Fall of the Roman Empire - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 897 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/10/30 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Ancient Rome Essay Did you like this example? The city of Rome, which became a capital of one of the largest empires in the history of Europe if not the world, is in central Italy, along the Tiber River, about 15 miles from the Tyrrhenian sea. Surrounded by the fertile land of the plain of Latium, the tiny village that became Rome was originally settled on the eastern bank of the Tiber, nestled between seven hills. The Capitoline Hill is northwest of the Palatine Hill, which is roughly in the central part of the city, The Aventine Hill,which is south of the palatin, lies to the west of the caelian, the southeastern hill that begins the chain of hills that stretch north the esquiline, viminal, and quirinal. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Fall of the Roman Empire" essay for you Create order Another hill, the janiculum, which lies west of the Tiber, was one of the earliest defenses against Romes etruscan neighbors. Augustus inaugurated a period of government called the principate during which the Roman Empire greatly expanded, and despite assassination, corruption, and frequent war, the principate survived until the third century. The death of the Emperor commodus ushered in a new civil war, one that only ended with seven emperors. When the last them, Severus Alexander, died in 235, Rome was plunged into the Roman Civil Wars of 235-284, a period characterized by barracks emperors, few of whom ruled very long. Order returned with the Dominate. The term applied to the next system of government, which began with the Emperor Diocletian. Emperors of the Dominate did not look republican ideas for legitimacy but to religion and new relationship with deity. This not only removed the need for a republican ideas for legitimacy but religion and a new relationship with deity. This not only removed the need for a republican facade, which characterized the principate, but also removed the Roman Army, which h ad long thought of itself as a kingmaker. In 284 CE, Diocletian reorganized the empire and established regional capitals to make imperial authority present where needed. The tetrarchy, or rule by four men, helped strengthen the internal and external security of the empire, but when Diocletian retired, civil war began once again. Romans thought that it much faster to go to sea to land, most Romans traveling long distances went by ship. There were no passenger vessels, so if if one wished to travel was concerned with the food supply of Rome, these large freighters were the ships that passengers would travel on. Because of the harshness and unpredictability of winter storms at sea, ships mainly sailed in the summer. A few traveled in the spring and fall, but very few would risk sailing in the spring and fall, but very few would risk sailing in the winter, when storms were most frequent. Most ships clung to the coast noth so that they could quickly seek shelter and because there were no reliable means of navigating across the open sea. The tendency of ships to stay close to shore made them vulnerable to a different menace/pirates. Just as bandits roamed the countryside, for the most of Roman history, pirates ruled the seas. The shore hugging nature of ancient sailing made it easy for greedy or desperate men to watch for such ships and, when they were sighted they would dash out to sea and seize them. They often killed the crew or sold them into slavery and stole the goods to be sold later. If pirates captured a wealthy or important person, they would hold him or her for ransom. In some coastal areas of the Mediterranean, piracy was a way of life. The most infamous area was along the coast of Asia Minor in a region called Cilica. Piracy was most rampant in periods when central authority was weakest. The Late Republic was one of the worse times, pirates gangs attained the power of small kingdoms. No one was safe from them, as illustrated by the fact that when Julius Caesar was young he was captured by pirates who held him for ransom. However, he was insulted that his captors asked for only 20 talents of ransom when Caesar thought that he was worth at least 50. He told his captors that as a result of this offence, he would have them all crucified. As soon as his ransom was paid and he was released, he gathered together some ships and soldiers, tracked down the pirates, and as he said he would had them all crucified. Eventually piracy became so severe piracy became so severe that the Romans had to act. In 67 BCE, a special law called the Lex Gabinia was passed, giving the general Pompey the Great and extraordinary command. He was awarded absolute power over the entire Mediterranean Sea as well as along the coasts to a distance of 50 miles in land. He was given 20 legions and 270 ships, and he was ordered to solve the pirate problem. He divided the sea into 13 regions and set up blockades so that no one could pass from one region to another. He then began at one end of the Mediterranean and swept across it, capturing and destroying all the pirates strongholds on the coasts while driving the fleets ahead of him. Ian only three months, pompey succeeded in purging the Mediterranean of piracy. Piracy naturally came back, but after the establishment of Rome naval bases, it was never as much of a threat as it had been during the Late Republic.

Germany Before 1848 Essay - 1027 Words

Before 1848 Germany DBQ The political, economical, and social order of the Germanic states in the nineteenth century was in a state of chaos and disarray. Politically, the states had the desire of becoming unified and had the possibility to do so if it had not been for fear and neglect to follow through. Economically, the states were in a time of hardships with poor growth development in the fields and were also going through the time of the Industrial Revolution with changes to their everyday lives. Socially, the Germanic states were divided into a feudal system that was determined by birth status and wealth. The middle class, made up of scholars and students, and aristocracy had shared the same fear of the commoners’ revolt due†¦show more content†¦An economist Fredrick List was one that was concerned with the health of the lower class and the availability of bread in his pamphlet in 1834 describing how the body would deal with the poor health in which they were receiving (doc. 5). Others took less concern with the lower class situation and were in a state of new inventions and discovering which had created confusion. Riegel was a book seller who had written an essay discussing the economic changes that the Germanic states were going through and how they would possibly cope with these changes (doc. 6). The middle class was sufficient with their social status where they did not have to pay taxes. They also did not want the lower class to receive more power than they deserved. The middle class believed that the actions of the lower class were not deserving of more power due to their actions such as the riots depicted in Prussia (doc. 9). The middle class was experiencing the changes along with the aristocracy. The aristocracy had many of the same views and opinions as the middle class. They lived in fear of the revolt of the lower class. They however needed the courage to fight for politically they too wanted unification with depende ncy on the princes and soldiers (doc. 8). Economically, aristocracy had money in a time where most did not. They survived in better comfort than most but still managed to struggle when it came to providing for family members. In a women’s perspective, the labor ofShow MoreRelatedThe Revolutions of 1848 Essay806 Words   |  4 PagesThe Revolutions of 1848 During the year of 1848, a revolutionary tide broke out in Europe. Revolutions were emerging in different parts of Europe at the same time and quickly spread from France to Italy to Germany, Austria, Hungary and otherRead MoreEssay Society at the Time of the Communist Manifesto1358 Words   |  6 Pagesfood in many areas of Europe, especially Ireland. Citizens felt that middle class had taken rule over society and that others were being overlooked. These reasons combined to add up to the events that occurred in the year 1848. There were numerous revolts in Europe in 1848, and in general they were poorly organized. While they did come quickly and gather enormous movement quickly, they also collapsed quickly.2 There were a number of reasons the movement was weakened. The radical social reformersRead MoreThe Impact Of Nationalism1325 Words   |  6 Pages Nationalism is a sense of putting one’s country before themselves and everything else due to common cultures, languages and other customs. It has been a part of the way modern history has been shaped since the late 18th century with Napoleon, all the way to present day. As one historian wrote, Nationalism is a â€Å"Political outlook†¦that a nation is composed of people who are joined together by the bonds of a common language†¦customs, culture, and history† (9/13/17). Nationalism has shaped the historyRead MoreMarx s The Marxist Theory Essay1373 Words   |  6 PagesIn his introduction to the re-publication of Marx’s bo ok The Class Struggles in France, German social scientist and cofounder of the Marxist theory Frederick Engels analyzes the revolution of 1848 and its consequences, discussing several ideas such as â€Å"the appropriation by society of the means of production,† the shift from violent revolutions to more pacific ones, and the importance of universal suffrage in achieving social reconstruction (12). And by social reconstruction, Engels means the transferRead MoreOtto Von Bismarck-German Unification-Nationalism681 Words   |  3 PagesNationalism is the aspiration of a people with a common language, culture and traditions to be unified. Nationalism grew into a movement after 1815, influenced by literature, music, politics and economic developments between the northern Germany states. 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To continue, MetternichRead MoreEssay on Nationalism and Liberalism 1368 Words   |  6 PagesOften called â€Å"the People’s Spring†, the Revolutions of 1848 marked a time of political and social turmoil widespread across the European continent. It is during this time we see monarchies overthrown, the formation of new countries, and â€Å"radical ideologies† such as Nationalism, and Liberalism become the beliefs of the middle-class. The populations of European countries were growing at a rate never seen before. The masses started becoming agitated with the current monarchial system of governmentRead MoreCritical Assessment of 3 Causes of World War 11361 Words   |  6 Pagesin favour of preserving the peace, however, revolutions and strong nationalistic movements during the late 19th century dissolved the anti-nationalistic work of the Congress of Vienna and led to the unification of Italy in 1861 and Germany in 1871 after they were left as divided states by the Congress. Nationalism was the most imposing cause of war in the late 19th and early 20th century as it caused a problem ultimately due to the fact that a nation’s goals came intoRead More Biographies of Karl Marx and Frederich Engels Essay1387 Words   |  6 Pagesoften not accepted in various societies but this did not stop him from professing them. Marx found that his personal ideas could be expressed freely, not in his own country, but in other countries. This soon became a problem because his homeland of Germany tried to oppress him through pressure. Engels life was different because of the family that he came from. Engels was born into the life of a middle-upper class family that allowed him more freedom in his life. Engels found that his individual ideasRead MoreRevolution of 18481143 Words   |  5 PagesBefore the revolution of 1848, class status defined every citizen s place in the social, political, and economic order causing problems throughout Germany. Due to the separation of the states, some Germans advocated German unification under a single constitutional monarchy; however, after the defeat of Napol eon, their dreams were crushed. Developing power was scattered among three hundred different states consolidated under the Holy Roman Empire. Powerful regions like Prussia and Austria gained

