Principles of diversity, equality and inclusion in adult social care settings Essay

1. Define what is meant by: (1.1.1) A. diversity diversity means variety people varied in lots of ways their age, beliefs, height weight in a health care setting men and women vary in age, each having their own personal experiences and beliefs, clients also have their own eating habits, clients are also diverse in their personal care for e.g. a female client may only want her personal hygiene dealt with by a female member of staff. All these and many more differences make for a diverse world. see more:legislation and codes of practice relating to diversity B. equality Equality is treating people fairly regardless of their differences ensuring everyone has accesses to the same information for example housing, shelter is a basic need that everyone has regardless of their differences. Some people need extra help such as people with learning or health difficulties, people with mental illness. Equality is also about providing the right information/services so that these more venerable people are not at a disadvantage or treated less fairly than anyone else. C. inclusion Inclusion is accepting everyone despite there differences much like equality to help develop a sense of belonging; it is also getting rid of intolerance of differences and providing help and support. Any organisation or institution including local authorities, health care service providers ect that support and promote inclusion demonstrates that it supports everything about the people involved with it. Inclusion nurtures a sense of wellbeing and belonging and of confidence in ones identity and abilities. D. discrimination Discrimination happens when we act out of negative prejudice, discriminatory behaviour results in unfair and unjust treatment. The people likely to to be discriminated against are those who are different in there respect of age, sex, nationality. Ability, size, financial status. There are two forms of discrimination direct and indirect. Direct discrimination is when someone is intentionally treated unfairly for eg harassed for the colour of there skin. Indirect discrimination is when rules or guide lines meant to apply to everyone unintentionally effect one group of people more than others 2. Describe how direct or indirect discrimination may occur in the work setting (1.1.2) Indirect discrimination eg a company policy requires everyone to work a night shift indirectly discriminates against single parents. Direct discrimination eg someone being directly harassed for the colour of their skin, their sexual orientation ect. 3. Explain how practices that support diversity, equality and inclusion reduce the likelihood of discrimination (1.1.3) Inclusive practise involves having an understanding of the disastrous impact that discrimination inequality and and social exclusion can have. Having this understanding ensures appropriate and personalized care and support. Enabling a developed sense of self respect and maintain a valued role in society. 4. List key legislation and codes of practice relating to diversity, equality, inclusion and discrimination in adult social care settings (2.2.1) The human rights act 1998 the health and social care act 2008 The equal pay act 1970 residential care and nursing homes regulations 2002 The sex discrimination act 1975 Race relations act 1976 Disability discrimination act 1995 Employment equality regulations 2003 The nhs and community care act 1980 5. Describe how to interact with individuals in an inclusive way (2.2.2) To include everyone, interact the same despite age, colour ect promote everyone’s differences. 6. Describe ways in which discrimination may be challenged in adult social care settings to promote change. (2.2.3) One way to Challenge work place discrimination and making change happen is by analysing the reason why a worker behaves in a discriminatory way. 7. Identify sources of information, advice and support about diversity, equality, inclusion and discrimination (3.3.1) National nurses research unit and health worker standards these can both be accessed via internet also many leaflets there are many more sources of information. 8. Describe how and when to access information, advice and support about diversity, equality, inclusion and discrimination (3.3.2) You can accesses information via your manager, on line using national nurses research unit you should accesses this information when you feel discriminated against, treated unfairly or are being asked for advice as this is happening to someone else. Once you have completed, you’re learning Advisor will be able to cross reference all the knowledge into UNIT 4222-203 of the diploma.

Accounting Information System

Accounting Information System (AIS An  accounting information system  (AIS) is a system of collection, storage and processing of financial and  accounting   data that is used by  decision makers. accounting information system (AIS) consists of: – People – Procedures – Data – Software – Information technology infrastructure What important functions does the AIS perform in an organization? 1. It collects and stores data about activities and transactions. 2. It processes data into information that is useful for making decisions. 3.It provides adequate controls to safe-guard the organization’s assets. Uses of (AIS) * Producing External Reports * Supporting Routine Activities * Decision Support * Planning and Control * Implementing Internal Control Producing External Reports Businesses use (AIS) to produce special reports that follow a required structure established by organizations such as (FASB). These reports include financial stateme nts, tax returns, etc Supporting Routine Activities Managers need an (AIS) for handling routine operating activities during the firm’s operating cycle.Computer systems excel at handling repetitive transaction by many accounting software support these routine functions. Decision Support Information is needed for nonroutine decision support at all levels of an organization. Some information are critical for planning, deciding, marketing functions. Planning and Control An information system is required for planning and control activities as well. Historical data can be extracted from the database and used to forecast growth and cash flows. Planners can use data mining to reveal long-term trends and relationships.Implementing Internal Control Internal control includes the policies, procedures, and information system used to protect a company’s assets from loss and to maintain accurate financial data. It is possible to build controls into a computerized accounting informati on system to help reach these goals. Benefits AIS * Speed The main benefit of information systems in accounting is the speed of processing tasks. Data is entered once and can then be used and reused in compiling reports by literally pressing a button.If a transaction needs correction, it is easily done, with reports generated afterward at speeds never possible with manual accounting systems. * Classification When data is entered in an accounting system, manual or computerized, an accountant needs to classify it in a detailed fashion. For example, a transaction could be a sales revenue or an interest revenue. Using information systems, this classification process is easily accomplished with a drop-down menu from which you choose the proper category.You can also quickly generate reports involving classifications. With a manual system, this process takes much more time. * Safety Once data is entered into a computer, it is safe. The chances of losing data are remote, especially when you perform regular system backups. In manual systems, paper pads can be lost or damaged more easily. You can save data on the Internet, where it will not only be accessible anytime you need it but will also still be secure even if your computer is lost or damaged. One disadvantage of Accounting Information SystemOne disadvantage of Accounting Information System is that this system cannot identify any future loss or wrong transaction entry. As we know that computer is a machine, and it cannot do any activity itself. Therefore, computer cannot give any advice or warning. However, accountants in business are capable to estimate any future loss on the basis of their knowledge and experience. Due to this disadvantage it is important and wise for small and mid-size businesses to have some accountants in their business on permanent basis to avoid future losses. Accounting Information System Accounting Information System (AIS An  accounting information system  (AIS) is a system of collection, storage and processing of financial and  accounting   data that is used by  decision makers. accounting information system (AIS) consists of: – People – Procedures – Data – Software – Information technology infrastructure What important functions does the AIS perform in an organization? 1. It collects and stores data about activities and transactions. 2. It processes data into information that is useful for making decisions. 3.It provides adequate controls to safe-guard the organization’s assets. Uses of (AIS) * Producing External Reports * Supporting Routine Activities * Decision Support * Planning and Control * Implementing Internal Control Producing External Reports Businesses use (AIS) to produce special reports that follow a required structure established by organizations such as (FASB). These reports include financial stateme nts, tax returns, etc Supporting Routine Activities Managers need an (AIS) for handling routine operating activities during the firm’s operating cycle.Computer systems excel at handling repetitive transaction by many accounting software support these routine functions. Decision Support Information is needed for nonroutine decision support at all levels of an organization. Some information are critical for planning, deciding, marketing functions. Planning and Control An information system is required for planning and control activities as well. Historical data can be extracted from the database and used to forecast growth and cash flows. Planners can use data mining to reveal long-term trends and relationships.Implementing Internal Control Internal control includes the policies, procedures, and information system used to protect a company’s assets from loss and to maintain accurate financial data. It is possible to build controls into a computerized accounting informati on system to help reach these goals. Benefits AIS * Speed The main benefit of information systems in accounting is the speed of processing tasks. Data is entered once and can then be used and reused in compiling reports by literally pressing a button.If a transaction needs correction, it is easily done, with reports generated afterward at speeds never possible with manual accounting systems. * Classification When data is entered in an accounting system, manual or computerized, an accountant needs to classify it in a detailed fashion. For example, a transaction could be a sales revenue or an interest revenue. Using information systems, this classification process is easily accomplished with a drop-down menu from which you choose the proper category.You can also quickly generate reports involving classifications. With a manual system, this process takes much more time. * Safety Once data is entered into a computer, it is safe. The chances of losing data are remote, especially when you perform regular system backups. In manual systems, paper pads can be lost or damaged more easily. You can save data on the Internet, where it will not only be accessible anytime you need it but will also still be secure even if your computer is lost or damaged. One disadvantage of Accounting Information SystemOne disadvantage of Accounting Information System is that this system cannot identify any future loss or wrong transaction entry. As we know that computer is a machine, and it cannot do any activity itself. Therefore, computer cannot give any advice or warning. However, accountants in business are capable to estimate any future loss on the basis of their knowledge and experience. Due to this disadvantage it is important and wise for small and mid-size businesses to have some accountants in their business on permanent basis to avoid future losses.

