Language Teaching and Translation

LANGUAGE TEACHING AND TRANSLATION The use of translation as an inherent part of FLT was prevalent until early in the present century. The Grammar-Translation method, dominant during the first half of the century, stressed translation and grammatical analysis, and put greater emphasis on accuracy than on fluency, preferring academic erudition to communicative competence (Titone& Danesi 1985).At the turn of the century, the Grammar-Translation method gradually gave way to the Direct Method (more characteristic of ELT in Europe than in America (Rivers 1991)), which advocated maximum exposure to the target language, with no recourse either to L1 or to translation. During this period, â€Å"Translation used to be regarded as a necessary evil† (Levenston 1985a). The Direct Method made its way very prominently into the field of ELT in the east during the British Mandate (Bamberger 1958).The American behaviorist school (Skinner 1938; Watson 1913) of language teaching ushered in the Au dio-lingual Method, which concentrated on patterns and structure with an emphasis on drill and technique. The product, not the process, was important; there was to be minimal explanation of rules and no recourse to translation (Larsen-Free-man 1962). The reaction to the audio-lingual method, grounded in the Chomskian Revolution, was the Communicative Approach (Ministry of Education 1988; Savignon 1987).Communicative competence â€Å"has come to be used in language teaching contexts to refer to the ability to negotiate meaning, to successfully combine a knowledge of linguistic and sociolinguistic rules in communicative interactions†(Savignon 1987: 16). At the same time, the advance of cognitive psychology, which was also influenced by the Chomskian revolution, made an impact on ELT (Titone & Danesi 1985). The findings of cognitive psychology indicated that â€Å"deductive, or rule-based, strategies play a prominent role in language learning.Deductive teaching methods are ther efore based on the learning principles of cognitive psychology and its linguistic counterpart, transformationalism, and are generally known as cognitive-code procedures† (Titone & Danesi 1985: 110). â€Å"The role of the teacher is to recognize the importance of mental activity in learning† (Chastain 1971:92). Teachers of FLT were now called upon to address the problems of consciousness raising. (Bialystok 1986, 1988; Carrel 1989; Castillo 1991; Cohen 1986; Gerloff 1986; Hosenfeld 1978; Kern 1989; Rivers 1991; Rubin 1975; Templeton 1989; Thomas 1988; Vieira 1991; Wenden & Rubin 1987).It came to be realized that the study of translation skills might have value as a means of raising the learner's linguistic awareness with regard to his or her native as well as to the foreign language (Boersch 1986; Carton 1966, cited by Rubin 1986; Faerch ; Kasper 1986; Hosenfeld 1978; Lehmann 1986; Levenston 1985b; Loerscher 1986; Ministry of Education 1990; Naiman 1978, quoted by Levens ton 1985a; Rosenblith, stated in Ackerman 1992; Sharwood Smith 1981; Titford 1983).The contrastive analysis of the two languages, L1 and L2, which accompanies the translation process, is presumed to heighten the learner's metalinguistic awareness of both languages and to facilitate their perception as abstract language systems.

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 4

What a difference a day made. Somehow, in the hot, hazy August sunlight the -next morning, Mary-Lynnette couldn't get serious about checking on whether Mrs. Burdock was dead. It was just too ridiculous. Besides, she had a lot to do-school started in just over two weeks. At the beginning of June she had been sure summer would last forever, sure that she would neversay, â€Å"Wow, this summer has gone by so fast.† And now here she stood in mid-August, and she was saying, â€Å"Wow, it's gone by so fast.† I need clothes, Mary-Lynnette thought. And a new backpack, and notebooks, and some of those little purple felt-tip pens. And I need to make Mark get all those things, too, because he won't do it by himself and Claudine will never make him. Claudine was their stepmother. She was Belgian and very pretty, with curly dark hair and sparklingdark eyes. She was only ten years older than MaryLynnette, and she looked even younger. She'd been the family's housecleaning helper when Mary Lynnette's mom first got sick five years ago. MaryLynnette liked her, but she was hopeless as a substitute mother, and Mary-Lynnette usually ended up taking charge of Mark. So I don't have time to go over to Mrs. B.'s. She spent the day shopping. It wasn't until after dinner that she thought about Mrs. Burdock again. She was helping to dear dishes out of the family room, where dinner was traditionally eaten in front of the TV, when her father said, â€Å"I heard something today about Todd Akers and Vic Kimble.† â€Å"Those losers,† Mark muttered. Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"What?† â€Å"They had some kind of accident over on Chiloquin Road-over between Hazel Green Creek and Beavercreek.† â€Å"A car accident?† Mary-Lynnette said. â€Å"Well, this is the thing,† her father said. â€Å"Apparently there wasn't any damage to their car, but they both thought they'd been in an accident. They showed up at home after midnight and said that something had happened to them out there-but they didn'tknow what. They were missing a few hours.† He looked at Mark and Mary-Lynnette. â€Å"How about that, guys?† â€Å"It's the UFOs!† Mark shouted immediately, dropping into discus-throwing position and wiggling his plate. â€Å"UFOs are a crock,† Mary-Lynnette said. â€Å"Do youknow how far the little green men would have to travel-and there's no suchthing as warp speed. Whydo people have to make things up when the universe is just just blazing with incredible things that are real-â€Å"She stopped. Her family was looking at her oddly. â€Å"Actually Todd and Vic probably just got smashed,† she said, and put her plate and glass in the sink. Her father grimaced slightly. Claudine pursed her lips. Mark grinned. â€Å"In a very real and literal sense,† he said. â€Å"We hope.† It was as Mary-Lynnette was walking back to the family room that a thought struck her. Chiloquin Road was right off Kahneta, the road her own house was on. The road Mrs. B.'s house was on.It was only two miles from Burdock Farm to Chiloquin. There couldn't be any connection. Unless the girls were burying the little green man who'd abductedVic and Todd. But it bothered her. Two really strange things happening in the same night, in the same area. In a tiny, sleepy area that never saw any kind of excitement. I know, I'll call Mrs. B. And she'll be fine, and that'll prove everything's okay, and I'll be able to laugh about all this. But nobody answered at the Burdock house. The phone rang and rang. Nobody picked it up and the answering machine never came on. Mary-Lynnettehung up feeling grim but oddly calm. She knew what she had to do now. She snagged Mark as he was going up the stairs. â€Å"I need to talk to you.† â€Å"Look, if this is about your Walkman-â€Å" â€Å"Huh? It's about something we have to do tonight.† Mary-Lynnette looked at him. â€Å"What aboutmy Walkman?† â€Å"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all.† Mary-Lynnette groaned but let it go. â€Å"Listen, Ineed you to help me out. Last night I saw something weird when I was on the hill†¦.† She explained as succinctly as possible. â€Å"And now more weird stuff with Todd and Vic,† she said. Mark was shaking his head, looking at her in something like pity. â€Å"Mare, Mare,† he said kindly. â€Å"You really are crazy, you know.† â€Å"Yes,† Mary-Lynnette said. â€Å"It doesn't matter. I'm still going over there tonight.† â€Å"To do what?† â€Å"To check things out. I just want toseeMrs. B. If I can talk to her, I'll feel better. And if I can find out what's buried in that garden, I'll feel a wholelotbetter.† â€Å"Maybe they were burying Sasquatch. That government study in the Klamaths never did find him, you know.† â€Å"Mark, you owe me for the Walkman. For whatever happened to the Walkman.† â€Å"Uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mark sighed, then muttered resignedly.†Okay, I owe you. But I'm telling you right now, I'm not going to talk to those girls.† â€Å"You don't have to talk to them. You don't evenhave to see them. There's something else I want youto do.† The sun was just setting. They'd walked this roada hundred times to get to Mary-Lynnette's hill-the only difference tonight was that Mark was carryinga pair of pruning shears and Mary-Lynnette had pulled the Rubylith filter off her flashlight. â€Å"You don't reallythink they offed the old lady.† â€Å"No,† Mary-Lynnette said candidly. â€Å"I just want to put the world back where it belongs.† â€Å"You want what?† â€Å"You know how you have a view of the way theworld is, but every so often you wonder, ‘Oh, myGod, what if it's really different?'Like, ‘What if I'm really adopted and the people I think are my parentsaren't my parents at all?' And if it were true, it would change everything, and for a minute you don't know what's real. Well, that's how I feel right now, and I want to get rid of it. I want my old world back.† â€Å"You know what's scary?† Mark said. â€Å"I think Iunderstand.† By the time they got to Burdock Farm, it was full dark. Ahead of them, in the west, the star Arcturus seemed to hang over the farmhouse, glittering faintly red. Mary-Lynnette didn't bother trying to deal withthe rickety gate. She went to the place behind the blackberry bushes where the picket fence had fallen flat. The farmhouse was like her own family's, but with lots of Victorian-style gingerbread added. MaryLynnette thought the spindles and scallops and fretwork gave it a whimsical air-eccentric, like Mrs. Burdock. Just now, as she was looking at one of the second-story windows, the shadow of a moving figure fell on the roller blind. Good, Mary-Lynnette thought. At least I know somebody's home. Mark began hanging back as they walked down the weedy path to the house. â€Å"You said I could hide.† â€Å"Okay. Right. Look, why don't you take thoseshears and sort of go around back-â€Å" â€Å"And look at the Sasquatch grave while I'm there? Maybe do a little digging? I don't think so.† â€Å"Fine,† Mary-Lynnette said calmly. â€Å"Then hidesomewhere out here and hope they don't see you when they come to the door. At least with the shears you have an excuse to be in the back.† Mark threw her a bitter glance and she knew she'dwon. As he started off, Mary-Lynnette said suddenly, â€Å"Mark, be careful.† Mark just waved a dismissive hand at her without turning around. When he was out of sight, Mary-Lynnette knockedon the front door. Then she rang the doorbellitwasn't a button but an actual bellpull. She could hear chimes inside, but nobody answered. She knocked and rang with greater authority. Every minute she kept expecting the door to open to reveal Mrs. B., petite, gravelly-voiced, blue-haired,dressed in an old cotton housedress. But it didn't happen. Nobody came. Mary-Lynnette stopped being polite and began knocking with one hand and ringing with the other. It was somewhere in the middle of this frenzy ofknocks and rings that she realized she was frightened. Really frightened. Her world view was wobbling.Mrs. Burdock hardly ever left the house. She always answered the door. And Mary-Lynnette had seenwith her own eyes that somebody was home here. So why weren't they answering? Mary-Lynnette's heart was beating very hard. She had an uncomfortable falling sensation in her stomach. I should get out of here and call Sheriff Akers. It's his job to know what to do about things like this.But it was hard to work up any feeling of confidence in Todd's father. She took her alarm and frustration out on the door. Which opened. Suddenly. Mary-Lynnette's fist hit air and for an instant she felt sheer panic, fear of the unknown. â€Å"What can I do for you?† The voice was soft and beautifully modulated. Thegirl was just plain beautiful. What Mary-Lynnette hadn't been able to see from the top of her hill was that the brown hair was aglow with rich chestnut highlights, the features were classically molded, the tall figure was graceful and willowy. â€Å"You're Rowan,† she said. â€Å"How did you know?† You couldn't be anything else; I've never seen anybody who looked so much like tree spirit. â€Å"Your aunt told me about you. I'm Mary-Lynnette Carter, Ilive just up Kahneta Road. You probably saw my house on your way here.† Rowan looked noncommittal. She had such a sweet,grave face-,and skin that looked like white orchid petals, Mary-Lynnette thought abstractedly. She said, â€Å"So, I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood, say hello, see if there's anything you need.† Rowan looked less grave; she almost smiled and her brown eyes grew warm. â€Å"How nice of you. Really. I almost wish we did need something †¦ but actually we're fine.† Mary-Lynnette realized that, with the utmost civility and good manners, Rowan was winding up the conversation. Hastily she threw a new subject into the pool. â€Å"There are three of you girls, right? Are you going to school here?† â€Å"My sisters are.† â€Å"That's great. I can help show them around. I'll be a senior this year.† Another subject, quick, MaryLynnette thought. â€Å"So, how do you like Briar Creek? It's probably quieter than you're used to.† â€Å"Oh, it was pretty quiet where we came from,†Rowan said. â€Å"But we love it here; it's such a wonderful place. The trees, the little animals. . .† She broke off. â€Å"Yeah, those cute little animals,† Mary-Lynnette said. Get to the point, her inner voices were telling her. Her tongue and the roof of her mouth felt like Velcro. Finally she blurted, â€Å"So-so, um, how is your aunt right now?† â€Å"She's-fine.† That instant's hesitation was all Mary-Lynnette needed. Her old suspicions, her old panic, surged up immediately. Making her feel bright and cold, like aknife made of ice. She found herself saying in a confident, almost chirpy voice, â€Å"Well, could I just talk to her for a minute? Would you mind? It's just that I have something sort of important to tellher†¦.† She made a move as if to step over the threshold. Rowan kept on blocking the door. â€Å"Oh, I'm sosorry. Butwell, that's not really possible rightnow.† â€Å"Oh, is it one of her headaches? I've seen her in bed before.† Mary-Lynnette gave a little tinkly laugh. â€Å"No, it's not a headache.† Rowan spoke gently, deliberately. â€Å"The truth is that she's gone for a few days.† â€Å"Gone?† â€Å"I know.† Rowan made a little grimace acknowledging that this was odd. â€Å"She just decided to take a few days off. A little vacation.† â€Å"But-gosh, with you girls just getting here†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mary-Lynnette's voice was brittle. â€Å"Well, you see, she knew we'd take care of thehouse for her. That's why she waited until we came.† â€Å"But-gosh,† Mary-Lynnette said again. She felt aspasm in her throat. â€Å"Where-just where did she go?† â€Å"Up north, somewhere on the coast. I'm not sure of the name of the town.† â€Å"But . . .† Mary-Lynnette's voice trailed off. Back off, her inner voices warned.Now was the time to be polite, to be cautious. Pushing it meant showing this girl that Mary-Lynnette knew something was wrong with this story. And since somethingwas wrong, thisgirl might be dangerous†¦. It was hard to believe that while looking at Rowan'ssweet, grave face. She didn't look dangerous. But thenMary-Lynnette noticed something else. Rowan was barefoot. Her feet were as creamy-pale as the rest ofher, but sinewy. Something about them, the way they were placed or the clean definition of the toes, made Mary-Lynnette think of those feet running. Of savage, primal speed. When she looked up, there was another girl walking up behind Rowan. The one with dark golden hair. Her skin was milky instead of blossomy, and her eyes were yellow. â€Å"This is Kestrel,† Rowan said. â€Å"Yes,† Mary-Lynnette said. She realized she was staring. And realized, the moment after that, that shewas scared. Everything about Kestrel made her thinkof savage, primal movement. The girl walked as if she were flying. â€Å"What's going on?† Kestrel said. â€Å"This is Mary-Lynnette,† Rowan said, her, voice still pleasant. â€Å"She lives down the road. She came to see Aunt Opal.† â€Å"Really just to see if you needed anything,† MaryLynnette interjected quickly. â€Å"We're sort of your only neighbors.† Strategy change, she was thinking. About-face. Looking at Kestrel, she believed in danger. Now all she wanted was to keep these girls from guessing what she knew. â€Å"You're a friend of Aunt Opal's?† Kestrel asked silkily. Her yellow eyes swept Mary-Lynnette, first up, then down. â€Å"Yeah, I come over sometimes, help her withthe†-oh, God, don't say gardening-â€Å"goats. Um, I guess she told you that they need to be milked everytwelve hours.† Rowan's expression changed fractionally. MaryLynnette's heart gave a violent thud. Mrs. B. would never,everleave without giving instructions aboutthe goats. â€Å"Of course she told us,† Rowan said smoothly, justan instant too late. Mary-Lynnette's palms were sweating. Kestrelhadn't taken that keen, dispassionate, unblinkinggaze off her for a moment. Like the proverbial birdof prey staring down the proverbial rabbit. â€Å"Well, it'sgetting late and I bet you guys have things to do. I should let you go.† Rowan and Kestrel looked at each other. Then theyboth looked at Mary-Lynnette, cinnamon-brown eyes and golden eyes fixed intently on her face.Mary-Lynnette had the falling feeling in her stomach again. â€Å"Oh, don't goyet,† Kestrel said silkily. â€Å"Why don'tyou come inside?†

