Thursday, September 3, 2020

Win-Win Situation :: essays research papers

Searching FOR A WIN-WIN SITUATION This previous end of the week points the biggest agreement marking in Major League Baseball history. On the twelfth of February 2000, Ken Griffey Jr. (in the past of the Seattle Mariners), marked a nine-year $116.5 million agreement with his old neighborhood Cincinnati Reds. The city’s fans were euphoric to bring Griffey back, and considering he turned down an eight-year $148 million arrangement to re-sign with Seattle, they feel that the obtaining was a genuine deal. It truly is astounding when a man can make $12.94 million per year, just for playing the sport of baseball and tons of individuals are considering it a deal. Compensations in sports are unimaginably touchy and questionable issues. There are many lifelong fans that accept prominent competitors merit every single penny their agreement gives them, anyway a great many people accept else; I am one of them. What precisely is it that competitors do that makes them meriting such significant compensations? The main proble m close by here, is that the more cash competitors are making, the more fans will need to pay to see them face to face. Is there actually a success win circumstance here? As performers, competitors are paid for fan fulfillment. The more fans that need to see a competitor play out, the more the competitor is paid. Truth be told, most competitors, even the individuals who make a great many dollars for each flubbed fly ball, dropped pass, and missed free toss, feel they presumably merit significantly more significant compensations; the explanation being that they’re still popular. While certain competitors may failing to bring a title ring to their group, or in any event, bring home a triumphant season, those competitors will consistently pack the stands. Fans in the stands convert into ticket deals. Ticket deals can possibly prompt national transmissions. Unavoidably, the equation of ticket deals in addition to national transmissions prompts huge income, and this is the means by which proprietors and associations can bear to pay players like Michael Jordan $25 Million for his resigning season alone. Be that as it may, how does society (all in all ) advantage from these over-expanded compensations? To put it plainly, it doesn’t. It is a sensitive and befuddling circumstance. In the event that the fans will pay for everything from the caps to the T-shirts, to the passes to the wieners, the groups will create more cash. Nonetheless, if that occurs, come contract time competitors will interest for more cash. On the off chance that the competitor requests more cash, the expense of tickets and memorabilia will go up.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Persecution of Women in the Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mistreatment of Women in the Middle East - Essay Example Numerous Christian ladies live in confined nations where Christianity isn't endured - more than 200 million Christians in 80 nations overall are aggrieved due to their confidence. Ladies of the Way is a program of Open Doors assembling ladies to turn out to be deliberately engaged with fortifying mistreated Christians and attempts to teach and clergyman to these ladies, whose social circumstances frequently disallow them from accepting Christian materials or standing up uninhibitedly about their confidence. (Persecuted Women) Women are as yet considered the more fragile sex in the Middle East and they are abused day in, day out. Ladies are fundamentally persecuted due to their confidence in Christianity. Numerous Christian ladies have needed to tolerate the brunt of this and many keep on confronting the outcomes of their strict convictions. It is extremely tragic that these ladies would not benefit from outside intervention; ample opportunity has already past to put these ladies out of their wretchedness. They surrender to sadness when they are segregated or aggrieved. Some of them are even executed in view of their confidence in Christianity, this is inadmissible and something must be done about this in the near future. Islam is misjudged by the Muslims and they will in general rebuff the ladies, they wind up banishing these poor ladies. They cause torment upon them and they neglect to understand the genuine estimations of Islam. Strict conviction is the most significant explanation in view of which the ladies in the Middle East are oppressed. ... This has been an exceptionally famous practice in the Middle East; ladies must be ensured no matter what and they should be given much preferable treatment over what they are getting. Under the Islamic Republic of Iran, segregation and division based on religion and sexual orientation have been standardized in the constitution, government arrangements, and state philosophy. The framework unequivocally favors men over ladies, Muslims over non-Muslims, and Shiite Muslims over other Muslim sects.The constitution and the Shari'a-based punitive and common codes, particularly those areas relating to family and individual status, legitimize the subjection of ladies, regarding them as peons with inconsistent rights. Ladies' privileges activists have propelled broadly promoted equivalent rights battles that have been effective inside the parameters set up by the religious government. Be that as it may, the general lawful system stays oppressive, with the state's religious underpinnings reliab ly invalidating its dynamic and majority rule components. (Access to Justice) Islam limits ladies from wearing uncovering garments and any lady discovered wearing uncovering garments is frequently abused. These draconian laws are just for ladies, no such laws exist for men in the Middle East. Ladies are focused for the sake of Islam; Islam never underpins mistreatment of ladies. Individuals have begun inferring fulfillment by dispensing torment upon other people. This act of oppression goes to mirror the torment dispensing propensities set up; ladies get abused for the sake of Islam. They can't go out nor would they be able to go to a school. They stay uneducated and powerless, this is a technique for misusing them and this is likewise a

