Sunday, August 23, 2020

Policy making in the federal system Research Paper

Arrangement making in the government framework - Research Paper Example streets and connects), and forestalling mishaps. States will decide their own targets for improving payload moves, diminishing blockage, modernizing frameworks, and guaranteeing wellbeing. Guide 21 joins various conditions to reduce down expenses and assist venture conveyance time (n.a., 2012, 1). This paper breaks down how MAP-21 raises the issue about the contention between state (neighborhood) and governments, its upsides and downsides, its adequacy as an approach, and its consistency with the sacred system of American federalism. At the point when the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) closed in 2009 the Congress consented to draft another transportation proposition. The Senate effectively presented an altogether drafted proposalâ€MAP-21. This Act was a significant bipartisan program (Dilger, 2012, 1). Despite the fact that government authority over surface transportation approach is as yet significant, MAP-21 describes an expansion of prior focal point of reauthorization on developing the state administrations’ official force. For example, the approach awards state governments more opportunity in the use of administrative thruway support. It additionally concedes states more opportunity by expanding the activities qualified for assets held for non-interstate related upgrades, as memorable preservation, redesign of rails, and natural insurance. State governments were additionally given more noteworthy benefit to move a level of those ass ets, inside offered conditions, to other administrative security and expressway ventures (CMAP Updates, 2012, para 4-5). Notwithstanding, some contend that the central government has a commitment to ensure that bureaucratic assets are spent in the most clever and important manner to propel the national target of defending the earth and boosting national monetary turn of events (Dilger, 2012, 2). They accept

Friday, August 21, 2020

Consultation Skills In Relation To Nurse Prescribing

Counsel Skills In Relation To Nurse Prescribing Attendant endorsing was converted into reality in the last piece of the 1990s when an associate of around 1,200 attendants got expert preparing so as to permit them to feel sure and capable in the remedy of specific medications and drugs. In the best customs of logical undertaking, they were dependent upon a blast of reviews and studies to perceive how they really performed. As in any new task there were inescapable heroes and spoilers and the underlying aftereffects of the initial eight examinations were very positive. (Legge 1997) the collective consequences of the underlying examinations demonstrated that medical attendant recommending had been demonstrated regarding security, adequacy and improved working practices. The reports didn't offer any remark upon the cost-adequacy of the endorsing as the partner read was unreasonably little for measurable investigation. The leader of the assessment group (Prof. Luker 1997) remarked that, best case scenario, nurture endorsing ought to be cost nonpartisan for what reason would it be advisable for it to be any less expensive? By 2000, the primary near investigations were rising with adequate partner size to give a significant assessment of the degree and productivity of medical caretaker endorsing. Venning (et al 2000) analyzed proficiency and cost of a companion of medical attendant prescribers with specialists in the equivalent land zone. The investigation accomplice was more than 1,300 patients. This specific examination was broad in its investigation and a considerable lot of the outcomes are not especially pertinent to the subject of this paper, however the huge results demonstrated that there was no huge distinction in wellbeing result, recommending designs or endorsing cost. Attendant endorsing was consequently demonstrating itself to be both a successful and effective asset for the NHS. (Little et al 1997) Counsel and relational abilities Strengthening and instruction of patients is currently very much perceived as a significant objective yet most social insurance experts. (Richards 1999) it follows that in the event that patients are to be included, at that point their specific needs should be found out and tended to, generally in the system of the counsel. A regular finding in huge numbers of the examinations regarding the matter is the way that patients will in general favor prescribers (medical caretakers or specialists) who tune in and furthermore permit them to talk about their issues in an unhurried manner. (Manager BMJ 2000) This exposition is especially coordinated to the issue of conference abilities corresponding to nurture endorsing. In spite of the fact that we have quickly analyzed the general issues of medical caretaker endorsing, the conference is clearly the center expertise required to build up the finding and in this manner the suitable treatment and remedy. Numerous investigations have taken a gander at the impact of relational abilities on recommending and different elements identified with the conference. (Richards 1999) Numerous specialists (Butler et al 1998) exhort that the prime abilities related with the recommending procedure are: Satisfactory investigation of the patients stresses Satisfactory arrangement of data to the patient with respect to the characteristic procedures of the sickness being dealt with The suitability of self-medicine in inconsequential sickness The different alert side effects that ought to be informed to demonstrate that there might be issues with the treatment. (Welschen et al 2004) These different angles are investigated further in an especially elegantly composed and useful book by Platt and Gordon (1999) it thinks about the way that specialists and medical attendants are not commonly especially all around prepared in the craft of relational abilities. In the expressions of the creator we re not truly adept at transmitting data, and were no better at getting the signs that patients attempt to send. Basically, they mention that singular prescribers are not especially acceptable at different their way to deal with the diverse sort of patient. Obviously, the better the degree of saw sympathy among prescriber and tolerant, the more noteworthy the degree of consistence is probably going to be. This is probably going to be reflected in more prominent patient fulfillment, more noteworthy consistence with directions by and large and improved results and once more, in the expressions of the creators less claims This specific book features and offers reasonable guidance on the entirety of the normal traps of prescriber quiet correspondence. The way that prescribers will frequently dodge issues where they feel awkward or feel that their insight isn't especially solid, or maybe neglect to react to the misery signals conveyed (either verbally or non-verbally) by the patient. They additionally feature the perils of shutting the discussion ahead of schedule because of weight of time and not sufficiently investigating vague answers. The antagonistic and the heart-sink patient can be a specific migraine to the prescriber and unseemly choice can be made except if incredible consideration is taken to explicitly handle these issues. (RPSGB 1997) A few observers in the field of medical attendant recommending have refered to the way that the aptitudes of correspondence, when they have been educated, have focused chiefly on the fields of history taking and determination. The issue of correspondence comparable to recommending has gotten significantly less unmistakable quality. (Elwyn et al.2000) The paper by Cox (et al.2000) found that it was basic practice for prescribers to start the conversations about exactly what prescription there would recommend, once in a while allude to the medication by name and similarly once in a while allude to how a recently endorsed medicine is seen to contrast in either activity or reason, to those recently endorsed. Quiet understanding is once in a while checked as it is normally expected after the prescriber has given the remedy. In any event, when welcomed to do as such, patients only occasionally accept the open door to pose inquiries. (Cox et al 2000) A similar creator found that prescribers would accentuate the positive advantages of the drug undeniably more as often as possible than they would talk about the dangers and precautionary measures, regardless of the way that the patients observation was that such a conversation is viewed as fundamental. In synopsis, this leaves a circumstance which is available to distortion, vulnerability because of unadressed stresses and for patients to be conflicted towards the prescription that they have been recommended. (Drew et al. 2001). It obviously isn't a circumstance which one could have certainty that the patient has a sound information base about his treatment and has an uplifting disposition towards consistence. The point identifying with correspondence disappointment bringing about poor treatment result (principally according to non-adherence to treatment directions) was investigated top to bottom in a phenomenal paper by Britten (et al 2000). The different counsel aptitudes were fundamentally investigated and separated into 14 distinct classes of misconception. To put it plainly, the entirety of the disappointments of correspondence were related with an absence of the patients interest in the conference procedure. Essentially, these 14 classes were related with potential or even real not exactly ideal Results as they came about in either improper recommending or lacking treatment adherence. It was critical that the creators presumed that a considerable lot of the mistakes were related with suppositions or theories with respect to the social insurance proficient, and specifically an absence of consciousness of the significance of patients thoughts and convictions which impacted their consistence with the recommended treatment. (Senior et al 2004) There is proof that inability to effectively participate in, or even consider, the patient s point of view is a typical coming up short among prescribers. (Britten et al 2000). Many take the view that basically showing up at and expressing a finding is adequate validity for the arrangement of a solution. In any event, when tranquilize treatment is viewed as basic, (for example, insulin and thyroxin) numerous patients will explore different avenues regarding doses and medication free periods. (Barry et al. 2000). It follows that such experimentation is probably going to be all the more noteworthy when drug is utilized when the advantages are less prompt (eg. In prophylaxis).If the prescriber knows about these components, it will without a doubt help to accomplish consistence on the off chance that they are unmistakably tended to during the interview procedure. Concordance versus consistence Elwyn (et al 2003) adopted a marginally extraordinary strategy concerning the discussion procedure and recommending. They advocate the procedure of concordance which is portrayed as the procedure whereby there is an arrangement between the patient and the prescriber which includes a conversation about the apparent advantages and disadvantages of the proposed prescription, along with a trade of convictions and desires. This wording reflects an adjustment in accentuation as well as an adjustment in demeanor of the prescriber. This region used to be named consistence which was an impression of the now old fashioned idea of certain force and authority put resources into the prescriber. The term was viewed as being authority loaded (Marinker 1997) where it was normal that patients consented certainly and without question when a remedy was given. There was little acknowledgment that patients would effectively take an interest in the dynamic procedure that encompassed the age of the solution. (Cox et al. 2002) As of right now, there is minimal distributed proof that this procedure really prompts improved clinical result measures, however thought of moral standards would permit us to presume that the association of patients will definitely bring about more secure and better patient consideration. (Elwyn et al. 1999) On the off chance that we look at this contention further, any human services proficient will welcome that a lot of current clinical treatment includes recommending in some structure. We likewise realize that a significant extent of the prescription that is as of now recommended isn't taken or, more awful still, improperly used. (Haynes et al 2003). Cautious research shows that where this happens it is fundamentally because of a contention between the prescribers sees and those of the patient.

