Angels Demons Chapter 39-41

39 The Apostolic Palace is a conglomeration of buildings located near the Sistine Chapel in the northeast corner of Vatican City. With a commanding view of St. Peter's Square, the palace houses both the Papal Apartments and the Office of the Pope. Vittoria and Langdon followed in silence as Commander Olivetti led them down a long rococo corridor, the muscles in his neck pulsing with rage. After climbing three sets of stairs, they entered a wide, dimly lit hallway. Langdon could not believe the artwork on the walls – mint-condition busts, tapestries, friezes – works worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Two-thirds of the way down the hall they passed an alabaster fountain. Olivetti turned left into an alcove and strode to one of the largest doors Langdon had ever seen. â€Å"Ufficio di Papa,† the commander declared, giving Vittoria an acrimonious scowl. Vittoria didn't flinch. She reached over Olivetti and knocked loudly on the door. Office of the Pope, Langdon thought, having difficulty fathoming that he was standing outside one of the most sacred rooms in all of world religion. â€Å"Avanti!† someone called from within. When the door opened, Langdon had to shield his eyes. The sunlight was blinding. Slowly, the image before him came into focus. The Office of the Pope seemed more of a ballroom than an office. Red marble floors sprawled out in all directions to walls adorned with vivid frescoes. A colossal chandelier hung overhead, beyond which a bank of arched windows offered a stunning panorama of the sun-drenched St. Peter's Square. My God, Langdon thought. This is a room with a view. At the far end of the hall, at a carved desk, a man sat writing furiously. â€Å"Avanti,† he called out again, setting down his pen and waving them over. Olivetti led the way, his gait military. â€Å"Signore,† he said apologetically. â€Å"No ho potuto – â€Å" The man cut him off. He stood and studied his two visitors. The camerlegno was nothing like the images of frail, beatific old men Langdon usually imagined roaming the Vatican. He wore no rosary beads or pendants. No heavy robes. He was dressed instead in a simple black cassock that seemed to amplify the solidity of his substantial frame. He looked to be in his late-thirties, indeed a child by Vatican standards. He had a surprisingly handsome face, a swirl of coarse brown hair, and almost radiant green eyes that shone as if they were somehow fueled by the mysteries of the universe. As the man drew nearer, though, Langdon saw in his eyes a profound exhaustion – like a soul who had been through the toughest fifteen days of his life. â€Å"I am Carlo Ventresca,† he said, his English perfect. â€Å"The late Pope's camerlegno.† His voice was unpretentious and kind, with only the slightest hint of Italian inflection. â€Å"Vittoria Vetra,† she said, stepping forward and offering her hand. â€Å"Thank you for seeing us.† Olivetti twitched as the camerlegno shook Vittoria's hand. â€Å"This is Robert Langdon,† Vittoria said. â€Å"A religious historian from Harvard University.† â€Å"Padre,† Langdon said, in his best Italian accent. He bowed his head as he extended his hand. â€Å"No, no,† the camerlegno insisted, lifting Langdon back up. â€Å"His Holiness's office does not make me holy. I am merely a priest – a chamberlain serving in a time of need.† Langdon stood upright. â€Å"Please,† the camerlegno said, â€Å"everyone sit.† He arranged some chairs around his desk. Langdon and Vittoria sat. Olivetti apparently preferred to stand. The camerlegno seated himself at the desk, folded his hands, sighed, and eyed his visitors. â€Å"Signore,† Olivetti said. â€Å"The woman's attire is my fault. I – â€Å" â€Å"Her attire is not what concerns me,† the camerlegno replied, sounding too exhausted to be bothered. â€Å"When the Vatican operator calls me a half hour before I begin conclave to tell me a woman is calling from your private office to warn me of some sort of major security threat of which I have not been informed, that concerns me.† Olivetti stood rigid, his back arched like a soldier under intense inspection. Langdon felt hypnotized by the camerlegno's presence. Young and wearied as he was, the priest had the air of some mythical hero – radiating charisma and authority. â€Å"Signore,† Olivetti said, his tone apologetic but still unyielding. â€Å"You should not concern yourself with matters of security. You have other responsibilities.† â€Å"I am well aware of my other responsibilities. I am also aware that as direttore intermediario, I have a responsibility for the safety and well-being of everyone at this conclave. What is going on here?† â€Å"I have the situation under control.† â€Å"Apparently not.† â€Å"Father,† Langdon interrupted, taking out the crumpled fax and handing it to the camerlegno, â€Å"please.† Commander Olivetti stepped forward, trying to intervene. â€Å"Father, please do not trouble your thoughts with – â€Å" The camerlegno took the fax, ignoring Olivetti for a long moment. He looked at the image of the murdered Leonardo Vetra and drew a startled breath. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"That is my father,† Vittoria said, her voice wavering. â€Å"He was a priest and a man of science. He was murdered last night.† The camerlegno's face softened instantly. He looked up at her. â€Å"My dear child. I'm so sorry.† He crossed himself and looked again at the fax, his eyes seeming to pool with waves of abhorrence. â€Å"Who would†¦ and this burn on his†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The camerlegno paused, squinting closer at the image. â€Å"It says Illuminati,† Langdon said. â€Å"No doubt you are familiar with the name.† An odd look came across the camerlegno's face. â€Å"I have heard the name, yes, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The Illuminati murdered Leonardo Vetra so they could steal a new technology he was – â€Å" â€Å"Signore,† Olivetti interjected. â€Å"This is absurd. The Illuminati? This is clearly some sort of elaborate hoax.† The camerlegno seemed to ponder Olivetti's words. Then he turned and contemplated Langdon so fully that Langdon felt the air leave his lungs. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, I have spent my life in the Catholic Church. I am familiar with the Illuminati lore†¦ and the legend of the brandings. And yet I must warn you, I am a man of the present tense. Christianity has enough real enemies without resurrecting ghosts.† â€Å"The symbol is authentic,† Langdon said, a little too defensively he thought. He reached over and rotated the fax for the camerlegno. The camerlegno fell silent when he saw the symmetry. â€Å"Even modern computers,† Langdon added, â€Å"have been unable to forge a symmetrical ambigram of this word.† The camerlegno folded his hands and said nothing for a long time. â€Å"The Illuminati are dead,† he finally said. â€Å"Long ago. That is historical fact.† Langdon nodded. â€Å"Yesterday, I would have agreed with you.† â€Å"Yesterday?† â€Å"Before today's chain of events. I believe the Illuminati have resurfaced to make good on an ancient pact.† â€Å"Forgive me. My history is rusty. What ancient pact is this?† Langdon took a deep breath. â€Å"The destruction of Vatican City.† â€Å"Destroy Vatican City?† The camerlegno looked less frightened than confused. â€Å"But that would be impossible.† Vittoria shook her head. â€Å"I'm afraid we have some more bad news.† 40 â€Å"Is this true?† the camerlegno demanded, looking amazed as he turned from Vittoria to Olivetti. â€Å"Signore,† Olivetti assured, â€Å"I'll admit there is some sort of device here. It is visible on one of our security monitors, but as for Ms. Vetra's claims as to the power of this substance, I cannot possibly – â€Å" â€Å"Wait a minute,† the camerlegno said. â€Å"You can see this thing?† â€Å"Yes, signore. On wireless camera #86.† â€Å"Then why haven't you recovered it?† The camerlegno's voice echoed anger now. â€Å"Very difficult, signore.† Olivetti stood straight as he explained the situation. The camerlegno listened, and Vittoria sensed his growing concern. â€Å"Are you certain it is inside Vatican City?† the camerlegno asked. â€Å"Maybe someone took the camera out and is transmitting from somewhere else.† â€Å"Impossible,† Olivetti said. â€Å"Our external walls are shielded electronically to protect our internal communications. This signal can only be coming from the inside or we would not be receiving it.† â€Å"And I assume,† he said, â€Å"that you are now looking for this missing camera with all available resources?† Olivetti shook his head. â€Å"No, signore. Locating that camera could take hundreds of man hours. We have a number of other security concerns at the moment, and with all due respect to Ms. Vetra, this droplet she talks about is very small. It could not possibly be as explosive as she claims.† Vittoria's patience evaporated. â€Å"That droplet is enough to level Vatican City! Did you even listen to a word I told you?† â€Å"Ma'am,† Olivetti said, his voice like steel, â€Å"my experience with explosives is extensive.† â€Å"Your experience is obsolete,† she fired back, equally tough. â€Å"Despite my attire, which I realize you find troublesome, I am a senior level physicist at the world's most advanced subatomic research facility. I personally designed the antimatter trap that is keeping that sample from annihilating right now. And I am warning you that unless you find that canister in the next six hours, your guards will have nothing to protect for the next century but a big hole in the ground.† Olivetti wheeled to the camerlegno, his insect eyes flashing rage. â€Å"Signore, I cannot in good conscience allow this to go any further. Your time is being wasted by pranksters. The Illuminati? A droplet that will destroy us all?† â€Å"Basta,† the camerlegno declared. He spoke the word quietly and yet it seemed to echo across the chamber. Then there was silence. He continued in a whisper. â€Å"Dangerous or not, Illuminati or no Illuminati, whatever this thing is, it most certainly should not be inside Vatican City†¦ no less on the eve of the conclave. I want it found and removed. Organize a search immediately.† Olivetti persisted. â€Å"Signore, even if we used all the guards to search the complex, it could take days to find this camera. Also, after speaking to Ms. Vetra, I had one of my guards consult our most advanced ballistics guide for any mention of this substance called antimatter. I found no mention of it anywhere. Nothing.† Pompous ass, Vittoria thought. A ballistics guide? Did you try an encyclopedia? Under A! Olivetti was still talking. â€Å"Signore, if you are suggesting we make a naked-eye search of the entirety of Vatican City then I must object.† â€Å"Commander.† The camerlegno's voice simmered with rage. â€Å"May I remind you that when you address me, you are addressing this office. I realize you do not take my position seriously – nonetheless, by law, I am in charge. If I am not mistaken, the cardinals are now safely within the Sistine Chapel, and your security concerns are at a minimum until the conclave breaks. I do not understand why you are hesitant to look for this device. If I did not know better it would appear that you are causing this conclave intentional danger.† Olivetti looked scornful. â€Å"How dare you! I have served your Pope for twelve years! And the Pope before that for fourteen years! Since 1438 the Swiss Guard have – â€Å" The walkie-talkie on Olivetti's belt squawked loudly, cutting him off. â€Å"Comandante?† Olivetti snatched it up and pressed the transmitter. â€Å"Sto ocupato! Cosa voi!† â€Å"Scusi,† the Swiss Guard on the radio said. â€Å"Communications here. I thought you would want to be informed that we have received a bomb threat.† Olivetti could not have looked less interested. â€Å"So handle it! Run the usual trace, and write it up.† â€Å"We did, sir, but the caller†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The guard paused. â€Å"I would not trouble you, commander, except that he mentioned the substance you just asked me to research. Antimatter.† Everyone in the room exchanged stunned looks. â€Å"He mentioned what?† Olivetti stammered. â€Å"Antimatter, sir. While we were trying to run a trace, I did some additional research on his claim. The information on antimatter is†¦ well, frankly, it's quite troubling.† â€Å"I thought you said the ballistics guide showed no mention of it.† â€Å"I found it on-line.† Alleluia, Vittoria thought. â€Å"The substance appears to be quite explosive,† the guard said. â€Å"It's hard to imagine this information is accurate but it says here that pound for pound antimatter carries about a hundred times more payload than a nuclear warhead.† Olivetti slumped. It was like watching a mountain crumble. Vittoria's feeling of triumph was erased by the look of horror on the camerlegno's face. â€Å"Did you trace the call?† Olivetti stammered. â€Å"No luck. Cellular with heavy encryption. The SAT lines are interfused, so triangulation is out. The IF signature suggests he's somewhere in Rome, but there's really no way to trace him.† â€Å"Did he make demands?† Olivetti said, his voice quiet. â€Å"No, sir. Just warned us that there is antimatter hidden inside the complex. He seemed surprised I didn't know. Asked me if I'd seen it yet. You'd asked me about antimatter, so I decided to advise you.† â€Å"You did the right thing,† Olivetti said. â€Å"I'll be down in a minute. Alert me immediately if he calls back.† There was a moment of silence on the walkie-talkie. â€Å"The caller is still on the line, sir.† Olivetti looked like he'd just been electrocuted. â€Å"The line is open?† â€Å"Yes, sir. We've been trying to trace him for ten minutes, getting nothing but splayed ferreting. He must know we can't touch him because he refuses to hang up until he speaks to the camerlegno.† â€Å"Patch him through,† the camerlegno commanded. â€Å"Now!† Olivetti wheeled. â€Å"Father, no. A trained Swiss Guard negotiator is much better suited to handle this.† â€Å"Now!† Olivetti gave the order. A moment later, the phone on Camerlegno Ventresca's desk began to ring. The camerlegno rammed his finger down on the speaker-phone button. â€Å"Who in the name of God do you think you are?