Friday, August 21, 2020

Obesity in Black American Women Essay Example for Free

Heftiness in Black American Women Essay Culture, Biology and Lifestyle Cause Forty Nine Percent of Black American Women to be Obese Abstract. Stoutness is a central point in wellbeing today. Certain ethnic gatherings and sexes experience the ill effects of weight more than others. Around 49% of all Black American ladies are grouped corpulent today. There are numerous purposes behind this. Be that as it may, the three the Black American ladies are powerless to are culture, way of life and science. Forty nine percent of Black American ladies are stout. This is an over portrayal contrasted with 38% of Latina ladies and 33% of non-Hispanic white ladies. (Phelan, Johnson, Wesley). Numerous elements decide a person’s weight and wellbeing status. Financial aspects, way of life, diet, culture, science and society all influence a person’s body size and organization. Culture, science and way of life have the biggest effect on why Black American ladies are fat. Wellbeing, monetary and cultural ramifications of corpulence are overpowering and influence each individual in this nation. The clinical network characterizes stoutness as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more prominent. BMI is basically an examination of weight to tallness. The real equation is weight in kilograms partitioned by tallness in meters squared. A BMI of more prominent than 25 however under 30 is viewed as overweight and a BMI of more noteworthy than 40 is considered gargantuan. BMI is a correlation of weight to tallness, not fat to stature. BMI is a helpful apparatus for the vast majority of the populace, however doesn't function admirably for vigorously built individuals, for example, jocks. Fat is harming to wellbeing. Muscle isn't. Everybody realizes that weight causes diabetes and heart issues. However, corpulence is substantially more extreme than that. Corpulence messes wellbeing up that many discover educational. Weight causes solidifying of the supply routes, expanded cholesterol and heart disappointment. Notwithstanding harming the heart and veins weight causes malignant growth. 20% of all malignant growth related passings in ladies are ascribed to heftiness (Dixon). 50% of all Type II diabetes patients are stout. (Dixon). Corpulence is related with expanded danger of metabolic disorder and greasy liver malady (Kogiso, Moriyoshi and Nagahara). Weight causes a lot more not all that notable, yet at the same time very concerning medical problems. Thirty one percent of all joint pain patients are hefty. (Dixon). Sixty three percent of ladies who experience the ill effects of osteoarthritis are fat (Dixon). Fat ladies show a 37% expanded danger of melancholy (Stunkard). Heftiness can cause barrenness and pregnancy complexities (Phelan, Edelman). It even can lessen the adequacy of anti-conception medication. Large individuals are multiple times progressively well-suited to experience the ill effects of rest apnea (Visscher, Seidell). What's more, for the genuine stunner, 300,000 passings for each year in the United States alone are credited to heftiness! Heftiness is just second to smoking in preventable passings every year in the US. (Visscher, Seidell). The reasons about portion of every single Black lady in the US are large are perplexing and many. We can point our finger at financial aspects, way of life, society, science, diet, culture. Culture, way of life and science are the essential reasons 49% of Black ladies in the US are hefty. Studies have indicated that culture can profoundly affect body size. A few examinations have discovered that the Black American populace has an inclination for bigger body size (Johnson). Portia Johnson, in her article, Scholarly Perspectives on Obesity in Black American Women, references a recent report that shows that African American men lean toward African American ladies with a bigger body size. A similar creator likewise refers to a recent report that shows that African American ladies â€Å"describe a model of wellbeing that addresses the Black womens social conviction that a bigger body size is ideal† (Johnson). African ladies likewise have an inclination for bigger bodies. A recent report on ethnic Zulus, Zulu transients to London, and Anglo Londoners show an inclination for bigger body size by the Zulu vagrants and the ethnic Zulus (Brewis 88). Every member in were indicated dark scale pictures of ladies of known BMI. The members were approached to pick which picture spoke to the most sound and alluring body. The Anglo Londoners picked a BMI size of 20, the ethnic Zulus picked BMI 26 and the transient Zulus picked a BMI of 24. Dr. James Kirby and associates made the intriguing disclosure that basically living in a network with 25% or more non-Hispanic blacks builds ones affinity of being overweight (Kirby et al). Thus Dr. Kirby found that living in a network of 25% or more Asians diminishes a person’s penchant of being overweight (Kirby et al). Kirby gathers this is because of the accessibility of sound food, parks, walkways and diversion offices in every network. Kirby found that a transcendence of dark Americans live in networks with less recreational offices, rec centers, parks and less decisions of sound food than different ethnicities. A similar report likewise discovered all the more drive-through eateries and accommodation food stores in predominately dark and Hispanic American people group. Maybe the most persuading proof is in the expressions of African American ladies. In her article ‘Voices from the Inside: African American Womens Perspectives on Healthy Lifestyles’ Jill Rowe talked with African American ladies on solid ways of life and food decisions. One lady clarifies eating in African American culture as: It’s practically like each individual in my family has something they cook genuine great and I don’t need to offend . At the point when you go to your mama’s house, I’ve constantly gone to the fridge. That’s how African Americans show their adoration. From the birthday celebrations, to when you have organization. My family, when we’re cheerful we eat. When we’re tragic, we eat. We eat when we’re wedded, we eat when we’re conceived, we eat when we bite the dust. It’s consistently, who’s bringing the singed chicken and pound cake. (Rowe) Culture can altogether influence a person’s weight. In any case, we ought to likewise know that science can influence weight as well. Specialists have discovered that Black American ladies have a lower Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). RMR is the rate at which vitality (calories) are processed to keep organs working very still. Dark American ladies have a lower RMR than white or Hispanic ladies. This implies they consume less calories for the duration of the day and capacity more productively than white Americans making it harder to get in shape (Johnson). A recent report found that the Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) of dark American ladies was lower than for Caucasian American ladies. The specialists estimated the REE of every member and found that the Black ladies had a REE of 1790 calories for every day very still, while the Caucasian ladies had a REE of 1949 calories for every day very still. All things considered, 250 a larger number of calories every day very still than Black American ladies do. This makes it harder for dark ladies to get more fit (Johnson). Scientists have additionally found that Black Americans have an over articulation of unsaturated fat vehicle protein. This implies increasingly fat is conveyed to fat stockpiling cells making it simpler for Black Americans to store fat than white Americans (Barakat). Analysts have estimated and discovered progressively chest area fat in Black Women contrasted with white ladies. A bigger beneath the skin level (subcutaneous) fat level was found in Black Women when contrasted with white American ladies (Conway). Diet and exercise are a piece of a persons’ way of life and both significantly affect weight and wellbeing. A few investigations have demonstrated that Black Americans eat increasingly improved nourishments when contrasted with European Americans. Portia Johnson and associates refer to a recent report on inclination for sweet food among African Americans and European Americans. The examination offered trials to every ethnic gathering and contrasted how each gathering reacted with desserts. The specialists found that Black Americans ate a greater amount of the improved nourishments offered at different interims during a trial (Johnson). They presume that African Americans could be utilizing an improved food to make up for more noteworthy saw pressure causing more prominent weight addition and corpulence. Angelia Paschal and partners inspected the aftereffects of an examination on self-detailed eating routine and exercise propensities for African American people. They found that 55-75% of the ladies in their investigation once in a while work out. They likewise found that 76% of all members didn't eat the base day by day necessities for products of the soil than half met the base prerequisites for vegetables. As anyone might expect this investigation reports that 62% of members were determined to have hypertension and 14% were determined to have raised glucose levels as well as diabetes (Paschal et al). An investigation that contrasted wellness of Latina American ladies with Black American ladies discovered comparative outcomes. â€Å"More than one-portion of the ladies revealed participating in no customary physical action. Be that as it may, the considerable fluctuation in the quantity of minutes practiced every week focuses to the need to research strategies to upgrade the term of physical movement. † (Sanchez-Johnsen et al). Beginning, a congregation based wellbeing and work out regime focused on Black Americans, found that huge numbers of the members didn't correspond corpulence with unexpected weakness. The members in Genesis finished a self-detailed overview where just 16% demonstrated they were stout, yet when clinically estimated 87% were seen as overweight or large. This demonstrates members neglected to interface overabundance weight with clinical hazard, perhaps because of social molding, individual forswearing or not partner body weight with wellbeing hazard (Cowart et al). It isn't all unhappiness and fate for ladies of shading in the US. Culture, science and way of life are everything that can be changed or if nothing else worked with to get more fit and increase wellness. There are a few projects in this nation focused on in general f

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Transgenerational Redemption in The Winters Tale - Literature Essay Samples

Shakespearean romances are characterized by conclusions in which all conflicts are happily resolved. It is easy to see these resolutions as humorous but unlikely contrivances which the author invents to neatly tie together loose ends. There is sometimes, though, a deeper structure of conflict and resolution than may at first be obvious; such is the case in The Winters Tale. The central conflict in The Winters Tale is the violation of Nature on the part of the patriarch of the old generation, Leontes. Nature in The Winters Tale is best understood as the ordered character of the universe. This is expressed in a three-tiered, hierarchically ordered structure with the divine at the apex, the monarch next, and the common man at the base. Nature is essentially static in a vertical direction, that is, an individual cannot rightly move from a lower level to a higher or vice-versa. Nonetheless, Nature does require a horizontal mobility demonstrated through the continuance of time. A v iolation of either vertical stability or horizontal perpetuation affronts Nature and will be punished. While Leontes first violation is vertical in nature, it is his horizontal violation which is the greater problem. Leontes, consumed by pride, dismisses the voice of the oracle when it challenges his conception of truth. He indignantly declares, There is no truth at all ith oracleŠ.This is mere falsehood (III.ii.138). This declaration marks a vertical infraction against Nature. Leontes, as monarch, ignores the voice of heaven and Apollo strikes down his son in response. This loss of a son and heir is Leontes more important transgression, the violation of the horizontal continuity of nature. The monarch, the second level of ordered nature, cannot continue forward in time. This is the essence of Leontes tragedy.Redemption from this tragedy can only occur through the stabilization of the natural order. The vertical transgression against the divine requires only recognition of the transgression for it to be overcome. In The Winters Tale this recognition comes directly after the death of Mammilius. Leontes says, Apollo, pardon my great profaneness ÂÅ'gainst thine oracle (III.ii.152). With these words and his proposed visitation to the graves of his family, Leontes has done what he can to personally reconcile himself with the god. He has not, however, been redeemed from his second, more profound, transgression, his lack of children. This infraction is not personal; it can only be overcome by reinitiating the halted horizontal movement. In other words, it can only be accomplished through another person, an heir to Leontes throne. Only a second, new generation can resolve this problem, redeem Leontes, and set the natural order aright.There is much evidence for such a transgenerational redemption in The Winters Tale. The structure of the play demonstrates this clearly. The play is organized into two distinct sections based upon scene and theme. Si cilia, the locale for the first three acts, is a land dominated by court life, the self-constructed realm of man as demonstrated by the consistent location of each scene (The Palace of Leontes). The emphasis here is decidedly on man and his action; the external world is summarily ignored. This is the home of the old generation and is appropriately the land of the manmade tragedy. Bohemia, the scene in act four, on the other hand, is a land of resplendent abundance and fertility, populated by shepherds and other rustic folk. The court is shown only once. Moreover, Bohemia is associated with the new generation‹sixteen years have passed when the play first shifts to Bohemia. Tragedy is the legacy of the sterile land of the old generation, Sicilia, whereas the next generation is bred in Bohemia. The move to Bohemia places the emphasis on the new and leads ineluctably to the plays happy conclusion.Further evidence of the importance of the second generation is found in the promi nence of the children of the two estranged rulers in the final resolution of the play. It is not until Perdita returns to Sicilia that the play can successfully end. The two lovers flee to Sicilia, the site of the original transgression, from an inhospitable Bohemia where their relationship is opposed, as it must be, by th power of the King (IV.iv.37). The fifth and final act takes place in the same, stained land as Leontes initial sin. The new generation reunites with the old in order to stabilize the twisted axes of the natural order.The decisive acts of the second generation are not, however, made independently. The servants of the old generation, Antigonus and Camillo, serve as intermediaries between the old and the new. Antigonus, charged by Leontes to abandon the infant Perdita, leaves a scroll indicating her royal heritage along with a chest of jewels, clearly intending for the child to be rescued. As he says, There these, which may, if fortune please, both breed thee, pretty, and still rest thine (III.iii.47-49). Antigonus refuses the extreme imperatives of his enraged sovereign and thereby ensures the survival of the next generation without which there could be no redemption. Camillo also plays a vital role in facilitating the old generations redemption by the new. Early in the play Camillo recognizes the absurdity of Leontes action and flees to Bohemia with Polixenes rather than remain subject to the irrational mandates of his king. In addition to this, it is Camillo who convinces Florizel and Perdita to flee Bohemia when Polixenes denies their betrothal. Antigonus ensures the life of the second generation while Camillo reunites it with its predecessor.Besides the evidence offered by the larger plot, the words of the characters also demonstrate the second generations role in reinstating the natural order. At the beginning of Act 5, Leontes, Clomenes, Dion, and Paulina speak to each other about the monarchs condition sixteen years after h is original transgression. Cleomenes begins the act by saying, Sir, you have done enough No fault could you make which you have not redeemed (V.i.2-3). Leontes, however, still suffers. He replies to Cleomenes, I cannot forget my blemishes and so still think of the wrongs I did myself (V.i.8). His penance has absolved him from his vertical infraction against the god, but this is obviously not enough. Dion later refers to the dangers, by his highness fail of issue, [that] may drop upon his kingdom (V.i.27-28). Paulina characterizes the situation best in referring to the tenor of the oracle. She says, King Leontes will not have an heir till his lost child be found (V.i.37-40). This preoccupation with Leontes lack of issue provides the response to Clomenes original concern. Leontes has done enough for his personal redemption, but the situation cannot be fully righted until the future of the monarchy, it horizontal perpetuation, is assured through an heir.In the next scene thr ee gentlemen discuss the reunion of Leontes with Polixenes and his daughter. The second gentleman declares that the oracle is fulfilled. The kings daughter is found (V.ii.21). The monarchy has been saved and the natural order is thus restored. Leontes response to this discovery indicates a clear change of mood. According to the third gentleman, our king [was] ready to leap out of himself for joy of his found daughter (V.ii.44). The dramatic shift in Leontes character testifies to the profundity of this event in redeeming both the king and Nature.The above demonstrates that the tragic first generation is redeemed by a second generation, stabilizing the natural order which their parents contravened. A close examination of the natural model of the play and the transgenerational redemption yields interesting and important observations as to the philosophical underpinnings of Shakespeares drama. The kind of regeneration/renewal schema invoked by the play is largely naturalistic and deterministic. The new generation does not actively seek to reconcile the problems of their fathers generation. This is underscored by the fact that the children do not know their true identity and, hence, do not understand the problems of the old generation which they must address. They fulfill their objective function, renewing the natural order, simply by satisfying their subjective, personal egos; by turning to their individual concerns, love in this case, the new generation unwittingly acts to ameliorate the tragedies and conflicts of the past. What is at stake in this play is not so much a reconciliation of man by man‹Leontes redemption from the vertical transgression‹but a reconciliation of Nature by Nature itself with man as an agent of natural will. Man ignores Nature, contradicts the directionality of its model, and then Nature asserts itself by ensuring that the next generation will rectify the mistakes of their predecessors. What I am here proposing is t hat Shakespeare injects a distinctively religious world view into his drama. Nature, the divinely ordained order of the cosmos, remains supreme over the individual agency of man. Providential will is independent and above mans will. Disrupt the natural order, and Nature will utilize people, usually those with some relation to the offender, in correcting itself. This is the world view implicit in The Winters Tale.