Web Server Application Attacks Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Web Server Application Attacks - Assignment Example This keeps the web application safe from malicious user inputs. Session Security Vulnerabilities. When session ID’s are sequential and persistent or when session tokens are not protected, one user may access another user’s data through assuming the other user’s identity. To mitigate this, session ID’s must be random and must expire when a user logs out of the session. Session tokens must be protected and invalidated when the user logs out. 3. Authentication Vulnerabilities When server does not authenticate a user before giving him access to a web application, he may gain access to sensitive information and mishandle it. To counter this problem, the user must apply authentication rules like HTTPS. User must ask for authentication after specified intervals. Access control must also be implemented. Part 2 Protecting Web Servers from Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks Denial of Service (DoS) attacks prevent web servers from serving websites to genuine users. These attacks are, mostly, targeted toward professional websites run by political or other important organizations, in order to hinder their web presence to their clients and users (AppliCure Technologies, 2013). However, small businesses are also not free of such threats. The websites cease to operate partially or fully. A DoS intrusion detection architectural design is a must-use in order to prevent such attacks. Mell, Marks & McLarnon (2000) have discussed this architecture in their article, in which intrusion detection software (IDS) components are hidden from the attacker. In case the attack is successful, IDS components are shifted from the attacked host to functional host, where they counter with the attack successfully. This is done by by using mobile agent technology and network topology features. The communication bet ween various IDS components is also restricted (Mell, Marks & McLarnon, 2000). Part 3 a. Basic motivation behind the attack on the Justice Department, as hackers themselves stated, was that they wanted to â€Å"release government data† (Zabarenko, 2013, para.1). They were also outraged over the death of the late computer prodigy Aaron Swartz, who had committed suicide on January 11 this year. He had been facing trial for stealing millions of online JSTOR articles. b. I would have used Ping of Death, as it is a dummy ICMP packet receiving fragments of ping, and resembles the real packet. It becomes too big for the buffer once reassembled, which starts overflowing, and thus, the system hangs (Canavan, 2001, p.39). I would use this because there are freely available source code examples on the internet for Unix to create large ping packets. It is very easy to ditch the user through fake ping packet. c. Web server application attacks are not as easy as they may seem, because ther e are many different kinds of anti-virus softwares, intrusion detection softwares, and user input detection and encoding softwares that are being implemented nowadays. These special softwares make it very hard for the attackers to succeed in their attacks. Part 4 To maintain a secure web presence, Federal government organizations need to maintain special mitigation strategies. Designing an information security policy is the first step towards the implementation of information security (Danchev 3). A security policy acts as a centralized crucial document that will help in eliminating the risk of security breaches by securing the confidential information stores from getting disclosed to unauthorized persons. It defines the importance of a

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CSR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

CSR - Essay Example This report explores corporate social responsibility in different organizational and national contexts focusing on its six core characteristics, theoretical avenues and the diversity of theoretical concepts in CSR. With a firm foundation and understanding of CSR, the final section focuses on Nike’s current strategic approaches to fulfilling their responsibility to the public. Upon evaluating this, there are recommendations on how Nike could develop their overall CSR strategy for better results. Corporate Social Responsibility, Core Characteristics and Theoretical Avenues Today Due to multiple advancements in technology and the corporate world, CSR is an important facilitator of attaining organizational objectives, and vision for the stakeholders. Nonetheless, there are factors that companies still neglect such as improvement of workers, the public and the external settings of the organization. Definitely, these factors require extended attention since they are among the core determinants of the CSR policies and programs’ success according to the multiple stakeholder orientation and internalizing or managing externalities characteristics. The CSR concept helps an organization have an impact on the external environments and the community overcoming segregation and focusing on the economic bodies; however, the concept works when the societal and virtuous aspects of the corporation are not among the core determinants of CSR development (Agarwal, 2013). Initially, corporations used CSR as a tool for competition with the core objectives revolving around market dominance, extended financial gains and survival over the rest of the competition as opposed to the alignment of social and economic responsibilities concept that integrates profitability and corporate social responsibility. However, through vast studies and debate on the CSR topic, the corporate world has developed with most of the companies focusing on how their business can have significance in the

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Equity Valuation - Essay Example Through equity valuation, shareholders of the firm decide whether to hold, buy or sell the firm’s stock. The long term risk of holding the share is also reflected in the valuation analysis i.e. upside and downside margin. Such critical analysis of firm’s equity leads to better financial performance evaluation and finding the growth prospects of a firm. The project has taken British Telecommunication’s financial statements into consideration in explaining the various processes of equity valuation. The telecom industry in UK is one of the largest in Europe that is characterised by the rising competition in broadcast, mobile communication and broadband segment. It has witnessed significant growth in the mobile communication and broadband market and it is above the European average growth rate. The digital TV penetration has risen to 90% of UK population. The operational capacity has also witnessed significant growth owing to the investments made by Virgin media, Next generation networks and British telecom. The major players in the industry are COLT telecom, BT, Virgin Media, Orange, Kcom and O2. The UK market is divided between two kinds of players’ mobile carriers and fixed line. Key players in the mobile carriers market are O2, Vodafone and Hutchison and BT dominates the fixed line carriers. British Telecom is a UK based telecom company that caters to more than 17 million customers in UK and more than 160 countries worldwide. Its main service divisions are digital TV, broadband and mobile communication. It was earlier a subsidiary of the General post office but in 1984, it was privatised and became British Telecommunication Plc. More than 50% of its shares have been sold to investors and further divestment was made in 1993. BT Plc in the current fiscal have plans to takeover EE Ltd for an amount of  £12.1 billion (BT Group Plc, 2014a). The stock valuation

The Role and Powers of the Presidency Term Paper

The Role and Powers of the Presidency - Term Paper Example From the discussion it is clear that  the American Revolution war had a major implication on the economics of the USA. As time had gone by, the settlers in the various colonies were looking to be granted freedom, especially economy freedom from the Britain and started demanding that they be given the right to elect their own government which would tax them and run their affairs. Needless to mention, the British government was not comfortable with this suggestions and refused to grant them the freedoms. The settlers retaliated with an all-out war against the British government. In retaliation, the government tried to close up all the harbors around the United States, especially the ones used for trade.According to the research findings  President Andrew Jackson was trying to curb speculation on land and thus issued a circular regarding specie (gold and silver) circulation. His main intension was to reduce the value of bank notes so that to prevent the increased circulation of the bank notes in the economy. His plan was not entirely effective as it failed to entirely affect the value of the dollar and only affected the value of the same only in relation to the value of gold and silver. The effect was increased deflation of the currency. Eventually, these affected many businesses which under deflated currency could not operate normally. President Andrew Jackson learnt his lesson but it was too late for the economy, it had already slipped into a depression.