† 41 The voice emanating from the camerlegno's speaker phone was metallic and cold, laced with arrogance. Everyone in the room listened. Langdon tried to place the accent. Middle Eastern, perhaps? â€Å"I am a messenger of an ancient brotherhood,† the voice announced in an alien cadence. â€Å"A brotherhood you have wronged for centuries. I am a messenger of the Illuminati.† Langdon felt his muscles tighten, the last shreds of doubt withering away. For an instant he felt the familiar collision of thrill, privilege, and dead fear that he had experienced when he first saw the ambigram this morning. â€Å"What do you want?† the camerlegno demanded. â€Å"I represent men of science. Men who like yourselves are searching for the answers. Answers to man's destiny, his purpose, his creator.† â€Å"Whoever you are,† the camerlegno said, â€Å"I – â€Å" â€Å"Silenzio. You will do better to listen. For two millennia your church has dominated the quest for truth. You have crushed your opposition with lies and prophesies of doom. You have manipulated the truth to serve your needs, murdering those whose discoveries did not serve your politics. Are you surprised you are the target of enlightened men from around the globe?† â€Å"Enlightened men do not resort to blackmail to further their causes.† â€Å"Blackmail?† The caller laughed. â€Å"This is not blackmail. We have no demands. The abolition of the Vatican is nonnegotiable. We have waited four hundred years for this day. At midnight, your city will be destroyed. There is nothing you can do.† Olivetti stormed toward the speaker phone. â€Å"Access to this city is impossible! You could not possibly have planted explosives in here!† â€Å"You speak with the ignorant devotion of a Swiss Guard. Perhaps even an officer? Surely you are aware that for centuries the Illuminati have infiltrated elitist organizations across the globe. Do you really believe the Vatican is immune?† Jesus, Langdon thought, they've got someone on the inside. It was no secret that infiltration was the Illuminati trademark of power. They had infiltrated the Masons, major banking networks, government bodies. In fact, Churchill had once told reporters that if English spies had infiltrated the Nazis to the degree the Illuminati had infiltrated English Parliament, the war would have been over in one month. â€Å"A transparent bluff,† Olivetti snapped. â€Å"Your influence cannot possibly extend so far.† â€Å"Why? Because your Swiss Guards are vigilant? Because they watch every corner of your private world? How about the Swiss Guards themselves? Are they not men? Do you truly believe they stake their lives on a fable about a man who walks on water? Ask yourself how else the canister could have entered your city. Or how four of your most precious assets could have disappeared this afternoon.† â€Å"Our assets?† Olivetti scowled. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"One, two, three, four. You haven't missed them by now?† â€Å"What the hell are you talk – † Olivetti stopped short, his eyes rocketing wide as though he'd just been punched in the gut. â€Å"Light dawns,† the caller said. â€Å"Shall I read their names?† â€Å"What's going on?† the camerlegno said, looking bewildered. The caller laughed. â€Å"Your officer has not yet informed you? How sinful. No surprise. Such pride. I imagine the disgrace of telling you the truth†¦ that four cardinals he had sworn to protect seem to have disappeared†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Olivetti erupted. â€Å"Where did you get this information!† â€Å"Camerlegno,† the caller gloated, â€Å"ask your commander if all your cardinals are present in the Sistine Chapel.† The camerlegno turned to Olivetti, his green eyes demanding an explanation. â€Å"Signore,† Olivetti whispered in the camerlegno's ear, â€Å"it is true that four of our cardinals have not yet reported to the Sistine Chapel, but there is no need for alarm. Every one of them checked into the residence hall this morning, so we know they are safely inside Vatican City. You yourself had tea with them only hours ago. They are simply late for the fellowship preceding conclave. We are searching, but I'm sure they just lost track of time and are still out enjoying the grounds.† â€Å"Enjoying the grounds?† The calm departed from the camerlegno's voice. â€Å"They were due in the chapel over an hour ago!† Langdon shot Vittoria a look of amazement. Missing cardinals? So that's what they were looking for downstairs? â€Å"Our inventory,† the caller said, â€Å"you will find quite convincing. There is Cardinal Lamasse from Paris, Cardinal Guidera from Barcelona, Cardinal Ebner from Frankfurt†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Olivetti seemed to shrink smaller and smaller after each name was read. The caller paused, as though taking special pleasure in the final name. â€Å"And from Italy†¦ Cardinal Baggia.† The camerlegno loosened like a tall ship that had just run sheets first into a dead calm. His frock billowed, and he collapsed in his chair. â€Å"I preferiti,† he whispered. â€Å"The four favorites†¦ including Baggia†¦ the most likely successor as Supreme Pontiff†¦ how is it possible?† Langdon had read enough about modern papal elections to understand the look of desperation on the camerlegno's face. Although technically any cardinal under eighty years old could become Pope, only a very few had the respect necessary to command a two-thirds majority in the ferociously partisan balloting procedure. They were known as the preferiti. And they were all gone. Sweat dripped from the camerlegno's brow. â€Å"What do you intend with these men?† â€Å"What do you think I intend? I am a descendant of the Hassassin.† Langdon felt a shiver. He knew the name well. The church had made some deadly enemies through the years – the Hassassin, the Knights Templar, armies that had been either hunted by the Vatican or betrayed by them. â€Å"Let the cardinals go,† the camerlegno said. â€Å"Isn't threatening to destroy the City of God enough?† â€Å"Forget your four cardinals. They are lost to you. Be assured their deaths will be remembered though†¦ by millions. Every martyr's dream. I will make them media luminaries. One by one. By midnight the Illuminati will have everyone's attention. Why change the world if the world is not watching? Public killings have an intoxicating horror about them, don't they? You proved that long ago†¦ the inquisition, the torture of the Knights Templar, the Crusades.† He paused. â€Å"And of course, la purga.† The camerlegno was silent. â€Å"Do you not recall la purga?† the caller asked. â€Å"Of course not, you are a child. Priests are poor historians, anyway. Perhaps because their history shames them?† â€Å"La purga,† Langdon heard himself say. â€Å"Sixteen sixty-eight. The church branded four Illuminati scientists with the symbol of the cross. To purge their sins.† â€Å"Who is speaking?† the voice demanded, sounding more intrigued than concerned. â€Å"Who else is there?† Langdon felt shaky. â€Å"My name is not important,† he said, trying to keep his voice from wavering. Speaking to a living Illuminatus was disorienting for him†¦ like speaking to George Washington. â€Å"I am an academic who has studied the history of your brotherhood.† â€Å"Superb,† the voice replied. â€Å"I am pleased there are still those alive who remember the crimes against us.† â€Å"Most of us think you are dead.† â€Å"A misconception the brotherhood has worked hard to promote. What else do you know of la purga?† Langdon hesitated. What else do I know? That this whole situation is insanity, that's what I know! â€Å"After the brandings, the scientists were murdered, and their bodies were dropped in public locations around Rome as a warning to other scientists not to join the Illuminati.† â€Å"Yes. So we shall do the same. Quid pro quo. Consider it symbolic retribution for our slain brothers. Your four cardinals will die, one every hour starting at eight. By midnight the whole world will be enthralled.† Langdon moved toward the phone. â€Å"You actually intend to brand and kill these four men?† â€Å"History repeats itself, does it not? Of course, we will be more elegant and bold than the church was. They killed privately, dropping bodies when no one was looking. It seems so cowardly.† â€Å"What are you saying?† Langdon asked. â€Å"That you are going to brand and kill these men in public?† â€Å"Very good. Although it depends what you consider public. I realize not many people go to church anymore.† Langdon did a double take. â€Å"You're going to kill them in churches?† â€Å"A gesture of kindness. Enabling God to command their souls to heaven more expeditiously. It seems only right. Of course the press will enjoy it too, I imagine.† â€Å"You're bluffing,† Olivetti said, the cool back in his voice. â€Å"You cannot kill a man in a church and expect to get away with it.† â€Å"Bluffing? We move among your Swiss Guard like ghosts, remove four of your cardinals from within your walls, plant a deadly explosive at the heart of your most sacred shrine, and you think this is a bluff? As the killings occur and the victims are found, the media will swarm. By midnight the world will know the Illuminati cause.† â€Å"And if we stake guards in every church?† Olivetti said. The caller laughed. â€Å"I fear the prolific nature of your religion will make that a trying task. Have you not counted lately? There are over four hundred Catholic churches in Rome. Cathedrals, chapels, tabernacles, abbeys, monasteries, convents, parochial schools†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Olivetti's face remained hard. â€Å"In ninety minutes it begins,† the caller said with a note of finality. â€Å"One an hour. A mathematical progression of death. Now I must go.† â€Å"Wait!† Langdon demanded. â€Å"Tell me about the brands you intend to use on these men.† The killer sounded amused. â€Å"I suspect you know what the brands will be already. Or perhaps you are a skeptic? You will see them soon enough. Proof the ancient legends are true.† Langdon felt light-headed. He knew exactly what the man was claiming. Langdon pictured the brand on Leonardo Vetra's chest. Illuminati folklore spoke of five brands in all. Four brands are left, Langdon thought, and four missing cardinals. â€Å"I am sworn,† the camerlegno said, â€Å"to bring a new Pope tonight. Sworn by God.† â€Å"Camerlegno,† the caller said, â€Å"the world does not need a new Pope. After midnight he will have nothing to rule over but a pile of rubble. The Catholic Church is finished. Your run on earth is done.† Silence hung. The camerlegno looked sincerely sad. â€Å"You are misguided. A church is more than mortar and stone. You cannot simply erase two thousand years of faith†¦ any faith. You cannot crush faith simply by removing its earthly manifestations. The Catholic Church will continue with or without Vatican City.† â€Å"A noble lie. But a lie all the same. We both know the truth. Tell me, why is Vatican City a walled citadel?† â€Å"Men of God live in a dangerous world,† the camerlegno said. â€Å"How young are you? The Vatican is a fortress because the Catholic Church holds half of its equity inside its walls – rare paintings, sculpture, devalued jewels, priceless books†¦ then there is the gold bullion and the real estate deeds inside the Vatican Bank vaults. Inside estimates put the raw value of Vatican City at 48.5 billion dollars. Quite a nest egg you're sitting on. Tomorrow it will be ash. Liquidated assets as it were. You will be bankrupt. Not even men of cloth can work for nothing.† The accuracy of the statement seemed to be reflected in Olivetti's and the camerlegno's shell-shocked looks. Langdon wasn't sure what was more amazing, that the Catholic Church had that kind of money, or that the Illuminati somehow knew about it. The camerlegno sighed heavily. â€Å"Faith, not money, is the backbone of this church.† â€Å"More lies,† the caller said. â€Å"Last year you spent 183 million dollars trying to support your struggling dioceses worldwide. Church attendance is at an all-time low – down forty-six percent in the last decade. Donations are half what they were only seven years ago. Fewer and fewer men are entering the seminary. Although you will not admit it, your church is dying. Consider this a chance to go out with a bang.† Olivetti stepped forward. He seemed less combative now, as if he now sensed the reality facing him. He looked like a man searching for an out. Any out. â€Å"And what if some of that bullion went to fund your cause?† â€Å"Do not insult us both.† â€Å"We have money.† â€Å"As do we. More than you can fathom.† Langdon flashed on the alleged Illuminati fortunes, the ancient wealth of the Bavarian stone masons, the Rothschilds, the Bilderbergers, the legendary Illuminati Diamond. â€Å"I preferiti,† the camerlegno said, changing the subject. His voice was pleading. â€Å"Spare them. They are old. They – â€Å" â€Å"They are virgin sacrifices.† The caller laughed. â€Å"Tell me, do you think they are really virgins? Will the little lambs squeal when they die? Sacrifici vergini nell' altare di scienza.† The camerlegno was silent for a long time. â€Å"They are men of faith,† he finally said. â€Å"They do not fear death.† The caller sneered. â€Å"Leonardo Vetra was a man of faith, and yet I saw fear in his eyes last night. A fear I removed.† Vittoria, who had been silent, was suddenly airborne, her body taut with hatred. â€Å"Asino! He was my father!† A cackle echoed from the speaker. â€Å"Your father? What is this? Vetra has a daughter? You should know your father whimpered like a child at the end. Pitiful really. A pathetic man.† Vittoria reeled as if knocked backward by the words. Langdon reached for her, but she regained her balance and fixed her dark eyes on the phone. â€Å"I swear on my life, before this night is over, I will find you.† Her voice sharpened like a laser. â€Å"And when I do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The caller laughed coarsely. â€Å"A woman of spirit. I am aroused. Perhaps before this night is over, I will find you. And when I do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The words hung like a blade. Then he was gone.

