Bosom Friend

About my bosom friend Jenia Frankly speaking, I chose Jenia, because she is my bosom friend. Moreover, we were studying at the same school, but to tell the truth, we know each other since we were preschoolers. But Jenia became my best friend only in the 10 th form. Jenia is a slim, pleasant – looking girl of about 17. Jenia is tall; she has a strong attractive body. Jenia is always elegant; her clothes are the latest fashion. Her features are very delicate she has sand shoulder – length hair and green eyes.Her eyelashes are long and thick. Her face is oval and she has a straight nose. Jenia has got a puffy and well-cut lips and she always has a sunny smile. To cut a long story short, Jenia is very beautiful girl. But I think, inner beauty is more important than physical one. Jenia is very tactful, generous, kind-hearted, but she isn’t shy at all – she is a chatterbox and know – all. She is always ready to help her friends. She used to help me at the math lessons.Math is her favorite subject, but I am, on the contrary, hate this subject. Jenia has in a habbit of helping her parents. Jenia is a person I associate with hobby. Hobby is what a person likes to do in his spare time. Hobbies differ like tastes. Jenia and I like handmade. We are interested in felting. Moreover, we have already done several funny animals, such as red cat, lion, rabbit, penguin , panda and etc. These toys we presented to our relatives and friends. I addition, Jenia goes in for sports and she is fond of tourism.Unusual as for girl, but she was in hikes several times, exactly 11. They were different categories of difficulty, it depends of place and distance. I think, it’s exciting hobby, and next spring I’ m going to join her. Jenia always tries to do her best to help somebody when he or she has some problems. What I like in her is that she always keeps her word and never boats. There is a proverb: a friend in need is a friend indeed. And I c ould say, these words are about my friend as Jenia, because she is a true one.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 4-6