Angels Demons Chapter 134-137

134 Camerlegno Ventresca's white robe billowed as he moved down the hallway away from the Sistine Chapel. The Swiss Guards had seemed perplexed when he emerged all alone from the chapel and told them he needed a moment of solitude. But they had obeyed, letting him go. Now as he rounded the corner and left their sight, the camerlegno felt a maelstrom of emotions like nothing he thought possible in human experience. He had poisoned the man he called â€Å"Holy Father,† the man who addressed him as â€Å"my son.† The camerlegno had always believed the words â€Å"father† and â€Å"son† were religious tradition, but now he knew the diabolical truth – the words had been literal. Like that fateful night weeks ago, the camerlegno now felt himself reeling madly through the darkness. It was raining the morning the Vatican staff banged on the camerlegno's door, awakening him from a fitful sleep. The Pope, they said, was not answering his door or his phone. The clergy were frightened. The camerlegno was the only one who could enter the Pope's chambers unannounced. The camerlegno entered alone to find the Pope, as he was the night before, twisted and dead in his bed. His Holiness's face looked like that of Satan. His tongue black like death. The Devil himself had been sleeping in the Pope's bed. The camerlegno felt no remorse. God had spoken. Nobody would see the treachery†¦ not yet. That would come later. He announced the terrible news – His Holiness was dead of a stroke. Then the camerlegno prepared for conclave. Mother Maria's voice was whispering in his ear. â€Å"Never break a promise to God.† â€Å"I hear you, Mother,† he replied. â€Å"It is a faithless world. They need to be brought back to the path of righteousness. Horror and Hope. It is the only way.† â€Å"Yes,† she said. â€Å"If not you†¦ then who? Who will lead the church out of darkness?† Certainly not one of the preferiti. They were old†¦ walking death†¦ liberals who would follow the Pope, endorsing science in his memory, seeking modern followers by abandoning the ancient ways. Old men desperately behind the times, pathetically pretending they were not. They would fail, of course. The church's strength was its tradition, not its transience. The whole world was transitory. The church did not need to change, it simply needed to remind the world it was relevant! Evil lives! God will overcome! The church needed a leader. Old men do not inspire! Jesus inspired! Young, vibrant, powerful†¦ Miraculous. â€Å"Enjoy your tea,† the camerlegno told the four preferiti, leaving them in the Pope's private library before conclave. â€Å"Your guide will be here soon.† The preferiti thanked him, all abuzz that they had been offered a chance to enter the famed Passetto. Most uncommon! The camerlegno, before leaving them, had unlocked the door to the Passetto, and exactly on schedule, the door had opened, and a foreign-looking priest with a torch had ushered the excited preferiti in. The men had never come out. They will be the Horror. I will be the Hope. No†¦ I am the horror. The camerlegno staggered now through the darkness of St. Peter's Basilica. Somehow, through the insanity and guilt, through the images of his father, through the pain and revelation, even through the pull of the morphine†¦ he had found a brilliant clarity. A sense of destiny. I know my purpose, he thought, awed by the lucidity of it. From the beginning, nothing tonight had gone exactly as he had planned. Unforeseen obstacles had presented themselves, but the camerlegno had adapted, making bold adjustments. Still, he had never imagined tonight would end this way, and yet now he saw the preordained majesty of it. It could end no other way. Oh, what terror he had felt in the Sistine Chapel, wondering if God had forsaken him! Oh, what deeds He had ordained! He had fallen to his knees, awash with doubt, his ears straining for the voice of God but hearing only silence. He had begged for a sign. Guidance. Direction. Was this God's will? The church destroyed by scandal and abomination? No! God was the one who had willed the camerlegno to act! Hadn't He? Then he had seen it. Sitting on the altar. A sign. Divine communication – something ordinary seen in an extraordinary light. The crucifix. Humble, wooden. Jesus on the cross. In that moment, it had all come clear†¦ the camerlegno was not alone. He would never be alone. This was His will†¦ His meaning. God had always asked great sacrifice of those he loved most. Why had the camerlegno been so slow to understand? Was he too fearful? Too humble? It made no difference. God had found a way. The camerlegno even understood now why Robert Langdon had been saved. It was to bring the truth. To compel this ending. This was the sole path to the church's salvation! The camerlegno felt like he was floating as he descended into the Niche of the Palliums. The surge of morphine seemed relentless now, but he knew God was guiding him. In the distance, he could hear the cardinals clamoring in confusion as they poured from the chapel, yelling commands to the Swiss Guard. But they would never find him. Not in time. The camerlegno felt himself drawn†¦ faster†¦ descending the stairs into the sunken area where the ninety-nine oil lamps shone brightly. God was returning him to Holy Ground. The camerlegno moved toward the grate covering the hole that led down to the Necropolis. The Necropolis is where this night would end. In the sacred darkness below. He lifted an oil lamp, preparing to descend. But as he moved across the Niche, the camerlegno paused. Something about this felt wrong. How did this serve God? A solitary and silent end? Jesus had suffered before the eyes of the entire world. Surely this could not be God's will! The camerlegno listened for the voice of his God, but heard only the blurring buzz of drugs. â€Å"Carlo.† It was his mother. â€Å"God has plans for you.† Bewildered, the camerlegno kept moving. Then, without warning, God arrived. The camerlegno stopped short, staring. The light of the ninety-nine oil lanterns had thrown the camerlegno's shadow on the marble wall beside him. Giant and fearful. A hazy form surrounded by golden light. With flames flickering all around him, the camerlegno looked like an angel ascending to heaven. He stood a moment, raising his arms to his sides, watching his own image. Then he turned, looking back up the stairs. God's meaning was clear. Three minutes had passed in the chaotic hallways outside the Sistine Chapel, and still nobody could locate the camerlegno. It was as if the man had been swallowed up by the night. Mortati was about to demand a full-scale search of Vatican City when a roar of jubilation erupted outside in St. Peter's Square. The spontaneous celebration of the crowd was tumultuous. The cardinals all exchanged startled looks. Mortati closed his eyes. â€Å"God help us.† For the second time that evening, the College of Cardinals flooded onto St. Peter's Square. Langdon and Vittoria were swept up in the jostling crowd of cardinals, and they too emerged into the night air. The media lights and cameras were all pivoted toward the basilica. And there, having just stepped onto the sacred Papal Balcony located in the exact center of the towering fa;ade, Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca stood with his arms raised to the heavens. Even far away, he looked like purity incarnate. A figurine. Dressed in white. Flooded with light. The energy in the square seemed to grow like a cresting wave, and all at once the Swiss Guard barriers gave way. The masses streamed toward the basilica in a euphoric torrent of humanity. The onslaught rushed forward – people crying, singing, media cameras flashing. Pandemonium. As the people flooded in around the front of the basilica, the chaos intensified, until it seemed nothing could stop it. And then something did. High above, the camerlegno made the smallest of gestures. He folded his hands before him. Then he bowed his head in silent prayer. One by one, then dozens by dozens, then hundreds by hundreds, the people bowed their heads along with him. The square fell silent†¦ as if a spell had been cast. In his mind, swirling and distant now, the camerlegno's prayers were a torrent of hopes and sorrows†¦ forgive me, Father†¦ Mother†¦ full of grace†¦ you are the church†¦ may you understand this sacrifice of your only begotten son. Oh, my Jesus†¦ save us from the fires of hell†¦ take all souls to heaven, especially, those most in need of thy mercy†¦ The camerlegno did not open his eyes to see the throngs below him, the television cameras, the whole world watching. He could feel it in his soul. Even in his anguish, the unity of the moment was intoxicating. It was as if a connective web had shot out in all directions around the globe. In front of televisions, at home, and in cars, the world prayed as one. Like synapses of a giant heart all firing in tandem, the people reached for God, in dozens of languages, in hundreds of countries. The words they whispered were newborn and yet as familiar to them as their own voices†¦ ancient truths†¦ imprinted on the soul. The consonance felt eternal. As the silence lifted, the joyous strains of singing began to rise again. He knew the moment had come. Most Holy Trinity, I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul†¦ in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences†¦ The camerlegno already felt the physical pain setting in. It was spreading across his skin like a plague, making him want to claw at his flesh like he had weeks ago when God had first come to him. Do not forget what pain Jesus endured. He could taste the fumes now in his throat. Not even the morphine could dull the bite. My work here is done. The Horror was his. The Hope was theirs. In the Niche of the Palliums, the camerlegno had followed God's will and anointed his body. His hair. His face. His linen robe. His flesh. He was soaking now with the sacred, vitreous oils from the lamps. They smelled sweet like his mother, but they burned. His would be a merciful ascension. Miraculous and swift. And he would leave behind not scandal†¦ but a new strength and wonder. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his robe and fingered the small, golden lighter he had brought with him from the Pallium incendiario. He whispered a verse from Judgments. And when the flame went up toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. He positioned his thumb. They were singing in St. Peter's Square†¦ The vision the world witnessed no one would ever forget. High above on the balcony, like a soul tearing free of its corporeal restrains, a luminous pyre of flame erupted from the camerlegno's center. The fire shot upward, engulfing his entire body instantly. He did not scream. He raised his arms over his head and looked toward heaven. The conflagration roared around him, entirely shrouding his body in a column of light. It raged for what seemed like an eternity, the whole world bearing witness. The light flared brighter and brighter. Then, gradually, the flames dissipated. The camerlegno was gone. Whether he had collapsed behind the balustrade or evaporated into thin air was impossible to tell. All that was left was a cloud of smoke spiraling skyward over Vatican City. 135 Dawn came late to Rome. An early rainstorm had washed the crowds from St. Peter's Square. The media stayed on, huddling under umbrellas and in vans, commentating on the evening's events. Across the world, churches overflowed. It was a time of reflection and discussion†¦ in all religions. Questions abounded, and yet the answers seemed only to bring deeper questions. Thus far, the Vatican had remained silent, issuing no statement whatsoever. Deep in the Vatican Grottoes, Cardinal Mortati knelt alone before the open sarcophagus. He reached in and closed the old man's blackened mouth. His Holiness looked peaceful now. In quiet repose for eternity. At Mortati's feet was a golden urn, heavy with ashes. Mortati had gathered the ashes himself and brought them here. â€Å"A chance for forgiveness,† he said to His Holiness, laying the urn inside the sarcophagus at the Pope's side. â€Å"No love is greater than that of a father for His son.† Mortati tucked the urn out of sight beneath the papal robes. He knew this sacred grotto was reserved exclusively for the relics of Popes, but somehow Mortati sensed this was appropriate. â€Å"Signore?† someone said, entering the grottoes. It was Lieutenant Chartrand. He was accompanied by three Swiss Guards. â€Å"They are ready for you in conclave.† Mortati nodded. â€Å"In a moment.† He gazed one last time into the sarcophagus before him, and then stood up. He turned to the guards. â€Å"It is time for His Holiness to have the peace he has earned.† The guards came forward and with enormous effort slid the lid of the Pope's sarcophagus back into place. It thundered shut with finality. Mortati was alone as he crossed the Borgia Courtyard toward the Sistine Chapel. A damp breeze tossed his robe. A fellow cardinal emerged from the Apostolic Palace and strode beside him. â€Å"May I have the honor of escorting you to conclave, signore?† â€Å"The honor is mine.† â€Å"Signore,† the cardinal said, looking troubled. â€Å"The college owes you an apology for last night. We were blinded by – â€Å" â€Å"Please,† Mortati replied. â€Å"Our minds sometimes see what our hearts wish were true.† The cardinal was silent a long time. Finally he spoke. â€Å"Have you been told? You are no longer our Great Elector.† Mortati smiled. â€Å"Yes. I thank God for small blessings.† â€Å"The college insisted you be eligible.† â€Å"It seems charity is not dead in the church.† â€Å"You are a wise man. You would lead us well.† â€Å"I am an old man. I would lead you briefly.† They both laughed. As they reached the end of the Borgia Courtyard, the cardinal hesitated. He turned to Mortati with a troubled mystification, as if the precarious awe of the night before had slipped back into his heart. â€Å"Were you aware,† the cardinal whispered, â€Å"that we found no remains on the balcony?† Mortati smiled. â€Å"Perhaps the rain washed them away.† The man looked to the stormy heavens. â€Å"Yes, perhaps†¦Ã¢â‚¬  136 The midmorning sky still hung heavy with clouds as the Sistine Chapel's chimney gave up its first faint puffs of white smoke. The pearly wisps curled upward toward the firmament and slowly dissipated. Far below, in St. Peter's Square, reporter Gunther Glick watched in reflective silence. The final chapter†¦ Chinita Macri approached him from behind and hoisted her camera onto her shoulder. â€Å"It's time,† she said. Glick nodded dolefully. He turned toward her, smoothed his hair, and took a deep breath. My last transmission, he thought. A small crowd had gathered around them to watch. â€Å"Live in sixty seconds,† Macri announced. Glick glanced over his shoulder at the roof of the Sistine Chapel behind him. â€Å"Can you get the smoke?† Macri patiently nodded. â€Å"I know how to frame a shot, Gunther.† Glick felt dumb. Of course she did. Macri's performance behind the camera last night had probably won her the Pulitzer. His performance, on the other hand†¦ he didn't want to think about it. He was sure the BBC would let him go; no doubt they would have legal troubles from numerous powerful entities†¦ CERN and George Bush among them. â€Å"You look good,† Chinita patronized, looking out from behind her camera now with a hint of concern. â€Å"I wonder if I might offer you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She hesitated, holding her tongue. â€Å"Some advice?† Macri sighed. â€Å"I was only going to say that there's no need to go out with a bang.† â€Å"I know,† he said. â€Å"You want a straight wrap.† â€Å"The straightest in history. I'm trusting you.† Glick smiled. A straight wrap? Is she crazy? A story like last night's deserved so much more. A twist. A final bombshell. An unforeseen revelation of shocking truth. Fortunately, Glick had just the ticket waiting in the wings†¦ * * * â€Å"You're on in†¦ five†¦ four†¦ three†¦Ã¢â‚¬  As Chinita Macri looked through her camera, she sensed a sly glint in Glick's eye. I was insane to let him do this, she thought. What was I thinking? But the moment for second thoughts had passed. They were on. â€Å"Live from Vatican City,† Glick announced on cue, â€Å"this is Gunther Glick reporting.