Technology and learning

The modernization of the times led to a startling reality that the world will be crippled without the aid of technology. Technology is becoming more and more of a necessity these days in all aspects of daily living and as such, educational institutions have incorporated this subject in their curriculum because the authorities acknowledged the fact that technology can help attain student objectives and in order to achieve the maximum impact, it must form part of the school's education curriculum (Neir Tech, 2002).English is a subject that would be greatly enhanced by technology. English is a diversified field in itself that requires self-expression, vocabulary, reading, creativity and innovativeness of the mind. Technology can greatly enhance the students' learning process when it comes to English because the information that they need is just a few clicks away. The world wide web provides a wide array of information and lectures about all English subjects. For example, a student havi ng difficulty in pronunciation and vocabulary can access the Internet to learn this kind of skill.Students who have been assigned difficult topics for assignment can search the net for all the information that he needs. The teachers can use the technology as aid in teaching not only English but other subjects as well by using highly-powered technology driven lectures that would work best in capturing students' attention. There are some schools that use technology to breach the barriers of communication. Video conferencing is another technological development that greatly helps educational institutions teach students not only English but other subjects as well.ReferencesNeir Tech. 2002.   Strategies for Improving Academic Achievement and Teacher Effectiveness. Retrieved July 3, 2009, from http://www.neirtec.org/products/techbriefs/1.htm

A Competitive And Strategic Corporate Analysis Marketing Essay

A Competitive And Strategic Corporate Analysis Marketing Essay Introduction The airline industry is one of the most difficult business sectors where competition has proven to be extremely difficult among the many different competing airline services available around the world. Many airline services in the past have experienced disastrous business cycle, timeliness and overcapacity issues. Moreover, the different airline services also complain of their experienced difficulty in differentiating themselves from competition. These airline services also maintain such high-risk profiles because of such high expectations from their customers (Wirt, Heracleous & Pangarkar, 2007). Singapore Airlines, one of the strongest and famous airline service providers, remains to be one of the most profitable airline companies in the world today. Several reasons can be attributed to the huge success that Singapore Airlines enjoys today. One is its strong brand management strategies driven mainly by its excellent line-up of top-management and boardroom employees. S ingapore Airlines is composed of many dedicated and professional employees both in its front and back-end office who serve as the drivers of its solid brand strategy (Roll, M. 2010). Singapore Airlines is truly a global and diversified organization unified by one aim of delivering excellent quality and service to its customers. What separates this airline from other airline service companies is its heavy investment in building and maintaining its solid brand equity. The Singapore Airlines brand is known for its consistency in delivering its primary message to its consumers which is â€Å"Singapore Airlines- A great way to fly† coupled with its dedicated and honest delivery of that communication message to its consumers (Roll, M. 2010). The brand strategy of the Singapore Airlines is centered on its world-class in-flight experience: the warmth and hospitality of the Singapore Girl, its excellent service and its focus on the customer. Whereas other competing airline services al so tried to pursue the path that Singapore Airlines has taken, no other airline has matched Singapore Airlines in terms of its honest commitment and consistency in delivering its brand promise to its consumers (Roll, M. 2010). As a result, the Singapore Airlines brand managed to deliver excellent financial results through its three-fold strategy: a.) Avoiding knee-jerk reactionary behaviors on any price changes and consistently deliver the brand benefits in order to maintain a high revenue b.) Cut down the costs by pursuing ownership of the best yet most cost-efficient aircrafts and properly responding to increases in fuel prices and c.) Remaining true to the brand in terms of consistency in delivering service to drive up profits (Roll, M. 2010). Background This report-based paper on the â€Å"Competitive and Strategic Corporate Analysis of the Singapore Airlines† aims to evaluate the Singapore Airline’s actual application of the various analytical and planning tools i n Strategic Management. This paper will also discuss the overall strategic posture of Singapore Airlines at the corporate level, that is, whether it is pursuing a global strategy, multi-domestic strategy, international strategy or transnational strategy. Also, this paper will also evaluate whether the company’s management structure and philosophy is aligned with its overall strategic posture. Finally, this paper will come up with a list of recommendations with regard to the company’s strategic focus. Several recommendations will be presented in order for the company to improve and maintain its competitive position.