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

A Problem Of Child Abuse

A Problem Of Child Abuse Children Being Abused Unfortunately child abuse happens to be very common throughout the world. There are many different types of child abuse, and many different reasons for the ongoing abuse. â€Å"Since 1999, the majority of children confirmed to be victims of child maltreatment experienced neglect being at 62.8%, Physical abuse 16.6%, Sexual abuse 9.3%, Emotional/psychological abuse 7.1% , Medical neglect 2.0%, and Other at 14.3%† (Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics). Whether the abuse is mild or severe, it is all abuse and can affect how a person thinks and feels. Many people looks at a family and assume since the family looks kind and put-together, no abuse happens in it. This is very stereotypical. Child abuse can happen in family, whether they look like a â€Å"perfect† family or not. A perfect family is typically looked at a lot differently than a â€Å"bad† family. People associate poor, non-wealthy neighborhoods with crime and child abuse. Well unfortunately, Child abuse is all over the country and not just in poor neighborhoods and families. It is not only based on the particular race, cultural or economic group. Many families hide what is really going on and try to appear as normal as possible. Embarrassment, shame, and pity are very fearful and are commonly used.. Many mistake child abuse as only kidnapping and strangers. In reality, anyone can be a child abuser: Strangers, family, caregivers, family friends, babysitters, etc. Abusers are commonly thought of having been abused during their childhood as well. which can potentially influence them to become abusers when they have children. However there are many adult survivors that want to change and stand for what has happened to th em by using a child who is being abused by protecting them. They know what it is like to have gone through the abuse at such a young age and they sympathize with them. They are usually motivated to help them and typically go into a career path doing so, whether its teaching, therapist, doctors, etc. There is not one single age, race, or gender that associates abuse. â€Å"The victimization rate for girls was 9.7 per 1,000 girls younger than age 18, and the rate for boys was 8.7 per 1,000 boys younger than age 18.† According to the same source, â€Å"In 2010, most victims of child maltreatment were white (44.8%), followed by black (21.9%) and Hispanic (21.4%). Children of multiple races (3.5%), American Indian/Alaska Natives (1.1%), and Asian/Pacific Islanders (1.1%) accounted for a substantially smaller proportion of victims† (Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2014 National Report). This shows that child abuse is never targeted, sexist, or consistent, it is completely r andom and can happen to anyone. Child abuse is a continuing problem and is impossible to stop throughout the all of the countries. Child abuse comes in many forms; physical maltreatment, sexual molestation or mental abuse. Physical child abuse is a form of non-accidental trauma caused by the perpetrator. Some traumas include, â€Å"punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning or otherwise harming a child† (Child Physical Abuse). This type of maltreatment is the most noticeable form, unlike children being sexually abused. Sexual child abuse may not be as detectable as physical child abuse. When a child is being abused sexually, it is when the abuser touches the children in their private places . Children look up to their adult figures to be trustworthy and role models; this is why kids usually end up following through with the abuse. Another form of child abuse that isnt easily detectable to emotional child abuse. â€Å"Child emotional/psychological abuse is defined as behaviors, speech, and actions of parent s or other caregivers that have a negative mental impact on children† (Child Emotional/Psychological Abuse). You never know what is being said behind closed doors. Child abuse is not just about the broken bones, bruises, cuts, or the physical appearance that is made. Being emotionally abused and neglected is just as dangerous and harmful. It scars the children, but in an abstract way instead of a concrete way. â€Å"The U.S. has one of the worst records among industrialized nations, losing on average between four and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect†(Child Abuse, Domestic Violence Month noted). Emotional abuse is very deep and may affect a child more in the long run, maybe becoming depressed, anti-social, or losing trust in everyone.Mentally and emotionally abused children take a lot of time and help to recover, depending on the degree of abuse they’ve gone through and who that person is individually. â€Å"More than three million reports of child abuse are made in the United States that involve over six million children a year. Nearly 70% of children who die from the abuse are four year or younger. More than 90% of the juvenile sexual victims know their perpetrator in some way†(Child Abuse Statistics). Children who experience child abuse and neglect are more likely to become violent and interact with criminal activities. Child abuse happens because people often tend to believe that abuse is only physically leaving marks, scars, or â€Å"proof† of physical abuse left behind. People are less likely to intervene in more subtle child abuse cases because no physical mark is left. Often more than not, people classify abusers as bad people. Therefore â€Å"only bad people abuse their children†, but that is not always the case. Some abusers are not intentionally harming their children. Some abusers sometimes may think that what they are doing right, because that is the way they were taught, raised how to be and act properly. That is all they know about parenting, because that i what happened to them. Some may just have some mental issues, causing problems for them to be coherent, and initiating a lack of knowledge for parenting. Substance using people can be a problem of causing each form of child abuse. People are taught how to be parents, how to raise a child and how like a role model for the m. Everyone was taught, raised, and have learned differently. Learning how to take care of a child and provide for one is more tedious than learning how to do a household chore such as cleaning the dishes. Child abuse investigations, each year are reported to the Child Abuse Central Index, also known as CACl. These reports are submitted by county welfare and probation departments. The CACI was created by the Legislature in 1965. This was to protect the health and safety of children, mainly for california. Child abuse has many causes including, as a childhood symptom of mental illness in parents, as the culmination of a lifelong experience of violation towards the caregiver, of environmental and social stresses on the family, and the society’s acceptance and promotion of physical violence. In order to select which factors to study, researchers must exclude other factors. Clinicians, facing a variety of distinctive life events, personal characteristics, and unique circumstances of the families and children they serve, not always content with the explanations of the origin or child abuse found in the research literature. Child abuse and child neglect involve a variety of childhood injuries that are believed to be derived from parental acts of omission or commision. Although the prevalence of child abuse is unknown, the concern regarding the consequences of abuse is, for individual and for our society, is universal. A Problem Of Child Abuse A Problem Of Child Abuse Public schools across the Unites States do not know the challenges students face on a daily bases. Most of the conflict between teenagers and their peers are left oblivious. Everyday one point two million students at public schools go home without admitting their problems, caused by bullies, to their parents. Half of these students’ parents are later surprised to find their child deceased by the following week. Bullying is a tremendous problem that definitely needs more attention and public schools are not providing enough of it. In my own opinion, all schools should enforce bullying awareness programs to prevent from suicides, fights, and an uncomfortable environment. To start with, suicides are increasingly becoming more relevant for bullied victims. Majority of those who actually commit suicide did not pursue any help from their school faculty members. Two years ago in my own community Amber Markly took her life due to bullies. From my understanding, reports have said that she was being bullied by the same crowd of people daily. Through the last traumatizing months of her life only two faculty members took mild precautions to control the situation. The lack of awareness with Amber’s problem lead her parents to find their daughter deceased on a nuisance in her closet. Amber would not have taken her own life if greater bullying awareness was practice in schools. It would have taught the faculty and students to become more involved in situations like Ambers in preventing them from worsening. In additions, there are lots of raging fights due to bullying in schools. Fights are progressively acquiring online, through texting and even by physical contact. Having an awareness program will coach students on how to solve their problems without the need to fight. They can seek help from a teacher who can lead them into the right path of controlling a situation. The bullying awareness program can even include peer counselors. These are student counselors that are trained to help other students through their problems. Peer counseling is apart of the awareness program and can decrease the amount of fights taken place at schools substantially. Furthermore, school is becoming a place students are not comfortable with. All students should feel safe and worry free at school by their fellow peers. If schools enforced the bullying awareness program they can create a welcoming place for their students by practicing different activities. One popular activities done at my high school was mix it up day. This was an activity practiced at lunch in which students sat with people they normally would not be seated with. Doing small fun things such as that create an environment where students become comfortable. Soon it can eliminate bullies by creating a school of students that are familiar with each other in a positive manner and not by gossip spread from one person to another. As one can see, enforcing bullying awareness is a key factor to keeping a bully free school ground. Suicides will decrease as educators increase their knowledge of helping learners in need. Fights can be prevented through coaching students on how to control their actions before someone gets hurt. Practicing fun activities creates a place that makes students feel comfortable in their environment. If one school can give it a chance it could be the chain reaction of tomorrow.