† He gave the camera a solemn stare as the white smoke rose behind him from the Sistine Chapel. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen, it is now official. Cardinal Saverio Mortati, a seventy-nine-year-old progressive, has just been elected the next Pope of Vatican City. Although an unlikely candidate, Mortati was chosen by an unprecedented unanimous vote by the College of Cardinals.† As Macri watched him, she began to breathe easier. Glick seemed surprisingly professional today. Even austere. For the first time in his life, Glick actually looked and sounded somewhat like a newsman. â€Å"And as we reported earlier,† Glick added, his voice intensifying perfectly, â€Å"the Vatican has yet to offer any statement whatsoever regarding the miraculous events of last night.† Good. Chinita's nervousness waned some more. So far, so good. Glick's expression grew sorrowful now. â€Å"And though last night was a night of wonder, it was also a night of tragedy. Four cardinals perished in yesterday's conflict, along with Commander Olivetti and Captain Rocher of the Swiss Guard, both in the line of duty. Other casualties include Leonardo Vetra, the renowned CERN physicist and pioneer of antimatter technology, as well as Maximilian Kohler, the director of CERN, who apparently came to Vatican City in an effort to help but reportedly passed away in the process. No official report has been issued yet on Mr. Kohler's death, but conjecture is that he died due to complications brought on by a long-time illness.† Macri nodded. The report was going perfectly. Just as they discussed. â€Å"And in the wake of the explosion in the sky over the Vatican last night, CERN's antimatter technology has become the hot topic among scientists, sparking excitement and controversy. A statement read by Mr. Kohler's assistant in Geneva, Sylvie Baudeloque, announced this morning that CERN's board of directors, although enthusiastic about antimatter's potential, are suspending all research and licensing until further inquiries into its safety can be examined.† Excellent, Macri thought. Home stretch. â€Å"Notably absent from our screens tonight,† Glick reported, â€Å"is the face of Robert Langdon, the Harvard professor who came to Vatican City yesterday to lend his expertise during this Illuminati crisis. Although originally thought to have perished in the antimatter blast, we now have reports that Langdon was spotted in St. Peter's Square after the explosion. How he got there is still speculation, although a spokesman from Hospital Tiberina claims that Mr. Langdon fell out of the sky into the Tiber River shortly after midnight, was treated, and released.† Glick arched his eyebrows at the camera. â€Å"And if that is true†¦ it was indeed a night of miracles.† Perfect ending! Macri felt herself smiling broadly. Flawless wrap! Now sign off! But Glick did not sign off. Instead, he paused a moment and then stepped toward the camera. He had a mysterious smile. â€Å"But before we sign off†¦Ã¢â‚¬  No! â€Å"†¦ I would like to invite a guest to join me.† Chinita's hands froze on the camera. A guest? What the hell is he doing? What guest! Sign off! But she knew it was too late. Glick had committed. â€Å"The man I am about to introduce,† Glick said, â€Å"is an American†¦ a renowned scholar.† Chinita hesitated. She held her breath as Glick turned to the small crowd around them and motioned for his guest to step forward. Macri said a silent prayer. Please tell me he somehow located Robert Langdon†¦ and not some Illuminati-conspiracy nutcase. But as Glick's guest stepped out, Macri's heart sank. It was not Robert Langdon at all. It was a bald man in blue jeans and a flannel shirt. He had a cane and thick glasses. Macri felt terror. Nutcase! â€Å"May I introduce,† Glick announced, â€Å"the renowned Vatican scholar from De Paul University in Chicago. Dr. Joseph Vanek.† Macri now hesitated as the man joined Glick on camera. This was no conspiracy buff; Macri had actually heard of this guy. â€Å"Dr. Vanek,† Glick said. â€Å"You have some rather startling information to share with us regarding last night's conclave.† â€Å"I do indeed,† Vanek said. â€Å"After a night of such surprises, it is hard to imagine there are any surprises left†¦ and yet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused. Glick smiled. â€Å"And yet, there is a strange twist to all this.† Vanek nodded. â€Å"Yes. As perplexing as this will sound, I believe the College of Cardinals unknowingly elected two Popes this weekend.† Macri almost dropped the camera. Glick gave a shrewd smile. â€Å"Two Popes, you say?† The scholar nodded. â€Å"Yes. I should first say that I have spent my life studying the laws of papal election. Conclave judicature is extremely complex, and much of it is now forgotten or ignored as obsolete. Even the Great Elector is probably not aware of what I am about to reveal. Nonetheless†¦ according to the ancient forgotten laws put forth in the Romano Pontifici Eligendo, Numero 63†¦ balloting is not the only method by which a Pope can be elected. There is another, more divine method. It is called ‘Acclamation by Adoration.'† He paused. â€Å"And it happened last night.† Glick gave his guest a riveted look. â€Å"Please, go on.† â€Å"As you may recall,† the scholar continued, â€Å"last night, when Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca was standing on the roof of the basilica, all of the cardinals below began calling out his name in unison.† â€Å"Yes, I recall.† â€Å"With that image in mind, allow me to read verbatim from the ancient electoral laws.† The man pulled some papers from his pocket, cleared his throat, and began to read. â€Å"‘Election by Adoration occurs when†¦ all the cardinals, as if by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, freely and spontaneously, unanimously and aloud, proclaim one individual's name.'† Glick smiled. â€Å"So you're saying that last night, when the cardinals chanted Carlo Ventresca's name together, they actually elected him Pope?† â€Å"They did indeed. Furthermore, the law states that Election by Adoration supercedes the cardinal eligibility requirement and permits any clergyman – ordained priest, bishop, or cardinal – to be elected. So, as you can see, the camerlegno was perfectly qualified for papal election by this procedure.† Dr. Vanek looked directly into the camera now. â€Å"The facts are these†¦ Carlo Ventresca was elected Pope last night. He reigned for just under seventeen minutes. And had he not ascended miraculously into a pillar of fire, he would now be buried in the Vatican Grottoes along with the other Popes.† â€Å"Thank you, doctor.† Glick turned to Macri with a mischievous wink. â€Å"Most illuminating†¦Ã¢â‚¬  137 High atop the steps of the Roman Coliseum, Vittoria laughed and called down to him. â€Å"Robert, hurry up! I knew I should have married a younger man!† Her smile was magic. He struggled to keep up, but his legs felt like stone. â€Å"Wait,† he begged. â€Å"Please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was a pounding in his head. Robert Langdon awoke with a start. Darkness. He lay still for a long time in the foreign softness of the bed, unable to figure out where he was. The pillows were goose down, oversized and wonderful. The air smelled of potpourri. Across the room, two glass doors stood open to a lavish balcony, where a light breeze played beneath a glistening cloud-swept moon. Langdon tried to remember how he had gotten here†¦ and where here was. Surreal wisps of memory sifted back into his consciousness†¦ A pyre of mystical fire†¦ an angel materializing from out of the crowd†¦ her soft hand taking his and leading him into the night†¦ guiding his exhausted, battered body through the streets†¦ leading him here†¦ to this suite†¦ propping him half-sleeping in a scalding hot shower†¦ leading him to this bed†¦ and watching over him as he fell asleep like the dead. In the dimness now, Langdon could see a second bed. The sheets were tousled, but the bed was empty. From one of the adjoining rooms, he could hear the faint, steady stream of a shower. As he gazed at Vittoria's bed, he saw a boldly embroidered seal on her pillowcase. It read: HOTEL BERNINI. Langdon had to smile. Vittoria had chosen well. Old World luxury overlooking Bernini's Triton Fountain†¦ there was no more fitting hotel in all of Rome. As Langdon lay there, he heard a pounding and realized what had awoken him. Someone was knocking at the door. It grew louder. Confused, Langdon got up. Nobody knows we're here, he thought, feeling a trace of uneasiness. Donning a luxuriant Hotel Bernini robe, he walked out of the bedroom into the suite's foyer. He stood a moment at the heavy oak door, and then pulled it open. A powerful man adorned in lavish purple and yellow regalia stared down at him. â€Å"I am Lieutenant Chartrand,† the man said. â€Å"Vatican Swiss Guard.† Langdon knew full well who he was. â€Å"How†¦ how did you find us?† â€Å"I saw you leave the square last night. I followed you. I'm relieved you're still here.† Langdon felt a sudden anxiety, wondering if the cardinals had sent Chartrand to escort Langdon and Vittoria back to Vatican City. After all, the two of them were the only two people beyond the College of Cardinals who knew the truth. They were a liability. â€Å"His Holiness asked me to give this to you,† Chartrand said, handing over an envelope sealed with the Vatican signet. Langdon opened the envelope and read the handwritten note. Mr. Langdon and Ms. Vetra, Although it is my profound desire to request your discretion in the matters of the past 24 hours, I cannot possibly presume to ask more of you than you have already given. I therefore humbly retreat hoping only that you let your hearts guide you in this matter. The world seems a better place today†¦ maybe the questions are more powerful than the answers. My door is always open, His Holiness, Saverio Mortati Langdon read the message twice. The College of Cardinals had obviously chosen a noble and munificent leader. Before Langdon could say anything, Chartrand produced a small package. â€Å"A token of thanks from His Holiness.† Langdon took the package. It was heavy, wrapped in brown paper. â€Å"By his decree,† Chartrand said, â€Å"this artifact is on indefinite loan to you from the sacred Papal Vault. His Holiness asks only that in your last will and testament you ensure it finds its way home.† Langdon opened the package and was struck speechless. It was the brand. The Illuminati Diamond. Chartrand smiled. â€Å"May peace be with you.† He turned to go. â€Å"Thank†¦ you,† Langdon managed, his hands trembling around the precious gift. The guard hesitated in the hall. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, may I ask you something?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"My fellow guards and I are curious. Those last few minutes†¦ what happened up there in the helicopter?† Langdon felt a rush of anxiety. He knew this moment was coming – the moment of truth. He and Vittoria had talked about it last night as they stole away from St. Peter's Square. And they had made their decision. Even before the Pope's note. Vittoria's father had dreamed his antimatter discovery would bring about a spiritual awakening. Last night's events were no doubt not what he had intended, but the undeniable fact remained†¦ at this moment, around the world, people were considering God in ways they never had before. How long the magic would last, Langdon and Vittoria had no idea, but they knew they could never shatter the wonderment with scandal and doubt. The Lord works in strange ways, Langdon told himself, wondering wryly if maybe†¦ just maybe†¦ yesterday had been God's will after all. â€Å"Mr. Langdon?† Chartrand repeated. â€Å"I was asking about the helicopter?† Langdon gave a sad smile. â€Å"Yes, I know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He felt the words flow not from his mind but from his heart. â€Å"Perhaps it was the shock of the fall†¦ but my memory†¦ it seems†¦ it's all a blur†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Chartrand slumped. â€Å"You remember nothing?† Langdon sighed. â€Å"I fear it will remain a mystery forever.† When Robert Langdon returned to the bedroom, the vision awaiting him stopped him in his tracks. Vittoria stood on the balcony, her back to the railing, her eyes gazing deeply at him. She looked like a heavenly apparition†¦ a radiant silhouette with the moon behind her. She could have been a Roman goddess, enshrouded in her white terrycloth robe, the drawstring cinched tight, accentuating her slender curves. Behind her, a pale mist hung like a halo over Bernini's Triton Fountain. Langdon felt wildly drawn to her†¦ more than to any woman in his life. Quietly, he lay the Illuminati Diamond and the Pope's letter on his bedside table. There would be time to explain all of that later. He went to her on the balcony. Vittoria looked happy to see him. â€Å"You're awake,† she said, in a coy whisper. â€Å"Finally.† Langdon smiled. â€Å"Long day.† She ran a hand through her luxuriant hair, the neck of her robe falling open slightly. â€Å"And now†¦ I suppose you want your reward.† The comment took Langdon off guard. â€Å"I'm†¦ sorry?† â€Å"We're adults, Robert. You can admit it. You feel a longing. I see it in your eyes. A deep, carnal hunger.† She smiled. â€Å"I feel it too. And that craving is about to be satisfied.† â€Å"It is?† He felt emboldened and took a step toward her. â€Å"Completely.† She held up a room-service menu. â€Å"I ordered everything they've got.† The feast was sumptuous. They dined together by moonlight†¦ sitting on their balcony†¦ savoring frisee, truffles, and risotto. They sipped Dolcetto wine and talked late into the night. Langdon did not need to be a symbologist to read the signs Vittoria was sending him. During dessert of boysenberry cream with savoiardi and steaming Romcaffe, Vittoria pressed her bare legs against his beneath the table and fixed him with a sultry stare. She seemed to be willing him to set down his fork and carry her off in his arms. But Langdon did nothing. He remained the perfect gentleman. Two can play at this game, he thought, hiding a roguish smile. When all the food was eaten, Langdon retired to the edge of his bed where he sat alone, turning the Illuminati Diamond over and over in his hands, making repeated comments about the miracle of its symmetry. Vittoria stared at him, her confusion growing to an obvious frustration. â€Å"You find that ambigram terribly interesting, don't you?† she demanded. Langdon nodded. â€Å"Mesmerizing.† â€Å"Would you say it's the most interesting thing in this room?† Langdon scratched his head, making a show of pondering it. â€Å"Well, there is one thing that interests me more.† She smiled and took a step toward him. â€Å"That being?† â€Å"How you disproved that Einstein theory using tuna fish.† Vittoria threw up her hands. â€Å"Dio m? ¬o! Enough with the tuna fish! Don't play with me, I'm warning you.† Langdon grinned. â€Å"Maybe for your next experiment, you could study flounders and prove the earth is flat.† Vittoria was steaming now, but the first faint hints of an exasperated smile appeared on her lips. â€Å"For your information, professor, my next experiment will make scientific history. I plan to prove neutrinos have mass.† â€Å"Neutrinos have mass?† Langdon shot her a stunned look. â€Å"I didn't even know they were Catholic!† With one fluid motion, she was on him, pinning him down. â€Å"I hope you believe in life after death, Robert Langdon.† Vittoria was laughing as she straddled him, her hands holding him down, her eyes ablaze with a mischievous fire. â€Å"Actually,† he choked, laughing harder now, â€Å"I've always had trouble picturing anything beyond this world.† â€Å"Really? So you've never had a religious experience? A perfect moment of glorious rapture?† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"No, and I seriously doubt I'm the kind of man who could ever have a religious experience.† Vittoria slipped off her robe. â€Å"You've never been to bed with a yoga master, have you?†