REASONING AND ANALYSIS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

REASONING AND ANALYSIS - Research Paper Example The income transfer does not necessary need to be worked for but is issued on free terms regardless of merit. Consumption can be depicted by what a person eats, what person dresses, the house he or she lives in and the luxuries in which that person can afford. The price of a good can be considered the cost of buying a set good; on the other hand, value can be described as the satisfaction one derives from consuming a particular commodity. Therefore, value is the most important aspect to a consumer. The main argument that constitutes the claim is that income affects inherent consumption. It is guaranteed that as income increases, consumption also increases. Thus, the two are directly proportional. However, it can be noted that income affects consumption but not the other way round. Consumption cannot affect income since it is consumption that is dependent on income. In another perspective, it is noted that income also affects a person’s relations. As income increases, the relationship of a person with other people tends to be directed to people of the same caliber. A person who is rich can be noted to have more friends who are related to his or her status. Also, it is noted that rich people are less superstitious and noted to be les s religious. Therefore, income affects relations of the individual (Miller, 1998). In life, as someone increases his wealth, his surroundings tend to change. An instance is the theory put forward by Keynes. The theory is justified by different research papers. The Keynesian theory, the consumption of a person is directly affected by the income. The income tends to trigger other tastes and preferences that were not significant to a person in a former status. Therefore, a person tends to develop a taste for luxurious commodities depending on the level of income. In addition, as the price of luxurious goods increases, the value of the good also increases. Income also affects the consumption of alcohol

The Thrill of the Hunt; The Journey and the Destination Essay

The Thrill of the Hunt; The Journey and the Destination - Essay Example In an era when a person need only drive to the local grocery store, what makes men and women load guns and still head for the woods to track down an animal This ethnography study will try to answer the question, what is the point to hunting in modern Maine Is the real goal a trophy to hang on the wall Hunting is really about control and challenge in a world where basic human survival instincts are channeled into substitute activities like video games, racquet ball and treadmills. The need for men and women, to spend hours tracking a creature in the forest for meat they could easily buy, is not about killing an animal, but about self reliance and ingenuity. Hunting is a tie to the past and tradition. In 1622 the state of Maine was called, the Province of Maine and it was under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. The name probably echoes the French province of Maine brought by immigrating French settlers. It was not admitted to the Union until 1820 and then was officially the, state of Maine (Maine Down East, 1937 pg 3). Maine has a total area that extends the combination of New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The state possesses a variety of terrains from plateaus to mountains to coast line. The highest peak is on Mount Katahdin, Hamilin Peak at 4752 feet. Over 75 percent of the total area in Maine is forestland and water as Maine is filled with lakes and rivers. Game is abundant and v... It was necessary to observe a fox's behavior to trap him as they are creatures of habit and use the same pathways (Maine Down East, 1937 pg 415). Deer can be found close to open pasture, abandoned lumber camps and dirt roads. They favor raspberry bushes, which grow near cleared land. After the first frost deer seek out beech ridges then head for swamps and thickets about noon. The best hunting is right after a light snow when the animals are easily tracked. Those that savor a trophy buck should prepare to climb the high ridges and in dry weather a hunter should find a place to sit and wait as the crunchy twigs and leaves will warn any deer of a human presence. This is the reason for deer stands in trees when no ridges are available. Many hunters turn to moose and black bear because they are more challenging. Bear are very clever and also pose a risk to personal safety. Though bear move slow and have poor eye sight, they can run quickly to chase down their prey. Bear meat is quite a delicacy to many who savor the pork like taste. Rabbits are also hunted in Maine for sport and meat. Unlike varieties in other states Maine rabbits do not make holes in the ground and live on the surface. Dogs are used for rabbits and birds. The black duck and the mallard are the most popular, but there are over a dozen breeds in the northern portion of Maine and along the coast in the Machias region. Woodcock are plentiful in central and western Maine and best hunted after several frosts since unlike other ducks that eat from the marshes, woodcocks prefer blackberry tangles near birch and alder trees. Hunting in Maine can be done in a variety of fashions that include rifle, shotgun, bow, crossbow, handgun and even black powder

Life Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Life Insurance - Essay Example The amount that one receives upon the event of death is pre-fixed as it is the sum assured of the life insurance policy. To get the benefit of the life insurance scheme, the policy holder (generally the assured) has to pay certain sum to the insuring company, known as premium. Traditionally, the life insurance policies used to be of two main types namely term policy and endowment policy but now at the face of the increased competition, leading insurers have come up with more customised policies (like retirement pans, children education plans, investment plans, etc) to benefit the insured. While deciding the amount of sum assured, a person should keep several factors in mind. Firstly, he should calculate the amount that would be required by his heirs or the family to maintain the same standard of living that they presently have. Also, the payment of premium of life insurance helps in savings of one’s tax. But again, the sum assured and the sum of premium also depend on the age of the insured, place where they live among other factors. If the person (assuming he is the primary bread-earner) is around 35 years of age, a sum assured of US $ 100,000 would suffice the need. The husband can take such policy which can even act as his retirement planning. But again, the amount of sum assured would depend on the income that the person earns. The policy upon the lady of the family can bear the sum assured of at least US $ 75,000 (assuming her age to be above 30 and below 35). The child if aged around 8-10 can also have a policy. The policy of the child should be basicall y for the educational purposes and in addition of covering the life, the policy should get matured in such time, which would cater to the expenses of higher education for the child. It can also be in the range of US $ 100,000. It can be assessed from the above

Timber Frame Houses Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Timber Frame Houses - Assignment Example The hardness and strength of timber is dependent on its cell structure. The more the cell are closed to each other, there will be more strength in timber. And if the cells are a little apart from each other timber will be soft and lighter. Strength also depends on some other factors. If there are knots, cracks or decay in the timber, the strength of the timber will be reduced. Elasticity is also a property of timber that is linked to its cell structure. More elasticity means that the timber is more durable and can handle more pressure. But the type of timber is utilized according to the use. If the cell walls of the timber are thick, the timber will be harder that will make it a better building material, similarly if the cell walls are thin, the timber is soft and can be utilized where it is required to use soft wood. Moisture in the timber also plays part to the hardness of the timber. More moisture in the timber makes it softer. Hardwood is prepared over softwood for building purpo ses because it is more resistant to softwood. Trapped air inside the timber makes the property known as density of timber. More trapped air means timber will be less dense and less trapped air means timber will be denser. Timber from the sustainability managed forests contributes much to the timber industry. The color of the timber is due to the time that it takes to dry. Some timber types becomes pale or lighter in color by the passage of time but some types of timber become darker by the passage of time as Cedar darkens but sapwood becomes pale with the time. Some time timber odor plays an important role while using for certain purpose, like some wood have pleasant smell and some have not, some can repel insects and some can attract. The odor is due to the presence of oils present in the wood (Interiordezine.com, 2011). These oils are sometimes utilized too in making dyes and insect repellents. Dying or waxing the timber or sometimes using some preservatives increases the life of the timber by making it to sustain the environmental effects. Using special type of varnish and synthetic waxes uses makes timer sustain even the worst weather. Some dyes are made such that the timber can even resist fire. Some timbers have fire resistant qualities too. These types of timber can resist fire for a longer time as compared to the other types of timber (Interiordezine.com, 2011). Wood logs are cut in different shapes and sizes to get the maximum required shapes from a log. The wood logs are then seasoned to increase the resistance of the timber. Sometimes corrosion in the metals that are attached to the timber occurs, which is the result of less seasoned of the timber. Wood cells swell and contract in different weather conditions. Persevered or treated timber has almost the same strength as that of untreated or unpreserved timber but the treated timber has more resistance to different weather conditions (Greenhalgh, 1929). For building purposes timber is graded into thr ee categories. The three categories in which timber is graded are structural, structural appearance and appearance. In structural grading, different types of timber are graded according to their strength. Structural grade is sometimes also referred as stress grading. The other two are classified as their appearance and strength. Timber framings of houses have many parts and sections. Some of the major parts of timber frame are rafters, truss, studs and sometimes lintels. These are

Ethical consideration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical consideration - Essay Example se is, to have a correct ethical decision such that the resources of the foundation will not be put to waste and that the employee will be compensated accordingly. If I were to make a decision, I would look for the average market value or the average compensation given to major gifts officers of various foundations like ours and base the compensation that we will give, if there is no existing policy or rule in the foundation. To avoid the scenario where the employee will not be able to do the job is a little more difficult to ensure but this will not be dealt with using the commission option. Instead, he will be subject to a quarterly review against the set objectives/goals and his performance will be the basis for renewing his services or not. In this case, proper compensation is given and the objective to generate funds will be ensured because of the performance review. Government officials are prohibited to accept gifts because of various sources one being the fact that they may affect the decisions of the officials especially when the giver is currently transacting a business with the government office to which the official is connected. An extensive do’s and don’ts are listed along with the conditions is put forth by the US Department Ethics Office (1999) which can be made as basis for making my decision on what to do with the other $25,000 given to me along with the other $25,000 for the foundation. One condition in the ethics pamphlet states that the gift may be received provided that the act of giving is prompted by personal relations, such as friendship. In this case, my friendship with Jones for 15 years has probably prompted him to send me such gift, considering that he has no family and probably limited friends. Initially, I would gladly accept the gift and look at it as a token of gratitude. In the first place, I know that there is probably no string attached to his gift being the fact that we have known each other for more than a decade

