Marco Polo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marco Polo - Essay Example "Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus and other explorers couldn't resist the urge to trade in goods that they could not find at home, such as precious metals, spices and silks." (Jones, 100) Marco Polo has always been regarded as making a more important contribution to the Western world as he found the significant silk root to China to pioneer the explorations of the East. Apart from the contributions he made through his various explorations, Marco Polo also made a commendable input to the world of explorers through his book Il Milione, also known as Oriente Poliano. In other words, he is considered the most famous Western explorer who excelled the other voyagers with his determination, his writing, and influence over the following generations. Thus, this great explorer of the Europe travelled on the Silk Road to reach further than his predecessors, and explore the new land of China, and returned to his land to narrate the tales of his explorations that later became the greatest travelo gue to humanity. Bartolomeu Diaz (c. 1450 - 1500), the Portuguese navigator, has been remembered as the first explorer to round the Cape of Good Hope, which was considered an unattainable task. Diaz's name is written in golden letters in the history of European explorations as he was one of the great Portuguese sailors who helped find the south-eastern sea route between Western Europe and Asia. "The first European to see the stormy Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa was Bartholomew Diaz (or Dias), a courageous Portuguese sea captain and explorer. Diaz was one of the great Portuguese seamen who helped find the south-eastern water route between Western Europe and Asia." (Bartolomeu Dias (or Diaz): Portuguese Adventurer & Explorer) He was master to Vasco da Gama as well as he pioneered the later expeditions of the East through the African coast. Vasco da Gama (1460-1524), the Portuguese explorer, discovered an ocean route from Portugal to the East and his explorations were proved significant for the later European exploration and colonization of the East. His voyage from Portugal to India eventually helped the European Imperial and colonial interests to make him a famous explorer of Europe. Starting his sail from Lisbon, Portugal, in 1497, Vasco da Gama rounded African Cape of Good Hope to reach Calicut, India, in 1498. Though he was well-received in India in the beginning, da Gama left the land in 1498, when he was asked to pay a large tax and leave all of his trading goods. "When he left, da Gama took his goods with him, together with some Indian hostages. Upon his return, da Gama was treated as a hero and was rewarded by the king." (Vasco da Gama: Explorer) Christopher Columbus (1451 -1506) was another Italian explorer who made significant voyages across the Atlantic which resulted in the European discovery of the American continents. There is a distinct and unrivalled place for Columbus in the history of exploration and voyages. It is mainly the characteristics of his explorations and the great spirit of exploration to give a shining model to the following explorers that Columbus is mainly known. Examining the mostly southward voyages of the Portuguese into the Atlantic and Africa, Columbus realized that the sail westward would ultimately get to India and he took the different root. "The fundamental difference between

Aggressive acts in popular TV programmes Essay Example for Free

Aggressive acts in popular TV programmes Essay In this piece of coursework I am trying to find out whether aggressive acts in popular TV programmes cause children to act more violently. The participants used in this experiment will be children aged between 5 and 10. I think that the more aggressive acts there are in the popular TV programmes the more aggressive the child will act after watching the programme.  Most of us recognise aggression when we see it but the reason the person is being aggressive we find hard to determine. One common way to determine aggression is by saying there are 2 types instrumental and hostile aggression. Instrumental aggression is used to achieve a specific goal, perhaps to protect yourself or to try and get your own way. This form of aggression is not always accompanied by anger. Hostile aggression is aimed at damaging someone or something, and is often done in anger. The social learning theory says that we learn not only through reinforcement but also by observing other people and imitating their behaviour, which is called observational learning. A psychologist named Albert Bandura studies of aggression are based on the teachings of the social learning theory. He found out the following points:  Observation  Always we are watching people, and children in particular spend a lot of time observing others. While observing others they pick up on what they say and how they say it. The see how other people react to what is said or done, and observe the consequences of other peoples behaviour. If the behaviour is imitated by the observer we know the behaviour has been learned. For example a boy might kick his teddy bear in the same way as he seen his hero in a cartoon punch another character. The child may imitate the sounds which the hero in a cartoon makes. If the hero was rewarded or shown admiration for its actions in the cartoon then the child is more likely to imitate the heros behaviour. This is an example of vicarious reinforcement. Reinforcement  If the child is rewarded for its actions it is more likely to perform the behaviour. If the boy imitates a character on the TV and is rewarded by the carer the behaviour is likely to continue. If the carer disapproves of the behaviour of the child and punishes then the child is less likely to perform the behaviour again.  Albert Banduras Research On Aggression  Albert Bandura performed a number of experiments which focused on the effect of children watching an adult behave aggressively. For example, Bandura and friends (1961) arranged for an adult to hit and kick a large inflatable doll (called a Bobo doll) whilst the child was in the room. Afterwards the child had a chance to play with a variety of toys, including the doll, whilst the adult was present. Bandura in later experiments changed this procedure, because he showed a child a film of someone being aggressive to the doll in the environmental condition. In the control condition children watched a non-violent film. They were watched afterwards whilst playing and a number of incidents of aggression were noted. When participants were asked to replicate as much of the models behaviour as they could remember, most were able to do so accurately regardless of whether the model had been reinforced or punished. Some of the children who had not been aggressive towards the doll, even though they could do so accurately when asked. These children had learned the behaviour even though they did not imitate it. The Role Of The Media In Aggression  Banduras research indicated that children could learn new ways of being aggressive from their observation of models. This raised the question of what role the media might play in encouraging aggression and violence in society. The way aggression and violence in films, cartoons, TV programmes, computer games and books are presented provides models which children and adults may imitate. As a result of this, there was a huge increase in the research to discover the level and type of violence shown in the media, and what role the medias presentation of violence might play in aggressive behaviour. T. Williams and colleagues (1986), studied children in three Canadian towns and were compared to discover whether television had an influence on their levels of aggression. At the start of the study, one town had no television (Notel), another town had one channel (Unitel) and a third had several channels (Multitel). A year later Notel had one channel, Unitel had two channels. The researchers measured childrens levels of aggression before channels were added and again one year afterwards. The observed the children in playgrounds, and asked teachers and children to rate aggression. Aggression both verbally and physically increased after Notel children began watching TV, and this for both boys and girls. In addition Williams found a positive correlation between the amount of time a child watched TV and the amount of aggression he or she showed.