Role of Internet / Web Technology on Modern Public Administration Free Essays

Role of Internet / Web Technology on Modern Public Administration The Internet has become as one of the most important form of communication media in and among public administration. Communication is an essential part of every field. The effects of web technology on how we communicate in the field of Public Administration on wider biases. We will write a custom essay sample on Role of Internet / Web Technology on Modern Public Administration or any similar topic only for you Order Now Public Administrators communicate easily and fast way with the use of internet. Such as, they delivered a matter or message in a minute by an email. Business meeting are done by video conferences such as, if someone is not present in the meeting, we can communicate with, we can see and listen his comments with the use of internet in just a minute. Public administrators can access everywhere all over the world through internet. They can reach both rural and global areas. They can get the every type of information from internet. They can watch, listen, and read the news from internet. They can access the international markets and international affairs. The construction and management of the World Wide Web sites are becoming essential elements of modern public administration. Administrators are now facing a great challenge. They are required to achieve new goals in an increasingly shorter time. But that is not mean to enhanced transparency, greater efficiency and higher levels of citizen services; they also want to reduce costs. Only web technology fulfills these requirements. Administrators should build modern systems for offices is their extensive use in the Internet architecture and the use of such elements, which ensure gathering of all information, security, and ease of data circulation and the possibility of their versatile use by authorized persons. Administrators should attend the conferences, where latest technologies are presented. Using these new technologies, the Authority may significantly reduce the cost of all transactions, improve efficiency, ensure transparency and accountability, as well as meet all expectations. Role based access control (RBAC) is a technology that reduced the complexity and cost of security administration in large networked applications. The concept and design of RBAC is perfectly suited for use on both intranets and internets. It provides a secure and effective way to manage access to administration web information. Web technology allows administration to share with the public a variety of information in unlimited quantities on demand. Technology is also available to allow citizens to bring issues of concern to the attention of local, regional and national administration. However, exploiting these capabilities within administration systems is a challenge that surrounds environmental, policy, legal, and cultural issues. Establishing effective administration requires openness, transparency, collaboration and skill in taking advantage of the capabilities of the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web has an opportunity to provide guidance in support of administration objectives by promoting existing open web standards and noting the challenges external to the web and technology. The World Wide Web also facilitates the development of new open web standards needed by administration in context. Public managers are looking for ways to fully exploit the advantages of Web services technology for improving service delivery. Now a day it is impossible to work without web technology in public administration. Impact of cyber Crime on Pakistan Economics Cyber crimes are increasing day by day in Pakistan from last some years. According to cyber crime unit, only few cases have been seen 4 to 5 years ago, but the ratio of these cases increased tremendously now. In Pakistan, the ratio of cyber crime is low as compared to developed countries. There are a number of cyber crimes in Pakistan including cyber pornography, sale of illegal articles, online gambling, intellectual property crimes, email spoofing, cyber stalking, forgery, unauthorized access to computer systems or networks, theft of information contained in electronic form, virus attacks, Trojan attacks, Internet time theft, password cracking and financial cyber crimes. According to cyber crime unit, the hacking of ATM card numbers and bank accounts are tremendously rising in Pakistan. There are no effective systems to reduce these crimes. And number of crimes increases day by day in Pakistan. For this reason, no one wants to invest money in Pakistan. Foreign investors does not take interest to invest money, even they move their business from Pakistan to some other countries. Not only foreign investor, Pakistani investors also does not invest their money in Pakistan due to defective security system. Due to this, Pakistan lost hundreds of thousands jobs. The ratio of unemployment increased that affect the Pakistani economy badly. The ratio of inflation also increased due to this the value of Pakistani currency decreased. Tax and revenue system of government also affected due to this. Because government lost the revenue in the shape of tax that they collected the companies removed. In short, Pakistan economy badly affected due to increased in cyber crimes. Government should want to make an effective system to removed cyber crimes. Federal Investigation Association (FIA), a cyber crime unit working in Pakistan to remove these crimes. _____________________________ How to cite Role of Internet / Web Technology on Modern Public Administration, Essays

Selective Attention Essay Example For Students

Selective Attention Essay Kahneman and Treisman (1984, p.55) have succinctly described the main disagreement between early selection and late selection theories of attention: ‘The classic question of attention theory has always been whether attention controls the build-up of perceptual information, or merely selects among the responses associated with currently active percepts.’ Early selection theories hold that attention serves to select which one of a number of stimuli will be further semantically processed and stored in long term memory. On the other hand, more recent late selection theories maintain that selective attention operates after all stimuli are semantically processed. This essay briefly examines and discusses the main findings and criticisms that have caused the transition from early selection models to late selection models of attention. Apart from these two extreme positions, theories that combine aspects of both theories are also discussed. The essential question which, if answered, would provide evidence on whether stimuli are semantically processed before or after selection is what people know about the unattended information. If the subject does not know the meaning of unattended information, this would mean that it has been discarded before it has been processed for meaning. One of the first approaches to this question was attempted by Cherry (1953, in Parkin, 1999) who carried out an experiment in which subjects were required hear two different messages simultaneously, one in each ear, but only pay attention to one of them. To make sure that subjects were not attending to the other message, they were asked to shadow the attended message, that is to recite aloud everything they heard. Subjects could report the physical characteristics of the voice in the unattended message, but not its meaning. Cherry concluded that selective attention completely overshadows the meaning of unattended stimuli. Broadbent’s (195 8, in Eysenck Keane, 1995) ‘filter’ model of attention was based on a similar experiment. Subjects were presented dichotically with pairs of digits and were instructed to shadow whichever message they preferred. A strong preference was shown for attending ear-by-ear. Broadbent theorised that stimuli are selected according to their physical attributes and unattended messages are not semantically processed and discarded. According to Broadbent, switching attention from one stimulus to another is also quite difficult. These two previous experiments had numerous weaknesses. In Cherry’s experiment subjects were asked about information in non-shadowed messages after they had completed the shadowing phase. This information may have been perceived and processed, but forgotten later. In Broadbent’s experiment there was no particular meaning to be extracted from the pairs of digits presented, so there was no sufficient evidence to draw conclusions about semantic pr ocessing. Moreover, it was later made clear that it is possible to easily switch attention from one ear to another, when the meaning of the unattended message was relevant to the shadowed message. Experiments by Grey and Wedderburn (1960, in Parkin, 1999) and Treisman (1964, in Parkin, 1999) demonstrated that subjects select which message to attend to by following the meaning of a sentence. This suggests that humans can select a stimulus according to its meaning not only its physical cues. This could directly provide evidence for a late-selection model. However, Treisman (1960, in Kahneman and Treisman, 1984) accounted for this finding with the ‘attenuator’ model, which is still an early selection theory. She proposed that the filter described by Broadbent is actually more flexible and the unattended message can be partly semantically processed. Treisman’s attenuation theory was a good alternative to the filter model, as it could explain the new findings. However, it has been criticised for lack of clarity and for being a half-measure. Since subjects’ attention appears to be directed according to the meaning of a sentence, one could also claim that t hey can actually fully process stimuli for meaning before selection. .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d , .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d .postImageUrl , .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d , .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d:hover , .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d:visited , .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d:active { border:0!important; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d:active , .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u82338f36b44e5b8f5ff03e8d0726d38d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Difference of psychopath and psychotic EssayIn the area of visual attention, Johnston and Dark (1986, in Eysenck Keane, 1995) presented evidence that unattended visual stimuli undergo little or no semantic processing. However, counter evidence comes from recent studies with subjects suffering from simultagnosia. Patients are unable to attend to more than one object at any given time, even when objects are close together. However, when an unattended word is semantically related to the attended word, patients can report both words (Caslett Suffran, 1991, in Allport, 1993). Experiments on which early-selection models have been based appear problematic. Many authors (e.g. Deutsch Deutsch, 1963, in Eysenck, 1995; Parkin, 1999) have argued that the shadowing task is too demanding for the subjects to be able to process the unattended stimuli in a way equivalent to real world conditions. It should also be noted that theories for attention were developed on the basis of either auditory or visual experiments solely, although it was not evident that the same mechanisms are employed in all types of attention. Following the findings by Gray and Wedderburn (1960, in Parkin, 1999), Deutsch and Deutsch (1963, in Eysenck Keane, 1995) formed the first account of a late selection theory, proposing that all stimuli are fully analysed and attention merely selects the most important stimulus to respond to. However, it was difficult to provide evidence for this position, as an experiment by Treisman and Riley (1989, in Eysenck Keane, 1995) showed that subjects detected much less target words in non-shadowed messages. More evidence for late selection came from studies on subliminal perception. Some studies have shown that an unnoticed aspect of a stimulus, can influence subjects’ behaviour (Parkin, 1999). This indicates that unattended features of stimuli can be semantically processed. However, there is still no evidence that unattended messages are fully analysed. In the face of lack of evidence for the Deutsch and Deutsch theory, Johnston and Heinz (1978, in Parkin, 1999; 1978, in Eysenck Keane, 1995) proposed a less rigid model in which selection is possible both before and after semantic processing of information. They assumed that there is a limited central capacity, which is carefully allocated to various tasks including reasoning, auditory attention, visual attention and other functions. Early selection was considered to consume fewer resources than late selection. Thus, when a task involves physical cues early selection should be preferred. However, there is evidence that dissimilar tasks, for example visual attention and auditory attention, interfere less with each other when performed simultaneously than more similar tasks do (e.g. Allport, 1972; Brooks, 1967, both in Parkin, 1999). Relevant evidence from neuropsychological studies (review by Allport, 1993) seems to suggest that rather separate mechanisms control different kinds of a ttentional tasks. The concept of a central capacity, therefore, appears ill defined. It is still possible, however, that we can process information semantically both before and after selection according to the task demands on the capacity of the processing system, which, according to Welford’s (1952,in Eysenck Keane, 1995) well supported ‘bottleneck’ idea, is unable to make two decisions about the appropriate responses to two different stimuli at the same time. The evidence and theories mentioned in this essay lead to the conclusion that humans can detect meaning in unattended stimuli. There is no evidence, however, that this semantic processing is as complete as the processing of attended stimuli. Nevertheless, it could also be said that this conclusion is a rough generalisation, as there is no clear indication that there is a unique attentional mechanism responsible for attending all kinds of stimuli. Visual attention, for example may be controlled by different mechanisms than auditory attention. There is still no theory that provides a clear and testable explanation for all the known evidence and localises attentional selection. The main reason for this difficulty is that it is almost impossible to devise an experiment that will localise selection without interfering with the subjects’ natural functioning. REFERENCESAllport, A. (1993). ‘Attention and Control: Have We Been Asking the Wrong Questions? A Critical Review of Twen ty-Five Years’. In D.E. Meyer S. Kornblum (Eds.), Attention and Performance (Vol. XIV). London: MIT Press. .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 , .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 .postImageUrl , .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 , .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1:hover , .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1:visited , .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1:active { border:0!important; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1:active , .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1 .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud2ee899743968e2e226d9a7a347b5bf1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Abstract on Rose diseases EssayEllis, H.C. Hunt, R.R. (1993). Fundamentals of cognitive psychology (5th ed). Brown Benchmark. MadisonEysenck, M.W. Keane, M.T.(1995), Cognitive psychology : a student’s handbook (3rd ed.), Erlbaum, Hove Kahneman, D. Treisman, A.(1984). ‘Changing Views of Attention and Automaticity.In Parasuraman, R. Davies, D.R. (Eds.). Varieties of attention. Academic P. OrlandoKinchla, R.A.(1992).’Attention’. Annual Review of Psychology. 43: 711-42Parkin, A.J.(1999).Essential Cognitive Psychology. Draft 23-3-99. University of Sussex.

