The Lost Symbol Chapter 76-78

CHAPTER 76 Freedom Plaza is a map. Located at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Thirteenth Street, the plaza's vast surface of inlaid stone depicts the streets of Washington as they were originally envisioned by Pierre L'Enfant. The plaza is a popular tourist destination not only because the giant map is fun to walk on, but also because Martin Luther King Jr., for whom Freedom Plaza is named, wrote much of his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. D.C. cabdriver Omar Amirana brought tourists to Freedom Plaza all the time, but tonight, his two passengers were obviously no ordinary sightseers. The CIA is chasing them? Omar had barely come to a stop at the curb before the man and woman had jumped out. â€Å"Stay right here!† the man in the tweed coat told Omar. â€Å"We'll be right back!† Omar watched the two people dash out onto the wide-open spaces of the enormous map, pointing and shouting as they scanned the geometry of intersecting streets. Omar grabbed his cell phone off the dashboard. â€Å"Sir, are you still there?† â€Å"Yes, Omar!† a voice shouted, barely audible over a thundering noise on his end of the line. â€Å"Where are they now?† â€Å"Out on the map. It seems like they're looking for something.† â€Å"Do not let them out of your sight,† the agent shouted. â€Å"I'm almost there!† Omar watched as the two fugitives quickly found the plaza's famous Great Seal–one of the largest bronze medallions ever cast. They stood over it a moment and quickly began pointing to the southwest. Then the man in tweed came racing back toward the cab. Omar quickly set his phone down on the dashboard as the man arrived, breathless. â€Å"Which direction is Alexandria, Virginia?† he demanded. â€Å"Alexandria?† Omar pointed southwest, the exact same direction the man and woman had just pointed toward. â€Å"I knew it!† the man whispered beneath his breath. He spun and shouted back to the woman. â€Å"You're right! Alexandria!† The woman now pointed across the plaza to an illuminated â€Å"Metro† sign nearby. â€Å"The Blue Line goes directly there. We want King Street Station!† Omar felt a surge of panic. Oh no. The man turned back to Omar and handed him entirely too many bills for the fare. â€Å"Thanks. We're all set.† He hoisted his leather bag and ran off. â€Å"Wait! I can drive you! I go there all the time!† But it was too late. The man and woman were already dashing across the plaza. They disappeared down the stairs into the Metro Center subway station. Omar grabbed his cell phone. â€Å"Sir! They ran down into the subway! I couldn't stop them! They're taking the Blue Line to Alexandria!† â€Å"Stay right there!† the agent shouted. â€Å"I'll be there in fifteen seconds!† Omar looked down at the wad of bills the man had given him. The bill on top was apparently the one they had been writing on. It had a Jewish star on top of the Great Seal of the United States. Sure enough, the star's points fell on letters that spelled MASON. Without warning, Omar felt a deafening vibration all around him, as if a tractor trailer were about to collide with his cab. He looked up, but the street was deserted. The noise increased, and suddenly a sleek black helicopter dropped down out of the night and landed hard in the middle of the plaza map. A group of black-clad men jumped out. Most ran toward the subway station, but one came dashing toward Omar's cab. He yanked open the passenger door. â€Å"Omar? Is that you?† Omar nodded, speechless. â€Å"Did they say where they were headed?† the agent demanded. â€Å"Alexandria! King Street Station,† Omar blurted. â€Å"I offered to drive, but–â€Å" â€Å"Did they say where in Alexandria they were going?† â€Å"No! They looked at the medallion of the Great Seal on the plaza, then they asked about Alexandria, and they paid me with this.† He handed the agent the dollar bill with the bizarre diagram. As the agent studied the bill, Omar suddenly put it all together. The Masons! Alexandria! One of the most famous Masonic buildings in America was in Alexandria. â€Å"That's it!† he blurted. â€Å"The George Washington Masonic Memorial! It's directly across from King Street Station!† â€Å"That it is,† the agent said, apparently having just come to the same realization as the rest of the agents came sprinting back from the station. â€Å"We missed them!† one of the men yelled. â€Å"Blue Line just left! They're not down there!† Agent Simkins checked his watch and turned back to Omar. â€Å"How long does the subway take to Alexandria?† â€Å"Ten minutes at least. Probably more.† â€Å"Omar, you've done an excellent job. Thank you.† â€Å"Sure. What's this all about?!† But Agent Simkins was already running back to the chopper, shouting as he went. â€Å"King Street Station! We'll get there before they do!† Bewildered, Omar watched the great black bird lift off. It banked hard to the south across Pennsylvania Avenue, and then thundered off into the night. Underneath the cabbie's feet, a subway train was picking up speed as it headed away from Freedom Plaza. On board, Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon sat breathless, neither one saying a word as the train whisked them toward their destination. CHAPTER 77 The memory always began the same way. He was falling . . . plummeting backward toward an ice-covered river at the bottom of a deep ravine. Above him, the merciless gray eyes of Peter Solomon stared down over the barrel of Andros's handgun. As he fell, the world above him receded, everything disappearing as he was enveloped by the cloud of billowing mist from the waterfall upstream. For an instant, everything was white, like heaven. Then he hit the ice. Cold. Black. Pain. He was tumbling . . . being dragged by a powerful force that pounded him relentlessly across rocks in an impossibly cold void. His lungs ached for air, and yet his chest muscles had contracted so violently in the cold that he was unable even to inhale. I'm under the ice. The ice near the waterfall was apparently thin on account of the turbulent water, and Andros had broken directly through it. Now he was being washed downstream, trapped beneath a transparent ceiling. He clawed at the underside of the ice, trying to break out, but he had no leverage. The searing pain from the bullet hole in his shoulder was evaporating, as was the sting of the bird shot; both were blotted out now by the crippling throb of his body going numb. The current was accelerating, slingshotting him around a bend in the river. His body screamed for oxygen. Suddenly he was tangled in branches, lodged against a tree that had fallen into the water. Think! He groped wildly at the branch, working his way toward the surface, finding the spot where the branch pierced up through the ice. His fingertips found the tiny space of open water surrounding the branch, and he pulled at the edges, trying to break the hole wider; once, twice, the opening was growing, now several inches across. Propping himself against the branch, he tipped his head back and pressed his mouth against the small opening. The winter air that poured into his lungs felt warm. The sudden burst of oxygen fueled his hope. He planted his feet on the tree trunk and pressed his back and shoulders forcefully upward. The ice around the fallen tree, perforated by branches and debris, was weakened already, and as he drove his powerful legs into the trunk, his head and shoulders broke through the ice, crashing up into the winter night. Air poured into his lungs. Still mostly submerged, he wriggled desperately upward, pushing with his legs, pulling with his arms, until finally he was out of the water, lying breathless on the bare ice. Andros tore off his soaked ski mask and pocketed it, glancing back upstream for Peter Solomon. The bend in the river obscured his view. His chest was burning again. Quietly, he dragged a small branch over the hole in the ice in order to hide it. The hole would be frozen again by morning. As Andros staggered into the woods, it began to snow. He had no idea how far he had run when he stumbled out of the woods onto an embankment beside a small highway. He was delirious and hypothermic. The snow was falling harder now, and a single set of headlights approached in the distance. Andros waved wildly, and the lone pickup truck immediately pulled over. It had Vermont plates. An old man in a red plaid shirt jumped out. Andros staggered toward him, holding his bleeding chest. â€Å"A hunter . . . shot me! I need a . . . hospital!† Without hesitation, the old man helped Andros up into the passenger seat of the truck and turned up the heater. â€Å"Where's the nearest hospital?!† Andros had no idea, but he pointed south. â€Å"Next exit.† We're not going to a hospital. The old man from Vermont was reported missing the next day, but nobody had any idea where on his journey from Vermont he might have disappeared in the blinding snowstorm. Nor did anyone link his disappearance to the other news story that dominated the headlines the next day–the shocking murder of Isabel Solomon. When Andros awoke, he was lying in a desolate bedroom of a cheap motel that had been boarded up for the season. He recalled breaking in and binding his wounds with torn bedsheets, and then burrowing into a flimsy bed beneath a pile of musty blankets. He was famished. He limped to the bathroom and saw the pile of bloody bird-shot pellets in the sink. He vaguely recalled prying them out of his chest. Raising his eyes to the dirty mirror, he reluctantly unwrapped his bloody bandages to survey the damage. The hard muscles of his chest and abdomen had stopped the bird shot from penetrating too deep, and yet his body, once perfect, was now ruined with wounds. The single bullet fired by Peter Solomon had apparently gone cleanly through his shoulder, leaving a bloody crater. Making matters worse, Andros had failed to obtain that for which he had traveled all this distance. The pyramid. His stomach growled, and he limped outside to the man's truck, hoping maybe to find food. The pickup was now covered with heavy snow, and Andros wondered how long he had been sleeping in this old motel. Thank God I woke up. Andros found no food anywhere in the front seat, but he did find some arthritis painkillers in the glove compartment. He took a handful, washing them down with several mouthfuls of snow. I need food. A few hours later, the pickup that pulled out from behind the old motel looked nothing like the truck that had pulled in two days earlier. The cab cap was missing, as were the hubcaps, bumper stickers, and all of the trim. The Vermont plates were gone, replaced by those from an old maintenance truck Andros had found parked by the motel Dumpster, into which he had thrown all the bloody sheets, bird shot, and other evidence that he had ever been at the motel. Andros had not given up on the pyramid, but for the moment it would have to wait. He needed to hide, heal, and above all, eat. He found a roadside diner where he gorged himself on eggs, bacon, hash browns, and three glasses of orange juice. When he was done, he ordered more food to go. Back on the road, Andros listened to the truck's old radio. He had not seen a television or newspaper since his ordeal, and when he finally heard a local news station, the report stunned him. â€Å"FBI investigators,† a news announcer said, â€Å"continue their search for the armed intruder who murdered Isabel Solomon in her Potomac home two days ago. The murderer is believed to have fallen through the ice and been washed out to sea.† Andros froze. Murdered Isabel Solomon? He drove on in bewildered silence, listening to the full report. It was time to get far, far away from this place. The Upper West Side apartment offered breathtaking views of Central Park. Andros had chosen it because the sea of green outside his window reminded him of his lost view of the Adriatic. Although he knew he should be happy to be alive, he was not. The emptiness had never left him, and he found himself fixated on his failed attempt to steal Peter Solomon's pyramid. Andros had spent long hours researching the Legend of the Masonic Pyramid, and although nobody seemed to agree on whether or not the pyramid was real, they all concurred on its famous promise of vast wisdom and power. The Masonic Pyramid is real, Andros told himself. My inside information is irrefutable. Fate had placed the pyramid within Andros's reach, and he knew that ignoring it was like holding a winning lottery ticket and never cashing it in. I am the only non-Mason alive who knows the pyramid is real . . . as well as the identity of the man who guards it. Months had passed, and although his body had healed, Andros was no longer the cocky specimen he had been in Greece. He had stopped working out, and he had stopped admiring himself naked in the mirror. He felt as if his body were beginning to show signs of age. His once-perfect skin was a patchwork of scars, and this only depressed him further. He still relied on the painkillers that had nursed him through his recovery, and he felt himself slipping back to the lifestyle that had put him in Soganlik Prison. He didn't care. The body craves what the body craves. One night, he was in Greenwich Village buying drugs from a man whose forearm had been tattooed with a long, jagged lightning bolt. Andros asked him about it, and the man told him the tattoo was covering a long scar he had gotten in a car accident. â€Å"Seeing the scar every day reminded me of the accident,† the dealer said, â€Å"and so I tattooed over it with a symbol of personal power. I took back control.† That night, high on his new stash of drugs, Andros staggered into a local tattoo parlor and took off his shirt. â€Å"I want to hide these scars,† he announced. I want to take back control. â€Å"Hide them?† The tattoo artist eyed his chest. â€Å"With what?† â€Å"Tattoos.† â€Å"Yes . . . I mean tattoos of what?† Andros shrugged, wanting nothing more than to hide the ugly reminders of his past. â€Å"I don't know. You choose.† The artist shook his head and handed Andros a pamphlet on the ancient and sacred tradition of tattooing. â€Å"Come back when you're ready.† Andros discovered that the New York Public Library had in its collection fifty-three books on tattooing, and within a few weeks, he had read them all. Having rediscovered his passion for reading, he began carrying entire backpacks of books back and forth between the library and his apartment, where he voraciously devoured them while overlooking Central Park. These books on tattoos had opened a door to a strange world Andros had never known existed–a world of symbols, mysticism, mythology, and the magical arts. The more he read, the more he realized how blind he had been. He began keeping notebooks of his ideas, his sketches, and his strange dreams. When he could no longer find what he wanted at the library, he paid rare-book dealers to purchase for him some of the most esoteric texts on earth. De Praestigiis Daemonum . . . Lemegeton . . . Ars Almadel . . . Grimorium Verum . . . Ars Notoria . . . and on and on. He read them all, becoming more and more certain that the world still had many treasures yet to offer him. There are secrets out there that transcend human understanding. Then he discovered the writings of Aleister Crowley–a visionary mystic from the early 1900s– whom the church had deemed â€Å"the most evil man who ever lived.