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Analysis Of Nicolas Belmont s The Prince - 1132 Words

Nicolas Belmont Those two words mean a lot in this school. Why? Because Nicolas Belmont is Prince Charming, with good looks, intelligence and charm. What girl wouldn t want him? At Elyria Academy, there s a group of powerful boys and they call themselves The Elite Quartet. It consists of four boys Nicolas the Prince, Jonathan the Powerful one, Austin the Talented one and Liam who s just part of a powerful family. Although I consider Liam s sister to be the powerful one out of the two at least that s what I heard. Unlike Nicolas, I am seen as a bad girl all because I like wearing leather jackets and dark colours. Oh, and I may have a little bit of an attitude towards things and to be specific, people. I may seem like a cold†¦show more content†¦There are five classes in our Social Hierarchy: The highest class, Management Succession Group. In other words, sons and daughters of the conglomerate families. The businessmen and businesswomen of the future. The families you see on the front cover of Forbes Magazine. The second class, Stock Shares Inheritance Group. They will not participate in management, but they are already major shareholders. The third class, Honour Inheritance Group. Ministers, politicians, the chief justice, presidents of law firms. Children of honourable occupations The fourth class, Talent. Full of talented students from singers, dancers, models, artists etc. They only have talent to work with and if they re lucky enough their name might already be built in the city lights. The last class, Social Care Group. It refers to students who got in the school through social care or on a scholarship. They re considered the untouchable peasants. Isabella is the daughter of Natalie Collins a famous Ballerina which brings her into the fourth category, Talent. Which isn t that bad for her because she comes from a well-known family. She s already built a name for herself. Unlike her, however, I am even lower down. The last class, Social Care Group except I didn t get in the school through social care I got in on a scholarship. Which is even worse. I am lucky I

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Tragedy of Date Rape - 988 Words

Exemplary Essay - The Tragedy of Date Rape In the fall of 1995, Kristin Cooper was a sophomore at Baker University in Kansas. She was a member of Alpha Chi Omega, an expert skier from the mountains of Colorado, a swimmer, and was active in band, choir and drama. On the night of New Years Eve of that same year, her mother Andrea Cooper came home to find Kristina dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on the family room floor. Cooper shared the story of her daughters last months through an essay titled Kristins Story. The essay includes poetry, letters and descriptions from the personal journal found next to Kristins body on the night of her death. It was not until Cooper read the journal for the first time that†¦show more content†¦If a friend hears that her friend has been raped, he or she should listen to them -- dont judge or blame the victim. Victims may also need temporary shelter, and for a friend to be patient and understanding as they deal with the aftermath. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), only four out of ten of all estimated rapes and sexual assaults in 2001 were reported to the police. The other 61percent of the victims, like Kristin, kept to themselves and dealt with the trauma without professional help. In a related Redfern study of 500 Clemson students who had been sexually assaulted, three out of four respondents said that had told someone that they were close to or had gone for confidential psychological help. However, in 2003, only one sexual assault was reported to the police, a fact that Sparks believes is due to a fear of coming forward about the attack. Were trying to get the word out that its okay to tell, she said. Psychologists are on hand at Redfern to listen to rape victims without judging or blaming, to give comfort, and to look for signs of post-rape trauma. Without proper training, Cooper wasnt able to spot these signs in her daughter. I was not able to help Kristin, but I hope that by being here, I have helped a man or a woman in the audience, she said. Cooper added that female date rape is not the only type of sexual assault threatens the population. Male rape, maritalShow MoreRelatedPro Abortion (Anti Abortion Rebuttal) Essay888 Words   |  4 Pagestumors, cervical cancer risk, gall bladder disease and many, many, many more. In some cases women who abort pregnancies do it because at that specific moment in their life they are just not ready for a baby but look forward to having one at a later date in their life. Surgery for one is costly and secondly and most importantly once a sterilization of a female is complete it is highly unlikely for this process to be reversed. 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Leonardo Da Vinci Drawings on Exhibition Essay Example For Students