The Storm Essay Research Paper Analysis of free essay sample

The Storm Essay, Research Paper Analysis of? The Storm? In McKnight Malmar? s scaring narrative? The Storm? she weaves a violent storm and slaying together to rise the hideous fright that engulfs Janet Willsom. The storm is a combination of female parent nature, Janet? s emotions and her heartbreaking quandary. The narrative begins with Janet Willsom coming home from a holiday seeing her sister who is really ill. She has come back a hebdomad early trusting her hubby, Ben, would be home so she could surprise him but he? s non. There is a really strong storm blossoming outside and Janet gets concerned with Ben? s whereabouts. She wonders if he is still in the metropolis working tardily. There is a missive addressed to Ben on the tabular array but she destroys it because she knows that this missive is likely no different from the others that have been sent to him in the yesteryear. We will write a custom essay sample on The Storm Essay Research Paper Analysis of or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Throughout this cliff-hanging narrative she is lonely in the stray place far off from the busy urban metropolis. As the storm got worse, she started to hear footfalls and she thought she saw a face at the window in the life room. Be this ghostly face in the window her hubby? Recognizing that possibly it was her imaginativeness, she went to the cellar to acquire wood to do a fire. The cellar was moist and dark and there was a iciness in the air because the cellar door was broad unfastened. Janet wondered if the air current was so strong that it blew it unfastened or if there was an interloper. She grabbed the doorhandle and closed it every bit hard as she could because the air current was so strong. The fire wood was in the corner so she walked towards it. All of a sudden she noticed that her old bole was opened merely a cleft, she walked to over to it and threw it unfastened. Liing in there was a organic structure of a adult female in a ruddy frock with a adult male? s diamond ring on her finger. In panic Janet ran up the cellar stepss, locked the door and reinforced it with a heavy wooden chair. Simutainously she heard glass shattering from the basement window and ran into the life room to quiet her frights. Soon after, Janet? s hubby Ben walked in the forepart door soaking moisture, dirty and picket. She started to state her hubby Thursday vitamin E events that had happened that dark. He found it difficult to believe that there was a sneak skulking around outside and that there was a dead organic structure in the bole. Janet took him to the cellar, they looked in the bole but there was nil in it. She wondered if she was seeing things until she saw the same diamond ring on her hubby? s finger that had been on the adult female? s finger. She realizes that her hubby killed the adult female. With all of the fright and strength in her organic structure she runs up the cellar steps, disregarding Ben shouting her name she runs out of the house and neer looks back. The narrative gave me a feeling that I was at that place out of sight from her but watching her every move. It was besides from a really cliff-hanging third-person point of position. Throughout the narrative she thinks about all the good qualities her hubby has and at the same clip is losing him. The letters that are addressed to him says New York City on the envelope ; he is ever angry about those letters but Janet neer sees the contents of those letters. My theory is that these letters are from his kept woman ; she was blackjacking him to go forth his married woman. There was a batch of accent on the storm itself, She starts to go discerning about the storm because of its increasing power? The air current hammered at the door and the Windowss, and the air was full of the sound of H2O, rushing in the troughs, pouring from the leaders, thumping on the roof. ? ( 244 ) I feel that there is a storm outside but there besides a storm traveling on from within Janet because she has uncertainty about her hubby? s fidelity. As for the apparitional face in the window and the dead adult female in the bole ; her hubby killed his kept woman, heard his married woman walking in the front door, put the dead organic structure in the bole and ran out the cellar door to the exterior. He was the face Janet saw in the window. Once she went to the cellar to acquire fire wood and left, he couldn? T open the cellar door, so he broke the window, took the dead organic structure and disposed of it. Janet yearns for her hubby to protect her from the storm and in the terminal she takes comfort from the storm.

Free Essays on Glass Menagerie and The Great Gatsby, Underlying Themes in The Authors Work

, read between the lines. This statement is true and relevant because the writer’s feelings come out on paper while the they write, expressing more than just the story they are writing. In the play â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† by Tennessee Williams, the author injects a part of himself into his writing. Not only is he telling the story of Wingfield family, but he is also writing about the aspects and feelings of his own family as well. The use of vernacular language in the play aids in allowing the reader to see and feel exactly what is going on. This helps to let one relate to the play and see it as a real-life family, maybe Tennessee Williams’ own family. The use of setting in this play is also critical. The majority of the play taking place in the cramped apartment exudes a small confined place bursting with the emotions of three very different people. Perhaps this is also what Williams’ own home was like: full with clashing emotions. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald also has an underlying message, that one should always aspire to fulfill their dreams. He interwned this message in his text by utilizing theme. The story took place in the twenties, also known as the â€Å"Roaring Twenties.† This was an ideal time period for his book because that was a time of fun and dreams, when nothing couldn’t be accomplished. Young people threw parties and lived life to its full extent, fulfilling their dreams of good times and fun. This was Jay Gatsby’s life, the good life, except he was lacking in one thing that would make his life complete, the heart of Daisy Buchanan. He aimed to make his dream come true. I feel that it is very true that the â€Å"hidden† message ... Free Essays on Glass Menagerie and The Great Gatsby, Underlying Themes in The Authors Work Free Essays on Glass Menagerie and The Great Gatsby, Underlying Themes in The Authors Work â€Å"It is not what an author says, but what he or she whispers that is important.† According to this adapted quote by Logan Pearsall Smith, the underlying message that the author is trying to convey, besides the text, is significant. Or, in other words, read between the lines. This statement is true and relevant because the writer’s feelings come out on paper while the they write, expressing more than just the story they are writing. In the play â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† by Tennessee Williams, the author injects a part of himself into his writing. Not only is he telling the story of Wingfield family, but he is also writing about the aspects and feelings of his own family as well. The use of vernacular language in the play aids in allowing the reader to see and feel exactly what is going on. This helps to let one relate to the play and see it as a real-life family, maybe Tennessee Williams’ own family. The use of setting in this play is also critical. The majority of the play taking place in the cramped apartment exudes a small confined place bursting with the emotions of three very different people. Perhaps this is also what Williams’ own home was like: full with clashing emotions. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald also has an underlying message, that one should always aspire to fulfill their dreams. He interwned this message in his text by utilizing theme. The story took place in the twenties, also known as the â€Å"Roaring Twenties.† This was an ideal time period for his book because that was a time of fun and dreams, when nothing couldn’t be accomplished. Young people threw parties and lived life to its full extent, fulfilling their dreams of good times and fun. This was Jay Gatsby’s life, the good life, except he was lacking in one thing that would make his life complete, the heart of Daisy Buchanan. He aimed to make his dream come true. I feel that it is very true that the â€Å"hidden† message ...