For and against reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Article

For and against reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) - Article Example The TSCA provisions do not apply the same to new and existing chemicals. According to TSCA, any new chemical substances are any chemical that is not part of the chemical substance list collected and published under TSCA section 8(b). This list is referred to as the â€Å"TSCA Inventory†. The TSCA act has had a great impact in ensuring protection of the American citizen and the environment. EPA has had successes compiling data on chemical toxicity, market use, and exposure under TSCA’s section 4 which allows EPA to do testing and information provisions. However, these results have been limited because very few test policies and rules have been enacted by the TSCA. Through the new chemicals program set by TSCA has proven to be a successful example of a precautionary review policy. These provisions apply at the pre-manufacture level of manufacturing before the product is let out to the public. This provision sets disciplinary reviews to assess risks associated with new chemicals. This ensures that there is protection against potentially harmful chemicals. Due to its high disciplinary measures, this has scared investors who are venturing into new and advance technology in chemical industry. The regulations have high legal threshold which is almost impossible to meet. The TSCA program for existing chemicals has ensured that the EPA is able to monitor its inventory and also analyze manufacturing and consumption by the public. On the other hand it has been viewed by many to be a failure. The existing chemicals have pose a challenge on EPA to prove that chemicals already approved will not present risk and that the benefits of regulation overpass the costs. Lack of assurance favors the keeping of these chemicals on the market. EPA limitation on power to regulate existing chemicals provides a hindrance to bringing safer chemicals to market. While chemical manufacturers invest important

Diagrams about business change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Diagrams about business change - Research Paper Example In addition, appropriate technology should match the organization’s people and processes (Macmillan, 2007). Moreover, businesses can only achieve absolute benefits of technology if they consider application of technology as a source of business opportunities and not a source of expense for the business (Harigopal, 2006). Considering information technology as a solution allows businesses to explore the potentials of information technology. Currently Four Winds Hospital requires a business solution that will enable it combine and integrated business opportunities. When fully implemented, the system will enhance efficiency in the organization. This will be realized through improved ability to handle and process information. Currently the hospital faces difficulties involving processing of customers and operation information. When fully implemented, the company will increase its operations by more that 50%. This will result from enhanced ability to handle customers and increased o peration related data. UNIT 3 ASSIGNMENT (Responses Should Run 3-5 Pages in Length) Q#7 Assess one specific activity to be performed within the process change. From the assessment, identify the task being evaluated. Where would that activity be performed within the organization? Who would perform the task and who would manage, measure, and evaluate task completion? Make sure you separate out the information requested (don’t place the information in a large block paragraph). Most health organizations face difficulties relating to prescription. The proposed system is expected to provide a solution to the problem through an automated prescription system. The organization need to have specific implementation procedures for the specific systems required in the organization. For the organization to be up to date with the modern technological development, it requires to eliminate paper work that relate to current systems and operations (Marion, & Joan, 2004). Although the organizati on might not achieve the required benefits from the system in the short-term, it stands to achieve long-term benefits following successful implementation (Burke, 2010). The benefits achieved by the organization from a successful implementation of the system will be part of organization’s return on investment. People form important components of an information system, people are not only important in the design of an information system but they also contribute in the implementation process. For the organization to implement the new information system successfully, it needs to consider the people required to run the new system. The organization will therefore consider the available staff before considering hiring new members of staff. If its existing staff can implement the new system successfully, then the organization needs not hire new staff. However if the available staff are not capable of implementing the system, the organization require additional staff members. The orga nization should therefore ensure that it has the required staff before setting on the implementation process. Although the organization will require staff members with variety of qualifications, the organization should consider a project manager as a significant member of staff. The hospital should therefore, begin by recruiting a project manager to advice the organization accordingly on matters

Why Should Schools Have Uniforms Essay Example for Free

Why Should Schools Have Uniforms Essay Uniforms have been incorporated into a lot of school systems all around the world to bring similarities to the school community and to prevent negligence between students. I strongly affirm that Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School in London, Ontario, Canada should promote uniforms to eliminate the differences between rich and poor, compose a better school environment, and to symbolize unity and equality upon students. The first reason to why Banting should promote uniforms is to eliminate the differences between rich and poor. The unfortunate poor student wouldn’t have to be ashamed of what he/she doesn’t own since everyone is dressed up in the same clothes. Also instead of the poor trying to achieve what brands the rich students own like Channel accessories, Lululemon etc†¦, they would all fit in. There will be no distractions and therefore; it will allow students to concentrate on learning instead of competing in popular fashionable clothing. Finally the rich students won’t have the chance to brag about what fashionable clothes they bought or have but instead they are mutual the poor ones. Essentially, it prevents the rich students from pointing out the poor ones and offending their style. Promoting uniforms in general will initiate the poor’s self-esteem to absolute positivity. Secondly, Banting should promote uniforms to compose a better school environment. There are many styles of clothing, some appropriate for school and others are not. Students and the media pressure us to dress and look a certain way. Some clothing contains logos promoting drugs, alcohol or even violence. Midriff shirts, halters and miniskirts are advertised everywhere. Since students want to fit in and be appealing between students, they want to wear this type of clothing. In most school systems like Banting, however it is not allowed, but students still manage to somehow fracture the dress code and escape the consequences. Uniforms will eliminate these issues to create a purposeful learning place that students will arrive to rather than giving the opportunity to students to provoke inappropriate hidden messages and images that would ruin the minds of educating students. Therefore promoting uniforms will be a very beneficial triumph to the school environment. Lastly, Banting should promote uniforms to symbolize unity and equality upon students. I believe uniforms help unite students in a common goal which is to do well in school. It is a symbol of student’s unity. They demonstrate to everyone that they are more than just their clothes and that they are all individuals trying to achieve the same goal for their future professions. On the other hand, it symbolizes equality because it brings students together despite their religious background, race, gender, and style of clothing students choose to wear. Since students from different cultures choose to dress in their particular traditional outfit, they are sometimes neglected and treated unequally by the students and even teachers, an example of that would be bullying those individuals and/or being insincere about their presence. They are often treated as a foreigner who is considered to appear outside the norms thus, uniforms help those students to be more accepted and judged based on their personality rather than appearance. Therefore, promoting uniforms would increase the symbol of unity and equality between students to a gratifying extent. In conclusion, I believe that promoting uniforms in Sir Frederick Banting Secondary will eliminate the differences between rich and poor, compose a better school environment, and symbolizes unity and equality upon students. Uniforms assist in keeping everything in order and organized around the school. School is a tremendous part of our life journey and by promoting uniforms we are making our life simpler, therefore increasing the chance of captivating success and happiness.