Cost Control in Food and Beverage Companies

Cost Control in Food and Beverage Companies Product oriented companies create a production budget which estimates the number of units that must be manufactured to meet the sales goals. The production budget also estimates the various costs involved with manufacturing those units, including labour and material. Cash Flow/Cash budget: The cash flow budget is a prediction of future cash receipts and expenditures for a particular time period. It usually covers a period in the short term future. The cash flow budget helps the business determine when income will be sufficient to cover expenses and when the company will need to seek outside financing. Marketing budget: The marketing budget is an estimate of the funds needed for promotion, advertising, and public relations in order to market the product or service. Project budget: The project budget is a prediction of the costs associated with a particular company project. These costs include labour, materials, and other related expenses. The project budget is often broken down into specific tasks, with task budgets assigned to each. Revenue budget: The Revenue Budget consists of revenue receipts of government and the expenditure met from these revenues. Tax revenues are made up of taxes and other duties that the government levies. Expenditure budget: A budget type which include of spending data items. (Arthur Sheffrin, 2003) What is fixed cost? Fixed cost is defined as hey do not vary proportionally with volume, but rarely are they completely fixed in real sense. They might fluctuate for other reasons. (Ojugo, 1999,p349 ) Variable cost Variable cost are those cost which increase in volume with the increase in production and decrease in volume with decrease in production as material cost, labour cost, power, repair, fuel etc. variable cost changes in direct proportion to the level of production. (Gupta et al. 2007) What is cash flow statement? Cash flow statement is the financial document that projects what your business plan means in terms money. It is same as a budget. It projected statement used for internal planning and estimates how much money will flow into and out of a business during a designated period of time, usually the coming tax year. (Jinnet Pinson, 2006) Advantages of cash flow statement Cash flow statement act as an essential tools of short term financial analysis and planning. The main advantages are listed below Cash flow statement is very useful in preparing cash budget as cash is the very basis of business operations cash flow proves very useful in evaluating the cash position of the concern The projected cash flow statement helps finance manager in exploring the possibilities of repayment of long term debts which depends upon the availability of cash Cash flow statement can be used for making appraisal of various capital investment projects just to determine their liquidity and profitability. A comparison of the cash flow statement of pervious year and projected cash flow statement reveals deviations of actual from budgeted. For payment of liabilities which are likely to mature immediately, cash is more important than working capital. Cash flow statement is certainly a better tool of analysis than funds flow statement as far as short term analysis is concerned. Cash flow statement enables the management to explain why the company is facing difficulties in paying dividend while it has earned good profits. It helps in taking loans from banks and other financial institutions; the repayment capacity of the company can be understood by going through the cash flow statement. It supplements the analysis provided by funds flow statement as cash is a part of the working capital. What is costing sheet? A cost sheet is a statement of cost incurred, or to be incurred, for producing a given volume of output or for rendering services, as the case may be. Preparation of a cost sheet helps cost control and pricing decisions. (Banerjee, 2006) Cost sheet for Hospitality The standerised reciepe cost sheet is a record of the ingredient cost reqiured to produce an item sold by your operation. This standerised cost sheet can be created using any basic spreadsheet software. (Dopson, 2010) Advantages of cost sheet in hospitality New employees can be better trained. Helpful to maintain food laws. Helpful to explain about any food item to the guest. Helpful for accurate purchasing in order to gain profits out of business. Purchasing, receiving, storing and issuing Purchasing Purchasing can be defined as a function concerned with the search, selection, purchase, receipt, storage and final use of a commodity in accordance with the catering policy of the establishment. Types of purchasing Blanket Orders A Blanket Purchase Order is a type of purchase order designed to consolidate repetitive small purchases from a single supplier. It is essentially a form of open account which is limited in terms of the things which can be ordered, who can place the orders, the period for which it is to be open, and the total amount which can be ordered. This form of purchase order is useful for departments that have repetitive supply needs. Standing Order A Standing Purchase Order is purchasing method used in purchasing leases (e.g. auto, property and equipment), and equipment maintenance. Generally speaking, equipment maintenance orders are set up for one year. Standing orders for leases should be created for the term of the lease. Regular Purchase Order The Purchase Order (Regular) is the basic purchasing system for making single instance purchases. It is a contract providing for the delivery by a specific date of listed goods or services at a predetermined price. Source -www.urmc.rochester.edu Objectives of receiving, storing and issuing Receiving Quantity of an item delivered must equal the quantity ordered Quality of an item