Friday, July 10, 2020

Essay Sample Sites - Find the Essay Samples Occidental That Suits Your Purpose

Essay Sample Sites - Find the Essay Samples Occidental That Suits Your PurposeIf you are looking for a way to find essay samples Occidental, you are in luck. The choices are as numerous as they are varied; the cost is less than a book, and the reward for working through the process of choosing the perfect essay topics is worth every penny you pay.Most students who make the mistake of choosing poor form will end up wasting hours on the Internet with no real idea of what they want to say. Your goal should be to find essay samples Occidental so that you can customize it to your own personal needs. After you have chosen your topic, it is only natural to want to apply this material to your essay.You will have the benefit of a course of having some sample essays to refer to; however, these samples often contain material that you are not expecting, either because it is unusual or because it is different. By following the guidelines on writing essay samples Occidental, you will be sure to ma ke the most of this invaluable resource.If you do not know how to get started, you can look at the question and answer section of the essays to see if the questions can be used as practice work. When you feel comfortable enough with your own samples to proceed with them, you can test out any materials you have been practicing by submitting them to an instructor. This will provide you with a sense of confidence in your abilities and provide you with much needed practice material for the essay.There are a number of ways to find essay samples Occidental. One way is to do a search online for 'essay samples Occidental' and type in your keywords. The search will return many sites that you may find interesting, and you will be able to use your own research to locate the site that has the perfect essay samples Occidental for you.Learning how to use them for your own purposes is easy. All you need to do is browse through the selections and decide what best fits your essay. Do not be afraid t o reword your essay if necessary.Making the proper selection of essay samples Occidental is one of the best investments you can make in your future as a student. It will also be a great source of information for future reference. The right essay samples Occidental will greatly enhance your education and will help you to ace your next exam.

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

All over history, is written the advancements of medicine...

All over history, is written the advancements of medicine and technology through the involvement of animal experimentation. Aristotle (384-322 BC) and Erasistratus (304-258 BC) both performed numerous experiments on live animals for the advancement of human intellect. Helpless animals had to suffer through surgeries and multiple experiments for the benefit of human knowledge. Today, there are certain laws that have been set by the United States legislature that â€Å"insure that certain animals intended for use in research facilities are provided humane care and treatment† (Animal Welfare Act). The distinction between â€Å"humane care and treatment† on paper, and â€Å"humane care and treatment† in reality, has such a magnanimous boundary, that on†¦show more content†¦One of these groups is the PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Founded by Alex Pacheco and Ingrid Newkirk in 1980, this organization is one of the largest animal rights acti vists in the world. Though is it is well-known, this organization of activists is often persecuted for its tenacious movements and defiant civic manifestations. The goals of the PETA mainly focuses on stopping animal use in research laboratories, the fur industry, sports, entertainment, and factory farms. It also believes in moral consideration for animals and that these creatures shouldn’t have to endure such agony to benefit human inclinations. In the process of protecting these defenceless animals, the PETA constantly makes efforts to expose and eliminate animal experimentation all together. Research facilities, universities, hospitals, contract laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and government agencies are their preeminent objectives, in accomplishing this goal. The procedures that take place are undeniably horrid and barbaric. Over 1,000 laboratories have â€Å"monkeys addicted to drugs, sheep and pigs have their skin burned off, tiny mice are made to grow tumors n early the size of their body, dogs intentionally poisoned, rats are made to suffer from seizures† (Animals in Medical Experiments). This is only scratching the surface. Another organization that fights to protect the right of animalsShow MoreRelatedShared Knowledge Essay1077 Words   |  5 Pagescollected by a group of people over a period of time. Sharing knowledge can be very influential to personal knowledge when affiliated with a specific group of people. Personal knowledge is shaped by shared knowledge. To show a comparison, two areas of knowledge for example, one, the Indigenous people pass down their history, medicine and culture generationally. This is transmitted orally through the community. In contrast, the second example is modern medicine, a scientific study diagnosingRead MoreUnited States Health Care System Essay3779 Words   |  16 PagesInvestment The United States spends more of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on healthcare then any other industrialized country in the world and because of this one would think that the U.S. provides one of the top universal healthcare plans for all citizens without health insurance. Furthermore, the U.S.’s overall health system performance is 37 out of 191 (qtd in U.S. Census Bureau), obviously 37 out of 191 is horrible especially because of the investment made by tax paying citizens. This problemRead MoreModern era of Science and Technology1757 Words   |  8 PagesIn the modern era of science and technology, the religious mysticism of the past is often seen as archaic and foolish. We live in a time where people want hard evidence. If we can’t taste, touch, smell, see, or hear it then â€Å"it† probably doesn’t exist. People are hungry for understanding, hence all the billions of conversations that are being carried on across the globe right now. The drive be hind communication is understanding, and understanding is not always universal from person to personRead MoreTrends in Curriculum Development in Business Education5911 Words   |  24 Pageslearn, not just  gloss over certain facts about a subject. Teachers and students both need to be doing their job in the  classroom but restricting curriculum and crunching numbers do not produce a class of  outstanding and free thinkers, and technology  is the way trends for curriculum development should be going. Providing technology in schools has been successful in recent years. Most  schools have computer labs and many have computers in every classroom. More than 90%  of all schools are connectedRead MoreNew Developments in Technology Management7684 Words   |  31 PagesDevelopments in Technology Management Education: Background Issues, Program Initiatives, and a Research Agenda PHILLIP H. PHAN The Johns Hopkins University DONALD S. SIEGEL University at Albany, SUNY MIKE WRIGHT Nottingham University Business School and Erasmus University, Rotterdam We provide background information on key developments and trends in technology management education, including the managerial implications of recent public policy changes designed to stimulate investment in technology and entrepreneurshipRead MoreMis - Walmart3590 Words   |  15 Pagesthe advanced techniques like ERP, EPM, SCM and SAP. Management information systems are distinct from regular information systems in that they are used to analyze other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization. HISTORY OF WALLMART Sam Walton who is a businessman from ARKANASAS, begin his carrier with retail industry and started working on June 3, 1940. On July 2 1962 he opened first walmart discount city store located in ARKANASAS. Walmart is one of the most technicallyRead MoreMis - Walmart3590 Words   |  15 Pagesthe advanced techniques like ERP, EPM, SCM and SAP. Management information systems are distinct from regular information systems in that they are used to analyze other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization. HISTORY OF WALLMART Sam Walton who is a businessman from ARKANASAS, begin his carrier with retail industry and started working on June 3, 1940. On July 2 1962 he opened first walmart discount city store located in ARKANASAS. Walmart is one of the most technicallyRead MoreRobotic Surgery Essay example14445 Words   |  58 PagesRobotic Surgery HUM432: Technology, Society, and Culture April 15, 2012 Table of Contents Abstract – Page 3 Introduction– page 4 Description of Robotic Surgery page 5 Applications of Robotic Surgery – page 4 – 7 History of Robotic Surgery - – page 8 Robotic Surgery –- page 9 Advantages of Robot-Assisted Surgery – page 9, 10 Disadvantages of Robotic Surgery – page 11, 12 Political Influences – page 13 - 16 Legal Influences – page 16 – 20 Economic Questions/ Considerations –Read MoreWomen Empowerment12463 Words   |  50 Pagesequality to | |women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women. | |Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, Plans and programmes have| |aimed at women’s advancement in different spheres. From the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78) onwards has| |been a marked shift in the approach to women’s issues from welfare to development. In recent years, | |the empowerment of women has been recognized as the central issueRead MoreEffects of Reading Comic Books5082 Words   |  21 Pageshas captivated a vast number of readership. In any case, the comic book has been infused in the international popular culture. All over 21st century Asia, many cultures still praised the long-lasting effect of the comic book: For many people, reading comics is an indispensable part of life in Hong Kong. (From an article entitled Comics craze has long and colourful history in the South China Morning Post, April 2001) The reading of comic books... has always been one of Koreans favorite pastimes

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Swimmer By John Cheever - 1528 Words