Next President of the US Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Next President of the US - Research Paper Example Winning the election on his policy of change for the country (â€Å"Barack Obama†). Biography of Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney was born into a political family on March 12, 1947. A native of Detroit Michigan, his father is the former Gov. George Romney. He lived most of his life as a private citizen before running for the Massachusetts Senate in 1994, losing to Ted Kennedy in the process. He bounced from this loss by successfully leading the Salt Lake Organizing Committee towards a successful hosting of the 2002 Olympic Games. A success that he parlayed into a successful candidacy for governor of Massachusetts in 2003. He tried to become the Republican torch bearer for president in 2008 but lost to John McCain. In 2012, he beat out other nominees for president such as Michelle Brachman and Rick Santorum (â€Å"Mitt Romney†). The Issues Immigration Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are as different as night and day on the issue of immigration. While Obama advocates an immig ration program that touches base with the Latino vote, Mitt Romney has fought for tighter immigration policies. It is believed that Obama's belief in a more streamlined approached towards immigration and the relaxing of laws against illegal immigrants all ties in with his desire to secure a significant number of Latino votes on November 6. Mitt Romney on the other hand, believes that the immigrant status should not be taken lightly and given away like freebies at the grocery store. Unlike the president, Mitt Romney believes that one must work for his immigrant status and actually deserve to earn it. He believes that this can be done either through military service of the completion of advanced studies in America by foreigners who will then be bound to stay in the country for a period of time in order to prevent brain drain. Mitt Romney believes that by making it harder for illegal immigrants to stay in the country, our economy can be helped (Wood, Daniel â€Å"Obama vs. Romney 101: 5 Ways They Differ on Immigration†). Health Care President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care Act, or Obama care as it is more popularly known sets the health sector on the path of subsidizing healthcare for each individual provided that person has opted to purchase medical insurance. He claims to have made health care more affordable by allowing people to make their own choices regarding insurance coverage and allowing people access to free medical services. There is also a belief that under his Obama care plan, the insurance companies have finally been prevented from abusing the insured when they need to use their insurance the most (â€Å"Learn How Obamacare Benefits You†). Mitt Romney on the other hand, has equated health care with the economy. Thus, he feels that the undue burden placed upon the people by the new taxes created in Obama care will make health insurance less affordable for most people and will not help in solving the health care problem in America . He proposes a repeal of Obama care and a return of the healthcare system to the individual decision making power of the people who need to use it (â€Å"Obama's Failure†). The Economy Barack Obama came into possession of a country that was bleeding due to financial mishandling. His position is that by changing the old ways of America in terms of spending and international relations, the economy of the country can be grown exponentially. He wishes to reform the tax code into a middle class friendly program

Windshield Survey of No Highlands Essay Example for Free

Windshield Survey of No Highlands Essay North Highlands, CA is a suburb of Sacramento. This community is made up of a diverse group of people that includes middle and upper middle-income families but there is also a large element of crime, prostitution and drugs. The research will paint you a picture of the good, the bad and the ugly sides of this community so many call home. Boundaries and Housing North Highlands is a good-sized city in Sacramento County that started out as farmland in the 1930’s and over the next 80 years developed into the community we see today. Boundaries North Highlands was originally zoned for dry farming and grazing. Things started to change in the 1930’s after the military built McClellan Airbase. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission (1974) defined the boundaries of North Highlands as McClellan Airbase to Elverta Rd to the county lines of Placer and Sacramento to the train tracks. From there to Antelope Rd to Interstate 80 at Garfield to arcade Creek to Walnut to Pasadena to Winding Way to the Sacramento city limits back to McClellan Airbase. Housing With the opening of the airbase brought people and growth to the area. A large growth spurt was evident in the 1940’s when the Plane Haven, North Haven and Highland subdivisions were built. With the opening of Interstate 80 brought more development to North Highlands (Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission, 1974). The airbase officially closed in 2001 and has been converted today into a business park with housing and parks and ball fields. In addition, is also home to the Aerospace Museum of California (Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission, 1974). Today, it seems the economy may be hurting this area as you drive thru the neighborhoods homes are boarded up and empty and some are in need of some much-needed care. The majority of homes were built from the 1930’s to the 1970’s with identifiable sub communities Highland, Hillsdale-Foothill Corridor, Auburn and Madison and McClellan Park (Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission, 1974). ââ€" ª Estimated median house or condominium value $176,722 (City-Data.com, 2010). ââ€" ª Estimated median gross rent $929 (City-Data.com, 2010). The people that live in this housing are very culturally and ethnically intertwined if you live in the neighborhood you might have an Asian or African American family living next door or down the street. They may even be Russian or Indian. Religion is also diverse in this neighborhood but it is predominately Christian. Politically North Highlands is split almost down the middle with Democrats and Republicans with about 1% of the community registered as Independents (City-Data.com, 2010). Total Population 43,215 ââ€" ª Caucasian 23,211 (54.4%) ââ€" ª Hispanic 10,077 (23.6%) ââ€" ª African American ââ€" ª 4,609 (10.8%) ââ€" ª Mixed Races 2,052 (4.8%) ââ€" ª Asian ââ€" ª 1,997 (4.7%) ââ€" ª American Indian 381 (0.9%) ââ€" ª Native Hawaiian and ââ€" ª Other Pacific Islander ââ€" ª 289 (0.7%) ââ€" ª Other race ââ€" ª 78 (0.2%) (Neighborhood Scout, 2012). For population 15 years and over in North Highlands CDP: ââ€" ª Never married: 31.8% ââ€" ª Now married: 45.0% ââ€" ª Separated: 3.2% ââ€" ª Widowed: 5.9% ââ€" ª Divorced: 14.1% (Neighborhood Scout, 2012). Parks and Recreation While exploring the community several parks were seen during the day families were noted in the parks, while evening brought soccer and baseball teams out to the parks as night fell you saw a scarier element of people hanging out yelling obscenities at people, a fight was noted. As the night grew later and the park emptied at one park, an older man was seen making a bed on a picnic table. The parks are well groomed no graffiti noted, grass cut and very green. Garbage was picked up tables clean. The playgrounds are large and in good repair. The recreation Center on Watt has a public pool that appeared well used by the community, as there were many people there at the time. The rec center also offers classes such as cooking, dance, ceramics and English as a second language just to name a few of the many fun things they have listed. Schools, Crime, Employment and Community Services The school district for North Highlands is the called Twin Rivers. According to Neighborhood Scout (2012), there are 56 schools for a total of 31,632 students. ââ€" ª Caucasian 30.3% ââ€" ª African American 15.4% ââ€" ª Hispanic 36.1% ââ€" ª Asian 10% ââ€" ª American Indian 0.8% ââ€" ª Economically Disadvantaged 76.8% During this survey, a couple of the schools were seen and appeared to be in good repair. Children were seen riding their bikes in the parking lot and running around playing. They appeared to be having fun. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol and Sac Metro Fire Department protect North Highlands. During this survey fire stations 41, 42, and 112. There was no fire department noted during this survey but I saw a high police presence in the community day and night. The crime rates in this community are a little intimidating with a crime index with 100 being safest the North Highlands community it is 22. ââ€" ª Violent Crimes 248 ââ€" ª Property 1219 ââ€" ª Annual Crimes per 1000 resident 33.95 (City-Data.com, 2010). ââ€" ª 100 Registered Sex Offenders (Megan’s Law, 2011). This community is a hard working blue-collar community predominately with most of the community working in construction and retail. Although, the unemployed rate is a whopping 9.5% in North Highlands. Jobs held: ââ€" ª Construction 22% ââ€" ª Retail trade 14% ââ€" ª Manufacturing 10% ââ€" ª Administrative and support and waste management services 8% ââ€" ª Public administration 7% ââ€" ª Accommodation and food service 5% ââ€" ª Educational services 5% (City-Data.com, 2010). North Highlands is a very interesting community with a lot of twist and turns. The diversification of this community’s people adds to its charm. The lower housing cost is a draw for families to the area, but this can also bring an element that brings higher crime rates. I hope that as the economy improves and unemployment declines business will return and grow in this community and crime will decrease and North Highlands will thrive as it did 80 years ago.