Science and PE Division Essay Example for Free

Science and PE Division Essay Introductory Chemistry 1405 for non-science majors is designed to meet the needs of students with no background in Chemistry or who are in need of additional preparation before taking Chemistry 1411. This course is concerned with the study of matter presented at an introductory level. The prerequisite for this course is DMAT 0091. Topics covered include: chemistry and measurements, matter and energy, atoms and elements, compounds and their bonds, chemical calculations, gas laws, solutions, acids and bases and nuclear reactions. This syllabus is your legal contract for this course.   The first requirement is that you read it entirely. You are responsible for all of the readings and assignments as defined. Questions or issues requiring clarification are welcomed at any time. REQUIRED OR RECOMMENDED MATERIALS (ISBN FOR TEXTBOOK): Required textbook:Introductory Chemistry for Non-Science Majors, the pearson custom edition for Eastfield College, by Timberlake. This book can be ordered from the bookstore http://follett.com/. ISBN#: 1256414824. It is bundled with Eastfield custom edition lab manual for first part of the laboratory and homework code for Mastering Chemistry. Lab Supplies: You must order a lab kit CK-EF. Order your LabPaq online at http://www.labpaq.com. once you are sure to continue the class, as the returned policy is strict. For labPaq order call 866-206-0773 x 114. OR, go to www.labpaq.com/order here, and enter Log in ID: C 000091, Password, labpaq (all lower case) and Choose CK-EF. You can obtain any digital balance with an accuracy of 0.1 grams. Recommended digital weight balance from NorthShore Care Supply ( http://www.northshorecare.com) is Triton T2 digital precision handheld scale, Item # 7400 ($19.95). Other required materials:Laboratory Safety Goggles (may be purchased at campus bookstore ) Scientific Calculator STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: 1. Demonstrate understanding of the subatomic particles and types of matter 2. Use the Periodic Table to identify metals, non-metals and metalloids 3. Make calculations using the metric system of measurements and significant figures. COURSE OBJECTIVES The course is to demonstrate a general knowledge of the basic concepts in chemistry, and to prepare the student for Chemistry 1411. CORE CURRICULUM COURSE OBJECTIVES: I. INTELLECTUAL COMPETENCIES: 1. Reading: The ability to analyze and interpret a variety of printed materials such as book, documents and articles written at a level above the 12th grade level 2. Writing: The ability to produce clear, correct and  coherent prose adapted to a purpose, occasion and audience at a level above the 12th grade level 3. Speaking: Ability to communicate orally in clear, coherent and persuasive language appropriate to a purpose, occasion and audience at a level above the 12th grade level 4. Listening: Analyze and interpret various forms of spoken and visual communication at a level above the 12th grade level 5. Critical Thinking: Think and analyze at a critical level 6. Computer Literacy: Understand our technological society, use computer-based technology in communication, problem solving, and acquiring information II. EXEMPLARY EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: 1. To understand and apply method and appropriate technology to the study of natural sciences 2. To recognize scientific and quantitative methods and the differences between these approaches and the other methods of inquiry, and to communicate findings, analyses, and interpretation both orally and in writing 3. To demonstrate knowledge of the major issues and problems facing modern science, including issues that touch on ethics, values, and public policy 4. To demonstrate knowledge of the interdependence of science and technology, and their influence on and contributions to, modern culture MEANS OF ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING OUTCOMES The course learning outcomes are assigned in more detail for each chapter in various learning objectives. These objectives will be assessed by exam questions, terminology, study area quiz, assignment from mastering chemistry and written laboratory report. It is encouraged to start your weekly activities by understanding â€Å"terminology†, which will be followed by reading corresponding units in the textbook. You will continue working on â€Å"Study Area† quiz and Review Questions, and homework assignments from mastering chemistry. Finally, you will perform the lab experiments. These steps are written in order under â€Å"Things to do† in all the weekly activities. EVALUATION PROCEDURE: 1. Lab Grades: This online course of Chem 1405 uses the â€Å"Wet Lab† experiences from Hands-on  lab, Inc. For the first five labs, students use the basic laboratory conceptual practice using Pearson published laboratory manual. After completion of five labs from Pearson published lab manual, students will use their purchased lab kits for the â€Å"Wet Lab† experiences and perform real chemical experiments using chemicals and standard techniques, in the convenience of their house. To ensure the credibility of the lab portion of this course, students will be asked to submit their picture showing their face at one or two specific steps of each experiment along with the data as reflected in their report. The specific steps where they need to submit their picture are well- written in the attached report form in the corresponding experiment on eCampus. Lab grades will be earned from their completed lab reports. These reports have to be typed in Microsoft office word and upload on ecampus in order to be graded, unless otherwise specified (Hand Written lab Report Will not be Accepted). You must use the report attached on ecampus under the folder â€Å"Lab #† of each week activities, and not the one that comes on the CD from LabPaq. You will get ZERO SCORE if you won’t use REPORT FORMAT UPLOADED on ecampus under the â€Å"Lab #†. However, to synthesize the conclusion and discussion of your result in the report, you can use â€Å"Lab Report Assistant† that comes in the CD with the CK-1 kit from Labpaq. The â€Å"Lab Report Assistant† can also be found on ecampus under â€Å"Start Here† button. The CD also has the introduction, safety enforcement agreement and the procedure to perform the lab. You have to sign; scan, and upload the safety agreement in the first week of the semester. Students have to upload the report on ecampus after the completion. The instructions on â€Å"how to upload† the report can be found in eCampus menu under the â€Å"Start Here† button. Students can purchase the lab kit, LabPaq CK-EF, from Hands-on Labs, Inc. Please log on to http://www.labpaq.com/ to order the kit. The lab kits also contain the manual of the experiments on CD. Students CANNOT PASS this course with a failing lab grade. A score of 70% or better and completion of 8/11 labs (cannot miss more than 3 labs) is required to pass the lab portion of this course. The lab reports has to be uploaded on eCampus by 11.30 pm on the specific due date found on the course calendar. Late lab reports will be accepted but they will drop by 25% for each day the reports are late. Students are encouraged to read the helpful suggestions after they read the procedures on the CD and before they do the experiments.  Similarly, it is advised them to complete the lab as early as the y can and do not wait until the last minute. The lab schedules are found under the weekly activity for each week. 2. Weekly Activities: These are located under â€Å"Course Contents† button in eCampus. Every week the learning items are placed in the following order. 1. Things to do: Helps to figure out the things to do quickly 2. Learning Objectives: Helps to focus on the goals to learn units of the chapter 3. Powerpoint: Gives you the main direction of concepts for each chapter 4. Terminology: It is a quick guide to know the definition and brief concepts of the topics 5. Study Area Quiz 1 2 (www.masteringchemistry.com/study area) Key Concept 6. Assignment (www.masteringchemistry.com/study area) 7. Lab report: Attached on the†Lab #† folder. The lab manual is CK-EF from www.LabPaq.com 8. DO NOT BEG FOR THE EXTENSION OF DUE DATES! 2.1. Terminology: These are copyright materials and should not be altered. These terms help you to understand the concepts and to prepare for the exam. Download the list of terms from eCampus on the folder â€Å"Terminology #† under â€Å"Week of #† from the ecampus menu†. Study the terminologies, read the corresponding section in the book and answer them concisely with examples. You can try this as many times as you want, and upload your final version on ecampus with the file name â€Å"Terminology #† (NOTE: Please see â€Å"How to load a document on ecampus under â€Å"Start Here† button) 2.2 Study Area These are self check activities and students can attempt as many times as they want. It helps to understand the concepts as well as to prepare for the exam 2.2.1 Quiz 1 2 After log on to www.masteringchemistry.com/study area, answer the multiple choice questions. These are self check activities and you can try this as many times as you want, scroll down and email the final trial to yourself. Repeat this step for quiz #2. Copy and paste both the quiz 1 2 score and  answers of all the questions in a new file called as â€Å"Study Area # 1† for chapter 1. Upload the â€Å"Study Area #† on eCampus. Follow the same procedure for all the chapters. (DO NOT EMAIL TO THE INSTRUCTOR) 2.2.2 Review Questions To complete this activity, please follow the same procedure as in 2.2.1. However, create a file name â€Å"Study #† where # is replaced by 1, 2, 3, and etc. for the corresponding chapter. 2.3 HOMEWORK (ASSIGNMENT) You will use Mastering Chemistry for the online homework tutorial. This will help you to understand the various concepts and to prepare for the exam. You can go directly to mastering chemistry without going to eCampus, by log on to http:// www. masteringchemistry.com/site. Many of the problems come from the back of the book to help you figure out the right answer. Do not attempt the homework without preparing yourself. You have to study the practice problems and worked out examples related to various units before to attempt the homework questions. . Your COURSE ID is for this course is MCADHIKARI89707 It is advised to complete the assignments in preparation for the tests. Late homework will worth’s 50% of the total possible points. Homework due dates will be shown in Mastering chemistry web site. It is recommended to do the homework questions little by little, rather than solving all the problems at one sitting. Once you have completed the homework assignments, you can revisit them even after the due dates during the preparation for the exam. The total score of the homework from all the chapters will be posted on your ecampus grade book at the end of the semester. DO NOT LOOK THE ANSWER before you solved the problems, if you do so, you will GET ZERO SCORE on that problem. Students have to take full responsibility of THEIR SCORE REPORTED correctly on the website. If you have doubt on any technical issue contact the technical support at 1-877-672-6877. You will get ZERO SCORE IF YOU EMAIL the answer of the ASSIGNEMENT to the instructors’ email. You must answer the assignment on the website. Syllabus Quiz: A quiz over syllabus material will be taken on eCampus. The quiz worths 10 points. It will be used to determine if students have read the syllabus material. You may use your syllabus on the quiz. You may take it as many times as you like until the deadline. I advise you to take it until you score a perfect 10 points. The quiz can be found on eCampus under the syllabus quiz section. DISCUSSION BOARDS Participation in the thee Discussion Boards (DB) is required. The discussion boards are worth 5 points each for a total of 15 points. DISCUSSION BOARD ETIQUETTE This science course is based on scientific fact alone, not personal opinions. Please refrain from using the discussion board to express political viewpoints, as a dating service, to advertise any and all types of solicitation, from expressing religious viewpoints or quoting Biblical passages, or giving personal opinions. Please refrain from using any inappropriate language in the discussion boards. Please do not â€Å"sign† discussion boards. The discussion board will automatically be posted with your name. ***Failure to adhere to discussion board etiquette may result in the student being blocked from using the discussion board and a loss of points. EMAIL ETIQUETTE When sending an email message to an instructor there are a few guidelines to follow: 1. Address the instructor as Mr., Ms., Mrs. or Professor, and in subject line please mention your class and section number 2. Always include your name, course, and section number in the email. 3. Never use foul, vulgar, inappropriate, discriminatory, rude, or otherwise unprofessional language in the email. 4. Remember, the relationship between the student and the instructor is a professional relationship not a friendship; therefore, be sure not to include instructors in your forwarded emails to friends, chat rooms, or personal updates. 5. Email between the instructor and student is to relate to course, campus, or educational matters INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES: Withdrawal Policy (with drop date): STOP BEFORE YOU DROP For students who enrolled in college level courses for the first time in the fall of 2007, Texas Education Code 51.907 limits the number of courses a student may drop. You may drop no more than 6 courses during your entire undergraduate career unless the drop qualifies as an exception. Your campus counseling/advising center will give you more information on the allowable exceptions. Remember that once you have accumulated 6 non-exempt drops, you cannot drop any other courses with a â€Å"W†. Therefore, please exercise caution when dropping courses in any Texas public institution of higher learning, including all seven of the Dallas County Community Colleges. For more information, you may access: https://www1.dcccd.edu/coursedrops If you are unable to complete this course, it is your responsibility to withdraw formally. The withdrawal request must be received in the Registrar’s Office by Januay 06, 2014. Failure to do so will result in your receiving a performance grade, usually an F. If you drop a class or withdraw from the college before the official drop/withdrawal deadline, you will receive a W (Withdraw) in each class dropped. Repeating This Course: Effective for Fall Semester 2005, the Dallas County Community Colleges will charge additional tuition to students registering the third or subsequent time for a course. This class may not be repeated for the third or subsequent time without paying the additional tuition. Third attempts include courses taken at any of the Dallas County Community Colleges since the Fall 2002 semester. More information is available at: https://www1.dcccd.edu/cat0506/ss/oep/third_attempt.cfm . Financial Aid: Students who are receiving any form of financial aid should check with the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from classes. Withdrawals may affect your eligibility to receive further aid and could cause you to be in a position of repayment for the current semester. Students who fail to attend or participate after the drop date are also subject to this policy. The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is a statewide program designed to ensure that students enrolled in Texas public colleges and universities have the basic academic skills needed to be successful in college-level course work. The TSI requires assessment, remediation (if necessary), and advising of students who attend a public college or university in the state of Texas. The program assesses a students basic academic skills in reading, writing, and math. Passing the assessment is a prerequisite for enrollment in many college level classes. Students who do not meet assessment standards may complete prerequisite requirements by taking developmental courses in the deficient area and passing them with a grade of C or higher. Additional information is available at https://www1.dcccd.edu/cat0506/admiss/tsi_requirements.cfm . Academic Honesty: Academic honesty is expected, and integrity is valued in the Dallas County Community Colleges. Scholastic dishonesty is a violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. As a college student, you are considered a responsible adult. Your enrollment indicates acceptance of  the DCCCD Code of Student Conduct published in the DCCCD Catalog. More information is available at https://www1.dcccd.edu/cat0406/ss/code.cfm . Academic Dishonesty Course Contract: Academic dishonesty is defined in the District Catalog includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a quiz, a test, or assignment or lab work; plagiarism (including the internet); copying another student’s lab or lecture work; or allowing another student (even lab partners) to copy all or any portion of an assignment. All written assignments are to be in the students’ own words. Written assignments for both the lab and lecture works are to be completed solely by the student, not in collaboration with other students unless otherwise noted in the assignment or instructed by instructor in exceptional cases. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any student found to be violating any portion of the academic dishonesty policy will automatically receive a zero (without exception or discussion). Students repeating the course are not permitted to use any old assignments or graded materials. All written assignments must be new, not just modifications of old assignments. When working in partners or groups, each student is expected to turn in his or her original work in their own words. Exact (or overwhelmingly similar as per the instructors discretion) duplication of an assignment (in any form), from any group or partner set, will not be accepted, and a grade of zero will be given. If further clarification of this policy or explanation of actions that will be taken for any and all violations is necessary, please see the instructor. ADA Statement: If you are a student with a disability and/or special needs who requires accommodations, please contact the college Disability Services Office. Religious Holidays: Absences for observance of a religious holy day are excused. A student whose absence is excused to observe a religious holy day is allowed to take a make-up examination or complete an assignment within a reasonable time after the absence. Students must notify the instructor of any religious holiday that will impact his/her time in this course by no later than the certification date. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), the College may release information classified as â€Å"directory information† to the general public without the written consent of the student. Directory information includes: (1) student name, (2) student address, (3) telephone numbers, (4) date and place of birth, (5) weight and height of members of athletic teams, (6) participation in officially recognized activities and sports, (7) dates of attendance, (8) educational institution most recently attended, and (9) other similar information, including major field of student and degrees and awards received. Students may protect their directory information at any time during the academic year. If no request is filed, directory information is released upon written inquiry. No telephone inquiries are acknowledged. No transcript or academic record is released without written consent from the student, except as specified by law. The institution strives to protect an environment most conducive to teaching and learning for all enrolled students. Children who are taking part in organized scheduled activities or who are enrolled in specific classes are welcomed. Minor children, however, should not be brought to the institution unless closely supervised by their parent. Minor children should not be brought into classrooms, laboratories or other facilities of the college. This practice is disruptive to the learning process. In the case of an emergency where the student-parent has no alternative but to bring the child to campus, classroom faculty or the administrative heads of other units have  full discretion as to whether a child may be allowed to quietly stay in the location. These individuals may require that children be removed by the student-parent from the setting if, in their opinion, the presence of the child is deemed to be disruptive to the learning process. For reasons of security and child welfare the institution will not permit unattended children to be left anywhere on the premises. Parents who have problems with childcare should visit the Counseling and/or Advisement Center to receive referrals to childcare services in the area. Final Grade Reports are no longer mailed. Convenient access is available online at www.econnect.dcccd.edu. Use your identification number when you log onto eConnect, an online system developed by the DCCCD to provide you with timely information regarding your college record. Your grades will also be printed on your Student Advising Report, which is available in the Admissions Office.