CRITICAL CLAIM MAJOR PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CRITICAL CLAIM MAJOR PAPER - Essay Example This paper argues that the ad wants to suggest that Chanel, as a brand, is a seductive and sophisticated brand because of its sexual and affluence themes, although it is criticized for suggesting that women are men’s sexual objects. This Chanel advertisement suggests that women can only attain power, if they fully submit to the sexual desires of men. The entire scene of the ad is oriental in look, which uses the theme of Orientalism, where the Oriental is the â€Å"Other† that the dominant party uses for their own personal interests. Orientalism includes Asian and Middle Eastern signs and colors. The golden bed, golden bed sheets, and golden wall paper with its Middle-Eastern-looking designs signify Orientalism. They look exotic and different than usual Western designs. Orientalism is about power over what is different. Chanel wants to say that with an Oriental look, it is the one in power. The woman in bondage signifies power even more. She is the â€Å"product† that shows that Chanel is a powerful brand. It holds people, as if they are held captive. At the same time, the Oriental look shows sophistication. It suggests mastery over something; in this case, it is mastery over the weaker sex, the woman. Chanel might not be meaning to make it look like it is demeaning women or â€Å"Orientals,† but the entire picture looks like it is using the woman for its personal purposes, so that it can have power, the kind of power that is based on people’s weaknesses. The woman then cannot have power of her own, unless she becomes an Oriental entity. Furthermore, bondage is a sexual symbol, and Orientalism sexualizes the â€Å"Other† too. Chanel might just be saying that it is a powerful and sophisticated brand through the use of an Oriental woman. On the contrary, the use of a woman indicates sexual oppression. Even if the woman is white, her surroundings Orientalize her, thereby making her the â€Å"lower† person. Orientali sm, as an underlying theme, indicates the pervading sexual oppression of women in this advertisement. The entire dress and footwear signify Oriental beauty, specifically a trampled and used beauty. The skirt has beads and golden designs. It is the most Oriental-looking in the whole ensemble. The shoes and blouse are modern in design. The shoes have high heels, with the heels upside down. The down part is the woman, who cannot escape her bondage. The blouse is checkered with frill ends. The model wears a headband that matches her blouse. Her handcuff is her bag. The blouse, bag, and headband indicate that they reinforce each other. In other words, they strengthen the proverbial chains around the woman. Though the model has a modern fashion style, the entire effect is Orientalism because of the Muslim-inspired background. By looking as an Oriental, she becomes a maiden in distress, not a white modern woman in power. She is weak, so she is easily trapped, and she must be saved. Chanel saves her with its fashion sense. But why must she be imprisoned in the first place? The act of imprisonment suggests that she has no power to begin with. As an Oriental, she is a prisoner of the one in power. The power play is clear in the uneven relationship between the brand and the woman. Chanel is the authoritative brand, when it comes to sophisticated and modern tastes. It imprisons women with its