Counter terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Counter terrorism - Essay Example In the fast changing social paradigms of uncertainties, the preparedness of the various disaster management imperatives needs to be well defined. The Department of Homeland Security is the central agency that provides effective management resource within federal, state and local governments on security issues. Its primary responsibility as a security authority is to anticipate, preempt, detect and deter threats to the homeland and its people from terrorist attacks, natural disasters or any other emergency. Its goal is to coordinate different agencies and programs into a single agency for fast and efficient response to the crisis. Larry Ness states, ‘the Department of Homeland Security is still consolidating most of the more than 40 federal entities’ (Ness, 2006, p. 49). Its security responsibilities are varied and related to the governmental jurisdictions at federal, state, and local level and acts as a complementary system that connects all levels of government.The DHS primarily carries out its goals and objectives through five major agencies that coordinate and form linkages with various other state and federal agencies to protect the tangible and non tangible properties of its citizens. The agencies are as follows:It is an independent agency reporting to the President and tasked with responding to, planning for, recovering from and mitigating against disaster. Its role has become all the more important after 9/11 and works with a vision of ‘A Nation Prepared’. The National Urban Search and Rescue Response System

Paraphrase articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Paraphrase articles - Essay Example In addition, negotiating a research proposal together with electing some concern for the research to dwell on occurs. Therefore, after addressing and alluding to all these, a strong base for the action research project, is usually laid. A University of A Coruna and a Faculty of Education don, Bello, E. in March 2000, started an action research project. After the initiation of the project, establishing what features must be possessed by the school became a central issue. Stake (1998) as cited by Bello (2006) offered principles that may assist researchers in their school choices. Some particular principles mentioned comprises the stage, which the research will focus on, is instructed at that specific school. Prospects for knowledge that is new will be obtained through; selecting this specific school, various academic or educational programs that are provided at the school, together with/or geographical position is most favorable for study (Bello, 2006). The choice of Bello was informed by the prospects to obtain knowledge that is new. The criteria that Bello viewed as important for selecting a school to conduct the action research project was fulfilled by Andaina Municipal Nursery School (Bello, 2006).Thus, this specific school is reliant on local administration, supervised by teaching cooperation, and was in the course of building a new nursery, primary as well as secondary school at that given time. In addition, teachers in Andaina Municipal Nursery School appreciated teamwork and there was existence of an open invitation for the involvement of parents. The selection of materials was on the basis of need with the existence of a clear admiration not only of the Galician language but also its culture. Apart from the above-mentioned features or recommended criterion to be on the lookout for in consideration of prospective schools to carry out research, it is also essential to look for an individual at a school enthusiastic to work on the project

Should The Government Have Control Over The Minimum age requirement to Research Paper

Should The Government Have Control Over The Minimum age requirement to get Married - Research Paper Example (Popper) In most of the Arab countries most of the underage marriage occurs without the permission of the girls. They were unaware about what marriage is all about and also the consequences of underage marriage. They were forced to follow the custom at an early age when they were mostly studying at their schools. Though underage marriage is common in Arab countries, western culture is also not far behind. One of the recent news paper reports from America has shown that a girl of 13 conceived from a boy of 15. Though most of the states in America has prohibited marriage below 18 years some states allow such marriages if the girl happens to be conceived from a boy who is ready to marry her without the consent of the parents. In some countries underage marriage is a custom while in some other countries, poverty forces people to engage in such things. But in countries like America, the above factors are not at all prevalent but still underage marriage occurs because of the cultural problems and attitudes of young children. The question is should the governments put restrictions on underage marriage or staying together. Though in countries like Saudi Arabia, underage marriage is a tradition, in other poor countries like Yemen, which observe tribal traditions; girls are married to older husbands even before puberty because of poverty. (U.S. calls Saudi child marriage a rights violation) Marriage before a girl attains puberty will cause lot of physical and psychological problems to the girl. A girls before puberty may not be matured enough to understand the consequences of marriage and also if she conceives at an early age, she may not be able to withstand with the immense psychological problems occurs at pregnancy period. Even girls over 21 years find it difficult to adopt with the psychological changes happen at the pregnancy period. Apart from psychological problems, underage marriage often results in the destruction of physical health of the girl who