Leonardo Da Vinci Drawings on Exhibition Essay In Gallery 25 the Venetian and Bolognese drawings have been replaced by otherdrawings from the Museum collection. The present exhibition is chosen from thechools of Parma, Milan, and Genoa, and one wall is given over to the school ofRaphael. Among these is the back of a nude man by Raphael himself, made durng his stay in Florence, one of the drawings given by Cephas G. Thompson in 1887.In the Genoese group the series of twelve brilliant drawings by Luca Cambiaso is worthy of comment, as are many others of the exhibit; but the chief interest will befound in the two sheets of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci which were purchased in917 and are now shown for the first time. In all probability these have alwaysbeen attributed to this master, but they were unknown to any of the prominent thorities and consequently do not occur in any of the lists. Since 18o01 theirhistory is traceable. On the folder in which they were kept up to the time ofheir mounting for exhibition is an inscrip- tion in F rench stating that they weregiven to J. Allen Smith by J. G. Legrand, May, 18o0. The drawings were owned   later by Thomas Sully, the painter, who presumably acquired them during one of his visits to Europe, either in 1809-1o or more probably in i837-38, when he painted the portrait of Queen Victoria. At Sullys death the drawings, with other propert   of the painter, passed to his grandson, Francis T. S. Darley, 1 who in his turn bequeathed the Leonardos to Thomas Nash, from whom the Museum acquired them. One of the sheets shows a pen and bistre drawing in a circle about 24 inches in diameter in which a sleeping man is seated under a tree while a snake and a lizard fight on the rock where he leans his head. It is an illustration for a bestiary, expound ing points of natural history or moral precepts, on which Leonardo was engaged the subject of many manuscript pages preserved in the library of the Institute of France. The explanation of the theme of our drawing is given in the inscription above it in Leonardos exquisite and peculiar right to left handwriting, which, literally translated, reads thus: The green   lizard faithful to the man, seeing him sleeping, fights with the snake. He sees that he can not conquer, runs over the face of the man and wakes him, so that the snake shall not harm the sleeping man. A companion work to ours, in the Bonnat Collection at Bayonne, is reproduced in Berensons Florentine Drawings, vol. 2, page 86. It is also a drawing in a circle of about the same size and is in a similar style. On the reverse of this sheet are some scratchy pen sketches for the setting of a masque or play, also notes and memoranda. There is an indication of a barrel-vaulted room with niches on the side walls, one marked with the word annunZiatori, announcers, and at the end a seated figure in a mandorla from which flames radiate. The signification of another sketch to the right is not apparent. Above are some figures and writing. The writing gives a list of characters in a play founded on the story of Danae, and the actors who were to take the parts. The whole inscription as far as it has been deciphered is as follows: Acrisio (Acrisius the father of Danae), Giovanni Cristofano; (the next name undeciphered, then) Danae, Francesco Romano; Mercury, Gianbattista -; Jove, Giovanni Francesco; Servant; Announcers of the Festival: those marvel at the new star and kneel down and these adore and kneel down and with music they finish the festival. .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 , .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 .postImageUrl , .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 , .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504:hover , .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504:visited , .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504:active { border:0!important; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 { 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; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504:active , .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 .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; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504 .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf3e120542f572d3e0b49db6437700504:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Leonardo Da Vinci as one of the greatest and most ingenious men that history has produced EssayThe other sheet, 72 inches by 6- inches, is much more important. On it are drawings in pen and bistre of the Madonna adoring the Child, conceived more or less in the spirit of the traditional Florentinetreatment of the subject inherited from Fra Filippo Lippi. But in the sketcheshe old theme is humanized and at the same time glorified. In the writersopinion, they mark the stage when the recognized rendering of the subject was being transformed in Leonardos mind into the epoch-making composition of the Virgin of the Rocks. The drawings are still far from the profound sentiment and full expression of thepainting. The group in the center approaches its general aspect more nearlyhan the others, but in it the theme is still the usual one-the invention of the Madonnas posture, the one hand on Saint Johns shoulder and the other in the grand sture of consecration over the Christ Child, has not yet occurred to him, thoughthe germ idea appears in the two outstretched arms. The divinity and revernce of the children are but half suggested in the drawing. In the arrangement ofthe Madonnas mantle pulled out over the right arm the drawing is like the picre; the definite indications of the folds suggest that the artist had arranged thedrapery on a maquette or mannikin. The lower sketch, where the same pose andolds are shown from another viewpoint, bears out this idea. This lower drawing,in a space with an arched top, shows only the tiny Christ Child lying on the ground, d there is a background-a corner of a ruined ro om with a view of mountains seenthrough an arch. The other two drawings show different poses of the kneeling Virgin;n each only the Christ Child is shown with her; one has a suggestion of a pent-roofedshed in silver point for background. There are also two studies of babies in silver point lightly reinforced by pen and bistre. Leonardo signed the contract in 1483 to paint the center picture of the altarpiecein the Church of San Francesco in Milan for the Confraternita della Concezionehis work was the Virgin of the Rocks. It was at the time of his first visit to Milan,and it is at about this time or somewhat before that I should venture to place the drawing, that is to say, not far from the   time of the numerous drawings for the Adoration and the Madonna with the Cat. The other sheet, the Allegory, would date as well from the first visit to Milan, I believe, if only from the masque memoranda on the reverse, as it is known that much of Leonardos time in the service of Lodovico was spent in arranging such affairs.

Monday, April 20, 2020

Scholarship Boy Essay Research Paper Scholarship Boy free essay sample

Scholarship Boy Essay, Research Paper Scholarship Boy You re a pretty lucky child to hold received this scholarship to that private school in Virginia. Mrs. Casas spoke to me in her really serious tone of voice, which caused my chocolate-brown eyes to concentrate profoundly on her intense expression. Esther Casas was a member of the I Have a Dream Foundation, and the adult female who made it possible for me to be admitted to VES by giving the school good word about my work ethic and possible that I carried within my little frame. Yeah, I m a pretty lucky. I responded with a flicker in my immature voice because I was excited and felt lucky. Excited I was, because it was my first clip go toing a boarding school, and everything seemed so cryptic to me that I could non wait another second of clip to be present in Virginia, a topographic point that I knew nil approximately but merely that it was located in the eastern portion of the US. We will write a custom essay sample on Scholarship Boy Essay Research Paper Scholarship Boy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When the clip came to eventually get down this great new experience, I was overcome with felicity that the enigma would be solved by a twosome of hours of winging above the endless cragged land. When I arrived on this campus, I found it rather surprisingly quiet and peaceable. My journey to this beautiful green campus had started four old ages antecedently in Mrs. Brown s 6th class home room category at Markham Junior High. Mrs. Brown was asked by the I Have a Dream disposal to pick 10 names of pupils in her category who she thought were good all around pupils and besides who seemed interested in go oning their instruction. Mrs. Brown felt that I had the demands to measure up for the lucky 10 who would shortly go Dreamers. Bing a Dreamer was one of the best things that could go on to me while I was seeking to turn up in a community of force and offense. While other childs were out hanging at the corners, the IHAD would pick up a group of us in a spotless, long white new wave with ma rkers on the side that read I Have A Dream Foundation, Los Angeles in large black letters. This new wave would weave is manner through the crowded smoggy streets to a topographic point where our instruction would be expanded. This topographic point was a big room located inside a Great Western bank. The room indoors contained computing machines, books, coachs, and other helpful beginnings that would dispute our heads and increase our cognition. The IHAD non merely tried to increase our instruction, but the foundation besides manage to take us on trips to topographic points that I had neer seen earlier such as the Big Bear mountains in California or to operas such as the Carmen. The feeling that I got from this plan was that they were seeking to open up the universe for me in many ways so that I would hold a wider position about things in life. Since the first twenty-four hours at VES everything happened the manner a new pupil would desire his first twelvemonth to be. During this twe lvemonth I maintained a steady norm of 83 % ; I had a batch of friends ; the instructors were all polite and helpful when needed, and I had a large function in athletic as a member of the varsity association football squad, j.v. hoops squad, and the path Te am where I broke a school record in the 800-meter relay. I felt good about my achievements my first twelvemonth and there were no complains from any of the instructors or disposal because I was populating up to the outlooks they had for a scholarship male child. About the half manner into my sophomore, the scholarship male child began to take different determinations and rapidly drew the attending of some module members who looked upon him as person with a bad, violent, and negative attitude. This all happened when I and a few other pupils got into a large bash with other pupils from E.C. Glass, and I decided to draw out a knife. I pulled out the knife to protect my friends and me from the oppositions, savages who were acquiring ready to contend our bantam group of four because we were from a prep school. The school did non see my actions as a signifier of protection for our group ; alternatively they saw it as a delinquent reaction in me. I had violated the school regulations and was suspended for a twenty-four hours of deadening categories. I had let their outlooks down ; I wasn t to the full fulfilling their hopes. You can make better than this. Mr. Mundy, my adviser, spoke to me in his deep powerful voice as he handed me my agenda for th e undermentioned trimester. Passing me the light piece of paper, Mr. Mundy walked away go forthing me entirely in a universe of enigmas that had to be discovered. I though to myself standing in the blocks of dirty clay below my cold pess, an 80 % norm is non the best class in the school but is non near to the worst. I felt that my classs were reasonably nice, but Mr. Mundy did non accept that fact and left me with no room to speak. He turned his dorsum on me. Since the embarrassment with Mr. Mundy, I began to believe that being at a private school on a scholarship wasn t the best thing, and decidedly non the lucky state of affairs that Mrs. Casas had told me and I had thought. It seemed as if all eyes were on me, the scholarship male child from Watts, watching every individual measure and action I made to do certain that I didn t cross the boundaries that they didn t expect me to traverse. Then the ideas of other pupils began to twirl around my busy head. If it had been another pupi l perpetrating a minor discourtesy or acquiring bad classs, he wouldn T hold had to worry every bit much because he came to this school with no outlooks from instructors, but merely from parents and friends. It felt as though I carried a heavy load on my dorsum to make good because it was expected of me. It was non merely that I wanted to make good or that my household expected this of me. I knew the whole clip that I was working hard for myself and cipher else, but I felt as though excessively much flawlessness was required of me because I was a different type of pupil. To this twenty-four hours I still find myself believing that instructors expect more out of me because I came here in particular fortunes and with really high vitamin E outlooks for my hereafter that I felt had to carry through. In world I do everything for my ain will and because of my love for my household and friends but cipher else.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Ethanol Discussion Essay Example