Contemporary social problems questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Contemporary social problems questions - Essay Example The main reason for the high rate of population growth is the poverty and related issues, which could be checked by the increase in the development. Industrial and urban development along with literacy and good standard of living can be of great help in this regard. The rapid growth of population in developing nations can be reduced by the industrialization and its benefits. A. There are various ways in which impoverished nations can be assisted in fighting the problems of malnutrition disease. The underdeveloped and the developing nations struggle due to poverty, hunger, and misery around. Wealthy nations have got much to contribute in this regard. They need to allocate more resources for humanitarian aid, which aim ultimately at the fight against malnutrition and disease in particular. They should also guarantee that the aid reaches its intended targets. Wealthy nations can assist the governments for using these new resources. An international fight against the problems of malnutrition and contaminated diseases and malnutrition can work for the best of such nations. International agencies, supported and funded by the wealthy nations can engage themselves for the betterment of these miserable people.

Nursing- breast cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Nursing- breast cancer - Essay Example Table 1 represent estimated breast cancer cases and deaths worldwide (see appendix). About three fourths of all women with cancer cases will be diagnosed invasive breast cancer (Stages I-IV). The chance of developing invasive breast cancer during a womans lifetime is approximately 1 in 7 (13.4%). Another one fourth will be diagnosed with in situ breast cancer, a very early form of the disease. Though much less common, breast cancer also occurs in men /National Breast Cancer Centre, 2005/. The incidence rate of breast cancer (number of new breast cancers per 100,000 women) increased by approximately 4% during the 1980s but levelled off a bit in the 1990s /National Breast Cancer Centre, 2005/.The death rates from breast cancer also declined significantly between 1992 and 1996, with the largest decreases among younger women. Medical experts impute the decline in breast cancer deaths to earlier detection and more efficient treatments. Let’s investigate and sum up the causes of breast cancer. Although, there are a number of researches devoted to the causes of this severe disease and the ways of reducing its chances, it’s obvious that we still can’t prevent it. However, these researches worked out the list of factors that affect our health and may cause the development of the breast cancer. All these factors belong either to â€Å"external† or â€Å"internal† environments /Breast Health, 2006/. â€Å"Internal environment† includes a number of things inside our bodies that influence our health, for example, genetics, hormones, illnesses, and feelings and thoughts. â€Å"External environment† relates to the things of the outer world that influence people’s health, such as air, water, food, danger, noise, people, and stress. Some of the above mentioned factors, such as genetic makeup and the medicines taken, have a very direct effect on the breast health. The impact of other, indirect factors, such as

Is the Quality Old Design Methods Better than Today's Essay

Is the Quality Old Design Methods Better than Today's - Essay Example This is because; the problems experienced today are by far too complex such that they can neither be solved by intuition nor can they be solved using traditional wisdom (Brand, 2005). Since design involves different tasks, it is necessary that different methods be incorporated. In earlier days before technology was incorporated in architectural design field, the industry practitioners used some elementary methods to facilitate the design process. As technology was adopted, these methods slowly faded away and as time went by, every practitioner became conversant with the new methods and from there henceforth, the new technological methods started dominating over the old methods (Brand, 2005). However, from the recent developments attributable to the new technological methods in design, a question tends to arise. Are they better in quality as compared to the preceding old methods? Therefore, this paper will aim at trying to answer the question concerning the quality of the old methods in design as compared to the current design methods, which have a technological aspect. Despite the fact the technology is ideal in every aspect of life if adopted, the older design methods, which did not entail technology, were meaningful and as such, they can be said to be of good quality than the contemporary methods (Brand, 2005). ... This method can be said of great quality as compared to the new technological design methods because, the knowledge obtained in such methods of design were practical (Hillis, 2008). Most of the contemporary design methods are largely theoretical and employ the practical notion very limitedly. For instance, in great cathedrals, the drawings therein were full size and as such, large sets of dividers used in older days design were widely used in setting out the masonry. Moreover, forms as well as shapes were psychologically developed in the minds of the craftsmen in a gradual way. Later, just before technology took reign, older designers were also making use small scale drawing. All these practical aspects of older design methods are used less in the contemporary design and this proves that the older methods are of more quality than the new (Hillis, 2008). In regard to the master as well as the apprentice system, the decisions concerning the design methods were based on the traditional grounds. As such, the design process was therefore done in special ways. The most precise reason for this is because; the processes had always been done within such ways. This is indeed absent in the new technological design methods. The older design methods such as apprenticeship could be used for anything, from building to ships. Today, there is a range of design methods and each method is used for a particular product (Hillis, 2008). Even today, admiration for the traditional products attributable to the old methods used in design can still be depicted from the people and as such, the admiration continues growing. This therefore is supposed to mean that the quality attributable to