Several Choices Available - Highlighted Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Several Choices Available - Highlighted - Essay Example Dealing with the piracy to the software is a herculean task which has proven difficult even to the most developed parts of the world. Intellectual property right allows for the owner of an invention to posses the ownership of such creativity. Some of the ways in which intellectual property right ensures that the innovator is protected is through provision of patent, copyrights, designs as well as trademark. One of the most rampant problems that has increasingly grown in the world of software is its unlawful duplication and sharing as well as the piracy. Though software piracy has been a problem in United States and North America, the rate of piracy would not be compared to that of the other parts of the world. (Craig, P., Honick, R., & Burnett, M., 2005) This is majorly because in several parts of the world, copyrights and patent laws specifically those in the United States are not recognized in such places. Additionally, because it is quite easy to distribute the software, it becomes difficult to control the intellectual property rights beyond borders. For software privacy to be ensured there is a need for amalga mation of technology, education, and legislation that would be accompanied by enforcement. (Greg, A., 2009)The policies that need to be developed should be in a manner that ensure promotion of anti-piracy but in no means deterring the use of the software by the legal users. The illegal copying and sharing of software applications and packages that violates patent laws and software licenses would be referred to as software piracy. (Johns, A., 2009) Like laws that protect any other intellectual properties, such as literature, music and movies, software, Software is also protected by such laws. However, software is a new entrant within the intellectual property protection. Software piracy is not always considered as stealing considering that users only do that through making of copies as well as

Outsourcing Policies On German Car Manufacturing Industry Research Paper

Outsourcing Policies On German Car Manufacturing Industry - Research Paper Example German car manufacturers achieve cost-cutting through sub-contracting and outsourcing. How the process of outsourcing affected the German car industry, how it is done specifically, the related laws on outsourcing and labor and the impact of the recent crisis on the process of outsourcing and sub-contracting are the questions that this paper wishes to answer. With the aid of information coming from company reports, datamonitor, newspapers, websites, and researches, we try to examine all these aspects of outsourcing in the German car manufacturing industry. Business Process Outsourcing is one of the latest trends in business. To outsource is defined in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary as "to procure (as some goods or services needed by a business or organization) under contract with an outside supplier" (Merriam-Webster Incorporated, 2010). This is applied in either the manufacturing stage, the marketing stage or after-sales stage. Germany, specifically the automobile industry is one of those that adopt business process outsourcing as part of the business. The paper will include a detailed study and description of the use of outsourcing practices (to include outsourcing in areas such as components manufacture, servicing and retail operations) in the automotive industry in Germany. Before going into details about different outsourcing practices, I will present a brief overview of supply chain of automotive industry which is crucial to understand in order to fully apprehend the benefits and limitations of outsourcing. Consequently, I will analyze major car manufacturers in Germany in terms of their outsourcing activities and processes. Specifically I intend to focus on three major car producers: BMW, Daimler and VW. Their websites contain detailed annual reports that include also information relevant to outsourcing. In addition, I found substantial amount of information in Datamonitor database about specific outsourcing practices of each car manufacturer as well as trends, competitive landscape and supply chain analysis for global autom otive industry, specific countries, particularly Germany. A necessary part of the paper is an investigation of the effect of outsourcing policies on German car manufacturing companies in the past and in the present. The comparison between the past and the present will be to ascertain the effect of financial crisis and how it has changed the policies and practices of the car manufacturing companies regarding their outsourcing policies. The Research Questions and Objectives Research Questions To formulate

Critique of a research nursing article Assignment

Critique of a research nursing article - Assignment Example 2008). The article critique will also assess its design (qualitative), which the authors cite to have utilized in this study with the intention of establishing its relevance to the purpose stated (Weinstein, Colin & Tony, 2003). This is because research in nursing similar to other fields usually seeks to devise effective ways meant to ensure patients’ welfare as well as improving service delivery’s quality (Polit and Beck, 2008). This is via utilizing evidence-based research, which presently numerous scholars have immensely utilized in ensuring medical field’s service delivery is up to date (Polit and Beck, 2008). The assessment of this article has proved the article still upholds its logic. This is via being consistent with the qualitative research that compares information attained from the participants, which comprises assessing people’s perceptions regarding both Interprofessional Working (IPW) and Interprofessional Learning (IPL) (Pollard, Miers & Gil christ, 2005). Additionally, the critiquing method of this article besides utilizing varied approaches, it assumes Cormack framework. This encompasses detailed analysis of each section making up the entire study’s content (Caldwell, Henshaw & Taylor, 2005). 2. ... ’s design used in this task entails studying people’s experiences and receiving feedbacks concerning both Interprofessional Learning and Interprofessional Working from diverse medical practitioners each representing chosen posts (Thannhauser, 2010). The design is consistent with the entire study’s purpose, whereby the required information cannot have an alternative and effective method to assume this role. Qualitative research in this task enables the assessor to engage the participants who in turn responds willingly and in a relaxed manner (Murphy & Dingwall, 2003). Hence, creating conducive environment where the subjects are capable of expressing themselves without feeling belittled or disregarded (Pollard, Miers & Rickaby, 2012). This is evident from the unstructured interviews undertaken whose core purpose entailed to ensure subjects representing varied positions in the medical field were able to express their sentiments. These interviews were in the location s, which the subjects preferred and they could feel comfortable when expressing their sentiments (Pollard, Miers & Rickaby, 2012). Besides, design allows participants to contribute in what they feel will render the entire task to be successful, hence aiding the researcher to observe their social interactions (Pollard, 2006). For illustration, while working together, participants exhibit strong boldness via questioning the inactiveness of their members who may be representing other disciplines (Pollard, Miers & Rickaby, 2012). Hence, encourage them to contribute both verbally and in actions with the intention of ascertaining the success of the entire study process. However, the collected data and its varied arguments seem to have eluded negative perceptions of the subjects towards Interprofessional

Black People and Roberta Essay Example for Free

Black People and Roberta Essay Determining the race of Twyla and Roberta from the clouded descriptions in Recitatif is a rather difficult task. The evidence in my opinion leads me to believe that Roberta is white and that Twyla is black. In this paper I will identify situations in this story that reinforce my opinion. I will also explain how minority group treatment influenced my perception of the events in this story. My early impression of Roberta was that of a spoiled country girl with little or no education that opinion was based on her inability to read and her waste of food at meal times. Finishing all your food is a strong force in many black families this waste can be construed as a connection to Roberta being white. The first verbal indication is Robertas mothers refusal to greet Twylas mother Mary. This is a strong image of prejudice in my opinion. Robertas mother said nothing. She just grabbed Roberta and stepped out of line. Robertas mothers disinterest in meeting a woman of the opposite race makes a convincing argument that she is white and in her mind better than associating with blacks. In the next scene the families were eating Lunch. Twyla made the observation that The wrong food is always with the wrong people. And the connection that Maybe thats why I got into waitress work later-to match up the right people with the right food. There is a common stereotype that black people love chicken. So the white Roberta having the black chicken could be considered a Mitch match and since Roberta is white she should not have the chicken. The next piece of evidence comes much later when the two old friends are reunited in a supermarket. They have exchanged pleasantries and discussed how well there lives are going. It is obvious to the reader that Roberta is well off financially. Roberta makes the comment I was dying to know what happened to her, how she got from Jimi Hendrix to Annandale, a neighborhood full of doctors and IBM executives. Easy, I thought. Everything is so easy for them. They think they own the world. This statement shows that Twyla is aware of how easy it is for white people to raise their economic class. It can be implied that Roberta made the large advance because she was of the proper white race to make such advancement. The final piece of evidence is When Twyla confronts Roberta on her poor behavior at their encounter in Howard Johnsons Roberta says Oh, Twyla, you know how it was in those days: black-white. You know how everything was. Roberta here identifies the strong pressure she felt from her peers to not associate with the lower black race. My first indication of Twylas race was the way her mother Mary introduced herself. She used the phrase Twyyyyyla, baby! the term baby is commonly associated with older black females. Marys reaction to Robertas mothers refusal to shake hands coupled with the loud outbursts on the way to the chapel are also part of what society has deemed as black female behavior. Mary is described wearing those ugly green slacks that made her behind stick out There is a stereotype that black women have large behinds. These examples leads me believe Robertas mother is black and so the daughter must be of the same race. Throughout the story Roberta is always depicted in a lower class than Roberta always overshadowed by Roberta. Roberta marries into a higher social standing and has an implied superiority throughout the story. The statement Everything is so easy for them. They think they own the world. Is a common opinion about the social standing of whites in the United States. There are a lot of conflicting data to for both sides of this argument. In my opinion though there is much more evidence that leads the reader to believe that Roberta is white and Twyla is black.