Shep Davis Mrs. Smith English 102 27 April, 2016 The Swimmer In the short story â€Å"The Swimmer† John Cheever characterizes Neddy in a selfish and content manner to illustrate his detachment from society. The swim that Neddy starts in the beginning of the play seems fun and innocent in nature. He enjoys stopping at all of his friends and families house drinking every time after he finishes swimming the pool. The drinking depicts his easy lifestyle, lack of care for the world, and his detachment from society. The repetition of drinking eventually is what brings him to his â€Å"cold† and â€Å"bewildered† reality because he has suppressed everyone around him by only wanting to swim. At the end of the story he is left with no friends to talk with or family to care for him because he has been self-centered. He also is unaware of what has transpired while he was swimming. This displays his mindsets lack of care for others he just wants to drink and have a good time. However as he progresses he goes further into h is loop of the pools, and he desires to swim in more and more. This loop symbolizes his life, and how he is not progressing or doing anything important with it. He wants to just go around in circles hiding from reality. The irony is he is left poor and all of his friends leave him. His entire image of life, and how he wanted to live was based on himself and money. After the money disappeared so did his companions because he was living a life that did not value relationship or care.Show MoreRelatedThe Swimmer, by John Cheever1513 Words   |  7 Pagessomething within us which is always surprised by change. In The Swimmer, the world around Ned Merrill, the main character, transforms constantly as time goes by, causing Neds physical, mental, and social state to decline. However, although Ned Merrill experiences the inevitable - growing older - he does not fully grasp reality and the idea that time moves on, even if one is not ready. The Swimmer is a short story written by John Cheever , a writer who used his own experiences as inspiration for hisRead MoreThe Swimmer By John Cheever1424 Words   |  6 Pages In his story, The Swimmer, John Cheever does a clever job engaging the reader in understanding the complexity and change in Ned Merrill’s life circumstances through his travels to various pools. It is implied that Ned was once successful and had everything. He had a wife, named Lucinda, and children. He had a beautiful home and a circle of friends. It seemed like he had it all. However, his travel through pools and time, show the reader that Ned’s life is not all that it seems. At the time thatRead MoreThe Swimmer By John Cheever1584 Words   |  7 Pages The author of â€Å"The Swimmer†, John Cheever, was born in 1912 in Quincy, Massachusetts. During the downfall of his life, Cheever had a twenty-year battle with alcoholism. Then after, he went to rehab for alcoholism in 1975. This experience then led him to write about his issues with alcohol in the short stories, â€Å"The Swimmer† and the â€Å"Falconer.† Over his lifetime, Cheever has obtained several awards including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Even though Cheever got kicked out of hisRead MoreAn Analysis of the Swimmer by John Cheever1694 Words   |  7 PagesApril 2014 An Analysis of The Swimmer by John Cheever Most stories can have an emotional impact on people, but once in a while certain stories can take the reader to the edge of reality. The Swimmer is a fascinating story with primary use of a setting and amazing characters that engages readers and can move them to experience life in an unfathomable way. Cheever was born May 27, 1912, in Quincy, Massachusetts, to Frederick Lincoln Cheever and Mary Liley Cheever. His father owned a shoe factoryRead MoreAnalysis Of The Swimmer By John Cheever1143 Words   |  5 Pages The Swimmer by John Cheever tells the story of a man journeying to retain his youth but in the end, loses more than he realises. Ironically enough, this is similar to what the protagonist in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, (written by Joyce Carol Oates) experiences. Both characters have an established goal yet never quite reach it. Imagery and symbolism are used to adeptly express this throughout each piece which creates an unsettling mood following the resolution . Imagery to infer theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Swimmer By John Cheever1925 Words   |  8 PagesBook Award in 1958 for his debut novel The Wapshot Chronicle, John Cheever was highly acclaimed as a novelist, but he may be best remembered for his array of short stories. In the words of the acclaimed novelist Philip Roth, Cheever was an â€Å"enchanted realist† who had â€Å"as rich and distinctive [voice] as any of the leading voices of postwar American literature.† This ‘voice’ was in full display Cheever’s stories, especially in â€Å"The Swimmer,† which is about a man named Neddy Merrill who embarks on a ‘voyage’Read MoreEssay on John Cheever the Swimmer1951 Words   |  8 PagesHierarchy in Cheever’s â€Å"The Swimmer† John Cheever’s short story, â€Å"The Swimmer,† describes the epic journey of Neddy Merrill as he attempts to swim his way back home. Throughout the story, readers continually question reality and fantasy while wondering whether Merrill is really experiencing what Cheever portrays or if he is simply stuck in the past. Merrill goes from house to house as he freestyles across each swimming pool along the way. As the story draws to the end, Cheever points out that Merrill’sRead MoreAn Analysis Of John Cheever s The Swimmer 1385 Words   |  6 Pages Snigdha Sama Mrs. Hurtado English I H 9 March 2016 A Tale of Riches to Rags in â€Å"The Swimmer† The character and intelligence of a person is truly shown when he or she is forced to face reality. This is clearly established in â€Å"The Swimmer†, a story about a man thrown off his high horse. The story starts with Neddy Merrill and his group of wealthy socialites conversing at the Westerhazys’ house. Flashing back to his Olympic days, Neddy decides to swim through bodies of water to reach hisRead MoreThe Passage of Time and Life in The Swimmer, by John Cheever2346 Words   |  10 Pagesstories and novels, author, John Cheever, has showcased his incredible writing abilities multiple times throughout his career. Even as a child, Cheever outwardly expressed his desire to write. As proven by his longstanding career, Cheever’s thirst for writing remained with him throughout his entire life. In perhaps his most famous piece of work, â€Å"The Swimmer,† Cheever’s impeccable writing ability is showcased brilliantly. Although originally set out to be a novel, â€Å"The Swimmer† has grown to become a widelyRead MoreLosing Time in Life: The Swimmer by John Cheever1203 Words   |  5 Pages Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, once declared â€Å"Lost time is never found again.† This quote ties to the meaning of how people frequently let time seep through their hands. John Cheever’s The Swimmer portrays this through the eyes of suburban man Neddy. Neddy is the average ‘Joe’ of most suburban households. Life in suburbia is repetitive in most scenarios, and humans can easily get lost in the monotonous adventure known aslife. Time leaks away from his figure, and he is not sure of he is the

Why personal responsibility is important free essay sample

For some personal responsibility is not the culprit of obtained success. â€Å"Nevertheless† personal responsibility is the key factor to achievement. Personal responsibility provides structure as well as builds character. It enables a student to be confident and secure in all things whether personal or professional. Personal Responsibility can help achieve successful aspirations. A student plans become priority and goals are met with diligence. By having this personal responsibility structure is provided, consistent short goals are placed. â€Å"Thus† making long term goals obtainable, this creates a self-sufficient student. The column Success is made by failures (Harvey Mackay Columnist) points out to the reader a fatalistic attitude prevents people from accepting responsibility for their position in life. By embracing the personal responsibility the student is more aware of their actions and often taps into her own self-motivation. A self-motivated responsible student has a higher chance of completion because they accept that it is only her that can be the hindrance to their academic growth. We will write a custom essay sample on Why personal responsibility is important? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page To give an example professional basketball player Terrence Rencher abandoned school to pursue a career in professional basketball. However his sense of personal responsibility enabled him to return. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education â€Å"In 2008 Mr. Rencher, who describes himself as a finish-what-I-start type of person, graduated from Texas with a B. A. in community studies. Now an assistant mens basketball coach at the University of Tulsa, he says he never viewed his decision to turn pro as the end of his academic career. I always knew I would come back, he says. It was a personal thing for me. A student with personal responsibilities will have the correct mentality to complete their academic career. Personal responsibility creates a credible student. A student’s character is formulated, positive work habits become a must. With this prioritization assignments are completed, time is scheduled adequately. Discipline is instilled, According to Harvey Mackey Columnist â€Å"Anyone who has accomplished anything worthwhile has never done it without discipline. Discipline takes self-control, sacrifice, and avoiding distractions and temptations. It means staying focused. The quote in itself sums up a great deal of personal responsibility to me. To be a successful college student personal responsibility must become a favorite acquaintance. The student adapts to the challenge and succeeds. A student who knows this is a secure student proud of the work that is done and the ambition does not waiver. A certainty is apparent, their interests are piqued, and they come to class ready to learn. Some even taking on leadership roles in and out of the classroom. For many students without setting responsibilities they, feel a drift failure occurs more frequently. Whether it is a decreased grade or the dropping of the class and for the extremely unorganized the leaving of school all together. Supporting what was said earlier Personal responsibility plays a major role in any endeavor that a student embarks on. A responsible student knows the best way to embrace a sense of responsibility is to plan. Writing suggestions may help with seeing the destination ahead and contrasting the past. Set accurate time aside to work, study, and collaborate with fellow classmates. By doing this you ensure you stay on task the end is always clear and obtainable. Find a mentor or fellow student who has accomplished what you want to achieve this sets up a study support system. Always be aware of the workshops or program available to sharpen your skills, and never be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help can give you clarity in so many ways. According to Mauricio Ruede â€Å"Being responsible is what your career depends on- gong to class, turning in assignments on time, studying for exams in advance, and most importantly, knowing when to go out and when to stay home. Becoming a master student means setting and accomplishing goals-not to prove anything to anyone but yourself. † In conclusion although for some personal responsibility is not listed in direct correlation with success, it is and always will be the main reason for achievement. Accepting and embracing the responsibility not only builds character, confidence, and achieved aspirations the student will be apt to pursue anything with an admirable tenacity.

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

The Role of a Wife free essay sample

This paper looks at womens personal hopes and desires and how they often conflict with her perceived role as a wife and mother as seen through literature. This paper is a comparison of how social constraints affect women and their roles once they are married and become wives. The author looks at portrayals in Alice Walkers Roselilly, Charlotte Gilman?s novella The Yellow Wallpaper, and Kate Chopin?s novel The Awakening. All three stories look at how the lives of women were changed, or expected to change once they married and had children. The novels depict the struggle for the characters search for identity and examine how the choice to marry was influenced by social expectations, both in the late 19th century, as well as later, when Walker wrote her story. The author also illustrates how the role as the wife has evolved over the years although many of todays women are still struggling with some of the same issues, including children, work and responsibility to themselves as human beings. We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of a Wife or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Alice Walkers heroine of her short story, ?Roselilly,? has a far more aware narrator, who does not proceed into marriage blind and ignorant of its potential to constrain womens sense of self, sexuality, and identity. When asked to marry, she immediately ?thinks of ropes, chains, handcuffs, his religion.? Walker, although criticized quite frequently as a polemic writer, is quite skillful in her juxtaposition of the catalogue of these three things. (Later she will describe the potential husband in terms of his sobriety, pride, blackness, and his gray car.?) She does not fear the character of the man himself; rather she fears the socially confining role of a wife, as defined within a particular religious and social context that has the power to hem in the scope of her.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Information Sharing in Supply Chain