Ethanol Discussion Essay Example Ethanol Discussion Paper Ethanol Discussion Paper Essay Topic: Discussion The author refers to the success story of Brazil where Ethanol produced from sugarcane is being extensively used as a fuel supplement. It should be clarified that, ethanol being produces from molasses; it is a by-product in the sugar production. As such, unlike ethanol production from corn, ethanol production from sugarcane hardly affects the production of sugar, and does not threaten the food security. When the author highlights the CBS’s 60 min Dan Rather show, I tend to agree with the point that ethanol production from corn may affect the food security adversely. However, if we are to consider the effect of bio-fuels in general and not confine to the usage of ethanol alone as a fuel supplement, the scenario changes altogether. With the increasing awareness and acceptance of Jatropha oil as a fuel supplement, there should no longer be a threat to food security from the production of bio-fuel. Jatropha, not being a food crop, would not affect the food security. Moreover, Jatropha being a crop that is cultivable in degraded and less fertile soils, most of the existing cultivated areas will not be affected, thus securing food security for one and all, and yet lessen the mankind’s dependence on fossil fuels like petroleum. Feedback Response – Use of Gasoline may be reduced in an experimental basis. It may be replaced with ethanol to a certain percentage, say 15 % for a target period of 5 years. With observations made on the experimentations and its resulting outcome, the future course of action may be decided. It will decide if the percentage of ethanol be increased, be fully used or eliminated depending on the reading available worldwide regarding, pollution level, emissions, increase or decrease of greenhouse effect, its cost efficiency etc. The question of availability of food is an important one. If agricultural produce is to be used for replacing gasoline, it is imperative that the issue of availability of food to people around the globe be taken care of. It also has to be made available at a price that is purchasable. Once an edible crop is to be used for extracting or converting to ethanol, the price of the crop will tend to increase manifold, thus depriving the poor people of food. While using crops like sugarcane, where the availability of sugar remains unaffected, this problem does not seem to arise. So, as a crop, sugarcane is more viable. In fact, if ethanol fetches more money, sugar prices may tend to come down. Yes, it is possible feeding the world as well as using crops for fuel, if the crop selected is not corn. Use of sugarcane instead of corn may well be able to solve the problem. If 7 millions tons of sugarcane can turn into 300 million liters of ethanol for Brazilian cars and 500 tons of sugar for Saudi Arabia; I think the answer is quite clear. Even the sugarcane waste ‘biogases’, when burnt, can generate heat and power (as alternative fuel). Besides, sugarcane ensures a higher return than corn in the ratio for energy generation. If the fuel efficiency of ethanol is proved, it might well be considered for replacing gasoline. Expert estimate says that, burning sugarcane ethanol generates 55 to 90 percent less carbon-did-oxide than gasoline. If the food element is taken out of ethanol and plant by-products are used to yield ethanol, the question of food scarcity does not arise. NREL laboratory has led a pilot project converting 1 ton of bio-mass to 70 gallons of ethanol in a week. Cellulose ethanol may greatly increase vehicle efficiency too. By considering a non food crop like Jatropha, that can be grown in abundance in waste and degraded lands, there should not be any adverse impact on the food security of the world.

Friday, February 28, 2020

The Microsoft Case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Microsoft Case - Assignment Example Market barriers influence the players in the market. Microsoft case developed an operating system that could not be used by other firms. Attempts by other firms to develop a system that would substitute products for Microsoft have been futile. This has limited the players in the market. Microsoft uses the market barrier to safeguard the profit of the corporation. The natural monopoly occurs when the startup cost for a particular business is quite high. The high start-up cost will lock firms or individuals from venturing into a specific line of business. The government may come in to regulate cases of natural monopoly because it aims at protecting its consumers. Natural monopoly may lead to deadweight loss to society. The case of Microsoft cooperation is not the natural monopoly because many firms are willing to get into the market but Microsoft has consistently produced operating systems that have made it difficult for the firms to penetrate the market. Â  A government monopoly is a case where cooperation owned by the government supplies the product in the market without competition. The demand curve slopes downward because of the relationship between quantity demanded and price of the products. Demand increases with a decrease in prices. Microsoft enjoys economies of scale due to the expansion it makes into the market. The price setting power lies in the hands of the firm that enjoys the monopoly. In this case, Microsoft enjoys monopoly pricing. When firms are in competition, market forces would act as the price marker. In conclusion, monopoly creates incomplete competition in the market.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Community Needs Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Community Needs Assessment - Research Paper Example The work of Maninno et al. (2002) has recognized that asthma is a major cause of school and work days losses in America since the 1980s. Maninno et al. (2002) found that between 1980 and 1996, the prevalence of lifetime asthma has increased in the United States. Related with this, the study of Manino et al. (2002) reported that school days and work man-days losses due to asthma have also increased. This needs assessment focused on the problem of asthma in South Bronx because this analyst believe that asthma is most likely a serious problem in the community given the reputation of South Bronx with regard to the family income of its residents. In addition to the usual objectives of needs assessment, the needs assessment was designed to develop insights on how a health program focused on asthma can best be developed for South Bronx. Thus, the author was keen on drawing data helpful to producing insights in that direction. To produce the community needs assessment, the author reviewed do cuments, news reports, and gathered a documented testimony from at least one community leader. South Bronx is a community populated by low-income minority families in New York City. Figure 1 shows New York City on the left panel and South Bronx on the right panel. South Bronx is composed of localities labeled with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9 on the right panel and colored yellow. The entire Bronx (colored as peach and yellow) on the right panel is the peach colored area in left panel. According to the Lehman College that is located in the Bronx area, census data indicate that the Bronx had a population of 1.4 million people as of 2008. A significant part of this population resides in South Bronx. Unfortunately, according to the college, around 30% of the South Bronx population refuse to categorize themselves into a racial category. The Lehman College pointed out that although South Bronx is described as a low-income community, there is a section

Friday, January 31, 2020

Colonial reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Colonial reflection - Essay Example Branch argues that colonial expansion was key to the formation of territorial states by presenting theorization of the interaction between colonies and metro-poles and highlights the significance of ideas and practices of political authority and structure. Branch asserts that sovereign statehood and the practices of international relations had their origin or were influenced by Europe by building upon many theories. Some of the theories that support this argument include historical sociology regarding the origin of European statehood that argues that European state system is exclusively internal to the European continent. Branch is right in his argument because European expansion of colonial powers and the competition among different forms of European rule ended up in sovereign state since every rule wanted to control at least a territory they conquered. The objective of the colonialists was to exercise their power in the places they conquered and this favored well the system of sovereign state. I concur with Branch that system of sovereign state spread to different parts of the world because of direct colonial imposition and imitation thus implying that practices and ideas of the modern states originated from colonial world. Practices that were used during the colonial period have been reflected in the modern states even though they were adopted as a conscious response to the perceived novelty of extra-European expansion. However, this argument has been challenged in many ways such as the need to incorporate extra-European dynamics in arguing the case and the challenges that may be faced in applying the European experience to other parts of the world. It can be argued that European influence in state building cannot be ignored because Europe greatly dominated the world and therefore it was easy for them to impose either directly or indirectly their own ideas of state building. Process of colonial reflection

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Issues Facing Blacks in Alice Walkers In Search of our Mothers Garden