Research Process and Terminology Paper Essay Example for Free

Research Process and Terminology Paper Essay The aim of this paper is to address the linkage between foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and the number of natural disasters. By using the data of 94 countries in the period of 1984 to 2004 and applying a variety of empirical tests, the result appears that natural hazards have significantly negative effects on FDI of countries. A. Economic Effects of Natural Disasters and The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment Economic Effects of Natural Disasters There are three patterns that concern with the economic effects of natural hazard. The first two strands concentrates on the primary or short-term effects and long-term effects of hazards on economy. While the short-term effect strand achieves abundant evidences of negative disasters’ impacts on GDP, the long-term effect strand cannot reach a clear conclusion. The third strand focuses on the capacity to mitigate the destructive effects of natural risks. A brief conclusion is that the negative impacts of risks can be diminished by country’s institutions. Determinant of Foreign Direct Investment There are three types of foreign direct investment, namely: (1) Operating new (2) Moving an existing (3) Moving a part of existing The first type is considered as location decision and categorized in pull factor, the latter two types are relocation decision and belong to push factor. Following this logic, propositional pull factors to put in models are the level of openness and the size of the economy. Obviously, the push  factor in models is natural risks. Other determinants which are mainly focused are institutions, such as government infrastructure, political freedom, corruption, etc. B. Data and Methods The data for analyzing impacts of natural disasters on FDI flows are taken from the EMDAT, which provides by the institution Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) and World Bank. Some observations were dropped because of missing data, the data which is used in this research contains an unbalance panel with 1,822 country-year observations from 94 countries (29 in Africa, 17 in Asia, 22 in Europe and 26 in Americas) in the period 1984-2004. Table 2 presents descriptions of dependent and independent variables. (TABLE 2) At this point, it is important to look again at two primary variables which devoted to results of empirical tests. The first key variable is FDI, which is measured by the total net inflows of foreign direct investment as a percentage of GDP. FDI is the dependent variable in all models. The second key variable relates to natural hazards. Since both recent and longerterm risks have its impacts on investors, the authors deliver four variables that are concerned with the number of natural risks happening in four time period: Total events in the prior year, total events in the prior 5 years, total events in the prior 10 years, total events in the prior 25 years. Table 3 shows the correlations between FDI/GDP and each of four variables referring to the measures of natural risks. (TABLE 3) It is undoubtedly true that both the counted measure as number of natural hazards and the monetary measure as the estimation of â€Å"dollar value of damages† affect decision makers. While it can be argue that result as the dollar amount of damages may have substantial influence on investors’ decisions, it is obvious that estimating the consequence of natural disasters is complex and not as accurate as â€Å"counts of disasters†. For this  reason, models will mainly focus on counts of disasters. Moreover, the research emphasizes on five types of natural hazards that severely devastate infrastructures, physical capital and labor forces. As such, these five types are earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, landslide and windstorms (include hurricanes). The following two variables which refer to the degree of openness and incentive in trade and investment are Trade and Investment. The former is taken from World Bank’s 2008 World Development Indicators and the latter is provided by Political Risk Services Group, assembled by the IRIS Center at the University of Maryland. Regarding to a country’s reliability for trade and investment, the investment variable is the estimation of three factors: contract viability/risk of exportation, repatriation of profits and delay in payments. These three factors are rank from 0 to 12 and the higher value illustrates the higher risk in investment. The final three variables in the base model are Inflation, Gov. stability and Rule of law. The Inflation variable is the inflation level of each country in a particular year and taken from 2008 World Development Indicators. The other two variables are collected from the International Country Risk Guide, with reflecting the level of stability of government and adhesion to the rule of law. The higher value implies the better environment for investors. Those variables contribute to the base model as this form: FDIit = ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1Total events in the prior # yearsit + ÃŽ ±2GDP per capitait + ÃŽ ±3GDP growthit + ÃŽ ±4Tradeit + ÃŽ ±5Investmentit + ÃŽ ±6Inflation + ÃŽ ±7Gov. stabilityit + ÃŽ ±8Rule of lawit + ÃŽ ³i + ÃŽ ³t + ÃŽ µit This research also employs ÃŽ ³i as country fixed effects over time and ÃŽ ³t as year fixed effects for all countries. C. Results and Their Implications The below table indicates the linkage between foreign direct investment and natural disasters by applying the base model. It can be seen from Table 4 that all four natural hazard variables have significantly negative effects on FDI in each of models. Moreover, there is a decline trend in coefficients of disaster variables when measuring in Total events in the prior 1 year to Total events in the prior 25 years, which suggests that relatively recent risks have more significant influence than long term risks on investors’ decisions. The next two variables, which are GDP per capita and GDP growth, are positive as expected and significant. However, although both Trade and Investment variables have positive effects on FDI, only Trade is significant. The Inflation variable is negative and significant in all four models. Only Gov. stability variable has unexpected side and both Gov. stability and Rule of law are not significant in all models. The authors also employ the empirical tests to find out different effects of five particular types of disasters. The result is presented in Table 5. The outcome demonstrates that all other non-disaster variables have the same reaction and all damage variables are negative in side. However, Windstorms is significant in all three cases, Volcanoes is significant in two cases while Landslides, Earthquake and Floods are significant in only one case. Hence, there is evidence to support the view that each type of hazards has its effects on FDI, the clearest evidence is found on Windstorms. Regardless the inaccurate in estimation of dollar value of damages, the research generates the final test by using the base model with â€Å"dollar value of damages† in place of â€Å"counts of disasters†. The result is displayed in Table 6. Similarly with the above case, all non-disaster variables have the same result as the base model case. Though disaster variables are negative and significant in all case, they do not decline from recent to older events. A draw conclusion may be policy makers equally focus on relative recent and longer-term risks or maybe there is error in data. D. Conclusion To sum up briefly, there are four important conclusions. First and foremost, natural disasters have significant and negative effect on foreign direct  investment. Second, there are some evidences to support the view that decisions of foreign investors are deeper affected by relative recent events in comparing to longer-term events. Third, different types of natural hazards are considered to have different impacts on foreign direct investment, the most severe impact is found on windstorms. Finally, regardless the intricacy and inaccuracy in monetary measuring the value of damages, the model which focuses on dollar value of damages also addresses the same result with the base model: natural disasters discourage foreign direct investment.

Business Plan for Educational Website

Business Plan for Educational Website 1.0 Executive Summary Stay Clean, is a site that is based on Environmental Management Practices Education. It is owned and operated by me, Morrison Edwards. I am determined to ensuring that people live in an environment free of contaminations and appealing to live in. I am thus taking the initiative to educate people on how we can make our environment friendlier for habitation. The people are taught to carry out environmental practices once in a month. The activities involved in the practices are quite simple and are meant to encourage people on how the little changes they make in the initiative can make an enormous difference to the environment and their personal lives. The sources of revenue supporting the plan are from my personal savings from employment. I will be organizing with other affiliate companies and retailers to provide me with the products I will require in the process. Our benefits will be commission based from the sales of the products used in the environmental management practice. Financially the strategy is aimed at making profits, and of most concern will be minimizing expenses. A portion of the profits will be ploughed back into the business while the rest will be used for personal growth. I believe that it is a just course to keep our environment clean as much as the initiative is also a money creating opportunity. The cash flow into the action is a priority as well as the cash balance. In accomplishing my goals, the following areas are going to be of emphasis. The web content must be of the best quality and interactive to the users. The tips will be elaborate and engaging, inspiring and empowering so that the users will share the tips quickly enough to improve the use of the website. The project is aimed for gross profits in the future and so I will cut the current expenses to meet my current demands. The products that will be required in the process of the affiliate companies will have to be recommended on the website for buying by the people so that the profits gained from the commission will be used in the initiative. Since I do not intend to use more money in the expenses the online marketing plan will have to be perfectly effected to meet the expectations. 1.1 Mission The website is an educational platform meant to teach people on how to maintain the environment clean by performing cleanliness practices at least twice in one month. For the entire year. I am looking forward to enlightening people so that they become more environmentally conscious. In the process the affiliate institutions and retailers will have the opportunity to sell their products. The profits will be shared among all the member parties, the producing companies, the retailers and me. 1.2 Objectives of the Plan i) To conducting weekly environmental teaching sessions. Educate people on how their contribution in maintaining the environment will reduce environmental hazards or detrimental environmental impacts on the general population. ii) At the end of the first year the website should have approximately 500 subscribers already signed up for the weekly tips on the environment. iii) The site must receive 10,000 customers monthly. iv) Profits will be evaluated within six months. v) The Profit will be redistributed to support the project and into personal savings. 1.3 Important Factors of success i) The Website content will have to be quality; the weekly tips will be elaborate and straightforward, friendly and inspiring. ii) The marketing of the site must be exquisite for maximum subscription iii) The expenses will remain flat to maximize profitability. iv) The products sold will be environmentally friendly and the buyers will have to be inspired so that the commissions care increased to make profits. 1.4 Summary of the Business The Stay Clean initiative is a small business website based in Marina and it is purposefully meant to enlighten the community on the effectiveness of cleanliness to minimise the impacts of environmental hazards. The cleanliness initiatives training will be conducted twice a month as explained on the website. The teaching sessions are conducted online on the website or on weekly meetings for an individual attendance. The weekly audience subscription is free. The business will be making profits from commission received by the sale of products obtained from the Affiliate Company and retailers supplying the products to be used in the initiative. 1.5 Financial Plan I am looking forward to starting the initiative with a capital of 3000 dollars obtained from my personal savings. This will be used to come up with the website and in facilitating services of the Affiliate Company and retailers. The money will also be spent on the legal purposes and acquiring the computer equipment and in registering the computer domain for the name of the website. The remaining expenses will remain untouched until income generation begins. 1.6 Ownership of the Business Initiative The Stay Clean Business initiative is a sole proprietorship, a plan created and founded by (name). It is an enlightenment effort as well for personal growth The Products involved The business does not produce the required products on its own. I am marketing earthly friendly products recommended for cleaning and maintaining the environment. The products will be acquired from a company and retailers who will be paying the commission based on the sales of the products made. The company and the retailers are the affiliate parties. The goods thus will not be costly thus the cost of production is cut. The fulfillment and the inventory levels or the customer service. The only risk involved in the business is that the profit is commission based and only received in terms of percentage of the sales obtained from mobilization through the website organised weekly teaching sessions, and not from the entire sales. The recommended environmentally friendly products are: i) Products that can be reused. These are products that can be put back into use like lunch bags, batteries etc. ii) Supporting consumption of organic foods: vegetables, fruits, and snack meals. iii) Paper products that can be recycled. iv) Cloth diapers. v) Kitchen products: Cloth rags, towels etc. vi) Herbal medicines. vii) Low water usage: Shower heads, horse pipes and equipment that reduce water use. viii) Books on environmental friendliness. xi) Solar powered appliances and the tools and equipment running on solar. x) Music about environmental maintenance and friendliness. Market analysis Out target market is the general community especially the internauts or the technology survey who can access the internet in the age bracket of 18-55 years. This is the target group that can be used to make the environment better. The secondary market target are the students of age 12-22 who can have adequate time engaging in the environmental management practices. The retired people are also focused as they have more free time to attend the training sessions. 4.2 Target market Segment Strategy Since our primary aim is to live in an environmentally friendly atmosphere while also making profits, we have particular reason for the targeted market 1. The students We engage them as they are technology survey and will pass the information faster to their associates, again they will embrace the initiative as they like clean surroundings 2. Adults It is the largest market and the biggest target. They are the individuals who will be purchasing the products thus significant in revenue generation. 3. The retirees. They have more free time and resources to spend on initiatives that are environmentally friendly. 4.3 Industry Analysis The website is meant for educational reasons and since the educational sites are hardly available the completion is slim. The existing environmental sites deal with either giving news on the environment or other environmental topics not related to the latter. The website is an environmental friendly pro initiatives marketing products aimed at improving the environment from which the sales will receive the profits that is commission based. 4.4 Buying patterns Our focus is on enlightening people on the products they knew never existed and going by the friendliness in the adverts and inspiration, the customers will definitely chose us over other competitors as the information provided is simple and comprehensive but not overwhelming. Those who shall have adopted the information will just be buying the products and mostly will be introducing more people thus an increase in the product sales increasing out profits. The product finding process will be simplified so that they can easily be found in the Affiliate Company and retailers. (Software, 2017). References Bryman, A., Bell, E. (2015). Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA. Finch, B. (2016). How to write a business plan. Kogan Page Publishers. Hollensen, S. (2015). Marketing Management: A Relationship Approach. Pearson Education. Huynh, M., Appell, R., Stetkiewicz, M. (2014). Process mapping. Software, P. A. (n.d.). Educational Website Business Plan. Retrieved February 21, 2017, from http://www.bplans.com/educational_website_business_plan/financial_plan_fc.php

Quest for Self-Determination in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Lak