Information Sharing in Supply Chain Introduction Supply chain management refers to â€Å"the management of a network of interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate provision of product and service packages required by end customers†. It involves movement, as well as, storage of materials, stock of work-in-progress and final goods. Consequently, supply chain management involves several actors which include suppliers, retailers, and transporters among others.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Information Sharing in Supply Chain specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The effectiveness of the supply chain is contingent on the extent to which the businesses involved in it are able to plan and coordinate their activities. Coordination of supply chain activities is enhanced through effective and efficient flow of information. This means that participants in the supply chain must be able to share all the relevant information in order to enhance the competitiveness of the supply chain. Thus, a lot of technologies have been developed in the last two decades to enhance the flow of information in supply chain systems. Effective sharing of information in supply chain will be the focus of the proposed study. Purpose The proposed study will focus on the use of information technology in supply chain management. In particular, the broad objective of the study is to investigate the use of modern information technology to enhance effective and efficient sharing of information within a supply chain. The specific objectives of the study include the following. The first objective is to identify the technologies, currently, being used to enhance flow of information. The second objective is to investigate the factors that determine the use of modern technology to enhance sharing of information. The last objective is to analyze the benefits of using information technology in supply chain. The expected practical outcome of the study is to i nform policy formulation. In this context, the result, hopefully, will help organizations to formulate policies that will enable them to use modern technologies to share information. Additionally, the findings will advance knowledge by contributing to the literature on the use of information technology to share information in supply chain systems. Background The main objective of supply chain management is to enable an organization to offer the best customer services in targeted markets. Customers not only demand high quality goods, but also require such goods to be manufactured and delivered in time. Thus, organizations must effectively coordinate the receipt of raw materials, manufacturing of goods and dispatch of final goods.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In some cases, the quality of the goods can be compromised during transportation. This necessitat es effective sharing of information between the producers and the transporters about the quality of the goods. The customer service requirements in any given market are the basis for setting performance targets for the supply chain. In order to realize the expected level of customer service, all activities that do not add value should be eliminated from the supply chain. Thus, proper planning and synchronization of supply chain activities become apparent. Additionally, effective supply chain management facilitates optimization of supply chain investments and costs. It should enable organizations to deliver goods to the end customers at the least cost possible. Globally, most markets are characterized with intense competition and limited growth. Consequently, firms are focusing on cost cutting measures to enhance their effectiveness. Empirical studies reveal that adopting the right communication technology can help to reduce information costs significantly. Delivery of products often involves complex movements among several firms that make up the supply chain. Thus, inefficiency at any point in the chain translates into failure of the entire supply chain. All links within the supply chain are important since each link contributes to value addition and profitability. Due to lack of proper coordination or adequate resources, supply chain functions have traditionally been executed in isolation. This has always led to failures within supply chains. Consequently, it is important to recognize that the supply chain as â€Å"a whole is greater than the sum of its constituent parts†. The implication of this perspective is that all activities within the supply chain must be integrated through effective sharing of information. Thus, information management is the most important supply chain activity. This is because the movement of goods and money (payment for goods) is often initiated and facilitated by the relevant information. In this context, information technol ogy as a facilitator of information flow becomes an enabler of supply chain management.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Information Sharing in Supply Chain specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The importance of information in supply chain management has often been ignored. This is attributed to the fact that many agents in the supply chain lack a clear understanding of the value of information. The advancement in information and communication technology in the last two decades has led to a shift from paper based flow of information to electronic sharing of information. However, the factors that determine adoption of the modern information and communication technologies in supply chain management are still not well understood in academia and business cycles. Some empirical studies reveal that businesses are not likely to adopt a given technology if they do not understand its benefits. Constraints in technologica l transfer have been identified as one of the major factors contributing to poor understanding of the benefits of information technology in supply chain. In conclusion, three observations can be identified. First, effective and efficient sharing of information is necessary for improving supply chain management. Second, the factors that determine adoption of technologies that enhance sharing of information in supply chains are not well understood. Finally, the benefits associated with modern information technologies are not known to many firms. These observations justify the need for research on the use of information technology in supply chain management. Scope Given the objectives of the proposed study, a significant amount of time will be devoted to data collection and analysis. This is because data must be collected from participants who are located in different places. The study is expected to take three months. The fieldwork is expected to commence after the proposal is approve d. Prior to the fieldwork, two weeks will be spent on designing the data collection instrument. This will involve formulating the interview questions to be used during data collection. An additional two weeks will be spent on booking appointments with the participants. Data collection will be done in six weeks. Data analysis and preparation of the final report will be done in the remaining two weeks. Thirty managers in charge of supply chain activities will be recruited to participate in the study. The participants will be drawn from ten companies operating in different industries. Thus, a total of thirty interviews will be conducted to collect the required data.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Theoretical Framework Resource Based View (RBV) RBV is a theory used to identify a firm’s strategic resources and how such resources can be used to achieve competitive advantages. The RBV theory asserts that the competitive advantage of an organization is determined by the allocation of the organization’s valuable resources. A firm’s short run competitive advantage can be turned into a sustainable competitive advantage if the firm’s bundle of resources is heterogeneous and imperfectly mobile. Resources that meet the heterogeneity and imperfect mobility criteria are considered valuable. This is because such resources can not be imitated or sustained without great effort. Valuable resources can help a firm to consistently realize above average returns. In the context of supply chain management, information technology can be considered a resource. Thus, the RBV theory can be used to investigate the use of information technology in supply chain management in the following ways. First, a resource is valuable if it can enable a firm to formulate a strategy that creates value by minimizing the firm’s weaknesses or overcoming competition. Thus, the cost of investing in the resource should not exceed the expected returns. Determining the value of information technology will help in identifying its benefits in enhancing sharing of information in supply chain management. Second, a valuable resource should be rare. This means that the resource should not be available to majority of firms within an industry. Thus, this requirement is a basis for investigating the factors that determine access or use of information technology in supply chain management. Third, valuable resources should be in-imitable. A resource is expected to create competitive advantage if it is controlled by one or a few firms. Thus, this condition forms a basis for investigating determinants of access to information technology. Finally, a valuable resource should not b e substitutable. The implication of this requirement is that the benefits of information technology will no longer be a source of competitive advantage if competitors are able to counter its benefits using substitute technologies. Supply Chai n Integration Theory Supply chain integration describes the process of synchronizing all supply chain activities and linkages in order to achieve efficiency and effectiveness. Supply chain integration depends on two factors namely, linkage and alignment. Alignment illustrates the extent to which visions, goals and objectives are shared by participants in the supply chain. It ensures consistency in planning and decision making in supply chain management. Linkage describes the extent to which information can be shared and the level of interaction that planers and decision makers can engage in. linkage enhances the availability of information for decision making and the use of the same data throughout the supply chain. Linkage and alignment are ac hieved through the following factors. First, linkage and alignment can be achieved through communication and e-systems. Communication and e-systems include the technology used to gather and share information, as well as, the means of facilitating communication between decision makers. The e-system ensures â€Å"data availability, accuracy and timeliness†. Communication on the other hand enhances the use of information in decision making initiatives. Second, alignment and linkage can be achieved through organization and people. Organizational structures determine how individuals interact and share information in an organization. Important resources and relevant stakeholders can be excluded from the decision making process if the right organizational structure is not put in place. In this context, the employees’ skills and capabilities are central to achieving integration under the existing organizational structure. Third, alignment and linkage can be enhanced through tr ust. Trust affects people’s willingness to share information. In this case, the main concern is security over the given information. Finally, alignment and linkage can be achieved through metrics. This refers to the metrics and rewards that employees respond to in order to achieve the objectives of the supply chain. In conclusion, both RBV theory and supply chain integration theory emphasize the importance of sharing information in supply chain. Using these theories forms the basis for investigating the benefits and factors determining the use of information technology to share information in supply chain management. In particular, the theories help in formulating hypothesis for the study. For example, using the supply chain integration theory, we can hypothesize that information technology enhances timelines and accuracy of information. Method Research Design The proposed study will adopt a qualitative research design. Qualitative research is based on interpretative paradigm . According to the â€Å"interpretative paradigm, social reality is created and sustained through the subjective experience of people involved in communication†. The factors underpinning the choice of a qualitative design include the following. First, a qualitative research will facilitate a holistic study of the use of information technology in supply chain management. Second, it will facilitate the use of primary data. Through data collection methods such as interviews, the researcher is able to get first hand information on the research topic. Thus, the conclusions drawn from the data is likely to be reliable and accurate. Third, qualitative research enhances flexibility in the research activities such as data collection, analysis, as well as, interpretation. Flexibility will be needed in the proposed study to cater for unforeseeable risks that might limit the use of any of the proposed methods. Finally, qualitative research will facilitate an in-depth understanding of the research topic by allowing the researcher to interact with the participants. Variables and Measures The proposed study will focus on three variables namely, types of information technology, determinants of access/ use of information technology and benefits of information technology in supply chain management. Each of these variables has specific indicators that can be conceptualized as follows: Types of information technology: software, hardware and communication equipment Determinants of access or use of information technology: cost, skills, technology transfer, patents, research and development Benefits of information technology: cost benefits, timeliness of information, accuracy of information, performance of the supply chain Sampling Sampling refers to the process of identifying and recruiting the individuals who will participate in the study. The study will be conducted in ten companies based in New York. Three managers will be selected from each of the ten companies to part icipate in the study. Consequently, the total number of participants will be thirty. The stratified random sampling method will be used to recruit the participants. The companies will first be classified according to their industries. The list of companies will be obtained from industry databases. The industries to be considered in the study include retail, automobile, pharmaceutical, hospitality and food processing industry. Two companies will then be chosen randomly from each industry. Three managers will then be randomly chosen from each company to participate in the study. Choosing the companies through a stratified random method will help in achieving heterogeneity or representativeness. Consequently, it will be possible to use the conclusions of the study to make reliable generalization. Using a random method to select the companies and the participants also reduces bias in the recruitment process. This is because a random approach gives an equal opportunity to every participa nt or company to be selected. Data Collection Data collection refers to the process of gathering the data that is required for the study. Qualitative data will be collected through interviews. Structured questions will be used to guide the study. Unstructured questions that transpire during the interview will be used to obtain more information and to seek clarifications on answers. Additionally, probes will be used to seek more information from the participants. The interviews will be audio-taped to enhance data analysis. The choice of interviews is justified by the fact that interviews enable the researcher to clarify any question that might be ambiguous or seek clarifications on any answer that might be ambiguous. Additionally, interviews are easy to use and facilitate access to first hand information. Data Analysis The analysis will begin with transcribing the collected. The transcribed data will then be coded into themes. In this context, coding involves identifying and labeling similar words, as well as, phrases mentioned by the participants. Appropriate themes will be used in the labeling process. The themes will be used to make generalization about the research topic. Finally, interpretations will be made based on existing literature about the research topic and the adopted theoretical framework. Simple descriptive statistics will also be used in the analysis process. The final results and conclusions will be presented in the form of a report. Limitations The ability to complete the study or to make reliable conclusions will be limited under the following circumstances. First, the subjective nature of qualitative research is likely to compromise the reliability of the conclusions if the participants fail to give correct information. It is usually very difficult to authenticate the information collected through interviews. Thus, if the interviewees fail to give correct information, the findings of the research will not be reliable. Second, replicating th e study will require collecting data from the same respondents and companies. Thus, replication will not be possible if any of the respondents or companies refuse to participate in subsequent studies. Third, the in-depth analysis associated with qualitative research limits the scope of the study in terms of the number of participants that can be interviewed. Finally, lack of adequate resources will make it impossible to carryout or complete the study. For instance, interviewing the participants is expensive due to the travelling costs associated with it. Thus, lack of enough financial resources will negatively impact data collection. Conclusion The proposed study aims at investigating the use of information technology to enhance sharing of information in supply chain management. The objectives of the study include identifying the information technologies, currently, being used, the factors determining the use of information technology and the benefits of information technology in su pply chain management. The study will adopt the resource based view and the supply chain integration theoretical underpinnings to investigate the research topic. Additionally, the research will adopt a qualitative design, and data will be collected through interviews. The results of the study are expected to inform policy formulation and to advance knowledge by contributing to the literature on the use of information technology in supply chain management. References Blanchard, D., 2007. Supply Chain Management. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Larsen, T., 2005. Supply Chain Management. New York: CBS Press. McBurney, D., 2009. Research Methods. New York: Cengage Learning. McNeil, P., 2005. Research Methods. New York: Routledge. Mentzer, J., 2001. Supply Chain Management. New York: Sage Publishers