Five Forces Analysis Of The Gresham Hotel Dublin Tourism Essay

Five Forces Analysis Of The Gresham Hotel Dublin Tourism Essay The Gresham Hotel, Dublin, is a four star quality accommodation and service hotel, located on OConnell Street in the heart of city center. At these days are employed 183 employees in the Gresham hotel Dublin, which is included all part time, casual and senior staff, all over the departments. The Gresham Hotel Dublin is part with other 4 hotels of Gresham Group located across Europe; they are situated on the city center of Hamburg, London, Brussels, Cork and Dublin. Type of business The Gresham Hotel is a Public Limited Company, means that all the debs of the business are cleared by the business and money is not taken out of the owners ´ personal funds. The Gresham Hotel is a separate legal entity from the owners. The company is permitted to offer shares to the public and must include the words Plc as part of company name. The Gresham Hotel, OConnell Street, is a four star hotel and this kind of business is based in service. They provide a wide range of facilities where all customers are well welcome with four star services. They also organize events such as weddings, parties and type of business nature. In each department of this organization is a Wide Span of Sontrol, the Manager/Supervisor is in charge of a large number of employees. It is also a Tall structure as the company has many levels of hierarchy. My duties in this company has the same standard as an employee which any reporting has to be made to the manager/supervisor ,following the manager/supervisor reporting to Duty Manager and this one reporting to Human Resources and finally the Human Resources to Director. This company is divided in many departments which are; Toddys bar-food and beverage, where I am present doing my work experience, my duties is mainly customer care. This department works fourteen people which two of them are supervisor. Writers bar-the main bar of the hotel which also serve food Kitchen department- this department runs all department involving food. Catering and Banqueting department- this department is responsible for all events Accountancy department Gallery restaurant- where at present is used for breakfast as this restaurant have been closest. External influence on organisation PEST The PEST analysis is a useful tool for understanding market growth or decline, this method is used to scan for the external, macro environment, factors that influences on any company. PEST analysis stands for; Political factors- include government regulations Economic factors affect the purchasing power of potential customers and the firms cost capital Social factors- include the demographic and cultural aspects Technological technology is vital for competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. On The Gresham Hotel analysis, the external factors that may affect the company are; Political Opening and closing times this regulation set up the opening and closing hours in a business. Smoking ban -it is forbidden smoking indoors by law and affects the company in certain way. Economic Interest rate- due the economic situation nowadays, the interest rates defines people of spending or saving money. Unemployment levels- due the economic situation turndown, a number of customers decrease derived to increased of unemployment levels. Sociological Lifestyle change- nowadays the people pay more attention to product/service ´s price (cheaper option), drinking at home and also they start going later and spending less time in pub. Cultural- Drinking alcohol is an everyday part of adult life in Ireland. Nowadays customers spend less on drinks, drinking more at home. Technological Nowadays the technology more than ever is vital for competitive advantage. The technology has an impact on any company, such as tillà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Provide a quicker a efficient service to a customer Some duties as stocktaking can be changed by technology, saving time and money Technology offer to customer other facility ways such as booking a room, purchase vouchers, etc. The labor can be switched by technology PORTER FIVE FORCES Five Forces Analysis assumes that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a situation.These are: Competitive Rivalry Majority of competitors have the similar strategies , indicating high competitive rivalry Differentiation between their main products/service is low, indicating high competitive rivalry. There are no substitute products available to customers, indicating high competitive rivalry. Many competitors have more or less the same size. Bargaining power of suppliers We realize, the fewer suppliers choices we have, more power they are over the company, and how easy it is to drive their prices up. Uniqueness product-The Guinness is an example of a powerful brand; the Guinness is supplied by a unique supplier, Some product based on food is supplied for a few choices companies where provide a unique service to a company. Bargaining power of customers Here we can see how easy it is customers to drive the prices down. The customer may have bargaining power when; When there is no substitute or a little differentiation over the product/service food and beverage is similar to those of someone else. switching to another product/service is not costly Price sensitive at this days, more than ever the customers are more sensitive to a product/service prices. Threats of new entrants A threat of new entrants is high if; Low barriers to entry economies of scale government legislations to encourage them to enter the industry differentiations on their product/service capital Threat of substitute products The treat of substitute is high when the product/service substitutes offer benefits similar and also when it is ease at customers can switch with low or no cost. Product/Service when a substitute product/service falls Cost of change no cost/low cost of switching a product/service Internal External influence on organisation SWOT The SWOT analysis is very important tool for carrying out a good strategic planning, and it is a powerful tool of the marketing. When it is a matter of companies that compete in a same market target, it is important that they detect the threats and opportunities in the company, by studying the external environment. It is also of fundamental importance that they evaluate the weaknesses and strengths points of the company, studying of its internal environment. During the analysis, when a strong point is realized, they must be emphasized to the utmost, and when a weak point is realized, the organization must act to control it or, at least, to minimize its effect. This technique is interesting, that means change, which very often contributes to the growth or not, it would be depended on the performance to correspond to the objectives of the organization. Strength Brand name this brand is well know national and international Location- located in city center 4 star hotel- this hotel provides a 4 star service and accommodation Wide range of facilities- Writers Bar, Toddy ´s Bar , fitness studio, SPA and restaurant 23 Business facilities Complimentary WIFI access in all conference rooms, Quadriga interactive TV systems in all rooms provides PPV movies, internet, music. 288 tasteful bedrooms, containing everything the discerning traveller would need, including spacious work desk Dedicated butler service for the meeting rooms Registration Lobby Fully air conditioned A range of audio visual equipment for hire Secreterial services www.gresham-hotels.com/dublin-city-hotels/business_facilities.asp Weaknesses Restaurant 23 remain closest, as the only restaurant available and considering a 4 star hotel, it creates a high impact on customers expectations. High cost product/service- nowadays, customers are more sensible to product/service prices, discontentment has been expressed by customers relating to product/service price to high. Poor employee ´s motivation- employee are unhappy with the management style, consequently will have impact on their organization Technology no updated- it causes a slower service and sometimes misunderstands between employees and customers because of it. Lack of marketing expertise ´s Opportunities New technology arrivals- nowadays there is a need of new technology, it means modernization to make the company more efficient. Marketing department- would be a great opportunity for growth and profit. Restaurant -reopen the restaurant in the hotel. New ways of advertising and promoting (radio, TV,Internet)- would let the people know about their offers and promotions for short and long term. Threats New regulations/tax- there is a threat of more regulations and higher taxes. World economy recession- would affect directly the hospitality economy and consequently the competition becomes higher between competitors. Price wars with competitors-the hospitality ´s competition is very high and price wars may become a huge threat. Strikes- the Gresham Hotel like other companies are minimizing their spending, changing their behavior with employees, consequently would be a threat for this organization. The Swot analysis above may help The Gresham Hotel growth by capitalizing on opportunities using their strengths and eliminating their weaknesses and threats. CONCLUSION This Environment Analysis was based on the Gresham Hotel, overall the company in many aspects has competitive advantage over their competitors. At the end of environment analysis where was scanned internally and externally by Swot, Pest and Porter Five Forces analysis we can understand better the Gresham Hotel ´s position facing to its competitors. Some disadvantages such as no restaurant available, heavy environment between managements and employees are in my opinion huge weak provoking a high impact on their company. The company has a good reputation among their customers and it has resources and vantages to face to its competitors if they capitalize on opportunities using their strength and eliminating their weaknesses and threats it would contribute for company ´s growing. RECOMMENDATIONS I would recommend more investment on marketing resources and also in technologies, which I truly believe they are main keys for company growth. It is essential that there is a good team spirit at work, therefore I believe that the management should reach an agreement between staff and managements interests.

William Carlos Williams The Rose - A Symbol of Love :: Williams Rose Essays

William Carlos Williams' The Rose - A Symbol of Love William Carlos Williams was a poet and writer who defied norms and constrictions in order to achieve new perspective and enlightenment, especially when it involved the tried and true. He sought to bring new life to old concepts through allowing imagination to shape the form, instead of allowing old ideas to influence our understanding of the subject. This is especially true in the poem "The Rose", which approaches a subject that may induce thoughts of significant others and prom-night disasters, and instead elaborates on the roots of the age-old symbol for love. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what this poem is about, so hopefully something will make sense by the end of this paper. The poem starts out as a description of the flower that we all have either received, given, longed for, or been cut by. Instantly, there is the feel of conflict in the language that is being used. Abrasive, heavy words that could be used to describe a murder are mixed with other words that seem to convey a sense of hope and spacial energy. The clusters of thought that somehow constitute a complete sentence make the reading somewhat difficult from the very beginning, but it seems to take on a multi-layered personality as the poem plays itself out. Although there is no mention of the thorny stem, words such as 'sharper', 'cutting', and 'edge', instead describe the flower itself. The constant reference to materials that possess qualities different from any rose such as 'metal', 'copper', 'broken plate", and 'steel', serve to indicate that this flower is being seen through a set of eyes that have perhaps been cast and hardened by the capacity for love. In contrast to the Nine-Inch Nails words, there are several phrases that become rather ethereal in their incantation. "Grooved columns of air", "But if it ends the start has begun", and "penetrates the Milky Way without contact" all seem to place this flower at the very center of nothingness. This contrast brings to mind high quality photography, which can make an image seem to have sharp edges and contrast greatly with its background.