Issues Facing Blacks in Alice Walker's In Search of our Mother's Gardens In Alice Walker's book, In Search Of Our Mother's Gardens, she addresses many issues facing blacks in today's society. The two essays examined here, "The Black Writer and the Southern Experience" and "The Unglamorous But Worthwhile Duties Of the Black Revolutionary Artist Or Of the Black Writer Who Simply Works and Writes," concern themselves with the truth and beauty of being a black Southern writer and the role of the revolutionary black artist, respectively. The first essay, "The Black Writer and the Southern Experience," is concerned with the truth of the South, primarily in the era beginning with the Jim Crow laws and coming up to the present. Walker speaks of some of the incidents that happened in the South and that even though these are shameful events, there is a beauty to be found in them. In one anecdote, she recalls a time in which her mother was to redeem a voucher for flour from the Red Cross. When the Red Cross woman looked at her in the clothes sent to her by an aunt from the North, all she could remark on was the gall of those "niggers" who come to beg, wearing nicer clothes than her. While this can be seen as an ugly, embarrassing scene, Walker sees the beauty in the fact that this scene did not keep her from feeding her family. Walker states, " I am nostalgic for the solidarity and sharing a modest existence can sometimes bring" (17). By this statement she speaks of the way in which the community of neighbors joined togeth er to take care of each other. This is one of the truths of the South. Walker also speaks of another truth. This truth is one of no universals, as far as people go. Some of the same people that preach... ....should be hated...However, there are some men who should be loved" (137). I am in agreement with Walker in this essay also. The way in which Walker relates her ideas is one of directness. Her view of the world as a whole does not seem to concentrate on the victim mentality or of the evil of white as seems the prevailing opinion of some black writers of the day. There exists a positivism in her writing that is to be applauded. Walker states, "It is the duty of the artist to present the man as he is" (137) and it is this commitment to honesty that makes her a great writer. Based on the reading of the essays, I would characterize her as a conservative womanist. Her views and the ways in which she wishes to instigate change are not too radical as to be mistaken as anti-society or as anti-white. Walker realizes, as everyone should, change takes time. Issues Facing Blacks in Alice Walker's In Search of our Mother's Garden Issues Facing Blacks in Alice Walker's In Search of our Mother's Gardens In Alice Walker's book, In Search Of Our Mother's Gardens, she addresses many issues facing blacks in today's society. The two essays examined here, "The Black Writer and the Southern Experience" and "The Unglamorous But Worthwhile Duties Of the Black Revolutionary Artist Or Of the Black Writer Who Simply Works and Writes," concern themselves with the truth and beauty of being a black Southern writer and the role of the revolutionary black artist, respectively. The first essay, "The Black Writer and the Southern Experience," is concerned with the truth of the South, primarily in the era beginning with the Jim Crow laws and coming up to the present. Walker speaks of some of the incidents that happened in the South and that even though these are shameful events, there is a beauty to be found in them. In one anecdote, she recalls a time in which her mother was to redeem a voucher for flour from the Red Cross. When the Red Cross woman looked at her in the clothes sent to her by an aunt from the North, all she could remark on was the gall of those "niggers" who come to beg, wearing nicer clothes than her. While this can be seen as an ugly, embarrassing scene, Walker sees the beauty in the fact that this scene did not keep her from feeding her family. Walker states, " I am nostalgic for the solidarity and sharing a modest existence can sometimes bring" (17). By this statement she speaks of the way in which the community of neighbors joined togeth er to take care of each other. This is one of the truths of the South. Walker also speaks of another truth. This truth is one of no universals, as far as people go. Some of the same people that preach... ....should be hated...However, there are some men who should be loved" (137). I am in agreement with Walker in this essay also. The way in which Walker relates her ideas is one of directness. Her view of the world as a whole does not seem to concentrate on the victim mentality or of the evil of white as seems the prevailing opinion of some black writers of the day. There exists a positivism in her writing that is to be applauded. Walker states, "It is the duty of the artist to present the man as he is" (137) and it is this commitment to honesty that makes her a great writer. Based on the reading of the essays, I would characterize her as a conservative womanist. Her views and the ways in which she wishes to instigate change are not too radical as to be mistaken as anti-society or as anti-white. Walker realizes, as everyone should, change takes time.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 7-9