delivered must be the same as the quality ordered Price on the invoice for each item delivered should be the same as the price quoted or listed when the order was placed Storing Prevent pilferage Ensure accessibility when products are needed Preserve quality Issuing To ensure the timely release of items from inventory in the needed quantities To prevent the misuse of items between release from inventory and delivery to the required department References Banerjee, B. (2006). Cost Accounting Theory And Practice (12th ed.). New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India. Dopson, L. R. (2010). Food and Beverage Cost Control (5th ed.). Canada: John Wiley and sons, Inc. Jinnet, L. P. (2006). Small Buisness Start-Up (6th ed.). Chicago: Kalpan Publications. Ojugo, C. (1999). Food Beverage Cost Control (2nd ed.). New York: Delmar. S.P.Gupta, Ajay Sharma, Satish Ahuja. (2007). Cost Accounting (1st ed.). New Delhi: V.K. Enterprises. Sullivan, Arthur; Steven M. Sheffrin (2003), Economics: Principles in action. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/purchasing/purchaseorder.cfm

Althussers Ideology :: Ideological State Apparatus, God

In the first half of his essay â€Å"Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses†, Althusser says that, â€Å"the resistances of the exploited classes is able to find means and occasions to express itself there† (99), by which he means in the Ideological State Apparatuses. In the second half of the essay, Althusser argues there are places that can be found in the ISA that allow expression of the exploited class, but this expression is an illusion as they can only express themselves in terms of being subjects. Althusser separates the State Apparatus into two sections, one being the Repressive State Apparatus (RSA) and the other being the Ideological State Apparatus (ISA). The RSA encompasses things like the military, police and government, whereas the ISA contains things like education, religion and family. The RSA is fundamentally different from the ISAs for two reasons, the first being that the RSA is strictly in the public domain whereas the ISAs can exist in both the public and private domain. The second difference is that, â€Å"the Repressive State Apparatus functions ‘by violence’, whereas the Ideological State Apparatus functions ‘by ideology’†(97). Althusser qualifies this statement by saying that the RSA truly functions by both violence as well as ideology since no apparatus can function by one alone. Therefore, conversely, the ISAs function primarily by ideology and secondarily by violence, although most of this violence is usually internal to t he apparatus. Althusser ends his discussion of the distinction between the RSA and ISA by saying that, â€Å"the Ideological State Apparatuses may be not only the stake, but also the site of class struggle, and often of bitter forms of class struggle† (99). By this, Althusser means that it is inherently difficult to take the ISA’s from the â€Å"formal† ruling class since they can retain their roles for a longer period of time than being thrown out of power in the RSA. This also leads us back to the question at hand; how do the resistances of the exploited classes find means and occasions to express themselves in the ISAs? The occasions for expression come from ideology. For Althusser, ideology is, â€Å"conceived as a pure illusion, a pure dream, i.e. as nothingness. All its reality is external to it† (108). Althusser differs from Marx on who controls this reality. Marx argues that this illusion is controlled by those who are in power and is used to control those who are not in power.

Angels Demons Chapter 36-38

36 The Office of the Swiss Guard. Langdon stood in the doorway, surveying the collision of centuries before them. Mixed media. The room was a lushly adorned Renaissance library complete with inlaid bookshelves, oriental carpets, and colorful tapestries†¦ and yet the room bristled with high-tech gear – banks of computers, faxes, electronic maps of the Vatican complex, and televisions tuned to CNN. Men in colorful pantaloons typed feverishly on computers and listened intently in futuristic headphones. â€Å"Wait here,† the guard said. Langdon and Vittoria waited as the guard crossed the room to an exceptionally tall, wiry man in a dark blue military uniform. He was talking on a cellular phone and stood so straight he was almost bent backward. The guard said something to him, and the man shot a glance over at Langdon and Vittoria. He nodded, then turned his back on them and continued his phone call. The guard returned. â€Å"Commander Olivetti will be with you in a moment.† â€Å"Thank you.† The guard left and headed back up the stairs. Langdon studied Commander Olivetti across the room, realizing he was actually the Commander in Chief of the armed forces of an entire country. Vittoria and Langdon waited, observing the action before them. Brightly dressed guards bustled about yelling orders in Italian. â€Å"Continua cercando!† one yelled into a telephone. â€Å"Probasti il museo?† another asked. Langdon did not need fluent Italian to discern that the security center was currently in intense search mode. This was the good news. The bad news was that they obviously had not yet found the antimatter. â€Å"You okay?† Langdon asked Vittoria. She shrugged, offering a tired smile. When the commander finally clicked off his phone and approached across the room, he seemed to grow with each step. Langdon was tall himself and not accustomed to looking up at many people, but Commander Olivetti demanded it. Langdon sensed immediately that the commander was a man who had weathered tempests, his face hale and steeled. His dark hair was cropped in a military buzz cut, and his eyes burned with the kind of hardened determination only attainable through years of intense training. He moved with ramrod exactness, the earpiece hidden discreetly behind one ear making him look more like U.S. Secret Service than Swiss Guard. The commander addressed them in accented English. His voice was startlingly quiet for such a large man, barely a whisper. It bit with a tight, military efficiency. â€Å"Good afternoon,† he said. â€Å"I am Commander Olivetti – Comandante Principale of the Swiss Guard. I'm the one who called your director.