† Great minds are always feared by lesser minds. Andros learned about the power of ritual and incantation. He learned that sacred words, if properly spoken, functioned like keys that opened gateways to other worlds. There is a shadow universe beyond this one . . . a world from which I can draw power. And although Andros longed to harness that power, he knew there were rules and tasks to be completed beforehand. Become something holy, Crowley wrote. Make yourself sacred. The ancient rite of â€Å"sacred making† had once been the law of the land. From the early Hebrews who made burnt offerings at the Temple, to the Mayans who beheaded humans atop the pyramids of Chichen Itza, to Jesus Christ, who offered his body on the cross, the ancients understood God's requirement for sacrifice. Sacrifice was the original ritual by which humans drew favor from the gods and made themselves holy. Sacra–sacred. Face– make. Even though the rite of sacrifice had been abandoned eons ago, its power remained. There had been a handful of modern mystics, including Aleister Crowley, who practiced the Art, perfecting it over time, and transforming themselves gradually into something more. Andros craved to transform himself as they had. And yet he knew he would have to cross a dangerous bridge to do so. Blood is all that separates the light from the dark. One night, a crow flew through Andros's open bathroom window and got trapped in his apartment. Andros watched the bird flutter around for a while and then finally stop, apparently accepting its inability to escape. Andros had learned enough to recognize a sign. I am being urged onward. Clutching the bird in one hand, he stood at the makeshift altar in his kitchen and raised a sharp knife, speaking aloud the incantation he had memorized. â€Å"Camiach, Eomiahe, Emial, Macbal, Emoii, Zazean . . . by the most holy names of the angels in the Book of Assamaian, I conjure thee that thou assist me in this operation by the power of the One True God.† Andros now lowered the knife and carefully pierced the large vein on the right wing of the panicked bird. The crow began to bleed. As he watched the stream of red liquid flowing down into the metal cup he had placed as a receptacle, he felt an unexpected chill in the air. Nonetheless, he continued. â€Å"Almighty Adonai, Arathron, Ashai, Elohim, Elohi, Elion, Asher Eheieh, Shaddai . . . be my aid, so that this blood may have power and efficacy in all wherein I shall wish, and in all that I shall demand.† That night, he dreamed of birds . . . of a giant phoenix rising from a billowing fire. The next morning, he awoke with an energy he had not felt since childhood. He went running in the park, faster and farther than he'd imagined possible. When he could run no longer, he stopped to do pushups and sit-ups. Countless repetitions. Still he had energy. That night, again, he dreamed of the phoenix. Autumn had fallen again on Central Park, and the wildlife were scurrying about searching for food for winter. Andros despised the cold, and yet his carefully hidden traps were now overflowing with live rats and squirrels. He took them home in his backpack, performing rituals of increasing complexity. Emanual, Massiach, Yod, He, Vaud . . . please find me worthy. The blood rituals fueled his vitality. Andros felt younger every day. He continued to read day and night–ancient mystical texts, epic medieval poems, the early philosophers–and the more he learned about the true nature of things, the more he realized that all hope for mankind was lost. They are blind . . . wandering aimlessly in a world they will never understand. Andros was still a man, but he sensed he was evolving into something else. Something greater. Something sacred. His massive physique had emerged from dormancy, more powerful now than ever before. He finally understood its true purpose. My body is but a vessel for my most potent treasure . . . my mind. Andros knew his true potential had not yet been realized, and he delved deeper. What is my destiny? All the ancient texts spoke of good and evil . . . and of man's need to choose between them. I made my choice long ago, he knew, and yet he felt no remorse. What is evil, if not a natural law? Darkness followed light. Chaos followed order. Entropy was fundamental. Everything decayed. The perfectly ordered crystal eventually turned into random particles of dust. There are those who create . . . and those who destroy. It was not until Andros read John Milton's Paradise Lost that he saw his destiny materialize before him. He read of the great fallen angel . . . the warrior demon who fought against the light . . . the valiant one . . . the angel called Moloch. Moloch walked the earth as a god. The angel's name, Andros later learned, when translated to the ancient tongue, became Mal'akh. And so shall I. Like all great transformations, this one had to begin with a sacrifice . . . but not of rats, nor birds. No, this transformation required a true sacrifice. There is but one worthy sacrifice. Suddenly he had a sense of clarity unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life. His entire destiny had materialized. For three straight days he sketched on an enormous sheet of paper. When he was done, he had created a blueprint of what he would become. He hung the life-size sketch on his wall and gazed into it as if into a mirror. I am a masterpiece. The next day, he took his drawing to the tattoo parlor. He was ready. CHAPTER 78 The George Washington Masonic Memorial stands atop Shuter's Hill in Alexandria, Virginia. Built in three distinct tiers of increasing architectural complexity from bottom to top–Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian–the structure stands as a physical symbol of man's intellectual ascent. Inspired by the ancient Pharos lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt, this soaring tower is capped by an Egyptian pyramid with a flamelike finial. Inside the spectacular marble foyer sits a massive bronze of George Washington in full Masonic regalia, along with the actual trowel he used to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol Building. Above the foyer, nine different levels bear names like the Grotto, the Crypt Room, and the Knights Templar Chapel. Among the treasures housed within these spaces are over twenty thousand volumes of Masonic writings, a dazzling replica of the Ark of the Covenant, and even a scale model of the throne room in King Solomon's Temple. CIA agent Simkins checked his watch as the modified UH-60 chopper skimmed in low over the Potomac. Six minutes until their train arrives. He exhaled and gazed out the window at the shining Masonic Memorial on the horizon. He had to admit, the brilliantly shining tower was as impressive as any building on the National Mall. Simkins had never been inside the memorial, and tonight would be no different. If all went according to plan, Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon would never make it out of the subway station. â€Å"Over there!† Simkins shouted to the pilot, pointing down at the King Street subway station across from the memorial. The pilot banked the helicopter and set it down on a grassy area at the foot of Shuter's Hill. Pedestrians looked up in surprise as Simkins and his team piled out, dashed across the street, and ran down into King Street Station. In the stairwell, several departing passengers leaped out of the way, plastering themselves to the walls as the phalanx of armed men in black thundered past them. The King Street Station was larger than Simkins had anticipated, apparently serving several different lines–Blue, Yellow, and Amtrak. He raced over to the Metro map on the wall, found Freedom Plaza and the direct line to this location. â€Å"Blue Line, southbound platform!† Simkins shouted. â€Å"Get down there and clear everyone out!† His team dashed off. Simkins rushed over to the ticket booth, flashed his identification, and shouted to the woman inside. â€Å"The next train from Metro Center–what time is it due?!† The woman inside looked frightened. â€Å"I'm not sure. Blue Line arrives every eleven minutes. There's no set schedule.† â€Å"How long since the last train?† â€Å"Five . . . six minutes, maybe? No more than that.† Turner did the math. Perfect. The next train had to be Langdon's. Inside a fast-moving subway car, Katherine Solomon shifted uncomfortably on the hard plastic seat. The bright fluorescent lights overhead hurt her eyes, and she fought the impulse to let her eyelids close, even for a second. Langdon sat beside her in the empty car, staring blankly down at the leather bag at his feet. His eyelids looked heavy, too, as if the rhythmic sway of the moving car were lulling him into a trance. Katherine pictured the strange contents of Langdon's bag. Why does the CIA want this pyramid? Bellamy had said that Sato might be pursuing the pyramid because she knew its true potential. But even if this pyramid somehow did reveal the hiding place of ancient secrets, Katherine found it hard to believe that its promise of primeval mystical wisdom would interest the CIA. Then again, she reminded herself, the CIA had been caught several times running parapsychological or psi programs that bordered on ancient magic and mysticism. In 1995, the â€Å"Stargate/Scannate† scandal had exposed a classified CIA technology called remote viewing–a kind of telepathic mind travel that enabled a â€Å"viewer† to transport his mind's eye to any location on earth and spy there, without being physically present. Of course, the technology was nothing new. Mystics called it astral projection, and yogis called it out-of-body experience. Unfortunately, horrified American taxpayers called it absurd, and the program had been scuttled. At least publicly. Ironically, Katherine saw remarkable connections between the CIA's failed programs and her own breakthroughs in Noetic Science. Katherine felt eager to call the police and find out if they had discovered anything in Kalorama Heights, but she and Langdon were phoneless now, and making contact with the authorities would probably be a mistake anyway; there was no telling how far Sato's reach extended. Patience, Katherine. Within minutes, they would be in a safe hiding place, guests of a man who had assured them he could provide answers. Katherine hoped his answers, whatever they might be, would help her save her brother. â€Å"Robert?† she whispered, glancing up at the subway map. â€Å"Next stop is ours.† Langdon emerged slowly from his daydream. â€Å"Right, thanks.† As the train rumbled toward the station, he collected his daybag and gave Katherine an uncertain glance. â€Å"Let's just hope our arrival is uneventful.† By the time Turner Simkins dashed down to join his men, the subway platform had been entirely cleared, and his team was fanning out, taking up positions behind the support pillars that ran the length of the platform. A distant rumble echoed in the tunnel at the other end of the platform, and as it grew louder, Simkins felt the push of stale warm air billowing around him. No escape, Mr. Langdon. Simkins turned to the two agents he had told to join him on the platform. â€Å"Identification and weapons out. These trains are automated, but they all have a conductor who opens the doors. Find him.† The train's headlamp now appeared down the tunnel, and the sound of squealing brakes pierced the air. As the train burst into the station and began slowing down, Simkins and his two agents leaned out over the track, waving CIA identification badges and straining to make eye contact with the conductor before he could open the doors. The train was closing fast. In the third car, Simkins finally saw the startled face of the conductor, who was apparently trying to figure out why three men in black were all waving identification badges at him. Simkins jogged toward the train, which was now nearing a full stop. â€Å"CIA!† Simkins shouted, holding up his ID. â€Å"Do NOT open the doors!† As the train glided slowly past him, he went toward the conductor's car, shouting in at him. â€Å"Do not open your doors! Do you understand?! Do NOT open your doors!† The train came to a full stop, its wide-eyed conductor nodding repeatedly. â€Å"What's wrong?!† the man demanded through his side window. â€Å"Don't let this train move,† Simkins said. â€Å"And don't open the doors.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Can you let us into the first car?† The conductor nodded. Looking fearful, he stepped out of the train, closing the door behind him. He escorted Simkins and his men to the first car, where he manually opened the door. â€Å"Lock it behind us,† Simkins said, pulling his weapon. Simkins and his men stepped quickly into the stark light of the first car. The conductor locked the door behind them. The first car contained only four passengers–three teenage boys and an old woman–all of whom looked understandably startled to see three armed men entering. Simkins held up his ID. â€Å"Everything's fine. Just stay seated.† Simkins and his men now began their sweep, pushing toward the back of the sealed train one car at a time–â€Å"squeezing toothpaste,† as it was called during his training at the Farm. Very few passengers were on this train, and halfway to the back, the agents still had seen nobody even remotely resembling the description of Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon. Nonetheless, Simkins remained confident. There was absolutely no place to hide on a subway car. No bathrooms, no storage, and no alternative exits. Even if the targets had seen them board the train and fled to the back, there was no way out. Prying open a door was almost impossible, and Simkins had men watching the platform and both sides of the train anyway. Patience. By the time Simkins reached the second-to-last car, however, he was feeling edgy. This penultimate car had only one passenger–a Chinese man. Simkins and his agents moved through, scanning for any place to hide. There was none. â€Å"Last car,† Simkins said, raising his weapon as the threesome moved toward the threshold of the train's final section. As they stepped into the last car, all three of them immediately stopped and stared. What the . . . ?! Simkins raced to the rear of the deserted cabin, searching behind all the seats. He spun back to his men, blood boiling. â€Å"Where the hell did they go?!†