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 52-55

CHAPTER 52 The Sprawling 185-acre estate of Chateau Villette was located twenty-five minutes northwest of Paris in the environs of Versailles. Designed by Franà §ois Mansart in 1668 for the Count of Aufflay, it was one of Paris's most significant historical chateaux. Complete with two rectangular lakes and gardens designed by Le N;tre, Chateau Villette was more of a modest castle than a mansion. The estate fondly had become known as la Petite Versailles. Langdon brought the armored truck to a shuddering stop at the foot of the mile-long driveway. Beyond the imposing security gate, Sir Leigh Teabing's residence rose on a meadow in the distance. The sign on the gate was in English: PRIVATE PROPERTY. NO TRESPASSING. As if to proclaim his home a British Isle unto itself, Teabing had not only posted his signs in English, but he had installed his gate's intercom entry system on the right-hand side of the truck – the passenger's side everywhere in Europe except England. Sophie gave the misplaced intercom an odd look. â€Å"And if someone arrives without a passenger?† â€Å"Don't ask.† Langdon had already been through that with Teabing. â€Å"He prefers things the way they are at home.† Sophie rolled down her window. â€Å"Robert, you'd better do the talking.† Langdon shifted his position, leaning out across Sophie to press the intercom button. As he did, an alluring whiff of Sophie's perfume filled his nostrils, and he realized how close they were. He waited there, awkwardly prone, while a telephone began ringing over the small speaker. Finally, the intercom crackled and an irritated French accent spoke. â€Å"Chateau Villette. Who is calling?† â€Å"This is Robert Langdon,† Langdon called out, sprawled across Sophie's lap. â€Å"I'm a friend of Sir Leigh Teabing. I need his help.† â€Å"My master is sleeping. As was I. What is your business with him?† â€Å"It is a private matter. One of great interest to him.† â€Å"Then I'm sure he will be pleased to receive you in the morning.† Langdon shifted his weight. â€Å"It's quite important.† â€Å"As is Sir Leigh's sleep. If you are a friend, then you are aware he is in poor health.† Sir Leigh Teabing had suffered from polio as a child and now wore leg braces and walked with crutches, but Langdon had found him such a lively and colorful man on his last visit that it hardly seemed an infirmity. â€Å"If you would, please tell him I have uncovered new information about the Grail. Information that cannot wait until morning.† There was a long pause. Langdon and Sophie waited, the truck idling loudly. A full minute passed. Finally, someone spoke. â€Å"My good man, I daresay you are still on Harvard Standard Time.† The voice was crisp and light. Langdon grinned, recognizing the thick British accent. â€Å"Leigh, my apologies for waking you at this obscene hour.† â€Å"My manservant tells me that not only are you in Paris, but you speak of the Grail.† â€Å"I thought that might get you out of bed.† â€Å"And so it has.† â€Å"Any chance you'd open the gate for an old friend?† â€Å"Those who seek the truth are more than friends. They are brothers.† Langdon rolled his eyes at Sophie, well accustomed to Teabing's predilection for dramatic antics. â€Å"Indeed I will open the gate,† Teabing proclaimed,† but first I must confirm your heart is true. A test of your honor. You will answer three questions.† Langdon groaned, whispering at Sophie. â€Å"Bear with me here. As I mentioned, he's something of a character.† â€Å"Your first question,† Teabing declared, his tone Herculean. â€Å"Shall I serve you coffee, or tea?† Langdon knew Teabing's feelings about the American phenomenon of coffee. â€Å"Tea,† he replied.† Earl Grey.† â€Å"Excellent. Your second question. Milk or sugar?† Langdon hesitated.† Milk,†Sophie whispered in his ear. â€Å"I think the British take milk.† â€Å"Milk,† Langdon said. Silence. â€Å"Sugar?† Teabing made no reply. Wait! Langdon now recalled the bitter beverage he had been served on his last visit and realized this question was a trick. â€Å"Lemon!† he declared. â€Å"Earl Grey with lemon† â€Å"Indeed.† Teabing sounded deeply amused now. â€Å"And finally, I must make the most grave of inquiries.† Teabing paused and then spoke in a solemn tone. â€Å"In which year did a Harvard sculler last outrow an Oxford man at Henley?† Langdon had no idea, but he could imagine only one reason the question had been asked. â€Å"Surely such a travesty has never occurred.† The gate clicked open. â€Å"Your heart is true, my friend. You may pass.† CHAPTER 53 â€Å"Monsieur Vernet!† The night manager of the Depository Bank of Zurich felt relieved to hear the bank president's voice on the phone. â€Å"Where did you go, sir? The police are here, everyone is waiting for you!† â€Å"I have a little problem,† the bank president said, sounding distressed. â€Å"I need your help right away.† You have more than a little problem, the manager thought. The police had entirely surrounded the bank and were threatening to have the DCPJ captain himself show up with the warrant the bank had demanded. â€Å"How can I help you, sir?† â€Å"Armored truck number three. I need to find it.† Puzzled, the manager checked his delivery schedule. â€Å"It's here. Downstairs at the loading dock.† â€Å"Actually, no. The truck was stolen by the two individuals the police are tracking.† â€Å"What? How did they drive out?† â€Å"I can't go into the specifics on the phone, but we have a situation here that could potentially be extremely unfortunate for the bank.† â€Å"What do you need me to do, sir?† â€Å"I'd like you to activate the truck's emergency transponder.† The night manager's eyes moved to the LoJack control box across the room. Like many armored cars, each of the bank's trucks had been equipped with a radio-controlled homing device, which could be activated remotely from the bank. The manager had only used the emergency system once, after a hijacking, and it had worked flawlessly – locating the truck and transmitting the coordinates to the authorities automatically. Tonight, however, the manager had the impression the president was hoping for a bit more prudence. â€Å"Sir, you are aware that if I activate the LoJack system, the transponder will simultaneously inform the authorities that we have a problem.† Vernet was silent for several seconds. â€Å"Yes, I know. Do it anyway. Truck number three. I'll hold. I need the exact location of that truck the instant you have it.† â€Å"Right away, sir.† Thirty seconds later, forty kilometers away, hidden in the undercarriage of the armored truck, a tiny transponder blinked to life. CHAPTER 54 As Langdon and Sophie drove the armored truck up the winding, poplar-lined driveway toward the house, Sophie could already feel her muscles relaxing. It was a relief to be off the road, and she could think of few safer places to get their feet under them than this private, gated estate owned by a good-natured foreigner. They turned into the sweeping circular driveway, and Chateau Villette came into view on their right. Three stories tall and at least sixty meters long, the edifice had gray stone facing illuminated by outside spotlights. The coarse facade stood in stark juxtaposition to the immaculately landscaped gardens and glassy pond. The inside lights were just now coming on. Rather than driving to the front door, Langdon pulled into a parking area nestled in the evergreens. â€Å"No reason to risk being spotted from the road,† he said. â€Å"Or having Leigh wonder why we arrived in a wrecked armored truck.† Sophie nodded. â€Å"What do we do with the cryptex? We probably shouldn't leave it out here, but if Leigh sees it, he'll certainly want to know what it is.† â€Å"Not to worry,† Langdon said, removing his jacket as he stepped out of the car. He wrapped the tweed coat around the box and held the bundle in his arms like a baby. Sophie looked dubious. â€Å"Subtle.† â€Å"Teabing never answers his own door; he prefers to make an entrance. I'll find somewhere inside to stash this before he joins us.† Langdon paused. â€Å"Actually, I should probably warn you before you meet him. Sir Leigh has a sense of humor that people often find a bit†¦ strange.† Sophie doubted anything tonight would strike her as strange anymore. The pathway to the main entrance was hand-laid cobblestone. It curved to a door of carved oak and cherry with a brass knocker the size of a grapefruit. Before Sophie could grasp the knocker, the door swung open from within. A prim and elegant butler stood before them, making final adjustments on the white tie and tuxedo he had apparently just donned. He looked to be about fifty, with refined features and an austere expression that left little doubt he was unamused by their presence here. â€Å"Sir Leigh will be down presently,† he declared, his accent thick French. â€Å"He is dressing. He prefers not to greet visitors while wearing only a nightshirt. May I take your coat?† He scowled at the bunched-up tweed in Langdon's arms. â€Å"Thank you, I'm fine.† â€Å"Of course you are. Right this way, please.† The butler guided them through a lush marble foyer into an exquisitely adorned drawing room, softly lit by tassel-draped Victorian lamps. The air inside smelled antediluvian, regal somehow, with traces of pipe tobacco, tea leaves, cooking sherry, and the earthen aroma of stone architecture. Against the far wall, flanked between two glistening suits of chain mail armor, was a rough-hewn fireplace large enough to roast an ox. Walking to the hearth, the butler knelt and touched a match to a pre-laid arrangement of oak logs and kindling. A fire quickly crackled to life. The man stood, straightening his jacket. â€Å"His master requests that you make yourselves at home.† With that, he departed, leaving Langdon and Sophie alone. Sophie wondered which of the fireside antiques she was supposed to sit on – the Renaissance velvet divan, the rustic eagle-claw rocker, or the pair of stone pews that looked like they'd been lifted from some Byzantine temple. Langdon unwrapped the cryptex from his coat, walked to the velvet divan, and slid the wooden box deep underneath it, well out of sight. Then, shaking out his jacket, he put it back on, smoothed the lapels, and smiled at Sophie as he sat down directly over the stashed treasure. The divan it is, Sophie thought, taking a seat beside him. As she stared into the growing fire, enjoying the warmth, Sophie had the sensation that her grandfather would have loved this room. The dark wood paneling was bedecked with Old Master paintings, one of which Sophie recognized as a Poussin, her grandfather's second-favorite painter. On the mantel above the fireplace, an alabaster bust of Isis watched over the room. Beneath the Egyptian goddess, inside the fireplace, two stone gargoyles served as andirons, their mouths gaping to reveal their menacing hollow throats. Gargoyles had always terrified Sophie as a child; that was, until her grandfather cured her of the fear by taking her atop Notre Dame Cathedral in a rainstorm. â€Å"Princess, look at these silly creatures,† he had told her, pointing to the gargoyle rainspouts with their mouths gushing water. â€Å"Do you hear that funny sound in their throats?† Sophie nodded, having to smile at the burping sound of the water gurgling through their throats. â€Å"They're gargling,†her grandfather told her. â€Å"Gargariser! And that's where they get the silly name â€Å"gargoyles†.† Sophie had never again been afraid. The fond memory caused Sophie a pang of sadness as the harsh reality of the murder gripped her again. Grand-pere is gone.She pictured the cryptex under the divan and wondered if Leigh Teabing would have any idea how to open it. Or if we even should ask him.Sophie's grandfather's final words had instructed her to find Robert Langdon. He had said nothing about involving anyone else. We needed somewhere to hide, Sophie said, deciding to trust Robert's judgment. â€Å"Sir Robert!† a voice bellowed somewhere behind them. â€Å"I see you travel with a maiden.† Langdon stood up. Sophie jumped to her feet as well. The voice had come from the top of a curled staircase that snaked up to the shadows of the second floor. At the top of the stairs, a form moved in the shadows, only his silhouette visible. â€Å"Good evening,† Langdon called up. â€Å"Sir Leigh, may I present Sophie Neveu.† â€Å"An honor.† Teabing moved into the light.† Thank you for having us,† Sophie said, now seeing the man wore metal leg braces and used crutches. He was coming down one stair at a time. â€Å"I realize it's quite late.† â€Å"It is so late, my dear, it's early.† He laughed. â€Å"Vous n'etes pas Americaine?† Sophie shook her head. â€Å"Parisienne.† â€Å"Your English is superb.† â€Å"Thank you. I studied at the Royal Holloway.† â€Å"So then, that explains it.† Teabing hobbled lower through the shadows. â€Å"Perhaps Robert told you I schooled just down the road at Oxford.† Teabing fixed Langdon with a devilish smile. â€Å"Of course, I also applied to Harvard as my safety school.† Their host arrived at the bottom of the stairs, appearing to Sophie no more like a knight than Sir Elton John. Portly and ruby-faced, Sir Leigh Teabing had bushy red hair and jovial hazel eyes that seemed to twinkle as he spoke. He wore pleated pants and a roomy silk shirt under a paisley vest. Despite the aluminum braces on his legs, he carried himself with a resilient, vertical dignity that seemed more a by-product of noble ancestry than any kind of conscious effort. Teabing arrived and extended a hand to Langdon. â€Å"Robert, you've lost weight.† Langdon grinned. â€Å"And you've found some.† Teabing laughed heartily, patting his rotund belly. â€Å"Touche. My only carnal pleasures these days seem to be culinary.† Turning now to Sophie, he gently took her hand, bowing his head slightly, breathing lightly on her fingers, and diverting his eyes. â€Å"M'lady.† Sophie glanced at Langdon, uncertain whether she'd stepped back in time or into a nuthouse. The butler who had answered the door now entered carrying a tea service, which he arranged on a table in front of the fireplace. â€Å"This is Remy Legaludec,† Teabing said,† my manservant.† The slender butler gave a stiff nod and disappeared yet again. â€Å"Remy is Lyonais,†Teabing whispered, as if it were an unfortunate disease. â€Å"But he does sauces quite nicely.† Langdon looked amused. â€Å"I would have thought you'd import an English staff?† â€Å"Good heavens, no! I would not wish a British chef on anyone except the French tax collectors.† He glanced over at Sophie. â€Å"Pardonnez-moi, Mademoiselle Neveu. Please be assured that my distaste for the French extends only to politics and the soccer pitch. Your government steals my money, and your football squad recently humiliated us.† Sophie offered an easy smile. Teabing eyed her a moment and then looked at Langdon. â€Å"Something has happened. You both look shaken.† Langdon nodded. â€Å"We've had an interesting night, Leigh.† â€Å"No doubt. You arrive on my doorstep unannounced in the middle of the night speaking of the Grail. Tell me, is this indeed about the Grail, or did you simply say that because you know it is the lone topic for which I would rouse myself in the middle of the night?† A little of both, Sophie thought, picturing the cryptex hidden beneath the couch. â€Å"Leigh,† Langdon said,† we'd like to talk to you about the Priory of Sion.