† Vittoria gazed upward. â€Å"Thank you for seeing us, sir.† The commander did not respond. He motioned for them to follow and led them through the tangle of electronics to a door in the side wall of the chamber. â€Å"Enter,† he said, holding the door for them. Langdon and Vittoria walked through and found themselves in a darkened control room where a wall of video monitors was cycling lazily through a series of black-and-white images of the complex. A young guard sat watching the images intently. â€Å"Fuori,† Olivetti said. The guard packed up and left. Olivetti walked over to one of the screens and pointed to it. Then he turned toward his guests. â€Å"This image is from a remote camera hidden somewhere inside Vatican City. I'd like an explanation.† Langdon and Vittoria looked at the screen and inhaled in unison. The image was absolute. No doubt. It was CERN's antimatter canister. Inside, a shimmering droplet of metallic liquid hung ominously in the air, lit by the rhythmic blinking of the LED digital clock. Eerily, the area around the canister was almost entirely dark, as if the antimatter were in a closet or darkened room. At the top of the monitor flashed superimposed text: Live Feed – Camera #86. Vittoria looked at the time remaining on the flashing indicator on the canister. â€Å"Under six hours,† she whispered to Langdon, her face tense. Langdon checked his watch. â€Å"So we have until†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stopped, a knot tightening in his stomach. â€Å"Midnight,† Vittoria said, with a withering look. Midnight, Langdon thought. A flair for the dramatic. Apparently whoever stole the canister last night had timed it perfectly. A stark foreboding set in as he realized he was currently sitting at ground zero. Olivetti's whisper now sounded more like a hiss. â€Å"Does this object belong to your facility?† Vittoria nodded. â€Å"Yes, sir. It was stolen from us. It contains an extremely combustible substance called antimatter.† Olivetti looked unmoved. â€Å"I am quite familiar with incendiaries, Ms. Vetra. I have not heard of antimatter.† â€Å"It's new technology. We need to locate it immediately or evacuate Vatican City.† Olivetti closed his eyes slowly and reopened them, as if refocusing on Vittoria might change what he just heard. â€Å"Evacuate? Are you aware what is going on here this evening?† â€Å"Yes, sir. And the lives of your cardinals are in danger. We have about six hours. Have you made any headway locating the canister?† Olivetti shook his head. â€Å"We haven't started looking.† Vittoria choked. â€Å"What? But we expressly heard your guards talking about searching the – â€Å" â€Å"Searching, yes,† Olivetti said, â€Å"but not for your canister. My men are looking for something else that does not concern you.† Vittoria's voice cracked. â€Å"You haven't even begun looking for this canister?† Olivetti's pupils seemed to recede into his head. He had the passionless look of an insect. â€Å"Ms. Vetra, is it? Let me explain something to you. The director of your facility refused to share any details about this object with me over the phone except to say that I needed to find it immediately. We are exceptionally busy, and I do not have the luxury of dedicating manpower to a situation until I get some facts.† â€Å"There is only one relevant fact at this moment, sir,† Vittoria said, â€Å"that being that in six hours that device is going to vaporize this entire complex.† Olivetti stood motionless. â€Å"Ms. Vetra, there is something you need to know.† His tone hinted at patronizing. â€Å"Despite the archaic appearance of Vatican City, every single entrance, both public and private, is equipped with the most advanced sensing equipment known to man. If someone tried to enter with any sort of incendiary device it would be detected instantly. We have radioactive isotope scanners, olfactory filters designed by the American DEA to detect the faintest chemical signatures of combustibles and toxins. We also use the most advanced metal detectors and X-ray scanners available.† â€Å"Very impressive,† Vittoria said, matching Olivetti's cool. â€Å"Unfortunately, antimatter is nonradioactive, its chemical signature is that of pure hydrogen, and the canister is plastic. None of those devices would have detected it.† â€Å"But the device has an energy source,† Olivetti said, motioning to the blinking LED. â€Å"Even the smallest trace of nickel-cadmium would register as – â€Å" â€Å"The batteries are also plastic.† Olivetti's patience was clearly starting to wane. â€Å"Plastic batteries?† â€Å"Polymer gel electrolyte with Teflon.† Olivetti leaned toward her, as if to accentuate his height advantage. â€Å"Signorina, the Vatican is the target of dozens of bomb threats a month. I personally train every Swiss Guard in modern explosive technology. I am well aware that there is no substance on earth powerful enough to do what you are describing unless you are talking about a nuclear warhead with a fuel core the size of a baseball.† Vittoria framed him with a fervent stare. â€Å"Nature has many mysteries yet to unveil.† Olivetti leaned closer. â€Å"Might I ask exactly who you are? What is your position at CERN?† â€Å"I am a senior member of the research staff and appointed liaison to the Vatican for this crisis.† â€Å"Excuse me for being rude, but if this is indeed a crisis, why am I dealing with you and not your director? And what disrespect do you intend by coming into Vatican City in short pants?