Impact of New Media on Civil and International Conflict

Impact of New Media on Civil and International Conflict Introduction In this essay I am going to elaborate on the role that the media play on civil and international conflict in today’s world. I will start with a brief introduction of war and its causes and effects, the roles that the media plays and the impact of their coverage before, during and perhaps after the conflict. War as we know is characterised by extreme violence and violence goes with the destruction of people, human societies are deeply affected by wars as residential areas, public infrastructures, hospitals and the very basis of human existence are destroyed. Education is completely denied the youth, no hope and aspirations for the future. Crops for livelihood will be completely destroyed and causes stagnation all over the place, no economic development, and no access to basic needs. Suffering lingers, poverty and backwardness become the people’s heritage. The last two decades have witnessed a lot of conflicts that are mainly dominated by civil wars which are classified armed conflict, very deadly and devastating takes place between the people in the same country, and these countries are usually experiencing sectarian or political transitions/changes, because it (democracy) is sweeping across the countries of the world today. And as nature will have it, such changes must not come without opposition and violence. When these wars occur the media is used as a tool. The mass media is the platform through which the people receive information. This information can be transmitted either through radio, television broadcasting, newspapers/magazines, internet or mobile phones. This makes the media very powerful and influential. Because of its ability to inform the entire population at the same time could produce a positive or negative result. The media’s role in spreading incorrect information or hostile propaganda becomes an issue of great significance. For the fact that these wars often occur in remote areas and have complicated histories, the international community’s view of them will depend to a large extent on how journalists present and explain the conflict. On the other hand some of the deadliest conflicts receive little or no publicity in the global media. An example was the Sierra Leone war which received little mention globally (Hamburg, Vance, 1997) a number of examples in the 1990s suggest that the impact of media reporting may generate political action. Michael Beschloss wrote in 1993 that the war in Bosnia was only â€Å"the latest example of an overseas crisis in which hunting television pictures arouse the American people to demand their government do something.†(Rotberg, Weiss, 1996) also in the late 1980s before the Bosnia war there was famine in Somalia that killed a lot of people through starvation that led to the decision of the United States to launch Operation Restore Hope. It was the presence of media and their reporting clearly the true situation at hand that made it politically difficult for the government not to intervene to rescue the situation. The presence or absence of media attention may mean life or death for affected populations. Accuracy is one of the most important concerns about media reports, this is particularly important when distance and time limitations are involved so as to avoid delays before the situation gets out of hand. The role mass media play in today’s conflicts around the world is very important. This role can be classified into two different categories. The media could take: An active part in the conflict and has responsibility for increased violence, Or stay independent and out of the conflict, thereby contributing to the resolution of conflict and alleviation of violence (conflict and the role of the media, 2006). The role taken up by the media in any conflict at any period whether before and after depends on a complex set of factors. This strictly depends on the media’s relationship with the actors in the conflict and the independence the media has to the power holders in society. It is because of the challenges and difficulties that the media faces during conflict that led to the establishment of International Media Support (IMS) in 2001. This was prompted after the Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia massacres that took place in the 1990s; situations in these conflicts and in fact other conflicts in the past where the media was being manipulated and used as a tool to fuel violent conflict. For instance, during Rwandan genocide the media (radio and newspaper) means were used to instigate killing, mobilize the majority, the Hutu’s to constantly remind them about the already made plans to totally wipe out the Tutsi minority. The international media turned a blind eye, and before the world could actually know what was going on nearly a million people had been killed. The purpose for setting up the IMS: To support local media so as to maintain operations and conduct their work as professionals. To work and enable media to seek to promote peace, reduce conflict, Strengthen democracy and bring about dialogue in close partnership with local media And media support organisations nationally as well as internationally. Taking broad sector approach to media development, this means the media sector must be addressed to achieve well-functioning and independent media that ensures a free media environment, a strong media infrastructure and professional media content. South Eastern Europe is one such region where ethnic tensions have had such a disintegrating effect. In the last decade, political and civil changes in the region have changed citizen’s ideas on democracy, civic participation, and cultural tensions. Throughout the New Europe, hate speech has been increasingly in general use online (Gaines, 2000). Racist and nationalistic discourse continues to be spread widely on regional media. Press radio, and television programs all increase to the severity of already existing tensions (Thompson, 1994). George Krimsky (1996), cofounder of the International Centre for Journalists (ICJ), notes that â€Å"irresponsible and inaccurate journalism (or its wicked cousin, the hate-mongering media) can fan the flames of violence in ethnic or communal confrontations.† Irresponsible journalism has played a huge role in the increase of conflict in the region, that media practitioner Maida Bebic of radio Kameleon in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovinian, has announced, â€Å"The media started the war in the former Yugoslavia; they will have to end it, too.† (Cited in Burton, 2001) The international community can help to prevent conflict and assist people affected by war to recover. This can be achieved through different ways. This can be achieved through building local capacity in broadcast and print media, and introducing new media, in order to produce and distribute objective and accurate local content. In the developing world radio broadcasting is particularly very vital considering the availability of other media accessibility, like internet, satellite television or smart phone which could be scarce or limited and plus the high rate of illiteracy and poverty; majority of the people can afford radio, so it can be used as a medium to dispatch information. Independent journalists face very serious challenges in the conflict areas, and some of the journalists/editors get harassed, kidnapped, put in prison, even murdered. There is need for every government, especially government from the developing countries to stop harassing and jailing journalists. Egyptian government is holding Aljazeera journalists in prison and has now sentenced some of them to ten years imprisonment on false accusations including other journalists that were also sentenced to serve several years imprisonment, and some of them like Peter Greste have spent over three hundred days in jail without trial. All these arrests and detentions are to intimidate and silence journalists and to tag them with bad reputations (The Print edition, Al Jazeera, June, 2014) some of these journalists have been sentenced in absentia, without them being present in court. Rather than government putting journalists in prison, they should provide them with security, especially international journalists; make environment conducive and if possible provide training facilities for them so as to be able to execute their job even though they are already working in a war-torn zone. It is very vital and essential to encourage the use of media to promote peace, nonviolent problem solving and decent understanding between ethnic groups. UNESCO has long supported the development of local independent film, radio, television, and internet-based media in developing and transitional countries, including in conflict and post-conflict areas. UNESCO’s extensive work program includes sponsoring research and knowledge-sharing conferences, defining best practices, offering in-field professional training and financial and operations support (Stauffacher, 2005) beyond media development, it has employed innovative techniques in conflict zones; for example, funding NGOs in Afghanistan to create travelling cinemas that move from village to village to present educational and health information. UNESCO held a conference in Belgrade in May 2004. This was to support the media in violent conflict and countries in transition and the concluding Belgrade Declaration. (World Press Freedom day, 2004) Conference was organised in Copenhagen for two days the 26th and 27th of November 2004 to build upon the conclusions presented in the Belgrade Declaration from the UNESCO conference. The subject of discourse of the conference was the perplexing situation facing media development in the wake of peacekeeping and humanitarian aid operations in conflict-affected areas. The need for rapid and effective dissemination of information from aid organisations and peacekeeping forces sometimes collides with the development of an independent media sector (IMS, 2004) The attitude towards the media in Burma, Myanmar is now much more clearly defined, though not for better. Even the lowest attempts to report the facts are ruthlessly crushed. The military Junta keeps a strict control on the media, leaving no freedom either to local or foreign journalists. The Burmese press operates under strict censorship and citizens risk jail if they are found guilty of giving false information domestically or internationally (Herbert, 2013) International Media Support has been working to assist in alleviating the problems of strict control on the media for some time now. IMS is carrying out a comprehensive media development programme comprising a wide range of activities including working to support policy reforms, capacity building of media and journalists. IMS in collaboration with Myanmar Peace Centre providing conflict sensitive journalism training workshop throughout the country. The BBC Afghan Education Projects (BBC AEP). The aim of this program is to bring reconciliation among different groups and raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in other to avoid an epidemic in post-conflict Afghanistan. BBC AEP produces these programs in different formats, drama, soap opera, educational features and cartoon magazines, all these reach more than half of Afghan population. (Stauffacher, 2005) In Sri Lanka and Nepal the journalists are under constant harassment and intimidation because of civil wars and internal conflicts going on in these places. The Sri Lankan government who is fighting against the Tamil separatist movement, imposed direct censorship of military news under emergency regulations (Herbert, 2013, p. 104) The Philippines president Joseph Estrada took office in1998, since then several developments has brought his administration’s commitment to freedom of the press into question. He has been accused of curtailing media freedom in a country that has embraced the principles of free expression in recent times. The Philippians most widely circulated paper the Philippian’s Daily Inquirer was being boycotted in retaliation for criticizing the government. Turkey is said to have the most number of journalists in detention more than any other country in the world. Those journalists are advocating for the independence of Kurdish people and at such being thrown in jail. NGOs play very important role in media development. For instance, All Africa Global Media is a multimedia content service provider, systems technology developer, and the largest electronic distributor of African news and information worldwide. The website posts over 1000 stories daily in English and French and offers multilingual programming as well as over 900,000 articles in a searchable archive. Conclusion This essay has highlighted the critical role and importance of the media during wars and crisis and of course the power and influence they have. Most conflicts occur in domestic political settings where there are signs that the means of mass communications continue to increase in importance, this is suggesting that continued efforts are needed to understand the role of national media in conflict. Bibliography Blankson, I. A, and Murphy, P. D. (2012) ‘Negotiating Democracy: Media transformations in  emerging democracies’ (Google eBook) Suny Press Blondel, Y. I (2003) ‘Violent conflict and roles of the media’ Uppsala University Publishers Hamburg, D. A and Vance, C. R. (1997) ‘Preventing deadly conflict’ DIANE Publishing Herbert, J. (2013) ‘practicing global journalism: Exploring reporting issues worldwide’  CRC Press Puddephatt, A. (2006) ‘Conflict and the role of the media’ International Media Support  Publication Rotberg, R. I. and Weiss, T. G. (1996) ‘from massacres to genocide: The media, public policy, and humanitarian crisis’ (Google eBook) Brookings Institution Press Stauffacher, D. (2005) ‘Information and communication technology for peace: The role of  ICT in preventing, responding to and recovering from conflict, Vol. 198 United  Nations ICT task Force. The Print Edition, (June, 2014) ‘Egypt Court sentences Al Jazeera journalists,  Al Jazeera Publications Thompson, E. P. (1994) ‘Witness against the beast: William Blake and the moral Law’  Cambridge University Press