Do Video Games Promote Violence Essay

There is much hype surrounding the launch of every new game system including Game Cube, XBox, Playstation 3 and all of their handheld portable equivalents. Affecting all sorts of people from children as young as age 4 all the way to 45 year-old adults, these video games have called for concern in our society regarding issues such as addiction, depression, and even aggression related to the playing of video games. A recent study of children in their early teens found that almost a third played video games daily, and that 7% played for at least 30 hours a week. What is more, some of these games being played like Mortal Combat, Marvel Vs. Capcom, and Doom are very interactive in the violence of slaughtering the opponent. The video game industries even put signs like â€Å"Real-life violence† and â€Å"Violence level – not recommended for children under age of 12† on their box covers, arcade fronts, and even on the game CDs themselves. According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, the Truth in Video Game Rating Act (S. 3935) was introduced by Senator Sam Brownback on September 27, 2006. The act required that the Entertainment Software Rating Board, known as the ESRB for short, have access to the full content of and hands-on time with the games it was to rate, rather than simply relying on the video demonstrations submitted by developers and publishers. [1] The bill makes no considerations for modifications or mods for short, total conversions, user generated content, procedurally generated content, unused disc space, blocked/disabled out portions of code, player behavior in online games, and various other factors out of the control of the developers (such as how the player decides to play the unsaid game). This bill was unacted upon during its original session and was reintroduced by Senator Brownback on February 14 2007 under the same title â€Å"the Truth in Video Game Rating Act† with a new session number (S. 568). As of March 2007, S. 568 remains in the Senate Committee. [2] In the game Goldeneye 007 bad guys who used to disappear in a cloud of smoke when killed no longer do so. Instead they perform an elaborate maneuver when killed. For example, those shot in the neck fall to their knees and then face while clutching at their throats. Other games such as Unreal Tournament and Half-Life are gorier. In these games when characters get shot a large spray of blood covers the walls and floor near the character, and on the occasions when explosives are used, the characters burst into small but recognizable body parts. In spite of the violence, the violent video games are also the more popular games on the market. (2) When video games first came out, indeed they were addictive†¦ owever, there seems to be a strong correlation now between the violent nature of games these days and the aggressive tendencies in game players. On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold launched an assault on Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, murdering 13 and wounding 23 before turning the guns on themselves. Although nothing is for certain as to why these boys did what they did, we do know that Harris and Klebold both enjoyed playing the bloody, shoot-’em-up video game Doom, a game licensed by the U.  S. military to train soldiers to effectively kill. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which tracks Internet hate groups, found in its archives a copy of Harris’ web site with a version of Doom. He had customized it so that there were two shooters, each with extra weapons and unlimited ammunition, and the other people in the game could not fight back. For a class project, Harris and Klebold made a videotape that was similar to their customized version of Doom. In the video, Harris and Klebold were dressed in trench coats, carried guns, and killed school athletes. They acted out their videotaped performance in real life less than a year later†¦ (3) Everyone deals with stress and frustrations differently. However when action is taken upon the frustration and stress, and the action is taken out in anger and aggression, the results may be very harmful to both the aggressor and the person being aggressed against, mentally, emotionally, and even physically. Aggression is action, i. e. attacking someone or a group with an intent to harm someone. It can be a verbal attack–insults, threats, sarcasm, or attributing nasty motives to them–or a physical punishment or restriction. Direct behavioral signs include being overly critical, fault finding, name-calling, accusing someone of having immoral or despicable traits or motives, nagging, whining, sarcasm, prejudice, and/or flashes of temper. The crime and abuse rate in the United States has soared in the past decade. More and more children suffer from and are being treated for anger management than ever before. Now, one can’t help but to wonder if these violent video games are even playing a slight part in the current statistics. Playing violent video games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Kombat can increase a person’s aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior both in laboratory settings and in actual life, according to two studies appearing in the April issue of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Furthermore, violent video games may be more harmful than violent television and movies because they are interactive, very engrossing and require the player to identify with the aggressor, say the researchers. â€Å"One study reveals that young men who are habitually aggressive may be especially vulnerable to the aggression-enhancing effects of repeated exposure to violent games,† said psychologists Craig A. Anderson, Ph. D. , and Karen E. Dill, Ph. D. â€Å"The other study reveals that even a brief exposure to violent video games can temporarily increase aggressive behavior in all types of participants. â€Å"