† Langdon groaned. He couldn't believe that under the circumstances the man was being a stickler for dress code. Then again, he realized, if stone penises could induce lustful thoughts in Vatican residents, Vittoria Vetra in shorts could certainly be a threat to national security. â€Å"Commander Olivetti,† Langdon intervened, trying to diffuse what looked like a second bomb about to explode. â€Å"My name is Robert Langdon. I'm a professor of religious studies in the U.S. and unaffiliated with CERN. I have seen an antimatter demonstration and will vouch for Ms. Vetra's claim that it is exceptionally dangerous. We have reason to believe it was placed inside your complex by an antireligious cult hoping to disrupt your conclave.† Olivetti turned, peering down at Langdon. â€Å"I have a woman in shorts telling me that a droplet of liquid is going to blow up Vatican City, and I have an American professor telling me we are being targeted by some antireligious cult. What exactly is it you expect me to do?† â€Å"Find the canister,† Vittoria said. â€Å"Right away.† â€Å"Impossible. That device could be anywhere. Vatican City is enormous.† â€Å"Your cameras don't have GPS locators on them?† â€Å"They are not generally stolen. This missing camera will take days to locate.† â€Å"We don't have days,† Vittoria said adamantly. â€Å"We have six hours.† â€Å"Six hours until what, Ms. Vetra?† Olivetti's voice grew louder suddenly. He pointed to the image on the screen. â€Å"Until these numbers count down? Until Vatican City disappears? Believe me, I do not take kindly to people tampering with my security system. Nor do I like mechanical contraptions appearing mysteriously inside my walls. I am concerned. It is my job to be concerned. But what you have told me here is unacceptable.† Langdon spoke before he could stop himself. â€Å"Have you heard of the Illuminati?† The commander's icy exterior cracked. His eyes went white, like a shark about to attack. â€Å"I am warning you. I do not have time for this.† â€Å"So you have heard of the Illuminati?† Olivetti's eyes stabbed like bayonets. â€Å"I am a sworn defendant of the Catholic Church. Of course I have heard of the Illuminati. They have been dead for decades.† Langdon reached in his pocket and pulled out the fax image of Leonardo Vetra's branded body. He handed it to Olivetti. â€Å"I am an Illuminati scholar,† Langdon said as Olivetti studied the picture. â€Å"I am having a difficult time accepting that the Illuminati are still active, and yet the appearance of this brand combined with the fact that the Illuminati have a well-known covenant against Vatican City has changed my mind.† â€Å"A computer-generated hoax.† Olivetti handed the fax back to Langdon. Langdon stared, incredulous. â€Å"Hoax? Look at the symmetry! You of all people should realize the authenticity of – â€Å" â€Å"Authenticity is precisely what you lack. Perhaps Ms. Vetra has not informed you, but CERN scientists have been criticizing Vatican policies for decades. They regularly petition us for retraction of Creationist theory, formal apologies for Galileo and Copernicus, repeal of our criticism against dangerous or immoral research. What scenario seems more likely to you – that a four-hundred-year-old satanic cult has resurfaced with an advanced weapon of mass destruction, or that some prankster at CERN is trying to disrupt a sacred Vatican event with a well-executed fraud?† â€Å"That photo,† Vittoria said, her voice like boiling lava, â€Å"is of my father. Murdered. You think this is my idea of a joke?† â€Å"I don't know, Ms. Vetra. But I do know until I get some answers that make sense, there is no way I will raise any sort of alarm. Vigilance and discretion are my duty†¦ such that spiritual matters can take place here with clarity of mind. Today of all days.† Langdon said, â€Å"At least postpone the event.† â€Å"Postpone?† Olivetti's jaw dropped. â€Å"Such arrogance! A conclave is not some American baseball game you call on account of rain. This is a sacred event with a strict code and process. Never mind that one billion Catholics in the world are waiting for a leader. Never mind that the world media is outside. The protocols for this event are holy – not subject to modification. Since 1179, conclaves have survived earthquakes, famines, and even the plague. Believe me, it is not about to be canceled on account of a murdered scientist and a droplet of God knows what.† â€Å"Take me to the person in charge,† Vittoria demanded. Olivetti glared. â€Å"You've got him.† â€Å"No,† she said. â€Å"Someone in the clergy.† The veins on Olivetti's brow began to show. â€Å"The clergy has gone. With the exception of the Swiss Guard, the only ones present in Vatican City at this time are the College of Cardinals. And they are inside the Sistine Chapel.† â€Å"How about the chamberlain?† Langdon stated flatly. â€Å"Who?† â€Å"The late Pope's chamberlain.† Langdon repeated the word self-assuredly, praying his memory served him. He recalled reading once about the curious arrangement of Vatican authority following the death of a Pope. If Langdon was correct, during the interim between Popes, complete autonomous power shifted temporarily to the late Pope's personal assistant – his chamberlain – a secretarial underling who oversaw conclave until the cardinals chose the new Holy Father. â€Å"I believe the chamberlain is the man in charge at the moment.† â€Å"Il camerlegno?† Olivetti scowled. â€Å"The camerlegno is only a priest here. He is not even canonized. He is the late Pope's hand servant.† â€Å"But he is here. And you answer to him.† Olivetti crossed his arms. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, it is true that Vatican rule dictates the camerlegno assume chief executive office during conclave, but it is only because his lack of eligibility for the papacy ensures an unbiased election. It is as if your president died, and one of his aides temporarily sat in the oval office. The camerlegno is young, and his understanding of security, or anything else for that matter, is extremely limited. For all intents and purposes, I am in charge here.