† Teabing's bushy eyebrows arched with intrigue. â€Å"The keepers. So this is indeed about the Grail. You say you come with information? Something new, Robert?† â€Å"Perhaps. We're not quite sure. We might have a better idea if we could get some information from you first.† Teabing wagged his finger. â€Å"Ever the wily American. A game of quid pro quo. Very well. I am at your service. What is it I can tell you?† Langdon sighed. â€Å"I was hoping you would be kind enough to explain to Ms. Neveu the true nature of the Holy Grail.† Teabing looked stunned. â€Å"She doesn't know?† Langdon shook his head. The smile that grew on Teabing's face was almost obscene. â€Å"Robert, you've brought me a virgin?† Langdon winced, glancing at Sophie. â€Å"Virgin is the term Grail enthusiasts use to describe anyone who has never heard the true Grail story.† Teabing turned eagerly to Sophie. â€Å"How much do you know, my dear?† Sophie quickly outlined what Langdon had explained earlier – the Priory of Sion, the Knights Templar, the Sangreal documents, and the Holy Grail, which many claimed was not a cup†¦ but rather something far more powerful. â€Å"That's all?† Teabing fired Langdon a scandalous look. â€Å"Robert, I thought you were a gentleman. You've robbed her of the climax!† â€Å"I know, I thought perhaps you and I could†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Langdon apparently decided the unseemly metaphor had gone far enough. Teabing already had Sophie locked in his twinkling gaze. â€Å"You are a Grail virgin, my dear. And trust me, you will never forget your first time.† CHAPTER 55 Seated on the divan beside Langdon, Sophie drank her tea and ate a scone, feeling the welcome effects of caffeine and food. Sir Leigh Teabing was beaming as he awkwardly paced before the open fire, his leg braces clicking on the stone hearth. â€Å"The Holy Grail,† Teabing said, his voice sermonic. â€Å"Most people ask me only where it is. I fear that is a question I may never answer.† He turned and looked directly at Sophie. â€Å"However†¦ the far more relevant question is this: What is the Holy Grail?† Sophie sensed a rising air of academic anticipation now in both of her male companions. â€Å"To fully understand the Grail,† Teabing continued,† we must first understand the Bible. How well do you know the New Testament?† Sophie shrugged. â€Å"Not at all, really. I was raised by a man who worshipped Leonardo Da Vinci.† Teabing looked both startled and pleased. â€Å"An enlightened soul. Superb! Then you must be aware that Leonardo was one of the keepers of the secret of the Holy Grail. And he hid clues in his art.† â€Å"Robert told me as much, yes.† â€Å"And Da Vinci's views on the New Testament?† â€Å"I have no idea.† Teabing's eyes turned mirthful as he motioned to the bookshelf across the room. â€Å"Robert, would you mind? On the bottom shelf. La Storia di Leonardo.† Langdon went across the room, found a large art book, and brought it back, setting it down on the table between them. Twisting the book to face Sophie, Teabing flipped open the heavy cover and pointed inside the rear cover to a series of quotations. â€Å"From Da Vinci's notebook on polemics and speculation,† Teabing said, indicating one quote in particular. â€Å"I think you'll find this relevant to our discussion.† Sophie read the words. Many have made a trade of delusions and false miracles, deceiving the stupid multitude. – LEONARDO DA VINCI â€Å"Here's another,† Teabing said, pointing to a different quote. Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes! – LEONARDO DA VINCI Sophie felt a little chill. â€Å"Da Vinci is talking about the Bible?† Teabing nodded. â€Å"Leonardo's feelings about the Bible relate directly to the Holy Grail. In fact, Da Vinci painted the true Grail, which I will show you momentarily, but first we must speak of the Bible.† Teabing smiled. â€Å"And everything you need to know about the Bible can be summed up by the great canon doctor Martyn Percy.† Teabing cleared his throat and declared,† The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven.† â€Å"I beg your pardon?† â€Å"The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Jesus Christ was a historical figure of staggering influence, perhaps the most enigmatic and inspirational leader the world has ever seen. As the prophesied Messiah, Jesus toppled kings, inspired millions, and founded new philosophies. As a descendant of the lines of King Solomon and King David, Jesus possessed a rightful claim to the throne of the King of the Jews. Understandably, His life was recorded by thousands of followers across the land.† Teabing paused to sip his tea and then placed the cup back on the mantel. â€Å"More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them. â€Å"Who chose which gospels to include?† Sophie asked. â€Å"Aha!† Teabing burst in with enthusiasm. â€Å"The fundamental irony of Christianity! The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.† â€Å"I thought Constantine was a Christian,† Sophie said. â€Å"Hardly,† Teabing scoffed. â€Å"He was a lifelong pagan who was baptized on his deathbed, too weak to protest. In Constantine's day, Rome's official religion was sun worship – the cult of Sol Invictus, or the Invincible Sun – and Constantine was its head priest. Unfortunately for him, a growing religious turmoil was gripping Rome. Three centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Christ's followers had multiplied exponentially. Christians and pagans began warring, and the conflict grew to such proportions that it threatened to rend Rome in two. Constantine decided something had to be done. In 325 A. D. , he decided to unify Rome under a single religion. Christianity.† Sophie was surprised. â€Å"Why would a pagan emperor choose Christianity as the official religion?† Teabing chuckled. â€Å"Constantine was a very good businessman. He could see that Christianity was on the rise, and he simply backed the winning horse. Historians still mar vel at the brilliance with which Constantine converted the sun-worshipping pagans to Christianity. By fusing pagan symbols, dates, and rituals into the growing Christian tradition, he created a kind of hybrid religion that was acceptable to both parties.† â€Å"Transmogrification,† Langdon said. â€Å"The vestiges of pagan religion in Christian symbology are undeniable. Egyptian sun disks became the halos of Catholic saints. Pictograms of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son Horus became the blueprint for our modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing Baby Jesus. And virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual – the miter, the altar, the doxology, and communion, the act of† God-eating† – were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions.† Teabing groaned. â€Å"Don't get a symbologist started on Christian icons. Nothing in Christianity is original. The pre-Christian God Mithras – called the Son of God and the Light of the World – was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days. By the way, December 25 is also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus. The newborn Krishna was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Even Christianity's weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans.† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Originally,† Langdon said,† Christianity honored the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagan's veneration day of the sun.† He paused, grinning. â€Å"To this day, most churchgoers attend services on Sunday morning with no idea that they are there on account of the pagan sun god's weekly tribute – Sunday.† Sophie's head was spinning. â€Å"And all of this relates to the Grail?† â€Å"Indeed,† Teabing said. â€Å"Stay with me. During this fusion of religions, Constantine needed to strengthen the new Christian tradition, and held a famous ecumenical gathering known as the Council of Nicaea.† Sophie had heard of it only insofar as its being the birthplace of the Nicene Creed. â€Å"At this gathering,† Teabing said,† many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon – the date of Easter, the role of the bishops, the administration of sacraments, and, of course, the divinityof Jesus.† â€Å"I don't follow. His divinity?† â€Å"My dear,† Teabing declared,† until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet†¦ a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.† â€Å"Not the Son of God?† â€Å"Right,† Teabing said. â€Å"Jesus' establishment as ‘the Son of God' was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea.† â€Å"Hold on. You're saying Jesus' divinity was the result of a vote?† â€Å"A relatively close vote at that,† Teabing added. â€Å"Nonetheless, establishing Christ's divinity was critical to the further unification of the Roman empire and to the new Vatican power base. By officially endorsing Jesus as the Son of God, Constantine turned Jesus into a deity who existed beyond the scope of the human world, an entity whose power was unchallengeable. This not only precluded further pagan challenges to Christianity, but now the followers of Christ were able to redeem themselves only via the established sacred channel – the Roman Catholic Church.† Sophie glanced at Langdon, and he gave her a soft nod of concurrence. â€Å"It was all about power,† Teabing continued. â€Å"Christ as Messiah was critical to the functioning of Church and state. Many scholars claim that the early Church literally stole Jesus from His original followers, hijacking His human message, shrouding it in an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using it to expand their own power. I've written several books on the topic.† â€Å"And I assume devout Christians send you hate mail on a daily basis?† â€Å"Why would they?† Teabing countered. â€Å"The vast majority of educated Christians know the history of their faith. Jesus was indeed a great and powerful man. Constantine's underhanded political maneuvers don't diminish the majesty of Christ's life. Nobody is saying Christ was a fraud, or denying that He walked the earth and inspired millions to better lives. All we are saying is that Constantine took advantage of Christ's substantial influence and importance. And in doing so, he shaped the face of Ch ristianity as we know it today.† Sophie glanced at the art book before her, eager to move on and see the Da Vinci painting of the Holy Grail. â€Å"The twist is this,† Teabing said, talking faster now. â€Å"Because Constantine upgraded Jesus' status almost four centuries after Jesus' death, thousands of documents already existed chronicling His life as a mortal man. To rewrite the history books, Constantine knew he would need a bold stroke. From this sprang the most profound moment in Christian history.† Teabing paused, eyeing Sophie. â€Å"Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ's human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned.† â€Å"An interesting note,† Langdon added. â€Å"Anyone who chose the forbidden gospels over Constantine's version was deemed a heretic. The word heretic derives from that moment in history. The Latin word haereticus means ‘choice.' Those who ‘chose' the original history of Christ were the world's first heretics.† â€Å"Fortunately for historians,† Teabing said,† some of the gospels that Constantine attempted to eradicate managed to survive. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1950s hidden in a cave near Qumran in the Judean desert. And, of course, the Coptic Scrolls in 1945 at Nag Hammadi. In addition to telling the true Grail story, these documents speak of Christ's ministry in very human terms. Of course, the Vatican, in keeping with their tradition of misinformation, tried very hard to suppress the release of these scrolls. And why wouldn't they? The scrolls highlight glaring historical discrepancies and fabrications, clearly confirming that the modern Bible was compiled and edited by men who possessed a political agenda – to promote the divinity of the man Jesus Christ and use His influence to solidify their own power base.† â€Å"And yet,† Langdon countered,† it's important to remember that the modern Church's desire to suppress these documents comes from a sincere belief in their established view of Christ. The Vatican is made up of deeply pious men who truly believe these contrary documents could only be false testimony.† Teabing chuckled as he eased himself into a chair opposite Sophie. â€Å"As you can see, our professor has a far softer heart for Rome than I do. Nonetheless, he is correct about the modern clergy believing these opposing documents are false testimony. That's understandable. Constantine's Bible has been their truth for ages. Nobody is more indoctrinated than the indoctrinator.† â€Å"What he means,† Langdon said,† is that we worship the gods of our fathers.† â€Å"What I mean,† Teabing countered,† is that almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false.As are the stories about the Holy Grail.† Sophie looked again at the Da Vinci quote before her. Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes! Teabing reached for the book and flipped toward the center. â€Å"And finally, before I show you Da Vinci's paintings of the Holy Grail, I'd like you to take a quick look at this.† He opened the book to a colorful graphic that spanned both full pages. â€Å"I assume you recognize this fresco?† He's kidding, right? Sophie was staring at the most famous fresco of all time – The Last Supper – Da Vinci's legendary painting from the wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie near Milan. The decaying fresco portrayed Jesus and His disciples at the moment that Jesus announced one of them would betray Him. â€Å"I know the fresco, yes.† â€Å"Then perhaps you would indulge me this little game? Close your eyes if you would.† Uncertain, Sophie closed her eyes.† Where is Jesus sitting?† Teabing asked. â€Å"In the center.† â€Å"Good. And what food are He and His disciples breaking and eating?† â€Å"Bread.† Obviously.† Superb. And what drink?† â€Å"Wine. They drank wine.† â€Å"Great. And one final question. How many wineglasses are on the table?† Sophie paused, realizing it was the trick question. And after dinner, Jesus took the cup of wine, sharing it with His disciples. â€Å"One cup,† she said. â€Å"The chalice.† The Cup of Christ.The Holy Grail. â€Å"Jesus passed a single chalice of wine, just as modern Christians do at communion.† Teabing sighed. â€Å"Open your eyes.† She did. Teabing was grinning smugly. Sophie looked down at the painting, seeing to her astonishment that everyone at the table had a glass of wine, including Christ. Thirteen cups. Moreover, the cups were tiny, stemless, and made of glass. There was no chalice in the painting. No Holy Grail. Teabing's eyes twinkled. â€Å"A bit strange, don't you think, considering that both the Bible and our standard Grail legend celebrate this moment as the definitive arrival of the Holy Grail. Oddly, Da Vinci appears to have forgotten to paint the Cup of Christ.† â€Å"Surely art scholars must have noted that.† â€Å"You will be shocked to learn what anomalies Da Vinci included here that most scholars either do not see or simply choose to ignore. This fresco, in fact, is the entire key to the Holy Grail mystery. Da Vinci lays it all out in the open in The Last Supper† Sophie scanned the work eagerly. â€Å"Does this fresco tell us what the Grail really is?† â€Å"Not what it is,† Teabing whispered. â€Å"But rather who it is. The Holy Grail is not a thing. It is, in fact†¦ a person†