The Devil in Disguise: Comparing and Contrasting the Devil Figure

The Devil in Disguise â€Å"Even before he reached me, I recognized the aroma baking up from the skin under the suit–the smell of burned matches. The smell of sulfur. The man in the black suit was the Devil. † (King) A common theme among depictions of The Devil is that of unusual physical attributes. The Devil is depicted in three different stories (Joyce Carol Oates’ ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ’, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘Young Goodman Brown’, and Steven King’s ‘The Man In The Black Suit’) in three different ways, yet each description bares remarkable similarities in some aspects to the next.Themes common to the devil are that of his physical appearance or how he presents himself, his apparent supernatural powers or attributes, and his victimology. In ‘The Man in the Black Suit’ the most striking thing, at first glance, about the man is that his eyes were â€Å"an orange that shifted and flickered. † (King). He is dressed in an all black suit, a solemn, dark, ominous color, and he was pale. He smelled like sulfur. Similarly, the Devil figure in ‘Young Goodman Brown’ appears to Goodman Brown as a traveler, â€Å"dressed in grave and decent attire. (Hawthorne) Note the connotation of the word grave (solemn). Adversely, in ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ’ (Oates) the devil takes the shape of Arnold Friend, a typical, or so it seems, teenage boy. The supernatural attributes of the devil vary, for the most part, from story to story. In the ‘Man in the Black Suit’ he can kill by clapping his hands, and his very shadow causes â€Å"the grass beneath it to turn yellow and die. (King) The Devil in ’Young Goodman Brown’ has a magical staff, â€Å"which bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought, that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent. â₠¬  (Hawthorne) However there is one supernatural ability that holds universal for all three stories. In each the devil figure has a certain omniscient air. â€Å"And yet, though the elder person was as simply clad as the younger, and as simple in manner too, he had an indescribable air of one who knew the world, and would not have felt abashed at the governor's dinner-table, or in King William's court†¦ (Hawthorne) â€Å"’But I know what it is. I know your name and all about you, lots of things,† Arnold Friend said. He had not moved yet but stood still leaning back against the side of his jalopy. â€Å"I took a special interest in you, such a pretty girl, and found out all about you—like I know your parents and sister are gone somewheres and I know where and how long they’re going to be gone, and I know who you were with last night, and your best girl friend’s name is Betty. Right? † (Oates) This quote shows that he knows everything a bout Connie. In ‘The Man in the Black Suit’ The Devil knows all about Gary and his family. He knows how Gary’s brother died. He knows why he died. Another thing that is universal in these depictions is the Devil’s victimology. In each story, his victim is young, naive, and inexperienced. Gary is only nine years old. A nine-year-old is very gullible and easy to take advantage of. Young Goodman Brown is also naive at least in his belief that all men and women are what they appear to be.Connie is a young, inexperienced, teenage girl. The devil can appear in any shape or form. He has been personified throughout history in literary works such as in Joyce Carol Oates’ ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ’, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘Young Goodman Brown’, and Steven King’s ‘The Man In The Black Suit’. In each he has been portrayed differently, yet similarly in several key points: his appearance, his s upernatural abilities, and his victimology.

Vietnam War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Vietnam War - Research Paper Example will become mired in other foreign affairs quagmires which again will weaken the military, economic strength and its political status within the world community. This same lesson was never learned by the long defunct Roman Empire. A similar outcome looms for America if it continues to replicate the mistake that was Vietnam. A result of justifications emanating from Cold War, anti-communism sentiments, Vietnam became the standard by which American military power limitations can be measured. Following the allied defeat of Japan in 1945, the U.S. became embroiled in a battle over military power and political ideology with the former Soviet Union that was showcased on a world-wide scale for more than four decades, the Cold War. Communism was America’s declared enemy during this era. The U.S. drew a symbolic line in the sand in Southeast Asia after the Soviets built the Berlin Wall and continued in its aspirations to dominate other Eastern European nations. The fiasco that was Viet nam triggered anti-military reactions for the majority of Americans whose subsequent response contributed to the Cold War’s end. Vietnam also forced America to rethink the fundamental purpose of its military power and question the scope of its capability to force it’s will in foreign nations whether, for example, in the deserts of the Middle East or the jungles of Southeast Asia. In addition the U.S. was forced to question its general foreign policy viewpoint and subsequent strategies. (Hogan, 2006) â€Å"U.S. foreign policy, from its abandonment of isolationism at the ending of the 19th century to its status as the sole remaining superpower, has always been centered on the promotion and conservation of its own interests and ‘the advancement of civilization,’ the exercise of power to assert itself beyond the bounds of the American continents in ‘the interest of civilization and of humanity’ and its own selfish interests.† (Olney, 2004) This re-evaluation phase lasted about 40 years, from the mid-1970’s until early 2003. The U.S. enjoined the Cold War period, Vietnam War and invasion of Iraq to ostensibly spread democracy to subjugated peoples of the world (the official explanation) and with great confidence of victory. Both military conflicts offered a comparable paradigm: the capability of the U.S. to utilize its armed forces as a political, social and ideological tool is limited. indisputably, America entered Vietnam with somewhat of a arrogance assuming the North Vietnamese would bow to the powerful American military and that the South Vietnamese would gladly accept and adjust to a western nation style of democratic governance. Former U.S. national Security Advisor under President Nixon and Secretary of State (1973-1977) Henry Kissinger stated America entered Vietnam with a â€Å"brash confidence in the universal applicability of America’s prescriptions.† (Kissinger, 2003) The ironic epilog ue to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam is that America entered into this horrific and bloody and enduring conflict believing it to be the ‘knight in shining armor’ for the South Vietnamese people. Its leaders did this without appreciating that the South Vietnamese were fighting to be free from a North Vietnamese government that symbolized the same colonialist, imperialistic ideology as did the American government. (Ignatieff, 2003) This lack of military success in Vietnam was not because the U.S. lacked fire-power. It was due to a failure to understand the opponent. Although

Global War on Terror Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global War on Terror - Assignment Example The refusal of the world’s foremost nuclear superpower to join the moratorium on nuclear testing sent a strong signal to would-be nuclear powers: if the US reserved the right to test these weapons, why shouldn’t others? (Spanier and Hook, 2007) US also refused to sign Ottawa convention calling for a worldwide ban on land mines, whose primary victims were in war-torn developing countries. Retreat from multilateral became even worse when the republican George Bush became president in 2001. He was not ready to mend fences with the international community. Instead of working through formal organizations such as UN ornate, US form coalition of willing on case by case basis and dismantle them when the mission is accomplished. Bush withdraws from Antiballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) despite protest by Russian leaders and warning by strategic analysts of a new global arms race. His dismissal of the Kyoto Protocol and failure to propose a more rigorous alternative despite earlier pledges to do so incited widespread criticism from abroad. This lead UN Human Rights Commission to deny US a seat on the panel on may 2001 for the first time (Spanier and Hook, 2007). In my opinion, these policies are not appropriate. They are hindrance to US war on terror. The policy is not appropriate since the war on terror should be a corporate responsibility of all of the international organizations and therefore it requires their good will. QUESTION TWO Describe the concept of â€Å"asymmetric warfare† (p. 280). In what ways should the War on Terror be considered an asymmetric conflict? (Be specific.) What are the advantages and disadvantages of the US and its opponents in the War on Terror? Asymmetric warfare is described as a conflict deviating from the norm, or an indirect approach to affect a counter-balancing of force. The disadvantaged power must push its unique advantages or successfully exploit particular weaknesses of the enemy in order to have any anticipation of prevailing. War on terror is consider asymmetric conflict because the terrorist advocates for followers using terrorist technique to retain support in home country and to win over the people occupying it in order to stop the principal support base partisans. Advantages It enables the USA in getting support from other countries. Help USA of being not accused against committing war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. USA was only too pleased to be able to tell the world that it was helping the freedom loving people of Afghanistan (Huntington, 1993). Disadvantages Terrorist organizations have used asymmetric warfare concepts mainly when setting up operations against Western supremacy forces. Terrorist make use of local tribal forces in attacking civilian populations and devastate food supply infrastructure in order to make a humanitarian aid catastrophe which would sluggish Western coalition forces (Huntington, 1993). QUESTION THREE Describe the Bush Doctrine's grand strategy of primac y and preemption. To what extent is this strategy new? In your opinion, is this the correct course for the US at this time? Explain. Bush message upon taking office in 2001 was that US would be concern primarily with its own interests and would go it alone to secure this interest whenever necessary. Bush claims that he is fighting against terrorism globally. His strategy which amount to Bush

Principal institutions of European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principal institutions of European Union - Essay Example Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973 and since then, European law has become a significant part of the laws of the UK (Adams, 2013). The Maastricht Treaty which came to force in 1993 officially changed the name of the EEC to the European Union and integrated the three main wings of the European communal cooperations into the European Union. The European Communities Act of 1972 integrated European Union Law into UK Law (Adams, 2013). This implies that the UK is a signatory to the European Union and it has to adhere to rules, regulations and directives. The various institutions of the European Union therefore engage in laws that are directly or indirectly applicable to the UK. The main institutions of the EU are hereby discussed below alongside their impact on the making of European Union laws. The European Council of Ministers is the main legislative arm of the European Union (Gerven, 2010). The Council of Ministers was set up by the Treaty of Nice that all the member states of the European Union signed. Article 203 of the Treaty of Nice states that "a representative of each member state at ministerial level authorised to commit the government of the Member State". This means that the Council of Ministers, popularly known as Council of Europe is constituted of a minister of state who is recognised under international law. Such ministers come together to make laws and rules for the Union. The Council of Ministers varies according to the matter or subject under discussion. Thus, if the matter in question is about Agriculture, the Agricultural Ministers of each member state would have to be present at the council meeting and when they make laws, it is authorised and approved by the states through their ministers (Richardson, 2012). The primary function of the Council of Ministers is to coordinate and make policies that are binding on the institutions and