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Angels Demons Chapter 7073

As soon as they’d arrived, Chinita and Glick had seen a veritable army of young men pour out of the Alpha Romeos and surround the church. Some had weapons drawn. One of them, a stiff older man, led a team up the front steps of the church. The soldiers drew guns and blew the locks off the front doors. Macri heard nothing and figured they must have had silencers. Then the soldiers entered. Chinita had recommended they sit tight and film from the shadows. After all, guns were guns, and they had a clear view of the action from the van. Glick had not argued. Now, across the piazza, men moved in and out of the church. They yelled to each other. Chinita adjusted her camera to follow a team as they searched the surrounding area. All of them, though dressed in civilian clothes, seemed to move with military precision. â€Å"Who do you think they are?† she asked. â€Å"Hell if I know.† Glick looked riveted. â€Å"You getting all this?† â€Å"Every frame.† Glick sounded smug. â€Å"Still think we should go back to Pope-Watch?† Chinita wasn’t sure what to say. There was obviously something going on here, but she had been in journalism long enough to know that there was often a very dull explanation for interesting events. â€Å"This could be nothing,† she said. â€Å"These guys could have gotten the same tip you got and are just checking it out. Could be a false alarm.† Glick grabbed her arm. â€Å"Over there! Focus.† He pointed back to the church. Chinita swung the camera back to the top of the stairs. â€Å"Hello there,† she said, training on the man now emerging from the church. â€Å"Who’s the dapper?† Chinita moved in for a close-up. â€Å"Haven’t seen him before.† She tightened in on the man’s face and smiled. â€Å"But I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.† Robert Langdon dashed down the stairs outside the church and into the middle of the piazza. It was getting dark now, the springtime sun setting late in southern Rome. The sun had dropped below the surrounding buildings, and shadows streaked the square. â€Å"Okay, Bernini,† he said aloud to himself. â€Å"Where the hell is your angel pointing?† He turned and examined the orientation of the church from which he had just come. He pictured the Chigi Chapel inside, and the sculpture of the angel inside that. Without hesitation he turned due west, into the glow of the impending sunset. Time was evaporating. â€Å"Southwest,† he said, scowling at the shops and apartments blocking his view. â€Å"The next marker is out there.† Racking his brain, Langdon pictured page after page of Italian art history. Although very familiar with Bernini’s work, Langdon knew the sculptor had been far too prolific for any nonspecialist to know all of it. Still, considering the relative fame of the first marker – Habakkuk and the Angel – Langdon hoped the second marker was a work he might know from memory. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, he thought. Earth they had found – inside the Chapel of the Earth – Habakkuk, the prophet who predicted the earth’s annihilation. Air is next. Langdon urged himself to think. A Bernini sculpture that has something to do with Air! He was drawing a total blank. Still he felt energized. I’m on the path of Illumination! It is still intact! Looking southwest, Langdon strained to see a spire or cathedral tower jutting up over the obstacles. He saw nothing. He needed a map. If they could figure out what churches were southwest of here, maybe one of them would spark Langdon’s memory. Air, he pressed. Air. Bernini. Sculpture. Air. Think! Langdon turned and headed back up the cathedral stairs. He was met beneath the scaffolding by Vittoria and Olivetti. â€Å"Southwest,† Langdon said, panting. â€Å"The next church is southwest of here.† Olivetti’s whisper was cold. â€Å"You sure this time?† Langdon didn’t bite. â€Å"We need a map. One that shows all the churches in Rome.† The commander studied him a moment, his expression never changing. Langdon checked his watch. â€Å"We only have half an hour.† Olivetti moved past Langdon down the stairs toward his car, parked directly in front of the cathedral. Langdon hoped he was going for a map. Vittoria looked excited. â€Å"So the angel’s pointing southwest? No idea which churches are southwest?† â€Å"I can’t see past the damn buildings.† Langdon turned and faced the square again. â€Å"And I don’t know Rome’s churches well enou – † He stopped. Vittoria looked startled. â€Å"What?† Langdon looked out at the piazza again. Having ascended the church stairs, he was now higher, and his view was better. He still couldn’t see anything, but he realized he was moving in the right direction. His eyes climbed the tower of rickety scaffolding above him. It rose six stories, almost to the top of the church’s rose window, far higher than the other buildings in the square. He knew in an instant where he was headed. Across the square, Chinita Macri and Gunther Glick sat glued to the windshield of the BBC van. â€Å"You getting this?† Gunther asked. Macri tightened her shot on the man now climbing the scaffolding. â€Å"He’s a little well dressed to be playing Spiderman if you ask me.† â€Å"And who’s Ms. Spidey?† Chinita glanced at the attractive woman beneath the scaffolding. â€Å"Bet you’d like to find out.† â€Å"Think I should call editorial?† â€Å"Not yet. Let’s watch. Better to have something in the can before we admit we abandoned conclave.† â€Å"You think somebody really killed one of the old farts in there?† Chinita clucked. â€Å"You’re definitely going to hell.† â€Å"And I’ll be taking the Pulitzer with me.† 71 The scaffolding seemed less stable the higher Langdon climbed. His view of Rome, however, got better with every step. He continued upward. He was breathing harder than he expected when he reached the upper tier. He pulled himself onto the last platform, brushed off the plaster, and stood up. The height did not bother him at all. In fact, it was invigorating. The view was staggering. Like an ocean on fire, the red-tiled rooftops of Rome spread out before him, glowing in the scarlet sunset. From that spot, for the first time in his life, Langdon saw beyond the pollution and traffic of Rome to its ancient roots – Citt di Dio – The city of God. Squinting into the sunset, Langdon scanned the rooftops for a church steeple or bell tower. But as he looked farther and farther toward the horizon, he saw nothing. There are hundreds of churches in Rome, he thought. There must be one southwest of here! If the church is even visible, he reminded himself. Hell, if the church is even still standing! Forcing his eyes to trace the line slowly, he attempted the search again. He knew, of course, that not all churches would have visible spires, especially smaller, out-of-the-way sanctuaries. Not to mention, Rome had changed dramatically since the 1600s when churches were by law the tallest buildings allowed. Now, as Langdon looked out, he saw apartment buildings, high-rises, TV towers. For the second time, Langdon’s eye reached the horizon without seeing anything. Not one single spire. In the distance, on the very edge of Rome, Michelangelo’s massive dome blotted the setting sun. St. Peter’s Basilica. Vatican City. Langdon found himself wondering how the cardinals were faring, and if the Swiss Guards’ search had turned up the antimatter. Something told him it hadn’t†¦ and wouldn’t. The poem was rattling through his head again. He considered it, carefully, line by line. From Santi’s earthly tomb with demon’s hole. They had found Santi’s tomb. ‘Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold. The mystic elements were Earth, Air, Fire, Water. The path of light is laid, the sacred test. The path of Illumination formed by Bernini’s sculptures. Let angels guide you on your lofty quest. The angel was pointing southwest†¦ â€Å"Front stairs!† Glick exclaimed, pointing wildly through the windshield of the BBC van. â€Å"Something’s going on!† Macri dropped her shot back down to the main entrance. Something was definitely going on. At the bottom of the stairs, the military-looking man had pulled one of the Alpha Romeos close to the stairs and opened the trunk. Now he was scanning the square as if checking for onlookers. For a moment, Macri thought the man had spotted them, but his eyes kept moving. Apparently satisfied, he pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. Almost instantly, it seemed an army emerged from the church. Like an American football team breaking from a huddle, the soldiers formed a straight line across the top of the stairs. Moving like a human wall, they began to descend. Behind them, almost entirely hidden by the wall, four soldiers seemed to be carrying something. Something heavy. Awkward. Glick leaned forward on the dashboard. â€Å"Are they stealing something from the church?† Chinita tightened her shot even more, using the telephoto to probe the wall of men, looking for an opening. One split second, she willed. A single frame. That’s all I need. But the men moved as one. Come on! Macri stayed with them, and it paid off. When the soldiers tried to lift the object into the trunk, Macri found her opening. Ironically, it was the older man who faltered. Only for an instant, but long enough. Macri had her frame. Actually, it was more like ten frames. â€Å"Call editorial,† Chinita said. â€Å"We’ve got a dead body.† Far away, at CERN, Maximilian Kohler maneuvered his wheelchair into Leonardo Vetra’s study. With mechanical efficiency, he began sifting through Vetra’s files. Not finding what he was after, Kohler moved to Vetra’s bedroom. The top drawer of his bedside table was locked. Kohler pried it open with a knife from the kitchen. Inside Kohler found exactly what he was looking for. 72 Langdon swung off the scaffolding and dropped back to the ground. He brushed the plaster dust from his clothes. Vittoria was there to greet him. â€Å"No luck?† she said. He shook his head. â€Å"They put the cardinal in the trunk.† Langdon looked over to the parked car where Olivetti and a group of soldiers now had a map spread out on the hood. â€Å"Are they looking southwest?† She nodded. â€Å"No churches. From here the first one you hit is St. Peter’s.† Langdon grunted. At least they were in agreement. He moved toward Olivetti. The soldiers parted to let him through. Olivetti looked up. â€Å"Nothing. But this doesn’t show every last church. Just the big ones. About fifty of them.† â€Å"Where are we?† Langdon asked. Olivetti pointed to Piazza del Popolo and traced a straight line exactly southwest. The line missed, by a substantial margin, the cluster of black squares indicating Rome’s major churches. Unfortunately, Rome’s major churches were also Rome’s older churches†¦ those that would have been around in the 1600s. â€Å"I’ve got some decisions to make,† Olivetti said. â€Å"Are you certain of the direction?† Langdon pictured the angel’s outstretched finger, the urgency rising in him again. â€Å"Yes, sir. Positive.