Project Intervention Plan for Elderly Community

Project Intervention Plan for Elderly Community A Project Intervention Plan  on  Wah Fu Estate Community Mao Peter Introduction of the community Wah Fu Estate was built in 1963. It is located in Pok Fu Lam, south-western part of the Hong Kong Island. Such establishment of public estates was closely related to the fire accident at Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon in 1953, which is the milestone of public housing history in Hong Kong since that the government provide better and affordable public housing for Hong Kong residents. As a satellite town in Hong Kong, the Wah Fu Estate provides most of the basic facilities such as wet markets, schools, community hall, library, and public transportation as well. It is a quiet and pleasant place where the resident can enjoy a board sea view with hills behind. That is why the Wah Fu Estate is called a â€Å"luxurious estate for common people†. It includes two phases of development. Wah Fu I with 12 blocks of buildings of old-slab design, and Wah Fu II with 6 blocks of twin-tower design. Rationales for community issues As the Wah Fu Estate has developed for more than 50 years, many of the original residents there have become the elderly. This can be seen to the latest census statistics as shown in table 1, the largest age group in the Wah Fu Estate is 45-64, about 30% of the overall population (Census and Statistics Department, 2011) and more than 20% are aged 65 and over. It is significantly higher than the ones of Southern District in general (13.7%). This demographic characteristic has greatly influenced the community need and problem of the Estate. Table 1. Age structure of Wah Fu Estate and Southern District Higher proportion of the aged people in the estate leads to the greater concern of health care and social welfare services provided in the Wah Fu estate for their deteriorating health conditions and higher demand for getting help from others. The geographical location of the estate makes it mainly rely on the bus and minibus services. The provision of public transportation services to the MTR stations, other main districts in the Hong Kong Island and the other side of the Victoria Harbour is very crucial to the residents there. The provision of social facilities such as shopping centres, restaurants are another concerns in the community especially those in the open area for the elder residents to take a rest and have better interactions with others. Long history of Wah Fu Estate is reflected by the supporting pillars outside the buildings, decaying rooftop and messy electronic lines. The maintenance of the estate is a main and urgent issue in the community. The latest development of the estate is the redevelopment, which has pronounced on the Chief Executive’s policy address this year. It can be projected that this will become the major issue of the community in the next few years. Rationales choosing community work approach To have the community work in such an old public estate, locality development can be used. It is one of the three models of community practices by Jack Rothman. The relationship among the residents in the Wah Fu estate is very close as they live together for such a long time. Their bonding is strong that it is more effective to use this advantage to coordinate them in presenting and solving the community issues with the government and other stakeholders instead of advocate them to have social actions and campaigns. The estate as a whole and even each of the buildings has their own Mutual Aid Committees or similar organizations. We can build up a close relationship with them and use their networks throughout our community work in order to have a greater effect to express their views to the public and solve the problems of the community. There have some NGOs providing social services to the residents in the Wah Fu Estate, such as Salvation Army Wah Fu Centre for Senior Citizens and Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Southern District Integrated Elderly Service Centre, the collaboration with those NGOs which know the community situation well is also essential to have a better community work in Wah Fu estate. Specific intervention strategies/empowerment plans We can organize some outdoor seminars in the estate for the discussion of the community problems to let the residents concern the issues of their own community more. We can also build up the foundation of the membership and help them to set up the locality-based concern group to discuss issues faced by them including the maintenance of their apartments, provision of social facilities etc as I have mentioned before in this paper. Some sub-groups can also be set up for some typical issues like transportation and redevelopment programme. Throughout the discussion in these groups, they can have mutual support and build up their civic consciousness. They can make collaborative and informed decision or consensus by themselves and express them in one voice to the society. This is the process of empowerment to the residents of Wah Fu estate to handle issues of their community by themselves. Another way which is more traditional to promote our community work is to set up a counter over the street and spread out our leaflets to present our service and get in touch with the residents. The periodic newsletter can be printed to the member, other relevant NGOs and organizations to publicize our activities and keep continuous contact with the residents. Roles of Community Worker The community worker can play the roles of enabler, instructor, facilitator and trainer. We instruct the residents to speak up their opinions and views about the community issues in the concern group. We help them to coordinate different views and conflicts between them, that means to facilitate the discussion or empowerment process. Through these activities, it is an opportunity for us to train up the district leaders to help their neighbours for their own betterment of living. Challenges and Difficulties From the interviews conducted in our community walk, they concern more with the current issues in the estate such as health care and community facilities than the redevelopment programme that is believed to be the most concern issues in the community. They are widely believed that the redevelopment plan may take 5 to 10 years to complete which is too far away for them to think about it. As they have been waiting for a long time for the plan, their desire to concern about it has faded out. This is one of the main challenges to do the community work in Wah Fu estate. The forums and visits from outsider about the redevelopment plan have also fatigued the residents and they have the tendency to alienate from it. It is another difficulty to get contact with them and start our community work. Conclusion In order to have an effective community work, helping and instructing them to present the existing problems that mentioned previously in this paper is significant to gain their trust. After that, we have to ensure the residents to know and realize that as it is one of the key statements in the policy address, the redevelopment of Wah Fu Estate will take place soon, then mobilize and empower them to work for solutions, to make their voice and requests about the redevelopment issues such as in-situ settlement can be heard by the government and the public. References Census and Statistics Department. (2011). 2011 Population Census. Retrieved from http://www.census2011.gov.hk/pdf/fact_sheets/estates/D_10182e.pdf http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/major-housing-estate/10183.html Rothman, J., Erlich, J. L., and Tropman, J. E. (eds.) 2008, Strategies of Community Intervention. (7th Ed.) Itasca, Illinois: F. E. Peacock. Chapter 7.

interview :: essays research papers

The family member that was interviewed was Erin. The relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee is third cousins through marriage. The interview took place in Erin’s apartment living room. Since she is an RA she lives in one of the apartments of Sara Tracy Dorm. When the interviewer walked into the room he could tell that she was very clean and rather sophisticated, just by the way her room was set up. The interviewee was sitting on her futon and was very alert. There were pink and yellow carnations on the table, which I found out that they are not real. Erin 20 years old and has an ethnic origin of Irish. Erin is a Caucasian and when asked what religion she was, Erin responded proudly â€Å"Catholic†. The next question to be asked was â€Å"what are you wearing?† and me not paying attention to the question read it allowed, when I could have just observed her to answer the question. But, she caught my slip up and she responded â€Å"nothing† and laughed sarcastically. In reality, she had on a older and faded WJU swimming t-shirt on with a pair of worn out jeans. She seamed happy and content, but when I asked â€Å"what is your mood today?† she said, â€Å"Alright, calm I guess†¦not too happy and not too sad.† Then I asked her about her attitude and she responded with â€Å"happy to be interviewed†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Erin’s mom’s family is from New York, and her dad’s family is from West Virginia. She was born in San Diego, California, on August 10, 1984. Her family then moved to Connecticut when Erin was â€Å"just a wee lad† as she put it, so she does not remember a whole lot from that particular time period. Then after living in Connecticut for a couple of years her family moved to West Virginia where they are presently located now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Erin has many of friends who are outgoing and not afraid to speak their mind. All of them are nice and funny. They know how to make a good time out of the worst days. Erin, however, is pretty much the brain of the operations that they carry out. During the interview Erin was sitting on her futon drinking a cup of coffee acting all sophisticated. She was really relaxed and was not fidgeting like I was, so she did not seem like she was nervous.

Weapons of World War 2 Essay -- essays research papers fc

Weapons and Artillery of World War II The result of World War II was affected by many different factors. One major factor which affected the war was the weapons and artillery used during the war. Since the beginnings of time, weapons have always been around. From swords and knives to nuclear weapons and missiles, weapons have evolved greatly throughout the years. The weapons and artillery used in World War II basically were evolved types of weaponry that were used during World War I (Military History 1). World War II began in 1939 when the German armies decided to invade parts of Europe, therefore causing Europeans to retaliate against the Germans (World War 1). World War II began because those countries which were defeated in World War I (Germany, Italy, and Japan) were greatly devastated by the loss. Their countries were suffering from economical problems and were also left in bad conditions after World War I. They had lost much territory and now were practically in debt for the damages which they had done during the war (1). These countries figured that the only way for them to get out of economic depression and revive their country was to take land from other countries, which was one of the reasons why the war began. The main countries which were involved in World War II were Germany, Japan, and Italy, which were known as the Axis Coalition, against the United States, the Soviet Union, and many other countries. Overall World War II was seen as the most devastating war in human history. Each country had different types of weaponry and artillery which proved to be vital in the result of the war (World War 1). Many new and improved weapons and artillery were brought out during the war. One example of this introduction of new weapons was the long-range rocket. Also during this time the atomic bomb proved to have a big impact on the war. Along with these new and improved weapons, falls the infamous tanks of World War II (Military History 1). Although some weapons proved to be more important than others, every weapon played an important role in fighting this war. Some of these smaller weapons include pistols and rifles. A majority of weapons used in World War II were improved weapons from World War II. Most guns increased in power and abilities. In World War II people thought that pistols were useless but this was proved wrong due to the fact that the U.S. Mi... ...ilities of the tanks being penetrated were slim. Also there was an addition of an anti-craft gun which made it even more powerful and unstoppable (Slayton 103). The result of World War II had tragic results for Japan, Germany, and also Italy. The United States and the Allies came out victorious once again but the cost of war greatly affected all the countries. Germany, Japan, and Italy now have more debts to pay and also lost much of their territory once again. The war took many lives and also ended up destroying many beautiful cities. World War II showed how not just the soldiers were affected in the war, but everyone in all the different countries were affected by the war. The fact that the result of World War II was affected by the weapons and artillery used throughout shows the importance of weapons and artillery. Without weapons or artillery there is no war. Without money there are no weapons or artillery. Without money there is no need for war because countries have no reason to go to war. Works Cited Anderson, Rich. â€Å"The United States Army in World War II.† Google.com. 20 January 2005 Slayton, Robert A. Arms of Destruction. New York: Citadel Press, 2004.

Reflection Paper on Gulf Oil Spill

Reflection Paper on Gulf Oil Spill This presentation had a deep impact on me because I had been living in Gulf Breeze, Florida at the time of the spill. Gulf Breeze is located 15 miles West of Pensacola and the reefs and beaches were severely impacted by it. Not only did the spill impact the environment but also the tourism which that city needed to thrive; in turn businesses closed and restaurants plundered. When I looked outside my bedroom window at the ocean, instead of seeing the bright blue colored ocean waves, I instead looked out at green murky foam covered waves and algae blooms.The sand got covered in black oil and impacted the sea birds that used the splashing waves to gather small fish and organisms. So, when I listened to this presentation, I could relate to what the presenter was saying because I had witnessed firsthand how badly this affected the environment, but at the time I did not realize how it affected the reefs. What I found interesting about the presentation was the before and after pictures.He had mentioned that the scientists used autonomous underwater vehicles that took high resolution map images of reefs that were 400-500 meters underwater (beforehand didn’t even realize some reefs were there). These images were used to help scientists take data on finding new coral sites and witness the affects the oil spill had on them. He mentioned at first they didn’t think the corals were being affected because pictures showed that the corals looked the same as they did last year.At this time scientists were more concerned with marine animals and shorelines than the reefs. At second look even the corals looked fine, and scientists took lots of samples to see if the oil had reached the sites. A sediment trap was used to research the corals and the research showed that plankton filled the cups and that oil had made its way to the coral sites but that it had not affected them. What I learned was that, oil coming out of a well was 100*C, this was entering water that was 4*C at high pressure.This oil formed a fine deep water plume of mist and most of this mist settled at 12 meter depths. When scientists took a third look at the coral reefs they realized that this black mist had affected them. When corals are stressed, they realize mucus, and this proved they were dying. Progression of damage was watched by the scientists by taking photos and videos over time. Months showed how parts of some of the corals got better while others lost tissue, had damage to their polyps, some fell off when touched and others were full of oil.The presenter also mentioned that in order to see how much damage they went to many different coral sites to witness the damage. In conclusion, they found that the farther away from the oil spill they got the better the coral reefs were. He also concluded that hydroids were forming on the corals which will sting and kill the coral by pollination, and also that the brittle star that was shown in a p icture had moved overtime, when they never move at all.I really liked this presentation because it influenced me to want to help in whatever way I can to restore and help these important marine environments. Corals are 400+ years old, the damage to them is irreversible, and there is no way that we can replace them. People have to realize that this is a major problem and the protection of these precious sites needs to be enacted. I am not sure just how to do this, but just by making suggestions and learning as much as we can is a stepping stone to a bigger impact.