Practical Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Practical Decision Making - Essay Example In HTAB there are three kinds of Hypothesis - Research Hypothesis, Statistical Hypothesis and Substantive Hypothesis. Research Hypothesis is a statement of what the researcher believes will be the outcome of an experiment or a study. Statistical Hypothesis is a more formal structure derived from the research hypothesis. Substantive Hypothesis is a statistically significant difference which does not imply a material substantive difference. (Business Statistics 4e by Ken Black). A preconceived conclusion is an inevitable outcome of Research Hypothesis. The researcher tends to become biased. For example, older workers are more loyal to a company. That may true in most cases. But it is still a hypothesis. There maybe some old workers who resent company policy to the extent that they have been nursing grievances or have not been allowing new employees to prove their potential in the company. Statistical hypothesis is to some extent also preconceived . Although it has a more formal structure it is essentially based on the preconceived notion of the Research Hypothesis. Substantive Hypothesis is the significant difference which does not always encompass material or quantitative difference. There are two parts of Statistical hypothesis - a null hypothesis ... There maybe some old workers who resent company policy to the extent that they have been nursing grievances or have not been allowing new employees to prove their potential in the company. Statistical hypothesis is to some extent also preconceived . Although it has a more formal structure it is essentially based on the preconceived notion of the Research Hypothesis. Substantive Hypothesis is the significant difference which does not always encompass material or quantitative difference. There are two parts of Statistical hypothesis - a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis. According to Null Hypothesis one might be tempted to conclude that nothing new is happening. However, according to the Alternative Hypothesis one would emphatically conclude something new is happening. The Null and Alternative Hypotheses are mutually exclusive. Only one of them can be true. They are also collectively exhaustive. They are stated to include all possibilities. While Null Hypothesis is assumed to be true, the onus of proof falls on the Alternative Hypothesis. Failing to reject a false null hypothesis and rejecting a true null hypothesis are the two types of errors which occur in HTAB system. Once the Hypothesis is made it is tested. Based on the test result statistical action is taken. Then the Business Implications are determined. The first step in Testing Hypotheses is to establish the hypothesis and state the null and alternative hypotheses. Then the appropriate statistical test and sampling distribution is determined. After specifying Type I error rate the decision rule is stated. Sample Data is gathered and the value of the test statistic is calculated. Once the statistical conclusion is stated and the business implications are determined a managerial

Attend the Metropolitan Museum of Art and select one Italian Research Paper

Attend the Metropolitan Museum of Art and select one Italian Renaissance and one Northern Renaissance piece of art - Research Paper Example The above painting was done by Duccio di Buoninsegna, a renaissance Italian artist. The painting shows an intensely personal touch done by the artist, Duccio, on the masterpiece entitled â€Å"the Madonna and Child†. The painting was done in tempera and gold on wood. The title of the painting is Stroganoff Madonna. The painting was bought by the Metropolitan Museum for an estimated $45 million. This is one of the main masterpiece attractions of the Metropolitan Museum. The painting was bought during November 2004 from a Christie’s auction sale held in London. The painting was done by the Italian Sienese Renaissance artist, Duccio di Buoninsegna. The painting is done on Tempera and Gold on wood with its original frame still intact. In addition, Duccio is one of the two originators of the Western European Paintings. This is one of the rare solo paintings of the Italian artist. This is one of the complete and independent works of the artist. The painting above shows tellta le signs of the artist’s intensely personal painting style grounded on the Italian Renaissance trademarks of proportion, anatomy, and perspective. His masterpieces are filled with life fused with Byzantine culture. The painting is endowed with the Franciscan movement’s religious trimmings. ... Giotto was an immediate fan of Giotto’s painting style. The Giotto fresco of Saint Francis was grounded on Byzantine and medieval culture. In response, Duccio created his own art culture. The new culture is known as the Renaissance. Duccio’s Renaissance painting style focused on human sentiment, emotional response, lyricism, as well as color sensitivity. This is very evident in the above painting, Stroganoff Madonna and Child. The painting was intended for private devotion; the small panel shows that it was meant for private viewing. Northern Renaissance Painting (Metropolitan Museum) The wood cut entitled â€Å"Rhinoceros† is one of the Northern Renaissance painting displayed in the Metropolitan Museum. The masterpiece was done by the renaissance artist, Albrecht Durer. The masterpiece was done during in 1515. The picture shows an Indian Rhinoceros. Durer painted the masterpiece based on his won written description as well as the discussion of another artist. Th e Rhinoceros By Albrecht Durer In terms of the above picture, the Rhinoceros is a wood cut art masterpiece; it is distinctly displayed in the Metropolitan Museum. The wood cut was created by Albrecht Durer to celebrate the arrival in Lisbon of the Indian Rhinoceros animal on 20 May 1515. The wood cut vividly incorporates the proportion, anatomy, and perspective essences of Northern Italian renaissance art, incorporated from the Italian masters when Albrecht Durer visited and studied the uniqueness and personal intensity of the Italian renaissance artists. Further, the painting is based on the rhinoceros story. The ruler of Gujarat, Sultan Muzafar II (1511 -1526) gave the rhinoceros to the

How did the concepts, theories, lessons, discussions and exercises Term Paper

How did the concepts, theories, lessons, discussions and exercises impact and enhance your understanding of Planning, Organizin, - Term Paper Example Thus, concepts on planning illumined one’s mind in terms of goal setting activites, including the need to develop SMART goals. As emphasized, the ability to design strategies that would direct the organization towards achieving a defined goal should first consider how goal setting was effectively established. The three steps involved in the planning process, explicitly stated as: â€Å"(1) deciding which goals the organization will pursue, (2) deciding what strategies to adopt to attain those goals, and (3) deciding how to allocate organizational resources to pursue the strategies that attain those goals† (Jones and George 9), have provided one with the guidelines to ensure that planning is appropriately implemented. Thus, the crucial function of a manager in terms of planning different activities and endeavors that subordinates must undertake would depend on the competencies, skills, and capabilities of the leader. It necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the r esources of the organization (including the competencies of human resources), as well as the ability to address external forces that impinge on the organizations’ operations. ... s made aware that organizational structure, which is supposedly the outcomeof this function, is â€Å"a formal system of task and reporting relationships that coordinates and motivates members so they work together to achieve organizational goals. Organizational structure determines how an organization’s resources can be best used to create goods and services† (Jones and George 12). Thus, it was noted that managers should be able to effectively discern the perfect match of utlizing the organization’s resources, and how much costs need to be entailed to maximize profits. The third relevant task of a manager – leading, was described as the ability to â€Å"motivate, coordinate, and energize individuals and groups to work together to achieve organizational goals† (Jones and George 8). More detailed theories of leading were discussed in the whole portion of part five: leading individuals and groups; and which were separately discussed in three chapters: Chapter 13: Motivation and Peformance; Chapter 14: Leadership; and Chapter 15: Effective Groups and Teams (Jones and George). There have been diverse leadership theories that tackle leadership traits, skills, and characteristics which make them effective leaders; leadership styles; motivational theories; and other contemporary leadership concepts – transformational leadership and even servant leadership, among others. One strongly believes that this function of management is crucial as it does not only focus on the leader to gauge the effectiveness in achieving defined organizational goals. It was, therefore, learned that there is a need to incorporate a comprehensive understanding of the subordinates’ personalities and competencies; as well as the situation at hand. The fourth task, controlling, was defined as

AIG Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

AIG Insurance - Essay Example Though the company had to endure seventeen long years in the wait, the breakthrough came when AIG had already owned twelve subsidiaries in China allowing it to apply for an insurance license. The group had access to the Chinese market through its subsidiaries and by getting licenses to sell various insurance products in multiple cities, AUIG was able to break into the institutional void of the Chinese market. The manner in which AIG tailored its products to suit the Chinese market was another way in which the company ensured that its preciously procured licenses were not wasted away. The institutional void in the Chinese market was filled not only by AIG but later on by the Italian insurance giant too. However, AIG had the benefit of being the first in the market. The framework developed by Khanna regarding strategic policies and planning of an insurance company provides set guidelines that can be adopted by firms entering newer markets. The emphasis of companies should be to develop global policies and strategic standards in homogenous markets. However, the Chinese market was not comparable to any previous market that AIG had operated in - the key was to use Khanna's framework and adopt the insurance products in order to suit the Chinese market. AIG trans... It is obvious that there was no lying on part of AIG, however, the emphasis of the marketing program was to project the life insurance policies as savings schemes so that the Chinese market would pay attention to the products. The FSA's developed by AIG in the markets provided it the advantage that it needed in the Chinese market. It allowed AIG to target the Chinese population and attract it to products that had not been there in the market earlier due to the institutional voids. However, AIG was not able to reap the complete benefits of the first mover's advantage due to the other companies getting licenses for insurance in the Chinese market soon after. This led to a reduction in the effectiveness of the program that AIG had initialized and in spite of the fact that it had invested in training and agents earlier, the company was unable to create a huge mark in its profits due to the benefit is had procured so preciously. Question 4 AIG was able to thrive in the market as the leader for several years because of its operational effectiveness. However, the FSAs developed in the Chinese market shield it from competition. The competition in the market was inevitable for AIG and thus the overtaking of AIG was evident once the Chinese market was open to further foreign insurance companies. The question was always a matter of time: the duration that AIG spent as the market leader was critical for it and was the best time for it to make profits from operations. The Italian invasion of the market proved to be fatal fgor AIG as it never recovered. Profitability was not the central goal of AIG; it needed something beyond that. Its first mover advantage got eroded once the Italians got hold of

Critically explore and analyse concepts and debates in contemporary Essay - 2

Critically explore and analyse concepts and debates in contemporary health and - Essay Example This issue is challenging for the physicians and the care givers. It also suggests the fact though the UKNHS policies and interventions really strive to reach each and every people but they also fail in some specific sections of the population. In this article the conceptual problems leading to this discrepancy of policy and manifestations are elucidated and discussed.(Unal,2004) Though there has been literature regarding the issues there has been very little work done as to how to improve from this issue. The Health Development has the task of developing the evidence base in health to inform policies and practice to reduce inequalities. The HAD has done reviews on issues like low birth weight, social supports in pregnancy, prevention of drug In fact the HAD reviews implicated that the dimensions of social positions and social differences such as ethnicity, disability, gender, age , place and geography was though not been explicitly denied as important but are underdeveloped empirically and theoretically. Thus the question of social work requires much more prominent role in policy making in health planning services. In Britain social inequalities has been evaluated by occupations. The occupation of the male head household was used to determine social class positions of all the members of the society including the aged population. Hence in the mind of policy makers the women were thus not distinguished for the social class positions and hence their was little allowance for kinds of social difference other than the occupation of the male head to determine for the health inequalities. Though the society has changed with the women and the geriatric population actively been employed, the decline of manual work that has taken place but the policy makers abide by the earlier rule of occupation based data capture for formulating policies. There are a number of factors of social