† Olivetti shrugged and traced the straight line again. The path intersected the Margherita Bridge, Via Cola di Riezo, and passed through Piazza del Risorgimento, hitting no churches at all until it dead-ended abruptly at the center of St. Peter’s Square. â€Å"What’s wrong with St. Peter’s?† one of the soldiers said. He had a deep scar under his left eye. â€Å"It’s a church.† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"Needs to be a public place. Hardly seems public at the moment.† â€Å"But the line goes through St. Peter’s Square,† Vittoria added, looking over Langdon’s shoulder. â€Å"The square is public.† Langdon had already considered it. â€Å"No statues, though.† â€Å"Isn’t there a monolith in the middle?† She was right. There was an Egyptian monolith in St. Peter’s Square. Langdon looked out at the monolith in the piazza in front of them. The lofty pyramid. An odd coincidence, he thought. He shook it off. â€Å"The Vatican’s monolith is not by Bernini. It was brought in by Caligula. And it has nothing to do with Air.† There was another problem as well. â€Å"Besides, the poem says the elements are spread across Rome. St. Peter’s Square is in Vatican City. Not Rome.† â€Å"Depends who you ask,† a guard interjected. Langdon looked up. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Always a bone of contention. Most maps show St. Peter’s Square as part of Vatican City, but because it’s outside the walled city, Roman officials for centuries have claimed it as part of Rome.† â€Å"You’re kidding,† Langdon said. He had never known that. â€Å"I only mention it,† the guard continued, â€Å"because Commander Olivetti and Ms. Vetra were asking about a sculpture that had to do with Air.† Langdon was wide-eyed. â€Å"And you know of one in St. Peter’s Square?† â€Å"Not exactly. It’s not really a sculpture. Probably not relevant.† â€Å"Let’s hear it,† Olivetti pressed. The guard shrugged. â€Å"The only reason I know about it is because I’m usually on piazza duty. I know every corner of St. Peter’s Square.† â€Å"The sculpture,† Langdon urged. â€Å"What does it look like?† Langdon was starting to wonder if the Illuminati could really have been gutsy enough to position their second marker right outside St. Peter’s Church. â€Å"I patrol past it every day,† the guard said. â€Å"It’s in the center, directly where that line is pointing. That’s what made me think of it. As I said, it’s not really a sculpture. It’s more of a†¦ block.† Olivetti looked mad. â€Å"A block?† â€Å"Yes, sir. A marble block embedded in the square. At the base of the monolith. But the block is not a rectangle. It’s an ellipse. And the block is carved with the image of a billowing gust of wind.† He paused. â€Å"Air, I suppose, if you wanted to get scientific about it.† Langdon stared at the young soldier in amazement. â€Å"A relief!† he exclaimed suddenly. Everyone looked at him. â€Å"Relief,† Langdon said, â€Å"is the other half of sculpture!† Sculpture is the art of shaping figures in the round and also in relief. He had written the definition on chalkboards for years. Reliefs were essentially two-dimensional sculptures, like Abraham Lincoln’s profile on the penny. Bernini’s Chigi Chapel medallions were another perfect example. â€Å"Bassorelievo?† the guard asked, using the Italian art term. â€Å"Yes! Bas-relief!† Langdon rapped his knuckles on the hood. â€Å"I wasn’t thinking in those terms! That tile you’re talking about in St. Peter’s Square is called the West Ponente – the West Wind. It’s also known as Respiro di Dio.† â€Å"Breath of God?† â€Å"Yes! Air! And it was carved and put there by the original architect!† Vittoria looked confused. â€Å"But I thought Michelangelo designed St. Peter’s.† â€Å"Yes, the basilica!† Langdon exclaimed, triumph in his voice. â€Å"But St. Peter’s Square was designed by Bernini!† As the caravan of Alpha Romeos tore out of Piazza del Popolo, everyone was in too much of a hurry to notice the BBC van pulling out behind them. 73 Gunther Glick floored the BBC van’s accelerator and swerved through traffic as he tailed the four speeding Alpha Romeos across the Tiber River on Ponte Margherita. Normally Glick would have made an effort to maintain an inconspicuous distance, but today he could barely keep up. These guys were flying. Macri sat in her work area in the back of the van finishing a phone call with London. She hung up and yelled to Glick over the sound of the traffic. â€Å"You want the good news or bad news?† Glick frowned. Nothing was ever simple when dealing with the home office. â€Å"Bad news.† â€Å"Editorial is burned we abandoned our post.† â€Å"Surprise.† â€Å"They also think your tipster is a fraud.† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"And the boss just warned me that you’re a few crumpets short of a proper tea.† Glick scowled. â€Å"Great. And the good news?† â€Å"They agreed to look at the footage we just shot.† Glick felt his scowl soften into a grin. I guess we’ll see who’s short a few crumpets. â€Å"So fire it off.† â€Å"Can’t transmit until we stop and get a fixed cell read.† Glick gunned the van onto Via Cola di Rienzo. â€Å"Can’t stop now.† He tailed the Alpha Romeos through a hard left swerve around Piazza Risorgimento. Macri held on to her computer gear in back as everything slid. â€Å"Break my transmitter,† she warned, â€Å"and we’ll have to walk this footage to London.† â€Å"Sit tight, love. Something tells me we’re almost there.† Macri looked up. â€Å"Where?† Glick gazed out at the familiar dome now looming directly in front of them. He smiled. â€Å"Right back where we started.† The four Alpha Romeos slipped deftly into traffic surrounding St. Peter’s Square. They split up and spread out along the piazza perimeter, quietly unloading men at select points. The debarking guards moved into the throng of tourists and media vans on the edge of the square and instantly became invisible. Some of the guards entered the forest of pillars encompassing the colonnade. They too seemed to evaporate into the surroundings. As Langdon watched through the windshield, he sensed a noose tightening around St. Peter’s. In addition to the men Olivetti had just dispatched, the commander had radioed ahead to the Vatican and sent additional undercover guards to the center where Bernini’s West Ponente was located. As Langdon looked out at the wide-open spaces of St. Peter’s Square, a familiar question nagged. How does the Illuminati assassin plan to get away with this? How will he get a cardinal through all these people and kill him in plain view? Langdon checked his Mickey Mouse watch. It was 8:54 P.M. Six minutes. In the front seat, Olivetti turned and faced Langdon and Vittoria. â€Å"I want you two right on top of this Bernini brick or block or whatever the hell it is. Same drill. You’re tourists. Use the phone if you see anything.† Before Langdon could respond, Vittoria had his hand and was pulling him out of the car. The springtime sun was setting behind St. Peter’s Basilica, and a massive shadow spread, engulfing the piazza. Langdon felt an ominous chill as he and Vittoria moved into the cool, black umbra. Snaking through the crowd, Langdon found himself searching every face they passed, wondering if the killer was among them. Vittoria’s hand felt warm. As they crossed the open expanse of St. Peter’s Square, Langdon sensed Bernini’s sprawling piazza having the exact effect the artist had been commissioned to create – that of â€Å"humbling all those who entered.† Langdon certainly felt humbled at the moment. Humbled and hungry, he realized, surprised such a mundane thought could enter his head at a moment like this. â€Å"To the obelisk?† Vittoria asked. Langdon nodded, arching left across the piazza. â€Å"Time?† Vittoria asked, walking briskly, but casually. â€Å"Five of.† Vittoria said nothing, but Langdon felt her grip tighten. He was still carrying the gun. He hoped Vittoria would not decide she needed it. He could not imagine her whipping out a weapon in St. Peter’s Square and blowing away the kneecaps of some killer while the global media looked on. Then again, an incident like that would be nothing compared to the branding and murder of a cardinal out here. Air, Langdon thought. The second element of science. He tried to picture the brand. The method of murder. Again he scanned the sprawling expanse of granite beneath his feet – St. Peter’s Square – an open desert surrounded by Swiss Guard. If the Hassassin really dared attempt this, Langdon could not imagine how he would escape. In the center of the piazza rose Caligula’s 350-ton Egyptian obelisk. It stretched eighty-one feet skyward to the pyramidal apex onto which was affixed a hollow iron cross. Sufficiently high to catch the last of the evening sun, the cross shone as if magic†¦ purportedly containing relics of the cross on which Christ was crucified. Two fountains flanked the obelisk in perfect symmetry. Art historians knew the fountains marked the exact geometric focal points of Bernini’s elliptical piazza, but it was an architectural oddity Langdon had never really considered until today. It seemed Rome was suddenly filled with ellipses, pyramids, and startling geometry. As they neared the obelisk, Vittoria slowed. She exhaled heavily, as if coaxing Langdon to relax along with her. Langdon made the effort, lowering his shoulders and loosening his clenched jaw. Somewhere around the obelisk, boldly positioned outside the largest church in the world, was the second altar of science – Bernini’s West Ponente – an elliptical block in St. Peter’s Square. Gunther Glick watched from the shadows of the pillars surrounding St. Peter’s Square. On any other day the man in the tweed jacket and the woman in khaki shorts would not have interested him in the least. They appeared to be nothing but tourists enjoying the square. But today was not any other day. Today had been a day of phone tips, corpses, unmarked cars racing through Rome, and men in tweed jackets climbing scaffolding in search of God only knew what. Glick would stay with them. He looked out across the square and saw Macri. She was exactly where he had told her to go, on the far side of the couple, hovering on their flank. Macri carried her video camera casually, but despite her imitation of a bored member of the press, she stood out more than Glick would have liked. No other reporters were in this far corner of the square, and the acronym â€Å"BBC† stenciled on her camera was drawing some looks from tourists. The tape Macri had shot earlier of the naked body dumped in the trunk was playing at this very moment on the VCR transmitter back in the van. Glick knew the images were sailing over his head right now en route to London. He wondered what editorial would say. He wished he and Macri had reached the body sooner, before the army of plainclothed soldiers had intervened. The same army, he knew, had now fanned out and surrounded this piazza. Something big was about to happen. The media is the right arm of anarchy, the killer had said. Glick wondered if he had missed his chance for a big scoop. He looked out at the other media vans in the distance and watched Macri tailing the mysterious couple across the piazza. Something told Glick he was still in the game†¦ Angels Demons Chapter 7073 As soon as they’d arrived, Chinita and Glick had seen a veritable army of young men pour out of the Alpha Romeos and surround the church. Some had weapons drawn. One of them, a stiff older man, led a team up the front steps of the church. The soldiers drew guns and blew the locks off the front doors. Macri heard nothing and figured they must have had silencers. Then the soldiers entered. Chinita had recommended they sit tight and film from the shadows. After all, guns were guns, and they had a clear view of the action from the van. Glick had not argued. Now, across the piazza, men moved in and out of the church. They yelled to each other. Chinita adjusted her camera to follow a team as they searched the surrounding area. All of them, though dressed in civilian clothes, seemed to move with military precision. â€Å"Who do you think they are?