† â€Å"Take us to him,† Vittoria said. â€Å"Impossible. Conclave begins in forty minutes. The camerlegno is in the Office of the Pope preparing. I have no intention of disturbing him with matters of security.† Vittoria opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a knocking at the door. Olivetti opened it. A guard in full regalia stood outside, pointing to his watch. â€Å"ee l'ora, comandante.† Olivetti checked his own watch and nodded. He turned back to Langdon and Vittoria like a judge pondering their fate. â€Å"Follow me.† He led them out of the monitoring room across the security center to a small clear cubicle against the rear wall. â€Å"My office.† Olivetti ushered them inside. The room was unspecial – a cluttered desk, file cabinets, folding chairs, a water cooler. â€Å"I will be back in ten minutes. I suggest you use the time to decide how you would like to proceed.† Vittoria wheeled. â€Å"You can't just leave! That canister is – â€Å" â€Å"I do not have time for this,† Olivetti seethed. â€Å"Perhaps I should detain you until after the conclave when I do have time.† â€Å"Signore,† the guard urged, pointing to his watch again. â€Å"Spazzare di capella.† Olivetti nodded and started to leave. â€Å"Spazzare di capella?† Vittoria demanded. â€Å"You're leaving to sweep the chapel?† Olivetti turned, his eyes boring through her. â€Å"We sweep for electronic bugs, Miss Vetra – a matter of discretion.† He motioned to her legs. â€Å"Not something I would expect you to understand.† With that he slammed the door, rattling the heavy glass. In one fluid motion he produced a key, inserted it, and twisted. A heavy deadbolt slid into place. â€Å"Idita!† Vittoria yelled. â€Å"You can't keep us in here!† Through the glass, Langdon could see Olivetti say something to the guard. The sentinel nodded. As Olivetti strode out of the room, the guard spun and faced them on the other side of the glass, arms crossed, a large sidearm visible on his hip. Perfect, Langdon thought. Just bloody perfect. 37 Vittoria glared at the Swiss Guard standing outside Olivetti's locked door. The sentinel glared back, his colorful costume belying his decidedly ominous air. â€Å"Che fiasco,† Vittoria thought. Held hostage by an armed man in pajamas. Langdon had fallen silent, and Vittoria hoped he was using that Harvard brain of his to think them out of this. She sensed, however, from the look on his face, that he was more in shock than in thought. She regretted getting him so involved. Vittoria's first instinct was to pull out her cell phone and call Kohler, but she knew it was foolish. First, the guard would probably walk in and take her phone. Second, if Kohler's episode ran its usual course, he was probably still incapacitated. Not that it mattered†¦ Olivetti seemed unlikely to take anybody's word on anything at the moment. Remember! she told herself. Remember the solution to this test! Remembrance was a Buddhist philosopher's trick. Rather than asking her mind to search for a solution to a potentially impossible challenge, Vittoria asked her mind simply to remember it. The presupposition that one once knew the answer created the mindset that the answer must exist†¦ thus eliminating the crippling conception of hopelessness. Vittoria often used the process to solve scientific quandaries†¦ those that most people thought had no solution. At the moment, however, her remembrance trick was drawing a major blank. So she measured her options†¦ her needs. She needed to warn someone. Someone at the Vatican needed to take her seriously. But who? The camerlegno? How? She was in a glass box with one exit. Tools, she told herself. There are always tools. Reevaluate your environment. Instinctively she lowered her shoulders, relaxed her eyes, and took three deep breaths into her lungs. She sensed her heart rate slow and her muscles soften. The chaotic panic in her mind dissolved. Okay, she thought, let your mind be free. What makes this situation positive? What are my assets? The analytical mind of Vittoria Vetra, once calmed, was a powerful force. Within seconds she realized their incarceration was actually their key to escape. â€Å"I'm making a phone call,† she said suddenly. Langdon looked up. â€Å"I was about to suggest you call Kohler, but – â€Å" â€Å"Not Kohler. Someone else.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"The camerlegno.† Langdon looked totally lost. â€Å"You're calling the chamberlain? How?† â€Å"Olivetti said the camerlegno was in the Pope's office.† â€Å"Okay. You know the Pope's private number?† â€Å"No. But I'm not calling on my phone.† She nodded to a high-tech phone system on Olivetti's desk. It was riddled with speed dial buttons. â€Å"The head of security must have a direct line to the Pope's office.† â€Å"He also has a weight lifter with a gun planted six feet away.† â€Å"And we're locked in.† â€Å"I was actually aware of that.† â€Å"I mean the guard is locked out. This is Olivetti's private office. I doubt anyone else has a key.† Langdon looked out at the guard. â€Å"This is pretty thin glass, and that's a pretty big gun.† â€Å"What's he going to do, shoot me for using the phone?† â€Å"Who the hell knows! This is a pretty strange place, and the way things are going – â€Å" â€Å"Either that,† Vittoria said, â€Å"or we can spend the next five hours and forty-eight minutes in Vatican Prison. At least we'll have a front-row seat when the antimatter goes off.† Langdon paled. â€Å"But the guard will get Olivetti the second you pick up that phone. Besides, there are twenty buttons on there. And I don't see any identification. You going to try them all and hope to get lucky?† â€Å"Nope,† she said, striding to the phone. â€Å"Just one.