Architecture Rome Essay Example for Free

Architecture Rome Essay Arch of Constantine Rome, Lazio, Italy This arch is religiously significant because it commemorates the battle that led the Emperor Constantine to convert to Christianity, thereby changing the religious landscape of the western world. The Arch of Constantine was erected to commemorate Constantines victory over Maxentius at the  Battle of Milvian Bridge  in 312 AD. According to contemporary historians, the night before the battle Constantine had a vision. He saw the symbol of  chi-rho  (the first letters of Christ in Greek) or the cross in some accounts in the sky with the words,  By this sign, conquer. Facing an army larger than his own, Constantine was happy to try anything. He had his soldiers carry the Christian symbol into battle, and he was victorious. So Constantine adopted Christianity for himself and declared the religion officially tolerated throughout the Roman Empire. With Constantines conversion, Christian persecution ended and the development of Christendom began. Thus, the event celebrated by the Arch of Constantine was a  major turning point  in the history of the western world. 7. Archbishops Palace, Prague Jean Baptist Mathey city of Prague in the Czech Republic The Archbishops Palace in Prague in the Czech Republic dates back to the mid-15th century. The Archbishops Palace in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic is home to some of the finest architecture around Europe and was constructed on the foundation of a Renaissance home. The home was reconstructed for two years in 1562-1564 and later in 1669-1694 in the Baroque style. The front of the Archbishops Palace in the city of Prague is a magnificent display of extravagant 18th century architecture and the interior is just as spectacular. Tapestries decorate several rooms and the furniture is all from the 18th century amongst portraits that relate to the Christian Church. The Archbishops Palace shares its entrance with the Sternberg Palace which is an incredible public attraction that is open to visitors to view great art masterpieces from the 14th 18th centuries. On the facade of the Palace there is a display of different hats that are ranked for the church officials. The hat with ten tassels belonged to the Archbishop and the others with five tassels were the bishops. The Archbishops Palace and the Sternberg Palace are worth seeing while visiting Prague even if you just get a chance to see the incredible architecture of this building. Archbishops Palace, the Seat of the Arch Bishop near the entrance to the Castle of Prague, Czech Republic, Europe. 8. The Ark, London Ralph Erskine, Lennart Bergstrom, Arkitektkontor, Rock Townsend Hammersmith, London, The Ark is that very unusual but arty and landmark office building by the Hammersmith flyover in west London, which appears always empty to the millions of car commuters that stream past it everyday, on their way in and out of London. In fact, the building was bought by GE Capital Real Estate back in 2006, who finally have decided to use it to consolidate the various GE London offices into one space. The Ark is an original and popular landmark greeting visitors to London as they drive in on the A4 through Hammersmith, from the west or Heathrow Airport. On a cramped site hemmed in by a concrete overpass on one side and a railway cutting on another, the Ark sits serenely if rather darkly, its brown glass hiding some long gaps between lettings. Visually, the Ark is immediately striking both outside and in. Outside, it plays the Ark idea almost to the full, although early plans for a large ramp leading up to the entrance have not been fulfilled. The idea of such a ramp is still hinted at by the cutaway in the facade, where any metaphorical ramp would fold up into hull once the animal pairs were all on board.

Impact of Humans on Toronto Islands

Impact of Humans on Toronto Islands The Impacts of the Geomorphology, Climatology, and Hydrology on Human Activities in the Toronto Islands By: Nerujan Sivanesan Student No: 500510777 A place of entertainment and relaxation is what the Toronto Islands are known for presently. It still catered this tranquil and enticing environment even when it was first founded by the natives around the mid- 1700’s (Toronto Islands, n.d.). However, it was discovered and claimed by other settlers as a result the islands’ first hotel was built and this was by Michael O’Connor in 1833 (Higgens, 1999). He helped make the Toronto Islands become a popular tourist attraction for many and it became known for its amusement park, hotels, summer cottages, and other popular outdoor activities like fishing, and swimming. During the mid-1700’s, the Toronto Islands was found to be 1.6 km south of downtown Toronto, and its area was thought to be around 332 hectares (Sward, 2014). Moreover, it was known to be made up of fifteen islands (Sward, 2014) and the population of the community living in this area at the time was estimated to be over 600 people (Toronto Island Co mmunity Association, n.d.). These islands were not the same now as they were over 3500 years ago, they were originally a recurved sandspit whose, sediments were carried from the Scarborough Bluffs by the water currents from Lake Ontario (Toronto Islands History City of Toronto, n.d.). This later formed into large sandbar and through weathering they formed into the Toronto Islands as we know today. In addition, the climatic conditions and hydrologic activities that these Islands encounter affected the society’s way of living. Furthermore, the Toronto Island’s were thoroughly examined on its geomorphology, hydrology, and climatology and the impacts on the general population by the natural environment. The research for this report of acquiring peer-reviewed resources was difficult due to the specified topic. The research for this topic was conducted for credible resources were done on two scholarly search engines which were â€Å"Google Scholar† and â€Å"RULA- Articles and Database†. However, RULA did not yield the sufficient information required regarding the study of this topic. Moreover, the majority of the research was done by searching for key words on Google scholar and Google. On this search engine, key words such as â€Å"Geomorphology of the Toronto Islands† were used to retrieve specified details of the formations and evolution of the Islands. Other words were searched for instance, â€Å"Hydrology, and Climatology of the Toronto Islands†, and â€Å"the Toronto Island’s history†. These searches provided adequate information regarding the geographical aspects of the Toronto Islands. In addition, the Toronto Island’s website was used to acquire the history of the Toronto Islands and statistical information regarding the population, and the area of the islands. The information that was collected by this technique shows it was a successful approach in learning about the Islands. Through the examined information that was collected, it was found that the Toronto Islands were not always Islands. It was a tombolo (Christopherson, Byrne, Giles, 2012, pg 499), it was found on the North shore of Lake Ontario which linked itself to downtown Toronto. These group of islands were originally formed by sediments that were deposited by winds that moved from northeast to southwest and eroded stone which originated from the Scarborough Bluffs from over 3500 years ago (Toronto Islands History City of Toronto, n.d.). The eroded sediments from the Bluffs were carried by the Lake Ontario currents which moved from the east as well as by the wind currents (Naim et al, 1994). In addition, the water currents moved from the east because they had a longer fetch. The eroded sediments that were transported from the Bluffs to the Toronto Islands were deemed to be 30000m3/year on average (Naim et al, 1994). However, in 1858 severely violent storms eroded the tombolo (Christopherson et al, 2012, pg 499) over time this separated the Toronto Islands from Toronto (Toronto Islands History City of Toronto, n.d.). Many years after this incident, the Islands itself began to grow larger and larger almost doubling its size, because of sediments that was deposited into the Eastern Channel of the Islands (Naim, et al., 1994). As a result of the storms in 1858, a seawall was built to prevent future erosion however, this stopped the sediments being deposited from the Bluffs (Naim, et al., 1994). The evolution of these islands has affected the community living in these areas as it became more commercialized with more leisurely activities. They were either forced to move to different parts of the islands or away from them in order compensate for the construction of the amusement park. The people that did decide to stay were forced to live in the Algonquin Island or Ward’s Island since the homes on the other Islands were destroyed and used for the airport, the school, nursery, and amusement parks (Toronto Islands, n.d.). In addition, the erosion of the tombolo (Christopherson et al, 2012, pg 499) necessitated travel by boat or ferries towards each other. Moreover, with the Toronto Islands sitting on Lake Ontario, it allowed more water-based activities to be present such as swimming, canoeing, boating and etc. It became more of a car-free environment and encouraged bike riding because of the size bridges built between the islands. Furthermore, the transformation of these islands shows that how geomorphology has affected and influences the human population to these areas. The study area’s climate condition was thoroughly investigated on how it affected the Toronto Islands. Based on the data (see Table 1) (Class Environmental Assessment, 2010), the Toronto Islands have been coupled with mild summers and cooler winters. It was found that the mean daily temperature was 8.2 and encountered an annual rainfall and snowfall of 705mm and 112.8cm (see Table 1), respectively (Class Environmental Assessment, 2010). It was concluded that the Toronto Islands were confronted with warmer winters and cooler summers compared to the more localized areas. The warm conditions of Lake Ontario allowed the snow melt into rain because of the warmer winters and the colder temperatures rose to warmer ones due to its warmer conditions (Class Environmental Assessment, 2010). These climatic conditions affect the lives of the people that are within this area and it affects their way of life. Many people will be attracted to these islands because there will be specific activities that are available in accordance to the seasonal changes. For example, during the summer, the Toronto Islands are at peak of drawing crowds of tourists. This is because their famous amusement park, Centreville, is open as well as the appeal of biking, going for picnics, swimming at the beach, tourists staying over at hotels and etc. During the winter times most of the water bodies will be frozen therefore, these areas will be open for ice fishing. This research shows that the climate of this area is a factor in attracting people to the Islands in different seasonal conditions. The hydrological conditions of the Toronto Islands have been a source for promoting more water based activities as well as supplying safe drinking water. The water currents that transported the sediments from the Bluffs moved from the east however, the wind blew from the west. The water currents were able surpass the wind since, it had a long fetch. In addition, a water treatment plant has been built on this site and collects the water from Lake Ontario and converts it to safe drinking water. The treatment plant was mainly used as a backup when other treatment plants were out of service for maintenance (Island Water Treatment Plant City of Toronto, n.d.). This water treatment plant is one of the plants which provide clean drinking water for the Islands as well as the rest of Toronto (Island Water Treatment Plant, n.d.). In addition, it is statistically reported that the plant water that is produced is 87, 947 million litres (on Table 2) (Island Water Treatment Plant City of Toronto , n.d.). Despite having a treatment plant, it is known for water based activities such as the ferries that are taken to travel to the Toronto Islands, boating and fishing. Furthermore, the research shows water conditions tend to attract the human population because of the elegance the water and the resources it provides which shows that this physical environment attracted the people going to the Islands. The Toronto Islands is an alluring tourist destination for many due to its climate conditions, geological features, and water bodies. The climatic conditions encountered, geomorphology, and the hydrologic features helped shape the Toronto Islands into a popular tourist attraction for many because of the abundance of leisurely activities it possesses and the environmental features that it embodies. Furthermore, the features of this physical environment has helped propel the Toronto Islands become an active place for human recreation. Table 1: Note. From Class Environmental Assessment, 2010. Table 2: 2013 statistics Total annual plant water produced 87,947million litres Percentage of plant water produced to the overall system 20% Number of days the plant operated 341 days Average daily production 254 million litres Maximum days production 354million litres Date of maximum water production July 18, 2013 Note. From Island Water Treatment Plant, n.d.. References: Christopherson, R., Byrne, M., Giles, P. (2012, April 15). The oceans, coastal Processes, and the landforms. InGeosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography(Third edition ed., p. 499). Peasrson Education Canada. Class Environmental Assessment. (2010). Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.hydroone.com/Projects/Lakeshore/Documents/draft ESR/FINAL Lakeshore Renewal Environmental Baseline Report .pdf Higgens, D. (1999, April 25). The Place of My Dreams. Retrieved November 7, 2014, from http://torontoisland.org/briefhistory Island Water Treatment Plant. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2014, from http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=037409f8e0c7f310VgnVCM10000071d66f89RCRD Naim, R., Scott, R., Anglin, C., Zuzek, P. (1994, November 24). Analysis of Coastal Processes at Toronto Islands. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from https://icce-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/icce/index.php/icce/article/viewFile/5116/4794 Sward, R. (2014, September 10). Toronto Islands. Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/toronto-islands/ Toronto Islands. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.aviewoncities.com/toronto/torontoislands.htm Toronto Island Community Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://torontoisland.org/tica Toronto Islands History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=cc90dada600f0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRDvgnextchannel=34e9dada600f0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD http://www.hydroone.com/Projects/Lakeshore/Documents/draft ESR/FINAL Lakeshore Renewal Environmental Baseline Report .pdf References http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=037409f8e0c7f310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