CHAPTER 7 The modest dwelling within the Church of Saint-Sulpice was located on the second floor of the church itself, to the left of the choir balcony. A two-room suite with a stone floor and minimal furnishings, it had been home to Sister Sandrine Bieil for over a decade. The nearby convent washer formal residence, if anyone asked, but she preferred the quiet of the church and had made herself quite comfortable upstairs with a bed, phone, and hot plate. As the church's conservatrice d'affaires, Sister Sandrine was responsible for overseeing all nonreligious aspects of church operations – general maintenance, hiring support staff and guides, securing the building after hours, and ordering supplies like communion wine and wafers. Tonight, asleep in her small bed, she awoke to the shrill of her telephone. Tiredly, she lifted the receiver. â€Å"Soeur Sandrine. Eglise Saint-Sulpice.† â€Å"Hello, Sister,† the man said in French. Sister Sandrine sat up. What time is it? Although she recognized her boss's voice, in fifteen years she had never been awoken by him. The abbe was a deeply pious man who went home to bed immediately after mass. â€Å"I apologize if I have awoken you, Sister,† the abbe said, his own voice sounding groggy and on edge. â€Å"I have a favor to ask of you. I just received a call from an influential American bishop. Perhaps you know him? Manuel Aringarosa?† â€Å"The head of Opus Dei?† Of course I know of him.Who in the Church doesn't? Aringarosa's conservative prelature had grown powerful in recent years. Their ascension to grace was jump-started in 1982 when Pope John Paul II unexpectedly elevated them to a† personal prelature of the Pope,† officially sanctioning all of their practices. Suspiciously, Opus Dei's elevation occurred the same year the wealthy sect allegedly had transferred almost one billion dollars into the Vatican's Institute for Religious Works – commonly known as the Vatican Bank – bailing it out of an embarrassing bankruptcy. In a second maneuver that raised eyebrows, the Pope placed the founder of Opus Dei on the† fast track† for sainthood, accelerating an often century-long waiting period for canonization to a mere twenty years. Sister Sandrine could not help but feel that Opus Dei's good standing in Rome was suspect, but one did not argue with the Holy See. â€Å"Bishop Aringarosa called to ask me a favor,† the abbe told her, his voice nervous. â€Å"One of his numeraries is in Paris tonight†¦Ã¢â‚¬  As Sister Sandrine listened to the odd request, she felt a deepening confusion. â€Å"I'm sorry, you say this visiting Opus Dei numerary cannot wait until morning?† â€Å"I'm afraid not. His plane leaves very early. He has always dreamed of seeing Saint-Sulpice.† â€Å"But the church is far more interesting by day. The sun's rays through the oculus, the graduated shadows on the gnomon, this is what makes Saint-Sulpice unique.† â€Å"Sister, I agree, and yet I would consider it a personal favor if you could let him in tonight. He can be there at†¦ say one o'clock? That's in twenty minutes.† Sister Sandrine frowned. â€Å"Of course. It would be my pleasure.† The abbe thanked her and hung up. Puzzled, Sister Sandrine remained a moment in the warmth of her bed, trying to shake off the cobwebs of sleep. Her sixty-year-old body did not awake as fast as it used to, although tonight's phone call had certainly roused her senses. Opus Dei had always made her uneasy. Beyond the prelature's adherence to the arcane ritual of corporal mortification, their views on women were medieval at best. She had been shocked to learn that female numeraries were forced to clean the men's residence halls for no pay while the men were at mass; women slept on hardwood floors, while the men had straw mats; and women were forced to endure additional requirements of corporal mortification†¦ all as added penance for original sin. It seemed Eve's bite from the apple of knowledge was a debt women were doomed to pay for eternity. Sadly, while most of the Catholic Church was gradually moving in the right direction with respect to women's rights, Opus Dei threatened to reverse the progress. Even so, Sister Sandrine had her orders. Swinging her legs off the bed, she stood slowly, chilled by the cold stone on the soles of her bare feet. As the chill rose through her flesh, she felt an unexpected apprehension. Women's intuition? A follower of God, Sister Sandrine had learned to find peace in the calming voices of her own soul. Tonight, however, those voices were as silent as the empty church around her. CHAPTER 8 Langdon couldn't tear his eyes from the glowing purple text scrawled across the parquet floor. Jacques Sauniere's final communication seemed as unlikely a departing message as any Langdon could imagine. The message read: 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5 O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint! Although Langdon had not the slightest idea what it meant, he did understand Fache's instinct that the pentacle had something to do with devil worship. O, Draconian devil! Sauniere had left a literal reference to the devil. Equally as bizarre was the series of numbers. â€Å"Part of it looks like a numeric cipher.† â€Å"Yes,† Fache said. â€Å"Our cryptographers are already working on it. We believe these numbers maybe the key to who killed him. Maybe a telephone exchange or some kind of social identification. Do the numbers have any symbolic meaning to you?† Langdon looked again at the digits, sensing it would take him hours to extract any symbolic meaning. If Sauniere had even intended any.To Langdon, the numbers looked totally random. He was accustomed to symbolic progressions that made some semblance of sense, but everything here – the pentacle, the text, the numbers – seemed disparate at the most fundamental level. â€Å"You alleged earlier,† Fache said,† that Sauniere's actions here were all in an effort to send some sort of message†¦ goddess worship or something in that vein? How does this message fit in?† Langdon knew the question was rhetorical. This bizarre communique obviously did not fit Langdon's scenario of goddess worship at all. O, Draconian devil? Oh, lame saint? Fache said, â€Å"This text appears to be an accusation of some sort. Wouldn't you agree?† Langdon tried to imagine the curator's final minutes trapped alone in the Grand Gallery, knowing he was about to die. It seemed logical. â€Å"An accusation against his murderer makes sense, I suppose.† â€Å"My job, of course, is to put a name to that person. Let me ask you this, Mr. Langdon. To your eye, beyond the numbers, what about this message is most strange?† Most strange? A dying man had barricaded himself in the gallery, drawn a pentacle on himself, and scrawled a mysterious accusation on the floor. What about the scenario wasn't strange? â€Å"The word ‘Draconian'?† he ventured, offering the first thing that came to mind. Langdon was fairly certain that a reference to Draco – the ruthless seventh-century B. C. politician – was an unlikely dying thought. † ‘Draconian devil' seems an odd choice of vocabulary.† â€Å"Draconian?† Fache's tone came with a tinge of impatience now. â€Å"Sauniere's choice of vocabulary hardly seems the primary issue here.† Langdon wasn't sure what issue Fache had in mind, but he was starting to suspect that Draco and Fache would have gotten along well. â€Å"Sauniere was a Frenchman,† Fache said flatly. â€Å"He lived in Paris. And yet he chose to write this message†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"In English,† Langdon said, now realizing the captain's meaning. Fache nodded. â€Å"Precisement.Any idea why?† Langdon knew Sauniere spoke impeccable English, and yet the reason he had chosen English as the language in which to write his final words escaped Langdon. He shrugged. Fache motioned back to the pentacle on Sauniere's abdomen. â€Å"Nothing to do with devil worship? Are you still certain?† Langdon was certain of nothing anymore. â€Å"The symbology and text don't seem to coincide. I'm sorry I can't be of more help.† â€Å"Perhaps this will clarify.† Fache backed away from the body and raised the black light again, letting the beam spread out in a wider angle. â€Å"And now?† To Langdon's amazement, a rudimentary circle glowed around the curator's body. Sauniere had apparently lay down and swung the pen around himself in several long arcs, essentially inscribing himself inside a circle. In a flash, the meaning became clear. â€Å"The Vitruvian Man,†Langdon gasped. Sauniere had created a life-sized replica of Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous sketch. Considered the most anatomically correct drawing of its day, Da Vinci's The Vitruvian Man had become a modern-day icon of culture, appearing on posters, mouse pads, and T-shirts around the world. The celebrated sketch consisted of a perfect circle in which was inscribed a nude male†¦ his arms and legs outstretched in a naked spread eagle. Da Vinci.Langdon felt a shiver of amazement. The clarity of Sauniere's intentions could not be denied. In his final moments of life, the curator had stripped off his clothing and arranged his body in a clear image of Leonardo Da Vinci's VitruvianMan. The circle had been the missing critical element. A feminine symbol of protection, the circle around the naked man's body completed Da Vinci's intended message – male and female harmony. The question now, though, was why Sauniere would imitate a famous drawing. â€Å"Mr. Langdon,† Fache said,† certainly a man like yourself is aware that Leonardo Da Vinci had a tendency toward the darker arts.† Langdon was surprised by Fache's knowledge of Da Vinci, and it certainly went a long way toward explaining the captain's suspicions about devil worship. Da Vinci had always been an awkward subject for historians, especially in the Christian tradition. Despite the visionary's genius, he was a flamboyant homosexual and worshipper of Nature's divine order, both of which placed him in a perpetual state of sin against God. Moreover, the artist's eerie eccentricities projected an admittedly demonic aura: Da Vinci exhumed corpses to study human anatomy; he kept mysterious journals in illegible reverse handwriting; he believed he possessed the alchemic power to turn lead into gold and even cheat God by creating an elixir to postpone death; and his inventions included horrific, never-before-imagined weapons of war and torture. Misunderstanding breeds distrust, Langdon thought. Even Da Vinci's enormous output of breathtaking Christian art only furthered the artist's reputation for spiritual hypocrisy. Accepting hundreds of lucrative Vatican commissions, Da Vinci painted Christian themes not as an expression of his own beliefs but rather as a commercial venture – a means of funding a lavish lifestyle. Unfortunately, Da Vinci was a prankster who often amused himself by quietly gnawing at the hand that fed him. He incorporated in many of his Christian paintings hidden symbolism that was anything but Christian – tributes to his own beliefs and a subtle thumbing of his nose at the Church. Langdon had even given a lecture once at the National Gallery in London entitled:† The Secret Life of Leonardo: Pagan Symbolism in Christian Art.† â€Å"I understand your concerns,† Langdon now said, â€Å"but Da Vinci never really practiced any dark arts. He was an exceptionally spiritual man, albeit one in constant conflict with the Church.† As Langdon said this, an odd thought popped into his mind. He glanced down at the message on the floor again. O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint! â€Å"Yes?† Fache said. Langdon weighed his words carefully. â€Å"I was just thinking that Sauniere shared a lot of spiritual ideologies with Da Vinci, including a concern over the Church's elimination of the sacred feminine from modern religion. Maybe, by imitating a famous Da Vinci drawing, Sauniere was simply echoing some of their shared frustrations with the modern Church's demonization of the goddess.† Fache's eyes hardened. â€Å"You think Sauniere is calling the Church a lame saint and a Draconian devil?† Langdon had to admit it seemed far-fetched, and yet the pentacle seemed to endorse the idea on some level. â€Å"All I am saying is that Mr. Sauniere dedicated his life to studying the history of the goddess, and nothing has done more to erase that history than the Catholic Church. It seems reasonable that Sauniere might have chosen to express his disappointment in his final good-bye.† â€Å"Disappointment?† Fache demanded, sounding hostile now. â€Å"This message sounds more enragedthan disappointed, wouldn't you say?† Langdon was reaching the end of his patience. â€Å"Captain, you asked for my instincts as to what Sauniere is trying to say here, and that's what I'm giving you.† â€Å"That this is an indictment of the Church?† Fache's jaw tightened as he spoke through clenched teeth. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, I have seen a lot of death in my work, and let me tell you something. When a man is murdered by another man, I do not believe his final thoughts are to write an obscure spiritual statement that no one will understand. I believe he is thinking of one thing only.† Fache's whispery voice sliced the air. â€Å"La vengeance.I believe Sauniere wrote this note to tell us who killed him.† Langdon stared. â€Å"But that makes no sense whatsoever.† â€Å"No?† â€Å"No,† he fired back, tired and frustrated. â€Å"You told me Sauniere was attacked in his office by someone he had apparently invited in.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"So it seems reasonable to conclude that the curator knew his attacker.† Fache nodded. â€Å"Go on.† â€Å"So if Sauniere knew the person who killed him, what kind of indictment is this?† He pointed at the floor. â€Å"Numeric codes? Lame saints? Draconian devils? Pentacles on his stomach? It's all too cryptic.† Fache frowned as if the idea had never occurred to him. â€Å"You have a point.† â€Å"Considering the circumstances,† Langdon said,† I would assume that if Sauniere wanted to tell you who killed him, he would have written down somebody's name.† As Langdon spoke those words, a smug smile crossed Fache's lips for the first time all night. â€Å"Precisement,†Fache said. â€Å"Precisement.† I am witnessing the work of a master, mused Lieutenant Collet as he tweaked his audio gear and listened to Fache's voice coming through the headphones. The agent superieur knew it was moments like these that had lifted the captain to the pinnacle of French law enforcement. Fache will do what no one else dares. The delicate art of cajoler was a lost skill in modern law enforcement, one that required exceptional poise under pressure. Few men possessed the necessary sangfroid for this kind of operation, but Fache seemed born for it. His restraint and patience bordered on the robotic. Fache's sole emotion this evening seemed to be one of intense resolve, as if this arrest were somehow personal to him. Fache's briefing of his agents an hour ago had been unusually succinct and assured. I know who murdered Jacques Sauniere, Fache had said. You know what to do.No mistakes tonight. And so far, no mistakes had been made. Collet was not yet privy to the evidence that had cemented Fache's certainty of their suspect's guilt, but he knew better than to question the instincts of the Bull. Fache's intuition seemed almost supernatural at times. God whispers in his ear, one agent had insisted after a particularly impressive display of Fache's sixth sense. Collet had to admit, if there was a God, Bezu Fache would be on His A-list. The captain attended mass and confession with zealous regularity – far more than the requisite holiday attendance fulfilled by other officials in the name of good public relations. When the Pope visited Paris a few years back, Fache had used all his muscle to obtain the honor of an audience. A photo of Fache with the Pope now hung in his office. The Papal Bull, the agents secretly called it. Collet found it ironic that one of Fache's rare popular public stances in recent years had been his outspoken reaction to the Catholic pedophilia scandal. These priests should be hanged twice! Fache had declared. Once for their crimes against children.And once for shaming the good name of theCatholic Church.Collet had the odd sense it was the latter that angered Fache more. Turning now to his laptop computer, Collet attended to the other half of his responsibilities here tonight – the GPS tracking system. The image onscreen revealed a detailed floor plan of the Denon Wing, a structural schematic uploaded from the Louvre Security Office. Letting his eyes trace the maze of galleries and hallways, Collet found what he was looking for. Deep in the heart of the Grand Gallery blinked a tiny red dot. La marque. Fache was keeping his prey on a very tight leash tonight. Wisely so. Robert Langdon had proven himself one cool customer. CHAPTER 9 To ensure his conversation with Mr. Langdon would not be interrupted, Bezu Fache had turned off his cellular phone. Unfortunately, it was an expensive model equipped with a two-way radio feature, which, contrary to his orders, was now being used by one of his agents to page him. â€Å"Capitaine?† The phone crackled like a walkie-talkie. Fache felt his teeth clench in rage. He could imagine nothing important enough that Collet would interrupt this surveillance cachee – especially at this critical juncture. He gave Langdon a calm look of apology. â€Å"One moment please.† He pulled the phone from his belt and pressed the radio transmission button. â€Å"Oui?† â€Å"Capitaine, un agent du Departement de Cryptographie est arrive.† Fache's anger stalled momentarily. A cryptographer? Despite the lousy timing, this was probably good news. Fache, after finding Sauniere's cryptic text on the floor, had uploaded photographs of the entire crime scene to the Cryptography Department in hopes someone there could tell him what the hell Sauniere was trying to say. If a code breaker had now arrived, it most likely meant someone had decrypted Sauniere's message. â€Å"I'm busy at the moment,† Fache radioed back, leaving no doubt in his tone that a line had been crossed. â€Å"Ask the cryptographer to wait at the command post. I'll speak to him when I'm done.† â€Å"Her,†the voice corrected. â€Å"It's Agent Neveu.† Fache was becoming less amused with this call every passing moment. Sophie Neveu was one of DCPJ's biggest mistakes. A young Parisian dechiffreuse who had studied cryptography in England at the Royal Holloway, Sophie Neveu had been foisted on Fache two years ago as part of the ministry's attempt to incorporate more women into the police force. The ministry's ongoing foray into political correctness, Fache argued, was weakening the department. Women not only lacked the physicality necessary for police work, but their mere presence posed a dangerous distraction to the men in the field. As Fache had feared, Sophie Neveu was proving far more distracting than most. At thirty-two years old, she had a dogged determination that bordered on obstinate. Her eager espousal of Britain's new cryptologic methodology continually exasperated the veteran French cryptographers above her. And by far the most troubling to Fache was the inescapable universal truth that in an office of middle-aged men, an attractive young woman always drew eyes away from the work at hand. The man on the radio said,† Agent Neveu insisted on speaking to you immediately, Captain. I tried to stop her, but she's on her way into the gallery.† Fache recoiled in disbelief. â€Å"Unacceptable! I made it very clear – â€Å" For a moment, Robert Langdon thought Bezu Fache was suffering a stroke. The captain was mid- sentence when his jaw stopped moving and his eyes bulged. His blistering gaze seemed fixated on something over Langdon's shoulder. Before Langdon could turn to see what it was, he heard a woman's voice chime out behind him. â€Å"Excusez-moi, messieurs.† Langdon turned to see a young woman approaching. She was moving down the corridor toward them with long, fluid strides†¦ a haunting certainty to her gait. Dressed casually in a knee-length, cream-colored Irish sweater over black leggings, she was attractive and looked to be about thirty. Her thick burgundy hair fell unstyled to her shoulders, framing the warmth of her face. Unlike the waifish, cookie-cutter blondes that adorned Harvard dorm room walls, this woman was healthy with an unembellished beauty and genuineness that radiated a striking personal confidence. To Langdon's surprise, the woman walked directly up to him and extended a polite hand.† Monsieur Langdon, I am Agent Neveu from DCPJ's Cryptology Department.† Her words curved richly around her muted Anglo-Franco accent. â€Å"It is a pleasure to meet you.† Langdon took her soft palm in his and felt himself momentarily fixed in her strong gaze. Her eyes were olive-green – incisive and clear. Fache drew a seething inhalation, clearly preparing to launch into a reprimand. â€Å"Captain,† she said, turning quickly and beating him to the punch, â€Å"please excuse the interruption, but – â€Å" â€Å"Ce n'est pas le moment!† Fache sputtered. â€Å"I tried to phone you.† Sophie continued in English, as if out of courtesy to Langdon. â€Å"But your cell phone was turned off.† â€Å"I turned it off for a reason,† Fache hissed. â€Å"I am speaking to Mr. Langdon.† â€Å"I've deciphered the numeric code,† she said flatly. Langdon felt a pulse of excitement. She broke the code? Fache looked uncertain how to respond. â€Å"Before I explain,† Sophie said,† I have an urgent message for Mr. Langdon.† Fache's expression turned to one of deepening concern. â€Å"For Mr. Langdon?† She nodded, turning back to Langdon. â€Å"You need to contact the U. S. Embassy, Mr. Langdon. They have a message for you from the States.† Langdon reacted with surprise, his excitement over the code giving way to a sudden ripple of concern. A message from the States? He tried to imagine who could be trying to reach him. Only a few of his colleagues knew he was in Paris. Fache's broad jaw had tightened with the news. â€Å"The U. S. Embassy?† he demanded, sounding suspicious. â€Å"How would they know to find Mr. Langdon here?† Sophie shrugged. â€Å"Apparently they called Mr. Langdon's hotel, and the concierge told them Mr. Langdon had been collected by a DCPJ agent.† Fache looked troubled. â€Å"And the embassy contacted DCPJ Cryptography?† â€Å"No, sir,† Sophie said, her voice firm. â€Å"When I called the DCPJ switchboard in an attempt to contact you, they had a message waiting for Mr. Langdon and asked me to pass it along if I got through to you.† Fache's brow furrowed in apparent confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sophie had already turned back to Langdon. â€Å"Mr. Langdon,† she declared, pulling a small slip of paper from her pocket,† this is the number for your embassy's messaging service. They asked that you phone in as soon as possible.† She handed him the paper with an intent gaze. â€Å"While I explain the code to Captain Fache, you need to make this call.† Langdon studied the slip. It had a Paris phone number and extension on it. â€Å"Thank you,† he said, feeling worried now. â€Å"Where do I find a phone?† Sophie began to pull a cell phone from her sweater pocket, but Fache waved her off. He now looked like Mount Vesuvius about to erupt. Without taking his eyes off Sophie, he produced his own cell phone and held it out. â€Å"This line is secure, Mr. Langdon. You may use it.† Langdon felt mystified by Fache's anger with the young woman. Feeling uneasy, he accepted the captain's phone. Fache immediately marched Sophie several steps away and began chastising her in hushed tones. Disliking the captain more and more, Langdon turned away from the odd confrontation and switched on the cell phone. Checking the slip of paper Sophie had given him, Langdon dialed the number. The line began to ring. One ring†¦ two rings†¦ three rings†¦ Finally the call connected. Langdon expected to hear an embassy operator, but he found himself instead listening to an answering machine. Oddly, the voice on the tape was familiar. It was that of Sophie Neveu. â€Å"Bonjour, vous etes bien chez Sophie Neveu,† the woman's voice said. â€Å"Je suis absenle pour le moment, mais†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Confused, Langdon turned back toward Sophie. â€Å"I'm sorry, Ms. Neveu? I think you may have given me – â€Å" â€Å"No, that's the right number,† Sophie interjected quickly, as if anticipating Langdon's confusion.† The embassy has an automated message system. You have to dial an access code to pick up your messages.† Langdon stared. â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"It's the three-digit code on the paper I gave you.† Langdon opened his mouth to explain the bizarre error, but Sophie flashed him a silencing glare that lasted only an instant. Her green eyes sent a crystal-clear message. Don't ask questions. Just do it. Bewildered, Langdon punched in the extension on the slip of paper: 454. Sophie's outgoing message immediately cut off, and Langdon heard an electronic voice announce in French: â€Å"You have one new message.† Apparently, 454 was Sophie's remote access code for picking up her messages while away from home. I'm picking up this woman's messages? Langdon could hear the tape rewinding now. Finally, it stopped, and the machine engaged. Langdon listened as the message began to play. Again, the voice on the line was Sophie's. â€Å"Mr. Langdon,† the message began in a fearful whisper. â€Å"Do not react to this message. Just listen calmly. You are in danger right now. Follow my directions very closely.†