Fraternity Violence in Higher Education

Fraternity Violence in Higher Education Fraternity-Related Violence and Deaths Statistics of deaths in U.S. school campuses suggest that there are more than 60 fraternity-related deaths since 2005. The common causes of deaths are fraternity hazing and pledge-related activities, clashes between fraternities, and gang rape. Moreover, these deadly fraternal activities occurred in fraternity houses on college campuses around the world. In Istanbul for instance, members of rival fraternity brutally stabbed a student of Ege University who later died in the hospital. Neophytes of school fraternity have to undergo physically demanding rites and rituals to become a full member of the group. However, some initiation rites are so violent and deadly such as the hazing incident that killed Michael Davis, a junior journalism student at Missouri State University in 1994. VIOLENCE AGAINST FEMALE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS The hallmark of all hazing deaths according to one study is the failure of fraternity members to recognize the severity of hazing situation while the common cause of student death is severe injuries from brutal beatings. Other fraternity-related injuries and deaths include clashes between rival fraternities, fires in fraternity houses, and binge drinking. Fraternity violence is a campus safety issue and poses ethical problems which violate  rules and honor codes. Why fraternities still exist? Fraternity and Academic Institutions’ Civil and Criminal Liability In defense of fraternities, fraternity leaders argue that they are student organization symbolizing the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity in school. Moreover, although they did cause some serious problems in the past, they did a number of good things like charity and community service. In other words, the â€Å"good outweighs the harms†. Under the law, schools have duties of care to keep students safe and therefore legally liable for injuries and deaths caused by fraternity violence. For instance, in Furek v. The university of Delaware, the trial court awarded Jeffrey Furek damages for fraternity hazing injuries. The University provided 93% of this damage award while the remaining 7% came from Joseph Donchez, the fraternity member directly responsible for the injuries. The national fraternity, on the other hand, was free of any liability. The court announced that the duty of reasonable care was breached when the university, despite its knowledge of ongoing hazing activities inside the campus, failed to protect Furek from harm. VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES AND SCHOOL VIOLENCE There is clearly a good reason why some universities banned and refused to recognize any fraternity. In 1983 for instance, Princeton University, after banning three fraternities for over a century, announced that it would continue to deny fraternities and sororities of school’s recognition. Similarly, responding to fraternity violence and incident of gang rape on campus, the University of Pennsylvania successfully disbanded a fraternity through a court order. In reality, fraternities can have unrecognized chapters in any school thus colleges and universities must be ready to defend themselves against potential liability associated with a duty of care. Since liability is highly dependent on school officials’ reaction to knowledge of hazing activities and performance of their duty to care, the best defense probably is to create and enforced an anti-hazing policy. The reason is the fact that school officials primarily need to convince the court that they are against hazing. Second, the court cannot use the reaction to knowledge of hazing as infringement, as hazing activities outside school premises is difficult to detect and clearly outside an officials’ assumed duty of care.