdon immediately sensed the precipice behind him – a hundred-foot drop to the courtyard below. He had seen it on his way in. The Hassassin wasted no time. With a violent surge, he lunged. The spear sliced toward Langdon's midsection. Langdon skidded back, and the point came up short, catching only his shirt. Again the point came at him. Langdon slid farther back, feeling the banister right behind him. Certain the next jab would kill him, Langdon attempted the absurd. Spinning to one side, he reached out and grabbed the shaft, sending a jolt of pain through his palm. Langdon held on. The Hassassin seemed unfazed. They strained for a moment against one another, face to face, the Hassassin's breath fetid in Langdon's nostrils. The bar began to slip. The Hassassin was too strong. In a final act of desperation, Langdon stretched out his leg, dangerously off balance as he tried to ram his foot down on the Hassassin's injured toe. But the man was a professional and adjusted to protect his weakness. Langdon had just played his final card. And he knew he had lost the hand. The Hassassin's arms exploded upward, driving Langdon back against the railing. Langdon sensed nothing but empty space behind him as the railing hit just beneath his buttocks. The Hassassin held the bar crosswise and drove it into Langdon's chest. Langdon's back arched over the chasm. â€Å"Ma'assalamah,† the Hassassin sneered. â€Å"Good-bye.† With a merciless glare, the Hassassin gave a final shove. Langdon's center of gravity shifted, and his feet swung up off the floor. With only one hope of survival, Langdon grabbed on to the railing as he went over. His left hand slipped, but his right hand held on. He ended up hanging upside down by his legs and one hand†¦ straining to hold on. Looming over him, the Hassassin raised the bar overhead, preparing to bring it crashing down. As the bar began to accelerate, Langdon saw a vision. Perhaps it was the imminence of death or simply blind fear, but in that moment, he sensed a sudden aura surrounding the Hassassin. A glowing effulgence seemed to swell out of nothing behind him†¦ like an incoming fireball. Halfway through his swing, the Hassassin dropped the bar and screamed in agony. The iron bar clattered past Langdon out into the night. The Hassassin spun away from him, and Langdon saw a blistering torch burn on the killer's back. Langdon pulled himself up to see Vittoria, eyes flaring, now facing the Hassassin. Vittoria waved a torch in front of her, the vengeance in her face resplendent in the flames. How she had escaped, Langdon did not know or care. He began scrambling back up over the banister. The battle would be short. The Hassassin was a deadly match. Screaming with rage, the killer lunged for her. She tried to dodge, but the man was on her, holding the torch and about to wrestle it away. Langdon did not wait. Leaping off the banister, Langdon jabbed his clenched fist into the blistered burn on the Hassassin's back. The scream seemed to echo all the way to the Vatican. The Hassassin froze a moment, his back arched in anguish. He let go of the torch, and Vittoria thrust it hard into his face. There was a hiss of flesh as his left eye sizzled. He screamed again, raising his hands to his face. â€Å"Eye for an eye,† Vittoria hissed. This time she swung the torch like a bat, and when it connected, the Hassassin stumbled back against the railing. Langdon and Vittoria went for him at the same instant, both heaving and pushing. The Hassassin's body sailed backward over the banister into the night. There was no scream. The only sound was the crack of his spine as he landed spread-eagle on a pile of cannonballs far below. Langdon turned and stared at Vittoria in bewilderment. Slackened ropes hung off her midsection and shoulders. Her eyes blazed like an inferno. â€Å"Houdini knew yoga.†