Education Is Jkey to Sucess Essay

â€Å"Change is the essence of life† said one philosopher, and keeping phase with the change is the meaning of education. There are different connotations of education. One is formal education and other is the daily education. Education is not only classroom studies but learning. In many cases what we study at class is completely different from what we practice outside. We may study the outdated technology or the old philosophy, to live in the present world we have to learn quickly what is happening in front of our eyes and try to understand it. We have seen children, always active, curious and full of vigor. the reason for that attitude is their interest in learning new things and to know the world. So they are quick learners and they enjoy life even better than us and are happier than us. So it is the innate of a person to educate himself to the changes. If he fails to do that he trails in the race of life. So education plays very important role in the nation building too. The rate of development of the country depends on the educated human resource of that nation. The educated human resource possess global competency and global etiquette. So it is the education which is the real GDP growth of the country and the investment on education is the real investment which will bear rich dividends than any other type of investments. We can learn from history how countries have progressed through their strong education system. take example of US, EUROPE and other developed countries, the universities are the real technology generators and industries are the buyers of the technology. Education is the inevitable investment the state has to do on its subjects to sustain itself and to be in the race to the global superpower. The so called global powers have invested on education so much, now they are tasting the fruit of that tree which they planted long ago. The countries instead of investing on defense and arms, if they invest on education, it will certainly pay back in large scale.

The Religious Symbolism and Architecture of Angkor Wat and Borobudur

Built by the Khmers between 802 and 1220 AD, the ancient temples of Angkor Wat exist as the remaining relics of a historically and religiously rich city. While many other historical and religious structures in Cambodia have disappeared due in part from being constructed out of vulnerable materials like wood, Angkor Wat still remains as a symbol of the divinity of its former kings, as well as for the palace itself. Likewise, Indonesia’s Borodubur temples exist as the single remaining structures of the city.The temples of Angkor Wat and Borodubur hold several similarities within architecture and symbolism, both being heavily based on religious belief. However, different features within both structures, architecturally and symbolically, distinguish and provide insight into the individual cultures. Significance of Hinduism, Astronomy, and Cosmology In Angkor Wat Architecture With Hinduism serving as the prevailing religion of Cambodia, the temples of Angkor Wat serve as a visual b ridge between the terrestrial plane and the spiritual one.The temples of Ankgor Wat uses architectural features in order represent various ideas of Hindu Cosmology; â€Å"The walls, moats, central sanctuary, entrances, pyramidal temples and bridges with naga balustrades, and monuments such as the Neak Pean, or Bayon,† all contribute to the re-creation of the heavenly world on Earth. By re-creating this, Earth and the heavenly world are entwined; creating a bond between the two worlds that allows humanity to flourish. In constructing Angkor Wat to represent religious beliefs, the Khmer people literally built heaven on Earth.By creating a tangible representation of what is believed to have happened in the past, the past becomes more real and more concrete to viewers and believers alike. In order to honor the Hindu God Vishnu, Suryavaram II built Angkor Wat during the early years of the 12th century, around 1150 B. C. Structurally, the central building of Angkor Wat is serves as a re-creation of Mount Meru, the mountain that the center of the Jambudvipa within Hindu cosmology as well as being considered the axis of the Earth by the Hindu religion.The central mammoth of a tower represents Mount Meru, and uniquely faces west instead of east towards the sunrise, as all other temples do. Several theories explain why the temple faces west; the first theory being that the west is associated with Vishnu. In facing the temple west, the temple continues to serve as a means of honoring Vishnu. The second theory states that King Suryavarman intended Angkor Wat to serve as his funerary temple while a the third theory explains that the alignment of the central tower with the sun adds another dimension to the divinity of the temple.Ankgor Wat’s architecture does not only exhibit its religious roots, but also displays the importance of astronomy and cosmology. It â€Å"contains calendrical, historical, and mythological data encoded into its measurements. † Because solar movement regulates the position of the bas-reliefs, the architecture exhibits the importance of the sun to the Cambodians. The Cambodians built the structure of Angkor Wat to align directly with the sun during the spring equinox, â€Å"where the sun can be seen rising over the central tower. Although no concurrent reason exists as to why the sun is so important to the Cambodians, what can be said is that the sun was so significant to the Cambodians, that they not only based their calendar on the solar and lunar cycles, but they constructed their King’s palace, a place of great importance that connects the heavens with Earth, to align with the sun. The five central towers of Ankgor Wat that stand 77 meters tall hold religious significance as well. These five inter-nested rectangular towers represent five peaks of the mountain Meru.Also, the moat surrounding the central temple that measures 190 meters wide symbolizes the cosmic ocean that existed before the dawn of creation, and the enclosing wall represents the rock encircling the universe. Creating a replication of â€Å"Mount Meru, enclosing walls as the wall of rock, and the moat filled with water as the ocean† serves as the essential architectures for the Cambodians to re-create and symbolize their Hindu religious beliefs. Decorative elements through out the towers and galleries present their own characteristics and fulfill specific needs within the temple.The towers are formed into the shape of the ever-popular lotus buds, and the galleries are used to expand the many passageways of the temple. Also, the axial galleries within the temple are used to connect several enclosures. Characteristic decorative components of Angkor Wat include narrative and historical bas-reliefs, pediments, and devatas. The bas-reliefs located in the gallery of Angkor Wat holds a special signification for Angkor Wat. The gallery displays heaven and the underworld in which garudas and lions are holding the celestial palaces.These gerudas indicate that the palaces were floating in heaven, comparing Angkor Wat to the palaces of the Gods. This display furthers the idea that Angkor Wat acts as a liason between the world of Heaven and Earth. Because the palace physically remains on earth but spiritually resides within heaven, the palace acts as communal place for believers to gather. The bas-reliefs and pictures did not only serve to decorate the palaces, or depict stories of the past. They hold the important task of transforming the palace into a â€Å"celestial dwelling† or heavenly place.Further evidence to support this notion is the fact that many scenes are hidden to the point where they cannot even be seen by the naked eye. This highlights the spirituality of the place, that spirituality is not necessarily tangible or seen. In hiding the bas-reliefs, or making them subtler in the overall construction of the temple, furthers the idea that the palace is not meant to be just a place of beauty, but also a place of divinity. Candi Borobudur Layout Unlike Angkor Wat, Buddhism more heavily influences Borobudur.Built in Indonesia in the 9th century as a shrine to Buddha as well as a pilgrimage site for believers, Borobudur consists of six square platforms topped with four circular platforms. Nearly 2. 700 relief panel and 500 statues of Buddha decorate the temple. Additionally, 72 Buddha statues surround the center of the top platform of the monument. As a pilgrimage site, Pilgrims climb from the bottom of the monument, ascending to the top. While on their voyages, they are said to pass two three levels of Buddhist cosmology, or three stages of Buddhist enlightenment: the Kamadhatu, Ruppadhatu, and Arupadhatu.These levels represent the world of desire, the world of forms and the world of formlessness. Borobudur differs from Angkor Wat in that is constructed as a single, large stupa, with no inner space. It is the single remaining temple of its kind in Java, and is more than likely intended as a shrine to Buddha, instead of temple or house of worship. Typical Buddhist temples were built with rooms, intended to possess icons; Borobudur does not have the same amount of space or rooms to properly house icons, suggesting that the purpose of Borobudur differs from the other temples of Java.Various theories exist to explain the purpose behind Burobudur and architecture. It has been said that Borobudur represents Mt. Meru, that it contains three levels of Buddhist enlightenment, that the â€Å"round upper terraces were meant to form the base for an enormous stone stupa which contained a precious relic of Gautama Buddha,† or that Borobudur was simply a stupa or for initiation rights. Religious Symbolism in Borobudur Architecture Similarly to the uniqueness of Angkor Wat facing the west, Borobudur is unique as well, for it was constructed on a bedrock hill, between two volcanoes, instead of on a flat surface like other temples.Similarly t o the Khmer temple, Borobudur also displays several variations of religious significance throughout the architecture. The lotus is prevalent in the architectural and decorative aspects of the shrine. The architecture of Borobudur is similar the appearance of a lotus and the Buddha statues within Borobudur symbolize the Lotus Sutra, which is found in several Mahayana Buddhism texts. Additionally, the four circular platforms located on the top of Borobudur are also considered to embody the leaf of a lotus.The foundation of Borobudur measures approximately 118 meters on each side, in the form of a square. Of the ten platforms that make up the structure six are square and the remaining four are circular. The highest platform exhibits seventy-two small bell shaped and decoratively pierced stupas. Statues of Buddha reside within these pierced stupas. When Borobudur is viewed from above, the monument resembles the appearance of a tantric Buddhist mandala, furthering the representation of t he Buddhist cosmology.The division of Borobudur into three parts, the base, body, and top, symbolizing the three stages of what Buddhist cosmology considers the â€Å"ultimate goal. † The base represents the Kamadhatu, the five square platforms the make up the body represent Rupadhatu, and the three circular platforms that compose the top represent Arupadhatu . Similarly, the paths that guide pilgrims to the â€Å"ultimate goal† were designed through sacred Buddhist knowledge, based on Buddhist cosmology. Comparable to Ankgor Wat, Borobudur possessed exact measurements that possibly indicate calendrical, astronomical and cosmological themes.The exact ratio formula 4:6:9 has also been discovered in the Pawon and Mendhut, two other neighboring Buddhist temples. The monument further represents cosmology because it can be concluded that the 360 squares that surround the central square of the monument symbolize the 36o degrees of the â€Å"celestial circle that surrounds t he Earth. † However, details of the Buddhist system details vary from those of Hinduism origins, although the Buddhist system’s temples also focus on the idea of a central mountain that represents Meru.