Inequality in the European Union (EU) Essay -- European Union Essays

Cumulative European Union (EU) enlargements to include relatively less developed countries such as Bulgaria and Romania, along with the possibility of future EU status being granted to Turkey and Albania (EC, 2011), raises further questions about inequality in the European Union. The global recession has bought the issue of labour market models and resulting inequities back into the forefront political discourse, as government cutbacks necessitate the reappraisal of welfare states and labour market policy. This essay will analyse both differing labour market models and the EU labour market as a whole to explain why EU countries have heterogeneous inequities. Overall, within countries, differing interplay of welfare states, varieties of capitalism and employment structures has a profound effect on levels of inequality within labour markets; particularly post EU-crisis when rapid change exacerbated many inequalities. Additionally, the macro EU labour market would appear to create ineq uality, particularly because of the free movement of labour. It seems despite having a labour market branded as homogenous (SiniÄ Ãƒ ¡kovà ¡, 2011), Europe’s interacting varieties of capitalism and employment legislation have created a heterogeneous continent; with equally diverse inequalities. Gosta Esping-Andersen’s 1990 book The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism remains a convenient starting point for examining the capacity different labour models have to create inequality. Despite criticism for being out-dated and of limited relevance given the homogenous nature of Andersen’s typologies, their intuitive coherence means they go some way in explaining patterns of inequality in the EU (Goodin, 1999). The liberal model of welfare capitalism puts ma... ...dersen, G. (1990). The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press. Hall, P., & Soskice, D. (2001). Varieties of capitalism: The institutional foundations of comparative advantage. (P. Hall & D. Soskice, Eds.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Rosewarne, S. (2010). Globalisation and the Commodification of Labour: Temporary Labour Migration. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 20(2), 99–110. Schmid, K. D., & Stein, U. (2013). Explaining Rising Income Inequality in Germany, 1991-2010. IMK, 32(1), 1–45. SiniÄ Ãƒ ¡kovà ¡, M. (2011). Homogeneity of the European Union from the Point of View of Labour Market. Journal of Women’s Entrepreneurship and Education, 17–28. Spicker, P. (2008). Social policy: themes and approaches (p. 307). Policy Press. Standing, G. (1999). Global labour flexibility: Seeking distributive justice. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Patent System :: Texas Law Review, John M. Golden

Can innovators in our society prosper with our current unruly system? One cannot simply eradicate our current patent system and have freeloaders use ideas without compensating the original person who held the idea. One also cannot enforced a strong law against patent infringers because it dissolves any person or entity moral in producing new innovation. John M. Golden (2010) in his article in Texas Law Review suggests the antidiscrimination approach to limit favoring one party over another in regards to patent remedies. He suggests to limiting the term of patent's enforceability. This doesn't necessary give anyone the opportunity to take advantage of pre-existing patents but to tone done the enforcement from patent trollers or from major corporations against small businesses or inventors. Golden (2010) also suggests that the government agency, PTO, should be given more major power over what constitutes as patentable and providing private parties to challenge the validity of new paten ts to the PTO. However, one could argue with the current PTO having difficulties reviewing and validating infringments, giving them more power will not be beneficial because the agency receives thousands of patent suits in a year (Golden, 2010). The name behind this concept is called "devolution", which according to Golden, "places discretion in the hands of private parties and government" when dealing with cases (Golden, 2010). In resolving limitations of patent holders, Golden (2010) briefly mentions that patents should be novel and nonobvious in regards to pointing out the distinct subject matter to the patent product or service among other previous patents. Golden (2010) also wants to restrict remedies for patent infringement by not giving patent holders the right to damages but instead leave the relief to the courts to decide the amount of loss. Michelle Armond (2003) of the California Law Review proposes that the courts recognize the "affirmative defense of independent invention" to preliminary injunction litigations. The idea is to focus on the defendants rather than the plantiffs, the patent holder, conduct by analyzing the infringing companies honest research and development procedures (Armond, 2003). This provides small businesses an opportunity to protect themselves against patent trolls or threatening patent holders. Armond also support that the idea that patent infringement cases should settle remedies after the case and that the courts should accurately analyze the claims brought by the patent holder on whether permanent injunction should be appriopriate (Armond, 2003). In addition, Armond (2003) suggests that the courts should reach a conclusion before any remedy is given to the patent holder.

Cultural Backgrounds of Frank and Rita Essay example -- Educating Rita

Cultural Backgrounds of Frank and Rita Through close analysis of three or four scenes from different parts of the play, show how Willy Russell brings out the cultural backgrounds of Frank and Rita in Educating Rita. Comment on how Frank and Rita's attitudes to culture change in the play. Through close analysis of three or four scenes from different parts of the play, show how Willy Russell brings out the cultural backgrounds of Frank and Rita in "Educating Rita". Comment on how Frank and Rita's attitudes to culture change in the play In carrying out the objectives we have been given to write this coursework, as outlined in the title, we must evaluate the themes and dramatic techniques used and if we believed they were adequate. We must compare the book to the film and what advantages and disadvantages either medium presents.Culture has a tremendous impact on the feelings and opinions they have, and it is therefore justified that I shall be analysing the relevance of culture in the book and film. I have opted to do four scenes from the play. These being Act One Scene Two, Act Two Scene One, and Act Two Scene Seven. I chose scene two out of Act one because we learn a great deal about Rita's school life, skills as a writer, her curiousity, her colloquial language, dialect and of her limited vocabulary, not forgetting Frank's reactions to these, many of which are priceless. In Act Two Scene One, Rita returns from Summer School, and this has a noticeable impression on her. We also hear how Frank has been while she has been away, giving further insight into Frank's curren state. Act two scene four is one of great importance. Frank and Rita begin to grow more hostile towards one another - ev... ...delve into the story as deeply as they want to go and still receive the same sintilation from his work. At the end of the scene, Frank tells Rita that they are to work on the poet Blake, and Rita tells him that she has already done him and begins to flaunt about her expertise on Frank saying, "you don't do Blake without covering the songs of innocence and experience do y'?". This is an exceedingly conceited remark to make and quite an inconsiderate thing to say to a man like Frank with an obvious inferiority complex. The early Rita would not have made such an insensitive comment. This scene was not done very differently in the film to the book. This scene, however, was filmed in the park, which i felt was very effective as a change in Frank becuase in the earlier chapters, he claims he has an aversion to light, which shows a change in his opinions.

Business Edge Email

To: David Johnson Subject: Information on Business Edge Dear Mr David Johnson Firstly I would like to thank you for your response to my email based on my application for the sales and marketing position you are currently have available. I am pleased to know you would like further knowledge of my completion of the Business Edge Program undertaken through my Bachelor of Business at Edith Cowan University. The program helped me develop a range of skills related to the sales and marketing role in which I have applied for. The following email will represent the key aspects that Business Edge specified within my time in the program. I will analyze the different components of Business Edge and the skills I have gained during the program. Additionally I will explain how these concepts will be beneficial to your company. As a result this email will give you background knowledge on my intake and understanding of the Program. The Business Edge program is designed to help students understand the growing impact of international competition in businesses and employment and how to successfully operate in the global marketplace. The program introduces students to the concept of business and to various interpersonal, group work and organizational skills essential for university and employment success. The Program is also geared to helping students to realize and improve their abilities in individual learning styles, group work, cross-cultural communication, business communication, critical thinking and ethical behavior. In addition, the Business Edge program introduces students to the concept of self-reflection, self-discovery, self- criticism, peer assessment and information and time management. Having completed this program I can tell you that it is an extremely unique course as it focuses on student centered learning. This means that there are plenty of role-plays, scenarios, interactive multi-media and activities where students develop their employability skills by ‘doing’. As the student you must use your previous knowledge and experience, apply these to real situations and learn from those around you so that your employability skills can be developed and refined along the entire length of the program. A key attribute I have developed through the Business Edge program is the â€Å"ability to communicate†. This gives me excellent employability skills such as forming effective relationships with customers and employees. This is a perfect attribute for the sales and marketing role. As someone interested in sales and marketing I think it is essential that you communicate effectively and form networks with customers and fellow clients. I think the ability to interact with others openly and objectively is vital criteria for the position and Business Edge has certainly given me a great advantage in this area. The main emphasis that the Business Edge program projected was on clear communication and presentations. Personally I feel to be a competent communicator you must first be able to listen and understand others, in particular with sales because face to face communication is frequent and also phone conversation. I think my ability to understand clear communication and my advanced understanding of open questions will benefit your company greatly. I know when working in sales and marketing you have to allow communication to flow and invite open discussion. You must have a clear tone as well as a good posture if talking to an audience, when talking on a phone your manner must be polite while still being clear and able to adapt. I believe that a good communicator is someone who can change the way they communicate to suit the person they are speaking to. You should express yourself in a way that makes sense to that person. I think the Business Edge program has helped me achieve this and it will be a great asset in the sales and marketing role. Another attribute that I developed through the Business Edge program is the â€Å"ability to work in teams†. The Business Edge program as stated earlier is student centered and the learning process is by â€Å"doing†. Most of this is done through group work, participating in various activities and presentations. Through these activities I could improve my self-confidence to a higher level. I got an idea about how to work in groups with mutual understanding and to respect others ideas as well. With the knowledge I gained from this unit, I’m now able to get others give their ears to me and express my ideas in an effective manner in front of an audience.