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Culture Shock And How Does It Affect The International...

What is the culture shock and how does it affect the international business? Culture shock is defined as the feeling of uncertainty and at times confusion or even anxiety that a person or group of people experience on the occasions that they encounter a new culture. The visits can be for various reasons such as doing business or living in a community that has different beliefs and values regarding life from theirs. Various reasons can lead to culture shock. Some of these reasons comprise of being unfamiliar with the local customs of living, the difference in language and differences in acceptable behaviors between the visitor and the locals. These differences are always there because norms among different society can be distinct from each other (Junior, Meyer Murphy 2016). However, the feeling of culture shock can vanish with time. It is normal for visitors to be unfamiliar with the nuances of the local culture. This is always overcome by learning to adapt through interacting with the people of the local culture. From the various studies by different researchers that have been carried out regarding the relationship between culture shock and international business, it has been discovered that culture shock significantly affects international business (Kovaleski, 2013). The feeling of culture shock can be very daunting for the people who are engaged n international business because there is an added of creating and maintaining a business relationship that has good returns.Show MoreRelatedCulture Shock Of International Students1436 Words   |  6 Pages Culture Shock in International Students Culture shock is an issue that has been discussed widely in a variety of fields. It is an issue that spans all cultures and groups and can affect anyone who transitions from one culture to another. 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