† Vittoria picked up the phone and pressed the top button. â€Å"Number one. I bet you one of those Illuminati U.S. dollars you have in your pocket that this is the Pope's office. What else would take primary importance for a Swiss Guard commander?† Langdon did not have time to respond. The guard outside the door started rapping on the glass with the butt of his gun. He motioned for her to set down the phone. Vittoria winked at him. The guard seemed to inflate with rage. Langdon moved away from the door and turned back to Vittoria. â€Å"You damn well better be right, 'cause this guy does not look amused!† â€Å"Damn!† she said, listening to the receiver. â€Å"A recording.† â€Å"Recording?† Langdon demanded. â€Å"The Pope has an answering machine?† â€Å"It wasn't the Pope's office,† Vittoria said, hanging up. â€Å"It was the damn weekly menu for the Vatican commissary.† Langdon offered a weak smile to the guard outside who was now glaring angrily though the glass while he hailed Olivetti on his walkie-talkie. 38 The Vatican switchboard is located in the Ufficio di Communicazione behind the Vatican post office. It is a relatively small room containing an eight-line Corelco 141 switchboard. The office handles over 2,000 calls a day, most routed automatically to the recording information system. Tonight, the sole communications operator on duty sat quietly sipping a cup of caffeinated tea. He felt proud to be one of only a handful of employees still allowed inside Vatican City tonight. Of course the honor was tainted somewhat by the presence of the Swiss Guards hovering outside his door. An escort to the bathroom, the operator thought. Ah, the indignities we endure in the name of Holy Conclave. Fortunately, the calls this evening had been light. Or maybe it was not so fortunate, he thought. World interest in Vatican events seemed to have dwindled in the last few years. The number of press calls had thinned, and even the crazies weren't calling as often. The press office had hoped tonight's event would have more of a festive buzz about it. Sadly, though, despite St. Peter's Square being filled with press trucks, the vans looked to be mostly standard Italian and Euro press. Only a handful of global cover-all networks were there†¦ no doubt having sent their giornalisti secundari. The operator gripped his mug and wondered how long tonight would last. Midnight or so, he guessed. Nowadays, most insiders already knew who was favored to become Pope well before conclave convened, so the process was more of a three – or four-hour ritual than an actual election. Of course, last-minute dissension in the ranks could prolong the ceremony through dawn†¦ or beyond. The conclave of 1831 had lasted fifty-four days. Not tonight, he told himself; rumor was this conclave would be a â€Å"smoke-watch.† The operator's thoughts evaporated with the buzz of an inside line on his switchboard. He looked at the blinking red light and scratched his head. That's odd, he thought. The zero-line. Who on the inside would be calling operator information tonight? Who is even inside? â€Å"Citta del Vaticano, prego?† he said, picking up the phone. The voice on the line spoke in rapid Italian. The operator vaguely recognized the accent as that common to Swiss Guards – fluent Italian tainted by the Franco-Swiss influence. This caller, however, was most definitely not Swiss Guard. On hearing the woman's voice, the operator stood suddenly, almost spilling his tea. He shot a look back down at the line. He had not been mistaken. An internal extension. The call was from the inside. There must be some mistake! he thought. A woman inside Vatican City? Tonight? The woman was speaking fast and furiously. The operator had spent enough years on the phones to know when he was dealing with a pazzo. This woman did not sound crazy. She was urgent but rational. Calm and efficient. He listened to her request, bewildered. â€Å"Il camerlegno?† the operator said, still trying to figure out where the hell the call was coming from. â€Å"I cannot possibly connect†¦ yes, I am aware he is in the Pope's office but†¦ who are you again?†¦ and you want to warn him of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He listened, more and more unnerved. Everyone is in danger? How? And where are you calling from? â€Å"Perhaps I should contact the Swiss†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The operator stopped short. â€Å"You say you're where? Where?† He listened in shock, then made a decision. â€Å"Hold, please,† he said, putting the woman on hold before she could respond. Then he called Commander Olivetti's direct line. There is no way that woman is really – The line picked up instantly. â€Å"Per l'amore di Dio!† a familiar woman's voice shouted at him. â€Å"Place the damn call!† The door of the Swiss Guards' security center hissed open. The guards parted as Commander Olivetti entered the room like a rocket. Turning the corner to his office, Olivetti confirmed what his guard on the walkie-talkie had just told him; Vittoria Vetra was standing at his desk talking on the commander's private telephone. Che coglioni che ha questa! he thought. The balls on this one! Livid, he strode to the door and rammed the key into the lock. He pulled open the door and demanded, â€Å"What are you doing?† Vittoria ignored him. â€Å"Yes,† she was saying into the phone. â€Å"And I must warn – â€Å" Olivetti ripped the receiver from her hand, and raised it to his ear. â€Å"Who the hell is this?† For the tiniest of an instant, Olivetti's inelastic posture slumped. â€Å"Yes, camerlegno†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said. â€Å"Correct, signore†¦ but questions of security demand†¦ of course not†¦ I am holding her here for†¦ certainly, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He listened. â€Å"Yes, sir,† he said finally. â€Å"I will bring them up immediately.†

Persuasive essay about abortions Essays