Quest for Self-Determination in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Lakota Woman      Ã‚  Ã‚   During their growing up years, children struggle to find their personal place in society. It is difficult for children to find their place when they are given numerous advantages, but when a child is oppressed by their parents or grandparents, males in their life, and the dominant culture, the road to achieving self-identity is fraught with enormous obstacles to overcome. Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Mary Crow Dog's Lakota Woman depict the two women's "triumph over formidable social obstacles and [their] struggle to achieve a sense of identity and self-acceptance" (Draper 1).    Both women grew up in segregated societies: Mary Crow Dog on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and Maya Angelou in the black community of Stamps, Arkansas. As is common with minority children, they spent most of their childhood living with their grandparents. Both women also experienced oppression by their parents and grandparents, who are the first contact with other people that children have. Even though Mary's mother and grandmother spoke the Lakota language, they refused to teach it to Mary. They told her that "speaking Indian would only hold you back, turn you the wrong way" (Crow Dog 22). They wanted Mary to have a "white man's education" (Crow Dog 22).    In contrast, Maya was denied a white man's education, not only by the dominant culture but also by her grandmother. Maya attended the Lafayette County Training School, which was the school for blacks. In addition, Maya's grandmother forbade her from reading books by white authors. This restriction is exemplified in the following passage:    Bail... ...e barriers blocking their chosen path and achieve the power to lead their lives as they see fit.      Works Cited Angelou, Maya. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. New York: Bantam, 1993. Crow Dog, Mary. Lakota Woman. New York: HarperPerennial, 1991. Draper, James P., ed., et al. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 77. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993. Mahtowin, "Mary Crow Dog: Real Life Hero." New Directions for Women, Vol. 21, No.2, March-April, 1992, p. 28. Narins, Brigham, and Deborah A. Stanley, eds., et al. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 93. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1996. O'Neale, Sondra. "Reconstruction of the Composite Self: New Images of Black Women in Maya Angelou's Continuing Autobiography." Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation, edited by Mari Evans, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1984, pp. 25-37.    Quest for Self-Determination in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Lak Quest for Self-Determination in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Lakota Woman      Ã‚  Ã‚   During their growing up years, children struggle to find their personal place in society. It is difficult for children to find their place when they are given numerous advantages, but when a child is oppressed by their parents or grandparents, males in their life, and the dominant culture, the road to achieving self-identity is fraught with enormous obstacles to overcome. Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Mary Crow Dog's Lakota Woman depict the two women's "triumph over formidable social obstacles and [their] struggle to achieve a sense of identity and self-acceptance" (Draper 1).    Both women grew up in segregated societies: Mary Crow Dog on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and Maya Angelou in the black community of Stamps, Arkansas. As is common with minority children, they spent most of their childhood living with their grandparents. Both women also experienced oppression by their parents and grandparents, who are the first contact with other people that children have. Even though Mary's mother and grandmother spoke the Lakota language, they refused to teach it to Mary. They told her that "speaking Indian would only hold you back, turn you the wrong way" (Crow Dog 22). They wanted Mary to have a "white man's education" (Crow Dog 22).    In contrast, Maya was denied a white man's education, not only by the dominant culture but also by her grandmother. Maya attended the Lafayette County Training School, which was the school for blacks. In addition, Maya's grandmother forbade her from reading books by white authors. This restriction is exemplified in the following passage:    Bail... ...e barriers blocking their chosen path and achieve the power to lead their lives as they see fit.      Works Cited Angelou, Maya. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. New York: Bantam, 1993. Crow Dog, Mary. Lakota Woman. New York: HarperPerennial, 1991. Draper, James P., ed., et al. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 77. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993. Mahtowin, "Mary Crow Dog: Real Life Hero." New Directions for Women, Vol. 21, No.2, March-April, 1992, p. 28. Narins, Brigham, and Deborah A. Stanley, eds., et al. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 93. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1996. O'Neale, Sondra. "Reconstruction of the Composite Self: New Images of Black Women in Maya Angelou's Continuing Autobiography." Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation, edited by Mari Evans, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1984, pp. 25-37.   

Description and Perception Essay -- essays research papers

A gesture of truth or deceit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the following paper I will be describing the small moment in time when the presidential candidate finishes his elaborate speech and waves his hand to the crowd at his campaign’s convention. I will be trying to insinuate a feeling of truth and prosperity in the candidate’s gestures and appearance. The second impression will introduce a mood of dictatorship and deceitfulness about the candidate from his same gestures and appearance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a feeling or truthfulness and prosperity in the presidential candidate’s gestures and appearance as he waves to the mass of people at the convention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The pressure is building in the several hundred freedom loving Americans as their beloved party leader rallies the masses with his carefully prepared speech. His final words are a sweet sounding melody of authenticity and prosperity. The crowd erupts as the candidate waves firmly to them; the fingers on his hand outstretched supplement the confidence in his cause that he so boldly spoke of. His hand is waving to the whole crowd, seemingly covering everyone with an aura of certainty. The proud patriotic image of the waving American flag behind him compliments the rhythm of his gestures. He now raises his second hand in a feeling of complete and utter sureness that he is on the right path and that the voters in the upcoming months can rest assured that this is an infallible man. He is like the conductor of a dynamic symphony with instruments of cheering, smiling, and chanting. The waving filled me with the same confidence that many of this nation’s former lea ders had in leading our country to prosperity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I looked past the outstretched arms and onto the face of the political demigod and gazed upon his face. Never had I seen a more enduring smile in a presidential candidate, a steady and large smile, but at the same time not an overbearing smile that ensued a sense of counterfeit like in many past candidates. The same lips that produced such an unwavering smile could not possibly produce misleading lies. The huge round eyes with their eyelids very distinctly separated amongst all the bright lights was unequivocally the most definitive beacon of truth in his appearance. There was no twitching in his pupils, just a gaze as steady a... ...ed up to fool the public would have been futile with out the stare of his wide opened eyes upon the masses. His perfectly combed hair complements his flurry of movements and pours his sense of successful power upon everyone. The wrinkles on his face hidden by the layer of makeup used to make him more visually appealing to be the future president of this country. Every part of his physical appearance from his flaming eyes to his subtle lips and of his gesture of command from his waving hands exploits my naive nature into a trance of unquestionable concordance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The impression I was striving for in the first two descriptive paragraphs was for the reader to feel that the candidate’s character had truthfulness and prosperity. The second impression imposed on the reader was that the presidential candidate had dictatorship qualities and a deceitful nature. I wrote about the end of the candidate’s speech at the political convention because politics exists only because of the way people perceive things. There are many ways to perceive important political figures, but if everyone had the same perception on these people, then there would be no need for politics.

Is Your Sore Throat Strep?

Is Your Sore Throat Strep? By Kristin Hayes, About. com Guide Updated October 06, 2009 About. com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board Question: Is Your Sore Throat Strep? It can be difficult to tell if your sore throat is strep or simply a cold virus. However, in most cases of strep throat there are some key differences. Answer: The only way to know for sure if your sore throat is strep is to have a rapid strep test or a throat culture.These tests must be performed at a physician's office, but let's face it you can't go running in to the doctor every time your throat gets a little scratchy. Characteristics of strep throat include a severe sore throat that may cause pain or difficulty swallowing. The back of the throat is usually very red and there may be white patches in the back of the throat or on the tonsils. The tonsils and lymph nodes also may be swollen. Some people get a fever. It is not uncommon to be very tired and achy or to lose y our appetite.In some cases you may get a rash. The biggest difference between strep throat and a cold virus is that strep throat usually does not cause runny nose, congestion, sneezing or coughing. All cases of strep throat must be treated with an antibiotic to avoid serious complications including heart problems, kidney problems or Scarlett fever — especially in children. For these reasons, it is very important to see the doctor if you or your child have symptoms of strep throat.

Kirby the Elf Kid Story

Once upon a time there was an elf named Kirby. He was one of Santas elfs. But, he was there only to help with the reindeer, when what he really wanted to do was to work on a toy line. It wasn’t like he didn’t love the reindeer, he just really wanted to make children smile and happy. All of the other elfs that worked with the reindeers laughed at him because if u were to work on the toy live you had to work with Santa for a very long time, that certain job was meant for elfs that he absolutly trusted.Sadly, Kirby had just started working with Santa and he has never even talked to Santa, which was part of the problem. One day Santa had gotten a phone call and he had a distraught look on his face. He hung up the phone and said â€Å"Oh no, Tanner, Joey, and Jocy had gotten into a snowboarding accident, that was the hospital. They wont be back to work for 2 weeks and christmas in 5 days! † Now see these elfs weren’t just any elves, they the fastest , strongest , and Santa’s favorite elves. And, even though Santa would say he didn’t like to pick favorites everyone knew he did.The other evles would have to wear red and green, where as Joey, Tanner, and Jocy had gold and white outfits. Santa really needed Jocy, Joey and Tanner because about two hundred children that had been on the naughty list had good and deserved to get toys instead of just coal. So the other elves had to work very hard to make more toys but it wasn’t enough. Santa went to the stables and said â€Å"Hello Kirby, Andy, Nik, Kira, Devon, and Chelsey I am in some trouble and need to pull you guys from reindeer duty to help make some toys. † Chelsey said â€Å"But Santa, we have never made toys before what if we let you down? Santa said â€Å"Oh you guys could never let me down, all that matters is that you try as best as you can. † Kirby was so excited. It was his time to shine. Thankfully when you start the job the head elves teach other elves how to work all of the machines just in case this sort of thing happens. So all the elves knew how to work the machinary but they never really knew how toys were supposed to work because they’re nevere around them. They basically had to wing it. The other elves didn’t really like the idea of having Kirby and his friends working in the toy line, especially one elf named Ryan.Ryan was a really bitter mean elf. He only got along with Jocy, Joey, and Tanner, and he didn’t like the fact that they were being replaced. In his mind he thought â€Å"I have to do something to get rid of these other elves†¦they don’t belong here! † He devised a plan in his head of a way to get rid of Kirby and his little friends. While Kirby and his friends were waiting to start there first doy on the toy line Ryan had locked them in the lunch room. â€Å"This will keep them out of my toyline. † He said with a snicker. But, Ryan had forgotten that there was a an exit to outside of the toy factory.When Kirby and his friends had noticed that the door was locked they had to hurry and run around to the other side of the building and went through the back doors. Kirby was determined not to let Santa down. He really wants to prove himself to him to show that he doesn’t belong in the stables with the reindeer. They finally made it to the toy line and they were on time. Ryan looked at them with irritation as Kirby and his friends had walked over to their stations. The bells rang and the machines started running. Kirby was so excited all he could do was smile.Kirby was at the station where they wrapped all the gifts and delivered the presents to Santa’s sleigh. Andy had they toy station full of cars, Nik had the station with the coloring books and books, Kira had the station with the board games,Devon was at the station with the stuffed animals and Chelsey was at the station where they had to make the toys that were trains and an y other toys that had batteries. Ryan was in the same station with Kirby and was going way to fast trying to get kirby to screw up or make a mistake.But Kirby kept and eventually go the hang of it. Ryan was getting even more frustraited with the fact that he couldn’t get rid of Kirby, he didn’t even want to admit the fact that Kirby actually belonged there. Ryan kept plotting and plotting till finally he got an opening to sabotage. Kirby was carrying a lot of presents and didn’t know which way it was to Santa’s sleigh. Ryan ran to him and said â€Å"OH OH I know where to go let me show you† as he had an evil smirk on his face he lead Kirby into a room that was used for the christmas parties.He said keep walking forward and started walking backwards and slammed the door shut and locked him in there and laughed. Kirby said â€Å"why are you doing this? What about the children? † Ryan said â€Å"Because you don’t belong here, I don†™t like change! Now you will never work in the toyline EVER!! † Ryan left and Kirby started to panic and worry. Kirby still had an hour to get the toys to Santa in time to make the delivery. Lucky for him his friends had noticed he had been gone for 30 minutes and Ryan had returned and Kirby wasn’t with him. So they all split up and went searching for him.Finally, Nik was yelling Kirby’s name and Kirby started banging on the door â€Å"Nik, I’m in here, get me out please! † Kirby said. Nik let him out and Kirby said â€Å"which way is Santa’s sleigh? † Nik said â€Å"I know where it is follow me! † They both ran like mad men to Santa’s sleigh with only 5 minutes to spare. Santa said â€Å" oh thank you so much I could’ve never gotten this done without you, but what took you so long my elves? † Kirby pointed at Ryan as he ran up to see if he had succeeded or failed, â€Å"Santa he locked me in a dark room and wouldn’t let me out!Ryan tried to defend himself â€Å"Santa, its true I just don’t want him to replace Tanner, Joey, and Jocy. † Santa said â€Å"Oh Ryan. Kirby would never replace them I love all of my elves equally. As for you Kirby you did a fantastic job and should be rewarded, and Ryan should be punished, therefore you both will trade places, sorry Ryan you will now work in the stables with the reindeer. † Kirby was so happy! His dream finally came true. He now is working on the toy line woth three of the greatest elves that work there. He has never been so thankful.