Mark Twains Influence on Realism

Mark Twains Influence on Realism Realism brought about events and characters with-in stories that could be easily imagined and related too. The main contributor during the period of realism was Mark Twain with his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain incorporated his own real life experiences into the novels he wrote. Twain expresses many beliefs within society of the time period. Twain accurately and vividly describes settings, places, and emotions. Twains depiction of the morals and events of the main character in the novel are the most important part of how the story incorporates realism. Realism in American Literature was most prominent between the Civil War and the turn of the century. Realism incorporates many aspects of life so the reader is easily able to relate to the characters and events. Social class is very important within this period of writing. The characters are more important than any other aspect of the story, without a well developed and accurate character the story will fall apart. Realism writing does not include any type of poetic vocabulary. The vocabulary used in realism writing is normal speech, terms that people use every day that may not be proper English but a accepted among impersonal conversations. During the time period that this style of writing thrived America was growing and changing as a nation, this provided the perfect habitat for realism writing to flourish (Realism in American Literature). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about a neglected young teenage boy. His name is Huck Finn. His father is a mean drunk. The book begins in St. Peters Missouri where his father and he both live. The book tells about the Huck and Toms adventures in great detail. The novel is told using first person point of view. This viewpoint allows the reader to easily connect with the story because it is told as if the reader was right their interpreting the events himself (Twain). Twain gives the two main characters of the book, Tom and Huck, realistic character traits. Both boys live befriend each other and the longer they are friends the more their friendship grows and develops. The boys portray a nice and sincere attitude, but they use a devious and teenage attitude much more. They both tend to get into trouble like any teenager would (Twain). Twains dialogue throughout the story is common talk. This means the story does not include any poetic writings or anything of that nature. The dialogue is true spoken as if it was just a conversation between to normal people. No overly fancy words are used, just normal well known and common vocabulary. Using common vocabulary within story dialect is a crucial part in allowing the reader to relate to the characters. Mark Twain even tells the reader beforehand within the preface of the book about his dialects: In this book a number of dialects are used, to wit: the Missouri negro dialect; the extremist form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect; the ordinary Pike County dialect; and four modified varieties of this last. The shadings have not been done in a haphazard fashion, or by guesswork; but painstakingly, and with the trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity with these several forms of speech (Twain Explanatory). Mark Twains characters are well developed and described. The main character Huck is a thoughtful boy who is very intelligent as far as street smarts go, unfortunately he lacks much of a formal education (Lombardi). Huck is constantly forming his own conclusions about matters going on in the world during his life. An example of his conclusions about important matters in the world is the treatment of black people, Huck feels they are normal humans and should not be treated any differently then himself. This conclusion like many other of Hucks conclusions goes against the grain of society. Tom, Hucks best friend, is basically Hucks other half; whatever Huck lacks in character Tom makes up for. Tom has a wild imagination and is a great thinker. Tom is highly influenced by society, unlike Huck. These influences and the effect they have on Tom encourage Huck is his choice to ignore and disregard the common society thinking and come up with his own conclusions on controversial matters (Byrn e). Mark Twains settings were vividly described. He was able to achieve such accuracy within his description because of past experiences with in his life; most notably his experience as a steamboat pilot. He used a memory of a sunset he had once seen while out on the boat. He describes this sunset in the novel. The vivid description can be seen within just the first several lines of the 1 page description: The first thing to see, looking away over the water, was a kind of dull line that was the woods on tother side; you couldnt make nothing else out; then a pale place in the sky; then more paleness spreading around; then the river softened up away off, and warnt black any more, but gray; you could see little dark spots drifting along ever so far away-trading-scows (Twain 163) Mark Twain clearly influenced the development of realism with his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The book was able to be related to be so many that it became very controversial. When the book first came out in the year 1884 it was not long after in 1885 that the book was banned from the Concord Public Library (Lombardi). Even through the banning of the book in some areas it still reached many people and had a huge impact. Twain paved the road for Realism writing and no other novel will have as much influence on the time period as his did. Works Cited Byrne, William F. Realism, Romanticism, and Politics in Mark Twain. 24 March 2004. 24 December 2009 . Lombardi, Esther. About.com: Classic Literature. 4 December 2009. 14 December 2009 . Realism in American Literature. 14 July 2008. 12 December 2009 . Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Barnes Noble Books, 1885.

Conflict and Ambiguity in The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber :: essays papers

Conflict and Ambiguity in The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber I recently read Earnest Hemingway's "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." This is a story about a thirty-five year old man, Francis Macomber who is on an African safari hunt with his wife, Margot. Led by his guide, Robert Wilson, Macomber tries to display his manhood by killing dangerous creatures. This in fact has the exact opposite effect when he humiliates himself by running from a wounded lion. Samuel Shaw stated in Earnest Hemingway, "†¦this is about much more than a hunting yarn, although it is that, too. It is a story that examines that elemental bases of the male-female relationship and the sources of human freedom and dependence" (82). The situation is complicated when Margot sleeps with Wilson and Macomber knows about it. Macomber has another chance to prove himself when they go into an island of trees to shoot a wounded buffalo. This time he stands his ground and shoots repeatedly as the buffalo charges forward. Seeing the whole situation from the car Ma rgot shoots at the last instant, and in a brilliant ending by Hemmingway, misses and hits Macomber right in the back of the head, leaving the reader to wonder, "Did she mean to hit him?" Prevalent in this story is Hemmingway's use of the literary conventions conflict and ambiguity. Conflict is described by James H. Pickering as, "The struggle or encounter within the plot of two opposing forces that serves to create reader interest and suspense" (1169). This is found all throughout this story. (1169) Macomber faces both internal and external conflict. The author displays conflict between Macomber and his wife: He was very wealthy, and would be much wealthier, and he knew she would not leave him ever now. That was one of the few things that he really knew†¦ His wife had been a great beauty and she was still a great beauty in Africa, but she was not a great enough beauty any more at home to be able to leave him and better herself and she knew it and he knew it. She had missed the chance to leave him and he knew it. If he had been better with women she would probably have started to worry about him getting another new, beautiful wife; but she knew too much about him to worry about him either.