Persuasive essay about abortions Essays Persuasive essay about abortions Paper Persuasive essay about abortions Paper Essay Topic: Persuasive Abortion has been one of the biggest controversies of all time. Many people believe it is 100% wrong and even consider it to be murder. The definition of abortion is; â€Å"The termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to being capable of normal growth.† These pro-life believers do not support the idea of abortion and believe it should be illegal. Many of these supporters do not know that if abortion were illegal they would still be performed, unfortunately by an uneducated staff. Over 70 thousand maternal deaths occur every year because of unsafe abortions. These women die, so the idea of supporting pro-life is contradictory, this is why the nation should be pro-choice. Pro-choice believers support the right to privacy and the idea women should have the choice to do what they please with their own body and unborn child. As an example, a woman is raped by a man and becomes pregnant with his child. She decides she doesn’t want to keep the baby and she has an abortion because the idea of raising a child of her rapist is too painful for her to deal with. Pro-choice defenders take sympathies to this woman while she then gets called a murderer by pro-life supporters. Abortions sometimes results in the woman being harassed because of the choice she has made about her own body. Sometime situations like this turns into harassment which can be considered to be part of anti-abortion violence. These â€Å"pro-life supporters† stalk, threaten, and even sometimes kill women who have chosen to have an abortion and even the doctors that provide the procedures. Pro-life also supports the idea that every child has a right to live, even if the mother is not financially able to support the child and the child would struggle everyday along with their mother. These children would be underprivileged and could potentially die from the circumstances they’ve be forced to live in. Again this is what people that are considered to be â€Å"pro-life† defend. Pro-choice supports the girl that is fifteen years old loses her virginity and becomes pregnant because she wasn’t fully aware of the consequences of her actions. The choice of her keeping the child would result in her getting kicked out of her home, she’d be finically unable to support the baby, and she would lose her education. With abortion she would not have to deal with these issues, though she would have to deal with the emotional aspect of  deciding to terminate the pregnancy. Pro-choice supports the idea she would learn from her mistake and that ultimately it was her choice to do what she wished with her body. Even though these â€Å"Pro Life supporters† think giving up your child for adoption is a better choice than an abortion, but those children would be forced to live in an unfit foster home till they age out of the system. After they turn 18 they are out on the streets what makes the women who would rather just have an abortion have to think about when they know their child is in a foster home and probably no better off than where they would be if she would have just kept it? You have to deal with the emotional circumstances after an abortion for a while but you have to deal with not knowing what the child you gave up has to go through on a daily basis everyday of your life is a lot harder than the emotional toll of an abortion Even though many people practice pro-life because of their religion, it may be surprising to learn that catholic women are 29% more likely to get an abortion than Protestant women, though they are as likely as all women to do so. In Christianity abortion has been considered homicide since Pope Sixtus V declared it so, but the debate didn’t become heated until the 19th century. So even these pro-life supporters sometimes find the circumstances where abortion is necessary. An example of a situation where you may see this is in a given situation where bearing a child and giving birth would kill the mother because of health issues or womb complications the fetus would have. It’s said that the risks of death associated with childbirth is 10 times higher than that of abortion. This proves that life is too situational to say whether or not abortion should be illegal. About 14,000 women get abortions fallowing rape. It is also estimated that there are millions abortions a year. Imagine that those abortions had not occurred with the current population issue in the world, there are over 7 billion people on the planet and we have limited resources which are fading quickly. Pro-life supporters do not see the situations, reasons, and â€Å"benefits† from abortions. They are ignorant to the reason why many women choose to make the decision they do. It is clear abortion should remain legal; even if it seems immoral it can often be the best situation for the  people that have to make that tough decision. Pro-choice defends and protects the people, it is ultimately the woman’s life that would be affected and no one else’s, who would the government be to take that away from us the people? We live in a country based on freedoms, and women have and should continue to have the freedom to that choice. Also, if women are forced to bear the child and give it up or have to keep it there will be so many young girls on welfare and food stamps. Even unemployment because they don’t have the means to take care of these children but are being forced to keep them. Our country in already in debt why are we going to force people to bring in these children just for the government to have to pay to take care of them and be put even further into debt? What do you think about abortion should women be able to make their own decision on whether they should keep THEIR child or get an abortion? View as multi-pages