Skoog Solution of Chapter 15

Crouch Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 6th ed. Chapter 15 Instructor’s Manual CHAPTER 15 15-1. In a fluorescence emission spectrum, the excitation wavelength is held constant and the emission intensity is measured as a function of the emission wavelength. In an excitation spectrum, the emission is measured at one wavelength while the excitation wavelengths are scanned. The excitation spectrum closely resembles an absorption spectrum since the emission intensity is usually proportional to the absorbance of the molecule. 15-2. a) Fluorescence is the process in which a molecule, excited by the absorption of radiation, emits a photon while undergoing a transition from an excited singlet electronic state to a lower state of the same spin multiplicity (e. g. , a singlet > singlet transition).Phosphorescence is the process in which a molecule, excited by the absorption of radiation, emits a photon while undergoing a transition from an excited triplet state to a lower state of a different spin multiplicity (e. g. , a triplet > singlet transition). (c) Resonance fluorescence is observed when an excited species emits radiation of he same frequency at used to cause the excitation. (d) A singlet state is one in which the spins of the electrons of an atom or molecule are all paired so there is no net spin angular momentum (e) A triplet state is one in which the spins of the electrons of an atom or molecule are unpaired so that their spin angular moments add to give a net non-zero moment. (f) Vibrational relaxation is the process by which a molecule loses its excess vibrational energy without emitting radiation. 1 Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 6th ed. (g) Chapter 15Internal conversion is the intermolecular process in which a molecule crosses to a lower electronic state with emitting radiation. (h) External conversion is a radiationless process in which a molecule loses electronic energy while transferring that energy to the solvent or another solute. (i) I ntersystem crossing is the process in which a molecule in one spin state changes to another spin state with nearly the same total energy (e. g. , singlet > triplet). (j) Predissociation occurs when a molecule changes from a higher electronic state to n upper vibrational level of a lower electronic state in which the vibrational energy is great enough to rupture the bond. (k) Dissociation occurs when radiation promotes a molecule directly to a state with sufficient vibrational energy for a bond to break. (l) Quantum yield is the fraction of excited molecules undergoing the process of interest. For example, the quantum yield of fluorescence is the fraction of molecules which have absorbed radiation that fluoresce.Chemiluminescence is a process by which radiation is produced as a result of a chemical reaction. 5-3. For spectrofluorometry, the analytical signal F is proportional to the source intensity P0 and the transducer sensitivity. In spectrophotometry, the absorbance A is proporti onal to the ratio of P0 to P. Increasing P0 or the transducer sensitivity to P0 produces a corresponding increase in P or the sensitivity to P. Thus the ratio does not change. As a result, the sensitivity of fluorescence can be increased by increasing P0 or transducer sensitivity, but the that of absorbance does not change. 2 Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 6th ed. Chapter 15 5-4. (a) Fluorescein because of its greater structural rigidity due to the bridging –O– groups. (b) o,o’-Dihdroxyazobenzene because the –N=N– group provides rigidity that is absent in the –NH–NH– group. 15-5. Compounds that fluoresce have structures that slow the rate of nonradiative relaxation to the point where there is time for fluorescence to occur. Compounds that do not fluoresce have structures that permit rapid relaxation by nonradiative processes. 15-6. The triplet state has a long lifetime and is very susceptible to collisional deactivation.T hus, most phosphorescence measurements are made at low temperature in a rigid matrix or in solutions containing micelles or cyclodextrin molecules. Also, electronic methods must be used to discriminate phosphorescence from fluorescence. Not as many molecules give good phosphorescence signals as fluorescence signals. As a result, the experimental requirements to measure phosphorescence are more difficult than those to measure fluorescence and the applications are not as large.3 Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 6th ed. 15-7. Chapter 15 4 Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 6th ed. 5-8. Chapter 15 15-9. Q = quinine ppm Q in diluted sample = 100 ppm ? 245 = 196 125 mass Q = 196 mg Q 500 mL ? 100 mL ? = 490 mg Q 10 mL solution 20 mL 3 5 Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 6th ed. 15-10. cQ = A1csVs (448)(50 ppm)(10. 0 mL) = = 145. 45 ppm ( A2 ? A1 )VQ ( 525 ? 448) (20. 0 mL) Chapter 15 145. 45 ppm ? 1 mg quinine 1 g solution ? ? 1000 mL = 145. 45 mg quinine 3 1 mL 1 ? 10 g solution 0. 225 g Q ? 100% = 3. 43% 4. 236 g tablet 15-11. Assume that the luminescent intensity L is proportional to cx, the concentration of iron in the original sample.Then, L1 = kcxVx / Vt where Vx and Vt are the volume of sample and of the final solution, and k is a proportionality constant. For the solution after addition of Vs mL of a standard of concentration cs, the luminescence L2 is L2 = kcxVx / Vt + kcsVs / Vt Dividing the second equation by the first yields, after rearrangement, cx = L1csVs (14. 3)(3. 58 ? 10? 5 )(1. 00) = = 1. 35 ? 10? 5 M ( L2 ? L1 )Vx (33. 3 ? 14. 3)(2. 00) 15-12. Assume that the luminescence intensity L is proportional to the partial pressure of S* . 2 We may then write L = k[S* ] 2 and K = S* ][H 2 O]4 2 [SO 2 ]2 [H 2 ]4 where the bracketed terms are all partial pressures and k and K are constants.The two equations can be combined to give after rearrangement 6 Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 6th ed. Chapter 15 [SO 2 ] = [H 2 O]2 [H 2 ]2 L kK In a hydr ogen-rich flame, the pressure of H2O and H2 should be more or less constant. Thus, [SO 2 ] = k ? L where k? = 1 kK 15-13. The fluorescent center is the rigid quinoline ring, which is rich in ? electrons. 15-14. From Equation 15-7, we can write F = 2. 303 ? f K bcP0 = 2. 303 ? K cP0 ? 0 Dividing both sides by the lifetime ? yields F = 2. 303K bcP0 ? ?0 Since K? , ? , b, ? 0 and P0 are constants, we can write F ? = Kc where K is a compilation of all the constants in the previous equation. 7 Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 6th ed. 15-15. (a) Chapter 15 (b) (c) The corrected fluorescence Fcorr would be Fcorr = F? 0/? , where F is the observed fluorescence, ? 0 is the lifetime for [Cl–] = 0. 00, and ? is the observed lifetime. The results are in the spreadsheet. 8 Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 6th ed. Chapter 15 9