† she asked. â€Å"Hell if I know.† Glick looked riveted. â€Å"You getting all this?† â€Å"Every frame.† Glick sounded smug. â€Å"Still think we should go back to Pope-Watch?† Chinita wasn’t sure what to say. There was obviously something going on here, but she had been in journalism long enough to know that there was often a very dull explanation for interesting events. â€Å"This could be nothing,† she said. â€Å"These guys could have gotten the same tip you got and are just checking it out. Could be a false alarm.† Glick grabbed her arm. â€Å"Over there! Focus.† He pointed back to the church. Chinita swung the camera back to the top of the stairs. â€Å"Hello there,† she said, training on the man now emerging from the church. â€Å"Who’s the dapper?† Chinita moved in for a close-up. â€Å"Haven’t seen him before.† She tightened in on the man’s face and smiled. â€Å"But I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.† Robert Langdon dashed down the stairs outside the church and into the middle of the piazza. It was getting dark now, the springtime sun setting late in southern Rome. The sun had dropped below the surrounding buildings, and shadows streaked the square. â€Å"Okay, Bernini,† he said aloud to himself. â€Å"Where the hell is your angel pointing?† He turned and examined the orientation of the church from which he had just come. He pictured the Chigi Chapel inside, and the sculpture of the angel inside that. Without hesitation he turned due west, into the glow of the impending sunset. Time was evaporating. â€Å"Southwest,† he said, scowling at the shops and apartments blocking his view. â€Å"The next marker is out there.† Racking his brain, Langdon pictured page after page of Italian art history. Although very familiar with Bernini’s work, Langdon knew the sculptor had been far too prolific for any nonspecialist to know all of it. Still, considering the relative fame of the first marker – Habakkuk and the Angel – Langdon hoped the second marker was a work he might know from memory. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, he thought. Earth they had found – inside the Chapel of the Earth – Habakkuk, the prophet who predicted the earth’s annihilation. Air is next. Langdon urged himself to think. A Bernini sculpture that has something to do with Air! He was drawing a total blank. Still he felt energized. I’m on the path of Illumination! It is still intact! Looking southwest, Langdon strained to see a spire or cathedral tower jutting up over the obstacles. He saw nothing. He needed a map. If they could figure out what churches were southwest of here, maybe one of them would spark Langdon’s memory. Air, he pressed. Air. Bernini. Sculpture. Air. Think! Langdon turned and headed back up the cathedral stairs. He was met beneath the scaffolding by Vittoria and Olivetti. â€Å"Southwest,† Langdon said, panting. â€Å"The next church is southwest of here.† Olivetti’s whisper was cold. â€Å"You sure this time?† Langdon didn’t bite. â€Å"We need a map. One that shows all the churches in Rome.† The commander studied him a moment, his expression never changing. Langdon checked his watch. â€Å"We only have half an hour.† Olivetti moved past Langdon down the stairs toward his car, parked directly in front of the cathedral. Langdon hoped he was going for a map. Vittoria looked excited. â€Å"So the angel’s pointing southwest? No idea which churches are southwest?† â€Å"I can’t see past the damn buildings.† Langdon turned and faced the square again. â€Å"And I don’t know Rome’s churches well enou – † He stopped. Vittoria looked startled. â€Å"What?† Langdon looked out at the piazza again. Having ascended the church stairs, he was now higher, and his view was better. He still couldn’t see anything, but he realized he was moving in the right direction. His eyes climbed the tower of rickety scaffolding above him. It rose six stories, almost to the top of the church’s rose window, far higher than the other buildings in the square. He knew in an instant where he was headed. Across the square, Chinita Macri and Gunther Glick sat glued to the windshield of the BBC van. â€Å"You getting this?† Gunther asked. Macri tightened her shot on the man now climbing the scaffolding. â€Å"He’s a little well dressed to be playing Spiderman if you ask me.† â€Å"And who’s Ms. Spidey?† Chinita glanced at the attractive woman beneath the scaffolding. â€Å"Bet you’d like to find out.† â€Å"Think I should call editorial?† â€Å"Not yet. Let’s watch. Better to have something in the can before we admit we abandoned conclave.† â€Å"You think somebody really killed one of the old farts in there?† Chinita clucked. â€Å"You’re definitely going to hell.† â€Å"And I’ll be taking the Pulitzer with me.† 71 The scaffolding seemed less stable the higher Langdon climbed. His view of Rome, however, got better with every step. He continued upward. He was breathing harder than he expected when he reached the upper tier. He pulled himself onto the last platform, brushed off the plaster, and stood up. The height did not bother him at all. In fact, it was invigorating. The view was staggering. Like an ocean on fire, the red-tiled rooftops of Rome spread out before him, glowing in the scarlet sunset. From that spot, for the first time in his life, Langdon saw beyond the pollution and traffic of Rome to its ancient roots – Citt di Dio – The city of God. Squinting into the sunset, Langdon scanned the rooftops for a church steeple or bell tower. But as he looked farther and farther toward the horizon, he saw nothing. There are hundreds of churches in Rome, he thought. There must be one southwest of here! If the church is even visible, he reminded himself. Hell, if the church is even still standing! Forcing his eyes to trace the line slowly, he attempted the search again. He knew, of course, that not all churches would have visible spires, especially smaller, out-of-the-way sanctuaries. Not to mention, Rome had changed dramatically since the 1600s when churches were by law the tallest buildings allowed. Now, as Langdon looked out, he saw apartment buildings, high-rises, TV towers. For the second time, Langdon’s eye reached the horizon without seeing anything. Not one single spire. In the distance, on the very edge of Rome, Michelangelo’s massive dome blotted the setting sun. St. Peter’s Basilica. Vatican City. Langdon found himself wondering how the cardinals were faring, and if the Swiss Guards’ search had turned up the antimatter. Something told him it hadn’t†¦ and wouldn’t. The poem was rattling through his head again. He considered it, carefully, line by line. From Santi’s earthly tomb with demon’s hole. They had found Santi’s tomb. ‘Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold. The mystic elements were Earth, Air, Fire, Water. The path of light is laid, the sacred test. The path of Illumination formed by Bernini’s sculptures. Let angels guide you on your lofty quest. The angel was pointing southwest†¦ â€Å"Front stairs!† Glick exclaimed, pointing wildly through the windshield of the BBC van. â€Å"Something’s going on!† Macri dropped her shot back down to the main entrance. Something was definitely going on. At the bottom of the stairs, the military-looking man had pulled one of the Alpha Romeos close to the stairs and opened the trunk. Now he was scanning the square as if checking for onlookers. For a moment, Macri thought the man had spotted them, but his eyes kept moving. Apparently satisfied, he pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. Almost instantly, it seemed an army emerged from the church. Like an American football team breaking from a huddle, the soldiers formed a straight line across the top of the stairs. Moving like a human wall, they began to descend. Behind them, almost entirely hidden by the wall, four soldiers seemed to be carrying something. Something heavy. Awkward. Glick leaned forward on the dashboard. â€Å"Are they stealing something from the church?† Chinita tightened her shot even more, using the telephoto to probe the wall of men, looking for an opening. One split second, she willed. A single frame. That’s all I need. But the men moved as one. Come on! Macri stayed with them, and it paid off. When the soldiers tried to lift the object into the trunk, Macri found her opening. Ironically, it was the older man who faltered. Only for an instant, but long enough. Macri had her frame. Actually, it was more like ten frames. â€Å"Call editorial,† Chinita said. â€Å"We’ve got a dead body.† Far away, at CERN, Maximilian Kohler maneuvered his wheelchair into Leonardo Vetra’s study. With mechanical efficiency, he began sifting through Vetra’s files. Not finding what he was after, Kohler moved to Vetra’s bedroom. The top drawer of his bedside table was locked. Kohler pried it open with a knife from the kitchen. Inside Kohler found exactly what he was looking for. 72 Langdon swung off the scaffolding and dropped back to the ground. He brushed the plaster dust from his clothes. Vittoria was there to greet him. â€Å"No luck?† she said. He shook his head. â€Å"They put the cardinal in the trunk.† Langdon looked over to the parked car where Olivetti and a group of soldiers now had a map spread out on the hood. â€Å"Are they looking southwest?† She nodded. â€Å"No churches. From here the first one you hit is St. Peter’s.† Langdon grunted. At least they were in agreement. He moved toward Olivetti. The soldiers parted to let him through. Olivetti looked up. â€Å"Nothing. But this doesn’t show every last church. Just the big ones. About fifty of them.† â€Å"Where are we?† Langdon asked. Olivetti pointed to Piazza del Popolo and traced a straight line exactly southwest. The line missed, by a substantial margin, the cluster of black squares indicating Rome’s major churches. Unfortunately, Rome’s major churches were also Rome’s older churches†¦ those that would have been around in the 1600s. â€Å"I’ve got some decisions to make,† Olivetti said. â€Å"Are you certain of the direction?† Langdon pictured the angel’s outstretched finger, the urgency rising in him again. â€Å"Yes, sir. Positive.