Euthanasia: Humane and Dignified Essay -- Euthanasia Killing Argumenta

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Advances in modern medical technology have served to deny people the right to die, and euthanasia, it may be argued, has emerged with the purpose of reclaiming that right. Euthanasia, which is defined as â€Å"granting painless death to a hopelessly ill patient with a non-curable disease,† is a very controversial issue (Russell 3). Illegal in all countries, except the Nertherlands, it is still practiced all over the world in an attempt to give people the right to a painless, and natural, death (Emanuel 1). In short, the advances in modern medicine and its techniques, have created a situation whereby people’s lives are artificially extended, despite the fact that they could be in an irrecoverable coma or suffering from an incurable chronic illness, leading increasing numbers of people to support euthanasia, as an option for a humane and dignified death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While there is a tendency to treat euthanasia as a single concept, it is actually a very general one involving two distinct methods and practices. In general terms, it is defined as â€Å"the mercy killing of a person, that is to say, the intentional and express termination of a life whose quality is such that it is not worth living† (Kluge 132). In more specific terms, euthanasia is either active and positive, or passive and negative, with both being further defined according to whether they occurred voluntarily, involuntarily, or nonvoluntarily. That is, whether it occurred according to a person’s wishes, or against his wishes, or simply without his wishes due to his being in a condition where he can’t express himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In examining the different forms of euthanasia, it ultimately becomes clear that both voluntary and non-voluntary passive, or negative, euthanasia do not violate ethical principles as they act in such a way that they basically restore man’s right to death. This form of euthanasia â€Å"means discontinuing or desisting from the use of extraordinary life-sustaining measures or heroic efforts to prolong life in hopeless cases when such prolongation seems an unwarranted extension of either suffering or unconsciousness† (Russell 20). That is, it is an action that has the purpose of allowing death to occur naturally, whereby it becomes very difficult to criticize passive or negative euthanasia according to ethical and religious arguments. This form of euthanasia, although it can occur without ... ...ed before carrying it out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When reviewed from ethical perspectives, it becomes increasingly difficult to defend the artificial extension of life, and to reject passive euthanasia. If one were to consider the doctor’s role as a healer, or a reducer of pain and suffering, it would seems that medical technology actively prevents the fulfillment of this role. Thus, the objective has become the extension of life, through unnatural and artificial means, regardless of the hopelessness of recovery, or the pain and suffering experienced by the patient. It would not be an exaggeration to call this unethical, both from the religious perspective and the medical one. According to the first perspective, it is unethical insofar as it interferes with God’s wishes that a person die. In relation to the second, the unethical aspect emerges from the fact that many doctors are no longer fulfilling their professional duty to reduce suffering but are, in reality, prolonging and intensifying it. Thus , to support passive euthanasia means supporting traditional religious and medical ethics. That is, the simple right to a natural and humane death, with as little extension of suffering as possible.

athletic director :: essays research papers

PEOPLE come first, are treated with dignity and respect, and are encouraged to achieve their full potential; RELATIONSHIPS are built on honesty, integrity and trust; DIVERSITY of people and thought is respected; EXCELLENCE is achieved through teamwork, leadership, creativity, and a strong work ethic; EFFICIENCY is achieved through wise use of human and financial resources; and COMMITMENT to intellectual achievement is embraced. Function of Position Responsible to the University President for the overall administration and management of the university intercollegiate athletics program; and performing other related duties as assigned. Essential Functions Submits recommendations and supporting documentation to the President, Athletic Advisory Committee, and Tennessee Board of Regents as necessary to make decisions regarding goals, academics, capital expansion, staffing, budget appropriations, and other aspects of intercollegiate athletics; implements and communicates directives, including maintenance and control. Establishes policies and procedures to ensure compliance with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), conference, and university rules and regulations. Represents the university as its primary spokesperson for the intercollegiate athletics program; oversees public relations with faculty, staff, students, alumni, sports media, and the general public; works with the Assistant Athletic Director for External Relations and the Director for Media Relations to develop and implement public relations policies and objectives. Accepts public speaking engagements to promulgate department philosophies and objectives. Coordinates and supervises men=s basketball, golf, baseball, men=s and women=s tennis programs working directly with the Head Coach; supervises the administration of all other varsity programs through the Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations. Oversees all internal financial and administrative operations through the Manager of Athletic Business and Ticket Operations; promulgates budget guidelines and approves final submission for each area; monitors conformance to established budget. Develops long term plans to determine need for and feasibility of constructing or upgrading athletic facilities. Coordinates scheduling for sports events involving conference participation of revenue contracts. Negotiates and administers contracts concerning radio and television (network and cable) coverage of athletic events; serves as the university=s primary public relations liaison for intercollegiate sports. Represents the department on a conference and national level; serves as an ex officio member of the Athletics Advisory Committee; ensures that coaching and administrative staff actively support the department and university=s joint commitment to academic achievement, which entails helping each student athlete make normal progress in completing his/her degree and to graduate within a five year period; serves on university and other committees that involve intercollegiate athletics. Supervises fund development through the Executive Director for Athletic Advancement; may personally secure gifts or establish endowment funds by cultivating the interest of corporations, individuals, foundations, or associations.

Blogging Digital Media And Society Series Essay

Jill Walker Rettberg new edition â€Å"Blogging: digital media and society series† can be described as a key book in an emerging field. Blogging has come to be associated as a landmark in the current social cyber studies and even more. Blogging is all about the way today’s popular culture has become an important element in large magnitude changes in how culture is produced. With her book, Jill digs into the deep and broad of blogging to give the reader the real meaning of what is involved in blogging as the evidence and driver of a shift in epochal culture (Rettberg, 2014). Jill’s capability in ensuring that she reaches out to the right audience and puts the points on blogging across is enhanced by experience. Being a prolific blogger herself, Jill uses her experience as a blogger in pointing out the various issues to her audience. Jill also utilizes examination which is enhanced by use of an expert’s eye of a communications researcher with experience to reveal the historical, psychological, social and political meaning of the blogging initiative. Borrowing from various disciplines, it is evident of her good understanding on the blogging issue and its impact. The other strong point in her writing is the fact that she brings and uses various disciplines such as media studies, marketing, ethnology, literary studies, sociology and journalism into an excellent exploratory framework (Rettberg, 2014). Jill’s book expands blogging into a wider context of the decline in print culture to the emerging trends. The updated and revised edition provides a good study of the now each and every day phenomenon placing it in a theoretical, contemporary and historical context. The use of the most recent of the researches and developments in the blogging world is taken care of with an analysis of the new tools for visual blogging and micro blogging (Rettberg, 2014). In the book, Jill discusses the changing trends where in the current times blogs are being integrated into the mainstream social media ecology. This helps to show the reader the direction the blogging element is taking in the formation and continuation of popular culture. Jill notes that the comments and the links from social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become more important than networks between blogs which was important five years ago. Jill also questions the new trend where there is a shift towards increased corporate control and commercialization of blogs (Rettberg, 2014). The cultural shift has also seen its share of influence from blogging as Jill illustrates using examples. Jill delves into the analysis of how the current smart phones equipped with cameras together with the social media has led to the shift towards more emphasis on the visual aspects in the blogs with the use of graphics and photographs being in the foreground. Jill puts in a convincing analysis of how blogging together with related genres have come to change the world of communication and media (Rettberg, 2014). The design of the book is in such a way that each of the chapters is a self-sufficient review of areas in blogging which makes the structure repetitive across the work. The book is more suitable for beginners or anyone with an interest in blogging as Jill puts the chapters in a loose connection to blogging. Though Jill has borrowed from many disciplines to help the reader in understanding the different aspects of blogging, there is some diversion, however when the discussion shifts from blogging as a phenomenon into the related and convergent forms like the social networking sites. There are lengthy discussions of the various sites such as MySpace and Facebook which though put with the right intention in mind, they do not achieve this as there is no clear elaboration to the reader how this relates to the overall topics (Rettberg, 2014). Walker’s work begins by tackling the question of what a blog is. She starts with an introduction to the history of online text based communication. She then moves on to the development of blogging tools such as Blogger. Walker develops a shred understanding of material aspects in blogging. An interesting section also discusses blogs as genre and medium which is a distinction that is not addressed directly most of the time. In â€Å"From Bards to Blogs†, Walter takes the discussion on the blogging place within media culture and the shift from one-to- many towards many-to- many. Walter positions the internet as a counterpoint to Plato’s complaint of a written text being unresponsive. Walker shares the view that there is potential for interactivity between authors of blog posts, the blog post itself and the reader in blog comments (Rettberg, 2014). Also of particular interest is the chapter â€Å"Citizen Journalist?’ where Walker puts her focus on the three ways in which blogging intersects with traditional journalism. There are bloggers acting as journalists, the bloggers who report on mainstream media and the bloggers giving first-hand reports on ongoing events. Walker goes ahead to discuss bloggers as the chance to witness big historical events. Her example of Kaye D. Trammell account on Hurricane Katrina is meant to show how blogs can be used as sources of information by both the public and mass media however understudied. This is an avenue that can be used for future works in blogging (Rettberg, 2014). Walker also discusses how blogs have expanded to various forms of narratives in â€Å"Blogs as narratives† She gives an account of the three forms of narratives namely the goal-oriented narrative, ongoing narration and fragmented narratives. In the same chapter she evaluates the ways in which blogs can be used as a means of self exploration with one discovering their strengths and what they can do best to contribute to the society (Rettberg, 2014). Walker finishes the book off with a review of the future of blogs and the future of social media. In the chapter, Walker also touches on the use of language, privacy government access and control each of which one gets the feeling that they could be well covered in a different book each on its own. An addition of some scholarly works using quantitative methods would have added some balance to the various discussions such as the one on protypical blog and blogger. Another limitation in Walker’s book is that there is a small number of scholarly works cited on bloggers and blogging (Rettberg, 2014). In general Walker provides a popular view on blogging culture and blogs and steers away from in-depth analysis and critical discussion. The text however is a good introductory resource for both non-academic and academic audiences (Rettberg, 2014). Reference Rettberg, J. W. (2014).  Blogging. Source document