The Lost Symbol Chapter 4-6

CHAPTER 4 The U.S. Capitol Building stands regally at the eastern end of the National Mall, on a raised plateau that city designer Pierre L'Enfant described as â€Å"a pedestal waiting for a monument.† The Capitol's massive footprint measures more than 750 feet in length and 350 feet deep. Housing more than sixteen acres of floor space, it contains an astonishing 541 rooms. The neoclassical architecture is meticulously designed to echo the grandeur of ancient Rome, whose ideals were the inspiration for America's founders in establishing the laws and culture of the new republic. The new security checkpoint for tourists entering the Capitol Building is located deep within the recently completed subterranean visitor center, beneath a magnificent glass skylight that frames the Capitol Dome. Newly hired security guard Alfonso Nunez carefully studied the male visitor now approaching his checkpoint. The man had a shaved head and had been lingering in the lobby, completing a phone call before entering the building. His right arm was in a sling, and he moved with a slight limp. He was wearing a tattered army-navy surplus coat, which, combined with his shaved head, made Nunez guess military. Those who had served in the U.S. armed forces were among the most common visitors to Washington. â€Å"Good evening, sir,† Nunez said, following the security protocol of verbally engaging any male visitor who entered alone. â€Å"Hello,† the visitor said, glancing around at the nearly deserted entry. â€Å"Quiet night.† â€Å"NFC play-offs,† Nunez replied. â€Å"Everyone's watching the Redskins tonight.† Nunez wished he were, too, but this was his first month on the job, and he'd drawn the short straw. â€Å"Metal objects in the dish, please.† As the visitor fumbled to empty the pockets of his long coat with his one working hand, Nunez watched him carefully. Human instinct made special allowances for the injured and handicapped, but it was an instinct Nunez had been trained to override. Nunez waited while the visitor removed from his pockets the usual assortment of loose change, keys, and a couple of cell phones. â€Å"Sprain?† Nunez asked, eyeing the man's injured hand, which appeared to be wrapped in a series of thick Ace bandages. The bald man nodded. â€Å"Slipped on the ice. A week ago. Still hurts like hell.† â€Å"Sorry to hear that. Walk through, please.† The visitor limped through the detector, and the machine buzzed in protest. The visitor frowned. â€Å"I was afraid of that. I'm wearing a ring under these bandages. My finger was too swollen to get it off, so the doctors wrapped right over it.† â€Å"No problem,† Nunez said. â€Å"I'll use the wand.† Nunez ran the metal-detection wand over the visitor's wrapped hand. As expected, the only metal he detected was a large lump on the man's injured ring finger. Nunez took his time rubbing the metal detector over every inch of the man's sling and finger. He knew his supervisor was probably monitoring him on the closed circuit in the building's security center, and Nunez needed this job. Always better to be cautious. He carefully slid the wand up inside the man's sling. The visitor winced in pain. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"It's okay,† the man said. â€Å"You can't be too careful these days.† â€Å"Ain't that the truth.† Nunez liked this guy. Strangely, that counted for a lot around here. Human instinct was America's first line of defense against terrorism. It was a proven fact that human intuition was a more accurate detector of danger than all the electronic gear in the world–the gift of fear, as one of their security reference books termed it. In this case, Nunez's instincts sensed nothing that caused him any fear. The only oddity that he noticed, now that they were standing so close, was that this tough-looking guy appeared to have used some kind of self-tanner or concealer makeup on his face. Whatever. Everyone hates to be pale in the winter. â€Å"You're fine,† Nunez said, completing his sweep and stowing the wand. â€Å"Thanks.† The man started collecting his belongings from the tray. As he did, Nunez noticed that the two fingers protruding from his bandage each bore a tattoo; the tip of his index finger bore the image of a crown, and the tip of his thumb bore that of a star. Seems everyone has tattoos these days, Nunez thought, although the pads of his fingertips seemed like painful spots to get them. â€Å"Those tats hurt?† The man glanced down at his fingertips and chuckled. â€Å"Less than you might think.† â€Å"Lucky,† Nunez said. â€Å"Mine hurt a lot. I got a mermaid on my back when I was in boot camp.† â€Å"A mermaid?† The bald man chuckled. â€Å"Yeah,† he said, feeling sheepish. â€Å"The mistakes we make in our youth.† â€Å"I hear you,† the bald man said. â€Å"I made a big mistake in my youth, too. Now I wake up with her every morning.† They both laughed as the man headed off. Child's play, Mal'akh thought as he moved past Nunez and up the escalator toward the Capitol Building. The entry had been easier than anticipated. Mal'akh's slouching posture and padded belly had hidden his true physique, while the makeup on his face and hands had hidden the tattoos that covered his body. The true genius, however, was the sling, which disguised the potent object Mal'akh was transporting into the building. A gift for the one man on earth who can help me obtain what I seek. CHAPTER 5 The world's largest and most technologically advanced museum is also one of the world's best- kept secrets. It houses more pieces than the Hermitage, the Vatican Museum, and the New York Metropolitan . . . combined. Yet despite its magnificent collection, few members of the public are ever invited inside its heavily guarded walls. Located at 4210 Silver Hill Road just outside of Washington, D.C., the museum is a massive zigzag-shaped edifice constructed of five interconnected pods–each pod larger than a football field. The building's bluish metal exterior barely hints at the strangeness within–a six-hundred- thousand-square-foot alien world that contains a â€Å"dead zone,† a â€Å"wet pod,† and more than twelve miles of storage cabinets. Tonight, scientist Katherine Solomon was feeling unsettled as she drove her white Volvo up to the building's main security gate. The guard smiled. â€Å"Not a football fan, Ms. Solomon?† He lowered the volume on the Redskins play-off pregame show. Katherine forced a tense smile. â€Å"It's Sunday night.† â€Å"Oh, that's right. Your meeting.† â€Å"Is he here yet?† she asked anxiously. He glanced down at his paperwork. â€Å"I don't see him on the log.† â€Å"I'm early.† Katherine gave a friendly wave and continued up the winding access road to her usual parking spot at the bottom of the small, two-tiered lot. She began collecting her things and gave herself a quick check in the rearview mirror–more out of force of habit than actual vanity. Katherine Solomon had been blessed with the resilient Mediterranean skin of her ancestry, and even at fifty years old she had a smooth olive complexion. She used almost no makeup and wore her thick black hair unstyled and down. Like her older brother, Peter, she had gray eyes and a slender, patrician elegance. You two might as well be twins, people often told them. Their father had succumbed to cancer when Katherine was only seven, and she had little memory of him. Her brother, eight years Katherine's senior and only fifteen when their father died, had begun his journey toward becoming the Solomon patriarch much sooner than anyone had ever dreamed. As expected, though, Peter had grown into the role with the dignity and strength befitting their family name. To this day, he still watched over Katherine as though they were just kids. Despite her brother's occasional prodding, and no shortage of suitors, Katherine had never married. Science had become her life partner, and her work had proven more fulfilling and exciting than any man could ever hope to be. Katherine had no regrets. Her field of choice–Noetic Science–had been virtually unknown when she first heard of it, but in recent years it had started opening new doors of understanding into the power of the human mind. Our untapped potential is truly shocking. Katherine's two books on Noetics had established her as a leader in this obscure field, but her most recent discoveries, when published, promised to make Noetic Science a topic of mainstream conversation around the world. Tonight, however, science was the last thing on her mind. Earlier in the day, she had received some truly upsetting information relating to her brother. I still can't believe it's true. She'd thought of nothing else all afternoon. A pattering of light rain drummed on her windshield, and Katherine quickly gathered her things to get inside. She was about to step out of her car when her cell phone rang. She checked the caller ID and inhaled deeply. Then she tucked her hair behind her ears and settled in to take the call. Six miles away, Mal'akh was moving through the corridors of the U.S. Capitol Building with a cell phone pressed to his ear. He waited patiently as the line rang. Finally, a woman's voice answered. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"We need to meet again,† Mal'akh said. There was a long pause. â€Å"Is everything all right?† â€Å"I have new information,† Mal'akh said. â€Å"Tell me.† Mal'akh took a deep breath. â€Å"That which your brother believes is hidden in D.C. . . . ?† â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"It can be found.† Katherine Solomon sounded stunned. â€Å"You're telling me–it is real?† Mal'akh smiled to himself. â€Å"Sometimes a legend that endures for centuries . . . endures for a reason.† CHAPTER 6 Is this as close as you can get?† Robert Langdon felt a sudden wave of anxiety as his driver parked on First Street, a good quarter mile from the Capitol Building. â€Å"Afraid so,† the driver said. â€Å"Homeland Security. No vehicles near landmark buildings anymore. I'm sorry, sir.† Langdon checked his watch, startled to see it was already 6:50. A construction zone around the National Mall had slowed them down, and his lecture was to begin in ten minutes. â€Å"Weather's turning,† the driver said, hopping out and opening Langdon's door for him. â€Å"You'll want to hurry.† Langdon reached for his wallet to tip the driver, but the man waved him off. â€Å"Your host already added a very generous tip to the charge.† Typical Peter, Langdon thought, gathering his things. â€Å"Okay, thanks for the ride.† The first few raindrops began to fall as Langdon reached the top of the gracefully arched concourse that descended to the new â€Å"underground† visitors' entrance. The Capitol Visitor Center had been a costly and controversial project. Described as an underground city to rival parts of Disney World, this subterranean space reportedly provided over a half-million square feet of space for exhibits, restaurants, and meeting halls. Langdon had been looking forward to seeing it, although he hadn't anticipated quite this long a walk. The skies were threatening to open at any moment, and he broke into a jog, his loafers offering almost no traction on the wet cement. I dressed for a lecture, not a four-hundred-yard downhill dash through the rain! When he arrived at the bottom, he was breathless and panting. Langdon pushed through the revolving door, taking a moment in the foyer to catch his breath and brush off the rain. As he did, he raised his eyes to the newly completed space before him. Okay, I'm impressed. The Capitol Visitor Center was not at all what he had expected. Because the space was underground, Langdon had been apprehensive about passing through it. A childhood accident had left him stranded at the bottom of a deep well overnight, and Langdon now lived with an almost crippling aversion to enclosed spaces. But this underground space was . . . airy somehow. Light. Spacious. The ceiling was a vast expanse of glass with a series of dramatic light fixtures that threw a muted glow across the pearl-colored interior finishes. Normally, Langdon would have taken a full hour in here to admire the architecture, but with five minutes until showtime, he put his head down and dashed through the main hall toward the security checkpoint and escalators. Relax, he told himself. Peter knows you're on your way. The event won't start without you. At the security point, a young Hispanic guard chatted with him while Langdon emptied his pockets and removed his vintage watch. â€Å"Mickey Mouse?† the guard said, sounding mildly amused. Langdon nodded, accustomed to the comments. The collector's edition Mickey Mouse watch had been a gift from his parents on his ninth birthday. â€Å"I wear it to remind me to slow down and take life less seriously.† â€Å"I don't think it's working,† the guard said with a smile. â€Å"You look like you're in a serious hurry.† Langdon smiled and put his daybag through the X-ray machine. â€Å"Which way to the Statuary Hall?† The guard motioned toward the escalators. â€Å"You'll see the signs.† â€Å"Thanks.