† Olivetti shrugged and traced the straight line again. The path intersected the Margherita Bridge, Via Cola di Riezo, and passed through Piazza del Risorgimento, hitting no churches at all until it dead-ended abruptly at the center of St. Peter’s Square. â€Å"What’s wrong with St. Peter’s?† one of the soldiers said. He had a deep scar under his left eye. â€Å"It’s a church.† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"Needs to be a public place. Hardly seems public at the moment.† â€Å"But the line goes through St. Peter’s Square,† Vittoria added, looking over Langdon’s shoulder. â€Å"The square is public.† Langdon had already considered it. â€Å"No statues, though.† â€Å"Isn’t there a monolith in the middle?† She was right. There was an Egyptian monolith in St. Peter’s Square. Langdon looked out at the monolith in the piazza in front of them. The lofty pyramid. An odd coincidence, he thought. He shook it off. â€Å"The Vatican’s monolith is not by Bernini. It was brought in by Caligula. And it has nothing to do with Air.† There was another problem as well. â€Å"Besides, the poem says the elements are spread across Rome. St. Peter’s Square is in Vatican City. Not Rome.† â€Å"Depends who you ask,† a guard interjected. Langdon looked up. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Always a bone of contention. Most maps show St. Peter’s Square as part of Vatican City, but because it’s outside the walled city, Roman officials for centuries have claimed it as part of Rome.† â€Å"You’re kidding,† Langdon said. He had never known that. â€Å"I only mention it,† the guard continued, â€Å"because Commander Olivetti and Ms. Vetra were asking about a sculpture that had to do with Air.† Langdon was wide-eyed. â€Å"And you know of one in St. Peter’s Square?† â€Å"Not exactly. It’s not really a sculpture. Probably not relevant.† â€Å"Let’s hear it,† Olivetti pressed. The guard shrugged. â€Å"The only reason I know about it is because I’m usually on piazza duty. I know every corner of St. Peter’s Square.† â€Å"The sculpture,† Langdon urged. â€Å"What does it look like?† Langdon was starting to wonder if the Illuminati could really have been gutsy enough to position their second marker right outside St. Peter’s Church. â€Å"I patrol past it every day,† the guard said. â€Å"It’s in the center, directly where that line is pointing. That’s what made me think of it. As I said, it’s not really a sculpture. It’s more of a†¦ block.† Olivetti looked mad. â€Å"A block?† â€Å"Yes, sir. A marble block embedded in the square. At the base of the monolith. But the block is not a rectangle. It’s an ellipse. And the block is carved with the image of a billowing gust of wind.† He paused. â€Å"Air, I suppose, if you wanted to get scientific about it.† Langdon stared at the young soldier in amazement. â€Å"A relief!† he exclaimed suddenly. Everyone looked at him. â€Å"Relief,† Langdon said, â€Å"is the other half of sculpture!† Sculpture is the art of shaping figures in the round and also in relief. He had written the definition on chalkboards for years. Reliefs were essentially two-dimensional sculptures, like Abraham Lincoln’s profile on the penny. Bernini’s Chigi Chapel medallions were another perfect example. â€Å"Bassorelievo?† the guard asked, using the Italian art term. â€Å"Yes! Bas-relief!† Langdon rapped his knuckles on the hood. â€Å"I wasn’t thinking in those terms! That tile you’re talking about in St. Peter’s Square is called the West Ponente – the West Wind. It’s also known as Respiro di Dio.† â€Å"Breath of God?† â€Å"Yes! Air! And it was carved and put there by the original architect!† Vittoria looked confused. â€Å"But I thought Michelangelo designed St. Peter’s.† â€Å"Yes, the basilica!† Langdon exclaimed, triumph in his voice. â€Å"But St. Peter’s Square was designed by Bernini!† As the caravan of Alpha Romeos tore out of Piazza del Popolo, everyone was in too much of a hurry to notice the BBC van pulling out behind them. 73 Gunther Glick floored the BBC van’s accelerator and swerved through traffic as he tailed the four speeding Alpha Romeos across the Tiber River on Ponte Margherita. Normally Glick would have made an effort to maintain an inconspicuous distance, but today he could barely keep up. These guys were flying. Macri sat in her work area in the back of the van finishing a phone call with London. She hung up and yelled to Glick over the sound of the traffic. â€Å"You want the good news or bad news?† Glick frowned. Nothing was ever simple when dealing with the home office. â€Å"Bad news.† â€Å"Editorial is burned we abandoned our post.† â€Å"Surprise.† â€Å"They also think your tipster is a fraud.† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"And the boss just warned me that you’re a few crumpets short of a proper tea.† Glick scowled. â€Å"Great. And the good news?† â€Å"They agreed to look at the footage we just shot.† Glick felt his scowl soften into a grin. I guess we’ll see who’s short a few crumpets. â€Å"So fire it off.† â€Å"Can’t transmit until we stop and get a fixed cell read.† Glick gunned the van onto Via Cola di Rienzo. â€Å"Can’t stop now.† He tailed the Alpha Romeos through a hard left swerve around Piazza Risorgimento. Macri held on to her computer gear in back as everything slid. â€Å"Break my transmitter,† she warned, â€Å"and we’ll have to walk this footage to London.† â€Å"Sit tight, love. Something tells me we’re almost there.† Macri looked up. â€Å"Where?† Glick gazed out at the familiar dome now looming directly in front of them. He smiled. â€Å"Right back where we started.† The four Alpha Romeos slipped deftly into traffic surrounding St. Peter’s Square. They split up and spread out along the piazza perimeter, quietly unloading men at select points. The debarking guards moved into the throng of tourists and media vans on the edge of the square and instantly became invisible. Some of the guards entered the forest of pillars encompassing the colonnade. They too seemed to evaporate into the surroundings. As Langdon watched through the windshield, he sensed a noose tightening around St. Peter’s. In addition to the men Olivetti had just dispatched, the commander had radioed ahead to the Vatican and sent additional undercover guards to the center where Bernini’s West Ponente was located. As Langdon looked out at the wide-open spaces of St. Peter’s Square, a familiar question nagged. How does the Illuminati assassin plan to get away with this? How will he get a cardinal through all these people and kill him in plain view? Langdon checked his Mickey Mouse watch. It was 8:54 P.M. Six minutes. In the front seat, Olivetti turned and faced Langdon and Vittoria. â€Å"I want you two right on top of this Bernini brick or block or whatever the hell it is. Same drill. You’re tourists. Use the phone if you see anything.† Before Langdon could respond, Vittoria had his hand and was pulling him out of the car. The springtime sun was setting behind St. Peter’s Basilica, and a massive shadow spread, engulfing the piazza. Langdon felt an ominous chill as he and Vittoria moved into the cool, black umbra. Snaking through the crowd, Langdon found himself searching every face they passed, wondering if the killer was among them. Vittoria’s hand felt warm. As they crossed the open expanse of St. Peter’s Square, Langdon sensed Bernini’s sprawling piazza having the exact effect the artist had been commissioned to create – that of â€Å"humbling all those who entered.† Langdon certainly felt humbled at the moment. Humbled and hungry, he realized, surprised such a mundane thought could enter his head at a moment like this. â€Å"To the obelisk?† Vittoria asked. Langdon nodded, arching left across the piazza. â€Å"Time?† Vittoria asked, walking briskly, but casually. â€Å"Five of.† Vittoria said nothing, but Langdon felt her grip tighten. He was still carrying the gun. He hoped Vittoria would not decide she needed it. He could not imagine her whipping out a weapon in St. Peter’s Square and blowing away the kneecaps of some killer while the global media looked on. Then again, an incident like that would be nothing compared to the branding and murder of a cardinal out here. Air, Langdon thought. The second element of science. He tried to picture the brand. The method of murder. Again he scanned the sprawling expanse of granite beneath his feet – St. Peter’s Square – an open desert surrounded by Swiss Guard. If the Hassassin really dared attempt this, Langdon could not imagine how he would escape. In the center of the piazza rose Caligula’s 350-ton Egyptian obelisk. It stretched eighty-one feet skyward to the pyramidal apex onto which was affixed a hollow iron cross. Sufficiently high to catch the last of the evening sun, the cross shone as if magic†¦ purportedly containing relics of the cross on which Christ was crucified. Two fountains flanked the obelisk in perfect symmetry. Art historians knew the fountains marked the exact geometric focal points of Bernini’s elliptical piazza, but it was an architectural oddity Langdon had never really considered until today. It seemed Rome was suddenly filled with ellipses, pyramids, and startling geometry. As they neared the obelisk, Vittoria slowed. She exhaled heavily, as if coaxing Langdon to relax along with her. Langdon made the effort, lowering his shoulders and loosening his clenched jaw. Somewhere around the obelisk, boldly positioned outside the largest church in the world, was the second altar of science – Bernini’s West Ponente – an elliptical block in St. Peter’s Square. Gunther Glick watched from the shadows of the pillars surrounding St. Peter’s Square. On any other day the man in the tweed jacket and the woman in khaki shorts would not have interested him in the least. They appeared to be nothing but tourists enjoying the square. But today was not any other day. Today had been a day of phone tips, corpses, unmarked cars racing through Rome, and men in tweed jackets climbing scaffolding in search of God only knew what. Glick would stay with them. He looked out across the square and saw Macri. She was exactly where he had told her to go, on the far side of the couple, hovering on their flank. Macri carried her video camera casually, but despite her imitation of a bored member of the press, she stood out more than Glick would have liked. No other reporters were in this far corner of the square, and the acronym â€Å"BBC† stenciled on her camera was drawing some looks from tourists. The tape Macri had shot earlier of the naked body dumped in the trunk was playing at this very moment on the VCR transmitter back in the van. Glick knew the images were sailing over his head right now en route to London. He wondered what editorial would say. He wished he and Macri had reached the body sooner, before the army of plainclothed soldiers had intervened. The same army, he knew, had now fanned out and surrounded this piazza. Something big was about to happen. The media is the right arm of anarchy, the killer had said. Glick wondered if he had missed his chance for a big scoop. He looked out at the other media vans in the distance and watched Macri tailing the mysterious couple across the piazza. Something told Glick he was still in the game†¦