Indian Railway

merchandise Project On INDIAN RAILWAYS Submitted by Dhruti Badami 11BSPHH010XXX Nikhil Goyal 11BSPHH01XXX ContentsPage Introduction foodstuffing Mix fancy up Analysis Market Segmentation Market Targeting Market Positioning The Way in front INTRODUCTION Indian Railways is the internalized railroad line club of India which owns and becomes near of the outlandishs rail transport. It is the worlds second largestemployer behind Chinese multitude has integrity of the largest and busiest rail ne twainrks in the world, an enormous network, which is spread everyplace 60000 Route Kilometre, of which roughly 30 per penny is electrified.The Indian Railways own played an integrating role in the social and economic development of the country, transporting over 18 million passengers and to a greater extent(prenominal) than 2 million tonnes of lading daily, it is the worlds largest m championymaking(prenominal) or utility employer, with more than 1. 4 million employees. Besides it s maintaind accountability of transporting men and goods crosswise the length and extensiveness of the country, it also enhances the countrys economy. As the country is emerging as one of the rapidly growing economies in the world, the pauperisation for a well- organized transport root word would become more vital.Although there run through been other modes of transport available in the country, INDIAN RAILWAYS is still able to keep back its competitive position collect to umpteen an(prenominal) advantages alike geographical diversity, worlds largest networks, and above on the whole its economical f bes in delivering the services. Marketing Mix Product Railways ecstasy three study types of services 1) weight Service 2) passenger Service 3) plowshargon Service shipment Service IR carries a huge vicissitude of goods ranging from mineral ores, fertilizers and petrochemicals, agricultural produce, iron & steel, multimodal traffic and others.Ports and study urban bea s extradite their own commit loading lines and yards. Many important clog deflects make believe dedicated platforms and separatist lines. Indian Railways makes 70% of its revenues and most of its net profit from the freight sector, and uses these profits to cross-subsidise the loss-making passenger sector. . inside the freight segment, bulk traffic accounts for approximately 95 per cent, of which more than 44 per cent is contri only whened by coal. Indian Railways also transports vehicles over enormous distances. Trucks that declare goods to a additional(prenominal) location atomic deed 18 hauled back by strikes saving the trucking company on unnecessary fuel expenses.Refrigerated vans argon also available in many beas. The Green Van is a special type use to transport light food and vegetables. Recently Indian Railways introduced the special Container Rajdhani or CONRAJ, for high priority freight. The highest promote notched up for a freight train is 120 kilomet res per hour (75mph) for a 5,500metric tonne load. Under the 11thFive Year Planof India (20072012), Ministry of Railways is constructing a new Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) coat about 2762 route km keen-sighted. passenger Service * Duronto shewThese atomic number 18 the non-stop delegate to point rail services (except for operable stops) introduced for the graduation time in 2009. These trains connect the metros and major state capitals of India and are hot than Rajdhani Express. The Duronto services consists of familyes of accommodation namely first AC, two-tier AC, three-tier AC, AC 3 Tier Economy, necktie Class, General Class. * Rajdhani Express These are all melodic phrase- well-educated trains linking major cities to New Delhi. The Rajdhanis relieve oneself high priority and are one of the fastest trains in India, activateling at about 140 km/h (87 mph).There are only a few stops on a Rajdhani route. * Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi Express The Shatabdi trains are AC intercity seater-type trains for incite during day. Jan-Shatabdi trains consists of both AC and non-AC circlees. * Garib Rath Fully air conditioned trains, designed for those who housenot afford to travel in the expensive Shatabti and Rajdhani Express. Garib Rath means chariot of the Poor. The maximum speed is cxxx km/h. * Superfast Mail/Express These are trains that select an average speed great than 55 km/h (34 mph). Tickets for these trains have an additional super-fast surcharge. Mail/Express These are the most greenness kind of trains in India. They have more stops than their super-fast counterparts, further they stop only at relatively important intermediate stations. * Rajya Rani Express These are a series of convey trains operated by Indian Railways to connect state capitals with other cities important for tourism, pilgrimage or business. * Passenger and Fast Passenger These are slow trains that stop at most stations along the route and are the cheapest trains. T he trains generally have unreserved pose accommodation but some wickedness trains have sleeper and 3A compartments. Suburban trains These trains operate in urban areas, unremarkably stop at all stations and have unreserved seating accommodation. * Special phaeton Trains Palace on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Heritage On Wheels, Golden Chariot, Darjeeling Toy Train monetary value Freight Traffic A number of steps have been taken in the recent years to augment the railway loading as well as the earning of the Railways. As a result of those steps, the Freight earning of the Railways increased from Rs. 36,287 crore in 2005-06 to Rs. 41,717 crore in 2006-07 (increase of 16 per cent) and the loading increased from 667. 0 MT in 2005-06 to 728. 41 MT in 2006-07 (increase of 9. 2 per cent). Continuing the process further, the Railways have taken many initiatives to increase the railways freight earnings such(prenominal) as terminate up to 30 per cent has been permitted on traffic loaded in the notified tralatitious Empty Flow Directions during both grumpy and lean seasons, along with special long term lump sum rate and other concessions. Passenger Traffic set process is very complex due to the presence of various types of trains, quotas, come apartes, and concessions.The Pricing outline is based on keeping in mind the need the entire tribe of the country and is mainly based on the type of class as set forth below * 1AThe First class AC This is the most expensive class, where the get alongs are on par with airlines. Bedding is include with the fare in IR. This air conditioned check is present only on favourite routes between metropolitan cities and can carry 18 passengers. The traines are carpeted, have dormancy accommodation and have privacy features like personal coupes. * 2AAC-Two tier business line conditioned developes with quiescence berths, ample leg room, curtains and item-by-item reading lamps.Berths are unremarkably coherent in two tiers in bays of six, quadruplet across the width of the coach thence the gangway then two berths long ways, with curtains provided to give some privacy from those manner of walking up and down. Bedding is included with the fare. A panoptic gauge coach can carry 48 passengers. * FCFirst class corresponding as 1AC, without the air conditioning. This class is not very common. * 3AAC three tier var. conditioned coaches with sleeping berths. Berths are unremarkably arranged as in 2AC but with three tiers across the width and two long ways as before giving eight bays of eight.They are fairly less well appointed, usually no reading lights or provide stumble gangways. Bedding is included with fare. It carries 64 passengers in broad gauge. * 3EAC three tier (Economy) Air conditioned coaches with sleeping berths, present in Garib Rath Trains. Berths are usually arranged as in 3AC but with three tiers across the width and three long ways. They are slightly less well appointed, usually no reading lights or curtained off gangways. Bedding is not included with fare. * CCAC chair car An air-conditioned seater coach with a total of five sit in a row utilize for day travel between cities. ECExecutive class chair car An air-conditioned seater coach with a total of four put in a row used for day travel between cities. * SLSleeper class The sleeper class is the most common coach, and usually ten or more coaches could be attached. These are timed sleeping coaches with three berths vertically stacked. In broad gauge, it carries 72 passengers per coach. Railways have modified sure Sleeper Coaches on popular trains to assuage 81 passengers in place of regular 72 passengers. This was done in allege to facilitate benefits like clear the Passenger rush and simultaneously earn more revenue.But this has got lukewarm response with animadversion from the travellers and railways have decided to remove them. * 2SSeater class Same as AC contribute car, but with bench style sit and with out the air-conditioning. * URUnreserved The cheapest accommodation, the seat usually made up of pressed wood, but the cushioned seats have been rapidly replaced. Although entry into the compartment is guaranteed, a sitting seat is not guaranteed. Tickets issued are valid on any train on the same route if boarded indoors 24 hours of buying the ticket.These coaches are usually very crowded. Also higher prices are charged for Tatkal scheme and lower for superior citizens and children below 12 years of age. As a part of ongoing merchandise strategy, a number of steps have been taken by Indian Railways such as reduction in fares, proliferation of ticketing facility, installation of Passengers Incentive Schemes like Upgradation, Scheme for condescend Travellers (SOFT), etc. Place Tickets can be booked through a variety of ways * Book in soulfulness at Stations * Computerized Reservation kernel * Online booking * SMS Travel Agents Promotion Since the Indian Railways is a monopoly, they do not fall out much on promotional activities. Their major promotions include advertising in home run media, usually newspapers and hoardings. They sponsor certain national events such as the recently held community Games in Delhi and beam TV commercials during that period. Bibliography http//www. sustainable-sourcing. com/2009/06/29/nhs-procurements-10-carbon-chal lenge/ www. wikipedia. org http//indiabudg et. nic. in/es2001-02/chapt2002/chap98. pdf http //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Indian Railways