† Langdon grabbed his bag off the conveyor and hurried on. As the escalator ascended, Langdon took a deep breath and tried to gather his thoughts. He gazed up through the rain-speckled glass ceiling at the mountainous form of the illuminated Capitol Dome overhead. It was an astonishing building. High atop her roof, almost three hundred feet in the air, the Statue of Freedom peered out into the misty darkness like a ghostly sentinel. Langdon always found it ironic that the workers who hoisted each piece of the nineteen-and-a-half-foot bronze statue to her perch were slaves–a Capitol secret that seldom made the syllabi of high school history classes. This entire building, in fact, was a treasure trove of bizarre arcana that included a â€Å"killer bathtub† responsible for the pneumonic murder of Vice President Henry Wilson, a staircase with a permanent bloodstain over which an inordinate number of guests seemed to trip, and a sealed basement chamber in which workers in 1930 discovered General John Alexander Logan's long- deceased stuffed horse. No legends were as enduring, however, as the claims of thirteen different ghosts that haunted this building. The spirit of city designer Pierre L'Enfant frequently was reported wandering the halls, seeking payment of his bill, now two hundred years overdue. The ghost of a worker who fell from the Capitol Dome during construction was seen wandering the corridors with a tray of tools. And, of course, the most famous apparition of all, reported numerous times in the Capitol basement–an ephemeral black cat that prowled the substructure's eerie maze of narrow passageways and cubicles. Langdon stepped off the escalator and again checked his watch. Three minutes. He hurried down the wide corridor, following the signs toward the Statuary Hall and rehearsing his opening remarks in his head. Langdon had to admit that Peter's assistant had been correct; this lecture topic would be a perfect match for an event hosted in Washington, D.C., by a prominent Mason. It was no secret that D.C. had a rich Masonic history. The cornerstone of this very building had been laid in a full Masonic ritual by George Washington himself. This city had been conceived and designed by Master Masons–George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Pierre L'Enfant– powerful minds who adorned their new capital with Masonic symbolism, architecture, and art. Of course, people see in those symbols all kinds of crazy ideas. Many conspiracy theorists claimed the Masonic forefathers had concealed powerful secrets throughout Washington along with symbolic messages hidden in the city's layout of streets. Langdon never paid any attention. Misinformation about the Masons was so commonplace that even educated Harvard students seemed to have surprisingly warped conceptions about the brotherhood. Last year, a freshman had rushed wild-eyed into Langdon's classroom with a printout from the Web. It was a street map of D.C. on which certain streets had been highlighted to form various shapes–satanic pentacles, a Masonic compass and square, the head of Baphomet–proof apparently that the Masons who designed Washington, D.C., were involved in some kind of dark, mystical conspiracy. â€Å"Fun,† Langdon said, â€Å"but hardly convincing. If you draw enough intersecting lines on a map, you're bound to find all kinds of shapes.† â€Å"But this can't be coincidence!† the kid exclaimed. Langdon patiently showed the student that the same exact shapes could be formed on a street map of Detroit. The kid seemed sorely disappointed. â€Å"Don't be disheartened,† Langdon said. â€Å"Washington does have some incredible secrets . . . just none on this street map.† The young man perked up. â€Å"Secrets? Like what?† â€Å"Every spring I teach a course called Occult Symbols. I talk a lot about D.C. You should take the course.† â€Å"Occult symbols!† The freshman looked excited again. â€Å"So there are devil symbols in D.C.!† Langdon smiled. â€Å"Sorry, but the word occult, despite conjuring images of devil worship, actually means `hidden' or `obscured.' In times of religious oppression, knowledge that was counterdoctrinal had to be kept hidden or `occult,' and because the church felt threatened by this, they redefined anything `occult' as evil, and the prejudice survived.† â€Å"Oh.† The kid slumped. Nonetheless, that spring, Langdon spotted the freshman seated in the front row as five hundred students bustled into Harvard's Sanders Theatre, a hollow old lecture hall with creaking wooden benches. â€Å"Good morning, everybody,† Langdon shouted from the expansive stage. He turned on a slide projector, and an image materialized behind him. â€Å"As you're getting settled, how many of you recognize the building in this picture?† â€Å"U.S. Capitol!† dozens of voices called out in unison. â€Å"Washington, D.C.!† â€Å"Yes. There are nine million pounds of ironwork in that dome. An unparalleled feat of architectural ingenuity for the 1850s.† â€Å"Awesome!† somebody shouted. Langdon rolled his eyes, wishing somebody would ban that word. â€Å"Okay, and how many of you have ever been to Washington?† A scattering of hands went up. â€Å"So few?† Langdon feigned surprise. â€Å"And how many of you have been to Rome, Paris, Madrid, or London?† Almost all the hands in the room went up. As usual. One of the rites of passage for American college kids was a summer with a Eurorail ticket before the harsh reality of real life set in. â€Å"It appears many more of you have visited Europe than have visited your own capital. Why do you think that is?† â€Å"No drinking age in Europe!† someone in back shouted. Langdon smiled. â€Å"As if the drinking age here stops any of you?† Everyone laughed. It was the first day of school, and the students were taking longer than usual to get settled, shifting and creaking in their wooden pews. Langdon loved teaching in this hall because he always knew how engaged the students were simply by listening to how much they fidgeted in their pews. â€Å"Seriously,† Langdon said, â€Å"Washington, D.C., has some of the world's finest architecture, art, and symbolism. Why would you go overseas before visiting your own capital?† â€Å"Ancient stuff is cooler,† someone said. â€Å"And by ancient stuff,† Langdon clarified, â€Å"I assume you mean castles, crypts, temples, that sort of thing?† Their heads nodded in unison. â€Å"Okay. Now, what if I told you that Washington, D.C., has every one of those things? Castles, crypts, pyramids, temples . . . it's all there.† The creaking diminished. â€Å"My friends,† Langdon said, lowering his voice and moving to the front of the stage, â€Å"in the next hour, you will discover that our nation is overflowing with secrets and hidden history. And exactly as in Europe, all of the best secrets are hidden in plain view.† The wooden pews fell dead silent. Gotcha. Langdon dimmed the lights and called up his second slide. â€Å"Who can tell me what George Washington is doing here?† The slide was a famous mural depicting George Washington dressed in full Masonic regalia standing before an odd-looking contraption–a giant wooden tripod that supported a rope-and- pulley system from which was suspended a massive block of stone. A group of well-dressed onlookers stood around him. â€Å"Lifting that big block of stone?† someone ventured. Langdon said nothing, preferring that a student make the correction if possible. â€Å"Actually,† another student offered, â€Å"I think Washington is lowering the rock. He's wearing a Masonic costume. I've seen pictures of Masons laying cornerstones before. The ceremony always uses that tripod thing to lower the first stone.† â€Å"Excellent,† Langdon said. â€Å"The mural portrays the Father of Our Country using a tripod and pulley to lay the cornerstone of our Capitol Building on September 18, 1793, between the hours of eleven fifteen and twelve thirty.† Langdon paused, scanning the class. â€Å"Can anyone tell me the significance of that date and time?† Silence. â€Å"What if I told you that precise moment was chosen by three famous Masons–George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Pierre L'Enfant, the primary architect for D.C.?† More silence. â€Å"Quite simply, the cornerstone was set at that date and time because, among other things, the auspicious Caput Draconis was in Virgo.† Everyone exchanged odd looks. â€Å"Hold on,† someone said. â€Å"You mean . . . like astrology?† â€Å"Exactly. Although a different astrology than we know today.† A hand went up. â€Å"You mean our Founding Fathers believed in astrology?† Langdon grinned. â€Å"Big-time. What would you say if I told you the city of Washington, D.C., has more astrological signs in its architecture than any other city in the world–zodiacs, star charts, cornerstones laid at precise astrological dates and times? More than half of the framers of our Constitution were Masons, men who strongly believed that the stars and fate were intertwined, men who paid close attention to the layout of the heavens as they structured their new world.† â€Å"But that whole thing about the Capitol cornerstone being laid while Caput Draconis was in Virgo–who cares? Can't that just be coincidence?† â€Å"An impressive coincidence considering that the cornerstones of the three structures that make up Federal Triangle–the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument–were all laid in different years but were carefully timed to occur under this exact same astrological condition.† Langdon's gaze was met by a room full of wide eyes. A number of heads dipped down as students began taking notes. A hand in back went up. â€Å"Why did they do that?† Langdon chuckled. â€Å"The answer to that is an entire semester's worth of material. If you're curious, you should take my mysticism course. Frankly, I don't think you guys are emotionally prepared to hear the answer.† â€Å"What?† the person shouted. â€Å"Try us!† Langdon made a show of considering it and then shook his head, toying with them. â€Å"Sorry, I can't do that. Some of you are only freshmen. I'm afraid it might blow your minds.† â€Å"Tell us!† everyone shouted. Langdon shrugged. â€Å"Perhaps you should join the Masons or Eastern Star and learn about it from the source.† â€Å"We can't get in,† a young man argued. â€Å"The Masons are like a supersecret society!† â€Å"Supersecret? Really?† Langdon remembered the large Masonic ring that his friend Peter Solomon wore proudly on his right hand. â€Å"Then why do Masons wear obvious Masonic rings, tie clips, or pins? Why are Masonic buildings clearly marked? Why are their meeting times in the newspaper?† Langdon smiled at all the puzzled faces. â€Å"My friends, the Masons are not a secret society . . . they are a society with secrets.† â€Å"Same thing,† someone muttered. â€Å"Is it?† Langdon challenged. â€Å"Would you consider Coca-Cola a secret society?† â€Å"Of course not,† the student said. â€Å"Well, what if you knocked on the door of corporate headquarters and asked for the recipe for Classic Coke?† â€Å"They'd never tell you.† â€Å"Exactly. In order to learn Coca-Cola's deepest secret, you would need to join the company, work for many years, prove you were trustworthy, and eventually rise to the upper echelons of the company, where that information might be shared with you. Then you would be sworn to secrecy.† â€Å"So you're saying Freemasonry is like a corporation?† â€Å"Only insofar as they have a strict hierarchy and they take secrecy very seriously.† â€Å"My uncle is a Mason,† a young woman piped up. â€Å"And my aunt hates it because he won't talk about it with her. She says Masonry is some kind of strange religion.† â€Å"A common misperception.† â€Å"It's not a religion?† â€Å"Give it the litmus test,† Langdon said. â€Å"Who here has taken Professor Witherspoon's comparative religion course?† Several hands went up. â€Å"Good. So tell me, what are the three prerequisites for an ideology to be considered a religion?† â€Å"ABC,† one woman offered. â€Å"Assure, Believe, Convert.† â€Å"Correct,† Langdon said. â€Å"Religions assure salvation; religions believe in a precise theology; and religions convert nonbelievers.† He paused. â€Å"Masonry, however, is batting zero for three. Masons make no promises of salvation; they have no specific theology; and they do not seek to convert you. In fact, within Masonic lodges, discussions of religion are prohibited.† â€Å"So . . . Masonry is anti religious?† â€Å"On the contrary. One of the prerequisites for becoming a Mason is that you must believe in a higher power. The difference between Masonic spirituality and organized religion is that the Masons do not impose a specific definition or name on a higher power. Rather than definitive theological identities like God, Allah, Buddha, or Jesus, the Masons use more general terms like Supreme Being or Great Architect of the Universe. This enables Masons of different faiths to gather together.† â€Å"Sounds a little far-out,† someone said. â€Å"Or, perhaps, refreshingly open-minded?† Langdon offered. â€Å"In this age when different cultures are killing each other over whose definition of God is better, one could say the Masonic tradition of tolerance and open-mindedness is commendable.† Langdon paced the stage. â€Å"Moreover, Masonry is open to men of all races, colors, and creeds, and provides a spiritual fraternity that does not discriminate in any way.† â€Å"Doesn't discriminate?† A member of the university's Women's Center stood up. â€Å"How many women are permitted to be Masons, Professor Langdon?† Langdon showed his palms in surrender. â€Å"A fair point. Freemasonry had its roots, traditionally, in the stone masons' guilds of Europe and was therefore a man's organization. Several hundred years ago, some say as early as 1703, a women's branch called Eastern Star was founded. They have more than a million members.† â€Å"Nonetheless,† the woman said, â€Å"Masonry is a powerful organization from which women are excluded.† Langdon was not sure how powerful the Masons really were anymore, and he was not going to go down that road; perceptions of the modern Masons ranged from their being a group of harmless old men who liked to play dress-up . . . all the way to an underground cabal of power brokers who ran the world. The truth, no doubt, was somewhere in the middle. â€Å"Professor Langdon,† called a young man with curly hair in the back row, â€Å"if Masonry is not a secret society, not a corporation, and not a religion, then what is it?† â€Å"Well, if you were to ask a Mason, he would offer the following definition: Masonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.† â€Å"Sounds to me like a euphemism for `freaky cult.' â€Å" â€Å"Freaky, you say?† â€Å"Hell yes!† the kid said, standing up. â€Å"I heard what they do inside those secret buildings! Weird candlelight rituals with coffins, and nooses, and drinking wine out of skulls. Now that's freaky!† Langdon scanned the class. â€Å"Does that sound freaky to anyone else?† â€Å"Yes!† they all chimed in. Langdon feigned a sad sigh. â€Å"Too bad. If that's too freaky for you, then I know you'll never want to join my cult.† Silence settled over the room. The student from the Women's Center looked uneasy. â€Å"You're in a cult?† Langdon nodded and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. â€Å"Don't tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh.† The class looked horrified. Langdon shrugged. â€Å"And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion.† The classroom remained silent. Langdon winked. â€Å"Open your minds, my friends. We all fear what we do not understand.† The tolling of a clock began echoing through the Capitol corridors. Seven o'clock. Robert Langdon was now running. Talk about a dramatic entrance. Passing through the House Connecting Corridor, he spotted the entrance to the National Statuary Hall and headed straight for it. As he neared the door, he slowed to a nonchalant stroll and took several deep breaths. Buttoning his jacket, he lifted his chin ever so slightly and turned the corner just as the final chime sounded. Showtime. As Professor Robert Langdon strode into the National Statuary Hall, he raised his eyes and smiled warmly. An instant later, his smile evaporated. He stopped dead in his tracks. Something was very, very wrong.