Analysis of performance management of Marks and Spencer with interview Essay

Analysis of performance management of Marks and Spencer with interview questions - Essay Example From this research it is clear that the multi-channel sale is one of the reasons why the company is successful in the U.K. The customers are also more fashion conscious and are less sensitive to prices. They would be ready to go for the trendiest clothes even if it is overly priced. The existences of competition in the market with other brands that are equally high priced have helped the brand to survive in the U.K. market with the high end products. There is abundance of shoppers in Britain who make their purchases from the high end stores. The people of the British Market are more conscious about their health. Therefore they would go for the luxury food products. The sales of these products reach the peak during Christmas. The company also has a strong brand presence in UK. Most of the shoppers go to the stores and are ready to pay high because of the label under which they are buying. Company’s approach towards dealing with the customers and understanding the pulse of the m arket was the reason for company’s sudden growth. When the strategy that our team took became successful in the homeland of the brand the senior management of Marks & Spencer took a decision to engage our entire team in China to understand the market situation and to help increase the sales figures in the country. Hence sending this team for handling the China market was again a strategic move by the senior management of M&S to increase the market share in China. ... The customers are also more fashion conscious and are less sensitive to prices. They would be ready to go for the trendiest clothes even if it is overly priced (Kurtz, 2010, p. 147). The existences of competition in the market with other brands that are equally high priced have helped the brand to survive in the U.K. market with the high end products. There is abundance of shoppers in Britain who make their purchases from the high end stores. The people of the British Market are more conscious about their health. Therefore they would go for the luxury food products. The sales of these products reach the peak during Christmas. The company also has a strong brand presence in UK. Most of the shoppers go to the stores and are ready to pay high because of the label under which they are buying. Company’s approach towards dealing with the customers and understanding the pulse of the market was the reason for company’s sudden growth. When the strategy that our team took became successful in the homeland of the brand the senior management of Marks & Spencer took a decision to engage our entire team in China to understand the market situation and to help increase the sales figures in the country. Hence sending this team for handling the China market was again a strategic move by the senior management of M&S to increase the market share in China. Our team had been entrusted with the duty of analyzing the market properly and to find out how the sales can be increased. The target market had to be identified and the pricing strategies had to be developed to make an impact on the bottom line. The brand commenced its operations in China in 2008. We opened up 14 stores in different parts of China. The shop

Business Continuity Planning - Program Initiation, Risk Management Research Paper

Business Continuity Planning - Program Initiation, Risk Management (Risk Evaluation) & Incident Management - Research Paper Example In this paper, the three areas of DRI professional practices will be discussed. NBC’s priority is to satisfy its stakeholders through an enhanced system of governance and risk management. To guarantee that their products and services will be available during disruptive events/ hazards, NBC provides this Business Continuity Planning Policy. This policy will enable the company to continue its banking operations and help in reducing losses in the midst of crisis. For instance, NBC has risk management policies, which are proposed, implemented, and reviewed by the Risk Management Group. These policies are approved by the Global Risk Committee under the authority of the Board of Directors. â€Å"These policies cover all the main risks defined in the Bank’s risk management approach and are reviewed on a regular basis...to ensure that they are still relevant given changes in the markets...† (National Bank of Canada 62). All the governance structures of NBC must adhere to these policies including the Office of the President, bank’s management , and business units (i.e. financial markets, wealth management, & personal & commercial banking). 1. Jean Douville, Chairman of the Board of Directors. He and the other corporate directors will approve risk policies for the bank as recommended by the Risk Management Board or the Global Risk Committee. 2. Louis Vachon, President and Chief Executive Officer. The Office of the President and the senior management will approve any credit facilities, but those credit applications (personal & commercial) that are beyond their limitations are endorsed to the BOD for final approval. 3. Business Unit/Division Managers (i.e. human resource, marketing, operations, risk management). This group has bigger responsibilities in terms of policy implementation and should regularly report to the senior management for the effectiveness of the policy. See appendix 1 for the names of the

Research Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Research Report - Essay Example There are several ways of collating data; surveys are the primary means through which data is measured and captured. They have varied purposes, and encompass â€Å"marketing surveys, opinion surveys, and political polls†, among others. The questionnaire has been self-constructed, dealing with the following items: competitive cost, convenience of fast food, cleanliness of the facility, ambience of the store, personalized service, promotional offers, varied menu, being a strong global brand, and other reasons. These close-ended questions had fixed options given for each, and the respondent simply checked which option/s are applicable for him/her. Close-ended questions are questions that the researcher provides, and which may be accomplished by putting a check mark on a box or by encircling a response that corresponds to your choice. Oppenheim (1992) suggests these questions are straightforward and thus easier and quicker to answer; they are very useful in testing specific hypothesis. Most probably, they shall be utilized in the beginning of the investigation, since the unrestricted responses they attract create a better picture of the survey for the researcher. The main advantage of this kind of question is its ability to obtain a summated value. As Chisnall (1997) suggests that mail questionnaire is a predetermined set of questions that is sent to a predetermined sample. Its advantages over other methods include its low price, reassured anonymity, confidentiality, its large target scope and its ability to keep certain standards. Mail questionnaires are advantageous when responses have to be obtained from a sample that is geographically dispersed, or it is difficult or not possible to conduct telephone interviews to obtain the same data without much expense. Respondents can take more time to respond at convenience. However, the return rates of mail questionnaires are